This is wrong.

avuncular (adj.)
means “typical of or suitable to an uncle”; it also has figurative senses meaning “kind, indulgent, undemanding, sexless”: His treatment of her was more avuncular than amorous. It’s perhaps a cliché in its most frequent company, avuncular advice. A curiosity: English has no similar adjective to deal with matters or qualities typical of an aunt: auntish and auntlike are about as close as we can come.
- - http://www.bartleby.com/68/54/654.html

[emphasis mine]

Something must be done to redress this intolerably inequitable situation. "Amita" is Latin for aunt. How does "amitous" sound to everyone? "Amitular"?


Today's earrings: owls, estrogen molecules

Bedtime reading: Rethinking Thin, Gina Kolata

Lipids: nourishing the spirit

Stopped on the way home to pick up the Wandering Albatross's Christmas present* and found this. So cute! I went on to dine at Fancy Restaurant, and had the cheese plate. (Always have the cheese plate, my friends.) Included was a section of a "crocodile tear" from Capriole. Utterly swoonworthy. They have sampler boxes. Christmas is coming. I'm just saying.


Today's earrings: tree frogs, circles of tangled green and yellow

Bedtime reading: Rethinking Thin, Gina Kolata
____________________
*He asked for something that starts with the letter V, so he's getting Giant Microbe VD. I don't think this'll spoil the surprise because I don't think he's reading here. But, just to preserve a little mystery in case I'm wrong, I'm not going to say which disease I'm giving him.

So to speak.

Fitness

"Somehow lizards just belong on rocks."
- - Michael Sackett, http://www.letsrockcarvedstone.com/


Today's earrings: lizards, rocks

Bedtime reading: Through Elegant Eyes, R.A. Lafferty

Physics in action

Got myself one of those microwaveable bowl thingies for lunch. As bowls often are, it was round. I added water and put it in the microwave. Because the receptionist (who gets stuck cleaning out the microwave, even though it's not in her job description) wants us to use this plastic half-dome as a splash guard, I put the plastic half-dome on top of the bowl. The half-dome was resting on the bowl, and there was about a half inch gap between the edges of the half-dome and the spinner in the microwave. Anybody want to guess the outcome?

Yes, indeed! After eight minutes, the half-dome was resting on the spinner, the bowl was suctioned to the inside of the half-dome, and there was about a half inch gap between the bottom of the bowl and the spinner in the microwave. And! the plastic bowl had made itself into a smaller plastic bowl. 'twas a cool demonstration of the interaction of pressure and temperature.

Except the part about trying to prise my (boiling) lunch from its pressure-locked prison. I went with sliding the bowl toward the edge of the half-dome until the seal broke. I'm now thinking that sticking the whole thing under a cold water tap would have been a more elegant solution.


Today's earrings: scarabs

Bedtime reading: Through Elegant Eyes, R.A. Lafferty

Lunch at the Westfield Mall

'wichCraft, to be precise. The sandwiches are good, if a bit pricey, and the counter staff were quite nice. After, b2 and I went to Virgin and I got music. One lovely dirt-cheap double cd of Christmas Memories also includes, for reasons which elude me, "Moon River," "From Russia with Love," and "Lily the Pink." ("We'll drink the drink to drink/ To Lily the pink, the pink, the pink/ The saviour of the human race/ She invented medicinal compound/ She was efficacious in every case.")

b2 sought the Patrick Stewart reading of "A Christmas Carol" in vain. I checked out Amazon - it seems to be out of print. But there are some on eBay. Tape or cd? Abridged (white) or Unabridged (red)? Inquiring minds want to know...


Today's purchases:
Christmas Memories Are Made of This, Various artists, Virgin Records 2004
The Best of Dean Martin, Dean Martin, Not Now Music Ltd. 2007
Into the Woods, Various artists, Sony BMG 2007


Today's earrings: compasses

Bedtime reading: Through Elegant Eyes, R.A. Lafferty

I'm Back!

Home - is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home - -she lifted up her wings
Guess that this must be the place
I can't tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time before we were born
If someone asks, this where I'll be . . . where I'll be

- David Byrne

First thing I did was pour water through my nose. :)


Bedtime reading: Through Elegant Eyes, R.A. Lafferty

Where America Greets the World, or

what JFK Airport claims to be on its entry sign. I'm not convinced.

Anyway - here we are, waiting for a plane & watching the moon rise. It's quite full and shiny. I hope everyone enjoyed their Black Friday. :)


Another day without earrings.

