I Get High On A Buzz

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 08:27:21 GMT

Seri/Ophiomancer has new batches of both Labyrinth and AFOD icons in her icon LJ, journalpretties

She is fabulously talented. Go check her out.

/pimp]

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 07:14:50 GMT

Two days left until departure, in which KL discovers how you can fill your suitcase with an amazing amount of stuff -- and yet not exceed the weight limit -- when none of said stuff is books, which were previously sacrificed to make room for necessities.

Twenty minutes later, in which she remembers she can bring a second suitcase, and resolves to fill it entirely with books.

In other words, hello world, am not dead. But packing and preparation can make one's life almost entirely not your own.

Can also make one a little barmy. RE: entire suitcase filled with books. Which I'm going to see if I can get away with, not kidding here...

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 08:49:56 GMT

Oh fuck.

It's 2007, isn't it? I forgot that consequence of waving goodbye to '06.

GO BACK, 2007. I AM NOT READY FOR YOU. GO BACK! GO BACK INTO THE LIGHT!

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 03:32:10 GMT

In 2007, klmorgan resolves to...

Admit my true feelings to world_of_eos.
Lose ten vampire fictions by March.
Get back in contact with some old good books.
Find a new fanfiction.
Give up lotus leaves.
Give up writing.

I dunno about the lotus leaves, man. I mean, I'm like, freebasing those suckers. Mmmmmmmm. Yum.

~~It's true about world_of_eos, though. MARRY ME, BABY!~~

"Or we could just go to Best Buy."

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 07:06:03 GMT

AAAAAAAAAAAAAH I HAVE A DIGITAL CAMERA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

IT IS SO AWESOME. AND HOTTT. IT IS HOTTTTT. EVEN MORESO THAN MY NEW EYEBROWS.

IT IS PINK! (In an awesome silvery way, not a Pepto Bismal way.) AND IT IS SO TINY! AND THE BUTTONS! SO MANY BUTTONS!

I will upload pics as soon as I figure out how.

Sun, 24 Dec 2006 04:30:51 GMT

THINGS I HAVE DONE TODAY I HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE:

1. Had my eyebrows waxed. (And tinted. We were doing a makeup consult for Sam's wedding, and the woman said they also did eyebrows and such, so I said go for it. Smarted only a touch, as she was very good. And my eyebrows look hot. Fighting the urge to wine and dine them.)

2. Visited the mall two days/the Saturday before Christmas. (Oh. Oh God. Not fun. I finally found Sam (who wanted to by a last-minute birthday present for the fiance) and we both were all "Let's never do this again.")

3. Bought a plane ticket to China.

... yup.

T minus 23 days and counting.

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:20:05 GMT

I survived Yuletide, if barely. The night I was finishing up my fic, the PR manager of my school in China gave me a phone call. He was all, "Wassup, dawg? I sent you emails a week or two ago and you never replied." Which leaves me to conclude that I again FAIL to be an ADULT.

*headdesk*

Anyway, he wanted to know where I was at and when I'm planning on arriving. We pretty much worked that out, so I have until mid-January until ~~rocks fall and everyone dies~~ I leave for parts unknown.

Hold me! *scared*

Until then there are people to see, parties to attend, books to read (both for the trip and for leisure), Mandarin to learn, DVDs to watch (so they can be returned to owners), warm clothes to buy (NOTHING will fit me over there, I know it), stuff to pack, haircuts to get, insurance to arrange, bits of advice to collect, financials to arrange, rooms to clean, time to spend with parents, et all.

Plus a wedding to attend. Ye gods.

Oh, and spare moments spent writing.**

Oi vey.

But! I also promised a meta-party, and we will have one. Just let me arrange my thoughts on the topic -- you guys seem to respond in greater numbers when I give you specifics to react to and opinions to contend. ;) (Which I love, and which is why I'm not shy about voicing my opinions. It's not because I believe mine are infallible, it just seems the quickest way to find out other people's!)

So that will be coming up soon.

Oh, and before I forget -- happy Solstice, everyone. I'm not particularly pagan, but the turning of the tide of darkness is definitely something to celebrate.

**Note to those new to my LJ, including [Bad username: hoppytoad79"] and alwayseasy, this is not fanfic writing. In fact, I NEVER mention fanfic writing in this journal. I make a point not to, since I consider this a personal journal. Fanfic updates are posted in the community.

