FabulousLorraine.com

Thursday, June 4, 2009

A Queen is Dead and the Russians Still Coming...

Found out today that my Boss and AFP are dating! Well, knock me over with a feather! Who knew???? Darn good thing for the internet, no one tells me anything...

Ok,ok I'll stop. Short version, so I can get onto the real news of the day, this has made me very happy. Very happy indeed.

(Edited to add: Attempt at humor there..Of course I knew, I'm like, the PA and all. Not a lot of secrets, we just KEEP them well...)

Today was, among other things, a Bee Checking Day. The Russians are not coming for another week and a half, which is GREAT news, as both the Boss and the Birdchick will be back for it. We could have done it, hiving the four new hives, but it is a lot of work, and I am feeling better that I am not in charge of it now.

That's our new Bee Shed that Hans build, so the Bee Basics could be down with the bees. Much handier.

We went with new Feeder Buckets, and new Brood Boxes in hopes that the hives would need more room, which didn't turn out to be the case, but they are VERY close, three of them anyway, early next week, I am thinking.

The hive we have been calling the Stoner Hive as it has been REALLY laid back, is Yellow Hive Hannah. She was not at all ready for even her second box. and everyone else is nearing their third. I saw still two empty frames on one side, and one on the other, but then looked and said "Well, Hans, just look at all this capped honey!!!!"

Oh. They aren't MEANT to be making huge things of only capped honey. We need babies. They do both, but these frames were really heavy. So we checked all the frames, and sure enough, no baby bees.

(Look, when the Birdchick is back, you get the technical posts with all the right names for things, and really cool pics of the bees, here, I'll tell the story my way.)

Which means, no Queen. And they hadn't exactly gotten around, being kind of laid back sorts of bees, to making a new one.

We aren't going to try and re-Queen, (That trick NEVER works, at least in our experience) but instead, use the honey to start off the very late arriving Russians, and help them get a leg up on things.

RIP Hannah.

We next went onto Purple Yvaine, who had plenty of baby bees, and was nearly ready for another box, but not quite, I thought, but she did need a new feeder pail, so Hans went to tip it in and...Well, SOMEONE, perhaps myself, had not fastened the top tightly enough so all the sugar water came out INTO and around the hive. Me, Hans, and the Bees were as one at that moment.

ACK WHAT!!!! Was sort of how it felt. None of us could believe it. TIme froze. Not sure how the bees felt after that, we lost communion, but they must have thought it was some sort of manna from the Bee Gods, and have no doubt spent the intervening hours licking eachother clean of sugar.

Ah-hem. Right. The other two hives went fine, which was good as I was starting to feel a little inadequate. The Red Juliet hive is the serious in your face hive, and wants none of you, and the Green Wendy Hive, as ever, the kinder gentler, it's all good, sort of hive were both doing well, babies, comb all of it.

Birdchick comes home next week, and Boss the week after, which is GOOD, says the Former Bee Phobia Girl who initially wanted none of bees, as she was SURE the point would come when Boss was out of town and would say "Now just nip on out there and...."

One more small story for you today, by the time 6 rolled around I was beyond tired, e-mail never stopped, phones, just the day, but I was at the END, so I decided to get some groceries and some drugstore thingies for a break. While standing in the drugstore looking at Cell Phone wondering why I had brought IT instead of Wallet, a nice young girl asked could she help me find anything.

I was about to express my thought of the world in general in no nice terms, so I took a deep breath to mellow the heck out, looked up and noticed....

Well, yes, I said. You might well be able to help me.

Do you know anything about Hair Product...???

Love, Romance, Bees and Hair,
Lorraine

208 Comments:

At 21:46 Bulfinch's Aglaia said...: You are the Queen. Of Bees. Of Hair. Of Everything.
At 21:50 Kate said...: My dear Q - surely the photos that the amazing Mr. Cassidy took with AFP mussing Boss's hair must have given you the tiniest clue - so intimate a gesture it seemed across the interweb.

Dead queens - sad. Russian bees and help from Birdchick - great!

Hair product - well, I have ridiculously fine straight hair and I use a product called Thick by Rusk. I spray it on the roots of my hair, rub it in, and quick blow dry. My hair miraculously does not stick to my head. In 50 years it is the only hair product that has worked for me every day that I have used it (for over a year now).

My husband has wildly curly hair (like Boss only longer - when it's short it's a Jew-fro) and he has NEVER found a product that doesn't make his hair greasy or make him look like Euro-trash. My totally vain, should be gay but isn't friend uses an ANTI-humectant by some mall by Aveda; he has curls but his hairline is receding (unlike my darling husband).

Wish I could be more help. Happy bees!
At 21:51 Jane said...: I have to laugh - you write such a great story.

Thank you.
At 21:51 Kate said...: That's Thickr (bad product placement!)
At 21:52 Dragonsally said...: I am imagining all the Yvaine bees being rather like Homer in the Simpsons episode when the load of sugar dropped on the road...oh nom,nom,nom.

Hair product eh? Waiting for the next hair instalment.
At 21:52 One Sock Short said...: So did you come away with Product? Maybe you'll be able to explain this mystery of Product come Fiend Fest. I doubt I'll be able to understand, but I will sit patiently at your feet and listen. Maybe Product enlightenment will come to me someday.

Off to bed, perchance to sleep. Never mind the dreams; there's never anything good on anyway.
At 21:57 Beez said...: Silly Q.

So- did the girl know anything about Product? Enquiring minds.

I suspect the Yvaine hive may have a new hivemind version of the Mother Bee Goddess. Are you ready for it?
At 21:59 Phiala said...: And she was helpful? Product? I never learned that stuff. Can't do makeup except stage makeup (not at all the same thing), and am woefully ignorant on Product.

Ducklings tried to steal my dinner! Should have taken the wolfie, then they would have known better.
At 22:04 Beez said...: Attack ducks!

*laughing*
At 22:05 Dragonsally said...: Cute bold duckies. Much better than being beset by swans - they can be scary.
At 22:26 Unknown said...: I have long-ish, color processed hair like (but not nearly as fabulous as) yours. I found Stoneleigh Farms lavender honey shampoo, which has as a main ingredient - ta da! honey! Their site is http://www.stoneleighfarms.com/. I do not see any online stores selling their stuff yet, but if you want I'm sure I could go across the street and score you a bottle. It has done a great job of drawing moisture to my hair and I have not needed to use conditioner since I started using it. It's made it ever so smooth and shiny.

If you didn't get their stuff, perhaps you could find a recipe to make something similar from your own honey?
At 22:36 FabulousLorraine said...: Kate, I was being funny there, I, er, did sort of know, just making a joke. Thanks for the hair advice tho..

The Girl was very helpful, with more than my hair, my mood lifted and I went home and did dinner for me and the dog.

WHo knew they gave lessons at the Drugstore? Turns out I had the right stuff, but was using about 20 times to much and on TOP of my head....Not the ends...

Honey shampoo? I got lots of honey now, she says sinisterly thinking of the dead Queen...
At 22:43 FabulousLorraine said...: Edited post slightly...

Need to edit into bed. Which has changed from Floor back to Cuddly Bedroom. Next week, the Forest Bedroom with the Royals. Will these adventures never end? When will I sleep with Magic????

Best hope this girls advice was good, I have a gig tomorrow night......It did involve blow drying with a roller brush, for the slightest bit of curl...

I do this WHEN?????? I'd be lucky to get a shower...
At 22:57 Chantrelle said...: Oh the secrets of a PA. I was going to suggest to boss, next time he wants to keep something like this secret, try not to look so damn happy in every picture with secret girl ;-)

Had a lovely preschool-graduation day. Too cute.

