Insomnia

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Gone to the gym regularly; go to Texas and New Orleans, move on.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I made one last year. Not sure if I will make any this year besides the resolutions I've already been striving for in the past few months.

3. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?
Not sure. Probably very quietly.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Sort of; Jim died.

5. What countries did you visit?
None, unless you count Texas, which is kind of a different country.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More adventures and more self confidence.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
There are lots.

8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
I've lost approximately 55-60 pounds (not sure of how much I weighed at my heaviest, so it's hard to measure).

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not graduating college.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Kind of hard to answer. Just flare ups of old things.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Guitar.

12. Where did most of your money go?
Food, expensive organic toiletries, tea, gas money

13. What song will always remind you of 2009?
None in particular

14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Saved money, adventure.

15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worried.

16. What was your favorite TV program?
I have recently become addicted to Lost.

17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope

18. What was the best book you read?
Queens Play, Hawkwood, among many others

19. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Behemoth

20. What was your favorite film of this year?
Ooooh - umm there were so many, but I really really liked Repo! Genetic opera.

21. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26, I didn't do much. But a few days after that I went to the beach and had a wonderful time.

22. What kept you sane?
Renaissance philosophy, Thomas More.

23. Who did you miss?
friends

24. Who was the best new person you met?
not to be all cliche, but Travis

25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
how to enjoy the struggle

What does 2010 hold for me?
A whole new world (cliche again); a new attitude in life, a better stronger me.

My parents gave me a new camera - very appropriately timed, given that my last one died a long while back and I'm vacationing out of the country this spring. I tried it out today! It was really foggy - so much in fact that it never lifted.

My current park is broken up into three distinct portions: the recreation side, the original Chippokes Plantation historic side, and the Walnut Valley farm side (also historic). Walnut Valley was acquired by the state just a few years back. In addition to having some old buildings of rather major historical significance, it also houses the equipment of one of the farmers that has a lease for the park's fields. The farmer has a few (dozen) barn cats that live in several of the buildings there.

( Have some photos...! )


The other side of Wallcat!

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Original entry at http://ilyat.dreamwidth.org/308963.html with comment(s).

When I was a kid, Miami Vice was one of my favorite TV shows. Just ask my parents. (As were Tour of Duty and Twin Peaks. Probably explains a few things.) I did not see the newer movie, but recently I did stumble across this one screen shot from the original series that makes me very seriously consider re-watching it. Either in full (5 seasons) or in part.



For reference, the actors pictured from left to right are Edward James Olmos, Bruce fucking Willis, and Don Johnson. All in the same frame.

Really? Can you actually get better than that outside of maybe one of the Ocean's # movies?


I'm finding my current store of icons lacking. Perhaps it's time to go through, trim them down, and then add new ones that I'm more likely to use.

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Original entry at http://ilyat.dreamwidth.org/308624.html with comment(s).

Had a lovely snow last night that promptly shifted to driving rain sometime in early morning. I'm not surprised; that's typical of the weather in this region. I almost wish I were back at my previous park since I'd be plowing a good foot or more of snow now.. which is actually pretty fun. Either way, I'm enjoying my mini-pre-Xmas vacation, since I'm working the actual holiday & weekend of.

I got a nice tree this year. I've never had a white pine before, and while they used to be the staple cheap tree, they're surprisingly hard to find in lieu of Frasier firs and spruces. But I have one now, and it smells lovely. I put it up with the lights yesterday and might decorate it either tonight or tomorrow.

Most of my time today has been spent sewing. I'm working on both the Vesper dress and Chun-Li at the same time. Since I've reached a part on Vesper where I need for the fabric to dry (trying to get that crinkled effect on the bodice), I'm focusing more on Chun-Li. If I can get ahold of a camera soon, I'll take some photos. Otherwise, I'll have to rely on people at Magfest. <3 Hopefully they will be obliging!

For Chun-Li, it's her blue/standard SF2 clothes, while for Vesper I settled on her purple dress. Nice and easy and something I can see myself wearing again. I was originally going to modify a Vogue pattern for it, but then I found one of my older Burda ones that's even closer. Hopefully it'll work out well.

I hope that those north of here aren't too stressed by the weather. I know in some places it is piling on pretty heavily.

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Original entry at http://ilyat.dreamwidth.org/308350.html with comment(s).

Snow is yet another oppressive tool of the white man.

The Dark is rising, and like Will Stanton, we are going to have snow!

Last call for Xmas cards.* If you would like one, please comment with your name & mailing address. All comments are screened! I should mail them off either tomorrow afternoon or Saturday morning.

Do not feel obligated to reciprocate. However, if you would like to send one, my mailing address is:
Karen Lambey
PO Box 459
Surry, VA 23883

<3

* Note: I am not Christian, but I do celebrate the US cultural holiday of Christmas. The cards reflect this.

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Original entry at http://ilyat.dreamwidth.org/307799.html with comment(s).

Big day today. Mailed the last of the Christmas cards, bought my first pair of skinny jeans, and ordered something from Siberia off the internet. A day full of firsts.
Happy Christmas everyone. I'm getting excited.

I decided to go with Vesper for the costume. Fabric for her purple dress has already been purchased, and I'm looking to knock that out late this week/this weekend.

Coyotes sang just outside my house late last night. It was nice.

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Original entry at http://ilyat.dreamwidth.org/307501.html with comment(s).

Does anyone have any experience with dog obedience schools/classes? Either the work-with-the-owner type or the send-dog-away-to-bootcamp type. I'm specifically looking for anyone with experience with those that are designed for aggressive and unsocialized dogs.

Thanks.

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Original entry at http://ilyat.dreamwidth.org/307211.html with comment(s).

Hi. My name's EK. I am a compulsive person. I acknowledge and accept this trait.


So, to all of you who have said for several years now that I should watch Supernatural? Thanks. No, no, really -- thank you. I just caught up with the entire series - through 5.10. Which, considering when I started watching the first season, is kind of a horrifying feat. I honestly have not gotten so caught up before with a new series of substantial length.

I promised at least one person that I'd post my thoughts at some point, but tonight is not that time.

Instead, have a fanart sketch (xposted from the art journal). Sketch has spoilers for ep. 5.04, but as mentioned in the link, it's a spoiler only if you know what it is and by then you have already seen it. I love the hellhounds. <3 So eerie, and such intricate detail.

Now to go take a nighttime nap with my own two hellhounds~

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Original entry at http://ilyat.dreamwidth.org/306960.html with comment(s).