Coming soon to an intarwebz near you:
But until that site goes live, head over to TheJokerBlogs @ YouTube and watch!
26 June 2009
come and play
But until that site goes live, head over to TheJokerBlogs @ YouTube and watch!
15 June 2009
True Blood S02E01 -- teletalk and spoilers
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
[...]
Anna's acting aside (and I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this point), my sole complaint with the series was the [perfectly canon] possibility that Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) would not see the second series. He was my favourite character in the first series, and completely independent of his role in the book universe. Amazing actor, amazing character, just really entertaining and fun to watch.
Lafayette wasn't a major character in the books, and Charlaine Harris killed him off (in the first book, if memory serves me); but in the show, I think he has been much too well-loved by the audience to just get rid of him so carelessly. If the intro is anything to go by, perhaps Alan Ball has thrown that out the window. Fine by me ... [Edit: Still watching (10:31) ... am I writing too soon? Is he going to die in this episode? If he dies in this, I am going to FLIP.]
I can't help but feel a bit sad that it appears Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is going to be turning into a Jesus person Fellowship of the Sun member this season. He was such a fun little man-whore in the last series. Ah, well. Character development. C'est la fiction.
Also, if the YouTube BloodCopyCom viral campaign is any indication, we might see the second Great Revelation (weres and shifters making themselves known) sooner than the pace of the books would have it. In the books, it didn't happen until Dead and Gone.
14 June 2009
"Artistic Merit"
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
When last we saw him, Mr. J and Dr. Quinzel were meeting in the Arkham cafeteria for therapy (a perk after J's being attacked by Dr. Strange). This time, the Arkham staff are testing the therapeutic effects of art ...
New from TheJokerBlogs, "Artistic Merit":
The way he pauses at 3:51 is just perfect--going from anger to interest to flippancy to blank consideration to anger again with renewed artistic vigor. Along with his take on the Mona Lisa and a portrait of Jerry the giraffe (from a comic strip he did months ago), Harleen's portrait is posted on DeviantArt:
Harlequin by ~thejokerblogs on deviantART
The altered version is on Facebook: here.
Also the inclusion of Pearl (from Arkham Asylum, and voice work done by MsManagr) at the end made me smile.
More to do with TheJokerBlogs: I ordered what will hopefully be a better version of my WWJokerD T-shirt (a white T instead of green this time). Alas, the red text on the green shirt has not had a lasting power in the washing machine. The result is that, from not very far away, it just looks like a WWJD slogan--and this in spite of only ever washing it in cold water. So I'm going to "fix" it myself, as it's well beyond the 30-day return time limit set by CafePress, and MsManagr has given me the go-ahead to vandalise the hell out of it.
I think this is going to be fun. When it's done, I'll show and tell.
08 June 2009
harping on movies and music
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
[...] After a casual glance at yesterday ... yes, indeed, I do tweet at least once a day. I know it was overkill, but at least neither yesterday nor Saturday included my running commentary about Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ondskan, or True Blood. And there was a lot. There always is--and it only gets worse the more times I've watched. This is why I tend to watch movies alone. I should just have my own MST3K, really.
On the topic of Ondskan, by the by, for your consideration: Andreas Wilson. He's like a better-looking, better-acting [Swedish] Hayden Christensen. Don't give me a hard time about that, either. We all know he was about as dynamic as a block of wood in the Star Wars franchise, even if he is a doll-baby.
In hindsight, the question about modern music as a lullaby--What Nirvana, Pixies, Smiths or De La Soul number would you sing a small child to sleep with?--might have been more appropriate to address in a journal entry, as I certainly had more than 140 characters to say about it. As to where it came from, it was posed by TheAuteurs here. I would've done the "Reading the Movies" meme, but I don't really own any books about film (though I probably should, for how much I go on [and on and on] about it), apart from scripts and annotated screenplays.
More songs (inappropriate or not) that came to mind: The Doors' "Crystal Ship", STP's "Atlanta", Sarah McLachlan's "Angel", Massive Attack's "Teardrop", Chumbawamba's "Lullaby Demons" (which is a cheat, because "lullaby" is in the title, but I don't care) ...
05 June 2009
a question of taste
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Regarding some of yesterday's tweets--
For whatever reasons he may have (in or out of character), @TheJokerBlogs asked his Twitter followers who their favourite artists were. And I responded, and you can see the response [on Twitter].
Now he wants to know our favourite work of art [...]
That's even more difficult than the first question, really. Art is so varied, I just don't see the point in narrowing down all mediums of art to one art form and then choosing a favourite in that category. I still responded--on YouTube, because there's no point in pretending that the answer will fit into 140 characters:
... Once again, I'm pretty sure I don't have a single favourite. The ParkeHarrisons' "Architect's Brother" [I cheated here, as this is an entire exhibit of their work, but, well, I love it.]. Füssli's "Nightmare". Bruegel's "Triumph of Death". Escher's "Eye". ... They're kind of cliché. Oh, well.
I'm wondering where all of this is leading. Is Mr. J planning to rob and/or vandalise an art gallery? Something else deviant and devious?
... Or is this just for "gits and shiggles"?
(Yes, keeping my language silly and clean for YouTube ...) And, honestly, I'm still quite certain that those aren't my "favourites". They're just ones I admire that I happened to think of at the time. More will probably rise to the surface as the day wears on.
So I'll pose the question to the people reading this: Who is your favourite artist (if you have one)? And what is your favourite work of art (again, if you have one)?
(Comments from LiveJournal)
Melissa: As far as art goes, I can't fairly say - my exposure is far too narrow to give a good opinion, I think.
Of artists I've *seen* though, I tend to lean toward Impressionists for personal preference. Something about the color use attracts my eye.
Nicole: I guess my favorite artist is Seurat, though I also really (strangely enough) like modern art in all its wackiness, especially Yves Klein.
03 June 2009
iMeme
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Here are the rules - post this list on your [whatever] replacing my answers with yours.
48 Questions.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
The mother of God ("in one religion" - Eddie Izzard); and my father.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Ugh. Probably in Ikea. Though I almost cried during Up. The little old people remind me too much of my maternal grandparents.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
It's fine.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVO(U)RITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey, probably.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
This is a silly question.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Nevar!
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Maybe ... it would depend on the circumstances.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVO(U)RITE CEREAL?
Cocoa Puffs are pretty great, but I never eat them. I've been stuck on Kashi for a long time.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Not if I can help it.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVO(U)RITE ICE CREAM?
Chocolate chip is my usual standby. Sweet cream is good. So is coconut. None of the flavors with chunks of fruit in it, however (coconut flakes are different and more in a chocolate/vanilla category in my mind); fruit mixed into things grosses me out to no end.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Posture.
15. RED OR PINK?
Oh, I like Kat's answer. "Crimson."
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVO(U)RITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My introversion. [...]
