I was thinking about webcomics this morning, and thought that in the spirit of my music video post, I'd write about webcomics (but without ranking them). If anything, the inevitable comments will probably reveal a couple of webcomics I ought to be reading--Todd, Shaun, Kurt, I'm looking at you, heh.
I stress that the following are listed in no apparent order...
Unshelved: Every librarian--and non-librarian--should be reading this strip, period. If you enjoy pop culture, weird human behavior, and sarcasm, you'll feel right at home. Oh, and sometimes they talk about books, too!
It's currently the only strip I get through RSS, meaning it's the only strip I read on a dependably-daily basis.
Sheldon: Frankly, I had avoided reading this comic for years, even against the personal advice of Bill Barnes from Unshelved (sorry, Bill, you were right!). I just didn't want another thing to read daily when I was already trying to cut down on my media intake. Also, I didn't realize that the whole geeky, scifi (and in particular, Star Wars) references weren't just the obligatory "here's one for the geek crowd" kind of props. This storyline is a case in point--it gives me a gleeful joy to read.
Also? There's a really cute, sarcastic duck. With a lizard for a son, who only says "squee." I can't run from that.
xkcd: This comic is alternately comically genius and so mathematically complex that I find myself reading maybe every tenth comic, turning my head to the side, and saying, "huh, I bet James (my math-major pal) knows how hilarious that is." The mouse-over comments often cause me to snort aloud, which is why I shouldn't read these in public places. And anyone who's played MarioKart: DoubleDash, give it up for the Blue Shells comic!
Mark Monlux's various endeavors: I also found Mark through Bill of Unshelved (Bill, you really pimp people out on your blog, y'know?), and while I enjoy just about everything linked on his website, what I love best are the Comic Critic movie reviews. They make me laugh about movies I've seen, and sometimes make me want to see ones I haven't. I really like his artistic style--simple and punchy. If I ever have enough sense to graduate from school once and for all and pull those comics out of a drawer and start them up online, I'd be aspiring for a similar style, heavily text-driven. (Only my primary characters are a banana and a kiwi... you can see why I doubt that anyone would care to read it.) Anyhoodle: Mark's stuff = good; you read!
Joe Loves Crappy Movies: One of those comics written by someone who would fit into my group of movie-loving geeky friends just fine. I have to love a comic strip that pokes fun at movies, appreciates the cheesy ones, and provides a complete, text review of the movies under the strip. Heck, yes, sign me up!
Digger: The best comic art that I read online, hands-down. Actually, it's so good, and the storyline so involving, that I have to admit I've stopped reading this one online, and now buy the print editions instead. However, the creator, Ursula Vernon, is so engaging in both her writing and art, that I now daily read her blog and have several of her original prints on my wishlist *ahem* husband needing gift ideas, that was a hint, *cough* *cough.* (I particularly like the Wizard of Tea, fyi.)
Schlock Mercenary: Speaking of comics blogs, this brings me to an interesting category: a webcomic I don't read. I have read quite a bit of Schlock, and find it amusing, but I never feel into the "groove" with it... however, through it I discovered the creator's wife's blog, where she discusses raising four kids as a geek/writer mom married to a self-employed webcomic artist, trying to give her kids a creative, disciplined, Godly, loving home. I end up tagging about a third of her posts as "parenting advice" in del.icio.us to save for when/if I have children of my own. It's full of honesty about being a writer, creative ways to encourage your kids to be their imaginative best, and just plain daily life. I love it.
Penny Arcade: I read this one, again, in print rather than online. This is more due to the fact that in the print editions, the accompanying commentary on the strips is ridiculously funny, sometimes to the point of being funnier than the strip itself. And, I have to admit, much as I love video games, I'm nowhere near the connoisser it takes to be to get some of their jokes--so I appreciate the commentary's elaboration for us n00bs. (Hangs head.)
I am also not reading:
Perry Bible Fellowship (sorry, I just don't get it) or PVP (I dunno). If I look at the comics I enjoy the most, I think this is because these comics distinctly lack a warm-and-fuzzy connection for me (ooo, look at me getting all girlie). Then again, I read Penny Arcade... and xkcd. Hmm. Anyway, I think each of them have enough readers not to care that I'm not reading them, etc etc blah blah please don't send hate email, amen.
I read Dinosaur Comics about once every two months, in a big fat binge of hilarity, but it's just not a daily reader for me. Kind of like reading Strong Bad emails--best done in for three hours on a boring afternoon. Alien Loves Predator I read on about a six-month basis--I just like the story arcs to stack up.
Showing posts with label gaming goodness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gaming goodness. Show all posts
12.06.2008
5.19.2008
Weekend-ish Weekend
Well Saturday was all-out weekend-y, but since Sunday I had to write a conference paper, I'll just call it weekend-ish as a whole.
Friday night, we saw Iron Man, which was just about as fantastic as the trailer made it look, which made me extremely happy--but also frustrated, since I immediately wanted to see it again, and it no doubt won't see a blu-ray release until Christmas. Arg! But dude--yeah, I so called that Robert Downey Jr. was genius casting. Favreau, I thought if anyone could do it, you could--and you not only did it, you threw yourself in there as the chauffer. And had more than one line! I'm impressed.
Of course, we all know what movie is coming out this weekend, the thing of speculation for years, anticipated for nearly two decades--Indiana Jones. I've been heartened by the trailers--but worried that the whole "alien" plot thing isn't in the trailers at all. Yeah, that worries me. And the early buzz... I try to ignore it, but I guess time will tell. I hope to actually see it this week/weekend, despite the fact that we just saw Iron Man and have yet to see Speed Racer or Prince Caspian. But dude--it's Indy.
In other news, one of my fellow geek-brarians let me know of this extreme awesomeness: Joss Whedon is almost done shooting a 40-minute musical about supervillians that stars NPH (Neil Patrick Harris, for those of you not on the down-low) and Nathan Fillion (of Firefly, for those of you not--well, let's face it, for those sad, sad people who haven't seen Firefly yet). It's called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
Ahem: did you hear me? Whedon. NPH. Fillion. Musical. Supervillians.
Ah-ha, I thought I'd hear your scream of extreme awesomeness. Yes, indeed--and it's supposed to be released online first, later to DVD (and I can cross my fingers for blue-ray).
Erm, yeah, back to my weekend... Anywho, Saturday we met with our architect (yay!), had lunch at Freebirds (yay!), went to the Frisco mall and bought some clothes (I guess I'll just stop saying "yay" now before it gets old), had yummy tasty food at Cheesecake Factory, had a nap, I wrote in my novel (finally! returning to creative writing summers), and then watched some more of the new American Gladiators show--yeah, that's what I said. Cheesy guilty pleasure, indeed, with a little nostalgia thrown in.
Sunday, I had to work on a paper for IFLA (which is kind of a "yay" but also a groan for actually doing the work), but we did FINALLY break out the Mario Kart Wii. Dude--the wheel is a vast improvement, particularly for the kind of gamers, like me, who always threw their traditional controllers around anyway. I actually don't completely suck at this game--in fact, I got first place in most of the races I tried yesterday, which is pretty crazy stuff. I was so bad at Mario Kart DoubleDash for the GameCube that after the first week, I never drove my own cart, but was always Alex's partner in charge of throwing stuff at the other carts. I'm glad that the peripheral for the game is intuitive enough that I can finally drive my own cart. And the retro tracks are pretty fun--one of them is completely boring, but most are great, and I just love the idea in general. Next task: type in Bryce's Wii and Mario Kart numbers, so we can meet for online battles--woohoo!
