SELLING MY SOUL, PART DEUX

just threw a few more items up over at eBay. if you've got a moment (and some cash burning a hole in your pocket), please take a look and see if there's anything of interest to you.

enjoy! ^^

TERRORABLE HEXAHEDRON, ATTACK!

...and now, presenting the 2002 Worst Manual Contest Winners!

(i'd just like to mention here that the entire time i was reading this, i kept having incredibly vivid images of being paper-cut to death via my gums between my teeth. funny...but painful. be warned. XD)

PLEASE EXCUSE THE MESS...

after spending a good length of time sitting on my arse and not doing a damned thing about it, i'm trying valiantly once more to get this to work in Nutscrape. at all. so far, have not yet achieved this. but if you visit and the page looks unbearably funky, feel free to get down with your bad self reload in a few minutes and see if it's changed to something less hard on the eyes. if it doesn't clear up, please feel free to let me know.

shall work on compatibility issues more this weekend, if i get the chance. must do other things now. ^^

*quietly bangs head into wall*

BEST PAL EVER

so, popped in the 24 Hour Party People DVD last night to see how it looked. it was sort of our guinea pig DVD, as we hadn't tried any other PAL discs yet. but i'm happy to report that it looks lovely. there's some slight scan line artifact twinkling that goes on in the upper left and lower righthand corners of the letterboxing in particularly bright scenes, but if you're not looking for it, you really won't notice it. and it seems (from watching things that have obviously been converted from PAL that have been shown on Speedchannel) that this is more a PAL-to-NTSC conversion issue than one specifically with our player, so it's not a problem in the slightest. am quite excited that i can watch PAL stuff, though. ^-^

in other news, i know what i'm going to be doing all weekend...do you? >D

oh, and about this: reinforcing once again that one oughtn't buy Barney books for one's children anyway, purely based on the fact that they're just plain creepy. and now, with even more Wrongness™. o.o;;

(p.s. oh, and you might be amused to know that i always expect him to say "ovum" instead of "OVAH!" i'm fully aware this indicates some sort of strange issue on my part, but. XD)

I'VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU...

: "wish [komm zu mir]." franka potente.

been watching a lot of stuff lately. Trio has been running a theme throughout the month of December called "Brilliant But Cancelled", which has been kind of interesting. in addition to one-hour specials discussing how, when, where, and why network executives view the idea of television programming, and what constitutes a successful show, they've also been airing blocks of programming they consider to have been brilliant but cancelled.

it's not particularly short-sighted, either, which is what's interesting about it to me. they've been running The Ernie Kovacs Show (not sure which incarnation, actually; Trio unfortunately isn't very specific either in what they say about it when running it or on their webpage), amongst other things. they've also been running Action, Gun (link to Spanish review; couldn't find anything v. detailed in English, sorry), and various other things. it's a really great idea, and i hope they (or someone) does more things like this. it's really sad to see things like this, where the concepts were so interesting and original and were thusly killed before their time...and yet countless tons of crap are "successful" year after year. there are some things to everything they've been showing that fall rather flat, but it's because these shows did take some risks. watching the bit of Ernie Kovacs that i did was particularly interesting, both in general and in temporal context (don't know what episode it was, but the musical guest was Enid Mosier & the Trinidad Steel Drum Band). it's uneven, sure, but when it's on, it's positively brilliant. so this is fun...but more than slightly depressing. oh well.

also watched The Princess and the Warrior a couple of weeks ago. and i've been curious to see what other people had said about it since seeing it myself, so i've poked around a bit. and it seems like most people went into it expecting it to be just like Run Lola Run. which is stupid, really. and you'd hope people would know better. i'm very glad it wasn't, because nothing makes me sadder than to see someone with such obvious potential to be really interesting and engaging as Tom Tykwer has to go and become utterly monotonous with each film created. The Princess and the Warrior, as such, quite obviously has his hands all over it---but while it does also play heavily on themes of chance and fate, it's in no way some lame retelling of the same story. which serves the film, himself, and the actors in much better stead, quite honestly. i hate seeing people stuck in a rut, and so far i'm happy to say Tykwer isn't one of them (and that includes his scoring work with this film, too). must see more of his stuff. ^^

