highrise living for a joke like me

I have three new pairs of jeans. This is cause for celebration. I've been looking for jeans for two years. I have this Platonic Ideal when it comes to jeans: thick denim, black, not too low rise, fitted/tight in the thigh, flared or belled from the knee, longer than ankle length. As is inherent for a Platonic Ideal, these pants just don't exist, and the ones that are close don't fit me. The jeans I did wind up buying aren't perfect, of course, but they're close. They're blue, and I need to wear belts to keep the back from gaping (later I will bitch about about how hard it is to find clothes, but I'm too tired), but that means I now own a studded black-leather belt, so that's cool.

They're also from American Eagle, so I need to get used to the fact that I'm totally selling out. Mini-skirts from Forever 21, business-casual corsetry from Guess, and now jeans from AE. Good Goddess.

BTW, there is a good reason for why I disappeared over the last two weeks. ( cut for medical tmi ) I'm officially done with medical problems for the year, ok? *shakes fist at whatever being hands these things out*

The New Yorker for 31 July 2006 had two interesting articles in it: one about Wikipedia, and another about Ngugi wa Thiong’o, who some of you might remember from IB English. Since their site gets odd about past articles, I'm archiving both articles up here. Links available in a few minutes.

ETA:
KNOW IT ALL: Can Wikipedia conquer expertise?
EXTENDED PERFORMANCE: Saving the Republic of Aburiria.

Watched Holes with Mum and that grand'rents over dinner. That is an awesome film, based on an awesome book. That is all.

That thing that I did on Wednesday went just fine. Am doing it again on Thursday. No pending details, as there's nothing much to say yet.

Am opening the store two days next week, which means I need to be there at 5a...which means I have to leave the house at 4:30a, and probably get up at 3:30a. *shivers* So not looking forward to that.

To the computer-savvy types: am considering getting myself an external hard drive, primarily to store DVD-quality episodes. The device would usually hook up to my laptop (a Gateway, with Windows XP) and would need to be relatively portable. Any suggestions? I'd prefer the biggest (and most reliable) bang for my buck, poor college (dropout) student that I am. Grazie!

Today's best story from work: gentleman wants a pound of French Roast, ground for a paper cone filter. I spend ten minutes trying to find some, but to no avail. Gentleman says to go ahead and give him Italian Roast instead. Of course, the moment I open the bag, one of my co-workers finds a package of French Roast tucked in the back of a display. A *headcoffeegrinder* moment ensues, but the customer said the Italian Roast would be perfectly fine. Nice customers make my day.

Muse is being bitchy. A paragraph or two of the one fic I was working on got eaten the last time the 'rents confiscated the 'puter, and I'm having trouble reconstructing what I'd written (I'm only bothering because I had been very happy with the phrasing, and now I can't remember). I've also got the first two stagesoflove fic to write: Air from the Elemental series and Pride from the Seven Deadly Sins. Would it be too much to do the former set as NC-17 rated (100 word) drabbles? I have a vague idea for that, but I'm drawing a blank for the Sins. I'd had something in mind when I'd signed up, and now I can't remember. Arg.

Bat mitzvah was fun, as these things usually are. Bat mitzvah girl not a singer, but she did alright anyway. Party was loads of fun. I got placed at the "older than b'nai mitzvah but not a grown-up" table and wound up seated between two cousins, a pretty high school junior who kept dragging me off to the dance floor, and one of the Aussies. Had a *facepalm* moment when I asked what year the latter was in and he told me he was 25 and a school teacher. Oh, well. Mom told me to ask him to dance in apology, but she's nuts.

Finally picked up the carpet and 'fridge from the (evil) ex-roommate (from hell) on Monday. Pick-up went down without a hitch; she was entertainingly civil, but I think that was partially because she was finally going to be rid of me and partially because Da was trying to be threatening. He mostly manages it when he wears his sunglasses and growls a bit; he just needed his leather jacket.

Grand'rents are in town, on their semiannual visit as they snowbird, this time north for the summer. Grandmum chatted my ear off this morning about politics and news about all her neighbors in her apartment building in the Bronx and all kinds of other stuff. The grand'rents really want me to learn how to drive; they plan on giving me their car (silver Sable, only a couple years old) at some point. Mum is not happy about this, of course, but it's hella incentive to finally learn. I guess it's nice having them around, but I think a week is a bit much.

