licking up a mess of fun...

...and wow, never thought i'd reference that here. XD

anyrate, just posted an update at Licking the Spoon. hope to actually update it a little more frequently, too. not planning to adhere to an actual schedule, but i think only one entry in a month is a bit sad, really. XD

i am stationary; i am run by clockwork

to further grind it into your heads that i am both endlessly and easily amused, here are some of the more entertaining things people searched for in order to get here. most of these things aren't actually found here, but watch me be helpful in some cases with locating them elsewhere:

arse police

do these police enforce strict arsal guidelines? and if so, on many arses or on just one? is each arse a separate jurisdiction, thusly necessitating a new police precinct-or-equivalent for each one? enquiring minds want to know what was actually meant by this!

kimi raikkonen robot evening post

...does he seem robotic to you? he doesn't to me. but what do i know? *shrugs*

kimi raikkonen shirtless

whilst i might perhaps admit to seeing the point, you won't find it here. sorry. XD

raikkonen tattoo

as in one(s) he's got, or tattoos of him on other people? specificity is helpful. ^^

refrigerating biscuit dough will it work

...will it work in what way? and what sort of biscuits? i'd hazard a guess and say that in most cases, probably; although you may want to let the dough warm up a little before shaping and/or baking, depending on how long you leave them in the refrigerator.

what shape do biscuits come in

pre-made? if you make the dough yourself, you can make any sort of biscuit in virtually any shape you're physically able to create. pre-made ones might be more difficult.

battle of the bums kylie j-lo

strict criteria must be established before such a battle can take place. may the most potent arse(nal) win.

lions and tigers lyrics sleater-kinney

LOADS of variants on this particular search. i thought i'd seen them somewhere, but since i can't find lyrics for this song at all while searching myself, perhaps i'll transcribe and post them up at some point in the future. in the interest of being helpful and all. XD

i love rock and roll meril

even with reading the Meril way, apparently she's got time to rock and roll, too. i bow in awe of her mad multitasking skills. XD

bmw weighted shift rod

you might also try the phrase "weighted selector rod," since it seems to be phrased more in that way for BMWs (at least, in my cursory searching). found an interesting DIY article for making your very own weighted selector rod for your BMW over at Understeer.com, though. if you've got all the other tools necessary and are DIY-minded, they claim it'll only run around $5, as opposed to the $100 or so expected if you buy one ready-made (which you'd have to install or else pay someone to install anyway). don't know how well this works, but the instructions at least look pretty comprehensive, and have detailed photos to follow along with, too. worth having a look, at least. ^^

diesel spaz

yes, Diesel is a bit of a spaz sometimes. as is Spaz. hence, the name. i live with both of them. er...what was the question again? XD

ikea porn

this one is all my fault. i know it. although if there are other reasons, i'm not sure i want to know. XD

armpit licking archives

try here. ^^

hand lotion secret message

if you came here convinced i could help you to decode the secret message your hand lotion was trying to give you, nothing i could ever say or do would actually help you. at least, i don't think so. o.o;;

protege5 aftermarket parts

if i were you (and actually had a Protege5 and money to spend on parts for it), i'd check out someplace like Protege5.com's forums and read up on what different people have got to say about different parts/vendors/etc. not quite try-before-you-buy, but nice to get the opinions of actual consumers on things before you plunk down money. enthusiast forums can be very useful and good friends if you've got time and patience. ^^ someone else's experience is never the same as your own, but it might help steer you away from something genuinely bad, which can only be a good thing.

wookie sex

the search query that would not die. blame can be placed squarely on the shoulders of myself, Mariam, Umnia, and orcs everywhere for that fateful, fateful conversation which i can no longer recall details of. d'oh. XD

you wanna slow down? eat my insurrection!

as mentioned earlier to Our Favourite Postie Paul, i'm actually not dead yet. just slightly ill. unfortunately, despite the presence of some rather nasty, muculent virus in my system, no one has yet seen fit to write "a lyrical evocation of [my] foliage" while so infected. le sigh. *puts hand to forehead tragically whilst otherwise mock-channelling the ghosts of Peter Murphy's cheekbones---in chlorophyll-infused form, of course*

as a token of my something-or-other for thee; here, have this: Bush Candidacy in Peril in Alabama.

...nah, it's just too easy. even for me. XD

perhaps more later, as mucus amusement/necessity/outrage/etc. strikes.

limping velocity randomness

in no particular order:

oh Sumilicious wonder: for some reason, i feel an overwhelming urge to form a band called "the bleeding creambuns" now...XD am glad you are full of purty drawrings. ^-^

and i feel fairly certain that Beeru-chan will be amused by this. but i hope at least someone else is also amused by Home Uses for Penguins.

all for now.

