Netaria's Dreamscape

Catch up

netaria — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:57:14 GMT

So, as far as my birthday party goes. It didn't go quite as planned. It wouldn't be me having a birthday if bad stuff didn't happen. Lucky for you, it's taken this long for me to get around to posting again. (10 days) So, you are spared a rant. Besides, over all, the day ended up being good. :) In large part due to the hard work of those around me to cheer me up from some of the crappier things that did happen. --I'm still nervous about having a birthday party next year tho, to be honest.

Interestingly enough, one of the gifts I got was the first two seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This has subsequently addicted the entire family to it. My husband and I have watched to the end of what's been released of the Fire Book and he's now going back to watch the first season(he didn't get pulled in until my daughter and I had started the second.) My daughter has just finished the second season. So, thus the spring revamp of my icons including a few Avatar ones. :)

I really heart Zuko, Iroh, and Sokka. I'm sort of amazed all my favorite characters are male. Especially since they do have kick ass female characters on the show. (I do really like Toph, as well, but my top are definitely those three.) Azula is a phenomenal character, but not one that I "like," if that's clear. It's always great when she shows up in an episode because you know that the plot will make a nice big jump forward. She is definitely a mover and a shaker in the Avatar world, willing to accomplish her goals however is necessary. She definitely gives the vibe that nothing is beyond her capabilities or beneath her.

On the opposite end is Katara, who has many of the same qualities that make me loathe the Xander character from Buffy series, but, atleast she's useful.

To quick some up, I like the way they parallel Zuko's Hero's Journey to Aang's. I guess since he's more conflicted and yet is always striving forward and bumbling around trying to understand his inner nature and his destiny, which unlike Aang he didn't have nicely laid out for him, I tend to find him much more fascinating. As for Iroh, do I really need to explain my love for the totally Zen, formerly as ruthless as Azula, goofy, capable, and generally bad ass, tea-loving old man? Really? Psshhhh... ;p Sokka, could have been doomed to being the "Xander" of Avatar, being the only character that has no bending ability, but instead he's amazingly useful in a lot of ways. He grew into his role as leader over the course of the first season. As is pointed out a few times he reads maps, keeps everyone on schedule, does all the general journey planning, as well as, acting as general cheerleader for the team. What no one ever directly points out in the series is that he's also an excellent strategist, almost always at the center of any battle plan that's done.

I could continue going on about the greatness of the series, but I have to get to the market. So, I'll sum up by saying that this is the first series in a long, long time where I've actually thought, "I'd love to meet these people." ^.^ Don't worry, I won't be writing any self-insertion fics. (Actually, after my single venture around the Avatar fandom yesterday, I am thoroughly disgusted by most of the fic I saw. Couldn't even contemplate cracking it open. If anyone can recommend something that won't send me running away, ie. Genfic or set WAY in the future...)

It's been a while since

netaria — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:03:41 GMT

I've done a meme,

Find Out Which Disney Girl You Are!
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Pocahontas

With the wind against your face, the sounds of the birds singing around you, you feel more alive than anything. Like Pocahontas, you feel most alive when you're in nature where you belong - man's beginnings were in nature, it just makes the most sense. As you find yourself in nature, remember that not everyone feels this way as well - try to ease them into your way of thinking, or just introducing them to your lifestyle! Everyone loves nature - just sometimes not as much as you!

Pocahontas

92%

Ariel

88%

Mulan

88%

Belle

75%

Cinderella

67%

Jane

63%

Esmerelda

58%

Alice

54%

Violet

50%

Snow White

46%

Jasmine

46%

Megara

46%

Tinkerbell

42%

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

42%

Impromptu Party

netaria — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:15:54 GMT

Heh, so last night, we sort of had a party inadvertently. My sister was supposed to come over to hang out and the two of us just sort of relax, listen to tunes, talk, drink, etc. But somehow, my brother who had been asked at the beginning of the week to come by and give me a hand with some stuff around the house ended up not showing up until a few minutes before my sis, with his girlfriend in tow. So, we ended up basically having a small party at our house while we all cleaned and goofed and drank and lots of fun. :D

So, it was actually rather neat. --I'm just glad it ended up working out, sometimes these things don't. Haha, even when they're planned! Hopefully my birthday on sunday will go as well!

Hope everyone has a great weekend, sorry I forgot to have someone take a picture of my unruly mop! First thing tomorrow morning I'm getting it cut, so hopefully it'll be an "artfully messy mop" after that! ;p

March 13th 2008

netaria — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:41:42 GMT

I love peaceful days like this, where I actually ~~totally slack off chores~~ get the chance to work on my writing and generally enjoy the nice weather.

I also am happy because I got some new clothes which are nice and made an appt to get my hair cut on saturday morning, which will be just in time before my birthday [sic]party. ;p As that is this sunday, the sixteenth.

I'll have to get my brother to snap a photo of me when he comes to visit and help me with some of the heavy lifting non-fun of getting ready for the party tonight. --I let my hair go over the fall/winter so as not to freeze my ears off, but now it is definitely time for a haircut. My hair is actually longer than the chica in that icon. >.<

Speaking of icons, guess no one has heard of/seen that pretties calligraphy pen one I asked about in my last post? I'm still horribly upset at having lost that. :(

Well, hope everyone is having fun as always. Try not to sweat the "people can't make adless accounts anymore" thing with LJ, they aren't touching the existing adless accounts and as I'm sure all you folks have noticed, some of us aren't bothered by having ads. I've had the banner account since I started this username here. (Most of my flist probably doesn't realize how long I've actually been around LJ due to that little username thing.) But I don't mind some banners being around to help keep free accounts free. Otherwise we'd probably be looking at a raise in the paid account prices. *shrugs* New management was bound to bring some changes.

I just don't see the huge drama about this particular issue. But, I didn't see it with a lot of other stuff where people got all bent out of shape, either.

