This journal is about 80% closed to the general public. If something personal or about another is mentioned, that post is friends only. Other than that, the random fandom stuff is public. Feel free to comment on anything you see, I don't get offended easily if you don't agree with me.

If we've talked and hit it off in some community or comment-chatted somewhere just drop a line here and say hello. I try my best to keep up with my flist so I'm not up to the random-friending bit. Fair warning, you might have to deal with me and my whining about life and how David Tennant just doesn't get naked on Doctor Who the way he should.

I mean, isn't the BBC known for it's more risque television?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Now off to work I go :(

I'm having a problem playing back an avi file on my macbook. The video plays just fine but there is no audio. I downloaded a couple codecs and programs that are supposed to help but they didn't. The codecs didn't instal anywhere, they just went straight to my downloads file. I put then in my Applications file but they still don't work. Any suggestions?

Obviously I don't want to be all spoiler-ific about it (but if you care to comment and talk about it, I will) but New Moon was OMG SO FUCKING BRILLIANT/BEAUTIFUL/PERFECT!!!!!

No, I have not read the book recently, or in the last year, but I'm really glad I didn't. As a movie, it was amazing. Visually stunning, vibrant, and flowed near seamlessly.

The Volturi- everything I wanted. Alice- oh, hun, ily. Bella and Edward- so much more believable and well done/acted in this movie. I got that they were each other's end all. Jacob-

....

...

..

If they looked like that when I was 17 I wouldn't have been a virgin still. Just sayin'. The first time he took off his shirt there was a collective female gasp! throughout the theater. And Taylor, oh, he's the perfect Jacob. All the emotions translated in this one so well.

Jackson Rathbone needs to give me a call NOW PLEASE.

I want to see it 20 more times before it's gone from the theaters. Will I? No, still really broke.

Hey, abitofayla, remember *this*?

The book that’s been on my shelf the longest: I still have my copy of Charlotte's Web from when I was a little girl. The kid found it yesterday and asked to borrow it :)

A book that reminds me of something specific in my life (a person, a place, a time, etc.): This would be Cry to Heaven for me. I was reading Anne Rice at the time, but was only in to the vampire and which series, although I had read Rames at that point. I think I was twelve or thirteen? I saw it, with the red cover and the gorgeous art and bought it... and didn't read it for months. I could never get past the first chapter. Then, that summer my mom sent me to stay with my dad for a few weeks and I just remember it was this crappy house where he lived with two twenty two year old girls and the entire place smelled like pot and they were always smoking so I read. It has since become my most reread book, my copy is covered with that plastic book protector stuff and is highlighted and written in everywhere. I love that book. I love the language, the flow, the rhythm of it. The pages are yellowed, the spine is hardly legible. It's still in a box somewhere post-Katrina in my stepfather's house. It didn't matter how many times I read it though high school and after I always thought of how difficult it was for me to get into because of the subject matter and that summer and all the time I spent with my father... and, yes, what a disappointment he was, and all the drugs I was around but didn't want to be and didn't want to tell my mom about. In hindsight I can realize that they were also doing a bunch of coke too, now that I know what people look like when they're tweaked out. It was the only book I brought and it became a really good escape. I read it three times back to back in those two weeks, very slowly.

A book I acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.): My paperback copy of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere was loaned to me by Erik's friend Daniel when I was 18. Daniel had loaned it to Erik and Erik's dad had thrown it out the house after Daniel and Angel one time when he kicked them out for visiting Erik. So, months later we're visiting Daniel and I see the book and he tells me the story of how he got it back, and it hitting him. Sometime later within a year I got kicked out the same way- but he threw a cookbook out after me. Good times.

Other than that, jessicakmalfoy sent me Lucas as a Christmas gift one year and I fell in love.

A book that’s been with me to the most places: That's a toss up between Cry to Heaven and The Great Gatsby.

The most recent addition to my shelves:That would be The Zahir by Paulo Coelho. I haven't had the, um, funds to purchase more books so I'm going through my book shelf right now. It was suggested to me by a girl in a convenance store and I went and bought it right away. Amazing story. I find sometimes that the translation of books from one language to another loses some of the story, and this one wanted to make me learn

A bonus book that I want to talk about but doesn’t fit into the other questions: There are so many! How about how Good Omens and American Gods are the two books I always gift to people. Or how no other author puts me in a mood to write like the way Michael Ondaatje does, especially In the Skin of a Lion. Or the first series of books that made me fall in love with reading was the Wrinkle in Time series my Madeline L'Engle.

