Saturday, December 30, 2000

I think Pete's got a good point about making money online... *Snicker* And his take on the Cosmo website above is also pretty snarky. *Grin*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:02 AM |

I _so_ do NOT understand some of the things PA comes up with... But I laugh anyhow.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:09 AM |

linkmachinego
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:13 AM |

Awww! Chibi Marron-chan! Dammit, I gotta bite the bullet and learn to go for what I want...

Maybe that will be part of my new year's stuff -- be more assertive in getting what _I_ want, particularly if it's something online. Find a job that will pay me enough to live, on my own, somewhere decent (read: 'on the south side of town'); get a new car; get a new computer; get a new internet service -- my current ISP will _give_ me the equipment I need to hook up to their version of DSL, which is _very_ spiffy.

My current car is a wonderful little workhorse, but... When a radiator gets to be 20 years old, the fins fall over with little to no provocation. This leads to all the coolant spewing onto the ground, followed by the warping of at least one head gasket. It gets around beautifully; the heater works -too- well (it has two settings, 'high' and 'off'); I live in Alaska so air conditioning is really not something I worry about; and it has a CD player. It holds an amazing amount of stuff. It's a GM, made back when they made cars out of -steel-. It has a sticker reading 'I hate the fact that you people don't salute me' on the back. It's a flipping -V6-! I love my car. But... It's getting old. I don't want it to conk out and strand me somewhere.

I do want to take a road trip in it before I have to give it up, though. I wanna take Mme. Jean or Scrubby and Reesa to Homer. Or to Canada. Or me and my brother through Canada to Washington State to see my aunt. I know it has a few more years left in it, once I get it fixed up.

Speaking of getting it fixed, my Dear Darling Faaaather is supposed to be getting in touch with my uncle Thomas about repairing the gasket(s). I hadn't told him that anything was wrong with my car because A) it's my car and therefore my responsibility (and I was trying to be grown-up about the whole thing. When grown-ups have car problems, they take them to someone for repair! I had a perfect plan for getting my car fixed, but more later.) and B) I simply didn'twant to deal with working with my dad. I love the man, but he drives me up the wall.

Case in point: Radiator. Now, my car is a 1980 Pontiac Phoenix. This is not a common type, but as it's almost identical to the '80s Chevrolet Citation, it's not difficult to get parts for. My father is convinced that any parts -I- try to get (big parts, i.e clutch, transmission bits, valve covers, pistons, carb things, radiator) are going to cost me hundreds if not thousands of dollars, plus labor. So, not wanting to listen to him whinge on about how much it was going to cost, I decided that I'd just call radiator places, ask for price (plus labor!), and if I could get it done for 350or less, I'd go with them. If not, I'd call dad. I got radiator and labor for a grand total of 192.00. That was not bad at -all-, in my opinion. Maybe I could have done it for less, but I know _nothing_ about draining, flushing, and repairing cooling systems. I _do_ know how much room there is between the radiator and engine, which is not much. I _do_ know how it is to work on my car with my father -- not much fun at all.

I was going to take the same approach to my head gasket(s) -- call around and if I could get it done for 450 or less (total), I'd go with them. There's no reason to subject myself to "Damn glasses, can't see with them on, can't see with 'em off... No point to having glasses... Too dark with 'em on..." "Why's it so damn dark in here?" "Where the hell is (insert tool here)" "I used to have a (ITH)... But it's gone. Something happened to it." [Particularly effective if the first part is spoken in mournful and weary tone, while the second is angry and implies someone stole it.] "The friggin' (thing) is busted." "Does your mother have a (ITH, which is most likely something not necessary to light home repair)?" Etc, etc, etc...

So you can see why I'd rather have someone else do it. And I'm going to, too, if he can't have it done for me before, say, two weeks from today (seeing how it's Saturday and all, already...)

