As stated last year, I don't "celebrate" thanksgiving - it is a Day of Mourning.

As for weekly food prep, I already did it. Baking bread as I type. Usual usual.

Only difference today was restringing a doll; and I have no intention of going out for a meal (no restaurants, thanks) so... whatever!

Very sunny in kitchen, ya think? LOL Anyhow, I still think he's a bit loose. I may contact a Bermann or Hound owner and ask how long they make their cords. I used his body as measure, but fwooop! A bit wibbly. Still, HE STANDS! He slumps in his chair too, like a good little Hound.

XD

Tweaks and enhancements

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Send some lovin' thanks to your friends with our holiday vgifts!

Photos of the week

We're so delighted with the immense talent of our growing, global lj_photophile community that we've decided to introduce a poll. Each week, we'll choose a half-dozen photos (based on user comments and staff feedback) and ask you to select a photo of the week. The winning photo will be announced in the next newsletter. If possible, please limit photo size to 350x350 to ensure that images display properly on friends pages. We want to thank you again (and again!) for sharing your passion.

Check out this week's photo poll and more fantastic user content after the jump!

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Curtains

Thanks for joining us. To our American friends, have a fantastic Thanksgiving. To all of our international neighbors, we'll eat a little extra for you!

Got called in early today as Cat needed a doctor visit. She was still there when I arrived and I checked to see what she was doing. ..... reading a book.

Did a bit of training with Amanda. I gotta admit, aside from she's an Amanda (with One exception on my Flist a GOOD one) ... she's not stupid by no means. *sigh* We did the training and afterward I told her, "If there is a question or problem, call me. I have a machine. I usually get back ASAP".... She then admitted how confusing it is when Cat says one thing, Cathy another and The Boss and third.

Well duh. Boss is always right.
I come second.
Cathy 3rd.
Cat doesn't even rate.

She laughed about that. Sadly, it's also true. LOL

So much to teach and so much to learn and so little time to actually get stuff taught. 15 minutes before she heads home is not enough and is, frankly, a mental overload.

She asked about Cat. haha our biggest laugh was the "she pretends to be stupid but anyone who reads Pride and Prejudice and love it..."

Once Amanda got her jaw cranked back up she laughed. Yup.

Somedays this job would drive you nuts. Well, actually, any dispatch job you have to have a few sheets to the wind to maintain your overall sanity. LOL

____________________________

And on other more important notes: DRUMMING FOR metalkatt GET WELL SOON SWEETIE!~

Assuming I had better hearing?

May 29, 1913.
Place: the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris conductor Pierre Monteux.
Music: Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps
Classical ballet choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky

Mind, I would probably need insurance for the subsequent riot. But damn! To see the premier of that piece, with Nijinsky's dancing! OMG!

Sky opened up late today (around noon) and cleaned up all the schmatta in the air. Much better!

I saw Jackie this afternoon - told her last time was wonderful -- 4 days without pain killers! She was delighted! Can't say today was that good - I'm in full "ache" mode right now. I want bed so badly!

Tonight: invoicing.
Check. :)
Find my brain.
Lost cause.
Oh well.
For weekend: maybe crochet, for sure read Lt. Hornblower. Love Forester!


And against what I said some months back, I rented a movie couple days back. Star Trek 2009. I owe them an apology. It was not only much better than the previous drek that Trek has offered, it was actually pretty good. A bit retro in look, some flash on the screen (those bits of odd light) and some damned good acting. It took me until the final credits to remember who Urban was. Doctor McCoy? He's an Aussie; played Ceaser in both Hercules and Xena. XD I like him.

So they managed to impress me greatly with their re-write, non-kiss-the-fans-on-their-collective-asses writing (thank you!) and instead of presenting a same-old hack job, like so many "popular" films do, they presented one that had flash, explosions, and drama. The drama wins hands down. And a few "ooo that was a Shatner/Nimoy move" as well. WITH a quick side appearence by James Doohan's son. Did you know that? When Chekov pulls Kirk/Spock and that other guy from the blowing up ship: the other transporter guy is Doohan's son. (Trek trivia lives LOL )

Postcard winners!

We wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude for sending so much joy our way. Frank is still blushing with excitement over the love notes, proposals, propositions, and occasional intimate photos sent from his admirers around the world (China, Norway, Japan, and Poland just this week)! At his request, we blindfolded Justin, one of Frank's BFFs, spun him around in five dozen counterclockwise circles, and asked him to point to ten random postcards/envelopes pasted to the wall. After a brief trip to the bathroom, he chose the following lucky winners, to whom we will give a six-month paid account token (for paid, basic, and plus users) or, for our permanent account holders, a $15 voucher for the LiveJournal gift shop.

