oh my.

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More to report later, but for now, in no particular order:

1. Tricia and Scott's new dog Peabody is a bundle of energy (and he likes to munch--very gently--on hands).

2. Dawn and Preston's new house is SWANKY. Like, really really swanky. And huge. Think Jennifer Jason Leigh's Anniversary Party from 2001, and you will be very close.

3. Dungeoness at Cumberland Island is still burned down (and gorgeous).

4. Four days of backpacking and 60 or so miles of hiking did not make an appreciable deletion in my love handlage. rats.

5. Mom and BC make mean hams. Mom would you please email me the name again to look for? I've already forgotten.

6. Neither Steven nor I have a foot fetish, photo below nothwithstanding.

7. Karen's husband Jay opened his eyes on xmas day, and we now hear he is talking. That is a big relief.

8. Lake Lanier is really drying up. But BC's sister's new house there is fabulous.

9. Rhetta's new house at Whittier Mill is tres tres tres fabulous. They are embarked on a biiiig project finishing the basement to be living space and office for Reese. Meanwhile, Rachel is giving lessons to Rhetta in how to purge. NSFR (next stop for rachel): our basement!

10. We were disappointed that we didn't have time to go to our old hood and see some of our neighbors we really miss there... hopefully next time!

11. I got to drive (well, sortof..through the misty 25mph neighborhood streets of their new Sandy Springs address) Dawn's groovy new yellow MINI! It has an on/off switch instead of a key.

12. Steven nearly put his eye out on our trek. Check the scab below the eye. Another half inch higher...omg it makes me sick to think about.

13. Mom has a new left shoulder! After we left she started working with an (Asian we hear) physical therapist. While we were there BC was doing range-of-motion exercises for her.

14. Last but not least, we encountered only a tiny baby snake (that we both almost squashed) along the trail, despite Mel's warnings! *I did make sure to zip the tent up very tight everynight though, thanks Mel*

and one more HUGE addition:

15. Amy and Matt are coming for a visit from Kansas City!!! Yay! {"Mattie is looking at your blog right now. I'm drying my tears because our forthcoming visit did not make your numbered-paragraph news report on your back-home posting."}

Gotta go make a pie for dinner! have some pork and wine and acorn squash and crust ready... i'll add some onion and carrot and thyme, hope that will be good.

Check Steven's blog, he'll post alot more pictures of our travels. I'm too ADHD.

Cumberland Island

Steven and i are packing right now for travels... and some of our travels include taking the ferry to Cumberland Island, on the Atlantic Coast on the Georgia / Florida border, and backpacking across the island for several days. It is beautiful this time of the year, balmy during the day, and cool at night. The island is undeveloped and a former playground of some robber barons (the Carnegies? can't remember); one finds ruins of a huge mansion called Dungeoness there. The floor of sawgrass palmetto seems to go on to infinity in many areas, topped with a towering canopy of twisted, beautiful oak. First to Atlanta to visit friends and family!

The packs feel light without any water in them yet! Keep your fingers crossed we have dry, sunny, warm weather on the coast of Georgia. So far, i can see the weather channel's forecast 10 days out, which will be our first day there, and it is slated to be mostly sunny, 70 / 49 at night. Perfect.

North Star?

As usual, not much decorating going on here for the Horrordays. We did, however, both get into a bit of a zen moment (yes, even Steven) transforming the Sputnik in the Living Room into an even more kitsch display of holiday sentiment. It happened quickly, instinctively, in a way that made me feel a kinship to bloghunk Drew and his "special" uncanny ability.

Just Another Wednesday...

but a few things to report. First, as this is JingXia's last week here, she is apparently feeling compelled to cook enough to last us through the winter. Here is a little Chinese Sandwich *sweet rice cake* i'm eating for a light supper. She's made 3,747 more of these and putting them in the freezer. For us. Because, you know, we both hate to cook and all. We're thinking of buying a factory for her next year.



In other news, my manscaping project is coming along, dunno how nicely though. I've decided for this winter, i will keep my head SHAVED, while letting my beard grow into a big Grizzly Adams Bear Affair. Just for a change of pace. It is itchy.



Steven gets to go to Taliesin West on Friday, after he wraps up his week in Phoenix. I hope he takes lots of very, very detailed pictures.

I am deep into watery eyes, drippy throat, coughing, mouth-breathing right now. Taking nyquil for night #2 now. I hope it ends tomorrow; keep your fingers crossed for me!

What else? OH! We had 4" of snow today! Happy happy, joy joy.

