bluish_purplish

Last Ping

Thu, 02 Jun 2005 20:51:08 GMT

For anyone who missed the previous post, I've switched LJs, over to helvetian. This one can be unfriended, since I won't be making any further posts here.

Becca

Change of LJ

Sun, 01 May 2005 22:20:55 GMT

I'm switching to a new LJ name, Helvetian, for those who want to tag along. This one's a little outdated.

Spring Gathering

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 17:41:35 GMT

Heading south as soon as the kids are off the bus and have eaten. Not sure whether David will nap. Depends on whether he fell asleep on the bus. I seem to be the only staffer keeping kosher for Passover, unfortunately. No one to share the misery with. :-)

Evilbeej and Elsewhere7, if either of you find yourselves with some time on Saturday and would like to stop by, ask registration to give Becca a call. I'll likely have a radio on me.

Birthday Meme

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 17:33:20 GMT

Your Birthdate: January 4

Being born on the 4th day of the month should help make you a better manager and organizer.

You may be more responsible and self-disciplined than you realize.

Sincere and honest, you are a serious and hard working individual.

Your feelings are likely to seem somewhat repressed at times.

The number 4 has something of an inhibiting effect on your ability to show and express affections, as feeling are very closely regulated and controlled.

You are apt to be much more practical, rational, and conscious of details.

There is a good deal of rigidity and stubbornness associated with the number 4.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Just Wrong

Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:19:08 GMT

www.milkandcookies.com/links/28721/

For the Nintendo fans out there.

Nothing Ventured...

Sat, 23 Apr 2005 03:50:30 GMT

On Friday nights Cartoon Network has live bits between their cartoons. Hosted by Tommy and Tara. So, I got to wondering what it would take to get Cartoon Network to run those bits from DEXCON 8 this summer. I guess we'll see whether it's possible. I'm not optimistic, but it doesn't hurt to try. I did mention the chocolate fondue Friday night. And the 30,000 Pixy Stix on Saturday night. If that doesn't get their attention, I don't know what will. :-)

There's... just no words...

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 15:45:46 GMT

www.livejournal.com/community/scans_daily/499954.html

Life's a Box of Crayons?

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 20:20:44 GMT

I do find several of these quite unkind. But it was sort of cute as a whole.

Your Box of Crayons! by saidara
Username
Is the Generic Crayon	adelinfdm
Is the Tickle-Me-Pink Crayon	kara_fm_krypton
Is the Fabulously Gay Purple Crayon	elsewhere7
Is the Mellow Yellow on crack Crayon	rathess
Is the Useless White Crayon	dragontologist
Is a Black Crayon that fucks other Crayons up	ninjaslug
Is the Nice Shade of Puke Green Crayon	samy
Is the Shit Brown Crayon	belegarth
Is the Suicidally Depressed Gray Crayon	celarain
Is Half of a Crayon... :(	sahiko
Is the most Beautifulest Colored Crayon ever	technis

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 15:16:54 GMT

Evil Lex is yummy.

I <3 Michael Rosenbaum.

This has been a public service announcement. :-)

Hey, bwanabeast

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 18:19:12 GMT

You still reading LJs occasionally? Let someone know you're okay, 'kay? Some of us are worried about you. :-P

Joy.

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 11:13:20 GMT

Sean's turn. And it feels like I'm next.

yippee.

If you were a tree...

Fri, 01 Apr 2005 13:33:28 GMT

You Are A Fir Tree

You love anything beautiful, and you have extraordinary taste.

And while it's hard for you to trust, you care deeply for those close to you.

You are a social butterfly, and you have many friends.

You handle stress well - and you are a master at relaxing after a hard day.

Overall, you are modest, talented, unselfish, and very reliable.

What is Your Celtic Horoscope?

Comment to CNN

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 18:12:31 GMT

Sure, there's LOTS of people who email them. Figured it didn't hurt to toss mine in, too:

The quote:

President Bush sent condolences to Schiavo's families. "I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected."

If President Bush and congress had really felt this way, they'd have all been rushing back to work to commit more resources to child welfare services and education. I feel badly for those related to Terri Schiavo. I feel worse for the thousands of children who suffer because time and money are being devoted to things like this, instead.

