Meaningless

Teh love

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:29:15 GMT

The rules: Pick one moment from each of the 5 seasons that is a reason why you love Teh Love. You can use words, pics or icons. Tag 5 others to do the same....and then sit back and bask in the amazingness that is brian and justin.

(sorry if they're a little dark, I capped, cropped, and posted)

They push each other to be better people.

Even when they're hurt or upset, they love each other unconditionally.

They work best as a team.

Ahh-mazing sex...and chemistry.

They inspire each other.

I tag anyone who wants to do this.

Happy Halloween!

Later...

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 06:28:22 GMT

Okay, so I'm really tired right now, but I promise I'll do Teh Love meme this...morning-ish. I want to give it the proper consideration. I've been tagged by jule1122, and by not_yet_defined because I'm "far too quiet," and I'll get to it. When I've had more sleep. :D

Quick me update: working on debunking this monstrosity my aunt sent me.

Obama's coming back to Jax! I'm hoping it'll be a public event, because I'll go again, and this time I'll take my camera.

Know how I live in Georgia, the supposedly Republican state? Happily, I've seen more Obama, Gillespie and Martin signs than McCain, Kingston, and Chambliss signs. And Kelvin Blue has peppered the whole damn county with his signs. Someone else has put up some similar-looking signs saying something about stress, but every time I see dark blue lettering on a white sign, I think of Mr. Blue. Then there's Mr. Myers, running to be county coroner. He actually got himself a billboard on our version of Main Street, which is Hwy 40 East.

I voted Wednesday! Obama for prez, Jim Martin for Senate (GA), Gillespie for State Rep (GA-01), Myers, and Blue for tax commissioner. Turning Georgia blue, one vote at a time.

Jacksonville's Rally

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:01:49 GMT

Let me tell you, that was pretty awesome. My brother and I got to Metro Park at noon, and there were already about 3 or 4,000 people waiting in line. It took a little over an hour (35 minutes after the gates opened) to get inside the park, through the metal detectors, and into the event area or whatever you want to call it. So by 1:15 we were standing in 'our' spot. There were no chairs, we weren't allowed to bring towels or blankets, and damned if I didn't think there wouldn't be a need for a poncho. The ground was really squishy, so basically we stood on muddy grass for...well, I won't tell you how long just yet.

The weather was actually pretty nice for an outside event. There was a fairly steady breeze blowing (yay for the St. Johns River!), and there was plenty of cloud cover. They did a really good job with the acoustics; I never had a problem hearing either the band or the speakers.

The crowd was fairly excited, well before Obama got there. One little group of the crowd would shout "Yes we can!" or "Obama!" and then the whole crowd would take up the chant. We had a wave going a few times, but it was rather disorganized. :)

At some point, guess what started flying overhead? One plane went by with a banner reading, "Florida is McCain & Palin country!" I'm very proud to say that more than one person in the crowd in my line of sight gave the plane the finger and the entire crowd was booed. That one circled around and proceeded to circle around for at least the next hour. The other plane that flew over our heads was "Raising taxes is not patriotic!" People pretty much ignored that one, and if anyone in the crowd has been watching something over than, ahem, Fixed News, it's kinda obvious why that one was ignored.

We waited pretty patiently until 2:20, and then the speakers started coming up. We heard from Michelle Jones, who is apparently the first command sergeant in the Reserves (or something like that...I don't remember exactly), a few senators or former senators, the director of Jacksonville's Democratic headquarters, and so on. All these people kept coming up, talking for about two minutes and handing the microphone off. By 2:45, we knew they were stalling: Obama was late.

They stalled for a while, and people kept introducing other senators by saying something akin to, "Now let me introduce to you a senator...from your hometown," and then the entire crowd would go "Awww." Around 3:10, a girl about 10 feet in front of me passed out. The people standing around her caught her and lowered her to the ground, and then we all started asking for water. Water didn't help, so we started shouting for a doctor, and eventually Fire Rescue made its way through the crowd, put her on a stretcher, and got her out of there.

