When all you've gotta keep is strong
Move along, move along
Like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along
Just to make it through

Wow. So I'm really fried right now. Today was a very long day. Got up at 7:45, packed my stuff and got on the road. Drove.
Got to work at 11. Worked hard for a solid hour moving stuff out of the studio. Lunched. Someone put cayenne in the egg salad sandwiches today and it was really good. Saw about an hour of the dancer's final show, and some of the girls were exceptionally talented. Did invoicing. Around 3:30 I was informed that I was driving to P.A. for more supplies. That was a bit of a gong show, being a Friday night, and I had my patience stretched to the limit, but a lot of strangers were really nice to me and so it made it bearable. Also, I discovered a part of P.A. I hadn't known existed, and there are two GIANT plus size clothing stores. Like, bigger than Saskatoon size. And a Booster Juice. I now have new plans for some of my August days off - shopping and a movie in P.A. to break the tedium.

After cleaning out Superstore's stock of plastic cups near the size we needed for the bar and buying huge amounts of lemons and limes, I was finally almost done. Today in P.A. was frustrating because as usual my workmates had me looking for needles in haystacks. Except they wanted a green plastic needle. Well, okay, I was looking for dark green plastic lawn chairs, which are apparently not in vogue or in stores. Any stores. I know. I checked.

Needles in haystacks. That was my day. Tomorrow I don't start work until 10am, but we'll see how late I have to go in spite of my boss's weak promises that I'll be done at 6. Considering I finished after 8 today and didn't have to use any overtime in spite of a one hour break to watch dancers, we'll see about that.

EDIT: I'll be catching up with all y'all's blogs and blogging myself probably on Monday, maybe a little earlier but not likely. I just realized I only have three days of work and then I have two days off again. Cue The Dark Knight? Perhaps. If anyone needs me, I'll still try to check my emailz. Like Strongbad, only much less cool.

Also in this edit: My allergy specialist wants me to go entirely off milk for a week and see if it helps. It probably will. I'm not sure if I'll go off it absolutely if it does help, but I will start to severely minimize my intake. Thus my Iced Cap today and indulging in mayo and lots of cheese on my Subway sub. I'm going to eat milk this week like my life depended on it, because maybe someday my life will depend on NOT eating it. *sigh*

It's my trademark move
To realize I should improve
And sometime soon after that
You'll see me come crawling back

So I'm going to make this as succinct as I can manage.

Today was a densely packed day, as per usual. Went for brunch with my Grandma, picked up a roll of film full of dragonflies and water boatmen. Dropped Gran off at home, did some wash. I had mail from Student Loans, who for once in my life were fast and didn't stiff me! There will be no scrounging in January this year for tuition, because they're paying it all. Thank you, working out of town, my expected contributions are lower this year! Good news indeed and it made me very pleased except I couldn't get it signed. *sigh* One wrench in the plan. I'll have to do that in mid-August when I come back.

Went for an appointment for allergy scratch testing. Discovered that, unsurprisingly, I am allergic to a whole lot of stuff. Discovered, surprisingly, that I do not appear to be severely allergic to peanuts but I do appear to be severely allergic to all the other nuts. Also, severe allergy to horses, that's news. And other things... I'll probably email myself with a more concise list tomorrow evening after work. So that was a good appointment, less in the dark about things. After that I went to the bank to deposit some change, then I went to my chiropractic appointment and then I went for coffee with Kori.

Then I came home and hung about for a bit feeling rather anticlimactic. And then we started playing with the camera my Grandma just bought and we were trying to figure out what to do with the panoramics, and folks, it came with panoramic software. This means that I can panoramic to my heart's content now. Just as an example, here's a photograph of Israel - the ruins of Herod's swimming pool at Caesarea. SO beautifully knit together by this new program. I cannot wait to feed it all my lake Panoramas! Also, there's a few other excellent ones but I'll save some for the Blogathon. So the family got a camera and I got a new lease on mine until I can afford to get a new one.



