Monday, March 28, 2016
Not A "10"
So, my verdict on Windows 10, for the record, is that it'll be pretty nice if they ever get it to actually work. In the meantime, my desktop is now back to Windows 8.1, and Microsoft owes me back the day of my life I spent dealing with that crap. Gaah.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Welcome... to NM.
Guess who's got tickets for the Welcome to Night Vale live show they've finally -- finally -- decided to bring to New Mexico, and which will be playing in Albuquerque ON MY BIRTHDAY?
Yep! Me! Whoo-hoo! Gonna be the best birthday ever! (OK, admittedly, it's not until July. I could get hit by a bus before then, or swallowed up into the depths of the existential void or eaten by eldritch horrors or something. But I will confidently predict it to be the Best Birthday Ever, anyway, because we must always live in optimism.)
I'm extra amused that the show is called "Ghost Stories" and they've managed to book the purportedly haunted theater. See, guys? You come to New Mexico, we receive you in all appropriate style!
Yep! Me! Whoo-hoo! Gonna be the best birthday ever! (OK, admittedly, it's not until July. I could get hit by a bus before then, or swallowed up into the depths of the existential void or eaten by eldritch horrors or something. But I will confidently predict it to be the Best Birthday Ever, anyway, because we must always live in optimism.)
I'm extra amused that the show is called "Ghost Stories" and they've managed to book the purportedly haunted theater. See, guys? You come to New Mexico, we receive you in all appropriate style!
Friday, March 04, 2016
March Currentlies
This is at least a couple of days earlier in the month than I usually do this, but I'm working ridiculous hours for the next few days, plus I hardly blogged at all in February. So what the heck. Here we go.
Current clothes: Gray sweatpants. Blue t-shirt from Carlsbad Caverns National Park. White socks. Black leather boots.
Current mood: Okay, I guess. But tired and a little out of it. I've been tired and a little out of it all week. It's not that I haven't been getting enough sleep, more that the shiftwork is increasingly kicking my ass. Last week I did seven days in a row of night shifts, and I'm still not quite recovered from it, somehow.
Current music: Nothing much, really. Well, except for this happy, upbeat version of the Walking Dead theme music. I just listened to that a few minutes ago, and it was weirdly creepy in how not-creepy it was.
Current annoyance: The usual having-a-human-body stuff. Most notably it's unambiguously spring here now, and my allergies are starting to notice. Mercifully, there's not too much of the sneezing-and-snotting right now -- I like to think that's because I got proactive and started the Flonase early, but probably it's because pollen season hasn't really started in earnest yet -- but my sinuses are already giving me problems. Although, come to think of it, they did that sometimes during the winter, too. Basically, sinuses are evil.
Current thing: This is shaping up to be an amazing year of reading so far, both in terms of quality and quantity. Between that encouraging fact, and the tiredness and evil sinuses sapping my energy, all I want to do is cocoon myself on the sofa and read forever.
Current desktop picture: Still the same Doctor Who image it's been for months.
Current book: Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich. Because who doesn't want to read a Christmas story in March? I don't know that I'm enjoying it as much as the Stephanie Plum series proper, though.
Current song in head: The last couple of days, it's just been random stuff that's dissipated quickly. Which is an immense relief, since before that I had Jonathan Coulton's "Nemeses" stuff in my head for, like, a week and a half. That's a fun song, but not when it's playing on continuous loop night and day.
Current refreshment: Raspberry ginger ale. Which is an interesting combination of flavors. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it. I mean, it's good, but I think maybe I like regular ginger ale better.
Current DVD in player: Nothing right now, but yesterday it was the classic Doctor Who episode "The Brain of Morbius." It's a lot of fun to go back and revisit some of the old Fourth Doctor eps occasionally. And Tom Baker was my first Doctor, as he was for a lot of Americans, so he holds a special place in my heart.
Current happy thing: Allergies aside, the weather really is lovely. Also, I finally got the permanent crown put on my tooth, and after a year of sensitivity and root canals and all kinds of indignities, it's quite a relief to be able to chew on both sides of my mouth now without pain or worry.
Current thought: Seriously, all I want to do is sleep and read and read and sleep. But, noooo. I have housework to do, and I've got to go get a haircut, and then I've got some 12-hour shifts to work, and... Bah!
Current clothes: Gray sweatpants. Blue t-shirt from Carlsbad Caverns National Park. White socks. Black leather boots.
Current mood: Okay, I guess. But tired and a little out of it. I've been tired and a little out of it all week. It's not that I haven't been getting enough sleep, more that the shiftwork is increasingly kicking my ass. Last week I did seven days in a row of night shifts, and I'm still not quite recovered from it, somehow.
Current music: Nothing much, really. Well, except for this happy, upbeat version of the Walking Dead theme music. I just listened to that a few minutes ago, and it was weirdly creepy in how not-creepy it was.
