Male and Female Imponderables--Haunted by Tristan

SpaceAnJL's book collection -

In the hallway, the bookshelves have the upmarket chicklit and fiction, Perez Reverte and the like, and my omnibus editions - crime, vampires, classic fantasy.

Kitchen has a 'few' cookbooks. The handwritten ones, the most well-used ones.

Lounge has the huge dresser with the rest of the cookbooks, including the Roman and Medieval, food history, most of my historical crime novels, (Davies, Doherty),travel and maps.

Study has the reference books. History, archaeology, forensic, classic fantasy writers, poetry, plays and quotations. Also dictionaries, languages. Tolkien, Rowling, Pullman, etc.

Bedroom. Bookshelf has all the Golden Era crime. Tey, Wentworth, the entire Christie, Sayers, Allingham, Marsh and Heyer. Also modern British, Granger, Graham etc. The Holmes stuff (Conan Doyle, King, Carr) is here, also CSI, and the classic detectives, Chandler, Hammett. There is also the sci-fi. Cherryh, Morgan, Asher and a few classic Asimov, Wyndhams and the like. Pratchett has a shelf to himself. As does Gaiman.

The rest of it lives in my parent's loft - the real classic kid's books. I also have a couple of cartons of historical reference in store. The big collections of Crusade documents, Anglo-Saxon maps and the like.

We haven't unpacked my husband's stuff yet. He's got Banks, Harrison, Asimov and the like. It lives in store, because the house isn't big enough.

However, I have friends who make me look illiterate. They have so many reference books in their house, they use the Dewey system...

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:05 AM

RIVERISMYGODDESS

mornin' Imponderables.

Some stuff from the last thread as well as this one, as I am playing catch-up before I have to leave this morning.
WARNING - long post full of quotations ahead.

PR - I tried, but the Show Picture option was greyed out. I may clear my cache as I did with the avatars and see if that makes a difference.

Quote:
Originally posted by Mavourneen:
Do you have a really good Lemon Chicken recipe? I tried to make one last night and it was horrible. I ended up throwing out the sauce and we just ate the chicken breasts.

I'm also on the lookout for a good Honey-Mustard sauce...

I'm no MSG but I do have some suggestions on those:

When I make lemon chicken, I use boneless, skinless breasts, then add a can of cream of chicken and the juice of 1.5-2 lemons (season the chicken beforehand however you like, I prefer a pre-made Greek mix of seasonings). Bake until cooked throughout. The lemon juice mixes well with the cream of chicken and the juices from the actual chicken and makes a creamy lemon sauce that I think tastes pretty good.

For honey mustard, I usually use equal parts mayo and mustard, then add honey to taste. Simple, but people who like honey mustard tend to like it (I don't really care for the taste, I prefer a horseradish mustard I have been turned on to).

After writing these out I saw MSG's recipes and they definitely sound good as well (especially adding the horseradish to the money mustard, seems like she was reading my mind

), but I thought I would post them just for some variety, if you like.

Quote:
Originally posted by msg:
It's carefully locked in my closet and apparently the sub not only unlocked my closet( had to leave her keys to open and lock the room) but allowed my kids to play with the set and now one piece is missing!!!!!

I would seriously be out for blood. Mostly on the part of the sub but also a bit on the part of your students for treating your set like that even though they knew how much it means to you. I do hope you find the piece though. *hugs*
EDIT: Glad that your chess set is whole once again.

Quote:
Originally posted by msg:
Mind you I'm the only one here with a southern accent,

Ahem.

Quote:
Originally posted by Tristan:
Nervous and sad....well, I used to like sex for both of those...but lately it's been reading when I'm nervous and creating something when I'm sad. Both work pretty well...although I like the Firefly and ice cream/chocolate idea!

I think I second this one, though I don't create much (besides beer that is, and fanfic). I haven't read in a while so I guess I have not been that nervous.

Quote:
Originally posted by DesktopHippie:
*has sex with Tristan*

Feeling better now?

After that, who wouldn't be. I think I need a

just for reading this.

I didn't even get halfway through this thread but I have to go so I will check it when I get back. You people stay shiny.

~Jimi
jimi dot spettel at gmail dot com
Self-Proclaimed Grand Vizier of Georgia

- Animation by DesktopHippie

"Marijuana not only should be legal, it should be manditory." - Bill Hicks

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:09 AM

MAGDALENA

"No power in the 'verse can stop me!"

Wow!! SpaceANGL

!! It is so good to see you - is the worst of the moving over then?? Or are you still talking about your previous home?

I like Asimov and also John Wyndham! But I cannot imagine having to use the Dewy system!!

It's really good to see you!!

