Minor blog updates... before the final list

Everyone, this is to let you know two things.

One: I have opened comments to all. If you know me, leave your first name it in the name portion (unless you have an issue with privacy).

So, here are the rules:

--> If anyone posts spam, it'll get deleted.

--> If you write something that attacks me personally or anyone else personally, it'll get deleted.
In other words, I'll delete comments that say "you're a horrid bitch", but not ones that say "I disagree with what you say". Know the difference between disagreement and being plain hateful.

--> Trolls will not get fed and will be promptly deleted and reported.

The latter two will result in being reported. So, play nice everyone.

~

As of tonight, my old blog "Media Reviews and Personal Stuff" has been deleted. Please do not ask to see entries from that or for repostings. It was a time in my life that I had been ignorant of how blogging and reviewing in general works. Obviously, it shows.

~

So, the last list will be posted in a little bit... see you then.

Quick note...

In my last entry, I did mention that I would no longer post reviews until I have decided what to do. I still will do this, but because the end of the year is upon us, it is time for something completely different: some best-of-the-year lists (with brief reviews).

I will be covering movies, music albums and songs (two different lists there), video games, and books. These lists will not cover all the releases of 2009 since, well, I'm extremely picky and I do not usually buy whatever is popular. So, you will likely see entries from years ago.

So, let's begin! We'll kick it off with movies...

/possibly pointless note

ETA: I have decided that there will be no list for video games. Didn't play any new releases, other than one of the Fallout 3 expansion packs (Point Lookout, in this case). Which is worth the money, BTW. But, if you can, just freaking buy the Game of the Year edition of Fallout 3 so you have the packs and the game. Just sayin'...

Updates on grades and stuff...

First off, the grades:

Shakespeare - C (my first C for an English class)
Advanced Fiction - A
Women & Lit - A (kinda shocked by this one, actually)
Philosophy of Religion - B

While I'm less than satisfied with the C, the rest of the grades are more to my liking.

I haven't mentioned until now that I will be working an internship next semester. Well, some more details... I have secured an internship with my university's literary magazine. I can't wait to get started. I feel that this is a step in the right direction.

I'm planning to begin a separate blog for my reviews. Until I decide what to do, reviews of all sorts will no longer appear on this blog. This may change, but this is where I stand now. More details to follow.

The final semester is upon me and so is the great urge to sleep. I blame the latter on work.

Until next time...

ETA: Icon picture changed back to that Talking Heads keyboardist guy. And... oh yeah. Enjoy my ancient blog "Media Reviews and Personal Stuff" now. It will be vacating the Interwebz (i.e. deleted) by the end of this year.

*Something clever*

Well, late to the party, but found out for sure last night that WMG and YouTube are on good terms again, and yes, WMG are allowing their videos to return!

Turns out there was a huge movement by various YouTubers, so thank them for their hard work.

So, I'm reposting my link on "Other Haunts", ending my drop-in-the-bucket protest of never returning unless a deal was reached.

And that's it. Yeah, there you go.

P.S. To celebrate (late at that, but whatever), let's watch "Amsterdam" by Guster.

Bullet list, your glorious presence is needed!

Alrighty, time for a few updates:

• I gots me a Twitter. No, I ain't posting a link. I protected my tweets, so you couldn't even see them anyway unless I know you and you have a Twitter.
• Finals week is upon me. So far, two down with two more to go. One is tomorrow, but it is emailing my professor my final short story and a revision. And guess what? The revision isn't working out! *rageguy*
• I found out "Little Lies" (my fav Fleetwood Mac song) was sampled for some British chick's song. And yeah, the music is the only good part, obviously.
  
• I mean... "put the loving on zoom" <-- some epic poetry, y'all.
  
• While this has proven to be a good antidote to the aforementioned atrocity, it isn't working much. All I can think about is: how in God's name did a four-minute song turn eight in a live performance?
  
• Changed the icon picture. Some easels at Oxford University, a picture I took during my overseas trip from last year. Iconized by my sister. You heard it here first: "iconized". Go to it, Merriam-Webster!

If you don't hear from me for a while, be assured that I'm well, just likely recovering (see: sleeping) from finals and preparing for the madness known better as the holiday shopping season.

Until then, goodnight...

Two years... huh.

Two years ago, I decided to blog seriously. Here I am, still updating with random news and updates about writing. I would like to take this to the next level. I'm considering, beginning 2010, to start writing serious reviews on books and music.

There will likely be more on writing stories and other writerly things. Let's make it the third year with style, y'all.

So happy second anniversary to "Musings of A Crazy Lady Writer"!

Well, this sucks...

Apparently, it was true. Akira Yamaoka, the Silent Hill series' music producer and resident music-man, has left Konami. While he will continue to make music somewhere else, I can't help but feel there has been a loss.

Well, time to be a bitter cynic. As far as this all goes, Shattered Memories may be the last Silent Hill game I'll ever purchase. It hurts, since well, this is a great series and I don't want to give up on it. You never know sometimes, but it's hard to believe anything good could happen to the series from something like this.

His music was one of the signature trademarks of the games. One of my favorite albums of all time is Silent Hill 2's soundtrack, favorite song being this one.

Man, all this discussion makes me want to play the games again.

Either way, this isn't good news, but trying hard not to sound like a over-zealot either.

An early birthday gift!

For a long time, I've been wanting a good, first-edition hardcover copy of Madeleine L'Engle's A House Like A Lotus for the longest time. After about two years of waiting, I finally purchased one off of eBay.

And guess what arrived earlier today?



Happy birthday to me! :D

Pardon the quality, I used my new phone's camera. Though, now looking at it, the quality is actually pretty good.

And yes, that's yours truly behind the book. I must remain anonymous on the interwebs! *gleeful laugh*

Well, sort of.

Oh yes. It must be explained that this book is my favorite of all time. And I have big dreams of adapting this to the screen. If I can just figure out how to translate the narrative structure...

ETA: It is sad to note that it is no longer in print. But, given that a few of L'Engle's books are being re-released... maybe this one will see a re-release. I need another book to shove into teens' faces--I mean, recommend to teens. I gotta have something else other than just Paper Towns. And this too.

Book news to warm the cockles of a reader's heart

A recent interview with super-awesome author Haruki Murakami reveals the goods: his latest novel 1Q84 is getting translated to English!

But if the Wikipedia entry is correct, the waiting just may be until September 2011.

Look at it this way... there would be no doubt that many things would be different. As for me, I'll be 24, living in my own (preferably here, but the money gods hate my soul and I'll never live there unless I win the lottery).

Seriously, I'll quit with the linked puns.

The tl;dr take: writer I like has new novel being translated to English, there's a two-year waiting period for it, which prompted thought on what the world will be like at that point in time.

And that was a look into my mind... when it's random.

Yeah.

Yeah, no.

More news about the second Silent Hill movie.

This just proves that this isn't going to work. Make it accessible? They already did that with the first film!

***SPOILER***

I mean, hello! That scene with Alessa explaining the whole damn thing. If that isn't accessible and being the total opposite to the games, I don't know what.

***END SPOILER***

*calms down* Look, I honestly believe that some Silent Hill fans (not all, but some) are in serious denial with the movie. I'll be the first (no the second, but anyway) person to say that visually... It. Was. Spot. Freakin'. On.

However, the story was about as convoluted as a labyrinth designed by a bunch of drunk monkeys. And the dialogue there makes my own look amazing (i.e. it's pretty bad).


All I wanted from the movie was an original story. All I got was a neutered take to the first game. And there's another one coming in game form, mind you.

I love all the Silent Hill games (even Homecoming), but it's getting real hard for me to remain calm about all this for much longer. Honestly, Shattered Memories (it is a remake, I don't care what the game developers claim) is not even necessary. Like another unnecessary remake of a classic first game. It's turning into Resident Evil (a series that was actually good... until the movies and the cash-in games came along).

