the wages of sin don't adjust for inflation

Henry Mallet, and all the ways in which I love him. Also, why you should see SPIRITED.

2010-12-15T19:22:00Z

I have a new crush. I have a new crush that is so epic in its epic-ness that I'm not sure "crush" is even the right word.

His name is Henry Mallet, he's an 80s British punk rocker who loves gourmet cheese and the word "fuck," and also, he's a ghost who's haunting a former hotel in Sydney, Australia. The only ones who can see him are a dentist named Suzy (Henry's dead, but he's still better at living than she is), a cat, and a pony called King Leopold.

I hope I don't sound too much like some sort of fandom hipster when I tell you that one of the best shows I've ever seen is a show that nobody else I know has seen. :D But my mission now is of course to make you all see it. ALL OF YOU. If you're a member of any of the comms that share these sorts of things, have a look for Spirited. You can also watch the episodes in parts on Youtube. I'm embedding all of the parts of episode 1 below so you can get a taste of the greatness.

I know you've all probably got a million people giving you TV and film recs every day, but I hope you will trust in my taste and the fact that this show has single-handedly reignited the fannish flame I thought I'd lost forever. The ficcing possibilities are endless. (And because I know you're slash fans, you should know that the supporting characters include three gay men, one of them a cross-dresser, who all live together in a three-way relationship that pretty much everybody treats as perfectly normal.)

Please give Spirited a chance. If like me you become an addict, you can find the rest of the episodes also on Youtube (or if you want/need downloads, comment and I'll do my best to direct you or make it happen). There's a comm at spirited_w and there just isn't enough fiction yet. The show's already been renewed for a second season (and two more episodes than the first season had!) so you won't even have your heart broken right after falling in love! The music's awesome, the acting's awesome, the cat's fucking awesome, and it's just the best of everything, really.

So here is episode 1, "The Man Who Fell to Earth," and I hope you enjoy the hell out of it.

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agentotter @ 2010-12-08T08:52:00

2010-12-08T16:35:35Z

I have important questions for you today. Think of this as a poll, but with more rambling commentary than usual.

Okay, seriously, have any of you been watching the Australian series SPIRITED? Because it's one of the most enjoyable things I've seen lately, and I'm pretty sure that there are a number of you (cough malnpudlcough) who would have a good time falling in love with Henry Mallet. I sure have. So, SPIRITED is about a dentist named Suzy, and Suzy is the only person who can see Henry, who happens to be the ghost of a dead punk rocker from the 80s. With a summary like that this show could've been deeply dreadful, but it's actually incredible. Well, here, watch this and be convinced:

OMG the awesome, it burns, it burns!

In other news, I've been getting into the holiday spirit. For me this primarily means watching the due South episode "Gift of the Wheelman." I love that episode. The titular wheelman is an awesome guest star, the music fucking rules, and there are about a million of those hilarious little 27th moments. I heart you, show. So here's the poll part: aside from the usual Grinch and whatever else gets aired every single year, what episodes/shows put you in a holiday frame of mind? Is there a certain episode of something that you watch every year without fail as part of your festivities?

That is all. I just wanted to babble at you today. Hello! Helllllloooooo there!

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Romans? Yes plz.

2010-11-26T23:44:28Z

Hello friends! I don't have much to say today. You may be interested to know that I am utterly failing at NaNo again, and also my dog has taken to peeing in the house. I HATE YOU TRUDEAU DON'T YOU LOOK AT ME. I think it's because he has new roommates in the form of two golden retrievers. On the up side, he has not eaten their faces off.

In other news, I just happened across this movie trailer today: The Eagle. Now, I don't know who was possessed by madness and thought, "I know! Channing Tatum!" but just from watching the trailer, friends, I can tell that you are going to enjoy this movie. I'm going to enjoy it because it has Romans and horses and Romans on horses and generally speaking that's all I need in life. But you're going to love it because it looks like the most slash-tastic slashiness that ever did slash. I mean, seriously, it's hot master/slave love/hate Roman-on-Gaul(?) action. With some guys random who look like maybe Africans? I'm so confused. But I don't care.

Romans. Horses. Like I said.

Speaking of films: Cowboys & Aliens: Best idea ever, or best ever idea? Discuss.

