GeeCee's Not-Entirely-Original Miscellany

I feel like I need a weekend to recover from my weekend. (Okay, it's really more that I seriously do not want to go back to work tomorrow.) Friday evening nminusone and I met up with the fabulous jessicamelusine and friends to see "Elizabeth: The Golden Age". "Textile porn", Salon called it, and I don't disagree. Historically accurate? Probably not so much, but very, very pretty. It was very nice to finally meet MzMelusine in person, which I hadn't quite managed to do yet for various and sundry reasons. Got home late, took Nyquil, passed out.

Yesterday Chris and I trekked down to the Green Valley Book Fair. Sorry, but it was kind of a last-minute trip and so I didn't extend an invitation to other folks. There's another iteration coming up in late November I think, maybe we can plan a group road trip. It worked out to being something like four hours of driving for an hour and a half at the warehouse, but this wasn't a problem. I really don't need any more books to add to the "to be read" stack, but I still ended up with ( a decent haul. ) You see why this is a dangerous place for a book addict.

Part of the reason we didn't stay longer was that we had tickets to see Issa, formerly known as Jane Siberry. She was quirky (to say the least) and charming, as always. Since I'd last kept up with her, she's changed her name, given away or sold almost all of her worldly possessions, and moved all of the music to which she controls the rights online with a self-determined pricing model. I have to say, I had a brief moment of envy because I am not brave enough to travel the world living out of a knapsack right now.

Today I skipped the Marshall Crenshaw show in favor of hanging out with chadu, during which it was discovered that I cry like a baby during "Nature" specials involving animals. Newborn baby polar bear and mama? Tears. (Contemplating polar bears and the fact that they may not exist in the wild for much longer makes me sad.) Watching chimps from animal research labs being too scared at first to leave their transport carriers and step onto the grass at their new sanctuary home? Tears. Seeing the chimp who is primarily responsible for the fact that we have a hepatitis vaccine today and who died a few days after the footage was shot? Lots and lots of tears. Being sure that something bad's about to happen to an hours-old foal who can't stand up for some reason? Gotta leave the room, seriously. Watching Shirley and Jenny at the elephant sanctuary in Tennessee? Tears. Listening to Shirley's keeper of 22 years at her previous zoo home say goodbye and talk about how happy he was that she'd never have to wear a chain again? Ohgod, when he started crying, it was all over for me. Don't tell anyone, okay? It can be our little secret.

The National Zoo released a bunch more tickets to see Tai Shan, and I managed to snag a couple for the morning of Jan. 19. *squee*

If any of you are in the Chattanooga, TN area and looking for a dog, a friend of friends posted about four rescued puppies in need of homes. And if you're not in the immediate area but still interested, perhaps driveforlife could help get them to you.

Try and resist these faces, I dare ya. If I could have dogs, I'd be there already.

I'd really been hoping to attract birds with this, but what showed up is so much funnier:

( Well, I think so at least )

A ruby-throated hummingbird stopped by to check out the new feeder this morning, but didn't stay long; given the racket the three thieves were making with their squabbling, I wouldn't have either.

As you can imagine, the cat spent most of the morning with his nose pressed up against the glass of the back door.