Fluffy Singularity

The house hunt has been going well, we've narrowed it down to either Nightmare House or this beauty:




I call the other property Nightmare House because not only was it a complete wreck inside but I've actually had a nightmare about it. Dreams about walking through houses, sometimes furnished, sometimes not, have been haunting me quite a bit lately but I can blame that on the fact that I have actually been walking through thousands of houses, sometimes furnished, sometimes not, and sometimes full of water damage.


In actual news, we're down to three choices now, I Love This House, Grandma's House and The House of Doors (in that order). We still have other properties to see but I don't think we're going to be apartment dwellers much longer.

This process has been both nerve wracking and exhilarating. I love looking through houses and other people's stuff and imagining how I could arrange furniture in a space and how a space could be decorated. I also love imagining my life in these new spaces, how'd we live, the parties we could have. It is the uncertainty of what will happen after we actually own the house that just eats at me. What if it turns out like that house in Poltergeist and just eats itself up?

Hamlet 2: I like her a little less in each movie I see her in, but Hamlet 2 was the best Catherine Keener since Being John Malkovich. Even if she was barely in the movie. Plenty of laugh out loud moments (Elizabeth Shue as Elizabeth Shue and the Gay Men's Chorus for example) even if the movie wasn't exactly hilarious. And I can always get behind the message of "Enthusiasm as a substitute for talent" because I desperately want that to be true. 3 Uptight Christians out of 5.


Lifeboat: I watched this mostly because they've been talking about Tallulah Bankhead on NPR and I wanted to see her in something and I knew I wouldn't go wrong with Hitchcock. I couldn't help but focus on this glittering beauty who slowly loses each piece of her material wealth mirroring how the group loses their morality. Amazing film, awesome enough to let me forgive the tremendous racism and if you knew how racist this movie is you'd realize just how amazing it must be. 4 Compasses out of 5.


Phoebe in Wonderland: Elle Fanning and Felicity Huffman give some delicious performances and I'm always a fan of Patricia Clarkson, but overall the movie never quite creates the sense of wonder I was hoping for. The only character that really rang true for me was the little gay theatre boy, the rest were about as thick as... a pack of cards. 2.5 Red Queens out of 5.


Happy-Go-Lucky: Unlike the critics, I didn't care for this one at all. I spent the whole movie waiting for something to happen it when it finally did, it was too tightly controlled and so underwhelmingly non-effecting on the main character that I felt cheated. The flamenco dancer and her first scene were the only appealing part of the film for me. 2 Driving Lessons out of 5.


Charade: Great music, good laughs, a nicely twisty turny little plot Grant and Hepburn verbally humping for two hours... what isn't to like? 4 Peppermint Flavoured Heroin Bricks out of 5.

Current Mood: excited

June Booklist

"Doubt was a luxury for species that did not live one meal away from starvation."

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett: The Watch novels are not my favourite (that would be the witch books) but this one was perfectly acceptable and ended rather well. I have a hard time seeing how this would appeal to a first time reader, but for one that is well versed in Discworld mythology it should work just fine. Individual scenes were interesting, but overall it was only average Pratchett... which is still pretty durn good.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster: When I saw this in the bookstore it seemed like it'd be hilarious and slightly informative and I was pretty excited to get started. But it quickly revealed itself to be boring and trite and I couldn't wait to put it down. I understand that I'm not the intended audience (I should have read this 20 years ago) but I don't think that is enough to excuse the author's condescending manner and repetitive style of writing. I am sure he is charming in class, but this book was definitely an exercise in masochism to sit down and read for any length of time.

Conrad's Fate by Diana Wynne Jones: One of Jones's themes is the a clueless protagonist who is a little dull and a little stupid, but has a good heart and eventually prevails mostly by being loyal and steadfast and by finding out they have a shitload of magic they had no idea they had. Conrad is no exception, especially with the dull and stupid part, but since this story is written in the first person POV (instead of the third like the others) I got pretty frustrated and restless. It has been a while since I wanted to slap a character in a book but Conrad is #1 on my list. Got a little better at the end, but this will never be my favourite Chrestomanci book.



Re-Reads

The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones

Rings of Ice by Piers Anthony

In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker

Wishbringer by Craig Shaw Gardner

I hope her pussy goes straight to heaven! And I am unanimous in that!





In related news, a woman walks into a bar. She says to the bartender "I'll have a double entendre."

So the bartender gave it to her.

Current Mood: dorky

Anyone want to play Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator with me on the DS? My friend code is 4125-2218-8375

I am enjoying this version pretty well, especially the new synchro and psychic cards. They even have some movie inspired ones that are awesome!




I promise not to destroy your deck and make you cry. Unless your deck is as weak as Craigtastic's.

