DIDS (Damn I Did Something) - December 18th Edition

Hey I remembered tonight was my night, that's gotta count...

erm

Hiya!! It's that time of the week (otherwise known as Tuesday night) and time for DIDS. You regulars know DIDS is short for "Damn, I Did Something." It's that chance we all crave, to tell everyone the large, small, glorious and mundane things we DID in the past week. I'll be your DIDS host for tonight, which I suppose is a perfectly fine DIDS! :-)

Every year we say it will be different, but every year is the same. It's full-scale week-before-Christmas panic mode here at Casa Brillig, and most of my DIDSes fall into the category of things that get us one step closer to December 25th. Let's see what we've got:

We got a tree on Saturday, in record time- walked into the tree lot, Kid Brillig said "What about this one?", we said "hey that one's nice" and had it, a holly spray for the door, and a chicken pie waiting to be cooked either in or on the car in 15 minutes!

Ordered most of our presents online. Thank FSM for express delivery :-).  This week is dedicated to getting that one last present the remainder of the gifts bought. [hence my posting and running... mall visit, blech. Will return to comment and sprinkle mojo when I return...].

The holiday cards aren't quite DIDSed yet, unfortunately, but my Secret Santa present is winging its way to REDACTED.

We also shoveled our way out of two snowstorms, and got up at 4:30am on Saturday to get KB to a swim meet in Exeter NH by 6:45am. (She DIDS do well, btw :-))

Now all we need to do is clean the house, decorate the tree, get haircuts, wrap the presents, make the food we'll bring to my inlaw's house for dinner, and find some time to relax and enjoy the season. How hard could that be?:-))

So, what DIDS you do this week?

•  DIDS put up a tip jar, too!

  In my other Life, I stayed out of trouble :-), got my condo decorated for the holidays and did most of my shopping, danced at a cool nightclub wearing a pink pony, and more or less successfully planned and hosted my first event in my new job as Events Planner for the NYC sim "Celestial Requiem" (uh, some of you may recognize that name :-)). If you're in SL, there will be a New Year's Formal on January 6th... hunt me down inworld for details!

  by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 02:51:19 PM PDT

  •  I posted a diary...

    about an hours ago.  It felt like an accomplishment because I had to look for a video of and do a transcription.  And besides - it's NOT a candidate diary.

    I can't say that I agree with Sheldon Whitehouse's support for the intel cmt version of the FISA legislation, but I think it's useful to review his argument.

    Why Sheldon Whitehouse Supports Telecom Immunity

    by peace voter

    I don't publish many diaries here on dkos - now I've published 2 in 2 days.  
    Damm I Did Something
    
    
    `````
    peace
    
    

    by peace voter on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:05:22 PM PDT

    •  keep on DIDSing that!

      your diaries are worth reading!

      by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:09:00 PM PDT

      •  thanks, brillig

        you're very kind
        
        
        ````
        peace
        
        

        by peace voter on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:10:28 PM PDT

      •  ps

        but are they worth recommending? (hint, hint)

        (no pressure)
        
        
        ````
        peace
        
        

        by peace voter on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:11:33 PM PDT

        •  I DIDS...

          just realize I forgot to do that, and rectified the situation :-)).

          by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:12:07 PM PDT

  •  Typical bluehair :)

    or not. :)

    by cskendrick on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:50:38 PM PDT

    •  what can I say...

      I just like blue.

      :-)

      by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:53:55 PM PDT

      •  Blue is good. :)

        by cskendrick on Wed Dec 19, 2007 at 05:21:52 AM PDT

•  penpal link to china/help candidate

  I organized a formal link between my son's third grade class and students in China. I have the first batch of letters to send,along with some postcards and tourist brochures of the area.
  I bought a book - the new Tom Oliphant on the disasters of the Bush years - to send to a candidate I am supporting. Half the lights are up on the tree. My dear son is asleep beside me on the sofa, so I had to type with one hand and hug him with the other.

  by Chun Yang on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 02:52:04 PM PDT

  •  Yay for linkage!

    so I had to type with one hand and hug him with the other

    That's a DIDS in and of itself!

    by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 02:55:43 PM PDT

•  Gosh You Guys do a Lot!

  My motto (it won't go in my sig tho) is

  Anything worth doing is worth doing half-assed.

  If I tried to finish everything just so I'd never get to the next thing!

