A Matter of Getting Lost

Steampunk Coats

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:30:14 GMT

OMG, people.

I don't have much in the way of steampunk gear because almost no one makes anything in my size. One of the things I noticeably lack is a coat. In fact, when I went into town yesterday, I did so without a jacket of any kind because it would have ruined the look, and it should be noted that the shirt I had on was sleeveless. In Scotland in the fall. (Though this probably contributed to the nice comments I got.) At any rate...

coats! Coats that are so incredibly awesome and I could only afford as a christmas present!

cgi.ebay.com/UNIQUE-STEAMPUNK-GOTHIC-LONG-LEATHER-GREEN-COAT_W0QQitemZ130340270904QQcmdZViewItemQQptZWomen_s_Clothing

cgi.ebay.com/STEAMPUNK-GOTHIC-IMPERO-FINE-LEATHER-PURPLE-COAT-NEW_W0QQitemZ130340833266QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_CSA_WC_Outerwear

Look at this coat. It's leather and yet ruffled like a dress would be. It looks like a freaking dress on its own!

cgi.ebay.com/IMPERO-LONDON-ARISTOCRAT-STEAMPUNK-LEATHER-TAIL-COAT_W0QQitemZ130340782810QQcmdZViewItemQQptZWomen_s_Clothing

And this is just too perfect for words. The most versatile one they have. If I got one steampunk coat only ever, that'd be the one.

*swoon*

Smallville

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:37:14 GMT

Pretty much, I watch this show because of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. Hotter than Clark and ten times more interesting.

Unfortunately for the showmakers, Lois and Oliver have considerably more chemistry than Lois and Clark. But given the obvious constraints, the writers can't just follow where the actors are leading them. Which ends up meaning that Ollie gets kicked in the teeth.

Very sad. :(

I do, however, much appreciate the rule they apparently have in place wherein Oliver must appear without a shirt once an episode.

Halloween Party Meme

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:11:01 GMT

Find your name!

darkmagess's Halloween party:

_snitchbitch dressed as Steven Spielberg.

abneyangel dressed as Elmer Fudd.

aesc dressed as Sigfried in need of testosterone.

alg dressed as Will Smith's grandfather.

andpuff dressed as the resurrected dead -- complete with the most convincing coffin.

anevilyak dressed as Ichabod Crane, the schoolmaster from Sleepy Hollow.

arcaedia dressed as the Cardinal of OldTown.

aunteller dressed as Mary Queen of Scots ... without her head. Most convincing.

balatro dressed as a frightened goblin.

bardsong dressed as Lady Godiva without the horse and far too little hair!.

bellajayd dressed as a The Daily Patriot Bulletin employee, and it suited them all too well.

bery dressed as a character from a Super Mario game.

brainded dressed as Optimus Prime.

brute_force dressed as Mark McGwire.

cadabra dressed as a disturbing self-made character called "Gidget Burgermouth".

cgulutz dressed as George W. Bush.

cherith dressed as your mother-in-law.

chezmax dressed as Peter Jackson.

chipmunk2000 dressed as Mde. Lachienne Foutue d'Enfer -- you don't wanna know.

clawfoot dressed as Jerry Bruckheimer riding a deer.

cleolinda dressed as Josephine Baker but the banana "skirt" didn't survive the night.

da_lj dressed as Britney Spears - tarred and feathered.

darkrepast dressed as the equator.

desar dressed as a cup of tea.

djinndustries dressed as a walking Guillotine.

drthrax3 dressed as Adam-the-first-man but the fig-leaf was far too big.

eeyorerin dressed as William McKinley.

elcapitane dressed as Jack the Ripper in a time machine, complete with gory knives.

electric_monk dressed as a skunk.

electroly dressed as a soup.

elfstory dressed as something direct, but what, specifically, you can't tell.

emeraldr dressed as a Level 6 wizard.

epi_lj dressed as Sybil - except that Sybil didn't show but the other 13 personalities did.

fashion_piranha dressed as a new member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Fearless Lover.

fllngrdian dressed as a mortician.

fortunato_ca dressed as a diplomat from Chile.

foxmagic dressed as a disturbing self-made character called "Greasy Gerbilbiscuits".

g_crusher dressed as the main character of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

gdfalksen dressed as a very fake witch-doctor complete with a collection of shrunken skulls.

giggles222 dressed as a bottle of Canilux, though it looked more like a ghost.

grabbingsand dressed as a first baseman for the Royals.