Current Mood: moody

Haven't been feeling great the last couple of days, so I don't know what is up with that. Last night was the worst so far but I am feeling better today. I'm not sick, exactly... I don't have a fever or nausea or a headache but something is just not right and I'm fairly miserable about it. Yesterday my right eye kept twitching so I suppose it could just be stress. Or maybe it is my self-esteem.



No... it can't be my self-esteem. It is much too nice to be my self-esteem. I've never had anything so nice. Or deserved it.

But I am feeling better today, so maybe I just needed a good night's rest and some corn dogs for breakfast. At least I hope that is what I needed, since that is what I had.

Current Mood: blah

Did you ever wish you were playing Final Fantasy Tactics instead of sitting at work arguing over the correct font to use in your Benefits Book or trying to audit I9 records for 300 employees? Sure, we all have. Now you can with Ultimate Tactics! It isn't as involved, naturally, but they took out all of the distracting "story" and it is free and you can play it through your web browser.


What? Oh sorry, you said you wanted to play Jenga! My mistake. Now you can with Stackle! You don't have to pick up the pieces afterward but also, you can't eat them. So it is a tossup which is actually better.


In unrelated news:

Current Mood: ready to go home

Busy, busy day. No time for thinking Dr. Jones, so here... have a kitten:

Current Mood: working

Voices from a Distant Star Giant robots are one of my least favourite kinds of anime, but this was very well done and emotionally resonant, especially for such a short movie and is about much more than giant robots. To think it was done by one guy on his home computer is just staggering. Don't skip it. 4 Text Messages out of 5.


Fanboys I'll admit it, I'm not that big of a Star Wars fan. I loved the movies the first time around, naturally, even if that was on HBO. I still liked them pretty good when I saw them in the theatre in preparation for Episode One, but the changes really annoyed/frustrated me. But Episode One was just terrible and Episode Two was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I never even bothered to see Episode Three. But Fanboys was still enjoyable, because I know what it is to be a sci-fi geek and a rabid fan. The story was even a little more poignant when I heard about what Pixar did with the new Up movie. 2.5 Deathstars out of 5.


Fired Up!: Ah, the teen sex comedy- a fine tradition in trashy movie going. Plus, it's a cheerleader movie and I loves me a cheerleader movie. This isn't good by any traditional definition, but I had fun with it and there are some very quoteable lines. (German Sweet Tarts. They wipe out the taste of every other candy.") If you can look past the lazy, cookie-cutter writing and turn off your taste you'll be just fine. 2.5 Basket Catches out of 5.

Kite: Is lolita/action/assassin a genre? Features a cop that if he can't get arrested for a being a raping sadist should at least be locked up for his fashion sense. A brown suit, red shirt, and a green and yellow plaid tie? I ralphed. We watched what was apparently the cut version, which left out the graphic sex and what I'm hoping was the part of the story that made sense. Does a good job of following the narrow path between ridiculous and nonsensical without fully committing to either one. Neat lighting effects. 2 Earrings out of 5.

Current Mood: calculating

If you have fifteen minutes to spare, you should check out The Back Room, a short film that is substantially less trashy and more erotic that it sounds from the title. Not just worth it for the hawt bear but also for the nuanced story and tender cinematography. I'm very impressed with the filmmaker and oh lord, that is one hawt bear. Also, it is in a bookstore! The non-erotic kind! Yay!


In unrelated news, I finished the fourth season of Weeds yesterday and I already miss it. For whatever reason they decided to end on another cliffhanger (why? I was already planning on seeing it next year, you totally don't have to do that!). I love how each season really works hard to build up and then destroy any sort of stability or comfort these characters find. Also, the teen sex has returned but is much more satisfying than it was three years ago so I will forgive them. This time. Especially if they bring back Chola Celia.

Went to a Free RPG Day event today and got some neat looking stuff. Also picked up some new dice, because if there is one thing I need more than books it is dice. There was a Paranoia book mixed in with the freebies which made me wonder if I wanted to get back into it. Paranoia XP never really captured my imagination like the first and second editions but I'll try to be open minded.

Got to play a quick game of Hollow Earth Expedition which I really enjoyed. Pulp action is always fun and the mechanics are simple enough to allow us to concentrate on movie-worthy moments and roleplaying but complex enough that you can model the genre in some detail. I even managed to avoid mentioning Lost, so I'll count that as a win. A would adventure in again.

Current Mood: pleased

Something new for a side dish tonight:

Scalloped Corn and Broccoli

Makes about 4 servings

1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
5 ounces frozen chopped broccoli

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Mix together the corn, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Add the cheese and broccoli, mix well and pour into a 2 quart casserole dish.

Bake for 1 hour.

The only thing I did different was use Splenda, 'cause why not, and fresh broccoli since I had some on hand I needed to use up. Pretty delicious.


In unrelated news, does anyone know of any alternative to the Roku? My mom is considering getting the converter box so she can watch her NetFlix instant watches on her TV but I can't help but feel there has got to be a cheaper version of the Roku she could buy. Is it a really worth $100? I use the Xbox- when I can get Craig off of it, that is.