Finger Likkin Good

We just supped on a wonderful combination of things from our farmer's market. If we stay here long enough it's going to save our lives. We had some wonderful lamb ribs--locally raised on grass, healthy and good for us--that i braised in a bunch of aromatic herbs and seeds (cumin seeds, onion, garlic, coriander, pepper, shzechuan pepper, anise, cloves, cinnamon, and who knows what else) and then roasted in the oven with some honey, wine, mustard, and a little more of the aromatics and garlic, toasted and crushed in the mortar & pestle. Also had some red potatoes with butter and parsley and some brussels sprouts from a local farm. A reduction of the braising liquid was a tasty foundation to everything, along with a mash of the 3 or 4 whole onions from the braise.

Yum.

Now, the Chinese are in there roasting some fresh chestnuts. And Steven is watering all his plants and saying goodbyes to them. How xmasey you say?

Steven is going to Phoenix tomorrow for a weeklong work seminar. On his return, JingXia will depart for Haikou with all her booty recently amassed for the grandson now studying in Beijing.

In other news, Jay, my sister Karen's husband is recovering nicely we hear from his recent aneurism and surgery. It was a close call this week, but we hope he will make a full and complete recovery.

Weekend of Thanks

Mostly, i'm thankful to have an entire 4 day stretch off and away from the office. It has been a while. Nice to have nothing to do...read...watch tv (I have a new supply of Doris Day Show::Season 5ive, the final season)...go to the gym...walk into town.

More details, for you inquiring minds:
1. Time for a facial. I loooove this black rub-on and peel-off mask.
2. Steven has busily been repotting orchids today.
3. our loooong crazy plant we call *Cher Hair* repotted and renovated today to more closely fade into the stair newel. Isn't she darling?
4. JingXia prepares to make a *huge* mess in the dining room, repotting plants. Yes, in the dining room. Didn't we just make a greenhouse to make a mess in??
5. some repotted orchids in a fancy pants pot
6. a beautiful antherium in bloom (help me with spelling, somebody)
7. the new (to me anyway) sixties kitsch coffee set for two. It's made by the Swedish company called Rorstrand, and the pattern is "Curtis." I love it. Came all the way from some lady in Great Britain. A little hot coffee, some choclate, honey, cream, maybe some Bailey's or whiskey, yum yum.
8. a cleanfaced me, post-mask.

Newsclipping of the Day :: Schumer, the Ennabler

"...the job will not be finished until we get a strong and independent attorney general. I believe Judge Mukasey is that type of person. Should we reject him, it is almost certain that an acting, caretaker attorney general will take office without the advice and consent of the Senate. Inevitably, that would enable those in this administration, who do not believe in the rule of law, and have done things that caused even former Attorney General Ashcroft to threaten resignation, to have the complete upper hand."

What kind of (IR)rationalization is this? Have all Democrats lost their freakin minds? Why are our "Statesmen" like Schumer and Feinstein all capitulating?

Because they are ALL bought and paid for by our ONE party, the war party of corporate fascism.

*two branches: democrat and republican*

Earth to Chuck Schumer:

reject Mukasey

reject ANY nominee that can dissemble before the United States Congress about torture.

repeat this process, because the justice department will NOT be fixed, not until there is a new president.

this is our chief law enforcement officer for crissakes.

Sleeping in the Sun

Somebody had to work ALL NIGHT LONG--until well after sunup--and will now sleep the day away. Some Friday nights Steven has code that goes live, and he has to be around to talk on the phone with people trying to make the systems go, while he clicks around all night. What a paiiiin.

On the plus side, makes Gormie Girl very happy to have a sleeping companion.

Wow, Someone Cares What We Think

Citizens! HERE is a notice from Wired with a link to the Election Assistance Commission's public comment website. For 120 days (better than nothing now), they want to know what you think of E-voting machines.

HERE is the direct link to the overview from the Commish Guidelines, with links at chapters and sub-chapters where one may leave a comment.

Aux Armes! Please take the time to check this out, and leave comments. And pass along to anyone you know who is interested in this issue.

*****************************************************
UPDATE:

they finally posted my comment:

E-voting machines in Ohio in 2004 were full of critical failures: 1200% turnout in certain districts, Bush winning by thousands of votes in precincts where only hundreds were registered, vote tallying servers mysteriously going offline for hours, the list goes on and on. How will the official record on all of the failures of 2004 become a part of this package and set the scope for what needs to be overcome? Why is it not important to investigate, understand, process, and litigate those failures so that a process such as this can be meaningful?