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:14:47 GMT

SIGNS THAT YULETIDE IS NEARING AN END...

#34

Refreshing email inbox every six seconds.

# 35

Sudden exclamations of: "Beloved caffeine! SWEET NECTAR OF WAKEFULNESS!"

And when I'm done, apparently, we're going to have a party at my LJ, in which we discuss the potential impact an ever-widening awareness of fanfiction may have on the industry of published original fiction as a whole. Because that's the kind of thing we do at my parties. Chips? Bah. Salsa? We don't need your stinkin' salsa!

actually, i'd like some of those frozen cream puffs. i could put those out. i mean, if you're going to the store, anyway. otherwise, you know, i hate to be a bother...

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 02:56:20 GMT

Blaaaaah.

I'm sorry I've been MIA. I'm DOA. I got innoculated against Hep A and tetnus in the same day, baby -- one in each arm. (And can I say: ow? Not the actual injections, she was great with those, but ow ow ow ow for the aches and muscle bruising which can suck when your job consists of carrying heavy things and raising your hands to wave customers down to your cashier? OW.) Anyway, between that and the antiboitics for my sinus infection, my immune system is under a bit of a strain the past two or three days and consequently I am just dead in the water by the time I come home. I'm too tired to think.

So, yeah, I'll be back in a bit to answer those (cute!) questions or update something worth reading. Soon.

Definitely soon, since my job ends Saturday night.

*bites nails*

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:32:57 GMT

I was looking over some old entries and found this. I knew I'd done this meme before -- back in November of 2004, apparently -- but it seems to have floated this way 'round again. So let's compare results...

This is the problem with LJ: we all think we are so close, and we know nothing about each other. I'm going to rectify it. I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me. Something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about.

Then post this in your LJ and find out what people don't know about you.

Sun, 10 Dec 2006 22:44:50 GMT

Why is my internet not working? It isn't, which is upsetting. I'm writing this in Notepad. I'll post it in LJ when my internet is working.

Today I am exhausted and I am only half done. I stayed up terribly late last night, since I didn't get home until midnight (I work the late shift Saturdays, because I have no social life and am proud of it, apparently.) and then when I got home I was seized by the urge to actually work on my Yuletide assignment. God knows where that sense of dedication came from. Surely it will pass.

Got up early this morning with my parents to go to Costco, which I love and adore. Any store where I can buy in bulk is good for me, because I'm one of those unfortunate beings who believes that if you enjoy something, it will naturally follow you will love even more of that something, and more and more and more. I once walked away with twenty of the same style of camisole in different colors, people, I do not play around.

But anyway. Costco. Rock. Also picked up some DVDs, which I totally really absolutely shouldn't have, considering my financial situation, but I'm sorry, you cannot place the first season of Gilmore Girls in front of me for fifteen dollars and expect me to walk on by. And then! And then I actually found a copy of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre (which I talked about here a bit) for twenty, and DUDE. I was just thinking TWO WEEKS ago that Costco should carry this title and I've wanted it badly for almost two years now, but was unwilling to fork over the massive cash it once commanded. So the gods smiled on me. I knew all that voodoo worship as a kid wouldn't go to waste.

I'm watching some GG episodes as I type this. I was initially a little hesitant to pick up the DVD set, even with the great price -- I remember really wanting it when I was in college, but couldn't for the life of me remember why.

I remember why, now. The first season of this show is amazing. It is quirky and cute and full of smart humor. And yet it somehow manages to be very real -- well, as real as a show about a 31-year-old mom and her fifteen-year-old daughter on the WB gets to be, which is surprisingly empathetic. This is before they started making Alexis Bledel into a teen idol and let her wear stylish "emo/indie" clothes and atrocious amounts of eye makeup -- when the character Rory (the daughter) parted her hair straight down the middle and wore baggy clothing like the nerdy, snarky teen she was supposed to be. And was, you know, a nerd, not a stylish, overly made-up anorexic teen queen who reads nerd books. She has baby fat, y'all, she is adorable! And I remember the shock and awesomeness of seeing an actual teenager play one on TV.

