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wJan 9, 2009 | |
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That middle section turned out longer than I expected.... There is supposed to be steady snowfall throughout the day, and there's already a healthy coating on the streets and sidewalks. My throat was mildly sore yesterday, but this morning I woke up because it was so painful to swallow. I've brought cayenne pepper, ginger powder, and honey to work, and plan to mix them all with some orange spiced tea and get rid of it! We'll see how that goes. My LJ friend meganbmoore has posted an appalling link to a post made by a dude named Josh Tyler, who thinks that chicks only like Julia Roberts movies. Her post is here. Of note: Even Wonder Womanwas only a success because men supported her. The old Wonder Woman television show was a hit because men tuned in. Men tuned in because Wonder Woman was hot and watching her rope bad guys with her golden lasso fulfilled some sort of hot chick, dominatrix fetish fantasy. Wonder Woman may be a girl, but her audience was never really comprised of women. Sure women may tune in from time to time, just as women go see movies like Spider-Man and The Dark Knight. But they are not and never will be the primary audience for those films. Catching bad guys is not a common female fantasy. Ask most women which movies they’re most looking forward to in 2009 and odds are that it’ll be something starring Julia Roberts. Ask men what they’re most looking forward to, and I guarantee Julia’s name will not be uttered. WHAT THE FUCK. There is so much that is wrong with his post. Firstly, WTF about gendered childhoods?! I'm pretty sure that I did my best to let boys let me play football at recess when I was 8. I played with GI Joes and I loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I also learned how to cross-stitch and made elaborate rooms for my American Girl dolls, going so far as to make them their own food by molding and baking clay. And then I would run into the backyard and make my own knives by scraping sticks against concrete. According to this guy, I must be some freak of nature with no gender! NOT TO MENTION MY MEDIA TASTES, and I think any readers of this blog know that I'm a huge fan of cinematic and/or animated violence. You know what, though? In a way, he's right. I do dislike superhero comics about men (I have not read Wonder Women). I hate how they're mysognistic, and I hate how women exist only as a way to give the male protagonist angst (Spider-Man's Mary Jane), and someone to save. I hate how people's bodies are drawn in superhero comics, both me and women: Muscles are grossly exaggerated in men, while women have impossibly tiny waists with enormous breasts. I tire easily with superheroes who catch the same bad guys all the time, and superhero writers who try and stir up drama by dropping in another female character for a few issues, only to kill her off. I'd vastly prefer to read Strangers in Paradise, Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, DMZ, Runaways, or hey - how about Japanese manga with women kicking ass? Claymore, Fullmetal Alchemist, Sailor Moon, Chun Hyang, etc. How does he think that Buffy: The Vampire Slayer was so popular? Anyone who gives any consideration to their media consumption knows that a good story is one with believable emotions and characters we like watching. Do I like watching women getting tied up and whining until they get saved? No! Is that solely because I'm a woman? I don't think so. I certainly believe that men exist in the world who also tire of women being used as a plot device instead of characters. And for the record, I am highly interested in imagining myself as an ass-kicking, gun-shooting, sword-fighting, ninja-star-throwing bad-ass. Imaginging myself twirling forever in the clouds the arms of a dude (even my boyfriend) sounds pretty damn boring. Also, I know sometimes you guys get confused about original authors when I link to other places....meganbmoore is not the jerk....she is posting ABOUT the jerk. :) Labels: comics, epic fail, family, feminism, sick, weather scribbled mystickeeper at 6:42 AM 
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wDec 12, 2008 | |
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Yeah, not letting it go I still can't believe this all-white main cast for the Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. I mean....jeez, even just look at the logo! What are those Asian characters doing there, between the words "Nickelodean" and "Avatar"?! Or the world map, where each nation is labeled with an Asian character. Or, you know, the entire series, where every costume, setting, name, and fight style is Asian-influenced. The Angry Black Woman also has a nice post here. But let me be blunt: one of the things that hooked me about this show was that it was set in an all-Asian world. And it wasn’t fucked up. OK, let me clarify. You know how usually, when there’s an Asian character in an American TV show, he (or more frequently she) ends up as the martial arts master, the (white) hero’s submissive love interest, the dragon lady vamp, or the magical elderly person dishing out nonsensical proverbs and occasionally a can of whoopass? The thing is, all of these stereotypes are present in Avatar to some degree. But because the whole world is Asian, they’re lost in a sea of non-stereotypical, non-exoticized, perfectly normal human beings. How amazing is that? Not only that, but Avatar actually depicts different Asian ethnicities. Though this is a fantasy world, there are clear allusions to the Inuit, Koreans, Mongols, Tibetans, several flavors of southeast Asian, various Indians, and more. The Chinese- and Japanese-analogues of the story actually come in several varieties (Earth Kingdom and Fire Kingdom, Kyoshi warriors, etc.). This is just so upsetting! Avatar is perhaps the strongest thing I have in common with my nephew, and I'm kind of disgusted that this amazing interest in a cartoon full of strong women and people of color is tainted now. My nephew even ASKED me for Christmas if I could find him action figures of Katara and Toph. A boy specifically asking for action figures of girls of his own volition! Amazing! [Also, how come now when I look on Amazon, I can only find Aang and Zuko?!] But now when he sees this movie I'm going to have to be all, "Don't you think it's weird that everybody's white in this movie?" Labels: family, movies, racism, tv: avatar scribbled mystickeeper at 3:58 PM
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wOct 16, 2008 | |
