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Massive fun. Massive owing.
Jan. 19th, 2008 09:44 pmOkay, so I had a nice day today, all things considered. Got up really early and helped give Butters his eye drops. Then I slept for another two hours- yay. Then I found my way to Old Town Alexandria. Of all the places in Northern VA, Old Town Alexandria is my favorite, I think. If it weren't for occasional flooding since it's right up against the Patomic and the astonomical cost of living, I'd move there. It's sooooooooo gorgeous and so many wonderful shops and places to eat.
Anyway, I went there because I was attending my very first Harry Potter meetup! I joined the group on Meetup.com a while ago and finally got brave enough to go to a meeting. We met at this Spanish Tapas restaraunt and it turns out it's Restaraunt Week this week- which meant special deals or something- I'd never heard of it before but for $20 we were able to order anything off their menu- as much as we wanted. So I got to try five different dishes and had an amazing desert- not bad! Plus, lots of HP discussion with fans in RL! How cool is that? We even talked a bit about LotR- but mostly HP. The discussion was supposed to revolve around the first book (which I just re-read in preparation) and we stayed there for the most part, but we went all over the series, as well, which was great. I also have a bunch of podcast recommendations now (I'm especially interested in Snapecast... and the podcast that's going to do the entire Shoebox Project! WHOA!). So many podcasts, so little time! But, yeah, it was an awesome lunch. The group leader even had a "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogryphs!" shirt on. OMG I loved it! I, of course, wore my snuggly, warm, so incredibly wonderful that I hate taking it off new "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" hooded sweatshirt that one of you was sweet enough to get me for Christmas. Squee!
Following the lunch (I had so much to eat I won't have to eat for a week at this rate!) we had a second event and had a woman come over from a local knitting shop to teach us how to knit house scarves. So now I know the very basics of knitting! Since I already have two gorgeous Hufflepuff scarves, I bought Scarlet and gold yarn so I could make Gryffindor scarves. I started out during the 2 hour event making a normal scarf... but secretly I wanted to make small ones... for my Padfoot & Moony stuffed animals. Padfoot is already wearing a studded collar, but poor Remus doesn't have anything, so I thought it would be nice to give him a scarf. But I thought it might be a little TOO crazy to knit a scarf in public for a stuffed animal... though I needn't have worried, with that group. I'm shy as heck when meeting new people, but it turns out they're as fun and crazy and obsessed as I am. Even if the group leader's OTP ship is Hermione/Snape (and I WAS brave enough to state that I'm a puppy shipper and proud of it!). Anyway, I'm proud of the little bit of knitting I've learned. I suck at it, so don't expect anything brilliant. I keep picking up stitches somehow and I think I dropped my first stitch just now, which is why I'm taking a break and writing a blog entry instead. LOL But I'm having fun knitting and DEAR GODS it's addictive! Why did no one warn me about that? LOL As if I need ANOTHER project to take up all my time? heehee
After the meetups, I went by the Irish store and then the Scottish store in Old Town since I was there already. My KS has a birthday coming up and I thought maybe there was something small I could get, since I was there anyway and I had already given up trying to find a parking space and parked in a pay garage. However, nothing jumped out at me as special. It was nice browsing the store, anyway.
Then I came home and lost an eBay auction for 9 Hornblower books. Ah well. 3 were repeats of books I already have, and the lot went for more than I wanted to spend so it's just as well. I've been losing a lot of auctions lately... ever since I started keeping a special spreadsheet for all fandom-related purchases. I'm trying to stay on a budget for the year and that makes me think more carefully before I buy anything that's not food or gas nowadays. As it should, really. I still have a student loan and I still live in my parents' basement, after all. (even if I DO do chores and pay rent)
The Caps are doing so well. I am SO proud of my boys! Plus, we signed OV for a shitload of money but he's worth every knut. I look at the hockey standings, like, 10 times a day now. It's so nice to look at them when my team isn't in LAST PLACE in the league any longer. LOL And that 12 round shoot out the other night was all sorts of amazing!
I have the WORST headache again. I might actually go out and buy that Head On stuff at this point. The Motrin I take didn't even touch it. I've had a headache off and on since (I think) Wednesday now. I have an awful feeling it has to do with the fact that I'm on the pill again. I used to get awful headaches the week before my period when I was on the pill before, and even though I told this to the doc, and she gave me one that wasn't supposed to do this, I think it's the cause of the headache. Because I've actually been getting to bed an hour early and have been using the comp less so I don't think it's eye strain. Though usually with those headaches Motrin makes a bit of a dent. Damnit. Stupid birth control. I'm not even having sex. Not fair. Grrr.
Yay! Capitals win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I started another two giftfics since I last posted here. Which means I have 1 finished, 1 almost finished, and 2 in progress. But because of headache and all the rounds of cat medicine-giving I honestly haven't been writing much at all. I'm sorry.
Oh! Plus, our big annual conference is coming up in two weeks, and starting Monday I'm going to be dogsitting for a week. So life will be CRAZY and tomorrow will be my last quiet day, I'm afraid. Damn. So much to do! *freaks out*
Last conference, I had some not fun social experiences with coworkers. So this year I'm going to try to avoid them completely when I'm not working the conference. So I'm considering one of two options:
1. Seeing RENT on Broadway- which is on my life list of things I want to do before I die
2. Going to The Strand, a bookstore with 18 MILES of books
Not sure I'll be able to do both, given the conference schedule. But I'd like to be able to do at least one of the two. I'll have to check the bookstore's hours. The biggest problem is that every day, at the end of the day, my feet are killing me, so walking to and then walking around a bookstore doesn't sound awesome, but it does sound infinitely cheaper than $80 tickets to a musical I've already seen live 3 times. *shrug* We'll see. I still have time to decide. But at least I have two very nice things to look forward to and won't have to depend on coworkers for a good time... because their ideas of good times are not remotely the same as mine. And, yeah, my whole "don't depend on anyone else for happiness" rule.