Scarce today

Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:43:51 GMT

Likely to not be around much, or very, very idle. David started throwing up in the wee hours, and repeated it a little more frequently than every hour on the hour. Dennis is taking him to the doctor as we speak, but I suspect all they can tell us is to try to keep him hydrated till the bug passes. I'll likely be napping some, as it's possible. Bleh. Poor kid. Hopefully the other one won't get it, too.

Some people...

Tue, 29 Mar 2005 18:44:05 GMT

www.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/29/122724/208

I don't know if it's confirmed as true, though.

Only 77%? How embarrassing.

Sun, 13 Mar 2005 19:47:06 GMT

Ultimate Gamer!!
GM says drop 2d10, aanndd... you roll 77% !

What, are you a first generation gamer? Did you own the brown box?! Whatever you do in your spare time, gaming seems to be your job. Either you looked up the answers or you're the best of the best, the type that makes other gamers strive to know more. Just don't let the knowledge overwhelm the newbies, it tends to push them from the hobby. We all bow before you. You are the living nat 20, congradulations. I'm going to flee the scene now ;)

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on dice

Link: The Real Gamers use Dice Test written by luminasita on Ok Cupid

Looking for constructive criticism

Fri, 04 Mar 2005 13:35:21 GMT

If anyone's feeling up to offering some. It's the opening chapter to what I'm working on. Been working on it on and off for a while now, actually. My father's been poking me the last couple months to finally get it written. It's longish, so it's

