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kouredios
Jan. 22nd, 2008 08:44 pmFor the record, I did NOT tweak this. It came up as my second response when I tried this meme.
By way of
Jan. 22nd, 2008 08:44 pm
Update? No thanks, I'm full.
Jun. 19th, 2007 11:25 pmLong time since my last public post, and I have some news. So of course I'm going to do a meme instead. This is the "eight random facts" meme, for which heatmhub tagged me some time ago. ( International travel, zombie nightmares, and hermit crabs. )
Technically I'm supposed to tag people for this meme. However, I hate tagging people; I always have the nagging worry that there's something else they'd much rather do than this meme. If you'd like to take this on, though, consider yourself tagged.
heatmhub tagged me some time ago. ( International travel, zombie nightmares, and hermit crabs. )Technically I'm supposed to tag people for this meme. However, I hate tagging people; I always have the nagging worry that there's something else they'd much rather do than this meme. If you'd like to take this on, though, consider yourself tagged.
What is this "work" you speak of?
Sep. 14th, 2006 10:25 pmThanks to minyan, I've found a new way to vacuum the cat while pretending to be productive. You may already be familiar with the iTunes Oracle, but this truly combines the uselessness of that meme with the illusion of actually doing work. I give you:
( The iTunes Plot Generator! ) (And yes, I did manage to get some work done today.)
minyan, I've found a new way to vacuum the cat while pretending to be productive. You may already be familiar with the iTunes Oracle, but this truly combines the uselessness of that meme with the illusion of actually doing work. I give you:( The iTunes Plot Generator! ) (And yes, I did manage to get some work done today.)
Meme with four!
Sep. 5th, 2006 11:37 pmGot tagged with the "Four things" meme. ( And I don't need to sleep just yet! )
Books, funny, and dialogue
Jan. 28th, 2006 12:53 amFollowing up on the lists of five things:
From2h2o: ( Five books that don't exist but should: )
Fromsigerson: ( Five sources of my humor )
minyan offered me two options, and I'm grateful for the choice. Option 1 was five characters I'd like to write for, and, well, I have trouble writing for others' characters. (This is part of why I haven't written fanfic.) Either I make them sound stilted and uncomfortable, as if the understudy had been brought on to play their part and hadn't learned all of the lines yet, or it gets so Mary-Sue it would make a stone vomit.
However, she did offer Option 2: ( Five favorite lines of dialogue. )
From
2h2o: ( Five books that don't exist but should: )From
sigerson: ( Five sources of my humor )minyan offered me two options, and I'm grateful for the choice. Option 1 was five characters I'd like to write for, and, well, I have trouble writing for others' characters. (This is part of why I haven't written fanfic.) Either I make them sound stilted and uncomfortable, as if the understudy had been brought on to play their part and hadn't learned all of the lines yet, or it gets so Mary-Sue it would make a stone vomit.However, she did offer Option 2: ( Five favorite lines of dialogue. )
Recently, outsidetheparty posted the "five things" meme (You post a topic, list, category, whatever, in my comments section, then I'll post the answers to all your Top 5 ideas, according to me). He got a really cool request from sanj: what five alternate-universe versions of you are doing right now.
As he pointed out, this is far too cool not to propagate (I'm paraphrasing), and I'm tagging all of you (exceptoutsidetheparty, of course, since he's done it here already).
( What five alternate-universe versions of me are doing right now. )
Incidentally, if anyone wants me to post my top five lists of anything, go ahead and ask. It may take me a while to respond, but I will.
outsidetheparty posted the "five things" meme (You post a topic, list, category, whatever, in my comments section, then I'll post the answers to all your Top 5 ideas, according to me). He got a really cool request from sanj: what five alternate-universe versions of you are doing right now. As he pointed out, this is far too cool not to propagate (I'm paraphrasing), and I'm tagging all of you (except
outsidetheparty, of course, since he's done it here already). ( What five alternate-universe versions of me are doing right now. )
Incidentally, if anyone wants me to post my top five lists of anything, go ahead and ask. It may take me a while to respond, but I will.
News of the Wonk in Review
Dec. 23rd, 2005 08:32 amFirst sentence of the first post of each month, run together into a paragraph:
Several have already posted about the wonderful, wonderful New Year's in the Berkshires, and all I really have to add to that is thank you, all you hosts. Today may be the first time ever that I have heard "Ride of the Valkyries" as background office music. "Bonefields," my second short story to be published, is up at Ideomancer . Today I encountered mole sauce for the first time. So I'm thinking about putting together a Geek Rock cd sometime, and I'd like some suggestions. Just got back from seeing Howl's Moving Castle withthomascantor. I'm back. Yet another irregular update: If you've tried to reach me recently (or if you know people who have -- I'm looking at you, sal_sal), then you know just how disconnected I've been. Saw two movies that I'd been looking forward to for quite a while this weekend. What I did on my summer vacation days off: Long day at work.
