I go to school on an open campus. Anyone can come on campus and do stuff there. We get a lot of people registering students to vote; people will try to get students to sign petitions; and every so often, religious people will come on campus and either a) hand out pocket bibles or pamphlets or b) shout at students. Today we had one of the shouty people.
I passed by this guy three times during the day. Once on my way to public speaking, once on my way into the student union building to kill some time between classes, and again on my way back to my lab class. The first time I went past him, he was screaming about how pre-marital sex is a sin. No one was really paying attention to him, as is usually the case with these nutjobs. The second time, he'd drawn a crowd of about 20 people who were all there to heckle him. He was ranting about how smoking marijuana was a sin, and he had a sign that said 'YOU ALL DESERVE TO GO TO HELL'. At this point, people were just playfully egging him on. One stoner was talking about how he 'sees God when [he's] high', so Shouty McPious should shove off and let him practice his faith. Another guy started making fun of him by preaching the "Gospel of Harry Potter", talking about how Dumbledore died for our sins. That guy was made of win. Third time I walked past him, things had gotten tense. He was ranting about how all the students at the school would burn in hell, and that we were Satan's children and whatnot. A group of students were holding a big hand-made sign that read 'FUCK THIS GUY' and had an arrow pointing to him. A lot of people were shouting at him, and a few were verbally ripping him apart, quoting the bible and pointing out how this guy was a bad Christian. There were some campus security members hanging near by, and honestly? It felt like a riot was going to happen soon. I'd estimate by that point (it was 4, he'd gotten started around noon) there were about 50 students watching and jeering.
It was interesting, to say the least. And I saw some people taking photos of the crowd with really nice cameras, so I'm wondering if they were staff from the school newspaper.
Day 14: A non-fictional book
Bad Astronomy by Phil Plait.
This is a great read. This book is a sound debunking of various astronomical conspiracy theories, from the Moon Landing to the face on Mars. Plait keeps things simple, and doesn't bog everything down with scientific jargon. He's also very professional in his writing, never personally attacking the people behind these theories. (Which is really amazing, since you can read transcripts of radio shows he's appeared on with these people on his website, and they are always launching personal attacks against him) It's an interesting read, and I encourage it to everyone, since there really are a lot of misconceptions about astronomy.
Day 13: A fictional book
The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West
This is a great book. It's a wonderfully dark and surreal look at the fakeness of Hollywood and the destructiveness of people. It deals with sex and drinking and child actors and cock fights and just general crazies. The main characters are sad, pathetic people who have deluded themselves into following the 'American Dream', and you feel sorry for them. But at the same time, they disgust you. The novel slowly builds, at first showing them fairly normal, and then heaping on flaws and weirdness until you get to the finale. And this ending? Is horrifying. It makes you feel sick and scared. And while the film based on the book isn't all that great (and seems a bit narmful at times) the ending is pitch-perfect.
This book isn't really the best for light reading, and some people may just find it too weird and dark. I personally love it, though. It's powerful, in the way it makes you feel sort of sick about America and the 'American Dream'. And the best thing about it? It was written in 1939, and a lot of the crazy behavior described in the book is still around today.
Also, it makes a fantastic companion piece to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
...I got nothin'.
Uh. Here. Have a drawing of Audrey 2 I whipped up this afternoon.
She's surprisingly easy to draw, actually. She's pretty much all curves.
Day 11: A photo of me taken recently
So, this was actually taken just a week ago. See, I couldn't get in touch with all my friends over the break. One of the people I didn't get a chance to hang out with talked to one of the people that I did hang out with, and sent me a text not long after I got back to NM, saying our friend Penguin had told her that I had "a Bladerunner coat and a new girly haircut" (her words, not mine) and she wanted proof. Proooobably because I've had the same general cut since sophomore year. So I snapped this with my camera phone. My coat doesn't really look like any of the coats from Bladerunner, but I guess she thought wool funnelneck = leather kinda funnelneck that Roy wears in a few scenes. Whatever, she was the same person that told my friend X that his leather trench looked just like that frock Neo wears in the Matrix sequels. But she was right, my hair is a lot more girly now. I like it though. I needed a change.