Everything was perfect. Zachary lay on the large, soft green blanket with his mother, watching her clean up some of the plates from their picnic as she hummed to herself. There had been a ton of food – at least from his perspective – some of his favorites, and some of theirs. And now, belly full, he was feeling lazy. He gazed up at the sky as his mind wandered some, hoping the day would last forever.
Sounds of splashing filled his ears, and his eyes turned towards the clear blue lake nearby. Its sun-brightened, and otherwise still surface, was being disturbed as his father swam back towards shore. The boy smiled as he returned from his most recent lap, again enjoying everything about the day. His father had always been seen as a strong man, not only to his son, but those many people whom he employed. Zachary only hoped that when he was older, he’d command the same respect.
A perfect day, indeed, he thought. It wasn’t often enough, that his parents could clear an entire day during the week for him. His father’s company had thousands of employees, and was responsible for billions of dollars in defense contracts. And while Matthew took time as often as possible to spend with his family, days like this were very rare, and to be treasured.
His mother, too, had a busy life. Marie was heavily involved in politics as a campaign manager, and traveled even more frequently than his father. She was very proud of having been key to the political successes of several people in Washington, including a past president. Zachary was in turn very proud of her, though he was not shy in saying he wished she were home more often. And on his last birthday, she had promised him that in a few years, she would retire to focus more on the family.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky on this beautiful summer day, and neither too warm nor too cool. Perfect. The word kept rolling about in the twelve years old mouth, though remained unsaid aloud. Perfect, just like every other summer day that had found them by this lake.
As his father stepped away from the water and towards the blanket, the glistening water rolled off him and back towards the lake, leaving the sun easy work in drying him.
Matthew reached the blanket, which was now mostly free of food, Marie tousled his short, still-damp, brown hair. She looked at it oddly then for a moment, before offering him a towel. But plainly, he wasn’t done yet with the lake. Taking her by the hand, Matthew led his wife back towards it, despite protests that she wasn’t dressed for a swim. Not that he had been, either. He’d simply removed his blue polo shirt, and swum in his shorts. He tugged her again, assuring Marie that she was just fine for a swim in her clothes and that no one was going to see her. Finally, casting her sandals to the side, she followed him to the water.
Zachary watched them, but wasn’t very interested in swimming, himself. He was much more interested in the pastries their chef had packed for them which were now sitting out and tempting him. He watched his parents as they went, and as the water lapped gently at their feet as they stood at the edge. Again, his mother balked, plainly not really wanting to get wet today. She pointed towards a few clouds that had drifted into view, suggesting the weather might turn. Still, Matthew persisted. They had some time yet before the clouds reached them, he said.
Marie stood there, watching the water intently. It sparkled and shone in the sunlight, and seemed to captivate her. Matthew stood close by, murmuring quietly into her ear. Zachary couldn’t tell what they were saying, but obviously she was persuaded, and as he helped himself to dessert, he watched them both walk forward until they vanished beneath the surface. Creampuff gone, he thought about where they'd gone for a moment as he remained safely on the blanket.
It was odd. He knew that. Just as he knew it was a little odd that the tide seemed to be coming in, though he wasn’t worried. Well, he wasn’t very worried. There was such a familiarity to all of this. They’d come here so many times before, after all, and always, his father had gone swimming first, just after lunch. Then his mother would go with him, as the clouds rolled in, just as they were rolling in now. His attention was split between the now lively surface of the lake, and the clouds, which mirrored it as they spread out to overcast the afternoon. Still, his parents were nowhere in sight.
Zachary tried not to worry. He stayed right there on the blanket, as he’d been asked to do. At least, he thought he’d been asked to stay there. He wasn’t quite certain now. But to leave it felt… wrong. Even as the lake rose and reached towards the blanket and him, he stayed put and stared at the water in the hopes of seeing his parents emerge. The lake still sparkled, despite that the clouds overtaken the sun and a gloom settling over their little part of the world. It sparkled even more brightly, in fact.
Suddenly, the land around him was gone, and Zachary was afloat upon the blanket. More upsetting, to his mind, was how familiar all of this still felt. A dread crept into him, as he clutched handfuls of blanket from the middle, so as not to be thrown in. The pastries were not so fortunate, however. He was startled to watch the glistening and thick-seeming water surround each small cake, before pulling them under.
His reverie was broken then, by a scream, then, two screams. Looking to the other side of his strange lifeboat, the boy finally saw Matthew and Marie break the surface. Part of his mind wondered that he’d heard them before they’d reached the top. But there was no time to dwell on that. His hands were reaching out, trying to capture theirs. With no thought to keeping himself safe, Zachary risked leaning forward more, in the hopes of rescuing his parents.
His mother’s hand was grasped first, and then his father’s. And while they seemed in great peril of being pulled under once more, they did not precisely seem afraid to drown. Nor was the water that poured into their mouths able to keep them from calling for him to rescue them. Zachary pulled as hard as he could, tears racing down his cheeks as he begged them to hold on and promised that he would save them. All the while, Matthew was apologizing over and over to Marie for having brought her to this.
A wind had now picked up, making the air as ugly as the sky and water had become. Every part of the day had been brought to ruin. All that Zachary could do was to hold on as tightly as his young body would allow, and pray that there would soon be an end to it.
And there was, but not any ending that the boy might have wanted. An eddy was forming beneath his parents, though it seemed to be having no effect at all as yet on the blanket. There was a sudden and sharp tug then, and his mother’s hand came loose from his. Zachary screamed for her, but she was quickly pulled back under and gone from view. He knew what was coming next, as did his father. There was a look between them, and a whispered, “Save us.” from the older man, before he too was pulled. There was no hope of Zachary keeping hold of him, and soon Matthew too vanished beneath the thickening water.
However, it did not end there. Hungry for more, the eddy that served as mouth for the sparkling lake expanded, and extended itself underneath the blanket to which the boy again clung. And he felt himself sink, as the water came away under him. It was as though a deepening pit was forming of its own accord, and as he looked up to see the sky, there was a wave. It teetered overhead for a moment that seemed an eternity, then was crashing down upon him...

My neighbor so owes me.

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 20:23:46 GMT

Today started out so nicely. I'd arranged for a ride with my father to meet my mother at a mall about an hour from the house. I did know there was the possibility of an early dismissal for snow, so when the kids got on the bus I made sure with my neighbor that her mother could take them for a while if I wasn't back in time. Since Jill's working now, her mother usually takes care of them after school (or I take them for a while, but obviously that wasn't the plan today).

So I head off with my father, and we have a very nice ride. We get some bagels, I hang out with him for a while in his office, then he drops me off at the mall. I meet my mother, who introduces me to the wonders of pedicures. This was a very belated birthday/holiday gift, since scheduling was tricky. The plan was pedicure, manicure, neck/shoulder massage. That all was great, and the polish was drying by 11:30. Just in time to call the school. Yup, early dismissal. If we skip lunch and leave now, we get home in plenty of time. So, I call Jill. Jill is still sure that her mother can take the boys for a while.

