I spent a lot of time cursing wildelf's shirts while I was making them, but today, I'm glad I've got the pattern kicking around. Not only was it useful for the correct sized neck opening for a Saxon or Viking tunic, but it also has a pretty generous underarm gusset. I love having pattern pieces that I can swipe for other projects. Makes my life that much easier. :)

Good-bye, Bill. The BSOD won't be the same without you.

The internet is broken today.

Should have called in sick.

Happy Canada Day. :P

So I now have my glass. It's very pretty. Now I just need copper coloured chain to hang it with. :)

Instead of segregating all of these into separate posts, I'm going to post them as a sort of mixed-bag randomness instead.

( Six images behind cut )

We went to the Zoo on May 1 and I'm finally getting around to posting pictures. I was sad that we couldn't see the polar bears, but that's just an excuse to go next year and see the new tundra enclosure. :)

( Because I love you all, I'm putting these 12 pics behind a cut. )

Boobs are funny!

(Tits Ahoy!)

I've just finished quingawaga's second skirt. I hated the first hem, but the pointed (handkerchief) hem is much cuter (and looks a hell of a lot better). I have pictures, even, but they need to be resized and uploaded before I can post them.

Actually, I have a lot of pictures I want to show you all, so expect multiple photo posts (all behind cuts) sometime soon. :)

I was ironing the hem when I realized just how much I actually hated the way it turned out. So I'm tearing it apart and figuring out a way to redo it so it will actually look nice and lay flat. It won't be a rounded hem, though. I don't think this fabric (polyester crepe) will behave enough for that to work. So I'm left with a pointed hem or a straight hem (that will likely look slightly pointed even though it won't be). Thoughts?

Happy birthday to iamjw! :D

My mouth still hurts on the right side, but now the pain is creeping up my cheek and along my jaw to sit under my eye and in my ear.

I know I need to call my dentist (and will do so today), but I shouldn't need to be taking painkillers multiple times a day to deal with this.

Something else I find peaceful: the sound of rain pattering against a window.

There's something about watching big puffy clouds "bloom" that I find very peaceful.

Still getting used to Firefox 3.0. Okay, it's still Firefox, but it looks different enough that it's throwing me more than it ought to. Plus, my favourite theme isn't compatible with it (and won't be until the developer decides that this is the final version of Firefox 3.0), but I'm hoping shortly it will look and feel like the one I was using (but with all the zip of 3.0).

I'm feeling better than I was this morning (and last night). Turns out I needed a little inexpensive retail therapy to cheer me up.

fuzzpsych and I went to Worth A Second Look on Victoria, which is a very scary place. I almost came home with the most hideous chair I've ever seen because it was cheap enough (only $30), comfy and pretty damned fugly. But I didn't, finding a $5 chair to replace one I don't like in the livingroom that gets rarely used (partially because of location and partially because it's really not comfortable). The one I bought is most likely an office or waiting room chair, but it's real wood and quite sturdy and hey! $5. :)

Plus I picked up some other things (fabric, zippers, buttons and a nice hunk of leather) that I happened to spy while I was poking around. And for less than $25, I got some stuff that I wanted AND improved my mood. :)

Happy Birthday to kadenza! :)

The hem is done. I tried a new method (well, easing is not really new, but it's also not one that I tend to use) that didn't quite end up the way I wanted, but the skirt hangs just fine on a hanger, so it will do.

Next time, though, I'm going back to the way I usually do things. It's not perfect, but it's functional. This hem is as well, which is why I'm not going to pull it apart and redo it. That and it's too bloody hot today to fuss over perceived imperfections.

What a difference 9 hours of sleep makes! I feel rested and ready to Get On With Things. The only thing slowing me down today will be the weather, which is forecasted to be hot and sticky and gross (at the moment, it's supposedly 23 degrees C, but it feels like 32, and it's only 8 am!).

Right. Food first, then hemming!

I first saw this link about earthquake in China on May 12th posted to AppleGeeks, but I didn't follow it until I spied it again on Neil Gaiman's blog. I'm going to give you full warning: if you have a soul and any sense of empathy, it will make you cry.

Last night, I went to make banana cake. I had taken the bananas out of the freezer before I left for work in the morning and put them in the fridge to thaw out so they'd be ready when I went to use them. With bananas thawed and butter in the bowl, I then remembered that I had no eggs. Plus, having just finished my laundry, I was in no fit state to be seen by the public.

And, out of the corner of my eye, salvation. I have the internets! Finding stuff on the internets is easy if your Google-Fu is strong. A quick search later (egg substitute baking), I found what I was looking for and continued on. The batter came together the way it should have and even tasted right (yes, I like eating batter. When I was a kid, my sister and I used to fight over who got the spoon/beaters and who got the bowl).

Instead of cake, I made two dozen cupcakes. I just finished eating one and you'd never know there was no egg in it. :)

( Egg Substitute )

I had intended to bring a dozen of them into work today, but I had one of the_daily_rant's cookies last night (which were made with almond butter and quite tasty) and I can't remember if I washed my hands right after or not. Instead of stressing over potential nut allergens among my co-workers, I put the container in the freezer with will bring them to game on Sunday instead. :D

I stepped outside this morning for my usual walk to work and was astounded by how good everything smelled. Wet grass, wet leaves, wet flowers, wet cedar mulch all carried on a gentle breeze, perfuming the world. I found the near-overload of my olfactory sense centering and rejuvenating.

