Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Happy birthday, Captain America
Today is Chris Evans's birthday. Though in general I'm not big on birthdays, I'm willing to celebrate any day that this much gorgeous came into the world.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Sewing project finished: Steph's purple toile apron, part V
I finally was able to finish the apron I've been making as a gift for ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=3)
katiescarlett29*!
The only real stumbling block I'd been having, besides finding the time, was it was tough to decide what would be good material for the straps. I went through several possibilities, but the fabric the apron itself was made of wasn't sturdy enough and the rug binding I tried was too stiff to be tied. Eventually I settled on this sort of woven poly stuff that could be easily sewn, has some heft to it, and knots and unknots easily. The color's a little bit off, but I think it works anyway.
I had three yard-long sections of the stuff, which only occurred to me later was not the most useful measures in which to buy it. So first I attached the neck strap by tucking it under the fold on the top, folding it up over itself, cutting off the excess, and sewing it in with the top fold sandwiched between the two layers of the woven length. It hangs nicely and seems secure. Then I laid the two other yard-long sections over the middle of the apron with the ends meeting in the center. Those I also sewed in place with a long rectangle over the span of it. Then I took that extra bit cut off from the neck strap, tucked under each cut end to make it look nicer, and sewed it over the belt to hide where the two pieces joined in the middle. It looks kind of decorative that way, and hides the fact that it's not one continuous piece like it should be.
I gave it to Steph last night. She has a birthday coming up at the end of the week, so I guess I could have waited, but I was so pleased to have finished that I wanted to her to have it. She's waited long enough. I am glad to report that she really liked it, as I hoped she would. She even liked the way the trapezoidal shape allowed it to wrap more around her legs. Since that shape is a remnant of having to correct for the problem with the original pattern, it's quite lucky that it works so well for her. I hope it proves useful, and given that it's purple, it should at least match most of her clothes. ;-)
katiescarlett29*!The only real stumbling block I'd been having, besides finding the time, was it was tough to decide what would be good material for the straps. I went through several possibilities, but the fabric the apron itself was made of wasn't sturdy enough and the rug binding I tried was too stiff to be tied. Eventually I settled on this sort of woven poly stuff that could be easily sewn, has some heft to it, and knots and unknots easily. The color's a little bit off, but I think it works anyway.
I had three yard-long sections of the stuff, which only occurred to me later was not the most useful measures in which to buy it. So first I attached the neck strap by tucking it under the fold on the top, folding it up over itself, cutting off the excess, and sewing it in with the top fold sandwiched between the two layers of the woven length. It hangs nicely and seems secure. Then I laid the two other yard-long sections over the middle of the apron with the ends meeting in the center. Those I also sewed in place with a long rectangle over the span of it. Then I took that extra bit cut off from the neck strap, tucked under each cut end to make it look nicer, and sewed it over the belt to hide where the two pieces joined in the middle. It looks kind of decorative that way, and hides the fact that it's not one continuous piece like it should be.
I gave it to Steph last night. She has a birthday coming up at the end of the week, so I guess I could have waited, but I was so pleased to have finished that I wanted to her to have it. She's waited long enough. I am glad to report that she really liked it, as I hoped she would. She even liked the way the trapezoidal shape allowed it to wrap more around her legs. Since that shape is a remnant of having to correct for the problem with the original pattern, it's quite lucky that it works so well for her. I hope it proves useful, and given that it's purple, it should at least match most of her clothes. ;-)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Birthday iPad
Can anyone recommend a good word processing application for it? I plan to primary use this thing for Internet and for some light writing on the go, and since none of the word processors for iPad I've seen are free, I would like to know which is good before I purchase. I would like it to be compatible with the .docx format so that I can import any files generated here into MS Word on my desktop. Any other app recommendations are welcome as well.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
I hate birthdays
I have a birthday coming up on Sunday. I keep having people asking me if I’m doing anything for it and the answer is trying to wish it away. Truth is I’m feeling even more distaste for it this year than usual. Great, one year older, one year closer to my metabolism slowing down and my skin losing its resilience. I’ve looked bad enough lately, rough and lifeless and dull, and if I’m getting to this point at twenty-fucking-four it’s all downhill from here.
