Prologue -
I experienced a weekend of Marcus taunting me with knives to the face and "Why so serious?" jokes.
Today we were eating Trix, and Marcus, Stu and I all simultaneously came up with... "Why so cereal?" It was so good.
Epilogue -
"Wanna know how I got these scars? Daddy liked to drink... and one particularly bad night, mom went to the kitchen to get a knife. And dad didn't like that at all... but then she put the knife down. And they kissed, and my dad said, 'Why so serious?' Then my parents got back together. And we laughed and laughed... it was the happiest day of my life. And that's why I've always got this smile on my face!"
Y SO SRS?
30 July 2008
28 July 2008
7/27/08 Marcus and Elena Roadtrip Log
12:15pm - Meet up at Uwajimaya. Beer, shrimp chips and pho are purchased.
12:45-1:15pm - Travel through South Seattle. Marcus is cranky. We almost die at the hands of an angry motorist.
1:20pm - I AM RICKROLLED
1:30pm - My iPod won't let me play the soundtrack to Step Up 2: The Streets. Nooo! Spice Girls is the alternative. Set your spirit free, driving to the Palouse. Tonight, is the night, when Elena goes to Moscow.
1:46pm - Marcus took out his belly.
2:41pm - When In Rome's "The Promise," dedicated to me <3
2:51pm - Vanity plate seen: "TT EATER." Marcus is certain this is "Titty Eater." Also: "MACHOMP." "Isn't that a Pokemon?"
3:16pm - We saw no deer, despite attempts to summon them from the hills. Tempers running short. Food rationed, grueling pace. Marcus died of dysentary.
3:20pm - We are at VANTAGE, WA!
4:12pm - "What kind of woman are you looking for?" "Well, I want to eat a titty, that's the first priority."
4:20pm - Othello Burger King, nom nom
5:05pm - "A 3/4 white baby, that's money in the bank. I've dabbled a little, and in the current market..."
5:09pm - Captain's log. Stardate: Palouse. Well, we aren't in the Palouse yet, but it's getting a little Palousey up in hurr.
5:22pm - Marcus hit me, and is trying to censor me - SEND HELP PLEASE
5:25pm - Listening to William Joel's "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" in celebration of Movin' Out (Elena's Song).
6:17pm - Almost there! We are in COUGAR COUNTRY.
6:42pm - We're here! Stay tuned...
12:45-1:15pm - Travel through South Seattle. Marcus is cranky. We almost die at the hands of an angry motorist.
1:20pm - I AM RICKROLLED
1:30pm - My iPod won't let me play the soundtrack to Step Up 2: The Streets. Nooo! Spice Girls is the alternative. Set your spirit free, driving to the Palouse. Tonight, is the night, when Elena goes to Moscow.
1:46pm - Marcus took out his belly.
2:41pm - When In Rome's "The Promise," dedicated to me <3
2:51pm - Vanity plate seen: "TT EATER." Marcus is certain this is "Titty Eater." Also: "MACHOMP." "Isn't that a Pokemon?"
3:16pm - We saw no deer, despite attempts to summon them from the hills. Tempers running short. Food rationed, grueling pace. Marcus died of dysentary.
3:20pm - We are at VANTAGE, WA!
4:12pm - "What kind of woman are you looking for?" "Well, I want to eat a titty, that's the first priority."
4:20pm - Othello Burger King, nom nom
5:05pm - "A 3/4 white baby, that's money in the bank. I've dabbled a little, and in the current market..."
5:09pm - Captain's log. Stardate: Palouse. Well, we aren't in the Palouse yet, but it's getting a little Palousey up in hurr.
5:22pm - Marcus hit me, and is trying to censor me - SEND HELP PLEASE
5:25pm - Listening to William Joel's "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" in celebration of Movin' Out (Elena's Song).
6:17pm - Almost there! We are in COUGAR COUNTRY.
6:42pm - We're here! Stay tuned...
25 July 2008
More on The Dark Knight
Batman villains usually have a lot of personality and crazy, interesting background stories. But then there's these guys... Crazy Quilt? Calculator?
My new favorite superhero/villain name is "Conflict Diamond," from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which I hope you caught when it was free, because it was amazing.
