(no subject)
It's been quite a while since I've done any sort of actual update, so here we go, in no particular order:
There was a convention. It was great to see everyone again, although I really wish I'd had a chance to hang out more. I truly do love working with the art show staff, but we have GOT to work on some sort of schedule that will get us out of that room for extended periods of time (and that means that Feren and Kitfox have to take breaks, too. Yes, HAVE to. You need it.) It was great to see fellow artshow/artist alley staffers Cheb and Koz and Poe again, as well as the more-local folk that I see a little more often than once a year... and it was cool to meet Maggie, whose name I've seen (hell, I own a piece of her artwork!) and whose LJ persona I've seen, but never quite connected the two together. Don't feel bad if I left out your name... believe me when I say that it was great to see you, but I wish we'd been able to say more than a passing hi to one another.
There have been significant changes in 2 of the bands that I really like. The Glengarry Bhoys, who I finally saw live for the first time this summer, have completely split apart into 2 different bands. I know there was bad blood, and I know there were problems... but I don't really care. :p I love the music, which was written mostly by Graham (who's still with the band named The Glengarry Bhoys) and I love the energy and the talent of James and Shelley, who are now with the band named Greenwich Mean Time. As far as I'm concerned, there's enough love for both bands to share it.
The other major change is the fact that Stevie is no longer with Gaelic Storm. I'm ok with this, but it's still very sad. I've suspected that something was going on since last August, but I was just told for certain at a show the beginning of November. His last show was the weekend of MFF (have I mentioned lately the bad timing of that particular weekend?!) The official word (and I have no reason to doubt it) is that he's taking a break so that he can spend time with his family. I know from talking with his wife that it's very hard for her to be at home without him for so long, and Daria needs her daddy to be there for her in person. So it's a sabbatical of unknown length, or something like that. The departure was amicable on all sides, and Stevie has assured me that he'll be back at some point. The band is going to be looking for another member, but it's not to replace Stevie... they need someone to help with the backing vocals more than anything, but they're not looking specifically for someone who plays the bodhran and/or the didj.
My little brother is coming to visit me next week. He and his wife are driving up here from Alabama. I've lived up here for 10 years, and this is the first time anyone in my family has ever come to visit me. I seriously need someone to come over this weekend and help me clean my apartment. Note: My apartment is a disaster area right now. That's not an exaggeration. It's to the point where I don't even know where to start. I need someone to help me clean and organize, not to be disgusted and tell me how dirty it is. I need *help*, not derision. So, anyone available?
Speaking of the little brother... he and Suzi are expecting their first child. My mom said that she thought it was due in July. I know that one's success in life is not dependant upon the staus of your relationships and the number of your spawn, but it still bothers me a little that I'm now the only one of my siblings who hasn't "settled down" and started a family. I think it's just finally come to the point where I have to accept that I'm meant to spend the rest of my life alone and just move on. I'm not obsessing over this or anything, just kind of observing and trying to kick myself into not hoping any more.
A friend of mine just found out that her daughter has leukemia. It's one of the most common forms of leukemia, with something like a 90% rate of recovery, but it's still scary... and since she's in the middle of a nasty breakup/divorce, it's very hard on her. I went to the hospital to see them last weekend, and it was just so sad to see little McKenna so unhappy. She was sick from a virus of some sort and had a fever, so she was hot and achey and uncomfortable, but because they were doing the different tests on her to find out about the leukemia, they couldn't give her anything to help with the fever and the aches. They had a cooling blanket over her, but they were too afraid of thinning her blood/platelets to actually give her Motrin which would have reduced the fever and done away with the aches in a half hour... so she was just huddled there in the bed that is too big for her, with sad eyes and no energy. :( I hope she feels better soon.