Finally, around 3:45 (yes, that is almost a whole hour and a half late), Obama got on the stage. And the crowd screamed for a full minute, at least. He never explained why he was late, but he did give a great - and appropriately short - speech. I managed to catch a good few glimpses of him, but for the record, if you ever go to any kind of event like this, do NOT wear any kind of hat other than a baseball cap. This guy fifteen feet in front of me was blocking my view with his stupid hat for almost the whole speech. But when I did see Obama, he looked good.

Anyway, people started leaving as soon as he finished speaking, and my brother and I were in that group. Needless to say, the place was crawling with people selling Obama everything. And I'll update this more later. Final count for the crowd: 18,000. 10,000 inside, and an estimated 8,000 outside.

I'm very sunburned. I figured the whole thing would be over by 3:45 at the latest, so I didn't bring my sunscreen in with me...big mistake. We did have great cloud cover, but that only goes so far. Also, my hands are kinda sore from clapping so hard. :D

Just to get in line, you had to pass at least 5 people shouting, "Are you registered to vote?" And there were a few people telling everyone to turn their cellphones on before they went through the gate...not sure what that was about. For those of you doubting my crowd estimate: we had 3,000 people in my high school so I know what 3,000 people looks like. More importantly, the fire marshal did in fact close the gates and keep more people from coming in (Metro Park's capacity is 10,000; the kid's park is another 2 or 3,000), and there were plenty of people still outside, who could be heard shouting from time to time).

Pretty early on, Obama asked if we had any Gator fans in the house. Then he made the mistake of asking about Bulldogs, and got a lot of boos. :) To which he replied, "Whoa, I'm not trying to start something here." So cute. Also: "I'm amazed we got such a big crowd - I don't know if ya'll are aware there's football today." :D

So basically, it was totally worth the time and money to go to the rally. On the plus side, GA may have one more Democratic vote: my brother. I think he was pretty unimpressed to begin with, and by 3:30 he was trying to convince me to leave. By the time we left, though? He was telling me that it was totally worth it to stay. YES.

"Live" coverage of the rally, in text message and picture form. If you look at the very first picture: I was standing directly in front of the flag, about even with that girl in the green shirt and blue jeans. Coincidentally, I was wearing a green tank and blue jean shorts. :)

One last thing I've just remembered: at one point during Obama's speech, he paused and someone in the back shouted, "I love you, Obama!" Then another person shouted it, and then another, and then the crowd (at least around me) cracked up. Brilliant moment.

Ah, McCain.

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:17:34 GMT

I've been lurking for a while, but I have to come out of the shadows for a few moments. Today's rally in Jacksonville? Oh-so-lame. McCain drew a crowd that the local news stations are reporting as 5000 strong. The Veterans' Memorial Arena seats 16,000, and he didn't even draw half that. And that's with Jeb Bush making an appearance and (more importantly for most of the city) Phil Stacey there to sing the national anthem. You have to understand, Stacey was all over the news when he was on American Idol, and it was practically all that anyone talked about on the radio. The fact that even he didn't draw a crowd...shows a major lack of enthusiasm for the, forgive the expression, "maverick."

Obama's coming on Saturday! I'm hoping he comes early in the day, because otherwise there's gonna be a scheduling conflict and I will be really, really bummed. Previous commitment and all that. Biden chatted with FCN today. Nothing we haven't heard before, but it's always nice to see two men I like having a pleasant conversation while promoting my candidate. :)

Now I'm off to lurk some more. Or, you know, hover obsessively over all the political blogs until November 4th. Ciao!

Meme

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:48:04 GMT

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:20. Ugh. Such an hour should not exist.

2. Diamonds or pearls? Opals! :P

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? ...Prince Caspian, I believe

4. What is your favourite TV show? QAF. Also like Torchwood, House, Bones, NCIS, CSI, and Jeopardy, but only watch a few regularly

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? a bowl of cereal and maybe a banana

6. What is your middle name? Elizabeth

7. What food do you dislike? there's a bunch, but I had to eat celery tonight, so it's currently at the top of my list

8. What is your favourite CD at the moment? nothing in particular

9. What kind of car/truck do you drive? '95 Chevy Lumina

10. What characteristic do you despise in people? stupidity

11. Favourite clothing? my organic cotton pjs...so comfy

12. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would it be? Ireland

13. Favourite brand of clothing? Hanes lol Favorite clothes are pjs, after all

14. Where would you retire to? probably here in GA. Near my family, with the right kind of weather.

15. Most memorable birthday? Um. My 18th, I suppose, since that's the only one I really remember. I spent the day puking my guts up because of a stomach virus.

