See, I know we don't have the best of neighbors.  We live in publicly funded housing. I get it.

However, why would you steal dryer sheets, leave the box, then steal a Downy ball, and then after that, steal detergent?

I suspect it's the herd of ethnic kids hanging out in the stairwell, after Mark shooed them out of the 'locked' unoccupied apartment upstairs they used to hang out in because they sounded like they were a herd of elephants. But why would they steal such stupid stuff? They don't seem poor, they dress better than I do. They seem bored, but stealing dryer sheets? Liquid detergent? Please. There are much better amusements.

I'm going to call the apartment office about the hanging out in the stairwell but I don't know what good it's going to do. I want to laugh for the sheer stupidity of it and be mad at the same time because they stole something of mine that I needed at the moment.

Life's a bit slow at the moment. Nothing really exciting going on.

I got my new video card, and it works like a charm. It's a bit noisy sometimes, but...the temps on it are fine, so I'm not sure why.

Catherine's report card was excellent as usual, and it appears that the bully that's been plaguing her for almost three years may be getting cut off at the knees.

I have the usual two-week sinus headache that accompanies the beginning of the fall season.  Go go Benadryl...and extreme sleepiness.

Mark's down in weight about thirty pounds. I was thinking that I should adopt his eating habits, but he sagely pointed out that I eat much less than he does. Le sigh. Exercise seems to be the only thing that helps me get in shape and/or lose weight.

I've been doing a lot of political research lately, what with all the hullabaloo going on. I've decided to make my affiliation official and vote in the primary.

Anyone have any non-complicated (by that I mean less than seven ingredients) recipes that I can make for dinner? Also, I don't want to be shopping for exotic foods (I just don't have the budget), so what you can get at the local grocery store should be the ingredients. I should also be able to feed three people from what I make.

It's my birthday, and damn, it's been a long year. I can finally say I'm 29 with a straight face (next year it'll have to be "29 and..."). 

I expect to do much of my actual celebrating next weekend at Fantasci, but I already got roses and my favorite cookies, and more surprises should be in store. The most anticipated "surprise": a new video card for my computer. I've been running on integrated graphics, and while they suffice (barely), I have to run programs/games/resolutions at very low settings to get them to behave properly. Then again, most any video card made in the past two years would be better than integrated graphics, which pulls down a hellish amount of RAM.

I should be on IMs tonight, if anyone just happens to wander by virtually and wish me a happy birthday. No pressure or anything. *grin*

We put Mark's son back on the plane to Texas Saturday (use Richmond International if you need to fly into or out of VA at all...it's the best airport I've ever seen). Met a geniunely friendly lady who had put her fourteen year old sister on the same plane and talked with her at some length. We came home after the two and half hour drive and collapsed (me until Sunday afternoon, and Mark until Sunday morning sometime).  I'll miss the kid--less moody than most, with a good head on his shoulders.

This is not a good year for us for cons. The lovely couple we were supposed to share the cost of DragonCon with had a series of personal mini-tragedies and/or problems and won't be going. Seeing as we're not rolling in it...neither will we.  Kind of a disappointment for us--this was something we were looking forward to all year, but things happen and we know it. Have a good time if you are going and commiserate with me if you aren't.

Mark and I have a few days to ourself before Catherine comes back for the school year, and I don't think we entirely know what to with ourselves.  Sure, we're planning for Catherine's birthday (which is Wednesday), but seeing as she didn't want a party, and she's spending the day of her birthday at her father's, planning consists of wrapping her presents and making a cake. Not much to do there. I may do a more-than-decent cleaning of the apartment so I don't have to do it later.

Well, it's official: we're not going to LibertyCon this year. With three kids here most of the summer, and the related food/clothing/travel bills, we can't justify going all that way and spending money we don't have to when we could save it for DragonCon and have much more fun with it.

I'm taking this entry down, and its related comments.

Right or wrong, it's causing too much drama. I don't need it, and I don't think anyone else needs it.

I admit I may have been somewhat harsh about what I said, and I think others may have been also. I think, as adults, that we all need to let it go, and go our separate ways. To keep this going only makes everyone look petty and childish.

Been a while, hasn't it?

Not too much is happening. I've been basically busy with the kids and World of Warcraft (having joined a almost fanatical raiding guild).  Seems like WoW is becoming more and more a man's game. For every five guys I've interacted with, four have made some kind of pass at me (which is funny in a weird kinda way, since I don't see myself as all that great). Tired as usual, weird schedule as usual, and kids are pains as usual.

Bless my mother, she just replenished my supply of Senseo pods. I now have a two-months' supply of caffeinage. She also sent food!

There's something to be said about hanging out around the house in your comfy pants. I haven't put on a pair of jeans in...three days?  I'm loving it.

My depression's been getting the better of me lately. I'm looking at the dishes piling up, the laundry unfolded, the clothing strewn everywhere, the carpet not vacuumed...and as bad as it sounds, I haven't given much of a damn. I really just don't. It's not fair to Mark, or the kids, or anyone else that happens to come around...but I don't care, and I hate that. It's a vicious cycle. I hate myself for being depressed, and then become more depressed because of that.

I try my best to keep up on things around here, but I'm so starved for non-kid company (Mark's gone most of the daylight hours and is very tired when he does come home) that I end up playing MMORPGs all day in order to talk to someone adult instead of doing chores. Doing those normal, everyday things depresses me, and having a teenager around the place that has an allergy to picking up after himself and a eight year old that explodes in her room on a daily basis does NOT help matters.