Now, TV then bed.
At 23:00 Beez said...: So then, Boss is now helping to save cats via Twitter.

Ripples in a pond time.
At 23:08 FabulousLorraine said...: He is saving cats! Taught the boy something I did! Made me feel really good...

Yeah, re-read and thought, ye gads! What if they think I am SERIOUS??????
At 23:12 AletaMay said...: :sigh: This is exactly the kind of post that first drew me in to this fiendish world. I'm feeling much love for the bees and the Q and the life and death and life that swirls around them.

I am shocked that it is after 11pm. Time. It just slips away.
At 23:12 vampi said...: the fine art of sarcasm. ;)

hooray for product help. the rule of thumb is use the smallest amount possible first and add to very gradually.generally amounts are described as the size of coins, dimes being a good starting point.

phiala those ducks were cute :)

boss does kind of glow, just sayin...
At 23:24 Bridget said...: > I was going to suggest to boss, next time he wants to keep something like this secret, try not to look so damn happy in every picture with secret girl ;-)

Yes, what Chantrelle said! The *awwwwcuuuute* was rather oozing out of those photos and permeating the innernets.

And saving cats through the power of Twitter, Boss FTW! You trained him well, Q.

As for hair product, I am glad you got help. I recently had this experience with *gasp* makeup. It was enlightening, and somehow not as scary as I thought it would be.
At 23:26 ariandalen said...: Yeah. Boss' and AFP's announcement was a nice confirmation of the happiness in both their faces that has been showing up in photos of them together for at least nine months. It is always nice to see genuine happiness in people's faces. :)

As far as the bees, at least you have honey from Hannah. Plus, you will have all the regulars in place for the arrival of the Russians. "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!"

;) Sorry. Couldn't resist.
At 23:30 ariandalen said...: Hi, bluecatbeads! Thou art now a Fiend! Give praise to Fod, and thanks to our Queen Empress for a gathering place and words of wisdom!
Grab a jacket and personalize away!

::sniff sniff::
::SSSNNNIIIFFFFFF::
Mmmmmmmm
SPICY!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
At 23:50 Fluffy said...: BED!
At 23:50 Na said...: LOL. Great story/post, with a smooth finish. :D

RIP hive Hannah.

So, tho' having lately declared I am not much for Product, learned that my son is to have Crazy Hair Day tomorrow at school, so stopped in a drug store and got hair color that washes out after a week or so. He chose purple and red. There'll be plenty left after doing his...
At 00:16 Lexocat said...: OK, the honey goes to the Russians. But what happens to the queen-less bees? Did I miss something? (so very possible in my current state)
At 00:17 Adri said...: Na, hair dye is excellent fun, but be sure to cover the bathroom in lots of old towels; it's a real pain to get out of stuff.

Hooray for a bee post! I'm not sure why, but I loves them so.

Today we carted two car-fulls of stuff to a family garage sale staging. The actual sale starts tomorrow and I'll be bringing another car load, I think. My books, my books, my beautiful books.

California better be worth it.
At 00:21 ariandalen said...: Hi, Precision Grace! Sorry I'm late welcoming you. That's what I get for reading new post before reading final comments on previous post. ::sigh:: What's a Fiend to do?
Anyway...grab a nice buckled white jacket and find supplies to personalize it! It may come as surprise to know that we are Fashionable Fiends, and all of us wear such jackets. :)

::sniff::
::sniff sniff sniff::
Aha!
Spicy!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
At 00:36 spacedlaw said...: You guys have bee worshipers in the Yvaine creatures now. "The weird looking flower gods that rain food" - That's how they'd be referring to you with awed buzzing tones.

Let me guess. The girl at the supermarket was cute as well as helpful?
At 01:26 DataGoddess said...: Nah, I have a feeling the next time the Yvain hive is opened there will be a little statue of Q made out of honey covered in wax.

Wow, I'm loopier than I thought on this stuff :-D

I agree, if Boss had really wanted to hide the relationship he would have totally avoided pictures of them together, because it's been written on their faces. They're so cute!

Oh, you should ask Miss Maddy if she would do a Hair Product talk and demo at Fiendom Come!! Sounds like there are quite a few Fiends who would appreciate it.
At 01:28 Marjorie said...: *giggle* love the sarcasm :-)
And good to hear that wise-product-girl was able to give good advice.

I'm going down to Devon for the weekend after work today - what's the betting that the sunny weather will disappear and it will pour with rain, seeing as I shall be nearly at the seaside?
At 01:43 Dragonsally said...: You do know you HAVE to do a webcam of these talks/demonstrations Fiends, don't you.Actually, a web conference would be better so that we far flungs can participate!
Dr Wicked? Dan? Can you organise that?
At 02:48 Tamlyn Leigh said...: Poor bees, making all that honey for no babies. At least the russians will be happy :)

And as for the hair: if it still doesn't work with the stuff you have, try the spray in conditioner. Towel dry your hair, hang over, spray it in, get up, blink because of the dizziness, use the fresh spring air to dry your hair, and presto, all done :)

Thanks to that kind of conditioner I have hair that doesn't naturally go in all directions!
At 03:09 Hellie said...: Love and bees and hair gorgeousness - what a lovely cheery post!

I hate it when the hairdresser says "would you like any product?" Product? Could mean anything, she could be asking if I want jam, or breakfast cereal, or furniture polish on my head.....

I do own some stuff called finishing creme, I had to just check what it's called. I think of it as stuff-that-seems-to-make-my-hair-nice-and-shiny-and-less-fluffy.

I too am off to Devon, a week in a holiday cottage with boyf's family - wish me luck!
At 05:29 Ticia said...: I'm with Aleta, this is the kind of post that drew me in. Thanks Quiche.

Just reading comments and keeping my head down.

I can hardly wait until the end of the month.
At 06:33 LauraJ said...: I Knew it! I am the world's worst at noticing things about people but one of the bookstore pics just set off even my completely dull sensors!

Best wishes to everybody involved. Does Cabal like AFP?

Meanwhile...honey, Magic is a) another species and b) traumatized. Are you SURE you want to deepen your relationship that much? If you sleep with him you'll inevitably end up hearing in exhaustive detail about every other relationship he's ever had; can you cope with that much emo? Are you sure you can't find a bedpartner with less baggage?
At 06:56 Wendy Withers said...: I haven't mentioned it before, but I like that one of your hives is named after me and my favorite color.
At 07:59 One Sock Short said...: Got some sleep. Yay me. Could still sleep for a decade or two, but oh well.

I have company coming for dinner tonight! A cute couple. But not too cute ;-) They are my first company in the new apartment. Sure, my nearest and dearest friend already visited, but she's more like family (in a good way) than company. So I guess tonight is a sort of low-key housewarming party, consisting of two librarians and an architect -- wild times!

I too am curious about what happens to the Hannah workers now. I think Boss mentioned in a tweet that they would redistribute themselves. Is that how it works? Inquiring, vicarious-beeing minds want to know.
At 08:00 Precision Grace said...: My grandfather kept bees and neither he nor I never had to wear protection around them except when taking honey out.
But I'll tell you, they were all four of them in the shade and Im surprised that you only have one hive in the shade and looks like the red one never gets in the shade. I don't think bees like their hive always being in the sun because normally they would swarm into the trees (grandad's did that and he always had to clamber up on the leader and catch the new swarm and put it into a fresh box)

He also always said to me that they 'smell' your fear, like a dog does, so as long you are relaxed around them they'll never bite and it's true - I never had a sting except once when something else freaked me out and they got all agitated and stung me as well as everyone else. But then my dad said that it's healthy to be stung by bees a little bit because it stimulates your immune system, so that was ok too.
Anyway, good luck and I hope you move the hives into the shade.
At 08:09 One Sock Short said...: Shoot. No wild dinner party tonight after all. Half the cute couple is sick.
At 08:29 ariandalen said...: Hi, Wendy Withers! Glad you decided to reveal your membership in Fiendom. :) Jackets with lots buckles and personalization materials are readily available; grab one and go!

