Date: 2008-10-08 13:15 Subject: Gas $2.87? Security: Public

The price of gas is down to $2.87 in South KC this morning.

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Date: 2008-10-08 08:32 Subject: Voter registration deadline is today in Missouri Security: Public

If you live in Missouri, today is the the deadline to register to vote if you want to participate in the general election. According to the Missouri Secretary of State's website, you can register at the office of the local election authority, at the Department of Motor Vehicles office, or at any state agency providing a service to the public (WIC, Social Services, etc). Git thy keister down there and do the paperwork, folks!

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Date: 2008-10-07 17:04 Subject: Not completely incommunicado... Security: Public

I realize I haven't posted much lately, but I've been traveling, recovering from traveling, and working on a couple of new projects. One of those new projects is writing television reviews for Firefox News. Feel free to browse the site, which is full of "news, reviews and articles by writers who can legitimately be considered 'part of fandom.'"

I will be covering two series for Firefox news. One is the CBS crime drama "NCIS". My first two reviews are linked here:

• NCIS Season 6, Episode 1: Last Man Standing
• NCIS Season 6, Episode 2: Agent Afloat

I will also be reviewing "Life of Mars", which is an Americanized version of a really great British series. Let's hope ABC doesn't dumb it down or screw it up. "LOM" premieres Thursday on ABC.

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Date: 2008-10-07 12:13 Subject: On the topic of healthcare... Security: Public

If you look at nothing else in this presidential race, take a good look at the candidates' proposals for health care.

McCain wants to tax the health care benefits you receive from your employer, if you're lucky enough to have one. Sure, McCain says that he'd offer you a tax credit to help offset the cost, but that credit in no way comes close to what you'd actually have to pay in premiums for an individual insurance policy -- if you can even get one on your own.  If you have a pre-existing condition, you'd be S.O.L., because no insurance company would want to write you a policy. (They only make money by offering insurance to people who don't need it.)

Read more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/opinion/06krugman.html :
"The McCain plan would do for health care what deregulation has done for banking."

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Date: 2008-09-26 09:19 Subject: Chicken Little was right... Security: Public

Okay, we already know that the economy is swirling in the bowl. Is it any surprise that our elected leaders are in a bit of "disarray", and even Republicans themselves can't agree on a strategy?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/business/26bailout.html

It's time for change, people, and I'm voting for Obama. The election is only a few weeks away. If you're not registered to vote, get thy keister down to there and do the paperwork. If you are registered, then don't forget to vote!

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Date: 2008-09-07 16:16 Subject: And in other news... Security: Public

Ah, there's nothing quite like the smell of E-6000* in the morning!

It's been a productive weekend thus far.  On the arty side, I finished a few new watercolor ACEOs (miniature paintings, 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches) last night while watching a couple of old movies I had DVR'd. This morning I made several new glass pins to wear, to donate to the NFPW Education Fund auction next week, and to sell at Archon next month. (That's where the E-6000 comes in.) Take a look at the work in progress at my art blog. I still need to get my Good Aunt alter-ego in gear and finish the cards and gifts I need to ship for family birthdays next week.

On my marathon shopping excursion, I found a new sweater to wear at the NFPW conference next week but not much else -- it's time to hit the closet and see what I have for fall that still fits. (Regarding current fashion: what is it with cropped sleeves? Honestly, my arms are abnormally long and gangly enough as it is, without my sleeves ending abruptly about 4 inches above my wrist. Geez.)

Other than that, I've been rather mundane. I went to yoga. I bought groceries. Did a little light housekeeping. Did a little bit of laundry. Started packing for my trip next week. That's about all.

* silcone-based industrial-strength adhesive

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Date: 2008-09-07 11:26 Subject: Crazy cat lady... the early warning signs.... Security: Public

What's the first sign of crazy cat lady syndrome? When you're standing in line at Big Lots behind a crazy cat lady with a cart full of kitty supplies.... and you decide you just have to buy one of the milk-crate-sized kitty cubby hideways for your own little beasties....

Seriously. It's a fabric-covered, upholstery-grade foam cube with a hole in the front and a dangly kitty toy hanging from the top inside. In other words, a soft cozy box for kitties. Thus far, Mayhem has crawled in once to check it out, and Mischief has dragged it across the room by the dangly toy. Twice.

Oh well. At least it didn't cost much.

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Date: 2008-09-02 23:16 Subject: The food meme Security: Public

Apparently, I used to be a much more adventurous eater than I am today.

* Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
* BOLD all the items you've eaten
* Cross out any items you would never consider eating (or eating again).

