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Yaay: One of my articles for our library newsletter ("Why Books are Best") was picked up and ran in the free city paper. ^__^
Boo: It ran with a typo that wasn't in the original article, which makes me look like an idiot. Is it that hard to copy and paste, Tim Messenger?
Yaay: Early voting is underway in my neck of the woods.
Boo: The Republicans filed a lawsuit to keep the early voting satellite locations in Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago (ie, where the brown people are) closed. A judge will rule on it later this week. Republicans can't win if everyone who wants to gets to vote, so they're trying to keep as many people away as possible. It still won't work, but you have to revile them for their efforts.
Yaay: Our library's new African American Fiction Author section went up yesterday, at long last.
Boo: Actually, there is no downside to this. I've wanted this for ages, we get asked for it all the time, and I'm thrilled we have something new to offer.
Boo: It ran with a typo that wasn't in the original article, which makes me look like an idiot. Is it that hard to copy and paste, Tim Messenger?
Yaay: Early voting is underway in my neck of the woods.
Boo: The Republicans filed a lawsuit to keep the early voting satellite locations in Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago (ie, where the brown people are) closed. A judge will rule on it later this week. Republicans can't win if everyone who wants to gets to vote, so they're trying to keep as many people away as possible. It still won't work, but you have to revile them for their efforts.
Yaay: Our library's new African American Fiction Author section went up yesterday, at long last.
Boo: Actually, there is no downside to this. I've wanted this for ages, we get asked for it all the time, and I'm thrilled we have something new to offer.
(no subject)
Sep. 15th, 2008 06:24 pmWhen I asked you all for some good mojo on last week's book group, someone must've been listening. It was probably my favorite discussion of all time. Which is even more pathetic as it was the only book I couldn't finish in two years of doing this thing.
Well, all the houses down the street are under water, but I can hardly blame the book group for that. I drove around for an hour this morning in a futile attempt to get to work, but all the roads headed north (where Teh Worke layeth) were closed. So I thought I'd do errands, or maybe help out with sandbagging efforts. But apparently there have been some charming examples of garbage wrapped in skin who've been spotted casing the neighborhood, so I stayed put to keep an eye on the house and made sweet potato knish and a curry. In a lot of ways I sound like that Onion article, "Not Knowing What Else To Do, Woman Bakes American-Flag Cake." Perhaps I am.
I have to say that for the next 50 days until the election I'm not going to be good for ballast. Admitting this doesn't make the anxiety go away. I realized I've been for a long time trying to keep my personal thing together with the implicit understanding that this nightmare will go away in January, so I'm finding it really hard to believe that after eight years of this nonsense many people need to be convinced of the alternatives. I do believe things will eventually turn out okay, but the not-knowing is making it difficult for me to concentrate or to sleep well at night. I wish I had more of a sense of levity about this, honestly.
Last Friday I went out canvassing in a traditionally Republican neighborhood. I only met one person who said she was definitely going to vote for McCain, and she was the type of person who would vote for McCain: canary-blonde, angry-thin, pinched face. There was a used plastic tampon case and a lantern knocked askew on her front lawn. No, I'm not kidding. Everyone else said they definitely were going to vote for Obama, didn't want to say, or want to be courted until November. (Welllll, I don't knowwwwwww, things change all the tiiiiiiime....) Some people are like that. It was an encouraging afternoon, but now I'm nervous again.
Well, now I'm going to make seitan that I've promised![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
annlarimer that she doesn't have to eat.
Well, all the houses down the street are under water, but I can hardly blame the book group for that. I drove around for an hour this morning in a futile attempt to get to work, but all the roads headed north (where Teh Worke layeth) were closed. So I thought I'd do errands, or maybe help out with sandbagging efforts. But apparently there have been some charming examples of garbage wrapped in skin who've been spotted casing the neighborhood, so I stayed put to keep an eye on the house and made sweet potato knish and a curry. In a lot of ways I sound like that Onion article, "Not Knowing What Else To Do, Woman Bakes American-Flag Cake." Perhaps I am.