::SSSSSNNNNNIIIIIFFFFFFFFFF::
Yeeeeeessssss.

SPICY!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
At 08:33 ariandalen said...: I love the smell of spicy brains in the morning!

hee

hee hee hee

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
At 08:46 MaryHerself said...: Yes, you lot may be good at keeping the "official confirmation" under wraps, but, Duuuude - I knew it when I saw this photo on Boss's blog: Mmmhmmm. If that's not the look of a happy, well-seen-to lady, I don't know what is! LOL

I have 'product' issues - I've got fine hair, but lots of it and anything I use tends to make my hair look unwashed. :( Do keep us updated on your product progress. Now, I want some purple stripes - do you have those done professionally, or do you do them yourself? I wonder if my husband would mind me having purple stripes....
At 09:11 Dan Guy said...: First the bees get you to provide them with boxes, then a shed. Next they'll have Hans building them a castle with a moat. And after that, The Bee-Bengal WAR MACHINE!
At 09:22 One Sock Short said...: Uh-oh.

Maybe the conspiracy runs even deeper than that.

Maybe Fiend Fest is really about enslaving more minions with opposable thumbs.

Maybe Lorraine has already been taken over by zombeez!
At 10:05 EmilyLady said...: If all else fails, go with the pigtails. In fact, this does not have to be a last resort; you do not have to wait until all else fails.
At 10:16 Na said...: Danth, how shall the BBAWM be powered? I imagine neither bees nor bengals being bothered...
At 10:16 Na said...: Oh dear, I suppose Sock has the answer...
At 10:33 Dan Guy said...: The BBAWM is powered by HATE. And honey.
At 10:34 Ani said...: Yay for happy people, happy posts and the life cycles of bees!

Maybe I should consider hair product more seriously if it gets me meeting cute girls? I hadn't thought of that, Q!
At 10:40 Jess said...: Hee hee! "Secret". That's okay, Q. You kept it well, anyway. :D

Hurrah for bees! You Beed well. Poor Hannah, though. Seems you're destined to have at least one stoner hive at any given time-- I wonder whether that's just Bees for you. If I've gathered anything from the Bee Saga, it's that chaos seems to be the constant.

The Great Nectar Rain shouldn't matter too much as long as the hive doesn't stay wet, yes?

I'm given the same advice about big roller brushes every time I get my hair cut. All I can say to that is, well, I have one, but mainly I use it like a regular brush. The blow-curling thing takes some practice, more than I've ever really had patience for. They tell you to blow dry upside-down, too. I did that for a while. Then I stopped blow drying. Can't be bothered! And better for the environment, I tell myself, so I can feel smug about not doing my hair.

Attack ducks! Love the attack ducks.

Waitaminutewaitaminutewaitaminute. Fiend Webconference? No one warned me there's be webcam action at this shindig. Great. I guess this means I'll have to wear my Head Sack. :P
At 10:44 ariandalen said...: Mary! Glad you decided to join Fiendom! If you've read the earlier comments, you'll know that lovely white jackets with buckles are available, as well as supplies to personalize your jacket. :)

::SNIFF::
Oh, yeah.
Spicy!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
At 10:45 FabulousLorraine said...: I need someone who has too much time on thier hands today? ANyone? I am swamped, but I need links to a few of the best Kylie Kitty blogs...

ANyone with updates on her in the treehouse with Batman, or when she went, or just Kylie Blogs....

Also, if you really want to go at it, a few of the best Bengal blogs as well.

You can e-mail them to me at fabulouslorraine@gmail.com

Many thanks if anyone has time to help...
At 10:51 ariandalen said...: Now, Jess. No wearing of head sacks. It has been mentioned before that at least one of the Charlie's gigs that weekend would be webcast. Other Fiends have been shown. Besides, there are much more creative ways to hide your face from a camera. ;)
At 10:52 Jess said...: Just your blogs, or also ones Kitty wrote? Didn't she do a few?
At 10:52 One Sock Short said...: True. I wonder if I have time to knit a head-sized sock...
At 11:45 Lindsey Joyce said...: I sent you 1 hair tutorial via twitter. Not sure if you got it. But if that helped, i will send more. I tried to start with my most basic "I don't want to put in ANY effort today" style.
At 12:19 Precision Grace said...: uh sorry, just realised have been officially welcomed by arian (didn't read any comments, am afraid *mega-blush*)
Err. thank you ?

Also, would love to help Lorraine with links if I had a clue what she is talking about. Although, in all fairness, my time would be better spent folding the mountain of laundry which will now collapse as DH attempts to extract a hair dryer from underneath it all.

uh. don't get out much, me. kinda shows
At 12:23 Chantrelle said...: If you still need help when I get back to my computer, I'd be glad to. I'm bolting over the hill to the Apple store to upgrade the memory in my mac. I am sick of watching the pinwheel spin when I'm running my voice software (which is always).
At 12:24 Chantrelle said...: BTW, when i read the comment updates in gmail now, all the ads are for honey hair product!
At 12:56 AletaMay said...: Do you want link to Kyle's posts about your cats (and those of your boss) or any cat posts by Kyle (he makes a lot of cat posts)
At 13:28 FabulousLorraine said...: Jess got the links! Thank you Jess!

And everyone who offered to help!
At 13:35 Jess said...: Fastest Google search box in the West! Or something.

You know, those links I gave you only go back as far as I've been hanging around-- which would be September of last year or something. So it's possible I've missed out some general Bengal posts from Days Gone By.
At 13:42 Arwenn said...: Jess - according to my records, the first bengal post was May 11, 2007....photos from when Lorraine was trying to choose which kitten to take home :)
At 13:44 Jess said...: Arwenn's on it!

I'm off to Arts Fest. Yay Arts Fest!
At 13:54 One Sock Short said...: Hmmmm, things just seem to be especially buzzing around Lorraine today. Busy, buzzy, busy, buzzy. Setting up the fiend traps for the zombee masters, no doubt. I tell ya, we're all doomed.

Why am I not particularly worried about this?
At 13:55 Arwenn said...: Um, just happened to have that little tidbit written down for some reason, don't really have time to chase down any links...
At 14:06 kali_licious said...: Wow I let myself get WAY behind on posts (been sick off and on for nearly a week.) *pantpantpant*

I do quite like the hair (especially the ponytails!:) even if it does require product. I probably should use product, but I'm too lazy, and I don't blow dry my hair because it makes the ends split.

Boss + AFP: I definitely suspected..they look so happy in the pictures:)

I think the Yvaine hive was probably rather grateful for the rain of sugar from the sky..and probably more than a bit drunk.;)

Attack ducks are cute.:)
At 15:26 Precision Grace said...: and I don't mean to be mean, but I'm already bored of this Neil&AFP-come-out-of-the-closet thing.

Like - why is it such a big deal?
At 15:59 Fluffy said...: Jess and Arwenn - smokin! You burned up the Interwebs!