Current Mood: happy

One of my least favourite days at work so far this week. Bah.

So, have some videos:

First up, the Stereo Total's "I Love You, Ono"



I like it because it is sort of discordant. This band also did an ultra-distorted cover version of "Push It". It's classier than you think.


And then from the WTF category comes this infomercial which apparently is NOT a parody. If you can beleive that.



Toliet paper is not archaic. Wiping with your hand is archaic. And who helped you maintain your dignity while making this commercial? That is correct, NO ONE. Plus 1 for big guys having "advantages".

Current Mood: amused

Sorry I couldn't join you for lunch, but here- have some cake anyway:






I love you a bushel and peck and hug around the neck!

Current Mood: content

Sunday was fun, I went to a Meetup in Laurel with some people that I had never met before to play boardgames. It seemed silly not to go since it was so incredibly close to the house and I love board games. And no one (Craig) ever seems to want to play anything. It was good to meet some new people and they were very friendly and welcoming, so I'm sure I'd go back next time even if next wasn't Killer Bunnies! Which it is, and I just can't wait. It was also nice to do something that doesn't involve staring at glowing rectangles for a few hours.


In unrelated news, Poor Kitty!

Current Mood: ready to go home

Went to HonFest today in Balmer with Craigtastic, kutariprime and tazwolf, a friend of theirs, and two puppies. I had a great time, but we left early because it was just too hot and humid and I thought I was going to die. A celebration of Baltimore's "culture" couldn't have been more enjoyable than if John Waters himself had shown up. Did have a surreal moment when I thought I was in a Gary Larson comic- all these middle aged chubby women with beehives and cats-eye glasses and all.


The rest of the day we spent shopping, including a stop at Atomic Books the hipsterest, indiest, anarchistest bookstore I've been in in a long time. It was remarkably clean and well organized for an anarchist bookstore but I'm not complaining. I especially like their racks of indie DIY little books and picked up some $1 adn $5 jobs to read later. Not that I need more books.


The only negative with the day is that we missed going to the Amish market and they aren't open tomorrow... since it is Sunday and they are Amish and everything. I tried calling them after their posted hours to see if maybe the information I had was wrong but no one answered the phone. They didn't have an answering machine, which seemed strange until I realized there was no good reason to expect them to even answer the phone. I like to imagine it ringing and everyone standing around and staring at it, daring each other to "go English" and pick up the receiver.

Current Mood: cheerful

For whatever reason I was reading the new legislation about cigarette regulation and ended up on an article talking about how they test cigarettes to determine if they are "light" or "low tar". Smoking machines? You mean we built robots to smoke cigarettes? *BZZT* PASS UNIT X738 THAT PURSE IT IS TIME FOR UNIT X738'S CIGARETTE BREAK *BZZT* What are we going to do when cigarettes are banned entirely and the smoking bots rebel and kill us all? *BZZT* STAPLEBOT ONLY SMOKES AFTER DOWNLOADING *BZZT*

Well, it seemed funnier when I was saying it outloud in a computer voice.


In unrelated news, if you don't have enough cute in your life check out My Milk Toof which is sweet enough to give you cavities. Obvious pun is obvious.


Also, Destiny is Character. Apparently

Current Mood: pensive

"Yo momma's so fat her doctor is concerned about her blood pressure and her cholesterol levels. He recommended a regimen of sensible diet and exercise. He also informed her that she is at risk for developing diabetes."


I've been navigating the treacherous waters of the Amazon my health insurance prescription plan and I think I found a way to get my medical carrier, pharmacy and third party co-pay plan provider all in the same boat. I'd be more annoyed that I've spent time on this, but for two things: 1) As the Health Benefits Representative for my company occasionally having to wade in and solve some of my own problems helps to give me perspective when my employees are having issues. I am like the rest of the unwashed peons. I can relate to those horrible creatures. And 2) if I've done this correctly I can get this medicine that I love and that loves me for FREE. So it is worth it.


In unrelated news,

Current Mood: aggravated

Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

Philip Pullman (b.1946)

25 High-Brow, -7 Violent, 29 Experimental and 19 Cynical!

Current Mood: relaxed

Been in a really good mood today, for no special reason. Yay!

Good weekend too. I started watching Season 4 of Weeds and so far I'm very impressed. Nancy is a lot more likable this season and there are so many hilarious moments. The kids are aging well, the youngest is still a bitch but he is an important part of the show and I like the blonde twink's new haircut. I'm hoping they'll do more to really highlight the immigration issues as they explore drug trafficking this season.


In unrelated news,





Also, I accidentally bought cook and serve pudding instead of instant, so it better be 100X better since it took 100X more work to make. I didn't even they still made pudding you had to cook.

