Complete and Utter Wonderful Nonsense

Quick RP story!

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:01:50 GMT

So, something that made me happy today:

A while ago, I found a really bitching song about Firefly using the main theme as a chorus. Today, I found some Youtube videos of a group performing it. Since I found it, I've been listening to it practically nonstop.

It put me in a major Firefly mood, so I set up a Mal journal. (Note: I'm a bit surprised that I got the name take_my_love on IJ. Very happy, though!) I made a general solicitation for some play in a big community, and went off to go a reading for class.

(The reading was great, by the way. A few authors who I wasn't so fond of during class read some fantastic stuff of theirs. Everybody really shined. A couple stories by certain redheaded artists had me in stitches. I also saw some influence from the play bleed into acting. It was kinda creepy).

When I came back, I had two replies. I got a third one soon after that, a forth one later, and a fifth as I started typing this livejournal entry up.

Every single one of them has been in character. As much as I bitch about RPing at times, it's things like this that make it all worthwhile.

(I do not have a Firefly icon? This must be remedied! Any suggestions as to who it'd be?)

Trials of the Info desk

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:11:24 GMT

Dear coworker:

Your shift is over. You can go now.

Additionally, you're not supposed to have friends behind the desk with you. We went over this at the meeting last fucking night.

Additionally additionally, I wouldn't be bitching as much if one of you gave me a dammed chair to sit in and take off my coat.

Also, you're taking the spell check on Microsoft Word for granted.

And finally? Finally? You didn't clock out during that time. You weren't working overtime, you were doing your homework. Bah.

No love,
Graham.

(Semi-related: I need a facepalm icon. Alcohol just doesn't cut it).

EDIT: 4:03. OH MY GOD DON'T THROW SNOW AT ME WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU CRAZY WOMAN (Different person)

On Competition

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:00:44 GMT

Technically speaking, I'm a zombie. I got tagged while trying to go to rehearsal, and that's that. I'm one of the undead horde.

I also got reminded that I really, really don't like competition. I mean, playing Brawl with Rob/Adam/Red/The Gang is one thing, because we're just having fun. So is doing the occasional online thing with friends. Because, y'know, they're friends. Trying to have fun.

But when it comes to grander things, that aren't just with my immediate bunch of comrades? I tend to have significantly less fun. It's the reason I don't do tournament-based play in Pokemon, the reason I try to avoid online gaming, combat-based RPs, etc etc. Because to me, trying to get the better of some random bloke you don't know isn't entertaining. It's just frustrating. A lot of the time when playing a group game (scrabble or bowling in particular), the challenge doesn't come from playing the game--the challenge comes from finding a way to view it as solitaire. And, more importantly, staying with that view.

And this always happens, too--I always get excited about some game, go off to play it, and realize that I didn't really want to in the first place. Every time I go bowling, I have to reprimand myself later for going bowling.

So I quit. I knew that I'd just get more and more pissed off as the week went by, and take my anger out in increasingly unhealthy ways. (Already I snapped at a guy who did absolutely nothing. I had at least the sense to apologize and explain myself)

However, this doesn't make for a particularly interesting tale in-game. So here are the three versions of the story: Game lingo, out-of-game lingo, and Graham's Geeky lingo.

IN GAME: After slaying one of the undead horde, Graham succumbed to their madness near the Fenenga bridge. He also lost a par of socks in the progress. Not being a very good zombie, he died of starvation.
OUT OF GAME: Graham realized that he never particularly wanted to play in the first place, and quit after being turned, to provide the least effect on the rest of the players. He threw away his bandanna, and also lost a pair of socks.
GRAHAM'S VERSION: Graham died because of a zombie attacker. However, being a Time Lord, he was able to regenerate, slip into his TARDIS, and bugger off. He vows to come back later to save everybody he can. And to find the pair of socks he lost.

Spreading

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:14:43 GMT

There is an uneasy silence over Northland College. The sight of students with weapons--mainly guns of some kind--is common enough, but still incredibly surreal. I try to avoid people whenever I can, reviving some long-suppressed instinct from Junior High. The things we do to survive are mad indeed.

From time to time, I see one of the undead, in their typical daze. I've recently received news that my good friend Emily has succumbed to their ranks. May God have mercy on her soul.

Going to and from rehearsal will be the most difficult nightly task I have. I've considered canceling them for the week, but decided against it. Culture is still important, even in the face of the apocalypse.

Especially in the face of the apocalypse.

Fun Fact!

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:43:36 GMT

Whenever I feel homesick, or want to clear my head, or just feel like I need to do something, doing the dishes and organizing my dishes/foodstuffs makes me feel better.

Don't let my parents know; they'd never let me hear the end of it.

Realized when briefly stargazing tonight:

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:33:35 GMT

Despite any minor anxiousness about homework or directing.
Despite the fact that I miss home when I'm at college, and college when I'm at home. (Ahoy there, conflict on where I belong!)
Despite one of my favorite hats not fitting me very well anymore

I'm incredibly happy at this point in time. It's a very nice realization.

