captain skippy's pirate hour #3

First off, can someone kick my frustratingly slow work computer? ARGH RAWR JEN SMASH.

THING I LOVE:

Plato's Closet. Okay, the place sucks if you're trying to sell clothes (at least my clothes, which are admittedly not the coolest things on earth, but they were good brands in good condition) but if you're looking for jeans, the prices are unbeatable. For less than $20, I got a pair of jeans and a pair of dress pants, both of which are good brands and don't show any sign of being secondhand. Those dress pants were $8. Crazy awesome.


THING I HATE:

Mothers like this. Just...that poor child. Seriously, people need to stop and think - really think - before they go about having kids. If you don't think you're willing to take care of a child, don't have one - you have that option. And no, I'm not saying kids like this are better off not being born, I'm just asking would-be parents to put two seconds' thought into their decision to bring another human being into the world.

I may be living paycheck to paycheck amid mounting credit card debt and student loans, but by God, I make sure my child is well-fed and cared for.

THING THAT IS OH JESUS AWESOME:

THIS IS AN ENTIRE CONTEST OF DOCTOR WHO LIMERICKS. Relevant to my interests, indeed.

So I've dedicated two days at the workplace to popping in "Pride & Prejudice" (the A&E version, no other exists in Jen's World) and simply listening to the audio track while working. If nothing else, the last half-hour keeps a big stupid smile plastered across my big girly face.

I think I'd like it if society returned to Regency-era rules of manners and conversation. You can still be as bitchy as you please, you just have to be a bit smarter in how you go about being bitchy. I mean, let's say you're at an assembly and there's a girl there, and you're like "How delightful to see you, you look very well indeed, and that dress is so becoming!"

All the guys in the room think they just heard some pleasant idle chatter between polite young ladies. All the women know you actually just said "OMG, I hate you and I hate your face and that dress is fug."

For some reason, the idea of exceedingly cordial catfights strikes me as frickin' hilarious.

(And am I a bad person for wanting to create a "Mr. Darcy Is My Homeboy" or "Lizzy Bennet Is My Homegirl" T-shirt? I rather want to get my MLIS just to have more excuse to wear lit-nerd T-shirts like these.)


...Speaking of Austen, has anybody seen last year's BBC adaptation of "Sense and Sensibility", and can give a recommendation? The 1995 movie has the advantages of Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, and Kate Winslet, but suffers from a case of Hugh Grant, who looks strangely out of place. Perhaps it's because I've never found him attractive in the slightest, but the biggest impression I got from his performance is that he was really uncomfortably stuffed into his period clothing.

Gah. The biggest disadvantage to taking in lots of Austen and Eddie Izzard within the same week? Having a great urge to affect an English accent, talk in a way that is both really really formal and really really rude, and wear some fabulous dresses.

Two rants:

First, someone better invent teleportation technology in the next 24 hours, simply so I can zap up to Michigan, give a hug to someone who is dearly in need of one, and deliver a wholly-needed smackdown. I cannot fathom how a person can be such a self-righteous, egotistical douchebag as to put their own twisted standards of "how things should be" over the happiness and well-being of their own child.

I only pray that, if need be, God gives me the strength to give this man the sound kicking he so richly deserves.

Second, can we please remove the word "pro-abortion" from the political vernacular? I mean, I've been on both sides of the abortion issue, but I have yet to see one of these mystical "pro-abortion" creatures. Last I checked, no one was throwing out confetti and saying that abortions are fantastic.

There are, however, a lot of people who believe that abortion is a lamentable and mostly-preventable tragedy, but also believe that the best way to counter abortion is not by criminalizing it, but by fostering a society in which ALL women have access to good (and affordable) health care, wages that can support a family, and emotional support.

Slightly related to this: EVERYONE should read this blog post:
don't doubt that there are women who were fine after adoption, and there is emphatically nothing wrong with that or with them; but I want to point out that if we're going to have a seemingly neverending discussion about the sorrow and remorse caused by abortion, then it is about goddamn time that we hear from birth mothers too.

The post made me cry, some of the responses made me cry, and it needs to be read by everyone, no matter where you fall on the abortion debate.

THE BAD:

Apparently the insurance policy on the car that rear-ended me was cancelled six months ago.

Someone is getting a polite-but-annoyed phone call.

THE GOOD:

Pie is old enough for Similac's older-baby formula...which costs about $3 less than the normal stuff. Yay, savings!

(This is how boring my life is. I celebrate saving $3 on baby formula.)

THE TASTY:

Damn you, Alton Brown and your corn dog, pan-fried chicken, and fish & chips-making ways. Now I have an unhealthy urge to deep-fry everything I see.

THE CUTE:

Pie has spent the last few days playing with sticks, pulling grass, and eating shredded cheese. It's so adorable to see her chewing things with her two wee teeth!

THE OH GOD WHY:

WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO MY K-9?!?

THE HEADDESK:

Dear Sci-Fi "SyFy": If you want to improve your network, don't change your name. STOP SHOWING CRAP. And, y'know, do some consistent scheduling. But mostly, don't show crap.

