Because the world is spinning off its axis

I love Thanksgiving.

In part because I love to cook and have people over to eat. Another part of it is that its a time for reflection as I reassess the past year and think about the things that have happened in the past year and the changes I've made for better or worse.

So for everyone who is preparing food, enjoying their time to themselves, traveling to be with family and friends and making the most of today...I say thanks. Because whether virtual or real life you are the friends I turn to.

I'm starting to get a little worried about the lappy top of doom. http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa131/TigerBlak/pinklaptop.jpg

I've been playing the waiting game with my new laptop since I ordered it. I know that I don't really have a reason to be ranting, but I'm a victim of instant gratification and I'll rant if I want to. According to D(H)ell, the laptop isn't scheduled to ship until Thursday, I got free upgraded overnight shipping which I tested out with the monitor of doom so I know that if they say overnight, they mean it. So that's fine and good, but why is that my co-worker who ordered a desktop got her computer in three days (and to add salt in the wound she placed the order on a Sunday), why did another co-worker order hers two weeks before I did only to have it show up in a week? I'm even more anxious about it because I've been reading the direct to d(h)ell blog and all is not well. People who've ordered their laptops well before me (meaning June or early July) are still waiting, have been charged for their laptops and are having orders cancelled witout their knowledge.

I'm hell on customer service, because I work in customer service and I believe in trying to at least answer the questions of the customer or trying to find out those answers. What I'm seeing from D(H)ell isn't exactly encouraging. It makes me believe that I'm going to be opening up my can of customer whoopass on some unsuspecting customer service rep on Friday. However, I'll try the quiet and peaceful approach first before I decide that I'm not going to take being put off anymore.

D(H)ell you're on notice. 4 days until Laptopmageddon.

I'm official line wrangler tonight for the midnight opening at my bookstore, but I need some trivia to ask the waiting throngs of people.  So give me what you've got.   Obscure book questions (and answers), interesting factoids about the movie characters, tidbits from various and sundry interviews with JKRowling herself.  Any and all info is welcome.

Okay, well it had already begun, but for me its the real countdown. 

I leave my regular job in 3 hours, I've got my HP night t-shirt, I've got my jeans on, I've got my makeup in my bag and I've got my brownies in hand.  I will be working tonight, reading after that and then sleeping. 

I'm so excited.  I've managed to avoid spoilers and the like so a few more hours and I will be in full DH mode.

And I even crafted a handy dandy t-shirt for HP Night at the Barn. All of the images come from potterpuffs, but I gave a big line of credit for it.

I love great restaurants. 

However, while I don't read the restaurant reviews its something I imagine my inner foodie would do well at.  Unfortunately, when I read things like this and I have to wonder has the food world gone to hell in a bread basket.  I mean is this article serious.  Suing a food critic for giving his opinion?     By their very nature a restaurant review is the ultimate in Op/Ed pieces.  A person who writes about restaurants from a purely personal point of view.  They become the everyday guy, who wants to go out and have good food, better wine and great service.  They do the test run for us, but in the end its still their opinion.  Each person who reads the article is responsible for how they interpret it.  If they've been to the restaurant before with great results and the review is bad, they may think that another trip is warranted to prove either themselves or the critic wrong, if they've never been and the review is good then they will go to see if such an experience can be had.  The fact that this restaurant chose to take offense at a bad review, just shows how thing their skin (unlike their cuts of beef they purport to have) is thin.  Get over the fact that you had a bad review and work on either clarifying your menu (since steak frites isn't Strip steak), or finding a better vendor to buy your meat from.

But this really comes down to one thing: The legal system...once again putting a bad taste in my mouth.

Tonight was made of win.  I went to the Kennedy Center in DC and saw this.   Can I just say that  the people who came up with the concept of using a full orchestra to redo the music of video games should be my new best friend.  It was great!  It was astounding...it was video games, the way they should be played?  Between watching people vie for a laptop by playing frogger, to holding up my cell phone (instead of a lighter which is not permitted at the Kennedy Center), I can truly say this Saturday night, was well worth the price of admission...even in the nosebleed section.

I've joined a lot of comms here on lj, but this is the first comm I've joined that made me feel like part of the consumer process. 

notmadein_china is a Comm for finding products that aren't made in the PRC.  isabeau_gower and ninjaburgermngr along with myself will be posting the names of companies that sell products that meet this criteria.  Its improved the way I shop for products for both myself and for friends and if you like, feel free to join the cause and add your own links to the page.  Posting is moderated and you have to join to be able to post.

dropped off Hakkai and Gojyo around noon, and then finished a five hour drive to NoVA 8 1/2 hours later.  For our next trick, we will attempt to eat some dinner, deflate swollen ankles and entreat forgiveness from cats.  More posting later.

tigerblak: There needs to be a fic where Sirius Black takes on Sirius radio and has Remus with him.

nekojita: no wait!  Lets have a legend where 1 million fans believe in him he will come back.

isabeau_gower: I want to henceforth be known as the StayPuft Marshmallow Bitch.

cherrybomb23z : Refus and Rero. Weiszz Fantasy and Final Kreuz. (this concept is copyrighted and spoken for by cherrybomb23z and Associates)

Edit:

nekojita: Reno's not a slut, he just believes in interpersonal relations.
isabeau_gower: Wrong, he believes in intergenetalia relations.

Well its that time of year again.  The road trip has been done, the fangirling has begun, and I've got more pictures of women behaving badly...


Let's just say that the weekends off to a good start.

Well, I'm off again...or rather I was off again yesterday and now I've reached my destination.  The lovely isabeau_gower, nekojita, and cherrybomb23z tripped the light fantastic from the DC area ( isabeau_gowerand me) to Pittsburg and then to wild and windyful Wisconsin.  4 women + 1 huge van + 10 hours in said van = road trip!  All to surprise !  Picspam below.

Okay, I've got two new journals that I'm going to be testing out until I find a permanent home (or just a place to back up my fic in case LJ goes titsup again). 

GreatestJournal

InsaneJournal


Friend me there, or let me know who you are and I'll do it myself.

So I'm here. Moved over from LJ, but not permanently. I will however begin the subtle shift of my things over here, and I will mirror with LJ and GJ (where I have the same name). So if you know me in the fandom feel free to friend me...or whatever they say you should do over here at IJ.

I will not be getting a paid account...instead my fundage shall go here.




http://www.GlitterMaker.com/ - Glitter Graphics - MySpace Layouts - donate car

http://www.GlitterMaker.com/ - Glitter Graphics - MySpace Layouts - search engine placement

Loves new icon.  Flashes it at threegoldfish.

It looks like we've got ourselves a troll joining the HP fandom ladies and gents.  And according to kingdoms_eye, they're just "looking".   Well, I plan to cast a particularly interesting eye in their direction as well.

In the aftermath of Strikeout 2007, I have to say that you guys, be you my flist or others in the fandom I haven not friended (yet), show me that the world has not gone to hell in a handbasket (like LJ tried to do).  In what I sometimes feel is a world filled with apathy and dog eat dog, it was great to see fandoms and writiers and just people from all over the globe (literally) band together and tell the big wigs of corporate America (read Six Apart and LJ) that we weren't going to take this lying down.  I watched friendships be formed, groups mobilize and I've see people come to the forefront where they had once lurked in the background.  Like I said,  Long Live Fandom, but more importantly thank you for taking a stand.

This is fandom, my fandom and you guys are great!

Long live...

FANDOM!!!