16. Favourite sport to watch? swimming...and occasionally football

17. What does the last text message you received say? um, something approximating, "I'll see you tomorrow at 11"

18. Person you expect to complete this first: *shrugs*

19. When is your birthday? 10/29/87

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? night.

21. What is your shoe size? US 9.5 or 10

22. Favourite Pets? I don't play favorites. They're all my babies!

23. Exciting news you'd like to share with us? I might be moving soon...

24. What did you want to be when you were little? See, this is where my problems stem from. There was never anything I really wanted to do, except possibly be an archaeologist, but I kinda grew out of that. And since Princess isn't really a career option...

25. What is your favourite candy? dark chocolate

26. What is your favourite flower? don't care about flowers. I like the way roses smell, but that's about it.

27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? tomorrow, because there's a Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana concert on Disney. (I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm eternally a child) Um, and the 28th of September, because Desperate Housewives comes on, and OMG GALE!

28. What is your full name? Laura Elizabeth wouldn't-you-like-to-know

29. What are you listening to right now? Make this go on forever by Snow Patrol

30. What was the last thing you ate? gumbo. Yum.

31. Do you wish on stars? Not in a long time

32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green

33. How is the weather right now? warm and humid.

34. Last person you spoke to on the phone? mi madre ♥

35.What is your favourite soft drink? Ick. Sierra Mist, if I must choose.

36.Favorite restaurant? our local seafood/steak/pasta place, I guess.

37.Colour of your hair? dark brown

38. What was your favourite toy as a child? my Grand Champions miniatures. They were the replacement for Barbie when I got a little older, and they lasted until my best friend and I were about 14.

40. Hugs or kisses? I have to choose?

41. Chocolate or Vanilla? vanilla

42. Do you want your friends to email you back? that would require me emailing them first ;)

43.What is under your bed? Nothing, my mattresses rest on a trundle, which is all of two inches off the floor.

44. What did you do last night? edited something I've been writing.

45. What are you afraid of? losing the people I love

46. How many keys on your key ring? at least 6

47. How many years at your current job? ha, since my current job is babysitting, 8 years for the same family.

48. Favourite day of the week? Tuesday

49. How many towns/cities have you lived in? Five, technically

50. Do you make friends easily? not really

51. Was the first person you talked to today male or female? um. Male? I think it was my brother, but not 100% sure.

52. How late did you stay up last night? around 1:30, I think.

53. Have you ever seen your friends naked? a few of them

54. Are you nervous about anything? yeah

55. Are you jealous of anyone? only in a playful, "I wish I were you" way

56. What's something you really want right now? a direction

57. Anything exciting tomorrow? that concert. And...nothing.

58. What is in your purse/backpack right now? wallet, cell phone, keys, chapstick, advil, zip drive, nail clippers, hair ties, checkbook, pens & pencils, coupon for B&N, paper, eye drops for my contacts, lip gloss, and a vitamin. I'm very practical about these things. :)

59. Wallpaper on your cell phone? my cell phone is lame and cannot have wallpaper

60. When is the last time you were in a swimming pool? well, if a wave pool counts, less than 12 hours ago. If it doesn't, then last Sunday.

61. Where does most of your family live? Florida

62. Do you sit or stand in the shower? stand

63. Could you live with roommates? as long as they weren't slobs, I think so

64. How many pair of flip flops do you own? 6 or 7, I think

65. Did you ever throw up while kissing someone? ew, no.

65. Do you have a flip phone? no

66. What was the first thing you did this morning? smacked the alarm clock

67. What are you doing this weekend? hanging around the house and maybe doing laundry

68. When is the last time you ate a sandwich? a day or two ago.

69. Are you old enough to vote? barely lol

70. How has the week been? tiring

Ugh.

