Two Great Weekends

In a row!

Last weekend was Brian's birthday on Friday. We both took the day off and enjoyed life, and the gorgeous weather. We slept in, saw the new Jackie Chan/Jet Li movie (definately a wait for the DVD, or better cable), then went to play pool at Dave and Busters. We got a call from our friends Ruth and David that they'd had a minor plan change and were now on their way over! They'd been planning on coming down to the area for Passover and had asked about cheap hotels... And our place is free!
Saturday was spent relaxing and having fun just hanging out. I feel bad that Ruth and Brian ended up doing my planting for me (my back still won't allow that), but given that the lilies are distinctly growing, I think it was a good idea. I tried to go get bloodwork done, but they'd changed the hours. Murp! I (or truthfully Dave) put the new plates on my car too! Wohoo!
We'd planned a very casual BBQ for Saturday night since Brian asked me NOT to plan a birthday party. It was also the weekend of NY Comic Con, so many of our friends were busy with that. It ended up with Brian, me, Michelle, Ruth and David. We relaxed, gamed, chatted a lot, played Wii (they brought Mario Party, which I can so see myself addicted to) and Marble Mania, which Ruth had brought as a thank you gift. It's me who owes them a thank you! I am so very much enjoying this game, and it's totally non competitive, which I appreciate. Sunday was spent calm and relaxed as well.
It's been so very long since we just had a calm, relaxing, fun weekend like that, and we needed it. It very much recharged my batteries.

This weekend was also a load of fun. We had tickets Saturday night to go see MacBeth staring Patrick Stewart with Joe, Jen, Jess and Jay. We decided we may need to change our names to "J" names too... The play was really good with phenomenal performances. In particular, the three Witches were incredible, and creepy. It was staged to be occurring at some point during a war in the early part of the 20th century and that lent an interesting twist. The dialogue was all just as Shakespeare had written it, but with the slightly modern setting. I am so very glad we went as it was such an experience.
Then, today, we had tickets to see Curtains. We've both been wanting to see it since it started last year, so I bought Brian tickets for his birthday. Shortly after I'd bought them they announced the show was closing the end of May. For anyone local, I *STRONGLY* urge you to go see it before it ends if you enjoy musicals or comedies. For this was great as both!

Yup, that's me!

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Science/Math Nerd   (Absolute Insane Laughter as you pour toxic chemicals into a foaming tub of death!) Well, maybe you aren't this extreme, but you're in league with the crazy scientists/mathmeticians of today. Very few people have the talent of math and science is something takes a lot of brains as well. Thank whosever God you worship, or don't worship, so thank no deity whatsoever in your case, for you people! Most of us would have died off without your help.
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Social Nerd
Literature Nerd
Anime Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Musician
Drama Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Short Update and Phenomenal Video

No, go back and watch the video.
I mean it...


So, I've been pretty sporadic in updating my blog. Life has been incredibly boring for me so far this year. I've been sick, I've been really sick, I got mostly better, and then I hurt my back and was off work for an additional two weeks. So I really haven't been doing much blog worthy. I've been doing some stitching (well, I was before I hurt my back, I still can't stitch yet from that), but I can't post update photos since it's all gift stitching. How did I get into this!?! I totally love my new car, but still won't let Brian park it sideways, much to his chagrin. I haven't even really been taking photos to post. Sorry to be so boring. I'm alive and coping, but not doing much beyond that.

As promised

Sorry for the bad quality of the photo, but Brian took it with my cell phone. It's stopped raining today, so I'll try to get a better one. I also take no blame for it being parked sideways. Brian did it and it was when I went out to yell at him that he took this photo. It does fit though! (And the black car beside it is our Elantra, so we would have been able to get out had someone parked "behind" bumblebee.) Oh, and for my European visitors who might be a little confused about my needing to "adopt" a Smart, they've only just gone on sale in the US last month. And they had thirty thousand pre-orders for them... They're going to be hard to get for a little while!

Quickest Adoption in History!!