Hello, my name is Fluffy and I am a goddess to invertebrates as well. I hate to see earthworms frying in the street after it rains, so I pick 'em up and toss them onto the nearest lawn. I often wonder if they think "Whee! I can fly!" I guess I'm sort of an Earthworm Space Flight Booster Rocket. Day before yesterday I saw one a FOOT long and as big around as my not-so-skinny pinkie. It was soldiering up the road, and as I looked at it I have to admit I both cringed and dithered. I finally just took the worm by the horns and tossed it onto my neighbor Rita's lawn. It was starting to dehydrate so I'm glad I did it.

There you go. Bees, giant earthworms, Bengals, bubbles and zombies.

AND it's Friday!
At 16:00 Fluffy said...: And hair! Almost forgot.
At 16:41 bengalgirl said...: Fluffy, I am also an earthworm rescuer. I don't like the big squirmy ones either but to the lawn they go. Even as a little girl my mom said I use to gather them and ride them on the step of my tricycle.
At 16:54 Fluffy said...: Good thing about Earthworm Rescue is that we don't need foster homes or veterinarians. It's much less expensive.
Also I don't worry so much about what kind of homes they go to.
At 17:02 vampi said...: can we talk more anout honey so my google ads change form worms to honey again?

i don't mind worms as long as they aren't attacking me. oddly, i am amused by snails and say hi to them every morning inthe courtyard. i often wonder why they are in the walkway and nott he garden. i figure they are snail explorers do their gap year abroad. boy thinks i'm nuts.
At 17:03 Fluffy said...: What Google ads? Like on FB? I dun get them.
At 17:19 FabulousLorraine said...: Bathed. Attempting now the First Use Of Blow Dryer and Product.

Shudder. The off to see to the Dog on the way to gig.

Beez killed in my garden today! Wait, that might have been phrased better...She so rocks, the women does more in a couple hours than I could do in a day!

PGrace, It's a big deal here because he is , as well as my Boss, my best friend, and I am really happy for him. He deserves this, as does she, and we are all being glad.

Gentle suggestion, if you are bored by a topic we are speaking on, etiquette here says, one refrains from commenting.
At 17:30 Dragonsally said...: Janet - I've always rescued earthworms as well...if I see them out struggling on the pavement after it rains, I always gently lift them and put them on the soil. And I love the tickle of them on my hands.
At 17:40 Precision Grace said...: ahh, my lack of social skills lets me down again.

that, and mild autism.

do not be offended. I'm glad for your gladness
At 17:41 Jane said...: Love earthworms in the garden - go to great lengths to not cut them up when turning the soil. DH is telling me not to worry about it and I'm trying to rescue them. We make an odd garden couple.
At 17:44 vampi said...: i click the tick obox and ready most comments in my gmail, which shows funny text ads next to each email. usually it has no idea wht to show for fiendish comments, but recently they have been all about honey and hair products... :)

i have to laugh, because of all topics to be bored by, that isn't even one we as fiends have run with. there are plent of other converstaions we get WAY carried away with. lol. <3 warm fuzzy thougth
At 17:48 Na said...: hurray for earthworm rescuing! always makes me happy to find them in the garden, i take it as a sign that the soil is decent.

fluffy, i'm guessing vampi is reading posts via gmail, which i do, too. i usually completely ignore the ads, but looking at them now, sure enough, worms worms worms. (sorry, vampi.) amusingly mine also turned up an ad for this t-shirt. brainzzzz!
At 17:51 Ticia said...: Huh, I never noticed the advertising stuff on the side until now. :-D

Focused a bit?

Hi fiends! I have 4 minutes until I'm off work for the weekend. YAY!

Nothing else. Fods I'm boring...
At 17:53 bengalgirl said...: My mother does tell people that once when I was very little I was being scolded a bit about something and had a worm in my hand and as I was explaining my side of it I was pulling the worm apart in small bits. Maybe that is why I am compelled to rescue them.
At 17:53 FabulousLorraine said...: No worries, PGrace, and thank You for explaining.

Well, GOSH DARN!!!!!!!!!!

My hair looks way better! Who knew?????? I'll try and get pics tonight! Almost, actually, I like it now! It's shiny, and smooth, and cool!

I am going to ROCK tonight!!!!!!!!!!!
At 17:55 Ticia said...: Oh YAY!
It's been forever since I've been on the blog at the same time as you Lorraine.

HI!! Enjoy your rock tonight.
At 17:57 Chantrelle said...: Go product! :) Rock it baby.

And i think i must buy that shirt!!!!
At 17:58 Chantrelle said...: This one seems appropriate for this group.
At 18:00 Precision Grace said...: ney, I love stories of worms. A bit Buddhist in my obstinate insistence on not killing any living being, including spiders which I ...argh..lets not go there.

Actually, earlier I was referring to the flutter of the twitterverse on the subject (taboo for me, from now on!) It's obviously normal for people close the taboo subject to be talking about it.

My asthmatic cat is wheezing a lot again, even though he had medicine earlier. :(

Great news about hair! yay
At 18:12 Na said...: ha ha! Chantrelle, I am very, very glad I was not drinking anything at the moment I looked at that shirt. And usually I only mean that figuratively.
At 18:16 vampi said...: lol pg, yeah twitter does have more than it's fair share of obsessive caffineted no attention span spazzers. not everyone mind you, but if you look at how many people friend boss and afp together, that's a whole country worth of people.

also afp does frequently cause a twitriot on fridays wiht her friday night losers club. it's quite amusing to watch the hash tag climb the trending topics.
At 18:17 Na said...: LOL and thinking of Jess yet another t-shirt

okay, need to work some more. tonight after supper, i'm making popcorn and then the kids and i are watching (i think) Treasure Planet.

for Q: Super Rocking Power, activate!
At 18:24 Siri said...: Look - Grace was 1st!!

Ticia!! POKE!!!

I, well, we really ROCKED our 5 hour training today. No one died. No one cried. People learned. There was chocolate. There were mini croissants. There was laughing. There were gold stars promised, and high fives and thumbs up. There were post-training emails praising all involved.

One down, 6 to go. I am so ready for the fiends.....

I am so ready for sleeping late tomorrow.
At 18:28 Ticia said...: Siri!! POKE!!

((hugs))
At 18:29 Precision Grace said...: thanks for the update vampi. and to think that last week this time I didn't know what (who) AFP was! (or that twitter was so addictive - why don't they put warnings on the packaging?!)

oh no! I just killed a flea! It was scaling the side of my mac and I just squished it, without thinking. I'll burn for this..
At 18:55 Phiala said...: A Product success! Who knew?

I am going to join the herd and get New Hair next week. Not as short as Nick is advocating (I work with a very conservative crowd), but it will be shorter than his is right now. You all can admire it at FiendMoot.

I'm certain that killing fleas gains you points, instead of losing them. And I'm an ecologist, so I should know. ;)

The FiendMap shows ivenotime in western Michigan (twice - would you like me to remove one? TL or M? Let me know).

Phiala goes veering off on a tangent: New Fiends! There is an official FiendMap, and you are welcome to add yourself if you so desire. I am the Mistress of Skulls, and can fix problems if you add yourself twice, or put in too much information, or whatever. I have the power!

Anyway, I will be in Traverse City for most of a week, and in Grand Rapids for a few days, if there are Fiends who might want to meet for a bit. I am rather flexible on the Traverse City scheduling (family visit). I'm at a conference while in Grand Rapids but will have bits of free time (lunch and evenings mostly). Let me know! I'll be the one with the foot-shorter hair...
At 18:58 Siri said...: Phi - I'm just facebook chatting with my favorite neice who lives near TC, MI. That's where I went in early April. Still snowed then. Hope it's better now.