And hey, there's Chad Michael Murry before he garnered his first few STDs, and Vintage!Jared Padalecki, before he became a Greek god and was still kinda lanky and unfinished, fitting the part of incredibly-cute-yet-not-unattainable-boy-next-door so perfectly it almost hurts. And oh, I'd forgotten how much fun the character if Paris (played with eerie perfection by Liza Weil) was when she was really scary and militant about being the best student in class.

This show came out in 2000, right when I was about to graduate from high school, but it still resonated with me on a deep level. I'd been the smart transfer student to move to an ultra-competitive private school, too. Sure, there was no Dean, and Paris was actually several different girls, and no way was my home life that interesting... okay, maybe I just cottoned onto the sparkling banter. (Favorite line is actually a throwaway -- Lorelai is walking past a side character who is a dance teacher, Miss Patty. Miss Patty is seen smoking casually as she takes her young charges (a group of elementary-age girls) through their paces in her studio, using the old walk-with-a-book-on-your-head trick to teach them correct posture. ""Now walk smooth, that's the new Harry Potter on your heads," she reminds them while gesturing with the cigarette holder. "If they should drop, Harry will die and there won't be any more books.")

But still! This was totally my show.

And it still is, this time for different reasons -- I love shows with teenagers who act, you know, like teenagers. (Hello, My So-Called Life.) Plus I'm in awe of how this ensemble works. I know I've rattled on about the younger cast members, but that's mainly because they're the ones who have changed the most drastically. The older characters haven't changed so much as... oh, I don't know, sort of dropped the story lines that really affected me. But it's wonderful to go back and see them again in a different, more appreciative light; the interaction between Lorelai (the young mom) and her parents, Richard (who closed himself off emotionally after seeing her "throw away" her potential, "with all [her] talent and intelligence") and Emily (who is painfully aware that she is not the kind of mother her daughter wants, and yet demands -- in all kinds of awkward and grating ways -- to be a part of her life). And it was lovely to see a television show try to address the situation of two people (Lorelai and Christopher) having a child together and yet refusing to commit to each other, the pressures that both push them together and pull them apart.

Le sigh.

In conclusion to my day I had a talk with nohx, which was fun and nice. Also reminded me I have been a recluse lately, which while not entirely bad, should be tempered more with, you know, actually answering my phone. (Or, in this week's case, noticing the battery is dead and that's why it hasn't been ringing for several days.) If you have been feeling neglected and ignored, raise your hand and there will be cookies. Seriously, I may suck at returning calls, but I am generous with the "Forgive Me" cookies.

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 05:56:52 GMT

Bus ride to Wisconsin Ave... $1.25

Time spent waiting for the attendant to find my passport... 15 (nerve wracking) minutes

Ransoming back my passport... $50

Being legally able to enter the People's Republic of China... *grin*

The first time I visited the visa office I was so incredibly nervous and excited and anticipatory, I could hardly stand it. I got on the elevator and punched in "1" before pausing to take scope and see whether or not I was actually on the first (as opposed the ground) floor. Apparently I was, because the elevator then refused to move or open for the next five minutes, until I started punching every other button in a panicked frenzy. Ten minutes later a slightly sweaty but considerably less claustrophobic me was making her way down the hall towards my intended destination. Where I forgot to sign my visa application on the first try, and my hands were shaking so badly I ended up clenching them into fists. I traded in my passport for a veeeeery tiny slip of carbon copy paper, which was such a bad bargain I almost asked for the thing back. But I came back on the 6th between the hours of one and three, as asked, shuffled over the requisite clams, and there we are.

It's pretty. It's a slip of paper cut to fit inside my passport and glued on the page opposite my last visa stamp, from London. It has my name and duration of stay and a picture of the Great Wall, and I keep looking at it every five minutes in disbelief. It's official. I'm doing this.

I seriously need to get back to my Mandarin lessons.

In other news of Getting Stuff Done, I may have purchased a suitable dress for my upcoming role as Maid of Honor. Which is not as easy as it sounds, lemme tell you, when the bride in question informs you she will be wearing red to her wedding. She will look gorgeous in red, of course. But it's a head-scratcher as to what would compliment it in some way, and then I saw this while returning some items today, and packed the sucker up. Fits well, so now all I need is a thumbs-up (or down) from the bride in question.

