I've officially given up on the meme.
I'm ridiculously behind and don't particularly feel like catching up.

In other news, I got my grades for school.
2 A's and 3 B's, so GPA = 3.4;
Not bad, I'll take it. :)

I can't believe Christmas is three days away!
Unfortunately, I work tomorrow and Christmas Eve, but only for a few hours each day.

Just what I wanted!


A new place for fic and art
@ gk_fanworks

Please to ignore all the whining I've been doing because Yuletide has actually been a lot of fun. Finished my two assigned fics, have been lucky enough to beta five really fabulous fics so far, and have a list of things to do as treats as soon as I'm done with my swapfic. (Now if only I could snag one of these pinch hits...)

If anyone's interested in doing a treat for me (WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE), my Yuletide letter is here. This year with the archive moving to AO3, treat-writing is open to everyone even if you didn't sign up for Yuletide. All you need is an AO3 account (which you can request here)!

How much longer til Madness starts? *twitches*

I just checked Regretsy for the first time in a couple of weeks, and there is classic internet-style comedy gold happening all over the place over there. 'Tis the season for really bad handmade goods. If you haven't been there for some reason, I recommend it.

ALSO! They played MTV's bhangra Jingle Bells on the CBC this morning and, of course, I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

Also my boss just got me a bunch of Christmas presents even though she told me last week not to get her anything. BIATCH, I HATE WHEN PPL DO THAT. On the other hand, I do like getting presents! She got me some of those ceramic bowls that have tupperware lids that fit on top of them, and some panda bear Christmas ornaments where the pandas are wearing traditional Chinese clothes - adorbs.

I'll be resending the ones I don't have claims for from the old list (117, 121, 125, 167-168, 181), and will take either claims on the new numbers or old. Things will be coming from a different email address from me, but we'll all get it sorted!

They'll be coming in smaller batches. Much smaller batches. *g*

ETA: I don't have the means to tell the full pinch hit list that prompts have been claimed, or about the move, or anything. If you see a prompt and you have a friend that you think might like it, let them know/email me if they do! Upload is open to anyone with an AO3 account, and I can provide invites for those claiming prompts.

I never posted a Christmas wishlist, but Yuletide Treats are coming up, and ANYONE (even people not signed up for the challenge this year, but you do have to sign-up to get an AO3 account) can write them. So, if you might feel inclined to write me a drabble or ficlet in Chuck, Community or Jonathan Coulton, you can! :)

Details:

**My Yuletide Letter
**More Info on Yuletide Madness
**Want to Pinch Hit? - 100s going out this afternoon! - see how here

I've had a great Yuletide season so far, I'm working on Fic #5 today. And I plan to write a few treats, too. :) Some of the BBT peeps on Twitter have dubbed me "Queen of Yuletide," lol, but I'm sure there will be people who write more!

Please boost the signal on this:

We have a backup list for pinch hitting, called yuletidepinchhitters! You can join at the website, if you have a Yahoo account, or by email:

To subscribe to a group's mailing list via email:

• Send a blank email to yuletidepinchhitters-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To activate your subscription, just reply to the confirmation message you receive from the group.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/22/making-white-house-gingerbread-house

Each year, the White House Pastry Team comes together with other members of the White House staff to work on a favorite holiday tradition: The White House Gingerbread House. Because this project requires so much space, the gingerbread house is usually assembled in the China Room of the Residence instead of the pastry shop. Everyone from White House carpenters to plumbers to electricians lend their expertise to help make this project a success.

Weeks were spent planning out the details, studying James Hoban’s original architectural designs and blueprints, gathering ingredients and creating a time line.

And then the real work begins. More than 150 pounds of gingerbread dough is made and this year the recipe called for White House Honey! After baking the gingerbread, it is cut into pieces that become the house’s foundation. The gingerbread is so thick that a band-saw is used to create the bricks for the gingerbread replica. More than 250 lbs of white chocolate is then used for everything from the adhesive to the decorative elements. The white chocolate provides the flexibility needed to create details like the rosettes and the banisters, the windows and the wreaths.

