Write On

I am still alive, but I've become unblocked in my novel, so I've been hammering away at that. Hooray!

Gogofishy turned NINE yesterday! We did balloonorama again, went swimming at the Milford pool with BG and her kids and then came home for a curry lunch (Fishy's favourite food in the world - he's definitely his Mama's boy!) Some dear friends came over for dinner, cake and presents later on. We've known this family since CA, and fate brought us together again here in MI. Fate rocks. They have celebrated birthdays with us for about the last 7 yrs or so.

Prawn's scuba suit is the bomb. I think everyone wants one now. It's great to be able to go to the deep pool, which is on the other side of the wall from the fun pool, and swim and dive and use the diving board. (The deep pool is colder.) Prawn is getting pretty good at diving off the side, and Fishy figured it out yesterday, too. I've showed them how to do a "watermelon" but no one's brave enough to try that, yet. I got a huge reaction from a bunch of day camp kids that were there yesterday, though. ^_^ It occurs to me that everyone I have ever talked to about the "watermelon" trick has no idea what it is, so I'll explain that it's basically a headfirst cannonball. You jump as high as you can (preferably off the diving board) and tip so that you'll enter headfirst in a tight tuck, arms wrapped around your knees. If you do it just right, it makes a BIG splash. I suppose I am the only mom at the pool who is insane enough to do this (or perhaps the only one with so little dignity.) Come to think of it, I'm sure I make a spectacle of myself at the lake, too. Tough rocks; I'll play if I feel like it. ^_^

On a completely unrelated tangent, I found this fascinating. It's so hard for me not to think of Big Dog as having a mind of its own. I'm especially impressed by how it rights itself after being shoved, and when slipping on the ice:

Happy 2008, Y'all!

We watched the Industrious Clock again this year because we are, in fact, total geeks. Actually we watched it twice, because the upstairs computer was right on time, but one of the downstairs computers was a couple of minutes slow. ^_^ As I recall, it's hard to link to because it's an application, so just Google the sucker if that doesn't work.

We drove home from WI (where we were visiting family) just ahead of a snowstorm. Actually, we were in the storm in Chicago and other parts of IL, but we broke out of it and managed to stay ahead of it through Indiana and here into Michigan. Now it's snowing like gangbusters (whatever they are) and we're supposed to get 6 to 10 inches.

It totally rocked being able to hang out with family for a week. We drove out on Christmas Day, which meant that Chicago was like a ghost town. That's the only way to drive through that city, let me tell you! The bits we went through today were pretty deserted, too, making for a pretty much stress-free drive except for the first stormy bit.

A real post may be coming, as promised, or maybe I will stick to my New Year's Resolution of not doing anything I say I will. Wait, does that mean I do or don't have to? My brain hurts. I'm going to post naked pictures now.

'Tis the Season. . .

. . .for 6,000 catalogues to arrive daily. Scary. I think my mailbox is part TARDIS.

Speaking of TARDIS and words that sound like that, what's wrong with this picture?



I guess that's their way of making sure they never have to send anything out. Ever. I don't know why I bother teaching the kids proper English. It's not like anyone else out there is going to care by they time they're employable. Or even know what proper English is. (No, that's not a proper sentence. But you can do that on blogs. For emphasis. Like that. Also in books. Like the one I'm listening to now. By Dan Brown. Which has quite a bit of improper grammar. But. In dialogue. So maybe it's. Forgivable. Even though the people speaking are supposed to be. Really smart. Whoa. This is turning out like the opposite of a James Joyce piece. ^_^)

BG and I did have plenty of fun on Wednesday, much of it spent laughing ourselves silly over Eddie Izzard bits on YouTube. I want to share the love. And this one seems particularly appropriate considering that A) BG and I were also laughing over a woman my SIL knew who asked her "what language they speak in England" and B) how much I could have used the Scrabble word Eddie mentions in the game I'm just finishing losing. ^_^




And finally, Autumn Zephyr had this on her blog a few days ago. Fun! Funny, too, LOL!

WANT!

The kids and I are starting to converse with each other in LOLCatese. Sometimes it just makes something funny even funnier.

Anyway, here's some fun stuff:

T-shirt #1

T-shirt#2

Um?

"Paper! Nom Nom Nom!"

Too Cool to Imagine

Even Cooler?