A casual observer could be forgiven for thinking that all I do is watch movies, have no life aside from cool things in the Berkshires, and encounter small weird enjoyable things...
...come to think of it, that is what I do. Never mind.
Several have already posted about the wonderful, wonderful New Year's in the Berkshires, and all I really have to add to that is thank you, all you hosts. Today may be the first time ever that I have heard "Ride of the Valkyries" as background office music. "Bonefields," my second short story to be published, is up at Ideomancer . Today I encountered mole sauce for the first time. So I'm thinking about putting together a Geek Rock cd sometime, and I'd like some suggestions. Just got back from seeing Howl's Moving Castle with
thomascantor. I'm back. Yet another irregular update: If you've tried to reach me recently (or if you know people who have -- I'm looking at you, sal_sal), then you know just how disconnected I've been. Saw two movies that I'd been looking forward to for quite a while this weekend. What I did on my summer vacation days off: Long day at work. A casual observer could be forgiven for thinking that all I do is watch movies, have no life aside from cool things in the Berkshires, and encounter small weird enjoyable things...
...come to think of it, that is what I do. Never mind.
(no subject)
Dec. 16th, 2005 10:48 pmI succumb to the meme! (You know, it seems that recently all of my entries have either been memes or David Hasselhoff nightmares. There's probably something in that, but I don't want to pursue it.)
I like this meme. I've been able to do small things for a few friends with it, and since a lot of what I want this year is intangible, this also gives me the chance to ask for some things I wouldn't otherwise receive.
( Holiday Wishes )( My wishlist. )
I'll try to post an update on job, life, writing, family, etc. early next week. Honest.
I like this meme. I've been able to do small things for a few friends with it, and since a lot of what I want this year is intangible, this also gives me the chance to ask for some things I wouldn't otherwise receive.
( Holiday Wishes )( My wishlist. )
I'll try to post an update on job, life, writing, family, etc. early next week. Honest.
Long day at work. I've worked overtime three nights out of four so far this week, and the one night I didn't I went to the gym for the first time in a while. owie sore. Granted, it's not the soul-crushing overtime that several of my friends have suffered from, but it's still a bit draining. Plus I got to stare at quite a few big official documents today and proofread them till my eyeballs bled.
Velvet pants cannot help this. A very full glass of port, though, can. And did, which is why I'm in this nice pink fog at the moment. This isn't quite a drunk post; call it a tiddly post. Hee. I wrote "tiddly." I like to say "tiddly."
I've been having fun with a meme on other journals, and the herd instinct is taking over. So this meme is taken fromsanj and jenwrites and magdalene1 and probably lots of other people that my foggy brain is not remembering:
If you're as bored as I am today, why not post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me? It can be anything you want – good or bad – BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you.
Sadly, the bit about being bored won't apply, coz of me not using LJ during work. But I will respond, just slowly.
Velvet pants cannot help this. A very full glass of port, though, can. And did, which is why I'm in this nice pink fog at the moment. This isn't quite a drunk post; call it a tiddly post. Hee. I wrote "tiddly." I like to say "tiddly."
I've been having fun with a meme on other journals, and the herd instinct is taking over. So this meme is taken from
sanj and jenwrites and magdalene1 and probably lots of other people that my foggy brain is not remembering:If you're as bored as I am today, why not post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me? It can be anything you want – good or bad – BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you.
Sadly, the bit about being bored won't apply, coz of me not using LJ during work. But I will respond, just slowly.
Meme from rissy!
Sep. 14th, 2005 03:57 pmList 10 things (in no particular order) that bring you a moment of joy and tag 5 friends to do the same. (Incidentally, this strikes me as a very healthy meme. I've needed to just step back and think of happy things.) ( List follows. )
Tagging:minyan, woobat, aviatrix18, cincodemaygirl, and cmprince. Have at it!
Tagging:
minyan, woobat, aviatrix18, cincodemaygirl, and cmprince. Have at it!Ai! Mi pantalones!
Jul. 12th, 2005 10:30 pmI saw this meme on wdalphin's journal and thought it was cute. Then I tried it and couldn't stop giggling. You'll see why.
Put your playlist on shuffle.