We watched Enchanted in the evening, and it was truly awesome. I'm sure as a normal romantic comedy it was so-so, but for a Disney freak, it was awwwwesome, catching all the little references and watching Amy Adams do an amazing job of actually moving like a Disney princess in real life (which boggles my mind). And James Marsden was hilarious. And better yet was watching the credits and seeing James Baxter, my favorite animator of all time because he animated Belle, listed as animation supervisor. Dude!!! Go, Baxter! And who did he supervise? None other than Andres Deja (who animated Gaston). (I think Glen Keane, who animated the Beast, is busy working on Rapunzel, which I am so so excited about.) AND the great Alan Menken was responsible for score and song, which of course explains why both were awesome and hilarious.
I'm wearing the black-funeral-jeans again today--I keep wearing them and washing them and wearing them. Somehow it just comforts me to wear them, although I would have expected that I'd never want to wear clothes I bought for a funeral again. I think it's at least in part because it was Cherie's idea to get them in the first place, and having them on makes me think of her, in good ways. I've got still more memory notes, like my last two posts, but other than writing them down on a pad of paper, I haven't wanted to type them out and see them again. I think I'll get on that later this week, though. I don't know if it's important to anyone else that I put them up, but it makes them seem more real to me, if they're on the blog. And I know I'll read the blog again, whereas I'll probably lose the paper notes at some point.
Thinking of Cherie makes me think of missions, which reminds me: if you'd like to help with the crisis in Myanmar or in China, World Vision offers a great way to do that. They'll accept online donations of any amount, but if you specifically give $100 to either cause, you'll be providing one family with a survival kit including emergency food, drinkable water, blankets, temporary shelter, and a cookset/utensils. You can donate to Myanmar, to China, or both, or you can still sponsor a child for $30 a month. My family's supported World Vision as long as I can remember, and I've always been impressed by their organization.
And upon returning to my office with my lunch, I also brought back Jellaby by Kean Soo, which I'd read part of online and loved, but didn't realize was now in print. He's got short stories related to this book in the Flight volumes (which I also highly recommend). Jellaby is strongly reminscent of Calvin and Hobbes--only with a dragon and girl instead of a tiger and boy, and it's mostly drawn in purple--which is to say it is AWESOME. It's more of the "quiet style" Calvin and Hobbes strips, as I think of them, with a little manga-style background panels thrown in. I love it very, very much and if you like dragons or cuteness or small children with big imaginations, then you must buy this book.
That's a lot of news for one day, so I'll leave you with that.
Friday night, we saw Iron Man, which was just about as fantastic as the trailer made it look, which made me extremely happy--but also frustrated, since I immediately wanted to see it again, and it no doubt won't see a blu-ray release until Christmas. Arg! But dude--yeah, I so called that Robert Downey Jr. was genius casting. Favreau, I thought if anyone could do it, you could--and you not only did it, you threw yourself in there as the chauffer. And had more than one line! I'm impressed.
Of course, we all know what movie is coming out this weekend, the thing of speculation for years, anticipated for nearly two decades--Indiana Jones. I've been heartened by the trailers--but worried that the whole "alien" plot thing isn't in the trailers at all. Yeah, that worries me. And the early buzz... I try to ignore it, but I guess time will tell. I hope to actually see it this week/weekend, despite the fact that we just saw Iron Man and have yet to see Speed Racer or Prince Caspian. But dude--it's Indy.
In other news, one of my fellow geek-brarians let me know of this extreme awesomeness: Joss Whedon is almost done shooting a 40-minute musical about supervillians that stars NPH (Neil Patrick Harris, for those of you not on the down-low) and Nathan Fillion (of Firefly, for those of you not--well, let's face it, for those sad, sad people who haven't seen Firefly yet). It's called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
Ahem: did you hear me? Whedon. NPH. Fillion. Musical. Supervillians.
Ah-ha, I thought I'd hear your scream of extreme awesomeness. Yes, indeed--and it's supposed to be released online first, later to DVD (and I can cross my fingers for blue-ray).
Erm, yeah, back to my weekend... Anywho, Saturday we met with our architect (yay!), had lunch at Freebirds (yay!), went to the Frisco mall and bought some clothes (I guess I'll just stop saying "yay" now before it gets old), had yummy tasty food at Cheesecake Factory, had a nap, I wrote in my novel (finally! returning to creative writing summers), and then watched some more of the new American Gladiators show--yeah, that's what I said. Cheesy guilty pleasure, indeed, with a little nostalgia thrown in.
Sunday, I had to work on a paper for IFLA (which is kind of a "yay" but also a groan for actually doing the work), but we did FINALLY break out the Mario Kart Wii. Dude--the wheel is a vast improvement, particularly for the kind of gamers, like me, who always threw their traditional controllers around anyway. I actually don't completely suck at this game--in fact, I got first place in most of the races I tried yesterday, which is pretty crazy stuff. I was so bad at Mario Kart DoubleDash for the GameCube that after the first week, I never drove my own cart, but was always Alex's partner in charge of throwing stuff at the other carts. I'm glad that the peripheral for the game is intuitive enough that I can finally drive my own cart. And the retro tracks are pretty fun--one of them is completely boring, but most are great, and I just love the idea in general. Next task: type in Bryce's Wii and Mario Kart numbers, so we can meet for online battles--woohoo!
We watched Enchanted in the evening, and it was truly awesome. I'm sure as a normal romantic comedy it was so-so, but for a Disney freak, it was awwwwesome, catching all the little references and watching Amy Adams do an amazing job of actually moving like a Disney princess in real life (which boggles my mind). And James Marsden was hilarious. And better yet was watching the credits and seeing James Baxter, my favorite animator of all time because he animated Belle, listed as animation supervisor. Dude!!! Go, Baxter! And who did he supervise? None other than Andres Deja (who animated Gaston). (I think Glen Keane, who animated the Beast, is busy working on Rapunzel, which I am so so excited about.) AND the great Alan Menken was responsible for score and song, which of course explains why both were awesome and hilarious.
I'm wearing the black-funeral-jeans again today--I keep wearing them and washing them and wearing them. Somehow it just comforts me to wear them, although I would have expected that I'd never want to wear clothes I bought for a funeral again. I think it's at least in part because it was Cherie's idea to get them in the first place, and having them on makes me think of her, in good ways. I've got still more memory notes, like my last two posts, but other than writing them down on a pad of paper, I haven't wanted to type them out and see them again. I think I'll get on that later this week, though. I don't know if it's important to anyone else that I put them up, but it makes them seem more real to me, if they're on the blog. And I know I'll read the blog again, whereas I'll probably lose the paper notes at some point.
