Kitanzi's Colloquium

Ringing the changes

kitanzi — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 03:58:37 GMT

2012 was The Year of Waiting, getting all of our ducks in a row to move from GA to WA, with a huge drain on money, energy, spoons, and resources in general. 2013 was the year that paid it all off, but it was also a year of even more changes than expected - new friendships, changes in old friendships, an unexpected renewal of family relationships, medical changes that may have far reaching effects, two moves, and two changes of job (winding up back where I started from, for employment, much to my delighted surprise!) 2014 is poised to start much better than either, and I mean to go on as I begin.

May your new year be better than your old in every way, and may you have no regrets. I don't think you can ask any more of a year than that.

some things just stick with you, I guess...

kitanzi — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 14:20:30 GMT

A little over a decade in Georgia, and I can still recognize the sound of a snowplow when I hear one pass by... looks like Seattle just got it's first bit of snow since we got here, though I doubt it will last the day.

My life.

kitanzi — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 01:07:17 GMT

My husband is playing The Cover of the Rolling Stone.... on the kazooo.
This is my life. This is our home.
Wouldn't trade it.

We're doing a study.

kitanzi — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 16:45:25 GMT

Do you glom? We'd like to know about your glomming habits.

No, context would not actually make this make any more sense.

GAFilk 2014 Songbook (Acquiring a print copy) - signal boost!

kitanzi — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 03:42:58 GMT

Originally posted by quadrivium at GAFilk 2014 Songbook (Acquiring a print copy)

Quoting, Teresa Powell, "Hear Ye, Hear Ye! For a limited time, printed versions of the GAFilk Songbook can be pre-ordered at our website. They are $5, must be ordered by December 21st, and you must have a regular or supporting membership to qualify:
http://gafilk.org/registration.html"

Remember, also, that membership prices go up on December 1st when we announce the Super Secret Guest. Who would that be? Can't tell you, it's Super Secret, but you really do want to be there!

Heads up - buy Parasite, but check for missing pages!

kitanzi — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 00:05:11 GMT

I've been reading Parasite, Mira Grant's new novel, and really enjoying it. The only problem is that my copy is missing pages 91 through 122. Barnes and Noble confirmed they are perfectly willing to replace it (I called to give them a heads up, in case they have other copies with the same problem) but has anyone else found this flaw in their copy?

fake sushi? sushi cookies?

kitanzi — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 03:16:16 GMT

I don't know what you'd call them, but a random conversation with a friend now has me sparking ideas on how to make faux-sushi with rice krispie treats as the base. I'm thinking press it down in a sheet over wax paper, lay out dried fruit or fruit rollups or even licorice¹ on the edge, and then roll it up, like a sushi roll, chill it and slice it into rounds. Surely someone somewhere has already thought of this?

¹.... or frosting, or taffy, or caramel, or chocolate shavings, or the chocolate-and-liquer flavored cream cheese I use for truffles, or...²

².... or chopped nuts, or more rice krispy base with other flavors added and molded into sticks, or jellybeans carefully placed so you cut through their middles for a stained glass sort of effect.... um, right. Stopping now.³

³ I lied. You could roll the outsides in cinnamon sugar, or pumpkin pie sugar (just mix pumpkin pie spice into sugar), or vanilla sugar, or cocoa powder, or coconut or crushed nuts, or .... ack.

Edit: yes, yes it has been done, thoroughly. I love the adorable nigiri done with Swedish Fish candies!

urban observations

kitanzi — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 23:38:31 GMT

I now live in, and work out of, a third story apartment in Seattle. The people watching out the window can be quite entertaining, and I have always heard this but I never realized how completely true it is.

People don't look up. They just don't.

*shrug*

If that sounds creepy, so be it.

Still alive, just distracted!

kitanzi — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 18:53:14 GMT

Acat has summed up the ongoing changes pretty well, including my new situation of working at home to do the same job for the same company I did back in Georgia (they like me, they really like me!):

http://autographedcat.livejournal.com/332519.html?style=mine&nc=13#comments

made it!

kitanzi — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:33:31 GMT

I have been two weeks completely offline, but Gafilk is done and we have finished the move to WA - almost everything is even unpacked, but my pants aren't merely bankrupt, they have fled the country to avoid debtors.

