Creature of Mad Enthusiasms

The theme for the new year appears to be "surprise me." Or possibly I just want some nice surprises counterbalancing some not-so-nice ones.

This started with M joining one of those farm co-ops, which took me instantly from "yeah, yeah, I'll get around to cooking new things eventually" to "you gotta do something with that stuff before it goes bad."

The one I may or may not regret is joining The Fandom of the Month Club, which packages up a magnet, silkscreened bag, postcard, and some jewelry for, well, the fandom of the month. Which is a surprise. I missed the Snape memorial box, but am very curious to see what I'll get.

I hope I don't end up with a bunch of things I need to find new homes for...

In the rest of the state of the Nea, still doing virtual races, getting sucked into Zombies, Run!, and wondering how to balance taking it easy on myself with getting things done with the fact that some chores really must happen on a regular schedule.

Here's one for the hive mind to ponder: is there any reason why I should not start eating peanut butter and banana on whole grain sandwiches washed down with milk for breakfast? It's got grains, protein, potassium (twice), calcium, and making it requires no prep, no cooking, no reheating.

Last night there was a fire at the Book Thing. Russell, the owner, estimated that there had been 200,000 books in stock; now an unknown number have been either burned, scorched, or soaked. Part of the warehouse has collapsed.

And damn if this weekend he isn't planning on hauling all of the still readable books out into the parking lot so people can have them. For free.

PLEASE DONATE IF YOU CAN The website bookthing.org has a "Donate" link. (It has not been updated for the fire, but local papers have picked up the story.

I feel bereft and a little lost. I know that Russell has pledged to rebuild, and I will do everything in my power to help. But... there are 3 boxes and 4 bags of books in my trunk right now because I'd planned on going on Saturday.

If you want to make popcorn and watch the crazy, Malheur is the gift that keeps on giving. I just finished listening to all of both live feeds today (and those are some brain cells I will never get back.) I think the part that impressed me most was how often their paranoid fantasies of persecution went so far they freaked *each other* out and someone would have to stop and talk the others down. As soon as one martyrbation fantasy was shot down, it was off to the next one without a break in step. They're gonna shoot us in the dark! They're gonna shoot us when we surrender! They're gonna grab my wife by the hair and beat the shit out of her just 'cause!

And then we find out that their shitting all over what's actually important while they act out their delusions of significance wasn't just metaphorical.

Now, this, where the govt is being sued for 666 billion by someone who thinks that all the courts, the government, and everybody and their dog is colluding against her and her part in the occupation. The linked article links in turn to the 8-page filing and wow. Juuuuuuuuuuust... wow.

In accordance with the rules of professional conduct, the code of judicial ethics and the laws that prevent judges from sitting on cases that they have a direct interest in, I am objecting to each and every judge who is a state or federal Bar Association member from presiding over my case. I am lawfully entitled to have a fair and impartial judge, and effective council and I will settle for no less. I am reserving my right to have assistance from my "Next Friends"

The renovations I started 7 years ago on my house are complete. Oh, there are things to do still, but the big list of This Must Change has been checked off. In that time I stopped going to conventions that had been a large part of my life (to put the time and money towards housework), the house was robbed, I got out of (and back into) debt* and the scope of the project, like any project, grew.

Still, it is done. The one thing remaining on the original list is "rehang art" and I was going to do that this weekend. After going through said art and deciding what I still want on my walls, because I've decided that I'm very proud of some of my own photos and it's time to print and hang them too.

I'm still adjusting to how my life has changed with decluttered rooms and new systems. So far, the four biggest changes in my life are:

1) Floors are much easier to clean. I loathed that boring beige carpet from the moment I first set foot in the house in a showing. It was rolled up and removed years ago, and the wood underneath it refinished. (I have a sneaking suspicion that it's the underflooring that got sanded and polished, but it looks okay.) Now it looks better and is easier and faster to clean.

2) I wash my hair in the kitchen sink. A lot. (That was likely TMI.) But the new marble kitchen counter came with an extra-deep sink and an extra-high gooseneck faucet. I'd planned it that way so I could easily wash the turkey roaster, but on nights when it's just too much time and effort to get naked, get wet, get dry, and get dressed, it's terribly convenient to shove my head under the faucet and just deal with the hair.

3) I eat at a table like a grownup for the first time in over a decade. The newly cleared out library has just room enough for a little folding gateleg table. I got it so I could open it up and have little dinner parties, but now that I have it, it's become a convenient workspace... and an actual table to eat at, instead of hunching over the coffee table.**

4) I embraced layering and completely redid my wardrobe. This was, in part, necessity: having "this season's" clothing in my room and "last season's" clothing downstairs became an unworkable concept when the temperature went from 60F to 18F in two weeks. So I got a new closet system and crammed everything within it - summer/transition on the top rod and winter/cold transition on the bottom; under layers to the left and top layers to the right. (Double-hung bright pink hangers provide dividers between things like sleeveless/sleeved and work clothes/running T-shirts) THEN I did the thing where you hang your clothes with the hanger going backwards until you wear it once, so you know what you use and don't use.