In conclusion, SQUEE PANORAMAS! I AM TOTALLY COOL WITH MY LIFE NOW!

Anticlimactic mood? Shattered. You will be seeing a lot of photos from me now!

And I was positive that unless I got myself together
I would watch me fall apart
And I can't let that happen again
'Cause then you'll see my heart
In the saddest state it's ever been
This is no place to try and live my life

So last night just before Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan I dropped by my friend Helen's house and I sat on her deck in one of her two lovely lounge chairs and we chatted about life. Then I decided to drop by Taste of Saskatchewan, which I talked about yesterday, and then there was Shakespeare.

This morning I went and got my hair cut and reveled in the feeling of having my hair washed in the sink. That's my favourite part of the experience. I'm really pleased with my haircut this time. Then I went down 8th St. and picked up a snack size Booster Juice and then dropped into Penningtons since I've been casually searching for a dress to wear to my friend Camille's wedding. I walked in, had a salesperson tell me that dresses were 25% off and then I walked over to the back and saw the perfect dress. And it was in a size 20. And with a hopeful look, I picked it out and tried it on. It fits perfectly, people. I've made it to size 20. That was my goal for last summer, but I'm not complaining. Next stop, size 18. There will be another changeroom dance. I haven't been a size 20 since grad and I've not been an 18 since before Jr. High - i.e., before adulthood. That means I've gone down 5 sizes in approximately a year and a half and I'm still going down. Tidings of comfort and joy. I'd say I'm not even trying, but that wouldn't really be true.

Today was a perfectly back to back day. After the dress I went to McNally to meet with Ricki and we went book shopping and found some promising books, then she had lunch and I had more fruit juice and it was drizzling a little so I gave her a ride to work and we shared a long and lovely hug and some Relient K. Then I went to Taste of Saskatchewan again (and had a parking spot half a block away, and ate Schnitzel and Taco Salad) with Shelley, Jessie, and Nicole and we went for a walk along the river, dangled our feet in the cold water, cheered the guy who wiped out on his skidoo and talked about wet t-shirts and guys who are hot from a distance. Shelley: "Okay, walk slower, you guys, we don't want to ruin it!"

Good times on a perfect sunny day. That was summer.

After this I stopped off at the library, paid my fines and got a new card with a nice, easy to remember number, and then got a stack of books so I have lots of reading material and will not soon run out of it! Then I went to Tim Hortons on the west side and hung out with Camille briefly. She was a little late and I guess her phone had died, so when she came in she said, "Oh, Twyla, you're so awesome, I don't deserve friends this good!" I felt so loved today, and that was a good moment. We discussed wedding competition - the comparison every bride makes to other people's weddings. Steven, her man and also a friend of mine (I was independently friends with both of them before they got together, awesomely enough) just accepted a job in Saskatoon, so there will be many chances to hang out with them in the coming season. After I saw Camille I went to Roberta's place and we had necatarines and a long discussion with a Bible study of 1 Corinthians in the place it talks about relationships. It was really interesting. Her dog, Colby, is a real sweetheart and I enjoyed coffee with her again. After that I went to Subway, which was awesome - mmmmm steak sub - and then I came home.

There was an inordinate amount of fruit today. That's what tied the whole day together.

Things I am thinking about include: Priorities for Fall. Ballroom dancing comes first and I'm excited for that, but do I want lessons in voice or guitar? Would I rather spend money on a digital camera or just photography supplies for class and cope with what I've got for now? I got word today that there's no ready engine for my car, and that to fix it with a new one would be $3500, which isn't happening. So I asked him to get waitlisted for the next 6-12 months to see if we can get one. Until that time I'm thinking about priorities in terms of having my car last and not paying so much for gas. Thus I may be bussing in the Fall semester until it gets super cold and snowy, and maybe even then sometimes. So I need to figure out what day of the week to do Ballroom. I'm just about to do up a schedule for myself. Anyway, I've been thinking about that, and I've also been trying to ensure that I will have everything I need to keep myself occupied at the lake for the next entire month. I don't want to waste my precious time since I have so much at my disposal. Then there's all the other school prep stuff I want to do. Like buy ink for my printer. Oy, it's only 6 weeks to school.

