Bleaharg! I dashed across the pit to get some money out of the ATM. I know I will get hungry in less than an hour but the coffee shop closes at 2pm. The ATM is 'temporarily out of service.' So, no money & no food. I get to starve for 4 hours as it will probably be 6pm before I get home to get something to eat. I am simply SOL. I'm feeling pouty already.
Oh, I nearly forgot: clothes update. Today it's grape colored slacks, brown boots, navy silk shirt, floral paisley vest (black background with pink, 2 shades of blue, grey, beige, apricot, bits of yellow & edged with machine embroidery stitch in variagated purple), 2 silver rings (1 fem figure & 1 dragon), silver Celtic knot earrings, silver dragon pendant on silver chain & my hair in a half knot stuck with a purplish wood hairstick. The half knot is where I tie a knot in my hair, fix it in place with a hairstick & let the rest of my hair hang. As a constant, I also wear a silver earcuff, usually in my right ear.
I saw something that looked, well, gross on my way back from the ATM. It was a young man, with a pierced nose; the little bull nose ring looking type, in silver colored metal with silver ball finials. The gross part was that the reflection from the nose ring just made it look like he desparately needed to wipe his nose. It was not a lovely image.
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Well, it's the last day of this work week. Wheee. Too bad I can't leave early. It's one of those things that, unless my boss authorizes, even unofficially, that we can close the office before five, I'm stuck here until five. Even if the other department in the building has packed up and gone home. [insert heavy sigh] I might be able to leave early, if I felt like using vacation leave to do it. Which I don't. I'm saving that for my trip to Charlotte in early January. The nice thing? I'm able to listen to my Ozzy Osbourne cd & no one is here to care.
I had to put the bandaid back on my index finger. The fingernail polish helped but not for very long. So, still no tatting. Bleah.
I bought 3 books last night. I've completely read one already. It's Hawkins St. John book. I missed the 1st one, but I've read the 2nd, 3rd & now 4th one. Now I'm reading Alexander's The Lady in Question. I thought it was connected to Love with the Proper Husband but it's not. I'm enjoying it, nonetheless. The third book is also connected to another book. It takes place at the same time as the one that it's connected to, as it's about two cousins who change places.
As a result of all my reading, I did not get any writing done. C'est la vie. I did watch 3 episodes of Stargate and the episode of CSI: Miami from Monday. I only have one episode of Stargate left to watch on that tape. 2 of the episodes of Stargate that I watched were from first season. David loaned my his first season dvd boxed set. I have to return it to him by mid-December as he's doing a loan exchange with a friend of his at Christmas.
Mild irritant in my life right, someone on one of the email lists to which I am subscribed has an email format that does not show in the digest form. So everytime he posts, I can't read it. I am left feeling that I'm missing a large chunk of the conversation.
I need to work on preparing the December reports so that they are ready for data entry. I'll probably post again before I leave for the day, but in case I don't: Happy Thanksgiving.
I had to put the bandaid back on my index finger. The fingernail polish helped but not for very long. So, still no tatting. Bleah.
I bought 3 books last night. I've completely read one already. It's Hawkins St. John book. I missed the 1st one, but I've read the 2nd, 3rd & now 4th one. Now I'm reading Alexander's The Lady in Question. I thought it was connected to Love with the Proper Husband but it's not. I'm enjoying it, nonetheless. The third book is also connected to another book. It takes place at the same time as the one that it's connected to, as it's about two cousins who change places.
As a result of all my reading, I did not get any writing done. C'est la vie. I did watch 3 episodes of Stargate and the episode of CSI: Miami from Monday. I only have one episode of Stargate left to watch on that tape. 2 of the episodes of Stargate that I watched were from first season. David loaned my his first season dvd boxed set. I have to return it to him by mid-December as he's doing a loan exchange with a friend of his at Christmas.
Mild irritant in my life right, someone on one of the email lists to which I am subscribed has an email format that does not show in the digest form. So everytime he posts, I can't read it. I am left feeling that I'm missing a large chunk of the conversation.
I need to work on preparing the December reports so that they are ready for data entry. I'll probably post again before I leave for the day, but in case I don't: Happy Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
[insert Monty Python voice] I'm not dead yet. I'm much better [/Monty Python voice]
I really am. I don't know what happened yesterday & I won't go into details. We'll just leave it with 'it was unpleasant.'
We had gaming at our house again (every Monday night). We were supposed to be play testing Diana's adventure. We did, a little. Mostly, we talked. And talked. And talked. Until Rosemary realized that it was 11 pm. Ack. We scattered.
I've had about 7.5 hours of sleep. For those of you who thrive on less, congratulations. I don't. I like having 8 hours of sleep. So far, I have not resorted to caffeine. But I have my tea all ready, all I need is the hot water. The only thing I'm wondering now, did I forget to turn on my alarm clock or did I turn it off in my sleep?
It's a lot colder today than it was yesterday. It's about 45 degrees F right now, with occasional breeze blowing. At least it's nice & sunny.
I forgot to do the clothes thing yesterday so I'll do this weekend, yesterday & today's, now. Weekend: t-shirts, jeans & loafers. Yesterday, white oxford shirt, navy slacks (with an annoying zipper that keeps flipping open, acceptable when I'm wearing something to cover it, not when I have a shirt tucked into the waistband instead), brown boots, Celtic knotwork themed jewelry (pendant, ring, earrings) & my hair in a plait.
Today I'm wearing a violet turtleneck; indigo blue jumper; black boots; multi-colored. geometric checkerboards & stripes sweater, moonstone pendant, earrings, ring, silver band jewelry & my hair is loose. It was braided but I let it down because of all the flyaways. I'd put it up but I forgot to stash a hairstick in my purse this weekend. The jumper, like so many of my skirts, come to mid-calf. I think it's because I'm short & often too lazy to hem them.
Ramadan ends today. FYI, if you didn't know already.
I really am. I don't know what happened yesterday & I won't go into details. We'll just leave it with 'it was unpleasant.'
We had gaming at our house again (every Monday night). We were supposed to be play testing Diana's adventure. We did, a little. Mostly, we talked. And talked. And talked. Until Rosemary realized that it was 11 pm. Ack. We scattered.
I've had about 7.5 hours of sleep. For those of you who thrive on less, congratulations. I don't. I like having 8 hours of sleep. So far, I have not resorted to caffeine. But I have my tea all ready, all I need is the hot water. The only thing I'm wondering now, did I forget to turn on my alarm clock or did I turn it off in my sleep?
It's a lot colder today than it was yesterday. It's about 45 degrees F right now, with occasional breeze blowing. At least it's nice & sunny.
I forgot to do the clothes thing yesterday so I'll do this weekend, yesterday & today's, now. Weekend: t-shirts, jeans & loafers. Yesterday, white oxford shirt, navy slacks (with an annoying zipper that keeps flipping open, acceptable when I'm wearing something to cover it, not when I have a shirt tucked into the waistband instead), brown boots, Celtic knotwork themed jewelry (pendant, ring, earrings) & my hair in a plait.
Today I'm wearing a violet turtleneck; indigo blue jumper; black boots; multi-colored. geometric checkerboards & stripes sweater, moonstone pendant, earrings, ring, silver band jewelry & my hair is loose. It was braided but I let it down because of all the flyaways. I'd put it up but I forgot to stash a hairstick in my purse this weekend. The jumper, like so many of my skirts, come to mid-calf. I think it's because I'm short & often too lazy to hem them.
Ramadan ends today. FYI, if you didn't know already.
Monday, November 24, 2003
I stayed a little late on Friday & caught up on typing my writing. Yeah, me. Then I hurried home to watch tv & clean the living room. I was supposed to spend Saturday working on it but if I worked on it at least some on Friday, then Chris would take me shopping Saturday, without the guilt trip.
