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floatingleafOkay... where do I start???... *takes a deep breath*
For the benefit of anyone who might care, or could possibly have been wondering about my atypical silence, here's the explanation: MY INTERNET CONNECTION DIED FOR TWO WEEKS. Yes, that's right. Two weeks. For no apparent reason. I mean, I initially assumed it had something to do with the extensive water pipe repairs going on in my neighborhood (especially since the Comcast customer service claimed they were "aware of service interruptions in the area")... but since the repairs were finished yesterday and my internet was still gone, I called customer service again, and this time they sent a technician to look at my modem and stuff. And guess what?... A whole bunch of cables leading from outside the building into my apartment were actually disconnected. I still don't know why (the technician tried to give me possible reasons, I think, but since he was Hispanic and his English seemed pretty basic, I didn't get much out of that). But the main thing is, he did fix the problem. So I'm back. Hopefully for good... LOL.
But, as fate would have it, those past two weeks have been quite eventful, and I probably would have been posting like crazy if I could... so now trying to squeeze it all into a single entry (because I don't know when I'm gonna have time for another one) seems like quite the challenge. I guess I'll just briefly point out the highlights, so to speak.
1) I spent last weekend at thetexas_retreat. It was lots of fun, and I am amazed at how much effort the organizers of this event put into making it a great, memorable experience for us all. There were gifts and trivia games, a fancy Saturday night dinner and a movie (Appaloosa, of course :D), lots of talk and laughter and the wonderful feeling of warmth and connectedness that I always get when hanging out with fellow LOTR fans. This fandom simply attracts amazing people, and I consider myself very lucky to have met so many of them. It's always exciting to be able to attach a face to an LJ username or email ID you've been seeing around your computer screen for years.:P I will also cherish the lovely souvenirs I brought back with me - including, among other things, my First Official LOTR Action Figure (king Elessar in full regalia, currently presiding over my bookcase ;), a personalized bookmark (I didn't realize it actually said "floatingleaf" until I got back home - I guess I was too preoccupied with the handsome ranger on it, lol) and a beautiful wall calendar with Australian landscapes (yes, it was an international gathering). Thank you, gracious ladies, for your thoughtfulness and generosity (you know who you are :).
2) Watching Appaloosa was a delightful experience in itself, as well - except for Renee Zellweger's character, who simply didn't sit well with me, from start to finish. I wouldn't go as far as to say that she ruined the movie for me... but I found her intensely annoying. I'm glad she wasn't Viggo's love interest. *shudder* I wasn't too thrilled by the ending, either... but that's all I'm gonna say for now. No spoilers.:P
3) On October 29th Viggo will be in Chicago for the Good premiere at Chicago Film Festival!!!!! I was lucky enough to grab a ticket for the event soon after they came on sale, and I fully intend to take the day off, team up withakashaelfwitch and do some stalking.;P
4) Two days before that, on the 27th, I am scheduled for my citizenship exam (!!!). Which means I MIGHT be able to vote (not sure if I will actually become a citizen in time for the elections - we'll see, I guess). I am nervous as hell (more about getting there on time, not forgetting any of the necessary documents, being asked uncomfortable personal questions, or needing to use the bathroom at the wrong moment than about the 'exam' itself, I suppose), but it will be such a relief to finally have that done and over with. It's been looming over me since I first moved to the US six years ago...
