Ebony's journal

NaNoWrMo

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:30:42 GMT

...is very hard to do while under renovations, and generally stressed out.

Things to know...repost from Merlyn's page.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:49:23 GMT

YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST, I want to know 28 things about you. I don't care if we've never talked, never really clicked, or if we already know everything about each other. I really don't. You are obviously on my flist, so let me know with whom I'm friends!

1. Your Middle Name:

2. Age:

3. Single or Taken:

4. Favorite Movie:

5. Favorite Song or Album:

6. Favorite Band/Artist:

7. Dirty or Clean:

8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:

9. Do we know each other outside of LJ?

10. What's your philosophy on life?

11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty?

12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?

13. What is your favorite memory of us?

14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:

16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarky) - what are they?

17. Can we get together and make a cake?

18. Which country is your spiritual home?

19. What is your big weakness?

20. Do you think I'm a good person?

21. What was your best/favorite subject at school?

22. Describe your accent

23. If you could change anything about me, would you?

24. What do you wear to sleep?

25. Trousers or skirts?

26. Cigarettes or alcohol?

27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together? (If you have no idea, just say something crazy, it'll entertain me!)

28. Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you?

SuperConference 2009

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:19:42 GMT

I finished the conference that went from the 28^th to the 31^st with tired feet, less sleep than normal, but with new knowledge and ideas. Over four days I sat in on sessions about cataloguing e-resources, school library website design, children’s movies and several more. I met up with a few new people, talked with vendors at the Expo, and managed to carry everything home without having a dislocated shoulder.
So!

Wednesday was a tour of three local branches that had just re-opened from renovations. Cliffcrest is in a strip mall, and is one of the few branches in the TPL system that is has a ‘no hold’ collection. You can’t put a hold from another branch on any item, making it a browser branch. Small and compact, the library is well laid out.

The next, S. Walter Stweart, is unique in that it is a round library. When it was designed in 1959, it was called the flying saucer library. That was around the time of Sputnik, so the round, flat library was the community’s pride. Now renovated, with a raised roof, new entrance way and completely redone basement levels, the library is more airy and open to air movement. The central circle is even marked with the compass points for orientation.

Last branch was Dufferin/St. Clair, with the restored murals from the 30’s (I believe). They had been painted over in the 60’s renovation, and by public outcry, they were restored as much as possible. Cool new additions include the dragon from the “Paperbag Princess” and a giant book for children to read.

So, onto the sessions, and if anyone wants more details or notes, let me know at the email below, and I would be happy to email anything, including the blueprints to the libraries mentioned above.

The school library design wasn’t what I was hoping for. It was presented more as an idea that other teacher librarians could use, but I was hoping for the details of how the programming was done, the technical aspects. Unfortunately, that part was glossed over with a ‘I gave it to the I.T. guy and he worked his magic on it.’ That would be me, in most cases, so it was a little disappointing.

We looked, in another, over the children’s movies released in 2008. Wall-E took the top spot and we went over why these are good, those aren’t, those should never have been made...(cue Dragonlance here) ... and THERE WAS POPCORN!! So, that was the fun aspect of the day.

Brodart did a session on book repair, so that was nice to watch. I would have liked it to be hands-on, but the time allowed didn’t allow for it. I learned how to use the wings and corners, and prep a book for circulation so that the spine doesn’t snap immediately.

There was the e-cataloguing, but I didn’t have enough training or experience to understand half of what was going on. I am hoping to get the notes from that one to go over it again on my own. Kindergarten prep was a great fun time, and gave me a lot of ideas for helping in story time.

The Expo, the tradeshow being in the middle of the conference, was interesting and helpful. The vendors were mostly helpful, with people interested in answering questions. They were less...dismissive than some of the session goers. I felt comfortable telling the vendor that no, I was not yet employed but had graduated 6 months ago. They were supportive and helpful without their manner turning condescending or dismissive. Not everyone was like that, but there were times I felt completely out of place as a technician. Perhaps the sessions I chose were not suitable to my needs, and I was only finding the bad apples.

Happy thoughts: I won a prize! Eeee! A Library and Archives Canada Briefcase from Samsonite. And I met Melanie Watt and got a signed Chester poster!! *bounces* and overall I enjoyed it very much.

Dual Negotiations, a Thrawn fanfic

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:16:37 GMT

Title: Dual Negotiations.
Author: Ebonymoonblade
Rating: General, light fluff
Summary: Simple negotiations are not in the numbers this time. Features Voss Parck, Admiral Thrawn and Captain Squires.

The Story...

Dual Negotiations

By LadyRavena

Part One

The briefing report was succinct and well-planned. After his second reading, Admiral Thrawn still held the datapad in his hand, musing over the contents. The negotiations were looking propitious for both parties. The Ayatollah of the two planets was easy enough to deal with, with little in the way of duplicitous talk or hidden agendas. He was, in fact, a refreshingly direct creature to talk with, especially after having to deal with the Emperor’s little mind games at court.

