Sunday, September 23, 2007

Holy Mother of Musicals, Batman!

I just saw the most recent movie version of The Phantom of the Opera. Gotta love the dark, twisted gothic romances. Some of the music is so '80's, it's not even funny (yes, I'm looking at you Andrew Lloyd Webber), but it's still awesome. I got a copy of the original Broadway cast soundtrack from my friend, Sara, who's obsessed with that musical, and has explained to me all the varying nuances and differences between the movie and the play. I've been listening to that CD all day. Bask in the glory of the '80's Also, I've decided that a surprising number of fun quotations arise when I'm hanging out with my friends who used to be in art club with me. Groovy. -Quotations of the Day- Avery: "Yes, but you always tell such horrible and fun stories." Me: "That seems a bit of a contradictory sentence to me." Avery: "Alright, horrible and amusing stories then." Me: "Still not quite sure how I should feel about that..." Sara: "Christine should totally end up with the Phantom. I mean, he took her to his secret lair and everything." Avery: "Secret lair? Here's a rule for you: If a guy has a 'secret lair', don't go." -some of the art club posse- (truly, a lesson to live by ^_^)

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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Ahoy Me Hearties!

I can't believe I almost forgot that it's Talk Like A Pirate Day! Unacceptable. I found out when I went to work and read the office emails. We at the libraries are just full of useless information that we love to share. Of course, I should have realized what today was when I saw a guy leaving a class wearing a tricorn and a T-shirt that said, "I'm a pirate in real life." ^_^ -Quotation of the Day- *selects look action on keg of moonshine* Nelly: "Apparently Vin Diesel is in one of these barrels... it's no more than he deserves." *selects interact action on keg of moonshine* Nelly:"And release Vin Diesel?" -Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy!- (Awesome game)

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Friday, September 14, 2007

A Day Gone Flat

You know how they say that things like misfortune and adversity build character and help you learn things about yourself? Well, unfortunately, they're right. My car developed a mysterious flat tire today as I was leaving a parking space at the university. Of course, it had to happen on the one day I have plans to take my required trip into the city to see the art museum's east asian collection. Stupid art history teachers. Anyway, after making some phone calls and getting annoyed, I popped open the trunk and assembled the necessary tools for replacing my tire. It was then that I realized that I actually knew what the hell I was doing. Yay for step-dads who teach you how to handle a flat! This was about the time that I was starting to think that everything was going to be ok after all. Bad move. The lugnuts on the wheel had apparently been applied by some man or machine with Herculean strength. No amount of pulling, pushing, or kicking could get them to move. Finally, one guy was nice enough to stop and help, and show me the trick to kicking tire irons just the right way to make then learn who's boss (where the hell was my step-dad for that lesson). So, after that, there was waiting around in a tire shop, only to discover my actual tire was fine and just needed a minor repair (Curse you treacherous tire!), and a pointless race to the train station, since I missed it by 4 minutes T_T But you know what? I not even pissed. Not angry, or even upset. Because now I'm planning on skipping two classes on Tuesday to spend the entire day in the city. Because I get to spend that entire day surrounded by art. And, best of all, because I can change a tire! Woooh! -Quotations of the Day- Prof. Higgins: "You see, the great secret, Eliza, is not a question of good manners or bad manners, or any particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls. The question is not whether I treat you rudely, but whether you've ever heard me treat anyone else better." Colonel Pickering: *On telephone to Scotland Yard after Eliza disappears* "No, she's no relation, no. What? Well, just let's call her a "good friend", shall we? I beg your pardon! Listen to me, my man, I don't like the tenor of that question - what we do with her is our affair - your affair is bringing her back so we can continue doing it!" Prof. Higgins: "All right, Eliza, say it again." Eliza Doolittle: "The rine in spine sties minely in the pline." Prof. Higgins: *sighs* "The *rain* in *Spain* stays *mainly* in the *plain*." Eliza Doolittle: "Didn't ah sy that?" Prof. Higgins: "No, Eliza, you didn't "sy" that, you didn't even "say" that. Now every night before you get into bed, where you used to say your prayers, I want you to say "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" fifty times. You'll get much further with the Lord if you learn not to offend His ears." -My Fair Lady- (That movie is so awesome ^_^)