Document the first 20 songs that come up and add 'in your pants'. (I wussed out and only did 10)
Alison Moyet, "Rise in Your Pants"
Tom Waits, "I'm Still Here in Your Pants"
They Might Be Giants, "Don't Let's Start in Your Pants"
Homestar Runner, "The System Is Down in Your Pants"
Flaming Lips, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in Your Pants, Part 2"
Kronos Quartet, "White Man Sleeps in Your Pants"
Susie Van Der Meer, "Somebody Has to Pay in Your Pants"
Rinde Eckert, "Cleaning out Churches in Your Pants"
REM, "Find the River in Your Pants"
King's Singers, "The Bell Doth Toll in Your Pants"
Heh. Pants.
wdalphin's journal and thought it was cute. Then I tried it and couldn't stop giggling. You'll see why.Put your playlist on shuffle.
Document the first 20 songs that come up and add 'in your pants'. (I wussed out and only did 10)
Alison Moyet, "Rise in Your Pants"
Tom Waits, "I'm Still Here in Your Pants"
They Might Be Giants, "Don't Let's Start in Your Pants"
Homestar Runner, "The System Is Down in Your Pants"
Flaming Lips, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in Your Pants, Part 2"
Kronos Quartet, "White Man Sleeps in Your Pants"
Susie Van Der Meer, "Somebody Has to Pay in Your Pants"
Rinde Eckert, "Cleaning out Churches in Your Pants"
REM, "Find the River in Your Pants"
King's Singers, "The Bell Doth Toll in Your Pants"
Heh. Pants.
I have been tagged, and I must meme.
Jun. 16th, 2005 05:27 pmThings you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play. What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level?
- Walking somewhere wild (i.e. not a garden, not streets, not parks unless they're the kind with wild spots), preferably for at least half an hour. This also helps if I'm trying to work out a knotty plot problem. (Naughty plot problems are another matter entirely.)
- I'm tempted to say "going for a jog," because while I feel like total crap during it, I feel better afterward. But the act itself doesn't make me any calmer than usual.
- Reading -- however, if I want to really relax, then I have to be careful in my choice of book. Good narratives that temporarily block out everything else do it. Stories where I'm getting angry either at characters or on behalf of the characters aren't as relaxing, though they're often as good. I've finished some books and been left with a "well, that was good, but now I'm irritable/depressed/poking holes in the plot" feeling, and that's not as relaxing.
- I'd say needlepoint, but I haven't done much of that lately, and when I do, it's something for my hands to do while my brain does something else. Which explains the number of dropped stitches.
- Baking something (e.g., muffins). However, if I'm baking for an occasion, this tends to increase stress rather than decrease it. Cooking for myself is much more fun.
- Dressing up. Really. If I'm feeling ugly and lumpy, or if I've just been rained on all day, nothing feels better than velvet pants and a slinky top.
- Creating something new.
- If the stress or anxiety is caused by one specific thing (rejected story, job search screwed again), then starting on something new related to that thing helps. Like sending a story right back out after getting it back. Or sending out a metric fuckton of resumes after being turned down for a job. (Has to be metric, though. English fucktons are no good.)
- I have no animal companion, but when I lived with the two Vomiting Furballs, it was awfully relaxing to just sit with one of them in my lap and not think of anything for a while. Of course, I'd eventually have to worry about where they'd thrown up this time.
Tagging with this meme:cincodemaygirl, cute_fuzzy_evil, sal_sal, ltlbird, ethicsgradient.
- Walking somewhere wild (i.e. not a garden, not streets, not parks unless they're the kind with wild spots), preferably for at least half an hour. This also helps if I'm trying to work out a knotty plot problem. (Naughty plot problems are another matter entirely.)
- I'm tempted to say "going for a jog," because while I feel like total crap during it, I feel better afterward. But the act itself doesn't make me any calmer than usual.
- Reading -- however, if I want to really relax, then I have to be careful in my choice of book. Good narratives that temporarily block out everything else do it. Stories where I'm getting angry either at characters or on behalf of the characters aren't as relaxing, though they're often as good. I've finished some books and been left with a "well, that was good, but now I'm irritable/depressed/poking holes in the plot" feeling, and that's not as relaxing.
- I'd say needlepoint, but I haven't done much of that lately, and when I do, it's something for my hands to do while my brain does something else. Which explains the number of dropped stitches.
- Baking something (e.g., muffins). However, if I'm baking for an occasion, this tends to increase stress rather than decrease it. Cooking for myself is much more fun.
- Dressing up. Really. If I'm feeling ugly and lumpy, or if I've just been rained on all day, nothing feels better than velvet pants and a slinky top.
- Creating something new.
- If the stress or anxiety is caused by one specific thing (rejected story, job search screwed again), then starting on something new related to that thing helps. Like sending a story right back out after getting it back. Or sending out a metric fuckton of resumes after being turned down for a job. (Has to be metric, though. English fucktons are no good.)