We ended up looking at stoves for close to 2 hours. Our oven element died (we know it's the element because broil still works) a month ago. If we can't replace it/fix it, then we need a new oven. We went to Sears because they are trying to recover their formerly sterling service record. We saw three that we liked. At the bottom end, feature & price-wise is the model for $649, on sale. At the top end was the Maytag for $1299. In between was the $899 model, on sale. The salesman gave us the 800 number to call about the part. The website did not list the part 'no part found' so the phone call was our last resort before making a purchase. Since the sale on the 1st one & the no-interest special on the second ended on Saturday we had to hurry to make a decison. We are buying a part & fixing our current oven. That's a good thing, really. Much as we'd like a new one, with a ceran, flat-top stove, it's better to fix the old & keep using it than to replace it before necessary.
The JC Penney sale was not as good as we remember it. There were a lot of things it did not apply to, including small appliances. Chris wants a new toaster, a smaller one. No sale? Then no sale.
I bought Timesplitters 2. I looked at Syberia but wanted a multi-player that Chris & I could play together. We got home, hooked up the second controller and played it. Favor point: male & female protagonists, disfavor point: what is that girl wearing in the first scene? They resemble pants but have straps covering the hips instead of fabric. Favor point: in the 2nd scene she's fully dressed, the only skin is what's showing between her clam diggers & her boots. Disfavor point: the targeting drifts. I'm lining up a shot on a door. Instead of aiming the gun/crosshairs & leaving it, I have to keep my thumb cocked just so to keep it lined up & try to shoot with the forefinger of the same hand. If my thumb twitches, say because I'm squeezing my forefinger, then my shots go wild. For those of us with smaller hands this is an even greater concern. It's not easy to keep my thumb cocked just so and squeeze the trigger.
After we died a few times on that (once I blew Chris away, I mistook him for a bad guy), we played Halo. Chris started a new character with me. Unfortunately, they did not give us the 'getting used to your equipment' phase. Instead we jumped straight into the running & fighting. I had fun driving the warthog. I found a cliff with it once. Crash! Oops, time to respawn. We made it through the first mission & then stopped to eat supper. We had literally played for most of the afternoon, well, okay, it was only 4 or so hours.
Sunday it was off to grocery shop after I worked on the living room & dining room. I cleaned up the detritus of my cleaning. Okay, it was mostly, this bag of books goes to the basement. This group of presents goes with the other ones in the basement & so forth. Then we went grocery shopping.
No matter what, our grocery shopping takes an hour, then putting them away takes 20 minutes. We had breakfast/brunch at the Pizza Inn buffet & made it home with time to finish clearing the dining room table & to vacuum the dining room & the living room. I was finishing up the vacuuming when Joe & Mike showed. I had finished when Rosemary made it. Richard was the last to arrive but he was only a little late.
We played the third session of our Forgotten Realms campaign. This is the almost Freaks & Geeks game. We have a tiefling, an aasimar, & a half-drow. Of the other two characters, one claims to be a priest of Mystra but although he prays for spells, he has not been blessed with him (maybe that's because he's a monk, not a cleric). The other one is a downright normal elf ranger. The game so far is a straight-forward old-fashioned dungeon crawl. Richard was feeling sleepy so I made him a cup of my new stay-awake tea from Sacred Grove Apothecary. He said that it's marvelous. I have yet to have reason to use it, myself.
After the game, Richard left to go have supper with his wife, Kathy, while Joe & Mike left to find supper of their own. Chris & I peeled shrimp & he stir-fried them in teriyaki sauce with scallops and mixed vegetables. He also cooked corn on the cob for Rosemary & I. Rosemary wanted to watch Cold Case but it never came on. The football game delayed 60 Minutes & we ended up watching that while we waited. Once we learned that Cold Case wasn't coming on we watched the last hour of Robin Hood: Men in Tights instead.
All in all, a good weekend.
We ended up looking at stoves for close to 2 hours. Our oven element died (we know it's the element because broil still works) a month ago. If we can't replace it/fix it, then we need a new oven. We went to Sears because they are trying to recover their formerly sterling service record. We saw three that we liked. At the bottom end, feature & price-wise is the model for $649, on sale. At the top end was the Maytag for $1299. In between was the $899 model, on sale. The salesman gave us the 800 number to call about the part. The website did not list the part 'no part found' so the phone call was our last resort before making a purchase. Since the sale on the 1st one & the no-interest special on the second ended on Saturday we had to hurry to make a decison. We are buying a part & fixing our current oven. That's a good thing, really. Much as we'd like a new one, with a ceran, flat-top stove, it's better to fix the old & keep using it than to replace it before necessary.
The JC Penney sale was not as good as we remember it. There were a lot of things it did not apply to, including small appliances. Chris wants a new toaster, a smaller one. No sale? Then no sale.
I bought Timesplitters 2. I looked at Syberia but wanted a multi-player that Chris & I could play together. We got home, hooked up the second controller and played it. Favor point: male & female protagonists, disfavor point: what is that girl wearing in the first scene? They resemble pants but have straps covering the hips instead of fabric. Favor point: in the 2nd scene she's fully dressed, the only skin is what's showing between her clam diggers & her boots. Disfavor point: the targeting drifts. I'm lining up a shot on a door. Instead of aiming the gun/crosshairs & leaving it, I have to keep my thumb cocked just so to keep it lined up & try to shoot with the forefinger of the same hand. If my thumb twitches, say because I'm squeezing my forefinger, then my shots go wild. For those of us with smaller hands this is an even greater concern. It's not easy to keep my thumb cocked just so and squeeze the trigger.
After we died a few times on that (once I blew Chris away, I mistook him for a bad guy), we played Halo. Chris started a new character with me. Unfortunately, they did not give us the 'getting used to your equipment' phase. Instead we jumped straight into the running & fighting. I had fun driving the warthog. I found a cliff with it once. Crash! Oops, time to respawn. We made it through the first mission & then stopped to eat supper. We had literally played for most of the afternoon, well, okay, it was only 4 or so hours.
Sunday it was off to grocery shop after I worked on the living room & dining room. I cleaned up the detritus of my cleaning. Okay, it was mostly, this bag of books goes to the basement. This group of presents goes with the other ones in the basement & so forth. Then we went grocery shopping.
No matter what, our grocery shopping takes an hour, then putting them away takes 20 minutes. We had breakfast/brunch at the Pizza Inn buffet & made it home with time to finish clearing the dining room table & to vacuum the dining room & the living room. I was finishing up the vacuuming when Joe & Mike showed. I had finished when Rosemary made it. Richard was the last to arrive but he was only a little late.
We played the third session of our Forgotten Realms campaign. This is the almost Freaks & Geeks game. We have a tiefling, an aasimar, & a half-drow. Of the other two characters, one claims to be a priest of Mystra but although he prays for spells, he has not been blessed with him (maybe that's because he's a monk, not a cleric). The other one is a downright normal elf ranger. The game so far is a straight-forward old-fashioned dungeon crawl. Richard was feeling sleepy so I made him a cup of my new stay-awake tea from Sacred Grove Apothecary. He said that it's marvelous. I have yet to have reason to use it, myself.
After the game, Richard left to go have supper with his wife, Kathy, while Joe & Mike left to find supper of their own. Chris & I peeled shrimp & he stir-fried them in teriyaki sauce with scallops and mixed vegetables. He also cooked corn on the cob for Rosemary & I. Rosemary wanted to watch Cold Case but it never came on. The football game delayed 60 Minutes & we ended up watching that while we waited. Once we learned that Cold Case wasn't coming on we watched the last hour of Robin Hood: Men in Tights instead.
All in all, a good weekend.
Friday, November 21, 2003
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Another day, another...how much do I make again?
I did not get any writing done at lunch but I did have a chance to sit & talk with Metra. We haven't had a chance to do that since before the State Fair. She told me about the LARP that she was in at MACE. It sounds like she had a great time.
As soon as I got home last night, I tossed off my boots & socks & curled up on the couch under a blanket, the afghan my dad gave me years ago. I read & watched tv.
When Chris got home he made supper. He cooked chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce & made teriyaki noodles (it's a pre-made pouch thing, add water & cook). It was delicious. There was none leftover for my lunch today so I had leftover spaghetti instead.
This morning I finished The Twilight Before Christmas by Feehan. That's the 3rd book. I won't read the 4th one. It's a present. I am so tempted to start wrapping things now, just to get them done.