(40 years of Old School Doctor Who exists, and these people fill their programming schedule with stuff like "Mansquito"?)


THE ARGH:

My work computer is sloooooooooow. The constant "click, wait, cursor turns to clock, wait, repeat" routine is driving me nuts. Hence why I'm writing this right now.

THE BRAAAAINS:

From Bookshelves of Doom: A little bit of Zombie Haiku.

My favorite selection:

Blood is really warm.
It's like drinking hot chocolate
but with more screaming.


...Okay, I'm out of ideas, and thus bid LJ good night. Don't stay up all night, don't burn the place down, no smack and hookers.

So I celebrated my birthday by getting rear-ended at a stoplight. Oh, and then I locked my keys inside while exchanging insurance info.

THIS TRUCK HATES ME.

Did I mention that I got a flat tire not a week ago?

I'm still in a pretty happy mood, despite all this! Perhaps it's just the fresh-baked cake awaiting me.

Excuse me.

OM NOM NOM CAKE. :D

Just taking a moment to squee about today, cause Pie and I accompanied emilythegoddess and edanstarfire to the Museum Center. Pie was rather scared by the big animatronic dinosaurs at the main exhibit, but a stint of playing at the Children's Museum cheered her right back up.

Plus, it's been in the 70s and sunny with a touch of breeze, which is The Most Perfect Weather on earth.

This has been, thus far, a Good Day.

( Since I haven't done a Pie macro in a while )

And now, off to relax, perhaps with coffee and a book.

It's time for another Sketch Vomit!



( sketches under here )

And now, the coffee is wearing off, so bedtime for me.

So I give Pie these wee tiny pieces of food, because I'm paranoid about her choking...

...and then she goes and mows down most of a Biter Biscuit without blinking and I'm left feeling rather silly.

In Good Pie news, she's learning how to wave at Mama and Daddy, and getting quite good at shuffling around while clinging to the couch. In Bad Pie news, her new favorite hobby is taking the contents of a laundry basket or paper pile and strewing them in a five-foot radius around her, and she's decided that she's had quite enough nursing, thank you, and will be taking all further milk from a bottle (which means that 90% of her milk intake is now formula because I can't pump enough to keep up).

In other news:

Awesome Person of the Day: Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Check it:

"My Catholic faith teaches me that all life is sacred, and personally I believe abortion is wrong," she said then. "However, I disagree with the suggestion that criminalizing women and their doctors is an effective means of achieving the goal of reducing the number of abortions in our nation."

MY BRAINTWIN, where have you been all my politically-interested life? :D Also:

She further said that Kansas had striven to lower its abortion rates through adoption incentives, extended health services for pregnant women, sex education and support services for families.

*dances with glee*

Awful Person of the Day: Genine Compton:

Police say Compton could have injured her child and others because she was breast feeding and talking on the cell phone while driving the vehicle..

WHAT. THE HELL. IS WRONG. WITH PEOPLE. This is why the Deity of Your Choice gave us such things as breast pumps and bottles, or even the ability to PULL OVER and safely nurse a kid. Or, y'know, feed the kid before you leave. Or suck it up and drive with a cranky kid - Lord knows I've had to drive with Pie screaming from the backseat because there's no place for me to pull off the road and comfort her. It sucks, but you deal.

Compton said she will take the advice of the officers into consideration, but she may breast feed her baby while driving in the future if she feels that is is necessary.

...Because it's ever-so-necessary to feed your kid, even if it means risking their lives. Seriously, letting the kid cry for 15 minutes until you reach a safe place is slightly better than having said kid die because an airbag deployed into the back of her head. ARGH.

*puts away soapbox*

Oh yeah, I have sketches to post. I should do that, shouldn't I?

Unmotivated Jen has been unmotivated to post.

The GOOD:

-Pie's baptism went well, considering baptisms are essentially socio-religious occasions planned around babies, and babies are the most unpredictable creatures on earth. But she was well-behaved, and her dress was lovely, and her cake was not a wreck, and a good time was had by all.

-I have Girl Scout cookies. COOOOOKIEEEE OM NOM NOM NOMoh Jesus I watch too much Sesame Street.

-I also have lots of wee sketches to post, which is what happens when I'm stuck, for two hours straight, at the scan station at work - which looks and runs like the Macs I used in middle school.

The BAD:

- SO. TIRED. I would lop off my left arm for a day - ONE DAY - where I could sleep in.

- Leaving a rather crucial "4" out of a shipping address is a bad thing. Back to the post office tomorrow...

- I seem to have given up on "Heroes". I just can't bring myself to care enough to sit down and watch the new episodes. I think I've just gotten tired of keeping track of who's good and who's bad and who's double-crossing who. Can't the Eccles just throw everyone off a building so we can start again?

(In other TV news, I think "Scrubs" has come out of nowhere to be my favorite show. At least, I regularly enjoy it and can't remember cringing at it, which is more than can be said for "Doctor Who" or "Heroes".)

And, just to end things on a light note,
( here's a picture of my cat and a squirrel )



Off to bed.

