We officially moved into the house this past weekend. It took 2 trips with a 12' Penske truck, but it was done by about 2:30/3pm. We never would have gotten it all done if it wasn't for all the help we got, so a huge THANK YOU to Terence, raven296, Kim, Cory, and Alex. You've provided help, support, and friendship that's really made so much more possible then would otherwise be the case. So again, thank you!

Ok, so Wednesday the electrical work was taken care of. *thumbs up* We can now plug things in without having to use the 3-to-2 prong adaptors! Plus the service cable was replaced out back, so that worry is gone, and it's amazing how those 2 things have made such a big difference. Right now I need to continue to see significant progress being made, if only for my own sanity.

I painted the first coat on the trim in the library, and it's going to need a second coat. Even kilz primer couldn't cover that shade of pink! After that's done, there will be a little bit of touch up work, and then we can bring all the bookshelves in from the dining room. Conveniently that's the next painting project, and it should go quickly, since the walls and trim were already (4 shades of) white, and I've already done the ceiling. I don't have anything else pressing to do, so my goal is to get that all done. Two thing that might slow me down a bit are the taping, and waiting for paint to dry, but we'll see.

Last night I picked up my car from the shop. It actually drives noticeably better then it did when I dropped it off, though it is still doing that weird noise thing from the back tires sometimes when I first start driving.

I heard back about the job I applied for up at the central business office. I wasn't qualified for it, based on their experience requirement. However they had an other (lower level) job that they wanted to get me into which would have been fine just to get my foot in the door. Unfortunately it wouldn't have fulfilled the experience requirement for the CPA, and while I'm willing to make a lateral move, it needs to either pay me significantly more, or it needs to give me that experience.

There is a job at another hospital in the system in the finance department that would in theory both pay more and offer the experience I need. I've already submitted my resume for that.

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1. How often do you listen to music?

Almost constantly.

2. Do you ever listen to the radio? What is your favorite station?

I generally listen to NPR news radio, NPR's local music station, and the local classic rock station.

3. How do you find new songs, albums, or artists to listen to?

Generally it'll be something that Tigs will turn me onto.

4. When was the last time you bought a CD? A digital music file?

I think the last time I bought a CD was when Tigs and I were scouting places to live in MD. I think it was a comedy CD… And I've never bought a digital music file.

5. Do you think any of the technologies and distribution methods mentioned above will still be around in ten years? Why or why not?

Yes. People have spent a lot of money of the technology, and while there will be new stuff, the stuff from today will still be around.

I am posting this from the new house, where we now have internet access, and the rooms are looking fuller as we shuttle boxes of stuff that can fit in our cars (rather then in the truck we're getting tomorrow).

In fun car news, my check engine light came on and I brought it into the shop this morning. It's going to cost about $1600 once all is said and done. However they have to order parts, so we'll get that all taken care of on Wednesday-Thursday.

In less depressing news all seasons of Star Trek are selling for $35 each. (Sorry silentrequiem, but I had to) Seasons 1 & 2 of Enterprise will be shipped out to me shortly.

Happy Birthday ywingempress!!

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What a weekend! First off there was Ground Zero Games East Coast Convention up in Lancaster, just about 10 minutes from where my aunt lives. One of the big things that I was most interested in was a Full Thrust (starship combat) tournament.

At the same time there was the Dungeons and Dragons Experience (where D&D4e is being previewed) down in Richmond. D&D 4th Edition!! And from the little I've managed to read about it (Wizards has been keeping it really under wraps) I'm actually getting excited about it. It seems to address a number of core issues that D&D has always suffered from. When the Players Handbook is released I may just have to pick it up.

It would have been nice to go to either. My cousin Cory and I are making plans to go to GZG ECC next year though!

Friday night after work was an agility practice at the building. We've been working on jumps and weave poles. We're working on jumps because Lucy jumps kind of flat, and tends to knock the bar with her back legs. This is due to a combination of factors. She's a little lazy and doesn't care if she knocks down the bars (more noise & action!), and she isn't as aware of her hind end as she should be. And she should be very aware, given the amount of farting she does.

Saturday morning was tracking for Tigs and Lucy, while I wrapped up all the stuff I sold on e-bay and went to the post office, and then went to work to pull some overtime. Then once we regrouped at the townhouse we headed off to Frederick for the first time in months. First stop was Brainstorm Comics. I picked up our box, flipped through the last 4 or 5 issues of White Dwarf (of which I only decided to buy one) checked out some of the preview D&D4e stuff. Then we headed down to Two Paws Up where we picked up a 6' leash for rally along with more poop bags and some more dog food. From there we walked over to Ten Thousand Joys where we picked up some incense and a candle designed to cleanse and renew, which we plan to burn in the new house. Something about a nasty divorce that kinda needs to be burned away.

We then continued on to The Trail House. Tigs got another pair of the socks that she has fallen in love with. Out front of the store was a troop of Girl Scouts selling cookies. $7 for 2 boxes of cookies was enough to get by them unscathed. We then headed back up Market street passing by the pizza shop that has some of the best pizza I've ever had. They're a pizza and pretzel shop, which may seem like an odd combination, but let me tell you that when pretzel dough is used for pizzas it's wonderful! Delicious! And it was impossible not to get a small pizza to share. Lucy didn't get any. We then walked back toward 2 Paws Up (because that's where we were parked) and stopped back in. I've mentioned before that Frederick does a first Saturday event every month. This month was "around the world in 15 blocks." 2 Paws Up was celebrating Italy, and so had wine, cheese & crackers, grapes, and puff pastry. We sampled and then headed home.