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:08:25 GMT

My brother is watching Dark Angel on SciFi, and I looked up, thought I saw a familiar face, and guess who? Freaking Stockwell. Ick.

Went to the beach yesterday, and may I just say, I love the Atlantic Ocean. Not ten minutes after I got there and got into the water, a pod of dolphins swam by. Real, wild dolphins not 50 feet from me. So cool. Also, very reassuring, because someone was attacked by a shark about a week ago roughly a mile up the beach from where I was. Yeah. Anyway, I proceeded to step on two crabs (or possibly just one very unfortunate crab) in the course of the next hour and a half. And today I've got a lovely sunburn on my shoulders and chest. SPF 60 only goes so far when your "not staying in the water" mother doesn't let you know how long you've been out.

Can I just say a huge THANK YOU to whoever came up with this week's theme at qaf_drabbles? And to everyone who's written one: I've read your drabble(s), and I will comment, hopefully soon. I haven't started to leave feedback yet because writing, "brain melted, comment coming soon to a drabble near you" gets kinda repetitive after a while. But dear, sweet God in Heaven, thank you for writing.

Anyway, I'm off to the library. Ta!

Oh, children.

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:41:51 GMT

Word to the wise: don't allow your children to get hold of an ambiguous-looking stuffed animal which they are intending to give to their siblings. It leads to a child walking into the room and saying, "I just gave cocks to [sibling]." LMAO. I looked at him like he was crazy, thinking I'd heard him wrong, but then he said, "We can't figure out whether it's a cat or a fox. Cox."

It says something about me that, even when it came out of a 10-year-old's mouth, my brain still went there. :)

(I'm babysitting)

"Aerial striptease" has got to be the best phrase ever.

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:14:13 GMT

Your result for The LONG Scientific Personality Test...

INFJ - the counselor

You scored 9% I to E, 11% N to S, 19% F to T, and 42% J to P!

Your type is best summed up by the word "counselor", which belongs to the larger group of idealists. Only 2% of the population share your type. You are so empathic that you often know what others need before they know themselves. You are a complex person who can deal with complicated issues and people, almost prefer to, as you love problem solving. You can be something of an idealist or perfectionist, and should try to take yourself a little less seriously.

You are a supportive and insightful romantic partner, encouraging your mate to have dreams and work hard to make those dreams come true. Because you are so creative, you have a wealth of ideas to help them toward those goals. You need harmony so much that you are driven to resolve conflict quickly, as long as the terms don't violate your ethics. You feel the most appreciated when your partner admires your creativity, trusts your inspirations, and respects your values. It is also vitally important that your partner be open and emotionally available - in other words, that they be willing to share themselves completely.

Your group summary: idealists (NF)

Your type summary: INFJ

Take The LONG Scientific Personality Test at HelloQuizzy

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...

English Genius

You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 100% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy

Why yes, I am an obsessive, perfectionist writer who had grammar drilled into her head by a string of dedicated teachers. I did note that one of the questions is ambiguous: whoever and whomever are now both considered correct because whoever has become common usage. Obviously whomever is still the preferred correct answer, but whoever cannot be considered wrong.

Your result for The Best Thing About You Test...

Humility

Humility is your strongest virtue. You are humble.

Humility is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. And you? When you do the right thing, you're doing it for all the right reasons. All 7 virtues are a part of you, but your humility runs deepest.

It is likely you're a quiet type. But if not, then you just have dark, secret side that loves to give.

Humble famous people: JD Salinger, Isaac Newton, Harry Potter (pre-puberty)

Take The Best Thing About You Test at HelloQuizzy

HAHAHAHA! Really? This is so effed up. Tell the test you want world peace and don't care if someone steals the credit and this somehow makes you humble. WORLD PEACE. Who cares about taking credit if we have real, honest-to-god peace? I sure don't. I don't think that's humility, though. It's more that I have no desire to be put on a pedestal, even in this fantasy world. Not humility: try shyness.

My cat just IS Slut-Cat King of the Lapkitties. "Look at me! I'm sooooo cute! And a total ham! Kisses kisses I LURVE you. I will now place myself at the center of attention and stare soulfully into your eyes FOREVAR. Aren't I handsome?".