All of which was why the note at the bottom of the screen puzzled the Chiss admiral all the more:

I would recommend recalling the Cascade before the signing ceremony. V.P.

Setting down the datapad, he quietly keyed in a request to the command chef for a semi-formal dinner in his private dining room. Perhaps over dinner his newly reinstated Captain would explain his vagueness.

****

Swirling the last of the dessert brandy in his tumbler, Voss Parck needn’t guess what was on his commander’s mind. ‘Wine and dine’ was a rare tactic with Thrawn, but it was useful on occasion. Voss never complained, as he did enjoy his friend’s company, and it gave the chef a chance to experiment. The note was bound to come up in after dinner conversation, Thrawn being averse to raising work over dinner.

“The negotiations seem to be concluding well, don’t you think?” Thrawn idly asked, leaning back in the recliner.

“Oh, indeed, yes.” Voss sipped a bit more of the brandy, wondering what all fruit had wandered into it. I can play at vague, too, you know.

“So well, in fact, the Hunter can go back to normal duties tomorrow. We don’t the third ship for a simple signing ceremony in two days. Don’t you agree?”

Voss smirked a bit. So if we don’t need three, why bring in another... “I don’t think we need that particular ship, no. Captain Hilran has been chopping at the bit to get back out to exploring the area.”

Thrawn’s eyes narrowed at his specification. “So you would prefer a smaller ship there, perhaps the Cascade, then?”

Voss nodded. “The Cascade should be there, yes, but not for the size. As you know, these people are highly addicted to the numbers of everything. Numeric significance plays a high role in their society.”

“Hence why these negotiations took so long to complete,” Thrawn muttered, draining the last of the drink in his hand. “I am quite familiar with that aspect of the culture.”

Voss nodded, smiling slightly. They had had to wait until a favourable turn of the planet’s only orbiting body, combined with the stars movement to precise angles...enough to give poor Dagon a migraine of frustration. It seemed that Thrawn wasn’t that impressed, either. “Intel informed me when they gave me that report that the signing team should also be numerically balanced, meaning that there should be two high-ranking officials at the meeting.”

Thrawn, long fingers still twirling the tumbler slowly, frowned. “I believe those Captain’s bars aren’t so new as to not be used. You will accompany me to this meeting, then.” At Voss’s head shake, he sighed. “What numerological taboo did I just tread on now?”

“Balance, sir. Two officers, two ships, and the captain of the Cascade will be much more appropriate than I, as I am your flagship’s Captain.”

And with that, he refused to elaborate.

***

The private comm beeped on his chair’s arm. Shutting off the art displays for the time being, Thrawn acknowledged the call. Striding down the slightly long way to the shuttle bay gave him a chance to study the moral of the crew, and the general ‘feel’ of the ship. He tried to make the rounds at least once a week at random times, to keep moral up and mischief down. Nothing was worse to a commander than a crew that didn’t believe in their officers.

By the time he arrived in the admiral’s shuttle bay, there were at least a dozen straightened spines, and moral was rising again. Despite the importance of treaties and agreements, his crew did prefer to be out amongst the stars, not constantly in orbit around fickle worlds.

The shuttle from the Cascade landed smoothly as he came up behind Voss. The captain looked up from the datapad that he was perusing. “There has been a change in command since the last time that she has been at base, sir. Captain Korda retired a month ago and left the ship to his first officer.”

“Retired?” Thrawn asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s what the records are saying. In fact, he went space-mad and tried to kill his second officer, whom he claimed was plotting,” Parck checked his file, “to ‘steal his soul and origami it into a flower’.”

“Retired,” Thrawn confirmed, shaking his head. The odd officer did go once around the Maw on occasion. “The new captain’s name?”

“Captain Squires. Did quite well in the academy, as I recall. We took a few classes together.” Parck shut the datapad off as the ramp of the shuttle started its descent. Stepping forward, one step behind Thrawn as they went to greet the newcomer, he smiled slightly.

Four steps behind the honour guard of stormtroppers stepped the newest Captain of the Cascade. Captain Gwena Squires reached a hand out to Thrawn, smiling slightly as she said, “A pleasure to meet you, Admiral.”

Part Two

Captain Squires was not a woman to mince words. She had persevered through a male dominated navy to rise in rank high enough to make it to the bridge. Bluntness had served her well in the past to silence males who thought that all females had smaller brains, and less ability to command. Which wasn’t to say that she didn’t have tact or politeness; it was something that she realized she would need now.

“I presume that Parck told you about the duality of the negotiations, sir?” she asked, standing amongst the art of the planet revolving beneath them.

“In that we need two high ranking officers, and from different ships, he did. However, if you have something to add, Captain?” Thrawn settled back into the command chair duplicate, fingers interlaced, eyes half closed, waiting for the shard of knowledge that he knew she possessed.