'84 2-door -- I'm jealous! This guy's seats recline! This is basically how my car looks, minus the crunched driver's-side corner. *Grump* (Pic found here)
Fortunately, I do not yet need a new clutch. However, -should- I find myself in dire straits, I know where to go.
A list of Pontiac sites...
And, as usual, Shan has picked one of the few models of car that no one restores, loves, or races. Is she surprised? Not really.
Info on the history of the Citation II X-body (which is why the Phoenix looks so similar-- same body type.) Ev drives the Citation that I learned to drive in.
Good Lord, this car is in excellent shape...
Hey! It's my car! With an intact grill! I should buy this, too...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:45 AM |

*Giggle* I've often dreamed of souping up my car -- it's faster off the mark at stoplights than most things already.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:07 AM |

First, allow me to screech uncharacteristically...Yeeeeeeha! *Dances around* Ethe stuff! Chou stuff! And new stuff! I was rereading a little Chou (the bit where Piotr makes him play soccer at l'ecole militaire) and some Ethe (Leta/Paul discussing Ethe/Scott; Ethe out running while someone waited for him at home, set just after Scott died; Book of Days list posts in other words) the other day! Heeee. I wanna see, I wanna see, I wanna see... *Quits* Er... I drew some pictures recently, of Mercy and Grace and Ko and Meyers, and I finished my photobooth set of Hubert and Alvin pictures, -and- I drew a color version of Merry Christmas Hubert (which turned out really cute. *Snicker*). Um... I...haven't written anything since I finished (okay, got stuck) on my latest fanfics.

Secondly... It's interesting to see the differences in styles. I'm almost never organized enough to use index cards or three-ring-binders to keep my ideas straight. I just write what I get when I get it, then put it in order later. I _did_ recently map out how I want to rewrite Stealing The Spire, because I think I'd like to try selling it, and it's unsaleable in its current incarnation. And I occasionally write down ideas that occurr to me -- I have Hubert = 'Bad Kitty!' written on a divider of one of my notebooks. I have a yellow sticky note that says 'Do Maxim and Deuce have digital intercourse?' stuck to something in my room, the result of reading a CAP Report movie review for some movie that featured the act (and thereby losing points, in addition to offending the reviewer and giving me a good giggle). It eventually turned into a Mercy/Grace conversation, which I think is better-- Maxim and Deuce having that kind of conversation is kind of... Well, it strikes _me_ as typical or cliched, I guess. YMMV.

Mapping out the whole StS thing was an interesting exercise for me. That was the first time I'd done it, and it went really well... I think it helps that I _really_ like the characters that are involved, and that they actually have a _plot_ to work with; goals to attain. There's true -movement- of a storyline within the confines of the idea of stealing the Murkowski spire. Everything else I've written is just... I don't know. There's nothing to it, really, even The Guild's move focused more on Thomas and Cole's relationship than it did on the logistics of moving fifteen hundred people and all of their -stuff- (not to mention the admin/communications and other vital things) from an underground fortress to an above-ground one. And it's not that I object to reading things where the relationship is the be-all end-all of whatever it is, but I usually like to have something else to distract me from time to time. For instance, in Torch's Ghosts and Lovers, the plots were nearly secondary to the relationship (dysfunctional as it is) between Mulder and Krycek. In Luck In The Shadows (to an extent) and Stalking Darkness, the relationship between Alec and Seregil grows in importance until it rivals the plot for importance. Once we get to the denouemont, it becomes paramount to everything else (and precipitates one of my favorite scenes... "I don't know whether to kiss you or kick your ass from here to Cirna!" "No need to strain your leg, Micum, Alec's done both.") Speaking of denouemonts, watch U.S Marshalls for a perfect example of build up-climax-denouemont structuring. In Chocolaty Goodness, Spike and Xander's relationship _is_ the plot, at least until 'Homeless?'. To get back to my point... Oh, yes. I like reading that kind of thing, but I don't like it to be all -I- write. I love reading Ghosts and Lovers because Torch has these complicated plots to go along with the M/K stuff. *Blink* Well, that's the -simple- explanation... Let me try it this way:

I read All Tomorrow's Parties by WIlliam Gibson the other day. I have no idea what happened between the antepenultimate, penultimate, and ultimate chapters. I can _guess_, but I didn't/don't _want_ to guess. I want to know what happened to Chevette and Rydell, to Maryalice and Buell, to the owner of the watch shop. I know what happened with Silencio, more or less. I may understand all these things when I reread it, because I've found that rereading does wonders for my interpretation of Gibson's stuff. His style, in ATP, is fairly loose; kind of disjointed and choppy. He has a chapter that's only one side of one page long. I sometimes write like that, little snips of scenes and flashes of insight.

Torch has the tying-up-loose-ends bit down, though, which is something I hope to cultivate. She leaves enough dangling that we can hope for another story (and I -am- hoping...), but when I finish Lovers I feel quite satisfied that my investment was worth it. Maybe, when I get back to my own keyboard, I'll give some of the style-copying exercises from The Novelist's Notebook a shot. Ellen Kushner, F. Lia Block, Gibson, Lynn Flewelling... Some of my favorite authors with fairly wide-ranging styles. I can't remember what my point was, now... I'll move on.

