Rundown and random notes from our Fourth of July. The Mews decided that for the first time since moving to the Pittsburgh area - 14 Julys for Riss' and G-Cat, 10 for yours truly - we were going to haul our ashes down to Point State Park to see the fireworks associated with the Three Rivers Regatta. Despite spending a very lazy morning, we got the the park at about 3:15 and there was still plenty of open space lying about. We staked out a spot on the lawn just beyond the fountain plaza, tucked in behind the "Froggy 98.3" radio station truck, which blocked a lot of the crowd noise. (It's a country station, but I mostly managed to tune out the music.) I do, however, want to steal their truck for my personal boombox.

Some of the public works people told us we'd picked a great spot for viewing, and pointed out some of the barges from which the display would be fired off that evening. Woo!

Small rainstorms came and went all afternoon; I spent for a golf umbrella at the Hard Rock Cafe's "Garage Sale" tent, and it was the best investment I've made in a while. When the next rain came through, I opened that bad boy up, tucked myself and my folding chair under it like a turtle in its shell, and stayed perfectly dry. Whee!

Much as I admire and appreciate our Armed Forces, their Gunboat demonstration hurt my ears. That "mock gunfire"is damned loud and annoying.

Oh, I also spent an hour or so (while tucked turtle under my umbrella) working on elfy make-out for Twig (which I should have transcribed and at the usual URL within the next 24 hours). Even after the rain stopped, I had to keep the umbrella up to protect my notebook from spray from the fountain, and I didn't get quite as much done as I had originally hoped, but... still, some snogging progress.

During the hottest part of the afternoon, I went to the fountain to let myself get misted with its fallout. While I stood there with my arms held out at my sides to catch as much spray as possible a drunk, barely-legal (if that) guy tried to hit on me by saying "Cool, it's that scene from 'Titanic' - I'll be Jack!" I was torn between laughing at him outright and saying "Dude, Titanic is *so* last decade - if you're going to be Jack, you have to be Jack Sparrow if you want to get anywhere." ^__^

When dark finally rolled around and the fireworks started up, they were - absolutely gorgeous. Dang. *sigh* We had enough people crowded in front of us by that point that I couldn't really see the reflections off the water, but we had a perfect view of the main display itself. I am a huge goober and an overgrown kid and adore fireworks. And if I can get my computer working tomorrow (later today), I will link up some pictures to all this, because I even managed to get a couple of decent shots with my digital camera! (woo)

Okay, I think that's enough babble for now....

Day of the Dorks, Round 247

Every now and then at work (about once every other week), we get what I refer to as Day of the Dorks at the store... one where it seems like 75% or more of the customers are having a Bad Brain Incarnation. Examples follow:

Customer e-mail #1: "I want to know how to return an item, because I ordered a wall scroll and you sent me a poster!" So I checked our website. The item is listed under a header that clearly says "Posters," the item description says "Poster," it comes up as a poster in the shopping basket program, and the confirmation e-mail the customer received blatantly declares it to be a poster. (Also, in case that wasn't enough of a clue, wall scrolls via mail-order cost .95, and this item came up at .) How they could still have been deluding themselves that this was NOT a poster, after all those clue-by-fours, is beyond me. Sorry, Boopsie, if you really want to send it back we'll refund the retail price of the item, but I'm afraid you're eating the postage on that one, because it was *your* mistake not ours.

Next up: the message from a college student who's looking for a particular DVD release but wants to make sure he gets "the hole series". Now granted, he may not be a English major, but how can you make it all the way to college and not know the difference between "whole" and "hole"?!? ...I am struggling to resist replying with "Dude, if you're looking for a 'hole' series, I'm sorry but we don't sell pr0n via mail-order." (...bad cat, me - he might just be having a bad attack of typo gremlins, but....)

After those two, I'm almost afraid to open the rest of the e-mails... my "Snide-O-Meter" might go right off the scale. >_<

Arigatou Gozaimasu

Just wanted to say Thank You to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday! I *think* I got everybody... (...if Rissi weren't such a sneaky cat - and morning person - I might have gotten away with a complete 'stealth' b-day... ^_^;;) I did indeed have a good and happy day. (Any day that includes salmon cooked on the grill is a good day - thank you, G-Cat!)

For the 4th, da Mews are contemplating trying to catch the big downtown Pittsburgh fireworks display. This entails spending a good chunk of the day at Point State Park in order to stake out a good spot for watching. Oh, eek, the hardship. ^_^ ...just have to remember to take sunscreen.

Oh, and Kosagi - Kanzeon Bosatsu I ain't; so long as he stays outta my raspberries, the monkey-boy can have all the peaches he wants. ^^

I *had* to have this...

