a union man has a happy life when he's got a union wife

[primroseburrows]

• Eeeeeeee! The only thing is, I dunno if I should go because tapped_trish's baby might decide to show up when I'm four hours away. Or he/she might decide to show up before, or after, in which case, hmm...
  
  
• You say "covered in muck" like it's a BAD thing.
  
  
• Speaking of which, here's a tiny news blurb on the subject.
  
  
• FIC REC: Every once in a blue moon I come across a story that I'm positive I've read only to find that er, no I haven't, I just thought I had because I've known about it for so long and it's part of the Fandom Primer of Fic Everyone's Read. So, um. It turns out I hadn't read minervacat's That's Where All of the Gangsters Live, and if some you haven't either (and check, you may just think you have), you need to go do that. It's Ray K gen with a little F/K and a dash of Stella thrown in, but mostly it's Ray/Chicago.
  
  I love stories that paint pictures of the landscape anyway (nos4a2no9 does this. Go read her stuff, especially her beautiful F/K story The Price of Distance), and this one is great because it also paints an amazing picture of Ray K., and character studies are another one of my favourite kinds of stories. It's also a good intro for someone just peeking into dS fandom. And yay, now I want to go to Chicago. *adds to list*
  
  
• I need to make a plan for my life. Like, I have to get my BSN and I really want to finish up the doula certification. And then there's the whole thing about where I'm going to live (NOT IN PAWTUCKET, DEAR GODS NO). I also want to do travel nursing, which is one reason I need the BSN: Certain Countries Which Shall Remain Nameless expect you to have one to work as an RN), I have a vague idea of all of this stuff, but no organized plan. I should maybe sit down with a Life Coach or something, but I've always thought Life Coaching to be silly, so, um.
  
  
• Book Rec: The Long Exile by Melanie McGrath. I'd bought this at Borders after hearing an interview with the author on the radio, but then I proceeded to leave it at work where it disappeared. So when I was in Ottawa last month I found another copy at Chapters (I almost overlooked it because the size, cover and even the TITLE were different from the US Version). It's heartbreaking and fascinating at the same time. It made me sad and angry and hopeful and also made me think about how much assumptions about my own culture and way of life get in the way of understanding people different than me, and how often that's hurtful to those people. I try to be aware of my own prejudices, but I don't think any of us really can do that completely. Anyway, I really recommend this book. So far, I'm also liking Farley Mowat's No Man's River, which I bought on the same trip to Chapters.
  
  
• This whole random list is nothing but an excuse not to clean my house. I should really do that. Now Soon.
  
  
• Non-LJ friend Sandra wants to go to Montréal before it gets too cold. She wants me to go with her. She's talking Columbus Day Weekend. Er. That would be THIS WEEKEND. *headdesk* Maybe I can talk her into Veteran's Day and buy her some leg warmers?
  
  
• It's chilly in my room. Getting up and doing housework would really get me warmed up. So would going to Three Sisters and buying a hot fudge sundae. Well, okay, no, that last part wouldn't.
  
  
• Speaking of ice cream, there's still an ice cream truck trolling the neighbourhood (is 'trolling' the right word?), even this late in the season (This probably has to do with the high school up the street letting out for the day). Currently it's repeat-looping an music-boxy version of what is probably Red Wing but my mind is singing "Oh, you can't scare me, I'm stickin' to the Union". Which would be a strange but oddly cool thing for an ice cream truck to be playing. Also far less depressing than "Red Wing". Here, have a video sung by the Gods:
  
  

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