August 31, 2007
Fred rulz.
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August 30, 2007
Thanks!
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07:36 PM
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07:14 PM
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I have a few of those myself. In our house they're called "Movies I can fall asleep to".
See I have this thing with movies. If they get really predictable, or really embarrassing for the main character, I skip it. Fast Forward, skip, turn off, you name it. I won't sit through it. Consequently, there are VERY FEW movies I can sit through more than once without skipping through, let alone enjoy over and over and over.
The funny thing is, those movies somehow migrate to the bedroom. I'm a slow-sleep insomniac, and (like everything else with me) contrary to the usual advice of removing distractions from the sleep zone (aka no TV in the bedroom), TV actually distracts my brain enough to let me fall asleep. Especially things I've seen before. So we have a rotating stash of movies that live in the DVD player in the bedroom and get pressed into service in conjunction with the 90 minute sleep setting on the TV just about every night.
So, without further ado, movies I can sleep to:
White Christmas
Blazing Saddles
Star Wars
Empire
Return of the Jedi
Fellowship of the Ring (either disk 1 or 2; but not Twin Towers. I always want to skip the "Sam and Frodo" parts too much)
Return of the King (Disk 2 works better... less Sam and Frodo)
Kill Bill vol 1
Kill Bill vol 2
The Blues Brothers
South Park
Team America
A Christmas Story
Fiddler on the Roof
Disney's Robin Hood
I'm certain there are more, but these are the ones currently in the DVD case in the bedroom.
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07:06 PM
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August 28, 2007
John Hawkins at Right Wing News has a list of what he says are the top 10 South Park Episodes of all time.
He's wrong on all 10 counts.
Here's my top 10 SP eps of all time (in chronological order... #5 is my favorite):
1. Cartman Gets an Anal Probe: The original. Started the world of South Park on TV.
2. Chinpokomon: You have "vewwy lahge Amewican Penis" 'Nuff said.
3. Cartman Joins NAMBLA: I never knew such a thing existed before this.
4. Scot Tenorman Must Die: Revenge is sweet. Too sweet.
5. Osama Bin Laden Has Farty Pants: Matt and Trey's masterpiece. Summed up the feelings of an entire nation and introduced us to the now world famous "chicken lollipop". Also my favorite. EVAH.
6. All About the Mormons?: What a great refrain: dum dum dum dum dum.....
7. Trapped in the Closet: Tom Cruise is trapped in the closet! Plus a send up of the Clams. Perfect.
8. The Return of Chef: Isaac Hayes quit over Trapped in the Closet. In their usual manner, Matt and Trey let the world know what they felt about it....
9. Smug Alert!: Perfect satire of limousine liberals, their pretensions, their Priuses, and their love of the smell of their own asses.
10. Make Love, Not Warcraft: What can I say. We all know these people.
Honorable Mentions: The Return of the King to the Two Towers, Chickenlover, Cripple Fight, and Go God Go (I and II)
You may not agree with all of my picks, but seriously, any list that doesn't include Smug Alert!, Osama, Trapped in the Closet, and/or Scot Tenorman isn't a list to be taken seriously.
h/t Frank J.
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That's 12 instead of 6.
It's an interesting mix. I have everything from 17 and 18 year old traditional freshmen to students who are my age and returning to finish up the prerequisite classes for medical school. Most of them are very bright, and you can bet I'm going to be riding the asses of the low ones to keep up, because they all have serious potential to do well.
As usual, the first class was pretty short. I had a 15 slide power point which was both introductory material (biological chemistry stuff) and points about the syllabus (show up, don't cheat, do your work, come to office hours). Then we talked briefly about lab safety and all the dos and don'ts of the lab. Most of which are common sense. Like don't touch a hot plate, you can't tell if it's too hot or not. Or never pipet by mouth. Umm. EWWWWW. And yet, there are idiots in this world who do. I swear.
We were done by the time I should have been done lecturing. Yay me. So I spent the next hour wrestling a copier and copying the first two chapters for students whose books still haven't arrived. See, one of the drawbacks of being Tiny U. is that we don't have a bookstore. So students have to order their books online or look for them at USC, UCLA, or some other large bookstore. And that can take time. In a class I taught 2 years ago, the books were backordered from the publisher and we couldn't do anything about it for 3 weeks. Ugh. What a mess.
