I'm screening this so you guys won't know if I get a million or nothing, but...

A compliment. Something nice about me. Something i did that helped you or made you happy. Something positive.

Just let me know. It can be one sentence or even a few words.

Then tag it "rainy day" and whenever you need a pick me up, you can click on it and realize you're special.

So I was not aware until just now that there's a CG Garfield show.

This... is.... awful.

WHY?!

Ugh.

Waiting for the call from my aunt that they're home so I can go pick up Diana.

To everyone who didn't receive a personal message from me because I didn't have private things to discuss:

Merry (belated) Christmas! I had fun, drank a lot of wine, hung out with my two fams all day, got a lot of cool gifts (Transformers Season 2.1!) and had yummy cake. Hope you had a great Christmas too, and here's to a happy New Year and whatnot.

     Holy shit!     



     OMG!     

Doctor Fate is going to be in the Smallville TV movie! I don't even watch Smallville but I'm going to have to see this just for him.

I hate birthdays but I'll try to like this one.

Diana and I have a place to stay, at least for a while.

Home now. Flight was delayed a couple of times but I finally made it. Plane was so very tiny and cramped and I was a little freaked out after a while. I don't do well in small spaces, especially with that many people and at night (I usually stare out the window but I could really see much this time to help)

The trip was awesome. I was able to stop at my apartment tonight and pick up some clothes and my camera cable so I'm uploading pictures and videos right now. There's quite a lot.

Holy mother of Marigolds

http://io9.com/5407211/one-new-york-times-bestseller-per-year-will-barely-keep-you-above-the-poverty-line

This is depressing.

Carnival of Maniacs was decent. Corny, simple, and gross, but given the source material I can't complain too much. Besides, the writing was better than most of these kinds of books, whatever that's worth. It wasn't rigid and stilted, like that Avengers vs. Thunderbolts I got a couple years ago, and it had an interesting, fast plot, unlike some Star Wars novels. It also got me in a Friday the 13th mood and I watched all of the films I have on DVD, and listened to Man Behind the Mask. I was stuck in my brother's apartment for two weeks, so it was as good as anything else I did while I was there. My biggest complaint for the book was that there were too many characters and not enough focus on Jason and his various obstacles. I think the carnival itself should have played a much larger role than it did, and been darker and more, well, horrifying. Instead it was fairly innocent, probably the most innocent carnival I've seen in a supernatural setting. I was expecting something more along the lines of Danny Phatom or We're Back.

One of the Lovecraft books I got, on the other hand, was a total rip-off. It was actually just a compilation of Cthulhu-universe stories by August Derleth, only the cover neglected to mention it. The publisher literally put his name on the cover with the title, and just cited "with August Derleth" on the back in small font. I thought the writing was kind of OOC as I started into it, but it wasn't until I checked each individual story in the copyright page that I realized they were just using Lovecraft's name to sell the book after Derleth died. Lovecraft was friends with Derleth and allowed him to write stories in the Cthulhu mythos, and we wouldn't even have a coherent mythos if Derleth hadn't determinedly published HP's work in book form posthumously, but I don't personally see why Lovecraft let him fuck the stories up with his nonsense. And I'm way nicer and more open-minded that Lovecraft of all people. Judeo-Christian influence just doesn't work in Cthulhu-land. It's not Lovecraftian--it's almost Lovecraft-lite. And the Justice League cartoon did a much better Lovecraft-lite story with Doctor Fate and Hawkgirl and Solomon Grundy.

While I'm on the subject of horror and the macabre, I got both Hellboy DVDs from my aunt, so that was cool.

Sooo, I need a place to live for a while. So does Diana.

They need to replace all the floors and counters and cabinets and they're going to reimburse me for the two rugs I lost, but everything else is okay.

But yeah. Me and the kitty need a temporary home.

... Help?

ATHENA IS SO CUTE.



Ok done spazzing. For now.

Oh yeah... local people, I need a lift from the airport. I'll post this on Facebook too. ;) But I come in tomorrow at 5:40 (hopefully... could be delays, yay winter)... DFW of course...

So yeah, that'd be good. Also need to get the cat and the car... or just the car and I can get the cat, either way...

