| WIN! EPIC FUCKING WIN!!! |
[17 Nov 2008|07:11pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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 ecstatic |
] |
Ladies and gentlemen, ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) brightlyiburn has her permit. She now has two years of residence and work permit for Sweden, and the last hurdle for us being together has been cleared away. We're through. We've done it. We WON!
Oh gods, my relief and joy know no words!
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| So I made pancakes |
[26 Oct 2008|09:35am] |
| [ |
mood |
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satisfied |
] |
Since I'm going over to brightlyiburn and her family for Christmas, I've been shanghaied into making the Christmas breakfast pancakes. Apparently they got the impression that I can cook...
At any rate, I tested a recipe B found for me, which I had scaled to yield eight pancakes. The recipe follows (fitted to units that are in use outside the US):
( Recipe and infos here )
But damn, that was some delicious pancakes!
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| PSA: |
[24 Oct 2008|06:04pm] |
My fiancée is a frickin' genius.
That is all.
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| Safely returned |
[24 Sep 2008|08:28pm] |
I came home last night from a trip to the US to visit my lovely fiancée, brightlyiburn. It was a good vacation for both of us, and strongly needed. It had been three months since she went back from her last visit, and we were feeling the strain of that long a separation.
We didn't actually do much of anything, except spend every hour together, pretty much - we went shopping a couple times, went to the movies once (Wall-E, an excellent movie which I highly recommend), and a few visits with her family (who all seem to absolutely love me for some reason). We enjoyed every moment, though. Time together really gets precious when you have very little of it.
Just before I went over, B was given a belated engagement gift for us - a Nintendo Wii. Much squeeing with joy ensued. :-) So while I was there, we added a few bits and bobs, a few games, and Wii Fit. Exercise is good for us both, since neither of us is in great shape. Especially B lacks opportunities to exercise, so this makes working out a lot easier for her. I'll also add that it's remarkably fun to use that balance board!
Another game we got was Okami, an utterly brilliant action RPG type game. You play the Japanese sun god Amaterasu, in the shape of a wolf, trying to defeat an ancient evil that has been released to plague the lands of Nippon. You do this with the help of a magic system that's simply brilliant: Press and hold a button, and the screen changes to a scroll, upon which you can paint certain figures with your Celestial Brush. This then translates into game effects such as trees springing forth from the ground, waterspouts or gouts of flame erupting, bursts of wind, or broken things being repaired. It's a visually stunning game, to say the least. A true example of a game that is a piece of artwork. I recommend this game to anyone with a Wii - I can't imagine it working nearly as well on any other platform, though.
I miss B badly, now that I'm home. But she got (somewhat belated) notice that she's got her interview for her Swedish residence permit Thursday, so hopefully this means the case is going swiftly. We can feel the time approaching when we won't have to be apart any more.
In closing, and unrelated to anything (except that I'm on comekah's friends list):
"The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be."
Douglas Adams, in a speech at Digital Biota 2, Cambridge, UK, 1998
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| A steaming load of punk |
[05 Aug 2008|04:32pm] |
|
Your result for The Steampunk Style Test... The Gadgeteer25% Elegant, 100% Technological, 27% Historical, 28% Adventurous and 20% Playful! 
You are the Gadgeteer, the embodiment of steampunk technology. Ironically, many of the things that most define your style are probably too large to easily carry about, but given the opportunity you would prefer to be seen surrounded by boiler engines, gear-driven calculators, and incredible automata. Of all the steampunk fashion styles, you place the greatest emphasis on technological accessories, and you are the most likely to create elaborate gadgets that are as much a part of your outfit as your clothes. You probably have goggles, but unlike most people you consider them to be for more than decoration. Whereas most people might look odd carrying a satchel of tools around, for you they may well be essential. Above all, you remind everyone that what sets the genre apart from Victoriana is simply the level of technology. Try our other Steampunk test here. Take The Steampunk Style Test at HelloQuizzy
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| First post from Sweden! |
[01 Aug 2008|07:18pm] |
Ah, at last, I have a connection to work with. Sweden, land of the ubiquitous and fast internet - and I've somehow managed to get the one apartment complex in the city where there isn't a gigantic fiber connection installed! And ADSL takes 3 weeks or more to get... But a solution presented itself.
