May 31
Happy Memorial Day. I have never served in any wars, and never intend to, but John was in Somalia and my Gramps was in the Pacific Theater in WWII.
May 30
At Crown Tournament on Saturday was the Kingdom Arts and Sciences competition. There was a lot of really good fencing as well, which I had hoped to be able to get in on, but unfortunatly the fencing started at the same time as the A&S judging did. I am actually pretty annoyed at how the judging was done, and this is a complaint completely aside from the unfortunalt schedule comflict with the fencing tournament. We (my singing group) had entered four songs as seperate entries in the performance division - entries 101-104. I guess that the judges didn't realize that it was the same people doing all four, or maybe they did realize and the just didn't care, but they scheduled a half hour per song. Which would make our performance competition a whopping two hours long. At the regional competition we did all of our songs back to back, then the judges asked us a few questions about them, and then we were done. Took about a half an hour. Took three times as long at kingdom because even after the judges realized that the first four entries in our division were us, they were bound and determined to stick to their schedule and make each song last the full half an hour allotted to it. No sneaky getting done early for us, oh no! *sound of teeth grinding* This made it really hard for us to keep up the energy in the performance... what with the singing, then the answering of long and detainled questions, and then the standing around, and then maybe singing the song a couple of times over... And then the judges started to talk about how they enjoyed our performance but that we didn't quite fit "the criteria" for vocal performances... Argh!
I guess we did all right in the end though...
<snip from an email from Katy to the singers>
Drumroll, please....
First place on Tempus Transit
Second place on Virent Prata
Second place on Bacche Bene
First place on In Taberna
Division I Championship, and a request from his Majesty to sing for them at some upcoming event.
<end snip>
I have no idea when we would be able to fulfill his Majesty's request, though... Magda suggested Border Wars in Ionia, but I have Sarah's bridal shower on that same day. Hopefully something can be figured out. It would really suck to have the king request a personal performance and then not be able to fulfill his request.
May 28
It is 10am. And I am the only one in the office. I realize that this is the day before a long holiday weekend, but this is kind of ridiculous.
May 27
I got an invitiation in the mail for my 10-year high school reunion. Scary. I didn't go to my 5-year reunion. And I don't think that I would go to this one either - even if it wasn't scheduled for the same day that I am throwing Sarah's bridal shower.
May 26
Tuesday night was the end of an era... sort of. We all gathered at Katy and Erics house and ate angel food cake (appropriate) while we watched the series finale of "Angel". Last season was pretty wretched, and is probably the reason why the show was alated for cancellation after this season. This season's episodes, in contrast, were wonderful. They brought back the whole 'feel' that the show had right around its first couple of seasons. It is too bad that the show is over now... it was a very good show and the networks seem to have this habit of cancelling the really good shows (case in point: Firefly) in favor of moronic reality shows and syndicated drek that has been recycled over and over for the past decade. (Must support Joss Wheadon and protest the cancellation of his fine and imaginative shows by buying all episodes on DVD.)
Oh, to be a Nielson family and be able to effect ratings... Though if I were a Neilson family, I would really skew everything toward the Food Network and TLC. Hee hee. I like to have the TV on as background noise when I am at home puttering around, and I think that the Food Network is great for this. Plus, I love "Good Eats" with Alton Brown and think that "Iron Chef" rules.
Afterwards we just hung around and talked... Catan had been mentioned in emails as a possibility, but never materialized. Which was fine. Talk naturally turned to the weather over the weekend and last Friday... where people were when the tornados went through... and Douglas recounted his tale of airplane fun on Friday during the storms. Then when Zach asked if anyone had any plans for plane trips coming up soon, I said that I did. And then of course I had to explain the whole Philiadelphia/Elsevier/interview thing.
Elizabeth's response was, "Oh, so that's why you needed a suit." Katy gave me a sad face and asked why I wanted to leave them all. That pretty much covers the range of reactions. Which, conveniently enough, covers the way my attitude toward the situation shifts back and forth. On one hand, this is a great opportunity and it would be an awesome career move. (Especially since, though I like working at DBD it is certainly not the most stable job. And other then UM, there aren't a lot of career opportunities around here - and UM has their own financial problems and are not really doing a lot of hiring.) On the other hand, the biggest reason why I feel hesitant about moving, is the people here. I think that this is one of the best groups of friends that I have ever had, and I certainly don't want to let that go. In an ideal world, Elseveier would hire me, and then set up offices outside of Ann Arbor so I wouldn't have to move. Hee hee. But we will see what happens. A lot will depend on what happens in the interview.
May 23
Tornados, farewells, and shopping. Oh my.