In other news, Fishy has started his very own tank of Sea Monkeys. You know, those things that look absolutely NOTHING like the picture on the packaging, which, even though your mom warns you over and over will look like wee shrimpies and do not, in fact, ride seahorses, you still kinda think might look like little pink people with crowns and big cheesy smiles. (that was me, not Fishy)

I had forgotten that Sea Monkeys (well, all but mine, that is) actually hatch out and start swimming within MINUTES of hitting the water. That's kinda cool. OK, who am I kidding? It's WAY cool!

I was a little disconcerted when the Fishman asked how old I was, and then informed me that according to his manual I would need a magnifying glass to see his pets. O_o Fortunately, you can't believe everything you read.

Geektastic

OMG! Someone who knows me way too well sent me this Extremely Cool Cake Blueprint

I want to make one!

If you could make a cake that looked like anything -- anything at all -- what would it be?

Word of the Day

I don't think I've ever done a "word of the day" and I may never do another, so it could be more like "word of the century" or whatever. . .

"Chibi" is the word of the day.




chibi Yoda


chibi kitty


chibi sportscar



chibi kitty meets chibi sportscar

The Ratings Game

Mollusc is a collector and connoisseur of MPAA ratings. Some of these ratings categories include:

"Shark Attacks and Langauge" (shark language?? Save us!)

"Epic Warfare"

"Swashbuckling Violence"

"Adventure Violence"

"Intense Science Fiction Terror"

It's funny how many there really are. So we have fun making up our own. You know, stuff like

"Silent Violence"

"Mime Slaughter" (Mollusc: "You made that one up right?" Me: "Yeah." Mollusc: "Awwww!")

"Premenstrual Violence"

"Musical Violence"

"Inappropriate Touching and Music"

"Musical Horror" (^_^)

"Mathematical Terror"

"Action/Adventure Birth"

"Excessive Norging"

What kind of ratings exist in your world?

Very Gently

The latest discovery in my studies of The Interconnectedness of All Things:






How very odd. I almost expected to find that the radio version of Lord Asriel was voiced by Sean Connery or Roger Moore.


Now I just have to figure out how Terence Stamp might relate to James Bond. . .

____

For those of you with no idea what I'm talking about, that first guy is Timothy Dalton, dressed for his role as Lord Asriel in the stage version of Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass.". The second is Daniel Craig, dressed for his role as Lord Asriel in the forthcoming feature film. Oh, and Terence Stamp is the voice of Lord Asriel in the radio version.

For those of you who don't care, fear not. I'll be moving on soon.

The 5 Stages of Writer's Block

1. Denial

2. Blogging cessation (because you realise you're doing it instead of writing.)

3. Avoidance/Procrastination

4. Hyperactive blogging and picture posting (some scales may class this as a subset of #3, while others call it bargaining ("if I can look at just one more blog, I'll get back to the story.") )

5. Inspiration and breakthrough! (And then, inevitably, back to 1. Repeat.)

Guess what stage I'm in now.
























It's hard (TWSS) for me to say the words "tunnel of fudge cake" without giggling.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a delinquent tooth fairy's ass to kick. Again. If you're wondering whether I can, indeed, kick my own ass, the answer is yes. But I also made a BEAUTIFUL attack on the mirror wall at TKD tonight during blindfolded squeaker sparring. MuNKi tells me that the mirror never saw it coming.

Batwoman I am not.

Laze, Lazier, Frickin' Laser Beams

I'm so lazy. That's why holidays were invented. Plus, it's 3:25 am, I'm in bed and therefore unable to post pics yet again. If you hate it, blame Egan. He put the whole Dune thing into my head. I suppose the montage is a lot more poignant if you know what the hell is going on, but I just love this song. MuNKi does, too, even though it's entirely in Fremen, which we all know is not nearly as geeky as a song in Klingon would be. ^_^



OK, this is just for my own personal gratification. TG, this (the Children of Dune miniseries) is where I first discovered the lovely James McAvoy. ^_^

Superior Firepower

In spite of requests for pantsless painting pictures (say THAT 3 times fast!) I thought you'd all enjoy this. I was reminded of it by a post over at Michael's.



I actually bought this book for MuNKi after watching the vid. I ♥ Think Geek!

Picturesque

Two bees

or


not two bees


Wheeze the juice, bud-DY! (LMK if you catch THAT obscure reference ^_^ )


Yeah, I like bees


and attempting to freeze them mid-flight.


going to get Mollusc's ears pierced -- a little nervous


a little jealous :)


a little more nervous


"One. . . Two. . . FIVE!"