----------
I had some problems with Harvey "Two-Face" Dent in the new Batman movie. The burned-up side of his face was really distracting because it didn't make any sense. How could he still form words with half his mouth burned off? Why was his eyeball still intact and totally OK, not charred like the surrounding flesh?
I liked angry, vengeful Batman - but this time, the snarly disguised voice was way too much. Less is more, Christian Bale! I know you're upset, and have a secret identity to maintain, but come on. We like you, and we can suspend disbelief enough to let you not feel like you have to do that bad impression of a pissed-off Clint Eastwood.
Also, this is a fairly minor point but I keep returning to it: I am wondering what the deal is with the black makeup around Batman's eyes. The eyes of the cowl are wide enough that some of his skin would show through, but he's always wearing makeup there. I bet he looks silly for the moment after he's put it on, but right before he's put on the rest of his costume. He would basically look like... THE JOKER OMG (Or a raccoon!) but without the lipstick and greasepaint. I bet he goes through a lot of cold cream. I originally typed that and meant Batman, but it's occurred to me that it may be true for the Joker as well. Super-heroing and -villainry? NOT THAT DIFFERENT.
My new favorite superhero/villain name is "Conflict Diamond," from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which I hope you caught when it was free, because it was amazing.
----------
I had some problems with Harvey "Two-Face" Dent in the new Batman movie. The burned-up side of his face was really distracting because it didn't make any sense. How could he still form words with half his mouth burned off? Why was his eyeball still intact and totally OK, not charred like the surrounding flesh?
I liked angry, vengeful Batman - but this time, the snarly disguised voice was way too much. Less is more, Christian Bale! I know you're upset, and have a secret identity to maintain, but come on. We like you, and we can suspend disbelief enough to let you not feel like you have to do that bad impression of a pissed-off Clint Eastwood.
Also, this is a fairly minor point but I keep returning to it: I am wondering what the deal is with the black makeup around Batman's eyes. The eyes of the cowl are wide enough that some of his skin would show through, but he's always wearing makeup there. I bet he looks silly for the moment after he's put it on, but right before he's put on the rest of his costume. He would basically look like... THE JOKER OMG (Or a raccoon!) but without the lipstick and greasepaint. I bet he goes through a lot of cold cream. I originally typed that and meant Batman, but it's occurred to me that it may be true for the Joker as well. Super-heroing and -villainry? NOT THAT DIFFERENT.
22 July 2008
Weekend movies
This past Saturday, I saw two movies - Wall-E in the afternoon, and The Dark Knight in the evening. It was a broad-spectrum kind of day.
I don't have much to say about Wall-E, except that it was so sweet and adorable. The plot overall was pretty cynical and kind of dispiriting, but Wall-E and Eve's interaction was just so, so cute.
Regarding The Dark Knight - there are a lot of ways to portray the Joker, but I personally prefer a CRAZY Joker. I don't really care for a goofy, Jack Nicholson-style slapstick Joker, I like a real sociopath. A really deranged, criminally insane dude - which is what Heath Ledger delivered. After we got out of the movie that night, someone in our group asked if anyone else was fearing for their lives at any point during the movie. The answer is YES. Am I now sort of terrified that the Joker is going to show up in my dreams and cut my face open? That is another YES. That was some good crazy.
Other crazy dudes I like in movies include Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York, and that guy from No Country For Old Men -
I don't have much to say about Wall-E, except that it was so sweet and adorable. The plot overall was pretty cynical and kind of dispiriting, but Wall-E and Eve's interaction was just so, so cute.
Regarding The Dark Knight - there are a lot of ways to portray the Joker, but I personally prefer a CRAZY Joker. I don't really care for a goofy, Jack Nicholson-style slapstick Joker, I like a real sociopath. A really deranged, criminally insane dude - which is what Heath Ledger delivered. After we got out of the movie that night, someone in our group asked if anyone else was fearing for their lives at any point during the movie. The answer is YES. Am I now sort of terrified that the Joker is going to show up in my dreams and cut my face open? That is another YES. That was some good crazy.