Sunday there was a rally show n' go down in Beltsville, which started around 10, and went for several hours. Novice dogs were last, so we got to hang out till around 2. Luckily a number of our friends from our dog club were also there, and I got some reading in during all that waiting. On the other side, the judge for the show n' go was rude to just about everyone from our club. The judge said that Lucy was too slow.
...
What?!?!

Monday morning… I was about 7 or 8 minutes away from work when I got a call on my cell phone from Tigs. Her check engine light had started flashing, and the car started running extremely rough. She pulled over and shut off the car. I arrived about 30 minutes later, and we called AAA for a tow to the (new) local Kia dealership. We then walked next door to Enterprise to secure some transportation for Tigs. They gave her a Ford Edge. For those unfamiliar with this model, it is a massive SUV designed to carry a couple head of cattle from the field to the vets a single rich person short distances on paved roads with no concern about gas mileage. That evening she swapped it out for a Jetta.

The car itself broke because one of the coil packs (the thing that makes the spark plugs fire in the proper pattern) failed. Thankfully the car is still completely covered under warranty, and this is a relatively simple replacement. So they ordered the part with overnight delivery. Unfortunately it turns out that the part is on back order. It would have been nice if when the order was placed that the warehouse let the dealership know that!! So now the Kia regional manager is involved, and it's going to be at least 1 more day before it gets fixed.

Monday night brought rally class, which Lucy felt was not nearly interesting or fast enough. Then agility class in which she did very well, though she still needs to work on jumps. There was even a minimum of herding activity (nipping)!

Tonight… well, we were going to go get the car, but clearly that isn't happening.

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Gary Gygax, the father of role playing games has ended his adventure on this plane of existence. A sad day for geeks everywhere. Next time you roll a d20, think of him.

This morning we were up pre-dawn to get tigergladys and Lucy off to tracking. Then I followed out the door a little while later to go get my car serviced. The fuel injection system needed a cleaning, or so has been said to me a couple of times, by a couple of different places. I was the 3rd car in line (you make an appointment for the day, but it's first come first serve), and waited from about 7:50 till 8:30 before they opened up. Totally worth it to get there early. I told them what I was here for, and then sat in the waiting room. I am continually amazed at just how crappy most TV is. They've got this big screen, and it was playing one of those morning shows. Then, after the morning show, it changed to a game show with local high school kids from 3 different schools. Oh so bad. All of it. Bad bad bad. I'm so glad we don't have cable TV!

After that I cam home and wrapped the things for paperbackswap and swapaCD and the econ text book that I sold on half.com, and then went to the post office and the gas station. Then home again.

This afternoon we had an appointment to go see the house again. 2nd viewing!! Still looks good. raven296 and her husband came to see it too, and I think the realtor thought we were even weirder because of that. I feel even worse for the guy still living there. However the house looks good. We figured out where the attic access is, and checked that out. There isn't any insulation on the roof itself, so that'll be something to work on for next winter. We also spent a lot of time in the basement looking for any water that may have come in from all the rain we've gotten the last couple of days.

We didn't find any!!

Now, just need to get some cash for the earnest payment to go with our offer.

It's now 6pm, and aside from a little more reading and dishes, I don't really have anything to do tonight!

Because memes are more interesting then writing (yet again) how I‘m still taking accounting, and how there is still a ton of homework for it.
Stolen from tritoochietops ( Book meme )

( Five on Friday )

For the second time this year I have a flat tire. Nothing so dramatic as the last time but still annoying. The day started out with me planning on stopping at D&D for coffee. It's been a long week, and I felt like a treat. As I was leaving for work I noticed the car was driving funny, so I pulled into the plaza right across from our neighborhood, and found the rear right tire was flat. I called Tigs, I called work, and then I called AAA. The wait time was 90 minutes for someone to get to my location!

Wait, what?!? 90 Minutes?? I couldn't even count the number of garages I could walk to in 90 minutes from my house. Are none of them with AAA?

tigergladys came to visit about this point on her way to work. Having done this before she showed me what to do, and kissed me for luck. So I moved the car to a flat spot in the parking lot, and pulled out the owners manual. I read the section on changing a tire (as I'd never done it before), took out my donut and the other tools and got to it. Getting the lug nuts loose took some work (aka me jumping on the wrench), but once I did the process went fairly quickly. I got the donut on and was ready to go. However I was still without coffee, and my hands were black with grime and grease. D&D was just around the corner. I stopped, washed my hands a bunch, and then got a large coffee and a sausage egg and cheese bagel sandwich. I made it to work only an hour late!

In calling around to the various garages in the area, getting all 4 tires replaced (they’re due) and getting the car aligned is going to cost me around $300. This on top of the registration and book costs for my next set of classes, and having just renewed our car insurance. And here I wanted to spend some money on some fun stuff. Or you know, pay off some debt, or save it for a down payment on a house. Oh well.

Bibelot was the word of the day according to google. Its one I’d not heard before. Turns out it means trinket, curiosity, small decorative object without practical utility. Aka dust collector.

I took Friday off of work to bring the cars into the garage. A fun way to spend the day hua? On top of all that excitement, I brought my accounting homework with me to work on while I wait. It does not get any better then that ladies and gents! It went faster then I expected, and without any problems! Hallelujah!! Plus I mostly finished that chapters homework there.

I gave blood on Wednesday. It was an interesting experience this time. I’ve apparently developed a bit of scar tissue in my right arm from consistently giving from that side. Did you know that trying to stick a big needle through scar tissue hurts? I didn’t. There I was, waiting for the slight pinch, watching the Cosby show, when there was this piercing pain in my arm. It took quite a bit of self control to keep from moving my arm. The vampire tried again very briefly before we both decided it’d be easier to switch arms. So now I look like a junkie, although there isn’t much bruising this time.

