| | With a LOT of help from my brother Bob, and varying degrees of help from several other friends, I have moved enough stuff over to sleep here in the new place tonight. We've brought over food, clothing, and the dogs, but very little furniture so far. However, after I post this, I plan to go pup for a nice long soak in the big new tub and I said that would be when this became home. :-) | comments: 5 comments or Leave a comment   |
| I closed yesterday morning on a new home. <RIOTOUS EXCITEMENT!!!!!>
It's a lovely place two miles from my current place. quarter-acre fence yard, 4 bedrooms, 2 car garage, finished basement, hardwood floors, gas fireplace, lots of storage. I am beside myself with excitement.
Bought a bunch of needed odds and ends for the place yesterday and started doing measurements so I can figure out what will fit where. Today, we finish the measurements and go looking at paint -- want to change the sewing room from beige to yellow, want to change the family room from autumn pumpkin to green, want to change master bath room toilet closet from chartreuse to pail blue. Then we need to sand and paint the metal railing for the outside stairs to the basement. And see about aplumber to do maintenance on the sprinkler system and some folks to refinish the back deck (1-2 days work at most) and have to get dirt to fill in under the deck and new locks and...
:-) | | comments: 5 comments or Leave a comment |
|  I have been babbling about this on facebook since I first spotted the place, but I realized I hadn't mentioned it on LiveJournal...
I have submitted a bid on a house and it's been accepted! The inspection went well and the sellers have agreed to make the only change I requested. We're currently scheduled to close three weeks from today.
It's a brick-front, 4-bedroom, free standing home on a quiet cul-de-sac. It's got a 2-car garage, a fenced yard, a back deck, and I love it. Friends are kind of in shock because I've been at my current place for just under 24 years. Heck, I'm kind of in shock because it's all happening so fast, but I'm looking forward to the change. | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Your Soul is Searching |  |
You are a wanderer. You constantly long for a new adventure, challenge, or even a completely different life. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. Your feet may be on the ground, but your head is in the clouds. You see yourself with pretty objective eyes. How you view yourself is almost exactly how other people view you. Your near future is likely to be filled with great successes and accomplishments. You just need to figure out how to get there. For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust. Inside the Room of Your Soul | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Sunday was my day at Shore Leave that was just for me. I slept in late and didn't have to be anywhere at any given time.
The only talk of the convention that I saw in its entirety was Chris Heyerdahl's. I had been impressed by him at the masquerade and wanted to make sure I saw his time. His name isn't yet well known (pity) so for those who don't know him, he has recurring roles on a lot of my favorite shows: "John Druit/Jack the Ripper" and "Bigfoot" on Sanctuary, the demon "Alistair" on Supernatural, the wraith "Todd" and the Ecosian "Halling" on Stargate Atlantis, and apparently he'll play a character named Marcus in the Twilight sequel New Moon. He's a very tall, lanky fellow who looks a little scary, but he has a warm personality and a playful sense of humor. He said that Amanda Tapping ("Samantha Carter" on Stargate SG1 & Stargate Atlantis, and "Helen Magnus" on Sanctuary) strongly recommended Shore Leave to him. He also made a point of thanking his Shore Leave escort, Karen. It was obvious that he was having a blast interacting with the fans. After the talk, I thanked him for coming to Shore Leave and being such a great guest. He hugged me.
I did a slow troll through the dealers' rooms, then grabbed my suit and towel from the car and took advange of the (very) hot tub. I then relaxed outside in the shade reading for a bit. Then chatted with friends I encountered in the hallways.
Headed down and caught the second half of the Rachel Luttrell and Jason Momoa (Teyla & Ronan of Stargate Atlantis) talk. What a contrast. She's this slight woman, dressed like a preppy, very calm and composed. She coordinated all the questions. He's this big, sprawling guy in casual (nearly grungy) teenish clothes with a hat pulled down to almost cover his eyes. (He looked like he was fighting his way through a hangover.) They talked about the show and the frustrations of playing the "alien" -- you stand in the back, kinda in the dark, and every now and then you step forward an say a couple words, then back to the background. -- and the fact that before the show neither knew any martial arts -- we had great choreographers. Jason talked about how much he enjoyed the time Christopher Judge (Teal'c) guest starred on Atlantis and their characters had this great fight.
But the best part was when someone asked if they took anything from the set when the show was cancelled. Jason said he was a former professional theif and took everything he could. Rachel said she didnt take anything. She said she would have taken the back from her chair that had her name on it, but when she came back from lunch the last day it was missing from her chair. At which point Jason said, "I so $%&ing totally took that." Rachel was practically speechless and chased him around the stage hitting him. He said he had taken it as a joke, intending to give it to her, then got distracted and forgot. He's promised to find it and return it to her.