Ate many meals at the Cottage Cafe. Ate at Mable's. Ate at Don's Drive in. They created a dessert for us - cherry shortcake.

TC rocks.
At 19:21 Phiala said...: Cherry shortcake? Sounds so TC!

I haven't been to Michigan in the summer in years - looking forward to it! November and December are not the ideal months to travel to northern MI.
At 19:26 Siri said...: That's what we thought - they had strawberry shortcake on the menu, and I said Don't you have anything cherry? She said Cherry Malts (or maybe a shake - I don't like either) and then said - I could put cherries on the shortcake....

Well, duh, I thought.
At 19:29 vampi said...: that's borderline diva behaviour siri...lol!
At 19:34 Siri said...: I'm wild about cherries - that's why I was so pleased about TC - cherry capitol of the world. Or something.

Coolest enterance and exit to an airport ever.
At 19:37 Phiala said...: My Christmas present every year includes a 4-pound box of dried Traverse City cherries: a year of oatmeal, snacks and baked goods.
At 19:39 vampi said...: that sounds yum, i love dried fruits as snacks.
At 19:41 Phiala said...: My hot cross buns all had dried cherries in them - yum! Must make more of those...
At 19:50 Siri said...: Ummm - hot cross buns. Nice piece of ash.

Is it only me whose mind is in the gutter tonight?
At 19:56 Jess said...: Na - When did I become Bacon Girl? Not that I object to receiving bacon at the push of a button, mind you.

(This reminds me that I am looking for a good Kids in the Hall tee shirt, particularly one with Sir Simon Milligan and Hecubus on. Or the Sizzler Sisters. You Canadian types let me know if you see one.)
At 19:56 One Sock Short said...: Maybe so, Siri, 'cause I had think about that one for a bit ;-)

Then again, I *am* the spinster librarian at home with her cat and her knitting tonight. So it's probably just me that's slow...
At 20:02 Phiala said...: Siri, you do have a point... *grin*
At 20:05 Siri said...: Course, I'm also listening to baseball, and that's one sport where they don't wear baggy pants...
At 20:22 ariandalen said...: Phiala wrote:

Phiala goes veering off on a tangent: New Fiends! There is an official FiendMap, and you are welcome to add yourself if you so desire. I am the Mistress of Skulls, and can fix problems if you add yourself twice, or put in too much information, or whatever. I have the power!

"By the Power of Greyskull,
She Is The Power!"

::snort::
;)
At 20:26 Phiala said...: Thank you, I'll be here all week.
At 20:40 Na said...: Jess, when the blog migrated, you did a screen shot of the new place, with bacon. Or so I recall.

*pause* Am I a Canadian type? Hmmm.

My favorite of the lot: cannibal marshmallows. (promise I'll stop now.)
At 20:52 One Sock Short said...: The french press cozy is done at last. Not sure I like the buttons, but will let them stay for a bit before replacing them with something more sedate.

So getting back to hair. Phiala, a foot shorter? From, say, your current profile pic? That will be a change. A cute one, no doubt.

Hmmm, now what?
At 20:57 ariandalen said...: This raises a spector in my mind...
If the Mistress of Skulls calls upon Greyskull, is that Spooky House? Or, given the number of skeletons at Spooky House, does this mean our Queen Empress is really Skeletor?

(I'm just seeing if Ms. Fabulous will do a spit take during the first break as she reads these.)
;)
At 20:59 ariandalen said...: Are there any Fiends at Charlie's tonight?

Does anyone know?
At 21:00 One Sock Short said...: Maybe it's time for some systematic desensitization in hopes of not turning chicken tomorrow. Mirrormask special features.
At 21:23 Jenn said...: Huh. Well that's news, all right. He's usually so reticent - hope you haven't 'outed' him!
At 21:46 Fluffy said...: Laughed at Q's amazement at the efficacy of Product. I still can't get my hair to look the same twice.

Loved the t-shirts. And I have an extensive collection of Facebook Flair with bacon caution signs. Very funny. They aren't up on my board - maybe it's time for a change.

Daughter is packing for a 4-day school trip to D.C. They have to meet at D/FW at 4:55 a.m!!! Cor. Maybe her dad can do that drive...

ADD as usual. Need to get me to my beddery.
At 22:38 Beez said...: Once more with the Inevitable Cat Butt in my face.

sigh

Good night darling Fiends, I must to bed so I can work tomorrow early.

I could have sworn I gave them my two-week notice....about 4 weeks ago.

Quichie, I'm sorry we didn't get before-and-after hair pics.
At 22:40 CarolAnn said...: The ironic part is that a lot of us figured out the NG + AFP thing a while back. lol

I have long, baby fine, ramrod straight hair. I swear by spray in gel - if I'm not really careful I overload my hair and look like I haven't washed it in a week. With the spray gel I can just kind of mist it in and then flip my head over and blow dry my hair upside down. Then I straighten up, let the blood pressure re-regulate itself and do whatever else I need to do.

Then I hairspray the crap out of it.
At 23:12 ariandalen said...: Hi ho
Hi ho
It's off to bed I go.
Tomorrow morning early comes
Hi Ho!
Hi Ho!
At 23:17 Beez said...: Thaaaanks Ariandalen, now I have that as an earworm at bed time.

*goes off to bed, whistling like one of the dwarfs*
At 23:45 Fluffy said...: And of course I didn't go to bed - I'm Fiendish!

And I checked my buddy Dillon's Flair board - he had lots more bacon flair than I did. So I searched for more and found it. Ahaha.
At 23:54 HellZiggy said...: CarolAnn said...
The ironic part is that a lot of us figured out the NG + AFP thing a while back. lol

I hadn't figured it out on my own, but as soon as I heard about it my brain just went, "Well, of course they are. Just look at them together in pictures."
Hooray for AFP & Boss! Much happiness to them. :)

Hair Product. Ugh. I was in high school in the late 80's and I have naturally curly hair. I'm pretty sure I'm responsible for a large part of the hole in the ozone from my attempts to try to wrangle my hair into the then fashionable "feathered" look. I was never quite successful... So now I've gone to the other extreme and don't even use shampoo, just conditioner, and then once in a while I'll put Frizz-ease into it to try to control the curls.

~the Sharon that's not Birdchick
At 00:03 AletaMay said...: entertaining fiends and fiendlettes.

I must sleep.

Hope the show ROCKED Q! Wish I had been there to make photos of The Hair.

'night.
At 00:40 Na said...: aaand now the google ads on my gmail are all about hair, mais oui. including one regarding permanent hair removal. i assume they don't mean the hair on top o' my melon. silly ads.
At 01:11 DQ said...: My problem is that every time i see AFP mentioned - i wonder why Neil Gaiman is dating the Australian Federal Police
At 01:16 HellZiggy said...: My problem is that whenever I see AFP's Who Killed Amanda Palmer? abbreviated as WKAP my raised-on-sitcoms brain reads it as WKRP (in Cincinnati)!

~Other Sharon
At 01:36 FabulousLorraine said...: So chatty, my Fiends!

Welcome, all you new folks, and I am right glad you are here! Be very welcome!

Ok, Home, dealt with e-mail, fed the Bengals, and am typing in my sleep..

In short, gig way rocked, and beyond. Played some really great music.