In other other news, I'm doing another send-me-your-photos drive to drum up a bit of pet portrait business. Anybody want a pet portrait? I'm trying to go crazy with watercolor and inks and stuff. Experimentation ftw! If I didn't get to your photo last time and you'd still like it to be artified, please send it again. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease. I'mma make arts.

In other other other news, there is no other news. It is really cold here. I expect that soon we will be buried in snow. We who are about to learn to snowshoe salute you.

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Snow! It is coming! Run for the low lands, everyone!

2010-11-11T18:56:56Z

I know. I never call, I never write. I make my mother worry. But I'm alive, honestly! And things are going well, so I don't really have anything to complain about, which probably shocks you. SHOCKS YOU. I am becoming a new me who doesn't whine so much. And no longer eats cheese. I wonder if there's a correlation.

I have only two important things to tell you. First, that for NaNo I am once again working on my novel. It has Mounties and horses and a half-wolf who is deaf (but not dumb) and possibly some sexy times. Please pressure me to finish it, because the number of NaNos that have gone by with me failing to finish my first one is just depressing.

Secondly, it's starting to snow here in the mountains, and I have realized that I own no winter boots. My last pair, which weren't warm enough anyway, I completely destroyed with one winter of hard work in Montana. I'm willing to spend the money for decent quality boots (up to maybe around $100, I am not yet rich), but I don't know what to buy. I figure waterproof and insulated are a must, but I'd love something lightweight and minimalist that I can actually be athletic in. I'm planning to do some snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, working with horses, hopefully dogsledding, and undoubtedly a lot of shoveling.

But what do I buy? My usual "the cheapest thing they have at Payless that will probably not cause me to lose my toes" isn't going to cut it at 7,000 feet in the snow. Do I need ankle boots with gaiters? Boots that go up to my knees? Mukluks? Pac boots? Should I plan on getting something with a certain "comfortable to X degrees" rating? I FAIL AT USEFUL THINGS. Snow-dwellers, please advise me.

In others news, if you care what I'm up to and haven't been reading my other blog, just a reminder that it's there. You can also pick up the LJ feed at redroanpony. I've been posting a lot of pictures lately. It's good times.

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Ah kin play the gee-tar?

2010-08-01T20:49:03Z

Hello Internet friends! It's so nice to be here on the Internet again, even though I'm doing it from a coffee shop. Did you know how long it takes to download TV episodes over coffee shop Internet? A long time, is the answer.

ANYWAY, I need your help, oh wise friends on the Internet. Before I moved, malnpudl was helping me learn to play her guitar. (It's because I'm terribly inspired by Glen Hansard. I can't help it.) I wasn't very good at it. Then I moved and didn't have a guitar at all, but I mentioned it to my coworker and he was all, "Oh, you can borrow my spare!" So now I have a borrowed guitar (yaaaay!) and no idea what I'm doing (boooo!). Can any of you recommend tutorials or books or videos or... anything? I have absolutely no knowledge of music, music theory, how to read music, how to read tabs, or anything else related to what I'm attempting to do. It's just, I really want to be able to play. Mal got me started on some chords but I can't play any songs. Actually, I can't switch between chords without it sounding like rubbish. I'm just a little... lost.

One of the cool things about my new job is that out on the ranch, we have a mostly-weekly barbeque followed by a campfire. We all sit around and people who can play play and people who can sing sing and I sing along kind of quietly because I'm not good at it, but I'd really like to learn how to play one of the simpler Swell Season/Frames songs, like What Happens When the Heart Just Stops, so I can play something at campfire. It'd be awesome. And terrifying. And awesome.

Speaking of my singing voice, a few years ago when I posted my wtf-life-manifesto, a story about a girl named mitch, I mentioned being displeased with the timbre of my voice... my feeling is that I speak in a range much lower than what ought to be my natural range. (My voice wears out very quickly when I speak, and the more knowledgeable I'm trying to sound, the deeper my voice gets.) I've wanted for a long time to do some sort of voice coaching to find out what I could sound like, but feel that's kind of a stupid idea because couldn't I just try speaking at a different pitch and fix it myself? But I can't. I've tried. Do you have any idea how hard it is to change your own speaking voice? Hard, is the answer. So I'm wondering whether anybody has any advice on that subject? DVDs? CDs? Books? Anything? In-person voice coaching might eventually be possible, if I can find somebody in the area who does it, but I'm not sure I'd be able to afford it. Any advice?