I have to say that for the next 50 days until the election I'm not going to be good for ballast. Admitting this doesn't make the anxiety go away. I realized I've been for a long time trying to keep my personal thing together with the implicit understanding that this nightmare will go away in January, so I'm finding it really hard to believe that after eight years of this nonsense many people need to be convinced of the alternatives. I do believe things will eventually turn out okay, but the not-knowing is making it difficult for me to concentrate or to sleep well at night. I wish I had more of a sense of levity about this, honestly.
Last Friday I went out canvassing in a traditionally Republican neighborhood. I only met one person who said she was definitely going to vote for McCain, and she was the type of person who would vote for McCain: canary-blonde, angry-thin, pinched face. There was a used plastic tampon case and a lantern knocked askew on her front lawn. No, I'm not kidding. Everyone else said they definitely were going to vote for Obama, didn't want to say, or want to be courted until November. (Welllll, I don't knowwwwwww, things change all the tiiiiiiime....) Some people are like that. It was an encouraging afternoon, but now I'm nervous again.
Well, now I'm going to make seitan that I've promised
annlarimer that she doesn't have to eat.
Stuff I did this week
Sep. 7th, 2008 09:42 pmI volunteered at a high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter cat clinic this week. It was incredibly fast, I couldn't believe it. Everyone knew their place, therefore I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible. I loosened the straps that kept the cats in place on the kitty boards, put drops in their eyes and wrapped them in towels before putting them in the recovery position back into their cat carrier. Except for one sweet black cat in a pillowcase, who I let out because I felt sorry for her. I know it's the last resort when you don't have the money for a cat carrier, but I hate it. (I did it once when I was in high school when I took my Mom's cat to the vet and it traumatized us both for ages.) We then put them in rows for (sorta) handy retrieval later. All my life I've told myself that I'm not a squeamish person, but-- yes. I am a squeamish person. It's high time I admitted it. The room smelled like a butcher's and the ventilation in there wasn't all that wonderful. Ick. But I did manage to save a couple of uteruses for Anthony Bourdain to nosh on later.
I did notice a couple of things, namely the size of your cat is inversely proportional to the cat carrier you've brought it in. I swear to god people were shoving mountain lions into shoeboxes. One cat wouldn't fit in properly for safe recovery from anasthesia and had to lay out onto the table until she was a little more awake. About thirty minutes later, one of the vet's kids walked by and said, "hey, that one is waking up." I turned around just in time to catch a very large, very groggy and very pissed cat as she prepared to launch herself off the table to kill us all. That means she'll be fine, I guess. And then there was the tom who needed at least three shots to knock him out, and even then he wasn't letting go of his balls without a fight. Now he thinks about getting out of the rat race, nesting. Having an evening in with mom and dad, baking cookies and watching Steel Magnolias. "I don't know why, but I do."
Yesterday we had The Mater over for dinner, and I have to say I made a pretty decent pizza this time. The secret is roasting the tomatoes, then blending them with a few cloves of roasted garlic and at least a teaspoon of dried oregano, all from the garden. Yes, I'm bragging, what's it to you? I even came in second place in Scrabble twice in a row, which to my mind is really like coming in first, as The Mater is a Scrabblemonster.
I did notice a couple of things, namely the size of your cat is inversely proportional to the cat carrier you've brought it in. I swear to god people were shoving mountain lions into shoeboxes. One cat wouldn't fit in properly for safe recovery from anasthesia and had to lay out onto the table until she was a little more awake. About thirty minutes later, one of the vet's kids walked by and said, "hey, that one is waking up." I turned around just in time to catch a very large, very groggy and very pissed cat as she prepared to launch herself off the table to kill us all. That means she'll be fine, I guess. And then there was the tom who needed at least three shots to knock him out, and even then he wasn't letting go of his balls without a fight. Now he thinks about getting out of the rat race, nesting. Having an evening in with mom and dad, baking cookies and watching Steel Magnolias. "I don't know why, but I do."
Yesterday we had The Mater over for dinner, and I have to say I made a pretty decent pizza this time. The secret is roasting the tomatoes, then blending them with a few cloves of roasted garlic and at least a teaspoon of dried oregano, all from the garden. Yes, I'm bragging, what's it to you? I even came in second place in Scrabble twice in a row, which to my mind is really like coming in first, as The Mater is a Scrabblemonster.
