michele

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The Thing About Bunnies

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Is that they are a problem for me, emotionally.

1. I love bunnies.

2. I do not love dead bunnies.

Number one has randomly come to pass in that an albino bunny has moved in to the back yard. I don’t know where she came from but she spends a good portion of every day eating the grass (and whatever other items one may or may not put out on the deck including carrots, a raspberry from my bush, and bok choy. I want it noted that I am against the giving away of my bok choy. I love bok choy. The bunny can subsist on carrot tops and grass for all I care. Stupid mother.)

It should also be noted that I followed her around the backyard throwing the raspberry at her for a good six minutes before it hit her in the ass and bounced off and she finally deigned to notice it. She liked it though. I could tell.

Number two is bound to happen eventually though is the problem, see. I live in a house with three outdoor cats maddeningly ravenous for killing defenseless animals. Along with at least two feral cats who come by every once in a while and who knows how many raccoons. Raccoons might kill rabbits, I don’t know. There was one on top of the pool table just last night when I went out for my laundry. Frakkin’ coons.

Frankly, I’m surprised this bunny has lasted so long. She’s been coming by every day for over two weeks now. I remember because the first day was when I was seeing Priest with Rob and my mom called to shriek at me about a bunny and I had to be all, “Dude, I thought it was important. I’m in a movie!” And hang up on her. Little did I know then how I would come to be emotionally invested in the whole bunny drama.

Now, every time I walk out to the kitchen and the bunny is hopping around outside the sliding glass door, I’m like, “Bunny!” and rush to plaster my front against the window and stare raptly at the albino creature. Fish sits next to me begging to be allowed out to chase the hoppy thing. I refuse him. Then I go out and chase it around with raspberries flung at the ass.

Please don’t die, bunny. Let’s be friends. You are very dirty today because it’s been pouring and everything is muddy. I could dry you off and clean you up and find more carrot tops for you. Friends, bunny!

Ok, also while I have you here talking about my backyard and bunnies. Look at this second photo which along with hare has some tomato plants.

Compare that with when I first planted the tomatoes back in April.

They were so tiny back then! Now they’re all way over the top of their wire cage things and insanely bursting out all over the place. Tomatoes, man. Maybe I have a green thumb! (Hint: I probably don’t.)

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May 2011

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So there’s a good reason for being late this month. I was driving from San Diego all the way back home on the 1st with a three hour stop in Los Angeles to hang out with Long-Hai. Blurgh. Love Long-Hai, hate driving from SD to the Bay Area. Too long. Too many horrible cow farms. Poor cows.

So books! Last month, I read some. Mostly I read parts of some and then threw them to the ground and yelled, “No!” Heh. It was a lot of partial reads.

Books Read: 14

Books Partially Read: 12

Books Bought: 13

Money Spent: $31

Books Borrowed: 9

Books Given: 3

Books Re-read: 1

Money made (from selling books): 0

Books on To-Be-Read Shelf: 35

So books read squeaked past books partially read. Go me. The books bought were 12 from the Alameda Public Library Book sale and 1 from Serendipity Books in Berkeley (which is an AWESOME used book store Tami introduced Kris and I too last month). The one book I re-read is a book I read like 2 months ago and then sat around on the library waiting list again for a month and read again. It was not quite as good the second time. I was sad. And To-Be-Reads…well it’s a little less than last month. Maybe I’m getting ahead (hint: I’m not).

Favorite Books This Month: Wither by Lauren DeStefano, Cloudy With A Chance of Marriage by Kieran Kramer, Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan et all, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan, George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends by James Marshall and Abandon by Meg Cabot.

That was a lot. Sorry. Short now!

Wither is this awesome dystopic future novel where one generation tries to extend life spans and fucks up the genetics of their offspring so everyone dies in their 20s. Girls get forced in to polygamous marriages to procreate and the story follows one girl put in this situation. It is excellent. It’s also a trilogy. So I recommend reading this one but also caution you that you might want to wait for the second one to be out at least.

