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[07 Jan 2009|09:05pm] |
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And now that I'm done being angry about my fish, I'm really sad. :( This sucks bear balls.
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| MOTHERFUCKER! |
[07 Jan 2009|07:41pm] |
I go through all of the worm treatments and sound and fury and drama of getting the lone surviving apistogramma well enough to go in the Battlestar. I put her in and an hour later she's being eaten by a goddamn shrimp. A GODDAMN SHRIMP! She's still alive, but has no tail (like seriously, not just fin, tail itself) and is pretty much a dead fish swimming. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!
Apparently I am not meant to have apistos. I give up. No pretty little cichlids for me.
FUCKERS!
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[07 Jan 2009|12:51pm] |
And now a bit of food science.
I was told in my p-chem class that the reason you add salt to boiling vegetables is because it bursts some of the outer cell walls and makes the veggies appear greener.
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| More LJ stuff |
[06 Jan 2009|08:39pm] |
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mood |
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 blah |
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music |
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Panic At the Disco - Mad As Rabbits |
] |
Morgan Dawn has a metric assload of info on how to move/migrate/save your stuff:
http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/tag/ljtools
Maybe LJ won't be shut down, I sincerely hope it won't be, but it's always good to back your stuff up.
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| Music Review: Gaslight Anthem, Down Down Down, Blackpool Lights, Chromeo, Ani DiFranco |
[06 Jan 2009|07:37pm] |
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mood |
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 okay |
] |
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music |
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Panic At the Disco - Nine In the Afternoon (Radio Mix) |
] |
So Amazon had some free MP3s that I picked up yesterday. Of the five I downloaded, only one of them wasn't a total win. Not bad for free.
Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound
This song sounds so much like a Bruce Springsteen sort of song. But unlike other songs (*cough*Sex on Fire*cough*) it doesn't feel like a bad cover. It's original enough that it doesn't irritate me. Instead it evokes the mood/sound/style of Springsteen in the best way. The lyrics are not exactly uplifting, but then neither were most of Springsteen's. It's a good song and it makes me interested in hearing more from them.
Down Down Down: Run Like Hell
Nice piano, interesting falsetto moments. It feels nostalgic. It reminds me of, the mid-80s in a way. It's catchy and very listenable. The lyrics are a little emo, but that's hardly a criticism. I'm definitely going to be checking out more of there stuff.
Blackpool Lights (myspace link - warning for autoplay): This Town's Disaster
Kind of reminds me of the Toadies. I like the sound and the sort of rough vocals. It's definitely a repeatable listen. I think they'd probably be pretty interesting live, because they sound like they're holding back slightly for the recording, just waiting to break free and really scream it out. Another I'm interested in checking out further.
Chromeo: Momma's Boy
This is the one that disappointed me. The music and vocals are really enjoyable. Very catchy. But the lyrics bug me. They're not grossly offensive or anything, they just happen to irritate one of my personal issues. I still enjoy the song, but I can't listen to it often because of the button pressing thing. I'd have to see the lyrics before I listened to any of their other songs.
Ani DiFranco: Emancipated Minor
And now for something completely different. I'd heard of Ani DiFranco before so I thought I'd give the song a listen. While not exactly upbeat musically, it is a good song and I'm interested in hearing more.
At the time of my posting, all of these are still free.
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| I found this amusing... |
[06 Jan 2009|08:33pm] |
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mood |
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 amused |
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GOVERNMENT TO OFFER TRAINING TO HELP LONG-TERM EMPLOYED BACK ON THE DOLE
The government has today launched its new Train in Vain programme, an ambitious project to move millions of long-term employed Britons onto the dole.
Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said: 'High numbers of the UK workforce haven't set foot in a jobcentre in over a decade, and many of the forms are now a completely different colour.'
The move is expected to save the jobs of up to 3000 Jobcentreplus workers, who had been hit hard by several years of unrelenting prosperity.
Wendy Cross, Operations Director of Jobcentreplus said:
'This is a real shot in the arm for Britain's minor functionaries. Nothing was getting people in the door - we tried coffee bars, soft furnishings and even just giving the money to anyone who turned up with their arm in a cast. The new programme means we can look in detail at the career aspirations of people who have recently been in work, then offer them the first thing that comes along, because otherwise we stop their money. We're going to get the country moving.'
