I think I'm finally getting over my cold. Man, that sucked a lot much.
current mood:
pleased
music: Air, "Playground Love"
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
I went to the Clay concert in San Diego tonight. He wore a fedora. Yea verily, this was pleasing to mine eyes.
I think I'm finally getting over my cold. Man, that sucked a lot much.
current mood: pleased
music: Air, "Playground Love"
I think I'm finally getting over my cold. Man, that sucked a lot much.
current mood:
pleased
music: Air, "Playground Love"
Monday, March 29, 2004
I don't want to work on my paper. Unlike many papers I have written here at USC, it's about something I actually know about (10.2 channel surround sound), as opposed to something I have to BS about. Still, I just don't want to write it. I think I have reached critical mass with regards to paper writing. I simply cannot write anymore.
Which makes me miss the films classes of the past few semesters. Even though the workload was so much more intense, it was something tangible, something real. A paper is this abstract thing, a way to try to express your knowledge of whatever it is you are learning about, and yet in the end more often than not you are graded on the actual paper-writing as opposed to the knowledge. Whereas in film classes, you're making a film. In order to show you learned cinematographic techniques, you go out over the course of seven weeks and shoot on 16mm black-and-white. In order to show you learned sound, you sit down on Pro Tools and edit together a soundtrack. In order to show you learned story structure and character development, you get on the computer and write a screenplay. And these things are real. To me, a paper isn't real; it's an exercise, and I'm really tired of the exercise.
Also, I'm lazy (see below), and I want to play Civilization and watch movies and play around on Photoshop and sleep.
current mood:
lazy
music: Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah"
Which makes me miss the films classes of the past few semesters. Even though the workload was so much more intense, it was something tangible, something real. A paper is this abstract thing, a way to try to express your knowledge of whatever it is you are learning about, and yet in the end more often than not you are graded on the actual paper-writing as opposed to the knowledge. Whereas in film classes, you're making a film. In order to show you learned cinematographic techniques, you go out over the course of seven weeks and shoot on 16mm black-and-white. In order to show you learned sound, you sit down on Pro Tools and edit together a soundtrack. In order to show you learned story structure and character development, you get on the computer and write a screenplay. And these things are real. To me, a paper isn't real; it's an exercise, and I'm really tired of the exercise.
Also, I'm lazy (see below), and I want to play Civilization and watch movies and play around on Photoshop and sleep.
current mood:
lazy
music: Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah"
I have saved the post that was here. It has not disappeared into the ether, so if you want the text, Chris, let me know. I just decided that it didn't need to be publicly posted anymore. But I'm not pretending I didn't write it, okay?
New icons up at foooooz. As I was telling Caroline earlier, I'm so glad I've found another obsessive interest to whittle away at my time.
Yay me?
A lot of the time at work, I don't do much, and I occasionally feel weird about getting paid to sit around, do homework and watch movies. But every now and then, like tonight, I actually help someone, and I feel all validated and useful and then, subsequently, warm and fuzzy. In my insides. It's just nice to actually be able to use what meager knowledge I've gained here for some actual purpose, every now and then.
current mood:
thirsty
music: Billy Boyd, "Oh Jean"
Yay me?
A lot of the time at work, I don't do much, and I occasionally feel weird about getting paid to sit around, do homework and watch movies. But every now and then, like tonight, I actually help someone, and I feel all validated and useful and then, subsequently, warm and fuzzy. In my insides. It's just nice to actually be able to use what meager knowledge I've gained here for some actual purpose, every now and then.
current mood:
thirsty
music: Billy Boyd, "Oh Jean"
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Today was a "sit at home and convalesce" day for me. Haven't done much of anything, really; normally I would feel that a waste, but I don't think that sick people should be expected to do things, and that includes me not expecting sick people doing things, and as I am sick, I should not have to expect myself to do things.
Yes.
So, I spent a few hours reading Photoshop tutorials, learning to do some more subtle effects. Like I've been doing with all the icons I've been making lately, I'm posting todays efforts on my Diaryland site, which I've now decided will be content-free, and will only be a place to log pictures and icons. Seriously, though, I spent the better part of about four hours on learning how to and then making those icons. Good times.
ETA: I thought I was done, but I decided I wanted to try something really difficult. This I made specifically for Maya, but everyone's welcome to it, if they like Chris Martin. And I'm just going to post it here, because that's easier.
The original picture:
The cropped and rotated base:
The icon:
current mood:
creative
Yes.
So, I spent a few hours reading Photoshop tutorials, learning to do some more subtle effects. Like I've been doing with all the icons I've been making lately, I'm posting todays efforts on my Diaryland site, which I've now decided will be content-free, and will only be a place to log pictures and icons. Seriously, though, I spent the better part of about four hours on learning how to and then making those icons. Good times.
ETA: I thought I was done, but I decided I wanted to try something really difficult. This I made specifically for Maya, but everyone's welcome to it, if they like Chris Martin. And I'm just going to post it here, because that's easier.
The original picture:
The cropped and rotated base:
The icon:
current mood:
creative
Friday, March 26, 2004
SOOPER SIKRIT THINGY OMG WTF
9. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT YOU THIS? I stole it from someone's blog.