1. Venison

2. Nettle tea

3. Huevos rancheros

4. Steak tartare

5. Crocodile

6. Black pudding

7. Cheese fondue

8. Carp

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush

11. Calamari

12. Pho

13. PB&J sandwich

14. Aloo gobi

15. Hot dog from a street cart (now THAT scares me!)

16. Époisses

17. Black truffle

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes

19. Steamed pork buns

20. Pistachio ice cream

21. Heirloom tomatoes

22. Fresh wild berries

23. Foie gras

24. Rice and beans

25. Brawn, or head cheese

26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper

27. Dulce de leche

28. Oysters (YUM! Fresh and raw with a touch of horseradish and a squeeze of lemon)

29. Baklava

30. Bagna cauda

31. Wasabi peas

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl

33. Salted lassi (Does mango lassi count?)

34. Sauerkraut

35. Root beer float (I’ve never liked root beer, ever.)

36. Cognac with a fat cigar (on separate occasions, but not at the same time)

37. Clotted cream tea (when in England…)

38. Vodka jelly

39. Gumbo

40. Oxtail

41. Curried goat

42. Whole insects

43. Phaal

44. Goat’s milk

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more

46. Fugu (too dangerous for me!)

47. Chicken tikka masala

48. Eel

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (back when you could only get them in the South)

50. Sea urchin

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Abalone

54. Paneer

55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal

56. Spaetzle

57. Dirty gin martini

58. Beer above 8% ABV

59. Poutine

60. Carob chips

61. S’mores

62. Sweetbreads

63. Kaolin (since it’s a widely used food additive, well, yeah.)

64. Currywurst

65. Durian

66. Frog’s Legs

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (3 of the 4)

68. Haggis

69. Fried plantain

70. Chitterlings or andouillette

71. Gazpacho

72. Caviar and blini

73. Louche absinthe

74. Gjetost or brunost

75. Roadkill

76. Baijiu

77. Hostess Fruit Pie

78. Snail

79. Lapsang souchong

80. Bellini

81. Tom yum

82. Eggs Benedict

83. Pocky

84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant

85. Kobe beef

86. Hare (I raised ‘em, and Mom dressed ‘em. Tastes like chicken.)

87. Goulash

88. Flowers

89. Horse

90. Criollo chocolate

91. Spam

92. Soft shell crab

93. Rose harissa

94. Catfish

95. Mole poblano

96. Bagel and lox

97. Lobster Thermidor

98. Polenta

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

100.  Snake

 

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Date: 2008-08-29 14:19 Subject: Pondering.... Security: Public

I've grown unaccustomed to writing for myself. Every word I write, and and every word I revise, is written with an audience in mind. At work, every word is carefully calculated to inform or influence. Each email, personal and professional, is crafted for the person with whom I wish to communicate. Each blog post is filtered for public consumption. I wonder.... is there a point in only writing for ones' self anymore?

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Date: 2008-08-28 11:32 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

Some of you know that I've been working on a complete reboot of my employer's website. It's a project that has been dragging on for about 10 months, delayed several times by changes in the exec team. We now have an approved live date coming up shortly. As a result, I'm eyebrow-deep in proofreading copy I wrote nearly a year ago, reviewing executive comments and suggestions, revising as needed, and compiling a master set of changes for the webmaster to work from.

You know what? I'm stunned by the sheer volume of copy I generated for this project -- the printouts fill a 1.5-inch binder. If only I could be that prolific with fiction....

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Date: 2008-08-24 16:12 Subject: Planning a road trip... Security: Public

In mid-September, petrini1 and I will be traveling to Southeastern Idaho and would like to do some sightseeing while we're there.  We have a late afternoon to drive between Salt Lake City and Idaho Falls, and then we have an entire day to explore Idaho Falls and the surrounding area before our first conference meeting begins. My question to the LJ hive mind: what should we see?

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Date: 2008-08-18 14:41 Subject: Cleaning off the cobwebs... Security: Public

 I spent the weekend updating my website. It was way past due for an overhaul, so it was time well spent.

Naturally, as soon as I was ready to upload the pages, I discover that my host was down. That in itself  is an oddity, as it is one of the most reliable and highly praised hosts in the business. I still don't know what the issue was, but everything was back to normal by Sunday afternoon.

Anyway, my site changes are live. I've posted new art on the art pages, added some pages for my writing and my book covers, and updated my bio info. And I'm trying to be a good little writer 'ho and drive traffic to Yard Dog Press -- so get out there and buy some books, ya'll!

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Date: 2008-08-16 14:20 Subject: Uh-oh. Security: Public

Can anyone access http://www.noblefusion.com/astein/ or http://www.robinwaynebailey.net/ today? I can't get to either of them (and, by extension, my email) or the host's corporate site, http://www.alentus.com today. If all three are down, even the host's own website, then this is a Very Bad Thing. I've used that hosting company for over a decade, and they've Never Been Down....

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Date: 2008-08-04 13:56 Subject: Released... Security: Public

The gastroenterologist has released me back into the wild, with instructions to keep my fat intake low* and unsaturated, and to continue to take my 5 big honkin' horse pills before  meals. He also suggested I switch from dairy to soy, but we'll deal with that one meal at a time. I reserve the right to indulge in a small serving of Sheridan's frozen custard once in a while.