  I bought beautiful used Christmas cards from the 1940s-50s. Had to glue paper to the back 'cause they'd been ripped out of a photo album. I have a collection of old paper so it was fun matching the colors. Next, which go to whom (difficult)? Then handwrite labels. Then etc. I hope to get this done before Christmas. If not, well, people have received my cards in January before.

  The cats alerted me to a roach in my kitchen. This has only happened once before, when two families moved out of the building at once. Not to worry, though. I'm gradually cleaning the kitchen, half-assed of course.

  I found inexpensive groceries. That's a DIDS these days.

  by JG in MD on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:04:33 PM PDT

•  and listen to his snoring!

  He has this same hacking cough stuff that I have  only he did not take naps like I was able to do instead of cleaning and preparing for Christmas. So I am glad he is napping before tae kwon do. Tomorrow is the last school day, then vacation.

  by Chun Yang on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:04:55 PM PDT

•  Replaced my kitchen faucet

  The old one just needed new washers, but I could NOT get off the screw which holds on the cold faucet handle. Buggered the screw, cut a new slot in it with a diamond cut-off disk, even tried turning it backwards on the theory that it could be a left-handed screw. Nope. The whole thing had to be replaced.

  Had only a little trouble getting the old faucet out, and none getting the new one in. While I was under the sink, I noticed the trap was rusting out, so that had to be replaced too, and some previous tenant had painted it, which made it difficult to get off. Had to melt the paint with a blowtorch.

  Truly it had been said, installing new plumbing is not difficult, it's getting the old plumbing out that's the bitch!

  by Leo in NJ on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:06:34 PM PDT

•  I DIDS the rest of my ...

  hunting and gathering for Christmas stuff - I like to mix it up: some new, some heirloom. Have some old photos scanned and ready for framing for family members. My daughter got home from her second semester of her second year in college - she's having roommate problems - THAT conversation / resolution took the best part of a couple of days. She and I sat down and made up our holiday cooking menus / to-do lists. And I finished a baby afghan for a new great-niece who won't actually arrive until early February.

  What else? Oh, yeah, my sister was elected in Nov. to our county treasurer's constitutional office - she and other newly elected AND incumbents will be sworn in on Thursday of this week and will hold a joint reception. Once again (just like when her daughter got married this summer), I got the 'task' of doing up (washing/ironing) all the table linens for the reception. I'm such an easy touch for doing those kind of favors- I have two more 12 foot long tablecloths to do and that task will be DIDS-status!

  Then there is the DNDY-list - Did Not Do Yet List but we won't go there...!

  by va dare on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:08:09 PM PDT

  •  that DNDY list of mine...

    takes up far more space than my DIDSes.  I don't talk about mine, either :-))

    Oh yeah.. next week I will DIDS my TC diary tomorrow :-))

    by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:10:26 PM PDT

•  I flew to Baltimore

  and brought my wife her jewelry and scarves. I hung out with our best friends, took them to the movies and for coffee the next morning. Then I flew back to Nashville and took my friends out for beers (six friends). I also cleaned up, washed clothes, gave a used computer as a gift and worked on a history project.

  Yayyyy me. Today though, I'm hiding. Only left the room to go to the bathroom (and kitchen once).

  by niteskolar on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:20:45 PM PDT

•  I think I finished my shopping.

  Except food, which has to be fresh.

  I made a plan of action, hit the mall and kept to the plan, and was out within an hour. It took longer to get home because of the traffic than it took to do the shopping,

  Everything else I bought online. I love the internets.

  I even got a tree, though it took a week to get it fully decorated.

  Still have to do the cards, though.

  by Floja Roja on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:34:42 PM PDT

  •  just got back from the mall...

    ::shudder::

    But we got all of Kid Brillig's friends done, plus two of three cousins.

    And I snuck in a present for KB when she wasn't looking :-)

    by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:46:36 PM PDT

    •  You buy gifts for your kids' friends?

      jeeze....

      by plf515 on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:47:34 PM PDT

      •  no...

        Kid buys (with a little supplementing from us as reward for good intentions on her part) gifts for kid's friends.  But she's only 9 so can't get to the mall yet on her own :-))

        by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:55:02 PM PDT

        •  OIC

          that's better.

