Archive for December, 2008


2008 year in review

 

So. Another year is almost over and done with. I liked looking back at 2007 last year, making a slide show, and just reminiscing.

Rang in the new year at Minerva’s – headed there again this year, can’t wait for fire and freaky fun 😀

Surprise party for Tacoboy!

Went ghost hunting and we mostly just spooked ourselves as we wandered drunk in the dark and snow – such fun!

Heartburn at PEX – the first time Random and I were in the same room, and we never even knew it 😛 Great party even if it ended too soon.

PEX spin jams and conclave practice throughout the year – an awesome time and I got to know some people much better!

Met Neil Gaiman (again!) and talked BPAL 😛

Backyard birdhouse burn. Great way to say farewell to a friend’s lakehouse.

Minerva & Nabil’s housewarming party – where Random and I met in passing…..

PEX’s Phoenix Rising and Pirates vs Ninjas, at a club instead of home 😦

Spring PDF. Happy sigh. Has to be my top burn of all time. Except for every one since then…. ❤ Here Random and I finally connected, for good. Also, the awesomeness of Camp Deviant and the grilled cheese sammiches!!

Spring wildfire with Liana, Lucky, Andi, and Brian – tons of fun!

Figment NYC – even though we didn’t see much of the island, and we got caught in the rain, a wonderful day!

World Hoop Day and Hoopjams at the UU – the combo brings me big smiles and a peaceful heart. (you rule like a ruling thing that rules!) And firehooping for the first time thanks to ammre!!

Burning Man. What to say. Amazing as always. Relationship stayed strong despite travelling and dust storms. And we ended up getting married 😀

Fall PDF, amazing weather though a bit chilly at night, Deviants for the win.

Diamond dash scavenger hunt and scouring Philly for a diamond ring! Maybe next year!

PEX decom, back on familiar ground, best halloween ever!

Santacon NYC – lots of running around and catching up, or hanging with straggling santas… An odd year for sure but hey, at least we had bar dancing at Coyote Ugly!

There was the bad too.

My grandma Betty passing. The 4 car pile up in Random’s driveway. My friend Lhia’s bad accident. And more.

But in the end, the good outweighs the bad. My grandma no longer suffers. My car was ok. Lhia is thankful to be alive though she struggles with her recovery.

I’m so thankful for everything that happened this year. Growing closer with some friends, and making new ones. Always finding a new adventure, and trying to face all hardships with a sense of humor.

And you all are sick of the happy sappy I’m sure. But the past 7 months have been the best of my life and I am so thankful to have Random by my side, through thick and thin, I know that whatever happens we’ll get through it, and always remind each other of our awesomness. He is the love of my life and I look forward to the adventures we’ll continue to experience together!! i love you baby!

To each of you who made 2008 what it was, thank you, you ROCK!

May your new year be full of joy and peace and love!!!

MWAH!!!!

 

Happy Solstice!

I did not get any e-greetings out yesterday.  Sigh.

A Belated Happy Solstice and Blessed Yule to those who celebrate it!  And Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas this week!

(Upon being wished “Merry Christmas! Or Happy whatever you celebrate!” I said “I celebrate it all, any reason to be nice is a good holiday in my book!”)

It was a most excellent holiday weekend.  Plans were to go to PEXmas in Philly, but with over a half foot of snow falling Friday, and a friend celebrating a birthday locally, the scales tipped ever so slightly in the direction of staying home for a relaxing weekend of cookies, shopping, putting up the tree.  Friday night I made cookies with the assistance of the lovely Lynn, who likes to beat my batter (and there’s a blob of peanut butter dough on the ceiling to prove it!). Lynn is my personal Martha Stewart.  Only better.  Baking/cooking instruction, offers to help organize, and solutions for the most tedious of tasks (usually means adding a bottle of wine) – she knows it all.  And Tim donated to our music library while he geeked out with working internet.

Friday night, despite warnings, Random drove up.  Didn’t know what the big deal was with the weather until he was 5 miles away, and the roads went from fine to unplowed.  On 287.  I put up the tree before he arrived, with only the star on top, planning on Stevie getting up to trouble… So far, so good. Knock wood.

Saturday I made the rest of the cookies, wrapped his present, and who knows what else… not much. Oh, made strawberry pancakes for breakfast! YUM!  We went out to a local bar for a friend’s birthday, and had a run in with a local Santa bar crawl that I never knew about (and will be blogging on my town blog about the night!)  Refueling with empanadas, we returned home to cuddle by the tree, celebrate yule by exchanging our gifts. I like this tradition, as it’s a quieter time than Christmas Eve and Day, and felt right being just us.  We stayed up most of the night playing Monty Python Fluxx and Chrononauts, what a way to celebrate the longest night of the year! 😀

Sunday was a sleepy morning with more pancakes, and shopping at the mall in the afternoon.  Ran cookies to my dad and grandmother’s houses, and came back home.

