Below are the most recent 15 friends' journal entries.

Sunday, December 20th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	2:01p	What fresh hell is this?! I feel... weird. Not "sick" in any way I've been familiar with before. Just a little dizzy, my balance is off ... a few other odd non-specific sensations. And of course, I'm supposed to head off to Oregon tomorrow morning... and this has me wondering if I'm going to be OK to drive that far. (Well, as far as Redding tomorrow, then on to Oregon on Tuesday.) I first noticed this a couple days ago, but thought it was because my sleeping patterns have been odd and that it was perhaps a symptom of lack of sleep - you know how you can get a little uncoordinated when you're really tired? But I had a good long sleep last night, and my proprioception is spot-on - I can do the "eyes closed, arms out to the sides and touch my nose with my index finger" thing without a hitch. It's just my balance that's off, plus this oddly woozy feeling. Blood sugar's not out of whack, I haven't taken any new supplements or medications... I haven't had a drop of alcohol for weeks. My H1N1 vaccination was a couple weeks ago. I wish I had some freaking idea what this was! Is there a doctor in the house? :) Current Mood: aggrieved (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	6:12p	What NOT to do for Xmas... Cat was a most mellow and obliging feline... but I don't think even he would have stood for something like this. He might not have struggled or fought while it was being put on ... but I doubt it would have stayed on very long. Current Mood: amused (3 Comments |Comment on this)
furr_a_bruin	5:50a	*GROWL* Grossly Obstructionist Party Is it just horrible of me to hope for a completely accidental but violent explosion at a Senate Republican Caucus meeting that kills every damned one of the stupid rat-fucking bastards? Oh, and Joe LIEberman ("Douche!") and Ben Nelson too, who were just walking past.... *SNARL* If any of y'all live in a state (mis)represented by one of these fucktards, I have a suggestion. Whether by letter or fax, phone or email - ask them over and over and over "Why do you want American citizens to suffer, go bankrupt and die unnecessarily? Because that's exactly what your position on health care reform accomplishes." Feel free, when in response they try to hand you a bullshit platter, to call them "whores for the insurance racketeers." </flame> Current Mood: angry (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	8:49p	Xmas Travel I'll probably post more about this later, but I'm planning on departing for Oregon to see Dad for Xmas this coming Monday morning. The weather currently looks decent; here's hoping I don't have to contend with snow. I will of course have my netbook with me so there will probably be an occasional post here, but probably not too much. On my last trip I discovered some good WiFi spots - including one not too far from Dad's place. Now, I'd be happier if one of the neighbors with an open WiFi router were to have better signal strength, but this is better than nothing. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	2:47p	These uniformed thugs need to be publically pilloried and thoroughly FIRED! Dr Peter Watts, Canadian science fiction writer, beaten and arrested at US border And people wonder why I don't travel. Current Mood: angry (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	3:14p	Nog Me! It's gotten nearly impossible to find a gift for my dad, so I've largely turned to doing things for him he wouldn't do for himself, or getting him goodies likewise. The thought's occurred to me to make him a batch of homemade, really tasty eggnog when I visit for Xmas; there's only one problem. I don't have a kick-ass eggnog recipe. Kind of a problem. I did find this site, but I'm not sure how to evaluate these recipes. One thing I should point out here - dad turned 100 back in July, he's on a number of meds - so I'm NOT looking for an alcohol-loaded recipe designed to get an entire party tipsy. A small amount of rum/brandy/whiskey is fine, but I don't want to risk nasty interactions with his meds. I am looking for something rich and flavorful! (And while I need to get some high-grade cinnamon - I already have whole nutmegs and a grater, so that part's covered.) And although I'm not particularly worried about salmonella from raw eggs for myself, I do think a recipe based on a cooked custard-ish base would be best in this instance both from a food safety and a flavor perspective. So - do any of you have advice, recipes, pointers, etc.? I'd really appreciate the help! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, December 14th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	11:51p	One Of THOSE Cartoons! It's probably not work-safe for a lot of y'all out there - but if you don't have blurthelines_fd on your "read at home in private" list... well, I think you should - and you know I'm rarely wrong about these things! ( Look! Look! You know you want to! C'mon, no one will know! Click here and look! ) Current Mood: mischievous (Comment on this)
