Month: April 2006

RRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE thump
2006-04-30— Posted by: allegra

Tom L and Paul are having a busy morning. The last of the trees are coming down. Then I get raised beds. Happy sigh.

I know this is copyright protected
2006-04-30— Posted by: allegra

But how the hell can I resist???? Aislin ROCKS.

Happy news
2006-04-29— Posted by: allegra

Even if I continue to feel dreadful (I took yesterday off, as I couldn’t look at a screen or lights and ached from head to foot) I am going to think happy thoughts and relay happy news. Paul cut the phone line yesterday taking down the last of the tree limbs for the walnut tree but it will be fixed today… and I have a wireless modem, as previously reported, so I’m blogging anyway.

Katie’s new beau continues to be charming and friendly and he has a radio controlled car that tops out at about 70k; it was fun watching it blast up and down the culdesac yesterday evening. Then he hauled out his laptop and Keith and Kate and L. watched Unleashed in Kate’s room. Keith starts his new job Monday night and he has to memorize all the Superstore codes for bizarre vegetables between now and then. He has a good start on it and since his memory is pretty good I’ll let him play Final Fantasy 10 for another half hour and then get back to it.

Paul’s off changing the oil in the car.

I have to get back to the usual assortment of life maintenance now; bathroom’s pretty much done and when I sign off I’ll go back to hacking away at the living room.

I owe cousin Vladimir a letter; I don’t know whether to do something really offensive like send him all of my MP3’s of songs I’ve recorded, or something marginally more useful like some of my favourite artists. I was also thinking of doing a “this is my life” series of pix of a typical day in my life, and then laboriously translating it into Russian with the help of one or two Russian speaking friends. Any suggestions?

L’il Cthu refuses to come down from the damned chandelier. One of the pizza slices went missing, so I think he (it?) is coming out to forage at night. Both of the cats seem much more nervous than usual; Kira has taken to hiding in Keith’s room every chance she gets. Maybe this isn’t exactly happy news, but I’ll put a good face on it.

aaaaackkkk! It got away on me
2006-04-27— Posted by: allegra

I dunno. The package was addressed to me, and then this stripy mollusc leaped out, tentacles flailing, and it leaped out of my hands onto the chandelier, and now it refuses to come down. I didn’t like the way it was eyeing the garlic – I suspect its days are numbered……..

I told mOm to knit me a nautilus, and I got this animated little cuss; I was expecting something a little more docile. But now I’m not sure I’d want to do something as potentially risky as SLEEP with it in my bed… it’s not exactly vicious looking but it has a look in its eyes as if the Call of Cthulhu is never far from its mind…..

Miracles do happen
2006-04-27— Posted by: allegra

Milagros Cerron, the mermaid baby I blogged about a year ago, is getting big and strong.

Her first word was “Doctor”.

Keep growing, little miracle!

What kind of month would this be….
2006-04-27— Posted by: allegra

Without a reference to Bettie Page?

and when you’ve got nothing better to do
2006-04-27— Posted by: allegra

http://mootube.com/

Good golly, Miss Moo. This is what the inertnests are for!!!!!

rrrr
2006-04-27— Posted by: allegra

I am very glad that Frank started publishing again – the emag was just not as good as having the paper…

Alan called yesterday. The lucky dog! He and Janice got to walk around in the caldera of an active volcano while they were in Hawai’i. RRR.

Taxes are done! Quicktax is a pretty slick program.

Keith’s toe continues to improve, although it will be a while before he does any more work, which, given that he wants to go to a very heavy duty course, which is expensive, isn’t good. Guess he’s just going to have to sit home and play Final Fantasy 10 until his dad blows a head valve.

Katie had perfect attendance during Term 3. Rub your eyes and go back and read it again.

Katie has a new beau. Menfolks, listen very closely. He brought nitro methane into the house yesterday. You can now dance up and down and say, “Truly, he is one of us.” Oh, it was for his hobby, not for any, uh, anarchic or, uh, property damaging purposes. And I can see you nod your heads and go, uh huh.