“Indeed, but it is just not the rank that is the issue.” At Thrawn’s raised eyebrow and Parck inability to meet her eyes, she smiled. “Ah, I see. Voss was too shy to point out that if you go down alone on the planet, the Ayatollah would try to give you a wife.”

She wondered how he could go from calm and in control to barely controlled anger in under a second. “It’s not slavery, if you are worried about that,” she added offhandedly, walking amongst the statues.

“What would you call it, then, Captain?” Thrawn hissed softly.

“Traditional, sir, in that visiting single leaders are considered at a loss for a partner amongst their own people. In ancient times, agreements of trade, such as what we are doing, were sealed in marriage. It was not uncommon for a ruler of a large area to have several mates from his allies. The women agree to do this voluntarily, sir. It is considered a great honour to aid in the peace of the people.”

She paused, and then added, “Hence why I am here. To refuse a bride of peace is to refuse the peace treaty and insult the host, resulting in mandatory war. Therefore, the best way to keep this treaty is for you to appear with a wife. I’m the best choice, as I am the highest ranking female in the next three sectors.”

The comm rang into the stillness. “Captain Squires? Communication from the Cascade for you.”

Thrawn nodded toward the rear holo-projector. “Captain?”

“Pipe it down here, Lieutenant.” With a nod to the admiral, she moved to the pad.

Thrawn turned around his chair to face his captain once she was deep in conversation with her second in command. “You knew this, didn’t you, Parck.” It wasn’t a question.

Parck shifted his feet, looking just over his admiral’s shoulder. “Yes, sir.” Thrawn shook his head, muttering something that sounded like ‘one more thing’. Smiling slightly, Parck reached over to the main computer console. “She’s going to have to look the part. In uniform, she’s just another solider at the table. I believe Supplies and Requisitions has several items for civilian formal wear.”

“Indeed.” Fingers moving over the console, the two were scanning rapidly through several promising items when Captain Squires closed the channel. She could see one of the holo-projectors flicking back and forth between images of formal wear, from jacket and pant ensembles to full ballroom gowns.

Voss reached out and hit the pause just as she got to the outer ring of projectors. “Perhaps that one,” he murmured.

Looking over the item in question, she sniffed. “I don’t think that taffeta is your fabric, sir, and pink will clash with your eyes. But, if you think that you can carry it off, it’s all yours.”

Parck silent laughter underscored Thrawn’s quiet voice. “I presume then that you have something more suitable, Captain?”

She bowed, turned sharply and left the command room.

Part Three

The shuttle was undergoing final prep work before Admiral Thrawn’s party boarded. Voices rang out throughout the shuttle bay, confirming fuel stats and pre-launch checks. Captain Voss Parck stood just inside, awaiting the admiral, engrossed in a datapad of final details of the signing ceremony. The Ayatollah was insisting that certain protocols be followed even before the shuttle landed. Approach vectors, speed frequencies, rate of descent...everything beside how many breaths that the pilot took were included in the briefing.

“Captain,” Thrawn greeted, startling Voss out of his reverie. Dressed in full dress uniform, the Chiss admiral was a picture of perfect officer: straight-backed, broad shoulders and uniform hanging properly and evenly; Voss was faintly envious. “Is my shuttle ready?”

“Almost, sir, just a few more pre-check ...” Parck stuttered to a halt, looking over the admiral’s shoulder.

Turning around, Thrawn saw exactly what had his captain tongue-tied...and he agreed with Parck.

Captain Gwena Squires stepped off the boarding ramp of the shuttle. She was dressed in a formal gown suitable for court on the Imperial capital, sleeves reaching in a point to her ring finger, train meeting the deck plates. Dark folds of midnight cerulean contrasted with the faint silver jewellery at her throat and wrist. Upswept hair, with a delicate tiara interwoven in the curls, framed her face. Stepping forward, the slight click of her step revealing the heels she wore, she lifted one eyebrow at the silent officers.

“Shall we be leaving, sir?”

New Star Wars icons...all of 2

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:23:02 GMT

My first two gif icons that are animated....!!

Yeah, I know they are cheap looking, but they are so cool in that I made them all by myself fiddling with GIMP. No instrustructions! (that's not even a word, either)

So, let me know what you think of them, or if you like/dislike/want to take them, keeping in mind the above disclaimer, k? Thank you, hugs!
and....

Bye.

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:56:05 GMT

So!

Winter has come, and with it the return of the indoor jungle. Only about half the garden made it in the house this year, because with Mom in for a week instead of a day, I didn’t have time to bring in the garden (or realize how cold it was getting). So, no crop of Christmas tomatoes this year, the lettuce, the one plant that had made it all year, froze, and the rose moss shrivelled up.