Thinking of Cherie makes me think of missions, which reminds me: if you'd like to help with the crisis in Myanmar or in China, World Vision offers a great way to do that. They'll accept online donations of any amount, but if you specifically give $100 to either cause, you'll be providing one family with a survival kit including emergency food, drinkable water, blankets, temporary shelter, and a cookset/utensils. You can donate to Myanmar, to China, or both, or you can still sponsor a child for $30 a month. My family's supported World Vision as long as I can remember, and I've always been impressed by their organization.
And upon returning to my office with my lunch, I also brought back Jellaby by Kean Soo, which I'd read part of online and loved, but didn't realize was now in print. He's got short stories related to this book in the Flight volumes (which I also highly recommend). Jellaby is strongly reminscent of Calvin and Hobbes--only with a dragon and girl instead of a tiger and boy, and it's mostly drawn in purple--which is to say it is AWESOME. It's more of the "quiet style" Calvin and Hobbes strips, as I think of them, with a little manga-style background panels thrown in. I love it very, very much and if you like dragons or cuteness or small children with big imaginations, then you must buy this book.
That's a lot of news for one day, so I'll leave you with that.
5.01.2008
Yet Another "I'mToo Busy to Post" Excuse
...Yeah, as of 7pm Friday I should be done with school for the semester, leaving me to enjoy:
*As defined by many, but most memorably in the book "The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl," which is awesome and hilarious and probably entirely too true.
- MarioKart Wii
- Iron Man, heck yeah, finally!!!
- um, no, I did not rent "27 Dresses..."
- all those ARCs from TLA
- Un Lun Dun
- Eclipse
- Free Comic Book Day this Saturday!!
*As defined by many, but most memorably in the book "The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl," which is awesome and hilarious and probably entirely too true.
11.06.2007
Meandering Tuesday Thoughts
So I keep composing blog posts in my head... doesn't get them published, unfortunately. As soon as I get that T-1 to my brain, we'll be set.
Anyway, I thought I'd give the "general life update" on things, for the curious. Last weekend, I worked on Saturday but took Alex with me, and on the way home he treated us to dinner at Prairie House, which I've been longing to eat at for years. It was tasty--not only did we enjoy three scrumptious kinds of BBQ meat, but we also indulged in a fried cheesecake. Yes--cheesecake... fried... in cinnamon and sugar... with vanilla ice cream. Sunday, we did a few errands and then celebrated my father-in-law's birthday. Alex and I came home to watch Spiderman 3... meh.
I mean, it's not terrible. It's at least evenly blah--whereas Spiderman 1, I loved the first half, but once Macy Gray starts singing it goes downhill fast. But 3 is not a movie I need to own. I saw it, and that's that--leave the franchise at 2 with its glorious peak, thank you.
Alex said Fantastic Four 2 was better, and I believe him, although I chose to only watch the last fifteen minutes (I also bypassed the first one, because the trailer indicated a high cheese factor). At least FF2 had the Silver Surfer to redeem it. I didn't even like Peter Parker or MJ in S3--the only moment I really *liked* was when Spidey smashed Topher Grace's camera. But that's more because I like Topher's reactions.
We've been watching movies here and there, but nothing is standing out in my mind. We did finally buy Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, which makes me quite happy as I've been longing to re-watch it. Alex is similarly thrilled that we bought The Librarian 2, which will be a good addition to our "adventure" genre that we watch so much of. It's nice that there's been a huge increase in fantasy movies in the past five years, but could studios start making more adventure movies now? Those are effects-heavy, too, people. Sahara and National Treasure were steps in the right direction, but I could do with a few more.
I'm not even going to talk about Indy 4 here.... too frightened, yet hopeful.
Oh, we did rent Transformers--hey, it wasn't half as bad as I was fearing. It was quite a lot of fun and not so painfully cheesy as it could have been, and it made up for any cheese factor with its gorgeousness. And, um--have you seen the HD-DVD trailer for Transformers? If you're not drooling, it's obviously because you haven't seen it yet. Go watch it at Best Buy and then see if that doesn't convince you to make a semi-sudden impulse buy of awesomeness.
Other than that... it's been a week and a half of long work-nights for both of us, so little to add. Tihleigh got us hooked on "How I Met Your Mother," and sad to say that we have watched 3 DVR-ed episodes of this, but as of yet none of this season of Heroes. They're right there, on the DVR... but we watch SGA instead, or, much as I hate to admit it, the uber-cheesy Flash Gordon. The only excuse for that being that it has the jerk boyfriend from Smallville in a fun role, and they also show BSG shorts during it.
The previous weekend, we took a day trip to Austin for our nephew's fourth birthday party--and it was a lot of fun! Because it was at a park, the little kids running around were fun and cute, rather than weary-making as it can get indoors. I've now got so many pictures on my SD cards to edit, put on my hard drive, and selectively upload to Flickr that it doesn't bear thinking of.
Sunday, Alex bought GH3 for the Wii, which he's been waiting many, many, many months for, and I finished some homework. Then we watched the Red Sox joyfully tromp on the Rockies (sorry, I do like the Rockies, but... man, it's the Sox, c'mon!). And thus, sadly, ends our baseball for the year. Always depresses me.
I did get some free coffee at Jazzman's (UNT's Starbucks knock-off) this afternoon, which was much happy-making. And now, on to more things... like graphic design and such.
Anyway, I thought I'd give the "general life update" on things, for the curious. Last weekend, I worked on Saturday but took Alex with me, and on the way home he treated us to dinner at Prairie House, which I've been longing to eat at for years. It was tasty--not only did we enjoy three scrumptious kinds of BBQ meat, but we also indulged in a fried cheesecake. Yes--cheesecake... fried... in cinnamon and sugar... with vanilla ice cream. Sunday, we did a few errands and then celebrated my father-in-law's birthday. Alex and I came home to watch Spiderman 3... meh.
I mean, it's not terrible. It's at least evenly blah--whereas Spiderman 1, I loved the first half, but once Macy Gray starts singing it goes downhill fast. But 3 is not a movie I need to own. I saw it, and that's that--leave the franchise at 2 with its glorious peak, thank you.
Alex said Fantastic Four 2 was better, and I believe him, although I chose to only watch the last fifteen minutes (I also bypassed the first one, because the trailer indicated a high cheese factor). At least FF2 had the Silver Surfer to redeem it. I didn't even like Peter Parker or MJ in S3--the only moment I really *liked* was when Spidey smashed Topher Grace's camera. But that's more because I like Topher's reactions.
We've been watching movies here and there, but nothing is standing out in my mind. We did finally buy Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, which makes me quite happy as I've been longing to re-watch it. Alex is similarly thrilled that we bought The Librarian 2, which will be a good addition to our "adventure" genre that we watch so much of. It's nice that there's been a huge increase in fantasy movies in the past five years, but could studios start making more adventure movies now? Those are effects-heavy, too, people. Sahara and National Treasure were steps in the right direction, but I could do with a few more.
I'm not even going to talk about Indy 4 here.... too frightened, yet hopeful.
Oh, we did rent Transformers--hey, it wasn't half as bad as I was fearing. It was quite a lot of fun and not so painfully cheesy as it could have been, and it made up for any cheese factor with its gorgeousness. And, um--have you seen the HD-DVD trailer for Transformers? If you're not drooling, it's obviously because you haven't seen it yet. Go watch it at Best Buy and then see if that doesn't convince you to make a semi-sudden impulse buy of awesomeness.