The government has also promised to tackle barriers to unemployment by ensuring the widest range of people are out of work.
'For many years the system has favoured the workshy, the low skilled and lone parents,' argues Cross, 'but finally we have opened up the benefits network to investment bankers, airline pilots and lawyers. If the government continues to steer the same economic course then I think it's safe to say that Britain will end up with one of the most highly skilled unemployed workforces in Europe, if not the world.'
Good news for benefit claimants
In a shock move designed to alleviate some of the worry that these uncertain times provoke, the government has announced that anyone losing their job due to the current financial crisis can take part in a new scheme. Any newly unemployed person who can find a Jobcentre that is open, and manages to make an appointment to see somebody will be entered into a free draw for the chance of their claim being looked at within 8 weeks. Terms and conditions will apply, and these will be announced at a later date.
Swap-around benefit reforms 'will halve claims'
The government has also announced changes to the benefit system which will halve the number of claims and double the efficiency of the system, a DWP spokesperson announced today.
"Basically, what we are proposing is that claimants come into the Jobcentreplus office, undergo a Work Focused Interview, and then swap round to the other side of the desk. The newly unemployed jobcentreplus staff-member will then come in and undergo a Work Focused Interview.
They then swap round to the other side, and so on, until someone has to go home and feed the kids."
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[06 Jan 2009|02:50pm] |
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It always cracks me up when people are utterly surprised that I listen to either a) classical or b) some fairly heavy rock. Apparently I look like a metalhead to some people and like a classical junkie to others. My collection is pretty heavy on female performers but otherwise I wander all over the genres. I also have a pretty decent soprano when I work on it and have sung choral masses before. I couldn't tell you a thing about the current top 40 though.
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| Fiction: Pete The Dragon Slayer (Bandom, Patrick/Pete, NC-17, First Time) |
[05 Jan 2009|02:26am] |
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mood |
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 accomplished |
] |
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music |
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Fall Out Boy - I Don't Care (Cobra Starship Suave Suarez Remix) |
] |
Title: Pete The Dragon Slayer
Fandom: Wentz+Bandom
Pairing: Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz
Rating: NC-17
Category: First Time
Word Count: 2068
Summary: Since Pete was the one who had, inadvertently damn it, made the monster it was up to him to slay it. [Set while they're recording From Under The Cork Tree but there's nothing to really indicate that in the story itself.]
Notes: Um...I blame Robin! Who also kindly gave it an audiencing.
Disclaimer: This story is based on the fannish constructs of bits of the public personas of real people. If you know any of the real people in this story, or are them, you should probably go away now. TV Tropes is a nifty site, check it out!
( The third time Patrick started bitching loudly, and some might even call it shouting, about the way recording was going Pete had finally had enough. )
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[04 Jan 2009|10:56pm] |
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So I finally got around to getting my new ereader up and running and frankly? I love it. I just spent a hour reading werewolf porn while sitting on the couch! It can hold a couple hundred werewolf porn books and weighs less than a hardcover! I can leave my hardcovers at home! I can read cheesy romance novels on my way to work without flashing ridiculous manboob covers at everyone on the Metro! It's pretty much the best. And it's red. This is why Jason wins Boyfriend of Great Awesomeness.
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[03 Jan 2009|01:12pm] |
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Seriously, BBC? Seriously? I am so disappointed in you.
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| Messing about with black and white. |
[02 Jan 2009|01:49pm] |
The light on my quarantine tank is very, very blue for some reason. It's supposed to just be a white CFL, but it's definitely blue. So I played around with the b&W settings on my camera to get pictures of my new swamp darters and killifish. Also got a couple of the dollar sunfish who had to be moved to his own tank because he was being a bastard.
( Darters under the cut )
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[02 Jan 2009|11:11am] |
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[31 Dec 2008|09:37pm] |
Hey, sports fans!
Sometimes ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif) sepiamagpie and I host an online game of the board game Balderdash, which is a game of filthy lies.
The way the game plays: A question is picked from five categories (acronyms, names, words, laws, and movies) and you make up an answer to try and fool the other players into picking yours when they're all read outloud. The real answer is always slipped in during the final reading and points are determined by whether you voted for the right one and who voted for your answer.