(or at least, until someone definitively convinces me that yes, this really is just an assload of mucus, and no, it really isn't my brain leaking out my nostrils in vaguely lemony gelatinous form...>.<;;;)

mock mare-mare soup

eheh.

finally, what you've all been waiting for (no doubt) :

The True Story of Mariam's Pants---in Really Crude Comic Form!

enjoy. apologies for the slight fuzziness on the left sides of most pages; couldn't get the spiral side of the notebook to cooperate as well as i'd have liked with the scanner.

don't believe the hype...

since this is the big weekend for marshmallow Peeps, chocolates of all stripes, eggs, small children, chicks, and bunnies---wanted to mention once more that Easter and bunnies DON'T mix.

while it's my privately-held belief that only a complete twat would adopt or purchase a pet about which they knew nothing (or next to nothing) as regards the care and handling involved, i understand completely how overwhelming the power of Cute can be. but please, with a rabbit or chick or any other pet consideration you're thinking of undertaking, do yourself and your intended the biggest favour you can and do the research first.

much emphasis is placed on the difference between fiction and reality as regards children and what they grow up believing. so why are cartoons the most common basis for most people's presumptions involving more uncommon pets (and especially rabbits and mice)? while i haven't got personal issues with Bugs Bunny, he's been a terrible example to humans of how to treat bunnies properly; the most glaring example being that carrots are actually quite bad for rabbits. in small doses (a bite here or there, once in awhile), they're fine. but feeding a rabbit a diet composed entirely (or mostly) of carrots will virtually rip their intestines to shreds. not a pleasant thought, and generally not intentional---but it happens. as with anything, education is key.

sometimes i wonder why i get so particularly irate about this subject. i mean, rabbits are important, but other creatures are of course important as well. and i begin to wonder, if we can't treat other human beings decently, then who the hell am i to expect that we could treat non-human beings with any modicum of respect? maybe some part of my brain considers this to be a more easily controlled thing. not entirely sure. :P my point is, most living things shouldn't be considered as "impulse buys," and that does seem to be an especially evident mentality at this particular time of year.

more articles on the subject can be found here, , here, here, here, here, and here.

COG

Neil Gaiman mentions a really unbelievably cool TV advert for the Honda Accord, which has been written about in really great detail here, by the Daily Telegraph. the long and short of it is, it's an insanely complicated and cool bit of watching all the mechanical innards of the Accord working together; action and reaction and reaction. and NO CG trickery of any sort employed; they really did this as one shot all straight through. it took upwards of 600 takes to get exactly right, but the point is that they did it. they took the time. they Did Not Cheat. ^-^

which isn't to say that i'm against computer graphics. not in the slightest. when done well, and not merely for the sake of waving someone's expensive new toys about in the faces of the audience, Just Because They Can. that's the sort of thing that pisses me off to no end.

there's also more than a little bit of sadness to see amazing things done with puppets and animatronics and such, and (gasp) hand-drawn lightning and other special effects, and thinking "that's great, but we're never going to see anything like that again, are we?"

Gollum, of course, was a great leap forward. but how many bazillion dollars were spent on the effects in the Harry Potter movies (to name a particularly glaring example), and how crap did they (mostly) look? it's not about the toys, it's about the talent. it's about how they're used. and the idea that older forms of doing effects work, of the days of Kit West fiddling with a kazillion and a half condoms to make up the innards of the giant sandworm that Paul Atreides latches his hook into to ride in David Lynch's Alan Smithee's Dune will never come again. great miniature work? what's that?

it wouldn't be so bad if more CG effects looked better. but a lot of them don't. and so, quality is sacrificed for convenience, once again. :P things that had risen to a level of being accomplished artistic expressions are left writhing sadly in the dust. does advancement always have to be about discarding all vestiges of the old? it really shouldn't be that way, but all too often that seems to be the case.

at any rate, i REALLY hope i get to see this on TV sometime. wasn't shown during our airing of the Brazilian GP, that much i can tell you. not that i'm surprised. Honda.co.uk has put it up online, in both a smaller version and a larger version. additionally, an Accord owner particularly taken with the ad and distressed at the appallingly slow download times he was getting from Honda's UK site mirrored it at his own site here.

i'll take a look once i'm home. the painstaking description written up in the Daily Telegraph just sounds too unbelievably cool not to. o.o;;;

[addendum: after having watched it (and it IS really cool and highly recommended; you'll need Flash 6 installed to do so, however), the Daily Telegraph article is actually wrong. not everywhere gets Accord wagons (the US doesn't), so they couldn't air this commercial just anywhere. and the car is also right-hand drive, of course. so they'd have to change that a bit if they wanted to air it in the US, as well as elsewhere. since they already spent so much time and money to get this commercial shot, it might actually be much easier and more cost-effective to simply make Accord wagons available everywhere. in right-hand drive. ^^]

lucky frogs are one thing, but milking cows?

a recent request by German newspaper Bild for tips on how Michael Schumacher could once again be on top in F1 yielded the following article, filled with reader suggestions:

Milking Cows Could Help Schumi Find His Touch.

XD

i have seen the future, and it is in my Mariam's pants!

coworkers Rob and J. have had entertaining speculations about the notion of Mariam's pant theft. Rob was kind of hoping it had been a case of "Mariam passed out asleep on bus. Someone stole pants right off her." J. had suggested the possibility that she'd been conned right out of her pants, and went about composing the proper sort of grift for just such an occasion.

and i spoke to Mariam a little bit ago. she'll be joining me later on; luckily, it turns out her transit card wasn't in her pants, so it didn't get stolen as well. and it turns out apparently that the theft wasn't nearly so exciting. a) she wasn't in the pants at the time, and b) they merely got stolen from the front counter of the library. that's all. XD

however, perhaps we'll still draw comics at lunchtime anyway. who knows? can't wait to see her, however---it really has been too long (although i did briefly see her before the Hang On The Box show i went to awhile back).

but, er, just so you know.

perhaps this is meant to be a lesson wherein she's meant to learn that she shouldn't ever wear pants? hrrm.

maybe it's Think Tank that de-panted her? XD

AHA! Dirty Damon strikes again! XD XD XD

how the beaujolais is raining

saw a book with the following title in the window of one of the antiquarian bookshops up the street on the way in this morning:

I WATCHED A WILD HOG EAT MY BABY!!!