Other than that... it's been a week and a half of long work-nights for both of us, so little to add. Tihleigh got us hooked on "How I Met Your Mother," and sad to say that we have watched 3 DVR-ed episodes of this, but as of yet none of this season of Heroes. They're right there, on the DVR... but we watch SGA instead, or, much as I hate to admit it, the uber-cheesy Flash Gordon. The only excuse for that being that it has the jerk boyfriend from Smallville in a fun role, and they also show BSG shorts during it.
The previous weekend, we took a day trip to Austin for our nephew's fourth birthday party--and it was a lot of fun! Because it was at a park, the little kids running around were fun and cute, rather than weary-making as it can get indoors. I've now got so many pictures on my SD cards to edit, put on my hard drive, and selectively upload to Flickr that it doesn't bear thinking of.
Sunday, Alex bought GH3 for the Wii, which he's been waiting many, many, many months for, and I finished some homework. Then we watched the Red Sox joyfully tromp on the Rockies (sorry, I do like the Rockies, but... man, it's the Sox, c'mon!). And thus, sadly, ends our baseball for the year. Always depresses me.
I did get some free coffee at Jazzman's (UNT's Starbucks knock-off) this afternoon, which was much happy-making. And now, on to more things... like graphic design and such.
10.02.2007
Ick, I'm Sick
So, who called that this was going to happen? I spend a week with a couple of 14+-hour days at work, complete a major project, welcome my husband safely home from a foreign country, and dodging about ten coworkers with various instances of colds and bronchitis... so, yeah, my body decided Sunday night it had had about enough of that.
Well, that and then already being tired and achy on Sunday, I nevertheless pushed myself through the paces on DDR Hottest Party for our Wii. My humiliatingly, husband-laughing-gut-bustingly bad paces. Probably didn't really help the whole energy level... but gosh darn it, they have "Hot Stuff" on the soundtrack. You know I can't resist a disco siren call like that. (Fair warning to DDR n00bs like me: turn off the hand motions until you've got some semblance of skill. Trust me.)
So yesterday I spent the day... sleeping. Wow. Imagine that!
Here are the pros of being sick:
Here are the cons of getting sick:
Well, that and then already being tired and achy on Sunday, I nevertheless pushed myself through the paces on DDR Hottest Party for our Wii. My humiliatingly, husband-laughing-gut-bustingly bad paces. Probably didn't really help the whole energy level... but gosh darn it, they have "Hot Stuff" on the soundtrack. You know I can't resist a disco siren call like that. (Fair warning to DDR n00bs like me: turn off the hand motions until you've got some semblance of skill. Trust me.)
So yesterday I spent the day... sleeping. Wow. Imagine that!
Here are the pros of being sick:
- Getting sleep.
- Discovering that Burt's Bees Hand Salve is also effective on a chapped-from-too-much-Kleenex nose.
- Reading a new book from one of my favorite authors. (I might mention that this favorite author is, to my relief, still alive, unlike Madeleine L'Engle, Robert Jordan, or well I guess I had no hope with C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkein. Still, it's rough when most of your favorite authors will never produce something new. Good thing I've got Jasper Fforde to add to my list.)
- Getting work done. (Er, ooops--but really, I needed one uninterrupted day of solid work to get a lot of updates done on the ALA GODORT website. Sad thing is, I'm still not done--I blame the crummy CMS and my lackluster internet connection.)
- Being so rested that I write most of three presentations without really trying, because I suddenly have the energy to be excited about my topic again. And it not feeling like "work."
Here are the cons of getting sick:
- The chapped nose. And the fact that before I tried the hand salve on it, for some reason I tried peppermint lotion... owwwwww!
- Feeling more thirsty after drinking something. Which makes me want to drink less, which of course is not the best of ideas when sick.
- Realizing that I have three major tasks to complete before Friday... not counting finalizing three presentations for next Monday. And trying to relax and get better and not freak out about it all, considering that similar circumstances are what got me sick in the first place. Riiiiight.
- Having cable and realizing that most of the time, TV still sucks. (Although that does make me feel better about spending my days at work instead of vegging out on the couch.)
- Forgetting to call my mom on her birthday, because I slept through most of it. (Luckily, she's a forgiving mom, and didn't realize I didn't call her, until I called her today to apologize.)
- Oh, did I mention being sick? That's a huge con, right there.
6.19.2007
6.11.2007
Near-Perfect Weekend
This weekend was a great blend of getting things accomplished and finding time to relax--Alex and I both had the best at-home weekend we've enjoyed in ages. The only thing that was lacking to finish off the summery-goodness would have been dining on grilled steaks (but I've got two marinading in the fridge for tonight).
Saturday, our plans went awry in the morning. I had grand plans to make blueberry pancakes from scratch, having recently been inspired by a great episode of Good Eats, but trying to cook them on my skillet for the umpteenth time resulted in disaster. That took up so much time I didn't have time for my scheduled run, and we had to hurry out the door to make an appointment. But after that, things started looking up.
We were all dressed in our "grubby" clothes to get some work done in the building, when rain and hail struck with immediacy and force. We were a bit frustrated that our good intentions were ruined, but it turned out to be a pleasant, relaxing afternoon of doing very little. Joel and Kali called to ask if we'd like to come over that evening, and when the rain stopped, we went out to run a few errands.
Having determined that my pancake efforts were unsuccessful due to not possessing the right tools, we trekked to Bed, Bath and Beyond. We bought a stovetop griddle, a mixing bowl that doesn't hurt my hand, two new (and therefore un-melted) spatulas, a ladle with measurements marked on the inside, and a set of grilling implements for Alex.
Our purchases done, we headed over to Joel and Kali's and met their six-week-old son, who is cute as a button and a very merry lad. Kali made some fantastic cake-cookies, we all had a good long chat, and then Joel helped us break in our Mario Party 8 on his Wii (short review--fantastic game with many different kinds of gameplay, which makes it a good buy compared to other games). Alex and I groggily drove home at 11:30, feeling like it was 3am for some reason.
Sunday, I got up and remedied the lack of running the previous day, and had a chat with Amy A. Having the proper tools for the pancakes was marvelous, and they were full of fluffy goodness. Then we quickly got to work on what we'd missed the day before, and got a lot of things taken from the building and returned to Home Depot. Alex mowed the lawn while I washed dishes, we watched the last episode of Dancing with the Stars (Hooray, Apolo!!), and we went to bed early.
Quick Media Diet Update:
Unrelated Banter
Saturday, our plans went awry in the morning. I had grand plans to make blueberry pancakes from scratch, having recently been inspired by a great episode of Good Eats, but trying to cook them on my skillet for the umpteenth time resulted in disaster. That took up so much time I didn't have time for my scheduled run, and we had to hurry out the door to make an appointment. But after that, things started looking up.
We were all dressed in our "grubby" clothes to get some work done in the building, when rain and hail struck with immediacy and force. We were a bit frustrated that our good intentions were ruined, but it turned out to be a pleasant, relaxing afternoon of doing very little. Joel and Kali called to ask if we'd like to come over that evening, and when the rain stopped, we went out to run a few errands.
