Go for it.

THE FANFICTION LOVE MEME

Took the car in to get the winter tires put on... walking back through the Commons at 7:30am is actually quite pretty. HOWEVER. That is far too early in the morning and totally uncivilized, no matter how much tea you have.

Also, it's fucking COLD out. We've enjoyed pretty mild temperatures up until about yesterday, and when the temp. dropped it was a bit of a surprise. I have to go right from tank tops and sweatshirts to tights under my jeans and extra shirts.... brrrr. I got chilled last night after walking the dog at about 8:30 and I had to shower and go to bed with a hoodie on to keep my head warm. Didn't help that the dog kept asking to go outside every three hours.... but at least when my alarm went off at 6:30 I got up. And now the car is being taken care of, and I won't have to worry about tires until spring!

Also, as an early-morning wakeup bonus, when the alarm went off, I glanced down at the dog sleeping at the foot of my bed, and couldn't figure out what direction she was facing. Turned out she was sprawled on her back with all four legs in the air. ADORABLE.

Of course, when I get back home after dropping off the car, the first thing I did was make a bagel, take off my jeans, and get back in bed with the laptop. Because the internet is always better in bed in the morning. I just couldn't stand the thought of being functional at 7:30am.

Heh.

Ian and I went out for hot chocolate at 8 tonight, because we were both bored with being stuck in the house feeling useless and losery.... and as we were walking up Spring Garden, we decided to go and see "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Which.

IT IS. In every way.

The stop-motion is so great, and the sets and design of the puppets are so adorable.... they are realistic and cartoony at the same time, AND you get Willem Dafoe doing a dance-fight, and several instances of "the crazy eyes" from "Life Acquatic."

And yes, George Clooney is a fox. He is such a wonderful, fantastic fox in a way that transcends the fact that he's a hairy puppet (made, probably, out of actual fur, I was a little concerned about that actually) in a corduroy suit....

I can't wait for this to come out on DVD as a matter of fact, because the EXTRAS! COMMENTARY! I can only imagine! And Ian wants to get the soundtrack, which I may have to borrow from him.

So, so good. What an unexpected pleasure!

**

Then after the movie we went over to Mills house and watched a new episode of "Hoarders." That show terrifies me in a way that actual horror movies really can't. Actual humans, living in filth and desperation, kept in their situations either by metnal illness, crankiness, or inability to maintain basic human living skills. I tried to explain to my Mom why we watch it.... it's because it makes us feel better about the way we live... I fear it depressed ian, though, because he said he can easily see his roommate turning into someone like that. That's really not good. I offered him a room in my theoretical-at-this-point house, and he gladly accepted.

**

I am also attempting to post more often, mostly because I feel like I have been letting this journal linger and shrivel lately. I know that part of it is due to not having any sense of connect with the content, because of the half-assed move I've done between LJ and DW (I post from DW but read f-list on LJ because that's where everyone and all my fic groups are still).

**

Oh, and headsup, I sent someone to sky_legion the other day from the comic book store. We'll see if she actually shows up....

norabombay, have a video:

Toxic Love Shack Britney vs B52s mashup.

Well, at least the Power Company is intrigued by my issue with the billing, so they are looking into when Anthony Stewart head last came to check the meter/make sure my landlord wasn't running anything he shouldn't be on my meter. It occurs to me now that yes, in fact, there *is* a reason that I post entries about the stupid daily minutae, and that's because if I want to pinpoint the exact day a Power Company employee who looked like Anthony Stewart Head came to my house and promised me that I would be charged from that day forward instead of Sept 1st, I can go back and find it.

Sadly, in this instance I believe I did it all on Facebook because I was too fried from everything else (read: friend falling through hole in house, suffering brain injury) to actually post a real entry.

So let it be known that today the Power Company said they were going to look into it. And also I paid my Eastlink bill, deposited rent money and answered-but-didn't-speak to my cellphone people to make them hang up on me.

Bwahaha.

... as usual, what Anthony Stewart Head promised me when he read my power meter and did the whole 'your landlord is an illegal dickhead' not-turning-off-your-power business, when he did the last service call/inspection, I said "And my meter gets read from now?" and he said "Yes."

And now I have a bill from September 1st. When I didn't get "official" power until at least 15 days after that point.

