Sunday, January 18, 2009

Fiends Together!

It's my day off today, totally and completely, I don't have to d anything. This is rare. This is good. And I am having a fine day and getting a lot done. But I think it only fair that the Fiends take some of the work. I mean really!

Five Fiends got together in Southern California today. And sent me pictures. But I'll let them, and the Fiends concerned, tell the story....


















Love and Fiends getting together,
Lorraine

245 Comments:

At 5:48 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Pictures to wet our appetite and make us say - come on, one of you do a post somewhere

 
At 5:55 PM , Blogger DataGoddess said...

looks like they had a lot of fun :-)

 
At 6:03 PM , Blogger Jess said...

Oh lordy. I can only identify three of five Fiends. I feel like I haven't been doing my stalky homework. :D

So what happened? What'd you do? Where were you? What the heck is that pink train doing there?

 
At 6:05 PM , Blogger vampi said...

which 3 jess?

i'm just now home. i ended up doing some extra exploring and then dinner with boy. very nice gathering. the little fiendlings were adorable.

the train pic involved some fiendagami.

 
At 6:06 PM , Blogger Jess said...

Now that would be telling!

OKay: You, Val, and Stacy. The others are a mystery. Agh, the crushing shame. :(

 
At 6:08 PM , Blogger Jess said...

Fiendgami! Brilliant. :D

This calls for some Charlie the Unicorn. All abord the Choo-Choo-Shoe.

 
At 6:19 PM , Blogger Siri said...

Charlie is NOT going to be in my unicorn story.

Details, Fiends - we need details.

 
At 6:23 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

Wow, that looks like fun! And look, there is blue sky there! It's nice to be reminded of such things.

You all look great!

 
At 6:28 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Y'all are so darn CUTE and happy-looking!! I feel less stabby mad stabby looking at such great pictures. :-)

 
At 6:31 PM , Blogger Siri said...

Grace --- put the stabby thing down and take a deep breath and tell us all about it!

 
At 6:31 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

I am glad that you are having a nice, productive day off, Q! Good for you. :)

 
At 6:35 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

yes, share Grace. I imagine its that young lad...or the football?

 
At 6:44 PM , Blogger AletaMay said...

Hurray for a real day off!

Oh fiends having fun! Names with faces please? What fun. And oh it looks warm and... warm... warm.

 
At 7:00 PM , Blogger Lexocat said...

One of the feet were mine...

 
At 7:02 PM , Blogger Siri said...

Well, yes, Lexo, that is a detail. I believe, however, we might want MORE!!!!

;)

 
At 7:04 PM , Blogger Lexocat said...

And the day was lovely.

Aleta, I was about to say it wasn't so very warm but then I realized context is everything. So, putting myself in Midwestern winter context, yes, it was lovely...and warm.

 
At 7:05 PM , Blogger vampi said...

well, you need to match the fiend to the shoe. Vampiress, Lexocat, Stacy, Dreadval, and Na.

i'd love to hear guesses about who is who in the train :)

i'm still uploading my pictures and composing my thoughts. it was a nice meeting. drink at starbucks, grabbed some el pollo loco for lunch at the park. kids swung and played, we chatted, the sun was blazing, the sky was blue. afterward, i drove over to the nearby Buddhist temple and explored a bit. i'm so tired, but it was worth the drive. i had never been in the hills, it's just beautiful. i live and drive between mountains, i forgot about the awesomeness of the rolling hills against the blue sky.

 
At 7:08 PM , Blogger Lexocat said...

After all, we don't want to spoil the fun of guessing, right?

 
At 7:11 PM , Blogger Lexocat said...

I promised a certain boy I would play Rush Hour with him then must get him on the path toward bedtime. Will be back with clearer thoughts and fewer distractions.

 
At 7:17 PM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Let's see… the Fiends got to see me try to wrangle chairs and tables and fail. I had this vague idea of mashing all the small tables at the Starbucks together, and sitting around them, but somehow every time I grabbed a chair, it spawned five more, and I soon found myself trapped with 17 chairs. 'I wasn't lying,' I said, 'when I mentioned I was a lot like Bernard.'

After coffee, we got food and balloons, then went to not one, but two parks, to keep the Fiendlings busy. Honestly, how was I supposed to know that they'd taken all the play equipment out of the first park?

Just before we took the photos in the train, I felt tiny nimble hands poke at my waistband and slip between my jeans and skin. And then my ass was being smacked. I looked back, saw a blur at waist height, and said, 'Er, Lexo… your son's smacking my ass!'

I made Na's daughter cry because I accidentally stepped on her bare toe while she was behind me -- luckily, I didn't put my whole weight down on her foot. God, I felt bad. Sorry, Na!

The photos: here's a challenge for you, Fiends -- Look at the shoes, and guess which Fiend goes with which shoe. Can you match us up?

There's Vampi in the sunglasses and dark hair; Stacy with the red hair, two gourds, and a balloon; Lexo with the sun streaming over her shoulder; and Stacy's daughter giving me The Look with her camera. There's also Na and her daughter, after I'd just accidentally stepped on her daughter's bare foot and made her cry.


So breeding chairs, maiming Na's daughter, corrupting Lexo's son -- a pretty typical day, really.

 
At 7:21 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Val, have I told you I love you? You make me laugh.

