This post is manually crossposted because the Livejournal Crossposter has decided to stop working. It's really irritating me. Anyways. I originally posted this on the actual Thursday on Wordpress.

This week I decided to hit the books. This is something that will undoubtedly happen again as the weeks wear on and I find myself desperate for things to get rid of. In this particular case, if you don't know, I've been in a book club for 8 years now in which we read about ten books a year. Since I started the whole book club thing, I have felt obligated to maintain the physical artifacts of our legacy of reading.

Well, that ends now.

Some of the books I outright hated. Some of the books I just didn't like enough to finish. I wasn't able to bring myself to get rid of the ones that I liked but won't ever read again... maybe later this year when I'm better at non-attachment. The infamous Patricia Cornwell "worst book we ever read" Portrait of a Killer goes! V.S. Naipaul, who I thought was a dick even before I read his shitty book, goes! The high-school lit classic The Catcher in the Rye? Hated it. Past that it gets less vitriolic, but their presence in my house does not stand up to scrutiny.

So if you see anything in that stack you want, let me know. I think I may try to become an amazon seller for the remaining books. Can anyone tell me about their experiences using amazon to sell books? Anyone have a better idea? Is it worth the hassle?

I also need advice on taking 360° photos of a room. I want to take before and after pictures of our office for a total overhaul, but it's a really cramped space and I am not sure how to do it - do I need a fisheye lens filter? Do I simply need to use photo stitching?

Friday night rolled down to the Lake Elhorn area to have a little dinner with Lars for his birthday. There was some crazy art thing going on so we just had sandwiches at the cafe - they were yummy.

Saturday woke up, hit the drum lesson where I got assigned "Sad But True" which is slow but already giving me trouble. Zipped home, got Jack and headed to 6 flags for the office summer picnic. Still hate 6 flags. Wasn't conducive to socializing with coworkers. Wish I'd skipped it. Went home and tried desperately to focus on homework to little avail. Moved on to maroonmd's for her birthday karaoke times.

That was well worth it. I did Cher (Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves), Linkin Park (In the End), John Michael Montgomery (Sold), Squirrel Nut Zippers (Hell), and Outkast (Hey Ya). Possibly something else but it might have been forgettable since I don't recall it. I saw peoples that I only get to see at Maia & Paul's and like, actually made eye contact and wasn't a total doofus. People think I'm an extrovert (and I am) but inside my head, I am often working against a flight reaction with people I don't know very well. A rocking time was had for sure. I intended to stay only a short time and would have closed the place down if I hadn't known I needed to get up and do some reading for class!

Speaking of class, I haven't said much about it. This is because the online thing makes it feel like it's not really happening, even though it is. I really don't understand how this is supposed to work. So far we have to read the chapters, and take a quiz on them (which you can re-take as many times as you want) and participate in the weekly discussion which means making at least two half-assed comments with buzzwords. No teaching has been done. Is that how it works usually? If so I loathe it and hope I never have to take a class this way again. I need a teacher to freaking teach me and interact with me. We're in week three and things should be ramping up pretty quick as far as projects so I'm trying to clear my social schedule but I have a really hard time focusing when I get home. Been doing too many other things.

One of which was peril_book_club on Monday, where I got to play the villain. I am glad that discussion is over with. However I am uncomfortable with the next book as well, and am just hoping to get through the discussion without emotional scars and move on.

On Sunday I did call my dad. We are going to go to my hometown over July 4th weekend so you Norfolk area people keep your wits about you! Or email me or something. I don't have a plan but my parents will take up most of my time and I already expressed an intention to invade the territory of geniealisa.

I am super extra psyched as I have an interview on Sunday with the DC Girls Rock Camp people.

And the now-ubiquitous flickr plugging:

     

Haven't updated in a week. What can I say? Not much going on.

After many years of being a snotty bitch about gaming, I dipped my toes back into tabletop with the all-girl Arcana game. This weekend I enjoyed the first session of a new fantasy game run by drivingblind which was a sprawling 6 hour world-building exercise with a little character creation tossed in at the end (or that's how it felt) and it was good. This game has several things going for it: experienced players (except for me), like-mindedness about play style (to some useful extent), and a design which allows the players to contribute to the world-building. This is quite terrific; it avoids the lecturey part of getting started and everyone is able to be more on the same page. Since it won't be a weekly event, I won't feel so pressured about it. Although if I could build a new world every week, that would be OK, since that was super fun. In fact, if you were an aspiring genre writer, the recorded session would be like gold. :)

After that, though, I got a searing headache which followed me through much of the holiday weekend. Combine that with my natural tendency to laziness and the most useful thing I did this weekend was laundry. Jack and I did go to lunch yesterday and discuss a bunch of things we should do around the house... and then sort of stared at everything in the Lowe's for a while. I stared at Corian countertops. Alot. I confess I'd like to modernize our range/oven and dishwasher although the ones we have work just fine. NONE of this activity got the house any cleaner, which is really what it needs.