- I have no animal companion, but when I lived with the two Vomiting Furballs, it was awfully relaxing to just sit with one of them in my lap and not think of anything for a while. Of course, I'd eventually have to worry about where they'd thrown up this time.
Tagging with this meme:
cincodemaygirl, cute_fuzzy_evil, sal_sal, ltlbird, ethicsgradient.There's a lie/truth meme making the rounds in which a person posts several statements, one or more of which is false, and people guess which are the true statements. Well, my identical twin sigerson and I found that a little too tame, so below are six statements about the two of us. Three are true, three are false.
1. The two of us have written over two million words of fiction.
2. Both of us had a crush on Wil Wheaton. Only one of us admitted it.
3. We have both, at some time, actively plotted to kill the other
4. One of us tarnishes silver and the other doesn't.
5. One of us got a drastic haircut in high school for the sole purpose of looking different from the other one.
6. One of us was officially designated "Keeper of the Funny Hats" by the other.
sigerson has posted a completely different list as well.
sigerson and I found that a little too tame, so below are six statements about the two of us. Three are true, three are false. 1. The two of us have written over two million words of fiction.
2. Both of us had a crush on Wil Wheaton. Only one of us admitted it.
3. We have both, at some time, actively plotted to kill the other
4. One of us tarnishes silver and the other doesn't.
5. One of us got a drastic haircut in high school for the sole purpose of looking different from the other one.
6. One of us was officially designated "Keeper of the Funny Hats" by the other.
sigerson has posted a completely different list as well.Unheimlich.
Jan. 10th, 2005 03:51 pmI don't have Freud's essay on the uncanny (in German "unheimlich," literally "unhomely") with me any more, but it's stayed with me ever since I read it in my cyborgs and postmodernism class. One of the things that he cites as triggering the feeling of uncanniness is sameness. Seeing the same number crop up over and over again, for example, or hearing the same phrase in three different conversations, continually getting tails when you flip a coin, etc. I don't remember his reasons for why this is so uncanny, but I think it has to do with a sudden feeling of unreality. Reality has lumps; reality is random; and when something that looks like a pattern emerges, it can jolt us into wondering if we're perceiving reality correctly.
The reason I bring this up is that uncanny moments are a staple of much science fiction, especially reality-blurring work. The hero of a story realizes that something's off when the same thing happens over again, or when deja vu occurs, or when different people have the exact same response to something. It's used as a signifier that something's gone wrong. In some stories, I seem to remember that repetition like this was a sign that reality was actually virtual reality; the computer couldn't produce enough differences to mimic real life. I've considered using a trope like that in some stories, e.g. having the protagonist realize that he's passed the same person on each street corner for the last ten blocks.
And then today I went into a T station in which every ad was for the same company, entered a T car in which every ad was for the same new series, and emerged into another stop in which every ad was for the same product.
Sameness in that sense is no longer as uncanny. In the same way that a man apparently talking to himself now could be using a headset for his cell phone, technology and societal change has made the uncanny familiar.
It makes me wonder what other things I currently find uncanny will become normal in the next few decades.
---
In other news, I came out as Zoe in the Firefly character meme what's going around. I rock.
The reason I bring this up is that uncanny moments are a staple of much science fiction, especially reality-blurring work. The hero of a story realizes that something's off when the same thing happens over again, or when deja vu occurs, or when different people have the exact same response to something. It's used as a signifier that something's gone wrong. In some stories, I seem to remember that repetition like this was a sign that reality was actually virtual reality; the computer couldn't produce enough differences to mimic real life. I've considered using a trope like that in some stories, e.g. having the protagonist realize that he's passed the same person on each street corner for the last ten blocks.
And then today I went into a T station in which every ad was for the same company, entered a T car in which every ad was for the same new series, and emerged into another stop in which every ad was for the same product.
Sameness in that sense is no longer as uncanny. In the same way that a man apparently talking to himself now could be using a headset for his cell phone, technology and societal change has made the uncanny familiar.
It makes me wonder what other things I currently find uncanny will become normal in the next few decades.
---
In other news, I came out as Zoe in the Firefly character meme what's going around. I rock.
taking refuge in memes
Nov. 5th, 2004 02:14 pmThere's a meme making the rounds (I've seen it on sanj's and yhlee's journals) in which you post one sentence from each of the current works in progress you currently have up. I can't think of a meme better suited for my own little writing narcissism; I love giving teasers to stories.
( So here's some things in the works. )
sanj's and yhlee's journals) in which you post one sentence from each of the current works in progress you currently have up. I can't think of a meme better suited for my own little writing narcissism; I love giving teasers to stories. ( So here's some things in the works. )