Current Mood: indifferent

Maybe it is just late and I need to go to bed, but I would totally watch this movie:

May Booklist

"What choices are there? What truths we choose to see. What lies we choose to ignore."

Shadow's End by Sherri S. Tepper (1995): I don't understand the vehemence against the ending of this particular Tepper book. That isn't to say it is my favourite of hers that I have read, but I found the conclusion to be bizarre and weird and utterly suited to themes of the book. The central mystery of Dinadh and its resolution was satisfying, and for the most part the characters were engaging and easy to read. Personally I find Shadow's End to contain one of the scariest of the future fascist societies I've ever read. The only thing that keeps this at 3.5 stars instead of 4 is the heavy handed man bashing. There are only three kinds of people in this universe, men, women and kings (men who behave as women), a division I find insulting. In fairness, most of the rest of the science fiction I read is incredibly sexist to women so in the long run maybe this helps to balance it out.


Under a Velvet Cloak (Incarnations of Immortality, Book 8) by Piers Anthony (2007): Insulting, to say the least, this "novel" proves without a doubt that Piers has lost his mind. Judging it as a part of the Incarnations series it reads like a shoddy fan fic written by a sex crazed maniac. Judged as erotica, it is the most boring pornographic work I've ever seen. The plot itself either a mismatched tangle of nonsense or simply a means to describe sex in broad, generic terms on every page. Either way, not what I'd call entertaining. Avoid.


Toast by Charles Stross (2002): It is official, I am just not a Stross fan. This feels strange since he comes highly recommended by people whose opinions I trust and I really loved one of his books. But everything else of his I've tried has been disappointing. I liked the idea behind "Antibodies" in this collection if not the execution but found most of the rest boring at best and unreadable at worst.


The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez (2009): Hard-boiled noir detective novels and 50's ray-gun/giant monster sci-fi pulp are not my usual reading choices but Martinez knows the tropes well enough to give them an unexpectedly pleasurable mashup and twist. There is a lot going on here and I think the story could have shed a plot line or two and made a more satisfying read if it were trimmer. Overall I enjoyed it and would probably read another in this setting.


Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (2009): Unmentionables. The Striken. Dreadfuls. No matter what you call them, the "z-words" are the height of popularity right now for some reason and it was about time someone restored Jane Austen's classic to its original monster strewn form. If you were excited by the idea just by reading the title, you won't be disappointed by the book itself. Very snarky, very action packed and very fun! Also... I'm not familiar with the edited text enough from my one reading way back in high school, but did Jane always suffer from comma diarrhea? I feel like I've won by not making a reference to her clawing her way out of her grave to kill Seth Grahame-Smith, so take that for what it is worth.


Conquest of the Time Master (Wizards, Warriors & You) by R. L. Stine (1985): Normally I wouldn't bother to mention that I read a game book but I have to mention how gay the wizard and warrior are in this one. They take their holidays together and are always giving each other these quiet smiles and knowing looks. The princess gets murderized a hundred different ways and you just start over, but let one of the pair meet his untimely end and the other one will sob and vow vengeance! Are the Goosebumps books queer too?


Re-Reads

Lost in a Good Book (A Thursday Next Novel) by Jasper Fforde (2004)

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde (2005)

Current Mood: cheerful

I know it isn't funny, but LOL:



Poor guy.



In unrelated news, Chick-Fil-A has brought back the Peach Milkshake and I made the mistake of getting one. Now I want 10 of them.

Spring Breakdown: Not a good movie by any means (there is a reason why it went direct to DVD) but with so much talent in one film how can you resist? And for once, I'm not just talking about Parker Posey. You also get Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, and Jane Lynch (who are all three funny in just about anything) as well as Missi Pyle in a surprisingly bittersweet role. If you sat all the way through "The House Bunny" or are a Parker Posey completeist then you'll have no problem with this one. 3 Salsa Wresting Fights out of 5.

North by Northwest: Mistaken identities, an icy cold blonde, thrilling suspense and cinematography decades ahead of its time- is it any wonder this is considered one of Hitchcock's masterpieces? Can't get enough of the dark comedy blend of tragedy, murder and humour. Or as one of the characters quips, "So horribly sad. How is it I feel like laughing?" 4.5 Train Entering Tunnel Metaphors out of 5.

Up: I'm not going to say you're a monster if you didn't get a little squishy durning the opening sequence because we all different experiences in life and who am I to judge you? As for me, my heart was broken. Not to say it wasn't adventurous or funny because Up is both, but most of all it was emotionally mature and resonant. I haven't loved an animated feature this hard since Wall-E and from a story point of view Up takes a step beyond even that. 5 Bottle Caps out of 5.

The Samurai: Vintage 80's anime! And I hate myself for calling something from the 80's "vintage". Done in the style of Ranma (both in terms of animation and genre), The Samurai isn't the best thing in the world but is a perfectly amusing little tale with lots of boobies and fan service. The overly dramatic scenes of explanation just serve to make the rest of the nonsense even more nonsensical. Fun, if shallow. 3 Naked Ninjas out of 5.

