Random Ramblings

surprisingly accurate

2005-09-26T01:15:18Z

celticknotter took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test!

"Longs for a tender and sympathetic bond and for a ..."

Click here to read the rest of the results.

And yes, I'm back to using livejournal. I'm just not happy with my other blogs, among other things, so I'm back to where the good communities are. I have a full-time (read: 45 hours a week, including lunches, plus 2 hours a day in transit) job, so I find I don't blog much anymore, though I like to have the option to blog occasionally.

Girlie Girlie

2005-07-27T08:11:41Z

Note: I saved this from another blog of mine that's disappearing very very soon. Considering it has so many LJ links in it already, it seems like a good place to put it.

For the Guys: This is a post you probably won't want to read. I'm not saying that I don't want you to read it. It's entirely up to you, and wouldn't bother me in the least. I do think you should be sending your female friends here to read it though. It's got some good info they might be interested in. But if you do decide to read it, know that you'll likely be completely squicked out and wish you had heeded this warning.

WARNING: This post will squick out most guys and some girls too, but I'm not about to keep my trap shut about a product this good. And please, pass this URL to all women you know. You never know who might be interested in this.

I've been trying to figure out exactly how much to say about this product, and how to start it, but I'm just going to come right out and say it, and will answer any questions that come up afterwards (If you don't want to post publicly, email me at celticknotter at hotmail dot com, and I'll respond). Any questions are welcome, nothing too personal. The product is the divacup. It's a reusable menstrual product (no, it's NOT gross, keep reading), that is made of medical grade silicone so it can be boiled to be sterilised (though it's not strictly necessary most of the time. Yes, there are times you'll want to boil it). I was a little hesitant to buy one, but after doing some research (a great site for it -- reading everything on the LJ Menstrual Cup blog. Gets both the good and the bad), and talking to my own doc to make sure they really were safe (his opinion: if you're interested, it can't hurt to try one), I decided to buy one and give it a try. The way I saw it, there was nothing to lose and everything to gain. With the divacup, there's a full one year money back, satisfaction guarantee so I have 12 months to get the hang of it, just as long as I save the receipt. There are other similar products, but one of them can irritate a latex allergy (and nobody really needs more contact with latex than they already have) and the other I know nothing about, really except that it (like the rubber one) has a 3 month money back guarantee.

So, onwards with the review. I LOVE this product. To keep it short and more readable, a list.

no bunching

no shifting

no leaking (for me. your experience may vary)

no chafing

no irritating string

no peeing on said irritating string and having it wick up (eww, I know, but c'mon, who hasn't thought of that?)

no overdrying (this is non-absorbant, just collects the flow, while letting the natural moisture stay as usual. So nice not be all dried out, isn't it?)

no TSS risk

NEVER have to buy another product again -- no running out at a bad time! No more having them change the product you like to something less likeable. No more spending huge amounts of money on something you toss away every month. You can say "fuck off" to the big corporations!

depending on how heavy the flow is, you can leave it in up to 12 hours. yes, TWELVE hours. That means no more having to keep an eye out for a washroom when you're going about your day. You're covered for far more time than your bladder will hold out. It's all good. :D

you can completely lose your mind and want to tell every single woman (ok, and some men) that you know, all about the product

no "wet diaper" feeling, nor will you get that sudden slip that lets you know about imminent tampon failure

no more adding to the landfills

you become more comfortable with your own body, and get to know it better (so you'll be better able to recognize if something is wrong)

it's kinda cool to see the blood in the cup. The difference consistencies, colours, amounts.

it's non-absorbant, so you can safely insert it as soon as you think you're getting your period, and you're covered for when it starts. No more waiting until it starts to put in a tampon, or wearing an irritating pad for longer than absolutely necessary. Also works for light spotting

the silicone warms to body temperature, so you can't even feel it at all. Not in the least (I always noticed tampons). Some women can feel the stem thingy poking into them, but that can be trimmed down or cut off altogether (I did neither, and have had no problems with it).

it may shorten your period, make it (seem) lighter, and/or eliminate cramps

So that covers off all the good stuff, I think. I probably missed some. Now compare...

there is a learning curve to getting it in and out correctly (ok, and getting it positioned right, too)

it takes a bit of time to figure out how often you need to empty it

some women can't use it

you have to be comfortable with touching yourself very intimately. Of course, that's something everyone should be comfortable with, but that's just my view.

you need to realize that yes, you'll have to deal a bit more with the blood, but you're not adding to the landfill

I really can't think of any other bad points. I have only used it for one month, but I really love it and don't ever want to switch to anything else. I had zero leakage, didn't notice it there AT ALL, and was not concerned about being away from the washroom for hours on end when I was at Casa Loma (previous excursions with my boyfriend had me running to the washroom every chance I got because I just didn't have that level of confidence in the product. Real fun on a second date, eh?). I will fully admit that the first try inserting it was hell. It really hurt. Part of that was likely because of my virgin status, and part of it was because I followed the instructions on how to fold it. Insertion does NOT hurt anymore. If you're interested in trying a divacup, go to the LJ user group I mentioned and read through things, but especially THIS entry which shows an alternative folding technique which works really really well. I had no problems getting it to pop open this way. There are some other tips that might be helpful too, and I'm certainly willing to share if you're interested, but even I have limits as to how much I'll post about it. Mainly because I'm too lazy to type that much, and I'm typing more than enough as is. Removal was also a tad ouchie but not as bad as putting it in for the first time, and only until I learned a good way to remove it. It's all part of the learning curve.