rewatched Donnie Darko again; this time, via DVD. was v. curious to see the extra stuff they'd put on the DVD, especially the deleted scenes---when watching it the first time, i felt like it was quite good, but there was something missing. perhaps in the "something's been cut out" way, not the "i forgot to put this little helpful bit in" way. so, DVD rental. and while the deleted scenes were indeed quite entertaining, i wouldn't classify them as really bringing new light to anything incredibly important to the run of the movie. but watching it again did make more sense this time around, so perhaps it was just me the first time. i think i like it more the more i watch it, and again am rather depressed to realise that Richard Kelly was only 26 when he wrote and directed this. and even more than that, that it's his first and (so far) only film! man. ;.; i think i'll have to actually purchase this sometime. ^^

finally, watched Reign of Fire a couple of days ago. and as expected, it's very nice eye candy, but the plot falls flat on its face. another case of interesting ideas that weren't carried through particularly well (if at all), and other angst!plot contrivances that were carried on far too long. the way it was shot was really gorgeous though, and the effects were quite nice as well. oh, and it also made me find Matthew McConaughey far less annoying than i ever thought possible (in fact, had his name not been mentioned in the credits, i don't think i would have even fully realised he was in it). so, pretty enough to look at, but rather eh overall.

SNOW HO HO + A BOTTLE OF RUM

...watching someone attempt to negotiate the ice, snow, and salt-encrusted sidewalks of downtown Chicago in a pair of spike heels is nothing short of hilarious.

just thought you ought to know. ^^

phone conversation last night:

mom: so, i was wondering...what anime books do you have?

me: o.o;; er, uh...what kind do you mean?

mom: like that Kiki book you were showing me.

me: oh, like artbooks? i don't know how much a list would help you...

mom: well, i hope you don't have the one i got you. it's a really nice one. and it's all in Japanese, too. but it's backordered till about the end of January. i hope you'll like it.

me: O.o;;; er, i hope so too. thanks, mom.

I'M DREAMING OF AN IMAGE-HEAVY X-MAS...

past couple of days have been weird. as i suppose can be expected. but it seems to have turned out fairly okay in the end, aside from being a slight bit overfull (shouldn't have had a piece of pie; it was the pie that put me over the edge, i'd swear to it...>.<;;;)

many presents given and received, and i've once again been reminded that most of the clothing i wear everyday would probably so make me a prime candidate for What Not To Wear. XD will probably be taken clothes shopping by Spaz' mom as a result at some point in the forseeable future, which might actually be fun. i've always hated clothes shopping, but perhaps since she's experienced and knowledgeable in this arena AND actually does seem to take one's individual tastes into account when picking things out for them, it might work well to my advantage. will probably use time more efficiently at any rate, since she knows what she's doing. hrrr. am good at picking out cute t-shirts and such, and at figuring out how to put outlandish bits of costuming together, but am not terribly good at Real Clothes™. which hasn't really bothered me since high school, but it's nice to take some care once in awhile. hrr.

Spaz is now WRC-tastic. imbued with much WRC apparel-related goodness. oh, and a quasi-Bit Charger Subaru STI. in white. is uberky00t.

(oh, and i also got my very own copy of the Run Lola Run soundtrack. because although Spaz owns it and although we live in the same house together, a few things have kept me from toting it around with me in my CD pouch. one, i think nothing short of prying it out of his cold, dead hand will separate him from it; and two, although it's true that i've got a perfectly good CD burner and could very easily have made a zillion copies by now...i won't. i can't. it's far too good. i usually like to purchase the real item whenever possible, and in this case, i REALLY wanted to. because while i know that the record industry in general is a huge scam concocted to funnel money out of the hands of the fans who plunk it down and into the hands of everyone but whoever was actually responsible for creating the music you're enjoying---part of me still wants to see that eensy bit of change make it to that artist. aren't i overly optimistic? XD)

also got the 24 Hour Party People DVD. UK rental version. yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. >D

as i am dead broke, have been making things for the few people i wanted to give things to. which is nice enough anyway. 'cept for Spaz, who i actually did buy something: the special unrated director's cut of True Romance. <3 <3 <3 is lovely. and beats the print on the LD all to heck. not that that's hard, the LD having been a Warner Brothers one. Warner Brothers, in general, did pretty crappy LDs. 'cept for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, but i think that must've been a fluke. XD

here are some photos:

Mariam's hat (which i finished off making awhile ago), sitting atop our tree...

our house this morning (snow! ^^)

the bushes outside our front door this morning

(also got a cartridge for my turntable finally. mucho thanks to Spaz again; tis yet another Gift That Keeps On Giving. which he's good at, being the head Lola and Zoids p1mp and all...er, uh, wai! ^^)

and now, must go to sleep, for there is unfortunately work in the morning...;.;

testing, testing... dammit, i know

testing, testing...

dammit, i know the sidebar is a bit fuckered up at the moment, but i'm rather pressed for time. i'll fix it later, i swear. XD

*howls hysterically*

i have to say, Naked Quidditch Match is the most hilarious thing i've read in months

thank you, Stephen. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXD

and happy christmas to anyone so inclined. ^^

silly quiz daishokku!

yep yep, oh the boredom.

i'm sure no one here will be terribly surprised, either.

dual quiz results:

Buzz buzz, I am Coffee flavoured. I am popular in the workplace, even though I am often bitter. I am energetic to the point of being frenetic; buzz buzz, out of my way. I tend to overwork myself and need periods of recovery time. What Flavour Are You?

and also:

Mmm, I am Lemon Flavoured. I am bitter and twisted. Expect from me acerbic humour and sharp commentary. While I may seem nasty at first, I'm actually quite good company if I like you, so long as you don't mind a bit of cutting to the chase. What Flavour Are You?

woohoo, i am tasty.

(psst, beware the popups if you take this quiz yourself; there are many...)

eeeeee

i think i feel progressively less and less like the holidays have arrived every single year. as such, i'm completely amazed that tomorrow's christmas eve. hrr.

oh well. doesnae mean i won't be making more goodies to take over to Spaz' family's house. which will be fun.

and i'm even prouder to report that none of the items being made came from any of the books spotlighted in The Gallery of Regrettable Foods. except for that lovely lard and sheep intestine jell-o mold i was planning on casting the instant i get home this evening...

in other news, the weekend was alright. went to Juri and Greg's party Friday evening after work. was okay. re-met Kya, as she mentions in her LJ. met a bunch of other people who i hadn't really before, and whose names i'm sure i'd completely screw up if i tried to list them. and of course, Shinji_-kun was also there. many people were very, very, drunk, and a very Special time was had by all. it was too bad that Puu was not there, for i had no chance to destroy her with my mighty fop-fu. d'oh. (although Shinji_-kun made a nice stand-in, for he whipped out lyrics to No Doubt's "Don't Speak" [which is definitely on my list of songs that most make me want to stab splintering wooden sporks deep into my eye sockets] and began tunelessly intoning them in my general direction, thusly forcing me to whip out "Handsome Devil"...>D)

ohohohoho.

rest of weekend was okay. except for scary chase by stupid angry!man in big black Dodge Ram pickup truck. but i'll leave that alone for the moment. also, Joe Strummer is dead. happy christmas?

perhaps more later...? if not, for anyone celebrating either religious or secular customs, and for those not celebrating either...have a nice next couple of days. but don't assume i won't be here, because i may well surprise you with my lameness dedication...

oh, and you'd better make it back safely. else i shall find you and kick your arse. *.*;;;

also, i got kissed by a cute girl this weekend. and you didn't. so nyah. XD

re:

the ending of this is a little trite and not quite right for my tastes, but check out this song by Voltaire. (Lise probably doesn't even have to ask which one.) it's pretty dead on otherwise, given certain circumstances encompassing the world. >P

<big_angst> it's times like these when humanity really annoys me.</big_angst>

in other completely banal news, i do really adore it when people don't look before they sit somewhere. i mean, you'd think you'd want to do that not even out of consideration for anyone else, but because you perhaps don't find the idea of sitting in a large, steaming mound of dog crap particularly exciting...right?

on the train this morning, as usual. napping a bit, and had a pan of brownies wrapped with aluminum foil in a plastic bag on the seat next to me. there were plenty of other seats open (as there usually are on this train, which i ride every day at the same time), so i didn't think this was a problem.

this very nice wench gets on the train, plops her arse down in the seat next to me...right on the brownies. reminds me why i don't really like to use those disposable aluminum baking tins they sell in grocery stores, as they would've been smashed and all over the seat of her pants. instead, she merely broke the protective aluminum seal.