Mom called last night. She's coming to visit me the Saturday after T-day. Unless I call & cancel because I've succumbed to illness. She says that she'll help me clean up. We'll see.
Gonna start with a daily (or as often as I post) what I'm wearing. Basically because I love textiles & clothes.
Today: thigh-high black boots under black, button down the front cotton skirt, paired with a nylon/polyester surplice blouse with flutter petal sleeves & a tie at the waist on the left. I have my hair pulled back in the silver clip I bought at the Ren Festival and my other jewelry consists of a silver flattened 'rope' band on my right hand, a flower ring on my left, long dangling seed bead earrings in black with a couple in copper, and a black & 'jet' collar necklace. Plus, since it's cold in the office a plum, knit cape.
I bought some make up from reflect.com. It's part of my 'holiday' package. Plus I bought some thread to work on Anitra's present. I hope to give her 3 balls of small tatting thread that I've dyed. I think, 1 red, 1 green & 1 blue. I think.
Time to go. I'd like to get some writing done.
I did not get any writing done at lunch but I did have a chance to sit & talk with Metra. We haven't had a chance to do that since before the State Fair. She told me about the LARP that she was in at MACE. It sounds like she had a great time.
As soon as I got home last night, I tossed off my boots & socks & curled up on the couch under a blanket, the afghan my dad gave me years ago. I read & watched tv.
When Chris got home he made supper. He cooked chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce & made teriyaki noodles (it's a pre-made pouch thing, add water & cook). It was delicious. There was none leftover for my lunch today so I had leftover spaghetti instead.
This morning I finished The Twilight Before Christmas by Feehan. That's the 3rd book. I won't read the 4th one. It's a present. I am so tempted to start wrapping things now, just to get them done.
Mom called last night. She's coming to visit me the Saturday after T-day. Unless I call & cancel because I've succumbed to illness. She says that she'll help me clean up. We'll see.
Gonna start with a daily (or as often as I post) what I'm wearing. Basically because I love textiles & clothes.
Today: thigh-high black boots under black, button down the front cotton skirt, paired with a nylon/polyester surplice blouse with flutter petal sleeves & a tie at the waist on the left. I have my hair pulled back in the silver clip I bought at the Ren Festival and my other jewelry consists of a silver flattened 'rope' band on my right hand, a flower ring on my left, long dangling seed bead earrings in black with a couple in copper, and a black & 'jet' collar necklace. Plus, since it's cold in the office a plum, knit cape.
I bought some make up from reflect.com. It's part of my 'holiday' package. Plus I bought some thread to work on Anitra's present. I hope to give her 3 balls of small tatting thread that I've dyed. I think, 1 red, 1 green & 1 blue. I think.
Time to go. I'd like to get some writing done.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
I'm almost dry. At least, I'm down to damp. The dampness has penetrated my socks though & my feet feel soooo cold. I drank the last of the Bohea that I have here at work. I'll take my little container home & put more loose tea in it.
Despite all that I do, that cold/whatever is still lingering. Getting nigh onto soaked today & then sitting around in damp clothes probably did not help. C'est la vie. Nothing I could do about it. I spent my money on books last night & do not have more to go buy clothes at the student store.
I bought Hawkins Confessions of a Scoundrel (which turns out to be the latest about the St. John brothers instead of the one previous to An Affair to Remember), Feehan's Dark Melody & one about the next Drake sister by her, plus one book present. Shhh, it's a secret.
I'm heading home now. To maybe take a hot bath or shower & definitely to change into my nice toasty warm slipper-sockes.
Despite all that I do, that cold/whatever is still lingering. Getting nigh onto soaked today & then sitting around in damp clothes probably did not help. C'est la vie. Nothing I could do about it. I spent my money on books last night & do not have more to go buy clothes at the student store.
I bought Hawkins Confessions of a Scoundrel (which turns out to be the latest about the St. John brothers instead of the one previous to An Affair to Remember), Feehan's Dark Melody & one about the next Drake sister by her, plus one book present. Shhh, it's a secret.
I'm heading home now. To maybe take a hot bath or shower & definitely to change into my nice toasty warm slipper-sockes.
I was out in that. For maybe 10 minutes. Part of those 10 minutes were spent sheltering under the overhang at Greenlaw. Despite that, I am soaked up to, well, the entire length of my pants legs, plus the back of the chambray shirt I was wearing up to the waist.
I cancelled my lunch with Julie. She works in another building, next to mine but then I'm next to Greenlaw. Much as I'd love to see her, it's not worth it.
So I'll eat my desk today & take a short lunch. Since I took a slightly long one yesterday, this is not a problem. I'm eating leftovers. We went to Bandido's last night, another RSVVP restaurant. Unusually, they took so long to deliver our entrees that I ate a few tortilla chips & only managed to eat half my enchilada. Guess what I'm eating for lunch!
I cancelled my lunch with Julie. She works in another building, next to mine but then I'm next to Greenlaw. Much as I'd love to see her, it's not worth it.
So I'll eat my desk today & take a short lunch. Since I took a slightly long one yesterday, this is not a problem. I'm eating leftovers. We went to Bandido's last night, another RSVVP restaurant. Unusually, they took so long to deliver our entrees that I ate a few tortilla chips & only managed to eat half my enchilada. Guess what I'm eating for lunch!
Today's news of the day:
Special Weather Statement - SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR DURHAM COUNTY VALID FROM WED NOV 19 2003 10:14 AM EST UNTIL WED NOV 19 2003 11:30 AM EST.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 1009 AM EST WED NOV 19 2003 ...STRONG SHOWERS WILL GUSTY WINDS WILL MOVE ACROSS PERSON... ALAMANCE...ORANGE...DURHAM...WAKE...RANDOLPH...CHATHAM...LEE... HARNETT...MOORE...CUMBERLAND...HOKE AND SCOTLAND COUNTIES THROUGH 1130 AM EST... AT 1009 AM EST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG SHOWERS WITH GUSTY WINDS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM JUST WEST OF BURLINGTON TO SILER CITY AND LAURINBURG...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE...DURHAM...RALEIGH... CHAPEL HILL...PITTSBORO...HILLSBOROUGH...LILLINGTON...AND ROXBORO. GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON.
Tornado Watch - AREAL OUTLINE FOR TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 967 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR DURHAM VALID FROM WED NOV 19 2003 07:26 AM EST UNTIL WED NOV 19 2003 01:00 PM EST.
...IN THE PIEDMONT AND SANDHILLS... ALAMANCE ANSON CABARRUS CASWELL CHATHAM CLEVELAND CUMBERLAND DAVIDSON DAVIE DURHAM FORSYTH FRANKLIN GASTON GRANVILLE GUILFORD HARNETT HOKE IREDELL LEE LINCOLN MECKLENBURG MONTGOMERY MOORE ORANGE PERSON RANDOLPH RICHMOND ROCKINGHAM ROWAN SCOTLAND STANLY STOKES UNION VANCE WAKE WARREN YADKIN
Special Weather Statement - SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR DURHAM COUNTY VALID FROM WED NOV 19 2003 10:14 AM EST UNTIL WED NOV 19 2003 11:30 AM EST.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 1009 AM EST WED NOV 19 2003 ...STRONG SHOWERS WILL GUSTY WINDS WILL MOVE ACROSS PERSON... ALAMANCE...ORANGE...DURHAM...WAKE...RANDOLPH...CHATHAM...LEE... HARNETT...MOORE...CUMBERLAND...HOKE AND SCOTLAND COUNTIES THROUGH 1130 AM EST... AT 1009 AM EST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG SHOWERS WITH GUSTY WINDS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM JUST WEST OF BURLINGTON TO SILER CITY AND LAURINBURG...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE...DURHAM...RALEIGH... CHAPEL HILL...PITTSBORO...HILLSBOROUGH...LILLINGTON...AND ROXBORO. GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON.
Tornado Watch - AREAL OUTLINE FOR TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 967 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR DURHAM VALID FROM WED NOV 19 2003 07:26 AM EST UNTIL WED NOV 19 2003 01:00 PM EST.