Am still hooked enough on Saiyuki to be compelled to buy this when I saw it in the store.

Jasmine green tea is my favorite, too... almost scary. X D

Out of the Car = Gooooood

Am back from my mother's house. My nieces are cute in small doses and if I had to live with them I would strangle them both. One is just about to turn 13, the other is 2 /12. Don't know how my sister puts up with the bickering all the time, but I'm thinking of nominating her for sainthood.

Come to think of it, our mother deserves a medal for putting up with *US* for 18 years... >_<

Got to have lunch with the incomparable Twig after leaving Mom's, which put me in a very good mood for the drive home. On the way, I passed through a thunderstorm - sneaking up behind the storm itself, then driving through it to run ahead of the front before I eventually outpaced it. That was interesting - as was the burned-out truck (with emergency vehicles still in attendance) a little further along the turnpike. I think I'm glad I didn't pass that any earlier.

Now I'm home, and happy to be out of the vehicle, and getting loved on by the cats ("you're back, you're back!") except for my own cat who is steadfastly ignoring me. ("...oh, were you gone?") She'll make me suffer a while before admitting she might, just maybe, have missed me a teensy bit.

Three Days of Radio Silence

...sort of. Am off to my mother's house for the annual Family Women's June Get-Together. Will probably have access to my e-mail, but no IM. Home Thursday night sometime. {{{Hugs}}} to all.

"I think I'll go for a walk..."

Because really, I'm not dead yet. I'm finished with my antibiotics and *still* coughing up baby oysters, but not dead. (Silver lining of the cold: I've had no appetite since Tuesday, so I've managed to lose at least three pounds. Won't last long, I'm sure, but that was one nice minor side effect.)

One day left to get a couple of minor car-maintenance things done and prep for 3-day round trip to Mom's house and back. I still seriously want one of those little digital voice recorders, because I invariably think of ideas for stories/etc. while on long road-trips, and (since I'm driving) can't pause to write them down, so most of them end up vanishing back into the ether.

Oh, wait. In order to use one of those, you need a voice in working order. ...nevermind. ^_^;;

Twig, while I'm sorry the short story got a rejection, I'm glad it was the better *kind* of rejection. Hey, it's definitely progress! {{{Hugs}}} Also {{{hugs}}} to <"http://tsaiko.pitas.com">Tsaiko, for suffering moron ex-advisors, and cleaning and hurt back and all the blee that's been going on.

I really should be doing something productive now.
I really really don't want to. Pathetic, huh?

Bleeeee.

Well, we survived the annual madness more or less intact. Those of the Pern club who attended the camp-out seem to've had a good time; and two of the other members offered to take over most of the running of the event for next year! This is especially cool, since at this time next year (if all goes well) Rissicat will have just finished her senior project and graduated, so it's nice that she will just be able to relax after that and not have to worry about organizing 'Fest. And we'll all get a chance to kick back, story-jam and *play* a little next year. ^_^

On the downside, by Monday afternoon G-Cat had a very sore throat and other symptoms of a cold, and I was only a day behind her. So now we're both on antibiotics and really really hoping we didn't spread this around the camp-out. Gah. And I hope I'm recovered and over it by the time my Semi-Annual Obligatory Family Visit rolls around next week. Also hoping that Rissi continues to dodge the germs successfully. (crosses fingers)

Head cold + summer heat & humidity = severe suckage.

Bizarre Spam E-Mail Header of the Week: "ahem candlewick botulin certify roland contusion". ...I think it's the "ahem" that makes it just perfect.

The Event that Ate the Mews

...starts tomorrow. It's an annual event... but prep for the yearly Pern club camp-out always eats our brains (and most of our spare time) for the last week or two before the thing. Which is a large part of why I haven't posted in gawd-awful.

The ramp-up time might not be so bad if friends who (generally speaking) go without calling us for the rest of the year, didn't start getting the urge to give a ring and try to keep one (or more) of us on the line for an hour at a time. Happens every year during this time period.

"Uh - dude, do you want this gathering to happen or not? ...then let me off the $@#% phone so I can finish getting ready for it!"

**sigh** I know people are just getting enthusiastic about seeing everyone. For a lot of us, it's the only time all year we meet up. I get all *squee* about it too, once I get face to face with folks. But I DO wish they didn't get quite so attention-needy while we're trying to prep.

Okay, enough whining - back to work with me.

Complete and Utter Slug

So here I am with an extra day off from work, and have I done anything constructive or creative with it yet? ...no. I've done nothing more strenuous than sit on my butt (still in PJ's) and read blogs and natter with Twig.