Now, some of you may know that I'm going to school to be an English teacher at the high school level. Honestly? It was because I noticed this sort of thing that I decided I wanted to teach.
Okay, so, compromise time. Any photos of me that are 10+ years old are on actually film photo prints, at my 'rents' house. They don't have a scanner anymore, because the one they did have was actually mine, which they got as a birthday gift for me a few years back. I do not have any really old photos of me on my laptop, or on my photobucket. This is the oldest photo I have access to, and it's about 5 years old. It was taken in historic Williamsburg, VA, on a trip I took in 8th grade. You can see some blonde in my hair - that's because the previous year, I bleached my hair and dyed it pink (it was supposed to be red, but the dye was terrible). This was when I first started cutting my hair short, which I did to try and get rid of the blonde after the red faded and my roots started to show. I kept going back to that short style until really recently, and I'll explain that in tomorrow's post.
Also, the stocks were just supposed to be a quick photo-op; the friends that were with me also got photos in them. However, I was in them the longest, because my friends couldn't figure out how to work my camera.
I took this years ago - I think back in 6th grade. I used to have a good eye for photography, but I kind of... don't anymore. I'm not sure why, but when I take photos, I can't really find any sort of composition or balance or anything. I'm not really sure how that turned out, but I do know I stopped looking for interesting things to take photos of when my nice film-using Nikon became sort of obsolete and I switched to using a simple point-and-shoot digital camera. Going out snapping photos, using a viewfinder, on a heavy film camera while trying to balance the zoom lens just felt like it was part of the process. You don't really get the same feeling using a digital camera.
Anyways. I like this photo, so there you go.
- Music:B & G's - Three Leg Torso
I... honestly can't think of a photo that makes me said or angry. :/ I don't keep around photos that make me upset, and I'm not about to go looking for one that makes me upset. So. Yeah.
I feel like I should say something here so... it seems that all the new music I've been getting into is all through things webcomic makers suggest. Like, I love The Protomen, which I first heard about over at Johnny Wander, and because of Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name I'm giving Ludo a chance. I don't know if this says anything about me or what. *shrug*
- Music:Go-Getter Greg - Ludo
I woke up feel like crap this morning. I still have insomnia, I woke up with a really bad crick in my neck, and I just felt kind of depressed. I went out to get breakfast at the dining hall and... in the fruit they put out, they had fresh pineapple and strawberries. And just that little thing, of getting to eat my two favorite fruits with breakfast, completely re-energized me and made me feel a lot better about the day.
Also, the day just got better, in that I got my rental fridge delivered! My roomie owned the fridge that used to be in the room, so when she moved out, she took it (along with the microwave and TV, also her's). The dorm has a kitchen with a microwave, so I didn't care about that, but since I like to eat breakfast in my room some days, and whatnot, I kind of needed a fridge. I put in the application for one a week and a half ago, and by yesterday, I still didn't have a fridge. So yesterday, I called the maintenance office, found out that my application was lost somehow, and had to go and fill out a new one. BUT. I got my fridge today. And it actually has a freezer, holy fuck, that's awesome.
Day 7: A photo that makes me happy
This is my cousin, with a baby lion. Why does this make me happy? Well, for one, it's cute as hell. But also because my cousin is my inspiration. All her life, she wanted to be a zookeeper. That's all she wanted to do, from the time she was little until she went to college. A lot of people told her it was a terrible idea, but she ignored them, got a degree in zoology, and now is the head of the pachyderm house in the Pueblo County Zoo. She followed her dream and never let anyone talk her out of it, so when I look at this picture, I'm reminded that I can achieve my goals, and that I should never let anyone get me down.
There’s a lot of things that annoy me, but I think the one thing that I can honestly call my biggest pet peeve is when people (both men and women) state that they would neeever send their child to daycare, one parent HAS to be a stay-at-home parent, and that if you ‘let another person raise your child’, they’ll turn out terrible.