Take care of yourself and post pics of the new house when you can - our picture threads keep getting longer and longer!

EDIT: There's no action on this thread for hours and then I go to respond to SpaceANGL and RIMG

posts at the same time!! How are you my big bear huggin' man!?? I was reminded of something by your post... about being the only one with a Southern accent...

I am way further south than any of you - so there!!!

(yes - even further South than you Nico!)

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:29 AM

NICODEMUS

Not that much further south. Plus we have some New Zealanders on the site, and they be even further south than you (I think).

**************

(Thx to Desktop Hippie for the banner)
If you find yourself getting too worked up about stuff that isn't real (RP Threads etc), then go outside, breathe in some fresh air and try feeding the ducks. (Because ducks don't care about your politics, religion, skin colour, choice of music or even your haircut. They like everyone, provided you bring them food.)

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:37 AM

Still in the old house. This is what I have to pack up! May not be moving til after Xmas - which may be easier...

Hugs to all my buds out there.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:54 AM

MAGDALENA

"No power in the 'verse can stop me!"

But Nico ... are they Imponderers??? And Melbourne is about level with Wellington... so only South Islanders would be further South...

Hugs and sleep well 'hero'

!!

Wow - SpaceANGL - that is a lot of packing to do!! Are you moving far...? I don't seem to know the details, Honey... sorry about that - where you are now, and where you moving to??? Hugs to you too! 'Angel'

!

Well this Southern Belle is going to get her beauty sleep! goodnight all! - Magda x x x

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 3:03 AM

PENGUIN

Quote:
Originally posted by McQ:
Good point, Magda - maybehaps I should adjust my title? Being anything in the Mythical Land that is Iowa isn't being much at all.

King of the Mythical Land that is Iowa

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 3:03 AM

Magda - luckily only moving within the town. But have new husband and all new husband's belongings to factor in, too!

Imponderable - who is furthest north then? I think we have some Scandinavian Browncoats, but I'm not sure. (Canada is imaginary, right?)

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 3:14 AM

ELOISA

Magdalena - like you I can't concentrate too well on reading when I'm stressed or upset, unless it's a particular "comfort book" I've read a million times before, and I have few of those around at the moment. Watching Trash tends to work for some reason... and tea. Tea solves everything. (A scientific study recently indicated this isn't just imaginary or psychosomatically on the part of the whole UK but genuinely due to a property in black tea.) Of course, the thing that helps most is exercise, even going for a five minute run, but often that's the last thing I want to do when down.

SpaceAnJL - Lordy, our bookshelves are similar. Except mine are less organised... I can tick off most of the Golden Era crime, except I don't have many Allingham for some weird reason; less classic fantasy and more modern fantasy than you've mentioned (Eddings, Lackey and McCaffrey have shelves to themselves, near Pratchett); the historical and classic crime etc.; no chick lit except all (ALL!) the Heyer romances; a bit of classic literature; a lot of non-fiction, particularly popular science; and a ton of Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks. Cookbooks all in the kitchen, though most recipes live in my head as they mostly come from books my father owns. And about half my books live on my bedroom floor or in boxes in the kitchen. Hm. I've actually got another two new bookcases recently, we just haven't confirmed where they're ending up being put and it's such a pest moving the books as well as the case when doing furniture rearranging.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 3:18 AM

"Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?"

Quote:
Originally posted by Nicodemus:
Ok, now I'm confused. Are we doubling the pondering by having two threads going at once (one her and one in Talk Story)? Or did I simply post in the wrong one?

*Checks the time stamps* Yep, I posted in the old one. Guess I'd best copy it over to here, although that thread might get some more responses now that I've bumped it up the list.

Frack. Looks like I was the only one. So in the spirit of the Nico-thread-forwarding process, here:

I can remember taking tests that I was sure I was unsure of, and having them turn out all right. Of course, there were those that I had a good grasp of the material and figured all would be well and then had the questions be all about the one part I was weak on. Good luck, my friend.

Quotes -
"I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member." (Groucho Marx)

"Some of these theorems may have been repeated,
some maybe be weak or false , some may be revolutionary.
The dilemma is how do we know.
With this amount of information how can anyone decide what is good bad or indifferent???" (Stanisław Ulam-Ulam's Dilemma)

"Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes." (Walt Whitman)

Dead to me -
There have been individuals whom I have come across that have absolutely given me the eeriest, creepiest feeling. There was a guy for instance in my old apartment complex who did and dealt drugs that we all called Charlie Manson. It wasn't that he was huge or built or tough-looking. It was his eyes. Like looking into the eyes of Azrael. *shuddlers with willies*
Uncle Creepy

Cousin Eerie

Even happy, Charles Manson looks crazed.

