Thursday, May 31, 2007

Woohoo Party!

I'm hosting my Script Frenzy First Day Kick Off Party tomorrow!

There's going to be cookies, and soda, and coffee, and scripts, and writers! Hooray!! And Guests! There's going to be guests for the Bailey to sniff and kiss and keep their hands clean!

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

From Thrusday On

*sigh*

This has been a very, very long few days. So long in fact, this is the first time I've been on the Internet since last Thursday, which, while being a nice break is kinda weird still...

So, I went to see Pirates last Thursday, which was totally awesome and turned me polytheistic. ^_^ I'll do my big review of the movie after I see it again. But it was awesome, and fun, and brilliant, and I feel like all the money I spent on merchandise was well spent.

And Dad came into town Thursday too! He was having some dental work done in Florida, and he got a layover for here, and it was the first time I'd seen him since Spring Break... I used to go see him for the whole summer, and alternating Holidays, which was great, it just... I guess when your parents are divorced you always want things to be some other way. Like not-divorced, or at least have your Dad living in the same town so you can see him on weekends and some weekday nights, like I remember other kids seeing their parents. In the last few years with work and school, I've seen him a lot less. The longest gap was about three years. It was great seeing him, and we had lunch before the movie, and went out afterwards. We had breakfast at IKEA Friday morning, poked around Atlanta a bit... Just basically spent time together, no really big events or anything. We did have dinner at Pappadeaux Saturday night, which was really great. I had raw steak, and Dad had Shrimp Etouffee, and we asked our waitress a lot of inane questions about where do they get the Alligators from for the appetizers.

And sadly, he had to leave Sunday. About five minutes after he left I felt completely miserable, and I wanted him to come back, or move here (which I keep pestering him about all weekend. When I was little the thought never really crossed my mind because he'd almost always lived somewhere else).

And Sunday night was the big Atlanta area Script Frenzy Meet Up event. Which is held at the Java Monkey, which while being a very cute coffee shop with a lot of soul is located somewhere past Atlanta in such a way that every time I drive there I get lost. It's small, cozy, they serve hummus (and it's so good!!), AND NO ONE SHOWED UP, NOT EVEN THE ATLANTA ML. This is the kinda thing that pisses people off pretty bad. Gas is more than three dollars a gallon, and I live in Kennesaw, and when I've talked to the people in Atlanta about moving the meetings (they use the same place for the NaNo meet up every year) to some place like the Varsity, which is a million times closer to 75, they say that's "too far to drive". They live in Atlanta. Seriously.

Granted, I don't have to go to the meeting since I'm in charge of my own little area, but a lot of people who are from outlying areas who have no ML or don't know other writers show up to the Atlanta Meet Up. That's why I like to go. There's lots of other people there, and you can meet them, and talk to other writers, which sometimes is pretty hard to do since writing is so solitary.

So, I drove all the way down there, ate hummus all by myself, worked on some story notes, and left. Sort of a waste, except for the hummus.

Then... Mom wanted to visit Uncle Gary, who lives in... Ranger, Georgia. Basically one of those places you're never going to hear about unless you have to drive there. And yes, you do have to turn off onto a dirt road to get to his house. I really like my Uncle, but I was very, very tired when I got there and I just sort of passed out on his couch. I had a lot of fun seeing him and his dog, Sadie. The next day we all had lunch together which was Lamb and grilled onions (for me) and Lamb and a lot of vegetables for everyone else (Mom, Fred, Gary). Bailey probably got some lamb too.

Mom, Fred, and Gary all have siblings, which in my experience makes them much better than me at teasing people. It's something I never really got the hang of (or see the purpose of). Basically they all sort of teasingly insult each other. "You could have cooked this lamb better... Oh wait, you're just some Italian!! Hahaha!" and they all laugh, because they're not really being racist (it was just the only jibe I could remember). Or "Your dog barks too much, you must have taught her that!!" and everyone laughs.

Everyone says I'm too sensitive about things like that, but I never find it funny, and once it starts I just kinda keep my head down and try to be invisible. One of the last times I was up there I made coffee and Gary said something about it, and I told him he could make it himself if he didn't like it, which didn't go over all that well. I suppose I'm not funny like that.

Anyway, Gary is the one who bought Mom and I the gift cards to go get our eyes read. He really liked it and (evidently) everything the lady said to him was true, and he took all the stuff she sold him and it lowered his cholesterol and saved his liver (he never told me before that he had liver problems). She was "dead on" and gave him "goose bumps" and Gary said Mom had told him that I didn't believe in it.

