She gave her impulse to the dancing Hours

To winds that sweep, to stars that noiseless turn



This last week has been a whirlwind of wild events and hard work. I started by working 12 hour shifts on monday, tuesday, and wednesday last week to get friday off without using a vacation day. It's the way to go. Wednesday comes along and sure enough, there are 33 railcar samples ready to be taken, and 28 of those are for railcars on hold, waiting for the tests to run before they can be released. It's such an insane number since we can only do 3 tests per hour that it was mind boggling that they would even order that many railcars on hold. I was at work all the way till 7pm working my little tushie off.

I got Portal 2 on tuesday, which was awesome, and while I was at home I got to play some co-op with Justin and I linked my accounts and set it up so that I could start downloading it on my PC. The PC version is the one I really wanted, I may sell the PS3 version soon. Maybe sell it to Jake. I'm pretty pissed at him for flaking out on me this weekend.

Anyway, thursday rolls around, easy day at work, and then I get home, get to a semi late start after doing laundry and unhooking gaming equipment to take with me to the con since at that point it was looking like we'd have to populate the gaming room with all of our own stuff. Finally on the road, and this time with everything we intend to bring with us, tea, tea bags, game systems.. (the games were left behind tragically as I forgot to pack them). We got to Baton Rouge around about midnight and spent a little time chatting with Kevin, who introduced Sean and I to our first room mate, Shrek, who I informed would be playing Portal 2 with me for a few hours, mandatory. He did not seem to mind the required co-op hours before unconsciousness time hit.

Friday was the big day, woke up early, 6 am start, because I misunderstood Kevin. Sean did the waking up, we stood outside Kevin's door and chattered till Kevin greeted us, then work began. Went around having introductions made, getting to know the staff, etc, some faces from last year, some new ones for this year. I had two panels on friday, one of each of my origami panels and tea tasting panels. I think they went over quite well. I have enough teas that I can actually do 2 tea tasting panels and provide enough content to make them worthwhile to attend both and not just one.

They both went very well on friday. Around about lunch time I was off to get food on my own, no one else was free, or they had already eaten without me. I hate being surrounded by a crowd and feeling totally alone, so to fight the depression I went and ate at one of the nicest restaurants in the area, where I had a boneless duck served with an amazing okra and crayfish risotto. I was floored by how awesome the risotto was, and the duck was pretty delicious too, it was really convenient that it was de-boned. Evening time rolled around and I wasn't hungry enough to get dinner, I just hung around the hotel, the second night Evan and a lady friend of Evan and Sean's stayed with us in the hotel room. They all went swimming while I played online for a bit. Then we all just talked and goofed off till it was time to pass out.

Saturday was just as big as Friday, but with a little less effort on my part. I was running all over the place, and I was still trying to keep up with all my projects, and I hosted both my panels. The tea tasting panel was a success, but a smaller one because of the time of morning, and the origami panel was so packed full of people that I had to make an emergency paper run to have enough for the whole event to have paper to work with, but it didn't get there till after we'd had to resort to cut up printer paper. Oh well.

For lunch, I was again alone... I went to TJ's Ribs, and it was AMAZING. I mean, the ribs were just okay, I've had pretty similar bbq from the gas stations here in Texas, they were good, just.. nothing to really write home about, but the fried green tomatoes.... they were one of the best appetizers I've had in a long time. They were served in pairs with sauce sandwiched between them, with crab meat on top and drizzled with a balsamic reduction. I was in heaven. Then after that, and after more work back at home base, and more hanging out and music and relaxation, it was time for the VIP dinner. I wish I knew a little bit more about all the talent that was around us, because they all seem to be very cool people who were very enjoyable company. Not as cool as the guys I hung out with at the VIP dinner last year, but still pretty awesome, weirdly, this year, the guy I talked to the most at dinner was the MechaCon guy. Apparently our events head had taken a shine to him and he ended up.. everywhere after that. Hell, saturday night he was apparently recruited to bar tend the green room. It was a crazy night. Loved it all. He made some pretty decent strawberry mojitos despite being hindered by a lack of sugar available.

Sunday was nice and calm. No panels for me to attend. I went swimming, did some shopping, picked up some VERY cool stuff. Some of it I'd been wanting for a very long time, some of it I'd taken a fancy to while I was there, some of it was just pretty cool and I knew about it and saw it at the right price. All in all, it was a really nice day. Closing ceremonies, and then dinner for some of the guests and staff, and then home again, home again. Sean and I split the trip, it was a nice little drive. Thank goodness for Sean's driving. He is much better at going the speed limit than I am, and he stays awake easier after a good meal.

Downright incredible weekend. I am very much looking forward to a much more involved part in next years LA, and to the con as a whole.

Life needs more music.

And Seriously....

