shroud ourselves in the cosmos; let the music play

From yesterday:
things that MUST happen tomorrow:
- call ucpd and schedule fingerprinting/background check, preferably for FRIDAY, EARLYISH because I have to turn materials in to the school of ed on Friday. Scheduled for Tuesday and I'll just have to plead my case to the School of Ed Office of Student Services -- well i was planning to do it earlier this week but then i was really really sick and after i was able to leave the house again, the next available appointment was on tuesday... *pout*
- find online form for fingerprinting/background check, fill in applicable fields
- figure out APLE application business, fill out appropriate forms.
- call mum re: rent money, necessity or lack thereof of funds transfer?

New To-Do-Tomorrow-Or-Else List:
- fill out live scan paperwork
- figure out APLE shit
- make pilgrimage to Sch of Ed OSS & turn shit in
- OMG PROJECT. Because guess what didn't get done today, either? !!! :D
- call student's mom re: scheduling lesson for Sunday (or not. I might beg off. sorry i can't teach your daughter how to play bassoon today, i am sick. *pout*)
- to Petsmart for kibble
- to Rite Aid for drugs. and maybe also chips. because I'm out of chips and that sucks.
- to Aah's for pith helmet? I'm probably not going to do anything Saturday night because I'm sick, even if I am starting to feel better, but that doesn't make me want a pith helmet any less. *sigh* I guess dinosaur tamer costume must wait another year...

Aaaaand I had a whole shitload of music worked up for my lesson last week, but it turned into hammering scales and then therapy, so I didn't get to play any of it for my teacher. And then I forget whether I practised very much last week but I suspect not that much? Maybe some. Except then I was sick and missed this week's lesson, and this week I have been sick and have not practised at all, except last night so my fingers could re-learn Mahler, and now there will be lessons on Monday again and I no longer have things worked up. Fie.

Also, being sick apparently interferes with my ability to access my vocabulary? The word I was grasping at yesterday when I was babbling about "upper harmonics" was in fact overtones. And it's still hard to tune if you can't hear your own overtones, btw. Also, tonight after the concert, I was blowing water out of the contra and my ear popped. It hurt a little, and seems like not a good sign. I might also stop at student health to see whether the antibiotics did their job.

But in other news, know what's tasty? Chai tea with Kahlua in.

With... well, just me, really. No Jimmy Fallon, no Tina Fey, no Amy Poehler, sorry. (Can you tell from that list when I have watched SNL?)

FIRST!! I have seen NO FLEAS for the past few days. VICTORY IS MINE, Y/Y???

I cooked a lot this weekend! and by 'a lot' I actually mean that I made Rice-A-Roni (but hey, at least it's on the stove and not in the microwave, yes?), I steamed broccoli (this time in the microwave, but it was fresh broccoli), I baked cheese bread (this link goes to copperbadge's recipe, because he is brilliant. I used havarti, smoked provolone, and asiago as my cheeses. I had too much salt in the herb mix, and next time I'm definitely switching the oregano for rosemary because I don't particularly like oregano, and I left it in the oven slightly too long, but the bread came out a lot fluffier than the first time I tried it (with p'tit basque and asiago) which was lovely, and anyway, my brother liked it), and I made crepes (filled with Nutella, pear slices, and peach slices. whipped my own cream, too! whipping cream + sweet vermouth (which was admittedly a little strange) + a splash of almond extract + a heaping spoonful of sugar when that wasn't sweet enough + LOTS OF ELBOW GREASE EH because I don't have an electric hand mixer and couldn't be fucked to get down the stand mixer and dirty yet another bowl okay?) for breakfast today. Plus I made myself a martini last night, and mixing is almost like cooking, yes? (I needed to finish the old gin because I bought new gin and had to justify it. don't judge me okay??)

btw, for those of you who don't know, a martini is this:
in a shaker: ice, gin (I like Bombay Sapphire but I'm too posh for my own good), "fond memories of vermouth" (I actually use a liberal splash, but I love that quote. Who said that?). And everyone says "stir, don't shake, you'll bruise the gin!" but I can't be arsed really so I stick the top on and I turn it over once or twice and then I strain into a glass (a cocktail glass, properly, but we have no cocktail glasses (they were Roomie's -- man I should get my ass some cocktail glasses, and some wine glasses) so thus far at the new apartment I have strained martinis into margarita glasses and, last night, into a coffee mug because I desperately didn't want to make even more washing up for myself after doing the washing up, then cooking, then washing up again). Garnish with olives impaled on a cocktail sword or something, I generally stick two onto a toothpick and call it a fucking night. Or if you're posh and you don't fancy olives you could garnish with a twist (of lemon peel), but honestly, who wants to make a goddamn twist? Plus I like olives.