Went to the brat's band concert tonight. They perform at some competition thing in Pittsburg this weekend, so Mum and Da are frantically trying to figure out how to pack a tuxedo and a broad-shouldered marching band uniform (up, Gladiators!) into the smallest possible suitcase, while still allowing it to be something the brat can repack himself. The performances, by concert band, orchestra, and jazz band, were so-so: the jazz band was very good (though I wanted to shoot the bassist) and the concert band was ok, but the orchestra was awful. Part and parcel of having a violin:everthing else ratio of almost 2:1, but that's grade school ensembles for you, esp. at a school with only two grades in it.

There's an original ficathon I'm considering getting involved in. Sign-ups end on Friday, assignments go out a week after, and it's due the end of June. I'm currently involved in three fanficathons, one with one longish story due 6 June, two more with a drabble or flopsy due each week for the next five and seven, respectively. Should I do it?

( Meme: Twelve Fictional Characters I Would Shag )

Finally finished stagesoflove, albeit about a week late. *facepalm* Oh, well. At least it's done. I need to convince myself not to do the third series, but I doubt I'll be successful, unless the prompts are boring. Now I need to get cracking on (also late) wellymuck and the rest of slash_100. It would be really nice if I could get paid to write; original fiction, of course, but at least then my hobby would be justified.

Speaking of hobbies, I've slowly started cataloguing my library on LibraryThing. Is going to take me a while, and I'm a total geek and entering books by ISBN, but it's going to be nice to know what I have. I'd do the S_ J. G_ Memorial Library (aka the house; ask if you don't know the story), too, but that would take me forever.

I haven't yet posted on my opinions about the whol immigration reform disaster, so I will post a political cartoon and recount what I said to Mum yesterday: "Honestly, I have no idea. The existing laws are a shambles, and that new plan is obviously wrong, but I have no idea how to fix it."


And now, memes:

Ten Simple Pleasures (stolen from muck_a_luck:
i. curling up with a book and a cup of Milo on a snowy day
ii. curling up with a book and a cuppa on any other day
iii. dancing in the rain
iv. sunlight on your shoulders
v. a few hours to sit and write
vi. a successful opening night after a crazy Hell Week
vii. sleeping naked
viii. sleeping late
ix. a hug from a friend, just because
x. the scent of freshly-brewed coffee

And a writing meme: The first 10 people to comment on this post get to request a flopsy (200-500 words) on a subject/character/pairing of their choosing from me. In return, they have to post this in their journal.

Options:
Harry Potter (gen or pairing)
Stargate (gen or pairing)
original (these will tend to be longer)
something I've forgotten
and, if you want potential torture, I'll add Firefly/Serenity (gen or canon-pairing), but I don't suggest it

Amazing New Device!

This product blows away PCs, TVs, DVDs and XBOXs.

Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge device, trade named: BOOK.

BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use, even a child can operate it.

Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere -- even sitting in an armchair by the fire -- yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc. Here's how it works:

BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binding, which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence.

Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now, BOOKs with more information simply use more pages.

Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may be taken up at any time and used merely by opening it.

Unlike other display devices, BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting, and it can even be dropped on the floor or stepped on without damage. However, it can become unusable if immersed in water for a significant period of time and should be kept away from heat sources. The "browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an "index" feature, which pinpoints the exact location of selected information for instant retrieval.

An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session -- even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOKmarkers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS).

Portable, durable, and affordable, BOOK is being hailed as a precursor of a new entertainment wave. Also, BOOK's appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform and investors are reportedly flocking. Look for a flood of new titles soon.

*Not written by me, but I felt is should be shared!

So, have been sans 'net since last weekend due to yet more arguments with then 'rents. Which, also, can be blamed for why I am at home on New Years' Eve rather than out shin-digging (if that can be considered a word) at kashmir_ki_kali's house. Happy fucking New Year, everyone, may yours be better than mine.