And that was my day! The Yuletide deadline is coming up and I'm seriously considering taking up nail-biting. Not that I don't love my assignment, but... well... most everyone here knows about me and deadlines, right? Not so mix-y, to quote the late and initially great Buffy.

Maybe if I stock up on Doubleshots, close my eyes and leap...

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 03:56:58 GMT

Dear Body,

You fail as a flesh casing. Don't make me put the beat-down on ~~your~~ my ass. I've already threatened Laptop, and I LOVE Laptop. I do not love you. Not recently, anyway. You are full of mucus and pain. And just when I think we're coming to a resolution of this silliness, you sulk and storm out of peace talks only to have your guerilla antibodies attack my sinus.

This is entirely unlovable. Don't make me bust out the Suhaila tapes. We both know they bring nothing but more hurt. And the inability to use ~~your~~ my legs for several hours. But don't think I won't do it -- I've heard you can sweat out sickness, and hell, the gentle touch hasn't exactly worked so far. So shape up. Or I will.

Yours spitefully looking for my yoga pants which have probably grown dusty with neglect,

KL

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 04:39:03 GMT

Dear Lovely Laptop I Adore:

Why are you making strange noises?

Stop making strange noises.

I swear to God, if you die on me in China I will kick your ass.

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 02:43:17 GMT

Turkey Day seems to be going well, actually. There was enough flavor-full stuff on the table, even with my uncle being all... the way he is. (Love him, but something went haywire with his tastebuds.) And I was distracted from uber-annoying tries-to-be-cute-but-comes-off-snotty cousin ("What are you doing on the internet? Searching for a boyfriend?") by actually-is-painfully-cute cousin who is brand spanking new at only five months and change, and has recently becomes the shiniest, happiest, gigglicious child I've ever seen. She is the first truly cute child to ever come out of this family, and I blame her mother's (who married in) genes.

What am I thankful for? A lot of things. Time spent with my extended family, despite my mild griping. (Hey, the fun of family is you get to gripe about them! Gently!) That I'm embracing the fact that I will again, this year, not complete my NaNo, and that maybe NaNo just isn't for me. Certainly not with this storyline, which I care too much about and can't see to loosen up on. A lot of things. I feel like I'm fighting a war on so many fronts, lately -- what with my health being spotty, and work being crazy, the trouble with some friendships, preparing for China and grad school possibilites and Sam's wedding, and just trying to be normal and get writing and bellydance and a social life done. I've been really tired and stressed. So I'm very happy for this time away from my usual space, with people I don't see very often, eating lots of cake. (Yeah, cake. Not a pie fan.)

I am happy. I like my life. I think I have a blood sugar rush crash now. I need to lie down.

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 06:13:23 GMT

Happy Turkey Day, my lovelies.

Back after hols with updates of (relative) substance.

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 04:20:37 GMT

GODDAMMIT!

LJ ate a huge freaking entry. Damn.

What happened to the autosave thingy?

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 21:08:37 GMT

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I JUST ACCEPTED AN INTERNSHIP OFFER IN BEIJING, CHINA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

I AM SCARED OUT OF MY MIND I'M NOT KIDDING.

SIX MONTHS OR MORE IN A COUNTRY WHERE I DON'T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE AND I DON'T KNOW A SOUL.

OH GOD HOLD ME.

I SAID I'D BE THERE IN JANUARY OH SHIT OH SHIT

On a totally unrelated note.

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:04:36 GMT

Dude.

Christian Bale is being an angsty dark lickable Farenheit 451-type government agent called a Cleric on my TV in a society where emotion is supressed via drugs for a better society and emotion-provoking materials (art, books, music, etc) are outlawed and BURNED. (It is SYMBOLIC.) And he wears streamlined militaristic black clothing and angsts about his lack of angst because his wife was "incinerated" for loving him and their kids to much and AAAAAAAAAAAH.

And Sean Bean and Taye Diggs and Emily Watson are supporting characters and AAAAAAAAAAAH.

WHY HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF THIS MOVIE. WHYYYYYY.

It hits all of my dystopia and antihero kinks so hard. Mmmmph.

I've been reading new supernatural urban fantasy releases. I know, I know, I'm a masochist at heart.