So, on the main Ruben Studdard website, they won't refer to Clay by name. When they have to reference him, they type C***. So rather than be "someone," I should totally be S***NO* from now on. If you don't want to name me, that is.
26. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO RESPOND? What friends?
Exactly.
current mood:
mischievous
music: The Crimson and the Blue
9. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT YOU THIS? I stole it from someone's blog.
So, on the main Ruben Studdard website, they won't refer to Clay by name. When they have to reference him, they type C***. So rather than be "someone," I should totally be S***NO* from now on. If you don't want to name me, that is.
26. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO RESPOND? What friends?
Exactly.
current mood:
mischievous
music: The Crimson and the Blue
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Oh my God I can't breathe out of my nose at all anymore and I have to take breaks while I'm eating or drinking so I can breathe and I thought while eating lunch today I was going to suffocate in the middle of a drink of orange juice and I tried to take a nap and I couldn't breathe so I kept waking up on the verge of unconsciousness and panic.
I want to dig my sinuses out with a melon-baller.
Edited out some of the self-pity.
current mood:
morose
I want to dig my sinuses out with a melon-baller.
Edited out some of the self-pity.
current mood:
morose
"Gish," meaning tree. It is also used as a determinitive put before other objects to denote that they are made of wood.
I have a cold. Bah. Stupid sinuses, we hates them. What is up with one nostril being completely blocked all day? That is just...not cool. Not cool, nostril! You are not fulfilling your only purpose, which is to provide a pathway for sweet, sweet oxygen to make its way to my lungs. You totally suck, nostril. You're dead to me.
current mood:
sick
music: shhh, Caroline and Jenny are in sleepy time...
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Bored at work. Came up with a survey-type thing: Open up one's Photobucket or other picture-holding space. Divide total number of pictures by 5, then post every nth picture. (For example, I have 211 pictures, which divided by 5 is 52, so I posted the first picture, then the 52nd, then the 104th, so on.)
1.
52.
104.
156.
208.
current mood:
bored
music: Coldplay, "Amsterdam"
1.
52.
104.
156.
208.
current mood:
bored
music: Coldplay, "Amsterdam"
Why do I procrastinate? According to what I have learned in my intro psychology class, negative reinforcement to a particular behavior conditions a person to no longer do that behavior. The behavior is procrastination. The negative reinforcement involves me getting stressed out, working at a feverish pace, and staying up late. One might think according to the strictures of psychology that I would be conditioned to begin work earlier, therefore avoiding these negative consequences. The fact that the paper in question is a psychology paper just makes the whole situation more sad, really.
Perhaps the positive reinforcement of the fact I still get good grades, and often better grades, doing an assignment at the last minute as opposed to early is enough to negate the negative consequences.
They moved the computer at work to a higher...thing, and so now I can't sit in my comfy arm chair and work on the computer. I have to sit on my knees in my comfy arm chair and work on the computer. I don't understand this change. It angers me.
current mood:
stressed
music: They Might Be Giants, "Birdhouse in Your Soul"
Perhaps the positive reinforcement of the fact I still get good grades, and often better grades, doing an assignment at the last minute as opposed to early is enough to negate the negative consequences.
They moved the computer at work to a higher...thing, and so now I can't sit in my comfy arm chair and work on the computer. I have to sit on my knees in my comfy arm chair and work on the computer. I don't understand this change. It angers me.
current mood:
stressed
music: They Might Be Giants, "Birdhouse in Your Soul"
Oh my God, my head hurts so much. I haven't had a migraine-intensity* headache in a fairly long time, and now I'm remembering why exactly they suck so much. I'm to the point that I'm starting to get nauseated, my head hurts so badly.
*Not an actual migraine. I went to the doctor for a long time in high school, trying to grok the nature of the headaches. We never really did, but I exhibit some symptoms, apparently, of migraines, especially the cluster style ones, wherein the poor soul in question, me in this case, gets freakishly painful jolts of white-hot agony in one part of the head or in one eyeball for brief moments while having the bad, bad headache. It's not fun. It's the suck.
ETA: caffeine + 800 mg prescription ibuprofin Caroline gave me + scalding hot shower = feeling much better, in a miraculous way, as from Jesus
current mood:
sore
*Not an actual migraine. I went to the doctor for a long time in high school, trying to grok the nature of the headaches. We never really did, but I exhibit some symptoms, apparently, of migraines, especially the cluster style ones, wherein the poor soul in question, me in this case, gets freakishly painful jolts of white-hot agony in one part of the head or in one eyeball for brief moments while having the bad, bad headache. It's not fun. It's the suck.
ETA: caffeine + 800 mg prescription ibuprofin Caroline gave me + scalding hot shower = feeling much better, in a miraculous way, as from Jesus
current mood:
sore
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
No one ever uses comments. The big flashing "0" at the bottom of each entry makes me feel unloved.
current mood:
grumpy
music: Interpol
current mood:
grumpy
music: Interpol
Today's word is very hard to draw. But it's a very cool word. It is "lugal," meaning king. In Sumerian times, the king held a purely secular office with no religious functions. Lugal is a combination word, from "lu" meaning man and "gal" meaning big or great. So, literally, big man.
