Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thrilling Thursday: Making The Kessel Run In Less Than 12 Parsecs
The first shot still gives me chills. (Skip to 2:15 if you don't want to read the scroll.)
I had the sheets. (One side of the pillow case had Han, the other had Luke, and it says a lot about me to tell you that Han got the most face time.)
I had the action figures. (The metal ones, oh how I wish I still had them!)
I bought the VHS tapes, one of my prized possessions, which my asshat ex husband took with when he left.
I think I need to hit the video store. I'd buy these but I'm still irritated about the "adjustment" to the end of Return of the Jedi that was made for the DVD release.
I am a nerd.
But that's why you love me! :)
Happy Thursday!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wonder Why Wednesday - Derailing Your Train Of Thought
I'll just give you a minute to absorb the cleverness that is my title.
I'll wait.
Done?
Okay!
First, I have to note for you grammar/spelling/punctuation junkies out there that yes, I realize that within a title, words like "of" and "the" are lower-case, however you must understand that I have fairly involved OCD tendencies, and a lower-case "o" in "of" would have made my skin itch. So there.
So! Your question for the day...
What sends your mind wandering? Do you enjoy it, and where does it go?
I love the paths our minds can take. I'm a world-class wool-gatherer, myself, and the best time for it, the instance in which I get the strangest results (besides when I'm trying to get to sleep), is on the bus.
While public transportation is useful and green (and free, the one real bonus of working where I do), it's also really...
Dull.
Granted, some public transportation experiences are more exciting than others, Chicago features a rather colorful elevated train system that makes for some of the best (or worst, depending on the strength of your stomach) people-watching, and the bus ride I personally enjoy these days gives me a luxuriously long view of the front range every day, but it still gets to be routine after awhile.
I can't read on the bus without severe consequences, and although I enjoy my little iPod a great deal there are only so many times I can hear the same songs over and over again (it's only a shuffle, not a lot of room on there), and TAL only has one free podcast a week, which is the best one-way trip of the week, granted, but still just one trip out of the 10 available during a week.
And so on those long, understimulated bus rides...
My mind wanders!
Depending on if I've opted for music, or if there's interesting weather going on outside, or there's a stinky fellow commuter next to me, the path my thoughts take can be linear - I keep a notepad for list-making - or it can be meandering, making connections from one thing to the next.
Sometimes it's driven by reviewing my experiences, going over and over something to analyze it, something triggered by a particular song and it's connection to someone else, and sometimes the winding road is purely me making stuff up... I've had some of my best unwritten novel and million-dollar movie ideas on public transportation excursions.
Staring at my fellow passengers (I really do have a problem) is the best way to come up with completely fictional stories to tell myself and pass the time. Some I see every day, and I get as used to them as the view from the front window, but sometimes we get a STRANGER... someone who doesn't belong, and whose past could contain anything at all.
Yesterday I found myself inspired by a couple of my fellow passengers, and started jotting down little notes about them.
I'd call it "poetry" but I'm pretty sure if I did, the ghost of Keats would find me and beat me to death with my purple notebook.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
--------
An old man smelling roses starts their petals falling and
laments the lateness of our transport.
It comes and he's gone but the petals still fall.
A shared seat with an Egyptian-eyed girl...
She looks through the window, thoughtful...
Or maybe just mindful of her stop.
Loud talkers disrespect the Church-silent riders,
unaware of the stares of contempt.
They don't care to know our thoughts.
Boredom makes the most literate resort to anything,
Schedules, instructions... anything to coax the wheels a little faster.
It never works.
--------
Wow, I wasn't kidding was I! Terrible stuff.
So... what's the coolest thing you've ever thought up while wandering? What's the weirdest?
Share!
I'll wait.
Done?
Okay!
First, I have to note for you grammar/spelling/punctuation junkies out there that yes, I realize that within a title, words like "of" and "the" are lower-case, however you must understand that I have fairly involved OCD tendencies, and a lower-case "o" in "of" would have made my skin itch. So there.
So! Your question for the day...
What sends your mind wandering? Do you enjoy it, and where does it go?
I love the paths our minds can take. I'm a world-class wool-gatherer, myself, and the best time for it, the instance in which I get the strangest results (besides when I'm trying to get to sleep), is on the bus.
While public transportation is useful and green (and free, the one real bonus of working where I do), it's also really...
Dull.
Granted, some public transportation experiences are more exciting than others, Chicago features a rather colorful elevated train system that makes for some of the best (or worst, depending on the strength of your stomach) people-watching, and the bus ride I personally enjoy these days gives me a luxuriously long view of the front range every day, but it still gets to be routine after awhile.