In gaming news I picked up a game called Galactic Civilization from target for real cheap. It’s a PC game, similar to Civilization (although from a different maker) with an interesting morality aspect to it. I’ve only played a little bit of it, mostly just enough to make sure the disk worked, but it seems pretty cool. All these great games and no time to play them. Maybe I’ll get some time this fall. I may end up only taking one class, depending on how the schedule at ODTC works out.

1. What’s overdue for a good cleaning? Swar. Yesterday Tigs did a spot cleaning of both cars, but Swar really needs a good deep down cleaning.
2. What’s overdue for some kind of professional examination, service, maintenance, or upkeep? My teeth, and again Swar.
3. Who’s overdue for a phone call or letter to you? Eric
4. What’s overdue for an appearance in your neighborhood? A good rain. There have been several storms that have moved through the area, but the west side of Baltimore seems to keep missing it.
5. Who’s overdue for a good comeuppance? Bush

I got the car back on Saturday, and it only cost me $20 for my free oil change. But now I have a new oil plug. Isn’t that great? In other car news gas has topped $3/gallon. As an environmentalist I would like to see $5/gallon gas. As a consumer it hurts.

I finished painting two more of the Last Chancers this weekend, and am so close to finishing the last one. I also spent a fair amount of time cleaning up minis. Mostly this means getting rid of mold lines. The next group of minis I want to paint are some D&D Elementals. They were part of the mini set that was released just before the short lived Chainmail game that preceded the pre-painted plastic minis. I figure that I’ll be able to test out some different techniques. I have an elemental for each of the 4 basic elements (earth, air, fire, water). I’m not sure what color to paint the air elemental. It’s a whirlwind, so it probably has a lot of dust and dirt in it… so maybe like a tornado? The water elemental is going to need some greenstuff to smooth out a fairly significant miscast. It looks like the mold didn’t line up during casting, so there is a 1mm shift in the middle of the wave. It’ll be easy to fix though.

( Elementals! )

The one that I’m not really sure about is the earth elemental. I mean, how do you paint something to look like rock and dirt and make it look interesting? I was thinking about maybe putting gems or crystals in it, or maybe having grass growing on it. Any ideas? The fire elemental is going to be fun though! Lots of reds oranges and yellows!

Balticon starts in 4 days and still no schedule. No list of guests. Nothing. *Sigh* Can you say frustrating? I wonder if there will be a panel about solar energy from space. You know, like this!

The fish are doing well. We’ve been holding at 6 neon tetras and a small algae eater named Waldo. He’s the only one with a name, and he got it because every time we look at the tank we do a fish count and end up spending a lot of time finding him. The tetras are all doing well, but the algae eater is getting FAT! We’ve been thinking about getting a second one, because it’s fairly obvious that this one has too much to eat!

( Fishes! )

I can’t name it exactly, but I really enjoy having the fish tank in the living room. It’s definitely added something to the room. Rather like in The Sims actually…

Today after work I’m going to the post office. Due to the agility trial we volunteered at on Saturday I didn’t get to mail off our most recent paperbackswap requests or the lamp I sold on e-bay. Actually the guy who won the lamp (even before he bid) has been a bit of an ass hole about the whole transaction. His communications have been very terse and demanding. Spiteful even. He started with:

Quick question what is the basis for charging $30 to ship something that will not even cost $10 with the insurance included. I'm debating not bidding because of your insane price for shipping.

Tigs handled that one by pointing out the fact that the USPS had just increased all their rates, and that it was a large and heavy package. When he won (damn it), and sent payment he included a note that said

I will provide appropriate feedback after receiving [sic] the item to verify condition and shipping cost.

Then on Sunday he e-mailed me again. Now I had said in the listing that I would mail the item on the Saturday following the receipt of the payment. This is what he sent

Since payment was sent 1 minute after the auction ended on FRIDAY can I assume that you mailed this on Saturday as stated in the description? If so were [sic] is the tracking information that was promised also in your description?

I wanted to reply with “Life got in the way, other things are more important to me then you, it’ll be mailed on Monday. PS Bite me.” I actually sent him something far nicer. I have the feeling that at best he is going to give me neutral feedback. We'll see.

Edited to add
Box mailed. I look forward to seeing what feedback he gives.

1. What are your favorite kinds of flowers? I've always thought lilies were really pretty.

2. Do you have any cut flowers in your home or office right now? What kinds? Some various wildflowers that aren't doing so well at this point that we got in Frederick .

3. Are you growing/planting any live flowers inside or outside your home? What kinds and where? We got a tiny little violet for free at another Frederick event, and I got some sort of flower for secretaries day. There are also a bunch of really hardy plants in the dining room that are able to survive when we forget to water them for a month.

4. Which flowers do you associate with specific people, places, or events? Lilacs remind me of Mum.

5. When was the last time you were given flowers as a gift? Secretaries day.

1. At this moment, how many rolls of toilet paper are there in your house? 5 or 6?

2. At this moment, how many working flashlights are there in your house? 2

3. Do you know where some candles and matches are? No matches, but a lighter.

4. If the power were to go out right now, how long could you probably get by on the food in your house? Presuming we can still use the gas stove, two weeks, maybe more. It would be a lousy diet though.

5. It's someone's birthday, and you've GOT to come up with something to give him or her RIGHT NOW! What have you got? Books. Lots and lots of books!