Now, off to play pick the shoe

 
At 7:25 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

Here is my guess:

Val, black boots/shoes
Stacie, red keens
Vampi, black boots/shoes
Lexo, flip flops
Na, blue shoes

Close?

 
At 7:28 PM , Blogger Siri said...

Clockwise or counterclockwise from the foot of the person taking the picture, Gayle?

 
At 7:32 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Okay
photowise we have
1. Stacy
2. El
3 Vampi
4. Val, Renata and Kiera, Lexa, Stacy and Vampi
5. Lexa.

Am I right?
NOW off to match shoes with Fiends

 
At 7:33 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

I didn't do them in any order. I think Val is taking the picture and the other black shoes are Vampi.

 
At 7:37 PM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Sally, I wish I could say I was trying, but no, sadly, this is just me, all the time. On the phone with Lorraine, I had to explain how I had managed to lose the Fiends and how the chairs were breeding, and her reaction was to say, 'You need an assistant.' I agree. I am not equipped to handle such confusing things.

Well yes, I did take that shoe picture -- and you all did correctly guess that that set of black boots and jeans is me (the ones on the bottom). But you'll have to try harder to guess the other ones!

 
At 7:43 PM , Blogger Siri said...

Minions, Val - you need minions.

With assistants, you have to be kind sometimes, and make them nice cups of tea.

Minions - they just get commands.

 
At 7:54 PM , Blogger Ticia said...

I'm home! And I've read all of the fiendish chatter. Life is good.

I'm all amped from driving, but my brain is just spinning.

Gigs and gatherings! Wonderful fiendish weekend!

Okay, off to walk a dog that missed me.

 
At 7:56 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

I love it, fiends uniting! I wish we could have hung out more w/ Adri but the lunch was awesome. She should be at to the JoCo show by now, it'll rock...last night did. Ah, see from twatter that she's there. (that's an intentional typo) ... yep, i'm clever.

Had a great SF weekend. Will write up Michael Mina tomorrow hopefully. I have a wedding client meeting at 11am but that should still leave me kid-free time to write. That's the disadvantage of voice recognition software, if anyone's around it's kind of hard to use. That and it's wrong a lot!!

I'm watching the video of Jonathan Coulton's show last night it is posted (apparently alive) by Leo Laporte. That's a strange connection, I was on his show on Tech TV a few years ago. My 15 minutes of fame that nobody watched! Well, I had no idea he was at the show and I hope he didn't hear me as I was telling my friend that was there about how much of a letch the guy was! whoopsie!

I didn't get the Jonathon Coulton interview this time but I talked to him after the show and he said he didn't know anything about the request and to email him about it directly. The next tour we will have lunch together dammit!!

 
At 8:03 PM , Blogger Jess said...

Wild guess, clockwise from Val's boot (which we now know):

Lexa
Stacy
Donielle
aaand Renata.

I don't know why. It's just a feeling. A shoey feeling.

 
At 8:05 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

Hi all! It was so much fun today but I must admit it's been eclipsed of my time at least, by getting photos of my resident male.
I'm putting the post up on my blog for any interested! He's just gorgeous and I won't take up Fab's blog so here's the link.

http://corvus93.blogspot.com/

 
At 8:05 PM , Blogger Jess said...

Chantrelle - hee hee! I call it Twatter, too. Great minds swear alike. :D

 
At 8:07 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

I've had the twatter account now for, what, a week? I still don't really know the point but i'll stick around for shits and giggles.

 
At 8:08 PM , Blogger vampi said...

lol. no one has come close to guessing my shoe.

so im watching the inauguration concert on hbo. this opera singer type singing with the navy glee club has a red jacket with 5 buckles on the belt. looks great, but must be a pain to take off. i'm always so amazed by people who have that helmet of hair that seems to move independently from their head.

 
At 8:16 PM , Blogger Jess said...

Apparently one "Ian Anderson" is following me on Twatter now, speaking of Twatter. Diappointingly, it's not the guy from Jethro Tull.

 
At 8:17 PM , Blogger Lexocat said...

No one has guessed my shoe either :)

More guesses?

 
At 8:23 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

Okay. I haven't read past Vampi's second comment, so I'll give you my guess for Fiends at park on pink train from left to right:
Dread Val, Na, Lexocat, Stacy, and Vampi.

There is no individual photo of Dread Val, so from top to bottom:
Stacy, Na, Vampi, Lexocat.

I'm not even trying for who's wearing what shoe. :)

Now, to see if I'm right by reading the rest of the comments.

 
At 8:44 PM , Blogger Ticia said...

I can't even hazard a guess on the shoes! I suck at guessing games.

Back from walking the dog and boy did I underdress. (Only Californians will feel for me here, so everbody else just bear with me). It's 50 degrees here and I went out in a windbreaker only! No gloves... What was I thinking?

Connsorting with cold fiends does not make me immune to temperatures they would consider balmy!

We ran to the park and back, which helped. Now I'm not shivering.

Lesson: Sympathy for ice-bound fiends does not thicken your blood.

 
At 9:01 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Just to make the Freezing Fiends feel envious, its 35.3 degrees celcius at 4 pm here.

 
At 9:14 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

Fiend Gathering shots up on blog! So fun!

http://corvus93.blogspot.com/

Just realized I'm giving a hint of shoe wearer in one of the photos.

 
At 9:27 PM , Blogger dabbler said...

Looks like fun..but too tired to even think of guessing whose shoe's whose. (Say that five times fast!)