green_knight dressed as Marilyn Manson.

grumpybutcrafty dressed as the love child of Elvis Presley and Gwyneth Paltrow.

hallimeda dressed as Optimus Prime.

hkath dressed as a vampire.

horusguard76 dressed as the Vicomte des Boules-Velues.

jaborwhalky dressed as a charge.

jfroebe dressed as legendary space hero Rip Punchbeef.

jimbutcher dressed as James Garfield.

july_july_july dressed as Mary-Kate Olsen with her very own conjoined Ashley, though it looked more like Mary Queen of Scots ... without her head. Most convincing.

justbeast dressed as legendary space hero Trunk Bonemeal.

justjay dressed as Pavlova the ballerina -- dancing on point too.

justpeachykeen dressed as the Earl of Diaschoid.

kellyleia1 gets drunk, strips naked, and somehow emerges dressed as Sybil - except that Sybil didn't show but the other 12 personalities did.

lady_t_220 dressed as Scooter Libby.

ladyxjade dressed as a Level 11 bard.

lcohen dressed as Guy Fawkes but the exploding barrel of dynamite didn't go down too well, though it looked more like a disturbing self-made character called "Stinky Hamsterface".

ljuvefreya dressed as a safety for the Patriots, though it looked more like the love child of Russell Crowe and Susan Lucci.

lovecraftienne dressed as Sigfried in need of testosterone, though it looked more like a diplomat from Algeria.

luminare_ardua dressed as a new superhero: Giant Genie.

maidm dressed as Connie Chung.

morbid_curious dressed as Ozzy Osbourne.

ms_violet dressed as a ghost.

myates1111 dressed as blues legend Steel-Eye Legs Thompkins.

nathan_fhtagn dressed as the Governor of Ohio.

nikki4noo dressed as blues legend Peg Leg Money Jones.

of_new_horizons dressed as Adam-the-first-man but the fig-leaf was far too big, though it looked more like Marie Antoinette going to her death.

okoshun dressed as Hillary Clinton, though it looked more like Mde. Lachienne Foutue d'Enfer -- you don't wanna know.

polumrak dressed as a character from Harry Potter and the Union of the Ring.

queen_merla dressed as Bono.

randolyn dressed as a 1980's yuppie child.

randomlaughter dressed as Camilla Parker-Bowles when she becomes Queen.

raphaellover dressed as your brother.

remydesire dressed as the spirit of their dead grandmother Kari.

robert_from_ap dressed as Marie Antoinette going to her death, though it looked more like Elizabeth Regina on steroids and roller skates.

sherant dressed as Mary Queen of Scots ... without her head. Most convincing.

silly_boy42 dressed as Helga the wisewoman, although the live snake was a mistake.

skorobeus dressed as Ted Williams, and it suited them disturbingly well.

squirrelmadness dressed as a character from Harry Potter and the Anvil of Catastrophe, and it suited them disturbingly well.

strangeandcharm dressed as a cup of coffee.

sweet_opiate dressed as a Best & HeuckelbachAmalgamated employee.

taffer dressed as Vivica A Fox.

td4bz2 dressed as a 1990's grunge child.

technologic08 dressed as a part-time bastard operator from hell.

the_infamous_j gets drunk, strips naked, and somehow emerges dressed as Nosferatu the Supreme Vampire.

theycallmebeth dressed as a badger.

tracy_loo_who dressed as the Viscount of Lela Bend.

trillian4210 dressed as Elizabeth Regina on steroids and roller skates.

tsiankiio dressed as the love child of Regis Philbin and Britney Spears.

vlosvelve dressed as a monster from a Silent Hill game.

wiliqueen dressed as a resolution.

wyldfire dressed as Ivan the Terrible of Russia.

yuki_onna dressed as Cmdr. Riker from "Star Trek".

zebra dressed as Darth Vader.

ziusudra dressed as the Lost Power Ranger.

zoobiechat dressed as a reversible resistance.

Throw your own party at the Hallomeme!
Created by sigma7: More info here.

To Do:

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:14:36 GMT

~~Go the The Royal Bank of Scotland for my appointment to open an account.~~

Account cannot be opened because the letter the school provided is not specific to RBS and I need a new letter.

The new letter will take another week to generate!!?!?!

~~Add 10 sterling to my cell phone so it works~~

~~Be here when FedEx tries to deliver my stuff (whenever that is)~~

It was a freelance job for me to work on, so now there's that to my list.