Summer 2008, a look back
Sep. 2nd, 2008 12:00 pmActually it's not done yet according to my religion and the earth's rotation, but what the hey.
I have a lot of really wonderful memories from this summer-- my first time on Amtrak and seeing all that gorgeous scenery, eating monster raspberry ice cream cones with my Mom, lots of gardening, figuring out a way to go to the health food store by bike, finishing my first Hot Fuzz story withannlarimer etc.-- but my snarkiest memory has to be this:
I was biking home from work one day and I see a female in her late teens. She has a golf club and a golf ball. I thought she was going to wait till I passed by before she teed off, but no. She takes this almighty huge swing right in front of me, so big I think it's just a practice shot because where she's aiming there are lots of buildings. Right behind her is a gigantic empty parking lot.
Anyway, she swings, and then there's the predictable crash as she knocks out a window on the third floor of the area career center. And then she claps her hand to her mouth in horror. It was all over her face: How could I possibly know that if I swung my golf club as hard as I can at a building 20 feet away from me that I might break out one of its windows??? Actions, consequences. I only wish that as I was biking by that I could have offered up some kind of punchline. Maybe just my presence was enough.
I have a lot of really wonderful memories from this summer-- my first time on Amtrak and seeing all that gorgeous scenery, eating monster raspberry ice cream cones with my Mom, lots of gardening, figuring out a way to go to the health food store by bike, finishing my first Hot Fuzz story with
annlarimer etc.-- but my snarkiest memory has to be this:I was biking home from work one day and I see a female in her late teens. She has a golf club and a golf ball. I thought she was going to wait till I passed by before she teed off, but no. She takes this almighty huge swing right in front of me, so big I think it's just a practice shot because where she's aiming there are lots of buildings. Right behind her is a gigantic empty parking lot.
Anyway, she swings, and then there's the predictable crash as she knocks out a window on the third floor of the area career center. And then she claps her hand to her mouth in horror. It was all over her face: How could I possibly know that if I swung my golf club as hard as I can at a building 20 feet away from me that I might break out one of its windows??? Actions, consequences. I only wish that as I was biking by that I could have offered up some kind of punchline. Maybe just my presence was enough.
I feel like I'm going to barf.
Apr. 14th, 2008 05:53 pmThis should make for an interesting bike ride home.
ETA: Made it home in one piece and my intestines still fulla junk. I know you're all relieved. I even did some grocery shopping. Nao moar hedexplodey y/y.
My mom had her birthday today, so I called her and wished her well. She celebrated all weekend with Shelley and it sounds like they had a grand time. She sounded calm and content, which is all I wish for her. She still misses her grandson, but who wouldn't? He's inhell Texas and can't see him as much as she'd like.
She is fond of saying that her birthday comes on the same week as Tax Day and the sinking of the Titanic. I tell her good things come in threes.*
*I DID NOT SAY THAT. I love my mother. We argue and bicker to show that we care.
ETA: Made it home in one piece and my intestines still fulla junk. I know you're all relieved. I even did some grocery shopping. Nao moar hedexplodey y/y.
My mom had her birthday today, so I called her and wished her well. She celebrated all weekend with Shelley and it sounds like they had a grand time. She sounded calm and content, which is all I wish for her. She still misses her grandson, but who wouldn't? He's in
She is fond of saying that her birthday comes on the same week as Tax Day and the sinking of the Titanic. I tell her good things come in threes.*
*I DID NOT SAY THAT. I love my mother. We argue and bicker to show that we care.
(no subject)
Jan. 9th, 2008 02:49 pmI don't like Hillary Clinton. That means I have betrayed the cause of womanhood everywhere.
I'm not crazy about Barack Obama. When he's not giving fantastic speeches he sounds like a machine that generates random political soundbytes that don't mean anything. Still, I will have no problems voting for him if he wins the primary. This ambivalence on my part clearly means that I am a closet (or not so closet) racist.