This year we have two special features.

The first is a shadow box view of the State Dining Room – the room that the completed gingerbread house sits in throughout the holiday season for visitors to view. This shadow box even includes the famous painting of President Lincoln by George PA Healy that hangs over the fireplace. This room is where you’ll find the only inedible parts of the gingerbread house – the light fixtures!

We also include the new White House Kitchen Garden and our favorite four-pawed friend, Bo. Both are made out of marzipan. In the garden, you’ll find baskets of carrots, eggplants and cabbage as well as other seasonal vegetables.

We have such a great time planning, baking and decorating, but each year the best part is always seeing the reactions of visitors from across the country when they first see our gingerbread house on their tour of the actual White House.

We hope that you’ll enjoy this video of our gingerbread house as much as we enjoyed making it.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a sweet start to the New Year!

Bill Yosses is the White House Executive Pastry Chef

The Yuletide 2009 Collection is open for new uploads, including pinch hits and extra stories of over 1000 words, and those latecomers who missed the deadline, for whatever reason.

I'm responding to the initial flood of pinch hits as quickly as I can confirm them. Thank you for the comfort and suggestion on the last post; how we'll be handling any leftover or new pinch hits will be posted here -- maybe they'll get back to me and believe I didn't have an auto-responder on! \o/

I dropped billy. Freaking hell. Like, he wasn't sick enough so I decide to throw him on the floor? I had given him his medicine, we hung out and snuggled, he was lounging up by my neck but I thought it'd been long enough he might want to just be home so I put my hands around him and walked to the cage. He hadn't been really squiggly until he saw the cage, then he suddenly decided to dive for it. He was about at my waist level when I really lost hold of him, he hit the edge of the cage with a leg and dropped to the floor. And now that leg is screwed up. We were up until 1 in the morning watching him, then I woke up this morning and called two vets to see who could get him in early and neither one really could. One said if we dropped him off, they might just be able to take a look before 3:30, so marc took him there.

On top of feeling like a terrible person, I'm also just really mad because when I googled information about guinea pigs with broken legs I mostly came across people wanting advice that did NOT involve a veterinarian. Because they "didn't have the money". I'm sorry but I think it's really irresponsible to own a pet if you don't have the resources to take care of it. I know guinea pigs are only $30, but that doesn't mean you should get one just because you happen to have $30. It's not a x-box, it's a life!

rant over. obviously I can't pose like the most responsible pet owner ever since I just dropped my piggy, but let's face it, we've been medicating the little guy for two months. That's a lot of handling, having him in and out of the cage, holding him, etc. I've probably held him 100 times without dropping him. I hate myself, and I feel horrible, but that won't fix him now.

Keep good thoughts up for us. I'll update when they call back, hopefully soon.

I'm going to go see how much calcium I'm getting in these damn prenatal vitamins, I really hope my baby has strong bones.

If you could have me write you any Lord of the Rings fic whatsoever, what would it be?

Movies or books; I have some passing familiarity with Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales as well. &MORWENSTEELSHEEN;

As usual, no promises that I'll get these done in anything like a timely fashion, or even that I'll get them done at all, but who knows. Multiple prompts are great, and I imagine I need hardly say how I feel about crossovers.

Other posts: SPN | BtVS/Angel

If you have me write you Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel fic whatsoever, what would it be?

As usual, no promises that I'll get these done in anything like a timely fashion, or even that I'll get them done, but who knows. Multiple prompts are great, and I imagine I need hardly say how I feel about crossovers.

Other posts: Supernatural | Lord of the Rings

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/22/introducing-new-cybersecurity-coordinator

Today the White House announced the President’s new White House Cybersecurity Coordinator, Howard Schmidt.