Hate my hair. Didn't last. This so isn't working . Will fix tomorrow with Aimee. ( not her fault, we tried an idea, didn't work)
At 02:04 Dragonsally said...: I used to do the same thing DQ, but now when they talk about THE AFP here, I think Amanda, which makes for some hilarious pictures in my mind.
At 02:21 spacedlaw said...: Hihihi, to me, AFP means "Agence France Presse", the thing that dispatches news all around the world from France (equivalent of Reuters).
At 02:22 spacedlaw said...: Hurray for rock!
Shama bout the hair but if it's fixeable... (otherwise, shave it off and wear a wig. Different hairdo every day!)
At 04:10 Marjorie said...: Hurrah for rock, boo for hair not staying worked...fingers crossed for it being to your liking soon!

I may get new hair before FiendMeet, but t will only be a bit shorter, no dramatic new colours or anything...

Now at my parent's house in deepest Devon = very slow internet.

Also, after a week of glorious sunshine, today it is grey and raining. *sigh*

Oh, and I rescue earthworms, too. Although I don't think we gat them as big as you are describing!
At 04:32 Dragonsally said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At 04:37 Dragonsally said...: Oops, forgot to do the linky thing...
If you want a big worm Marjorie, have a look at what we have here in Victoria
(mind you, I've never seen one)
At 08:10 Phiala said...: Good morning, Fiends!

I have seen neither the Greyskull show nor the Spooky House. I'm pretty sure that means that the effect will be undefined, and ANYTHING could happen. I think I'll wait until I have Fiendish backup before invoking the Power. Just in case.

I fell asleep on the couch last night. Got up about 4am, and was going to actually go to bed, but the cat explained very very clearly that I was to do no such thing, and that I should get back on the couch NOW and pet him.

So I did.

I have a Plan. Coffee, of course. And I will write lots for Big Scary Deadline. I will take the recycling to the drop point (remnants of last week's traumatic paper sorting), and then I will go to the mall. *shudder* Where I will buy new bras. *shudder* I have none that fit properly or that I like at all, or aren't overly worn. And I loathe shopping for them, which could possibly explain much of the previous sentence. And then I will work on overdue commission, and fiber arts class for next week, and fiber arts class for July.

Plan, yes. Plans are good.

Q, I'm sorry you had a hair failure, but at least it didn't interfere with Rock.
At 08:17 EmilyLady said...: Good morning, Fiends!! Today brings a rally at the RI statehouse for marriage equality! Yay!
At 08:30 Dan Guy said...: Good morning, fiends! I have been up since absurd o'clock, but it looks like today is going to be reasonably leisurely.

It's been a busy two weeks or so, and I'm just getting back around to trying to be social. Nathan fell at the in-laws and busted his lip badly enough that stitches were required. Then Lori stopped by a friend's house and her young known violent offender of a son pushed Molly off of the trampoline, breaking her arm. Xander keeps losing baby teeth and, at this rate, will be able to go as a scary pumpkin for Halloween. So far Max is uninjured. Everyone is happy and otherwise well, though. ^_^

Still waiting to switch jobs and hoping for the best. They're trying to cut costs at my current job, and they started with the support contracts for the RAID system that stores our roaming profiles and the tape backup system. Bwuh?!? When (not if) each goes down and they permanently lose basically THE PAST FIVE-PLUS YEARS OF WORK, they'll freak out and ask, "How could this happen?!" And we'll more or less say, "We warned you. This was your choice."

I wish I was able to attend Fiendom Come! I'll be sending my Bee-Bengal hordes -- er-, I mean, my love -- from afar.
At 08:40 Phiala said...: Dan, don't you just love the way they make the decisions? My lab's IT guy is retiring at the end of the month, and will not be replaced. So: a building full of scientists and technical staff (ca 60 computers), with *no* IT support at all.

Retiree is going around telling people that his duties will be split between me and two other people. Because, you know, paying three scientists to do IT support is also a good use of resources. (And I am NOT in any way dissing IT support, don't get me wrong. I would love LOVE LOVE to have a competent IT person, even part-time. But if it's a financial decision, scientist salaries are much higher than support staff salaries. And we already have very full workloads. I expect that the boss will try to dump the IT workload on the three of us without any lessening of preexisting workload, and will scream and threaten when we say no.)

((Have I mentioned lately how much I love what I do and hate the circumstances in which I do it?))

(((Why yes, yes I have!)))
At 09:23 Jane said...: Just remember that you *are* a professional even if you're not treated as one...love the work, hate the politics, been there myself.

Q - hair is a weird thing, love it, hate, grow it, cut it, flat iron and dry it, let it air dry, product, no product, all give varying results on any given day.

Good luck with today's hair plan.
At 10:45 Na said...: Oh noes Dan! Hope those young'uns all heal quickly and smoothly. I'm sorry to hear you can't make the meet-up, and that your job sitch hasn't worked out yet. Boooo!

At my most recent place of employment, they laid off 30+ people a year before they laid off the other nine of us, the editorial/design group. So with zero forethought, they'd wiped out most of the company's history and business knowledge; you know, little things like the location of all the archived production files, vendor contracts, or payment records to Corbis. Editors don't magically know these things, no matter how many times you ask.
At 10:57 DataGoddess said...: Dan - waitaminute, they're cutting back on backup infrastructure?? Gah! Insanity, pure and simple.

Phiala, that's a bunch of BS. IT does take specialist knowledge, just like any other profession, and for them to pretend that y'all can just add it to your workload and things will run along fine is insane. But then again, IT is overhead, so is usually where money is cut because it just works.

One thing manglers seem to miss is that it takes a lot of skill to make the IT infrastructure run properly, and it takes a hell of a lot to keep it running as it should. Sometimes I think having issues occasionally is a good thing, just to remind people that it's not FM, but a lot of work. /rant off

Have already started on the good stuff cough syrup, and haven't had my caffeine yet, so that might be incoherent. Sorry.
At 10:59 Marjorie said...: Yikes Dan - hope all concerned are feeling OK and that nothing further goes wrong. Also sorry you can't come to Fiendom Come.

Sally - I don't *want* bigger worms. I'm quite happy with the little, ols world worms we have here, thankvyou so much.

Just had a lovely roast lunch with parents, followed by my managing to overturn an entire mug of (very nice) coffee into my lap and the armchair. Fortunately not hot enought to scald, just left me feeling rather damp & very foolish.

How is everyone else's weekend going?
At 11:02 Marjorie said...: meant to say also - bullshit on these managers cutting support staff. I imagine it is becasue that support staff have no direct, obvious income-for-the-company - but of course if you end up trying to do that as well as your own job, surely that means you have less time & energy for your job, and are doing a job which someone else, with the right specialist knowledge, could do better and (probably) cheaper?

Hope they see sense soon.
At 13:15 Phiala said...: DG, I'm actually a more competent IT person than the incumbent (who has stated in so many words that he's just marking time for retirement, and not going to learn anything new - for the past 5 years), having administered a mixed linux-windows network for a few years. I currently administer our database server. But I do that because I need it for research. IT is NOT part of my job description, and absolutely not something I can just drop in on top of my current work.

Plus, ITguy is going around *telling people* that I will be taking over for him. Without talking to me, or to my boss. Ain't happening.
At 13:18 Precision Grace said...: ho hum Phiala, have you got a case of muggins? Don't let them take advantage - because they will, first it will be a pinky, then a whole hand and before you know it you'll be working 16 hour days for the same money.