Time either flies or crawls lately, and sometimes I wish it would just go regular speed.

Wow, this post is longer than I thought it would be.

BLOGATHON IN 10 DAYS AND COUNTING. PLEASE READ THE INFO!

It is the Prince of Wales that threatens thee;
Who never promiseth but he means to pay.
(Henry IV)

Ah, faithfully I update. I've been in Saskatoon an evening and a full day. In that time I have supped with my family, slept in gloriously, gone camera shopping with my grandma and been successful in finding what she wanted, had many excellent meals including one at Taste of Saskatchewan - by myself after having gotten basically the best parking spot ever four spots from the entrance because the person backed out in front of me - and then I had spring rolls, sweet potato fries, and saskatoon berry crepes for supper before seeing Henry IV with my most excellent Shakespearean buddies. Jokes were made about manly hugging and good times were had by all. Except, you know, Hotspur.

Afterwards, Kate and I went for Starbucks and chitchat about bookish things. Tomorrow I have plans for food and books and stocking up on good things for the coming month at the lake. Also, haircut. Badly needed.

My lake life and my Saskatoon life are so curiously separate when I'm here. It's so distant, much more so than can be accounted for by the physical distance covered in mere hours of driving.

It's good to be home.

Grant funds free spay, neuter program - A clinic in my county is offering free spay and neuter services for animals owned by people on any kind of government assistance. That's pretty awesome. There's been a flier up for this clinic in (at least) one of the breakrooms here at work for a while, so I recognize the name. That's good work. Good for them!

I'll stick with the ASPCA for Day of Blogs, but I may find other places like this to link to as I go. Spread the word about the smaller ones, even if I'm not blogging for them. I'd consider switching, but I'd rather do something I have personal knowledge or that is national -- I just don't know enough about ones like this, and the information is hard to find. A big national one has a public history and has been vetted. It's too easy for bad management to move into a local shelter. That happened recently at one here, to very bad results, and now I'm leary.

Maybe next year I'll have started volunteering at the animal shelter or with a rescue. :)

***

I spent most of yesterday washing dishes and doing laundry. I know the former shouldn't take most of a day, but all of my silverware needed hand washing (it had been sitting too long) and most of my dishes did, too. My feet were killing me by the end of it! But the upshot is that my kitchen looks much better. My bedroom does, too -- all of my clothes were dirty and/or on the floor, so having gotten all of them through the wash, folded and hung, the place looks 1000x better. Yay! The benefits of having a friend coming to town. (GLEE!) I vacuumed the worst traffic areas this morning, too. It'll be nice to have a livable apartment again.

Speaking of visitors, astrum_presul should currently be on a plane winging its way here! We're heading to San Antonio on Wednesday, returning Friday night. Riverwalk, Schlitterbahn, and Sea World, here we come! So much glee. Then sometime this weekend we'll go see Dark Knight (*shiver*). She leaves next Wednesday -- nice long stay! Hee.

Then, of course, I've got blogathon/day of blogs. After that, a trip to AZ for our biggest drop test yet (and the last for many months). At the end of next month is Dragon*Con. Nothing's planned for September (except the new teevee season), but October brings Ren Fest and my birthday! Could also be visits in there somewhere. Oh, and I'm probably going to sign up to take the EIT, which happens October 25th. After that is November and NaNo, so I will spend the month chained to my computer, writing feverishly. Once that's done, it's the Christmas season! Wow. This is shaping up to be a great second half of the year. I approve!

***

Also, check out the new icon (and header). That's my Abby!

Aldrin Slams SF's Effect On Space

Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. told SCI FI Wire that fantastic space science fiction shows and movies are, in part, responsible for the lack of interest in real-life space exploration among young people.

Poll #1223151 Scifi's effect on space
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What do you think of his argument?

( My opinion )

I really want to hear what other people think, so please, if you've got a moment, comment and tell me your opinion.

