lilac shreiks and scarlet bellowings

9:53am: Goodbye, old friend
Rocky died yesterday. He had been pretty sick back in February, but pulled through. Had some ups and downs, and finally yesterday morning we could tell he was nearly ready to go. He'd seemed fine just a few days ago, but suddenly stopped eating or drinking. He died in my arms--better, I think, than trying to rush to the vet when there was nothing to be done.

He was the best little rabbit ever. Sweet, gentle, always playful and could give kisses for hours. He lived a good life--wild childhood; found a mate late in life, though he outlived her; had plenty of carrots and cuddles and romps in the yard. He was a real trooper, putting up with vet visits and a fair amount of mouth pain and still staying happy. Eleven and a half years, though--that's a darn good run for a rabbit. We couldn't have asked for him to stay longer.

We buried him under the vegetable garden. If there is a heaven, I'm picturing him there, nose twitching, hopping off across the grass with a mouth full of parsley. And if reincarnation's the way it goes, I hope his next trip round the karmic wheel will give him a life even better than this one. Either way, maybe we'll meet again.

Till then, he'll be helping our tomatoes grow.

8:05pm: Russian herbal recipes
Mostly for herbivorous, but possibly of interest to all. Translated by me from a Soviet-era cookbook.

---
We add to the complement of several similar balms these recipes, proposed by the meritorious physician of the RSFSR, doctor of medicinal sciences R. I. Khodanova. In the figures is shown the quantity of tablespoons (5-6 grams) of dry herb in a quantity of 250 grams tea (black or a mixture of black and green).

A good prophylactic against chest colds
(2) St. John's Wort herb
(2) mint leaves
(1) thyme herb
(1) valerian root

For disorders of the nervous system
(2) mint leaves
(1) valerian root
(2) motherwort herb*
(2) oregano herb
(2) marshmallow root
(1) hops cone (crushed)
(2) chamomile flowers

For cardiovascular illnesses
(2) mint leaves
(1) valerian root
(2) motherwort herb*
(1) hawthorn berries
(4) dogrose berries (crushed)**
(1) chamomile flowers

Mix well, place in a glass jar and store in a dry warm place under a heavy cover.***

*Wikipedia sez Leonurus sp. but not which one. Could be Siberian motherwort I guess. What do I look like, an herbalist?

**Is this different from regular rose hips? I don't know.

***To keep out the light, I suppose. Recipe does not say how strong to brew the tea, but I expect they intend you to drink several cups a day, as a Russian would with normal tea.

5:00pm: House of Hamthrax update - Now with musical accompaniment and Cheeseburger Science!
I feel like Rip Van Fucking Winkle over here. Went down in flames starting Sunday night with a high fever, and am just coming back to life today, though I still have a nasty cough and am utterly exhausted. Pretty sure it's the ol' H1N1--I haven't been sick for a whole week like this since... since... oh yeah, 1996 and a bad case of Streptococcus DeLorieai.

Mark got sick two days after me, so he's still in the throes of it. Looks like his fever may have broken today though, I hope. We've been quarantining ourselves, so if you're a friend and haven't gotten sick yet, you probably didn't get it from us! The down side, of course, is that we are supremely stir crazy, sick to death of each other's company, and bored. So bored. So completely bored.

Yesterday's major excitement was that I put together a Swine Flu mix CD playlist. I don't have any fancy uploaders like rustmouth, but if you post here, I'll send you the mp3s or burn you a disc, whichever you request.

Today's thrilling adventure, a trip to the Wide World of Outside for some scientific research into Dollar Cheeseburgers.
( Possibly febrile ravings, with tasty data and the occasional sesame seed bun )

Feeling enlightened, accomplished, full and maybe just a little sick to our stomachs, we're now settling in for another evening of lying around moaning pitifully at one another. Ahh, romance!

Happy birthday to Stephen! We're sorry we can't come to your party! And we miss the rest of you too. Wash your hands, don't touch your face, avoid public transportation and stock up on canned soup just in case!

10:11am: Tea lovers?
Who out there knows what to do with compressed tea? My in-laws gave us a block that they picked up on vacation. It's wrapped in paper--at first I thought it was a bar of soap!