My thought about the opera singer in red was, how does she sing with her diaphragm all cinched in like that?

Off to bed...love to all fiends...and happy day off to Fablo...though it's pretty near over!

 
At 9:32 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

and there really is no explaination for the gourds. It just happened; honest! And Vampi's comment was; and I quote verbatum (i think; mostly) "Oh, your gourds are lovely." to which I had to pick them up off the bench where they had been laying; I had one in each hand; and then we all fell apart in laughter.

I must admit; it's been quite sometime since I've been complimented on my gourds; being as they aren't quite as, well, let's just say they ain't what they used to be!

Thanks Vampi! Made my day!

 
At 9:32 PM , Blogger Ticia said...

Dabbler-I was just talking to a friend about that. My ribs spread out like wings when I take a deep breath. I can't imagine singing while tightly constrained.

 
At 9:33 PM , Blogger Ticia said...

...you'd just have to breathe much more frequently.

 
At 9:42 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

So, the woman with the camera is Stacy's daughter.
I'm still not guessing shoes. I don't really notice people's feet when I meet them. :)

 
At 9:52 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

Any Twin Cities Fiends know anyone who would be able to take two cats. Not Bengals, just cats. One is all black and the other is black and white. Mother and son actually. I currently have as many animals as I am allowed and my Ex is not willing to keep two of our cats any more.

I know it's a long shot but I thought I would give it a try. I don't know how long I have to find them a place. But not long. Wow I am having a crap night.

 
At 9:56 PM , Blogger Dr. Wicked said...

Speaking of pictures and togetherness I'd like to invite all the Fiends to join...

The Fiend Flickr Pool!

Add Fiendish pictures to the pool and they'll have their own special place on the new web site.

 
At 9:57 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

Oh, Gayle! I am so sorry. :(

Hope you find someone soon.
::sigh::

 
At 10:04 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

Thanks Ari! :) I think I better at least try to sleep now. Tomorrow is going to be a long day!

Night Fiends.

 
At 10:13 PM , Blogger Ticia said...

Gayle- I'm so sorry. ((hugs))

 
At 10:15 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

Night, Gayle.
I'm off to bed, too.

I joined the Flickr Fiend Pool, Dr. Wicked. It was a bit weird seeing me show up as "ariandalen" in the members after it asked for my YahooID to sign in, and that is "firerowan."

 
At 10:29 PM , Blogger Annie said...

Joined as well...looks like a great time was had by all! Been a long day, off to bed myself.

 
At 10:41 PM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Sorry about the cats, Gayle.
:(
Fun fiends pics.
I am not even trying on the shoes: I never look at people beyond portrait format.

 
At 10:43 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

Had to share the view out our hotel window this weekend. And also slightly to the left--aargh!!

And a dark pic of me and Jonathan.

Great weekend!

 
At 10:49 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Pirates AND Coraline. That is a brilliant juxtaposition.
Ah, photo reminds me of who Jonathon is.

 
At 10:52 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Okay, would you Freezing Fiends please take some of the heat from this Furnace Fiend? My god its hot out there. For once the dogs didn't want to tarry after the ablutions time

 
At 11:23 PM , Blogger Na said...

Jess got my shoes. ;)

And ariandalen names us correctly in the train photo.

still reading...

Chantrelle and Adri, did you gals take a photo?

Ah, the gourds, that was hilarious. And Val, no worries about K's foot: I'm sure the little indents from your boot tread will fade soon.

 
At 11:30 PM , Blogger vampi said...

i put my pictures of fiends in the fiend group on flickr. i also took a ridiculous amount of pictures at the buddhist temple. as i was leaving, i passed the first park we went to. i noticed this big bronze so i stopped to take a picture, it's a tribute to mountain lions that is quite nice.

 
At 11:37 PM , Blogger Na said...

By the by, Stacy's daughter takes exquisite photos.

I very, very much enjoyed the day and hearing stories well and amusingly told! Fiends so rock.

Now going to check Stacy's blog. :)

 
At 11:38 PM , Blogger Na said...

Hey vampi! Cool you got to go by the Buddhist temple.

 
At 11:46 PM , Blogger vampi said...

yeah, boy had to work until 9pm and i figured why not. i very much like the concepts of buddhism, the compassion for others and meditation. i can be adventurous by myself, i just need a kick in the pants...which ever meaning you use for that word.

 
At 12:08 AM , Blogger Na said...

Chantrelle! I lurve the views from your room! Wonder who was flying a pirate flag in the middle of the city... awesome.

 
At 2:10 AM , Blogger Marjorie said...

Great to see fiends getting together.

I will play match the fact to the fiend later, this os mostly a ticky box comment so Idon't miss out ;-)

Hope you had a nice, relaxing day off, Q

 
At 2:55 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

And a final present for Lorraine, when she gets up on the morrow and has her tea...reading, catching up...

Q--Never forget you always have a lot of THESE!

 
At 3:00 AM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Oh Lys, they are so adorable

 
At 3:23 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Who would not want lurkers that cute?

 
At 5:17 AM , Blogger Phiala said...

Oh, what fun! A Gathering of Fiends.

I spent the day doing nothing so remotely interesting. :)

 
At 6:05 AM , Blogger ivenotime said...

good morning all, what a fun gathering yesterday! i cannot guess feet as all i can see is bare ground, bare ground with green stuff on it. my ground is 36 plus inches of white with little tunnels dug by my corgis. despair. glad you guys had fun! val, you do need an assistant, but i speak from experience that chair wrangling is difficult as chairs are ornery creatures :)

 
At 7:06 AM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

What a shame, looks like they had no fun ...

