Home Again
Mar. 29th, 2005 10:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tcepsaWell, after arriving in Dulles at 1:00 this morning and making it back to my place at 3:30, I am officially back in Washington DC and that is the last time that I ever agree to a plan like that! (for a while, anyway)
The flight back was pretty uneventful, with the notable exception that I finished the second book of the Dark Jewels trilogy. I don't have time write now to find words appropriate to describe them--and even if I did find the words, they're the kind that tend to mean different things for everybody anyway so perhaps I won't even try. However, I will say that I expect to finish the third book before the week is out, and it is a very rare series indeed that can hook me so thoroughly.
The time at home was grand and filled with the sort of things that are terribly interesting for the person who is experiencing them but lose much of their vitality in the retelling. I'll briefly touch on them anyway ;)
We spend Saturday afternoon visiting with some friends of the family, then I went to the bookstore with the youngest of my sisters and got the second and third Dark Jewels books. I was tempted by many others (and succumbed to the temptation--sort of. I managed to restrain myself until we got home and I could order them through Amazon instead O:) and so I will be getting another coding and another spirituality book in the mail before the week is out.
After that was Easter Vigil mass. As is our tradition, we arrived a few minutes late. Fortunately we still got to hold candles (that part never lasts long enough for me ;) After that I had a great time because I was sitting next to my sister who, while I believe she still identifies as Catholic, nonetheless thorougly appreciated my whispered MSTing of the service. Hey, you celebrate Easter your way, and I'll celebrate it mine...
Later I managed to talk Mom, Dad, and my youngest brother into playing poker with me (not a hard task). I proceeded, over the course of several hands, to lose most of my chips to my brother. However, Sunday night I got them back plus some, so it all worked out ;)
Sunday morning we took my sisters to the airport in the Twin Cities for their flight to Chicago (the older is returning to classes after her Spring Break, and the younger is visiting for fun on her Spring Break). We then proceeded, foolishly, to the Mega Mall. There were perhaps five stores open in the whole place. Silly us. Silly, silly us. So we gave Dad his first Ikea experience as an Easter present ;) In a brilliant display of self-restraint, I managed to only buy two light cords for the paper lanterns that I got at the Chinese market on Thursday.
We came back home and I introduced my youngest brother to the joy that is Moria on my PDA. Again, silly me--he pestered me the whole way back about how to play; it's a fairly complex role playing game sort of like D&D. I'm afraid I might have gotten a bit snippy about it towards the end... but he was asking for stuff that I had already told him how to do and, Hell's Fire, he kept interrupting my reading! I should have warned him beforehand of the hazards of repeatedly pulling me away from something in which I wanted to be engrossed...
That evening I took apart our old NES system to see if I could do anything to help it. I had hoped the replacement part that I had ordered for it would be there by then, but it wasn't so I tried to make a difference with what I had. I was largely unsuccessful, but it was interesting and it's all set for them to go once the part does get there (hopefully in the next day or so). It's well within Dad's capabilities to handle, and I'm hoping my brother will get to play with it too--all part of my grand scheme to lure him to the Dark Side!
The last thing brings us back to the beginning; I got a ride to the Cities with Ryan and we flew back here, to arrive very early this morning.
Also, for public consumption, a good chunk of Monday was spent searching for my chainmail that I had made back in Jr. High, and I am pleased to say that my efforts were not in vain. I'm going to have to make some adjustments, but it's still mostly intact. By the way, does anyone know how to clean oxidized steel? O:) Ahhh, to be making things again! ^_^ I also found an unused roll of 17 gauge aluminum. Now all I need is a 1/4" wooden dowel and some pliers...
Finally, this morning I stopped by the package office before heading out, and I can finally say after two months of waiting that I am now the proud owner of a beautiful mountain dulcimer! ^_^ Sadly I had to rush to work, but I was irresponsible enough to take the time to open it, admire it, and play a few notes. I almost can't wait to get home tonight and actually play it, but I shall because there are other things that I also want to do this evening...