Good news: the geraniums are still blooming, thinking that the kitchen warmth is a second spring. The chocolate mint is making a new home beside the telly, and the candy-smelling snapdragon is happily blooming beside Mom’s pillow. Sweet dreams, eh? (Sorry, had to do it)

Other strange news to put in....the stick has now been put in the toy hall of fame. The stick. That thing that our mothers always said to (all together now) ‘put down before you poke somebody’s eye out!’ So it joins Mister Potato head, the cardboard box and Crayola crayons. The box I understand. How many times did I play more with the box than with the gift inside?

I got an email Friday on the OLA conference, and the prices that go along with it. *winces* Maxi-big ouch. Glad I am a member, and get some discount on the prices, otherwise there would be no way I could afford to go. Hopefully I can go as a “non-salaried member”, what with me having no job and no incoming income right now. So instead of paying 285 for the full conference (4 days worth) it would only be 90. Much closer to my lack of funds right now. I emailed them asking for the definition of “Non-salaried” on Saturday, and as yet have not heard back. It is only Monday (hopefully it is when I email this to you.) It could mean only those employees on temp basis, or flat rate employees, so I emailed them to make sure. Also, with the CLA, you have to submit a letter to the board and any pay stubs and, I think, a letter from a professor or someone like that to qualify for the unemployed rate of membership.

I am having a chunky sweater problem...

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:29:56 GMT

My first time making an oversized sweater jacket. It is supposed to be really big on you, and I fit the smallest size with some room to spare. There is one panel for the back, one for each front side, and one panel for each sleeve. The collar is slipped on after finishing.

Sizing for the sweater is 60 (64, 68, 73, 77) inches at the bottom hem, 50 (54, 59, 63, 67) at the bust, top to bottom is 26 (26, 27, 27, 28) and the neck to wrist measurement is 28.5 (29, 29.5, 30, 30.5).

The pattern calls for 530 (540, 600, 640, 700) yards of both number 5 yarn, and number 6 yarn (bulky and super bulky). The problem is that I can’t find any 6 yarn, at least that isn’t part or fully wool. (Allergies are not fun for knitters) Those that I can find in cottons or acrylics are too expensive for the amount I would need. (It works out to be about $45-70 Canadian, compared to the $15 I spent for all 4 balls of #5.)

I tried to knit with just the 5 yarn, with two strands for each stitch. The gauge is supposed 7 stitches for 4 inches on US 13. The pattern says that I need to get within +1-. When I tried with just the 5 yarn, I got 9 stitches. Using size 11 needles, I got 11. Using size 15, the stitches become too far apart.

My question is this: Would it work out for the pattern if I went ahead with the two #5’s? What problems would I find? Would I be better to make the next size up? Or just try it and see what happens?

Pattern found in “The knitting experience, Book 2: the Purl Stitch” by Sally Melville, page 56.

Type your cut contents here.

Also posted in lj community knitting

Hippo Birdie two ewes!

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:02:32 GMT

Happy 25th, master Yoda!

Grumbles

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:05:43 GMT

From Sunday....forgot to post it...

Been having fun trying to get the printer online right now... going through customer service for assistance, in and of itself a trial. I’ve been on hold for a good while now, and still no tech people have answered, just “Hi can I have your name?” people. “Please wait while we transfer your call.” Oh, sorry, it’s “please hold while we connect your call.” As if it were being done by a receptionist on a switchboard.

So, the world continues. As Longo’s puts it, you fix the print, the print jams, you fix the print the printer jams. You kick the printer, log out... and go home!

But I am home. More is the pity.

The chair war continues. Mom and I had bought several kitchen chairs for the house, and had them delivered. Normal. Went to bring one of them in, the screws fell out of the bottom, and the seat nearly fell out. Called the company and was told that, “Oh I forgot to tell you, they ran out of the right screw, but he’ll come and fix it tomorrow.”

Tomorrow comes, and he “fixes” it. I bring it up, sit on it for one day and the screws fall out yet again. Same screws. The chair also wobbles like it is in a windstorm. Call in again. “Oh, that’s no good, we get a new chair for you.” Fine.

New chair is delivered. We inspect it. Guess what? It’s not a new chair! The frame was replaced, but the seat cushion is the same, with the holes from the last frame’s screws still in it! The guy tells me that it is new, and not to fuss. I mention that new things don’t have holes in them! He tells me I am being too fussy, “it’s not like you paid a million dollars for it”. So, what, I should be happy to have a safety risk in my home because I didn’t pay for it to be gold-embossed?

The owner of the store is going to the manufacturers on Monday, and hopefully, this time we get a completely new chair, with the right screws and no holes.

Oh, and we have yet another rep on the phone who is very nice and tells me that I have been transferred to the wrong department, but that he can fix that. Beeping of phone lines commences...of blinking course.