Grin.

This is truly wonderful, so glad it could happen!

 
At 8:16 AM , Blogger dabbler said...

Hmmm. Just posted too many comments on Happy Dog...

.02 : Martin Luther King Day greetings to all.

 
At 8:29 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Oh my gosh. That's today, isn't it?

No time like the present to link his Letter form Birmingham Jail. Which is an absolutely flawless, stunning piece of writing. If you've never read it before, you should.

Good morning, peeps. How's everyone?

 
At 8:42 AM , Blogger Dan Guy said...

How many East Coast fiends do we have? I want to have out own get-together now. We can build an ice fortress.

 
At 8:45 AM , Blogger Phiala said...

Dan, I'm in central PA.

 
At 8:57 AM , Blogger dabbler said...

Me, me. Waves both hands and jumps up and down... near Philly.

Pauses. ICE fortress...erm...only if there's lots of hot coffee as well.

Where are you, Dan?

 
At 8:58 AM , Blogger dabbler said...

I really AM going to go to work now.

 
At 9:01 AM , Blogger Jess said...

I'm in Pittsbrugh. I know people around here who claim we're East Coast!

 
At 9:01 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Pittsbrugh?

 
At 9:11 AM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

Dan, I'm in a little town in Rhode Island.

 
At 9:11 AM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

And Happy MLK Day!

 
At 9:12 AM , Blogger dabbler said...

Hey Jess (oops, still here, aren't I) Son goes to Allegheny in Meadville and I have two sisters-in-law and families in Pittsburgh. One in the mexican War Streets on the North side and one in a farther north suburb I can never remember the name of.

There's a possible mini Fiend gathering in there, for sure.

We are there several times a year.

 
At 9:23 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Small world! Small Pittsbrugh. :D

Mexican War Street's a neat area. Very cool old architecture up that way.

 
At 9:52 AM , Blogger Na said...

Bet things are wild in Pittsbrugh these days, Jess! (My guy's a lifelong Steelers fan.)

I am glad to be in the U.S. on MLK Day.

 
At 9:55 AM , Blogger Jess said...

I'm told the Stillers are gawn to the Superbowl. Is that good? :D

 
At 10:04 AM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

My stepdad grew up in Pittsburgh and still has family there. My favorite professor left santa cruz and is now at Pitt. .. he was incredible, i miss him!

 
At 10:29 AM , Blogger Na said...

Jess, it's good if you're Steelers fan, not good if you're a Baltimore Ravens fan. ;)

 
At 10:33 AM , Blogger vampi said...

morning ya'll!
i'm a cleveland browns fan and i want the steelers to devastate the ravens. booo hiss art model ruining the browns and moving to baltimore...old grudges.

(i've actually always liked steelers as well, i'm full of contradictions)

 
At 10:51 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Everybody hates Art Modell! Woohoo! \o/

This is fascinating. I just found this guy-- he's trying to set foot in every nation in the world within the year. Neat stuff.

 
At 12:35 PM , Blogger Marjorie said...

It's gone very quiet again. .

 
At 12:50 PM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

And Lorraine has disappeared, hopefully spending the day relaxing with the Bengals. Let's hope they have not devoured her.

 
At 12:55 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

Well, we know Magic wouldn't do that ...

 
At 12:58 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

got a wedding booked for march, yay! Spring is coming, hopefully i'll be busy for the season (winter was very quiet...only had 1 wedding between october and now.

Hope Q is enjoying her free play day!

 
At 1:04 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

Congratulations, Chantrelle!

 
At 1:35 PM , Blogger Marjorie said...

good to hear, Chantrelle - are they people you know?

I'm sure the Bengals wouldn't eat our FabLo.



(Not until after they evolve opposable thumbs, anyway)

 
At 1:53 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Lorraine has wrangled a way day off, and is very sorry to have been gone from the Fiends, but is enjoying herself too much...

I realized it was a holiday, and I had no Boss and no work and no dog and and a little walk-about and am loving it!

Won't get another chance for a long while......

 
At 1:56 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

This sounds like a marvelous treat.

 
At 1:59 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

Marjorie -- no, I just met her today. She found me online. I have a listing on gatheringguide.com and Craig's list but I think she found me on Wedplan.net. All these places that didn't exist when I got married! Not like actually planned my wedding or anything. It was at a friends house, our friend was the minister, and we had 18 guests total.

Lorraine -- sounds like a perfect day!!

 
At 2:02 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

I have only ever been to one wedding, and it was by a lake in late springtime. The only un-loveliness was the thicket of mosquitos.

 
At 2:02 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 2:06 PM , Blogger Phiala said...

I have managed to spend the entire day dyeing tiny little skeins of silk...

Blue, red, yellow, black, green, purple...

Very pretty, but... all day??!?

 
At 2:12 PM , Blogger Marjorie said...

Quiche - great to hear you're getting the chance to relax and enjoy yourself (and haven't been eaten by ravening Bengals...)

Just discovered that AFP is doing a european tour, but only one date in the UK and that's on a wednesday, and in London, so I shall not be able to go. Pouty Pout pout.