When I got tired of Lowe's and Jack was still searching for things, I walked over to Staples. Oh, office/school supplies!! My stated goal was to find a notebook for class which starts in just over a week. I neatly filled a 1-subject college-ruled notebook for BIO 101, and was hoping to find another compact sturdy notebook for this. Since notebooks are all about fashion or economy, this was actually kind of a pain. But apart from my needed notebook, I managed to snag several pens prompted by my post the other day. Due to everyone's fervent adoration of the Pilot Precise v5, I purchased a whole rainbow of those, which I will mail to someone if I hate them. I re-discovered the Varsity disposable fountain pen, and picked up some Parker gel refills for my Jotter. Now I just need some momentous writing tasks. :)

Last night we had the peril_book_club meeting. We all loved the book, which made it less a book discussion and more a social call, but that's OK. Next up... well if you want to know you're probably already in the community!

The only thing on my list of life goals for 2008 I'm doing a good job with is the drumming. Which is the number one thing, so fine!

Part 2 of my bad week turns out to be that when I got home from work (1.5 hours late due to a meeting) and tried to turn on my car, it would not turn on. This is highly ironic considering I had just made an appointment for my 30,000 mile service. I am currently waiting for warranty-covered roadside assistance to come give me a jump. My main triumph of the past 12 hours is not letting this overshadow everything else good, and not succumbing to my immediate reaction which would have been, a few years ago, to freak out completely, cry, and be a total bitch.

Book club last night was awesome and hilarious. 8 nominations for long nonfiction!!! I'll post the winner later in peril_book_club.

New work is going well, I think. It's like that new show where they downloaded a whole mess o' information into that kid's brain, only I'm not the target of assasination attempts. I am getting more paranoid about credit cards by the day though! Yesterday my trainer/peer was squeeing with delight because I understood a bit map quickly. This is a double-edged sword, I suspect. I have already dreamed about payment processing. At the moment I feel free to compose a post only because I am busily printing things out and my eyes are crossing a little bit from reading specs.

Right now I am, if not flooded, then trickling with relief. The NC nanotour is done!! Lord knows I get nervous enough about shows when I feel like I a) don't have great material (not the songs, but the drum parts to the songs very specifically, which are really my responsibility) and b) don't even do that material artistic justice. But add to that c) playing someplace I don't know about and d) to a bunch of people who are barely legal to drink if they even are and e) hoping to hell I can use someone else's drums and it all just gets me uptight.

That said, there were plenty of ups as well as downs to this ( rock band weekend... )

When I got home there was a rock camp DVD waiting for me! So those of you who wanted to see about that, it's finally here! I'll have to dredge up last year's as well.

Last night we had our peril_book_club meeting; sadly everyone was so busy that only one person finished the book. I'll have to post about the next book when I get a chance. Something about the Hellboy guy Mignola and demon bats and world war I. Needless to say, my suggestion of Italo Calvino lost. :) After the meeting we watched Heroes which was Parkmantastic.

Which brings me to: I HAVE FREE TIME!! Dear god. I have free time. What is that! I can do whatever I want with my weekend. I want to visit the Solar Decathalon houses on the mall. Saturday. Who's with me??? Tiny green houses on the mall!! Come on!!

Dear god people, if not for the relentless Sheet Cake Onslaught this office is under, I am sure we would all starve, or feel no joy. Seriously, someone sneezes and they send the Sheet Cake Nazis.

Now where was I. Oh, remember that expensive tooth problem I discovered a few weeks ago? I have another one like it. Tooth 18 is reaching the end of its natural lifespan. Soon it will be the bionic tooth. That was a fun time this morning. More fun is that my coworkers keep joking that my dentist appointments are really job interviews. I should just let them think that.

In the kerfluffle of moving to the new office this week, I neglected to write about my weekend. This weekend I: ( did some stuff... )

Slaughterhouse-Five
The Time Traveler's Wife
Bloodsworth
Homicide

If you borrowed my books, let me know! I obviously forgot.

