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Jul. 9th, 2009 @ 11:12 pm Primal Scream Therapy

A little fic bribe for Elfling, per the bribe offer from a while back.
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knock
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Jul. 3rd, 2009 @ 01:02 pm Portuguese
Any out there familiar with Portuguese, at least with naming conventions?
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tigger
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Jun. 29th, 2009 @ 07:09 pm Quick grammar question
Okay, in this sentence:

And when she showed up late to meals or dirty to tea, her family would resort to gently berating her on how “she never had a second chance to make a first impression.”

 
does the "she" in "she never had..." need to be capitalized? I'm thinking it does. 
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Patches
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Jun. 26th, 2009 @ 06:14 pm Eep
This probably isn't a surprise to anyone else, but as was reading over some new stories, I realize that I write some freakishly long sentences. Like long in "how do people keep track of what I started with by the time they reach the end" sentences.  
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christmas kitty
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Jun. 24th, 2009 @ 03:38 pm Bribes available
To anyone willing to beta some stuff for grammar/typos even if they're not familiar with the source material.  

On a more serious note, I'm in Virginia right now visiting a sick aunt. She has cancer and just finished up her chemo/radiation. They're trying to find a nursing home with the facilities she needs. She's scared she's not going to make it home again, and I can understand her fear. She's in her 80s, and not doing so well. Her husband died not that long ago, and it was the same situation. He needed to go to a nursing home after surgery to recover, and with all the complications, he never made it home. They never had any kids and she's the youngest in her family; her sister stayed with her since February, but she had to go home to get her own medical issues dealt with.

I just wish I knew what to say to her. 
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web fractal
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Jun. 24th, 2009 @ 03:33 pm If you use Firefox on Windows...
If you're using Firefox on Windows, you need to check for an "update" Microsoft added without your knowledge. This wonderful update makes Firefox vulnerable to the security issues known to IE. Yes, Microsoft added a known security hole to Firefox without warning, and then made it difficult to remove. Details <a href="http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/security/?p=1716&tag=nl.e019">here</a>. This is one of the reasons I recommend people disable the automatic updates from Windows.


 
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Jun. 5th, 2009 @ 07:13 pm Looking for betas in all the wrong places....
Howdy ho! I'll be needing a beta/betas for the "It Came From the 80s" challenge I accepted. There will be a story or stories from three different media:
TV - Star Trek: TNG - Picard/Crusher
Comic Book - GI Joe - Flint/Lady Jaye and some Scarlett/Snake Eyes
Cartoon - He-Man - Adam(He-Man)/Teela

 
If anyone is familiar with any of these 'ships, knows someone who is, or is willing to beta blindly, please let me know!
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knock
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Apr. 25th, 2009 @ 08:14 pm It's April
The temperature at 7 pm tonight was 87 degrees. No wonder I was melting outside this afternoon trying to do yard work.
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a sheep chorus line
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Apr. 21st, 2009 @ 02:49 pm Rambles
The vet just called. The cyst she removed from Patches was actually a mast cell tumor. Luckily, those are almost always benign in cats. These growths contain lots of histamine, so she probably was digging at it all the time because it itched like crazy. The stitches aren't bothering her so much now, but she's still working full-time on the collar. The cat is showing more intelligence trying to get it off than she has in her entire life.

I'm having a heck of a time concentrating on stories. I get a few pages done on one, then I get sidetracked into another one. Then I get an idea for something another one, or think a plot point would work better in one of the other stories, or.... I need someone standing over me with a pointy stick.

Still looking for a third TV show from the 80s. I thought about Murder, She Wrote, but it doesn't really lend itself to a romance, which is one of the story requirements.

