| And another Hoodlum escapes... :) |
[22 May 2004|07:50am] |
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) blue_soulfire is graduating from Hood today.
*hugs*
So happy for you, hon.
More later. Must go find shoes, grab lawn chairs and take off to pick up Pain and the little one to get to graduation on time.
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| Well, this LJ is working for the moment... |
[19 May 2004|02:16pm] |
*sigh* Note to self: Always, always, always look at ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) lj_maintenance before you jump to conclusions. For a second, I was terrified that someone had hacked my weirdweb account.
I guess it's better to know my journal's on invisible mode for goodness knows how long.
*goes back to work*
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| glee! |
[13 May 2004|08:29pm] |
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mood |
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 excited |
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I just bought an iMac.
The cacophony of sound you hear in the background is my Accounting department wailing as the creativity demons bounce around going, "New toy! New toy!"
*wanders off to watch Frasier*
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| had to share this |
[24 Apr 2004|03:16pm] |
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mood |
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 amused |
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Around where I work, there are a bunch of geese and ducks who walk around the grounds like they own it - there's a pond between my building and the other building that they congregate in. It's so well accepted that there are duck crossing signs posted all over the east entrance near the pond. (With good reason. The geese like to stop in the road and stare at the cars slamming on their brakes. I swear they do it on purpose - "Hey, Marty! Know those big noisy metal things? I can make them stop! Watch!")
So the last week around here has been beautiful, weather-wise, and I've been outside at lunch and whenever I can. On Friday, I discovered a goose on her nest.
But it wasn't near the pond, or the woods, or any place remote at all.
Walking across the courtyard, I was chatting with a friend when suddenly, I heard this part-hiss, part-honk near my foot. Like a cat hacking up a hairball, but angrier and louder.
I looked down. Two feet to my right was a goose sitting on her eggs, extending her neck at us and hissing because we'd gotten too close.
Which wasn't hard. The nest had been built right in one of the cultivated flower beds, right by the lunch tables and the trashcans - in short, right smack in the middle of everything. Mama and babies were right by the tulips, three paces away from the trashcan and was quite indignant that all these humans were getting close. But she saw no reason not to have her nest there. As long as we kept out of arm's reach, she didn't give a damn.
You think they've made themselves at home? :)
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| gaaahhh... |
[12 Apr 2004|10:31pm] |
After a weekend of Easter things and errands and laundry and rain and candy and musings about coots and hair appointments and tire pressure scares and laundry and VCR fun and laundry and not as much time to work on art stuff as I thought and computer troubleshooting and Boston cream pies and laundry and Perquackey with my nephews and more laundry, I got home around 9 pm tonight.
...I'm going to bed now. Cannot catch up. Barely unpacked. More tomorrow. :)
*thud*
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| *thud* |
[29 Mar 2004|09:08pm] |
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mood |
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 groggy |
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music |
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Jim's Big Ego - Math Prof Rock Star |
] |
Note to self: You score even worse on friend tests when you're semi-conscious. DON'T TAKE THEM THEN. :)
Marie, coherent response will have to wait til tomorrow. Sorry. Bed now.
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| So the insurance company is not evil! |
[29 Mar 2004|08:50pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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 giddy |
] |
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music |
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Delerium - Innocente |
] |
Sorry to be MIA all day; work was rough since we were trying to code pages using XSLT with a minimal knowledge of XSLT to go on. So I spent most of my time going, "Why is it doing this? How do I get it to do this? I don't have time to read the entire overview of the structure and history of XSLT, can't anyone give me a quicker reference?"
Anyway, the more important part of this post: got a call from the adjuster working my insurance claim this evening with the final tally. It seems my insane documentation paid off.
Not only did they agree with my estimates, some of their estimates were higher than mine, and the final total included tax and was more than I'd expected. I'm getting a check sometime this week. So I'll be able to get back most of my collection without twitching at the cost. Yay!
And that's all for tonight. Need to get a hold of some people and then crash.