Write up notes or something for Thursday, find book quotations.

Attend first Gaelic class

Miss Peatbog Faeries concert because I am attending Gaelic class

Write part or all of chapter 4 (which is already outlined, so this should not be difficult, me! get with it.)

Work on Nationalism.

Photos from today's walk to the beach

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:06:36 GMT

Found the Beach

How Do I Get There From Here?

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:59:21 GMT

Why is it that people ask me for directions, regardless of what city I am in and how long I've been there?

I'd almost like to track someone who's asked down and ask them. Is it how I walk? The way I glance around while walking? Is there something about my face that translates as nonthreatening? Am I somewhere just right on the ugly<->pretty scale that people don't feel the need to avoid me, but I'm not pretty enough to be intimidating?

Clearly it's me, though. Because it happens all the time and everywhere.

I wonder if it's at all related to how from the first day I got here my roommates decided that I was responsible for fixing things and making the appliances work. I mean, really? All they knew was my name, and yet it's my job to keep the flat in working order?

Tick-tock

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:26:58 GMT

What do people do with the hours at school in which they are not working?

Because I only have 4 classes, and 3 of them are on Wed and Thu. That's a whole lot of unused week!

Aberdeen - Act 1

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:35:18 GMT

The flights over were actually quite nice. I flew SAS. They gave me gluten-free food for a more pleasant flight experience. For dinner, this meant baked salmon on long grain and wild rice with rice flour bread and some fruit. And a gluten-free raisin cake. Also had soda and wine, both free. After a lights out period where I was expected to sleep, they came around with hot towels to help you wake up.

Movies viewed: Wolverine, Star Trek, Night at the Museum 2

Pictures and rest of story.
Arrived at Copenhagen. Went to my gate. Saw this:

From Aberdeen - Arrival Weekend

And thought this is not a good sign. Tiny Plane was nice. But tiny. And, as it turns out, not big enough to carry all of our luggage. So half of everyone's things were sent around Europe to various flights that would be landing at Dyce.

Dyce Airport is barely bigger than Tiny Plane itself.

From Aberdeen - Arrival Weekend

The only part you can't see is off to the left where the baggage carousel is.

Arrived. Got my key. Put my one piece of luggage in my room, walked to town. It's basically 2 miles to town.

Went to the Royal Bank of Scotland to open a checking account. There is a 2 week wait to open new accounts. It's not a waiting period. That's the queue. Have an appointment.

Went to Vodaphone to get a cell plan. Cell plans are cheap here! However, without a bank account, the only thing I can get is a prepaid plan. Mitch at Vodaphone gave me the SIM card for free and charge me 5GBP for a prepaid card so I'd have a number. I talked with him more than anyone else in this country so far. He said go to Bank of Scotland for an account. Bank of Scotland is 4-6 weeks to get an account. RBS it is.

So. In two weeks, I have to go back to Vodaphone. But they will probably want me to have money in that account, and I don't know what I'm going to do about that.

Oh! Found the Lush store. It's on the way to the bank.

The supermarket is called Morrisons. I got 2 pots and a spatula. Failed to get a knife. They don't take American credit cards, so I can only use a debit card. Note for next trip: knife, cup, french press, cold cuts, eggs.

There is a vegetable co-op on campus where it's 5GBP for a bag of vegetables. Thinking I will make use of that.

Drank cider at the pirate bar:

From Aberdeen - Arrival Weekend

Had to go to a different bar to get food being The Moorings lied about having sandwiches. So I've also been to Old Blackfriars, which is old timey in exactly the way you'd expect. And serves bbq chicken w/ bacon and cheese on fries.

Mailed back a proofing job. 33GBP to send airmail. I keep telling myself that that still constitutes a profit.

I still do not appear to have roommates. This is making the first few days at school extremely lonely, as I have no venue through which to meet people. Most foreign students seem to come here in groups. So they arrive with people they already know. Clubs and activities don't really start until next week, along with classes.

Scotland is so far very gray and square:

From Aberdeen - Arrival Weekend

But I actually like the weather. At least now. It's cool. Typical NJ fall weather and temps. Of course I say that, and now it's raining a little. But I've got a few hours before I need to go back outside.

I give up

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:43:34 GMT

The fic wins.

2k words.

Wonder how long this one will end up being. I imagine chapter 1 will come in at around 5k.

A Field Guide to Getting Lost

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:01:11 GMT

I don't have much time to read nowadays, but I've been reading Rebecca Solnit'sA Field Guide to Getting Lost, if for no other reason than that it seems fitting.