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Wisconsin Book Festival Action Blume is the author of lots of books for young adults, teens, and some scandalous "older teen" and adult books, such as Freckle Juice, Superfudge, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, and Forever. Anyway, I got a book signed for my sister, and one for me. I can never think of what to say when I meet a favorite author (like when I met Neil Gaiman and Chuck Palahniuk...OMG!). But when she asked who the other book was for, I babbled, "My sister! She's fifteen years older than me, but she loved your books, and then I read them, and I loved them, too!" Annnd, that's all I had. I didn't end up going to her lecture tonight because I had to get up an hour early this morning, I was really hungry, and there have apparently been 3 muggings and/or sexual assaults in my neighborhood in the last four days, so I'm all about being inside before dark. I always carry pepper spray, but I'm considering always carrying my umbrella. It comes up to my hit, and I'm fairly certain that it would serve as a decent weapon, should I need to fend someone off. Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood I loved The Blind Assassin ... is this one good, too?! Head Games by Craig McDonald This book was published by Bleak House! I interned there last summer, and I edited this book. In fact, I corrected a lot of the Spanish! I already had an advance copy, but now it's cool to look at the final product. In addition to being gleeful because I watched the book get made, it was far and away my favorite book from Bleak House. I highly recommend it! Man Made Language by Dale Spender "...[I]t is through the patriarchal language that much of women's continued subordination is structured. ... This exciting feminist study of language, its rules and uses, was first published in 1980, has reprinted many times, and is now as fresh, as relevant, and as liberating as it has ever been." What Does a Woman Want? Reading and Sexual Difference by Shoshana Felman "...Felman explores these questions through close readings of autobiographical texts by Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, and Adrienne Rich which attempt to redefine women as the subject of their own desire. She also examines texts by Sigmund Freud and Honore de Balzac which dramatize, each in its own way, a male encounter with femininity as difference - a male experience of femininity as precisely the emergence of the unexpected, baffling, and not always conscious question: 'What does a woman want?'" The Female Body: Figures, Styles, Speculations by Laurence Goldstein (editor) Reflections of "anthropologists, historians, literary scholars, psychologists, philosophers, sociologists, and art historians, as well as poets, artists, and fiction writers." Westering Women and the Frontier Experience 1800-1915 by Sandra L. Myers "In this book frontier women gain a voice they never had. Professor Myres uses extensive new material by and about women - letters, journals, and reminiscences from over 400 collections - to study the impact of the frontier on women's lives and the role of women in the West. She offers a major reinterpretation of the experience of pioneer women, including that of Indian, Mexican, French, black, and Anglo-American women. Her account re-creates in detail the frontier experience of all these women, beginning with their physical and intellectual responses to the trek West, and concluding with their struggle for political suffrage and economic opportunity." Labels: books, family, friends, wisconsin book festival scribbled mystickeeper at 8:23 AM
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wJul 30, 2008 | |
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This weekend is going to be ridiculous. And now, a linkspam. --A friend I made at Wiscon has made a really nice fan-vid for Battlestar Galactica. There are spoilers through the last aired episode (4.10?). --I find this picture of Tahmoh Penikett, Joss Whedon, and Eliza Dushku hilarious. Eliza Dushku (actress who was on Buffy, Angel, Tru Calling) and Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica) are going to star in Joss Whedon's new TV show, Dollhouse, that starts airing in January of 2009. --Entertainment Weekly had a nice 6-page article about Dr. Horrible, interviewing Joss Whedon (creator) and Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day (stars), and possibly some other people on how it came together, etc. --News from Orson Scott Card (author of Ender's Game, other various novels): Gay marriage is ruining democracy! Where do these people come from?! --Lastly, I have no link, but LOL TED STEVENS, and WTF Brett Favre?! Labels: family, moving, politics, tv: battlestar galactica, tv: dollhouse scribbled mystickeeper at 9:41 AM
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wMar 18, 2008 | |
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Mildly Spastic Yesterday, there was more shopping with my mom and my sister. We went to an outlet mall, so I acquired more things. Among them are some clothing, some lotion (OMF lotion!) and cosmetic things, as well as a Fruits Basket bookmark with Shigure on it! I wore my new skirt to work today. Walking out of Bath & Body Works, this exchange occurred. ME: Thanks, Mom! MOM: You're welcome. That can be from the Easter Bunny, now. ME: And the skirt? MOM: Yes. And those bras, the Easter Bunny bought those, too. So make sure you write about that in your stupid blog thing, so people know. I think she's still upset after hearing about this entry. A Wiscon Book Club! So, Gretchen is pretty awesome, and she is starting this idea for a Wiscon book club. You need not attend Wiscon to join the book club, but the focus will be on feminist science fiction novels. Our first book will be China Mountain Zhang by Maureen H. McHugh, who will be one of the Guests of Honor at this year's Wiscon. Our tentative first meeting is Wednesday, April 23 at 7:00pm, at the Argus (right off of Capitol Square; a bar with good deals and delicious food). If you want to check out who's coming, check out Gretchen's thread here. Some Links I Enjoyed! 1) Because I am a total nerd, an article that focuses mainly on the Wisconsin State Senate. Even if I don't get a job in politics or government, I'm so glad that my job has made me much more aware of the goings-on of state government. 2) This article by Answerman, of Anime News Network. I like reading his articles, because I really feel like he has a foot in both worlds - that of the anime fan, and that of a still-fully-functional member of society. [I]t's a formula that has proven successful. "Nerdy spineless milquetoast surrounded by hot women who are inexplicably attracted to him" has been done again and again and it usually rakes in viewers and merchandise sales. 3) OMG!!!! Joss Whedon wrote a musical! NATHAN FILLION! OMG! Labels: a: whedon joss, anime, book clubs, family, politics, spring break, wiscon scribbled mystickeeper at 9:25 PM
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wMar 1, 2008 | |