So, yeah, hope everyone is having fun, again! Ja.

Lost and Broken

netaria — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:48:32 GMT

Today seems to be a day of me running into troubles with finding that things are lost or broken. :-/ Not exactly improving my mood on this wondrously rainy day.

First, my bloody ipod needed to be fixed from my husband using it as spare storage, I was fine with this because I needed to get a bunch of his music off of it, anyway. (I do not listen to such "enlightened" artists as Everybody Killa(yes, I realize I spelled that wrong) and who ever else my little brother has gotten my husband hooked on. Besides, I listen to the ipod on Shuffle, usually and with my daughter, further explanation shouldn't really be needed. Let's put it this way, I don't even put all of the music I like, such as the so "enlightened" Pantera ;p, on there. So, needing to start from scratch would have been great, except first, the ipod was giving me the digital finger(it can sense my hatred for itunes and all it's associated macassery I swear) although it finally decided to work. Then EphPod, the prog I use in order to boycott itunes if at all possible, decides about a third of the way through my music to stop uploading anything and keep giving me errors. So, I'm just glad I got the important CD's on there for now.

I needed to get that out above so I could speak reasonably because I really do want to punt kick the thing.

Anyhoozles, I also found that several files that I need/want that I had thought were on my pc were actually on the laptop my daughter killed. (She is the great Kira of Laptops.) One of which is a silly little LJ icon I used to use, oh, all the time, but hadn't recently due to lacking in time to write. It was the nib of a Calligraphy Pen touched to some paper. Maybe someone has seen it around or has it? I used to use it for my chat prog to let folk know that even if I was on the computer and logged in I was busy. Back in the days when I used ICQ I'd set a Do Not Disturb level message about how I was writing. Either way, I miss the icon and have spent the day searching my computer and online for it. If anyone happens to have it, could they please share??? *begs*

And of course, my broken truck is still on the list of things-that-are-broken-and-irritating-Net. Heh.

flops :D

netaria — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:09:42 GMT

So, life continues to roll on as always. Still can't seem to keep bothe cars working at once and for a couple days bothe were out of commission. >.> haha

But I am in a good mood anyway, because spring has started finally! :D It was actually warm enough (read: not down at freezing) to go walking around yesterday and then we had a thunderstorm last night and more beautiful weather today. Not needing to bundle up is such a nice thing.

Also, started reading Tamora Peirce's Song of the Lioness quartet to my daughter. (I had read them to her when she was just a little baby, but that only 1/8 counts. ;p Now she's actually enjoying the story and brings the book to me to ask me to read it to her.) She really hearts Alanna, and who can blame her? And is generally just enjoying the whole story. Though, I do think some of it is beyond her ability to accurately imagine, at not-quite-three.

It's quite fun sharing stories like this with her. Id est, the stories that I read when I was a youngling. Others that I really want to pick up are Patricia Wrede's Dealing with Dragons set and Jane Yolen's Pit Dragon Trilogy. I know there were a lot of others, but many of them, while I can remember story elements or a single scene I can't remember enough to even search out the title...

Anyone else have recs of good books for young girls?

Anyhoozles, back to real life. ^__^

Been gone for a while, but I'm back now.

netaria — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:25:10 GMT

Lot's of things have been going on in my life. Keeping me quite busy enough to have barely touched my computer. I was finally on for a while the other day and got to catch up with lilhobbit over aim and of course that made me want to head over here and dust off my LJ. So, I changed the layout and swapped out all those winter icons. (Though I had considered keeping the one of Yoruichi with the snow, as it snowed again here, just yesterday.) So, my LJ and I are ready for spring. Well, my LJ is, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself saying I am.

Hahaha, which rather, we've been so busy that there is still so much to do in the house. (I know I was supposed to get it clean before New Years(Lunar) but take it easy on me, I was going crazy over that time period and spring cleaning was the furthest thing from my mind.)

So, now I'm trying to get all that fun cleaning and organizing done. I'm also plotting my garden. Running to the supermarket in a little bit and plan to pick up some seeds there. Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, for starters, any suggestions for other useful and easy herbs to grow? I figure I'll also let my daughter pick a pack of flowers and give her her own bed in the garden(or pot in the house, depending on the plant...haha.)

Which brings me to...holy hell my child is nearly three...I can't believe it. Of course, we've already begun the gauntlet run of spring birthdays that started in mid February with my Grandmother(she turned 94!) and won't end until August with my cousin's daughter's birthday. PHEW! Big families are crazy. :D hehe

I actually haven't sat and listened to Exodus by Utada Hikaru in a while and happened to throw it in on a whim. *squees* SO HAPPY! I heart her music!

Ah, Life, you prat.

netaria — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:11:41 GMT

So, my husband is now going through the christmas virus that had taken me out. Poor thing. :'(

So, aside from nursemaiding him and my usual duties of cleaning and keeping the little one from bringing about the armageddon I haven't been up to much. My spare moments have been frequent, but very short. Thus I took to playing a bit with my new DS light. (Specifically Animal Crossing and FFV and Cooking Mama.)

Cooking Mama is TEH SHIZNIT! Why? Because I made rolled sweet eggs for my dinner tonight, which I made ingame today. ~~and why the fuck am I talking like that? I'd venture forth the theory that my brain has fairly rotted/gone into shock...but it's just a theory.~~

That's all I can really bring my poor brain to cooperate for atm.

Hope everyone has great weekends!

Post-Holiday Catch Up

netaria — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:34:17 GMT

So, I ended up kicking that sickness just intime for the Solstice and the big pre-Christmas family get-together. But I was still doomed for Christmas itself, apparently. My brother brought a horrendous stomach virus with him when he came up on Christmas Eve. It had him in it's grips all over the night between and left him a ragdoll for Christmas. Unfortunately, it passed on to me, so Christmas morning I woke up, snuck down stairs to start putting my husband's poker/domjat(sp?)~~mini-pool~~ table together and got waylaid and then laid out for the entire day.