The flight back was pretty uneventful, with the notable exception that I finished the second book of the Dark Jewels trilogy. I don't have time write now to find words appropriate to describe them--and even if I did find the words, they're the kind that tend to mean different things for everybody anyway so perhaps I won't even try. However, I will say that I expect to finish the third book before the week is out, and it is a very rare series indeed that can hook me so thoroughly.
The time at home was grand and filled with the sort of things that are terribly interesting for the person who is experiencing them but lose much of their vitality in the retelling. I'll briefly touch on them anyway ;)
We spend Saturday afternoon visiting with some friends of the family, then I went to the bookstore with the youngest of my sisters and got the second and third Dark Jewels books. I was tempted by many others (and succumbed to the temptation--sort of. I managed to restrain myself until we got home and I could order them through Amazon instead O:) and so I will be getting another coding and another spirituality book in the mail before the week is out.
After that was Easter Vigil mass. As is our tradition, we arrived a few minutes late. Fortunately we still got to hold candles (that part never lasts long enough for me ;) After that I had a great time because I was sitting next to my sister who, while I believe she still identifies as Catholic, nonetheless thorougly appreciated my whispered MSTing of the service. Hey, you celebrate Easter your way, and I'll celebrate it mine...
Later I managed to talk Mom, Dad, and my youngest brother into playing poker with me (not a hard task). I proceeded, over the course of several hands, to lose most of my chips to my brother. However, Sunday night I got them back plus some, so it all worked out ;)
Sunday morning we took my sisters to the airport in the Twin Cities for their flight to Chicago (the older is returning to classes after her Spring Break, and the younger is visiting for fun on her Spring Break). We then proceeded, foolishly, to the Mega Mall. There were perhaps five stores open in the whole place. Silly us. Silly, silly us. So we gave Dad his first Ikea experience as an Easter present ;) In a brilliant display of self-restraint, I managed to only buy two light cords for the paper lanterns that I got at the Chinese market on Thursday.
We came back home and I introduced my youngest brother to the joy that is Moria on my PDA. Again, silly me--he pestered me the whole way back about how to play; it's a fairly complex role playing game sort of like D&D. I'm afraid I might have gotten a bit snippy about it towards the end... but he was asking for stuff that I had already told him how to do and, Hell's Fire, he kept interrupting my reading! I should have warned him beforehand of the hazards of repeatedly pulling me away from something in which I wanted to be engrossed...
That evening I took apart our old NES system to see if I could do anything to help it. I had hoped the replacement part that I had ordered for it would be there by then, but it wasn't so I tried to make a difference with what I had. I was largely unsuccessful, but it was interesting and it's all set for them to go once the part does get there (hopefully in the next day or so). It's well within Dad's capabilities to handle, and I'm hoping my brother will get to play with it too--all part of my grand scheme to lure him to the Dark Side!
The last thing brings us back to the beginning; I got a ride to the Cities with Ryan and we flew back here, to arrive very early this morning.
Also, for public consumption, a good chunk of Monday was spent searching for my chainmail that I had made back in Jr. High, and I am pleased to say that my efforts were not in vain. I'm going to have to make some adjustments, but it's still mostly intact. By the way, does anyone know how to clean oxidized steel? O:) Ahhh, to be making things again! ^_^ I also found an unused roll of 17 gauge aluminum. Now all I need is a 1/4" wooden dowel and some pliers...
Finally, this morning I stopped by the package office before heading out, and I can finally say after two months of waiting that I am now the proud owner of a beautiful mountain dulcimer! ^_^ Sadly I had to rush to work, but I was irresponsible enough to take the time to open it, admire it, and play a few notes. I almost can't wait to get home tonight and actually play it, but I shall because there are other things that I also want to do this evening...
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no subject
Date: 2005-03-29 10:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-29 10:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-29 11:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-29 11:26 am (UTC)I'd be happy to let you play with it for a bit once I've had a chance to make its acquaintance--if you're still interested despite its lack of bowness :) I wonder how long you could go before they kicked us out of the Terrace... ;)
no subject
Date: 2005-03-29 08:01 pm (UTC)I'm glad you are finally in possesion of it, doll! It is a pretty cool instrument that I hope you will enjoy.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-29 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-30 07:20 pm (UTC)