Confessions of a Borderline Bishounen

About B's latest project

2009-03-28T13:43:55Z

As you may note, I've spent some time pimping brightlyiburn's writing, of late. Well, she's set up a separate account for her writing experiment: aerodaydreams

She's putting her stories up on there as she writes them, pretty much. And well, she writes awesome stuff. It belongs on your friend list, let me tell ya! :-)

My fiancée writes more

2009-03-25T21:23:35Z

Yep, she's still at it, and I still think she's awesome. She even likes this piece herself. :-)

http://brightlyiburn.livejournal.com/20772.html

Readers are welcome to leave her comments and feedback. I myself read this piece, and was freaked out, horrified, and awed. In a good way. :-)

My fiancée is a writer

2009-03-11T11:18:15Z

And she's fairly good at it too. On the airplane trip over here, she wrote a short story, which she has now posted to her LJ. I like it, but she won't take my word for it - she claims I'm biased, can you imagine?

So I figured I'd do my part for getting her read by others. Here's the story: http://brightlyiburn.livejournal.com/20627.html

And if you like it, be sure to leave a comment.

PSA

2009-03-09T08:56:39Z

I would at this time like to inform you all that I'm about to leave for the airport to pick up brightlyiburn . And this time, she doesn't have a return ticket - she'll be right where she should be.

Ho-ONEY! I'm hooome!

2009-01-09T19:14:40Z

I just spent three great weeks in Rhode Island with brightlyiburn, including Christmas. And boy, what a Christmas it was. You wouldn't think that a Jewish family could so effortlessly out-celebrate most Christians at their own holiday. ;-) Right now I'm feeling tired, but overall happy - the next time I see her, it's because she's moved, and we're together for keeps. It'll be another two months or so, but we've dealt with worse, before. And we'll be busy, getting everything sorted out for her.

The main point of the post, however, was to brag about the loot I hauled away from the Christmas tree. :-) B's family are big gift-givers, and even with money being tight, there were good, well thought out gifts under (and around - they didn't all fit...) the tree. I won't mention every stocking stuffer, since then I'd be here typing away all night, but they were all pretty cool. Small, generally useful gifts, and, well, some of the dark chocolate I like.

The main event, though, was the presents under the tree. And, well, around it. A few highlights:

I got a number of novels that I've been wanting, including the third Codex Alera book by Jim Butcher, Cursor's Fury. Having read the second by now (see my birthday loot post) I'm a little wary of where Butcher's going with these - but they're still so very enjoyable to read. As well, a couple of books based on the Exalted RPG (mmm, guilty pleasures...) and, well, a bit of a joke gift: The novel Star Strike by Ian Douglas. I barely knew the book existed, but it's doubly funny: Star Strike is the name of my main City of Heroes character, and it's book one of The Inheritance Trilogy. (See, last I heard, that involved dragons, not space marines. ;-) Although space marines on dragons...)

I also got a number of DVDs. A rather high number, in fact, since one of the main presents for me was a huge 24-disk boxed set depicting the history of American aviation from biplanes to F-22s. As well, a set of documentaries about WWII ship wreck exploration, and a really well done DVD about prehistoric sea monsters. On the movie front, I got Wall-E, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and Iron Man, which I haven't watched yet.

Another 'theme' was toys. I got a Geomag set (B must have heard me sighing wistfully at my brother's collection...) and, well, something called 'Neo-Shifters'. These are Lego-like warrior robot thingies, which apparently have some sort of wireless interaction ability. I should have some fun with them. :-)

One present that impressed me a great deal was from B's cousin Larry. I've spoken to him a few times, and really enjoyed his company, but overall, you can hardly say that he and I know each other... And he gets me a chocolate palette, from Trader Joe's. We're talking eight bars of high-quality fine single-plantation dark chocolate. It's like he read my innermost mind. A little frightening, really... But all kinds of awesome. The ones I've tasted from it by now have been uniformly good, but widely varied in ther taste impressions, otherwise, which is just awesome. Nope, chocolate ain't 'just chocolate'. ;-)

So, B got Tomb Raider Underworld...

2008-11-29T18:01:49Z

And we talked about it some. She told me the story. The results can be found here (spoiler alert, though!). Go read it, there's some high quality snark going on. :-)

It's my birthday...

2008-11-29T12:03:52Z

So, now I'm 31. Doesn't feel different from 30. But I suspect there's maybe a gray hair in that big mop I carry around. Possibly a wrinkle extra. :-)

EDIT:
It's bragging time. My fiancée, the lovely brightlyiburn and her family sent me some presents, which are pretty damn awesome.

From B's sister, I got Loot, a fun-looking card game about pirates (although not the Somali kind). It looks like a game that will improve from fun to hilarious if rum and pirate accents are added.

From her mother, I got two books, Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher (Codex Alera book 2) and To Catch the Lightning by Catherine Asaro (Skolian Empire book 2). In both cases I read and much loved the firsts.

But the main event was what B herself gave me: The Slipstream Edition complete boxed set of Andromeda. The TV series with Kevin Sorbo as a starship captain. Which I love to pieces. All five seasons of it, in neat little slimline cases, the backs of which form a picture of the titular ship, the Andromeda Ascendant. This is basically a box of utter awesome and badass.

I totally win.

WIN! EPIC FUCKING WIN!!!

2008-11-17T18:14:06Z

Ladies and gentlemen, 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!

So I made pancakes

2008-10-26T08:48:06Z

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):

250g flour (ordinary white wheat flour without additives)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt.

