dear IKEA: ppbbtbthhhh

So it was a good thing I won the eBay auction, because I was at IKEA this afternoon, and the lamps I'd wanted?  The ones that had been out of stock for ages but when I asked how come if they were never available they were still on display, I was told they were just out of stock, and just because they didn't know when the new ones were going to come in didn't mean they were discontinued or anything?

Have been discontinued.

I did buy a floor lamp to match the one I've already got, though.  Plus a frame in which to put my sepia-tone cross-stitch, and a deep frame in which to put a quilt square my grandmother made (so it isn't smushed against the glass).  And a duvet cover for the comforter I got from the Amazon gold box a couple of months ago.  And I did win the eBay auction, and paid for the stuff, so I should be getting the goods pretty soon.  Hooray!

doctor who: "the sound of drums"

Okay, Sci Fi rat bastards, I know you need to cut things here and there for commercials, but dudes.  DUDES.

For those of you who hadn't seen it before tonight, ( technically, this is a spoiler. )

[grumbles, shakes fist]

[eta:  But I do love the ( spoiler. )

]

what's in my bag

Unlike kaalee, I had not seen this elsewhere, but it amused me when I saw it at her place, so here we go.

The contents of my bag, ( unedited. )

* Speaking of Lexus Girl, it occurred to me a couple of weeks ago that I hadn't heard anything more on that since the time that my agent called me to say he'd had a claim from Lexus Dad, and did I know anything about it.  I'd told him I dinged the car in the parking lot, and he said Lexus Dad had been really snippy with him but he'd take care of it.  That was weeks ago.  So I called the number to track the progress of a claim, and spoke to someone who looked it up -- and it turns out that they're waiting on photographs and an estimate from Lexus Family and/or their insurance.  Because of course they're not just going to give Lexus Dad what he asks for without some evidence that that's what I'm responsible for.  Piece of cake, right, but they've been waiting for six weeks or more.  Friends, it may be that Lexus Dad went ahead and had the work done and was trying to get my insurance to pay for all of it, and given that my insurance isn't going to roll over he's just decided to eat the costs and learn not to do that again.  (Or it may be that I get a call tomorrow about how he filed the appropriate documents, but, odds?)  The guy on the phone said pretty soon they were going to mark the claim as "inactive" or similar, although of course if they get the pictures etc. in future they'll pay out.  Still, though, gotta love them for sticking to their guns.  State Farm - consider this a recommendation.

more on "the sound of drums"

For those of you who don't have the episode (ahem) on your hard drive, here (right-click-save, please, even though it's little) is the end of the perception-filter scene with the original, much-less-harsh cut.

Can't stop the signal.  :-)