2 bits, minus the shave & haircut

A completely non-NeidFyre related post for y'all...

I should have posted this yesterday, but I got distracted.  I hope everyone had a grand day, avoided scurvy, and enjoyed some rum!

10 years ago today, Firefly premiered. 10 years... damn.  I wonder, how many of you are Browncoats? :D

When did it become July?

Finally getting my shit together and I realize that I've not posted here since February. 5 months ago.  This is what happens when I don't have reliable internet & feel like I can't take the time to write.  I had gotten very good at writing several times a week so I'd have things in the hopper to post.  Time to start that again, me'thinks.

Dear Gods, did I just say "me'thinks"? *sigh*  Lets recap and then look to the future....

Arizona was fantastic in a lot of ways and a little sucktastic in some ways.  There was a bit of a "come to Jesus" experience that I'll be writing about later. Suffice to say, there was a lot that I learned at AZRF.

DB and I spent 3 weeks in Texas at 4Winds.  It's a really sweet little faire, key word being little.  The faire has a ton of potential, and I'm hoping that the changes management is making for next year really help it turn the corner. I really enjoyed re-connecting with folks I'd not seen in close to 5 years.  I think DB had fun being able to spend all day, every day, with me.  Big learning experience for me at 4Winds was not having a nanny.  I'd not had my girl with me for a full festival day, while working, in a *long* time.  It was actually a lot harder now that she's older and far more mobile.

After Texas we were at VARF in Spotsylvania, VA. VARF is close enough to Itown that we went back and forth most every weekend. VARF was a blast.  I hadn't worked a full season at VARF since DB was born.  I took what I learned at AZRF, applied it to VARF and things went smashingly well.

Celtic Fling happened after VARF, and it was a BLAST.  Celtic Fling is a huge event at the PARF site, and I was thrilled to be in the company of some amazing bands (Barleyjuice, Tartanic, and Albannach to name a few). Fling is one of the few events I perform at where I'm not in garb, don't have an accent, and am not doing improv in the lanes. It's such an odd feeling for me being there, but I have a terrific time. I'm one of two bands that are listed as "Traditional", and I got a ton of complements from folks who were looking for trad music, not Celtic Rock, Celtic Punk, Celtic Not Traditional. It made me feel pretty good.

Since Fling I've played some private functions and weddings. SLO faire is in 3 weeks, then PARF hits in full force in August. The new show for this year is CRF  in October & November, and then I head to LARF in December.  I may have a few gigs in CT later this month, but I've not got confirmation of them yet.

What else is going on.
Lets see, DB is 3. I'm realizing how much I do not love this age. My sweet, mostly well behaved child, doesn't really have tantrums, doesn't scream or bite daughter is now a pod-person. OK, not really, but this is the first time she is actually being somewhat textbook with her behaviour. I really don't care for it. Seriously, Do.Not.Like.

We are now owned by 2 kitties.  Lyric and Mishka. Lyric, as some of you may know, was born at PARF. She's pudging out a bit, but I think that's because she's eating the "senior" food. Mishka is our new "baby".  After some debate, we think she's about 12. She was a stray found in AZ. She is a pure white Turkish Angora with one green eye and one blue eye.  She was found severely underweight (near skeletal). Through some odd turn of events she ended up with us.  She is an incredibly loving and tolerant kitty.  She and Lyric get along pretty well, and she is a great traveler. We really did luck out in that aspect. With as much traveling as we do, having 2 cats that are good travelers is amazing.

Kickstarter is on a slight hiatus. *sigh* Between my schedule and lack of internet, things are at a standstill.  My hope is to have everything up and running by August. Along that line, I'm shooting to have my Bandcamp up at the same time.  Fingers crossed...

NEW and SHINY, I have an account at Reverbnation  I am learning how to use it, but please check it out. :)  I've also got a new music project in the works, but it's Super Sekret right now!

My friend Hel introduced me to unfuck your habitat and my friend Becca introduced me to nirvanahq. Both sites have been increasingly helpful with managing my ADD. I highly recommend the sites to anyone looking for some help with organisation, ADD is not required. ;> I'm so late to the game with so many things. Today I made an account on Tumblr. I've linked this blog to that one, so now I'm on two platforms. Yeah, I'm technologically slow.

I just looked at the clock. It's way past pumpkin time, and I'm still awake.  Why am I still awake? This does not please me.  OTOH, lookit me making a long-ass blog post, and posting on multiple platforms. Go me.  Go me, right to bed. G'night, Moon.

Winter Wonderwhat?

I'm a freak. I know this isn't a surprise to you, but I thought I'd start out with this fact.

