Faith, the two-legged dog!

Where are my tissues?!

"Do you see the lines where your skin ends, and where the air around you begins? Those are your limits. Outside those limits, you will find other people, many of whom will have ideas about ways you should live your life, including whom you should like and what you should feel comfortable discussing.

The duty of outsiders isn't to force those ideas upon you (or manipulate you into them by noting "everyone else" says you're wrong). It is, instead, to accept that you will form opinions different from theirs, respect your right to do so, and form their opinion of you based on the whole -- of your judgment, of your actions, of the quality of your companionship." - Carolyn Hax

Food for thought.

If I were a super hero, my weakness would be salt & vinegar potato chips. *munches*

Now you go.

Dear Livejournal,

If you are free at 6 PM EST this (or the next) evening, may I suggest that you get your tooshies over to the Kennedy Center website and watch Tiny Ninjas perform Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet? What could be funnier than Tiny Ninjas overacting in the most well-known tragic love story of all time? Well, possibly Tiny Ninjas overacting The Scottish Play, but that was yesterday. Sorry. Try to enjoy it anyway, eh?

:D

-Lah

heh heh heh. **dances around in lala-skin omg**

THREE GUESSES AS TO WHO I AM. I SHALL GIVE SOME CLUES:

DOG
WHITE
LESTER.

bwa ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa**gurgle**

lizzies says potter is a lying h0r.

...And then some idiot tried to KILL ME on the beltway on the way home because I had to go around him in the left lane in order to get back over to the right and make my exit, since he'd moved over to pass me and then SLOWED DOWN after I got over after him to get around the car in front of me. Anyway, so he boxed me out of getting over to the right, so I got into the left lane, sped up to EIGHTY MILES AN HOUR and made sure I was decently far in front of him, then got over TWO LANES so that I could make my exit; he sped up, passed me, and then cut over in front of me and SLAMMED ON HIS BREAKS, like he thought he was fucking funny.

Asshole had a Cubs sticker on his bumper. I think he was just pissed that Da Bears lost. I'm so glad our government will let anyone who can pass a test OPERATE DEADLY MACHINERY AT EIGHTY MILES AN HOUR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AFTER DRINKING HEAVILY.

*FINGER*

*grumblegrumblesundaynightgrumblegrumble*

Hello, internets! Apologies, as usual, for being scattered. There is just not enough time in the day anymore. Cause, you know, the days are shorter than normal and I am more tired. Also, I keep having to wake up in the morning and go to WORK. What up with that?

As always, there both is and isn't too much to report. Life is what it is. I usually wake up with a smile on my face and a song on my lips. Some days it lasts until after lunch and other days I barely make it to coffee. In general, I would call myself happy. Which is v. good news. I miss y'all, though. More and more every day. I know that I'm missing a lot and it makes me sad. (I just found a baby carrot in my bag that is shaped like a check mark. How do these things happen? Nature, you are amazing.) There are other things, but I think they can wait. I would like to give photographic evidence for some. Mostly this is just a checking in post and a great big HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and yours, in case I don't get back here to say it.

♥

Good idea - Voting today.

Bad idea - Arguing with your boss about politics. Before coffee.

I was going to make a whole educated post, but that really harshed my buzz.

Those of you in Maryland, go here for information on the Democratic ticket. Also, here for some interesting video from an O'Malley rally the other night.

In PG County go here to print out a straight Democratic ticket (in pdf form) to take with you to the polls.

And all of you can go here to read an interesting blog post that maitheas linked to yesterday which gives you some good reasons to vote a straight Democratic ticket this election.

And then? Make your own decision. And go vote.

Hallo, flist.

Since we last spoke, I have: been to NYC, seen Avenue Q, walked through Central Park in a rainstorm (and not in a rainstorm), danced on the big piano at FAO Schwarz and drooled over the gift shop at MoMA. There are actually a lot of things that I want to write about, both from that experience and from others, and hopefully soon my head will clear enough that I can.

Today, though. Today, I wanted to ask the more web-design saavy among you for some help. See, I am trying to make this webpage. And I downloaded a template. And I was successfully able to make changes to the CSS portion of the template and have them reflected in the index.html file when I opened it with my browser (firefox). However, when I viewed the source of that document, c&p'd it to a textedit file and then saved it as html and tried to open it with my browser, it no longer opens as an html file, but instead just shows the text of the code. I am on a Mac. Do you think this is because I am using textedit and need to be using some other form of text editor that does not work in rich text format? That is all I can figure. Otherwise, I am just a ditz. Pls to be helping? *big eyes*

Also, it is freezing. Tell me something warm.