Instead of dithering for ages over what goes with what or "where is my x?" I can pull outfits together in a minute. In fact the backwards hung hangers have become a challenge for creating new outfits. I haven't worn the long-sleeved brown top yet! Oh, look, I've got a khaki sweater and blue jeans to go with it. Boom. Done.

I still need to winnow down the crammed clothing***, and there is still stuff in the basement that I have to assess if it gets clothing room. But still. That thing was worth every penny and all the angst it took to put together.

On to the next challenge. But this one doesn't get to override my entire life.



*Not credit card debt; I got a loan to have the roof replaced. As the new roof handled 30 inches of snow admirably, I'm happy I had it done. God willin' and the creek don't rise, it'll be paid back in a little over a year.

**Which still happens if there's something good on TV at the time, but still.

***And rearrange it; I'm considering underlayers on the top and overlayers on the bottom; either way, things are so much more organized!

*Last* year I made the resolution to take regular yoga classes. I started classes from a couple of different teachers, only to be incredibly frustrated by what seemed like "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" courses - no sense of building up to a more advanced pose, no feeling of "today we work on balance; next week we work on flexibility" - and worst of all, constantly having to adapt moving from one pose to another or how a pose worked to cope with my bad knee.

Folks, I don't care what your yogi says, the one on the left will bear weight or it will bend, but it hasn't done both for over a decade.

I bought some DVDs and then couldn't be arsed to watch them.

So it didn't take long for me to think "fuck it." I did, however, work in a lot of downward dogs and wide stance forward bends into daily life, because they made the running easier and worked out the kinks when I've been sitting in a car for a while.

*This* year, I discovered the Yoga Studio app. (iTech only, $4.) And I am in looooooooove.

1) Your classes can be downloaded onto your phone. No driving anywhere, no DVD player required. If you know the routines you don't even have to look at the phone; a voice will prompt you to change. If you don't know the routines, a woman is demonstrating them for you in real time.

2) A variety of classes at various levels, for various lengths, and for various things (balance, strength, etc.) are built in.

3) You can build your own classes. The app lets you pick out all the poses you want from a list, lets you determine the length of each pose, and suggests linking poses between your choices if you want.

Duuuuuuuuuude! I am going NUTS with that option, just nuts. I can decouple standing and sitting/kneeling/lying routines (the latter I prefer to do on the bed to cushion my knees). No! Knee! Bends! EVER! I've got a two-minute standing "work out the kinks" routine, I have a "decompress from the day" routine, two "yoga in PJs" routines (one mine, one theirs).

There are a few features I'd like that they don't offer yet. When it ends it just cuts short - no bell, no "namaste," no nothing. I'd like to have something to ease me out of it. There's no way to link in any form of meditiation - I wouldn't mind the option of a little breathing exercises, an "om" or two. But still - excellent use of $4!

There have been some beautiful tributes to Alan Rickman over the last couple of days. The Slitheryn scarf on the half-trolly at Platform 9 3/4. The single white lily at the door of the Potions room on the Hogwarts ride at the Wonderful World of Harry Potter. (I've learned a new fannish glyph: /* for "wands raised.") The wand raising ceremony also at Wonderful World of Harry Potter.

Hogwarts Running Club is memorializing the embodiment of Snape with what they do best -a run for charity. "Always," slated for Rickman's birthday, is a 3.94 miler for the line "Turn to page 394." There is no race medal, but purchases of the race shirt will be donated to Debate Mate, one of the charities Rickman supported.

Facebook event post
US purchase of race shirt
International purchase of race shirt

I am very pleased to see that in less than 48 hours, Always has pulled in over $15,000.

Alan Rickman will be sorely missed. 2016 is not starting well!

Legionseagle made a good start but I thought it would be fun to make a collaborative list of all the homages and shout-outs in The Abominable Bride to canon and other Holmes versions

(I'm seriously considering making a list of all the stories that were directly quoted and giving it to Sherlock fans who haven't read canon if they'd like to hunt 'em down in a reverse Easter egg hunt.)

Anyway... here's what I've got in no particular order. Sing out in comments ( Spoilers, sweetie! )

Legionseagle, where's the Rathbone reshoot?

I would have sworn that "regulation tread" was a quote, but I can't find it. The bit about bad/missing breakfast is also a homage, but all I remember of the original quote is "love romance" and googling "Sherlock Holmes" "love romance" gets... interesting... results.

There's this meme running around Facebook about how in Iceland it's traditional to read a new book in bed on Christmas eve.

...and I thought two things. 1) That's cool and 2) That is totally how I'm celebrating everything from now on - taking time to read a book!

So tonight, I start my new tradition with Tamar LeJeune's "Christmas with the Duchess." (Hey, I never said they'd be profound books!)

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and to ALL - a good night.