I completely missed Christmas.

Except for the end of the night when I was tricked!!! I thought I was appearing to quick wave goodbye and apologize for spending the day in the bathroom hurling and thank my mom for helping my husband out when I was thrown into a chair and photographed opening my gifts... XDD I felt so bad, I was so miserable, everyone was afraid I hated what I'd gotten because even though I said the right things I was so lackluster... >.< But I really did make out like a bloody bandit.

I just wish I'd gotten to actually be there for my daughter's first real and proper Christmas where she actually understood what was up and was singing Carols and having so much fun!~~and getting so spoiled rotten!!~~ But my parents went extra photo crazy for me to make up for it and so did my husband. By all accounts the gifts we had gotten everyone went over very well.

((I was really ecstatic to find out that the day after Christmas my grandmother was wearing the earrings I had gotten her. They were a very lucky find! They are red rose studs, but carved from a red coral that only grows off the coast of Italy. -Yes, this is my Italian grandmother, the other died long ago.- Oh, and her name is Rose and my grandfather, who died this past year, had always called her Red for the colour of her hair. She hasn't been the same since Grandpa died. Not in that "she's gone loopy way" she's still well-grounded in reality, but she's the last of her generation alive in the family. She seems, quite often, like she just wants to give up. So, whenever someone gives her something(especially something nice) she tends to say that they shouldn't have and to mean it. That she liked and is actually wearing the earrings actually really perked me up when my mom called and told us.))

So, back to the...sickness...*headdesk* So, I started to feel better and VIOLA! My daughter contracts the virus too! Which, aside from being horrible because it's the first time she's ever gotten sick and she was so miserable and the poor thing cried everytime she threw up, she was like a kitten...she had no concept of aim for the bucket or run for the bathroom...so I got thrown up on quite a bit and...subsequently ended up sick again. >.< So, finally today! Everyone in the house is doing better. *collapses*

So, if anyone has been wondering where I've been, there yah go. I'm sorry your card will be coming so late Lil! Everything this holiday just got...fucked up. Amazingly...

I'll blog again about the gifts I got, cause I'm really quite squeeingly happy about them, but the tone of this blog, not counting the side story of the gift we gave Grandma doesn't seem to fit much with happilly extolling the virtues of gift giving and getting.

Hoping that everyone else's holidays went hella better than mine!!

Holidays

netaria — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:32:53 GMT

Just wanted to share one of my favorite christmas songs. It's pleasantly non-religious and it's upbeat. No whining, no tear-jerking, no pretention...ahhhh...we love you Paul.

So, I'm...actually still sorta sick...I rearranged the menu's for the Solstice Celebration and Christmas so that my husband can do the cooking if push comes to shove me over again. :-/ Thankfully, I married a man who is an excellent cook! (And if anything he's gotten even better since we got together, the opposite of the usual male degradation of cooking abilities post-betrothal.) Unfortunately, he does not bake.

So, I'm scrambling to find a really good bakery in the area in the hopes of acquiring some petite fours for saturday(the wintre solstice) and had to ask my mother if she'd make the Yule log(on top of all the other desserts she was already making.) At the least, I can guarantee anything my mother makes will top most bakeries, and more than likely, trump anything I'd do. She used to run a bakery and is an excellent chef in all things. ((I believe I've talked about my mother's dauntingly excellent cooking abilities before.)) And it's her Yule Log recipe I'd be mimicking anyway. I just really feel bad, since I had intended to do it this year and she's already making her famous cheesecake tarts. (There exists no cheesecake that tops my mother's; she ruins everyone, it's fantabulous.) And when I had called her to ask she's like, Okay, I think I'll make a pie too... *headdesk* She's also making two side dishes...her famous string bean casserole and mashed potatoes. My mother is a cooking fiend...thank gods she loves it so much and loves me...haha

I really hope that I'm better in time to atleast do the cooking on christmas.

By the way, for anyone confused, who has read previous entries where I talk about being Buddhist since I was a youngin`...

In the USA, you honestly don't need to be celebrating anything to do with Jesus of Nazareth to celebrate Christmas. Growing up I knew lots of Jewish families who celebrated the Santa Claus, giving, love, and family togetherness aspects of Christmas and ignored the Christian religious aspects. Since entering adulthood I've met even more non-Christians who celebrate "Christmas" in this way. Largely because everyone in the family is off! Hahaha! So, yeah, that aside, the rest of our families are Christian(excepting my one cousin's husband, who's Jewish...so yeah, us non-Christians are a definite minority in the family.) So, thus the dual celebrations.

So, back to holiday preparations crapola, woohoo...I actually can't find most of the decorations, though I will be realy honest and admit I haven't tried too hard as moving boxes and repeatedly bending over is NOT what the doctor ordered for nausea. Though I have done a fair bit of cleaning up around the place and put out the decorations that I have found. (The one box got put in our bedroom, yay for misplaced, but easily found boxes! heh.) So, we'll see what happens there.

So yeah, here's to hoping Umeshu goes with beef stew! lol [The original menu for the Solstice was going to be stuffed(with yellow rice) Cornish Hen, quiche, and whatever else I thought of to make.] Beef stew requires much less of me handling the food! And Jer will be comfortable helping with it, if need be. (For those going, "Umeshu wtf is that?" You may be familiar with Japanese Plum Wine? -Though it's actually a liqueur.)

^^ I need to interject with the fact that my daughter is adorable. *snuggles child* Such an angel!

*sighs happily as she listens to Enya's rendition of Silent Night in Gaelic* This is such a relaxing song...

So, back on subject...What are everyone's favorite holiday traditions? If you don't celebrate christmas, something from another holiday around now?

