The Dangerous Existence of Madame Lee

Last night, X-chan drove up from Tennessee. I saw her pull into the driveway, so opened the door to let her in; she was carrying a Tupperware baking pan. The light wasn't too good, so she handed me the baking pan, and I made a joke about getting Tupperware for Christmas.

l33: It's just what I've always wanted!
X-chan: I wouldn't hold it too close to you. Also I'd wash my hands. It's got poop in it.
l33: Poop.
X-chan: Yup.
l33: You brought us poop for Christmas. This isn't your poop, is it?
X-chan: No, but I do have a surprise for you! :D
l33: Oh? Is it pee?
X-chan: No! It's out in the car. I'll go get it now. :D :D :DDDD

Presently, X-chan returned with a cat carrier. At first, I thought, "Why the hell did she bring the SpastiCat home with her?", given that X-chan is happy to leave the SpastiCat to her own devices for a few days if it's a short trip, and then, when X-chan set it on the dining room table, it became obvious that this was not the SpastiCat.

l33: Is this. Is this a KITTEN???
(For those of you who just met me earlier this year, my last cat died in '09 and I wasn't ready until a couple of months ago to think about getting another one. I figured it would be sometime in 2011, but the lolmom and I had wanted to pull up the carpet in the living room etc.)
X-chan: Yes. Don't worry, Mom knows. :D

The kitten is black and white (X-chan kept calling her "little tuxedo cat") and gives the impression of being carbonized on the top and undercooked on the bottom. We are pretty sure it's a girl, though obviously we're going to have the vet make sure. X-chan thinks the kitten is about 3-4 months old, though neither of us has had a kitten in years so we're not sure; she's friendly and sociable, not afraid of people, and basically stalked X-chan until the latter gave in. The new surroundings were very interesting to her, but she let me pet her and purrs obligingly, and we think she can be trusted not to repeat Callice's toileting offenses. She is slightly damaged; something bad has happened to her tail (it looks like it was run over or possibly like something took a big chomp out of her there), but the injury has healed (she doesn't cry or run away if her tail is touched), and it may need to be amputated, but I'll let the vet make that determination. She's also a sneezy little thing and has some discharge coming from one eye; since the injury to her tail is healed, X-chan thinks she was likely deliberately neglected or turned out of doors and that she's not someone's beloved pet who got out or ran away, and I'm inclined to agree.

( Look at the KITTEN. )

Orders of business:
augustuscaesar, thank you for the v-gift :D

forgottensanity, I received your package but have not opened it yet, in a rare show of restraint (also, KITTEN). Thank you :D

Finally, I leave you with this, the second greatest Christmas story ever told. (The greatest Christmas story ever told is "Duel in the Snow, or, Red Ryder Versus the Cleveland Street Kid", by Jean Shepherd.)

Everybody have a happy Saturday, since people of all cultures and creeds can agree that tomorrow is that, and if Tara makes a smart remark about her hemisphere and time zones I shall take her away and have caponata shoveled down her throat and THAT will show her. :P

+ Where is all this snot coming from? I was fine and then I began sneezing at work (in conjunction with Stomach Issues, so I was trying desperately to keep my bodily wastes in my body whilst sneezing), and now I'm clogged up. I realize the seasons are changing but seriously what the hell, I don't have time for this sneezy-ass bullshit. And I have a 7-hour shift in about 12 and a half hours. I am tempted to look into those pots that let you flush out your sinuses or whatever but the last thing I want to do is stick something up my nose.

+ I am about halfway through The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham, the final installment in the Long Price Quartet, and I am in love. Seriously, the entire series is damn fine and you need to go out and read that (I AM LOOKING AT YOU IN PARTICULAR galhea). I would be happy if I could produce something half as good.

+ I really, really, really hate the piece I'm working on. This is par for the course for me, and usually things pick up, but the whole thing just rings entirely false and it's not at all something I want to be working on. (I am working on it anyway in the hope that I will a.) warm to my theme and b.) get a quick buck and a publication credit out of it.) Seriously: one of the heroines acts entirely out of character for most of the 20+ pages I have so far. The villain's motives are unclear. I have a completely unintentional romance B-plot on my hands. The plot is a clusterfuck. (On the plus side, the other heroine has turned out to be pretty fun to write, which is nice since I initially had no idea what to do with her and was afraid she'd turn into an unlikable simp in my hands, given that I am poorly adapted to writing women who are not badasses and/or not like men. Given that nineteenth-century rural Ireland was not a place where badasses had a lot of opportunity to flourish, I'm pretty much stuck with her as she now is.) I have to make myself work on this shit, y'all.