So, how do I prepare it? Grate some off with a cheese grater or what? Or should I just keep it as a memento? It smells very nice.

8:54am: Rule 948: Every fetish has a sub-fetish.
Even knitting. Case in point: knitters use yarn, and said yarn needs to be wound into balls. Sometimes, due to children, cats, poltergeists, vodka, etc., this goes wrong and the yarn becomes a huge tangled mess. Most knitters will swear up and down for a while, then untangle the yarn and keep going. If it's really bad, they might get frustrated and throw the tangle away.

But there's another group. Like remoras feeding near sharks, these freaks of nature LOVE untangling yarn. They may (or may not) also like to knit, but the idea of sitting down with a snarl and spending the next few hours sorting it out is like heaven to them. They will literally beg knitters for their knots: "No! Don't throw it away! Send it to me, I'll fix it and send it back to you! I'll even pay shipping!"

The Ravelry group for these fetishists currently has 600 members, and yes, they do post pictures of "tangle porn".

8:47am: Dream interpretation game
So, I had this dream last night. Who wants to help me interpret it?

My mother and I have just moved into an apartment together, in the Big City. Chicago, I suppose, but it was on "Mexican Blvd." and the apartment is on the 20-somethingth floor of this huge multi-use high rise. As the dream starts, we're unpacking our stuff. The apartment is pretty big, with two bedrooms but for some reason three bathrooms. There's a bunch of boxes everywhere, and I quickly start getting ticked off at my mom for putting my shit in the wrong places. Like, she had unpacked my yarn and just thrown it all into these big cargo nets hanging from the ceiling. You know, the ones kids keep stuffed animals in?

Anyway, I'm pissed off so I go to check out the building. It's got complicated elevators which only go to certain banks of floors, so I look like a fool because I haven't figured that out yet. I meet a couple people on the elevator and they seem nice. I head down to the lower floors, which have a bunch of shops, offices, restaurants. Basically it's the sort of high rise where if you telecommute, you would never have to leave the building. There are lots of very fancy restaurants, coffee shops, a yarn shop even! The whole center of the building is a large atrium (like 40+ stories) which is mostly walled in by glass, but there are some open parts where the glass is only like chest-high.

I make friends with this nice older guy who figured out I was a new neighbor. I go down to the street to try and figure out what part of the city I'm in, but it's dark and raining and the traffic is whizzing by pretty fast past the very narrow sidewalk, so I go back inside. The security guard already recognizes me. I head back up to about the 15th floor and am walking around a bit more, learning what all is in this building, when suddenly I hear a blood-curdling scream.

I look across the atrium, towards the sound, and there is a young Asian-looking woman on the same floor as me, who has climbed up to the top of the glass partition. Just as I see her, she jumps. Wait, wait, SPLAT.

The guy I met earlier, who happens to be standing next to me again, says, "Wow, that was a good one. Haven't heard a perfect splat like that in a while." We then go downstairs to try and get a better look before the cops block off the area.

Fin.

3:12pm: Grilled cheese sandwiches
OK, probably everybody but me has already seen this, but the Boston Globe ran a hilarious article in their sex advice column about a man whose girlfriend refuses to "make him a grilled cheese sandwich". If you haven't already, read the article and check out the comments...

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/relationships/blog/2009/06/allergic_to_grilled_cheese.html

8:39am: Darkness falls across the land...
Michael Jackson died. Years before the plastic surgery scandals, the crazy stunts, the child molestation, was a fantastic musician, performer and dancer who changed the face of music. Thriller still is one of the best albums ever.

It feels sort of surreal knowing that today is the first day the world will live without Michael Jackson in it. Not that I was a particular fan, even, but he was the kind of ultracelebrity that you just always knew was out there in Hollywood somewhere, doing his thing, even if he hadn't made the news in a while. Ray Smuckles' reaction sums up my thoughts pretty well.

Now he's not. I feel like this is another nail in the coffin of the 20th century. There is no King of Pop in the future. No Ed McMahon either, and no Farrah Fawcett giving our dad's generation boners. Nope. The 21st century will feature such celebrities as the Jonas Brothers.