Ever since I was a little one I loved going and getting the tree on Christmas Eve. (We always waited until then.) The whole family would go pick it out and then trim it together. We'd sing carols, drink eggnog, and generally spend happy familial time. This year my husband and I decided to change the tradition(permanently) by getting the tree on the Solstice. Not only will it give us more time for tree trimming, but it suits the Solstice to have a nearly bare tree here. It will also help add festivity to a day that the world is not celebrating with us. There are no happy songs for us to sing, or any cutesy kids movies we can watch with our daughter. (We purchased Rudolph in Claymation and White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kay.) Or there may be stuff in existence that I just don't know about? If anybody else does please let me know. I think I might have to remedy this stuff at some point.(heh *wonders how many children's books were born from just such a thought*)

Anyhoozles, I've babbled on long enough now.

Happy Holidays to everybody! Whatever you celebrate!

Being Sick is so Shitty

netaria — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:42:03 GMT

Yeah, so yay for "no shit" titles, but honestly that sums up my past week. I did go to a christmas party(for my husband's work, it was family friendly and a lot of fun) on the day that I was feeling better. --I actually got better just in time to go to it. I'm glad I did. It was neat putting faces to all the people he tells me about from work and getting to talk to all of them. They seem like good people! :D

Unfortunately, the next day we tried to quick run out to finish the last of our christmas shopping. (Toys for neices and nephews!) When my husband's car broke down on the side of the highway. (Thankfully at the top of a hill so we used gravity to get us off the road a safe bit.) Worst part about this being that as we called around to everyone we knew in the area, we couldn't get ahold of anyone. (Of the few we did get ahold of one was in work, one wasn't in this state, and the other had her car blow up on her the day before.) So, we sat in the cold for around 2 hours or so, trying to find someone to come get us. (Why not just ride with a tow guy? Because it was all three of us, including our daughter in her carseat.) So, finally we ended up calling the friend with no car up(my sister) and asking if she and her friend who she was spending the day with would possibly be willing to come get us. (Note: the only reason my husband and I even know the other girl is because we were good friends with her brother...who she hates...) Sister agrees and gets off the phone to talk to her friend and ...finally! Our landlord(who is incidentally a good friend of my husband's and lives around the corner from us,) calls up to find out if we're still on the side of the road as he had just gotten our message(he was the first person we'd called.) So, he agrees to come pick us up! Yay! I quick call my sister back to find that they were just heading to pick us up themselves, <3<3<3 let, them know, they don't need to. Yays! Landlord shows up...we get home, order out, because cooking was a total NO~~fuck that shit~~ at that point.

And...the next day I got to wake up and be violently ill again. So, to anyone who's entries I've commented on and possibly: sounded like a retard, typed like an invalid, or generally seemed...odd....I apologize and take this opportunity to ~~place the blame~~explain that it's from my sickness... >.>

*coughs*

Anyhoozles, have something more up beat/holiday pertinent next time.

Hope everyone's doing well!

PS-Like the new icons?

If I had a band Wiki-meme

netaria — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:19:33 GMT

*blatantly snatched from cheloya*

(The jist being you go to Wikipedia and hit the Random Entry button a total of 17 times. The first gives you your band name, the second your album name, then your tracks. Personally I think fifteen is an assload of tracks, but hey, that's the meme! ;p)

Band Name: Marie Callender's

Album Name: Dash Snow

Tracks:
1. Uithuizen
2. Berthold Goldschmidt
3. Archery Games
4. Theif: Deadly Shadows
5. Oxford Township, Pennsylvania
6. The Ghost Road
7. Pornainen
8. Francesca Gregorini
9. Priddy Independent School District
10. Face-ism
11. Sunset Lake Floating Bridge
12. Devon Smith
13. Toby Tyler
14. Too Black, Too Strong
15. Impoundment(disambiguation)

Random happiness: Archery Games could make for a fun song and Theif: Deadly Shadows is actually a videogame that I really want to play. (I think the concept behind that game should be semi-self-explanatory.) I think a ballad called The Ghost Road could be really pretty too...Realistically speaking, ~~because I'm never any fun~~ I think I could write songs for ten of these. (Lyrics not score.) I think I may use them as prompts after I finish up Lil and eclectify's fanfics.

I will be so happy when we get my PC fixed, as it won't even turn on now.

Not Like a Fine Wine

netaria — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 18:53:40 GMT

I hate when you read something, and for whatever reasons at the time, absolutely love it. There's a ton of nostalgia attached to it. You go back to read it again and start noticing a thousand problems. It always makes me wonder how I couldn't have noticed all of them the first time I read it.

Some I can see more than others. Especially, Mercedes Lackey. I really enjoyed reading her stuff in gradeschool and high school, but I can't make it through many of her books anymore. A big part of that is the rampant Mary Sue's and I think, as a kid, you really want to read about characters that you identify with, but are also inherently more and better than yourself. You want to think you could be like them or that's what you'd be like if you had their abilities/powers/whatever.

But say, this fanfic that I absolutely used to love and just recently tracked down the only still existing copy on the net. I started reading it and the Prologue has Lucious Malfoy beating Draco for not wanting the Dark Mark and then Lucious and Voldemort discussing the situation, ending with Voldie telling Lucious to devote himself to finding out what his son treasures most so they can destroy it, with the idea that this will make him convert.

There's a lot of problems with this. For those that haven't read the Harry Potter series: Draco is amazingly devoted to pleasing his father(though I think this might have been written after only the first couple of books, where his character was still more ambiguous,) and while I wouldn't put giving Draco a good thwap now and then past Lucious, he doesn't strike me as the type to out-and-out beat his kid, I also figure that Voldie has always seemed like the type that would prefer only to let those who are truly devoted to bothe him and his cause into the actual Death Eaters. Other's they might bully into taking orders or coerce or what-have-you, but the Death Eaters are his inner cadre of generals essentially.

Let's not even get to the part about two adult men who are attempting to run a revolution devoting their time to converting a child to their cause via nebulous means that require a bunch of attention and devotion on their part. That's silly beyond belief.