I can't read on the bus without severe consequences, and although I enjoy my little iPod a great deal there are only so many times I can hear the same songs over and over again (it's only a shuffle, not a lot of room on there), and TAL only has one free podcast a week, which is the best one-way trip of the week, granted, but still just one trip out of the 10 available during a week.
And so on those long, understimulated bus rides...
My mind wanders!
Depending on if I've opted for music, or if there's interesting weather going on outside, or there's a stinky fellow commuter next to me, the path my thoughts take can be linear - I keep a notepad for list-making - or it can be meandering, making connections from one thing to the next.
Sometimes it's driven by reviewing my experiences, going over and over something to analyze it, something triggered by a particular song and it's connection to someone else, and sometimes the winding road is purely me making stuff up... I've had some of my best unwritten novel and million-dollar movie ideas on public transportation excursions.
Staring at my fellow passengers (I really do have a problem) is the best way to come up with completely fictional stories to tell myself and pass the time. Some I see every day, and I get as used to them as the view from the front window, but sometimes we get a STRANGER... someone who doesn't belong, and whose past could contain anything at all.
Yesterday I found myself inspired by a couple of my fellow passengers, and started jotting down little notes about them.
I'd call it "poetry" but I'm pretty sure if I did, the ghost of Keats would find me and beat me to death with my purple notebook.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
--------
An old man smelling roses starts their petals falling and
laments the lateness of our transport.
It comes and he's gone but the petals still fall.
A shared seat with an Egyptian-eyed girl...
She looks through the window, thoughtful...
Or maybe just mindful of her stop.
Loud talkers disrespect the Church-silent riders,
unaware of the stares of contempt.
They don't care to know our thoughts.
Boredom makes the most literate resort to anything,
Schedules, instructions... anything to coax the wheels a little faster.
It never works.
--------
Wow, I wasn't kidding was I! Terrible stuff.
So... what's the coolest thing you've ever thought up while wandering? What's the weirdest?
Share!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Totally Random Tuesday: Weekend Backlash & Nostalgia
The many 5's of you who read my blog may have noted my absence yesterday... this was not due to anything exciting, merely my complete exhaustion.
My weekend, I'll just note for consistency's sake, contained but was not limited to:
And now, Totally Random Tuesday!
I miss Chicago sometimes, or more to the point the Chicago of my youth. You just don't get commercials like this anywhere else:
That Cicero hair! Those low rates!
And there are the strangely gleeful dancing farm animals!
I will still randomly shout "Mooooooo and Oink!" - listen at the end for what it sounds like - while shopping for milk and pork products, for which I receive stares and a lot more personal space at the grocery store.
Even better, thanks to our salted winter roads, our cars are in terrible shape ALL THE TIME!
I got to call Victory once to pick up my first car. I got 25.00 and a sense of extreme satisfaction, although what I really wanted was that bell-bottomed bad actor's bracelet.
Someday, though, I will truly get to complete my life by calling the top dog of Chicago commercials, the one for which anyone who's from Chicago can tell you the number off the top of their heads, on command and in tune. And they're national now so I can call them ANY TIME I WANT!
I trust this man.
Of course you *could* call Luna, but then you'd be a commie. I'm just saying.
Empire Carpets was (and still is) so iconic in Chicago it even had its own spoof by my very favorite TV host of all time (besides Jerry Bryant, host of JBTV and the uncrowned king of alternative music television)...
Son of Svengoolie, the man responsible for my fear of zombies. Even if you dilute it with jabs at Berwyn and rubber chickens, no 8-year-old should watch Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things.
That, my friends, was a huge chunk of my childhood right there... all that's missing is a special on the Rock-N-Roll McDonalds downtown, where I used to waste time while my mom was doing her side-job balancing the books at the gas station (a client of her then boss's) across the street. Incidentally, this is also where I used to watch JBTV - you couldn't tune it in anywhere but downtown.
OMG YES!
Thank god for these old videos, because now it looks like this. In my opinion, this makeover has officially killed the beauty of the place, because half the coolness factor was that on the outside, it was just a regular old crappy McDonald's, but when you went *inside*... my God, it was glorious.
Alas.
