sundries

Patty will be headed home to Ohio on December 17 and returning on January 1. I'll be on my own for New Year's which is a bit superstitious and odd for me, but I'll get her back on the first, so it sorta solves that too! And she'll be around to keep me sane for cruise packing on the 2nd!

Our household is in the midst of a full-fledged Plants vs. Zombies addiction.

Tonight we have a bookstore date to look at some travel books to plan our cruise excursions.

What really killed Jane Austen? No, it wasn't zombies.

in Lebanon there's a high suicide rate amongst domestic workers from abroad related, it is suspected, to abuse from employers.

The price of the gamble on gay rights. I came of age as a gay person during AIDS. And man, the 80s were weird: The Berlin Wall, Tiennamen Square. And I keep thinking, through that distorted lens of teen romance and tragedy and change on the news that part of the problem must surely be that while we are fighting for our lives, we're not actually goddamn acting like it, are we? Sometimes I think we are too used to losing to know how to win.

On the push in France to require digitally altered images of people to be labeled as such.

carlanime alerts us to the fact that Canadian quarters are not secret spy devices. Apparently, at one point, the US government wasn't so sure.

The solid security gates of NYC have been banned, but business owners have until 2026 more or less to replace them. This New York is a different country than the one I grew up in.

Doctor Who: Through Time and Space is out today from IDW and has a story by _tonylee_ and Paul Grist in it. See, he's not just your favorite malevolent presence at cons, he makes stuff too!

The Book of Harry Potter Trifles, Trivias and Particularities will be back in stock on December 5 with Amazon. You can order now and have it in time for the gift-giving holiday of your choice.

bentley tells me a friend of hers, doubtful_salmon is doing a stand-up comedy show in NYC in a location that, she hears tell (yes, this is true), used to be an S&M club. This says more about the horror of the life of a stand-up comic than just about anything else could (and that's no aspersion on the BDSM scene! Just on being a comic!). Anyway, now that my own joke has fallen flat, doubtful_salmon says it's at Comix on 14th and 9th on December 12 at "about 4:30 p.m." It's a private show (that I'm being exhorted to promote on LJ, so you know, for definitions of private), so you have to call to make a reservation at 212.524.2500 (she thinks). Ask about cover or table charges when you call, as the comic was unsure if there's a cover or if you just need to buy a couple of menu items or what (whatever it is, it's pretty cheap, that's the point there). (Pro tip: when promoting your stuff know precisely when it is and how much it costs and be sure of the phone number for reservations).

My day is going to be long and crazy, but there are two other cases of People on LJ I Know Who Could Really Use Your Help, that I'll be posting later. So you've been warned or some such.

Bristol: the waiting is still driving me mad.

WHY DOES OUR HOUSE SUDDENLY HAVE NO RUNNING WATER?

Dammit, I did not get a Yuletide pinch hit I really, really wanted. I sort of want to write the story anyway, but not sure if I will.

in point of fact

When you say something anti-gay and I point out the bigotry of your statement, I'm not the one being hateful.

The National Organization for Marriage is not a charity

Chase is giving money to charity this holiday season. They have some Facebook page or other about this.

Chase has a reasonable definition of eligible charities for this project:
"Eligible charities must be 501(c)(3) organizations with an operating budget of under $10 million, and must meet the other listed requirements. A Charity that, by itself or through an affiliated entity, discriminates on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, medical condition, citizenship, ancestry or marital status is not eligible."

Despite this, the National Organization for Marriage is on the Chase charity list. Odds are if we send Chase nice and informative letters, this will get corrected quickly and efficiently.

Details here: http://keori.livejournal.com/312571.html