          I was worried.

          by plf515 on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 06:03:36 PM PDT

•  started a new thread for my diary...

  to increase awareness of the post-storm plight of my favorite neighborhood in New Orleans, Gentilly.  I also finally got off my ass and started writing a book (non-fiction, spirituality) that I've had the idea in my head for at least a couple of years now.

  by YatPundit on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:43:49 PM PDT

•  I made a figgy pudding

  - always wanted to try it, I'll freeze it for now and serve it Christmas Even with hard sauce (powdered sugar, rum, butter).

  You remember the song!  "Bring me some figgy pudding, so bring me some figgy pudding and bring it right here!"

  Doesn't matter if it even tastes good (looks good so there's a good chance it does).  It's the idea of it.

  by kfred on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:52:34 PM PDT

  •  Figgy pudding!

    My daughter requested that for Christmas dinner.  I can make it ahead of time?  Any hints?  This is the recipe I found:  http://www.toomanychefs.net/...

    I have no idea what I'm doing, so if you have a chance I'd love to hear any advice.

    by myrealname on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:04:13 PM PDT

    •  Same recipe!!!!

      Yes - freeze it, thaw it the day of, make hard sauce the day of, microwave or just warm in the oven.  The comments below the message mention it.

      The moisture content is so high it retains it's flavor.  The orange peel is key.  The dried figs are a pain because they are so sticky and they are right - the milk might look curdled after warming the figs in it but it works just fine.

      by kfred on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:09:05 PM PDT

      •  Oh and I bked it in a bundt pan n/t

        by kfred on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:09:33 PM PDT

      •  Oh thanks!

        I am so glad I saw your comment.  If I had a sockpuppet, I'd recommend it twice!  I'll chop the figs up ahead of time and make the recipe this weekend.  

        by myrealname on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:14:39 PM PDT

  •  They made figgy pudding on NPR this

    afternoon!  I didn't get to hear how it turned out.

    by mkkendrick on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:26:50 PM PDT

    •  Will you...

      .. bring us some?

      :-))))

      by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:47:18 PM PDT

•  I DIDS survive a bathroom fire at school!

  So..maybe that's a little dramatic.

  Yesterday afternoon, a student staying after for a test said, "Um...there's a little fire in the boy's bathroom.  I'm going to C Hall restroom." We called the office to notify them that there was a problem.  No one came.  We started to smell smoke.  I went to the bathroom, opened the door and saw FLAMES!  Big flames!  The paper towel dispenser was ablaze.  We called the office and let them know that this was a FIRE!!!!  We found the fire extinguisher, security came, we put the blaze out, but there was SERIOUS smoke.  The bathroom is a total mess, and while the classrooms are ok, the hall stinks of smoke and all the ceiling tiles need to be replaced.  I couldn't teach in my classroom all day and spent the day hopping from classroom to classroom.  Not the best way to spend the week.

  by mkkendrick on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:53:33 PM PDT

•  I made it to the gourmet grocery

  store to get a whopping hunk o' beef.  Been procrastinating on it due to cold weather (it's about 6 blocks from where I work), so my choices were limited: went with a beef tenderloin.  At $25 a pound, it better be good.

  Alas and alack, the BossMan is screwing with my schedule.  Had it all figured out how I was gonna cram all the last-minute stuff into tomorrow, my usual day off.  Instead, we have a major brief due on Thursday, so I'm swapping Wednesday for Friday.  Which is good in one way -- means a really long weekend (won't go back until next Thursday); bad in another -- totally fucks up my timing on getting a one last gift and getting it delivered, and going by the bank for Christmas cash.

  But for the most part, I'm ready for Christmas... except that last gift... and the stuff calendar that hasn't yet arrived from despair.com.

  by Frankenoid on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 03:54:45 PM PDT

  •  $25/lb!!??

    Yikes!  I'm paying $15/pound for the same cut of meat at a very good small grocery store that sells mostly local produce and meat.  I've never bought any meat from them before, but they have a good reputation.  Do you prepare a traditionally English menu for Christmas?

    by myrealname on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:19:21 PM PDT

    •  Nope. Just buy the best

      hunk of meat I can (this is prime grade) and throw it in the oven.  Roast some veggies, buy a pie, and that's it.

      by Frankenoid on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 06:19:39 PM PDT

•  DIDS - I'm worn out

  I hosted my grandson's birthday party (family only) on Sunday, which meant I prepared about 10 appetizer recipes, and cleaned house.  Today I came close to finishing the last-minute small gift shopping, took my son and grandson out for lunch for the little guy's actual birthday (balloons, ice cream and the restaurant staff gathered around singing to him, which scared him plenty), and then babysat for the rest of the day.  I really am ready for Christmas except for food shopping on Sunday.  My hope is that Christmas dinner will be easy and I can relax and enjoy the day.