I hate birthdays, fear of aging aside. I say that every year, though I think I’ve reached a record high for hatred this time around. I don’t believe people should be feted just for existing. I’d rather celebrate you for something you did, and I’d prefer the same for myself. Frankly I could use a whole mess of people paying attention to me and treating me like I’m special, pathetic as it is, given how badly I’ve been feeling lately, but I’d rather it be for something estimable I did rather than something I had nothing to do with. Plus my parents just spent a bundle to fix my car and are still trying to buy me a birthday present, which just seems disgustingly wrong to me. I’m not four, for Christ’s sake, I’m twenty-four. I no longer must be treated as if my simple existence is something worth rewarding.
Bah. Stupid birthdays. Stupid aging. An I just die at twenty-nine before I hit the ae wall like a ton of bricks?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Start signing up for Larpercalia!
Consider this your personal invitation to start signing up for Larpercalia: Festival of the Larps 2011! The schedule will be up for viewing on the website in a week or less, so please, flock you all to http://www.larpercalia.festivalofthelarps.com/events/431 and let me know that I will have the pleasure of your wonderful company larping with me this April. And make sure to tell your friends! It would be very helpful to me if you could all sign up for the con now, so I have an idea of whether or not I've got enough player slots on the schedule to accomodate you all.
Do it for your dear con chair. The last day of the con is my birthday, you see. And all I want for my birthday is a larp con. Won't you come celebrate it with me?
Your loving con chair,
Phoebe
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Casey's 21st birthday
Happy birthday to my dear baby brother Casey, who today is a nice and legal twenty-one. Try not to drink yourself blind, brother dear.
I always liked this picture.
I always liked this picture.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Happy birthday Erik!
I want to wish a fantastic birthday to flyingstalins*, not only a remarkable and amazing human being, but the wonderful friend who hooked me up with Muppety goodness! Hope you have a wonderful day! :-)
I just finished writing one of the two replacement characters I have been assigned for Labor Wars, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Replacement characters are a tricky proposition, in my opinion, but I'm quite proud of the way we're handling them here. There's a lot to recommend using them, of course. The Labor Wars is a weekend-long game with at least some possibility of character death, and nobody wants to be cut out of the game way way early because they got killed. So replacement characters are a way of getting those players back in the game so they don't miss out. But they can have problems. They are often much thinner than full characters, so I've encountered people getting back in the game and finding that they don't have much to do with their new role. Depending on when the second-run character gets into the game, the plots they're supposed to follow may have already resolved, or gone on in such a way as to make it impossible for them to get into those plots. And you can never predict when someone's going to die, so you can't predict when the new character's going to get into the game. Another issue is with information/knowledge management. You might get a second run character who doesn't know things that you already knew in your first character, so you're put under enormous difficulty to not metagame.
In Labor Wars, however, we've done a lot of planning to circumvent these issues as best we can. We are writing the replacements to be each tailored to a particular first-run character. So, if you're cast as X and you get killed, your replacement character will always be Y, whereas if you were cast as A, your replacement will always be B. The replacement is designated as your first character's lieutenant, to whom you've been reporting the goings-on of the game, who is ready to step in for you in the event that something happens to you. This helps make the transition smooth from one, by making character goals stem from the same stuff (if not necessarily consistent!) and by giving a reason for in-game knowledge to be consistent. Your replacement knows everything your original character knew because they are understood to have been informed of everything you learned. And usually you can pick up some aspect of your old plots, if not exactly in the same way to allow you to still have plot when you re-enter the game. It's an incredibly clever design on the parts of emp42ress*, natbudin*, and simplewordsmith*. In the past I have tended to not like replacement characters because of the issues stated above, but their implementation of the concept in this game makes me feel really good about them.
One more to go. Here's off to do it justice.