Okay, Caps game is over... and maybe it's time for a run to CVS or Giant.
Anyway, I went there because I was attending my very first Harry Potter meetup! I joined the group on Meetup.com a while ago and finally got brave enough to go to a meeting. We met at this Spanish Tapas restaraunt and it turns out it's Restaraunt Week this week- which meant special deals or something- I'd never heard of it before but for $20 we were able to order anything off their menu- as much as we wanted. So I got to try five different dishes and had an amazing desert- not bad! Plus, lots of HP discussion with fans in RL! How cool is that? We even talked a bit about LotR- but mostly HP. The discussion was supposed to revolve around the first book (which I just re-read in preparation) and we stayed there for the most part, but we went all over the series, as well, which was great. I also have a bunch of podcast recommendations now (I'm especially interested in Snapecast... and the podcast that's going to do the entire Shoebox Project! WHOA!). So many podcasts, so little time! But, yeah, it was an awesome lunch. The group leader even had a "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogryphs!" shirt on. OMG I loved it! I, of course, wore my snuggly, warm, so incredibly wonderful that I hate taking it off new "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" hooded sweatshirt that one of you was sweet enough to get me for Christmas. Squee!
Following the lunch (I had so much to eat I won't have to eat for a week at this rate!) we had a second event and had a woman come over from a local knitting shop to teach us how to knit house scarves. So now I know the very basics of knitting! Since I already have two gorgeous Hufflepuff scarves, I bought Scarlet and gold yarn so I could make Gryffindor scarves. I started out during the 2 hour event making a normal scarf... but secretly I wanted to make small ones... for my Padfoot & Moony stuffed animals. Padfoot is already wearing a studded collar, but poor Remus doesn't have anything, so I thought it would be nice to give him a scarf. But I thought it might be a little TOO crazy to knit a scarf in public for a stuffed animal... though I needn't have worried, with that group. I'm shy as heck when meeting new people, but it turns out they're as fun and crazy and obsessed as I am. Even if the group leader's OTP ship is Hermione/Snape (and I WAS brave enough to state that I'm a puppy shipper and proud of it!). Anyway, I'm proud of the little bit of knitting I've learned. I suck at it, so don't expect anything brilliant. I keep picking up stitches somehow and I think I dropped my first stitch just now, which is why I'm taking a break and writing a blog entry instead. LOL But I'm having fun knitting and DEAR GODS it's addictive! Why did no one warn me about that? LOL As if I need ANOTHER project to take up all my time? heehee
After the meetups, I went by the Irish store and then the Scottish store in Old Town since I was there already. My KS has a birthday coming up and I thought maybe there was something small I could get, since I was there anyway and I had already given up trying to find a parking space and parked in a pay garage. However, nothing jumped out at me as special. It was nice browsing the store, anyway.
Then I came home and lost an eBay auction for 9 Hornblower books. Ah well. 3 were repeats of books I already have, and the lot went for more than I wanted to spend so it's just as well. I've been losing a lot of auctions lately... ever since I started keeping a special spreadsheet for all fandom-related purchases. I'm trying to stay on a budget for the year and that makes me think more carefully before I buy anything that's not food or gas nowadays. As it should, really. I still have a student loan and I still live in my parents' basement, after all. (even if I DO do chores and pay rent)
The Caps are doing so well. I am SO proud of my boys! Plus, we signed OV for a shitload of money but he's worth every knut. I look at the hockey standings, like, 10 times a day now. It's so nice to look at them when my team isn't in LAST PLACE in the league any longer. LOL And that 12 round shoot out the other night was all sorts of amazing!
I have the WORST headache again. I might actually go out and buy that Head On stuff at this point. The Motrin I take didn't even touch it. I've had a headache off and on since (I think) Wednesday now. I have an awful feeling it has to do with the fact that I'm on the pill again. I used to get awful headaches the week before my period when I was on the pill before, and even though I told this to the doc, and she gave me one that wasn't supposed to do this, I think it's the cause of the headache. Because I've actually been getting to bed an hour early and have been using the comp less so I don't think it's eye strain. Though usually with those headaches Motrin makes a bit of a dent. Damnit. Stupid birth control. I'm not even having sex. Not fair. Grrr.
Yay! Capitals win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I started another two giftfics since I last posted here. Which means I have 1 finished, 1 almost finished, and 2 in progress. But because of headache and all the rounds of cat medicine-giving I honestly haven't been writing much at all. I'm sorry.
Oh! Plus, our big annual conference is coming up in two weeks, and starting Monday I'm going to be dogsitting for a week. So life will be CRAZY and tomorrow will be my last quiet day, I'm afraid. Damn. So much to do! *freaks out*
Last conference, I had some not fun social experiences with coworkers. So this year I'm going to try to avoid them completely when I'm not working the conference. So I'm considering one of two options:
1. Seeing RENT on Broadway- which is on my life list of things I want to do before I die
2. Going to The Strand, a bookstore with 18 MILES of books
Not sure I'll be able to do both, given the conference schedule. But I'd like to be able to do at least one of the two. I'll have to check the bookstore's hours. The biggest problem is that every day, at the end of the day, my feet are killing me, so walking to and then walking around a bookstore doesn't sound awesome, but it does sound infinitely cheaper than $80 tickets to a musical I've already seen live 3 times. *shrug* We'll see. I still have time to decide. But at least I have two very nice things to look forward to and won't have to depend on coworkers for a good time... because their ideas of good times are not remotely the same as mine. And, yeah, my whole "don't depend on anyone else for happiness" rule.
Okay, Caps game is over... and maybe it's time for a run to CVS or Giant.