The other thing about this class is that it starts at 8am. Which means that to get here on time I need to leave my house before 7am. 6:30 if I need to make a stop at the gas station or Whorebucks. (or Coffee Bean.... or Peet's). And then when I get here, it's a toss up as to whether I'll be able to get set up as I need security to let me in to the classroom and to open up the computer podium for me. Urg. Try finding a security guard when you need one. In the hood.....
Anyway, if you need me 8-12 Tuesday and Thursday or 9-10 Friday, Pacific Time, AM, you know where I'll be. Broadening young minds. Heh. Yeah, that's it.
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10:37 AM
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August 27, 2007
1. Darling ::
2. Majesty ::
3. Pebble ::
4. Fate ::
5. Instant ::
6. Screen ::
7. Unplugged ::
8. Dairy ::
9. Benefactor ::
10. Market ::
more...
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11:51 PM
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1. Uneven ::
2. Wonder ::
3. Spider ::
4. Emma ::
5. Swing::
6. Orbit ::
7. Flirt ::
8. Donation ::
9. Veil ::
10. Atmosphere ::
As always, my answers below the jump..... more...
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11:49 PM
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August 25, 2007
You Are Midnight |
 You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends. |
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August 24, 2007
ESPECIALLY when they aren't labeled as sponsored posts. If some posts are labeled and some aren't, it can be annoying.
For example: wRitErsbLock and Mandy, and sarahk and Kate.
/rant.
I wouldn't bitch, except this happened twice in 10 minutes. Sheesh.
UPDATE: Pam has an interesting discussion here in the comments. I said this:
The honesty issue bugs me, too. ThatÂ’s one of the things that gets to me. I mean, why is someone who I know to be a homebody suddenly dreaming about Vegas? Or a healthy person expounding on the virtues of lap band surgery? Which is why the NOT labeling posts gets to me, too. It seems dishonest. Especially when other posts are clearly labeled as sponsored posts.I know some of you were upset and unhappy with what you felt was me pointing fingers, and I'm sorry if you were offended by what I said, originally, and I have edited myself. Clearly though, this is an issue that people care about.What set me off the other day, though, was multiple posts on the same advertisers. It was just too weird.
PS: Any of you with paid posts should know better. I'll be back. I'm an addict, after all. Just frustrated.
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06:26 PM
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August 23, 2007
You Are 82% Bitchy |
 While you may not think of yourself as the ice queen, admit it, you're often in a bad mood. And it's those around you who often bear the brunt of your annoyance, even if they haven't done anything wrong! |
Love ya, babe!
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05:39 PM
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But I also just consumed half a bottle of wine. I don't think I could be a bitchy drunk. LOL!August 22, 2007
We'll see how that goes.... I of course chose Flickr, because I'm becoming obsessed with it.... and my 556 pictures uploaded to Yahoo! should have a nice home there.
I wonder if Tivo now supports Flickr.....
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What book have you stayed up all night NOT reading (because it disturbed you in some way)? Has a book ever entered your dreams?
Hmmmm. I don't think a book ever disturbed me to the point of not sleeping... I put Pet Sematary down first. Most books I read come into my dreams, especially if I read just before bed and I like the characters immensely.
Again, a toughie. I generally love long series, so I like to work out my own post-series endings. When I was a kid I had new books plotted out for Mary Poppins and the Anne of Green Gables series (post- Rilla of Ingleside, of course)
Best book to movie transition? And as a corollary, what books should NEVER be a movie?
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone was done well, as was Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Also, two of the best book movies were The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption. Now that I think about it, Stand By Me was also good (from the Stephen King novella "The Body").... The Count of Monte Cristo is such an intricate story, it DOES NOT make a good film, ditto Dumas' other classic, the Three Musketeers. I'll have to think of others....
Do you prefer one-off novels or character-driven series books? What's your favorite book series?
I love series books, always have. Starting with Laura (Little House) and Anne (of Green Gables); Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. My shelves are full of series novels: Alexander McCall Smith (Sunday Philosophers' Club, 44 Scotland Street, and Ladies #1 Detective Agency series); the Big Stone Gap series by Adriana Trigiani; Robert Crais' Elvis Cole mysteries; J.A. Jance's J.P. Beaumont; Kathy Reichs (I can't watch Bones because I like the books so much, BTW); The Dragonfly in Amber series; A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket; Harry Potter (of course); Sherlock Holmes; Peter Mayle's Provence books; Eragon and Eldest; Tolkien; C.S. Lewis' Narnia series; Stephen King's Dark Tower; etc. etc. There's more, but I can't think of them now. I think when I read a story, the characters speak to me more than the plot, and I like to follow them as they change across the ebb and flow of their lives.