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Home Dear Blog, Am home at my parents' house now. Chad ended up going to Chicago to schmooze with some law firms instead of coming along with me, so I was able to sing most of the way home. I never realize it until I do it, but I miss singing all the time. I don't like people hearing me sing, so because I live with people, I don't sing very much (in the dorms, I think I sang when Steph was gone?). This is because I'm not very good at it, bwahaha. Still, I had downloaded my favorites from the Buffy musical, so it was a good trip. And not only for the singing! Half-Price Books had volume 6 of Tramps Like Us, so I snatched that. They also had 3 DVDs of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and because my nieces complain to me that Dylan watches the Avatar DVDs I gave him on the last two holidays every freaking day, I decided that he needed some more. At least this way, there will be more variety to the episodes he watches every day? Let's hope that Olivia won't hate me too much. The GAP Outlet is once again my primary source for clothing. I feel okay about buying two $30 pairs of jeans, though - most of mine are wearing all the way through, so I guess that means it's time. There was also a mildly frivolous dress-purchase, but who can pass up a $10 dress?! THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. I got to watch the news with Dad, which I miss but never really think about. When I'm in Madison, I never watch the news, and get all of my stuff from the Internet and newspapers. I need to carve a place in my life for Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulus. After a dinner of fish, Mom and I went to my sister's house to visit with the Beasts. Olivia is a Girl Scout, and my sister is apparently the "Girl Scout cookie" house this year, meaning that all of the boxes of cookies for her entire troop are in piles all over the house. It takes a lot of willpower, I tell you what. I watched some Avatar with Dylan and Amelia, in order to keep them out of the way while Olivia, Julie, Kevin, and Mom sorted cookie boxes. Mom left, and I watched the Buffy musical with Julie and Kevin. Kevin has seen a fair share of Buffy, but had never seen the musical, so he loved it. I think my sister liked it too, although she made a show of rolling her eyes. Whatever, she totally laughed at the funny lines. Anyway, I have a shower to take, aunt/uncle to visit, hopefully Kristy and Ryan to hang out with, readings for class, and - OH YEAH - that Constitutional Law midterm that's due Tuesday!scribbled mystickeeper at 11:08 AM
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wFeb 19, 2008 | |
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Why Today Was Better --Obama won Wisconsin tonight, and I love the Internet. In fact, he kind of totally creamed Hillary.  --I got my first paper handed back in my American Short Story class, and I got a good grade. --After many phone conversations with car dealerships, city officials, my father, and locksmiths that were sprinkled between my 3 power lectures and Con Law discussion, I think I have this car thing figured out. While I am at the city's mercy, and may receive a ticket for my car being on the street (I haven't yet! And I have done my best to "camouflage it" as a "moved car" by scraping all of the snow and ice off of it, and shoveling the snow around it.), I am hopeful that I won't. I didn't really like the way the dealership people have dealt with me, so I'm going to a locksmith instead. Hopefully, the locksmith will work out - it's right on my way from class to work, and I would scarcely be late! If I have to go to the dealership, I will probably have to miss all of tomorrow's work shift (11:30-5:00). So I guess that's kinda sad. But I figured a lot out in one day, so I consider it to be a plus. --I voted tonight. I love going to the polling place, and seeing all kinds of people there. I just think it's cool. I wish I knew my neighbors, and people in the neighborhood better. --ALSO, have cemented a couple of more life goals: When I am an old lady, I would like to 1) be one of the people who staffs library sales, and 2) be one of the people who helps run a polling place on election day. --My cell phone didn't work for a while, but my brother-in-law told me to take the battery out and then put it back in. I did this, and it worked! Yay for simple solutions. --I have the nicest boyfriend ever, who walked with me in the cold weather so that I could use his cell phone, and watch election results with him. --My former co-worker replied to my plea for help (on Friday's presentation on "Representations of Gender in American Comics and Japanese Manga"), and offered some expert tips on comics. As I'm not as familiar with comics as I am with manga, I found this exceedingly helpful. --Via Althouse, I got to laugh at a ridiculous comment about Green Bay, WI made by the director of NBC. Chuck Todd has clearly never heard of Oneida Street. I swear to God, there are 4 new stores/restaurants every time I go home. --It turned out that nobody showed up to be trained at the Liturgy Training that I completely forgot about on Monday. While I still feel bad, I don't feel as bad. Labels: antoine, family, goals, politics, presidential election scribbled mystickeeper at 11:10 PM
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wDec 29, 2007 | |
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And now it's time for my Cesare Borgia manga Today was very relaxing, which was a nice change compared to the last few days. I was in my pajamas for most of it, which always helps. My dad and I bought a space heater, so hopefully now when I go back to Madison, I won't feel like dying from coldness in my room all the time. Julie and her kids came to our house for dinner (steak and potatoes), and afterwards I went to Chad's house for a while, to spend time with him, Kristy, and a couple of other people. I spent time doing some blog maintenance, too. While I originally thought that it would be too much of a pain in the ass to keep a heinously organized tagging system of labels for posts, I've since decided that it's quite useful. So, the LiveJournal tag list has been weeded through and organized, and I cleaned up the sidebar of the journal. As for the blog version of this blog, the tags list is still a bit of a work on progress, but can be found here. Last night, I was also at Chad's while he entertained friends of his parents for dinner (delicious). After they left, Kristy, Chad, Dave, and I watched Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which is the movie sequel to my favorite video game of all time, Final Fantasy VII. Kristy had played the game a long time ago, so I wanted her to see it for closure. From an outsiders' perspective (Chad's, Dave's), and even from an insiders' perspective, the movie was pretty lol. Chad kept asking if there was a plot, and if Sephiroth was going to show up, while we all laughed at at the improbable physics, and the cutting-in-half of a motorcycle with a sword. What got made fun of the most, though, was the English dub. I hadn't watched it all the way through in the dub yet, so I didn't know how poor it was. There were a lot of sentences that had unnecessarily large pauses in the middle of them, and I don't even know where all of that "dilly dally, shilly shally" crap came from. It gave me lots of game nostalgia, though. I should check out the special features on that DVD. Speaking of movies, I've seen