gurdymonkey | Wow, I must have needed that....

Got out early today and blew my free afternoon on a nap despite grandiose plans of, oh, I don't know, maybe sewing. Or even getting my bike out and wobbling around the neighborhood a little bit. (Between bad weather and my knee it's been weeks!) Cheesecake making is imminent, however, as I have promised to bring some to

mamapduck and her family, with whom I shall be spending Christmas. In fact, I had to come up here for the recipe, because the printout of the original went missing.

It's Tenno Tanjobi. Happy birthday to His Majesty, Emperor Akihito, who looks to be a spry and cheerful 77.

And the word is out: I found ANOTHER bottle of sake on my desk this morning, a gift from one of our sheet metal foremen. (OK,

mochimonkey , maybe you're right.)

I appear to have created a "Wow!" moment on

lj_photophile . The participation level of this community is all over the map, both in terms of submissions and what people deem worthy of clicking on. Admittedly, I don't think anyone has ever bothered to explain that you can indicate you like a photo (thus giving it votes that might get it into one of the weekly or themed polls) by clicking on the little vote counter, because it took me a couple weeks to figure that one out. It really needs to be in the profile section somewhere. Sometimes people comment on my photos and don't vote, which makes me think that they don't realize they can. Sometimes I put something up that I think is fantastic and nobody records a reaction to it. I don't care if I win a poll, but feedback is useful. Contributor content ranges from bad cellphone pics of people's beloved pets doing something Teh Kyoot to downright professional shots. Anyone can join, anyone can play. If you enjoy photography, check it out: just be aware that it's a big community with a lot of activity.

EDIT: Cheesecake is cooling on the rack. Cheesecake-induced messes have been cleaned up. The last three packages have been wrapped, half a glass of pinot grigio has been consumed. Contemplating what to do on the dinner front....