Timewaster's Guide Archive
General => Rants and Stuff => Topic started by: Mad Dr Jeffe on October 01, 2005, 08:16:09 PM
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Yeah Im bored... wanna talk about superfly stuff, music, culture,... nada... its time for a new superfly thread...
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for instance another guy much more wealthy than you or I paid the Russkies 20 million dollars to holiday the weekend away on the international space station.
20 million dollars... I mean if your just gonna throw money around throw a little my way please!!!!
He could have invested in the spaceship 1 program for 20 million and gotten a better return I think...
or we could discuss this gem from the Onion...
Congress Abandons WikiConstitution
September 28, 2005 | Issue 41•39
WASHINGTON, DC—Congress scrapped the open-source, open-edit, online version of the Constitution Monday, only two months after it went live. "The idea seemed to dovetail perfectly with our tradition of democratic participation," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said. "But when so-called 'contributors' began loading it down with profanity, pornography, ASCII art, and mandatory-assault-rifle-ownership amendments, we thought it might be best to cancel the project." Congress intends to restore the Constitution to its pre-Wiki format as soon as an unadulterated copy of the document can be found.
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I really cant begin to say just how slow today is going folks...
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I know how you feel, Jeffe, I'm bored out of my cajuns, too...
That's why God, or the Russians, made tetris.
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no tetris at work...
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Well, I wouldn't want to see the constitution loaded down with profanity and pornography. So no wonder they took it off.
I'm supposed to be working on a book review. I need to stop being distracted. Like by buying books with the money I'm supposed to use to buy groceries.
I just pre-ordered the next Lemony Snicket book. It's really funny--on Amazon.com it doesn't have cover art or a title yet, so in place of that it says, "Art Too Awful to Show" and "Title Too Terrible to Reveal." I love the Series of Unfortunate Events. And after the MAJOR twist at the end of Book 11, which was a total cliff-hanger, I can't wait for this next book.
I wonder, though, if I am the only one on this sight that has gotten through all 11 books. EUOL was making it through, but got too busy. He hasn't finished 7. So I have no one to talk about it with, because everyone who would be interested might read them at some point and don't want any spoilers. And I wouldn't want to spoil it for them. Piecing together all of the subtle clues is part of the fun.
I also bought Shannon Hale's most recent book and The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer, which I've been wanting to get for awhile, and put my purchase just over $25 so I could get free shipping.
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interesting, I've been reading urban fantasy, Steven Brusts Gypsy and Charles de Lint's Tapping the dream tree...
Hey werent you supposed to be churning out the D&D for dummies thing... :P
I demand that it be availible now...!
On the downlow Astrids a Snickett fan and read em all.
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Wow. I can't believe that Congress really didn't see that coming. Just one more reason why I should rule the wor...I mean Congress should have a more diverse age group. Yep. That's what I really meant.
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I don't know who Astrid is, or if I have ever seen him/her on the forums.
Do you like Charles de Lint? I almost purchased The Blue Girl but went with Shannon Hale instead because I liked her previous two books so much.
And Archon--I am not fooled. I'm never voting you into Congress. ;)
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You should read The Blue Girl from the library if you haven't. It's really good. I've only read the first Lemony Snicket. On my list, but haven't gotten far enough to read it. I need to listen to them on tape or something. I read too much. Here's my suggestion: anyone who wants me to read their manuscripts, read it on tape and I'll get to it faster! :D
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Of course not Chimera. How would I rule the world from the position of being a lowly Congressman? I need to be some sort of high-ranking church official or something of that sort.
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Astrid is my beautiful wife.
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Ah--so she's not on the forums. Well, if she ever wants to discuss Lemony Snicket, let me know. :D
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I wonder, though, if I am the only one on this sight that has gotten through all 11 books. EUOL was making it through, but got too busy. He hasn't finished 7. So I have no one to talk about it with, because everyone who would be interested might read them at some point and don't want any spoilers. And I wouldn't want to spoil it for them. Piecing together all of the subtle clues is part of the fun.
I've read all the books, actually. We could talk if you want.
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Yay! We should start a spoiler thread over in Books. That would result in penalty of death if frequented by those who have not yet read up to Book 11. ;)
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Okay, go for it. Start a thread.
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Started. I know people are going to read it, even though I identified it as a Spoiler Thread, which makes me a little sad because then they won't have the fun of figuring out the mysteries. Which is what really makes the series, not the plots.