And to whomever's reading this (all thirty or so of my flist), I sincerely hope that you're feeling this way as well. (And, if you aren't, I'm sure that you will soon).

PS: Check this icon, made about half a year ago. Black jacket, violet shirt. I had many violet shirts at the time, but no black jacket. Before I came back to college, I bought a black corduroy jacket. And tonight I wore it with a violet shirt. Did my icon predict the future?

Play's the Thing

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:46:33 GMT

The Fourth Wall is producing 'The Butler Did It,' a comedic whodunnit within a whodunnit.

I'm directing.

Only good can come of this.

Round Two

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:11:43 GMT

Well, now that I've been back at campus for a couple of days, y'all get a smörgåsbord of thoughts and impressions concerning the sophomore year.

-Campus minus freshman? Weird as all hell. The first half a day or so was spent wandering around, feeling how empty everything was. It's taking a bit of time to get everything filled up--people are still coming back from their orientation trips--but it's a bit more like 'home,' now.
-Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, have I missed 99% of the people up on Campus. Friends, hallmates, faculty, everything. But having five people I haven't seen in ages arrive within an hour? Best day ever.
-There's a new addition to the group! A transfer student, Lydia, got lucky enough to score a townhouse, and is living with Red and Shannon. She's a pretty bitching with fabulously pink hair. (I also really hope I'm spelling her name right).
-Drew's back, with the same six cases of chocolate protein drink-thing as last year. How I have missed him so.
-Last night, most of us (Emily A., the Dude/His father, Rob/His mother, Red, Shannon, Lydia and I) went down to the Deepwater. I snuck back and forth between the two tables... And then Drew arrived with his family. So that was awesome. (They have a very tasty spinach/artichoke dip).
-If all goes well, I'll be getting a job at the Information desk. I have the application filled out, I just wish that they'd open it up so I could turn in the damn thing. Just think of the money, Graham. Just think of the money.

Stuff I need to do:
-Turn in job application
-Buy books for class
-Get books from home to loan to people
-Organize foodstuffs/kitchenstuffs
-Find posters, hang them up
-~~Find true love~~

EDIT: Okay, I need to briefly summarize this incredibly epic Deadlands game that Rob hosted with me, Adam, and Jake. I was playing a grifter/conman, Adam was a semi-senile prospector, and Jake was a cyrptozoologoy-obsessed student. My character lost an arm, but Adam's prospector shoved a stick of dynamite up a wendigo's arse. And blew it up.

Somehow, we all survived.

Oh, bugger.

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:53:46 GMT

I asked a friend of mine to help me find RPs on insanejournal. She pointed me to a few communities and let me loose.

Quite possibly not the best idea in the world, as I already spend too much time looking for RP.

Journals I already have: The Master (Doctor Who), the Eighth Doctor (Doctor Who), Elphaba (Wicked), Charlie Andrews (Heroes).
Journals I want to make: Arthur Dent, Simon Tam, River Tam, Nymphadora Tonks, Adam Monroe, Parker.

Goodbye, free time! Goodbye, time that I was planning on spending doing something constructive!

On a side note, 'Leverage?' Is really good. Take Ocean's Eleven, cut the cast in half, remove the smarm, replace 'Casinos' with 'Corporations and general assholedom,' and add a Robin Hood complex.

And Parker. Hardison, too, but mainly Parker.

PS: One day, I shall make a post about my life, instead of TV and the internet. I just don't lead a terribly interesting life.

Costume? Who?

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:18:18 GMT

So, the costume for the Eleventh Doctor has been shown. I had assumed that the black-on-black-on-black getup in the first pictures of Matt Smith would be the wardrobe, so I was a mite bit surprised.

You can't see it in this picture, but the trousers are rolled up to his ankles and he's wearing a pair of rather fanciful boots. Where to start, then? He has tweed. A...red striped shirt, I think? Looks faintly red, at least. Hair is all mussed up like some bitchingly absentminded professor. And a bow tie.

The Doctor, played by a twenty-six year old actor, has a bow tie.

I find this to be the most adorkable thing ever. (With the possible exception of Felicia Day. If the two were somehow combined, though, that would be fantastic).

I'll close with two thoughts. One: Every bit of information I'm hearing about the next Doctor makes me more and more excited. And two: All of you people who said things like "What's his costume gonna be? A hoodie and ripped jeans?" Yeah.

Suck it.</div>

tl;dr: Eleventh Doctor has a bowtie, and it makes me happy.

Random stuff!