...IN THE PIEDMONT AND SANDHILLS... ALAMANCE ANSON CABARRUS CASWELL CHATHAM CLEVELAND CUMBERLAND DAVIDSON DAVIE DURHAM FORSYTH FRANKLIN GASTON GRANVILLE GUILFORD HARNETT HOKE IREDELL LEE LINCOLN MECKLENBURG MONTGOMERY MOORE ORANGE PERSON RANDOLPH RICHMOND ROCKINGHAM ROWAN SCOTLAND STANLY STOKES UNION VANCE WAKE WARREN YADKIN
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
I ate sushi at Kurama today for lunch. It's RSVVP day so I'm eating out. The restaurant, the ones who've volunteered, give V (5%) + V (5%) of their proceeds to feed the hungry (Food Bank, that sort of thing). I was a bad girl & stuffed myself. Their udon (fish broth soup with stuff like egg, seaweed & stuff with lots of thick noodles) is very good. I also had inari, fake crab & something that was mostly rice & very cheap ($1. for 6 pieces).
I've stayed a little late to get some typing done. I haven't written anything today, yet. But I've typed over a 1000 words. Yay me.
I've stayed a little late to get some typing done. I haven't written anything today, yet. But I've typed over a 1000 words. Yay me.
Gaming last night, advanced dungeons & dragons, v.3.5, run by my SO, Chris. I play a half-elf druid of Obad-hai; Rosemary plays her half-sister, a human paladin/bard of Brigid; David, the latecomer to the game, plays the dwarf monk; John plays the human fighter/archer/sorcerer or wizard; & Christopher plays the human rogue/wizard/cop. We cleansed the final temple & by converting the portals to fire instead of darkness killed most of the army attacking the city. Okay, backstory: all of our PC's upset someone, so we got sent out to the back end of civilization to patrol. We found an enemy, which was a surprise. We also found a war. About the same time we found a huge underground city, parts of it inhabited by very nasty individuals & groups. We took care of a couple of them & we found an ally or two.
Our new task: explore & find allies. We ended up on the other side of the mountains & found an elven community/civilization. They were suffering because someone/thing was killing all of their spellcasters. Our two multi-class wizards were immediately the highest arcane spellcasters in the city. Besides us there was 1 20th level cleric, a 2nd level one, a 1st level one & a couple paladins. That's it. We found (got found by) the construct assassin & tracked it back to the 2nd level, ooops, I mean 11th level cleric. Tracked him after he fled the city & found an old temple to Obad-hai with a portal under it.
And we found the army of evil cloaked in darkness that was approaching. Turns out that there were at least 3 more of those temples, each with a portal under it. The bad guys had transferred the portal opening to darkness & then linked it to the sky above the army, giving the undead, etc shelter from the sun/light. So, we, brave volunteers that we are (well, we do have a paladin with us, & a monk), said that we would go & cleanse the portals. When the paladin transferred the portals to channeling fire instead, that killed 3/4 of the army. Only golems & constructs are left.
Next we get to try & kill what's left of the command structure. Wheee.
Is that clearer now?
Last night I had a very vivid dream & since no one probably reads this, it's safe to relate here. It starts out I'm socializing with the fair folks at the end of a season/run in Greensboro. I'm talking to 2 of the performers, both women from England. One of them is complaining about how bad G'boro is to drive around & I concur, telling them that I grew up here. Then I tell them my mom's story about asking for directions when she first moved to G'boro.
Meanwhile, a couple of boys (performers or children of performers) are playing in the maze. They have the clue book but since they are non-native English speakers, they get confused & lost. The maze & clues are very Amero/Anglo-centric. While looking for them, one of the other people found something that he had been looking for, an antique carved statue/wood of Napoleon. BTW, we are not in Greensboro anymore. Inside the statue, this British gentleman found a map of the world, early 19th century (say 1810) hidden & untouched, in near pristine condition. It had only a bit of browning here & there to attest to its age. The Frenchman who had been looking for the same statue & map showed up, with soldiers.
Suddenly, I'm back on the island in the early 1800's. The British captain, who has just delivered the statue sees me & from my short cap of hair knows that there is something....uncommon about me. I sit on the arm of a chair, swinging one leg as I explain to him that I'm from the future. The French governor or whatever shows up & they start fighting. Then the pirates attack. Since I'm not in the paperwork anywhere, the pirates don't know that I'm on the island. So the 2 leaders hide me. I'm hidden with both/either the French treasure & the British treasure. Both are hidden in secret hollow cabinets in the portions of the walls, right across from each other actually. Since I moved from one to the other, I see them both. The French one has carvings, there's one whole shelf/drawer of jade chunks & carvings, another of different gems. I comment to myself, "It's a good thing I'm honest, because that's really tempting."
Meanwhile the pirates are gathering up all inhabitants of the island. At this point, I'm almost hiding under an overhang in the wall, the gallery goes up 3 floors with balconies/walkways overhead. One pirate, African ethnic, might be able to see me, I can see him. I try not to stare at him. The women, all of them in sight are of African heritage, many of them panicky because they are about to be sold as slaves. They fear, rightly, what the pirates are going to do to them. Ethnicity has no weight, it simply is. What matters is that the pirates are pirates & the island's inhabitants aren't.
Luckily about that point, I woke up.
Ren Festival: bought lots of stuff, 2 ear clips one with white fiber optic beads & one with hematite; black leather strip & silver bead hair wrap (I'm wearing it today); 3 feather & bead/stone & ribbon hair clips - one for Hailey, 1 for Amanda & 1 for Nora; hair barrette from the Bronze Rose; schwing pendant in silver; Ren Festival shirt & mug; leather reticule; Chris bought me & Rosemary a rose & the leather/bead hair thing- hers is blue; belly dancing music cd; wood flapping dragon for Leela - it's a mobile kind of thing, pull its feet & the wings flap; stay awake tea; & of course food & drink. They served the mead warm because it was such a cold day. I had one sip of Rosemary's, bought none for myself.
I had an apple turnover & hot chai to begin the day. Totally not seeing Russ as I walked by. I also ate chili in a bread bowl. Didn't care for that chili recipe, it was edible but not something I want to eat twice. Come to think of it, that may be all that I ate at the fair other than some cinnamon coated roast nuts.
We went & saw the Middle Eastern dancers, the mud show, part of the young fire eater, Dextre Trippe, part of the Tortuga Twins, & the Middle Eastern dancers with swords. I ran into Chris H. & another friend whose name I cannot recall, but I have her email & I emailed her yesterday. I missed Don though. That's a bummer.
I talked to the couple who have the leather mug booth. Due to personal reasons, they will be missing most of the fair season next year. I'm quite bummed about that. But I did get a chance to socialize with them this year.
Ah well, time for work again.
Our new task: explore & find allies. We ended up on the other side of the mountains & found an elven community/civilization. They were suffering because someone/thing was killing all of their spellcasters. Our two multi-class wizards were immediately the highest arcane spellcasters in the city. Besides us there was 1 20th level cleric, a 2nd level one, a 1st level one & a couple paladins. That's it. We found (got found by) the construct assassin & tracked it back to the 2nd level, ooops, I mean 11th level cleric. Tracked him after he fled the city & found an old temple to Obad-hai with a portal under it.
And we found the army of evil cloaked in darkness that was approaching. Turns out that there were at least 3 more of those temples, each with a portal under it. The bad guys had transferred the portal opening to darkness & then linked it to the sky above the army, giving the undead, etc shelter from the sun/light. So, we, brave volunteers that we are (well, we do have a paladin with us, & a monk), said that we would go & cleanse the portals. When the paladin transferred the portals to channeling fire instead, that killed 3/4 of the army. Only golems & constructs are left.
Next we get to try & kill what's left of the command structure. Wheee.
Is that clearer now?
Last night I had a very vivid dream & since no one probably reads this, it's safe to relate here. It starts out I'm socializing with the fair folks at the end of a season/run in Greensboro. I'm talking to 2 of the performers, both women from England. One of them is complaining about how bad G'boro is to drive around & I concur, telling them that I grew up here. Then I tell them my mom's story about asking for directions when she first moved to G'boro.