a number of ones for kids in the last few days, with my sister's kids. Among them are "Meet the Robinsons," "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium," and "Night at the Museum." All of them were all right, although "Meet the Robinsons" was probably my favorite of the three. Westmark I finished read Lloyd Alexander's Westmark today. It is the first novel in the Westmark trilogy. I've never read anything by Lloyd Alexander before, but he seems well-known and respected in the Wiscon crowd for having been an author who wrote lots of YA fantasy that included strong female characters. Westmark was quite bleak in its reflections on human nature and society, and I quite liked it. One thing that I definitely liked about the book was that Alexander doesn't take forever doing his world-building. His prose is sparse and to the point. Action, plot, dialogue. There is no lag. A pleasant change from, say, the endless reflections that plague the Libba Bray books. I have other thoughts that are spoilery I have the next book, The Kestrel, checked out, but I have some other things I need to read first. I'm looking forward to it, though, as many people say that The Kestrel had a profound impact on them. rilina on Westmark here (Spoilers) oyceter on The Westmark Trilogy as a whole here (No Spoilers) Anyway, it's time for a bit of reading, and then bed. I'll be at the Packer game tomorrow with my dad, sister, and brother-in-law. I find it amusing that many households that live near Lambeau Field plow their lawns of snow (often to the point of completely covering their windows and siding with blasted snow) in order to be able to park more cars on their property, and make money. Current Music: Dante - Fullmetal Alchemist OST Labels: a: alexander lloyd, blogging, books, books: ya, family, friends, movies, movies: advent children scribbled mystickeeper at 11:55 PM
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wDec 27, 2007 | |
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Things. (I know, I am so descriptive!) I'll start with this: I was stunned to hear that Benazir Bhutto had been assassinated, although when she went back to Pakistan, I was afraid that it might happen. I don't want to be the asshole who says, "Oh, yeah, I totally saw that one coming!" when I really didn't, but I remember thinking that at the time! Of course, I have no proof, so you will just have to believe me. It will be interesting (and, probably, terrifying) to see what will develop over the coming days/weeks. I want to have time to write out a proper entry, but I really don't. Today has been pretty busy. I've visited the dentist and the dermatologist, ran into a library (And scored! They had Twilight by Stephenie Meyer!), and ate lunch with former Youth Liturgy people (Jennys! We are going out next Thursday, late afternoon!). And this evening I will go to my cousin's house for another family get-together (What? We celebrate Christmas for 3 days. Leave us alone!), and after that, will probably hang out with friends. Yesterday, I had dinner with a group of girl friends from high school, and hung out for a while afterward. On Christmas Day, we had spaghetti and more present-opening at my cousin's house. Most of my family is not Italian (although my father and my siblings and I are), but my cousin-in-law is, so we have delicious spaghetti every year on Christmas Day. I also had some really good wine. I swear, I've drank more alcohol in the last week than I have in the last three months, and I haven't even had that much! I have received some very nice and thoughtful gifts from people, and overall, being home has been relatively drama-free and relaxing. Of course, I'll be even more relaxed when I don't have to go to 8 places in a day. Ahhh! There are so many books to read! What am I doing online? Labels: family, friends, politics scribbled mystickeeper at 4:08 PM
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wDec 25, 2007 | |
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Christmas Eve I think that my favorite Christmas songs tend to be the darker ones, or at least the ones with spookier melodies. I enjoy "What Child Is This?" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is probably my favorite. Anyway, my family has celebrated Christmas Eve. We went to mass, and saw my niece Olivia sing in the children's choir. Afterwards, the family assembled at my sister's home for hors d'eourves, dinner, present-opening, etc. On Christmas Eve, we always take the kids into one of the bedrooms, and read the story about the birth of Jesus from a children's Bible. For whatever reason, my mom had left the children's Bible in the car, so I was given a regular Bible. Read the passages about the birth of Jesus from Luke. From Matthew. (Do Mark and John not have them? Or could I just not find them?) Finally, I just kept reading, and Jesus was giving the Sermon on the Mount by the time Santa finished delivering presents downstairs. Which was good, because, you know, eventually the story of Jesus isn't really a "OMG, be excited and happy, children!" story. Well, it is. But it isn't. You know what I mean. I was even able to run to the library this morning, while doing all of my other errands. I now have some more manga to read, and DVDs to watch. I also received some from Santa Claus...Santa got me the omnibus edition of Magic Knight Rayearth, bwahaha (vol. 1-3 in one book). Which is cool. I also just used a coupon to get the Tsubasa Chronicle omnibus (again, 3 volumes in one). That's a pretty awesome deal, yo! I'd get the xxxHolic one, too, but I already own volumes 1 and 2. Oh yeah! Santa gave me the Whisper of the Heart DVD, so now people need to watch it with me, because it's so good and I love it! I've received nice things this year, and Christmas isn't even over yet. Tomorrow will be my family's rendition of Christmas, Part II: More Screaming Children. Merry Christmas, etc. to all. I seem to be plowing through Libba Bray's Rebel Angels fairly quickly, so hopefully soon I can write about books and comics again. Because I know you're all dying to know what I think about them, :) Labels: christmas, family, holidays, manga scribbled mystickeeper at 12:24 AM
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wDec 19, 2007 | |
