mmegaera | Recent Entries

Exhibit opens on Saturday. Tomorrow I go to the museum and deal with the contents of the display cases while the collections person is there to take the stuff and put it away. Then I go over to the board president's house and spend most of my day spray-adhering panels to foam core in her garage. Tuesday I go back over there and cut them all out. Wednesday-Friday -- hopefully it won't take that long, but too much time is always better than not enough -- I set the new exhibit up.

Saturday I go to the opening, then to our annual birthday meal out (lunch this time) with my friend L, whose birthday is a week before mine so we always split the difference. Then I go home and collapse in a heap.

Then I head to Texas to visit my mother [wry g].

Oh, and something I've noticed for the first time recently since the weather's gotten decent (it hit 72 today!!! and the sun was out!!!) and my walks have started taking place outdoors again (as opposed to on the treadmill, or, more often, as opposed to not on the treadmill [sigh]).

Anyway, why is it that when parents dress their children to go to the park to play, the little boys get to wear comfy sneakers and the little girls have to wear dreadful pretty shoes that look almost as uncomfortable as what their mothers are wearing? I hate that. With the passion of a thousand burning suns.

Current Mood: frustrated
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/430796.html

I don't do lightning and thunder any more. Not since I was standing outside of a post office branch in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 1979, when a flash boomed out of nowhere, close enough that I heard the thunder before I actually saw the lightning. You know what they say about your hair standing on end in situations like that? It's true. Trust me.

One of the - many, many, many - things I love about where I live is that if we get lightning once every two or three years, that's an event.

I really didn't appreciate the flash that went off within three alligators of me while I was in the car just now...

Current Mood: distressed
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/430358.html

First, I haven't posted about the writing for a while again, but after a 1000+ word day today, I hit the end of Chapter 16. If I can finish this book by the time I head off to Oregon at the end of May, I will be a seriously happy camper. And since James and I had a little chat that settled out the rest of the plot, I think it's doable.

Second, I went for a walk this afternoon, and saw lots of interesting things -- birds and plants. Blooming plants. Lots of them [g]. http://mmjustus.wordpress.com.

I can't do anything else on the museum project until the panels come back from the printer on Friday. After that, it'll be pretty much non-stop for a week (not counting the weekend) till the exhibit opens on Saturday, April the 6th. Almost there...

Current Mood: accomplished
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/430293.html

I loaded my feeds into the queue at The Old Reader a few days ago. I got an email yesterday saying that I'd reached the top of the queue and that my feeds were now loaded. I clicked on the link and found -- what amounts to the same interface as Google Reader (there may be differences, but so far I haven't found any that matter to me).

The only thing is that because, as they apologized in the email, their servers are overloaded with so many folks moving over from GR, the site moves like molasses in January. If this improves over time, then I, at least, am satisfied. If it doesn't, well, I may have to go somewhere else. For now, though, at least my feeds won't go away when Google Reader does.

Current Mood: hopeful
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/430069.html

LJ has hauled off and messed up the post an entry screen. I don't know when this happened, because I post all entries to my journal on DW and let them cross-post, but I went to post directly on an LJ comm just now, and I couldn't.

There used to be a little dropdown menu on LJ's "post an entry" page, so that you could choose to post to your own LJ or to one of the comms you belong to, and that little dropdown menu is gone!!!

How can I post to an LJ comm now???

Please help!

ETA: I keep getting replies telling me where the dropdown menu that isn't there anymore is supposed to be. I really appreciate folks trying to help, but all that's doing is adding to the frustration on my end. Please, what I need to know is how to get the dropdown menu back!!! Thank you!

Current Mood: frustrated
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/429723.html

I've been looking forward to this ever since the reboot's first movie came out:

Snurched from Heroes and Heartbreakers.

Benedict Cumberbatch is turning out to be one of those "overnight sensations" who's been there working all along, isn't he?

Current Mood: excited
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/429553.html

The big panels are DONE.

All four of them.

And they look pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Current Mood: accomplished
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/429226.html

Item the first: My father would have been 92 today. He only made it to 72, unfortunately. I am feeling the need to make spice cake with penuche icing, which was what my mother always made him for his birthday cake (the rest of us always got white cake with white icing, which still seems wrong to me to this day when eaten on a day not a birthday). Unfortunately, I do not have anyone else available today to eat a spice cake with penuche icing, and I need to eat one myself like I need a hole in the head.

Item the second: It's the first day of spring, but unless you're into the subtleties of winter blustery vs. spring blustery in the Pacific Northwest, you'd never know it (there is a difference, really). But Happy Ostara, anyway!

Item the third: After over 400 words this morning I came to the end of Chapter 15, and got about 500 more words into Chapter 16. It was one of those "I'm just taking the dictation" days, where I only wish I could type faster (I already type over 80 wpm, so that's asking a fair amount). My favorite sort of writing day.

And I suppose Item the fourth: Exhibit opens two weeks from this Saturday, and I need to finish creating the big panels today! (the text is written, the pictures are chosen, the graphic design is done -- it's just a matter of plugging everything in now). The photo panels and the timeline panels are done, so the only things left after the big panels are the artifact labels and the acknowledgement panel, and doublecheck that the three or four other panels are really as finished as they should be. Then it's just a matter of physically putting the puzzle all together in the last week. Gods, I can't wait till this is over.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/429035.html

1) There's a petition, with over 75,000 signatures so far. I doubt it will do any good, but I signed it, and if you want to sign it it's here. Ganked from

annathepiper.

