So no one told you life was gonna be this way...
Dec. 15th, 2025 05:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beansideAnd we're back to Monday! Today I have to start work early, so that I can take off at 2 for my birthday on Wednesday. I wish I could afford to take the whole day off, but I need the PTO for Alaska.
Yesterday was a lovely day up til the end. We relaxed and took the dog out for a walk. And despite the people cleaning the sidewalks, he was very good. Then we had breakfast and watched Wake Up Dead Man. It was very entertaining, and I liked it, but it's probably third out of the Knives Out for me. It doesn't hurt that the first one was pandemic-beloved, and in the second, I really love Janelle Monae and Dave Bautista. I loved its themes about religion and the difference between Christ's teachings and the current, tainted version of Christianity. Josh O'Connor was great, and Daniel Craig was his usual self.
Then, we had dinner and took the dog out. That was my wrong turn. Since I broke my tailbone, I've been very careful about icy walkways. So I was walking the dog on the grass and fretting a little bit about not being able to see. Jess offered to take him across the street, and I agreed. Then, after they left, I felt a little silly. So I followed them. And promptly ate shit in the parking lot on an icy spot. I fell mostly on my ass, though my knee is a little pissed, so I must have landed there first. Today, I'm rather achy, but no permanent harm done, but goddamn, I felt stupid.
Today will undoubtedly be insane at work. I'm going to check with ALDI and see if they have some Bratwurst to have with our perogies. They have my favorite beer brats, but yesterday they were out of it. We'll see if it's back in stock today. That's a nice, easy dinner to make.
I still haven't decided what to have for my birthday dinner. I kind of want the Irish pub that we went to, and I kind of also want the really good Sichuan place near us. On one hand shepherd's pie. On the other, soup dumplings. Tough decision. Currently, I'm leaning towards Peking Duck and soup dumplings, but we'll see.
My sister took off all week, so that'll be fun. Hopefully, she'll keep her voice down while I'm on the phone. I want her to use her PTO, but she can be a lot. It means that this hour when I get up is going to be my only quiet until I go back to sleep, all week. I won't have an hour to sit with Jess at the end of the day. I will miss that. It'll be fine, but it won't be as chill as usual.
(I'm telling myself the week on the boat will be different, because there will be new things to see and do, and we won't all be up each other's asses the whole time--and if we are, that's a thing for future me to deal with.)
And on that note, time to start getting myself together for work. Everyone have a superb Monday!
Yesterday was a lovely day up til the end. We relaxed and took the dog out for a walk. And despite the people cleaning the sidewalks, he was very good. Then we had breakfast and watched Wake Up Dead Man. It was very entertaining, and I liked it, but it's probably third out of the Knives Out for me. It doesn't hurt that the first one was pandemic-beloved, and in the second, I really love Janelle Monae and Dave Bautista. I loved its themes about religion and the difference between Christ's teachings and the current, tainted version of Christianity. Josh O'Connor was great, and Daniel Craig was his usual self.
Then, we had dinner and took the dog out. That was my wrong turn. Since I broke my tailbone, I've been very careful about icy walkways. So I was walking the dog on the grass and fretting a little bit about not being able to see. Jess offered to take him across the street, and I agreed. Then, after they left, I felt a little silly. So I followed them. And promptly ate shit in the parking lot on an icy spot. I fell mostly on my ass, though my knee is a little pissed, so I must have landed there first. Today, I'm rather achy, but no permanent harm done, but goddamn, I felt stupid.
Today will undoubtedly be insane at work. I'm going to check with ALDI and see if they have some Bratwurst to have with our perogies. They have my favorite beer brats, but yesterday they were out of it. We'll see if it's back in stock today. That's a nice, easy dinner to make.
I still haven't decided what to have for my birthday dinner. I kind of want the Irish pub that we went to, and I kind of also want the really good Sichuan place near us. On one hand shepherd's pie. On the other, soup dumplings. Tough decision. Currently, I'm leaning towards Peking Duck and soup dumplings, but we'll see.
My sister took off all week, so that'll be fun. Hopefully, she'll keep her voice down while I'm on the phone. I want her to use her PTO, but she can be a lot. It means that this hour when I get up is going to be my only quiet until I go back to sleep, all week. I won't have an hour to sit with Jess at the end of the day. I will miss that. It'll be fine, but it won't be as chill as usual.
(I'm telling myself the week on the boat will be different, because there will be new things to see and do, and we won't all be up each other's asses the whole time--and if we are, that's a thing for future me to deal with.)
And on that note, time to start getting myself together for work. Everyone have a superb Monday!
'Cause in the end, you are part of who I am
Dec. 14th, 2025 06:16 ambeansideIt's a snowy Sunday and my asshole body decided that I should get up before 6 on my day off. So now I'm sitting in the living room with the tree on, watching the snow. I've always like the way snow deadens sound, so it's like a great hush falls o'er the land. We're only supposed to get a few inches, so this qualifies as a pretty snow, and one I don't need to go out in.
Yesterday was pretty good. Not long after I posted, I peeked on facebook, and a woman in one of my Holland America groups posted that she was able to book reservations for specialty dinners for her cruise in May. So of course I went and looked, and lo and behold, I found that ours were open too! I immediately made the two reservations I really wanted to get. Fortunately, both were available.
So on our Glacier Viewing day, we'll have the one I wanted most, dinner at the pop up Morimoto place. The menu looks amazing and I can't wait to try it. I've wanted to eat at Morimoto forever, so I'm very excited about it. That one I got for just 3 of us, since the BIL isn't a fan of Asian food. He's decided that'll be his night to go to the Casino while we eat.
The other one I grabbed was on the last night of the cruise. It's the Alaskan Seafood boil, which will include Dungeness crabs and shrim and maybe some other stuff in a white whine garlic sauce. I'm going to fuck it up. That's for all four of us.
It was a nice little hit of serotonin to start my day.
After that, I kinda chilled until we went to get our errands started at noon. First, a quick stop to pick up my meds, then off to pick out a wreath. The nursery we go to is very nice, with a decent selection. We found a very pretty wreath with striped red and white bow and small red baubles in it. It's very pretty and lovely without being too much. It fits the door well, though it was a real bitch to put up. We have a magnetic hook on our front door that has had no problem with any of our other wreaths. This one, not so much. It took two hooks to hold it. Which were fun to coordinate. But it's finally on our door and looking pretty. I will try to get a picture today to show you tomorrow.
Then, it was off to lunch. We went to Michael's Steak and Lobster house, which was as always, SO good. I ordered their Saturday special, which is a 16oz prime rib steak with a scoop of crabmeat and imperial sauce, then broil and make a moat around the steak for the au jus. It's one of my favorite things, though I never am able to eat it all at once. It's huge, plus you get two sides. It's a very old-fashioned restaurant, complete with 70's wood paneling and a bit painting of a Baltimore Clipper ship. It's 100% a throwback, and it's just comforting. Add to that the good food, and it's an easy place to go for a nice meal.
It's not too dressy, which was good. And with my steak having the au jus, that's a good thing, as I immediately dripped it on my shirt. (I am not a dainty woman).
Then it was home to relax and watch more of Hazbin Hotel. I finished the first season and am still loving the show. Can't wait to see what's going to come next. Next season will probably be in 2027, so that's a way off, so I'm not in a huge rush to watch all of Season 2.