Mystery Trekkie Theater was fun, but I'm personally getting tired of folks taking cheap shots at Shatner. Robert Picardo briefly reprised his role as the holographic doctor from Star Trek Voyager as part of the introduction of the Star Trek: Voyager episode they lampooned, "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy". I hadn't seen the original episode, but it was a lot of fun and their comments added to it.
Said my goodbyes and then treated myself to dinner at Outback Steakhouse.
| | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| Had a great time at Shore Leave.
I missed the Keith DeCandido Roast on Friday night 'cause I didn't get out of work in time go home to let out the dogs and then make it up to Hunt Valley. So I stayed home, watched the season premiere of Eureka, and finished putting together my new pirate hat. I hear the roast went well, but the roasters took it easy on him. The hit of the event was the puppet Keith that ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) puppetmaker40 made. It was very well done and was even dressed in one of his Boogie Knights outfits. The Knights had fun coming up with names for it -- Mini Keith, Diminutive DeCandido, and the winner "Special K" -- though when he performs with the Knights the puppet will be known as Krad the More Obscure.
( Boogie Knights )
After that, had lunch with shawan_7 , then headed home to let the dogs out. Traffic on the Baltimore Beltway was HORRIBLE. 15 miles per hour bumper-to-bumper all the way from I83 to I95! Coming back (in MUCH improved traffic) I was passed by two motorcyclists. The first had a zebraskin helmet. The second was wearing a full "Predator" mask, complete with dreadlocks streaming in the breeze. :-)
( The Masquerade... )
( A bit of ego-boo... )
I was going to talk about Sunday here as well, but I've dawdled so much in writing this up, that I'm not going to get much sleep tonight. Maybe I'll actually do it tomorrow.
P.S. I apologize, but lately I have been unsuccessful inserting LJ cuts no matter how hard I try.
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| | Tags: | errands | | Current Music: | Cash Cab on Discovery Channel | | Current Location: | home | | Subject: | Productive Day | | Time: | 05:50 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://pics.livejournal.com/boogiebabe_smap/pic/00020rbk) accomplished |
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| Inspired by yesterday's bad mail, I took the afternoon off from work to deal with several errands:
1. Closed out Mom's estate bank account before the fees reduced it to negative numbers.
2. Made an appointment to meet with a financial adviser next Wednesday to go over what I'm doing with my accounts.
3. Took my car to vehicle emission testing where it passed with flying colors.
4. Picked up a book of stamps at the post office and picked up a new Sacajawea dollar as change.
5. Grabbed lunch at Pei-Wei. (yum)
6. Renewed my driver's license.
7. Got my oil changed.
and now I'm paying my bills.
I feel virtuous. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | mail | | Current Location: | home | | Subject: | WTF mail | | Time: | 01:02 am | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://pics.livejournal.com/boogiebabe_smap/pic/0001t58y) annoyed |
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| Today is the day for annoying unexpected mail.
1. Letter from my Visa card that come August, I will no longer have a fixed rate. It will be based on 6.74 plus the "highest U.S. Prime Rate as published in the 'Money Rates' section of The Wall Street Journal on the last publication day of each month." and goes on to say that an "increase or decrease in the index will cause a corresponding increase or decrease in your variable rates on the first day of your billing cycle that begins inthe same month in which the index is published. An increase in the index means that you will pay higher periodic rate finance charges and have a higher Total Minimum Payment Due. If The Wall Street Journal does not publish the U.S. Prime Rate, or if it changes the definition of the U.S. Prime Rate, we may, in our sole discretion, substitute another index." -- Oh Joy!
But that's nothing compared to letter #2...
from the Maryland Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program informing me that since I missed the 17 June inspection date for my car, my registration will be suspended on 17 July. Never mind that I have no record whatsoever of ever receiving the original inspection notice. <GRUMBLE>
Guess what I'll be doing when I get out of work early tomorrow.
| | comments: 9 comments or Leave a comment |
| Shamelessly snurched from terri_osborne who shamelessly snurched it from tiggerallyn
01. Anyone who looks at this entry has to post this meme and their current wallpaper at their livejournal.( Sunset over Florence, Italy )
02. Explain in five sentences why you're using that wallpaper!
Photograph I took our last night in Florence a month ago. I like the colors and it reminds me of our trip.
03. Don't change your wallpaper before doing this! The point is to see what you had on! | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Your result for The Social Persona Test (What kind of man/woman are you?)...