And I'm only at the one page Prologue. -_-'; I'm going to read through the whole thing again though. Maybe it'll improve from here, but as it stands I'm thinking the only reason I liked it was novel length H/D fic? >.>

Anyone else ever had this happen?

I'm alive! I swear!

netaria — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:16:54 GMT

Look! I'm really alive! *dances about in a circle to illustrate this*

>.< Still busy trying to get the house all nice for christmas, because we host it here. (By virtue of having the only grandchild, niece, etc. ^.~ ) I'll also be having a small Yule celebration on the Solstice with my sister. Still trying to figure out the menu for bothe.

And my mother board got wrecked in the move!(Posting from my husband's computer again.) Apparently two of my hard drives weren't secured very well and the tower got treated a bit too roughly...and they popped out and landed on my mo-bo. *headdesk* So, my computer is currently only capable of acknowledging one hard drive at a time and for some reason my mouse has simply refused to work for me at all....*more headdesk* So, I just turned it off and figure it'll have to wait until after the holidays, when we actually have money again.

I have to say, actually having money at the holidays is beyond nice. Especially since our daughter is old enough to remember this holiday season. (Yeah...she's getting totally spoiled, everything that she should/would have had, practically.) But her room looks so empty now, in the big house, when in the apartment it seemed we were always tripping over her trucks and stuffies. >.< Much of what she's getting is geared towards fun imagination playing. My father is building her a table and chairs, we're getting her one of those little fake kitchen's my sister is giving her a bunch of costumes she bought on sale after halloween for dress-up play. I don't know what all else she'll be getting from people, I got her a couple Totoro themed toys(a plush Totoro Tree that comes with Totoro) and a Pinky Street doll. They're cute and not like all those bratz and even the current barbie dolls...I'm so amazingly disturbed by those things.

So, in between fixing up the house and having fun cooking! (Cookies this time.) And just all the regular crazy life stuff too. I've been working on lilhobbit's story(on paper obviously) and even gotten a bit of gaming in! (My hubbie got me Mass Effect.)

I hope everyone's been having fun! (And Lil, I promise I will get your story up, even if I have to do it on here!)

Anyone else going through that oh-so-fun holiday preparations craze?

Added a new recipe to my repertoire tonight

netaria — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:12:16 GMT

Mwaha! I decided to make a Sun Dried tomato Pasta Sauce from scratch tonight and being the ~~psychotic~~Italian that I am I did so without a recipe and ~~for once~~ wrote down everything I did and what I used for future reference! It came out nicely spicy and zesty and was a hit with the whole family! ^___^

Now I just need to name the recipe. Which is actually a fun event in and of itself, as I rarely name any recipe I make from scratch "Cat's Pasta Sauce" or such. (My "Glorious Cultural Eggs" are a nice example of this.)

So, I'm thinking Phoenix' Blood or Dragon's Blood? (Since it is spicy.) After checking about(really quickly, I will admit) to see if I could find the name of any specific Dragons from Italian legend all I found was Ascutone, which not being well known at ALL outside Sardinia(which is not where I hail from) I decided was a bit too esoteric. However, "dragon's blood" in Italian is "Sangue di dragone" and I think that sounds neat. It's as easy to understand as it is to grab an Italian dictionary for future generations as well. Heh...okay, this is what I get for drinking plenty of wine whilst cooking and then waiting until 2 in the morning to name the recipe...(Okay, so I'm completely sober and really can't blame this on anything/one but myself.) ;p

Well, in the rest of life, my daughter has completely settled in the new house already! :D Which with it being less than a week, I am beyond ecstatic as I hadn't even hoped for this much. I have to say, she constantly surprises me with her versatility and resilience! :D

Beyond that, I need to find my cookbook where the recipe for the Pumpkin Roll Cake (as mentioned in the very first entry of this journal) is for otterdance. I wonder if I penciled in the changes I made to the recipe... >.< 'Cause I distinctly remember editing the seasonings...(of course) I guess I'll see when I find the book.

Hope everyone else had a great day too!!! <3<3<3

So, we're moved

netaria — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:51:46 GMT

But I still don't have a set up computer and the house is so disgustingly dirty that I'm stuck doing some serious cleaning before being able to set anything up or put it away.

By "disgustingly dirty" I do not mean dust...I mean mold...everywhere! (In the shower, the kitchen cabinets, the basement, everywhere....) It's amazingly vile, I wish we'd thought to get a photo of the shower before I spent a day and a half scrubbing it...(Thanks to musokachan for helping with that.) It is white again now, but I'm still cleaning up the kitchen ~~and of course the mandatory re-washing of all my clean kitchen stuff from being wrapped up in newspaper~~.

So, yes, I'm still busy, but took~~stole~~ some time on here on my husband's computer~~that's actually set up~~ to post abouts a bit. I have to run some errands, but hopefully I will get a chance to hop on later.

*edit Okay, got some of the running done and had to stop back home, but now to the running again...

Pumpkin Hunting!

netaria — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 16:39:06 GMT

Yester we had a great family outing! My husband surprised us by taking us to a farm to get a hay ride and pumpkins and ice cream! And my sister stopped in to visit just before we left so she came too! It was such a blast! Our daughter had so much fun picking out the perfect one!

The farm itself was beautiful! We took the hay ride out to the patch which also gave you the tour of the farm. ^___^ They had a nice set up and it was wonderful getting to see so much fresh produce. And they had cows. Not a ton, it's a creamery, so the smell wasn't bad at all. (Not a fan of cow-smell, horse's have a great smell to me, but not cows!) We all had fun trundling through the patch to find the perfect pumpkin. I was glad I had grabbed my knife on the way out the door because we all ended up picking pumpkins that we had to cut off the vine! My daughter was absolutely enamored with the whole place. :D

They also had a great display of more interesting varieties of pumpkins and squash. All different kinds! In all different colours! Even a pale blue! And "Strawberry Corn" or "Indian Corn" dried out for you to buy. I'll be burying mine from last year when we move and then I'll display the ones I bought yesterday at the new house. (Worked out nicely, eh?)