(parse that sentence, if you dare. XD)

in other news, Sarah D. rocks my world yet again for pointing Penzeys Spices out to me. all sorts of lovely bulk spices that can be ordered online, and the quality is supposed to be fantastic. and really well-priced, too. just say no to McCormick + their ilk! will likely have more to say once i've obtained things from them, and will probably say it over at LtS, as it's meant more for these sorts of things. XD oh, and take a look at those peppermills. are they not amazing? O.O;;;

in still other news, may or may not be meeting my sister for lunch today. was definitely supposed to; however, it now depends on whether she can beg, borrow, and/or steal enough money to get down here and join me.*

why, you don't ask? the reason is simple.

someone stole her pants. yesterday.

more details will (hopefully) be forthcoming. she hasn't given me any yet, as she was too busy doing silly little things like trying to call the bank and report theft of her ATM card and all that. some people just have an appalling lack of priorities. XD

but i do wonder---aside from how her pants were stolen (such as, were they on her?)---what was the motivation of the thief? was this a "Down With Pants!" motivated crime?** was it an "Oooh, Those Pants Are Lovely And I Must Have Them" type of crime? or was it a simple, boring old case of trying to snatch her wallet away and coming up with a whole handful of pants instead?

i may be rather upset if it turns out that it's something as simple as she went to the gym and someone broke into her locker and stole them. after all, i've got such amusing images in my head now. it almost makes me want to do crude stick-figure drawings of all the scenarios for pant-theft circling around my head. and i'd ask if this was wrong of me, except i know she'd be at least as amused as i am if i did. XD i <3 my sister.

...and in still other other news, i am that sort of utterly exhausted this morning. you wouldn't think a half an hour less sleep than usual would make much difference, but it does. i'm the sort of tired where it's not just a big cup of coffee that's needed to make one even able to focus one's eyes properly; instead, a veritable full-body thrust overboard into a gigantic vat of coffee would probably be necessary. not too hot a vat, obviously. rather deliciously warm. 'cept i bet it would begin to irritate the skin after awhile. but it's an interesting thought. although now i'm left thinking about Janet Jackson, for some reason, and it's not helping matters any. >.<;;;

more as it develops, unless i completely black out at the keys...in which case, lucky you. XD

* = i'll spring for her lunch if need be, but i unfortunately lack the means and/or skills necessary to magically teleport money to her for the cost of her transit. although if i did have such skill, wouldn't it make more sense to either transport her directly here and/or transport myself directly up somewhere to meet her? and why would i have such a bloody long commute to complain about? questions, questions. XD

** = i know that Fi, for instance, is very strongly anti-pants. but i don't think even she would go to such extremes. unless my sister was a really cute boy---something which i'm nearly certain she is not. but i'm digressing. again. XD

still not as teeny as a SMART car...

although it hasn't been updated in awhile, there's still more than enough to keep one busy over at Oh My God Dad, That Car's Teeny!---should said one be particularly interested in a whole lot of links to information about virtually every classic Mini there ever was.
several links are of course dead, but those that aren't are quite interesting. it's too bad most of the ones in the "history" section aren't working, though...;.;

er, just thought i'd mention. ^^

(it's true. the SMART City Coupé is 2.5m in length, whereas the MINI Cooper is 3.6m. which makes it a half-metre longer than the original Minis, but they'd still be longer than the SMART. so nyah. XD)

strange days...

the Seattle Times has an article about how the implications posed by the draft of Patriot Act II* that has been released have brought some usually rather oppositional forces together.

...yes, it is serious. and everyone should be concerned. it isn't a partisan argument. (of course, nothing really is, but that's beside the point. XDXD)

* = which can be found here, if you need a good horror story before going off to bed.

early to rise...

what's better than filling up a travel mug with freshly-made coffee on a morning when you've woken up more exhausted than when you went to sleep?

filling up a travel mug with oleang and taking it with you. ^^

(if you want to cheat, you can use a coffeemaker to make it. condensed milk [sweetened or not] can also be used. ^^)

nyum. ^^

also, in my search for a good oleang link, i came across Oleang.net. wish there were more here, but there's a start.

finally, in another fit of my being late to the party, am currently enjoying Cat and Girl. XD

possibly more later.

...and furthermore...FURTHERMORE...

interesting article here about how some indie record labels are faring in the face of the alleged "record-industry slump" hand-wringing often cited by the RIAA and its supporters.

and you know, obvious holes in the RIAA's general argumentative stance aside, i think the main thing that frustrates me is wondering whether or not some people realise they've got a choice to listen to something that isn't being drilled into their skulls via the radio every five seconds? with the rather insidious proliferation of multimedia monopolies (although my typo of "monopolice" actually seems a bit better suited in some respects) force-feeding whatever they choose into every sense possible, is this the real problem?

i mean, if you're into the top-40 stuff, all well and good for you. the top-40 and the indie can coexist quite peacefully on the same block, and within the same record collection, even. however, it frustrates me to think that there are people who aren't aware that they've got the choice of listening to other things. my brain boggles to think there are people who believe exactly what they're told as regards all things, and who consequently don't research and question things further. such complacency is, quite simply, dangerous (and i'll just stop this rant right now and stick to my intended topic... XD).

it also seems wholly alien to me. i think everything ought to be questioned, to be poked, prodded, and examined as far as you'd care to take it; music obviously being no exception. and i realise many people aren't as obsessive about certain things as i am *coughcough*, but it does make me sad thinking (due to various conversations) some people might not even realise they've got a choice. that there's a world beyond their television screens and their radios. that if they dug a little deeper, they'd have a better idea of what the world is made of, in so many respects.

