Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in The Thinker's LiveJournal:

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Saturday, September 9th, 2006
2:33 pm	My poor nameless bunny. We're so stupid...we can't even think of a name for our rabbit. We've put her naming rights on eBay. BEHOLD: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260030082331 (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 13th, 2006
9:19 pm	New Toy -- Yay! So I'm trying to kick myself in the butt and get back into photography. I took a year off from the business just to get my wits about me and figure out what I want to do. Well, now I've got someone asking me to do a wedding (something I will ONLY do for close friends and for small weddings), and someone asking me for some artistic nudes/partial nudes. To complicate matters: my camera sucks ass. The winder keeps breaking, there's a light leak in my portrait lens, and the shutter jams at the most inopportune moments. So that was certainly enough to get me off my butt, out to Ritz Cameras...and I have a new toy!!! I haven't crossed over to the Digital Dark Side yet, so of course, I invested in another film camera. I got a Nikon N75 35mm SLR. It came with two lenses, is fully automated (but still has totally manual modes if I'm so inclined, which I often am), and has a great shutter range. I hate cameras that don't at least have the option of going 100% manual. Sometimes I want the pics a certain way, and nothing irritates me more than the camera overriding me and deciding for me. The shutter speeds range from 1/2000 to 30 seconds. SWEET!!! The 30 second speed will be phat for photographing lightning, something I intend to do this spring summer now that we're getting wicked storms. Woohoo! And the super fast speeds will be awesome for...well...everything else. (I rarely shoot slower than 1/250 for anything) Portrait film, badass filters, and a third lens are en route as I type. Since I have a three day weekend, there will be much picture-taking going on. HOORAY!!! BEHOLD -- My new camera in all its glory (and its lenses) http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/SLR1090.htm?bct=t13024003%3Bcifilm-cameras-and-accessories%3Bcifilm-cameras%3Bc13025019 I'm happy. :) I can finally do some photography without fighting with my obnoxiously outdated and cheaply constructed Chinon!!! Current Mood: productive (Comment on this)
Monday, March 13th, 2006
10:26 pm	Random Updates So it's 10:30 at night, and my brain is fried from toiling over my book for the last 3 hours. At least I made some progress. Someday I will finish it, hooray!! Other random updates: ** Model horse show this weekend. Should be wicked cool, especially with my ARMY of Dozen Roses resins. Well, ok, so I only have 2 right now. The other 2 should be here soon...but the one I painted will be done in time!! Yay!! Just need to spray him and gloss his eyes/hooves. WOOHOO!! ** T minus 3 months until Eddie officially goes back on sea duty. T minus (I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you) months until he goes on deployment again. Bad times. :( ** Acupuncture rules. ** In-laws suck. ** Customers are stupid. ** Keeping the TMI to a minimum, infertility sucks, and I'm worried I might have to go in for a laporoscopy if things don't start doing what they're supposed to. ** People's insensitive comments about infertility suck donkey schlong. See comment above about in-laws. That's it for now. I'm going to bed. Current Mood: depressed (Comment on this)
Friday, January 20th, 2006
9:54 pm	Am I the only one on the planet who gets the hiccups when I eat carrots? It's really fucking annoying, and doesn't seem to affect anyone but me. So fuck you, all you non-hiccuping carrot eaters. (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 20th, 2005
9:45 am	If you haven't seen "Walk The Line" get thee to the theatre. Oh my fucking God, that movie was AWESOME. I adore Joaquin Phoenix anyway, but he was AMAZING in this movie. Who knew the boy could sing? He and Reese Witherspoon both did all of their singing in WTL, and there was quite a bit of singing...they were AWESOME. I had chills when he did "Ring of Fire". I don't buy movies on video or DVD, but I will be making an exception for "Walk The Line". And I'm DEFINITELY getting the soundtrack. Wowza. That is all. Current Mood: impressed Current Music: "Ring of Fire", as sung by Joaquin Phoenix (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 14th, 2005
