Kyna's Journal

After work today, I had to do a bit of grocery shopping. From my parking spot at Spokane Street I wandered up Holgate for the following little expedition.

I started at ABC Supermarket for cellophane noodles, and a few other bits and bobs. Here, I can get not only many asian ingredients but also a good selection of hispanic foodstuffs, all at reasonable prices.

Next onto Delite Bakery where I wanted to sample some goodies. It was hoping in there and I got 2 chicken saiboa and 2 empanda-like things filled with nummy stew. mmmmm. fixerbard, totally thought of you while waiting in line and deciding what I wanted. In retrospect, I should have picked up some rolls too.

Finally I hit MacPherson's, that glorious (and cheap) temple of fruit and veg.

I love my neighborhood.

Looks like under the new Canadian citizenship rules, I am a Canadian citizen. I would have to get the piece of paper to prove it, but that does not look that hard. *ponders*

More info: http://www.cic.gc.ca/EnGLish/citizenship/rules-citizenship.asp

I should do a real post one of these days, but I can't seem to get off the hamster wheel long enough to do it.

I have survived the 3-day meet from hell. I will post my usual breakdown when I stop feeling like the allergy gods are trying to kill me.

One side note though - big props to seanb for 2 days worth of being lap counter. He did a amazing job.

I am getting a facebook account, using my Hotmail address. This is mostly because of skating, but I'll be adding those of you you are in my hotmail address book. I feel dirty.

Don't worry LJ, you will always be my first love.

I finally got into the office at 10:00. They decided to let us go at 3:00 and it took me nearly 2 1/2 hours to get home. I managed to catch a bus right as I left the office, but we had to stop, along with another 150, to wait for a driver change at the Tukwila P&R. I got off the bus in the International District, met up with Sean and grabbed the Amazon shuttle to PacMed. Then we hiked the 2.2 miles back to the house. I fell on my ass twice. Still, I made it home in one piece with minimal damage.

The funny thing in all this? I got work done today. A property which has issues getting things in (a) on time and (b) done right the first time, sent in all of her January files and they were perfect. This was because it was quiet and she paid attention to what she was doing. Dumb as it sounds, that made my day.

Now I'm going to go plot some baking. I believe I promised Sean a Dutch Baby.

I've been busy recently doing something unusual for me..... falling. I have pretty much gotten out of the habit of falling while skating, yet I have managed to pull it off twice in the space of a week. On Tuesday the 11th I attempted to skate through a cone rather than around it and fell pretty hard. One week later, on Tuesday the 18th, I just decided to trip myself while doing a relay and (yet again) hit the ground pretty hard. Both times, I was wearing leggings so I only lost a bit of skin,but I've got some really impressive bruising. I just had to share because after a few days of healing I have turned such a lovely color.
( bruised knee below )

I did this one because it is pretty. I like pretty things.

( Art Quiz )

Adipose are so CUTE!

(Yes, I am re-watching Dr. Who)

Yesterday, I did something stupid - I (unintentionally) tried to blend my finger. I do not recommend attempting this feat as I am now sport several nasty cuts on the first finger of my left hand. They are nicely covered, thanks to the taping skills of the lovely seanb, who even cleaned up all the blood I dripped, while dealing with a whimpering, crying girl. Major boyfriend points for him.

Wow, I've been a little remiss. This post will be lengthy and I still suspect I missed a few items. They are in no particular order and I reserve the right to be vague, since it may have been awhile since i read the book.

The Wild Wood (Brian Froud's Faerielands) by Charles de Lint. I found this hiding on mom's bookcase. The concept for this series is interesting. Brian Froud did a bunch of art, set it down in front of a bunch of authors and had them pick out what drew them and write stories about them. While this is probably not his best work, it is interesting and made me want to finish it. If you like de Lint, it will be familiar territory. The art is standard Froud, but this is not a bad thing. I am tempted to search out the other pieces of the series. Amazon lists at least one other, written by Patricia McKillip.

Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves. This was good. Written as a YA, but enough meat to keep an older reader interested, including my favorite - not explaining every little bloody thing right away (or even at all). Recommended.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. Go read this NOW! Ignore the fact that it is in the YA section. This book is incredible. The tech is viable (per Sean), the plot is gripping, the lead character is believable. Go read this and have everyone you know read this, particularly those for whom the YA section is intended.

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny with illustrator Gahan Wilson. Described by one review as "Victorian light supernatural fantasy", this is a good fun read, full of familiar characters such as Jack the Ripper, and Dracula to tell a tall about a night the elder gods might return - all from the perspective of a dog. I love Zelazny and this is a nice fun example of him at his best.

Lost in a Good Book and The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde. I had the 3rd one of this series sitting around forever , until I got my hands on number 2. Now I must hunt down the next book. These are genuinely clever and funny fantasy mysteries. I was slow to get on the band wagon (so many books, so little time), but I recommend these even if you are not a sci-fi reader they stand along as good mysteries in a world not quite our own.

Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton. The smut starts within the first two chapters, but still, this is better than it's been. There is a mystery and plot beyond sex here and lots of Jason, who is a vast improvement over Richard. Candy for my brain.

Nightwatch by Sergei Lukyanenko. Yes, the Russian vampire book upon which the movie is based. It reads almost as three separate linked novellas, with themes and situations repeating, which is less tiresome than it sounds. The main character is a bit of a dork, and the world on top of ours that has been created is very interesting. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. This is another good reason to go digging in the YA section. Original, interesting, with well-done characters and a gripping plot. This is the first in a series, and he has me hooked. Would probably work for kids even younger than could handle Little Brother. A well-written sci-fi book that happens to be appropriate for the younger set. Go read this.

Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy. I enjoyed this both as urban fantasy and as a mystery. appropriate use of the gods and the fey, as well as a good bit of humor. Looking forward to reading more.