Quote:
Originally posted by DesktopHippie: Did you see the bit towards the end where it recommends rubbing all kinds of insects on your wedding tackle to make it bigger? Yeah, like I'm going to sleep with a guy who's done *that!*

Aw, c'mon, where's your sense of adventure?

"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 3:24 AM

Morning, Everyone.

Magda- I hope you are still on...

!

In one of my first thread conversations ever, I met a Browncoat in Finland. Can't for the life of me remember his name. But I know he was Finnish. That's pretty North!

Well, day two in my office alone. My coworker is out sick today & I'm doing her job and mine, which amounts to about 3 hours of work altogether for the day.

RIMG, thanks for the Lemon Chicken recipe. I have tried the Cream of Chicken method, and Husband hated it. I thought it was ok, but not special. I guess using Cream of Anything as your sauce base is a Southern thing.

MSG- I thought about your chess set last night. So glad to hear the missing piece was recovered. That's gotta be a relief!

Nico- Is your 1971 LOTR in good condition? British edition with color pics? :salivates:
I've got a thing for books. There's a girl in Maryland coveting your LOTR.

RugBug- I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one who remembers Love and Rockets!

Ok, coffee time!

Special Message for VerseExplorer:

Your Kitchen ROCKS! I love it!!! :jealous:

That Sam Kinison is okay, what I really need is an animated gif that shows him screaming "Say it!" - As I am unskilled in gifing, I have to wait until one pops up in photobucket.

EDIT: Ah, I see JQ is here. Morning, Sunshine!

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 3:26 AM

Did I give the impression of organisation? It's more a herding process...I also have Eddings and a few mcCaffrey - (I take it you haven't read Cold Comfort Mountain - my take on brainships...) I forget the Gibson, too. He has a shrine next to Pratchett and Adams.

I didn't mention the disparate piles of puzzle books, (sudoku and logic) film magazines or yoga/meditation books. Or the walking maps...

The 'chicklit' is really half a shelf from my days in bookselling - NOT Fielding. Haven't read the Heyer romances, but her crime novels are fun.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 4:56 AM

Morning, all!
It is one crappy day here...cold, steady rain...wind...dark skies....ick!

Nico, no, you are not going insane. I made it a habit of putting these threads in General Discussions and try to keep them there...sometimes they end up in Talk Story, though. Keeps us on our toes, though!

VerseExplorer, nice cabinets! Very good idea, too! Inspiration everywhere you look....

Magda, qing ren, sorry! Hey, I said I missed it, and she offered!

Traveler, I also am a follower of the idle hands thing...I can not not be doing something. Either sewing, armoring, needlework, something...even when watching TV I have some sort of project in my hands.

Mazaen, I also find that watching the fan-made videos of Firefly help lift my mood, too. I'll have to check that one out when I get home!

McQ...nice job catching up! It usually takes me forever, and sometimes I just give up trying!

JPStargazer...I hate those kind of questions from friends, generally. I try to avoid them if possible, but if not, I give them both barrels. I am the type of person that will give you an answer I believe in, even if you don't want to hear it.

Shocks some people, but it's better than being a "yes" man.

SpaceAnJL! Wow...can I come peruse your book collection? I'd especially like to get into the maps and Anglo-Saxon stuff... Sounds a lot like my house. The only room that does not have book in it is the...no, never mind, there are books in there, too. Huh!
Good to see you! I hope the move goes well.

RIMG...you still working on that beer for D*C?

I'm looking forward to that!

Magda= Way Southern Belle.

Sleep well!

Eloisa, the floor and boxes are acceptable alternatives to shelves. At least, I hope they are, beacuse that's where many of mine are....

Mavourneen, sorry to hear you are alone...but 3 hours of work? That leaves five hours you can post, right?

Ah, coffee....the stuff of life....

I think I'll go get myself a refill. Talk to you all soon!

______________________________________

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 5:09 AM

Morning, Tristan. Yep- 3 hours of actually work spread out to 8 hours. The pay is good, the people nice, but it gets boring having nothing to do. I am a web surfer extraordinnaire!

Both Norway and Italy are +6 hours from us on the East Coast. I get to work at 8 AM. It's already 2 PM there, and they usually close at 4 PM. I have 2 hours to get work done if it is with eith of these factories. That leaves from 10 AM on basically with little to do.

Your wet yucky day is making a beeline for the Mid-Atlantic. We're supposed to get a whopper of a storm tonight/tomorrow. It's already overcast.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 5:26 AM

Mavourneen, sorry about the storm...we tried to keep it here, but it's getting away from us.

Hey, at least you have us to keep you amused, right?

______________________________________

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 5:51 AM

The Us appears to be you and me right now- Nobody else is around.