Happy :)


more not Susans


a random sticky note I found that I suspect was written by The Prawn, given the subject matter


I thought that MuNKi was insufficiently Star Wars Geeky until he surprised us with this. OK, he's still not all that Star Wars Geeky, but he sure knows how to make those of us who ARE very, very happy! ^_^


I found this particularly amusing, given one of the suggestions for Diesel's caption contest this week. ^_^


Utah is still morphing.


I used a random stripping technique my friend's mom showed us for this one.


I love the Autumn leaves fabric in the borders on this one. I keep finding myself drawn to fabrics by a couple of designers, even when I have no clue who did them.


Seeing a theme in fabrics here?






one of my faves

I have some four patch and nine patch blocks, too, but all those pics had some digital funkitivity going on.

And finally, the first book I chose at the library book sale yesterday. I cannot freaking believe they had this, or that it was even made. Some of you may remember my discussion of how the kids like to watch this movie when MuNKi is out of town -- primarily (I suspect) because our tradition is to start it at midnight, and it's a three hour movie. ^_^ Perhaps we'll be uploading some more YouTubes soon. . .

Here I Am

as ready as I'll ever be.

*deep breath*

Re: Your Brains

Because mine are kind of mushy right now. Jonathan Coulton is one of my favourite lyricists and songwriters. That's my way of saying that while you may never have a Spiritual Experience listening to his stuff, you sure will laugh at all the clever witticisms.

C D B

U C D B?


S. I C D B.


I C D B 2. D B S A B-Z B, S-N D?


O! R S D B?


C U 8-R B!

With thanks to William Steig.

Night Owl

How long do you think I would have to stay up to snatch the book from the hands of a finally sleeping child?

It will be like the Tooth Fairy. Only in reverse. And with a book. And no tooth.

This is the very last first time I get to read a new Harry Potter book. I've decided to try and savour it as much as possible.

Rise and Shine!

I usually like to wake the kids up by putting in a CD in the morning. It has to be better than coming awake to a screeching alarm (or mother for that matter.) Vivaldi and general Baroque come in handy a lot for this, but there are plenty of other choices. Today it's Genticorum. The songs are peppy, foot tapping, hip shaking things that you can't ignore. The often raucous tunes are sometimes accompanied by bawdy lyrics. Good thing they're all in French.

What I'd like to know this morning, though, is whose John Mayer CD is that in the drawer and how did it get there? Also, my legpad is still missing. I'm beginning to suspect that there may have been some sort of horrifying improbability incident.

What are you listening to today?

Time for the Quarterly Kitchen Disaster Report

OK, so in actuality, I'm only good at maybe 4 things. It's amazing, really, that MuNKi has held onto me this long. Perhaps he keeps me purely for my entertainment value. Yes, it's time for another Kitchen Disaster Report. ^_^

So Sluggie wanted "Zebra Cake" for her birthday, which made my day, because after 29 birthday cakes, I just kind of dread making them. :-P Zebra cake is simple, though. Piece of -- well, you know.

However.

Who knew that those stupid Nabisco™ wafers would be as hard to find as they are? And also, since when do I read directions? (Just ask MuNKi) I think I got my fill of that whilst fixing expensive aircraft, so now I just like to be free and let it all flow in creative ways, ya know? Usually.

Now the last time I whipped cream, it never ah, stiffened. I hear it happens to everyone, but it had never happened to me before. That's the kind of thing that happens to Other People, you know? In retrospect, this was probably due to the bowl being too warm, but yesterday I thought that maybe I ought to read the directions instead of just beating the stuff indicriminately on high speed.

Lo and behold, the carton directed me to "beat at a low and consistent speed." Yup. So I did.


Can you guess what I made?

It was like living in Little House on the Prairie. I made butter! ^_^

But, yeah, that is not the greatest for gluing together chocolate wafers for zebra cake, so MuNKi had to bring me more cream.

In the meantime, we have some rather sweet butter for our toast and jam.

***

In other news, we continued our decluttering mission today. This time we worked in the basement, rockin' out to some very inspirational tunage from ~d. (Thanks ~d!!)

Of course, once we found the hula hoops, productivity suffered a sharp decline. ^_^

Intermission

OMG, Steampunk is SO COOL! Too bad I'm so lazy. :-P

If nothing else, you must at least check out the keyboard mod.