| (hi, i'm alive. life is hectic.) |
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Tuesday, 8-12-2008
9:56am |
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mood:  happy
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I might have to watch ER again, after I'd given it up "for good"... (link contains spoilers for the upcoming - and final - season)
This was the only reason I ever watched the show, and I was so angry with how things turned out. But perhaps a little redemption is in store. Hooray! |
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| Go see "The Fall"!!! Go see it now! |
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Saturday, 6-21-2008
10:58pm |
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mood:  bouncy
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Alright, I am planning to post a big entry sometime soon about all the television/film that I've been watching lately, but I just can't wait any longer to hype this one - this film is spectacular. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. I don't know what the critics were smoking when they gave it such mixed reviews - it seems like they're just *not getting it*, strange as that sounds. They are comparing it to "The Princess Bride," and the two are *completely* different kinds of movies ("The Princess Bride" is all about the fairy tale - "The Fall" is all about the people telling the tale)! They're talking about the "bad acting" in certain sequences where the acting was quite obviously *deliberately* wooden/overdone. They write the reviews as though the fantasy narrative is the actual film narrative (and then critique the fantasy narrative rather than the film narrative from which the fantasy tale originates), when this isn't the case at all. They claim it was boring, and I just don't see that at all. And so on.
Everyone I know who has seen it has adored it. I just saw it for the second time today, and loved it even more - I caught some things that I missed the first time around. The interactions between Lee Pace (love him! I think he's a really intelligent/talented actor, and I'm so glad he's finding success in "Pushing Daisies" - he's deserved it since "Wonderfalls" and "Soldier's Girl") and the little girl are so genuine, and it's just... remarkable. The visuals are stunning. I really enjoyed the way it dealt visually with the concept of storytelling, and how it portrayed a child's imagination, and I really just can't praise it enough. And I'm babbling (perhaps in that conglomeration entry, I will give a more controlled and extensive review), but seriously - GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
Here is the trailer (or see a much higher-def version here):
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| Be cool, Soda Pop. |
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Sunday, 6-8-2008
12:01am |
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mood:  nostalgic music: "A long time ago, we used to be friends..."
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I've been doing a frantic rewatch of Veronica Mars season 1 and (started just last night on) season 2, and I still think what happened to this show is a crime. Season 3 is part of that crime, of course, but STILL! It shouldn't have ended so soon. I'm sure that Rob Thomas could have fixed it. I don't even think he would have broken it if he hadn't been so worried about trying to generate enough hype to keep the show on the air.
( more on Veronica Mars, cut to spare those of you who don't care )
... and I am now off in search of Veronica Mars fanfiction (... *good* VMars fanfic. Oxymoron? Maybe... I've never read any VMars fanfic before, so I guess we will see). Because I am more than slightly pathetic, and need more Logan than Rob Thomas gives us in early season 2. And also because Veronica is currently in total bitchmode on-screen, and I prefer the "gentle" (... for her) Logan/Veronica snark of mid- to late-season 1. |
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| mid-year resolution |
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Monday, 5-19-2008
2:59pm |
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mood:  Sleepy. Mondays are the worst.
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Since I continue to lack the willpower to get myself to the pool every day and to eat healthy all the time (I'm doing fairly well with that, though. NOT BUYING BAD STUFF helps a lot. Heh), the least I can do is get myself showered and to bed at a reasonable hour. It's gotten to the point, these past couple of months, where I simply cannot fall asleep before 2am (... I've stopped trying) - EXCEPT when I fall asleep at 7pm and wake up between 11am and 1am, and in those instances I do not fall back asleep until after 4-5am (and I get up... supposedly... at 7). It's fucking ridiculous. This must stop.
So here is my resolution for weeknights: no laptop in bed past 11pm, no lights past midnight. Also no television past 11pm, unless there is something on that I want to watch between 11 and 12. I haven't been reading enough lately anyway, so this will kill two birds with one stone (I hope).