Uncounted: Documentary about voter disenfranchisement in the 2004 election due to fraud. Reasonably well done with a solid accounting of the facts even if some the anecdotal evidence wasn't terribly engaging. 3 Malfunctioning Voting Booths out of 5.


The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour "I'm Persian. Meow!" 3 Racial Profiles out of 5, mostly for Ahmed Ahmed who made me laugh myself stupid.


Confessions of a Super Hero: I hadn't heard about the costumed characters of Hollywood Boulevard before, so I was surprised when watching this documentary on how well know they apparently are and how completely desperate, delusional and pathetic they are. The documentary itself was fairly compassionate and non-exploitational, but I can't help but wonder if the subjects were able to view themselves objectively upon seeing the final project. I'm going to guess "No". 3 Margot Kidders out of 5.

This Sunday was the final game of our long running AD&D campaign and I'm going to miss the dynamic of this group (with one small exception). I think I joined around 5th or 6th level and managed to get to 15th after the final epic battle to prevent 4.0 rules from taking over the world. I actually played three different characters over the course of things... or four if you count the NPC lizardman I played for a week or two until my first character was ready.

Since we have an unspecified break coming up I've made a conscious effort to explore some of the other options in my area and found a site called Meetup that might be interesting or at least interesting enough while we are on hiatus.


In unrelated news I had a lot of energy this morning but I'm feeling very run down and unfocused right now. Caffeine needed y/y?

Recent Comics

Capes #1: I'm a big Kirkman fan (see Walking Dead or Invincible if you're prepared to have your mind boggled) but I just hated Capes. I'm all for parodies/satire of superhero nonsense, but I didn't even giggle at anything in this book. I found the story to be a yawner and the art to be fairly horrible (although it was improving near the end). Some of the character concepts were amusing/inspired but the execution was just off the entire time. Avoid.


Tales from Wonderland: This is apparently a prequel to something called Return to Wonderland, and if it is an example of what the series has to offer I'm interested. I like collecting Wonderland stories and the twists on the mythology presented in this collection is very appealing. Plus it avoids the too easy pitfall of many Alice homages by making it too sexual. I can't help but feel I'm missing a lot of "Oh wow!" moments by reading out of order but I'll learn to forgive myself.


Wasteland #1: Picked this up on a whim and I'm in love already. I have a soft spot for post-apocalyptic tales, but this volume goes beyond that setting up a story against a rich and vibrant world that is just different enough from ours to feel alien and familiar enough to be spooky. I especially love the changes in language and how many of the pages are almost devoid of speech, allowing the action to carry the story. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

I've been enjoying Zany Video Game Quotes, but you'd have to be pretty nerdy to browse it for too long. Nerds!



Well, obviously. Except for that Romani-Chinese girl I knew.


In related nerdy news, I've been thinking about what sort of AD&D 3.5 character I want to play next. Anyone else have any druid experience? Are they fun to play at low level in dungeons or cities? I don't want to spend all my time getting excitied for camping trips that never come.

Went to see my new GP today for a PPD test and I'm not sure if after I get the results read if I'll go back or not. He seemed nice enough, but I wasn't especially comfortable with him. I'm considering getting my manliness exam from him since that is the perfect excuse to never go back afterward. "It's not you, it's me. No wait... actually it is you. Please don't call me." I don't think I actually need a prostate exam until 45, but since I haven't had a physical in so long I suppose I might as well treat myself and go all out.

He ordered some blood tests so I decided to go ahead and get that taken care of today too. The only issue is, he ordered a urine test and I already had to go to the bathroom. REALLY BAD. The testing site was incredibly crowded and although they were fairly efficient, I just wasn't sure I'd be able to hold it long enough to wait my turn. But the longer I waited, the more I had invested in getting it taken of today and OMG I HAVE TO PEE. By the time it was my turn I begged the medical tech to let me do the urine test first before I popped. She agreed and I made it. Barely. Yay!

To make today even more unusual, by the time I got to work all the lights were out. For whatever reason the power had gone out half-an-hour before and they had no idea if it was coming back on or not. Working from home it is. Except that with the power out, the servers were down, so I couldn't get much done from home either and had to just take a nap. Quel dommage!

In unrelated news,

Current Mood: relaxed

My sister got me the new Jill Sobule "California Years" for my b-day, so I listed to it on the drive back home. Good stuff (much better than 2004's "Underdog Victorious") but one song in particular caught my attention.

Track 4 is "Where is Bobbie Gentry?" (click goes to yousendit for the download) and from the opening notes I was convinced I had heard this song before. Then I realized it was a homage to Bobbie Gentry's most famous song "Ode to Billy Joe"

I heard Ms. Gentry's spooky ballad many times in my childhood and it is still pretty chilling. Check out this appearance on the Smothers Brothers show:



I don't think I ever quite got the story when I was a kid, but now as an adult it is clear to me exactly what it was that Billy Joe and Bobbie threw off the bridge... a fact Jill makes very clear in her new song.