  by myrealname on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:09:26 PM PDT

  •  I'm making a dish a day for the freezer

    potatoes, dressing, some other homeade gifts.  I have yet to buy the turkey, but I made the hamballs yesterday.  They're in the freezer now.  Only 17 this year for mouths to feed.

    by kfred on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:14:20 PM PDT

•  30 diaries in a row!

  in last week, 7 diaries and at least 466 comments.

  by plf515 on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:32:17 PM PDT

  •  Wow!

    by mkkendrick on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:37:28 PM PDT

    •  And I have plans

      for tomorrow and thurs, fri, and saturday

      by plf515 on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:45:03 PM PDT

•  I GOTS* the flu

  *(Gosh, Our Toilet Stinks), so I DIDS just about nothing but lie around and groan, acting as a fever-warm resting spot for the cat (which, as far as she's concerned, is major DIDS).

  by Crashing Vor on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 04:56:34 PM PDT

•  A 4 merely for a

  non-candidate related diary!

  by CJB on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:20:16 PM PDT

  •  How did this end up here?

    It was actually to peace voter!  But it works for you, too, brillig!

    I like that you got a tree so easily.  Some years it's terrible.  Our experience this year was amazing.  We went to a lot.  Took a tree still wrapped - bare branches and flat sides unseen - and unwrapped at home the most beautiful 8 1/2 foot noble fir I've ever seen.  I'm sure it'll never happen again in my lifetime, but I'm sitting here looking at it now, and it's absolutely gorgeous.

    This is the first time I've ever thanked an inanimate objuect for giving it's life for a non-food-related cause.

    by CJB on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:33:31 PM PDT

•  Well, it wasn't me...

  ..but there was a DIDS at my house - I got my computer un-wired!  Bought the box thingie, the antenna thingie, and got Geeks on Call to set me up.  Now, I can blog in bed if I want to!  I have a liberated laptop! Whoop!
   Needless to say, my Pack of Dogs got freaked out when there were all these MEN in my house...they are just not accustomed to that.

  by drchelo on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:23:48 PM PDT

•  This made me laugh:

  and a chicken pie waiting to be cooked either in or on the car in 15 minutes!

  Anyone but me remember the fad in the 70s where some forward-thinking genius decided it would be cool to wrap your dinner in foil, put in under the hood of your car, et viola!  When you reach your destination, you've got swiss steak and potatoes all hot and ready to eat!  The women's mag articles all came complete with some wasp-wasted boofy-haried mom standing Vanna-white-style gesturing gracefully toward battery.

  Now do you know why I believe in evolution?

  by CJB on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:25:50 PM PDT

  •  hehe..

    I didn't mean it that way, but now I'm laughing! Which, given I just returned from 2 hours at the mall, is a wonder in and of itself.  You can count it as a DIDS, CJB!

    by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:49:19 PM PDT

•   I started a couple of cyber food fights...

  ...and won. :)

  by cskendrick on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:49:16 PM PDT

•  Struck a blow for Civil Rights (Housing, disabled

  Well, okay.  No figgy pudding fo rme. Absolutely nothing holiday-related on my DIDS list.

  All I did was up the ante in a civil rights case (housing, disability) that I'm involved in.  Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), HUD set up what they call 'FHAP' agencies -- state or local agencies that investigate FHA civil rights complaints and enforce the law.  Except if you live in Indiana.  Then the Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) omits all your evidence and invents evidence that supports the landlord -- that is, if my case is an example of ICRC's work.  The HUD Regional office (Chicago, in this case) is supposed to make sure that FHAPs perform according to standards -- and that's what the up-the-ante memo (below) is about.  (I'm 'complainant'; people named are HUD employees; Apartments are HUD-subsidized & beng purchased on HUD loans; so I'm considering them all as public entities)

  MEMO BEGINS --

  TO: Maurice J. McGough, Chicago FHEO Center Director
  CC: Barbara M. Knox, Administrator, HUD/ICRC Cooperative Agreement
  FROM: Eloise McGhee
  DATE: December 18 2007

  RE: [Complainant] v Henderson Court
  ICRC No: HOha07040187 -- filed 4/18/07
  HUD Fair Housing Act Case No: 05-07-0776-8 -- filed 4/17/07
  HUD Section 504 Case No: 05-07-0106-4
  HUD Inquiry No: 229400 -- complaint made 3/22/07

