Immora

Another list meme

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:31:29 GMT

From fivil: Entertainment Weekly's list of the top movies of the last 25 years.

Go through their list and BOLD the ones you have seen and underline the ones you own on video or DVD.

I don't bother buying movies that my dad has already bought; I live at home, so it's simple enough to watch the family copy. So, the underlines don't necessarily mean personally-owned, but here in the house!

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)
3. Titanic (1997)
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Matrix (1999)
13. GoodFellas (1990)
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
23. Memento (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986)
28. Wings of Desire (1988)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
37. Pretty Woman (1990)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
40. Speed (1994)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
43. Gladiator (2000)
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988)
47. Men in Black (1997)
48. Scarface (1983)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
53. The Truman Show (1998)
54. Fatal Attraction (1987)
55. Risky Business (1983)
56. The Lives of Others (2006)
57. There's Something About Mary (1998)
58. Ghostbusters (1984)
59. L.A. Confidential (1997)
60. Scream (1996)
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)
63. Big (1988)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
65. Dirty Dancing (1987)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985)
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992)
72. Thelma & Louise (1991)
73. Office Space (1999)
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
75. Out of Africa (1985)
76. The Departed (2006)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003)
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
84. Sideways (2004)
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
87. Swingers (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. In the Mood for Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

So, I've seen 28 and have access to 18 of those.

Mmm, books

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:07:57 GMT

From wildesidewalker

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well let's see.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicise those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible (Uh, doubt all of it! But parts, mostly hearing at mass, not actually reading. I attempted to read it in elementary school on a whim)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (Here, have a scan of Meg at the ball from the copy my mom had as a girl)
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (I've only read four plays and some of the sonnets)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (HATE)
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (I think, not certain, but did see the Disney movie over and over)
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (only The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
34. Emma - Jane Austen (seen the Gwyneth Paltrow movie only. And Clueless.)
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
37. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
38. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
39. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
40. Animal Farm - George Orwell
41. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
42. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
43. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
44. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
45. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
46. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
47. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
48. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
49. Atonement - Ian McEwan - I saw the movie
50. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
51. Dune - Frank Herbert
52. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
53. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
54. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
55. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
56. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
57. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
58. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
59. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
60. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
61. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
62. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
63. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
64. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
65. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
66. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
67. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
68. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
69. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
70. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
71. Dracula - Bram Stoker
72. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
73. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
74. Ulysses - James Joyce (after all, English BA, must attempt someday)
75. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
76. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
77. Germinal - Emile Zola
78. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
79. Possession - AS Byatt
80. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
81. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
82. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
83. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
84. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
85. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
86. Charlotte's Web - EB White
87. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
88. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
89. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
90. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
91. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
92. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
93. Watership Down - Richard Adams
94. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
95. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
96. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
97. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (seen the old Willy Wonka movie, of course)
98. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I've read 21 of them, wheeeee.

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:07:15 GMT

I was looking through some old locked posts and I was surprised to find that I'd stored this somewhere but never got around to posting it, so I'm posting it finally!

Back in spring 06, I took a scriptwriting class, and one of the online resources we had was the pilot script for Alias by JJ Abrams. I never saw the full thing, just a ten minute excerpt which we also read the script for, but it read so badly and yet played out great on screen because... wow. Just the way he described stuff was really silly. The professor added to that by reading it out loud in a pompous, overly dramatic voice. Here are excerpts!

A rapid, erratic HEARTBEAT. Instinctively we react to this. It's the scariest sound in the world. It's the sound of fear.

This is SYDNEY BRISTOW, 26, and unless things turn around real soon, the world's about to lose a hero.

Is this a flashback? A flash-forward? All answers in time. But meanwhile...

Sydney, tears welling in her eyes, LAUGHS, loving him so much-- and we love him too now, how can we not?

Hers is a fierce glare. A devastating stare atypical of an underdog. It says, in a silent, universally understood instant: it might not look like it at the moment... but I swear to God I'm gonna kick your ass.