I am very grumpy these days and wish I could get over it.

Is the US a Superpower?
2006-04-26— Posted by: allegra

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12843.htm

My response to this is simple…. can they lob large quantities of nuclear weapons at people? Check. They are still a superpower. Beware a man with nothing to lose who is cornered with a gun.

Free beer
2006-04-26— Posted by: allegra

Sorry, I’m running at about 1/4 speed because I don’t pass up on free beer when the company is paying. I’m going to be late for work because crackheads were arguing in front of the house and you really don’t want to get any of that on you. Magnificent set of lungs on that woman.

Keith dropped a pallet on his toe yesterday but he didn’t break it. I think he got a reminder about steel toed boots…. he wasn’t wearing any.

Katie continues to be radiantly happy. Paul is still the best man on earth. Everything’s just fine, except that, like I said, my brain isn’t working this am.

Taxes & Taxi
2006-04-25— Posted by: allegra

Paul and I have been hacking our way through our taxes. We should be done Wednesday night; I’ve got a hall pass to go drinking with my coworkers tonight after the confererererence. Sounds like I have a good start on it already. I also have a medical appointment today, and while I remember where and who, I can’t remember when, so I am feeling rather sorry for Paul, who’s going to have to play Dad’s Taxi most of the day.

I am really really tired. I went to bed relatively early but I woke up at about quarter after four and Paul was awake so we got talking. I am now at the stage of wakefulness when your bed is singing your name in doo-wop harmony; but I will make some tea and hopefully configure myself in the general shape of a working stiff and go do the thang.

Lest we forget
2006-04-24— Posted by: allegra

A million people took to the streets in Nepal this past week, defying the curfew, defying the government, and showing solidarity in their demands for a republic. This pic is from Phalano.com and shows women marching.

Kinaam, lizard of mystery
2006-04-24— Posted by: allegra

So, she laid a bunch of eggs…. 2 years after the last time she had sex. So either she was storing the sperm up until conditions were perfect, or her babies are parthenogenetic. I look at that face, that tongue, those scales and I’m a-thinking parthenogenesis gets my vote.

Warning, racism alert
2006-04-24— Posted by: allegra

Last night I dreamed I was jammed into a school gymnasium with a bunch of complete strangers. We were all sitting around on benches with those long cheap auditorium tables and food was about to come in. Somebody said, Allegra, Allegra, say a prayer. I barked “Theists, look at your plates. Humanists, do a Chinese fire drill.”

Then I woke up. What the hell was that supposed to mean? and if I had it to do again, I’d say Anarchist Fire Drill.

When you need a little push to get going
2006-04-24— Posted by: allegra

Vespers
2006-04-23— Posted by: allegra

It’s actually Rachmaninoff’s All Night Vigil, but people call it Vespers; anyway, it was a really good time according to Paul; I didn’t talk to Keith about it because I crashed super early. I am tired all the time these days and I start turning into a pumpkin around 9:30, although I don’t seem to have any problem getting up in the morning.

Kira is sitting in the plant room window looking decorative, and Zeek tried to pee in my plant containers, the little bugger. Time to move everything outside.

This is the guy who played Richard….
2006-04-22— Posted by: allegra

For the Dorothy Dunnett Reenactment at Academie Duello. His name is Randy Packer, and he’s damned good.

Duel
2006-04-22— Posted by: allegra

The duel consists of two men; each is armed with a dagger and a long sword. Soon we leave to go shopping and get Keith signed up at Superstore. Then we head downtown…. then we go to Mike and Tori’s and then Keith and Paul are going to Rachmaninoff Vespers with Chor Leoni. Ah. A day filled with Kultur…. Now I’m thinking of a quote, but I’m not gonna go there………..

More later, if I am spared.

Fabulous news
2006-04-21— Posted by: allegra

http://research.binghamton.edu/discovere/discovere%20files/TopStories/Jessica1.htm

Our departmental motto
2006-04-21— Posted by: allegra

Is now either FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!