But I saw one called Ivy Cole and the Moon and thought, hey, werewolves, THAT hasn't been done to death... as much. And of course I fell for the blurbs again, blurbs which promised me insidious Southern atmosphere and kooky characters with all the werewolf junk. Hook, line, and sinker, baby.

Man, I am such a sucker.

So I'm halfway through and I can't believe this heroine. She's being investigated for a crime (murder of a bad guy) she actually did commit, right? So you'd think it'd be stealth!time in Ivy-the-horrible-werecreature's house, right?

It goes like this:

HEROINE: Sure, come right into my home, local police force which is awfully suspicious of me since I moved to town around the time people started dissapearing. Check out my coffeetable book.

SHREWD FEMALE SHERIF: Hmmm. Lycanthrop. An ancient German text on werewolves. Complete with pictures.

HEROINE: Isn't it chic?

SHREWD FEMALE SHERIF: You mentioned the deceased delivered a platter for you. Can I see it?

HEROINE: Over there on the table.

SHREWD FEMALE SHERIF: It's lovely. It also prominently features an etching of wolves on the hunt. What's the inscription say?

HEROINE: Well, I'm going to tell you it says "To my dear niece from a loving uncle," but if you knew anyting about German articles, you could see he's calling me "little wolf-girl," or something to that effect. Though really, it'd be hard to miss regardless, since the German word for wolf is "wolfe."

SHREWD FEMALE SHERIF: Well, I may not know about German articles, or have the ability to make intuitive leaps, but I DO know the deceased recorded your package as weighing ten ounces! And this is at least several pounds! AHA!

HEROINE: Rats. Hoist by my own petard.

(and then later...)

HEROINE: Come into my house, Adorably Clueless Deputy who is certain to become my tragic love interest.

ADORABLY CLUELESS DEPUTY: Don't mind if I do.

HEROINE: So, I will now take umbrage at something you let drop while talking about my fabulous coffeebook.

ADORABLY CLUELESS DEPUTY: May I pine in your general direction while you do?

HEROINE: Be my guest. Meanwhile, I'll go into a rant which shows how incredibly touchy and sensitive I am on the subject on whether or not wolves are a threat to man. I'll go into theories about wolf teaching man to hunt, which are largely symbolic and have no factual or historical basis (or if they do, the author doesn't see fit to divulge it). Basically, I'll take your head off before rudely asking you to leave.

ADORABLY CLUELESS DEPUTY: Woah, I thought we were going to go on a date.

HEROINE: We were, but this shows how fundementally incompatible we are and how Tragic and Doomed it all is. Now excuse me, I must go upstairs and be emo in the diary* I've kept since I was bitten as a little girl and don't even bother to hide, really.

ADORABLY CLUELESS DEPUTY: Wow. What if someone found it?

HEROINE: I am confident in Man's inability to accept the existence of the supernatural, even if they had my diary in one hand and my t-shirt with the word "Wicked" and the profile of a wolf's head on it, which doesn't actually appear in the story but the author mentions in an aside.

ADORABLY CLUELESS DEPUTY: Huh. That's a pretty secure position to take, seeing as how the local librarian is already posting "How to Avoid Werewolves" lists and the newspaper is running inflamatory headlines like "The Devil of Doe Springs" with hysterical witnesses claiming to have seen a monster prowling the woods. But hey, Southern towns, especially insular and isolated ones, are know for their tolerance and prioritizing rational thought over mob mentality, right?

HEROINE: Well, love to chat, but you're cutting into my rememiscing about how I found my mother brutally slaughtered by a werewolf on the kitchen floor -- did I mention it was the night before Christmas? -- when I was just a young girl and how the monster somehow decided to spare my own life, though not before sharing its terrible curse.

ADORABLY CLUELESS DEPUTY: I'll leave you to mourn the loss of a healthy relationship with me with one of your eight dogs. Probably the one you've named after a mythological creature right out of your coffeetable book. Speaking of which, can I borrow it in order to scrutinize further and eventually figure out your every secret?

HEROINE: Sure! After all, I'm Southern and friendly like that.

*I AM SO NOT MAKING THIS UP. SHE HAS A DIARY. SHE IS EMO IN IT.

And the weird thing is, it's fairly well written. There's some annoying head-hopping within scenes, which makes me want to get out a ruler and rap the author's knuckles, but she's creating some very interesting prose.

