Newsletter: 2012
Jan. 10th, 2013 11:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
filkferengiWhew! Now everyone's all caught up.
We started 2012 with a 2 ½ hour hike around Arabia Mountain. It was a bit nippy, but no butt-slides were involved. Yay! Better still, GaFilk passed without blizzard. I drove Max on some follow-up doctor visits. Conflikt was soggy, but the rain held off for the visit to Nisqually withmmegaera. It’s just as well I had no camera, or we might be there yet. :)
While I was shuttling Max about & socializing with Signe, lawyerspouse hiked Chickamauga. The same week Dawn & I saw the musical “The Wrath Of Con,” he took himself for a supplementary baseball trip to Florida. I had a science fiction club meeting and the Bulloch Hall Quilt Guild show. Upon his return, we both went to the South Carolina housefilk for more excellent food, music, & conversation.
The very next day was the spring training trip, two days into which, a huge chunk of my lower left jaw fell out. Fortunately it was filling & so didn’t hurt much, but keeping it cleaned out for over a week was no fun. Still, I finally got my man to Zion [okay, National Park, but it’s a start]. Because one likes to dress for the occasion, the soundtrack for driving all around Zion included Johnny Cash cds “America” and “Ragged Old Flag.” Driving back through the desert included the Desert Knights cd “Desert Nights.” I had found all of them at thrift stores on the way. One night in Sedona, Himself suggested walking across the street to the diner for dinner. In the same parking lot was a thrift store. [Did I mention, he’s adorable when he shoots himself in the foot? ;)]
Other highlights of spring included visiting the dentist right away, Alice’s always-fun housefilk, & our nephew’s engagement party. His fiancée Courtney is a lovely girl, a fellow lawyer, with lots of opinions & a family so large, I predict it’ll engulf us all for holidays one day [much as ze spouse’s family has engulfed mine].
My summer fun included lots of walks with Signe, some shopping, & Timegate with Dawn & other friends. Our science fiction club has a table there, where we sell books as our fundraiser. De-cluttering my house & chatting with cool folks, for the win! Timegate was so much fun, I registered for next year.
Lawyerspouse had other ideas of fun. During a summer hike, he had an enthusiastic river crossing. Immersion is for baptisms, books, and language programs, not cameras. The camera was never the same thereafter. After several months of losing up to half our pictures, we clearly needed a new camera. Himself did some research & found a Nikon online for a reasonable price. It’s got much better zoom, but much worse close-up than our previous camera. Given my love of close-in weed shots, this doesn’t bode well.
Some of our favorite authors have had a great year. Jo Walton won the Hugo, Nebula, British Fantasy, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice, & Sunburst Awards. Nominated for the Hugo in 4 categories, Seanan McGuire won for best podcast, & Lois McMaster Bujold reached # 16 on the New York Times Bestseller list.
We celebrated our 21st anniversary with a [discounted] tour of Oakland Cemetery. Lots of history there; pictures are up on Flickr. We also went to DeepSouthCon in Huntsville. Ze spouse did lots of hiking, while I was at the convention. July brought Confluence, & August brought AleCon [a fabulous convention put on by Three Quarter Ale, our favorite local band]. I hung out with the Wegeners, enjoying lots of concerts & workshops.
In October, I went back to Huntsville for ConStellation, this time with Dawn to drive me to food. The folks in Huntsville put on great conventions, but it’s so far, I don’t know how often we’ll get back there. Other October highlights included the Benton family hosting a fabulous housefilk in their new domicile, my booksale roadtrip to Gainesville, a day at Callaway with ze spouse, and the MERC Halloween party. Himself’s baseball team won its third championship in four years. This is shocking, considering they are the “Cubs.”
Mid-November turned heinous when half the back tooth of my upper right jaw fell out. Fortunately straws help direct water away, & the dentist fit me in the next day, or I might’ve been really screaming. That crown was way more expense than we wanted; it’s just as well we’ve simplified holidays so much in recent years.
Lots of us have been re-decorating, only on different scales. Max has spent months & minions re-doing a couple of rooms. Brother Brian spent lots of time & effort redecorating his house. The English hunting lodge look came out well in the living-room, but that clown painting in the [French/Italian?] parlor is just scary. There was a large crack in the wall of our computer room, where the foundation had settled. Lawyerspouse painted it painfully & meticulously over 30+ hours. I found a bedcover on the last Wednesday of November for half-price. It looks great!