OR, Let’s throw ourselves from that bridge when we cross it.

Off to Academie Duello tomorrow
2006-04-21— Posted by: allegra

I will be reporting in more detail upon my return, but in the meantime….. Duelling Zombies

Weird dream
2006-04-21— Posted by: allegra

Last night I dreamed that Paul and Keith and Katie and I went shopping and they were selling the frozen leg of a small child. Me and my family were the only people in the store who found it odd. Immediately after, two guys in a chuck wagon robbed the store. There were two large pumpkins in the back, and the cops were following, slowly, with their sirens on, while the two guys up front were yelling, Hyah! Obviously I couldn’t sleep any more after I woke up from that.

Not much to report
2006-04-21— Posted by: allegra

Had a long long chat with my ex-husband Phil last night. It was great to talk to him and catch up on all the family news. He is FINALLY going to get on line (I’ve been grousing at him about it for years) and I told him he’s got about two years of my bl0g to catch up on, lucky him. I am picturing him tripping over some of the stuff I’ve said in my blog that he’s probably the only other person on earth who would “get”, so that’s a fine prospect.

Katie writes the English Provincial she slept through last time this morning; she’s crippled from three days of Phys Ed so I massaged her for about half an hour last night. Apart from that, work, laundry and sleeping, I’ve not been doing much.

I did manage to find the complete works of the Carter Family for $40 US freight included yesterday, and I’m thinking of ordering it as one of the songs on it is one that cousin Laurel wants us to sing at the family reunion in July.

I am the eggman
2006-04-20— Posted by: allegra

very very funny. Helps if you can hum the tune in your head.

http://decider.cf.huffingtonpost.com/

Go here, click Watch This Movie
2006-04-20— Posted by: allegra

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/307402

And watch a verrrrry commie Mario do this thing.

Brayden’s home…..
2006-04-19— Posted by: allegra

What just happened?
2006-04-19— Posted by: allegra

One of the things Paul dislikes about me is the way I answer surveys.

If he’s not around to pound my head in, I answer every survey that comes my way. What he doesn’t understand is that surveys are not an interruption of my life, but an opportunity to vote with my big loud obnoxious opinions about everything. So I’ve been an EVox panelist (internet surveys for one of the big Canadian Survey companies) for, like, almost seven years. I’ve faithfully filled out every survey they’ve ever sent me (this is 50 or 60 surveys, at this point), including “How do you feel about this revamped government website?” all the way to “Which creams for vaginal itching do you use most frequently?” (Answer… topical application of prostaglandins works best for me, thanks….).

And of course they tell you that you’ll be entered in a draw for 1000 buckadingdongs if you enter but I’ve never so much won a toothpaste coupon.

So when they said, fill out this survey for a chance at free wireless internet, I thought, Bloody Hell Then, That’s a Likely Story, and filled it in. AND THEY’RE SENDING ME A FREE WIRELESS MODEM. I get free wireless internet for the next 6 months and if I like it I keep it and otherwise I ship it back. The bloody modem is worth $250 right there. I can hardly wait to tell Paul. From the time I started the survey to the time I got my order confirmation was about, uh, 20 minutes. Zowie!

Side note, unrelated, to Leo…. got the disk of pix, thanks, and I’ve now viewed them. The beach walks are glorious!

Lots of news
2006-04-19— Posted by: allegra

Hm, there’s so much good news that I don’t know where to start. Closest to my heart is the news that Tom L found (after some labor) the lyrics to a song I wrote in 2004, which means that I am that one step closer to having everything in order for my Pile O Songs. How he had it and I didn’t is perhaps emblematic of my (until recently) haphazard and disrespectful attitude towards my own ooooovre.

Keith applied to Superstore and goes to sign paperwork for employment on Saturday, to start training in early May. If all my hopes are not cheated, this will mean that ALL THREE of the adult males in my household are union employees.

John got to work at the docks all right, but there was a grisly cost; to get into the respirator he had to shave his beard. Jumpin Jack Flash Animation but he’s scary with his beard off…. all that fish belly white skin below (ed. Knock it off).

