Who needs to go downtown to ring in the new year? Sounds like the kids on our street have quite the arsenal of fireworks...

Picked up a Crab Pie from a local seafood market today--yummy! It came out of the oven right as Dad and the boys got home. :)

I am such a "cushy blankie" addict--WallyWorld had really soft blankets in holiday colors marked down to $2.50--I pounced. :)

Spent the day out with Mom, taking her around on her errands--she did great for the first day out since being back home. :)

Peppermint hot white chocolate for the win! :D

Teleclass with Gay and Katie Hendricks just started http://ping.fm/b0Xci

Read the 1st chap. of Daughter of the Goddess last night and I think I'm going to be ordering all of the suggested reading list!

Having another one of those "why didn't I know about this sooner???" moments. http://ping.fm/TZB23

Bah! Got a summons for jury duty that starts on the first day back for the spring semester.

Ooooh, another book delivery from paperbackswap.com ! Daughter of the Goddess--historical perspects of the HP in various cultures.

Kudos to the Beyond Victoriana blog, focusing on multi-cultural steampunk (some gems in there)! http://ping.fm/qoBLI

Today's Djhali's favorite day of the year--she gets to shred the gift wrap without being fussed at. :D

Not quite sure how she did it, but I just found Doc under the little tree--curled up around the trunk, under the tree skirt.

Favorite gift of the day--has to be the window cat hammock from my nephews--they were so excited--picked it out and paid for it themselves!

I hope everyone had a wonderful first day of Christmas! :D

Just discovered chocolate egg nog. Yum!!

Into the theoretical/academic side of steampunk? Found the Journal of Neo-Victorian Studies yet? http://ping.fm/Czbwu

Mom made it through surgery--so far, so good. :)

It's official. Office Depot has lost my XPS system *again*. I've been at this since 9/29 w/ these, um, people--time to file a small claim?

Yet again, Office Depot fails--my computer was supposed to be in on Mon--it's Thurs and still no computer.

Just saw this on tv. http://ping.fm/zLP12 Wrath would probably LOVE having a blue one!

Effort to save Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's former home, Undershaw http://ping.fm/ib1Fi

We're in a holding pattern with Mom's surgery. Her sodium's too low, so they're working w/ her to see if they can get it to a good level.

Have absolutely epic location ideas for SL tours for VWBPE ? Shoot them my direction! Remember--this year's theme is "Be Epic!"

Less than 24 hrs before Mom's surgery. I'm still half expecting her to change her mind and not go through with it.

Saturnalia going on now at AncientWorlds ! Join in the activities at http://ping.fm/SSnyD

I'd forgotten just how good Inis smells! I may have to treat myself to an after-holiday smell-goods shopping spree. :)

Gotta love Paperbackswap.com. Just unwrapped an *amazing* hardcover edition of Joan Evelyn Ames Mastery book. Merry merry to me! :D

Got MOOC? VWBPE will! Curious? Check out what a MOOC is at http://tinyurl.com/3ff6n6j & stay tuned for VWBPE MOOC updates!

Finally heard back from Office Depot about the computer--it *might* be back on Monday. I'll be taking my future biz to Staples/Office Max.

After they flubbed the repair the 1st time, the local store "lost" it & once found, sent it "rush" to their tech center--nearly 2 wks ago.

I am never using Office Depot again for tech services--they've had my good system for nearly 2 months and still haven't fixed it!

AMC's got a great lineup of classic holiday movies--tonight's the original Miracle on 34th Street!

Been tired and achy today--I'm hoping that whole "grad student winter break curse" isn't upon me! (At least I finally got in my articles!)

Great timing! Turned on the tv just in time to see History Channel has Tesla Tech on Modern Marvels! :D

I've rediscovered Summer McStravick's Flowdreaming podcast--fun and inspiring to get jazzed up here in the winding down hours of the day.

"Witchcraft" used as an excuse for violence and abuse against children http://ping.fm/v0cA5

I need to find my digital camcorder. Tomorrow's the boys' Christmas play and Weston's got the lead role of Santa! :D

Guess it's a good thing we don't have damage enabled @ Jaguarland--I did learn that my exploding bear still works!

Was flipping through channels today and caught Wayne Dyer on PBS--he had Dan Caro on--amazing story and spirit! http://www.dancaro.com/

Made Hamburger Helper Stroganoff w/ Boca crumbles. I thought it was yummy, but the fam wouldn't touch it. More for me!!!!

Fun week to look to the skies! Lunar eclipse tomorrow night and a meteor shower on Wed! http://tinyurl.com/cr4mnqu

Trying to come up w/ my vw tour potentials list for VWBPE--I have the SL based stuff, but I'd love to find a cool little-known fab vw.