Booze and goodbyes
It turns out that I was wrong... Karen is moving to South Carolina and not North Carolina as I previously reported. All I can say in my defense is that when it comes to certain parts of the country (and in particular states that have basically the same name - North and South Dakota, I am looking at you) I view boundaries as being irrelevant and think that it is all basically the same to me. Anyway. I stopped by her apartment Sunday morning before fencing to say some last goodbyes and to check out some boots that she mentioned at Saturday's party. I ended up not taking them - the five inch heels were a wee bit too high for me, plus I was not totally sure that white vinyl go-go boots were really my thing - but I still walked out with a bunch of unexpected swag. Or maybe I should have expected it, since Karen had hit the phase of packing where she was thrusting various small items on anyone who walked by, just so she wouldn't have to decide what to do with them. (note to Karen: I don't know if you were able to make your 4:00 deadline for hitting the road, since you looked pretty frazzled when I had to leave, but I sure hope so.) I got a pair of suede SCA boots, a bunch of hangers, a nice set of clay pots, and a rather sad looking spider plant that I promised to try to rehabilitate. And a grocery bag (paper) full of booze. (Which included some rather nice stuff for mixers) And two garbage bags full of leather scraps and leatherworking tools that Cumara had left with her when he moved to Denver that she wanted me to give to Chuck to hold for him (Cumara) just in case he ever decided that he wanted them back. Ahhh... passing around the belongings of a friend who has moved out of state to various other friends for "temporary" storage... truly a gift that keeps on giving. And the suspense! Who will get the leather scraps next?
Severe weather and flash flood warnings in effect until...
...until pretty much all weekend. Good thing I didn't have any really outdoorsy stuff planned. Except fencing. Which lasted for about an hour and a half until a sudden downpour complete with lightning forced the intrepid fighters off the field near the belltower. I suppose that it is generally a bad idea to be waving what amount to mini-lightning rods (rapiers) around when there is lightning in the air... I had already had to leave by then, so I wasn't around to witness the exodus. Too bad. Plus Eric had finally returned to the field after a nearly year-long hiatus. I hope that he comes again next weekend. In a related note, I am glad that I live on high ground.
Dress to impress
Charles Cohen can be my personal shopping assistant any day. Seriously. Those of you who know me well know that I am a jeans and t-shirts kind of gal, and that shopping is not too high on my list of "things I like to do". But I needed a suit. And I had no idea what to look for... all I knew was that I wanted something stylish and classy that I could use for years and that I could mix up with different tops. And that is what I got. Granted, I didn't get the classical, charcoal grey number that I had in mind. (I can always get that one later in my career if I really need a second suit) But I am really happy with what I did get. And it is not something that I would ever have tried on if I hadn't had someone with me to encourage me. Picture this: a silky pantsuit in a mossy green-brown with a very modern mandarin-collared jacket, paired with a patterned shell in slightly brighter earth tones. Stylin'! I think that I will make an impression... Of course, I have to go back to the store this evening with the shoes I plan on wearing with the suit so that I can get the pants hemmed up a bit. The eternal curse of short people everywhere. Pants are always made for a hypothetical someone who is just a little bit taller then we are, and sometimes even heels are not enough to make up for that difference in height.
May 22
Karen has gotten her MLIS degree (yay!) and her congratulations/goodbye party is at Chuck'e house tonight. Very very soon she will be leaving for her new job in North Carolina. As my contribution to the spread, I am making molasses cookies. (yum!) And in between spooning dough onto cookie trays and pulling the finished product out of the over to cool, what better way to spend time then by updating my blog?
There is a tornado warning on for tonight until about 8pm. There was a tornado (sort of...I don't think it ever really touched down) that ripped through Ann Arbor yesterday. It was so cool. Tom and I had been at the new Starbucks on Main working on the interface design for a clien's project. (Tom says he works better at Starbucks, and as for me, any excuse to get out of the office to work will do.) We got back to the office at about 2:00. By 2:10, it was so dark outside that it looked like night. Gale force winds, driving rain, hail... then the sky turned this sort of murky green. I am told that a green sky is a sure sign of a tornado. The worst had passed by about 3:15, and by the time I went home at 4:45, it wasn't even raining anymore. The whole display was very cool while it lasted.
John and I saw "Shrek 2" last night. It was wonderful! I think it may have been even better then the first one, but I am not sure... it has been a while since I saw "Shrek". But suffice to say that John and I laughed till tears streamed down our faces through the whole thing. And then we spent the whole drive back to my apartment doing lines from it. Excellent, excellent, excellent movie. Go see it!
