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| 08:46pm 26/11/2009 |
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A somewhat belated Happy Thanksgiving/Turkey Day/Thursday to all. :) |
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| 05:19pm 14/11/2009 |
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To harp on about books again - been reading The Stand. As it's one of the books King ties into his Dark Tower series, I thought I should have a crack at it, and picked up the mass market paperback at a Duane Reade.
Ye gods. I'm not too far into it, but thus far it may be one of the worst books I've ever read (We will note that I have read only a few pages of Twilight, courtesy of several despondent English majors on LJ). He's improved some since; that's the kindest thing I can say of it. Egads.
Looking forward to Assassins' Creed 2. I may end up spending more time gazing lovingly at the Italian armor than actually, you know. Playing.
Watched a Finnish horror movie called Sauna a while back, and recommend it. I tend to enjoy my films at face-value, and my symbolism subtle and sufficiently removed from the narrative as a whole. But this is an exception in that I was hooked by the basic framework - two 16th century brothers tasked with mapping out the border between Russia and Finland in the wake of the war - and then found that approaching the narrative from a different angle afterwards made it more interesting. If that makes sense.
There's a creepy idea in there I swear they stole from my brain, though. :( Damnit. I have to actually write/make these things before everyone else does.
ETA: Also recommend 'The Brothers Bloom', which is by the guy who made 'Brick'. It has some of that same... I don't know. Awareness of the narrative. ...Yeah, I dunno. Anyway - it isn't quite what I wanted it to be, but it's still interesting. |
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Read 2 - Post |
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| 03:18pm 09/11/2009 |
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Our house-guests have finally departed, though there's apparently one waiting in the wings. This last set was apparently specially designed to irritate the hell out of me; I'm quite relieved to have some time to myself.
Job interview tomorrow. Somewhere between ridiculously nervous and... well, not. I don't know. There's so much going in my favor on this one that if I don't get it I wonder if that won't say a lot as to my chances of ever finding employment.
On the other hand, it's not something I really want to be doing, and the possibility that I will get the job is just as anxiety-inducing. It's sort of a tiny existential crisis I'm having, I think. "Where am I? What am I doing? What do I want to be doing? (Besides sleeping in late and reading)"
In short the whole thing is looming up above me like some dread beast come slavering out of the ocean.
...Now I want to watch The Last Unicorn.
...Anyway!
Let's see.
Has anyone read any of Joe Abercrombie's books? He's getting a lot of kudos for 'reinvigorating' the genre and what-all, which I might agree with if I'd only read Harry Potter and Robert Jordan's books, and his books have that 'dark and gritty' air to them that means people drop his name whenever someone asks for books like George R. R. Martin's.
Anyway - I just finished up Best Served Cold. I'd enjoyed his previous trilogy - even if I had to look past it being very much traditional fantasy in the sense of it being focused on male characters and their manly concerns - and I got excited about this one as it's got a female protagonist. And it was, again, interesting, and fun to sort of follow a band of unpleasant sods throughout the story, but. Still troubling in terms of how it addresses men and women and their roles in shaping each other's identities. If that makes sense.
Also on account of the one gay character. Given what I've read of the author's blog he'd probably just contest that the other - in fact, the leading - characters are no better, but that doesn't really fly as an excuse when you frame the narrative in a particular way.
...Actually, Abercrombie name-dropped Scott Lynch as an author who's gotten flak for being "too PC" about including women in non-traditional roles in his books (ostensibly to suggest that really, everyone's going to complain so why bother, I guess?) , and after wandering about his livejournal I think I'll have to give his books a try after all.
...I was totally gonna write about entirely different things. Like how Dragon Age ate my life for a week. Jeez. (Awesome game, recommended.)
But enough for now. |
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Read 9 - Post |
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| TV babble |
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| 11:51pm 12/10/2009 |
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mood:  bored
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Wheeeee.
Haven't posted in a bit, huh?
Nothing too interesting going on. Following up on a few job leads, as it were, out in Hartford. Vaguely amused by such.
We've had a series of guests coming up from Brazil; this week: one of my aunts, whom we took out to see the PepsiCo headquarters today (Fortunately, just before I read about the company's latest iPhone app). Took lots of silly pictures by the silly sculptures.
We'll be off to the museum(s) later in the week. Apparently there's some neat Persian art exhibit at the Met, which shall be the latest focus of my annual Reference Photo Expedition. Hopefully my aunt will be patient with me whilst I cavort merrily through Arms & Armor.
