Stokers

• 00:21 Here there be dwagons (and yes, @techdragon is wearing an embroidery hoop on her head.) twitpic.com/vf5lq
• 14:38 I gave found my holiday nemesis, and its name is seasonal-holiday-discounted-Ghiardelli's peppermint bark. Om n0m n0m.
• 16:19 Working on inventorying household media. I have 224 graphic novels, & I've only finished the first two bookshelves (574 books total) so far.
• 19:22 Our "Lost in Time" antique watch parts necklace was just featured on the front page of the 1000 Markets website. Neat! bit.ly/7APPno
• 21:46 As someone with rather serious GI problems, this sort of thing goes beyond mortifying and into the realm of nightmares: bit.ly/4xTyFM

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• 15:10 I can has snowkitten. (felonious, on the other hand, is a total pussy when it comes to the white stuff.) twitpic.com/vcrbp

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• 12:48 Yes, @techdragon, I am implying that the television is lying to us. It's not reality, it's :actuality:
• 13:22 Tweeting foodstuffs, just to make you drool...
• 13:29 Starting w/homemade turtlebread with honey, butter, and fig & black tea preserves, while @JeffreyP makes pitas. twitpic.com/v6uw2
• 14:59 Roast leg of lamb with kalamata olive and mint paste, about to go into the oven. twitpic.com/v7e6t
• 15:34 Mo-ooooommmm! She's dressing us up again! twitpic.com/v7lhd
• 16:13 Olives, goat cheese, homemade pita, balsamic & olive oil, and homemade spinach & feta hummus. twitpic.com/v7tek
• 16:29 Golden potatoes from @drakenfly and obafugakum: twitpic.com/v7wys
• 16:30 Also, lamb! twitpic.com/v7x5a
• 20:02 Note to guests: watch out for ceiling fan when raising baby.

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Happy Christmas Eve, friends!

Today I have:

Eaten a HUGE breakfast full of delicious
Worked for 4 hours and while getting paid to work 8
Received many compliments on my Santa Hat
Received delicious chocolate from co-workers
Deposited my roommate's rent check
Finished my Christmas shopping (1 store, 5 minutes)
Braved the grocery store and did not steal small children, curse, or run anyone over.

Also, the sun is shining, it is warm-ish, and the only thing I have to do in the next 6 hours is shower and wrap Christmas gifts.  AWESOME!

In conclusion, I wish all of you joyous, beautiful holidays full of fantastically wonderful things. 

Merry Christmas Eve, all!

Fey

I like this routine. It's intricate and elegant but not overdone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlNTvZ1l7so

Just completed my first paperwork to initiate legal proceedings. That's right, I'm suing someone.

I've never felt so American.

For legal reasons I will not be commenting on this situation online. Sorry.

I get motion sickenss--horrible, HORRIBLE motion sickness, from just about everything: car trips, plane rides, boats (don't get me started on boats), roller-coasters, some video games, and on rare occasions movies.  Yes, movies.  Typically action movies that have a lot of shots where the camera was on somebodies shoulder while they ran, but it's never gotten so bad I couldn't finish the movie. Until "Avatar." Brennan and I looked forward to that flick for months.  We followed its progress, got tickets way ahead of time, and sat in line for an hour and a half to get good seats on Friday night.  So you can imagine my distress when, 10 minutes into the movie, I started getting headachey.  Twenty minutes in I got queasy, and tried to take off the glasses, but that didn't work because then I was just watching a flat screen that goes in and out of focus.  Thirty minutes in I had to close my eyes and put my head down.  Forty minutes in, we had to leave.  It took me a gallon of water and an hour of laying in the dark before I felt well enough to move without puking.  It was in the top three worst incidents of motion sickness I can remember. Two days later we went back, and I am happy to report that I made it through the whole movie with no problems at all.  And now I want to share my wisdom with the world, because I know I am not alone in this (but I couldn't find anything on the internet to help me)! #1 Avoid sugar, alcohol and caffeine!  This is a good tip in general if you get motion sick, those two things definitely make it worse.  So skip your soda, beer, coffee and Raisinettes the day of the movie if you want to get through the flick without regrets. #2 Stay hydrated!  A lot of people avoid drinking water before movies (especially long ones) because they don't want to have to go to the bathroom in the middle, and I don't blame 'em!  If you're in the habit of drinking a lot of water, your bladder has probably adjusted, but if you haven't you're just going to have to suck it up.  And yes, drink WATER, not sports drinks--those have additives that really don't help. #3 Sit far enough back to see the border of the screen!  Peripheral vision is very helpful to people prone to motion-sickness.  I learned this when I realized that sunglasses that curve around my face, blocking my peripheral vision, make me headachey (surprise!).  If you sit about 2/3rds or move of the way back from the screen, you'll be able to take in the borders, and it helps your brain feel anchored. #4 Watch the movie in "Real D", not "I-Max 3D!"  I know, I know, I-Max just rocks that much harder, but the lenses are polarized differently.  I-Max 3D uses linear polarization, which means if you tilt your head even a little bit, it's harder for your eyes (and your brain) to focus, increasing your likelihood of motion sickness.  "Real D," however, uses circular polarization, which means you could tilt your head any which-way and the image stays just fine.  This makes a big difference.  If you need more info, try this link: http://www.shadowlocked.com/index.php/component/content/article/41-editorial/69-how-to-avoid-getting-a-3d-headache-while-watching-avatar #5 Don't go when you're going to be tired!  I like late-night movie showings because it is less likely there will be annoying children around.  But If I'm tired, I'm more likely to get motion sick.  You may be the same way. #6 Nibble protein!  Get some nuts, lightly salted or unsalted, and take 'em in your pocket.  Just nibble during the movie.  Protein will help your stomach stay mellow, and stave off low-blood sugar headaches. #7 When in doubt, drink high-quality ginger ale!  I didn't actually do this for the movie, but it's a good general tip for motion sickness.  Ginger is great at soothing the stomach, and a little carbonation helps digestion.  But don't drink the really sugary stuff, like "Canada Dry."  You want the small-time brewery, high-ginger content, low-sugar/corn syrup type, like "Reeds."  Or if you prefer, make your own with some sparkling water over well-muddled slices of raw ginger--no sugar at all!  Bring it in a water-bottle, or drink right before the movie. I hope these tips are helpful, I know I found them to be so.  Since everyone's saying this type of movie technology is going to revolutionize film I think we can expect a lot more movies like "Avatar," so those of use with contrary heads and bellies had better be prepared--we don't want to miss out on the fun!