I'm not asking for the series to go back to being a niche thing, something hipsters could latch themselves onto. I'm only asking for the initial spirit of the games to remain, something that seems to be missing since Homecoming. I ask for originality, necessary changes to gameplay that still retain the helplessness of being a "regular Joe" stuck in a haunted town. To quit explaining every damn thing, after all, the Golden Rule of horror is to "never explain or show everything". To quit using Pyramid Head and try out new villains, because creative thinkers don't rehash. To be subtle, make references to cool things (see Jacob's Ladder and Phantoms).

Is it too much to ask?

Maybe it is.

ETA: Oh, yeah. Which reminds me... there's a remake of Jacob's Ladder planned.

...

FFFUUUU... /rageguy

Just to let y'all know...

I cannot finish Bellefleur by the end of November. In fact, probably doing NaNoReMo this time was a bad idea.

I have a new deadline: finish by December 15th.

So, I'm calling it. Sis, best of luck with Dostoevsky.

/quick note

A wee update...

- Waaaayyyy behind on Bellefleur. It's good, though. Liking it a little more each time I actually pick up and read it! *fumes*

- Can't believe school is almost over. Time has really flown!

- Ugh, didn't study much for my Philosophy test. It's safe to say that this and Shakespeare have promptly whomped me this semester.

I found this earlier today and properly LOL'd:



Though, I do have to make a geeky point... In Rainbows wasn't depressing, but if this image was made post-Kid A, then it would make more sense. Kid A would overpower Prozac. For reals. *slaps self for using leetspeak*


So anyways... this will be a short one. Good night...

ETA: Calm down, Radiohead fans, I didn't forget about Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief. I just don't recall them being that depressing. Then again, Amnesiac was quite a downer. Hail... was just weird.

A minor update...

Working on some Fiction homework I forgot to turn in. O_O;
Sorry Emily, Christina, and James. Y'all's reviews are being sent tonight. As for the others... they're coming, probably Tuesday the latest.

After head-desking over that, I need to be studying for a few upcoming tests. No big deal. I just have to do it. No problem.

As for NaNoReMo... I'm about two days' worth of reading behind. The book's ending up to be more dense than I expected. And, this is weird, I haven't liked a single character so far. Maybe Jedidiah, the God-seeking hermit, but that's a stretch. Eh, the book is just okay. I don't like how Oates is handling the dialogue, which is my biggest gripe with the book so far.

I registered for classes, which ended up going well. I got into all the ones needed to graduate. Since, you know... I graduate next semester! :D

Not much else to say, so I'll close for now. Until next time...

ETA: I've always wondered that if people saw my avatar, noticed it had a guy (particularly this guy) on it, and thought 'I wonder if the blogger's a guy'...

Not that it wouldn't be the first time that has happened to anyone on the interwebs. Hell, I get mistaken for a dude sometimes, only when I make phone calls, since my voice is fairly deep for a woman... -_-

Hi there, I'm back...

Holy hell, it's been a rough week. Glad that we begin with a new month and a new week.

School's been kicking my ass, but things have since settled down. It's amazing to consider that it's now almost a month until the semester's over.

I finally finished Bicycle Diaries. A review of it will appear soon.

Had a great Halloween, spent it with an old friend I hadn't seen in ages. My costume this time was a witch.

~

Hey, everyone. It's November. Know what that means? Yes, that's right, nameless person who just shouted the answer at the screen. It's time for NaNoReMo!

My sis will be reading this book, and this one is my choice. I forgot my sister's page count, but mine is 22-23 pages a day. I begin today. This time, I hope to finish in time.

Something to humor y'all. Just type in www.wwwdotcom.com in your address box. (I swear it's totally safe for work)

Alright, that's about it for now. Until next time...

The music geek riseth!

As much as I love Lindsey Buckingham and his solo works (and his work with Fleetwood Mac too), but I cannot lie...

Go Insane honestly scares the hell outta me. It also doesn't help that I knew, well sorta, why the album has the content that it does. From what I recall, a longtime relationship ended badly, a good friend passed on, and maybe personal issues never disclosed (?).

This is my third time listening to the album in its entirety and my opinion still stands... the man had some serious stuff go down, like WHOA.

Oh yeah, and it's pretty good. My least favorite by him, but still good.

*descends back behind the stack of records she was hiding from before*

P.S. For those unfamiliar, no, I wasn't named after Mr. Buckingham.

A new entry, in the tune of happy...

Wow, talk about singing a different tune. Today started off funny, but it got better over time. I turned in my paper, which I still think is made of concentrated idiocy. In Women & Lit, another professor read some of her published poems (which we're studying for the class). The poems were great.

Shakespeare remained as boring as ever. The only good thing is discussion on Hamlet will cease next time.

Philosophy of Religion... well, I got my midterm back. Y'know, the one that I didn't study too much on and feared of totally bombing it? Well... I got a B. *runs around the house cheering*

I also got my short story done (I wrote most of it during Shakespeare) and completed the first draft by the beginning of Philosophy.

I also finished Cranford a few minutes ago. I liked the characters, but the story... not so much. I know what Ms. Gaskell was doing with the novel, but I didn't enjoy it.

So, yeah. My day went a lot better than yesterday.

...

Until next time, good night...

ETA: I think my completed short story is a little novella-in-training. Awww... they're so cute until they grow up.

After some serious calculating (and asking a math nerd to check the numbers), I have discovered that my 100th entry was this one. So much for a kick-ass landmark entry. Oh well, fifty more entries until 200, so I can try again.

It's official: I fail.

Utterly, completely, never-has-there-been-so-much fail. Okay, here's the thing. And man, I apologize in advance for sounding like such a whiner.

I have managed to get zilch done.

I'm still (!) working on the story about the girl falling for Piscean guys. I have given myself until Columbus Day to finish it. Well, guess what's in over 24 hours and what hasn't been finished yet?

Atop that, I have a paper for Women and Lit that is about 80% finished and yet it feels like it's made of concentrated idiocy. It's due Monday.

My sickness persists... in a dry cough that has pulled a chest muscle. I wish I was kidding.

I haven't finished my readings and it continues to get worse, piling up to Leaning Tower of Pisa-like extravagance.

~

These are the times that I wish time can be halted just so I can catch up. But when should I just give up and let it go? Go ahead and fall over, fail a little? Not that this would be deserving of me, but an eventual outcome.

Perhaps I should suck it up and make a schedule.

Either way, man, I gotta do more than laze around on the Internet.

~

ETA: On a lighter note, check out my favorite song at the moment.

Looks like I'll be returning to YouTube soon...

Looks like a deal is in the making. Yea, WMG music videos!

Small note: most of the musicians/bands I enjoy are under this umbrella of labels.

Down but not completely out...

Yeah, it's been over a week since I last updated this here blog. Since it's a new season, the temperatures change and the nights start to become longer (well, not until October) it leads to... you guessed it, sickness! I'm doing much better and the worst of it is over, but it'll be a little longer before I fully recover.

And no, it's not H1N1. I don't know why I have to say this, but there you go.

As for school, I've played catch-up long enough. I finished Pride and Prejudice (which I liked okay), read almost all the essays up to the current one in my Philosophy of Religion class, turned in my story for workshop (and got some great feedback!), and Shakespeare remains boring as ever. Don't get me wrong, I love reading the plays, but the class never talks about the plots, just more on the context.

I've been reading on and off, but nothing's catching on. And school keeps getting in the way. Mostly the latter. But, expect a formal review of this book in the near future. If I can only remember my initial thoughts before I stopped...

As for non-school writing, uhm... uh... yeah...

Hope y'all are magpies! *throws shiny object and runs away*

So, I've been struggling to maintain a balance of work and fun. And wow, is it hard.

Until next time, goodbye for now...

My attempt to justify my long absence

Well, after I posted my little snark on the Silent Hill sequel, I realized that just that won't do to prove that I still have interest in this blog.

I've been working on homework, which has a lot of reading. I think that's why I haven't read any other books as of late, which sucks because I keep buying books but I don't have the time to read them. A lot of critiquing for my workshop, which I kept putting off. I also do a critique lead and turn in my story on the same day. Brilliant timing, self. Just brilliant.