Airplane reading: Hogfather, Terry Pratchett; Logorrhea, John Klima, ed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dude, excellent feasting.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Hogfather, Terry Pratchett

Good day

We finished the puzzle; I roasted potatoes; Confused Cricket baked pies. Mmmm, pies.

Sleepy now.


Today's earrings: turtles, other turtles

Bedtime reading: Hogfather, Terry Pratchett

To the Lake House

It's a funny thing - none of us thought we slept well, but we also didn't notice when one of the other three people in the room got up. Perception != reality.

Unfocused sort of day. We accomplished our principal goals but not much else. The Angry Lemming was not feeling his best, and took a nap. Confused Cricket & M looked at art. There was dragon-mask armor for a horse, they said. That sounds cool. I surfed the interwebs. Tiger got a whole bunch of new books and seems very pleased about them. K was peripatetic in extremis, and S was pedagogical. We had a lovely dinner at the lake, and M won the scrabble game. S joins us tomorrow.


Today's earrings: flowers, other flowers

Bedtime reading: Hogfather, Terry Pratchett

***************************************************************

Bwahahhaha! I have hijacked this blog! Bwahahahahha! I am not wearing earrings and the earrings do not wear me! Ha ha! I am full of mirth, just listen to me chortle.


,,,,,and i'm all out of love. I'm so lost without you. I know you were right, believing for so long.

[That was M]

***************************************************************

Oh, the humanity....

[And that was the Angry Lemming]

Greetings from the scenic JFK Comfort Inn!

The travel was filled with minor incidents of annoyance, ending with seeing rather more of Jamaica, Queens, than strictly necessary. However. It's the Season of Thankfulness. I am duly grateful for us all arriving intact in a room with beds.


No earrings today.

Bedtime reading: Logorrhea, John Klima, ed.

It was foggy this morning

On my way to the bus stop this morning I heard yelling. Crossing the street, I saw that a guy was yelling at a little old lady with a cane. (I see her with her husband(?) at that stop pretty often. I don't think they speak any English.) She was trying to pretend the yelly guy wasn't there, her husband was trying to shoo him off, and the guy kept yelling that she was in his way, he was trying to get somewhere, don't get in his way. Then he knocked her down.

He just pushed her over and walked away.

I didn't know what to do. What I did was go over to her and ask if she was ok, which didn't help much. I stayed with her while her husband tried to round up some help from the dry cleaner's shop, but they were too late to do anything besides commiserate. I helped her husband get her back on her feet, and one of the guys from the dry cleaner walked them home.

The bus came, and I went off to see the Dancing Square.

It's an adorable house. Hardwood floors through most of it, and lots of cute period detail. I like the fireplace even better now that I've seen it. (I'm the only one.) I have never seen so many kluges in 3-d format. SO many moving parts - a swing-out spice rack, freestanding shelves in every cabinet, drawers bolted to the bottom of all the flat surfaces... I suspect they were trying to echo the swinging cauldron in the fireplace and the flappy mirror wings in the bathroom. (As with the fireplace, the only one who loves the flappy mirror wings is me.)

Carpets were cast aside. Rooms were redesigned. Color schemes were chosen. Lunch was had. Then we all went home to pack.



A little old lady. With a cane, fercrissake.


Today's earrings: frogs, coins

Bedtime reading: Through Elegant Eyes, R.A. Lafferty

In which I prevail upon the kindness of familiars

Got most of the way through today's work. Got most of today's errands done. Completely forgot to print out a copy of the hotel reservation. Can someone print out a copy of the hotel reservation?

And we must schedule a dramatic reading of that popular epic, Katy and the Big Snow. Sunday, yes? I've got the text; can someone bring the props?

Kisses!


Today's earrings: scarabs

Bedtime reading: The Atlantic, December 2007

A little at sea

After a long and completely unproductive day at work, I went to Stacey's. [New Atlantic time.] I found myself in the basement, holding a bunch of books about trucks and staring at a copy of Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton. I remember staring at that title before. But I can't remember whether I actually bought a copy. So I bought the one in front of me. If they've already got it, I'll keep this copy to enjoy, and as a reminder not to buy it again. Everyone needs the story of the heroic and versatile Katy, right?

In less addle-pated news, I get to take the world-famous guided tour of the fabulous Dancing Square on Sunday! Woo-Hoo!