Just got home from Golf's grad dinner. Congrats Golf! Finally hooded and off to the "big people" job! :D

New SAESL post--SITE conference call for virtual presentations http://tinyurl.com/7axgb22

Popped into Inworldz for a bit but gave up on touring Ona--it'll have to wait 'til I get my good compie back. http://tinyurl.com/85xot4a

@m Aev's News of the Aetherverse is out! http://bit.ly/nI5Irg
Virtually Educated is out! http://bit.ly/oUKkaB

Very nearly ended up as a splat on Hwy 90 this morning--they really should train those flatbed truck drivers better!!!!

Want to learn more about ancient winter celebrations? Join AncientWorlds Saturnalia celebration! Dec 17-19 @ http://tinyurl.com/7c2k2u7

Getting a kick out of the History Channel's "History of the World in 2 Hours" playing while I work today. :D

btw, anyone in the Pascagoula area hear that explosion about 4pm or so? What's the story there?

Kudos to the Cable One tech guy who was waaay patient in helping get the lappie & modem to detect the new router (I killed the old one).

Aev's News of the Aetherverse is out! bit.ly/nI5Irg
Virtually Educated is out! bit.ly/oUKkaB

The latest incarnation of my lit review just hit 24 pages and I still have a *ton* to go through--soooo woot?!

Great way to fight the cold--gumbo! (Lucked into coming home to a bowl from Martha's Tea Room)

Spent a good bit of this afternoon getting Jaguarland ready for the winter season. Forgot how fun playing in virtual snow can be!

@m Aev's News of the Aetherverse is out! http://bit.ly/nI5Irg
Virtually Educated is out! http://bit.ly/oUKkaB

I'm glad I didn't try to rush these survey instruments--I keep thinking of more questions!

We did the "early bird" thing for dinner tonight, but I'm not complaining--that Pacific Veggie pizza was yummy!

I'm blaming being cold for my lack of focus--I think I've read this same page of this article four times now. :-/

It's bad when you plan to go by the coffee shop and order a huge coffee for the drive home, not just to drink, but as a hand warmer!

Internship w/ VWPBE has been approved--ready to rock and roll with designing some virtual world tours! :D

You'd think that meditation would be the "anti-hives" cure but it's hard to relax/concentrate when I'm so danged itchy!

Finally broke down and got more coffee--I keep reading the same page of this article over and over!

Happiness is a sun-bathing cat. (Djhali's splayed out on the kitchen floor, slowly following the sunbeam as it shifts across the room.)

My family does things a bit backwards--yesterday, we had family dinner @ a restaurant. Tonight, Mom decides to make turkey & dressing.

The matchmakers are circling...just spent the better part of an hour trying to explain how not interested I am. 'Tis the season?

I'll be spending some time w/ my journal today while everybody's napping, delving into what I have rather than what I can't/don't have.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Whether you'll be eating a bird or not, I hope today is full of awesome! :)

Dusting off the Dickens Village collectibles tonight--tomorrow's the official lighting day 'round here! :D

Nice surprise today--I had to drive to Ocean Springs to pick up Bubba food and discovered gas in Gautier at 2.87/gal.

Yay for Rockcliffe University--5 yrs in SL, going strong! http://tinyurl.com/844978o

Nice writeup about how educators are using SL for med students and outreach-- http://tinyurl.com/87mhw64

Bah--it's awfully hard to screw up potato salad, but I think I just did! O.O

Spent a bit more time in Inworldz, exploring Verona. Considering just how much cheaper it is than SL, I may consider residing there. :)

Guilty pleasure--watching old Bewitched episodes on Hulu in between reading research articles and reports. :)

Today's one of those muggy days that's unseasonably warm and you can just feel the storm brewing out there over the water.

It's been forever since I've caught Britcom night on MPB. I'd forgotten how much fun Hyacinth "Boo-kay" is! :D

Looking forward to putting together tours for VWBPE12 --can't wait to get the "good" machine back to really get rolling! :)

Yay! Mobile's Chef King got rid of the funny taste in their shrimp & broccoli! (I used to love the stuff but shied away for a while.)

My knee is really telling me of its discontent today but I was determined to go work out this morning! It'll be good for it, long-term.

My knee is hating this latest weather shift, or maybe its the fact that I'm working it out in the mornings. *snap crackle pop*

Stopped by Books-a-Million on the way home and snagged a nice guided journal for 3 bucks, plus a yummy mocha to chase the chill. :)

Sending out a Jaguarland welcome to the University of Alabama Birmingham students who are visiting the island this week! :)

So I started back at the gym on Mon. 3 days working out and 3 crying jags immediately after. What the heck gives?