The dancers came today after a long time of campus being empty. I had a long talk with my co-worker today. It's going to thunderstorm very soon, and generally when it thunderstorms as viciously as it sounds like it will, the internet goes down. The air just got about three degrees colder, so I'm going to get to my cabin right away, I'm going to go read something. Tomorrow night I drive home for a few days, taking in Shakespeare and probably Taste of Saskatchewan. And then I'm going to decide what to bring back for the rest of my summer.

I had carrot cake after the spaghetti supper tonight. Fabulously good.

Faye, the lady who's dancers are here, was one of the silhouettes in the cell block tango in Chicago. Seriously. She's also deliriously happy because she's got a new rock on her finger. And I mean rock. Anyway, she's a great lady and I look forward to getting to know her just a little the days that I'm here.

Yesterday  I was happy, today I'm a little cranky, but not bad. I just wish the rain would stay away for a bit.

Welcome to the second round.

I'm a faceless random person on the internet. And you are...

I am Twyla, I live in Saskatoon, SK, Canada, and I am a student going into my last year of study for my B.F.A Honors in Fine Art. My internet handle is newsong, and I am an avid online journaller. Blogging has infiltrated my daily life, and I write not only about my day and my University experience, but about my thoughts on many intellectual and personal topics. A combination of things in my life have been inspiring me to look for ways to become more active in the human rights movement over the last several years, and this opportunity has come up again allowing me to make a difference through blogging. This post is asking you to support me in Blogathon 2008 and my cause by sponsoring the charity I have chosen, and spreading the word about this event. Read on!

Bloga what?

Day of Blogs 2008 is an organized group of bloggers - descendants of the official Blogathon event which is taking a break this year - who, together at one of two times on Saturday, July 26th, 2008 will be writing a blog post every half hour for 24 hours - a total of 48 posts each. Many bloggers including myself choose to theme their posts, do a little bit of prep ahead of time for big projects, and offer incentives for different sums of money donated. Each blogger chooses a charity where donations can be made online, and in my case offline as well. Usually there are several hundred bloggers registered, and many other people involved. This year might be a little smaller because the Blogathon itself isn't running from the official site.

For convenience sake and because Blogathon sounds cool, I'm going to continue to refer to the upcoming event as such.

I'll be starting at 7pm Saskatchewan time, so if you feel like staying up late, come visit me! (EDITED)

Ooooh, for charity?

The charity I have chosen to sponsor for this event a second year running is called Not For Sale. This campaign is made up of individuals, artists, people of faith, businesses, schools, and sports teams committed to the modern abolitionist movement. Over 27 million people are enslaved in the modern world for labor and sexual purposes - and a number of those are inside North America. Trafficking in Canada alone is estimated in the thousands yearly, and many of the victims are children and young girls. It's never too late to spread awareness, and the average cost of freeing a person from slavery and support them in finding paid work amounts to around $1000. I'm sure most of us would agree that the value of a human life far exceeds that figure. The Not For Sale Campaign is partners with International Justice Mission, Hagar, CAST, Polaris, and Free The Slaves. The money you donate will go towards this mission of freedom.

Last year I made just over $1000 as was my goal. Can you help me reach that goal again?

Can anybody help?

I'm asking you to do 5 things.

1. SPEAK. Forward this as an email, use my link image, tell friends and family. Spread the word about Blogathon and worldwide slavery.
2. GIVE. Choose to sponsor me, and donate to this cause. You can donate as little as a dollar or as much as you want. I'm shooting for a minimum of $1,000 in the end, but I would be thrilled if we could raise more!
3. LEARN. Find out more about this cause, educate yourself to what is going on in the world around you. Actively value your freedom.
4. READ. Come check out my blog. (You're already here, yay!) I can't guarantee that all 48 posts that day will be scintillating, but I have grand plans and I guarantee that there will be all sorts of post themes and a lot of food for thought. Bookmark this link to follow my participation in the 'thon.
5. REPRESENT. If you support abolition and my participation in the blogathon, wear orange on July 26th - Orange has been designated as the color of freedom, and if you can, find a way to use the color and the day to spread the word about the anti-slavery movement.