Men! pfft
At 13:28 Phiala said...: Oh, and the shopping trip was a raging success! Got more clothes than expected for less money. Amazing.
At 13:52 vampi said...: phiala , i need to take you shopping wih tme then. i did some shopping yesterday and it was a complete failure. apparently bigger girls like to have obnixous patterend flowing shirts. because an ugly pattern with a ton of fabric is FLATTERING, not.

i have some long flowy skirts, and no i'm looking for tops. i feel because the skirt is flowing, i don't want a flowing top. i've been wearing tshirts wiht them, and while i like that, i want something maybe a bit nicer. could not find a nice supper top that wasn't flowing or ugly pattern, or one of those men's tank tops style. i don't want to look like a construction worker either.

i am SOOOO difficult. just wanted to warn ya'll.
At 14:07 Phiala said...: Vampi, I'm so not the right person for that! This is the first time I've voluntarily been in the mall in the pas 3 years! I just happened to get lucky, very very lucky. JC Penny had some stuff on sale very cheaply, and so I bought it.

I'm with you on the patterned flowing shirts, though they are comfy I suppose. Maybe a knitted shirt cut a bit more formally than a t-shirt?
At 14:07 Kitty Cat said...: 145 comments! i will wade through, but for now, i just want to say, i am so proud of your bee progress, it is a bravery bell curve that you have conquered.

and did i read new hair coming up?

and hey say what>Boss... dating? hahaha (shhhhhh we can keep secrets but good)
At 14:26 Precision Grace said...: I can never find any clothes to buy - they always want money for it...gah
At 14:27 kali_licious said...: Dan, yikes! Glad the kids are ok now. That's quite enough scary for such a short time.

Getting rid of IT support is just a silly idea. And expecting non-ITs to pick up the slack is even sillier. Makes NO sense.

Sally those worms are HUGE. Why does Australia gotta have so many ginormous bugs?

Vampi, I hear ya..I need more nice tops too, and this year seems to be the Year of Fugly Flowy Print Tops. Sometimes I wonder if the people that design clothes for plus size women think we have poor eyesight or something.
At 14:43 vampi said...: haha yeah kali, it's like i don't want to look like a circus tent.

ooh phiala, that is exactly what i was looking for. something simple because my skirts are flowy and dramatic. (i was looking for nice things to wear while on vacation meeting fiends) or even nice knit sweater sets with tank and cardi. i didn't even think about lands end. now i'm off to shop some more online.

my stomach has decided to go on strike. perfect day for being a total laze and internet shopping
At 15:11 Phiala said...: If it weren't for Lands End sales, I'd be entirely naked. Except for the new bras, that is. I wear knit shirts like that a lot - no wrinkles, fit well, look reasonably professional (field scientists do not do a lot of suits or formal business wear!).
At 15:24 AletaMay said...: Attention Fiend Gathering Fiends

I just sent an email to fiends who I have listed as coming to our wee gathering. If you do not receive that email but are planning to hang with the fiends near the still water please contact me at aletamay01 at gmail dot com.

If you did get the email please reply confirming.

Wee!

(Yes, writing emails to fiends is part of my writing weekend. It counts. Yup.)
At 15:35 AletaMay said...: Opps!

That is the WRONG email address. In fact I would guess it is not an email address at all.

Please contact me at aletamay01 at yahoo dot com if you did not receive my email.

:headdesk:
At 15:41 Phiala said...: Fiendish influences!

And also, hey, my computer has a camera! :)
At 15:51 EmilyLady said...: Didn't think you could get any more Fiend, Phiala, but there you go.

Marriage Equality rally was pure awesomeness. Some four hundred-ish people showed up (which doesn't sound like much but HEY, it's Rhode Island). Very colorful. I wished I had worn something rainbow.
At 16:06 One Sock Short said...: Phiala - Proto-new as in trying out an idea? Definitely some potential there. I especially like how the blue darkens on the way down.

For now my big new look will be the new glasses, which should be ready early next week. I hope they aren't a mistake, since I'll be stuck with them for two years. They are such a huge change for me. Fiendish influence as well, no doubt.

Boss was wonderful at Printers Row, of course. My fears of coming down with foot-in-mouth syndrome turned out to be unfounded, since they didn't allow him time for signing.

Too crowded at yarn store to talk much to the visiting knit designer, but I did get her book. Some very cute things in it.

So much I need to do this evening. So little motivation. Well, coffee first. In my newly cozy-ed french press.
At 16:15 DataGoddess said...: OSS, which knit designer?

And that reminds me, I need new glasses at some point, too. Bah.
At 16:17 Phiala said...: *raises hand* New glasses here too.

The stripes are clip-ins, $3 total at one of the mall stores. No commitment required!

Someday when/if I quit my current job, I will dye my hair a color not found in nature (on human heads) to celebrate.
At 16:25 One Sock Short said...: Ysolda Teague. Her website is here. The new book is Whimsical Little Knits, which is mostly toys and accessories. But she has garment patterns for sale at the website, and they come in a better variety of sizes than knit designers frequently offer.
At 17:29 Dragonsally said...: I am starting to imagine all the Fiends with rainbow hair.
COOL

Won't be around much for the next 24 hours. My niece is coming for a sleepover with her dogs. We shall have 3 people, 2 dalmations 2 small dogs of terrier type persuasion and 1 cat in a small house. There will be much hilarity and muddy paws.
At 17:46 Siri said...: How fun, Sally! Is it Chelsea? If so, get autographs for the fiends!
At 17:53 FabulousLorraine said...: I am off to rock in the rain. Could be a night where anything could happen. Most of them are.

Have a fine evening, my Fiends.
At 18:00 Dragonsally said...: Hehe...I must pass that request on! No, its Danielle. Equally gorgeous but in a darker way (of course, I'm not a bit biased) Photos will appear tomorrow!
At 18:26 One Sock Short said...: Oops. Forgot to eat today. Except for that muffin a few hours ago. No wonder my hands are shaking. Off to kitchen to see what had be fixed quickly.
At 19:39 Precision Grace said...: well, of all the weird things
just came back with a signed copy of American Gods. No, it wasn't some strange time/space traveling thing; it turns out one of my very good friends is a complete Neil Gaiman fan and has pretty much everything he ever wrote (and signed), including even some photos with the author.

How do you manage to be friends with someone for over a year and that never comes up!? Well, it happened.

I'm now salivating at the prospect of all the Sandman comics to come.

Hope you are all having a lovely evening. Hey ho
At 19:43 Precision Grace said...: ohh just found out about this: please sign the petition pretty please:
http://bit.ly/105leP
At 20:31 dabbler said...: Yikes, Dan, you've had your three kid injuries now, time for some good healing and luck.

My weekend thus far has been stellar. DD has graduated from high school, parties have been held, with more to come tomorrow. Very special group of young people. It's been a pleasure and privilege to know them all, and I am immensely proud of p and all her class, all 20 of them....

And DS is home for several weeks, always a treat to have us all together again.

And I've had two lovely ciders, the moon is full, the tree frogs are singing, and all is well with the world.

So there. may you all be equally blessed.
At 20:33 Phiala said...: Dabbler, that's awesome! Congrats.

I on the other hand am extremely surly. Nick is a pain in the ass, and none of my projects-with-deadlines are going well.

I am shortly off to have ice cream.
At 20:52 One Sock Short said...: Dabbler - what a lovely description of a lovely day for you and your family

Dan - hope things improve (and rapidly) for you and yours

Phiala - ice cream sounds like a good plan

Near the end of the day, and it feels like I wasn't really around for it. Weird, and not a happy feeling.

Somewhere, north and west of here, there is, no doubt, rock happening...
At 21:35 Dragonsally said...: Oh Fods - I forgot to say DAN...your family must be due for some good luck now. Hope everyone is better sooner.
At 22:16 Beez said...: Me too Dan. Informing the Universe that that's quite enough and it can just knock it off.