Current annoyance: The usual having-a-human-body stuff. Most notably it's unambiguously spring here now, and my allergies are starting to notice. Mercifully, there's not too much of the sneezing-and-snotting right now -- I like to think that's because I got proactive and started the Flonase early, but probably it's because pollen season hasn't really started in earnest yet -- but my sinuses are already giving me problems. Although, come to think of it, they did that sometimes during the winter, too. Basically, sinuses are evil.
Current thing: This is shaping up to be an amazing year of reading so far, both in terms of quality and quantity. Between that encouraging fact, and the tiredness and evil sinuses sapping my energy, all I want to do is cocoon myself on the sofa and read forever.
Current desktop picture: Still the same Doctor Who image it's been for months.
Current book: Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich. Because who doesn't want to read a Christmas story in March? I don't know that I'm enjoying it as much as the Stephanie Plum series proper, though.
Current song in head: The last couple of days, it's just been random stuff that's dissipated quickly. Which is an immense relief, since before that I had Jonathan Coulton's "Nemeses" stuff in my head for, like, a week and a half. That's a fun song, but not when it's playing on continuous loop night and day.
Current refreshment: Raspberry ginger ale. Which is an interesting combination of flavors. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it. I mean, it's good, but I think maybe I like regular ginger ale better.
Current DVD in player: Nothing right now, but yesterday it was the classic Doctor Who episode "The Brain of Morbius." It's a lot of fun to go back and revisit some of the old Fourth Doctor eps occasionally. And Tom Baker was my first Doctor, as he was for a lot of Americans, so he holds a special place in my heart.
Current happy thing: Allergies aside, the weather really is lovely. Also, I finally got the permanent crown put on my tooth, and after a year of sensitivity and root canals and all kinds of indignities, it's quite a relief to be able to chew on both sides of my mouth now without pain or worry.
Current thought: Seriously, all I want to do is sleep and read and read and sleep. But, noooo. I have housework to do, and I've got to go get a haircut, and then I've got some 12-hour shifts to work, and... Bah!
Monday, February 29, 2016
Felicitous Calendrical Adjustment!
Happy Leap Day! I hope everybody has enjoyed their extra bonus bit of February. Me, I spent mine working, then sleeping (more than I really should have), then finishing a good book, then watching last night's episode of The Walking Dead. So, a very full life, really.
Monday, February 08, 2016
February Currentlies
Yes, it's time for this again! And I have taken my own and others' advice and finally replaced the "current worry" with "current happy thing." Because it's much better for my brain to think about happy things than all the stupid stuff it likes to worry about. Anyway:
Current clothes: Gray sweats. This Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy t-shirt, which I bought recently because there was a "buy a t-shirt, get a free pair of socks" sale, and how could I resist? Gray and green wool socks (not the ones I got free with the shirt).
Current mood: Meh. Kind of tired and out of it, since I got less than three hours of sleep today. Basically, I got off my night shift, took a nap, and then got up again. Which at least will make switching over to days happen easily. Well, OK, not easily, but it will make it happen. I'm also trying not to be stressed, which is harder to do the less sleep you have.
Current music: Nothing much. Oh, wait, I guess this cut from the Mad Max: Fury Road soundtrack that a friend linked me to because we were discussing the movie. (I just started playing it again. Man, that is waking me up!)
Current annoyance: Having a house and a human body, both of which are aging and need all kinds of maintenance and repairs.
Current thing: Being a responsible adult and getting important stuff done, even though what I really want to do is to go back into book-hibernation. Yay, me.
Current desktop picture: Still this (spoilery) Doctor Who picture. Because I am not tired of it yet.
Current book: I just finished 21st Century Dead: A Zombie Anthology, edited by Christopher Golden. Which was okay, but nowhere near as good as his first zombie anthology. I'm now about to start Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich, because Janet Evanovich is perfect reading for when you've had three hours of sleep and need some fun, mindless distraction.
Current song in head: There's been a lot of stuff lately, but right now it seems to be "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.
Current refreshment: Nothing. But I should drink some water or something, 'cause I'm kind of thirsty.
Current DVD in player: Most recently, disk 2 of season 2 of The Wire. Which is still very good, although I sometimes feel like I'm only pretending I'm actually following all of it. And I forgot half the characters' names again between seasons.
Current happy thing: In an amazing and inexplicable triumph of willpower, I have bought no books yet this year. Zero! None! I'm starting to see tiny little gaps open up on the TBR shelves where books have come off and not been replaced, and it's terribly gratifying. I won't swear it'll last very long, though. Especially as I have a doctor's appointment in Albuquerque tomorrow, and I may very well talk myself into a stop at Page One while I'm there.