(how do you like that? i've gone from my overly-sanctimonious yoof (which i tried to squelch, but i couldn't help being snobby sometimes---had to distance myself from those Paula Abdul albums somehow, and the sneer seemed the best way...XD) to...what? some strange notion of sad consideration? just plain sadness? what? aieeee. XD)

un-icky coloured vinyl

update on the shirts as mentioned a few entries ago:

colours on offer will be anything within reason except white; since the text is white, offering them in white makes little to no sense whatsoever. XD so black, red, purple, blue---it's all up to you! also, should you wish to buy one, you may choose amongst these sizes: babydoll (girls' skinnyfit), small, medium, large, x-large, 2XL, and 3XL. anything above 3XL will incur an additional fee (but we'll be more than happy to accommodate you in a larger size, so don't be afraid to ask ^^).

as mentioned previously, prepayment is required for ones at the preorder price. finally, if you'd prefer, i will be more than happy to accept PayPal for any shirts you'd like. as always, you can e-mail me for further info.

what comes of real DIY

great story of DIY discovery up in the entry dated 12th April over here, at the domicile of Our Favourite Postie Paul. how cool is that? a history through flooring---that's really, really, REALLY cool. ^^

swekno disco lovers, raise your hands!

the day is finally upon us.

SWEK is now proud to announce that we're taking pre-orders for t-shirts.

each shirt will be $15 + p & p if you preorder them; thereafter, if you choose to order one from our site (once we've got them stocked, of course), they'll be $20 (+ p & p) each. here's the basic design, as seen against black; i believe they're going to come in a range of different colours, although i wouldn't quote me on that just yet. as always, click the image to see a larger version.

we're taking prepayments only for preordered shirts; further enquiries may be directed to me via e-mail.

there will probably be other band merch in the fairly-forseeable future, as well as possible further concert announcements; keep your eyes peeled!

(on second thought, please don't. that's a rather disgusting idea, isn't it? mmm, grapes. XD)

in other news, i got shoes which are very cute. and which make me tall. and which involve velcro, thus making me feel like the world's tallest five-year-old. you can see a crappy photo below:

and in still other news, watched Girlfight yesterday. enjoyed muchly. all hail IFC. and Michelle Rodriguez kicks ass. <3 <3 <3

also watched most of How to Marry a Millionaire today, which i'd never really sat through before. never heard someone called "quite a strudel" before. XD also, Lauren Bacall has some great dresses here. 'cept for that damn flower on the one. the flower is lame, but the dress is quite lovely. and oh my, i am a complete dork. XD

SHINJIRAREHEN!

more about the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Interlagos. if you don't want to be spoiled, don't click in...

...i am SO glad Jordan appealed! and i am SO glad that the FIA has decided that Fisi actually DID win! (news courtesy of my friend and fellow F1 fan Jabel. ^^)

this is absolutely brilliant. nearly makes up for the fact that our WRC coverage is severely delayed; i don't think we'll see Rallye New Zealand until at least next weekend, and SpeedChannel has been showing Rallye Turkey just about EVERY WEEK SINCE IT TOOK PLACE. mind, Rallye Turkey was fun and all---the FIRST time we watched it. i know there were no races between then and this weekend, but still...hey, at least it beats the constant showings of NASCRAP all to hell..*.*;;;

but! Fisi WON~~~!!!!

will go back to bed now. but i had to say. XD

now *that's* entertainment

watched the real The Italian Job yesterday (Noël Coward...XD), and will probably write more about it soon. it reminds me of something else i forgot to mention, though...

...the Sir Michael Caine special on Parkinson. this month, BBCA has dubbed as "Michael Caine Month," (and it was them who left out the "Sir," not me! XD) and as a result are showing a handful of his films as well as the Parkinson special during this month. (oddly enough, they don't appear to be showing The Italian Job---and i only regard this as odd considering that the Minis are VERY CLEARLY in the promos they've been running for this special festival! at least they're showing Get Carter...--;;;)

right, so i watched the Parkinson special a couple of weeks ago. taped (and presumably aired on proper BBC) last November, it's one hour long and as one would expect, quite entertaining. the bit i remember best was a story he told about dancing at a disco with Sean Connery during the filming of The Man Who Would Be King in the Sahara. XD this interview is completely worth your time, if you've got BBCA. he's 75? i hope i'm that amusing if i live that long. O.O;;;

also, for certain people who would care, there's a Parkinson coming up where he interviews Ms. Minogue, as well as one where he interviews Sr. Bowie. you might want to check their schedule for these episodes, and/or set your VCR appropriately...^^

oh, and on a completely different note---watched a lot of the extras on the R2 24 Hour Party People DVD yesterday, as well. still need a bit of time to process, but expect to write about those soon, too. however, seeing the interviews with Shaun Ryder and Bez were very...O.O;;; thusly, coming across this thread nearly had me on the floor. Shaun "Aston" Ryder. XD XD XD XD XD

[also, hadn't realised Caine was a "Sir" until watching this special. XD which apparently so shocked me that i promptly forgot all about it until after i'd posted this entry, so i'm editing this now to reflect that. it's 3:25pm. whoops. XD]

happy/sad

so, went to court this morning, allegedly to be a witness in the case of the Village of Bloomingdale vs. Ms. Binty McDumwench (er, the one who hit us. that one).