Mario gave me chocolate, which I shared with Patricia and Scott and Katie and Rob of 9.

I fired up Quick Tax 2005 and just as an experiment did Keith’s taxes. Seldom has 15 minutes of labor been so rewarded; while Keith zoned out in front of Final Fantasy 10, I put $384 back in his pocket. Keith is definitely living the life of Riley these days.

Paul found locally made unsweetened Peanuttella at the Perestroika Bakery.

And.

and…..

AND!!!!

I FOUND THE CHAIN!!!!!

It will be waiting for Paul when he, like a good thing, comes back from running with Peggy.

And Brayden’s coming home, goofy grin with a side of misty eyes.

from Gerald
2006-04-18— Posted by: allegra

I’m still at work right now, but couldn’t to get home to tell you this………..

Brayden is coming home today!!!!!

I’ll try and get some more pictures as soon as I can and send them to you.

Cheers

Grandpa Gerald

It’s the Year of the Tiger… no, the Year of the Pig!
2006-04-18— Posted by: allegra

Hot tub all moved
2006-04-18— Posted by: allegra

Well, the frame on the hot tub won’t take another move, but we got the beggar set up in Mike’s soon-to-be-new digs around the corner from us here in East Burnaby. Tom U., Brian, Ian, Trent, Paul, me, Keith and John helped Mike move it using Trent’s trailer.

It’s misting so hard outside that the rain is coming down as slowly as wet snow. Gosh, we’ve had a lot of weather lately.

John actually got a job lead from the Boilermaker’s Union – there is power in the Union, all right. But he had to report to the docks at 7 am so that kinda sucks. Katie’s taking PE this term and LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. This is like saying that Brigitte Bardot has taken up taxidermy, but whatever.

I light a candle for a trip to Hawaii by some friends…. the lucky stiffs! Have fun guys!

I ate tripe last night by accident
2006-04-17— Posted by: allegra

Gah. It showed up in my pho. I ate around it after I figured out it wasn’t a bizarre noodle. Texturally it comes close to being the most grotesque thing I ever ate, although I supposed if it was all I had to sustain my worthless existence I’d chow down with fervour.

However it was good to meet Mike’s “Crazy Friend Emil” and hang with Tori as well.

Keith had a simply dreamy time at the con and played Munchkin and laser tag. Paul sounds like he had a good time; haven’t read the con reports yet….

Three more songs in the mail. Or is that four? Productive weekend, anyway.

Hail
2006-04-16— Posted by: allegra

It hailed with unbelievable fury last night. Katie and I were sitting at the kitchen table around 10:30 and we started to hear pinging noises (which was hail echoing through the stove fan ductwork) and said, “What the hell?”

Then I got up like my tailfeathers wuz afire and ran outside to pick some flowers, while Katie watched, giggling her face off, as I needed flowers for today’s flower communion at church and the way the hail was coming down I didn’t think the daffs would make it. Yes, I’m going to church today, how nutty.

The hail lasted for about twenty minutes and came in three waves, and was completely unlike any other hail I’ve ever seen. It was essentially dense snow, about pea size, up to lima bean size, and did not bounce when it hit the ground. The noise was like shrapnel falling all around, it was really intense.

Apart from church, no plans today except seeing Emil, Mike’s friend from the Yukon, for pho tonight.

Finished Like a Drum. I find if I don’t actually finish the song in one day I get really crabby about going back to a song I’m halfway through. Although, I must admit- when I, sighing with frustration, went back to All The Con Men I Have Known, I was pleasantly surprised how close it was to being accurate. I think the next one will be My Version of the Golden Rule, which is only four lines long and quite unapologetically vulgar…. like many of my songs.

Performed the Tapioca Song for Jim and Jan yesterday morning. Katie was horrified to start her day with my caterwauling her least favourite opus of my oooovre.

Mike and Tori visited last night. It was wonderful to see them.

Paul and Keith are back late tonight.