Mobile broadband.
Yes. With the cell phone network having the sorts of bandwidths usually only seen in solid lines these days, I am now online via the third-generation cell phone data network. Think iPhone, only in desktop format! :-)
The move itself was godawful, and most of that was my own damn fault. brightlyiburn was very clear in her advice to me, I, fool I was, did not listen. Well, at least things are settling out. For example, the affidavit certifying that I am living in Sweden arrived by mail today, meaning that now I just need to get a scan into B's hands along with a scan of my passport, and she has all the papers she needs to submit her application for a spousal residence permit!
Tomorrow, I go to my local Ikea (this is Sweden - of course there's a local Ikea! :-) ) to get some sort of computer desk plus a bit of shelving to put stuff on. Maybe then this place will start looking less like a catastrophe and more like a home.
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| There is no justice in this world |
[25 Jul 2008|03:14pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 grieving |
] |
I just came home from visiting the vet. I left behind my beautiful, white, smart, sweet cat Leia, who as of about half an hour ago is no longer among the living. I've had ads up, I've asked everyone I could think of, and then had them ask anyone they could think of. I've pleaded with no-kill shelters across the city, but they were all swamped with kittens, since it's that season. And I couldn't take her with me when I move tomorrow.
Rest in peace, Leia. And may the world one day be good enough to keep such as you in it.
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| Big news |
[25 Jun 2008|04:58pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 accomplished |
] |
I closed a deal on a new apartment this morning, and as a result gave notice on my current one this afternoon. I'll be moving to Sweden on or around the 26th of July.
As a result, brightlyiburn will be sending in her paperwork to the Swedish immigration board soon after, starting the process that should end with her being granted residency in Sweden. Then, she'll board a plane in Boston, step off another in Copenhagen, and I'll take her across Øresund to her new life in Europe, with me.
A small minus here is that this time frame is too soon for my ex-wife to have moved back to Denmark, which means the cats go up for adoption instead at a local no-kill shelter. But they're sweet critters, they'll charm their way into some other poor sucker's heart readily enough.
I've had an immensely productive day. And I'm confident that the whole process can be handled well.
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| So, Robin Hobb is full of shit again. |
[13 Mar 2008|10:16am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 annoyed |
] |
http://robinhobb.com/rant.html
I read this, after George R. R. Martin claimed "she speaks truth". Well, George, I have immense respect for you, but that just ain't true. If you're not disciplined and professional enough to keep your work (your actual work, not the blog) flowing, then you really have no claim to calling yourself a professional anything, no matter what your profession.
And honestly, unless you spend hours upon hours writing blog entries (which Hobb seems to think you have to), having a blog should not claim the totality of your 'writing day' as she terms it. If you blog that much, your blog is probably the main feature of what your readers take in - that, or they only skim your blog entries, and then why are you writing them anyway?
Blogging is not crack. Not unless you have the worst sort of addictive personality. So George R. R. Martin, relax already. And Robin Hobb, just shut up. I have yet to read anything very sensible out of this woman, and I wonder why her blithering seems to hold so much respect.
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| Here's to you, Gary |
[05 Mar 2008|09:17am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
melancholy |
] |
Gary Gygax is dead. Seems I was the last to know, or something. I played D&D as my first RPG ever, at age 10. I had badgered my brothers into letting me join. When they quit, I took over their books and dice, got my friends together and played for hours on end.
Role playing games have brought me together with many of my friends over the twenty years I've played them, and has influenced my thought patterns and personal development in ways that can only be described as profound. While it might have come about without the late Mr. Gygax, it came about by his work. His name is synonymous with role playing games in many ways.
