Atropa Belladonna~ Raven (a.k.a. Nightshade)'s Weblog ~
These are the ARCHIVES of July 2005. For more archives, visit the Archives page. For the current Weblog entries, check the Main page.
Atropa Belladonna| Sat, July 30, 2005 (1:45pm) Cross-posted from Anna OverSeas: Attention Friends of Don M. And just so Don knows, I did get his email. I just haven't replied, because I am, in fact, being a jerk. Er, I mean, I am being very busy with parent-type-things. I am hoping to use this long weekend to deal with a hundred emails or more, if time permits. I did, however, add a link to Don's recently-restarted weblog up on the top bar (even though Don had sent me the wrong address for it, and I had to actually think to figure out what the real link was.) |
| Thurs, July 27, 2005 (5:35pm) "Never have I tried to wield power in this way, but if being Malcolm Reynolds has taught me anything, it's to follow my over-developed sense of vengeance." - Nathan Filian Go. Read Nathan Filian's rant, copied over to Whedonesque.com |
| Thurs, July 27, 2005 (11:15am) Well, that was stupid of me. I just fell down the stairs. I'd been carrying a bag of garbage in one hand (taking it to the door so I'd remember to take the trash to the curb for pick-up today) and I had a basket of laundry on my right hip. The top couple steps in our house are at an odd angle - almost like spiral stairs - and I guess I misjudged the angle on these, because my foot slipped off the top step, skipped along the next, and my legs went out from under me. I managed to grab the rail with my left arm (dropping the trash, which was okay 'cuz it was tied) and caught myself on the way down, so I didn't fall the entire flight. I did bash my foot, and twist my leg, and wrench my left arm in its socket, But I didn't drop the laundry, amusingly enough. Perhaps my maternal instincts demanded that I protect the item which was balanced on my hip. All the same, I don't know if I'm going to swordfighting practice tonight. - - - The DiMage camera is behaving well for me. I've taken a few pics with it, to play with the menus and get used to the various options. Love the quick-on feature - if I want to take a pic of the kids doing something cute, I can slide the lens cap open in the same motion as picking the camera up from the counter, and it's ready to go. The camera is easy enough to use that Kalen has figured out how to work it, and taken a few shots of her own. (she loves the one-touch-play-back button). Let's see - I've taken about 30, and she's taken... 319?!?! How did this camera suddenly get to 349 shots??? Oh... I see. Hrm. It appears that Kalen figured out how to engage the rapid-fire mode. 9 shots in a row of the baby's butt... the counter top... her left foot... half of the couch... and K. talking. Probably saying "Please tell me you'll be deleting all these shots?" since I recall assuring her that I would. Oh, yes - I should definitely delete that one. Ah... speaking of cameras, I've been wanting to do a photoshoot someday soon. Perhaps this Friday, as the Purgatory game has been postponed 'til next week. Is anyone interested in coming over and firing off some film, or posing, or showing off amazing costumes, or bringing wardrobe options? * As a note, if you haven't participated in one of our free-form photoshoots before, it's very informal. We choose a set or two (like a corner of the yard, or a section of the basement which has had velvet hung from the wall, or a corner sectioned off with a Japanese screen) and we dress up, and take pics. Sometimes the dress-up is very fancy (medieval gowns, pirate costumes, make-up and hair-do's) and sometimes it's casual (jeans and T, trench-coat, interesting hats) and on very rare occasions it has included lingerie (those tend to be by invite only, though). The object is more to play with cameras, light levels, etc. and develop phtography skills, rather than to develop anyone's personal portfolio. We mostly use digital film, so anything you don't like can be previewed and deleted as necessary. Sessions include a lot of chatting and hanging out, so they can be fun even if you're not in the mood to be a model. * Feel free to drop a line if you're interested (email or Quick-Comment). I won't necessarily be inviting everyone who is interested (not all to one session at least) but it would be nice to have some new blood. |