Daxus could have stayed here last night but he left around ten.

I now have two hours to get clean and maybe crank out a brief tune and then mail it to mOm.

Public service
2006-04-15— Posted by: allegra

I’m sorry, but you can’t say anything bad to me about Mormons ANY MORE. LDS ladies knit these sweaters for fairy penguins, who have survived an oil spill. Aren’t the sweaters adorable? And the penguins too, of course.

Without caffeine….
2006-04-15— Posted by: allegra

Would life still be worth living? Pic is a caffeine molecule, scanged from SFF.net.

Happy feeding noises
2006-04-15— Posted by: allegra

Had Maggie and Glenn, Jim, Jan and Nita over for dinner last night. Ah, so yummy! Paul barbecued chicken and pork to absolute succulent perfection, and prepped the brussel sprouts. (First barbecue of the season is always so wonderful, and Paul had an intensely campfire aroma for snuggles last night, which is not offputting in the slightest.) I put together the spaghetti squash, the salad and the taters; I love trotting out to the back yard to harvest chives, it’s a wonderful feeling, thank you neighbour Cleo.

I am now sitting amidst the pointy knives of perplexity; in a hissy fit, I mislocated something belonging to Paul, and now I have absolutely no clue what I did with the chain he ordered for Dick’s (down the alley neighbour) chainsaw. I foresee a $40 charge to my credit card shortly, because Katie and Paul and I have torn the house apart looking for it and it’s, like, gone. What the hell could I have done with it? I mean, I hid it GOOD and proper.

Paul and Keith departed for Seattle and Norwescon less than an hour ago – the weather is drippy but not disgusting so they should have an okay trip.

Jan and Jim are here and we’re waiting for the Camembert to warm up. Aren’t we just sitting in the lap of luxury.

Maggie brought grandchild pix – Jonathan is three weeks old. And gorgeous, really. (I commented THANK GOD a real boy’s name instead of the assortment of showbizzy monikers helpless children get slandered with these days (and Gerald, I like the name Brayden, so relax!!)) Seems like mom and babe and pop are all doing well, so I’m happy.

Glenn is amused and pleased to see that I am now a Dead Like Me fan.

Had an interesting customer service epiphany yesterday. I got the midi /USB cable and got it running virtually instantly. Then my playback… disappeared. Nothing in the headphones. Played a .wav file to ensure that it wasn’t just the headphones…. and it played back fine. Uh-oh….. software issue! Allegra mucks with it and mucks with it for what seemed an eternity and was possibly half an hour, getting increasingly panicky, and then SPROING, I recollect that there is a website, and a Knowledge Base, so I go to the website, and in two clicks and four characters I’m looking at the solution to my problem, which was that I had the playback on MIDI and not the synthesizer built into the computer. No, duh!!! ‘course it makes perfect sense once somebody tells you what’s happening.

Then I thought about the website at work….. and realized we are doing things horribly horribly wrong with respect to the FAQ section. I need to be the change I want to see in my company’s website. See how my ambitions have fallen from changing the world to just making little bits of information easier to get at.

Oh, the dessert! Maggie brought a WONDERFUL hazelnut mousse cake and we were all explosively full afterwards.

Found out that Dax walked across Burnaby in the pouring rain to get here the night we got the rude awakening; he had good reasons to leave where he was so I have muchly calmed down. I wish I could get Buddha injections and then maybe I wouldn’t always assume the worst.

Well, off to find the chain. It’s gotta be here someplace. Sigh.

Pic is of a Tango T600 electric commuter vehicle. Frankly my dear, I’d rather have a motorcycle; a fully enclosed skateboard has remarkably little appeal.

Urban Combat Skateboard?
2006-04-14— Posted by: allegra

Orderly systems need chaos to survive
2006-04-14— Posted by: allegra

Is it too much to ask an uncaring universe that distraught boyfriends NOT come over at 4 in the f*cking morning? Katie got up at 8, did the dishes as a Parental Countermeasure, and then went back to bed. Daxus is still here and asleep.