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Tales from Finals Week: Part 2 in a Series 1:20ishpm: I notice that today's Wikipedia article of the day is the Heian Palace. My first thought is, "Dude, it looks just like it did in the Otogi Zoshi anime!" 3:10pm: So, I complain to Steph about how I'm done with one final, and have apparently stopped caring about the rest. She advises me: "Well, enjoy the satiating defeat of one class, jackles. Feel its blood dripping from your mouth and watch its children cry tears of indomitable anguish." ADVICE ACCEPTED. 3:12pm: If anyone tries to convince me to go to law school ever again, I'm going to say, "Yeah, I lived with a 1L for one year. Not gonna happen." I remember "Senior Night" towards the end of our high school career. All of the seniors got together for dinner and an award ceremony with our parents. We voted to give each other stupid award like "Most Likely to Succeed" and "Best Writer" and whatever. So, it is announced that Chad won "Most Organized." Although we were sitting at the same table (I think? It's hard to remember these things), I start laughing, very hard and quite loudly. Most parents are clapping and saying, "Ohhhh, that Chad." My mother is saying, "STOP IT, JACQUELINE." Well, it was amusing to me because Chad? Is like, the least organized person I've ever met. Every time I went to his house so that we could leave for school together, from second grade through sophomore year of high school, he'd always be freaking out, looking for a shirt and his homework, and whatever else he needed to get through the day. Chad was a good student and "student leader," and all that other BS that students are supposed to be, but organized? SO LOL. And this is why law school scares me. Because last night, Chad came upstairs to show me the outline that he would use on the 4-hour final exam this morning. This outline? Is organized. With tabs. The text IS COLOR-CODED. An entire semester's worth of cases and theories, crisply organized in a binder. I give him my Who the hell are you and what did you do with Chad? face, and he taps the open page, which happens to be a color-coded flow-chart with computer-generated arrows. "I made that!" he says. I quietly close the binder and hand it back to him, not sure what to say. Law school is scary. Just.....WTF. 7:21pm: I'm pretty damn tired. 9:56am: Blahhhhh. So, last night I went to Antoine's because reading for class is better when cuddling on his couch. I received an unexpected Christmas gift from his roommate, The Hammer! The Hammer and his girlfriend are always cooking and baking delicious food, from which Antoine and I shamelessly mooch (well, I lie. I do feel a bit ashamed.). But, The Hammer gave me this really nice cookbook that he says is his favorite. It's very nice, with explanations of how and why things work the way they do, and recommendations for "the supermarket's best" version of mayonnaise, bacon, etc. I'm pretty excited about it, and I know that I could handle some of the things in it: like cookies, or eggs. When I get my own apartment, I expect to be cooking a lot more frequently. I wish I had time to do it now! Maybe over break, I can cook a few new things. I'm sure my mom and sister will go into cardiac arrest upon this discovery. It even has suggestions on how to make the perfect batch of white rice, which is definitely something I'll be eating before I leave for break. Also, I have a couple of more eggs! Anyway..I should be productive now. I want to finish (and start) my take-home Medieval Literature final, tidy my room, prepare for a meeting with the Career Advisor, and start studying for my English Lit final, all before two of my cousins come to town and meet me for dinner. Oh yeah, there was sad news, too. It turns out that Antoine is going to be leaving for Milwaukee (from where he will fly out for Florida, where he's spending Christmas with family) right after my last final on Friday, so I probably won't be able to see him after Thursday, :( Current Music: The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance Labels: antoine, college, family, finals, friends scribbled mystickeeper at 10:04 AM
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wNov 26, 2007 | |
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I used to be such a good student, too! I have a paper due in less than 24 hours (tomorrow at 2:30pm, although I have class at 11am and would prefer to not miss it), and I haven't started it yet. And I am blogging anyway. I don't think I've ever done this before. I forced myself to enjoy my Thanksgiving break, and enjoy it I did (except for the 9.5 hours spent at Shopko). I got to spend time with my friends, my family, and with Antoine. I got to check out manga from the library and watch Battlestar Galactica's Razor movie on my sister's HDTV. I quit Shopko for good (on good terms, but I just won't be going back! EVER! It feels so good to say that!). And I made some sweet purchases. Despite the fact that I am not on task in terms of writing papers (*cough*like the one I should be working on now*cough*) and I am behind on the readings in all of my classes, I feel like I've been doing well in my discussion sections lately. Which is good, considering that I hate discussion sections. I really feel like I'm getting to the end of college, because all I can think about is how amazing life will be when I live by myself, and when all I will "have" to do in my free time is keep an apartment clean, read books/comics, and watch TV shows and anime. HOW GLORIOUS WILL THAT BE?! Oh yeah, and I guess I'll find a job somewhere.....doing something.....(and no, I have not been having anxiety about that LIEK whoa at all). Anyway. I'm really, really going to make myself write this paper now. It's a shame. I feel like there are 80 stories I need to write in my blog right now. Instead, my energy will be focused on the Wife of Bath, and possibly Tristan and Isolde. Because somehow, I will forge a thesis that utilizes both stories. Note to Self: The Things You Must Blog About Whenever You Find Free Time (hahahaaaaaa): * Tokyo Babylon manga * Cantarella manga * Battlestar Galactica: Razor * The last few episodes of Heroes, but I'll probably just wait until next week's episode airs, and do it all at once. But let me say: CAN WE NOT MAKE ALL OF THE WOMEN ACT STUPIDLY IN EVERY STORYLINE?! Also, could Mohinder not be so stupid? I want to love him! He is so cute! But such an idiot. :( So is Peter. Peter + Mohinder = Stupid City Labels: college, family, friends, tv: heroes scribbled mystickeeper at 9:53 PM
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wNov 23, 2007 | |
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Behind Enemy Lines Soon, I will leave my house and go to ShopKo. If any of you are home, do feel free to visit me! I'll be there from 11am until 8:30pm. It will be hilarious. I guess the store has some kind of new "savings" cards that I'm supposed to pimp from my register? OR NOT. Presumably, I will have an hour-long break (hopefully) about in the middle, so don't come then. Also, do feel free to call up Antoine, who will be in my house, either reading or doing math problems from his math book. I did not think that such people existed - people who, after graduating, and getting a nice job, continue to do math in their free time. But Antoine is one of these people. Last night around 9pm, we saw people in tents and underneath mountains of blankets outside Circuit City and Best Buy. Who are these people? I did some shopping myself yesterday! Right after the Packer game, so we were pretty much the only people inside the store, except for those who had been watching football on the HDTV. I got a purse, a belt, and the second season of Buffy on DVD, all of which are on sale. If anyone needs cheap Buffy, they have full seasons at ShopKo for $16.99! I think it goes through Saturday, if you're avoiding stores today. The holiday at my sister's house was nice. I am a bit upset that leftovers will be had for dinner there tonight, and Antoine will get some and I will not. Also, WTF is up with us arriving at my sister's, four people through the door at once, and all my nieces and nephew say is, "ANT-WOHN! ANT-WOHN!" HELLO, I AM YOUR AUNT, KTHX. Labels: antoine, family, holidays, thanksgiving, work scribbled mystickeeper at 10:12 AM