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Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Sorry I haven't been on in a while. I could say I was busy or needed a break or something, but honestly I think I've just been lazy. Summer does that to me ^_^ Anyway, now that we've had our recent cold snap, my brain has become less fuzzy and hopefully my posts will be consistant again ^_^ I watched Mary Poppins again for the first time in uncountable years. Julie Andrews is awesome. The reason I decided to see it again was because of her. See, I have the soundtrack for the musical Camelot featuring the original Broadway cast, and Julie Andrews played Guenevere in the show. I was listening to it again recently, and I felt the sudden urge to check-out from the library all the soundtracks for musicals that she's been in. I also felt the strange desire to watch Mary Poppins. Dick Van Dyke is awesome, too, even if he can't pull off a Cockney accent. Oh yeah, and apparently, he can sing. You almost miss it, what with the weird accent and the talk-singing, but it sneaks in on occasion. Like in this song. My new theory: Mary Poppins really is magic, because neither Julie Andrews nor Dick Van Dyke really seem to have aged. It's like their hair just went grey and then that was it. Crazy. P.S. This has got to be the most depressing and beautiful love song ever. Go Julie. -Quotation of the Day- Me: "I checked-out the My Fair Lady soundtrack." Elderly-ish Co-worker: "Is it the version with Julie Andrews?" Me: "Yes." Elderly-ish Co-worker: "Good. It's such a shame they wouldn't cast her in the movie." Me: "I know!" -At work today- (should I be worried that I get along so well with elderly-ish women? ^_^)

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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Mental Health

I did not mean to speak of books again so soon. In fact, I had every intention of recording the usual honest, vauge ramblings of the small, flighty moments and whimsical wishes that make up most of my life. I still intend to write about them. At the end of my post. Briefly, so as not to detract from from my insane, solid ramblings. Insanity is so much more convincing if people think that you don't have a life. The renewing of my appreciation of Garth Nix lead me to check-out a short story collection of his, entitled Across The Wall. The title is an allusion to a novella in the collection that links back to the Abhorsen trilogy, made more obvious by the book's subtitle; A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories ^_^ The collection ranges from the heart-breaking to the hilarious, although my favorites would have to be "My New Really Epic Fantasy Series," a playful jab at the quirks and cliches of modern fantasy that had me laughing out loud, and "Three Roses," a thoughtful, simple little tale about lost love that reads almost like a fairy-tale fable. Of course, the Abhorsen novella simply shines like nothing else. It's hard to beat suspensful horror fantasy. Even without the zombies. Before, occasionally during, after, and around all this reading, I went into Chicago with my art friends (where I saw a guy rocking out on a clarinet), saw Pirates of the Caribbean 3 (after which I wished the story had a happier ending, or perhaps even a less contradictory plot in relation to PotC 2), complained about movie physics (damn you, Spiderman 3) and crappy grammar (again, Spiderman 3, I mean, come on, "demolecularized"?), made an eye appointment, watched after my elementary-aged siblings, and became involved in planning some sneaky shennanigans. Sadly, I am not insane or focused enough to spend all my time reading (&%*$@!) -Quotations of the Day- "And his teams of goblin synchronized swimmers could cross any moat, could emerge at any time in private swimming pools, or even infiltrate via the drains, dressed in clown suits. No one was safe." -"My New Really Epic Fantasy Series"- (yes, this man is indeed a master of his craft ^_^) "You know, some day we should move in together. I mean, I'm the clean one and you're, like, the sane one. It would be great." -My sister- (damn it, they're on to me! *runs off to do something insane*)