We'd Dumped a Body Together, and That Creates a Bond

It's been a good weekend. Worked at Chefs 2b both days, and found out that Chris was in town, and his brother Steve. Got to hang out with both of them, also got to spend time with my Dad and Marry Ellen. It was really wonderful getting to see them for a bit. Some things don't really need to be said out loud, but can be communicated in beautiful subtext... but in my case, the ingredients include music, strawberries, pizza, and flowers. You really can't go wrong with those ingredients.






Mix thoroughly, apply liberally. Be passionate about the results.

Sand and Strings

It is simply really beautiful outside today. It is hot, but... bearably so. Work with the door open and feel the breeze weather still. Working my way up to work with the door close and the A/C cranked up to high, and still have sweat on my skin hot that July and August are known for.

Kayla got really sick last night, and going to concerts by myself is no fun so I skipped the Coheed and Cambria concert. It was really a choice between going alone to a concert and listening to music while feeling that familiar sense of being alone in a crowd and listening to pandora at home. The music was less live, but no less fun because it was in the company of a good friend to chat with online. Miss Peabody was around and working on photoshop homework for a class, and we shared music. I got to see some of her work, and the progress and it was really great to see. Made me remember how fun photoshop is to goof around in. She even touched up one of my sunrise photos.

So much has been happening lately, I'm really just going to have to pass on updating about it. I'm looking forward to a good weekend. Today has been a lot of hard work, I had 20 railcars to sample and test, but they let are letting me go at 7pm with whatever I have gotten done, and I think I can finish up the better part of it.

George and Stacey bought me a gas/charcoal grill/smoker as a housewarming present, and I'll be picking it up on friday morning and assembling it! It is incredible, and I can't wait for the next time they make it through town for me to cook for them on it, for now, though, it will probably get used first to make some food for Mike when he is in town. I am planning on making some of my ribs with strawberry bbq sauce that are so delicious.

The days are counting down fast to Louisianime 3, going to be a busy busy week for me next week. Working double shifts to get friday off, studying for the panels I'm going to run... 2 tea panels, 2 origami panels. Hope I can really improve the flow of the tea panels so that I can heat the water myself with tools we have available in order to keep from serving tea that is tainted by coffee like we did last year, and is really damaging to the lighter teas.

Anywho... signing off. May post more later. May share music. May draw something tonight. No telling. Been energetic lately.

Sweet Night of the Bitter Kiss

Looking at this...



Feeling this...






He's got nothing on me, though.. all I can dream about are electric sheep.

Cry Out For Me, I'll Be There

Wanted to share this:



Was hearing this:



I refuse to be a serious man.

So Tie Me To A Post And Unblock My Ears

It's wonderful that you can buy trees at 1am, meet Tree, the new royal apricot tree to replace the sad and unhealthy looking tree in my front yard:


Tree came home three nights ago and has been stalking the back porch, sitting right outside the door, peering ominously in at everyone passing through the kitchen through the blinds in the night. This is more people than you might expect over the past few days. Shepard and Cymeron have been staying in the guest room till they get their apartment together, and I guess Caius technically counts as a person. Technically. Sadly everyone was a little too bothered by Tree peering in lustfully at them to take any pictures, the dual voyeurism was just too uncanny, so there is no photographic evidence of this. But, believe me. Tree was there.

After several days of stalking the porch the day came when I was home and my dad hadn't left for work yet, and so I was able to swing by and borrow his shovel, hedge clippers, and hack saw.

Not sure there are any pics of the live oak that previously resided in my front yard, but I can inform you that it was more than twice as tall as it remains, and all that extra top was absolutely dead. The first part of my job involved sawing off the top and clipping it to bits till it fit in the trash bin. Then, digging it up out of the ground, which proved much easier than previously expected, it popped right out with some solid muscle work after loosening the dirt around the edges.

Here Tree stands next to his new hole, where he will no longer be able to spy on people who are thirsty in the night, and his predecessor on the left:


And after careful mixing of dirt and top soil and getting just the right height and building up a mound, and lastly covering it with mulch all the way out to the rim of the hole, Tree(that is Tree's proper name, BTW, so everyone is aware who I am referring to when I say that I am watering Tree, or that I have just been out to have a brief conversation with Tree) sits in its new home:


Tree is a self fertilizing apricot tree, and so you will find that the gender neutral "it" is the proper pronoun to reference Tree's freakish asexual nature.I have promised to be nice to Tree, regardless of its freakish and unnatural sexual tendencies in exchange for delicious fresh fruit.



Oh, and fresh home grown strawberries:


And the carpet of flowers covering my backyard:


The iced tea is less photogenic, plus, I didn't want to stop drinking it to take the picture.

"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration" - Ansel Adams.

Because adventure. Life is an adventure.