That is, after all, what I am about in the next short while. Getting lost. Meandering into unknown territory with only vague optimism and a set of tools that resemble a map to chart a course.

Part of the point is to get lost. Actions and encounters are random. Life progresses on a truly unpredictable course. Even as someone who hasn't done many unpredictable things, the chains of events I've been a part of make it clear that there is only chaos. Not a malicious chaos. Just chaos. And if you want something new, turn up the heat, make the molecules move, and everything will jostle around faster, and there's no choice BUT to start a new and unpredictable chain of events.

You can't choose the outcome. You can only choose to flip a coin, knowing that any result is different from none at all.

So...A Field Guide to Getting Lost. The most amazing thing to me is that Solnit speaks of place, of geography, as a part of the Self in a way that I understand, even if I don't often feel able to articulate. I think people often experience the phenomenon without really noticing it. Or without thinking much about it.

They go away on vacation, and they act a little different. Maybe a little freer. Maybe a little sillier. Maybe a little more romantic. But different. Not the same self who goes to the same job, stops at the same place for coffee, shops in the same stores.

Or they go to visit family, back to the old house, and maybe feel a little less like an adult. Maybe a little more apt to do what they're told. Less likely to be loud. Less likely to speak their mind. Somehow more cowed and controlled being back in the house of someone else rules.

I noticed it at college. I was a little different, walking my streets in my new town. Passing by the tree outside my row house. Being someone who could walk to a 7-Eleven. Or the supermarket. Because geography made it so.

Solnit's essay blends the feelings that a place evokes by virtue of its physicality to the emotions that linger in a location charged with specific memory in a way that I think best puts this geopsychological self in terms that others can understand. It's somewhat comforting to see someone else have this notion. Relieving to be able to show it to others and say "this is what I mean."

Pages 113-126

School news

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:36:54 GMT

Got an email today from my professor at Aberdeen with course listings and a form to choose electives.

It looks like I'm going to make my master's concentration on Scottish lit. One class on Walter Scott for historical and then second semester on modern Scottish lit. Hopefully I can have something interesting to say about that. At least what I'm hoping is that there's something distinctive in Scottish literature that I can spin out into a broader discussion of the purpose of storytelling, the psychological impact of being represented in stories, and the kind of collective beliefs that stories impart.

I know the Irish are pretty peculiar, which makes them interesting to talk about. So we'll see.

My professor also told me that I can, indeed, take classes in Scottish Gaelic. The Language Center offers night courses to anyone willing to pay the fee. So I can give that a go without it affecting my GPA.

What's another 120GBP when I'm already spending so much?

Being Human

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:06:03 GMT

The elevator pitch for this show sounds like the setup for a joke. A vampire, and werewolf, and ghost share a flat somewhere in the UK.

But the interesting thing of it is that this is a show with a clearly supernatural basis that isn't, strictly speaking, -about- the supernatural. It's not a case-based show. There's no detecting going on. There's no monster of the week. Most supernatural shows follow that pattern. MoW is causing trouble somewhere. Heroes set out in search of MoW and destroy/stop it, with some myth-arc happenings along the way. See: Supernatural, The X-Files, Buffy, Angel.

But in this instance, the main characters basically ARE the monsters of the week. And the plots aren't about finding or stopping some threat. It's smaller scale than that and more intimate than that. The plots are about the ghost finding out how she died. Or the werewolf trying to deal with the fact that once a month he becomes a deadly murderous thing that he has no control over. And that he wants a girlfriend but is afraid that he'll hurt her. Or how the vampire tries to get on with regular people without drinking blood or being driven to murder. How all he wants is to be normal and accepted, but that simple goal is fraught with problems.

I'm not sure what other show to compare it to, really. Because it's mostly a character drama. And I don't watch any/many shows that don't revolve around the MoW premise.

I think it's even possible that people who don't like scifi could like this show. Because here the fantasy aspect is just a method for giving the main characters obstacles to overcome. It's a way to make them different and other in a way that in the past might have been done with race or class.

Also, they don't shy away from the tough stuff. And I have to give them credit for that.

So... Being Human. Give it a shot. Cause it's different.

UK Accent site

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:35:38 GMT

Now this is just cool.

http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/index.html

They have recordings of people from all over Britain and helpful explanations of what the unique aspects of the accent are.