Skype for professional development--Bama and I are critiquing each other's CVs, and we don't even have to be in the same state!

Was drenched enough times today, I'm thinking of investing in head to toe rain gear--wonder if there's anything with cat ears? ;D

Tonight may be an early one. My eyes have been stinging like mad. :-/

Rumor has it that Inworldz' Verona/Capulet sims have something cool coming up. Logged in to explore (and snoop) but the compie lag got me.

I'm craving a foot massage from Wrath right about now. (Funny how spoiled one can get in a week!)

I'm not happy w/ Office Depot. Had my compie home for less than a month after they installed a new motherboard, and it died last night.

Have been getting the "play by play" via text of the AECT conference--I'm so jealous!!!

I need to send a shout-out to Whitney and Golf--today's staff training was a really cool review of our Wordpress site. :D

Aether Ed took a wee hit by a wannabe griefer earlier but it's already been taken care of and the items replaced with more improved ones :)

Two spaces right on the Firth next to the Wicked Wench are ready now--if anyone wants a piratey secret hideout type of spot. :)

RL trumps out. I'll be giving up my plots in Caledon Wellsian soon. IM me inworld if interested.

Lesson here? I really shouldn't be eating pizza! ;D

Remembers 30min or its free for pizza--tonight, Pizza Hut was 30 mins *late* and only offered 3 bucks off.

Been fighting a lack of "get up n go" today--of course, it may stem from my sad lack of coffee. ;-P

Listening to Bill & Donna Bauman in the Art of Love series. I'm so in awe of these two, I'm without words (almost). ;)

I'm giving up 2 of my parcels in Wellsian on the Firth, next to the Wicked Wench--need a piratey spot to set up shop? IM me inworld :)

Spent a bit of time poking around the steampunk nations of Capulet and Verona over in Inworldz. Fun!

Bah! Managed to get a facefull of Tony Cachere's seasoning last night when the container fell out of the cabinet--been sniffly ever since.

Listening to the Art of Love seminar #2 w/ Arielle Ford and Pamela Haag--good info, but they could've done way better on audio quality.

I'm trying to improve my cooking skills--tonight, salmon filets and mushroom rice w/ green salad. Eventually, I'll get this combo right!

But I've been kinda zombiefied since getting on the plane to come back--I feel like I left a major part of me back there.

Had a great time with Wrath, meeting folks and poking around all the little historical towns in the CA mountain area around Placerville.

Having an amazing time with Wrath so far. Ladies, the knight in shining armor thing? Not really a fairy tale--some do exist. :)

Oof--I have to be at the airport by 4:30--guess tonight's gonna be an all nighter!

I'll be locking down Jaguarland to group only rezzing tonight--it'll be like that until I get back on Nov. 1st.

Bubba is such a heater hog--as I'm working at the compie, I'm being leaned on by a snoozing, very happily warm B/W kitteh.

I've put my Paper.li papers on hold for a week--while I'm out of town, I doubt I'll be finding much time for editing their content. :)

Aev's News of the Aetherverse is out! http://bit.ly/nI5Irg

We're at three days and counting 'til trip time. :) (And yes, the closer it gets, the more people have to listen to me squee!)

Latest SAESL post-- http://ping.fm/wibSD

I've spent the majority of the morning reading up to get ready for Friday's workshop--still need to run through this a few times though!

Wow--just spent the better part of the day, staring at a screen, trying to find broken links and inaccurate content in a uni website.

Did captioning training w/ the ILC staff today--they now have a better appreciation of slower speaking narrators for our tutorials! :D

Is it wine time yet?

Wow--busy day today! Designed tomorrow's staff training, started on the latest COE website project, and met with my dissertation chair!

Yet another vet visit today--this time with Merlyn and Doc. Both will be fine (I hope) but they're not happy with me right now.

Wow--that hasn't happened in a while. Had to end a guided meditation session early because I was just tensing up something fierce.

I didn't get nearly enough done today--so why am I so sleepy?

How can fur babies be so destructive? I spent the better part of the afternoon, rebuilding part of the outdoor kitty hangout. Splinters anyone?

I know all the buildup seems silly to most people but I'm really a road trip kinda girl--all this flight stuff is foreign to me.

The date is finally set in stone for the CA trip--ordered the tickets today! Everyone say a little prayer for Wrath--he's going to need it!

Wow. The message cap in SL gets on my nerves but I just spent waaaay too long going through old notices in Inworldz!

Another lazy day. Saw a bunch of vintage cars from Cruisin' the Coast today--so awesome!