Hey, it's my money. I'll fight for it.

Next up: my fucking parking tickets.

Watched some great (stupid) treasure-hunting movies tonight with my friend I. "Angels and Demons" and "National Treasure 2."

Of the evening, I have to say that Captain Pike makes the best President of the United States EVER, and that the next movie should star him and Nic Cage adventuring, and also that when the best part of a movie is Ewan McGregor being Irish and flying a helicopter, there's probably not much else to save it. (Honestly? I liked Paul Bettany being an albino much better, and that was in a torrent so dark I could barely see any of it.)

We tossed around a few great ideas for the next movie (Nic Cage and Captain Pike go to California! They discover the Fountain of Youth! The President is a badass!) and I lent him the book "Seven Deadly Wonders" which is the crackiest adventure crack that ever cracked. You might remember this from a couple of year ago, where our hero, Jack West Jr, sticks his arm in LIQUID LAVA to rescue a baby and then gets a robotic replacement. And then basically outsmarts everyone in the quest to find all the seven ancient wonders of the world which are also all deadly traps which kill people in horrible ways. And with them at all times, is Lily, a ten year old girl!!!

.... it's just that good. Seriously, they couldn't ever make that book into a movie because it is WAY too cracked out for even a movie to work.

And I. says they *are* making another "National Treasure" movie, so I'm all excited to find out what it's about. Apparently it can't be the Fountain of Youth because that's POTC 4 (which I didn't even know they were making....0

Jerry Bruckheimer must own the WORLD by now.

Okay, so, let's do a week wrap-up as it seems I can't do any kind of regular updating anymore and probably noone on my flist knows what's going on with me, or probably particularly cares.

This week, I spent two days making Christmas stockings for Pretty Things Boutique, where I am not officially employed but more like 'installed.' I have a one-room sewing studio (mental note: should go and take photos today) where I have transported all of my sewing equipment and related books, and where I make things on contract. I also offer alteration services for customers (handy when they are shopping for a last-minute swing-dancing frock) and do custom work. I have done a couple of things for brides but I tend to stay away from them because they are CRAZY. Unless they say right up front "I don't want a traditional *insert something here*" then I probably won't do it.

What I have done:
- dog coats for Greyhound Pets of Atlantic Canada and several variations on that style/size for Olive and a friend in the neighbourhood with a whippet/dobie cross.
- jean hems, pant hems, men's shirt tailoring
- rescued a vintage dress from a zipper blowout and added a waist tape to protect it in future (beautiful!)
- new curtains for my Mad Men living room
- delved into stretchwear for my Christmas party dress, turned out really nicely!
- pasties. Lots and lots of pasties. So many that my scissor hand actually was swollen the day after cutting out about 100 of the things. But they are so awesome!!!
- Christmas tree birds. I love fake birds, so I made a bunch to go on a potted branch I harvested from York Redoubt, and put up sparkly pears and a whack of fluffy birds. Pretty awesome. (We are revisiting the tree in the spring when we're going to do an underwear and pasties tree!!!)
- window displays. I've now assisted with the Halloween one (spiderwebs and pink pumpkins and a silver skull mask for the mannequin), the Mad Men one (Joanie's pen, wig dressing and a big fake window with curtains in the Betty window) and just finished setting up the Marilyn vs. Audrey (black vs. red) window. The next one is going to be exciting because I get to build more props out of cardboard. SO EXCITING.

And so my life consists mostly of spending lots of time there, with breaks for walking the dog and running errands. We just did some more buying for a new line of pretty aprons, which is going to be exciting to work on, and I have a couple of possible custom jobs I'm going to work on the logistics for. I also have to cover a few pillows for the Mad Men living room project and maybe line the curtain panels so the cotton doesn't get faded. The print is so amazing....

And yes, I will be posting photos of everything soon enough. My life's clutter is very slowly falling into place so I'm feeling much better about it. The bills however...... I need a generous benefactor to help me out. About $9,000 should just about cover it.

*sighs*

.... you can guess how the day went.

NO SIGN OF ANYONE AND NOT A CALL.

His truck is currently parked outside the building next door so I am thinking he's having a meeting with the rest of the people that think I suck.