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:43:06 GMT

Yoinked Gratuitously from paladine

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. You can't use the band I used. Do not repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "My Life According to (BAND NAME)"

Are you a male or female?
“Nothing Man”

Describe yourself:
“Countin’ on a Miracle”

How do you feel:
“Blinded by the Light”

Describe where you currently live:
“Born in the USA”

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
“Paradise”

Your favorite form of transportation:
“Born to Run”

Your best friend is:
“Worlds Apart”

Your favorite color is:
“Magic”

What's the weather like:
“Empty Sky”

Favorite time of day:
“Night”

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
“Jungleland”

What is life to you:
“Dancing in the Dark”

Your relationships:
“You’re Missing”

Your fear:
“Last to Die”

What is the best advice you have to give:
“Let’s Be Friends”

If you could change your name, you would change it to:
“Your Own Worst Enemy”

Thought for the Day:
“Long Walk Home”

How I would like to die:
“I’m on Fire”

My soul's present condition:
“Growin’ Up”

My motto:
“No Surrender”

Anyway: I start volunteering tomorrow at Springboard for the Arts. I'll be just doing basic office work for a bit, until they start up an interviewing project that I'll focus on. I'm looking forward to it.
Once a week, I'm doing office work for my mom. I'm not looking forward to that so much, although money is nice.
I have Skype! graham.qulz
Purple continues to look good on me.
Grilled sandwiches are godly.

Rolling On the Floor, Laughing

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:39:23 GMT

Morning, Livejournal!

I love waffles. Who doesn’t? They’re like all that’s good in the world of breakfast distilled down to one grid-covered pastry. Frozen waffles, done up with peanut butter and jelly are one of the finest things in this world. In the past year up at Northland, I’ve developed quite a taste for waffles of the homemade variety. It was a rare treat when I was growing up, (Dad was a pancake maker), and having them at least once a week only made it better.

So, I decided that for my foray into breakfast foods, I’ll start by this classic. (Also, waffles are about the only thing I haven’t tried. Pancakes I’ve done once or twice with friends, made French toast, and eggs are easy as hell).

Additionally, because we had the ingredients, I thought that I’d make blueberry waffles. For my first time. On a waffle iron that hadn’t been used in, most likely, several years.

To start with, I actually realized that making blueberry waffles my first go was a bad idea. Get the basics down, and then try new things out, eh? Additionally, I didn’t actually know when to put the blueberries into the mix.

Batter was simple, using the top-secret recipe on the side of the Bisquick box. Two cups of powder, one and a third of milk, two tablespoons vegetable oil, and an egg. I also tossed in a bit of cinnamon because, well, cinnamon is amazing.

After everything was mixed and the waffle iron was warmed up, I gleefully poured the batter on the iron for my first waffle. I accidentally did a bit too much, but I wasn’t that nonplussed. It was my first time, after all! And so I turned away while it was cooking, to get a fork out of the drawer for the eventual removal of the waffle.

And then I turned immediately back, remembering that I hadn’t greased the pan. Fuck. Even though I was anal about doing it back at Northland, I blanked on my first time here. Awesome.

Ten minutes of scraping of semi-cooked waffle batter off, and I was ready to go at it again, thoroughly humbled.

Four waffles went by with slowly climbing success. Each one I had to use a bit more batter, to fill in all the corners and suchlike. The first real attempt gave me four mini quarter-waffles. I’m sure they’ll be delicious.

The last one, though—the waffle I was expecting to be a crippled little thing—was perfect. Round, a golden brown, and quite tasty. The others were stored in a Ziploc bag in the freezer, for future meals.

The only complaint as far as the taste goes is that the cinnamon was completely hidden. I’ll have to try a bit more next time.

(PS—I enjoy waffles, travel through time, try and be a hero [mostly], and am a shameless geek. Tell me, flist. Am I secretly Hiro Nakamura

DUUUUUN! DUN DUN DUN DUN DUNNNN!

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:59:05 GMT

For my birthday, the 'big present' was two tickets to the Phantom of the Opera--one for myself and one for whoever I wanted to take along. I went with my good friend bessyboo . Good times were had by all.

Phantom was the last of my 'big' shows that I needed to see. That is, the last of the shows that I'm honest to god obsessed with--not just musicals I really like, but things that I lived and breathed for a while. Things like Ragtime, or Wicked, or Les Miserables. So it was both really cool to see it, and a bit odd. What's to look forward to now, in my Broadway world?

In short, it was completely awesome. Andrew Lloyd Webber isn't the best composer, I feel, but Phantom is one of his best jobs. Sure, there are some dud parts (I can never, ever understand what anybody is saying in 'Prima Donna'), but for the most part? It's a pretty damn good score. The singing, all around was very good. Orchestration was nice, the sound was good, etc etc.

Acting:
What the hell, I'm liking Raoul's character? The guy who played him was really good. He and the Phantom were somewhat similarily built and shaped, too--made for an interesting contrast.
Madame Giry is a badass. Bess and I decided that, in fifty years or so, she's gonna be the Stage Manager version of her. She had a really cool staff...cane...thing.
Meg Giry has finally cemented the fact that I find few things hotter than an attractive, crossdressing female.
Christine's growth was fantastic. It was subtle but clearly defined--she stammered at the beginning, hid behind her friends, and tried not to draw any attention to herself. Her explosion to Carlotta was made of win.
Carlotta, Piangi, and the Managers were all good. Nothing really to complain about.
More on the Phantom later.

