beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
Welcome to T's short week! Sadly, Monday and Tuesday are not two of the short days. I'm sure it's going to be bugfuck, being the Monday after a long weekened. I'm not looking forward to it. I could use another hour of naptime, since Boodle kindly started waking me up at 4am. Little fucker. I rudely picked her up and put her off the bed, multiple times, because I was not ready to get up. Last I saw her, she was sulking over the 5am round wherne I nudged her off me yet again. I am a little bit yawn-y. Oh well. It'll improve soon.

Yesterday was a fun day. First up, we had game with [personal profile] coyotegestalt during which I inadvertently changed the entire course of the game, because DM's are chaos muppets every time. It may end up TPKing the party, but whatever, it was hilarious.

After a little while, I went to the pool for a little while and did some swimming. Of course, I realized while I was swimming that I forgot to wear sunscreen, so I cut that trip short, but it was still fun.

Then, we had some quiet time, and then I DMed for the homebrew. It went well, though we didn't get into it as far as we could have. It's a fairly large group, and the battle took a little longer than I'd planned on.

This week will be very busy. But first two days of normal work. Then the beat drops, and we get ready to go forth and get our ears blown out. (not really, we have earplugs.) I really love Ghost, but I'm not willing to lose hearing over them. But, I'm really looking forward to it. I'm just hoping there's no visa problems for the band. We'll see. We're going to take a sedan car down, because I don't feel like fighting traffic on he way down or the parking garage on the way out.

I got all my clothes and washed them, so I'm ready for Friday. I've got all my good stuff. A nice teal blouse, a pencil skirt, nice shoes, and some nice copper colored nail polish coming that will look striking against the shirt, and match the eye makeup I'm going to use. Fingers crossed that everything goes well.

And on that note,I'm going to hop off and get myself together, maybe lay down for another half hour. Everyone have the very best Monday!
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
I am up super early after another late night. There were still fuckers playing with fireworks last ngiht, and the dog was flipping out. We're going to have to take him to the vet and get his shots, and get some better anti anxiety meds, because the Prozac isn't doing shit.

He's been just a ball of stress the last four or five days, between the beeping and now the fireworks. Just Jebus on a pogo stick, it's sucked. I was in tears listening to him cry last night and scratch the door.

Aside from that, it was an okay day. We had a nice lunch. Were not able to get the cat's ashes. Apparently the director's son is in the hospital, and things are backed up. It would have been super helpful to to know that before I wasted the gas to go down there, but it's okay. I 100% understand that life gets in the way.

Jess had a game last night, here Strixhaven game which sounded fun. Though, there was some mumbling about "here comes the consequences of my own actions," which always sounds delightful.

Today, we have a game in the morning, run by [personal profile] coyotegestalt and then we're restarting a former game, with me dming. This is another one of my homebrew worlds, which I'm nervous about, but also excited.

I'm almost done with the game, simply need to make one more character and I will be ready to go. I'm nervous, because this is all homebrew, so I'm very much hoping that they like it. The other server really enjoyed it, so the pressure is on to make this as engaging.

On that note, I'm going to go put on some clothes and consider breakfast. Everyone have an amazing Sunday!
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
I am not really awake yet this morning. It's almost 8, but it feels very early. I couldn't sleep any longer, but I kinda wish I could.

Yesterday was a mostly relaxed day, aside from a trip to Sam's Club. I want to make French Onion soup tonight, so I needed thyme and gruyere cheese.

I am very irritable this morning. I need my morning pills to kick in so that I can stand people. I should have gotten up earlier so I had some quiet time. Now I've got my sister, and I'm really not ready for that.

I've got to follow her over to take her car for an oil change, and I need to be less ready to scream by then. After that, we're going to be picking up our old cat's ashes. (He died like a decade ago, but we didn't have the funds to get him cremated, we did have an empty freezer.)