May 19
I tend to dislike meetings that end a bit after 4:00. At that point they might as well just last up until 5:00. Because there really is nothing that I can get done in less then an hour. Well, okay. I can check and respond to some email, but that's it... I would rather just be able to leave right after a meeting that closes after 4:00. But maybe that is just me.
And I stood before my computer and printer, and, lo!, it was good. And I spake before the multitude of embossed stationary, "Bow down before me, for I am become like unto Kinko's!"
Well, maybe it is not that excessive. But I am working on the bridal shower invitations for Sarah. My personal goal is to have them all in the mail Saturday. Just one of my duties as Maid of Honor in this little paegent. Speaking of Maid of Honorish stuff... apparently my dress is in. And since I ordered it from the same place where Sarah got her wedding dress (and thus getting myself a nifty little discount on mine - which, considering the price, was not unwelcome) she will bring it up to Ann Arbor with her next time she comes into town. She says it is really pretty. I am looking forward to finally getting to see it.
[10pm]
Update on the bridal shower invitations. I finished them. All of them. I printed out all of the invites and all of the enveloples
and stuffed all of the envelopes and everything. I think I have a papercut on my tongue from licking envelopes...
May 17
Okay, so I haven't really been in the mood to do a lot of blogging the past couple of days. I have been writing piles of documentation and user test results and the like at work lately... all of which has left me rather less then eager to get down to yet more typing at home. But the last of the (current) monster writing push is over and there will be a brief respite before the next. So... to update...
Saturday was Baron Wars down at Fort Meig near Toledo.
After hearing from Katy and Eric what a fabulous event it is, I was expecting quite a bit out of it. And was a little bit underwelmed by what was actually there. But then again, the weather was kind of cold and grey and rainy, so I didn't exactly see the even at its bext. And at any rate, the bit of the event that I was mostly interested in - the fencing - was excellent! A very nice round robin style tournament for the Northern Oaks rapier championship (I wasn't eligible to move on the the second round of the tournamant since I am not from Northern Oaks but it was fun anyway). And then the melees... the boarding party and the blockhouse tavern brawl. I kind of sucked at the boarding party melee... it was fought on - you guessed it - boards. Which were supposed to simulate ship to ship boarding actions if you were a pirate. The boards in this case were flat on the ground, though. So you had to use your imagination. And if you stepped off the board then it was assumed that you fell in the water and drowned. I hadn't realized just how much of my fencing style involves lateral movements until then... so I ended up drowning a lot. And the taverl brawl was actually fought in one of the fort blockhouses... fighting upstairs and downstairs and in the yard and through the windows and doors. Very cool. And in two of the three scenarios you were allowed to use rubber-band guns (hey... the three musketeers had pistols as well as rapiers, so why can't we?) which were a huge advantage for those who had them. Note to self: must acquire rubber-band gun(s) and much ammunition.
Border Wars is coming up in Ionia. I bet they have good fencing there too.
And Coronation is coming up even sooner. And I know there will be good fencing there. But I won't be able to compete because I have to compete in the Arts and Sciences division with the Collegium. Katy would kill me if I tried to fit in fencing as well.
May 12
This is the third day I have biked in to work, abd I have just one thing to say to all of the other people (cars, trucks, and SUVs) that I share the road with: Hey you jerks, I am every bit as entitled to be here as you are!
I was almost run off of the road three times in less then a mile this morning. And I especially appreciated the woman in the huge SUV who rolled down her window to yell "Hey you *expletive*, use the *expletive* sidewalk!" For her information (not that I think she might ever read this) you are not supposed to bike on the sidewalk anymore then you are supposed to drive a car down one. And for good reasons - sidewalks are for mommies with strollers, little kids, loiterers, people sitting at sidewalk cafe tables sipping coffee, and all a manner of pedestrians. People (like me) who are doing about 20mph on a mountain bike just don't belong there at all. there is too much potential for an accident. And the sad thing is that the woman with the toddler who would scream at me to get off the sidwalk and bike in the street is probably the same woman who would try to run me off of the road (or yell at me to get off the road and on the sidewalk) if she wanted to pass me in her SUV. Not that I think all SUV owners are evil and rude. Just most of them.
The moral of the story is:
- People on bikes are allowed on the road too, and it is mean to try to run them off the road.
- Ann arbor needs more bike lanes.
- I like to bike into town, despite the plethora of rude drivers around here. I think it is good exercise.
May 10
[10am]
I almost didn't bike in to work this morning, even after making a big deal all weekend about how I couldn't wait to be able to bike in and that my bike needed to be all ready and so on... It was raining when I got up. But since it started to clear up right before I was going to leave, I decided to go for it. Hmm.. for some reason it was a bit more difficult then I remembered. But of course I haven't been on my bike in over six months. So I guess I am a wee tad bit out of shape...