Squick factor, for me, has been really low, but that's because I'm not at all grossed out by periods. Sure, you see the blood more, and have to deal with it (dumping it out, rinsing it well, washing it), but it's really not a big deal. And you really only have to do it twice a day (at least, I only have to do it twice a day), so it's not a big deal. I will admit, the first time I tried it, my hands looked like something out of a horror movie. But guess what...hands wash really really easily. And the comfort is like nothing else. And that was only the first time (ok, I've had it for two periods, but was out and about so much for the first one that I didn't try it beyond that one day). I found that popping it in earlier in the period meant there was already less blood in the vag, so it's not like there was a whole lot outside the cup, which is what caused the mess. And it's not at all messy to change it out if there's no blood outside the cup. Most of the time, my hands had next to nothing on them, and a little bit of toilet paper got that off, so if you're concerned about walking out to the sink in a public washroom with blood all over your hands, it's not going to happen. Plus, you very rarely need to change in public anyway. I haven't done it yet, so I won't comment on it any further, though I've got some plans for how to deal with it. And the coolest part ... seeing how little actually comes out. I was convinced I had a really heavy period, based on disposable products, but now I realize it's totally not true -- it's just the products soaking up natural moisture and sweat. The cup makes it seem like it's a lot lighter. So cool. And my period was shorter too. That's always awesome.

Now that comment about sterilising. At some point, the slippery little bugger will get away from you, and you will accidentally drop it in the toilet. I really would not suggest reinserting until you've given it a thorough cleaning. I wouldn't do it without washing it well, then boiling it. Just my preference. And one last hygiene thing ... you MUST wash your hands before adjusting it, or it greatly increases the chance of UTIs. Not fun. But the Divacup is, oh yes, it really is.

I haven't lost my mind. Really. I've just found a product that really does make me forget all about my period. And isn't that how periods should be?

Edited to Add: A comment from my good friend Ben, that must be immortalized, "It's a magical ride over Menstruation Mountain filled with cups of bloody joy! " Yes, yes it is, Ben.

giggles

2005-01-18T22:59:49Z

The Great LiveJournal
Outage of 2005

During the outage I didn't know there was an outtage, so really.. I didn't care.

What did you do?

Brought to you by geek-foo

Yes, I'm still keeping an eye on my friends page, but I've foundi update a lot more now that it's on my own domain. If you're interested - it's here

background not showing

2005-01-01T21:25:34Z

I've been finding lately that my journal background has not been appearing. I can only assume that it has something to do with the interaction between livejournal and photobucket, where I have my image hosted. This makes me grumpy. Of course, I won't be bothered fixing it at all because, with the prompting of a certain person, I have decided to switch to blogger and set it up to appear on a new subdomain that I am creating for my site. I think I have settled on ramblingbabbles, but it's undecided. Until I get that set up, I'll prolly do most of my updating through my blogspot.

I'll still be keeping this account, so I can keep up with the communities I've joined, and the journals I read.

Swiped from Ben

2004-12-30T19:05:51Z

I stole this from Ben -- so blame him, it's all his fault....

(A) First, recommend to me:
1. a movie
2. a book
3. a musical artist, song, or album

(B) Ask me three questions, no more, no less. Ask me anything you want. Answers will be posted next week--great time for strangers to say hi.

(C) Then go back to your blog, copy and paste this allowing your friends to ask you anything; say that you stole it from me.

Unconscious Mutterings again

2004-12-26T20:33:17Z

Christmas commentary and all that crap to come later (when family isn't hanging over my shoulders, in other words)...

holiday:: yesterday
fault:: mine
beep:: noise
bubble:: gum
needle:: thread
fare:: bus
treat:: baking
express:: post
webcam:: voyeur
capital:: city

go get it here

celticknotter @ 2004-12-24T20:47:00

2004-12-25T01:47:45Z

Tired...so tired

2004-12-22T00:38:25Z

So lately I've been working on a sleep for a bit, work for awhile, sleep for a while, more work, etc. People say that we need longer days, but splitting each day into two separate days seems to be working for me...until today that is. I was chatting about celtic music with some random guy who messaged me on yahoo (he's in Scotland - pretty cool, actually), so I didn't crawl off to bed as early?late? as I usually do, which meant I didn't get to bed at all. I had placed a call to another recruitment agency here, and they suggested I come in today. Of course, this meant that I had to cancel my plans (you know, those super-important ones that involve sleeping and lolling around in my wonderful flannel sheets) to get all suited up (literally -- a dress suit even, which required shaving my legs....again. Damn I hate that job, even though I love the way smooth legs feel...but I digress) and head to the agency. Over two hours later, I finally left. I had lots of fun taking tests to show my skills in various computer programs, and even in proofreading, plus the interview thing. I think it went well, though they haven't any positions I'm suited to, at the moment. Annoying thing was, as I finished each test it was supposed to print a report at the receptionist desk in the other room. Instead it popped up with a LPT1 error (your standard print error, basically). And the friggin thing kept popping up as they tried to figure out what was wrong with it. The more tests I finished the faster it popped up, since it was doing it for more than one print job. It got a little crazy, to be honest, and likely screwed up my score slightly (but not enough that I would say anything about it. Besides, that would just sound like a cop-out). I have to say, I don't know a whole lot about networking computers and shared printers and such, but there was no printer cable coming from the tower. Like I said, I don't know a whole lot about it, but I'm fairly certain no printer cable means you will not be printing from that computer. But I could be wrong.

