Dec

31

It’s Barry’s fault: results of “5 things you don’t know about me”

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I don’t like blog memes. I haven’t pinpointed exactly why, but I think I liken it to the email spam-style forwards that get sent to forty of an acquaintance’s ‘closest’ friends in their address book (all done without BCCing which is a serious faux pas and should be punishable by caning) asking you to send that questionably sincere or humorous forwarded email to a gaggle of your ‘closest’ friends and to make sure you return the email to the sender to show how deeply you care about your relationship. Eek. I remember when people had to lick a stamp to send out a chain letter through the post. That was great because chances were slim you’d ever get one (I’ve had one or two snail mail chain letters in my life) and god knows it was too prohibitively expensive to send out genuine photo-mart prints of ten embarrassingly costumed pets just for a laugh (or groan). Ah, those were the days…

Blog memes, to their credit, are a bit more personal and rarely get sent to such a huge group in one go, and so, without further delay or digression, I’ll get my meme response over with. I like you Barry, and for that reason I present my one and only blog meme response:

5 things you don’t know about me
(Dammit, Barry— I covered fifty of the buggers in my FAQ! This is going to be a challenge!)

  1. I don’t watch much TV and though I resisted the initial public excitement for the series, I have become a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation junkie. Minor mysteries in this flat are always met with a “we need the Grissom”. You never know when a shower gel dribble in the tub could crack the case… (there’s always a case, right?)
  2. I like to smell my Moleskines. Those posh little notebooks smell so damn good when you first unwrap them. I’m sure I’m not the only one who used to bury her nose into a new school text book or fresh ditto copies either. Mmmm… the beguiling scent of print production and bindery. Sweet, sweet chemicals.
  3. I have an electronic guinea pig named Esteban.
  4. I have a slight obsessive-compulsive issue with symmetry. For example, if I have an itch on one arm, I have to scratch the other arm as well. I have no idea how this started.
  5. When I was a kid I made my own gigantic Ewok village with trees made from paper towel cores and green construction paper leaves, walkways made from these skinny little wooden boards that my grandma gave me, and whatever else I could find. It must’ve been 4′ by 5′ and was the apple of my Star Wars lovin’ eye for probably a week or two. I wish the toy company would’ve made a big bag of generic Ewoks like you can buy a big bag of green Army men; my village would’ve been cooler if it hadn’t been populated by four identical Wickets and one wizard-type Ewok.

There you have it. It actually wasn’t an easy list to construct since I tend to let it all out here anyway. I’m not tagging anyone specifically with this since you already know how I feel about memes (I’m such the party-pooper on this, I know :P ), but if you have five things you’d like to share, please leave me a list in a comment. If not, that’s cool too.

Oh— if I don’t get in here to blog again before the New Year hits your part of the planet, Happy New Year! and I send celebratory smooches to you all. :D

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Dec

29

Twelve more shots from Madeira

Filed Under photos, tout le fromage | 2 Comments

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I’ve uploaded a dozen more photos to my flickr account— all taken during our holiday in Madeira.
Enjoy!
My flickr account.
Skip to the Madeira photos.

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Dec

29

waiting in Maidenhead

Filed Under photos, tout le fromage | 7 Comments

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I saw this man on a bench in the shopping centre yesterday and did my best in the low light. It was an exercise in patience to stand there waiting for both the shoppers to stop walking past and for the man to look to his left as shown.
The above was taken with my Canon dSLR held low and aimed and focused by luck. It’s moments like this that I wish I had our Sony DSC F707 camera with its handy (and sneaky) tilt body with me. It’s older, has fewer megapixels, and is still a bit bulky, but it’s the best way to grab candid shots like this one I shot on the London Underground.