Example:
WACKY WORDS: Bobbyalla
And then the answers are read out of order, without the real writers revealed:
player 2: An african animal
player 1: The real term for the laughtrack you hear on sitcoms
real answer: A stubby Tasmanian tree
player 3: An ancient Wicca incantation.
And then the voting and so on.
If you're interested in playing, please leave a message here or drop by on aim. Talk to me: Snacky8 or sepiamagpie voodoohamster.
The game will take place on: FRIDAY AT 7 PM CENTRAL
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| Well, that was unexpected! |
[31 Dec 2008|08:33pm] |
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Because I decided to go buy all of Moira Rogers' books last night for the fabulous ereader Jason got me for Christmas, I won a free month of ebooks from Changeling Press! Apparently good things come to those that impulse buy ebooks?
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| Wherein I Get Tipsy, Reminisce, Look Forward to 2009 and |
[31 Dec 2008|07:07pm] |
Wish You All a Happy New Years on Behalf of Myself and D Kitty
I'm not tipsy yet. D Kitty is attempting to cough up a hairball on my office carpet. Whee!
So, here's a sort of year end "best and worst" wrap up type thing:
Best New Word:: Fabugross. Coined by a poster on TWOP in connection with the "ladies" of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Best Things about 2008, Generally:
1. Election Night
2. Tina Fey.
3. David Cook winning American Idol.
4. The Olympics.
Best Things about 2008, Personally:
1. Losing over 30 pounds and dropping 4 sizes.
2. My Seacloud voyage.
3. My sister's New York Times bestseller book, The Snowball.
4. Yesterday my trainer had me do lunges and hold balances for 3 seconds on one foot in between each lunge. Six months ago I could not have done that. Six months ago I couldn't even do a lunge or hold a balance, much less do them in combination. For goodness sake, one year ago I couldn't even really walk! But yesterday I did those lunge/balance combos, easily. In fact, I kind of enjoyed them! I can not only walk, I can skip and twirl and even run on the elliptical. And I no longer wake up in the middle of the night, crying in pain.
Best Wank:
This is tough, because there was rare wank (A Song of Ice and Fire wank, of all things! ) and large quantities of Twilight wank and Avatar shipping wank and the whole FanHistory mess and the LJ Advisory Board election mess and hilarious Moonlight wank (a personal fav because I loved that cheesey vampire show) and Clay Aiken outing himself and so, so many more but the winner, hands down, was the epic saga:
RDR v. Rowling and WB
I'm not going to link it. There are too many posts and I know people on both sides of the issue and don't want to upset anyone. IMO no matter which side you were on, it was the most noteworthy wank of the year. I used to know SVA (and I will state upfront I think he was very wrong but also very mislead by RDR and I hope that he manages to work through some things and move on to more productive pursuits).
Worst Things about 2008, Generally:
Where do I begin? I'm not going to try to make a numbered list. It's too depressing. Every year end round up in print and on TV reminds us: Spitzer; Blagojevich; The acrimony in the Democratic primaries; "Terrorist!" "Kill him!"; The economy's collapse; the completely boring, unfabugross return of 90210;The Bachelorette; Lame Duck Bush trying to wreck the planet as fast as he can before he's shipped back here (yes, here! Barf!); Rachel Zoe (Okay, she's pretty fabugross, but she's also extremely annoying and glorifies eating disorders, so she's a fabugross loser). I'm leaving a lot out because there was just so much that I can't even really get my mind wrapped around them all. Now we are ending the year with a full out Israeli-Palestinian war and a full out Time Warner - Viacom war. How fitting.
Personal worst for 2008: I can't think of one.
I've had a much better year than the world in general did. I've been insanely blessed, and you all are a big part of that blessing. You've given me great, heaping mounds of encouragement and support and been there for me when I was down (which wasn't often, but did happen a few times).
Personal Goals for 2009:
I don't believe in resolutions. I think they are a way of setting one's self up for failure. However, I do like to make some general goals to work towards, so in 2009 I'd like to:
1. Continue exercising and eating healthy food;
2. Read more;
3. Be more active in general;
4. Start doing some volunteer work.
What I'm most looking forward to in 2009:
The Inauguration;
Sims 3
My Hopes for 2009:
Good health, happiness, and prosperity for all of us!
Happy New Year's Everyone!
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| The Next Doctor |
[26 Dec 2008|04:55pm] |
HA HA HA HA.
NO.
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