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If we were having coffee together…

I’d tell you that it’s another Saturday morning! I’ve made it again. Now that I’ve also obtained some coffee, my mind is focusing again. It’s, unfortunately, something I’m not going to put down here, so let’s see what’s in the memory banks.

America’s still crazy, but resistance also continues.

We saw Ip Man 3 last night (at last!) It was splendid, although I will say that perhaps life can sometimes be cruel to people that love each other. It should not take a terminal illness to remind a husband about not taking his wife for granted, even while he’s fighting for a noble cause.

Arriving yesterday as well was, what I believe is one of my last print magazine subscriptions – Mac|Life. I’ve been a sub since it was MacAddict, but since an electronic subscription is a way to declutter my physical space, I’ve started that up.

The frames survey for my next pair of glasses, by Vue, has arrived, and I sent in my choice for the frame(non-trendy black) and lens type (photochromatic transition, which I currently have and like). Once I get the HIPAA-compliant prescription request, I’ll schedule an optometry appointment. The timing is pretty good on this since it means I’ll get some time to get used to them before the outdoor season begins again.

More sharing: #WeekendCoffeeShare: In Which I Am Tired

 

Photo by Mark Daynes

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It’s another Friday, and that means it’s time to recap another crazy week.

This recap will include two weeks, but it probably won’t be super long since most exciting things happened on the weekends.

Let’s see. It’s been a couple of weeks. It was super raining in these parts a couple of weeks ago. I’m glad that’s let up quite a bit. The following week saw an indoor Saberguild practice in a gym again. That was fun.

The end of the month Dr. Who meetup also got together for a pub quiz night, and I got the lowest score on the holiday episode quiz. I will do better next time!

The Magicians next season has begun, and it’s even more fun. This time they are in Filory, and finding out it isn’t exactly like the books Q loves.

I got my loot gaming crate, and it was awesome (and for science!)

The POTUS kept another of his really un-American campaign promises, and a lot of people were affected and angry. It’s a bad trend. There’s one of the reasons he has the lowest approval rating any president has had at the beginning of his term.

The Super Bowl is coming up, and I’m actually going to a party for it. I don’t really have a team in it (or the NFL, for that matter, at this point), but it’s a deep-fry party, so that’s a welcome perk. Until next time!

 

Photo by Nathan Shively

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My room is still a mess. It’s slowly coming together, though. I chip away at the piles of “stuff” whenever I get a solid block of free time. That’s usually on a Saturday or Sunday with no events or evening events.

The more I do this, the more things I realize don’t have a high nostalgia value and are just clutter. Tossing them out feels pretty good. I’ve already got a couple of laundry basket loads of clothes for the local Goodwill. It’ll feel excellent not to be laundering those anymore.

After I conquer my room, I think it’ll be time to get to the inside of my car and its trunk. Those have both been suffering for a long time. They’ve also been hiding a few useful items, preventing them from being used or cared for.

On a somewhat related note, I also started regrowing part of my beard, after a trim of the wild stuff that’s my cheek areas. I’m getting more serious about it now, making sure to take care of both the hairs (with beard oil) and the skin underneath. I want it to look and feel good to the touch, so it’s the least I could do.

Your turn! Be inspired by the word clean.

Prompt: Clean

Bonus: Guess what day it is again…

Photo by Markus Spiske

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Today, I consider one of those deep questions I often thought about as a teenager. What would I do if I were locked in my favorite department store overnight? I certainly don’t spend as much time in stores as I used to, after all.

If I were locked into a department store overnight, it would have to be Toys R Us. I’d actually choose that one because I’m just a big kid at heart.

I’d start the night off with some LEGO building perhaps (something small, I’d pay for it in the morning.) Then, for a little while, I’d play the video games already set up on display. Perhaps I’d get pretty good at them too since I’d have a long stretch of time to play.

Lastly, because I’d likely get a bit tired, I’d nap for a bit. That would probably be it until opening time. I know, it’s not super exciting, and no supernatural stories like the movie Mannequin, but I’d enjoy my time.

What would you do if you were locked inside your favorite department store overnight?

I’m interested in what others would do. What store would you choose? Let me know in a comment or a new post that links back.

Source: 180 Journal Writing Prompts – Prompt #21

 Photo Credit: Exile on Ontario St Flickr via Compfight cc

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Apologies, but I need to get something silly out of my system. It’s not that silly, but just on loop in my head.

OK, now that that’s out of my system (3 months isn’t long at all), it’s on the to the rest of the blank page. It’s putting up quite a fight today. I won’t let it win. There will be words that form thoughts. Soon.

Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. -Albert Einstein

This writing thing is tough on days like today. That’s because I can think of not a single original thought to put forth here and it’s annoying. I’m also fighting off a buzz of distractions that are in my head. Those thoughts, that have no substance, are the hardest to get away from because they keep playing, like an old radio station, in a tight loop.

Like right now, suddenly, I’m thinking of a different song than the one above and it’s stuck playing its hook over and over again. Maybe I can purge it if I listen.