MY BABY CAN CRAWL NOW.


brb, cleaning EVERYTHING.

...I think my art muse is back.

That means it's time for an ART POST - now with added thumbnail goodness!



( Fanart: Discworld, Susan Sto Helit )



( Fanart: The Little Mermaid )

( some more sketches )

And now, off to bed in hopes that the roads won't suck tomorrow.

Snow days, snow days - well, ice days. Ice days and snow days. Actually, it's snow-on-ice-on-snow-on-ice days. I've been watching people trying to get out of our apartment complex - the driveway is a pretty good incline, and it hasn't been pretty. I've seen a salt truck in our lot three times.

This is why being able to work from home is AWESOME. Don't get me wrong, I hate working at home, but at least I have the ability to do so.

( The news report made me lol )

Righto...off to start the work day.

So this is what happens when there's a weekend night without artlulz chat:

( SKETCH VOMIT )

In other news, I made coffee in case there was art chat and have had two cups and now have no desire to go to bed, despite the nagging knowledge that I have to get up tomorrow and go hang out with Jesus.

Also, our new President's first week in office is pretty sweet. Order Gitmo Prison closed? Check. Repeal the order cutting off funding from foreign clinics offering any sort of abortion services, from actual surgery right down to counseling or referral? Check. Expand the Freedom of Information Act so that we can keep closer tabs on our presidents? Check. Remain sexy while doing so? CHECK.

And finally, I am nothing if not a memewhore:



On one hand, I want more icon space so I can use this and all the other ones that are inactive since my paid time expired. On the other hand, I don't have any spare money to fork over to LJ, and if I had any, I wouldn't want LJ to get it anyhow. LJ, why you gotta suck?

SO I'm late to the party, but whatever.

( HAI GUYS IT'S INAUGURATION DAY!!! )

In less awesome news, hair is washed, hot water is back, ants are being combated, and why did no one tell me how delicious Chick-Fil-A is?

Random things jotted down over the past few days:

--I love being married to a man who thinks it's awesome that the first video game I owned was Toejam & Earl.

I also realised that there's a small part of me that's never forgiven my brother for loaning that game out to a friend who never returned it. Bastard.


--The religion forum at CincyMOMS is a bucketful of lulz. There's a large proportion of crazy Catholics on there, and whenever I visit, I feel a weird compulsion to make a post saying "Church of England represent! CAKE OR DEATH?!??!"

It's probably good I don't have a lot of nerve.


--A bad combination: Having a baby who's learning to grab and toss food and living in a building prone to wintertime ant infestation.

THEY ARE IN MY DISHWASHER. I can't do a load of dishes without finding my bowls sprinkled with tiny ant corpses. D: Actually, this is a moot point until tomorrow, because our water heater is broken and we have no hot water. My hair looks so disgusting right now. Like, Snapette levels of ick.


--My mother did a very dangerous thing - she gave me a blender. I HAVE THE POWER OF SMOOTHIES. ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR.

To artlulz folk: If anyone's up for another informal chat next week, I'd be happy to join in. Seriously, I'm kind of an art chat addict now - it's something to do when Joe's at work and Pie's asleep, and it's at least one time a week when I'm guaranteed to draw something. Lemme know, plzkthx!

( artlulz offerings from the past few sessions, image-heavy )

In other news, it's 37 degrees, quite balmy compared to the -3 of a few days ago. Have I ever mentioned that I hate winter with the fire of a thousand suns? If it weren't for my birthday, I'd be content to hibernate between New Years' and mid-April.

In other other news, I have a Magic Bullet blender. I can make frothy foamy coffee drinks. NO ONE IS SAFE.

[whine]

I should be cleaning, in anticipation of my parents and friends descending upon the House O'Nachos tomorrow. I should also be working on my horribly blocked HP Art Project picture.

However, I don't want to do either of these because this day has KICKED MY ASS.

See, we just got Joe's truck back from the collision center after its untimely meeting with a deer. Joe gets in to drive to work, I take the car and drive off to run some errands...and then the truck loses oil pressure, breaks down, and has to be towed. Between this and Joe working a split shift today, this day has been pretty much drive, drive, wait, drive, wait, drive, wait, drive, wait, drive, HOME.

So now Pie is asleep and I don't have the energy to do much more than mooch around and soak in New Doctor Wank.

( speaking of that new Doctor )

Righto. Well, I'm off to see if the Colts can cling on to victory and perhaps get something done.

[/whine]

Bah, I knew there was something I'd left out of my last post:

Congratulations on a well-deserved honor, Sir Terry Pratchett!

( 2008 in Review Meme )

In other news, BRB ROLLING KATAMARI. One of my gifts was Beautiful Katamari, and...dammit, I was hoping to be productive on my week off!

Quickie grumble:

I hate using the flash on my camera, because Pie gets all squinty and weird-faced and it just looks silly. Not using the flash, though, means all my photos come out dark. I can fix the lighting in Photoshop, but it's a time-consuming pain in the arse.

Just my grumble of the day. You may now go about your business. :D