9:35am: Gaming and driving and feasting
Had a good, if busy weekend. Friday: informal meeting of our D&D campaign. You see, we just leveled up (level TWO baby!) and all needed to update our character sheets, choose new powers, etc. Cordova Axerune, the human rogue, is pursuing a high-stealth strategy combined with brutally backstabbing people who don't know she's there. And like that *whoosh* she's gone.

Saturday we had a nice morning. We managed that rare feat of having a nice lie-in, waking up without an alarm clock, leisurely getting out of bed, but still managing to hit the road at a decently early hour and driving to Greencastle, Indiana for the fiber festival. We only spent about 1.5 hours there, but I picked up some great stuff including:
- Cookie A's sock pattern book (fabulous! I'm actually getting to be a sample knitter for her next book and I'm stoked)
- handmade all-natural soap, gardenia scented for my mom for Mother's day
- wool roving dyed in a gorgeous deep red/purple from "Happy Hands" in WI, to be spun into yarn for my mother in law for Mother's day (possibly plied with gold thread for a sparkly boucle?)
- wool/seacell roving in fabulous pink/orange/yellow/purples, for me. The Seacell is a mostly-natural fiber made from seaweed and wood pulp, sort of like rayon, but it's shiny and smooth and just looks awesome. Can't wait to try it out!

Then our budget was shot, so we grabbed lunch from the Wendy's 99c menu and finished out the afternoon Letterboxing around the area. We found 2 of 4 boxes, saw 3 old covered bridges and had a nice country drive before heading home.

Sunday we again had a relaxed morning, then did yard work for a bit before going to deaconobvious and dsjones's incredible-as-always Easter dinner. Good food, good company, more food, and good times were had by all. Unfortunately we had to take off just before dyeing eggs, :(

Now I suppose I should try and do some work this morning. Nah, who am I kidding?

1:57pm: Quick Quiz
If you had $15 bucks to spend at the iTunes store, what would you spend it on?

8:45am: Martha Washington's foxy shoes
This just in: Martha Washington was hot. And had some killer shoes. Don't believe the usual story about her being frumpy and boring.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020102023.html

3:20pm: So long, Fuckface
Ran across an interesting set of photos of ex-President Dubya, with commentary from the photographers.

http://morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall/

There are some we've seen lots of times, some I'd never seen before, and overall it sheds a very human light on the poor fool. The years 2001-2008 will not soon be forgotten, but what a crazy time, with a crazy bastard at the helm.

2:33pm: Warrens and Wyverns
 So last night we played Dungeons and Dragons.  I've actually never played a real campaign before!  We're using the new 4th edition rules, and this was just a test run to clobber some goblins and check out how the rules work.  We even killed a dragon!  Yay!

Coincidentally, lindensidhe  posted this meme. 

( Which D&D Character am I? )

3:27pm: Starslip
Hey!  There's this webcomic I really like, called Starslip Crisis.  You may have heard me going on about it.
Well, as of yesterday it's just called Starslip, as there has been a major plot event and, I guess, the crisis is over?

Or something.  Anyway, this is a GREAT time to start reading the comic, as you won't have to go back and
start at the beginning unless you decide you want to.  Seriously, check it out.

1:54pm: Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Has Been a Very Naughty Boy)
What to get for that hard-to-shop-for person on your list this Christmas?
How about a hand made gift with an extra personal touch?

http://www.tamponcrafts.com/

Angels, snowflakes, even a menorah--all made out of biodegradable, flushable, hygienic tampons.

Alternate titles considered for this post include: 

Deck the Halls with Swabs of Cotton
We Wish You a Comfy Sofa
Always(tm) in a Manger
Red Christmas
Hark! The Herald Angel's Spotting
We Three Days of Misery Are
Aunt Flo Got Run Over by a Reindeer

11:07pm: In other news, Sleepytime tea + hot milk + honey = *YAWN*

Your result for The Achewood Character Personality Test...

Mr. Bear

68% Classy, 14% Egotistical, 90% Intelligent

Take The Achewood Character Personality Test at HelloQuizzy

8:52am: Criminal
If you saw ME in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for?

