gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
Forgive me journal, for I have thinned. It has been one day since my last covid booster. I express thanks for the miracle that is Tylenol.

I woke up with these words on my mind last night, in a state of fevered chills and aches 12 hours into my COVID booster. So I thought hey, why not do an open/public post?

We are year timey-wimey Jeremy-Bearimy of the pandemic and I have shed 42 lbs and at least 4 inches off my waistline. I am now the same size I was in my 30s, only stronger, fitter, and in a better place emotionally. I'm getting ready to travel to meet up with some Snapecast friends for a wedding in CA, and venturing into dating again thanks to an, uh, inspirational therapeutic relationship in my life.

My career has taken some interesting, exciting, and gratifying turns. And life in CT continues its course in the latest regeneration that is my life.

I know the opening of this entry was decidedly catholic in flavor. But for those who celebrate - Chag Pesach Sameach.


gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
Well hello there!

For those of you who didn't know, I went on the JoCo Cruise from 7 March - 14 March. My trip was fantastic. There were many people concerned for my safety. I felt most vulnerable getting on and off the ship, and in FLL airport. But I wore gloves when touching handrails, used Purell, and washed my hands frequently. I used Clorox wipes on my tray table and seat, on the door handles of bathrooms (unless I used a tissue to touch them), and the ship had plenty of Purell available for us when entering food areas. FLL appeared to be business as usual in terms of people taking flights. The ship felt like an oasis from the madness across the globe, to be honest.

I am now home and self-quarantined. My town in CT has issued a state of emergency and the state has ordered all restaurants to be take-out only among other measures. My University is doing everything possible to be online only and thankfully I am not responsible for any courses. So I will help my fellow faculty to adapt as much as possible. My research participant recruitment and training session is on hold. But I have plenty of work to do at home. The kitties are glad to see me and I'm just tired from all the travel and cold because it's no longer a balmy mid-70s to low 80s outside. 

The cruise itself was fantastic and I made some new friends as well as connected with people I hadn't seen in awhile. I played the board game Pandemic just to be a smartass. I drank and ate and got some sun and a massage. It was a much needed break from work and the first real holiday I'd taken in two years. So far, despite putting back 4 lbs, no regerts.


I am now on day 3 at home and finding it difficult to motivate myself to work. I have realized a few things:

1. I am turning into a house cat with all the napping and eating 
2. I have always joked that I would do well on house arrest. Now I will find out for sure if that's true.
3. I have enough food in my fridge, freezer, and cupboards to last me for probably months. I am well prepared.
4. I live next door to a park and have a backyard for which I am ever more thankful. Once the weather warms up a little, I will be able to go outside and enjoy fresh air and sunshine at a socially acceptable distance from others.

5. Until my self-quarantine is over, it will be a "fun" game of Guess That Symptom. Is it allergies? PMS? Flu? Cold? Dry air? COVID-19? Travel fatigue? ONLY TIME WILL TELL, KIDS!

I am not panicking. I am relaxing. Day 3 of captivity and all is well.

How are you?

gina_r_snape: (Hug)
Well hellooooo everyone. Or just one? Who knows.

It's been a year since my last entry and I I thought perhaps a update would be nice. 2017 ended with me and a friend going to a local bar/restaurant for a lovely evening. 2019 was a whirlwind of activity. I accepted a faculty position at a University, went to California and Denver (I actually interviewed in Denver but didn't opt to go live there). I went on the JoCo cruise, then went to Europe where I visited [profile] spursgirl79 in the UK and various friends in Berlin and Cologne. I did a LOT of socializing in NYC and basically soaked up the warmth and friendship, having a good time and reclaiming the good vibes that were whisked away in the strain of recent times.

I am now living in Connecticut! I learned to drive! I have a car! I'm on a tenure track in a small social work department at a small University that seems to be my speed. I miss all the socializing and friendships in NYC, but I have a huuuuuge beautiful flat and the kitties now have a hallway to run back and forth while I try to sleep.

I still miss T-Rex terribly, but I am not infrequently reminded of his presence. He still seems to be able to find ways to get my needs met.

For all these things I am thankful.

I send wishes to whomever winds up reading this, for all good things in 2019.

Eulogy

Apr. 19th, 2017 10:09 pm
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
Today was the funeral. It was beautiful and well-attended. I remain floored by the outpouring of love and support. Afterwards, we went to Veselka and I indulged in some challah french toast and a mimosa. And some gentle teasing with my brother Michael (you'll see why).

