a hurricane of yuck

Friday was a very odd day, since it usually tends to be busy for me but was very definitely not due to the holiday. Early in the day I kept thinking it was Saturday. By later in the day I kept thinking it was Sunday. Sheesh! I get a three-day weekend (of sorts) and my mind wants to rush through it! The early part of the day was pretty much spent just goofing off, which was nice for a change. We quickly ran some errands around town and were invited to a party at a friend's that night, so we went home and got ready for the party. My left foot - especially the big toe - was really getting sore but I wasn't going to let that stop me. We ended up showing up for the party fashionably late and went out for a bonfire before returning for drinks, snacks and pizza. I got a bit tipsy but was fine enough to walk home without incident and not so bad that I was horribly drunk and hungover the next day. We had a great time hanging out with folks we don't get to see often, which was really nice, and met a couple of new people.

Saturday was spent doing some chores like laundry and sorting through boxes of books. We'll be moving again in a month and a half, so we wanted to go through everything now while we had the chance and really make sure we wanted it bad enough to lug it again and to try fitting it in a smaller apartment. We ended up setting aside four boxes full of books we'll be either trading in at the used book store or leaving at the book share at the recycling center. That's awesome! I love books and all, but we have far too many that we've read and don't necessarily want to read again or just never will read so we may as well let someone else enjoy the books.

Sunday I went to fellowship for a very casual service (summer services tend to be informal and lay-lead). It was a rather interesting service focused on science and spirituality, with a good measure of physics and astronomy brought up. It seems physics and astronomy have been coming up a lot lately! After the service I went home and did a little cleaning up before vireo_blues stopped in for a visit. It was great to see her again! We ended up walking over to Boyd so painted_wolf could check in on the animals and we also got to see one of the ambassador crabs and handle him. It feels kinda weird but kinda cool letting a horseshoe crab wander around your hands and arms. They're really cute for armored little critters. After that I stopped in at my office to pick up the new camcorder for learning later and then we returned to the apartment for lunch and conversation before vireo_blues had to leave. Thanks again for visiting! Hopefully we weren't too much of a bore. ;) I ended up working for a few hours, then we had dinner and played some cribbage before bed.

It was by far a very interesting weekend, but I need sleep so here's the Cliff notes version:

• Did laundry on Saturday. Not my idea of excitement, but necessary. Got it done. Yay clean clothes!
• Went for yet another four-mile walk by myself and it was glorious.
• Did some packing for the upcoming move. Still haven't found a place yet but we have a couple of prospects. There's a possibility of a house we might be able to rent from someone I know but it won't be available until September, which means we might end up renting a summer place. We'll see.
• Helped painted_wolf proofread her paper.
• Listened to some awesome new music, but you already read about that. ;)
• Went to fellowship this morning for servie and the annual meeting. I got the "You Put Your Whole Self In" award for being extremely active and helpful. Very unexpected!
• We spent most of the afternoon hanging out with Sarah and Randy, watching a bunch of those real-life forensic science shows and playing Zombie Fluxx.
• Watched the first five episodes of Doctor Who season four (new series) and oh holy crap. I love Donna! I love the return of a classic species!

Very busy week ahead. Lots of meetings and traveling and presenting. Life is going to be crazy busy for a while with two jobs and all. I hope I have the energy I had when I did this sort of thing thirteen years ago (except I have one less job this time).

Yesterday I walked a mile in her shoes. The weather wasn't so great for it, but it started to clear up. I don't mind a little drizzle anyway. I got there early with a pair of heels prepared to walk in them in spite of my hesitation due to the weather and there still being a lot of snow on the ground (not knowing of course that the walk was actually to take place in the streets). I saw almost everyone else there was wearing walking shoes, so after registration I walked back to the truck and left my heels there. I got to chat with some folks I knew there until the walk started. Then we all lined up behind the police escort and proceeded to march down the middle of High Street, down Main Street, up Highland Street, up Emerson Street and then down High Street to return to the HUB on campus where we started. The police sirens drew a lot of people out to see what was going on. The good side of this march was that a lot of people showed up to march in protest of violence against women and a lot of people took notice of the march. The bad side is that I didn't really see any signs or anything really saying what it was we were marching for or why it was so significant. Also I was a bit disappointed that none of the men bothered to wear heels, but that's minor. I think they should have gotten into it more, but just being there for the cause was a good thing.

