Lost in Thyme
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "jjschwabach" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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06:30 pm
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Hot Water HeaterFAIL
So... Said to myself, "Self, before we make dinner, we should really wash the dishes already in the sink."
So I started. thought, "Gee, it's taking a long time for the water to heat up."
Now, we should backtrack a few days to where I noticed my always-low water pressure was at a new low. At that time, I did not check up on anything, because the water department's been at work up the street, and I thought they might've lowered the flow in the main, or diverted it, to facilitate their work.
Fast forward to today and no hot water.
So. Down to the basement, to check the circuit breaker, thinking, "Okay, so I'll wash the dishes *after* I've added to their number."
To see water all over the cellar floor. Okay, we've had some heavy rain today. I mean, really heavy. But this water, this water quite clearly came from the hot water heater. Clearly because not only does it flow from the base of the heater, rather than the Bilco doors, but because there's actual water dripping down the sides of the heater Right Now. I have left a message with a plumber.
My current plan is what it has been in this instance. The deceased is an electric, 40 gallon tank heater. Since I have had natural gas laid on, I will, I think, replace it with a gas heated, on-demand system. Expensive, yes, but greener.
Still, nothing makes your scalp itch like knowing there's no hot water.
Current Mood:  crushed
Tags: green, heat, natural gas, water
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09:11 pm
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Tentative Worldcon Schedule:
Well, this made me feel like a Real Girl for sure...
In Montreal, this is some of what I'll be doing:
Session ID: 211
Title: Author Reading
Description: Julia S. Mandala; Jennifer Schwabach.
Language: English
Location: P-522A
When: Fri 11:00 AM
Duration: 1:00 hrs:min
All Participants: Jennifer Schwabach, Julia S. Mandala
Session ID: 536
Title: The Apprentice Magicians
Description: Short fiction used to be the "apprenticeship" for
writing science fiction novels; but much less so for fantasy. Why is
there a difference? Are things changing as the circulation of the SF
magazines decline?
Language: English
Track: Literature in English
Moderator: Lorna Toolis
Location: P-511A
When: Sun 7:00 PM
Duration: 1:00 hrs:min
All Participants: Eleanor Wood, Jennifer Schwabach, Lorna Toolis,
Walter Jon Williams, Dina S. Krause
Session ID: 1482
Title: Jennifer Schwabach Signing
Description: Jennifer Schwabach Signing
Language: English
Track: Autographs
Moderator: <Not Available>
Location: Other
When: Fri 12:00 PM
Duration: 12:30 hrs:min
All Participants: Jennifer Schwabach
Must get swag....
Current Mood:  giddy
Tags: conventions, panels, science fiction, writing
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11:48 am
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First Line Meme
Gacked from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) melissajm :
Arrellia, late of the Hall of Water, sat by her window, reveling in the warm sunlight that streamed through. - from Untitled! novel in progress.
Marcus checked himself in the silvered glass in the hallway. -- From "Heir to Fire."
There was once a witchy woman who lived by a river at the edge of a great forest. -- From "The Willow's Son."
A winter wind howled through the village. From Geek Spring (okay, not really, in-joke there.) Working title is "The Last Necromancer."
Anne Dimwitty-Turner put the last of her brushes into the turpenoid solution. -- From "A British Werewolf in New York."
Current Mood:  cheerful
Tags: editing., memes, novel, writing
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05:19 pm
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Alas, Poor Herbie...
I knew him not, nor did any of us. Though most of us were familiar with the details of his life.
Herbert P. Grumbacker III was born in Lake Forest, IL, on September 15th, 1962. The son of a immigrants, Grumbacker spent his formative years in the Chicago area. His parents worked full-time on the staff of a wealthy Lake Forest family. Early exposure to the finer things in life (as well as the realization that his own family had none of these things) gave Herbie (as his friends called him) the drive and ambition to succeed at all costs.
Despite his Bangladeshi mother's preferences for him to become a doctor, he followed his in Eastern European father's footsteps and became a Kosher cook. This quickly palled, and in 1983, Herbie returned to school to graduate Suma Cum Laude with a degree in linguistics. A stint in the Peace Corps followed, and Herbie used his Peace Corps Scholarship money to get a graduate degree in Sociology.
Bored with academia, Herbie turned to the military, where he made his mark as a Navy test pilot. During his twelve years at this, he had the best safety record the Navy had recorded up to that point. He did attempt astronaut training, but was rejected because of his tragic overbite.
Herbie did a stint in Afghanistan, where his heroic actions cost him three fingers and his military career, but earned him the Medal of Honor. Herbie discharged from the Navy in 2003 with the rank of Commander and the eternal gratitude of the eighteen soldiers and thirty-three civilians whose lives he had saved.
