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July 12th, 2009
12:17 pm - The Ego Google meets Babelfish
So a long time ago I signed up for google alerts and while I mostly ignore them as I never use my gmail account, I needed to pop over there this morning and saw an alert for something in Hungarian. It was a review of the Escape Pod production of Elvis in the Attic, so I ran it through Google translate.
( I'm not really sure what they thought )
Oh and on another note - what do you all do when someone has republished one of your stories? (It's attributed and was already on the net, so I mostly can't be assed to do something about it.) Do you care?
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July 9th, 2009
08:27 pm - It's a sickness
I have a regrettable addiction to naming characters things like Clovis & Cornelius, Patience & Prudence, Comfort & Constance.
Whatever, Clovis is still an awesome name.
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07:53 pm - I only play a robot on TV
Poll #1427432 Inspired by James Nicoll
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllMy home computer is: My computer is (pick a primary one, people): They are always watching- how many? James Nicoll, where's the h?
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July 7th, 2009
08:33 pm - Writing Gnomes
I think someone has been sneaking in and writing my book for me at night.
At least now I have a justification for the surprise!hurricane, because who doesn't want a surprise hurricane?
(the explosions are still unexplained, but who really needs an explanation for BOOM!)
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July 6th, 2009
06:50 pm - My Day
Someone on the Tube standing next to me was reading The Dictionary.[1] I think that was the best part of my day.
How about you?
[1] It was one of those rubbishy Oxford abridged ones, if you must know.
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July 4th, 2009
06:08 pm - The Ask and The Answer
I often complain about sequels that tell pretty much the same story over again. Patrick Ness avoids that pitfall in The Ask and the Answer.
Martin sez:
Very different in tone and pace from first book. Centred around an insurgency which explicitly parallels the Iraq war. Nuanced look at complicity, Todd and Viola become morally compromised by their involvement in warfare. Some implausibilties about wider worldbuilding and character development. Ends on another massive cliffhanger. Definitely worth reading.
Which I pretty much agree with - at times the book is painful to read because you read characters making choices that are so very believable and understandable and so very off-putting.
And is this book readable? Compellingly so? Yes, absolutely. It's not a coincidence that I finished all but 50 pages of this book in a single day (when I should have been working, no less) and I read The Knife of Never Letting Go in a day as well.
But I have a huge problem with this novel: none of the three main characters work for me.
Viola simply doesn't seem like a girl who has spent her entire life on a colony ship, someone who has never experienced rivers, mountains, oceans, the sky open forever above her. She also doesn't seem like a person who recently lost her parents either (I don't think that even gets mentioned once by her in this book.)
I could do a much better job ignoring this last novel when she wasn't a viewpoint character. Who she is described as doesn't gel with who she presents and it was a major problem.
Todd, unfortunately gets hit with a stupid stick throughout the novel as I mention earlier but the ending just so appallingly dumb I can only assume that the Mayor has been controlling him all along (despite protestations to the contrary, though this would undercut the collaboration theme) because otherwise I simply cannot empathize with him any longer - he is just too naïve and stupid. I also don't buy his collaboration arc - for a person whose dad was killed by the Mayor it is just simply too easy. (I also think Ness makes far too much of the "Todd won't kill" thing, especially since he did once already. )
Which brings us to the Mayor, who unfortunately is still a cardboard cutout of a villain who seems to merely do the author's plot-point bidding. His motivations are still nonexistent and he is just evil personified. If he'd spent less time on stage, I'd be less bothered because then he could just be "the enemy"
I'll withhold judgment on the trilogy until the last installment appears but my stance on book two is pretty meh. (However, I did find the book an interesting, if flawed read, so I do recommend it.)
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05:47 pm - Hrm
I have broken the arm on my desk chair (which unfortunately supports the back rendering the chair unusable.) I can only assume it was due to improper sitting.
Where can I get some superglue in this damn country?
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02:42 am - Where are all the birds?