Current thought: I really should get some things done around the house now, and have some food, and take a walk... But I cannot decide what order I should do these things, in, and the indecision is making me want to just give up and flop on the couch instead.
Current clothes: Gray sweats. This Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy t-shirt, which I bought recently because there was a "buy a t-shirt, get a free pair of socks" sale, and how could I resist? Gray and green wool socks (not the ones I got free with the shirt).
Current mood: Meh. Kind of tired and out of it, since I got less than three hours of sleep today. Basically, I got off my night shift, took a nap, and then got up again. Which at least will make switching over to days happen easily. Well, OK, not easily, but it will make it happen. I'm also trying not to be stressed, which is harder to do the less sleep you have.
Current music: Nothing much. Oh, wait, I guess this cut from the Mad Max: Fury Road soundtrack that a friend linked me to because we were discussing the movie. (I just started playing it again. Man, that is waking me up!)
Current annoyance: Having a house and a human body, both of which are aging and need all kinds of maintenance and repairs.
Current thing: Being a responsible adult and getting important stuff done, even though what I really want to do is to go back into book-hibernation. Yay, me.
Current desktop picture: Still this (spoilery) Doctor Who picture. Because I am not tired of it yet.
Current book: I just finished 21st Century Dead: A Zombie Anthology, edited by Christopher Golden. Which was okay, but nowhere near as good as his first zombie anthology. I'm now about to start Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich, because Janet Evanovich is perfect reading for when you've had three hours of sleep and need some fun, mindless distraction.
Current song in head: There's been a lot of stuff lately, but right now it seems to be "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.
Current refreshment: Nothing. But I should drink some water or something, 'cause I'm kind of thirsty.
Current DVD in player: Most recently, disk 2 of season 2 of The Wire. Which is still very good, although I sometimes feel like I'm only pretending I'm actually following all of it. And I forgot half the characters' names again between seasons.
Current happy thing: In an amazing and inexplicable triumph of willpower, I have bought no books yet this year. Zero! None! I'm starting to see tiny little gaps open up on the TBR shelves where books have come off and not been replaced, and it's terribly gratifying. I won't swear it'll last very long, though. Especially as I have a doctor's appointment in Albuquerque tomorrow, and I may very well talk myself into a stop at Page One while I'm there.
Current thought: I really should get some things done around the house now, and have some food, and take a walk... But I cannot decide what order I should do these things, in, and the indecision is making me want to just give up and flop on the couch instead.
Friday, February 05, 2016
Thursday, February 04, 2016
The Word Of The Day Is "Root."
Well, my sewer has now been de-clogged and my tooth de-pulped. And I am weirdly amused by how fundamentally similar those two procedures actually are.
Anyway, the root canal was long, tedious, uncomfortable and tiring, but not painful (except for the needles at the beginning), and definitely nowhere near the top of the Worst Things I've Experienced in My Life list. And, holy crap, the pain is gone! I'd gotten so used to it that now every time I pull air past that tooth or take a drink of cold water, I feel genuinely shocked that it doesn't hurt. Mind you, my poor jaw definitely feels like it's been held open with clamps for three hours. But I'm sure that will pass.
The sewer problem, by the way, turned out to be due to roots. It seems that at some point I really ought to have the old iron pipes replaced with PVC, otherwise they're likely to cause more problems down the road, but for now I can flush my toilet with impunity again, and all is well. Whew!
Anyway, the root canal was long, tedious, uncomfortable and tiring, but not painful (except for the needles at the beginning), and definitely nowhere near the top of the Worst Things I've Experienced in My Life list. And, holy crap, the pain is gone! I'd gotten so used to it that now every time I pull air past that tooth or take a drink of cold water, I feel genuinely shocked that it doesn't hurt. Mind you, my poor jaw definitely feels like it's been held open with clamps for three hours. But I'm sure that will pass.
The sewer problem, by the way, turned out to be due to roots. It seems that at some point I really ought to have the old iron pipes replaced with PVC, otherwise they're likely to cause more problems down the road, but for now I can flush my toilet with impunity again, and all is well. Whew!
Wednesday, February 03, 2016
Two Not At All Great Tastes
You know what's even more fun than contemplating having a root canal tomorrow? Hoping that the plumbers I just called will be able to get my sewer line unclogged before my root canal appointment tomorrow. Yay! There is nothing more fun than having your tub back up when you flush the toilet! (Fortunately, I think it's only a partial clog, as this sort of thing is not happening every time. But it did happen last night, and today when I tried to take a shower my toilet started gurgling, so, yeah. Something clearly needs to be dealt with here.)
Seriously, life, do you just think it's funny to pile the most cliched imaginable awfulnesses up on me all at once, or what? SIGH.