Drat! My Sakai Ecesis Daily at Paper.li is showing no content--methinks their system is buggy at the mo.

Latest SAESL blog post--27 Mile Bluff Library Growing Slowly http://tinyurl.com/3cu4ew8

Bruiser's spending the night at the vet. Somehow the munchkin got himself out of his cast, so tomorrow he gets a new one.

I've been rained on WAY too many times today! Time to curl up in a dry cushy robe with a cup of German Chocolate Cake flavored coffee. :)

Sounds positively yummy! RT @Southern_Living Today’s QuickFixSupper : Southwest Shrimp Tacos-hot sauce adds a kick http://ow.ly/6hBZX

RT @chronicle Buzzwords that make me crazy: http://chroni.cl/pDy3F4 New grads need to read this B4 interviewing & trying to "speak buzz"

I wish I remembered the name of the town I dreamt about last night, just to know if such a place existed--it was such a cool locale!

Goofy plans, considering all that there is to see out in CA, but I'm looking forward to watching Harvey with my own 6 ft. bunnehguy :)

Latest SAESL blog post--Medical Education sites tour this week-http://wp.me/pWZyO-4n

Don't know why, but I feel awfully empowered today--off to battle the evil to-do list! ;)

This made me smile this morning-- http://tinyurl.com/3hlt7yp

Just had to go "rescue" my dad's cat from the drive--he would NOT move while dad was trying to pull in! Talk about stubborn!

Took a route home that I haven't taken in about a year. It was fun! Felt like exploring while, at the same time, seeing an old friend.

Hungry Howie's cheesy bread to the rescue today--I've got to stop running off and leaving the lunch I've prepared!

Bruiser's sporting a new teal covered cast, but the vet says he's coming along just fine!

Got up way too early to have Bruiser at the vet first thing this morning. Not even 10am and I'm wanting a nap!

I do hope everyone will "show Garth some love" as Burroughs reaches it's final days--his absence from the Firth is going to leave quite the gap.

"Goodbye to Burroughs' Builds" event at Caledon Burroughs-- http://ping.fm/oH253

White House Targets Innovative Educational Technologies-- http://tinyurl.com/6guc63z

Something tells me I'm going to go against my night owl side and go to bed early tonight--ate dinner and now I'm sleepy!

Looks like I have a full house signed up for this afternoon's Sakai workshop--I hope I made enough handouts!

I'll just miss being at Berkeley for the Chopra/Mlodinow debate Oct 12, but it looks like it's going to be excellent! http://tinyurl.com/3pt6oaq

Haven't been in the mood to do much today other than nap. Everyone else in the fam has a cold, so I'm takin' it easy, trying to avoid the sickies.

Just spent an hour working on the "kitty-airy"--gotta bunch of 'skito welps, but the furbabies can now play in the fresh air, so it was worth it. :)

I'm wondering why the "PTB" seem bent on making me have icicles as accessories--the A/C in here is waaaay too low! brrr Where's my coffee?

I'm very happy to report that the account in IMVU pretending to be me has been disabled by the staff there. Phew!

Just discovered the online collaboration tool Trello and I've got to say, I like it already--it's teal!

Something's missing from my late lunch of cajun crab and crackers--a glass of merlot!

I hope I didn't scare off our ILC newbies with today's venture into SL. Of course, they left off playing with their hair. ;)

I wonder if anyone has done a sociological study on how rumors start and are spread within a virtual environment? I'm watching one get started now.

I can stop worrying so much about Dad's recovery--today he drove himself to and from his meeting to prove he's fine. :)

Fair winds to Charles Hickson, who put Pascagoula on the map for a while as a UFO hotspot http://tinyurl.com/6j9h8qm

Bruiser's continuing to show progress--now that he's totally off the pain meds, he's really wanting to play.

Just discovered somebody's taken my SL av name in IMVU--that's a wee bit disturbing.

Prepping this week's SL training for the new staffers--I'm hoping to help them see the connections between the viewers rather than overwhelming them.

This week's Jagland SLed tour takes us to Delphi Self Assessment & LMU's Dream World Museum. Th,6pm cen/4 pm slt, http://tinyurl.com/45xkorj

Okay, so making the bed with the fresh linens has been put on hold--at least until the cats give up the laundry basket.

I've spent the majority of the day avoiding news broadcasts--I don't need to relive the day I thought I'd lost part of my family.

Bah, that last link was for a 9/11 meditation sponsored by the Chopra Center but the text didn't go through!

http://ping.fm/TYkgY http://ping.fm/sDiWu

Made tuna steaks tonight--only used a bit of salt-free Tony Cachere's, but they were yummy! (Maybe I really am turning into a cat!)