A book that you no longer have:The cookbook that Erik's dad threw at me. It was all about how to make desserts with sweetened condensed milk. I loaned it to someone and never saw it again, but I can't recall who.

A book you have but don't like:Purfume: The Story of a Murderer. I cannot express enough how NO ONE should read this book. It isquite possibly the worst piece of literature out there, and that says quite a bit. Just- the ending! I have never been more disgusted by the outcome of a book in my entire life!

On a funny note- my kid calls breasts "boobs". How do I know this, you may ask...

Well, I was writing a paper today and said kid comes and sits next to me. Me, being the annoying mother that I am, poke him in the stomach. This starts a poking war. At one point he misses and hits a- you guessed it!- boob. His response:

"Sorry, mom, I didn't mean to hit your boobs."

Yes, I laughed. For a while.

sometimes, youtube yields something absolutely fucking brilliant.

I need three songs if anyone can help me.

Stroke 9 "Little Black Backpack"
The Rolling Stones "Laugh I nearly Died"
Broken Social Scene "Lover's Spit"

The first one has been stuck in my head for days ever since they played it on the radio a few days ago and it's been killing me. I had forgotten about it but now it's just sorta stuck in there. The other two I just want. Kudos to whoever can guess which tv show I've been watching has which song in it, even more if you can guess what ep of that show. Kudos are good for many things, you need them in life.

I love youtube for little gems like this. Totally awesome!



And I have to ETA this:

Sometimes I miss my lip ring. Other times I remind myself that for some reason I was never allowed to keep it for too long.

A couple really good things happened today regarding the theft of my jewelry. Since, ya know, I'm not working and all that, my mom said she'd help me get the rest of my things out of storage. After applying at Target (which I think I might like) I called her and she didn't pick up so I headed over there. She had told me that my Mignon Faget Tulips were at her house since I forgot she had borrowed the set for some formal event months ago (yea! not stolen!) and I wanted to pick them up. Mixed with them was Melissa's Tori Amos Raspberry Swirl Girl neckless. People, I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I am over this. I'm wearing it right now. Mine is still gone, since I wore hers more than I ever wore mine it was definitely in the box but I can live with that.

We went to get the rest of my stuff out of storage, the biggest thing being my jewelry armoire that baby's daddy got me for our first Christmas together. Everything else I could have gotten over the week but that I needed my mom's SUV for. After we got everything back to my place I looked in the bottom drawer and sure as shit they went through all my Fossil tins. There was nothing in them, all the watches were in the box with my jewelry that was emptied, I just kept the tins. But tucked in the corner of the drawer was a little burgundy jewelry box. I knew what it was, but I really didn't have any hope anything was still in it. Guess what? It was in there! A few years back when I was at St. Louis Cathedral I bought the kid a very nice masculine rosary, child sized, but seeing as he was only four at the time I wasn't comfortable just giving it to him. I love the fact that my child has a relationship with God, he prays every night and before every meal. He has conversations with me about religion and how God loves everyone and, yes I know, he's seven so I can take this as a child's enthusiasm but it makes me proud. I remember what ended up taking that from me, when I lost complete faith and just became a vague believer. I have never forgiven my stepfather for that, for what he told me when I was still a child. I hope my son never loses his faith. The kid's eyes positively lit up when I gave him the rosary.

Those two things completely made my day so much better.

Place is a mess again because of all the stuff I got out of storage. I'm cleaning it as soon as brat attack goes to bed. I also cleaned out my car yesterday. I don't mean "lightly" cleaned, either. Some of you know me irl and know about my car. I would just like to say, you would pass out if you saw it right now. Siriusly, it's amazing.

All my jewelry was stolen. I'm upset about it, needless to say. I had things in there that meant a lot, as well as things that were very valuable. The one thing I'm the most upset about is my Tori Amos Raspberry Swirl Girl neckless that was Melissa's that her dad sent me after she died. I would always wear it when I was missing her particularly bad. Now it's gone.

Other than that I don't think anything else was missing. They went through everything, there was a mess, but only the shoebox with my jewelry was empty. I guess it could have been worse. Since they were going for electronics I'm happy I got mine out a few weeks ago when I did.