But I probably find much more amusement in it then other people do. I don't usually get caught up in speculating about the mysteries of a book. Like Harry Potter--I'll make mild attempts at guesses while I read the books, but mostly I just get caught up in the story and let it happen as it happens.
For some reason, I became obsessed with the mysteries of the Series of Unfortunate Events. Particularly when I developed my theory about who Beatrice really is. It made me read the series twice, just to collaborate my theory. I'm going to be very disappointed if I am wrong. :)
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Jeffe's avatar is an excellent expression of the way I feel because I haven't been able to be on TWG for a freaking MONTH AND A HALF because my stupid computer is fried.
So today I went down to Comp USA and looked at getting an actual legal copy of XP so that I can wipe my hard drive and start fresh. I think I'm actually going to do it on Friday, when I get paid. That'll make me broke again this month, but less frustrated, so you know, it's a toss up. So here's hoping that next weekend I'll actually have internet access in my very own room, rather that at the Provo Library, where I currently am.
It occurs to me that since I now live in Orem I should probably get an Orem library card. Whoops.
Anyway, I miss you all. Lots.
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Provo, Orem, it works. Orem lets you use a Provo card there, you know. Or at least they were interchangeable back when I was there.
Were you able to back up all the files you need? Here's hoping you haven't lost anything permanently. If you need a copy of your book, it's still sitting in my email waiting for me to read it, so I can forward it back to you.
I promise I will try to read it as soon as I get done with Alcatraz, which I plan on having done by Oct. 21 so I can hand it over to EUOL when I'm there.
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I sense a great disturbance in the force. A presence I've not felt since...
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:) Could it be?
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Nope. Absolutely not. ::)
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Board is dead this weekend; where is everyone?
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I was camping in the rain... now Im back and exhausted...
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I was going to two different wards. Five hours of church total. Ugh. I decided to forego the second Relief Society. I'm trying to decide which family ward to go to--the one with the stake singles' group (notice I didn't say YSA), or the one I live in. Yup, I'm officially Too Old for a YSA ward. So I'm trying to decide and not really having much luck. I think I'll probably go to the one I live in because it's close and I like being able to drive 5 minutes or walk 10 minutes as opposed to driving a 1/2 hour. And a couple friends from my singles' ward have decided to go to that one, too, and I know a couple that goes to it (they're the couple in my Oregon Coast pictures).
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Revenge....!
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Where is Superfly while I'm doing stupid applications? I need Superfly inspiration.
Besides, Eagle, Morgan, did you guys disappear off the face of the earth? Where *are* you?
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I'm here. Sort of. :)
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Wow, we are so dead today.
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Well, it's NaNo. I'm still WAYYYYY behind. But at least today has been my most productive day so far (not that that's saying much).
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You're behind. I switched novels and started my word count over. Whoops.
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And yet, your word count is still higher than mine. Sigh.
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It looks like we have a superfly night crew online tonight! Go y'all!
Have fun guys. I'm off to bed so I don't fall asleep at work again.
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Oh, I see. Taunt us with your presence and then go to sleep.
Sleep is highly over-rated (says the insomniac who actually would like to sleep).
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That was me last night. Bad night, that. Which probably means I should go to bed now, but I want to write. But I can't think of where to take the story at this point.
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Oh, I see. Taunt us with your presence and then go to sleep.
Yup.
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What story are you working on, stacer? Are you doing something entirely new or more Black Bull?
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Both. I have had some flashbacks lately of high school, certain scenes and themes of life in small-town Illinois that might make an interesting YA. I've been toying with the idea of making Maggie (Black Bull) a contemporary farm girl in contemporary farm country Illinois. This is what's making it so hard, though. Instead of urban fantasy, I'm attempting, I guess, rural fantasy. You don't see too many contemporary farm girls in fantasy today.
But the problem is making the connection between them. I don't want just an alternate-universe story. I want to fit the folklore into the framework of a contemporary story. This should be easy to draw upon Scandinavian and Scottish folklore, because that area I grew up in is all Swedish and German and Scottish. But it's still not quite there in my head.
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That sounds really interesting! At one time I toyed around with some ideas for the story of East of the Sun, West of the Moon in a modern setting (which is a variant tale, as you know), but I never got very far. I think it could be a cool twist if you could pull it off. It might be difficult, though, if you didn't do some sort of alternate-universe. Then would it be more like magical realism--or more like Harry Potter, where the magic is in our world, but hidden?
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What is Magical Realism?
My novel is also Modern Fantasy, and might combine elements of Magical Realism and Harry Potter-style "hidden Fantasy".