I didn't used to like olives. Funny. I wonder when it changed?

Anyway. I had myself a bit of a Torchwood marathon this weekend, in between cooking and washing up and going to the market and attending a family function. I had stopped in the middle of the first series before Children of Earth aired in July, and now I've finished that and gotten about half-way through the second series, which is considerably less mockable than the first series. (Not mock-proof, note. Just less mockable.) And I kept getting ideas for shit, and jotting them down in my "fragments" file. So I might start writing again, god save me. Fanfiction.

No, I'm not sure I mean that the way it came out. Many good fanfiction authors are very much Good Authors In General, or at least have the potential to be should they every quit their day jobs. And it's not shameful, to have ideas and create things inspired by something you're into. It's not inferior to original fiction, but it has that social stigma, like pretty much every aspect of fandom. And I'm done denying who I am, right? I'm embracing the things that make me who I am, especially the geekery, so you know what? I am an avid reader of fanfiction. And I have been a writer of fanfiction, and I may become one again.

It's kind of crazy that Torchwood has gotten so much under my skin. I love it on a campy sci-fi level, and a Gays On TV! level, and an Actors Are Attractive People level, and a caring-about-characters level, and a fandom-makes-awesome-things level (fic, art, vids, icons) -- but then there's also the meta things: I like to read what other fans think about episodes, characterisation, themes and messages, and other fans' ideas. And I have had a lot to think about because of fandom, and because of the way I personally react to this show. It's led me to define and articulate what I think about love, what I think about relationships, and it (and even more so Doctor Who) has reminded me to appreciate the wonder of the world and the people around me. I don't think I was this consumed by Animorphs, or X-Men, or Harry Potter, or even Lord of the Rings. None of those have been so... thinky for me. Well. LotR got pretty scholarly-thinky, but not as personal-thinky. V for Vendetta and its message about integrity (Valerie, anyone?) was a step on this path, but it was nowhere near the level of personal growth Torchwood has triggered. And yet, it's a plot-holey, bad-sciencey, , campy, darker-edgier-sexier spinoff of a show that I didn't even properly watch before Torchwood sank its teeth into me. How can it have become such a phenomenon in my life?

It's very smoky in my area tonight.

The kitties were roughhousing on my bed earlier, but now they're just chilling. Baxter definitely jumped face-first into the wall a couple times, though. Uh.

Ducky (formerly Dizzy, formerly Maybe-Vasco-Maybe-Quantum) likes to sleep in the crevice that my bed makes against the wall. I guess it's probably because my apartment is hot and the wall is cold? But it worries me when I accidentally bump him or put a limp partially on top of him and he makes no complaint. What if I roll onto him in the night or something?

This morning I woke up and the kitties were curled up on either side of me, dozing and purring. It was brilliant.

I really need to practise tomorrow. I haven't since the last time I said I needed to practise. Oops.

OMG SO while driving with my family to day I heard both "Uprising" AND "Knights of Cydonia." SO. PUMPED. I was practically headbanging, with my mum and brother in the car. Honestly? Muse might be all I really need from pop music.

God I've been so tired today, and yet I've been typing this entry for nearly an hour. Priorities much? Gah.

The other day...

Flatmate: Hey, do you have white wine?

Me: (cautiously) Yeah...

Flatmate: Can I take it to Boyfriend's?

Me: (internally) FUCK NO. It was $10 and I am saving it for the next time I feel fancy.
(out loud) Is this for drinking, or cooking?

Flatmate: Cooking. But it's all the same, right?

Me: It's a dessert wine, it would be too sweet for cooking.
(internally) And you are NOT cooking with my $10 Moscato. Get your own damn wine. You drink Two-Buck Chuck, right?

Flatmate: ... Oh.

-- I mean. Seriously? Who does she think she is? Plus we are SURROUNDED by markets -- Rite-Aid and Ralph's across the street, Albertson's and TJ's right by her bf's place -- all four of which carry white wine, particularly for someone whose tastes are not so... discriminating.

Feh.