Which makes me think about the word "Nirgal," which is Babylonian for Mars. Now, I love the name Nirgal. In fact, I hope to name a future son Nirgal, either as a first name or as a middle name; the reason for this is that Nirgal is one of my favorite characters in fiction (you can find him in the Mars trilogy). I don't know how closely related Babylonian was to Sumerian, if at all, but the "gal" suffix in that word makes me wonder; a lot of the ancient words for Mars have to do with fire ("Kasei" in the Japanese means "fire star"), so mayhap "Nir" has something to do with star or fire, and "gal" denotes that it's great, or something similar. That's only if Babylonian is at all related to Sumerian, and it might not be, so I don't know. But this is where my mind went. I just spent ten minutes on Google trying to figure out the etymology of "Nirgal," but came up with nothing.
Anyways.
current mood:
nerdy
music: Radiohead, "High and Dry"
Monday, March 22, 2004
Erm. I just made my first actual post on the Xanga site I only registered for in order to make comments on Alyssa's Xanga site.
Why do I have four blogs? Why? Why? FOUR. This one, ur all foozes, fooooz, and now the Xanga. I think it's a sickness. There's just no reason for it. And yet...I feel compelled to keep them, and post in them, and make them prettyful, and add content.
*bangs head on desk*
current mood:
frustrated
music: "Lux Aeterna"
Why do I have four blogs? Why? Why? FOUR. This one, ur all foozes, fooooz, and now the Xanga. I think it's a sickness. There's just no reason for it. And yet...I feel compelled to keep them, and post in them, and make them prettyful, and add content.
*bangs head on desk*
current mood:
frustrated
music: "Lux Aeterna"
Yes, I have a paper to work on. However could you tell?
Seriously though, Laura's going to be upset. She's still upset that I changed from blue to green in the first place; I don't know how she'll deal with yet another template color change. Now it's purple! Oh God!
*gives Laura candy and presents so she won't yell at me*
Today, I received in the mail A Manual of Sumerian Grammar and Texts, which is very pleasing to me. I started reading the introduction today, and skimmed through the rest of the book. There are lessons, and each is divided up with vocabulary both in the logograms and in transliterations, then translations of texts, then grammar and syntax. It looks difficult, but cool. I'm looking forward to beginning my study of this most ancient language.
current mood:
weird
music: "Here Be Rock Songs!" a CD made by Maya
Seriously though, Laura's going to be upset. She's still upset that I changed from blue to green in the first place; I don't know how she'll deal with yet another template color change. Now it's purple! Oh God!
*gives Laura candy and presents so she won't yell at me*
Today, I received in the mail A Manual of Sumerian Grammar and Texts, which is very pleasing to me. I started reading the introduction today, and skimmed through the rest of the book. There are lessons, and each is divided up with vocabulary both in the logograms and in transliterations, then translations of texts, then grammar and syntax. It looks difficult, but cool. I'm looking forward to beginning my study of this most ancient language.
current mood:
weird
music: "Here Be Rock Songs!" a CD made by Maya
I've decided to make fooooooz the place where I will archive all pretty pictures and artwork-type things I do, as I went to the trouble of making the site, and don't actually use it for content. That way I won't feel compelled to change my column pictures here three times daily. Any constructive criticism of pictures, bars, or icons contained therein will always be appreciated, and of course anything there is up for grabs for y'all's use (right-click-saving, of course; I'm starting to fill up my bandwidth).
ETA: The many, many color bars were filling up my main Photobucket spread, so I moved them into a separate album. Therefore, the URLs changed. So, if you were a bad, naughty person who was direct-linking and now you're all confused that it's disappeared...let me know, I can give you the new URL, and then you must right-click-save instead of just linking directly to my webspace. Because yo, I've got a lot of pictures and whatall.
I also just uploaded a new Dominic Monaghan mood theme (I am still unable to find a good Billy one and might just make it myself) and a Jack Sparrow mood theme. I'm trying to decide if I should stick with one theme for a given amount of time, or if I could just switch back and forth between various themes willy-nilly. It's a question of aesthetics, methinks. Opinions and/or votes will be considered.
There's this guy in my medieval civ class who thinks he's very literate and smart and insightful and articulate, and of course he isn't, so everytime he speaks (which is often), I have to work very hard to keep a "wtf?" expression off my face. Today I failed, and someone sitting next to me noticed and just guffawed. I like to think that in my own small way, I bring joy to others. What more can we hope for in our lives?
current mood:
cheerful
music: Dexter Freebish, "Leaving Town"
ETA: The many, many color bars were filling up my main Photobucket spread, so I moved them into a separate album. Therefore, the URLs changed. So, if you were a bad, naughty person who was direct-linking and now you're all confused that it's disappeared...let me know, I can give you the new URL, and then you must right-click-save instead of just linking directly to my webspace. Because yo, I've got a lot of pictures and whatall.