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I am always boggled about which of my posts gets comments. I was POSITIVE that my last entry about videogames wouldn't get any! I thought it was navel gazing at it's best, and yet, 3 threads, totalling 11 comments. Crazy.

After work I'm taking the car in to get an oil change. I'm past due. I also need to get the fuel injectors cleaned, but that can still wait a bit. I'm kinda looking forward to it, as Green Mars (the book I'm currently reading) is picking up the pace a little bit and an extra hour reading time is welcome. Maybe I shouldn't have picked a 600+ page book to be the one I only read at lunch. Of course only reading at lunch hasn't been intentional; it's just been rather busy.

Tigs and I have another busy weekend ahead. Saturday we are volunteering for an agility trial down in Millersville, and Sunday we are volunteering at an obedience show n go at the club. Funny thing; we're doing all this volunteering because we want to be club members. The way to become a club member is to volunteer at 2 events over the course of 6 months. If you've been paying any attention at all you'll realize that Tigs and I have done far more then our required 2 events, but our 6 months isn't up yet. (It will be up in June. Argh! So close!) There are some summer classes we want to sign up Lucy for, but depending on whether we get our member discount or not will impact our decision about what to sign up for. And we feel bad about asking, cause we both feel like we ask questions to the point of being annoying. We've been looking at the club members we know and thinking to ourselves "how many questions have we asked this person?" (The answer is always "Too Many.")

I really wish they would post a list of the guests coming to Balticon. I want to know what books to bring! There is usually a Star Trek author or two that shows up and I probably have at least one of their books! I did pick up a nice little hardcover copy of Ringworld for Larry Niven to sign from the hospital's thrift shop.
There is also the fact that we need to look at the schedule to figure out our MacGyvered puppy parenting plans for the weekend, since we couldn't find a puppy daycare who would take Lucy. (Less because of Lucy and her impossible personality and more because the only one we found that was open on the weekends was already full.)

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Back from the garage. Minus a car. It turns out that my oil plug was stripped, and they need to replace it. However pepboys didn't have any, and Kia was closed by the time they called. So tomorrow they are going to hunt one down, and then I should get my car back. *sigh* I just wanted a simple oil change...

1. At your next birthday celebration you can have any flavor, shape, size, and style of cake you want. What do you choose? (bonus: post a photo or link to a photo of your ideal birthday cake)
Maybe something that looks like this:


2. For friends and loved ones: do you buy a birthday cake or bake one for them?
If it’s something I can make, I’ll definitely go that route.

3. Do you prefer sumptuous flavor or incredible decorations?
I prefer flavor.

4. What interesting cake, frosting, and filling combination would you most love to try?
I guess a peanut butter fudge cake, with a really light frosting, or maybe no frosting at all, and instead a scoop of french vanilla ice cream to go with it.

5. Tell us about a school subject or hobby that is a "cake walk" for you.
Most of school was pretty easy for me…

Wednesday night when I was driving home along the Northern Parkway I drove over a broken piece of cement which ripped a hole in my front passenger side wheel. I pulled off into a gas station to take a look at my now very flat tire. I then pulled out the cell phone to call AAA, when I realized I don’t have my wallet on me. So I called Tigs and asked her to find my wallet and bring it to me. This was made more then necessarily difficult because I didn’t know where to tell her to look for it. In the end it was found on the chair I had put my pants on the night before. It must have fallen out. So then I gave her the directions on how to get to where I am, except I gave them to her wrong, so she got a lot a little lost trying to get to me. Eventually she made it, and I decided to limp the car one lot over to the Mr. Tire that was next to the gas station. I did, and they put on the donut for me, but couldn't put on a new tire for me till Thursday. Fine, Tigs followed me home, and I went back the next day, and they put on a new tire for me. $65, plus all the time it took on Wednesday and Thursday to do it. Fun hua? And what timing… stupid cars…

This weekend is going to contain one of my favorite activities, and one that we had to give up due to the fun winter weather. Admittedly it hasn’t really been that bad a winter, but it’s been unpleasant enough to keep us from going out on hikes with Lucy! Not this weekend though! A high in the 50’s tomorrow, mostly sunny… perfect! Sure it’ll be muddy, but Lucy loves muddy hikes, and it’s such fun to watch her enjoy herself and the satisfied look she has at the end make any cleanup totally worth it.

Coming up we have a prescheduled hike we’re doing. It’s to raise money for the SPCA. There are prizes given out for the most donations that are given by both teams and individual entrants. While I don’t expect to place in any of those categories, I would like to be able to say we did it for something. We’ve already received some pledges but we are slightly short of our goal. Unlike NPR I promise I won’t hold your programming hostage until you give us money. I don’t think you care about my posts that much honestly. Instead I’m merely going to ask, if you can, please donate. Thank you. (It's in tigergladys' name since the car had to be in mine. Compromise. :) )

http://marchfortheanimals.kintera.org/voconnell

In the list of things I never thought I would blog about, Brittany Spears would have probably been in the top 10. Well, today I cross that one off the list. When I heard about he antics with Paris Hilton, I shrugged it off. When I read about her divorce from K-Fed, I figured it was about time. Yet when I saw the picture of her shaved head, and read about her new tattoo, I thought “how sad” and today she is checking into rehab. Child star, pop idol, and now… the butt of the tabloids. tigergladys and I were talking about it, and we decided that besides rehab, Ms. Spears really needs a mentor. She needs someone who has been there and done that, and come out the other side stronger then before. We figure either Cher or Madonna would be the ones to do it. In favor of Madonna is the fact that they’ve already… been acquainted. Either way, just leave her alone for a bit to get herself grounded.

