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posted by [personal profile] asato_muraki at 10:31am on 29/01/2010 under , , , ,
The iPad is sexy and hip, and I kind of want one(not to imply that I could afford it). But it would be a damned expensive paperweight, because it really wouldn't let me do half of what it should be able to do. I whine about why in The iPad: My Personal Smorgasbord of Frustration.

I need an ebook reader that will let me upload manuscripts. I may just have to dig out the old palm pilot. *sigh*

***

Well, this week wasn't so bad. I was scared of some of the social obligations, but they have turned out well so far.

The boys had a lovely playdate with a couple of kids in the Unschooling group, and I got to chat with their mom. Her husband teaches at Tulane and they just moved from New York, so our families are going through similar adjustments.

The park day/baby shower was a total blast. A lady who is from NOLA originally but has lived in London for more than a decade came along for the first time. The family is only here for three months, but her boys are close to my youngest's age and share some hobbies in common. Also, their last name is Moriarty, which made me inordinately happy. *hee!*

I think we may try to hit the Beach Day on Monday. Unschooling... well, it's kind of the Free-Range philosophy writ large. I'm not sure I can do it, but these families are so cool... I guess we'll see. :)

***

I got to catch up with my BFF on Skype last night, which is always fun. Rochester is buried under snow. It's so hard for me to grok that it's winter, when I go outside and think, "Do I need a sweater or not?" I'll pay for it in the summer when it's so hot I'm melting and wanting to shave my head. But it's fun now!

***

The hubby and I have another gala tonight, somewhere out in the boonies. This one is business casual, so at least there's that. Then Saturday night M. from the Unschooling group is having an Imbloc feast. I think I might try to make a quiche. Hmmm.

***

We're four chapters away from the end of Half-Blood Prince in our Harry Potter read-aloud. I had forgotten how much I loved that book. It's long, but it lacks most of the flaws of Order of the Phoenix, and by this point in the series her writing style has improved a lot.

I still maintain, for all its flaws as literature, the Harry Potter series is freaking brilliant.
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I have a lot to do, just now. Oddly enough, the thing that worries me most is the homeschooling park day today, which is also a joint baby shower for two women I don't know so well. I'm utterly uncertain what would constitute an appropriate gift, and I have no idea what they might need. Ack. I guess I get to call the few folks I know reasonably well and fish around for ideas. Oy.

Social Phobias, HO!

***

Today on GC, we have Pearce's Sam Neil's Bloodthirsty Corporation, about Daybreakers, the non-sparkly vampire movie with Sam Neil and Willem Dafoe. And, yeah, Ethan Hawke.

***

Now to go wade through the school work, scan some birth certificates, come up with some sort of dish for the baby shower, and a bunch of other stuff. I'm going to have fun staying on top of this stuff today.
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So, yesterday I took the boys for testing at our second choice school. It went fairly well. It was not an achievement test type of thing, but the Star Math/Star Reading software that their previous school used to evaluate their progress. I suspect it was a slam dunk.

Their testing for the first choice school is Saturday. I'm determined not to fret about it because, honestly I'm willing to accept what comes. We've prepared as well as we can, and that's that.

***

Last night we went to a big Mardi Gras themed party, with hats and ties and masks that you could customize as party favors, lots of caterer stands/free food and about seven different free bars. There were about three or four different musical groups, including a Jazz brass band that marched around with a bunch of hired actors and dancers in costume.

O_o

It was stunning. This town knows how to party, you have to admit.

In any case, I've learned that the Gala season is the Fall, mostly, though it merges with the holiday party season a bit. Then there is Mardi Gras, which lasts... well, there are two weeks of parades, but the parties start earlier, I think. After Mardi Gras comes the Festival Season, which consists of huge outdoor festivals and people partying in the streets. This lasts until summer, but becomes more subdued as the heat gets going.

I think that's how it goes, but I could be wrong.

***

One other observation I have to make, though it could seem bigoted:

Creoles are the most gorgeous people on earth. Men, women -- it doesn't matter. Every time I go out, I have to remind myself not to stare at the jaw-droppingly hot folks everywhere. They're, like, the master race. Living, breathing statues sculpted by the hands of God.

*shrug* I do not wish to be racist, but it's not a lie. Some years ago when I first realized that I was attracted to people of mixed race, I chalked it up to being mixed race myself - like calls out to like, or whatever. But now I've seen enough to posit that the gene pool in New Orleans is simply awash in sexiness of epic proportions. O_O I'm often surrounded by stately mocha-latte godlings -- at the library, or the P.O., directing traffic or delivering packages. I try not to feel like a bleached, dumpy dwarf, by comparison.