Here is the eulogy I gave today:

Greetings.

And for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Gina and Taras was my husband.

As I am not Ukrainian, and I am not Catholic, but Jewish, I thank this Church and the members of this community and ask that you forgive my lack of knowledge regarding your traditions. But as my mother-in-law Tekla is fond of frequently reminding me, Jesus and his disciples were Jewish and we are of the same God.

In the Jewish tradition we recite the mourner’s Kaddish when someone passes. Death is never mentioned in that prayer. Rather, the words are meant as a way to not turn away from God in anger or hate or hopelessness at the loss of a loved one, but rather to praise and be thankful for what we have been given. That while loss and sorrow exist, it is faith and goodness that prevail.

In that light, I wish to express my thanks for the extraordinary man that was Taras Hnatyshyn and what he brought to me in my life, in our life together, and to all of you.

Taras was so many things. An artist. An astronomer. An engineer. A gamer. A photographer. A computer nerd. A lover of hops and hockey, of music and offbeat comedy and many things in Science Fiction including Doctor Who and Star Trek.

Taras was a kind, funny, gentle and generous man with a quick and clever wit. He was, as his friend Peter recently put it, “one of the good ones.”

Taras and I were friends before we dated. We would trade quips via music lyrics and I would sit in awe at his encyclopedic knowledge of Doctor Who. He was a gentleman who frequently walked me home. He would flirt with me…a lot. Sometimes (by his own admission), unknowingly because he wasn’t ‘that guy.’ You know – the ones who just want one thing.

And so it was after a birthday dinner one year when things changed between us. I had received a birthday call from my brother Michael, who took the opportunity to playfully chide me “So when are you going to grow up and settle down, leave the city and move to the suburbs, buy house, have a couple of kids already?” When I hung up and told Taras, he looked at me with a glint in his eye and said “Why does your brother want to punish you with his life?” I was struck. I thought to myself “Why am I not dating this man? He so clearly gets me!”

And so it was that we began dating and fell in love. We walked – everywhere. We laughed. We had our private jokes. We discovered one another and the ridiculous number of interests we had in common.

And then he got cancer.

It is an extraordinary fact that we lived just two blocks away from each other in the 1990s, went to the same shops and restaurants and bars. I used to joke with him that someone up there randomly pointed at him and at me as young adults and said “Those two! But not yet…”

Because Taras came into my life just when I needed him. And although we did not know it yet, fell in love just as he was going to be needing me.

And I am thankful for the immense pain I have at his loss. Because it is a measure of the love we shared for one another. Taras handled his disability and his illness with grace and strength and humor. He faced life’s difficulties squarely in the face and never succumbed to negativity. When I asked him, he said there was no point in getting upset over things he could not control. Life with Taras was fun. And when it got hard, he hugged me and never forgot to thank me for taking care of him. He even made a joke after having a stroke! I was sitting bedside caressing his arm and he said “You’re stroking me!”

In his last days I asked him if he was scared and he said no. I asked him if he was sad and he said no. He had made his peace. And I am thankful to say that his final hours were truly peaceful and without pain.

So, yes, I am deeply, deeply sad. But I am not angry. I am grateful for the gift that was Taras and the life we had together. And it is in the spirit of the mourner’s Kaddish prayer that I say thank you for the gift that was Taras, with whom I shared a life and with whom all of us here had the honor of knowing. Dyakuyu.
gina_r_snape: (Hug)
Hi everyone.
So, while I make the great assumption that my blog friends live far away from NYC, I thought I would post the funeral and donation information anyway, in case anyone is around, not on FB, and would like to say goodbye.

We will be hosting the following:

Saturday 4/15
Wake with viewing at the Greenwich Village Funeral Home
199 Bleecker St.
1-3pm and 5-7pm

There will be an "afterparty" from 8-10pm at
Big Bar
75 E 7th St.

