Snow...and a Meme
Well, it is snowing here. The Baltimoron meteorologists were right for once. It was in the low '40s today, so it took a while to stick, but the grass is now completely covered.
So I didn't go to the Home Interiors party my friend was hosting. I called her around noon, before the snow had started falling but remained a scary blob on the radar, barrelling toward us, and gave my regrets. She sounded really dejected, and I felt bad for this but then, at the same time, I live an hour away and am not willing to get stranded an hour away from home for a party.
Apparently, our smoke detector does not like barbecue because Bobby is making himself barbecue chicken, and it keeps going off.
So here I am, getting things done. By writing in my LJ. To my credit, I have replied to all of my AMC comments, have gathered all the things I need to beta in the next two weeks and stowed them away in my data deposit box, and completely cleaned the apartment.
So to the meme...I was tagged by isil_elensar! So here we go:
1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
"Osse is a vassal of Ulmo, and he is master of the seas that wash the shores of"
Yes, that's The Silmarillion. In my defense, I am writing weekly chapter summaries for the reading over at Henneth-Annun, so I do need a Sil close at hand...literally. In reality, though, there usually is a copy of The Sil on my desk. Actually, at one point, all three copies of The Sil that I own were on my desk.... o.O
(Runners up are HoMe books V, X, and XII, a Webster's dictionary, and The Little, Brown Handbook. Sheesh, I am a nerd!)
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?
With my back touching the back of my chair: my laptop (Pengolodh), my cell phone, my Ren Faire cup that helps me write, my desk, the scrunchie that holds my computer wires together, my mouse/mousepad, Bobby's laptop (who has no name, so we shall call him "Rumil"), The Silmarillion (illustrated by Ted Nasmith), HoMe V: The Lost Road and Other Writings.
3. What is the last thing that you watched on TV?
Olympic women's hockey, this morning/early afternoon: USA versus Switzerland.
4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
Ummm...5 o'clock?
5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
5:24. I was close!
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Bobby has the the Olympics on the TV. Bobby is chopping cucumbers for a salad. The fan overhead is whirling and shaking like mad because it dispels the barbecue smell and keeps the smoke detector happy.
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
2 a.m. last night, after playing D&D, Bobby and I were hungry and went to Taco Bell for a snack.
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Lots of stories for edit and beta that I was moving from my inbox to my data deposit box, as well as the next chapter of AMC and Isil's unfinished birthday present, which were being similarly moved.
9. What are you wearing?
Oh crap. My...erm...PJs. Still. I have on a white Virgin Island T-shirt that has lots of little Rasta people dancing around on it and says, "Roots Rasta Reggae Rhythm" and a pair of purple printed PJ pants. No shoes or socks or underwear. (Yep, I'm goin' commando!) As for jewelry, my wedding and engagement rings, my "promise" ring, the blue bee necklace of Nanny's that I have not taken off since I got it just after she died, and two handmade beaded necklaces. (Yes, I wear lots of jewelry.) I am wearing in my hair two classic yellow number-two pencils to hold my hair in a bun.
10. Did you dream last night?
Of course. REM sleep is a natural part of the sleep cycle, and it is theorized that it--and therefore dreams--are necessary for sleep to have the rejuvenating and healing effects that it does. So I did dream. Now do I remember them? No, but then, I rarely do.
11. When did you last laugh?
Probably a few minutes ago. I am lucky to laugh enough that I cannot remember exactly when the last was!
12. What is one the walls of the room you are in?
On the wall in front of me is a bulletin board containing Bobby's hockey schedule, an outdated telephone list for the Parole and Probation Bureau of Special Services, a wad of old ticket stubs, a ribbon from last year's skating exhibition, the rose and ribbon that Bobby and I wore at our wedding, and various other notes and scrap papers. To my right are two shelves. The bottom shelf contains our miniature models and a dragon holding a sword that is in fact a letter opener. The top shelf contains a miniature knight helm and six more sword/letter openers, including four Lord of the Rings. On the wall behind me hangs my husband's forty-two-inch sword (go ahead and snicker) and a poster of a wizard and a dragon. On the tiny bit of wall to my left is our 2006 Greenpeace calendar.
13. Seen anything weird lately?
Yeah. How Baltimorons behave in snow. We were watching the weather report and they had live photos of the salt dome on Falls Road. I guess it was exciting to note that there was some large piece of equipment sitting inside of it, maybe telling us that it was snowing?
14. What do you think of this quiz?
Anything where I can admit to the public at large to wearing no underwear and mention my husband's forty-two-inch sword is okay by me!