now, after doing so, you'd think she'd have noticed. i'd think sitting on an unexpected cast iron nonstick baking tin would probably make some sort of impression, no matter how thickly padded one's arse might be. and you'd also think she would've apologised.

but no---no acknowledgment whatsoever. if she'd only asked, i'd have been happy to move them---i mean, there were a zillion other seats open, but whatever. i don't own the train.

i moved them hastily out of the way and glared, although she probably couldn't see it around my hood. i also didn't say anything, as it wouldn't have done any good, really, and would have just created a really stupid ugly scene in an enclosed space. no point, really. when we got downtown, she got up and to the door quite hastily.

my brownies have been violated by anonymous ass. what a way to start the morning. >P

[n.b. please don't worry; these aren't the ones intended for you guys. these are for the workplace holiday party going on this afternoon. your batch is safely ensconced in my fridge, and won't have the chance for anyone but me or someone else you know to sit on it before it arrives at your door later this evening. so never fear---any ass ending up in your brownies shall not be anonymous. XD]

IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN

Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in California.

i'd say that this is unbelievable, but what frightens me more is that it really isn't. not in the current climate of so many things.

sometimes i really wish the world would end so we could be done with fucking each other over (literally and figuratively) so very badly. because WE DON'T FUCKING LEARN. ever. no matter how many times we doom ourselves to repeat the same mistakes in slightly different contexts and with slightly different players---never.

you'd think all the rote memorisation we're forced to do in our years of compulsory education would at least have made the idea stick that if you repeat something enough times, some of it eventually gets beaten into your head.

but evidently, this is not the case.

i'm afraid to ask what's next.

[addendum: if you're a concerned US citizen and are reading this, you can contact your local Representative here. i would think that in a case like this, probably sending a polite but concerned letter via actual postal mail would be better received (and less easy to simply delete), so you might also want to go here and click on your appropriate Representative's website in order to find out what their postal mailing address is. if you're not a US citizen but still wish to express your concern, you might want to look up your country's ambassador to the US, or possibly the US' ambassador to your country. there's a directory of US embassies in other countries here. special thanks to Tanzy for being far more clearheaded about this than i was being, and suggesting this information.]

demystification

: some rather obnoxious Oxide & Neutrino thing which i really ought to skip past...there

hah, that's what i get for not reading other blogs as regularly as usual lately. Sabina, at first reading what you'd said about "Here to Stay" and its placement in your Snitch! soundtrack, i wasn't sure i could really see it. and then i thought about it more, and i can see where it could fit, yes...thing is, i wouldn't even have considered it at the time i'd put mine together, as it hadn't even been hinted at existing yet at that time. XD perhaps if i revised it, but there might be quite a few things i'd do differently if i went back and revised it. heh. XD

and although it might seem a rather silly thing, i had not previously known what the real difference between eau de parfum and eau de toilette was. probably cos i was never incredibly into indulgences of scent---unless you count the fact that i obviously enjoy making food, and there's plenty of olfactory assault jubilation in that arena. so. i feel Enlightened. XD

...and speaking of which, that's what i get to do more of tonight. workplace holiday party tomorrow which i'm making brownies for, and Julie's gathering, which i'm also making brownies for. and which is also tomorrow. and which i might also make another pie for, if i'm feeling brazenly ambitious when i get home this evening.

this will bring my pie count for this season up to 7, and i haven't even gotten past christmas yet. O.O;;;

Shinji_-kun is allegedly making soup. specifically, his (in)famous matzo-ball soup. am looking forward to tasting it. which probably sounds bad on about a zillion different levels, but ask me if i care...? XD

and in conclusion, if someone wants to charge $3.39 for a 12 oz. package of chocolate chips, they'd better damn well be some excellent chocolate chips, else you're getting severely ripped off. >P

someday, perhaps, i'll have something more entertaining to write about here...

DAMGER, DANGER, OH YES...

