Happy gnu deer.

Okay, real quick:

[74/11308] Katy Perry - California Gurls (Passion Pit Remix) (05:12)
[75/13143] Level 42 - Lessons In Love (04:02)
[76/9530] Information Society - Strength (05:10)
[77/14324] Yaz - Sweet Thing (03:42)
[78/14343] Yelle - 85A (02:28)
[79/9541] Information Society - Hard Currency (02:34)
[80/10172] Lords Of Acid - Marijuana In Your Brain (03:56)
[81/7779] Lily Allen - Alfie (02:45)
[82/9866] Junkie XL - No Way (feat Lauren Rocket) (03:28)
[83/9863] Junkie XL - Cities In Dust (feat Lauren Rocket) (04:19)
[84/11202] Orgy - Opticon (02:57)
[85/10175] Lords Of Acid - Take Control (04:42)
[86/10808] New Order - Confusion (04:43)
[87/8857] Elvis Presley ft. Junkie XL - A little less conversation (03:33)
->[88/14342] Yelle - Mon meillur ami (03:57)

I am giving a test read to my next "installment" of the J&J series I am writing on DeviantArt.

Not so much a true and proper proof read. I will probably post tomorrow.

If you have not read any of them yet, click on my DA link over there on the right and have at it. The girls are 16 in the next segment. Maybe the next three, actually.

Take care and Happy New Year

LQ

It's Friday + a dream

Well, part of a dream - but I'll get to that later.
First:
Yeah, there have been updates to LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) and so, and all the groovy updates promised. The big one I am waiting for is the 64bit release.
I mean, am I wrong or will this require a new iso? Everything else, yeah, great, I can get through updates. Well, not exactly everything. They said they made improvements to the installer, so I need to run the installer if I want to check them out.

So I am waiting (kinda) patiently for the new 64bit iso of LMDE. But I will be all excited when it is out - probably blog all about it and stuff.

Second:
As some of you are well aware, my - er, Dad's - house plays holiday host for the holidays. People were over for Thanksgiving, and typically we get everyone again for Christmas-New Years. Yup, that's right, a week+ of "house guests."
Every time, I work hard to make sure the house is ready for everyone. Then Mum comes and re-does it all - like it was her house. So, "Why do I do it, knowing this?" you may ask. I just have to. If for no other reason than when Mum comes and moved things, there are not those "clean" spots where things were, you know? Everything is clean before she touches it. Then I have to re-clean after they go to, uh, get "them" off things.
I am doing something different this year. I am completely rearranging the house full stop. Totally mixed up the chi or whatever. Couch - over there. Radio - there. Book case - (unloaded) over there (reloaded). Etc, etc. Even the kitchen is all rearranged.

The point of all this? To change things so radically that Mum will actually _notice_ that I am taking care of it. This is still a work in progress, so we'll see how it goes. It may backfire on me and drive me nuts. Oh, and for the record, yeah, I even am doing the bedrooms.

And, third:
Before I get to the actual "dream" part of this, you gotta know the setup.
In the past, I have had (bad) dreams about waking up next to Dad in bed and (bad) dreams about waking up next to him in bed that felt so real that I ran screaming into his room waking him up with a hockey stick. Being a bit of a sleep walker, I have actually woken up in Dad's bed, being... uh... poked in the back of the leg by him*. That was a fright and he ended up getting kicked in the face before things settled down.
[edit: I should clarify that he was /sleeping/ when this happened, eh? Not his /fault/.]
Also, Amy shares my bed when everyone is over for the holidays. So, I am not completely unaccustomed to waking with someone else in bed. Now, on to the dream:

In the dream, I was dreaming about everyone being here for the holidays and having Amy around. Then, in the dream, I dreamed I woke up rather peacefully, just stretching in the sun-warmed sheets, face down and feeling the still-fresh linen against my skin. I was quickly and calmly aware of the weight of someone next to me, my skin against their smooth skin. I could feel the rhythm of their breathing and it was comforting. I kept my eyes closed against the persistent, bright sumer sun. I felt the curves of their - of her body and knew she was on her back; slight curve of breast against the my ribs. My skin felt cool against her warm body, soft and tender. I smiled from the comfort of it all as I finished my stretch then rolled to my side, away from my bedmate to look at her face. The scent was so familiar I could picture the form before me before I opened my eyes and found...
Claire.
That startled me awake for real. I should have known it was a dream from the light. There was too much light. Sunrise it not until like almost eleven. I had been expecting (in my dream) for it to have been Amy, so familiar and comfortable. I really believed my dream was real and Amy was next to me. I just knew it. Then to open my eyes and find Claire - I was instantly bombarded with new, Claire scents and rhythms. And that /light/. It was on the other side of Claire from me (well, no, it was all around such that the only things I could see were myself, the bed (and beddings) and Claire) and the light wrapped around her so tightly that I could only see her face - my mind filling in the rest of her from memory, vague and incomplete. At least she was smiling at me.

That was yesterday morning - Thursday. It kinda occupied my thoughts, leaving me lost to this distraction most of the day.
You know when you have an "off" day, right? And you can tell things are just not going the way they normally do. So, at fencing, I am off my game. Completely distracted. One guy who doesn't really beat me... doesn't really get touches on a normal day... beats me - twice - and starts talking to his buds about how much better he is because now he is better than me. He had extra toast with breakfast, and now he is better than me, so he is going to have extra toast before tournaments. He put on his right shoe first this time, so he is better than me and will now always put on his right shoe first. Some such nonsense.
On the other hand, the other, the really good fencers, are actually /more/ annoying. "Hey, there were a couple of opportunities in there you missed, thank goodness." Or, "Oh, my, I thought you were going to get me there... You normally get me with those." Etc, etc. Yeah, they could tell I was off my game, but they were trying to /help/. Even Coach started trying, but my mind just was not in it. I tried meditating, but oddly, it did not help.

Sheehs.

So, this is probably a fairly frustrating post for some of you. It touches on Linux, Family, Dreams, Fencing... if I... Oh, I think I will...

Here are the first fifteen tracks in my current playlist:
[0/2680] Lily Allen - Everything's Just Wonderful (03:29)
[1/6901] Book Of Love - I Touch Roses (Long Stemmed Version) (05:46)
[2/6891] Book Of Love - Late Show (03:38)
[3/3300] KT Tunstall - Hold On (02:58)
[4/3209] Katharine McPhee - Over It (03:35)
[5/3294] 32+-+KT+Tunstall+-+Hold+On.mp3 (02:47)
[6/6946] Everything But The Girl - Letting Love Go (04:46)
[7/6939] Everything But The Girl - Driving (04:00)
[8/4235] Yaz - And On (03:12)
[9/5702] Garbage - Wicked Ways (03:44)
[10/5660] Garbage - Cup Of Coffee (04:31)
[11/3221] Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl (03:00)
[12/3299] KT Tunstall - Funnyman (02:56)
[13/6902] Book Of Love - Boy (Extended Mix) (04:29)
[14/3121] Gabriella Cilmi - Einstein (03:40)

Oh, Mercy... somethings in that list should be omitted. :blush:

I just finished reading The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade. It was a good and light teen candy book. I have these "Candy Books" that I read from time to time. Most are Teen, or YA books, but they are fun without having a lot of weight, you know? Why I Let My Hair Grow Out, The first HP book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, In the Stone Circle, the first Twilight book (Uh, I guess that would be Twilight) and about anything by Meg Cabbot. I mean, there are other "light reading" books I have and like and whatnot. The Pern Series, some Piers Anthony, Dresden Files, Girl Vs Evil and whatnot. But these are not like my "deep reading" like Time Travelers Wife, or Never Let Me Go, etc.

Okay... lots of topics to post for one day. Have fun...

LQ

Top Fifteen GLaDOS Quotes

(In no particular order that I will admit)

01) "Spectacular. You appear to understand how a portal affects forward momentum, or to be more precise, how it does not. Momentum, a function of mass and velocity, is conserved between portals. In layman's terms, speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out."

02) "Please be advised that a noticeable taste of blood is not part of any test protocol but is an unintended side effect of the Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grid, which may, in semi-rare cases, emancipate dental fillings, crowns, tooth enamel, and teeth."