I just finished writing one of the two replacement characters I have been assigned for Labor Wars, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Replacement characters are a tricky proposition, in my opinion, but I'm quite proud of the way we're handling them here. There's a lot to recommend using them, of course. The Labor Wars is a weekend-long game with at least some possibility of character death, and nobody wants to be cut out of the game way way early because they got killed. So replacement characters are a way of getting those players back in the game so they don't miss out. But they can have problems. They are often much thinner than full characters, so I've encountered people getting back in the game and finding that they don't have much to do with their new role. Depending on when the second-run character gets into the game, the plots they're supposed to follow may have already resolved, or gone on in such a way as to make it impossible for them to get into those plots. And you can never predict when someone's going to die, so you can't predict when the new character's going to get into the game. Another issue is with information/knowledge management. You might get a second run character who doesn't know things that you already knew in your first character, so you're put under enormous difficulty to not metagame.
In Labor Wars, however, we've done a lot of planning to circumvent these issues as best we can. We are writing the replacements to be each tailored to a particular first-run character. So, if you're cast as X and you get killed, your replacement character will always be Y, whereas if you were cast as A, your replacement will always be B. The replacement is designated as your first character's lieutenant, to whom you've been reporting the goings-on of the game, who is ready to step in for you in the event that something happens to you. This helps make the transition smooth from one, by making character goals stem from the same stuff (if not necessarily consistent!) and by giving a reason for in-game knowledge to be consistent. Your replacement knows everything your original character knew because they are understood to have been informed of everything you learned. And usually you can pick up some aspect of your old plots, if not exactly in the same way to allow you to still have plot when you re-enter the game. It's an incredibly clever design on the parts of emp42ress*, natbudin*, and simplewordsmith*. In the past I have tended to not like replacement characters because of the issues stated above, but their implementation of the concept in this game makes me feel really good about them.
One more to go. Here's off to do it justice.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Things I am grateful for on my birthday
1. All the lovely compliments. Thank you, sweet, kind, obliging friends, for humoring my tacky, needy request.
2. The sweet birthday card and phone call from acousticshadow2. I kvelled.
3. The red velvet cake. My favorite!
4. The nice weather. I was so weary of rain and cold.
5. The resupply of my favorite Teavana tea. Thank you, Bernie, my dear.
6. The wonderful dinner at Solea. Thank you, Jared, my love.
7. The love. Always the love.
Thanks for everything.
2. The sweet birthday card and phone call from acousticshadow2. I kvelled.
3. The red velvet cake. My favorite!
4. The nice weather. I was so weary of rain and cold.
5. The resupply of my favorite Teavana tea. Thank you, Bernie, my dear.
6. The wonderful dinner at Solea. Thank you, Jared, my love.
7. The love. Always the love.
Thanks for everything.
Friday, April 9, 2010
What I REALLY want for my birthday
It always surprises me just how weird people get when I comment that I think celebrating my birthday is silly. I don't mind if other people do, of course, but I can't get into it. I have considered whether it could be related to my mortal fear of aging, and though I do frequently make jokes along the lines of "Oh, yay, I'm one year farther into my metabolism slowing down!" I don't really think that's it. I think it's just mostly that celebrating me for coming into the world, something with which I had very little to do, and buying me material things is just... silly. But still, people tend to think I'm the one that's silly.
So, to silence those yowling annoyances, here's how I will celebrate. I will ask for exactly the kind of celebration of myself that I want. For my birthday, I want compliments.
Last summer we were having a card game night at my house. For some reason the subject of birthdays came up, and I was going on my typical I-don't-like-celebrating-my-birthday spiel like the one I wrote above. I said I also didn't like the ritual of buying people junk; I hate stuff! Why couldn't I, I mused aloud and loudly to my guests, instead ask for something meaningful to me-- why, like compliments! Compliments are the perfect gift-- they make me feel happy and loved, they don't cost you a thing, and they don't sit in the corner collecting dust. My next birthday, I declared, I would ask people to give me compliments as gifts. Apparently I very much offended a guest present that evening (though I'm fairly certain everything I do offends this person in some way) because to their sensibilities it was significantly ruder to ask for compliments than material things, but to me it's the other way around. Asking someone to spend time and money on you is to my mind much more demanding, and simultaneously much less meaningful.