I like John Edwards. His narrative appeals to me the best, and he grovelled appropriately for being a weasel about Iraq. Because I do like Edwards, that means I'm a white power supporter who fancies closeted gay men with expensive haircuts.
Just so we're clear.
I'm not crazy about Barack Obama. When he's not giving fantastic speeches he sounds like a machine that generates random political soundbytes that don't mean anything. Still, I will have no problems voting for him if he wins the primary. This ambivalence on my part clearly means that I am a closet (or not so closet) racist.
I like John Edwards. His narrative appeals to me the best, and he grovelled appropriately for being a weasel about Iraq. Because I do like Edwards, that means I'm a white power supporter who fancies closeted gay men with expensive haircuts.
Just so we're clear.
Who wants a postcard?
Jan. 4th, 2008 11:36 amToday's my birthday! I'm 36 and Vali bought me a lobster claw to steam as a tribute and stuff. Love? I can has. :D
Two things completely unrelated to me that I will appropriate as birthday presents:
1. Clinton sucked wind in Iowa-- this pleases me so much I can't tell you.Half a present goes to the first guy who finger-wags me for not Standing Up For The Sisterhood.
2. Jamie McCrimmon, the Doctor's Actual Proper Soulmate Part III. (The rest in this great series are here.) Okay, we're going to shoot this at a Guinness plant, so get loaded then climb down off the roof and swing from a helicopter ladder. Also, Isobel + Zoe= Yes Please. <3 <3 <3
I lost my brother's Target gift card. I am :(. I honestly don't remember tossing it. What's more likely is that I put it Somewhere Safe (like in Brigadoon) and sometime in 2013 I'll go Hey Neat-- Windfall!
Bright side-- while looking for Brother's Missing Gift Card I've found a lot of fun stuff. And a missing CD speaker. And a lot of postcards.
Who wants a postcard? Comments on this entry are screened so if you want one, drop me a response with your name and address. Don't worry about where you live, either. Even if you live in Antarctica, it's all good. I feel like sending them out far and wide.
Two things completely unrelated to me that I will appropriate as birthday presents:
1. Clinton sucked wind in Iowa-- this pleases me so much I can't tell you.
2. Jamie McCrimmon, the Doctor's Actual Proper Soulmate Part III. (The rest in this great series are here.) Okay, we're going to shoot this at a Guinness plant, so get loaded then climb down off the roof and swing from a helicopter ladder. Also, Isobel + Zoe= Yes Please. <3 <3 <3
I lost my brother's Target gift card. I am :(. I honestly don't remember tossing it. What's more likely is that I put it Somewhere Safe (like in Brigadoon) and sometime in 2013 I'll go Hey Neat-- Windfall!
Bright side-- while looking for Brother's Missing Gift Card I've found a lot of fun stuff. And a missing CD speaker. And a lot of postcards.
Who wants a postcard? Comments on this entry are screened so if you want one, drop me a response with your name and address. Don't worry about where you live, either. Even if you live in Antarctica, it's all good. I feel like sending them out far and wide.
couple several things
Jan. 2nd, 2008 10:41 pmI changed my journal around. I <3 it nao. It's purple and silly, much like myself.
Watching The Caves of Androzani mostly because it had Five in a most excellent blackout blindfold, but am giggling lots at the OMG THIS R SRS TV SHOWE vibe that the fanboys seem to enjoy. The guy in the leather harlequin mask who likes to backhand Five isn't helping. This certainly puts RTD's crush on Ten in perspective. I'm guessing Peter Davidson made a bet where he would do any kind of kinky bondage that JNT could come up with, provided that this was his PINKY SWEAR last episode.
I let my Air America subscription expire as the only person I liked to listen to on the network started to develop a serious Ron Paul fixation in the absence of any sensible evidence. I'm finding I don't miss it at all.
Also, I got tired of my LJ being a place where I felt I had to react to The Latest Important News of the Day, so I'm kind of stopping that now. I know how I feel about stuff, and the tree that fell in the forest that no one heard did made a sound. So there.
Having said that, I hope John Edwards does well in the Iowa Caucuses tomorrow.
