> Recent Entries
> Archive
> Friends
> User Info
> So Much Gay
> previous 20 entries

November 24th, 2009

10:56 am - This has been amusing me all morning. Originally linked by triestine: Rickey, please refrain from misplacing the seven-digit code that enables you to reach me using Mr. Bell's invention. Current Location: 18th Century Pop Current Mood: amused Current Music: 99 scarlet incarnations of M. Mongolfier's diabolickal flying contraption.

(1 speaker | Speak)

November 21st, 2009

(4 speakers | Speak)

November 18th, 2009

06:21 pm - I own this flick. Just sayin'. Current Mood: amused

(4 speakers | Speak)

October 27th, 2009

03:14 pm - More on that zombie thing I mentioned earlier... Words cannot express how much fun I had at this event. Sadly, our camera's batteries were dead and neither Andy or Gwyn have given me any of the few pictures they took. Therefore, I'm left to scour the internet for stuff to show you. :/ Luckily, the internet provides! ( Here's a bunch of links to pictures and videos for those of you who care! ) The turnout was surprising. It's hard to really get across the sheer mass of this crowd, since any photo is only going to capture a small portion of it, and a lot of people had peeled off by the time we reached the end. At one point a telephone booth was being attacked to where it was rocking back and forth dramatically, with a person on top of it snapping pictures (and a zombie inside of it pretending to make a phone call). Because it's only a week before Halloween, passersby took it all in good spirit. I only saw one kid freaking out and crying (his mother kept telling him "they're only pretending, it's okay" while she was snapping pics with her cell phone). There were also quintessential "Aw, man, it's the livin' dead. Just what we need, the livin' dead." comments. The mall is not fond of a mob of zombies harassing its shoppers, so it was, once again, off-limits. Several shops were locking their doors to avoid invasion, in fact. I don't blame 'em, really. Nobody likes cleaning up caro syrup. IN OTHER NEWS: We're having a movie*/boardgame party on Halloween at our place, for anyone who happens to be in the area and has nothing better to do. EVERYONE'S INVITED! I'm making cupcakes! They will be delicious! *The movies will not be terribly grotesque or horrifying. Cross my heart. Weak stomachs can still show up. Also, thanks to feraltoki who gave me my ability to use my zombie icons back. I LOVE YOU, FERAL!!! YOU CANNOT STAY ANONYMOUS! Current Mood: exanimate Tags: zombies

(7 speakers | Speak)

October 25th, 2009

01:42 am - PDX ZOMBIE WALK.......... Was awesome!!! More on this later. I'm too tired to post, atm. Man, LJ didn't save me any of my zombie icons. IMAGINE THAT I AM ZOMBIED BEHIND THAT DIGITAL CAMERA! Who gave me more LJ time? I OWE YOU! Current Mood: exanimate

(2 speakers | Speak)

October 23rd, 2009

05:45 pm - MOVIES I saw Happiness of the Katakuris last night. It was one of those "where you have you been all my life?" movie moments. Very strange and absolutely delightful. Miike has made some technically better films than this one (Audition, Ichi the Killer, etc, etc), but this is my favorite. I can't help it, it just appealed to me on so my levels. This scene in particular made me so happy. I need to own this. It's like the Japanese Repo! The Genetic Opera, only infinitely more uplifting and adorable. ( Other movies I've been watching recently. They're all horror flicks, as it's October. Possibly mild spoilers, ending with my very long review of Paranormal Activity. ) Current Mood: satisfied Tags: movie reviews

(27 speakers | Speak)