They also had a great little set up of edibles on the way out. All I picked up was some sweet onions, but I keep wondering about the Cheesecake Pumpkins they had there. Has anyone ever cooked with that variety before? I can't find any information about it online, at all.

Oh, and after we finished with the pumpkins and all that we went to the farm's creamery and got ice cream! I also grabbed a Pumpkin Pancake Mix they make there for the heck of it. Maybe we'll do breakfast for dinner on Hallowe'en? XDD

After we left the farm we headed home to unload our loot and attempt to get photos of the little one with the pumpkins. (We had forgotten to bring the camera. >.< ) This didn't really work out cause after Pumpkin Hunting and ice cream and fun she was wired. XDDD So, we all relaxed for a bit and then made the mistake of heading out to Chili's for dinner. We ended up being there forever and when our food made it out to us it was all lukewarm... But we all had fun anyway, especially my daughter! She made friends with all the neighboring tables!

When we got home it took the lil 'un a bit to wind down but then she was out like a light. ...And so was I! I woke back up at 3:30am and couldn't fall back to sleep, so I decided to go check out fanficrants to check on the Albus is gay situation and was highly amused. I'm glad I have stayed on the fringe of the HP fandom for a long time now. (I was also very gratified when I first discovered that JKRowling had informed her audience in NY of this, because she confirmed that I was right about the youthful Albus and Grindelvald, who I hadn't been able to help, but think seemed much more like a couple as opposed to "just friends" when I read the book.)

But seriously, is there a requisite about being batshit in order to be active in HP fandom? Not to mention all the "activists" that are busy hating her for not outing him within the books. I can't blame her their though, the books were not about Albus, they were about Harry and from his perspective. She would have had to use the jaws of life to work that in there and then side dragged the story around to deal with it properly. Cause if Dumbledore was just like, "Oh, Harry, I'm gay." And Harry was just like, "Oh, okay, well, I'm gonna go kill Voldie now." People would have spazzed about it being handled badly. *shrugs*

And all the people who keep saying she needs to "just let go" what the hell? First, she was at a giant reading/signing in NY not making a press release. Second, a kid asked her quite directly about Dumbledore's lovelife. Third, for crying out loud it's only been a couple of months! Go bug Lucas or something. Sheesh!

Personally, I think this is great. I love the fact that his being gay didn't matter in the books, that he was a person before he was a minority group. I think that adds much more credence to the character and to his representation of the reality of being a homosexual. Than having him act like some fruitcake and hitting on Snape ever would have. So, I say, go Jo go!

Hope everyone is having as fun a weekend as I am!

Woohoo! The Sun!

netaria — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 19:53:52 GMT

Haha! Been waiting for the rain to stop before running out on the errands of the day!

Off to the bookstore and other various stops! *___*

--I'll probably put some "body" to this post tonight. ^.^

*edit Well, didn't get to the bookstore yet, but got the other running done. Also have managed to develop a headache...right between the eyes. Arg...atleast it isn't a migraine tho! *hopes she didn't jinx herself by typing that*

*edit 2: ^___^ Got to the bookstore after my husband got home, so I got to run over by myself. Which made for a nice relaxing(and amusingly enough much quicker) trip. I got volume 2 of Angel Sanctuary and the Pocket Planner that I wanted. Also grabbed There's A Wocket In My Pocket for my daughter. She likes it! She had me read it to her twice, conked out on the second one though...chiii

I already finished AS2 too...SIGH tankoubon are not long enough!!! >.< Probably better this way anyway.

Waaahhhh....

netaria — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:53:28 GMT

I know I'm supposed to be packing up EVERYTHING that's left of the bedroom to pack, but...damn I'm tired...

*collapses into her computer chair* I am in need of an electric shock, where's one of those emergency defribilaters (sp?) when you need them? ;p

Oh, well, *puts on Dragon Ash's Independiente* if this doesn't get me moving I don't know what will. And we only have two weeks left, which really amounts to less than that.

...

...

...

Okay okay, I'm getting up now!!!

Personal Wattage

netaria — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:02:54 GMT

219 WATTS

JustSayHi - Free Personals

Buddhist Humor

netaria — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:42:46 GMT

I found this on a site a friend had directed me to. It reminded me of a talk I had with the Sister at the temple I attended as a child. Where I was being instructed on not allowing thoughts like this to disturb my meditation. hehe. :D

What Do You Have To Say? - The Nose Knows

netaria — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:54:36 GMT

I love a lot of smells, but I'd have to say the top two that I can't actually decide between are the smell of Autumn and the smell of the ocean. I grew up coastal and have since moved inland and it doesn't look like I will be living near a coast again anytime soon, unless my husband forces me to move to California (do not want!) so... Bothe scents are rare and precious to me. I just cannot decide between the two.

Beach Trip

netaria — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:14:50 GMT

Life has been insane and interesting lately. There was much much much visiting and traveling for several weeks here. Seems to finally be calming down a bit. Which is nice.

My favorite season is Autumn, so as the weather has cooled down and the smell of the decaying leaves fills the air...I am quite happy. ^.^ Heh. I also love the jewel tones associated with the seasons. Vibrant reds, emerald greens, golds, bronze, lush browns, and piercing yellows...

I was also very happy that in the course of all the visiting and traveling we made it to the shore! Specifically, to Ocean City, NJ...it has such a great boardwalk and is actually family friendly, unlike Atlantic City, NJ.

(The last time I was there there were so many amazingly drunken people out on the boardwalk it was horrible. --By amazingly drunken I am refering to those folk that will come up, nearly fall on you, talk loudly directly into your face with vomit breath. YUK. AC is really only for those who want to go to the casinos these days. As the security guards run off obnoxious drunks, of course.)