Seriously, life, do you just think it's funny to pile the most cliched imaginable awfulnesses up on me all at once, or what? SIGH.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Good News, Bad News
So, today I found out I have to have a root canal. But, on the plus side, I also found a way to keep my shoes from coming untied all the time.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
I Aten't Dead
Oh, dear, I've been neglecting this blog long enough that people have started to e-mail me and ask if I'm all right. I'm fine! I'm sorry for disappearing! I think two things have been happening this month that explain what I've been doing instead of blogging. First, I kind of went into this state where all I really wanted to do all day was lie on the sofa and shove words into my face. Sort of the book-lover's equivalent of hibernation, I think. So I mostly did that for a while, and then I had to scramble around doing all the responsible-adult things that piled up on me because I neglected them while I was book-hibernating. Which I'm still in the middle of. (Next up: dentist's appointment! Whee!)
I feel like I should have something else to say here, though, so I will offer up a random thought.
Random thought: I have heard that in some places there is a tradition/superstition that if you don't take down your Christmas decorations by January 6, the Devil will come and get you. I am strongly in favor of adopting this here in the US. Hell, I may almost be ready to start believing in the Devil myself if it will get people to take down their Christmas lights. Come on, guys! It's nearly February!
I feel like I should have something else to say here, though, so I will offer up a random thought.
Random thought: I have heard that in some places there is a tradition/superstition that if you don't take down your Christmas decorations by January 6, the Devil will come and get you. I am strongly in favor of adopting this here in the US. Hell, I may almost be ready to start believing in the Devil myself if it will get people to take down their Christmas lights. Come on, guys! It's nearly February!
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
New Year's Currentlies
Current clothes: Green sweatpants. Gray sweatshirt with an Edward Gorey picture of a cat lounging on a pile of books and the words "books. cats. life is sweet." (Because, really, what more do you need? Not even capital letters!) White socks.
Current mood: Very good, happy and relaxed. I spent the entire morning in my pajamas, doing nothing but reading a good book until I finished it. Man, I need to do that more often. It's very good for my psychological health. (The shirt does not lie!)
Current music: Nothing much. Once again, most of my listening-to-things time is going to trying to keep up with a bunch of podcasts. Or at least not fall further behind. My podcast backlog hasn't remotely reached the out-of-control state that my book and DVD backlogs have, but it is constantly threatening to expand in that direction.
Current annoyance: I was totally prepared to say winter, and that I'm entirely ready for it to go away now. Except, uh... it kind of did? The temperature suddenly shot upwards today, with the result that there was a veritable waterfall of melting snow pouring off every roof in town.
Current thing: It's a new year! So I'm going to be more creative and more productive and healthier and just generally all-around better at living! Right?
Current desktop picture: Still this spoilery promo picture released before the Doctor Who season finale. I might leave it up for a while, I dunno. It is a pretty awesome picture.
Current book: I've just started in on a bit of local history with Elfego Baca in Life and Legend by Larry D. Ball.
Current song in head: Nothing at the moment. Although Brain Radio has been unusually suggestible lately, and I fully expect something new to set it off and get it playing something annoying at any moment.
Current refreshment: Mellow Moments tea, which is a really nice delicate blend of peppermint, spearmint, chamomile and, I dunno, some kind of spices and stuff.
Current DVD in player: Disc 5 of season 10 of Supernatural. About which I appear to have no opinions whatsoever. Well, OK, I definitely have opinions about it, both positive and negative, while I'm watching it. But the moment I turn the TV off, I entirely cease to care.
Current thought: Maybe next time I do this, I'll add in "current happy thing" or something to take the place of the "current worry" entry that I eliminated last time. (Which, I must say, was a very good idea.) Seems like it'd be a little redundant this time, though, as it'd just be feeling good and having the day off of work and getting some quality reading-in-the-PJs time in.
Current mood: Very good, happy and relaxed. I spent the entire morning in my pajamas, doing nothing but reading a good book until I finished it. Man, I need to do that more often. It's very good for my psychological health. (The shirt does not lie!)
Current music: Nothing much. Once again, most of my listening-to-things time is going to trying to keep up with a bunch of podcasts. Or at least not fall further behind. My podcast backlog hasn't remotely reached the out-of-control state that my book and DVD backlogs have, but it is constantly threatening to expand in that direction.
Current annoyance: I was totally prepared to say winter, and that I'm entirely ready for it to go away now. Except, uh... it kind of did? The temperature suddenly shot upwards today, with the result that there was a veritable waterfall of melting snow pouring off every roof in town.
Current thing: It's a new year! So I'm going to be more creative and more productive and healthier and just generally all-around better at living! Right?
Current desktop picture: Still this spoilery promo picture released before the Doctor Who season finale. I might leave it up for a while, I dunno. It is a pretty awesome picture.
Current book: I've just started in on a bit of local history with Elfego Baca in Life and Legend by Larry D. Ball.