And coolness news - I signed up for an online course in medical terminology. It was kind of spur of the moment, but kind of not. I had wanted to take a medical secretary program coming out of high school, but everyone kept telling me to 'aspire to something more' so I did, but lately I've been thinking about it again. Well, the jobs that I've been seeing a lot of require medical terminology, so I put in my application form and cheque. It still seems really spontaneous though, since I just learned about the course today and I've already registered for it. It feels right though.

Man, I need sleep, I can barely focus on typing this. But tonight is Scrubs night, and I can't miss that. Methinks I'd best plan on setting the vcr timer.....*yawn*

Interesting...

2004-12-21T17:10:10Z

I was just reading the official J.K. Rowling website and found a reference she made about the wood used in certain wands being based on the trees that the ancient Celts had assigned to the part of the year in which the character's birthday fell. So I thought to take a look for my birthday and found that the Birch tree was somehow correlated with my birthday. I've always loved the birch tree more than other trees, so it kind of caught my attention. This could be worth looking into the next time I'm trying to kill some time.

I hate thinking of titles...so I won't

2004-12-20T02:05:31Z

It's about time I did a proper update, so here it is. Last week my mom was talking with the mom of one of my brother's friends from high school (how's that for convoluted relationship to somebody?), who was nice enough to offer to put a good word in for me at the Town Hall HR department. I spent a pantload of time creating an awesome cover letter for it and went to take it in on Wednesday, only to be told that they don't accept resumes in person, it all has to go through the website. Cute. Especially considering that the website says they don't accept email resumes either. It was so frustrating and had me rather upset (though I never got around to actually writing about it, though I hinted at it) because it seems like everytime I get something starting to go my way, I get screwed over again. Well, this same wonderful person ran into my mom again, and said that she would come and pick up my resume from my mom at work, and personally deliver it to the HR manager she has already spoken to on my behalf. Apparently, they are looking to recruit some new people, and things are being reorganized and such, so fingers crossed that something comes of this.

We went to visit my grandfather yesterday. I would like to say it was fun and I enjoyed the visit, but it wasn't, so I won't. I will blame it on being very tired and having that restless legs, must move kind of feeling while I was there....except it wasn't in my legs, but in my back, which is a lot worse. We picked up swiss chalet on the way home and watched a cute little Christmas movie -- Karroll's Christmas -- that I taped earlier this week while we ate. Of course, I was so tired I fell asleep and missed a big chunk of the movie. I wasn't able to get a whole lot in the way of sleep leading up to the visit, so I'm not terribly surprised. I think I'd had about 6 hours sleep in the preceding 48 hours. Ick.

Reading this makes me realize just how un-entertaining my life is. The most thrilling thing to have happened recently was the death of my computer monitor. You really had to be here to know why this was thrilling. The sounds it made were really quite remarkable. We now have my monitor on Dad's computer and we'll look at getting a new monitor once the Christmas rush is over. We knew the monitor was dying, based on the loud whine its had for the past, well, year, almost, but we didn't realize how bad the display on it was getting. The colour was just dreadful. Of course, this means that I now have to update and redo some of the stuff I've done lately (like the background for my lj) because I really don't like how it looks now - the colours just aren't what I thought they were.

But this updating may have to wait for a bit. In trying to prevent myself from falling down the stairs when I slipped on them in the middle of the night, I grabbed the hand rail, which wrenched my wrist and thumb, and of course, it would have to be my right hand. Typing isn't too bad (as long as I remember not to use my right thumb for hitting the spacebar), but using the mouse is a little on the painful side at the moment because of having to move my wrist. I was hoping to work on my newest celtic knot project (called Fire Brothers, I think), but I'm not sure about holding the pencil for it. Ick. Sometimes it really stinks to have all my hobbies requiring the use of my right hand. Every single year, I'm either sick or injured at Christmas. I'm hoping this is it for this year.

But coming from the land of Good News: I sold my flute. It's actually a little bittersweet because it was the first really big purchase I made and I wasn't sure if I really wanted to sell it or not. Of course, I haven't played it in at least 5 years, though it may be longer than that even, and I feel crappy knowing that such a beautiful instrument is just sitting in my closet. When I switched from Clarinet to Flute, my music teacher (in a public, elementary school, no less) went out of her way to make sure the rental company gave me a really good flute, as opposed to the Gemeinhardt flutes that they usually gave to young rental students. After renting for a semester, I bought it, and it saw a lot of use for a few years. It's an Armstrong, closed key flute. It'll be nice to know that it will finally be in use again, and I like it even more because it is my cousin buying it for her daughter. Instead of them paying each month to rent a flute, they will pay me the installments and get to keep the flute. Little do they know the penalty for paying in installments....they have to take all the sheet music that I've accumulated over the years!

