the angry thing

Heating Pad (free)

2011-10-23T15:00:00.034-05:00

I’m fostering three black kittens for Austin Pets Alive, just in time for Halloween. I have named them after witches, but I made sure the names were obscure so as not to deter superstitious people more than necessary. I am calling them Millie (for Mildred from The Worst Witch), Timmy (for Tim Curry, who also starred in The Worst Witch, see video below), and Serafina (for Serafina Pekkala from the His Dark Materials trilogy).

If you don’t know The Worst Witch, it was a made for TV movie from the 80s starring Fairuza Balk (Return to Oz era). And if you don’t know that much, than you certainly haven’t seen this video:

Ahem. So. Anyway. I have foster kittens.

Timmy

There was a cold snap last week, and Andy stayed up all night worrying that the kittens were cold. You see, our new house has almost no insulation, which is absolutely ridiculous in Austin. We’re hopefully putting some in next weekend.

I found an electric blanket on Craigslist for $5, but when I went on Freecycle to get a heating pad for the kittens, three people wrote to me almost immediately. One woman fostered for the Siamese Rescue and wanted to have coffee some time. Another offered a heating pad that would need a cover; I was excited with the prospect of a simple yet satisfying sewing project, but she didn’t write back until too late. The third person to write offered a porch pick up, which is always easiest.

Andy and I drove to a street called Robin Hood Lane, which seemed mildly fitting, given that the houses were most likely about twice what we could ever afford, and we were pilfering a free item from one of the homes’ inhabitants.

The house was on a corner and somehow looked haunted. Spooky! Or maybe it was just because they hadn’t raked their lawn and it looked abandoned. There were also three bags on the porch that looked like forgotten newspaper deliveries, but which turned out to be porch pick-up items. I don’t know what was in the other two bags (I was tempted to snoop), but my bag had my name, and I took it. Inside was a lovely heating pad, perfectly sized for three tiny kittens.

We had been going to go pick up some garden tools as well, but Andy balked because we didn’t need most of them. It would have been a good deal, though—rakes, shovels, hoe, caulk gun, and a few other things for just $12. I had also wanted to go to the Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave for the “Dogadillo Howl-oween Rescue Spooktacular,” despite the name having far too many puns than is in good taste. Last year I took my foster puppy Grady (Austin Dog Alliance), already a 50 pound Australian shepherd / border collie mix, to a similar event. He wore a bandanna around his neck and was generally the cutest thing you ever saw.

Andy said I wasn’t allowed to fall in love with any of the dogs, so I decided it was better to go back home instead. So we went home and I took a nap and then finally got to work on my Halloween costume.

Yet More Gray Fabric ($4) and cookie tin (free giveaway)

2011-10-17T19:30:00.009-05:00

I’m like a magpie for gray fabric! I think I feel like because I haven’t actually started making the costume yet, I’m at least accomplishing something by getting more and more fabric. But it’s getting ridiculous. I'm adding pictures to the other entries, by the way. I’m going to try to remember to take pictures of these things. That would make it more interesting, don’t you feel?

I found a woman who had a listing for several fabrics, and it looked like some of them were gray. So I wrote and asked. Her name was Libertie, and she indeed had some gray scraps. We agreed it was easiest to meet at her work down south.

Simultaneously, I had listed a large cookie tin on the Free section of Craigslist. Mark was interested, and we finally got our schedules together, and he would meet me at Libertie’s work, too.

Despite my GPS not working, the directions were simple enough that I didn’t get lost. I was even able to give Mark directions well enough that he didn’t get lost either (this is a big deal for me)!

The parking lot was almost deserted because it was 7. It was also kind of dark. I guess it was a sketchy, now that I think about it, but I usually don’t think about that kind of thing. I go with my gut. And my gut said these were two nice people and this would go well.

Mark showed up before Libertie was done closing up the building. I gave him the cookie tin. We joked about whether it was worth all the trouble—it had been a weeklong saga of working out our schedules, and both of us were a bit out of our way. He said he was going to use the tins to keep seeds because it keeps bugs out well. He took it back a little and said “Well, not ants. And they’re the worst.” So I was amused that it didn’t really do its job, but I was pleased with the cookie tin’s next incarnation as a gardening tool. My boss had given me cookies in it last Christmas, and it seemed too nice to throw out, so it had just been taking up room for a year.