I have also been drinking a lot more coffee and eating a lot less lately. Don't know why, but it can't be good. I'm not trying to starve myself but I just don't have a real desire to eat, and that's not like me.

On the bright side, the last day of school for the kidlet is today, and I can start sleeping past 7 am! More sleep is always good.

This is going to be an interesting summer. Here's the equation:


I have a distinct feeling I'm going to need copious amounts of either a) alone time or b) alcohol to come out of this with reasonably good mental health and intact china.

Woot! The cable works. I only had one latency spike last night for two minutes, and the internet was useable the whole night!

World of Warcraft, here I come! (Again.)

After two cable modems, a router, many tech support calls, and a tech visit...we MAY have fixed the problem with the internet. "May" being the key word. We've been having problems with the internet totally crapping out between 9 pm and 3 am or so for the past two weeks and I have about pulled my hair out.

Apparently our power levels on the cable modem were too high, along with our signal strength being too weak. He also switched our tap at the junction box.  I don't know if this will fix our problem...9 pm tonight will tell.

Two pics from RavenCon up on my mySpace page, if anyone's interested.

Edit to Add: Putting the same pics in my Flickr account, so that those w/o a mySpace can view them.

I'm wiping this computer and starting over. It may be a few days before anyone sees us again online. It was getting to the point that loading the My Computer screen was taking three or four seconds.

Edited to Add: No sooner did I wipe this hard drive than the other computer get hit by a surge of lightning. It remains to be seen whether it's just the power supply or something more serious.

RavenCon is over for another year, and damn, I'm tired.

Good showing, though (better than last year), and the better organization and great volunteers made my job an especially easy one. I had a lot of time to schmooze with people I'd been wanting to do so with. I think I slept about ten hours the entire weekend. Robert J. Sawyer was an excellent, friendly guest with a great sense of humor. Meant to get David B. Coe to autograph my book but I managed not to, somehow.

I'm going to make more effort to actually get a costume more than twenty four hours before a con, even though it was a smashing success.  Pictures will be forthcoming at a later date.  It's amazing what a short skirt and fishnets will do. *grin*

We thought about going to the dead dog party after but were too tired, plus we had three-plus hours to drive home. I crashed about nine and didn't wake up until this morning around 7ish.

RavenCon countdown is upon me, and I'm not at all prepared. Fortunately...this is normal, and a good sign. It means everything will go fine at the con itself.

Speaking of cons, this caught my eye. *giggle* Kaplah!

Still not sleeping well and am beginning to think this is going to be par for the course.

I am again not able to sleep worth a damn.  Yeah, I sleep a few hours here and there, but I am not getting any sort of really restful sleep. I'm also on a downswing of my manic-depressive cycle, which doesn't help matters. Oh, what I wouldn't do for antidepressants and some good sleeping pills.

My mp3 player went up in a puff of smoke about a week ago. Yeah, it was used. Yeah, I know it was a matter of time. But, damn, I loved that thing. I used it all the time.  I almost cried when it quit. Scratch that, I did cry. Not hard, but...there was grief there.

My daughter is having problems of her own that come from being a really smart kid with no social skills that wants friends badly.  A girl of the same age in our apartment complex is bullying her, and then giving her presents.  Being an eight year old, not knowing any better, and wanting a friend so bad she can taste it, she accepts the presents with good but confused grace and then gives in to the bullying.  Sigh. To have the authority to tie a knot in this other girl's ass.

Is it a bad thing when a trip to the store by myself is an event to be cherished?

Had a relatively busy weekend, but it was fun. Went to the RavenCon meeting in Richmond, and it was mostly a review of the same things we've been going over. Oh, if you're coming to RavenCon: if you are a congoer, you must have your name badge visible at all times in the con areas, even if you are a costumer. No hiding it in the folds of whatever and flipping it out when asked. Visible means visible without asking. No exceptions except for the masquerade hours.  I know this might ruffle some feathers, but we felt it was for the best.

Mark and I visited his SG group on Saturday, and I got to meet people he's been talking about for a while. Very nice visit and very nice people. I'd like to go visit again sometime, but they live three hours away, so it won't be a common event.  Surprisingly, they didn't talk shop most of the time. I also liked the ice cream...Ben and Jerry's "everything but the...." I'm going to have to seek it out and devour it.

I have yet another respiratory bug. Yuck. No sooner do I get past one then I get another one.

For some reason, I like cons but hate packing. It's so mundane, and I always forget something. Always. Without fault. I'm just wondering what it'll be this time.

I'm not looking forward to the long drive, myself. Six hours in the car, if Mapquest is to be believed.

I've taken up my knitting again. I learned how to cable knit and am attempting a winter white scarf.  I like the look of it.

I'll try to update from the con this weekend, if I have time. So many conboys, so little time.

No, I haven't died. I'm not in the hospital. I'm here. Really.

Been dealing with the weather's sudden changes (50 degrees one day, snow the next), which means my sinuses and nose go nuts and make me miserable (dry nose, sore throat, sinus headaches...you get the picture). 

We've also been making plans to go to StellarCon.  Don't know exactly what the rooming arrangements will be, but I'll be there.  Alas, though, without my costume du jour.  However, meeting Jim Butcher (again), possibly Jennie Breeden, and eating at that wonderful ultra-cheap Italian place a half-mile's walk down the road makes up for not being in a splendiferous costume.

I just want to know what demon possessed me when I thought my daughter's father would make a good parent.


I just wish her father would take some responsibility and not do what's easiest. I should make him join my Church of the Apostolic Clue-By-Four.