15. What is the last film you saw?
Waiting.
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
First, my business. I'd buy a really nice storefront in historic Ellicott City and a couple of those $15,000 ice cream makers I've been eyeing. If I had some left after the business was established, I would use it to travel and hopefully meet some of you on my way. Oh, and I'd buy a domain name for silwritersguild and pay someone to write the archive site for us so that I don't have to bother!
17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
Well, I think that between my whole flist, someone knows every thing about me that I'm willing to share. I have online friends, real life friends, and family on my flist, so that tends to happen. Instead, I will take a cue from juno_magic and tell you that if there's something about me that you don't know and want to know, go ahead and ask!
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
I would establish peace and tolerance for all (including non-humans!)
19. Do you like to dance?
Absolutely! Especially if I have a pair of skates on my feet.
20. Thoughts on George W. Bush.
Oh, where to begin? He didn't deserve the Presidency in 2000. In the six years since he's been president, we have had the worst terrorist attack in our history; become embroiled in an endless war overseas that was based entirely on lies; pay more and make less; have seen giant corporations get break after break while benefits to the lower- and middle-income brackets of Americans are routinely slashed; see less protection for the environment, less investment in education, and cuts to Medicare and veteran benefits (from someone who purports to care about the troops?); have seen an administration reveal an undercover agent, risking her life; see less protection for our civil liberties and our rights to not have to have born-again Christianity shoved down our throats in courthouses, schools, everywhere...and that about sums it up. Or that's what I can think of off the top of my head.
21. Imagine your first child is a girl. What do you call her?
We're not having children.
22. Imagine your first child is a boy. What do you call him?
Ahem. We're not having children.
23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
We are considering living abroad.
24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
"Here's proof." (I'm agnostic!)
I'm supposed to tag people, but as I've since this meme everywhere and have lost track of who has/has not done it, I'm going to leave it up to you to tag yourself if it catches your fancy.
In other news, thank you to all who replied to my two posts asking for help. I have received more cute Elves than a girl could ever hope for (and surely, one of them will make a perfect Meryth!), and I value all of the thoughts I got on posting my stories in more...erm...selective archives. Although that one also opened a can of worms that I did not, for once, intend to open, leading me to conclude that I must be a shameless agitator even when I'm trying to be good and that one should never speak negatively of a writer's favorite archive unless she expects to be greeted as though she has spit on the writer's mother! But thank you all for your input. :)
So I didn't go to the Home Interiors party my friend was hosting. I called her around noon, before the snow had started falling but remained a scary blob on the radar, barrelling toward us, and gave my regrets. She sounded really dejected, and I felt bad for this but then, at the same time, I live an hour away and am not willing to get stranded an hour away from home for a party.
Apparently, our smoke detector does not like barbecue because Bobby is making himself barbecue chicken, and it keeps going off.
So here I am, getting things done. By writing in my LJ. To my credit, I have replied to all of my AMC comments, have gathered all the things I need to beta in the next two weeks and stowed them away in my data deposit box, and completely cleaned the apartment.
So to the meme...I was tagged by isil_elensar! So here we go:
1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
"Osse is a vassal of Ulmo, and he is master of the seas that wash the shores of"
Yes, that's The Silmarillion. In my defense, I am writing weekly chapter summaries for the reading over at Henneth-Annun, so I do need a Sil close at hand...literally. In reality, though, there usually is a copy of The Sil on my desk. Actually, at one point, all three copies of The Sil that I own were on my desk.... o.O
(Runners up are HoMe books V, X, and XII, a Webster's dictionary, and The Little, Brown Handbook. Sheesh, I am a nerd!)
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?
With my back touching the back of my chair: my laptop (Pengolodh), my cell phone, my Ren Faire cup that helps me write, my desk, the scrunchie that holds my computer wires together, my mouse/mousepad, Bobby's laptop (who has no name, so we shall call him "Rumil"), The Silmarillion (illustrated by Ted Nasmith), HoMe V: The Lost Road and Other Writings.
3. What is the last thing that you watched on TV?
Olympic women's hockey, this morning/early afternoon: USA versus Switzerland.
4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
Ummm...5 o'clock?
5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
5:24. I was close!
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Bobby has the the Olympics on the TV. Bobby is chopping cucumbers for a salad. The fan overhead is whirling and shaking like mad because it dispels the barbecue smell and keeps the smoke detector happy.
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
2 a.m. last night, after playing D&D, Bobby and I were hungry and went to Taco Bell for a snack.
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Lots of stories for edit and beta that I was moving from my inbox to my data deposit box, as well as the next chapter of AMC and Isil's unfinished birthday present, which were being similarly moved.