Wednesday 4/19
Funeral at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church
30 E 7th St.
9:30am


Anyone wishing to make a donation in his honor may contribute to:

United Spinal Association
https://www.unitedspinal.org/ways-to-give

(email me at ginarsnape at earthlink dot net for the contact information and his name)

or

Planetary Society
https://secure.planetary.org/site/SPageNavigator/supportprojects.html

gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
Last night I received a phone call that he'd become unresponsive. So today I went to the hospital, contacted his family, and sat with him until he passed. His mother got to say goodbye. My brother and sister-in-law came and sat with me awhile. One of his close longtime friends got to say goodbye. And at the end I sat with him facing me, his brother on the other side of the bed, my friend Lisa who came to be with me at the foot of the bed. And we waited.

I met with the hospice team earlier in the day. They talked with me about what I understood of his condition. They asked me about him as a person. I showed them some photos. And then I cried and they hovered over me.

After that I just sat quietly in the room with him all afternoon. I purchased a customized urn. I spoke to a few friends on the phone, and held his hand and was comforted by the sound of his breathing. He was hooked up to a monitor. I watched the monitor for signs and prayed that he went quickly. The hospice team had told me he might take a few days. But I sat and held his hand and told him it was ok to go. That I had friends taking care of me. His brother had friends taking care of him. His father was waiting for him. (His mother told me she had a dream a few weeks ago that he was a baby. His father picked him up and brought him into another room and closed the door behind them. When his mother went to follow, he told her not to come).

At one point they gave him some pain medicine because they were planning to transport him to a hospice bed. Then he opened his eyes somewhat and I felt him gazing upon me. His eyes eventually opened more into a fixed stare and the monitors started showing his heart rate slowing down and oxygen depleting. I again told him that I loved him and that it was ok to go. Not to hang on for my sake. After awhile I could see the change come over his face. He had departed. The monitors showed less and less and less. And then his heart stopped beating completely and he was really gone.

It was so quiet, so peaceful. He wasn't in pain. And he wasn't alone. I was the last thing he saw. And I am so thankful. I'm thankful I could be there for him. I'm thanking for what little time we had together. I am thankful his brother was gracious and not horrible. I am thankful for what he's taught me about love, and patience, and trust. And now I have to learn how to carry on without him.

Goodbye, my love.
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
I am pleased to report that my dissertation has been uploaded and accepted by ProQuest!

"Employment Discrimination Among People Who Are Transgender or Gender Non-Conforming: A Mixed Method Secondary Data Analysis"

My University did not require a hardcover (or even softcover) binding to publish. Everything was done online. Amazing.

I paid $55 to them for copyright registering, and ordered two softcover copies - one for myself and one for my dad and stepmother. Soon it will be a searchable, published dissertation.

I hope it will help the cause of transgender rights.

Anyone who is interested in reading it, let me know! If you don't have access to ProQuest through a University library for free, or don't have the means to pay (I think it will cost something like $4?) once it goes live, I can send a pdf. Be advised though - it's 150 pages including charts and attachments!

It's been a loooong road. But it's finally done.
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
To counter the Russian hackings, of course.

Hi. Who all is still here? How do I import my LJ entries to here, again? Help! And hi.
gina_r_snape: (Please Kill Me)
Greetings flist.
Well, I decided to name the plants Remus and Romulus because, indeed, the cilantro started to flower and was not at all happy in the heat. But then I got another basil plant and another cilantro plant. So now I've put them in two pots of like kinds.

Sound like mental juggling? That ain't nuthin' compared to my dissertation. I am deep in the throes of putting together my hypotheses and combing through the variable.

So here is where I need your help PEOPLE ON MY FLIST WHO IDENTIFY AS TRANS, GENDER NON-CONFORMING, OR CISGENDER BUT ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE CONCEPTS!!!!

The original researcher asked three questions:
1-Do you consider yourself trans in any way? Yes, No, don't know/questioning)
2-What was your sex assigned at birth (SAAB) (Male, Female, Don't Know)
and then later on,
3- What terms do you use to describe your gender identity? with the answers:
crossdresser
drag queen/king
feminine male
FTM/transgender man
GNC/variant
genderqueer
masculine female/butch
MTF/transgender woman
transgender
transsexual
two-spirit
none of these apply to me
female
male
intersex

When they did their report, they assigend anyone who said "yes" to 1 and male to 2 as MTF and anyone who said yes to 1 and female to 2 as FTM.

But my dissertation looks beyind the binary. I am looking to see if gender nonconformity or inconsistent presentation or people who others guess as being trans receive differential treatment.

Still with me?

So I am thinking of recoding the variables in question 3 to reflect three overarching categories: FTM, MTF and GNC.