I also ordered a little bit of booze, as we have none, and I'd like to be able to put some spiced rum in my cocoa today.
Then we walked the dog, then did our nightly Advent calendar booze. We skipped the wine calendar (which is fine, it has not been impressing). The whiskey calendar is much better. This is technically our second calendar, as the first, the Irish Whiskey calendar was only 12 days. It was so much fun that I bought a second, so we'll have it all through the Holiday season. We should be finishing right around Epiphany. They're just little miniature bottles, so it's like a mouthful per person--not a ton of booze.
Today, we're all going to snuggle up on the couches and watch Wake Up Dead Man. We may make it a Knives Out day and watch all three movies again, just for the hell of it. We'll see what time we get started. My sister ordered pop corn from the local Cinemark and we have cocoa mix and marshmallows. It should be fun.
Maybe I'll make some breakfast first. I could kind of go for a Dutch baby pancake. For now, it's time to plug my laptop in. We're down to 32%, so it definitely needs a charge. Everyone have a safe and warm Sunday!
Yesterday was pretty good. Not long after I posted, I peeked on facebook, and a woman in one of my Holland America groups posted that she was able to book reservations for specialty dinners for her cruise in May. So of course I went and looked, and lo and behold, I found that ours were open too! I immediately made the two reservations I really wanted to get. Fortunately, both were available.
So on our Glacier Viewing day, we'll have the one I wanted most, dinner at the pop up Morimoto place. The menu looks amazing and I can't wait to try it. I've wanted to eat at Morimoto forever, so I'm very excited about it. That one I got for just 3 of us, since the BIL isn't a fan of Asian food. He's decided that'll be his night to go to the Casino while we eat.
The other one I grabbed was on the last night of the cruise. It's the Alaskan Seafood boil, which will include Dungeness crabs and shrim and maybe some other stuff in a white whine garlic sauce. I'm going to fuck it up. That's for all four of us.
It was a nice little hit of serotonin to start my day.
After that, I kinda chilled until we went to get our errands started at noon. First, a quick stop to pick up my meds, then off to pick out a wreath. The nursery we go to is very nice, with a decent selection. We found a very pretty wreath with striped red and white bow and small red baubles in it. It's very pretty and lovely without being too much. It fits the door well, though it was a real bitch to put up. We have a magnetic hook on our front door that has had no problem with any of our other wreaths. This one, not so much. It took two hooks to hold it. Which were fun to coordinate. But it's finally on our door and looking pretty. I will try to get a picture today to show you tomorrow.
Then, it was off to lunch. We went to Michael's Steak and Lobster house, which was as always, SO good. I ordered their Saturday special, which is a 16oz prime rib steak with a scoop of crabmeat and imperial sauce, then broil and make a moat around the steak for the au jus. It's one of my favorite things, though I never am able to eat it all at once. It's huge, plus you get two sides. It's a very old-fashioned restaurant, complete with 70's wood paneling and a bit painting of a Baltimore Clipper ship. It's 100% a throwback, and it's just comforting. Add to that the good food, and it's an easy place to go for a nice meal.
It's not too dressy, which was good. And with my steak having the au jus, that's a good thing, as I immediately dripped it on my shirt. (I am not a dainty woman).
Then it was home to relax and watch more of Hazbin Hotel. I finished the first season and am still loving the show. Can't wait to see what's going to come next. Next season will probably be in 2027, so that's a way off, so I'm not in a huge rush to watch all of Season 2.
I also ordered a little bit of booze, as we have none, and I'd like to be able to put some spiced rum in my cocoa today.
Then we walked the dog, then did our nightly Advent calendar booze. We skipped the wine calendar (which is fine, it has not been impressing). The whiskey calendar is much better. This is technically our second calendar, as the first, the Irish Whiskey calendar was only 12 days. It was so much fun that I bought a second, so we'll have it all through the Holiday season. We should be finishing right around Epiphany. They're just little miniature bottles, so it's like a mouthful per person--not a ton of booze.
Today, we're all going to snuggle up on the couches and watch Wake Up Dead Man. We may make it a Knives Out day and watch all three movies again, just for the hell of it. We'll see what time we get started. My sister ordered pop corn from the local Cinemark and we have cocoa mix and marshmallows. It should be fun.
Maybe I'll make some breakfast first. I could kind of go for a Dutch baby pancake. For now, it's time to plug my laptop in. We're down to 32%, so it definitely needs a charge. Everyone have a safe and warm Sunday!
It's nice to know as the torch is passed that you will keep it blazing brightly on
Dec. 13th, 2025 07:25 ambeansideIt's Saturday! Yesterday ended up being blugh, thanks to a little stomach bug/general gastric upset. I spent the day vaguely nauseaous and running to the bathroom frequently and generally feeling icky. I cancelled my game and went to bed early, and so far, I seem to feel better.
I don't know how many of our errands we'll get through today, but we'll see. I definitely need to go to the pharmacy. Could push the dispensary to tomorrow if need be. I'd really like to get the wreath. My sister got a cheap light up from somewhere as a placeholder, and I kind of hate it. It's just plain faux evergreen with lights strung on it. The lights won't stay lit, so it's mostly just a ring of evergreen. Not to my taste. Lunch is the most periled item on the list. It's going to depend on how my stomach does today.
Jess has started rewatching Hazbin Hotel on the TV, which means I'm watching Hazbin Hotel. I've really been enjoying it. It's been fun, and has good music. And I'm a sucker for redeeming the bad guys. It's on Amazon prime, has two seasons of very short animated shows. Seriously, they're probably 20 minutes? It's really good and worth a watch.
Keith David (who I've loved since the Disney's Gargoyles days plays a drunk cat like thing named Husk who I adore. He has big slash vibes with the four armed porn star named Angel Dust. I keep seeing things about "we must save Keith David from this horrible show" online. In the meantime, he looks gleeful in recording and has plushies of his character that he makes kiss. It also has Stephanie Beatriz! Patrick Stump in season 2!
Aside from that, we watched a couple of ship videos, though I've mostly run out of them. I can't waait to add my video of the Pinnacle Suite to the list. We're down to 145 days and I can't wait. I want to proceed directly to my vacations!
I'm a little bit worried that this vacation won't live up to expectations. I've planned every inch of this trip, from the beginning to to end, and I want it to be awesome for my people (and me). I want it to be fun and relaxing and perfect, which I know isn't rational. Nothing can be perfect. There's going to be people and crowds and we're probably not going to get to do everything that I'm thinking about, thanks to physical limitations. I probably cannot spend 8 hours in Juneau doing it all. But we'll see how much we can get done.
Paraphrasing from Alton Brown, it won't be the Ultimate, or the Best Ever trip, but it will be my trip, and that's what I need to focus on.
Yesterday, I paid off said trip! We are 100% paid off. I think the only thing we have left to pay is the car back to Seattle and the hotel in Seattle. Other than that, everything was prepaid. I know there will be a hold on the card for the cruise, in case we buy booze or something like that, but otherwise, we're good. Pastries on the balcony are go!
Jess' present has landed in the US from Kiev! It's in Minnesota, with a scheduled delivery date of 12/16. My sister's is definitely not coming before Christmas, so I'll get her a little something else, though I have no idea what. Time to do some trawling on Amazon to find something good.
Okay, time for me to go forth and wake up. Everyone have an awesome Saturday!