: "butterfly (pikachu mix)." smile dk.

listening to above repeatedly + imbibing first can of Mountain Dew Code Red in months* = BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

>DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

* = not counting small amounts taken in the form of Icees at the movies a few times since then. not nearly as much actual MD crack Code Red goodness in those. Icee-ness only serves to cut the crack down. which is completely different from Slurpee-ness, for some reason. thusly proving my theory that all real crack in this world emanates from 7-11 and its various clever worldwide aliases (aliii?), but then again...er, BWEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! >D

*proceeds to dance around workspace madly*

UNOBSERVATIONS

: "good girl down." morcheeba.

it's pouring out today. which, i s'pose, is much better than sheets of ice all around and being in constant danger of falling for the fiftieth time that day on my arse, but still.

so walking to work today, the following information was gathered:

* there are way too many Volvos around here. mostly newish sedans and station wagons, and of course since they've all got the ruddy steel passenger cage that they're all so very proud of, they seem to feel that they only need to follow the rules of the road if they want to. like, say, using turn signals. they also think it's okay to get angry at the pedestrians they almost mow down while not using their turn signals and not even bothering to LOOK before randomly turning. granted, i'm a bunch of flesh and bones and wrapped up tight in my super-heavy winter coat, i doubt i'd do much damage to the car. but if that driver had turned into, oh, another car? oh, the fun. >P

* golf umbrellas are an utter and complete nuisance. but they're also nothing short of gut-burstingly hilarious when some twit using one gets it blown inside out by the wind and then can't figure out how to get it to go right side out again! XXXD really. it isn't that hard. i know it's this big, bloated, oversized thing that you probably got to go with your big, bloated, oversized SUV, but really. you'd think an umbrella wouldn't be such a complicated thing to manouver. pfft. XD

* more with random carspotting! today, a really neat and well-kept old Toyota! the badge on the back said "GT 5-speed," and sure enough, it had a very long stick in its center console, as if to testify to its vintage-ness. a really good shade of orange, too. i would guess it was probably built in the '70s, although i wouldn't quote me on that. no photos, as i didn't have my camera with (and even if i had, the camera is quite unfortunately shite and wouldn't have made anything look decent in this weather/lighting. so.). i tried Googling the information i had and only came up with recent Celica GTs, unfortunately. there didn't look to be an additional badge missing on the back, either. so i'll try to puzzle it out, and if i find anything interesting, will post up further info later.

unless any of you reading this have got any...? if you have, i'd be most grateful...

STOP ME BEFORE I LINK AGAIN

: "coffee mug." the descendents.

erm, uh...

this isn't nearly as pr0nographic as it would sound.

but still.

O.O;;;

[n.b. Keito-chan, you might not want to go there...^^;;;]

another thing observed today: Dole's Raspberry-Kiwi juice tastes distressingly not unlike bacon. o.o;;

remind me that i must write about The Princess and the Warrior sometime soon. saw it this weekend. Tom Tykwer kicked my arse yet again.

more intermittently in dayshoursminutessecondsweeksmonthsyears to come...

PROCRASTINATION STREET

: "video killed the radio star." lolita no. 18.

right, game time.

firstly, there's Domo-kun's Angry Smashfest over at Newgrounds. it's exactly what it sounds like, and it's loads of fun. check it out, won't you? >D

and really, this is all just an excuse to plug the Aqua Teen Hunger Force games over at ATHF.com. in their games section, there's such (sure-to-become) classic titles as Master Shake's Driving Contest, ATHF Space Combat, and of course Meatwad's Dance Dance Jambox (which is a nice DDR spoof).

enjoy.

(and Sumy, if you did do up "i <3 Meatwad" shirts, i would love you forever and ever and ever. and could even pledge you the love of several people who don't know you. whether or not you actually would appreciate their love is another matter entirely. but. XD)

GETTING AROUND TO IT

: "absolutely cuckoo." magnetic fields.

so now that we've got a DVD player at our disposal, i do believe that more anime might make it back into the regular diet over at La Casa de Diesel (& co.). there are several reasons for this, most of which should be pretty apparent if you know me at all. so i won't beat you over the head with them. nyah. will forever long for the days when LDs were lovely and plentiful, but there's no going backward, y'know? ;.;

anyrate, we rented and watched the first four layers of Serial Experiments Lain last night. without spoilers, some impressions:

1) i really wanted to like this. after hearing people talk about it, and reading about it, and especially seeing all of the artwork from it---i really wanted to like it. so i went into watching it with that predisposition.

2) while i'm getting rather tired of the opening theme (probably due to overexposure more than anything), i also really don't care for the ending theme. however, i'm digging the supremely minimalist and downright creepy score in general. hrrm.

