December, and wishing

[thanate]

So, the silly meme where you post a wishlist, and ask people to shop around looking at other peoples' wishlists for things they can grant has made the jump from people I just read about to a couple people I actually know, so I guess it's time to pass it on. Here are some things I'd like, which may or may not be possible for anyone to fulfill; you're encouraged to post your own, or poke about amongst your friends' friends for other lists with things you can grant on them.

*recommendations for fun things to do around Baltimore or southern suburbs (plus for good parking or light rail access & for not too high a price tag for two)

*a tip on where to find a 3-4' LED pre-lit christmas tree for a decent price (er, under $50?), or a used tree of similar size that I can light with my own LEDs. (I want to support this technology, but not at several hundred dollars or 7 feet of tree I have to put somewhere.)

*for people to reply to my posts a little more often (at least the ones where I actually ask questions) or (if you are a person who reads & doesn't comment) any thoughts you have on why that is. (It is possible that either I'm just not that kind of friend and/or all my formerly-commenting people have wandered off to other parts of the internet, or that no one can tell when I'm asking questions I want answers to, but it's also discouraging when I try to make brainstorming posts and I can't tell if anyone has read them)

*somewhere local to purchase things like taro bubble tea powder, or good quality vanilla beans (the latter may exist... I haven't done much searching yet)

*one of those local sf/f bookshops that people keep telling me exist in other places

*better focus, possibly more enthusiasm

*an awesome job (java developer team lead/management or cyber security) for grauwulf that's actually near Linthicum, MD.

*more heavy weight wool (fabric) scraps suitable for making a braided rag rug (old coats with moth holes and similar would also be ideal.) What I have so far is mostly black, so other colors would be great.

*a local small ensemble (either voice or violin) with which to play intermediate level music, or even a not too religious group to go caroling with (um... who want to sing carols, not stupid christmas songs... tall order, I know)

*for everyone to have a safe & happy rest of the year-- no more people getting fired or anything.

Comments

[jazzfish]

I shall ask uilos where she got our 3' tree. It didn't come with its own lights, though.

Where would you recommend starting the Vorkosigan books? I've just snagged them all (well, except Memory) as ebooks.

[thanate]

I can find ordinary 3' trees; I just don't quite want to buy new without it being in some form eco-friendly (LED pre-lit, or recycled content, I guess) because I'm entirely sure there are already more tacky plastic christmas trees out there than need to exist. But thanks.

I started at the beginning, chronologically (well, with Shards of Honor, not Falling Free) and that's what I'd recommend, but I know people who started with Memory, or whatever happened to be at the library, and went from there. There is a lot of cumulative history and context, and most of the print books have a timeline in the back if you get confused. I can't remember if I did the shorts from Borders of Infinity in order or not, or whether that would matter-- I do recommend reading Ethan of Athos in chrono order, because it's the only good look you get at someone who looms large in Miles's mind from a viewpoint he doesn't overshadow.

[batchix.livejournal.com]

boo.. if you were near San Francisco i could help with the job thing. :<

[thanate.livejournal.com]

Yeah... he keeps getting offers for things in places like Missouri or Wisconsin, and we're really just not that interested in moving right now. :/

[bauhausfrau.livejournal.com]

I've been pretty terrible about responding to people's LJ posts these days, I've been reading a lot but not commenting. Hopefully I'll be a bit better about that for you and others!

One thing you might be interested in in Baltimore - the Edgar Allan Poe museum has some really cool events throughout the year. I used to organize a costume group to go up for Poe's Birthday, they may be doing it again this year. The website is here:
http://poebicentennial.com/

[thanate.livejournal.com]

Yeah; I'm sure some of the problem is just that most of the people I know have backed off from lj in the last year or three, and that does include me, too.

Huh-- I'd heard of the poe museum in passing, but hadn't realized how close that was; I just spent several sunday mornings at a write-in in a pub a couple blocks away, so perhaps we should check that out sometime. Thanks!

[stanci.livejournal.com]

There's a Penzey's Spice Store in Rockville MD and one in Falls Church. They'll have good quality vanilla beans. It's part of a chain, so it may also not count as local even if the store is close (which I'm not sure if they are).

[thanate.livejournal.com]

chain is fine-- I mostly want someplace I can go and look & not have to worry about shipping. (Pity I didn't know about the falls church one when I was living there... I'll have to look that up.) Thanks!

[scraun23.livejournal.com]

I have some Taro bubble tea powder that you can have. I've not even opened it since I bought it a year or three ago. It doesn't seem like the sort of stuff to go bad in that state.

There are some people I should introduce you to that live in the Baltimore area. They can probably actually answer the local knowledge question as asked. I'm likely to be cooking for them at some point soon(perhaps after new years) and will let you know when I have more details.