Current song in head: Nothing at the moment. Although Brain Radio has been unusually suggestible lately, and I fully expect something new to set it off and get it playing something annoying at any moment.
Current refreshment: Mellow Moments tea, which is a really nice delicate blend of peppermint, spearmint, chamomile and, I dunno, some kind of spices and stuff.
Current DVD in player: Disc 5 of season 10 of Supernatural. About which I appear to have no opinions whatsoever. Well, OK, I definitely have opinions about it, both positive and negative, while I'm watching it. But the moment I turn the TV off, I entirely cease to care.
Current thought: Maybe next time I do this, I'll add in "current happy thing" or something to take the place of the "current worry" entry that I eliminated last time. (Which, I must say, was a very good idea.) Seems like it'd be a little redundant this time, though, as it'd just be feeling good and having the day off of work and getting some quality reading-in-the-PJs time in.
Friday, January 01, 2016
2015: The Year In Books And Other Stuff
Happy New Year to all! I hope 2016 is bright and happy for all of you, and brings you many good things.
2015 was, I suppose, a messy, turbulent year for the world at large (although I'm not sure if there are actually any years that aren't), but, looking back, it seems fairly sedate for me, personally. The big event of the year for me was having family visiting and doing the Balloon Fiesta and various trips around New Mexico, in October. Well, that and rain flooding in through my floor again during the summer. Looking back over the blog, I'm not sure I even talked about that here... It was extremely annoying, although fortunately not too difficult to fix: I just had to caulk up a crack in the concrete slab floor. Also on the subject of water being where it's not supposed to be, I think my roof might finally be fixed for good this time, so that's definitely a plus for the year. I also got a new oven, a new dryer, and a new couch and loveseat, so my house is overall a nicer place to be now than it was at the beginning of the year, even if it is continuing to age. Oh, and, yes, I am going to brag about winning that Doctor Who trivia contest forever.
I also read a lot of books, as always. My total for the year was 137 books. Interestingly, 2014's total was 138, and I have no idea how the heck I manage to be that consistent about it. I'm not consciously trying to be! You can see my whole year's worth of reading here.
As is traditional, I include here a list of my favorite books of the year, or at least the ones I gave the highest star ratings to on LibraryThing. It's a pretty good list this year, I think:
Fiction
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise by Gene Luen Yang
Sweetland by Michael Crummey
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
Tenth of December by George Saunders
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Putting on the Ritz by Joe Keenan
Non-fiction
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight by M. E. Thomas
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better by Clive Thomspon
The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession by David Grann
Size Matters Not: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Warwick Davis by Warwick Davis
A little of both
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012 edited by Dave Eggers
We're not going to talk about how many books I acquired in 2015, though. Not at all.
2015 was, I suppose, a messy, turbulent year for the world at large (although I'm not sure if there are actually any years that aren't), but, looking back, it seems fairly sedate for me, personally. The big event of the year for me was having family visiting and doing the Balloon Fiesta and various trips around New Mexico, in October. Well, that and rain flooding in through my floor again during the summer. Looking back over the blog, I'm not sure I even talked about that here... It was extremely annoying, although fortunately not too difficult to fix: I just had to caulk up a crack in the concrete slab floor. Also on the subject of water being where it's not supposed to be, I think my roof might finally be fixed for good this time, so that's definitely a plus for the year. I also got a new oven, a new dryer, and a new couch and loveseat, so my house is overall a nicer place to be now than it was at the beginning of the year, even if it is continuing to age. Oh, and, yes, I am going to brag about winning that Doctor Who trivia contest forever.
I also read a lot of books, as always. My total for the year was 137 books. Interestingly, 2014's total was 138, and I have no idea how the heck I manage to be that consistent about it. I'm not consciously trying to be! You can see my whole year's worth of reading here.
As is traditional, I include here a list of my favorite books of the year, or at least the ones I gave the highest star ratings to on LibraryThing. It's a pretty good list this year, I think:
Fiction
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise by Gene Luen Yang
Sweetland by Michael Crummey
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
Tenth of December by George Saunders
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Putting on the Ritz by Joe Keenan
Non-fiction
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
Confessions of a Sociopath: A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight by M. E. Thomas
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better by Clive Thomspon
The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession by David Grann
Size Matters Not: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Warwick Davis by Warwick Davis
A little of both
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012 edited by Dave Eggers
We're not going to talk about how many books I acquired in 2015, though. Not at all.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Was I Visited By Some Kind Of Evil Snow Genie?
Ye gods, just because I said the snow was pretty, that didn't mean I wanted all the snow forever. Seriously, it can stop now.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
So, That Was Christmas
I hope everyone who celebrates it had a very, very merry Christmas, and that all of you are keeping well through the dark of the winter.