The department I need is only open Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. It is Sunday afternoon. 45 minutes on the phone to be told that they aren’t open is not my idea of a great day.

Later...

Oh, well. Fine! Be that way. I shut everything down, left it alone, and restarted everything a minute later. Leave the room to talk to Mom about dindin and, lo and behold, the printer spits out the test sheets I tried to print an hour ago. I have a shy printer now. My computer only installs things when I am not watching it, so they make a nice little couple. (Norton and I had a war. I finally cracked and read a fashion magazine, only for the Mr. Dressup article, and it installed. No difference in anything, just me not watching it. *giggles*)

I still love my little Toshiba. Its name is Loiosh. Fitting, as it does make cracks at my intelligence.

Grumbling yours...

Bottle Shock – Opening Day

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:01:07 GMT

Late posting…. I know...

Spoilers!

As anyone who knows me can tell you, wine is not my thing. I detest it, and in the event of a gift of it, will gladly give it away no matter the vintage, history or texture.

So why would I see Bottle Shock, a movie about the blind 1976 tasting competition between French and Californian wine?

Reason two: I do like historical pieces that are made for accuracy, not hype.

Reason one: Alan Rickman

The basic gist of it is that Rickman's character, Steve Spurier, is looking to increase business of his wine shoppe in Paris (and academy of wine). To do this, publicity is needed. Therefore, bring the best in wine tasting together to sample and grade both, see who makes the best whites and reds.

Rickman's portrayal of a British gentleman who is trying to rub elbows with the best in France is beautiful. Hearing the language of romance, le francais, drawled is enough to melt hearts, spines and any other bone you care to mention.

I can't think of another actor that could pull off swearing in both English and French at a blown tire (in the middle of nowhere) and look completely lost sitting on the map trying to fix it. Add experiencing KFC for the first time, and sampling wines from 13 vineyards all around Napa without really realizing that they don't normally charge for the tasting. Add on lines like, "I'm British and you're not." (about being a snob and such) and how he manages to get 26 bottles to Paris without going through cargo make it a delightful afternoon's entertainment.

Other nods go to Bill Pullman for a wonderful job at being Mr. Barritt, and the whole cast of vineyard masters. The scenery was beautiful, and delightfully not stock footage. Filmed on location is a gorgeous word.

As an aside can anyone explain, in under a 100 words each, what body, texture etc mean? Compare to a non-alcoholic beverage please! J

Finally, it is done....

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:27:59 GMT

For the first time, I managed to get all the way through the New Jedi Order saga....*pants* In order!

As an FYI, there is NOT ENOUGH Chiss in that series, despite reviews saying otherwise. I ended up speed reading one book, because my library system only had one copy in the reference collection. And to bring it in from out of town was going to cost more than the book is in stores. I bought the force Heretic section, all three books, because they only had books one and three...*twitch*

Why only buy books 1 and 3?!?!?!?!!?

And I studied to work in a library and the profs couldn't tell me why either. "It just happens"

Grrr.....

Volunteering, heat, Wrock, and plant heaven.

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:38:25 GMT

So, now that I have been volunteering at my highschool for a while, I can safely say, with all knowledge and research behind me, that kids are still the same as they were when I was there. No difference in attitude or behavior. Which is saddening to know, as there was tons of room for improvement.

There is even talk of them closing it in the next few years, as enrollment numbers, according to the latest public survey in the papers, are dropping. Schools that are not near capacity (or even at half capacity) are the first ones to be cut. Beside which, there is another high school a dozen blocks away, which is larger, so can hold more students. So much for the "class average" being lower. The trick to that, of course, is that it is the average PROVINCE wide. So a small town school that has an average of 7 grade twelve students balances out a city class of 37. Hey, my last two years in high school, a 37 class size was good. 45 was our highest, so far as I recall.

The first heat wave has struck, so I am melting at night. I am one of those that does not have central heat and air in my apartment, and windows that don't open wide enough to let me install an air conditioner. The last couple of years the portable ones have been too expensive and accident prone, so we never got one. This year, though, we decided that we need SOMETHING!! Even if we have to do half the flat now and the other half later, we can't survive another heat-filled summer. We'd ain't getting younger, and the place isn't that large. 600 square feet or so, with a nice central hall/foyer, that we can just plug it in. So,right now we are looking for the best deal on the funds we have, and try and get a small one. keeping fingers crossed.

Sad news to report. While we just got the garden finished, not all the old timers made it through the winter. While we are sad to see them go, we remember them fondly.

We lost the chocolate mint plant that has sweetened the living room for 3 years. We lost a lot of the snapdragons, as well as our tulips, crocuses, and the old dusty miller that has been around for a long, long time. The perwinkle vine, so long and beautiful, was finally allowed to wither away, after fighting the good fight with a fungal infection. At his prime, he was over 15 feet long, wrapped around the bedroom wall.