Libertie came out a minute later and we went to her blue Yaris, just about the only other car in the lot. She had brought a few other fabrics she thought I might be interested in. They were all Halloween themed. I guess I’d told her the cloth was for a costume, but didn’t mention what it was. It was really nice of her to bring them, though.

The fabric she brought was a perfect color for the primary flight feathers (see diagram).

Yep, I'm doing research.

I wanted to give her more than $4 (I know, the opposite of a Craigslist deal), but she said no. I could see she must have gotten them in a bargain bin herself because there were price tags on the scraps. I was getting a deep discount on a discount, so I was very happy.

Desk $95

2011-10-17T14:00:00.010-05:00

I had been using Andy’s old desk, which was pretty small and didn’t really utilize the space I had very efficiently. Finding furniture on Craigslist can be tricky. First off, I only search the “By Owner” section. But there are so many hits on almost any search, it’s hard to narrow down, especially when the descriptions are often vague, you could easily miss what you're actually looking for. I can’t set up an ongoing notification for it because I would get dozens of hits a day, which is annoying. It usually ends up being me going through each post. I tried a few more specific searches (“L-shaped desk” and “long desk”), but those weren’t much help. The first because I realized after I looked at the space that an L-shaped desk wouldn’t work at all, and the latter because “long” is just as often used when they’re giving dimensions, whether the desk is arguably long or not.

So it was after the tedium of reading through about 200 posts and calling/emailing with a few people that I found a desk I thought would work. Plus he could deliver it, which is excellent because I have no way to pick up non-collapsible furniture. I offered him $20 extra for the delivery since he was so far from me, which brought the total to $95. I would normally be a little more wary of spending that much money, especially site unseen, but it really seemed like exactly what I was looking for.

Terence delivered the desk while I was at work—Andy was working at home. I could abbreviate Andy’s name on this blog to “A—“ for anonymity’s sake, but you might start thinking it stood for Angel after reading enough of my posts.

Andy said he would try to remember as many things about the transaction as he could for the blog. He said Terence was an older man who used to have a delivery business. He helped get the desk in place, as Andy had already moved all my crap off the old desk and dismantled it.

So when I came home, there was a desk, more perfect than I had hoped, waiting in my nook. It closely matched the flooring and molding around the doors, and it had a ton of surface area and storage. I got to work organizing stuff, and unpacked at least two boxes that had still been packed from the move in July.
I found my terabyte hard drive, which houses my home video project.

Click picture to read more details in this diagram.

Two years ago, I transferred all my family’s tapes to digital format, which of course took up a massive amount of space on my hard drive. I’ve been intending to create a masterpiece with these and with the photographs from the span of the 20th century that I’ve scanned in. So, that hasn’t happened yet. But I did get the hard drive set up and made Andy watch some of the videos.

We laughed and laughed. Not so much at antics of my 5-year-old self, but at how enamored my dad was with the camera. We were on a hike in Arkansas, and there were like, no lie, 5-minute (at least) shots of waterfalls and such. And of course, this is 1980s era VHS quality, so there was no point whatsoever to having this much tape taken up with things Ansel Adams has recorded in much better detail. I can hear myself off camera saying “Daddy, daddy look!” and he says “Yeah, OK” and keeps filming a rock. I wonder what I was showing him? We’ll never know. I love my family, I really do. We’re all so predictably random. I’m trying to find a good clip to upload…it’s between the 25 minutes of table hockey, or my first memory of snow. I think the latter has withstood the test of time a bit better. The test of “was this, or was this not, a retarded thing to videotape?”

I have started blogging again...just not here

2011-10-16T10:57:00.000-05:00

Hi! If you still check my blog after more than a year of no posts, you are a good friend indeed. So I will let you know that I did start blogging recently, here:
http://blog.craigslistdiaries.com/

The blog is vaguely centered around Craigslist transactions. Since I have so many, and they have to do with my life, I'm hoping it'll be a good focal point and remind me to update periodically. I'm also going to try to proof read the entries a bit better than I did for the 10 years of this and previous blogs.

You can sign up to get the posts emailed to you, too! Convenient!