My weekend, I'll just note for consistency's sake, contained but was not limited to:
- A Porterhouse steak all for me which I did not share with anyone
- Laughing until my sides hurt with almost total strangers at dinner
- Great conversations in person and on the phone, though some made me wish for stuff I can't have right now - patience, patience, patience
- Planning something to look forward to with someone who I "esteem greatly", in the speech of the Regency, where I wish I could have lived like Elizabeth Bennet but would certainly have been more of a scullery maid
- Figuring out a gift for someone that will possibly not suck at all
- Rain and lightening and deep blue skies that were a lie - it was just window tinting (still cool though)
- Driving around most of the eastern half of Colorado for various important reasons
- Cooking for many hours to make enchiladas and chicken casseroles for the week
- Watching a new Dr. Who episode and finding a new show to love
And now, Totally Random Tuesday!
I miss Chicago sometimes, or more to the point the Chicago of my youth. You just don't get commercials like this anywhere else:
That Cicero hair! Those low rates!
And there are the strangely gleeful dancing farm animals!
I will still randomly shout "Mooooooo and Oink!" - listen at the end for what it sounds like - while shopping for milk and pork products, for which I receive stares and a lot more personal space at the grocery store.
Even better, thanks to our salted winter roads, our cars are in terrible shape ALL THE TIME!
I got to call Victory once to pick up my first car. I got 25.00 and a sense of extreme satisfaction, although what I really wanted was that bell-bottomed bad actor's bracelet.
Someday, though, I will truly get to complete my life by calling the top dog of Chicago commercials, the one for which anyone who's from Chicago can tell you the number off the top of their heads, on command and in tune. And they're national now so I can call them ANY TIME I WANT!
I trust this man.
Of course you *could* call Luna, but then you'd be a commie. I'm just saying.
Empire Carpets was (and still is) so iconic in Chicago it even had its own spoof by my very favorite TV host of all time (besides Jerry Bryant, host of JBTV and the uncrowned king of alternative music television)...
Son of Svengoolie, the man responsible for my fear of zombies. Even if you dilute it with jabs at Berwyn and rubber chickens, no 8-year-old should watch Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things.
That, my friends, was a huge chunk of my childhood right there... all that's missing is a special on the Rock-N-Roll McDonalds downtown, where I used to waste time while my mom was doing her side-job balancing the books at the gas station (a client of her then boss's) across the street. Incidentally, this is also where I used to watch JBTV - you couldn't tune it in anywhere but downtown.
OMG YES!
Thank god for these old videos, because now it looks like this. In my opinion, this makeover has officially killed the beauty of the place, because half the coolness factor was that on the outside, it was just a regular old crappy McDonald's, but when you went *inside*... my God, it was glorious.
Alas.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
F-Word Friday: Fragrant
So remember when I told you about the lavender farm not 5 miles from my house?
What do you mean "No"? Don't you commit these to memory? Jeez.
Anyway, it opens this weekend!
I probably won't be going just yet, but you can bet your boots I'll be there as soon as possible.
Can't you just smell it?
I'd love to make a lavender wreath, but I'm guessing I'll just hang some in my kitchen window and let them dry nicely. Maybe I'll use the dried stuff for a little sachet because I'm such a lady like that.
You knew that though, based solely on the merits of yesterday's post.
High-falutin', that's me!
What do you mean "No"? Don't you commit these to memory? Jeez.
Anyway, it opens this weekend!
I probably won't be going just yet, but you can bet your boots I'll be there as soon as possible.
Can't you just smell it?
I'd love to make a lavender wreath, but I'm guessing I'll just hang some in my kitchen window and let them dry nicely. Maybe I'll use the dried stuff for a little sachet because I'm such a lady like that.
You knew that though, based solely on the merits of yesterday's post.
High-falutin', that's me!
Thrilling Thursday: Bigger Than A Breadbox
So I'm on Facebook with the rest of the world, which is totally fun once you learn to "ignore" all those invitations to causes and games that will eat your computer and steal your personal information.
My whole entire family is on there, along with a whole bunch of people I went to school with that I didn't realize I'd be actual friends with someday, and in general it's an awesome thing to behold.
What I particularly like about Facebook, though, is that a lot of entertainers and performers and artists of one sort or another post things about themselves that I never would have seen or had as part of my existence otherwise.
Like this song by this most excellent woman.
Now don't click if you're, you know, easily offended, but if not...
WATCH AND SING WITH ME!
I guarantee you'll be singing this out loud in no time, although if you're unlucky (like me) you'll do it at an inappropriate time (like me) without realizing it.
(Like me.)
Just in case you hate clicking links, here ya go, but I'll tell you I'm mostly putting this on so I can see this any time I want.
SO SELFISH.
Also thrilling is an addition to the mural project I mentioned a couple of weeks ago! They updated the mural over the weekend publicly, and left some really weird characters behind for us to enjoy.