Other crazy dudes I like in movies include Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York, and that guy from No Country For Old Men -
Marcus: how did you like ol' no country
Me: it freaked me OUT. i closed my blinds behind me because i didn't want javier bardem to come shoot me in the head
Marcus: it's just a movie
Marcus: there's no such thing as javier bardem
17 July 2008
Police Blotter
I hope no one visits my blog expecting to find actual information about being a street cop, or being The Law. I'm just a person! (A person who likes Judge Dredd. What can I say, it is the perfect union of unintentionally comedic Sylvester Stallone movies, and rogue, loose-cannon cops - two of my favorite things.)
That being said, this week I DID thwart some crime! Well, minor incidents. Here's my own personal blotter.
----------
Incident at the library: I was on my laptop, and a girl was studying at the table next me. A random guy sat down with her and started making really obtuse smalltalk and jokes in a loud but creepy whisper, even after it became apparent that she did not speak English very well. She was visibly uncomfortable, and I became concerned when he told her he had followed her to the library from out in the neighborhood. He gave her his number and tried to get hers in return.
Just in case, I went to speak with the librarian to see if there was security on site, but there was no one at the desk. At that point, the guy got up and left. I went and asked the girl if she knew him, and she said no, and I told her he seemed creepy. She didn't know the word "creepy" so I typed it into her Korean/English translator, and she got the idea right away. It's not a crime to hit on someone, but I got bad vibes from this guy, and it's better to be safe than sorry.
----------
Incident at the park: Today I was at the park, and the only other people were around were a group of young children with no adult supervision. Two boys, maybe 8-year-olds, started digging through the trash, throwing glass bottles at the ground, then playing with the broken shards. I went over and told them to cut it out before someone gets hurt, and they responded by using some of the most foul and racially-charged language I have ever heard from the mouths of children. I moved on and ignored the ongoing cursing, until I noticed them trying to sneak up on me with handfuls of rocks, and making threats about getting an older relative of theirs to come and harm me.
Even though the kids were too young for anything more than a warning, I figured a call to the police was in order, because sometimes a talking-to from an authority figure can make a difference. As I was being pelted by rocks, I made the call and a cop car and two officers showed up shortly. It turns out that the SLIGHTLY older children there were supposed to be supervising, but clearly that was not happening. I hope the parents of these kids hear about this, but since they are apparently the type who allow their kids to be exposed to unbelievably vulgar language and who haven't taught them that it's not OK to throw rocks at adults, I won't hold my breath that a lesson will be learned from this.
----------
Citizen involvement! Do it. Care about your neighborhood and neighbors.
That being said, this week I DID thwart some crime! Well, minor incidents. Here's my own personal blotter.
----------
Incident at the library: I was on my laptop, and a girl was studying at the table next me. A random guy sat down with her and started making really obtuse smalltalk and jokes in a loud but creepy whisper, even after it became apparent that she did not speak English very well. She was visibly uncomfortable, and I became concerned when he told her he had followed her to the library from out in the neighborhood. He gave her his number and tried to get hers in return.
Just in case, I went to speak with the librarian to see if there was security on site, but there was no one at the desk. At that point, the guy got up and left. I went and asked the girl if she knew him, and she said no, and I told her he seemed creepy. She didn't know the word "creepy" so I typed it into her Korean/English translator, and she got the idea right away. It's not a crime to hit on someone, but I got bad vibes from this guy, and it's better to be safe than sorry.
----------
Incident at the park: Today I was at the park, and the only other people were around were a group of young children with no adult supervision. Two boys, maybe 8-year-olds, started digging through the trash, throwing glass bottles at the ground, then playing with the broken shards. I went over and told them to cut it out before someone gets hurt, and they responded by using some of the most foul and racially-charged language I have ever heard from the mouths of children. I moved on and ignored the ongoing cursing, until I noticed them trying to sneak up on me with handfuls of rocks, and making threats about getting an older relative of theirs to come and harm me.