This is where we made our tactical error. We decided that we could go get lunch, then leave (my mother was coming back to the house with me). So Jill's mother would have them for maybe 1/2 hour. Two salads at Chili's later, we're on the way back to my house. Once it got close to 1pm (when the bus drops them off from a half day), I start calling Jill's house about every 5-10 minutes to make sure her mother's arrived. Nope. Nope. Nope... 1pm comes and goes. So much for the lovely de-stressing that was performed earlier. Jill wasn't able to get hold of her mother. And because there wasn't a snow cloud in the sky, her mother never imagined they would close early. As I type this, it's about 3:10pm. It still hasn't started snowing. Those bastards.

I call the school garage as we hurry past our exit in order to get there. Policy is that if a parent (or someone else cleared for it) isn't home, the driver takes the kids to the garage for pickup once they can reach someone. They contact the driver (who is WONDERFUL and I adore him), and determine that they all (my kids and Jill's) went to the house of the third group of kids who get on at that stop, a pair of twin girls. So we have to turn around and head back home. The kids were fine and all, and having a great time. It was just the parents who were having anxiety attacks. Meaning me and Jill. Kelly seemed alright with having been stuck with five more children for a little while, and I thanked her profusely. Especially since she and I really aren't close or anything. Very different people. I shoo'd my boys and Jill's boys to my house till her mother did get there soon after.

My mother decided not to stay, since if she left early enough she could beat the snow. She lives about an hour and a half from me. After some discussion, I decided that odds were in favor of a snow day tomorrow, so I packed Sean up and sent him with her for a couple days (my mother had off this week). I adore my son, but the break will be very good. Some days the H part of ADHD is in overdrive. Today was one such.

Meanwhile, Jill so owes me for not telling me when I first called her that she hadn't actually spoken to her mother yet, to make sure she knew to meet the bus. Oy.

Entertaining fan fic

Mon, 07 Feb 2005 22:17:05 GMT

www.fanfiction.net/s/1980013/1/

It's John Constantine/Hogwarts crossover fic. It's really, really entertaining. :-)

Tue, 01 Feb 2005 13:54:37 GMT

*yawn...* Still tired. But certainly not as tired as I was Sunday night. I got home to some nice news, btw. Which, all things considered, I deserved. After two months on the statin, my cholesterol is down to an unheard-of (for me) 188. Normal is under 200. Both LDL and HDL are within normal parameters. Huzzah. After the mess that has been both cars breaking down and having to rent a car for a week which we really can't afford to do, that was nice to hear.

The con ran very, very well. The staff did a great job, and we stayed pretty much right on top of everything. Attendance was light for some reason (I think a lot was the very, very cold), but the company reps and the dealers ended the weekend very happy. So, it was a very satisfying event for me. My feet, of course, are still kind of achy. I spent a lot of time on them.

I even got to play. Some. I demo'd an interesting board game from Hangman Games called Tahuantinsuyu, and wish I'd had the time to demo some of the Indie RPGs. DEXCON. I promise. I played a couple hands of gin with Tony DiGerolamo (www.thefixsite.com). He's a great guy, and he and Chris Moreno have a new webcomic coming out very soon called Super Frat. Everyone should go see it. The one scheduled game I played started at midnight Saturday, making my Sunday morning an interesting experience. That was Amber, which I couldn't resist playing. And it ended exactly as I thought it would, with my choice of brothers on the throne.

The one other scheduled thing I did was run the second round of our Buffy tournament (Eden Studios). I'd never run Buffy before. I'd never played Buffy before. I'd only GM'd once before, last Dreamation. And that was a game I'd only ever played sort of. It was D6, which BnB uses. Fortunately, I'd had one of the game designers on hand to help me through it (Nikki Vrtis is a wonderful, wonderful person. She also plays a mean game of gin :-).