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
The artists in my life. I never get to see them anymore.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
No, I don't care that much.
19. WHAT COLO(U)R PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Dark-wash denim and black with silver embroidery.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Last.fm -- "Dirty Business" - The Dresden Dolls
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
I'd be a clump of those mistreated crayons that they melt into cupcake papers in the oven.
23. FAVO(U)RITE SCENTS?
Anything that comes off clean pleases me. Sickly sweet things stay away!
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
I have no idea. I don't really use my phone for vocal conversations. Mayor Thomas M. Menino left a message on my voice mail the other day in promotion of the AIDS Walk--but I didn't talk to him.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Yeah, Kat's the best!
26. FAVO(U)RITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Um. No. I don't care.
27. HAIR COLO(U)R?
Light brown/dirty blonde.
28. EYE COLO(U)R?
Gray-blue.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Sometimes, but not often.
30. FAVO(U)RITE FOOD?
Junk, pizza ... I've lately had a return of my yen for wasabi peas, though they make me feel ill shortly after eating them.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
I am a film junkie and can be easily pleased by both of these things.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
House of Wax (the Vincent Price version).
33. WHAT COLO(U)R SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
A purple T-shirt over a black camisole.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer.
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
This depends on who's doing the hugging/kissing. Most of the time I don't want people touching me.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Oh, I have no idea, as I'm not going to be tagging anyone--but feel free to do it, if you wish.
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
(Ditto. Sort of.)
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
A few different ones, but Wuthering Heights is the one I have with me (by virtue of the Stanza application on my iPhone).
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I don't have, nor do I need, a mouse pad. My mouse operates with a laser, not a roller ball.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
I didn't watch any actual television last night. I watched Secret Window on DVD when I got home, and then used the Netflix Instant Queue to watch House of Wax.
42. FAVO(U)RITE SOUND(S).
Music. Rain. The ocean. I don't know--the peaceful sounds you hear when there aren't any people around.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
My answer will change on any given day, and sometimes I'll probably say: "Neither."
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
South Island, New Zealand
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I don't know.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Pennsyltucky.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
I don't really think I'll get any back.
48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
HAHAHA.
02 June 2009
fanning the J flame
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Don't get me wrong. I'm impressed with the following video. I even applaud them for borrowing heavily from The Killing Joke. But the other side of that is wondering exactly how much money was needed to fund this little project. They claim they're non-profit, but somebody is obviously pouring money into it (whether or not they're getting any back). Wealthy parents, ne?
I still prefer TheJokerBlogs (shocking, I know [/sarcasm]), because, well, he actually acts. When I watch him, I believe he's J. When I watch the above--well, it's girls lip-syncing in cosplay. Entertaining for what it is (a souped-up music video), but it doesn't make me believe in it.
[23:35 EDIT:
... I gave it further thought; and it's probably unfair of me to judge these two production groups on the same merit when their goals are not even remotely similar. The Hillywood Show seems geared for the spectacle, more focused on makeup and special effects (this is even more obvious in their other videos--and that they're very gifted at physically impersonating Johnny Depp characters, if not vocally so); whereas TheJokerBlogs is more interested in a realistically portrayed continued character and plot development of The Joker following The Dark Knight.
Hillary and Hannah want their own televised show. [-----] wants an acting (and, I suspect, writing/directing/producing) career.
Still, seeing what amazing things he does with the low budget he has, I'd be interested to see what he'd come up with if given the kind of budget that these girls seem to have.
END EDIT.]
01 June 2009
cool guys don't look at explosions
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
MTV can still die in a fire, for many reasons--this time for excluding Best Villain (Heath Ledger as The Joker) from their televised broadcast of the MTV Movie Awards--BUT! I did enjoy this:
01:55 and 02:09 -- LOVE.
sunshowers
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Wandering around Salem with Melissa and Lisa yesterday, it began to grow overcast in the late afternoon and early evening. As we headed back to the depot so Lisa could take the return train into Boston, the rain picked up some force and drenched us.
Standing on the platform under the overhang, the rain was still slanting at us, but it wasn't quite so miserable out of the wind. Then, I noticed it was growing brighter towards the West, the thunderheads rolling away to the East--half angry-gray, and half brilliant blue, and I remarked, "This looks like rainbow weather."
Sure enough, maybe five minutes later:
30 May 2009
we can't stop here
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
TheJokerBlogs' "Mr. J" is exposing another of his fandoms ...
Yesterday, on my way home I received a Twitter device update from @TheJokerBlogs that read: I'm planning a little vacation disguised as another famous rebel and will be at Hollywood & Highland today. And I'm bringing my attorney.
The inclusion of "attorney" made me think: Thompson--especially since I was overloading on Fear & Loathing a few weeks back.
Sure enough, a few hours later (while I was watching my recently acquired Russell Brand in New York City DVD), @MsManagr posted these:
There seemed to be some amount of confusion on YouTube as to which one is "Mr. J" ... I'm not sure how anyone would think that the man playing Dr. Gonzo is him, but then I've already seen video and pictures with him makeup-free. But really? ... Of course, he'd be Duke.
There was further confusion regarding the characters' names. "He's Gonzo--the one in the white hat." Half-right ... While Hunter S. Thompson--may he rest in peace--is/was often known as the original "gonzo journalist", his physical representation in Fear & Loathing is not Dr. Gonzo (who is, more properly, Oscar Zeta Acosta), but Raoul Duke. And when someone asks which one he is, and the name choices are Duke and Gonzo, Duke ought to be the answer that would cause least confusion.
... Yeah, okay, so I'm a didactic Johnny Depp fangirl and all-around bookish nerd.
More pondering: in revealing his actual face, I wonder if this is a prelude to [-----] coming out of the J-closet.
29 May 2009
26 May 2009
do something (someone?)
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
I ...
Well, I have a few thoughts about the Aldous Snow persona. One is that the Aldous Snow persona seems to have a real person's hair, when Russell's usual half-back-combed 'do looks more like a character's. Two is the belief that the production didn't actually have to spend any money on the Aldous Snow wardrobe (or a very small amount, anyway), and that they probably just told Russell to show up in whatever he'd normally wear.
Three is more of a wonder than a statement, and that is my wondering if Russell actually did the singing for the part (for this and/or "Inside of You"--which is similarly hilarious for how heartfelt, earnest, and chock full of cellophane-thin innuendo it is).
I think my favourites of the signs are: "False Untruths Kill" and "Sodomize Intolerance"
I kind of want to make some icon bases--him GLOMPing the man in the Middle Eastern garb, snogging the policeman, molesting the nun, etc. The video has nice still possibilities. I should probably finish my bases from the caps of Disco Pigs first though ...
19 May 2009
Writer's Block: Space Wars
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Serenity, Alien, 2001—there is a long list of movies and TV shows that take place in space. Which is your favourite?