Mom, do this--copy this text (highlight the text then click Ctrl and "c" at the same time):

http://blog.craigslistdiaries.com/

If you are in Internet Explorer, go to the top of the screen and click "Tools" then click on "Internet Options" in the menu that opens. In the "General" tab, which I think is the first one, click in the box that is asking for the "Address" of your home page, then paste (Ctrl and "v" at the same time). Click OK.

2011-02-03T16:57:00.001-06:00

I got presale tickets to the Fleet Foxes this morning

One good thing

2011-02-02T03:01:00.000-06:00

Miserable at work. I will try an exercise starting today. One good thing about my day or my life each day.

I've tried this before. Let me try again, until something changes for the better and it's no longer necessary.

ITEM
I'm kicking ASS at D&D. It's not a competitive game, but I'm sitting in on these trials my boyfriend's group is doing. I've come in first on two of the three trials. Yeah. If you ever need pulsing swarms in your dreamworld pyramid shrine taken care of, just call on Shakhti the deva invoker / angel. Ditto for a group of kalashtar civilians that can morph into fireballs after a few rounds. That is my specialty.
(sent from phone; this is my sarah.dickerson@yahoo.com account)

2010-05-24T20:44:00.001-05:00

This has been providing me with amusement for a few days. Not the whole site, just this one entry.

2010-05-14T20:30:00.001-05:00

serious angry-cry over job situation. Want to punch something. Can't afford boxing, though.

2010-05-13T23:24:00.007-05:00

Ugh. Can bring myself to do exactly nothing right now. Somehow I managed to drag my lazy-ass cursor over to the Blogger Dashboard link, but...it feels so proactive even just to blog! However, alternative is to just sit and ignore my Blackberry blinking at me several items on my to-do list. And god forbid I do them!

So...it's been a while. A lot has happened, while not much has changed. Except, I'm going out with my best friend now. And I'm very happy about it. My job is ending in a couple of weeks, and I'm not happy about that. I'm going to L.A. to see my lilbro graduate at the end of the month. I'll stay for a week, which means I'll get to see a bunch of folks.

I have begun organizing weekly movie viewings and karaoke happy hours. I'm all about the free things lately, what with the partial unemployment. It feels very extravagant to do these things, but really, it's not much at all when I consider I get to see a rotating cast of about 8 friends per outing. It makes me feel popular. Hear that, 5th grade me? POPULAR!

Oh, good news is that I must have met my insurance deductible, a month before the policy expires. Hurray! Things are finally being covered. The bad news is that I already exceeded my prescription coverage, so I had to switch to a cheaper medication. One (very unlikely) side effect of which is...lactation! Oh God!

At work, I'm trying to tie up a million loose ends, and driving myself crazy with perfectionism. But I do so love the Excel and the complex array formulas! And I love finding minor errors in public agency FOIA datasets. Even when it means I have to re-do all the work I did with the faulty data.

Xander-the-cat is asleep on my bed right now, very pleased with me because we went on a walk tonight, and my BFF/boyfriend played a very enticing game of hide and seek with him.

At the grocery store today, I got fresh tortillas, and ate half of them on the ride home, with my germy grocery-store hands. Delicious!

I have been making my mom's Mother's Day gift diligently whenever I get any down-time. She already knows this, so it's OK to put this on what is her Internet Explorer home page, but they are hand-made paper gift tags with wee envelopes! I would say "I'll upload pictures of them later," but we both know that's not true. So here is an example of the shape they will be.

That gave me the idea to decorate them after I finish making them...but probably that won't happen, so don't get your hopes up, Mom!

What else?

Besides making paper, I've been doing a lot of other crafting. It started when I made a friend a sleep mask. Let me go back one step. This friend's boyfriend gave me a list of gift idea for this friend. It was a really long, extensive list, but my two favorite entries were:

Sleep Mask
Anything about Elizabeth Montgomery

I ended up fashioning a Holly Golightly sleep mask, with the sleepy eyes and everything, like here.
I don't feel like dredging up the picture I took of my final creation. It didn't look perfect by any means, but they're the kind of friends who would put a crappy ashtray out that I made out of clay.

From that description, you'd think this couple of friends likes kids. Not so. At all. I watched Zombieland with them a few weeks ago (as part of my weekly movie viewing), and there's a part where one of the characters reveals the only loss he is sad about is of his puppy. Later, while one of my friends was in the bathroom, it was revealed that the character had ACTUALLY lost his son. When my friend got back from the bathroom, her boyfriend said "Honey! Good news! It wasn't a puppy!"