I am not even trying to catch up on LJ, after a very abortive effort, so please feel free to tell/point me at anything folks have been doing of note, and have a little mercy.

I have no words.

kitanzi — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:37:29 GMT

As of roughly an hour ago, our beloved cat Dayna died. I wish we could have been there with her, but I know that she was loved and cherished even when we had to be a continent away, and I am morally certain she died in peace. Thank you for that priceless gift, Beth.

I have done exercised!

kitanzi — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 19:10:37 GMT

My right to vote, that is. Wonder how many calories that counts for?

Sandy Relief Efforts

kitanzi — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:58:12 GMT

Originally posted by browngirl at Sandy Relief Efforts

Originally posted by _samalander at Sandy Relief Efforts

(Reformatted from a post made 3/17/11)

I am donating blood Monday. Did you know the Red Cross estimates that only 5% of eligible donors give blood? They have their flaws as an organization (the no sodomy rule is a killer) but blood saves lives, and it's easy to give and you get a cookie when you're done.
In the USA, a man who has had sexual contact with a man since 1977 (the cut off date when we invented homosexuality, I think?) cannot donate blood, platelets, or plasma. ONLY the American Red Cross takes the step that bars women who have had sexual contact with a man who did that, and only if it was in the last 12 months. If you are a woman in that category, you can use the AABB database to find a non-ARC affiliated center to donate.

I know some of you are like me and don't have a ton of scratch to spare to help with the recovery from Sandy, so here are some links:
-Find a blood donation site (via AABB - includes Red Cross centers) here.
-Find a Red Cross donation center here.
-Find an American Blood Center here.
-Know a lot of people with red, blood-pumping hearts? Talk to your job, your church, your social club or whatever about hosting a blood drive. Give blood, get cookies.
(Of course, not everyone CAN give blood - you might not be old enough or weigh enough or just be petrified of needles. That's okay. There are other ways to help!)

Want to give money?
-FEMA has a list of organizations by state that are taking both time and money from volunteers.
-20x200 is selling print of the "blue marble" that shows sandy here. All profits go to the Red Cross.
-Don't like the Red Cross? Donate to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City here, the Salvation Army here (please mind that SA is a religious institution and you may or may not agree with their positions on homosexuality or trans* rights) or Global Giving here, which is also providing relief for the Haiti and the Caribbean.
-Kroger is putting coin donation boxes at its registers in some stores.
-iTunes and ebay are accepting donations.
-Check with your bank/job before you donate, some are matching donations as well. I'm trying to find a list of those. The Red Cross also has a searchable database of places that will match donations.

Want to help Haiti or Cuba?
-The Huffington Post has some links for getting food to Cuba.
-The International Rescue Committee is active in Haiti, and have a list of ways to help.
-International Medical Corps , Direct Relief, and Operation USA are working abroad, but I don't know these groups, so I neither support nor denounce them. See more in this vein at the Huffington Post.

How should you give?
-Be wary of the text-to-donate plans; many phone companies don't make the donation until AFTER you pay the bill it appears on - 90 days is a long time to wait.
-Remember to do research on charities before you donate. The ones I've heard are best are the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and The Search Dog Foundation. - Your mileage may vary.
-The FBI has suggestions to not be scammed here.
-If you, like me, prefer fluffy puppies to most people, you can also give to WorldVets, which is the Red Cross for animals.

I know no one likes to hear it, but in these cases, money is the most helpful thing.
-I remember hearing about people who flew to Haiti or Japan to help, and had no transportation, didn't speak the language, and had no useful skills. Don't go to a disaster zone unless you are with an aid organization.
-Things like blankets and canned goods might make you feel good to donate, but think of the cost it takes for you to buy it and people to transport it. Aid groups can get these things for cheaper than you, and they can get them closer to the disaster zone, so it costs less to get there. Also, they know what's appropriate and what's needed.

-If you're in NY and have lost income, you can apply for compensation here.
-NJ residents can look here.
-If you're in NY and have HIV/AIDS or are on methodone, here are some resources.

Please boost the signal! I'm leaving this unlocked so more people know about these things - or

Yes. This.

kitanzi — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:04:32 GMT

Warning: absolutely triggery on the subject of rape, but in my opinion really worth reading anyhow

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/10/25/a-fan-letter-to-certain-conservative-politicians/

Edit: quoted from one of the comments on the piece which ALSO made me go yes, this:
"Well, there’s a new experience – admiring the sentiments which motivated a piece of writing it actually nauseated me to read."

