Facebook is killing LJ.

I read this also on someone else's LJ recently and just this holiday season I realize how true it is.

I have hardly any posts about the holidays... or even posts in general over the past few weeks .... on my friends list. It used to take me an hour to go through my friends page... and I LOVE that. I might be an internet geek but I truly look at you all as my friends and I love being invited into your lives to share your daily experiences, your hopes, dreams, joyful moments and disappointments. I love reading how other people spend their days. I love reading about where other people live. I love seeing your photos and reading your stories. I am honoured by all this.

Since the advent of facebook I have noticed such a drop in posts here. It is so utterly disappointing. I hate facebook... and yes, hate is a strong word but in this instance it is accurate. I don't want your one liner status updates. I don't want to see the status of all your online facebook games. I don't want your invites to sign up for another stupid FB app. I don't need to network with every single person I've ever come in contact with over my lifetime.

Facebook is just so impersonal and cold.

I log in to my facebook maybe twice a year just to see if they haven't deleted me yet since I never use it!

I hate you Facebook for killing my darling Livejournal.

I miss your posts, my friends. I miss your real posts full of emotions and thoughts and opinions and photos. I miss being part of your daily life in this small little internet way.

And Facebook, I will never forgive you for this, ever.

The BEST Xmas present ever.....



Yes! It's a pink and gold, coffin shaped Hello Kitty pursette from my brother, Mike.

He rocks. Officially.

It was nice and quiet time with the family.
William and Dad got me the Just Dance game for the Wii, the kids were thrilled with their chopsticks and ipods.
E made everyone presents. I need to get pictures, I completely forgot last night. she made Dad a ST:TNG cell phone cozy, she made the rest of us dolls. A comic book doll for Mike, a really cute green doll for me and something I imagine is video game based for William.

Mike truly surprised me with a massaging executive office chair. I may never leave my computer! It's soo comfortable!
His present is late because of the car being broken down, but he was in a good mood.
After dinner the kids went off to play their new games on their DS, and the grown ups watched Fast and Furious which was a break with tradition. Usually we watch sci-fi on the hols. Things went boom and cars went fast.
It was relaxed and happy.

The problem with the morning news is that it's on either when I'm exhausted and getting ready for bed, or just waking up. Either way, times when my mind tends to wander and my thought/mouth filter isn't fully engaged.
This morning they showed the Chanukah ham photo, which for some reason was completely new for our local newscasters. The weatherman said "It's just wrong, like sparkling cider for St. Patrick's Day."
Seriously.
I said "Is there a prohibition I didn't know about for the Irish or for Catholics about apples?"
E popped up with "I love apples! And cider!"
I said "It's not even apples to oranges, it's apples to hams. It makes no sense!"
"But I could cook a ham in apple juice."
"OOOOH! I'd try that!"
So there we go. After the hols I'm going to be making a ham with apple juice. I'll let you know how it goes.

In other cooking news, I posted a honey shortbread recipe and printable recipe card on DETP. It's really very very yummy. The flavor is subtly warm and it makes a good last minute gift I think.

I relearned 4 strand round braids last night and I'm going to teach E how to do them.
I also reviewed a really great book on color theory and freeform beading called Beaded Colorways. You can find that review here.
Plans for today include going out for Dad's present which we just haven't had the chance to do. We are getting him much chocolate since it's always the very safest of gifts. We haven't had a chance to see the car seen to, so we have to take the bus to do that after Mike gets done with his half day at work.

Let's see.. on deck today, a bunch of book reviews including a really good beading color book that I like an awful lot. It comes with a color wheel!
Also working on a crocheted doily I think I'll put in a ring and hang from a ribbon to put earrings on, and working out a honey shortbread recipe using some yummy Alaskan honey.

And I have to go to the grocery store tonight. Boo hiss! I miscounted how many onions I needed for dinners this week and I need to pick up a couple other things. I mean.. I kind of knew I'd need to, but I'm still bummed. I hate going to the supermarket this week. Really truly.

RIP Fluffy

Loyal companion, guardian of the dog food bag, best friend to Nigel, chipmunk hunter extraordinaire, skilled dishwasher, gentle giant, buddy to whomever was offering food.

Fluffy was in our lives since we first got together and since then he was the butt of many jokes and the star of dozens of dumb-dog stories. He was dependable and predictable and always there for us in his doggy way. He never missed a single day of greeting us at the door when we came home. Not once. Excited and happy every single time. He always was my "baby-dog" .... even though he was as big as I am. Today is a very sad day here, but ....

He was old and it was just his time.

We'll miss you, Fluffers, and never, ever forget you.

Wanted, dead or alive: Frogs riding north on Christmas trees. Okay, that's the second weirdest Alaskan story I've seen. First weirdest is still the whole thing with having a governor with no foreign policy experience whatsoever and very little actual political experience being tapped as a vice-presidential candidate.
E and I made cold porcelain last night and we are waiting for some little blue TARDIS pendants to shrink and dry completely. We used a good quality food coloring to color them, and E will add the accents with paint and a fine brush. Sprinkle with a touch of glitter and seal. We molded them in our Dr. Who ice tray that Miss Teri got for us.
Let's see.. other than that, read a couple books I'll review soonish, and our starter in the car went out again. Which means all my plans for the weekend are shot while Mike and Dad figure it out.
Got my holiday shopping almost done for the kids. Still need to pick up Mike and Dad's gifts.

J for J2- I'm considering graphing an amulet bag with Sam on one side and Dean on the other and some of the lines from Carry On Wayward Son in the strap.

J for Jello Biafra. Who has a free album up on Amazon right now. Audacity of Hype.

J for umm.. what's your favorite thing that starts with J?

Everybody is doing holiday memes right now. I'm having problems getting truly enthused, but that's normal. Mike isn't a fan of the holidays and the constant "Prove you love her with diamonds" commercials aren't helping in the least. I've been trying to help by doing as much as I can to keep him out of the malls and stores.

I have Alaska road maps to wrap presents in. Of course, all my presents will NOT be holiday gifts. That's just not the way I do things. I buy presents for friends when I think of it but the holidays followed immediately by William's b-day combined with my holiday blues of missing my mother.. it's a bad time for me to think of mailing things. Not to mention the fact December always shatters my budget.

Have any of you tried cold porcelain? There are lots of recipes out there, and it looks like the perfect thing to use with our Dr. Who ice tray, plus Miss Teri is giving us some candy molds that she used with her kids when they were younger.