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There has been some car news today. In spite of it being a week now since we sent in the paperwork, we have yet to receive our check from the bank, and the dealership has been calling. The bank is supposed to send the check overnight… Of course when I call the bank, and the dealership, I get voice mail. Now, the big reason we haven’t gotten the check is two-fold. First there was the big storm that hit last week, and delayed everything. Second was the fact that Monday was a holiday.

**UPDATE** I finally got through at the bank, and the check was sent out yesterday. According to Fedex it was delivered this afternoon, and so with luck we will be dropping that off tonight. Fun fun… Must remember to get the oil change coupon from the dealership too…

**UPDATE II** The fedex envelope was here when I got home, and Tigs, Lucymonster and I went to drop off the check. So now, officially, the car is tigergladys, and no longer on extended loan from the dealership. Oh, and Lucymonster pooped in the back seat, after we bought her a snazzy new harness from the organic dog food store just up the street from the dealership. Oh, and they gave us 2 free oil changes for the annoyance of having the multiple phone calls at work.

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Did anyone else notice that it’s gotten warm again? I was so thrilled yesterday, and even more so this morning when I left the house, and only had on my jacket. No sweatshirt, no sweater, no gloves or hat… And the jacket was mostly just because! I feel a little bad for my big winter trench coat. It never got cold enough for it to come out. I’m gonna have to get some leather lotion for it. I don’t want it getting all crappy from disuse. On the other hand, I drove home with the window down!

Cor blimey, I taste like Tea. I am a subtle flavour, quiet and polite, gentle, almost ambient. My presence in crowds will often go unnoticed. Best not to spill me on your clothes though, I can leave a nasty stain. What Flavour Are You?

So, Bank of America came through and got us a loan. *Thumbs up And last weekend we went and got a Kia Rio. Not the happiest choice, but as with much in life it ended up being an economic decision. Of course there are various repercussions because of that choice. For instance our car insurance is going up. We are currently looking around (once again) for better rates. Due to state law we have to get more coverage for a new car then we do for one that’s 17 years old.

I wish I had more to write about, but honestly the car thing has really sucked up most of my attention and energy. I’m hoping to get a little painting in at some point soon, and this weekend we are all going up to Lancaster to show off the new car and visit my Aunt Kim. I owe my cousins a game of Lord of the Rings too, and they want to play the Amon Hen scenario. Tigs is going to take Lucy to see someone she met on the internet through Dogster at the Manheim Township Dog Park.

As much as I don’t really want to address it, I have to. The New Englander in me forces it. You friggin Mid Atlantic wusses! Come on! I can see why things were closed yesterday. Nobody wants to be on the road when the snow and ice are pouring down from above. Fine! But what’s your excuse today? The roads are fine, there isn’t any more precipitation in the forecast… sure it’s kinda cold… but is that all you’ve got? And while we’re on it, why the hell did it take you so long to get the roads clear in the first place? The storm started Tuesday evening. By Wednesday morning the highways should have been cleared at least, and the primary routes too! Cleared and salted. Doesn’t matter if the storm is still going… There is no excuse for such poor showing on your part!

Ok, I feel better now.

Oh, a cool thing that Tigs and I have been doing the last couple of days is paperback swap! You know those books you buy, read, and then they sit on your shelf, collecting dust, knowing you’ll never read them again? It turns out you can take those books, and send them to someone who wants them, and then find a book you like, and someone else will send them to you! For free!! The only money involved is the $1.59 that you pay to the post office to send the books that you are sending out. Between us we listed over a hundred books, and have at last count 11 that will be mailed on Saturday! The really amazing thing though? It has to be the books people want from us! For instance, I have a book called Freezer burn, a fun little joke book of oxymorons that was funny once. This was the first book that got requested from us.

We were denied preapproval for an auto loan. Mind you, this was not due to poor credit, but rather to the fact that we are considered new to the area. This doesn’t mean we’ll be denied a loan, just that we have to bring them 2 pay stubs and an offer from the dealership before they’ll give it to us. So onto plans B (other bank), C (online), & D (dealership).
Doing payroll (my main job function) gives me a fascinating view into peoples psychology. There are the people that wouldn’t really notice if you took $10 out of their paycheck every 2 weeks, and then there are the people who will quibble if the computer assigns them their lunch break at a time that they didn’t actually take it. Some people get very very anal about it. On one hand it’s frustrating because there is only so much I can modify within the computer, and on the other hand, I want someone who is completely anal about things to be the one taking care of me in a situation that requires me to be cut open.

Speaking of being cut open, last night I managed to slice into my thumb with an x-acto knife while I was finishing up sculpting a new head for an ogre from the old chainmail game. Somewhere along the line I managed to lose it’s head, and it’s been sitting, decapitated in my mini case for years. I decided to do something about it. Honestly, I’m kinda glad I lost the head, cause it was pretty ugly, not that what I sculpted is anywhere near attractive! I mean, it is an ogre! Actually I went more for troll, and in the end it came out looking more like a gorilla/Neanderthal. Well, I’ll let you decide what it looks like.





Poll #918213 What does this look like to you?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What does this look like to you?

( I've also sculpted a hamster.  )

( And I converted this guy to hold a flamer. )

To start this entry off, I offer you this public service announcement. It is in fact the end of January. The cold weather should no longer be shocking. Furthermore, it’s not even that cold out. I have not even unpacked my winter coat in preparation of colder weather, you Mid-Atlantic wusses. Also, flurries do not constitute a weather emergency. There is no need to stock up on water and batteries if a few flakes fall from the sky. Driving like crazy people doesn’t help either. If it bothers you that much go home, or go south.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way, I would like to point you over to rodenthoarde for some pictures of Lucy making friends at the AKC agility competition this past weekend.