...and it's been lovely. ^___^

We have company coming for dinner tonight, so I suppose I'll have to shower and get dressed eventually. But with the writer's group campout we organize now less than two weeks away, I'm not likely to get another lazy day until after it's done. Going to make the most (or is that the least...?) of this one.

Willful Ignorance

Was looking at reviews on the Pit of Voles. It amazes me that someone can read several chapters of a story that is clearly marked with "contains yaoi" warnings, both in the story summary and at the beginning of each chapter, and then suddenly pop up with:

"EWWWWW! This is yaoi, I *hate* yaoi! You have offended me! You must now change this entire story and make it het, just to placate me. Ewww, icky." (paraphrased with heavy irony)

Of course, most reviews of this nature are also carefully anonymous. And probably written by high-school aged or even junior high girls. ...Honey-chillun's, if you're too stupid or stubborn to ignore all the glaring neon "YAOI" warning signs, that is not the writer's fault and you deserve what'cha get.

Happy Birthday, Thorne!

You may have thought I forgot about this (or maybe hoped I had?), but no - I'm just terminally slow. ^_^;; Hope it helps make your day enjoyable! {{{Hugs}}}

Thorne, there's never anything adequate to say at a time like this, except that my thoughts and prayers are with you. {{{Hugs}}} Losing a loved one is never easy no matter what the circumstances; wanting to hide under the bed is a perfectly logical response in my book.

Love you. Hang in there.

Crash Boom Bang!

Thunderstorms are cool to watch. I used to be scared spitless of them when I was young, but living in Tucson for three years seems to have cured me of most of that; now they're like a spectator sport. However, 5:30 AM is a little early for spectating! >_< We had a beauty of a storm roll through at that ungodly hour, and despite my fondness for storm-watching, I only wanted it to go away so I could get some more sleep.

...so Mother Nature, considerate soul that she is, has staged a re-run! We have a second wave of storms blowing through this evening> ^_^;; Hopefully the worst of the downpour will be done by the time I have to drive home from work tonight.

Stolen from Tsaiko:

Hot hot! I am Curry Flavoured. I have a spicy personality. If you can take the heat, you'll love me, if not, I'll probably make you cry. I am not for the faint-hearted. What Flavour Are You?

This is... odd. O,o I don't like curry, myself - not that I mind being "hot", and I think the Mews would agree that the faint of heart would probably have trouble coping with me. (eh heh... slinks away)

Mwrrrr

"Dragon" eggs are made and look fine. House is still full of people who are having a ducky time and don't want to go home.

They NEED to go home, because Rissi has to get up at oh-dark-hundred tomorrow to drive to Cleveland for training (because apparently 3/4 time college courses in business admin don't fulfill her employer's "continuing education requirements"), and she needs a decent night's sleep first.

They REALLY NEED to go home, because I have cramps and if they don't go away and give me some peace and quiet I'm going to go nutsoid and messily kill someone with a plastic spoon. >_<

SEE Ya!!!

So what does the little horse do when he sees a big rangy horse bearing down on him fast? ...hits the after(hay)burner. Dang. Way to go, Smarty Jones! X D

I would so love to see horse racing have a Triple Crown winner again. *purr purr*

We're still in prepartory clean-up mode for the "egglaying" tomorrow... have I babbled about this before? I know I've subjected you to talk about the annual Pern club camping weekend, with the "live" dragon Hatching. Basically, in order to have the eggs each year, we have to make them. This is done by inviting over local (and sometimes not so local but willing to make the trip anyhow) friends & club members, blowing up balloons and coating them with plaster of paris, leaving one end open. The plaster dries into roughly egg-shaped forms, hollow inside where the balloon base was. Once they're fully dried, we carefully pad one of G-Cat's cast-resin dragon statues, place it inside, and seal over the open end with newspaper and more plaster. The eggs are then painted before being presented on the "Hatching Ground".

Tomorrow's our day to get plastered for this year. And yes, the people get almost as much plaster on them as the balloons. (Note to self: must remember to trim my fingernails shorter, I hate picking the stuff out from under them afterwards. >,< )

Should be trying to finish cleaning up the house or trying to write or something. Blee.

HysteriCats, Headaches and Not Enough Sleep
(...not necessarily in that order.)