1. Hey, baby, it's the fourth of July. Happy birthday, America.
2. Birds flit in and out on the Tube cars all the time when I'm going to work in the morning (sometimes taking a commute to Goldhawk Road.) I leave the door to my balcony wide open all the damn summer and I always expect to come home and find a bird in my flat and never have. I guess even the birds hate the yellow walls and weird mum-flat decorations.
3. I work with a guy, D., who drives me nuts because not only does he not listen, but he thinks he knows how I should prioritize my work [1]. A typical exchange goes like this:
D: What I want to do is hit the schematics really hard, and get them all done by next Friday so we'll be a week ahead.
Me: I told you yesterday I don't have any schematics ready because I can't draw them until after I've done the engineering. (Note: My CAD person has a week backlog of drawing to do for me, so it's not like I'm making her sit idle.)
He also thinks I am going to be done early so he can pull my CAD person[2] early. This isn't going to happen. Not because I am selfish but because I am basically on track to get the job done on time and my days are long enough.[3] He keeps saying "So you are practically done" and I say "No, I really am not" and then he reported to his boss that I was practically done this afternoon anyway.[4]
4. Why aren't I asleep yet? I am glad my neighbor is a bit deaf so I don't really worry about annoying them when I listen to music at time ungodly.
5. Heat wave is well and truly broken. I'm rather chilly.
[1] The problem is he wants to get as much drawn as possible really fast.[5] I need to get the things done that might break the building or have a knock-on effect for a lot of other disciplines first. These are not the things that generate dozens of markups for the CAD people. As overworked as we are, I simply can't generate a bunch of drawings quickly just to make him happy. (And since I've already had a huge pile of markups sit for over a week, I'm not going to add to my already long days just to make more markups because that's his agenda.)
[2]Her initial is also D so I will stick to calling her CAD person because it will make this story too confusing.
[3] In our group this makes me super ahead. Various factors like architects delivering drawings late without any schedule slip means we always have to play catchup.
[4] I almost hollered across the room "No, I'm not" but I figured that would be rude.
[5] I would prefer that things are drawn correctly, not fast.[6]
[6] Yes, it's pretty much always one or the other.
Current Music: x - 4th of July
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July 2nd, 2009
09:06 pm - Oh maybe I was just watching real genius or something...
Poll #1424308 Like drinking from a fire hose ...
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllReputation Movie Representative Graduate Not Graduate Location There was probably another question
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June 26th, 2009
08:35 pm - Doing it at the Christmas Party
Poll #1421589 sexyworkbumbumbum
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllHave you ever had a sex dream about a coworker? Were you attracted to the coworker in question (ticky in case you do it a lot)?
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06:43 pm - Curiosity in poll form
Poll #1421555 I know some of you lot work in labs
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllIf you work/study/frequent where there is an emergency shower, where is it located?
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June 17th, 2009
07:14 pm - I want to believe you
Second-Hand Information by Jennifer Linnaea has some interesting worldbuilding but doesn't do much with it and the voice REALLY didn't work for me.
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June 16th, 2009
06:53 pm - If I were a beauty pagent queen, I would represent the moon
Cardinal in a Forsythia by Rick Moody - As you might expect from Rick Moody, this isn't so much a story as a pointillist painting in words that celebrates rhythm and the shape formed by words in proximity, and when you stand back enough, a shape of a life appears.
For my taste I enjoyed the lost section more than the found, though I thought he nailed the landing with the last line.
Go read, it's short.
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June 15th, 2009
06:26 pm - You know I like to spoil you
Superhero Girl by Jessica Lee isn't so much a fantasy as a story about the fantasy of trading in your everyday self for someone else, someone more interesting, someone who's pain means something to the world and letting yourself believe the lies you are told because that way you have home.
The portrayal of someone undergoing chemo isn't terribly believable, but in a way it doesn't matter as I do like the idea of this story.
I'm not too sure about the lover embracing the fantasy that Ofelia has constructed for herself, but I'm not sure how I'd like the story to end otherwise either. I feel like there ought to be a zag that could open this story up beyond what's here that would embrace both the reality and the fantasy and I'm not quite getting what it is.
Anyway, overall, I think quite a nice first sale.