Good news: I have, after being poked about it by a few people, decided to be make my own Wizard Wrock band. Dwell On Dreams will be the name, and will be to a lot of other song's tunes, as I can't really play an instrument. The first, "Ron's Sister", is ready to record as soon as I can get to The Vanishing Cabinet's studio (aka laptop).

Field plaement ...last but not least...

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:00:20 GMT

So!

Week 2 of field placement and tit is mostly me having way too much fun in my old school. I miss a few of my favourite teaches, but most of them are still here and remember me. Some of my favourite books are still here, too, so I’ve made up with old friends.

Trying to volunteer here for the rest of the school year is going to involve a lot more paper work than I thought, and a meeting with the principal, whom I have never met. Wonderful….. and another police check, which is standard for anyone working with kids. Can’t blame them.

In other news, I have found the smurf army’s stockpile of spoons, forks, knives, and paper plates. I swear, there are at least 5 boxes of cutlery, and more mugs than there are staff at this school! It was freaky, every time opening a cupboard and there were mugs…in the paper supply, in the office supplies, in the labels, in the Halloween decorations. Mugs everywhere. *stop giggling, Master*

And my birthday is coming up! Who-oo! 25! Makes me feel old to think that I am going to be a quarter of a century old. Cool. *lala* Still have my cold from the weekend, and I feel like a knowledgable zombie.

School...

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:02:14 GMT

What I received from 2 Years of College….

Over two dozen pens
Several pencils with our school name on it…from a college program that never uses pencils…
Iron on patches
Temporary tattoos
Key chains
Note pads, sticky pads, and post-it notes
Hair ties
A Frisbee
Desk calendar
Luggage tags
Oh, yeah, and a fine education…

Quizzes....

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:28:41 GMT

Wow.... never the same twice..

Stupid thing bleeped 4 quizzes.... I was Luke in another quiz...

The Classic Star Wars Test

My Result: Obi-Wan Kenobi

"If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." Truly the words of a confident teacher, you and "old Ben" share the calm wisdom of someone who's seen it all. You are probably the type of person who enjoys giving back to the community, whether by organizing the annual block party or volunteering time to help others.

You know you're not perfect and that's why being a mentor is so fulfilling. You can teach others about the mistakes that you made. Like Obi-Wan, you are an excellent judge of character — often recognizing aspects of yourself in others. You know how to teach life lessons without being preachy, and while you may not quite have the Jedi mind trick figured out, your honest conviction can be very persuasive.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=starwarsogt&c=50652

a href="http://www.liquidgeneration.com/Media/Games/The_Ultimate_Star_Wars_Personality_Test/" target="_blank">

Priceless....

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:12:46 GMT

Thanks to

ruinsofmysanity

for this...

Dear shadowsong13,

I don't really know how to tell you this, but I'll join the monastery.
I think I realized it on the first of May at the mental hospital and I saw you Put leeches on the crazy monk.
I'm sure you're ashamed enough to understand that there is no solution to this.
I'm returning Your memories from the military service to you, but I'll keep Your collection of butterflies as a memory.
You should also know that I Will tell the authorities about A new life as a clone.

Good luck on your short-term leave from jail
Ebony

Dear (the last person who left a comment on your LJ),
I don't really know how to tell you this, but ___1___.
I think I realized it ___2___ ___3___ and I saw you ___4___ ___5___.
I'm sure you're ___6___ enough to understand ___7___.
I'm returning ___8___ to you, but I'll keep ___9___ as a memory.
You should also know that I ___10___ ___11___.
___12___,
-Your name-

1. What's the color of your shirt?
Blue - Our romance is over
Red - Our affair is over
White - I'll join the monastery
Black - I dislike you
Green - Our horoscope doesn't match
Grey - You're a pervert
Yellow - I'm selling myself
Pink - Your nostrils are insulting
Brown - The mafia wants you
No shirt - You're a loser
Other - I'm in love with your sister

2. Which is your birth month?
January - That night
February - Last year
March - When your dwarf bit me
April - When I tripped on sesame seeds
May - First of May
June - When you put cuffs on me
July - When I threw up
August - When I saw the shrunken head
September - When we skinny dipped
October - When I quoted Santa
November - When your dog ran amok
December - When I changed tennis shoes

3. Which food do you prefer?
Tacos - In your apartment
Pizza - In your camping car
Pasta - Outside of Chicago
Hamburgers - Under the bus
Salad - As you ate enchilada
Chicken - In your closet
Kebab - With Paris Hilton
Fish - In women's clothing
Sandwiches - At the Hare Krishna graduation
Lasagna - At the mental hospital
Hot dog - Under a state of trance
Other; With George Bush and his wife

4. What's the color of your socks?
Yellow - Hit on
Red - Insult
Black - Ignore
Blue - Knock out
Purple - Pour syrup on
White - Carve your initials into
Grey - Pull the clothes off
Brown - Put leeches on
Orange - Castrate
Pink - Pull the toupee off
Barefoot - Sit at
Other - Drive out