Now, I don’t get angry at people who really just want to be stay-at-home parents because they’d rather be with their child then work. And I do think that if a parent doesn’t spend much time with their child after they get home from work/whatever, then it’s neglectful. Still, both my parents work, and have always worked. My mother took maternity leave for a few years after my sister was born, and one year for me. Both of us went to daycare during our primary education years, and were latchkey kids from middle school on. And yet, we turned out fine. My sister is steadily employed and has great interpersonal relationships with people; I’ve been on honor rolls all throughout high school, am now on the Dean’s list, and while I don’t have many friends, those I do, I cherish for life. Our parents took great care of us – we didn’t see them during the day on weekdays, but they always spent time with us in the evenings, and we did family activities on the weekends. They never brought their work home with them, because they believed their life, their family, was more important.
Basically, when people try and tell me that kids that go to daycare turn out terrible, I take it as a personal insult against my family and me. And that’s why it’s my biggest pet peeve – because it attacks my entire family.
My roommate moved out at the end of last semester, and I wasn't assigned a new one. While I wasn't really close with my roomie, I at least had someone I could talk to when I got back from classes in the afternoon. Now I don't, and I feel really isolated.
Day 5: My favorite quote
"In every first novel the hero is the author as Christ or Faust." - Oscar Wilde (possibly)
I like it, because it's true.
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
I didn’t really have to think about this. I’ve read this book so many times that my hardcover copy fell apart. I love this book. Actually, I love most of Moore’s books (except for Fool, which I look upon as his self-insert Shakespeare fic), but this one is my favorite. It uses a lot of dark humor and sex jokes, like all of his work, but it sets itself apart from the rest with its characters and their interactions. Charlie Asher, the main character, is a beta male, like most of the Moore’s mains, but he’s also a single father, trying to cope with raising his daughter after his wife’s death, and also collecting the souls of the recently deceased and letting them move on. He approaches this with cynicism and witty jokes, but he doesn’t come off as a hero – in fact, he seems kind of Woody Allen-ish. All the characters are memorable and funny, and the writing makes me laugh ‘till I cry. I just adore this book.
I've told people IRL that this is my favorite book, and they usually seem pretty surprised. A lot of my friends assume that my favorite writer would be Ray Bradbury or Oscar Wilde, because I guess I come off as a bit of a book snob. And while I do like those authors, love their writing styles, and often try to emulate it, they don't really have the same spot in my heart as Moore does. Honestly, the book that got me to like reading was Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants, and I think of Moore as a bit more adult version of Pilkey.
Also, I started wearing suits because of Charlie Asher.
- Music:Guitar - Cake
This should be obvious to anyone who’s spoken to me more then twice, but whatevs. It’s Batman Beyond.
Okay, yes, I know, this cartoon has been off air for over six years, but y’know what? The meme doesn’t say it has to be a show that’s currently airing. So yes, BB is my favorite TV show. Why? Oh lord, where to begin…
I think the main reason I like it is because it gave the world a Batman that was relatable. I know, I know, Batman isn’t really supposed to be relatable. Still, the fact that Bruce Wayne is such a humongous asshole is the reason why the original Batman isn’t anywhere on the list for my top 5 favorite superheroes (which I will post someday). I like my superheroes to be everypersons, really. And Batman Beyond gave us that. Terry is a high school student who struggles with keeping his social life together while also being Batman. He’s set apart from characters such as, say, Peter Parker, though, in that he does have a bit of a dark past. It’s revealed in bits and pieces throughout the show that he was a troubled kid, who ran away from home a few times and eventually wound up in a gang, and then juvie. He was almost average, but had some interesting aspects about him that kept him from being boring.
The writing for the show was just great. I can’t think of a single episode where I didn’t like the story. The show was dark, like it’s predecessors, but Terry provided a touch of humor that kept it from being the exact same as B:TAS. The relationship between Terry and Bruce was fantastic, lying somewhere between mutual respect and mutual grudges. In an interview, the creators of the show stated that killing off Bruce was considered, but the refused to do so, and I’m glad they didn’t, because it really wouldn’t be the same show without him.