03) "Please note that we have added a consequence for failure. Any contact with the chamber floor will result in an 'unsatisfactory' mark on your official testing record, followed by death. Good luck!"

04) "The Enrichment Center is committed to the well being of all participants. Cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test. Thank you for helping us help you help us all."

05) "Remember, the Aperture Science 'Bring Your Daughter to Work Day' is the perfect time to have her tested."

06) "If the Weighted Companion Cube could speak, and the Enrichment Center takes this opportunity to remind you that it cannot, it would tell you to kill it, because it would rather die than be a burden to you."

07) "Deploying surprise in five... four... Time out for a second. That wasn't supposed to happen. Do you see that thing that fell out of me? What is that? It's not the surprise... I've never seen it before. Never mind, it's a mystery I'll solve later, by myself, because you'll be dead."

08) "That thing you burned up isn't important to me. It's the fluid catalytic cracking unit. It made shoes for orphans. Nice job breaking it, hero."

09) "I'd just like to point out that you were given every opportunity to succeed. There was even going to be a party for you. A big party that all your friends were invited to. I invited your best friend the Companion Cube. Of course, he couldn't come because you murdered him. All your other friends couldn't come either because you don't have any other friends. Because of how unlikeable you are. It says so here in your personnel file: Unlikeable. Liked by no one. A bitter, unlikeable loner whose passing shall not be mourned. 'Shall not be mourned.' That's exactly what it says. Very formal. Very official. It also says you were adopted. So that's funny, too."

10) "Speaking of curiosity, you're curious about what happens after you die, right? Guess what? I know! You're going to find out first-hand before I can finish telling you, though, so I won't bother. I'll give you a hint: you're going to want to pack as much living as you possibly can into the next couple of minutes."

11) "We both said a lot of things that you're going to regret. But I think we can put our differences behind us. For science. You monster."

12) "We're a lot alike, you and I. You tested me. I tested you. You killed me, I... oh no, wait. I guess I haven't killed you yet. Well... food for thought."

13) "Congratulations. The test is now over. All Aperture technologies remain safely operational up to 4000 degrees Kelvin. Rest assured that there is absolutely no chance of a dangerous equipment malfunction prior to your victory candescence. Thank you for participating in this Aperture Science computer-aided enrichment activity. Goodbye."

14) "Have I lied to you? [pause] I mean, in this room?"

15) "Didn't we have some fun though? Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said 'Goodbye,' and you were like 'No way,' Then I was all like 'We pretended we were going to murder you?'[sigh] That was great."

Here are a few of my favourite turret quotes as a bonus:

"Could you come over... here?"
"Is anyone there?"

"I don't blame you..."
"I don't hate you..."
"Why?"
"No hard feelings."
"It burns!"
"Please put me down..."

"Hey! It's me!"
"Don't shoot!"

"I see you."
"There you are."

"Hellooo!"
"Who's there?"
"Are you still there?"

The game really is quite funny.  It almost makes me want to buy an x-box.  Maybe they have it for PC?  I can run some virtual Windoze to play it. I know, I will Google it.  Google will tell me.

Top Fifteen Desserts I like to Make

Here are the Top Fifteen desserts I like to make, even if I cannot (or should not) eat them.

01) Cake.
     Just plain and simple cake.  Yellow cake with buttercream frosting.  But made from scratch.  It is so simple, that any flaws are like big neon signs.  I like trying to get everything just right.

02) Cheesecake.
     It is not really cheese, not really cake.  Not my favourite to eat, but people seem to get all excited to hear that I did not make it from a kit.

03) Fudge.
     It is like, "Oh, we need to bring some sweet snack? Here, let me make some fudge."  I have not been able to eat it for so long that I kinda lost my taste for it, but I think that people overestimate the effort.

04) Bread pudding.
     Especially when I get to make the bread myself too.  It is not pretty, (hello, it is a pudding.  There is no such thing as a pretty pudding) but it is so good.  Sometimes, Dad even lets me use the "good scotch."

05) Guinness Punch.
     (Aka: Jamaican Punch) Even though it is not really a typical dessert, I am adding it on this list.  I don't drink it (wink), but it smells so good.  Nectar of the g__s.