I think I liked the fish better, but these are still pretty neat! More in the Flickr stream.
Last but not least, I put up a little picture of the love notes The Child left for me last Friday, because I finally remembered my camera!
My whole entire family is on there, along with a whole bunch of people I went to school with that I didn't realize I'd be actual friends with someday, and in general it's an awesome thing to behold.
What I particularly like about Facebook, though, is that a lot of entertainers and performers and artists of one sort or another post things about themselves that I never would have seen or had as part of my existence otherwise.
Like this song by this most excellent woman.
Now don't click if you're, you know, easily offended, but if not...
WATCH AND SING WITH ME!
I guarantee you'll be singing this out loud in no time, although if you're unlucky (like me) you'll do it at an inappropriate time (like me) without realizing it.
(Like me.)
Just in case you hate clicking links, here ya go, but I'll tell you I'm mostly putting this on so I can see this any time I want.
SO SELFISH.
Also thrilling is an addition to the mural project I mentioned a couple of weeks ago! They updated the mural over the weekend publicly, and left some really weird characters behind for us to enjoy.
I think I liked the fish better, but these are still pretty neat! More in the Flickr stream.
Last but not least, I put up a little picture of the love notes The Child left for me last Friday, because I finally remembered my camera!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Wonder Why Wednesday - Mental
Wow, not sure what that Tuesday post was all about... must be the solar eclipse.
It's just effing everyone up left and right apparently!
Also, wow!
Of course you could say that it doesn't *really* have anything to do with anyone's mood shifts or existence-changing events, that we just pay more attention to what's already there during those times, but on the other hand...
"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy", Shakespeare once wrote, and truer words were never spoken.
Who's to say that the moon really doesn't cause us to lose our minds when it's full, for example (the root of the word "lunatic" is, after all, "luna" - the latin for moon) , or that being near fire or water or up in the sky doesn't completely alter our bodies from the physical to the mental? And if someone feels that strongly that it's true, who are we to tell them they're crazy? People have every right to belive exactly as they please.
Then again, things like the 2012 doomsday prediction are getting ridiculous... they've even got a movie coming out about it!
It's one thing to feel in tune with the universe, it's another entirely to freak people out.
Todays Wonder Why...
Where do we get off thinking someone else's ideas are nuts but our own are perfectly valid?
I think it all has to do with personal faith and the need to be birds of a feather.
Whether someone is in need of assurance, sympathy, or just in a misery-loves-company state of being, there is often acceptance and relief to be found through things like conspiracy theory and uniting for a common cause, and of course religion and spirituality.
Astrology can do a lot for people because it's so easy to hear that it'll all be better tomorrow, and maybe that belief is what bouys them to truly *have* that better tomorrow. Read the rest of the horoscopes and you'll find they all pretty much pertain to you too, but if you need your spirits bolstered and that's going to do it for you, who am I to judge?
Religion, well... religion is so subjective as to be nearly impossible to fathom, but I think it all boils down to the same thing, namely needing to feel like we're not just floundering out here in the black. If your religious beliefs involve all-knowing deities and mine are more along the lines of Flying Spaghetti Monsters, so be it!
Lots of people just want *something* believe in or belong to, though, and unfortunately sometimes that means doom-and-gloom theories like the 2012 foolishness get a foothold, and paranoid theories on how everyone's out to get us run rampant. But, as long as they don't try to foist it on others, whatever people choose to put their faith in is their own choice. I just have a hard time understanding people who actively choose to be so negative.
It doesn't make them bad people, of course... I'm paraphrasing poorly (as usual) but someone very smart said "Sometimes they're just good people with bad information".
Too true.
The one exception to that? People who just refuse to open their eyes and see reason, like Birthers, who refuse to believe President Obama is an American citizen, despite completely valid and proven evidence to the contrary. Yeah, and the Earth is flat, too, kids.
Weirdos.
It's just effing everyone up left and right apparently!
Also, wow!
Of course you could say that it doesn't *really* have anything to do with anyone's mood shifts or existence-changing events, that we just pay more attention to what's already there during those times, but on the other hand...
"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy", Shakespeare once wrote, and truer words were never spoken.
Who's to say that the moon really doesn't cause us to lose our minds when it's full, for example (the root of the word "lunatic" is, after all, "luna" - the latin for moon) , or that being near fire or water or up in the sky doesn't completely alter our bodies from the physical to the mental? And if someone feels that strongly that it's true, who are we to tell them they're crazy? People have every right to belive exactly as they please.
Then again, things like the 2012 doomsday prediction are getting ridiculous... they've even got a movie coming out about it!