[1pm]
I have a huge crick in my neck... but I don't remember taking any particularily
hard shots to the mask during fencing yesterday...
[9:45pm]
The new "especially crafted for spring" site design has finally
been rolled out. At last. To follow will be several days of little tweaks.
I fully acknowledge that this is not a finished skin - there are still some
little touches that I want to add... but I just wanted to get the new design
up already.
May 9
It was a good weekend.
My folks came up Friday night for a visit and for dinner, which I always enjoy. Though I do wish sometimes that they would be able to stay a little bit longer then just for an evening.
Saturday I puttered around most of the morning - did some work for DBD, did a little bit on the new CSS file for this site, and tore apart my desktop setup so that I could put it back together in a visually pleasing way that incorporated the new CPU cart that I bought at Office Max in an attempt to hide the tangle of wires and cables that was threatening to take over. Ahh. It looks a lot better now. Then I hung out with Erica and Chris for a little while.
Note: "VanHelsing" may have looked pretty schlocky in the trailers, but the real thing is so plotless and ultra-schlocky that it almost defies understanding. It was a bad movie, and I am not sure yet if it successfully reached the level of being a movie that is so bad it is good. But going to see it with John, Elizabeth, DeForest, Chuck, and Elaine was fun enough to make up for the rather disapointing movie. And now I am karmically evin with John - he made me go see "Undercover Brother" and I made him see "VanHelsing".
I usually like to sleep in on Sundays, but this Sunday I wanted to go have breakfast at Angelo's. Which meant getting up early. Angelo's has only two states - just open and empty, and so crowded that there is a line out the door and up the block. John and I managed to get there early enough that it was still in the first state. But it was well into the second when we left.
Went out to Baskin-Robbins after fencing, then played Catan with everyone while an amazing thunderstorm raged outside. (good thing that that storm waited until after fencing to break)
It was a good birthday. I am 28 (officially so at 11:15pm). Funny... it really doesn't really feel any different then yesterday, when I was still 27.
May 5
Good news from the doctor's office: my blood pressure may still not be "normal" but it is a lot lower then the last time I was here, which means that medication is working pretty much as it should. Though I did switch to a new blood pressure medication - Norvask - which is a calcium channel blocker and should help with my headaches as well as lowering my blood pressure. Lisinopril, which is what I had been taking, sometimes causes odd side effects, and I had been experiencing one of the odder ones... coughing spasms. And I know that these were in no way related to my pollen allergies since they started up when I started on the Lisinopril and ended as soon as I switched meds.
May 2
I was sitting in the lobby of the Executive Residence of the UMBS Executive Education Center this morning, waiting to do a user test, and overheard the following converstation between two older ladies...
First Lady: "Would you like something?" (gestures toward the breakfast
bar)
Second Lady: "Well, I would like some water, but I only like it with
a bit of lemon in it, and they don't have any like that."
First Lady: "Well, times are hard all over these days."
I think that a good name for a punk band would be "Red-Headed Stepchild". And then their number one hit song could be "Smack me like a ....". I shared this with John, and he didn't think it was as funny an idea as I did.
May 1
Sooooo.... happy May Day. It seems that is southeastern Michigan April showers bring... May showers!
I am feeling rather down today. Not depressed... just lacking in energy. Possibly because of the weather. All I really want to do is putter around and veg on the couch with a book. (Interesting note: occasionally when all I want to do is "veg out with a book" I feel guilty for not doing something more productive.)
Today was the Pentamere A&S competition and the Collegium all got up an an unreasonable hour (for a weekend) and carpooled out to somewhere in the middle of nowhere near Frankenmuth. We got there at around 10am, registration for the competition closed at 11am, and then we pretty much sat around until 2pm, when we performed. We did really well (especially considering our somewhat lifeless rehersal about a half hour before) but when the time came we found the energy and life and (it seems) really wowed the judges. And the four songs we did from the Carmina Burana were a lot of fun to perform. Especially "Bacce Bene" where I got to pull a knife on Matt. heh heh. We don't have our scores yet (those will be mailed to us) but I think we did quite well indeed. Some of the judges made comments about things we might want to do differently when we compete at the Kingdom A&S at the end of the month. To qualify for Kingdom, you have to score really well at the regional level. And with the judges making comments like they did - well, I think that we will be going to Kingdom.
The whole thing seemed a little anti-climactic to me... after spending so much time rehersing and memorizing four verses to "Tempus Transit" and making costumes appropriate to the time period of the songs (13th century German) it was over so quickly.....