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| I am SO dead tired. Here's why. |
[28 Mar 2004|09:10pm] |
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mood |
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 tired |
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Left the house at 5:45 pm yesterday to get to the social hall and kick off sound set-up. Fortunately, since we never got to flip a coin, the other backup sound guy was there since neither of us had been certain if the other one would show. Thank goodness. So he handled it for Act 1 while I did Act 2, and everything went fine.
In the midst of this, I was asked, "You coming to the cast party?" to which my response was "huh?" So after the show, I was up for another three hours at the cast party three blocks away, eating snacks and talking to people and watching (as well as helping) the floorboards vibrate since they used the living room as a dance floor.
Woke up at 10:30 this morning, raced to get to the Social Hall at noon today. Sound went fine - it helped that the assistant stage manager was sitting next to me with her notes for mike oddities.
Strike finished up around 6, and we went out to the Double T Diner. It was maybe 7:45 by the time I got home.
It is now 9 pm, and I am about to fall flat on my face.
I will resume normal human functionality tomorrow. Promise. ;)
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| I hate being right sometimes... |
[27 Mar 2004|05:09pm] |
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mood |
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 worried |
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So, back in August when I had the accident that was my fault, while there were no injuries and the other guy involved was delivering carpet and shrugged it off (and the carpet store wasn't going to scream lawsuit over his dented bumper), I was sure my insurance would double. People told me, "Oh, don't think that way."
Got my renewed policy rates for this year.
Guess what? It nearly doubled.
Well, I USED to have inexpensive car insurance... :)
Not much I can do about this except call my agent and ask about the exact source of some of these increases... the accident is said to have increased it by 53%, so I'd just like to know where the rest is coming from.
Anyway, it's quarter to 5, and I don't know where the day went, and I need to be at the social hall by 6, and it's still a mess around here.
Still not too certain about the mikes. Wish me luck.
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| Man, this is so unfair.... |
[25 Mar 2004|09:38am] |
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mood |
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worried |
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Okay, I know it's not a good time to travel internationally, I know security's tight and why the INS is getting paranoid... but I still feel really bad for one of my co-workers (I'll call her JL).
JL is a contractor in our division, and she's worked here for years and has been in charge of some important portions of our projects. She went on vacation to Hong Kong for a friend's wedding. She should have been back last week.
Found out what happened just now. When she was about to leave, the INS up and decided that now was the perfect time to review her working visa - which may take months or over a year. Her sister was allowed to come home, but she's stuck in Hong Kong for goodness knows how long while all her possessions, her apartment and her job are over here in the US. Months, maybe a year to review her visa in full, they're saying.
*facepalms*
Again, I know why they're paranoid, and they didn't review her visa before she left because they didn't want to keep her in the US while they were reviewing it - but I'm still pissed off. Some warning would have been nice so she might have been able to take some steps to have at least her pets taken care of and her home and job situation dealt with before going overseas for a wedding and being stuck there for months. She RENTS, for crying out loud; what is she supposed to do when her landlord decides to put up her apartment for a new tenant? (Okay, I think there was no warning because they want to evaluate potential threats - but a 5'2" web programmer who's never gotten a parking ticket isn't exactly threat material.)
Gah.
I need to go find out if there's anything I can do.
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| Randomness and apartment update. Kind of. |
[24 Mar 2004|03:22pm] |
To the Mensa candidate who called me this morning:
For future reference, when you're calling someone at 5:15 in the morning, take a moment to check and make absolutely sure you've got the right number, mmkay? And when you wake the wrong person up and she groggily says, "Look, if this is the wrong number, could you just admit it or hang up so I can go back to sleep, please?" ...take her at her word and don't go "um" into the phone for ten more seconds before apologizing.
The only reason I didn't bitch at you was because I had to be up in 20 minutes anyway.
* * *
In more interesting news, the detective assigned to my robbery case just called me at work this morning.
The case is still open, but she's been hit by 20 cases in the past 2 weeks alone - the pawn checks turned up negative. (I hope my theory that they dropped and broke my TV is correct - that way the bastards won't get any money for it.)