The adapter on my laptop is going bad. A new one from HP costs $55. I can get the same thing from Amazon for $17. :S
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Patches
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Apr. 15th, 2009 @ 04:07 pm Fearless Feline Award
I can't decide if it's cute or silly - or both - that the vet sent Patches home with a Fearless Feline Award after her surgery today. It'll take about a week for the biopsy, and the stitches come out in 12 days. To avoid a repeat of last month's cat chase, I locked her into the breezeway last night so she'd have nowhere to hide this morning, and I got her into the carrier with a minimum of fuss. Quino loved the arrangement - she curled up under the covers, latched onto my arm, licking and purring like crazy. Around 11 this morning, she realized Patches was missing, and she started acting nervous, trying to find her, and then refusing to let me out of her sight. Patches is now wandering around the house, still groggy from the drugs, with Quino following her around trying to get a good sniff.  She keeps trying to get under the coffee table, but it's too low for the collar. It'd be funny if I didn't know she was going to be in pain later. I have meds for her - itty, bitty little pills that I have to cut into quarters.



I went to my cousin's viewing last night, and I'm surprised how many people attended in jeans and sweats. I know people are a lot more casual about dressing, but a funeral/viewing doesn't seem the place to wear a Spongebob Squarepants sweatshirt, especially on a guy old enough to be going bald.
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Patches
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Apr. 10th, 2009 @ 12:39 pm Friday afternoon miscellany
I just had a call from my cousin. Her son, who is a couple years younger than I am, died last night in his sleep. Apparently he had had kidney problems recently, but the cause of death is still unknown. I barely knew him - I hadn't seen him since we were both in grade school, but it's still a shock.

I'd forgotten how nice hot water is until the furnace died last week. The replacement went in Monday, and what a difference! There's a ton more water pressure, which makes sense. The house has a well with a lot of minerals in it, so the old hot water heater was filling up with gunk for decades. The water is also hot, not just comfortably warm. Too bad the new system is noisy as hell. The installer insists it's just air in the line and it'll quiet down over time.

I hope to have some CSI stories up soon. I've been trying to get some yard stuff done while I can, but there's rain predicted for the next two days.

There is something very liberating about writing a fic based on an 80s cartoon. You have so much room for creativity in a fantasy world. But I think I need to drop the name "Atropa" for the one character. It might give too much away. Or not. I'm not sure how well-known that is.
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orion
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Mar. 27th, 2009 @ 02:19 pm Hehehe
Current Mood: amused
Literary Geek Humor
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a sheep chorus line
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Mar. 20th, 2009 @ 06:48 pm I gotta stop taking dares!
I now have to write three stories, at least 10,000 words each. The uniting theme? It came from the 80s! Yikes.

I was able to get one as a ST:TNG, which is good since I already had a story idea from years ago. The second one has to be a "He-Man" story. He's the guy that ran around in furry shorts, right? Did anyone ever watch that show, 'cause I'm totally lost since I never watched it. I'm trying to get my hands on one of the DVDs and am doing a bit of research, but what have I got myself into?!?

We haven't agreed on a third show yet, mainly because we can't remember much else that was on in the 80s. I refused to do another cartoon.
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a sheep chorus line
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Mar. 18th, 2009 @ 09:32 am It's not even a Monday
Current Mood: sleepy
On a lark, I decided to try out the alarm feature on my cell phone since I needed to get up early this morning to take Patches to the vet. Yikes! Loud and obnoxious. It's good I used it, though, since the power had gone out during the night. I stumbled around getting ready while trying to wake up - Quino was a good and thoughtful cat who reminded me all night long that there was no food or water out for them - when Patches disappeared.

I spent the last two and a half hours trying to corner her to take her to surgery. Hah! The damn thing disappeared. She usually hides under some furniture, but I've checked everywhere and can't find her. I finally gave up and called the vet to admit defeat and reschedule. It's just as well - their power is still out and they can't operate until it comes back on. Depending on how long that takes, they might not have been able to get to her today. They'll call me back when their power comes back on to let me know the new surgery date.

I'd go back to bed, but 1) I never get back to sleep once I'm up, and 2) I know the damn cat will crawl up with me, purring as if nothing had happened.

ETA - no sooner than I hit post for this, the little Meow-zabub comes out of hiding!
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Patches
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Mar. 7th, 2009 @ 09:26 pm Philadelphia Flower Show
Current Mood: sleepy
After snow delays last weekend, I finally made it to Philly and spent the day at the show. It was really nice, except for one thing - the people. It wasn't too bad in the morning, but by afternoon it was wall-to-wall humanity. (The show gets a quarter of million visitors in 8 days - that's at least 30,000 people a day and most probably come on the weekends.) I had to take most of the photos over heads or between arms, so I went with the "take a ton, hope for a few that turn out" approach. I haven't looked at them too closely yet, and I haven't done any fixing yet. There's another 280+ images on the other card that I'll deal with later.


