Too far behind to really catch up.
Oct. 6th, 2003 04:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sarea
I feel like I haven't been online in ages, and it's only been since Friday afternoon. I still had a hell of a time catching up with my LJ friends page, and have semi-given up. It's odd how disconnected one feels after a couple of days not being online. By the by, you'll never believe it, I finally called Verizon again (when the allotted 48 hours had passed and my DSL was still not working), and it was fixed by changing a setting. Was so peeved. Not that it mattered that much, since my mom's in town. Okay, now I'm going to go on and on, so will make judicious use of the cut tag.
Before I get into the business of what's kept me offline (including a long story about my dog -- yes, Jade and I both had something happen to our dogs on the same day), I wanted to impart some v. awesome news ... well, awesome of you're a big geeky fan of hers like I am: Diana Gabaldon is going to be speaking at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
corianderstem's work place, and I have been invited to tag along! W00t! If it's anything like it was for Dennis Lehane, it'll be a fairly intimate setting, and I. cannot. wait. Now I'm wondering if I should go get all her books in hardback so I can get them all signed. I probably won't be that much of a freak, but I will certainly bring "The Fiery Cross," and "The Outlandish Companion," which I do have in hb. I am praying that work won't interfere with this, though knowing my luck, it probably will. *sigh*
So before my mom arrived, I wanted to get everything in tip-top shape. Well, at least tidy up, because that was the worst of it (I'm more messy than dirty). I also did some surface cleaning. This was all for naught, as she bemoaned the state of my carpet and pretty much everything else. She is now spending most of her time here cleaning my place, which is not exactly a bad thing, but only kind of embarrassing.
Anyway, as part of the cleaning regime, I had taken Talis to Petco Grooming to get a bath. Now, I'm a bad owner because he's a long-haired dog, but he hated being brushed, so I never troubled myself or him with it. The result was that he was extremely matted. You couldn't tell how bad it was just by looking at him, but it was bad. The proclamation was that he would need to be shaved before the bathing occurred. I had suspected that would be the case, so I said that was fine. The girl at Petco said that she didn't have her groomer's license yet, but she could handle the shaving, if he would let her. If he showed any indication of resisting, she'd have to wait until the other person came on, and they would do it together. Okay, fine.
I'd taken the morning off work so that I could deal with this, and maybe take my car to get an oil change ... but about an hour after I dropped Talis off, I got a call from Petco. I thought it was going to be the girl telling me that Talis had been resistant, and that he would be taking longer because she'd have to wait for her colleague to come on. But no, apparently he had jumped while she was taking off a particularly big mat, and his left leg grazed her scissors. It wasn't bleeding, she said, but the skin was separated and he would need stitches. She was v. apologetic ... she took him to our vet and had Petco pay for everything, and of course said that when Talis was ready the bath/grooming would be free. I was still freaked out, but I'm just thankful that it wasn't anything more serious (yes, she was a professional, and yes, should be more prepared for things like that, but ... I don't know, while I'd really like to blame her and hold a grudge, I also know that Talis is not the most placid of dogs, and things can and do happen).
HOWEVER. Now he's all shaved down (he looks like a completely different dog), and when I first saw him I nearly cried. I also wondered if maybe they had mistaken Talis for another dog, because I barely recognized him! But he recognized me, and it was so sweet I could barely contain myself. It was a tiny little cut, just three stitches, but now he has to wear one of those Elizabethan collars so he won't aggravate them. The problem I soon found, however, is that he is greatly disturbed by having his peripheral vision blocked, so he resists going on walks! And he's not use to his own furlessness, so he keeps rubbing his face on the concrete (yes, I finally caved and took it off, because otherwise I suspect he would STILL be holding his pee from Friday). Getting him to go on walks and do his business is now a matter of hoping like hell he'll do it. It's so unnatural. And his eating/drinking habits have also been disturbed; he's barely eaten anything in two days (not that his appetite is gone, exactly -- he'll eat treats that we give him, but not his dog food), and isn't drinking v. much. Again, I take off the collar so he'll do these things ... because otherwise I feel like he's not going to, and is going to perish from starvation or dehydration! *weeps* The second he starts licking at his stitches, the collar goes back on ... but is it really the licking that's bad, or the fear that he'll try to rip the stitches out?
