Random stuff

1. It was great seeing all the friends I saw yesterday. It reminded me a bit of a reunion, with all the stories, the bad puns, the hugs, the smiles, the tears, and...oh, the food! Plus, I got hugs and kisses from the world's cutest three-year-old. All in all, a very good gathering!

2. After all that, I went to Home Depot and got the last thing needed for my closet makeover: drywall screws! With only a little help from pierceheart (and that's because I didn't need more, not because he didn't offer more), I managed to put up a wooden board to brace a couple of brackets, the brackets themselves, and then the metal closet rod that rests on those brackets. Now, I have a closet rod that doesn't bend in the middle! Yay! I don't think I can fit all my clothes in there, though, space-wise. Oops. Must box up some summer stuff before I hang up the rest of my heavier clothes. I feel so accomplished, after this!

3. Damn, it's cold today! I wore my down jacket this morning. I had to. I could have made do with a sweater and a leather jacket, maybe, but neither my warm handknit sweater nor my leather jacket currently closes in the front. I need to sew the zipper on that damn cardigan, and get a new one put on my jacket. But I kept nice and toasty this morning, which was good. I don't understand these folks who just wear a sweatshirt and a scarf on mornings where the temperature's in the mid-30s, and below freezing with the wind chill. Brrr.

4. I have dance tonight. We didn't have it the last two weeks, so it feels like forever since I had a class. I have to think of something to do for an in-class performance sometime. Oy. I know I'll look better if I choreograph something, but I don't know if I will have the time or inclination. We'll see.

5. I still don't know if I'm going to manage a costume for next Saturday night's Halloween party. It's looking less and less likely that I'll have time to find stuff for either of the two costumes I'm considering. It's a pity: the theme is one I like, and I liked my costume ideas! Ah well. So be it.

Decisions, decisions

How should I spend my lunch break? I do want to get outside. I could go across the river to the BU area, but I'll be heading over there after work for dance class anyway. I could go to Trader Joe's, but I've been there recently, and don't think I need anything. I could go to Central Square, but to do what? I'm kind of craving ice cream. I think I might walk to Toscanini's and get some. Sure, it's only 53 degrees out. What's your point? This is Boston. We eat ice cream and drink iced coffee all year round. :) The walk, a little over 2 miles round trip, would be a nice help in burning off some of the calories from the ice cream.

Hmm. Tempting. I wonder what flavors Tosci's has right now.

(no subject)

Idea ganked from pierceheart

They say everybody writes a journal with the hope that someday somebody will read it. I think most people in the explicitly-public LJ-land list interests in the hope that someday somebody will ask about them. This meme, like a dating service, turns all that hoping-somebody-will-ask into a straightforward request. Viva communication!

Explicitly request it in a comment and I will choose 7 of your LJ profile interests for you to explain/write about.

pierceheart asked me about these:

1. Anahit: She was the mother goddess, the fertility goddess, of the pre-Christian Armenians. I learned about her in the process of researching Armenian Paganism. I liked the idea of taking the name of an Armenian goddess as a dance name, and while I wanted to use the name of the goddess of love, Astghik just didn't sound as pretty as Anahit.

2. Crowley Cream Cheese: Crowley Foods is a dairy foods company. One thing they make is cream cheese. This is (or was) the cream cheese sold with the bagels at the Espresso Royale on Newbury Street, where we used to have Wicca discussion group meetings. The name amused all of us. Thelemic cream cheese.

3. Dave McKean: He's an amazing artist who has often worked to illustrate Neil Gaiman's works. I love his eerie, surrealistic style.

4. Mr. Stabby: blame geoogo. :) It's better if you just see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vk5htS8bFU

5. Quixote: I find something charming about Don Quixote, but also utterly exasperating. Quixotic is one of my favorite words, after gazebo.

6. Xenoglossy: The idea of people speaking spontaneously in languages that are unfamiliar to them is a fascinating one to me. I like the idea of using it in science fiction and fantasy stories, with various explanations and various outcomes.

7. Zorak: He's a giant, evil praying mantis on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, basically a reinvention/rip-off of the original Space Ghost. He plays the keyboard. He has almost all the best lines. He likes the Ramones. In addition, Zorak or Dzorak also appears to be the name of an Armenian town. OMG!