I think the honour goes to Star Trek: TNG, and I might've said Star Wars once upon a time. But the prequels seriously damaged my fondness for Mr. Lucas and his universe. I still love the OT (and I mean the real OT, not the souped up re-released versions of those films), but ST:TNG ... I stayed up much later than I should've last night because Sci-Fi was playing reruns all evening until 23.00. It's probably fortunate that I don't own the series on DVD, because I'd sit around watching it all the time.
Sure, it's kitschy and self-righteous--but, honestly, the "do the right thing" message always appealed to me as a kid, and the possibility that people with power might do the right thing. And now, it's more a nostalgia for considering matters in a simpler light. Wouldn't it be great if planetary issues could be cleared up by some moral high-ground in the course of an hour (not even an hour, really--45 minutes)? That might be very dangerous in reality, actually, but it's [usually] done very neatly in TNG.
Also, we return to one of my favourite toys (I could call it "recreational equipment," but it's just an over-sized, expensive toy) of the future: The Holodeck. Sure, the crew are always getting into trouble on the holodeck (trapped in the Wild West with a dozen Data look-alikes, or a Sherlock Holmes novel with Professor Moriarty on the loose, etc.); but without the crazy and dangerous glitches, how brilliant would that be?
(ETA: Comments from LJ)
Susan: Geek.
Yeah, I think that I would pick Star Trek, too, actually. It's been consistently entertaining. I remember watching it on TV with my mom and brother and being just so excited and enthralled by what it had to offer ... new worlds ... new technology ... and, yes, the holodeck.
I must admit that my love for Star Wars has lessened--not that I don't love it, but my interest has been put into other things. Yeah, there are really annoying things in those films ... all in the prequels. LOL.
I was tempted to say Battlestar Galactica, but the 70's version was laughable but entertaining. And the recent series was just frakken brilliant, but the ending kind of disappointed me.
And yes I too was watching ST:TNG on Sci-Fi last night. :)
It never fails to draw me in. I was watching the episode with the Romulan spy, and I thought, Oh, I'll go to bed after this is done. And then I caught the teaser for the episode with the militant revolutionaries (well, terrorists, really), and I couldn't turn off the television without knowing what happened to Beverly--because I couldn't remember how the episode played out at all!
13 May 2009
Flip Mino Camcorder
Flip Mino Camcorder with Personalized Design - Available only at www.theflip.com. Check out this unique Flip Mino design. The Flip Mino camcorder combines remarkable video quality in a pocket-sized package. Now personalizable - create your
I love it. It's very "Land of the Rising Sun."
... But, as nice as it is, I don't think my Mac has a new enough operating system or enough memory to deal with the Flip or its software.
However, if this sort of thing and viddycasting/vlogging appeal to you, there's a great resource with information about software and the steps needed to update your computer. Freevlog has video tutorials about storytelling and the rudimentary technical steps involved in editing video and audio, things you'd probably like to do before any kind of transfer to BlogSpot or YouTube.
It all makes me long for a new computer, to be honest.
10 May 2009
just a note
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Reports say: Star Trek is awesome. You should see it.
Also: You'll cry, not once, but twice. Emotional wreck!
(ETA: ... More from LJ)
agent0fchaos: Did you see Gaila [Rachel Nichols] and think, "OMG! IT'S THE BEST POISON IVY EVER AND SHE'S IN A TREK FLICK!"
"Hahaha--very close to that reaction, yes.
"I didn't even notice that her complexion was green until she called for lights. Then, my mind--channeling Mark Hamill, apparently--went: 'PAMMY?!'
"Come to that, they did a pretty decent job of creating alternate species for this. I mean, there were still a lot of typical Trek humanoid variations with impressive make-up, but the use of computer graphics for non-humanoids (or humanoids with extremely emphasised features) was pretty tight, too."
Susan: Star Trek is AMAZING. I cried like after the first five minutes. Best movie this year! I LOVED IT!
"YES. Five minutes in, I was crying and on the verge of an outright sob--and really, really grateful that I was in a row by myself so that nobody had to witness it. ... And then it happened again, on Vulcan when they were trying to beam out the Council, and--agh! Blubbered like a little girl!"
07 May 2009
wow, not-a-blip-and/or-tweet
Staying up late reading might've added to the morning's misery...
I nodded off reading Wuthering Heights, which is one of the many free books you can download to the Stanza application on the iPhone.
On a related note, it's more fun to read literature now that I'm not required to respond to it formally. I've downloaded forty or fifty different texts. They'd seem like too many, were it not for the 1.5 hour commute to work in the morning--and then again at night. It's a lot of time, and, most rides (when I'm stuck standing and need to hold on to something), the iPhone is easier to read than a physical book would be. I know I've touted it before, but it really is that useful.
I've watched The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year 2007 several times (okay, maybe more than several), but now that I've found it, I just like replaying this particular clip:
Noel Fielding's reaction is best. The first time I watched it, I definitely shared his sentiments.
... Have you seen Last.fm lately? The new player is quite flashy and it's twice as large as the previous version. See?
04 May 2009
is this catching?
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
The masks, I mean--not the actual flu:
Swine Flu Mask Fashion
30 April 2009
no, I didn't
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
My mother just texted me to ask if I'd gone to the doctor's yet.
No, I haven't. I'd thought about going yesterday after work, but then the time came and I wasn't feeling particularly wretched anymore. That's usually the way of it: I decide to go seek professional help, and suddenly my symptoms don't seem as serious. So I didn't go, because I was tired of having people look at me like I'm a hypochondriac (thanks, I got sick before any of this swine flu bullshit came reeling out of the woodwork).
I almost always feel this way in the presence of health professionals, actually--like they think I'm faking just to enjoy the pleasure of their company. Or that I'm being sick on purpose. Don't you just love it when people make you feel guilty about being sick? It's ridiculous, because I rarely seek out doctors. The last time I sought professional assistance (beyond the annual physical exam) was when I split my head open snow-boarding. See? Actual emergency situation. I hate hospitals and I hate doctors, and I don't try to spend time with them until I've exhausted all other options and it's become my last recourse.
So I felt marginally better yesterday afternoon (after eating half a dozen lozenges and a pair of Mucinex tablets), and decided to forgo the hairy eye I knew I'd get in triage.
Of course, then I woke up this morning and my left side sent me a throbbing pain whenever I breathed. Over the course of the hour between waking and walking to the Salem depot, I coughed up a bunch of fun stuff--and now it doesn't exactly hurt to breathe anymore. It just feels like there's a weight on my chest.
I know I should just go and deal with whatever typical incredulity gets thrown at me. I guess being treated like a faker for a few hours is better than contracting full-blown pneumonia from leaving bronchitis to fester.
Blah. I really don't want to go. But today is the seventh day, and I'm only feeling worse as time goes on. So--and so it goes.