Which put me in a really awkward place, since he paid for it as a gift. I told him I had fun and I really enjoyed it, but that when I tried to learn more about it- About here Mom shot me this sort of smugly amused face and I told Gary I didn't really want to talk about it, because last time Mom and I discussed it she called me a Doubting Thomas.

Mom quickly exploded into a flurry of denial over that, and told Gary that I refused to believe even though everything the lady said about me was true.

I tried to explain what a cold reading was, and that every time the lady said something vague Mom would quickly fill in the blanks for her. Everyone refused to understand what a cold reading was, and we got sidetracked into John Edwards, and how he "really talks to the dead".

Evidently there's absolutely no way that you can make some kind of vastly general comment and have it chime with someone. Saying someone had a fight with a female relative on their mother's side isn't vast and general, and neither is saying someone had a male relative in the military.

It makes me feel like the last sane person on earth, sometimes, when I'm surrounded by my family.

Back to the eye reading. The lady told me that when she "reads" something in my eye it could be one of three things; 1) something that is really, actually wrong with me physically, 2) something that I have the genetics for (and possibly someone else in my family has it), 3) something metaphoric.

So, if she tells you that you have something "wrong" with your heart, it could be a valve issue for you, a heart attack for your relatives, or a bad break up in your past.

I recognized this for what it was, and said nothing when the lady told me what my eyes said. There was "something" around my lower lungs (Mom chimed in with the fact that I have asthma, allergies, and get bronchitis in the winter), and the lady agreed, then began to tell me of the evils of my inhaler. She said she saw something around my pancreas and mentioned cutting back sugar in my diet (which I've already done a lot of in the last few years, and statistically is a problem for pretty much everyone in the united states). Oh, and something (I don't recall what) told her I was angry at "a female". Grand. There's a lot of them, in case you haven't noticed, and I'm not angry at all of them. What she didn't mention to me is the fact that I'm legally blind or have bad knees, or any of a dozen other things, all of which (when trying to argue this with a believer in it) fall under this vast umbrella of "things iridology can't tell you".

When it was Mom's turn every time the lady mentioned something Mom filled in the blanks as quick as possible. "I see something around your heart." prompted that Mom has a valve issue, her father died of a heart attack, and she's still heartbroken over her sister's death.

This finally ended with Gary asking if I went on John Edwards and if he told me something no one else could ever possibly know, would I believe in what John Edwards does? (which in my opinion is a very strange way to settle a discussion about iridology)

We went home, I went to work, then I slept in my own bed, which I hadn't slept in since Wednesday night. Oh man, I'm tired of sleeping on couches.

And, I finally managed to find Sea Monkeys at the store. I've always wanted some.

Friday, May 25, 2007

As for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

(Was) Three words, and a math expression.

Jerry Bruckheimer = GOD

*edit*
Gore Verbinski = GOD
Ted Elliot = GOD
Terry Rossio = GOD
Johnny Depp = GOD
Orlando Bloom = GOD
Kiera Knightly = GODDESS


More Later.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Great Quote

"Some people hear voices.. Some see invisible people.. Others have no imagination whatsoever."


I snatched that off the Script Frenzy site, from someone's forum signature. How very, very accurate.

In other news, I feel the need for some slow Big Band music. The really swank stuff. So I'm gonna go break out my Reader's Digest Great Band Era records. And maybe my Navy Blue 1940's dress.

Monday, May 21, 2007

pre-Script Frenzy

Script Frenzy is fast approaching, and the closer it gets the more apprehensive I feel.

I've never written a script before, really, except for the one comic script I didn't finish, and evidently that kind of script is so different that it doesn't count... And despite the fact that I bought a new notebook, I've only written two pages of notes for my Script.

Usually I can write a whole notebook of notes, about the region, the people, the races, magic, whatever. I look at my two pages, and they seems kind of... Sufficient, which is impossible. The Script is supposed to be 20,000 words (Script Frenzy's official finish line) and since this is a movie, it's supposed to be 120 pages if you're measuring a script the right way (Thanks Jared and Allison).

In my mind there's two stumbling blocks here: First, the lack of script writing experience, and Second, the fact that I'm writing slice-of-life this time, which is a genre I've only ever vaguely dabbled in.

Even when I've dabbled in it, there have been hit men included. And hit men, while not supernatural by any means (usually) are something *different* from your average class of citizen, and *different* is what I'm good at.

And this script has nothing *different* about it. No vampires, no werewolves, no hit men; there's not even a magic portal or a talking animal to be seen. Just normal people.... Which is a little scary in it's own way.