Paul’s doing his yoga. I couldn’t even sit in easy position without pain – same for kneeling – and gave up and made, what else, coffee. I react very badly to Paul sounding all calm and unruffled and quiet as he’s addressing me about the yoga – it’s like he’s talking to a wild animal or a retarded child. Which of course is not what he’s doing, it’s how I’m reacting.

Had an amazing family flying dream last night. We were in a six place flying boat that travelled between an Olympian castle and a very interesting everything looking like something from a Tarot deck and made out of stone style town on a shore – I was in the city with Katie and Paul and Keith came and landed on the water and picked us up – hauled us out of a shop that sold interesting objects – picture the Magic Box done up Mediaeval Babes style. Apparently it’s much harder to fly back up to the castle; we picked up a very tall, very broad and very dark pilot for the return trip, which involved flying through a holographically projected cliff. While everybody around me was stifling giggles (the pilot didn’t even acknowledge me) I kept saying, “ExCUSE me, we’re flying into a CLIFF”. Then we flew through the projection and landed at the castle. Very nice dream. And ever so apropos.

seriously ugly dogs
2006-04-13— Posted by: allegra

Jumping Jimmy Criminy!

These are UGLY DOGS.

http://www.sonoma-marinfair.org/uglydogvote.shtml

Great moments in headlines
2006-04-13— Posted by: allegra

Eco friendly auto
2006-04-13— Posted by: allegra

In Finland, they have the Eco Friendly Auto Club, and here, for your edification and amazement, is a WOOD BURNING BUICK.

The Dalai Jarmo (pron Yarmo) forwarded the pic.

Scanged from

http://www.ekoautoilijat.fi/tekstit/kalustoesittely.htm

It’s Here
2006-04-13— Posted by: allegra

After all my whizzing and moaning about the midi / USB cable, it’s here and it works. Phew.

Keith and Paul have decided to go to Norwescon; I’m gonna hang around here and attempt to get enough sleep.

Hot tub moving party Monday night! Be there, or don’t get a chance to soak.

I light a candle for Janice, who has an eye bobo.

I light a candle for Dr. Filk and Brooke and their gig at Norwescon.

Must fly, Paul wants the car today so he’s driving me in a bit early.

Close your eyes and think of Aruba…..
2006-04-12— Posted by: allegra

Now open your eyes and look at this.

Photo credit Tammy.

happy girl
2006-04-12— Posted by: allegra

Keith’s at work (temp), Paul’s asleep, Katie’s at Suzanne’s and all is right with the world.

There is nothing like a long talk with an old friend to make the world a better place. Hugs to all, I’m off to work.

Dead Like Meville
2006-04-11— Posted by: allegra

We’re still in Dead Like Meville but it would probably be a good thing if I got back to my song recording. I just don’t feel like it. I ordered a Midi cable from Musician’s Friend in the US and found out AFTER they got my money that despite the fact it was a stock item, it would be eight weeks before I saw it; they wait to consolidate an entire pallet for Canada before they ship from their third party warehouse. Now, anybody from work reading this will be struck with both the horror and irony of this reason for shabby service; but of course I can’t actually start complaining about work because that might affect the share prices. Speaking of which, the stock peeked up over a certain dollar value recently, so one wag at work opined that the reason we were doing plumbing repairs at Head Office was that we were now “flush”. Ayuh. I really have nothing to complain about, when you factor in the co-workers.

Fake news
2006-04-10— Posted by: allegra

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/34634/

This is not news to the more paranoid of my readers.

Who owns what in the media
2006-04-10— Posted by: allegra

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/giants/index.html

lOOk no further for Xmas prezzies
2006-04-10— Posted by: allegra

http://www.toyvault.com/montypython/index.html

A Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch of MY VERY OWN!!! LIFE is GOOD.

Mother dear Mother
2006-04-10— Posted by: allegra

Please knit me a nautilus

No need to cuss

Just knit me a nautilus

I want one, I want two

I want three or four

And when these demands are met

I’ll make some more.