So, school.

It's turning my brain into absolute mush! But I'm doing really well. Really well. I had two tests and a practice final yesterday in Medical Terminology, and the final is today. I don't have my midterm grade back yet for AP&P, but I'll definitely have it by Monday. Despite all that I am shit in math, apparently I'm not so shit when it comes to sciences, which is refreshing. Four hour blocks of one class a day happen to kill my brain when I leave, but a little Mario Party or an hour of mindlessness online (reading random articles, watching some tv show) seems to click it off. Then the next day I'm back to studying. I know I'm only a few weeks in but I'm not freaking the way I thought I would. So this is positive.

I got the kid his Halloween costume Monday! He's going to be an evil jester! Oh, it's creepy! I'm going to say this for the millionth time, I'm sure, but I'm so happy I had a boy. I don't think I could deal with the wanting to be a princess and later, in the preteen years, all costumes being slut-in-training. Seriously, the girl costumes make me want to throw up in my mouth a little. And parents that let their 12 year old daughters dress like that... well, I guess some people want to be extremely young grandparents.

In closing I would just like to say that everyone should be watching Queer as Folk. You're missing out if you're not or haven't.

Want to hear something that sucks?

My storage unit was broken into.

Apparently several units were broken into last night and mine was one of the lucky ones. I'm not going to know exactly what was taken until I go with my mom tomorrow, since it's in her name, I have to go with her. The office put their own lock on it in the mean time.

I had most of my dvds still in boxes in there. I doubt the took my books. I also still had my jewelry in there, but it was in a nondescript shoe box, so I am hopeful.

Fuck.

And looking through my icons I realized I really just need one of Ichigo fucking shit up for when I'm angry. Preferably animated.

After a day of laying around with the kid I feel sick. I guess it's the 'not doing anything' that does it. But, on the up side, he's visibly feeling better.

Yesterday we went to Game Stop (ugh... I hate Lakeside Mall) and picked up two Game Cube controllers and Mario Party 5 and 7 so we'd have some things to do today. We also watched every Harry Potter movie I could find (I don't know where Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets are! oh shit!), Finding Nemo, and The Princess Bride. He killed a lot of chicken noodle soup from Whole Foods and drank more milk than he has in a week, but he said it makes his mouth feel better so... here it is, my weekend, let me show you the adventure.

I can't take any more soup so I just ordered online from Domino's (the Papa John's that delivers here sucks balls so bad- last time all my pizza toppings were on the other side of my pizza) 'cause they have this awesome chocolate lava crunch thing, and sandwiches, and some veggie pizza with parmesan bread. Idk, I'm hungry. Anyway they have this 'confirmation' thing that shows me exactly what they're doing with my order. It just went out for delivery! Yea! Siriusly, it's kinda sweet.

So, there you have it- with the exception of the update on the kid's health- a post of little to no merit.

After, what, four months? I've managed to get furniture here. In. The. Rain. Downstairs my tv is hooked up to the receiver with a dvd player, wii, and my cd player. I have bookshelves (YEA!) and the futon is positioned strategically. It almost looks like people may inhabit this place. My box spring is right outside in the hallway, I'm going to put my bed together tomorrow night, maybe. I'll probably wait until Wednesday, though, since class starts tomorrow and I work then and Tuesday day. So, I'll probably be too tired.

It's still raining.

I'm seriously loving Supernatural this season! I love that this show still manages to be funny, and that they don't follow the patterns most shows get caught up in. I mean it. I love House M.D., fucking adore that show, but every episode goes the same way. So far the only two that have happened so far this season have been completely different but we'll see how this week goes. I'm still upset about my Kumar. But back to Supernatural- ( slightly spoilery side comment but not really if you're up to date... er, sorta ). And that's all I have to say about that.

I'm still not eating well. Went to lunch (if you can call 2p lunch) with Anthony to The Equator. I <3 Thai food. Then spent my day organizing the homestead and running to Target to buy cords since I don't know where any of my hook-ups are for electronic things. The kid got an early jump on this week's homework since his dad won't be around to help until Thursday. He's back home, his grandmother died. Did I ever mention that I'm the worst person to be around if someone you love dies? Please don't call me for comfort, I'm awkward and will probably make you feel worse. I think I didn't fuck up too bad but, eh. Who knows?