BUT
This is not so easy.
If someone says they are a two-spirit, do I not include them in the analysis of certain questions? Do I assign them MTF or FTM based on SAAB and current gender presentation (another question).

If someone identifies as a feminine male and was male at birth, are they GNC? But if they say feminine male and was female at birth, still GNC or FTM?

If someone identifies as intersex but indicated their gender presentation as different from that assigned at birth, should that person be coded as GNC or left out?

I am concerned about adequately reflecting those people's experiences when asking questions like are they at risk of working in a street economy, or having lower income/living in poverty, or experiencing discrimination on the job.

So I have to make a decision about how to recode and I can't decide. Are there underlying thoughts or assumptions in going with one decision vs another on what category to put them in? You see, I have to choose SOMETHING or else I can't run statistics on that sort of variable. You wind up with what is called "too small cell size" because there are too many categories and not enough people in them to accurately test against another variable. (Sorry for the nerdtalk...)

Any thoughts?

(Note: I appreciate all constructive feedback that will help me make a decision on the variable. If anyone responds to this, please don't assume they are in any given category of gender identity unless explicitly expressed here. I'm making this note because I'm not f-locking the entry and some people may not wish to comment for fear of outing themselves in some way or another).
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
And just like that, summer is here. It's nearing the end of May and I've already had cause for turning on the A/C. The clock is ticking on me getting dissertation writing done (I plan to send something in to my committee in July). And I haven't even posted the pictures I took at the Pride Parade nearly a year ago. :shameface: I've been totally exhausted lately. I'm sure it's work-related and just caught up to me. But now I've fallen into a pattern where I don't sleep well at night, wake up tired, come home and nap after work, and don't sleep well again. Here's hoping the 3-day bank holiday weekend helps fix that.

On the plus side, T-Rex and I are coming up on our first anniversary! And I've joined another CSA. I've given up on the last one. I found them just too disorganized and it was a struggle to pick up the produce by 6pm. So this year I joined the Stanton Street CSA. They held a little "welcome orientation" last weekend and I got to meet the farmer. He was a lovely, soft-spoken fellow who talked about his farming, philosophy and commitment to supporting area agriculture and good labor practices. And he gave us a sense of what to expect, which was quite helpful. I got to meet the home organizers and some of the members and everyone seems super nice. I also have a share partner, who I have not met yet. (She posted on a board looking for someone). But we have emailed and spoken on the phone.

Pickups are Thursdays, so at least I can prep/store/cook at the weekend.

I leave you with this picture. T-Rex and went for a walk after dinner earlier this week and stopped for dessert at a place called Dessert Club. I got a green tea shaved ice and boy was this more than I expected!



And yes, I am totally omitting the story about how I was feeling too ill and tired this weekend to go out so T-Rex went to the Waystation with some other Whovians and wound up meeting Matt Smith and Steven Moffat there.
gina_r_snape: (Noel Flails)
Okaaaay. Ok. All right, already! :ducks:

Now that the timing has made such that I'm sure nobody is looking and/or interested anymore :headdesk: HERE is my Gally post. Forgive the delay. Photobucket is a right pain in the backside now, making this post 100 times more difficult to post than before. $#@$%!!!!

In short, T-Rex and I had a wonderful time. I felt relaxed. I spent time with my peeps and managed to steer clear of any and all drama, and it all turned out surprisingly well. [personal profile] elrina753, [profile] tennis_bear, T-Rex and I spent loads of time together. I also got to see [personal profile] prof_pangaea and [personal profile] nonelvis and [personal profile] frobisher and [profile] soulsister101 and [profile] doctorpancakes and I'm not sure who else is even on LJ anymore who I saw. But I brought Queen Victoria and my new outfit for Queen Galleia. T-Rex and I wore matching TARDIS robes to lobbycon that brought joy and amusement to many. And there was some harmless and amusing flirting with a couple of peeps I've gotten to know better now that I've been going for a few years. And walking! T-Rex and I left the hotel and wandered the area and found a NYC-style bagel place.

And I got to hang out with Sylvester McCoy again, and Frasier Hines and Daphne Ashbrook and Peter Purves (who loved my Queen Victoria so much he asked me for a picture (!). I saw Ben Browder and Freema Agyeman speak. And T-Rex gave me the awesomest earrings for Valentine's Day.