... so if you see me online and active after 11pm, yell at me.
(On weekends, I am relaxing the rules a bit - no rules on when TV/laptop need to be off/put away, except that I must be in bed/lights out by 3am.)
... Gosh, it's really pathetic that I have to set a bedtime for myself. I'm a grownup now (supposedly) - you'd think I'd have a handle on how to sleep. Instead, I've gotten worse and worse at it as I've grown older. |
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| It's like 6th grade all over again! This band will never get old. |
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Friday, 5-9-2008
9:17pm |
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mood:  geeky music: TMBG - Dr. Worm
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The They Might Be Giants podcast is pretty much the best thing ever. Crappy mood? It'll lift you up! Good mood? It'll put you in a better one! Like the band? Hear some rarities/live recordings/demos/etc.! Don't like the band? I don't care, listen anyway!
I highly recommend Podcast 33B (here is a direct link to the mp3 version of 33B). The repeated mournful/spooky robotic "died in the millpond" loop backing the commentary just *makes* the show. But the songs themselves are grin-inducing, not mournful. :-D :-D :-D |
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| A refreshing change (or two) |
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Thursday, 4-17-2008
11:39am |
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mood:  excited
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Instead of asking me if I was an undergrad (this has happened in the past) or fellow law student, the girl I just helped told me she was texting her boyfriend about "the cool tech lady that fixed her computer." While I don't view myself as a real adult yet (and therefore not a "lady"), being thought a "lady" is certainly better than being thought an undergrad.
... I must look old today. Hmm.
ALSO!!!: *awesome* new animated BSG moodtheme which i plan to stick with for a long time... by ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) schmiss, and you can get it here. hooray! |
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| Pier 7 is my favorite place in San Francisco. |
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Monday, 3-24-2008
1:26pm |
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mood:  peaceful
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(image by kpm1301)
( and more images, none of which quite manage to capture the feeling this spot evokes for me... )
... this image probably comes the closest to getting it right. I like the cloudy, foggy days best. And those lampposts are wonderful.
I've made Drew walk down to the end to stand there with me for half an hour to an hour both times we've met up (on Saturday the sun was setting, and everything was golden - and a seal swam by, which was kind of magical). If you visit me, I will probably force you to do the same thing. I have a 3-day weekend starting Friday - I think I might bring a book, BART over, and just go sit out there all day on Saturday.
It makes me feel nostalgic for something - a feeling, a place, I don't know - that I've never actually experienced. It also reminds me of the pier scenes from Requiem for a Dream. Drew said that this is kind of morbid/disturbing, but I always really loved those scenes, and I think it's beautiful... |
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| you'd better believe i clicked there to learn more! |
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Wednesday, 3-12-2008
11:22am |
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mood:  amused
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i love spam. |
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| grammar puzzle |
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Thursday, 3-6-2008
3:24pm |
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is there *ever* a time whan saying "if i would have ____ed..." rather than "if i had _____ed..." is grammatically correct? it really bothers me when people say this ("if i would have just waited a few more minutes, then..." or "if i would have done it this way, then..." or etc.), but it's such a common error that i feel like it must have come from something. i'm drawing a blank, though. thoughts?
(if i'm being unclear here, this is what i'm talking about.) |
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| academy awards |
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Sunday, 2-24-2008
5:37pm |
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mood:  giggly
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a hillary joke and a yom kippur joke in the first 10 minutes - jon stewart, i love you!
(... but are you chewing gum or something? what is up with the mouth-full-of-marbles sound?) |
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| LOL college |
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Wednesday, 2-13-2008
3:42pm |
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mood: amused
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Labtechs,
I know this is short notice... but since tomorrow is V-day and i am single i would like to get the night off. Im willing to trade shifts. Basically I need a cover from 8-12 midnight. Grave shift I know... but think about how grateful I will be if you do this?