Today's earrings: compasses

Bedtime Reading: The Atlantic, December 2007

I hear rumors that someone has housekeys.

what you get when you google "cricket lemming": http://www.lemmingscc.co.uk/Home.html

Someone should give me a tour of the Dancing Square, like, this weekend. A girl has needs.


Today's earrings: turtles, other turtles

Bedtime reading: The Open House, Michael Innes

Been feeling out of sorts lately

so I went looking for an external cause. Maybe Mercury in retrograde? No such luck. Uranus is in retrograde, but Uranus spends half of every year in retrograde.

Mars goes retrograde on the 15th. Beware of indigestion, y'all. And "political leaders should also avoid becoming unduly concerned with homeland security and avoid imposing needless restrictions." Who says astrology isn't relevant to everyday concerns?
http://www.astrologycom.com/marsret.html


Today's earrings: hands, liberty dimes

Bedtime reading: Through Elegant Eyes, R.A. Lafferty

Monday.

I'm against it.

But I am in favor of Thanksgiving:



Today's earrings: flowers, brown swirly dots

Bedtime reading: Cinnamon Skin, John D. MacDonald

Friday.

I'm for it.


Today's earrings: moose, theobromine molecules

Bedtime reading: Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman

It's not easy

At work today, Newbie told me that she'd recently made fudge from our family recipe. (Last December, Confused Cricket made fudge that I took in to the office. There was so much rejoicing that I circulated the recipe.) She said it hadn't occurred to her before then that fudge could be home-made; to her it had always been a store-bought treat.

I thought of, but did not share with her, a complementary revelation I had, when I realized that sodas could be purchased in supermarkets and then consumed at home. I suppose I must have been aware of the theoretical possibility before... it had just never come home to me before that I could do that.

Anyway. In our dandy new office configuration, Newbie's pointed straight at the bookcase on my right. Today I was getting some measurable work done, which means I had the tunes cranked, which means I was silently mouthing/emoting "Ballroom Blitz" and "Bat Out Of Hell" and the like smack in the middle of her peripheral vision. Poor Newbie. I hope the fudge recipe makes up for it.


Today's earrings: frogs, peapods

Bedtime reading: The Emerald City of Oz, L. Frank Baum

Election Day

As of this writing, the incumbent mayor, district attorney, and sheriff are winning in landslides.


Today's earrings: mice, men

Bedtime reading: Aesop's Fables, Townsend & James, trans.

No skill required

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dice+monkey


Today's earrings: monkeys, dice

Bedtime reading: Fortune-telling by Dice, David & Julia Line

PST

9am. clock radio went off. lazelazelaze and the announcer went to commercial with, "It's 8:17 here at KGO." Huh? Checked other clocks. Turned out the only one I hadn't re-set was... the clock radio. Oops.

9:20am 8:20am. reset clock radio. Made coffee.

9:15am. called the Wandering Albatross. Turned out to be quarter-past midnight in his time zone; I apologized & hung up.

9:30am-10:15. intermittently tried to call K back.

10:30am. met gang for brunch at Cafe Pretentious. At some point, they'd discontinued table service & failed to circulate the memo. The Angry Lemming heroically hunted down brunch. Go, Lemming! Then we all got epistolatory.

noonish. the gang headed east ISO some great outdoors to inhabit; I went for gelato. mmmmm, gelato.

4:30pm. b2 called; her grandmother died this morning after a long illness.

6pm. Cousin Bruce called. He'll be in town for a bridge tournament 11/22-12/2, could I recommend some restaurants?

8:15pm. Wandering Albatross called. He had changed time zones! I did count right! Anyway, he's home again & pleased about it.


Today's earrings: eyes, teapots

Bedtime reading: Fugitive Colors, Margaret Maron.

Wacky fog effects this morning

I couldn't see two blocks down the street, but look straight up and there was clear blue sky. Very odd.


Today's earrings: lobsters, rocks

Bedtime reading: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

Feast of All Saints

Caught a re-run tonight of the Iron Chef Battle Milk.

Milk: the Logos; the heavenly milk from the mystic bride, the Church; milk is also the simple teaching given to the neophyte before initiation and the wine of the sacrament. Milk and honey, food for the newborn, was given to the newly baptized. In Christian iconography the milk pail, muletra, portrays the spiritual nourishment of Christ and the Church.

- - An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols, J.C. Cooper

Iron Chef Cora won.


Today's earrings: hands, basketweave spoons

Bedtime reading: The Supper of the Lamb, Robert Farrar Capon