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June 14th, 2009
10:18 am - Now that I'm caught up ...
"Hungerford Bridge" by Elizabeth Hand - I always feel like her characters are creepily fetishized[1] and I am just not interested in her kinks. Anyway, this is an incredibly dull vignette about a lunch between two old friends (and almost feels like it could have been made from the scraps of her other work) and a magic secret.
[1]She has the special snowflake problem. (Also, people aren't fascinating just because you say they are. They actually need to fascinate.)
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09:51 am - Whew!
I FINALLY thought of a Father's Day gift for my dad.[1] He is the hardest person to buy things for. [2] (Not in a he is picky and doesn't like things way, in a he doesn't need or want much of anything, so it always feels like anything I get for him is useless.)
In other news, the space bar on my keyboard seems to be dying.
[1]I bought him the Planet Earth DVDs.
[2]No, really, he's much harder than than whatever counterexample you just thought of.
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08:36 am - We like reading
"Predecessor" by Jeff Vandermeer is a bit of a Island of Dr Moreau ripoff and is littered with silly things like long corridors where the lights go out as the main character walks by. It reminds me of a haunted house put on by a bunch of lazy high school students-it might scare you if you really want to be scared.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim is a story that I first encountered as the delightful movie and it turns out that a lot of the dialogue is lifted more or less straight from the book. It's one of those rare books that wallows in being pleasant without ending up as cloying or boring. The movie does improve on the book in one area - rather than falling in love with Lady Caroline because she's so beautiful, the movie makes Briggs terribly nearsighted and unable to appreciate her physical beauty.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness As a sf-nal concept, Noise is kick-ass. Noise is basically every thought, every feeling you have being broadcast all the time. Think of it as Twitter that you can't ever shut off or censor yourself on.
Todd Hewitt is the last boy in the last settlement on a planet all the women have died from the same plague that created the Noise. Except everything Todd's ever been told is a lie. Except for the bit where animals can talk, because also? Animals can talk in this book. (And they talk just about how you imagine they might - Sheep just say "Sheep!" and dogs talk about needing a poo and you get the idea.)
This is a coming of age story (unapologetically so - we get frequent updates on how many days until he'll be a man) and that aspect works really well - the struggles Todd faces learning that there are other people (!), women even (!!) and that women don't have Noise (!!!) is compelling and yet not that different of any person struggling to navigate human relationships.
What didn't work for me is the bad guys - they were mostly just cartoonish sexist jackasses who I would imagine would be the same sexist jackasses without the Noise. They were mostly off stage, so I hope in future books in the series they get a bit of depth and nuance.
An enjoyable read, but I don't find myself all that compelled to read the next book in the series despite this book ending on a cliffhanger.
"If Wishes Were Horses" by Tiffani Angus-Bodie feels more like the start to a story than a complete story in itself. I liked the voice of the piece, but at just over one thousand words, it doesn't have enough room to really go anywhere, which is too bad.
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June 11th, 2009
09:42 pm - Dear Internet,
NO!
nolove,
me
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/nolegs/uncomfortable.gif) cryptic
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08:39 pm - Dear Canadians,
How is it none of you told me that Jay Manuel hosts Canada's Next Top Model? You are all dead to me![1]
love,
me
ps seriously, how did I miss this?
[1] This is totally going on the list of crimes canada committed against me.
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June 10th, 2009
08:44 pm - Let me list for you my mistakes ...
1. Mistake number 1 was listening to the TFL website when it suggested a route home.
2. My second mistake was believing that there would be room for me on the bus.
I am very weary now and the worst part is this stupid strike lasts another day.
I did very nearly have to roshambo my boss when he walked in this morning and chirpily announced how he got to work faster than usual.
(On the opposite spectrum, the 17-year-old kid we traded to another group claimed it took him five and a half hours to get into work today. According to his boss he immediately then went for an hour's lunch. It is unsurprising that we are super happy we traded him away.)
It is amusing how the two sides try to play up the results of the strike. TFL was saying that the strike was a failure because there was some service on all lines. The union was crowing about how tomorrow was going to be even more awesome annoying than today. I kinda hate them both right now.