After the walk I met up with painted_wolf at the university library. We both decided we needed caffiene to wake us up so we headed to Cafe Monte Alto. She got a big cup of coffee with a shot of banana flavoring because they were out of coconut. Banana + coffee = fail. It doesn't work well with coffee at all, which is in contrast to how great it tastes with hot chocolate. I got a small spice chai with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Mmmmmm. I really needed a good cup of chai after that past two dreadful chai experiences at other local establishments. We also shared a bar of German dark chocolate and it was the really amazingly delicious stuff.

We walked around downtown for a bit, stopping in the book store and then the art gallery. After a while of walking around we decided we were hungry enough to have lunch and went to Junkyard Dawgs. PW just had a soup. I ended up having far more than I really should have, but it was very tasty. We took advantage of the WiFi and hopped online to make plans to hang out with ciliandis.

We got right in the truck from there and headed down to visit with her. The drive was nice and the weather had really cleared up by then, so we had the windows partially down. We got to her place and Lucy (the dog) went all hyperspaz-happy to see us, although at first she was cautious after her recent bear-chasing experience. We went inside, gave Lucy some attention and then played with Jupe (the bird) for a while. Deciding it was too nice outside to stay inside, we went out to do stuff.

First we stopped at Lowe's because we wanted to dream over the kitchen displays and just in general look around at all the stuff. We found this kitchen display that could only be described as the Venture kitchen because it was filled with gadget factor. It was actually quite neat with all of its modern gadgetry, yet still having a bit of a retro feel to it. We eventually wandered out into the gardening section and had lots of conversation and commentary on the suburbia mindset and building fences.

Next we went to the outlets in Tilton and wandered the shop there. We realized we were hitting the same side as we usually hit so we made a point before the shops closed to head across to the other side. Before that we went into the toy store and played with all kinds of stuff. We also discovered the dancing turtles, including the one that dances the Macarena. O.o DO NOT WANT! The first stop on the other end was the chocolate shop. *drool* We each ended up getting chocolate truffles and sampled them as we wandered about the remaining shops (thank you ciliandis!). Our last stop was Old Navy, where we bought little toys from the giant bubble vending machine in the kids section just before we were disturbed by the VERY skimpy clothing they were selling for young girls. Seriously. Little girls do not need to be dressing provocatively like they should flaunt what they've got. I'm all for teaching children they shouldn't be ashamed of their bodies, but we should also teach children modesty. I just don't get why people would think that's fine for little girls. Grown women? Sure. Fine. Go for it.

To end the night we went in search of dinner. We arrived at the Chinese buffet in Laconia just as they were closing up, so instead we went to Friendly's. We each ordered a different burger and started with an order of loaded waffle fries. The food was actually quite good! Afterward we each got our free sundaes that came with the meals. I hadn't had black raspberry ice cream in years (my mom and I share that as our favorite flavor) so I got that with blueberry sauce topping. PW got forbidden chocolate topped with swiss chocolate. ciliandis got the most interesting sundae of the night. We noticed in the dessert menu a PBJ sundae, which was just black raspberry ice cream topped with peanut butter sauce. So she basically ordered that. We each sampled a taste and it did taste amazingly like PBJ without bread! There was much texting of risingfire to taunt her for not having ice cream and extolling the simultaneous delectability and wonderment of the PBJ sundae.

Today is a rather lazy day, though I still intend to go for a walk. I skipped church this morning because I absolutely needed the sleep. It looked like a really interesting sermon on how as a society we need to slow down and not rush about so much (and the dangers of rushing around so much), so I think in fact my momentary apathy is a bit ironic, if not apropos. PW has a meeting for work tonight so I'll probably do the grocery shopping while she's there. Otherwise we'll be watching more of The Avengers this afternoon and just in general lazing on a Sunday afternoon. Freddie Mercury eat your heart out.

This weekend was yet another excellent weekend!

