Like Ibn Al-Farid...

... I am trapped in a cultural wasteland, striving to bring the light of civilization to those around me. Ah, the fast times of Lake Havasu City. The sidewalks roll up at 10pm, even at the local coffee shops. The only things open later are the sports bars, fast food joints and gas stations. Oh, the excitement. When I get back home, I am SO going for a Vietnamese Mocha and a surly barrista. At least they have a really good Italian Market here. Linda's. Try it. I'm too lazy to cods an addy right now, so go hit here: http://jerkey.cjb.net

Okay, so when was my last update... Hrm, in the intervening time I've gotten a 'C' on my Comm test (I knew the streak wouldn't last), mostly figured out my final paper for my folklore class, done some other stuff and driven to Lake Havasu for Turkey Day. I've decided I like my goatee, mislike politics, and don't like my brother in law's girlfriend.

The drive to Havasu was LONG. I knew Wednesday evening would be bad, but didn't really have a choice. A 4.5 hour drive got stretched to almost 7. Slow service for dinner, long lines at the gas pumps with idiots who can't figure out how to turn the pump on, stop-and-go gridlock from Casa Grande to Chandler that never got above 40mph, all the usual fun. Perin tried lifting our spirits at one point by cracking the line: "Well, at least it isn't raining." It started raining about 30 miles before Quartzite. Didn't last long, but it amused the hell out of me.
Had a fat and lazy Turkey Day. Ate alot and worked on some figs. I'm doing some contract work for a guy in trade for some of his stuff. He had seen a conversion piece of mine online in a contest and liked it so much he asked me to do him 4 similar. He got me the pieces a bit before the beginning of the semester, with the understanding that I'd work on them when I could. I worked on them a bit per day for a couple weeks and then hit the sculpting equivalent of writer's block. So they sat... and sat... and got pushed off to the side to sit some more. I came to the realization that sitting on them wasn't going to unlock anything for me. That usually works for my own figs, but these are for someone else. So I took them up to Havasu with me and have been working on them. It kills the time and has actually been somewhat enjoyable. I'm definately keeping pics when I'm done and maybe I'll post them so you all can see my other geekdom (for those that haven't already).
Today I got to meet my brother in law's girlfriend. They're having a kid in March, so it is somewhat likely that she'll be around for a while. Right off the top she started making a poor impression. She's claimed Drew for Christmas with her family, so we made plans to come up for Thanksgiving. This was mostly to meet her. She decided to go to California and left him to feed her dog. She got back into town this afternoon. Drew works nights and was crashed out on the couch. When the girlfriend calls at 4, Sara answers the phone, pretty much knowing who it is going to be. The girlfriend asks for Drew, finds out he's asleep and asks Sara to wake him up. As Drew's only gotten a couple hours and has to work again tonight, Sara demured. She said that dinner was at 6 and that she'd pass a message to Drew then. So the girlfriend says she'll just come over and wake him up. Sara says, "That's great, dinner's at 6, come over around then." The girlfriend gives up and hangs up on her. Two minutes later the phone rings again, this time it is my mother in law who answers... The conversation runs about the same, with the refusal for dinner being a comment that she "doesn't want what we're having for dinner." When she didn't even know what was on for dinner. Then she hangs up on her future mother in law. Dumbass. I get the feeling she's not going to last long. The crowning glory is that all of this managed to wake Drew up, so he called her, only to recieve her wrath because the women in his family didn't dance to her tune. She then came over, picked him up and whisked away... I saw just enough of her to decide that I REALLY don't like her. I'm sure this whole thing will be a learning experience for Drew... learning why to use condoms at the very least.
So now I'm hiding in the back room, stuck on a dial-up connection. Perin is in the living room being subjected to a recording of a play put on by the community theater group. Her brother had a small part in it towards the end... but the parents are trying to subject us all to the entire damn thing. I'm sure I'll hear commentary about my many reasons for not being in that room. It's not that the play is bad, just that the sound, blocking, lighting, recording, and most especially the acting all suck. Alot.
I was going to end the post here, but became Posty McRanty... so I decided to add some thoughts I've been having.

After an interesting chat with a friend (had to think for a bit about that word.. but yeah, it's official, they're a friend), I've been doing alot of thinking on the concepts of propriety, image, honesty, and perception. I don't know that I have finalized my thoughts just as yet. I do have a couple comments I'd like to make to the aether in general. And before the alarmed responses come in, this is commentary mostly for my own clarification, not commentary upon particular people, persons or events. It is more a statement of my credo, as revised and revisited by these thoughts.
1. I know and accept that not everybody is going to like me. This is fair as I dislike and/or don't care about a number of people.
2. My opinions are just that, opinions. Everybody has them. They can be changed.
3. Context can be miscontrued. I strive to keep my context clear. If there is reason to wonder if I mean something as whiney or snarky, always go with the snarky. If there is something irritating enough to make me want to whine about it, I usually apply a baseball bat.
4. Those things I post here are my own thoughts and perceptions. They are not always fully informed nor correct. If this is the case, talk to me. If you have facts, I will change to reflect them. If you have opinions, I will listen.
5. I will not change who I am to try and make you like me. I can only be the person who I am. Acting otherwise would be lying to myself.
6. I will never say anything about someone that I will not say to their face. However, I accept that some words are best said directly rather than offered for general consumption. Where that is possible and appropriate, I will do so.
7. I am not afraid of getting my feelings hurt and am willing to admit when I am wrong. I'm not the type to knowingly perpetuate misinformation. I also understand if you can't give me all the details. If you do not correct me, you have no right whine, bitch, complain or try to use my statements against me and mine. That is your failing, not mine.
This is my blog. There are many like it, but this one is mine. If you do not like it, I don't care. It is here for the amusement of myself and my friends. I am amused to know that there are readers who do not fall into any of these categories. They may even mean ill to me and mine. That is stupid, but such is life. If you really want to know what I think, try asking me directly. Hah.