Today is Feline Traumatization Program Step Three: taking Kiri back to the vet's to get his teeth cleaned (and have a bad one removed). So as of 9 p.m. last night, we had to make sure he didn't eat. Since our felines eat from communal dishes, this means *none* of the cats had food all night - hence, the hysteria. Even when getting ready for bed last night, any time we moved in the general direction of the kitched there would be at least two cats dancing around our feet going "...you're gonna put food down now, right? RIGHT?!" By this morning, our youngest boy Tavi literally seemed to be shrieking. This is also the *last* step in the FTP, so far as I know. For this small mercy... ^_^;;

Speaking of morning, when I went to bed last night I was too stupid-tired to check the *time* on my alarm was set for; I just slapped it on and fell down. As a result, I got rousted out of bed this morning a full hour before I needed to be. Grarf. Also means I got something under 5 hours of sleep, which (at my age) ain't quite enough.

Kiri, needless to day, did not want to be stuffed & transported, and nearly opened up G-Cat's face with his hind claws. He ended up in the cat carrier almost by mistake - it's a new one, and he ran into it (trying to get away from me) and we held him in there until we could zip it shut. He was pretty quiet on the drive in, though... blessed relief to ears that have put up with two rounds of screaming kitties in the last week.

Working the store today since half the staff is headed to AnimeCentral over in Chicago region; it's dead slow here, I think we've only had two sales since opening at noon. Hoping tonight will pick up some. Also hoping my head either stops hurting, or just falls OFF already and gets it over with, instead of this constant threatening. Yeesh, I mean - put up or shut up already, okay?

Bright point of the day so far: reading Thorne's snarky fic synopses. ...Thorne? Big love. *mwa*

Searching for the "Fanfare" track on my Final Fantasy OST....

Victory on the glasses front!! - the new ones are ordered, and should arrive within a week, if not sooner. **heavy sigh of relief** Thinking about it yesterday, on the way home from the eye exam, I realized the timing could have been much worse; if this had happened right before the big Pern club camping weekend, I would have gone right 'round the bend.

Hmm, speaking of the campout... time now to start stewing over the annual question of "is Changeling insane enough to try to put together another new costume-outfit for the big Saturday Night 'Hatching Feast'...?" Answer: probably yes. I am such a dork. 8 /

Got a bit more writing done, too; a bit over 500 words on the Brain-Eating Monster, and just over 700 so far on something Twig asked for - a large hop, skip and jump down the "Duality" timeline. (Much like the other story, Twiggins, the characters are insisting on setup before they'll let me get to anything interesting. D'oht! ...but don't worry, I'll beat it out of them.)

Big hugs to Tsaiko (I'm sorry your Master's project is being such a pain in the ass, and yes if it starts affecting your health it ain't worth the aggravation!) and Thorne (the bloodbath here starts in the next couple of days - gah) and Catt (bummer that the library job didn't work out!). Oh yes, and mustn't forget Lunar, stuck in New Jersey and only Internet-enabled if she puts up with tacky pseudo-70's lime green naugahyde furniture. @_@ Hope your eyes stop bleeding soon, hon'.

As for my fellow Mews, Rissi has just collapsed into bed after studying for her last final exam of the spring term (which is tomorrow), and G-Cat just absconded with my digital camera out to the studio to nab some photos that should be getting posted from House 'o Mews sometime - oh carp, later today!? (and yes, I am using a large nuisance fish as a swear word. why not?!)

Still No Sign of Glasses

So G-Cat went with me on Sunday to see if there was any way to get my glasses replaced on a weekend. There are three places within easy driving distance of us, where one might get an eye exam and new glasses. (Without going to JC Penneypinchers, because I'm sick of them.)

Location Number 1 has *no* Sunday hours whatsoever. Nothing, zip, zilch. This is disappointing (since they're the cheapest option), but not quite so frustrating as Location 2 - which was open, but their optometrist doesn't come in on Sundays. ...hello? You're not going to give me new glasses without making me get an eye exam anyhow, why do you bother staying open if the doctor is not in?!

Onward to Location 3. They are open. We get there at 2:10 pm, and their sign says the optometrist is in until 3. I begin to feel hope.

...foolish me.

We walk into #3 (LensCrappers), go straight to the appointment desk and ask if the doctor has time for one more exam that day. The doctor, although he has no other appoinments booked, is on his way out the door and no way in *hell* is he staying long enough for one more exam, even for someone whose glasses are held together with blue electrical tape. (...bastard.) G-Cat has a little more sympathy for him, because it was pretty obvious his family had come in and they were headed somewhere together. But she's not the one with the busted glasses driving her bug-doodoo.

Then today was Round 2 of the Feline Traumatization Program (Neutron & Caitlin's turn at the vet's office) and work, so no improved vision yet. *Must* get the stupid eye exam dealt with tomorrow - but at least the cheap place will be open then. >_<

Oh yes, and I ate far too much sugar while at work tonight and came home bouncing off the walls. Yeek. So in honor of Mike & Ike's overdose, here's another silly meme stolen from Bran-chan!