I don't know how many of our errands we'll get through today, but we'll see. I definitely need to go to the pharmacy. Could push the dispensary to tomorrow if need be. I'd really like to get the wreath. My sister got a cheap light up from somewhere as a placeholder, and I kind of hate it. It's just plain faux evergreen with lights strung on it. The lights won't stay lit, so it's mostly just a ring of evergreen. Not to my taste. Lunch is the most periled item on the list. It's going to depend on how my stomach does today.
Jess has started rewatching Hazbin Hotel on the TV, which means I'm watching Hazbin Hotel. I've really been enjoying it. It's been fun, and has good music. And I'm a sucker for redeeming the bad guys. It's on Amazon prime, has two seasons of very short animated shows. Seriously, they're probably 20 minutes? It's really good and worth a watch.
Keith David (who I've loved since the Disney's Gargoyles days plays a drunk cat like thing named Husk who I adore. He has big slash vibes with the four armed porn star named Angel Dust. I keep seeing things about "we must save Keith David from this horrible show" online. In the meantime, he looks gleeful in recording and has plushies of his character that he makes kiss. It also has Stephanie Beatriz! Patrick Stump in season 2!
Aside from that, we watched a couple of ship videos, though I've mostly run out of them. I can't waait to add my video of the Pinnacle Suite to the list. We're down to 145 days and I can't wait. I want to proceed directly to my vacations!
I'm a little bit worried that this vacation won't live up to expectations. I've planned every inch of this trip, from the beginning to to end, and I want it to be awesome for my people (and me). I want it to be fun and relaxing and perfect, which I know isn't rational. Nothing can be perfect. There's going to be people and crowds and we're probably not going to get to do everything that I'm thinking about, thanks to physical limitations. I probably cannot spend 8 hours in Juneau doing it all. But we'll see how much we can get done.
Paraphrasing from Alton Brown, it won't be the Ultimate, or the Best Ever trip, but it will be my trip, and that's what I need to focus on.
Yesterday, I paid off said trip! We are 100% paid off. I think the only thing we have left to pay is the car back to Seattle and the hotel in Seattle. Other than that, everything was prepaid. I know there will be a hold on the card for the cruise, in case we buy booze or something like that, but otherwise, we're good. Pastries on the balcony are go!
Jess' present has landed in the US from Kiev! It's in Minnesota, with a scheduled delivery date of 12/16. My sister's is definitely not coming before Christmas, so I'll get her a little something else, though I have no idea what. Time to do some trawling on Amazon to find something good.
Okay, time for me to go forth and wake up. Everyone have an awesome Saturday!
Just Create - Ice Edition
Dec. 12th, 2025 09:31 pmsilvercat17 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
justcreate What are you working on? What have you finished? What do you need encouragement on?
Are there any cool events or challenges happening that you want to hype?
What do you just want to talk about?
What have you been watching or reading?
Chores and other not-fun things count!
Remember to encourage other commenters and we have a discord where we can do work-alongs and chat, linked in the sticky.
It begins with just one note, a crescendo til the end, no matter what it takes to stay afloat
Dec. 12th, 2025 04:53 ambeansideIt's (finally) Friday! Work hasn't been terrible this week, but it's definitely kept me busy. I don't know if my counterpart is off or if it's just been busy, but I've been getting a lot of emails with patients to call. I enjoy it, because it usually means I have a solution for their problem. Unfortunately, it's not always an optimal solution, so sometimes they aren't thrilled, but most will take it. Sometimes they don't accept, and that's frustrating. Especially the ones who initally say they'll go anywhere. Then you get them an appt at a site 20 min out of their way, and they say no. That just annoys me. We worked to get you a spot, and you don't value your health enough to use an extra hour of your day to go to it? These are all STAT orders!
I did ask my boss if I could come in 30 min early on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, so that I can leave 2 hours early on my birthday. This will allow me to go procure my cupcakes without dealing with dark and traffic. It's not that my sister wouldn't go for me, it's just that I like to go to choose my flavors. I'll probably end up defaulting to a snickerdoodle cupcake, but you never know. There might be something fun.
I've ordered the rib roast for Christmas. It's going to come next Thursday, which will give me a week to let it dry a bit, per Alton Brown. I'm going to try his recipe to see how it turns out. It looked pretty good on his TikTok. Add to that some nice garlic mashed potatoes and a Yorkshire pudding, and some other vegetable and we'll be good. I do need to get the kind of meat thermometer that you leave in the meat while it cooks, just for temperature control. And a turkey baster, which is apparently excellent for the Yorkshire pudding, since you need to retrieve a bit of pan drippings to add to the batter. Otherwise, it's basically a Dutch Baby without the egg, which I know how to make.
Today, we have work, then we shall go forth and have D&D. I'm up super early, so that's going to be a struggle, but I will manage.
For December, we've been opening Advent calendars. The Hallmark Wine advent has been pretty lackluster, but Master of Malt's Irish Whiskey advent calendar has been great. It's not full sized bottles, mind you. The wine is about two servings, split to three, and the whiskey is basically a shot, split to three little tastings. Sadly the Whiskey was only the 12 days of Christmas (we started early), so we've finished that last night. However, I ordered another type. 24 days of glorious booze. As my sister said, it's good that we don't have doctors appts soon for the "How oftern do you drink?" "Nightly!" Yesterday, we also opened the Pink Catawba wine from Mt. Hope Winery. I really have disliked the last two nights of Hallmark, so I needed a palate cleanser. That is wine I can get behind. Sweet and crisp and wonderful. The Catawba may be my favorite of their wines, and possibly my favorite white in general. No more whiskey til Tuesday, though. *sad face*
Tomorrow, I think we're going to go get my prescription, then get our wreath, then lunch. It's not supposed to snow until late, so that's good.
Maybe we'll drive up to Mt Hope next weekend, when I'm not still recovering from a Con. Get some Catawba, Niagra and some spirits. Their liquor is awesome, especially the coconut rum cream. SO freaking good! I would pour myself a shotglass and sip it during game.
Sunday, I have nothing planned. Just a quiet day. And I'm looking forward to that. Last weekend was awesome. I had so much fun at the con, it was great, but it was busy, so no real day of rest. Friday, we drove up. Saturday, we were at the Con, which was very physically demanding, and then Sunday, some con time, then driving home. The drive was about 4 hours each way. At least the drive home was in daylight. That made it a bit easier. Driving up, we hit twilight about 1.5 hours out, and I hated that. Especially since we kept seeing deer by the road. I was worried as hell about hitting one. But things went smoothly, so that was good.
We're at 146 days til the cruise and I'm starting to get excited again now that it's under 150 days. Everyone has their passports and the BIL's suitcase is arriving today, which is the last one to arrive. Camera is ready and we have extra batteries and SD cards. I need to order more socks, but I think I'm okay otherwise on clothes. We've got a ton of outlets, so that'll be fine.
I was thinking about the Neptune lounge and how we have a concierge for the Neptune and Pinnacle suites. I think I'll put in a standing order for a pot of coffee and some pastries every morning. And our free mimosa. Can't forget that. And then afternoon tea, of course. We'll want that.
Our suite has free bottled water and sodas as well as a coffee machine, but a pot would be easier. Plus, then I can get milk and sugar. We've got a dining room that seats 6, plus a balcony with four seats and a hot tub. I plan to take my coffee and pastry out there most mornings and watch the scenery go by. I'm already planning how spoiled I'll be when we get back, but it's all good.