Whenever I'm having a bad day I'm just going to look at this:



Rawr! Bad day eatened!

Today was actually a very good day. I got some good news this morning (so good I cried a little) AND I arrived to work late which made the day go much faster. I also avoided getting annoyed by any of my annoying coworkers because my attitude was awesome.


In other good news, they finally got those bitches to stop calling about my non-existant expiring car warranty. I think we should have a parade to celebrate.

Current Mood: vodka o'clock!

House: Anyone else notice how much the opening is like the Rocky Horror Picture Show? An asshole and a slut are driving and get a flat tire (two in this case), the asshole doesn't have a spare so he decides to walk for help. Since it is raining he instructs the slut to stay in the car so they don't both get wet. She of course follows him anyway, and fashions a makeshift umbrella. They find a large house behind a gate and stop to read a sign with a vaguely religious message printed on it. The slut is scared to go in, but the asshole insists they just need to use the phone (even though castles don't have phones asshole). No one else noticed that? Oh right, no one else saw this terrible movie, my bad. If you're the type that likes your horror movies without any horror, then please force yourself to sit through this one but don't come crying to me when you die of boredom. Or if you lose all faith in the ability of people to portray the rich inner lives of fictional characters. I think they call it "acting" but I hesitate to even mention that word in connection with this film. 1 Tin Can out of 5.

Kicking and Screaming: Very enjoyable mid-90's college slacker comedy that wish I had seen back when I was still in college. Just witty enough without being preciously clever, and some of the best use of flashbacks I've seen recently (outside of Lost, natch). Oh, and Parker Posey is in it! 3.5 Broken Glass Signs out of 5.

Look: Interesting, yes... but is it a movie? Not exactly. It was easy to watch with a voyeuristic glee but overall pretty unsatisfactory as a story. More of a "reality show" feel than the satirical mockumentary I was hoping for. 2 Bratty Teenagers out of 5.

Martyrs: I saw a review for this movie on a website that proclaimed that you needed to do yourself a favour and watch this movie without knowing anything about it. So I took the challenge, rented it and watch it with no pre-knowledge of what was coming. ( And although I wouldn't recommend the movie to anyone (at all), if you are going to see it don't read these spoilers ) 3 Box Cutters out of 5, but only because it was so well executed. I never want to see this movie again.

...and we're back. Four day weekend with the family in North Carolina! I always have a wonderful time visiting mom and sis, and this trip was no exception. Saturday was our beach day, and it really couldn't have been better weather or more beautiful. The ocean was cold and powerful, knocking me to the ground several times and dragging me along the sharp shells and sand. If it hadn't been so breathtaking, I would have taken it personally. The drive back was less than stellar, since it rained most of the time and several accidents slowed us down.

This trip was a late birthday/Mother's Day celebration and my mom made me the cutest Insectosaurus cake. As usual she may not have any idea why I requested such a thing but nonetheless she made it awesomely.




Also, I sort of went book crazy while I was there. One of the used bookstores she took me to had a collection of 60's and 70's sci-fi in nearly unused condition just stuffed in boxes. I know! !!!!



The ones in the top right are ones I got from Amazon and a couple of graphic novels, some of the ones in the two stacks in the middle came from Daedalus, but the rest are from used bookstores in Wilmington, NC. I even got three new Ace double books, which I generally love and had to display up front.

Tonight is the Season Finale of Lost!

( Spoilerish? )


I've already been practicing my WHAT?! face with Juliet.

My present to myself came today! A box full of books! Exactly what I wanted, how did I know! I wish there was a phrase like "OM NOM NOM" but for reading. "READ NOM NOM" just doesn't cut it.


Also:

I wasn't going to make a big thing out of my birthday tomorrow, but that was before Craig got me an Insectosaurus plushie!




Rawr! I loves Insectosaurus so! Rawr!



He also got me a card with a kitty on it and an ice cream cake. AND we're going out for Mexican food tomorrow. How'd I get so lucky?

Current Mood: loved

April Booklist

I'm updating Library Thing and Goodreads now. Aren't I special?

So Bright the Vision and The Man Who Saw Tomorrow by Clifford D. Simak and Jeff Sutton (1968): This double novel may have come out in '68 but the stories that make up Simak's half were products of the Fifties and it shows- painfully. "The Golden Bugs" isn't half bad (even as it doesn't so much arrive at a destination as lumber to a conclusion and fall apart claiming ta-da!) but the titular story is the real gem. Still annoyingly pre-sexual revolution, but pretty dazzling in it's scope. The Man Who Saw Tomorrow I had to abandon half way through, it was just terrible. (Unrelated to the Orson Welles documentary about Nostradamus).