Friday night ciliandis once again joined us for a sleepover (sorry again for the cot mishap!) After hanging out while painted_wolf played in Dan's Abberant game, we went back to our place and just did the hanging out thing. ciliandis shared some awesome music with us, including The Best of James Bond and Shivaree. While the two of them played played spider solitaire in character (OMGA was that hilarious) and painted_wolf nearly injured herself in the wonky chair, I worked on creating the Mrs. Peel Mix (probably one of two or more since I really need to make one with some Shivaree).


Saturday ciliandis and I went for a great morning walk and just talked about childhood and how some of those weird quirks we had as kids tend to resurface and we notice them and think "hey, I thought I was over that!" When we got back, I taught her how to play Milles Bornes and she completely whomped me. After that painted_wolf taught her how to play poker while I cooked everyone breakfast. Then all three of us ate and played poker (the two of them in character) and had a great time.

We eventually got ourselves ready to go out and went to return PW's overpriced Vertebrates text (which they promptly insisted we had to refund on the card with which we purchased it and wouldn't see the money for days, gee thanks). Afterward we went to the dollar store and found all kinds of groovy things, then to WalMart to goof off and get a couple of things and finally to Hannaford to buy food for dinner.

We had a wonderful meal of tacos and nachos. Okay, sure it wasn't the healthiest of meals, but it had been soooo long since I had either and we mentioned it while shopping and immediately we all realized how tasty it seemed. We ate our tacos and nachos and watched Rent which was amazing. I loved it! And I wept like mad, especially toward the end. Angel is awesome! Joanne was really cool, too. :) Afterward we drove ciliandis back to Plymouth to get her car and go home.

Today was a very fruitful day. I went to church, participated in the discussion and vote on the capital campaign and then returned home for my walk. PW was upwhen I got back so we went for a walk together in the falling snow, which was actually quite nice. When we returned home I had lunch and we got right to task making our lists of what we each wanted in a wedding, compared our notes, listed what we agreed on and what we still needed to decide and started drafting a potential guest list.

What an amazing weekend! I have to say that this past weekend almost brought me to the point of having a lust for life, something I rarely ever experience. It was a rather euphoric sensation, to be sure. :)

Saturday was a stay-at-home day but not at all lazy. It started with me cooking us a big breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast. We spent a lot of time cleaning and getting the place ready for company for New Years. In between fits of cleaning and chores, we watched more of The Avengers. It's been interesting to see how Mrs. Peel's character developed quickly over time. It's been a bit of a challenge because the episodes on the collection discs aren't arranged in chronological order, so we have to look it up and put things in context, but it's starting to become fairly obvious. It's also interesting to watch the dynamic between Steed and Mrs. Peel. I can truly appreciate how the two became the most loved team in the spy-fi genre. We did run out at one point on Saturday because we needed to bring our trash and recyclables to the dump and go grocery shopping. Whle out we got to see Karen and chat for a bit.



Yesterday was the kind of day that just leaves a very satisfied feeling and reminds me how happy and fortunate I can be. I think yesterday was the happiest I've been in a long time, which was nice. Hopefully it was a good day for everyone else, too! Now I must get ready for work and go so I can get the day done and spend time with aunrea, zeppelinmage and their son tonight! :D

This "three day weekend" was a bit hectic and mixed, but last night was totally made of win.

Saturday we stayed home and did nothing. Absolutely nothing. I lounged around the apartment all day in my nightwear and a sweater it was such a lazy day and I didn't care one bit. I haven't had such a lazy day in so long that it felt wonderful. The only downside to the day was the fact that, as usual, if we're home and the guys are home and awake, Lonewolf has to come down and be social. The complete lack of privacy bothers me but otherwise it was a gloriously slothful day and I enjoyed every tamely decadent moment of it.

Sunday I went to church and sat through a very thought-provoking sermon and follow-up discussion on suicide. I felt our minister did an excellent job of presenting a very sensitive topic in a way that challenged us all to think about it and either empathize or question what we could do to help if we know someone in that situation. After church I was supposed to help set computers back up in two of the offices at work but the carpet installers still hadn't finished, even though they were supposed to be done by then. While it was nice to not have to worry about work after all, it meant I was going to have to do this after the parade on Monday, which in turn meant a delay in getting to visit ciliandis. I went on to do the grocery shopping for the week and went home. painted_wolf and I went for a lovely walk together and enjoyed the cool, crisp autumn weather on such a gorgeous sunny day. After the walk we returned home and once again were interrupted several times by Lonewolf doing laundry and wanting to be social.