Having determined that my pancake efforts were unsuccessful due to not possessing the right tools, we trekked to Bed, Bath and Beyond. We bought a stovetop griddle, a mixing bowl that doesn't hurt my hand, two new (and therefore un-melted) spatulas, a ladle with measurements marked on the inside, and a set of grilling implements for Alex.
Our purchases done, we headed over to Joel and Kali's and met their six-week-old son, who is cute as a button and a very merry lad. Kali made some fantastic cake-cookies, we all had a good long chat, and then Joel helped us break in our Mario Party 8 on his Wii (short review--fantastic game with many different kinds of gameplay, which makes it a good buy compared to other games). Alex and I groggily drove home at 11:30, feeling like it was 3am for some reason.
Sunday, I got up and remedied the lack of running the previous day, and had a chat with Amy A. Having the proper tools for the pancakes was marvelous, and they were full of fluffy goodness. Then we quickly got to work on what we'd missed the day before, and got a lot of things taken from the building and returned to Home Depot. Alex mowed the lawn while I washed dishes, we watched the last episode of Dancing with the Stars (Hooray, Apolo!!), and we went to bed early.
Quick Media Diet Update:
- Catch and Release: the main story was fine, but the real reason to watch this movie is the hilarity of secondary-character Kevin Smith. Man, he is hilarious in anything.
And I know we watched some awesome movie in the past two weeks that we actually talked about buying... can't for the life of me remember what it was. Hmph; will post later.Ah-ha! It was Bruce Almighty, which we hadn't watched when it came out because we naturally assumed Hollywood would slant a story about God to be blasphemous, crass, or just plain stupid. Instead, we were not only entertained but impressed, and several times paused the movie, looked at each other, and asked if this really was a Hollywood production starring Jim Carey.- Regarding the Stardust TV spot, which I saw last night, I totally had the same reaction that Neil Gaiman did--"I mean, I appreciate that Charlie Cox isn't famous, but he is the hero and the person who the film is about and the person who's on screen all the time."
Unrelated Banter
- I feel you, Gene & Bill--I feel you.
- The Alabama State Senate sounds lively!
6.07.2007
Tennis Elbow or Wii-itis?
Remember how that doc diagnosed you with "Nintendinitis" back in the 1990's? Well, now he's got another fun "itis" for you. Yep, the Wii is actually so great that you can get a sports-like injury from it.
Personally, I see this as another great Wii selling-point; if it can provide the injuries of non-virtual athletics, it can also provide the physical benefits of non-virtual athletics. Heck, there have already been a number of stories on exercise benefits of the Wii.
Personally, I see this as another great Wii selling-point; if it can provide the injuries of non-virtual athletics, it can also provide the physical benefits of non-virtual athletics. Heck, there have already been a number of stories on exercise benefits of the Wii.
Great quote on this: "A lot of husky kids just got some powerful ammunition in convincing mom to buy them a Wii."
3.27.2007
Tuesday Tidbits
I just found out that for $25 (just a little more than you'd pay at Best Buy or Amazon.com), you can get the new widescreen DVD version of "The Last Unicorn" autographed by Peter S. Beagle!!!
Did you have a great past three days? I sure did:
- gorgeous sunshine on Saturday
- attended a friend's wedding shower; enjoyed good company and champagne punch
- saw TMNT (at the theater, gasp!)
- Alex mowed our newly-green lawn (it's already tall again, two days later!)
- watched Casino Royale (gasp!!!!!!!!! fantastic! I hereby take back my nasty complaints about a blond James Bond)
- got to meet a great candidate for the GovDocs head position at work yesterday
- as a result, enjoyed three delicious, free meals (it's great being on the Search Committee!)
- tried shrimp enchiladas for the first time
- enjoyed Beth Marie's fantastic homemade Raspberry Truffle ice cream
- wandered around Recycled Books and found their graphic novel section
- played Rayman with Alex last night (had a bunny dance-off in our bedroom)
3.23.2007
Random Pix
Krystal, Jaime, and I. (Ah, we were young once. In 1999).
Coffee Break(Jaime and I this past weekend, one day before her wedding.)
Wii're Excited!(Alex and I in December, right after I surprised him with it.)
That first photo from HSU reminds me... we'll be in good ol' Abilene next week from Thursday through Sunday (March 29 - April Fool's Day). Any Abilene-ites who want to hook up are welcome to email or call to get together. We'll be hosted once again by the Grand Admiral himself, Jared.
2.24.2007
"Pop" Goes the Culture
I've been unable to focus at work today--primarily thanks to the fact that we've had recurring power outages (30-60 mph winds will do that!). I keep having to reboot my computer and start the frustrating 3-minute-long process of logging back into everything.
So, I thought I'd give a brief summary of my current media consumption. (Sorry about the distinct lack of links here--I lost my previously-linked post and don't have the time to replicate it again.)
- Lost (TV): I'm glad to return to the beach characters--I was getting a little sick of too much of the Jack/Kate/Sawyer love triangle. And like many viewers, I'm caring less and less about the show, although the on-going questions pique my interest enough to keep my plugged in. But also having no one else to discuss the show with at work makes it feel less compelling. (Auntie K, are you still watching?)
- Heroes (TV): Here's my "Lost replacement." Started out fairly cheesy, but it's turning out to be a lot more compelling and intricate than it seemed at first. Also, it's got a great weekly graphic-novel download online that's higher quality than mere gimmick, IMHO. I [heart] Hiro!!!
- Battlestar Galactica (TV): Actually, we've DVR-ed but not watched the last 8 or so episodes, since we missed one (totally my fault), and I am feeling its absence keenly. This show's too great to comprehend, sometimes. Wow.
- Smallville (TV): I am really, really excited/intrigued by Chloe being meteor-infected! What a promising way to enliven a series that I thought was floundering aside from its spectacular JLA storyline. Chloe and Green Arrow have been brilliant this season, but Clark, Lana, and Lex have just gotten more and more annoyingly angsty. So this is a welcome twist--and I am just waiting with baited breath for the Oreo-loving Martian Manhunter to show up again!
- Marie Antoinette (movie): I loved Sophia Coppola's juxtaposition of the moden soundtrack in this movie--it just felt right, and punk-y. I really empathized with Marie in the storyline; I think Dunst did a pretty great job in it. But I'm tired of seeing Schwartzman as an unlikeable character; I want more of his Rushmore goodness back. Maybe this was just too soon after seeing him all creepy in "Slackers" (shudder).
- Man of the Year (movie): Alex has become DC-obessessed in movie themes, lately, primarily thanks to our trip to DC last fall, my current position in GovDocs, and our increasing interest in politics, world news, and NPR. This movie was paced a lot differently than we had expected, and it focused more on the romantic interest than the actual plot of a comedian becoming president, but it was still entertaining.