I have a charitable heart and disposable income! How can I help?

Because sponsorship is running independently of the Blogathon.org website this year, I would like you to make your pledges here at this post. You can pledge a lump sum, payable before, during, or after the event to the charity, or you can pledge a sum for each hour that I write in the blogathon! I am young and spry and plan to write all the way through, so make sure you're willing to pay the full amount...

 I will not receive any funds for doing this and I will not blatantly promote myself in a way that could make me money during the event.

* Choose how much you'd like to sponsor me for, and whether it's a lump sum, or an hourly amount.
* Comment here as an anonymous commenter or an LJ user with the following information. If you would like to remain anonymous, do not include your name, but if you would like me to know who is making the pledge and the donation, please include your first name and last initial. The comments section is for if we have a trade deal or you're requesting artwork so I can keep track. It's important for you to comment here, please.

NAME:
PLEDGE:
COMMENTS:

* You can then go to the donation section of Not For Sale right away or during/after the Blogathon.
* Please email me at newsong@livejournal.com if you have any questions or comments about the Blogathon or sponsoring process.

My Incentives:
I'm truly hoping that the cause I have chosen will speak louder than the incentives, but perhaps these will help you to get the mouse clicking! The Not For Sale website has a dropdown menu of amounts, as well as the option to give any amount. I am providing incentives for donations that match the dropdown menu. I count American and Canadian currency as the same, and if you happen to be donating in Pounds, each pound is roughly equal to $2. If you have your heart set on something but can't afford the cash right now, talk to me and we can make a deal.

$1 or $2 - I will use one of several internet platforms to create something original and I'll post it - any kind of art or fractals and all manner of interesting things!
$5 -  For every five dollar donation,  I'll take an original photograph at the lake and dedicate it to you.
$10 - Give me a topic and I'll write about it, but it's my choice of fiction or non-fiction, poem or prose!
$25 - I'll mail you a personal, handwritten letter, but if I don't know you very well, you'll have to tell me a secret or ask for some advice on something so I can write about it.
$50 - I will mail you an original photographic print.
$100 - I will mail you an original drawing created just for you. For examples of my artwork, see this link .
Over $100 - Let's make a deal for artwork. What would you like most?

How Can I Spread The Word?
* Forward this in an email! It's a whole lot better than most forwards, and if you know me directly, be my reference! You can ask me to send the email to you so you don't have to worry about HTML issues, and it won't come with images, either.
* Link to my blog.
* Use this image and link here to this post.




JOIN NOT FOR SALE ON FACEBOOK CAUSES!7

A) People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs & replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

B) Tag people or don't tag them. It matters not.

highrise tagged me, but I don't tag. Anyone? Anyone?


1. How has LJ changed your life?
I always tried to be a diarist, it just never really worked until I could do it fast enough to get all the thoughts out and most of the stuff I immortalize, or at least about 90% of it, is stuff I want to share, things I have thought through that there's nothing wrong with putting out there. So it's helped me feel more connected to friends who are inclined to read it, and it's kept my stories for the people in my life who don't blog.

2. What do you do before bedtime?
Out here it depends. One of three things, usually. I am most often in media consumption mode - reading a book or watching a movie. My favourite times though are campfires with the clientele, often with music or poetry or discussions of art. Lastly, I often come to bed and just turn on my music and surf through it to find something I want to listen to. The normal bedtime routine is totally off because I don't have a washroom anywhere near my cabin.

3. What will your dream wedding be like?
Not like anyone's I've ever seen. My dream wedding would be full of authentic laughter, not forced or strangled or drunk laughter.

4. What is the city of your dreams and why?
Saskatoon. All my dreams are based around settling down there. If that failed though, I'd probably go to Halifax.