I'm now going to watch Howl's Moving Castle since I ended up pulling a box of dvds from storage and it was in there. It's been months.

music suggestion: Mark Ronson's Version
It's the funkiest thing I've heard in a while. Other people's songs covered by other musicians all produced and mixed by Mark Ronson.

Things like this, though, they make me happy.

New The Academy Is... song featuring Andrew McMahon from Jack's Mannequin/ Something Corporate

I went and tried to do something with my life today to get me out of the service industry before I turn thirty. I enrolled in Massage Therapy school. It's a fifteen month course (could have been nine, but I couldn't do the day classes) and you learn several different styles as well as taking several anatomy class and business/marketing. I apparently qualify for student loans and whatnot for it, so it's paid for. I still want my English degree, and it's still my end goal, but I'm twenty eight and tired of smiling at people and telling them how awesome our muffaletta is.

And why, yes, the 'happy ending' jokes have already started.

Something awkward happened today with my son. On the way home we were listening to the radio and they started talking about Nicolas Cage. In case you didn't know he owns a few houses here, one in the FQ that has a reputation for being seriously haunted, or if not, a very bloody history. They were talking about how he got some director to change the filming location of a movie to New Orleans since apparently he's developed some sort of fear of this place? He thought by making himself return here to shoot a movie he would have to face his fears. Yup, what a douche. Shitty thing? One of the radio deejays called him a "bastard". Not in a bad way, but in a joking must be nice to command an entire production to change it's location to suit your whims, lucky bastard sort of way. What do I get out of this?

The kid asking me what a bastard is.

I have this thing that I will answer and explain any question he asks me to the best of my ability. We've even talked about abortion. I remember being a kid, and I know if I don't tell him he'll ask someone else, another kid, and he won't get the correct impression. I started by making it clear that it was not a word he was allowed to say, it was a curse word, but kinda in the same line as crap- just a bit worse. I started to tell him that most curse words had origin elsewhere and were not originally a curse word, but meant something. That ass was a donkey, and that the f word actually means sex, but that they've been used over the years as something derogatory and not correctly anymore. Here is where he pointed out that I said the F word last time I hit my head on the futon armrest. *My kid, still cute.* Anyway, I told him 'bastard' was now the same thing as saying 'asshole' but meant more for only men, just less commonly used. Then I told him what it originally meant.

And then I watched it click for him.

He tells me "So since you and daddy weren't married that makes me that word?" I start to break down the technicalities of it all and tell him how back when it was commonly used couples were married before having kids, it was just how it was done and now it's just as common to not be married. That the word in it's proper use no longer carries the same stigma it used to, and in it's correct form really isn't an insult anymore. We talked about it for a while, and he seemed okay and not upset by the whole thing. I hope I read him right on this one.

One of the things I'm always iffy about with my parenting is my honesty with my kid. With the exception of Santa Claus, I refuse to lie to him. Even about issues like this. I tell him when I make mistakes, or when I'm out of line with things I do in life. We talk about life choices and I am nothing if not blunt with my child, but I always fully explain things, pros and cons. Yes, he's seven, and like I said- this is one of my parenting traits that I'm not always okay with. I just want him to know that he can always come to me for an answer, even the things that may not be comfortable topics. When I don't know something, I tell him I don't know. Then we google it.

He's on page 48 of HP1, or, at least he was before he went to bed to read for thirty minutes before lights out. He does things and says things sometimes that just make me stop what I'm doing and stare. I am amazed everyday by his growth, his intellect, and his ability to comprehend difficult concepts. He's also expressing his emotions vocally so well I want to point him out to his father sometimes and demand he learn a thing or fifteen. When I got pregnant I didn't think much past the point that I was carrying a child. I had no concept of raising one, caring for one, loving one. He is, by far, the best decision I ever made. I just hope that I'm making the right decisions for him now since he can't make a lot of them for himself.

While the Fall Out Boys parts of this video are nice the reason I'm posting this is at the end, when Brendon Urie is singing on the bus with everyone. Just, serious, they're singing Sublime. SUBLIME!

Fall Out Boy - Blink 182 Tour Update 7 from Pete Wentz on Vimeo.

On another note I'm a little tired of me not fixing the things I'm dissatisfied with. I should get on that....