joy and shadows

Happy New Year, everyone.

As usual, we had a nice quiet New Year's spent getting tipsy with friends - good food, good company, and everyone hit the sack by 12:30 because we're all old farts. I did get a very cheerful voice mail from fadingembers and jaina from their party out in NYC. Yesterday we all nursed headaches while husband and his friend ran the 5-mile Hamilton Hangover. Afterwards, there was some getting lost on NJ back roads, discoveries that gas stations in boondock towns aren't open on New Year's, and finally a return home to catch up on sleep debt.

I've had a lazy day capped by snoozing on husband while he watched Le Mans. Will have to do some more sewing later, but because it's now 2005 and I feel justified recapping now, here's that "What did you do last year" meme that everyone else did three weeks ago.

( 2004 Recap Meme )

It's shit like this that makes me very, very ashamed of my country.

American diver underwater during catastrophe

Faye Wachs said she was impressed by the efforts of the Thai government and the International Committee for the Red Cross, but "she was appalled at the treatment they got" from the U.S. government, her mother said.

At the airport in Bangkok, other governments had set up booths to greet nationals who had been affected and to help repatriate them, she said.

That was not the case with the U.S. government, Wachs told her mother. It took the couple three hours, she said, to find the officials from the American consulate, who were in the VIP lounge.

Because they had lost all their possessions, including their documentation, they had to have new passports issued.

But the U.S. officials demanded payment to take the passport pictures, Helen Wachs said.

The couple had managed to hold on to their ATM card, so they paid for the photos and helped other Americans who did not have any money get their pictures taken and buy food, Helen Wachs said.

"She was really very surprised" that the government did so little to ease their ordeal, she said.

One more day, and then we can return home and play with our toys. *sigh* Don't get married, kids; it makes the holidays a hassle.

Husband and I had our own little Xmas on the 23rd and he surprised me big-time with a new little Sony digital camera that fits in my pocket. Our other digital does more stuff, but this one's much more convenient. He also got me a bunch of games, a pair of jammies, a heart necklace from Tiffany, and other good things.

We went down to my parents' that evening and had a super-fancy dinner out at The Fountains, which is ranked #2 in the country. My aunt came down from upstate NY for the gathering, and it was very pleasant to spend time with her. Our dinner was a very elegant meal. My only small gripe is that if you don't like seafood, which I don't, there's often little to eat at these super-fancy places, but I still went home stuffed on ginger profiterole with ginger ice cream.

Christmas Eve turned out well too, with a trip to Joann's early in the day for a red velvet suitable for Ayame from FB's red cassock. By the time the 50% discount and my 40% coupon had been applied, I got 5 yards of 60" velvet for $20. We went to 8 PM Mass - alleluia, no screaming babies! - and watched "March of the Wooden Soldiers."

My dad woke us all up with a toot on his boat horn and we finally got down to the present-opening business. My big present was a White serger and case (yay!) but my parents were most generous to both my husband and me with other gifts on top of that. Husband got his watch-winder, and my dad gave him/us a set of headsets to take to the next F1 race.

We went to the Q's around noon for presents and lunch. They don't match my parents for sheer materialism under the Christmas tree, but Mom and Dad Q gave me very thoughtful gifts, including books on kimono and a Japanese-themed quilting book.

Christmas night we spent with husband's brother and wife. They were having her extended family also, but despite my husband's profound irritation with that whole situation (long story) it turned out OK. We spent very little time with her stepfather, who had dressed for the occasion in his best cowboy boots and ponytail holder. Instead, we watched a good portion of the very exciting KC/Raiders game (and wow did that FG kicker get a Christmas present, poor guy!)

Tomorrow we visit husband's old friends and associated baby before logging some more Q time with his aunt and uncle. It's a good thing I'm taking next week off; I'll need it to recover.

Hope everyone else on my list had a very Merry Christmas (or whatever!)

But everyone else was doing it!

( Click for lyrics )

Wow. It is freezing in here today.

Aside from the water problem, it was a decent weekend. We got some Christmas stuff done, including buyign a present for my hard-to-shop-for dad (a couple half-bottles of wine.) Our trip to the liquor store to get the half-bottles was a portrait of how cranky my dad is getting in his old age, since we had to explain to the fellow who was helping us why we couldn't get half-bottles of French wine. (My father is still holding a grudge against the French and eating "freedom toast.")

I baked a bunch of cookies, as per the norm, with more to come next weekend. So far I've got cantuccini, pistachio-orange biscotti, lemon sugar cookies, brownies, lemon bars (if they came out right), orange-cardamom walnut crescents, Hershey kiss cookies, and Georgia pecan bars. Still have to do the usual trip-c's, as well as the jam jewels and macadamia-lime cookies husband likes, and maybe chocolate mint and chocolate vanilla chip if I get to it.

As for the water problem... when I got home on Friday, I was thirsty and took a big swig out of the faucet, only on the second mouthful noticing that the water tasted like clay and smelled bad. There has been some work going on outside our house on the water main, so it has to be related. It was annoying as crap all weekend, but I didn't get sick from drinking it, so I washed the baking stuff and didn't mind taking a shower. Husband refused to touch anything that hadn't been boiled and griped about washing the baking dishes. So far, I am still not sick.