The other scary part is being a beacon of writerlyness during the month of June. It's the same thing I do in Novembers, now that I'm a ML. I have to stand up and look good and finish my Nano/Script no matter what. Which is fine, because in the three years I've done Nano, I've completed all of them (for the word count, anyway, 2006's is still ongoing). So, basically I have to finish mine, and I have to organize writing parties and events and talk people down from ledges when they think they can't get their writing done... It's pretty much fun. I like having the writing parties, and meeting the other people.

In the end I am still psyched about it. I can't wait to start. Er. Once I get some more notes.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

New Internet?

I got an email from my ISP telling me that my service runs out in a month or two, and asking if I want to renew. This time I'm not so sure.

See, I used to have Joi Dial-up, which was pretty much the best thing ever since it only cost SIX DOLLARS a MONTH. And you paid by the month too, or by a few months, which was great. I'd get my "You'll expire soon" email, and then I'd send them six more dollars.

And then, Joi shut down all their dial-up or something, and sold all the dial-up users to Earthlink, and we got to keep our pricing for the first six months or a year, I'm not sure, before they hiked it a bit and changed the payment schedule.

Now, I'm on Earthlink and I have to pay by the year and it's Ten dollars a month, which hits the bank hard because they take all that money at once.

And after two years of Earthlink Dial-up I'm not so sure I want a third year. I mean, the service is great, I've never been cut off or unable to sign on, it's just that... I go to the college and the internet is fast. I go to work and the internet is fast. I go to my friend's house and the internet is fast.

I go home, and I call my friend with the fast internet when I see something big I want to download.

Which is fine, I guess; I loaned him my other portable drive and he's using it for whatever, besides all my downloads.

So, I did a search yesterday for newer internet, and I have no idea what to get. Or how to search for it, evidently. I sifted through all those "Cheap Price for the first Six Months" ads, looking at the fine print, and that internet isn't cheap at all, and there are all these fees they mention, and I'm not sure if I have to buy a router...

I realize that I'm going to have to spend more money, but I'm throwing myself on the mercy and knowledge of my readers here: what internet should I get?

Thursday, May 10, 2007

escalate

escalate
One entry found for escalate.
Main Entry: es·ca·late
Pronunciation: 'es-k&-"lAt, ÷-ky&-
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -lat·ed; -lat·ing
Etymology: back-formation from escalator
intransitive verb : to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity, or scope "a little war threatens to escalate into a huge ugly one -- Arnold Abrams"

Thats copypasta from here.

It's the word my mother uses to shut down any argument with me. I'm sick of it. I never want to hear it again.

For those of you in the know, I brought up the Friday Incident, and explained that I was hurt by the excuse offered; that I'd been duped, and how.

Evidently, I should be happy I was even allowed to go, and that some other excuse could have been given, and that I am wrong, that the excuse wasn't really one since we really did spend time together. You know, in the car.

This is impossible. I can't even talk about this, because I've been "sworn to secrecy" for all but a select few, and I'm keeping my word. Because...

I'm not even sure. It matters to me, though. It matters to me that I keep my word, and as much as I'm not always sure about my own feelings, I'm certain I'm right in being angry, as much as I can't show it right now. I feel incandescent with it. Warm. Sometimes, even lethal, like someone who's become immune to the poison they've been eating.

And since I'm upset, and I won't just drop it, I'm "escalating" the problem, and that I "always do that", and that I "have blinders on" if I can't see what's really going on.

No apology, of course.

I do wonder who's really wearing the blinders though. And I'm glad this isn't five years ago.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

blarg

I woke up feeling rotten this morning. Or maybe it was the part where I was forced to wake up. At nine. After going to bed at four AM.

I have trouble sleeping at night, and I'm more susceptable to insomnia when I'm upset. Some of you may know why I'm having trouble sleeping, but I've got a restriction on who I talk to about that...

I still feel rotten.

I... I should probably stop starting everything with "I" too. But anyway, earlier this week I found an ad on craigstlist.com for a lego collection someone needed to get rid of, and I got the set. 26 pounds of legos. When I was little, you know, doll-playing-with age, I remember begging my mom for this new Lego set, some kind of underwater science fortress. I still remember standing in the KB Toy's at Perimiter, her asking me if that was what I really, really wanted? Didn't I want a new Barbie or something?

No. I what I wanted was this. I had to look it up online to find the name and picture, and just looking at it brought back all the memories of assembling and disassembling it. Ah, Legos. There is a set of that same kit for sale on ebay right now and I want it.

So, new collection of legos aside, since school got out things have been pretty miserable around here.