...ooookay. Lots of hair: good. Fire magic: good. Anything bunny-related: BAD! (Yes, it's a Saiyuki reference. What *else* am I full of these days? ...besides BS, of course.)

None so blind as those whose cats have broken their glasses... it's official, since the style of frame has long since been discontinued, these suckers can't be repaired. Now I have to figure out where to go to get new glasses, because I'm not going back to JC Penile's optical department. (...and at the moment I'm hella tempted to try to get colored contact lenses again, astigmatism be damned.)

We still have a four-legged squatter in the studio, but she's so *cute* and sweet we haven't got the heart to kick her out. Will get pictures tomorrow for posting; such a pretty little cat. If it turns out she is packing kittens, they'll probably be adorable. >_< (we do NOT need another cat, we do NOT need another cat, we do - but she's so cuuuuuuuute...)

Why is it that while I'm busy, out frantically running errands or whatnot, I can think of a gazillion semi-interesting things to put in a blog, but when I sit down in front of a keyboard they all vanish into the ether?! mwrrrr. Senior Moments aren't supposed to set in for a few more years, here.

The Week in Quick Review

First of all - duh, new layout. Much as I adore Captain Jack, he's had the spotlight now since January, and it was time for a change. New layout is my latest anime fixation. ^_^;;

Last Tuesday was the Pennsylvania Primary election. Perhaps an exercise in futility, as by the time we hold ours everything is pretty well decided by other folks anyhow - which sucks, and our governor is trying to get us an earlier primary date. Anyway, G-Cat has been working at our local polling place for the last couple of elections now, and while it can be a long boring day, you also get decent money for spending said long, boring day in the elementary school gym. So when the coordinator called her a while back and said they were going to be a worker short at the primaries and did she know anybody who might be willing to fill it, I said what the heck. Went to the little slide-show presentation on How To Do the Paperwork and Set Up the Voting Machines. Fortunately for the sanity of PA election workers, our machines do not use punchcards - so no chads, hanging, pregnant or otherwise.

Turnout was... sad, really. Our polling place probably got about 25% of the registered voters in, and we were apparently one of the *busier* sites in the area. Yeesh. It's not like the presidential candidates were the only things to vote on, on this ballot; other stuff *was* being decided here, people! You got the right to vote - use it or lose it! (...right, creeping down off the soapbox now...)

Wednesday I was a slug, and the entire day would have been uneventful except for one thing: my cat stepped on my glasses, and broke the little spring in the earpiece that holds it in place against my head. Very frustrating, as no tape will hold them in place tightly enough to keep the vertices from skewing and giving me a mild headache when trying to wear them, now. Wore my contact lenses for several days straight, for the first time in months.

Thursday it was time to help do the store's set-up for the Pittsburgh Comicon. The annual comics show is held at a convention center 15 minutes from our house, which is a much more convenient commute than the 45-minute trip to the shop. I love this convention. ^_^ Got a good workout hauling half the store's contents up a ramp into the convention center, and then getting everything unpacked. If I did that more often, I might be in decent shape!

Friday the Comicon opened. First day is, generally speaking, pretty slow because people are still working and a lot of folks wait until Saturday to come out and browse. Joy's spot was right next to another anime dealer we know, who had an art book / anime guide for the new Saiyuki Reload series. After some whimpering and drooling, I realized...
...that I had left my wallet sitting home on the dining room table when switching stuff over to my work tote to take with. **D'oht!** Several calls on the boss' borrowed cel phone later, had made arrangements with the girls for them to stop out and bring it to me later. As it turns out, G-Cat made a find of her own at the show, but I'll let her tell y'all about that herself. ~_^ (except for Lunar, who's already heard all about it - and yes, she *is* working on getting you set up on that!). I am very happy with my shiny artbook and card deck.

Saturday - PO work, very blah. Sunday - learned how to do screen-captures off my computer's DVD player, in order to do the new layout (and squee'd ridiculous amounts at Thorne, Twig and Brandy while doing so - dudes, I feel like I ought to apologize for being such a twinkie. >,<

Ah - speaking of Bran-chan and being a twinkie, must toss in this meme found through her blog:

What kind of Final Fantasy Character would I be? by TheBlueParadox
Your Name/Handle
Your Hair Style	Tons of Blue Braids
Your Clothing Style	Loose Clothing/Lots of Jewelry
Your Weapon of Choice	Elemental Attacks
Your Mission	To Defeat My Evil Best Friend.
Your Role in the Fantasy	Tragic Hero:"Don't leave me!"
Created with the ORIGINAL MemeGen!

So there you have it, another week in the life... ahh, the excitement. We now return you to your own regularly scheduled lives.