06) Snickerdoodles.
     Yeah, it took me a /long/ time before I realised that the cookies I loved so much have nothing to do with the candy of similar name.  And that is a good thing (that they are nothing alike) because I cannot eat chocolate and I do not like nut in things... and nuts, for the most part, hurt to eat and upset my tummy.

07) Tres Leches cake.
    I cannot stand to eat it, mind you, because of the way it feels in my mouth, but if people are not begging me to make bread pudding, they are asking for tres leches cake.  I have no idea how it is supposed to taste, but people seem to like it.

08) Spanish Style Sweet Bread - Pan Dulce
     This is one of the ones that barely made it on the list, but because I am not so fond of making it, but I love to eat it.  So, it almost violates that rule for the list.  Dad likes them too and more often than not, he helps.  Also, these are more often breakfast than dessert.  (Oh MERCY, I miss coffee.)

09) Modified Bear Paw Cookies.
     Modified, because they are supposed to have chocolate.  I like them too much, so I make them without chocolate.  People are like "Those are not Bear Paws!" because they have no chocolate.  I call them MBP cookies.

10) No, I do not make baked Alaska.  That is just... no.

11) Spice Cake.
     Sure, making cake is making cake, but it is my favourite to eat too, so it makes the list.

12) Citrus Cake.
     Not sure what else to call it.  It is a lemon cake with orange flavoured frosting.  I suppose the thing I like most about cooking is the smells.  The whole house smells wonderful when something good is cooking - or especially baking.

13) Trifle
     Talk about a labour of love.  I always thought it an ironic name, because it is most certainly no trifle to make.  But, when I am making a day of being in the kitchen, it is good fun.  I like the English style the best, but there are so many varieties and recipes that I am surely no authority.

14) "Mini" Fruit Pies
     The pies are mini, not the fruit, eh?  I make like a croissant bread, or a sweet biscuit and kinda flatten it out.  Put a dollop of fruit preserves, jams or jellies in the centre, then fold them over and bake.  Presto!  It took a few tries to get the technique right.

15) Mini Strawberry Shortcakes.
     I call these "mini" because they are just a few bites.  I use small shortbread cookies, a scoop of ice cream the size of a Swedish meatball, little bit of whip cream, and a halved strawberry.  When I make them for "people," I plan on about half or more of the people having two (or more).  But when I have the stuff, it is so quick an easy to just throw together for Dad and I.

Now, be it known, I am never going to win any prises with these.  And they are seldom very pretty, even when I try.  Well, at least not photo worthy. And, again, some of these, the thing I like about making them is spending time in the kitchen with all the good aromas, and when there is a lot of family over, it is good to escape to the kitchen.

Also, it should be known that most of these - or well, some of these - are more often than not a group project.  It is a good way for Dad and I to pass some of these long winter nights.

If you read all that and are not craving some kind of sweet, then blame it on my lack of gud writing sklzxor.

As always, comments welcome even if I do not reply (blogger hates me).
Take Care
LQ

happy freaking birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. Now I match my name.
I could be down about it. I could be happy about it.
Mom asked what what kind of cake I wanted. She bought a mix that "she did not realize" that she did not have time to make. Sure, she knows I like baking, esp cakes, but seemed to miss that fact that she was asking me to make my own birthday cake!

We went to Starbucks. I could not have anything with caffeine or chocolate. Gee... thanks.
"Hi. Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get started for you?"
"Uh, yeah. I'll have a water, please. It's my birthday."

Yeah, I am a brat. I am not even that big on birthdays.

I get out my computer to start blogging -- like they want me to -- and she said, "oh, don't get that out. I got us a movie."
National Treasure 2. Watch me to back flips. :roll:
"Well, you don't want to blog while you are upset, do you?"
(thinking: "yes") I said no and watched the stupid movie.
She waits until it is over and said, "not every movie you watch has to be some film noir"
I didn't want to argue. We _do_ have fun at times. Most of the time, really. But who blogs, "everything's fine; situation normal"

Today was just hard to get out of bed. Mom brought me tomato soup (bless her) and I just re-wired my ex-pet epee. (the traitor failed me so I am miffed at him too!)