7:53 pm	Speaking of writing... I wrote this a few weeks ago... Top 10 Things Only Writers Understand About Other Writers 10. No, the novel isn't done yet. Most of us haven't mastered the art of rectally producing a novel two nanoseconds after the idea first hits us. 9. A byline is a byline is a byline, whether it's a 1 paragraph blurb or a 15,000 word article. We'd all rather have the byline (and the check!) for the latter, but the former still occupies otherwise blank space on the resume'. 8. Yes, I'm well aware I'm not going to be a millionaire being a writer unless I happen to become an uber-bestseller. I'd love for that to happen, I'm not holding my breath, but I'm writing anyway. 7. My novel sounds JUST like that one that was just published by so-and-so about such-and-such? Really? Yeah, well your baby's ugly too. 6. Just for the fantasy writers: Tolkien did it his way. I'm doing it my way. 5. There is such thing as a good rejection. Likewise, there also exists a bad acceptance. 4. A writer is not the guy with a martini in his hand impressing everyone at the party with the fact that he's writing a novel while his idea -- scratched onto a legal pad 10 years ago and never touched again -- collects dust on a shelf. A writer is the guy who's at home feverishly pounding on his keyboard, trying to get a few more ideas on paper before he leaves for the party. 3. Being somewhere without a pen and something to write on IS cause for panic. 2. We couldn't give up being a writer if we wanted to. We could sooner stop eating than stop writing. 1. No one understands a writer better than another writer...except for his characters. (Comment on this)
7:51 pm	Stolen from Monocle and Ostrich's LJ because I WANT TO BE JUST LIKE HER... ;) "Look at your LJ "interests" list. If you have less than 50 interests,pick every fifth one. If you have between fifty and seventy-five interests, pick every seventh one. If you have over seventy-five interests, pick every tenth one. If you have fewer than ten, pick all of 'em. List them on your LJ, and tell everyone exactly what it is about these things that interests you so much." FROGS -- FROGS ARE KEWL. Especially cartoon frogs, like the one I have tattooed on my leg. And tree frogs are awesome. I want a pet frog. PAINTBALL -- What other sport allows you to shoot at people?? Hehehehe...paintball rulz. SCI-FI -- I LOVE speculative fiction. Not so much into hard sci-fi (where they get into every gadget, gizmo, and sparkplug of the futuristic world), but space travel, time travel, colonizing planets, cloning, AI, etc, is really interesting. I love writing Sci-Fi too, and MAYBE I'll eventually finish some of my sci-fi books. WRITING -- It's not so much that I'm "interested" in writing. It's more like, I HAVE to write. I MUST write. If I don't write, I go nuts. If I can't write (lack of time, too much stress, etc), I am MISERABLE. I've been writing since I first learned to string three word sentences together on paper, and I'll be writing the day I die. AND I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2005
7:08 pm	For the few people on the planet who READ my LJ... Let's see how many people read my LJ...probably one. If that. 1) Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you. 2) I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you. 3) I'll pick a flavor/color of jello to wrestle with you in. (Maybe.) 4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me. 5) I'll tell you my first memory of you. 6) I'll tell you what animal you remind me of. 7) I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you. 8) If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, August 1st, 2005
6:57 pm	Yeah, I'd say this is pretty accurate... the Idiot Savant (26% dark, 69% spontaneous, 66% vulgar) your humor style: VULGAR | SPONTANEOUS | LIGHT You like things silly, immediate, and, above all, outrageous. Ixne on the subtle word play, more testicles on fire, please. People like you are the most likely to RECEIVE internet forwards--and also the most likely to save them in a special folder entitled 'HOLY SHIT'. Because it's so easily appreciated, and often a little physical, your sense of humor never ceases to amuse your friends. But most realize that there's a sly intelligence and a knowing wink to your tastes. Your sense of humor could be called 'anti-pretentious'--but ironically, that definitely indicates you're smarter than most. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Johnny Knoxville - Jimmy Kimmel My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 5% on dark You scored higher than 94% on spontaneous You scored higher than 98% on vulgar Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid Current Mood: amused (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 26th, 2005
