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Thursday, December 24th, 2009
(24 comments | comment on this) Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
copperbadge
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9:47p
I don't know why my mum lighted on The Nutcracker as something I needed early childhood exposure to. Possibly it was the only ballet she could tolerate. At any rate, every year, no matter where we lived, no matter that I have never seen another ballet and have no interest in any other, she would find a production of the Nutcracker and take me (and eventually my siblings) to see it at Christmas.
Tonight we saw the Joffrey Ballet do The Nutcracker in Chicago, and it is still FUCKING AWESOME.
I am not a huge ballet fan, but The Nutcracker is hardcore and you can't convince me otherwise. I love Drosselmeyer and the Russian dancers and the Rat King and MADAM GINGER.
I got the awesomest souvenir ever, too; we have several nutcrackers from previous years, but I've never seen one like this before.
HOW COOL IS THAT? I'm going to hang him on my computer at work or something.
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(31 comments | comment on this)
copperbadge
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4:25p
Still alive!
I have managed to get my family in a cab, through the Art Institute Museum including the Apostles Of Beauty exhibit, into Terzo Piano (the super-swank Art Institute Museum restaurant), out of the museum, back into a cab, through the line at Starbucks, and back to the hotel without breaking anything. I WIN.
My parents have no clue how to cope with the winter-mix of snow and rain we're getting. To be fair, they're not exactly used to it.
Mum: Well, we're from Texas.
Cabdriver: I bet when it snows like this in Texas, the whole city shuts down.
Me: When it snows like this in Texas, the end is nigh.
I had what I think can only be called a MEAT SAMPLER, at Terzo Piano. It's a trio of small burgers, served with fries, but the burgers vary: one is shrimp with some kind of spice sauce, one is lamb with feta cheese, and one is beef with Wisconsin cheddar. It's a surprising amount of meat, and ridiculously delicious.
We're off to get some culture in us tonight, and then tomorrow we'll be building a Christmas Tree from cookies, possibly buzzing my place to pick up the presents I left there, and generally goofing off. It should be AWESOME.
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(14 comments | comment on this)
cleolinda
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2:16p
A few time-sensitive things
Very tired--like, "sleepy" tired, not "verge of a nervous breakdown" tired. Maybe it's just because there's been a lot of holiday-related running-around lately, which is fun. And I've been eating out more, which means I'm drinking soda, which means I'm getting more caffeine than I should, which means I'm not sleeping very well at night. All I know is, a friend called yesterday and thought something was seriously wrong, because I sounded completely out of it. I woke up a bit late and didn't take my meds on time this morning, so now I have a headache, etc., which I'm hoping will go away by the time I go out to the Christmas swap party tonight. Speaking of which, I am still trying to find my boots (just short black boots to wear under my jeans, nothing huge), because I would really like to wear those. Also, I have very nearly talked myself into wearing a dark blue top with crocheted sleeves that are a bit... princessy. Eh, I will claim they are "festive."
First, a few Avatar links, since that's what the last entry was about. And thanks for such a civil and thoughtful discussion over on the Avatar entry. It took 360 comments for someone hostile to finally show up and inform me that I am a prejudiced, touchy-feely liberal. After the all-time high of cleoloindaisgay, this was a fairly disappointing flame.
James Cameron Reveals His Quest to Build More Perfect CGI Boobs. Unfortunately, I read this before I saw the movie, so I spent the whole thing staring at Neytiri's goods, curious to see if such a paradox as a CGI nip slip could possibly occur.
EW on Avatar: Does story matter? "Titanic is Shakespeare compared to Avatar." ICE BURRRRRRN.
James Cameron Planning 'Avatar' Trilogy, Director Tells MTV News. Yeah, I told you.
‘Avatar’ could get nine Oscar nominations. I don't know if I'm just more mature mellow as a person now than I was circa Titanic, but I think I would manage not to claw my eyes out if it won something huge. I don't know--maybe my Zoe Saldana love is helping me hold on.
The "Moff's Law" link going around: RT @ebertchicago To people who say "Just enjoy! Don't analyze!" This speaks eloquently for me: http://j.mp/4XAkBR.
Meanwhile (alert alert alert): today's 50% off sale at Aromaleigh is the Eye Lustres section ( Quick reviews of the ones I like )
Speaking of color: Colorstrology. Something about birthdays and colors and Pantone sponsorship, I don't know, but it's interesting. December's color is Pagoda Blue, and the 14th turned out to be Green-Blue Slate: "Complex, quick-witted, expressive." "You are expressive and funny and people like it when you entertain them" in particular made me laugh. DANCE, HUMOR MONKEY!
Speaking of which, I am so behind on Secret Life. Oh God. The Christmas/catchup installment looks like it's going to be in three parts now. Dammit.