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Dog advice?

2010-06-16T22:13:17Z

Dear friends of the Internet,

My new home is adorable. ADORABLE. And affordable. And extremely close to my new job. (I can commute on foot! Woohoo!) And it has gorgeous hardwood floors... which both the owner of said home and I are a bit worried that Trudeau The Giant Dog-Thing will destroy. I've looked into various solutions, including a) area rugs galore, b) Soft Claws, and c) little doggie booties. (Or, more accurately, huge doggie booties.) I thought I'd check with you to see if any of you genius people had any input on this subject. I know that keeping the nails trimmed short helps, but does not eliminate the problem. The area rugs don't seem like a good idea because then I'd still get scratches where there are no rugs. The soft claws look cool but I imagine the frequent runs we'll be taking on trails and roads will considerably shorten their lifespan. (It was suggested that I use the soft claws indoors and protect them with booties when we're out on the road, but that just seems a bit excessive.) Booties are the most doable because he'd only have to wear them when he's indoors, but I don't know if I'd be able to keep them on him.

I expect that some of you are experienced with this. Any words of wisdom?

In other news, today's trailer repairs are going to cost me a good $400, but at least I didn't end up having to do anything with the truck beyond an oil change. Also, my trailer is going to have a new plug that apparently looks space-aged, and the brakes and lights are actually going to both work! At the same time! It's like a miracle, only it costs money! On Friday Juno and I will be visiting the vet to get her health certificate, and in the meantime I have begun whittling away at my belongings again. Does anyone need a unicycle?

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they'll toss and turn forever but no rest will they find

2010-04-22T20:15:29Z

Today, my day has been yo-yoing. Things are going well, and then it all goes south, and then it's looking up again, and then I want to throw myself off a building... it just isn't right. I can't handle this kind of stress, people.

So I IMed abbylee and demanded that she cheer me up, and she sent me youtube links of adorable people being ridiculous, and magically, it worked. And then I went and found some more, and lo, my mood is lifted. So I thought I'd share the joy, just in case anyone else out there is having a day like mine.

Ewan McGregor and Craig Ferguson being adorable together

Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel sing the confrontation song from Les Mis. It's kind of epic.

James McAvoy and Craig Ferguson being adorable together

Neil Patrick Harris on Ellen.

Eddie Izzard and Craig Ferguson kick it up to 11. (And here's part 2.)

Neil Patrick Harris talks about prank-calling Mekhi Phifer.

I'm sure you've all seen this by now, but in case you haven't, Craig Ferguson recently did an episode which was rather irregular for late-night TV: just a single episode with a single guest and the two of them having an actual conversation. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

In other news, I have been watching American Idol and while I won't bore you with all the Idol chatter you're probably subjected to by everyone you know, I do feel it's important to mention that I love Lee DeWyze. If you also love Lee DeWyze, you should check out The Beautiful People, All Right, Predicament, and whatever else you unearth on youtube. THE END.

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A question about books

2010-04-06T00:10:53Z

I have a question about books. Actually, I have multiple questions, and they relate not to my usual questions about what books are awesome but rather they are about writing books.

I'm working on a non-fiction book project which is largely interview- and experienced-based... essentially profiles of living people and the work they're doing. I believe the technical term would be "creative nonfiction." I know my subject very well and I've started connecting with the people I'll be interviewing and whatnot, but I have a lot of questions about the nuts and bolts of it: legal releases that may be required, how much I should tell people about my project, best practices in interviewing and whatnot. (The legal part is of particular interest, because some of the programs I'm looking at are youth projects, and I need to make sure everything is covered.) I figured a lot of you with your backgrounds in academia and AWESOME might be able to answer questions, or point me to some good books on the subject? Maybe?

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One is the loneliest number, but it's also kind of awesome.

2010-03-31T18:00:29Z

Via one of my RSS feeds: a masters student is doing a thesis on time spent alone; knowing all the introverted types on my flist, I thought you guys might like to help a student out by taking her survey.

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agentotter @ 2010-03-24T09:16:00

2010-03-24T16:38:12Z

malnpudl pointed me to something glorious yesterday: picspam! Of men in kilts! (NSFW. Oh, so very NSFW.)