Friday I probably get to spend the day playing with the architects for British Museum which means I don't actually have to take the Tube at all.
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June 9th, 2009
10:01 pm - The Brutality and Banality of Suburbia
Jonathan Frazen's Good Neighbors is the sort of story that is almost painful to read because it feels almost like voyeurism. The suburban dynamics are perhaps the best part of the story because they are so grounded and reconizable. They are in some ways the worst thing about the story as well as everyone in the story is really unpleasant.
As does life, it goes on until the end.
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June 8th, 2009
06:25 am - True Names
I just want to say if it turns out the whole story is a simulation being run by Brobdingnag there is going to be hell to pay.
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June 7th, 2009
02:29 pm - Nothing like a talking suitcase to brighten your day
"Shades of White and Road by Camille Alexa is a sweet story, and I mean that as a compliment. It's a story of friendship and learning what matters to you, and also has a talking suitcase. It begins:
It came to me that I should run away from home taking nothing but myself and so I thought I would and so I did. I’d not gone ten turns of the spiral before a small leathery suitcase began to tag along in my invisible wake. “Take me! Use me! Fill me!” it said. “Please, please fill me; I need to be filled.”
A catchy opening, and the narrator quickly finds herself followed by not just a suitcase, but also a fishing pole, bucket, blanket and a host of other objects. As first she is resentful of their presences, but quickly moves past accepting them to considering them her friends. They are taken from her by a beautiful man who doesn't understand their value as he is as shallow as her parents she left behind.
The story is told in a slightly formal style that sits well with the absurdist playful content and vibrant imagery. Quite enjoyable for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
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June 6th, 2009
04:17 pm - Magic Thief: Lost by Sarah Prineas
Disclaimer: Read this one in manuscript as well.
I think a lot of the things that people will have liked in the first book are here again, especially the Nevery-Conn-Benet interactions. (Note to Sarah: Not NEARLY enough Benet in this book.) It is as pleasant as wearing an old and comfortable shoe. For my tastes this was a bit too much of a revisiting of the things from the first book (I know a lot of people want the next book to be exactly same, only different and those folk will likely be very happy with this book. I'm more of a I-want-the-game-completely-changed-in-ways-I-never-expected sequel girl.)
The big let down for me is the ending where Conn lets himself be imprisoned in one of those TV moments that make no sense once you spend a second picking them apart.
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June 5th, 2009
05:42 pm - It's just not a story
"Timepiece" by Gay Partington Terry up at Fantasy this week isn't actually a story, it's more of a writerly doodle. The sort of thing where a writer knocks off a first paragraph and doesn't really have any idea what to do with it so it sits on the shelf of never-to-be stories. In this case the author expanded it from about 100 words to 1000 words and pretty much redid what she'd already done in the first paragraph.
Which is too bad, it might have been nice if it had gone somewhere, but a story of dogs that stopped time by eating the hands of a clock just doesn't warrant 1000 words.
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June 4th, 2009
08:07 pm - The Secret to Meetings
The ultimate goal is to never attend any meetings ever except those which are genuinely productive. This is probably about as attainable as my quest to learn how to fly by jumping off walls when I was wee.[1]
However, my secondary goal is to attend a meeting and not end up with any meaningless or annoying tasks assigned to me. This one I cracked today by jumping in every time there discussion of something that might get dumped on me and assigning it to someone else.
[1] What you do is start and the short wall and work your way up until at some point you don't jump, but fly and then it is all easy-peasy zoom zoom zoom. I was an early practitioner of SCIENCE.
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07:16 pm - Story a Day Breaks My Heart
"The Giving Heart" by Corie Ralston in this week's Clarkesworld is a story of a soon to be married guy who cuts out his heart and gives it to his intended at his wedding - it's all the rage, you see. The title makes me wonder if it's meant to be a satirization of Shel Silverstein's The Giviing Tree.