~

Music geek (with help from her last.fm) will emerge in three... two... one...

Been listening to all the Talking Heads albums. I'm up to Remain in Light, and just started yesterday. Dunno why I decided to do this, but I'm going along with it. I also rediscovered Bat for Lashes, who had been criminally ignored for a while. I'm trying to get into all the people I used to like, just to keep my mind straight during this dense semester.

Yes, I've been listening to "The New Adventure" by Jerry Harrison a lot. No, I have no shame. I'll forever associate this song with bus rides and campus wandering, all while it being cloudy.

And Empire of the Sun's album is really good. I highly recommend it. And yes, they keep getting plays. Thanks to "Standing on the Shore", "The World", and "Half Mast". Great to listen to while reading feminist novels.

Oh, yes. Joy Division. I love them now. They beat Editors, taking their spot for "Best Alternative British Band" on my list. Best song is "New Dawn Fades".

I'm worried now, since there is nothing on how to get the new Editors album in the US. Methinks it's never coming over here. So, I have to go back to Amazon (and this entry will explain why I have a problem with doing this) and order it. I would like to have the Special Edition, but it's an astounding 32 bucks.

/music geek

~

No writing, just working and trying to sneak in playtime. Dang Internets keep sucking it all up though. I have to work on that. After this, I'm signing off and try to finish some things before going to work later on today.

That's about it for now. Until next time... signing off.

Oh, here we go now...

There's going to be a second Silent Hill movie.



Well, all I hope is that they write an original story and have some decent dialogue in there.

But, I'm not expecting it.

Hey look, an update!

Once again, the bullet list is my friend...

• Finished Crash today. Liked the movie a lot more, but will read more Ballard novels in the future. I didn't like the novel due to its graphic imagery, but that's because I'm a wimp about things like that. I did like what the overall theme was about.
  
• School's looking up. Two classes are boring me to death, the other two are going to be "the fun ones".
• Printing out several of my short stories and the novella "Blues" to begin drafting and editing them.
  
• Almost done with my story about the girl who falls in love with Pisces guys. About three thousand words left!
• Getting used to the new schedule. Been getting up early and getting stuff done. It's as if I've become a better student or something... P:
• The Talking Heads songs on Rock Band 2 are ace. The funnest would be "Girlfriend is Better", followed by "And She Was". While jamming out the other night, I broke the guitar controller's tremolo bar. Dammit, I'm gonna have to get a new one. The one I have will be the "bass".

Nothing else for now. So, until next time, good night...

Whoo!!

Talking Heads for Rock Band DLC next week!

Link here.

But no "Burning Down the House"?

As the Beastie Boys famously said in "Sabotage"...

WHHHYYYYYYYYYYY?!

Either way, yea!

First days of school

So far, looks like all the classes are going to be interesting. The teachers are familiar faces (well, all but one), the texts aren't too daunting nor are the expected tasks, and my classmates are for the most part, a crazy fun bunch of people.

I had to cancel my platelet donation appointment due to impending illness. When my ear is draining, it's the tell-tale sign of a cold coming to town. I hate to do that, especially since earlier this year, I kept getting sick and had to turn down opportunities to donate blood.

I haven't been working on writing in a few days. I dunno why I stopped, but I'm gonna jump back into it before class this afternoon.

Since I don't have classes on Tuesdays, I foresee (other than going to work probably) that day being used for writing and for catching up on schoolwork.

I finished Austen's Northanger Abbey (finally) and am trying to finish up the Ballard book.

Uhm... that's pretty much it. I apologize for the brevity.

It's picture time!

So far, readings are going very well. I'm almost done with three books and there are only five days until school starts for me, so I have to hop to it!

No writing, but been keeping a journal (an off-line, paper one that is).

Nothing much else in the life, so... onto the pics!

~~

My sis and I went to a flea market out of town last weekend. My sis hunted for bottles for her apothecary box project, while I browsed for records and books.

After a while, I found a guy selling records. I found Talking Heads' live album, the soundtrack to Stop Making Sense, and a Brian Eno album.

But, the fourth was a special find. It's the limited edition of the Speaking in Tongues LP. While not extremely rare, it was sheer fortune to find it. I snagged it for a palsy ten bucks. Here's the history:

"For the artwork of the sleeve, the band invited artist Robert Rauschenberg to create a record cover. He designed a plastic envelope package with clear discs that could spin around. After the record company Warner Bros. deceided [sic] that the special sleeve would raise the price of the album too much, it was released as a limited (but large) edition. The record itself was pressed on clear vinyl. Byrne himself painted a cover for the standard edition." - Franny, The Name of This Site is Talking Heads

Pics:



~~

A new hobby I just got into is soap-making. Today, I made two acne soaps (basic recipe from here). The smell of tea tree oil is overpowering and I can barely smell the eucalyptus mint scent I had also added, so for future reference, to take it easy on the tea tree oil. Otherwise, here are the results:



(that's my hand, JSYK)

Those are pretty awesome, y/y?

~~

So, that's what I've been up to these days. How 'bout you? Find any new hobbies to keep your life interesting? Any cool finds? Post all about them!

Commence to fangirling...

Check this out:

Kotaku article.

It's a nice goal and all, but this is what got me losing my ever-loving mind (bold for awesome):

"[...] Rigopulos also revealed that tracks from Queen, Nirvana, Tom Petty, Elton John, Iggy Pop, The White Stripes, Pantera, Talking Heads, Korn, The Raconteurs, and more would soon be bringing said library into the quadruple digits."

If anything could get me to play Rock Band 2 again, it would be this.

...

Oh yeah, the fangirling part. *flails arms and cheers*

I only hope for at least "Burning Down the House". A track pack even. Album would be even better. Like Remain in Light.

But still, I want "House". And "Houses in Motion".

~~

Been reading on and off, preparing for school. I'm missing only one book for class. Not bad at all. I also cleaned my backpack, both inside and out. It's now ready. I'm ready.

Let's do this thing!

Just an advance warning...

Because I have a rising stack of books to read and school to prepare for, my online presence won't be as frequent. In fact, ya may want to start expecting this kinda trend.

Look at me, talking like people actually read this blog on a daily basis. XD

I've been using the 'Net as an easy escape too often. The symptoms of boredom.

I also haven't been writing. I'm not sure what to do next. Maybe the story about the woman who falls for the Piscean guys...

Well, signing off, for now...

Let's resurrect the ol' bullet list again, shall we?

It's been a while since I posted. I apologize for the length of recent posts, I guess there are things that had to be said. "Had to", of course, is subject to debate.

I also should address the recent increase of the leetspeak usage. In a post from a year ago (I think...), I said that it wouldn't be prevalent in this blog. But, it has begun to spread. So, it stops today. My intentions aren't for me to become a snob, but it is getting annoying to read. Of course, like most writing workshops teach you: if you read something and think it's bad, your audience would likely notice too and agree.

Oh, yeah, the bullet list... thought something was missing.

• Went to the library recently and borrowed a few books: Ring, Rubyfruit Jungle (which wasn't that good), and The Other Side of the Sun.
• Finished the short story I talked about a while ago, the one about the teenager in the mall. I have stopped writing since then, working on plots for now.
• Haven't read all that much, despite going to the library.
• Gearing up for school. Three of the books on the list for "Women & Literature" I have already read. Yea for re-reading!
• Listening to the songs I haven't racked up play counts on. Right now... George Strait. Yeah. *changes subject with nervous cough*
  
• Going to work in a few hours.

I'll update when something worth it (i.e. exciting) happens. Until then, good day/night...

Allow me to contradict myself...

After recalling this entry, and of course future entries like this one and also this, and this one... and the post below this one, I must proclaim the actual truth:

I am an Anti-Twilighter. I am not ashamed of this anymore. I was before, hence the entry back in November '08.

~

Lemme refer back to the initial entry:

"I hate the Twilight series. I had read the first book and thought of it as boring, unimpressive, peopled with unrelatable and flat characters, and fraught with lost opportunities. I have zero interest in reading the other books for the same reasons. I think the series' success is unjustified. The vampires sparkle. I watched the film online... and it wasn't even funny, it was just awful."