I also just uploaded a new Dominic Monaghan mood theme (I am still unable to find a good Billy one and might just make it myself) and a Jack Sparrow mood theme. I'm trying to decide if I should stick with one theme for a given amount of time, or if I could just switch back and forth between various themes willy-nilly. It's a question of aesthetics, methinks. Opinions and/or votes will be considered.
There's this guy in my medieval civ class who thinks he's very literate and smart and insightful and articulate, and of course he isn't, so everytime he speaks (which is often), I have to work very hard to keep a "wtf?" expression off my face. Today I failed, and someone sitting next to me noticed and just guffawed. I like to think that in my own small way, I bring joy to others. What more can we hope for in our lives?
current mood:
cheerful
music: Dexter Freebish, "Leaving Town"
Hee. A very funny parody of ROTK. And these are the things I do when I first wake up in the morning.
Sunday, March 21, 2004
Back from spring break. I am rather sad at the fact that I must now return to school. I feel I have received enough schooling, and am unable to reconcile this with the fact that I have not only applied to graduate school but desperately hope to get in. The pain of more school versus the move into the real world is a dilemma that I wrestle with on a constant basis.
Then I stop thinking about it and fool around on Photoshop. I am learning how to use layers. Behold, to the left, the fruits of my labors. Not too great yet, but it's getting there. I was reading through a tutorial on using brushes to make borders, but I couldn't grok it at all, so they are borderless. Without borders, if you will.
Kansas is in the Sweet Sixteen. And Kentucky lost. Shannon = joyball. A ball made out of joy! Yes. So we're playing UAB next round. To Kansas: pleasepleaseplease make the Final Four again this year. Although I am already pleased, because North Carolina is out, and I am nothing but spiteful (Roy Williams dumped Kansas to go coach at NC, which is why we now hates him); I would like to at least make it to the Final Four with Self, just to prove to Roy that it's about the team and the players (that he abandoned) and not about him. See: spiteful.
The people across the street who stole my cat gave it away, so says Sarah. Which is such absolute crap. Why steal my cat and then get rid of it? I hope it, like, clawed their eyeballs or something, and that's why they pawned it off on someone else. It would serve them right, the bastards. (For those who don't know: the people across the street stole my cat. My cat got hit by a car, they took it to the emergency vet, then told my dad he could only have it back if he paid them $500, which is what they claimed to have paid at the vet. My dad called the cops, the cop said it was a small-claims court issue, so they effectively stole my cat. This is a very good definition of evil, if you ever want to teach your children.)
Tomorrow's word is "ul," which means perfection; literally, a golden age in the past. Sumerians believed that they came from a golden age, a time when everything was perfect; any innovations or new ideas would only really be harkening back to something that existed in the past. I like the logogram for this word, because it looks like an eye, seen in profile, with an arrow. The eye is looking back (well, I think the arrow going right makes it look like it's looking forward, but that might just be the force of being used to reading things left to right) to the past. Logical. Which pleases me.
current mood:
moody
music: Sublime, "Santeria"
Then I stop thinking about it and fool around on Photoshop. I am learning how to use layers. Behold, to the left, the fruits of my labors. Not too great yet, but it's getting there. I was reading through a tutorial on using brushes to make borders, but I couldn't grok it at all, so they are borderless. Without borders, if you will.
Kansas is in the Sweet Sixteen. And Kentucky lost. Shannon = joyball. A ball made out of joy! Yes. So we're playing UAB next round. To Kansas: pleasepleaseplease make the Final Four again this year. Although I am already pleased, because North Carolina is out, and I am nothing but spiteful (Roy Williams dumped Kansas to go coach at NC, which is why we now hates him); I would like to at least make it to the Final Four with Self, just to prove to Roy that it's about the team and the players (that he abandoned) and not about him. See: spiteful.
The people across the street who stole my cat gave it away, so says Sarah. Which is such absolute crap. Why steal my cat and then get rid of it? I hope it, like, clawed their eyeballs or something, and that's why they pawned it off on someone else. It would serve them right, the bastards. (For those who don't know: the people across the street stole my cat. My cat got hit by a car, they took it to the emergency vet, then told my dad he could only have it back if he paid them $500, which is what they claimed to have paid at the vet. My dad called the cops, the cop said it was a small-claims court issue, so they effectively stole my cat. This is a very good definition of evil, if you ever want to teach your children.)
Tomorrow's word is "ul," which means perfection; literally, a golden age in the past. Sumerians believed that they came from a golden age, a time when everything was perfect; any innovations or new ideas would only really be harkening back to something that existed in the past. I like the logogram for this word, because it looks like an eye, seen in profile, with an arrow. The eye is looking back (well, I think the arrow going right makes it look like it's looking forward, but that might just be the force of being used to reading things left to right) to the past. Logical. Which pleases me.
current mood:
moody
music: Sublime, "Santeria"
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Wolverine is SO love. He really, really is.
Well, it's 4:15 in the morning, and I'm closing up shop. In case internet is wonky at home (as it so oft is), I'll be back in a week! Hopefully I'll be able to get on, though, so this will be a moo point.
In any event...*shuts down computer*
Well, it's 4:15 in the morning, and I'm closing up shop. In case internet is wonky at home (as it so oft is), I'll be back in a week! Hopefully I'll be able to get on, though, so this will be a moo point.