29 April 2009
28 April 2009
Saturday into Sunday, NY and NJ
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
On Saturday, Rodney and I left John to his grating (how he refers to grading), and took the train into New York City for the purpose of photographing urban over-development in what is technically historic Harlem. It was a little difficult to capture the right angles to make his point, and, in some cases, just impossible--but we wouldn't have known if he hadn't tried.
I think my favourite of the ones I snapped off on my iPhone was this one, which we entitled "Our Lady of the Condos":
More about finger buildings.
More about Saturday & Sunday:
There were only two subway rides over the course of Saturday, and mostly we just walked everywhere (woe to my flip-flopped feet), because the weather was gorgeous and Rodney is very familiar with the area. We went to a vegetarian dim sum restaurant for lunch, and then walked to the shopping strip, because--
In addition to my inappropriate footwear, the strap on Rodney's bag fell apart halfway through the day. Thus, we were looking for comfier shoes and a new bag. Of course, nothing we saw gave us any compulsion to buy. Sad feet. Sad bag.
When we returned to Rahway, all three of us went over to Little India for dinner and window-shopping. Dinner was delicious. Shopping was awkward, but then we didn't stick to simple window-shopping; we actually went inside three places. You could tell it made the clerks confused and anxious--which, in turn, made me feel anxious and guilty. It's a shame, really, because the fabric selections and the artistry involved in creating these clothes--it's amazing. Yet I feel undeserving and somewhat voyeuristic, a dull interloper.
As I told Kat, I was having poor luck with shop-keepers, in general. Later, we were at the mall (where I continued to feel awkward and wrong), and I laughed too loudly in the Game Stop at something or other that Rodney had said. I'm pretty sure the clerk wished me miles away.
Sunday was a quieter affair. We all went to New Brunswick so that John and Rodney could get some school work done. Rodney went to the computer lab, while John and I hung out in Au Bon Pain, taking advantage of their wireless access and air conditioning.
For dinner there were stromboli from Stuff Yer Face, followed by bubble tea at I's Cafe. I'd never had bubble tea before, and I can say that I really enjoyed the kind I tried (coconut milk tea) and can't wait to try others.
27 April 2009
more from the Mid-Atlantic
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
I'm ill and have been since Friday night/Saturday morning.
A sore throat and congestion that makes my head feel disconnected from the rest of me. My breathing isn't blocked or anything, but I've been coughing on and off. Also, this ridiculous heat wave makes it difficult to tell if I'm really feverish or just feeling naturally hot like everyone else.
I used a Phenol throat spray this morning, which numbed me for a while but tastes the way dissection labs smell--formaldehyde and pickling jars. Not a pleasant association, that.
Having said all that, I knew I wouldn't be feeling well enough to go to work today... I spent the majority of the day on the couch, watching My So-Called Life and going in and out of consciousness.
Wandered upstairs around noon for a cool shower, and then returned to napping.
take the highway to the end of the night
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
My feet belong to a zombie. It's been somewhat painful to put shoes on, and they've occasionally been sticking to fabric (like the couch and my socks) ... and, well, they look terrible. But, along with all that, there's a familiarity with the situation that's left me vaguely detached. (Not my feet! Zombie feet, I tells ya!) I've done horrible things to my feet in the past (and know that I will continue to do so, because I am that sort of incorrigible creature), and thier current appearance exhibits the recognisable damage of walking too far in flip-flops too early in the season. Unfortunate temptations of 90° weather in April.
Friday night:
My new license was waiting for me in my mailbox when I came home from work on Friday evening, so I decided to go through with the previous weekend's plan: I ate what little dinner I could scrape together after not being able to go grocery shopping for too long, filled a backpack with the necessities, set the iPod to shuffle, and left Salem at approximately 20.00.
I stopped only once on the five-hour journey to Rahway, NJ, and that single stop reconfirmed what has been repeated to me several times in the past: Connecticut is cold and dark. "Dark" being the operative word on this particular trip. Fuel signs are not to be believed. They will lead you off the precarious safety of the highway into the resident-friendly and traveler-hostile darkness of bedroom-community Connecticut. There are no lights. There's just you and whatever the high beams might illuminate ...
AH! A BUNNY! BUNNY!BUNNY!BUNNY!BUNNY!
Eventually I was able to make Nigel-the-GPS lead me to a little oasis in the dark--Sunoco. Twelve gallons later, I was back on the road and back on course.
Apart from my little detour, it was smooth sailing most of the way. The only spot of traffic was around the George Washington Bridge in New York, and that's usually to be expected. I was afraid I might zone out, but my iPod had me fairly entertained for the duration of the trip. Lewis Black kept me company for an hour or so in Connecticut. Russell Brand, Matt Morgan, and Trevor Locke were with me through part of New York and New Jersey.
Unlike my last journey to Pennsylvania, the New Jersey Turnpike turned out to be my favourite part of this drive. There was this lovely stretch of time around Newark where there was a cluster of lorries far ahead of me and another cluster far behind me--and just my little blue space buggy coasting along by itself between them. I love being the only one on the highway, and that's as close as I came to it on this drive.
I made it to John and Rodney's by one in the morning, very happy to be done with driving, but sort of hungry. There was a tour of their portion of the Irving House and a run to McDeath, but I was very tired and nothing really took. I'm not even sure what time it was when we all said good-night ...
23 April 2009
re: argh
(Comments from LiveJournal)
Kat: You see that book? The one by the pretty man? Yeah, I'm going to borrow that from you.
And how did I know the instant I saw him, that he was undeniably one of your current (and possibly everlasting) deep, dark, and guilty pleasures?
(BTW, this means I get Johnny.)
Russell is pretty. And funny. If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to search for and watch "The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2006" on YouTube; he and Noel Fielding comprise the third team, and they are wonderful together.
Why does my fondness for Russell mean giving up Johnny [Depp]?
[...] I finally finished the book of Lovecraft stories I was reading, so I'm only just on Chapter 5 of My Booky Wook. It's hilarious one minute, and terribly sad the next--but you can definitely hear Russell's voice throughout. It's excellent.
21 April 2009
yesterday's fake-holiday activities
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Yesterday was good for nothing. I should've done laundry. Instead, I watched most of Season 2 of Dexter. I'd forgotten many of the subplots, so it all felt sort of new and interesting. I still strongly dislike Lila--which makes sense, I suppose, as we're not meant to like her. Still. What a skank-ho'.
I also messed around with my iPhone some more; and, on that topic, two more good and useful applications that also happen to be free:
Wikipanion, because it's about as close as we're going to get to an actual Hitchhiker's Guide. It's Wikipedia in a more iPhone-friendly format than you'd get browsing through Safari.
Stanza, because I don't want a Kindle, but I like the notion well enough. Hand-held electronic books (plenty of them for free if you're meaning to play catch-up with the classics), with changeable fonts and background contrast. It pulls from a variety of sources, including but not limited to: BooksOnBoard, Project Gutenberg, Feedbooks, and Fictionwise. And while I definitely prefer physical books, this makes for a good alternative if I run out of space in my bag or just forget to pack one.