3) the first two episodes layers, neither Spaz nor i was quite sure what to make of it. didn't get much out of them. this changed as we got into the third, and things turned around. i really do want to see more of this, and Spaz seemed amenable as well...once things started moving. generally, i like to try to give TV series four episodes in which to capture my interest, as far as anime goes. usually, this isn't a bad rule of thumb.*

4) after watching the first four layers and coming to the above conclusions, i mused that had i been watching this on TV, one episode per week...i probably wouldn't have gotten far enough to become interested. which is kind of sad, as i know i'm not viewing it quite as it was meant to be viewed, it being a TV series and all. but. the saving grace of viewing chunks of things, i s'pose.

will have more to say on it as i get to watch more. this DVD thing has opened up a whole new world, though. a new and dangerous world. good thing i'm pretty broke---it'd be a whole lot more dangerous if i wasn't. XD

* = HUGE case-in-point being Nurse Angel Ririka, SOS. at least, for me. back in the days before i had a full-time job and was still living with my mom, i had a whole lot more time to waste watch anime. so at one point, i struggled through about twelve episodes of this show before finally giving up. i just could not get into it. for the record, i also don't care for Hana Yori Dango, in terms of uber-shoujo-ness. oddly enough, Oniisama E... entertains me greatly, but i think that's more because of the SUPREMELY over-the-top melodrama and angst. still have yet to see (or read) Versailles no Bara, though, so i wouldn't really call me an Ikeda fangirl or anything. should i turn in my shoujo fangirl card yet...?

another thought occurred to me the other day, while listening to the same song i'm listening to now: don't a lot of Magnetic Fields songs sound a bit like they could be christmas music? don't they evoke similar feelings in the way they're constructed? don't the sounds play on your ears in the same way as when christmas songs were new to you and you hadn't had the unpleasant experience of hearing the ruddy Ukranian Bell Carol so many times you'd gotten completely sick of it?

of course, the lyrics aren't taken into consideration. that isn't the point. but what i think we ought to do is form the only carolling group i'd really ever want to be part of: one which goes and performs nicely arranged acappella versions of select Magnetic Fields songs, door-to-door, as is carolling custom.

it would be absolutely lovely, thinking about it---people listening would be very smiley and happy, and then would catch a particularly twisted lyric here or there, and that vague confusion would begin to dawn...

no, i haven't had any caffeine today. why do you ask?

HAPPY THURSDAY MORNING

Mary Hansen of Stereolab has been killed.

this is fucking horrible.

;.;

SOLAMENTE IN MI BIBLIOTÉCA...

breaktime a few moments ago:

me: is anyone else here disturbed by the fact that there are Care Bear Gummi Bears right now? i mean, you aren't supposed to eat the Care Bears...

Amy: ...but then they're caring for your insides!

XD

my hair has faded into

my hair has faded into a variety of shades of grapefruit. which is somewhat entertaining, and is somewhat floofing itself out (due to it being still shower-wet when stuck underneath my warm fleecey hat this morning) rather annoyingly. it is also in dire need of being cut. shall have to see what i can do about that. hrrm.

and in other pointless news, i'd really appreciate a giant stack of toast. really. perhaps that'll comprise a healthy dinner this evening?

OHOHOHO...

...

*howls*

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXD

CHAPTER THE 23RD, IN WHICH JANNI'S GOAT IS GOTTEN

posting the list of projects accomplished below reminded me of something i wanted to address. hence, rant time. whee. skip if uninterested, blahdiblahdiblah...

<champs at the bit>

whenever people make the mistake of saying anything to the effect of how i've become incredibly "domestic," i want to knock their fucking teeth down their throat.

i don't mean this in a personal way. i understand too that the people who tend to say such things don't generally tend to mean this in a bad way, or as any sort of slight whatsoever. quite the opposite; it's usually meant to be some sort of compliment.

but it makes me feel like a fucking pet.

yes, i like to cook. i like to bake. i like to do various crafty things. i also like to pretend i know what i'm doing in regards to cobbling together designs for this page, for the band pages, and for other things i haven't gotten so far with developing yet. and occasionally, i like to pretend i can write music and/or write fanfiction. i used to like to pretend i could paint. and someday, if given the chance, i'd probably like to pretend i could nail, glue, and screw things together and create weird appliances out of various woods. and there's probably a zillion and a half other things i like to do that i haven't listed. really, i do try to have more than one dimension to me.