5. What do you find captivating?
I didn't like the prior question interesting so I changed it. And my answer: Dragonfly mating rituals. It's just so eerie and beautiful and tandem. I could watch dragonflies for hours.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
Neither when the other is absent, and either when you have them at the same time.

7. Do you trust easily?
Relationships to me are like a pegboard where most people, if they don't totally creep me out or make a truly awful first impression, start around the middle and move in either direction slowly. In some things, like LJ public posts, I arguably do trust easily. It depends on the person in real life, though. Some people I trust instantly, some I give the appearance of trust to while hiding my true feelings, and some I never trust and they'll never know.

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
Change yourself because you can't change them.

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
Many things, but some of it is weather-related. There's a disturbing correspondence between my despondent moods and constant rain.

10. What is your best quality?
Recovery ability, which is good.

11. Is being tagged fun?
You're it. You tell me.

12. How do you see yourself?
I see myself in different mirrors on different days, but I am always looking at the inside because the outside of myself fails to captivate me.

13. Who are currently the most important people to you?
About half a dozen best friends and my family.

14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
A blessed person with a good life ahead.

15. Would you rather be single & rich or married but poor?
Married and living within the means you had.

16. How many children do you want to have, if any?
That would depend on what kind of husband I have. If he loves kids, probably two or three. If he's ambivalent about them, one. I'm open to suggestion, but I think it would be a bit of a travesty not to experience pregnancy since I've been so fascinated by others. So I guess, at least one?

17. What's better, to give or to receive?
I think the best thing is to be in a relationship with someone where you have both. =)

18. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
The one who could see who I really was the best and therefore wanted me. Alternatively, the one that felt more natural.

19. Are you abnormally obssessed with a book series or a Television show?
None currently, though I am gearing up with excitement for The Dark Knight. If anything I'd have to say I'm fangirling Shakespeare just at present.

20. What were your parents going to name you if you'd been born the opposite gender?
Tyler.

A) The sun is shining
B) The birds are singing
C) I feel like myself again
D) All of the above

This morning I got up and had a hot shower, then I made myself an omelette. I was the only person on campus this morning for a little while, total freedom. Good way to start a day.

It's getting to the point
Where I can be myself again
And if you court this disaster
I'll point you home

Look at your face
Doesn't shine the way it used to
Look at your eyes
They don't sparkle anymore...
Who told you that you had to lose your innocence?
I'm starting over

I am so ticked at myself for this stupid discontent! It's horribly unproductive. I sit here like a lump, no good to anyone. Blech. That's not who I am! How could I have forgotten myself so entirely? That's it. I quit!

I'm quitting discontentment! I've been feeling like I want to quit life, but as usual all I really need to quit was this foul mood.

Contentment. I'm going to have contentment even if I have to fight for it. And as anyone knows, it's one of the things you have to fight hardest for.

Sometimes all it takes is a timely phonecall between two people who are struggling with the same burning questions. Isn't it okay to cut some corners? Isn't it alright to take what you can get since life sucks so much? The truth is, it's never okay to settle for less. Tonight that phonecall was long and covered a lot of bases. But in the end the truth is out.

It was only about a year ago that I came close to death from a simple bodily organ, and I had a new outlook on life. And again tonight I feel like someone removed a useless organ from me, but in the end the truth is that I have learned so much these last six months. I am coming back full circle to who I wanted to be, but not as sharp, not as vengeful, not as unhappy.

I'm closer to where I started
Chasing after you

hold my hand
while I'm sinking in the sand
no one else could understand
you are my anchor

I have reached the threshold of boredom. I survived months here with only a little homesickness and as many novels and movies and guitar time as I could cram in, but now I am tired of movies. I am tired of reading and writing. I am not feeling very motivated on my guitar just at the moment although I am still playing. I am uninterested in the internet. I don't really feel like planning for the blogathon. I am wholly bored, and the worst part is I don't actually want to do anything. Partly, I blame this on the rain, because I usually lose that mood after sitting and sunning myself on the beach for a little while.

I've seen a few more colors of hummingbirds around here lately, one with a red head and brown body was quite lovely.