And I discovered that it was much better for reading in bed when I'm cold (good grief, I was cold last night). I can burrow under the blankets and I don't need a light to see the text.
Mainly, I just keep thinking of little things that interest me and inspire me to seek out applications that correspond to them. Really, anything that deserves a button on my bookmarks toolbar has been given a search in Applications.
The one I've been avoiding downloading is Facebook, though it's in the Top 25 on the App charts. I think I probably share enough of myself as it is with LJ and Twitterrific. LiveJournal to satisfy my verbosity while maintaining a relative privacy (hello f-lock), and Twitter for the more public and more meaningless bits of life (Stephen: "twitter's right - every little thought that pops into my head is worth sharing"). Facebook still feels like giving and receiving much unwanted information. I'm okay with checking in at my desk, but I don't especially need it at my fingertips constantly.
What else? I started making icon bases for Disco Pigs. You can see them over at phantasm_bunny. Cillian Murphy's character Pig is a careful combination of adorable and creepy, which, by the end of the film, slides in favour of scary. I enjoy Cillian like that though (see: Red Eye and Batman Begins). The images, so far, come from The Cillian Site, but I think I might do some of my own screen-caps for my next part in the icon base series to see if I can't up the image quality a tick or two.
Other fun things to do: beating up lawn gnomes and flamingos (or being beaten up by lawn gnomes and flamingos) in the ZOMG! game on Gaia. The wasps found on Rancho de Bill frighten me, though. They're no more difficult to fight than the gnomes or the flamingos, but--they're giant frackin' wasps! BLEAH. Oh, well. My virtual purple sari and Colbert also make me happy.
... Is it wrong that I'd like to wear an actual sari? It feels somehow socially and ethnically incorrect--but they look so nice and vibrant!
18 April 2009
argh
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
The perplexing contents of my overfilled bag:
I am as Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club, which would be more amusing if I could find my driver's license in this mess.
17 April 2009
thank you, Mr. Oliver
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Tea Party Tyranny | ||||
| ||||
Taxation without representation? They don't even understand what that means. They may not like their current representation--but at least they have the opportunity to vote and change it. I really wish this "movement" would inspire some of them to crack a history book and learn something--but I doubt it.
15 April 2009
re: neither irrelevance nor home-feeling
(Comments from LiveJournal)
Nicole: I was thinking today, while I was reading said Metro, that I'm surprised there aren't more instances of T-riders beating up T drivers out of rage for what they read in the Metro while they're on the T. I think the Metro is largely to blame. That headline/picture(s) on the front page today was extreme. Every other week it's "they're cutting service and raising prices!" "no we're not!" "yes they are!" I'm kind of tired of getting all worked up over it for possibly nothing. If they do cut nighttime service in half, I will most likely need to find another job. As it is, it takes me 25% longer to get home at night than it does to get to work in the morning...
I think most people would blame the Metro's tendency to fan the fire before they would blame the T drivers (which is [maybe] why no one has been attacked yet). It's not like the drivers can control their schedule; they can, to a point, so far as efficiency goes, but on the larger scale they have to listen to dispatch. The only time I see anyone get annoyed with the drivers is when the drivers are themselves being rude.
Cutting nighttime service is a mistake on so many levels. I'm not sure how it is on the other lines, but trains on the Newburyport/Rockport line are crowded enough as it is, even later in the evening.
14 April 2009
neither irrelevance nor home-feeling
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
The cover of today's Metro is pretty grim for those of us who use public transportation in the greater Boston area. The T has a $160 million budget deficit, and the proposed remedy is service cuts. Brilliant--because if people can't take the T, the MBTA will certainly earn back that deficit. Oh, yeah. That'll work.
More useless complaints:
The T loses money because it's a slow and antiquated system that can't provide service to as many riders as it should (were it faster and more reliable). They spend all their money on cosmetic [stuff] like the Arlington stop (which still isn't finished, though I see workers there every single bloody day), yet the Green line as a whole is entirely defunct--especially at street level. Trains that are beholden to traffic lights and thrown out of schedule by automobile traffic? ... Miserable. You might as well be in a car at that point, and it shouldn't be surprising that some people choose that route instead.
Ugh. And then ...
Entering North Station from the Garden, there were members of the MBTA security handing out fliers of the "See Something, Say Something" variety. Shiny, colourful fliers. I didn't take one. Past the ticket turnstiles, said shiny fliers are crumpled and strewn down the escalator and patching little sections of the floor in glossy scarlet and white, abandoned by their five-second owners. And all I can think is: How much did those cost?
If you see something, don't say something. That takes too long, and whatever it is you're seeing might disappear while you're flapping your gums. Just pummel the perpetrator about the head with a bag (or, you know, whatever's handy). It's faster, more effective, and you'll eventually attract some sort of official attention if you carry on like that.
P.S. If you're the sort of person to actually take my advice, don't really do any of the aforementioned things. I kid. Well ... insofar as safety goes. If someone is physically attacking you on the T (or anywhere else, for that matter), I think you should feel free to pummel away. Self-defense and all that.
...
I also can't help but be reminded of Lovecraft--because I'm still stuck there. Towards the end of "At the Mountains of Madness", the vague allusion he supplies in describing the shoggoth creature is quite recognisable to anyone who rides the T. A man named Danforth, having glimpsed the oncoming bulk of the creature, falls to pieces and the narrator observes his chanting: "South Station Under--Washington Under--Park Street Under--Kendall--Harvard. ..."
We don't say "Under" anymore, but the stops are still there, though Washington is now Downtown Crossing and Charles/MGH has been added to the list.
Anyway, I think the T is a kind of monster--just not as resilient a one as Lovecraft's shoggoth, which is a shame.
10 April 2009
04 April 2009
"An Apple A Day"
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Last time on TheJokerBlogs--following a murky session of hypno-therapy, Dr. Hugo Strange attacked Patient #4479 ...
And now, new from TheJokerBlogs (and not pranking us this time)--AND including a brief appearance of Dr. Crane:
I must say the voice of the guy playing Jonathan is really spot-on with Cillian Murphy's, even if his physical appearance is off.
And of course now I want a WWJ[oker]D? t-shirt.
Happy Birthday, Heathus!
03 April 2009
do not want
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Didn't lose my phone. It was sitting on my nightstand when I came home last night.
Darn. (I only want a good excuse to get a better phone, and I can't in good conscience buy a new one until this one dies or is lost.)
Other things I find when I get home: another pamphlet from the Jehovah's Witnesses. They left one at the back door last week, which I noticed and brought inside--because it's wrong to leave litter lying around like that. Then, earlier this week they left a second one in my actual mailbox. I decided I'd just leave it there, as it wasn't high on my list of priorities. Finally, I came home yesterday to find one folded and stuck behind the mail box. Civic-mindedness was crushed by irritation, and so I left the litter there. I'll probably clean it up when I get home if it's not blown away in the meantime.