But the guys haven't made a third try at our complex. Partly because they know my neighbor got a good look at them - they made eye contact when she saw them, and probably had an "oh, shit" reaction. Which doesn't mean they're not going to try again.
At least the police are taking this seriously, and I appreciate that.
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| *bouncebouncebounce* |
[22 Mar 2004|06:18pm] |
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mood |
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 bouncy |
] |
So I got a hold of the instructor at work who wanted me to do a portrait of her kids, telling her I'd gotten some of it done and I wanted to see what she thought and discuss price. (Read: what she was willing to pay - I was told $100 was a good price for what I'm doing, but I didn't want to scare her off.)
I'd gotten the faces properly shaded and done, and the rest of it was lightly penciled in; I figured at this point, if she didn't like it, I could redo without banging my head against something, and I'd gotten the critical part of the portrait done. I thought it looked good, but I wasn't too sure and thought I'd screwed up one of her kids' teeth. (I'm a perfectionist usually when it comes to faces, and since I was being paid for this... you get the idea.)
So she came over to my desk today to take a look, and when I pulled it out she squealed and said, "Oh, it looks just like them!"
Cue big happy sigh of relief - if the subject's mother says that, you know you're doing something right. So I talked to her about the deadline, the mat size and what size frame usually goes with a standard 11 x 14 mat, and got around to price. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, a friend of mine who works in an art store said $100 is a typical price for something like this."
She shrugged it off like that was nothing: "Oh, sure! That's great!"
I'd say that pretty much made this the best Monday in a while. :)
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| whining, skip it if you're not in the mood... |
[19 Mar 2004|04:31pm] |
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mood |
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 sore |
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So it's Friday again, and I'm going to have to go down to the social hall at 6:15 with my notebook to take notes for how to handle the body mikes for "Godspell" when I cover sound next Saturday and Sunday.
God, I so don't want to do this.
I said I could. I'm not backing out now and the other backup guy absolutely can't do Sunday (and Saturday is iffy) since he's performing in "Volpone" on top of this and I think the director would cry if I did...
But I didn't think I'd be in this kind of PAIN when I said yes.
Neck is better, but my sides keep pinching. I'm not in agony or anything, but I KNOW while I'm sitting there trying to take notes, a muscle's going to start randomly spasming like hell.
And did I mention that even though I know how this setup works, there's going to be a totally different set of body mikes for us to work with next weekend? Did I also mention that I don't know what the hell I'm doing?
*sigh* Gotta go stretch again.
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| Nope, I'm really not dead... |
[13 Mar 2004|10:03pm] |
As it so happens, I'm running sound again, this time for "Godspell."
Well... kind of.
I got an e-mail from the producer, who worked on "Wait Until Dark" last fall - their sound guy can't be there 3rd weekend, and could I substitute? I said I would, and went down there last night to watch the show and figure out what I have to do. The director also called in a friend to sub... but he can't be there Sunday. So in 2 weeks, he'll do Friday, I'll do Sunday, we'll flip a coin to see who does Saturday. (I'm thinking I should do Saturday now, though, just because he's also working on another production.)
Anyways. Last time I just mucked with sound cues. The sound cues here are minimal... a couple preshow and show-opening clips and that's it. Simple, huh?
Nope.
I'm gonna have to deal with body mikes.
Just a run-down of some of the cast....
- one who DOES NOT NEED a mike and who has a high note in the middle of a couple songs
- one who really does need the mike cranked up
- one who's got his body mike below his chin because it kept rubbing against the strap of his overalls
- the lead, whose mike needs to be turned down
- the stewardess, who sings low notes very low and high notes pretty high (volume)
Not to mention several scenes where they all fall down, hug each other (cue the whoomp of body mikes getting squished), or numbers where three or four people have solos... you get the idea.
It's going to be interesting, let me tell you. :)
(Amusing side note: the stage manager looks weirdly like Timothy Dalton. Even after having seen him around and talked to him quite a bit, I still can't help that little double take every time I see him.)