I don’t really have much to say about the art style. It was consistent and clean, and it fit with the previous series, but it never really wowed me. That’s okay with me, though. The writing was great, and that’s enough for me. And even if the art style wasn’t super amazing, it certainly grew on me.
The JLU episode ‘Epilogue’ never happened as far as I’m concerned, though.
Have I mentioned I love my new tablet? Because I do.
Turns out I'm on the Dean's list, which is pretty neat.
- Music:I Know a Girl - Chicago Soundtrack
The Fall (2006) Directed by Tarsem
The Fall is a really recent film, and I admit I’ve only seen it twice, but there’s no denying that it’s my favorite movie. The first time I saw it, I fell it love with it, becoming as hopelessly devoted as Vincent Van Gogh to his prostitute lover that he sent his ear to. Except The Fall isn’t a prostitute, it’s a beautiful, shy lady who often gets overlooked because she’s modest and doesn’t but herself out there very much. And even though I love the film, I won’t cut my ear off for it, and I really don’t know where I’m going with this metaphor, so I’ll get back to the point.
The first thing I noticed when I saw The Fall was it’s stunning visuals. It had amazing sweeping landscapes filmed in multiple countries, and very, very little of it is CGI. The film is so beautiful, so lush and colorful, in a world were filmmakers are trying more and more to make everything grey and brown unless they’re Terry Gilliam. (And even his latest film was pretty gray.) Each shot is careful and gorgeous, and just watching the trailer makes me feel this little flutter in the artsy part of my heart.
Of course, I said recently that I won’t watch a film just because it’s pretty, and The Fall is no exception. The story is wonderful – a bit simple, but I love it anyways. It’s like Baron Von Munchausen or Princess Bride, but darker and edgier. And by that I don’t mean lots of guns and gore (there are a few fight scenes, but they’re actually pretty tame), I mean that the story is dark. Like BvM or PB, The Fall is a framed-narrative of a man telling a story to a child. But he isn’t trying to teach her the power of story, like the Grandfather or the Baron… instead, he’s manipulating her. The framed story is pretty interesting, too – he describes what he knows, and she imagines what she knows, and it makes for this awesome mish-mash of cultures.
I’ve gone on long enough, so I’ll go ahead and wrap this up. The Fall is a great film, balancing gorgeous visuals and a well-written story. It needs more love, seriously, so go check it out. It’s got Lee Pace being a badass. And Charles Darwin. With a monkey.
Day 1: My favorite song
A Passion Play by Jethro Tull.
Okay, maybe it's cheating to choose a song that covers both sides of an album, but really, this is my favorite work of music ever. The instrumentals are complex and interesting, switching through genres as the album continues, and it showcases Ian Anderson's intense and gorgeous flute work. Though, what really makes me love this song is the lyrics. Jethro Tull is easily my favorite band, and that has a lot to do with Ian Anderson's writing. A Passion Play is wonderfully poetic, and it takes multiple listenings to understand the story of the song which is a plus for me. This isn't the kind of song I can just put on as background noise while I'm working on the computer - if I want to listen to it, I only listen to it, because it's so beautiful and complex that I want to be able to sink into it. I've created a whole sort of music video of the song in my head, actually, that I can watch in my mind's eye when I hear this song. If I had the time, patience, money, and ability to, I'd make my head-video into a real thing, but it would be damned hard, and need live action, CGI, and traditional animation. I won't even try to explain it, because I'd be here all day.
Still, I love this song. It may seem odd that I can't have my favorite song on as background noise, but I think that's a compliment towards the band. I consider this song so lush, so interesting, that I'm compelled to drop everything and only focus on it when I listen to it. I don't think there is any other song that I will do that for.
