I personally love Valentine’s Day. Yeah, it’d be nice if people gave special thought to the people they love EVERY day, but it’s still nice to have a special day set aside to honour your loves.
Having said that, for those of you who look forward to February 14th with the same sense of anticipation that upcoming dentist appointments and IRS audits provoke, here’s an online card site just for you:
In the latest installment of Improbable Gifts Ideas:
 I’ve visited the counties in yellow. Which counties have you visited? made by marnanel |
Note: This one only counts places I spent some actual time in, rather than simply driving or taking the train through. And Peterborough got put in Cambridgeshire, though it seems nestled right between that and Northamptonshire and as far as my research tells me is actually it’s own entity. I’m sure my UK readers will enlighten me when they return from Sixteen Tones and let me know for sure. 🙂
Well, so far I haven’t done a very good job of keeping up with my unofficial and unannounced pledge to post actual me-content more often. As I said way back when I started this journal, I don’t tend to like talking about myself very much. But since you’re obviously reading this hoping for SOME kind of content, I suppose I should endeavor to supply you with it. 🙂
Gafilk was tremendous fun. There were too many highlights to really mention, but I will say that unclechristo was as amazing as always, and it was wonderful to get him to a con over here, callylevy was sweet and amazing and talented and everything we expected from her, quadrivium did a superb job of toastmistressing (holding herself to a much higher standard than we were, really, poor dear), and Rand and Adam were, well, Rand and Adam. Then there was Howie. Wow. He was still feeling a bit under it all, which, all things considered, was still pretty good shape to be in. But no matter what state his body was in, his verve and personality and wit were as strong as everything I’d ever heard and more.
We had more people at this convention than ever before, and while it was exhilarating to be around all those wonderfully talented people, I spent far too much time running around being frantic to really absorb it.
On the other hand, it was a weekend filled with personal interaction with friends and loves, and that’s what a con is for. Some of it was, of course, absolutely none of your business, other than to note that it was nice to finally put some theories into practice. (*snuggles someone very snuggly* 🙂
Normally, I couldn’t pick a *highlight* of the con, but this once, I can. The banquet was un-freaking-believable. First, there was the incredible band, with Jodi (musesmuse) on vocals and backed by the “Gafilk House Band” (Mary, Dave (surrdave), Brian (siliconchef), and Blaise). This would have been cool enough, but there was a dance floor, and we took great advantage of it. I got to dance with kitanzi, alymid (twice), mokatiki, and plaid_dragon. What a wonderful time. Thanks to all of those lovely ladies for a wonderful evening.
I did get to play a little bit at the dead dog, but we went home at a reasonable hour, because kitanzi had to get up and work the next morning. And that’s as much of a Gafilk report as you get this year.
Which America Hating Minority Are You?
” Thus we come to the fourth law of success and happiness …for I gave you one more power, a power so great that not even my angels possess it.
I gave you … the power to choose.
With this gift I placed you even above my angels … for angels are not free to choose sin. I gave you complete control over your destiny. I told you to determine, for yourself, your own nature in accordance with your own free will. Neither heavenly nor earthly in nature, you were free to fashion yourself in whatever form you preferred. You had the power to choose to degenerate into the lowest forms of life, but you also had the power, out of your soul’s judgement, to be reborn into the higher forms, which are divine.
I have never withdrawn your great power, the power to choose.
What have you done with this tremendous force? Look at yourself. Think of the choices you have made in your life and recall, now, those bitter moments when you would fall to your knees if only you had the opportunity to choose again.
What is past is past … and now you know the fourth great law of happiness and success … Use wisely your power of choice.
Choose to love … rather than hate.
Choose to laugh … rather than cry.
Choose to create … rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere … rather than quit.
Choose to praise … rather than gossip.
Choose to heal … rather than wound.
Choose to give … rather than steal.
Choose to act … rather than procastinate.
Choose to grow … rather than rot.
Choose to pray … rather than curse.
Choose to live … rather than die.”
— Og Mandino, The God Memorandum
You’ve just one a million dollars, tax free!
1. Who do you call first?
kitanzi, of course!
2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
If it actually happened *today*? Two first class tickets to London for the filkcon next week.
Aside from that, I’d pay off all the bills and credit cards and so forth, and then probably look at buying a house.
3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
Depends on what she wants.
4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
Eventually. See #5.
5. Do you invest any?
After everything’s paid for, including the house, whatever’s left goes into low-risk investments, with the intent of using the interest to supplement income. (Just $1 million isn’t enough to quit my job, so I’ll just use it to be even more comfortable, and be able to help my friends who need help when they do.
So telynor pointed me at this page. I found a lot of the questions rather annoying, as they a) assume monogamy, and b) occaisionally offered an either-or question to which the answer was in the middle. I was particular put off by:
A Relationship requires compromise. Whose?
a. Yours
b. Theirs
The correct answer is, to my mind, “both”.
Anyway, here’s the result if anyone’s actually interested:
The Gentleman
Deliberate Gentle Love Master
Steady & mature. You are The Gentleman.
For anyone looking for an even-keeled, considerate lover, you’re their man. You’re sophisticated. You know what you want both in a relationship and outside of it. You have a substantial romantic side, and you’re experienced enough sexually to handle yourself in that arena, too. Your future relationships will be long-lasting; you’re classic “marrying material,” a prize in the eyes of many.
It’s possible that behind it all, you’re a bit of a male slut. Your best friends know that in relationships you’re fundamentally sex-driven. You’re a safe, reliable guy, who does get laid. In a lot of ways, you’re like a well-worn, comfortable pair of socks. Did you ever jack off into one of those? All the time.
Your exact opposite:
The Last Man on Earth
Your ideal mate is NOT a nut-job. She is giving and loving, like you, but also experienced. Avoid the The Battleaxe at all fucking costs.
create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide
I *did* count states I’ve driven through (the only reason New York graces this map, for instance), but that’s only because I felt so inadequate compared to the rest of you. 🙂 In fairness, I only really began to travel outside of the southeast in the last few years, for various reasons that no longer seem very good.
Have to get out west soon. Never been out west.
You may have seen this already in other journals. No matter. I’ve been through what this family is going through, and I know all the small horrors that come with it. I’ve already cross-checked with enough people I know to be trustworthy to know that this is legitimate, so if you have something to spare, please consider directing it this way.
http://www.relevantpink.com/rebeccafire/
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