Monday I had to work producing the cablecast of the Veterans Day Parade. It was supposed to go out live and record to tape, but the live feed cable failed so no live parade, only taped. Oh well. At least it was preserved on tape and people will still be able to catch the repeats. I'm actually really happy with the production as it was the first parade produced with the new portable studio and professional graphics and titling. After the parade ended and the gear was all put away I still had to wait an hour for the carpet crew to finish in the offices where the computers were going, as well as waiting for my boss to get back. We ended up getting the furniture in place and the computers hooked up in little time so we were able to get t visit ciliandis with only an hour delay.

The visit was totally wonderful and made up for the crappy bits the rest of the weekend and then some. First we got to meet Lucy, her incredibly energetic puppy. Oh my stars she is soooooooo adorable! ^_^ We had fun playing with her for a while, including tossing the squeaky hedgehog and me surprising her from behind and getting pounced frantically for like 15 minutes as I lay on the floor. After that we watched Reservoir Dogs, which I had never seen, and it was a great movie.I really enjoy how Quentin Tarantino played with the sequence of events in that and Pulp Fiction. It really is a neat effect to start at the end and go back and piece things together until it comes full circle and you get that "Aha!" moment. Then we watched Noises Off, which was absolutely hilarious. That movies is to theater as This is Spinal Tap is to rock music. We finished that just in time for a delicious pot roast meal prepared by ciliandis' parents and ate very well. After dinner we showed ciliandis "Survival," the very last episode of the classic Doctor Who series. It's an excellent episode with the seventh Doctor, Ace and the Master. Then we watched a couple episodes of Scrubs, made and read Secret Messages of Rassilon with improv sonic screwdriver markers and had an enormous pillow fight in which ciliandis and I teamed up against painted_wolf. It was a very relaxing end to a hectic weekend and a nice reprieve before a rather stressful week full of meetings and stuff.

As an aside, if you're in the Plymouth area Wednesday night, there is going to be a presentation for Transgender Day of Remembrance (the campus GSA is doing it early since they'll be on break on the actual day). At 8:00 PM in the MPR at the HUB, Mikayla Howden from TS Haven House will be speaking. I would encourage you to attend this free event. It should be very informative and interesting!

We had a great extended weekend visiting with shivakat and akeashar!
( lots of stuff behind the cut )

What a great weekend! I feel so rested and refreshed. :)

Saturday was a completely lazy day. We slept in and it was glorious. The most active thing we did was drive to the thrift shop and do a little shopping. We didn't get much. painted_wolf, being the geek she is, bought a few text books on various science subjects and an Answers in Genesis video on dinosaurs so she could have a good chuckle. :P I found a CD of some indie band in Chicago and... there was a reason it was in a thrift shop for $1. The rest of the day was lounging around, surfing the web and PW found a site full of British slang so we had fun with that.

Sunday we slept in again but not too much. We stopped on the way into Plymouth to buy some snacks and beverage, stopped into my office so I could do a couple of quick tasks and then we went over to visit Sarah and Randy in their new apartment. It's a very cute place! Sarah did a great job of decorating and making the apartment look very charming. I also finally got to see her art and it was wonderful! We chatted while Randy and a friend finished a game of Thurn & Taxis. Then we played a fairly large game of Citadels with the Dark City expansion and for the first time I got to see the Ball Room district in play. It adds a fun element to the game! Fortunately I was sitting next to two people who were obviously going for the King frequently so I played the Queen role multiple times and made a great deal of money from it. After that we chatted more until a bunch more people showed up for the WWE pay-per-view, including sk_brainstorm. We had more snacks and I cooked up the fresh corn we brought and everyone had fun watching wrestling and mocking the wrestlers and such.

We ended up leaving early so we could be home for a call from shivakat, which we thought we were going to miss because someone upstairs decided to go online (we have dial-up). Joy. Fortunately he disconnected not too long after the arranged time and shivakat was still able to call and everything worked out, so yay!