But prose isn't enough.

I think the fundemental flaw in this book is the heroine. I don't understand her -- at all. I mean, the two paraphrased conversations (above) nonwithstanding. Lemme 'splain.

Ivy's whole shtick is that she punishes bad people. Usually by eating them, but she makes it clear she gives them ample opportunity to repent their sins before she breaks out the silverware. Vigilante werewolf -- sounds really interesting, right?

Falls flat, somehow. Maybe it's because the story is set in a small town, and small towns aren't known for violent, unchecked crime. Of course, there are always those domestic disturbances which police forces tend to ignore or cover up, so Ivy has those.

Except... and this is where I become a heartless bitch... I have to wonder at Ivy's choice of victims. First one we see is a postal worker, married to Ivy's best friend, who sleeps around and also beats his wife. Pretty yucko, right? (There's this whole passage about how he was "evil," but... I hesitate over books that decide mere mortals are vessels of innate wickedness.) But then you have to ask, who married that kind of shmuck? Apparently a young, pretty, bright girl, who doesn't seem to be suffering from battered wife syndrome, but refuses to get a divorce because she believes marriage is sacred.

Uh. What?

Her husband beats her bloody and she thinks she has to stay with him regardless? Because of marriage vows? I mean, she doesn't even need to divorce him, just pack up her things and leave. I'm sorry, if she were a romance heroine, the Smart Bitches would label her Too Stupid To Live. So why should I care for her now? why should I think Ivy is doing such a great thing by offing her husband? Ivy even makes a mental note to watch her friend and make sure she doesn't marry ANOTHER such shmuck because, and I quote, "girls like that tend to follow a pattern."

If you're wondering why I'm boggling, picture Ivy as a MALE werewolf -- looking after his female friend, killing the husband who's mean to her even though she never sticks up for herself, making sure she doesn't make yet another mistake. Basically, taking care of the little woman who is too sweet, old-fashioned, and trusting to be able to make the right decisions for herself.

Oh lord gag me.

The second victim isn't much better. He's a bank manager who is (again) cheating on his wife, abuses the family pet, and picks on his stepson. I'm all for going after him, but why doesn't Ivy go after his wife as well? I mean, she marries this guy and brings him into her and her sons life -- then turns a blind eye to the fact he puts out cigarettes on the cat and hounds her child?

I say eat them both.

And again, Ivy is apparently making real inroads in this town. A small town. A small town where everyone knows each other. And I just... I dunno, I think people who take it upon themselves to dispense justice really have to be careful. If the author decides to play with that further in, I'll be very interested and along for the ride, but... this book isn't even getting great reviews on Amazon.

*sigh* Oh, well... I still have those Banana Yoshimoto strips. (SCORE!)

Can you tell how much Nano I'm NOT doing?

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 03:21:25 GMT

Sign that visit to Sax's was off to an interesting start:

"Goddammit, Kat! What is it with you and all the scorched earth?"

This was after she picked Devdas from the handful of movies I'd brought to show her because it was the "pretty one." I WARNED her she was watching a tragedy train wreck of epic proportions. Did she listen? Nooooo. However, Scorched Earth -- referring to my penchant for destruction and emotional desolation -- is my new nickname.

Sign that my first shift back to work will be rocky:

NEW HIRE: So, how do you spell "traffic?"

ME: Like the movie?

HIM: No, like... stuck in...

ME: Take away the 'k.'

I work at a bookstore, y'all. A BOOKSTORE.

Sign that Americans are even stupider than Sasha Baron Cohen shows us:

This.

Dear Stupid Frat Boys: OH MY GOD. Some people gave you free beer. They asked you questions. They filmed it. THIS IS NOT BASIS FOR A LAWSUIT. They violated none of your rights. None. Sure, they lied to you and said it wouldn't be shown in the US, but are you going to sue everyone who has helped you get drunk and then lied to you? That's a whole lot of hookers to round up, man.

You were stupid and racist and misogynistic of your own volition. I've seen the footage. You barely let Cohen get a word in edgewise, you were so excited to espouse your fantasies about women as property and how minorities have the upper hand in this country. Yes, you were drunk off your asses when you said it. That was apparent. You still said it. And hopefully, if there's any justice in the world, it will keep you from getting laid for at least a week.