Even though the kids were too young for anything more than a warning, I figured a call to the police was in order, because sometimes a talking-to from an authority figure can make a difference. As I was being pelted by rocks, I made the call and a cop car and two officers showed up shortly. It turns out that the SLIGHTLY older children there were supposed to be supervising, but clearly that was not happening. I hope the parents of these kids hear about this, but since they are apparently the type who allow their kids to be exposed to unbelievably vulgar language and who haven't taught them that it's not OK to throw rocks at adults, I won't hold my breath that a lesson will be learned from this.
----------
Citizen involvement! Do it. Care about your neighborhood and neighbors.
13 July 2008
Is this felt?
Hi! Don't worry, I haven't abandoned this blog, I've just been busy being outside, getting FRESH AIR and SUNBURNS. It's summer in Seattle, and it's beautiful.
These days I am interested in knitting small, quick projects like toys to use up random scrap yarn I have accumulated. I started one of these little hearts with the intention that it would be my first felted project. You know how if you accidentally put knitted wool in the wash/hot water, and it shrinks and the material gets all tight and firm and bound together? That's FELTING in action!
Sidenote: C. has a joke. He'll look at some material, such as a garment, and say, "Is this felt?" Then he will touch it and say "It is now!" Then he laughs, and that part makes me laugh.
So, here's the heart in progress...
And at this point I still didn't really know what the fiber content of my yarn was, because it was just some scraps I had laying around. It felt kind of wooly, so I was hoping for the best. Acrylic/synthetic yarns are washing machine and hot water safe because they don't felt, they come out looking just like they did when they went in. Synthetics won't felt, it takes a miracle of NATURE. I figured I should do a little experiment to see if this was really wool...
On the left is the yarn, as-is. On the right is the same yarn, only I threw it in some hot water with soap and mushed it around, because that's how you felt, I think. I dunno, I've never done this before. What I do know is, the yarn all bound together like wool should, and I had made myself a solid ring of fibers. I put it on my finger, and it gave me superpowers.
Anyway, I finished the heart, it's maybe 3 inches across. It turns out the yarn I was using was too fine and my needles too big to give the heart the right proportions, even after I added some extra rounds to the pattern to try to fudge it. So my heart is looking a little squershed.
Still cute, though. It actually looked even more squershed after felting it (not pictured), and I prefer the pre-felting texture... I'll probably try this one again with a different yarn.
These days I am interested in knitting small, quick projects like toys to use up random scrap yarn I have accumulated. I started one of these little hearts with the intention that it would be my first felted project. You know how if you accidentally put knitted wool in the wash/hot water, and it shrinks and the material gets all tight and firm and bound together? That's FELTING in action!
Sidenote: C. has a joke. He'll look at some material, such as a garment, and say, "Is this felt?" Then he will touch it and say "It is now!" Then he laughs, and that part makes me laugh.
So, here's the heart in progress...
And at this point I still didn't really know what the fiber content of my yarn was, because it was just some scraps I had laying around. It felt kind of wooly, so I was hoping for the best. Acrylic/synthetic yarns are washing machine and hot water safe because they don't felt, they come out looking just like they did when they went in. Synthetics won't felt, it takes a miracle of NATURE. I figured I should do a little experiment to see if this was really wool...
On the left is the yarn, as-is. On the right is the same yarn, only I threw it in some hot water with soap and mushed it around, because that's how you felt, I think. I dunno, I've never done this before. What I do know is, the yarn all bound together like wool should, and I had made myself a solid ring of fibers. I put it on my finger, and it gave me superpowers.
Anyway, I finished the heart, it's maybe 3 inches across. It turns out the yarn I was using was too fine and my needles too big to give the heart the right proportions, even after I added some extra rounds to the pattern to try to fudge it. So my heart is looking a little squershed.
Still cute, though. It actually looked even more squershed after felting it (not pictured), and I prefer the pre-felting texture... I'll probably try this one again with a different yarn.
04 July 2008
4th of July retrospective
On this day three years ago... I barely remember what I was doing. I'm sure I was taking summer courses and doing a lot of homework. Summer courses are why I got to graduate early. It's like the past is somehow influencing my life today!
On this day two years ago, I merrily made my way around Green Lake in a paddle boat with my ex.
On this day last year, I was on the beach of an uninhabited island off the coast of West Java in Indonesia. The weather, the friends, the monkeys - it was great. We couldn't get fireworks, but this bonfire (see picture) was the next best thing.