I also made attempts to read the second one and well...

"I tried, but honestly, I have better things to do. I can't finish New Moon. If I wanted to hear someone bitch, I would record myself and loop it."

I also tried listening to the third and fourth on YouTube (audiobooks, JSYK) I got to the honeymoon part in the last book. My sister and I, our faces were like this O_O the whole way through.

(Cont.)

"I mentioned to my manager the other day that I saw the movie. She asked me an interesting question: "if you didn't like the book, why did you see the movie?" I told her because I wanted to laugh at it. Now, it makes me realize that I should've left well alone. Moved on after reading the first book, instead of jumping onto the hatred bandwagon."

Well, I have nothing to gain by jumping on the Anti-Twilight bandwagon. I'm not gonna get new friends or anything like that. Nor will I lose anything either.

I tried the hands-off approach, but let's face it. I work at a bookstore. I see the books all time. I can't stay silent forever. I even have recommended other books when people asked me if Twilight was good for their teens.

"Look, there are better things to read and see. But, it's not my place to be so damn judgmental on people's choice of entertainment. If Twilight and the rest of the series tickles them pink, let them have it. I have my things and I'm pretty damn happy."

This is where I'm going to be contradictory. I really cannot understand how people can read them even for fun. Even with fun reads, I like my work to look like some damn effort was put into them. Note that I'm not saying those who read the books are not intelligent. All I'm saying is that I honestly don't understand why some people read books like this.

Maybe I'm a snob. Well, there you go. I am a snob.

Overall, like I said before, I'm never going to recommend the series. If I did, it would go against my personal ethics. Speaking of ethics...

"If you read the post I linked, you'll read that there are whispers of Edward and Bella's relationship being... well, unhealthy. I don't know what to really say about that. I just hope when girls read the books, they don't take what's been said and done as dating advice."

As a fledgling feminist, I have huge issues with the series for that reason. There seems to be evidence that Edward is controlling and a stalker. The sad thing is, some think he is romantic and everything he does is for the good of Bella. *spazes out* Last I checked, taking someone's engine out so they can't go see friends wasn't for anyone's good.

I'm gonna confess something. I have wrote about a guy who was abusive and made it into something romantic. That was before I knew better. So, yeah, remembering I made the same mistake and seeing it again in a published novel hits home.

Of course, the last sentence of that quote I still stand behind wholeheartedly.

"If reading this book has taught me anything, it was to make my characters stronger. Aren't books (even bad ones) supposed to teach writers how to write?"

In fact, I credit Twilight for helping me make some big changes to some characters I was working on.

~

Of course, I could go to list how the writing is just plain horrible and that an editor needed a red pen and a pitbull to attack the manuscript... how Meyer actually thinks her romance story is better than other famous ones... how some (not all) fans need to STFD (STFD = sit the fuck down) and realize that yes, people won't like the books and need to stop convincing them otherwise... and how some fans have actually committed physical harm against those who don't agree with their opinions.

Wait, I just did.

Long post is long. Seriously, I've been meaning to write this for a long time. I just didn't think about it until today. Nothing other than previous thoughts motivated me to do so.

I am 110% aware that not all Twilight fans are rabid and/or crazy. I know three very awesome, intelligent, well-read Twilight fans. You know who y'all are. And I just wanted to say that this is the best way I can explain my feelings about the series. If I were to speak it, it wouldn't be as articulate.

My intention is NOT to hurt other people's feelings. I just wanted to speak my mind, both honestly and fairly.

~

That's about it for me here. So, good night...

*leaves room*

WWWHHHYYY!?!?!

Read here.

First Radiohead and now Death Cab for Cutie? Why do you do this, Twilight series? Why?!

Speaking of things related to the books, Mute Math and Muse are releasing new albums. Not gonna lie, I totally dug Mute Math's "Spotlight", which was for the movie.

Also, Muse did some crazy thing to promote their new album, by presenting (little by little) parts of one of the songs from the album. WMG, you'll let us embed it?! Why, shucks. Thanks.



Not gonna lie here, either. This song sounds pretty cool. I might have to buy the new album.

*facepalm*

I have no issue with people discovering said bands through the books. I have an issue with those who only listen to the featured songs and nothing else.

Make like a tree and branch out, people! Branch! *flails arms like a crazy person*

Well, dammit...

I came home from work to see if my 360 was working, since my sis told me it was giving her a hard time the other day. So I switched it on, and yes... I got the Red Ring of Death.

I'm upset, but mostly because I had the system for two years with only minor issues up 'til now. All that is left to be done is send it out to Microsoft and hope for the best.

My Ps2 will be getting some action (hur-hur).

~

I wrote about 2,000+ words for the story. I fear that I don't write down enough detail, so that may be why my stories are turning out to be shorter than I wanted them to be. I hurry to the action and don't savor the details. Speaking of savoring, I'm hungry. So, good night for now.

Somewhat of an update...

Well, I just started on a new short story. It's about a teenager coming to terms with beauty... in a mall. In the eighties.

Yeah, I'm curious to see how this work out, too.

No other details for now.

~

I finished The Secret History. I'm surprised to say that I really enjoyed it. Sure, it was at times lumbering and some of the descriptions made me want to scream, but it was a good book. Solid cast, intriguing storyline, somewhat-anticlimactic-yet-appropriate ending. I recommend it.

~

Nothing else for now. So good night...

One mini-vacation later...

Okay, I finally figured out what I'm going to do with writing. First off, several short stories lined up.

-A woman laments her affairs with men that share a common trait: they were all Pisces.

-A teenager in a mall in my hometown, around 1985. But I have to know: is it too much to ask for photos of local malls from the eighties?! DX

-A fairy tale about a local attraction, believe it or not, not too far from my house.

-A Catholic has a run-in with an atheist.

Trust me, the ideas are more awesome than that, but I'm only willing to give away a few details.

~

Oh, and yes! A novelette project too.

Thanks to late-night YouTube viewing (though I don't sign in, I lurk) and watching this video and reading about the fate of the man who captured it on video. According to the comments, he had died. And, if I read the comments correctly, the moment when the camera falls over and it seems to fade to red, he had been struck by debris and killed.

With that, and along with viewing old-school tornado safety videos, I was inspired to write a story about an amateur spotter capturing footage of a violent tornado.

And they say the Internets are bad for writers. Pffff!

~

Other than some marathon reading, there is nothing else to write about. So, good night...

-Lindsey

P.S.: If I only had a Blu-Ray player...

A strange fact about myself

I cannot watch end credits to movies.

Before you go WTF here, lemme clarify.

This is a fear/strange-ass superstition that has followed me since I was a child. Dunno how it started, but this is what I believe: if I watched a whole movie, I had to stop before the end credits, well, ended. I was afraid of there being some disturbing imagery at the end and... the TV would explode and kill me. Yes, you heard right.

Oh child self, you had a crazy imagination. Sadly, though, it has followed me. It struck as recently as early last month. My sister and I were housesitting and watching Angel Heart, and we were watching the end credits (which had bonus footage. Damn films doing that, making me even more scared of end credits). When it got to the final bits, I was struck with a pang of fear. I stopped the DVD and my sister asked me why. I then told her what I just explained.

Is it stupid? Hell yes.
Do I know it's an irrational fear? You bet.
Does that stop me from being scared? Sadly, no. There was only one time I sat through the whole credits without the fear (the second viewing of Silent Hill at the movie theater)

So, there you go. Random fact.

/random and possibly pointless post

Some random things and an update...

Apparently, as I just discovered reading old journal entries... February 20th, 2005 is the first instance of me using the moniker "crazy lady writer". I would go on to write sometimes-dumb-and-sometimes-clever points between "crazy" and "lady writer" as a signature.

E.G.: my personal favorite "the crazy 'I wish procrastination didn't exist' lady writer" XD
Ain't it have always been the truth, eighteen-year-old self?