They're very determined, I'll give them that. But why give the same household the same pamphlet three times over? If I've not read the first one, I'm not likely to perk up at the sight of two more copies. And if I have read the first one, I don't need two more copies, do I?
Does this sort of thing qualify as harassment? I don't think it would bother me as much if they actually came to call when I was home. Then, at least, I could respond in person and scare them away.
02 April 2009
inaccessible
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Huh. I've left my phone somewhere; and, aside from not being sure where that somewhere is (I hope it's at home), I'm feeling mostly all right about it.
I didn't really notice until I thought, That's weird. Usually I've received about two dozen twitter txt messages by now [split fairly even between Neil Gaiman and Russell Brand on most days]. And then I discovered my mobile wasn't in its traditional place.
Oh, well. I'll just have fifty txts to erase when I get home (or, you know, not at all if I've lost it somewhere between here and there).
Just another excuse to put off getting a [likely expensive] haircut, really. Can't call the salon without my phone, and office phones are not to be used for personal non-emergency reasons like haircuts.
I'm very good at procrastination and justification.
01 April 2009
everyone's a comedian
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Getting much better at headstands. Why are you doing headstands? I dunno, just felt inspired to improve the quality of my headstand (having full carpeting in a room helps, because who wants to do a headstand on a hardwood floor?). Jon Stewart and Aasif Mandvi--yes, they're just as funny upside-down. On a related note, laughing while you're doing a headstand is not something I recommend. Also, whenever I do my craptastic headstands, I think of this:
Must stop staying up when I know I'll just want to die in the morning when the alarm goes off in the dark.
I just really wanted to get my laundry done--because everything that I should've done over the weekend is getting dragged out over this week's evenings. It's the same thing with grocery shopping. There's no reason I couldn't have gone on Saturday or Sunday. I just didn't--and then had a wonderfully anxious time driving there and back through rush-hour sunset traffic (a million cars and pedestrians that you can't see with the sun in your eyes: AWESOME).
On a positive note, I have clean clothing and food, so life can't be all bad ...
It was dark and overcast this morning, whatever Weather.com has to say about it. Oh, it's 29° and sunny! No. First of all, it was in the 30's. Second of all, it was not sunny. Weather.com should be above April Fool's (though that's probably giving them too much credit--knowing what the actual weather is and deciding to say something else in an attempt of [albeit dull] trickery).
The cover of weeklydig is pretty good. It's an apology from AIG that begins: "We're really, really sorry!"
Gmail's April foolery is one-upping itself from last year:
Autopilot by CADIE: The easiest email could possibly be.
YouTube thinks they're brilliant, too. And they are, sort of. When you're on the main page and you click on a video link to watch, it sends you there but everything's upside-down. Go look! I'm not kidding (that would be a lame April Fool's, anyway--"made you look! I'm so clever! I can lie on the internet!").
Also on YouTube, there's a new video from TheJokerBlogs--but it is also a prank (of course):
I need a haircut. Pronto.
26 March 2009
25 March 2009
we only come out at night
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
I keep thinking about painting (the walls, not a fresco). Several things need to happen before I can do that.
* wait for it to warm up enough to leave the door open for aerating purposes
* wash the walls (a cat lived here and there is no doubt hair and other gunk I can't see); however, before I wash the walls, I must:
* figure out how to do this without stripping or eroding the plaster
* remove whatever is on the walls (frames, masks, etc.)
* vacuum the floors, so that dust and dirt aren't kicked up while I'm washing or painting the walls; but before I can vacuum the floor, I must:
* move everything out of the room to some other room where it will probably get underfoot and annoy me
I'm going to need a long warm weekend for this project.
20 March 2009
go fish
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Headphone cord fishing... Ooh, caught a big one! [by the button on his jeans] ... YAY! x
16 March 2009
yes, you heard right
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
"Erm, I was looking for a book by Russell Brand, but I can't find it where the kiosk is telling me it should be ... Do you have any idea where else it might be in the store?"
"Is it listed as 'In Stock'?"
"Yep." I wouldn't be bothering if it weren't.
"And the title?"
"... Erm. ... My Booky Wook." *blush* It's not until you have to ask for it aloud that you realise how utterly ridiculous you sound by desiring it.
*smirk* ... Clickclickclickclick goes the keyboard. "And the author is Russell Banks?"
"Brand."
"Brand." ... Clickclickclickclickclick ... "And the title again?"
ARGH. ... Why do I get the feeling he's doing this on purpose? ... "My Booky Wook." *grimace*
"Right." Clickclickclickclick ...
And after that and a browse through the featured stacks (something I'd already done before asking for assistance), he couldn't find the book anyway. He asked if I wanted to order it, but I didn't bother. One, there's a Borders across the street. And two, I had a feeling he'd just make me give him the information all over again.
So I went over to Borders, and, lo and behold! They had plenty of copies in their Media section. I would've been lost in Biographies (where Barnes & Noble had it listed) if I hadn't done a search at their kiosk as well. And I begin to wonder if it wasn't in B&N's Media section, too ... Oh, well!
Also, the clerks at Borders were much less judgmental about my purchase. Or, rather, they were judgmental--but in a approving and non-mocking way.
So--I'm now a proud owner of My Booky Wook (but not so proud that I appreciate having to repeat the title aloud too often to people who have no idea who Russell Brand is, let alone having any concept of his particular level of silliness that would warrant such a title).
I really am happy to have the book, though. I think it'll be an entertaining read.
14 March 2009
degree of extreme
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
The cover of the Spring 2009 BU Arts & Sciences reads:
"BU (extreme) South - Geomorphologist David Marchant and his team of students discover Antarctica's secret past"
But, of course, because I'm still stuck at the mountains of madness, "secret past" makes me think of starfish-headed tentacle aliens in a labyrinthine city ...
And then Professor Marchant's Earth Science class, but that was pathetically secondary in my thought process. Yeah, I had a 9 AM class with him in Freshman year, and it was about as stirring as Lovecraft's "Mountains" (unfortunate for a morning class and a morning read, respectively).
Marchant is like my very own Dyer, and because of this little morsel of information regarding his travels, I will now be imagining him in place of my original mental sketch of Professor Dyer (in spite of the fact that Marchant is actually much younger than Dyer is meant to be). Yay!
I've listened to about a half-dozen of these in the past two days. "About," because I downloaded the first six but fell asleep listening to one last night.
My original notion of Russell Brand came from that Andrew Sachs prank phone call business. I listened to the audio of the radio programme long after the fact, and it wasn't so much scandalous to me as it was blown way out of proportion. I heard about the VMA nonsense a bit later, but I didn't really care ... because, well, I don't care about MTV.