So apparently, my parents really want my dog. And there's no denying that he would be better off with them. My mom is home all day, so she can take care of him and he'll have company. Plus they have a huge house he can run around in, and my cousin just got a puppy so he'll have a playmate far more often than he has one here. My mom is far more nurturing (and strict) than I am, and I think eventually he would be much happier with them. It's just that initially, I hate the idea of him thinking that he's been booted to another home because he was unwanted. He's not unwanted; just thinking about him not being there makes me all verklempt. But in the long run, it's so, so much better for him. I think his behavioral problems are partially due to the fact that I'm away so much of the time, and he has to be by himself. *sob*
The other things I did this weekend, other than constantly worry about Talis, was shop for a new car (which is the reason my mom came up at all) and eat a lot of food. The car shopping was a no go. Dealerships here are just not as willing to make a deal the way they are in California. It's really the equivalent of walking into a dealership and offering them a shiny new quarter for one of their cars. So I think I'm going to either keep the Vette (keeping one high maintenance thing while pawning the other off on my parents), or maybe my dad will help me purchase one in CA, which he can then drive up, and then drive the Vette down along with Talis. Man, this is really what parents are for. So far, my mom and I have eaten: sushi, Cheesecake Factory, Vietnamese pho, Indian buffet, and tonight we're going to Tropea (Italian -- Jade, it's where you got that fusilli that was really good). Tomorrow my mom's cooking (yay, home cooking!), and possibly on Wed. we're going to go to El Greco. All my fave restaurants!
Hee. Thanks tokirixchi for the link to Hot Bad Guys. It's loffly, and of course, many of my fave characters are there. They're missing Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, though. What's up with that? What it says about Tom Felton makes me laugh. My fave part is this: He receives points for Evil Pronunciation of Archenemy's Name and Most Evil Broomstick Takeoff in Film History. Hahahahahaha. Jade and I always talk about the way he spits out, "Potter." It is truly impressive how he can infuse those two syllables with a world of loathing. I'm glad that we're not the only ones who have noticed (though I wonder if anyone mimics him and giggles insanely afterward the way we do).
Okay, to make up for going on and on about my life, here's a few paragraphs from TSA2. It's not much, but it's honestly all I feel comfortable posting at this point in time, as what I've written so far has yet to be beta'd or given much cohesion (and yes, much of it also needs to be reworked to account for OotP events). :D Really makes you want to read it now, doesn't it?
Bit from TSA2:
Ginny turned to the next group to see if any of them might be interested in the pastry puffs. It was so crowded that she was only able to get the attention of one member of the group, which she noted abstractly was a younger group than she'd been serving all night, a witch so beautiful that Ginny was momentarily mesmerized. The woman's dark hair was piled on her head in a bevy of perfectly behaved curls, and she was dressed in a deep purple robe that made her sultry violet eyes stand out magnificently. Her lips so finely shaped that it seemed they were drawn on, but they weren't; Ginny could see that the woman wore very little makeup; what she had on was tasteful and designed to enhance her natural beauty – of which she had plenty. She was tall and long-limbed, towering above Ginny, who, even in her heels, barely reached the woman's shoulder.
Ginny held out her tray, feeling decidedly gauche, and inquired whether the woman or her companions would like a shrimp and asparagus filled pastry puff. The woman made a dismissive gesture with her hand, indicating that she would pass, but turned to the others to ask if they would be interested. The crowd seemed to lessen suddenly, and Ginny was finally able to maneuver around and get into a better position for the others to help themselves. The woman would likely not have lowered herself to serve her companions (all male, unsurprisingly) from Ginny's tray.
At first she was so busy making sure that everyone had easy access to the food that she didn't notice him, but when she started to say, "Please help yourself to a napkin," Ginny looked up and the words trailed away. Draco Malfoy, dressed in tasteful black robes, was staring at her with unreadable gray eyes.
Ginny could feel herself flushing, and the more she tried to stop, the redder she could feel herself getting. She'd known he'd be here, of course, but somehow in her nervousness and subsequent relief, she'd forgotten exactly where she was. Or at least, had briefly lost the ability to connect Draco Malfoy with Malfoy Manor. She told herself there was no reason for it, but there was no escaping the truth: She was embarrassed. She waited for him to make a snide remark in front of his friends, and told herself that whatever he said, she wouldn't let it get to her. She was not going to drop the tray of pastries and run out of the room. She had grown up, and being an adult meant that she would be able to ignore gits like Malfoy.
This little pep talk was nearly for naught. She just about dropped her tray anyway when the gorgeous creature Ginny had been admiring before destroyed the illusion that she was a divine being by screeching, "Do you know this girl, Draco?" She wasn't actually screeching, Ginny realized in horror; that was her normal voice. She didn't think she had ever heard a more grating sound.
Malfoy didn't even look at the woman – who was actually only in her 20s – when he demanded, "What are you doing here, Weasley?"
"Oh. Hello, Malfoy." He had asked what seemed a simple enough question; she just had to gather her wits long enough to provide an answer. She noticed that he was the only one who had not taken a pastry puff, other than the high-pitched beauty next to him who was now looking at Ginny with narrowed eyes. "Puff?" She held out the tray. It was the only thing she could think of to say. Perhaps part of her was thinking that if he took a pastry, this would free her to move on, which she desperately wanted to do. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this flustered and uncomfortable.