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Yummy Fiction Goodness

Ah, today I have been reminded why Gath Nix's Austrailian self totally owns almost any other competitor in the field of modern fantasy. I just finished reading Lady Friday, his newest book in his The Keys to the Kingdom series, and it did not disappoint. I completely love this series. I had noticed before the author's favoring of the number seven, but it really shines here. There will be seven books when the series is done, each of which is named after one of seven villainous characters who have borrowed the names of the seven days of the week. Each villain possesses one of seven magical keys, has hidden one of seven parts of a magical living document, and is afflicted by one of the seven deadly sins. In fact, one of the fun parts of the series is figuring out which character is indulging in which sin ^_^ It's usually pretty obvious, although Lady Friday was a tricky one. Of course, all of this probably makes very little sense, so I will back-track a bit and give a small series overview. The story starts (for the main character, at least) on a Monday. The day, in fact, that he, a thirteen year old boy named Arthur Penhaligon, is supposed to die of an asthma attack (damn gym teachers). His life is saved by a magic scrap of metal in the shape of a clock hand that is given to him by a rather odd man named Mister Monday. This all leads to a series of events where-in Arthur discovers the true center of the Universe, a weird building known as the House. The House is made up of seven domains, each ruled by a Trustee appointed by the original creator of the Universe. Over the millenia, however, the Trustees have grown corrupt, and Arthur is charged by one fragment of the Will, a living document left by the Universe's creator, to overthrow the Trustees and restore order, as the Universe is suffering from serious neglect and abuse. Arthur goes around reluctantly fighting for a cause he wants no part in, and trying to maintain his humanity. And that pretty much sums it all up. The characters are likable, the main character especially so, and Nix's sense of humor is a delicate balance between light-hearted fancy and dark wit. Or perhaps light-hearted wit and dark fancy ^_^ Anyway, good stuff all around. And yet, the Abhorsen Trilogy still kicks its ass. Sorry, you just can't beat zombies. All of this talk about good books has put me in the mood for another one of my lists. So here it goes... Roboartemis' Awards For Greatest Living Fantasy Writer Australia: Garth Nix (Abhorsen Trilogy, Keys to the Kingdom) United Kingdom: Diana Wynne Jones (O_o How many novels?!) United States: Clive Barker (Abarat) Yes, I've gotten over my reluctance to admit any American into my Great Fantasy list (and to tell you the truth, he's from England). I still think we're way too interested in quantity over quality here, but Barker's Abarat just can't be ignored. It embodies awesomness. Plus it's got lots pretty pictures. -Quotation of the Day- "The Boundary Fort was defended by a detachment from either the Legion, the Horde, the Regiment, or the Moderately Honorable Artillery Company." -Sir Thursday-

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Wednesday, May 16, 2007

*Evil Grin*

I think that, as a rule, parents should have to tell their children embarassing stories about their childhood and teen years. Simply because it makes them human, and by a weird, perverse twist of fate, cooler. I mean, after the childhood myth of parental infallibility wears off, they really don't have much else to work with. This all came to me because of a story my dad told my sister and me over dinner. We were eating at this restaurant in the little town I grew up in before my mom got remarried and moved us. My dad was commenting on how the restaurant used to be a popular bar, which segued into the story of how he first met my mom. Dad was a bar-tender at a local bar that my mom often went to when she was 19. Apparently she'd had a bit too much to drink (not to mention the fact that she was underage), so my dad had to cut her off and she slapped him. Accorrding to her, that's not quite the whole story, but as she refuses to clarify it for me, I'll have to take Dad's word for it. Of course, the very seeds for this idea of parental sharing were planted many moons ago when my uncle once spent several hours telling us hilarious stories about things my grandfather did while drunk (one includes losing a fight to a cat) that I'm sure my mother would rather have pretended never happened. Some days you just gotta love your resident hicks. Especially if they're family ^_^ -Quotation of the Day- "I mean, he had had like, 10 cookies and 2 cans of pop. He was all over the place and we were like, 'Dude, you need to lay off the cookies.'" -My 10 year old sister- (Telling a story about a friend. They start so early these days ^_^)

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Sunday, May 13, 2007

Batteries Recharged!

