jmc_bks

- After three years of successfully resisting being saddled with a crackberry, I lost the fight today.  A BlackBerry Torch was delivered to me at work.  My argument was that in the event of an emergency, the bb was useless -- I could respond to emails but every program needed to do substantive work requires a Citrix secure login.  Alas, I have been overruled.  It's shiny and pretty, and the touch screen is going to be scratched or marred very quickly because it didn't come with a case or any sort of protective covering.  Why?  Who knows.

+ Apparently I *am* hosting dinner on Friday.  I guess that means I should figure out a menu?  Maybe beef stew again, since it turned out well the first time and is pretty simple.  I can pick up the ingredients that afternoon or even on Thursday.

~  First batch of no bake peanut butter bars is done.  Now I need one loaf of banana nut bread, at least two batches of cracker candy, and then one more batch of PB bars.  Guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow night and Wednesday evening...

-  Why isn't Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy playing at the Landmark near me?  Do people really still want to see the Bella/Edward trainwreck?  Ten screens and only one movie is playing that I'd be willing to pony up for (The Descendants).

:/  The hospital "informational statement" (not a bill to me yet, but what was sent to the insurance company) arrived for my surgery and hospital stay.  More than $20,500.  For the second iteration; the bill for the first hospital stay was already billed separately.  Holy crap!  Once again, I am thankful for my insurance.

That sleeping woman?  Could have been me.  I think I was asleep or dozing more often than I was fully awake all weekend.  And it wasn't even a holiday food coma!  The Chemist made an awesome Thanksgiving dinner (smoked turkey breast, duck and salmon, plus sides) but we didn't actually eat THAT much.

The visit to H&A was lovely.  It always is.  We don't have to DO stuff, it's nice to just hang out in the same space and chat and cling.  Which probably entertains A.  We watched a lot of tennis and football, went for a couple of walks around the neighborhood.  Spent an awkward afternoon with dad.  Had sushi at Japaneiro's once and beer (root beer for me) at the Flying Saucer twice.  I would highly recommend the vegetable tempura and the non-alcoholic mojito (made with green tea) at Japaneiro's.  And the Chef's Nirvana, but that pretty much goes without saying, right?  Julio the waiter was awesome -- he clearly knows H&A well, to the point of chasing them down with the left over sashimi he'd boxed for them :)  One of their cats was incredibly smelly because of a diet change; he totally deserved the smelly cat song.

My YAGKYAS fic is plotted and outlined (mostly) but not written.  It needs to be written and beta'd by the 12th at midnight.  BICHOK didn't really work for me this evening -- although my hands have been on the keyboard, they've been busy typing other things.  I <3 procrastination!  

And tomorrow I'm back to work.  I didn't miss it at all.

Also, FYI, I SBD'd over at WordPress about the nonfiction I read over the weekend.

+  Posted over at WordPress for SBD.

+  Bought two Kindle books by Georgette Heyer.  Probably wouldn't have but for the anniversary sale ($1.99 each!).  Otherwise, I can respect her place in the development of the modern genre romance, but have not been impressed by the books I've read.  Regency trads aren't my thing for the most part, Carla Kelly being the notable exception.  And she seems to have left the subgenre behind.

-  Why is Cobra Starship touring with Bieber?  Granted, it's the South American leg of his tour, but still, I didn't realize they had a significant overlap of fans; I though CS's average fan was several years older.  Eh, whatever sells tickets, I guess.

-  Dear IT peeps: saying that I'm the SysAdmin for that system?  Fine.  But as a practical matter, I am only acting/holding the position until a new higher up is hired.  I have NO IDEA how to do what you want.  When I asked the retired person who used to do it, she said that task was explicitly given to IT.  I'm sorry the person responsible is on vacation in Montana during your critical testing period, but that doesn't make me any more able to do what you want.  No love, me.

~  Looking at the line up of authors who'll be attending the National Book Festival next month, there are very few (3 or 4) that I might be willing to wait in long lines to meet or have autograph books.  And genre fiction is extremely poorly represented, as usual.

~  The BIA essentially said last week that aliens in custody don't have to get the immigration equivalent of Miranda.  I...am not sure what I think about this.  And while I'm probably conflating a lot of things, I'm curious about how this works in conjunction with Padilla.

 Originally posted here.

+ Went to the Outer Banks for the first time, just for a few days, Thursday – Saturday. Some friends from work who go annually invited me to stay with them in Nags Head. Took the scenic route (301 to 17) rather than 95/64, which was what Google Maps kept trying to make me drive. The scenic route probably added a half hour to the trip, but the landscape was gorgeous and the road was empty for the most part. The house had four bedrooms, plenty of space. Enjoyed the beach in the morning, followed by a walk to Sonic for Cherry-Limeade, then lunch at the house and playing in the pool all the afternoon. On Friday, the wind was up and the surf was high; right in front of us, a guy was knocked over and out by the waves. It took five people to drag him to shore, and he didn’t regain consciousness before the EMTs arrived and strapped him to a back board and took off for the hospital. It didn’t look like he was breathing at first. I hope he’s okay. Other than that, I enjoyed the trip and the company, and would absolutely go back.