Sometimes, you just can't be anal, or you'll never get anything done.

Off to lay down the smack on the water company.

After seeing the following statement on CNN.com, I've lost my patience and feel a need to rant.

Astronomers have pieced together what appears to be the first direct evidence that solar storms can reek wreak havoc with comets, destroying the ion tails of icy wanderers in a collision of highly charged particles.

All definitions are taken from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

MALAPROPISM: the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase; especially : the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in the context.

EXAMPLE 1: See above.

REEK: 1 : to emit smoke or vapor 2 a : to give off or become permeated with a strong or offensive odor b : to give a strong impression of some constituent quality or feature

WREAK: 2 : to give free play or course to (malevolent feeling) 3 : BRING ABOUT, CAUSE

EXAMPLE 2:

Mary was not phased fazed by the final exam.

PHASE: 1 : to adjust so as to be in a synchronized condition 2 : to conduct or carry out by planned phases 3 : to introduce in stages -- often used with in (phase in new models)

FAZE: to disturb the composure of : DISCONCERT, DAUNT (nothing fazed her)

EXAMPLE 3:

Our boss gives us free reign rein to do whatever we want.

Free reign: Easy to mistake for "free rein" b/c of the conjunction of freedom and power

Free rein: Refers to letting a horse go where it wills; loosening the reins enough that the horse is in control and not the rider.

Got one? Post it! These last two have been annoying me every time I see them. It's getting to the point where ppl think that's the correct word to use b/c everyone else uses it. It's NOT the correct word. It's WRONG.

The weekend in a nutshell.

1. I am never driving all the way back from Boston again. Nevernevernevernever.

2. Boston is a very fun place to visit. We spent the weekend walking the Freedom Trail and eating. Among the touristy things we saw:

--Paul Revere's house
--Old North Church ("One if by land, two if by sea")
--USS Constitution
--Destroyer berthed next to Constitution
--Newbery St.
--Boston Green and the pond
--Little Italy/North End

3. Paul Revere is associated with Revere Ware pots and pans b/c he was the first to roll copper in sheets in the US. Shut up, I didn't know.

4. Never again will I complain about the size of the apt we have. Our friends live in a goddamn shoebox. It's a very cute shoebox, but it's a shoebox.

5. I need a lot more sleep.

...but I have a lot of shit in the attic.

Sailor Moon manga. Old VHS tapes. Swords. Stuffed animals. Fabric. Cosplays. Doujinshi. Piles and piles of books. A TV and VCR.

Anyone want a stack of Oh! My Goddess!! comic/manga? I'll send it to you FREE, I swear! You'd be doing me a favor!

God made me a pack rat and never told me why. Sheesh.

Thanksgiving at the Q's this year. It was cozy and pleasant, and the food was delicious. My mom and dad came, and even G&P stayed for dinner (which probably goes a long way towards mending the Wine-Pressing Fiasco.) Ate myself stupid and then worried down some pie, then spent the remainder of the evening rolling around and holding my stomach. Also worked in 5 eps of RahXephon - interesting series. Well worth further DVDs.

Today Mom Q and her neighbor and I went out to Intercourse, PA, to do some shopping. You're well into Amish/Mennonite country once you're out there, and we saw quite a few horse-and-buggies, and men walking around who looked like they should be named "Zedekiah." Mennonites are much more relaxed about using modern things than the Amish are (and are much more friendly; the Amish will speak to you as little as possible) and I was much amused by one little Mennonite boy with the traditional dress on - and a GameBoy.

Did also have one funny moment where I was waiting in line for the restroom, and it appeared that the men's room door had locked by accident. There was a young Mennonite woman standing in line with two cute little boys, obviously waiting for it. Another woman standing in line suggested that someone pick the lock, and the Mennonite girl gave me a big grin, produced a hairpin, and opened the door.

I picked up some fabric while there that would be just perfect for Woody's shirt if husband and I decide to be Woody and Jessie from Toy Story some Halloween, after a long time looking. Afterwards, we went to some outlets, which were mobbed. Neighbor and I looked at one another and wondered what kind of idiots we were, but Mom Q was having a ball.

Tonight husband and Dad Q are off to see The Incredibles. His mom waved off, and I've seen it twice now, so I'm content to wait for the DVD. Tomorrow, we'll visit my parents, then go to the Jints-Iggles game on Sunday. Busy weekend!

Somewhere in there I have to prepare a job talk, but that doesn't need thinking about right now. O_o

It's official: I'm out of bobbins. Time to head out to get some more, tomorrow.

I find it pleasing to look at all my full bobbins in the box, though. Each color is a different project - from the Christmas stockings that were my first project with the machine, to the signal flag pillows, to the Amalthea outfit, to Anna Williams, to Seung Mina, to Tenten, to the baby quilt, and last to Diao Chan.

( Cosplay blabber )