Pronoun Trouble

Got off the phone with the other driver's insurance company about an hour ago; they wanted to take a recorded statement. Our insurance company got to that yesterday, so I was reasonably well prepared. Also, being on the phone with them when the doorbell rang got me out of entertaining door-to-door evangelists, score me 8Db

Preliminary news from the auto-body shop is that Mom's car is effectively totaled. I am currently very glad that I was talked out of driving it any farther. Anyway, our insurance company is going to send someone over to confirm the auto-body shop's conclusions, since Dad likes to support small family places and those don't usually get on pre-approved lists.


In other news, Quire started up two Sundays ago, and we're practicing up for the cabaret fundraiser. We've got three group songs, and then there's going to be a bunch of small group and solo stuff as well to fill more time. The theme this year is something James Bond-y, and I thought the song fit right in but pretty much no one else at Quire had even heard of it, so I kind-of volunteered to sing Skullcrusher Mountain solo (lyrics for those without YouTube access). [Content Note: kidnapping, coercion, animal experimentation/harm]

I've recruited Mom to play Scarface, and am planning to have her pick a volunteer from the audience to be my victim. I was already going to crochet something for the silent auction, but while I wasn't entirely sure what it was going to be before, now I'm thinking it should be a half-pony, half-monkey monster that I can use as a prop in the song 8) Mom may have gone/may be going a teensy bit overboard with all the interactive bits she's planning on my behalf, but they're mostly solid ideas? I don't know if I want people howling like wolves in the introduction to the song instead of just when they're mentioned, though maybe. More thought is needed; thankfully, the cabaret isn't until March 3rd, so there's plenty of time.

Anyway, I imagine it's going to be a blast. I'll have to practice enunciating very carefully, since the lyrics are most of the fun.

Griffin time, woo!

( Griffin pics )

Another quick reminder, I've got an offer for custom crochet work up for bidding here at help_mindanao. It's open through the 20th, so take a glance if you've got the cash to spare on flood relief.

Dear Stephen Colbert,

How on earth did you manage to find the Wangdoodle's shoes? Interested parties would quite like to know!

Yours,
Me from fifth grade


In other news, SNOW. It has finally hit Iowa. After a measly two centimeters or so earlier in the year, and a perfectly dry December, it's finally arrived. And in much more volume than I'd actually have liked, but I suppose I should have expected as much and/or should know better than to tempt fate by now.

In crochet related news, the fleece is now attached to the Tetris blanket, hopefully not at the expense of my sewing machine. I may have to examine it (the machine) closely :( Jig the goblin is also finished, and while his glasses are darker than I'd like, I'm willing to live with it. The griffin is closer to being done, and I must say that I was rather ingenious about its rear legs (I popcorned its toes :DD). Its front legs are coming a bit more slowly, if only because the shoulder is giving me trouble. I want to give it the ol' "ch 2 sl st 1, sl st 1, repeat" feather-like fringe (see ears - well, once I get the pics up), but crocheting that usually goes in more-or-less the opposite direction than I picture crocheting the shoulders. That is, I imagine going from the bottom up with the shoulders; to make my usual method for the mini-feathers, I'd have to go from the top down. I'm not sure even front loop crochet can save me on this one :/

I've also made the decision to make a community to host my Photobucket-based crochet pic gallery. Having everything in separate posts should definitely help cut down on traffic, especially with people who just want to see the new stuff. And if they want to see nearly everything at once, why, that's what my Flickr account's for! That should solve my bandwidth problems quite neatly, at least for a little while yet.

Anyway, expect pictures of Jig and the gallery getting started sometime in the next few days. In the mean while, I've got a rat cage to clean.

Dear Money Plant,

Look. I know you've had it pretty good since I moved into my parents' house. I've been watering you regularly (which Dad didn't bother to do and Mom wasn't interested in doing; course, I only remember 'cuz of ReminderFox), I eventually moved you out of the main basement area and into my room (since my room is actually consistently heated and your current place actually gives you access to sunlight), and I've even been giving you food of a sort about once a month. But we've really got to talk about the new growth.

It was bad enough that you put out three new shoots practically the day I started watering you regularly, never mind that we were heading into autumn. But now that you've finally grown those to their capacity (as near as I can tell) and stabilized them, you decided to put out another one?