In any event...*shuts down computer*
Friday, March 12, 2004
Okay, you have to check out daFont, a website where one can download all kinds of cool fonts. Including the awesome Tengwar (Elvish) font I'm now using for my title above and my name in the signature at the end of each post. Very, very cool.
I'm doing the Sumerian a little early, since I have to go to bed early, because I have to wake up early. It's cool, though; I just have to remember to write it on my hand before I leave my apartment at four-thirty (4:30) in the morning (am).
This is "ah," which literally means arm, but also means strength. Technically, the word is 'A' with a subscript 2 (like in H20, but correct-like, as Blogger is stupid and won't let me do subscripts, superscripts, accents, etc), but we'll just call it "ah." And it's pretty much pronounced how you would think.
current mood:
accomplished
music: Howard Shore, "The Hornburg"
I'm doing the Sumerian a little early, since I have to go to bed early, because I have to wake up early. It's cool, though; I just have to remember to write it on my hand before I leave my apartment at four-thirty (4:30) in the morning (am).
This is "ah," which literally means arm, but also means strength. Technically, the word is 'A' with a subscript 2 (like in H20, but correct-like, as Blogger is stupid and won't let me do subscripts, superscripts, accents, etc), but we'll just call it "ah." And it's pretty much pronounced how you would think.
current mood:
accomplished
music: Howard Shore, "The Hornburg"
1. The Lord of the Rings
I love this movie more than I can tell you. I love the story, the characters, the world, the actors, the music, the crew; everything. It's the greatest film ever made, the epitome of what cinema is meant to achieve. I love movies, and I love lots of movies, but LOTR to me really encapsulates why I want to make films; I want to create worlds like this, bring them to life, and then give that experience to others.
I do not think I will ever love a film like I love this one, though. I imagine that this is it; this will always be my favorite movie of all time. This pleases me just fine.
In other news...Spring Break! I just got back from my discussion today, and I'm all done. Now I get to pack and clean up, for I fly to the land of Kansas in the morning. My flight leaves at 7am, so the shuttle is going to pick me up at 4:30, which is just...well, I think it's a crime against nature or something. I imagine I'm going to try to go to bed at, like, 10 or something tonight, which is hours before I normally go to bed, but otherwise I'll get 3 or 4 hours of sleep, and that just isn't happening. I'd rather just go without sleep than get that little; it would just be frustrating.
Last night I dreamed I was working on a set, and I and some random dream person were having a very heated, lenghty discussion of f-stops, and how we were going to set the camera, and did we want to overexpose by one or two stops, and do we maybe want to bring the key light down to an 5.6, and maybe bracket the shot as well? Dude. Why was I dreaming about cinematography? I'm not even that good at DPing; definitely my weakest link in the film school chain. Really bizarre, it was.
current mood: cheerful
music: Radiohead, "Let Down"
I love this movie more than I can tell you. I love the story, the characters, the world, the actors, the music, the crew; everything. It's the greatest film ever made, the epitome of what cinema is meant to achieve. I love movies, and I love lots of movies, but LOTR to me really encapsulates why I want to make films; I want to create worlds like this, bring them to life, and then give that experience to others.
I do not think I will ever love a film like I love this one, though. I imagine that this is it; this will always be my favorite movie of all time. This pleases me just fine.
In other news...Spring Break! I just got back from my discussion today, and I'm all done. Now I get to pack and clean up, for I fly to the land of Kansas in the morning. My flight leaves at 7am, so the shuttle is going to pick me up at 4:30, which is just...well, I think it's a crime against nature or something. I imagine I'm going to try to go to bed at, like, 10 or something tonight, which is hours before I normally go to bed, but otherwise I'll get 3 or 4 hours of sleep, and that just isn't happening. I'd rather just go without sleep than get that little; it would just be frustrating.
Last night I dreamed I was working on a set, and I and some random dream person were having a very heated, lenghty discussion of f-stops, and how we were going to set the camera, and did we want to overexpose by one or two stops, and do we maybe want to bring the key light down to an 5.6, and maybe bracket the shot as well? Dude. Why was I dreaming about cinematography? I'm not even that good at DPing; definitely my weakest link in the film school chain. Really bizarre, it was.
current mood:
cheerful
music: Radiohead, "Let Down"
Today's word is "mu," which can be used in a few different ways. As a word, it can mean name; reputation or fame; the year. It can be used phonetically (it is pronounced "moo"). It can also be used as a verbal prefix which indicates proximity to the speaker in time or space.
2. Young Frankenstein
This was my all-time favorite movie for pretty much most of my movie-viewing life. I can't even remember the first time I saw it, I was so wee. Technically, it's a strong film, with gorgeous cinematography, a lovely score, and sharp editing and directing. Where it really shines, though, is in the exceptionally witty dialogue and the amazing cast. Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, the beautiful and wildly talented Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars and Marty Feldman all deliver incredibly funny, nuanced performances. This is one of the best movies ever made, in my opinion. I love it ever so.