It starts out well enough with the groom and his best (girl) pal at store looking at a sample heart that's been encased in lucite. The story has the romcom setup where you know that she's the one who's right for him and they are going to end up together at the end. Unfortunately, this story needs a hella lot more bite than a romcom to really work. (The tentacles were suitably gross though - that's what this story needed - MOAR TENTACLES.)
I recommend you read "Guilt" by Judith Budnitz instead which has a similar premise -- someone gives away their heart to a loved one (mother, not future spouse in that story) -- and a far better execution.
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June 3rd, 2009
07:36 pm - A Story a Day makes my head go explody
Or something. Anyway, today's story happens to be "Walking with a Ghost" by Nick Mamatas which is up over at Clarkesworld.
30 second summary: College student makes an H.P. Lovecraft AI who gets out on the interwebs, and his creator gets all emo about it.
The ultimate question: Doesn't work.
Why? We'll leave aside that I didn't find it amusing, so I would never say I enjoyed it, but ultimately it gets a fail from me because the resolution hinges around a quote from Lovecraft I've never seen before. (The quote gets a rocking six hits on Google so I am not going to label myself utterly clueless[1]. I assume it might push the buttons for the super Lovecraft fans, but I don't think it succeeds as a story.)
[1] Yes, feel free to tell me how everyone has heard that quote before and that I live at the bottom of a barrel of oats.
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June 2nd, 2009
01:30 pm - I appear to have the Pigfluenza
or some other form of crud. Yep, I am out sick from work today after one full day back at work. Which is too bad because I have a crushing pile of things to be done.
I have a problem with the small presses. They don't publish nearly enough fiction to satisfy me and it seems like I mostly walk around the dealers room mumbling to myself "got it, got it, got it, don't want it, got it...." Why do they torture me so!?! (yes, that money thing, I know - I prefer to assume they all hate me personally.)
Anyway, one of the purchases I did make at Wiscon this year was The Fantasy Writer's Assistant by Jeffrey Ford from around a decade ago that's been reprinted by Golden
Gryphon.
( Here's what I thought of it )
Current Mood: sick
Current Music: the outside world
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May 29th, 2009
09:24 pm - Answer the eternal question!
No, not shark vs. bear. The other question, since celia wasn't able to do it properly.
Poll #1407831 mean-off!
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllWho is the meanest? Bonus question: What is the base unit of mean?
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May 27th, 2009
12:22 am - The tail end of Wiscon
Well, my flight boards in about 10 minutes and then in another oh, ten hours if I get lucky at immigration I will be home home home in parts foreign.
see you all next year. (except for those of you I will see sooner.)
love,
me.
ps, no posting the mean poll, CELIA, while I am in the air.
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May 24th, 2009
06:16 am - The Story so far ...
I have a great love of bidding on things at the Tiptree auction. I don't usually want the things I bid on, but I do like to shout out numbers.[1] For a while tonight it looked like I was going to end up buying a magazine with a naked picture of Ellen Klages, but some lucky soul outbid me.
But then the Tiptree auction started getting a bit out of control when people started shoving money down Geoff Ryman's underwear. I'm pretty sure the clips should already be up on YouTube.
[1] Why yes, I had been drinking, why do you ask?
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May 22nd, 2009
02:51 am - the anti-twitter
Deb and Sarah are on my list.
Also, Marsha is not allowed to run the elevator all weekend.
Edit: Marsha has declined to sell her soul for a best-selling novel.
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May 21st, 2009
08:44 pm - Mistakes were made...
since the day's not over, I'm sure I'll be updating this later:
1. Not wearing sunscreen.
2. Thinking a place was half a mile from another place when it was more like 2 miles. (There and back was rather more than I'd planned to walk around noontime. In case you are wondering, yes, I am a lovely shade of pink.)
3. Failing to buy any books. Clearly first day of con syndrome. I don't want to commit my pennies until I see what's in the dealers' room.
4. Failure to eat lunch may or may not be added to this list later. (I was fortified by all the bacon.)
Now I am thinking a nap before the peeps start arriving in earnest. (though the big cup of coffee I just swilled may make this not so easy.