Today's freakiness is brought to you by the words cold, snow and wind chill. I love the winter. There, I said it. I L.O.V.E. The winter. I'd much rather have the temperature cool or cold than hot. Really, I can't stand the heat. Hell, I don't even like it when it's too bright outside.

In my closest circle of friends I'm in the minority. They enjoy the heat. They enjoy the sun. They enjoy the... :shudder: summer. How does one actually enjoy the summer? It's HOT. It's often HUMID. And the light. FFS, it's frelling BRIGHT out. Stupid Evil Burning Daystar what keeps us alive, but is really painful on my eyes and skin. Also, you can only take off so many clothes before you're naked. Once you're naked there's no where left to go. The only saving grace of the hot: A/C. You heard me, Air Conditioning. My parents house had central air. My grandparent's house had a massive wall unit in the den and another in their bedroom. All my friends had A/C. A/C was a way of life, man.

Winter, on the other hand... Winter is delightful. The days are shorter. If you're cold you can put on more layers. Snow is beautiful to look at. It can still be frelling bright out, but there's not much I can do about that. Winter is hot chocolate, the smell of stews and soups, roasts and evergreens. Winter is snuggles and tea. Winter is beautiful. Winter is snow. Winter is brisk. Winter is skiing, tobogganing, and ice skating. Most of all, Winter isn't hot.

The winter this year has been incredibly mild. It was in the 40's and 50's the week of Christmas. 40's and 50's people! WTF? Last night we had a lake effect advisory. The temperature dropped to the single digits, and this morning it was between -5 to 5 depending on the wind chill. There was even snow. Granted, it wasn't a lot of snow, but there was snow!When I went out today I had to wear a hat, scarf, coat and gloves. It was fantastic.

I know that Longest Night has passed, and the nights are getting shorter. I know Spring will be here soon. I know the Evil Burning Daystar will mock me with its glare. Until then, I just want to enjoy the Winter. I don't care that I'm in the minority. Bring on the Winter.

Is Wednesday the new Monday?

It can't be Wednesday, but I know it is.  The calendar states today is Wednesday. The calendar wouldn't lie, right?

• There are new sheets on the bed. 
• The laundry is in the washer.
• The dishes are done.
• It's a quiet, sunny-grey afternoon.
• It's just lunch time.

Surely Wednesdays move faster than this.

Mondays normally have a certain rhythm. 

• The "I don't want to get out of bed" start to the day. 
• The lazy feel to everything.
• The sense of time moving like frozen honey.

Very strange...I wonder how to properly take advantage of this. What should I try to accomplish in this strange time warp. The mind boggles.

Not this kind of Time Warp

Love, 

Mel

Insert Witty Title Here (AKA I haven't gone to bed yet and it's 6:15am)

I really want to go to sleep.  Truly.  Seriously.  But I would have to wake up in 3.5 hours.  I don't think that's enough sleep.  I've checked the usual suspects.

• It's not the full moon.  
• Mercury isn't retrograde. 
• I didn't drink tea or coffee after 5p. (Make that tea, as I didn't have any coffee today/yesterday.) 
• There aren't any freaky noises coming from inside or outside the house. 
• I'm not in the middle of a gripping novel that I can't put down. 
• I'm not engrossed in any of my "Stories".

What the hell, man?!?

Maybe it's time to back away from the computer and close my eyes.  Then again, maybe I should just start up a pot of coffee now and hope for the best.  Either way, I think it's a crap shoot.

I know... I'll flip a coin.  If I was going to be incredibly geeky about this I'd get my camera and document the coin toss.  I am now, however, feeling that ambitious, so ya'll will have to trust me on this.  WAIT!  I can do this in an appropriately geeky fashion!  Here we go....

Heads I get into bed. Tails I stay up. I'm using a 1913 Liberty Head Nickel as they don't have any NYS quarters or Sacajawea's.

And... TOSS!  OK then.... bed time it is!  Sweet Dreams.

The timing of things

Who is it that figures out when things should open and close. Is there some secret committee that makes these decrees? Can you picture a darkened boardroom filled with cloaked figures wearing very expensive shoes as they make the decisions that affect the rest of the populous?

McDonalds... they shall be open 24-7 across the country
CVS... they shall be open 10-8 on the east coast and 9-9 on the west coast
QT... they shall be open 6-12, but only on the west coast
Target Pharmacy... they shall be open M-F from 9-9 across the country, except near Phoenix AZ where every pharmacy, minus one, will close at 7p.  That lone pharmacy will close at 9p.

I am not kidding.  I have never heard of a Target Pharmacy closing at 7p during the week.  Where's the convenience? Where's the consumerism? Where's the Love? Where's the freaking complaint box?