Fuck.

I GUESS THE WORKERS ARE NOT COMING AT ALL.

FUCK YOU.

IT IS NOW 10:00 and no guys.

My landlord called last night, and (I'll tell you the bad news later) told me he was sending his guys over to fix everything in my house that isn't done!

What time?

9.

You will notice, gentle readers, it is now quarter to ten, and no guys. Fuck my landlord.

In badder news, he also told me that because of the Parking Ticket Incident (aka "This is not a parking spot dumbass") and also because the uptight asshole professionals in the building next door think my dog is annoying, they are closing the fence in the backyard. Because of ME.

We've already had the bitch next door chew Mills and me out for using a parking space instead of asking her politely to move the car. The parking ticket thing is what pisses me the fuck right off. Someone parked in MY backyard. They got a ticket. What happens? The building paid for it AND they bitched me out. I bet you anything in the world, if I parked in their fucking lot, not only would they issue me a ticket, but they'd probably try to have me towed.

Double standards, there you go.

And also, the ridiculous thing is, that if they think putting up the rest of the fence is going to make my dog less annoying?? Boy are they ever wrong.

( ...I wish, I wish... )

Sure, it's nice to dream, isn't it?

(and oh man, is my life ever a mess right now)

Well, the excitement for yesterday was that a friend of mine texted me at 6:30 saying his back really hurt and his body felt weird. I texted back "kidneys?" and he wanted to go to the walk-in. Unfortunately, I was halfway through 3 loads of laundry at a friend's house, but I went anyway.

At the walk-in, he peed in a cup and then because we missed the courier, had to drive all the way back downtown to drop it off at the hospital lab. We called it "Junior" because we are silly like that...

He also had to go for an xray this morning because they think he might have a kidney stone.

.... and after that, I went back to my friend's house to discover her dryer is mad at everyone and most of my laundry was still damp/soggy. At 11:30 I came home, hung it all up in the living room and crashed to the sweet melodious sounds of CSI Miami.

Oh, Horatio.

I dreamt last night that Horatio had to hangglide onto a building and get the bad guys... he got shot, but Frank saved him. After he was released from hospital, Frank took him to have strawberry shortcake with his neices.

... I'd give anything to read that crack story, wow!!

Oh god scratch the 'possibly' being FB stalked and make that "he just commented after 5 seconds of my update WITH AN INSTANT MESSAGE"

I went into the studio today with every intention of actually sewing things for work, but ended up starting to work on what was going to be a window display for the store.... this turned into me making partridge and pear-themed Christmas ornaments that are now going to be sold at the store. So much for the window display, but good for me! At least I'll have another tiny source of income if they sell....

Which means, of course, that tomorrow I have to go in and sew a whole lot instead, to make up for today... oh well. It's good fun and I'm getting used to the routine.

In other news, I am being sort of not-stalked on FB by a guy who is a vague friend of Mills. He now has my phone number (I don't know where he got it, maybe Mills?) and he replies to stuff on my status updates that are really none of his business. He's called me a couple of times and was generally weird, and when he comes into the store he hangs around a long time and is kind of creepy.

So I'm gonna get his shirt done first thing tomorrow and then he can stop calling me.....

AND. I need to start on both my Yuletide and my UNCLE stories. I have ideas and a plot for one, and not the other.... but let's just say it will be pretty damn amusing for me on both fronts.

And now I am going to go and read all of perpet_fic's latest NaNo because I've been skipping out the last couple of days due to insanity.

(*poke poke* WBoA tomorrow*)

And this is why I call the cops instead of asking those high school kids to stop vomiting in my backyard.

Ok, so

DEAR YULETIDE WRITER!!!

Hi! You are awesome. I hope you are all warmed up and ready to write this Yuletide season, because I am SO EXCITED.

Here's a few things about me and what I requested:

( ... fandoms and requests... )

So that's it from me!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for participating in Yuletide this year and I hope you get what you want too!!