+ Went to the Legg Mason Tennis Classic today to see the singles and doubles final. The doubles team I was rooting for (Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic) came back to force a tie break in the second set and then won the match in a super tie break \o/. On the singles front, I didn’t really care who won. Radek Stepanek is kind of a spoiler, I think — he hangs around and surprises people. And Gael Monfils (#1 seed) is kind of flaky — he’s got loads of talent but you never know who’ll show up, the serious player or the circus clown who’s more interested in trick shots and acrobatics than the game. I bailed during the (first?) rain delay, when Stepanek was up 4-2; I’d been out in the sun and heat for 4+ hours and was feeling dizzy and disoriented despite drinking 2 liters of water during that period, needed shade and AC.

+ Have not read much in the last week. Just “Prove It” by Chris Owen, which I’ll probably blog about tomorrow for SBD.

+ Do I need to see Patrick Stump next week? I want to, but is it necessary?

+ I’ve gotten my assignment for the fandom fic exchange I signed up for. The prompt belongs to the person whose fan fiction sets the bar for my OTP, so I’m feeling somewhat intimidated.

+  Green Day's "Awesome as ****" live album lives up to the title and is awesome as....  I've got the new Soundgarden and Panic! albums to listen to, too, now, based on The Biochemist's recommendations.  Tuesday really was Super Tuesday in terms of music releases, wasn't it?

+  The US-Spain Davis Cup tie will be played in Austin!  Road trip!  Tickets go on sale April 4th.  As soon as prices and availability are released, I'll be number crunching the budget to see how much PBJ I'll be eating to go :)

+  Dear Big Name NY Pubbed Romance Author:  what the hell is "desert-style zero-scaping"?  Do you mean xeriscaping?  

+  RIP Elizabeth Taylor.  I didn't really *get* you as an actress, but I appreciated your Hollywood Grande Dame status and your AIDS charity work.  Your jewelry was pretty cool, too.

+  Galley Cat linked to this essay about being a book hoarder, which makes me stop and take stock.  Because I do have a hard time letting go of any book once it has made its way onto a shelf in my home or office.  Except maybe statutory supplements that are updated annually, it's easy to dump them in the office library's recycling bin.

+  It's ridiculous how appreciation for a particular actor will make you watch a television show that is otherwise not to your taste.  For instance, I try to watch Mr. Sunshine sometimes because I  ♥  Allison Janey.  

+  I've now given up Chick-Fil-A's sweet tea and waffle fries because of this. (Courtesy of @redrobinreader, after I mentioned that I liked the tea but not the non-stop christian pop.) They were my "errands done" reward.  CFA won't miss the little bit of revenue I put in their pockets nearly as much as I'll miss the sweet tea (why do so few places serve it and even fewer make it right?), I'm sure.

+  Daffodils are blooming everywhere.  Which means spring is here.  But is also awesome just because daffodils are such happy, cheerful flowers.

~  Haven't synched Ignacio in awhile.  No good reason, just laziness.  Am transferring all recent iTunes purchases (hello, The Constellations, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and AI cast recording).  Then backing up.  Then upgrading to 4.1.  Am nervous, very nervous.  [ETA:  2 hours to download?  Even by broadband?  WTH]

~  It feels like summer again, which is pretty cool for a holiday.  One last hurrah before fall and winter arrive in earnest?

~  Peanut butter bars were a big hit for the birthday dinner on Saturday, and the leftovers went home with them or to my neighbor.  I can NOT have a pan of those in my kitchen, because I'll take just one little bite.  Then another.  And then another.  And eventually I'll be in pain and ill from the sugar rush.

~  How much sugar is in Panera's green tea?  I always order it, then remember why I shouldn't.  The first few sips are okay but the rest of the glass is too much.

~  Read and loved Meljean Brook's The Iron Duke.  Bought an ebook edition, and after I was through wished I had a paper book in my hands.  As much as I love ebooks, there are times when I prefer paper, especially when it comes to randomly picking up and reading.  The book rocked.  I stayed up insanely late/early to finish reading it -- until 4am Saturday morning.  My only real criticism of the book is the family background: Mina's mother did something horrendous and damaging when she was born, something that symbolizes rejection in the most fundamental way...yet we are never shown how/why that rejection changed to love and acceptance.  Was that edited out (its a fairly dense book for romance)?  

Today was my last visit to the orthodontist.  Teeth are in good alignment, no need to go back unless I lose my retainer, which (as usual) I'll have to wear perpetually.

After running errands today, I stopped at Chick-Fil-A -- it's my usual reward, sweet tea and waffle fries, after getting all my errands run.  The restaurant was PACKED.  Were they giving away food, I wondered?  Essentially.  Bring your receipt in next week and make a purchase and get the same meal on your old receipt for free.