Spectacle:
Come on, when you see an Andrew Lloyd Webber show, you're going for the pretty lights and things. Bess is better trained at this than I am, so I'll let her comment with her two cents, if she ever reads this.
We'll start with the chandelier, iconic image it is. To be honest, it was... a bit disappointing. When it rose above the audience at the beginning, and the theatre repaired itself? That was really, really cool. But the crash was...Too safe, I felt. They were definitely lowering it down, like they had every night ever.
They had a lot of fire. Like, a lot of fire. Candles lit in the background. People carried lamps around. There were two really notable uses--first, in the graveyard, the Phantom started to throw fireballs around like no tomorrow. That's all fine. He's a magician, after all, and he's doing it while taunting Raoul to his death. But then, when that scene ends, the stage lights on fire. Everywhere. And it was really, really bright--actually blinded me for a moment or two. So that kinda sucked. However, they had a really cool subtle use of fire and lighting later on, when a random character was lighting up the stage with a torch. As he 'lit' the lamps and suchlike, the lights gradually brightened. It was neat.
My favorite toy they had, though, was this stairwell that was shown whenever somebody went into the catacombs. So, Christine and the Phantom start at the back of the stage, at the very top of this stairs. It slopes and goes maybe a third of the way down. They sing and walk down the stairs, and it slowly turns so that it's sloping in the opposite direction. They step out of sight for a moment, turn around, and walk across the stairs again. The illusion, though, had it so they were always going 'down' It was really neat.

Things I didn't like:
GASIDGHADSG FUCK YOU MOVIE! Seeing the show live reminded me of what a giant pile of fail that the movie was. See, I can deal with changing the odd line of the song and such. Most of them aren't too bad, really. But adding scenes to what is already a pretty long show? That's stupid. And then bringing the scenes into the show itself? What. The. Fuck. So, after the 'Masquerade' scene, Raoul confronts Madame Giry about the Phantom's past. She gives a brief rundown of what she knows--a disfigured genius, captured by a circus and forced to...well, just exist, really. And then he escapes and hides in the Opera House.
There are two things wrong with this. First is that it's a completely unecessary bit of backstory. Part of the mystery about the character is that we don't know his past. Doing it like this? Whaaaaat. In the original story, so my memory goes, the Phantom helped to construct the Opera House--which is also how he knows about all of its secrets and trapdoors and whatnot. If he didn't have that advantage, than how the hell does he know? Hi there, plothole!
Second was just the way it was presented. There were no sets, no lighting, no anything. Just Madame Giry and Raoul on a black stage, spotlights on them. Compared to the rest of the scenery-heavy show, it felt incredibly out of place. The only way that I can think that would make it even more awkward is if they stopped the play to just show that part of the movie. God, it just sucked.

The Phantom:
Oh my God. Oh. My. God. I could write an entire entry about how awesome this guy was. He nailed the part in a way that Gerard Butler dreams he could. I mean, he out Phantom'd Michael Crawford, the original actor in the role, the man who has a singing voice that causes me to spontaneously orgasm whenever I hear it.
I could talk about how good his singing was, or his acting, or his presence. All of which was stellar. But I really need to just dicuss his performance, and his interpretation of the character. See, the Phantom is a very sympathetic character. He's proof of judging books by covers, etc etc. I read most of Susan Kay's 'Phantom' in tears. Michael Crawford's performance is devastating. Hell, even Gerard Butler did a passable job on what he was given.
But the thing is? Despite the sympathy we gradually feel with him, the Phantom is a terrifying, creepy, evil force. He lures Christine down into his lair using only his hypnotic voice. His kingdom has a shrine to her, complete with a lifelike, full-sized doll. When people dare to interfere with her greatness, he kills them. He rules the Opera House through fear, blackmail, and vocal tricks.
That's what the actor did with this--he brought back the fear. I realized, halfway through the first act, that I didn't think that his Phantom was cool, or eccentric, or tragic. I thought he was scary. I remembered what I was feeling like the first time I listened to the show, when tingles went down my spine whenever he spoke, and I dreaded what would happen next.
The best part of his performance was how he moved and interacted with Christine. In both the movie and the clips of the stage show I've seen, the Phantom treats Christine very tenderly and firmly. He's precise and exact on what was expected, but at least somewhat kind. This Phantom, though? He was practically like a puppeteer. He'd move his hands to just sort of...direct her. Turn away, close your eyes, stop moving, come closer, etc. It blurred the lines of man and mystery, which is exactly what the character needs.
The second act saw a different side of it. He reminded me, a bit, of a villain whose plans are slowly coming undone. He's completely cool and in control at the beginning, manipulating everybody, playing his hand when he had to. But slowly, things slid out of his grasp, and his sanity slipped away. At the very end, he wasn't so much pathetic as he just was completely mad. He'd lost it, he was desperate and at the end of his rope. This was his final chance with anything.
What was also amazing--so, so amazing--was the kiss between him and Christine at the end. You've seen it a million times--the couple's first kiss, and even one of the participant's first kiss ever. A moment of awkardness, and then everything's picture perfect. The Phantom, though, just stood their, stunned. He tried to move his hands to run them across her back, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, and his arms were just...hanging there. It was perfect. It was just perfect.
I suppose I only had one sorta disappointment with him. During intermission, I silently issued the show a challenge: Convince me that Christine should leave with Raoul at the end. Make sure that there's not the slightest bit of doubt that the Phantom deserves a happy ending. It didn't quite get to that mark--I still second-guessed myself a bit. However, I wasn't yelling at her for being stupid, so it did change my opinions a bit.