Well actually first I need to find out if my apartment is ready so I'll call the apartment office before I fly out and see what the update is. If it's livable, cool, get car and cat and go home. If not... um, maybe get car and drop it off at home and hold off picking up cat until we're able to go home (though I'll need to call my aunt first to make sure they're okay keeping her another night)

Plan plan plan.

(Trying to get a family picture, Jonathan is attempting to get the tripod set up high enough to get a good shot of all of us)
Mom: Why don't you just spread the legs out and put it on the table?
Sarah: If you know what I mean.

There's been more than this throughout the day but almost an overwhelming amount so I'm having a hard time remembering. Been watching MST3K and playing games and eating.

Sarah: How's your butt?
Jonathan: Awesome.
Me: Well some one thinks highly of himself.
Jonathan: Just my butt.



Dad: Whoever's first in here gets the biggest pancake.
(Sarah and Joshua start racing)
Me: Joshua, let Sarah have it, she has an extra mouth to feed. Or an extra... umbilical cord.
Jonathan: I was about to say...
Me: It's more like a... straw. Made of flesh.
Jonathan: And mucus.
Rebekah: I'm not hungry anymore.



I may be posting this all day.

Christmas comic, hurr.

Good thing I finished that weeks ago, right??

;)

So yeah, have a good Christmas and whatnot, or I'll hit you with the candy cane.

We've all been sitting around, playing games and talking and drinking. I've taken a ton of pictures so far. Tomorrow will be nice and quiet and relaxed. Not so much on the presents thing, as we're poor. But we'll still enjoy it. :)

It was weird to feel Eli kick.

Also, I am exhausted. Like bone-tired. Part of it is normal sleepiness, with getting very little of that the last couple of days... but I think just the entire last year has been exhausting as hell in every single way.

Going to bed soon. Yay.

• 50% of the gay rights article done.
• 100% of an article on Oliver Twist.
• Submitted to a scholarship I'm interested in.
• Chicken wings were perfect
• Accepted internship

And tomorrow after seeing friends, I have to call in my editor, do another article and then outline all of my novel projects so i don't forget them.  And then I have to pitch a new article.

Very pleased with myself.

All next week, I'll be doing the opening work on the Sekrit project.

Argh! I wish my camera could connect somewhere, I've only been here a few hours and already have so many good pictures I want to put online.

Eli keeps kicking Sarah's phone off of her stomach. lol

I took video of my family's reactions to me showing up at the door, but I don't have my cable and I can't upload it with anything my dad has. We'll keep trying.

Anyway, good reactions! My mom went in first and I followed, camera in hand. Addison saw me first but since he already knew what was going on he stayed quiet. Rebekah was sitting in the livingroom and without looking up started talking to my mom. "Mom, you have to see my shirt, it--" then looked up, and went DEAD quiet staring at me.

My dad was in the bedroom on his computer, suspecting nothing. I went in there and slowly leaned down with the camera like "this is dad!" and he looked over and it took just a second before he realized who it was looking at him, lol... was all "OH HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" and we hugged, etc etc

Joshua was in the hall and was determined to keep his cool, asking "what are you doing here?" (AND OMG HIS VOICE IT'S CHANGING D: omg) but he hugged me when I told him to.

Now Sarah and Jonathan are here too. SARAH IS HUGE!

We're all sitting in the livingroom being silly, watching Jim Gaffigan.

It's raining, a lot. Mom and I picked up some stuff at the store, I needed shampoo and beer. ;) Luckily my dad and I love the same beer so we'll be enjoying that the next few days.

I'm happy. Apparently it's snowing like balls back in Texas, I might get to see it for myself if it sticks for a few days.

Mom: Hey guys, we've got some truffles here, and some petifores
Me: WHAT?!
Jonathan: (LOL)
Mom: *confused* What?
Jonathan: I don't know if I want to eat those.
Me: It's candy that likes little kids!

Yeah.

Fun times.

Not sure how the apartment's doing, will call Saturday before I come home to check if it's livable. :)

I'll be writing an article on homosexuality in the Jewish Orthodox community, calling people to interview and enjoying a beautiful and quiet night of chicken wings, fiction and good times.

No Christmas for me, but I wish everyone else who celebrates a good one!






Someone had to ruin my day. And lady, you just did.

( rantings )