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That is one I have always been a little sketchy on. Stacer might have a better definition as she is "in" with the publishing business.
As far as I understand, magical realism is more "literary" in public opinion than fantasy. The book (not necessarily the movie) Big Fish is supposed to be magical realism--magic things just kind of happen and it is not really pointed out or explained. I think EUOL told me that 100 Years of Solitude was magical realism (I haven't read it) in a discussion one time.
Definition online for magical realism:
A chiefly literary style or genre originating in Latin America that combines fantastic or dreamlike elements with realism.
And Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism) has a definition too. Oh, and it lists 100 Years of Solitude as an example, so I was right about that.
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Chimera has pretty much summed up my understanding of it. Basically, "magical realism" is the way to palatably introduce magic/fantasy to a readership that doesn't get fantasy, who insist upon their books being "real."
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And it is usual marketed in mainstream or literary fiction rather than fantasy, correct?
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Usually. In YA it just goes in the YA section.
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So basically, the term "magic realism" was invented by snobs who won't read fantasy, so that they can justify the fantasy that they do read.
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Yes.
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Alack, alack, poor Jade Knight, I knew him well...
Why am I alone, here?
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what the heck is this thread about anyway? superfly a site or you just talking about the 70s term superfly?
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I think its about the Night Crew, ie people who come on at 3am and post.
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umm, like us. bty, did you get my message jax?
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When I joined the boards last April or so, the Nightcrew revived a little bit because several of us were insomniacs and would post on this thread if we just wanted to talk to each other while the rest of the world slumbered peacefully.
According to MsFish, at that point I had already missed the heyday of the Nightcrew--when people would post conversations (like several pages worth) through the night. It was used as a mass instant messaging system rather than a forum--the one thread where this occured. (If I understand correctly.)
Lately, either everyone has been sleeping or no one has been really posting.
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Well, this month is NaNo. So.
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I think its about the Night Crew, ie people who come on at 3am and post.
Eagle! You do exist!
I blame the dying of the nightcrew partly on the disappearance of Eagle and Morgan--without them it didn't make sense for Jeffe and I to talk on the forum. Nightcrew wasn't much fun with only two people.
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Yeah well sometimes I sleep at night, especially during the summer.
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i am usually on at that time of night. the first time i saw eagle on also.
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Superfly has not kicked the bucket... its just too superfly to be second guessed.
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Yeah, well, we should actually revive Superfly one of these nights. As it is, the only time it gets used is when Jeffe wants to prove to me that it still exists.
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someone apparently did... there was quite the 3 post conversation last week....
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Oh forgive me. I must have blinked and missed it.
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it was a scorcher
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I am alone in my insomnia. Too tired to write. So I've decided to have a conversation with myself. If anyone happens onto the site, you're welcome to join in.
Actually, I'm going to take some herbal pills. They don't always work, but I'm desperate. I think I'll take like four--there herbs, they can't hurt, right?
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My story is bugging me right now because I want to kill off a character but for political reasons I think this character needs to live a little longer. I can't decide--move on with the story or develop the political conflict more. The character will die a horrible death now or later. I just can't figure out when.
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I watched The 10th Kingdom last week. It was like a miniseries on ABC awhile ago. I got it on DVD at Blockbuster while I as sick and needed something to pass the time. I don't know if anyone else has seen it. Kind of interesting--it played with a lot of fairytale elements as a father and daughter from our world wondered through a kingdom where fairytales are real. I liked how it played with deeper themes, like overcoming fear and learning to love again. But it was also kind of silly sometimes.
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Wow, I read over my posts and saw a bunch of spelling mistakes. Oh, well. I think I'm going to go write until I fall asleep. That sometimes works. Only problem is then I'm sleeping with my laptop on my lap, and subconsciously I know it is there, so I don't really sleep well because I'm worried about knocking over my laptop.
Okay, enough silliness of talking to myself. I'll go try meditating or something. I really need sleep.
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I do that too, Chimera. And so I end up not moving at all during the night. I tend to do that when I fall asleep with a really heavy book on my chest, too--it weighs enough that I am afraid to move and wake up entirely too stiff.
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i have seen the 10th kingdom. it was ok, not the best of their miniseries movies they have done. The trolls were pretty stupid though, but i liked the idea.
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Yeah, I liked the idea. And I liked some of what they did. **Spoilers** I thought it was a really powerful moment when Virginia confronted her mother and learned the truth about the night that she left. Virginia had suppressed the truth--that her mother had tried to drown her. And Virginia had all sorts of issues--she was afraid to love because she was so hurt when her mother left. I got a little emotional when Virginia kissed her mother after she had defeated and killed her. You still go on loving people that close to you--even when they hurt you.