As she heads across the party, she passes a suit- and glasses-wearing SECURITY OFFICER. He stoically stands guard, earwire visible. What Sydney can't possibly know is that this is the man who will later whip out a horrific-looking syringe and plunge it into her arm. From here on we'll call him SUIT AND GLASSES.

Jack Harkness loves roses

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:24:08 GMT

First off-- SHADOW'S DOING GREAT! WOOOOO! The blood pressure medication is helping so, so much. He can SEE and he's feeling good and bossing everyone around, sitting in our laps more than he has been, got his balance back-- basically acting like he was a few months ago before the downturn with his kidneys, back to his ol' self. We're so thrilled! And thanks very much for the comments about him. Sorry I didn't get around to replying to them; between focusing on Shadow and then being out of town, I didn't get caught up. Shadow surely appreciates them and demands you feed him now, peasants. We're here to serve him, didn't you know?

Now, laugh with me, TW and DW types!

Over at torch_wood, dlgr shared a link for an amusing ebay auction-- a book about roses by an author named Jack Harkness. Snort.

And since I was amused, I kept on looking, and found over on Amazon that said author apparently wrote even more books on roses. Apparently he was something of a rose expert. Then I hit ol' Google* and here are some more bits of interest:

Human Flower Project: Looking for Jack Harkness
NY Times Obituary
Wiki article on Harkness Roses
Harkness Roses Online

Various other sites and articles on roses cite this Jack Harkness's books or refer to him as some international rose expert and such.

* "Google it, Sirius!"

Wed, 28 May 2008 21:31:36 GMT

Thankies for the responses about Shadow!

Vet verdict-- detached retinas due to hiiigh blood pressure. Poor baby :( He'll need to take liquid medicine for that because pills? Shadow MOCKS your pills! Pill poppers and all sorts of tricks are a no-go with him-- he does this amazing drooling act to slobber the pill out, or if you do get him to swallow it, he makes himself vomit to get it out. Amazing stuff! So yeah, liquid for that instead. He's lost a little more weight since the last time he was in, 9.07 lbs right now. (I wonder how much of the weight was fur weight, with the way he rips it out. Since he kept slobbering/vomiting out anti-anxiety pills, and when he actually did swallow them they'd make him sick to his stomach, just gotta deal with the fur-ripping.) We'll see how this goes. Hopefully things resolve. Even with his health issues, he's still got his personality and he's strong despite being smaller now.

Wed, 28 May 2008 19:24:03 GMT

Haven't wanted to post about this, but since I'll be going to the vet in a bit, might as well finally write something. Told a few of you about this already over IMs when I've had freak-out moments.

Since around February, Shadow's been in chronic renal failure, which means that since his kidneys aren't doing so awesome, Mom and I have to give him subcutaneous injections every few days to help flush toxins out of him. He's had some bad days where medicines have made him move around poorly and throw up a lot (which of course completely freak me out that he's on the way out) but overall, he's actually doing pretty good. The vet estimates he's around 15 now-- we have no idea how old he actually is because we adopted him from a different vet's office after the poor thing had been kept there for use in blood transfusions for three years. So, he's thinner than he's ever been, but he's still in great spirits, still the king of the house and we serve at his pleasure. He even had Lindsay serving him when she spent last week here! (And we're still calling him Shadow-wadow thanks to you, dahling.)

He's definitely having a lot of trouble seeing, though. In low light, his pupils go super-dilated and stay that way. He's bumping into stuff even during the day, so we're trying to make sure we don't move any furniture so he'll know where things are. We took Crookshanks in for shots yesterday and told the vet about Shadow's vision problems, so she said to bring him in today to check that out-- could be cataracts, but could be high blood pressure.