we weren't sure if she was going to show up, but she did. and she pleaded guilty and went with court supervision, paid her fine---and we didn't end up doing much of anything. court was in session as of 8:30am, and we were out of there before 9am. i took the whole day off, and Spaz had taken half the day. so we had a few hours before anyone had to actually be anywhere.

what to do? we'd been wanting a small cat tree or something similar for Diesel. or rather, it seemed like it was something she'd really enjoy. so we went looking for one. first store we stopped (Petsmart) at didn't have one we thought she'd like; most were too tall or had swings on them or something similar. or were carpetted scratching posts with a small platform way, way up at the top. not really good for a bunny who likes to sit under things and hop up on top of things.

the Petsmart in question also had a little golden hamster sitting in a small cage up towards the front of the store. it had a sign on it stating that it was waiting to be adopted, and that it had been found running loose in an apartment building, but the finder was unable to keep it. it also said that the hamster was free to a good home, and the cage was included.

we watched this hamster for awhile, and indeed, we were perilously close to coming home with it. SO CUTE. obviously, we'd been brainwashed successfully by Hamutarou. XD

there were two little tiny baby hamsters in a cage a few down from this one. no sign on them; i think they were for adoption as well, although i really wondered if they were even big enough to safely be away from their mom yet. they were eensy.

we got some food and treats for Diesel and left---without the hamster. i'm still not sure how i feel about that. but where does it end? you can't take them all home with you...^^;;;

the next store we went to was a Petco, over on Barrington Road in Streamwood. and there, we found exactly the sort of tree we were looking for---and only $20 (still a bit much, but those things are all ridiculously overpriced, so in the grand scheme of cat trees, this was cheap). as we were going to bring it up to the checkout, i saw a big sign saying they had bettas. and went, "ooh, those are what Katelynne is always talking about!" and went over to look. they had a whole endcap full of them, in fact.

and it was REALLY DISGUSTING. they had them all in tiny little cups, about the size of each fish itself. they could barely turn around. none of them looked happy, and in fact more than a few of them looked completely and utterly dead. it was really appalling.

i put the tree back and we left quite hastily, both quite nauseous and unbelieving, and also quite sure they weren't going to get our money. >P i mean, i know pet stores are generally not a good idea---in very rare cases are the animals in the store (fish included) treated as well as they should be. but i'd previously never seen such stupidity up close. we won't be going back to Petco anytime soon, and perhaps never. definitely never for that store. >.<;;;

i wrote an e-mail to them as well about this. i didn't write it in a shouting manner, but rather in a sad, disgusted, and disappointed manner. also stated that it's highly unlikely i'll be shopping there again. it probably will have no effect whatsoever; i mean, they're a huge nationwide chain, after all. but that was just...i don't know what that was. it was very, very wrong, and not in a good way, either. :P

oh well. gonna try not to waste the rest of my day off in front of a computer. gah. those poor betta. ;.;

coming down glass

RegularEverydayPeople.com: Put a Human Face on War.

picture = 1K words.

therefore, i really needn't say more, except go.

i got a brain in left hand drive

due to the events of this weekend, didn't end up getting to watch the Formula One Grand Prix of Brazil (Interlagos~~! ^^) until last night.

had been looking forward to it, too---so far, even though we're only (post-Brazil) three grands prix in, this season has been quite the most interesting one in some time. of course, a lot of it is to do with the massive rule changes that the FIA has put into place for this season---not a few of which are rather stupid, but it seems like they're working as far as shaking up the grid goes. much mention has been made of how confusing the new rules are, and how it seems no one has got them completely straight. (which i'd believe; some of the rules which have been in place forever are rather vaguely phrased, so even in the best of times one can't be entirely sure that they'll mean to the FIA what they mean to you.)

two of the rules in particular seem a little silly, though. the three main stated goals of the massive rulebook revisions done for this season were to a) reduce costs, as they'd gotten significantly out of hand; b) increase the recently-waning public interest in the sport by shaking things up a bit; and c) as ever, increase safety.

however, while the limitation of tyre choices might save a bit of money, the fact that Bridgestone is still developing 20 or so different specifications of tyre for all the teams they're supporting hardly seems to support the idea of cost-cutting measures. add to this the restriction on the amount of sets of dry, intermediate, and wet-weather tyres that can be taken from race to race and it seems to make even less sense.

with Interlagos, there was of course some temperamental weather---something to be expected. with the new tyre restrictions in place, none of the teams had thought to bring full-out wet weather tyres, which seemed to be a bit of a bad choice on their part. was this situation a fault more of bad judgment on the part of the teams, or bad judgment on the part of the FIA in enacting such a rule? it seems a bit of both, although Michelin has since stated publicly their opinion that even full-out wets couldn't have done much against the standing water on some parts of the track, thereby possibly completely rendering this line of thought moot. :)

the other questionable new rule is the one regarding how teams aren't allowed to work on the cars once they've done qualifying and have gone to parc ferme. i don't see this having much effect (if any) on increasing interest in the sport; since the mechanics and other team members have to be present anyway, i don't see how this could possibly cut costs (and if it does, not by a lot); and regarding safety, it's more dangerous, if anything.