Dear F*cknugget,

Let's get some things straight - my phone number is not your phone number. Two days later, it is STILL not your phone number. There is a difference of the placement of two digits. Two very important digits, I would venture to say, since the correct placement of said digits would have enabled you to reach your voicemail, whereas the incorrect placement of such leaves you sputtering on my messages. Thing two - calling it three times in a row on two different days doesn't change the fact that it is not. your. phone. number. You'd think one would get that from the voicemail message wherein I, sounding quite obviously like myself - someone who is very clearly not you - state my name, which is very clearly not your name. But then, you'd be wrong. Much like you are. About your own phone number. Also, your apologies are starting to wear thin, especially when you call me and say 'Hi, do I know you? You called me.' No, F*cknugget. You called me. At 3:11 am. At 3:14 am. And if that weren't enough, at 5:18 am. And then thrice more. If only this were the internet, I would ban_set your ass so fast you'd leave skidmarks. Just wait until I figure out how to block a number from this new phone. I bet you'll miss me calling you F*cknugget.

Yours with undeserved patience,
L

Some days, man. I just don't know.

And, lo, the heavens did open, and the seas did rise and in the midst of the chaos there entered in a Friday. And so noble and so brilliant in her bearing was this Friday that all the world stopped in its fury to gaze upon her. And the clouds did part and the seas did calm and the birds were heard to resume their chorus. And it was good.

At least when 5:30 rolled around.

In my continuing effort to make the world a more beautiful place through vain self-transformation, I have exercised more and harder this week than I have ever exercised in my life. Every inch of my body feels like it has been worked over by the carnival strong man posing as a masseuse. My eyes are open purely from habit at this point and I really have got to wash that pile of socks under my bed before I suffocate from the fumes. I am so ready for you, Weekend. Bring it!

I think there should be happy hour tonight, flist. Are you in?

*deep breath*

Hallo, LJ. Long time no chat. I could bore you with the boring details of what I have and haven't been doing in the last month, but I don't feel like it. Instead, I will just say 'Hi there, howareya?' and let you tell me about you.

In the meantime, have a photo: ( Seaside Heights, NJ September 2006 )

Click-through and look at some of the others from that trip. I like them. They're fun. I stole the titles from shanalle's Two Line Challenge lyrics. That was fun, too.

In other news, Why This Guy Hates Zach Braff, an article with some interesting points about twenty-somethings and a side of what looks like jealousy, washed down with some vitrol that might be better aimed at Entertainment Weekly than at Zach Braff. (Thanks, squishydi for the link!) The author is mad because Braff is probably leaving Scrubs at the end of this season to focus on his film career. Which he thinks has no future, and furthermore, is 'annoying'. Hmm. I'm not sure, but last time I checked most serious film criticisms involved more than feelings of 'irritation' on the critic's part. Give me some real reasons that the movies didn't work for you, Mr. Levin, beyond your dislike of Braff, and I'd be more inclined to take you seriously. I think this guy went to my University - the pretentious Jewish journalism major who likes to think that he speaks for the rest of us. On the other hand, he was a pretty nice kid, beyond all that, who just seemed to want his whole generation to be smarter and more engaged than they are. Which I can't exactly argue with.

I still loved Garden State, though. Sorry, Mr. Levin.

Happiest of Happy days to my birthday twin anatsuno! This has been a year of great change for you, but I know that all the things that have happened will only serve to make you stronger and more wonderful. I hope the next year brings newer and better things, and a healthy sprinkling of all the good old stuff, too! *bakes you cupcakes*

Off to the woods for the weekend for some bday palooza with da crew. Thank you for all of your good wishes! I will catch up when I get back! *loooooooove*

on a sunday, if one has only been awake for 7 hours, is it acceptable to go back to sleep?

you have 30 minutes. answer in number 2 pencil. include footnotes and annotations, please. you may begin.

does it ever seem as if your place of residence has started to feel less like 'home' and more like 'home-base'? in the last month and a half, i have spent more than twice the number of hours in the office than i have spent at home. and considering that roughly 3/4 of those where i was actually physically present within the confines of my own four walls were spent in bed, i'm beginning to wonder why i bother to own things like a t.v.. or a mother. or several cats. (no, that's not true. the last ones serve as the most accurate alarm clock in existence. 5 a.m., rain or shine, it's tuna time!) on the other hand, my most prized posessions have somehow become my laptop, cell phone, car, and digital camera, not necessarily in that order. don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining! i'm loving every second of it - well, there was that one miserable one about two weeks ago - but i'm kind of starting to feel like i'm living out of my duffel bag again. and i have to wonder.