Then, we have all day to ourselves. We're going to grab lunch, and probably not do much else, though I'd like to get some dry sherry for the soup. Also for sugar cookies. We haven't decided on where we're going for lunch, so I should start thinking about that.

The noise continues, so we had to drive Yoda up to the school to do his business. I'm calling the office today, so hopefully it's something that they can fix.

We had a good game last night, and I had a lot of fun with it.

Short one today, since we need to take Yoda to the school and then go get the cat. Everyone have an excellent Saturday!
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
I am very sore today. We got a new vacuum and it's a bit heavier than the stick vacuum that we had, and I may have overdid it. (I know, me?) And now, my back is seriously pissed off. Today will be a day for mostly sitting still, I think. I was considering going to the pool, but I think that'll wait til tomorrow or Sunday. I'm hoping it clears up by tomorrow, since I have shit to get done.

One of the empty apartments or something has a smoke alarm that's on battery low, and it's chirping loudly, which is freaking out Yoda. He hasn't been on a full walk since yesterday morning, and it's stressing us all out. Jess is taking him now, so hopefully he actually does some business. Addendum, nope. No business was done. We'll try driving him somewhere and see if helps.

Yesterday felt like a long day at work. We were surprisingly busy, and I just was not feeling it. I persevered and got shit done, but it was a lot. I don't have to work this weekend, so I have a glorious three days off. Then a 3 day week next week! (one day off, and 2 half days.)

My skirts are coming on Tuesday, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm cutting it a bit close, because if I need to go shopping, I've only got a couple of hours on Wednesday and the afternoon and evening on Thursday. I'm going to be up at ass o'clock for that meeting, since I need to get downtown. I don't know what time the meeting starts, so I can't really plot yet. I'm supposed to get an invite next week. If it starts at 9, which is what I'm hoping, I'll leave at 7:15, so I can get down, and go to pick up my badge. I should get a lanyard, in case they don't give me one. It might be an alligator clip, I have no idea.

We definitely will need to do some wash on Thursday, either before or after game. I am going to be stinky as fuck after Ghost. I figure shower first thing in the morning, because we'll be sneaking in. Then we can wash all the dirty clothes, and be ready for the meeting on Friday.

Today, though, I'm going to go put on clothes and see if the dog will go for a ride. or a walk. I'm not picky. Everyone have an amazing Fourth!

Take my business.

Jul. 3rd, 2025 09:42 pm
hannah: (Claire Fisher - soph_posh)
[personal profile] hannah
Things which I don't get to say nearly enough: "Can you break a hundred?"

To make things as simple as possible, I got paid in cash earlier today, and to make things really simple, it was a mix of twenties and hundreds to use as few bills as possible. I'll freely and happily admit it cut down on the volume of currency being exchanged. It also struck me that while $100 is a standard unit of currency, it's an atypical one, which isn't a combination of traits I see much.

My plan was to break them into twenties if the bank was open for customers, or deposit them intact in an ATM kiosk if it wasn't. On the walk to the bank, I decided to buy a luxury imported British film magazine at Barnes & Noble, and in thinking about how to pay for it, I asked the clerk my question.

Then I said it was fine, and handed over $21 to more easily make change for the $15.50 price tag. A much more ordinary type of payment. I took the hundreds to the bank and deposited them at the ATM, as I'd planned.

And for a moment there, just a brief moment, I had a glorious glimpse into another life where I always asked that question.

Books read in June

Jul. 3rd, 2025 01:50 pm
valoise: (Default)
[personal profile] valoise
Eight books in June - more than usual for me.

Concrete Island by J. G. Ballard
I'd only read The Drowned World by him and seen the movie adaptation of High Rise, so when I saw this novella on the library I decided to give it a try. Did not like it, but at least I finished it. None of the 3 characters were remotely likable in any way - each was a unique example of incompetence all the way through.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Another vintage British book this time focusing on an unlikable main character with an unapologetic violent nature, this was brilliantly done. I'd seen the movie many years ago so I knew generally what to expect, an exploration of free will vs. state mind control. Burgess' writing was very good, his world building fantastic.