So, in brief: Meg Giry is hot as hell and needs to crossdress more. Raoul is finally likable. The movie can go piss off. Things were shiny shiny shiny. Music was loud loud loud. Andrew Lloyd Webber needs to learn how to do countermelody properly. Watching Christine start to grow from a snivelling weakling to a strong woman was a treat.

And the actor who played the Phantom changed how I saw the character for good.

Doctor Who

Sun, 31 May 2009 19:18:07 GMT

So, now that the internet has (mostly) calmed down about the casting of twenty-six year old Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, here I am to bring everything up to the forefront once more. Of course, there's some new things to chat about, such as the casting of twenty-one year old Karen Gillan as the Doctor's (currently unnamed) Companion.

Why do I bring up their ages? Quite honestly, because bloody everybody does it. Yes, Matt Smith is now the youngest actor to play the Doctor, beating Peter Davison by two years. Yes, that surprised me, and I raised a skeptical eyebrow when I first heard the news. However, I got over it quickly--and I'm not going to recite the same "Give them a chance, we haven't seen them perform" spiel that everybody else has done.

So, without further ado...

Let's start with the Doctor.

Most of the arguments against him have been one of two things. "He's Too Young!" or "Ew, he looks like Edward Cullen!" Really, that he's too dark and scary/emo/whatever. And I can understand some of that. I really can. He is a physically skeletal actor. He is gaunt. He has very pale skin and very black hair. There's no denying any of that. But I'd like to remind you who's writing most of the show, now. Remember Stephen Moffat? The guy who gave us these creatures?

Moffat has given us what are commonly named several of the best episodes in all of NuWho. All of them have also been pants-wettingly terrifying. He's played on old childhood fears--the dark, blinking, the monsters under the bed. He's introduced some fantastic characters, like Jack Harkness or the mysterious River Song. (I don't like River, but that's not the point). And he's written one of my favorite episodes in the history of everything, 'The Girl in the Fireplace.' Moffat has proved to us, now, that he enjoys scaring us. That's what Doctor Who is supposed to do. It's said that we watch the show "Hiding behind the couch from the Daleks" and whatnot. If we're not scared, the show is doing it wrong.

So where am I going with this? Take another look at Matt Smith, and see past his young years and his Cullen-esque complexion. He looks intimidating. He looks a bit scary. That entire picture is lit in a very dark way--even the TARDIS is borderline black. A 'darker' Doctor honestly makes sense to me. It honestly does.

Now, let's look at his first companion.

Karen Gillan. Who's she? Not a clue! Like Smith, she's a complete unknown--the only role most of us have seen her in is a minor villain in 'The Fires of Pompeii.' People say that the role was too hammy and silly to take seriously, but it was written that way. We really only know three things about her: She's Scottish, she's twenty-one, and she's ginger. And you can't give me the song and dance about a 'young actress to draw in the youthful crowd' for two reasons.
1--There have been several Classic!Who companions that were nineteen when they started. She's not breaking any records.
2--Doctor Who was and is desgined as a children's show, you idiots! God, people. The show does not exist to cater to your David Tennant Fetish. He's a great actor and a handsome fellow, I'm glad we all agree on that. But, contrary, to what a lot of you Nu!Who pop whores think, there were nine actors before him. Nine! Sure, a lot of you have seen Christopher Eccleston, but every time I see a 'Favorite Companion Poll' and only see Nu!Who companions on the list, I die a little on the inside. The show has been airing on and off since 1963. The target audience for when the show was first created is now about fifty. Stop acting like only the past three years have mattered.

Anyway. Let me wrap this up and tie everything together with a story.

I did not watch Doctor Who as a kid. I only heard of it now and again as an 'Old British TV Show' and whatnot for most of my life. I didn't even have a passing knowledge of it. When 2005 came, friends of mine were happy that it was coming back, and I stared blankly at them. When I did research, I was incredibly confused--what was regeneration? Who were all these people in the funny clothes? That's a Dalek? Wow, that looks stupid.

Anybody who's met me and talked about the show knkows that I became hooked the moment I watched the first episode. While I don't claim to be a expert, I'm reasonably well-informed. I've seen the entirety of the new series. I've gone back to watch some stuff with Tom Baker, the TV movie with Paul McGann, and even a lot of the Big Finish Audio Dramas. (Those rock my socks, by the way. Eight is awesome).

But nothing will compare to when I started to pay attention to the show a bit, when I first looked at the various pictures of the Doctors and whatnot. Back then, there was still a lot of mystery to things. I didn't know who this person was. I didn't know why they were so important. I may have read a synopsis of an episode, but at the beginning? I didn't understand enough until I actually watched the show. There was a sense of mystery, of excitement, of adventure that I slowly lost as I watched more.