Also, Cajuns are *tiny*. In the company of Cajuns, I'm a giant. I mean, Cajun men are like little cubes of meat -- short, stocky and really muscular. I can almost see them climbing the rigging on pirate ships. I have noticed that on average, most of the Caucasian men in any given place I go are either smaller than me, or pretty close to my height. Cajun femmes often wear three-inch heels and still barely come up to my chin. They're lovely, too, petite and pretty. Around them I feel like a galumphing giant -- sturdy feet, you know.

I've lived a lot of places, but I had never really noticed a preponderance of any particular body types in the people around me. Until now.
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posted by [personal profile] asato_muraki at 09:03pm on 29/12/2009 under , , ,
Still mostly without internet (or was for most of the day today). No idea why, but a technician is coming out tomorrow to check things physically around the place, so maybe that will fix it.

In the mean time, every time I try to update GC something goes awry. I'll keep after it when the DSL is working. Merph.

***

I did finally manage to download the Doctor Who Christmas special, so Yays.

Seriously enjoying The Gift, staring the photogenic Takuya Kimura. Photographic evidence )

And then there's the writing, writing, writing! (I'm actually making the fellas do school work through the break, so we can take time off later, but today we did some art (watercolors!) which made us all quite happy.)

I'm again surprised my stirring devotion to the place I live, despite a relative dearth of friends and human connections here. I love this city so much, it's spilling over into the writing. My latest attempt at a short story is basically a steampunk love letter to New Orleans.
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posted by [personal profile] asato_muraki at 05:02pm on 23/12/2009 under ,
I just got the LJ email with the subheading "Holiday Debuggery" which sent me to my naughty/happy place giggling like a loon. There were "kinks" with their holiday promotion, see.

ROFL. I'm a naughty cow.

***

An old friend(ish) from Christian School friended me on Facebook. Hadn't spoken to her or her sister (whom I rather liked) in many years. I liked her mother a lot, and just found out she died last year, which sucks. I've seen one friend from the Christian school years semi-regularly -- one who was particularly nice to me (by comparison) and who turned into a really nice grown up. She called me in tears when she heard my mother died and even came to the funeral. Her name is Johnie.

Anyway, a few newsy notes about the other 'friend,' and some of that group. They all still live in a 30 mile radius of the school, seems like. Apparently, most of them homeschool. There's talk of having a reunion, even. They still keep in touch with our tenth grade teacher, which blows my mind. I liked her well enough, but my time in that school was easily the worst period of my life, ever. Seems like most of them married right out of high school. The one I know who didn't and may have attended college is on her second marriage, with kids and steps, too. She was the worst of the lot - to me, anyway.

I won't go into why I have such a visceral reaction to anyone from that group (even Johnie, to a lesser degree). I like to think I'm beyond wanting them to be miserable, but apparently I'm not above enjoying it when it happens. I'm a bit ashamed of the fact, but there you go. Christian middle school was the only hell I've really known, and in the grand scheme of things that makes me a lucky bitch. I admit that.

One of the best things about leaving home was knowing I'd never have to make nice with some of those bints again. Now, with age and a bit of perspective, I'm anxious to meet up with them and see how they take it when I tell them I've written gay erotica for pay. I've tried to imagine it, and I just can't. If they have a reunion, I just might go.

***

Now, for the fun, via [livejournal.com profile] narniadear :



That's the first of four, and I found it very enjoyable. "Barrowman!"
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posted by [personal profile] asato_muraki at 07:47pm on 18/12/2009 under , ,
Last night I dreamed that I was having an asthma attack and could not find my inhaler. It was like one of those have-to-go-but-can't-find-a-bathroom dreams. Finally I woke up and found my inhaler. Ack.

I am somewhat concerned that, after 20 years not having any asthma problems, I'm suddenly sucking the albuterol. Go figger.

In any case, since we've decided that we're not traveling for the holidays, things have become simpler. I'll do some online shopping today.

***

In GC news, today we have Nightsky's Gifts for Non-Geeks, which I thought was really cute. I'm really glad to have Nightsky on board, as she's always sharp and fun.

Last evening, I put up The Best/Strangest Breakfast Cereal Advert Ever, basically this:



In other news, the internet connection at our place was knocked out before I could post this this morning. Interesting day, trying to do internet-based homeschooling without the internet.

It was fun. :)
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posted by [personal profile] asato_muraki at 09:27am on 17/12/2009 under , , ,
Today at GC we have Top 5 Gifts for Horror/Zombie Geeks by Cyannide. I don't have many horror/Zombie geeks on my list, but the zombie portrait sounds like a stellar idea to me.