Chantrelle, I thought you did weddings professionally as well as for friends but wasn't sure. I find it interesting, as here only Registrars (civil servants) and a very narrow selection of religious officials are allowed to do weddings, so I find the concept of being able to marry people as well as having another'day job' (as it were) unusual.

 
At 2:18 PM , Blogger dabbler said...

Sis-in-law has a fantastic house, four story Victorian, with a roof deck they added a few years ago. Gorgeous now...but you should have seen it 25 years ago when she and her ex bought it. had been a rooming house for umpty year!

Lots of work to get where they are now.

 
At 2:26 PM , Blogger Marjorie said...

Good night, fiends

 
At 2:27 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

No need to apologize, Ms. Fabulous. :) Walk-abouts are good when you can get them.

 
At 2:44 PM , Blogger Phiala said...

Nick has the plague.

Sigh... I will hope to fight it off.

 
At 2:54 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

Phiala, an extra 500 mg of Vitamin C taken daily. I started taking it when my husband got pneumonia in October 2007. From September 2007 to today I haven't been seriously ill, even when everybody else in the house was. Granted, the knowledge that our world (household) would probably fall apart if I got sick may have had something to do with it.

 
At 2:55 PM , Blogger Siri said...

Lorraine's doing a walk-about? As I understand it, those can last for years!! And, how is is possibly warm enough to be walking about in this part of the country - I had to put on my winter coat again, instead of my season switching coat.

Night, Marjorie!

 
At 2:56 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

And now I must leave.
See you all manana.

(There really should be a tilde over the first "n" in "manana.")

 
At 3:51 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, y'all..

Posted this previously, but then we raced on to this series of comments.

But my friend Shelly, who is also a friend of Lorraine's (part of the "getting back in touch via Facebook crowd") has an extra ticket to JoCo on Friday, and wants to give it a VERY good home...
As she puts it, she doesn't want to resort to Craig's List!
More info Here.

 
At 3:56 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

have a fantabulous day off Lorraine.

 
At 5:18 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

For a moment there I thought "manana" rhymed with "banana", but then I realized ...

Goedenacht (Dutch good-night), Marjorie!

 
At 7:09 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

Anyone there? I need to read but am falling asleep. So I thought I would take a break and see what Fiends are up to.

SO, what ya doin'? :D

 
At 7:13 PM , Blogger AletaMay said...

Hi Gayle. Hi Fiends.

I am trying to figure out where this day went. Damn. Slipped right away from me!

Semester starts tomorrow. I'll have lots of work to do.

I should be reading too Gayle. Or writing...

 
At 7:16 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

Most especially for Ms. Fablo; we took video of Mr. Aspen saying 'Hi' and getting all slobbered up by me.
Please ignore the baby talk. http://corvus93.blogspot.com/

many happy returns!

 
At 7:21 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

I am eating butternut squash, caramelized onion and goat cheese polenta. I think I am waking up.

This semester snuck up on me too, somehow. What should you be reading, Aleta?

 
At 7:24 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

Congrats Stacy! Looks like a nice kitty. :)

 
At 7:31 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Oh yeah, I am celebrating. Temp just dropped 10 degrees, and I can now open curtains, windows and doors and see sunlight instead of a darkened house.
Just for the record, I am in love with Stacy's Aspen

 
At 7:37 PM , Blogger AletaMay said...

I should be reading many things actually. I think the first thing I am going to start reading tomorrow will be ReMix by Larry Lessig. I started Gladwell's Tipping Point this weekend -- started that for pleasure -- it is my book club book for this month -- but I think it will also find its way into my bibliography. Interesting stuff. Well it is for me anyway!

 
At 7:39 PM , Blogger AletaMay said...

Stacy what a sweetie! Love when he tries to find the feather in the blanket!

 
At 7:43 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

Gladwell is on my list to read when I am done with school. It's a long list but he is in the top 5.

I should be reading Hemingway for class on Wed. I will get back to it in a sec. No really, I will.

 
At 10:00 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

OK. Off to bed. Morning/night Fiends.

I am going to need about 4 more hours in each day for about 4 months. Dan?

 
At 10:06 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

me too; nitey nitey fiendlers

 
At 10:09 PM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Hemingway? HAVING to read Hemingway? I don't envy you.

 
At 10:12 PM , Blogger Ticia said...

I'm fighting a losing battle against fatigue myself. Nighty night fiends!

Jess- Thanks for the MLK link. That is one powerful letter.

Lorraine- I hope you enjoyed your day off!

 
At 10:12 PM , Blogger vampi said...

ugh i'm sorry i always found hemmingway dreary and boring.

 
At 11:15 PM , Blogger Na said...

Question:
Why did the chicken cross the road?

Answer per Hemingway:
To die. In the rain.

 
At 2:47 AM , Blogger Marjorie said...

Happy Inauguration Day, American Fiends!

 
At 4:48 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Hooray, today we begin the Age of Hope and Sanity! O Glorious New Overlord, who can speak in sentences! I welcome him! May he reign a thousand years! \o/

Oh, wait, it doesn't work like that, does it? Crap.

Ticia - It makes me want to stand up and cheer. I used to teach it in comp classes-- which most of the students found an utter torment, I have to admit. But at least they can say they've read it! :)

Gayle - A friend of mine gave me Hemingway's Complete Poems for Christmas. I've never really thought of him as a poet-- it feels like a weird thing to have. I'm also wondering whether it's very wrong that I'm not as impressed with the book's contents as the editor seems to be. :D

 
At 5:01 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

It's still a momentous day.