First, we have a Philly weekend trip, though. We're going to go to the Zoo, and then come back at night for their holiday lights. We're meeting up with friends at some point, but I don't know when, judging from games. Maybe Friday night or Saturday after the Zoo.
Then, we have a little break, until April, which is a NYC trip to see the Lost Boys Musical with a friend. Then, the big one in May, and possibly a con later that month.
Okay, time to go forth and get myself together. Everyone have a stellar Friday!
I did ask my boss if I could come in 30 min early on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, so that I can leave 2 hours early on my birthday. This will allow me to go procure my cupcakes without dealing with dark and traffic. It's not that my sister wouldn't go for me, it's just that I like to go to choose my flavors. I'll probably end up defaulting to a snickerdoodle cupcake, but you never know. There might be something fun.
I've ordered the rib roast for Christmas. It's going to come next Thursday, which will give me a week to let it dry a bit, per Alton Brown. I'm going to try his recipe to see how it turns out. It looked pretty good on his TikTok. Add to that some nice garlic mashed potatoes and a Yorkshire pudding, and some other vegetable and we'll be good. I do need to get the kind of meat thermometer that you leave in the meat while it cooks, just for temperature control. And a turkey baster, which is apparently excellent for the Yorkshire pudding, since you need to retrieve a bit of pan drippings to add to the batter. Otherwise, it's basically a Dutch Baby without the egg, which I know how to make.
Today, we have work, then we shall go forth and have D&D. I'm up super early, so that's going to be a struggle, but I will manage.
For December, we've been opening Advent calendars. The Hallmark Wine advent has been pretty lackluster, but Master of Malt's Irish Whiskey advent calendar has been great. It's not full sized bottles, mind you. The wine is about two servings, split to three, and the whiskey is basically a shot, split to three little tastings. Sadly the Whiskey was only the 12 days of Christmas (we started early), so we've finished that last night. However, I ordered another type. 24 days of glorious booze. As my sister said, it's good that we don't have doctors appts soon for the "How oftern do you drink?" "Nightly!" Yesterday, we also opened the Pink Catawba wine from Mt. Hope Winery. I really have disliked the last two nights of Hallmark, so I needed a palate cleanser. That is wine I can get behind. Sweet and crisp and wonderful. The Catawba may be my favorite of their wines, and possibly my favorite white in general. No more whiskey til Tuesday, though. *sad face*
Tomorrow, I think we're going to go get my prescription, then get our wreath, then lunch. It's not supposed to snow until late, so that's good.
Maybe we'll drive up to Mt Hope next weekend, when I'm not still recovering from a Con. Get some Catawba, Niagra and some spirits. Their liquor is awesome, especially the coconut rum cream. SO freaking good! I would pour myself a shotglass and sip it during game.
Sunday, I have nothing planned. Just a quiet day. And I'm looking forward to that. Last weekend was awesome. I had so much fun at the con, it was great, but it was busy, so no real day of rest. Friday, we drove up. Saturday, we were at the Con, which was very physically demanding, and then Sunday, some con time, then driving home. The drive was about 4 hours each way. At least the drive home was in daylight. That made it a bit easier. Driving up, we hit twilight about 1.5 hours out, and I hated that. Especially since we kept seeing deer by the road. I was worried as hell about hitting one. But things went smoothly, so that was good.
We're at 146 days til the cruise and I'm starting to get excited again now that it's under 150 days. Everyone has their passports and the BIL's suitcase is arriving today, which is the last one to arrive. Camera is ready and we have extra batteries and SD cards. I need to order more socks, but I think I'm okay otherwise on clothes. We've got a ton of outlets, so that'll be fine.
I was thinking about the Neptune lounge and how we have a concierge for the Neptune and Pinnacle suites. I think I'll put in a standing order for a pot of coffee and some pastries every morning. And our free mimosa. Can't forget that. And then afternoon tea, of course. We'll want that.
Our suite has free bottled water and sodas as well as a coffee machine, but a pot would be easier. Plus, then I can get milk and sugar. We've got a dining room that seats 6, plus a balcony with four seats and a hot tub. I plan to take my coffee and pastry out there most mornings and watch the scenery go by. I'm already planning how spoiled I'll be when we get back, but it's all good.
First, we have a Philly weekend trip, though. We're going to go to the Zoo, and then come back at night for their holiday lights. We're meeting up with friends at some point, but I don't know when, judging from games. Maybe Friday night or Saturday after the Zoo.
Then, we have a little break, until April, which is a NYC trip to see the Lost Boys Musical with a friend. Then, the big one in May, and possibly a con later that month.
Okay, time to go forth and get myself together. Everyone have a stellar Friday!
It starts with just one note. A crescendo to the end, no matter what it takes to stay afloat.
Dec. 11th, 2025 05:04 ambeansideIt's Thursday, or as I like to think of it, Friday Eve. I'm a little sore today, but overall okay. BIL brought Greek Cookies (Koulourakia), so I had a couple of them with my coffee. They were excellent.
My subject line is brought to you by the show Hazbin Hotel. Jess loves it and I've absorbed a lot by osmosis. There's a few banger songs, including the finale song, Hear my Hope. Fair warning, it gives some plotlines away, and is WAY too catchy. It will earworm you. And yes, that is Patrick Stump in the middle bit.
We were discussing it, and I think we're going to skip the Yultide Faire this weekend. I'm still a little wiped out from the Con, and I think I need this weekend to take it a little easy. I was mostly going up to Mt. Hope to get booze, so I'm going to do that another day.
This weekend, we will do our errands. Gotta get our holiday wreath, and get some prescriptions and maybe a nice lunch. And not drive 90minutes or spend the day walking miles on end. This may change, but I think we'll stick with the new plan.
Next week, I turn 53, which is mind boggling. I'm Gen X--we expected nuclear war in the 80's. Making it to 50 was kind of surreal, much less beyond. I am hoarding my PTO, so I'm going to work. Though I might ask my manager if I could work a couple of extra hours the rest of the week, so I could take an hour or two off on my birthday to go get cupcakes. The place I like for cupcakes is a little too far away for doordash, and I don't really feel like driving in the dark and fighting traffic to get there. If not, I may just get second choice cupcakes. Which will still be delicious, but I'm picky.
I ordered our rib roast for our Christmas dinner. It'll come on the 18th, which should work out just fine. I ordered from our butcher, so I'm sure it'll be amazing. I'm thinking that I may make some Yorkshire pudding to go with it. Alton Brown had a great recipe that I may use. I probably will sear it in a pan first instead of reverse searing. That leads to the oven smoking, which with our touchy smoke detector could be bad. I do not want to spend my Christmas day waving a towel beneath the smoke detector to settle it down.
There's a couple of things I need to get before then, though. Beef tallow is a new ingredient to me. But that looked really good, so we'll try it out.
Most of my Christmas presents have arrived, though the two big ones are still AWOL. My sister's earrings probably aren't coming, but I'm still hoping for Jess present. It shipped last week. From Kiev, Ukraine, but it shipped.
And now I shall get a big of work on D&D done. Everyone have an amazing Thursday.
My subject line is brought to you by the show Hazbin Hotel. Jess loves it and I've absorbed a lot by osmosis. There's a few banger songs, including the finale song, Hear my Hope. Fair warning, it gives some plotlines away, and is WAY too catchy. It will earworm you. And yes, that is Patrick Stump in the middle bit.