First batch of rough images - about 150 unedited photos

inalichenmanner/2009 Philadelphia Flower Show
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web fractal
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Feb. 28th, 2009 @ 04:40 pm Saturday cuteness and stuff
What's more fun than a barrel of monkeys? I love this site.

I was supposed to meet a friend in Philly tomorrow to go to the Philadelphia Flower Show, but the weather isn't looking promising so we postponed the trip until Friday or Saturday. I've never been before, but anything that gets 250,000 visitors in a week must be doing something right.

I finally crossed over to the evil side and bought a cell phone. I've been thinking of having one for the car in case of emergencies for a while. The prepaid plan was only $20 every three months and the phone itself was less than $10. Really can't beat the price and it's a nice safety thing, especially since you can't find payphones any more.

By any chance, did anyone keep a copy of the drafts from "That Which Does Not Kill Us"? It looks like I forgot to back that up and the original is on the dead hard drive.
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a sheep chorus line
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Feb. 26th, 2009 @ 04:23 pm :S
I just read a news story about an 18-year-old girl who thought she had lice, and following a friend's suggestion, soaked her hair in gasoline. She now has second- and third-degree burns over more than half her body after the water heater pilot light ignited the fumes.

My first thought was what a horrible recovery she's going to have, if she's lucky enough to live through this. Burns that severe over that much of her body are going to take a lot time, surgery, rehabilitation and pain to recover from. I can't imagine what her family is going through right now. (The girl is in a medically induced coma.) Her life, and that of her loved ones, will never be the same.

What I can't wrap my mind around is why anyone would ever think soaking themselves in gasoline would be a good idea.
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Feb. 25th, 2009 @ 08:40 pm Days of Salad Future...
and a demonically possessed cat.

I had to take Patches into the vet yesterday for a pre-surgery appointment. The lethargic kitty didn't mind when I disturbed her nap, picked her up, took her out to the breezeway. As soon as I opened the carrier, she went insane. At the vet's, she made a made dash for the scales and tried to climb into the shelves. I'm starting to think she doesn't like the vet.

( Salad porn )
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Jan. 31st, 2009 @ 01:46 pm Yggdrasil?
To gain knowledge, sacrificed himself to himself ... really stretching here. I think I'm going to stick with a "You" or "Yesterday" theme.

Finally getting an insurance settlement from the accident in October. It's $500-$700 more than my expenses, and new computers are looking tempting. But I think I'll be good, and limit myself to a hard drive.
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Jan. 28th, 2009 @ 05:15 pm Grumble, mutter, mutter, grumble
Dead, dead, dead
We lost power a couple times due to the ice storm, and it looks like the last time fried my desktop. I was getting MBR errors and fixing that led to the blue screen of death. I could do a complete reinstall, reformat the hard drive and all that jazz, but I despise this computer. It's been nothing but trouble since I got it last Christmas. Might be looking for a new one - or rebuilding the old one, which really probably only needed a new hard drive.

Why?
Aren't there more "Y" title suggestions? It's not the hardest letter of the alphabet! ;-) Ytterbium definitely would be a challenge ... Would have to be something with UFOs. I know nothing about UFOs except I never liked the X-File stories that dealt with them.

Bad book, redux
When a national drugstore chain has hardback novels on sale two for $10, there's probably a reason. I read the first and it made the "Shelters of Stone" seem good. I'm afraid to try the second one.

Lemonless
My Meyer lemon dropped all its little baby lemons. Turns out this is normal citrus behavior; they self-thin to prevent the limbs from breaking, and I doubt this thing could have held the weight of more than 2 or 3 lemons total. Maybe next year.

Random
You know it's icy outside when you find a crow at your bird feeders! He was staring at one of the suet feeders, probably trying to figure out how to carry it away. Luckily, he left for other food sources.
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evil
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