Cloudy With A Chance of Marriage is the third one in Kramer’s Impossible Bachelor series and I’ve already written about 1 and 2. This one was better than 2, I thought, but still not as delightful as 1. Maybe I need to read 1 again to see if it’s really as good as I think because Jocelyn was unimpressed with it and liked 2 better. Basically this one is about a navy captain and a bookseller and their romance on a foggy street plus all the wacky characters living on the same street. In Regency England.

Vespers Rising is the bridge book between the 39 Clues series and the new Vespers series which will be starting soon. Damn Riordan for these books. Because I like them but there’s so many and you have to wait for them to come out and they’re all written by different famous YA/tween authors and they’re all good in different ways. This one was pretty great. It was short stories to introduce the Vespers and I enjoyed 2 of them more than the other 2.

Nihon-Ja is the 10th book in Flanagan’s Ranger series. 10th. I have been reading this forever. Also they come out in Australia and then take months to come out here so I also own several Australian copies that I paid a pretty penny for (damn you, shipping). This one is set sort of in Japan (it’s total alternate reality) and is great but maybe not AS great as some of the middle ones which were super great. I mean, it is 10 books. And he’s not like a super versatile author. A lot of the jokes/writing/plot/themes are the same. Still, I enjoy them.

George and Martha is our next Finer Things Club book so I don’t want to talk about it much. But it’s a picture book about two best friend hippos and I love Martha.

Abandon is the story of Hades and Persephone basically. Not quite, of course because it’s set in present day and has different people. It was good. It’s the start of a new series for Cabot and if you know me you know I’ll read anything she writes. Still, I enjoyed this one. It’s set off the coast of Florida on an island and I like the girl, Percy.

Least Favorite Books: Green by Jay Lake, Hacking Timbuktu by Stephen Davies, and Hounded by Kevin Hearne.

Green, I got almost all the way through and then it just devolved into S&M and I was like, “Seriously?” I mean, I am not against S&M at all (see how I own Carrie’s Story?) but this storyline didn’t need it. It was totally gratuitous and when it came to doing it with her older female role models I just couldn’t take it anymore.

Hacking Timbuktu–uh. It’s hacking computers and non-hardcore parkour in Timbuktu. I’m horrified I even bought it. Fifty cents seemed reasonable. And now I can give it to my 12 year old boy cousin.

Hounded is the first in a series about an Iron Druid and his fights with the fae and gods and witches and possibly vampires and who knows what else. I couldn’t handle it after like four chapters. Soooooo badly written. And it’s the first of at least 3! The others are coming out later this summer. How are people that write this shitty getting awesome book deals? Why can’t I have one?

I’ve already read one book this month and loved it (the new Julia Quinn so, of course). We’ll see how many others I do this month. Got to work on my own projects more this June. So much to do!

Favorite Quotes:

“[The clouds] have seen abysmal oceans and charred, scorched islands. They have seen how we destroyed the world. If I could see everything, as the clouds do, would I swirl around this remaining continent, still so full of color and life and seasons, wanting to protect it? Or would I just laugh at the futility of it all, and meander onward, down the earth’s sloping atmosphere?”

“And here we are: two small dying things, as the world ends around us like falling autumn leaves.”

Both quotes from Wither by Lauren DeStafano.

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Next Weekend, Staid.

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Though I’m enjoying these insanely awesome weekends, I think I might need next weekend to be kind of staid. You know, for recovery. And because I’m house-sitting. Speaking of which, POOL PARTY!

This weekend consisted of a game night and a tea party. Both events = awesome. Both events also = photo ops.

How divine is everything about this picture? I mean, I look like one of the ladies from Gray Gardens. I don’t think that’s something I actually want to look like, but I am enjoying the mental image all the same.

Having a Finer Things Club (yes, our tea is snotty) without Nuala is depressing. This was our first go of it. I have to say though much as I missed Nuala it turns out I missed the little sandwiches more. So good. I want more little sandwiches in my life. Also more Nuala. But I will accept little sandwiches until she’s back where she belongs in this empty space.

Being tickled as she properly ought.

