Category Archives: Links

Argh

I realise that I haven’t ranted about my latest “it’s not fair” experience. Prepare for Rant Mode.

Now that I’ve started wearing my glasses 95% of the time, I’ve discovered that one pair is not enough. Why? Because if I take them off at night they get left on the bedside table when I toddle off to work the next morning, or by the computer, or — once — beside the computer at work.

So! Responsible Autumn locates her last set of frames and resolves to have up-to-date lenses made for them. She shops around.

My prescription isn’t that high, and I don’t need progressive lenses or bifocals or anything fancy. All I need is basic lenses with anti-glare so my computer screen doesn’t slay my vision.

I’m still going to have to pay between $160 and $210 for a new set of lenses.

Slowly it penetrated into my stunned brain and I remembered why I usually buy new frames as well. It’s not that much more expensive.

I ranted at my husband for a while, and then decided that I’d look into contact lenses. If I have to be wearing the things most of the time anyway, I might as well. I’ll need an optometrist appointment, but they might end up being cheaper. And I certainly won’t leave them in odd places. Then my current glasses become my back-up vision enhancers.

It’s worth a try. It might be hopeless, but at least I’ll know.

I think the most frustrating aspect of the situation is that I’m trying to be responsible by having a second pair with me. It’s akin to replacing socks with holes, or buying new underwear: it shouldn’t be this expensive.

So when I found this quiz on Roo’s blog this morning I took it, and now I feel much better, because it’s really me.

My inner child is ten years old today

My inner child is ten years old!

The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether
I’m off on my bicycle (or pony) exploring, lost
in a good book, or giggling with my best
friend, I live in a world apart, one full of
adventure and wonder and other stuff adults
don’t understand.

How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

Things That Make You Go “Hmm”:

Whenever I please myself with a word count, I head on over to Caitlin R Kiernan’s log of her latest novel endeavour. I haven’t written lately, so I haven’t checked it out, but today I came across a lot of interesting posts (Caitlin is nothing if not interesting). The one that made me go “hmm”, however, is this one about how socially acceptable is a grown adult’s playing of “let’s pretend” (which is essentially what authors do in their heads). She contrasts it with role-playing, an activity which the majority of adults scoff at.

Er. It’s the same thing. Imaginative adults play let’s pretend all the time. Let’s pretend that light isn’t red, let’s pretend you’re a naughty schoolgirl, let’s pretend that bill says I owe much less than I actually do. Authors of all genres of fiction (and some non-fiction) play a version of let’s pretend and then write it down.

Caitlin blows the whistle on it, as well as costuming (another interest we share), and what she calls The Cult of Sports. Go. Read.

*snicker*

Highlights of today’s horoscopes:

Gemini: An unhealthy addiction to H.P. Lovecraft novels will lead you to unnatural practices involving a squid and a meat pie.

Sagittarius: A good day to bet online. You�ll win big in the death pools but then feel unusually philanthropic and donate it all to the new reigning premier of Nigeria, who has graciously set up a private bank account, just for you.

Capricorn: A great day as 166,503 gullible Sagittarians fall for your email scam. One of them, an NSA agent, will pay an unexpected visit to your office tomorrow.

From Davezilla, natch, who also listed “The God of Abraham is a jealous God, and still upset that Ganesh can beat him at chess” among Verses that God Edited Out.

Book Stuff

I got free books in the mail today!

Okay, I have to write reviews on them, but they’re free books! I love this job! (Freelance writing, that is.)

Friends are at the Toronto WorldCon this weekend (affectionately known as TorCon), revelling in the total immersion of things speculative. The irony of the situation is that I, too, will be in Toronto this weekend. Just not at TorCon. Alas.

(I should get Ceri back for being In The Presence of Neil Gaiman Without Me by writing a single story for her which contains all four assigned story points I haven’t yet addressed. Ha.)

Welcome Back!

Ladies, Gentlemen, and Honoured Others:

I am overjoyed to introduce the new version of Courts of Chaos!

Long dormant, while The Lazy Mage toiled with little tolerance for compromise behind the scenes and under cover of dark HTML, the new Courts rise with shining promise for the future.

Welcome back!

(By the way, that electrician never showed up yesterday. Anyone for a round of kneecapping with blunt objects?)

Potter News

For all of you who have been asking me (and why me?), the third Potter film is being released next May (yes, a Harry Potter film and the Hellboy film within the same month – it’s too much happiness).

Nifty photos:

Hermione threatening Malfoy

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin

Michael Gambon as the new Dumbledore

I was struck by how much older the kids look (yeah, yeah, I know, a year between films) until it was all put into persective for me. Someone at pointed out that if you calculate by the year in the first book (which is 1991), Harry (and Neville, come to think of it) turned 23 last week. Gulp.

Fun With Absinthe

Damn. Had a blog post about amusing misspellings on a website, but I can’t post it because it revolves around a gift for someone.

Drat.

But I did find something else: a new liqueur called Absente. It claims to be “a dazzling emerald green spirit, distilled in the tradition of Absinthe, from a potion of botanicals without the wormwood.” It substitutes Southernwood, or Southern Wormwood (same artemisia family, same absinthol oil which gives it the characteristic bitter taste) instead to make it legal.

For all you bohemians out there, the site also provides recipes and serving instructions. (Dear Gods – the Energizer is just scary.)