This is relevant, because tonight I needed to go to a Target Pharmacy to pick up an emergency inhaler. I posted earlier about the coughing. Really, it's the post prior to this one.  If you missed it, you should read it. I'll make it simple, here's the link.  I called the Target Pharmacy closest to AZRF to double check that I could pick up a refill, and they said yes.  They had the medication in stock, it would take 30 minutes to fill, and would be available within 45 minutes of the call placed by my doctor.  Julie, the helpful person on the phone, assured me that I cold pick the inhaler up tonight. This was at 6:35pm. Don't you think it would have been more helpful if Julie said, "We close at 7pm, so you may not be able to pick your prescription up tonight.  If you need it tonight, you should call the Pharmacy in Gilbert." Moving along...

My doc called me at 6:45, I gave her the number, and she called me back 10 minutes later saying the pharmacy was closed. Was I sure this was an emergency? Did I really need the inhaler tonight?

Never mind that I'm coughing like a whooping crane with a 10-pack-a-day cigarette habit, how could the Pharmacy be closed?   I just talked to Julie!  I reasurred my doc that I really did need the inhaler and she said she'd call me back in 5.

I looked up and called 6 Target Pharmacies in 5 minutes.  I shit you not, every single one was closed except for the one in Gilbert.

Gilbert is 28.5 miles away.  I drove an hour (round trip) because that was the only available & cost effective option. W.T.F.

The happy part of this story is that I was able to get my inhaler, and my breathing is less laboured.  I can take a full breath and not cough! Mind, I'm still coughing, but not as much thanks to the mucinexDM.  I am incredibly grateful that the Gilbert Target Pharmacy was open.  I'm incredibly grateful that my NY doctor called the refill in for me.  I'm incredibly grateful that my breathing is improving.

I am, however, still pissed at the boardroom of faceless decision makers. To them I say, "Fie! You are fools (and not the good kind with the silent E at the end)! You are miscreants who make others lives more difficult. You are PITA'S!!!!!"  I would say other things to these faceless decision makers, but my brain can't think of anything else witty to say.  I'm sure I'm also somewhat distracted by their lovely shoe-ware.  I do get distracted by the shiny things.

You know, I feel much better having gotten this off my chest.  I've only coughed a handful of times, too. That's Progress!

Love,
Mel

PS:  The SuperTarget is pretty snazzy.  Not only does it have all the regular Target stuff, but everything is laid out differently AND there's a supermarket area.  The best part of this, however, can be summed up in two words: Chobani Yogurt!  Yes, the elusive Chobani, that I crave and can find sometimes, but not every time, at Wal-Mart-o' Doom was there in full force.  They even had flavours I'd never seen before!  Lemon and Mango (two separate flavours).  Gotta take the good with the PITA'S with the yogurt, I guess.   G'night all!

A quickie!

Just a quick post as DB finishes up her afternoon nap.

I have purple shamrocks blooming in my house.  Purple.  Shamrocks.  I ADORE Purple Shamrocks.  I realize it may not be easy to SEE the purple against the maroon curtain, but trust me the shamrocks are purple.

I have a St. Pat's Gig!
I'll be playing with Eddie Jeff Cahill and others at The Firehouse for St. Pats. More details as I get them!

Apparently it's time to wake DB up from her nap.  Why do I know this?  Because Lyric always jumps on the bed to lick the child when nap time is over. WTF?

Disconnecting

I like the internet.  I like being connected to friends all across the world.  I like watching silly things on youtube.  I like writing things on LiveJournal, playing games on FaceBook and tweeting things throughout the day.  I enjoy being connected  That said, it's nice to disconnect too.  Turn off the phone, unplug the computer and just enjoy the stillness.  Do you know what I don't like?  Forced disconnection.

Last year the wifi service at AZRF was atrocious. Seriously, I could barely get anything done. It wasn't just me either.  Most of the folks onsite had a horrible time with the wifi.  This year its been terrific.  Really, a complete 180.  I've been able to use skype, watch hulu, watch youtube and there have been few-to-no glitches.  That is, until two days ago.

I get really frustrated when I can't get online. Really.  Frustrated.  To the point where I want to cause bodily harm to things.  I know, that's not very Om of me, but it's the truth. 

I tried everything possible to figure out why my connection wasn't connecting. I had friends help me.  I rebooted my system more times than I can remember. I called the help line six times and left detailed messages.  They never called me back, which just pissed me off further. Today, however, I finally got through to someone.  We spent 10 minutes chatting about the problem, and the tech kept saying, "I've never seen this problem.  Are you sure you're not mistyping your user/password?"  I refrained from any profanity or voice raising and was quite adult about the whole thing.  For those of you that know me, you know how amazing this is.