This year, Signe insisted I dress up for Christmas festivities. [When a Norwegian professora insists, one doesn’t argue {especially when she‘s driving}. Our arrangement is, I drive to booksales far away; she drives to booksales and {far too many} thrift stores closer to home.] Dressing up for Signe’s housefilk was a great success; I looked good, & talented performers rocked the house. We saw the new Hobbit movie Christmas Day; it rocked!
Herewith updates on other characters of interest:
Aunt Rita died this year; her wit is sorely missed. My dad Max quit smoking--whether it was the worsening COPD or rising prices that scared him, we're proud of him. Brian needs to cook more, especially for me [other people optional]. Himself’s sister Karen is enjoying wrangling new grandbabies & other relatives. New Grandpa Steve is Adorable When Ooshy. My mother-in-law is getting a bit older & prefers to drive less, so we all take turns helping with errands, etc. Big brother Eddie may be enjoying his recent retirement a bit too much. Niece Hope graduated this year & is making good progress in her career; niece Katie is rocking Georgia State. Nephew Alex is still engaged.
Dolly the Cat made a good recovery from pancreatitis this month, to universal relief and enjoyed sniffing the Christmas tree [pictures on flickr.com under “Christmas Tree“]. The tree’s future seemed dubious at first. Lawyerspouse somehow managed to get the medium tree wedged catawampus in the extra-large tree stand. While trying to dislodge it, much flailing and thrashing about ensued. In a spectacle straight out of professional wrestling, the Epic Christmas Tree Throw-Down was literally off-the-wall [shattering the picture frame] and both foes wound up on the floor. I was too busy guffawing to be much help, but the cat was on hand and soon had the situation well in paw.
Pictures of the cat and almost & everything else mentioned herein can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24609723@N08/sets/ Each set is labeled. Funky parks tend to be Himself’s hikes. Come share the fun, & let us know which pictures you like best!
Wishing you all lots of good years & good cheer,
filkferengi & lawyerspouse
We started 2012 with a 2 ½ hour hike around Arabia Mountain. It was a bit nippy, but no butt-slides were involved. Yay! Better still, GaFilk passed without blizzard. I drove Max on some follow-up doctor visits. Conflikt was soggy, but the rain held off for the visit to Nisqually with
mmegaera. It’s just as well I had no camera, or we might be there yet. :)While I was shuttling Max about & socializing with Signe, lawyerspouse hiked Chickamauga. The same week Dawn & I saw the musical “The Wrath Of Con,” he took himself for a supplementary baseball trip to Florida. I had a science fiction club meeting and the Bulloch Hall Quilt Guild show. Upon his return, we both went to the South Carolina housefilk for more excellent food, music, & conversation.
The very next day was the spring training trip, two days into which, a huge chunk of my lower left jaw fell out. Fortunately it was filling & so didn’t hurt much, but keeping it cleaned out for over a week was no fun. Still, I finally got my man to Zion [okay, National Park, but it’s a start]. Because one likes to dress for the occasion, the soundtrack for driving all around Zion included Johnny Cash cds “America” and “Ragged Old Flag.” Driving back through the desert included the Desert Knights cd “Desert Nights.” I had found all of them at thrift stores on the way. One night in Sedona, Himself suggested walking across the street to the diner for dinner. In the same parking lot was a thrift store. [Did I mention, he’s adorable when he shoots himself in the foot? ;)]
Other highlights of spring included visiting the dentist right away, Alice’s always-fun housefilk, & our nephew’s engagement party. His fiancée Courtney is a lovely girl, a fellow lawyer, with lots of opinions & a family so large, I predict it’ll engulf us all for holidays one day [much as ze spouse’s family has engulfed mine].
My summer fun included lots of walks with Signe, some shopping, & Timegate with Dawn & other friends. Our science fiction club has a table there, where we sell books as our fundraiser. De-cluttering my house & chatting with cool folks, for the win! Timegate was so much fun, I registered for next year.