October 4th, 2009

11:28 am - Weekend Activities! Friday went to the Dethklok/Mastodon concert, which was awesome. Other people are doing detailed reviews with setlists and pictures and such, so I'll just leave it at my experience: It rocked! We showed up late because we were hoping to miss Converge (sorry, Converge, but even Matt and Andy don't like you, and they're more metal than Gwyn and I). Sadly, we ended up missing High on Fire, instead, and getting there while Converge was playing. No line or issue getting in whatsoever, but there was a bit of a crowd around several dudes playing video games on metaled-out arcade machines in the front, which was adorable. Matt and Gwyn went upstairs to give Converge a shot. Andy and I went straight to the bar in order to procure some alcohol in the hopes of dealing with Converge* a little better. There were screens of the concert down in the bar, so we were able to observe the band and the crowd from there, which resulted in some jokes being made while we waited for drinks. The bartender was a nice dude with a heavy hand, and we actually found a clear table to sit down and relax at like old people. :D Then Converge's set (which sounded to me like one long continuous song in a genre I can only describe as "spazz metal") end, and the stage was cleared. Some guy in the bar recognized one of Mastodon's roadies during set-up, so we were forewarned that the band coming on was not High on Fire (like we were expecting). Drinks were finished quickly and we scurried upstairs like good little concert goers. Musically, I like Mastodon more than Dethklok. While I think the Dethklok songs are hilarious and sometimes epic, I don't actually listen to them casually on my own, whereas I can see doing that with Crack the Skye (and in fact have been, since Matt gave me some burned cds so I wouldn't be going to their show blind, so to speak). I mostly like Dethklok's stuff in the context of the show/videos. That said, both shows were awesome. For some reason I figured the crowd would be more of a Mastodon crowd (probably because I still consider Dethklok a cartoon band, and Mastodon are real), but that was not the case. They received a very warm reception and there were some die hard fans giving the appropriate die hard response, and it was great fun to see... but the crowd really went apeshit for Dethklok. There were people dangling over the mezzanine to snap pictures (or just wave their hands), and at times I couldn't hear Small over the din of the crowd yelling along to the songs. Apparently, it was the same exact set used in their last concert, with the same video clips, but I didn't get a chance to go to their last concert so that worked. It was really an amazing experience, all told. Matt and Gwyn got up front to participate fully, whereas Andy and I stayed just outside of the people being squished. Because we are old. We also wore earplugs, because we cannot afford to lose any more hearing (old). So our experience was probably not very metal. XD I didn't sustain bruise one, but I had a great time despite that. *One thing I can say about Converge is I did like the art design on their merch. I didn't buy anything, because it would have been a LIE since I don't actually like the band's music, but of the stuff that was up for sale my eye kept getting drawn to their section more often than not. I did buy a Dethklok tank, and Andy bought a crazy Mastodon shirt, so we did our part as consumers. ( Then I went to a college football game! ) As we were riding the Max home on Saturday we stopped at one of the malls for a drink and there was a giant evil clown terrorizing the Max stop, making people scream (one little girl actually started bawling and booking away from him). We looked around for an explanation and there just happened to be a Halloween Bazaar going on in the Doubletree hotel. Because I am me, I insisted we pay the five dollars to check out. It was essentially like a dealer's room at a con, only combined with a car show, craft show, and with live music playing. Someone had recreated the car from Death Proof, there were a ton of decked out hearses, not to mention people in costume. It warms my heart every time I see a little kid done up in zombie makeup, I swear. There was an eight year old werewolf running around, as well, and his face paint was adorable (he also had fuzzy werewolf gloves and feet covers on). So basically it was a really great weekend, as far as I was concerned, and there were way too many activities for me to get online at all. XD Current Mood: amused

(5 speakers | Speak)