~

Journal-keeping was fun on the computer, but quit after October 2006 (I think). Doing it with pen and a journal kept my handwriting well-tuned and plus, my laptop was made for writing novels, not silly journal entries.

Man, I could be a whiner in my journals. Then again, I can count how many times I acted just so on this blog. Madeleine L'Engle said something along the lines that journals were meant for that, and that there is no shame. But she noted that it was a private journal set aside for that purpose. So, yeah. All bloggers (from the crazy message-board lands of Livejournal to the untamed wilderness that is Wordpress) are totally listening to that advice. /sarcasm

And hey! I'm guilty of this too.

~

After completing Blues and "wasting" (i.e.: playing The Sims 3 and finishing The Bloody Chamber, of course) two days with no writing, I'm stuck in the sad conundrum of

What the Hell to Write Next

I had considered an old idea that I tried writing last year, but failed due to a fun onslaught of anxiety. There is also writing a short story every week. For every three stories I complete to a first draft, I get a cookie (okay, not a cookie, but a book). The other idea was to write four novellas for a whole novel-like thing (like Different Seasons by Stephen King, which is where I got the idea from).

I have no idea what to do. So, for now, it remains unknown. So, my sabbatical will last a little while longer, on account I have no fricking idea how to proceed from here.

Dammit.

30,342 words

The first draft of Blues was completed at 4:01 AM today.

I'm so proud of myself that it hurts.

Besides the self-congratulatory jazz, it is long from over: the overall completion. There is research to be done and drafts to do over.

This was difficult, not without its challenges, but it was truly rewarding. I felt like I did something worthwhile with my time. There will be definitely more epic win stories like this in the future, more finishing drafts and the like.

As for future plans, they remain unknown. For now, I will take a two-day sabbatical. I will be back on the 2nd.

Until then, good night...

You knw you've been playing too much "Sims 3" when...

...don't get excited, y'all. It's only one item:

-You notice the title of one of the books Sims can purchase and wonder of its origins.

The first time I played the game and had my Sim go to the bookstore, I noticed one of the books was a romance called Special Snowflake. I couldn't help but think "Twilight"? After all, people claim Bella Swan is a special snowflake (which is effing true, but that's besides the point).

It wouldn't be surprising if it was a spoof, but it is a stretch.

~

So far, my writer Sim (named Louise) has written several things, mostly after Talking Heads songs and albums, and the music genre they represent. Why? 'Cause I'm a dork. *dork face*

Article- "Born Under Punches"
Non-Fiction- Why Art Punk Matters
Fiction- Remain in Light
Comedy- Burning Down the House

Upcoming ones:
Article- "The Heat Goes On" (clearly a sequel to the hit "Born Under Punches")
Sci-Fi- I Zimbra
Drama- Man with A Gun (it's a Jerry Harrison song, though. And a kick-ass one.)
??- Houses In Motion (last time I played her, she was writing something with that title)

She is planning to marry this guy, who also wants to be a writer, and I plan for his works to be named after Fleetwood Mac songs and albums. Why? Well, you know why.

Side note: It is a common practice to name your books after songs. May I present

Exhibit A:

Less Than Zero (Elvis Costello FTMFW)

The Shining (John Lennon lyric, but it still counts!)

~~

I took yesterday off, mostly because I was too busy playing Sims 3. Go fig. It's going well, down to the final 2,000+ words. Now, I have to get to work. Tomorrow, I have a shift at the bookstore.

That's it for now. So, good night...

Sad day for the entertainment world...

R.I.P. Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

Y'all will be missed, by loved ones and fans alike.

Stories here and here.

*Happy flail* Part Two: The Revenge

Apparently, there is buzz that Verizon Wireless might get their hands on the iPhone. That would effing rule. For a while, I've been obsessed with having one. For one, there is the feature to make ANY OF YOUR ITUNES SONGS a ringtone. Also, they're pretty cool in general. I had customers let me handle their iPhones to look up the email coupons and the Amazon pages of books they're searching for. So, I've grown fond of the little buggers.

The big plus is, if all this does come to pass, I don't have to sign onto AT&T (nothing against them, but I'm very happy with Verizon). Plus, word is that the iPhone might be cheaper and not as harder, better, faster, stronger like the original, but still a little beast to be reckoned with.

~~

*realizes something*
*stops flailing*

Why am I waiting until midnight to work on my novel?! AAAUGH!

*Happy flail*

Editors' new album is coming September 21st, no doubt the UK release date. Which makes that next day the American release date? Guessing on the latter, but regardless...

do the Kermit. *happy flail*

~~

23,000+ words for Blues. 7,000 more to go, maybe even 2,000 more, who knows?

It's getting harder to find more to talk about and make it even more incoherent, but what can I do? It's the first draft, I just need to get what I can down.

Nothing else to say, so bye for now...

No, Hollywood. *hits them with newspaper* No.

No movie in existence has angered me... until this came along.

The trailer is horrifying, and not in the way you would think. It is ridiculous and disgusting that they're profiting off of something that is pretty serious business.

Lemme just say this: this s*** ain't funny, y'all. Don't go around and make movies about this stuff. I bet you that people will spaz out after this film's out. People will be going to my bookstore and buying all those 2012 books that are just gathering dust right now. It'll be the Y2K thing all over again. There's being cautious, and then there's blind paranoia. Guess what I think it would be?

Side note: I honestly do not think anything world-ending will happen on 12/21/2012. There has been proof that this date isn't the end of the world. Yet, I do think something will happen. Dunno what, but I'm not totally cynical about this date.

Well, I need sleep. Good night...

P.S.: Blues is 20,000+ words in. Whoo!

What I've been up to these days...

I got busy with work, so that is the main reason I haven't been updating.

So far, Blues is 18,000+ words. I'm impressed with that number. I had to skip last night, I was called in to replace someone at work and I wasn't home 'til after 11. I also was trying to finish The Informers by Ellis, which I had started that early afternoon.

To be honest, Informers didn't do anything for me. I was just half-hoping most of these characters would either get over themselves or jump off a cliff. Yet I am eager to begin Less Than Zero in a few days. Let's see how that will go... Side note: I liked American Psycho better than this. That says a lot.

The other day, I also began and finished Sputnik Sweetheart by Murakami. I loved it, but didn't understand the ending for the life of me. Also, some of the similes were not as clever as I expected from him. But it's definitely another mini-masterpiece. Right now, I'm tearing through after the quake, which is honestly a tad better than The Elephant Vanishes.

Alright, enough Wikipedia citations. XD

There is really nothing else to update on. I will keep posting about my work, especially when I reach the end. I also have plans to continue with another project once Blues reaches its first draft and I set it aside to ferment for future editing (about a month or so later).

*falls back into state between laziness and alertness*

I'm not dead...

I took the weekend off (no work, not writing). I also bought The Sims 3. Oh, man. Non-stop marathon.

*Checks calendar*

The weekend's almost over?!

Well, it's like the good ol' days again.

Edit: Yea, Facebook's not working! :P

2,214 words...

Ho s***, never again. That was too much.

1,000 words, kathnxbye.

But yea. Officially caught up. Now I celebrate... by reading.

/update

A little discussion...

I have a REAL problem with the first line in this article.

"Decaying corpse of genre fiction"? Whoa, someone needs to get off their f***ing high horse.

I don't have the beef with Mr. Chabon. In fact, according to his Wikipedia article, he deserves a freaking high-five. Along with Margaret Atwood, too.

~

Anyway, this reminded me of what I'm trying to do with my writing. I think literary fiction has its place, but I can't stand most of it. At the same time, let's not kid ourselves fellow writers, genre fiction needs a kick in the pants. And apparently, such a phenomenon is already occurring. Well, thank God that I wasn't the only one who thought this. I felt alone in my feelings on this, especially in fiction workshops. And most classes, for that matter.

I once wrote a paper on how Toni Morrison's Beloved was a horror novel (a book that ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize, mind that y'all). Some of my classmates thought I had freaking insulted the book. Though I know the paper could've been better written, I knew that it was far from an insult. It was basically me asking everyone "can literature have genre fiction elements?" And the answer is: YES, YES IT CAN.