Just got to say...

kitanzi — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 14:21:38 GMT

God bless AAA.

Fun start for the day!

kitanzi — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:02:22 GMT

Me, I like to start the day with a smile and puzzle - not necessarily in that order, but certainly a puzzle that makes me smile is a bonus! This video describes itself as Fifty Years of Fandom, and it certainly qualifies! I'm gonna go back and see how many more fandoms I can recognize on a second go-round, but for a lot of it even if I didn't recognize the fandom offhand from the few seconds (this goes FAST) I could spot why it was the perfect bit for that lyric.

http://scribe.dreamwidth.org/318883.html
Fifty Years of Fandom, set to We Didn't Start the Fire

Annotated here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0ArhDIt8o8_lgdDFHUV9fa244Qll0bmo0LXlxNW9kblE&single=true&gid=0&output=html

synchronicity? or just really timey-wimey?

kitanzi — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 00:27:01 GMT

I've had SJ Tucker's song The Truth About Ninjas stuck in my head lately (it's one hell of an earworm) and wound up

The Truth About Heroes

Paragon of dignity,
untouchable and noble,
but there's more to life than chivalry.

Saving lives comes easy
when you practice every day,
you'll think you're terrible, invincible
until you pass my way
and you will never see me coming
no one's sad to see you go
as I thwart your evil scheming -
where you failed, you'll never know.
If you fight for wrong I'll bring you down,
you'll fall beneath my hand
this is a hero thing, you wouldn't understand.

You will never know I'm here
until it's far too late.
It is a hero's way to barge right in
and not knock at the gate.
Moving faster than a bullet,
Flying higher than a plane,
defending innocents from evil
until I strike and knock you out again
you'll never hear a thing
my soul can never be corrupted
since my heart and hands are clean
Sworn enemies are helpless
but they find no hiding place
the game is glory but I take my joy
at the look upon your face
My actions quick as lightning
as I deftly capture you I'm only
doing what a hero's gotta do.

Following the way
fighting night and day
I won't say life is dark
but I must restrain my urges to run naked through the park

No hero goes out streaking
it just simply isn't done
photographers would follow me
but damn would it be fun!
To see civilian's eyes
as big as saucers as I dash through on the run
days of fighting, foiling, catching,
and striking super villains down all done

Just one streak of mischief
in a world without a clue
I'd just be doing what a hero's gotta do
wouldn't you?
Go skinny-dipping like a hero's gotta do!

(Spoken: Who WAS that unmasked man?)

Now, I SWEAR I wrote that Friday, just trying for a funny twist and contrast on the original. Today, entirely by chance, I read a fic that I would love to be able to claim retroactively inspired it. Cause and effect... that order's just a suggestion, right?

I didn't think this needed saying, but....

kitanzi — Sat, 26 May 2012 10:51:34 GMT

Something happened at work yesterday that's apparently gotten under my skin like a splinter, and won't stop bugging me.

We have a relatively new supervisor, which is to say she stepped up to the job when our previous supervisor got sick a few months back, and very recently got confirmed as the actual, really truly permanently supervisor (with a raise, one hopes.) She's justifiably very pleased with this, and apparently her supervisor told her he expected great things from her and gave her a book which he said had been very important to him.

She told us all this during a team meeting, then asked us, if we were willing, to complete a short anonymous questionnaire about her managerial skills. Sure, no hardship and I expected to easily be able to say good things about her, because I think she's an excellent manger.

That was, in fact,true, but... this was divided into five levels, and with the idea that as you become a better manager you get more yes answers at higher levels.

But this thing had an assumption built in that REALLY REALLY bugs me. One of the level five questions asks if the manager is inspiring everyone she manages (paraphrase, don't remember precisely) to become a leader. I guess that's pretty innocuous on the face of it, but not everyone wants to be a leader. (Indeed, if everyone did, who the hell would be left for them to manage?) But not everyone wants that, is suited to that, or should be pushed towards it. And the flip side - I would say the better manager is the one who recognized that in someone and helped develop other strengths instead. The assumption built in here seems insulting to the individual (you're not doing your best unless you're trying to be a leader) and to the manager (you're not a good manager unless everyone you manage wants to be a leader.)