Okaaaay, okaaaay, I know. It's pictures you lot want. Have at 'em )


This story wouldn't be complete without a nod to T-Rex. As we waited for the bags to come out of the luggage turnstile, he predicted EXACTLY that mine would be #7. Maybe he isn't a muggle after all . . .

Happy Whoing, f-list!
gina_r_snape: (Facepalm)
This was going to be a Gally post. But instead it'll be a mini nostalgia trip.

Last night my friend K and I went out for food and drinks. It's been a VERY rough week at work and going out for a bit of fun seemed like a grand idea.

We went to a place called Yuca Bar where delicious food and strong Mojitos were consumed with reckless abandon. We then found ourselves in a nice little bar called "Dream Baby" where I sucked down Appleton rum and cokes after the bartender gave us a list of all the rums they had in stock. The place used to be the Lakeside Lounge, but you wouldn't recognize it as it had been gutted (and good too, because Lakeside was really gross). I remarked to K (and later to T-Rex who joined us when we'd probably already had too many) that the music was *really* good. I mean, unusually rare these days. The kind of music only a true officionado/rock nerd of a certain generation would know to play.

So I started chatting with the bartender and he was extremely likeable. We chatted about being from the 'hood in the same time, that we were pretty close in age, he was all "my sister!". And then I asked him "do you remember this restaurant . . . that bar . . . do you remember the Green Door parties on St. Marks in the 90's? I really miss that." And he was all "THAT WAS MY PARTY." Turned out, the bartender was Danny Sage from D-Generation and he and his bandmates more or less made a sizeable chunk of the scene I loved so much in my 20s.

So I felt like an idiot for asking the guy who ran the parties if he remembered them. DUUUUUH. But he was totally gracious and excited that I missed it. And so today I've been googling times past.

This "Top Eleven Since-Closed Live Music Venues in NYC" summarizes most of the places I hung out in.

And here, for your enjoyment/amusement, is D-Generation with one of their songs "No Way Out". It's very pop and I still find it hard to believe they never got The Big Break whereas contemporaries Green Day did, because they did have the right combination of 80s punk look and commercial viability, and more authenticity. But maybe I'm just biased cuz they were my local boys.

gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
I posted this to LJ, and them remembered the folks over here. So here ya go.




+



+

A revamping of Hermione's wig


=

?

Hint: The Master (Delgado) was a bit flirtatious with her at one point.
gina_r_snape: (Noel emotional breakdown (NME shoot))
I posted this Saturday on LJ. But remembering there are folks over here not there, I'm posting it again.

---

Greetings flist. I'm feeling melancholy and nostalgic this morning. The weather is freezing out and I woke up with low blood sugar. At breakfast I drank too much very strong tea and now I'm trying to recover before starting my day. I plan to make a challah bread, and after that I'm not sure. Plans for a "board game" evening with friends were thwarted, and T-Rex has a lot of tasks to take care of during the day today.

While waiting for my blood sugar to normalize and the caffeine to settle down, I watched a show called How The Edwardians Spoke. It was very interesting; and watching people listening to recordings of their deceased relatives got me thinking about my own. All three of my grandparents (I never met my paternal grandfather) died over 10 years ago. My brothers have silent home movies of my maternal grandparents from the 1960s and 70s, but when I've asked them for a copy I always get told they are stored somewhere in the attic and they are too busy/lazy/disinterested to dig them out for me. So I got a bit emotional on the couch, thinking about them. One woman in the documentary said she couldn't remember what her brother sounded like, which of course got me thinking about what my grandparents sounded like. I longed to hear their voices. How could I not start crying, right?

Have I mentioned that I've met T-Rex's mother? I've been to her place twice now. She's a lovely, funny, interesting woman in her 80s with witty and painful stories of her life in the Ukraine and the States. Her flat reminds me of my paternal grandmother, clean but cluttered, overstuffed and decorated with cultural brick-a-brac (in her case Ukrainian instead of Spanish). When she tells me stories, I find myself longing to hear my grandparents' stories. Of course I regret never having the foresight to interview them before their passing. My maternal grandfather, in particular, would tell me bits of things about the neighborhood where I live; I live where he grew up and frequently walk past where he was born. He and I weren't as close as I was to my very affectionate grandmother. He was a quiet man, not terribly demonstrative. But "still waters run deep" as they say, and I know he loved me.