Very thankful for such a lovely weekend at home with my love, and creating some new traditions with him.

 

May you all have an excellent holiday if I don’t talk to you before then!!! Peace and love to you.

No Snow Day for me

1219081352.jpg, originally uploaded by k8et.

Outside my window, 10 minutes ago. At work.  Yup.  Many people missing but they all have to use PTO.  I can’t, unless I want to skip the inauguration in January.

 

Is it the snow talking, or do I really want to cancel plans to go to PEX santacon, and stay home and make cookies?

It’s only raining in Philly, so chances are that getting around tomorrow won’t be too problematic… though if it snows while we are partying at the warehouse we may be stuck there till it warms up a little…

Wow.

Hi hoopers! This took me by surprise this morning – not that I mind, just caught off guard!  And the post featured was just one of those late night, not sober, half asleep wanderings that my brain does…   Ah well. 

Snow last night – beautiful except when you have to clear the car off.  I hope to get some indoor hooping going on tomorrow night – hooped more than I expected to at Santacon (where to start, I was surprised at how easily I could hoop in my outfit.  And later,  in the ferry terminal, I found myself more inebriated than expected and lost that hooping chi…)  My body has been sore since Sunday from the playing and trekking and drinking, and stretching it out will feel good.

Not the Dalai Lama

But still good advice…

And some of it is damn timely today.  ;o)

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s:
Respect for self
Respect for others and
Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

foodbank

Kendra pointed out this blog on Jersey Bites – over 100 bloggers getting the word out that the Food Bank is experiencing a decrease in donations and an increase in demand because of the economy.  My company is doing a food drive, but I decided I’m going to donate money instead (I’m hoping it goes further if they buy in bulk!)  Here’s how you can help!

1. Make a monetary contribution: Visit www.njfoodbank.org.
2. Donate food: Drop off a bag of food at your local food pantry.
3. Organize a food drive: We can help explain the logistics of starting a food drive. Just call 908-355-FOOD.
4. Help “Check Out Hunger:” Look for the “Check Out Hunger” coupons at your local supermarket and donate. No donation is too small!

If you are a blogger, help spread the word!

 

All pics are here.

And awayyyyyy we go…..

Final countdown.

Less than 5 hours till starting location for NY santacon is announced.

Want to see my to-do list?? Sure ya do.  (I’m stuck in the office still, anxious to leave and cross things off!!)

– shopping at Walgreens for snacks and costuming items/makeup.
– make christmas poi.
– finish my costume.
– run to friend’s house to pick up stuff from her that I’m borrowing.
– figure out which camera to take. make sure batteries are charged and memory card is empty.
– pack bag for tomorrow. fill camelback with alcohol!

– toss air mattresses and sleeping bags in car for hotel. (IN MORNING)
– possibly run to staples for new wireless router cuz yeah. if you can’t tell how addicted I am to the internet you don’t know me well enough. (home internet works now, but the router doesn’t.) this was totally going to get pushed to sunday but i have a geek boyfriend ;o) (yay!)
– shower & crash

Tomorrow:

– get up. get dressed. complain about cold and lack of caffeine.
– air mattresses in car.
– COFFEE.
– drive to hotel. check in if possible.
– PATH to NY, get to starting location.

And it’s all downhill from there 😀

Holiday Bokeh Photography

holiday bokeh, originally uploaded by micsalac.

 

Must. Experiment. With. This.

if I had more hours in the evening (after sewing costumes) I would try it out and bring the camera to santacon… maybe I’ll bring it to philly… NY is crazy and I don’t want anything to happen to my camera, nor be worried about watching it all day.

http://www.diyphotography.net/diy_create_your_own_bokeh

I set up a group text message thing, only for people that I (or my merry band of Deviant elves) know personally, for NYC and PEX santacons.

If that means you, and you want updates on where we are during santacon, let me know. (I need either your email or your phone #.  my email is k8et1120 (at) gmail (dot) com.)

If I don’t know you – and I see a lot of people finding my blog looking for santacon updates – sorry, no offense, please follow my twitter and I’ll try to keep you up to date as well.  (One person left a comment on my about me page, asking me to email him, but left no email!!)

I do NOT have ANY insider info.  I will only know what is posted at 10 pm friday night, and where we are at any given moment in the city – I won’t know where we are headed when we are travelling.

See you Ho’s soon! 😀