Watched the first episode - well, first two, I guess? - of SGU, on a lark. Predictably I'm of an amiable disposition towards Robert Carlyle's character and pretty much loathe everyone else. That the show attempts to mimic Battlestar Galactica in terms of how it's shot just makes me compare the two, which is a bad move. Still, it's not terrible (and it is unlikely to break my heart as BSG did); I'm just uninterested.
On the other hand, I'm pretty bummed that 'Southland' was canceled. In light of that, Dollhouse's continued existence is particularly grating.
I'm still watching Supernatural, simple beast that I am. I'm glad for the direction the series took in Season 4 - to the point that I continue to tune in - but it's still the drunk frat boy of tv shows, and occasionally rewards my patience by vomiting on my shoes.
...Let's drop that metaphor.
Anyway. The SPN fandom, on the other hand, is a special brand of crazy, and I want nothing to do with it.
I miss having a series that I am wholly enamored of. I haven't the... energy, maybe, these days, to spare the affection, but I kinda miss having that weekly ritual of just having to tune into... Buffy, say. I was 10 years old when I started watching that, and missed maybe one episode. What feverish dedication! Heh.
Enough from me.
Hope all's well. |
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| 09:53pm 12/09/2009 |
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Bloogh. All the health care shenanigans are making me somewhat reluctant to get on the plane tomorrow. :P
Back in NYC come Monday morning. I feel like I've been here a year. >_> Not in the sense of being tired of it, just that I finally managed to settle in.
Ah well. :)
Hope all's well with everyone. |
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Read 2 - Post |
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| Even though you fool your souls... |
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| 10:39pm 13/08/2009 |
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music: Adam and the Ants - Stand and Deliver
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Adding No Doubt's take on "Stand and Deliver" to my list of Song Covers that Make Me Sad. :( |
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| 04:22pm 09/08/2009 |
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Sorry for the delay between posts. Been kinda busy.
Spent most of today helping to put out this huge fire on our neighbor's property. It's the dry season here, and this sort of thing happens pretty much annually. Lots of tall grass and whatnot. Wasn't too difficult, though, and we're naught but tired.
Lyra, my tiny franken-doberman, is finally succumbing to heart disease. And age, really... Regardless, it doesn't look like she'll make it past the next few days. Probably won't be posting for a bit, if you get me.
...Apart from that, just wrapped up an introductory course to Java. (Still pretty much unintelligible, but at least I've some sense of where to begin/look up stuff.)
And tomorrow will be my fourth of ten two-hour driving lessons. The guy's already got me driving in traffic, which I consider rather reckless of him, but I've yet to crash, so hey. |
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| 11:32am 03/07/2009 |
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This made me laugh so hard. It kinda reminds me of the stuff we made in our Video Production class.
Passed my fake/practice written driving test. >_> Now I wait to be scheduled for the actual test. And then to practical lessons. (And then to a fake driving test, probably)
It seems my brother and I are the only carnivores left within what family I have in Brasilia. Man, I could go for a steak. |
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| A Frivolous Exercise |
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| 01:01am 27/06/2009 |
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...I was mulling over my list of favorite films, which include (I don't rank them):
The Prestige
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
The Fifth Element
The Plague Dogs
The Seventh Seal (Max Von Sydow! <3)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
28 Days Later
The Last Unicorn
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Lawrence of Arabia
(and a great many others you can probably guess)
...which puts us at 5/10 (6/10 if you're Ayn Rand) for even vaguely happy endings thus far, thus proving I'm not entirely heartless, I say.
I was thinking about what it is that makes a film one I'd enjoy, having watched quite a few over the past few weeks. Anything from the 90s gets a healthy (?) sheen of nostalgia, of course, and in a couple of cases I can't separate specific elements from my opinion of the movie as a whole (I...I have a comic book problem). Save that some manner of fantastical element is usually required, I haven't really come up with anything in particular.
I do find that these days I'm less tolerant of things I used to be willing to overlook in the past. Watching Appaloosa was the final straw; I've given up on the Western genre as a whole. The day someone makes a film set in an alternate history wherein women actually get to do something interesting and/or anything but prove themselves unreliable troublemakers/prostitutes, I'll start watching again. No matter how hilarious Viggo Mortensen's facial hair gets in the meantime.
Still very angry about the ending to the Coraline movie.
...and also the live-action Avatar:TLA movie, while I'm at it. |
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| 09:50pm 24/06/2009 |
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Eesh. Just got torn a new one for suggesting that the old argument of "You can't complain about [blah] because [blah2, 3 and 4] are going on over yonder" tends to shut down discussion rather than make any lasting point.