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03:47 pm - Return of Baconstravaganza
I had:
Bacon and pancakes and maple syrup
bacon and eggs
bacon and toast
bacon and sausage
bacon and coffee
bacon and orange juice
bacon and bacon
mmmm bacon.
Last night before crashing I kept looking at my laptop clock and thinking "How is it only 10 pm in England? I feel like collapsing" The answer is, somehow my laptop had lost 4 hours and it was really 2 am.
Did fairly well on the whole jetlag thing and slept until 7.30 with a brief wakeup at 3 am. Probably as good as can be hoped for.
Now I am off to look for books.
mmmm bookses.
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12:17 am - just like twitter
I have drunk the first appletini of Wiscon.
Rode the hotel shuttle with Karen Joy Fowler.
Am now watching the Ellen Klages show from across the Govenor's Club.(Amusingly there is an all wimmem table next to an all male table and never the twain shall meet. Even the couple I recognize has split to the appropriate sides.)
Anyway, bored with twitter mode now, but am triffically tired, so I plan on not making much sense.
Resd Graceling on the plane and it was quite good. The pacing seemed a bit off though. The baddie was onstage for about as long as a sneeze and then people stood around nattering for the rest of the book.
Now I am going have the first spotted cow of the season.
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May 20th, 2009
10:40 am - I forgot to bring the official hat
I am currently ensconsed in some crap lounge waiting for my jetplane to get called to board. Check in and security were a breeze. The plane looks to be a pretty full flight.
I'm always a bit amazed how often complete strangers will aask me to watch their stuff. Do they not hear all those announcements.
Whoops plane boarding now so better run.
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May 19th, 2009
07:04 pm - You know what I like about the SF world?
All my cool people know all my other cool people. (And I had no idea!)
Less than 24 hours to Wiscon! (well for those of us who get in early. see the most of you on Thursday) And I'm even packed and know where my passport is!
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May 18th, 2009
06:27 am - Sound off!
All right people, those who have not been crushed by the failing economy and are still coming to Wiscon, soundoff here!
Those whe are not going may post an amusing anecdote. (Note: youtube does not count as an anecdote.)
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May 17th, 2009
02:08 am - Ways in which I am not a genius
I'd plan to work from home today, but then I forgot to mail myself the files I need to do the work. (Unrelatedly, the program I need to do the other work stuff I need to do this weekend is not working, so I can do nothing so far today.[1] I took a nap instead. And I made a new icon. Anyone need wikipedia vandalized?)
I have one of those computer mouses with a scroll wheel in the middle and I seem to have developed a habit of clicking it instead of scrolling which makes webpages have a weird drift until I notice what's going on.
Remember that post where I'd done something stupid? Well I have achieved total vindication! (or something) Basically I'd sent an email that said "you suck at your job, and we aren't paying you to fix your mistakes." They sent back an email saying "no you suck. And we plan to take our ball and go home if you say we suck again" so then my project manager sent back an email saying "suck it, you suck asses!" and all was right in the world.
I had a dream recently about the MILLIONS you can make on book tours. My subconscious is clearly delusional.
[1]Yes, I started this post quite some time ago. And boo, I never did do anything worklike. Now I need to go into the office tomorrow. I will be a busy girl until I flee on holiday Wednesday.[2]
[2]Wiscon, woo!
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May 14th, 2009
09:56 pm - Next stop: The S train
I have been assimilated.[1]
(Yes, I do use Brit proper Brit spelling all the time at work[2], but I think this is probably the first time I'd done so unconsciously.
[1]Of course we did have a chat at work today about how Spain and Australia are just the same to Americans, so perhaps not so much. (Point 1: They are both not in America. Point 2: Oh I forget what point 2 was, it was part of a long afternoon of people mocking me for my fiesty American ways.)
[2]Except when I forget, so my prose ends up being an unholy mishmash. It distracts people from my comma use though.
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05:09 pm - Can't spell hypocrite without the hippos
I was thinking of writing post number 34245343 complaining about people pimping things in their blogs and then I realized I had something to pimp and now I have a complete and utter quandry:
How to make the transition to my own pimporama while complaining at the same time.
