Book 15 for this year:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahmae-Smith

Totally made of awesomeness. Especially if you were ever an English Lit minor. Finished it Friday night, but hadn't had a chance to post.

It's a Meatwad dress. Actually made of meat.

http://www.jiajem.com/meatwad.html

Nor, really, would you want to.



(also, I need a funny icon... I'm taking suggestions)

It's like Munroe reads jer_'s twitter.

So, in the last few weeks I've been able to check off a few things from the resolutions list this year.

Book 12 of 26 - Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
I managed to wait until getting to Penguicon to purchase this book, so that I could give my money to someone who really needed it. I actually finished it last weekend, but haven't had a chance to post. It's another in the Harry Dresden series; they have really grown on me. I've said before, I didn't like the first one much, but enough that I tried the second. Each gets better and better (although I would argue that this one wasn't QUITE as good as the last one, but otherwise better than all the previous). Fun read.

Movies 8, 9, 10 and 11 of 30

8) X-Men Origins: Wolverine - daddy_guido and I saw this a few Wednesdays ago. Don't care what anyone else thought, I was happy with it. There is a LOT to tell in the Wolverine story, and I thought they did a pretty admirable job.

9) Hotel for Dogs - Last year I didn't count the movies I watched with the kids unless we went to the theater for it, mostly because when we'd been watching them at home last year it was them watch and me reading or something. I'm trying NOT to do that this year unless it's a movie I really, really don't want to see or one that we've watched a million and two times. Anyhow, we had a free Redbox rental, and this is what we got. The dogs were cute. That's about all I can say.

10) Star Trek - holy crap on a stick was this good. If you haven't seen it yet, I'm BEGGING you to please take the time to see it in the theater.

11) Night at the Museum - in anticipation of having to see the new one in the theater, we rented this one tonight. Very cute, very fun.

Quilts 1 of 5

I'm in the process of making a quilt for ellalthea & jer_, but I'm not done with that yet (and they already know about it and have seen some of it. No, #1 this year was for pheltzer and drawshad's newest family edition. I also made one of the little quilt balls that I whip up once in a while, and everyone, young and old, seem to really like.

( If you're interested in that sort of thing, there are pictures here )

I think someone needs to point out to newspapers and magazines that their online versions need copy editing as much (if perhaps not MORE) than the hard copy versions.

A rumor started this morning that actor Patrick Swayze had died. A number of outlets are reporting this as untrue. One states as the headline that Patrick Swayze Claims He Is Not Dead.

Um... he's TELLING you that he's not dead, not claiming he's not. "He claimed that the press treated him poorly" would be true - "He claims the illness hasn't effected him" is another. Or even (probably what they really meant) "His SPOKESPERSON claims he's not dead".

I mean, really people.

If their login is a man's name, but their photo and their name listed is a young girl's name, and their description reads like this:

"I am an ordinary people who are using twitter. I’d like to collect useful twitter tips and categorise them properly ."

Bonus points if they include wrong information in a Tweet like: "Do you know RSS?rss is (Rich Site Summary)"

testy testy

Calm down everyone... a dozen lost jobs does not an LJ panic make: http://ping.fm/i7P6Z

Yes, I promised that I would stop posting XKCD's - I lied.

Just. Too. Funny.

If you wanted to order anything from the XKCD store for Christmas, tomorrow is the last day to get it in time for Christmas.

Hulu has episodes of The Time Tunnel.

Thought you'd want to know.

Yesterday, our office manager mentioned that she read an article where it stated that experts are discouraging people from purchasing gift cards this holiday season (see Circuit City, Linens and Things, et al)

This got me thinking. See, I abhor the idea of getting a present for someone just to get them something. I try very hard to get gifts for people that are meaningful, and that they will truly enjoy. And, as much as possible, I try to get things for people that they can use up (if I've given you something permanent, it probably has a decent amount of meaning tied to it).

One reason for this is, frankly, I think I have too much stuff. And most of the people that I know think the same. So why add stuff to stuff as some sort of mandatory? Why not give people stuff they will use up? If they really liked it, give them ANOTHER ONE next year...

Ok, sorry - that was a side rant - but related, as you'll see.

I began to think about why experts are saying such a thing, and that's a no brainer - economic climate, says I. This lead me down a long and winding path, as my thoughts often do (I'm a blonde, I have a license to thought wander). Where it lead me was to this:

If you want to get something for someone this holiday, consider a museum membership, passes to a museum, movie passes, SOMETHING like this. Why? Well, I'll tell you...

- In difficult financial times, the first to suffer are things like charities and organizations that get some part of their funding from donations, like museums and zoos.

- Memberships, or passes, purchased for places like this help with these donations

- you are giving a gift that will be greatly appreciated, yet takes up NO ROOM - no more stuff

- If next year really is nasty, having, say, movie passes will give your friends and loved ones the chance to get out when they might night otherwise have the funds to do so. A museum or zoo membership would let a family get out for a day where they might otherwise end up just at home for the same reasons. Pack a lunch and head to the Museum of Science and Industry - you've got a family pass, the lunch won't cost much, all it costs is parking, or even better, a train ride and the free trolley

These are the kinds of gifts I'm planning on this year for most of the folks on my list. Passes, memberships,etc - something that will be used and loved, and might even be that bit of relief that someone needs at a time when they can't otherwise afford it.

Anyhow - sorry, rant off. Done.

For now.

Did anyone get any pictures during the SpaceTime show on Friday night at Windy? I know there is a DVD - but I'm looking for some pics.

Thanks!

...and so does the Missing Man Formation

... I would have been convinced, once and for all, that Munroe was inside my head.

Almost all of you know I don't talk politics to anyone, really, ever. If you don't, well - I don't really talk politics to anyone, ever. I only speak about it with people I'm not really, REALLY close with if it's really, REALLY important. So if I'm speaking publicly about politics, it's because I feel incredibly strongly about it - and I hope that gives what I have to say a little weight.

What I have to say is this:


Please. Go vote. Please.

I'm CERTAIN that a few people on my list have suggestions of sites relating to continuing education for some research I'm doing for work. More actually sites that do or are continuing education sites, for a competitive analysis - less on the "what is" kinds of sites.

Industry doesn't matter.

Thanks!

A few people that came on Friday to the visitation asked that I post my eulogy, since they weren't going to be able to make it on Saturday.

( My Dad's eulogy, best as I remember having delivered it )

Dont worry about a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin: dont worry about a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Rise up this mornin,
Smiled with the risin sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin, (this is my message to you-ou-ou:)

Singin: dont worry bout a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin: dont worry (dont worry) bout a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Rise up this mornin,
Smiled with the risin sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin, this is my message to you-ou-ou:

Singin: dont worry about a thing, worry about a thing, oh!
Every little thing gonna be all right. dont worry!
Singin: dont worry about a thing - I wont worry!
cause every little thing gonna be all right.

Singin: dont worry about a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right - I wont worry!
Singin: dont worry about a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin: dont worry about a thing, oh no!
cause every little thing gonna be all right!

- Bob Marley, Three Little Birds