If the Skirt Fits

I Have A Guest

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:34:33 GMT

I went over to check on Ariel, and she hadn't taken a bite of food since I was there yesterday. I simply can't live there for the next four days, so I took a big breath, took an even bigger chance, and brought her over here. She immediately headed for the room that was once the ex's bedroom and was just a bit displeased to find the door closed (the room is now a storage area and quite a mess). I'm hoping that she can get as comfortable as is possible, and maybe even a little less lonely.

Turkey's In The Oven

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:17:18 GMT

And it is full of an experimental stuffing consisting of brown rice, cubed acorn squash, rosemary, and tiny bits of cinnamon and allspice. Anyone care to wager on whether or not I can eat it?

Now, I suppose that I'll throw some clothes on and check on Ariel (the ex- is doing Thanksgiving with her father, in New Jersey, and I am charged with looking after Ariel-kitty, who gets awfully lonely all by herself). Then, I get to try to get the timing of the other dishes right.

Writer's Block: If we took a holiday ...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:33:55 GMT

What is your favorite holiday and why?

Submitted By crazyprotein

View 966 Answers

My absolute favorite holiday is one of my own making. It falls on my birthday, but that is actually not the point of it. Two things occurred on the anniversary of my birth that will forever live in my mind and heart; I can never think of them without shedding a tear.

On 20 July 1969, men first landed and set foot upon extraterrestrial soil, fulfilling the primary objective of the Apollo XI mission

On 20 July 1976, Viking I returned the first images from the Martian surface

I will always remember that age of discovery, so sad that it is now all but gone.

To Start Your Thanksgiving Day

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:39:58 GMT

It was the chicken's day off.

Writer's Block: Is your goose (or tofu) cooked?

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:24:35 GMT

Are you planning to host Thanksgiving at your place or will you travel to see family and/or friends? Do you prefer a traditional menu or something entirely different?

View 631 Answers

Thanksgiving will be me and the kitties. It's been eleven years since I've been the only human around for the holiday, so I'll see how it goes. The menu will be a combination of the traditional and the novel: I happened to see a 12lb. hen turkey for $7, so I grabbed it and will eat from it for the better part of a week. The thing is that besides brining it, I'm wanting to try a stuffing of rice and an acorn squash that really needs to be eaten (plus the two heads of garlic). There will be the obligatory green bean/mushroom soup/french onion casserole; yes, I actually like the stuff. The food bank supplied me with a crapload of cranberry sauce; yay. And of course, there is whole wheat bread from my own oven.

And let's not forget tuna for Miranda, Winston, and D.C. in addition to the turkey they'll get because they won't leave me alone until they do.

Maybe I'll have the Detroit/Green Bay game on; I'll flip a cat to decide.

Another maybe: After dinner, I might even start decorating for the winter holidays.

Writer's Block: Change is good

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:05:03 GMT

If you could change one major thing about your life, whether a relationship, your job, your living situation, your school, etc., what would it be? Are you currently working toward a serious life transition?

View 1275 Answers

My bra size.

Geez.

Seriously, there isn't much I'd leave the same. For starters, how about I get to sit at a console with a nice engraved sign that reads "FLIGHT"?

moropus, You Fufu, This Is All Your Fault!

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:08:33 GMT

It's meme time again, kiddies. What a way to come back to LJ. This is forty things about you. Enjoy.

1. What is your name as it appears on your birth certificate?
Edward Zavartkay, Jr.
Yeah, come on, find my folks and tell them all about me. It will give them an excuse to disown me.

2. Does anyone ever misspell your name?
Which one? My legal name? Hell yeah. I used to collect mangled versions, the way some people collect coins or stamps. And would you believe that people don't know how to spell "Clarion"? Especially around here? Clarion County is just north of here; you see it in the news every other day, for the love of St. Gulik.

3. Has anyone ever made fun of your last name?
Kids used to hammer on my legal name. "Sa-FART-ski" (accent on the second syllable) was a favorite.

4. Relationship status?
Single

5. How old are you?
Six weeks older than Sputnik, and proud of every minute of it. You do the math.

6. What city were you born in?
East Cleveland OH

7. How did you celebrate your last birthday?
With a shot of The Glenfiddich and the audio from the Apollo XI mission.

8. Name the last 5 cities you have lived in:
Homestead PA, Clairton PA, Carnegie PA, Cleveland OH, Marietta OH

9. What is your heritage?
My dad's side is Slovak; my mom's side is Polish, by way of PA coal country.

10. What does your voice sound like?
It's a better boy voice than a girl voice, let me tell you.

11. What is your style?
I prefer a look reminiscent of going to the office. Dresses, skirts/blouses, flats, the occasional pair of heels. I'm not trying to be elitist here, it's just a matter of what helps me feel good. As good as I can manage, anyway.