So I'm doing it. Tomorrow I turn the ripe old age of twenty-three, and in celebration of this event, I want everyone who is feels so inclined to write down three compliments that they genuinely have for me. Your love is worth so much more to me than any other kind of gift, so expressions thereof are what I am seeking. Yeah, perhaps soliciting compliments is tacky. If you think I'm being a self-centered juvenile jerk in throwing this out there, well, sure I am-- I'm celebrating my birthday! ;-) In that case, feel free to not comply.
Happy birthday to me. :-)
So, to silence those yowling annoyances, here's how I will celebrate. I will ask for exactly the kind of celebration of myself that I want. For my birthday, I want compliments.
Last summer we were having a card game night at my house. For some reason the subject of birthdays came up, and I was going on my typical I-don't-like-celebrating-my-birthday spiel like the one I wrote above. I said I also didn't like the ritual of buying people junk; I hate stuff! Why couldn't I, I mused aloud and loudly to my guests, instead ask for something meaningful to me-- why, like compliments! Compliments are the perfect gift-- they make me feel happy and loved, they don't cost you a thing, and they don't sit in the corner collecting dust. My next birthday, I declared, I would ask people to give me compliments as gifts. Apparently I very much offended a guest present that evening (though I'm fairly certain everything I do offends this person in some way) because to their sensibilities it was significantly ruder to ask for compliments than material things, but to me it's the other way around. Asking someone to spend time and money on you is to my mind much more demanding, and simultaneously much less meaningful.
So I'm doing it. Tomorrow I turn the ripe old age of twenty-three, and in celebration of this event, I want everyone who is feels so inclined to write down three compliments that they genuinely have for me. Your love is worth so much more to me than any other kind of gift, so expressions thereof are what I am seeking. Yeah, perhaps soliciting compliments is tacky. If you think I'm being a self-centered juvenile jerk in throwing this out there, well, sure I am-- I'm celebrating my birthday! ;-) In that case, feel free to not comply.
Happy birthday to me. :-)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Chores in earnest
It's a rainy old day. Sigh. I dislike bad weather in general, especially on days when I have a fair bit of driving to do, and it's looking like it's going to last all day.
I have a number of errands to run today. I'm trying to get together with bronzite* for lunch since I haven't seen him in a while. Then I must hit Main Street to deposit a check and mail back the daggers from Julius Caesar to the company they were rented from. I also wouldn't mind getting over to the mall today. Lord and Taylor sent me a nice coupon, and maybe I could find something to take home with me for my mother for her birthday. I think I also might enjoy some aimless wandering around the mall; it's been a while since I've had any real leisure time out of the house.
I did not use my free evening yesterday as well as I'd hoped to. I spent most of it napping until I finally threw away the pretense and went to bed for real around ten-thirty. I had hoped to accomplish a bit more with my time, like finishing Labor Wars character sheets. But I've been feeling tired pretty constantly all this past week, and to be honest this is the first morning in a while I don't really feel draggy, so maybe all that sleep let me finally escaped that slump. I did get my laundry folded and put away, as well as some other small household chores, so that's something at least. After my errands today I want to get back on chore track, though. The house needs a good cleaning, and I haven't had any time before now. I hate making the place spotless just before I go home for a while (no time to enjoy it but plenty of time for remaining roommates to mess it back up :-P) but it's just not comfortable, and tomorrow I'm having dinner guests. Also I am determined to finish my two sheets for The Labor Wars meeting on Thursday. At the stage I'm at right now that is totally doable, I just have to buckle down.
I have a number of errands to run today. I'm trying to get together with bronzite* for lunch since I haven't seen him in a while. Then I must hit Main Street to deposit a check and mail back the daggers from Julius Caesar to the company they were rented from. I also wouldn't mind getting over to the mall today. Lord and Taylor sent me a nice coupon, and maybe I could find something to take home with me for my mother for her birthday. I think I also might enjoy some aimless wandering around the mall; it's been a while since I've had any real leisure time out of the house.