Meanwhile, a couple of boys (performers or children of performers) are playing in the maze. They have the clue book but since they are non-native English speakers, they get confused & lost. The maze & clues are very Amero/Anglo-centric. While looking for them, one of the other people found something that he had been looking for, an antique carved statue/wood of Napoleon. BTW, we are not in Greensboro anymore. Inside the statue, this British gentleman found a map of the world, early 19th century (say 1810) hidden & untouched, in near pristine condition. It had only a bit of browning here & there to attest to its age. The Frenchman who had been looking for the same statue & map showed up, with soldiers.
Suddenly, I'm back on the island in the early 1800's. The British captain, who has just delivered the statue sees me & from my short cap of hair knows that there is something....uncommon about me. I sit on the arm of a chair, swinging one leg as I explain to him that I'm from the future. The French governor or whatever shows up & they start fighting. Then the pirates attack. Since I'm not in the paperwork anywhere, the pirates don't know that I'm on the island. So the 2 leaders hide me. I'm hidden with both/either the French treasure & the British treasure. Both are hidden in secret hollow cabinets in the portions of the walls, right across from each other actually. Since I moved from one to the other, I see them both. The French one has carvings, there's one whole shelf/drawer of jade chunks & carvings, another of different gems. I comment to myself, "It's a good thing I'm honest, because that's really tempting."
Meanwhile the pirates are gathering up all inhabitants of the island. At this point, I'm almost hiding under an overhang in the wall, the gallery goes up 3 floors with balconies/walkways overhead. One pirate, African ethnic, might be able to see me, I can see him. I try not to stare at him. The women, all of them in sight are of African heritage, many of them panicky because they are about to be sold as slaves. They fear, rightly, what the pirates are going to do to them. Ethnicity has no weight, it simply is. What matters is that the pirates are pirates & the island's inhabitants aren't.
Luckily about that point, I woke up.
Ren Festival: bought lots of stuff, 2 ear clips one with white fiber optic beads & one with hematite; black leather strip & silver bead hair wrap (I'm wearing it today); 3 feather & bead/stone & ribbon hair clips - one for Hailey, 1 for Amanda & 1 for Nora; hair barrette from the Bronze Rose; schwing pendant in silver; Ren Festival shirt & mug; leather reticule; Chris bought me & Rosemary a rose & the leather/bead hair thing- hers is blue; belly dancing music cd; wood flapping dragon for Leela - it's a mobile kind of thing, pull its feet & the wings flap; stay awake tea; & of course food & drink. They served the mead warm because it was such a cold day. I had one sip of Rosemary's, bought none for myself.
I had an apple turnover & hot chai to begin the day. Totally not seeing Russ as I walked by. I also ate chili in a bread bowl. Didn't care for that chili recipe, it was edible but not something I want to eat twice. Come to think of it, that may be all that I ate at the fair other than some cinnamon coated roast nuts.
We went & saw the Middle Eastern dancers, the mud show, part of the young fire eater, Dextre Trippe, part of the Tortuga Twins, & the Middle Eastern dancers with swords. I ran into Chris H. & another friend whose name I cannot recall, but I have her email & I emailed her yesterday. I missed Don though. That's a bummer.
I talked to the couple who have the leather mug booth. Due to personal reasons, they will be missing most of the fair season next year. I'm quite bummed about that. But I did get a chance to socialize with them this year.
Ah well, time for work again.
Monday, November 17, 2003
Two of the sites that I visit daily (I'm learning how to link pages, bear with me): Hungersite et al
and
Care2.com races
Cool, it worked.
and
Care2.com races
Cool, it worked.
Friday, November 14, 2003
TGIF & it's payday. Too bad I'm not getting direct deposit, at least until they process the paperwork that I'm changing banks/accounts.
I went & got my flu shot. It took much longer to get there than it did to get the actual shot. The ACC (Ambulatory Care Center) is on the far southern end of campus, past, way past the hospital, about as far as the Dean Dome, or at least Hinton James Dorm is from the rest of campus. I took the bus to the hospital & then walked, at a brisk pace, hoping I could remember where the heck the building is. I was maybe 2 minutes late for my appointment. All things considered that is darn good.
The lady/nurse/medical type person who shot me up turned out to be an old customer from Piece Goods. Took her a minute to realize where she recognized me, since I was not in a smock & it's been 7 years.
Gah, but it's cold out today. The wind of course makes it seem even colder. You know, I have proved, again, that if you are warm when you go out in the cold, you do not perceive quite how cold it is.
I did not get my writing done last night. However, Chris & I bought the tickets for the Ren Festival tomorrow, the one near Concord, and we ate supper at a new place. It's been there for at least a couple years but we've never been. Chris really liked their spicy mustard, definitely not out of some packet. To each their own. Their moo shu is good. I ate 3 of the 4 & took the last one home for leftovers. Maybe I'll eat that for breakfast in the morning.
I went & got my flu shot. It took much longer to get there than it did to get the actual shot. The ACC (Ambulatory Care Center) is on the far southern end of campus, past, way past the hospital, about as far as the Dean Dome, or at least Hinton James Dorm is from the rest of campus. I took the bus to the hospital & then walked, at a brisk pace, hoping I could remember where the heck the building is. I was maybe 2 minutes late for my appointment. All things considered that is darn good.
The lady/nurse/medical type person who shot me up turned out to be an old customer from Piece Goods. Took her a minute to realize where she recognized me, since I was not in a smock & it's been 7 years.
Gah, but it's cold out today. The wind of course makes it seem even colder. You know, I have proved, again, that if you are warm when you go out in the cold, you do not perceive quite how cold it is.
I did not get my writing done last night. However, Chris & I bought the tickets for the Ren Festival tomorrow, the one near Concord, and we ate supper at a new place. It's been there for at least a couple years but we've never been. Chris really liked their spicy mustard, definitely not out of some packet. To each their own. Their moo shu is good. I ate 3 of the 4 & took the last one home for leftovers. Maybe I'll eat that for breakfast in the morning.
Thursday, November 13, 2003
I think I should have worn the thigh high boots today. The leggings under my skirt just aren't enough, not if lunch was anything to go by. I knew the temperature was going to drop, so I brought a sweater to add to my layers. But the wind was biting through my skirt & leggings, so I froze from the hips down.
I tried to write at lunch but after the wind seized my pad of paper & flung it off the table, I gave up. I'll write tonight. I have a goal of 500 words a day, six days a week. The seventh day, I shall edit. How very biblical of me.
I tried to write at lunch but after the wind seized my pad of paper & flung it off the table, I gave up. I'll write tonight. I have a goal of 500 words a day, six days a week. The seventh day, I shall edit. How very biblical of me.
These are just funny, ads for Pink's new album
Check out the Baby Carriage TV Spot:
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/baby_carriage_128.asx
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/baby_carriage_128.mov
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/baby_carriage_128.ram
Check Out The Dysfunction TV Spot:
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/sexual_dysfunction_128.asx
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/sexual_dysfunction_128.mov http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/sexual_dysfunction_128.ram
Check out the Baby Carriage TV Spot:
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/baby_carriage_128.asx
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/baby_carriage_128.mov
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/baby_carriage_128.ram
Check Out The Dysfunction TV Spot:
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/sexual_dysfunction_128.asx
http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/sexual_dysfunction_128.mov http://media.bmgonline.com/aristarec.com/pink/video/sexual_dysfunction_128.ram
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
*snarl mildly* I broke my right index fingernail Sunday. As in, if I let it break completely off it will take skin with it. So I put a band-aid (adhesive plaster) to hold it on & protect it. This fabric one is staying on real well, had it since Monday. But I cannot tat with it on. I need to wait a minimum of one week before even peeking to see how the nail is doing. *sigh*
On the bright side, I found that missing shuttle case. It was tucked into my purse. Since I checked that pocket at least twice, I wonder how it got there.
On the bright side, I found that missing shuttle case. It was tucked into my purse. Since I checked that pocket at least twice, I wonder how it got there.