"No, thank you," Malfoy said, not very politely. It sounded as though he were speaking through gritted teeth, though why that should be the case, she didn't know. "May I speak with you, please?" The words were courteous but that was all. He jerked his head to the side, indicating that he didn't wish to have an audience, and his tone brooked no argument.
Before I get into the business of what's kept me offline (including a long story about my dog -- yes, Jade and I both had something happen to our dogs on the same day), I wanted to impart some v. awesome news ... well, awesome of you're a big geeky fan of hers like I am: Diana Gabaldon is going to be speaking at
corianderstem's work place, and I have been invited to tag along! W00t! If it's anything like it was for Dennis Lehane, it'll be a fairly intimate setting, and I. cannot. wait. Now I'm wondering if I should go get all her books in hardback so I can get them all signed. I probably won't be that much of a freak, but I will certainly bring "The Fiery Cross," and "The Outlandish Companion," which I do have in hb. I am praying that work won't interfere with this, though knowing my luck, it probably will. *sigh*So before my mom arrived, I wanted to get everything in tip-top shape. Well, at least tidy up, because that was the worst of it (I'm more messy than dirty). I also did some surface cleaning. This was all for naught, as she bemoaned the state of my carpet and pretty much everything else. She is now spending most of her time here cleaning my place, which is not exactly a bad thing, but only kind of embarrassing.
Anyway, as part of the cleaning regime, I had taken Talis to Petco Grooming to get a bath. Now, I'm a bad owner because he's a long-haired dog, but he hated being brushed, so I never troubled myself or him with it. The result was that he was extremely matted. You couldn't tell how bad it was just by looking at him, but it was bad. The proclamation was that he would need to be shaved before the bathing occurred. I had suspected that would be the case, so I said that was fine. The girl at Petco said that she didn't have her groomer's license yet, but she could handle the shaving, if he would let her. If he showed any indication of resisting, she'd have to wait until the other person came on, and they would do it together. Okay, fine.
I'd taken the morning off work so that I could deal with this, and maybe take my car to get an oil change ... but about an hour after I dropped Talis off, I got a call from Petco. I thought it was going to be the girl telling me that Talis had been resistant, and that he would be taking longer because she'd have to wait for her colleague to come on. But no, apparently he had jumped while she was taking off a particularly big mat, and his left leg grazed her scissors. It wasn't bleeding, she said, but the skin was separated and he would need stitches. She was v. apologetic ... she took him to our vet and had Petco pay for everything, and of course said that when Talis was ready the bath/grooming would be free. I was still freaked out, but I'm just thankful that it wasn't anything more serious (yes, she was a professional, and yes, should be more prepared for things like that, but ... I don't know, while I'd really like to blame her and hold a grudge, I also know that Talis is not the most placid of dogs, and things can and do happen).
HOWEVER. Now he's all shaved down (he looks like a completely different dog), and when I first saw him I nearly cried. I also wondered if maybe they had mistaken Talis for another dog, because I barely recognized him! But he recognized me, and it was so sweet I could barely contain myself. It was a tiny little cut, just three stitches, but now he has to wear one of those Elizabethan collars so he won't aggravate them. The problem I soon found, however, is that he is greatly disturbed by having his peripheral vision blocked, so he resists going on walks! And he's not use to his own furlessness, so he keeps rubbing his face on the concrete (yes, I finally caved and took it off, because otherwise I suspect he would STILL be holding his pee from Friday). Getting him to go on walks and do his business is now a matter of hoping like hell he'll do it. It's so unnatural. And his eating/drinking habits have also been disturbed; he's barely eaten anything in two days (not that his appetite is gone, exactly -- he'll eat treats that we give him, but not his dog food), and isn't drinking v. much. Again, I take off the collar so he'll do these things ... because otherwise I feel like he's not going to, and is going to perish from starvation or dehydration! *weeps* The second he starts licking at his stitches, the collar goes back on ... but is it really the licking that's bad, or the fear that he'll try to rip the stitches out?
So apparently, my parents really want my dog. And there's no denying that he would be better off with them. My mom is home all day, so she can take care of him and he'll have company. Plus they have a huge house he can run around in, and my cousin just got a puppy so he'll have a playmate far more often than he has one here. My mom is far more nurturing (and strict) than I am, and I think eventually he would be much happier with them. It's just that initially, I hate the idea of him thinking that he's been booted to another home because he was unwanted. He's not unwanted; just thinking about him not being there makes me all verklempt. But in the long run, it's so, so much better for him. I think his behavioral problems are partially due to the fact that I'm away so much of the time, and he has to be by himself. *sob*
The other things I did this weekend, other than constantly worry about Talis, was shop for a new car (which is the reason my mom came up at all) and eat a lot of food. The car shopping was a no go. Dealerships here are just not as willing to make a deal the way they are in California. It's really the equivalent of walking into a dealership and offering them a shiny new quarter for one of their cars. So I think I'm going to either keep the Vette (keeping one high maintenance thing while pawning the other off on my parents), or maybe my dad will help me purchase one in CA, which he can then drive up, and then drive the Vette down along with Talis. Man, this is really what parents are for. So far, my mom and I have eaten: sushi, Cheesecake Factory, Vietnamese pho, Indian buffet, and tonight we're going to Tropea (Italian -- Jade, it's where you got that fusilli that was really good). Tomorrow my mom's cooking (yay, home cooking!), and possibly on Wed. we're going to go to El Greco. All my fave restaurants!