I meant to post the other day but didn't get a chance - I really liked those Celtic pics you and Moorehead put up in the pic thread. Very nice! I need to ask Chris if that is here in MD or somewhere else. Chris lives about 30 minutes North of me-

Sis in Law does Blackpowder reenactments but it is in VA.

Chris may like the long hair look, but take it from me. Most women won't date a guy who's hair is prettier than theirs. At least, I wouldn't.

Keep it short.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:01 AM

Mav...then I will try to keep you amused until the others come back.

I can dance...but not very well. I'm not all that good at jokes...hmm. I can talk, though!

Thanks for liking the pics! We had a good time doing the Ren Faires. I know there are more pictures somewhere, but I am not sure where.
I'd love to go to one of those gatherings CMH has posted pictures of...they remind me a lot of the fighting I used to do.
Blackpowder...yeah...I got the chance to do Elizabethan-era living history in NC in '96, and we had matchlocks to play with. I never got up to flint-lock or percussion cap though. I'd like to...

Thanks for the hair comment, too.

I do miss it every now and then.

______________________________________

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:09 AM

Regardless of whether there are others or not, you are always amusing.

I actually got handed a bit of work to do, so I won't be around for the next 20 minutes or so.
Oh, the agony...

See you in a bit.

ooh, check out the bit of snark I posted this AM on zap2it. I'm a bad, bad girl. I'm not a William Shatner fan...
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2006/11/thus_spake_the_.html

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:15 AM

"Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?"

Quote:
Originally posted by Mavourneen:
EDIT: Ah, I see JQ is here. Morning, Sunshine!

Awww. Morning, Sweet Mavourick!

Latest separated at birth find! (from previous post)

Books - Various SciFi and Fantasy, and strangely no Horror (love horror movies so I'm not sure why not) and Marvel Comics lore. Tons of theology, some pop-physics and a bit o' metaphysics and philosophy. They are split between the bookshelves in the house and storage boxes in the barnloft. I also have a special place in my heart for books I ought to own but don't. (probably I'll revisit this for a future ponderance)

Anxiety and depression -
Nervousness, depending on how bad, I do deep breathing and focus on the time to come immediately after whatever is making me nervous ("this will all be over soon and it won't kill you" kind of thought pattern). Chasing the blues away can vary dramatically. Doing something fun that literally takes me away from where I am; taking a walk and mulling things over although not necessarily mulling the cause: just generic mulling; waiting it out stoically or sleeping it off have all worked in various situations.

Gonna add anger to the list: some kind of physical activity (at home I vacuum, at work I walk around a bit). Execise was mentioned earlier to lift your spirits (Magda?). This is true but you can't prove it by me. I guess exercise done vigorously enough releases endolphins (he he) which make you happy and is the reason some people become "addicted" to their chosen activity.

Huh.

"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:18 AM

Thank you for that, Mav! Have fun, and see you soon!

Morning, JQ!

______________________________________

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:37 AM

CHRISMOORHEAD

Mavourneen - Yep, those are local events. They take place all over Maryland. http://www.dagorhir.org is the website for the local Maryland chapter/realm. If you're interested, just go to upcoming events. There's one on the 25th of this month at Lake Needwood in Rockville.

Real quick, though, this game's mostly a combat thing. There's one week long, national event that takes place in Ohio once a year where it's all parties, dressing up and the like. But the rest of the year, it's mostly dressing up and fighting, and very little acting "in character". I mean, some people do, most don't, and those that do tend to do it at the national event (Which we call Ragnarok).

I hope you don't mind my insinuating that you wouldn't like the fighting, but I wouldn't want you to make the trip and find out it's completely different than what you thought it was.

Also, I'm actually doing a blackpowder Revolutionary War re-enactment this weekend in Virginia. My friend's been into the stuff for the long time, and while I don't have a single piece of clothing or otherwise period-appropriate equipment, he always has extra and loves to bring more people to represent his Maryland Loyalist Battalion (That's right, I fight for the King!).

I'm sure you'd know better about having long hair. Obviously, being who I am, my last concern was for how women perceived it. My hair used to be long, and very nice if I do say so myself. I actually kept the pony tail after I cut it off, which you can actually see on my "Shelf of Martial Valour" in the picture thread right before the most recent one (Or possibly the one before that...). That was a highly symbolic part of my life, where I stopped being a child playing warrior, and actually became one.

Tristan - I'm still thinking you wouldn't like the stuff I do. If you stopped doing SCA because it wasn't accurate enough, then Dagorhir (my game) would definitely annoy the shit out of you. But, on the other hand, if you just came expecting competitive (and sometimes drunken) fun, you might not be so disappointed. Ego's do get in the way sometimes, but mostly not, at least less than in the SCA I would imagine.