It's one thing to feel in tune with the universe, it's another entirely to freak people out.
Todays Wonder Why...
Where do we get off thinking someone else's ideas are nuts but our own are perfectly valid?
I think it all has to do with personal faith and the need to be birds of a feather.
Whether someone is in need of assurance, sympathy, or just in a misery-loves-company state of being, there is often acceptance and relief to be found through things like conspiracy theory and uniting for a common cause, and of course religion and spirituality.
Astrology can do a lot for people because it's so easy to hear that it'll all be better tomorrow, and maybe that belief is what bouys them to truly *have* that better tomorrow. Read the rest of the horoscopes and you'll find they all pretty much pertain to you too, but if you need your spirits bolstered and that's going to do it for you, who am I to judge?
Religion, well... religion is so subjective as to be nearly impossible to fathom, but I think it all boils down to the same thing, namely needing to feel like we're not just floundering out here in the black. If your religious beliefs involve all-knowing deities and mine are more along the lines of Flying Spaghetti Monsters, so be it!
Lots of people just want *something* believe in or belong to, though, and unfortunately sometimes that means doom-and-gloom theories like the 2012 foolishness get a foothold, and paranoid theories on how everyone's out to get us run rampant. But, as long as they don't try to foist it on others, whatever people choose to put their faith in is their own choice. I just have a hard time understanding people who actively choose to be so negative.
It doesn't make them bad people, of course... I'm paraphrasing poorly (as usual) but someone very smart said "Sometimes they're just good people with bad information".
Too true.
The one exception to that? People who just refuse to open their eyes and see reason, like Birthers, who refuse to believe President Obama is an American citizen, despite completely valid and proven evidence to the contrary. Yeah, and the Earth is flat, too, kids.
Weirdos.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Totally Random Tuesday: Wherein I Ramble Wildly
Do you ever think you might be psychic?
I know they say everyone's got a touch of it here and there (knowing when the phone's going to ring, having some old song stuck in your head all day only to turn the radio on and it's playing, calling a friend because you suddenly need to only to find they're upset about something), but do you ever find yourself having a "whoa" moment?
This morning, on the bus reading The Third Angel (and trying not to get carsick), I wound my way through a tale of a wedding, a death and a flashback to a rock star in London who (if I'm predicting correctly) is probably not long for the Earth in this tale. I gave up (nauseated at last, plus my stop was coming up) and popped in my headphones... and Cemeteries of London came on the shuffle. Weird.
After Cemeteries of London... Paint a Vulgar Picture (about a dead rock star).
Maybe my iPod is psychic.
Did the story draw those songs? Or is it all a free-association crap shoot, like finding truth in Nostradamus after the fact? (Speaking of crap shoots, it never fails to amuse me that at the front of the bus, along with all the littering, loud music and anti-food signs there is one that reads "No Gambling". I'd love to know the story behind the reason for that one.)
It's cool and overcast here today, very funereal and quiet and subdued and fall-like. This sort of weather always seems to find me staring at the sky a lot (probably looking like a looney, but whatevs), feeling like I did when I was 17 and goth-tastic.
Well... to be clear, I was less goth than I was pre-Emo, but we didn't have another term for it then besides beatnik, and I wasn't much for jazz.
Anyway, naturally, any song I hear that isn't overly pop-y is going to fit the bill today, whether I'm reading something slightly mystical (all of Alice Hoffman's books are), zoning out remembering the end of Pratt Pier in Chicago on overcast fall days where I'd pretend I was out to sea, or just enjoying the swirling grey sky and wishing I was in a little cottage somewhere cool, with a fire and cats and books and good company and bacon and coffee.
What do you mean by "overly specific" exactly?
What do *you* wish for on gloomy days?
I know they say everyone's got a touch of it here and there (knowing when the phone's going to ring, having some old song stuck in your head all day only to turn the radio on and it's playing, calling a friend because you suddenly need to only to find they're upset about something), but do you ever find yourself having a "whoa" moment?
This morning, on the bus reading The Third Angel (and trying not to get carsick), I wound my way through a tale of a wedding, a death and a flashback to a rock star in London who (if I'm predicting correctly) is probably not long for the Earth in this tale. I gave up (nauseated at last, plus my stop was coming up) and popped in my headphones... and Cemeteries of London came on the shuffle. Weird.
After Cemeteries of London... Paint a Vulgar Picture (about a dead rock star).
Maybe my iPod is psychic.