You scored as Agnostic. Agnostics consider the possibility that they may be wrong about God's existence, no matter which side of the fence they stand on. Always willing to objectively evaluate the most ridiculous proof, nevertheless, these guys are skeptics of the Nth degree. </td> Agnostic 75% Apathetic Atheist 75% Spiritual Atheist 67% Scientific Atheist 58% Theist 33% Angry Atheist 8% Militant Atheist 0% What kind of atheist are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Could today stop being shitty? In Jack's case, it is kind of literally, because we had the plumber come out and snake the drains, and guess what came out? Roots. That's going to be expensive later. He did say that the puttied-up drain pipe is perfectly serviceable for now though. What else? I'm tired and cranky and my coworkers are being really, really inappropriate. I feel like I'm in junior high.

Last night we all met up for peril_book_club and tried to say nice things about a book which described some extremely not nice things. Then Jack and I used our psychic powers to both suggest the same book and get it voted in. This weekend I had a great time relaxing, tidying, drumming, and dyeing easter eggs! Pics eventually when I'm not feeling so crazy.

( details behind the cut )

Which leaves me with some questions that came out of the weekend and a conversation with the Other Viking. Do you wish you could find a new tabletop game? Do you have a tabletop game idea you've been wishing you could unleash on unwitting innocents? Drop me an email or a comment, as I think there may be a plan afoot.

friday: saw music & lyrics. cute. basically i am a sucker for drew barrymore. amused by watching our dinner plans go from cloth napkin place to food court in 2 easy steps.

saturday: drum lesson, bass amp shopping (band-related), restringing the acoustic guitar, replacement heads for my toms, going to fletcher's to see Odd Girl Out, something wild (a horrible 80s piece of crap with jeff daniels)

sunday: band practice, tenacious d & the pick of destiny (ehn, had its moments)

i guess at some point i decided my life was going to be all about music. i might have OD'ed a little this weekend though.

tonight is peril_book_club at my place. i need some fiction ideas, because my amazon wish list is not inspiring me. anyone want to recommend something suitable for a book club discussion and fictional?

I do want to get to the rest of my weekend before I forget things. Even though I took copious notes to avoid that.

( personal and detailed in a personal way that may bore you )

Monday night was peril_book_club. We have a new slogan: "Now with twice the colon!" There was pie. And the best salsa EVER (Trader Joe's Hot - in the fridge/fresh section). Poor meercat was the only person who liked the book. Her input was valuable! I still would think twice before I read another Ishiguro book. [edit] Spoilers about the latest book included in comments.

If anyone has an file of Santana's "Smooth" and is willing to let me have a copy, contact me I can't seem to find it on iTunes and need it for a drum lesson. Thanks! I'd pay for it but I'm not signing up to a whole other annoying music service and truly do not want a whole Santana cd. :P

I read a little news blurb on another blog about a South Carolina school lunch program that involves giving saltines and juice to kids whose parents are overdue for paying for school lunches. The comments on this blurb absolutely turned my stomach. I can't stop thinking about it. There's bootstrap conservatism where people want to not foster a psychology of dependency, and then there's bootstrap conservatism where they don't mind depriving kids of nutrition. Just what leads someone to feel like they can say in good conscience "I'm not going to pay for someone else's kid to eat, that's their problem"? And these people bitch about the "me" generation?? There were a number of interesting (and even good) suggestions on better ways to handle the situation in the comments but I had to stop reading because I couldn't take the cruel neglect advocators anymore. If my supposed choices are to possibly cause some people to gain a sense of "entitlement" and be psychologically damaged by "handouts" or causing children to grow up with the aftereffects of not only parental neglect but also the neglect of the community, then I choose the former. Consider my craw officially stuck with this.

I just got an email from the DC Divas listserv. Subject: "The Best Looking Team in the League!" The what in the huh? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm overjoyed about the Divas and they are hot. I hope to go catch a game this season - anyone want to go with me? But that email was a real eye roller, from stem to stern. It would be one thing (that would bother me) if they felt the need to put a feminine "face" on the team to market it, but to take it to the level of competition? Whatev. On the website there are some links to training videos though... now this is how I could enjoy some football! (My vote for best logo in the league: Toledo Spitfire.

Tonight we had a solid peril_book_club meeting. Most reviews of Stephen Fry's Making History were positive, with a few disputes of style and taste. Mucking with time is a real challenge, I think he rose to it. We decided on the Dan Savage book for next month, which I'm confident if I manage to read it will leave me annoyed and angry (with an outside hope for grudgingly respectful), so it should be a super interesting meeting, at least. If anyone can tear me down off my soapbox, that is.

