joy and shadows

I already accept that I'm a hypochondriac. It's what happens when you read too many ominous articles from such qualified publications as Reader's Digest.

But when there's an intermittent sharp pain from the base of my throat down to the inside of my arm, I start to get worried.

And my doctor won't see me for a checkup until at least December.

I think I need a new doctor.

Sometimes I enjoy getting spam because of the preposterous names that come attached to the email. So far, the best name I got was Roughage O. Satire, which I use over at Fandom Wank. But, I think I got a better one today:

Postdoctoral G. Tailpipes.

I'm so using that.

Back to work, sigh.

It was so godforsaken hot this weekend that it was hard to want to do anything but sit in the air conditioning. It's been so hazy that you can't see the sky, even at night - very disappointing, because I wanted to watch some of the Perseids.

After being turned away from the reservoir last weekend, husband and I were bound and determined to do something in the water this weekend, and his friend suggested tubing down the Delaware. So, off we went on Saturday morning to River Country. For $20/head, they load you on a bus, take you to a drop point, and off you go. The water was low and the current was not very swift, but we had a wonderful time drifting down the river. It was deep enough in portions to swim around a little, but other times it was too shallow and we had to get out and walk. We got there early to beat the crowds, and by the time we left, they were packin' them in.

I spent a lot of the remainder of the weekend working on the hakama in fits and starts. To anyone who plans on trying these, my advice is: baste the pleats. It will save you a lot of trouble. The front is almost finished - needs some edgestitching on the ties - but the back still needs work. To make the koshiita, I'd originally bought some Timtex, but it wasn't as stiff as I'd like. At the fabric store, they had some buckram with the other interfacings, and I discovered when I got home that it was (OH JOYNESS!) fusible. Layering two sheets of that with two sheets of Timtex produced a very nice semi-stiff backboard.

We did watch the football game on Saturday night, and true to form, the Giants were pathetic. It's going to be a long year. I also discovered that my folks had given away all the preseason tickets, which was annoying, but I put a word in for opening day since it's a 4:15 game.

Low point of the weekend was breaking the washing machine - the damn thing won't spin, thanks to me forgetting that the beach towels are really heavy when wet. Something must have stripped in the gears. Oh well, call the repairman.

Seen in lalieth's journal.

20 of my favorite pairings, in no particular order.

1. Luke/Mara (Star Wars. this one got me into reading fanfic. I am ashamed.)
2. Ron/Hermione (Harry Potter)
3. Vash/Meryl (Trigun)
4. Keith/Allura (Voltron)
5. Wildstar/Nova (Star Blazers)
6. Laguna/Raine (FFVIII)
7. Squall/Quistis (FFVIII)
8. Jin/Shino (Samurai Champloo)
9. Tidus/Yuna (FFX)
10. Silverbolt/Blackarachnia (Beast Wars)
11. Orihime/Tatsuki (Bleach)
12. Ichigo/Rukia (Bleach)
13. Skif/Nyara (Mage Winds trilogy)
14. Vanyel/Stefan (The Last Herald-Mage trilogy)
15. Daetrin/Kiri (The Madness Season)
16. Phèdre/Hyacinthe (Kushiel’s Dart trilogy)
17. Michael/Robin (Witch Hunter Robin)
18. Andrew/Marita (Sable, Shadow, and Ice)
19. Gwydion/Aeron (Copper Crown trilogy)
20. Bren/Jago (Foreigner series)

Starkle, starkle, little twink,

Who the hell are you I think.

I'm not under what you call

The alcofluence of incohol.

I'm just a little slort of sheep,

I'm not drunk like thinkle peep.

I don't know who is me yet,

But the drunker I stand here the longer I get.

So just give me one more fink to drill my cup,

Cause I got all day sober to Sunday up

This might not look like much... but trust me, this took FOREVER.

Hakama are sent straight from hell. andmydog was right. I'm going to have to gather my resolve before I attempt the pleats.

I also made the shinigami kimono, but that wasn't nearly as onerous a task.

( click for picture )

So far, in the Shinigami Cosplay Saga, it ain't the geometry that's the problem with the hakama. It's kneeling on the kitchen floor with the chalk, measuring segments over and over to make sure it all lines up.

My knees are killing me.

Thank god the kimono pattern is normal, because otherwise I'd be crying.

I know a couple of you on my list are Sailor Moon fans, and if one of you can't help me, maybe you know someone who can. My friend would really like to see the fifth season of Sailor Moon, which I think is called Super Stars...? I know fadingembers has videotapes, but that's not practical, so I'm asking whether any of you have VCD's or fansubs or something like that. I am willing to trade to get them; terms can be negotiated.

Thanks so much for your consideration! :) Veronica will thank you as well!

Can I ask...

What is campfuckudie? Why is everyone batshit about getting into it? What's the allure - exclusivity, or large amounts of crack?

Respondents should take into account that I do not "get" community RPing. Thank you.

Ganked from sailormac

List 10 Anime/Manga Females that you like, or at least think are tolerable. Then write something about them-your first impression, something you like, something you DON'T like, whatever.

There might be some spoilers in here.

( read on... )