but basically, one thread ties all these things together: i do whatever it is that i do (and however it is that i choose to do it) because it AMUSES ME.

i think the thing that bothers me about this whole "domestic" thing is that it's so impressive to people of a particular mindset because it's expected. because they want to encourage that sort of behaviour in me, because ever since they've known me, i haven't been what they expected. i mean, i'm not claiming to be the most strange or unusual person in the world, or anything of the sort. but these are people who don't know what to do with me, because i am not really a trad female.

but goddammit, i want these people to understand that i do things because they amuse me, and because they're useful. not out of some sense of propriety, or innate "femininity" (if you heard me saying that, i'd be hissing and spitting as i said it as far as the particular tone in which it's meant goes), or what have you. and it drives me nuts that it's perceived that way.

even though i know i shouldn't care. but i hate the notion that boys are expected to play with power tools while girls are expected to play with power mixers, and more to the point, that crossing those lines in any direction is perceived as an aberration of some sort. they run off of very similar motors, y'know. i was beating my soup with a Makita drill with a single beater (neither Fred nor George, thanks) shoved in its chuck not even a month ago. i think that presents the perfect image.

in conclusion, i think i ought to run off and become a bricklayer. or go join Harpy at her soldering.

burn ward, here i come! XD

</champs at the bit>

NO PANTS WERE HARMED IN THE VACATING OF THIS BLOG

ohohoho. the sick fuck. XD Fi ought to appreciate that, especially. XXXD

so, stuff. had a very productive week-and-a-half, during which i was online even less than i'd initially thought. hence, the dearth of inane postage from me. am vewy sowwy. or something. >D

made tons of pies for the thanksgiving hol. was meant to make two; instead ended up making four. which turned out pretty well, although they need some slight tweaking. but given that all were recipes i'd not tried before, this is not much of a surprise.

other things accomplished:

* made the warmest comforter EVER. and it's washable! and cost less than buying one! ^^ ah, the wonder of fleece. and quilt batting. and sweatshirt heather. oh yes. am proud. though i think it needs a bit more stitching towards the inside, as there are four layers that need to be stuck together a bit more to make me feel completely comfortable with tossing it in the washer.

* finished the damnable brake boot for the '98 Jetta. and found out that apparently both the black upholstery thread AND the black all-purpose thread tend to do nasty bad things to the workings of my sewing machine, hence why all the stitching issues going on with trying to piece the damned thing together! i switched to invisible thread in what would have been my VERY FUCKING LAST ATTEMPT EVER (had it not worked, of course) on this particular boot---you don't even want to know HOW much time i've spent on this thing, beating my brains out trying to figure out what i was doing wrong. but! it's done, it fits perfectly, and it looks VERY smart in the car! matches nicely with the shift boot (which i also made); i took photos, but as they turned out like utter ass, shall have to take new ones. same with the comforter, actually. although all texture will be lost in both. a pity, too---the textures are great with both. ^^

* made Mariam's Gryffindor hat! it needs a teensy bit of adjustment, as the bit where i made it so it would grip one's head firmly is a bit too tight for comfort, but it's otherwise done! and i took a couple of decent photos of it...which, unfortunately, are sitting on my computer at home. unless i was a twit and FTPed them up already and don't remember. hang on while i check...nope, apparently not. i'll try to post it later, if i remember. it's got a nice splooshy pom-pom on top, and while it looks completely ridiculous on me, it looks great on my christmas tree---and more importantly, will probably look fine on just about anyone who doesn't have the gigantic pumpkin head that i do. XD

* bagels! whee! they're not hard to make, just time-consuming! and i also must add here that gigantic pots of boiling water don't really frighten me. i can handle those. but the thought of gigantic pots of boiling oil terrifies me to bits and pieces. hence, i doubt i'll be tackling donuts anytime soon. which is probably better for everyone anyway; as Spaz said, "why don't you just eat a whole stick of butter instead?" XD the occasional donut is okay, but i can take them or leave them, really. bagels, however, are wunderbar. ^^

