Thothmuffin
Don't get any crumbs on the scale of judgement.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Animal Kingdom Squee
OMG they got pictures of a giant squid for the first time ever! Yay yay I am so excited. It is all big and tentacly and so confirms every reason I have for mistrusting, hating, and fearing the watery deeps!
Although I am sad that because of science the poor squid lost one of its extra-long tentacles. Honestly, the research team didn't seem too sad about it, probably because having the tentacle let them confirm the species and also approximate the size of the squid. They say it won't do the squid any permanent harm, so I am just going to pretend like the Science!Squid will go on to become some sort of tentacled version of Dr. House and that will make me feel better.
In other news, one of the gay penguins has left his gay lover and paired with a female this season. Homosexual activists may be disappointed, but I say YAY for bisexual penguins! I think sexuality in any creature is a balance between the urge to feel extra good and the urge to reproduce, and since penguins don't really have options like surrogate parents or sperm/egg banks or anything, I can see how a penguin could go back and forth, especially depending on population density and the keepers' willingness to give them a surrogate chick to raise as they did before. But I know basically nothing about biology, so my logic probably does no good here. All this proves to me is that mammalian sexuality is way more complicated than any duality you can throw at it, and that thought leaves me pleased as squid. <=)~~~
Although I am sad that because of science the poor squid lost one of its extra-long tentacles. Honestly, the research team didn't seem too sad about it, probably because having the tentacle let them confirm the species and also approximate the size of the squid. They say it won't do the squid any permanent harm, so I am just going to pretend like the Science!Squid will go on to become some sort of tentacled version of Dr. House and that will make me feel better.
In other news, one of the gay penguins has left his gay lover and paired with a female this season. Homosexual activists may be disappointed, but I say YAY for bisexual penguins! I think sexuality in any creature is a balance between the urge to feel extra good and the urge to reproduce, and since penguins don't really have options like surrogate parents or sperm/egg banks or anything, I can see how a penguin could go back and forth, especially depending on population density and the keepers' willingness to give them a surrogate chick to raise as they did before. But I know basically nothing about biology, so my logic probably does no good here. All this proves to me is that mammalian sexuality is way more complicated than any duality you can throw at it, and that thought leaves me pleased as squid. <=)~~~
Monday, September 26, 2005
Oh, period novels
Best unintentional double entendre in my translation of "The Three Musketeers":
"Good heaven! That is enough to drive away all my pains; I could mount him with thirty balls in my body."
Hey, Aramis watches Prison Break too!
But seriously, how am I the same age as Aramis? They all seemed so much older when I was 16 reading this...
"Good heaven! That is enough to drive away all my pains; I could mount him with thirty balls in my body."
Hey, Aramis watches Prison Break too!
But seriously, how am I the same age as Aramis? They all seemed so much older when I was 16 reading this...
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Lost my interest
Is it just me, or is Lost not worth watching anymore? I just watched the season premier and I had a hard time caring. I really think they didn't plan this series ahead or didn't expect it to succeed or something. Biggest disappointment was that the "mystery" inside the hatch had its back story created in this very same episode that you find out what the "mystery" was. The fact that it had nothing to do with any hints that were laid out last season made me feel like the writers have no more idea of where this is going than I do. Hopefully they care a little bit more.
Friday, September 23, 2005
I'm an idiot
I just mailed my utilities check without putting a stamp on the envelope. I mailed it in one of those one-way blue metal mailthingies.
I should know better than to try to do important things before noon.
Come back, utilities check, I love-ed you!
I should know better than to try to do important things before noon.
Come back, utilities check, I love-ed you!
Goats and Music Rec
Thankfully I am back from the Houston/Galveston area and in a state that is 1000 miles from any sort of ocean and its attendant weather catastrophes. We left Galveston Wednesday morning, and didn't see many signs of evacuation other than a guy with like 8 goats in a cage in the back of his pickup truck. Seriously, how do you even get that many goats in the same box all at once?
I discovered a new band that's kinda nifty. The band is "10 Years" and their new CD is "The Autumn Effect." They sound kind of like A Perfect Circle, if every one of APC's songs sounded like "Sleeping Beauty" from Mer de Noms. Most of their songs are no "Hollow", don't get me wrong, but the guy's voice is a lot like Maynard's and has that same clarion ring of painfully suppressed emotion that I find so very alluring. They have one song that sounds almost exactly like Depeche Mode. Also, 10 Years does not get distracted by politics. So if you want some easy listening APC, check them out.