[edit:blahblahblah]
Edit: Agh. So that stupid reflex of mine wherein I tear up whenever I get yelled at, even if I don't feel particularly upset or have any real emotional investment in the argument at all, has resulted in my being perpetually runny-nosed for the rest of this evening. Gah. How can a nose contain so much snot? |
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Read 11 - Post |
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| 07:22pm 23/06/2009 |
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Rewatched 'Lawrence of Arabia' over the past two days. Still keep noticing new things. I'd venture I'm becoming slightly less emotionally retarded, but I don't think that's true. Still love the film.
And now I'm smack in the middle of one of those moments where you...like, suddenly notice a huge spike in references to a particular thing, having just read about it or the like.
Anyway.
Brazil's been grand. Just got back from Day Two of driving classes. Classes for two weeks, written exam, then driving lessons, then driving test. *crosses fingers*
I'm still vaguely convinced I'll have GTA flashbacks and drive into a pole.
Otherwise taking pictures (will post some soon) and generally being a lazy layabout. Well, I've applied to a few positions, including at the American Embassy (Which I find funny for some reason). Maybe I should try to get into the Military Police here. :P |
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| 11:46pm 15/06/2009 |
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In Brazil! Yaaay.
Gonna try and be more diligent about posting photos, in between seeking employment and/or taking driving lessons.
...man, Danika got so fat. >_> Lot calmer now though, so yay. |
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| 01:38am 10/06/2009 |
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Aieee. I am 23 today. >.>
Spent yesterday making this silly music track on one o' them free audiomixing programs. :P (If you are at all musically inclined, please do not listen. XD)
Off to sleep, and then make some manner of celebratory ruckus. |
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| 06:17pm 08/06/2009 |
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*chokes on tea*
Anyone want a copy of Army of Two for the Xbox360? Mindless fun the first go-round, but I don't think I'll be wanting to replay it anytime soon. Plus I don't think I can give it back to Gamestop, since it was used when I got it. (Not that they'd give me more than like, two dollars anyway.) |
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| I am suffused with Consumery glee. |
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| 04:48pm 06/06/2009 |
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Just got back from the MoCCA festival thing. I think I spent more there than I did on both my visits to NY Comic Con combined.
Among my treasures are: a print of an XKCD comic (The Cat Graph), the dead tree version of Bite Me, an adorable doodle of Alexander Hamilton by Kate Beaton, a neat shirt from the Dr McNinja crew, an origami comic about Pandora's Box folded - as might be expected - into a box, and more buttons than I know what to do with.
Oh, how my feet hurt, though. :P |
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| 02:14pm 30/05/2009 |
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Haha this short film is great: "Death to the Tinman"
Not much else of note going on. Read Bonk and Stiff by Mary Roach, both of which were hilarious and fun.
Presently I think that - assuming the necromancy thing doesn't pan out - I'd like to have my remains freeze-dried, or alternately that my sorry carcass be tossed into the sea. I imagine I'll have no thoughts whatsoever on the matter at the time, of course.
Heading off to Brazil sometime around the fifteenth of June. To the internet-connection-having corner of Brazil, though, so I don't anticipate missing out on too much. :) |
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| "Simple! Johnny here is obnoxious and disliked." "That's true." |
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| 10:25pm 16/05/2009 |
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Finally got around to seeing 1776. While I'm too tired, these days, to venture any deep thoughts on anything ("What lovely coats these gentlemen have!"), I did enjoy it lots. Franklin cracked me up.
Along similar lines of history nerdishness - Been reading 'The Last Duel', by one James Landale. It's very 'History 101', and in fact I think I'll recommend it to my old history prof, but it's been interesting thus far.
Dueling, man. People are crazy.
...but dang, if I don't wanna write it into a story somehow. |
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| 09:38pm 15/05/2009 |
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The rest of its potential awesomeness aside, Wolfram Alpha has the best name ever.
Dread harbinger of the apocalypse and/or schizophrenia conglomeration of human personalities knowledge or no, you have my love, HAL WA. |
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| 11:30pm 14/04/2009 |
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Blah, taxes. (Yes, I wait for the absolute last minute for absolutely everything, why do you ask?)
Apparently I'm due quite a bit on returns, though, so I guess it's not so bad.
Still have no clue how the whole bloody mess works.
Someone hiiiire meeeeee.... [/plaintive] |
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| On Punching Things |
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| 08:06pm 08/04/2009 |
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Once you get past the first ten minutes of "Oh god I'm going to vomit, and then faint, and then vomit again, and then die", kickboxing is lots of fun.
I have the uniform and everything now. Whoo, I'm white belt at something. XD
Life continues apace! |
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