September 26th, 2009

04:39 pm - CAKE! Last night I went to the CakeWrecks book signing here in Portland at Powell's. There was free cake. We didn't try the vegan cake that one of the baker's brought (it looked too odd), but the dark chocolate mini cupcake cake was fantastic, and there was a lemon cake that was also pretty good. I'm not sure what kind of cake the fourth one was, because by that point the crowd had grown too thick for me to see and we figured it was wise to just purchase our copy of the book and skedaddle. I'm sure that there'll eventually be pictures on the blog. It was good times. Today I installed Oblivion on my computer, so that's what I've been doing. ^_^* I was going to go with Andy to a football game, but I couldn't commit to a fourteen dollar ticket when I wasn't at all invested in either team (and both teams playing seem very middling, record wise, and I didn't want to end up wishing I'd brought a book with me), so I stayed home instead. I might start tagging along if I get a decent report back. Gwyn's doing homework, and Matt went up to Seattle to see his brand new nephew, so it's actually a little too quiet in the house right now. Except for a guy walking back and forth outside in the parking lot, whistling. ... That's actually starting to creep me out, a little. Nothing seems quite so suspicious when you're pacing than incessant whistling. Oh, yeah! I went to Rainfurrest last weekend. There are a few pictures, but I'm feeling kinda lazy and livejournal isn't letting me upload them the easy way, so eh. Maybe later. Current Mood: quixotic

(12 speakers | Speak)

September 17th, 2009

02:13 am - And she's off... doing nothing out of the ordinary. It's been a while since I reviewed anything. And I've mostly just been watching movies and reading books since getting laid off, so that's unacceptable. Here's some pocket reviews (don't get wet or anything, it's all genre crap and I don't really say anything noteworthy about any of them): Books The Ruins - this book hits very specific squicks of mine and is about twenty times more effective than the film, which is mostly just silly (but still enjoyable). That isn't to say it's the greatest book I've ever read, but it's a perfectly fun read if you for some reason enjoy the prolonged, painful suffering of others. Or for some reason like to put yourself through the ordeal of reading books about... well... ordeals. I was honestly just relieved when it was over, but it's so rare that a book makes me squirm that I'll probably reread it. Song of Ice and Fire books - I enjoyed these, but that was a given. George R.R. Martin writes likes Stephen King (character driven work that likes to revel in life being unfair). I ate these books like candy, and I don't usually like fantasy tropes (read: knights & dragons). Can't wait for the HBO series, tbh. Should be a lot of fun. I'm making a lot of friends and family members read them, which fits because Andy kind of made me read them. I love books that inspire you to spread them around like an infection. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - This book is stupid and in some places reads like it was envisioned by a thirteen-year-old. It's also absolutely brilliant in a way that can only appeal to the thirteen-year-old that resides in all of us. It took me no time at all to read and I'll probably be quoting it for some time. Dexter by Design - It's another Dexter book. I was almost done with you, Dexter, after that business with Moloch. I'm still not sure you've entirely redeemed yourself, but hey, I love tongue-in-cheek pseudo-noir, so I'll probably always come back to you. Movies: Inglourious Basterds - Exactly what I wanted it to be (entertaining shitfest). I'm glad to be living in an age where we're revisiting the exploitation film as a major motion picture. Also, I love Eli Roth. There was pretty much zero chance of me not enjoying this film. :D Entrails of a Beautiful Woman - Slow and tedious for the most part, which is sad given that the title is so compelling. Some very interesting climactic scenes if you're willing to sit through some very repetitive and boring rape sequences set to a soundtrack that is mostly thoughtful, slow piano music. At least towards the end of the film the rapes are being committed by a dude made entirely of organs (and his intestine). Oh, Japan. :/ Horrors of Malformed Men - Nearly unwatchable for me. I don't know why. I just kept falling asleep. Convoluted plot about identity theft and mad science (sorta). Naked people covered in flour making scary faces. Oh, Japan. :( Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman - Totally watchable (if predictable) little horror film about an urban legend involving a woman, a surgical mask and a very large pair of scissors. Cute premise (I like the start of the film where the children are being interviewed a la telephone style), cute kids, some decent suspense. Okay, Japan. :) Chocolate - Everything Stiv promised it would be and more. My only regret is not watching it sooner. I honestly thought it would be so much worse than it was. I should have trusted. I should have believed. I'm a sucker for action-packed revenge films, as it is, but this one was just so much fun. :D Who Can Kill a Child - It's like The Birds only with kids instead of birds. And a really fucking frustrating male lead instead of a plucky female. It's a very slow build (Oh, Italy), but the payoff is worth it. Probably more shocking in its day, as is the case with a lot of 70's movies, but still has impact. Man, though, it is hard not to tear your hair out at the "hero's" initial hour and fifteen minutes of almost complete inaction. He's a little reminiscent of the original Barbara from Night of the Living Dead, only with smoking instead of hysterics. Still, scythe pinata! :) The Virgin Spring - Precursor to the whole Last House on the Left type of revenge film. Still pretty shocking, and really quite compelling even now. I can't believe it took me so long to get around to watching it. :D Young Sherlock Holmes - There's a long list of movies that Andy believes I should have seen as a child and somehow missed. This is one of them. He was right. :( Everything I love is in this film. Slashy main character, elaborate cult schemes, crazy death sequences... Ah, well. I've seen it now at least! :D And now you're up to date. XD Current Mood: amused Current Music: Jeez, it looks like all I watch is bad horror and shock films... Tags: book reviews, movie reviews

