prettyshrub

Real life v fantasy

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:33:49 GMT

I was chatting recently with someone who mentioned that she liked real life to be as smooth as possible so she could focus on a fictitious world (she is not a writer, she just likes to think about another world).

Today I got an e-mail from my parents, - one of those that gets endlessly forwarded - longing for how life used to be.

I was pondering what it means to be more interested in something other than what's right in front of you. I know I did the fantasy bit when I was having a tough time in the real world, but now I wouldn't change it.

Sure it's fun to play act and dress up, but the fun is knowing I can stop doing it when I want to. Also, if these people got what they were fantasizing about, some of it would probably be just as hard and boring as parts of our current lives generally are (I'm thinking of housework here).

And if there is something missing in your real life, for heaven's sake, go get it and put it in. But if you are wishing for Legolas, you are out of luck, because he's in love with Gimli.

Happy birthday to ME!

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:44:24 GMT

I am officially forty.

What does this mean?

Well, for one thing, dinner at Snappy Dragon in Roosevelt with whoever I can scare up tonight.

Also, I'm planning some fun things for the rest of the month.

Do I feel any different? No. Certainly my cat didn't think so when he demanded his morning snuggle.

Do I look any different? Of course not. Unless you count the new cat scratches. I love my cat, but I do wish he didn't try to knead my face.

Am I going to radically change my life? No. I always plan to try new things each year, and this year is no different.

I hope you all take a moment today to reflect on the awesomeness of being alive. 'Cause you know, it's pretty cool.

Happy Christmas Eve!

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:59:51 GMT

*HUGS*

And my whiney-ass point would be...

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:59:45 GMT

My hands and feet are cold.

It's annoying, and unless I'm under blankets or in the shower, it is hard to warm them up and keep them warm.

I don't remember this problem during last-year's freeze. Maybe I blocked it out.

In any case, despite wool socks and fingerless gloves, I still struggle with cold. Perhaps I'm not eating enough soup. Maybe old age is creeping up on me. Or, could years of genetically high cholesterol and the recently diagnosed diabetes be affecting my blood flow?

I don't know. All I know is that it is annoying. Especially when I work out and my hands don't warm up until over half way through and my toes never do. So not fair. I thought exercise was supposed to be good for this crap.

At least we'll warm up next week. Of course, the cloudy days tend to make me moody....

You, yes YOU can humiliate your pets

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:45:08 GMT

It’s that time of year again! Santa Claws will be stopping at the Seattle Animal Shelter to pose for pictures with you and your pet. He will be here Sunday, December 13 from 12noon-4pm.

Pictures are $25 and all proceeds go to the shelter’s Help the Animals Fund which benefits the orphaned pets at the Seattle Animal Shelter.

Glittery Vampires

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:45:37 GMT

I went with a friend last Sunday to see New Moon. As an afternoon movie it is fine, although I thought the wolves could have looked a little better.

Pluses - sexy ripped guys in shorts, listening to teenage boys and girls laugh, squeal and cheer, hanging out with my friend

Negatives - the guy who plays Jake Black is underage for a few more months. Le Sigh.

Also, we went to the new theatre by Northgate, and in their little square is a new Japanese/sushi, Tengu Sushi place - very tasty.

Von Foxies

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:35:32 GMT

Saturday I went out with several girlfriends for delicious sushi at Maneki http://www.manekirestaurant.com/ then we went to see the Von Foxies, a burlesque troop.

The Von Foxies were hilarious, and sadly, this was their farewell performance - Kill it Before it Dies. They also had guests - Tamara the Trapeze Lady and Ben de la Creme, who were also fantastic.

Little did I know that burlesque was alive and well in Seattle. What's more, I didn't know that burlesque was as much about humor as it was about titillation. This website gives a brief history:

http://www.musicals101.com/burlesque.htm

So if someone mentions burlesque to you, it may not be what you think.

http://www.vonfoxies.com/archive/bios.htm
http://www.tamarathetrapezelady.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bendelacreme

Hoodsport Winery!

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:13:12 GMT

Saturday I went on a road trip with my friends. I picked up the van, no problem. Budget was the only place I could find a 12 person van. It was odd, but not too hard to drive. The most annoy thing was the temperature controls, it was hard to keep the windows defogged while maintaining a resonable temperature. We finally settled on something on the coolish side.

We got to the meeting place (Northgate Park and Ride) a half our early, so Jenn, Amanda (they came with me to get the van) ran over to Northgate to use the bathroom and snag some coffee. Then we went back to the van and waited for folks to arrive. Only one person had trouble finding us, but she was looking in the mall parking lot.

When we got everyone together, I started the van so I could defog it and we all ate a cupcake. Yum! Thanks _Amanda!

My friend Jen made road trip bingo cards and the first part of the trip was spent with everyone shouting out things they saw, or bemoaning the fact that we couldn't find anything. A bicyclist? Not in that rain. I finally saw one on the way home. There were very few nail salons to be spotted from the freeway. We'd opted to play 'blackout'

I made everyone make a pit stop somewhere south of Tacoma, where we all used the bathroom and some of us bought snacks. Teriyaki jerky is not as tasty as it was in my youth.

