We choose to go to the moon...

Today I learned that my sister doesn't know who my brother in law is voting for. Then a colleague told me that, after 15 years of marriage, she and her husband have never disclosed their voting decisions to each other. Another colleague told me that her vote is private and that privacy extends to her husband. ALSDFSHLDLHSGF!! I need to file this under, "I know far less about human behavior than I thought." I feel so strongly about my political views that I couldn't not discuss them with my partner. I feel so strongly about my political views that it influences who I date. (To be fair, I think one of the reasons some people don't discuss politics with their S.O. is that they know they disagree and choose not to force a fight. But that's a fight I want to have. If our core values differ that much we're not going to work out and you're certainly not raising my child.) I had no idea I might be in the minority on this. Am I?

Note: If you're single, just answer with how you'd expect to interact with your partner.

ETA: The 2nd response on the 2nd question should obviously be "do not support the same national candidate..."

[Poll #1290508]

Two other quick things before I run to a forecasting meeting:

Entries are coming in for the BSG costume contest.

spessartine is in Mongolia and posted photos. WOW.

Goodbye Kwame Kilpatrick. Please learn some humility in jail.

( TV Show meme )

That was a fun meme!!

I'm not usually affected by allergies but my eyes have been so itchy I haven't been able to wear my contacts. I want to rub my eyes out. I need to stop for drops on the way to work (if I eve get my ass up and into the shower). I'm so late!

Up and and it. But first, a poll:

[Poll #1287208]

A jaunt to services this morning and the rest of the day is vacation! Growing up, we did not shop on Rosh Hashanah (and I still wouldn't on Yom Kippur) but I've come to terms with how I want to celebrate these holidays while I'm on my own in Michigan. This year, it included a run and trip to Borders for When We Left Earth and Iron Man on DVD and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. The bonus is that I had gift cards so it cost me nothing. I'm not even sure what to dive into first!

I finished The Alchemy of Air yesterday and enjoyed it very much. For a book about chemistry history, it was a surprisingly quick read.

( My LibraryThing/Shelfari review )

Now is where I turn to all of you for help in three areas.

1. Podfic recs: Do you have any? I've never listed to podfic but I'm thinking it may be fun for my drive to and from Chicago. I'd listen to any rating and most any pairing in any of the following fandoms: SPN, SGA, SG-1, Whoverse, House, BSG, HP, West Wing, Iron Man.

2. iTrip product rec: I bought the Griffin iTrip Auto SmartScan when I was out earlier and it doesn't work. My car doesn't have a tuner it only has the "seek" function so I can't settle on a station that doesn't transmit. I've had this problem with iTrip products in the past but I can't possibly be the only person with this problem. Does anyone have an iTrip device they love and recommend?

3. Fringe: Who's watching? Do you like it?

[Poll #1269918]

When I finished up my run this afternoon there was a creepy guy in a white pick up coming down the street. He let me cross, drove down the road, and then turned around to drive past me again. It freaked me the fuck out and I walked up to my neighbor's house as if it was mine because I don't want him to know where I live. I don't care if it's paranoid - sometimes I get nervous living in a house by myself and I don't want to go to sleep tonight worrying that creepy guy is coming back for me.

I haven't watched daytime tv in ages but I caught a bit of Y&R. I watched Y&R back in the early 90's and, yet, there were Jack, Jill, Kathryn, and Kathyrn's maid still on the show! I love that it's been at least 17 years since I watched the show and I still know the characters. It's also ridiculously easy to get sucked in again. (Reason #1 why I never watch GH, these days.)

Last up for this post, an insta-rec: An Angel Close By Me by zelda_zee. This is the Dean/Castiel fic I’ve been waiting for since the season four premiere. It’s raw, powerful, terrifying in it’s intensity, and hot as sin heaven.

[Poll #1231962]

While I'm at it, here are two fic recs - both SG-1:

Sam/Jack: Concentric Unto Thee by gabolange Her attempts at normality have never worked before, and Jack won’t stand for any attempts to apply the logic of command to their relationship. This is a gorgeous story. It’s established relationship, set post SGA 05×01, and is all about Sam’s choices - and the weight Jack carries in them.

Jack/Daniel: Cards on the Table by princessofg This is a hot, first time fic that, more than anything, will put a smile on your face. It’s so nice to read a story that's this easy.

princessofg wrote new first time Jack/Daniel fic set post season 5's "The Warrior": Debriefing. I will always be a sucker for well written first time J/D fic.

Also fic related, Moonshot is updated with 22 recs for April:
8 SGA
6 SPN
5 Torchwood
2 SG-1
1 SG-1/SGA crossover

On Friday night three friends are coming over for dinner and BSG. I'm cooking which means I need to find a recipe I can handle and shop for food tomorrow evening. I'm totally intimidated by cooking but I want to entertain more often because I'm so frequently the guest, rather than the host, and hosting more often means cooking more often. It's probably a good for me.

Nearly three weeks from Memorial Day, I'm are starting to prepare for a Memorial Day extravaganza with kiffle, cranberryink, lilysaid, carta, and anamchara!! I'll have a house full of five of my favorite people and make my very first phone call to New Zealand. \o/

Today was day 2 of week 3 of my C25K running program. I'm used to cardio workouts but I'm trying not to push the program too much since I'm not a runner so, today, instead of just two sets of 1:30/1:30/3:00/3:00 run/walk cycles, I added a five minute run to the end. I've also found that listening to podcasts while I run is the best way to make my way through the workout. It's easy to manage the timing and I'm so engrossed in the podcast the time flies by. Today was the BSG, "Six of One" podcast. I love Ron Moore's commentary.

