February 2nd, 2004

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Poem for Monday

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A joyous Candlemas-Imbolc-Brigantia Festival to you all. I am sorry to report that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning this winter will continue indefinitely. Do we think Phil is a Gay Rodent? Or are groundhogs not rodents? If I lived closer to him, I would write slashy photo essays about him, at any rate.

Yesterday (as you all probably know already, even those living on the far side of the world, because television leaves no one unscathed) was Superbowl Sunday, meaning that I spent the evening watching a football game at the home of my oldest friend, her husband and their three children, plus what had to be close to 100 other people, though they were never all there at the same time as some came late because various family members were busy and nearly everyone, including us, left at halftime because all of our kids would have school in the morning. It's always great fun and total chaos -- there's a ton of food (trays of buffalo wings, wraps, little turkey and ham pita sandwiches, fruit, cheese, etc., plus about fourteen desserts), two enormous rooms with TVs in one corner and vast crowds of kids playing with toys everywhere else, a smaller room with a computer and games where my elder son spent the entire party...my husband and I are among the few who actually watch the game.

There are a few other people from high school whom I see every year at this party, and the husband of one of them started to tell me a piece of horrific gossip about someone else in my graduating class before his wife shushed him and demanded that he stop gossipping. So my one yearly opportunity to get real dirt on someone I grew up with has passed. This is just as well, as New England is my in-laws' team and my husband was entirely focused on the game during the fairly boring first half, the highlight of which was the Troy preview (side note: yeah, Hugh and David, but Van Helsing looks really, really cheesy). We drove home during the halftime show and watched the really exciting second half while trying to wrestle the kids to bed.

Every year at this party they have a betting pool -- everyone old enough to have a clue what's going on must contribute a dollar and try to pick the winning team and the total number of points scored. My younger son said he didn't care, so I picked a number for him that seemed an absurdly high point spread, and then picked a somewhat lower number for myself. Guess who won, and got the phone call telling him so, and now has an appalling amount of play money?

Here is an article and, more importantly, pictures from the Evening Standard British Film Awards (click the link in the article) at which Paul Bettany and Max Pirkis took home trophies. Ohh the longish hair and stubble on Paul...I cannot resist. I am assuming any award anyone wins from M&C has to be good news for a possible sequel and possibly a kick-ass DVD package.

Yeah, I haven't left the internet...haven't even left fandom. I think things have calmed down. But I think it's a safe bet that you won't be seeing any fic from me longer than a drabble for some time, just so you're warned.
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Need Urgent Gerbil Advice

This morning I could hear Boromir chasing Aragorn around much more often and much more loudly than usual -- he has periods when he decides to show he's top gerbil, but then they usually settle down to sleep again. When I looked in, Aragorn's foot was bleeding and Boromir was berserk. I have no way of knowing whether Boromir bit Aragorn's foot and made him bleed or whether Aragorn cut his foot somehow and the scent of blood made Boromir crazy, but Boromir was attacking Aragorn viciously, chasing him around and biting him elsewhere, refusing to let him eat or sit in any of the little gerbil houses, etc.

Boromir is temporarily residing in an old birdcage because it was very clear that they couldn't stay in the same cage right then. How do I know whether he needs to move out permanently? (Incidentally, the little shit bit the fuck out of my finger, and I am waiting for my doctor to call me back and tell me if I need a tetanus shot...)
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Yep, I need a tetanus shot, and probably antibiotics too, because the bite is pretty deep. And we need to keep the gerbils in separate cages for awhile (just tried them in the same cage together again -- same bad behavior from Boromir), and after the trouble and expense of acquiring another cage, I seriously doubt I'm going to risk trying to move them back in together. Nasty little bugger.

And my son starts fencing this evening so I have to be running around until late with a sore arm. Ah well. Is turning into a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Anyone got a fun movie rental suggestion for tonight?