ETA: Today at the library a girl was sitting next to me at a table, and she complimented me on my "beautiful tattoo." As I have no tattoo, at first I was like, wha? But then I remembered the "kalag" on my hand. I said "thank you" as I did not really want to explain that I wrote a different Sumerian word on myself each morning in dry erase marker. But still, I thought that was kind of cool.
current mood:
working
music: Ben Kweller, "In Other Words"
2. Young Frankenstein
This was my all-time favorite movie for pretty much most of my movie-viewing life. I can't even remember the first time I saw it, I was so wee. Technically, it's a strong film, with gorgeous cinematography, a lovely score, and sharp editing and directing. Where it really shines, though, is in the exceptionally witty dialogue and the amazing cast. Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, the beautiful and wildly talented Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars and Marty Feldman all deliver incredibly funny, nuanced performances. This is one of the best movies ever made, in my opinion. I love it ever so.
ETA: Today at the library a girl was sitting next to me at a table, and she complimented me on my "beautiful tattoo." As I have no tattoo, at first I was like, wha? But then I remembered the "kalag" on my hand. I said "thank you" as I did not really want to explain that I wrote a different Sumerian word on myself each morning in dry erase marker. But still, I thought that was kind of cool.
current mood:
working
music: Ben Kweller, "In Other Words"
Thursday, March 11, 2004
1. WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME? Shannon Elisa
2. WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans.
3. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Capt. Jack Sparrow breathing (he's sleeping on the bed next to me).
4. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Chicken salad sandwich.
5. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Periwinkle. Hee. It's a funny word. It's got "winkle" in it.
6. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Warm, boring, sunny.
7. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Parental units, then Sarah, then Laura.
8. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX? I'm shallow. Are they pretty?
9. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT YOU THIS? Sarah is cool. Although she didn't send it to me. I jacked it off her journal.
11. FAVORITE DRINK? Grape juice.
12. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK? Fuzzy navel.
13. FAVORITE SPORTS? KU men's basketball.
14. HAIR COLOR? I have brown hair.
15. EYE COLOR? I have brown eyes. Boring.
(16: The new unlucky number) If by new, you mean not.
17. SIBLINGS? Two younger sisters and a younger brother.
18. FAVORITE MONTH? October. I love Halloween and autumn.
19. FAVORITE FOOD? Italian.
20. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Punch-Drunk Love. It was weird.
21. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Halloween.
22. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT? Ayuh.
23. HUGS OR KISSES? I like hugs. They are warm and fuzzy.
24. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE-NIGHT STANDS? Relationships.
25. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Vanilla.
26. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO RESPOND? Eh. They can if they want.
27. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Caroline. (Heh, I cheat. She already told me she was going to do it.)
28. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Laura. Laura updates as never.
29. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS? USC apartment.
30. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Blue Mars. I read the Mars trilogy at least twice a year.
31. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? Read about William the Conqueror for class, watched American Idol.
32. FAVORITE SMELLS? Honeysuckle, cleaning agents with bleach, cookies baking in the oven, clean wet laundry.
33. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? I have no idea. I get jazzed about things all the time for any number of reasons.
34. BUTTERED, PLAIN, OR SALTED POPCORN? Buttered and salted.
35. FAVORITE CAR? 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air.
36. FAVORITE FLOWER? Daisies.
37. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING? 1-Apartment. 2-Apartment windows. 3-Mailbox. 4-Apartment stairwell. 5-Plastic key from a toy. 6-Car key to my mom's car. 7-Car key to my dad's car. So, seven.
38. CAN YOU JUGGLE? Hee. I walk into glass windows. Yeah, right, I juggle.
39. FAVORITE DAY(s) OF THE WEEK? Saturday. I generally have no obligations on Saturday, and I can just laze about. Good times.
40. RED OR WHITE WINE? White. Red wine is too strong. We doesn't like it, no precious.
41. WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY? Joint celebration with Jenny; we went out for Mexican food, then House of Pies, then watched some Family Guy at Sean and Shannon (not me)'s. It was fun.
42. DO YOU OWN A DONOR CARD? I am on my driver's license.
43.WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP? What I just finished dreaming about. I like dreams, so I think about them so I will remember them.
44. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? I love Branson, Missouri. Make fun of me if you will, but we've gone there since I was wee and it's just a happy place. Crafts, good food, nice people, it smells like wood, there are rides and displays and they do glassblowing and carpentry and blacksmithery and it just pleases me.
2. WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans.
3. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Capt. Jack Sparrow breathing (he's sleeping on the bed next to me).
4. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Chicken salad sandwich.
5. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Periwinkle. Hee. It's a funny word. It's got "winkle" in it.
6. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Warm, boring, sunny.
7. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Parental units, then Sarah, then Laura.
8. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX? I'm shallow. Are they pretty?
9. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT YOU THIS? Sarah is cool. Although she didn't send it to me. I jacked it off her journal.
11. FAVORITE DRINK? Grape juice.
12. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK? Fuzzy navel.
13. FAVORITE SPORTS? KU men's basketball.
14. HAIR COLOR? I have brown hair.
15. EYE COLOR? I have brown eyes. Boring.
(16: The new unlucky number) If by new, you mean not.
