Tomorrow, January 26, is Australia Day.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!!!

( Cool!! 'Focus: The search for the lost library of Rome'  )

( A Clever New Use for WD-40 )

Current Mood: awake

I'm back!

No, seriously. I know you're out there, I can hear you breathing.

It turns out I was on the infamous MadCow cluster that made such a pain of itself after the power outtage, who knew? It was funny being without LJ, I kept thinking, ah! I'll make a post ... wait ... Instead I worked on my little novel some, getting it up to nearly 12,000 words. Yeah, I know NaNoWriMo is over, but some of us will still be schlepping across the finish line come summer. I've got another, somewhat shorter piece I need to edit and post to pshaw_stories. The big problem with my writing is that it shifts tense from past to present and back all the time. It probably drives people insane. And for that I am truly sorry.

But, seeing how complicated writing a novel can be, I started working out a detailed outline for this November. This is a short story I wrote about a year ago that's ballooning all out of proportion into a novel. Erp. Perhaps with outline in claw I can actually write steadily, instead of getting sidetracked and not doing it. What I worked on yesterday was a sub-plot of The Beast of St. Beryl's that I got stuck on a few months ago.

I would dearly love to go to the library today, but I can't! No mail, either! ;P Bitches. We, as a nation, have too many damn holidays.

Current Mood: awake

You Are an Old Soul

You are an experience soul who appreciates tradition. Mellow and wise, you like to be with others but also to be alone. Down to earth, you are sensible and impatient. A creature of habit, it takes you a while to warm up to new people. You hate injustice, and you're very protective of family and friends A bit demanding, you expect proper behavior from others. Extremely independent you don't mind living or being alone. But when you find love, you tend to want marriage right away. Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul and Visionary Soul

Impatient? Not usually, no. I think that's a typo. "Sensitive" people often tell me I have an old soul, and I have to bite my lip to not say, "It just looks mature for its age."

Current Mood: weird

Because right now I'm too tired to think of anything intelligent to post...


1. Pick one dozen movies that are ones that you have special feelings about.
2. Pick a few lines of dialogue.
3. As people guess the film, strike out that line.

1. "Do these balloons blow up into funny shapes?"
"No, unless round is funny."

2. "We even had shoes for church and school!"

3. "Will you pretend for a moment not everyone reads Video Geek magazine?"

4. "I understand you buried your wife recently."
"I had to, you see, she died."

5. "It's a thingie! A fiendish thingie!" Needless to say, beatlegryphie knew that one! Help!

6. "So, tell me again about the hash bars."marys_second got this one - Pulp Fiction, possibly the coolest movie ever.

7. "A fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that." arikla recognized the dead funny Dr. Strangelove

8. "I have a mother, two ex-wives, and several bartenders who are dependent on me."

9. "There's no crying in baseball!!" beatlegryphie got this one, too. A League of Their Own nocky recognized it, too.

10. "I'm not a shyster, I'm a quack. A shyster is a disreputable lawyer."

11. "I weren't droppin' no eaves, sir!" carocrow guessed this was Sam in Fellowship of the Ring, and so did nocky

12. "I cannot indulge your damn hobbies, sir!" nymphy knew this was from Master and Commander

No, you don't win anything except the warm glow of recognizing some film I like. Some of these may be a little paraphrased, or just a tad off, feel free to correct me. Go for it!

Current Mood: lethargic
Current Music: Conan O'Brian

You're a Mystery writer!


What kind of writer are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Who'd have thought? Hmm. Speaking of, I may get off the net and write a while before knocking off to bed.

Current Mood: creative

I love Bob Dylan.

Current Music: Bob Dylan- Cross the Green Mountain

Happy New Year, y'all!

Dinner was terrific, and I'm feeling much better, save that my throat is still sore. The headache finally went away, though, must have been the medicinal champagne. *nods sagely* We had a leisurely meal at the Upperline which was delectable as always. I asked Patrick at one point if his fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade was good, then thought, when have I eaten anything here that was bad? Honestly, if you're looking to have a meal in an uppah-crust restaraunt, this is the place to go. It gets all five shinies in the Pshaw Gastronomique.

