elfkat riffled thru my pitiful [i.e., free account]stash of LJ icons and picked these for me to comment on:
1) Klaus Defense League:
This icon is used to comment on href="http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/" a webcomic called 'Girl Genius' which fits into the "Steampunk" genre, tho' the authors call it "Gaslamp Fantasy". I like it a lot. The icon itself shows my allegiance to the misunderstood tyrant nemesis of the title character. [from sffcorgi ]

2) Atomic Chicken Ranch:
This place actually existed in Littlerock, CA, but disappeared in the 2000's sometime. Within a year after I took this pic, the sign had also disappeared. I sometimes use this to denote silliness. Or Science Gone Wrong.

3) Frog Princess:
Taken in a sculpture garden in a German park [the name of which I've forgotten] in Stuttgart. My usual silliness-denoting icon.

4) Elbereth's horse:
This is a picture I took of bristlecone pine heartwood in California's Bristlecone Pines National Monument. blueeyedtigress thot it looked like a horse's head, hence the name. No special usage, in the rotation.

5) none selected

Current Mood: groggy

Just got back from a drive and hike out Skull Valley way, on a beautifully temperate, sunny New Year's Day. We hiked about, picked up more interesting rocks, and then looped back around the mountain drive into the south of Prescott.
So far, this 2010 is ok.
;>)

Current Mood: content

It's after midnight in Arizona, and we just got back from a party at neighbors'.
Hoping this year is kiind to all.

Current Mood: awake

Have been helping friends in Cali from last Tuesday until yesterday. Made the 10.6 hour drive home today, without yesterday's truly bad driving weather [and getting in that last help-day].
Driving to Cali a week ago Saturday with Cathy was fun, as was attending other friends' [early] annual Solstice dinner that night, and hangin' with them next day. Then to a hotel for 2 nights, and helping Cathy by driving her around EAFB for work the Monday. Monday night, dinner with friend Gini. Tuesday, the parting, as Cathy had work until Thursday & I had to head west to help our friends in Jamie Sommers' hometown pack as much stuff as I could until yesterday to help get ready for their house demolishment next month Hee. Not kidding tho'. Old friends, lotsa stuff, too many other RL madnesses ongoing to devote their full energy to the upcoming move
[nightrythm, you thot you had problems! 8) ]. Have been missing my sweetie terribly, but she flew back home last Friday without incident. ::phew::
So, at home & hearth again, and the cat is still speaking to me.
Goodness, it's wonderful to be home!

Current Mood: blissful (& tired)

A friend told me of this LA Times article on 'Out West' at the Autry Center:
http://tinyurl.com/y8am72w

Currently busy in California. May try to post catchup when I get home.

My spouse and family members are on
FB, so I succumbed to her invitation.
Ghu help us all.

Current Mood: discombobulated

http://wales.college.ch/robot/?jura=LKDDirektUS

Found in a sidebar at LinkedIn.

Two fifty-two AM. Weatabix + milk, with Cathy, at the 'puters.
We couldn't sleep.
I did spend a lot of time adding things to my Classmates dot com entries.
Schlock Mercenary updated. Something*Positive hasn't. Girl Genius won't until ~Greenwich + 8 tomorrow [midnight Monday]. And, gee, not much fList activity currently.
Ghads, this's almost like a metaTweet.

Current Mood: awake

Just got back from going with the family to see Jim Malcolm, a talented Scottish folksinger [and sometime member of Old Blind Dogs].
Plus, for the show's second half, Jim's surprise guest Rabbie Burns, doin' Rabbie's songs and a little standup.
Cathy, Mom, Aunt Roxie and I had a wonderful time.
http://www.jimmalcolm.com/index.html

The winds that swept California this week brought us white precipitation yesterday. First, pinhead-sized spheres, then later a heavier fall of caper-sized irregular spheres. Both sizes were soft, not ice hail, nor half-frozen wet sleet. Accumulation was in fractions of inch, and melted off asphalt and concrete, accumulating only on soil or decorative rock landscaping. In minutes only shadowed areas retained any snow at all. The weather continues cold, with our first subfreezing nights for the season. Furnace is on. We expect some 'Indian summer' next week.

Current Mood: cozy

Scientific method as it should be used [ie IMHO open-minded and de-politicalized]:
http://www.analogsf.com/0911/altview_11.shtml

PLS review and discuss.

Current Mood: intellectual- FOR SCIENCE!

