wrapups and updates

Wow, there was nothing on this page!

Sorry, sorry. It's been wild. I know it's always sort of wild around my life but this month has been truly mad. I haven't sent out a single Christmas card. I'm lucky to make phone calls to everyone I love who's had a birthday. I am still buying and sending Christmas gifts, a process which has become deadline-based rather than Christmas-based. (I'm seeing X person on Friday, therefore the gift will be bought Thursday, etc.)

Moving is an endless process, though I am going to attempt to end it today by getting the last of my stuff from Mike's. The new place is shaping up but doesn't yet feel totally like home, and I've had to take measures to block the bugs (every NYC apartment building has roaches, it's just a fact of life - but you have different levels of insulation against them - my building and apartment is old,so there were lots of gaps in the floorboards and walls where they could sneak through. I've only seen a couple each week, but that was enough; on advice of a building-mate, I bought wood glue and a silicon gun and filled in every gap all over the apartment. Cheryl came over one night and we attacked, and since then I have not seen one bug anywhere that hadn't probably been around since before that night. That's, as Jo Rowling might say, a reckless tempt of fate. I'll go home and have an infestation. Anyway, even though she amused herself by reorganizing my bookcase afterward - this honestly is Cheryl's joy in life - Cheryl came over and caulked for me. Caulked. Good friends help you move - great friends help you caulk. LOL)

So, yeah.

This site will shortly be redirected to Penbitten.com, my new domain; melissaanelli.com also goes there. The name for PenBitten is from an Edna St. Vincent Millay poem I hold dear, introduced to me by a friend - it goes, "Cruel of heart, lay down my song / Your reading eyes have done me wrong / Not for you was the pen bitten / and the mind wrung, and the song written." Basically, if you're not a nice person, go away. That's a sentiment I respect and love. So, yeah. Update your bookmarks if you like! Eventually it will be totally redesigned by John Noe, person extraordinnaire, and he has a whole vision, and I trust him like few others, so I'm excited. I've moved everything over now, and updated the gallery system there, too. Tell me if you click around and find bugs.

Oh, and those who subscribed to be notified when this site updates: I tried to email you all but I think I got some returned mails. I put you all on the other list, for when I update that one; if you are on that list, you should get an email from penbitten.com when I publish this item - because I'm crossposting it. So, if you haven't gotten two notifications for this entry, resign up at penbitten.com, if you want.

I had a fantastic birthday. It was calm, and quiet, and great. I worked, then my mother made her infamous chicken with mozzarella, and my godmother and her family came over and we did our Christmas presents and played "Shout About TV" until 2 a.m. Donna and I won two games straight. Woo hoo. :) And just…signing on to Leaky, and the Lounge, and my email, and facebook, and IM, and LiveJournal, and seeing an amount of birthday wishes there that way outnumber the amount I feel I've a right to - thank you all for them. I'm trying to respond to everyone; I've done Leaky and almost all the Lounge; all of LJ and all of Facebook, but none of email yet. I feel very lucky to be given such an outpouring. Thank you.

And that's all there's time for right now! Got some recording with some nerds to do tonight. :) A certain Ben Schoen is going to feel the wrath.