12. What do you spend most of your money on?
Shelter and cat food.

13. Describe your...
HAIR: Greying. Rapidly.
EYES: I think they call it "hazel".
BODY SHAPE: A lot smaller than I used to be. I had to buy an entirely new wardrobe because my clothes were literally falling off of me and onto the floor.
FINGERNAILS: Kept under Revlon's Cherries in the Snow

14. What shampoo and conditioner do you use?
That stuff you get for a buck a bottle.

15. Do you enjoy bubble baths?
Absitively.

16. What shower gel or soap do you use?
Ivory Soap. It works and it's cheap.

17. What kind of shoes do you wear?
You know that old joke about how you can spot a lesbian by her shoes?

18. What do you sleep in?
Naked in summer, Hello Kitty jammies in winter.

19. What is your favorite cosmetic brand?
I'm working on it.

20. Describe your weirdest hobby:
Plotting translunar trajectories.

21. What are your favorite TV shows?
Baseball games, NASA-TV

22. What was the last album you listened to?
"Unvergessene Melodien" It's an album of Strauss waltzes.

23. What was the last DVD you watched?
Aquateen Hunger Force, Volume One

24. What are you reading at the moment?
Nothing. I think that I want to pick up Doug Hofstadter's "The Mind's I".

25. Where do you work?
I'm on disability.

26. What do you want to do as a career?
Be a neurophysiologist or a pron star. I'm not sure which.

27. Do you listen to a wide range of music or one particular kind?
Depends on what you mean by "wide range". Baroque, classical, early romantic, the occasional Russian, and jazz.

28. What CD do you listen to most?
Herbert von Karajan's 1962 Beethoven cycle.

29. What is your favorite film?
Das Boot

30. Have you ever stolen a street sign?
No.

31. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Hell yeah.

32. What is your favorite food?
My very own chicken paprikasz.

33. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
They didn't want me. Story upon request.

34. Would you ever pose nude in a magazine?
How much would you pay me?

35. Can you change the oil in a car?
Surely.

36. Where would you like to get married?
N/A

37. Ever fired a gun?
It's not a "gun", it's a "weapon". And yes, I have. I prefer longarms.

38. Do you think musicals are cheesy?
Maybe.

39. What age do you plan to have children?
Never had 'em, never will.

40. If you could go anywhere...
The Sea of Tranquility.

Trying To Post Again

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:54:50 GMT

As many of you know, my world got turned on its head over the last year or so. I've since been trying to settle into my new life, trying to do the things I've been needing to do over the previous fifty years. I'll even try to put up progress reports, and even look at my Friends Page occasionally.

First thing to do today: Visit the post office.

Writer's Block: Concert mania

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:47:21 GMT

What band are you dying to see live in concert that you've never seen before? Would you travel to a different city or state just to see them?

View 2060 Answers

I had wanted to hear Alfred Brendel when he was in Pittsburgh last year. Unfortunately, he fell ill and had to cancel, and he has since retired from touring. So, my next choice would be der Berliner Philharmoniker. I might even consider steamship and train to Berlin, had I the spare cash.

Introducing D.C.

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:30:56 GMT

Since Ariel's departure in June, Winston had been tending to mope more than a bit. It was looking like he was just a bit lonely. Hoping to cheer him a bit, I had had a mind to finding him a friend. As it happened, a young man in Shadyside was having trouble mixing business and cat. Crossing my fingers, I took the tom in. Not quite a week later, it is looking as if the new boy in town is finding a place in the looney bin I call home.

His previous human called him "Danger", a reference to his rescue-kitty roots. This sort of expended to "Danger Cat", and contracted again to "D.C."

Breakfast At Tiffany's^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h Diana's

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:13:46 GMT

Wednesday's breakfast: Bread from my own oven (a light honey rye), grape jelly, and 10W-50 coffee. There may be better, but if there is, I haven't found it yet.

This Is A Kick!

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:11:25 GMT

While perusing YouTube, I came across some performances of the Radetzky March, which happens to be one of my favorite pieces. There was the standard stuff, such as von Karajan conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker:

But then, I chanced upon what was termed a "Chinese version". Intrigued, I gave it a listen:

All I can say is "Bravo!"

:o)

What Did She Say?????

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:34:49 GMT

No matter how hard I may try to work on my speech, there are the occasional times that my words betray my roots. Just a few minutes ago, I was heard to utter a distinctly Great Lakes

Wuddn't that something?

in the stead of the more proper "WASN'T that something?"