MOMENTOUS

/moʊˈmɛntəs/ [moh-men-tuhs]

–adjective
of great or far-reaching importance or consequence: a momentous day.

Happy momentous day.

 
At 5:13 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Was that today's word-of-the-day word? :)

 
At 5:39 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Nope. Today's word of the day word is Junket (since we were twittering about it last week).

 
At 6:02 AM , Blogger Jess said...

I'd no idea a junket was also a custard.

 
At 6:03 AM , Blogger dabbler said...

Morning, all...

We have pretty, pretty, surprising snow from yesterday, when the forecast for snow showers gave us about four inches.

Anticipating the most optimistic inauguration I can remember. (Not hard, since I have rarely voted for a winning candidate.)

Jess, thanks for the link to King's letter. I have forwarded it to my offspring, both of whom write.

What interesting times in which to live.

 
At 6:04 AM , Blogger AletaMay said...

momentous indeed!

Much work to be done, of course. I feel like he and we are up to the task.

 
At 6:27 AM , Blogger Phiala said...

I'm waiting eagerly for the moment when we get to take down the presidential photo in the front lobby of my building and replace it with one that I can stand to see in the mornings.

I go in the back door instead. I can't stand to see that man, let alone listen to him. (Jess, not just complete sentences, oratory! I'm so excited!)

Eagerly, did I mention that part?

 
At 6:48 AM , Blogger Phiala said...

Yay!

I went downstairs and asked, and the portrait has now been removed.

 
At 7:25 AM , Blogger louisa said...

Can I just quickly say a huge big YES!!! I am so excited about witnessing history unfold before our eyes. SO EXCITED!!!!

Right, back to work.

 
At 8:08 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Phiala: did you also ask them to set fire to it?

 
At 8:24 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Hey, peeps: Live BBC coverage, if you're not watching it elsewhere.

Yay yay yay!

 
At 8:27 AM , Blogger louisa said...

I'm watching BBC too!!

 
At 8:35 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Louisa - did you catch that comment regarding Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton being just as tall as each other? Hmm, yes, very newsworthy. :D

 
At 8:37 AM , Blogger louisa said...

People with too much time on their hands!!! BBC froze so I've had to switch to the NYT here

 
At 8:42 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Helps to reload the page. That worked for me.

 
At 8:43 AM , Blogger louisa said...

I tried a couple of times but I'm guessing they're just overloaded. I like that the NYT doesn't have commentary.

 
At 9:01 AM , Blogger Jess said...

YES! Biden's in! No more Cheney! Yes yes yes!! \o/

Quick, someone get the cuffs and orange jumpsuit, before the bugger escapes! Seize him!!

 
At 9:04 AM , Blogger louisa said...

Yo Yo Ma looks like he having such a good time!! How are they not freezing???

 
At 9:04 AM , Blogger Arwenn said...

Sadly, he'll probably make more on speaking engagements than I'll see in a lifetime :(

He's slippery and I have no doubts about his platinum parachute...

 
At 9:06 AM , Blogger louisa said...

yay hooray hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
At 9:32 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Yay yay yay! \o/

 
At 9:37 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Am starting to think I may have some sort of plague....Ack...not feeling great today....Think I may be back to bed...

 
At 9:40 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Oh, how awful. :( Sending wellness wishes and Soup Thoughts. Stay in bed. Good move.

 
At 9:40 AM , Blogger Arwenn said...

That's terrible!! Hope you feel better soon and that the Bengals are tending you well (or at least not making life more difficult).

 
At 9:46 AM , Blogger louisa said...

Feel better Lorraine (((hug)))

 
At 9:48 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Sounds like a higher dose of relaxing has done away with you (it does that when you stress yourself over too much).
Get back to bed with the kitties.
Fluids. Vitamines. Cuddles. Zzzzzs

 
At 9:53 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Hee hee. You guys will like this. From the Beeb, just now:

1247 The BBC's Clive Myrie says President Obama's speech was very well received on the Mall itself. There were teas on many people's faces, our correspondent says.

Teas!!

 
At 9:59 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Well I have been passing many a virtual tissue all over the internet... Maybe I should have passed milk and sugar instead?

 
At 10:01 AM , Blogger Arwenn said...

"Teas of joy" has a nice ring to it.

 
At 10:04 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Gaah, the BBC feed won't come back. I want to see Barack boot Bush's butt out the door. (How alliterative of me.)

 
At 10:07 AM , Blogger gaypet said...

I think the thing that (selfishly) is striking me right now is that my son will grow up taking for granted that an African American can be President. Wow. That is real change.

Jess, Hemingway is so hard for me to read. I mean, he was a great writer. But what a d**k! Just because someone is talented doesn't mean I have to like him. Or enjoy his art. I will enjoy talking about the stories on Wed night in class. I like a good fight. :)

 
At 10:08 AM , Blogger gaypet said...

I hope you get some rest and feel better soon, Q!

 
At 10:12 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Re:Hemingway. Well if that's any comfort, Gayle, I think he liked them too (good fights, that is).

 
At 10:15 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Drunken fights featuring smashed chairs and broken bottles, I believe.

 
At 10:16 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Epic good fun, apparently.

 
At 10:20 AM , Blogger AletaMay said...

Take care Lorraine. Sometimes the body demands deep rest.