I think he thinks he's a dog, crossed with one of those really flaming skinny gay boys who's always kissing everyone. I almost named him Adonis, and probably should have. ROFL.

Put down all beverages, and swallow whatever you might be eating. You might also consider kicking everyone else out of the room, so that you don't pass out from oxygen deprivation as your laughing eggs them on and vice versa. Here. *dies laughing, resurrects, and takes deep breath* Excuse me now while I go wipe away the tears of hilarity.

Also, Tweak gave me a phrase, and I'm about 98% sure either Michael or Brian said it, but I can't remember the context, and it's been driving me up the wall. "No thanks, I wax." Help?

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date...

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:59:40 GMT

I promise I'm not dead. I'm just lurking. Again. Fandom tires me out. ;) Plus, my grandpa died on the 12th, so I've been laying low. Not to put a damper on Pride or anything...it was his time to go and it was fairly peaceful, so I'm only upset because I miss him. But yeah, between that and babysitting and swimming, I've been kinda busy.

Anyway, no depressing stuff! Happy Pride!

Your result for The Lover Style Profile Test...

The Exotic Lover

Based on the results of this test, it is highly likely that:

You prefer your romance and love to be wild and daring rather than typical or boring, you would rather be pursued than do the pursuing and, when it comes to physical love, you concentrate more on enjoying the experience rather than worrying about your performance.

This places you in the Lover Style of: The Exotic Lover.

The Exotic Lover is a wonderful Lover Style, and conjures images of the exotic, romantic hero out of a romance novel, or perhaps a slightly dangerous and deadly sexy femme fatale from a noir mystery. The Exotic Lover loves pleasure and is a treasure to date, though it can be difficult to do so because they sometimes tend to be mysterious and reluctant to commit.

In terms of physical love, the Exotic Lover can be quite surprising, as they are often more exciting and adventurous than predicted. Given a little freedom, and the right lover, the Exotic Lover can be a delight in bed.

Best Compatibility can probably be found with: The Liberated Lover (most of all) or the Devoted Lover, or the Romantic Lover.

Congratulations!

Take The Lover Style Profile Test at HelloQuizzy

Your result for The Sexuality Spectrum Test...

Bi/Slightly Straight

You scored 6 (-52 being completely gay, 0 being bisexual, and 52 being completely straight)

For the most part, you are bisexual. You have a slight preference for the opposite gender, but either gender would suit you. If you are sexually inexperienced, it is possible that this will change after you do some experimenting.

Take The Sexuality Spectrum Test at HelloQuizzy

I'm not saying a word about that. ;)

Snagged from sidhe (and ericahpfa on LJ before she deleted the entry...): The Big List thinks the average adult has only read six of the top 100 books they've printed below.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicise those you intend to read
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

As a bit of a side note, I started and never finished: Jane Eyre, Rebecca, Brideshead Revisited, Anna Karenina, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Le Petit Prince (yes, in French), and Watership Down. I've also read a 100-page excerpt of Les Mis...in the original French, as well as the condensed (30-odd pages) version of Les Trois Mousquetaires.

Also! Olympic swim trials start Sunday! I've missed seeing Phelps. And then there's Peirsol, Weir, Beard, Coughlin, Lochte, Crocker, Lezak, Keller...Lord only knows who I'm forgetting. I watched the gymnastics trials this week, and I've got to say, Shawn Johnson is adorable, and Nastia Luikin is gorgeous. Crossing my fingers that Memmel makes the team (she's awesome on the uneven bars). The Hamm twins are going to the Olympics, but I thought Paul had messed himself up...?

Debbie would be so *cough* proud:

Yo, flist!

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:02:26 GMT

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, for those of you who are worried. Last week was a little off-the-wall. I slept over at a friend's house, and babysat her daughter all day. Unfortunately, their internet connection sucks (ironic, considering her husband works at TDS, which is their ISP and mine), so I only managed to get on and check my email once - on Tuesday. Checking the flist was out, what with a nosy 8-year-old on the premises. Her mom still gets freaked out about the idea of her seeing straight people kissing, I can only imagine the reaction if I said, "Look at the pretty gay boys!"