We were discussing it, and I think we're going to skip the Yultide Faire this weekend. I'm still a little wiped out from the Con, and I think I need this weekend to take it a little easy. I was mostly going up to Mt. Hope to get booze, so I'm going to do that another day.
This weekend, we will do our errands. Gotta get our holiday wreath, and get some prescriptions and maybe a nice lunch. And not drive 90minutes or spend the day walking miles on end. This may change, but I think we'll stick with the new plan.
Next week, I turn 53, which is mind boggling. I'm Gen X--we expected nuclear war in the 80's. Making it to 50 was kind of surreal, much less beyond. I am hoarding my PTO, so I'm going to work. Though I might ask my manager if I could work a couple of extra hours the rest of the week, so I could take an hour or two off on my birthday to go get cupcakes. The place I like for cupcakes is a little too far away for doordash, and I don't really feel like driving in the dark and fighting traffic to get there. If not, I may just get second choice cupcakes. Which will still be delicious, but I'm picky.
I ordered our rib roast for our Christmas dinner. It'll come on the 18th, which should work out just fine. I ordered from our butcher, so I'm sure it'll be amazing. I'm thinking that I may make some Yorkshire pudding to go with it. Alton Brown had a great recipe that I may use. I probably will sear it in a pan first instead of reverse searing. That leads to the oven smoking, which with our touchy smoke detector could be bad. I do not want to spend my Christmas day waving a towel beneath the smoke detector to settle it down.
There's a couple of things I need to get before then, though. Beef tallow is a new ingredient to me. But that looked really good, so we'll try it out.
Most of my Christmas presents have arrived, though the two big ones are still AWOL. My sister's earrings probably aren't coming, but I'm still hoping for Jess present. It shipped last week. From Kiev, Ukraine, but it shipped.
And now I shall get a big of work on D&D done. Everyone have an amazing Thursday.
Raise your voice, light the fire 'til our hopes and fears reach a billion ears
Dec. 10th, 2025 05:25 ambeansideIt's hump day! We're almost halfway through the week! Hopefully, today will be a little bit quieter at work. We were very busy yesterday, and they kept me jumping. My new title is "Schedule Jenga Master." Sometimes, we get cancellations on a schedule, but they're not consecutive. But a lot of the STAT orders we have are for longer MRIs. So when that's the case, I go in and figure out which patients I need to move to open up more time. And then I look at the schedule and see where I can move them to. It can either be "Can you come in half an hour early, or "hey I see your scheduled and we have an appointment sooner/closer to your home, and we thought of you. I've gotten very good at making it seem like we're doing the patient a favor, when really I'm just opening up this slot for other people.
I've been given access to the STAT list, so I can see who I can get in, when I have an open slot. So that's fun. I know Josh and Amanda are still working on getting some sort of promotion for me, so I don't feel like they're exploiting me. It's just another brick in building a case for our big boss. They've been very conspicuous about telling said boss when I help out. They're included on just about every email that they send to me.
Tattoo has reached the slight scabby phase. When I put my lotion on, I can feel the bumps under my hand. It's still looking good, so it doesn't look like my skin rejected too much of the brown, which Ronie said can be a problem. Brown sometimes doesn't like to stick. Soon it will be in the itchy phase. Looking forward to that.
About 4 weeks ago, I had commissioned a necklace to go with my ring for the vow renewal ceremony, and it is finally winging it's way to me. DHL says it'll come today, but I'm really not expecting it til tomorrow. It turned out really well.
It's exactly what I wanted- 1/4 of a tennis necklace. I'm hoping my sister's earrings are done soon. I'm not thinking they're going to come before Christmas, but we'll see!
I wish there was a 24 hour stimulant. The Azstarys works so fucking well during the day. I'm calm, the world doesn't feel like sandpaper against my nerves. It's like being a functional human. But then around 7pm, it cuts out and I get anxious again. It's annoying as fuck, since I *know* there's a remedy. But doctors are very touchy about stimulants, so I doubt I could get a Ritalin chaser.
Yet again, I was annoyed with my family and doctors on behalf of baby-me. I struggled so much and have spent my entire life just as an anxious, strange and angry child, and all it fucking took was a stimulant and I'd have felt normal. ADHD is so badly underdiagnosed in girls, and it sucks.
And now, I shall go forth and get myself together. The Azstarys is kicking in and I'm ready to get my ass in gear. Everyone have a superb Wednesday!
I've been given access to the STAT list, so I can see who I can get in, when I have an open slot. So that's fun. I know Josh and Amanda are still working on getting some sort of promotion for me, so I don't feel like they're exploiting me. It's just another brick in building a case for our big boss. They've been very conspicuous about telling said boss when I help out. They're included on just about every email that they send to me.
Tattoo has reached the slight scabby phase. When I put my lotion on, I can feel the bumps under my hand. It's still looking good, so it doesn't look like my skin rejected too much of the brown, which Ronie said can be a problem. Brown sometimes doesn't like to stick. Soon it will be in the itchy phase. Looking forward to that.
About 4 weeks ago, I had commissioned a necklace to go with my ring for the vow renewal ceremony, and it is finally winging it's way to me. DHL says it'll come today, but I'm really not expecting it til tomorrow. It turned out really well.
It's exactly what I wanted- 1/4 of a tennis necklace. I'm hoping my sister's earrings are done soon. I'm not thinking they're going to come before Christmas, but we'll see!
I wish there was a 24 hour stimulant. The Azstarys works so fucking well during the day. I'm calm, the world doesn't feel like sandpaper against my nerves. It's like being a functional human. But then around 7pm, it cuts out and I get anxious again. It's annoying as fuck, since I *know* there's a remedy. But doctors are very touchy about stimulants, so I doubt I could get a Ritalin chaser.
Yet again, I was annoyed with my family and doctors on behalf of baby-me. I struggled so much and have spent my entire life just as an anxious, strange and angry child, and all it fucking took was a stimulant and I'd have felt normal. ADHD is so badly underdiagnosed in girls, and it sucks.
And now, I shall go forth and get myself together. The Azstarys is kicking in and I'm ready to get my ass in gear. Everyone have a superb Wednesday!
Even one soft sound can shake the hardest ground.
Dec. 9th, 2025 05:21 ambeansideFirst up, hey congrats, you survived Monday!
My monday was considerably more boring than the weekend. I pretty much only did work. Which was fine, busy, but not unpleasantly slow. I spent a good chunk of the day grabbing open slots and finding candidates for them. It's been a challenge, with lots of MRIs and no slots. I got two diagnostic mammos plus a kiddo in yesterday, which was nice.
My order arruved yesterday. I liked Yoda's portrait so much that I had ordered one for Boodle. It turned out adorable.
I immediately put her up and now she and Yoda bookend the TV. I love them.
I have a mystery package coming from China. I'm thinking it's my necklace, but it's coming from a technology company, so I have no clue. That's supposed to be here tomorrow.
I looked at my usual apps and discovered that we are at 149 days until the cruise! I know that's still 5 months, but it's creeping up.