Yes, I like the word denouemont. I finally learned how to spell it! Wild digression: UST is one letter off from 'lust', and that's basically all 'unresolved sexual tension' -is-...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:45 PM |

Back From Alaska, not that I know where they went.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:48 PM |

Hmm... The Blog of a mathematician.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:58 PM |

Heh. The fact that I laughed at -this- strip would probably dispel any doubts as to whether or not I have a dirty mind... Or something. *Blink*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:09 PM |

So we celebrate.
Raise your glasses into the air, and hope for the taste of a warm pair of lips against yours as the clock strikes twelve.

again, shamelessly snagged from someone else's Blog.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:21 PM |

I know what Val's mom gave him for Chanukah last year... Or maybe even this year. I'd been wondering if there was any sort of travel-sized stuff for keeping the Sabbath so he could do it (as well as he was able) during road games.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:33 PM |

Live webcams for industry, webcams for the dead!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:36 PM |

Found the last two links on Dangerousmeta.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:40 PM |

Bainbridge Island Camera... I know someone that lives on Bainbridge. *Grin*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:43 PM |

I can read this site aloud, and I can even understand bits of it! I don't know why I like German so much. Probably because I had the -coolest- teacher when I first started learning it.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:45 PM |

Someone else who has car troubles.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:50 PM |

Mmph...! Wings! Pretty... And the site it belongs to? Jaded Online
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:53 PM |

Son, be a dentist... You'll be a success.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:07 PM |

Hm. Anime geek!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:09 PM |

Solid-state Complaint -- Kvetch. Like Hissyfit, but not as pithy.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:20 PM |

Say -this- three times fast: "That's Shannon's sushi" (Taken from page two of Inside The Cult of Kibu.com, which is better than the title implies.)
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:26 PM |

Paint Job nailie... Very cool idea, but can I get it in 20-year-old Pontiac blue? And, grrrrrrrr, I object to designating the Japanese cars with 'shimmering sushi'. For crying out loud, y'didn't designate the Porche colors with 'Beautious Beers' or 'wonderful wursts', did you? I don't even know why I'm offended, since I'm not Japanese...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:33 PM |

GirlHacker.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:42 PM |

So I thought this was a page about voice-actors in anime. So much for me.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:46 PM |

Oh. My. Word. *Blinkblink* I thought Technical Virgin was going to be about computers and stuff. *Giggle* A nice example of me expecting the opposite of what I got, which, with the way my brain functions, is kind of rare. [Snitched from ambertower]
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:51 PM |

Fortunately, this has never happened to me. True Story
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:55 PM |

At least SOMEone is looking at the usability of websites! Oi.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:59 PM |

Make your own black holes and see how they affect the rest of the universe!

I somehow missed out on the 'add link' feature at home. Probably'cause I use a mac, and God knows no one using a Mac wants or needs the same features that Wintels get. *Cough* Sorry. [/bitterness]
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:04 PM |

My right hand is cold. I should eat. I should, like, actually get out of the house and -do- _something_... I'd walk to the mall, but it's already after three and I do NOT want to walk back in the dark.*Blink* I guess I could take the bus between the mall and here... I -do- have YakTrax, though, so it's not like I have to worry about falling on my ass. Wearing them makes me feel like I have four-wheel-drive! They are _SO_ cool. I recommend them to anyone that has to do any kind of walking on icy surfaces. Or snowy surfaces, too.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:11 PM |

Wish I understood whatever Slavic-derived language this is written in. I'm thinking Polish, given the 'pl' in the addy.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:12 PM |

I have a popup ad wanting me to sign up for eFront's newsletters. To sweeten the deal, they're giving away a trip to Las Vegas. Comdex starts soon... So tempting. But I already get too much asked-for spam, so I guess I won't.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:14 PM |

I cannot believe that Backyard Wrestling goes on in my state. Oh, wait, yes I can... *Snicker*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:18 PM |

A few style things... 1) I cannot read white or yellow (bright yellow, as opposed to soft/pale) text on a black background for very long. I also cannot abide reading long passages wherein the author does not capitalize words at the beginning of sentences, the personal pronoun 'I', or proper nouns. I normally hate trying to read pages full of 'peepz' ne wyrdz reprazented by ltrs & numburz combined, 'cre8tiv' spellyngz, & dope slang, yo.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:24 PM |

Penumbra. I had a lobster named Penumbra, once.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:27 PM |

Of the ten pages I currently have open, four are ads of some sort. And I'm NOT going to buy -anything- as a result. Online retailers should wait for me to come to them -- if I need it, and you're the only place I can get it, where am I going to go? Down the road to Fred Meyer's? Nope...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:29 PM |

I have a circus animal cookie, and I canNOt figure out what it's supposed to be. It might be a lion, it could be a carousel horse, perhaps it's a seal? I'm going to eat it, now, and the point will be moot.