Today's lunch:
homemade beef stew
English goat cheddar
Walker's oatcakes
washed down with a delicate lemon/lime Kroger sparkling water

Noticed a Tweet that said, "How can I be so busy and not get anything done?"
Seems apparent in context. 8)

Not much motivated for blogging currently, but my cold/flu of this week seems to be passing.
Maybe more motivated later.

Current Mood: sick

Although my intent of posting every [connected] day during vacation didn't happen, I have been motivated to post here more- if not very consequentially. And maybe I can develop more as a writer through this. I could hardly develop less
I have been some energized to get in here more often, and am enjoying plonkin' the keys.
My LinkedIn contacts have been growing, and I've refound some people I've wanted to regain contact with; and through others' contact networks, my circle of links has expanded to people I might also get to know and enjoy. still swimming against Facebook/MySpace tide
Now I just need more motivation to do more with images- helping Cathy with our vacation pix, and posting some of them and some of our image backlog.any viewers?

Current Mood: chipper

Woke up to a nice rain here this morning. Very pleasant, that. And much better than yesterday's pervasive controlled-burn woodsmoke blanket- prescription burning much needed in our area tho'.
Have been ignoring most chores since we got home. Jetlag! We ought to be able to milk that excuse for about a month.
;>)
So far this morning I've learned that Saturn has a newly-discovered super-ring, and that a second standing-stone site has been found near Stonehenge, increasing our knowledge of the large Neolithic complex in the area. The construction joins the still-standing stones, and a living site with timbered construction [now gone] named 'Woodhenge.' The Salisbury Plain was apparently a heavily-occupied Neolithic area, with practical and religious significances.
Time, I think, to listen to our Irish trad music compilation CDs and contemporary album by Luminasa Lumiere, bought in Dublin, and the Dougie MacLean compilation picked up [and autographed] from Saturday's concert.
http://www.lumieremusic.net/burn.aspx

hey, this writin' stuff seems pretty easy! ;>)

Current Mood: content

Coming to you live- from a Stena Lines ferry 'Adventurer' {ED} en route from Holyhead, Wales to Dublin Port, Ireland! Tres kewl!

We've spent about a half day sightseeing in Cardiff, then got up too early and spent all morning training to Holyhead for afternoon passage to Dublin. We'll arrive late afternoon and look for dinner, then get to bed to go to Dublin Airport much too early. Back in LA, we'll be seeing Dougie MacLean in Santa Monica, then home to Prescott Sunday morning, and then recuperate for about the next week 8)
Wales was. wonderful; we must try to make it a destination of its own, not an adjunct as this trip.
We did see a lot of Britain thru coach and train windows, all lovely.
Must dash, Cathy hasn't got her crack at this yet, then we may try Skyping as well.
Ciao!

Have alighted in Cardiff after bus journeys thru Taunton, Bristol, and smaller points. We're paying to connect at the hotel, and may I say- bloody BT!
Either mySysop/SO isn't figuring out the system, or British Tel have got it set up to break connection every 10 minutes, requiring logout/logon to proceed with use; all the benefits of working offline, with the thrill of not being able to refresh or send things out when expecting to.
Our bus trips took most of the day Wednesday. We got unpacked, vegged for an hour or so, had dinner in the hotel, and then I finished a book while Cathy caught up online. When it was my turn I couldn't see to work- light wasn't getting thru my eyelids.
We slept as late as we dared, to not miss breakfast. Cathy couldn't drop off for hours, so has had a short night of it. We will do some lowkey sightseeing today, but must be ready to be up early & running for bus/train/ferry and get back to Dublin from whence we'll fly home on Saturday.
I've not kept up posting as a daily travel journal, But I do expect to synopsize from home.

Right. Perhaps Cathy & I should've each had a Netbook for travel. We've not had much connectivity the past few days, what with trains, ferry over the Irish Sea, buses, and no 'Net in Milverton, Somerset [which Cathy calls a 'Miss Marple village']; and the Brits seem to be more assiduous than the Yanks in securing their wireless connexions.
We've gone from Galway thru Dublin Port, landed at Holyhead, and sped thru Wales [sorry Corgi], then spent overnight in Shrewsbury, then thru Bristol and Taunton to blissfully quiet Milverton- restful Sunday.Today, Monday, we bussed to see Dunster Castle via the medieval village of Dunster. Pub lunch finished, we're connected briefly before bussing back to Milverton. I'll document the details when possible, probably in Dublin before returning Stateside.
Cheers!