I discovered a new band that's kinda nifty. The band is "10 Years" and their new CD is "The Autumn Effect." They sound kind of like A Perfect Circle, if every one of APC's songs sounded like "Sleeping Beauty" from Mer de Noms. Most of their songs are no "Hollow", don't get me wrong, but the guy's voice is a lot like Maynard's and has that same clarion ring of painfully suppressed emotion that I find so very alluring. They have one song that sounds almost exactly like Depeche Mode. Also, 10 Years does not get distracted by politics. So if you want some easy listening APC, check them out.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
MDT: A Haiku on Artificiality
the cruelty of timezones
compels me to call
though you are not there
compels me to call
though you are not there
Shimatta~
OMG I made the mistake of watching the Furuba episode where Momiji talks about his mother during my lunch break from work and now I'm all T_T but I have to go back to the office!
Also, Dorty's leaves have a sickly yellowish cast, even though I was careful to, you know, water him and keep him out of direct sunlight and everything. Hold on, Dorty!
Also, Dorty's leaves have a sickly yellowish cast, even though I was careful to, you know, water him and keep him out of direct sunlight and everything. Hold on, Dorty!
Monday, September 12, 2005
In which the Score of Life is Tallied
Mosquito bites: -1 per each = -9
Guy eating peanut butter on the lawn off a butter knife: +10
Buying a roasted chicken and suddenly deciding eating flesh is gross: -5
Having cereal and blueberries for dinner: +6
Making special trip to store for blueberries: -2
Finding best chocolate rugalach EVAR at store: +5
I was ahead by 5 points until the headphone jack on my laptop broke. That's like -15. Hopefully Brother's USB soundcard of +10 excellence will do the trick. T_T
Guy eating peanut butter on the lawn off a butter knife: +10
Buying a roasted chicken and suddenly deciding eating flesh is gross: -5
Having cereal and blueberries for dinner: +6
Making special trip to store for blueberries: -2
Finding best chocolate rugalach EVAR at store: +5
I was ahead by 5 points until the headphone jack on my laptop broke. That's like -15. Hopefully Brother's USB soundcard of +10 excellence will do the trick. T_T
Sunday, September 11, 2005
SGA fannishness
This post is going to be fannish SGA squeeing, just FYI.
OMG! Amazon finally has SGA: Season 1 up for preorder. It doesn't ship until Nov 15, but I'm glad I at least have a date to anticipate, finally. I wonder if it will have the pilot episode, or if we have to buy that separately, since it's already been released?
Also, I was watching the orignal Stargate movie today, when I noticed a moment of particular hilarity. At Daniel's first lecture, when he theorizes that the pyramids of Egypt weren't built by the Egyptians, some wag in the crowd heckles him to ask who he thinks they were built by, "Men from Atlantis?!" And there was much laughter.
(The Atlantians built the stargates and not the Egyptian parasite whatsits, right?)
The super dramatic part where they activated the 'gate for the first time and the tech calls "Chevron 1 locked...chevron 2 locked..." also made me snicker because it reminded me of when Elizabeth yells at Rodney for pausing to announce each chevron as encoded the first time they use the Atlantis gate.
I think that's why SGA is so good...it's like Stargate: The Movie fic. It keeps all the good awesome parts, discards the unwieldy parts, and focuses on character.
The one good thing about LJ is that you can hide fannish digressions behind cuts. Blogger has a feature like that, but it requires tampering with the css template, and also having to set a post class to the full post part of your entry, and I just can't be bothered!
OMG! Amazon finally has SGA: Season 1 up for preorder. It doesn't ship until Nov 15, but I'm glad I at least have a date to anticipate, finally. I wonder if it will have the pilot episode, or if we have to buy that separately, since it's already been released?
Also, I was watching the orignal Stargate movie today, when I noticed a moment of particular hilarity. At Daniel's first lecture, when he theorizes that the pyramids of Egypt weren't built by the Egyptians, some wag in the crowd heckles him to ask who he thinks they were built by, "Men from Atlantis?!" And there was much laughter.
(The Atlantians built the stargates and not the Egyptian parasite whatsits, right?)
The super dramatic part where they activated the 'gate for the first time and the tech calls "Chevron 1 locked...chevron 2 locked..." also made me snicker because it reminded me of when Elizabeth yells at Rodney for pausing to announce each chevron as encoded the first time they use the Atlantis gate.