I take this moment to note the awesomeness of this vet, who's saved Shadow's life before with great advice-- he had this urinary blockage thing a few years ago and when we called her late-night about it, she sent us straight to the emergency vet to get that fixed because it would've killed him. And I just realized several minutes ago when I was in the shower that this is the same vet who had to put Pippin to sleep two years ago. Basically, I trust her judgment on when an animal has reached a point where they're hurting and that's the right thing to do-- and when they're still doing good and healthy, just high-maintenance. She big-time disagrees with people just giving up on a pet who needs treatment-- someone brought in a gorgeous fluffy ginger cat who was simply diabetic and needs a change of diet, but they wanted the cat put to sleep because that was too much work for them, wtf?! That fluffy kitty is now strutting her stuff around the vet office and getting lots of attention. They have a number of very sweet clinic kitties who have the run of the place-- unlike Shadow's situation; that office had kept him locked up almost all the time, so he's got a lifelong habit of ripping out fur when he's stressed (from the confinement before). Still, I get worried every time we take Shadow to the vet that this is going to be the time.

For Kimbywobbles, Old Man Ken, and other Star Wars and/or Top Chef types

Mon, 26 May 2008 02:06:49 GMT

(referring to a Top Chef commercial of Padma strutting in a green dress)

Mom: "Work it, Padmé!"
Me: "You mean Padma. Wrong name! Top Chef, not Star Wars."
Mom: "Right, Padma! But it could be Star Wars Top Chef."
Me: "Maybe... tauntaun tartare?"

WOOOOO!

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:14:36 GMT

Called the doctor's to check the x-ray results-- NO FRACTURE! WOOOOOOO! Probably deep bruising in there but not a fracture WOO! They said to use non-steroidals and ice, blah blah, woooo!

I checked about the panic attack situation and nurse said that it's safe to use the crutches, don't worry, hands just aren't used to having that weight and such and it happens, try wrapping towels around the handles to help take the weight.

YAY!

headdesk headdesk headdesk

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:00:48 GMT

I'm glad for my family's sense of humor to get me through a heeeell of a day.

To save me on typing, e-mail my mom sent around:

So, Katilara and Nick and C, my mom wants to make it happen for us!

Although I must clarify-- after going to the doctor and having him check it out, it's possibly my foot, possibly the toe, not sure yet. Went to a local radiology imaging place to get x-rayed and they won't call the doctor with the results until tomorrow (wtf last time I got x-rayed it was fast.) In the meantime, doctor loaned me some crutches and prescribed Vicodin and anti-inflammatories, so we picked the meds up (I stayed in the car) on the way home from that. Got home, had some food, took the Vicodin and Advil, went down for a two hour nap. Arwen played nursemaid all day, hopping up to snuggle with me and make sure I was okay, napped variously on me and by my good foot. Doggies are so sweet ♥

And then the day decided to get even more fun. Bang your head on something with me.

I woke up from the nap, pretty groggy (helloooooo Vicodin!) and Mom said the house was cold so she turned the heat on. I used the crutches to get to the bathroom, and daaamn it was hot in there, always gets hot in there, so I was feeling overheated and ready to throw up, waffling between the too-hot bathroom and the cooler kitchen and being like "Uhhhh need help think I'm going to be sick?" Mom sat me down on a chair and got me a sick bucket thing, and I didn't throw up at least, but I was sweaty and shaking, and my arms felt like the nerves had gone completely to sleep. My fingers curled over and my thumbs clenched in against my palms, and I couldn't unclench them, hurt badly to even try. Naturally, this made me freak the hell out even more, and I was probably hyperventilating. Mom did not tell me at the time, but I went white and my lips were blue.

Mom called 9-1-1, got a fire house less than a mile away, so the paramedics made it over quick. Ran through my current foot situation, medications I'm on, history and such, while they checked my blood ox and such. Not an asthma attack (I was moving oxygen fine) and my pulse was doing good. No hives either or other symptoms I get with reactions to medications, and it'd been awhile since I took the meds anyways, so it didn't seem to be an allergic reaction. The hand clenching hasn't happened before but the rest has, so once I'd calmed down I realized it was an anxiety or panic attack, exacerbated by not knowing what was going on. The EMTs said it's possible that the crutches put pressure on some nerves and that caused the hand clenching, but that panic attacks can also do that. No medical emergency, so they said it was up to me to decide if I wanted them to take me to the hospital, or have someone at home take me later, or not go to one at all. Signed the waiver and such that I had refused to have them take me to a hospital (good ol' liability type things) and they headed on out.