Unconscious Mutterings again

2004-12-20T01:29:31Z

I didn't really like this list all that much but here goes anyway...

Perfect Gift::impossible to find
Santa::Christmas
Lucy::Charlie Brown
Buckets::water
Recital::music
Stamp::pad
Teacher::education
Matchbox::20
Spit::gross
Feeling::emotion

go get the list

Musical Choices

2004-12-17T19:18:42Z

I saw this one while I was flipping through a new site I came across last night (the same one that huge long survey was from) and thought it was a neat idea....soo....

Bands // Song Titles
Created by BourdiezFreak and taken 16875 times on bzoink!
Choose a band/or artist and answer only in song TITLES by that band:	Sons of Maxwell
Are you female or male:	Lady from L.A.
Describe yourself:	So Confusing
How do some people feel about you:	Uphill Battle
How do you feel about yourself:	Free To Be
Describe your ex girlfriend/boyfriend:	Games People Play
Describe your current girlfriend/boyfriend:	Mr. Nobody
Describe where you want to be:	Bold Frontier
Describe what you want to be:	Irish Rover
Describe how you live:	Among the Living
Describe how you love:	Like You Do
Share a few words of wisdom:	Easy Come, Easy Go
Create a Survey \| Search Surveys \| Go to bzoink!

Yeah, and I will actually update with something other than online time wasters one of these days...I mean soon, yeah, sooon...

Because I Felt Like It....

2004-12-17T09:54:34Z

I filled in this entirely way too long survey thing, for absolutely no other reason than I felt like it.

and cuz it's long...