Hail, citizen
2006-04-10— Posted by: allegra

I am now legally entitled to apply for the license to own both restricted and non-restricted firearms.

Although we didn’t have a graduation ceremony, the family elder remarked, “There are two classes of people. There are those who are willing to bear arms and there are serfs.”

I actually said J as in Jesus to a customer, but I was just repeating back what he said to me.

I have a big headache.

I am really looking forward to my long weekend upcoming.

enough sleep
2006-04-09— Posted by: allegra

Paul went running this am.

We’re off to finish the gun safety course shortly, and I’ll probably post more on the subject later.

Dave D from back in Ontario sent me a wonderful literary blog link and I had to drag myself away from it thinking oooops, haven’t posted yet.

Mike and Tori were here last night, it was good to see them.

Projectiles
2006-04-08— Posted by: allegra

Loading and unloading a pump action shotgun is the best thing that’s happened to me lately. I am enjoying myself, obviously. Lots of other stuff is happening; I just can’t describe any of it.

From Danny Schechter’s blog
2006-04-07— Posted by: allegra

I will close with a comment by the late TV News executive Reven Frank who said, The business of giving people what they want is the dope pusher’s argument. News is something people don�t know they are interested in until they hear about it. The job of a journalist is to take what’s important and make it interesting.

A, uh, prank from Brooks AB
2006-04-07— Posted by: allegra

Somebody did this to a friend….. can you imagine coming home and finding this sign on your lawn? The buggers put it in with concrete….

TV trance
2006-04-07— Posted by: allegra

Well, I wish I could claim that I tore off a couple of new songs last night, helped my daughter with her homework, my son with his career planning and found a cure for cancer growing in my front yard, but I didn’t.

I watched 6, yes, ow, 6 episodes of Dead Like Me. I laughed my ass off, what a great show. SO transGRESSive… And then I cried, too. I am such a suck. The scene in the airport just about killed me, I laughed so hard, and when George’s mom kicks her off the front steps of her old house I cried.

Somebody is attempting to reinstitute the old company camping trip. As I have said repeatedly and publicly, I’m going to go unless I’m in traction.

Gun safety course this weekend.

Crap, it’s time to go get on the bus. I am so used to getting a lift into work it’s like I’ve forgotten how to read a bus schedule. Keith’s gone already…. he’s getting off early so he can go to the open house at BCIT.

I light a candle for Paul, who is wonderful, and for Tori, who’s coming over this evening. Also for Rob W to remember to bring back Disc 1 of Firefly, the natives are getting restless.

All heck is busting loose
2006-04-06— Posted by: allegra

I feel like the eye of a hurricane right now. I am perfectly happy and healthy, and enjoying the spring flowers, and it’s thunderbolts, volcanoes and hard cheese for everybody else. So I am being very loving and remembering the words of the sage:

Life is like a cloud of mist

emerging from a mountain cave

and death

a floating moon

in its celestial course

If you think too much

about the meaning they may have

You’ll be bound forever

Like an ass to a stake

disorder in the court
2006-04-05— Posted by: allegra

http://news-info.wustl.edu/tips/page/normal/6845.html

Bird flu in cats, redux
2006-04-05— Posted by: allegra

The first cases of H5N1 among cats were reported in Thailand in 2004, when 14 out of 15 cats in a household near Bangkok became ill and died after eating an infected chicken carcass. Infections were then identified among leopards and tigers fed on poultry at Thai zoos. In Europe, cases have recently been confirmed among domestic cats in Germany and Austria.

Dr Osterhaus said it was also clear that infection is prevalent among domestic cats in countries where bird flu is endemic such as in Thailand, Iraq and Indonesia.

In the last of these, the feline version of the disease has its own name: “It is sufficiently well known to have been given an onomatopoeic name in the local Javanese dialect � �aargh-plop�,” he said.

Mother dear Mother
2006-04-05— Posted by: allegra

Please knit me a squid

I am your kid

So knit me a squid

Don’t worry about what I do

Or curse what I did

Because if you love me

You’ll knit me a squid.

