I took E to the doctor on Tuesday and after eliminating all the other possibilities, was given the diagnosis that "in all likelihood, it's H1N1".  So, Tamiflu for him and his siblings.  He's still home from school, but hoping to return tomorrow.  So far, at least, the others haven't succumbed, although the Tamiflu makes J nauseous.  I suppose it's better to get it out of the way early in the season.  Right?

At least northern Michigan was beautiful when we went this past weekend.  It was G's birthday on Monday and we celebrated with his father and sister at his dad's lake house.  Incredibly blue skies, big fluffy clouds, and temps around 70.  Pretty close to perfect.  I managed to climb the dune at Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore again this year, though it was a near thing.  Who knew my heart could actually beat that fast?

More book updates to come soon.

 I got back from Dragon*Con last night.  While there some of the highlights for me were that I:

Went to a Charlaine Harris panel (she's a delightful Southern woman who looks like somebody's favorite aunt) and asked her whether she'd choose Eric or Bill.

Heard Diana Gabaldon read from her latest book in the Outlander series (which I didn't realize comes out 9/22.  More Jamie and Claire!!!!), asked her questions, and got my book signed, as well as saw art panels from the planned Outlander graphic novel.

Attended two great Farscape panels and actually asked the last question of the panel at the second one.  I also got autographs from Ben Browder and Claudia Black and got to ask her when she ( Read more... )


The Farscape panels were some of the best I've ever seen.  You can tell the genuine affection the cast has for each other and their deep appreciation of the fans.  Ben Browder and Claudia Black were delightful in person as well.  Yes, Jana.  I got to touch him. lol  And I even managed to behave like a rational human being while doing so.  

Saw my dear friend De who came into town in the midst of a writing deadline and took me out to brunch in her little red VW bug convertible.

Got great gifts for my family.  Older son got "It Takes A Viking to Raze a Village", older daughter got "And Then Buffy Staked Edward.  The End.", younger son got "Don't Make Me Go Zelda On You" (with all the weapons from Zelda pictured), and younger daughter who is a major lover of Snape, got a pendant with "I Always Trusted Snape".  Everyone was quite pleased.

Saw my brother who came down to hang out with me for a while at the Con.

Plus, a lot of other stuff happened.  But, the upshot was, it was a lot of fun. 

Now, I'm trying to decide what to have for dinner before taking Julia to her first concert.  The Fray are coming to the new performing arts center here in town tonight and I checked with Ticketmaster this morning and scored 6th row seats.  I'm not questioning fate on that one.  We're calling it a belated birthday present for both of us.

Plus, it looks like it might be an early fall.  Autumn is my favorite time of year, so that 's just icing on the proverbial happiness cake.

So, life is pretty good.

ETA  Jason Momoa is a pretty, pretty man.

 I decided at the last minute to attend with some friends, so I'm currently ensconced in a room on the 26th floor of the Hilton. So far today, I've gotten up at 4am, driven to Atlanta, registered for the Con, donated blood and got the cool t-shirt, bought souvenirs for 80% of my nuclear family, and am planning what to wear to tonight's Buffy Sing-A-Long and Doctor Horrible Sing-A_Long.  Oh yeah, I'm also heading to a Charlaine Harris panel in a little while.  Tomorrow it's Farscape with Ben Browder and Claudia Black and who knows what else.

By the by, steampunk is definitely the most popular costuming choice this year.

Questions to ponder:  Should I take part in the attempt to make the Guinness Book of World Records for most people dancing to Thriller?  Should I buy something steampunk?  Finally, what's for dinner?

Later folks.

Coolest costumes seen so far: The Jolly Green Giant, a Marie Antoinette, an excellent Iron Man, and a Wienerlicious Girl (who was very grateful that I recognized her because 4 people had thought she was a beer garden waitress).  

More later!

 I'm failing spectacularly at LJ cutting today, so here's the whole list out in the open for all to see. I apologize if it's incredibly long on your feed.  I've starred the ones that I particularly liked.  Please feel free to ask a question about any particular book.

1. The Stupidest Angel:  A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore

 I'm heading out in a few minutes to meet one of my friends for dinner at The Melting Pot.  We're celebrating my birthday a few days early.  Gooey cheesy goodness followed by gooey chocolate goodness.   Doesn't that sound delightful?

