Today I: finished reading Locked Rooms, book 8 of the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King. I also went grocery shopping. And got massively annoyed at the cat who is being bad and locked her here in the basement with me. She’s slightly less destructive under my watchful eye than when she gets in this mood and is allowed free reign upstairs. Stupid cat.

Am now going to start Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest. Hooray for steampunk!

Found the recipe on Simply Recipes, which may be one of my new favorite sites. Yay for lots of cooking happening this week! I’ve found at least four recipes I want to try sooner rather than later.

Anyway, I’m posting my comments on the recipe and some pictures over on Godtopus Eats again, so you should click through to over there and check it out.

I [heart] my mother’s kitchen aid mixer.

In other news, I really need to update my blogroll and the link to the archive over there. The archive has all been imported here and Vox no longer exists. *sad face*

But I’d rather do more cooking. I’m going to try to make a couple more recipes I’ve found this week: Chicken Normandy from Simply Recipes, some sour cream and cheddar biscuits I found somewhere, and a Potato Mozzarella Pie. I’m also going to look for a job and work a few hours at the half-a-job I’ve got right now.

Oh, and hopefully pumpkin bars on Halloween next weekend. And more cookies. We’ve run out and I can’t forget how disappointing the last batch was–a lot of them ended up slightly burnt, and it’s been years since I’ve done that to cookies. I think it was one of the sets of cookie sheets I was using.

You’ll likely have no clue as to what I speak, as I’m sure the majority of my readers have no clue as to one of my greater passions: the ABJDs. I love and adore them; it’s something about them that I cannot explain which attracts me (especially as I’m writing this when sort of drunk).

Anyway, I make here a statement to which I intend to adhere wholeheartedly: I will have a doll called Victoria. I will do the research and the work required to make her into a young version of the woman who would become Victoria Regina, the queen of England.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

If so happens any dollie people read this, any suggestions as to sculpts to represent Victoria would be most welcome. I am actually thinking of a Miyu from Luts, or perhaps one of the happier in appearance Dollstown girls.

I’ve started developing a plan for this week. If all goes accordingly, I got up at eight this morning (am trying to get on a sort of schedule so I don’t drag too much when driving–the earlier i get on the road in the morning, the earlier i can stop and crash in the evening), and went to the post office to mail the last three boxes home.

This afternoon I’m going to put what I’ve already got packed in the car. I’m basically planning to run myself right up to the limit of what I can do each day, so by the time Friday rolls around I basically just have some clothes, toiletries and my computer left to take care of. I’m going to sit down with my grandmother and hopefully figure out purling so I can start making myself a scarf. Then I’m going to drag her and the dog out for a walk and try to help her get over this weird fear she has of showing the damned terrier who’s boss.

We’ll see if any of this actually happens.

But that’s not what I’m posting about today, because let’s face it, who expects me to actually talk about something so soon after doing it? Not only that, but pictures and loot and blah blah blah.

Anyway. Here’s a list of things I miss about Bawlmer/the East Coast:

1. my mom and my baby brother
2. my bed. oh god, my bed.
3. my friends
4. my cat
5. Yuengling (although I’ve discovered that Shiner Bock and Pyramid are both acceptable alternatives.)
6. Pappas’ Crab Cakes.
7. shit, Pappas in general. god i love that divey little joint.
8. The Pint, too.
9. the accent. no one out here sounds like they’re from anywhere. it’s weird.
10. the traffic. not that we don’t have traffic, but at least it’s comprehensible on the east coast. jesus i hate the LA freeway system.

(In case you didn’t read that, I miss my friends, my bed, my cat beer and a couple of bars. good god I’m a lush.)

Anyway, that’s just off the top of my head. And in no particular order. And other stuff. I’ll try to get shit from SDCC posted tomorrow.

(I miss sharing an office with Dave.)

Anyone who uses “imperator” in proper context (i.e. the Imperator of Pop, as Amos calls himself) gets a pass from me.

So I swear I saw somewhere that this book was a 19th Century version of Gossip Girl. And yanno, that’s basically what it is. Pretty, rich people stabbing each other in the back and having sex with each other, all while wearing ungodly expensive clothing and drinking lots of booze.

I didn’t precisely like it, but I didn’t hate it either.

About ten pages into the book, I could tell you pretty much *exactly* what was going to happen. And then it all did happen. So I was really bored for a while. But I slogged through and finished it, because there were a few pages where I thought the author might surprise me. I might read the second one, eventually. But I’m not rushing out to get it.

Godbersen’s attention to detail is commendable; I think she did the ridiculousness of that time period for these people justice. I just wish that her characterization had been a little stronger (though she’s got a whole series to flesh out characters) and that her story had been a little bit less blaringly obvious.

I don’t particularly subscribe to Nic Cage as a person; I mean, there’s being a fan and then there’s naming your kid Kal-El. But I generally enjoy his movies, or at least the ones he does for Disney with Jerry Bruckheimer.

Yes, I just admitted that I liked both National Treasure movies. In fact, I own them. So there.

And I have a weird sort of pseudo-crush on Jay Baruchel. Not so much of one that I actually saw She’s Out of Your League, but enough of one that I saw this and I think he’s endearingly nerdy.

I think I’d like to read the book the film was based on. It’s probably much better.

Anyway, having a strange sad this evening, so that’s it. I finished The Luxe, shall endeavor to write a review for tomorrow. Am going to read Harry Potter next.

So. News. Sorta. I’m planning on heading back home on Friday, August the sixth. This is barring unforeseen circumstances. More unforeseen circumstances. I’m not going to be able to stop anywhere or really see anything other than the infinite nothingness that is the state of Kansas entire Midwest on the way home. If anyone who reads this lives along I-70 between Denver and Baltimore, LET ME KNOW. well, let me know if you’re willing to let me kip on your couch for the night.

I’m going to try to make it in six days or less. I’m hoping that if I really haul ass and drive for like eleventy billion hours a day the first two days (ie, enough to get me from here to Denver in two days), I can sort of back off a bit the rest of the time and still make it in less than a week.

I hate driving that much. It gets really super boring and I have to stop about every two hours at the outside or else i start falling asleep.

ANyway, I hope to be home by the following weekend. Upon which time I shall sleep for about 48 hours. And then commence with what shall hopefully henceforth be referred to as the Great Purge of 2010. I want to go through my piles upon piles of crap and get rid of stuff. Maybe I’ll start ebaying things, or put books on half.com or something of that like.

I would really really REALLY like to get new bookshelves, but I don’t know that I’ll be able to do that at first. I should probably get a job first.

I’m going to try to get a job working as a makeup artist. Well, selling makeup, anyway. I’ll look into the places in the mall that sell makeup and will train me up a bit more in its application and tips and tricks or whatnot. I think I’ll look into doing makeup on the side, and perhaps into selling Mary Kay or suchlike. I love me some MK, it’s really good stuff.

I want to work on my hobbies as well. More sewing and making magnets and embroidery and cross-stitch and knitting. I think those things I will start before I even go home; I’m looking at not really doing a whole lot of going out the next few weeks before I leave so as to save as much money as I can. Hopefully. Theoretically, anyway.

Anyway, enough brain dump for today. Maybe I’ll start working on dollie profiles and adding a page for them tomorrow.