I’m attempting to learn more about shooting with available light as well as the very basics of photography (like shutter speeds, apertures, f-stops, etc.) since I now have the proper tool for all that. I took a basics class when I was in art school ages ago, but that information space in my brain has since been replaced with more important things like commercial jingles, the lyrics to “I’m Too Sexy,” and how to make convincing piggy noises without opening my mouth. The combination of these skills is deadly cool at a party but does nothing for advancing my photography skills. I’ll have to give one or two of them up to soak in new info and I can tell you with certainty that it won’t be my ability to speak swine. ;)

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Dec

28

and so it is written

Filed Under regular, tout le fromage | 11 Comments

Just got back from my more than regular gynaecological appointment and am pleased to announce that after a swab, a feel, and a full review of my history for the past five years, my doctor has made a very important statement in my medical file:
I am cured.

Whoo-hoo! Fuck off, Cancer. I’ve beaten you. :D
Thinking about it now, I wish I’d asked to take a picture of the words on the page since I don’t remember exactly what he wrote down. Something about the stage of the original cancer and yadda yadda yadda. I was in a daze watching him mark the file with his pen.
Splitting hairs, the anniversary of my surgery is in March, but there is no reason to believe that any group of cells has a countdown going in some microscopic day planner somewhere deep within my body, so let it be five years if my doctor says it is, dammit.

I never had any doubt I would beat cancer and I kind of surprised myself by shedding a tear when I shared the news with Neil. We’re going to go for a Costa Coffee to celebrate. In March, I think I’ll be sending a thank you card to my surgeon in Wisconsin and Neil and I will likely celebrate the actual surgery anniversary with a dinner out.

It’s strange— for the first time in five years, I will be going to the gynaecologist once per year like normal women instead of up to quarterly. That’s pretty cool.

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Dec

25

Christmas dinner by the sea

Filed Under photos, regular, tout le fromage | 2 Comments

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Neil and I decided to have an unusual Christmas dinner this year— cucumber and hummus sandwiches, cheesecake, and a thermos of Costa Coffee mocha by the sea. We settled into a Victorian era seating gazebo in Worthing, braved the cold, and made friends with a young seagull who quickly found bravery in exchange for bits of bread at our feet. I also tried Bucks Fizz for the first time and can report that it’s pretty much what I expected out of a sparkling wine and orange juice blend— kind of fun, a little bit tasty, and a perfectly ridiculous beverage to accompany a sandwich on the beach at Christmas! :)
I’ve got a handful of photos from our chilly afternoon out and will get them on flickr this week. There are still more to process from Madeira as well, so hang tight and I’ll post when they’re on display.

Season’s Greetings to you all!
smooches~
jEN

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Dec

25

Missing you

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It’s not about the presents or food — it’s about my family and friends and I miss you all quite a bit this year. I didn’t make it back for a visit this past autumn and that makes a difference, as it’s coming up on a year since I’ve seen your faces in person. As I sit here at my desk, still awake at this late hour, I realise how hard it is to go a year without a you all. Thank goodness for Skype, cheap internet phone calls, and video chat. It would definitely be more difficult to be 4000 miles away without all that beautiful geek magic.

I have a wonderful and loving network of friends and family on this side of the ocean but that doesn’t stop me from missing you all tremendously and I just want to let you know how much I love you.
Have a very happy, healthy, and safe Christmas and New Year’s. I’ll see you online and hopefully in-person this Spring.

Lots of love,
Jen

Now it’s time for me to Skype call my Mom. :)

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Dec

24

This should be good

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We’re about to head down to the town to enjoy a cup of Costa Coffee and observe the last-minute shoppers. It’ll be like a nature show— watching hyenas tear through confused herds of some spindly-legged creatures or another. The screams of other species trying to avoid the mayhem. The angry baboon troops of mothers with prams and shopping bags from Woolworths.

I’m not even taking anything to read. I’m going for the entertainment value of Christmas Eve in the town centre. Let the spectacle begin… :D
Have a good [insert religious/spiritual/personal holiday of choice here].
smooches~
jEN

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Dec

21

Is it just me…

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… or are there more crying babies everywhere around Christmas? Holy cow! The supermarkets, the shopping centres, even out my bloody flat window! Babies crying and screaming as if they’re being stung by giant bees!

And no, I’m not fond of Christmas or babies. ;)

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