I've also got to finally put my books for the year up.  I think I'm at 65 or so now.  *hand to chest*  I hereby do solemnly swear that I will do that before my birthday rolls around.  Feel free to make me live up to my pledge!

Anyone else ready for fall?  It's my favorite time of the year and I can't wait.

 My little girl is sixteen today.  Which means that she's old enough to date by our house rules.  I'm not sure that I'm ready for that brave new frontier.

Happy Birthday J!  You make my world a better place simply by existing in it.

Today's To Do List:

1. Make appointment for E's annual physical. 
2. Order J's birthday cake. 
3. Go to bank
4. Take E to work
5. Make arrangements for J's party.
6. Call about a rental car for tomorrow's trip to GA.
7. Order J's last two presents.
8. Pay bills.
9. Take cat to vet.
10. Send graduation card and gift to step-niece.
11. Take M for haircut.
12. Pack for trip.
13. Straighten up house.
14. Make dinner reservations for early birthday dinner for me.
15. Email father-in-law about weekend trip in September.
16. Attend Colleges that Change Lives College Fair. 
17. Call cable company about cost of upgrading service.
18. Make dinner.

Not too bad, but notice how the cleaning hasn't been done?  Yeah, me too.  Funny how I manage to skip that one.  I did do the dishes though.   That should count for something, right?

I'm heading to visit my family for the weekend with three of the kids tomorrow.  G and E have work so they'll be staying here.  J was at Duke's Young Writer's Camp in July when we went home for my mom's birthday and she wants to see my family before her 16th birthday on Monday.  Yes, she'll be 16.  Time is flying!

 I have to fly to Oregon tomorrow to get N from her grandmother's (we fly back on Friday) and as I contemplated the many hours of flying that await me in the next couple of days my thoughts turned to gadgets.  Specifically to Apple and its gadgets.  Yes, I succumbed to the lure of the 32 gig iPod Touch.  I'm justifying it as an early birthday present to myself.  Plus, the screen is much better for watching my downloaded shows than my Classic.  Rationalization is indeed my friend.

 It's a very good thing.  We're here for the week and I've got a stack of books to read while under my beach umbrella.  I hope that the rest of you are having a good week.

I'm actually waving, not drowning....

The obscure literary reference felt appropriate since summer league ended weekend before last. I'm pleased to report that our team was DSSL champions for the 7th straight year. I always think that summer vacation will be restful, but it turns out to just be a different kind of crazy busy.

Random things going on in my life. Let's see, saw Half Blood Prince at the midnight showing. I liked it, but didn't love it. I think Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favorite although Goblet of Fire was quite good as well. ( My HBP reactions, let me show you them )Star Trek is still my pick for best movie so far this year though.

I've read 52 books so far this year.  I haven't posted about them here or at 50books1year  as of yet, but I will do so hopefully before too much more times passes. *swears solemnly on large To Be Read pile*

My youngest turned 10 this month. No more single digits at my house.  All my kids have milestone birthdays in '09. N turned 10, J turns 16 next month, and E and M turn 18 and 13 respectively in December.  In other milestone birthday info, I just got back from visiting my family.  My mom just celebrated her 60th.

I'm not fannish about much of anything these days, but I have started watching "Burn Notice" which is summer fun.  There's definitely a place for brain candy viewing.   We'll see how it looks on the new 42" HDTV plasma that should be delivered later this week.  The old tv was giving up the ghost, so I decided it was time to join the 21st century.  I'm curious to see if all the raving about picture quality, "the blackness of the blacks", and the like is true.  

Now, back to lurkerage I shall go.

muffinkath7 , I hope that you're having a marvelous birthday!  You deserve to have wonderful things and I hope that you find much joy in your new apartment and that unexpected pleasures await you in the coming year.

Happy Birthday my dear!  Eat some cake for me.

Love,
Angela

Wow, it's been a long time since I last posted.  It's hard to believe that much time has passed since my last entry.  Hawaii was beautiful although the trip seems like it was ages ago rather than just last month.  We're coming into the end stretch of the school year and that's taking up most of my time.  J is in GA doing an internship and E leaves tomorrow to act as a counselor for the annual freshman trip to the Episcopal Farmworker's Ministry.  It's going to be just M and N for a week which will be odd.