The news of the new Doctor and his companion has brought back that mystery to me. I have no idea what's going to happen next. I don't know what the Eleventh Doctor is going to be like. I don't know who the new Companion is. I don't know anything, and that's just fantastic. For the past several years, we've had some safety nets to fall back on. Rose was the companion in the first two seasons. David Tennant was the Doctor for three seasons--we'd know what to expect. But we've lost that knowledge now. We don't know what's going to happen.

And it's fantastic.

Food! Cooking! Wasting your time!

Sat, 30 May 2009 02:48:53 GMT

So, one of the things I'm trying to do this summer is polish up my cooking skills. I'm not a bad cook, actually--I've learned a fair amount by just watching and helping my parents, and can make some things reasonably well. Still, this is something you need experience to do, and what better time than summer, eh?

So, I've decided to try and post some things up on livejournal to detail this odd little journey I'm taking. It might be a new recipe I'm trying, it might be something I'm making up as I go along. I'll sum up the inspiration, process, and the result, as well as give a general 'yes/no' concerning whether or not the meal is worth it. I very much appreciate feedback

And if nothing else, at least I'll actually use my journal.

Tonight was a fend-for-yourself night as far as dinner went. There were a few leftovers around, and Dad and I helped ourselves to pork and sausage, respectedly. I didn't just want to have tubed meat on my plate and nothing else, so I rummaged around in the fridge to see what I could find. Apples, eh? Could work!

Preperation was really pretty simple. The sausages had been grilled the night before, so I just had to heat them up in the microwave for ninety seconds or so. I thought for a minute if I wanted to have the apples heated or not--grilled apples are dammed delicious. Buuuut I didn't know how to do it, and I didn't feel like being over a stove again. So, while the meat was in the microwave, I cut the apples up and arranged the entire thing on a plate. I really wanted to add some feta to this, but the stuff we had smelled funky. (I mean, funkier than feta should smell like).

Overall? Not too bad! The contrast of sweet and spicy worked well, as well as the heat of the sausage and coolness of the fruit. I think that I can still pimp this up a bit more--adding feta instead of parmasean, some vegetables of some kind, and a different kind of apple. It's not something that I'd want to eat every night (sausage fills you up really fast), but now and then I'll do it. Definitely a 'leftovers' meal.

Clockticks

Sat, 23 May 2009 15:11:26 GMT

Well, here we are. After nine months of friends, schoolwork, drama, and even (gasp!) complicated love, I've reached the end of my Freshman year of college. My dad'll be here to pick me up in a couple of hours, so all that's left to do is say goodbye to the last of my friends and wait.

It's been a good year. No, actually--it's been a great year. I've grown as a student (actually taking notes and staying organized!), as a friend (actually having a social life!), community member (participating in theatre) and person (somehow). College has down all of the magical, mystical things that everybody said it would.

I don't know what I'm going to be up to this summer. I had applied and interviewed for a job, but it didn't pan out--so it looks like I'll be sticking to a lot of volunteer work. I do have a few personal projects dreamed up, though--writing a radio drama or two, working on an epic Doctor Who fanfic, and learning how to cook.

Drew's leaving. He's checking out with our local RA right now. I'm having to do the big official thing, once my dad gets here. We'll be bunking again next year. Why try and fix something when it's not broken, eh?

I've got to say goodbye to a lot of good people--Pan, Casie, Dan, Rich, Erika, and a few more. It's just...I dunno. A lot of them really helped me get situated and suchlike. It's just damn weird.

Last night, I had a dream.

I was flying--this in itself is not an uncommon occurrence; I fly a lot during dreams. But this time it was different. I was visiting my old high school, and there were a lot of people I know around in the area--friends, old classmates, church members, etc. I left the building and started to levitate, before I was full-out soaring above the school's grounds, doing loops and spins. Everybody was cheering as I went by, waving if I dipped low to see them. I finally touched down and chatted with a few people, who all gave me compliments about my flight. I grinned, and the dream ended soon after.

I find this incredibly appropriate for today.

...blink

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:52:48 GMT

Never before have I had a dream that I was so happy to wake up from.

It began innocently enough, I suppose. I was back at an old favorite camp of mine, just running around and relaxing. Before too long, though, it became apparent that I had a final soon that I hadn't studied for. (I don't remember the subject--French, maybe?) Anyway, I had to read two books (one of them a very bad version of Don Quixote) in a day or so.

And then it became clear that my sister was on trial in a sort of Roxie-Hart-Chicago-esque thing. I remember that Billy Flynn (played by Richard Gere) was her lawyer, there was some lie about a divorce or somesuch...It was just extraordinarily bizarre.

Mom and I went to some small town in the mountains for...some reason, I dunno. I was flying around, wound up talking to Chrstine Daae (Phantom of the Opera), and suchlike--not doing my readings, mind you. Finally, I went up with my mom to the courtroom, to watch my sister's trial. (There were a few random Northland students giving surveys here and there).

Around this time, my teeth began to fall out. I eventually had to find a bathroom, and, most of my mouth in my hands, sit while my sister's fate was being decided.

And then I remembered that I didn't have my books.

So, electronics

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:49:43 GMT

In the past twenty-four hours, I've realized that electronics really, really hate me.