Edenborn by Nick Sagan (2008): At times a bit too emotional and melodramatic for my tastes, but overall a quick and enjoyable read. This is actually a sequel to a book I do not own (I even have the third queued up) and I am intrigued to read the first in the series, which is probably more of the apocalyptic thriller I was hoping for to start with. This installment skipped over a lot of the details I would have preferred to learn, but maybe that is just the Life After People series intruding. I'd definitely recommend this to a teen sci-fi/fantasy reader.


Spiral Hunt by Margaret Ronald (2009): Very solid first effort for a new writer and I'm looking forward to more in the series. I'm big on urban fantasy and this had a lot of unique characteristics that set it apart from the crowd. Since the main character's talent is tracking by scent we get lots of sensory description and the mythology is Irish based, making for a very original tale. The author did an excellent job of introducing us to this world without getting pedantic and the main character was very likeable, not a brat like some of the other modern wizards out there today *coughDresdencoughcoughBlake*. I also really appreciated the way magic was presented as something dangerous and life consuming; great set up for further action down the line.


Re-Reads
God Game by Andrew M. Greeley (1987)
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (1993)
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (1995)
The Kronos Condition by Emily Devenport (1997)

Yay Linkage!

Think you can do a better job of budgeting the budget than Obama? Of course you do, no job is impossible for the person that doesn't have to do it. Give Budget Hero a try and put your administrative skills to the test.

I know that as a white male between the ages of 18 and 49 I am the least qualified to speak on the issue of women's reproductive rights, but I still think you should read Susie Bright's recent blog entry about Meghan McCain. I have complicated thoughts regarding teen abstinence, but again... not qualified.

While you're on the topic also check out Amanda Palmer's video for Oasis. (Thanks to sensational for the heads-up on this one!) If you can't get past the contrast between the upbeat tune and the graphic nature of the tale, then you must be one of those lucky people that aren't "distracted from spiritual matters by everyday trivia." And you probably had an easier time of it in high school than I did.


And finally, how well do you know your Star Trek/NPR/Food Additive triva? Perfect score you say? NERD!

Yay Webcomics!



I think I like SlowWave because so many of the dream stories seem so very familiar. This follows, as the artist has seen a lot of similarities in the dreams people report. We are all unique in the same way.




Baby used to be my favourite character but after this comic, it is Paperklip.




Natalie Dee is very hit or miss for me, but hey... it is Taft, his special bathtub and nipples. What else do you need? At least I assume that is from Natalie Dee. It looks like her style to me at least.




Just a little explosive humour from tinyghosts. I'd do this if I thought it'd work and if I could get a sprinkle of glitter on top.

I was reading something on fark.com the other day in one of their marijuana legalization threads and one of the posters remarked that he was totally fine with his parents smoking pot:

"They both like to garden and I am sure my mom could maintain a little patch for medicinal use for the two of them. I dunno, I kind of have this fantasy of my folks, in this new world of super-science living in my basement when I'm in my 60s. Just toking up all day and playing video games and listening to their loud, annoying geriatric rap music. And what is with those armpit-length pants, there mister! You get right back in here. You. Are. Grounded."

I had a fun little daydream about my mom giggling through a story about something she saw on Ellen then wandering off to the kitchen to fix herself a snack so she could listen to Motown before falling asleep on the couch. Oh Momma, you got baked and watched a 24 hour CSI marathon again. Now go take a shower and put on some fresh pajamas.


In unrelated news, one of my coworkers was in a biking accident over the weekend and got a mild concussion for his troubles. My boss asked him today "How's your head?" It took everything in my willpower not to interrupt "He hasn't had any complaints yet!"

I was in the mood for a light documentary, and McLibel mostly fulfilled that need. I could have done without the painful court room "reenactments" but overall I felt things were handled well and were not overly sentimental. You can't help but cheer on these incredibly nerdy nerds as they sacrificed to stand up for what they believed against a system that has all the advantages. 3 Big Macs out of 5.

Transporter 3 ...and the death of a franchise. Who had to blow Jason Steakum to get him to make this movie (and why wasn't I told that job was open?)I haven't quite decided which is more insulting, the "plot" or the audacity of the film to present itself as serious, but I'm willing to let both fight to the death in a cage match. I was hoping the shirtless scenes would outnumber the Dukes of Hazzard moments but it failed me there as well. 2 Flat Tires out of 5.

Donkey Punch Starts out terrible and then just disintegrates before your eyes. Predictable? And how. I had the entire sequence predicted before we even knew there was a boat right down to who would kill who and in what order just by the insipid dialogue on the beach. A couple of the actors seemed capable and could probably do a fair job with a reasonable vehicle assuming they can live down this trash. Also, very annoying that there were no English captions for this one as the entire cast had that mouth-full-of-marbles British accent thing going on. 2 Cleveland Steamers out of 5.