Lawyerspouse had other ideas of fun. During a summer hike, he had an enthusiastic river crossing. Immersion is for baptisms, books, and language programs, not cameras. The camera was never the same thereafter. After several months of losing up to half our pictures, we clearly needed a new camera. Himself did some research & found a Nikon online for a reasonable price. It’s got much better zoom, but much worse close-up than our previous camera. Given my love of close-in weed shots, this doesn’t bode well.
Some of our favorite authors have had a great year. Jo Walton won the Hugo, Nebula, British Fantasy, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice, & Sunburst Awards. Nominated for the Hugo in 4 categories, Seanan McGuire won for best podcast, & Lois McMaster Bujold reached # 16 on the New York Times Bestseller list.
We celebrated our 21st anniversary with a [discounted] tour of Oakland Cemetery. Lots of history there; pictures are up on Flickr. We also went to DeepSouthCon in Huntsville. Ze spouse did lots of hiking, while I was at the convention. July brought Confluence, & August brought AleCon [a fabulous convention put on by Three Quarter Ale, our favorite local band]. I hung out with the Wegeners, enjoying lots of concerts & workshops.
In October, I went back to Huntsville for ConStellation, this time with Dawn to drive me to food. The folks in Huntsville put on great conventions, but it’s so far, I don’t know how often we’ll get back there. Other October highlights included the Benton family hosting a fabulous housefilk in their new domicile, my booksale roadtrip to Gainesville, a day at Callaway with ze spouse, and the MERC Halloween party. Himself’s baseball team won its third championship in four years. This is shocking, considering they are the “Cubs.”
Mid-November turned heinous when half the back tooth of my upper right jaw fell out. Fortunately straws help direct water away, & the dentist fit me in the next day, or I might’ve been really screaming. That crown was way more expense than we wanted; it’s just as well we’ve simplified holidays so much in recent years.
Lots of us have been re-decorating, only on different scales. Max has spent months & minions re-doing a couple of rooms. Brother Brian spent lots of time & effort redecorating his house. The English hunting lodge look came out well in the living-room, but that clown painting in the [French/Italian?] parlor is just scary. There was a large crack in the wall of our computer room, where the foundation had settled. Lawyerspouse painted it painfully & meticulously over 30+ hours. I found a bedcover on the last Wednesday of November for half-price. It looks great!
This year, Signe insisted I dress up for Christmas festivities. [When a Norwegian professora insists, one doesn’t argue {especially when she‘s driving}. Our arrangement is, I drive to booksales far away; she drives to booksales and {far too many} thrift stores closer to home.] Dressing up for Signe’s housefilk was a great success; I looked good, & talented performers rocked the house. We saw the new Hobbit movie Christmas Day; it rocked!
Herewith updates on other characters of interest:
Aunt Rita died this year; her wit is sorely missed. My dad Max quit smoking--whether it was the worsening COPD or rising prices that scared him, we're proud of him. Brian needs to cook more, especially for me [other people optional]. Himself’s sister Karen is enjoying wrangling new grandbabies & other relatives. New Grandpa Steve is Adorable When Ooshy. My mother-in-law is getting a bit older & prefers to drive less, so we all take turns helping with errands, etc. Big brother Eddie may be enjoying his recent retirement a bit too much. Niece Hope graduated this year & is making good progress in her career; niece Katie is rocking Georgia State. Nephew Alex is still engaged.
Dolly the Cat made a good recovery from pancreatitis this month, to universal relief and enjoyed sniffing the Christmas tree [pictures on flickr.com under “Christmas Tree“]. The tree’s future seemed dubious at first. Lawyerspouse somehow managed to get the medium tree wedged catawampus in the extra-large tree stand. While trying to dislodge it, much flailing and thrashing about ensued. In a spectacle straight out of professional wrestling, the Epic Christmas Tree Throw-Down was literally off-the-wall [shattering the picture frame] and both foes wound up on the floor. I was too busy guffawing to be much help, but the cat was on hand and soon had the situation well in paw.
Pictures of the cat and almost & everything else mentioned herein can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24609723@N08/sets/ Each set is labeled. Funky parks tend to be Himself’s hikes. Come share the fun, & let us know which pictures you like best!
Wishing you all lots of good years & good cheer,
filkferengi & lawyerspouse