Really Long Survey (over 200)
Created by starsbleed2nite and taken 54334 times on bzoink!
What is your name?	Michelle
Are you named after anyone?	nope
What's your screename?	celticknotter, usually
Would you name a child of yours after you?	nope, there are far too many Michelle's already
If you were born a member of the opposite sex what would your name be?	dunno
If you could switch names with a friend who would it be?	Shannon
Are there any mispronounciations/typos that ppl do w/ your name constantly?	Michele (they drop an L)
Would you drop your last name if you became famous?	no, probably not, but it depends what I'm famous for
Basics
Your gender:	female
Straight/Gay/Bi:	straight
Single?	yep
If not, do you want to be?	n/a
Birthdate:	Jan 8 1980
Your age:	almost 25
Age you act:	depends on the day
Age you wish you were:	why change it?
Your height:	5'9"
Eye color:	hazel
Happy with it?	sure
Hair color:	brown
Happy with it?	sure, if I didn't, I'd dye it
Lefty/righty/ambidextrous:	righty for most things (but left for some....like dribbling a basketball)
Your living arrangement:	at home with my parents
Your family:	what about them?
Have any pets?	nope - dad has some fish, though
Whats your job?	my job is finding a job
Piercings?	just in my ears
Tattoos?	no - too wimpy
Obsessions?	yes, there are a few
Addictions?	yeah, I think so
Do you speak another language?	I speak some French
Have a favorite quote?	Many. for the moment "I'm lost. I've gone to look for myself. If I should get back before I arrive, please ask me to wait."
Do you have a webpage?	you betcha! www.celticknotter.com
Deep Thoughts About Life and You in it
Do you live in the moment?	no
Do you consider yourself tolerant of others?	I try to be
Do you have any secrets?	many
Do you hate yourself?	sometimes
Do you like your handwriting?	it could be worse
Do you have any bad habits?	oh yes, but I'm not about to tell
What is the compliment you get from most people?	that I have a beautiful smile
If a movie was made about your life, what would it be called?	Boredom? I don't know
What's your biggest fear?	fear of pain
Can you sing?	of course...you just don't want to hear it
Do you ever pretend to be someone else just to look cool?	no
Are you a loner?	yes
What are your #1 priorities in life?	right now, trying to figure out who I am, I guess
If you were another person, would you be friends with you?	I don't know
Are you a daredevil?	not at all
Is there anything you fear or hate about yourself?	yes
Are you passive or agressive?	I can be passive aggressive
Do you have a journal?	what do you think you're reading?
What is your greatest strength and weakness?	strength: intelligence (wow, sounds arrogant) Weakness: not asking for help
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?	physical appearance
Do you think you are emotionally strong?	on the outside, yes
Is there anything you regret doing/not doing in life?	I regret trusting certain people
Do you think life has been good so far?	It is what it is. it could have been a lot worse
What is the most important lesson you've learned from life?	Trust yourself
What do you like the most about your body?	from the neck up
And least?	from the neck down
Do you think you are good looking?	no
Are you confident?	not really, but I fake it well
What is the fictional character you are most like?	I identify with many characters, so I can't really narrow it down
Are you perceived wrongly?	I don't know - I think I must be at least some of the time
Do You...
Smoke?	no
Do drugs?	no
Read the newspaper?	only the Saturday paper, and only certain sections
Pray?	not really
Go to church?	no
Talk to strangers who IM you?	sometimes - it depends on why they are messaging me
Sleep with stuffed animals?	sometimes - lately, only when they fall off the shelf over the bed
Take walks in the rain?	sometimes - depends on the situation. I won't go out of my way to do it on my own.
Talk to people even though you hate them?	sometimes I don't have a choice
Drive?	no, but I should
Like to drive fast?	no
Would or Have You Ever?
Liked your voice?	I'm indifferent
Hurt yourself?	not intentionally
Been out of the country?	yes I have been and would like to again
Eaten something that made other people sick?	no
Been in love?	no, never been in love
Done drugs?	no
Gone skinny dipping?	no, but I wouldn't rule it out...
Had a medical emergency?	does a fever of 104 count?
Had surgery?	no
Ran away from home?	I considered it
Played strip poker?	no
Gotten beaten up?	does sibling rivalry count? :P
Beaten someone up?	no
Been picked on?	yes - constantly
Been on stage?	yes, and there are blackmail videos to prove it, dammit
Slept outdoors?	yes - I actually enjoy camping
Thought about suicide?	erm...
Pulled an all nighter?	frequently
If yes, what is your record?	43ish hours, I think
Gone one day without food?	yes, but I was sick at the time
Talked on the phone all night?	yes
Slept together with the opposite sex w/o actually having sex?	yes I have - well, napped together, anyway
Slept all day?	yes
Killed someone?	no!
Made out with a stranger?	never
Had sex with a stranger?	never
Thought you're going crazy?	of course
Kissed the same sex?	not that I recall
Done anything sexual with the same sex?	nope
Been betrayed?	repeatedly
Had a dream that came true?	frequently, and it gets rather creepy sometimes
Broken the law?	nope, at least none that I was aware of
Met a famous person?	only some minor ones that no one has heard of (though you'd prolly recognize them if you saw them)
Have you ever killed an animal by accident?	not that I know of, but we never figured out what killed the hamsters....
On purpose?	no
Told a secret you swore you wouldn't tell?	not that I recall
Stolen anything?	no
Been on radio/tv?	no
Been in a mosh-pit?	no
Had a nervous breakdown?	depends on who you ask
Bungee jumped?	never
Had a dream that kept coming back?	oh yes - and those damn Pom Pom Animals are starting to creep me out!
Beliefs
Belive in life on other planets?	yes - didn't they prove there was life on Mars?
Miracles?	sort of
Astrology?	yes - I'm a true Capricorn, according to everything I've read about Caps
Magic?	yes, but not that Harry Potter type magic
God?	yes I believe there is a/are being(s) with a higher power
Satan?	no
Santa?	yes, he is the spirit of Christmas
Ghosts?	yes, I share a bedroom with one
Luck?	yes - If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all
Love at first sight?	yes, now if only....
Yin and yang (that good cant exist w/o bad)?	I'm not sure
Witches?	of course
Easter bunny?	no
Believe its possible to remain faithful forever?	yes, absolutely
Believe theres a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?	I wish, but I don't think so
Do you wish on stars?	sometimes
Deep Theological Questions
Do you believe in the traditional view of Heaven and Hell?	depends on what your traditional view is....do I believe there are flames licking at people's heels? no.
Do you think God has a gender?	of course they all do
Do you believe in organized religion?	how can someone deny it exists? There are religious organizations everywhere. do I believe in what is said about it all? not necessarily
Where do you think we go when we die?	we'll just have to wait and see...and hope to not find out for a long while
Friends
Do you have any gay/lesbian friends?	yes
Who is your best friend?	I don't know...not really sure I have one right now
Who's the one person that knows most about you?	probably Sassysha, possibly Matt
What's the best advice that anyone has ever given to you?	To Thine Own Self Be True (total cliche that it is)
Your favourite inside joke?	if I shared it, it wouldn't be an inside joke, now would it?
Thing you're picked on most about?	weight
Who's your longest known friend?	Sam
Newest?	Ryan
Shyest?	me, maybe
Funniest?	they are all funny in their own way
Sweetest?	Matt
Closest?	right now, prolly Matt - we can talk about anything
Weirdest?	many are weird, but I don't know who takes the cake
Smartest?	depends on the area - academically, I always looked up to Sassysha
Ditziest?	I don't associate with ditzes
Friends you miss being close to the most?	Bradley
Last person you talked to online?	Oliver
Who do you talk to most online?	Matt
Who are you on the phone with most?	erm...uh....telemarketers? I don't like phones
Who do you trust most?	no one, ever
Who listens to your problems?	whoever reads my LJ
Who do you fight most with?	family members
Who's the nicest?	arrggh...too...many...choices...
Who's the most outgoing?	Kitten
Who's the best singer?	I haven't heard most of them sing
Who's on your shit-list?	I wouldn't want to alert them evil grin
Have you ever thought of having sex with a friend?	;) Maybe....
Who's your second family?	ALOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFF
Do you always feel understood?	no
Who's the loudest friend?	hard to say....
Do you trust others easily?	not at all
Who's house were you last at?	uh, my own?
Name one person who's arms you feel safe in:	haven't really found that someone to cuddle up with
Do your friends know you?	they know parts of me
Friend that lives farthest away:	eek....my geography sucks....Matt? NO, I know! Chris! (Australia)
Love and All That
Do you consider love a mistake?	no
What do you find romantic?	the little things - little notes, messages written or left on the phone just to say "I'm thinking of you"
Turn-on?	humour, intelligence, honesty, and consideration
Turn-off?	arrogance, conceit, bullying, and bad tempers
First kiss?	was sweet and tender, and totally G-Rated
If someone u had no interest in had interest in dating u how would u feel?	flattered and a little bad for hurting their feelings
Do you prefer knowing someone before dating them or going	definitely getting to know them first
Have u ever wished it was more socially acceptable 4 a girl 2 ask a guy out	I didn't realize it wasn't socially acceptable
Have you ever been romantically attracted to someone physically unattractiv	yes
Do you think the opposite sex finds you good looking?	some apparently do, but in general, no
What is best about the opposite sex?	that they aren't women?
What is the worst thing about the opposite sex?	that they don't always understand how women think
What's the last present someone gave you?	I think it was a picture frame, for Grad
Are you in love?	no, but I wish I were
Do you consider your significant other hot?	n/a
Who Was the Last Person...
That haunted you?	some ex roomies that shall remain nameless
You wanted to kill?	really wanted to kill? no one. Threatened to kill....certain family members
That you laughed at?	laughed at? my mom
That laughed at you?	my parents, I guess
That turned you on?	well....that's between him and I....
You went shopping with?	my mom
That broke your heart?	romantically, hasn't happened. Friends...they are long in the past, now
To disappoint you?	intentionally? some former roomies Unintentionally, some family members (but they disappointed themselves too, so it's not really their fault)
To ask you out?	erk!? ugh. erm...Mark
To make you cry?	my mother
To brighten up your day?	Ryan
That you thought about?	Ryan
You saw a movie with?	my parents
You talked to on the phone?	umm....one of my mom's co-workers
You talked to through IM/ICQ?	Oliver
You saw?	my dad
You lost?	wasn't aware I'd 'lost' anyone.....I think their whereabouts are still known
Right This Moment...
Are you going out?	it's 4:45 am. No
Will it be with your significant other?	n/a
Or some random person?	n/a
What are you wearing right now?	black clog slippers, cute Christmas socks (beige pair, with reindeer, bearfaces with santa hats, holly & trees), navy blue sport pants, navy sweatshirt, & fav knot necklace
Body part you're touching right now:	none
What are you worried about right now?	nothing until this question came up -- now, the eternal job search
What book are you reading?	The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams
What's on your mousepad?	University New Brunswick crest and school name
Use 5 words to describe how you're feeling:	cold, antsy, bored, tired, restless
Are you bored?	didn't I just say that?
Are you tired?	didn't I just say that too?
Are you talking to anyone online?	not at this moment
Are you talking to anyone on the phone?	nope
Are you lonely or content?	lonely
Are you listening to music?	no
Create a Survey \| Search Surveys \| Go to bzoink!