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wNov 22, 2007 | |
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Fluff I am home now! Yesterday was quite full. In the morning, I finished my horrible paper, and then went to campus to turn it in. I then returned books to Memorial Library, picked up lunch, returned books to the public library, sent out some Bookmooch books at the post office, and then went to work. There were only about five of us at work, so it was a bit different. I then grabbed a bus, grabbed my car, and drove out to Verona to pick up Antoine from work. We stopped back at the house for Chad, packed up everybody's stuff, and set out. Unfortunately, right when we started driving, it started snowing. At first it wasn't too bad, but it kept getting really bad. Visibility was so bad that we stayed on 151 until Fon du Lac, because I was afraid that without a car right in front of me, I wouldn't be able to stay on the road. Once we got past Oshkosh or so, the storm stopped, and visibility was okay once more. The boys slept when it was the worst, but my mp3 player kept me focused! We got home around 8:00 or so. Chatted with my parents a bit, and then walked over to my friend Lindsey's house, and got to see Heather, Laura, and Jennifer as well. I haven't seen most of them in a long time, so it was nice to spend time with them. Anyway, I need to go put on makeup and figure out what (if any) homework I can get through today, before we go over to my sister's house. My mom's sister had five children, all of whom are over the age of 40, and most of whom now have families of three children. Add in Julie's in-laws, children, my parents, and Antoine and I, and....well, we eat family meals in 3 shifts. The only thing I'm dreading about the holiday is being unable to answer "So what are you doing after you graduate?" 15 times. Current Music: Packer game Labels: family, friends, holidays, thanksgiving scribbled mystickeeper at 11:48 AM
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wNov 4, 2007 | |
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It is time to pwn. I suppose that I should blog now, while I'm lying in my room at home thinking I should maybe, probably be doing homework or working on my story, but am instead doing not much at all. Also, I'll probably be too tired to blog later tonight. Yesterday, my dad and I both brought our cars in to get the oil changed. They also did something with the antifreeze stuff in mine, so....I guess that was a win. We also went to this sweatshirt sale that was going on. It was kind of crazy how many people were there, browsing for cheap sweatshirts. Lots of people were leaving with garbage bags full of them. I just got a dark blue hoodie. I've had my Nike one since sixth grade, and the ends of the sleeves have been fraying for a while now. We ate dinner at my parents' house again (Julie and Kevin and the kids came over), and then I went to Barnes and Noble with my cousin Molly. The omnibus editions of manga make me salivate. As usual, I walked around writing down titles of stuff that I want to read. I don't need to own any more books, is what I tell myself, although I don't believe it. I have to go to church twice today. I went this morning so that we could see Olivia sing in the children's choir, and I'm going to have to go again tonight because I'm lectoring in Madison. I guess it's all right, though. I totally forgot that Thursday was All Saints Day until like, 9pm and it was too late to go, :/ Maybe I could sit in the back-ish, and do the reading, and then disappear? Is that really sinful? Is it sinful if I already went to mass today? Now that this plan has materialized, I'm sure that it will be fulfilled. I am so naughty, :( On Saturday afternoon, my dad, sister, and I visited my aunt and uncle, and then the three of us went to the downtown library. Since I'll be back for Thanksgiving, I could actually check stuff out! It was pretty cool. I honestly think that the Green Bay library pwns the Madison one in terms of the sheer amount of anime and manga they have. It really is ridiculous. The two weeks that I'm home during Christmas break will be glorious. Anyway. Tokyo Babylon - You may recall that I got three volumes for $2 over a week ago. I checked out the rest of the series so that I can read all of it. My goal is to read all things CLAMP before delving into Tsubasa Chronicle and xxxHOLiC. Because I want to fully appreciate the crack-tastic-ness when I get there. W Juliet, volume 1 - High school kids are putting on a production of Romeo and Juliet, and Romeo is played by a girl. Plus, the costumes look so darn cute! I've been admiring the covers of this series for a while, so I figure I should try it out. Cantarella, vol. 1-2 - I've heard good things about this series from Karin, and the name of the main character is Cesare Borgia. The pretty boys on the covers are dressed in medieval costumes and hold skulls, swords, and sprout wings. It is about Renaissance Italy, and the back cover promises a history written in blood. YES. Land of Silver Rain, vol. 1 - based on the prettiness of the cover alone. The back cover tells me that the main character was abandoned in a cabbage patch as a baby, and is raised by a witch. I love how crack-tastic manga is. Someone remind me to blog about CLAMP School Detectives when I finish reading it. Anyway, I should go pack up my car now, and possibly find something to eat, and do as much reading for school as I can fit in. English literature and I are going to take like, an 18-month break from one another once I graduate from college, methinks. Normally, I get upset about the drive back to Madison because it's a long drive and not much to look forward to (back to school, have to go to church again, homework, blah, etc.), but I'm driving a boss of mine back from work, so there will be conversation. How did I get to be so tired, with an extra hour of sleep? I don't know. Labels: family, manga: cantarella, manga: land of silver rain, manga: tokyo babylon, manga: w juliet scribbled mystickeeper at 2:14 PM
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wNov 3, 2007 | |