We finally got the issue resolved (as you can tell by this post), but the problem shouldn't have happened in the first place.  The tech agreed with me, which made me feel somewhat better.  Then I asked for service and the tech asked why.  I explained that I wanted some recompence for the missing days.  I paid for the days, after all.  The tech said, "Oh, I'm with customer service too.  We can't do anything."

OK, I can understand glitches in a system. I can understand customer service not returning any of my calls because perhaps they were very busy. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for that. What I can't understand is stupid customer service.  Is the company so small that the tech's are also the customer service people?  Is the company so non-user friendly that they won't extend my end date by 2 days because of a glitch? Yeah, no.  Big. Fat. No. 

In the end, I got my connection running again and there's a note for someone to give me a call tomorrow about extending my service for 2 days.  You can bet your left earlobe that if I don't hear from them that I'll be calling.

Don't screw with my internet connection, man.  You won't like the outcome.  

Writing. Blogging. Posting. WTF?

Friends of mine are incredible.  They write/dance/perform/cook/INSERT SOMETHING HERE every day. Me, not so much.

Sure, I do the normal personal hygiene routine daily.  I get dressed.  I've even been keeping up with my FLYLADY challenges, and keeping my sink shiny almost every day.  Those things are great, but my creative side is feeling left out.

There are bunches of memes making the rounds on facebook and LiveJournal with a "post-a-day" theme.  Post a picture. Write something personal. Pick a colour. The subject matter isn't really important here, it's the fact that it's an everyday thing.  I know my limits, and I'm not an everyday kind of woman.  I can try for everyday, but when I don't keep up I start lambasting myself.  That's never a good or pretty thing.  Still, I see the merits of the everyday habit.

While I don't think I can handle everyday, and make it an everyday habit, I think I can make a 3x a week habit. Blogging 3x a week on whatever strikes my fancy.  Playing music 3x a week to keep me in good form, learning new tunes and songs and making sure old repertoire is still at my fingertips. This, I think, is do-able.

Speaking of writing, there are so many words for what this online stuff is.  It's writing. It's blogging. It's posting. Truthfully, I never know what to label it as.  When I think of blogs, I think of The Bloggess .When I think of writing, I think of Neil Gaiman.  When I think of posting, I think about what I put on my livejournal. They're all different, but the end result is the same: turning thoughts into words, getting them out of the brainpan and sharing them in some format.  I still don't have a clue what I should call it, though. :grin:

Odd Bits

I very nearly typed that as Odd Bins, but this is not a post about alcohol. (Boo hoo, I know)  I really don't know what this post is about.  There are random odd bits floating in my brain, and I thought I would write them down. Perhaps alcohol should be involved...

Speaking of alcohol, I made hot chocolate from scratch last night.  Cocoa, sugar, cocoa chili, milk, salt & water. The magic ingredient, however, was butterscotch schnapps.  I didn't have enough milk for the recipe so I added the schnapps.  Let me say right now, DAMN!  That was some tasty hot chocolate. In the future I can see adding baileys or peppermint schnapps. Those are fine flavours to meld with dark cocoa.

Did ya'll know I'll be performing at the Arizona Renaissance Festival? NO?  Well then, let me say right now that I, NeidFyre, will be performing at the Arizona Renaissance Festival for the full run of the 2011 season.  I'm so excited to be heading back to Apache Junction.  I love my AZRF family, and can't wait to see them all.  This also means that I'm going to be driving myself, DB and Lyric, our kitten, cross-country.  (I'll be blogging more about that shortly.)

The other day  was walking around with DB in her Ergo.  I received dirty looks and was asked by 4 people if there was something wrong with my daughter.  They wanted to know why she wasn't in a stroller or a shopping cart or walking around next to me.  DB is nearly 22 months old and will be 2yrs at the end of March.  WTF people.  She was having a great time.  What is with people in the US that babywearing is considered "wrong".  I have friends who wore their babes until they were 3.   It's also not just the US.  Here's a bit on Carrie Moss from 10/21/10.  The title of the article just blew me away, and not in a good way.

Perhaps my brain wasn't as full as I though, because I can't think of anymore to say.  I'll just finish with this tidbit, and yes it's about DB.  Last week she put her fingers on my eyelids and lifted them up. As my eyes rolled back she said, "Zombie Eyes!". This morning she did it again. :grin:  She was considerate about it too.  She asked me to take off my glasses, THEN she lifted my eyelids up. "ZOMBIE EYES!" Maybe that should be the title of my next CD....

Over & Out!