Did the story draw those songs? Or is it all a free-association crap shoot, like finding truth in Nostradamus after the fact? (Speaking of crap shoots, it never fails to amuse me that at the front of the bus, along with all the littering, loud music and anti-food signs there is one that reads "No Gambling". I'd love to know the story behind the reason for that one.)
It's cool and overcast here today, very funereal and quiet and subdued and fall-like. This sort of weather always seems to find me staring at the sky a lot (probably looking like a looney, but whatevs), feeling like I did when I was 17 and goth-tastic.
Well... to be clear, I was less goth than I was pre-Emo, but we didn't have another term for it then besides beatnik, and I wasn't much for jazz.
Anyway, naturally, any song I hear that isn't overly pop-y is going to fit the bill today, whether I'm reading something slightly mystical (all of Alice Hoffman's books are), zoning out remembering the end of Pratt Pier in Chicago on overcast fall days where I'd pretend I was out to sea, or just enjoying the swirling grey sky and wishing I was in a little cottage somewhere cool, with a fire and cats and books and good company and bacon and coffee.
What do you mean by "overly specific" exactly?
What do *you* wish for on gloomy days?
Monday, July 20, 2009
Weekend Catchup: Calm and Collected
I had a really lovely weekend, I have to say; I hope you had the same!
Friday night, The Child had a sleepover for which she was picked up prior to my getting home. Before her buddy came to get her, however, she found her old chalk bucket and proceeded to leave me love notes on the driveway.
Click to enlarge!
I sure do love that kid.
I relaxed at home with a bottle of what I thought was regular wine but which turned out to be *sparkling* wine (my favorite), which turned out to be compulsively drinkable, which turned out to be gone fairly quickly. I'm not really much of a drinker, truly, but once in awhile I just get a taste for something relaxing, and this stuff... so yummy.
For some reason, Robocop was playing on IFC... was this an independent film and I just didn't realize it? It's not one that I expected to see on that channel in particular, but I had fun picking out all the actors I didn't know of then that I associate with completely different things now, like Forman's Dad. I always knew he was a hardass, but wow!
I had a nice slow Saturday morning alternately reading and getting the house cleaned in anticipation of allergies, which mostly worked (someday I will have hardwood floors) though not entirely since Dea really enjoys spreading her hair around as much as possible. It's an artform.
Saturday night was delightful - dinner with The Child and TR, at which she got to play junior food critic to her extreme delight (I really need to stop letting her watch so much Food Network).
I got to gift a little tiny painting I did a week or so back, which was nerve-wracking in the weirdest way! I've never made something quite that person-specific before, so I wasn't sure it wouldn't be a flop, or cause massive eye-rolling, but it was well-received so PHEW. I knew it would get a happy home either way, Kid was trying to snitch it for herself before it was even dry... but she's biased.
TR brought goodies from his recent trip to Florida; I love when people think to bring souvenirs back with them, it's such a nice way to share the experience a little bit. I got a 3-D gator swamp magnet, which is fantastic, and two additions to my state collection started by Nova with a trip to Washington a few years ago. Someday I'll have all 50, I swear it... I just wish they were more proportional; the California one is the same size as Arizona, which doesn't work at all.
Picky, picky, picky.
He also brought Nightmare Before Christmas pins (apparently these are extremely collectible, who knew?) obtained at Disney World, which were immediately claimed by The Child as her very own... I had no chance at these, and knew it as soon as I saw them sitting on the seat of his bitchin' van. She has quite a thing for Tim Burton in general, but that movie is her very favorite and has been since she was about 2.
I raised her right.
Sunday I got to do my first recording for AIN which went fairly well although I was fighting with a sinus headache so I wasn't at my best... butchered a word or two, but it was well-hidden. I learned lots of stuff about the state of the town of Telluride, and about "Captain" Jack Carey, a really cool guy who died too young.
Once that was done (it was pretty simple - in and out in an hour and 15) we headed to Barnes & Noble so she could at last use her birthday gift card from Kevin. As luck would have it, they were in the midst of moving across the street, so their usual sale stuff was an additional 50% off... she cleaned up!
All in all a very relaxing and joyful weekend; I'm grateful.
Friday night, The Child had a sleepover for which she was picked up prior to my getting home. Before her buddy came to get her, however, she found her old chalk bucket and proceeded to leave me love notes on the driveway.
Click to enlarge!
I sure do love that kid.
I relaxed at home with a bottle of what I thought was regular wine but which turned out to be *sparkling* wine (my favorite), which turned out to be compulsively drinkable, which turned out to be gone fairly quickly. I'm not really much of a drinker, truly, but once in awhile I just get a taste for something relaxing, and this stuff... so yummy.