The Game Night was also hilarious (and also at Kristen’s). Mostly I loved it for the new game Erica taught us. She showed up in a gorgeous flowered gown and said, “Let’s play this.” And we all said, “We bow to your experience.” Yes, it happened just like that. Just like, I’m telling you.

Erica’s game involved paper, pens, and cliches. It was a cross between Pictionary and Telephone. I liked best how much hilarity it engendered.

Also how it gave us the new catch phrase, “Up my ass and down the hatch”, and really just everything about the completed products. I took pictures of our efforts from the first round. I was too tired after the second. Takes a lot out of you, that much laughing.

You can see pictures from Game Night here. And more pictures from the Tea Party here.

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April 2011

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May, you glorious month, you! Does it seem like April lasted FORever to anyone else? Because I really felt it was unduly long. Looking back at my calendar at things I did at the beginning of the month seems like they happened 60 days ago instead of 30. The month where time stood still. And it’s not that I wasn’t busy and therefore bored out of my skull. I was actually quite busy. Plus I did Script Frenzy (and finished successfully with 100 pages of graphic novel on Friday).

So this month I set no goals. I wasn’t trying to read a book a month. And I wasn’t successful at that either. Unless you count how many books I TRIED to read this month, in which case I did do 30. Boo-yah. I did also borrow a shit-ton from the library, a lot of those were gardening books. Oh library, how I love you. Why will you not give me a job?

Books Read: 20

Books Partially Read: 10

Books Bought: 1

Money Spent: $3.50

Books Borrowed: 36

Books Given: 5

Books Re-read: 3

Money made (from selling books): $11.25 (Look at me go! I’m living the high life now.)

Books on To-Be-Read Shelf: 41 (Boo-garty.)

Favorite Books this month: Chime by Franny Billingsley, Eon: Dragoneye Reborn and Eona: The Last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Alcatraz Versus The Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson, and The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

OK, so, I read The Little Prince for Finer Things Club (which happened today and of which there are pictures coming soon). I read it once long ago in the French during High School for Madame Pantzer’s class. I remember liking it then, I like it now also. It is delightful and puzzling and great for a tea party/costume/reading club.

Eona came out this month and I was pretty excited because I read and liked Eon months (years?) ago when it first came out (I also re-read it this month). It was not a disappointment. I think it was actually better than the first one. There was a lot of character development which went in unexpected, but totally logical, ways. I love that kind of thing. Eona impressed me because Goodman took a character that was horrible and made me like him. And then made me hate him again. I don’t normally change my opinion of a character so many times.

Bossypants I requested from the library well over a month ago and finally got up to #1 on the waiting list. It was hilarious. It could have been MORE hilarious but it was still satisfactory in the number of laughs. I laughed a lot. Mostly sort of choked delighted horrified laughter. Kind of like my reaction sometimes to Liz Lemon. The two things I liked best about the book (other than the funny) were how ordinary she made herself seem. She’s writing about being on SNL and being called by Bill Clinton and stuff but she’s also talking about pumping breast milk and being intimidated and talking to her mom. It’s a lot more ordinary than extraordinary which was something I didn’t really associate with Tina Fey prior to this. Secondly, she writes a little about the writing staff for 30 Rock and mentions Donald Glover. I love him! So basically I was just thrilled about that.

The latest Alcatraz book by Sanderson was great and also misleading. I am still irritated by that. The cover flap says it’s the thrilling conclusion but then I got to the end and it WASN’T OVER. Why must you always lie to me, Alcatraz? And why do I keep coming back for more all the same even though I hate unreliable narrators? If I haven’t raved about these books to you before–they’re about a boy named Alcatraz who has to fight the evil Librarians who rule the Hushlands (aka our world) and are hiding the Free Kingdoms from us because they like to control information. They’re delightful and A. is an excellent voice.