Still waiting to hear about the loan. We should have heard yesterday, but they had to do something or other, which delayed them getting back to us. Theoretically we should hear something today/tonight. It’ll be nice finally getting an answer, rather then just sitting here waiting. Until we find out exactly how much money we’re dealing with there really isn’t anything more we can do. Frustrating to say the least. I keep checking to make sure I have the cell phone on me, and that the volume is up. Please call, and please have good news!

Tonight is puppy basic obedience class. Prior to that will be some cleaning, and taking Lucy for a long walk. I’ll also be getting the ingredients for a stew ready to toss into the crock pot tomorrow morning before work.

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Now, because I have little else to write about offer you these reviews.

Story of the Weeping Camel
The filmmaker so lucked out on this one. It looks like he was doing what might otherwise be a rather dry documentary about a Mongolian ranching family, but when the camels give birth and one of them delivers a white camel and then refuses to accept it, you have the makings of cinema gold! Check this one out!

Grey Gardens
Every family has its share of crazies. When it’s the Kennedy family, and the crazies are/were themselves rather famous in their own right, it becomes fascinating viewing. Also depressing. I wasn’t really sure what to make of this one. I felt sad for them, and while I understand the voyeuristic desire to see into their lives, I don’t know if much was accomplished here.

Dark Days
Homeless people living in the tunnels beneath New York City. They have homes, electricity, pets, hot food… it’s not what you would expect, and makes for fascinating viewing.

Ushpizin
I don’t think I can sum this up any better then Netflix, so here’s their description.
“A downtrodden couple finds hope and good fortune -- amid unexpected houseguests -- in this humorous take on religious Jews living in a modern world. Moshe (Shuli Rand) and his wife are given a sum to help prepare for the holy holiday of Succoth and end up hosting two unannounced guests (rather, escaped prisoners). The couple must deal with their boorish visitors, who reveal Moshe's not-so-holy past, while upholding their faith.”
I really enjoyed this film, even though I felt like I was missing out on a fair amount of some of the “in jokes” that are culturally based. And it’s very helpful to know that $1US = approximately 4.5 Israeli Shekels.

49 Up
Imagine if 42 years ago you filmed a group of 7-year-old children from London, and then revisited them every 7 years. This is the most recent installment of the series, and it does a good job of catching you up from the beginning, which means that you don’t have to watch the whole series to watch this one. It really is intriguing seeing how much changes in 7 years and it makes you think “what was I like 7 years ago?” The answers for this group is certainly worth watching.

Written on Friday

1. What inspires you?

All sorts of things, from the colors I see at dawn and twilight, to random swirls in plaster on the walls, a song I half hear. Most of the time though, other people's work inspires me and helps to mold the direction I go in.

2. What blocks your creativity?

Lack of sleep, lack of direction.

3. Do you do anything special to get your creative juices flowing?

I usually do something rather mindless, like chores, or go for a walk. Generally something unrelated to whatever it is I’m trying to work on.

4. What time of day do you feel most inspired?

It varies a lot!

5. How do you like to express your creative energy?

Mostly through my painting of minis and building terrain. I’m working on sculpting and also playing piano. Neither of those are at the stage where a whole lot of creativity is taking place though.

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Tonight we are off to the bank to see about a loan. We both wish it were for a mortgage. Tomorrow the car goes to the dealer for a second opinion. Once we have that, then we make our decision.

Also tonight the auction for Amon Hen ends. I must admit, I thought it would be higher by now. Then again, I haven’t been able to check it since last night, so who knows where it’s at right now. I hope it sells for something approximating it’s actual value, which for me is at least $20… considering the effort that I put into it, I feel that I should get at least that much! More would of course be better.

I wish I had more to write about, but at the moment I really don’t. I finished another book last night, and have yet to post about any of the ones I’ve finished this year. Figures too, seeing as I’m ahead of schedule. I’ve actually finsihed… 5 books so far, and I’m about to finish another, and halve already started book 7 for the year. It’s a pretty good start for me! Better then ending January behind my goal.

In some ways I can’t believe it’s already Friday, already the end of January. Time marches inexorably onward. Sometimes I feel like a little piece of flotsam just caught up in it. (Lucy eats flotsam.)

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Written today

It sold for $15.50. Not bad, but I was hoping it would be closer to double that. Ah well. My other auctions are doing better then I expected, so I guess that helps make up for it. I hope the winner really enjoys it though.

The car is currently at the shop, I'm off to the post office, and then to take Lucymonster to the park. Keep your fingers crossed for us! We'd like some good news from the bank or the dealership.

A big thank you to Tigs, without whom my posts would be a mess of miss-used grammar.

From Thursday:
Subtitle: I am a giant dork when it comes to food, and I will probably never be a food writer.

Last night I did a fair amount of cooking. I put a potato and bean soup in the crock pot in the morning, and when I got home I fried up some onions to toss into it. I chopped up the onion, and put it in the frying pan. Then I returned to the fridge and thought, “Well, I might as well toss in some garlic too!” and looking into the fridge I noticed some mushrooms from a little while back. “Those are going to go bad if I don’t use them up.” So I grabbed the mushrooms and the garlic, chopped them up and tossed them in the frying pan. Then I thought to myself “I can have the soup, but what will Tigs eat for dinner?” You see, Tigs doesn’t eat soup, potatoes, or beans (unless it’s in good chili) because they are gross. Also she had a terrible migraine. So I looked in the freezer (there was't much else in the fridge) and pulled out a bag of Quorn chicken bits. I nuked them to defrost them, and then tossed them in the frying pan as well, and put on a pot of rice. It ended up being a very yummy dinner. I thought a lot while making this, as you can tell. I ended up adding a couple of tomatoes to the soup, along with a seasoning packet that came with the beans, salt, pepper, and basil. After I finished my rice dish I then had a bowl of soup. It was good too! I ended up filling the 3 remaining Pyrex bowls with all that I made, and put the biggest one in the freezer. I still have some chili in the fridge too!

