I'm guessing it's a woodcut or linoleum print on some parchment-like paper (which has the texture of a dryer sheet, but solid). It's signed by "Bertram Reibel" which is the family name of my grandfather, but I don't remember anyone talking about "Uncle Bert" -- some early-morning googling turned up these various facts: Bertram Reibel was an artist ( Read more... )

I email my brother because of the Merrill Lynch stuff going on (and Dad's got a sizable account there). He replies and tells me that B, his wife, and my beloved sister-in-law had an appendectomy at 2AM this morning (she's through surgery and is recovering well), and that her father passed away at 1 AM - and he didn't tell her until she was post-op ( Read more... )

Well, the move is over and done with for the most part. I think we will need to purchase a few pieces of furniture (like a small bookcase and a small table for next to his comfy chair, since the thing that was subbing as a small table was really a mangled closet organizer with a piece of wood on top of it). It was physically exhausting, and took ( Read more... )

As part of the current societal meme that only the very few and elite should create art, some goober at some game company thought it would be fun to make a guitar-shaped controller with 5 buttons on it so people would look even more ridiculous than they do playing air guitar to old and moldy songs, and also killing all those songs for any actual ( Read more... )

R has had a killer toothache for days now, and has an appointment with the oral surgeon for tomorrow - I hope the guy can pull it then and there. Our dentist gave him Vicodin and he's eating them like he's Dr House.

Ar had an "incident" at her friend's house at dinner - apparently she tried to swallow too large a piece of steak, and it lodged in her ( Read more... )

Now that I'm past the house selling anxiety excuse, I am back on the diet train. As you can see from the title of this post, I've taken several large steps backwards. I was up to 198 earlier this month, and earlier this week, after my bout of possible food poisoning, down to 192.

195 was yesterday's weight. Today I'm at 194. And I'm starting the ( Read more... )

Trelane is home from the vet. His surgery went very well, according to his doctor. The tumor was "small to medium sized" and on the left adrenal gland (which is the "easy one", apparently. The other one has many more blood vessels). He's got a big incision on his belly and a bunch of staples. But he seems to be VERY happy to be home now.

We have to ( Read more... )

I'm in the last leg of the Busiest Weekend of the Spring. Taking a leisurely  morning break. Yesterday was the public Litha ritual where I got tagged to be Altar Attendant (because of some earlier hard feelings between other coveners), which was OK, but I wasn't quite prepared to do 50 deep knee bends (had to smudge everyone with sage - as that's ( Read more... )

I knew there was a reason why I watch "Smallville," even though it's been jumping sharks for at least 2 seasons...

( I'm still laughing )

We've spent the last 19 hours bailing out the basement. We are managing to keep slightly ahead of the incoming water, but the nice new basement floor that I spent 2 days putting down in December is now officially fucked. We may have to rip the entire thing up and re-do the concrete. That will depend on what the "waterproofers" say when they get ( Read more... )