- A Prairie Home Companion (movie): Wow. Wow, wow, wow. My Dad heard from someone that this adaptation of our beloved radio show (we used to watch the live broadcast on Disney in the 1980's) was terrible, so I was worried. And I wondered if, having never seen/heard the show, the movie's unique brand of humor/story would be comprehensible/accessible to Alex. But it blew us both away, it was so funny, and interesting, and just plain fun. I thought Kevin Kline as a "real-life" Guy Noir might be a bit of an annoying stretch, but he just played so sincerely that it was hilarious; Alex loved his hyperbolic noirish dialogue, and now I know I've got to introduce him to the actual show. A big kudos to the late Altman for casting GK as himself. No one else could have done it.
- The Legacy of Luna (book): I started it today, and I'm 2/3 through it already. I'm reading it because it's the focus of the Denton Reads project, but it's a quite interesting story of an activitist in her early 20's who climbed a redwood for a tree-sit, and didn't come down for 738 days. (Yes, it does address the issue of how she went to the bathroom during that time.) A thought-provoking read.
- Fables (comic series): I finally finished the most recent volume of Fables, and I scream for more! This series started out as a fun and interesting concept (fairy tale characters living in modern-day New York), but the storyline just gets more serious and compelling. It's unbelievable how good it is. If you're over the age of 18 and are remotely interested in comics, just buy the whole darn series now. You'll have to own it; it's that good.
- Castle Waiting (comic series): I started reading this last week, and while it's also a new take on fairy tales (still set in a medieval setting, however), it's so far a bit, um, gentler than Fables. But while it had a slower start, it's proving just as enjoyable; makes me think of books like "The Ordinary Princess" or Jane Yolen's "Briar Rose." And I like the purely black and white artwork.
- Rampage (Wii game): Yes, the controls are clunky and the graphics unimpressive. But it's a rehash of a great classic, you get to physically smash stuff, and the best part: it's got 2-player co-op story mode. Which makes it one of the only games Alex and I get to enjoy together on a regular basis. C'mon, Nintendo, pick up the hint that this makes a great party console, and give us more of this play-style!!!
Movies we've seen in the past 6 months that make me want to recant my "no buying DVDs until a new format is established" rule: Accepted (unexpectedly, unbelieveably, hilarious), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (stellar, just spot-on perfect flim comparable to Ocean's Eleven), Lucky # Slevin, A Prairie Home Companion, Last Unicorn (well, haven't seen it lately, but it's FINALLY been released in a widescreen DVD version).
2.13.2007
We Got the Funk--er, Flu
Seems like I had a bunch of stuff I intended to post last week. Well, Alex had the flu for a solid week, and as of Sunday gave it to me for awhile, so I'm resurfacing from the funk. Perhaps I can get back to the previously intended posts at some point.
For now, I'm going to leave you with a few brief things, and then get myself back to sleep. This whole sitting-up-in-bed thing is remarkably draining.
I had a great email from work today pointing to this YouTube video, March of the Librarians. It's a documentary-style parody of ALA Midwinter 2007, and it's good for a giggle. Here are my favorite parts:
And for those of you fortunate (and wise) enough to be a part of the Wii craze, the Homestar Runner guys have ported several of their games for the Wii--just point your Wii browser to http://www.videlectrix.com/vii/ and have at it! (I'm looking at you, Jared.)
For now, I'm going to leave you with a few brief things, and then get myself back to sleep. This whole sitting-up-in-bed thing is remarkably draining.
I had a great email from work today pointing to this YouTube video, March of the Librarians. It's a documentary-style parody of ALA Midwinter 2007, and it's good for a giggle. Here are my favorite parts:
- "fabulous facial plumage" sported by male librarians
- a stormtrooper and jedi make an appearance
- the necessities of life--"coffee, food, and email"
And for those of you fortunate (and wise) enough to be a part of the Wii craze, the Homestar Runner guys have ported several of their games for the Wii--just point your Wii browser to http://www.videlectrix.com/vii/ and have at it! (I'm looking at you, Jared.)
1.29.2007
The Wii-kend
Saturday was Alex's birthday, which we celebrated in grand style... by staying home and enjoying movies, our Wii, and the warmth of various blankets. I attempted to cook my mom's famous Mexican rice on Friday night as a special dinner, but it was remarkably lackluster. Saturday morning, I gifted Alex with several small things, and then surprised him with Wario Ware: Smooth Moves for the Wii. We proceeded to enjoy the game, which is a compilation of 200 breakneck speed microgames (most are 5 seconds long), which were hilarious and psychotic to the extent that it made Rayman: Raving Rabbids look like a very normal game. A big bonus with Wario Ware is that there are four multiplayer modes, but it only uses one Wii remote, so you don't have to spend a lot of money to get a killer party game (plus I think it supports up to 12 players).
Saturday night, we went out to dinner at Ghengis Grill (yummy!) with Alex's parents and--as a surprise--my parents, who stayed the night and left Sunday afternoon. Afterward, they all came to our place--Alex's parents hadn't seen the Mii versions of themselves yet, and Alex's mom had a lot of fun trying out baseball on Wii Sports. Dad stayed up late with us trying various Rayman minigames (he got a kick out of "Bunnies Don't Know What to do With Cows").
Let's see... here are a bunch of other updates from last week in general:
Saturday night, we went out to dinner at Ghengis Grill (yummy!) with Alex's parents and--as a surprise--my parents, who stayed the night and left Sunday afternoon. Afterward, they all came to our place--Alex's parents hadn't seen the Mii versions of themselves yet, and Alex's mom had a lot of fun trying out baseball on Wii Sports. Dad stayed up late with us trying various Rayman minigames (he got a kick out of "Bunnies Don't Know What to do With Cows").
Let's see... here are a bunch of other updates from last week in general:
- The film Brick was really, really great--but if you rent it, be aware that you're going to make good use of the subtitle feature. Lightning-fast, unusual, and mumbled dialogue abounds throughout.
- I fiiiinally got volumes 3 and 4 of Bill Willingham's Fables. Now I can read through my collection (got through volume 8 and the short-story collection, and am eagerly awaiting the Jack of Fables vol. 1 next month).
- I got to the second boss in Link to the Past, but my battery ran down after I was killed once, so I need to find my recharge plug.
- Auntie K's out of state today on an interview, and I send my prayers for her safety and confidence.
- I've been reading my bibliography textbook for my Rare Books course, and so far it's all about movable type and the printing process, which I find fascinating. It's talking about the birth of document formatting, such as justification--which is yet another tidbit through which I reveal my intense nerdiness.
1.22.2007
24-Hour Bug (Exterminated)
Alex and his sister's birthdays were celebrated by the families on Saturday evening, by which time I felt 80% better. I got to show my brother- and sister-in-law that I was not only playing the "Link to the Past" GBA game they bought me for Christmas, but that I carry it in my purse everywhere, play it regularly during my lunch hour at work, and continually die in the room directly before the one that contains the second boss.
We received happy news yesterday from the same bro-in-law that he got a Wii, after many weeks of frenzied looking (boy, did we feel his pain!!). Now I can't wait for him to hook it up, call us with his number, and we can send him the Miis of ourselves and Alex's parents. And on the Wii-related front, if you appreciate ridiculously childish humor as we do, you're morally obligated to go out and buy yourself Rayman Raving Rabbids for the Wii. It features plunger guns, mini-games with hilariously long titles like "Bunnies Have a Soft Spot for Plungers," rabid bunnies that make the cutest giggle/fart noises you've ever heard, and what Alex has dubbed "BBR." No, it's not DDR (Dance Dance Revolution)--it's Bunny Bunny Revolution, in which you have to dance with the Wii controls as bunnies spin/dance down the monitor in time with some really great music (Misirlou, anyone?).