…

Well, that was fun, but I don’t think it worked so well. The page is looking less blank, so I’ll consider this battle a draw and return for more combat tomorrow.

 

Photo Credit: Annie Spratt

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If I were having coffee with you…

It would be a very late (or early) coffee this time. I’m occupied with life, which is a good thing. It’s been a time that’s not free of productivity, luckily. Most of that is the emotional kind.
 
The Doctor Who group that I’m a part of had its first pub trivia night in a while. It’s also the first one for this year. I got the lowest score. I attribute it to having a bit of trouble holding onto memories of some past Christmas special episodes. The quiz was entirely based on just the holiday Who episodes, after all. I do hope to do slightly better next time. It was fun, and there were even a couple of new members that joined in.
 
This weekend started off with a visit to the Tet Festival at the OC fairgrounds. That’s one of the many local celebrations of the Lunar New Year. It was an enjoyable way to take in such a vibrant culture. It was also a comfortably warm day!
 
I started off today trying to figure out some future excursions. The theme this time is museum trips. Living in the Los Angeles area means there are quite a few places to take in the arts and excellent museums. I am keeping some favorites in mind, like the Getty Center and The Huntington. I’d also like to visit some I haven’t yet or haven’t in a long time, such as MOCA and LACMA. Visits to some that I’m new to, such as The Paley Center, are also on my list.
 
I’m looking forward to another interesting week, with a birthday celebration this coming weekend (I hope.) February is around the corner.

More sharing: #WeekendCoffeeShare: In Which I Talk a Bit about Art

Featured photo by Ganapathy Kumar

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With one week remaining on its Kickstarter campaign, the Micro.blog indie microblogging project has surged past its original $10K funding goal with $66,710 pledged by 2,381 backers. This puts proje…

Here’s to hoping that this will gain more traction than App.net did. Letting one post on one’s own blog (from a handy app even!) is a feature I like. It means that, more and more, the content I post will be at a place where I control it – here.

Source: Micro.blog Project Surges Past $65K on Kickstarter, Gains Backing from DreamHost – WordPress Tavern

 

Photo credit: Lauren Mancke

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Here we are, nearly a week into a new presidency, and I see that there’s news that the Doomsday Clock has been advanced 30 seconds forward. This advancement is due to the statements of a single person, our new President. I don’t come here to dwell on the dark times ahead, only to occasionally vent about it.

On a lighter note, pub trivia was enjoyable last night. It involved a written quiz, mostly dealing with Doctor Who Christmas specials’ trivia. I got 4 out of 20 (the worst). I totally would have done better had I simply re-watched the most recent Christmas special episode. It was good because it wasn’t overtly “Christmas-y.” There was even a superhero who faced a powerful villain. The superhero, I should add, was “accidentally” created by an encounter with The Doctor.

4/20 whoops!

All who participated got beautiful blue pen/stylus combos. Also, since I was rather hungry, the fish and chips were mighty delightful. A friendly lady and her mom were the newest to show up for the meetup as well. Even though I missed who I’ve been missing, it was still a welcome diversion from the larger world. That crept in a bit as we were wrapping up–it’s nearly inevitable with a group of sci-fi and fantasy nerds that something that threatens the foundation of our fandoms (science is under siege currently) would get even a passing mention.

Gallifrey One is nearly here but still feels far away.

 

Featured photo credit: Matt Quinn

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Frost. It happens out here too.

It’s another Wednesday. This one is the last of January, so it’s got some importance.

I check the outside temperature: 39 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s going to be another chilly day in Southern California. I decide that I’ll be layering a bit towards the warm and toasty side. There’s no need to be shivering during my walks.

I wrapped up my self-assessment for work yesterday, so there’s going to be a performance review meeting looming soon. It feels like the years are going by faster, and I think that’s due to things not settling into a dull routine daily grind so much at work.

After work, it’s time for another meeting of the Real Timelords of Orange County, at our favorite pub. This time, it’ll be the return of the pub quiz. I still have some gaps in my Doctor Who knowledge, but the best way I know of to fill it in a bit is to be around these fellow fans.

Pub food. Yum! Photo credit/original: Edward Franklin

I’ll also be seeing one person in particular that I look forward to seeing again every single time we part. Yes, my girlfriend. It’s hard to put into words how awesome that is, how happy I am, and how much like a dream it still feels like, after almost three months. Perhaps it’s still the honeymoon phase, but I can at least start to see further than a few weeks of the future. I hope that this will continue to extend further and further out.

We’re looking forward to the annual Doctor Who convention, Gallifrey One, just over three weeks away. Soon, I’ll be checking to see which panels I might like to attend during the daytime portions, and even some evening activities as well. I’m slowly increasing my daily step goals, in preparation for the miles of walking that are coming.

February is nearly here! January has been exciting and scary. I’m looking forward to less of the latter in the comings weeks.

 

More Wednesday writings: WRITE ANYTHING WEDNESDAY #103

Featured Photo Credit: DG Jones Flickr via Compfight cc