I'm going to have to remind myself to throttle a certain "bewm bunneh" for introducing me to Dominic Deegan--like I need another webcomic addiction!

Could not resist the call of Chef King's shrimp and broccoli today!

Bruiser came home late yesterday afternoon. Kudos to the folks at the Cat Care Clinic for going above & beyond to save the little guy!

Latest post on the SAESL blog http://tinyurl.com/4xggs83

Today's Etsy guide is Steampunk! http://tinyurl.com/3rgzfq2

Just finished setting up a small 9/11 memorial area at Jaguarland. Come by and light a candle. http://tinyurl.com/3o85xpa

On this Thursday's tour, we'll be visiting ROMA, Athens Academy, & Berkeley's Catalhoyuk sim! 6pm central leaving from http://tinyurl.com/45xkorj

Looks like I'll be heading back over tomorrow before work--Bruiser's earned himself an abscess so I'll be hauling him to the kitty vet.

Today was a gorgeous day for a short jaunt over through Ocean Springs. I really miss living there!

The cats are loving the windows being open--they're just not so good at taking turns.

It's feeling really nice outside right now--cool and breezy. Dare I hope that autumn weather has begun? *crosses fingers*

Happiness is a freshly laundered, freshly made bed. Of course, the scent of vanilla lavender is so yummy, now I want to get back in it!

Just cruising my old web haunt, AncientSites. In the era of soc med, placing low com limits on all but $$$ members is a good way to kill a community.

Attempting to walk the dog in between downpours didn't exactly work out as planned. I look like a drowned gerbil...with curly hair.

Our oak trees are amazing. The yard was swamped about an hr ago &, w/ a break in the rains, the trees have already "drank" the standing water.

Other ppl go out on Fri pm--I came home, nap'd & am now reading articles. Gee, you'd think I was working on a dissertation or somethin'.

Thanks TS Lee for the much needed rain, but hold off on the torrential downpours, will ya? New perm here!

CFP Virtual Worlds Graduate Unsymposium--Games, Play, and Community--nhttp://ping.fm/qsT0T

Woke up a bit under the weather this morning--I'm hoping it's allergies rather than anything "catchy."

Sending prayers to all those involved in the tragic pileup on I-10 this afternoon.

I think mom is trying to "de-veggie" me. 2nd time today she's offered me something claiming it's veg but it actually had bacon in it.

Just saw Gov. Barbour's release about the potential jobs package w/ Calisolar and HCL CleanTech. Yay for new cool jobs coming to the state!

Finished the Peasters Castle Hunt, even with the bum computer. I really liked how they worked in the narrative (plus the goodies!)

Really don't like the look of Katia spinning out there in the Atlantic--her name sounds a bit too similar to Katrina--bn thr, dn tht, k tnxbuhbye.

Just tried SL's V3 to get ready to train the new ILC staff--total no-go. It's a gray, non-rezzed SL. Bah! Back to Firestorm.

On this Thursday's SL Edutour, we'll be visiting AECT, ISTE, and EdTech Island! We'll head out at 6pm central-- http://tinyurl.com/45xkorj

Four stoned kitties, all laying on their backs lookin' at me like "You got a problem with this?"

So I come in from walking the dog and one of the cats had shredded the catnip packet, spreading catnip all over the floor.

I'm dying from the cuteness! http://ping.fm/A1kp5

I haven't gotten nearly enough done today. The to-do list for tomorrow is astounding!

bah. Scooter got to the basket full of clean clothes and scattered them all over the laundry room--guess I know what I'll be doing this afternoon!

Just got back from the Sakai 101 Part 1 workshop over in the Sociology Dept. Really good group today--you guys rock!

Rewatching Peggy Sheehy's presentation from last year's SLCC--lots of ideas and motivation for educators in there! http://tinyurl.com/3hnoz86

May have to go buy more cherries from Fresh Market tonight. They're on sale this week and they're huge! (and addictive!)

Sipping on Gevalia Cafe Sperl while catching up on email/social media and planning for tomorrow--coffee makes everything better. ;D

Sometimes it doesn't take much to make me giggle, but I adore the fact that so many shops are getting teal stuff in for fall--and purple too--yay!

This week's BBB with DJ Mitsu Figaro at the Iron Cloud in Caledon Middlesea! http://ping.fm/6avZB

I'm loving this Chopra Center 21 Day Meditation Challenge--Day 9 into it and I'm buzzing!

Oxbridge tours are still on hold until I can get my quad fixed.

Fall 2011 SL tours from Jaguarland is now posted. http://ping.fm/7VpLL