I am back from Hochcon (sound of much rejoicing). It was a lovely drive to McLean, Va. Which, btw, can be made in 4.5 hours, plus half an hour meal break.
I played several RolePlaying Gamers Association Living Greyhawk adventures, including one battle interactive. I played my secondary & tertiary characters for that campaign. The secondary one is now down to 1 time unit, military and has now survived 3 modules, including a double round one, at 5th level. FYI, that's Reed, my wood elf CatTail cleric/fighter, combat specialist, spellcaster corps in the Gran March army. The tertiary one, Edana Tiernan, is now 3rd level and has a leadership commendation. It's kind of a sad thing when the Combat Specialist (who only outranks the enlisted, even corporals outrank her) rogue in the Scout corps is the ranking military person at the table. So, Edana, the blond halfling on her first military mission was giving orders. That is just so wrong. I played her in 4 out of the 6 games that I played, so she saw quite a bit of action this weekend.
Driving back from McLean, I slept most of the way. I was not the one driving so you can relax. Even with that I felt exhausted through yesterday. I'm finally starting to feel better. I think I'm trying to kick another cold, which doesn't help. I bought some echinacea/zinc lozenges in Falls Church, VA before we started back. They taste nasty, but they seem to work/help.
Haven't heard from Diana yet as to why she didn't show for gaming on Monday. Since she's running, we didn't play. Instead, we talked a bit, Rosemary drank coffee to wake up for her drive home and Chris played Halo.
I went to bed at 9:30 last night. Still didn't want to wake up this morning. Since I have gaming tonight I'd better kick that. I stayed at work a little late last night. I did the in character posts for Reed to the CatTail mailing list. One of them is kinda funny. No response yet, though.
Time to get more work done. It's been a busy day. Being able to think helps.
I played several RolePlaying Gamers Association Living Greyhawk adventures, including one battle interactive. I played my secondary & tertiary characters for that campaign. The secondary one is now down to 1 time unit, military and has now survived 3 modules, including a double round one, at 5th level. FYI, that's Reed, my wood elf CatTail cleric/fighter, combat specialist, spellcaster corps in the Gran March army. The tertiary one, Edana Tiernan, is now 3rd level and has a leadership commendation. It's kind of a sad thing when the Combat Specialist (who only outranks the enlisted, even corporals outrank her) rogue in the Scout corps is the ranking military person at the table. So, Edana, the blond halfling on her first military mission was giving orders. That is just so wrong. I played her in 4 out of the 6 games that I played, so she saw quite a bit of action this weekend.
Driving back from McLean, I slept most of the way. I was not the one driving so you can relax. Even with that I felt exhausted through yesterday. I'm finally starting to feel better. I think I'm trying to kick another cold, which doesn't help. I bought some echinacea/zinc lozenges in Falls Church, VA before we started back. They taste nasty, but they seem to work/help.
Haven't heard from Diana yet as to why she didn't show for gaming on Monday. Since she's running, we didn't play. Instead, we talked a bit, Rosemary drank coffee to wake up for her drive home and Chris played Halo.
I went to bed at 9:30 last night. Still didn't want to wake up this morning. Since I have gaming tonight I'd better kick that. I stayed at work a little late last night. I did the in character posts for Reed to the CatTail mailing list. One of them is kinda funny. No response yet, though.
Time to get more work done. It's been a busy day. Being able to think helps.
Thursday, November 06, 2003
*snarl* BMAC & other noises of complaint & irritation.
I got stopped up in stop & roll traffic on 15-501 towards Pittsboro last night. The last 1.5 mile before my storage facility [1] took 20+ minutes. I get home. I start to do my laundry & realize, the only detergent we have is what a friend left when he borrowed the use of our washer when his was broken. Well, I have to pack tonight, so I went ahead & used some. I washed 2 loads (1 light & 1 dark). I even managed to get the light one completely done. The dark load was drying when I went to bed.
This morning: I kept waking up (2 am, 5 am, 5:30 am, until the alarm clock). Now I'm dragging. I comb out my hair before washing it (cuts down on the amount of hair that I shed in the shower) & get all that done. Luckily I had figured out what to wear last night. Chris, my bf, finally tells me what time we are leaving tomorrow morning, so I can plan what time to get up, etc. [2]
I grab a frozen dinner to eat for lunch & an ice cream cone for breakfast. This is usually safe because the bottom of the cone is plugged with chocolate so the ice cream doesn't leak. This morning, the cone broke. So I spilled/splashed chocolate all over the nice cream colored polo shirt I'm wearing. I'm so tempted to go buy a shirt [3] to wear today. *insert another snarl*
I finish the white test tatting,[4] Gullan by Blomquist & Persson, while I'm stopped in traffic on 54 this morning. The area where I usually park is full, I find another one not toooo far away. I start winding red thread on the shuttle while I wait for the bus. Get 1.5 ring done on the bus, it's a crowded morning, we're packed like canned sardines. I get off the bus, barely, and then learn that I dropped my shuttle case. The one Mike [5]made for me last year. And despite the fact that I left the house @ 7:15 I make it to the office at exactly 8 am instead of having at least a couple minutes to stow my lunch, turn on my computer, etc. *repeat snarl*
I called the bus company. No one's turned in my shuttle case yet. I left my number. Hopefully they'll call.
I'm catching up on the DTH I missed while I was out. I read to catch articles dealing with my department. I finished up to the 30th yesterday. Today I can't find the paper for the 31st.
Please let this day improve. I wonder if part of the problem is the weather. Normally I don't mind the drizzly weather....but it may be a contributing factor.
[1] the one where I rent a locker
[2] We're going to Hochcon, a gaming convention in Virginia. Leaving tomorrow, coming back Monday.
[3] that involves going over to student stores & trying to find a UNC polo shirt. Guesstimate: $30.
[4] I'm trying to figure out what edging to use on the dress that I'm buying for next State Fair. So I'm testing a few patterns to see what I like. Gullan is kind of plain. I'll use it to trim the jacket I wore yesterday. Inga looks nice. I did 2 repeats of it in red yesterday.
[5] Mike Lowe, the leathercrafter at the Village of Yesteryear
I got stopped up in stop & roll traffic on 15-501 towards Pittsboro last night. The last 1.5 mile before my storage facility [1] took 20+ minutes. I get home. I start to do my laundry & realize, the only detergent we have is what a friend left when he borrowed the use of our washer when his was broken. Well, I have to pack tonight, so I went ahead & used some. I washed 2 loads (1 light & 1 dark). I even managed to get the light one completely done. The dark load was drying when I went to bed.
This morning: I kept waking up (2 am, 5 am, 5:30 am, until the alarm clock). Now I'm dragging. I comb out my hair before washing it (cuts down on the amount of hair that I shed in the shower) & get all that done. Luckily I had figured out what to wear last night. Chris, my bf, finally tells me what time we are leaving tomorrow morning, so I can plan what time to get up, etc. [2]
I grab a frozen dinner to eat for lunch & an ice cream cone for breakfast. This is usually safe because the bottom of the cone is plugged with chocolate so the ice cream doesn't leak. This morning, the cone broke. So I spilled/splashed chocolate all over the nice cream colored polo shirt I'm wearing. I'm so tempted to go buy a shirt [3] to wear today. *insert another snarl*
I finish the white test tatting,[4] Gullan by Blomquist & Persson, while I'm stopped in traffic on 54 this morning. The area where I usually park is full, I find another one not toooo far away. I start winding red thread on the shuttle while I wait for the bus. Get 1.5 ring done on the bus, it's a crowded morning, we're packed like canned sardines. I get off the bus, barely, and then learn that I dropped my shuttle case. The one Mike [5]made for me last year. And despite the fact that I left the house @ 7:15 I make it to the office at exactly 8 am instead of having at least a couple minutes to stow my lunch, turn on my computer, etc. *repeat snarl*
I called the bus company. No one's turned in my shuttle case yet. I left my number. Hopefully they'll call.
I'm catching up on the DTH I missed while I was out. I read to catch articles dealing with my department. I finished up to the 30th yesterday. Today I can't find the paper for the 31st.