anyway, onto the race itself. it was a bit of a disappointment, actually. i mean, i'm glad for Kimi and all; Spaz was predicting that now he'd broken through the barrier and won his first race, he'd do like Mika had done and go crazy, winning race after race after race. i have no problem with Kimi, nor with how he drove. but how unbelievably frustrating must that have been for Fisi and Jordan? it's another instance where i really can't see any point whatsoever to a rule. why two laps back? was this number just arbitrarily chosen? the whole rule, morelike. and i know it's not a new rule, but it seems rather silly. i'd be happy if someone could point out the reasoning behind it to me; i couldn't find any and Spaz couldn't think of any, either.

am glad Alonso has come out of his big shunt with only minor bruising, though. watching him collapse after the incident with one of Webber's loose tyres was rather horrible.

the wheel tethers seem to mostly be doing their job this season, though---not with Webber's car, but elsewise. good---had begun to wonder what the point was, with the way they seem to fail nearly every single time previously since compulsory implementation...:P

as for poor old Rubinho---well, i'd hoped he'd win. it'd be really great for anyone to win their home grand prix. it was brilliant to see him qualify on pole for it, at the very least. Spaz was fairly certain from the outset that he wouldn't finish the race; i tried to think he would, and hoped he would, but no such luck. he says he's going to keep going in F1 until he's won his home grand prix---and i hope he's able to, one day. if he's able to ever finish it, he just might.

weird to see both Ferraris get DNFs, though. wonder what's going on with them...? it didn't seem like a "break-the-car-button" kind of moment was had at any point on Schumi's part. :P

what's up, sweetcakes?

ah, yes. Cowboy Bebop: the Movie.

only theatre showing it here is the Music Box. the Music Box is a really cool place to see things, mostly because it's one of the few theatres in this area to make you feel like going to see a film is still Something Special And/Or Magical. it's got HUGE personality, unlike the many interchangeable multiplexes dominating the landscape these days (and you can read a bit about it at their page as linked above, if you're so inclined). and that's not even taking into account the sort of films the Music Box chooses to play---it's a good place in general. besides, how can you say no to a theatre that's still got its own (really good) organist? ^^

right. anyway, so. the movie. there might be spoilers, so i'm sticking this away in the "more"; you've been warned.

one thing's been bothering me from the start: why did Goldwyn choose to leave off on the "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" bit? was any official reason ever given? did they feel it was offensive in some way, or just unnecessary? i was a bit confused about that before seeing it, and became even moreso after having seen it, and seeing how well it fit. weird.

i hadn't seen the movie before, and i still haven't seen all of the TV series (please don't kill me, Keito-chan! ;.;). i had, however, understood that seeing the movie wouldn't spoil me*. so off we went, most anxious to see it. even though we knew it was the dubbed version.

(that's another thing i wondered about: back when it was first announced that this movie was being released theatrically here, i seem to recall mention of a dub and a sub receiving theatrical release; anyone know what happened to that? i'd think it weird if there was a choice and this theatre chose the dub, actually...)

and the movie itself felt like a very long episode of the TV series. if you're familiar with the dubbed English-language voices, then you already know what it's going to sound like. (i think they're pretty decent for a dub, although if there'd been a sub available, i'd have wanted to see that instead. but at least it's not the Eva dub. >.<;;;)

of course it's gorgeous, and of course the score is loads of Kanno goodness. the pacing seems a little bit jerky, but not to the point of inexcusability (although the ending did seem a bit rushed, after such an atmospheric buildup). characterwise (and in particular, with movie-specific characters), Electra could have been a little more fully fleshed out, and in particular, her relationship with Vincent. everyone from the series was just as expected, and i still love Ed to bits and pieces.

the movie's good, but not the most brilliant thing i've ever seen. thrilling to see it in a theatre here, though. ^^

what's particularly irksome to me in having read a bunch of reviews around here about it is a bit of a constant: people reviewing things who clearly Don't Get It. not just with anime (although that's certainly the case with a large number), but with other things as well. i'm still not entirely sure how some people were unsure of what was going on in this movie, for a particular instance. i've read at least two reviews wherein someone claimed it was difficult to follow, which is a claim i completely do not understand. oh well. perhaps this is why i'm not paid to review things? XD

* = although i can't be spoiled much on the series anyway; it already got spoiled by a bit of a slip of the tongue by another band member who hadn't realised i hadn't seen it all yet. --;;;

you can do it with your MC 505

currently spinning: self-compilated disc of later-era Bis b-sides + rarities.
(they are were damn prolific, weren't they? O.O;; have almost everything they put out, but it's a damn lot of stuff to lug around...)

currently drinking: sugar-free Red Bull.
(odd turn of events, the existence of this. it's a bit saltier than normal Red Bull, but not bad. although i generally hate aspartame on principal, so i prolly will stick to fully leaded in the future.)

weekend was far too short, as usual. got out of the house, though---which was quite nice. Spaz and i hit Chicago Comics, which we hadn't done in a long time. unsurprisingly, i found loads of stuff i needed wanted. for one, i've been lagging way behind in issues of Charm School (squee! the Vampire Dragster Dean story arc! <3 <3) for quite some time now, so i scooped up everything i was missing quite eagerly. there's also a Magical Witch Girl Bunny figure out now (Monkey Fun, of course), which comes with a little tiny book of love spells. didn't get that, but did get to see it in person---and it's pretty nice. i think Bunny looks a teensy bit thinner than in the comics, but overall rather nice.

also picked up two Blue Monday items; the Absolute Beginners TPB and also the new one-shot, "Nobody's Fool." already told Fionachu this, but Ms. Clugston-Majors has a new 6-parter coming out starting in the middle of May (also via Oni) called Scooter Girl. in case, y'know, you're interested.