5. What's the color of your underwear?
Black - My best friend
White - My father
Grey - Bill Clinton
Brown - My fart balloon
Purple - My mustard soufflé
Red - Donald Duck
Blue - My avocado plant
Yellow - My penpal in Ghana
Orange - My Kid Rock-collection
Pink - Manchester United's goalkeeper
None - My John F. Kennedy-statue
Other - The crazy monk

6. What do you prefer to watch on TV?
Scrubs; Man
O.C.; Emotional
One Tree Hill; Open
Heroes; Frostbitten
Lost; High
House; Scarred
Simpsons; Cowardly
The news; Mongolic
Idol; Masochistic
Family Guy; Senile
Top Model; Middle-class
Other; Ashamed

7. Your mood right now?
Happy - How awful I've felt
Sad - How boring you are
Bored - That Santa doesn't exist
Angry - That your pimples are at the last stage
Depressed - That we're cousins
Excited - That there is no solution to this.
Nervous - The middle-east
Worried - That your Honda sucks
Apathetic - That I did a sex-change
Ashamed - That I'm allergic to your hamster
Cuddly - That I get turned on by garbage men
Overjoyous - That I'm open
Other - That Extreme Home Makeover sucks

8. What's the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White - Your ring
Yellow - Your love letters
Red - Your Darth Vader-poster
Black - Your tame stone
Blue - The couch cushions
Green - The pictures from LA
Orange - Your false teeth
Brown - Your contact book
Grey - Our matching snoopy-bibs
Purple - Your old lottery coupons
Pink - The cut toenails
Other - Your memories from the military service

9. The first letter of your first name?
A/B - Your photo
C/D - The oil stocks
E/F - Your neighbour Martin
G/H - My virginity
I/J - The results of blood-sample
K/L - Your left ear
M/N - Your suicide note
O/P - My common sense
Q/R - Your mom
S/T - Your collection of butterflies
U/V - Your criminal record
W/X - David's tricot outfits
Y/Z - Your grades from college

10. The last letter in your last name?
A/B - Always will remember
C/D - Never will forget
E/F - Always wanted to break
G/H - Never openly mocked
I/J - Always have felt dirty before
K/L - Will tell the authorities about
M/N - Told in my confession today about
O/P - Was interviewed by the Times about
Q/R - Told my psychiatrist about
S/T - Get sick when I think of
U/V - Always will try to forget
W/X - Am better off without
Y/Z - Never liked

11. What do you prefer to drink?
Water- Our friendship
Beer - Senility
Soft drink - A new life as a clone
Soda - The incarnation as an eskimo
Milk - The apartment building
Wine - Cocaine abuse
Cider - A passionate interest for mice
Juice - Oprah Winfrey imitations
Mineral water - Embarrassing rash
Hot chocolate - Eggplant-fetishism
Whisky - To ruin the second world war
Other - To hate the Boston Celtics

12. To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Thailand - Warm regards
USA - Best regards
England - Good luck on your short-term leave from jail
Spain - Go and drown yourself
China - Disgusting regards
Germany - With ease
Japan - Go burn
Greece - Your everlasting enemy
Australia - Greetings to your frog Leonard
Egypt - Fuck off now
Italy - In pain
Other - Greetings to your freaky family

Need a hug....

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:57:05 GMT

So, now that I am back at school, I had an awards ceremony to attend. It was last semester's straight A's on a full class load. Nice of them to have a little get together.

They'd prefer no guests, so it was me there.

In a room full of little groups of people who were all in the same program, all little excellent students. Over-acheievers all over the place. A few of my classmates, whom I am on a "hi, how's the weather?" basis invited me to sit with them, which was nice.

I know it is childish of me, but when you invite someone over to sit with you, you don't turn your back to them and continue on a conversation without them, and ignore them until something goes wrong with your award.

Gods, I felt like I was sixty feet under the green grass at that point. I know that we're not bossum buddies, but that is why there is small talk. I left right after the ceremony, didn't even bother with the social mingling, and the food that I can't eat. Thanks, world.

So, instead of this a being happy day, here I am sitting in a computer lab trying not to cry with lonelyniess..,...... and not succeeding.

Spiderwick and Wrock

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:45:15 GMT

Don't worry, no spoilers..... although, you know, that one part, was really good. You know the one...that ...yeah, that happened and ....

Okay, So! Went out for a wonderful friend's birthday and saw Spiderwick and really loved it! Very good movie, don't believe the critics. It was really extra great, because the four of us had the entire theatre to ourselves. NO ONE ELSE! SO lovely.

So! Wrock is Wizarding Rock, for those who just went o_O. I help out The Vanishing Cabinet (found here) and we've worked out a take on Pink Floyd's The Wall. Still in editing and still looking for anyone to help with Umbridge Quotes or singing the second verse.