( You can skip on ahead now, since the rest of this is just about food. )
Since I didn't sleep well last night, and I couldn't get a nap this afternoon, I'm going to meander on to bed. After all, there's breakfast to eat in the morning, I've got to be rested.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: "Grits Ain't Groceries"

You scored as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You are the unfortunate changling from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel, the victim of volatile emotions that violate your reputedly noble character. Through scientific experimentation, you have divided your social and primal selves into two separate physical entities, which grapple perpetually for control of your existence. Because of this tension, your life is a maelstrom of inescapable, private turmoil. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 92% The Headless Horseman 75% Dorian Gray 58% Count Dracula 50% The Invisible Man 50% Frankenstein's Monster 50% What's Your 19th Century Horror Character? created with QuizFarm.com

I like that novel! *Snoopy dance*

Our reservations are in an hour. Perhaps I should put on something nicer than my pajamas. The coffee helped my headache some, the Jack and coke helped even more. Hehehe ...

I was reading a great book I picked up today, 100 Artists Look at Satan. Why yes, it is as cool as it sounds! I went over to More Fun Comics on a whim. I used to love hanging out there when Steve was running things, but the new guys minding it aren't trolls or anything, I just don't know them that well yet. I've got to get back to work on Poe tomorrow, the vacation's over. There's a companion volume, 100 Artists Look at God which I'll have to track down.

Okay. Time to go drink my potion and turn into someone presentable.

Current Mood: weird
Current Music: The 5, 6, 7, 8s - "Whoo Hoo"

This winter, why not get away to someplace sunny?

Current Mood: dorky

So my usual Christmas orgy of movie-watching continues with The Aviator, which was AWESOME. Hell yes! This is probably the best movie I've seen all year, despite the lack of Ravens. Leo DeCaprio is terrific as Hughes, he even really looks like him, and he delivers a wonderfully creepy performance when he does "crazy." (I put crazy in quotes because sanity is such a relative thing, yanno) Was that Kate Blanchett or Gwynneth Paltrow playing Kate Hepburn? I forget, but whichever it was, she was terrific. I'm a fan of Kate Hepburn anyway, so I'm an easy sell.

I have to warn you though. Some of you may be like me, unable to get in a car, airplane, elevator, or other mechanical contrivance without your head being filled with images of your own flaming, mangled and bloody death. There's a plane crash scene that'll give you something to meditate upon for many years to come. Don't say I didn't tell you.

It's a bit long, but I didn't notice it. The story really doesn't hit any slow spots, even when you think it's about to peter out, it rallies back. What do you expect from Martin Scorcese, though? Just don't get that large coke, or you'll be running to the can about halfway through. The parts at the end where Hughes turns some whoopass on Sen. Brewster is lots of fun.

But, enough gushing. I'll just say this is the perfect movie for people who like movies. It kicks ass.

Okay, what else is on my list? Darkness, The Woodsman, The Life Aquatic for sure. Hostage I think I can wait for the DVD. Bad Education I must see, In the Realms of the Unreal, House of Flying Daggers, The Machinist, and Kinsey. I guess I'd better get busy.

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: Joe Jackson's Jumping Jive - "Five Guys Named Moe"

Guess what's back?

pshaw_stories

Current Mood: weird

OMG!!!

It's SNOWING!

Current Mood: excited

Believe in Christmas miracles! That contact I dropped in the sink? It actually stuck to the side and dried out, which I thought was just as bad as it going down the drain. But on a hunch, I put it back in the saline solution for a while, and it softened back up again! I've got both of my eyeballs in. I can SEE!

This is good, 'cause going around with only one in messes with my depth perception, and that's not good when you're doing a lot of cooking around gas burners. Burns = not happy.

The hell? It sounds like there's a huge fight going on outside in the street. Please, don't start shooting ;P Seriously... it's 33 and raining right now. Why not argue indoors where it's dry?

Current Mood: thankful

Drink coffee (working)
Go to grocery store (for what? No idea)
Drop Netflix discs in the mail
Do a Hannibal Lecter and debone the turkey
Brine said turkey
Prepare stuffing for rolled turkey breast
Prepare brunch - Eggs Benedict
Trim claws
Wouldn't it be great to drop by Venetzia's and grab a pizza? Probably not gonna happen.
Yoga
Make Sangria and stow in upstairs fridge
Load recent EVPs onto Mac for later cleanup
Try to have a happy holiday while not killing anyone ;D

OR... I could just cross most of that off, do the turkey tonight, and go see Lemony Snickett at the Prytania.