8:33 pm	That sound you hear is religious freedom in the USA going down the shitter... From the Indy Star (not the Star tabloid)   Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs Father appeals order in divorce decree that prevents couple from exposing son to Wicca. By Kevin Corcoran kevin.corcoran@indystar.com   An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge's unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals." The parents practice Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion that emphasizes a balance in nature and reverence for the earth. Cale J. Bradford, chief judge of the Marion Superior Court, kept the unusual provision in the couple's divorce decree last year over their fierce objections, court records show. The order does not define a mainstream religion. Bradford refused to remove the provision after the 9-year-old boy's outraged parents, Thomas E. Jones Jr. and his ex-wife, Tammie U. Bristol, protested last fall. Through a court spokeswoman, Bradford said Wednesday he could not discuss the pending legal dispute. The parents' Wiccan beliefs came to Bradford's attention in a confidential report prepared by the Domestic Relations Counseling Bureau, which provides recommendations to the court on child custody and visitation rights. Jones' son attends a local Catholic school. "There is a discrepancy between Ms. Jones and Mr. Jones' lifestyle and the belief system adhered to by the parochial school. . . . Ms. Jones and Mr. Jones display little insight into the confusion these divergent belief systems will have upon (the boy) as he ages," the bureau said in its report. But Jones, 37, Indianapolis, disputes the bureau's findings, saying he attended Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis as a non-Christian. Jones has brought the case before the Indiana Court of Appeals, with help from the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. They filed their request for the appeals court to strike the one-paragraph clause in January. "This was done without either of us requesting it and at the judge's whim," said Jones, who has organized Pagan Pride Day events in Indianapolis. "It is upsetting to our son that he cannot celebrate holidays with us, including Yule, which is winter solstice, and Ostara, which is the spring equinox." The ICLU and Jones assert the judge's order tramples on the parents' constitutional right to expose their son to a religion of their choice. Both say the court failed to explain how exposing the boy to Wicca's beliefs and practices would harm him. Bristol is not involved in the appeal and could not be reached for comment. She and Jones have joint custody, and the boy lives with the father on the Northside. Jones and the ICLU also argue the order is so vague that it could lead to Jones being found in contempt and losing custody of his son. "When they read the order to me, I said, 'You've got to be kidding,' " said Alisa G. Cohen, an Indianapolis attorney representing Jones. "Didn't the judge get the memo that it's not up to him what constitutes a valid religion?" Some people have preconceived notions about Wicca, which has some rituals involving nudity but mostly would be inoffensive to children, said Philip Goff, director of the Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. "Wiccans use the language of witchcraft, but it has a different meaning to them," Goff said. "Their practices tend to be rather pacifistic. They tend to revolve around the old pagan holidays. There's not really a church of Wicca. Practices vary from region to region." Even the U.S. military accommodates Wiccans and educates chaplains about their beliefs, said Lawrence W. Snyder, an associate professor of religious studies at Western Kentucky University. "The federal government has given Wiccans protection under the First Amendment," Snyder said. "Unless this judge has some very specific information about activities involving the child that are harmful, the law is not on his side." At times, divorcing parents might battle in the courts over the religion of their children. But Kenneth J. Falk, the ICLU's legal director, said he knows of no such order issued before by an Indiana court. He said his research also did not turn up such a case nationally. "Religion comes up most frequently when there are disputes between the parents. There are lots of cases where a mom and dad are of different faiths, and they're having a tug of war over the kids," Falk said. "This is different: Their dispute is with the judge. When the government is attempting to