Jaime is going on the Rock Boat with me and Rose (and one of Jaime's friends). I'm so excited! The Rock Boat had a sale over Thanksgiving, and allowed anyone in a double or triple to add a 3rd or 4th person into their room with only the $100 cost of port charges and fees... but you only had like 2 days to find someone and make a decision. I mentioned it to Jaime at about 9:30 Monday morning in email, and within 2 hours, she'd made a decision to go and was well on her way to finding someone else to join us, too... by 2 PM, I'd already talked to Lauren at TRB and we'd been moved into a 4-person room, and it was all set. I was amazed. :) The cruise is now a month and a half away... if I could find the money to get my plane tickets, then I'd be much more excited.
Yeah, money's an issue at the moment. I spent slightly more than I intended on the hotel room at MFF, and then with not working for 2 days because of MFF and then another 2 days because of Thanksgiving, I've got even less coming in. I-Pass made an auto-withdrawal from my account last week (the first one since I bought the thing last December, I think) and I wasn't expecting it, so it sent my account negative for a day until I deposited my check, so that's $60 less than I thought I was going to have. Which means I may or may not have enough to cover rent tomorrow. It all depends on how much the check I get in tomorrow's mail is for... but it'll be close, regardless. And that means that I have NO extra money, either, for the other bills that are due, food, gas, train tickets, parking, and doing any sort of sight-seeing with my brother and sister-in-law. Not to mention Christmas and the 10 nieces and nephews that I now have. *sigh*
I saw Harry Potter. I was disappointed. It was an ok movie, but it was too choppy and disjointed and didn't make any sense without the background of what I already knew from reading the books. I understand the need to cut things from the story in order to make it fit into a viable movie timeline and script, and I honestly didn't have a problem with the first 3 movies where this was done. I thought this movie severely suffered, though, and not only that-- they're going to have a VERY hard time with future plots and storylines because of things that they left out of this one. So what was *in* the movie was spectacularly filmed, but it's what was left out (like backstory, explanations, history, the fact that Rita Skeeter is an unregistered Animagus, and that's why she was able to get "exclusive" stories!) that's going to hurt it. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to go see it again as soon as Fred and I can work out a time that works for both of us, though. :)
I saw Rent. I enjoyed it on an entertainment-value level, but it hurt me too much for me to say that I actually *liked* it. The pain that I felt while watching it was just too raw, and it made it even worse to watch the characters in the movie come together and sing a jaunty song that everyone knows the words to, and make it all better... and know that Real Life just doesn't work that way. While I'm sure my bitterness towards the movie will fade, and I'm sure that I'd be willing to see the stage play once I'm presented with the opportunity in the future, right now I just want to nurse my wounds and not see the movie any more.
That's not to say that I'm not totally in love with Adam Pascal right now, mind you.
And backtracking to Harry Potter for a moment... I'm really glad Malfoy wasn't in the movie any more than he was, 'cause he was way too distracting. :9 At least now he's legal. Turned 18 in September. ;)
Holiday wishlist items:
Money
A working car
Anything from my Amazon.com wishlist.
A 10ml bottle of this. (although if you order it now, it won't get here by Christmas... you might get it in time for my birthday, though. ;) ) There are other scents that I like, but that's the only one that I *know* I like that is still available.)
Orlando Bloom (Hey, if you don't ask, then how will people know what you want?)
Gift certificates to Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and/or Borders/WaldenBooks
A larger tv than the 14" one that I got for my 15th birthday and have been using ever since
An mp3 player of some sort
A digital camera with 10x optical zoom or higher
That'll do.
And finally, some links for you:
* Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - scents and oils and whatnot that are addictive just by reading the descriptions. (BTW, Theresa: There's talk of an upcoming series based entirely on the Arthur mythos. :D The other idea I saw that I *really* like the idea of is a series based on the wives of Henry the VIII.)
* Silver Jewelry Club - Free silver jewelry. Yes, free. You pay $5.99 per item for shipping and handling, but that's it. There's a new piece offered every 15 minutes or so, and that 15 min window is the only time you can purchase that item, until it shows up in the cycle again.
* Pandora - Tell it a song/artist you like, and it'll find similar music. You train it as to what you like and don't like, and it actually learns. Create your own radio station of music that *you* like, and have it introduce you to artists you've never heard of. And it's free.
I should get back to work now...