/rant

Alright, well, lemme see where I am at right now on Blues... I'm about 903 words away from today's goal. Because of exhaustion following the Coldplay concert, I was unable to write last night. So, not too bad. It's hard to force words out, I want my stuff to be quality. But, it's a first draft. It would be a miracle unto God if the first draft is flawless. So, I have to write what I feel will work in the piece and then edit like hell when it comes to that time.

Until next time...

2,316 words

for today's session. I'm only <500 words behind now.

I

Effing

Rule.


That is all.

Damn it.

Thanks to The Secret History for name-checking (well, lyric-checking) this song, I can't get it out of my head.

Thank you, Ms. Tartt. I may like Brian Eno now. :P

Seriously, History gets awesome life points for referencing him.

~

For the record: "King's Lead Hat" = Talking Heads.

~

I'm a day (1,000 words) behind on Blues, trying to get to the goal for today (though it's now the day after, but whatever). I passed out around 8 PM, tired from work and getting only four hours of sleep last night. I'm playing catch-up here. I'm thinking, if I do not have to go to work tomorrow, I might try to get in an extra 500 words to close the gap.

Otherwise, it's going well. I got to know a little more about the main character and her pen-pal. They're pretty fun characters. It'll suck when I finish this work for good, but I'm certainly enjoying my time writing their story.

/fades out, like an awesome song with a synth riff...

Edit: This is why working at a bookstore can be awesome. We play music out loud, and this album was one of them. I finally bought it, and it's a nice one.

Commence to squee...

There is a title to the upcoming Editors album:

In This Light and On This Evening.

No track list, but the release date is September.

Caps usage in three, two, one...

HELLS YEAH!!!

Now all Editors need to do is tour here in the US, especially the Southern area... *obvious eyebrow wiggling*

~

I'm a day behind on Blues, due to getting up at ungodly hours in the morning to go help shelve at work yesterday. I may try to do 2,000 words today, but I'm not betting on it.

Now, back to work...

Edit: I also made an iTunes playlist for Blues. I did that before You-Know-Who made it hip.

More explanation on my novel project...

Before I begin, I would like to clarify that this isn't a long-running project or that "long-going one" that I yammer on about every so often. In fact, this idea was conceived in March of this year, somewhat inspired by Haruki Murakami's After Dark and the film Suicide Club.

I have plans for this thing to be a short novel (about >50,000 words or so).

The story is about a young Japanese-American woman who goes to Tokyo to visit a pen-pal of hers. All her life, she grew up knowing little to nothing about her cultural heritage. Yet, she is surrounded by people who know about it (two of them being what we call "weeaboos"). So, the trip is part self-discovery. It's also about how liking a culture just for the novelty (i.e. the "how cute!" factor), to me at least, seems insulting. I don't have issues with weeaboos in general, just the ones who possess the aforementioned factor.

And the whole story takes place here.

The story is somewhat personal. I'm part German, Irish, and Cherokee; yet, I know very little about my cultural heritages. I also have a pen-pal I would love to meet one day. It just so happens that, being inspired by the Murakami novel and the film, the whole thing is set in Tokyo and it involves a Japanese-American main character.

I also blame constant viewings of this guy's vlog. Nah, I joke. He's awesome. It's great, do watch it.

To reduce confusion for those who follow my blog, I'll refer to this particular work by part of its title: Blues.

~

So far, I'm 4,000+ words into it. Yeah... I got a while to go. Plus, I don't know the main character well enough yet. I may have to work out a profile on her. Atop that, I had to buy a few tour books on Tokyo, since the likelihood of me going in the near future are slim to nothing. The Internet is a nice source, but I trust books slightly more. XD

Until next time...

Yet another update list... yea!

-Alright, it's E3 time. There better be an update on Alan Wake. I've been waiting three years for it and it was the main reason I bought an Xbox 360. I want a release date! *raegs*

-Oh, man. I may just have to buy The Sims 3. I can't bypass it. *finds the price* Good God! D:

-*facepalms* It's even worse than I thought. I always pictured Silent Hill being cold, but Winter Wonderland? No, just no.

-*almost facepalms, but instead rubs sore forehead* Oh, God. Help us all. It's out. And here comes the merchandise... in about two months.

-Donald Miller's new book will be out in September. *thumbs up*

-Working on a novel project! I will actually post some information about it, which will be a milestone here. I never talk about my writing in fear of someone lifting my idea, but I think I could prove I had the idea first, if it got to that.

-Still reading The Secret History, but I can't help but feel that reading this may actually hurt me. I don't know how or why. It's quite immersible. And you know how it's the predecessor to the book from hell? Well, History is miles better than that.

Minor updates... in list form!

-Starting The Secret History soon.

-Seen why people are addicted to Facebook... it's the Pieces of Flair feature for me.

-Just watched An Inconvenient Truth. Great message... not-so-savory messenger?

-Enjoying a new mattress, which helps calm the sciatica.

-Writing a summary of a thought-to-be-lost novel project. And it may work this time after all! Yea! 8D

-Is reading this, wondering how to be a writer that is praised for more than just smexy writing.

-Finished yet another book in a less-than-24 hour-period. And it was good.

An Open Letter to Warner Music Group and YouTube

To Whom This May Concern,

Music videos have been a necessary evil for some, a marketing tool for all. We cannot deny the art form's original intentions. Yet, when handled correctly, music videos add pizazz to a newly-released single. They also can become a statement for the artist. Sometimes, as seen with artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna, the videos become cultural icons, inspiring fashion and art. Music videos are also a good way for someone to be introduced to a band. As stated before, the video is usually for a single that the record label considers to be a potential hit. It is a "safe way" for a newcomer to learn about the artist, if you would pardon the lack of better phrasing. For some, the only way to attract possible sales would be bombastic visuals, like the kind seen in early metal videos.

As a child born in the '80's, I grew up watching music videos. They were of the country music persuasion, but the point remains the same. I have many fond memories of watching Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks walking around in fields, singing heartbreak songs. As I got older, I started to watch VH1. I was too late, though. The channel was moving to air more music-based shows more so than videos. I was lucky even to catch something with the Go-Gos or Lionel Richie.

As the world discovers the infinite space we all know as the Internet, there are places where these once-forgotten music videos have a new home. Places like YouTube, where watching videos of animals doing cute things can get boring after a while. People then uploaded music videos. And it was good. Older folks relived their younger days, and the tykes of today were discovering Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden.

But now, there is a disagreement between Warner Music Group and YouTube. Now, music videos posted with artists signed under the WMG banner are removed. Odd enough, other record labels haven't gotten into a disagreement with YouTube and their videos are happily streaming, racking up plays, and comments between fans and non-fans alike are being shared. The musicians get their publicity (and eventual sales), the record labels get their sales and advertising. It's win-win.

While the solution of music videos being posted on the bands' official websites is not a bad idea, it does defeat the purpose of what YouTube was all about and what the other record labels are doing. It's all about sharing, being open to whatever venue there is. It's about catching up with the times. Whether it is a fear of change or financial hang-ups, this whole debacle between WMG and YouTube is an unfortunate one.

Please, WMG and YouTube. Work something out. You're hurting not only the musicians, but all the viewers (and even potential fans!). TV is no longer reliable for kids these days to find classic music. The Internet was their main source. Don't deprive them of that.

Sincerely,
Lindsey
-a concerned audiophile and YouTube user

Random note on YouTube...

My sister recently asked me why I don't go onto my YouTube account these days, and regulars with sharp eyes would notice a link to that profile is absent from "My Other Haunts". That is because, until Warner Music Group and YouTube reconcile (restoring all my old favorite videos, mostly of the Fleetwood Mac and Talking Heads persuasion, and even Jerry Harrison and Guster ones), I refuse to log back in.

~

Stupid? Yeah, I know. But it is just backwards how WMG is looking at it. It's free advertising! Plus, it's not like these old videos are getting any airplay on MTV and VH1 (God forbid music video channels actually play videos *rolls eyes*)

In case you ever wondered...