(15 speakers | Speak)

September 2nd, 2009

02:11 pm - NEW COMPUTER FINALLY. I am typing on my brand new computer!!! The company that we ordered from (Puget Systems in Washington) was SUPER nice and very efficient. We put in our order the day we canceled the Alienware order, and our machines were built, shipped and received in less time than it took for Alienware to refund our money (they said 3-5 business days... but that was almost two weeks ago). I've actually had my machine since yesterday morning. Andy's had his since last week (they were very apologetic about mine taking longer, due to a motherboard issue, but I wasn't expecting to get it until tomorrow or so because of that so I'm thrilled). Never have I had such friendly, honest customer service from anywhere for anything, ever. GOD BLESS THESE GUYS. (Also, yay for saving a couple hundred bucks off shipping due to them being close!) Now I need to re-download all my programs and shit, though. I'm also getting used to a much bigger monitor (23 inches) and a brand new keyboard. Mostly I've been playing Sims. XD Current Mood: ecstatic

(14 speakers | Speak)

August 21st, 2009

02:35 pm - Baaah, computers... Found out that the new computers were never shipped (the first thing we were told was that we'd receive them last Thursday or Friday, and then that was changed a few times), so Andy called to find out why. There was a lot of bullshit, and he ended up canceling the order. :( Now we're waiting for a refund so we can try to purchase them elsewhere. I'm bummed. Current Mood: disappointed

(4 speakers | Speak)

August 16th, 2009

03:41 pm - Unemployed Again So it seems like I'm having a hard time keeping a job into fall/winter. Last year I was unemployed by the end of August (my choice), and this year I am also unemployed by the end of August (not my choice; we closed down). I think maybe I should take the hint and just take up hibernating. :/ Right now I'm bummed because I loved this job. :( It was so close! So convenient! So much fun! No nasty coworkers out to get me, and towards the end there I was even getting hours. Ah, well. I'm sure I'll find something else, it's just disheartening right now. Even though I knew this was coming I was still pretty choked up when I was locking the door for the last time on Friday. My new computer should be arriving sometime early next week to console me, at least. That's something. I'll be scouring job sites with a HOT NEW MONITOR. :D So life can't be all bad. Anyway, with Gwyn in school full time and me filling idle hours with job hunting, I'll probably be able to actually get back to editing Dethsoap and such. Participating in fandom again. I tend to ward off depression by drawing and writing smut, so maybe I'll be more active? It's possible! The WIPs like Fantasyklok might even get worked on.... though That takes Gwyn being able to write, as well as me, and she's been pretty busy of late. Anyway, I'll be around more often on AIM (twilightspeaks) and Y!M (twilight_speaks), if anyone wants to chat. :) I'm usually happy enough about any distractions. Current Mood: disappointed Tags: fandom, fanfic updates, work