Hee. Thanks to
kirixchi for the link to Hot Bad Guys. It's loffly, and of course, many of my fave characters are there. They're missing Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, though. What's up with that? What it says about Tom Felton makes me laugh. My fave part is this: He receives points for Evil Pronunciation of Archenemy's Name and Most Evil Broomstick Takeoff in Film History. Hahahahahaha. Jade and I always talk about the way he spits out, "Potter." It is truly impressive how he can infuse those two syllables with a world of loathing. I'm glad that we're not the only ones who have noticed (though I wonder if anyone mimics him and giggles insanely afterward the way we do).Okay, to make up for going on and on about my life, here's a few paragraphs from TSA2. It's not much, but it's honestly all I feel comfortable posting at this point in time, as what I've written so far has yet to be beta'd or given much cohesion (and yes, much of it also needs to be reworked to account for OotP events). :D Really makes you want to read it now, doesn't it?
Bit from TSA2:
Ginny turned to the next group to see if any of them might be interested in the pastry puffs. It was so crowded that she was only able to get the attention of one member of the group, which she noted abstractly was a younger group than she'd been serving all night, a witch so beautiful that Ginny was momentarily mesmerized. The woman's dark hair was piled on her head in a bevy of perfectly behaved curls, and she was dressed in a deep purple robe that made her sultry violet eyes stand out magnificently. Her lips so finely shaped that it seemed they were drawn on, but they weren't; Ginny could see that the woman wore very little makeup; what she had on was tasteful and designed to enhance her natural beauty – of which she had plenty. She was tall and long-limbed, towering above Ginny, who, even in her heels, barely reached the woman's shoulder.
Ginny held out her tray, feeling decidedly gauche, and inquired whether the woman or her companions would like a shrimp and asparagus filled pastry puff. The woman made a dismissive gesture with her hand, indicating that she would pass, but turned to the others to ask if they would be interested. The crowd seemed to lessen suddenly, and Ginny was finally able to maneuver around and get into a better position for the others to help themselves. The woman would likely not have lowered herself to serve her companions (all male, unsurprisingly) from Ginny's tray.
At first she was so busy making sure that everyone had easy access to the food that she didn't notice him, but when she started to say, "Please help yourself to a napkin," Ginny looked up and the words trailed away. Draco Malfoy, dressed in tasteful black robes, was staring at her with unreadable gray eyes.
Ginny could feel herself flushing, and the more she tried to stop, the redder she could feel herself getting. She'd known he'd be here, of course, but somehow in her nervousness and subsequent relief, she'd forgotten exactly where she was. Or at least, had briefly lost the ability to connect Draco Malfoy with Malfoy Manor. She told herself there was no reason for it, but there was no escaping the truth: She was embarrassed. She waited for him to make a snide remark in front of his friends, and told herself that whatever he said, she wouldn't let it get to her. She was not going to drop the tray of pastries and run out of the room. She had grown up, and being an adult meant that she would be able to ignore gits like Malfoy.
This little pep talk was nearly for naught. She just about dropped her tray anyway when the gorgeous creature Ginny had been admiring before destroyed the illusion that she was a divine being by screeching, "Do you know this girl, Draco?" She wasn't actually screeching, Ginny realized in horror; that was her normal voice. She didn't think she had ever heard a more grating sound.
Malfoy didn't even look at the woman – who was actually only in her 20s – when he demanded, "What are you doing here, Weasley?"
"Oh. Hello, Malfoy." He had asked what seemed a simple enough question; she just had to gather her wits long enough to provide an answer. She noticed that he was the only one who had not taken a pastry puff, other than the high-pitched beauty next to him who was now looking at Ginny with narrowed eyes. "Puff?" She held out the tray. It was the only thing she could think of to say. Perhaps part of her was thinking that if he took a pastry, this would free her to move on, which she desperately wanted to do. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this flustered and uncomfortable.
"No, thank you," Malfoy said, not very politely. It sounded as though he were speaking through gritted teeth, though why that should be the case, she didn't know. "May I speak with you, please?" The words were courteous but that was all. He jerked his head to the side, indicating that he didn't wish to have an audience, and his tone brooked no argument.
