Argh stuff to do.

[kageotogi]

Posting here is way better than finishing my (way, way, way overdue) page proofs. Just saying. Also, I figured I had better knock off a few things.

» My grandmother has been in and out of the hospital for the past few weeks due to a stroke she had the Saturday before I returned from California, and she's now in a hospital strictly for physical therapy. I visited her once, when she was in the first hospital, and am way overdue for seeing her again. I'm going tonight. It's about time. I'm such a loser.

» Gus is doing much better. His blood work came back inconclusive (in that "Everything looks just fine!" kind of way, which I find a little frustrating), so as long as he doesn't have another seizure I'm going to assume everything is business as usual. So far so good.

» Script Frenzy is coming up. AGH. I am so not prepared for this year, and somehow I wound up doing two. Which is not a big deal -- they're both going to be incredibly fun and interesting and the like -- but April is sneaking up on me (IT STARTS ON THURSDAY WHAT THE CRAP) and I feel very not ready. This will change. I've a lot of practice working on the fly.

» I bought opera tickets (Armida) yesterday for a show in May. Squee. I also bought tickets to the Orioles' opening day (April 9) and to the local production of Phantom of the Opera. I'm getting my culture (and... local sports team?) on. Between that and book club and the flute festival, it's going to be a busy couple of months. But it'll be super fun, so yay.

» I found the best lemon cake recipe. Next on my to-do list is finding a good gluten- and dairy-free cake recipe. It's totally necessary. (Why do so many of my friends have crazy allergies?) I'm about ready to break down and query bakebakebake, since they'll probably have way better ideas/suggestions. That, and they probably know what they're doing.

» The best piece of punctuation ever invented was the interrobang. No one will dare argue with this, I know.

I know there's something else, but can't for the life of me think of what it might be. So I'm going to end this post while I'm ahead. Ta!

Comments

[lawless523.livejournal.com]

I hope your grandmother gets better soon. I'm glad Gus is doing okay so far. And what the heck is an interrobang?

Didn't know you liked opera. Is this one a recent one? I don't recognize the name.

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

Armida? Not so much. It dates back to the 1800s, I believe -- it's one of Rossini's. You can read about it here (http://www.operatoday.com/content/2009/02/rossini_armida_.php) or here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armida_%28Rossini%29).

The interrobang is a brilliant piece of punctuation. It's like if a question mark and an exclamation point got together and had a love child. "A love child‽" you might ask. "A love child," I confirm.

[lawless523.livejournal.com]

Huh. I've never heard of Armida (that I know of, anyway), but I've heard of Rossini.

I remember a lot of sentences in Gravitation ending with an exclamation point and a question mark (or vice versa). That's not an interrobang, though, I suspect.

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

It's sort of a colloquial interrobang. :) Wikipedia it, and you'll see. There's history and everything.

[lawless523.livejournal.com]

Hee. I just looked it up.

I planned to Google interrobang after I completed a search for a gay sex version of the Kama Sutra. It turns out there is one, but from what I saw of it on Amazon's website, it's pretty silly. It wasn't idle curiosity either; it's research. For a story. (Not a Gravitation one; they could probably write a better gay sex version of the Kama Sutra than the one that exists.) :)

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

One totally exists. I believe I have seen it somewhere before.

[punctuates.livejournal.com]

Do You Know? in Federal Hill has a interrobang on its signage.

I just thought you should know this.

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

I was unaware. I'm aghast that I was unaware. Then again, I've never heard of Do You Know?, so I feel a little less aghast.

[punctuates.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you've never heard of it because I got the name completely wrong. The true name is Don't Know?

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

Alas, I have still never heard of it. Clearly I need to venture into Federal Hill more often. If only for alcohol. :)

[punctuates.livejournal.com]

Completely agreed. Perhaps you'll stop by Pigtown before you go-go.

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

Well, of course. I wouldn't dream of venturing into Federal Hill without stopping by Pigtown to pick up my trusty Joan.

Speaking of, I miss you and we still have over a week until book club. Do you want to do anything before then?

[punctuates.livejournal.com]

You know, "trusty Joan" makes me sound like a shovel. Or a shotgun.

le gasp! I thought you would never ask! Absolutely! Realizing, of course, that this weekend is that thing where the Rabbit Come And Leaves Eggs About The House, I am free both Thursday and Friday! I will even cook, should you come over!

How many more ways can I abuse the exclamation point?!

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

Do you really have an issue with sounding like a shovel or a shotgun? It simply means you're an integral part to fending off the zombie invasion, that's all. (Speaking of, if zombies ever invade Baltimore, I'm inviting myself over to your house. With kittens, likely, but to your house nonetheless. I will work out the Eva vs. Cats conundrum at a later date.)

Squee. I believe I am also free both Thursday and Friday -- do you have a preference? Because I would be happy to come over, provided you return the favor and come to my house at some point soon so that I may cook for you. Or pretend to cook for you, but in fact order take-out and pretend I made it myself. I have been in such a non-cooking mood lately it's ridiculous.

[punctuates.livejournal.com]

I have no qualms about being a vital part of the defense of Baltimore during the zombie apocalypse. I will be trying very hard to pretend I'm not excited by the possibility. (Eva probably wouldn't bother the kittens. Who would hopefully not be kittens at that point. But...I couldn't make a promise.)

I personally think Thursday sounds divine, but I leave it to your whim. I will absolutely come over for takeout your cooking! When I am home by myself, I rarely feel like cooking--I think it is because the time spent doesn't seem very congruent with the end product for just one person.

I was told by a waiter once that it sounded like I spoke in exclamations! Have I ever told you that?

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

It's okay to be excited. I won't mind. (If Eva did have an issue with the kittens, we could always just put the kittens [who will always be kittens, even when they are 10+ years old] in a room. I will keep them company.)

Thursday sounds fine for me~ I'll add it to my calendar and be there after work (so about five, five-thirty?). Is there any way I could coerce you into giving me a ride home afterward, though? I don't mind light railing, but the weather has been crap lately and I don't know if I'll particularly want to.

I think I agree with you on the cooking-for-one-is-ridiculous theory. It's way more fun to cook for multiple people. That way the meal is drawn out with conversation and fun.

[masteroftrouble.livejournal.com]

If there's a zombie attack, can I come to your house, too? I'm terrible at handling weapons, but I'd make sure there's tasty foodage available for when you come home from kicking ass~

(*adding two cents* Thursday, Thursday! ^_~)

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

(Why on earth would Thursday make a difference to you? XD)

[masteroftrouble.livejournal.com]

(:D)

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

(Ah. Of course.)

[starlite-gone.livejournal.com]

You're right! I cannot argue with you about the interrobang. I had to look it up because I was like wtf is that, and then I saw it was ama~zing! Plus the name of it is hilarious. I was expecting something that would be more about interrupting a sentence with a bang XD Like an extreme -- or something.

Instead, it's a way I would like to end sentences more except for the fact that, man, you really can't read it very well in small size font. It looks like someone scribbled a tiny dot and forgot to make it legible.

See‽

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

YOU SEE?

The illegibility really is the one down-side to the interrobang. It makes me a little sad, I have to admit, because it's just Such A Cool Punctuation Mark.

[starlite-gone.livejournal.com]

I know! Why can't it be more legible? I was reading the history on it. Too bad it didn't catch on like the other punctuation. How'd you run across it, anyway?

PS: Aww, Paradise Kiss.

[kageotogi.livejournal.com]

I... I honestly don't know. I've known about it for some time. I just don't think I've ever expressed my love for it before.

[starlite-gone.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm glad you did because now I know about the amazingness of the interrobang. <3