Here is the origin of my pseudonym here.

God, I forgot how much I loved these guys...

Ow...

I finished reading Hell House and then I started and finished The Sugar Queen. All in less than eight hours.

As the title implies... my eyes blur and hurt now.

But reading and finishing two books in one day? Yeah, I'm awesome.

And a good evening...

Well, today was quite an eventful day. My sister and I went looking for bookshelves, then stopped by a local indie bookstore. I found hardcover copies of Brightness Falls and Veronica, and this interesting Margaret Atwood short story collection.

~

We also saw Angels & Demons. Honestly, this thing was as histrionic as a My Super Sweet Sixteen brat.

They rewrote the book quite a bit. But after reading Wikipedia's summary of the book, no wonder they did. A lot of it, frankly, sounds quite silly. Sadly, I don't recall enough of it to make a good book-vs.-movie judgment.

A while back, before it was considered the cool thing to do :P, I read the book after The Da Vinci Code. I remember preferring Angels over Code. And that's it.

~

OMG, my avatar has Kate Bush! Squee!

~

I have some ideas to liven up this blog. Expect test runs in the future...

Bye for now, listening to my Australian pop song...

Hey, kids! Here's a math question:

what does Editors + Talking Heads song = ??

This awesomeness.

Some minor updates

Y'know, it has occurred to me that blog entry titles are not that important. So anyway, I finished American Psycho. It took me three days to read it. I rock.

I also went out and did stuff. The highlight was the discovery of my own little black dress. I also ate at Sushi Zushi for the first time. Good service, great food, yet a little on the expensive side. I recommend it.

Other than that... nothing much else. Just working a lot.

Gah...

Or, The Monosyllabic Titles Continue.

I'm reading American Psycho right now. My vision is blurry. Dunno if it's the print, the lighting...
Anyway, I'm after the "Genesis" chapter, where at one point, the narrator mixes up Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford's names. That was kinda funny.

My vision's clearing, but damn. That's annoying.

Eh, I must be still tired. Sorry for the dispassionate entry, y'all.

I'll note about my grades soon.

Edit: Finals grades are...

Non-Fiction- A
Victorian Lit- B
Shakespeare- B
Music Fundamentals- B

Not bad, despite my apathy. That will change next semester.

Holy...!!

Nanci Griffith's releasing a new album!

*calms down*

Wow, didn't expect anything from her. What a pleasant surprise!

It's over...

My finals are over. And they sucked. I hardly studied, yet they sucked regardless.

And I have to work tomorrow. And I only slept for four-and-a-half hours. And I have a cold with the nastiest cough.

I'm stuck on campus for five hours. I ain't returning home and then turning 'round and going back on the bus. Thank God for books and my laptop... and extra tissues.

Whoo!

Congratulations to John Green for his Edgar win!

(news courtesy of Bookshelves of Doom)


*is a secret Nerdfighter*

Ugh... I'm a horrible feminist.

Alternate Title: Or, How I Jumped Onto the Bandwagon Long After It Left the Station...

I bought some things from Amazon. But, as of recent, Amazon hasn't become exactly friendly when it comes to certain searches. Dunno what happened? The BBC is here to educate you!

Why the feminist bit? The books being blocked are mostly GLBT and general sexuality books. This is ludicrous, no matter how you slice it.

I bought two things (a Lovecraft short story anthology and the DualDisc of Speaking in Tongues). I will enjoy my items, but these will be my last Amazon purchases. Besides this, I've been having some grief with them (trouble with mp3s, order snafu, etc.).

Something tells me that I need to find another online retailer. Got any suggestions?


P.S.: I'm no longer signing my blog entries. So, farewell to the "ain't signing this one" tag.

And to paraphrase Shakespeare: to tweet or not to tweet? That is the question.

I did it. I f****in' did it.

I finished the paper. Need to do a works cited page and maybe go through it again to make sure it makes sense. But it's essentially finished.

And no nervous breakdown! Whoo!

My joy cannot be expressed into words. So, here's a cute kitty picture courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger...


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

P.S.: Yes, still addicted to the Australian pop song.

Oh God...

I'm obsessed with an Australian pop song. It's my preteen years all over again!

Quick update, in bullet form!

• Working on a paper at the last minute... ugh.
• Got two more Murakami novels. About four books away from finishing my collection.
• Deciding whether to get a twitter or reboot my Facebook profile.
• Vienna Teng's new album rocks hard.
• Listened to Guster's Ganging Up on the Sun for the third time. Still awesome.
  
• Happy birthday, Dad! (a day early, but still... :P)

Yeah for randomness...

This hurts to say...

Fleetwood Mac's Tango in the Night is not that really good of an album anymore. Oh well.

P.S.: In unrelated news... this is my 100th post. Whoo!

And, apparently, so far this year, I've read 29 books. O_O

Hang onto your hats, kids!

Dan Brown's releasing a new book.

Despite the fact that I have no interest in his work anymore, I might take a peek at the new one.

~

Oh, yes. Update. Hmm. Things are well. Sorta. It's just the last few weeks of school. I have a paper I need to begin (and finish in about a week), a final portfolio, and two finals to fret about.

No writing, but listening to all my music again. That's another good thing about getting a new computer: racking up new play counts. So far, "Houses in Motion" ranks as the most-frequented song.

Lots of reading, though.

I leave you, wandering around my music collection...

-Lindsey

Well, today must be my lucky day...

Not only did I finally manage to sign up for classes next semester, but I finally reset my play counts on Last.fm.

All this wasn't working for a while, for almost a week (school) and several days (Last.fm). Whoop.

I'm also writing. And my computer is still awesome.

Sucky update is sucky. :P

Let's talk about video games...

I thought I had gotten tired of gaming... which is sadly true. I booted up Rock Band 2 and found myself no longer caring about the three bands that I've created. I even loaded up The Sims 2 (and the first two expansion packs) and found myself uninstalling it all twenty minutes later.

There are a few games though that have gotten my interest. Fallout 3 and the potential for the DLC is one of those.

There is also:

BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams (the sequel to BioShock, which justified my Xbox 360's existence)
Max Payne 3 (loved the first one, am enjoying the second one)
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (is it me or does the title sound like one for a fan fiction I could write?)
Velvet Assassin (Assassin's Creed in WWII? My sis and I are so there!)
LocoRoco 2 (I credit its first installment to help me get over depression...)

There is also The Sims 3, but after failing to get into its recent installments... eh.

I hope, if these are my last gaming endeavors, let them be good ones.

OMG, I got a new computer!

While I don't have a picture of it (yet), but I just got a brand new computer. It's a lovely Presario that is much beefier (in terms of processor speed, RAM, etc.). I'm very proud of it, it is also my first computer that I purchased with my own money. Whoo!

Beyond that, nothing much else is going on. So, sometime next week, I'll have a better entry. I leave you, trying to upload my music...

-Lindsey

P.S.: The Silent Hill remake will be released on the Wii, PS2, and PSP. No siccing the Otherworld on the developers... XD

It's true! It's trruuuue!

Yes, Silent Hill will be remade.

But, I swear to God if it is a Wii exclusive, I will sic the Otherworld on the developers.

P.S.: Title is a minor quote from Rugrats.

Oh. My. God. O_O

There may be a Silent Hill remake. On the PSP.

I think I'm going to jump for joy. Or have a spaz attack of anger. Not sure which one. Maybe both?

Where the hell have I been? Well, here's the answer (albeit long-winded...)

A few days ago, I somewhat cryptically stated that my week had exploded. I didn't list what made it do so. To be honest, now that I look back, maybe that was too strong of an analogy to use. A better one would be that it was... you know what, screw analogies. Last week was just one that went wrong.

In my Music class, I had to turn in a rhythm composition piece (eight measures, simple meter, etc.) and when the class performed it, someone said it sounded like "The Nutcracker". "Aah, f***!" I shouted in my mind. I had a fear that my work would accidentally lift a rhythm from somewhere else, and my fear came true! I remained embarrassed for the rest of the class. My professor didn't hold it against me, saying something about rhythms aren't copyrighted. He was nice about it, even felt bad for me (or so I assumed). So, I didn't get into trouble. I even got some extra time to work out some homework I couldn't finish.