2) It appears that most of the so-called alternatives to Google Reader (including Feedly) require you to download software, free or otherwise. Does anyone know of an alternative where you just go to a website and log in to see your feeds the way Google Reader works? That's all I need. Or want.

Current Mood: annoyed
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/428775.html

As of July 1st, Google Reader is going away, as I just found out when I logged onto it a few minutes ago.

I don't want to use DW or LJ as my blog aggregator. Anyone have any good suggestions for something else I can use? Preferably web-based and not a software download.

I don't think I can use LiveMail for that, can I? Or that I'd want to even if I could?

Current Mood: annoyed
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/428301.html

I'm still writing. Finished Chapter 14 today, and started Chapter 15. I write in the mornings, and do museum stuff in the afternoons. Except for the last week or so before the exhibit opens, when it will be all museum stuff all the time [sigh].

I've got over 51,000 words again. Of course, if I hadn't had to cut over four chapters worth, I'd be up to almost 70,000 words (the joy of spreadsheets -- but keeping count is a good incentive).

But we won't go there.

Current Mood: accomplished
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/428139.html

It's going to stay light past seven pm tonight! Time to actually go outside and do stuff after supper! That is, if it isn't raining, which it is right now [sigh].

That sunny stretch sure was nice while it lasted. And there will be more to come. Just not today.

Current Mood: cheerful
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/427713.html

Today was the second of two unbelievably unseasonally sunny days in a row. A young friend came over to dig out the recalcitrant clematis for me. It was beautiful for about ten years, but it hasn't bloomed since 2010, instead scraggling all over the place and getting tangled up in things it shouldn't have been getting tangled up in, so it had to go (I still have one clematis, and it's behaving, including dozens of enormous pink flowers last June).

After she left (she stayed a while to play with the cats -- she's studying to become a veterinary techician, and is passionate about animals), the cats and I went back out in the backyard where I dug a lot of weeds (I haven't weeded the back flower bed since last fall -- the weather's just been too icky most of the time) and cleaned up and threw away a bunch of dead pots, too.

One of which was about a quarter full of dirty water and nailed me in the face before I realized it was [wry g].

But it was so nice to get out in the garden. Esp. with feline company.

And you know it's heading towards spring when cloudless weather means bright sunshine and warmer temperatures and not a temperature inversion resulting in thick, heavy pea soup fog that never burns off and air quality warnings all over the place.

Current Mood: cheerful
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/427334.html

Grimm's back. After a two? month hiatus. Waythehell too long ago, anyway.

And the episode ended on a cliffhanger. Which is fine, because they're not making us wait another two months for more.

This was my favorite new show last season. I think the premise is cool (grimms are those who police the were-folk living among us is a gross oversimplification) the lead (a cop, of course) is IMHO a dead ringer for Lord Ivan Vorpatril (except that his eyes are blue), and Monroe the sidekick is probably my favorite TV sidekick ever. Plus, Portland!

Current Mood: pleased
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/427221.html

I took the boys out back with me when I went outside for a little bit this afternoon. Ivan (who is by far my more adventurous cat) wandered out of sight, which he's done a number of times before, and hadn't come back when I was ready to go back in. I thought, okay, he'll be back in a bit. He's never gone far before.

But it's been three hours and it's getting dark, and I've canvassed the neighborhood, and I can't find him.

I'm sure he's okay, but I'm worried.

Dammit.

Morgan pulled this on me once -- he didn't come home till the next day. But I really wish Ivan would come home. Now.

ETA: He's home. Scratched at the door, then trotted in, tail held high, all but radiating, "wow, that was fun", drat him [g].

Current Mood: worried
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/426964.html

Almost nine straight hours of slumber last night, the kind where you wake up knowing you really put all your effort into it [g]. Between that and the peppermints I bought yesterday and the very mildly seasoned (but still tasty) supper I ate last night, I feel like a human being again.

As a result, I had an over 1000-word day today. I'm back to where I was before I lopped four chapters off a month or so ago [sigh].

Making progress. As a lady I knew back when I lived in Appalachia used to say, I'm moving like a herd of turtles.

Current Mood: chipper but not like Ivan
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/426650.html

So. Joss Whedon's made a new version of Much Ado About Nothing.

(snurched from Heroes and Heartbreakers)

So far as I can tell from the trailer, the only thing it's got that might be an improvement over my alltime favorite movie, the Branagh version of Much Ado, is Nathan Fillion as Dogberry. But then the only thing I despise about the Branagh version is Michael Keaton in that role, and I could watch Fillion read the phone book...

Current Mood: cynical
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/426259.html

Henceforth, pizza is to be a rare treat, and a lunchtime meal only. Never supper (or within six hours of bedtime).

Self-inflicted digestive upsets and insomnia are stupid.

Current Mood: annoyed
Crossposts: http://mmegaera.livejournal.com/426205.html

Not that it was ever in doubt, but Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar, for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, in the only performance I've ever seen where someone was portraying a historical figure and I actually forgot for minutes at a time that I was watching an actor. He was that good.

The rest of the awards didn't matter quite so much, but I cared about that one.

Oh, and ye godlings, I hope they never invite Seth MacFarlane back as host again. He was right down there with David Letterman, vying for the Razzie for Worst Academy Award Host in the Last 40 Years (the first time I remember watching them, I was thirteen).