This is really amazing

I have never tried to really do origami, but I think it's a beautiful art. Watch as this person creates a beautiful model that changes shape as it is rotated.



Isn't it beautiful? I think origami is a wonderful opportunity to meditate and practice patience, and I could watch people do it for quite some time, it's so relaxing to watch it come together bit by bit. Thanks to PF Anderson for sharing the link on Twitter. And be sure to check out the related videos for more breathtaking uses of origami.

Remember I mentioned Hitchcock movies???

Turns out many of those early ones have fallen out of copyright and are now available freely online. Check out: 22 Free Hitchcock Movies Online. Thanks to Maria Popova for the link. That was serendipity.

I love that you can plug all sorts of things into Google, or Amazon, and

and you'll find what you're looking for, given Amazon's breadth of selection and their partnership with other sellers. For instance, I have a lamp that has distilled water in it that shoots bubbles which whirl around coloured marbles when on and light is projected through a colour wheel to produce a variety of effects. I love that lamp, tacky though it may be. But the light bulb went out on it. I didn't realise I could change it until I looked under the little pads and there were screws to undo the bottom. So I emptied out the lamp, unscrewed the bottom, and discovered an apparatus with a 5 watt, 12 volt halogen light bulb; not the type you can simply pick up at the grocery. So I put the specifications into Google, and it pulled up Amazon, and I was able to order it. It's one of those items I actually pay more in shipping the price of the item, but worth a couple of dollars to prevent me having to hunt it down, especially since I don't have a car. I measured it and all the measurements are the same. We'll see if it works. Since I was doing that, I went ahead and ordered some more screen protectors for my phone, which came with free shipping, so the shipping thing kind of evened out. :) Wish me luck.

By the way

I had time to read over the last day or so and am nearly to the climax of The Hunger Games. It's an excellent book. I definitely plan on getting Catching Fire and Mockingjay. :) I'm interested in how everything's going to pan out.

I had a nice visit overnight

with my mom and grandmother. It was absolutely the best thing to go after the rush of Christmas so that we could really just sit down and talk. It was nice seeing them, and I count it as much better than the hectic environment there was at Thanksgiving. My mom gave my grandmother one of those digital photo frames for the holiday, and my stepfather loaded it with lots of pictures, so we watched for awhile and talked about the family members both here and gone. I got my grandmother a warm snuggly, soft blanket. Really, at 87, a person gets to be hard to shop for, and she tends to get cold easily--she's like a little bird.

My mom has a Kindle, so an Amazon gift card seemed appropriate, and my step-father is a gadget nut who builds computers, so he got one from Best Buy.

I think I've done pretty well at getting folks something small that they'll like and use. One present I'm unsure of, because the person may already have one. We'll see; I kept the receipt. I actually saw something at the library earlier that at first glance I thought he would like, a compendium of early Alfred Hitchcock movies, but then I realised several were silent and he's one of those people who lies in bed with the movie on and a pillow over his eyes. Really. So no good on that, he'll get what I already bought him. :)

I got home today and checked the mail and there wasn't anything from Netflix, and then I realised I was looking at Friday's mail and Saturday's hadn't arrived. It did a few minutes later and there was the comforting little red envelope with A Beautiful Mind in it. I plan to watch that on Monday.

Okay, I have stuff to do, and should get off my butt and do them. I'll probably post around midnight and wish everyone a happy new year. Good night, otherwise, though.

Sticker shock

I am so used to shopping through Amazon (or even the Science Fiction Book Club), that I forget that there is a suggested retail price you pay if you go to a brick-and-mortar bookstore, and that hardcovers can be quite pricey. I did so today, partly because I wanted some books for tomorrow's game, and they had the copies I needed. On the one hand, I helped support a local bookstore, albeit one that had gone sadly downhill in recent years in terms of customer care and selection, although I had an excellent shopping experience today, so maybe they've bounced back from that. On the other, I spent nearly twice I would have at Amazon, and would have received free shipping on the items, although it would have taken about a week to get. Under normal circumstances, that would be no problem--but I've come late to holiday shopping as it is and wanted to give presents tomorrow. I'm not complaining, exactly--I got what I wanted, they pulled them from the shelves for me as I rode the bus out and put them on hold, and I merely had to come to the register and pick them up, one of the easiest shopping experiences I've ever had. I didn't have to wait for them, didn't even have to go to get them from their department. It just shocked me, because I'd priced them in two online arenas and they were much cheaper there, and I had to pull out a couple more bills to cover the total than I'd originally planned.