Bah Humbug!

2004-12-16T03:38:14Z

Clickety clicked for the quizzy thing, and it just suits my mood perfectly, so BAH HUMBUG!

Your Christmas is Most Like: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

You can't really get into the Christmas spirit...
But it usually gets to you by the end of the holiday.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

I should probably be updating with why I'm in such a grumpy mood, but I'm still in such a grumpy mood that I don't feel like it. And this is the second time I turned on the computer with the sole intention of updating with how crappy today has been, and couldn't be bothered typing it out. Again I'll say it BAH HUMBUG!!!

Cuz I'm procrastinating...as usual

2004-12-15T09:54:06Z

So I saw this over on Oliver's Blog (wow, it's been so long since I actually typed the code for a link I had to actually think about it! yipes!), and have decided to gank it, because, well, just because I can, actually. Plus it seems interesting. You know what...I use that word all too often. interesting Must figure out why I always default to interesting, though I suppose it could be worse, like...ummm *fails to come up with a worse example....Ok, without further ado..some Free Association (list brought to you by Unconscious Mutterings). Ok, maybe a bit of 'ado' first. The idea is to write the first thing that pops into your mind when you see the word on the list.

Plot:: story
Farce:: Royal Canadian Air
Unexpected:: surprise
Siren:: police
Ben:: Brodie
Freshman:: Newbie
Quicksand:: sinking
24 hours:: day
Spunky:: *giggles*
Vicious:: circle

Go get the list:

Also -- I was looking at all the creative stuff I've been doing lately, and how much I enjoy it (heck, I even want to do another re-do on my lj just because it was fun and a bit challenging) and it reminded me of a convo from last night. My parents were both science majors in university. My brother and I were both arts majors. I wonder how that happened, and gee, is that perhaps why I don't see eye to eye with my parents so often. Of course, I see eye to eye with my brother even less.

Good Times

2004-12-15T02:06:43Z

The family friends have been and gone and it was actually a rather nice visit. Lots to talk about, totally relaxed and rather like having family members you actually like come for a visit. They left this morning to catch their train west to visit their son for the holidays. We'll see them again on their way back (they leave their car at our house over the holiday season so they don't have to worry about it sitting at the train station, and we start it occasionally for them so they know that it won't be frozen into a state of not-workingness by the time they return). They might even stay for New Years Eve, so it will be more than just the three of us watching movies and munching pizza. Ahhh yes, such thrilling new years' eves....