Well, considering I have ceased to read most blogs because I don't have the attention span even for bite-size daily chunks, I am impressed to you who are reading this far down. Unless you're like me and you just read the beginning and the end, and skim the middle. If you are like that, you probably have been in academia too long.

2010-05-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

everything is going according to plan.

To a wonderful honeymoon and marriage

2010-04-12T05:06:00.000-05:00

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

AUS-DFW-RIC

2010-04-07T20:48:00.000-05:00

I'm at the airport; almost through a 3 hour layover. My phone is almost dead. I'm using my laptop as an enormous ipod. Listening to Paddling Ghost (Dan Deacon) right now after a 2hour stint of Lewis Takes Off His Shirt (Owen Pallett). I'm on my way to see K-- though that visit will probably be about 5minutes at this point because of delays. Then I'm seeing Jamie get married. Hurray!

Do you know how tedious it is to update via BlackBerry? I've been writing in my journal. It's so much faster.

I was writing about the hilarious camping trip I went on last weekend. I drank one (1) full bottle of wine Friday night. Was predictably sick later in the night, at one point of which S (who had also had 1 bottle of wine) insisted there were two moons that night. That was incorrect. But she was right about the Babysitters Club adventures. We were all on the same page about that one.

Thumbs are cramping. Will try to remember to write later.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

on the air

2010-03-26T14:41:00.003-05:00

Here are some things that have happened in interviews.

1) I was talking to JM before the interview and mentioned I was narcoleptic (somehow I thought this would make him feel better about being drunk). Later on the air, he said:
JM: "Oh, right...cause you're a necro....necro....what is it?"
Me: "Narcoleptic."

2) I was talking to DG and CR, high school friends, about their band. I was trying to sound all knowledgeable even though I wasn't very well prepared for the interview.
Me: "So, C, you did some kind of internship with a film. Is that why you like to make your own videos?"
CR: "And I majored in film at NYU."
Me: "Haha...oops...well, D, you majored in music, isn't that right?"
DG: [pause] "Philosophy."

Protect the gray whales

2010-03-26T00:53:00.000-05:00

I could have sworn this BioGems spam email asked me to "protect the gay whales." Done, and done.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Airport

2010-03-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

At home. In New Orleans. Chilly. And perfect.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

2010-03-23T18:46:00.003-05:00

Hair it turns gray
and skin it turns to leather
but the best thing about growing old:
We all do it together

I know, I haven't updated in a long time. I probably lost all my readers. Except Mom (hi, Mom!). But I wanted to write to someone, and I don't know why. At first I was going to rant about people who are pissy about health reform. But then I realized what I really wanted to do was rave about where my life is.

I feel like things are going pretty well, despite sad days yesterday and today. SXSW was a good balance of fun and relaxation. And now I'm about to go to New Orleans, which is always stressful getting ready because I have to leave my Austin life in perfect condition for me to return. But then it's so pleasant to be there. I'm so lucky to have such a great relationship with my family.

Even though I don't have a job. Even though I'm living outside of my means. Even though my place never stays clean for more than 2 hours. Even though my Very Exciting Interview that was scheduled for Saturday morning got canceled. Even though my last foster dog tore up the couch cover my mom made me from the Indian fabric I brought back. Even though I violated FCC regulations on my radio show yesterday. Even though I dreamed I was fostering 3 white tigers and an regular orange tiger, and one of them mauled a neighbor. Even though a nice relationship with a Boy had to end yesterday. Even though I had to miss boxing last week and this. Even though I met with my high school frienemy. Even though Saturday was freezing:

Saturday also featured free carnival rides. I got to hang out with the dearest friends in the world for days while we all took off work for the festival. Meeting with my frienemy broke a spell that had lingered like a cobweb for 10 years. I found out I'm the favorite DJ (to the staff anyway) at my radio station. The Boy and I will remain friends. I learned how to make paper. I might get to reschedule the interview, but even if not, that's OK; her live show was enough to make me happy. At this point, I can fantasize about any perfect job I want. My boxing teacher promises he will remember me when I return next week, and I got to talk a long time with a lady there about New Orleans, AND I casually ignored my Boxer Crush. My cats are particularly devoted to me. Mom might be able to fix the couch cover, and the puppy was sweet and didn't mean anything by it.