And then we called my poor dad back, who'd called in the middle of the EMTs checking me out, and explained to him what happened.

Hell of a day, but we do have to laugh at it. What a day.

THANKS A LOT FOR BRINGING IN THE LIZARD, CROOKSHANKS.

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 08:19:00 GMT

seasidecafe people interested in looking up things in Margate, get thee hence to this Margate finder for inspiring listings. It has wonderful Google map linkage, even. You may find this search result helpful, too!

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:34:38 GMT

Since I'm no longer a full-time student dependent, I applied for new health insurance last week through a big brokerage website thing. Got an e-mail back from them a few days later that my insurance had been declined, and they didn't know why, so sit tight for the provider to let me know why.

Got my letter today from the United Healthcare Golden Rule people saying the reason I was declined was Tourette's Syndrome.

Fantastic, guys. Way to show your priorities.

Naturally, I'm going to post later to a couple of TS groups I'm in (here and on Facebook) to warn them about this if they apply for United Healthcare coverage.

My mom was kinda cute about that, heh. "Yeah, you tell everyone! You tell them not to apply for that! Golden Rules, do unto others... We'll claim disability if we have to! Then they'll have the government on them!" And so on.

I pretty much expected that to be the reason when I saw I'd been declined, but I wasn't sure. Dad's company used to use United Healthcare, and I hadn't been diagnosed at the time. They covered my asthma treatments, though, so I didn't think they had some kind of pre-existing condition policy. Maybe they do now, or maybe Tourette's is a special case for them, not sure. Apparently a lot of insurance companies don't want to touch it, and I can't tell which ones. Going to probably call the Tourette's Syndrome Association information line later and ask if they have recommendations of policies to look at, or general tips on things to look out for. They supposedly produce a brochure about dealing with insurance, but their online store is confusing and I can't figure out where it is to order it.

More bad baby names!

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:32:16 GMT

More bad baby names!

Pity the teachers who have to pronounce:
Amber'e-Lei
A'riah J'luni (parents Jamie and Albert)
Chyan Annalissa
Kimbrough Sinclair (named after mother)
Maiori Soleil
Tialiyah Lynn
Zsyian Tamarr De'nei

Mismatched, unusual, and "uniquely" spelled names:
Andrialynn Marie
Ja'kala Antoinette
Jai'dyn Ka'mauri
Josian Josiah
Jourdan Alec
Karlye Savannah
Kiamora Chanel
Konstantine Nanda
Montrevius
Ramzies Ed
Tanasia Delores
Zineb Samantha

Fun with real words:
Caiden Trader
Emily Fate (maybe they thought "Destiny" was too common?)
Jazmyn Jade
Phoebe Candela
Samuel Ponder
Shanari Wysdom Laquartie
Ty'jzon Demon

Favorites:
Brian Leyo and Briana Leya
Youry Woody

The winner:
Bgirl

Local babies are doomed

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 05:54:21 GMT

Inspired by Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing, I looked up actual birth names from the birth announcements for my county and its neighboring county. Last names are not included to protect the innocent babies, but some have multiple middle names. Be amazed and horrified.

Mismatched combinations:
Cheyenne Brianna
Daejaunah Daphne Nichole
Jacquez Jamarion Maurice
John Courtney
Sakura Mai (parents Summer and Louis)
Shai Robert Fonteno
Stacey Christopher

What the?!?!? names:
Abygale Maddison
Aurelius Malakieh
Braydon Holly
Devin Edward and Devlynn Mei (twins with oh-so-cute matchy names)
Evan Jax
Haroly Stephanie
Isaiah Troy
Luke Duffy
Maximus Colagero
McKenzie Grace
Olivea Tamiya (mother Sieara)
Savoy Terrell Ambrose

Fun with real words:
Autumn Jade
Destiny Antoinette
Destiny Carmona
Destiny Patrice
Dontavius Montreall
Jasmine Skye
Jayda Genesis
Jaxson Jet
Kaidence Lacie
Makai Sincere
Payten Kohl
Sellecka Hope
Serenity Alize
Skyler Willow
Violet Rae
Wood Alex

But my favorite names are:
Destiny and Precious (twins)
Chancellor Isaiah
Envy Aaliyah
Dream True Leigh
Johntavious Stfon

The winner:
Passion Unique Rose Lee

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 05:17:32 GMT

Ganked from marinarusalka and villainny

1. Go to the Wikipedia home page and click random article. That is your band's name.
2. Click random article again; that is your album name.
3. Click random article 15 more times; those are the tracks on your album.