 
At 10:27 AM , Blogger Jess said...

I was pleased to see on Teh Twitter that I'm not the only one who thought the Inaugural Poem was really poorly read. For heaven's sake, woman, listen! It's not just a matter of overemphasizing every other syllable. Argh.

 
At 10:32 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Announcements at luncheon, Statuary Hall....for the first time at a function:

"The President of the United States, Barack H. Obama"


wOOt wOOt!

ps...Gayle, I'm very proud of your nephew right now. His FB status line is GREAT!

 
At 10:33 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jess, for you:

The BBC's Karen Allen in Kogelo, Kenya:
Barack Obama's ancestral village has been ignited by celebration. Thousands have thronged to join in the festivities and to dance under a massive banner, which simply reads "Congratulations our son our hope." Never has US politics mattered so much to the people of Africa, but this evening the swearing in of the first African-American President has infused hope into the hearts of millions of people across the continent.

 
At 10:53 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Lys - I saw that! That makes me happy. (And sad, in a happy way.) It's kind of an overwhelming thing to realise.

 
At 11:05 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

People forget....our position as the *supposedly* sole superpower? It isn't just about whether or not we will be the World Police; it is that we cannot abstain from our responsibilities to the rest of the planet.
I'll refrain from going ALL political on you fine Fiends :)
But safe to say, I've never been this happy about my Commander in Chief!

 
At 11:27 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is for Val, based on a comment on her Twitter:

Val: regarding President Obama's speech video--try BBC now, it is running very well for me and I'm out here in the forsaken desert w/a sat link (no, remember, not Iraq--New Mexico!) at this link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/obama_inauguration/7840646.stm
Anyway, you can watch the oath itself again....Aretha....the speech. Everything, it seems, except the Inaugural Poem. hmmmm.

 
At 11:30 AM , Blogger vampi said...

on a side note... did anyone see the hat monster that attacked aretha?


feel better quiche. i wish i could send you the very yumtastic noodle soup i had last night. small chinese resturant making noodles with a big huge bamboo pole the way it's been done for hundreds if not thousands of years. it helped eradicate my migraine.

I saw the quote Lys. it's amazing. i do have some issues with the commentators and the topics they are focusing on, but meh, i won't let it mar the elation i feel in this momentous occasion. i have never teared up at a presidential inauguration before, but i did today.

 
At 11:35 AM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

***completly posted on wrong post; what a dork***

Oh Q! Feel better!!! You've no idea how much you are missed! I'm having withdrawals!

See??? that's what happens when you get a day off... Your body relaxes all at once & the 'glue' of everyday crap that needs to be done falls apart and you become infected... That's it; *says in best Seinfield impression*
"*No days off for you!*"

 
At 11:35 AM , Blogger DataGoddess said...

I had tears and tea!! Well, the tea on my chest, for spilling it, but it was still there.

Lorraine, back under the covers with you!! Maybe one of the bengles needs to learn how to make tea.

Loved, loved, loved the inauguration. Watched most of it on CNN with the sound down, except for the speeches. I hate listening to commentators try to fill the time.

Was disturbed to discover someone who thinks homosexual=pedophile on my plurk buddy list (came up because of Rick Warren). Pointed out to said person that I'm queer, and I don't appreciate the comparison. And not to let the door hit her on the ass on the way out. Why do people care what other consenting adults do? Gah.

 
At 11:37 AM , Blogger gaypet said...

Lys, it is really good of you to take an interest in Ben. It means a lot to me!

Off to work. Wish me luck. I am going to have to ask my job if I can work fewer hours and they are going to be unhappy. I added up studying and work hours this semester and it is about 60 hours a week. Doesn't really work for a single parent, I am thinking.

Have a good afternoon/morning/evening!

 
At 11:48 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, Lorraine .... they are all right, you know. Your body says to itself "self, I don't have to work today. So NOW I can be sick, since I couldn't before...."

Allow your body and soul the rest they need. Let Venus and Mim keep you warm physically, and all of our good wishes and desire for your return to health warm your heart.

In other words, get better :)

 
At 11:51 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

DG--way to go! Way to perform some necessary verbal butt kicking....

Gayle--oh,good luck lady! You are working three jobs there, by the sound of it.

Positive note: the first toast to President Obama (at the lunch..).
I think he's drinking water. :)

 
At 12:09 PM , Blogger vampi said...

oh DG...those poeple make me sick. i just don't understand. thre is no slipperly slope. there is no threat to marriage. the abomination is humans treating each other with such disdain. i believe the bible mentions that the judging is for god to do not for us to judge others. i've been slowly opening my mom's eyes, she still isn't approving of homosexuality, but has started to agree wiht me that allowing marriage is a good thing. the more love we can spread inthe world, the better the world is. we need to stop preventing love and start fostering.

as a jew, i was somewhat bothered by our holiest prayer being invoked by him.

 
At 12:23 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

People like that, DG, make me want to throw up.

Kudos to you for telling her where she could stick that comment.

 
At 12:27 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

Vampi, I remember someone saying once that if homosexuals overcome society, it will mean the end of the world "cause no more children".

To which I would like to respond: if nuns overcome society, you know, it will mean the end of the world "cause no more children".

 
At 1:57 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you're all hanging out on FB, go to the CNN FB page and choose the friends tab....