So I really liked that--how it tied fairytale elements to these deeper issues and emotional growth. But then it was just goofy sometimes. Like the trolls--I agree that they were pretty stupid.
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i am trying to think of which of their movies were my favorite. I think the Odyssey was pretty good, and Arabian Nights was pretty good.
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Me and my wife rented "The 10th Kingdom" a few months ago and watched it over the course of a few evenings. And I've just got to say that my very favorite part of that whole series was the trolls. Seriously, they were such bad actors and had such horrible lines that they were the funniest part of the whole movie. "Go suck an elf!" is now a common insult around our household.
Some things you just love because of how dumb they are, look at how far Chris Farley got. Anyways, people here are going on about the deep issues of this movie, I just had to make a plug for the trolls.
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I did think "Suck an elf" was a pretty creative swear phrase, as far as fantasy swear words go.
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I did think "Suck an elf" was a pretty creative swear phrase, as far as fantasy swear words go.
Sounds pretty dirty to me, but then I know too many Legolas enthusiasts.
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I guess I just pictured the trolls eating an elf--like slurping it down head first, or using the elf's head as a lollipop. Didn't even think of it being dirty. Wups. :-[
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I have a feeling it was intended that way, I'm afraid I just tend to have my mind in the gutter.
;D
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Am I the only one spending the evening before Thanksgiving as bored as I am? I don't know what happened to my evening. I think I fell asleep. Now it's midnight and I can't sleep, but I'm not fresh enough to do something interesting like write.
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I spent all that day roofing, and then went to bed when I got home. Plus my close cousin died the day before, and my uncle the day before that. So not really bored, but it wasn't fun.
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Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. So many deaths in the family at once.
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No one is ever on horribly late at night when I am.
*sigh*
And I'm so frustrated with my characters I can't even really write. I keep writing snippets of death scenes because I want to kill my characters off--even the ones that are not actually slotted to die.
I can't quite get their motivations right. Certain things need to happen, and some characters need to act a certain way, but I'm not sure if it is working or believable. And right now I'm not trusting myself so I'm sure that whatever I write will be wrong.
Gah. I'll probably just go write another death scene--one that actually happens in the story. It seems to be cathartic. Should that worry me?
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nah, unless you start actually killing people...
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I'll keep that in mind. ;)
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Im sure you will....
/me looks over his shoulder
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Ah, don't worry. I have no ninja monkeys or kitties to be my minions and travel across the country to do my bidding.
You don't have to worry until you see the whites of my eyes. :o
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and untill you get an access card to the secure room I'm in...
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Oh, that wouldn't be a problem. I have my ways. I am a woman after all--I'll use my feminine wiles. ;)
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curse you and your wiles!!!!
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Actually, they're not always as effective as I would like. I'd prefer super powers, like the ability to fly or stop time.
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Timestopping is good,... real good, but I prefer to leap unhindered throught the aeons.
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So I went to church, and could barely sit up straight, so I thought it best to come home and rest again. But I'll have to go back and practice my trio piece for next week's Christmas program. I'm very glad church is only about 6 blocks away. I think it's better than it was yesterday.
And I was actually up last night, Chimera, but I didn't check TWG till after you were off. My poor cat is bewildered by the number of piles of stuff I'm surrounded by on the couch right now. I was scanning things for my portfolio while surrounded by piles of books, all the books I've been meaning to read for forever. I've started Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls, but I got bored, so I went to Rhymes with Witches but that was even more annoying, so now I'm on the 2nd volume of the Midnighters series. Hopefully it will stand up to my expectations, as the first book was really good.
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hey fishie...!!!
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Are you calling to her or mistaking me for her? ???
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calling to her....
trying to get her attention...
I can call to you though if ya want....
Hey Stacer!!!!
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So I went to church, and could barely sit up straight, so I thought it best to come home and rest again. But I'll have to go back and practice my trio piece for next week's Christmas program. I'm very glad church is only about 6 blocks away. I think it's better than it was yesterday.
And I was actually up last night, Chimera, but I didn't check TWG till after you were off. My poor cat is bewildered by the number of piles of stuff I'm surrounded by on the couch right now. I was scanning things for my portfolio while surrounded by piles of books, all the books I've been meaning to read for forever. I've started Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls, but I got bored, so I went to Rhymes with Witches but that was even more annoying, so now I'm on the 2nd volume of the Midnighters series. Hopefully it will stand up to my expectations, as the first book was really good.