| Wed, July 26, 2005 (4:35pm) I bought a new Konica/Minolta Dimage X50 digital camera today. I say "new" tongue in cheek, as it's actually an older model which was on clearance sale. But a 5 MegaPixel camera is really all I need. It's very fast to turn on/boot up, has less than a second of shutterlag, a relatively easy to use menu interface (including a quick-play option), it does photos, movies, and pretty much anything else my previous cameras have done, except better. And it's small - small enough that I'm likely to carry it places. The best part is tha tthe camera, plus a 512 MB memory card, and all applicable taxes, came to less than $500. With a mail-in rebate thingie they gave me, It'll be just a hair under $400. What else have I been up to? We're sort of working on potty training Connor. I hate potty training, to be honest. I'm not really a body-fluids kinda person, and I loathe the obligatory shouts of glee over my spawns' urine almost as much as I despise the knowledge that my floor/ chair/ couch/ pants are likely going to be soaked with urine several times in the next few weeks. Gah. But it has to be done - I knew that before I spawned there would be times like these. I'll just be grumpy and play a lot of Sims to help get me through it. Oh, I also learned how to write my name in Arabic last weekend. |
| Sat, July 23, 2005 (5:45pm) (blink) Hey - did a week just go by? Hm, guess it did. I guess I've been too busy reading Harry Potter to notice. Actually I was only busy reading HP for the first couple days, and since then I've been trying to catch up on all the housework and bills and minor crises which were neglected during those 2 days... which is really quite a lot. Since I've been busy reading, and working, and working some more, there hasn't been much of interest to blather on about. I do have some really cool shaped bruises on my right shoulder from practicing throws in swordfighting class on Thursday (apparently shoulder appliques can leave funky marks when compressed against skin by 250 pounds of opponent). And I've got a bruise on the inside of my elbow which I can't figure out the origin of. Oh, and I have bruises on my right knee and hip which I do know the cause of, but shall not reveal here. So I've been just doing my impression of a vegetable, and then a bruised fruit, in my free time. Thrilling. But this last week was not completely without accomplishment. I have, on Hellequin's advice, implemented a little host-side fix for acronym tags, to allow them to be read byFireFox browsers. If all the people who use acronym tags in their weblogs want to include the same code , I might just try switching to FireFox myself. As is, I'll stick with the less cool Safari for fear of missing vital info or displays of stunning wit. Or, ya know, important acronyms. |
| Sat, July 16, 2005 (1:20am) Well, apparently I'm not nipping of to Scotland for a quick double-homicide after all. Shades veto'd it on the ground of something passport-related. And he's got a point. If I lose my passport while overseas, it could be difficult to get a new one in time for GenCon. So: Anna, Don - you're off the hook. For now. - - - I just had a very good evening. Last week Thurs, someone convinced me to buy a ticket to a Drag Show which was being done as a benefit for a school for Autistic children. I figured it might be fun - It's been a while since I've gone to a drag show, and it was for a good cause, right? Fox decided to come too, so although I was a little apprehensive (I haven't been clubbing in most of a decade) I figured I'd give it a go. I watched people in costumes having fun, and cutting loose. I saw friends I haven't seen in a while. We talked & swapped stories. I thoroughly enjoyed the loud, boisterous environment. It was definitely an excellent way to end a busy week. But that was all after the Drag Show was over. The show itself was really not so great: the sound was ear-plittingly loud at times, and completely inaudible at others. The costumes were okay, but not spectacular (except some of the 80's big hair wigs. Those were fabulous). The atmosphere was crowded and sweaty, and I never did get to see Fox (did he stand me up, or did we just not bump into eachother in the crowds?) Blah. I left as soon as the main show was over. Walking back to my van in the rain was very pleasant. I love the way downtown smells during a shower... like hot asphalt, and sun-soaked concrete, and fresh river valley air mingling through it all. It made me wish I could have been doing something much more exciting than sitting in a noisy, smelly, bar all night. So I took a detour on the way home. At first, I meant to just drive past the Chapters store to see if they had ads up for the release of the Harry Potter book tomorrow. Then I realized: it's 11:30pm. The book technically goes on sale at midnight, and I'd heard that a few book stores were staying open til past midnight