All I did today was dusting and scrubbing and office things, and since it was raining again, nay, pouring, I couldn't even just go get my radio. Sucked. At least I am being paid for this.

Man, you've got to see the new Improv Everywhere stunt. Twins on the NYC Subway.

Ugh. I am in fact so bored that I am beginning my personal goal of being able to write with my right hand to make me more completely ambidextrous. Like I needed that skill, even though I'm actually writing a lot of notes here in the office and I find I have to do a lot of writing with office work, oddly enough.

Today was just all around a kind of useless, crappy, groggy, lazy, rainy kind of day. I think tomorrow I won't get up until 8:30 and then I'll shower because I'm the only one around until 10am and I don't particularly care about when my day ends tomorrow.

I can't go to bed before saying this, apparently.

( A word on tonight's Burn Notice )

Here's the charcoal, pastel, and conte work I did in early June. The pictures aren't the greatest, but you can see them. These are all large pieces, full or half page. I very, very rarely work in full abstraction, so these first two are unusual, an experiment for me.

The internet at work is being problematic today, with some websites unreachable. Things like Google! However, for once, LJ is still here. Yay!

One of the hinges on my Dell laptop is broken. As in, it makes crunching sounds when I try to close the lid. ACK. Also, the lid falls down backwards if I position it wrong. This... is frustrating and very much my luck right now. SIGH. I've been so much more careful with that thing lately! I guess it's just old (and I battered it for so long it really is just tired of me). So. Guess who's calling Toshiba tonight? I really shouldn't have put it off for so long, but the fact that I've had a decent spare computer meant it really wasn't a priority. Now, well, it is. SIGH.

I have had so much trouble focusing today. I didn't sleep all that well last night, for one thing. For another, the return of not-unhappy Doctor Who thoughts (both in my head and on the flist) has gotten me stuck in that Doctor/Rose mindspace. It's a good mindspace to be, but distracting! And any time my mind wanders off of those two, I've got Tom/B'Ellana stuff that comes in and takes over. I am not complaining about any of this, for what it's worth; it just makes working a little difficult.

I'm still in love with So You Think You Can Dance. ( A bit of ramble )

Best thing about today? NEW BURN NOTICE TONIGHT! *GLEEE* I'm going to flail so hard when it starts that I'll probably hurt something. (Myself, not any possessions. Maybe it's a good thing I won't have my computer with me?) Pain is irrelevant when there is new Burn Notice! Heeeee.

Right. Focus. Work. Just another half hour...

Ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by saying I was wrong. Yes, yes, I know that never happens... Just kidding.

So first off, today I found out some sad news. The official Blogathon is not running in 2008. The good news to follow: Someone else is doing it on another website and calling it Day of Blogs. I'm still going to call it Blogathon. The bad news: I thought it was in August and it's in July. The good news: It looks like I'll be able to do it here in July instead as long as I switch around one of my days off and run the B schedule so I'm doing it backwards - staying up all night and then all day. The crazy news that follows: It's in just over two weeks, so I need to hustle! Good thing I've been prepping for some time already with topics and thought starters! I'm just really glad I checked in on it today, since today was the first day of signups and they only last for just over a week. Whew. I've been behind the times. So what I'm trying to say is:


This year I will again be blogging for Not For Sale. I think I will still offer artwork for pledges, even though I'm aware I still owe a couple of people art from the last one - and some of them still need to pay their pledges. Please make your pledge payments either when you pledge them or immediately after the 'thon.

Eeeeeeeee so excited. More news to follow.

Is love a tender thing? it is too rough,
Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn.

If love be rough with you, be rough with love;
Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.
-Romeo and Juliet

Nothing I saw today was worthy of mention. The fresh smell of rain and the sound of its termination into the ground might be worthy of discussing if I could adequately describe it. The sharp division of the sky from blue to black, the feeling of impending storm, as well might be worthy to pass on.