Ok, New Imponderable! Let me explain the background of this, first...

I happened upon an old school project from the 4th or 5th grade the other day. The project was to make a roller-biography on an American historical figure whom we idolized. Now of course, the rest of the class starts picking out civil rights leaders and stuff, but y'know who I picked? General Patton. In freggin 4th grade. It made me realize how even at that age, I had pretty much decided what I wanted to do with my life. Even stranger, is that back then I was the kid who always got picked on, never fought back, got beat up, wore thick glasses, etc. You would have expected me to wind up programming computers or some shit before joining the military.

Does anyone else feel like they were chosen for a path in life? We all have dreams about doing something really special when we were children. How many of us accomplished it, or even bothered pursuing it?

[IMG]

Place my body on a ship and burn it on the sea,
Let my spirit rise, Valkyries carry me.
Take me to Valhalla where my brothers wait for me.
Fires burn into the sky, my spirit will never die.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:38 AM

RUGBUG

Morning everyone!

Quote:
Originally posted by VerseExplorer:
Quote:
RugBug wrote:
"A woman is often measured by the things she can not control. She is measured by the way her body curves or doesn't curve, by where she is flat or straight or round. By all the outside things that don't ever add up to who she is on the inside. And so, if a woman is to be measured, let her be measured by the things she can control, by who she is and who she is trying to become. By her passions, her dreams, her goals. Because as every woman knows, measurements are only statistics, and statistics lie."

RugBug, who wrote it. I think I need to start writing great quotes on my walls.

Hrmmm, I actually don't know who wrote the quote. But oddly, a google search points to, get this...Nike. It was one of their ad campaigns. My quote has a slight omission from the original ad copy...I like mine, with the omission, better.

You can find the whole text here:
http://www.katiekleinman.com/nike/ scroll down to the link that says "A woman is measured"

***************
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:41 AM

Morning all...wow busy morning, but very productive.
I love hearing what everyone has on their bookshelves....so let's add a wrinkle to it ponder wise:)

So here's the ponderable- What one book or series of books ( read in childhood) became part of your idenity or helped you develop your identity???

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."- Albright

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:49 AM

CMH, my problem with the SCA was the front they put up as an historical society...and then carpet armor, polyester, and combat boots were all over the place. Your group does not seem to put on those kind of "airs"...y'all look like you are there to have fun and that's it. I could be wrong, and please don't take that as belittling the group...but I hate it when people take themselves too seriously. Looking at the website, they combine history AND fantasy...I can deal with that.

I don't know that I have a chosen path. I spent 30-some-odd years drifting around in various jobs before I ended up in this one, and it looks like I may end up retiring from this career.

Morning, RugBug!

Morning, MSG!
Hmm...that's a good one...I read so much as a child that I would be hard-pressed to claim just one... I am really going to have to ponder that one!

______________________________________

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:59 AM

RUGBUG

Quote:
Originally posted by msg:

So here's the ponderable- What one book or series of books ( read in childhood) became part of your idenity or helped you develop your identity???

I'm not sure if I ever answered the bookshelf question to start with, so here goes....

I don't keep many books. My place is small (only three small shelves for books) and I figure if it's not a book I'm going to read again, I might as well let someone else enjoy it. So, what I have on my shelves is books I really like.

I tend to have a lot of classics: Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bronte sisters, Willa Cather, etc. I have half a shelf of children's book from my teaching days, I should pass some of those on. LOTR, Chronicles of Narnia, Anne of Green Gables. I collect juvenile horse fiction...the stuff I read as a kid (I think I mentioned that before), so it's all there. Jean Slaughter Doty and Dorothy Lyons were/are my favorite.

The book that became part of my identity in childhood? A book called "A Very Young Rider" by Jill Krementz. It's a big picture type book that follows a girl on the east coast as she shows her pony. I LOVE that book. I just recently bought another copy...it's out of print, so I had to search a bit.

Sadly, I've learned a lot about the backstory and it isn't quite as idealic as it seemed, but whatever is? Apparently the ending was manufactured, but I do know the pony lived to a ripe old age. The young girl is a now a lawyer in CA and has struggled with drugs. Her trainer from the book just recently was arrested for child porn. Eh, it's the seedy underbelly. But it doesn't dim my love for the book. It's on my coffee table...and I'm a 35 year old woman.

***************
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:06 AM

I'm back. Wasn't as much to do as I thought.

Chris, I think I would like to watch these events rather than participate. I checked out the web page and it looks very interesting! I think Husband would like it, too.

Maybe I'll try to go to the Lake Needwood event. If you see a redhead on the sidelines standing with a tall blonde guy, come and introduce yourself!