Oh, hell, who am I kidding. Like the women you guys sleep with are ever making a conscious decision, regardless. GHB -- not just a drug, it's a lifestyle!

Dear Everyone Else: You knew you were being filmed. In the age of the internet, that should have clued you into the fact that hey, it's possible this could be seen in the states. If you behaved well, you have nothing to bitch about -- and yeah, not all of you behaved well, I'm looking at you, That Guy at the dinner party -- we (the audience) were laughing at the character of Borat, or the situation, not you specifically. Suck it up and laugh. You now have the best ice-breaker conversation EVER.

Also, SCORE. I told Sax that Pam Anderson was in on the whole thing, and I was right.

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:15:50 GMT

Hmmm. Midnight, ~~scribbling~~ typing away on my laptop in front of the television, slamming down Starbucks' Doubleshots. Sneaking over to the forums to look at other people's wordcount and seethe with rage and envy. Self-hating my own wordcount and lack of productivity.

*sniff, sniff*

Oh yes, Nanowrimo is in the air again.

Ah, well. One upshot is that, when I want to procrastinate on my Nanodraft I write my Yuletide fic, and when I want to procrastinate on my Yuletide... you get the picture.

I shouldn't whine, man, I'm going on vacation in three days. I am not suffering. I am spending four days in Columbus with Kate the Awesome, hopefully type-type-typing away on my trusty laptop (Aka The Brick, which I totally love. Yes, I love you, you outdated machine. Who's mommy's little throwback, mmmm?) and drinking lots and lots of coffee at Kate's coffeehouse. And maybe we can shake it to some bellydance DVDs, because why the hell not. I'm out of practice. And Kate will be recovering from surgery, which is of course the BEST time to subject your body to rigorous exercise. It's a plan!

Man, all this writing (HAH! Procrastination, more like it. I should not write in front of the TV, it is BAD.) is frying the brain. (What do you fry in a brainpan? Plotbunny fritters? OH GOD LOOK WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME.)

I wish I could squee about my Yuletide assignment, but that's against the rules. Suffice to say, I'm having so much fun getting "inside" this story and putting things together.

GAH I HATE YOU, NANO. Stupid control impulses. I don't like to free-associate write. I like to be comfortable and secure with every word that goes on the paper, which is why I've had this plotbunny for years and about fifteen pages to show for it. (Though my plot/scene/character sketchings are massive and in many assorted journals.) I will write and I will write crap if needs be. This is why Nano is good for me.

In other news I was offered an internship in China, like I was hoping. Only of course I have now delaying responding to the offer for... two days? Because I am a dork and avoidant. Stupid.

~~I'll think about it tomorrow.~~ I'll deal with it when I've had some sleep Seriously, I will.

Yuletide Treasure

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 19:43:05 GMT

Dear Secret Santa,

Happy Yuletide! I'm so excited. And I hope my requests haven't sent you groping for the liquor cabinet.

I am pretty easy to please. As far as I'm concerned, the fun of Yuletide is seeing someone else do their thing with a (vague) idea I provided. As long as you like the story you're writing, I'm happy to read it. Plus, it is clear to me you are AWESOME ALREADY for offering any of these fandoms. But if you want to know more about my personal leanings, as maybe a kick-off point...

I'm comfortable with slash, femmeslash, genfic, het, and character death. The only things that make me antsy are those that wouldn't be considered "realistic" within the fandom's world -- which would mean gender swap or mpreg for three of the four fandoms I requested (we both know you're golden for the Classical mythology) -- and graphic and/or unmitigated smut. Smut away if you like, and welcome, but please use a light touch.

I like both narrative and snapshot fics. I have a love for character focus, but if you want to concentrate on plot, that's also swell. I have a penchant for the brooding and atmospheric, but warm and fluffly feelings are welcome as long as it doesn't become shmoopy or out of character. I usually ask for follow-up fics, but any deeper insights to events during the original story, or before, will not be ~~kicked out of bed~~ hated at all.

I love the English language. Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are all very close to my heart.

Hmm, what else? Oh, please please please -- no character-bashing. If they're bastards and you and I both know it, let them be bastard-like. But if you're inclined to break up a canon pairing, please let both partners exit with dignity.