-[one of our student workers]
I wonder if he'll get any response? |
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| QUOTE OF THE NIGHT! (said by a councilman, no less! i applaud you, gordon wozniak.) |
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Wednesday, 2-13-2008
12:36am |
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mood:  i hate everyone.
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"to err is human, but to really screw up, it takes the berkeley city council."
(for those who have no idea what i'm talking about, here is a place to start: the most recent CNN article and an SF Chronicle article from today.)
i have much to say on the subject of this berkeley/marines fracas (feel free to ask if you are interested - i warn you that i'm probably far from rational on the subject, and also probably far from well-educated), but i've been watching the city council meeting for the past few hours (... it's been going for 6 hours at this point, and isn't over yet), and now it's time for bed. to summarize my basic position:
- berkeley city council, WTF are you doing making statements about the military and issuing moral resolutions about things that go far beyond the bounds of this city when we have crappy, pothole-filled roads and huge numbers of homeless people lining our streets and parks, just to name two things that you should ACTUALLY be concerned about? (... which reminds me of a ridiculous comment made by the mayor - about how "clearly we support the troops - look at the number of homeless vietnam veterans we have welcomed into this city!", or something along those lines.)
- republicans in congress from far off places (particularly jim demint - I DO NOT LIKE YOU), WTF are you doing taking away funding from public services (school lunch program, disabilities programs) and things that aren't even part of the city of berkeley (the UC system, which just happens to share the "berkeley" name - and this is where the vast majority of the funding being removed goes) to "send a message" and "punish" the city? who the fuck takes lunches from children?! ARGH. it is not your job to "punish" a city with which you are wholly unconnected by removing funding about which you clearly have not educated yourself, any more than it is the city council's job to issue ridiculous statements about the military.
so basically: the council members are a bunch of dumbasses, but the republican senators and representatives from the other side of the country should butt the fuck out and let this be fought by berkeley residents/local protesters, not fucking congress.
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also, right-wing bloggers are fucking idiots, but that's a story for another day. (i refer, here, mostly to the comments being made about the school lunch program - just because the chez panisse foundation is running it, doesn't mean that they're serving the children gourmet food off of the chez panisse menu, you fucking idiots! they're trying to give them FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES and food that is actually somewhat good for them instead of the processed crap they'd normally be eating on the budget the schools are afforded for lunch. they're not passing out huckleberry coulis and chicory salad or any of the "posh" entrees that they serve to high-paying customers of the world-class restaurant. omg i hate you all.)
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... this was supposed to be a quick, calm, simple entry. i apologize to you all.
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ETA: THANK YOU. finally someone is doing something about this bullshit concerning the UC funding. |
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Tuesday, 1-22-2008
2:02pm |
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what's up with young, talented actors dying in droves?
:(
(brad renfro, and now heath ledger. ledger's death makes me really sad, for some reason. i'm not usually affected by celebrity deaths.) |
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Sunday, 1-6-2008
3:20pm |
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mood:  pleased music: i'm going to watch the x-files!
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after basically sleeping for 3 days or so straight (minus brief interlude where i attempted to go to work), i'm finally feeling a bit better (though my voice is still funny, my nose still runny, and my ears still plugged). i reserved a car with the car-share service today, went out, and came home with a bookshelf, a comfy chair (in pieces from ikea, but that gives me an afternoon project!), and lots and lots of greek yogurt. (plus other groceries and random housewares.)
and i feel very satisfied. perhaps my apartment will look more like a home, now, instead of just a guy's dorm room (alright, dorm suite with nice television, too many pastels in the bathroom and bed linens, and too-well-stocked kitchen... but still dreary/barren in that "guy's neatly-kept dorm room" kind of way). it's still lacking decorative things like rugs and wall art, but my books have a real home (instead of a shelf in the "china" cabinet - which holds glasses and other kitchen items, not china - and random piles in corners), i have a place to sit other than at my desk, kitchen table, or on my bed (... okay, it's a futon, but i only fold it up into couch-form about once a month), and... i have greek yogurt. into which i will drizzle honey. yum. |
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| sickly new year |
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Friday, 1-4-2008
9:10am |
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mood:  sick
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my boss just walked in, asked me how i was feeling (i've been out sick with a nasty cold the past 2 days), and (upon hearing my answer - that i'm okay, but still spacy and congested) told me i didn't need to stay. which was somewhat surprising, given my already-2-day-absence. i suppose it shouldn't be surprising, as there is absolutely no one here this week.