For me, the Little House on the Prarie series enthralled me. I can't say it molded my character, but I LOVED it. I was also convinced Laura Ingalls Wilder and I were related, as my maternal grandmother's maiden name is Wilder. But...no relation.

EDIT: I remember that book! Didn't know the other side of the story, though. Urg.
I think that book was so successful back in the day the author did a whole series of them. I remember "A Very Young Dancer" because the girl in the pics was so lithe and beautiful, and I had vienna sausages for legs at the time.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:09 AM

ELOISA

MsG - has to be Lord of the Rings, largely because I read it when I was far too young to notice all the nitpicks with it that a lot of my friends who came to it later did and just accepted it for a very big story with a very big vision behind it. I still adore that kind of thing; poking and prodding at the real world as much as fictional worlds to see what lies behind everything.

Which ties into ChrisMoorhead's ponderable - I remember deciding to write a book when I was three. I've now written several and am currently mopping up the last bits of one that I'm actually going to try to get published. I've had several phases of wanting to do other things, including going into the Navy (I was nine years old and on a military history kick), but writing has been the vastly enduring thing.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:10 AM

Good Morning everyone. Nothing heard as of yet.

I felt a powerful need to respond to CMH and his pondering on pre-destined life paths.

I too was a big follower of Patton as my Grandpa served under him and idolized to cantankerous one.

On one hand I say we choose our own paths. On the other I say our actions are influenced by those before us. Though many before me experienced terrible things, they never told me about them. But the things they did influenced me. My reaction to aggression and "evil" behavior has always been to have an immediate resolution to the problem. But eventually I'd seen the error of my actions and seemed to be finding the less violent way of dealing with those things.

So here I am admitting to fearing life. I admit that someone I love might be hurt or killed by another and the old me might surface. That is my fear. To love and lose. To lose the relative peace I have found in the last few years.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:13 AM

CHRISMOORHEAD

MSG - "Hagakure" by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. I've never been so enthralled with a book in my entire life. It dictated a lot of my personality in late high school, and how I approached handling the military lifestyle.

Tristan - Nah, I know you're not belittling it, that's pretty much an exact description of what we do, and pretty much the sentiment that I was trying to describe to you. You meet all types, rednecks, bikers, D&D geeks, even the occasional history buff. If you're ever in the Maryland/Virginia area, let me know.

EDIT:

Mavourneen - Here's a short intro video to it. This appeared on a local new network:

Here's a very quick clip from out national event (I'm actually in this mess somewhere)

And finally, this is what our collective dumbasses did this year at Ragnarok when we got rained out halfway through the week:

[IMG]

Place my body on a ship and burn it on the sea,
Let my spirit rise, Valkyries carry me.
Take me to Valhalla where my brothers wait for me.
Fires burn into the sky, my spirit will never die.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:21 AM

NVG, this is nowhere near an exact quote, and I have no idea where it comes from, but "We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors and they make us who we are".
Peace and serenity be with you, brudda.

CMH, I got that. Spent some more time browsing that website. That is what I should have joined in the first place!

Maryland/Virginia, eh? Might have to make a road trip someday soon! Thanks!

______________________________________

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:29 AM

RIVERISMYGODDESS

Afternoon Imponderables. I'm back for a couple of hours.

Quote:
Originally posted by Mavourneen:
RIMG, thanks for the Lemon Chicken recipe. I have tried the Cream of Chicken method, and Husband hated it. I thought it was ok, but not special. I guess using Cream of Anything as your sauce base is a Southern thing.

Damn straight.

Quote:
Originally posted by Tristan:
RIMG...you still working on that beer for D*C? I'm looking forward to that!

Thank you for the reminder, I need to get online and order ingredients for that and for the Irish Red I plan to make. Gods, I haven't brewed since late June, and I just realized how much I miss it. Been a mite busy I suppose. I'll get right on it.

There are going to be thunderstorms here tonight, and that means that I am in a spectacularly shiny mood today.

As for books that influenced me in my childhood, I cannot think of any right now, but in the past 5 years I have been significantly influenced by a couple of books: The Hiram Key (masonic/templar history dating back to the Egyptians), American Gods (Neil Gaiman is certainly one of them), and Stranger in a Strange Land (if you have never read it, go out, buy it or check it out, and read it. hell, I will send you a copy if you want one, on me).

~Jimi
jimi dot spettel at gmail dot com
Self-Proclaimed Grand Vizier of Georgia

- Animation by DesktopHippie

"Marijuana not only should be legal, it should be manditory." - Bill Hicks

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:46 AM

MCQ

Quote:
Originally posted by Penguin:
Quote:
Originally posted by McQ:
Good point, Magda - maybehaps I should adjust my title? Being anything in the Mythical Land that is Iowa isn't being much at all.

