I am insane.

( Sanity, Epilogue )

went not exactly always how i expected, but worked well, i think. and aroraborealis was a delightful co-organizer and co-leader; we seemed to trade off well.

thanks to everyone who came! we only had 8 people in all, in the end. but i expect we'll try it again.

i'd expected to have followers blindfolded and leaders not, but people seemed very interested to try having both partners blindfolded, which worked out ok with only three couples dancing and aroraborealis and me spotting. but a few people tried breaking into swing, and that seemed to work better than i'd have thought-- conveniently swing doesn't require travelling, so the risk of bumping into other people is slightly lower even with both partners blind-- so maybe we'll concentrate on swing next time.

also we may go longer next time. we made everyone swap lead and follow a lot, which was fun but maybe also confusing for folks who were basically new to ballroom dance; there was a request to maybe spend enough time in one role to get comfortable with it before switching, next time.

From this week's Supernatural:

It seems to me, you're not really jumping the shark if you never come back down.

Absolutely wonderful. They take so much delight in their ridiculosity; it cheers me up every week.

Holy Fuck on a Motorbike.

Brian May & Roger Taylor have just joined the X Factor finalists on satge for a bastardised version of Bo Rhap.

Brain still is more watchable than all the other put together <3<3<3

Okay. So, yesterday, I landed at Perth after a long journey that was tedious but made less than horrible by:

1) decent luck with my seat assignments/row-mates

2) a new and very entertaining audiobook on my iPod

3) my DSi

Seriously, Scribblenauts took up about three hours of flight time and Final Fantasy III took up at least four.

DSi lasted about six hours before the battery warning light came on, at which point I booted up my EEE PC and plugged my DSi into it to charge. Took a while and most of Zecter's own battery power, but my DSi was fully charged again and I was set for entertainment.

Was met at the airport by Chas and Oliver, both of whom are wonderful, and we came home.

I'd only got about 45 minutes sleep on the journey, so it was a little bothersome to manage only two or three hours overnight, but finally this morning I actually got to sleep and slept pretty much all day.

Now I just need to switch my body clock back from GMT to Perth time. It'll happen.

My head is gradually recovering from the long-term exposure to aeroplane and airport air. As before, it ripped hell out of my sinuses and I've also had a stuffed throat today, but that's improving.

While I slept today my parents dropped off their car and keys - my mother's away for a week on a business trip, and it seems my father's taking some time off his own work and going with her. I am tasked to keep Dad's tomatoes and Mum's mint plants alive. (The cat is being boarded. I only hope that our somewhat neurotic, reasonably elderly cat can handle this without having another nervous breakdown.)

[Originally posted at Dreamwidth. comments. Reply there (with OpenID or otherwise) if you wish.]

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So, exactly how many kinks (unsavory or not) does Strike Witches pander to? I was up to six before I stopped counting . . .

(It takes a minute to get fully into WTF territory. Wait for the ears-n-tail.)

Is it just me, or are Jennie Breeden's "What Not to Say on a First Date" comics reading more and more like "These are Jennie's Particular Hangups"? (In particular, letting someone know you're poly is exactly the sort of thing that should be communicated on a first date, if not before . . . )

Edit: I stand by the original point . . .

Singapore was not a "sleepy British colonial backwater" when it was a British Colony. It was, and has always been a trading hub in Southeast Asia. A simple check of Wikipedia would have told you that.

• 06:40 twitpic.com/pmbdl - Just waking

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This is what I've been doing in lieu of rewriting my thesis conclusion:

( Started this morning )

( Finished last night )

I really need to join a "Second Sock Syndrome Sufferers Anonymous" group. Hey, 6 pair finished out of 10 isn't bad, right?

ETA: Pattern names. Sorry for not catching it right off!

Has anyone seen Jennifer's Body yet? Its a great film anyway, but there are some fantastic knits in it!
In particular, theres one scene where Needy wears a chunky, cropped two-tone cardigan in blu and cream: its a bit 80s but i totally loved it and want to re-create it... but i'm struggling to find any screen shots to think up a suitable pattern.

Does anyone else know what i'm on about? Am i the only one raving over the knits in this film? Am I just a knitting nutter?

Andrei's daily twitter log is brought to you via LoudTwitter

• 21:23 Just won a 6 player $5+.50 table. Excellent opponent. Using Fergusen's bankroll system is amazing. So far my $20 bankroll is at $120 #
• 21:47 Tahuti... Metatron... You NEVER see them together! Makes you think, eh? #

P.S. Anyone notice the posting time? It's relevant.

*Laughs like a drain*

*Laughs summore*

At 7pm Soren had a seizure, which at first was thought to be another stroke. Velma called 911 immediately and he was taken to the hospital. He's there now and will be there for at least a day or two. His blood pressure is high but he is lucid and does not seem at this point to have suffered any further neurological damage. He indicated that he has been suffering from a headache for the last 3-4 weeks. While Howard and I were at the hospital with them, Soren had a second seizure a little before 10 pm that lasted 2 and a half minutes. He was given medication to relax him and to stop the seizures. He's had a CAT scan and bloodwork which all looks good so far. At this point the plan is to observe him for 1-2 days and then give him lots of anti-seizure meds and send him home to follow up with his personal doctor.

Updates will be here as possible, or at Making Light.

It's that time of year: I'm going through my addressbook, pruning people I haven't seen in decades, and trying to figure out if the information I have for everyone else is up to date. (I'm also attempting to make 3-way sync between my iPhone, OSX's addressbook app and Google Contacts work, because apparently I enjoy shaving yaks.)

So: if you think I should have your contact information (whatever subset thereof seems relevant), please post it here. Comments are, of course, screened. If you find this method disconcerting, feel free to just email it to me -- vCard format preferred if you happen to have it, but I'll happily transcribe if not.

Soren may be having another stroke. Updates will be here as possible, or at Making Light.