Everything is amazing, and no one is happy?

No, sir, I disagree. I am satisfied.

IMG00064.jpg

2010-02-25T01:19:00.000-06:00

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Music Monday: dublab listing

2010-02-03T02:03:00.004-06:00

Here are the notes Andy and I took. Links where available.

*"Final Breaths of a Main Character" The Woods [
"The Magic" Hecuba
Between 2 Ferns: John Hamm (here are all of the BETWEEN TWO FERNS, including some others)
"Busdriver" Me Time
"Die Slow" Health
"You Saved My Life" Cass McCombs
Food: Episode 1 [PF Chang's and MSG]
*"Suite for Ma Duke" Hoc n Pucky
***"Hatari" tUnE-yArDs WOW!!!!
Between 2 Ferns: Natalie Portman
"Witch Cult" Broadcast/The Focus Group
*"Fables" Dodos [unexpectedly hot xylophonist]
*"This Must Be It"? Royksopp
"Hole to Feed" Depeche Mode [ugggggh]
*"Pon de Flor" Major Lazer [ahahahahaa!]

INTERMISSION

"In the End" Mia Doi Todd [woman in back of truck at night; not sure we got the name/title right, can't find]
"King Rat" Modest Mouse
Between 2 Ferns: Bradley Cooper
*"Two Weeks" Grizzly Bear (alternate video here?)
"The Mirror" Alexandra Hope
"Not Camping with Tom Cruise" The Odd Days
**"Walking in LA" Kate Miccuci
"Una Carta a Mi" Tierra Quinta [River in Colombia] [can't find]
***Between 2 Ferns: Charlize Theron
"We're all in the Power" Exile
*"I Held My Arm in the Air All Night Just to be Safe" My Odd Days
"Hold On" AsDsska
***"Paddling Ghost" Dan Deacon [Natalie van den Dungen!]
"Open Your Heart" Mia doi Todd

2010-01-27T08:30:00.003-06:00

We know what it is.
WE MAKE IT!

Making a press kit up for a certain Australian artist that I adore. I'm taking it to KUT-FM before I go to work. I feel very important. I'm actually looking forward to SXSW this year.

Sooo much has happened since K's departure, which I felt was impossible--I needed some serious downtime after all those activities.

Incidentally, I forgot to mention we saw Trouble the Water as soon as she landed, and I spent the whole movie sobbing after some point. It was really good.

Anyway...one exciting thing that came up is trying to find "cool parties" for SXSW for this artist to go to. I'm calling in all my contacts, and hoping against hope that it works out, because then I would feel so pleased with myself. I also have two frienemies from high school coming into town. Well, it's more like I and one of them are frienemies with the third one. So I don't now how that'll go.

My internship turned contract work, thanks to my awesome boss. I even got a raise! Miraculous.

Carl (and sons)

2010-01-18T05:49:00.005-06:00

I've done a ton of radio shows this week, along with forced a houseguest to undergo social activities every night for a few days. Hence, am tired.

I thought of actual interesting things to update, but now I can't think of them. But I thought I should update anyway because I haven't in a while.

I have a new foster dog, Tanner:
So cute!! And the cats ALMOST like him. They still swipe at him a little, but he's a very gentle dog, so I think it's going pretty well altogether.

Some of the activities undertaken since my return to Austin:

Karaoke at the Highball
Decorating for the Matrix
(see streamers behind? K-- and I re-created the Matrix, in streamer form!
Marathon of all the Matrix movies
Played with dog
Masquerade party
Who are those masked women?
Breakfast at Kerbey Lane after an all-night radio session

favorite tracks for 2009?

2010-01-02T13:12:00.002-06:00

I thought I should make one of those there lists, you know. But I know I'm going to leave out major ones, and I know it's not going to be the coolest list on the block. It's based on the tracks in my iTunes that are marked 2009, because I can't rely on my memory. And it's based on how much I listened to them, not how good I thought they were. And it's alphabetical. If anyone would like me to upload these to my website, let me know.