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and i reckon there is nothing more to say So, I am at my parents' house now. Today was kind of ho-hum, aside from waking up at an ungodly hour (5:45am) and going to a church liturgy meeting, and then work, and then driving home. My sister's family came to my parents' house for dinner. My sister and I gave my dad 20 John Wayne movies and 20 other western movies for his birthday, much to his glee and my mother's vast disapproval (he will presumably watch them all the time, to her annoyance). After dinner, I went to my sister's house to watch Avatar with Dylan, and then my cousin Molly came over and we watched an episode of House. I came home and then worked on my NanoWrimo story. I've written a bit over 1,200 words now, which is better than nothing! Ghost Hunters is still updating in the same place. As a total, from beginning to where I am now, the story has almost 30,000 words, which I guess is pretty damn awesome. Hehe, even if I only make it to 10,000 or so words each time....if I do it enough times, eventually the story will be done! Who else is doing Nano this year? The people I know of for sure are myself, my cousin Molly, and Kristen. I have a profile on the NanoWrimo website. There's a link to it on the Ghost Hunters page, otherwise I'm under "Timria." Anyway, I've been awake for a really long time, and now I shall sleep.scribbled mystickeeper at 12:37 AM
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wSep 30, 2007 | |
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Home again I am back in Madison! The ride back was long and boring. :( My mom made BLT sandwiches for lunch for the two of us, and I brought back a huge container of homemade cookies made by Chad's mom. Which is probably good for him, because after a weekend of visiting Kristy in Chicago, he looks tired, sick, and freaking out about homework. Sickness seems to be going around. While home, I got a sore throat, and have had a bit of a runny nose. I intend to drink lots of tea.....must not get sick! I'm actually looking forward to doing yard work this week (my assigned house chore from this last weekend), but I think it's going to have to wait until I hand in my paper on Tuesday. YOU KNOW, THIS PAPER FROM HELL? Seriously, I can't remember the last time I had such difficult in writing a paper. I've finally got three pages, but there is a minimum requirement of four. If anyone has some free time to look at a paper in the next day, please let me know! I'll send it to you, in all of its crappy glory, and you can let me know if there's anywhere that it's glaringly in need of expansion. Upon arriving home, I made my room festive for autumn with the stuff I bought with Mom, Julie, and the kids at a pumpkin patch:  Yes, that is a Jane Austen action figure on the right, with Freya (Final Fantasy IX) on the left. Last weekend, I received Zadie Smith's White Teeth in the mail from Bookmooch, and all I want to do is curl up and read it. Too bad I can't! At least Geek.Kon is this weekend. There is something to look forward to!scribbled mystickeeper at 7:40 PM
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wSep 29, 2007 | |
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Autumn is beautiful. On Friday, I woke up quite early, packed, and drove home. Apparently, the high school was actually having a half-day, but I still managed to converse with the History teacher I was hoping to see (Brayko, Bunk was sick), and two of my old Spanish teachers. Talking to the Spanish teachers was sort of uncomfortable. They were already familiar that people are not allowed to "minor" in foreign language at UW-Madison, and when I explained that I already had two majors, they understood. Still, they were disappointed: "You were so good at it!" Maybe. I stopped taking Spanish after I got a BC in a course. I kind of regret not studying abroad during my college career. Once I'm done with school, I'd like to read some novels in Spanish (I still have the first two Harry Potter!) and brush up on it again, and get better than I was before. I miss it. But anyway. History teacher and I discussed life, school, the high school auditorium, and etc. He thinks I should be a teacher, and also wants me to talk to the AP Gov students when they visit the Capitol in the Spring. Explain my part-time job, I guess. WTF, teaching. I thought I remembered hearing at some point that one could just go to South Dakota and get a teaching certificate after teaching for a year. Maybe I should do that! Except that I don't really want to teach. I don't think that I would be good at it, and I don't think that I would enjoy it for more than a year. So. Friday, Mom made my favorite meal (corned beef) and Julie and her family came for dinner, and then I went to Julie's house to watch Avatar with her kids. Came home and did homework, woke up and did more. We went to visit my aunt and uncle, and then we got all three kids and went to a pumpkin patch. I procured 5 small gourds and some bound, colored corn for some festive decorations in my room. Tonight, we had dinner at my sister's house. My sister has two cats now, and they like to attack and hiss at one another. They also have their own "kitty jungle gym." It is pretty heinous. I handed my first paper in on Thursday, but I'm finding writing this one that's due Tuesday exceedingly difficult. Oh well. By tomorrow, I'll no longer have a choice, and will have to work on it! Being home always feels really weird. Right now, there are so many things I'm thinking and feeling, but I'd really rather not write about them. I am so cruel, I know. Instead, reading and then sleeping. Labels: family, high school, tv: avatar scribbled mystickeeper at 11:59 PM
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wAug 27, 2007 | |
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Everything and its mom Today has been one of the coolest days I can remember in a long time, and I think that it's because I had no specific place to be all day long, be it a social obligation or work or whatever. It was amazing. Reunion! But other things happened before today. On Saturday, there was a Family Reunion for my dad's side of the family. My parents live in town with almost all of my maternal cousins, so I get to see them a lot. The only person from my dad's side who I get to see regularly is his sister (my grandparents have all died - most of them before I was born). So, it was nice to see so many people, including those I've never met before. I think there were about 100 people at this reunion, and my dad had a good time. There's a definite difference between my mom and dad's relatives - whereas my mom's family would be making sarcastic jokes and not talk too seriously unless there's good gossip, my dad's family will smile shyly at one another and leave huge gaps in conversation, and will converse on anything from farming to politics to family lore. I took a lot of pictures, which will eventually find their way to Facebook, and possibly this blog. My navigation skills are awesome! I made it there and back all by myself! Sunday Tomorrow, Antoine and I will have reached our one-year anniversary of dating (WTF, I know). Since he has a real job, we really only have time to have a good dinner tomorrow, so on Sunday we went out for brunch at Mickie's Dairy Bar (holy crap, so good!!) and then went to the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, which were beautiful. There is a royal Thai pavilion, and it was