*less than 25 grams of fat per day seems to work for me

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Date: 2008-08-01 17:08 Subject: Another week as flown past.... Security: Public

Conestoga was great! I had a blast and sold a piece or two of art, but somehow I neglected to retrieve my printshop items. The good artshow folks will be mailing them to me, so all is not lost. It was great to see all the YardDog folks, including
conbarbie  
shadowhelm
selina_rosen
writertracy
ravenchilde_art
meltatum
bevhale
tapestry01
ozarkpress
hoosier_red
wbledbetter
and a few Doggies who may or may not be on LJ.

On Wednesday, we saw The Music Man at Kansas City Starlight, and it was a good time. As is usual for the theatre's locally produced musicals, the venue was entirely too small for the seemingly endless parade of singers, dancers, and costumed children that they managed to cram onstage.

My sweetie and I watched The Mummy and The Mummy Returns this week in anticipation of seeing The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor sometime next week. Fun!

And my new boss signed off on my travel request for the NFPW Conference in Idaho Falls in September. I'll be rooming and roaming with 

petrini1. Yay!

 

 

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Date: 2008-07-31 09:54 Subject: Obscene... Security: Public

From the New York Times
"Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, reported on Thursday that second-quarter income rose 14 percent, to $11.68 billion, the highest-ever for an American company. ... With this quarter’s result, Exxon topped its own record of $11.66 billion in the fourth quarter of last year."

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Date: 2008-07-23 13:16 Subject: Yoga kicked my butt.... Security: Public

I've been practicing Anusara and Iyengar yoga for over a decade, but I still limp out of my weekly class feeling like roadkill. Yet, when I don't go to class, I get stiff and uncomfortable. That's why exercise is prescribed for my type of inflammatory arthritis -- you've got to use it or lose it.  

Last night, I stubbornly crossed that line between just enough and too much. Today, I'm still feeling it. 

Perhaps it was the repeated Downward Dog - Plank - Chataranga combination. Judging from the pain in my hip, the likely culprit was the repeated Extended Triangle - Half Moon - Warrior 3 - Warrior 1 torture sequence.*  My hips just can't handle that type of abuse challenge.

* Pardon my yoga-geekitude. My teacher has challenged us to learn the proper Sanskrit names for the poses (asanas), so here goes: Extended Triangle = Utthita Trikonasana; Half Moon = Ardha Chandrasana; Warrior 3 = Virabhadrasana III; Warrior 1 = Virabhadrasana I

 

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Date: 2008-07-22 17:21 Subject: A quickie update... Security: Public

 A quickie update and ad hoc to-do list...

• Saw "Hellboy II" and "The Dark Knight Returns" this past weekend; thumbs up on both. Especially enjoyed "Hellboy" for the visuals; Del Toro is one crazy dude.
• Caught all three acts of Whedon's "Dr. Horrible". Fun fun fun!
• My new boss started this week; work is very busy.
• Getting ready for Conestoga this weekend; need to select art to hang in the show and comply with (excessively OCD) paperwork and labeling requirements.
• Need to scrounge up a costume for the Merlene Show.
• Mom gets her knee replaced on Friday (same day I leave for Conestoga); need to locate a florist in Weston WV.
• Gas was only $3.89 yesterday when I filled the tank. Yay.

 

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Date: 2008-07-16 14:58 Subject: Observation... Security: Public

The headlines are doom and gloom today, with gas and food prices driving retail prices up 5% annually in June, the biggest 12-month change since May 1991.  I also decided to analyze my checkbook data from the first half of the year.

• Food - Total expenditures have been holding steady, but I now buy less meat, less milk, and fewer fresh veggies. I don't shop at Whole Foods anymore, and I now eat breakfast and lunch out only once a week.
  
• Gas - My gas expenditures averaged $70 in Feb, March, and April. In June, I spent $170 on gas -- not including my trip to Oklahoma City. I've been driving less, because I now eat lunch at my desk rather than going out, I do errands on the way home, and I've given up random trips out and about.
  
• Haircut - The salon raised the price of my simple haircut (wash-cut-dry only) by $10 between Jan and July. Does it really cost that much more to run the blow dryer these days?

Local gas price snapshot from http://www.kcgasprices.com

• Today 4.104
• Yesterday 4.098
• One Week Ago 3.953
• One Month Ago 3.867
• One Year Ago 3.115

Thanks right -- one year ago today gas was $1 cheaper per gallon. Thanks, George. You're doing a heckuva job.

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Date: 2008-07-16 08:28 Subject: Conestoga schedule... Security: Public

Here's my tentative schedule for Conestoga, July 25-27:

Sat 3:30 PM Yarddog Press Presents "The Merlene Show" 
Sun 11AM When You Care Enough to Run the Best...Con
Sun 12PM Favorite Fannish Blogs & Websites
Sun 1 PM Firefly - Why Everyone Loves a Big Damn Hero

I'll also have art in the artshow.

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