I've been terrible at updating lately, mostly because of business getting the Acadia show up and running (which it now is, thank god, and I can take a few days off from worrying what the crazy diretor wants me to pull out of my ass next) and also because I haven't been feeling well. At first I thought it was some kind of panic episode, and then I wasn't sure if I was getting sick or not, but today C and I narrowed it down to the construction at the studio, where they are building new condos and doing some kind of really smelly outdoors cement-sealing. I noticed it today, where I didn't go over right away and instead ran errands, and then went into the studio, and within about 2 hours I felt AWFUL again. So I don't really know what they are doing (or if they are finished doing it) but C called the landlord and is having him look into it.

And not just ill, but the kind where yu are like 5 seconds away from throwing up, or perpetually nauseous/dizzy or just plain feel dumb as a brick. No wonder poor C has been feeling out of sorts, she's really sensitive to that stuff (I do all the spray painting for the store's displays) and *I* am feeling bad.... yeah, there's something poisonous out there.

I'm on round two of the dog coats for greyhound rescue, which is going well, and I have a couple of neighbourhood commissions from dog-parents I know through walking in the Commons/my backyard, so that's fun and entertaining.

I also am in the process of ironing out some details with Festival Antigonish about me returning there next summer to work, and how I can't do Ship's Company at the same time, etc. It's a bummer, but the schedules overlap and there's no wiggle room for either side, so I have to be a pirate and sensible and go with the one that pays more money (right? yup.)

hmm, what else.... the planning for my Mad Men party goes apace, I am working out some more details about the decorations (60's ads! door plates with names! a building directory in the front hall!) and I'm starting on planning the menu and getting help with the drinks/bar stuff. I have an appointment to get my hair done in the afternoon of the party, and C is going to do my makeup.... whee!! And smalldog is going over to Mills' house for the duration.

Now I just have to set the party playlist (probably on itunes) and start planning the secret santa and do another round of updating on Facebook.... and then decide what the hell I am going to wear!! Argh, decisions. I will do another post about that later.

Also, if Jest is around, we totally need to Skype this weekend because I am starting work on my UNCLE story and I need to run some ideas by you about what the best approach would be for the Big Plot Thing. And you kow what THAT is ;P

It has become my responsibility to inform you all of xjestx's long-time bulldog companion, Kingrock Zoey's recent passing. She had been ailing the past few months and Jest was taking the best care of her. Sadly, there is no cure for age, and on Saturday morning, Jest had to take Zoey to the vet's to have her put down. I found out about this late last night, and I know that Jest is too sad to announce this herself right now.

I first met Zoey in 2006, after damned_colonial suggested I check out this cool girl named xjestx who was also living in Halifax and liked Tall Ships. Zoey soon came to grow on me, as only a stubborn, obnoxious, muscly and not-at-all-cuddly 59 pounds of bulldog could. Jest had acquired her as a past-her-prime breeding Mom, and was instantly struck by her adorableness and potential for complaining. (Connie Willis, the author of To Say Nothing Of The Dog, should take some of the blame.)

And eventually, as things transpired, I soon moved into the spare room. And Zoey moved onto all my things.

We went on all sorts of adventures, and I am happy to say that I think she spent her last six years with Jest in much more happiness and comfort than she spent the first six years without her. And I think the year and a half I spent with the two of them was absolutely fabulous.

I couldn't do post like this without showing some of the great (and ridiculous) photos I have taken of Zoey over the years, and so here is the obligatory pupspam:

( ...Kingrock Zoey... )

And in a way, there will always be a part of Zoey around.... she shed so many hairs that I am still finding them now, after two years of living away from her!

So give your love to xjestx and think of Zoey a little bit every time you see a bulldog. She was wonderful and I loved her a lot.

Tags: pupspam

Dude, Yuletide for me this year is going to be NUTS. I offered really random things and I hadn't heard of/kept up to date on most of everything else listed.

*snickers*

PLEASE YULETIDE WRITER, BRING ME ADDERLY FOR XMAS!!!!

When we get our assignments I will totally write a real "Dear Yuletide" letter but right now I have to go and die. Emergency coat making has knocked the wind out of me.

Ugh you guys I am being crushed alive by boredom and seasonal sadness. What do I have to do to get out of this???

surferjupiter will find this funny, I know. Craaaazy director insanity.

Last week, the TD and I discussed one of our actors getting a hair trim. He has a wild, curly white boy 'fro and it was at the length where it fell into his eyes. We decided, in emails to the director, that we were going to equest a trim, not an all-out cut, and that the director was going to ask him (nicely) to do it.