The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah
I had no idea anyone was writing new Hercule Poirot books and I enjoyed this a lot. Felt like David Suchet was talking to me through the pages.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
This was the only book in his Tiffany Aching series I'd read, but looking for an audiobook I found this version narrated by Indira Varma and featuring Bill Nighy and other. A real delight. Varma has narrated the entire series and I know I'll be making my way through them.

American Indian Corn (Maize) . . by Charles J. Murphy
Published in 1917, this unexpectedly complex book with recipes from New England, the Deep South and other places in the US where this native grain has been tied to local food culture. Information on how native peoples processed and used maize and a few recipes (in a narrative format, not detailed instructions) from Mexico, unspecified New England tribes, Dakota, Hopi, Zuni, and Western Apache people.

I was curious about Murphy and found that he born in 1832, was an officer in US-Mexico conflict of the 1850s and the Civil War, around the 1880s he worked in the US Department of Agriculture specializing in corn (maize) and part of his job was to promote the use of corn in Europe.

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
A book about a middle aged woman, the Director of Magic at a boarding school with both a magic and academic curriculum who is tasked with protecting the school against demonic incursion, I really liked this. It's gone on my preliminary list of books to nominate for next year's Hugos awards.

Esperance by Adam Oyebanji
I recently read a review of this sf murder mystery, it sounded interesting so I grabbed it at my local library. A Chicago police detective and an otherworldly women in Bristol, England are each racing to find the perpetrator of a series on inexplicable murders. Really good, this has also gone on my Hugo list for next year.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah
Ah, sadly not as good as the Poirot book by her that I read at the beginning of the month. Kind of formulaic

July 4th weekend

Jul. 3rd, 2025 12:39 pm
libitina: Wei Yingluo from Story of Yanxi Palace in full fancy costume holding a gaiwan and sipping tea (Default)
[personal profile] libitina
Sorry I'm not more interesting, but to see about motivating myself to not just be a lump all weekend, here's some things I might want to get done

listy list )
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
Last day of work for the week. Yesterday we put up the second half of our pantry unit, which is shelves. I'm slowly starting to move things over there, and figuring out where everything needs to go. I love feeling organized and having my counter space.

CONfab is virtual this year, and Programming submissions are open!!. If you have a panel you want to see or that you want to run, go put it in! I had a lot of fun with the con last year, and I'll almost certainly be DMing a one shot at some point during the weekend!

I saw an info graphic that July 2 is the halfway point of 2025. Which means that today we're closer to 2050 than 2000. I dried up like the crypt keeper and felt ancient for a while.

Last night, we had hot pot. I bought a hot pot container that has two compartments, and then went on Weee! and bough the meats to cook. It's super fun, and I highly recommend doing it. Grab a few sauces and go for it. Fair warning, wear a shirt you don't like, because shit will get dropped on it.

Then, we had a game, Blades in the Dark, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm tying in a little bit of backstory, which is alway fun. Tomorrow we have Frostmaiden, which will also be cool.

Sunday, I'm beginning a new game, which is always nervewracking. It's fully homebrew which is doubly nervewracking. I think it'll go well, but I always worry.

My new clothes for next week should come on Monday, but of course, the blazer that I wasn't even sure I wanted is coming today. The skirts and blouse are coming on Monday.

Okay, time to go forth and get myself together. Everyone have an amazing Thursday!

Second day in.

Jul. 2nd, 2025 10:01 pm
hannah: (Laundry jam - fooish_icons)
[personal profile] hannah
Thinking it'd look more professional, I went with a messenger bag instead of a backpack today. As professional as it may have looked, I'm going to go back to the backpack. So much easier for so many things on so many levels, not the least of which is being able to ride a bike. Yes, I know bike messengers do it all the time. No, I'm not a professional bike messenger, and I'm unwilling to try. Especially if I'm already wearing a nice dress.