Quirky Traditional Alpha Female (QTAF): The Rarity 
(Image from http://folk.uio.no/thomas/lists/amazon-connection.html)
You have an unusual and unbelievably precious combination of traits, especially in a woman. Not only are alpha females extremely rare, but traditional ones with nerdy/geeky interests are even more scarce. Unlike the other types, I can't give you a description because I'm not sure if you actually exists. I know this is not a compatibility test, but you are the girl of my dreams. (Assuming, that is, that you are also in your twenties and live in New England). Please, oh please message me!
--Bookwyrm85 You are more QUIRKY than NORMAL. You are more TRADITIONAL than LIBERAL. You are more DOMINANT than PASSIVE.
When picking a date, consider: Lord of the Misfits (QLAM), The Late Bloomer (QTAM), The Snowball's Chance in Hell (QTBM), or The Manga Geek (QLBM).
Take The Social Persona Test (What kind of man/woman are you?) at HelloQuizzy | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| Many thanks to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) cairokate for sharing this. I wish I could have been there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY&feature=player_embedded
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|  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090503/ap_on_re_us/us_obit_kemp
He was a good quarterback and a good Congressman for Buffalo. My mom worked with him when she ran the office for his Congressional successor, Jack Quinn. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | You Are an Old Soul | You are an experienced soul who appreciates tradition.
Mellow and wise, you like to be with others but also to be alone.
Down to earth, you are sensible and impatient.
A creature of habit, it takes you a while to warm up to new people.
You hate injustice, and you're very protective of family and friends
A bit demanding, you expect proper behavior from others.
Extremely independent you don't mind living or being alone.
But when you find love, you tend to want marriage right away.
Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul and Visionary Soul |
(Hmmm, I've been told this before.)
| | comments: Leave a comment |
| | All good news for a change: Athena came through her second surgery with flying colors. This growth was completely benign fatty tissue. The staff at the veterinary hospital were very impressed with how well the previous surgery site has healed. She's home resting now. | | comments: 5 comments or Leave a comment |
| | I think this year's award program was a class act. There were only a couple places were I wish they would have done things differently -- like the camera work during the tribute to the fallen -- but otherwise, very good. And a couple places where I laughed out loud. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| Athena got her stitches out this evening and the vet is very happy with her progress.
I got a little more data on the cancer. I totally failed to get the name. (It started with "a" and when on for several syllables.) The vet says this cancer is "locally aggressive" which means it grows and spreads in one area, but doesn't hitch a ride on the blood system and spread to other parts of the body. The vet also said that the biosy indicated that the edges of the sample were cancer-free that is a promising sign that the might have gotten it all. However, I will have to watch the area to make sure it doesn't come back.
They want me to call in a couple weeks to schedule an appointment to get the tumor on Athena's underside removed. That one they think is just a fatty tumor which should be benign, but it is large and they don't want it getting too big to deal with.
So... so far, so good. | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | athena | | Current Music: | "Earth Magic Girls" - Boogie Knights | | Current Location: | home | | Subject: | Update on Athena | | Time: | 05:00 pm | | Current Mood: | cautiously optimistic |
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| | Just got off the phone with the vet where Athena has an appointment Wednesday evening to get the stitches removed. The results of the biopsy were in and the news is mixed. What they removed was malignant -- a low grade cancer that doesn't tend to spread. The good news is that they think they got it all, but we'll have to check in a couple months. Which is fine, since I need to take her back in a couple months to get the other growth removed. When I hear anything more, I'll let you know. At the moment, Athena is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and has claimed the prime spot under the computer table. | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
|  Athena is home. The surgery was successful, but took longer than anticipated and they didn't want to keep a "geriatric" dog -- Athena is 12 and a half -- under anesthesia any longer than necessary. So, they only removed the cyst on her back. The possible fatty tumor on her "flank" will have to wait until she's healed from this one.
They've taken biopsies and sent them off for analysis and in 10-14 days I'll have to take Athena in to get the -- FREAKIN' HUGE! -- sutures removed. In the meantime, she's on antibiotics and pain killers starting tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I'm just happy to have her home and cyst-free.
Here's Frankenthena...
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ecstatic![[mood icon]](http://pics.livejournal.com/boogiebabe_smap/pic/0001s9w5){kind=small}
tired![[mood icon]](http://pics.livejournal.com/boogiebabe_smap/pic/0001qwa1){kind=small}
full![[mood icon]](http://pics.livejournal.com/boogiebabe_smap/pic/0001rhrc){kind=small}
amused![[mood icon]](http://pics.livejournal.com/boogiebabe_smap/pic/0001yc32){kind=small}
sad![[mood icon]](http://pics.livejournal.com/boogiebabe_smap/pic/0001w0t6){kind=small}
contemplative