In my humble opinion, the best find is this interview with Nathan Fillion on the Craig Ferguson show. So I had to share it with you here. ENJOY.

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agentotter @ 2010-03-19T15:11:00

2010-03-19T23:38:48Z

I just can't hold it back, people. I just can't. You need to watch this.

Stephen Colbert interviews Republican strategist Mary Matalin. And while he's doing so, he has his "Republican talking points bingo" out, so she tries not to use any talking points. Which means she doesn't speak much. I lol'ed.

And when you're done with that, BEHOLD: Jon Stewart brilliantly skewers Glenn Beck by... acting like Glenn Beck. It's a shame that the people who really need to see it don't actually understand satire and parody. They're the same ones who think Stephen Colbert is totally legit. LOLZ.

In other news, I just called one of my student loan places to get a forbearance while my loan consolidation is in process. They were totally helpful and super-nice, and you know, that moment when you actually resolve something that's been hanging over your head for months, instead of hiding and curling up in a ball? It's kind of awesome. There's a little rush to it. I think it might even be beautifully freeing to have a "to do" list with all the day's shit ticked off for once. So I have come up with an awesome strategy for overcoming my epic avoidance of making phone calls: in addition to the usual stuff of making a list of numbers the night before, getting the calling out of the way first thing, etc etc, I have realized that if the rep who answers on the other end is a complete dickhead, I can make an excuse to hang up, call back later, and probably speak to a different person.

I just BLEW MY OWN MIND, people.

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Lee Pace! And featuring Carl the Dog!

2010-03-16T17:57:18Z

Okay, I've figured it out. White Collar is SO awesome, that the only way to make it better is to have Lee Pace as a recurring character. Like, say, Neal's ex-boyfriend. DO IT. DOOOOOOO IT.

I'm not sure that my psychic messages to the White Collar team are getting through. I'll keep you posted.

In other Lee Pace news, did you know he has a new movie coming out in June? He does. It is called *cough*Marmaduke*cough*. Shush. It pays the bills and he gets to work with dogs, which I'm guessing is a plus for him because he's always talking about his dog Carl, who is clearly one of the best possible dogs.

Also, you should know that he has three other films currently in production: 30 Beats, which seems to be yet another movie about degrees of separation between people in Manhattan (I'm ready to give them props when they examine Lee Pace's Bacon number), The Resident which appears to be yet another standard horror movie but also stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan (HELLLLL YEEEEEEAAAAAAH!), and Ceremony, which looks like kind of a cheesy comedy but I'm guessing Pace plays the groom so maybe he'll wear a tux. I like it when he wears a tux.

Speaking of Things I Like About Lee Pace, I just happened upon this series of pictures in which he has a lovely little beard. And then I died from his hotness. The end.

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Yep. I lol'ed.

2010-03-10T01:32:44Z

Oh, movie trailers. They have you pegged, I'm afraid.

I think that was the best movie I've seen all year, and it wasn't even a movie.

In other news (by which I mean "links I got off reddit"), here's a Newfoundland language guide to use of "b'y". I know exactly one of you who will be interested, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be useful when I sneak into Canada and need to fool the Mounties into believing I'm a native. (Note to Mounties: I am not actually planning on sneaking into Canada. There is no need to arrest me. Kthxbai. (Kthxb'y?)

Some science-types at MIT have figured out how to turn polyethylene, a common insulator, into a conductor. ARE YOU KIDDING ME, SCIENCE? Smart people are awesome.

Here's another excellent reason to pass healthcare reform: apparently Rush Limbaugh will leave the country if we do. Hopefully we won't have to pay any other nations to take him. I'm not sure exactly where he thinks he'd go that would make him happy, but apparently he's planning on Costa Rica. Where they have socialized health care. Yeeeeeeeeeeah.

In other news, there's now a "sustainable" Formula 1 racing car, which apparently is made out of stuff like carrots and potato starch. And it's fueled by chocolate, which makes me weep for all the chocolate that could've been eaten by me instead. (Okay, it's not actually fueled by chocolate. If I'm understanding the article correctly, the fuels are derived from oil-based waste products from chocolate factories. Which if the factories are Hershey, means that there's no actual chocolate involved anyway.)

And finally, here's a deeply awesome new kind of Martian-explorer robot: the Tumbleweed rover.

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uhhhh... shit.