For some reason, Robocop was playing on IFC... was this an independent film and I just didn't realize it? It's not one that I expected to see on that channel in particular, but I had fun picking out all the actors I didn't know of then that I associate with completely different things now, like Forman's Dad. I always knew he was a hardass, but wow!
I had a nice slow Saturday morning alternately reading and getting the house cleaned in anticipation of allergies, which mostly worked (someday I will have hardwood floors) though not entirely since Dea really enjoys spreading her hair around as much as possible. It's an artform.
Saturday night was delightful - dinner with The Child and TR, at which she got to play junior food critic to her extreme delight (I really need to stop letting her watch so much Food Network).
I got to gift a little tiny painting I did a week or so back, which was nerve-wracking in the weirdest way! I've never made something quite that person-specific before, so I wasn't sure it wouldn't be a flop, or cause massive eye-rolling, but it was well-received so PHEW. I knew it would get a happy home either way, Kid was trying to snitch it for herself before it was even dry... but she's biased.
TR brought goodies from his recent trip to Florida; I love when people think to bring souvenirs back with them, it's such a nice way to share the experience a little bit. I got a 3-D gator swamp magnet, which is fantastic, and two additions to my state collection started by Nova with a trip to Washington a few years ago. Someday I'll have all 50, I swear it... I just wish they were more proportional; the California one is the same size as Arizona, which doesn't work at all.
Picky, picky, picky.
He also brought Nightmare Before Christmas pins (apparently these are extremely collectible, who knew?) obtained at Disney World, which were immediately claimed by The Child as her very own... I had no chance at these, and knew it as soon as I saw them sitting on the seat of his bitchin' van. She has quite a thing for Tim Burton in general, but that movie is her very favorite and has been since she was about 2.
I raised her right.
Sunday I got to do my first recording for AIN which went fairly well although I was fighting with a sinus headache so I wasn't at my best... butchered a word or two, but it was well-hidden. I learned lots of stuff about the state of the town of Telluride, and about "Captain" Jack Carey, a really cool guy who died too young.
Once that was done (it was pretty simple - in and out in an hour and 15) we headed to Barnes & Noble so she could at last use her birthday gift card from Kevin. As luck would have it, they were in the midst of moving across the street, so their usual sale stuff was an additional 50% off... she cleaned up!
All in all a very relaxing and joyful weekend; I'm grateful.
Friday, July 17, 2009
F-Word Friday: Fortune's Favor
I love to read.
In particular, I love to read aloud to others, or even just to myself (which makes me sound insane when I do this and don't realize someone is in earshot), so you can imagine my delight at having found an outlet for this hobby that could also do the world some good!
Having found this outlet, I also was reminded how fortunate I am that I have my sight, although I was not particularly observant when entering their offices... it took me a few seconds to figure out why I was being ignored by everyone in the room. Trust me, I mocked myself enough for everyone later, what a dope!
(Internal Editor - And so a new theme was born. F-Word Friday! Excuse me while I rename a couple of old posts.)
I went to AIN yesterday to "audition" for the position - understandable, since nobody wants to hear Gilbert Gottfried reading the daily paper. They had me sit down and read & record two articles, the second of which was bizarre to hear played back. It was all about the preservation of various native languages in the Pacific Northwest, complete with the names of same like Tsimshian, Tlingit, Kiksht, Skagit & Ichishkiin, and it was weird enough hearing my recorded voice (is that really how I sound?!) but moreover highly amusing to hear myself butchering the names of these native tongues. It sounded like I was trying to recite the alphabet around a mouthful of Fluff.
Considering it was a cold read, the director said I did pretty well, and having successfully pronounced most of the items on the list of hard words (I only killed 2, one I knew I was doing and one I thought was misspelled), and having *not* sneezed on or coughed into the microphone, for the next 3 Sundays (then I'll be assigned something else) I'll be reading the Telluride News, which will be broadcast on their private network on Wednesday mornings. I get to pick and choose what I read from the paper, and introduce the stories in a smooth sort of way, so basically I can pretend I'm hosting my very own All Things Considered episode! Fun and functional, just how I like life to be.
I don't know if anyone will actually hear it, but it'll be fun to do and I'm glad it'll be there if someone wants it.
Have a wonderful weekend... get out there and see something beautiful, and be thankful for your sight!
In particular, I love to read aloud to others, or even just to myself (which makes me sound insane when I do this and don't realize someone is in earshot), so you can imagine my delight at having found an outlet for this hobby that could also do the world some good!