My Christmas was nothing terribly exciting, but there were lovely presents, much turkey was eaten, and much Doctor Who watched, all of which made it entirely my kind of holiday. We even came very close to having a white Christmas: when I got up this morning there was just a little snow on the ground, and the mountain had that pretty dusted-in-powdered-sugar look.
I only wish I didn't have to haul my butt into work so early this morning. It'd have been awfully nice to have had a four-day weekend like a normal person. Ah, well. Guess I gotta pay for all that turkey somehow.
My Christmas was nothing terribly exciting, but there were lovely presents, much turkey was eaten, and much Doctor Who watched, all of which made it entirely my kind of holiday. We even came very close to having a white Christmas: when I got up this morning there was just a little snow on the ground, and the mountain had that pretty dusted-in-powdered-sugar look.
I only wish I didn't have to haul my butt into work so early this morning. It'd have been awfully nice to have had a four-day weekend like a normal person. Ah, well. Guess I gotta pay for all that turkey somehow.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Better Not Pout
I've gotten really bad about updating this blog again, haven't I? Well, let's see what's going on at the moment...
First, Christmas is coming! Although not fast enough for me. I always find this week before Christmas weirdly frustrating. All my presents are bought, all the presents from other people have arrived, everything is ready, and there's nothing to do but wait. And, meanwhile, so much of life is just on hold. I find myself thinking things like, "I want to buy Thing X, but I guess I'd better not, in case someone got it for me for Christmas." And, "I'll have to wait and make that appointment after the holidays." And, "I really need some new jeans and a new pair of shoes, but there's no way I'm braving the mall at this time of year. Better wait. And wait on everything else I need to do in the city, too, since I might as well get it all done in one trip." I'm looking forward to Christmas as much because it means I finally get to unpress the pause button on my life as because of all the nice Christmassy things that go with it. Ah, well. Maybe that's the difference between Christmas as an adult and Christmas as a kid?
Meanwhile, the big news where I live is that they're closing down the Smith's supermarket. This is a huge blow to the town. 66 people out of work -- a significant number in a town this size. And god only knows where most of them are going to go. We've already had enough businesses closing that the place is starting to look frighteningly ghost town-ish. The store isn't actually closing until January, but they're already not replacing their stock. I was in there a couple of weeks ago, and the depleted, denuded shelves made me feel like I'd suddenly stepped into some kind of zombie apocalypse scenario. Just in time for Christmas! Classy, Smith's. Classy. They've got a big banner out front now advertising stuff as much as 75% off. I've been a bit torn between going to to see what I can pick up cheap, and never wanting to set foot in there again because, god, is it depressing, and, also, fuck Smith's, I don't want to give them any more of my money. So far, that second impulse is winning.
First, Christmas is coming! Although not fast enough for me. I always find this week before Christmas weirdly frustrating. All my presents are bought, all the presents from other people have arrived, everything is ready, and there's nothing to do but wait. And, meanwhile, so much of life is just on hold. I find myself thinking things like, "I want to buy Thing X, but I guess I'd better not, in case someone got it for me for Christmas." And, "I'll have to wait and make that appointment after the holidays." And, "I really need some new jeans and a new pair of shoes, but there's no way I'm braving the mall at this time of year. Better wait. And wait on everything else I need to do in the city, too, since I might as well get it all done in one trip." I'm looking forward to Christmas as much because it means I finally get to unpress the pause button on my life as because of all the nice Christmassy things that go with it. Ah, well. Maybe that's the difference between Christmas as an adult and Christmas as a kid?
Meanwhile, the big news where I live is that they're closing down the Smith's supermarket. This is a huge blow to the town. 66 people out of work -- a significant number in a town this size. And god only knows where most of them are going to go. We've already had enough businesses closing that the place is starting to look frighteningly ghost town-ish. The store isn't actually closing until January, but they're already not replacing their stock. I was in there a couple of weeks ago, and the depleted, denuded shelves made me feel like I'd suddenly stepped into some kind of zombie apocalypse scenario. Just in time for Christmas! Classy, Smith's. Classy. They've got a big banner out front now advertising stuff as much as 75% off. I've been a bit torn between going to to see what I can pick up cheap, and never wanting to set foot in there again because, god, is it depressing, and, also, fuck Smith's, I don't want to give them any more of my money. So far, that second impulse is winning.
Sunday, December 06, 2015
December Currentlies
This time out, I'm finally following advice I gave myself ages ago and removing "current worry" from this monthly meme, because, really, the last thing I need is encouragement to dwell even more on the stupid crap I'm inclined to worry about. I am open to suggestions for what to replace it with.
Current clothes: Red sweatpants. Venture Bros. Guild of Calamitous Intent t-shirt. White socks.