2010-03-09T18:36:28Z

I just had to have maintenance done on my truck, and it was super-tight moneywise, so I took $400 cash from my paycheck and put the rest of the balance on my credit card.

Except looking now, I gave them the wrong card, and it went on my debit card instead, and I just barely avoided having my monthly car payment rejected for lack of funds. (Instead I now I have an empty savings account. :() I am officially going to spend the next two weeks until payday spending no money whatsoever. It'll totally be a fun experiment in Doing Things Because You Have No Other Choice.

Actually, I've wanted to do something similar because I'm at that point where my budgeted income and my budgeted expenses are just too close, and I need to find other ways to cut spending. I've read a couple articles recently about people's no-spending experiments, so this is as good a time as any to give it a try. Right after I buy myself some lunch, because I forgot to pack something. OMG, I fail already! *weeps gently*

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good night and joy be with you all

2010-03-05T01:34:56Z

Just in case any of you need a little lift as much as I do, here's Glen Hansard of The Swell Season and The Frames, covering a traditional tune called "The Parting Glass."

And just for the record, if I should die I would like for Glen to perform this song for me at the wake. In fact, I think I need to devote my life to becoming so wildly successful that I'd be the sort of person who could pay for Glen Hansard to come sing at my wake. :D

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F. M. L.

2010-03-05T01:31:20Z

I just called my mechanic to see how they're doing on my truck repair; it was 5 o'clock and I was getting kind of nervous that they hadn't called yet to tell me they were done, especially since they'd had the thing since like 10am.

So he told me that they're not done yet and I won't be able to pick it up until tomorrow. (I guess this is a sign that I am getting my $850 worth?) So I was trying to figure out how I'm going to get home, considering that I have my dog with me and I'm supposed to be using my truck to pick up a desk on my way home and the person selling it is going to give it to somebody else if I don't get my ass there. Also, I have a horse to feed, and all of the people I could call for a ride are about to go out to dinner together, so they're not exactly available. So I said, "Do you have any loaner cars?" And he said, "No. You could get a rental, but they're closed."

And that was when this strange feeling came over me, and suddenly my skin turned green and I went into this total 'roid rage and I ripped my favorite pair of purple trousers.

Luckily, my supervisor was still here and I begged the keys to the company truck off her, even though I'm not actually on the insurance to drive it. (So, undoubtedly, something horrible will happen on my way home.)

This is doubly unfortunate because the fact that these guys apparently thought nothing of leaving me stranded at work with absolutely no means of getting home kind of tells me that I need to find a new mechanic, and I hate finding a new mechanic. Also, the incident offers a saddening glimpse into my life, wherein people tell me, "You're SOL, bitch, suck it," and I'm all, "Oh, that's okay, I guess," and I always say "thank you" when I end a call, like "thank you for royally screwing me just now, I really enjoyed it." My supervisor was all, "WTF?! I would've been yelling at them on the phone! You need to give them hell when you go in to pick up that truck tomorrow!" I am not capable of giving anyone hell, at all, but I will try. I will try my hardest.

You know, my mom once told me that when she left my dad, she actually went to an "assertiveness training" class. I wonder if anybody still offers such a thing. I could kind of use it. I think. I mean, maybe. If you think so too. *insert emoticon here in shape of pathetic wallflower*

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wherefore art thou, linkage?

2010-03-04T23:49:39Z

Speak of the auto repair man and he shall call your phone. IT'S OK, I DIDN'T NEED ANY OF THAT MONEY ANYWAY. I LIKE MY CREDIT CARDS MAXED OUT. OMGWTF.

I am not going to cry, and I will tell you why: because that actually doesn't help anything. (Damn it.)

But hey, at least somebody is having a worse day than me: California State Senator Roy Ashburn was picked up for DUI... after leaving a gay bar. This is an item of note because Ashburn is one of that esteemed club of intensely closeted homosexual politicians whose political agenda is anti-gay. Dear Senator: We don't give a shit that you're gay. We care about this story because you're an asshole. (The Fresno Bee, by the way, is notable as its coverage simply fails to mention the more scandalous -- and one would think newsworthy -- aspects of the case, like that the Senator was leaving a gay bar and that he had a hookup in the car with him when he was pulled over.)