Ahh, the end of a fabulous weekend. Despite the forces of evil trying to thwart my anime fun, I managed to have an awesome time at ACEN on Friday. I ran into some people I know and I found a stuffed black Mokona from xxxHoLic for my sister so that she would stop stealing mine, which on it's own would have been worthy of massive celebration. I also broke down and purchased the first volume of Tsubasa Chronicle from the FUNimation booth simply because of it's fabulous art box. Damn acursed art boxes with your hypnotic designs and pretty pictures! What art major can resist pretty pictures? And, being the super-sibling that I am, I managed to get home just in time for my afore mentioned sister's 5th grade band concert that night at 7. I slept in late on Saturday and then hauled my butt into work for three hours, after which I went home and got ready for my friend's dance recital that afternoon. Let me tell you, I should get some major friendship points for that one. The first segment of the show was this kind of dramatic reading performance that sounded like someone had gone onto Livejournal or something and had decided to put the worst whiny teen angst they could find to modern dance accompanied acting *shudder* I'm sure it could have been awesome if it had been better written. Then again, maybe I'm just a cold-hearted bitch. Eh. Either outcome is equally possible. Anyway, I hung out with my friend after her show, then made my escape to hang with the chicks who used to be in the art club with me. We went out to eat and spent the whole time at the restaurant discussing funny drunk stories and fascinating historical quirks from such times as Tudor England and Cleopatra's rule in Ptolomaic Egypt. I'm sure we throughly disturbed this one woman and her tweenaged daughter at the table next to us ^_^ What can I say, history is stranger than fiction. Especially when it involves decapitation and botched attempts at self-disembowelment. -Quotation of the Day- Tom: "Hey, how 'bout asking them this, 'If Verona had had metal detectors, would Mercutio be alive today?'" Daria: "If he were, he'd be about 400 years old." Tom: "That's why they'll all get it wrong, trick question, yeah!" -Daria- (I promise, this is my last Daria quotation for a while. I just couldn't resist ^_^)

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Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Stuff

One day left until ACEN!! The universe is determined to make me miss it, what with my lttle sister's concert on Friday, my friend's recital on Saturday followed by a grand ol' gathering of my art club pals later that night, and let's not forget that Mother's Day is on Sunday. But I will not let it prevail! I WILL go and I WILL hang out with my friends that I haven't seen since last year. I'll just have to bend the fabric of space and time, that's all. The pitiful laws of physics will not be able to withstand my might. Muwahahahaa!!! ^_^ -Quotation of the Day- "Come on now, aliens don't hide in the bushes, it's probably just a stalker. Yes, a stalker out to plant a teen in a shallow grave. Perfectly normal. I feel much better now." -Daria-

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Monday, May 7, 2007

Free

*Journal Note: Due to my innate laziness, I’ve decided I’m just going to post the same journal entry on both theOtaku and deviantART, thereby saving myself from actually having to think more than necessary. Fear my corner cutting abilities.* Freedom!!!!!!!!! As of today, my finals are over! Yay for studio classes that require finals to be due a week early! Yay for regular teachers who give the exam the last day of actual class because they’re are too lazy to figure out when their finals slot is! Those lovely facts put together means that I only had one final that actually occurred during finals week. And on a Monday no less ^_^ So, in celebration of all this, I’ve decided to post my final photography project. I’m actually slightly proud of it. I decided to use words in pictures to illustrate my thoughts and personality. Critique was pretty interesting, since our instructor asked the class to try and build an objective picture of the photographer as if they didn’t already know me. I believe one of the comments was something like, “Well, I’d say she’s intelligent, and doesn’t seem to care for what’s superficial in society, but at the same time it’s kinda dark. If I didn’t already know her, I’d be really tempted to offer her an 800 number.” Hahahaha. The best part was when the instructor said it made him think of an insane person sitting on the fringe of society, making observations on little post-it notes and then running around sticking them on stuff. I believe there was also a mention somewhere in there of me being a smartass. Ahh, that was a good day ^_^ Anyway, there were ten prints required for the project, but I’m only going to post 9 of them since one has pictures of my siblings in it and I never post pictures of people online without their permission. Also, it looks like it might storm marvelously tonight. There were some lovely ominous clouds rolling in a few hours ago. Yay! ^_^ -Quotation of the Day- Quinn: "You have to let me do this! You always say I can be anything I want to be." Helen: "Yes, we do say that..." Daria: "That reminds me, may I become Queen of Brazil?" -Daria-

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