Chime. Chime, chime, chime. OK. So Jocelyn forwarded me this review about Chime and I was like, “Wellllllll, it does sound pretty but I hate hate hate unreliable narrators.” But the library had it so I got it and the rest, as they say, was me reversing opinions. Not only is the writing lovely and entrancing, she’s not actually an unreliable narrator. Those bitches to me are the ones who out and out lie to you and know it. Briony isn’t technically ever lying to you and also the truth was rampantly obvious within like 20 pages so I could just sit back and enjoy the lovely story-telling. This is gonna be a huge claim but in some ways it reminds me of The Changeover by Margaret Mahy (that cover is HORRIFIC)–which is one of my favorite books of all time. It doesn’t quite reach that level for me but I think that’s only because I didn’t read it as a teenager. If Chime had teen nostalgia on its side I might like it just as much. Outrageous claim. We’ll see if I read it multiple times in the next 20 years and still love it in 2031 like I love The Changeover now.

Least Favorites Books this month: Lord Lightning by Jenny Brown and Choker by Elizabeth Woods. I have nothing to say about those.

Book I feel the need to mention: Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right by Kieran Kramer. Because I talked about her first book When Harry Met Molly last month and was all excited about this one, remember? But this one was kind of disappointing. It was kind of like she wrote Harry/Molly and it was a success and then she took a book she had already written and changed the character’s names and revised a little so it would fit as the second book in this Impossible Bachelors series. Disappointing. Just not the same air of whimsical discordance. At the same time, I will fully be getting the third in the series–Cloudy With A Chance Of Marriage–ASAP and reading it. I’ve not given up on Kramer yet.

So May month. Goals? Thoughts? I do have a lot of back-log to read. I mean it’s sort of ridiculous. Lots of books out from the library still. And ones I’ve been given and haven’t gotten to yet (I’m looking at you 10th Flanagan. Should I read the first 9 again before I read you? Who can say.)

Who can say.

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The Fuzz and the Glory

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So my weekend was pretty exciting. First, I went to Kris’s house and disrobed in the living room and scandalized her with my bra. Second I wore a slip to an Easter brunch. This weekend was kind of about nudity. And our Lord. Mostly nudity and wine though.

The sad thing about the Bollywood dinner/movie event is that most of the photos are hella fuzzy. This is annoying. But they are also sooo hilarious, that I couldn’t bring myself to delete many of them.

It went from demure

to not demure

so quickly.

There was dancing

and weird posing

and more nudity

Basically what I took away from this event is

1. Imran Khan is hot, adorable, fabulous, and wets Katy’s panties.

2. Nudity is maybe ok?

3. Saris are awesome.

4. No, nudity is not ok.

Sub-clause: Nudity is totally OK if it’s Imran Khan’s.

There are more pictures here. There are also videos of creepy ear stroking but they are super dark and also not online at the moment.

And THEN, I went to an Easter Extravaganza today at Adam and Christine’s where there were 5 bottles of sweet bubbly to go with the incredible crepe brunch and then Easter basket hunting with scavenger clues and then more food and about 11 (?) bottles of white wine to try. And more food. And cupcakes. Christine kind of outdid herself with the cooking and Adam outdid himself with the wine. The weather mostly cooperated and I met the neighborhood cat. It was all in all excellent.

The wine tasting spread:

The beautiful day that it was:

The prettiness of my Alameda Vintage Fashion Faire slip and the cuteness which is Jax:

More pictures of Easter celebrations here.

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Survival Michele!

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Let us all fully appreciate the awesomeness which is that photo….

Are you appreciating it? Is it not awesome?

Not only is my cat in a ATW Red Wagon Flyer but I have a rifle.

Ok, it’s just a BB gun. And I don’t even have any BBs. But sometimes we have to just look intimidating. Like when we’re protecting our cats and Red Wagon Flyers from the hordes of rampaging citizens who no longer respect personal property. Or lives. I’m just saying, I’m prepared to disrespect their lives if they try to touch my stuff.

Admittedly, I’m only going to be capable of beaning them in the head with the butt of my possibly plastic rifle.

So, let us move past my bloodthirsty violence to what this is all about. Basically, disaster hit Japan (and continues); I freaked out a “little” for about a week and did research ALL DAY one day on survival kits and what to have on hand in case of having to run for your lives, how long freeze dried food can last, camping stoves, etc, etc. Then I ordered many things. And when everything started arriving, I started assembling to-go bags for my mom and I (and 2 of the cats). If a disaster happens that doesn’t require us running away from home on foot, we will be soooo prepared. If we have to run away on foot, well we can take 2 cats and we have an all-terrain wagon to pull stuff in (before thinking to use Evan’s wagon I was going to buy an ATW CAT STROLLER. Oh yes. Cat stroller. It’s way too expensive but so awesome.)

