Life, Fannishness, and Thespic Infatuation

Hello all who might still be reading this LJ. :-)

A very merry Christmas, happy holiday, and happy New Year to you. I haven't been too prolific of late, but I do stop by and check my f-page on a fairly regular basis.

Baby J had a wonderful first Christmas! His morning was so great that Christmassed himself out and crashed mid-morning. He's an adorable little guy--and he knows it! Hard to believe his first birthday is coming up in just over two weeks!

Geo is doing well and loving his new role as daddy. He also got to present a project he worked on, restoring the silent film Ramona, at MoMA in November.

My work/income situation has become somewhat uncertain; the theater is going dark in January, and I as part time hourly (since Baby J came home) will not be getting any hours probably until March at the earliest (January dark, February programming light). In the hopes of bringing in a little extra spending money, I'm placing some of my crochet items up for sale. I currently have several baby blankets, a "popcorn and cranberry" garland, and a pink ruffle scarf available. If anyone is interested in anything, would like more information, or would like to make a request, please let me know. We can discuss particulars. :-)

I hope everyone is having a grand holiday/end of 2014. May 2015 be joyous for us all!

P.S. I miss you, LJ peeps.

Well, ( here's what's been going on lately. )

Had what sort of felt like it was approaching a proper Memorial Day, the first since the move to Virginia. We went to the commemorative ceremony at the national cemetery in town, and although there was no parade and no reading of "In Flanders Field" or the Gettysburg Address (which is on a plaque on one of the buildings at the cemetery), but the keynote speaker was very interesting, and one of the high school bands played. We walked around downtown before doing a wee bit of shopping and coming home.

We ate both breakfast (waffles) and dinner (steak on the grill) on our screen-in porch. The weather is lovely, and it was just a nice, relaxed day.

The following was written for a devotional booklet compiled by my church last summer. Based on I Corinthians 13:5, "[Love] . . . is not self-seeking . . . "

( Anything You Need, You Got It )

Just a quick entry:

George and I went to Dragon Chef and ate at one of the cooking tables. I've never done a hibachi grill before. It was fun.

I gave him a bottle of Bay Rum, and he gave me a Hallmark blooming rose and Reese's cups.

Why has it been so long since I've danced?

George introduced the movies at his work on Thursday, two documentaries, Twist and Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey. I only stayed for Twist (which George said that of the two, I would have enjoyed the most anyway), and what a fun, entertaining, informative movie it was! Quite honestly, it made me want to get up and dance, and it made me wonder, why has it been so long since I've danced?

The last belly dancing class I took a couple years ago kind of over-challenged most of the class. Many of us were middle-aged-ish, and the class was being taught by a recent college grad who was president of her belly dancing club. Very technical and very educational, but a little too advanced for beginners who lack the flexibility, and when you can't do something right off, it's frustrating and disappointing. I should pull out my belly dancing DVDs. Maybe look for another class.

George and I also seem to have missed the last few sessions of country line dancing that have been offered. I wish I knew where we could go outside of a class to practice, but right now, class would be the only place. Maybe we'll be better prepared scheduling-wise and money-wise the next time it rolls around.

I did get to do some dancing at the concert event I worked last month. Got a couple nice comments on my electric slide.

Still, maybe I should download some country music and refresh my memory on the line dancing steps.

Or pull out some 50s/60s music and start twisting down my waist. *nods*

Though I did have a good appointment with my endocrinologist earlier this week. I've lost a pound (which, after the Christmas holidays, is excellent), and more importantly, I lost it from my waist, which is what he wants to see. (Measurement ratio is as important as weight loss with my situation. I need to lose the weight, but I also need to lose it from the right place.) I attribute that to getting back on the treadmill for about 2 miles a day. Which I need to do today, since I've missed the past two days.

Friday, between the different portions of my work day, I went to Target to get baby locks for the cleaning supply cabinets.

And as I'm walking down the aisles, feeling very strange, like I don't belong there, I realized that this is our first purchase for our little one. Not someone else's; this is a purchase we're making for ourselves.

I had to stop and call George and ask if he wanted to be in on it. Which, he did. So I didn't get anything.

We went today and got them together. Not a big thing by any stretch, but, you know.

That looks really cool, doesn't it? 11/11/11=16.

Today marks sixteen years of wedded bliss. Happy Anniversary to my sweet babboo.

So. Traveled trans-continental non-stop yesterday. Oy!

Had a wonderful time once we got checked into our hotel, though.

The Magic Castle Hotel is a renovated apartment complex build in the 1950s. As a result, our suite is actually a former apartment, complete with kitchenette, modest living/dining area, cute little bathroom, and one bedroom. Perfect for a single person in Hollywood, I'd think.

All the apartments surround a courtyard, the centerpiece of which is the pool, which is open 24/7. (I'm thinking late night swim before we leave.) I can totally see the complex having parties, with everyone's doors open and having a good time.

Went for a dip in the pool yesterday, then got ready for dinner at Yamashiro, up the hill a ways. (The hotel provided free shuttle service.) We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. I discovered a beer that I really like (Pyramid Apricot), and I took the waiter's recommendation and changed my entree order (I ordered the pasta and vegetable dish, he told me how it was totally not as advertised on the menu, and was actually one of only a couple items on the menu that he really didn't like.) I ended up ordering the baby back ribs. Now, the funny thing is--ribs, yams (sweet potatoes), and cornbread is that it's something I could totally get back in Virginia. Heck, it's a Southern staple combination. The difference? The Asian twist to everything. Yes, I ate the ribs with a knife and fork (totally NOT how one eats ribs). They were mighty tasty, and this coming from someone who doesn't eat ribs (because of the whole messy finger food thing). The yams were whipped super-smooth and fluffy. And the cornbread had--get this--a dash of anise in it. As George said, "Why does this remind me of Christmas? Ah! It's anise." And for dessert, I had chocolate souffle cake, and he had a pretty darn amazing ice cream cookie "sandwich."

We then walked down to the farmer's market, but it was dark, and I was tired (jet lag, you know), so we came back to the hotel.

I slept for 8 hours solid for the first time probably since our trip to the Outer Banks two years ago.