I'm continuing to do research on our hotels. Or post-research, since I booked them before I really did in depth research. I'm watching videos of them and seeing how people's stays went. I'm actually excited about staying at both of them, but especially the one before the cruise. I look at our excursions and I just cant believe that this trip is real. It seems like such a fairy tale cruise. First class flight from Baltimore to Seattle. Pickup from airport in a luxury SUV and tour Seattle for 4 hours. Then, a lovely drive to Vancouver, and to the five star (boggle) hotel for two nights. 5 star? I felt out of place in a 4 star, the one time we did it! I don't know what a 5 star is like! We have a lovely day of exploring Vancouver, then the next morning we hop on the ship.
I really hope I like cruising after all this build up. I'm looking forward to sitting back in the chair and just watching the scenery unfold.
It's early in the season for too much wildlife, so probably no bears, too far south for moose. Hopefully we'll find some whales and maybe some seals and definitely bald eagles.
I just want everything to run smoothly. I think I've accounted for all the probabilities. My sister's passport has been approved, and should be here soon. Jess and I are good. I think the BIL has his in processing. It's starting to feel like it might happen.
I hope that I and everyone have a good time. I want things that I schedule to be good for people. Normally that's just Jess that I worry about. But this is going to be two more people! If it's like Disney, that lasted until we walked through the gates of Epcot on the first day. After that, I let it go. But for pre-planning, I'm awesome. This trip is my special interest, and I will make sure that everyone enjoys it.
My only real concern is how the sofa bed will be for my sister and BIL. I just want that to be okay for them, and the rest is good. I just want things to be fun.
Okay, time to get myself together and maybe shower. We'll see. I hope everyone has an amazing Tuesday!
My monday was considerably more boring than the weekend. I pretty much only did work. Which was fine, busy, but not unpleasantly slow. I spent a good chunk of the day grabbing open slots and finding candidates for them. It's been a challenge, with lots of MRIs and no slots. I got two diagnostic mammos plus a kiddo in yesterday, which was nice.
My order arruved yesterday. I liked Yoda's portrait so much that I had ordered one for Boodle. It turned out adorable.
I immediately put her up and now she and Yoda bookend the TV. I love them.
I have a mystery package coming from China. I'm thinking it's my necklace, but it's coming from a technology company, so I have no clue. That's supposed to be here tomorrow.
I looked at my usual apps and discovered that we are at 149 days until the cruise! I know that's still 5 months, but it's creeping up.
I'm continuing to do research on our hotels. Or post-research, since I booked them before I really did in depth research. I'm watching videos of them and seeing how people's stays went. I'm actually excited about staying at both of them, but especially the one before the cruise. I look at our excursions and I just cant believe that this trip is real. It seems like such a fairy tale cruise. First class flight from Baltimore to Seattle. Pickup from airport in a luxury SUV and tour Seattle for 4 hours. Then, a lovely drive to Vancouver, and to the five star (boggle) hotel for two nights. 5 star? I felt out of place in a 4 star, the one time we did it! I don't know what a 5 star is like! We have a lovely day of exploring Vancouver, then the next morning we hop on the ship.
I really hope I like cruising after all this build up. I'm looking forward to sitting back in the chair and just watching the scenery unfold.
It's early in the season for too much wildlife, so probably no bears, too far south for moose. Hopefully we'll find some whales and maybe some seals and definitely bald eagles.
I just want everything to run smoothly. I think I've accounted for all the probabilities. My sister's passport has been approved, and should be here soon. Jess and I are good. I think the BIL has his in processing. It's starting to feel like it might happen.
I hope that I and everyone have a good time. I want things that I schedule to be good for people. Normally that's just Jess that I worry about. But this is going to be two more people! If it's like Disney, that lasted until we walked through the gates of Epcot on the first day. After that, I let it go. But for pre-planning, I'm awesome. This trip is my special interest, and I will make sure that everyone enjoys it.
My only real concern is how the sofa bed will be for my sister and BIL. I just want that to be okay for them, and the rest is good. I just want things to be fun.
Okay, time to get myself together and maybe shower. We'll see. I hope everyone has an amazing Tuesday!
They say that all good things must come to some kind of ending
Dec. 8th, 2025 05:43 ambeansideGreetings from Baltimore! Rather unfairly, it's Monday again, and I must go back to work. It's going to continue to be busy until Jan 2, when it should slow down a touch. How is everyone doing?
Yesterday was a fun, albeit odd morning. We got to the con early and got better, if not good parking. We parked by the photo and panel location, which was still a good 1/3 of a mile to the con. Then, we hiked to the autograph and dealer building to do some shopping.
I finally got a picture of the bag I got yesterday! This is the cute horror icon bag's fabric.
Today shopped around a bit. There was a chocolate vendor that we hit for little truffle bars, which we'd tried on Saturday. So we got 10 of those. They're about 2 1/2" x 3/4" little bars that are pretty freaking amazing. We got a bunch of flavors, none of which do we remember what they are, so every bite is a mystery. A tasty, tasty mystery.
Then, we stopped by an artist's booth and picked up a couple of prints. One for us, one for my sister and one for us. I did not take a picture of the one for my sister, but it's up on the artist's site, called "Be Wary the Silent Night." It's a huge kitty loooming our of a winter forest.
Ours is called "Together in the Malestrom 2021." It's a gorgeous painting of two horned figures standing on a precipice in front of a beautiful raging cloud.
I also got my sister a Snoopy magnet since she did watch the puppy for the weekend. We're sharing the chocolate.
Then, we got a drink, a big insulated mug into wich we put a delicious butterscotch cream soda. We could have had free refills, but we never got around to it.
Then, it was down to the other location, except it wasn't. The local church does services at the Event Center that the panels and pictures were in. And they were having a service. So, we got to stand outside for about 45 min, in a parking lot before we were let in. Once inside, we got to listen to the preacher rant for another 30 min while we waited for our photo op. It did not sound like the kind of church I would enjoy. Eventually, we got our picture with the voice actors for Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Megatron (Frank Welker). I got a handshake/clasp from Frank Welker. There was rumors that this was going to be Peter Cullen's last con, as he is 84, so I'm glad we got them now.
The Transformers' panel was supposed to start at 12, but we got done at 11:15, and I had a sneaking suspicion that the megachurch was going to go over. There seemed to be some animosity with the con. So we left before the panel and headed for home. We would have been waiting in the cold again for them to finish up. We were strictly allowed in the building for the photo ops, and they had a narrow roped off area that we were allowed to walk in. We did convince them to let us get coffee from the stand just outside the roped area before we left. There were a couple of churchgoer's at the shop, and they kind of gave us the big sneer as we walked up.
The coffee was themed and amazing. Jess got the Bumblebee, which was honey and cinnamon and really good. I got the Freddy, which was a mocha with a pinkfoam on top follwed by more chocolate sauce and topped with glittery iridescent black sugar that did not look unlike Freddy's blade. I wanted to drive immediately back and get the recipe, I swear.
Apparently the preacher was in the parking lot yesterday ranting about the con being evil. He got into a heated argument with a dude dressed up as the lead singer for Ghost, in full Satanic Pope regalia. I'm sorry I missed that.
A quick stop at a kitch place called Hillbilly's for lunch and we were winging our way home. We pulled in at 4:03, which was nice, because it meant no driving in the dark.
The rest of the night was quiet--Chinese food and a quick walk for Yoda and we were in bed by 9. I had a little trouble sleeping, so I went to sleep around midnight.
Today, I'm achy and a bit tired, but I'm so happy we went. It was a lot of fun, and I fulfilled some of my childhood dreams. Everyone was super nice and made if a fun experience. Absolutely no regrets.