5) There were so many LJ posts I meant to respond to, and so many emails I meant to write, before I lost my internet connection that I seriously don't know where to begin. I will certainly try to catch up as best I can, but there is no telling now long it might take (my vacation is almost over, it's back to work on Monday, and for all I know, I'll probably be trying hard to keep sane until sometime in November... lol). So if you don't see a comment from me where you would normally expect to see it - or if you see one a week or two after you posted something - please don't think I've been ignoring you on purpose. I'll get there, hopefully, at some point. It's just that this is probably the craziest fall season of my (so far) relatively uneventful existence... *wipes brow*
For the benefit of anyone who might care, or could possibly have been wondering about my atypical silence, here's the explanation: MY INTERNET CONNECTION DIED FOR TWO WEEKS. Yes, that's right. Two weeks. For no apparent reason. I mean, I initially assumed it had something to do with the extensive water pipe repairs going on in my neighborhood (especially since the Comcast customer service claimed they were "aware of service interruptions in the area")... but since the repairs were finished yesterday and my internet was still gone, I called customer service again, and this time they sent a technician to look at my modem and stuff. And guess what?... A whole bunch of cables leading from outside the building into my apartment were actually disconnected. I still don't know why (the technician tried to give me possible reasons, I think, but since he was Hispanic and his English seemed pretty basic, I didn't get much out of that). But the main thing is, he did fix the problem. So I'm back. Hopefully for good... LOL.
But, as fate would have it, those past two weeks have been quite eventful, and I probably would have been posting like crazy if I could... so now trying to squeeze it all into a single entry (because I don't know when I'm gonna have time for another one) seems like quite the challenge. I guess I'll just briefly point out the highlights, so to speak.
1) I spent last weekend at the
texas_retreat. It was lots of fun, and I am amazed at how much effort the organizers of this event put into making it a great, memorable experience for us all. There were gifts and trivia games, a fancy Saturday night dinner and a movie (Appaloosa, of course :D), lots of talk and laughter and the wonderful feeling of warmth and connectedness that I always get when hanging out with fellow LOTR fans. This fandom simply attracts amazing people, and I consider myself very lucky to have met so many of them. It's always exciting to be able to attach a face to an LJ username or email ID you've been seeing around your computer screen for years.:P I will also cherish the lovely souvenirs I brought back with me - including, among other things, my First Official LOTR Action Figure (king Elessar in full regalia, currently presiding over my bookcase ;), a personalized bookmark (I didn't realize it actually said "floatingleaf" until I got back home - I guess I was too preoccupied with the handsome ranger on it, lol) and a beautiful wall calendar with Australian landscapes (yes, it was an international gathering). Thank you, gracious ladies, for your thoughtfulness and generosity (you know who you are :). 2) Watching Appaloosa was a delightful experience in itself, as well - except for Renee Zellweger's character, who simply didn't sit well with me, from start to finish. I wouldn't go as far as to say that she ruined the movie for me... but I found her intensely annoying. I'm glad she wasn't Viggo's love interest. *shudder* I wasn't too thrilled by the ending, either... but that's all I'm gonna say for now. No spoilers.:P
3) On October 29th Viggo will be in Chicago for the Good premiere at Chicago Film Festival!!!!! I was lucky enough to grab a ticket for the event soon after they came on sale, and I fully intend to take the day off, team up with
akashaelfwitch and do some stalking.;P 4) Two days before that, on the 27th, I am scheduled for my citizenship exam (!!!). Which means I MIGHT be able to vote (not sure if I will actually become a citizen in time for the elections - we'll see, I guess). I am nervous as hell (more about getting there on time, not forgetting any of the necessary documents, being asked uncomfortable personal questions, or needing to use the bathroom at the wrong moment than about the 'exam' itself, I suppose), but it will be such a relief to finally have that done and over with. It's been looming over me since I first moved to the US six years ago...
5) There were so many LJ posts I meant to respond to, and so many emails I meant to write, before I lost my internet connection that I seriously don't know where to begin. I will certainly try to catch up as best I can, but there is no telling now long it might take (my vacation is almost over, it's back to work on Monday, and for all I know, I'll probably be trying hard to keep sane until sometime in November... lol). So if you don't see a comment from me where you would normally expect to see it - or if you see one a week or two after you posted something - please don't think I've been ignoring you on purpose. I'll get there, hopefully, at some point. It's just that this is probably the craziest fall season of my (so far) relatively uneventful existence... *wipes brow*