Finally made it home late Friday night and for some bizarre reason (OCD, perhaps?), felt the need to spring-clean my darling Firefox. I tend to bookmark anything and everything if I don't have time for it right this second so I end up with tons of links, going, "Um, I don't even remember what this was for...?" Anyway, I pretty much spent the weekend trying to be productive...and getting sidetracked by QaF icons at every turn. Well, that and shopping and swimming.

"Smoking pot will not make you go on a killing spree." I think the best response came from vulgarweed: Well, I could buy it. If the story was written from the POV of a traumatized orange crumb, the only survivor of a terrible massacre of the Dorito People. *dies laughing*

One of my dear friends is in Italy this summer. :) She's keeping a weekly journal (and getting paid for it). I'm so very jealous.

ION, it's Justin's driver's license! We'll ignore the fact that there are obvious continuity issues. I love his expression in the picture. For a *cough* 17-year-old getting his license renewed, he looks surprisingly pissy.

Anywho, I'm off to organize and maybe cut down on the humongous list of fics I have set aside to read. See you at the Slumber Party (I hope)!

Some memes

Sun, 11 May 2008 05:12:04 GMT

because I'm bored, and also a sheep. Or a lemming, whichever you prefer.

Your Slanguage Profile

British Slang: 75%

Southern Slang: 50%

Aussie Slang: 25%

Canadian Slang: 25%

New England Slang: 0%

Prison Slang: 0%

What Slanguage Do You Speak?

What Your Flip Flops Say About You

You are an outdoorsy person. You feel most comfortable in nature.

Beautiful scenery and good weather always brighten up your day.

Being outside allows you to feel calm and connected to the world.

Problems don't seem so big when you realize how small you are in the scheme of things.

Your ideal warm weather place: Costa Rica

The Flip Flop Test

You Are Strawberry Cake

Fresh, sassy, and romantic.

You're a total flirt, who never would turn down a sugary treat.

Occasionally you're a bit moody - but you usually stay sweet!

What Kind of Cake Are You?

*sigh* I don't even like strawberries that much. Blegh.

What Your Little Black Dress Says About You

You are sexy, outrageous, and daring. You love to push people's buttons.

You are fearless and free spirited. You get people talking... and you don't care what they say about you.

Your style is revealing, trendy, and flirty. You love to look good.

If you were a shoe, you would be: Strappy sandals

The Little Black Dress Test

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

I miss Calculus...

Meme time

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:35:39 GMT

Gakked from vamphile and various others.

1. Go to www.flickr.com
2. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box.
3. Use only the first page.
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite colour?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Who is your favorite disney princess?

7. What is your favorite drink?

8. What is your dream vacation?

9. What is your favorite dessert?

10. What do you want to be when you grow up?

11. What in life do you love most?

12. What's one word to describe you?

13. What do you dream about?

14. What is your favorite book?

15. What is your favorite movie?

Regarding #3, I know at least one of the people in that picture. :)

Elections, polls, me, and a little bit of fangirling.

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:44:09 GMT

I'm trying to distract myself from the horrible thing going on in PA right now. I really wanted to kill her chances tonight...

*snickers* Gardner Vance is a hit man on Shark.

Regarding Brian's eye color: An overwhelming 96.4% of the 28 people who voted say they are hazel.

I completely agree. The people I was arguing with were insisting his eyes were green. I argued that his eyes can change from green to brown, which means hazel. The response was that since his eyes look green most of the time, they must be green, and any other perception is just because of bad lighting. At that point, I was incredibly frustrated.

If anyone who looked at my best friend was asked her eye color, they would say green. That beautiful light, cool, clear green that I (and most other people, I assume) associate with green eyes. But her eyes are not green. They are green most of the time. If I give her a drink, within half an hour they will be a very dark green with brown and gold flecks. Not green, hazel. My eyes are also hazel. Most of the time they just look like a lighter shade of hunter green, but they range from greenish brown to a green almost as light as my friend's. Hazel.