Current Mood: awake?
Current Music: Gone South Special Christmas mix

By the way. It's really friggin' cold in New Orleans. I think I heard Noodle mrrowing outside, and if I can suit up before he goes away, I think I'll put something warm to eat out for him, poor kitty.

Nope... Noodle's gone. Maybe his humans were nice and let him back inside. I guess I'll eat the warm ham.

Mmm. Ham.

Current Mood: cold

I've finally started catching up on my Friends' List, which I haven't read in a couple of days. I may be slow responding, and I apologize for that, but just from the 60 entries I've gone over so far, you all know exactly how crazed the holiday is shaping up to be.

I finally mailed the last of my cards. I know they're a bit weird, but there was more to the joke, and I pulled the punch line because I figured I was the only person on earth who'd have thought it was funny. If you're curious, the inside was going to say, "C'est n'est pas une carte de noel." With the proper punctuation and all. My cards seem to have a two-year cycle. Every other year, they're great. (And if I forgot someone, or your card doesn't arrive, let me know, and I'll send you either another card, or one for the next major holiday.)

Christmas can be a stupid holiday. I've laid out the reasons I don't like it, and last year, all the ACLU stuff about how a creche might possibly in eight-million years offend someone to be picking at nits. And I mean the creches with Jesus, Mary and Joseph, not the huge piles baby penguins get into on the ice so they can all share body warmth. Anyone who's offended by baby penguins should jump off a cliff. ;D I honestly think it's just a few people getting their panties in a wad, so we all have to suffer the consequences. Christmas was a religious holiday before the Christians took it over. Personally, I think the only people who have a problem with the religious aspects of Christmas are people too chickenshit to deal in a serious and grown-up manner with what "tolerance" and "multiculturalism" actually mean. Inclusiveness doesn't mean including all but one or two things. Christmas is a Christian holiday like Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday. And if that bothers you, or if you're simply suffering the stresses of last minute shopping, cooking, and annoying relatives invading your home, Mizz Pshaw has the remedy fo' your troubles.

Sangria!

First, a few notes on ingredients. You can put anything in Sangria. What's that? Rattlesnake meat? Well, not everything. I've seen it made with blood oranges, or turned into a wine-soaked fruit cocktail with grapes, bananas and all kinds of stuff. Using turbinado sugar lends it an interesting molasses-flavor and complexity, though it takes longer to dissolve. You can definately tinker with the amount of hard liquor in this version, perhaps using a small amount of triple sec if you want a kinder, gentler Sangria. My version takes no prisoners. I usually use not-from-concentrate no-pulp orange juice, too. Basically, whatever you use, get the best quality ingredients you can afford and mix them judiciously. Remember, the more you pay for liquor, the less hellish the hangover. Sante'!

1 750 ml. bottle fruity red wine. Beaujolais or pinot noir work nicely, as does burgundy, or some mixture of them.
1 large fresh orange, peeled and cut into chunks, peel reserved
1 large fresh lemon, peelked and cut into chunks, peel reserved
1 cup gin (no, that's not a typo)
1 cup brandy or cognac
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar, plus more to taste
3 cinnamon sticks

Combine all the ingredients in a large pitcher except the fruit peels. Scrape the white inner rind off the peels and cut them into one- or two-inch sections, and add them. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and taste. It may need more sugar, add until the desired sweetness is near. The mixture will "cure" as it sits. You may wish to taste it after an hour to get a better idea.

I like to make a pitcher in the morning to serve that night. You can cut the "punch" by serving the Sangria in a tall glass with ice and some club soda. Whatever you do, chill it very well and serve in wine glasses with ice cubes, a Santa Claus hat, and no pants.

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: Fiona Apple - "Extraordinary Machine"

With the trackball steelwing kindly helped me get, I sat down to test out some new Photoshop techniques I've learned, for example, how to color line art. This is a skill I'd mastered before, but only once, and late at night. Need;ess to say I'd forgotten all about it! Without further ado,

( Eeyore! )

Current Mood: artistic

( This 'Your World' quiz )