I've run into this before. I actually had a manager who told me, in my job review, that my biggest failing in my job was that I was not ambitious. I had already given notice on that job and I really wish now I'd told him exactly what I thought of that. (On the other hand, if that's the worst criticism my manager can make, I guess I'm doing okay.)

This is apparently just one more thing to go on the list of things I don't want that make people say "But what's WRONG with you?"

I aim to misbehave!

kitanzi — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:19:23 GMT

Well, it goes with the new icon. I don't know that I have any ambitious plans to misbehave, but I aim to have a good weekend, anyhow, as the pollen has stopped trying to kill me, including finally getting to see The Avengers. Two weekends ago I saw The Hunger Games, which I highly recommend, which makes my total in that time span roughly twice what I often seen in a year. Hmmmm. Anyone have any suggestions for my weekend, short of getting arrested?

Earworms of the past

kitanzi — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:36:53 GMT

An email I wrote to a friend just now brought back to mind - persistently - the hymns from the church choir that I haven't been part of since I was 17. Now that is an earworm with staying power. (Or, as the Ropers might call it, Brain Sludge. Though I don't expect my former choir director would have appreciated that description.)

This means WAR!

kitanzi — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:43:39 GMT

By the calendar I've been marking, the oaks of Georgia have been conspiring to murder me for exactly four weeks now. (I've no doubt they'd settle for suicide, they don't seem fussy.) I have resolved to slaughter every damned one of them and move to Seattle. ACat points out it would make more sense to move FIRST, then I wouldn't need to.

Seriously, I keep forgetting just how draining chronic pain is, and my body keeps teaching me all over. Hopefully this is almost over - my research suggests it probably ends around the end of April, but I have a horrible suspicion that our mild winter means record length of pollination, to go along with staggeringly record breaking amount of pollination this year. We've been talking about moving since the start of the year, but it's as if Georgia wants to kick us out a little faster.

Spreading the signal

kitanzi — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:49:51 GMT

I almost feel like maybe I'm not the person to spread this, since I'm not Christian, but I think it's something that bears repeating anyhow. This really verges on glurge, but... I hope so much that it's true.

http://www.danoah.com/2012/04/a-teens-brave-response-to-im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html

Oh yeah

kitanzi — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:23:20 GMT

If this doesn't go viral very shortly, I will be shocked.

The Guild: I'm the One That's Cool

Where'd I put the warranty card on this body, anyhow?

kitanzi — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:18:08 GMT

Right, long story short(ish), I've been having stomach problems for a couple months now. Two weeks ago I had a EGD done to find out what was going on in my esophagus and stomach. Yesterday I had the follow up visit.

Diagnosis is severe acid reflux, causing considerable erosion to the esophagus, and a sliding hiatal hernia. Treatment between now and another followup visit in four weeks is a strong anti acid medication, diet modification and weight loss. Possible future treatment includes surgery, but let's hope not.

So, ideally, I am now not supposed to eat anything I might actually want to eat - that should make the weight loss easier. As far as I can tell, the ideal diet for this (which I do not expect I will follow perfectly) is bland and fat free, with minimal spice or acidic foods. I should eschew chocolate, alcohol and caffeine. I should eat small amounts, slowly, and chew it as thoroughly as any cow could dream of.

No, I'm not really happy about this, how could you tell?

Neither of these are especially uncommon conditions. Does anyone out there have a good resource for recipes, foods and suggestions that won't leave me wanting to solve the whole problem at the source by simply cutting my throat?

And the crazy goes on...

kitanzi — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 01:15:42 GMT

ACat and I had a very good weekend, with a visit from our friend Jeff. Conversations around here get odd and amusing on a regular basis, but somehow with Jeff they get positively surreal, even when he' not saying much. The discussion of gay discos and their mating habits was entertaining - and then had a sequel this evening.

Me: I still think it's a good question - What would a disco flirt with?
ACat: A landromat. Or maybe a delicatessen.
Me: Your disco kink is okay? Which one would be the kink?
ACat: It's hard to say.

So, I'm thinking we need a grant proposal, and I can start a new career path in studying sociosexual development of kinky discos! Suppose I could Kickstart that? (And which one does sound kinkier, anyhow?)