I remember circus animal cookies from road trips when I was little. More specifically, being allowed to open the bag, which always tore and spilled the crumbs and frosting and stray sprinkles everywhere, but not caring because it was open and I _finally_ got to eat cookies! Mother's cookie parade assortment is another favorite...Mostly because they're generic cookies, but they're sweet and taste mostly the way they're _supposed_ to -- that is, you can tell the chocolate and the vanilla apart.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:45 PM |

I don't really know what to say about this guy, except that he needs to find a new way to look at Christmas and that 'Xian' is not a word (in English, anyhow. I believe it's a name in Chinese).
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:47 PM |

lofstrand -- Odd, but then... So am I.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:55 PM |

Justification? Or honesty? I can't tell, although the rest of the site looks amusing...

In other, completely unrelated news -- no snow here, yet, but it could. It's getting dark. I've been up for less than six hours. I do NOT want to go back to work on Tuesday...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 4:00 PM |

God Bless America
We here at God Bless America are dedicated to returning America to a better time, a time when: We openly and loudly expressed our love of God and country; We did not lock our doors; Our streets were safe to walk and drive; We honored our heroes; We cherished our founders, their gifts, their sacrifices, their courage, and their love of America; We sang 'The Star-Spangled Banner'; We pledged allegiance to our beloved country; We respected the Constitution; and we worked, raised families, and prayed together as one people under one flag.

Um... So... When, exactly, did this idyllic point in time occur? America is a _very_ young country, in the grand scheme of things. We hve a president that (usually) changes every four years. We have very little in the way of ritual or tradition to cling to. On top of that, we're a nation of emigres. With the exception of Native Americans, everyone in this country came from somewhere else. They brought with them the traditions of thier homelands; their songs, their stories, their foods. All of these cultures have collided. Some survive, in little enclaves in huge cities -- Chinatown, Little Italy, Harlem. Some (most notably those brought here by the Anglo-Saxon contingent) commingled, swirled around, and produced -new- culture. If you want Ozzie-and-Harriet whitebread fifties -white- culture, from a time when you could just pretend that everything is okay, help yourself. Me, I'm gonna go hang out with the Latvians. Or the Swedes. Or the Cubans. Or the Hokkaido Bunnies (or whatever the city was for that hockey team...). I'm gonna go to Temple Beth Shalom and have latkes and sing and stuff. This is America, land of all culture and none. Live with it. Love it.

It's not that I _hate_ the people that sacrificed their lives so I could sit here, it's just that I don't understand it. Not the Revolutionary war, or the War of 1812 (and I can't find Sivart's site all about how he's Canadian 'cause they won...), or Plymouth rock and the Puritans. I just don't get the Vietnam war. I don't get any war after WWII, actually. I don't understand why America is involved. But that's not what this guy is on about, is it? *Grumble* And now I'm babbling. Time to look at something else.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 4:18 PM |

Ow, ow, ow! This site is painful to read, but... Funny, in a twisted sort of way. Or maybe it's just the sugar talking. I need a drink of water...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 4:22 PM |

So I had some left-over steak, some water, some more cookies, and joined NeoPets. *Blinkblink* And I'm currently trying to... I don't know what. I think I signed up because I've still got a soft spot for the whole idea of 'virtual reality'; communities and areas that -only- exist online, like the Sprawl from SnowCrash or Vienna and the Music Master from Idoru... If you're looking for me in NP, run a search for nspirelli or Kyuu_Hoshi. Or you can just follow the link below. Isn't he cute?