to sell to the fans. So maybe our local Chapters might even be open. There might even be a few people there right now, lining up for the book. Perhaps I could share vicariously in Anna & Don's book-store queue expereince, and get myself a copy, thus making their deaths much less necessary? Driving down Sherwood Drive, I figured I'd just check if the lights were on in the store, and if they were, I'd see if the doors were open. But even before I made it to the mall, I was in a mini traffic rush-hour, with vehicles all turning towards the mall parking lot. The parking lot was FULL. I could see that even before I could see Chapters itself. And there were kids on the sidewalks, and parents pushing stollers (at 11:45pm!) and gaggles of teenagers dressed in pointy hats and capes. It was weird... like Star Wars fans lining up for the premiere of another SW Movie... but without the lightsabers. Instead, they carried broomsticks. And, well, they weren't overweight geeks trying to relive the glory days of their youth... but actual kids, still young and revelling in it, splashing in puddles, and waving brooms at eachother, and enjoying the party. For yes, it was a party. Apparently it had been going on since 10pm, and I was just catching the tail end. Excitement was in the air as people claimed or reclaimed their spots in line, and bookstore staff began carrying around large boxes full of J. K. Rowling's new book. I followed a snaking line around inside the store, and found its end in the coffee shop (where people were sipping on mocha lattes while discussing inter-house rivalries). Alas, it was the wrong line (pre-orders only) and I had to set off again to find the tail of the other (longer) line. But I did find it, and discovered - almost at its end - were some friends I hadn't seen in a bit. So they invited me to stand & chat with them, and we watched the chaos unfold around us. It was good. In the end, I got my copy with only 40-ish minutes of waiting. I brought my prize home with me. Sat down to mark the event in my weblog so that Anna and Don will know I forgive them (skanky hose beasts though they are), and now I am finally off to bed. Although, it can't hurt if I just read a little of the first chapter, can it? |
| Fri, July 15, 2005 (3:30pm) Anna just called me from Scotland. She's alive and doing well. Don was next to her, and he's alive and well, too. But this will change, soon. You see, they were standing in line at a bookstore to get their copy of the new Harry Potter book, and just called to say that they would soon be holding the much awaited tome in their hands. Yep... their greedy, sneaky, Scot-contaminated hands. And then, when they're done fondling it, they're planning to read the new Harry Potter book, the fiends!. They will probably be finished before it is even available for purchase, here. And they just had to call long distance to rub it in. So I'm off to Scotland to murder them both. Cheers! |
| Fri, July 15, 2005 (1:30pm, with edits at 3:45pm) YAY! We got our passports in the mail today! GenCon is a little over a month away, and my stomach is a-flutter with the thought of spending 4 solid days in the company of gamers, playing in a dungeon, and not changing a single diaper. I'm already starting my packing lists, and I've come into a small dilemma: Cameras. I have a very nice SLR camera. It is, however, too big to lug around through conventions, gets heavy on the neck, and makes an excellent target for thieves as I would constantly be putting it down and forgetting about it (unless I just leave it in the hotel room, in which case, why bring a camera at all?) It's also a pain to bring on the plane, as it takes up almost as much storage room as my over-nighter bag. So... I have decided not to bring it. In past years, I brought my digital camera instead: my old Mavica, or the Sony CyberShot. The former is functionally obsolete, and the latter has since been sold. I keep meaning to buy a new digicam, but run into the same problems time & again: I need something that's very small & very lightweight, or I just won't bother carrying it around with me. I also need something which is fast - if it takes 10+ seconds to boot up, the moment I wanted to capture may have gotten away from me (particularly the case with kids) - and if the shutter lag or click-to-capture rate is too big, then I may miss that particular moment I want to capture even if the subject hasn't left. So why even bother taking the camera anywhere? And there's the matter of price. A couple years ago, anything small enough for me to carry willingly wasn't technologically advanced enough to be fast, unless it