Please let this day improve. I wonder if part of the problem is the weather. Normally I don't mind the drizzly weather....but it may be a contributing factor.
[1] the one where I rent a locker
[2] We're going to Hochcon, a gaming convention in Virginia. Leaving tomorrow, coming back Monday.
[3] that involves going over to student stores & trying to find a UNC polo shirt. Guesstimate: $30.
[4] I'm trying to figure out what edging to use on the dress that I'm buying for next State Fair. So I'm testing a few patterns to see what I like. Gullan is kind of plain. I'll use it to trim the jacket I wore yesterday. Inga looks nice. I did 2 repeats of it in red yesterday.
[5] Mike Lowe, the leathercrafter at the Village of Yesteryear
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
Mental note: never 'read just one more chapter' of a good book before going to bed. I read until 1 am. The book was Pyramid Scheme by Flint & Freer (?). Since I'm gaming tonight until about 10 or 11pm, this was not the brightest thing to have done. I started the day with 8 oz of soda & had 16 more at lunch. I indulged myself & ate sushi again for lunch.
Tonight I play a zero round of Living Kalamar. They need a 4th person & I didn't have plans for tonight. I'll be able to run it for Chris, Rosemary & maybe Richard & Kathy at a later date. I'm meeting Joe Jungers after work, we'll buy supper on the way. I have no idea who else is playing or who is running the game. Wheee!
I've never worked with powerpoint very much. Now I'm trying to develop an organizational chart in it. ARGH! I came very close to deleting it & starting over today. But I haven't reached that point. Yet.
Last night's gaming went pretty well. We (Rosemary's character Brianna) finished cleansing the 2nd portal, apparently it's linked to fire again/now. Then we found the 3rd portal. It's the same set up. An old Nature-based church in ruins with the portal in a secret room underneath. Problem: this church's valley had filled with water. A 250 foot, cold, lake/pond that had murky water is what it was. Luckily my character had heard of porpoises, wildshaped into one and was able to investigate. Kelis, my character, found the undead & we avoided them. We reached the front door & Chris stopped there. We expect some sort of combat inside the church. Question is: with what? We'll find out in 2 weeks.
Tonight I play a zero round of Living Kalamar. They need a 4th person & I didn't have plans for tonight. I'll be able to run it for Chris, Rosemary & maybe Richard & Kathy at a later date. I'm meeting Joe Jungers after work, we'll buy supper on the way. I have no idea who else is playing or who is running the game. Wheee!
I've never worked with powerpoint very much. Now I'm trying to develop an organizational chart in it. ARGH! I came very close to deleting it & starting over today. But I haven't reached that point. Yet.
Last night's gaming went pretty well. We (Rosemary's character Brianna) finished cleansing the 2nd portal, apparently it's linked to fire again/now. Then we found the 3rd portal. It's the same set up. An old Nature-based church in ruins with the portal in a secret room underneath. Problem: this church's valley had filled with water. A 250 foot, cold, lake/pond that had murky water is what it was. Luckily my character had heard of porpoises, wildshaped into one and was able to investigate. Kelis, my character, found the undead & we avoided them. We reached the front door & Chris stopped there. We expect some sort of combat inside the church. Question is: with what? We'll find out in 2 weeks.
Monday, November 03, 2003
And one additional note: I weighed myself this morning. I had gained 1/2 a pound when I weighed myself on the 28th, and today I'm 2 pounds down from that. I have now lost 25 pounds since May 1st. Since I ate a lot of cake & candy on Friday & Saturday, I think being sick helped with that weightloss thing.
It's Monday. I just sucked down 16 ounces of diet coke, and I still don't feel awake. Hopefully, this will not last. Thank goodness I have reminders on my calendar to remind me of time sensitive tasks.
The last weekend of the fair was great fun, but boy was I tired. Saturday, Sharon Hill, a seamstress in the Village, loaned me a dress to wear. This was a good thing as my silk blouse was still drying & the substitute was less than satisfactory. The dress is a reproduction of an 1810 dress & it is comfortable & flattering. Sharon & I both benefited. I went to buy a new garment, something to extend my Village wear and she offered to make that dress. I got to see if the dress would be comfortable, etc while I tatted and I was a model so that other Village craftswomen could see how the dress looks on someone who isn't slim. I need to check my fabric stash for 5 yards of suitable calico & 4 yards of a coordinating calico for the apron/pelisse. If I don't have it, I may buy some. Then I'll send it to Sharon & she & her daughter Beth will sew it for me. Then later I can make my own from that. Wheee! Lots of dresses. I got a picture of myself in that outfit too. Must send a copy to Mom.
(15 minutes & I'm still on hold)
Sunday night I helped Anitra & Steve pack the booth. Anitra & I slept in on Monday while Steve went to get the booth hardware, display case for the Village History display & breakfast. Steve took care of the birds, daily task, while Anitra & I went to the Fairgrounds to pick up our entries. (20 minutes & I'm off hold, whew). We stopped by the Village to say goodbye to the last folks packing up & to give 'drive by' hugs. Peter Blum & his sister were the first folks we saw. Wow, they look different in jeans. Then, everyone does. After we left the fairgrounds we stopped by Reader's Corner, after all, I had a 5 dollar check burning a hole in my pocket. That $5 is the 3rd place prize money in Infant's Wear, Other category.
I found a copy of Perfect Patchwork Primer, the book that inspired me to start quilting. I also found a copy of Diplomatic Immunity in hardback as well as War of Honor and some other assorted books. I bought a book on hemp braiding as a gift for Nora, Amanda or Hailey. The War of Honor isn't out in paperback yet (insert gloat). I spent more than I hoped but less than I feared at Reader's Corner.
I made it home about 1pm and started unpacking. Well, I got my dirty clothes out of my bag anyway. I settled down to read one of my new books & relax. About 3 pm my throat started hurting. Sure enough, I'd caught Anitra's cold.
Monday night, people finished their characters to test play Diana's supplement. I had finished mine but it disappeared so I wrote it again. Then we went through the first encounter. We'll finish it, hopefully, on the 10th.
I called in sick on Tuesday. Then I drank soup, hot tea, and lots of soda & juice. When I could I watched tv & read. Frankly, I was too tired to really pay attention to anything. Tuesday afternoon, I called in sick for Wednesday. Linda handled Tarheel Temps for me. Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday, except I slept later. I took a 3-hour nap Wednesday afternoon, skipped gaming & went to bed at 10 pm.
I wasn't feeling any better, but no worse so I went to work on Thursday. The dayquil was worse than the cold. It made me feel dizzy, in addition to the sore throat, runny nose & sneezing. The zinc lozenges, while tasting nasty, did more good. According to my co-workers I was looking a little pale, even for me. I took care of some time sensitive tasks and then headed for home at 4pm. I stopped & mailed my latest letter to my mom. Thanks to an accident of Farrington Road I finally made it home at 6pm. Bleah.
Friday, I felt better, consumed more lozenges & actually stayed & worked until 5pm. I was all alone in the office. Mike, Ira & Jim are at a conference. Rut was in DC & Susan almost never comes to this office on Fridays. I picked up a little candy on the way home, changed into something vaguely costumey, and was ready to answer the door for Trick-or-Treaters.
We had 2 groups. The first one was two little girls; a fairy & a princess. The fairy complemented me on my braids; I had unbraided my hair & then re-braided two plaits next to my face. The 2nd group had 4 kids, one still a baby being carried, dressed as a bumblebee. The first child took all but two pieces of the candy I had. The 2nd child took the next to last piece & the 1st child took the last piece to put in the 3rd child's bag. Momma was not happy & told the 1st child to put that candy back. The child did so. When he put one back that wasn't mine, I told him to stop & gave it back to him. He was sooo cute. If I'd known that was the last group I would have let him keep the candy.