17. SIBLINGS? Two younger sisters and a younger brother.
18. FAVORITE MONTH? October. I love Halloween and autumn.
19. FAVORITE FOOD? Italian.
20. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Punch-Drunk Love. It was weird.
21. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Halloween.
22. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT? Ayuh.
23. HUGS OR KISSES? I like hugs. They are warm and fuzzy.
24. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE-NIGHT STANDS? Relationships.
25. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Vanilla.
26. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO RESPOND? Eh. They can if they want.
27. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Caroline. (Heh, I cheat. She already told me she was going to do it.)
28. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Laura. Laura updates as never.
29. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS? USC apartment.
30. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Blue Mars. I read the Mars trilogy at least twice a year.
31. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? Read about William the Conqueror for class, watched American Idol.
32. FAVORITE SMELLS? Honeysuckle, cleaning agents with bleach, cookies baking in the oven, clean wet laundry.
33. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? I have no idea. I get jazzed about things all the time for any number of reasons.
34. BUTTERED, PLAIN, OR SALTED POPCORN? Buttered and salted.
35. FAVORITE CAR? 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air.
36. FAVORITE FLOWER? Daisies.
37. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING? 1-Apartment. 2-Apartment windows. 3-Mailbox. 4-Apartment stairwell. 5-Plastic key from a toy. 6-Car key to my mom's car. 7-Car key to my dad's car. So, seven.
38. CAN YOU JUGGLE? Hee. I walk into glass windows. Yeah, right, I juggle.
39. FAVORITE DAY(s) OF THE WEEK? Saturday. I generally have no obligations on Saturday, and I can just laze about. Good times.
40. RED OR WHITE WINE? White. Red wine is too strong. We doesn't like it, no precious.
41. WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY? Joint celebration with Jenny; we went out for Mexican food, then House of Pies, then watched some Family Guy at Sean and Shannon (not me)'s. It was fun.
42. DO YOU OWN A DONOR CARD? I am on my driver's license.
43.WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP? What I just finished dreaming about. I like dreams, so I think about them so I will remember them.
44. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? I love Branson, Missouri. Make fun of me if you will, but we've gone there since I was wee and it's just a happy place. Crafts, good food, nice people, it smells like wood, there are rides and displays and they do glassblowing and carpentry and blacksmithery and it just pleases me.
Today's word is "kalag," which means strong or mighty; to be strong or to be mighty; the strong one. It is often used in royal inscriptions as the kingly epithet: "nitah-kalag-na," the mighty man; "nitah" being man. For those of you of the lady persuasion, "munus-kalag-na" would mean the mighty woman.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Okay, so I think people should write the Sumerian Word of the Day on their hand (dry erase marker works very well) because it's cool. Maya and I did it today. Also, all the people on the original SWOTD community do this, so there are like, 200 people in the North America walking around with the logograms on their hands. It's like a cool, geeky cult. Do it! It'll be fun, and you'll learn Sumerian. Good times.
Today's word is "gaz," and it's TEH ASOME. It means "to crush, to smite, to slaughter, to kill." Yes. (If you proceed it with the word "gish," for wood, it means "mortar," because a mortar is a crushing thing made of wood. I love the logic in this.) Gaz! This is a word that one could actually use as a substitute for English. "If you eat my cereal one more time, I will gaz you!" Isn't that great? Yes. It is great.
It even looks cool. Hee.
current mood:
amused
music: Sigur Ros, "Untitled 1" <3
Today's word is "gaz," and it's TEH ASOME. It means "to crush, to smite, to slaughter, to kill." Yes. (If you proceed it with the word "gish," for wood, it means "mortar," because a mortar is a crushing thing made of wood. I love the logic in this.) Gaz! This is a word that one could actually use as a substitute for English. "If you eat my cereal one more time, I will gaz you!" Isn't that great? Yes. It is great.
It even looks cool. Hee.
current mood:
amused
music: Sigur Ros, "Untitled 1" <3
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
The word of the day is "ur," which roughly translates to dog, but is used to refer to any large carnivore with square muzzles. For example, the lion is known as the "ur-mah," or big dog. Royal inscriptions often had the phrase "ur-sag," literally meaning top dog, translated as warrior or hero.
I'm amused when I think of the fact that one of the major cities in ancient Babylon was Ur. Now, these are of course two different languages and cultures separated by some amount of time, but I'd like to think there were some Sumerians around laughing at the city named Dog.
In other news, I can't wait to go home for spring break. Can't. Wait. OMG. WTF. These last three weeks or so have kind of sucked; I don't know if it's the monotony of the semester that eventually wears me down, or the fact that I haven't been sleeping well for reasons yet undetermined, but I'm very much looking foward to home. Home looks after us. Home is our friend.
current mood:
moody
music: Sigur Ros, "Untitled 5" <3 Maya
So, I read random livejournals of people in my various fandoms. One, from LOTR fandom, happens to be an ancient languages major focusing on Sumerian. She started a livejournal community called Sumerian Word of the Day. Now, I could just link you to it, but that would be too easy. For I have decided I too wish to learn Sumerian (obviously not as well as someone majoring in it, but enough to feel cool); therefore, I shall be active in my learning and teach it to you in turn. Behold.