Having found this outlet, I also was reminded how fortunate I am that I have my sight, although I was not particularly observant when entering their offices... it took me a few seconds to figure out why I was being ignored by everyone in the room. Trust me, I mocked myself enough for everyone later, what a dope!
(Internal Editor - And so a new theme was born. F-Word Friday! Excuse me while I rename a couple of old posts.)
I went to AIN yesterday to "audition" for the position - understandable, since nobody wants to hear Gilbert Gottfried reading the daily paper. They had me sit down and read & record two articles, the second of which was bizarre to hear played back. It was all about the preservation of various native languages in the Pacific Northwest, complete with the names of same like Tsimshian, Tlingit, Kiksht, Skagit & Ichishkiin, and it was weird enough hearing my recorded voice (is that really how I sound?!) but moreover highly amusing to hear myself butchering the names of these native tongues. It sounded like I was trying to recite the alphabet around a mouthful of Fluff.
Considering it was a cold read, the director said I did pretty well, and having successfully pronounced most of the items on the list of hard words (I only killed 2, one I knew I was doing and one I thought was misspelled), and having *not* sneezed on or coughed into the microphone, for the next 3 Sundays (then I'll be assigned something else) I'll be reading the Telluride News, which will be broadcast on their private network on Wednesday mornings. I get to pick and choose what I read from the paper, and introduce the stories in a smooth sort of way, so basically I can pretend I'm hosting my very own All Things Considered episode! Fun and functional, just how I like life to be.
I don't know if anyone will actually hear it, but it'll be fun to do and I'm glad it'll be there if someone wants it.
Have a wonderful weekend... get out there and see something beautiful, and be thankful for your sight!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Thrilling Thursday: Abracadabra, You're Full of Plot Holes!
So we went and saw Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince last night and...
Hm. Well.
I love these books, like *love* them, would marry them and have their babies if given half a chance. So I don't take kindly to tinkerin'. However, I also understand that trying to cram 600 pages of involved plot into 2 1/2 hours of palatable-to-the-masses cinema is next to impossible.
So I forgive them (mostly) since I'll always have the books - it's not like I don't know what happened in all the holes they left (and there were some staggering ones, if I hadn't read the book I would be really confused about now) - I just wanted to *see* it, ya know? There were so many awesome characters in this book, and they were just left aside; even some of the canon characters barely got more than 5 seconds of screen time, and no lines at that.
(This, it should be noted, is the argument in its entirety against doing a movie version of The Dark Tower... there's just too much.)
Books-vs-movies aside, I thought it was gorgeously shot and orchestrated, what story they *did* include was well acted, there was lots of humor (excuse me, HUMOUR), and of course tons of screen time for my very favorite HP character.
I just love Ron, he's such a doof.
Anyway, we were also thrilled to see some great trailers, which truly is one of my favorite parts of going to the movies in the first place! Now if they could just stop with the commercials...
New Moon made all the girls squeal (The Child shushed me when I laughed), but I think the wolf transition looks lame (upon proclaiming this, I was again shushed, this time for my insolence).
Sherlock Holmes made *me* squeal. If I love anything better than Ron Weasley, it's Robert Downey Jr.
YES PLEASE.
Hm. Well.
I love these books, like *love* them, would marry them and have their babies if given half a chance. So I don't take kindly to tinkerin'. However, I also understand that trying to cram 600 pages of involved plot into 2 1/2 hours of palatable-to-the-masses cinema is next to impossible.
So I forgive them (mostly) since I'll always have the books - it's not like I don't know what happened in all the holes they left (and there were some staggering ones, if I hadn't read the book I would be really confused about now) - I just wanted to *see* it, ya know? There were so many awesome characters in this book, and they were just left aside; even some of the canon characters barely got more than 5 seconds of screen time, and no lines at that.
(This, it should be noted, is the argument in its entirety against doing a movie version of The Dark Tower... there's just too much.)
Books-vs-movies aside, I thought it was gorgeously shot and orchestrated, what story they *did* include was well acted, there was lots of humor (excuse me, HUMOUR), and of course tons of screen time for my very favorite HP character.
I just love Ron, he's such a doof.
Anyway, we were also thrilled to see some great trailers, which truly is one of my favorite parts of going to the movies in the first place! Now if they could just stop with the commercials...
New Moon made all the girls squeal (The Child shushed me when I laughed), but I think the wolf transition looks lame (upon proclaiming this, I was again shushed, this time for my insolence).
Sherlock Holmes made *me* squeal. If I love anything better than Ron Weasley, it's Robert Downey Jr.
YES PLEASE.
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