I did not use my free evening yesterday as well as I'd hoped to. I spent most of it napping until I finally threw away the pretense and went to bed for real around ten-thirty. I had hoped to accomplish a bit more with my time, like finishing Labor Wars character sheets. But I've been feeling tired pretty constantly all this past week, and to be honest this is the first morning in a while I don't really feel draggy, so maybe all that sleep let me finally escaped that slump. I did get my laundry folded and put away, as well as some other small household chores, so that's something at least. After my errands today I want to get back on chore track, though. The house needs a good cleaning, and I haven't had any time before now. I hate making the place spotless just before I go home for a while (no time to enjoy it but plenty of time for remaining roommates to mess it back up :-P) but it's just not comfortable, and tomorrow I'm having dinner guests. Also I am determined to finish my two sheets for The Labor Wars meeting on Thursday. At the stage I'm at right now that is totally doable, I just have to buckle down.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Jared's 22nd
Today is Jared's twenty-second birthday. Much love and joy to the one who brings me love and joy.
Happy birthday, dear.
Happy birthday, dear.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Brian brightens my day
I was winding up for a really grouchy entry here, but I've been reading back entries of oakenguy*'s LiveJournal and he is so funny and interesting and awesome that my mood is greatly lifted. Thanks for being wonderful, Brian. :-)
This weekend was over before I even realized it began. Lots of rough stuff going on for Jared, and he needed a lot of help from me to get through it. I'm glad to help, and I think everything is handled and okay now, but I'm kinda burnt out. Also, I ended up having to see a lot more of Sara than I'd hoped I would. Honestly it wasn't that bad, she was fairly pleasant and I put forth my very best effort, but I had things I would have rather been doing with my time than have brunch with her and drive her places because she put zero planning into this trip. Honestly the only thing that really bugged me was the expectation of how much Jared would be available. No, Jared TOLD YOU he was not available to entertain because IT IS FINALS WEEK and he HAS FINALS. *Sigh* She ended up offering to make us dinner as thanks for our help, which was very nice of her, but necessitated I spend more time around her, and I couldn't refuse without looking like a jerk. Again, the evening was pleasant enough, but I don't want to spend that much time around a person whose primary effect on my life has been to make my boyfriend feel bad about himself. At least I got to take a break from it all and go with Steph to the Natick Mall, which turned out to be a lot of fun and a nice respite from my roles as "support system" and "ex wrangler." I may have to have dinner with Sara again tonight, but hey, it'll be a meal I don't have to pay for, and I can at least enjoy Jared's company and the fact that three years is a sufficient period of time to pass that I can exhibit normal girlfriend behaviors in front of his ex without hurting her feelings. (For those of you who react to this length of time with outrage, the last time I was actually in Sara's presence was over two years ago.)
Also, went to a lovely surprise birthday party for Frances the other day that was incredibly nice. Every time I talk to her I'm reminded of how I need to spend more time with her. It was just a lovely, nice, low-key evening with good friends, which I needed, and Jared too. Nearly the entire cast of To Think of Nothing was present, and it really warms my heart to see the evidence of how enthusiastic they are about this show. I'm so excited to get to work on it.
Focuson the positive, Phoebe. Like the show, and being with Jared, and the sheer unadulterated awesome that is oakenguy*. That'll keep me from being the constant grouch I'm threatening to turn into.