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From Today:

Saturday Tigs and I took the Toyota Camry in for its safety inspection so we can officially register it here in MD. Seeing as it had been inspected not all that long ago when it was registered in North Carolina, and was inspected again back in August, and had new tires put on it 2 months ago, we felt reasonably sure that it would pass or only have a small amount of work to be done. Nothing more then $500 or so. However, when we got the call saying that there were over $2,000 worth of repairs, we were to say the least, shocked. According to the place we took the car to the damage is as follows:

The outer CV boots are split with no grease ($710)
All 4 wheel bearings are loose and need to be replaced ($478)
All 4 struts are bottoming out and need to be replaced ($993)

Oh plus new wiper blades. *rolls eyes*

Mind you the car, being 17 years old, is worth maybe $900.

We were not yet panicking, as the car still seemed to be driving fine, so we picked up the car and went home. We have until the 16th of February before the temporary registration expires to make a decision. Unfortunately, just going without the car is at this point is not an option. While there is some public transportation in Baltimore none of it goes where we need to go. The route to Tigs’ workplace was discontinued in December. The route to mine would be somewhere around 4-5 hours round trip every day, and would be more expensive than gas. (Also, we just renewed the insurance to the tune of $1300 last week.)

So, what are we going to do? First, we’ve scheduled an appointment with the Toyota dealership to take a look at the car. Somehow I doubt that this level of damage occurred in the last couple of months. If there is that much damage, then we are looking at replacing the car, using this one as a trade in before the temporary registration runs out. The most likely replacement will be a used Camry, Civic, or Accord. (Tigs wants a Camry, you've got to admit that 17 years is pretty good advertising.) Right now we are researching online, and tonight we plan to visit a dealership. On Thursday when we deposit our paychecks we’ll be talking to the bank about financing through them.

If only we could hold out another month or two, financially it would be a lot better. We’d have a lot more cash available for a down payment.

The thing about it is we aren’t panicking. (Tigs is panicking.) There isn’t a need to, amazingly enough. (Because she has bad credit and no money and she has to be the one to get the loan.) We are finally at the cusp of being financially secure, and while this is a pain, it’s not going to break us. (Although we may not eat for several months.)

Comments in parenthesis were written by tigergladys.

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I sorted through more of the miniatures that I have all boxed up, and picked out which ones I actually want to do something with, and which ones I don’t. For instance, back when I was at Sarge’s, a company called Foundry wanted us to carry their stuff, so they sent us a box of some random minis. Vikings, witch doctors, chicks with guns, elves… random. Those can now be found on e-bay. On the other hand there were a couple of Mordheim minis that I’m looking forward to painting. At the moment there is a warlock that is high up there on my want-to-paint list. I’m going to hold off on painting anything I really want to keep, and see if I can clear through some of the massive backlog of minis I just want to paint and then sell.

Sometimes it’s nice to have all the variety I could want, but sometimes it’s just overwhelming. It is especially overwhelming when it is hard to fit in the closet.

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Sometimes Star Trek makes me sad. Other times... no, wait, still sad. What is it with these people?? Trek is supposed to be about a bright future for mankind. Yet they aren't giving me anything to be hopeful about now...

I'm gonna go practice the keyboard now.

Ah e-bay! I am currently watching an auction for a Lord of the Rings rule book which doesn't end till Sunday afternoon, hoping that it doesn't go over my limit. So far it's still at a buck. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The last one went for less then my budget, so I'm hopeful this one will as well. Plus this auction comes with a little bonus rule book, which I can turn around and sell to recoup some of the cost! Keeping my fingers crossed.

Tuesday night I took Swar in for his emissions test, and he passed. The event itself was rather anti-climactic, which all things considered is a good thing. Now I just owe Swar a carwash. I made a deal with him that if the check engine light wasn't anything big, and that if he passed the test I would take him for a car wash from one of those nice automated places. He deserves it, considering all I've put him through. I mean I've had him since March of '03, and already he has over 100,000 miles on him. Plus there was the tire thing, and all the crap I've put into it, and I dragged it behind the moving truck… He deserves it!! I should probably clean out the back seat, under the seats, and vacuum him out too.

The pirate coats haven't seen too much work lately. I don't think they will be completed by Halloween. I've only finished the trim on the pockets, and have all the trim to do on the jacket itself, plus the buttons. And while we've picked up a button home maker for the sewing machine, we have no idea how it works. Either way, it'll be done for Balticon, unless we turn into total slackers and just stuff what there is of it into a bag and forget about it. I don't wanna be a total slacker. I want the coats finished!!

Last night I spent about an hour and a half cleaning around the house. I did all the dishes, swiffered the kitchen floor, washed the bathroom counter and sinks, scrubbed the toilet, packed up all the recycling, and picked up all the bits of cardboard that Lucy has chewed up and left all over the floor.

Patrick Stewart is a dirty old man!

Stolen at phaser-point from silentrequiem:
Once tagged by this entry, the assignment is to write a blog entry of some kind with six random facts about yourself. Then, pick six of your friends and tag them; no tag backs. This explanation should be included.

• Whenever I take a tissue out of a box I have to refold it before I'll use it.