So, remember that last blog post about talking to the dealer Tuesday night about getting on the list for an orphan Smart? Guess who called Wednesday at lunch time? I just about had a coniption fit at work being stuck there. We got all the financing in order and picked Bumblebee up last night. Photos once it stops raining (or I get the one I took with my cell phone camera).

WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Squeee!!!

Brian and I signed papers today to adopt an orphan as soon as one becomes available to us! An orphan Smart Car that is. One that will look like this:



For all we would both desperately love for it to be adoption papers for a child of our own, that can't happen for years yet. As I discovered last week, we could adopt, but we couldn't bring the child into the US for at least another 5 years because of yet another $%$!#@$ in the immigration system. You cannot bring a child into the US through adoption unless you're a citizen. So there goes that option for us. And I already knew we can't adopt a child from within the US unless we're citizens. Can I just say how sick I am of this whole mess of a system?

But I am thrilled about my Smart! We did preorder one, and are still in the wait for it. Unfortunately because we did the smart thing financially and waited to put in a deposit on it, we're waaaay down the list. The best estimate to get the one we ordered is 8 months. So we're now on the orphan list for one still in my colours and with my basic options. (Passion coupe with heated seats!! and no hideous tachometer bubbles) The one we ordered has more than that, but those are my two basic requirements. And at this rate, I'll have a significant downpayment made before we go sign for the car!

In Sadness

E. Gary Gygax has passed away. May he live eternally in gamers' hearts.

In sadness

E. Gary Gygax has passed away. May he live eternally in all gamers' hearts.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080304/ap_en_ot/obit_gygax

As promised

And pointed out by mom, I haven't even posted a photo of Andrew yet. I've been both busy and sick to answer mom's other question, but I'm slowly getting my feet back under me. We'll be going home in 3 weeks, so I'll have lots of photos of all the nieces and nephews then!

Macbook Air

Drool..............

Anyone have $2500 they want to donate to a very deserving mac fan?
I don't even particularly want the $1000 solid state hard drive!

Yet another quiz because I don't have time for a real entry...

You Are a Total Brainiac

You're amazingly brilliant. Some would even say genius. You're curious, thoughtful, analytical, and confident. You take on difficult subjects because you want to... not because you have to. No field of knowledge is too complicated or intimidating for you. You've got the brains to do anything you want. It's possible you end up doing everything you want.

Are You a Brainiac?

Welcome Andrew Neil!

Born to my "little" brother John and girlfriend Kim at 6:50 this
morning, 9 pounds, 15.5 ounces! Mom had a hard labour but is
recovering and Andrew is doing great. Photos once I get some!

Yet another YouTube video

No big updates here, I've been sick and am slowly getting back on my feet.

Photos!!!

Did I mention it snowed this morning?




And since I have a new camera, I've been playing around with it of late. This is called "So Hungry!" ...




Playing with macro focussing...




And depth of field...





I had to include a photo of Brian!




And what photo roundup would be complete without photos of Percy?



And cheating to create a vignette look with a macro lens. Really, just playing around!



Finally, my mini-happy dance! I finished the middle section of TW's Fantasy Triptych this morning. Now I'm trying to distract myself from it so I put it away and work on more of my obligation stitching. I still owe for two babies (with number three coming any day now) and a wedding...

What we've been up to...

Other than dealing with a personal emergency (everyone will be fine in the long run, it's just going to take time), and work being crazy, and trying to meet deadlines, and helping organize for a convention, and stitching, and making almost 100 hand made cards, and playing with and learning about my new camera...
Not much!
Life's been insanely swamped (even for us) and is throwing us some curve balls, bringing stuff back from the past we thought long dealt with. But we're surviving and December is upon us. My first package for my advent exchange arrived (Thanks Heather!) and we even had snow today. Just a little, and it's supposed to turn to rain later, but it's snow for now! And thus, as Brian proclaimed (correctly) it is now allowed to be my birthday later this week. I hope to get some photos posted later, but my new card reader for the new camera doesn't seem to want to work. I've got a big stitching update!