First, that whole fiasco last Friday, which I'm not supposed to talk about. I'm sure that's mostly what the insomnia is coming from. And the worst thing is, I can't be properly angry about it, because... Arg. I can't talk about it. *bangs head against wall*

And the other thing, which I can't really talk about in here either.

And the last thing, which is this costume I'm working on for a friend. She's going to the red carpet release event of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and she wanted the champagne colored dress Elizabeth wears. You know, with layers and layers of lace over satin and god knows what else, and while I do know how to sew, there are limits to what I know how to do, and how much can get done in a certain amount of time. So we settled on the Plum colored dress from the dinner with Barbossa, since there's an easy way to mod the dress I wore to the Pirate Fan Event. But my friend doesn't know how to sew, so I'm kind of coaching her... Which is a stress in and of itself, because it's a sewing machine, not a magic wand and there are certain ways to do things...

Oh, and Script Frenzy starts soon. But right now I feel too rotten to really pester anyone into doing it. So go look at it, if you want to.

I think I'm gonna go crawl back in bed now.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Ice Cream, Princesses, and Camwhoring: All in one night.

So, since Facebook kindly reminded me of the date, I went to Baskin Robbin's 31 Cent Ice Cream night with a pocket full of change. I got the pocket full of change while cleaning house, a chore that I loath, and have put off all semester with the excuse of reading textbooks and surfing the Internet (for class! I swear).

Actually going to get my cheap ice cream was more of a challenge than the above paragraph implies. The first one I went to, there was a huge line that I waited in, and then skipped out of (without even getting inside the bloody building) so that I could make it to Work Dinner, one of the highlights of my week. There, Brett did number magic (read: math) and told me I could have SIXTY scoops of ice cream for my twenty dollar bill. SIXTY. Isn't that the best?

Really, I had three once I located a Baskin Robbins not overwhelmed by the masses. Some kind of two-chocolate chocolate mousse, Reece's Cups, and PeanutButter-Chocolate Ice Cream.

While I was cleaning, I found a Barnes and Nobel gift card from my Uncle which I suspected still had money on it. Toting my faithful ice cream along with me for the ride, the nice lady at the store told me I could buy nine dollars and nine cents worth of books with the card I gave her.

So, of course I picked twenty dollars worth of books. Bought two mangas that started with the word "Princess". (At one point I realized I was standing in the Romance isle eating chocolate ice cream, and I just suddenly knew this was a very bad thing) One book was "Murder Princess" (something about bodyswitching between a Princess and a bounty hunter) and the other was "Princess Resurrection" (dude, she has a chainsaw and a princess dress right on the freaking cover. i love it).

/me makes chainsaw noises.

Right. So. Princesses.... Which leads to me coming home and looking for my tiara. Because I have one, somewhere. I found it, and it was all bent up, and then it wouldn't sit on my head right, and I looked like a drunk prom queen in a t-shirt which I thought was perfect for camwhoring. And then, I remembered I have WIGS. WIGS are even better for camwhoring. In fact, I have the exact same wig as the guy on the "How to become an obnoxious Internet camwhore in five easy steps" site. Warning: That site is a little coarse, but quite funny.

And now, I proudly present to you, for your viewing amusement, Bento-chan Camwhoring!!1!

Rofl all you want. I laughed too.

And because the two go hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly, here's my My Amazon.com Wish List

My friend Mal was even kind enough to look over my wishlist and offer me help with it:

[01:10] Bento: does it work? are you buying me something?
[01:10] Bento: i added a book thats worth 70 dollars. is that sort of like something that costs 300? or is the $199 replica of Jack Sparrow's compass better?
[01:11] mal: No, like.. a camera or fancy juicer or louis vitton handbag
[01:11] Bento: but i dont' like louis vuitton
[01:12] mal: Not relevant
[01:12] Bento: oh
[01:12] Bento: ok
[01:12] mal: It's about looking presumptuous enough that an admirer would buy it for you
[01:12] Bento: search: porche
[01:12] mal: There ya go, tiger
[01:14] Bento: so it has to be threehundred or more?
[01:14] mal: Yeah, at least a couple things
[01:14] mal: Like a 600 dollar camera
[01:14] mal: Or a really fancy bread oven
[01:14] mal: Or something
[01:14] Bento: er. crap.
[01:15] Bento: i don't know which one is a good camera
[01:15] mal: Something that costs that much
[01:15] Bento: ROFL
[01:15] mal: It's not that it's 'good', it's that it's expensive

Such a nice guy. Still, I couldn't find an expensive camera I liked, so it's all books and movies.

*wishlist fixed thanks to cliff 5-5-07*