• I read 2-3 books at a time.


• I don't have my own cell phone.


• I look forward to having my own house that I can add things like solar


• panels to it.


• I can eat the same thing for weeks on end and not get (too) bored of it.


• I'm more domestic then most of the people I know.

Five on Friday
1. As a frame of reference, what is your religious affiliation?
None

2. Do you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Yule, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, or any other holidays in late December?
Yes!

3. Do you send greeting cards related to those holidays? If so, what kinds of imagery and prose do you tend to use?
Lately, hamsters in holiday settings

4. Would you send just one style of card to everyone or would you tailor your cards to each person?
Given infinite time and money each card would be painstakingly handmade, individual to each recipient. Given that I am not independently wealthy there is generally a personal message included.

5. What kind of card makes puts you in the holiday spirit when you receive it? Is there any kind that can make that spirit fizzle?
Getting cards makes my season! I suppose one dipped in pee would probably make the spirit fizzle.

So it turns out that the state of Maryland isn’t quite as benevolent as I had thought. When I moved down here and registered my car, just a little while ago, I thought I was done, at least for a year! But low and behold I get a little postcard in the mail telling me that I must now have an emissions test. Getting this I thought to myself “Well, I just had a full safety inspection, surely that must have been included!” Everything I’ve found so far tells me no, that’s not true. Of course I’m having trouble confirming that, as I can’t seem to get though to anyone at the MVA (that’s DMV for all you out of staters), Of course, now that I’ve tried a second time I get a recording that says they are closed for the holiday.

You didn’t know it was a holiday? Turns out some guy discovered a route to the orient via the Atlantic Ocean or something like that. Some Amerigo Vespucci if I recall correctly. I didn’t get today off, so it couldn’t have been that big a deal!

So going in to get an emissions test wouldn’t be a big deal, except for one small, annoying little problem. My car’s check engine light is on! The check engine light has almost always been on! Swar’s electrical system has a nasty tendency to kill little unimportant sensors. Mostly these sensors don’t do much of anything, except turn on the check engine light, so I ignore them. However, the car won’t pass with the light on which means I need to turn the light off. There are two ways to do this: one is to fix the car, and replace whatever sensor is burnt out this time. The other is to figure out which fuse controls the check engine light, and remove it. If the light doesn't go off after the oil change, I'll be removing the fuse for the test with the help of a forum dedicated to Kia’s that has a section for the Rio. We'll see how it goes.

We are home, the new car is unpacked, the puppy has been put to bed (though she doesn't seem too interested in sleep at the moment), and I'm about to go take a shower. Hope you all had a great weekend, and I'll be catching up on the Internet later.

Night!

I registered the car in Maryland finally. That was more expensive then I thought it was going to be... yay more hidden costs. I was expecting, judging by what the web site said, that the cost would be in the neighbourhood of $120. It ended up costing $291. Once this fleecing was completed I went home and tried to remove my Connecticut licence plates. I got the front one off with no problem, but the back screws were so rusted that I could barely get the left one to turn a full rotation, and the right one wouldn't budge. I struggled with it (on and off) for about an hour before giving up and driving down the street to the nearest car dealership and asked for help. They were very nice, and even put my new plates on for me.
( And yes, I spent the extra $20 to save the Bay! )

Then I drove back into Baltimore and picked Tigergladys up and we headed to BWI. Due to a lack of signage it took us a while to find the entrance to the cargo area. I even had to ask the single police officer who was stationed at the terminal entrance where it was.

Increased security = 1 cop I guess.

Anyway we found the cargo area, discovered where to park, and realized we had 30 minutes before the plane was even due to land. So we sat in the car and pulled out our books, and 10 minutes later Tigs finished hers. We then went inside to wait, looking at the board where they posted pictures of a fraction of the different puppies they had received. Then we waited. And waited. And finally at about 2:20 they brought her out to us!

Many pictures can be found HERE at rodenthoarde! Check them out!!

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You know those spam e-mails you get that look like they are from e-bay or paypal? I get such satisfaction reporting it to spoof@ebay.com :-D

The Lord Sayeth "Didn't the twenty minute drive that took you two hours this morning tell you anything? What the hell is your ass still doing out of bed today?!?!"

That's right 20 minutes turned into 2 hours. So tigergladys was an hour and 10 minutes late to work because... well, I don't know why. For whatever reason I95 was backed up. Really backed up. 2 hours backed up. And at the end of the backed up area... there was some construction... but really not enough to jam up traffic for 2 hours.

This makes me late getting to the garage, cause the part they put on express order and only took a week and a half to get in, and today was the first time since getting the part they could see me. So I have them do the Maryland state inspection, which is apparently more thorough then the Connecticut one, cause they need to do some minor annoying work on the breaks (which was apparently the thing causing the vibrations that I had noticed). I got to the dealership around 10:30 or so. I find this out around 2. I still haven't had breakfast yet. I tell them to do it, but do it fast, and to take me home.

Did I mention that my throat hurts?

Or that while I was at the garage I got a call from the temp agency telling me the job I was going to start TOMORROW cancelled the contract, cause it seems the other temp they have is an amazing whiz and they now don't need me. I of course get this call after I tell them to do the break work...

ARG!

The only good thing is that I finished the book I brought with me.

A quasi-good thing is that when I ordered the coil packs, apparently they are packaged as "coil assemblies" that contain 2 coil packs, and whoever ordered them didn't know that, so I am getting refunded for the cost of that, plus they cut the cost of the labor due to my being "inconvenienced"... aka pissed.

I hope everyone is having a better day then I am. Next time? I'm staying in bed.