There wasn't much time to read at work, mostly because I'd been given an actual task to do: sorting through patient folders and setting aside old records to discard. Not as much fun as it'd have been if I'd had an MP3 player with me, and still satisfying to see the piles start to rise, and space in the drawers start to emerge. Where there's space in a drawer, there's objects to be discovered, and found my second office perk. A stain remover stick's not much, but it's still something I could take home with me. The first thing is a large can of cold brew coffee sitting in my fridge, waiting for a morning I need a jolt beyond all meaning.
ride_4ever: (Make America Kind Again)
[personal profile] ride_4ever
The economic boycotts led by The People's Union USA for the month of July: Amazon, Home Depot, Starbucks.

For more details, see this Newsweek article.
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
We are officially halfway through this short week. Two more days to go of work, then off three days.

Next week is likewise shortened for a couple of reasons. First up, we have our first Ghost concert on Wednesday. So I took half a day for that, and then the day after off.

But that's not all.

On Friday, I have been asked to dress up and go down to the main hospital to attend a meeting. It's ostensibly to welcome new employees, but is also a meeting of all the managers, and higher ups. My Boss has decided that I need to get more face time with the big bosses, especially the director of Radiology. I asked what they needed me to do, and was told to show up be presentable and be me.

I immediately went on Torrid and got myself a new skirt and blouse, because right now, the only thing I have that would be presentable is the dress I wore for the funeral. And that might be a bit much.

I'm very nervous about this, and am glad that I have new makeup to help boost my confidence. I have been told that the director of radiology is very "enthusiastic." So I'm planning to put on the perky mask and try to engage her. I've got the compliment in my back pocket, so that's something. She is aware of it, and her boss is aware of it, and with a little luck, the social media blurb will have come out by then.

I have discovered that I need more makeup. Right now, I have mostly purple, which is a good color for me, but I'd really like some blues and greens. We'll see. Most palettes are boring as fuck. When did Urban Decay stop selling colors other than brown? I'm going to have to check out Melt cosmetics. I really enjoy the purple marijuana themed palette I got from them. They also have one called blueprint and the original "smoke sessions," which was mostly green and gold.

Next week will be a busy week. Work Monday and Tuesday, work half a day Wednesday, then Ghost, then off on Thursday, then the meeting at the hospital for half a day. And then work Saturday for 4 hours. It'll be fun.

Okay, time for me to hop off and pay some bills. Looks like my check just landed in my account.

Everyone have an awesome Wednesday!

July the First.

Jul. 1st, 2025 08:48 pm
hannah: (Zach and Claire - pickle_icons)
[personal profile] hannah
It was such a slow first day, midway through the afternoon, I was being paid to sit there and read. It won't be like that every day - not even other days this week - and even if it doesn't get repeated, I can savor having had it for a little while.

So far, it's a front desk job like all front desk jobs: phone calls, emails, appointments, office supplies. People called, I called them back. Documents were scanned into the computer and copies were made. The clients were largely punctual and there's no music playing. While I doubt I can get away with headphones or a radio, there's a fan I may use for white noise to make the periods of sitting around, waiting for more nothing to happen, a little easier to get through without having to fall back on monetary compensation. Even if I got through a large chunk of some reading today.

Though I suppose longhand writing notes are always an option. If I remember to bring the right notebooks tomorrow.
ride_4ever: made for me by hiswasburgundy (Fangirl for Canada - Mountie)
[personal profile] ride_4ever
From this U.S. fangirl for Canada on today's Canada Day and every day: declaring my love and respect for the Great Sovereign Land of Canada.




Ten Inspiring Quotations About Canada.

(And furthermore: Fox Delta Tango!)
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
Yay, we survived Monday! I actually slept last night, which was nice. I had to get up to pee a couple of times, but not too bad. I know I slept hard, because I'm a little achy, which usually means that I didn't move much during the night.