I even got to do some Nexus stuff. Rohanna had been stuck as a manifestation since DEXCON 7, and that was finally fixed by the new Council. As a bonus, she finally got to switch Houses again, and ended up in Ares. I thought Cappy was going to faint when he saw her Ares button. And by midnight, she'd killed 5 people. Oh, wait. Six. But one didn't stay dead (well, none stayed dead, but this one proved unuseful for her purposes). Funnily enough, in all but one case they'd just let her do it. And in that one case, her House Head was standing right there and allowed it. It's good to be Rohanna sometimes. She got a nice toy out of it, and an NPC learned a valuable lesson regarding Ro's facility with semantics. ;-) Even as an Ares.

Now, on to DEXCON 8. Well, maybe in a week. Or so.

Loving the cold... Not.

Tue, 18 Jan 2005 14:45:40 GMT

So, after spending most of Friday through Sunday in bed due to the cold from hell, I was looking forward to finally getting to the chiropractor now that the kids are back in school today. I couldn't get there at all last week.

Uh huh.

For those unfamiliar with the weather in the Catskills today, it's 1 this morning. -20, taking into account the wind. And the van has very little heat to speak of. But, it isn't that long a trip.

Got the whole one exit down on Route 17, and knew things were not well. The water gauge was reading hot, and there was an unpleasant clicking sound coming from somewhere just ahead of me and to the right in the car. Turned around, got back on the highway to head home. Oh, look. Steam. Which I've been taught shouldn't be coming from a healthy front end.

There was coolant everywhere under there. And so began the process of waiting ten minutes for the engine to cool down some, then getting as far as I could before the needle reached the 'H' again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Did I mention the weather today? Took me a few 'hops' to get to where I could make an illegal turn off the highway at exit 11 (which has only the exit on the other side of the road) and into the gas station right there. So at least my next wait was somewhere warm. It was only 1/2 mile from there to the house, so I didn't need to put anything in at that point. I figured it was better to wait till Dennis got home and could see what's actually wrong.

It's Monday, right? It's just masquerading as Tuesday.

For the carnivores out there

Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:59:52 GMT

1 can condensed tomato soup
1 packet onion soup mix
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped small
chili powder to taste
1 to 1/2 pounds beef, somewhere between diced and cubed
About a 1/2 can of water
1 crockpot
Baking potatoes

mix soup, soup, garlic, water and chili powder in crock pot on high. Let that cook together for a bit. Add the beef and blend it all together. Cover and cook for a long time, stirring occasionally. 6, 7 hours. Whatever. An hour before you're going to serve it, leave off the top so it can start to thicken to stew consistency, still stirring, though a bit more frequently. Bake potatoes. Open them and ladle the stewed beef over them. Yum. Very comfort foodish. Very, very easy. Sour cream goes really well with it, too.

Serves, uh... It'll probably serve 3, if you add a veggie or salad or something. And if you go with the upper end of the meat. It's easy to add more meat to serve more people.

But... But... But... I was looking for a suggestion!

Thu, 23 Dec 2004 04:47:52 GMT

Well, not really.

You scored as None!. You've either done a good job of avoiding drugs, aren't interested in trying them, or have had an experience that chased you away. Stay safe. :)

</td>

None!

88%

Inhalents

69%

Ecstacy

69%

Marijuana

56%

Cocaine

44%

Alcohol

38%

Mushrooms

31%

What's your ideal drug?
created with QuizFarm.com

Health things

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 15:33:50 GMT

For those what are interested, in a month on the statin and thyroid hormone, my cholesterol level dropped by almost a hundred. It's still high, but that seems like a very good sign, to me. My TSH went from over ten to just within the top of the normal range. That, too, seems like a very good thing.

Nope, not surprised.

Fri, 10 Dec 2004 16:39:33 GMT

You scored as True Neutral. A True Neutral person has two faces- either these people are merely apathetic, preferring to focus their minds on more important things, or these people truly believe in a balance of all things. To these people, there can be no light without some darkness. These people also have no dedication to, or intrinsic distrust of, laws.

</td>

True Neutral

80%

Lawful Good

70%

Chaotic Good

60%

Neutral Good

45%

Lawful Evil

45%

Lawful Neutral

45%

Neutral Evil

30%

Chaotic Evil

20%

Chaotic Neutral

15%

What is your Alignment?
created with QuizFarm.com