[edit] I forgot to note one of the major highlights of my day: being in the Trader Joe's and realizing I'm suddenly humming "Robbery, Assault and Battery" to myself, and further realizing that this is happening because it's playing in the store. It turns out they use XM in the Annapolis TJ's so I had a bonding moment with the dude who chose the station. <3

I really, really woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. It's weird to be this aware of how out of control your negativity is and how unnecessary it is. From waking up from a dream where my boss was stumbling out of a drunken party at my neighbor's house asking me for various tasks to be completed to almost chewing out zarobi for daring to suggest a more efficient way of doing something I thought would take several days to complete, everything seems exaggeratedly awful. I've had to reprint this stupid letter 7 times, and now it simply won't work. Perhaps the fact that I'm hyperaware that this is not my normal personality is a clue that this is chemical, like hormones or whatever.

frecklefaerie & Jack & I went down to the State Theater in VA on friday and saw Lez Zeppelin and I was, as usual, overjoyed. The drummer impressed me and I felt, in the face of women performing Zep tunes, energized and simultaneously absolved of any previous liking of said tunes. The lead singer was okay; she really needed to let go and get raw, but the lead guitarist was raw to perfection. Bonus: a quick hug from peregrin8 during the second set.

My drum teacher wants me to buy a stick control book that's out of print. Great! Saturday we WoWed and then made Lars make us dinner. Sunday was band practice. I think it went well. I laid hands on a keyboard for the first time in years and I must say... I want one. Badly. Jack made jambalaya and Ruby watched almost all the videos I own that are appropriate for toddlers. I'm glad SOMEone else can appreciate Kipper the way I do.

Last night we had peril_book_club, chatted about the spanish civil war, and ate an entire tub of Helluva Good Onion Dip aka crack. I should only be allowed to get that stuff once a year, really.

I have to get back to work, not that I have any idea how to solve my myriad problems.

Well, I haven't really been blogging things lately, have I. Fie.

Since Feb 1st I've:

- made sergeant hopefully the next rank by next week. attuned to the core, too, might even go in. also hope to get the warlock to level 55 i.e. endgame instance range.

- had some awesome crab legs with tzel at capn jerry's. a good night.

- jesus, i didn't even blog the aftermath of the plumber and the tub and missing the chili cook off in philly only to get turned away from the odd girl out concert at the charm city kitty club due to sold outness. then getting to go to m&a's and have a good time anyways.

- didn't finish ulysses in time for book club

- went to book club, voted in Homage to Catalonia by orwell

- celebrated tracy's birthday with the karaoke video game, sang some cher

- had a women's prison literacy meeting

- went to a super bowl party, couldn't figure out who to root for, ate boneless wings and cheese curls

- had a disastrous hair appointment that was supposed to be big fun. long story short, very expensive color is all wrong, and made an unusual move to assert myself, call back and ask them to do something about it. we'll see on tuesday. terrified i am making an even bigger mistake. at the very least i'm not paying any more. this was me christmas gift from my mom. :( oops long story not so short.

- watched the last two discs of freaks and geeks. i don't like owning DVDs much but this is one i simply MUST have. you should watch it, every one of you!

home sick today. using the time to tidy up loose ends. like polishing off Making History by stephen fry. it was excellent. cm may want to note this one's in the "what if WWii went another way" genre.

p.s. stop buying stuff you cannot afford! funny. steve martin.

I always feel pretty great after softball these days. Today it was practice, and I got through it just fine, held my own in the outfield a bit. It makes me think crazy-ass things like "I wonder if I really could take up jogging this time." Now the problem is softball's only 1 night a week... I need to find another group physical activity that's cheap and closeby...

Whenever I think I'm going to take up running, I go out once, run fifty feet, *pant* *pant* *heave* and think "that sucked", walk a little bit, return determined to do it again the next day, and then never do. I wish Jack wanted to do it with me.

Monday night, by the way, was peril_book_club. I was surprised that no one was really really enthusiastic about Hunter S. Usually people feel really strongly one way or the other. Anyways, I made a cream cheese doodad and showed everyone my library. I love book club. Tuesday was an all-star Tea at Franklin's. I would list every lj-owning celebrity of my life that was there, but I am so hungry I am about to pass out.

Now to decide whether to wind down with a dvd, or gaming...

A few notes on my recent life:

Sometimes a wakeup call can be good, even if it's delivered in a way that is unpalatable. This is kind of applicable to everything in my life, as over the past year I have embarked on alot of haphazard exploratory experiences. I don't plan to disembark or anything, but the haphazardness can be reined in a little. In more specific terms and largely unrelated to the wake-up call I got a few weeks ago, I signed up for softball again, and am trying not to develop an ulcer over it. I'm in ten times worse shape than I was last year. Hopefully my attitude about it is proportionally better.

peril_book_club has chosen a Hunter S. Thompson book. It'll be the first time I've ever read his stuff, and I'm hesitant, although of all the things to choose I think this one is the least likely to frustrate me in predictable ways. I hope it will make me less likely to groan internally at the mention of his name, more in touch with why everyone worships him. This is also a convenient reminder to anyone and everyone that I run a book club, it's fun, and you should try it. My book club, I mean. We're holding the next meeting in my newly organized library!