And now specifically:

The Winter Prince is one of my favorite books, Medraut one of my favorite anti-heroes. I'd love to see more about how the characters talk about him when he's around, what they think of him that no ones knows, and so on. (I chose Lleu, but really it could be any of them. Or all of them!) I haven't read the next two books in the series, but feel free to reference them.

Classical Mythology is a fandom I'd love to see almost anything in. I love the Eros/Psyche story and would like some follow-up on how the rest of the gods regarded the newcomer, but any story in which the gods trade in-jokes and obscure references, take the piss, and generally snark about is good for me.

Picnic at Hanging Rock -- what appeals to me about this film is the feeling that things haven't resolved themselves, and may continue to have repercussions for everyone involved for years afterwards.

Outlaws of Sherwood, my favorite Robin McKinley book. I'll take anything. Really, anything. I love these characters and think the book ended far too early.

Happy tidings, and please have as much fun as possible.

~KL

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 05:01:51 GMT

BEGIN NANO-ING!

just to let you know i have a new vox journal and am writing in it. here.

Let me introduce you to...

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 16:23:16 GMT

I was going to take a gander at dmacabre's seven song meme, but this is more fun. Plus, downloads to call your own!

There's a Candian (trust those northerners to bring the crazy) band I've come to know and love. A "manufactued" duo (their music videos, available on YouTube, are cartoons of their alter-ego selves) of the silent, stoic guitar-player Milo and British-y Simon, would-be Lothario who has an almost masochistic knack for falling for the wrong women.

Together, they pen battle songs about the trials and tribulations of today's dating scene, be it the perils of online relationships, the ever-present language barrier, or standard dumping cliches*. And far be it from Simon and Milo to shirk at the truly unique conundrums of modern gender relations. Restraining orders? Veneral disease? Genocidal conflict?**

Now they, too, have theme songs to call their own.

Are the songs actually worthwhile beyond the amusement factor? Do they all have vaguely the same arrangement and chord progression? Are these guys on crack?

Who cares?

You will listen. You will enjoy. You will, god willing, bounce around like the hyperactive maniac these insanely catchy songs with inspire you to be.

Then go and buy their stuff at iTunes or Amazon or whatever.

*yes, that's sung to "The Sugar Plum Fairy."

**I'm certain this is about loving a Rwandan chick. Pretty sure, anyway. Who cares, let's dance!

tis the season, after all

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 20:04:50 GMT

Quick question for my lovely f-list.

I am, of course, mais oui naturellement, a fan of all things Burton/Elfman etcetera and so forth.

But I dislike Nightmare Before Christmas.

I originally saw it in theatres and, while I enjoyed the movie, something bothered me... not the presentation or the spectacle or the characters -- definitely not the music -- but the message.

I can never really get into the wonderful bits of Nightmare because I feel like the message is: stick to what you're meant to do, kid.

Now, heaven forbid the notion Burton's films have usually uplifting messages. But this isn't like Edward Scissorhands, for instance, where the message -- about the cruelty of conformity and the hostility of human beings towards anyone they don't understand -- is not so much touted as exposed. As in, see how awful we can be towards each other? see how thoughtless actions can harm the vulnerable and lost?

And so Scissorhands is a martyr -- the audience's avatar and hero. But Jack Skeleton... hero, yes, but we're invited to judge him. WE know where he's going wrong long before he does, can see the mistakes he's made or the warnings ignored well before the catastrophic Christmas comes to pass. We weep for Edward, but we shake our heads at Jack.

And I hate that. Because I always root for the damn underdog, and I think that, given some practice, Jack could have come up with a kickass Christmas. But Burton doesn't invite us to speculate on the possibilities of old traditions turned topsy-turvy. Instead, the ending is a sigh of relief -- thank god, everything is back to the status quo, everyone in their proper place.

Meanwhile, what of Jack and his dreams of conquest, of changing the world?

Well, he's got a new girlfriend. So he's okay.

Which leaves a distinctly bad taste in my mouth.

So, um... agree? Disagree? Am I missing something, here? Please feel free to prove I've been sucking at the Marxist teat for too long, or whatever. I'm just puzzled as to why it's such a legacy among the Goth/artsy/outsider culture, when basically (it seems to me) it's a movie about how you shouldn't try to break free of convention.