We got an RSVP of sorts from my great uncle last night, and he will be coming for Christmas dinner, which is really nice. He was also passing along the message that Pam and Nial have accepted the invite as well, so looks like I won't be the only person under 55 (Nial -- and his wife Pam -- is my dad's cousin's son, but I consider Nial and Pam my cousins, along with all Nial's siblings. I'm closer to them, and like them a whole lot more, than my 'real' cousins).

And just cuz it made me laugh. We had a call from my brother yesterday...They have a foot of snow and the snow and ice meant he couldn't get up his driveway. *giggles* In his defence, it must be about a 45degree angle, and runs off another very steep hill. Probably hard to imagine unless you've actually been to New Brunswick.

Quizzy Quizzy Quizzlet

2004-12-13T14:47:31Z

Which File Extension are You?
Yep, that's me...can't figure out what I want to be :D

giggles

2004-12-13T11:31:55Z

I'm a little giddy and giggly here tee hee tee hee giggle giggle giggle snort...ok, so maybe staying up all night playing on the computer isn't a bright idea, but I had some fun fiddling with the overrides for my LJ. It's a little intimidating making changes in the overrides box, I must admit - who knows what I could schmuck up, but I'm really bored with how my lj looks, so...it was time to take the plunge. From what I was reading in the howto tutorials, it's basically playing with CSS, so it is kinda neat that I made it this far because none of the other CSS stuff I have looked at made any sense for me. Am I becoming an even bigger geek? So far, I'm quite pleased with the way it is starting to look, though there are a couple things I'm going to continue to work on (they might even be done by the time you read this!). I'm just trying to get it to fit in better with how my website looks and so far, I think I'm succeeding. Of course, I've only seen how it looks on my monitor, so could ya please tell me if it looks like crap on your monitor, and let me know what you think needs changing? I'm not guaranteeing it will get changed (or that I'm even able to change it, but feedback is definitely welcome. Sooo, ummm, yeah.
Back to photoediting.....

Blah

2004-12-13T06:09:01Z

Just another blah day to add to another blah week. My mother had a full roast dinner in the crock pot all day. Just like being back in the 1950s with veggies cooked around the potroast. The only thing missing is the fake smiles, perfect clothing, and the apron. As I was laying in bed, trying not to gag on the smell, I realized that the smell of roast beef, parsnips, carrots, onions, potatoes and whatever else she had in there is quite possibly the worst smell. period. I was up all night again last night, so it made perfect sense to stay in bed and sleep all day. Nothing quite like crawling out of bed at 7pm. Staying in bed, all cuddled up in nice, warm flannel sheets all day is bliss. But if it is so wonderful (which it is) why do I never want to go to bed at night? I never want to go to bed at night, but I never want to get out of it in the morning either. I must be nocturnal. It's the only thing that makes sense.

This could be interesting for tomorrow. Family friends should be arriving Monday sometime, and will be staying overnight. Which means my parents are sleeping on the pull-out couch in the living room (cuz I'm sick of being the one to give up my room for guests. Sounds mean, but I would have to thoroughly clean it to my mother's standards, which means no little bits of paper anywhere, nothing piled on the desk...so clean it's positively oppressive). Of course, that makes things a little challenging for me. I usually hide out in the basement at night which is ok, but I would risk waking them every time I have to go upstairs for something (like washroom, food, and when heading to bed). Looks like I had best plan on spending Monday night in my room. Ick. I should probably make an appearance during the day, I guess. I would be kind of rude not to, considering what good friends they are and stuff. Ugh.

And just for fun...look I taste like lemon. People taste me and make that nasty, puckering face....I wonder if this is why I love to suck on lemons? Mmmm, leeemmmmmmoooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Mmm, I am Lemon Flavoured.

I am bitter and twisted. Expect from me acerbic humour and sharp commentary. While I may seem nasty at first, I'm actually quite good company if I like you, so long as you don't mind a bit of cutting to the chase. What Flavour Are You?

Christmas Cards

2004-12-07T01:58:26Z

Mom was asking me if I'm going to send Christmas cards at all this year, so of course, I've been thinking about it. I've come to the conclusion that I really don't want to send cards to anyone. At least not anyone from RL. All the folks that I want to send them to are online folks. So I'll send a couple cards to family members (brother, grandparents, a couple cousins, fav aunt), and then send e-cards to the people I really want to send cards to. Which reminds me that I don't actually have email addresses for some of the people (how odd, huh?). I'll have to remedy that.

In other news -- I think I'm heading in to a fibro flare. The sound of fluorescent lights isn't bothering me yet but I'm so incredibly sore and my sleep for the past couple nights has royally sucked. It would be about the right time of course, since I'm always miserable for Christmas (it's just usually a really bad cold, the flu, strep throat, or something of that ilk). A flare would be new, but just as sucky. Oh well, not a whole I can do about it.

