Happy Birthday, jkahane!!

Today is the birthday of one of my all-time favorite Internet friends, jkahane. I met John way back in the Deep Dark Ages of the old email networks, before the Internet really blossomed - back when we used to have to call up the local BBS that was linked to echomail networks that would take days to pass the emails back and forth. We shared (and still do) an appreciation for Babylon 5, and participated in an echomail forum discussing the show as it was being produced - which included commentary and information directly from the Creator/Producer of the show, J. Michael Straczynski.

John was a forum regular, and I began picking on him a bit - and lo and behold, good sport that he is, he picked back! Eventually we exchanged phone numbers, and have been either emailing, phoning, or now communicating through LJ for - I believe he said - almost 20 years. He's my not-quite-official, adopted brother-of-the-heart, even though we've never met face to face.

Here's hoping you have a wonderful day, that your black forest cake and your dram of Bailey's top off the celebration, that you have a thoroughly enjoyable dinner, and that the year to come is filled with good health, good friends, good gaming, and good conventioning.

And tomorrow's the 4th of July...

...and #1 son, JJ, has discovered that Mom (that's me) is only going to let him spend $100 on fireworks. Personally, I'd just as soon he didn't waste the money; but it's his money to waste, and he does love to set the stuff off at the end of the driveway each year. He may be missing his brother when he does it this year, however.

I'm also coming up from another attack of whatever the hell it is that kicks my digestion into spaz mode. Usually it only takes a day to get over, but this one is a little worse than that: it's been three days now, and I'm only barely back to eating "normal" food. I may have to be very careful when I eat peppers. I know I'm allergic to cayenne (that makes me deathly ill) and jalapeños make my mouth burn and my lips swell; but I'm starting to think I may have to take it very easy when it comes to simple green bells. That SO sucks!!

The plumber made another appearance here this week, and except for replacing any leftover cast iron plumbing under the house, I think we've just about fixed all the plumbing issues around here. Leaky faucets, toilets, replumbing under the kitchen sink (getting rid of a garbage disposal that hasn't worked in years and is no longer wanted, as we now compost) and removing a non-standard gas line out to the old greenhouse (which we've decided to demolish when we get our next dumpster.) The next big-money item to be tackled will be re-carpeting the living and dining rooms. Our current, 40+ year old carpet is literally falling apart and too fragile to vaccuum anymore. That will come sometime in the next couple of months, methinks. I'm getting tired of living in a place that looks ratty because of the floors.

In The House of Elrond X - Messages 1/3

The next chapter of this is long enough that I broke it into three mostly equal parts. Enjoy.

( In The House of Elrond - Chapter 10 - Messages part 1/3 )

Aearwen's Little Bits - What Now?

This week's drabble takes up back a ways in Gondorian history. I have to admit to some fascination with the event described here – but any plot bunny with Eärnur's name on it will just have to wait for a while, I swear. Until I can entertain it properly, this will have to do:

( What Now? )