Happy Turkey Day everyone

We're spending a quiet day at home. i'd planned to stitch, but I'm in the mood to make more Christmas cards, so I'm doing that while dinner roasts. Brian's working on his writing for the upcoming interactive in Bissel. I stopped to check my email (sure, rub in the snow mom!) and also found this...

OMG...

Funniest commercial I've seen in ages!

Okay, so I had to play some more...

A xvart! A xvart! My kingdom for a xvart!

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Get your own quotes:

Misery acquaints a xvart with strange bedfellows.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Get your own quotes:

Thou canst not say I did it: never shake
Thy gory xvart at me.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Get your own quotes:

ROFLMAO...

Oh beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The xvart it feeds on.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Get your own quotes:

Quick attempt at a catch up post

So, what have we been up to lately, you ask?
Not much, not really, just:

Disney (Sept 20-23)

Next Weekend: Cambridge (Canada) for Brian's parents' surprise party the next weekend (which needs its own post but isn't getting it right now and I'm going to give up on waiting to type it up and add photos for now. Suffice it to say it went great!)

Next Weekend: Pennsylvania Rennaisance Faire. Except that we decided we were too tired and had too much going on so we wouldn't go. Instead, when I got up Saturday morning, I *really* wanted to go to my not-so LNS. At the least I needed to pick up something I had ordered for a Hallowe'en exchange. Then on Sunday, Brian decided he *did* want to go to CT for a game. I stayed home and tried not to get sick.

Next Weekend: Brian went up to CT for gaming. I'm truthfully not sure anymore what I did... I might have gone with him or I might have stayed home.

Next Weekend: Pennsylvania to see Bob and Sue. We had a great visit and it was nice to go relax. Spent Saturday at the Philly Zoo and really enjoyed it. Need to post photos from then too.

During this week, Brian got a full time job!! :)

Next Weekend: Brian up to CT on Saturday for more gaming, I stayed home to host more LG here at our place. Sunday's plans to do one of the corn mazes were rained out. I was rather relieved. We finally had a day at home to relax.

This past week: Wednesday I had a one day seminar in NJ and got to drive there and back for the day. Saw an instrument that could put me out of work. It did in 10 minutes what takes me weeks to do! Thankfully, it still needs a human to set it up, check it's working right, and interpret the results. And it's over $100k. I think I'll get to keep my job for now :) Got home in time for some of the Trick or Treaters (not many this year). Andrew, who used to live beside us even came by to say hi, see Brian, and especially pet Percy! We also ran over to Sharon's to see Stephanie in her adorable Dorothy outfit. Thursday night I went into Neutral Ground to game. In order to make the train to get there on time, I was at work before 6:30am. And the mod ran late, so I didn't get home until 2am. Uggghhh! But I had Friday off. Original plan for Friday: Go into the city on first non-peak train and spend the day relaxing/sightseeing/shopping/museuming/whatever-looked-fun-ing before going to see The Police at MSG. :) New plan: Brian worked Friday so I lazed around (and tried to sleep but failed miserably) and then we went into the city. Absolutely *LOVED* the concert. It was our first big "event" concert in the city and a celebration of Brian getting his work permission (and job!) We did book a hotel since otherwise we'd have had to be back on the train at 8am to make Saturday's plans: Worldwide Dungeons and Dragon Gameday. Got to NG with plenty of time and much better rested than if we'd gone home. Discovered that NG hadn't received their package afterall, so there was no mod to run! The five of us went down to The Compleat Strategist and played it there (I ate it so the others could play). Caught an early train home and relaxed for an hour before Jess's birthday party. Met great people and had a nice night out. Decided to skip the after dinner (10pm ish) group trip back to J&J's for Shaun of the Dead. Drove Jen and Steve (?) home instead and went to bed early-ish. Sunday Brian had planned two mods of LG at our place. I decided to skip the later one and just relax. Smart idea...

Phew! Are you exhausted yet? I know I am. I've been working very hard lately to not get sick, and (knock wood) have managed to so far. The next few weeks will be much quieter. I'm looking forward to it. No stitching photos I can show since all I'm working on right now is obligation stitching.