1--Last night, I somehow managed to fry my mouse (cordless, but there's a plug-in receptor thingy) into a useless wire. Which is a shame, because I had had it for...about a month and a half, or so?
2--About ten minutes ago, I saw that my cell phone had randomly run out of batteries, even though I had just charged. Alright, fair enough
3--When I sat down to make this post, I realized that I was crushing my headphones. Managed to fix them up, though, and they work fine. I actually think that I've started to get over my 'randomly break headphones all the time' phase of my life. I once had a pair that started to die on me six days after I bought them.
4--More of a long-term thing, but my iPod is physically falling apart. The white strip on the top fell off, so now I can't lock it anymore--causing it to play if I bump against something with it in my pocket. The bottom strip, then, is starting to bulge and suchlike.

Unrelated: I'm apping for a journal-based panfandom RP as Elphaba Thropp. I'm completely comfortable with my sexuality, why do you ask?

Re: Oscars

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:13:18 GMT

So, I'm glad that Indian Cinema is getting respect other than silly Bollywood stuff (to make way for good Bollywood stuff), but god dammit Oscars.

Stop giving WALL-E the shaft.

(Also, yup, still wanna sleep with Hugh Jackman).

Tonight, tonight...

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 05:23:43 GMT

Tonight was an extraordinarily eventful night in an extremely calm and quiet way.

Last Friday was my annual lots-of-stress-small-things-pile-up-oh-god-oh-gaaaawd night. (For those curious, disappointing math scores, various idiots at mealtime, getting slapped, RP troubles, and Yoga at seven-thirty in the morning in a room without heating when it was almost twenty below). It was a bit stressful, really, and it cumilated in my incredibly rare cry--but after a phone call with a friend of mine (Shoutout to my true love, Lauren), I felt better. The problems weren't solved, but at least things got better.

When night came tonight, I was a bit restless. It was an uneventful day as a whole, the most memorable decision being whether or not I wanted to go to Yoga after a rather rotten night's sleep. (I did, and it was fortunatly in a heated room today). I was pretty exhausted after dinner due to no reason whatsoever, and had already decided to not go to Nightsounds (a sorta variety show my friends are in), audition for the one-act (with the added excuse that some of my classes are going to murder me), or a gaming session downstairs (but I don't like the guy hosting it, so whatever). I did wake up a bit, though--hence the restlessness. I had to do something or other, apart from just alternate between Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger.

I was already a bit dapper (I've taken to wearing vests and tucked-in shirts now and again), so I thought I'd just go the whole nine yards. I took out my awesome frock coat (the Prom attire for you St. Paul-ites) and, as my winter hat clashes with it, dust off (literally) my bowler. I figured that I'd run down to the Ponzio, grab some chocolate or a pastry or something, and head on back and make some cocoa while watching a movie on my laptop or something.

So, I got down to the place, and a couple of my friends were there. It was a nice surprise, as I thought they'd headed off to Nightsounds--so I opted to buy hot chocolate down there and tart it up, to spend some time chatting away. We're nestled away in a corner, and there are a couple tables of Hockey-playing jocks nearby. I ignore them, as one of their friends (who wasn't there) singles me out during mealtime to try to raise my blood. For whatever reason, I start to describe to my friends the difference between a dork, a nerd, and a geek. One of the jocks is looking over as I talk, clearly interested, and comes over once I'm finished to hear it from the start. I comply, and another guy comes over and sits down. I jokingly ask if anybody else wants to listen.

Cue everybody in earshot huddling around our corner to hear what this weird guy with the coat and hat had to say.

I wind up giving a five-ten minute lecture on the social ramifications of geeks, nerds, and dorks--differences, examples, similarities, etc etc. I finish, people applaud, and most everyone goes back to whatever they were doing. Three of the jocks, though, hang out with us, and we start talking. (Brandon, Stevie, and...I forgot the last guy's name).

Our conversation covered a variety of topics--life at Northland, our respective hometowns, the Mall of America, TV when we were younger. The best part, though, was that after the initial chit-chat about my lesson, he said that he knew the guy who kept on shouting at me during lunch/dinner and told me not to worry, that he was just a dick to everyone. My opinion of the guy I was talking to (Brandon) grew.

The talk cumilated with a tag-team explanation of my voice and various hearing recovery procedures. (My friend, Emily, has a younger brother with much the same situation). After that, the two groups (Brandon and his friends, me and my own) go our separate ways, before I headed back to my dorm.

So, tonight I had some rather delicious hot chocolate, gave an improvised speech on a theory of mine, unexpectedly met up with friends, made new friends, and let my preconceived stereotypes crumble the slightest bit. And I was in Nineteenth-century formalwear.

It was a damn good night.

In the Moment

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:23:35 GMT

The Christmas Eve service at my church always ends with the congregation singing "Silent Night" while lightning candles, and walking out of the sanctuary. It's always incredibly beautiful--not quiet, per se, but just...still, I suppose. This was my first Christmas coming home from college, so after the song there were many hugs to be given, many quick summaries of my first semester. I saw a lot of people who I hadn't seen since Thanksgiving, and even more that I hadn't seen since I left in Mid-August.