In other news along these lines, I keep meaning to mention that I recently watched a fantastic HBO documentary film called Outrage, in which the filmmakers take to task a number of national political figures who are in the same boat: they vote consistently and ardently against any sort of basic rights for homosexuals, while simultaneously being closeted themselves. What really amazes me about most of these men is that they aren't doing a great job of keeping their secrets: one would think that a person could just pretend to be straight and not, for instance, frequent gay bars or have gay relationships. I mean, plenty of closeted people have done it for decades, and it's horribly damaging but it is possible to live a lie in all sorts of different ways; we ask every gay member of our armed forces to do it every day. But instead, these guys tend to have had illicit or open affairs, go cruising the clubs, and generally behave as if they're people who can afford to be seen at these venues. And you know, I'm all for the inclusiveness of the gay community, but I don't understand how guys like this can show up at a gay club and not be beaten to death by an angry crowd. Normally I'd be extremely against outing anyone -- especially doing it on television -- but I can't find a single thing wrong with this film. It was fantastic, and if you have the chance, you should watch it.

Oh, and by the way, here's another Catholic sex scandal for you, but at least this time it's all about consenting adults. Consenting adults who like cock, apparently.

And in conclusion, I still don't know why anybody gives a shit whether anybody else is gay. It kind of freaks me out that straight people are so obsessed with anal sex. LOOK IF YOU WANT TO TRY IT JUST TRY IT OKAY? It's not like the gays are holding out on you. Straight people can do it too. Nobody's telling you what to do in the bedroom. (Although in the case of all these bitter old men, maybe they'd be better off if somebody did tell them what to do in the bedroom, because clearly they're not managing satisfying performance all on their own.)

In other news completely, here are some additional interesting links for today:

Apparently Mariska Hargitay and Kathy Griffin had a lesbian kiss scene in an episode of Law & Order: SVU, but it was cut by NBC. WTF, NBC. I thought the male 18-45 demographic was like solid gold to you people.

A 12-year-old girl on a Chilean island saved pretty much everybody from a tsunami. Girls are so fucking awesome.

Meanwhile, a woman in Saudi Arabia who had the nerve to file harassment charges without being accompanied by a male guardian has been sentenced to 300 lashes and 18 months in prison. Stay classy, Saudi Arabia.

Apparently dinosaurs are older than we thought -- by about ten million years. YEEEEEAH!

And finally, somebody on Reddit implored, Reddit, please share how you got over social anxiety and awkwardness. A lot of people would find it useful. Thanks in advance. I of course found this a terribly interesting topic, and a user named "eyeball_kid" totally blew my mind. His response? "Realized that being self conscious and awkward was really just another form of narcissism."

My world is now officially tipped onto its axis. Thank you, eyeball_kid. No doubt it is an all-seeing eyeball you have there.

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I both love and hate you, universe.

2010-03-04T22:22:51Z

This is why I enjoy the universe today:

Oh, Matt Bomer. Oh, Tim DeKay. HOW ARE YOU SO AWESOME?

What else makes me enjoy the universe, you may ask? This weekend I am going for a cruise in a tallship. Also, on craigslist I have scored a desk which is going to be totally bad-ass for my art projects; now I only have to really, definitely, for sure sell all this tack I have lying around, because otherwise there is no room. :-/

And these are the ways in which I hate the universe:

My truck is once again in the shop. They haven't called me yet to tell me what financial havoc they intend to wreck upon me, but of course yesterday -- the day the "check engine" light came on and things just generally started going from bad to worse -- was the day that I finally bit the bullet and spent most of my tax refund on trying to pay down my credit card balances (which are now ridiculously high from the last time I had to get the truck worked on). So in order to pay whatever I have to pay, I will most likely be... running up my credit card balances.

So I have discovered that I can in fact cause my vehicle to misbehave: all I have to do is make plans to go out of town. (This is the same principle as how I can make it rain by giving my horse a bath.) I was going to drive down to Mendocino tomorrow for the whale festival and to take pictures and to generally just be awesome and maybe even get some tattooing done, but now I dunno if I'll make it. I guess I should have figured. Joy is not allowed.

Also, as per usual, work stresses me out. Some days I long for the sort of job where you can do your shift, and then you get to go home, and you don't have to worry about deadlines or paperwork or working late or your computer being a piece of shit or whatever. I miss being a video store employee, where my biggest worry was whether I could convince anyone to rent any cool movies (short answer: not generally).