This weekend was over before I even realized it began. Lots of rough stuff going on for Jared, and he needed a lot of help from me to get through it. I'm glad to help, and I think everything is handled and okay now, but I'm kinda burnt out. Also, I ended up having to see a lot more of Sara than I'd hoped I would. Honestly it wasn't that bad, she was fairly pleasant and I put forth my very best effort, but I had things I would have rather been doing with my time than have brunch with her and drive her places because she put zero planning into this trip. Honestly the only thing that really bugged me was the expectation of how much Jared would be available. No, Jared TOLD YOU he was not available to entertain because IT IS FINALS WEEK and he HAS FINALS. *Sigh* She ended up offering to make us dinner as thanks for our help, which was very nice of her, but necessitated I spend more time around her, and I couldn't refuse without looking like a jerk. Again, the evening was pleasant enough, but I don't want to spend that much time around a person whose primary effect on my life has been to make my boyfriend feel bad about himself. At least I got to take a break from it all and go with Steph to the Natick Mall, which turned out to be a lot of fun and a nice respite from my roles as "support system" and "ex wrangler." I may have to have dinner with Sara again tonight, but hey, it'll be a meal I don't have to pay for, and I can at least enjoy Jared's company and the fact that three years is a sufficient period of time to pass that I can exhibit normal girlfriend behaviors in front of his ex without hurting her feelings. (For those of you who react to this length of time with outrage, the last time I was actually in Sara's presence was over two years ago.)
Also, went to a lovely surprise birthday party for Frances the other day that was incredibly nice. Every time I talk to her I'm reminded of how I need to spend more time with her. It was just a lovely, nice, low-key evening with good friends, which I needed, and Jared too. Nearly the entire cast of To Think of Nothing was present, and it really warms my heart to see the evidence of how enthusiastic they are about this show. I'm so excited to get to work on it.
Focuson the positive, Phoebe. Like the show, and being with Jared, and the sheer unadulterated awesome that is oakenguy*. That'll keep me from being the constant grouch I'm threatening to turn into.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Happy birthday Frances!
Wishing a happy twenty-third birthday to the beautiful soul and favored leading lady that is Frances! I'm so lucky to have had you in my life. :-)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Happy birthday Sheena!
Everybody wish a happy birthday to everybody's favorite zapf! May he be squishy with happiness today.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Happy birthday Elana!
Today is the twenty-first birthday of linearequation, my lovely Madam Director and the best Guildenstern anybody ever could have asked for. Wish her love and wonder!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Ally's birthday
Today is the birthday of youareverysmall*and the whole world should wish her unicorns and guacamole and fuzzy hats and other nice things.
Friday, September 4, 2009
"Remind me-- which one of Kyle's eyes is really looking at me?" "The brown one."
One thing that always strikes me when I encounter it is the issue of families that don't express emotion well. This is a reccurring issue on Frasier. My family was never, ever like that, so it's always a bit of a stretch of the imagination to understand where that's coming from. For my family, saying nice things has always been the single most frequent and most important demonstration of our love for each other. We say "I love you" constantly, and I've come to regard it as just kind of the way people who care about each other behave. I know a lot of people have an association of men with the inability to express emotion, but that's not how I grew up. My father, who is a man's man by any definition, has always been as demonstrative with love and encouragment as could be. In fact, I think one of the reasons why I want and need to have people give me compliments and say nice things to me so badly is because I've been brought up in such a way that one indicates one's love and respect by saying it.
That sort of thing is immeasurably more valuable to me than just about anything else in my interactions with people. Take, for example, the fact that I don't really dig the whole traditional celebration of birthdays. This is mostly because I dislike the custom of gift-giving associated with it. Besides the fact that I dislike monetary expediture equaling affection, the older I get, the more I come to dislike "stuff"-- physical things are increasingly becoming no more to me than useless clutter. So I don't want to have people feeling like they're obligated to buy me stuff. I would much rather a little note telling me something real and meaningful about something you like about me. To me, that's the most precious thing in the world.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Casey's birthday
Happy birthday to my brother Casey, who is twenty years old today.
God, it's hard to think of that guy as twenty. A twentieth birthday spent with his girlfriend in New Jersey sounds way too old to be my little brother.
God, it's hard to think of that guy as twenty. A twentieth birthday spent with his girlfriend in New Jersey sounds way too old to be my little brother.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Jenn's birthday
A very happy birthday to in_water_writ* today! I love her and miss her, and she deserves to have every birthday be special.
Have a great day, love. :-)
Have a great day, love. :-)
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