It was so wonderfully fragrant that I wanted to call everyone I knew and get them to stand outside and just breathe. :)

But I didn't, because, well, unless you have to be up, 6:30 on a Saturday morning is cruel and unusual. ;)

The only downside to my walk was when the air changed after a low rumble of thunder. I could feel my lungs start to constrict and I was panting by the time I got to work. I thought, at first, that I was congested and sick, but the air clinging to me like wet cotton is a pretty good indicator that it's all weather, baby.

Flakery: Achieved!

Next Up: Sleep!

I'm so tired right now. I had planned to do either my laundry or some sewing tonight, but I think it would be a much better idea to give into the tired and flake out in front of the television for the evening.

I slept very poorly last night. I couldn't seem to fall asleep for some reason. I don't know if it was a touch of insomnia, the coffee I had with dinner last night or if the really good (and rather important) conversation I had before bed kept my head full of thoughts that needed thinking.

Every time I did feel myself drifting off, something would pull me back into wakefulness, be it the cat demanding pettins, the neighbour who had to be outside and talking on his cell or my bladder of doom. I did manage to sleep around 1 and even then it was pretty broken up.

I really want a nap right now, but even I know better than to give into that idea. I want to be good and exhausted so I fall asleep right away and sleep through the night with no waking constantly.

Meatloaf from Ethel's is probably the best meatloaf that I've ever tasted.

It's drenched in mushroom gravy and came with scalloped potatoes that were heavenly. There's so much meat that I had enough for lunch today (and it was just as tasty).

I'm currently working on quingawaga's skirt and I'm about as far as I had planned to be by this time. The fabric is so gorgeous. Part of me wants to go out and get more and make a pirate shirt from it for no other reason than to make one. It's wasteful and time-consuming, I know, but the fabric, it compels me. ;)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is definitely worth the price of admission. But you'll need popcorn. :D

Birthday Greetings for robertom. :)

I get excited ironing fabric. Not a finished piece, but the fabric after it's been preshrunk and before it's been cut. I hate ironing, but I love handling it and getting a sense of how difficult (or how easy) it's going to be to work with.

Yeah. Not normal. :P

(quingawaga's cotton is pretty damned dreamy. I love the texture and the drape. It's going to look awesome when it's done.)

So very very sleepy right now. And hungry. Adjusting to a new schedule is not the most fun, but necessary. And it's slow today. I should have brought a book. *yawn*

Happy Birthday to both da_lj (who will get this) and to robigus (who likely will not). :)

The post-nasal drip has morphed into full-fledged head cold. It was inevitable, on some levels, but the last time I had a cold, I couldn't shake it for 6 weeks (ah, the joys of stress). I'm hoping this one doesn't stick around as long. That would be more than just a little annoying.

I feel a bit better than I did this morning. Still nowhere near happy, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow, at least, which is an improvement.

I don't know if feeling detached qualifies as feeling better, but that's my mood right now. I can almost feel stuff below the surface, but it's elusive, like a dream on waking.

I feel a bit like Buffy in Once More With Feeling...just going through the motions.

I'm feeling really miserable right now and on the verge of bursting into tears. Go me.

I'm so tired right now. I had a hard time falling asleep last night and when I did sleep, it was never for very long. I think I got about 6 hours, but all broken up, which is never good for me.

Plus, I was adjusted this afternoon. I tend to be one of those lucky few that just have to be contrary. Most people leave the chiropractor's office energized. I left loopy as hell, but I knew full well that I would crash and crash hard before too long. And yep. I've crashed.

But, I did the smart thing and didn't have a nap even though I wanted one. I had one yesterday and it threw my day (and my sleep) completely out of whack. I woke up from that nap groggy and disoriented and dizzy. The feeling is a hard one to sleep through, which is part of the reason getting rest last night was elusive at best.

The other part involved going to bed at the same time as fuzzpsych (he had to be in Markham during business hours for work). I'm so used to falling asleep alone that I have trouble when someone else is with me. However, if it's the wee hours of the morning and fuzzpsych isn't in bed yet (because he's out or futzing on the computer or whatever), I'll wake up, because, even on a subconscious level, I know he should be there. I can't fall asleep with him there, but I need him there. Yeah, I know it's weird. :P

So I'm tired and I'm lonely (fuzzpsych is still in Markham, having dinner on the company's dime to avoid traffic) and I'm waiting for dinner. I don't think it's going to be a late night for me. Heck, if I'm in bed by 9:30, I won't be surprised at this point.

To the Fans of the Kitchener Rangers:

You know, it's awesome that your team just won the OHL championship. It really is. But could you lay of the fucking horn now? It's after 10 pm in a residential neighbourhood and some of us would like to sleep.

Morons.

No love and much contempt,

Me

I love the place where we're living now. Aside from the occasional laundry annoyance, it's a good apartment and a nice place to live.