Organized two packages to take to the post office.  Photos, gifts, etc., to The Biochemist and The Chemist.  A couple books for jperceval .  I missed my local post office's hours, so they'll be mailed tomorrow, along with my bar dues and payment for the beach house next month. \o/

The Boy Uncle stopped by on Sunday on the way to pick up Young Aunt at the airport.  He wanted to talk to me about the house and make sure I didn't feel forced to be interested.  No.  And I have a checklist and benchmarks, so I won't made a bad decision based on sentiment.  But my timetable has been accelerated because Flaky Aunt has made noises about squatting there as she breaks up with yet another guy who won't support her in the manner in which she believes she's entitled.  Flaky Aunt is the equivalent of Blanche Dubois in many, many ways.

( Tennis ogling last week )

DC Restaurant Week has been announced.  I love it -- fixed price menus at restaurants that normally would be "occasion" destinations.  Lunch at Acadiana and Rasika (repeats), dinner at Adour and Vidalia (never been).  My wallet will be empty but my stomach and taste buds full.  

Went to ArtScape on Saturday.  It was beastly hot, but I manned a booth in the Target Arts Park, making kites and hats with kids using mostly repurposed materials.  Wore my favorite new tee, which earned me mostly strange looks and comments about being brave to champion BP.  Uh, no, check the oil dripping from the emblem.  Clearly, I should've gone for the tee with the caption "We're bringing oil to American shores."  

A sexual linguistics study indicates that British accents are no longer considered that sexy.  Courtesy of Lynneguist.

An excerpt of K.A. Mitchell's next book from Samhain, Life, Over Easy, is up.  Being a Mitchell fan girl, I squee'd when I saw it and have created a reminder for myself so I can buy/download it on August 3rd.

Otherwise on the reading front, I'm stuck in a rut.  Read the Ilona Andrews story in the Dark and Stormy Knights UF anthology, otherwise, nothing new.  Have been re-reading Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, which I <3.  Am looking forward, though, in addition to the new K.A. Mitchell book, to the arrival of my copy of Tim Shorrock's Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing, which was written way ahead of WaPo's new investigative expose.  




 

Last night I tried a new hair salon.  Went with a friend from work and got highlights and cut.  [Which I've been told looks really good.  I agree, but it would be vain of me to say so without corroboration, yes?  Although it's not like I had anything to do with it, other than paying for it.  It's all due to Jen, the awesome hair guru.  I just nodded and said, "Do whatever you want. I need something new."  Of course, hair always looks good leaving the salon; the question is, how will it look when I try to style it that way?  Normally I'm a wash and wear woman.]  Anyway, afterward, MK and I went to dinner at a little Indian place nearby, then I caught the very late train home.  (Boy, there were some morose Caps fans on that train.)  Instead of walking or waiting for the bus, I decided to take a cab.  There was a cab shortage for some reason.  Maybe an event in town?  Or just that it was midnight on Friday night, and all the cabbies were trolling Fells Point, Canton and Federal Hill for drunken fares?  I ended up sharing a cab with two other people, strangers, we all just happened to be going in the same general direction.   

First stop was fine.  Second stop, the guy had no cash and told the driver that; the driver ignored his credit card for several minutes as he held it out, maybe thinking if he pretended it didn't exist the guy would magically find cash?  I don't know.  Anyway, I pulled out more cash (I'd already gotten out the amount I expected my fare to be) paid his fare.  It was not entirely altruistic of me:  a little bit was a sort of pay it forward thing because of generous shared cab rides in the past, and part of it was selfish because I was tired and wanted to get home.

Sadly, when I pulled the extra cash out of my pocket, my iPhone (iPhigenia) fell out as well.  Even more sadly, I did not realize this until I was getting organized and ready for bed last night and couldn't find her.  Have texted; have called; called the cab company with the cab number.  No one has turned her in.  I've frozen my wireless account, so no one can use her.  And had the usual security lock with PIN that kicked in after 2 minutes inactive.  Wish I had iFind and could either find her or wipe her remotely.

This morning, I turned on my Kindle (being Kindle app-less) and discovered that I have somehow damaged CK (for the Cherry-flavored Kindle Koolade), probably by something heavy while she was being toted around in my backpack.  The ink on the screen is all wonky, like it has bled, and there is a distinct line down the middle.

Given my budget, which is now totally blown for the rest of this month and May, I'll be replacing iPhigenia, but CK will have to remain on the DL/IR for now.  

On the bright(ish) side:  I backed up on Monday, so at least my music, contacts, notes, etc., won't be lost.  Although I did have a couple of voice mail messages I hadn't listened to yet.  Ouch.

I'm going to upgrade to the 3GS so I'll be able to multitask when that release drops.  The question is:  what should I name the new phone?  Need an "I" name or word.  Icarus?  Nope, family dog with that name.  Iggie, no makes me think of Iggie Pop, not a pleasant image.  Must ponder this.