Answer me, then post to your own journal and see how many crimes you get accused of.

4:09pm: Save our State Parks!
Okay, so in case you've managed not to hear about this yet, our execrable Gov. Blagojevich cut funding to a couple dozen Illinois state parks and historical sites.  They were in danger of closing at the beginning of November.  The Illinois House and Senate managed to get off their butts and pass a bill restoring the funding.  So they're not completely useless!

Well, the Governor is still at it.  He signed one part of the bill, but not the other.  Unless he signs Senate Bill 1103, these parks and historical sites will still close at the end of November. 

Our PARKS, people!  Yours and mine!  This is an outrage and terrible proof of our government's inability to look after the common welfare.  I don't usually politicize here, but come on.  This cannot be allowed; in fact the Lt. Governor is going head to head with the Governor over it.

Go here and sign the petition:  http://standingupforillinois.org/saveourparks/

Then pick up your phone and give the Governor's phone monkeys a piece of your mind:
Chicago Office:  312.814.2121
Capitol Office:  217.782.6830

DO IT!  DO IT NOW!

8:45am: 100 Species Plant Challenge
100 Species Challenge -- can you identify 100 species of plant within walking distance of your home?

I feel inspired to try:
( Read more... )
Not great... I'm surprised how many trees I can't name!  This would be easier in the spring.  ;)  But I totally didn't cheat; these are all off the top of my head without looking up any names.  There are several other grassy-type weeds in our backyard that I have no idea what they are.  I may come back and update this list as I think of more, to try to make it to 100.

And just for fun, I give you Beagle Houdini.

3:08pm: VP Debate Bingo?
So I ran across these bingo cards for tonight's debate. Pick your candidate and keep score! With drinking!

http://www2.grist.org/images/home/2008/10/02/Talking_Points_Bingo_all10.pdf

Anyone in C-U (samwize, I'm looking in your direction) want to get together tonight for the debate?

3:23pm: Phone Survey (no, the good kind!)
Okay friends, I need your help. I'm getting my first real internet phone this week. Currently
researching Palm Treo or Centro, or secondarily a Crackberry or iPhone. All comments and opinions are welcome. Tell me about your phone, why you like it and/or hate it. I'm fairly clueless about these things; I can read the specs but I need y'all's personal experience here.

( My constraints: )

6:20pm: Omnivore's Hundred, or, I Like Food
A neat food meme, ganked from logodaedaly  . Here are the instructions:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten. (Star the items you're particularly fond of.)
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

( Cut cut cut )

4:07pm: George Dobbs
Am I the only one who thinks that George Clooney looks disturbingly like J.R. "Bob" Dobbs?

( Exhibit A. )

11:45am: Bragging, Batman and corpses on spikes
This weekend was pretty awesome. Started out Friday by seeing Batman at the Boardman theater. AWESOME. I never gave a crap about Heath Ledger before, but holy hell he completely nailed the Joker in a wonderfully terrifying way. We ran into a couple friends too, which is always good.

Saturday was the County Fair. the_sween and I entered a total of 6 things for competition, and won a total of 4 ribbons! Two 4th place, one 1st and the 1st also took the Champion ribbon in the whole category. (That was for a lace knitted tablecloth I made which is, in all modesty, fantabulous.) The prize money covered our entry tickets, entry fees and even a couple corn dogs. However, the delicious fudge purchase put us back into the red for the day.

Followed that up with a nice evening visiting deaconobvious and dsjones, which we don't do often enough. Then a lazy Sunday watching movies and sitting around the house.

For those who are thinking, "yes, that's all very nice, but I WAS PROMISED CORPSES ON SPIKES, DAMMIT, GET TO THE POINT ALREADY!", here you are:

http://theanticraft.com/archive/lugh08/tepes.htm

2:01pm: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Um, why didn't anyone tell me about this?

http://www.drhorrible.com/index.html

grammarwoman, samwize, zarfmouse, I am assuming you knew about this, if not my mind will be blown as I am always the last to hear of these things. The first installment comes out tomorrow.