Posted by: Shannon M.: 5:53 PM |

I'm glad Bolt changed their look a little... I prefer blue and greywith hints of orange to violent blue and orange.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:05 PM |

I don't know who does the artwork for these banners, but I find it _highly_ unnattractive. I always have.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:36 PM |

*Snicker* "Vomit... Shouldn't really be a part of finding out if they like you." So, so true... Even if it -does- come from eCrush, which is aimed squarely at all those dumb giggly girls that get on my nerves...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:38 PM |

Hey! I remember cootie catchers! My mom taught me how to fold them... Here's a possibly inept Flash version: eCrush Cootie Catcher
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:49 PM |

Erk. *Crosses fingers and glowers in the general direction of east* Here's hoping your snowfall's not too horrible...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 7:03 PM |

My New Year's Resolutions ...for other people.

Scrubby: Save a copy of your writing (all of it!) in .html format and -put- _it_ -on- _the_ -web!-. *Flutters lashes* Pleeeeeeease?

Reesa: Get your book done and published, dammit. Or at least let me read parts of it. *Snerk* 'Course, if I wrote to you once in a while, I'm sure you'd be more willing to share...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 8:32 PM |

I think I've seen Randy Johnson's site before, but I can't really remember.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 8:44 PM |

Yay! GenGawl art! Features a synopsis and a shot of human Gawl-kun on the front page.

Better yet, go straight to the images out of the opening credits -- featuring Koji, Ryo, and Gawl in that order.

Fandemonium. Not quite sure where the authors stand on slash/yaoi, but they've got samples in the sidebar -- including, of all things, G.I. Joe (I think. Maybe it's M.A.S.H. *Puzzled frown*). And the picture at the top... Who -are- those guys?

With a name like Animated Lust, you'd expect NC-17, right? As far as I can tell, it doesn't even deserve the PG it carries. *Shrug* Anyhow! Scroll down to find characters adored by other cartoon-loving oddballs. Like me. (Er, I'm odd, but I haven'tt yet nominated anyone. I'm looking for more GenGawl fic!) Ooh! Following the links gets you info on the C and their voice actors and stuff... Spiffy. But they don't have info on GenGawl yet.

I like Spike's hair. *Sniffle* I need to get Cowboy BeBop on DVD!

Wow. -Wow-. The picture almost makes up for the funky layout. (That could just be my browser, though...)

Ryo looking shocked -- I think this is where he's asking if a girl just rode by. (*Sniggle* The way they react to Masami [at first] makes it sound like none of them have ever -seen- a girl, which gave me my first impulse to write fanfiction... The way they actfor the rest of the next three eps just added to it.)

More images -- This time from Chromlech. Scroll down and check out the Gawl wallpaper. *Dabs discretely at drool* And I bet the rest are just as spectacular.

Just what the world needs: Bishounen.org

From left to right: Koji, Gawl, and Ryo, trying to figure out what to do now that they've arrived.

"Let's go -that- way." Yes, Ryo -does- have a perpetually worried look on his face. But he's a really sweet guy, and he has good reasons to be worried.

I really like this shot of Carrie Anne Moss as Trinity in The Matrix.

The other thing about looking at Ryo and Koji (and Gawl)? It makes me feel _so_ much better about the hair I draw. Their hair comes off their heads oddly, too!

"I'm hungry!"
"I -know- you're hungry. Just be patient a little longer."

"These sorcerer hunters are composed of the ambiguously gay duo Gateau (who's superstrong and a fightin' machine) and Marron (who's wispy, bishonen, and a bit of a magic user himself), the sisters Chocolate and Tira Misu (who transform into twin dominatrix types - whips, leather caps, and all), and Marron's brother Carrot (who's a girl-chasing doofus that just happens to transform into a rampaging beast when he's hit with magic). Together, this band has often-comedic adventures where they find a dangerous wizard, whup his ass, and try to keep Carrot from picking up every chick he sees."
-- from a review of Sorcerer Hunters Revenge: Spell Wars. I had forgotten that in the first episode of Sorcerer Hunters, Carrot tells everyone Marron is a mess, not too bright, -and- a closet pervert... And that Gateau asks Marron if he's -really- a pervert and gets smacked for it. *Snicker* Poor things.

Koji approaches the newslady... The scary part? I'm pulling these straight out of my memory. And I haven't watched the show for... A week? Ten days? A while, anyhow.

"I'm still hungry."
"We know! Please, I'm trying to work!"
"You call yourselves human? If I don't eat soon, I'm going to have to eat -you-."
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:15 PM |

Bwahaha... I love mouthorgan. If you haven't already seen the Victorian Sex-Cry Generator, well... Here you go.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:13 PM |

Friday, December 29, 2000

I like this, though I'm not sure I totally agree with it.