came with an exorbitant price tag. Nowadays, there are some which fit nicely into the price range I can afford ($500 - $1000) butI've done enough computer upgrades in the last year to have pretty much used up my electronics budget. So I need something under $500 (preferably much less) if I'm gonna think seriously about it. I did some research online, and this is what I came up with: Sony Cybershot DSC-T7 - 5.1 MegaPixels, very compact, and says it "Features Real Imaging Processor® technology for extraordinary responsiveness" American price is $500ish. Can't find a Canadian price on it, though. Minolta Dimage X31 - 3.2 MegaPixels, very compact with non-protruding lens!, 1 second start-up time, 0.1 sec shutter lag, runs on AA betteries! - Under $200 where I've found the price. But reviews admit that it isn't very good in low-light, and despite the AA batteries being an excellent answer to re-charging issues... it runs through them like mad. Minolta dimage X50 - 5 megaPixels, compact lens set-up is quite similar to the X31, uses more standard battery (rechargeable), and takes much better pictures in low-light than the X31. Around $500 most places I've seen it... but McBains has it in the vicinity of $400 for July because they're featuring Konica Minolta products this month. Tempting. Must think on this. - - - A Connor Report Connor pulled me by the arm several times yestereve to ask me to open the baby gate and let him outside. After several explanations that now was not the time for outside play, I began ignoring the requests. Finally, Connor grabbed my arm, pulled, and shouted "Pease!" When I asked, "Did you just say, 'please' Connor?" he shouted "Please! Please!" at me several more times. So, he got to go outside (briefly) after all. He asked 'please' a few more times that night, but hasn't done it at all today. Still, that's an excellent attempt at communicating! |
| Wed, July 13, 2005 (1:10pm) To anyone interested: Our good friend, the Blue Revolutionist, has made it to Scotland. He dropped me an email to say he is safe and sound. Personally, I'd challenge the 'sound' part, but then I'm the one who thought it would be cool to surround myself with knee nibblers and walking drool dispensers instead of galavanting across the world to meet boys in skirts and girls with delicious accents, so you can't exactly consider me a good judge of sanity, neh? Further updates as events warrant. I imagine they shall be few and far between until he gets his internet hooked up, out there. Be safe, Blue. |
| Fri, July 8, 2005 (1:10pm) A Connor Report Oh, look - I'm late again with the monthly Connor report. Well, it'll have to wait even longer, 'cuz I'm gonna blather about something else Connor-related for a moment. Connor has his own support worker, now. As of Tuesday, a nice lady (I'll refer to her as 'K.' because she said I could, after asking me what a weblog was, anyways) has been coming every day to do therapy with Connor, and socialize with him, and work on goals. Well, we haven't actually established specific goals yet, but they'll be mostly communication oriented, with a lot of self-help stuff thrown in. Things like encouraging him to use words and/or PECS to communicate, practicing eating with utensils, and taking him on weekly outings. The outing day is Friday... which means, that right now, my dear little boy is off galavanting across Edmonton with some woman I've only met 3 times. I'm a nervous wreck. Almost a wreck. Definitely nervous. You'd think I could sit back and trust that this perfectly qualified, experienced person could take care of my kid for a few hours, but here I am waiting for a call on my cell to say... I don't know... anything could go wrong, couldn't it? Or maybe am I worried that nothing will go wrong, and he'll enjoy himself? Then I won't be indispensible anymore, and I'll have to find other things to occupy my Fridays besides organizing my entire schedule around finding an hour to do Connor-time. Enough about me. What does Connor think of K? He took to her pretty well on Tuesday, when she came for her initial visit. He was willing to make eye contact, and tolerated her presence at the table for snacktime. He even babbled at her (while looking away, but the words were obviously aimed in her direction) and let her talk to him. Wednesday we played games and I showed K. a few of our household routines. Connor got some 1-on-1 time with her, and seemed to enjoy it. She says he made great eye contact, and was willing to play a few song games (head & shoulders, knees & toes). In the afternoon we went to the playground, and Connor spent a lot of time with K, shovelling