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| Open mouth, insert foot. |
[11 Mar 2004|02:08pm] |
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mood |
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amused |
] |
So I'm sitting at my desk just now, with my hair flopped over the left side of my face, not bothered at all because, well, I can't really see out of that eye anyway.
DB (cynical co-worker we nicknamed Dilbert) comes by and makes a hand gesture like he's brushing back a curtain. I get it and brush my hair out of my face.
DB: (grinning) There, now you have depth perception.
Me: Not really. Legally blind in that eye anyway.
DB: What?? You can't? (Thought I'd told everyone and their brother at work about this by now.)
Me: Nope. 20/400 in the left, 20/20 in the right. I've got just enough peripheral vision to drive.
DB: How come?
Me: Keyhole pupil. Colaboma. (I point it out.)
DB: I'll be damned.
Me: You didn't know about this?
DB: Well, I wouldn't have asked; what do I care? (pause) Wait, wait, no, I didn't mean it that way.
Me: (cracking up) Well, fine, if I'm just not that important.
DB: No, it's not that I don't care, I wouldn't think to ask-- (off my laughter) Gah, you know what I meant. Man, I never say the right thing.
Oh, I know what he meant. I guess it's never come up before now.
That was just too damn funny.
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| TGIF! No, really! |
[05 Mar 2004|09:13pm] |
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mood |
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bouncy |
] |
Today... was a good day. Really.
First off - and I'm going to twitter about this in weirdweb since it constitutes a darn good Why-I-Can't-Update-Right-Now excuse: I got an art commission! For real this time! Someone in another division is actually going to pay me to do a charcoal portrait of her kids from a photo! *bouncebouncebounce* (I'm still beta reading! I promise!)
Deadline is Mother's Day, or Father's Day if that's not long enough. (She didn't want to rush me.) Wish me luck. :)
Second off, while only a couple people on the friends list will understand why this makes me happy, I finally completed my draft of the English walkthrough to Chapter 5 of Atlantzone and sent it off to the editor. WHEE! (Yeah, I've still got the Epilogue left to do, but that'll be a breeze.)
Third off, I got the supplements to the police report in the mail today. MUCH better... they now include the statement of the neighbor who saw them leave, and the officer talked to Maintenance about my lock - and the last line of the supplement says, "The report will be changed to a B&E with forced entry." Whew. So I just need to get some technical questions answered, get a few things photocopied and I can send this massive stack of documentation to the insurance company out by Monday. (A co-worker stared at all the receipts et al I'd compiled and said, "If they stiff you on this one, they're insane. You put together a freaking novel there.") Here's hoping.
As for the weekend... still have no clue what's going on, 'cause I'm torn. neonhummingbird and bktheirregular will be to the north in PA, and celli will be just to the south in DC...
...and I'm still unable to master astral projection, dammit. Celli, if you can e-mail me a phone number to contact you at, I'll try to work something out.
Anyway, off to print a fic, crash on the couch, and settle down for a beta read. :)
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| The tooth will not set you free. |
[01 Mar 2004|09:57pm] |
Well, was in and out of the dentist today, and it seemed my problem was not a cavity, but it was what I was afraid of: the rootless baby tooth that was going to come out finally announced that it was time to go.
So now I have to get a fixed bridge. Oh well. I did see this coming. I was hoping the tooth would hold out a little bit longer. celli, I feel your pain, kind of. :)
In the meantime, I have a gap where my molar used to be, and it is so weird - the last time I had a tooth gap was when I was maybe 11 or 12. Can't stop sticking my tongue in there. (No, I'm not hurting it, there was no root so the only residual pain was from the novocaine injections.)
At least I'm getting a tax refund, and I know what it's going towards....
* * *
Found the serial number of my stolen TV this weekend, when digging up a service warranty renewal form (I'd sent in the registration card, serial # and all). It was right there, clear as day. I called it in to the detective handling my case, and while I wish I'd found this two weeks ago... it's something.