Anyway, my point is that a change from green to brown, however often his eyes look green, means they are hazel. Eye color is, of course, subjective, so feel free to disagree with me. :)

You slackers! I guess you were so distracted by the poll you forgot to ask me questions. ;) The only one to actually ask me anything was testdog65. How about telling us something about how you spend your free time when you're not doing something QaF related. Or what are your three favorite foods and why.

Things I do in my free time: I'm a voracious reader, so I spend a lot of time with books. I'm also a writer, but I only play with my own original characters (sorry, no fanfic). I babysit a lot, and I love those kids like they're my own...and truthfully, they're only partly joking when they ask to come home with me. I'm also a college student, so I get to do homework, woo hoo. And, now that it's getting warm here in GA, I'll be able to do one of my favorite things without feeling like I'm about to go into hypothermia -- swimming. So if I suddenly disappear during the summer, bet that I'm either in my pool or in that humongous wet thing just to the east of me that goes by the name of the Atlantic Ocean.

Does anyone here watch Bones? I happened to actually read the credits on Monday night's episode. There was this one actor, not particularly attractive or anything, but his name...his name just about killed me. What was his name, you ask?

Taylor Kinney.

Questions.

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:10:31 GMT

Oh my god. Zack O'Toole is in Gothika. That was a weird moment.

My first poll ever (hope it works right). I'm having a...discussion with some people. We can't agree on what color Brian's eyes are, so I figured I'd ask my dear flist. I don't want to bias you, so I'm not gonna say what color I think they are.

View Poll: #1439

At the urging of a friend, I'm watching The L Word. Do you know how disturbing it is to be watching a scene and then hear a song from QaF in the background? It totally drags me out of the show. There's at least four songs from QaF, including a different version of "Lover's Spit" (thank god, I don't think I could bear listening to the QaF version paired with that scene). That said, there is no danger of this show pulling me away from QaF. It annoys me too often for me to love it.

Got a bitch of a cold, probably because the weather here is vacillating between 80 or 90 during the day and 40 at night. Something about that makes me sick. Also, because my LJ friends, save for a select few, fail at replying to anything, I'll cave and do the same meme everyone else did here a little while back.

Everyone has things they blog about.

Everyone has things they don't blog about.

Challenge me out of my comfort zone by telling me something I don't blog about, but you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it. Ask for anything: latest movie watched, last book read, political leanings, thoughts on lima beans, favorite type of underwear, graphic techniques, etc.

Be nosy. I'll tell you to back off if I think you're being too personal. ;)

ETA: Happy late birthday, youbetterwiseup! I'm such a slacker, I knew it was yesterday, and I didn't make the post I was going to, so I didn't say it.

Jumping on the bandwagon...

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 04:48:46 GMT

Following in the steps of maerchen_mond, happier_bunny, sidhe, and plasticine_star.

Lets101 - Free Online Dating

Lets101 - Online Dating

Oy vey.

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:31:10 GMT

As it's Brian Kinney week, if you've got some spare time, show a little love for the man who brought him to life...and who also lent him a beautiful body. Gale won the contest last year, and they were so shocked they actually held a second poll (allowing only one vote per person) to see if he really did win. He did. But this year I'm pretty sure they've rigged it. He was winning with almost 79% last night, and now he's down to 60% and falling way faster than should be (mathematically) possible. Assholes.

ION, my aunt is a wee bit of a homophobe. By that, I mean she's a rabidly homophobic Southern Baptist who won't be happy until gay people no longer exist. I wouldn't say she wants them all dead, she'd just prefer they weren't trying to "defile the sanctity of marriage." We'll ignore the fact that she's been divorced for 8 years or so now, just because she and my uncle didn't get along too well (not a reason to get a divorce, according to the Bible, last time I checked).

Anyway, I always knew there was a reason I didn't tell her to stop forwarding the "oh no, gay people are taking over the world!" emails to me, and now it's been justified. I got a good laugh out of this:

McDonald's CEO: Company will put full resources behind gay agenda

McDonald's has signed on to a nationwide effort to promote "gay" and "lesbian" business ventures.