But after watching Brand's special from New York City on ComedyCentral, my opinion of him has improved. Sure, he's an eccentric little giraffe (and a manwhore, to boot), and a lot of his routine is specifically grounded in moments of personal embarrassment, but he also has this marvelous ability to slip into beautifully poetic rambles. Very entertaining overall, so I went in search of more--and, indeed, found more.
Then, today I was watching movies on the Instant Queue and picked Penelope, because I remembered that a coworker had suggested it. And who should make a very brief cameo in that film but Russell Brand? I wasn't even paying attention at that point, to be honest (because I tend to web browse all the time); but then I heard that voice, to which I've become quite attuned with the aforementioned radio broadcast .mp3s and falling asleep to it and so on, and my brain went: Russell?! And there he was talking to James McAvoy's character! Very, very brief cameo, but it makes me feel as though my subconsciousness is dragging him around with me.
10 March 2009
"building a henge, are we?"
Local park getting own version of Stonehenge
WUT?
"Its monolithic stones will tower 7 feet above the ground with an additional 5 feet anchored into concrete rings below ground. The circle will be 20 feet across with a stone tablet in the middle."
... Tower? These stones are going to tower at 7 feet?
LOL with me now.
08 March 2009
"Hypnotized"
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
New from TheJokerBlogs:
"There's only one thing we do--and it helps both of us."
HO. LY. CRAP.
ETA: Actually, the guy playing Dr. Strange makes me LOL at the end every time I watch this.
"You son of a BEEECH!" XD
07 March 2009
my fandom isn't naturally huggable
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
So I'm working on making it unnaturally huggable.
I haven't worked out his face or hair or clothing yet (and, in saying that, I realise I've actually not done much at all--urgh), but this is my progress on my Joker plush.
Note: head not actually sewn into place yet; it's just balancing there for the picture.
... Well, I had to something with myself today.
02 March 2009
but ... I'm already AWAKE
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Snow day ... This never happens.
Not that I'm complaining, obviously; it's just weird. How much did we get, anyway?
So ...
I guess this means I go back to bed. Maybe.
Yes?
26 February 2009
25 February 2009
phthistical
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
An exotic variation of the more usual "phthisical"--from "phthisic":
n.
1. Variant of phthisis.
2. Archaic Any illness of the lungs or throat, such as asthma or a cough.
And now I know [that it's not that important for me to know].
'I am grown phthistical,' he began, 'from this cursed river air.'
23 February 2009
after this, I'm going back to bed
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Stayed awake exactly long enough to know ... Heath won!
And, yes, I am happy.
Exhausted, but happy.
19 February 2009
16 February 2009
Stephen's been making predictions
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
 | |
Warning: If Christian Bale accepts for him, nobody walk through his eye-line.
15 February 2009
"My Funny Valentine"
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
I was hoping for something like this, but I didn't check until this very moment ...
TheJokerBlogs has an update!
HQ version is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5ukcNzjgC4&feature=channel_page&fmt=18
12 February 2009
Arkham and the joys of wikiality
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
While reading "Pickman's Model" on the train, I felt inspired to do some wiki-checking on certain endnotes I'd been reading. For one thing, I wanted hear more about Lovecraft's apparent inspiration for Arkham. Well, I live here, and that gives me a geeky jazz I can't quite describe without bouncing a little bit... But this is Arkham: the town. Arkham Asylum is another matter, the model for which is in another town that I frequent on a regular basis.
Danvers State Hospital 1893
And, yes. That screams Arkham Asylum to me. All it needs is a gigantic menacing gate to go around its gigantic menacing exterior.
As I read the beginning of the wiki entry, I thought, I need to go see this in person! But then I kept reading ...
Due to budget cuts within the mental health system the hospital was closed in June 1992.
And then--
In December 2005, the property was sold to Avalon Bay Development. A lawsuit was filed to stave off the demolition of the hospital, including the Kirkbride building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, this ultimately did not stop the process, and to some public outcry, demolition of most of the buildings began in January 2006, with the intent to build 497 apartments on the 77-acre (310,000 m2) site.
Danvers State Hospital 2006 demolition
Say it with me: "Argh!"
Oh! And THEN:
... On April 7, 2007, four of the new apartment complex buildings and four of Avalon bay's construction trailers burned down in a large fire visible from Boston, some seventeen miles (27 km) away. The mysterious conflagration was confined mostly to the buildings under construction on the eastern end, with damage to the remaining Kirkbride spires from catching fire due to excessive heat. An investigation is underway concerning the cause of the fire. Avalon Bay provided a live webcam of the construction at the old site of the hospital at their website; however, the pictures cut out at approximately 2:03 AM the night of the fire, and the webcam was disabled, possibly due to the fire.
So that was a little weird. But, anyway, now it's an apartment complex:
Avalon Danvers October 2007
I hope it's haunted.
30 January 2009
had to happen eventually
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Of course, one doesn't fall down on what is obviously ice. One falls down on what would appear to be dry ground--but is, in fact, icy ground--because one lets down her guard and takes confident steps where she should've been sliding along as usual.
Oh, well. I still managed it fairly gracefully, since I felt it happening almost immediately. I'm pretty sure I muttered something along the lines of: "Balls..." as I went down. The lady walking half a dozen yards ahead of me turned around to ask if I was all right, and also to share that it had looked like a perfectly dry patch of ground to her as well.
Nothing bruised or broken. Just somewhat annoyed.
It needs to get warm enough and dry enough to get rid of this nonsense soon. I'm sick of taking fifteen minutes to navigate the pitfalls between home and the depot, when it should really only take about seven to make the trip. I'd also like not to fall down again.
25 January 2009
the word is Hyde
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Whoa. I've been watching the Jekyll series all day on the Netflix Instant Queue, and just finished the sixth (and last) episode now. I'm a fan of the old story, so I was curious about this. ... You can certainly tell Steven Moffat was involved. Some of it distinctly smacks of Doctor Who.
Split personalities, cloning, reincarnation. It's one more head trip after another.
24 January 2009
"A Dream Come True"
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Been waiting for an update on these since before Christmas. I can't help being absurdly excited about it ...
22 January 2009
shoulda, woulda, coulda
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
When I got home I was very close to just staying upstairs, eating the pear that I'd forgotten at lunch, and lounging around watching more Politically Incorrect on YouTube while waiting for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to come on.
But I wanted to do the nutritious thing and make a salad wrap for dinner ...
As I removed the container of spinach from the refrigerator, I heard a strange noise from above--and looked up just in time for the bottle of Frangelico to clock me on the side of the head, bounce off, and shatter on the floor. YAY.
And then the alarm in the blue room went off--signaling the possible presence of explosive gases in the apartment. SWELL. Really. Just AWESOME.
Then my parents were on the phone--me trying to clean up the spill and shards of glass with one hand--and they're nagging me about the roof situation.