+ I really just want to write samurai. Samurai pr0n seems to do well enough at Torquere and similar fine publishing houses, thus proving that I am not the only person who is a sucker for it. Also, judging by some of the excerpts I have read, I have the singular advantage of actually knowing something about samurai. duokinneas, will you be my beta?

+ I also want to go back to writing badass women. I'm just not good at the regular kind. Unfortunately if I exercise my particular hobbyhorse too much, everything starts to read the same.

+ Unrelated to the above, this is what makes my hometown the best. :D I found the link via the Consumerist, which referred to him as the Taco Avenger.

+ I'm so glad it's cool enough to enjoy tea comfortably. ♥

+ 7 more days until Chautauqua Weekend. I offered to bring the lolmom along, but pointed out that I mean to leave pretty early (so it would probably be something like "oh hi you're home change your clothes and get in the car we're leaving"); she was game at first but then was informed that she has to work that Saturday, and she has to be at work before I do that day. I'm still going, but it's always more fun when you've got company.

+ I started on this thing almost 2 hours ago and there is still snot despite DayQuil and tea. I CERTAINLY HOPE THIS IS NOT INDICATIVE OF HOW MUCH FUN I AM GOING TO HAVE AT WORK TONIGHT~

To whom it may concern: I now have a new icon. I ganked the image from the best bad Star Wars fanfic ever and resized it in Photoshop, making it my most effortless icon ever. Also, I could not top the caption. I think I'm going to gank another one of the macros.

I will now find every possible opportunity to use these, and apologize in advance for this.

It has snowed, and IN-62 is poorly plowed off. I was supposed to have a job interview today, and got as far as the 'Mart (about 10 minutes from home, except longer because the road wasn't in such good condition) before I decided that it would be more prudent to turn around, go home, and reschedule. I would like snow a lot more if it stayed off the streets and just coated yards and trees. At least it's powdery snow and not icy snow (or powdery snow that subsequently had a fight with freezing rain and then lost, which is also unpleasant to deal with).

However, no snow or other inclement weather is expected on Saturday, when, pursuant to the will of the people, I intend to go and have my ears pierced a second time. Should you feel my time would be better spent in scenic New Harmony, feel free to vote. Because that's how we roll in the People's Socialist Republic of Xi-feng. :D

Also: forgottensanity, in the event the long-awaited samurai game opens this year (as ever, subject to whether l33 sees a shiny thing and/or must hold down a job which requires actual effort), you may wish to draw some inspiration from this fine masterwork. Remember, if it ain't rainbow wings, it just ain't love.

I've been grooving off Married to the Sea lately, ftr. Check it out sometime. Also: Superpoop.

This is, basically, a giant brain dump, because I can't be arsed to post on a regular basis. For that, I apologize. Perhaps I will manage to get my shit together by January.

l33: L33 HAS HAND-EYE COORDINATION SUPERIOR TO THAT OF A BRAIN-DEAD ZOMBIE AND CAN HOLD ON TO THINGS
The Universe: ERROR

( BREAKING SHIT is my power! )

( OVERANALYSIS is my power! )

( MISCELLANEOUS BABBLE is my power! )

( BLATANT GREED is my power! )

uigenna: RAIEN. RAIEN. RAIEN. I have hopped on but not seen j00. Also, I have most of Friday and most of Saturday free (though I do have to work for a few hours in the evening). Just FYI. I do want to play with j00!

I'm sharing these largely because I am a major dork and it gives me big joy in brainmeats to look at them. Also, I'm feeling a spell of n0v3l-writing coming on, even though t3h n0v3l isn't about Maori. (Speaking of: duokinneas, I did send the Word doc to your e-mail as requested. I figure you haven't had much time to read of late, but did you at least get it?)

Random fun fact: I have obviously done little to no actual research about the proper historical context of these at all. At least you've been spared my first impulse, which involved macros.

Maori Bargaining With A Pakeha. I love the way the Pakeha in question is leaning away from them slightly, like this is the third or fourth time in one week they've found him and no matter what he does, he keeps getting cornered. The Maori trio, on the other hand, appear bound and determined to sell him something: "Four low monthly payments, plus we'll throw in a rope and tie it to your mode of transportation for you. Final offer, yo. Act now."

Portrait of Natai, 1833. I realize this is probably a somewhat romanticized depiction, but comrade Natai was, apparently, a 10.

Good night, and have a bright tomorrow. :D