Current mood: Kind of restless, in that way that never lets you quite settle down and be productive at anything.
Current music: Nothing at the moment. I'm working on catching up on podcasts again. So many podcasts.
Current annoyance: I may have spoken too soon when I said I was happy with the upgrade to Windows 10. In the week or so since I switched it over, my PC has completely hung up on me twice, which is not something it was inclined to do while running Windows 8.
Current thing: I'm not 100% sure how I felt about everything in the season finale, but in generally, I've been all flappy-hands excited about Doctor Who lately.
Current desktop picture: Speaking of, it's this promo picture for aforementioned season finale. Warning: spoilery. So very spoilery.
Current book: Explorer, book six in C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner series, which I am still making my way through, very slowly.
Current song in head: Nothing at the moment, which is a relief, considering some of the stuff that's gotten stuck in my skull recently.
Current refreshment: Mint tea.
Current DVD in player: Nothing in the player. I have season 10 of Supernatural from Netflix, but I can't seem to work up the enthusiasm to watch it, so I've started streaming season 4 of Bob's Burgers instead.
Current thought: I think my washer just stopped. Guess I better go put my laundry in the dryer. At least then I will have accomplished something useful today.
Current clothes: Red sweatpants. Venture Bros. Guild of Calamitous Intent t-shirt. White socks.
Current mood: Kind of restless, in that way that never lets you quite settle down and be productive at anything.
Current music: Nothing at the moment. I'm working on catching up on podcasts again. So many podcasts.
Current annoyance: I may have spoken too soon when I said I was happy with the upgrade to Windows 10. In the week or so since I switched it over, my PC has completely hung up on me twice, which is not something it was inclined to do while running Windows 8.
Current thing: I'm not 100% sure how I felt about everything in the season finale, but in generally, I've been all flappy-hands excited about Doctor Who lately.
Current desktop picture: Speaking of, it's this promo picture for aforementioned season finale. Warning: spoilery. So very spoilery.
Current book: Explorer, book six in C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner series, which I am still making my way through, very slowly.
Current song in head: Nothing at the moment, which is a relief, considering some of the stuff that's gotten stuck in my skull recently.
Current refreshment: Mint tea.
Current DVD in player: Nothing in the player. I have season 10 of Supernatural from Netflix, but I can't seem to work up the enthusiasm to watch it, so I've started streaming season 4 of Bob's Burgers instead.
Current thought: I think my washer just stopped. Guess I better go put my laundry in the dryer. At least then I will have accomplished something useful today.
Tuesday, December 01, 2015
Like The Cybermen, I Have Been Upgraded.
I just upgraded my desktop PC to Windows 10. I hadn't actually intended to do that just yet, but I found out the hard way that when you click on "Upgrade Later," that doesn't mean, as I had assumed, "download the files and be ready to upgrade later, whenever I feel like telling you to," but rather, "you must now schedule your upgrade for sometime in the next few days, and then you will be irrevocably committed to it, bwahahaha!" Oh, well. Except for the fact that I was sure I'd scheduled it for 2 AM and it instead happened at 8 AM when I was actually trying to use the computer, it seems to have gone remarkably smoothly. And I no longer need those third-party apps I had installed on Windows 8 to bring the Start menu back and enable me to use the "modern GUI" apps in resizable windows.
All of which mostly just means that I'm still waiting nervously to find out which part of it I'm going to hate. But, hey, so far, so good!
All of which mostly just means that I'm still waiting nervously to find out which part of it I'm going to hate. But, hey, so far, so good!
Monday, November 23, 2015
I Hope It's A Good Book.
I just took this Do You Have A Book Hoarding Problem? quiz. It told me "SEEK HELP NOW. You are becoming a book."
Is that bad?
Is that bad?
Sunday, November 22, 2015
I Do Have To Wonder What The Questions Were.
Somebody just sent me a link to this Tweet showing Steven Moffat, Peter Capaldi, and Mark Gatiss losing a Doctor Who trivia contest at an Australian convention. Do you know what this means? (Other than that they are hilariously adorable losers?) It means that I am a better Who fan than the people who actually make the show! Yes! On account of how my team won a Doctor Who trivia contest, and theirs lost! That is clearly the only logical conclusion to draw. (Why, no, I'm not ever going to stop crowing about that accomplishment. You gotta take your victories where you can get them, I say.)
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Three Things Make A Post
Because I haven't been updating much lately, and I should post something:
1. I spent this morning resealing the gutters on my house. Well, the ones in the front. The ones in the back of the house still need to be done, but I think I about reached the limit of how much of that job I'm willing to do in one day. Scraping off the old stuff is tedious, and the silicone sealant I bought turns out to be way worse to work with than the caulk I used in the bathroom, especially when you're holding the caulk gun upside-down and at odd angles. As a result, my gutters are now kind of a goopy, silicone-y mess. Sigh. Well, at least it's clear, so maybe it won't be too obvious? Honestly, I'm not sure I care much, as long as it's watertight. Man, I really hope it's watertight. Of course, I won't be able to test it until it dries.