Following his Medical Honorable Discharge, Herbie moved to New Orleans, which proved to be a mistake. Or did it? When Hurricane Katrina hit, Herbie lost his home and everything in it. However, he did build a raft out of lumber salvaged from the flood waters and poled around the city, rescuing people from rooftops. In all, he got 72 people, including 58 children, to dry land before FEMA had him arrested for violating the ban on entering the city. When Herbie protested that he *lived* there, Michael Brown, head of FEMA, reportedly said to the local official who arrested Grumbacker, "That's ridiculous. People don't actually *live* there. No one's there except for that party thing once a year, whatever-it's-called."
Herbie was relocated to Boise, Idaho on the grounds that his name began with "G." and there was a volunteer family willing to take in a "single male or female." While working a series of low-wage jobs to supplement his VA pension, Herbie turned to writing. In May of 2009, he received two wonderful, wonderful pieces of news. The first was that his short story, "A Moon Maiden's Love Story," had been accepted by Wonderful Thrilling SF Tales. The other was that there was a new President in town, and he wanted to both apologize for the previous one's having Grumbacker arrested and to present him with the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
"AMMLS" received mixed reviews. Most scathing was by marshallpayne1 , who, despite numerous complaints by readers, continued to maintain that it was the most worthless piece of trash he had ever encountered. Disheartened, Herbert P. Grumbacker III took his own life on July 2nd, 2009.
Some readers may notice discrepancies between the above obituary and the "bio" posted by Mr. Payne. I can only explain these by saying, Mr. Payne clearly took liberties with the truth, perhaps out of professional jealous.
RIP, Mr. Grumbacker. You will be missed.
Current Mood:  morose
Tags: grumbacker, science fiction
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07:48 pm
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More Doctory Stuff
Well, I went to see the geneticist. He didn't order more testing because his attitude was, "Of course you have Neurofibromatosis !"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurofibromatosis_type_I
He had no fewer than, count them, five! residents following him around. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am that rare. It's the pseudarthrosis that does it...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudarthrosis
It helps that I am personally the diagnostic model for the very worst type of same. Anyway, so now to call the neurologist and tell him of this.
Back to Square One, of course. And not knowing what comes next. Because the other thing he said is I could very well have my very own form of neurofibromatosis.
Current Mood:  contemplative
Tags: doctors, legs., neurofibromatosis, pain, pseudartrosis
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08:38 pm
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writing
Well, didn't do as much writing as I wanted to today, but got a bit in.
Character is going to live for now, and that's all right. Still have quite a bit of story to tell, quite a bit more than I expected to have left at this point. I think we're gonna overshoot that 120,000 by quite a bit.
Current Mood:  artistic
Tags: characters, novel, plot twists, writing
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06:12 pm
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back to the Toyota Dealer...
Where they seem to have (at last!) fixed the sensor so I no longer have a pointless warning light on the dash.
Silly thing, a tire pressure sensor, but the thing is, the tires are literally so small you potentially could be driving with one really low and not notice. Well, some people could. I'm relatively sensitive to that stuff. But why have a flat tire warning light at all if it's always on? Last week, I bought four new tires, and the light was off for all of ten miles. but now, it's stayed off all the way home (nearly 50 miles) and even during a stop at Wegman's. (Anyone from the Southern Tier knows how long a stop at Wegman's can take.)
Iz now thinkin of all the good fudz gots at Wegman's.
Tags: prius, sensor., tires
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05:18 pm
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Did not win...
No free braces for me, but I can haz 10% off treatment.
(For you non-Americans out there, US health insurance rarely covers dental, and when it does, generally it's very limited, and often only emergencies. )
So now I needs must thinks about it a day or so....
Current Mood:  disappointed
Tags: teeth
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05:14 pm
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Teethy stuff...
Well, I went to the orthodontist today, and guess what? He *doesn't* get to pick the winner! the radio station does that. Which means either they'll do it at random, or they basically already know.
He did say he really hoped I won, but I bet he says that to all the girls... He really liked my teeth, except for their alignment (Chaotic-Neutral, apparently, with Good tendencies.) He thought 18-24 months to fix.
I did ask about the picture, and they said they had no objections to my sharing it -- on the contrary, they wanted to know if it was okay for *them* to post it. So, here goes...
Ironically, I hate cotton candy. I remember being given a cone of it when I was five or six, and hating how sweet it was. Even then, I think my reaction was, "Why not just let a couple of tablespoonfuls of sugar dissolve in your mouth? Because, you know, it would achieve the same effect. Or result. Or something.
Current Mood:  hopeful
Tags: contests, teeth
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05:06 pm
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As promised...
Here is the first bloom of the Starship Enterprises j_cheney sent me last fall:
  
And I go tomorrow for the second stage of the toothy contest. So I will know then if I can post that picture.
Current Mood:  bouncy
Tags: flowers, garden, star trek
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08:17 pm
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Okay, they are a little smalller...
... than marbles, but I have two, count 'em, two, tomatoes.