Things which are in my kits:

  • 5 days worth of food (which will last 25 years)
  • towel
  • toilet paper
  • wet wipes
  • hand sanitizer
  • lotion
  • soap
  • camping stove
  • mini propane tanks
  • knives
  • saw
  • water disinfectant
  • feminine hygiene products (you never know if disaster will strike during that time of the month)
  • matches
  • crank flashlight (2–one with radio, one that looks like a cat)
  • emergency blankets (2)
  • emergency sleeping bag
  • kleenex
  • dust mask
  • underwater camera (to snap quick photos for insurance purposes of the house before fleeing)
  • toothbrush/toothpaste
  • spare glasses (it would suck to be blind at the end of the world)
  • razor
  • mini medical kits (band-aids, antibioctic cream, rolled bandage, pain-killers, latex gloves, Tums, cotton balls, bandage tape)
  • whet stone
  • water
  • oversize first aid kit from Sam’s Club
  • spare clothing (in mine) including poncho, socks, underwear, t-shirt

Things I still need for our bags:

  • mini sewing kits
  • quarters
  • emergency phone number sheet (of relatives and emergency personnel)
  • photo-copies of DLs, insurance cards, etc
  • maps (with designated meet-up spots)
  • more water
  • camping pot (have, is just in garage somewhere)
  • camping utensils (also have, again is in garage)
  • a gun, dammit mom
  • an easy out

In the cat bag:

  • cat food
  • cat food and water bowls
  • travel litter box and travel litter
  • cat treats

Still need for cats:

  • Cat vet info sheet
  • Prepared “Lost Cat” flyers
  • collar/leashes

If you want to offer suggestion for more things to add, feel free. This is a process. I feel I’ve made a good start but I know I could still use more things. And there’s more photos here of my kits. None as awesome as that above, but still some goodness happening.

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Post-Crossing

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I sent a lot more postcards (including to Katherine and Kris which is not, strictly speaking, Post-Crossing business but whatever) and I’ve now received a lot of postcards. Actually 4 more today which I’m not even including in this set because they’re not even photographed yet and hoo boy I am tired of being on the computer already.

Ok. So cards sent went out to the Netherlands, Spain, Belarus, Russia, Minnesota, Germany, and Finland (plus the previously mentioned non-counting Portland area and through the tunnel ones.)

Cards came IN from Germany, Belarus, Finland, Wisconsin, and Wales.

Whoops, I just realized I forgot about 2 I received (one of which accidentally got thrown away before having a picture taken and one which I’ve just forgotten to take a picture of. Welp. Next time.

Some of my favorites:

To Belarus.

From Wales.

Everything about this card is awesome. From her writing about Welsh choirs (random and fascinating) to the tea party get ups of these ladies )including top hats!) to the awesome RSC stamp on the back.

I feel I should mention at this point in case you’re actually reading the hand-writing on all these cards that I lied about my name. Obviously it’s not Miss. But I didn’t want to put my whole real name on the website, I admit it. They’re already getting my address. This thing does make me slightly nervous still even amidst all the awesome. Though nothing for me has been as awesome as Katherine’s envelope of goodies from the Netherlands. Where are my bookmarks, I ask you.

I’m intrigued by this whole Belarus thing. Where is that? (I realize it’s by Russia) I like the name. It’s like Beluga and Walrus rolled into one. A Belurus. Well it’s close. And I can picture a gigantic walrus pretty easily.

I’ve also now opened myself up to requests for direct swaps and have included the USA as a place I am happy to send and receive (it’s an option to not do your own country). I realized US stamps are only 28 cents as opposed to 98. So it makes sense from a monetary stand point even if the stamps on received cards are less awesome. And it is still fascinating to hear about the lives of fellow Americans. And there’s less fear when I use colloquial language that they won’t understand.

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