I think that's why SGA is so good...it's like Stargate: The Movie fic. It keeps all the good awesome parts, discards the unwieldy parts, and focuses on character.
The one good thing about LJ is that you can hide fannish digressions behind cuts. Blogger has a feature like that, but it requires tampering with the css template, and also having to set a post class to the full post part of your entry, and I just can't be bothered!
All is right in the Khakiverse
And then I realized: second-hand stores! Sure enough, I went to a second-hand store ofr Juniors sizes and brands called Plato's Closet and found two pairs of khakis in under 20 mins, for less than $20 combined. Why didn't I think of that before?! All I had to do was let everyone else in my size do the shopping and selecting for me, then move in for the kill once the detritus has been weeded out! Also, these pants have the advantage of not trying to be the super-stretch super-low style that's currently en vogue, since they're from a season or two ago. Yay, VICTORY!
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Evil Khakiverse
I just tried on every single pair of khakis in the universe and not one of them looked good on me.
This is why I swore off khaki years ago! Also, black <3.
Anyone have suggestions? I need them for business purposes. T_T Am so close to just buying cords in khaki color, those actually fit me. Is that kosher?
This is why I swore off khaki years ago! Also, black <3.
Anyone have suggestions? I need them for business purposes. T_T Am so close to just buying cords in khaki color, those actually fit me. Is that kosher?
Lifeforms! You little lifeforms!
So I finally have a living thing in my apt besides myself! My friend gave me one of those ivy-like plants with the dark green spade shaped leaves that are nearly impossible to kill. I, er, already managed to rip one of its tendrils out of its soil in transit, but I stuck it right back in and I think it will be fine. Really.
I have named it Dortmunder in gratuitious Firefly reference, and also because, Dortmunder!
Let us hope Dorty lasts longer than Noodle. T_T
I have named it Dortmunder in gratuitious Firefly reference, and also because, Dortmunder!
Let us hope Dorty lasts longer than Noodle. T_T
Thursday, September 08, 2005
The problem with character studies
Crap, I did background writing that I like better than the actual book again. Maybe I can salvage it as a short story or something later.
Am getting excited about NaNo 2005. NaNo: where nothing ever goes to waste!
I might go get some research books for my NaNovel this weekend. Our topic this year? Baroque France! Vive Leroy, as Half-Cocked Jack would say.
Am getting excited about NaNo 2005. NaNo: where nothing ever goes to waste!
I might go get some research books for my NaNovel this weekend. Our topic this year? Baroque France! Vive Leroy, as Half-Cocked Jack would say.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Failing at Life, pt. 1
How can I apply to grad school when I can't even keep my apartment clean?
Everyone should read Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" if only for the theory of kipple. Wait, I'll save you the trouble:
Kipple is eating my soul.
Everyone should read Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" if only for the theory of kipple. Wait, I'll save you the trouble:
"Kipple is useless objects, like junk mail or match folders after you use the last match or gum wrappers or yesterday's homeopape. When nobody's around, kipple reproduces itself. For instance, if you go to bed having any kipple around your apartment, when you wake up the next morning there's twice as much of it. It always gets more and more."
Kipple is eating my soul.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
C'mere, fish!
OMG Michael the clever brother from "Prison Break" is so hot. Also he has gone directly for my tattoo weakness. His whole chest...one big black and white tattoo...there's angels and demons and swirls and BRILLIANT INSIDIOUS PLANZ! _-_ *swoons*
I thought at first that Michael's just how I imagined Finch from "Cagebird", but then I realized Michael is way hotter, smarter, and has a metric assload more personality than the plot device that was Finch. But he's way too functional and selfless to be Yuri. Ah well, no gay-prison-pirates-in-SPACE parallels for me.
My only problem with Prison Break is that people really should have stopped making prison escape movies or TV after Shawshank. Everything slightly reminiscent of Shawshank (being threatened with smarmy evil prison rape, digging through walls, etc.) can never be done as well, and all the new elements make me think "Eh, Shawshank managed without, is this really necessary?"
Except those tattoos! Ah! Gah! *pwn*
I thought at first that Michael's just how I imagined Finch from "Cagebird", but then I realized Michael is way hotter, smarter, and has a metric assload more personality than the plot device that was Finch. But he's way too functional and selfless to be Yuri. Ah well, no gay-prison-pirates-in-SPACE parallels for me.