  SUBJECT: Omitted Evidence Flaws Indiana FHAP Case

  Mr. McGough, you may recall the December 3 phone conversation in which you and I discussed my concerns about the Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) having omitted a substantial body of evidence from the case file, Final Investigative Report (FIR), and HUD’s TEAPOTS database for [Complainant] v Henderson Court. You described the ICRC’s omission of this evidence as 'problematic'. To help allay my concerns that the documents I planned to send as evidence for the Commission’s appeal review might be similarly mis-handled, you suggested that I could send copies of my appeals materials to you. This email memo describes how I have implemented your suggestion.

  On December 13, 2007, I faxed an 85-page packet of appeals documents to the ICRC’s Deputy Director. (This packet included copies of nine of the items omitted from evidence.) In a phone call later that day I asked the Deputy Director to date-stamp each document, then copy the complete packet and mail a copy both to myself and to you. The Deputy Director, who is aware of my distress over the omitted evidence, agreed to this and confirmed that agreement by email.

  As you and I discussed on December 3, the current TEAPOTS file on this case does not represent the case accurately, due to the body of evidence that has been omitted. The flawed TEAPOTS record led to a flawed FIR, and the flawed FIR led to a flawed determination and a flawed Notice of Finding. I made ICRC’s Deputy Director aware of these problems in my December 6 memo (attached), and suggested that ICRC amend the record before giving this case to the Commissioners for review. ICRC chose to submit the incomplete and inaccurate record to the Commissioners and, to the best of my knowledge, has not yet attempted to correct the TEAPOTS database.

  It may be that you have already received the copy of my appeals packet from ICRC. However, since on more than one occasion there has been a significant lag between a promised mailing date and the actual postmark on materials requested from ICRC, I am attaching four of my appeals documents to this email (Word format). Because ICRC’s actions in this case appear to have taken them out of compliance with the ‘substantial equivalency’ requirements set out in 24 CFR 115, and thus out of compliance with the Cooperative Agreement between HUD and ICRC, I am CC’ing this email (with attachments) to your colleague Barbara Knox, the Administrator of the Cooperative Agreement.

  The documents I am attaching are:
  (1) Fax Cover Sheet - Complainant’s Additional Materials for Appeal of Notice of Finding (lists contents of fax packet)
  (2) Evidence Omitted from Case File, FIR, TEAPOTS (Dec 6 - lists most signifcant omitted evidence, suggests amending record)
  (3) Complainant’s Analysis and Comments in Light of Evidence Omitted from Final Investigative Report (Dec 12; analyzes Notice of Finding)
  (4) Initial Response to ICRC’s ‘Notice of Finding’ (Oct 24; Aug 22 document appended)

  As we discussed, I am of course concerned about ICRC's irregular handling of evidence in my case, and about ICRC’s willingness to produce and maintain a gravely flawed permanent Federal record. I am, however, even more concerned about what ICRC’s actions in my case might mean for other Indiana residents who may need to seek civil rights enforcement under the Fair Housing Act.

  In a December 2 interview with Gannett News Service, Kim Kendrick, assistant secretary for HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, was quoted as saying, "We're making sure that everything we do is consistent across the country." HUD’s ‘substantial equivalency’ performance standards are the mechanism for ensuring that the consistent practices Ms. Kendrick speaks of are observed in every case in every state. These performance standards are the citizens’ only assurance that their rights to due process and equal access to justice will be upheld by FHAP agencies like ICRC.

  The Indiana Civil Rights Commission has a troubled history in terms of complying with the performance standards established to ensure Indiana’s residents that their rights to due process and to equal access to justice will be upheld. The Indiana Civil Rights Commission’s handling of evidence and of government records in [Complainant] v Henderson Court suggests that they are either underinformed about, or indifferent to, the requirements imposed on them by HUD’s ‘substantial equivalency’ performance standards. I hope that the responsible civil rights officials in HUD’s Chicago Regional office will act to ensure ICRC’s compliance with the performance standards that safeguard the citizens’ rights to due process and equal access to justice.

  With due respect
  [Complainant]

  by CroneWit on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 05:57:31 PM PDT

  •  I'd say that you get...

    extra figgy pudding for this one. Way to go, CroneWit!

    by brillig on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 06:18:17 PM PDT