So today's been a usual Monday-like Monday, which means that I'm once again surprised by the amount of work that I continually lack the time to complete, while new messages/projects/life-threateningly-urgent-tasks arrive in my inbox with hurtling speed. Sigh...
12.09.2006
TV Will Rot Your Brain Out, Kid
Last night was the night of terrible TV. Okay, the Gilmore Girls episode we watched (the last episode of Season 4, "Raincoats and Recipes"), wasn't terrible overall, but the end with Rory and Dean... let's just say that I hate Rory a little right now. And I'm really mad she messed up the moment when Lorelai was going to tell her about Luke. Dangit, that kid!
Then we watched Duplex, the only redeeming aspect of which was the fact that it proved that I have an uncanny sense for quality (or lack thereof) in movie trailers--and also that, once again, ComingSoon.net's reviews tend to be pretty right-on.
To cleanse our brains, we watched a new episode of Smallville... ouch. It was more like "A Very Special Episode of Smallville: Immigration." I don't care what your side is on the immigration issue, there's no way you could have enjoyed this episode. I've seen a lot of shows with mysteriously-absent foreign accents, but this kid didn't even try to pretend he came from Mexico (to... Kansas?) only weeks earlier. Which he explains--naturally!--by saying he watched a lot of American TV. Honey, I've watched an indecent amount of Telemundo, I've lived in two Mexico-bordering states, and Mexican food is my default cuisine, but that doesn't mean I can say "Donde esta el bano?" with a perfect accent. Or without hesitation.
I'm sorry--usually I don't judge a naturally-cheesy show like Smallville so harshly, but two of the best three characters (Green Arrow, Lois, and Cloe) were absent, leaving it a lack-luster, Clark-heavy episode. I'm hard-pressed to say if the most painful lines were Clark's wooden discussion with the border agent, or the so-predicable-I-actually-uttered-it-first dialog between Clark and Lex--the same exact conversation they've had for at least four episodes this season, and a couple from last season.
Green Arrow's going to be the only reason to get this season on DVD, let me tell you. Speaking of which, here's an interview with our new intrepid hero.
It's no big surprise that CBR readers, like myself, like Hiro Nakamura best on NBC's "Heroes" --64.11% at the moment!
And now for CBR's discussion of "Heroes..." The writers claim to know all about solutions to the time paradoxes and Eden's persuasive power not-so-revealed, etc. I do really love the reader-proposed theory that since Sylar can detect "broken" people, he would have known if Jackie didn't have powers, therefore she did, meaning that Peter actually failed to "Save the cheerleader, save the world." (Yes, it's the cheesiest tagline ever. I'm just sayin'.)
Okay, I'm really dense, because the writer pointed out that many of the names have something in common: Isaac. Matt. Peter. Gabriel. Micah. Eden. Nathan. Biblical names, huh? Iiiiinteresting.
Linky-Loos
Then we watched Duplex, the only redeeming aspect of which was the fact that it proved that I have an uncanny sense for quality (or lack thereof) in movie trailers--and also that, once again, ComingSoon.net's reviews tend to be pretty right-on.
To cleanse our brains, we watched a new episode of Smallville... ouch. It was more like "A Very Special Episode of Smallville: Immigration." I don't care what your side is on the immigration issue, there's no way you could have enjoyed this episode. I've seen a lot of shows with mysteriously-absent foreign accents, but this kid didn't even try to pretend he came from Mexico (to... Kansas?) only weeks earlier. Which he explains--naturally!--by saying he watched a lot of American TV. Honey, I've watched an indecent amount of Telemundo, I've lived in two Mexico-bordering states, and Mexican food is my default cuisine, but that doesn't mean I can say "Donde esta el bano?" with a perfect accent. Or without hesitation.
I'm sorry--usually I don't judge a naturally-cheesy show like Smallville so harshly, but two of the best three characters (Green Arrow, Lois, and Cloe) were absent, leaving it a lack-luster, Clark-heavy episode. I'm hard-pressed to say if the most painful lines were Clark's wooden discussion with the border agent, or the so-predicable-I-actually-uttered-it-first dialog between Clark and Lex--the same exact conversation they've had for at least four episodes this season, and a couple from last season.
Green Arrow's going to be the only reason to get this season on DVD, let me tell you. Speaking of which, here's an interview with our new intrepid hero.
It's no big surprise that CBR readers, like myself, like Hiro Nakamura best on NBC's "Heroes" --64.11% at the moment!
And now for CBR's discussion of "Heroes..." The writers claim to know all about solutions to the time paradoxes and Eden's persuasive power not-so-revealed, etc. I do really love the reader-proposed theory that since Sylar can detect "broken" people, he would have known if Jackie didn't have powers, therefore she did, meaning that Peter actually failed to "Save the cheerleader, save the world." (Yes, it's the cheesiest tagline ever. I'm just sayin'.)
Okay, I'm really dense, because the writer pointed out that many of the names have something in common: Isaac. Matt. Peter. Gabriel. Micah. Eden. Nathan. Biblical names, huh? Iiiiinteresting.
Linky-Loos
- amusing Japanese Wii safety manual (real)
- a great flickr mockery of it (thanks, Jared!)
- my favorite panel: do not use nunchuck against real ninjas.
- a "Scary Mary Poppins" trailer
- update: amazing videos of expanding circular tables!
12.06.2006
"I Failed You, Senator"*
*Sorry, it's just that anytime I've heard the word "senator, " for the past four years, that line haunts me. And yes, working in GovDocs, this happens a lot.
I listened to an hour of the Gates Confirmation Hearing with the Senate Arms Committee yesterday, and found it unusually compelling for a) a hearing, and b) a political gathering on c) the radio, where you can't distract yourself from the chatter by wondering what on earth that senator's wife was thinking when she bought him that tie. Then again, I think it's simply further proof that either a) I'm getting old very quickly, or b) this job is interesting me in things I didn't care about before, considering that I now not only will talk politics--one of the few topics in conversation that I used to remain absolutely silent on (out of mixed boredom and fear of conflict)--but I now seek out opportunities to do so, and regularly start discussion of political topics with my husband. My husband, who is similarly becoming interested in all this stuff, which is part of the reason that I suspect my interest isn't due solely to my job--since he tests office software for mobile phones, and the Iraq Study Group's upcoming report will have no direct correlation to his position. Hmmm... not that I know of, anyway.
Unrelated Banter
We had a farewell party this afternoon at work for my Awesome Boss, who leaves in a week and a half. It was a good party--great spread; yum!--but of course I'd far rather she didn't leave at all. Sigh...
And here's the link to my final presentation for my Online Family Archive in my Digital Libraries course. I plan on cleaning up the records, getting better (and lots more) images, and exporting them all in XML to use in a database of my choosing (or, if I'm insane enough, my own design).