Of course, I had to bring the little guys inside because it's going to frost tonight.
And my Starship Enterprises are starting to bloom. Take a picture tomorrow, I will.
Current Mood: ecstatic
Tags: flowers, garden, spring, tomatoes
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05:40 pm
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Strange days indeed....
Okay, the local radio station runs what is perhaps the strangest contest I have ever heard of a radio station running. And yes, this is including those contests where people have to do something like stand on one leg for as long as possible. This one involves taking a picture of yourself brushing your teeth in an unusual place. They pick ten pictures to get an evaluation from an orthodontist, and he picks one of those people to get a free full treatment.
Anyway, I'm one of the ten finalists.
Also got a copy to day of a magazine with a poem in it by me, and also by several of my FL. But I was not expecting.
And went back to the chiropractor today. Have been bent, folded, mutilated and spindled, and if you get that reference, you are at least as old as I am.
Current Mood: chipper
Tags: back, contests, doctors, poems, publication, teeth, writing
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05:00 pm
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And now the pepper plants
Which i swear, were four or five inches tall, have tripled in size. Overnight.
Current Mood:  surprised
Tags: garden, plants, spring
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06:58 pm
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Lovely sunny day
So I planted some herbs. Then peppers. Trying a container garden, like jpsorrow , but do not expect his level of success. He is a wizard at the container garden game, and I am a neophyte. Who has a yard, but cannot use a shovel, and even if could, woodchucks would eat whole garden. So. Tomatoes. Peppers. Mint. Oregano. Hoping to add Basil and maybe soon Sage. (Had both of these things at the greenhouse, but I suspect they would be cheaper at the grocery store.)
Starship Enterprises have three buds. No blooms yet. My ordinary, purple irises are out in all their glory today.
Also read the latest in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, "Tea Time For the Traditionally Built." Not, I felt, up to Smith's usual standard.
Current Mood: accomplished
Tags: flowers, garden, spring
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03:19 pm
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Went to the chiropractor
And got twisted and tugged. Jury still out. Bit sore, but everyone has told me that happens at first. He wants to see me twice next week. He thinks after about four sessions, we'll know if it's working. No walking, he says, Or any kind of "heavy work." No lifting, etc. Okay. Things went snap, crackle and pop. Table tilts all over the place, so I thought I was going to be waterboarded, but that didn't happen.
I hear it has been suggested that Rumsfeld, Bush and Rice undergo waterboarding and *then* tell us whether or not it's torture.
Any votes?
Current Mood: thoughtful
Tags: doctors, falling down, pain
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05:24 pm
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going splat
For those who've been following the ongoing saga of my non-walkability:
Two, no, I lie, three, weeks ago, I went to Rochester to the Brace People, who made some adjustments and it was better. But I still can't wear it for longer than five hours at a stretch, or for more than two or three hours without experiencing extreme pain for the next few days. So obviously, not all that workable a fix.
Yesterday, a chiropractor came to work to offer free evaluations to employees. He said he thought chiropractic treatments could help -- and this was before he knew I couldn't get them for free at the VA. So I called him today and am going into his office tomorrow to see what is what.
He does actually seem to think that not being able to walk is a serious problem that should be dealt with rather than, "wait it out," or "grin and bear it."
Fingers and toes are duly crossed.
Current Mood: hopeful
Tags: doctors, falling down, palin, walking
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06:00 pm
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Well, I have finally had the experience
that everyone else on my FL seems to have had -- the spamfriend.
It looked odd to me because generally, when I get a message that I have been friended, I recognize the name. This time, I did not. Went to the journal out of curiousity, and ever entry I could see was some kind of "earned X$ in X days doing..." spam for scam?
Who knew I could get rich so easily? I think I'll just quit my day job and go for it.
Current Mood: amused
Tags: friends, spam
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08:48 pm
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various and sundry
Went seeking birthday present for my niece with no success.
Today it never got above 50. Brought the tomato plants inside for the night in recognition of what happens when it doesn't go above 50 during the day.
Wrote some more.... ended with
Dorfit nodded and started to stand. The whole street tilted, buildings and all. "On second thought," he said, "I believe I've been poisoned." He fell face –forward on the cobbles.
Finally, received this from naill_renfro
update: Check out Niall's LJ for more LOLs...
Current Mood:  productive
Tags: characters, daleks, novel, writing
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06:41 pm
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I can haz sales rank!
Okay, not a very impressive one, but after being on Kindle for almost a year with no movement at all...
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,029 in Kindle Store
Hey, *someone* bought a copy...
Current Mood: amused
Tags: novel, sales, writing
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04:52 pm
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D**n Big Silly Drill Update
First of all, I really enjoyed the movie.
But, aside fromt he Red Matter and various other Bad Science, I have a real plot nit:
WARNING REALLY BIG SPOILERS
( This really has major plot points.... )
Current Mood:  geeky
Tags: movies, nits, star trek
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