 
At 2:10 PM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Hope you feel better Quiche! Being sick on your day off is something I would pull. ;)

 
At 2:14 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

Didn't realize you were ill, Quiche -- so sorry to hear it. We can be sick together.

Get some rest. Think of springtime.

 
At 2:19 PM , Blogger Marjorie said...

Lots of comments to catch up on.

Quiche - so sorry you're not feeling well - it's so often when you relax that these things attack you. Hope you feel better soon - meanwhile, go back to bed, sleep, snuggle cats, and go with the soup and honey (not together)

DG - such crap. Good for you for sowing her the door. (And Emily, I love your come back!) Sadly a colleague had a similar exprience today - he and his husband went to the funeral of an elderly neighbour of theirs (who, incidently, they have `looked out for, done shopping, visted in hospital and who went to their wedding) and one of her relatives started telling thwem how wrong their 'choice' was after realising that they were gay. What kind of mind thinks that (a) other people's marriages and sexual orientation is thiers to judge and (b) that a funeral is an appropriate place to do so!

More cheerful note - Obama! Yay. Gayle - I like what you saidn about your son, and of course it applies to so many children, all over the US and beyond.

And good to hear a politician talking about responsibility and duty. I do hope he is able to follow through. Plus - non more Bushg = can now come to the US in June with a clear conscience!

I was watching the BBC while he took the oath - then this evening I've just been to see a preview showing of Frost/Nixon - quite a contraxst (but good film - well worth seeing if you have the opportunity)

 
At 2:22 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

Maybe it's just my age, but I find it incredible that someone could say such a thing at a funeral!

 
At 2:41 PM , Blogger vampi said...

argh. people make me so angry. the funeral is not a place to discuss anything other than fond memories of the deceased.

judge a person on their words and actions, not on their bedroom partner.

 
At 2:45 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Feel better Miss Q. Lots of tea!

Speaking of which I need some..

Gah. Phobes. I'll never understand why they need to inflict their bigotry on everyone in their general vicinity. They irritate me greatly.

 
At 3:05 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Watching inauguration now - taped it because it was on in the wee hours for us.
Thank god for musical interludes so I can catch up with comments.
((((Lorraine)))) get better quickly. Enjoy resting.
DG - excellent response to an idiot.
Marjorie, what a dispicable thing to say, and at a funeral

Wait..tears on my face and smile cracking wide as I watched President Obama take the oath.

I am SO happy for you all, my American Fiends

 
At 3:07 PM , Blogger vampi said...

ladies.. did you hear about this free makeup thing apparently some class action lawsuit. bummer i won't be able to get to a store today.

 
At 3:22 PM , Blogger Yoopergurl said...

Hope your getting some good quality rest Miss Q.

I agree kali, phobes are sad, they miss out on the variety of life, what makes life interesting. Only reason to be concerned with a persons orientation is if you want to date them.

I love our new Prez and Mrs. Prez, I have to admit during this election, I didn't think the country would pick the right person, being I couldn't believe the results of the last 2 elections, but I have to say I'm over the moon that our country seems to have grown up. yipee!

 
At 3:36 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Go Fergus Falls, Minnesota Marching Band!

sorry....parade interruption there...

:)

 
At 3:39 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

You know, it's funny, but I don't much like Barack Obama. Sadly, I have very little faith in him. Yet I couldn't help feeling a trickle of joy upon watching the inauguration (and listening to bits on the radio).

 
At 3:42 PM , Blogger Yoopergurl said...

Jeez, looks like the President, his Wife and their body guards are the only ones left watching the parade.

 
At 4:34 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

vampi; it's good for 6 days or until they run out. :)

 
At 4:40 PM , Blogger El said...

Hello there, fiends. I like the pictures! And I finally feel like I can crawl out of the hole I've been hiding in for a few days.

What an emotional day! I admit that I am not yet tired of saying "President Obama," no matter how often I say it.

If nothing else, we have a chance for a fresh start. And a historic moment.

Such a mass of humanity on the Mall!

 
At 5:41 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

I'd love to know what the world wide audience was. I know a lot of people watched the whole thing here in Australia, either live or after taping it like us. I don't think there has ever been such a momentous occasion for a new president of a country. I couldn't believe the number of people there either El, and in such cold weather.

 
At 5:48 PM , Blogger Ticia said...

Lorraine, so sorry you're feeling sickly. I wish I could be there to take care if you the way I take care of my family when they're sick.

You take such loving care of others (animal and author types), I wish there was someone there to coddle you right now. I hope the Bengals are keeping you company and not taking advantage of your illness. Stay bundled up and sleep well.

 
At 6:05 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

El, I thought the same thing about all the people. I knew there would be a lot but actually seeing the sea of people was astonishing!

Lorraine, what Ticia said!

 
At 6:09 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

For the Pterry fans amongst us
L space exists

 
At 6:47 PM , Blogger dabbler said...

Better watch out for those roaming thesauruses, (thesaurusi?) My house approaches L space, but so far the piles of books only fall over, they don't grow legs and teeth and need to be chained shut.

Of course, at the moment I have five large black trash bags full of books in the kitchen, moved out of the office I am vacating at the end of March. And the new office has one, dinky, bookcase.

Not pretty at all.

 
At 7:16 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

Well, Ms. Fabulous, that sucks that you got sick on your day off. :(
Hope you feel better tomorrow.

 
At 7:18 PM , Blogger Siri said...

Really have nothing to say, other than what a fantabulous day, and


200!!

 

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