I suppose it's better to cry over the loss of loved ones than to cry over never having them, though. Right?

It's very cold in NYC. And work has been tirelessly pressing. The clients complained about the draughts (our building is in desperate need of repair but funds remain unforthcoming). So after gaining permission from the city, we were able to put tape (and in some cases plastic) on the windows to stop the draughts.

Of course, the temperature then went up to the point where the clients wanted to undo the tape and open their windows. But that was short-lived and we are plunged into freezing temps once again. We have a particularly needy, whiny bunch at the moment. And I am worried about getting audited while on holiday at Gallifrey. So this week I'll be doing my best to prepare my staff in case that happens.

On the physical front, I've been waking up with low blood sugars for a few days. I'm not sure how much of it is hormonal, but if it continues after a few more days I will know it's because I've now lost 7 lbs. T-Rex bought me a "Fitbit One" tracker and I've been using it to track my steps, miles, calories burned, sleep, and logging my food and weight. It's working. And although the numbers suggests I should be losing about 1 to 1.5 lbs per week, I am losing between .5 and .75 a week and that's good enough for me. When you have diabetes, it sometimes gets in the way of best laid plans. Blood sugar drops mean more calories. But it occurred to me not long ago that I really shouldn't complain about having a disease where one of the "cures" to a critical problem is eating sweets. I also think my metabolism is slow, and so I probably don't burn as many calories as the device assumes based on height, age, etc.

The best part about having the Fitbit is that the goal setting works. As a behavioral modification tool, it does actually get me moving more than I might have otherwise. I am motivated to meet my daily step goal. And as T-Rex walks A LOT, this is something we can do together. Plus, it's something I can keep up unlike other exercise plans such as workout videos or a gym membership (as history has shown unsustainable for me).

Anyway, I'm grateful today is Saturday. I can take things at a slower pace and do something that makes me feel good. So challah bread it is! Oh, and prepping for Gally. I will be COSplaying someone else this year in addition to Queen Victoria, and her outfit is not yet fully together.

Happy Saturday, flist.
gina_r_snape: (Noel flirty hair twirl)
Thought I'd post this here as LJ is acting up (and [personal profile] cmcmck suggested it!

Greetings flist!

It's been a busy few weeks and I am more than remiss in wishing you all a Happy Chanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

T-Rex and I have been so super busy that I opted to stay home today, slightly crushed from fatigue. (I slept until 1pm!).

One thing we did to be in the holiday spirit was go to the Holiday Train Show at the Transit Museum shop at Grand Central. This video is waaaay better than the one I attempted. Enjoy!



We also rode a vintage train! It ran along the M line. T-Rex and I enjoyed it so much we went twice! First on our own, then with some friends the weekend after. Here are some clickable thumbnail photos (and a few videos) of the train ride and assorted other Christmas-y New Yorkness.

Enjoy!

Photobucket

T-Rex and I with friends on the train )



Reproductions of vintage ads, along with some old train signs )


Some other views of the train )


I'd forgotten how loud these old trains were. But LJ keeps cutting off my post and now this is the third time I'll try to re-type it. GRRRRR!!!! Embedding this video seems to be a culprit, so here's a direct link

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v64/ginarsnape/?action=view¤t=IMG_1718_zps9a83c0df.mp4

It was great fun riding the vintage train. I remember it from my childhood, so it brought back tons of memories. T-Rex remembers it too, and he loves trains. So it was a joy just to watch his face light up when we were on it. The friends who accompanied us had never ridden them, so that was a treat. :-)

T-Rex did a lot of walking in December. Here are a few pics of us about town )
Christmas itself was quiet and lovely. I LOOOOVED the Doctor Who Christmas Special. I felt a real spark of excitement for the Doctor finding (being found by?) a new companion. And there was good chemistry between them. So for the first time in ages, I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

And New Year's Eve was quiet. Neither of us felt like heavy partying (or being around other people, even!) So I put together a little cheese plate. We ate some nibbly things and sipped our drinks and sat on my couch and giggled. And as T-Rex noticed a 7-second delay from the Times Square broadcast, we toasted the new year twice. ^__^ It was wonderful to be tucked into our little hidey-hole, away from the rest of the world.