I bring you a vaguely hippie band that thinks it's sooo deep. Probably because they're a little stoned, possibly while strumming an acoustic guitar.

Band name: USS Bath
Album name: Univariate

Because this band doesn't actually dig naval ships or statistics. They say it's ironic. Other people go "wait, what?"

Track 01. Tenkiller Ferry Lake
A lake created when a river was dammed. It's about, like, the damnation of the landscape, man. Wait, wrong dam(n).

Track 02. Glenda Goertzen
Award-winning Canadian author with a thing for the natural enviroment. Groovy.

Track 03. Two People
A cover of Tina Turner, apparently about loving and staying together even if it sucks. The band thought it was a good idea at the time.

Track 04. Crested Wood Partridge
A southeast Asian bird with a cute round body, edging towards threatened status. Obviously a song about liking ladies with curves, which is not emphasized in the media. This band is not as subtle as it thinks it is.

Track 05. John Tolos
More Canadians, this time a professional wrestler who went in to lose a title fight despite being injured, eventually faded from the public. It's deep. In that "we think we're deep" way.

Track 06. 43rd Reserve Division (German Empire)
Shuffled around between locations, in reserve and out, finally slipping to a low class ranking and being dissolved. War isn't glorious, man.

Track 07. John Franklin Bobbitt
An anti-Bobbitt song, because he apparently championed teaching girls and boys differently, eliminating many conventional subjects to teach people how to become adults in a particular area of society. What a loser. Be yourseeeelf.

Track 08. Alexander Hislop
A minister who criticized the Roman Catholic church as basically pagan and Satan-inspird. Jack Chick digs him. This band doesn't. Don't spread hate, man. Be cool with one another.

Track 09. Yehuda Stolov
An Israeli peace activist. That's more like it.

Track 11. Conformal hypergraph
The band doesn't understand the mathematical theory, but liked the term, so it's a song about non-conformity. Except they're arguably conformist themselves, but don't tell them that.

Track 12. Fëanorian lamp
A Tolkien creation, emitting blue light that wasn't quenched by water or wind, and it was used in some truth revelations. Don't let anybody blow out your fire, man, stay true.

Track 13. Gasherbrum I
Also known as Hidden Peak, apparently means "Beautiful Mountain," remote and the 11th-highest in the world. There's some kind of metaphor in this.

Track 14. Security association
"In a nutshell, a SA is a logical group of security parameters, that ease the sharing of information to another entity." It's, like, you're logically associated with people you can easily share with. So share more. Whoa.

Track 15. Syracuse Savings Bank Building
They think the roofline is cool and it inspired the song. Want to make a withdrawal? They're not good at getting clean.

OOOH YEEAHH

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 03:58:30 GMT

50,000

Nobody can stop us this time!

I mean, me. And it's not quite a "this time" because it's the first time, anyway, and the implication is that there was a previous time that was stopped, and--

I mean, I hit 50,000!

My 50,000th word was "into," as in this 50,000th-word-holding sentence, "They cannot force these people into service."

50874 / 50000 words. 102% done!

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 04:27:53 GMT

Leave for Georgia in the morning, so I won't be back till Friday. Early Happy Thanksgiving wishes to other U.S. folks celebrating it!

In other news, my mom made yet another batch of pumpkin bread tonight, this time with raisins, and she intends to make another pumpkin pie this weekend for our post-Thanksgiving quiet family meal (turkey, fixings, pie, minus the stress of huge family BOOM.) My quest to become a pumpkin is almost complete.