Last night we also posted more fluff in the form of Arrr! A Merry Pirate Christmas!

***

Today is the day that we're supposed to cross the river for the holiday party for the homeschooling group, but it is cold and supposed to rain all afternoon, and we'd have to take the streetcar downtown and then the ferry, and I don't know where the place is on the other side once we get there. My vehicle is not working, and while I admit to being nervous about the prospect of going that far with the fellas when I don't know where exactly I'm going, the major rub is the simple fact that it will be physically uncomfortable. I'm feeling better today, but I don't know if I'm up to battling the wind and rain for a party. Aparty likely to be peopled by children much younger than my fellas.

Yeah, I'm wimping out.
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posted by [personal profile] asato_muraki at 11:24am on 15/12/2009 under , , ,
Today at GC we have Nightsky's wonderful Gifts for Whedonites. Ooooh! Oh! Zoe vest!

Last night, I also put up The Carol of the Bells - Muppet Style which I've also posted below.



I just *love* the viral muppet channel on YouTube. It makes me happy.

***

In other news, I still feel damned sick and feverish. I could sleep all day and night. I mean, I could were it possible. Maybe I can give the kids a sick day, on account of their teacher being sick. Oy.

***

The writing continues. As rough drafts go, I am pleased with it. I'm just getting to the Roller Derby (well, like Roller Derby, if Roller Derby had knives).
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posted by [personal profile] asato_muraki at 06:24pm on 10/12/2009 under , , ,
Didn't do my usual GC post this morning, on account of an early appointment with our tutor. It was a much chillier walk today than it had been yesterday, when the temp was in the 70s. Then, we had the afternoon park day, which was fabulous. We still managed to the school work, too.

The tutor really gets on with my boys - I think we'll keep visiting him even when the current crisis is over.

***

On GC today, we had a controversial article by Pearce, Behold: ECOGATE! It's her take on the quick sweeping-under-the-rug of leaked emails by climatologists. I found the content of emails to be scandalous and upsetting, because scientists are supposed to follow the data, not change or destroy it so that no one can question their conclusions. I'm not saying human-affected climate change isn't possible (or even happening, for all I know), but some of it's proponents bear closer resemblance to zealots than I am personally comfortable with in a scientists. Circling the wagons and talking of boycotting reputable, peer-reviewed journals that dare to publish anything not supporting the hard party line -- that's not science, that's CYA career protection. Scientists follow the data. Period. They don't tell the only guy who is out there in the field actually counting polar bears that his data is unreliable because his numbers suggest that polar bear populations are higher than estimated. Because the drowning polar bears may be drowning because of competition for resources, not dangerously melting ice.

That makes me just as mad as the Fox News Producers who work up the crowds at rallies before interviewing people in front of cheering masses. That's not journalism, and if-your-data-doesn't-agree-with-mine-then-you're-a-fraud is not science, either.

That's a bee in my bonnet, if you can't tell. ;)
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posted by [personal profile] asato_muraki at 08:52am on 09/12/2009 under , , , , , ,
I'm getting comment notices on LJ either very, very late or not at all, but I will catch up. :)

Big Boy's orthodontist had good news - He won't be in braces for as long as we had feared, and it won't even be very expensive (we DID win $2,000.00 worth of orthodontia for $10.00 at a silent auction, so our final cost is ridiculously reasonable).

Also, we found him a good math tutor, whom we will meet with today. I am relieved.

I'm still not physically up to speed, and it's beginning to wear on me. I'm so tired of being sickly, even though it isn't very bad. We had temps in the 70s yesterday, and I wanted to be able to enjoy it! Plus, I've let things at the website slip, which I should not have done. *grump*

***

Today at GC, we have a chance to geek out with the lovely Amalia the Savage again, with A Geeky Norse Mythology Moment. I've always loved Norse Mythology, so I found it quite fun.

***

I let the boys watch The Hound of the Baskervilles last night (Jeremy Brett). It was enjoyable, though I don't think they got it quite as well as I had hoped. Wee Boy has been reading the novel for Reading, and decided after he started that it was 'boring'. *sniffle* The again, he's only ten. I might well be the only English Classics - loving aberration in my family, which makes me a little sad.

I paused it to explain the phrenology references at the beginning, so when they got to that bit they found it properly amusing - laughed out loud, in fact. If they hadn't, I'd have had to consider the prospect of having more children. They have generally good geeky taste, but if they couldn't appreciate Jeremy Brett's performance, I might've had to start fresh with a new litter. ;)g

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