Hard to Believe

2004-12-05T19:26:47Z

This suddenly hit me last night - last year at this time, I was still unpacking from a move into residence after leaving the disastrous off-campus apartment (the whole story was in the locked entry, so I'm not going into it again...non-lj folks, I can email it to you if you're really that masochistic). Dealing with those nightmares whilst surviving major final projects and prepping for exams. Wow. I can't believe that it has been a full year, since it seems like just yesterday still. Even harder to believe is that I made it through all that, and still passed the classes (admittedly, I had some leniency from a couple profs when they realized what was going on. They were stunned at what I'd been through and how well I was holding it together...until exams, that was, but I digress). Not really sure why I mentioned it here, or even what made me think of it, but yeah...it's been a full year...hard to believe.

Today is the annual Train Club Party, so my parents have been doing the pre-party bitch and moan and mad-rush to get the house ready for it. It will be followed by more bitching and moaning during the cleanup (for which my help will again be enlisted, I am certain). Yet somehow they seem to enjoy it. That's something I really don't understand. I'm just a party pooper, I guess. It's getting busy upstairs (the computer is in the basement), so I guess I'd best think of signing off and heading up to my bedroom (my favourite hiding place when the house is taken over by my parents friends - especially ones I don't know). I was thinking of working on some writing stuff today, but I'm really debating the hassle of handwriting everything out then having to come down here to type it later. It seems like so much extra work, yet I find this computer desk is too incredibly cramped for space that I just don't get much work done here (not to mention the number of people who will end up swarming through the basement when it starts getting crowded upstairs - a tad distracting). I have a few celtic designs that I sketched out in the middle of the night a while ago that I have yet to sort out onto graph paper, so I may work on that, instead...or perhaps more content for the symbolism page (which is becoming extremely popular, and getting lots of google hits - rank images page is also very popular. Oooo, I know - I'll make a Christmas rank image for heading upstairs! Ooooo, and the Structured Procastinators Int'l graphic! Why is it that everything I want to be doing right now is on the computer? Oh right...cuz it always is).

GEEZ! That door buzzer is driving me crazy! Keeps making me jump out of the chair! Bah Humbug!

Forgot to post...

2004-12-03T01:22:54Z

I posted a while ago that my great-aunt wouldn't be coming for Christmas because of the re-occurrence of the pancreatic cancer. Well, she lucked out and got a really quick surgery date. She was contacted on Friday and almost missed out. They couldn't get a hold of her at home, but the nurse tried calling the hospitality corner at the hospital (my aunt volunteers there). The call wasn't answered, but a doc came down and told her she had to go...she had a surgery date. She was utterly shocked. She went in on Monday. What was really nice was our little "pre-Christmas" teaser had arrived on Friday so she could enjoy it over the weekend. The full gifts will be sent later, when we know what's happening (we'll probably send them to her friend's house). We talked to a really good friend of hers on Monday night, and the surgery went well, it was looking good so far, even though she was still in intensive care. We haven't spoken to my great-aunt yet, but it was reassuring to get the news. It's also good to know that she has such good friends in Montreal. She was in a rehab hospital after surgery last Christmas, but was allowed out for the day and spent it with this friend, and I'm certain that if she is unable to travel (which is what we expect) she will spend Christmas with them again. It's a good feeling, knowing that she won't be alone for Christmas, whatever happens.

I was Domestic....

2004-11-30T23:16:01Z

Yes, *I* was domestic today. Quite shocking really. These cookies are a Christmas tradition....almost as good baked as they are raw :D

Almost four dozen of the silly things, all hand rolled by me! We must be nuts (but at least it wasn't our usual 8 dozen).

And another exhibit of my domestic ability (cuz I just found this pic in my pic folder). This was a cake I made for the block Don while living in residence last year. I wasn't able to catch him at home with it, so I left it in his fridge with the help of his roommate. Reportedly, his response was, "I know what those are!" (while pointing, of course). Yes, everyone thought I was nuts for coming up with this idea. Makes me so proud! *sniff sniff wipes away tear*

And now, a joke...

2004-11-30T01:59:52Z

I was at a family gathering (well, the parts of mom's family we really really like, that is) on Saturday. Not much to share here about it, really, except that it was awesome to see my cousin Christy, her dh and dd Kimmie. It had been far too long. But they arrived sometime after we had finished dinner, so it was only adults while we were eating. Which of course means "inappropriate" conversation....the joke of the evening....

"How many animals fit in one pair of pantyhose?"

Ten little piggies, two Soles (as in the fish *groan*), two calves, an ass, a beaver (or a kitty/pussy depending on your preference) and of course many many hares.

**I suppose if the pantyhose were involved in Rocky Horror it might be a cock instead of the beaver....Hmmm**

It really was a fun evening, though just a little exhausting to be around a hyper munchkin and her even more hyper mother.

Snow!

2004-11-26T16:56:11Z

Well, winter is finally here -- we have snow. Not a lot, just a little skiff of it across the rooftops and grass, but it looks so pretty. Of course, we knew the bad weather had to hit soon - my cousin Christy and her family are driving up tomorrow for a big family thing, and with them driving all the way from...wait, no, it isn't Pittsburgh anymore...umm, geez, I don't remember where they are now...anywho...they're driving quite a distance and we have a distance to go too, so we knew the weather had to turn icky for driving. It's not too bad yet, so let's hope it holds out a few more days at least.

Talk about boring content lol