(11 speakers | Speak)

August 8th, 2009

11:04 pm - The News: So if you follow this LJ you know that about two weeks ago everything was hellish and nasty. Well, the hot weather finally broke and things are normal now. I also got my settlement money from that accident y'all might remember from however many years ago. This has gone a long way towards solving some problems. For one, I ordered a new computer which should arrive next week. It's a bit of overkill for what I need, but Andy convinced me to spend the money on it because it was a good deal and will last longer. This will be the FIRST TIME I actually have anything remotely top-of-the-line, computer wise. I won't have to check system requirements on any game I want to play, for once. This pleases me, even though I'm not really a gamer. Another major purchase made was a new bed. I've been sleeping on the same mattress/box spring set for over a decade. It was lumpy and killing my back. I didn't take what remained of my childhood bedframe (which was my mother's bedframe before that) with me from California, so it's just been the mattress on the floor since I moved here. I didn't go with any kind of luxury model, but I did get a nice mattress and really nice sheets, and my back is grateful for it. There were other furniture purchases made, like a new television cabinet and a dresser. Basically, we decided to just upgrade household items we knew would last a long time while we had the money to do so. But wait, you might ask, didn't I at least make one little impractical costume purchase? I sure did. Just the one, though. Now I got a crapload of internet to catch up on because I haven't been around the last few days, and Yahoo! for some reason isn't letting me access my mail. :/ Current Mood: calm Tags: accident

(12 speakers | Speak)

July 20th, 2009

(20 speakers | Speak)

July 15th, 2009

02:34 pm - Martyrs So I finally sat down and watched Martyrs, which is a French horror film that essentially works in the same general vein of High Tension and Inside. There are elements of Hostel in the premise as well, but it's vague and there was nothing at all humorous about this film so the comparison is unjust. I forced Andy and Gwyn to watch it with me largely because this one was a recommendation from my mother, and often with her movies if I watch them alone I wish that someone else had watched them with me, so that I could talk about them afterward. Martyrs is a movie that wants to be talked about afterward. It's very thoughtful and extraordinarily uncomfortable. The shaky cam effect is a little overused and can be headachey at times, and the motivation for a lot of what actually happens within the film is highly questionable, but it is certainly brutal. I haven't seen a film this upsetting since Inside, and that's saying quite a lot. I'll also say that the movie took a lot of turns I wasn't expecting, which is REALLY RARE for me. I really didn't know where it was going to go at a lot of different points, and ultimately I appreciated where it took me. There was a lot of imagery I won't be forgetting anytime soon, and I'll be mulling this one over for a long time. Overall, those two facts far outweigh the shaky cam and few moments of questionable storytelling. This is one I'd like to own, but I'm not sure yet if I could sit down and watch it again. ( Next paragraph is cut in case anyone cares about spoilers for a year-old film. ) Current Mood: thoughtful Tags: movie reviews

(14 speakers | Speak)

July 14th, 2009

05:36 pm - Lol, Nostalgia! Meme stolen from zsomeone. THE "RULES": • Post ten of any pictures currently on your hard drive that you think are self-expressive. • NO CAPTIONS!!! It must be like we're speaking with images and we have to interpret your visual language just like we have to interpret your words. • They must ALREADY be on your hard drive - no googling or flickr! They have to have been saved to your folders sometime in the past. They must be something you've saved there because it resonated with you for some reason. • You do NOT have to answer any questions about any of your pictures if you don't want to. You can make them as mysterious as you like. Or you can explain them away as much as you like. ( General Warning: Some images might be considered NSFW or disturbing, depending on who you are. ) Tags: meme

(9 speakers | Speak)

July 9th, 2009

(Speak)

July 3rd, 2009

11:12 pm - It is far too hot... To be on my computer. That's all I go to say. x_x Current Mood: hot

(7 speakers | Speak)