Which book character do you see yourself as most like? How about when you were a kid?
That's pretty tough. Today the character MOST like me that I've read is Hermione Granger. I know, kinda trite, but you know that whole scene in HP7 where she gets mad at Ron (I'd say more but some haven't yet gotten that far)? That's me. I knew what was going to happen there before I read it. Think I've lived it. Not to mention the whole nerd thing. As a kid the characters I most identified with were Josephine March and Laura Ingalls. Which shouldn't surprise anyone that knows me at all.
Yes. Definitely. I get very wrapped up in the characters, and I have a maxim that life is too short for unhappy endings. There is little more I dislike in literature than when the characters I love and adore get the shit end of the stick at the end of the book. Give me a break. I feel really cheated when that happens. Speaking of cheating, the last book I remember flinging was "Big Cherry Holler". If you've read it, you know what I mean.
Sorry it was later than I planned, but there it is.
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11:22 PM
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For Stephen Lipira, a citywide police crackdown on gangs going on for the past year has virtually transformed his North Raymond Avenue neighborhood.You think, Bernie? For what it's worth, I agree with you. I live not very far from the idiots quoted above. I worry about the gang problems in Pasadena over the last few months. I see what's going on in the streets, too."You would think we were in the Bronx," says the Pasadena Neighborhood Coalition vice-chairman.
Things are so bad now, agrees fellow member Lorraine Montgomery, she's thinking of moving out after 20 years.
"It's not only the harsh grating noise but also the vibrations that you can feel over your entire body."
As part of a tripling of police enforcement levels in Northwest Pasadena in response to 10 homicides in the past 19 months, the police's fleet of helicopters - two Enstrom F28F's, a Bell 206 BIII, and two Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warriors - has been busy.
The Foothill Air Support Team (FAST), shared by 10 area cities, has flown out on about 4,482 emergency calls in Pasadena just in the first six months of this year. Taking off from the Arroyo Seco, the helicopters can fly to a crime in 45 seconds, on average, said Pasadena Air Operations OIC, Lt. Robert Mulhall.
"The effectiveness of the helicopter is unparalleled when it comes to speed," said Chief Bernard Melekian. "I think any resident who calls for a police response would appreciate the additional eyes and ears."
But I know that keeping our kids from KILLING EACH OTHER (and the rest of us in the crossfire) is a hell of a lot more important that a little extra noise from the helicopters. Where did these people lose their sense of perspective? And they claim to be NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVISTS? Give me a freaking break. If one of them was the target of a crime, I suspect they'd demand the helicopter go after the bad guys, post haste, and all the noise be damned.
I'm all in favor of noise ordinances for things like airports and industrial sites, if there's a reasonable way to reduce noise for neighborhood residents. But to cut back on the ability of the police to do their job just because you don't like the noise? Are you kidding me? What's next? No sirens on police cars, ambulances, or fire trucks? And speaking of sirens, why all of a sudden is it the helicopters that bother you? 90% of the time when I hear the chopper, the sirens come right behind. And they are a hell of a lot more annoying, and certainly louder than the helicopter, even when it hovers over my street.
And one other thing, you whiny crybabies. Next time you hear the helicopter coming, go in the house and turn on your fans. I think you'll be surprised to note you can't hear it anymore. Just like I can't.
h/t Centinel at Foothill Cities
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11:35 AM
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August 20, 2007
What are you reading right now?
Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith
Do you have any idea what you'll read when you'e done with that?
Probably The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl
What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?
Magazines? You mean those things ammo comes in? There's books, though, including some Harry Potter in the bathroom right now, though. 5 or 7..... not sure which I brought back in the bedroom.
What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
How about a top 10 list?
Great Expectations, Lord of the Flies, The Awakening, The Crying of Lot 49, Heart of Darkness, Arrowsmith, A Tale of Two Cities, Emily Dickenson poems (not because they suck but because they lead to weeks of "Yellow Rose of Texas" earwormage), and for sheer suckage, my Calculus books (Tommy I and Tommy II) and that god-awful Physical Chemistry text.
What's the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
Another list:
Reading Lolita in Tehran, Devil in the White City, The Dante Club, The Historian, Stephen King's Different Seasons, Harry Potter, etc. etc.
Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
Nope. I love my books to death. And I love to reread. Hence I buy them and KEEP them. My mom's a librarian, though. She knows me on a first name basis. Does that count?