I also have a new awesome and motivating tank top to run in! Thank you, kiffle!! And, cranberryink, I hear I have you to thank for the design. It's perfect. :)

Here's a quick poll. Please indulge me:
[Poll #1180505]

I had a terrible day today. It was all work related so I won't bore you with the details but it was truly awful. To console myself (and also because it was on my calendar!), I stopped at Borders to pick up Ark of Truth. I couldn't find it anywhere but a solicitous employee came by and didn't stop looking until she found the copies for me in the back room. Perhaps it was because I looked pathetic or perhaps it was because I said, "A ten season television show ended on a cliff hanger and this movie ties up the loose ends. I'm leaving here with a copy of the movie." SG-1 Ark of Truth is mine and, as soon as I click, "post to saturn92103," in it goes!

Daniel Jackson has the power to save my day.

carta linked me to this post in Joe Mallozzi's blog that includes a deleted scene from the SGA episode, "Trio." The scene inspired the following poll:

[Poll #1152659]

Patrick Stewart found himself a new girlfriend! stewart_daily tells me she is Catherine Moellering, 34, a graduate of Harvard Business School and president of Best & Co. I actually have nothing else to say about Patrick Stewart's love life other than I wouldn't pass up a chance to be part of it.

It's only 5:30pm dinner at a friend's house that will save me from the laziness of the day. My sister has 4395743958 million school vacations/year and I'm usually too jealous to appreciate her moaning at the end of a week off but I have some perspective now and I may take it upon myself to be a bit more tolerant in the future when she whines.

The weird heat wave is melting all of the snow but it's overcast and the snow is melting faster than it can dissipate so there's been a crazy fog outside all day. It's eerie and awesome.

Over the past few weeks, I've seen a number of references to thermostat levels which leads me to this poll.

[Poll #1116633]

When I was a kid, my grandmother always kept her house about 4 degrees cooler than I found comfortable and offered me a sweater as I walked in the door. Now I get it.

I've seen the candidate poll posted on my friends list a few times. Pretty consistently, Hillary is my #1 match on these quizzes. It's not directional but it does confirm my prior inclinations. Anyway, here's a different one from Minnesota Public Radio that's not geared towards blog posting but does tell you, once you're through, where you matched and differed from candidate positions. It also has much more detailed questions: MPR Candidate Quiz. Again, not directional, but it's been a solid starting point for research on candidate alignment with some of my core values/views.

I'm still reading a ton of fic. Two new recs:

BSG/West Wing Crossover: Habeas Corpus by projectjulie - Roslin/Evelyn Baker Lang, NC-17. This story is spectacular. Not only did Julie develop Evelyn Baker Lang into a fully fleshed character but she wove a believable and captivating tale of the Colonial Fleet's arrival on Earth from Lang's POV. Beyond that, her Roslin is spot on - beautiful, poised, and single mindedly focused on protecting the interests of her people.

HP: Vale Sanare by rurounihime - Harry/Draco, NC-17. Post-war, Draco’s not quite whole, suffering in ways he can’t bear but believes he deserves, when something that feels just a little like respite comes in the form of Harry Potter. This story is spectacular. It’s long, intense h/c with phenomenal characterizations. Draco’s voice rings true throughout and I’m in love with Harry’s maturity. Despite his own afflictions, this is the grown Harry I hope for.

[Poll #1099139]

There's a great BSG season 4 preview out that includes interview clips with EJO, Mary McDonnell, Ron Moore, David Eick, Katee Sackhoff and Jamie Bamber (sexy accent!). My excitement is building to fever pitch and it's only December!

( BSG Season 4 preview )

More immediately, I'm counting down to the premiere of The Sarah Connor Chronicles. For no other reason than Summer Glau as a terminator, it's going to be awesome.

( The Sarah Connor Chronicles trailer )

And one more video clip...I did get around to watching Youngblood last night. It was a totally predictable 80's sports movie with the big, burly enemy and the last second, "will they win?" drama but Rob Lowe pulled off adorable and hot with ease. If you're going to watch only one scene from the movie, this is it. (Well, this and the sex scene.)

( Shirtless, bare assed 22 year old Rob Lowe )

Borders is offering a coupon for 40% off any DVD box set Monday and Tuesday. Coupon here. (You have to be a Borders Rewards member to redeem the coupon but joining is free and I'm sure you can sign up at time of purchase.) I'm going to buy another season of ST:TNG...hopefully season 6. With the 40% off and the $15 credit I have, I can get the $70 season for about $25 bucks.

It's getting COLD here. There was this awful sleet thing happening last night and today it's so foggy the visibility is less than 1/4 mile. It's 40 degrees, though, and, given that it's been in the high 20's, I decided to deal with the freezing rain and clean up my garden before the temperatures drop permanently. I have this grass in the front of my house (one of those grasses that's a bush kind of thing) and, once it's gets cold, the grass dies and gets wheaty. Last year I didn't cut it like I was supposed to and it screwed with the spring growth so today, full on a yummy brunch, I braved the weather and cut the grass. I feel accomplished and my neighbors will be grateful because it's their lawns the stuff blew all over last year.

Now I'm going to finish my to do list and hopefully settle in with some fic by 6pm.

[Poll #1051535]

For comparison purposes:



( And two classics, Astaire's 'Puttin' on the Ritz' and Kelly's, 'Singing in the Rain' )