June 27th, 2009

06:15 pm - Obligatory Belated Michael Jackson Post When my aunt took me to Disneyland for the first time when I was five years old, I made her take me to see Captain Eo probably 23 times in a row, if not more. I think that explains a lot about me as a person. XD This inspired the Borg Queen in Star Trek First Contact, btw, which I've mentioned here before. It is still awesome. I'm hoping that his death coupled with a renewed interest the film industry is showing towards 3-D inspires a resurrection of Captain Eo, because the world could totally benefit from another generation raised on this. S'all I got to say. Current Mood: optimistic

(6 speakers | Speak)

June 21st, 2009

01:50 pm - Movies, movies, movies... Drag Me To Hell - So there's this new Sam Raimi film out that has an unnaturally high rating on Rottentomatoes.com (horror movies usually get middling ratings even if they're decent, because a lot of critics seem to dislike genre films in general). Of course, this has been keeping me up at night, wondering how this movie could be getting so much appeal. Gwyn and I decided to see it yesterday so that the mystery could be solved. It was entertaining, and I think it did exactly what it was trying to do, but Raimi's repetitive gags fall flat with me after a point, and I've never been boners about excessive cheesy CGI effects in my horror. Much like with every single other Raimi film, I am slightly more underwhelmed than some of my peers. Don't get me wrong, I love predictable gross-out horror as much as the next gorehound, but I'm just not in love with predictable gross-out horror. So we're gonna have to just stay friends, I think. What this movie is, however, is a PG-13 horror film with enough bite that you could rent it for a gaggle of young teens for their Halloween slumber party without worrying that they'll call you weak sauce for doing so. This is an important category of film. When I worked at the video store, I was asked many times for suggestions in the horror genre that would fit two criteria: 1. I can let my kids watch it without having to screen it first for excessive gore, sex, nudity and other content that might make their friends' parents complain to me about it. and 2. The kids won't get bored with it. Predictable and cheesy this film may be, but it's not boring! And the gross-out gags will make for great party fodder. I was a little surprised at the language for a PG13 movie, but I do understand that certain words I wouldn't have said in adult company as a kid are commonplace on the television these days, and it wasn't excessive in the film. Totally watchable and fun, but I'd probably save this one for those slumber party rentals. 7/10 (with a bonus point given to it for actually having good scary effects without crossing the line into an R rating. If it had been a little bloodier and R, I think it would have been a 6 at best.) Let The Right One In - I finally got around to watching this Swedish vampire flick that's been sitting on my desk for months. I was afraid that the hype around this movie would end up causing disappointment, so I was kind of hesitating out of worry that it really wasn't all that poignant/dark/intelligent/great. But I couldn't just sit on it forever so... You know how it goes. At the risk of over-hyping, I thought this movie was beautiful. It's just about everything I could ask for in a vampire film. Poignant and dark, but certainly not consumed with its own pathos. It never feels particularly masturbatory or overwrought. The English dubbing is laughable, though, so I recommend watching it with the subtitles (if you can stand them) so that you actually take the movie seriously. Still, it does sadden me that they're already making a retitled American version of a film that really shouldn't be changed in any way, and it saddens me more that the profoundly less intelligent, overly trite vampire movies marketed to the masses these days will forever have the bigger following. But that's to be expected. If you like vampire movies and haven't seen this one yet, then get your hands on it. Don't wait for next year's remake (I'm guessing it'll be sub-par). If you don't like vampire movies but like a good, well-thought out horror film, get your hands on it. Much like anything else that's vampire-related, if it's recommended by me than it's got more to it than just the usual tropes. Even if you dislike the general direction this film takes, it's still interesting to see where it goes, and that's so much more than I can say for the average movie these days. 9/10 (Family&Friends: If you're keeping an eye out for gift ideas for Sarah, she wouldn't mind having this one in her collection. Seriously. Just saying.) Current Mood: good Tags: movie reviews

(4 speakers | Speak)