Useful resource! :D

Slings & Arrows

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:05:05 GMT

I have seen precisely one episode of this show. But follow me on this:

The main character is Geoffrey Tennant. He is played by Paul Gross.

Paul Gross once did a production of Hamlet in Stratford Festival, Canada that was supposed to be incandescent. (This is the exact phrase I used in talking to my aunt.) (There are no recordings of this performance. I did not find out that it existed until after the run was over, and I lament not being to see what was a revolutionary interpretation for the people whose reports I read.)

The character Geoffrey Tennant once did a production of Hamlet that was, as said in the show not five minutes after my comment, incandescent. (There were only 3 performances.)

Ok, so then there's the OTHER production of Hamlet that I wasn't able to see. Who did that star? David Tennant. Which was also supposed to be amazingly life-altering.

Next I'll find out that David's middle name is Geoffrey and my world will be completely self-referential.

WTFBBQ - Student Edition

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:07:48 GMT

The loan officers from my credit union called to inform me that I was approved for a student loan for not enough money to cover the cost of school. By $10k not enough.

What, pray tell, is the point of that?

Why would you approve a sum not high enough to actually do me any good? If my Dad didn't have money he could dip in to, I wouldn't be able to go.

Loans and things

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:46:20 GMT

So apparently I can't get a student loan without having someone cosign for it.

In a way, this makes sense. I haven't had a job in a year. How could I ever hope to pay that kind of money back? Except that I have great credit and have been paying my car loan on time during that time, so I should have a pretty trustworthy record.

I guess I just don't like making this someone else's problem. I don't want someone else to be responsible for what may be a very ill-conceived plan on my part.

Grad School

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:24:59 GMT

So, I applied to grad school. It was always something I vaguely wanted to do. I never got to go to study abroad in college, because my own school was offering a bunch of courses that I really wanted to take the only semester I could have done it.

And I always thought... you know, I could still do that in the future... someday, I could apply and have this overseas adventure and do something scary and crazy.

Given how unemployed I've been lately, it seemed like a good time to give it a try.

So I applied to the University of Aberdeen (which I have visited) and the University of Stirling (which I have not). I wasn't going to apply to two, originally, but one of my professors advised not betting on just one school.

I have been accepted to both!

Found out about Aberdeen today. A professor from Stirling wrote to me a week and a half ago to let me know that she had approved me.

I'm going to be accepting the offer to study The Novel at Aberdeen. Sort of wish I could do both, because the Gothic stuff sounds interesting. But when it comes down to it, I'm a bit of a snob. :-P

So tomorrow... student loan application...

Because sometimes I do indeed rock

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:37:18 GMT

This is the review I got this morning for the SPN fanfic I posted on fanfiction.net:

Oh my god. This was as beautiful~ Seriously, I read yaoi and stuff like this
all the time but never, ever have I read an author write anything this
captivating. Even in normal books I can never quite get a picture in my head
of whats actually happening but your writing plays out like a movie, every
detail perfect and flowing like stories ought to be.

I read the story before this, "Look in My Tormented Eye" and was in love with
the idea of Gabriel and Sam being together from the instant Sam touched
Gabriel's hand. I actually was a big RubyXSam fan till the last episode of the
fourth season but I must compliment you on how you dealed with Sam and Ruby's
relationship. Most authors would have left her out or slandered her character
to the point where it was completely ridicous or came up with some way of
killing of her character. I also appreciate how you kept the characters in
character, not simply having them ooc and bang in the bathroom like wild
animals. I was considering not reading anymore fanfiction because of ooc but
your stories have made me reconsider.

Lastly I would like to thank you for creating a character of your own that
was not only easy to like but for giving him reasonable limitations and
keeping his skills and abilites that of the same as Castiel. Please continue
to write.

My favorite parts? That the stories read like movies (because I see them as movies). And that apparently I have single-handedly redeemed an entire area of human endeavor.

My work here is done!

Choco-goth

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:22:20 GMT

I gotta say, these chocolates look pretty awesome.

It's a bit sad to see all the people on LJ going: OMG I have no money! and asking for sales boosts so they don't get booted from their homes. Even more so because OMG *I* have no money and cannot boost their sales. But I can pass along links, and maybe someone who does have a job can buy things.