So, without further ado, the winners are:

1. seraphene
2. fotog
3. boykitten
4. seshat_6
5. anti_aol
6. lisalees
7. katrinkacat
8. mistyboston
9. _woody_lein
10. another_slender

Bugs, Tweaks, and Enhancements

1. We fixed a bug from the last release that was causing screened comments to become unscreened if they were edited
2. If you happen to be gaming around the corner, check us out on Facebook and be sure to spread the word!
3. We've added new vgifts to celebrate Thanksgiving! Check out our feathered friend, below!

Give more with charitable vgifts

In honor of national adoption month, we're offering a charitable vgift (priced at $2.99) to support Love Without Boundaries, an organization that provides healthcare and adoption to orphans suffering from life-threatening diseases. LiveJournal will donate 100% of gross proceeds from the sale (we'll cover the cost of credit card transaction fees). To learn more about Love Without Boundaries, please visit lj_cares. You can purchase your Love Without Boundaries vgifts in the Virtual Gift shop. We'll keep you posted on how much we raise!

Photos of the week

We're delighted to showcase yet more incredible photos from some of our brilliant LiveJournal photographers around the world. Keep posting (and tagging). And be sure to show some love by commenting on the awesome view at lj_photophile.

Check out this week's photos and more amazing user content after the jump!

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Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. See you next week!

It got "cold" last night. I was trying to work and it was just too cold in the house. I went to bed around midnight. Bed too was cold! Brrrrr

This morning now, we are at 36.9. Yup. Now THAT'S coat weather!

by Kate Carlisle
A first for her and not a badly written piece all things together.

A crazily named heroine, Brooklyn, chasing after a killer and a book restoration for Faust. Well, it could be better, and oh so much worse. XD The thing I liked about this book was two-fold: it was a fast read (read it last weekend) and it has some of the craziest people you could ever imagine, unless you're from San Francisco. Which I am. So there.

Hippy parents, crazy preachers, Sonoma, wine, food, San Francisco hills, people, antique books, snarky protagonist thoughts - it's all there.

There were some minor editorial needs that missed, and it is a first book so there were issues there, which I frankly ignored because it was a first book. But the one thing...the absolute ONE thing that stuck out and baby it was a bute! PALM TREES DOWN THE MIDDLE OF MARKET STREET.

No. Honey, that's YOUR town of Ventura. SF doesn't HAVE palms on Market. Never has. And a quick trip to maps.google.com and their wonderful pictures would have told you that. Well, maybe just a quick trip up from La-la land. But hey! At least she got the majority of it right!

I'd give this book 5 stars, but that would show my prejudice. It's worth about 2 really. That's it.

A "cozy" mystery by Laura Childs
Writtn in 2001, it has some glaring and jarring problems.

First off is the choppy writing. Glaring grammar mistakes which could, to be politic, an error in type-setting except that typeset isn't used all that much anymore. Secondly, some odd changes in point of view. Half the book we only see the protagonist's POV. Descriptions, locals, people, thoughts are all Theodosia Browning's. Suddenly, we see the thoughts and actions of one of her suspects. And a few chapters later, again! Then a quick drop into the thoughts of the police detective working the case. These changes are very jarring, distracting and totally not appropriate.

The author also chooses to not include such Charleston South Carolina basics as: Blacks. Real locales rather than made-up ones.

Additionally there are banal tea descriptions obviously taken from books - and I swear she has no idea what she is saying. Further, the use of language -- I'm sorry, but a hairdo that is "heroic"? A car that is heroic? This was before the bullshit of 9/11/01. What is with the freaking "heroic"????? The word becomes meaningless. Or does she truly intend us to laugh?

One really glaring issue that caught me up was the finances. A person was rendering slander and defamation toward the Theodosia, costing her business. Her partner states she is down 40% from last year leading in to Thanksgiving. And does Theo do anything about that? Does she get worked up over the slander? the loss of business which "could" be a direct cause of the slander? nope. She gets worked up, finally, over a threat to her mutt dog.

And finally the worst of all possible things I could say that would make all the other things mentioned above pale in comparison: it reads like fanfiction. Not just any fanfiction, but Mary Sue. *sigh*

I purchased this and 3 others through Alibris.com. Thank goodness I didn't pay full price for this drivel. I will attempt the other three and hope, pray and sip a real cup of tea while attempting them.