With some forty years of experience in government, business and law enforcement, Howard brings a unique and deep experience to this important issue.  Watch this video to learn more about his background and approach:

Cybersecurity matters to all of us – and it’s our shared responsibility to mitigate the threats in this space.  You can take cybersecurity into your own hands with these tips for protecting yourself online:

Keep your security software and operating system up-to-date.  At a minimum, your computer should have current anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a firewall to protect yourself from hackers and malicious software that can steal sensitive personal information.  Hackers also take advantage of Web browsers and operating system software that do not have the latest security updates. Operating system companies issue security patches for flaws that they find in their systems, so it is important to set your operating system and web browser software to download and install security patches automatically. Protect your personal information online.  Millions of people become victims of identity theft each year.  One way that cyber criminals convince computer users to divulge their confidential personal information is through fake "phishing" emails, which are often cleverly disguised to look like authentic emails.  Be wary of clicking on links in emails that are unfamiliar and be very cautious about providing personal information online, such as your password, financial information, or social security number. Know who you are dealing with.  It is remarkably simple for online scammers to impersonate a legitimate business, so you need to know who you are dealing with.  If you are thinking about shopping on an unfamiliar website, do some independent research before you buy.  Similarly, before you download software, be sure that the software developer is trustworthy.  Cyber criminals will often embed the capability to steal passwords and files into free software.  Learn what to do if something goes wrong.  If your computer gets hacked, the effects may be obvious (e.g., deleted or corrupted files), or they may be subtle (e.g., slow computing performance).  As a first step, you should scan your computer with updated anti-virus software.  You may wish to get professional assistance through your computer’s manufacturer, computer retail store, or local computer technician.  You can also alert the appropriate authorities by contacting your Internet Service Provider or the Internet Crime Complaint Center.  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can assist if you are subject to identity theft.  You can also forward spam or phishing emails to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.

Here’s the full-text of the announcement email sent to the White House email list by John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism:

Dear Friend,

Cybersecurity matters to all of us.  Protecting the internet is critical to our national security, public safety and our personal privacy and civil liberties.  It’s also vital to President Obama’s efforts to strengthen our country, from the modernization of our health care system to the high-tech job creation central to our economic recovery.

The very email you are reading underscores our dependence on information technologies in this digital age, which is why it seemed like a fitting way to announce that the President has chosen Howard Schmidt to be the White House Cybersecurity Coordinator.  Howard will have the important responsibility of orchestrating the many important cybersecurity activities across the government.  

Howard is one of the world’s leading authorities on computer security, with some 40 years of experience in government, business and law enforcement.  Learn more about Howard's background and approach to cybersecurity.

Howard will have regular access to the President and serve as a key member of his National Security Staff.  He will also work closely with his economic team to ensure that our cybersecurity efforts keep the Nation secure and prosperous.

Moving forward we will use WhiteHouse.gov, this email program and our other communications tools to keep you posted about our progress in this important area.

Sincerely,

John O. Brennan
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism

P.S. You can play an important role in cybersecurity as well. Learn more about the issue and steps you can take to ensure your own security.

Oh amusement.

So, I put out my presents for fa11ing_away and the HouseMatt, since I honestly have no idea if I'm going to get another chance to see those two before, well, Christmas, what with heading off tomorrow.

So, when fa11ing_away got home from work, and started frantically rushing around to put my present together, she didn't have any cards left.

So, instead she drew my one. With a chibi Ed Elric in a Santa hat on the front.

It's really quite adorable. I'll have to take a picture or scan or whatever at some point.

Yes, it was blatantly inspired by the fact that when she asked for a few minutes to get things I ready, I told her I'd kill time watching the newest FMA episode.

And now I must pack for Christmas, since I've scrounged a lift with The Sister and her BFF tomorrow morning. God, I am getting so damned fed up with all this packing.

No idea how likely I am to update/read my flist over the next week or so. Depends on how busy I am, and how much Internet time I have.

But Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/[insert holiday greeting of your choice here] all!