tell people they're not allowed to engage in non-mainstream activities, that raises concerns." Indiana law generally allows parents who are awarded physical custody of children to determine their religious training; courts step in only when the children's physical or emotional health would be endangered. Getting the judge's religious restriction lifted should be a slam-dunk, said David Orentlicher, an Indiana University law professor and Democratic state representative from Indianapolis. "That's blatantly unconstitutional," Orentlicher said. "Obviously, the judge can order them not to expose the child to drugs or other inappropriate conduct, but it sounds like this order was confusing or could be misconstrued." The couple married in February 1995, and their divorce was final in February 2004. As Wiccans, the boy's parents believe in nature-based deities and engage in worship rituals that include guided meditation that Jones says improved his son's concentration. Wicca "is an understanding that we're all connected, and respecting that," said Jones, who is a computer Web designer. Jones said he does not consider himself a witch or practice anything resembling witchcraft. During the divorce, he told a court official that Wiccans are not devil worshippers. And he said he does not practice a form of Wicca that involves nudity. "I celebrate life as a duality. There's a male and female force to everything," Jones said. "I feel the Earth is a living creature. I don't believe in Satan or any creature of infinite evil." ******** Wow.  Fucking wow.  Current Mood: angry (Comment on this)
Monday, May 2nd, 2005
10:03 pm	Random Updates... Since I haven't updated in eons, here's the latest... *** We're settled into our house, we have a pug now, and we're still looking for a pomeranian. *** I'm working on several new novels, and making mega progress on several that have been collecting dust for years. My goal is to complete two first drafts this year. 7 months to go... *** I am officially reducing my contributions to smog: I now own a Toyota Prius. 45-50 MPG baby!!! *** My parents came to visit. Much fun was had with the petting of stingrays, visiting of museums, and fits of giggles. Go-karting kicked ass too. Stay tuned for pictures of my husband in the Viagra go-kart. Wonder if visits with the in-laws will be so enjoyable. *** Almost strangled a lady at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier when her cell phone rang during the changing of the guard, and another at the Holocaust Museum when hers rang and she ANSWERED IT. Some people's kids, I tell ya. *** I have way too many books. My office has 2 large bookcases, 3 medium bookcases, and my desk has about 100 books on it (no exaggeration). Did I say too many books? I meant not enough books. Off to Barnes & Noble's discount rack posthaste. *** This entry will make no sense to non-model horse people: Learning the finer points of oil painting, and doing reasonably well, all things considered. Attempting a traditional sized Arab Native Costume. Almost done paying for a Mephisto. YAY! That's about it for now. Hopefully future entries will be more frequent. :) Current Mood: accomplished (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 8th, 2005
4:03 pm	Stolen from monocle ostrich... 1. Go To Mapquest.com 2. Click on Directions 3. Enter your current address and the address of your childhood home (or at least the town if you don't remember the exact address) 4. Put the time and distance in a comment like this. Total Est. Time: 44 hours, 48 minutes Total Est. Distance: 2956.90 miles Yeah baby. 11: Merge onto I-90 E via EXIT 11 toward SPOKANE. 816.9 miles 12: Merge onto I-94 E. 824.7 miles Hmmmm...methinks we missed Spokane somewhere... Current Mood: lethargic (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 1st, 2005
7:20 pm	It's not like anyone reads my journal... ...but these are fun. Stolen from Melissa's LJ. LAYER ONE: ON THE OUTSIDE Name: Lori. Current Location: Sitting on my ass in my crappy townhouse. Eye Color: brown Hair Color: Dark red --Dyed or Natural: natural (contrary to popular belief...but when people ask me what I use to color my hair/do my highlights, it's watch them jot down "Genetiques a la Ireland". They can never find it in the store for some reason...) --Curly or Straight: Straight. Right- or Left-handed: LEFTY!!! Tan or Pale: Death warmed over pale. Jeans or Skirt: jeans. Skirts suck. Country, Rap, or Rock: Country, some rock, very little rap. Closet Eminem fan (I can't help it). Car: 2001 Black PT Cruiser Place in order of preference--T.V., book, movie, music: books, movies, music, TV (books are WAY ahead of music/television) LAYER TWO: ON THE INSIDE Your heritage: Irish, German, a pinch of Swedish, and a dollop of black. Shoes you wore today: Birkenstocks. Your weakness(es): Books. I can't walk buy a bookstore. Oh, and cute fuzzy animals, cartoon frogs, and the manipulative little bastards that are my cats. Your perfect pizza: Pineapple ONLY with extra cheese and extra sauce. Favorite color: Black or green. Favorite place: On the beach in Guam, My folks' house in WA, the bathtub. Goal you'd like to achieve: Pay off all my credit card debt (well over halfway there!!), finish my sculptures, publish my books (well, finish them first). LAYER THREE: YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW Your most overused phrase(s): "Sweet" "You're fired" (Which, BTW, I was saying LONG before Donald Trump's little firefest came out) "You're going to hell." Your thoughts first waking up: Why can't I have normal dreams? Your best physical feature(s): According to my husband, my boobs. According to me...uh...I don't know. Your bedtime: Around 10:30 or 11. Your most missed memory: Riding/Showing Jazzie. :'( LAYER FOUR: YOUR PICK Pepsi or Coke: Pepsi, preferably Cherry (hell, prefer Dr Pepper over either of them) McDonald's or Burger King: Depends on what I'm in the mood for. McDonald's has some pretty tasty chicken strips. Single or group dates: Single. My husband and I like hanging out together, just the two of us. Adidas or Nike: Usually some sort of flight deck boots or Caterpillar boots. Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Tea is nasty Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla Cappuccino or coffee: Hot chocolate. LAYER FIVE: DO YOU? Smoke: no. Cuss: Like a sailor. Single: I assume this means AM I single. Um, no. Married 2 years. Take a shower: Yes, but baths rule. I am on a quest to either get a hot tub or completely redo my new bathroom to have a MONDO GIGANTIC TUB. Have a crush(es): My husband and I agreed that sleeping with Vin Diesel, Joaquin Phoenix, or Gary Allan is exempt from the "no cheating" rule. Hehehehe. Those are my only three crushes I can think of. Think you've been in love: YES. Still am. Want to get married: I think I'll pencil that in on Dec 14, 2002. Oh, wait... Believe in yourself: Yeah, I do. I think I'm way too hard on myself. I tell Eddie I'm the most insecure photographer in the world; I'm always waiting for a client to call and go "WTF is this crap?" when they get their proofs. Believe in God: If by "God" you mean the Judeo-Christian god of the Bible, no. If you mean a supreme being or higher power, then I would say yes, but I'm closer to an agnostic than anything...don't have any proof there IS one, don't have any proof there ISN'T, not sure what to believe. Believe in your government: Unlike the boogey man, the government does exist. Get motion sickness: Sometimes. Only if I read in the car or something (or on the ferry...that used to suck ass....1 hour trip and I couldn't read. Blech) Think you're attractive: No. But maybe if I lose some of this evil weight that has attacked me in the last year and a half. Think you're a health freak: To a point, yes. I'm becoming a bit of a sprout-munching hippie in some ways (without the sprouts though) and I'm still a gluttonous American in others. Get along with your parents: I get along great with my mom, and my dad and I get along now that we don't live together. Like thunderstorms: Hell yeah! And we get badass storms here! LAYER SIX: IN THE PAST MONTH Drank alcohol: Nope. I swear my liquor cabinet is going to go bad. Gone on a date: Yeah, you could call it that. We go out quite a bit, though I don't know how much they qualified as "dates" Gone to the mall: Unfortunately been on stage: No. But I did find a comedy club tonight... eaten an entire box of Oreos: No. Eaten sushi: yes, actually. Couldn't stand sashimi...raw fish is icky. But some of the little rice/seaweed roll thingies were good. Been dumped: Good God, I hope not. Gone skating: Does skating down the stairs on my ass because my cat tried to kill me count? Gone skinny dipping: It's December. NO. Stolen anything: Um, no. LAYER SEVEN: HAVE YOU EVER Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes. Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Yeah, sorta. I honestly can't get very drunk. I start hating the way I feel, and quit drinking. Can't get past the "buzz" and get shit-faced. Been caught "doing something": Got caught making out in the parking lot of my old junior high while I was in high school (I was with a fellow high school student, not a junior high kid!). Got caught by my homeroom teacher no less. Been called a tease: Yes Gotten beaten up: Been smacked around, but never had the shit kicked outta me. LAYER EIGHT: GETTING OLD Age you hope to be married: Til death does he have to put up with me. Number of Children: Don't know yet. Maybe 3, but probably not more than that. Describe your dream wedding: Already had it! What do you want to be when you grow up: A writer and photographer. LAYER NINE: IN A GAL/GUY Best eye color?: any. Best hair color?: Any dark color. I can't stand light blond hair on a guy, generally speaking. Short or long hair: Short. Height: The taller, the better. Best first date location: The shooting range. Gets those "gonna take advantage of her" thoughts right out of his head. First kiss location: At the King Dome in Seattle. My "fantasy places": Ummmm... LAYER TEN: IN THE NUMBERS Number of people I could trust with my life: Maybe 3 or 4. Number of CD's I own: Maybe 40. Number of piercings: None now...my ear holes closed up. Number of tattoos: 2 (planning on a third, probably more!) Number of times my name has appeared in the Newspaper: Let's see...birth, marriage, pretty sure it's shown up once or twice for other stuff. Number of scars on my body: Quite a few, but nothing overly spectacular. That was fun. Hope you learned something. Current Mood: contemplative (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, December 31st, 2004
8:11 pm	Happy New Year, and not a moment too soon I can honestly say that I am MEGA SUPER HAPPY to see this year end. Some great things happened, but it was also a really rough year. So, good riddance to bad rubbish, and hello 2005. As all the magazines, news stations, and other media do a 2004 Year In Review, so too shall I. In no particular order: -Completed the second half our trip across the country. We spent New Year's in Albuquerque, New Mexico. -Arrived in Norfolk, Virginia. -Spent 4 months job hunting, but finally landed a customer service job at a company that manufactures cylinder gas regulators, welding/cutting torches, and the like. I stop just short of being able to say "I sell propane and propane accessories" only because I don't sell actual propane. If you don't find that phrase amusing, or you can't at least figure out where it's from, you need to crawl out of your cave. -Went tandem skydiving. -Met Beth and Dana in person after chatting with them online for eons. Caused much trouble with them. Good times. -Redid the outline of my book, started and finished the second draft. -Added to the critter family: Midget, Annie, & Garfield...cats. Fluffy the Hedgehog. Looks like Weasel the Ferret will be joining us in January or February, and HOPEFULLY Camo the Pomeranian With No Tail will be joining us as well. -Said goodbye to my best buddy of 12 years, Jazzie. -Took up oilpainting. -Made considerable progress on my photography business. -Started going through the motions of buying a house. If all goes as planned, we close on January 14th. YAY!!! -Encountered Dr.Satan. 'Nuff said about that one. -Visited Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey for the first time. Visited Oklahoma for the second time. I have now been to 26 states and 5 countries. Go me. -Celebrated our second wedding anniversary. :) -Paid off my second -- that's right, SECOND -- Dozen Roses in the final twelve hours of 2004. If you are not a model horse person, you will not understand the significane of Dozen Roses. Don't worry; only about .0000003% of the population does. ;) -Lost my temper in a Sears Auto Center, but only because they're stupid. LOL -My husband and I built a kitty condo because we spoil our cats ROTTEN. Made it through the year with 1 car accident, 1 trip to the ER, and on speaking terms with the vast majority of friends and family, in-laws notwithstanding. It was a good year, I suppose. Bring on 2005. It's going to be a better year. Current Mood: accomplished (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 26th, 2004