Greg van Eekhout is my favorite pimper as not only does he have a name that's fun to say, he also always makes me laugh when he pimps things like NORSE CODE. (Even if he was contractually obliged to call it Norse by Norsewest.
Charlie the patriot witch Finlay, on the other hand fills his pimpitude with subliminal messages that prevent me from complaining about it. I think it also compels people to floss, so it's totally a public service.
Sarah "next book has dragons, I swear!" Prineas tempts us not only with magic and thievery, but biscuits. And who can resist hot buttery biscuits and bacon?
And if you were feeling like reading was way too much effort for a gloomy day in May and your TV remote was really far away? You could listen to this.
Oh, and if any of the peeps are still watching top model? (or reading this entry) THAT WAS THE MOST AWESOME CRAZY FINAL RUNWAY YET!!!!! (for those of you who did not watch, as a finale, all the models got slicked up with what looked like motor oil and then instead of walking the catwalk writhed around on the floor.) The actual episode was a bit of a bore since it was clear it was Teyonna in a walk since like week 2. I expected Aminah to be in the final two though, not bride of chucky.
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May 13th, 2009
05:04 pm - You know that day?
Where you are doing something that's a mistake, but you are just so annoyed that you do it anyway even though you know it is going to bite you on the ass?
Oh yes, that is my day. Anyway, have a poll:
Poll #1399309 Duct tape can fix everything
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllI have used duct tape to fix: Hey wait, wasn't this poll supposed to be about doing stupid stuff?
All right, now entertain me, monkeys!
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May 6th, 2009
05:41 pm - Burning down the house
I'm spending some quality time reading about museum and library fires this evening, and all I can say is get some insurance y'all if you don't have any[1].
[1]Also, back up your hard drive.[2]
[2]What? All can be more than one thing, you know.
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May 3rd, 2009
01:59 pm - Dollhouse: The show that doesn't even try to make sense
B-Plot - Let's just get the creepy plot out of the way first. Faith is doing some of that alleged charity work they mentioned way back when. Of course, it appears that not only did they somehow subject a traumatized girl to a painful brain scan[1] and then made Faith into a creepy adult copy of her, but all the people who are supposed to be helping the girl have never heard the word confidentiality and spill all the beans about the girl to a new volunteer making her first visit. And no one calls the police when Faith clearly knows all about the girl's trauma before she arrived? Well done, social workers.
Why doesn't it surprise me that this was all Topher's idea?
A-plot: Oh, Helo, as much as I'd love to see Mellie die just to get her off the damn show, driving her to suicide so her handler will come get her is disturbing as hell. In my alternate version of dollhouse[2] Helo mentions yellow flowers and she flips to evil!mellie and breaks his neck instead. And then bakes a lasagne.
Let's see, Alpha is a crazy, manipulative psychopath and he sends you a bauble with a "clue." What do you do? If you are Adelle you send Sierra on the wild goose chase, falling for it hook, line, and sinker rather than preparing for him to come and get you, as everyone else knows he will.
Then again, they can't manage to keep Helo off their backs, so what chance did they have against someone who isn't an idiot?[3]
Raise your hand if you thought Walsh was Alpha the moment he appeared on screen?[4] Because this show is nothing if not predictable.
FUCKING FINALLY TEAM ALPHA MAKES HIS MOVE. GOOOOO ALPHA![5]
Seriously, after all the shenanigans that have gone on, why does their security suck so much?[6]
Meh, on the Faith/Alpha natural born killers bit at the end.
[1] Don't blame me for the nonsense. We learned that last week when Faith became the middle-aged woman with the boytoy husband.
[2] You know, where the show doesn't suck. It exists only in my head, and possibly in Hannah's and Celia's heads, too.
[3]Ok, creepy idiot. (I'd have called him hot, but he kept his shirt on the whole show.)
[4] Unlike Celia, I found the fact that Walsh is Alpha to be incredibly distracting. Yes, I get that director's, producers, etc. like to work with certain actors. But I couldn't get Walsh out of my head the whole time.