Hi. I haven't eaten anything. The "explosive gas" alarm is going off. I have the deck door open to the 10 degree chill beyond in order to get the Frangelico fumes out of my home. I'm trying to clean my kitchen floor before it goes tacky with residue AND not step on broken glass. Nagging me is not a good idea right now.
I was ready to crush my mobile with my grip alone. I might do one day.
THEN when I finally had my food and was sitting in the red room, I managed to tip over my water and spill it on the floor.
I'm doing so well.
Lesson learned. If the first instinct is to stay upstairs, I should just stay the hell upstairs.
20 January 2009
16 January 2009
LOL
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
Shawn Spencer: "Former lovers?! REALLY?!?"
I crowed and clapped.
It might be coincidence, but I do believe the Psych writers have been reading the Shassie (Shawn/Lassiter) fanfiction--or it's come to their attention, anyway--and they don't approve of this pairing either. (C'mon! Slash is great, but ... It's LASSITER! Tim Omundson is very talented, but--NO.) So clearly I don't ship them. I don't have a Psych ship, probably because there are no regular nasties on board.
I'm especially amused by this inclusion since my txt question to the show earlier this week was: "Do you know there is fanfiction about you? Have you read any of it?" Oh, they must know.
That was a relatively serious episode, though, all things considered. I mean Shawn was really slammed around ... And it looks like next week's is similarly danger-filled.
I did not successfully spot the pineapple (there's at least one in every episode). I'm so ashamed. And tired.
Good night.
14 January 2009
"[assuming] for the time whatever opinion amuses me"
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
I shall never be very merry or very sad, for I am more prone to analyse than to feel ... What merriment I have is always derived from the satirical principle, and what sadness I have, is not so much personal, as a vast and terrible melancholy at the pain and futility of all existence in a blind and purposeless cosmos.
Oh, I know I shouldn't read Lovecraft when I'm in a mood; but when I'm in a mood is when I feel most like reading him.
This makes me laugh inappropriately:
If we knew what we are, we should do as Sir Arthur Jermyn did; and Arthur Jermyn soaked himself in oil and set fire to his clothing one night.
I wish I had book of his correspondence, as I really do love the letters I've found.
We love kitties, gawd bless their little whiskers, and we don't give a damn whether they or we are superior or inferior! They're confounded pretty, and that's all we know and all we need to know!
That's just unexpectedly adorable.
10 January 2009
re: spoiling the illusion
(Comments from LiveJournal)
Ian: While there is much to be said for the "just add water" nature of the religious social experience, you are almost certainly right that it wouldn't be worth it to pretend. Maybe next time you get invited you should go and not pretend? Though I'd suggest sticking this in your bag, just in case.
Nicole: There are plenty of people I know who are religious without being RELIGIOUS, but (perhaps I am waaay overgeneralizing) it seems to me that the people who socialize based around a religion are... kind of cuckoo. They just (mostly) seem to be more extremist than the non-social folks.
Michelle: Like you, I occasionally toy with going to services once in a while, especially Mass, but for slightly different reasons. For me it's less about the social outlet and more about feeling the sense of drama and ritual that a good religious service can evoke. Also like you, I don't believe any of it, and the truth would come out sooner or later, and probably somewhat destructively.
As far as socially acceptable goes, I think that the Northeast is probably one of the best places to live if you aren't "conventionally religious". It doesn't seem nearly as central to everything as it does in say, the South or the Midwest. So far as I can tell, being a member of a mainline church isn't mandatory for, say, public office, and it's unlikely you would see coworkers and socialize at church on the weekends, and no one really bats an eye at a courthouse/city hall wedding. It doesn't seem to be a mandatory piece of being a part of society up here. Sure, it can help with some connections, but I've found that even conventionally religious up here get a lot less bothered if you aren't drinking the same kool-aid as them.
Also, infiltrating an uber-religious organization quite possibly would be fun in an evil sort of way, but it's not really going to teach anyone anything.
In terms of social output, again, being in the Boston area, there's a lot of that that isn't dependent on religion either. Boston Ski & Sports Club, dances or dance lessons, stitch'n'bitches (Boston has a mailing list), Drinking Liberally... etc. and so on.
spoiling the illusion
(Cross-posted to LiveJournal)
I've more than once contemplated rejoining a religious group, if only for the social outlet.
It is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day...
Even now, there's an odd look one receives ... I get it at work sometimes, not from everyone, but from a handful of people. Disbelief? Concern? I'm not sure how to describe it properly. It's the look I get when I decline an invitation to a church gathering, and then let them know why I declined when they ask.
Ambivalence ... nonchalance?
It does seem to be a reaction divided by race. None of my Asian colleagues think it strange (or if they do, they have the good taste not to react); most of my Caucasian colleagues are equally disinterested; it's primarily my Black colleagues that are most visibly taken aback.
So I wonder, as I read the common zealot rant on a message board, as I cross paths with colleagues and the occasional LDS pavement-pounder, Would I be more socially acceptable if I were part of a religious group?
But then I reconsider, knowing exactly how much I'd hate myself--how much I would come to loath the pretense, how much I would resent the people around me (whether they actually believed or were just similarly pretending for the sake of human company). Could I pretend? Oh, I'm certain I could--and quite convincingly, at that. Things move me for many reasons.
The right (or wrong) combination of musical chords can send a shiver down my spine, fictions make me cry or shudder every other day. To achieve the same reaction in any so-called holy place to so-called holy music or so-called holy words would hardly be proof of anything.
Reactions to stimuli.
[Sanity], [sanity], all is [sanity].
It's not to say that I don't think I can believe in things; but many things that were once categorised as beliefs have been moved to fantasy and fiction and intellectual interest. Fairly weighed, nothing "supernatural" makes any more sense than anything else. I guess that's where my mind stops.
It's not to say that I don't think others should believe in things. More [of something--though I'm not sure what, but "power" seems incorrect--] to them, if they can.
But I resent them and I pity them, and I can't make myself feel guilty about those feelings, because I'm almost certain that they feel the same way about me.
Back to the question: Could I fake it? Yes, for a while, but I'd probably self-destruct eventually; and, as is my habit, I'd most likely take a few people with me. People who, in their turn, would resent me for spoiling their illusion.
A more wicked side of me thinks, It could make life interesting for a little while ... Allow the most outlandish thing possible to recruit oneself (something like Opus Dei or equally miserable). Bewilder both friends and family for a good six months. Convince the believers of conversion. And then--leave, to the confusion and disappointment of all.
It's more for self-indulgent fantasy than reality, isn't it?
I'm lonely and bored of being lonely, but I'm also proud--too proud to whore myself to something I don't believe, too proud to keep my opinions to myself.
Maybe tomorrow I'll write out a few of my thoughts on the dichotomy of good and evil in Western literature.
Maybe I'll go see The Unborn instead.
Who knows?
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