Polidori Chocolates

Notably:

Gothic Weekend Truffle Collection:

Percy Shelley: Our Shelley truffle is an effete blend of white chocolate, lemon oil and almonds, dipped in dark chocolate for a bit of masculine bite.
Lord Byron: The flavor of decadence is evoked in the Byron truffle, with tawny port and a hint of smoke infusing super-dark chocolate.
Dr. John Polidori: We note Polidori's ancestry by lacing dark ganache with Amaretto and pistachios, for a more uplifting experience.
Mary Godwin: We attempt a more delicious experiment, taking our combination dark/milk ganache and adding currants, pecans and candied orange peel, then bringing it to life with a bracing bolt of white rum.

I got... not hired.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:46:54 GMT

Shocking, I know. But after a strange but otherwise generally positive interview in which I was basically told I'd be getting a call for a second interview, I did not, in fact, get a call. And after sending an email to get some kind of response, was told "we hired someone whose experience fit better", which frankly is what they all say. Maybe it's even true. Haven't even gotten anything from the efforts I made at BEA, so I have basically nothing to show for work-finding efforts.

Rock on. I won't make $10k this year.

Wacky Grains

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 04:11:16 GMT

I have recently been making a study of wacky grains to use as breakfast foods and possibly as flours. These are the results:

Teff: Salient quality: Smallest grain. Teff pretty much only cooks up as a porridge. It comes out the consistency of pudding when done. Everything says that it's slightly sour, but I always add agave before eating it, so I can't say if it's that noticeable. I like the resulting texture. And a little is quite filling, maybe because it's one of those complete protein grains. I have not yet used the flour in baking, though I have a recipe for teff cookies. And pie crust. I did try the pie crust but then promptly forgot about it and left it in the oven to burn. Turns into a solid rubber chunk in the fridge that doesn't break up so easily when you go to heat some up later.

Amaranth: Salient quality: Tastes like plant. Seriously, this stuff screams HAI I AM A GRAIN! It's a little bigger than teff. Looks a bit like really small quinoa, actually. The instructions on the bag make this cook up into a porridge too. I'm not sure if you could create separate grains by using less water. Pretty good, overall. Although it should be noted that I mix almond butter, ghee, and agave into my breakfast cereals, so it's not like I'm just eating a bowl of grain. Still, better than oatmeal by far.

Millet: Salient quality: Cooks like rice. If you follow the directions on the bag, you will end up with a grain that's separate, like rice, rather than a porridge. Add more water, and you can achieve breakfast porridge consistency. Millet had the least flavor, but because of the way it cooks, it has more uses. I've eaten indian food over millet, and there's pretty much no difference. It's a little crunchier than rice, but there's probably a water/grain ratio that will get it somewhere between the grain and porridge stage.

Games

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:42:21 GMT

I just tried the X-Men: Wolverine demo. I know... very late in doing so. But damn! If I had the money, I'd totally get that game. It's exactly the type of game I like. Little bit Tomb Raider/Soulreaver, lot of beating things up. Bwaha. Maybe someday...

I most enjoy lunging at enemies from a long distance and flying into them claws first. Very dramatic and satisfying.

Also liked that Wolverine said "bub". ;)

Con

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:32:04 GMT

Registered for Polaris. I didn't get the Blast Off Party ticket this year. No one I want to see badly enough to pay an extra hundred bucks to have them sit at my table. Claudia Black is going to be there, though, so that'll be fun. I'll get her to sign a DVD.

Won't have the party to use to get to meet people, but Jody will be there, so perhaps that will do for social introductions. No masquerade this year either. Just have to bring whatever steampunk gear I can. Biggest problem with that is that almost no readymade steampunk gear is in my size. I can't just pick something up. For tons of money I can have things made. But tons of money is not something I have.

So... I may end up having an uncostumed day.

21st Century Breakdown

Tue, 26 May 2009 15:06:43 GMT

I've listened to Green Day's new album a couple of times now, and this is my favorite song.

Lil Bit o' Update

Fri, 22 May 2009 15:55:04 GMT

Next weekend I'll be going to Book Expo America. $75 to get in... and I get the chance to hand out resumes to sales folks and -possibly- editors. If I can get one company to send me work, the ticket will be paid for.

In addition, I get to haul home as many free Advanced Reader Copies of books as I can manage to carry. This is usually a lot. The problem is I don't have space for that sort of thing. So after I get back... it's free book day at my house. More likely, it's free book day at whoever's house I'm going to, so I'll try to get an assortment and people can take what they want.

If they weren't ARCs, I'd sell them. But people don't tend to want to buy ARCs unless it's like Harry Potter or something of that ilk.

BEA tends to be fun but tiring. And it really makes me put on my Confident And Can Approach People mask.