| Tagging and skimming the journal |
[Jul. 18th, 2009|03:37 pm] |
I've decided to undertake a Herculean effort and consolidate my existing tags and then go back and tag my old entries. Consolidating the tags took several hours. Tagging old entries will take days if not weeks.
So far, I've gone through the year 2002, and I'm up to April of 2003.
I have never, EVER reread my LiveJournal. Does anybody on my flist do any rereading? Because it's really weird for me to look back and read the 2002 version of me. That version, Ginia.2002, seems like half a stranger to me now. I'm still pretty darn bubbly as a person, but Ginia.2002 was out of control bubbly. She seems to me to have been a lot more energetic and wild than I am now, mostly living in a state of self-sustaining joy, but occasionally showing some pretty low lows.
I can't believe the number of times I talked about pizza of all things. I was obsessed!
Going back, I've also found some mentions of my dad, some of which are very amusing and several of which I'd forgotten about entirely. It's been six and a half months since his death now, and...well, I'm just really glad I found those entries.
Somewhat similarly, I'm finding several mentions of people I used to be very close to but for one reason or other I'm no longer in contact with. Those long-forgotten details are really nice to find and reminisce over as well.
I think I can honestly say I've done a lot of growing as a human being. |
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| Cooking with squash! |
[Jul. 17th, 2009|07:59 pm] |
So my co-worker Heidi is having lots of fun with her garden and growing things, and she gave me a summer squash to try out.
I tried to do a Squash Chips recipe. (Specifically, this one: Squash Chips. Don't bother with it, though.) I really liked the idea, but it didn't work out. The chips just didn't firm up, and the result was edible but not enjoyable.
Heidi kindly gave me two more squash to have my way with. I changed things around based on my first failed attempt. I thickened the slices, added more seasonings, etc. VOILA! I have delicious squash wheels.
Summer Squash Wheels
2 summer squash, sliced into 1/2-inch wheels
1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil
1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 225˚. In a medium-size bowl, drizzle the olive oil over the squash wheels and stir. Then mix in all the seasonings and stir again.
2. Place seasoned squash wheels on baking tray. (If you see any bare yellow squash without green spots, feel free to sprinkle on a little more basil/oregano to give it green spots.) Bake for 45-50 minutes.
3. Pull out tray and turn squash wheels over. Bake another 25-30 minutes.
4. Pull out tray. (Theoretically, you could eat the wheels now, but they won’t be tasty!) Turn oven heat up to broiling, with a rack high placed close to the heat source.
5. Put the tray back in and broil for 2-3 minutes. Wheels should have some brown flaking spots. Stay attentive so they don’t burn.
6. Pull out tray. Turn squash wheels over. Broil for another 1 minute so that the other side of the wheel has the brown spots/edging. Enjoy!
I really did mean to take a picture when the tray was full of finished squash. However, I nommed a few before I could get to the camera. *^_^* |
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| We're Being Researched O.O |
[Jul. 16th, 2009|05:45 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  thoughtful | ] |
So, I noticed in a recent LJ news announcement that we, the LJ community, have been researched. Yes, that's right, someone's trying to figure out what makes us tick, and how LJ is different from other social networks.
If you're interested in the report, you can find it here: The report by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) alice_marwick.
I read the report. I think that there's just one really, really important thing that alice_marwick didn't mention: We have been known to go beyond passionate and get downright rabid. (Need I mention Strikethrough '07?)
I don't know. I read the report and its talk about our passion for LJ and I think, "okay, that's obvious." But maybe it isn't to an outsider. I mean, there are people who love Facebook and other social networking sites, but do they get passionate about them? I admit, I've been away from LJ for a long time, but I needed the break, and now I'm suddenly back on LJ and all over it like a cat on a sun patch. I love my LJ. Facebook, on the other hand, is just a handy tool to me and destined to remain so.
Also, I find there's a lot of stupid stuff on Facebook that I would never encounter in LJ. (No, I am not going to become a fan of "hating mosquitos" or "turning the pillow to the cool side." WTF?)
The research document does capture the "bring on the strangers!" attitude that almost all of us share.
Anyway, back on track. The main point she researcher made is that we're passionate. So maybe the passion thing is special. I still think the rabidness needed to be mentioned. |
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| Free music |
[Jul. 15th, 2009|11:33 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | music | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | audio joyland | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Fireflies -- by Owl City | ] |
I am digging on this song SO hard.
I've recently started doing the iTunes thing a lot more. Well, yes, that makes sense since I acquired an iPod touch. Well, one of the things I'm doing is keeping an eye on the free music offerings each week.