sand into a bucket and dumping it. She stayed quite close to him, got right into his space and everything, and he seemed comfortable with it. This is pretty good, considering he rarely lets strangers into his personal space. On Thursday, we had the Occupational Therapist come, and we did some tests, and played a lot of interactive games, and showed off our therapy swing. Then K took Connor for 1-on-1 again, and I spent time with Kalen and Jase. When it was time for K to go, I took Connor to the steps to wave goodbye (we're doing quite well with social greetings, by the way) but Connor refused to wave goodbye to her. Instead, when K came close, trying to engange his attention, he reached out to her and gave her a huge hug - the kind he reserves for his 'special people' like Mom or Dad or Grandma or Star - and then tried to blow her a kiss goodbye. I guess he approves of her then. So I'm gonna try to stop worrying, and maybe go control something that is within my ability to control. Like some Sims. |
| Tues, July 5, 2005 (5:50pm) Went out to Quad War on Friday afternoon with 4 and a half tubs of cloaks & hoods. Came back Sunday evening with 3 tubs of cloaks. Did we make a profit? No. We sold enough to pay for our gas and site fee and incidentals and a few trinkets here and there, but the $200+ worth of cloaks we sold does not cover the $250 I spent on cloth in preparation for this event. Still, it was totally worth it. Kale and Gareth really enjoyed eachother's company, and spending time at the cabin. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Myke, and she says she enjoyed herself well enough to consider coming again next year. The trip was kinda rough on the lungs (with all the allergens, etc.) but both Kale and I were still doing alright Sunday night, though perhaps using more ventolin than I would like. It rained near the end of the event, which meant taking down the 20x20 pavillion i nthe rain, and needing to set it up again now that we're back home - so it can dry off - but it didn't pour the same way it did last year, and the road out of the site didn't wash out. The best part of the event for me was getting my A.O.A. after 15+ years involved with the SCA. It's the prettiest AOA which I have ever seen, to boot. It's an illuminated manuscript style scroll, with a raven on it which is flying off with a shiny trinket in its beak. Princess Iodi herself did the artwork. It's sweet. Been very busy since getting home. Too busy to use proper grammar, did you notice? Later. |
| Thurs, June 30, 2005 (10:10am) Happy B-day to my bro Louis. Hey Lou: I know it's your birthday and ya wanna celebrate, but don't do drugs, kay? I know I say that to you everytime I see you, so you probably just ignore it as background noise... but you're a good brother, and I don't wanna be attending your funeral anytime soon. Alright? Especially since I'm buying you a nice birthday present, & all. In other news, the position of co-pilot to Quad War has been filled. Myke (a.k.a. Lady Myke, or Weike) will be coming, along with her son Gareth. Gareth and Kalen are close enough in age that they should be able to keep eachother occupied somewhat, and give Myke and I time to do some serious cloak selling. And, ya know, talking a lot... 'cuz that's what Myke and I are good at. Myke also finished a couple more cloaks when she came over Tuesday night, so she's adding 4 to our current stock. I finished cloak number 15 in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. My Mom's got a few cloaks and hoods and bog coats which we'll be selling at our shop, and putting those together with our recent creations plus stuff left over from last year, we'll have about 40 items in stock. Not bad considering that when I opened Cloaking Devices 2 years ago, we had barely a dozen cloaks for sale. Shades is out at the Quad site right now. He left after midnight last night, and got to the site in the wee hours. Called me to say that he'd arrived safe and sound, and to ask where the key was, since the place was locked. Ooops - I kinda forgot to give him the key. Luckily, my parents have had to deal with this sort of thing more often, and cleverly left a spare key on-site. Somewhere around 4 am, Shades was craning his neck upside-down in the middle of a farmer's field in Saskatchewan, holding a flashlight and looking for a hidden key. But all is well, now. He'll be working onsite all Thursday, and coming back home Friday ?morning, so he can watch the 2 boys (who are not yet recovered from their colds) while Myke and I, along with our eldest spawn, go enjoy Quad War, and sell cloaks. Well, I can't say life is boring. |