8:14 pm	1 Year Since We Last Saw Washington Well, it's been one year since we left WA. It's been a tough year to say the least, but we're both optimistic about next year. We close on our new house on January 14, so that'll be a good start. :P And Christmas kicked ass, of course...since I FINALLY got to have Christmas the way I've wanted it for the last TWO YEARS...just the two of us on Christmas morning. Well, it was just the two of us the whole time, which was really nice, but I've really had my heart set on spending Christmas morning together, just us, since we got married in Dec 2002. 'Bout damn time! ;) We both scored some badass presents, mostly from each other. Hehehehe I gave Eddie a set of Craftsmen screwdrivers, a plyers set, a Slinky, a S'mores maker, a bunch of firefighting stuff, and some things that are best opened without relatives in the room...hehehe. He got me a stained glass chess set that I've had my eye on for eons, as well as a fountain, a woodworking book, and a pull saw. Yay! :) My parents sent us some cash, T-shirts, and, because my parents are the coolest ever, LEGOS. Christmas isn't Christmas without Legos. Christmas without Legos is like Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie, and I already dealt with that trauma this year. Oh yeah, and today, it snowed. A lot. In fact, now the tiny ding in my windshield has spidered about 6 inches in two different directions after a large drift of snow slid down off the roof of the car. Damnation. Current Mood: content (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, December 12th, 2004
9:15 pm	No More Renting!!! YAY! So excited! Eddie and I just bought our first house! We close in early/mid January, then it's time to paint the shit out of the boring white walls. YAY! Our house rocks. Pictures to come. The cats are extremely suspicious of the rapidly depleting number of possessions and growing number of boxes...hehehe...I'm sure they'll be thoroughly traumatized as soon as we move. Projects to be undertaken in the New Lair: *** Outdoor enclosure for Fluffy the Hedgehog (so he can go out when the weather is nice). (probably shortly after we move in) *** Painting rooms (my office, Eddie's office, dining room, and bedroom). This will all be done the week before we move in (or at least started)...still debating some colors, but the dining room will be done in a tasteful gothic theme (is that an oxymoron?). *** Redo bathroom (darker color tiling, etc.) *** Hot tub (this summer) *** Complete kitchen renovation (in the next few years) *** Installing a pug and a pomeranian. ;) More updates to come. YAY. Lori Current Mood: excited Current Music: "We Finally Got a Piece of the Pie!" (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 28th, 2004
8:49 pm	Guess I should update once in a while... Well, it's been a while since I've updated, and there's assloads of things going on, so how about just a brief rundown? *** In sad news, my beloved horse passed away unexpectedly on November 11. This month marked 12 years since we first bought her. Much sadness there. :( *** We are moving. Sparing the details about people keying into our fucking apartment and annoying neighbors, but the househunt has begun. Hope to move by early February. *** Making progress on book 2 of my fantasy series; the outline is almost done and I might be ready to start writing soon. YAY! Looks like the series will be breaking the traditional trilogy mold of the fantasy genre and continuing on. Sort of like Robert Jordan's stuff. Or JK Rowling's. So much for breaking a fucking mold. *** One of Eddie's "friends" is getting a brand new bedliner added to his truck courtesy of our insurance. Eddie accidentally scratched the rail of the truckbed while removing his bike from it. For a 2" scratch, this "friend" is now getting a $400 bedliner. Fuck you, man. *** I kick ass at Age of Mythology. Yeah baby. Also, my pets rule. Worship them here: http://www.geocities.com/kaizenimagery/beasties.html That's it for now. Current Mood: busy Current Music: My cat mumbling in her sleep on my desk. (Comment on this)
Thursday, October 28th, 2004
10:00 pm	Stolen from Nirak the Great's LJ because I'm totally bored... 1. YOUR PORN STAR NAME: (Name of first pet / Street you live on): Bart Tidewater (or Bart Montgomery...that's even better...but I left that street almost a year ago) 2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (Name of your favorite snack food / Grandfather's first name): Graham Cracker Harry 3. YOUR FASHION DESIGNER NAME: (First word you see on your left / Favorite restaurant): Navy Chili's 4. EXOTIC FOREIGNER ALIAS: (Favorite Spice / Last Foreign Vacation Spot): Garlic Guam 5. SOCIALITE ALIAS: (Silliest Childhood Nickname / Town Where You First Partied): Low-Life Vancouver 6. "FLY Girl" ALIAS (a la J. Lo): (First Initial / First Two or Three Letters of your Last Name): L Wit 7. ICON ALIAS: (Something Sweet Within Sight / Any Liquid in Your Kitchen): Cookie Dish Soap 8. DETECTIVE ALIAS: (Favorite Baby Animal / Where You Went to High School): Kitten Woodinville 9. BARFLY ALIAS: (Last Snack Food You Ate / Your Favorite Alcoholic Drink): Cookie Screwdriver. (since Cookie Slow COmfortable Screw Against the Wall just seems a little too long...) 10. SOAP OPERA ALIAS: (Middle Name / Street Where You First Lived): Ann 206th (hehehe, I don't think that worked very well) 11. ROCK STAR ALIAS: (Favorite Candy / Last Name Of Favorite Musician) Chocolate Allen (that sounds gay...) Well, that was fun. Off to bed now... Current Mood: sleepy (Comment on this)
