jilflirt

After eviladmin sent out the Bab5 emergency call, I decided to host Bab5 last night. I was feeling a bit under the weather, but when you host, the party comes to you anyway! So host I did. It was a smallish group (about ten at its peak). And surprisingly, I outlasted everyone else in spite of my fears of fading early. I brought out the "Living Dead Dolls Game" that Dave B. game me the Xmas before last. It was my first time playing, because I had never had six willing participants before. The game looks cute, with little tiny undead dolls and their evil twins and all sorts of funny gory death cards. With that and the background Delerium "Semantic Spaces" it almost could have been called a goth version of Bab5. However, I underestimated Bab5's love for games. They were at it for hours, and I eventually wandered off to eat and chat with amnesiadust who seemed unimpressed by the game. I'd call it a quiet but fun evening. And great company, as always.

Is there anything happening tonight? I don't seem to have been invited anywhere and am not sure what to do. Of course, I'm not feeling very patriotic anyway, so maybe that's for the best. Maybe that's why there isn't anything going on, come to think of it...

"John Kerry's victory over Howard Dean has completely changed the presidential race. Now, instead of a rich, white guy from, you know, from Yale who lives in the White House facing off a rich white guy from Yale who lives in Vermont, he might have to face off against a rich white guy from Yale who lives in Massachusetts." Jay Leno

The woman who wrote The Surrendered Wife, a book I posted about a while ago, has ( this ) to say about the movie, The Stepford Wives.

And this is an interesting series of thoughts about traditional relationships.

I will record this dream, b/c some of you were in it. But be forewarned: it was not a nice dream. I only remember a bit. I was with some subsection of Bab5; I clearly remember sbtorpey and rubrick were there. I was trying to keep up with the group but somehow got left behind. When I found them, everyone was huddled together or running around. Clearly something was wrong. When I asked them what it was, they pointed at a grizzled man, dressed in an old fashioned costume, and told me he was a ghost. He looked disheveled and disreputable but as if he had once been a gentleman. Sort of like I would expect a pirate to look. He also looked completely real. I was creeped out for a minute, but then I said, "Well, if he's a ghost, he can't really do anything to us." This proved to be untrue. The ghost had a short sword or a long knife and was taking swipes at ppl. He actually cut off sbtorpey's right hand. There was no blood, but she was just holding her own hand. I hoped it was an illusion and that nothing had really happened, but she said she could no longer feel that hand. It was awful, and I realized the ghost was really dangerous. I started to panic and run, too, but I also thought I had to stop the ghost. There was a laptop computer perched near me with information on the screen about the ghost. I noticed a pop-up button that read "Awake." I clicked it, and it turned off the "Awake" sign, and the ghost was gone.

Don't know what it means, and my apologies to sbtorpey for what happened to her in my dream. The one good thing is that I kept my head and saved everyone. I think that is dream progress, since usually in nightmares I am running away, afraid.

An update on lifesize games of chess: http://pacmanhattan.com/

I had a friend over for dinner tonight. It was a nice evening, but it got off to a rather rocky start. I made turkey breasts rolled in bacon with a homemade bbq sauce, risotto, and snap peas. Everything was going along quite well, until just after Peter arrived. Then suddenly smoke was issuing out of the oven, and when we opened it, all the turkey breasts were on fire. Fire filled the oven. It was really quite alarming. I ran out to look for a fire extinguisher, leaving the door open, forgetting that Tiffany might get out. So after we dealt with the fire (luckily w/o needing an extinguisher), we ran around the roof looking for Tiffany. Who turned out to be curled up in the closet in her carrying case. So all sorts of tragedy were averted, and the dinner actually turned out really well (in spite of having been on fire briefly). However this confirms what I've been suspecting since the two previous times I've used the oven (both for Bab5), which resulted in cookies being badly burned when baked well under the normal amount of time - my oven is too hot! I write this post to exonerate my good baking name. I never burned any cookies before moving here. Honestly.

