Monitor troubles

So we got the new monitor. 19" LCD. As far as footprint goes, yay, this is what monitors should be like! I spent a lot of yesterday moving the computers around so I could use the new monitor and get back to sitting (tentatively) at my desk.

Today I have a terrible headache. And as I am doing stuff on the computer, I think it's getting worse. Damn. I'm beginning to suspect it's eyestrain again, and the LCD is too fuzzy. I just yanked the screen resolution down, as I'm wondering if the mega huge size with everything so small was making it worse. We'll see.

[pout]I want to be able to use my new monitor and have everything be shiny![/pout]

Salad bowl

I just had lunch. Using a bowl I haven't for awhile. I was reminded of it partially by a discussion the Bujold list is having about knowing where the bowls are in the kitchen, but more by bkseiver bringing it up and discussing it with me recently.

Y'see, way back when I had my first wedding, my maternal grandmother gave me a bowl. A Waterford masterwork crystal bowl. Those are basically graduation projects, what the artisans make to prove they're up to master standards. I love it. bkseiver was talking about it to me lately, wondering if I realized how valuable it is. Not that it's a museum piece or anything, but it's more valuable than your typical wedding present, at least at the financial level of my family.

So today I got back to what I used to occasionally do with it. I got it down, carefully washed it, and made a Caesar's salad in it for lunch.

I'm sure there are those that would say I shouldn't, that it should be saved to be used as a serving bowl in formal entertaining situations. Of which I have approximately, um, none.

Personally, I figure it's like the scene in Bujold's book A Civil Campaign with Miles, Ekaterin, and the saddle. Better that it should be used and appreciated. And I like having my salad from a bowl that special.

It occurs to me that for those who have not read _A Civil Campaign_, that the phrase "the scene with Miles, Ekaterin, and the saddle" may sound MUCH more risque than it is. No, no. Not like that. It's an excellent book, you should try the series.

thanksgiving get-together

I'd been meaning to post about this back on Sunday, but since at the time it would have come out "wow, fun, sleepy, so sleepy!" I postponed it.

So way back when in May I met kattelyn(Brandy) and her husband Miles. Fellow fen, Firefly fans, friendly funny people. (My first reaction to Miles was to look UP and say "you're awfully tall for a Miles". Blank look. Clearly I had A Mission. I've certainly managed to hook kattelyn on Bujold since then, and I believe she's passing it on.)

We got to see her again at her birthday party in July. Not since then, though. It's been difficult for a number of reasons. He has a complicated work schedule, and she did too. She's just gone to no more weekends, thank goodness, and while he still works "every other everything" at least it's not nights. They were selling their house and getting a new one built. I was in constant pain and reduced mobility, and then getting surgery done.

But all that is Done Now. Okay, they still have to unpack, and I still have a lot of post-surgery recovery to do. But I'd gotten to talk to her a couple of times, and have been much looking forward to seeing more of them. Last Saturday she did her thanksgiving dinner for friends-are-family-of-choice, and we were invited. Happy happy.

We got there later than planned, but oh well. There was a family with 2 smaller kids there that we'd met at her birthday party. That was nice, our kids had another to play with. Brandy keeps her house kid-friendly - the old house had the kitchen gated off. She was apologetic for not having gotten more babyproofing done yet. Hey, she just moved, and most people without kids that we've known aren't doing babyproofing at all! I'm pleased she was willing to be so accomodating - we ended up doing things like moving unhung pictures out of the main downstairs room, closing off doors, etc. We got to meet 4 new people, and they're definitely Good People. A tasty dinner was had, with occasional funny moments dealing with just having moved. "Miles, do you have an ice cream scooper?" "Yes." "Can you tell me where it is?" "No." My goodness, these people can COOK.

There had been gaming before dinner, but we got there late and were busy chasing Jamie, so didn't get into any of it. I think the plan was to have gaming after dinner, too, but we all got into talking. The family with the kids left, and one other guy did, so it was down to the 7 of us adults, and our two kids running around. More talking and telling stories and having fun. Eventually Karl tucked first Jamie and then later Maggie down to sleep in quiet spots with pillows and blankets, and even Brandy went to sleep, and the 6 of us remaining kept talking. Oh, what a lovely fun evening. We didn't head for home until 4 am. (And had to get up fairly early the next morning. Which hurt. But it was unquestionably worth it.)

I do hope we're going to get chances to hang out with these people a lot more.

vocabulary time

Having just pulled a friend's tail, I suppose it's only fair to risk getting my own pulled. From autographedcat and kitanzi

Describe me in one word - just one.

Please comment to me, then (IFF you want to take part) post this entry to your Live Journal and see how many strange things people think about you.

I got my tail out in the nick of time

Whoa. Apparently I am very lucky to have gotten my surgery done when I did. We got a letter today from Dr. Vavrin, my orthopedic surgeon. He's announcing his retirement at the end of this year.

Bummer. I mean, undoubtedly nice for him, but I was looking forward to recommending him to anyone I ever talked to with this sort of problem. He is part of a group practice, so I can send people to them, I suppose. Still, it was good to know I could recommend a man who did 15-20 coccygectomies a year.

Lovely mood

Y'know... I've been battling a nasty headache all day. I've sat too much, and my surgery site is sore. And my task for the evening is dealing with balancing the checkbook and paying all the bills.

Nonetheless, I'm in a fine, cheerful, upbeat mood.

I'm enjoying this. I'm enjoying myself.

Bopping with my bills

Bopping away here...

Oh yeah, I gotta put my music on more often.

"Desmond says to Molly, girl, I like your face!" man, wouldn't it be nice if it was that easy?

"In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home, with a couple of kids running in the yard"

Bills would go faster if I wasn't dancing in the chair, but I don't care.

The musical I want to be in someday

I'm listening to music from Chicago (the original musical - I loved the movie, but I don't have that soundtrack yet. I do have the DVD.) I do love that musical. Heck, I was singing "Nowadays" at one point during the thanksgiving dinner get-together last Saturday. [1]

I would so love to be in it someday. I would love to find some local community theater doing it. Okay, it occurs to me that Fort Worth, TX is not the best place to look for it. Oh well. But if I did find out about it, I would so go try out.

Okay, I'm not in the physical shape they're going to want for the main stars. And I have to get in a lot better post-surgery shape for serious dancing. (But I will, I will...) I'm not worried, though. Because the part I want to do so bad I can taste is is Matron Mama Morton. That, that part I have the body for. And I think I've got the voice for it, too. Oh, I want that part someday!

Although yeah, it'd be fun to do Velma, too. She gets good songs. And damn but I do love The Cell-Block Tango.

[1] Yes, I am the kind of person who will just spontaneously break into song now and then with the right cues. You think I'm bad, you should see the rest of my family. phoenixsinger does it more, and bkseiver will sit down and start playing 'em for you. When a friend of mine recently commented that to her music was something you only did in formal groups, I stopped dead and STARED at her.[2]

[2] Well, not exactly. She's in another state. I stopped and stared at the IM window. But you know what I mean.