Author: etoiline

Milestone

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This was a nice letter to find in my work mailbox…

“Dear Jennifer:
Congratulations! You have reached a milestone in your career with Washington University School of Medicine. It is with sincere appreciation for your 5 years of continued service and dedication that I write to recognize your efforts…”

Five years. Don’t they go by in a blink.*
Only two years until my kids can go to WU for free, haha. Hopefully in two years I’ll have a book or two with an agent…
*name that movie 😉

Creation

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No matter what your field–science, engineering, the creative arts, cocktail making–ideas are in the air for the grabbing. All you have to do is the hard part:
Turn them into something real.

From Justine Larbalestier’s blog.

Celebrate (lots)

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This is a big day.
Happy Anniversary to my parents. I’m so proud of you for staying together and staying in love. <3 <3 <3
Happy Birthday to Kate and Gordon! 🙂 *party*
And this website turns six. Six years I’ve been doing this. Six years of very infrequent blogging and not so often with the layout changes…
I really should have gotten a new layout up. I’ve got one almost ready, but I’ve been a bit stymied by the changes MT4 made to their default code, so it’s…not…quite…there yet. Soon.
Still writing, still reading, still dreaming. Have a great day, folks.

So say we all

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In the category of Jen catching on late to things is watching Battlestar Galactica. bsg.jpg
The main reason I didn’t see it before now is that it’s on cable, which I don’t have at the apartment. Yes, I could have theoretically seen it at my parents’ place (even saw the beginnings of a few of the 3rd season eps, when they aired after the short-lived The Dresden Files on SciFi last year) but a) my parents aren’t really into scifi and b) I didn’t want to start in the middle. The show sounded intriguing (even though I’m not all that into scifi myself) and most of the people who did like it told me I would enjoy it. Well, they were right, of course.
Thanks to Mike I’ve gotten to see the first season and a few eps of season 2, while trying to forget what I’ve seen of the 4th season (without really forgetting it, or the next week’s ep won’t make sense). So yes, it’s a good show, lots of character development, politics, action, romance, mythology…and it’s not always “shoot the ship! big splody! hyperspace jumps!” which, I’ll admit, is my stereotype of scifi stuff. It’s one of the reasons I don’t read SF. There has to be good character development and the story has to be interesting. I don’t care how many rooms are on the ship. But I do care about what’s going on in the rooms (not that way! mind out of the gutter!), and BSG makes me care.
Well done, colonists. Here’s to the final season. Yeah, yeah, I know I’m late. Irony is my life.
Another thing that makes me happy: Moonlight is back for a few episodes. Friday nights will be happy for Jen.
And we had an aftershock last night, from that earthquake last week, weird. At least I knew what it was this time.

what’s shaking?

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I woke up around 5 am this morning because the bed was shaking. At first I thought it was the cat, hiding under my bed all night, finally having enough and making a ruckus to wake me up and let him out. But no, no cat under the bed. He was crouched outside my door, probably rather freaked.
There was an earthquake along the southern Illinois-Indiana border, and we felt it all the way over here. I thought it might be, once I determined the bed-shaking was not the fault of the cat, but I wanted confirmation. Apparently my cognitive skills aren’t the best in the middle of the night, so my search for ‘earthquake st. louis’ didn’t immediately yield the right site. Finally found it, and lo, a big red square in the midwest! Very odd.
I’ve only ever felt one other earthquake, and it was much smaller. I was outside in my parents’ backyard, laying on the grass and staring up at the clouds, and I felt a tremor run beneath me. I didn’t realize what it was at first (you know, daydreaming, head in the clouds) until my mom asked me if I’d felt anything out there. The news had reported the quake.
I sincerely hope that I never get so used to the feeling that I know exactly what it feels like.
My neck is still hurting after waking up sore yesterday. I don’t know what I could have done, but it’s not cool. So to make myself feel better, and hopefully make you smile too, a lolcat:
humorous pictures
see more crazy cat pics
TGIF!

April Fools!

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Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10)

When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.
–Erasmus

Happy April Fools’ Day! Hope you don’t get slapped by any fish. (In France, today is called Poisson d’Avril: April Fish. You’re supposed to stick paper fish on a person’s back and laugh at them all day, or give them a little chocolate fish. Those weird French.)
Also, as you see by the picture, Jim Butcher’s new Dresden Files book, Small Favor, comes out today. Normally, I would come in a little late to work, having run by Borders when it opens at 9. But the Borders I normally go to had an underground water main break at the end of February. 18 inches of water on the first floor (which is where the sci-fi/fantasy section is, sob), enough that it buckled the floorboards. So it’s been out of commission for a while, which is SO SAD. I’m having Borders withdrawal. Not all hope is lost, though. There is a Barnes and Noble nearby, and a Waldenbooks in the mall. However, I have a 40% off coupon for Borders/Waldenbooks, so I don’t want to go to B&N. But the Waldenbooks doesn’t open until 10. Woe. So I have to wait until after work to get the book. I guess I’ll deal. It’s just a book. *goes off and cries, especially since she forgot her lunch today*
Of course, once I finally get the book, that means that the afghan, which currently has ALL 64 FREAKING SQUARES crocheted and two whole sections sewn up, will have to wait. I will finally have a large project to show off! If Mike’s cat doesn’t claim it all as her own, of course…

Erin Go Braugh

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Happy St. Pat’s.
Being that it’s a Monday it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to do any actual partying, but I’ll lift my virtual green beer just the same.
And for your Irish edification: An A to Z of Irish Culture, courtesy of author John Scalzi, who is a funny guy and you should read his stuff anyway.