and lest my normal cute-to-twisted ratio should be severely compromised, also grabbed Everything Can Be Beaten, by the lovely Mssrs. Chancre Scolex (snerk) and Crab Scrambly. average day full of kittens coming out of chutes indeed.

afterward, off we went to eat nyummy Thai food at Once Upon A Thai and see the Cowboy Bebop movie.

neither of us had previously been to Once Upon A Thai. it had just opened shortly before Blackout! (my favourite record store, which was just a few doors down) had closed---i'd swiped a few bites of noodles from my friends who'd worked at the record shop before, but never had any food of my own from them.

it was really, really good. fairly average prices for Thai food around here; nice service, and good food. the restaurant itself was rather dark, which was nice---i prefer a bit of dimness to too much light. i resorted to chicken pad siew---which actually tasted the most similar to the way my mom used to make it than any i've had in a restaurant. wonder why i've not tried to make it before now? i really should. hrrm.

Spaz had beef noodles, and i'm still trying to figure out what the beef was marinated in. it was REALLY, really good. we traded bits back and forth, and it was quite a lovely meal.

now, here's the thing. the entirety of the afternoon was spent tromping around in areas where i'd spent a good deal of my childhood, but hadn't really been in quite some time (bar the comic shop). in doing such things, it's always interesting to see what's changed and what hasn't, of course.

but what really rather amazed me is that even though i'd known where the neighbourhood was going for quite some time, it's one thing to have the concept firmly embedded in one's head. it's quite another thing entirely to see the actuality.

weird things---little family-run plumbing shop still open, but loads of things torn down to make way for overpriced condos and lofts. more bars and yuppie eateries cramming in and elbowing up against local pub/pizza places and such. not really any more chain activity than had been there previously (a Jewel and Osco, a Starbucks, and a Kinko's), but still more of that nondescript "look! it's a bar!"-ness going on that makes you think it's part of a chain.

also, permit parking up the arse. and speed bumps on many side streets! O.O;; all things that hadn't been there before. it made me a bit sad, the way it's built up---not because it's changed, but because of what it's changed into. it had been on this path for ages, mind---but witnessing the gentrification trouncing on my childhood was kinda grating.

next entry: off to the Music Box for the movie (at last!)...

if there's one thing stopping me now, it's my heart in my mouth

sometime towards the middle of last month, Bis made their last song available for download. it's called "Today of All Days," and not particularly surprisingly, it's quite good.

it seems to have a similar sort of carefully channelled frustration and restraint as much of Return to Central did, and which seems to be an earmark of later-era Bis recordings. danceable dejection at its finest, and really not a bad note at all to end Bis on. lyrically more cohesive than many things they've done, as well. i wouldn't say it's their best song ever, but it's far from their worst. wonder when it was written, though---it's entirely possible that it's just circumstance making me feel this way, but it really does feel like it was written specifically as a bittersweet farewell.

download it if you've got the time and are interested.

(this review written entirely without use of the word "electro." really, it can be done! XD)

so much wub i have to give...

random bits:

the most Sumilicious One might be interested in knowing that CN have finally gotten up off their lazy arses and put out a very cute Meatwad shirt. although not as cute as a certain other one. but.

also, this was so amusing i had to take it out of the comments. Our Favourite Postie Paul pointed me in the general direction of Shii no Uta, which is just...cute. nekolicious, even. enjoy.

...more later, on at least some of the subjects promised yesterday evening. XD

why should i fangirl when i've got others who'll do it for me?

oho.

ohoho.

OHOHO. XD

erm, uh, yeah.

so, Wired.

May issue is out already. nothing to get too excited about, really---little teensy mention of us on the calendar page listing notable events of the month. they used the cartoon drawing of us that Tony did (which is fine, cos it's cute).

i wouldn't have bought it just for that, though. in fact, i am a complete and utter dork for buying it, because i really did so more out of amusement over placement of us than anything else.

click the popup to see why. and you don't have to tell me what a dork i am, because i already am well aware.

(but seriously, you really couldn't make this up! ^^)

XD

more on this weekend tomorrow. comics and the Cowboy Bebop movie. w00t. ^^

my eyes aren't blue; there's nothing i can do

i am decidedly far more in favour of elevated A-line bobs than keratoconus.

there, that's my review of the past two days, then.

*puts head on hands and falls asleep*

[addendum: firstly, should i ever become an MC, my name shall change to Froggella. secondly, i neglected to make any jokes about kitten-killing and blindness. obviously a grand oversight on my part. d'oh. XD]

she is her own self like everett true

i really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wish that Careless Talk Costs Lives was available for purchase here.

perhaps somewhere it is. shall have to look around. 'tis another good thing i sorta miss about living in the city proper; was much easier to search around for such things at a moment's notice, without having to worry about am i going to miss my train or not? but, y'know, it happens. XD

in the meantime, there's fun bits up at their website. check out the "extras" section even if you do have access to the print version, as there's web-exclusive stuff there (essays/photos/etc.).

and Fiona Fletcher's giglog amuses me to no end.

(also, a friend of mine's band's linked in the "Links" section. XD XD XD)

tell us something we didn't know, already.

still, this article on how independent journalists aren't particularly welcomed with open arms as regards reporting directly warside* is worth a read. it's got interesting links to follow, too.

* = wouldn't want to ruin the widely-propagated conception that this is just like a fairytale storybook with nasty pop-up casualties, would we? :P

say you will

my brain is broken again.

please leave a message at the tone, and i'll get back to you again as soon as possible.