9. What are you wearing?
Oh crap. My...erm...PJs. Still. I have on a white Virgin Island T-shirt that has lots of little Rasta people dancing around on it and says, "Roots Rasta Reggae Rhythm" and a pair of purple printed PJ pants. No shoes or socks or underwear. (Yep, I'm goin' commando!) As for jewelry, my wedding and engagement rings, my "promise" ring, the blue bee necklace of Nanny's that I have not taken off since I got it just after she died, and two handmade beaded necklaces. (Yes, I wear lots of jewelry.) I am wearing in my hair two classic yellow number-two pencils to hold my hair in a bun.
10. Did you dream last night?
Of course. REM sleep is a natural part of the sleep cycle, and it is theorized that it--and therefore dreams--are necessary for sleep to have the rejuvenating and healing effects that it does. So I did dream. Now do I remember them? No, but then, I rarely do.
11. When did you last laugh?
Probably a few minutes ago. I am lucky to laugh enough that I cannot remember exactly when the last was!
12. What is one the walls of the room you are in?
On the wall in front of me is a bulletin board containing Bobby's hockey schedule, an outdated telephone list for the Parole and Probation Bureau of Special Services, a wad of old ticket stubs, a ribbon from last year's skating exhibition, the rose and ribbon that Bobby and I wore at our wedding, and various other notes and scrap papers. To my right are two shelves. The bottom shelf contains our miniature models and a dragon holding a sword that is in fact a letter opener. The top shelf contains a miniature knight helm and six more sword/letter openers, including four Lord of the Rings. On the wall behind me hangs my husband's forty-two-inch sword (go ahead and snicker) and a poster of a wizard and a dragon. On the tiny bit of wall to my left is our 2006 Greenpeace calendar.
13. Seen anything weird lately?
Yeah. How Baltimorons behave in snow. We were watching the weather report and they had live photos of the salt dome on Falls Road. I guess it was exciting to note that there was some large piece of equipment sitting inside of it, maybe telling us that it was snowing?
14. What do you think of this quiz?
Anything where I can admit to the public at large to wearing no underwear and mention my husband's forty-two-inch sword is okay by me!
15. What is the last film you saw?
Waiting.
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
First, my business. I'd buy a really nice storefront in historic Ellicott City and a couple of those $15,000 ice cream makers I've been eyeing. If I had some left after the business was established, I would use it to travel and hopefully meet some of you on my way. Oh, and I'd buy a domain name for silwritersguild and pay someone to write the archive site for us so that I don't have to bother!
17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
Well, I think that between my whole flist, someone knows every thing about me that I'm willing to share. I have online friends, real life friends, and family on my flist, so that tends to happen. Instead, I will take a cue from juno_magic and tell you that if there's something about me that you don't know and want to know, go ahead and ask!
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
I would establish peace and tolerance for all (including non-humans!)
19. Do you like to dance?
Absolutely! Especially if I have a pair of skates on my feet.
20. Thoughts on George W. Bush.
Oh, where to begin? He didn't deserve the Presidency in 2000. In the six years since he's been president, we have had the worst terrorist attack in our history; become embroiled in an endless war overseas that was based entirely on lies; pay more and make less; have seen giant corporations get break after break while benefits to the lower- and middle-income brackets of Americans are routinely slashed; see less protection for the environment, less investment in education, and cuts to Medicare and veteran benefits (from someone who purports to care about the troops?); have seen an administration reveal an undercover agent, risking her life; see less protection for our civil liberties and our rights to not have to have born-again Christianity shoved down our throats in courthouses, schools, everywhere...and that about sums it up. Or that's what I can think of off the top of my head.
21. Imagine your first child is a girl. What do you call her?
We're not having children.
22. Imagine your first child is a boy. What do you call him?
Ahem. We're not having children.
23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
We are considering living abroad.
24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
"Here's proof." (I'm agnostic!)
I'm supposed to tag people, but as I've since this meme everywhere and have lost track of who has/has not done it, I'm going to leave it up to you to tag yourself if it catches your fancy.
In other news, thank you to all who replied to my two posts asking for help. I have received more cute Elves than a girl could ever hope for (and surely, one of them will make a perfect Meryth!), and I value all of the thoughts I got on posting my stories in more...erm...selective archives. Although that one also opened a can of worms that I did not, for once, intend to open, leading me to conclude that I must be a shameless agitator even when I'm trying to be good and that one should never speak negatively of a writer's favorite archive unless she expects to be greeted as though she has spit on the writer's mother! But thank you all for your input. :)