Bringing the last Sword of Truth book with me for the trip thanks to ye olde only 5 miles away public library. I don't buy new books in hardback (other than Harry Potter,) I go to them instead! </PSA for utilizing local libraries>

My week 3 of NaNo is over, though, since I won't be in town at my computer for the official end of it. See y'all in week 4.

45051 / 50000 words. 90% done!

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:30:46 GMT

Darn you, faerie_speak who tagged me for this!

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4-7 sentences on your LJ along with these instructions.
5.Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest (unless it's too troublesome to reach and is really heavy. Then go back to step 1).
6. Tag five people.

From The Hand of Chaos by Margaret Weis and Track Hickman:

Odd little excerpt. Anyway, let's see, tag tag tag...

spatulistic, rosie_knight, stoltingrid, katilara, and vikingcarrot

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:13:39 GMT

I feel like I should have a Lord of the Rings Extended Editions massive viewing thing in December or something. I blame this on listening to the OSTs while I write. And on their awesomeness, of course.

Arwen came up and scratched on my door when I was approaching midnight, and I can't just go "Screw you, baby, I'm writing!" She is currently passed out on my bed, after having pawed the comforter around to her satisfaction. Ahhhh, a belly-up, snoring shih-tzu. Gotta love it. And for those who don't like dogs, think of her as a... pig? She does oink, after all D:

I got 4225 words done today, my biggest count so far. Yey!

Now to let my brain crash before bed (a few hours from now) with a couple of Star Wars comics and perhaps some Guild Wars. Laura, if you ever want to read the Star Wars: Legacy comic, holler! It's really good. I'm so going to want to take some time off after this NaNo crazy. WE MUST HAVE TEA, RACHEL. TEA IS GOOD.

(NaNo says 42729; not sure if it's a different when hyphens or emdashes are used or what.)

42842 / 50000 words. 86% done!

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 04:44:58 GMT

I'll be leaving Wednesday and returning Friday, so that cuts into the writing, but I'm certain I'll be done before the 30th. After that-- Christmas decorations! And trying to make myself take a more considerable wrist break. I meant to take all of Tuesday off, but I broke down and wrote 800-something words anyway. I'm trying to follow the book advice of (very paraphrased) "Hey, if you got halfway through your words and it wasn't halfway through your story, start summarizing the heck out of it and just writing the best bits so you actually get to the end."

Man, I haven't gotten to sit out and enjoy the weather because by the time I wake up, I'm having breakfast, and then tea, and then writing, and then along comes dinner and whoops sun is down. Darn you, late sleep hours made worse by allergies! *honks nose* Can a deviated septum hurt? Because, like, when I was washing my face yesterday, it hurt to wash the bridge of my nose.

Laura, I'll catch up on reading your fics sometime! I've been saying that for a week but I will. I want to be less brain-fried so I can give them good attention.

38617 / 50000 words. 77% done!

IT.

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 04:49:39 GMT

My 25000th word was "it."

Yeah, that's right, I hit 25000, baby.

As Stephen Colbert would say: WOO! *cue balloon drop*

So much for taking a break today-- 3281 words plus hitting the halfway mark (for the word count goal, not the narrative itself.) I closed up with a chapter end, though, and with a 8630-word lead on what I had planned to hit by today, so I think I can safely take that break without falling behind or being too maddened by "I need to get that scene finished!" I should at least let myself rest tomorrow, possibly Tuesday as well, so I can be on for 7 or 8 days until enforced break for Thanksgiving.

I have 9 writing days until I leave for Thanksgiving trip, so I could very well hit 50,000 words by Thanksgiving at this rate, but I also could go insane and very wrist sore in the process.

ETA: Just tried the word count validator on the site, and it gave me about 50 words less than Word does. Something to keep in mind, self!

25297 / 50000 words. 51% done!

ELTON.

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 05:33:41 GMT

Ohhhh myyyy godddddddd.

Eltoooooooooooonnnnnnn.

