stgulik

Yesterday I honestly did not find anything I could consider delightful. And I looked, because a challenge is a challenge! But I can't let two days go without a post, so I will tell you about the Koreana Plaza.

It started as a little international market, taking over retail space in a nearly-deserted shopping center. Six or seven years (?) later, they've doubled their space and put in a food court, bakery, liquor store, beauty salon, Korean BBQ, and I don't know what else. I stopped in tonight because I knew I would be on my own for dinner and suddenly craved bibimbop. The place was packed with families shopping and also eating together in the food court. It turns out on Friday nights, they also sponsor a wine-tasting booth. Well, I was a singleton, wasn't I? So I paid a dollar and tried blue champagne before I picked up my dinner. What a nice place to hang out.

Here's Sunday's Daily Delight. I've already heard great reviews!

After I went to bed, I remembered I had not yet posted Friday's daily delight. I tried do it using the LJ app on my smart phone, but it was a fail. I think we each failed in our own way. (Why didn't the text word-wrap? Why couldn't I write in paragraphs, why?)

Anyway, I'll share with you yesterday's delight. After a day of slogging through my Stupid Policy Paper, it was 4:50 and I was more than ready to go home. Normally, I ride the commuter train to work, but my husband drove in, so I was going to meet him at the car. He texted me when he was downstairs. I logged off, packed up my papers, got my coat, turned off the light ... and then the phone rang. I almost didn't pick it up, but I had placed so many phone calls, begging for information on the subject of this policy, I couldn't afford to let anyone go unanswered. (Yeah, there's the necessary evil of voice mail, but ugh.)

So I picked up. And the person on the other end was a district attorney from a remote county, who prosecutes fraud cases having to do with the policy issue at the heart of my stupid paper. I listened ... then I grabbed pen and paper ... then I sat down and furiously scribbled notes. I didn't even bother to turn the light back on. She has scads of information that will really help me explain the controversy at the heart of the policy I am writing about. And to think I almost missed her call!

I was so happy to have this, I broke my cardinal rule in life and I gave her my personal number so she can call me on Saturday morning. That's how delightful this daily delight turned out to be. 

I think I'll accept the Daily Delights of December challenge set down by mimimanderly and post one thing that delights me every day this month. Heaven knows I am not in a space where I am easily delighted. Work is stressing me greatly. I have a long report due Friday after next, and there's a mountain of work yet to be done. But walking around in a state of fear won't help me write faster or better. A looming deadline is all the more reason to keep an eye out for delightful things.

My cousin posted this video on Facebook this morning. Stop the presses! Today's delightful thing has been found bright and early. It is now my new favorite rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

Well, I'm not yet at work on a Thursday. There's a heater repair man in the house right now, cleaning out the coils or whatever, getting the heater ready for winter. His name is Javier, and he doesn't drink caffeine, so that kills my excuse for making another half-pot of coffee on this chilly morning.

Last night, my husband and I watched "Mockingjay Part One," the next-to-last installment of the Hunger Games movies. Not sure if that was its exact title. Didn't see it in theatres when it came out, though we are devoted to the books and the movies, because we wanted to watch it right before the last installment is released. As we expected, the movie was very, very dismal. It reminded me of Deathly Hallows Part One, with its slightly dry chronicling of the run up to the final battle. But there were some heart-pounding moments, too. It was fun to see Effie Trinket, parading around with her nose in the air, insisting she was a political prisoner. There was Phillip Seymour Hoffman, alive and well. He played his role so wonderfully--a Capitol man whose career was spent orchestrating mock battles, now in the middle of a real war and rather out of his depth (for a while). He was so good, and it made me miss him very much. And oh, Katness singing the folk song for her friends at the water's edge ... We all cried at that part, I have to admit it. We are more than ready for Part Two.

Aaah! Javier has turned on the A/C! Nooo...

A big wave to the flist! I'm here to prove to akatnamedeaster that there are still a few flisters hanging around LJ these days. I do admit I have been lurking instead of posting, though.

At the start of October, I could tell the month was destined to be chaotic, and it was! The bad news was, there were two deaths in the family. My husband sprained his wrist so badly, he has to have a cast and he sleeps sitting upright out on the couch! On the plus side, there were two birthdays. My brother had outpatient surgery and has made a complete recovery. And my kid is playing piano in her college's production of "The Music Man." So we've kept quite busy.

My Promptfest piece was severely delayed by this oddly busy October. I'd say I have 2k words written of a story that deserves 5k worth of love. So I really have my work cut out for me before the 29th.

At work, life imitates my fanfic world. I have a paper that's due November 1, and I'm quite far from done. The drop-dead due date isn't until December 31; this November 1 due date is my boss's. If she knows I've gone as fast as I can, it will be uncomfortable, but not the end of the world. So the situation isn't as dire as the Promptfest, amiright? That deadline is set in stone.

The sidebar on my livejournal Friends Feed includes blog posts from sites that pay to advertise there. So far, the only blog that has ever shown up is Oh No They Didn't!, a gossip site. Once in a while I see something click-worthy.( Read more... )

Halloween is my favorite, favorite holiday. And now tamlane has set up an open, unmoderated collection on AO3 for Halloween-themed Harry Potter prompts and fanworks. You can leave a prompt (or 50), or take one and run with  it. The only rule is, it has to be somehow related to Halloween and the Harry Potterverse. Click here to check it out!

I enjoyed reading the "What's in your home?" meme, as performed by akatnamedeaster and also reynardo. I think I'll take a crack at it, too. None of you knows what my home is like, apart from the Desk of Doom.

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?

In the shower, it's Dove, Dove, and Dove. We're brand-loyal.

2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?

Watermelon is the devil, so no.

( 3 through 61 ... )
That was fun. Who's next?