[5]Except for the bit where Victor is going to die. Poor Victor.
[6]Yes, because in most high security buildings you can shut down the security from any old computer in the building. There is also a big button that says "security off."
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April 26th, 2009
01:16 pm - First You're Wrong. Second, you're wrong again.
Work wrong: My company is currently having the second half of our building built and some genius decided that it would be a good idea to wire the fire alarms together now. Which means any time a smoke detector goes off over there, we get to evacuate our building.
This happens approximately once a week. It's a lot more fun when the weather is nice.
Timing wrong: I managed to turn up a full 24 hours early for a bad TV watching extravaganza (The guy who answered the door in his bathrobe was my first clue.) I'd planned to work today and goof off yesterday. Sadly, once I realized the error of my ways I did not successfully transfer the work portion of the weekend to yesterday. Which means I may not make the TV watching today.
Why does my bank hate prosperity wrong: Aren't I supposed to be spending money to fix the economy? Apparently not too much money or my bank will stop my debit card from working. Yes, I spent a £1000 on a travel pass. My work likes me to show up to work and I cannot be bothered to buy tickets more than once a year. And I bought a plane ticket to America. I am an American and that is where my family lives. I quite like to spend Christmas with them.
And yes, if my card had been stolen, I am sure I would be gleeful that you did not let them empty my account. What I do object to is the 20 minutes I had to spend on the phone sorting it out.
The Mouse ruins everything wrong: I recently read Peter Pan on my teeny computer. I can't believe I never read it before and it was far more dark than I expected. (Especially the bit at the beginning when Darlings were trying to decide if they could keep their children.) Felt the same way when I read Mary Poppins.
At times it was delightful, the narrator a bit annoying and ran a bit longer than I think it should have.
Still, there are some awesome bits in there.
And now I am reading Vanity Fair on the teeny computer. All hail Project Gutenberg!
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April 22nd, 2009
06:13 pm - You win this round, Internets
I decided that to write more I should not be allowed on the internet until I have written a certain number of words per day. However, I (of course) thought of a really good reason why I HAD to get on the internet.
And then I discovered my internet is dead.
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April 21st, 2009
08:16 pm - Feeling the Heat
It is not a good sign that I know how hot it must be for us to be sent home (36 deg C, if you want to know) and it only made it up to 27 in the office today but since the ventilation was on OFF or rather BROKEN it felt like a million.
The heat made us all a bit punchy, so we played a bit of squish-ball cricket, mocked people and complained a whole lot. We were all really sleepy all afternoon. I'm surprised we didn't collapse into a puppy pile.
Last weekend was a pricey weekend - bought my annual tube ticket, and flights home for christmas because they were dirt cheap (and priced flights for another trip in September, those will come this weekend.)
British Museum is kicking to high gear, and as they have the monies to build it, it is unlikely to die. Which is generally a good thing. Busy is good. (Except for the massive overwork thing-we really need another guy. Upside is I worked 26.5 hours of overtime last week, so many monies for me to pay off my expensive shopping weekend.)
I was a bit afraid that I might be moved to another (larger) project as one of our senior guys is retiring in September and there isn’t anyone else of the right level to take it over. (And the PM was razzing me about it, though I think he was more serious than my boss says since he brought it up in the staffing meeting this week.) Boss says we are going to get a loaner or try to transfer someone in. But I shall be staying on BM which makes me happy as I like the team (both ours and the other firms') and it is interesting. I would have liked the other project as I do like the team on it, but I'd rather take the BM all the way through rather than picking up a larger project from someone else. The Abu Dhabi project that has been haunting me for the last few months is staffed by jackass architects.[1] It really makes work a lot less fun.
I have just had awesome garlicky dinner and am now ready to sleep the sleep of the just. (and the lazy - I am one or the other.)
[1] Difficult [2] and rude are really not the same thing as this project has driven home. Everyone complains about the architects.
[2] It is understood that lead architects on a prestige project will be a pain in your ass. That's why the client hires them.
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