All of last week, I had been playing a hyped-up version of "Catch-Up". I've been reading and editing, slamming my head against my desk when I work on Music homework, and fretting about my Victorian Lit paper. On top of that, I fell ill again. This time, it was a good ol' head cold, complete with lingering cough and schizophrenic nose.

I've gotten no writing done, but that will change today. I'll write a little before I head to work. But first, I have to finish some more homework.

Reading? Well, I've been trying to obtain everything Haruki Murakami has ever written and I'm about seven books short. I started Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates about two days ago. It's honestly one of the most boring books I've read this year. And Shakespeare's history plays were more engaging than this!

Music? No practicing on Zimbra, unfortunately. I'm going to do that over the summer instead. It'll keep me busy.

Listening to music? I've been doing some listening and buying. I bought the Modern Lovers' debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, Fur and Gold, Prospekt's March, and Talking Heads' last album.

Finances? They could be better. I have plans to work a second job: be my parents' housekeeper. I'm saving up for a few things: a new laptop, a trip to Europe next year, and some random objects that I can't think of at the moment. I have plans to purchase two last things: the re-released LPs of Talking Heads' debut album and Remain in Light. Then, it's off to the saving party!

My job? It's going okay, but I need to work more. I'm starting to miss out on things. I'm going to talk to them about hours, make my case.

I also ordered my college ring, but my card hadn't been charged... how odd.

After that, things have been decent. The new week's shaping up to be something better than the last. I leave you, trying to figure out what to do next...

-Lindsey

The reason for the lack of an update...

I think my week just exploded. I don't know how it happened. Things are okay now, but damn...

I'll be back in a few days. I promise.

*No title*

I haven't finished reading Henry the IV for class tomorrow and I don't care.

I have a quiz on said play tomorrow and I don't care.

I haven't finished reviewing a non-fiction piece for tomorrow and I don't care.

I have no idea why I feel that way. Oh wait, I do. Damn Spring Break...

Either way, eh. Is it May yet?

I love my hometown...

I really do, but for the first time in a long while... I have this desire to move away.

All we care about are our sports teams, not our education system or the library system. I want to live somewhere that loves their arts programs, their libraries... well, more than the sports teams, that's for sure. And a thriving music scene! God, all the cool bands never come here!

Maybe, I should base my future moving plans on this list, Y/Y?

San Francisco- hell yes!
Seattle- rain, coffee, and a great indie scene? Sign me up!

My sister could be onto something about Portland, Oregon.

I leave you, thinking about how I could possibly move due to this crazy economy...

-Lindsey

P.S.: I'm actually writing stuff! Yea! :D

My "Watchmen" review

Just got back from seeing it. Overall, it was a pretty good film. The gang had their work cut out for them, but they managed to pull it off.

Though, without spoiling the movie, some scenes were pretty silly (when I didn't notice it in the graphic novel).

And the lady playing Laurie/Silk Spectre could've done a better job. Emote, girl, emote!

Patrick Wilson (aka Nite Owl) rocked the house. :D Hell, loved the character to begin with. He's so bookish and awkward.

tl;dr: it's good, go see the film. Then later, if you feel like it, buy the graphic novel.

Brief update...

I have to be at work in about thirty minutes, so here's a update... in bullet list form!

• No more sicky. The "strep throat" healed. Must've been just a nasty-ass sore throat then.
• Found a nice old hardcover edition of The Agony and the Ecstasy. Excellent.
  
• Gonna go see Watchmen tonight. Yea! :D
• Gonna work on my writing over Spring Break.
• Planning to watch Suicide Club when it comes in from Netflix. Man, good luck to me. This film's pretty gory... D: (Saw its sequel Noriko's Dinner Table on a whim. Pretty good film.)
• Got suddenly interesting in J-horror movies and novels. How odd...

I leave you, wondering what the hell am I thinking on seeing such a gory film...

-Lindsey

Ugh...

'Tis the season. Nasty sore throat, drainage (with accompanying earaches), fever (with sweats. Lovely)... yea!

In other news, school seems to be going well. I'm tearing through Geisha, A Life. Since I'm mostly bedridden, reading is an easy task.

I also discovered that I like Peter Gabriel's solo stuff more than Phil Collins'. Does that make me a good Genesis fan? 8D

Nothing much else to say. I leave you, wondering if my sore throat is actually strep throat...

-Lindsey

Hello, Academy Awards?

...the Romance slideshow?

YOU FAIL.

YOU F***IN' FAIL.

You have reached a level of fail that didn't exist until now.

It's been ages!

Hello thar everyone. It's been a while, I'm afraid. Things have been getting very busy. I complained a lot about not having time to read. Well, no wonder! I've been reading a Shakespeare play every week, learning music theory (which is hard, especially if you're not well-versed in math), critiquing and reading non-fiction, and learning about the Victorian era. So, I've been a busy bee indeed! Yikes, I rhymed. Badly.

Just finished reading A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. It was a wonderful read, but due to restraining monies, I may have to wait a while to read the last two. Dangit...

~

And a happy birthday to one of my favorite writers, Richard Matheson! To celebrate, I'm reading a short story collection of his. So far, good stuff.

~

I may update only once a week. That is, unless I can get a better handle on my time. I leave you, watching TV, when I could be reading more books...

-Lindsey

Oh my God, yea!

Lacuna Coil is releasing a new album this year too!

Let's see, so far, that's Editors... Mute Math... Vienna Teng... Guster...

Music, for now, will suck a little less...

Radiohead kicks ass... as usual.

They pwned the Grammys.

Check out their performance.

Some not-so-surprising things I learned today

I tried, but honestly, I have better things to do. I can't finish New Moon. If I wanted to hear someone bitch, I would record myself and loop it.

I haven't read all that much lately. I blame class readings and my renewed interest in Fallout 3.

No writing yet. I want to, but I have to actually do it.

I love Netflix, but can I afford to keep a subscription? Well, of course.

I think I shouldn't be ashamed of the fact that I have a lot of unread books. Sure, buying twenty new ones isn't going to help, but it's okay to buy a few new ones. As long as I read them.

BTW, I may not post as often. Possibly twice or once a week, I'm not sure. So, it's not that I'm abandoning this, but I want to minimize my Internet usage.

I leave you, wondering why I'm beginning to be forgetful...

-Lindsey

Stephen King rules

Here is the proof.

That is all.

Updates and such... in a bullet list.

Before I make the list.. happy 20th birthday, sis! Yea! *blows party horn and throws confetti*

Now... bullet list.

• Just started reading this. So far, I hate it. But, there is no other option. It's for class... blah.
• Began A Midsummer Night's Dream. So far, it's pretty good. It's not beating The Tempest, though.
• Nearing the halfway point on Jane Eyre. I'm trying to figure out if I want to crack open Wuthering Heights after this...
• I got my mom's cold. Yea...
• Most of the "how-to" writing books I've been reading are getting on my nerves.
• No more TV for today!

I'm about a fourth of the way in New Moon. Okay, if (and that's a big IF) I was a fan of the series, I would've been on Team Jacob. Well, until... I finish reading the rest of the books. 'Cause, what I hear, he ends up being no better than Sparkly-Boob.

Yes, and may I complain about something? Okay, thank you, whoever granted me permission. Alright, Bella is a total idiot. I know, being obvious here, but I can't believe HOW MUCH of one she is. Edward isn't worth it. AT ALL. I wish she could move on, even past Jacob, and just grow a freaking spine. But no. She doesn't. (Read the plot summaries on Wikipedia if you don't believe me)

/random rant

Right now, I'm listening to Sheryl Crow's "There Goes the Neighborhood". Good Lord, I forgot about this song. Oh yeah... and I don't enjoy it much now. In fact, I got really tired of her.

Anyway, I leave you, reliving my strange music tastes as a teenager...

-Lindsey