Bed for me- goodnight Fiends.

I can hear the echo of Quichie's ROCK from here, but being the Wild One on a Saturday night like I am....
At 22:17 Ticia said...: Okay, I'm going to share a dark secret from my past. I emailed this to my friends and family this morning, but there's no reason fiends can't laugh too. To anyone who doesn't know, I abhor violence. Like all human beings though, there are times when I'm overcome. This was one such time.

The Boy I Punched in High School

There was a boy who was in all of my AP classes in High School. Every class he harassed me by bumping the empty desk that was between us into my back. For months.

Until, one day, during class, I stood up, turned around, and punched him.

I was shocked, boy was shocked, class was shocked, teacher was shocked. We were a frozen tableaux.

The teacher did not send me to the office. After a minute of jaw-dropped amazement, he told all of us to just ignore it and get back to work. I sat back down, the teacher went back to teaching, and class resumed. I never got in trouble but I always felt guilty.

I found out years later, from people more aware of how boys minds work, that the boy probably had a crush on me. I was, and still am, shocked by that possibility. But the numerous people that have agreed with this assessment over the years have convinced me.

Anyway, here's the punchline (yes, pun intended): He just friended me on Facebook. With the tagline: Ticia, do you remember in HS when you punched me? I so deserved it.

ROFL

Of course I said yes.

What a great way to start the day.
At 22:24 Beez said...: Ticia- what a great story.
At 22:26 Chantrelle said...: That rocks ticia!

Dan, dude, crap family day! I hope things have improved! when it rains it pours!!

We had a day of laundry, dishes, UP! (loved it!), dinner and now ben and hubby are playing wii racing past ben's bedtime...bad daddy ;)
At 22:29 Ticia said...: Dan- I just realized that I've been thinking about you and your family all day and I never outwardly verbalized my sympathy. ((hugs))

Chantrelle - Wasn't "Up" incredible? The dogs made the movie.

And thanks Beez and Chantrelle. I'm glad you liked my story.
At 23:14 Na said...: dabbler, what an exquisite picture you paint.

ticia, that's effing hilarious.

and sounds like the evening at Charlie's is lovely, too.

wonderful.
At 23:19 One Sock Short said...: Great story, Ticia!

Plus, I think it's somehow contributing to the hilarious combination of ads when viewing these comments in gmail.

Like others on gmail, I usually don't even notice them. But sometimes they can be very funny.
At 23:26 Uisge said...: Ticia - Great story. I'm glad he remembers the incident fondly.

I hope tonight was full of rock. For me, it was full of rain, tea and new books. But I did go on a walk in the drizzle and admired many plants. Someday my own land will be full of lovely things.
At 00:10 Dragonsally said...: "I passed my kidney stones"
Yup, that was the gmail ad on my screen.
At 00:19 Na said...: My g-mail ads tonight are a bit more scattered in topic than usual:

Russians Unite
New Psycho-Cybernetics
DanActive Probiotic Drink
You Can Heal Yourself
Lovely Girls Bikinis
How to Keep a Man in Love
Sandman Inn
Canadian Poolplayers

(Dan, you're a probiotic drink!)
(I've stayed in Sandman Inns, they're pretty nice)

Going to watch yet another episode featuring Gwen Cooper, Captain Jack and the gang. 'Night fiends! Happy Sunday (or nearly so) to all.
At 00:24 Na said...: Oh, but had to share one more amazing thing afore I toodle off.
At 00:26 Ticia said...: Na! That is all kinds of awesome!
At 10:58 vampi said...: Dan, please wrap danlings in bubblewrap. hope everyone heals quickly :)
At 12:02 Chantrelle said...: How is it i only woke up to one comment?

Zombies? Aliens? Sleeping?
At 12:14 FabulousLorraine said...: And I had no emergency e-mail! Nothing! (tho the garment bag is still traveling around the country)

Spent a great hour catching up and working with Kitty, getting things all in order, which we have been trying to do for some weeks.

Now I am off to work to really get some things done, since all seems quiet.

TOO quiet.

New post tonight, this is true.
At 12:16 Chantrelle said...: We slept late (joy joy!!) and missed the bday party. It was at 10am in SF and we wouldn't have made it up there in time.

Darn ;)

So frittata, potatoes, mocha morning it is. woo!
At 12:18 Jess said...: My excuse is Laundry. Also not having detergent, and having to wander off to the shop to buy some. It's a festival of necessary mundanity here at Chez Jess.

Now I am going to clean the bathroom, and then put together the *flashing lights* new cabinet */flashing lights* from Ikea. How's this for thrills: it's supposed to be for home office storage, but I'm going to put it in the bathroom. Check me out, with my like totally nonconformist furniture 'tude.

Hey, right now we've just got closet organizer shelves in there. They're sagging. The toilet paper stockpile's in full view. It's shameful. I shouldn't have Bathroom Storage Shame.

I wish you all more excitement for a Sunday. Who's doing fun things?
At 12:22 Martha W. said...: Did I just read that nobody cares if you make progress in French or not? Not true! School is out, and I finally found your blog again. Nice pictures, hope you found the hair product.
At 13:23 Marjorie said...: I've been at my parent's house in the land of incredibly slow internet. Where we got rained on a lot. It started raining as I arrived on friday evening, and rained solidly until about 4 p.m. this afternoon, as I got ready to leave to drive home. So we didn't go for any walks or to the beach.

Just got back home, and feeling that a 2.5 hour drive not really a very good idea...But it was good to spend some time with family.
At 13:26 One Sock Short said...: For the enjoyment of fiends not on Twitter:

The next section of my incredibly dull bibliography text is titled "Stripping, and Skeletons"
At 13:39 FabulousLorraine said...: Hi Martha! Nice to hear from you again! Glad school is out. I am actually getting my real computer back on Wednesday and the first (well, ok, 6th) thing going on is my Rosetta Stone, I am so going to work on this again!

Time, time, she mutters.

Let's do some coffee tho? fabulouslorraine@gmail.com
At 13:52 spacedlaw said...: Aaaah... THAT Martha.
At 13:58 FabulousLorraine said...: Yes, My Long Lost French Proff. What I really need is a native French Person to come and stay with me for a week or two. THEN I would learn something...
At 14:00 spacedlaw said...: I could offer to send my sister: given the state of her English, you would HAVE to speak French to communicate. But she is just as busy as I am and therefore free time is very sparse.
At 14:07 FabulousLorraine said...: One day I'm going to come over there, she mutters....
At 14:23 Siri said...: Is it me, or does The Queen seem to be muttering a lot today?

Q, was there rock last night?
At 16:12 louisa said...: Hello everybody! You may remember me from such comments as "Semblance of a Life Intact" and "Brain: Still Working". I'm not even going to ask if I missed anything, I just need to look at the number of comments, chatty fiends!

Got through the store's first birthday, prepared for blog launch tomorrow, and house guests on Wednesday - quite a week, though one without worms or Product or broken arms or punched faces.

Now for a glass of vino and a story - reading Gil Adamson's The Outlander, those Canadians sure do know how to write a good yarn! Nighty-night Fiendland
At 17:45 Siri said...: Louisa, please be sure to post the blog link here - you have fans!
At 17:49 Siri said...: Oh, and just so we can turn the page.....

200
At 17:51 Siri said...: Oops - now....

200

Maths were never my strong suit.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

A Queen is Dead and the Russians Still Coming...

208 Comments:

Subscribe