Back on the road the game continued and the rain started easing off. When we reached Hoodsport Winery, we were a little taken aback. It looked like a crappy roadside store, no vines in sight. We got out and went inside.

Inside it was still a little confusing, the bathrooms were through the office, and the tasting room doubled as a store room. The front had all the wine on display, along with a variety of lovely glasses for sale and other decorations.

We started on the tour, outside. Turns out they don't own any vinyards, everything they make they buy from somewhere else. Grapes from Yakima, frozen fruits from elsewhere. When Hoodsport Winery started 30 years ago, there were 16 wineries in Washington. Now there are hundreds.

We saw the pallets the grapes come in, the separator for getting rid of the leaves etc, the crusher that will squeeze a grape (or thawed fruit) dry, the vats, the filters, and the bottler. They use plastic corks because there is no danger of the cork failing. Also, the US government outlawed lead cork covers because of the dangers of lead poisoning, even if the lead never contacts the wine. Instead of cork barrels, they use oak chips carefully charred/smoked for the appropriate flavoring. The vats are either plastic or steel. The plastic is designed not to react to the wine.

Onto the tasting. We were able to taste seven wines, even though the tasting only called for six, because we asked nicely. Very good wine, if I was much of a wine drinker, I might have bought some. We had a pinot gris, a rhubarb, a merlot? a lemburger-cab, blackberry, apple, and loganberry cordial. They didn't stint on the munchies either. Turkey, salami, cheese, bread, veggies, fruit, dips and their own truffles made with raspberry wine.

Since I was driving and I am diabetic, all I did was sip a taste from each one, except the apple which was yummy, so I drank it. I donated the rest to the others, who were happy to help me out. :)

After the tasting, my lushy friends bought a ton of wine, I bought the truffles. We talked about getting a meal, but decided to head home. The rain came back as we headed home, and we had some bad slowdowns in Tacoma and downtown Seattle. We got back to Northgate about 5 and went to Azteca to eat.
After I dropped folks off at their cars, Jenn, Amanda and I went to see if we could drop the van. We couldn't, so I have to do that this morning. I got home a little before nine, went to bed and read for a short while, and woke up around eight this morning. Tired much? A very fun day?

Road trip!

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:04:57 GMT

Today I and ten other ladies will take a rental van to Hoodsport to tour the winery and generally have fun.

Despite the rain I am excited and looking forward to hanging out with some of my pals.

Also there will be cupcakes.

:)

NaNoWriMo

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:42:20 GMT

Ah, the writing madness has started and I missed the FIRST DAY!

I blame my allergies. I dog sat for a friend of mine Saturday night and completely forgot to bring my plastic encased pillow. Thus my dust mite allergies had the freedom to frolic throughout my system, wreaking mayhem everywhere, especially my lungs.

I found out several years ago I had allergy-induced asthma. No allergens, no asthma. Dust mites were my worst nemesis. Therefor, I bought a plastic lined mattress cover and plastic pillow covers. Stopped the dust mites cold. Lovely, lovely, breathing.

Saturday I wheezed terribly, and ended up grabbing a Seattle Weekly to put under my head when I unexpectedly had to take the dog out in the middle of the night. The paper worked, and I got a few hours of sleep.

Sunday was spent mostly in a zombiefied state. Pretty appropriate for the Day of the Dead. I crawled into my own bed about 8:30 pm and slept until about 6:30. Blessed allergy relief.

But now I must write madly to make up yesterday's missing words.

Curse you, allergies!

No crush for me tonight

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:04:53 GMT

CJ is sick...

Time consuming people

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:45:24 GMT

I've realized I have let a few of these people creep into my life, and now I must ease them back out. That's hard to do when they are likely to show up at public events you want to go to.

My cat is insane.

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:21:52 GMT

I fell asleep with my bedside lamp on and he didn't scratch the bed or yowl at me once. Is he afraid of the dark?

Sub-prime loans suck

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:40:23 GMT

One of my friends is caught in one and is currently freaking out. I'm a little worried about her.

Wil Wheaton on Big Bang Theory

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:56:31 GMT

Monday night I caught the Big Bang Theory. One of the story lines revolved around a Magic-like card game tournament, and who should be in that tournament, but Mr. Wheaton.

Sheldon has a beef with Wheaton regarding a signing that Wheaton never showed up at and is determined to bring him down. Hilarity ensues.

I like that Wheaton can poke fun at himself.

I like the Big Bang Theory in general, although I don't always sit down to watch it.

I may kill my cat.

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:15:19 GMT

For the last few weeks, he has taken to scratching my bed at about 6 am, thus, waking me up, thus making me tired and crabby. Yelling and smacking him have no long-term effect.

I love my cat, but I also love my sleep. Being woken up two hours before I have to be up is maddening.

more testing

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:12:09 GMT

facebook feed

testing

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:02:33 GMT

Facebook test

Browncoat Ball pics

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:56:41 GMT

http://www.meetup.com/Seattle-Browncoats/photos/

RIP Pocket

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:00:26 GMT

I had to put my girl kitty to sleep yesterday. I already had an appointment for a bad eye scratch she had, but in the last couple of days she'd more or less quit eating.