so now i have a dilemma. i feel like crap and would love to just go home and go back to bed (i've basically spent the past 2 days there, with occasional trips to the bathroom, shower, and refrigerator. and i'm nearly out of tissues.), but i don't know how much sick leave i have left. i'm fairly certain that i have more than enough, but there's no way to find out for sure (the only place where you can find out is on the timesheets we get once a month - and we just got an email saying that payroll hasn't given them to us yet...), and i don't want to wind up with like... 4 hours of sick leave for the rest of the month (i accumulate some more time at the end of the month). plus i'm already here, and with the disgusting weather outside, it's unlikely that anyone else will show up, so today should be slow, and (if necessary - i'm certainly trying to get some work done) i can just kind of space out a bit while earning money and not using a sick day.
... but i'm feeling seriously gross. (and i'm sure the weather isn't helping.)
thoughts? right now my plan is to stick it out through noon and then reevaluate. my (behind-the-counter, ingredient-in-speed) sudafed should start to kick in soon, which may or may not help a bit.
edit: i'm going home at 1. i can't concentrate on anything. walking through the halls to the bathroom was like walking through fog. i haven't even taken anything that would be causing me to feel like this - it's just the stupid cold! |
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Friday, 12-28-2007
7:00am |
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mood:  thoughtful
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i have a new moodtheme! (actually, i have two new moodthemes - the other one is a kara/lee BSG theme - but this is the one i'm going with for now. all credit info for both themes is listen in my profile.) i decided that i wasn't a fan of that replacement x-files one i'd been using - plus my obsession lies more with these two shows (the aforementioned BSG and the now-displayed NMTB) these days, though i will always be an x-phile first and foremost.
i'm not actually thoughtful right now (just sleepy - gahhh sleep schedule!), but i enjoy that image and wanted to show off the theme, so there you go.
i have grand ambitions of creating my own custom moodtheme someday (which will undoubtedly make use of nmtb hilarity, bsg angst, and classic x-files imagery), but we'll see if that ever actually happens.
(in other news, i've been home for nearly a week, i am headed to NYC to hang with some bowdoin folks for new year's before i fly back to california, i had a good christmas, i am sad/worried about various current events, and berkeley is still lonely, even though it's full of people. i hope all of you reading this are well. i have left a few random comments over the past couple weeks, but i need to go back and re-read my friendslist for most of the month of december, as i've been very lax about reading/commenting - my apologies for my unresponsiveness!) |
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Tuesday, 12-18-2007
6:07pm |
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mood: amused
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[received via paper mail:]
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SAVE A TREE
Stay Informed and Help Us Reduce the Environmental Impact of Serving You
In order to better serve you and reduce the amount of paper we use in constituent communications, we are giving you the opportunity to save a tree and opt out of receiving paper mail from our office in the future.
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Well *THANKS*, Rep. Barbara Lee, for wasting the paper to send me a note letting me know that I can opt out of receiving mailings that I didn't want anyway!
(... alright, yes, for people who do care, it's nice to know that you can receive updates via email instead of through the mail. But I just don't want to receive updates, period, so I didn't really want or need an update telling me that I can stop receiving updates.) |
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Monday, 11-26-2007
5:31pm |
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i just got groceries delivered.
i am pathetic, but will be well-fed for another month and will not have to walk past the large number of homeless folks down the street in the dark with my arms full of heavy groceries.
but mostly i am just pathetic. (at least it was free.)
also, he didn't check my ID even though i bought vodka. hmm. |
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ecstatic
glum