In the past week, I finished reading The Historian (v. good vampire novel; more of an emphasis on the history than anything else; everyone should read), puttered around museums for a day with the 'rents (the mammal exhibit at Natural History is v. pretty, badly labeled, and v. pro-evolution; only the second fact is a problem), and saw Brokeback Mountain with Mum at Bethesda Row. Beyond the fact that it's fecking weird to see a movie about gay cowboys with one's mother, ( Spoilers ) Good time all around, though I was amused to note that Heath Ledger is a young Tommy Lee Jones. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. Think it is.

All in all, everyone should go see it. And, if you want it, the original short story. A good read as well.

( Twelve Things Year-In-Review Meme )

Ah, my darling family. Went to the dentist this morning with Da, and then Sports Authority to get new skates (my old ones were literally falling apart). Then we gathered up Mum and the brat and went to Barnes & Noble, where I picked up two of the three books I wanted the grand'rents to get me for Hanukkah and Da got a Hanukkah present for Mum and a copy of the new illustrated Elements of Style for himself. Then we went out to the movies. Mum, Da, and the brat saw King Kong and I had no interest in seeing it, so I saw Chronicles of Narnia.

( Spoilers for Chronicles of Narnia, film and book; also, big honking images )

Jai's party on Friday was much fun. Apples to Appples is a fantastic game, especially when played with the nutcases I am honored to call friends. Firefly was interesting, and possibly worth watching, though it is good that it's on DVD, because I only have space in my brain for one television obsession.

kashmir_ki_kali is again my favorite person, because she pokes at me until I write, and then she helps me think past by writer's block when the words dry up. After all, I've got to love someone who gives me the excuse to diss capitalism for the sake of a story. And, for the record, I'm not a communist, so don't even start.

In other news, all but one of my books for Asian Art and Theatre Craft have been ordered; the remaining one is out of print, and will have to be picked up used from the school or Amazon or something. Being a Barnes and Noble preferred customer rocks, since we get discounts! All I need now is for the book lists to go up for the rest of my classes...

It also appears that one of the valves in my heart doesn't quite work correctly (I've forgotten the specific term for it). Basically, that one valve is "loose", so blood flow isn't quite right over there. It's nothing severe, it just means that I'll need to take antibiotics before dental or surgical procedures. On the bright side, it may be the cause of the arrhythmia. This is a problem, though, because that would mean there's really nothing they can do about it. Hmmm.

*rolls in the joy that is Stargate Mondays, even if they're still playing season 6* I've gotten the whole family obsessed, it's hilarious.

Note to self: learn Latin, since Gaelic will only get you so far in writing.

Well, in relationship news, I finally came to my senses. Maybe for real, this time. I wish I could have seen his face when I ended it, though; I did it so I wouldn't hurt him, but I'm afraid I hurt him anyway. I can't win, can I?

I've been reading so much in the last few days, which is amusing, after having barely picked up a book as summer (HBP notwithstanding). In the last three days, I have read three books, totallying about 2000 pages or more. The Autobiography of God was very good and rather thought-provoking (I'll be writing a religion rant about it at some point) and I suggest you read it, but I'm not sure you'll understand all of it if you don't have a thorough working knowledge of Judaism. The Riddles of Epsilon was also very good, and surprisingly scary at the end, but I guessed the ending ahead of time, so I either outsmarted the author or the general audience is pretty dumb, because I so saw it coming even as it freaked me out. Across the Wall, a book of Garth Nix short stories, was sadly disappointing. The Abhorsen one was good, as well as the two Authurian ones, the western, and the "create your own adventure," but the rest were mediocre at best, and there was nothing to connect the stories but the fact that he wrote them. One day I want to be a famous enough writer that people will publish anything I write, even if it is illogical drivel.

Speaking of books, UMCP is on my shit list. They still haven't put up the book lists for the fall semester. This will mean that I'll be forced to buy the books from the school, which is much more expensive. *grumbles in annoyance*

Bed would probably be a good idea right now. The plan for tomorrow is writing like a fiend, watching taped Stargate, and installing computer games on my desktop for the brother. I have to track down some of the old discs so I can take them with me to college. . .

A fake lj cut to were Allandaros' List of Must-Read Fantasy and Sci Fi Authors has been placed.

In other meme-ish-ness:
( Name 20 People You Know )