When the vet examined her, the conclusion was that the fluid that was building up in her body had also built up around her stomach, making her not feel like eating. I could have done a pile of tests and tried to come up with something, but I knew it was a losing battle and I didn't see the point in putting Pocket through that.

So the vet gave her something to make her sleepy, and I talked to her and petted her while it took effect. When she was completely out, I held her on my lap. She hated to be held on my lap before, so this was the only time I got to do that. That's when I broke down and started sobbing. The vet gave her the final shot, and I pet her a few more times before they took her away. I'll get her ashes back in a couple of weeks.

It's remarkable how empty the apartment feels with the absence of one very quiet cat. Jasper, my other cat, spent lots of time sitting on me last night. He tends to do that anyway, but it was still comforting.

I miss her, but I'm also relieved that I know she isn't suffering. As anybody who's had pets know, it's damn hard to watch them get worse, all the while knowing that they can't tell you what they want or how they feel, and that the ultimate decision when to end it is yours. I think I did okay by Pocket. She was still alert and didn't seem in actual pain, just uncomfortable. I think she enjoyed her last summer.

One word - plastics!

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:10:35 GMT

The whole plastic bag debate has got me thinking about all the plastic that I have in my life. Some of it I will never get up - hello electronic goodies!

Others - like the inevitable plastic bags, I would be happy to do without if I can find alternatives. We all know about cloth/whatever bags for schlepping our groceries home, but what about when you buy produce or bulk items?

Lo and behold, you can buy little cloth bags for that purpose, or bring your own stuff, at least at the Greenwood Market, and presumably others. I had a quick chat with a couple of the employees there, and they are perfectly happy for you to bring whatever bag, bin or other container in which to pack your stuff into. They will even tare out a container for you, so you can load up your own flour container right at the store.

I'm also going to look into their bulk shampoos etc. It would be nice to find more ways to reduce plastic if I can.

This does not solve my need for plastic bags to dispose of my cat litter, but I'm working on that. Perhaps I will experiment with composting - it apparently can be done:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1019500/how_to_compost_your_cats_litter.html?cat=32

I don't expect to get plastic completely out of my life, but these people gave me a few ideas to look into:

http://plasticisforever.blogspot.com/

But I have no intention of going as far as this woman who avoids medical care because of the plastic involved:

http://plasticfree.blogspot.com/

This is just bothering me

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:04:44 GMT

On Facebook I have a bunch of people from high school as my friends. One of them recently posted pics of her daughter's wedding. The one that bothered me was of her daughter putting on her garter with the help of a bridesmaid.

The daughter was wearing a corset and underpants.

Why does this bother me? Mostly because she is clearly wearing undergarments which I always considered to be private and shouldn't be shown in public.

I don't get bothered by swimsuits because they are meant for public viewing. Panties aren't. Oddly enough, pantaloons don't bother me because, while they are undergarments, they aren't currently in use today.

I'm such a weird person.

HOLY CRAP!

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:19:17 GMT

My 25 year old niece is a republican!

*writhes in horror*

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:44:26 GMT

As a SF and Fantasy fan, I've seen a couple move and tv variations on this story, so when I ran across it at the library, I decided to read the original.

Doyle is an excellent writer (read his Sherlock Holmes stories if you haven't) and the book is interesting and engaging.

Our hero and narrator is Edward Malone, a newspaper reporter. He gets an interview with Professor Challenger, who claims to have found a "Lost World" in South America complete with dinosaurs. Unfortunately, Challenger's evidence was mostly lost in a boating accident so he has become a laughingstock. However, Challenger convinces Malone that his Lost World exists, and invites Malone to a scientific meeting where he intends to present his evidence again.

The end result is that Malone volunteers to go to find this Lost World along with Professor Summerlee and Lord John Roxton, an adventurer, big game hunter, and all around buff guy.

About half the book is about the trip there, and the rest takes place in discovering the Lost World. The descriptions are vivid and exciting. The characters are entertaining.

The downside is there is a lot of racism and depiction of the white race as superior and the attitude of casual destruction and hunting to collect trophies that left me (a die hard nature conservative) feeling a bit horrified.

However, by keeping in mind the book was first published in 1912 I was able to cope with these ideas and managed to enjoy the adventure.

I recommend reading this if you haven't already.

Thinking about a pet?

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:19:42 GMT

Hi Everyone!

Petfinder.com has declared August 12th "Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet" Day. The Seattle Animal Shelter will be joining with Petfinder.com to promote the day for a whole week!

Wednesday, August 12- Tuesday, August 18, all Seattle Animal Shelter pets with the "less-adoptable-pet" designation will have the adoption and microchip fee waived. Licensing and spay/neuter fees will still apply.

Any animal that has been at the shelter for 2 months or more is eligible for the discount. This promotion includes foster animals. (For easy reference, any case number that is 09-7000 or lower qualifies.)

We hope the promotion causes adopters to give many of our older, special needs and special breeds a second look.

Please spread the word. I can e-mail you a flyer if you'd like We have lots of wonderful cats, dogs and critters that are looking for homes.

Thank you for supporting the Seattle Animal Shelter.