Curses! You mean I finally fell asleep when you were on?
Well, some sleep is better than no sleep. I'm actually feeling alright today--which means that it will be tomorrow that I start feeling the lack of sleep. There is always a consequence when I have a bout of insomnia--even if it is delayed for a bit. :P
But right now I feel fine. So I shall eat, drink hot cider, and be merry! Huzzah!
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Are you feeling any better today, stacer?
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Better, but not 100%. Went to the dr. this morning, and it turns out she's had it, along with 2 others of her patients, and she had no idea what it was. She had the other patients out for cat scans and MRIs because it freaked her out, it was so bad right at first (which is why I stayed home and moaned and moped all weekend). But the biggest part of the pain and swelling goes away in a few days (today it's much better than Saturday), and then the rest of the pain and stiffness linger for another 2 weeks. So, I won't be able to fully turn my head for a while, which kind of makes driving iffy, but I survived today. If it's still bad tomorrow, I'm calling in sick or working from home, but I'm hoping it's better.
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Hope you're getting better. Sorry I didn't respond. I fell asleep with my laptop on and open to TWG (among other things), so it looked like I was logged on all night. :-[
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Heh. I do that all the time myself. I stayed home today, and how I slept! Not only did I sleep in till about 9, I fell asleep again at 1 and slept till just now (8pm). Wow, that felt good.
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I miss my night crew. But then, I miss a lot of things. It doesn't change much.
I was going to ramble, because I'm lonely and bored, but I've just run out of the motivation to ramble, which means I've probably reached a point of apathy too. Oh well.
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Superfly Jeff hurts from moving...
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Superfly Jeffe should take a superfly break and come visit superfly Eric so I can buy him a superfly Jamba.
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superfly Jeffe cant, cause superfly Jeffe is putting in his superfly time at the USCG. The NRC is having its diaspora...
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Heh. I do that all the time myself. I stayed home today, and how I slept! Not only did I sleep in till about 9, I fell asleep again at 1 and slept till just now (8pm). Wow, that felt good.
I miss you MsFish. :'(
I hate it in California. I don't want to be here. I miss my friends. I miss Utah--even if it is horribly cold.
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Oddly Fishy is in Cali right now...
and probably feeling quite similar.
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I miss you MsFish. :'(
I hate it in California. I don't want to be here. I miss my friends. I miss Utah--even if it is horribly cold.
Horribly cold? What are you talking about it's been in the 40s for over a week.
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Maybe it is because I was born in upstate New York and lived there for quite a while, but I honestly don't feel like Utah is that cold. I never wear a jaket or coat unless I'm going on some scout trip in the mountains, like our winter campout where we have to pitch our tents on a couple feet of snow and hike in on snowshoes. I mean this year the tempuratures have been below zero more than usual, but without three and a half to four and a half feet of snow it just doesn't get to me.
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Horribly cold? What are you talking about it's been in the 40s for over a week.
To someone used to upper 60s + for a high in the winter, 40s are cold. Especially when it gets below freezing at night. :P
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I just realized that I quoted the wrong person in my post above. I meant to quote MsFish saying she missed a lot of things. Oh well. You all got my gist.
I'm feeling less grumpy now. Talked to some people on the phone. And set aside some time to write. So I'm doing better. But I still miss Utah--because of the people.
Oh well. Four months isn't forever (though somedays it feels like it is).
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I was wondering why you were quoting me rambling about sleeping.
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MsFish, I see you are on but I don't know if it's true. (I.e. I don't know if you are actively reading the posts.)
I'll see if I can get you to respond. How's it being back in Utah?
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Ah, now she's gone. I've lost my Fishy!
I'll just have to use the old-fashioned way of getting to her--calling her on the phone, late enough that we both have free minutes.
In case anyone is interested. ;)
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I got a free movie ticket from work for Christmas, and I'm just getting around to using it, and I find out that the nearest theatres that take it are about an hour drive away. Also just realized that Edwards Theatres are a part of the company, which someone told me are centered in Idaho, so Sallyann and I should have gone to a movie while I was out there.
Not a grumpy or a happy thing, so I put it here. It's a thing that just is. So I'm thinking I'll still go to a movie tonight--probably the new Pride and Prejudice--but there was a 6:45 showing, and the next one isn't till 9:30. So I have a couple hours to kill.
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Superfly Night Crew--assemble! I'm bored! :P
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I'm here, two hours too late.
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at 5 am its still night for you Utah folks and Seattle too...
HI!!!!