...or rather, it's about to be broken. it is currently having a song battle within itself, you see. when walking past the electric blue (with white roof and mirrors) MINI Cooper S this morning, it could do nothing but paste a gigantic and still-widening grin across my face---while listening to one of the songs on loop, of course. as i've been doing for far too long.

...and as with the other one, it's demanding writing.

...also as with the other one, it's all your fault.

let this be a warning to you, kitties: the ficcing virus will indeed bite your sorry arse when you least expect it.

(or when seasons change and you're uberstressed due to the state of the world and various deadlines and other pressures making you want to lock yourself in your house and Never Leave Ever Again. either way. XD)

on a completely unrelated note, Fi has informed me that this particular comic strip reminds her of me. XD

errrrr...the songs, they circle...they will kill me...they will...o.o;;;;

stole all the change off me

an (admittedly rather silly) thought just occurred to me.

(yes, i'd turn back now if i were you, too. XD)

the three proper Electronic albums can be broken down as follows:

s/t: barney + johnny + neil + chris = Interesting! New! Side Project! and therefore, automatically meritorious (or so it seems). it's also the most lauded of the three, which i still can't quite grasp. even taking into account temporal distance from this release, i still can't quite understand why so many people (and no, most of them who i've talked to aren't rabid PSB fans, either) like this album so much---and especially above the others. skeptically embraced by the few already entranced with the bands who donated members to this project; mostly ignored by everyone else.

Raise The Pressure: barney + johnny + karl = repressed boy band album shot straight to no.1 in an alternate universe. no, seriously---listen to it, think about it, and tell me i'm wrong. and hey, that would mean b. would have to get a choreographer, right...? XD mostly ignored by everyone except die-hard fans.

Twisted Tenderness: barney + johnny + ex-members of Sub Sub + various others in non-high-profile projects = most straight-ahead pop, with some interesting flourishes here and there. also arguably the one with the most balanced sound; the synths and guitars play nicely together, with neither necessarily hogging the spotlight. a nice change. mostly. ignored. by. everyone.

alas, for they are not so different after all in the end result. :P

but i'm right about the boy band thing. i'd almost put money on it. listen to it again (if you've got it) and tell me i'm wrong. XD

they were coming straight for us!

...and why does this remind me of the hunting show on South Park?

*glares*

we've got a file on you...

went Jae Young-spotting and Fi-spotting yesterday evening by watching last night's new ep. of V. Graham Norton on BBCA. and alas~~wasnae as Jazzlerlicious as i had hoped, although Fi did end up quite a spunky lass as promised. and the Naked Cowboy. O.O;;; UM.

also, i have a bit of a confession to make, from this weekend.

i'd never seen Pretty In Pink before.

while it doesn't seem like the sort of touchstone that many people talk about (ala the Cusack oeuvre) as a defining film as regards, well, any aspect of their lives---it nevertheless seems something most people i know have at least unconsciously done. perhaps the first rule about Molly Ringwald is that we don't talk about Molly Ringwald? i don't know. (although i don't see what the big deal over any aspect of her is anyway, but that's a completely different matter.)

i blame Sabina for the fact that it was on the terebi this weekend, too. unfortunately on WE, which i've since discovered (by watching said movie on it, actually) makes me want to stab my eyes out even moreso than watching Oxygen for any length of time does. (hey, they show eps of AbFab, or else i never would have bothered in the first place!) EEEK.

anyrate, the movie. i still haven't seen all of it. i started somewhere around the middle---and i'd known that "Shellshock" was used in it. i've got the 12" that states this fact all over it, actually---some pretty forgettable sleeve art as well, but i'm digressing. anyrate, i hadn't realised what else is in that movie, soundtrack-wise.

three New Order songs within a single half-hour of watching. interesting edit of instrumental bits of "Thieves Like Us," part of "Elegia," and of course part of "Shellshock." Spaz jokingly wondered if they were going to show up as the band playing at the prom scene towards the end. XD

no, of course not---for that particular scene is loaded with an incredibly long edit of OMD's "If You Leave." leading me to explain about the evilness derived from the catchiness and earworminess of said song, which i'd just discussed with Sabina earlier in the week.

i found myself wanting to rewatch the movie from the beginning just to hear what else was used in it, but i cheated a bit in that regard by watching the end credits---as much as i could, since of course WE squished them off to the side to run promos for something else over most of the screen.

and oh, look. "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want."

NOT FUNNY.

particularly in light of hearing about The Importance of Being Morrissey.

but at least it wasn't used during the prom sequence. (wonder where it is used, though?) i mean, i was never the sort of person who wanted to go to prom, or to school dances in general---did end up going to a couple, mostly because i was dragged kicking and screaming by friends of mine. but for some reason, such an occasion doesn't seem to go so well with the Smiths as soundtrack providers to me, and particularly not that song. (jaw nearly on the floor in that scene at the end of Never Been Kissed, in other words.)

ahem. er, i am pathetic, i know. XD

...oh, and completely unrelatedly, yesterday was Christopher Walken's birthday and no one seemed to care mentioned it. *cries*

too buddhalicious for ya, babe

firstly, before i mention everything else i'd like to, go take a look at the past couple of entries over at A-Girl Studio, Elizabeth Watasin's page. the paper houses are REALLY cool, and the links she's got up are as well. but she's also got a really great peacekeeping solution in the entry below the one on paper houses. check it out. >D

more later. it is a new month, and so i must do stats~~~!