At 2:11:57 AM Tim decided to say this...
How to tell when you're old; You're dancing to "Closer" by NIN, and one person doesn't recognize the song and the other two people think it's by Korn. When that happens to you, you know you're old.
That is all...

This was shamelessly snagged from Rockboy's blog.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:29 PM |

Steady Canadian or Flashy Russian?

Hmm... I'd want Kovalchuk because I'm fascinated by attempts to communicate with others, particularly if all involved don't speak the same language.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:34 PM |

*Snerk* Penny Arcade T-shirts (all the way at the bottom). Bwahaha...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:47 PM |

Thursday, December 28, 2000

I made a _very_ bad booboo in the last URL I tried to post. Erk. The _real_ address is http://www.cathouseclothing.com. Bleah.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:18 AM |

And now to push my luck a little further: Archives! Enjoy, Or Something.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:29 AM |

*Pokes at stuff* Just checkin'.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:44 AM |

Housesitting! And while the keyboard leaves something to be desired, the freshly-installed wheelmouse is juuuust dreamy.

Speaking of dreams... I wanna write something about them. Specifically, wet ones... Someday. Maybe. Right after I write the bit about- well, never mind. *Wanders off, a small trail of steam ising from an overly red face*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:16 PM |

Ooooh... Sketch Of Love looks _fascinating_ and yummy. And it's probably even be well-written!(I haven't actually _read_ it, but I want to save the link...)
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:45 PM |

Um... Chris Brock's artwork is a little odd, but a lot good. And he said one of his Cs would get along well with Kes!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:30 PM |

Tuesday, December 26, 2000

All apologies to anyone that followed the www.cathouse.com link. *Blinkblink* That's what happens when you don't check to make sure your URLs are right.

The -correct- link is Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:44 AM |

Eee! Christmas! I'm still bouncing.

A Few Of My Favorite Things:

 

• Spike came with Kel! *grin* Er, that would be Spike the kitty, not Spike the vampire. He's _such_ a sweet cat...
• Aunty Kelly was here for Christmas. _And_ she's staying through the second! Such a wonderful thing, having nearly the whole family together...
• A Washington Caps cap. I don't usually wear hats, but I'm making an exception for this one. And I may even get to wear it to an Aces game!
• The world's _coolest_ analog watch. Instead of having minute and hour hands, it has minute and hour disks arranged so you read the time from left-to-right, just like a digital watch. It is such an incredibly -dyslexic- invention that I cannot believe I haven't seen one before now.
• My oh-so-spiffy friends, who know me and love me in spite of it all. The box will be there. Promise. I mailed it day before yesterday!
• I got four exquisite pairs of chopsticks, including a pair of rosewood sticks with a beautiful little rest and a neat compartmentalized carrying case for both.
• A cashmere sweater, in a lovely pearl grey
• Sephora nail polish in gorgeous green, purple, red, and gold glitter. Just _faaaaabulous_.
• Oh, everything. I got more than I asked for, but not more than I bargained for.

So what -did- I get?

Bad Badtz Maru stuff. *Grins at the guy on her monitor* A Gundam Wing wall scroll and T-shirt, featuring all of the boys and a couple of Gundams. A book about the Crown Jewels, and David Keene's incredible translation of Basho's A Narrow Road To Oku, illustrated by Miyata Masayuki... Some of the illos look like they came straight out of some lush anime about samurai. The text is well-translated; funny in places and poetic (of course!) in others. A couple of scrunchies, on in brown velvet and the other in black velour... A wonderful loose-knit cardigan in blue and black and cream stripes, and a sweater with eight-pointed Ohio stars running across the chest. Socks! A couple of sketchbooks, and a 5-pack of mechanical pencils with which to draw in them. A couple of gift certificates to Barnes and Noble, which is terriffic -- now I can buy All Tomorrow's Parties, which I started reading there while waiting for mom. I got Lyle Lovett's Live In Texas album, which has some of my favorite LL songs; Paul SImon's Graceland album; Medieval Babes, and k.d. lang's Drag (from my father, no less!). Men In Black, the Fantasia Trilogy, The Patriot, and U.S. Marshalls on DVD (and Generator Gawl: Future Memory on order... Yay! More GG fic!) Er... I know I got more, I just can't remember it all right now.

I'm full and I'm sleepy, so... *Yawn* G'night!

Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:21 AM |