We exchanged Secret Santas tonight, as we always do--our family rule is that you can't spend any money on them. In other words, they're handmade--poems, collages, gift certificates for specific meals and services, and whatnot. All of them had things to do with growing up, this year--I wrote a poem about change for my Dad. My dad gave me some humorous (and useful) college lists--why I'm doing well, rules for my dorm, etc. Mom made my sister, Ellen, a small cookbook of her favorite recipes, and Ellen gave Mom a really awesome collage detailing some highlights of the Campain and Election.

In this time of change and confusion about life, direction, and the state of the world, it's nice to just have quiet little moments.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

Rest in Peace, Gordon.

It's over!

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:14:46 GMT

NO MORE POLITICAL ADS

Wait a sec. Waaaait a sec.

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:03:33 GMT

So, Northland has a Theatre Group called 'The Fourth Wall.' They're putting on the play that I'm in, etc etc. Earlier tonight, I went down to the Student Center go buy some kind of delicious snack. There's a huge (like, takes-up-an-entire-wall) calendar with events going on that month and such. I looked at it--normally I don't pay attention--and noticed that the Fourth Wall had done a production of "The Last Five Years."

For those of you who don't know, L5Y is an astoundingly well-crafted musical with truly great music. It's one of my favorites, and I would love to go out and see it.

This was the first time I had heard of it, and it happened a couple weeks ago. I wouldn't say I'm mad, really, but I suppose I'm a bit disappointed that, as far as I could see, the only advertisement for this was on the calendar. I should hve looked, though, but still. Gah.

Unrelated: I have a strong, strong urge to RP as Violet Baudelaire.

EDIT: Turns out, they couldn't get the rights to the show.

This post is now about pie. I had some very delicious blueberry pie with lunch today.

Writing from non-laptop-land!

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 02:24:30 GMT

On Saturday, my hard drive finally gave out. I realized that the weirdness I thought was just bad luck were the signs of it going under. I'm still under warrenty, though, and Dell's sending me a new one. Should be here later this week.

Of course, I'll need to jump through some hoops to get my old data back, but it's possible. Definitely gonna ask for an external drive for Christmas.

Anyway, random thoughts:

Play practice began yesterday. All is going pretty well; we had a basic read-through. Good group all around, I think, and a couple of my friends are in it that I didn't know were.

I sat in on a game of DnD tonight. Might wanna give that another try. Definitely gave me some story-related ideas.

Midterms are done. Yesssss.

Unfortunatly, it doesn't look like I can be the Doctor for Halloween. If I can order something online that'll come in time, I'll be my own steampunk-esque character. Otherwise, I'm gonna be Arthur Dent--have a bathrobe and towel, walk around, and look very confused. (What I do anyway, minus the bathrobe).

Heroes continues to be miles better than the last season. Hiro is back to being funny and kickass, and I want to bear Daphne's speed demon babies.

I bought "Professor Layton and the Curious Village." It's fun, but frustrating because I am right and it is wrong.

Request for LJ peeps: Can somebody give me a detailed explanation of how to perform cuts? I really should know. There's something that's pissing me off--don't remember what--and it'll be nice to semi-mask it.

Love y'all.

-The Bard.

Meme, semi-stolen from selfandsoul

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:16:35 GMT

Ten things I want to say to ten different people:
"Shut up. You're not funny. Get out of my room."
"Life doesn't suck as much as you think it does."
"What the fuck did I do?"
"I wasn't flirting with you."
"I'm so sorry."
"You're an awesome fellow, but just calm down a bit."
"You just caught me at numerous bad times. I'm not a dick."
"I think your essay was really poor."
"I miss you so much."
"Would you like to dance?"

Nine things about myself:
-I like chocolate.
-I name my electronic stuff.
-I procrastinate horribly.
-I've lost a bunch of stuff recently
-Sometimes I think I pretend a bit too much.
-I still don't know how to drive.
-I love not knowing everything.
-Conversely, I hate not knowing things.
-I'm still bitter about that teacher.

Eight people/things I miss:
-The Loser Corner
-Family
-My house
-My room
-My teddy bear
-The Saturday Group
-A bunch of my books
-A few forums.

Seven ways to win my heart:
-Laugh
-Sing
-Dance
-Trust
-Believe
-Inspire
-Be a redhead

Six ways to lose it:
-Lie
-Cheat
-Steal
-Insult
-Refuse to accept the possibility of change
-Be overly apathetic

Five random thoughts from the last week:
"What's the difference between smut and porn?"
"Should I try and pirate the Edward Scissorhands soundtrack?"
"What the hell am I doing for Halloween?"
"How am I going to get home?"
"What would a Steampunk Condom be like?"

Four things I did not do today I should have:
-Order that stupid book.
-Send in my vote.
-Call home.
-Read a bit for class on Monday.

Three foods I really want to eat:
-A taco.
-Pomegranate Soda.
-Anything of our 'family meals.'

Two places I want to go:
-England
-The Arctic

One horrifying thought:
"I'm being sucked into Livejournal."