But Ocean City is extremely family friendly. There are all sorts of restaurants along the boardwalk, little shops, arcades, mini-golf, an amusement park (that doesn't charge admission), a water park, caramel corn, etc,etc,etc...all in addition to the beach itself. Which is happily clean and well protected by the lifeguards. Who I have to say were doing a really excellent job the day we were there.

Our daughter really loved the ocean and my husband was forced to concede that Jersey beaches are the most beautiful he's been to. I was the only one who got stung by a jellyfish.(It swam all around my ankle and calf when we went out deeper. But we just packed my leg into the sand when we came out and it was fine in no time. We had wondrously happy sea food, with the happy happiness of it being super fresh; as well as super delish! :DDD

It's also official, my daughter is obsessed with carousels now, due to the one there. XDD *dies from the cuteness* And my husband really hearted the hell out of the Caramel Corn. CHII!!!

It really ended up being an idyllic day. There weren't any obnoxious people around, the weather was perfect, the day just went so well. Days like that are so rare; it's such a treat when they happen. It would have made me ecstatic even if it hadn't have gone so perfectly just because I haven't been there in so long and

Now, if we can just make it down to visit my husband's family inside of Autumn. (The best time to be in the mountains.)

American Perpetrated Atrocities

netaria — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 08:02:38 GMT

Atrocities in American Airports
By Ricardo Abude

If you, or someone from your family, have any plan to visit the US in a near future, I strongly suggest you to continue reading this text, where I describe the experiences I had in LA International Airport, late Feb 24, 2002.
My name is Ricardo Abude E. Da Silva, I'm an Electronic Engineer graduated in 1982 and today am managing our family´s businesses in the farming sector. My email is ricabude@cpunet.com.br .
Throughout my 42 years of age I've travelled several times to the US, both on business and tourism. Late Feb 23 I embarked in Rio heading to LA, in possession of my third Visa to the US, issued in November 1999, and valid until November 2009.
I was aware of the increased airport security for US trips, due to Sep 11 attacks, and in Rio International Airport one can already notice the routine change, but I could have never imagined what would happen next.
From now on I describe, step by step, the horrendous and unimaginable nightmare that I went through :
Saturday Feb 23 21:50 hrs I depart from Rio with Varig flight RG 8836, going to LA.
Sunday Feb 24 07:00 hrs I arrive in LA and proceed towards passport control. The officer looks at my Passport for about five minutes, and asks me to proceed towards an INS office known as Secondary One. It is the first time something like that happens to me, but I imagine I´m going to be interviewed for additional information concerning my stay. Extra safety measures.... I thought.
Sunday Feb 24 07:30 hrs A Second officer asks me to collect all my luggage and accompany him inside Secondary One. ...the interview is going to be in there... I thought again. All of a sudden, I am brutally pushed inside a 2x2 yd cell, all my luggage, money, documents and personnal belongings are confiscated, and they take away my belt and shoe strings.
As I protest against the unexpected treatment, the two officers respond with loud screams and threats of beating me and keeping me confined. I am violently pushed against the wall, they frisk me from head to toe, and all my personnal belongings are searched.
Again I'm pushed against the wall, my picture is taken, I'm fingerprinted and am finally thrown into a filthy, stinky, unventilated hall, already crowded with people. I notice, by their looks, that they've gone through the same ritual, and even though I am still stunned by the long flight, the jet lag, and mainly by the violent, outraging disrespect of civil and human rights, I face the crude fact of life ...there's no such thing as interviews. I'm a prisoner.
Sunday Feb 24 09:00 hrs - The scene resembles a Greek tragedy, a 4x4 yd room, filthy chairs, a stinking black carpet, no ventilation, huge 50 TV turned on all the time volume blasting. Tired, hungry people, sick people, people throwing up....worried about a friend, who was waiting for me outside the airport I ask for a phone call.
- Shut up! No phone calls. - They answered.
Sunday Feb 24 10:00 hrs - Arrested, hungry, thirsty, no communication, and without the slightest ideia of what was going to happen next, I noticed the continuos flow of tourists coming to our cell and I face the degrading scandal the very same treatment is given to women, teenagers, children even elderly people - a truly barbarian act!
Revolted, I witness two INS officers disputing the priviledge of frisking the prettiest ladies, without any concern of hiding their sickening lust from their respective fathers, husbands or brothers, doing their commentaries, invitations, and obscene declarations right on their faces.
- I've just frisked a disgusting latino....now it's my turn to frisk this Italian fox! - stated an Officer to his coleague, refering to the wife of an Italian tourist. The blunt disrespect made my stomach churn in revolt....
Kicking, pushing, screaming, threathening, heavily armed bullies displayed their brutallity, prejudice, and arrogance upon the constant flow of tourists coming into our cell, getting more and more crowded by the minute, holding an unbearable stench....
Sunday Feb 24 14:00 hrs - After seven hours of ordeal, I'm finally taken to an almost surrealistic interview with Officer Sanchez, and Officer Lee, both subordinate to Officer Green, from INS. He explains to me that since all my papers and my Visa were in perfect order, he would kindly give me two options:
- The first was to sign a document in which I requested the withdrawal of my Visa, returning to Brazil in the first available flight.
- If I refused to sign the hoax I'd be arrested for an undetermined period and he'd start a compulsory deportation process, sending me back to my Country thus.
A important detail on the deal - while I refused to sign the document I'd not receive any food, or water. What would you choose? Oh well, me too.
Sunday Feb 24 16:00 hrs - I am taken, with another five prisoners, to a different cell. We are all handcuffed, and escorted by armed officers, we are made to stroll through the airport lounge. The terrified tourists make way, frightened by the grotesc scene. They take us all to a Van, parked outside the terminal, and transfer us to the other cell. The humiliation is suffocating ....
- Sunday Feb 24 17:00 hrs - Apparently, they have forgotten to make me sign a few forms at the Secondary One, so I'm taken again for a couple of strolls ( going there and coming back ) in the Airport Lounge. Those strolls remember? With cuffs and escorts?