For my parents, this was music they've loved since high school and even had played at their wedding. For me, it's music I've listened to all my life. Back in elementary school, I often used to wind down the night and go to sleep listening to the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album (willingly! Not parents forcing me to listen to it!) The show was absolutely (captain) fantastic. My only complaint has nothing to do with Elton, just the drunk couple next to me who didn't understand personal space. The space in front of my seat is my space, so please don't put your leg in it. After every song and sometimes during piano-free measures, Elton would hop up from the bench and work the crowd, even the people stuck in the seats behind the stage or behind him. The people in the floor seats right in front his spot, though, got lots of grins and looks during the songs. Interesting visual thing-- when the camera was on his face, you could see the piano keys reflected in his blue shades, very neat. There was a huge lighted screen behind the stage that was used for a lot of visual stuff, plus a big light bank (I got blasted in the face with white light a few times, ow!)

Two hours and forty-five minutes of Eltooooooooonnnnn.

Some other brief thoughts along with the set list:

"Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" - Obviously people went nuts as soon as it started, but even more so when Elton walked out. ... I kind of got teary when he walked out. *hides face* And when the volume really got cranking, my jeans legs actually vibrated from the sound.
"The Bitch is Back" - There's something very special about Elton sitting there playing and singing while behind him, in enormous lights: BITCH
"Madman Across the Water" - I actually didn't realize the strings were done with a synth until I saw it happening
"Tiny Dancer" - Okay, I admittedly got teary again. Dedicated to the "blue jean baby in the front row with the see-through shirt"
"Levon" - Yeah, got teary once again
"Believe"
"Take Me to the Pilot" - I got caught up in the emotion and stood up for it
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
"Daniel" - apparently some people with that name were there, judging by the hollers
"Rocket Man" - What with the shuttle landing this week, it was very special having this here in Orlando
"Honky Cat" - Mom did lots of goofy cat ear fingers, patting her neck for the "redneck ways," and other silly
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight"
"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
"Burn Down the Mission"
"The Bridge"
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
"Candle in the Wind" - lots of lighters and cellphones out, of course, including my mom's
"Bennie and the Jets" - and lots of standing (me too) and clapping throughout
"Philadelphia Freedom" - nice red/white/blue lights and flag motifs
"Sad Songs Say So Much"
"I'm Still Standing" - well, I had sat down, but then I had to stand again for a song like that, right?
"Crocodile Rock" - A brief bit of piano-teasing with a bar of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (audience obliged with "E-I-E-I-O.") Screw the hurt ankle, I'm dancing. Like an idiot. A crocodile rocking idiot and loving it. Mom and I were ridiculously shaking and bumping our hips. Plenty of crowd singing, too, and the "la-la-la-la-la-la" was the only time the audience got to take over the vocals (which is of course a very good thing-- we're there to hear Elton, not the audience!) Cute crocodile-in-lights, too.
"Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" - bring on the Ibuprofen, I can't sit down! Lots of shouting during this, of course

Then there was a good long break where Elton went from one side of the stage slowly to the other signing people's concert sheet thingies. And a kid. He signed a kid. Well, the kid's shirt. Also a lei. I thought the people were going to GIVE him the lei, but he signed it. I got asked by a woman in the row in front of me if I wanted some popcorn (I didn't) and told, "You're too young to like Elton!" But like I said, I grew up with it and fell in love.

Encores:

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" - ... Okay, so the first time he got to the chorus, I kind of started crying?
"Your Song" - ... And didn't stop until some time after this was over? This was played at my parents' wedding, so they snuggled lots. Elton did a good crowd-working "This song is dedicated to you, you're the best."

Squeezed in some writing this afternoon, possibly going to give myself a day off tomorrow to recover from ELLLLLTOOOONNNNN!

Oh, okay, and props to my alma mater for the MUCH improved new arena. Didn't get a concert t-shirt, but I did get a UCF shirt since it was convenient while waiting on traffic to clear.

22016 / 50000 words. 44% done!

20K Y'ALL!

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:12:37 GMT

20,000 WORDS WOO!

(3152 for the day but hey.)