Today, I don't have anything in particular to report, but C. emailed me from UAE to say he couldn't see my Flickr photos, because Flickr is banned there due to internet censorship. Happy Independence Day!
On this day two years ago, I merrily made my way around Green Lake in a paddle boat with my ex.
On this day last year, I was on the beach of an uninhabited island off the coast of West Java in Indonesia. The weather, the friends, the monkeys - it was great. We couldn't get fireworks, but this bonfire (see picture) was the next best thing.
Today, I don't have anything in particular to report, but C. emailed me from UAE to say he couldn't see my Flickr photos, because Flickr is banned there due to internet censorship. Happy Independence Day!
29 June 2008
Radish skull
Hooray, I won another Skull-A-Day contest! This time, the challenge was to make a skull out of a vegetable.
My radish skull was one of five winners, please see the others here: 1, 2, 3, 5.
My radish skull was one of five winners, please see the others here: 1, 2, 3, 5.
28 June 2008
Talent shows I have remembered
I'm sure I was in plenty of talent show audiences in grade school up through high school (I've never been IN a talent show, by the way - my talents aren't the kind that entertain crowds) but I really barely remember any of them. There are only two specific acts that I remember, even though I have no idea who the performers were.
The first was in elementary school, and some girls who I don't think were even in 5th grade yet performed some kind of dance routine to the Spice Girls song, "2 Become 1." You know, the one that is explicitly about having sexual relations*, albeit in a responsible way - "Be a little bit wiser baby, put it on, put it on." OMG, right!? Who approved that act? I remember thinking it was weird, but for reasons that I would not really be able to put my finger on until later.
The other one was middle school, just some kid doing a one-man show based on scenes from "The Matrix." That involved some really flat dialogue, saying "Whoa" a lot, and flailing around as though reacting to gunfire in Bullet Time. It was unremarkable, but for some reason it has stuck with me.
*My favorite euphemism for DOING IT, by the way, is "gettin' mad rutty." See also: "jazz hose." Oh, Achewood.
The first was in elementary school, and some girls who I don't think were even in 5th grade yet performed some kind of dance routine to the Spice Girls song, "2 Become 1." You know, the one that is explicitly about having sexual relations*, albeit in a responsible way - "Be a little bit wiser baby, put it on, put it on." OMG, right!? Who approved that act? I remember thinking it was weird, but for reasons that I would not really be able to put my finger on until later.
The other one was middle school, just some kid doing a one-man show based on scenes from "The Matrix." That involved some really flat dialogue, saying "Whoa" a lot, and flailing around as though reacting to gunfire in Bullet Time. It was unremarkable, but for some reason it has stuck with me.
*My favorite euphemism for DOING IT, by the way, is "gettin' mad rutty." See also: "jazz hose." Oh, Achewood.
24 June 2008
Passive Aggressive Note
I told Stu about passiveaggressivenotes.com, and he found this amazing note at his workplace and submitted it to the website, but they haven't posted it. So you know what, I'M POSTING IT! That's right, I scooped them.
I like how you can SEE the fury, in the scattered, inconsistent punctuation and the random capitalization, not to mention the run-on sentences and crazy multiple exclamation marks. Also, it's a two-pager so you know this is Serious Business.
The little face is killing me, though. I thought it was supposed to be some kind of sour face emoticon? To me, it looks like carefully-restrained madness, but Stu said that it's supposed to be a normal smiley. He was actually the one who suggested she add that, to lighten the mood...
Is it working? Did you reach the end of this note and think, "Oh, I guess she meant all that in a friendly way"?
I like how you can SEE the fury, in the scattered, inconsistent punctuation and the random capitalization, not to mention the run-on sentences and crazy multiple exclamation marks. Also, it's a two-pager so you know this is Serious Business.
The little face is killing me, though. I thought it was supposed to be some kind of sour face emoticon? To me, it looks like carefully-restrained madness, but Stu said that it's supposed to be a normal smiley. He was actually the one who suggested she add that, to lighten the mood...
Is it working? Did you reach the end of this note and think, "Oh, I guess she meant all that in a friendly way"?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)