furr_a_bruin	6:50p	Just A Reminder... If your local holiday music station is NOT playing 'Weird Al' Yankovic's song "Christmas at Ground Zero," call them up and tell them to - otherwise, the terrorists win! Current Mood: mischievous (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 12th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	3:25p	Christmas At Ground Zero I've read that since 9/11/01, lots of stations that play holiday music during December - and which normally DO include "novelty" songs - have shied away from this song because of the "new" meaning to the phrase "Ground Zero." Well, FUCK THAT! Here's one of the most brilliant holiday novelty songs ever created—by that maestro of bizarre, "Weird Al" Yankovic: Of course, another favorite from "Weird Al" is "The Night Santa Went Crazy" - and some people have done a brilliant animated video for the song: (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	11:36a	Science and Cookies - what could be better?! Check this out! Gel Electrophoresis! Atoms! The Periodic Table! Petri dish! (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	1:37p	Celebrity Adjacent Just did an online chat with Katey Segal (Married with Children, Futurama, Sons of Anarchy). She came across as fun and nice - and she even answered my question! :) I asked if the actress who plays ATF Agent Stahl is anything like her character; Katey laughed and said no, only in that she's also a strong woman. ;) Lots of the other people in the chat expressed impatience at how long it will be until we get resolution of the cliffhangers... so I'm not alone. Current Mood: good (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	4:23p	Under Wraps Not much to say here - just that I've finally decided on a Jethro Tull usericon. For anyone who doesn't recognize it - it's a geometric rendering of the word "TULL" as used on the cover of the album Under Wraps. My first choice was the "Beastie" from the cover of the album Broadsword and the Beast, but there's so much detail in that it just doesn't work as a 100x100 pixel icon. These copies are 200x200 and even at that size it loses so much in translation. The problem is similar with most other iconic Tull album covers - Aqualung, Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses or Stormwatch. I don't care for some others, or I don't think they would be immediately recognizable to most as signifying "Jethro Tull." As much as I like the album J-Tull.com ... I don't know that anyone but serious Tull fans would immediately associate its album cover with the band. So, I went with the simple geometric design... which I have to admit, I've been taken with ever since it appeared. There's a pentominoes-like appeal to it, somehow - a symmetric elegance. Technically, as you can see from the album cover above, it should be rendered against a contrasting circle - but given that the actual design is square, I decided to come as close to filling the 100x100 space as possible. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 7th, 2009
furr_a_bruin	9:11p	The most bizarre "Vanity Card" for The Big Bang Theory I've ever read. ( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. ) Current Mood: shocked (Comment on this)
furr_a_bruin	3:09p	Bears & BEAR™ Many of my furry compatriots here have heard about the clueless and inflammatory editorial published in the revived BEAR™ magazine. The ruckus has re-energized the so-called "post-bears" as well. I've long held that "Post- anything is pretentious" and this is absolutely no exception. Frankly the people who call themselves "post-bear" remind me of trend obsessed teenagers; when they think something is "passé" they get all dismissive and snarky about it. I've decided that I and people like me - bearish before BEAR™ and ursine to date - need our own identifier in this stour. It came to me as I was making a comment on another fellow's post about this; I am a First Wave Bear! ...and anyone of roughly similar experience is welcome to use the term. First Wave Bears are entitled to roll their eyes and chuff derisively at anyone who says idiotic things about ursine culture - like the dimwit who wrote the aforementioned editorial claiming that bear culture started in the '90s, when any FWB worth his hunny knows it was in the '80s. FWB's can do this, you see, because we were there when it all came together. We can disagree on the precise definition of "bear" - because we know it when we see it. Oh yes - and be careful about calling yourself a First Wave Bear if you're really not; we can be a surly lot [especially when some douchebag at a magazine gets our fur rumpled], and we do have claws. Current Mood: inspired (13 Comments |Comment on this)
furr_a_bruin	7:26a	Waving @ Bearz ( You are about to view content that may only be appropriate for adults. ) Current Mood: geeky (1 Comment |Comment on this)