* * *
Was also highly amused this afternoon to pass by a bulletin board at work and see a flyer for SavingAngel.org tacked up there.
Cool.
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| Wish I could blame PMS, but no it's just me overreacting... |
[26 Feb 2004|08:16pm] |
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mood |
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 okay |
] |
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music |
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Blondie - One Way or Another |
] |
...so anyway, apologies to everyone on my friends list who's had to put up with my bitching and moaning.
Turns out it's not such a big deal. Maintenance - both the lady in charge and the guy who changed the locks - is still sticking to their claim that yes, it looked like someone stuck a screwdriver in there and popped the lock. Both they and the detective now handling my case have told me that if the insurance hassles me about the issue of forced entry to have the adjuster call them. The officer who took my statement told me he's adding a supplement to the report since he DID get a hold of my neighbor and got a lot more details out of her. And the detective isn't going to be stopping by til Tuesday.
Additionally, I finally found a belt for the Hoover, and my new Aiwa remote (the idiots ripped off the stereo remote but left the stereo) just came in the mail, and I can submit the invoice as part of my claim.
And I have Peter Sellers to watch for tomorrow night. Yay.
So I'm going back to my folks Saturday morning to see some people, go over my taxes and NOT THINK about this for a day or two. Thanks for putting up with my whining, all. Promise I'll have better stuff to relate. *knock on wood*
You know, the way I spaz out over stupid little things, it is simply AMAZING that I have never felt the urge to drink. :)
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| Morning after, and less likely to kill things. |
[26 Feb 2004|07:49am] |
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mood |
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tired |
] |
Ugh. Don't want to be at work.
To recap the friends-locked screaming of last night: got the police report, and while I was led to believe that the officer considered the markings on my doorknob evidence of forced entry (Maintenance SAID it looked like they popped the lock cylinder, dammit!), the actual report said that it didn't look like the marks were enough to have popped the lock.
Add to that my initial second-guessing of "Did I lock it? Didn't I?" before memory kicked in a while later and told me I DID lock the bottom lock because I remembered my coat sleeve getting snagged on the doorknob that morning, and it doesn't look good. The report only takes my initial distraught babbling into account before my brain kicked in. (Most normal people would stop babbling and not second-guess whether or not they locked the door in front of a cop, but hey, I'm special. *sigh*)
On top of that, the belt snapped on my vacuum cleaner last night, and then when I tried to use the little Dirt Devil, it sucked up a piece of wire that promptly got itself stuck in the motor.
So not my night.
...
You know, had the officer told me flat-out that Sunday that the marks were not enough to indicate forced entry, I wouldn't have spazzed when I opened up the police report. But he didn't, and I let myself get my hopes up.
My insurance agent assures me that I'm still covered anyway. I'm still calling Maintenance to find out if the guy will stick by that statement and put it down in writing - and if he's not sure, I want to know that right away. I am tired of getting my hopes up only to get shot in the foot. It took the police at least 9 days to play telephone tag with the neighbor who saw it all (apparently, she called back, and the desk sergeant did not take her seriously), and now the detective assigned to this case wants to come take a look at the apartment.
The upside is that my scramble to itemize everything for the insurance company means that I do have a detailed VHS/DVD list to give her. I don't know when she plans to come look at the apartment, but I plan to spend Friday night getting the place cleaned up regardless. And I want - no, I NEED - to go back to my parents' this weekend. My tax forms are there, and more importantly, so is a dear friend whose father just passed away.
Not that looking at the apartment will get her anywhere, two weeks after the fact; the officers didn't think a fingerprint check was warranted, I've been given the OK to clean, so what does she expect to find? (And if I get read the riot act for cleaning up, I'm going to scream; the officer gave me the OK to clean up over a week ago.)
Gyaah...
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| Addendum to my last rant... |
[25 Feb 2004|07:55pm] |
Now I seem to have killed the Dirt Devil. After getting down on my hands and knees to try to vacuum the rest of the carpet with the Dirt Devil, a piece of wire got itself stuck in the motor.
This is NOT my night.
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