I was up later than I should have been, watching tv. So I slept late Saturday. Barely had enough time to clear the dining room table for gaming & go pick up Ted G. He's a student at State who was going to play in our session of Birthday Bash, RolePlaying Gamer's Association Living Greyhawk game. Since we were meeting him at Foundation's Edge, Chris picked up his comics & I bought Forgotten Realms: Underdark. We ended up with 6 players, Chris, Rosemary, Ted, Jenna, & Bill D. It was a fun game & not as bad as it could have been. But we had some close moments. My character, Nadia, is a senior squire, so she was mentoring Ted's character, Julia, a junior squire.
I basically changed clothes, ran out of the house & made it to the COTE board meeting barely on time. Anitra is still sick so she wasn't there. It was just Steve & I. So we worked on the lanterns for the ritual and then went & picked up supper from the Jade Garden. Steve had brought Digdug, a burrowing owl from Utah that had just arrived at the Refuge last week. Digdug was perching on his shoulder as I arrived & I did not see him/her until Steve brought my attention to him/her (we don't know which gender she is yet). Part of one wing is amputated from a car collision injury & Steve is training her/him to be an education bird. It's a very cute owl.
Things went well Saturday night. But I didn't leave until 11:30. So I called Chris & I crashed on Steve & Anitra's couch. Again. Their dog Siesta was glad to see me again so soon. Anitra & I caught up (on the whole week's worth of doings) and then off to sleep. Anitra drove me to my car on Sunday, I drove home, showered, dressed & made to Foundation's Edge in time to run my Ironclaw demo.
I had 3 players. One who had played my Jadeclaw demo and one guy who had the book but who had never played before. He had a character half-made and I helped him complete it. I ran until 6 pm & then headed home. Chris played Halo all day, so we had pizza delivered for supper. I went to bed early, 9 pm. Still had trouble waking up at 6 am.
It's a beautiful Monday morning & I will wake up at some point. It was almost 9 am before I saw anyone else from my department. I was feeling very lonely when Linda finally stopped by. I was just exclaiming about how alone I'd felt when Paula walked in, too. Very funny.
Off to more work type stuff.
The last weekend of the fair was great fun, but boy was I tired. Saturday, Sharon Hill, a seamstress in the Village, loaned me a dress to wear. This was a good thing as my silk blouse was still drying & the substitute was less than satisfactory. The dress is a reproduction of an 1810 dress & it is comfortable & flattering. Sharon & I both benefited. I went to buy a new garment, something to extend my Village wear and she offered to make that dress. I got to see if the dress would be comfortable, etc while I tatted and I was a model so that other Village craftswomen could see how the dress looks on someone who isn't slim. I need to check my fabric stash for 5 yards of suitable calico & 4 yards of a coordinating calico for the apron/pelisse. If I don't have it, I may buy some. Then I'll send it to Sharon & she & her daughter Beth will sew it for me. Then later I can make my own from that. Wheee! Lots of dresses. I got a picture of myself in that outfit too. Must send a copy to Mom.
(15 minutes & I'm still on hold)
Sunday night I helped Anitra & Steve pack the booth. Anitra & I slept in on Monday while Steve went to get the booth hardware, display case for the Village History display & breakfast. Steve took care of the birds, daily task, while Anitra & I went to the Fairgrounds to pick up our entries. (20 minutes & I'm off hold, whew). We stopped by the Village to say goodbye to the last folks packing up & to give 'drive by' hugs. Peter Blum & his sister were the first folks we saw. Wow, they look different in jeans. Then, everyone does. After we left the fairgrounds we stopped by Reader's Corner, after all, I had a 5 dollar check burning a hole in my pocket. That $5 is the 3rd place prize money in Infant's Wear, Other category.
I found a copy of Perfect Patchwork Primer, the book that inspired me to start quilting. I also found a copy of Diplomatic Immunity in hardback as well as War of Honor and some other assorted books. I bought a book on hemp braiding as a gift for Nora, Amanda or Hailey. The War of Honor isn't out in paperback yet (insert gloat). I spent more than I hoped but less than I feared at Reader's Corner.
I made it home about 1pm and started unpacking. Well, I got my dirty clothes out of my bag anyway. I settled down to read one of my new books & relax. About 3 pm my throat started hurting. Sure enough, I'd caught Anitra's cold.
Monday night, people finished their characters to test play Diana's supplement. I had finished mine but it disappeared so I wrote it again. Then we went through the first encounter. We'll finish it, hopefully, on the 10th.
I called in sick on Tuesday. Then I drank soup, hot tea, and lots of soda & juice. When I could I watched tv & read. Frankly, I was too tired to really pay attention to anything. Tuesday afternoon, I called in sick for Wednesday. Linda handled Tarheel Temps for me. Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday, except I slept later. I took a 3-hour nap Wednesday afternoon, skipped gaming & went to bed at 10 pm.
I wasn't feeling any better, but no worse so I went to work on Thursday. The dayquil was worse than the cold. It made me feel dizzy, in addition to the sore throat, runny nose & sneezing. The zinc lozenges, while tasting nasty, did more good. According to my co-workers I was looking a little pale, even for me. I took care of some time sensitive tasks and then headed for home at 4pm. I stopped & mailed my latest letter to my mom. Thanks to an accident of Farrington Road I finally made it home at 6pm. Bleah.
Friday, I felt better, consumed more lozenges & actually stayed & worked until 5pm. I was all alone in the office. Mike, Ira & Jim are at a conference. Rut was in DC & Susan almost never comes to this office on Fridays. I picked up a little candy on the way home, changed into something vaguely costumey, and was ready to answer the door for Trick-or-Treaters.
We had 2 groups. The first one was two little girls; a fairy & a princess. The fairy complemented me on my braids; I had unbraided my hair & then re-braided two plaits next to my face. The 2nd group had 4 kids, one still a baby being carried, dressed as a bumblebee. The first child took all but two pieces of the candy I had. The 2nd child took the next to last piece & the 1st child took the last piece to put in the 3rd child's bag. Momma was not happy & told the 1st child to put that candy back. The child did so. When he put one back that wasn't mine, I told him to stop & gave it back to him. He was sooo cute. If I'd known that was the last group I would have let him keep the candy.
I was up later than I should have been, watching tv. So I slept late Saturday. Barely had enough time to clear the dining room table for gaming & go pick up Ted G. He's a student at State who was going to play in our session of Birthday Bash, RolePlaying Gamer's Association Living Greyhawk game. Since we were meeting him at Foundation's Edge, Chris picked up his comics & I bought Forgotten Realms: Underdark. We ended up with 6 players, Chris, Rosemary, Ted, Jenna, & Bill D. It was a fun game & not as bad as it could have been. But we had some close moments. My character, Nadia, is a senior squire, so she was mentoring Ted's character, Julia, a junior squire.
I basically changed clothes, ran out of the house & made it to the COTE board meeting barely on time. Anitra is still sick so she wasn't there. It was just Steve & I. So we worked on the lanterns for the ritual and then went & picked up supper from the Jade Garden. Steve had brought Digdug, a burrowing owl from Utah that had just arrived at the Refuge last week. Digdug was perching on his shoulder as I arrived & I did not see him/her until Steve brought my attention to him/her (we don't know which gender she is yet). Part of one wing is amputated from a car collision injury & Steve is training her/him to be an education bird. It's a very cute owl.
Things went well Saturday night. But I didn't leave until 11:30. So I called Chris & I crashed on Steve & Anitra's couch. Again. Their dog Siesta was glad to see me again so soon. Anitra & I caught up (on the whole week's worth of doings) and then off to sleep. Anitra drove me to my car on Sunday, I drove home, showered, dressed & made to Foundation's Edge in time to run my Ironclaw demo.
I had 3 players. One who had played my Jadeclaw demo and one guy who had the book but who had never played before. He had a character half-made and I helped him complete it. I ran until 6 pm & then headed home. Chris played Halo all day, so we had pizza delivered for supper. I went to bed early, 9 pm. Still had trouble waking up at 6 am.
It's a beautiful Monday morning & I will wake up at some point. It was almost 9 am before I saw anyone else from my department. I was feeling very lonely when Linda finally stopped by. I was just exclaiming about how alone I'd felt when Paula walked in, too. Very funny.
Off to more work type stuff.
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