Dear Debra,

According to McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner, McDonald's will aggressively promote the homosexual agenda. In remarks on McDonald's Web site concerning the company becoming a member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), Skinner wrote: "Being a socially responsible organization is a fundamental part of who we are. We have an obligation to use our size and resources to make a difference in the world … and we do."

The company gave an undisclosed amount of money to the NGLCC in return for being recognized as a major promoter of the homosexual agenda. In return, NGLCC placed Richard Ellis, vice president of communications of McDonald's USA, on the NGLCC Board of Directors.

Ellis was quoted as saying: "I'm thrilled to join the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce team and ready to get to work. I share the NGLCC's passion for business growth and development within the LGBT community, and I look forward to playing a role in moving these important initiatives forward."

McDonald's refused to comment to World Net Daily on the placement of its executive on the board of the "gay" advocacy organization but did send an e-mail confirming the corporation's support for the agenda of the homosexual business lobby.

"McDonald's is indeed a Corporate Partner and Organizational Ally of NGLCC. Our vice president of U.S. communications, Richard Ellis, was recently elected to its board of directors," said Heidi M. Barker, senior director of media relations for McDonald's. NGLCC describes itself as promoting the LGBT community first and always, including same sex marriage.

NGLCC gives credit to sponsors such as McDonald's for its financial and other support that helps in its work. "Through the commitment of our corporate partners, the NGLCC has been able to advance the ideas and causes of the LGBT business community," the Chamber said.

[email sent by the AFA]

I'm not sure where her issues stem from, because my grandmother (her mother) thinks that gay guys are just "so cute." Yes, those are her words, and she is a Southern Baptist, too. A gay couple was going to buy her house, and apparently she and my grandfather invited the guys over for dinner a few times. Now, whenever my grandmother talks about selling the house -- which was two and a half years ago, btw -- she brings them up. She goes on and on about how sweet and smart and blah blah blah they were. Meanwhile I sit there and try not to laugh at the absurdity of my 60-something Southern Baptist grandmother, who holds Bible study at her house every Friday morning, being so supportive of gays.

Anyways, I've got a paper to write. Ta!

The things boredom makes you do...

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:52:20 GMT

After watching 112 tonight, I have just one question. How bored does Brian have to be before he creates this:

(screencap by Marilla)

It's pretty cool, I think, for something made of cherries, a slice of lemon, and sword-shaped swizzle sticks. ^_^

Funnily enough, someone who looks strikingly similar *snerk* has gotten bored and played with what was nearest, too. He had fewer materials to work with, though, so it was a bit

Anywho, it's nearly 2 here and I am off to bed.

Not exactly QaF related but...

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:22:31 GMT

Has anyone seen (heard, really) this? I won't even begin to go into how angry it makes me, because I will rant for pages and pages. "I'm not gay-bashing." No, of course not. You're just spouting lies and being intolerant of everyone who doesn't agree with you, that's all.

But really? Indoctrination? I wonder what she calls Sunday school, then. Infiltrating? Controlled? Apparently gays in America are now considered an invading army. And here I thought they were citizens, even if they often get second-class treatment. Happy to see Pittsburgh on her list of "infiltrated" places, though. Debbie would be ecstatic. Personally, I'm more than a bit pissed about her comparison of homosexuality to the disease that killed two of my grandparents.

And that's all I'm saying.

First post!

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:28:01 GMT

And it's a meme, how like me. As I've been tagged by not_yet_defined as one of those who hasn't done it yet,

List ten fictional characters you would have sex with (in no particular order) and tag 5 people to do the same.

1. Brian Kinney, QaF
2. Justin Taylor, QaF
3. Leda, QaF
4. Emmett Honeycutt, QaF
5. Tony DiNozzo, NCIS
6. Lindsay Peterson, QaF
7. Thirteen, House
8. Nick Stokes, CSI
9. Derek Morgan, Criminal Minds
10. Greg Sanders, CSI

Yeah, so a third of my list are gay males. They're all fictional anyway.

Brian

Sunshine

Leda

Em

Tony

Linds

Thirteen

Nicky

Morgan

Greg

And I tag anyone who hasn't done this yet.

Now I'm off to friend some more of the fun people at qaf_coffeeclub. Later!