I guess that you can take the girl out of Cleveland, but there's no way in Hell that you're ever going to pry Cleveland out of the girl.

Oh Wow!

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:42:40 GMT

I just received the CD I won from WCLV. I found a promotional video from Virgin Classics, and this looks like it's going to make my year.

We Have A Winner!

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:06:33 GMT

While getting ready to go up the hill in the mornings, I bring up WCLV online for a little background music. They have movie quizzes in the 9:00 hour; a play part of a soundtrack, guess the film sort of thing. I immediately recognized the opening theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, grabbed the phone, punched them up, and lo and behold...

I WON!!!!!

The prize is a CD by a young French pianist I'd never heard of before, so not only do I have the excitement of winning something, I get to discover something new.

Yay me!

Time Zone Check

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:12:13 GMT

So, I'm listening to WCLV online. John Simna introduces W A Mozart's German Dance by stating that Mozart was an active composer even late in his life. My question is this: How does one interpret "late in life" in reference to a man who died at the age of 35?

Just wondering...

:o)

Writer's Block: Proven by Science

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:06:10 GMT

Do you believe everything has a scientific explanation?

Submitted By mesnyder_92

View 512 Answers

Yes, I do. Even the symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven have their roots in the physical and chemical processes that underlie the human mind. This is not to say that there are not other ways to describe and explain things, such as those that may be called "spirituality" or "creativity". The explanation one uses will be the one that best fits the question at hand.

My Little Corner Of The World

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:08:55 GMT

The imposition of sanity continues at Clarionville, extending into The Studio:

One thing I have noticed about the reorganization is that a common thread is SPACE. I can walk about without banging into anything, tripping over anything, or otherwise playing pinball. The Studio even has the Cat Seal Of Approval:

The library is next. Stay tuned.

Writer's Block: I May Be Crazy

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:07:00 GMT

What does this Rorschach blot look like to you?

View 548 Answers

Native Clevelander though I may be, it damned well looks like two penguins flanking the Stanley Cup. At least it doesn't resemble anything connected with the Stillers.

It Is A Bedroom, And It Is Mine

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:42:03 GMT

And here's what she's been up to lately:

It's an actual bedroom. It's my bedroom. I still don't quite believe it.

I have a dressing table:

All I need is a wall-mounted mirror.

I have a mural:

Dassu gentlehum .

I even have a cat:

More properly, the cat has me.

So here it is, a little corner of order. It's even staying this way.

Writer's Block: Total Eclipse of the Sun

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:13:17 GMT

Solar eclipses, like the one visible in India and across Southeast Asia today, have often inspired violence, fear, and superstition in the past. What do they signify to you?

Submitted By fixnwrtr

View 501 Answers

To me, they signify that the moon's orbit has brought it directly between Sun and Earth.

The Day After

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:46:17 GMT

My many much dassu for all the birthday wishes, here and on FB. I spent much of it with my head in the ceiling, rewiring the hallway. Then, gentlehum had me over for pizza and cake(s), and gived (two syllables: give'-ed) at me this thing. I love it. My folks had one in the Precambrian era, and I've wanted one for years.

Forty Years Ago, Right Now

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:22:49 GMT

Aldrin: "Contact light. Okay, ACA out of detent, mode control both auto, decent engine command overide off, engine arm off, 413 is in."

Duke: "Rog, we copy you down, Eagle."

Armstrong: "Houston, uh... Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed."

Duke: "Roger Twan... Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue, we're breathing again. Thanks a lot."

Armstrong: "Thank you."

I can't hold back the tears.

I Just Saw A B-17!

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:57:17 GMT

I was out to water my balcony plants, and I heard a low rumble. I looked up, and there in the sky, making a turn to port, was a B-17! It was beautiful! I ran for my camera, but by the time I got back out, it was too far away to be photographed, in level flight to the east. It was a sight to behold, though.

An (Hopefully) Honest Assessment

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:24:31 GMT

A couple of days ago, I shot photos of the rooms here, to see what progress (or regress) has occurred since I became the sole human occupant of this place. Here it is, say what you will:

Studio

Then	Now

"Then" is before any work started. "Now" is when all order was lost due to overflow from other areas.
Kitchen

Then	Now

"Then" is before I was single. "Now" is when the kitchen started becoming a sort of secondary staging area, because I couldn't move through the primary staging area.
Bedroom

Then	Now

"Then" is when this was the computer room from which I was ejected. "Now" is after I painted the walls, but before I finished painting and actually moved into the new bedroom.
Staging Area/Workroom

Then	Now

I am not presently living in this room, so things that don't yet have a home end up here.
My own assessment is that there is a LONG way to go. I'll just keep shoehorning work in where I can manage.