Free this week is Fireflies by Owl City. It just plain and simply makes me HAPPY. It's gently, quietly joyful.
Favorite lyric: "I get a thousand hugs from ten-thousand lightning bugs as they try to teach me how to dance." |
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| Fun with voice actor identification |
[Jul. 14th, 2009|05:48 pm] |
You know you're otaku when it takes only four lines from a newly introduced character for you to recognize the voice actor who played a lead role in another anime.
Case in point: Ling from FMA Brotherhood is also Tamaki Suou from Ouran High School Host Club.
Nailed it right away. LOL Now, if you don't mind, I'm returning to the episode at hand. |
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| Literary musings |
[Jul. 12th, 2009|09:01 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | reading | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  calm | ] |
Okay, I finished with The Island of Dr. Moreau. I get to read something lighthearted and silly next.
I don't think I'll be reading more of Wells. The book was slow to get ramped up, and I felt that it didn't get really good until the last third. I found his descriptions to be very repetitive, particularly at the beginning. I also encountered contradictions that pulled me out of the story and made me wrinkle my nose, such as, toward the end, "They were reverting, and reverting very rapidly," which was followed closely on the next page with "The change was slow and inevitable."
Hello. Rapid or slow - pick one and stick to it. |
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| Feeding the beast |
[Jul. 12th, 2009|01:09 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | comic | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  hungry | ] |
Oooh, definitely having a good day so far. I just discovered that Youkai Yume on DeviantArt is going to be continuing Willow for certain. It was a short comic, and the story was a perfect teaser that just left me squirming for more. Here's the Willow archive if anyone's interested: http://youkaiyume.deviantart.com/gallery/#WiLLOW.
I'm very story hungry right now. I'm searching desperately for something gripping to sink my teeth into. I've been rereading some old favorites from various authors to try to satisfy the story beast in my soul, but the monster is just a greedy little glutton and wants new stuff and lots of it. |
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| LJ home page breakdown! LOL |
[Jul. 8th, 2009|05:58 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | wtf | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | amused | ] |
What the heck was that?
Somebody temporarily broke the LJ home page. It lasted about a minute from what I can tell. And I caught it on screen capture! Mwahaha.
WTF? I really wonder what the heck occurred behind the scenes to make that happen. |
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| Did I really have to do all that for a THUMBNAIL? |
[Jul. 7th, 2009|09:57 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | writing | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | hungry | ] |
Well, I've been sketching my little heart out since yesterday in order to create a thumbnail image for my recent short story. I sketched it biggie-sized knowing that I'd be filling it in with colored pencil, and shrinking a colored-pencil image really sharpens things up. Sizing down a larger image also hides a multitude of artistic mishaps. I'm pretty happy with what I've come up with.
I'm hungry. I skipped dinner in favor of coloring my sketch. o.O
This is just a THUMBNAIL IMAGE. Why did I have to go to such lengths for a thumbnail? Oh, that's right, I'm a slave to my fiction. Woops, silly me for forgetting.
*skuttles off to find food* |
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| What I'm up to lately |
[Jul. 5th, 2009|11:58 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
*checks e-mail*
*goes about business, watches anime, does some cleaning*
*checks e-mail...nope, still nothing*
*chews nails a bit*
*checks e-mail again*
*shoots some fireworks with neighbors*
*checks e-mail...chews nails, refreshes, checks again*
*FLAIL*
*pause*
*checks e-mail*
I really ought to write a full LJ post. I keep meaning to...hold on just a second....
*checks e-mail* |
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| The weekend so far |
[Jul. 4th, 2009|01:53 pm] |
Irony is having a good hair day and no place to go.
I just finished a copy edit for 2metaldog, so part of my goal for the weekend is accomplished. Next up is redoing the opening scene in one of my own fics, which I've figured out how to fix thanks to a little return help from 2metaldog. :)
Are all the Americans on my flist having a good 4th today? Man, I have to say, last night was LOUD. Lotsa fireworks going on here in Indiana. The scents of smoke and gun powder drifted in through my windows, and the BOOM-POP-WHIZ sounds came from all directions around the neighborhood. If the rain clears up this evening, I bet tonight is going to be even louder. |
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| LONG WEEKEND!! HUZZAH! |
[Jul. 2nd, 2009|09:24 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  determined | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Do You Want To -- Franz Ferdinand | ] |
I'm ready for you, weekend! *rolls up sleeves* BRING IT ON!!