In other news, yesterday morning I cut my foot on a shard of glass in the kitchen from when she dropped that other bottle of wine a few weeks ago (Charles Shaw Chardonnay, which ironically would have been perfect for her culinary needs), and this morning I found another shard. How have these escaped notice for so long, and why are they turning up now? Additionally, how did she miss them in the initial clean-up? Because somehow they came to be in the middle of the floor and things that are in the middle of the floor tend to be kind of obvious. I'm no Domestic Goddess -- far from it -- but how can Flatmate fail so hard?

Yesterday she unsubtly hinted that I should mop the kitchen floor (which I do not spill things on btw, whereas she does not even pick up obvious things she has dropped, like that almond this morning, I mean, what?).

The next time she mentions something about how the dishwasher smells, I'm telling her exactly why.

MOVING DAY TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D


omg I am so happy with the new place I cannot even TELL you

If you're in So Cal you MUST come to the housewarming party
it will be after the 4th b/c Flatmate will be out of town
OMG OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG


I might be rather drunk. I made a (really strong with brandy instead of bourbon but there was too much vermouth so then I added moar brandy oops) manhattan and I've nearly finished it and oops, we're trying to finish the rum and the absinthe-flavoured vodka, not the brandy or the vermouth. haha.

UHM so I took a carload of stuff over this evening and the FRIDGE makes me smile b/c there was a cold water bottle in it and we have so much food to move possibly tonight and oh i should make a bag of booze to go with the FIVE bags of dry food (and prospective two bags of fridge food????) cos Flatmate prolly wants to move the food tonight O I HOPE SHE DOESN'T MIND THAT I'M DRUNK OOPS

yay livejournal.

<3

omg i want a ROomba SO BAD because fuck it's a ROBOT and it VACUUMS YOUR HOUSE and i hope that chick from craigslist says I can go get it tomorrow! I WANT A ROOMBA THEY'RE FUCKING ADORABLE

I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO SAY BUT I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS BECAUSE I AM SMASHED.

OKAY ILU FLIST GOODNIGHT

I don't know why I am still awake, but I feel like the minutes are stretching. It seems like at least an hour ago when I glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen and it was after three and I thought, "Oh, no, I need to sleep." No joke, I honestly expected it to be after four when I checked the time just now. It definitely feels like an appropriate number of hours since I got home around 12:30. Why, then, do the smaller intervals seems so large?

In other news, I hope you kids all had a happy Pi Day! I did! Roomie and I went to a laundromat and did laundry ( ... aaaaaaaand tl;dr... ) I may have had apple pie and a donut for breakfast this morning. It was all in the "all circular, all the time!" spirit of the holiday, though!

For serious, it is now 4:40 and I really shouldn't be awake because we have Orchestra Concert.2 this evening (Tchaik Piano Concerto & Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet -- I like to think of the program as, "All Russia, All The Time!" or "From Russia With Love," but the posters say, "Philharmonia Date Night " (which is pretty damn cute i must admit) and "Music for Lovers" (which is less interesting)) and it's going to be on the radio (AM radio :c but country music ate KMozart :C) so I can't muck it up and also I am driving people and also on Monday my quintet has an 8 am gig so I'll have to get up Bloody Early and I don't really want my sleep schedule to be fuxed... but, oh god, it's so early now, what have I done???

p.s. run-on sentences FTL :c

First, mild dissatisfaction: gin apparently hasn't been in vogue for so long that when I order gin cocktails, I mostly get asked -- BY THE BARTENDER -- "What's in that?" Which is both awkward and stressful, because honestly, I'm only familiar enough with most of these to remember either the name or the ingredients and usually not both. I got this reaction when I asked for a White Lady and a Gin Fizz. The White Lady I explained as "a sidecar, but with gin," which is true. (It went on the bill as a sidecar.) The Gin Fizz, the bartender was all, "So... gin and... lemon and soda water?" and I was like, "Uh. Yes." and it probably would have been much tastier had I remembered the sugar. *sigh*

Second, a discovery: Martinis are essentially gin-flavoured, unless you get a dirty martini in which case it's olive-flavoured. And while I like gin and I like the flavour of gin, I prefer my cocktails to taste like booze+stuff and not just be booze-flavoured. So, martinis and manhattans (which are essentially whiskey-flavoured) are pretty much out for the forseeable future. Which makes me sad because they're so old-and-classy (my delusion being that I enjoy middle-aged-man cocktails). Eh. G&T is also old-and-classy, and less booze-flavoured.