Oops...uhh...sorry your royal highness-ness Penguin sir...uh...I, umm, was only kidding? *nervous chuckle*

I didn't expect you of all people to catch on to that so is my face red!

Hope this doesn't mean I no longer get to be the official Court Jester of the Mythical Land that is Iowa.

O Captain, My Captain? (or the other way around)
-----------------------------

The official Court Jester of the Mythical Land that is Iowa! Woohoo!!

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:08 AM

oh I forgot to put up the book name for me
I'd say 2 books actually. I read them when I was 8 and spent years trying to be like the characters. Gone with the Wind- Margaret Mitchell and Anne of Green Gables- L.M. Montgomery (I wanted to be Anne really badly)

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."- Albright

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:13 AM

"Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?"

Quote:
Originally posted by ChrisMoorhead:
(Which we call Ragnarok)
Place my body on a ship and burn it on the sea,
Let my spirit rise, Valkyries carry me.
Take me to Valhalla where my brothers wait for me.
Fires burn into the sky, my spirit will never die.

Ragnarok! Perfect! The Viking/Celtic cultural cross-pollenation! I love it!

I have mentioned it before, but there is an excellent album out by Steve McDonald called the Sons of Somerled which is IMHO fantastic. Toni and I had wandered into the Natural Wonders store in the mall (not there anymore) and it was playing and after just a few seconds we had to have it. Those Battles must truly have been epic!

"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:21 AM

"Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?"

Quote:
Originally posted by Tristan:
CMH, my problem with the SCA was the front they put up as an historical society...and then carpet armor, polyester, and combat boots were all over the place.

Carpet armor?!? That's just plain wrong! And hardly practical. Unless you count the enemy getting lost in someone's deep pile shag. Er, shag rug. Er, well, you know what I mean Tristan, even if the kids around here have only seen it on That 70's Show.
Being a a real-live, dyed-in-the-wool (well, no, that's not right either) armorer, that alone must have been enough to drive you away...

"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:23 AM

RIVERISMYGODDESS

I had a ponderable in the car today, and I thought I would share it, though it is a bit silly:

I was wondering about getting chocolate into one corner of my towel, and I thought that melting it over a long time with a heat lamp might work best, then letting it cool and cutting or chipping off the excess so it wouldn't get all melty later. A side issue was soaking another corner to make a salty, and I was debating plain salt water vs marmite or a substance like it.

Any thoughts?

~Jimi
jimi dot spettel at gmail dot com
Self-Proclaimed Grand Vizier of Georgia

- Animation by DesktopHippie

"Marijuana not only should be legal, it should be manditory." - Bill Hicks

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:24 AM

JQ, I kid you not...double layers of cheap carpet cut to fit the body...made me twitch...but not as much as the platic armor.

The first metal suit of armor I made was horrendous; created from the hood of a 1981 Cutlass...but at least I tried! Then I moved on to leather and actually researched and built several different types.
But yes, irked me to no end.

______________________________________

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:25 AM

"Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?"

Quote:
Originally posted by Mavourneen:
If you see a redhead on the sidelines standing with a tall blonde guy, come and introduce yourself!

This is a Celtic-ish thing right? A redhead with a tall Viking type. Oh, sure. you'll stand right out...!

"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:27 AM

I got some 41 Chevy fenders if you're inrersted. No, really. Great steel.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:34 AM

JAMESTHEDARK

Path in life: I still don't have one, so I can't say as that I've had one picked out from a young age. My problem is that I can't see a job as anything but an interminable chore, something to be done, and by definition not enjoyed, until such a time that I become so creaky and old that my employer fires me to bring in two younger workers for half as much as he was paying me.

Yeah...

Stories: The first real novel that I ever read was the complete Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, by Tad Williams. It's more or less about a young man who suffers betrayals and friends being killed, barely survives what was almost the end of the world, and somehow ends up in charge at the end of it, despite being completely normal and making choices that, taken individually, are fairly unremarkable. The point to the story is that no matter what one sees or what one does, one is always, and will always be, oneself. Or at least, that's what I gleaned from it.

Beh. It's cold and I'm going to lie down. Twenty year olds shouldn't have to feel this creaky...

--------------
I ain't lookin' for help from on high. That's a damn long wait for a train don't come.

98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:36 AM

Ooh, NVG, those would be great! The '81 dented something fierce!

______________________________________

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:42 AM

Shipping could be a problem. Availability, never. I literally live in a junkyard. My moms boyfriend/common law husband has brought in so much junk over the last few years. But I'd love to give new life to a few of the cars. I've got a few early seventies cars that ain't goin' nowhere and could stand to be tore apart.