Sunday Feb 24 18:00 hrs - Due to my unceasing protests, they finally allow me to make a phone call. I contact a Lawyer in LA, in the hope he'd get me out of that hell, but the information I get from him is even more surprising, and disheartening:
- Ricardo, the INS grounds at the Airport are not legally considered American soil, so I cannot invoke any civil right to take you out of there.... he tells me. How about that ???
In other words: I realize I'm in a no-man's land, a lawless place, arrested by arbitrary Nazis in the guise of INS Officers, that, due to this legal technicality, have the power to do whatever they please with you - and what is worse - with your family. I start to dream of the moment of catching a plane back home to Brazil.....however, before that, I'd still go through the worst night of my life.....
Night of Sunday to Monday Feb 25 I start to dread the moment in which tiredness is going to win the battle and make me lie down on those filthy chairs. It´s very cold, but even so, the prospect of using the slimy blankets is not at all attractive.
Five officers are in the night shift, and feeling bored, they pass time kicking disgusting Chinese's , cursing stupid niggers, threatening filthy latinos. Our uneducated officers are unable to articulate three consecutive words without using the F.. word, and we spend the night immersed in this sea of racial prejudice, brutallity, violence, arrogance and cowardice.
A curious note: our cell had two immense posters hanging on the walls. Look at that - one was a huge map of Brazil, and the other was a picture of Ouro Preto - a historical city in Central Brazil. Both seemed to convey a silent, but eloquent invitation .....
Monday Feb 25 13:00 hrs - After the worse 30 hours of my life, two armed officers escort me to my plane ( Varig flight RG 8837 ) and deliver my passport to the stewardess. They set guard by the plane door until take off. Just a last minute humiliation I guess....
Tuesday Feb 26 07:30 hrs - I arrive tired, but immensely happy in Cumbica International Airport, in SP. I call my girlfriend Sarah in Belo Horizonte. After her recovery from the initial shock and the necessary explanations I invite her to celebrate our unexpected meeting with a trip - to Ouro Preto - of course!
I relate this unfortunate episode hoping to bring these facts to light, to a wider number of people. Maybe those who, like me, were planning an innocent trip to this country might think twice before permitting their wifes, parents and children to be subjected to this infamous tribe of uncivilized barbarians.
Daily, in every American Airport, hundreds of people from the four corners of the world are falling into the claws of these arrogant, racist, brutes, barbarian Nazis, and I think every single citizen of the globe shall contribute in whichever way they can to end this grotesc stain from the face of the free world.
The terrorists put down WTC's twin towers, but they will achieve a far greater victory if they succeed in bending down the spirit, the values and ideals that guided America since it's very birth as an independent Nation.
Having visited the US so many times, and knowing with reasonable depth the history of this Country, I must say that the attitudes and methods of the INS Officers do not reflect the way of being and thinking of the majority of the American People, and surely do not reflect the values and ideals I referred to above.
However, the overwhelming majority of the thousands of tourists that are going daily through this sad experience in American Airports do not have this perspective, and they are going back to their countries carrying in their hearts the seeds of hatred, violence and intolerance that end up germinating in tragedies such as Sep 11.
To Mr G. Bush one suggestion: in the attempt to erradicate the World of terrorism and it's Evil Axis, start at home - in the American Immigration and Naturalization Service - INS.
A very important note: this narrative would not be complete without doing justice to Victor - one of the INS officers. He came into our cell Monday morning. Right when I lay my eyes on him I noticed a different glow, quickly explained by his attitudes: he'd take care of one of us, feed and give water to another, he was always ready to help, at least send a smile, say a friendly word....
He moved like a star, shedding light into the darkness. I had the priviledge to talk with him for a few minutes, when I had the chance to convey my admiration, respect and gratitude for what he was doing for all those people, brutally subjected to such a painful experience.
Son of Mexican Immigrants, educated in India, and possessing a spirituality impossible to hide behind such shinning eyes, this man, who represents so well the best of the East and the West told me simply .. Ricardo, I don't do much, all I can do is try to transmit to these people a little compassion, a little love....
May God always guard you and bless you Victor, as you guard and bless so many.... A last suggestion to the US President consider promoting Victor to the post of Foreign Relations Minister, what he deserves more than anyone. I'm certain that, in a very short time, he'd reverse the already beaten up image of the US with the rest of the world.
His attitude reflect perfectly the spirit and the values that have created America, and proves that one cannot possilbly combat terrorism by becoming himself a terrorist one should employ that ancient technique - turning the other cheek.
Finally, I want to say that I have already done the following :
1. Filed a formal complain at the American Embassy in Brasilia.
2. Filed a formal complain at the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry
3. Send a copy of this text in Portuguese and in English to the Internet, newspapers, magazines, websites, and Human Rights International Institutions.
I hereby authorize any individual or corporation to divulge or reproduce this text partially or in its entirety, making it a public domain, as I believe this case is.
May God bless us all.
Ricardo Abude E. da Silva

Note from the editor: Ricardo is the brother of a friend of mine, a Rotarian from the same club as I, so I'm publishing his story without any doubt that it is completely true. My Rotary Club, in the brazilian district 4550, will send a letter to Rotary International's president suggesting he visits the US President to formely protest against this kind of behavior.

*edit: Put behind an LJ cut due to it's length, after a few weeks.

YO! A question for my friendlist!!

netaria — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:26:11 GMT

Hey, any of you guys game? I only know of a couple of you and I honestly haven't a clue what type of games you play.

SO I guess I shall make a poll for the sake of ease, but feel free to comment as well!

View Poll: Do you game?