I read through the entirety of Romeo and Juliet, skipping the boring parts since it's probably my fifth full consumption of the text via performance or reading. I read a lot of other things, the first few chapters of Wuthering Heights which was strange. I read the introductory chapter of David Copperfield, which was well written, since I don't mind Dickens' work. I'm not at all familiar with this one though so we'll see if I like it.

So in spite of the fact that I feel like tonight was somewhat wasted, it wasn't. I think I'll go play guitar a little to keep my fingers calloused since today I'm not feeling the motivation, and then I'll probably just sleep early.

I suppose that aged words like aged wines can make a person drowsy.

I'm only thinking about alcohol because soon there is to be a wedding here and I spent most of the day trying to figure out how much alcohol to order for it. I'm one of the main people in charge here for the event, so I've got a lot of repsonsibility to make this thing happen. The girl's parents are loaded. Here is an example of lunatic decadence, really. I grow more and more appreciative of my idea of a wedding as a party much like those I have with friends - mostly well planned and creative.

I am not a formalist. I would like a potluck rather than a catered dinner. I would like to dispense with most ceremonial traditions, or at least the ones I dislike or have no place for. I don't want a white dress because white doesn't really look good on me. I don't want one wedding color, but a collection of colors I appreciate, bright and celebratory. I want my wedding to be an expression of newfound freedom, not an expression of the confines of society. This rant brought to you by Facebook's annoying habit of reminding me daily of the wedded state of those I know, the dreamy, probably meaningless wedding I am planning, and the wedding I have never had a reason to plan but continue to plan anyway because I'm surrounded by other people's plans.

I'm leaning towards supporting the ASPCA for the Day of Blogs. I've been wanting to do something animal-related, but the local shelter doesn't take online donations (as far as I can see) and the Houston Humane Society has a number of very negative reviews online. The national ASPCA, on the other hand, seems to be very good, with the only complaints being a) the CEO's $400k salary (which doesn't bother me much) and b) the number of mailings they send out, which also don't bother me much. If I do choose to support them, they have this really neat widget that I could use to help keep track of donations! They'd even send me free stuff which I could then send on to my sponsors.

Speaking of sponsor gifts! I completely failed at writing fics for my sponsors last year, so I won't try that again. What I am considering is naming a character in my NaNoWriMo novel after each person who sponsors me, or letting them name a character (if they don't want it to carry their own name). I thought it'd be fitting, since my NaNo story is very animal-centric.

I'm still thinking over my theme. It helped so much last year to have that, to give me things to talk about. Obviously, if I do support the ASPCA (which is almost a given at this point), I'll do an animal theme, but what do I write about? The various pets I've had, I suppose. Probably a lot of Abby pictures and videos of what she's doing through the day/night. During the day I could attempt to write fic involving animals -- Elizabeth and Sedge, maybe the "Team Sheppard and a basket of kittens" idea I've had for a while, Dresden and his cat... There are a lot of ideas there, but I'll have to decide to make them short -- 15 minute fic style -- or only post snippets. I did some fic writing last year, which I'd mostly forgotten until I started reading through my posts yesterday. So it's doable! So long as I have other things to write about during the nighttime hours, since my brainpower is pretty much gone then. Hm. Any other suggestions for animal-related topics? I'd be willing to open the floor to guest writers for a few posts if anyone had anything they'd like to contribute. I know I've got plenty of animal lovers on my flist!

I have two; I used to have three. The one that was removed was a Nevus Sebaceous, which have the potential to turn cancerous. Mine hadn't, but I had it removed anyway. It was on the edge of my scalp in front of my right ear -- not very visible and usually covered by the drape of my hair. The scar isn't obvious, either, though it can get pink on some days.

I have another birthmark on my left thigh. Oval shaped, dark brown, apparently benign. I've considered getting it checked, just to be sure that it's okay; I know Mom had it looked at when I was a baby, but things change. I'd feel odd to have it gone, though!

Finally, I've got the family birthmark of a mole on my right left hand. Mine is of the flat and brown variety, rather than the greyish bump Kat and (I think) Mom have. Most of the women on that side of the family have something in the same spot.