And now here's hoping this entry doesn't get clipped again. I wish you all the best for 2013, flist!
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
Oh, I am so rarely over here, though only slightly more active on LJ. Just wanted to wish anyone who only reads on dW a happy new year.

2011 has been good to me. Weight loss. Job promotion. Girlfriend. Here's hoping 2012 will continue the trend with good things for me and you!

Gina x

DDoS again

Jul. 27th, 2011 09:25 pm
gina_r_snape: (Noel emotional breakdown (NME shoot))
And so it seems LJ is facing another DDoS attack. No news on why this time. But despite my recent absence, I am actually feeling it. I want to read my friends' entries, post, read fanfic, mourn the loss of Amy Winehouse, etc. But no such luck.

I haven't written much because I've been busy, you see, dissertating and working and exercising and trying to stay out of the oppressive NYC heat. btw, I've now lost nearly 15 lbs (about a stone) since May 1st and will soon reach my first major weight loss goal. I've been very quiet about this because it's not terribly glamorous. Exercise. Log my food. Be generally healthy. But it does mean fitting into clothing that's been sat aside waiting for me. It feels pretty good.

My new insulin pump is working out well, also in the realm of health.

Dissertating is going slowly, but it is going.

I want to write about work, but don't feel comfortable doing so in an entry that will go unlocked (Does dW allow for locked posts to be x-posted to LJ as locked?).

So instead, I will post this drawing (I use the term "drawing" lightly as my skills are laughably limited) what I made for [personal profile] bluestocking79 and myself that is a plan of the flat in the Mighty Boosh. We were trying to figure out of the boys had a kitchen table. (They do).

This should be a clickable thumbnail (I hope).

Photobucket

It's also up on my DeviantArt page.

I miss you all. Terribly.
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Default)
And so it seems LJ is now suffering a third DDoS attack.

I miss LJ. I miss my well-populated flist. And my icons (is there a way to import them without having to upload them all from scratch?). And my comms. And my cut tags, what I don't know how to do on DW. And I hate that DW can mean dreamwidth AND Doctor Who.

Posting in two places feels schizophrenic to me.

But here I wandered after the site went down just as I clicked on an entry to read and comment.

I have DW codes, if anyone wants one.

And in light of the $hitstorn on LJ, I give you this article on 14th century living and poo disposal, what entertained and informed me a great deal this afternoon. I already knew the origin of the word "loo" though, thanks to a ghost tour during my visit to Edinburgh.

I also discovered this site, for future reference.

http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/

*bookmarks*

How are you today, flist in exile?

x-posted, in the event LJ comes back to life again.

Meh

Apr. 4th, 2011 10:50 pm
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Boosh Noel F* Me shoe)
Well, I got nothing done this weekend. I felt completely listless, so I watched 30 Rock and curled up with my cats on Saturday. I did meet up with [livejournal.com profile] pomona513 on Sunday, however, and bought a funky tie with vegetables on it. And I went to the DWNY video meet for a short while, where I got to hang out with [livejournal.com profile] tennis_bear.

My cape arrived today. It sort of helped, but I was particularly amused by the language on the return form. They called it a "counterfoil" and I'm not sure why it amuses me, but it does. I also liked how the paper that lists your purchase was called a "Despatch Note" rather than "Invoice" or "Packing Slip."

The weather was weird today, but the perfect temperature for my new cape, so at least I got to wear it home.

The State negotiated to keep some of the homeless funds we lobbied for. They plan to replace the former housing voucher with something new - to be announced at a director's meeting on my birthday. FML

I have a meeting on Wednesday with my dissertation chair and second. I might have to shell out real money for mplus, as my chair informed me that the University didn't purchase new licensed copies. And my friend who was going to give me her copy doesn't think it'll work now as the license expired. Anyone have an idea for a tacky fundraising auction I can do? I have a YouTube account, if it helps.

At least work was relatively quiet today.
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Boosh Noel (NME breakdown))
RIP Don Hill.

I had many a good night at Don Hill's (and the Cat Club in its heyday), though not of late. (I was a regular at Squeezbox at one time). And the one time I worked the door at Don Hill's (for a NOLA hurricane disaster relief benefit put on by a friend), he was very nice to me. Or, he was amused and appreciative, at least, in our interaction. (I asked for his ID and the cover fee before realizing who he was).

Boosh fans will be amused to find a clip of The Horrors performing, counted on the list in the first link.
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