Honey, it's the middle of frikkin' January on the northern hemisphere. I know it's been warmer this winter than it usually is in Iowa, but come on! If this is how you're growing in the dead of winter, what the hell are you going to be like when spring sets in?

Please, please consider saving some of that growth for a more traditional growing time. Say, March?

Sincerely,
The Management


There's also a Phalaenopsis upstairs that Dad regrettably replanted in a pot that's much too large for it before I even knew he was thinking about it, also heading into fall. It's... struggling along. I know my boss at the flower shop jokingly swears that near cruelty can get amazing results out of orchids, and that that's the only reason those two that had lost their blooms ever put out new stems, but this is kind-of ridiculous.

Most of its roots have dried and shriveled up like worms in the midsummer sun, but it's still plugging along. Hell, even as one of its older leaves turned yellow and died, it put out two new ones, and it looks like it's working on a new root to boot. Meanwhile, what's left of its roots are curled around what mast it managed to cling to after the transplant, and the plant itself is literally balanced on the edge of its new pot. I honestly don't know how it keeps going. Maybe if I get some potting soil, or some rocks, put those at the bottom of the too-big pot and piled the mast on top of it, that could help it out. Meanwhile, I want to wince just looking at it. That poor plant. (There's also an aloe in the upstairs bathroom that's living in a pot that would be so much better for the orchid, I can't even. It's tiny! It's got holes in the side! WHY IS THERE AN ALOE GROWING IN IT WHEN THERE COULD BE AN ORCHID, I ASK YOU. Maybe the fact that it's unglazed clay has something to do with it...)

In any case, we've still got a good amount of winter left to go. Should I risk re-planting it now, or hold my breath and wait until sometime more spring-y? Anyone one have any experience with this sort of thing?

Welp, let's get these up before next year.

Fandom: Homestuck
Prompt: Via homesmut, in a Happystuck-specific reverse prompt: I'm offering ultra quick kiss-at-midnight-on-New-Years happystuck mini-fills. I figure that fits the "an obligation kiss is totally a good excuse to get my mack on with whoever I'm into" niche without the religious holiday baggage of mistletoe. (Here.) Posting in order of request by pairing.
Request: ( Tavros/Nepeta )

Request: ( Gamzee/Equius (warning for swearing) )

Request: ( Dave/John )

[/floof]

I feel the need to let everyone possible know that Dreamwidth has a series of MLP:FIM journal themes. Mane cast plus Derpy and the CMC. (They're not just for Practicality, that's just the most concise way I know of to link to them. You can also go to the Select Style page and look up themes by nornoriel.)

You can all return to your regularly scheduled lives now.

Edit: Hopy shit, exactly 11,000 comments received on this journal o_O

Before the Xmas is over where I am, because I am not cool enough to pull off posting it ironically on Boxing Day.

Fandom: Homestuck
Prompt: Via homesmut, in a Happystuck-specific reverse prompt: I'm offering ultra quick kiss-at-midnight-on-New-Years happystuck mini-fills. I figure that fits the "an obligation kiss is totally a good excuse to get my mack on with whoever I'm into" niche without the religious holiday baggage of mistletoe. (Here.) And then someone asked for Dave/John and I accidentally mistletoe'd anyway /)_(\ At least it's multi-religion?
Warnings: Possible casual disregard for religious sincerity?
Fic: ( Mistletoe )

I would totally be posting this at mspa_updates if the comment form weren't messed up and/or they had switched to S2, but whatever. I may as well have something otherwise unrelated to that mess up here, right?

Disclaimer: If anyone else has speculated in this direction, I am completely unaware of it. I basically get all of my Homestuck speculating on via mspa_updates and the kink meme. That said, let's get this show on the road:

( [SPOILERS for recent developments] Someone else is going to show up first )

Anyway, those are my speculations.

Author Jim C. Hines, who brought us such gifts as Talia, Smudge the fire-spider, and the list of 20 Neil Gaiman facts, has graced the internet with the following filk:

Have Yourself A Slashy Little Christmas

If you're a slash fan and don't mind a teensy bit of Xmas referencing/music in your head, I'd recommend giving it a read :) It's great for a laugh.

Jim has also done some other fun Xmas song parodies, but this one in particular warmed my blackened little fangirl heart, so I just had to make sure everyone saw it.