  
current mood:  sleepy
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copperbadge
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7:11a
I woke up this morning and wondered why I couldn't move my arms properly. Had I slept wrong? Was I sick?
OH NO, I just took a cramp after moving a bajillion boxes yesterday. :D
We spent the evening in, watching Holstein decide that my shirt sleeves were evil and mocking the evening news. I also discovered that I left ALL THE PRESENTS I bought for people in my flat, so at some point today or tomorrow we have to go back to my flat, BRAVING THE THREE PERILOUS INCHES OF SNOW, to get my gifts for everyone.
In our family it's been a tradition since I was tiny that on Christmas eve you get to open two gifts, which are invariably a book and a pair of pyjamas, so you can read yourself to sleep waiting for Santa, and on Christmas morning you're in nice new pjs for present-opening. Last night, despite it not quite being Christmas, Mum gave me fancy new flannel pyjamas, and instead of a book I got a stuffed sock monkey.
Oh family. Never change.
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(32 comments | comment on this) Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
copperbadge
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3:48p
WELL THAT WAS AN AFTERNOON.
My family arrived at my place and I told them, and this was my mistake, "You're going to have to go down the street, turn around, and pull up to my place so we can unload."
They got stuck in the snow at the end of the street.
Three inches of snow.
In a four wheel drive pickup.
I MIGHT HAVE LOLED. And then spent forty minutes helping push them out.
Anyway, we got my new hideous chair and my bookshelf up to my apartment, took the rest of my stuff to storage, dropped off the U-Haul trailer, and made our way downtown to the hotel. It took us two trips to get all the luggage to the hotel room, because everything my parents brought is in tote bags. Apparently they've sworn off luggage? I don't even know.
But we are here in the hotel now, safe and warm and awaiting room service. We were upgraded, which rocks the house; it means that the room I'm sharing with Emmy is just a room, but if we go next door my parents have a PALATIAL SUITE we can all hang out in.
And, obvs, the internet works.
I'm so glad we have no more moving to do.
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(47 comments | comment on this)
petronia
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4:19p
Success!
Uploaded my Yuletide story! Rather, uploaded it yesterday, ran to a dinner party, came back home and did housework, slept, got up and made a PROPER CURRY, ate, and am now blogging while waiting for the dryer to do its thing, as there's no point in starting on the like twenty SSBB stories sitting in my inbox when I'm leaving the house again in 1/2 hr. orz It's a marker of how breakdown-inducing these community challenges are, that my natural misguided optimism only wins out enough to sign me up for them one year out of three. XD; This round was the smoothest-sailing thus far, in that I finished a whole three hours before deadline and while a couple of sections could have stood another edit the thing was basically DONE as opposed to missing chunks or otherwise soul-destroying. (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) sub_divided was a hero, of course.) Not sure I'll go back for more next year, though; December is not a good time of year for two weeks to disappear into the writerly void.
Speaking of SSBB, I think I might need a pinch hitter for the cover pic. o_o;; The artist in question is reliable; her computer situation is not, and therein lies the rub.
Next up: cheapo movie night has come around again, which means it's time to review last week's (Disney princess meta).
EDIT -- luckykitty, your card arrived! It's adorable. ♥ My first one this year~ XD
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(8 comments | comment on this) Monday, December 21st, 2009
copperbadge
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4:24p
I kept meaning to make an LJ entry today, and then things kept happening in my brain, you don't even want to know. So instead, you get a list!
1. While my knee is healing rapidly (I'm a good healer, to make up for tripping on NOTHING, ALL THE TIME) I've had to shorten my gait, so it takes me like, five minutes longer to get EVERYWHERE. This is improving my balance however.
2. The slow-walking thing is why I'm glad that the mailman came to see me today and took the last of my Christmas mailings, because omg I did not want to walk to the post office.
3. Which in turn means I can get a cab home. Ooooooh. And clean the kitchen in preparation for The Arrival Of My Family.
3a. Five bucks says that the first thing Emmy says to me when she sees the collage I made of images you guys sent me is, "Why is there a naked man with a frying pan in the corner?"
I'm going to just have to tell her "Art is its own explanation" or something equally ridiculous because I often ask myself the same question, and have yet to find an answer beyond "It was there."
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bravecows
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10:05p
To my Yuletide writer
I'm going to be away on holiday, with only intermittent Internet access, till the 6th of January. This means I'm unlikely to read your story till after the reveal. I suck! I'm sorry! But if you don't hear from me, don't worry -- it's not because I hated the story or anything like that. I'm looking forward tremendously to reading it and I hope you get heaps of feedback from other people in the meantime.
Happy Yuletide!
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(comment on this) Sunday, December 20th, 2009
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crushed