Yesterday was a nice day. Work wasn't slammed (I'm assuming because of the holiday week) and I was able to fill in a pile of appointments. I also had some stupid patients who called to see if we had a cancellation for an MRI. Okay fair. We do get cancellations. But then, their insurance hadn't approved it yet, and it was a 150minute long appointment. We don't get those type of cancellations.

After that, we had Bonchon for dinner, because I really wanted fried chicken. It hit the spot.

It's funny, I spent so long thinking that I couldn't wear makeup, because it gave me a migraine, but it turns out that I can. I got tired of looking at the red blotches on my cheeks (never formally diagnosed, but probably rosacea, and a little bit of darker skin on my forehead. (Aging sucks.) So, I decided to give foundation a try. Problem was, then I looked dead. It needed some blush and lipstick. And if I'm doing all that, lets get those eyes to pop, since they disappeared behind my glasses.

Turns out, I love eyeshadow and eyeliner. I love playing with the colors. I need to get a palette with more colors, because right now, I have gold and purple with one blue. I want green and blues and oranges. I haven't tried mascara yet. I think the weight was what might have set off the migraines.

But add that to a Torrid padded plunge bra and I feel great. The hair, defintely helps too. It makes me love how I look, which is new. I haven't felt confident in my skin in a while. Its amazing how much a little bit of color helps. I said to Jess that I was annoyed that I looked amazing for the funeral, and it was wasted on their family. But on the other hand, I didn't feel like I was going to bring shame on my house.

I'm looking forward to the Ghost concert. I tested out some eyeliner. We got a black eyeliner pen with my sister's foundation order. She doesn't wear black, and gifted it to Jess. I tried it, with a gold eyeliner I got from my Ipsy bag. (Oh yeah, I signed up for that, too.) It looked pretty good, so I'm going to give it a try.

It's weird to have all this product. I need to get an organizer for our bathroom, so it's not just all laying out. I have a bag, but the one eyeshadow already cracked during travel, so I can't risk turning it upside down. Fortunately it wasn't one that I used a lot, but two of the others that I do use are loose, so I will be careful with it.

All in all, I'm really happy with it, and I'm enjoying experimenting.

And on that note, I shall go forth and get ready for work. Everyone have an amazing Tuesday!

Valentines and maple leaves.

Jun. 30th, 2025 08:42 pm
hannah: (Stargate Atlantis - zaneetas)
[personal profile] hannah
Ending the month with good news: I've got a new gig. It's full-time and starts on a week where I'll have Friday off, so it'll be an easy adjustment and a decent way to test out if I'm cut for it long-term. Or even medium-term, into the next couple of weeks until the usual receptionist gets back.

I'll be doing scheduling, some emails, some phone calls. Front desk work on the Upper East Side. It'll be easy to get there, and it'll be done indoors and sitting down. I don't think it's going to be all that relaxing and I'm going to have to go back to doing workouts at night in my apartment instead of at the gym for the duration. But it's just for a little while, to see if it's a good fit.
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
It's pretty much going to be Ghost lyrics for subject lines for the next couple of weeks. The concert is in 10 days, and I am hyped.

Well, that's done. We got up at ass o'clock and slipped out of the hotel to drive from the Brighton Courtyard Marriott to the Detroit/Fort Wayne airport. It's not bad, about a forty five minute drive. Especially in our acid green car.



I really loved that car. It was super quiet and super smooth, and I never forgot which car was mine.

The handoff was super simple, and soon we were on the bus to the airport...which was packed. They were giving free trials of Clear, though, so we did that, and were through the packed security super quickly.

Our gate wasn't super far this time, so we trudged over, stopping to get my sister her requested Detroit keychain and some fudge and then continued onwards until we found a likely place for breakfast. It was solidly meh, but definitely fuel. Then, continued to the gate, and plopped our ass into the seats to wait.

The flight itself was pretty smooth and super quick. We were really lucky with flights this weekend. They left on time, they didn't have much in the way of turbulence, and they landed 20 minutes early both times.