Working on aother to the tune of Rihanna's Don't Stop the Music. and she has a whole bunch other songs.

Harry Potter Day!

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:17:36 GMT

As emailed to me:
And yes, I plan on wearing either black or green and silver....robes, and short cloak... I'm in school and can wear anything.

TO ALL HARRY POTTER FANS AROUND THE GLOBE -

FEBRUARY 20th is 'Universal Harry Potter Day' - a day when we show the world our LOVE - and our allegiance to all things Harry Potter. And, (like the very beginning in book 1 - when they THOUGHT Voldemort was gone) where all witches and wizards showed themselves to the world - to the Muggles and each other - and celebrated the fall of evil. FOR US, we would ALL show ourselves as the HP Fans we are. Don your wizard-wear, or whatever HP attire you'd like, and go out and meet, greet and celebrate the downfall of the evil that was in Voldemort. AND, PERHAPS, by doing so, by showing so much love and our allegiance to a great world "the world of Harry Potter", we can help to end the real evils of this world. Afterall, Harry Potter IS all about 'LOVE'. Love and respect for each other - every one of us in the entire world.

Please join me, Celestial Warmbottom, in showing the world that we LOVE - not only Harry Potter - (which of course is our passion), but life, all life and people - ALL PEOPLE - all around the world. Let's show everyone, in OUR WAY, and help to destroy hatred Universally.

I'm so hoping this will take off - February 20th - 'Universal Harry Potter Day'. I would love to see ALL Harry Potter people 'in-garb' ALL DAY LONG, meeting and greeting each other 'everywhere'. Now - I know that some of you cannot wear cloakes and capes to work (drat!!) - luckily, I CAN and WILL !!!! BUT, you CAN wear SOMETHING HP so that, when you pass another HP 'person', you will recognize each other and greet each other. AND, the Muggles will recognize that you, not only LOVE everything HP, but are not ashamed to show it - especially on this day !!!!

Wonderful news....Vlad is coming...

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:57:12 GMT

Wonderful news all Taltos fans....

Available for pre-order and it comes out July 8.

Beautiful, isn't it?

OLA Super Conference

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:40:47 GMT

Greetings, all.

Last week was wonderful week in that I got the chance to go to the big OLA Super Conference. Our school paid for our trip down to see the Expo, which is where every library-related vendor in the country tries to be. It was amazing to see all the things that are out there for libraries to use and to take away with them. There were workshops for people to attend, and key speakers. It was the year that the head of OLA (Which stands for Ontario Library Association) was retiring, so there were tributes to him.

It was wonderful.

My feet really hurt, and my knees aren't talking to me nicely.

Took a lot of notes, and the vendors were really nice, especially as we were students, which equals a big No Sale Here sign. They explained a few things, and showed us around. Picked a few freebies, and a lot of literature that was....

More helpful than some of our classes.....

So, I wish I could have gone for the whole weekend, but the budget won't allow that. I volunteered for the Friday, day of the BIG storm, and got to giggle at people in high heels in snowbanks. Bit lonely volunteering, as I felt like the odd-man out, not really knowing anyone and being on my own for the most part. Giving directions around a building that I don't know where anything is.

All in all, a fun two days. Just me and the bobble head pen....who is staring at me.

Hopes

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:25:01 GMT

More Games at arcadecabin.com | Cool Generators

May this work

Star Wars Request

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:33:34 GMT

I am looking for a way to get two short stories from the Hyperspace on Starwars.com. I don't have a membership, and can't afford it for the limited amount of stuff I use it for.

Anyone know of anyone who has the following saved/have a copy?

"Command Decision" - Star Wars Adventure Journal 11 (First appearance)
"Side Trip" - Star Wars Adventure Journal 12 Found this one!!!!

Edit:

Even if you could tell me a place in Ontario that I could borrow the print versions from. Anything, please.

House test.

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:13:44 GMT

I found a House Test for the Empire of Steven Brust.

My results (in order)

Issola

And my lower houses are:

Lyron
Hawk
Yendi

At this site: http://www.selectsmart.com/FREE/select.php?client=dragaeranhouses

First day blahs....

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:08:19 GMT

So!

A new semester, with all the problems that come with it. Forgot my locker combo, so ended in a LONG line to go get it back. Finally got the thing open....grumbles....

Sold 3 of my old text books from Children's lit, because I couldn't stand them anymore and got....drum roll......$7.50. So, I get buy lunch tomorrow, and maybe even have fries with that.... They won't take the Twits, the freak Dahl book that I had to read. So, I am going to find a BMV to see if they will take it...please!

Already have 15 pages of notes, and I haven't even set foot in the class room yet. Thank you, the Internet, making my life more fulfilling as it lack something called peace.

Ah well, what to do. Poking it only makes it poke back.