my break / amazon thoughts / crocking

Hi y'all. I've been pretty much the opposite of busy lately and it's been wonderful. On Thursday, Jorn and I were hanging out with velvetwaltz, who was visiting this weekend, and we went out to Harvard Square and got food and stuff, very laidback, and that night we just looked at each other and were astonished about how we still had three more days left. It's been a really, really nice vacation. I spent all weekend under the Magic Blanket on the couch playing nintendo and watching nintendo and watching Buffy. The Blanket is Magic because it's so huge and soft and wonderful that it makes you never ever ever want to get up off the couch and eventually you fall asleep there. Definitely one of my favorite xmas presents. I'm really close to beating Windwaker now and I'm happy. We're also only five episodes away from the end of season 7 of Buffy, and that also makes me happy. I saw the very last ep when it was on TV, but otherwise it's all new to me. I really liked "Storyteller", and next up is "Dirty Girls", which I feel like I've heard some things about.

I got an amazon gift certificate for xmas. Combined with last year's amazon gift certificate (I saved it, can you believe it? With all the crap I've bought there in the past year? Don't have a clue why I haven't spent it yet), I now have $50 to spend. I'm thinking about getting the first two seasons of Jem but that would be all the money on one thing and I don't know for sure if I want to do that. I don't know yet how well Jem's going to translate to adulthood, you know? I also need to preorder Angel season 5 and get Firefly, and I still really want the two Storyteller collections (not that they're that expensive, but still) and Angels in America, and the Back to the Future trilogy, and the Indiana Jones collection. But I've got all the Indy movies on tape, so I can get by with that for now, I think. I also want the BBC Pride & Prejudice. Or that amount of money could put a significant dent in the cost of a Star Trek season. So this is difficult. It's a gift certificate, so I want to spend it on something special, you know? Which is why I never spent the one from last year, because I could never decide. I could use the money to buy a Big Thing (like Star Trek) that I'd have to pay the difference on, or I could use it on one Significant Thing (like Jem or Indy) that would use all the money up without me having to pay any extra, or I could get one Normal-ish Thing (like the Storytellers or Firefly) that would be big enough to feel special but would leave enough left over for a book or cd or cheap dvd. And there's a lot of cds and books on my wishlist. I want to find the most effective use of the money, which is difficult because I want everything pretty much equally much. So I am torn. I have to think more.

One of my other very favorite xmas presents is my 7-quart crock pot. I am crocking right now. Could you tell? We're having chicken stew for dinner tonight, all my roommates and I, because the crock pot is large enough to easily accomodate enough stew for me, two normal men, and Dylan too. I am so so excited. My hands still smell like potatoes and garlic from me throwing everything in there this morning and it's driving me nuts.

Oh, and I'm back at work now. You can expect regular weekday posts from me again now. I hope that makes at least a few of you happy. :)

QC shirt lust

Have I mentioned how much I love QC? And now he's selling TEH shirts. I still want "Aerodynamically Curvaceous", but I think TEH might even be worth a pre-order. Sigh...

FYI roommates: slow cooker cookbook

Dear roommates: Along with the magnificent crock pot, my mother also purchased a book for me titled 101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker. I shall leave this book, along with some post-it notes, in the kitchen. You can make requests, or volunteer to try some of the recipes yourself if you like. Some of the stuff in this book is just mouthwatering. I personally refuse to cook anything from the pork section, but you're welcome to try it if you want. I think that now that I've got this thing, we should and can do a lot more yummy house dinners. W00t.

PS to the friends who don't live with us but are in the area: I can be convinced to invite you over for dinner.

I am such a junk whore

So I went and looked at Diamond Select Toys just now, and they're coming out with Wesley and Lorne figures. I'm most excited about the special edition "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb" Lorne who has a removable head and comes with a platter to put it on. Ooh. They're also selling a special edition "Willow & Tara Forever" package deal with both figures and Miss Kitty Fantastico (FYI for all y'all Willow/Tara girls...). And Cinequest has puppet Angels for preorder. So expensive. I wants the precious.

A beautiful thing: Planned Parenthood

Got this forwarded from Jorn... it made me really happy.

Several Planned Parenthood locations across the country have hit upon a clever way to profit from the throngs of protesters who picket abortion clinics -- a fundraising drive in which the clinic receives a donation for each picketer who shows up. Under the Pledge-a-Picket program, as described in a recent article in the Planned Parenthood newsletter, supporters pledge small amounts -- a quarter to a dollar -- per anti-choice protester. "It's like sponsoring a runner in a charity marathon," the newsletter says. Despite the small pledges, the money adds up for the clinics because "the picketers never go away."

The idea is that the Pledge-a-Picket program creates a "no-win" situation (or is it "no-choice"?) for the protesters: Their presence actually benefits the very organization they're protesting. The Planned Parenthood clinic in Waco, Texas, has hung a sign outside that constantly updates how much money it has raised under the program, so picketers can see that their efforts are backfiring. In the last two years, the protesters have helped the clinic raise more than $18,000, which the clinic has spent on an assistance fund for low-income women in the community.

The article gives links to several different clinics who've implemented programs like this. Now I just have to decide which one I want to sponsor, since none of them are places I've ever lived...

My eight-millionth post of the day

I just saw that the celtic band Danu is playing at the Somerville Theater on 2/11, 8pm. I saw them at the 2003 Boston Folk Festival and really liked them, though I've never gotten off my ass and picked up a cd of theirs, so I'm not an expert. I can get tickets for $24, if anyone's interested in going with me... Here's the description from the O&I website:

"The next big thing in Celtic music." - Boston Globe. Based in County Waterford, Danu performs with a wild spontaneity and breathtaking musical power. The band was recently awarded BBC 2004 Folk Awards for Best Group and Best Original Song. Founded by guitarist Donal Clancy (of Solas, Clancy Brothers and Eileen Ivers's band), Danu also features stunning new vocalist Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, button accordionist Benny McCarthy, flutist Tom Doorley and his bouzouki-fiddle playing brother Eamonn Doorley, Donnchadh Gough on bodhran and uilleann pipes and Donegal fiddler Oisin MacAuley.

Hmm. Not so descriptive. But I liked them enough at the folk festival to first of all add a cd of theirs to my wishlist and secondly to actually remember the name of the band over a year later. And I like celtic stuff. Anyone interested?

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Can y'all tell I'm back in the office? You missed me, I know.