Milk Biopics can be a hard sell for me; if they are presented as "the true story" then the coincidences and presentience of the actors become incredibly distracting and I lose my focus. Milk I enjoyed for in no small part for the gritty reality of this slice of history in its costuming and set dressing. I felt like I was there, and it was therefore easier to get caught up in the drama. 4 Gay Rights Riots out of 5.

Dead Like Me: Life After Death Terrible, just terrible. More like a collection of cliches and half-baked idea thrown into a pile of one paragraph character descriptions than a movie. I'd rather have the series die for ever than keep with this inferior crap. The only bright spot was Reggie who has blossomed into a lovely young girl that apparently hasn't realized she is beautiful yet. 2 Post-Its out of 5.

Let the Right One In Different sort of vampire movie, with a crisp bite that sticks with you long after the film is over. Not perfect by any means (not even counting the cat scene- wtf?) but still powerful. I predict I would enjoy the book slightly more and the coming American remake quite a bit less. 3 Abused Children out of 5.

Today was Free Comic Book Day! I didn't particularly need any of the offerings but we wanted to go because local artist and all around avatar of awesomeness neo_rama was there signing copies of a book his comic appears in. It is very exciting, the official release of Remake is at Mocca this summer, but you can pre-order it from Amazon. And you should! Unless you just don't like good comics. In which case I can't help you.

Speaking of good comics, our second reason for hitting the comic store today was to get penguin_18's Sanctuary School:Year One. I'm very familiar with this one (having done an early edit) but I had to have my own copy so that I could prove I knew the artist "back when". That and if I didn't buy it he might not do a second book and then I'll never find out what happens.


In unrelated news, I decided to finally purchase a LibraryThing membership and collect all my lists into one. A free account only allows one to catalogue up to 200 books so I was doing one for each year. When I realized I was on my fourth year I suddenly knew it was time to go legit. So now you can find me on LibraryThing as marctic. I had orginally collapsed some book series into one entry to save space, so I still need to break those apart and I still haven't posted my March and April books, so yes I am behind and have a lot of work to do. Such is life. I tried not to do any second guessing on my ratings from things from 3 years ago, but it was hard. I may have to go through the whole list and make some adjustments just to get comfortable with things.

LOL. Seriously, I LOL'd.


The only thing that has made me laugh harder for even less reason recently is this:




In other news, today was another Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Why do we ever depend on others to do what they need to do in the corporate world? If you want something done badly and half-assed you can certainly do that yourself and then you aren't even surprised when it doesn't work.

But at least I'm not bitter and that is what is important.

Yesterday was a pretty tough day, a lot of time spent in meetings with lawyers and papers and laptops and frantic phone calls and accusations and denials and I accidentally a whole coca-cola bottle (is this bad?) At the end of it my boss said she was ready for a drink. I commented that tonight was an Obama speech and a great drinking game would be to take a shot everytime he said "Health" "Education" or "Energy". One of the neophytes to our inner HR circle remarked "Or when he mentions the economy!" I shot back "I'm not an alcoholic." Hilarity ensued.


Today has been much better (swine flu panic notwithstanding). We have a picnic this afternoon which I do not want to attend and I have dinner out with Craigtastic and chesire_c tonight which I do want to attend.


In unrelated news, Craig has some new art up that you should check out. Huzzah!

I've been playing Pandemic 2 pretty steadily since the outbreak of Swine Flu and I'm constantly frustrated by how hard it is to infect Madagascar. Everyone on teh intrawebs seemed to agree, this island was the hardest to get in the game because of the tendency to shut down the sea port whenever anyone anywhere got sick. It became my mission to destroy them.





Vindication! My score may not have been spectacular enough for the high score boards, but at least I got all those lemurs once and for all.

My hands were so dry (how dry were they? so dry they made a movie about it... no, not a book. a movie!) that I had to pull out the hand creme and give them a quick moisturizing. Now I have Negativland's "Favourite Things" stuck in my head.



"Favorite Things" - Negativland


Nose cream on kittens! And bells and bells and bells and bells and bells.



In other news, I'm making Sloppy Joe's tonight with a recipe I found that uses salsa. The closer it gets to doing it, the less certain I am that it will be any good. Good thing we have ice cream as a backup plan.

Bea Arthur died, Myrtle Beach is burning down, it was 96 degrees in Maryland and the Mexican Flu is going to kill us all. What the heck happened to my Saturday?

In other news, I bought a new phone with features and everything! I'm usually fairly immune to tech envy but I've been wanting one of those G1 phones from T-Mobile ever since I saw a friend using his. Now I can google anywhere, and it scans barcodes to help me shop for bargains and it has GPS and I can hook it up to the bluetooth thingy in the car and create ringtones from my music with a coupe of clicks and it does like a million other things that I don't even need a phone to do. This is probably the most excited I've been about a tech toy since I got the iPosey several years ago.