This has been yet another installment of Ways It Sucks to Be an Adult. Hey, when you're a kid, if you have to do a big, annoying chore like that, at least you'll probably get a word of praise and maybe a little extra allowance. As an adult, all you get is the dull, practical outcome of not having leaking gutters, if you're lucky, and the responsibility of being the one to do it over, if you're not.
2. A not-good-news update on Nova-kitty: He's continuing to lose weight. The vet now thinks it is very likely due to heart problems. (I hadn't realized heart disease could cause weight loss, but it turns out it totally can. You learn something new every day.) He can't say for sure, though, because he doesn't have the equipment to do a proper echocardiogram, and I'd have to see a specialist for that. Which... At Nova's age, honestly, the stress of diagnosing and treating the problem might not be worth the small amount of extra time they might be able to buy him. For one thing, seeing a specialist would almost certainly mean a long, long car trip into the city -- probably more than one -- and he freaks out terribly just on the ten-minute ride to the local vet. Not long ago, he got so agitated about it, he peed all over himself in the carrier on the way. It's not a happy thing to do to the poor animal.
For right now, at least, we've switched him from the slightly-higher-calorie-than-his-previous-food cat food to special extra-high-calorie canned cat food, in hopes of curbing the weight loss some. The good news is, he loves the stuff, and can't seem to get enough of it. The bad news is, it's given him diarrhea. I'm really, really hoping that'll go away as he adjusts to the new stuff. Well, hey, at least it meant I didn't have to give him his laxative last night.
3. On a happier (and more science-y) note, I thought I'd link to this blog post celebrating NASA's Swift satellite observing its 1,000th gamma ray burst. This is relevant to my life because the VLBA is one of the "telescopes around the planet, which then (if they can) also observe the burst," as mentioned in the article. Most of the time, we're busy observing something else, but sometimes these things happen at just the right time for us to participate, and I'm always slightly tickled by the fact that I'm essentially being e-mailed by a satellite.
1. I spent this morning resealing the gutters on my house. Well, the ones in the front. The ones in the back of the house still need to be done, but I think I about reached the limit of how much of that job I'm willing to do in one day. Scraping off the old stuff is tedious, and the silicone sealant I bought turns out to be way worse to work with than the caulk I used in the bathroom, especially when you're holding the caulk gun upside-down and at odd angles. As a result, my gutters are now kind of a goopy, silicone-y mess. Sigh. Well, at least it's clear, so maybe it won't be too obvious? Honestly, I'm not sure I care much, as long as it's watertight. Man, I really hope it's watertight. Of course, I won't be able to test it until it dries.
This has been yet another installment of Ways It Sucks to Be an Adult. Hey, when you're a kid, if you have to do a big, annoying chore like that, at least you'll probably get a word of praise and maybe a little extra allowance. As an adult, all you get is the dull, practical outcome of not having leaking gutters, if you're lucky, and the responsibility of being the one to do it over, if you're not.
2. A not-good-news update on Nova-kitty: He's continuing to lose weight. The vet now thinks it is very likely due to heart problems. (I hadn't realized heart disease could cause weight loss, but it turns out it totally can. You learn something new every day.) He can't say for sure, though, because he doesn't have the equipment to do a proper echocardiogram, and I'd have to see a specialist for that. Which... At Nova's age, honestly, the stress of diagnosing and treating the problem might not be worth the small amount of extra time they might be able to buy him. For one thing, seeing a specialist would almost certainly mean a long, long car trip into the city -- probably more than one -- and he freaks out terribly just on the ten-minute ride to the local vet. Not long ago, he got so agitated about it, he peed all over himself in the carrier on the way. It's not a happy thing to do to the poor animal.
For right now, at least, we've switched him from the slightly-higher-calorie-than-his-previous-food cat food to special extra-high-calorie canned cat food, in hopes of curbing the weight loss some. The good news is, he loves the stuff, and can't seem to get enough of it. The bad news is, it's given him diarrhea. I'm really, really hoping that'll go away as he adjusts to the new stuff. Well, hey, at least it meant I didn't have to give him his laxative last night.
3. On a happier (and more science-y) note, I thought I'd link to this blog post celebrating NASA's Swift satellite observing its 1,000th gamma ray burst. This is relevant to my life because the VLBA is one of the "telescopes around the planet, which then (if they can) also observe the burst," as mentioned in the article. Most of the time, we're busy observing something else, but sometimes these things happen at just the right time for us to participate, and I'm always slightly tickled by the fact that I'm essentially being e-mailed by a satellite.
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