see, i love stuff. square-shaped, pear-shaped, purple or see-through, i just love stuff. i surround myself with it whenever i can: patently useful things where the purchases are easily justified which i never actually use for any real purpose. candles and books and bubble bath for those relaxing evenings winding down after work; shirts and shoes and 3 shades of foundation for those nights on the town. i have 7 pillows on my bed right now, and 4 blankets, nevermind that it was 90 degrees today. my 'lifesize' cardboard legolas cutout is resting on a pile of clothing, wearing my cowboy hat - and a sign that says 'hey baby - 'ow you doin'?'- but i digress. my point is that i have more stuff than i know what to do with. but if i've learned anything from the last few years of feeling restless, it's that there's nothing that can't be cured by the application of a good beer. well, that, and oh yeah, that i don't really NEED anything for my daily existence beyond what i can carry on my back. and yet, that free sample of perfume i got two months ago in the mail is still sitting under six unread magazines on my desk. go figure.

but why the dichotomy, i wonder? i like to think that i am one of the most low-maintenance human beings on the planet, physically. i really don't need much to make it through the day, as long as it starts with a cup of coffee and ends in a feather bed and a down comforter. although i suppose, if necessary, i could live out of a sleeping bag for more than a week without complaint if i set myself to the task. so why do i own so many... things? where does this pack-rat compulsion come from, this need to nest? i've proven to myself many times over that i can 'rough it' with the best of civilized society for at least a night (although i will be a crabby bitch in the morning) - and yet there is a closet in the basement full of boxes of my crap that i just can't bring myself to throw away. why is it that if i'm never around, i have to make sure that home has all the comforts thereof, even if i'm not there to use them?

i had an awesome weekend, and it was lovely to see all of you. sumbitch and abundantlyqueer are my maid of honor heroines, in chronological order. spillingvelvet, you still owe me some time for portrait sitting. :D

...and so, after 5 years, i've done my first big friendslist cut.

it isn't personal. it isn't political. it's me not getting enough sleep at night trying to keep up. i wish you all the best. there are people i'm cutting that i care for, people i never really got to know, people that i plan to check in on once in a while, and people that i don't want to lose touch with. but (and you've all heard this a million times before) i just can't do it anymore.

as always, feel free to cut me in turn or just drop me, even if i didn't cut you. no hard feelings, etc etc.

comments screened if you have something to say.

"This is our moment, this is our time, this is our chance to stand up for what is right. Three thousand Africans, mostly children, die every day of mosquito bites. We can fix that. Nine thousand people dying every die of a preventable, treatable disease like Aids. We have got the drugs. We can help them."
-Bono

"AIDS and malaria and TB are national security issues. A worldwide program to get a start on dealing with these issues would cost about $25 billion... It's, what, a few months in Iraq."
-Jared Diamond

On my way in to work this morning, I looked down at my wrist and noticed my Livestrong bracelet, and next to it a strand of Mardi Gras Beads I got at the bar this weekend in Orlando. And I thought - 'If everyone wore a strand of beads to support Katrina relief efforts the way everyone wears a bracelet for Cancer and Aids and Poverty, I wonder how much of a difference that would make.'

And so my crazy idea was born. Now, admittedly, I'm probably behind the jelly bracelet companies who are manufacturing Hurricane Relief ones even as we speak, but I figure it can't hurt to explore this idea. I just want so much to help all the people who've been hurt by this disaster and my own finances right now will only enable me to do so much. To that end, I've made up a poll just to generate some ideas and get things in order. I'm leaving this entry open, so feel free to pimp it if you think what I'm trying to do has any chance of working. Remember, this is all still very much in the planning stages, and I'd welcome any input you might have to help get this project off the ground.

( Hurricane Relief Poll )

Thank you, everyone, for all of your input. If we can help even one person affected by the disaster with this project then it will be enough.

wow, i'm already late for work and i haven't even showered yet. BUT.

thanks to my sister and her web-sleuthing abilities, there's something all you lost fans should see.

remember that oceanic air website almostnever and anatsuno linked to a few days ago? remember the seating chart page? well. wanna see a (short, spoilery but not really giving too much away at all) teaser trailer for next season? ( SPOILERS )

which fits in perfectly well with my theory, so. rock.