I toldpoisontaster that this is my year of yes. If I see something that I want to do? Yes, lets do it. If there's something Jess wants to do? Yes, absolutely. We've got a lot planned in the next six months, and I'm looking forward to seeing what other stuff we can get into along the way!
And now, it's time go go forth and think about getting ready for work. First day of leggings directly on the tattoo, so we'll see how that goes. It's healing well, and has hit the itchy stage. But if you touch it, it's still tender. So that stage is fun. Okay, time to go forth and get dressed. Everyone have the very best Monday!
Yesterday was a fun, albeit odd morning. We got to the con early and got better, if not good parking. We parked by the photo and panel location, which was still a good 1/3 of a mile to the con. Then, we hiked to the autograph and dealer building to do some shopping.
I finally got a picture of the bag I got yesterday! This is the cute horror icon bag's fabric.
Today shopped around a bit. There was a chocolate vendor that we hit for little truffle bars, which we'd tried on Saturday. So we got 10 of those. They're about 2 1/2" x 3/4" little bars that are pretty freaking amazing. We got a bunch of flavors, none of which do we remember what they are, so every bite is a mystery. A tasty, tasty mystery.
Then, we stopped by an artist's booth and picked up a couple of prints. One for us, one for my sister and one for us. I did not take a picture of the one for my sister, but it's up on the artist's site, called "Be Wary the Silent Night." It's a huge kitty loooming our of a winter forest.
Ours is called "Together in the Malestrom 2021." It's a gorgeous painting of two horned figures standing on a precipice in front of a beautiful raging cloud.
I also got my sister a Snoopy magnet since she did watch the puppy for the weekend. We're sharing the chocolate.
Then, we got a drink, a big insulated mug into wich we put a delicious butterscotch cream soda. We could have had free refills, but we never got around to it.
Then, it was down to the other location, except it wasn't. The local church does services at the Event Center that the panels and pictures were in. And they were having a service. So, we got to stand outside for about 45 min, in a parking lot before we were let in. Once inside, we got to listen to the preacher rant for another 30 min while we waited for our photo op. It did not sound like the kind of church I would enjoy. Eventually, we got our picture with the voice actors for Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Megatron (Frank Welker). I got a handshake/clasp from Frank Welker. There was rumors that this was going to be Peter Cullen's last con, as he is 84, so I'm glad we got them now.
The Transformers' panel was supposed to start at 12, but we got done at 11:15, and I had a sneaking suspicion that the megachurch was going to go over. There seemed to be some animosity with the con. So we left before the panel and headed for home. We would have been waiting in the cold again for them to finish up. We were strictly allowed in the building for the photo ops, and they had a narrow roped off area that we were allowed to walk in. We did convince them to let us get coffee from the stand just outside the roped area before we left. There were a couple of churchgoer's at the shop, and they kind of gave us the big sneer as we walked up.
The coffee was themed and amazing. Jess got the Bumblebee, which was honey and cinnamon and really good. I got the Freddy, which was a mocha with a pinkfoam on top follwed by more chocolate sauce and topped with glittery iridescent black sugar that did not look unlike Freddy's blade. I wanted to drive immediately back and get the recipe, I swear.
Apparently the preacher was in the parking lot yesterday ranting about the con being evil. He got into a heated argument with a dude dressed up as the lead singer for Ghost, in full Satanic Pope regalia. I'm sorry I missed that.
A quick stop at a kitch place called Hillbilly's for lunch and we were winging our way home. We pulled in at 4:03, which was nice, because it meant no driving in the dark.
The rest of the night was quiet--Chinese food and a quick walk for Yoda and we were in bed by 9. I had a little trouble sleeping, so I went to sleep around midnight.
Today, I'm achy and a bit tired, but I'm so happy we went. It was a lot of fun, and I fulfilled some of my childhood dreams. Everyone was super nice and made if a fun experience. Absolutely no regrets.
I told
poisontaster that this is my year of yes. If I see something that I want to do? Yes, lets do it. If there's something Jess wants to do? Yes, absolutely. We've got a lot planned in the next six months, and I'm looking forward to seeing what other stuff we can get into along the way!And now, it's time go go forth and think about getting ready for work. First day of leggings directly on the tattoo, so we'll see how that goes. It's healing well, and has hit the itchy stage. But if you touch it, it's still tender. So that stage is fun. Okay, time to go forth and get dressed. Everyone have the very best Monday!
Like a small boat on the ocean, sending big waves into motion
Dec. 7th, 2025 06:00 ambeansideGreetings again from Monroeville as we start the last day of our Comic Con odyssey.
Yesterday was super fun, but exhausting. First up, Comic Con is deeply confusing for new people. There were multiple times that we were standing around trying to figure out where to go. We got there in the end, because the staff were really knowledgeable and good. We got in a bit early, thanks to our three day pass, and walked around the dealers room. We got Jess an adorable Mothman shirt, as they'd forgotten to bring a second shirt and tried some amazing chocolate, that I may get some of today. Then, we got a tote bag with adorable chibi horror icons on it to carry our shirt and coats in. The autograph area was so stuffed and claustrophobic that we didn't really check it out much.
Once we figured out that the photos were in a different building, we headed down early. Probably a good thing, since they'd decided to combine the Session 1 & 2 photos for Fredddy Vs. Jason. We hung out until they called us for that, and then got into a long queue. And stood and waited. And waited. Which, I had been warned was the name of the game for Comic Con. But whoo, once the line started moving, it went at a good clip. They obviously had this down to a science.
As I said, our first photo was Freddy VS Jason, with Robert Englund (with iconic glove) and Ken Kirtzinger (in full Jason costume). We finally get to the room and get the go ahead to go forth. Jess and I had talked about who wanted to stand next to whom. They requested Freddy, which was fine with me, so I made a beeline for Jason. He said hello, and I turned to face the camera, cognizant of the need to be quick. He moved behind me and held my shoulder to guide me into place, and then told me that he was going to lay the fake machete on my neck.
Apparently, Robert Englund, who seemed to be having an excellent time, just kind of spun Jess into a chokehold and laid the claws on, like it was a dance move to him. (They loved it.) I started to open my mouth like I was shocked, and they took the picture, so I look a bit dorky, but I'm happy with it. Jess looks like they're having a blast.
Next up, we picked up our picture, and went to grab a water, and wait for our next photo.
Finally they called the Beauty and the Beast duo, and may I just say, there was SO much estrogen in that line. I saw maybe 5 guys (and of course one nonbinary person, who was standing next to me.)
We didn't have to wait for long before we were ushered in, and holy shit, that was Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. I said hello, and might have stuttered that I loved his work, and then he put his arm around me, and I looked at the camera. Damn, he smells good, and his sweater was super soft.
May I just say here that Linda Hamilton is an utter delight? She's a tactile person, so she was rubbing Jess' back during and after the photo, and was just SO sweet.
This was the picture with people with great voices. Seriously, like being wrapped in warm flannel. I was really happy with the picture, too.
Immediately after we got the picture, we got in line for the Terminator 1 duo, with Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn. That line did not last long either, and we were soon ushered in.
Jess stood in front of Michael, who was...okay. Nice enough, but no real impression made. Just seemed to be getting through it.
Linda made up for it, greeting us warmly and immediately pulling me into a one armed hug. I also got back rubs and when we were done and I was moving away, she grabbed my hand and gave it a little squeeze. My inner baby queer was deeply satisfied.