Watching The Caves of Androzani mostly because it had Five in a most excellent blackout blindfold, but am giggling lots at the OMG THIS R SRS TV SHOWE vibe that the fanboys seem to enjoy. The guy in the leather harlequin mask who likes to backhand Five isn't helping. This certainly puts RTD's crush on Ten in perspective. I'm guessing Peter Davidson made a bet where he would do any kind of kinky bondage that JNT could come up with, provided that this was his PINKY SWEAR last episode.
I let my Air America subscription expire as the only person I liked to listen to on the network started to develop a serious Ron Paul fixation in the absence of any sensible evidence. I'm finding I don't miss it at all.
Also, I got tired of my LJ being a place where I felt I had to react to The Latest Important News of the Day, so I'm kind of stopping that now. I know how I feel about stuff, and the tree that fell in the forest that no one heard did made a sound. So there.
Having said that, I hope John Edwards does well in the Iowa Caucuses tomorrow.
Howard Dean can stuff it
Nov. 26th, 2007 02:03 pmI'm using some of my old political t-shirts as stuffing. At last they're getting some real use.
The Unabashed Librarian really loved my idea for a article this month. I find that completely charming.
While I don't believe in running more than five miles at a stretch because I'm like, take the bus you showoff, but the feeling I had this weekend when I realized Bush is going to be in office for more than a year, it must be how a marathon runner feels at mile 20. I mean, I really freaked out a little like this is never. going. to end. I think Australia was the last straw. Spain, Ireland, Poland, now the Australians, they all threw the bums out-- WHY ISN'T IT OUR TURN??? And this awful Congress is so chicken to challenge him on anything. Because he's so popular and all. So I'm taking to crafting and cooking instead of despair. Rage, rage against the dying of my spirit!
So. How do you guys cope? Or are you one of the magic 24 percent? I want to hear from you too, if only to point and laugh at you.
The Unabashed Librarian really loved my idea for a article this month. I find that completely charming.
While I don't believe in running more than five miles at a stretch because I'm like, take the bus you showoff, but the feeling I had this weekend when I realized Bush is going to be in office for more than a year, it must be how a marathon runner feels at mile 20. I mean, I really freaked out a little like this is never. going. to end. I think Australia was the last straw. Spain, Ireland, Poland, now the Australians, they all threw the bums out-- WHY ISN'T IT OUR TURN??? And this awful Congress is so chicken to challenge him on anything. Because he's so popular and all. So I'm taking to crafting and cooking instead of despair. Rage, rage against the dying of my spirit!
So. How do you guys cope? Or are you one of the magic 24 percent? I want to hear from you too, if only to point and laugh at you.
(no subject)
Nov. 17th, 2007 11:54 pmThe Jobs & Justice dinner was nice, the president of our union gave a great speech against consolidating the libraries and we got to pass out flyers, so that was groovy. The food was sad and what they did to innocent green beans was downright criminal. You know, people might actually like vegetables if you didn't drown the poor dears in mysterious red sauce and load them up with wiggly bacon bits. Trust the vegetable, don't fear it!
But that's all in the past, for tonight I made chocolate sex cake and Vali made falafel and now we're watching Sapphire and Steel and I have a cat on my lap and a fine time is being had by all. Sapphire and Steel is really creeping me out but the feeling is not unpleasant.
Also? I finished reading The Book of Doom, aka Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh. It's taken me two weeks, and EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS, but by god I finished it. (I had to, it was for the book club.) Two turkeys in a row. But I feel my powers of concentration are gradually getting better-- they've been absolute crap for at least a month now. Northanger Abbey, I'm talking to you.
But that's all in the past, for tonight I made chocolate sex cake and Vali made falafel and now we're watching Sapphire and Steel and I have a cat on my lap and a fine time is being had by all. Sapphire and Steel is really creeping me out but the feeling is not unpleasant.
Also? I finished reading The Book of Doom, aka Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh. It's taken me two weeks, and EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS, but by god I finished it. (I had to, it was for the book club.) Two turkeys in a row. But I feel my powers of concentration are gradually getting better-- they've been absolute crap for at least a month now. Northanger Abbey, I'm talking to you.