How silly I was to think that was over with. This is what showed up in my inbox this morning (edited for content and to protect the innocent)....

Last week, you were asked by the designer to do a very specific trim on your hair. This adjustment falls well within society’s definition of reasonable and normally presentable. There are plenty of places within walking distance that you can simply enter and have this done. It is not a styling.

Apparently, you have not done so. I have been given the distinct impression that apparently you have been resistant to these reasonable requests in the past.

You will do so by 6pm today, and e-mail me that you have done so. You will present me with the receipt at 6pm, and you will be repaid. The trim will conform to the guidelines I have been sent.

If I do not get the e-mail by 6pm that this has been done by a professional and that you have a receipt, don’t bother coming to rehearsal tonight. I intend to replace you. If you arrive and in MY judgement the trim is not sufficient, you will immediately leave the theatre, and I will have you replaced. There will be no appeal. You know NOW, in advance, formally, of the consequences.

I can say a great deal more. Suffice to say that I have far more important things to do than to have to deal with this kind of thing.

WHAT THE HELL.

This is not a request, this is an all-out call to WAR. For one thing, the request to cut hair did NOT come from me, but through me to the director (who neglected, it seems, to pass that request along) but also this is not a 'reasonable request.'

(In the actor's defense, who I like a lot better than the crazy director man, the last time he refused to cut his hair he was under contract by DISNEY for a sitcom. Cutting it would have meant he broke his contract or whatever. In the land of me, official paying contracts with real companies are better than verbal threats from crazy men that you are paying to teach you "acting.")

Tomorrow, the car goes in for repairs from The Worst Day In Recent Memory... I get a replacement rental through insurance but I need to do work this week, and so I am not getting it until thursday, when I go up to Acadia. Also, I can't get it tomorrow because the insurance guy called me on friday but I couldn't talk and then he never called me back. FAIL. I am hoping he will call tomorrow, while I am being productive.

I called my Mom last night to wish her a Happy Housiversary... my Mom and Dad (and little me) moved into the house they currently live in 30 years ago on Halloween. It's a pretty cool anniversary, and the story they tell about trying to move a fridge up the stairs while kids in costume kept coming by expecting candy is hilarious....

I am one step closer to achieving room zen... I have a very small closet and not a lot of usable wall space, so I've been struggling with getting everything in a working, usable order for MONTHS now. I moved my dresser into the closet today and put away a lot of my summer stuff... that should free up some space in there... now I just have to take down and store the wall of ties, and I can start putting up all those picture frames I've sprayed black. I am also aiming to get the living room cleaned up within the next couple of weeks... though really, after I am done at Acadia my time is pretty much my own.

Anyone in Halifax want a custom dress or something for Xmas/New Years? I am not an official business yet - it is still in the works, and I am still working my little ass off on EVERYTHING, but I am hoping to offer some retro-style eveing dresses, custom made to your specifics, for the holiday season this year. I better get a flyer made up this week and SOON. Argh.

Anyone have Photoshop for mac?

Also talked to my first wife xjextx about my bulldog-in-law (Zoey), who is aiing and not eating solid foods anymore, which is very sad news. Zoey had a couple of strokes in the summer which limited her facial expressions to those of anger and annoyance (very dissimilar to her regular expressions of loving anger and amused annoyance) and which also limited her mobility. She's recently taken to peeing in the house to show her love and appreciation and I know Jest could use the love, so please pass on your warm thoughts in this difficult time.

I am really looking forward to this holiday season because Imight get a Jest, I have a Mills and an Olive and an ian, and my parents are coming to visit!! That is much more excitement than I usually have. To add to that, i am also throwing a 1960's Mad Men flavoured xmas party early in December and inviting a bunch of random people. So my energy is going into thinking about that, and planning for that piece by piece.

That, and trying to get through my friggin' life. I am owed two cheques right now and tomorrow I have to sign one over to my landlord to pay rent, and then what's left over just goes to overdraft. I swear, my life.

I do feel bad baout not spending more time posting here, but it's so hard to think up coherent things to say when it's past midnight and you have to be up early the next morning.... I've been trying, I really have.... but things are just irritating.

Love you all.