Of the long list of things I could have to complain about though, I'm not doing too horribly at the moment. Mostly I just need a nap.

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agentotter @ 2010-02-27T05:50:00

2010-02-27T13:55:34Z

Things I am not young enough for anymore: staying up all night. Oh, dear sweet lord, I am not good with staying up past 11pm anymore. At all.

But my doggie is sick and it's kind of easier to let him out of the house every five minutes so he can think fondly about puking and eat a lot of grass (omg, he grazes more enthusiastically than my horse) when I'm already awake.

I was kind of freaking out about torsion for awhile there, but I think it's all good... I finally gave him a couple of tiny meals of kibble to see if he could keep them down, which got him to drink, and he's managed to keep both in his belly. And then I got even smarter and gave him a painkiller, so if his tummy hurts he at least doesn't have to be so miserable about it. He's now sleeping comfortably and has been doing so for a longer stretch than he's managed previously.

I didn't really need to share that with you all -- dog hacking up a lung, hooray! -- but at this hour, honestly, you just want someone to sympathize with your misery. That is all.

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Curse you, technology! You are a blight upon this land!

2010-02-22T20:58:42Z

My work computer is profoundly broken. And by "profoundly," I mean that when you try to open folders, the Finder crashes. As you might imagine, a computer without a Finder (or Explorer or whatever they call it in Windows these days) is a little bit useless. It's not like I can do all my work from the command line or something. Actually, I can't do all my work at all. I haven't done actual work in about two weeks. Our on-hire tech and I have uninstalled, reinstalled, formatted, backed up, restored, and occasionally considered practicing voodoo. I had a working computer for about an hour this morning, until I tried to restore my applications and essential data. Clearly my problem lies with one of those. Because, you know, I don't need those to work or anything.

This is what I don't like about the Mac OS: if it breaks, I cannot fix it. Mostly because it's purposely vague. The error messages say things like, "u broke it, lulz" and "the system has suffered a catastrophic failure. Also you are ugly."

I'mma go cry now.

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Please back away from the keyboard.

2010-02-16T17:31:05Z

Look, fandom. I think we need to have a talk. I mean, it's all well and good that you like what you like and you have money to burn and everything, but this? I'm sorry. This is fucking ridiculous.

I'd understand you if this were for charity, fandom. But it isn't. It's for somebody's profit. And come on, fandom. You and I both know that you have a great imagination. Remember that time you wrote that thing with the orgy and the tentacles? That was great, and I never would've thought to turn Zelenka into an octopimaid. So what you could do is, see, you could pay $6.00 for one of these at your local Hot Topic or sporting goods store or whatever. And then you could pretend that John Sheppard wore it on various adventures to planets that look strangely like British Columbia. You could pretend so fiercely that when you sniff your wristband, rather than new-from-the-factory smell, you would swear you detect the aroma of Joe Flanigan's sweat.

And then all of you who were willing to spend that kind of obscene amount of money on a Nike wristband whose actual production costs probably total about 20 cents (since it was probably crafted by five-year-old factory workers) could take that money and donate it to a worthy cause. I'll suggest a few of which The Flan and the imaginary people of Atlantis would no doubt approve: Doctors Without Borders, Space Camp Scholarship Fund, Earth and Space Foundation, My Bank Account.

Oops, that last one just slipped in there. Honest.

Look, I totally get it. I don't wanna come all up in here and get on my high horse and everything about people spending their money the way they want to spend it, even if that way is stupid. I can't exactly claim not to have spent money on fandom that would've done me a lot more good in my savings account. I'm just trying to help you out here, fandom. Maybe you should get into prop-making instead, and make your own replicas, and just have the Flan touch them for you on your next convention trip to imbue them with his magical powers. (Your hair may never be the same.) Or you could just get a wristband and tell people it's screen-worn, and they'll never be the wiser. It's like how I have this scar on my hand from a rogue microwave oven. I tell people it's from the time I got into a bare-knuckle fistfight. With a mountain lion.

Don't get me wrong: there's plenty of awesome stuff up there and really, there's no way that owning Ronon's blaster will not make you more of a GQMF than you already were. Some of the stuff they're selling on here is super-sweet and if I had extra money lying around, I'd probably be redecorating my room with concept art right now.