Seems its gonna be a lonely few weeks so prepare yourselves folks. I feel very whiney and may end up lurking in the fashion of Gollum.

On a brighter note I've considered going out and buying a new Tarus PT1911 to pass the time. That is very bad and very good.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:45 AM

James- hey if you find something you're passionate about you can find a job to fit it. why work if you aren't having fun??? There's got to be something you really enjoy or care about. Look at that from all aspects and decide what kind of jobs involve that. No job is enjoyable every minute of every day, but if you love what you do, overall going to work is great!!

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."- Albright

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:50 AM

NVG, I'll keep that in mind if my supplier ever runs out of steel!

Ooh, new gun! Always makes me feel better!

______________________________________

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:52 AM

"Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?"

Quote:
Originally posted by msg:
Gone with the Wind- Margaret Mitchell

I KNEW it!!!!!!!

Thought of a couple of other similiarities you share with MsQ, MsG. The insane love of Fergie, the serene love of horses and the divine love of children. The office where we work has a lot of the 20 to mid-30 crowd and there's an absolute population explosion around here. The babies (infants and toddlers, and some gradeschoolers now, all know Toni and want to be her children. Rather than the moms' children. Some people have a gift for children and animals (and employees) and it's really simple--but I only can draw it out of myself with great difficulty--and I sense you have it, too: she meets everyone at their own level and slowly drives them to excellence.

Most influencial books - some of them are on my missing in action list, but they eventually be replaced.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Got a hold of it in the first grade (our class was lucky enough to be taught by the librarian IN THE LIBRARY!) and had it checked out for most of the year.

Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid A metaphorical fugue on mind and machine in the spirit of Lewis Carroll by Douglas R. Hofstadter (Pulitzer Prize) containing the absolutely mind-boggling Crab Canon, which can be read backwords or forwards:
http://www.evl.uic.edu/swami/crabcanon

EDIT: Oh, my destiny. Hmm. My earliest yearnings were to learn all that is learnable. Until I met up with Socrates and Ulam. They told me it couldn't be done. So it is no longer my destiny but rather my Quest, hence the appropriateness of my sign-on and my love of Arthur.

Narrowed my focus a bit merely to the theological and philosophical. Until I got to know Miller, Stroh and Anheiser and all of their friends who made me realize I was never equipped to tell people how to live.

Biggest denied destinies: stage and screen, pencil and brush, keyboard and lastly word processor.

I find that destiny versus free will works like this. Up until the very moment in question anything and everything are possible. Once the moment has occured it was inevitable. A small bit of my world view. Both sides of the argument satisfied, I move on.

What's for lunch?

"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 9:13 AM

CHRISMOORHEAD

NVG - Filial piety is a virtue long lost in our culture. The modern trend of apathy among the youth of America is deeply regrettable, so it's refreshing to hear when someone, anyone, even if they're beyond their "youth", hold their lineage in high regard. I have similar feelings about my grandfather, whom I have no recollection of ever actually meeting. He spent 3 years in a German POW camp after surviving D-Day, and I believe it effected him permanently. He all but abandoned his family, my father and grandmother, later on in his life. I don't blame him, being in a POW camp for that long is an experience I can't even begin to understand. I just wish that he knew that I still love him, and that I honor what he did for our country. Mostly though, I just wish I knew if he was still alive.

I know what you mean about to love and lose, too. I hope that you never have to experience that type of pain. A lot of people say it's better, don't they? Say, "It's better to have loved and lost"? I can't imagine how.

Riverismygoddess - I've read Stranger in a Strange Land. Heinlein is a great author. I thought that he was a little bit too "free love" for my tastes when I read "Stranger in a Strange Land". Then I read "Starship Troopers"... Hoo-fucking-ah.

JonnyQuest - There's more than just the Vikings and Celts, too. Like Tristan said, it's a blend of history and fantasy, and there's no rules about who you can and can't be. We got Romans, we got Spartans, we got Hunno-Bulgars, hell, I used to be in charge of the only Japanese unit... till the scandalous dogs turned on me (TREACHERY!)

Tristan - Ironically, even though we're less "period-oriented" than SCA, if you wear armor in Dagorhir, it HAS to be either metal or leather of a certain thickness. No plastic or any of that crap. Also, if it's metal, it can't be an alloy or any type of modern or non-armor grade metal.

[IMG]

Place my body on a ship and burn it on the sea,
Let my spirit rise, Valkyries carry me.
Take me to Valhalla where my brothers wait for me.
Fires burn into the sky, my spirit will never die.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 9:41 AM

CMH- I totally agree that tradition and ceremony has become highly underrated

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."- Albright

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 9:58 AM