Of course, I then ate at what they call a bistro [it was easier than walking across a major thoroughfare to the mall, which was going to close early for new year's eve anyway, and I'd spent the money I'd planned to use for some lotion from Bath & Body Works getting the items at the bookstore]. It was excellent, and although a bit overpriced (I spent $20 on an appetizer, soda, and dessert, before the tip), was decently portioned and very well made, a pita stuffed with spinach and artichoke with a salsa and sour cream, along with beans. (I'm not sure how anyone would have had room for that and an entrée, unless they were sharing the appetizer with several people.) And yes, although I shouldn't have had it, I did decide to treat myself to a peanut butter mousse pie that shall be the last big 'sweet' I'll have for awhile, according to my new year's resolution. (I'm not saying I won't have anything sweet, maybe on a special occasion or something, but not every day and generally will strive to eat well for my diabetes). So that was the last hurrah, and a very nice one it was.

Now I'm home. I've rested. I'm going to try to work on some things here before the new year is rung in. Someone in the area has been shooting off fireworks. I'm tempted to take my sparklers out after midnight. I still have some to use up. We'll see.

So what do you plan on doing at midnight for the new year? They say you'll be doing for the rest of the year.

I have been informed

that I got the holiday dinner menu wrong, and am making amends by posting the complete menu here, as sent to me by the person who did most of the cooking [I did mostly prep work and baking, all under his direction], and who designed the menu in the first place.

Appetizers: Spiced Nuts (Sweet Nuts and Savory Nuts), as well as Bleu Cheese Gougers

Soup: Champagne-Onion Soup

Entrée: Herbed Cheese Stuffed Fried Eggplant Steaks with Braised Radicchio, Fennel, and Escarole, as well as Roasted Salmon with Walnut-Pepper Relish

Side Dishes: Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans with Sautéed Shallots, Roasted Red Onions with Butter, Honey, and Balsamic Vinegar, Spinach Pie, Tomatoes Provençal, and Popovers

Salad: Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad

Desert: Sugar Cookies, Ginger Bread, and Coffee

Beverage: Iced Tea, and Water (Iced)

There you go. Correction made. And let me tell you, it was wonderful.

It's the only Southern state I haven't been to

and somehow, judging from these stories in this year in review, I think I'm missing something by never visiting the Sunshine State:

Butt injections, angry 92-year-olds, free breast exams: Florida's strange 2011

:)

I've made great inroads in the whole holiday shopping thing...

Okay, I got a late start to holiday shopping, just starting about 5:00 tonight, but I'm finished with my family, have one friend's together, and another's halfway. I'd like to pick up something for the people in the game and I just couldn't get there tonight, so I'm going to try to go out Saturday so I'll have theirs in time for the game. I also found a top, underwear, and leggings for me for about $20 total. I also got dinner from Subway, some popcorn in a tin for me (I often give it, but rarely get it, and I love it, although I am eating it judiciously), and some wrapping paper and holiday cards that were 50% off.

Now I've eaten. I still must wrap presents, wash dishes, do laundry, and straighten up the house. But first, I'm going to take a break, as I have just now gotten the feeling back into my hands after carrying bags. :)

Last night

I watched Dark City: The Director's Cut. I've seen the movie before, and I really liked it, but really thought this was particularly good. Today I'll return it to Netflix. I've already returned The Kings's Speech, which was my holiday bonus DVD. Next in the queue is another movie with Jennifer Connelly (she played Helen/Anna in Dark City. This one is A Beautiful Mind).

This morning I'm waiting for a friend to take me to the bank and then to work, and then I'll work my last day of the old year (I took off tomorrow). Then it's holiday shopping, something I had to put off this year. Should be fun. I dressed in light clothes today to make sure the bus would see me on my many stops tonight. I'm in khaki/gold, a colour I don't normally wear but was given clothes in that and it will be very visible. On a lark I went through my jewelry box (I only for the most part have silver jewelry). I'm wearing my class ring from high school, which is amazing as I got it when I was about 100 lbs lighter, and it's loose enough to move around on my finger. I have a unicorn pin and unicorn earring that I made into a pendant (the latter is cloisonne), and then I have my original earrings, the ones that I had my ears pierced in. In other words, everything I'm wearing I got as a teen or early adult, and haven't worn for years.

After the shopping I have to do some laundry and the dishes and work on the game notes, since we are gaming on New Year's, yay! So it'll be a long day. Hope yours is fun.