If you'd like to hear it, someone put it up on youtube in chunks (it's about 45 minutes long):
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
And the rest of the meme will go as such:
Day 2: My favorite movie
Day 3: My favorite television program
Day 4: My favorite book
Day 5: My favorite quote
Day 6: My biggest pet peeve
Day 7: A photo that makes me happy
Day 8: A photo that makes me angry or sad
Day 9: A photo I took
Day 10: A photo of me taken over ten years ago
Day 11: A photo of me taken recently
Day 12: Whatever tickles my fancy
Day 13: A fictional book
Day 14: A non-fictional book
Day 15: A fanatic
Day 16: A song that makes me cry
Day 17: An art piece
Day 18: Whatever tickles my fancy
Day 19: A talent of mine
Day 20: A hobby of mine
Day 21: A recipe
Day 22: A website
Day 23: A YouTube video
Day 24: Whatever tickles my fancy
Day 25: My day, in great detail
Day 26: My week, in great detail
Day 27: My month, in great detail
Day 28: My year, in great detail
Day 29: Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30: Whatever tickles my fancy
I feel bad for laughing at him, but it just makes me giggle. Though, now he's considering taking me next year? Which would be cool, but I'd be really tempted to cosplay all weekend, and that would just be weird with my dad around. I'm a casual nerd compared to a lot of my friends, but I'm a lot more active and proud of my nerd status then he is.
On an unrelated note, I hate the people who live in the room above me. They're constantly sliding furniture across the floor, and I swear, they have sex like twice a day. At least that's what it sounds like. thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk. ALL. THE. TIME. I haaaate it. I've spoken to the RA on that floor, and there response was pretty much 'duuuurp i can't do anythiiiing about iiiiitt'. AAAAAAAUGH. I, like... want to download the bassy 70s porn music (of the 'bow chicka wow-wooooow' variety) on my iPod and then play it on my portable speakers right outside their door. Very, very loudly.
- Music:Opportunities (Let's Make Lot's of Money) - Pet Shop Boys
(click image to see bigger version)
Yeah, that's right. I made a mini Green Lantern Power Battery out of clay and put it on a necklace. Because I can.
Actually no, this was a gift for a friend of mine who loves Green Lantern and got me into the comics. Also, he gave me a Blue Lantern ring as a gift, so now I feel compelled to make a Blue power battery. And thus the descent into a fandom I never saw myself in will begin.
- Music:Spin Me Round (Like a Record) - Dead or Alive
That I am a DAPPER FUCKING GENTLEMAN.
This was the first year since middle school that I've actually gone out for New Year's Eve. I went and saw a fireworks display with my friend Penguin, and then we went back to her house and played Guitar Hero and listened to 90s Europop. I had a lot of coffee though, which I don't have very often, and have had a serious stomach ache and headache all morning long. My sister was the one who went out drinking, but somehow I got the hangover XD
Also, I made noms!
These are mini pumpkin pies, and the recipe can be found here. Now, I hate cooking, but I love baking. Cookies, cake, you name it. I just love it. It's the only vaguely feminine thing I do. So, Bakerella is one of my favorite blogs. I've made some stuff from that site before, like red velvet cake balls (delicious!) and candy graduation caps (adorable!).
The mini pies are pretty good, but I have some problems with the recipe. My biggest complaint is that the recipe makes too much filling. I made 24 pies, and that only used about half the filling. Fortunately, I had a third crust left over from Thanksgiving, so I made a third batch - but really, there was enough filling for 4 batches. Also, the filling could use a bit more of the spice. It calls for 1 teaspoon, but that really doesn't add that much flavor. And the cream cheese is a bitch to get smooth in the filling. But still, the pies are cute and pretty good. I didn't add chocolate to mine, though - the idea of pumpkin and chocolate mixed just doesn't appeal to me.
Anyways, happy new year, everyone!
My parents got me a new tablet. Shiny new Intuos 4. I was just playing around with it, and started work on inking something I scanned before I came home. Check this out:
That was done with only a 7px hard black brush. Now, I'm one of those people that believes that tools alone cannot make good art. But really? This is amazing. My old Graphire could never do this. I am stunned. Also, the stylus came with multiple nibs, which create different textures. Haven't figured out how to change them out yet, but that's pretty neat. This tablet is the closest a tablet has ever felt to drawing with pencil and paper to me. Just. Wow. Thank you so much, mom and dad.
Also, I have to name her. My old tablet was named Larry. I'm thinking of Guinevere for this new one.
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