It's so easy to envision enacting the solutions to your problems when ensconced in the bathroom for whatever reason you might be ensconced there for any amount of time. For some reason once I step out of the safety of the bathroom, it's less easy to envision myself walking up to the VP and talking to him about how to achieve my goals and his at the same time.

The second half of next week I will be in Springfield, VA taking a class. I'm going to want to hang out with VA people!!! the evening of the 23rd and 24th, what's up?!@? I'm still not sure where I'm going to stay, but I hope to either find a place to crash or get the company to spring for a hotel.

In other news, I'm thinking of taking a CS class or two from UMUC largely because the company might be willing to pay for it and SURELY it will be enriching. But I might have to take like, 2 pre-reqs that I have no experience in before taking the class on relational databases. Am I crazy??? I am willing to take any class anyone is willing to pay for at this point in order to get more academic chops.

I updated peril_book_club. We're reading a nonfiction Douglas Adams book for next month. Thusly, I plug. Consider discussing books with us!

People read Middlemarch! People who were not me. I am shamed. Someday I will finish the backlog of unread book club books, and yes, Todd, I put Skunk Works near the top of that list.

Awesome as anything cds came to my house from joelandrewtyson dammit man I am only on track 7 but this is Awesome. Thank you.

I finally got the last bit of my Christmas present from momz and dadz and it's so comfy and wonderful that I wish I could just wear it always.

- The road to book club on monday was paved with good intentions. CM used the word "deconstructionist" to my immense joy. We decided on John Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven for next month. See peril_book_club for details, plz.

-In thinking about the house, it has occurred to me that I could set up a library not just in theory, but in reality!! I could sort everything by LC call # and put barcodes on them and have a database and... how much is a barcode scanner anyways? I still need to find a way to do built-in shelving for under a beeellion dollars.

- I am mad at Jesi for introducing me to the frappucino. Well, you know, not really. Stupid frappucino. I got in line this morning with all the other yup-yups at the starbucks and got my mocha frap'. What is my world coming to. *breaks down and cries*

- When I stepped of the metro they were arresting the homeless guy who hangs out in the "quad" behind work. The one who always walks around the circle and tells people to "fuck off" and "die bitches" and challenges everyone to fights. I didn't know what to make of that, except to say that it was nice to think that at least some of the people around here got a daily reminder that there is something to life other than wearing your dry cleaned Banana Republic pants to the Starbucks for your frappuc... oh crap. *sigh* (to be clear, I have never had a pair of BR pants in my life.)

- Going to the 9:30 alone tonight. Taking metro home. Vaguely intimidated by this. Changed my mind. Gonna go home and then drive back down, hopefully early enough to park in the lot. Still intimidated as I hate driving in DC.

Book club was last night. I hear it was good. Too bad I got there at like, 9! :)

I was in attendance, however, for the administrativa, such as: ( picking the next book )

It's book club tonight. If you've read Slaughterhouse-Five and are nearby, there will be a bunch of us discussing it at my house.

I bought Trillian Pro finally. It's nice. Also I didn't know there was some kind of soft limit on how many contacts you can reliably get updates about.

Friday: Party @ Farringtonia rocked. Wish I hadn't been so damn sore. I unsuccessfully mediated a fight about Scientology. Body shut down long before mind.
Saturday: Congratulations are in order for the newlyweds koira and falkonne. The wedding was lovely despite the wondeful cicada background noise. It was fun to watch bronzemountain flirt with the bartender. Later on msteleute and I inflicted The Last Unicorn on an unsuspecting viewership. I'm still singing the song (I'm aliiiiiive!). And still verklempt.
Sunday: Feast!!! I <3 judithiscariot for making Thanksgrabbing so awesome. Also her team. And I didn't care what the potatoes looked like I had many heaping spoonfuls. For some reason eating and being hot and beers made me so tired I came home and crashed on the couch for hours. Oops.

So even with this inadequate description god damn I had a good weekend due to the hard work and caring of a bunch of people for their friends which somehow include me and I'm really grateful. Also may be feeling a little oversentimental right now left over from the movie. And there's still book club. You know book club? Where you are going to be later? So now I'm off to procure snacks and clean things and get parking passes and work out and etc etc etc.

Oh and Jack would like everyone to know that Curad band-aids are inferior, so don't buy them.