My only problem with Prison Break is that people really should have stopped making prison escape movies or TV after Shawshank. Everything slightly reminiscent of Shawshank (being threatened with smarmy evil prison rape, digging through walls, etc.) can never be done as well, and all the new elements make me think "Eh, Shawshank managed without, is this really necessary?"
Except those tattoos! Ah! Gah! *pwn*
Monday, September 05, 2005
Total Hack Moment
Actual thought I just had while editing my book:
"Oops, did I already use 'rivulets of blood' in another chapter with this character? I better go check on that..."
_-_
Genre writing GO!!
ETA: Nope, it was "trickles of blood." Guess everything's OK then!
...
Man, writing horror-ish stuff is harder than I'd thought.
"Oops, did I already use 'rivulets of blood' in another chapter with this character? I better go check on that..."
_-_
Genre writing GO!!
ETA: Nope, it was "trickles of blood." Guess everything's OK then!
...
Man, writing horror-ish stuff is harder than I'd thought.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Motorcycles are so gay!
No, listen, new metaphor: it occurred to me today (because there's a motorcycle rally going on) that owning a motorcycle is kind of like being gay. So it used to be this really hardcore underground lifestyle where the people had their own bars and symbols and clothes and stuff, but gradually it's gotten more socially acceptable. Now a lot of people ride motorcycles casually on the weekends and after work for recreation, but it's not really a "lifestyle" necessarily, and they can keep it on the d-l if they want to. And then there are a few people who are totally blase about it and their motorcycle is really just a means of transportation and that's it, although there will always be a few people who go to deep underground biker bars and are in motorcycle clubs. Also, at least once a year, a bunch of them out themselves and go to motorcycle pride fests. I feel like I've had a revelation about biker culture. Huh.
Also this makes Dykes on Bikes totally postmodern in their meta-ness or something. Did you hear about how they can't trademark their name because it contains an "offensive slur"? Lame, lame, LAME!
Also this makes Dykes on Bikes totally postmodern in their meta-ness or something. Did you hear about how they can't trademark their name because it contains an "offensive slur"? Lame, lame, LAME!
Friday, September 02, 2005
Ueen~
I'm so tired I feel drunk, but I'm not. Just tired.
I am just. SO EXCITED. To go to sleep right now.
<3
I am just. SO EXCITED. To go to sleep right now.
<3
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Language Lessons
Best thing about dancing:
Reading the mind of strangers whose language you do not speak.
Worst thing about dancing:
Smelling like other people.
The language in question that I do not speak is Spanish. The fact that I have only a smattering of guidebook Spanish and perhaps a dozen random words (mentirosa, guantes) is important to remember in the following nearly verbatim dialogues*:
* Except the verb conjugations are probably all wrong, because did I mention, I DON'T SPEAK SPANISH?
Scene 1
(While slaughtering the salsa)
Hombre 1: Hablos espanol?
TM: No.
(Beat. H1 smiles, thinking he has caught TM in a lie.)
H1: Como te llamas?
TM: *sigh*
TM: *gives up*
TM: Me llamo [Muffin].
H1: *somuchspanish*
TM: *smiles, trips, excuses herself*
Later that evening!
Scene 2
(While murdering the meringue)
Hombre 2: Hablos espanol?
TM: *aiee not again*
TM: No.
H2: You dance pretty good for you don't speak Spanish.
TM: o_o
TM: Gracias.
Reading the mind of strangers whose language you do not speak.
Worst thing about dancing:
Smelling like other people.
The language in question that I do not speak is Spanish. The fact that I have only a smattering of guidebook Spanish and perhaps a dozen random words (mentirosa, guantes) is important to remember in the following nearly verbatim dialogues*:
* Except the verb conjugations are probably all wrong, because did I mention, I DON'T SPEAK SPANISH?
Scene 1
(While slaughtering the salsa)
Hombre 1: Hablos espanol?
TM: No.
(Beat. H1 smiles, thinking he has caught TM in a lie.)
H1: Como te llamas?
TM: *sigh*
TM: *gives up*
TM: Me llamo [Muffin].
H1: *somuchspanish*
TM: *smiles, trips, excuses herself*
Later that evening!
Scene 2
(While murdering the meringue)
Hombre 2: Hablos espanol?
TM: *aiee not again*
TM: No.
H2: You dance pretty good for you don't speak Spanish.
TM: o_o
TM: Gracias.