Last night I hosted Bab5. The guest of honor was sbtorpey. It was a good turnout - about 20 people crammed into my little living room. The last guests did not leave till after 3 am, so I consider that a successful party. (Although since two of us were kryscat and me, I think 3 am should count more like a normal person's 10 pm.) Even whiskeypants and jetspeaks were in attendance (though only briefly alas). And there was a new convert - er visitor. kryscat brought homemade bread, and I made gingersnap cookies from a 1950's cookbook. The cookies were slightly burned (I still don't have the hang of this oven}, but the cookbook provided endless hours of amusement to ppl, with its antiquated outlook. (It starts, "Mrs. Homemaker, this book is for you" and gets sillier from there.) ping and I read another two chapters of Frog and Toad to the assemblage, who listened in breathless anticipation - well giggled a lot, anyway. janviere seemed to spend a good part of the night reading one of my silliest books and noting that I had underlined it in strange places. rebbyribs and ping fell asleep on the couch. I did tarot readings for everyone who wanted one, and aside from a really dismal outlook for sbtorpey's cross-country trip (literally one of the worst readings I've ever seen), the readings were fairly happy and positive. I modeled various pieces of clothing I had dyed strange colors, including two Victorian dresses I intend to wear to Gaskell's - or intended to before I realized they shrank significantly in the dryer. (I'll manage somehow - you'll see.) I showed part of an episode of Sliders, about an alternate universe in which intelligence is the most prized trait. There were many conversations I couldn't hear, but the ones in which I took part were the usual assortment of wit, silliness, and useless erudition. This is Bab5 we're talking about, after all.

I love my friends.

Well, either things have changed a lot since 8th grade (when I was told I failed the "cool test"), or this test is a big lie. Actually, just *taking* a cool test on the internet should immediately mark me as un-cool. All right, no more posts now. I promise. I'm just bored today.

Am I cool or uncool? [CLICK] You are Super-Cool! Woah! Step back - the future's so bright for you it's blinding me! You are the coolest of the cool. Everyone looks up to you as the benchmark for being coooool. The fonze was your grandfather. Any cooler and you'd freeze! WOO it's chilly in here. Cool quizzes at Go-Quiz.com

Anyone have the name of a really good career counselor? I'm trying to wriggle into the Cal center, but it's not clear the CS Reentry ppl are allowed to be counted as alums.

ETA: Ok, well it seems I *do* count as an alumna, but still I would welcome suggestions. Also, has anyone used the Cal career services? Were they any good? (I have to pay to use them and would like to know if it's worth it.)

> WARNING

jill is radioactive. Wear protective clothing at all times.

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com

I just returned from an unexpectedly wonderful outing with kryscat and Rob. Not that visiting kryscat has ever been less than wonderful, but this visit ended up including being taken to a Faith and the Muse in-store concert and dinner! Never tell me I don't have the best group of friends on earth.

There was one funny detail, though. If you recall, I recently attended a classical concert dressed for a goth club. Well, today I had the reverse problem: I was dressed completely conservatively (having come straight from work at the CC and not knowing I was going to be gothing). I actually apologized to Monica Richards for being dressed so inappropriately.

"Flower" was my first word. Although "cookie" was my second, so perhaps I meant "flour." I wish jilflirt meant "flower." It seems that it is an old English insult, meaning "prostitute."

What French word are you? by Jetster
Name/Handle
Word	fleur (flower)
Created with the ORIGINAL MemeGen!

What French word are you? by Jetster
Name/Handle
Word	houx (holly)
Created with the ORIGINAL MemeGen!

A pianist friend of mine once remarked that it was too bad that ppl often cry at vocal performances, like opera, but not at orchestral or chamber music. Well, for the past two nights I have experienced the exception to that rule. I snuck off to see the Eroica conducted by MTT last night before going to Luna Rouge (made for interesting attire at the concert, but that's ok). And from the first few notes I was practically in tears. It was so intensely good that I actually went to see it again tonight with Bill, who wanted to see it after I told him about it. I would recommend it to you lj readers, except that it was only a two-night stint. However, there is a big Beethoven festival going on at the Symphony; if this was a good sampling, you should try to go if you like Beethoven at all. If you are worried about expense, center terrace seats (behind the stage) are usually under $15. I am going to go to all the rest of the series.

My review also includes my less enthusiastic response to Nakamatsu, who played the 3rd piano concerto. Some of you may disagree with me on this, but I often have a problem with virtuoso performers trying to overplay a piece and take the spotlight off of the music itself and onto their great abilities. In this case, it sounded to me like Nakamatsu was playing one piece in his own style, and the orchestra, another. He not only didn't blend into the greater whole, he took away from it with show-offy, overly emphatic and drawn-out playing. Bill and I actually skipped his performance tonight and just caught the Eroica. (We were coming from another event that prevented our seeing the whole concert, anyway - a P.G. Wodehouse/Jerome Kern musical that is really adorable and that I recommend if any of you like light farces; it's on for one more night at 42nd Street Moon).

It isn't just MTT, though, because I got a recording of the music (conducted by somebody else) and just finished listening to it at home, and it had the same effect. But MTT did an inspired job of conducting this symphony. I can't wait for the rest of the series.

Thanks to eviladmin for this *completely* ridiculous (and wrong) quiz.

Take the Cicada Test!

Got this quiz from lollylo. It's a bit racier than most of the quizzes I've posted :P