sundry topics

[lauradi7dw]

The answering machine that still sits next to the kitchen phone started having quirks a long time ago. By last fall, the outgoing message no longer played, so it turned into a sort of test of the caller's cultural knowledge - it still beeped, so some people successfully left messages. Otherwise we got a lot of hang-up calls, and some recordings of people telling someone else in the room that the machine was broken. Eventually (December?) the machine became unusable. I got a replacement at a rummage sale, but never bothered to replace the missing cassette (or even to find out if it's replaceable), so there have been no messages taken for a couple of months, at least. All of our cell phones take messages, so my presumption is that if a family emergency occurred, notification could occur. I've received two very upset communications recently from people who couldn't leave a message at the regular number, as opposed to the person who congratulated me (via email) on having the courage not to have a machine. I'm trying to decide whether to do anything about it. It's my impression from leaving messages on other people's machines that the usual thing to do with a message is to ignore it, but I am not like that. It's easier to deal with the (sometimes) resulting emails.


After reading yesterday's "Unshelved" comic http://www.overduemedia.com/
(Tamara is the character most like me in general, I think, and definitely in Sunday's strip),
I was pondering on irony and thought of the frequent experience of icing my right foot in the morning after spending a night trying to warm my feet (I recommend soaking in a basin of hot water and then putting on polar fleece socks). The icing keeps my mild plantar fascitis in check, though.

I've been feeling really interested in costuming lately, although I haven't done anything about it other than get a pattern down out of the attic.
It's this one
http://i12.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/e3/aa/be_1.JPG
"In the mood" seems to be everywhere - one of my tap classes is using it, it's been on Dr Who and Torchwood, and I decided that I need a dress to match.
In a related fixation, I decided that I also need a WWII RAF officer's great coat, but I've backed off of that. They are available with some searching, but someone pointed out that an authentic one would probably still smell like cigarette smoke 65 years later, and would be something for a display case, not to wear. Learning that the one in this photo
http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood/galleryimage.shtml?s=1024&f=jack06
is a modern copy, modified with a wider hem and made of synthetics because John Barrowman is allergic to wool, I settled for a modern gray overcoat that I'll change a bit. In keeping with the don't get something new unless I give away something rule, I'm going to donate to Goodwill the overcoat that makes me look a bit like the bad guys in "The Triplets of Belleville." Maybe it's the shoulder pads.
I got the new (to me) coat at the sale at The Garment District, and while I was there I bought a vintage LBD that will require a lot of repairs. It's not as though I have any urgent invitations to cocktail parties - I have lots of time for mending.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LBD
More like my usual, I'm probably going to a workshop on clothing in 14th century England in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of long ago and far away, how cool is it that a podcast about the Byzantine Empire is ranked one of the top 50 dowloaded podcasts in the world?
http://www.anders.com/lectures/lars_brownworth/12_byzantine_rulers/

George Bush claiming that George Washington would be in favor of his actions in Iraq is pretty irritating.

I hate the new IMDb type face.

Comments

[callyperry.livejournal.com]

Wool greatcoats are wonderful. I used to have a (blue) civil war greatcoat that my friend Ginny Harriman altered to fit me, but I gave it to a college friend who loved it more that I did.

I wish I had time to listen to the podcast, but I have a quiz tomorrow.

In other news, we rang about 3/4 of a quarter peal of pb royal with X on the tenors tonight. Go X!

[lauradi7.livejournal.com]

This doesn't speak well for the efficacy of the overcoat, though
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b53/skaro1/P2200070.jpg