gorgeous. But, I got to go on a date with Antoine, and he is cute and I like him. :) Also, neither of us had ever been to the Dairy Bar or the Gardens, so it was nice. Today I accomplished much today, especially considering how much I sat around and enjoyed the non-structure. I obtained a street parking pass and a new bus pass. I purchased folders and notebooks for the upcoming semester, and bought one needed book at Half-Price Books, and 8 more online at abebooks.com (A nice site, and sometimes cheaper than Amazon!). Oooh! At Half-Price Books, I also bought a computer game of Avatar: The Last Airbender for $3.98. Bwaha! I also actually got to make three full meals, PLUS I successfully made egg drop soup for the first time! One of my resolutions for the New Year was to learn how to cook more things, so that's a plus. Also, it actually looks and tastes like egg drop soup! Woot! I've been able to read manga and watch a little anime, too. I'm working on reading Naruto and Nausicaa, and catching up on Romeo x Juliet and NANA. My favorites of these four are far and away Nausicaa and NANA. I feel like RxJ has been lame lately, which sucks because it had so much potential! I hate when anime ends up laming out. I'll stick with it, buuut....man. Oh yeah! One of the coolest parts today was going through this thick manga catalog that I had purchased in Mitsuwa a few weeks ago because of a nice Final Fantasy Tactics illustration on the back cover that I wanted to put on my wall. The catalog only cost $1, so it was worth it to me. Little did I know how much awesomeness was inside! There is a page of Pirates of the Caribbean dojinshi!! Also, there was a neato poster and a few pages of manga about some random characters I don't recognize that look neat and might inspire writing. Best of all, one manga had a number of pictures of a character who looks exactly how I imagine Gali, a character in my Ghost Hunters story. You know, if she was an anime character. Now I need to figure out where to put all these pictures.....maybe I can make the creepy little nook in my room into a collage of pictures to inspire writing, and I can go and sit in there and write things. Feeling relaxed and creative are two things I haven't felt in a while. I am not exhausted! Taking this week off was a good idea. I hope this semester doesn't suck too much, and I can't hang on to this. It's sad, because this summer while I worked 40 hours a week, I always felt too exhausted to write. But during the school year, especially fall, I always get the itch to write. But if this is my last year of school, does that mean I'll lose it forever? I already barely write as it is. I hope I don't! That would be sad. Current Music: idea - eunfonius Labels: antoine, family, writing scribbled mystickeeper at 11:46 PM
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wJul 29, 2007 | |
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Things You Must Know There are so many things to blog about, not the least of which being all the awesome Harry Potter fanart that was posted to the Internet while I was gone. LOL, I am watching Buffy as I write this blog entry. And Angel is professing his love for Buffy, blahblahblah, "I wanted to take your heart and warm it and encase it with my own." Buffy: That's beautiful. Thank you. *hug* Buffy: Or, literally? It's actually kind of gross. Angel: Yeah, I was just thinking that, too. *scene change* I love this show. On Friday, some of my fellow Bleak House interns and I went across the street to a bookstore that's going out of business. I could fill up a paper bag for $7....AND I DID. BOOTY: Hatchet - Gary Paulsen (I loved this book in grade school) Another antique copy of "Evangeline," by Longfellow, with photographs of places in the story. I love this poem, which is saying something, as I tend to dislike most poetry. Sirena - Donna Jo Napoli (I love her retellings of fairy tales for young adults) The High King - Lloyd Alexander (I've been meaning to read stuff by this dude, and it won a Newberry Award, soooooo win) Another copy of Redwall, by Brian Jacques. This is my third copy of this book. But this one is the British version, and has a pretty cover! The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature because I am not a geek at all. Irish Cures, Mystic Charms & Superstitions with fun gems like, "Do not start sewing a dress on a Saturday, because the wearer will die within a year." A Trilogy boxed set by Calvin Miller. "A mythic retelling of the story of the New Testament." There are like, goblins on the cover. It looks amazing. The Golden Apples of the Sun and other stories - Ray Bradbury. Because one can never have enough Ray Bradbury Lieutenant Hornblower - C.S. Forester Hornblower and the "Hotspur" - C.S. Forester. BECAUSE I LOVE HORATIO The Three Muskateers - Alexandre Dumas. Pretty hardcover edition! The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - SotE was the first Star Wars book I ever read, and this has cool sketches and stuff. :D Needless to say, Friday was glorious. Speaking of Bleak House, by the way, they received a nice mention in Friday's Capital Times. There was lots of driving on Friday. Antoine and I, and Jenny from high school, drove to where my parents live. Once Jenny-less, Antoine and I continued all the way to our trailer. The kids were asleep when we arrived, but woke us up at 6am Saturday. I had spent the night on couch cushions cover in sheets at the foot of my parents' bed. Overall, though, it was a fun weekend. We walked around in the woods on Saturday morning, finding some blueberries and using Dylan's incessant talking to ward off the supposed local bear and her 3 cubs. We swam in the lake and read books and ate brats for dinner, and went for a drive afterwards. We played some Trivial Pursuit, as is Up North tradition, and then went to sleep. Sunday morning, the kids slept later, and were quieter. Nothing too exciting happened before we left right after lunch. It takes 4.5 hours to get from Up North to Madison, and I was exhausted, but we made it here okay (after stopping for soda, ice cream, jewelry for me from my parents' house, and Jimmy John's). I think that Antoine had fun, in spite of the screaming children. I hope so! I did. And, because Antoine was there, my mom didn't yell at me all weekend. It was awesome. It feels so nice to be back. I'm really glad that I love both of my jobs this summer. There was no sense of dread whatsoever in leaving the forests of northern Wisconsin and returning to my life. Johnny Depp is Sweeney Todd! Everybody freak out. The now standard linkspam of hot and angsty Harry Potter characters. DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILERS, DON'T CLICK. Make sure to full-view the Deviantart stuff. Wheee! More. SWEET. Sadness! Delicious ANGST. Wahhhh, cuteness! I love the Internet. Current Music: Buffy, season three: "Helpless" (WTF, this episode is so creepy! ;_; and sad) Labels: antoine, books, family, harry potter scribbled mystickeeper at 11:39 PM
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