*looks at the iTunes gift certificate money dwindling* Dangit. Maybe I'm not ready.
Anyway, I'm keeping my social plans to an absolute bare minimum, and I'm going to focus on three things: household chores, editing, and writing.
Seriously, I'm planning to kick ass this weekend, and if I don't, I'm going to kick my OWN ass come Sunday evening. |
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| The mysterious ways things balance out in my life |
[Jun. 29th, 2009|05:05 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | karma | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | impressed | ] |
I really believe that there's order and balance to the universe that the human mind cannot comprehend. However, sometimes the balance shows up in smaller, more obvious ways that regular folks can catch on to.
For instance, in the past week, I...
...got a free iPod touch (8GB) thanks to a college friend buying a MacBook. (Hoorah for Apple promotions!)
...received an unexpected $25 gift check for Wiley VIP volunteer duties for the past three years.
...called in my credit card rewards money, so I’m now expecting a $66 check.
...was charged about $330 for some necessary car part replacements.
Well, it all pretty much evened out in the wash, didn’t it? |
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| Rediscovering an old friend |
[Mar. 29th, 2009|10:44 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | happy | ] |
I went to Chicago for an overnight trip this weekend. I stayed with some cousins. The main spur for this trip was to see an old college friend, Brenda, who was starring in a play. I had a great trip, and my friend did a fantastic job in her role. After the play, two of my cousins and I went with Brenda and her husband to a local restaurant, and I got a chance to catch up with Brenda. Actually, the whole group had very lively conversations.
It was really wonderful to get to talk with Brenda again. She was always a particularly important, well, frankly, senpai to me. (There's no perfect word for it in English, I'm afraid.) It was so easy to talk to her, just like it's always been. And she's working very hard at her life and acting career, and I can't help but feel delighted with her success.
I'd lost touch with her years ago, after she graduated. I found her again through Facebook. Gotta love that Facebook.
This has been a particularly nice weekend. ^_^ |
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| Life is good. |
[Mar. 8th, 2009|08:03 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | friends | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | happy | ] |
I saw a play, The Ladies Man, Friday night and hung out with Lauren and sharkynell afterward. Thank you to sharkynell for the comp tickets!
I bought some great anime at 50% off last night (WOO!) with kuroneko7727, while laughing our fool heads off about the GPS taking us through backroads and over a one-lane bridge. Then she and her boyfriend took me out to Thai Orchid, which was absolutely scrumptious.
And today I'm going to go and visit my darling cutechinchilla.
My weekend could not get any better than this. |
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| More Spore |
[Mar. 4th, 2009|11:20 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | spore | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | anxious | ] |
Ugh. Figuring out Civilization Stage was a bear. More instructions, plskthx.
*glances at the clock* HOLY SHIT, IT'S 11:30!! |
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| Herbivore or carnivore? |
[Mar. 2nd, 2009|10:36 pm] |
Cannot update LJ. MUST PLAY SPORE. There is only SPORE.
First Facebook last week, now Spore this week. I can't take this. x.x No more new addictions, plskthx.
I...may have stayed up ridiculously late last night. I'm going to try not to do that again tonight. Try. Try. Try. |
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| An Ash Wednesday Confession |
[Feb. 25th, 2009|10:16 pm] |
How about I just admit that I've completely failed at LJ for the past year or so and then start over from there?
Would that work? Maybe?
I think what I need to do is get rid of my communities. They clog my flist so I have to weed through it to get to the people I care about. If they're doing more harm than good, I should get rid of the communities.
Or, you know, start using fsking filters. LOL
P.S. I joined Facebook. I am so, so doomed. |
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| Movies with Mom |
[Jan. 31st, 2009|11:03 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | movies | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | amused | ] |
I'm at home in Fort Wayne to spend some time with Mom and make sure she's doing well.
This afternoon, we went to the theater to see Slumdog Millionaire. (BTW, it's a must-see movie. I turned to Mom after it and said, "Now that's what a movie should be.")
This evening, we sat down and watched my Netflix rental, 27 Dresses.
The combination of those two movies is not entirely unlike eating a grade-A steak and then following it immediately with the most sugary eclair on the face of the Earth. |
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| SNOW DAY |
[Jan. 28th, 2009|08:08 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | snow | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | happy | ] |
I got the day off work. XD I helped out with the shoveling a bit in the morning, and I played around in the snow with my neighbors, Zach and Erin. It was an absolute blast. I felt like a little kid.
We got over a foot of snow. Zowie.
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accomplished