4½ dL buttermilk and 1 dL milk, or if you're in Sweden (as I am) 4 dL soured milk (filmjölk) and 1½ dL milk (soured milk is a little thicker than buttermilk.)
2 eggs
50g butter, melted.

Mix the dry goods (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt) together and the wet goods (milk, buttermilk, eggs and butter) together separately. Do not mix them yet!
Heat a frying pan up to medium hot - I used setting 5 out of 6 on my stove, YMMV. When wayter beads and sizzles on it, it's good.
Lightly stir together the dry and wet mixtures - do NOT beat them, it'll ruin the batter. Just stir them together with a light hand.
Add some cooking fat (butter or margerine would both work, doubt oil would). With a ladle or measure, pour 1-1½ dL batter on the pan, let it spread out into about 12-14 cm diameter. Brown it on both sides (you'll likely need to flip it before the batter on the top is solidified, so be careful).

This recipe is supposed to yield 8 pancakes. It yielded 11. And they are stadsfying, OMG. Light and fluffy and tasty... and feel like you've eaten a meal of cordwood afterwards. I managed to eat three. Those who know me know the amounts of food I can put away. I was defeated by these pancakes, and handily. I figure this recipe will easily feed three or four people, especially if there's side dishes...
But damn, that was some delicious pancakes!

PSA:

2008-10-24T16:05:22Z

My fiancée is a frickin' genius.

That is all.

Safely returned

2008-09-24T19:05:24Z

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

auton @ 2008-08-18T12:15:00

2008-08-18T10:16:56Z

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

HBPC - The Visionary

Humanity, Background, Big Picture, and Color

You perceive the world with particular attention to humanity. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the colors around you. Because of the value you place on humanity, you tend to seek out other people and get energized by being around others. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You are a down-to-earth person who enjoys going with the flow.

The Perception Personality Types:

Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy

A steaming load of punk

2008-08-05T14:46:34Z

Your result for The Steampunk Style Test...

The Gadgeteer

25% 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

First post from Sweden!

2008-08-01T17:27:27Z

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.

There is no justice in this world

2008-07-25T13:20:06Z

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.

Big news

2008-06-25T15:29:39Z

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.

Teh funnay

2008-03-23T21:47:06Z

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Online Dating

Interestingly, I and my fiancée brightlyiburn could feed 25 between us. How about that?

So, Robin Hobb is full of shit again.

2008-03-13T09:27:31Z

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.

Here's to you, Gary

2008-03-05T08:24:22Z

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.

So, I went to the US...

2008-01-31T10:37:45Z

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.

Visiting B was wonderful, even if we suffered from a chronic lack of privacy. Every time I spend time with her, I end up loving her more. I know. I'm a huge cornball and painfully sappy right now. :-) Also, first thing after I arrived, I got my Christmas presents. With apologies to my family, I gotta say, she and hers do Christmas waaay better than mine. Even three weeks late.

Moving on to her family, they seem to have taken to me. I met her mother (who I met cursorily last year), her sister, two sets of maternal grandparents, and two of her uncles. There's still a whole bunch I haven't met. I like them well enough, and look forward to seeing them again given occasion.

Arisia, then. The con itself was... meh. Not particularly impressed, there. The panels weren't too impressive, even if there were some entertaining titles among them. The guests were all but unknown to me. So, instead, I proposed to B. I had planned to, all along, but my plans were thrown for a loop once we got there, though. I had in mind to pop the question in what was the Dealer's Room, last year (specifically the lowered section with the panoramic windows) - only they didn't use that room (as far as I'm aware) this year. There's a really nice view, there, too... But it worked out, she said yes anyway. ;-)

In summary: I had a nice trip. And now, I'm engaged to be married. Life is good.

30 years without dying!

2007-11-29T18:50:40Z

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

... And I have a new job.

2007-11-19T14:44:10Z

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!

I solved it!

2007-10-21T09:43:36Z

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.

First I sorted the pieces into their four overall types. Going around the edge of the piece, with 1 meaning an outie edge and 0 meaning an innie, the types are are 1000, 1100, 1010 and 1110.

Then I found all the places where two or more pieces bordered on a void. Where only two edges bordered on it, I found the places that had two similar edges - two innies or two outies. There I could sort out which of the four different overall types of piece would fit, and then go through that bunch until I found the right one. If no such spot could be found, I grabbed a random 1010, and found its spot - or put it aside if I couldn't.

This method was only necessary because the pieces all showed flat black with the occasional tiny feature on them, by far not enough to discern their location by image.

Anyhow, I feel really proud of a relatively minor thing. Go me. :)

A short test that got me exactly right, I think.

2007-10-01T15:29:05Z

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.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Career meme thing

2007-09-14T10:04:30Z

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

11. Technical Writer
12. Computer Programmer
13. Drafter
14. Film Processor
15. Biomedical Engineer
16. Mining Engineer
17. Computer Engineer
18. Motorcycle Mechanic
19. Model Maker
20. Automobile Mechanic
21. Diesel Mechanic
22. Aircraft Mechanic
23. Electrical Engineer
24. Petroleum Engineer
25. Industrial Machinery Mechanic
26. Millwright
27. Physicist
28. Chemical Engineer
29. Astronomer
30. Office Machine Repairer
31. Race Car Mechanic
32. Multimedia Developer
33. Recording Engineer
34. Heating, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration Tech
35. Professor
36. Biological Tech
37. Civil Engineering Tech
38. Stationary Engineer
39. Geologist
40. Civil Engineer

Apparently I should have gone into engineeing. :-)