Then, home again to decompress. Around 5pm, Shelly mentioned that she'd like to get a new key and fob for her car. I looked up and found a fairly good rated locksmith that would come to you. It was a total clusterfuck. IT took him 3 1/2 hours (most of which, I was standing out in the heat) to not be able to do the complete job. We have keys, but no keyfob, and they charged us $700 for the privilege of not getting what we wanted.

I was so disgusted when I went to bed.

Today, it's back to work. I'm not sure I'm going to be taking a ton of calls, but we'll see. I can't call out because we've got a date for Jess' top surgery and it's going to be 9/11, which means I'll need to hoard every hour of PTO that I can for the surgery, recovery and follow up visits. It'll be tight, but we'll make it.

It was a whirlwind weekend, but thankfully, it's done now, and we can get back to regular life. And now, I shall go take a nice shower. I was so disgusted by the time I was done with the locksmith that I didn't bother, but today I feel kind of gross, so off to the showers it is. I hope everyone has an awesome Monday!

Sunday night.

Jun. 29th, 2025 10:15 pm
hannah: (Zach and Claire - pickle_icons)
[personal profile] hannah
Every time I think, "I need a peer group," I need to remind myself about the various corners of fandom. Escapade is very much made up of my peer group in a not insignificant number of ways, and spending a good chunk of the weekend in such a group's company was a balm. Soothing, comforting. We're of different ages and backgrounds, and we're peers with one another in a way I don't much get in other places.

I even got some practical suggestions for the ongoing job hunt. It always remains to be seen how helpful they are, and the point stands that they're practical, with specific tasks and methods. Another thing to remember: look to one's peers for help. Not for everything, but for many things.
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
Well, that was a day. That is now concluded. I'm sitting here in my comfy nightgown, relaxing before I begin going through the room like a tasmania devil, of the cleaning variety. Once I'm done that, I'll realize that I packed something I shouldn't have and will cuss and extricate it. Then, It'll be off to the rental agency to start the long trek to our gate. (We are 100% using the tram this time, now that I understand that the terminal is a big H. It's just too damn big. And last time I looked we ere at gate 74, which is kind near the end of the row. And then, we shall be flying home to the babies.

I'd like to do more of these mini trips, a quick hop up to Boston or Drive to Philly and DC, especially as it gets a bit cooler. But next up, Ghost concerts, the first of which is not this coming week, but next week on the 9th.

Yesterday was rough, y'all. 8 hour is entirely too long for a viewing/funeral thingy. IT went okay. Jess was amazing, There were a few passive aggressive look what you missed things, but never any direct bullshit. Lots of somewhat redneck stories, about this cousin's ex being a bitch, and This cousin doing this and that.

We managed, but it wasn't easy.

JEss' brother asked them to do a reading-which turned out to be their nemesis--their mother's favorite poem, "Wild geese," by Mary Olliver. Lots of cryging during their brother's speech. And then it was over and they put on some of Dale's favorite music to end the wake. And proceded to talk loudly over it, which was sensory hell.

Then, it was all over but for a nice trip to dinner with Jess' brother. It wasn't bad. We had very good bbq.

Then, it was back to the hotel for a nightcap. I am never gettign a hotel without at least a small bar or a evening reception with booze, because that was super nice. We did it noth days, and it provided a little buffer between the family and getting back to the room.

Now it's time to get myself together and start packing up what needs to be packed, and preparing for departure in just under an hour. Everyone have an excellent day!

Put the foot down.

Jun. 28th, 2025 10:15 pm
hannah: (Claire Fisher - soph_posh)
[personal profile] hannah
I received what I'm going to take as a fine compliment today: someone I'd met all of four hours earlier said I sounded like I wrote professionally for magazines and other publications, simply from how I talked.

I've decided it's up there with multiple people - completely independently, several years apart, none of them knowing each other - telling me I speak in real life the way I talk online.

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