The music of the spheres
2006-04-05— Posted by: allegra

I always thought it would be nice. But if you take one Johannes Kepler theory, one contemporary nerd with time on his hands, and a music program, you get this: http://members.aol.com/alwaycomp/Kepler.mp3

It definitely sounds spacey, but nice it is not. Hey, I wonder if I can get this in a ring tone?

Just for you
2006-04-05— Posted by: allegra

Sometimes I run pictures or mention things that have meaning to a vanishingly small number of people. However, this picture goes off in a lot of directions.

I grew up with Mad Magazine. That means that from the time I could talk, comic artists as great as Sergio Aragones were part of my visual thesaurus. I also grew up with musical comedy. I’ve always been fascinated by transsexuality; I bought Jan Morris’ Conundrum as soon as it came out in paperback, and I still think it’s one of the best written bios EVAH; and, of course, I know Sandy.

I never met Arn Saba, the limner of this comic. However, Sandy knew him, and even gave me a Neil the Horse button once, which had the deathless tag, “Making the world safe for musical comedy.” Now Arn is a woman named Katherine living in the US. And this pic is for Sandy, because the roots go everywhere.

I light a candle for Janice. I light a candle for Tori. I light a candle for Brooke, who won a filkwriting songtest. That is so weird…. I just typed that without really thinking about it, and I think I’ll just hit the old stet button. I light a candle for Keith, who’s working temp again, but has taken the liberty of going over to a different agency for better work and more money (learning how to wear capitalistic drag is hard for my little revolutionary in training….)

One loofah, and one jalapeno, sprouted. Everything else is growing at a tremendous rate.

I light a candle for Katie, who is having a heck of a time memorizing her lines for Drama. Sigh. They keep adding stuff and there’s less than a week to go. I told her not to get angry… this is what real freaking life is like!

This is going to sound insane, but my boss is out of town, and I miss him. I will try hard not to set anything on fire, or put any beans up my nose, while he’s gone.

I light a special unscented candle to grow fast and strong for little Brayden!

Heavy sigh
2006-04-04— Posted by: allegra

I have nothing to say, but if I don’t post SOMETHING my mother worries. Oh. I guess I have one small small piece of news. I finished another song. An Evening of Serious Drinking now exists in sheet music form.

Lazy day
2006-04-03— Posted by: allegra

Saw A Very Long Engagement with the kids yesterday and LOVED IT. I will definitely be putting that one back in the pile to see again. Also watched O Brother Where Art Thou for the uncountableth time when Casey was here for dinner on Saturday. So yesterday was a lazy day. Seeing as how the phone system crashed on Friday, it is interesting to speculate what horrors await at work.

Newest family member
2006-04-02— Posted by: allegra

Here’s Cousin Gerald holding Brayden, his first and most beloved grandchild. Happy sigh.

Giddily happy
2006-04-01— Posted by: allegra

I am happy to report, with a giddy and empyrean glee, that Keith and Kate and Cousin Lexi and Rob went to the opening night of Slither…. only to find that NATHAN FILLION, Captain Tightpants himself, was in the audience watching it with his girlfriend. (She is tiny, and very very cute.) Nathan was wearing a hoodie and jeans.

Katie phoned me to boast that she had seen them but the phone cut out in a burst of static.

THEN Lexi took them to a French Restaurant (Katie, “Mom, the menu was ENTIRELY in French…. and they CHANGE it EVERY DAY.”) as part of her ongoing effort to expose the kids to somet’ing besides sushi and cheeseburgers. Kate had minced steak with garlic and herbs and Keith had chicken with peppercorns… I know, because they got doggie bags. The horrors of a Scottish ancestry!!

Paul is continuing to behave like a newlywed husband (indulgent and goo goo eyed). I canNOT say I am displeased. There hasn’t been a harsh word between us in a week, it’s utterly bizarre.

The last movie Lexi worked on was Slither, so I raise a coffee to toast her most excellent career coda.