After that, I was so sore and starving, so we left for the night. I'm sure the Terminator 2 panel was awesome, but I was dragging, so we headed out to grab lunch.
We went to a local chain called Dad's Pub and Grub which was excellent. They had beer battered french fries with cheese sauce and bacon that were amazing. I had a brisket pizza that was also really good, but I couldn't finish it. Jess says their gyro was likewise tasty. Solid A-.
Then we went back to the hotel and laid down until we ordered dinner. This was from a place called Khalil's. Food was good, but nothing amazing. My dolmas were a little too lemony for me. B- average.
Today, we shall go forth, do our Transformers Picture, maybe also do the panel and then head home. There's a little place called Hillbilly's that we passed on the way up that looked interesting.
I'm hoping to be home by about 5:30-6pm, but we'll see.
And now, it is time to put on pants and get ready for another morning of hotel breakfast. The coffee is good, though. Everyone have a stellar Sunday!
Yesterday was super fun, but exhausting. First up, Comic Con is deeply confusing for new people. There were multiple times that we were standing around trying to figure out where to go. We got there in the end, because the staff were really knowledgeable and good. We got in a bit early, thanks to our three day pass, and walked around the dealers room. We got Jess an adorable Mothman shirt, as they'd forgotten to bring a second shirt and tried some amazing chocolate, that I may get some of today. Then, we got a tote bag with adorable chibi horror icons on it to carry our shirt and coats in. The autograph area was so stuffed and claustrophobic that we didn't really check it out much.
Once we figured out that the photos were in a different building, we headed down early. Probably a good thing, since they'd decided to combine the Session 1 & 2 photos for Fredddy Vs. Jason. We hung out until they called us for that, and then got into a long queue. And stood and waited. And waited. Which, I had been warned was the name of the game for Comic Con. But whoo, once the line started moving, it went at a good clip. They obviously had this down to a science.
As I said, our first photo was Freddy VS Jason, with Robert Englund (with iconic glove) and Ken Kirtzinger (in full Jason costume). We finally get to the room and get the go ahead to go forth. Jess and I had talked about who wanted to stand next to whom. They requested Freddy, which was fine with me, so I made a beeline for Jason. He said hello, and I turned to face the camera, cognizant of the need to be quick. He moved behind me and held my shoulder to guide me into place, and then told me that he was going to lay the fake machete on my neck.
Apparently, Robert Englund, who seemed to be having an excellent time, just kind of spun Jess into a chokehold and laid the claws on, like it was a dance move to him. (They loved it.) I started to open my mouth like I was shocked, and they took the picture, so I look a bit dorky, but I'm happy with it. Jess looks like they're having a blast.
Next up, we picked up our picture, and went to grab a water, and wait for our next photo.
Finally they called the Beauty and the Beast duo, and may I just say, there was SO much estrogen in that line. I saw maybe 5 guys (and of course one nonbinary person, who was standing next to me.)
We didn't have to wait for long before we were ushered in, and holy shit, that was Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. I said hello, and might have stuttered that I loved his work, and then he put his arm around me, and I looked at the camera. Damn, he smells good, and his sweater was super soft.
May I just say here that Linda Hamilton is an utter delight? She's a tactile person, so she was rubbing Jess' back during and after the photo, and was just SO sweet.
This was the picture with people with great voices. Seriously, like being wrapped in warm flannel. I was really happy with the picture, too.
Immediately after we got the picture, we got in line for the Terminator 1 duo, with Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn. That line did not last long either, and we were soon ushered in.
Jess stood in front of Michael, who was...okay. Nice enough, but no real impression made. Just seemed to be getting through it.
Linda made up for it, greeting us warmly and immediately pulling me into a one armed hug. I also got back rubs and when we were done and I was moving away, she grabbed my hand and gave it a little squeeze. My inner baby queer was deeply satisfied.
After that, I was so sore and starving, so we left for the night. I'm sure the Terminator 2 panel was awesome, but I was dragging, so we headed out to grab lunch.
We went to a local chain called Dad's Pub and Grub which was excellent. They had beer battered french fries with cheese sauce and bacon that were amazing. I had a brisket pizza that was also really good, but I couldn't finish it. Jess says their gyro was likewise tasty. Solid A-.
Then we went back to the hotel and laid down until we ordered dinner. This was from a place called Khalil's. Food was good, but nothing amazing. My dolmas were a little too lemony for me. B- average.
Today, we shall go forth, do our Transformers Picture, maybe also do the panel and then head home. There's a little place called Hillbilly's that we passed on the way up that looked interesting.
I'm hoping to be home by about 5:30-6pm, but we'll see.
And now, it is time to put on pants and get ready for another morning of hotel breakfast. The coffee is good, though. Everyone have a stellar Sunday!
misc.
Dec. 6th, 2025 06:10 pmaethel1. Dreamwidth's December points bonus has started. dw_news also has an update on some of the state-level censorship legislation.
2. I found another quirky booktuber to watch: Michael K Vaughan. See Classics of Literature…or ARE they?
3. I recently watched The Green Knight and thought the scenes I could see were very pretty, but it seemed to be less gay than the poem?? I need to reread the poem.
4. 2025 reading progress: 102 books
Most recently finished: Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I had previously read this one as a teenager; the concept is interesting, but this time I couldn't help noticing that it mainly consisted of men explaining things to each other--no action, no female characters.
Most recently abandoned: Mr Collins in Love
Currently reading: Native Nations (will probably have to return this to the library before I finish); Ancillary Sword (I listened to the audiobook of Ancillary Justice, but the whole trilogy was sitting on the bookshelf in paperback, so I couldn't stop at just one); Salt Magic, Skin Magic (same author as Mr Collins in Love, but with characters who aren't the most annoying character in Jane Austen); and A Princess of Mars (I expected it to be dated and sexist, but I didn't realize the hero was a former Confederate soldier)
2. I found another quirky booktuber to watch: Michael K Vaughan. See Classics of Literature…or ARE they?
3. I recently watched The Green Knight and thought the scenes I could see were very pretty, but it seemed to be less gay than the poem?? I need to reread the poem.
4. 2025 reading progress: 102 books
Most recently finished: Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I had previously read this one as a teenager; the concept is interesting, but this time I couldn't help noticing that it mainly consisted of men explaining things to each other--no action, no female characters.
Most recently abandoned: Mr Collins in Love
Currently reading: Native Nations (will probably have to return this to the library before I finish); Ancillary Sword (I listened to the audiobook of Ancillary Justice, but the whole trilogy was sitting on the bookshelf in paperback, so I couldn't stop at just one); Salt Magic, Skin Magic (same author as Mr Collins in Love, but with characters who aren't the most annoying character in Jane Austen); and A Princess of Mars (I expected it to be dated and sexist, but I didn't realize the hero was a former Confederate soldier)
never forget
Dec. 6th, 2025 10:47 am0ftgx
Anne-Marie Edward - 21 years
Anne-Marie Lemay - 22 years
Annie St-Arneault - 23 years
Annie Turcotte - 20 years
Barbara Daigneault - 22 years
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz - 31 years
Geneviève Bergeron - 21 years
Hélène Colgan - 23 years
Maryse Laganière - 25 years
Maryse Leclair - 23 years
Maud Haviernick - 29 years
Michèle Richard - 21 years
Nathalie Croteau - 23 years
Sonia Pelletier - 28 years