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don't like it at all?
My favorite book is Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. Most people just don't get it. Also a lot of Stephen King books. People are scared to pick up a "horror" novel, and they're just not that. Yeah, scary stuff, but it's just a platform for an amazingly written, character driven story.
Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you're on the computer? While you're having sex? While you're driving?
That would be: Yes, Yes, Sometimes, Often, Occasionally (usually this has to do with work), NEVER (that would be rude), and ABSOLUTELY not (UNSAFE, hello!!!)
When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Hell yes. I got teased for breathing. Come on, now. But I read constantly. Let's put it this way, once, when I was a kid my mom tried to punish me by taking away my books. So I picked up the shampoo bottles and toothpaste tubes in the bathroom and read those.
What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down?
Literally? The Da Vinci Code. I was on a red eye to Michigan and couldn't sleep. The Historian. I read that in TN after a night of hanging out with Blown-Eyes. It was that good. And of course, HP7.
I've thought of some other book questions for you all:
What book have you stayed up all night NOT reading (because it disturbed you in some way)? Has a book ever entered your dreams?
What book/ series would you like to write an ending too? Or rewrite? I'm not strictly talking about fanfic, just this: given the opportunity, which stories would you like to work on?
Best book to movie transition? And as a corollary, what books should NEVER be a movie?
Do you prefer one-off novels or character-driven series books? What's your favorite book series?
Which book character do you see yourself as most like? How about when you were a kid?
Ever NOT want to finish a book because you were desperately afraid that the author was going to take it somewhere you didn't like? Ever fling a book at the wall because that happened?
Ok, that's plenty. Feel free to do the whole meme, or in parts. I'll answer the second half tomorrow.
Oh, and consider yourself tagged, mostly 'cause I wanna know what you read:
Christina
Phoenix
Ken (because he tags me all the time)
wRitErsbLock
Richmond
Amanda
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10:20 PM
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WLS explains the strategy of the superseding indictment, offense level, the possibility of sentence enhancement, the discretion of the judge in sentencing, and why the prosecution is pushing for a sentence of more than 12 months.
There's lots of great question and answer in the comments, too, so pop over and find out what you've been dying to know.
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09:08 PM
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Is there something in the water?
Y'all have my love and my sympathy, and the fucking bitches/ dickless assholes on the other side of the equation can just FOAD. Eternally. If there's anything I can do, you know where to find me. I just hope this sentiment isn't contagious.
Don't you stupid fuckers know that the ONLY ones who get hurt in these scenarios are your KIDS?
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02:40 PM
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A few moments later the thumping outside stopped, and we heard some high-pitched shrieking, sort of a mix between a cat in heat and a screech owl. As I looked out the window, I began to discern a very characteristic shape..... body slightly larger than a cat, with a tall, bushy tail pointing skyward.
Yep. Pepe Le Pew. In my sideyard.
He/She/It ran across the lawn directly to our neighbor's driveway, and then zig-zagged it's way up the street and around the corner where we lost sight of it. It disappeared before I could go get the camera. Too bad.
There's no sign it was UNDER the house, as the crawlspace cover doesn't appear to have been disturbed, and the only signs of digging are under the fence, but it sprayed somewhere in the vicinity of the front corner of the house, and the REEK was unbelievable, even at 10 am.
We had some fox urine crystals left from the battle with the squirrels, and upon finding them to be useful for skunks, too, hubby has been shaking them all over that side of the house and at the crawlspace entrance. We're also planning to go get a big spotlight to plug in and put under the house tonight, as the experts say that is the best humane way to scare them off, being very nocturnal creatures.
Possums are a pretty common occurrence in Pasadena, they live all over town, and you can tell by the stench after midnight most nights of the year. The skunks are a recent phenomena in our neighborhood, as far as I can tell, as the aroma of the backyard changed only recently. I'm really hoping that means there aren't baby skunks under my house.
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12:30 PM
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Congratulations Jay and Deb on the arrival of baby #3!!!
From the super happy proud Papa:
7:57 AMDrop by and give them your best! Pictures as soon as Daddy gets to download them from the camera!
B lbs 4 oz
18 inches
Sooo cute. All boy. Looks like me and Sadie.
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11:21 AM
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August 18, 2007
J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday.I love Scottish detective novels! And I love JKR, too. This ought to be AWESOME!The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction.
"My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper, which was available late Saturday, quoted Rankin as telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival.
"It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city.
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07:50 PM
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