Last night, I was playing a role playing game with a number of good friends. While it was not D&D, I still feel the need to say this: Thank you for that, Gary Gygax. Thank you for spurring on the genre to what it has become, and what it will become in the future. You will be missed, but your work stands as your memorial.
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| So, I went to the US... |
[31 Jan 2008|11:01am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 jetlagged |
] |
As some of you may (or may not) know, I was in the USA these past two weeks (plus change). I figure I'll write a wrap-up of this, my first vacation abroad in years. (No, my last trip over was not long enough, and far too busy, to count as a vacation in my book. :-) )
So, to give an overview of the stuff I passed my time with, I went over to spend time with my lovely brightlyiburn , to meet her family, and to attend Arisia 2008. Plus some other things, which turn out to be quite important and momentous, but I get ahead of myself. So, each in turn.
In summary: I had a nice trip. And now, I'm engaged to be married. Life is good.
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| 30 years without dying! |
[29 Nov 2007|07:48pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
cheerful |
] |
I turn 30 today. I have gotten two gifts yet (the rest will be at the party Saturday), and both were toys (a Micromachines Star Wars play set and a Lego Exo-Force mecha of epic proportions). I think I'm doing this right. =P
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| ... And I have a new job. |
[19 Nov 2007|03:41pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
chipper |
] |
I'm just home from a short, informal job interview, where I was offered (and accepted) a quite lucrative part time job. I'll be making as much money doing this job as I did on my old job plus the student stipend - and that's on two days of work. Later, I plan to raise it to three. So on the economic front, things are looking pretty good for now.
Yay!
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|
| I solved it! |
[21 Oct 2007|11:30am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
accomplished |
] |
I solved the puzzle! The puzzle of the ages... No, wait. Not that one. The jigsaw puzzle brightlyiburn and I got this summer, but didn't finish. Or, well, we mostly finished it. It's a Boris Vallejo painting, of an amazon astride a pegasus on a background of several moons and a star field. And that last bit was the problem: The star field is mostly consisting of a flat black expanse. Which was all that was left to solve when she had to go back. I spent a bit of time here and there solving it and finally found a reasonably effective method.
Anyhow, I feel really proud of a relatively minor thing. Go me. :)
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| A short test that got me exactly right, I think. |
[01 Oct 2007|05:28pm] |
| You Are Midnight | 
You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.
Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.
Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.
You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends. |
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| Career meme thing |
[14 Sep 2007|11:59am] |
Off of http://www.careercruising.com/, username nycareers, password landmark, answering the Career MAtchmaker thing they have there.
1. Mechanical Engineering Tech
2. Engineering Tech
3. Agricultural Engineer
4. Avionics Tech
5. Mechanical Engineer
6. Aerospace Engineer
7. Computer Support Person
8. Broadcast Technician
9. Helicopter Pilot
10. Pilot
Apparently I should have gone into engineeing. :-)
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| Just in case noone had been informed, I'm a nerd. |
[06 Sep 2007|02:41pm] |
|
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| Because stuff is only cool when all the other kids are doing it |
[03 Aug 2007|03:08pm] |
Your results:
You are Qui-Gon Jinn
| Qui-Gon Jinn |
| 72% | | Chewbacca |
| 70% | | Han Solo |
| 69% | | Lando Calrissian |
| 67% | | Obi-Wan Kenobi |
| 65% | | Luke Skywalker |
| 63% | | Mace Windu |
| 60% | | Princess Leia |
| 58% | | R2-D2 |
| 58% | | Padme |
| 56% |
| Overall, you're a pretty well balanced person.
But maybe you focus a little too
much on the here and now.
Think about the future before its too late.
 |
(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)
Click here to take the "Which Star Wars character am I?" quiz...
I am moderately unsurprised, and greatly pleased by this result. :-)
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