Geoff Klock's asking for your 10 favorite comics/graphic novels list--not of all time, or the best, just your "most-fun" list at this moment. Here's mine:
You want these shirts. You know you do.
I listened to an hour of the Gates Confirmation Hearing with the Senate Arms Committee yesterday, and found it unusually compelling for a) a hearing, and b) a political gathering on c) the radio, where you can't distract yourself from the chatter by wondering what on earth that senator's wife was thinking when she bought him that tie. Then again, I think it's simply further proof that either a) I'm getting old very quickly, or b) this job is interesting me in things I didn't care about before, considering that I now not only will talk politics--one of the few topics in conversation that I used to remain absolutely silent on (out of mixed boredom and fear of conflict)--but I now seek out opportunities to do so, and regularly start discussion of political topics with my husband. My husband, who is similarly becoming interested in all this stuff, which is part of the reason that I suspect my interest isn't due solely to my job--since he tests office software for mobile phones, and the Iraq Study Group's upcoming report will have no direct correlation to his position. Hmmm... not that I know of, anyway.
Unrelated Banter
We had a farewell party this afternoon at work for my Awesome Boss, who leaves in a week and a half. It was a good party--great spread; yum!--but of course I'd far rather she didn't leave at all. Sigh...
And here's the link to my final presentation for my Online Family Archive in my Digital Libraries course. I plan on cleaning up the records, getting better (and lots more) images, and exporting them all in XML to use in a database of my choosing (or, if I'm insane enough, my own design).
Geoff Klock's asking for your 10 favorite comics/graphic novels list--not of all time, or the best, just your "most-fun" list at this moment. Here's mine:
- Neil Gaiman's Stardust
- Fables: Legends in Exile
- Digger (vol. 1 / 2)
- Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl
- Batgirl: Year One
- Death: The High Cost of Living
- Persepolis
- all of Frank Miller's Batman work
- Lone Wolf and Cub (currently on vol. #2)
- Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics / Making Comics (I know, I cheated!)
You want these shirts. You know you do.
Playing Catch-Up (Not Catch)
School's done, and now I can finally blog all the thoughts I've kept pent up in random wordpad documents for the past week and a half.
Thanksgiving Holiday
Alex's first-cousin-once-removed, David, came to my parents' house in San Antonio, and we joined them for a fun three-day holiday. During that time, we:
And in the mail: a collection of 50 martyr stories told by various comic artists. Hagiography and graphic storytelling: a bizarre pairing made in my kind of heaven.
Last Weekend
The use of a dust mask this go-round averted further insulation-related misery on my part, although Alex couldn't handle his mask for long and thus suffered, sadly. At least neither of us took sick days as a result, this time.
I spent Sunday working on my school projects--just like old times, before I graduated! Alex went shooting with our friend Brandon (the boardgame geek, not the Star Wars geek), and then they came back to the house and we all played Carcassone the City (which I beat them both at--woohoo!), and Mykerinos (which I was horrible at, but found interesting). We had much fun, but also much sadness, as Brandon is soon moving to Seattle.
And as for the rest of what happened on Sunday... we suffered the Great DVR Crisis. You can read about it in a post I'm titling, "Pop-Culture Junkie."
Thanksgiving Holiday
Alex's first-cousin-once-removed, David, came to my parents' house in San Antonio, and we joined them for a fun three-day holiday. During that time, we:
- played Canasta and San Marco
- sorted through family photos for my school archive project
- tested Alex's awesome new camera-phone
- saw the Riverwalk parade and Christmas lights
- had some really crappy Mexican food (on the Riverwalk, no less!)
- had great Thanksgiving food--oh, the joyous holiday spread!
- came up nearly empty-handed on Black Friday (I won't admit I bought this CD; you can't make me!)
- saw Alex's first shooting star
And in the mail: a collection of 50 martyr stories told by various comic artists. Hagiography and graphic storytelling: a bizarre pairing made in my kind of heaven.
Last Weekend
The use of a dust mask this go-round averted further insulation-related misery on my part, although Alex couldn't handle his mask for long and thus suffered, sadly. At least neither of us took sick days as a result, this time.
I spent Sunday working on my school projects--just like old times, before I graduated! Alex went shooting with our friend Brandon (the boardgame geek, not the Star Wars geek), and then they came back to the house and we all played Carcassone the City (which I beat them both at--woohoo!), and Mykerinos (which I was horrible at, but found interesting). We had much fun, but also much sadness, as Brandon is soon moving to Seattle.
And as for the rest of what happened on Sunday... we suffered the Great DVR Crisis. You can read about it in a post I'm titling, "Pop-Culture Junkie."
11.18.2006
Beta is the New Gamma
When watching The Wizard, I never thought I'd see the day that pro gamers made six figures. Yeesh, sign me up. (Guess I need to get some of those mad skilz first, though...)
Speaking of games... Wii launches tomorrow!!! And we've already got a cast of Mii characters for it (more about Mii). Playstation 3's already outand causing violence. Ah, Penny Arcade, I'm sure you'll be talking about violence again* soon, eh?
Added to Wishlist: attain the vocabulary, wit, and charm of a Gilmore Girl. (Watched 6 episodes last night.)
If ever an archive should be opened, this is it: the International Tracing Service office in Germany holds 16 miles of files pertaining to the Holocaust.
*Warning: PA strips may contain profanity, violence, and extreme sarcasm. ...In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the point.
Speaking of games... Wii launches tomorrow!!! And we've already got a cast of Mii characters for it (more about Mii). Playstation 3's already out
Added to Wishlist: attain the vocabulary, wit, and charm of a Gilmore Girl. (Watched 6 episodes last night.)
If ever an archive should be opened, this is it: the International Tracing Service office in Germany holds 16 miles of files pertaining to the Holocaust.
*Warning: PA strips may contain profanity, violence, and extreme sarcasm. ...In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the point.
11.17.2006
TGIF... (And We're Home for the Weekend!)
This is evil of me, but... I opened a CRS report that was titled "Intelligence Issues in Congress." And snickered.
- Comics made from information found on Wikipedia.
- Comic about how the airline instructions given by flight attendants resemble a dance.
- What really happened after Grant Wood, the painter of American Gothic (1930), left the farm. (From this set of photoshop-ed ghosts in famous artworks.)
- And, just in time for winter again, more BoingBoing examples of video-game-inspired scarves.
- An elaborate Rube-Goldberg contraption. Makes me want to go home and play Mousetrap.
- The communication of your youth... now wireless.
- Portraits of gamers' hands: this Star Wars arcade one is my favorite, next to this one.
- Photos of kitchy souvenirs superimposed on their real counterparts. Alex and I did something similar in DC, having not seen these photos, with the back of a penny at the Lincoln Memorial.
11.14.2006
Lunch Break Links
- Girl hypnotizes lizards, and her dad takes artsy photos of them. In tiny costumes. With Lego accessories.
- A lot of robot fun.
- Missing some money? Search for it online, courtesy of your state govn't.
- Girls and guns aren't a new thing: check it out. (I'm just following in Annie Oakley's footsteps. With a better gun.)
- Portraits of videogamers.
- Ballpark of the future: cool or scary? Hello, Minority Report-like advertising.
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