But come on. A wristband. For $500+. This isn't a sign that that's just an awesome prop item. That's a sign that fandom sometimes lets its fetishism get out of control.

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Cultural appropriation via bodyart

2010-02-15T18:50:28Z

Awhile back I ~~word-vomited at you~~ posted here about Haida-style tattoos, my love thereof, and my ambivalence about actually getting one as a tattoo. It seemed like sort of a preposterous question to actually take to the tribe -- "Hi, I know nothing about your culture, but I'd like your permission to tattoo your artwork on my body, 'kay?" -- and there's surprisingly little information out there about the etiquette of tattooing Haida art or Haida-inspired designs, or what the designs themselves actually mean. The tribe's totems and crests are intensely personal, but what about a derivative or original design? Is there particular meaning to, for example, one of Bill Reid's pieces of a single animal that can be seen on countless postcards in the northwest? Would making up one's own Haida-inspired art for a tattoo be offensive, in the way that copying or emulating a Maori ta moka is? I ultimately decided that, much as I love the style of the art and no matter how much certain stories speak to me, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to get a tattoo that looks like Haida work. Instead I'm planning to get either celtic/viking-inspired work of my own design, or designs from the Pazyryk mummy, whose society is old enough that nobody's really entirely sure what the symbols mean. (Or if somebody does know what they mean, they are clearly not talking to the scientists who excavated the tombs.)

Anyway, malnpudl and I went to a tattoo convention this past weekend, where I talked with an artist who had a Haida-style frog tattoo in his portfolio, so I'd been pondering it again. Today I stumbled across a great post by a north-west native artist on Deviantart. (I'd be more specific, but I haven't seen from his profile and suchforth whether he's Haida or Tsimshian or what. It's possible I'm blind.) It answers many of my questions quite succinctly. :D You should also have a look at his gallery, because his work is gorgeous. He does do commissions, including tattoos, but I think I'm going to stick to designing my own.

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agentotter @ 2010-02-14T22:59:00

2010-02-15T06:59:56Z

I watched a bit of the Olympics today, and these are the impressions that I am left with:

1. Speed skating, while it no doubt incorporates both speed and skating and, judging by the awe-inspiring size of the competitors' thighs is no doubt an incredibly strenuous and demanding sport, doesn't look that hard. Or that fast, for that matter. It really kind of looks like they're having a nice afternoon leisure-skate.

b. Who picked the theme music? For serious. Because I keep expecting Bruce Campbell and Comet the Wonder Horse to appear. (And omfg, did you guys realize that Julius Carey, who played Lord Bowler, is dead? I weep a little every time I think of it. :( I hate you, mortality.)

III. Dear sweet lord, there are a lot of commercials. And a lot of promo voiceovers with Morgan Freeman. (Hi Morgan Freeman! OMG call me, 'kay?)

I have to admit to being dissatisfied in general with winter olympics because the equestrian events are lacking, but I saw local lad inline skating down our street yesterday in a hockey jersey and carrying a stick, and then I remembered that this year's winter Olympics not only feature hockey and curling, but they're in Canada. So really, the winter Olympics are perfection. Unless you live in Vancouver. THE END.

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My dog Trudeau is the cutest dog in all the land

2010-02-13T03:46:08Z

Just a heads-up for any of you who may not be subscribed to my new blog but may be interested in photos of my dog Trudeau... I posted some. And lo, they are adorable. You can find them on dreamwidth or LJ.

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the truth has a habit of falling out of your mouth

2010-02-12T02:38:44Z

You're damned right I finally finished my student loan consolidation application. HELL YES. TAKE THAT, PAPERWORK! I have triumphed over you at last, and now you will burn in a fiery pit forever and ever.

I also entered my first-ever photo contest today. I hope I win something. (Prizes. Fame. Acclaim. Whatever.) There are a few more competitions coming up that I'll be entering too, but even just getting one or two of my best prints framed or printed on canvas is a bit of a tall order financially right now. (Or, you know, always.) Wish me luck.

In other news, I'm beginning to suspect that I'm a grown-up. I even have a budget now, thanks to jarrow, though even his magical powers aren't that much help when the "expenses" and "income" columns are just a little too close for comfort. :-/

tl;dr: Life. It usually kicks my ass, but today I managed to fight back a little. Yay?

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