If you find better focus and enthusiasm, can I have your old set?

[thanate.livejournal.com]

Well, I wouldn't want good bubble tea powder to go to waste! If you're not going to use it I'd be happy to do so (although I can't see why you wouldn't want to...)

I've been looking for the focus part for years now with no luck, but I'll keep you in mind if something ever turns up.

[garden-goth.livejournal.com]

I just don't comment very often for the sake of commenting. I also don't post hardly ever and might change that.

[thanate.livejournal.com]

You should! (post more, I mean)... you're on the list of people I occasionally say, "Oh, it's sad I never hear what's going on with so&so anymore" and then grauwulf starts telling me all the stuff they're posting to facebook. And then I am sad, only not enough to join the facebook mafia. :/ (yes, some of my problems are entirely self-imposed...)

[garden-goth.livejournal.com]

I know I should, I just get into this thing where I can't quite get it together. I hope he did tell you that you two are invited to come out here and visit sometime.

[thanate.livejournal.com]

Yes, he passed that on & followed it up by reminding me to get my passport updated. (Although, technically if I only brought the one form of ID, nobody would know that it's not currently under my legal name...)

[leimon-malakoi.livejournal.com]

I don't comment often, because I don't think you actually want a response.

on the other hand -

I have wool scraps in yellow and green. Do you want wool scraps? As soon as I cut out my dress I will also have wool scraps in purple plaid. The yellow is a little lightweight, but if you felt it bunches it will turn heavy fast....

As for spices:
I like this place - but they may be far for you to travel.
http://www.google.com/maps/place?cid=5989307214107615829&q=spice+shops+in+dc&fb=1&gl=us&hq=spice+shops&hnear=District+of+Columbia

[thanate.livejournal.com]

It's also possible that no one outside my head can tell when I'm asking a rhetorical question... but lots of times I'm not.

yellow, green, and/or purple wools would be lovely!

[dancinglights.livejournal.com]

Up in Catonsville/Ellicott City, there is an H-mart that may have the Taro and beans. It's within walking distance of my house, but as I haven't looked for those things specifically, I'm not certain. I did, however, just buy tapioca bubbles for my own tea and quite a lot of saffron and stranger things there for gifts for folks living far from ethnic groceries.

I'm not sure what counts as fun things to do around here; mostly I climb plastic rocks, go hiking in Patapsco State Park, spend too much time in Ellicott City coffee shops, or out for goff club dancing. I tend to take tourist friends to the American Visionary Art Museum when we have the time, too.

I haven't been commenting because work has been eating all of my ability to sit in front of a glowing box and communicate, with a brief respite today, and will probably continue through January. Ugh. Hi?

[thanate.livejournal.com]

Which plastic rocks do you favor? We used to have an Earth Treks membership, but had trouble rousting ourselves out of the house that far on a regular basis when the other climbing people we knew had either stopped coming out, stopped being friends, or only went to rockville. (also, have you coffee shop recommendations, particularly anything that also does good tea?) The Visionary Art museum is on the long list, but we haven't made it yet.

Thus far, I haven't yet seen bubble tea powder for sale anywhere with a shopfront; I'm hoping that one day it will get sufficiently popular that this changes.

[dancinglights.livejournal.com]

I tend toward plastic rocks at the JHU gym because it's free for me (but tiny, and I can only bring one guest), but Earth Treks Columbia is fairly close to my house and I can be lured to Rockville or even Timonium on rare occasions). Pod is sometimes interested in coming along when he's not being eaten by grad school, but mostly he boulders and can't belay.

Raven would know good-tea coffee shop recommendations better than I, but Bean Hollow in EC is my go-to, if you happen to be there already anyway. They have a decent tea selection. Otherwise, in Baltimore, it's Teavolve or various cafe's that are less great on tea. Do *you* have coffee shop recommendations further out? I suddenly realise I don't know many.

[thanate.livejournal.com]

I think I was spoiled by having rockville on the way home from work when I lived in VA, and then grauwulf lived right down the road from the columbia gym for a while.

Good coffee shops... well, I could recommend a couple in Falls Church (Stacy's in particular), but I don't know if that would be too helpful to you. There's also Mad City in Columbia, which has some nice deserts, and grauwulf approves their coffee, and there's a lovely little bagel shop, the name of which escapes me, on Eden Brook Dr.

Also, Teavolve looks absolutely fantastic, and I'm not quite sure how I missed it before. Thanks for the recommendation!

[dancinglights.livejournal.com]

I'd totally forgotten about Mad City after friends of mine stopped living pretty much across the street. Thank you!