This is the word "an" when it refers to the sky, and "dinger" when it refers to a generic god. An, in the Sumerian pantheon, was the chief god, and he was the sky god. If you were referring to a specific god, say, Enlil, you would put this logogram before the logogram for his name, to show that he was divine.
I think this is cool. Yes.
current mood:
curious
music: "Pirates of the Caribbean" soundtrack
This is the word "an" when it refers to the sky, and "dinger" when it refers to a generic god. An, in the Sumerian pantheon, was the chief god, and he was the sky god. If you were referring to a specific god, say, Enlil, you would put this logogram before the logogram for his name, to show that he was divine.
I think this is cool. Yes.
current mood:
curious
music: "Pirates of the Caribbean" soundtrack
Monday, March 8, 2004
3. Waiting for Guffman
This is the first Christopher Guest and company film I saw, and it remains my favorite. As someone who has spent quite a bit of time in theater, so much of this film rings true to me, which just makes it all the funnier. My dad and I have discussed this before, but what absolutely sells the film, and all of Guest's films in my opinion, is how absolutely sincere the characters are. They believe they're great actors, they believe they're putting on a great show, they believe that if Guffman had made it they would have went to Broadway. If this film were cynical and mean towards the characters it just wouldn't work. Corky St. Claire is one of my favorite characters in fiction because he is so sure of himself, and the film doesn't try to cut him down. "I hate you and I hate your ass face!" That's just brilliant, that is.
current mood:
stressed
music: Ben Folds, "Gone"
This is the first Christopher Guest and company film I saw, and it remains my favorite. As someone who has spent quite a bit of time in theater, so much of this film rings true to me, which just makes it all the funnier. My dad and I have discussed this before, but what absolutely sells the film, and all of Guest's films in my opinion, is how absolutely sincere the characters are. They believe they're great actors, they believe they're putting on a great show, they believe that if Guffman had made it they would have went to Broadway. If this film were cynical and mean towards the characters it just wouldn't work. Corky St. Claire is one of my favorite characters in fiction because he is so sure of himself, and the film doesn't try to cut him down. "I hate you and I hate your ass face!" That's just brilliant, that is.
current mood:
stressed
music: Ben Folds, "Gone"
Sunday, March 7, 2004
For people who don't read Haven (which is quite a few, I'm sure), all of my color bars are archived here. As always, feel free to take what you like.
ETA: To the left, please check out my first animated icon. I made it myself!
current mood:
productive
music: still "Taters"
ETA: To the left, please check out my first animated icon. I made it myself!
current mood:
productive
music: still "Taters"
Gollum: What's taters, precious? What's taters, eh?
Sam: Po-tat-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew.
And now, it's a song. Ah god, so funny. Right-click-save, please.
current mood:
enthralled
music: from TORn, "Taters"
Sam: Po-tat-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew.
And now, it's a song. Ah god, so funny. Right-click-save, please.
current mood:
enthralled
music: from TORn, "Taters"
Please check out the brand new MSR collage omg wtf I just made on Photoshop.
Okay, I have been laughing so hard over the past half hour that I sent myself into a coughing jag and ended up light-headed. Oh, God.
Okay, I have been laughing so hard over the past half hour that I sent myself into a coughing jag and ended up light-headed. Oh, God.
4. The Princess Bride
I would be highly suspicious of anyone who does not have The Princess Bride in at least their top 25 favorite movies of all time list. They're probably evil. Definitely soulless, at the very least. This is one of the greatest movies ever. Everyone knows this, so I don't need to waste time and energy writing it down. So I'll just finish with what has been and probably will continue to be one of my favorite movie quotes ever.
'You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is: "Never get involved in a land war in Asia." But, only slightly less well known is this: "Never go in against a Sicilian, when death is on the line!"'
ETA: Jenny just introduced this on her site. If you look right below the puppet Angel and the music stuff, you'll see a link to leave a comment. I thought it would be useful if you, the reader, had a more complex and/or lengthy response you wished to make. However, for quick one-liners and/or simple comments, feel free to stick to the tagboard, because I like it and it pleases me.
current mood:
crazy
music: Um, still Billy Boyd, "(Hit Me Baby) One More Time"
I would be highly suspicious of anyone who does not have The Princess Bride in at least their top 25 favorite movies of all time list. They're probably evil. Definitely soulless, at the very least. This is one of the greatest movies ever. Everyone knows this, so I don't need to waste time and energy writing it down. So I'll just finish with what has been and probably will continue to be one of my favorite movie quotes ever.
'You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is: "Never get involved in a land war in Asia." But, only slightly less well known is this: "Never go in against a Sicilian, when death is on the line!"'
ETA: Jenny just introduced this on her site. If you look right below the puppet Angel and the music stuff, you'll see a link to leave a comment. I thought it would be useful if you, the reader, had a more complex and/or lengthy response you wished to make. However, for quick one-liners and/or simple comments, feel free to stick to the tagboard, because I like it and it pleases me.
current mood:
crazy
music: Um, still Billy Boyd, "(Hit Me Baby) One More Time"