I therefore insist that tomorrow, when I go to the Elton John concert, he is obviously performing to congratulate me on 20k, not because he's on tour or anything like that. I will further expect concert performances for any other 5k-increment milestone.

Well, maybe not. Tori Amos plays here next week but I found out about it only after it'd been on sale awhile, and so it was down to standing room only, and I can't stand there for a whole concert + waiting around beforehand with my ankle still healing. I actually managed an upstairs bench for Dir en grey, but I was on my feet the whole performance because 1) Hello, they are too awesome, 2) I wouldn't have seen a thing if I didn't because of all the other people clinging to the railing. So, missing this makes me sad. I will have to console myself that day. With pumpkin. And chocolate, too, because I'm still gradually inhaling Twix and Milky Ways from Halloween.

An important chat snippet that I neglected to post two days ago:

moonquarter3: Ivanova's got something more to her personality than "I am Woman, Hear me Roar"
moonquarter3: which gets really really old
Immora: "Also, Look At My Cleavage"
moonquarter3: Yes. "I am Woman, Hear my Cleavage Roar."
Immora: "I Can Kick Your Ass While Being Sexy"
Immora: Hhahahaha that's it, that's it
Immora: Cleavage roar, that's it
moonquarter3: Case in point: Trinity. the Bionic Woman.
Immora: I am only watching Bionic Woman for Katee Sackhoff
moonquarter3: I will now be using the phrase "cleavage roar" whenever I can work it into conversation
Immora: Please at every opportunity

20169 / 50000 words. 40% done!

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 05:12:35 GMT

Sonic booms make me happy. My black cat and dog, not so much, but yes for me. Yes for Mom as well. We opened the back doors to the patio so we could listen to the shuttle's sonic booms coming in, and then, like drunken rednecks, we holler, "WOOHOOOO!" after they hit.

2964 for the day, and I believe this counts as the end of week 1 because it has been 7 full calendar days. Considering that I went out of town, I'm still well ahead of the goal I had for this week (aimed for 8.3k for the days I was expected to be available, ended up with well over that.) If what people say about week 2 holds true, I'll need that lead.

Mom also made even more pumpkin bread today, so now I can continue in my question to become a pumpkin myself.

13517 / 50000 words. 27% done!

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:16:24 GMT

Got through some necessary-to-plot but not terribly-interesting-to-write material and hit the part where two of the main characters meet, and thus interaction I'd been looking forward to got to happen. Word count shot up nicely in the process: 3026 done today. *happy dance*

Elton John concert this weekend at my alma mater's new arena. *additional happy dance*

Finally got a haircut after avoiding it since a little highlighting disaster in June-- whatever was done to my hair (today's stylist said the bleach got overlapped) made it dry, tangly, and very breaky, so I didn't want to let anyone touch my hair for awhile. But when we found out that our formerly-did-Mom's-hair guy's salon was actually very close to us, Mom started to go to him, so I snagged an appointment there with a different stylist at the same time as her, and got some of the heavy weight taken out and unhappy splitty ends. *happy hair dance*

So yeah, post = another excuse to share word count. Am I so obvious?! ... Wait, maybe I shouldn't state that if I want to make that secret. Shoot.

I'll compile links to rosieknight's gift fics to me when this is done. In the spirit of this endeavour, she too is writing! (Wisely, she is not attempting to go insane by trying to hit 50k while working on a master's.)

10553 / 50000 words. 21% done!

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 04:55:44 GMT

Some self-congratulations that I forgot to mention before: I got the gold award in the babylon5contest's "Women of Babylon 5" challenge, plus a mod's choice, and that makes me happy. I like making pretty things and seeing pretty things, and many pretty things happen over in that community. (The rest of my icons for that challenge are here.)

Otherwise, excuse to update word count. GNP - gratuitous NaNoWriMo post? Anyway, 2082 for the day, technically Day 2 of my scheduled writing days; yesterday wasn't schedule but I wrote anyway to keep getting ahead of my minimum in case of that much-warned-about Week 2 slump.

7527 / 50000 words. 15% done!