Monday, October 11th, 2004
6:26 pm	A New Yahoo! Group. Since I am tired of sifting through endless writing groups and such on Yahoo! Groups, I have created my own: The Chewed Eraser. If you're a writer, and you also have a wastebasket full of chewed erasers from writer's block, click below: Click to join chewederaser Shameless promotion OVER. P.S. I finished editing my second draft the other day. Hell frickin' yeah. :) Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
Thursday, October 7th, 2004
7:06 pm	Time for a Rant.... Okay, time for a rant. I recently read an entry in someone else's LJ about the trials and tribulations of purchasing pads and tampons. It was a hilarious gem, and after reading it, I finally decided to go ahead and unleash my own vent along similar subject matter, but with an entirely different slant. Just to forewarn you, the rant contains the following: * Bad words. * References to "that time of the month", some of which are most certainly TMI. * TMI in general. If you don't want to read about it, stop RIGHT NOW and don't scroll ANY FURTHER. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Now, on with the show... Did you know - and if you didn't, you'll probably wish you still didn't - that PMS is cumulative? Yes, that's right, cumulative. All those symptoms we associate as signs that the crimson tide is imminent? The bloating, the irritability, phantom cramps, and just general feeling that the world hates you, you hate the world, and you want to die. You know what I'm talking about. If you don't, staple your balls to your chair and you'll probably get the idea. So guess what happens when the tide in question fails to show up? The bloating, the homicidal feelings, and all that crap? They fucking stay around to hitch a ride NEXT time the Scarlet Express comes through. And what does that mean for the unfortunate girl? Double the fun! Now, what happens when you take that PMS and save it up in a nice little PMS Savings Account for, say, 5 months? INTEREST!! That's right!! The symptoms continue, and snowball until you find yourself with almost HALF A FUCKING YEAR's worth of pent-up hormones that haven't had their monthly housecleaning, and it fucking sucks. I'm at a fucking point where I feel like a goddamned twelve year-old dying to get her first period so she can be like everybody else. Fuck the cramps, fuck the inconvenience, I WANT MY MONTHLY VISITOR TO SHOW UP. NOW. I have accumulated enough PMS Points to have earned myself SOME SORT of fucking prize. I seriously think 5 months of enduring this bullshit has earned me a small household appliance. At the very least, a toaster. And not just a gay little 2-slice toaster; I'm talking about a toaster OVEN. They should put this kind of thing on Fear Factor. Or a new kind of Survivor. Of course, 5 months without a period can ONLY signify one thing, right? In theory, yes. Well, I've taken plenty of 99.9% accurate tests, and they unanimously agree: NO, I'M NOT. Of course it could be stress-related. But what could I possibly be stressed about? Just because the last year has involved moving 3000 miles away from everyone and everything I have ever known, quitting a job and struggling to find another, a visit with Dr. Satan (he'll get his own entry when I'm in the mood to post it)...HOW COULD ANYTHING IN MY LIFE POSSIBLY BE STRESS-RELATED???????????????????? Further, is this Mother Fucking Nature's idea of a goddamned joke???? "There there, dear, you're all stressed, so we're going to shut down the Scarlet Express until things calm down. In the meantime, you'll still accumulate all the hormones and general feelings of shittiness until the stress is gone, all of which will make the stress in question that much worse, but that's ok. It makes ME laugh at YOUR misery." HAR HAR. This is bullshit. In my next life, I'm coming back as a fucking ottoman. I hear they don't have to deal with this shit. And one final note...second hand PMS claims almost as many lives as firsthand PMS. If you wish to send words of sympathy to the man who has to endure this as much as I do, my husband's LJ can be found at: http://www.livejournal.com/users/bdragon81/ Blarg. Enough for now. Strangely, I do feel a little better now. Current Mood: nauseated (Comment on this)