However, there is one thing I'm not fond of and that's smokers. Mostly because they smoke just outside the livingroom window and the stink drifts into our very non-smoking home. *blech*

It's finally finished.

www.valkryordesigns.ca

I made brownies from a new recipe, googled and harvested from the toobs. I have no idea what they're going to taste like, though, although I have a feeling they're going to be cake-like instead of fudge-like based on the amount of flour.

I'm still waiting for fuzzpsych to come home and I feel like I'm in a kind of limbo.

UPDATE: The brownies are indeed very cake-like, but they're also quite tasty. Still waiting, though.

fuzzpsych is out helping someone move and I'm still sitting around in my pajamas. Usually, this isn't a bad thing, but I feel restless and want to be social tonight, but have a feeling that a lot of people are busy with, you know, their lives. :)

Ah, well. Time to shower and get dressed and maybe get something possibly done today (or not).

You know you're with the right group of people to see a movie when cheering, clapping and laughter erupts when Stan Lee* is spotted.

The movie itself was an awful lot of fun. I'm not a huge Marvel comic fan since I find a lot of it silly and generic, but Iron Man is a really good movie in the well-acted-and-well-directed category of summer fare. Plus, explosions. :D

*"Spot Stan" is a Marvel Comic Superhero movie variation of "Where's Waldo?" Cheering, clapping and laughter is optional. ;)

I feel so weird...my stomach doesn't know if it wants food or to throw up. The thought of food is nauseating and anything I do eat sits like lead. Being outside helped quite a bit, but now that I'm back in, the very unpleasant hungry/yarky tug-o'-war feeling has returned.

Happy Birthday to the very lovely persephoneplace.

*birthday smooches*

I watched Satyricon last night in an effort to cheer myself up a little bit. It was...

Instead of being pleasantly entertained for a couple of hours, the movie just left me confused. At one point, early on in the film, there's a white horse standing almost up to its belly in a rectangular pool of water. Why? There was no reason for it. It was just...there.

Maybe I like my films to be a little more concrete and a little less allusive. Or maybe I like I little more grounding with my fantasy sequences. *shrug* I don't know. I do know, though, that Fellini doesn't do it for me as a director.

I'm doing some work on my website and I'm torn. I want to keep everything in simple and easy to navigate HTML, but I found a nifty set of tools for adding a spiff javascript gallery which is way beyond my coding experience (but I could figure it out).

I want it to be simple (easier for me to maintain).

I want it to be spiff (but it's pretty!).

I need to think about this some. ARG!

I know there are those of you out there who swear by it, but I don't like Zehrs as a grocery store. We had PC points to use, so we did our big grocery there and, well, again, I'm underwhelmed.

I hate the store layout and it's always more expensive for us. Plus it takes damned near twice as long for us to do a big grocery.

So, in future, we're going to stick with Sobey's as our grocery store (which is in the same plaza as a Bulk Barn AND a PetValu) and use Zehrs when we need milk or bread or I have to make a quick run on my own (since it's accessible by bus).

That said, I should probably finish putting the food away and maybe think about getting the damn dishes done. Joy.

Over the past little while, I've been trying to turn the information from an old music database of fuzzpsych into something functional. We can still use the old program (PCF7) on our system, but it's not very elegant or very pretty or very searchable.

No problem, thinks I, I'll just dump the info into Open Office and take it from there. Except every time I tried to copy-and-paste the information into the table, Open Office would "stop responding" and I have to use Task Manager to shut it down. I tried changing the initial spreadsheet into an Open Office spread sheet, I tried it as an Excel sheet, I tried taking all of the entries, some of the entries, one of the entries. All returned the same results.

By now I'm grumbling and annoyed, so I leave it alone for a couple of days before turning to Access. I like Access, I really do, but I wanted to give Open Office a whirl to see what it's database program is like and, besides the healthy dose of frustration, I still don't know. I likely won't, either, since the two databases I currently have are both Access databases and that's the one thing that Open Office can't read/open.

I spent a good number of hours yesterday happily building a database. I haven't used Access in over a year, and most of it came back to me quite quickly. For everything else, F1 is a useful key. :)

But now fuzzpsych has a sexy new database just for his vinyl with all the functionality that he wanted, including being able to search for songs and in the Notes section (both things PCF7 was incapable of). I even figured out how to add a parameter query to the form as a command button and when the file is opened, I have it set to go right to the form which should make things easier all round.

To be honest, it's a very simple database: one table, one query, one form, but it doesn't need anything else. I'm thinking of going back and simplifying my own Comics database for the same reason. As cool as it is to see relational tables and foreign keys, it's not necessary for what I need. But that can wait. :)

I pinched this from persephoneplace. I don't normally do this sort of meme, but it will be worth it, I think. :)


1. Reply to this post if you want me to tell you how cool you are.

2. Watch my journal over the next few days for a post just about you and why I adore you. (May be more then one person to a post in order to avoid spamming everyone.)

3. Post these instructions in your journal and give your friends a much needed dose of love and adoration.

Soon I'll be drinking tea, eating chocolate, watching the second half of the extended version of the Fellowship of the Ring and doing some needlepoint.

Yeah, I'm cool. :P