* in various fits of insanity, i also made tortilla chips (made tortillas first, of course), puffy crackers, dill potato salad (two batches), and i forget what else. am out of Abuelita; need some more, as this is a most sad happening. made this recipe for some sort of dinner rolls that i'd never tried before that were really great; particularly when topped with bits of butterkäse cheese. num. ^^

* have also been contracted by various individuals to make various other scarves and knit apparel for them. am just excited at the prospect of learning how to knit my own damn socks so i can have socks that are a) warm, and b) don't fall down!**

of course, various other things were done, too. got some bits of christmas shopping done...oh, and found some quality F1 games for my Sega Genesis in the used bin at GameStop, too! the most expensive of these was Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge, and it was only $3.99, so i felt i was getting quite a deal. the other two were Super Monaco GP (of course), and Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II. the biggest miracle of all of this was that all three not only had reasonably well-kept nice hard plastic Genesis cases, but all three actually had their manuals, as well! O.O;;; and we figured, if we didn't like these games, it'd be a simple matter to sell them on eBay or something similar. the Senna game would probably make more than i spent on all three in total, just due to his hame being attached to it. *rolls eyes* eheh. but! SMGPII and the Ferrari GP Challenge are GREAT. SMGP is *okay,* although i think the look on my face when confronted with the random racing chick in the title screen was probably priceless. XD

the Ferrari game is great, though. ASSMGPII allows you to customise bits of how you set up your car, as well as whether you drive with an automatic, 4-speed, or 7-speed manual trans...but it's not nearly as customisable as the Ferrari game is. and half the fun of the Ferrari game too is testing your skill at figuring out what the real identities of the various F1 teams who hadn't had their names licensed for the game were. (Jordan, for one, didn't even have the advertisements hidden in any way from their livery! XD)

much other stuff occurred, as well. no ficcing, and almost no contact with the computer for a week. was rather nice, actually. although there is much i need to do which will involve me wiring my computer into my head for the next few months, i'm sure.

which reminds me. i have known for some time now that i desperately need to redesign the band's website. anyone here who's amassed far greater mad skills at this sort of thing than i have have any suggestions? i've got ideas, but the problem is finding time in which to implement them, as well as finding time in which to read and teach myself the new skills i'll need to do at least some of them. really, the problem is just plain time, as always. so i fling myself upon your tender mercies and ask for advice...?

eee, and we watched the tape of us from this year's Acen. it was horrifying, although not as much as i'd thought. damn is it hard to dance in those boots. shall have to endeavour to learn how, so that i don't look so much like a shambling old person next time. and Kevin was on the tape! i miss Kevin. ;.;

oh, what else? i'm sure there's more, but i just can't think of it right now.

i hope you all are doing well. ^^

(and by the way, and if ANYONE knows where to find an Initial D: Arcade Stage machine ANYWHERE near the Chicagoland area, PLEASE let me know. i don't know what i can do to pay you back, other than offer to write you some nice wholesome penguin yaoi, but...er, i'll try my best? o-ne-ga-i?? *bats eyelashes cutely*)

i'll do a friend plug here as well: go here and check out Sarah's webpage. not much to it yet, but photos galore. the ones at Halloween of this year are particularly great, featuring her and Eric (yes, our twitchy little drummercatboy) dressed as...each other. XD

also, for anyone not already familiar with the lovely and talented Fifichu, you ought to skip on over to Loveloev.com so you can check out the fabulous jewelry that she and several of her cohorts have lovingly assembled for purchase. they're really spiffy, and if i had money, i'd probably buy some. ^^;;; since i can't, why don't you go let me vicariously buy through you? ^^

finally (and i meant to mention this), but we finally gave in and got a DVD player (well, Spaz gave in and got a DVD player) while i was away. it is region-free. and does PAL-to-NTSC conversion. w00t. ^-^

right, that's all pertinent things (i think). post over. go home now.

** how sad is that? XD

TANJOUBI...?!??!?!

i'd just like to wish a happy birthday to the most wonderful, kind, sweet, innocent, pure-minded Beeru-boober-boo who has ever existed. and who has never, ever, had a single even remotely perverse thought in her life. which is something of an accomplishment, methinks, particularly seeing as she was not born yesterday.

...unlike Sumy, who apparently was actually born yesterday, only some number of years ago. happy birthday to her too, and had i known better, perhaps i'd have stated as such in a more timely fashion? ^^

perhaps more later? ^^