Saw Star Trek (okay, saw it three times) and loved it.  I thought it was a very clever way to reboot the franchise and I laughed at the nods not only to the original series, but to JJ's other shows as well.  Plus, I was totally into the romantic pairing.  Not a couple I ever considered, but it totally worked.  I may have sought out fic already.

In other news, I'm currently somewhat incapacitated,  I slipped and fell in my house earlier in the week and managed to bang up my ribs.  No obvious fractures on the x-rays, but a lot of pain.  I'm told that "it will hurt until it gets better.   It just takes time."  Great.  I've also learned that while Percocet does help with the pain, it also causes me to wake up repeatedly at night and gives me systemic itching.  Since Vicodin doesn't really have any effect on me at all, I guess it's a good thing that I don't have a yen for the opiates.

I've also got 30ish books that I need to record for this year's 50 Books challenge, but I'm not up for that right now.  Maybe later in the week.

Now, I'm going to try and find a position to sleep in where nothing hurts.  Wish me luck.

*waves at FL*  In case there were any questions, I'm still among the living.  I've had a major work project whose initial deadline was yesterday.  I've been lurking on LJ, but haven't felt the burning urge to post.  Now that this phase of the project is complete, I hope to be around more.  But, not in the short term because Friday I'm leaving for Maui.  My icon is from the place where I'll be on Kaanapali Beach.  So, aloha and try to stay out of major trouble through Easter.

Well, almost anyway.  I'm sending birthday wishes winging east over the Atlantic to tasyfa .  It's already the wee hours of your birthday there, but I'm being anticipatory here in the States.  May you be plied with great music, food, and gifts, my dear, in honor of your natal day.  And cake!  We musn't forget that.

I hope that it's a wonderful day and the start of an even better year!

Today is cookie2697 's birthday and it must be appropriately celebrated.  I hope that you're having a wonderful day at the House of Mouse Anne.  I remember going to Disneyland years ago on your birthday.  It seems appropriate that you're back there today.

Here's wishing you great trips, great presents, and great friends in the year ahead!  Not to mention cake.  You can't forget the cake.

Happy Birthday!!!

Life has been busier than usual lately as the winter trimester winds down.  E and J's sports schedules have intensified and M was in the Middle School production of "The Music Man" which had its performances this past weekend.  Practices, games, meets, and rehearsals translates into even more driving for me.   Which isn't awful, but is made less pleasant due to the loss of my much lamented stolen iPod.  Radio is horrible around here and being subjected to its vagaries was no fun at all.  But, in happy news, my father-in-law was in town to see E's basketball game and M's play, and he took me shopping and bought me a new iPod classic to replace the one that was stolen.  So, tomorrow's drive to school will be to the soundtrack that shuffle designates for me.   Maybe that will help combat the winter doldrums that I seem to be stuck in these days.

Now that I have all this extra iPod space to fill up, what were your favorite cds of 2008?  I need to discover some new music.  I have the new Bon Iver, Snow Patrol, Elbow, and Fleet Foxes.  If there's something else that you think I might like, please feel free to recommend it.  I'm generally an alternative/indie kind of gal.

In other news, it was in the 70s here today.  This after snow on inagural day.  Screwy Mother Nature makes me nervous.

Apparently someone broke into my car sometime this weekend, while it was parked in my driveway, and stole my 80 gig iPod and car adapter.  I can't decide which feels more unsettling.  That it happened at all.  Or that it happened right next to my house.  It was a gift from a friend and had an inscription engraved on the back.  Can it be traced via the iTunes software if someone tries to download new music onto it?

Here's to nephele !  May the furniture arrive smoothly and may this be a year full of wonderful things for you (like the cake above).

Happy Birthday!

Love,
Angela

mockingbird39 , I'm so sorry that I missed your birthday yesterday!  I hope that it was filled with wonderful people, presents, and treats.

Here's to a great 2009 for you!

Love,
Angela

We got about 4 inches of snow today which is cause for great celebration here at Chez Z.  Everyone got to sleep late as school was canceled and there have been snowball fights, snow angels, and hot chocolate.  I'm pretty sure that a snowman is currently underway. 

One thing that has struck me repeatedly is how clean and pristine snow makes things look when it's new.  It seems fitting that it would happen today, of all days, as our country undergoes a sea change.  While the snow doesn't remove what's underneath, it gives you a space to reflect what beauty is possible.  Here's to new beginnings and starting afresh.