"Working Man's Blues" Aceyelone Ft. Bionik
"Boom" Anjulie
"Elegy" Balmorhea
"Blood Bank" Bon Iver
"Needles" Grand Salvo
"Notes on Leaving" Darren Hanlon
"Oh Paris!" Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele
"Dog Days are Over" Florence + the Machine
"Nobody Could Change Your Mind" The Generationals
"Love Like a Sunset pt. 1" Phoenix
"Cracks in the Canvas" PJ Harvey
"Human of the Year" Regina Spektor
"Flirted With You All My Life" Vic Chesnutt
"You and I" Wilco and Feist

Well. I've left out some great stuff, that is critically acclaimed, and that I did enjoy, but which I wasn't compelled to listen to on repeat in order to enjoy life to the fullest. I'm the worst college radio DJ ever. But at least I am honest. And at least some of these are cool and obscure.

the baby jesus

2009-12-31T19:10:00.002-06:00

Putting old family VHS vids onto my computer to edit them together. So far, my favorite part may be my dad sitting and telling extraordinarily dirty jokes to the camera and his friends. I figured I must have been asleep by then. But here is part of the transcript:

Dad: So, there was this young couple, innocent to say the least, wondering what to do on their wedding night. They asked around and...
Me: ...Daddy! Daddy, look!
Dad: [annoyed] Yes, sweetie?
Me: Look Daddy, the baby Jesus!
Dad: You have the baby Jesus there? OK. So anyway, they go on and get to their wedding night and they decided they were going to try something called "giving head"!

And so on. Hilariously inappropriate.

2009-12-22T17:33:00.005-06:00

Mozart the dog didn't seem to like stairs when I first got him. I had to carry him up three stories to my apartment the first night. Eventually I got him to go up one flight and rewarded him with his favorite thing--hugs and kisses. So he started going up the stairs one section at a time, coming to a landing and turning around to beam at me, waiting for his favorite thing. I started weaning him off the positive reinforcement by only giving him hugs at each floor, rather than the in-between landings. I would say "one more! One more!" at the halfway point. But sometimes we would just stay at the landing and look over the edge for a while. Or he would put his little paws up on my legs and smile at me.

Dogs are stupid. But lovable.

This was going to be a metaphor for something, but I realize it doesn't really work. But being in New Orleans kind of feels like being at that landing...there's this residual feeling I have like I'm about to get my favorite thing, and it doesn't even matter that all I end up doing is vaguely looking over the edge. It's always a waypoint for me when I'm here, now more so than other times, since I'm indefinitely unemployed. And employment could lead me anyway (this is one way in which the metaphor doesn't work--Mozart always ended up at my apartment at the end of the exercise). Well, I've ruled out a few places I want the next leg of the journey to take me:

Anywhere in Texas but Austin
The Eastern seaboard of the USA
Anywhere in Louisiana but New Orleans

Things I can do with my unemployment:

Learn to play saxophone
Hang out with K--
Paint a picture
Write a song
Read a book (gotta start small)
Sell all my belongings

Things I can do in New Orleans:

Work on Illyria costume
Work on home videos and photos digitizing project
Center myself
Try not to watch a lot of TV
But do watch Dollhouse because my parents recorded the two episodes I haven't seen yet
Review CDs (some for KOOP and some for KVRX)
Stain all the towels with my red hair
Take the cats for walks in the backyard. They are so good.

2009-12-12T23:00:00.002-06:00

When you touched a friend of mine
I thought I would lose my mind
But I found out with time that
Really I was not ready

I've had a new resolution lately, to not let any reference I don't understand go unGoogled. There is no reason not to remain ignorant when there is Wikipedia at the ready.

I've learned so much! I hope I can remember it enough to casually mention some factoids at a party. Some things I've learned about that you might already have known.

Lemuria, a mythical Atlantis-like continent that was supposedly in the Indian Ocean, partly inspired the Pixies' song Velouria.
Vic Chesnutt, singer of my new favorite song "Flirted With You All My Life" is a paraplegic (cool bio, paraplegia not a focal point). And also that I only discovered this song 3 days after he came to Austin on tour. I would have loved that.
The Akashic records, describes mystical knowledge and is encoded in a non-material plane. I invented this when I was 10--a written book of fate, but written in multiple dimensions, so that if something changes a timeline, it was fated to do that, rather than makes an alternate and parallel timeline. It was complicated. I lost those notebooks in the move to uptown.
The backup/female singer from my new favoritest Canadian band, Immaculate Machine, is also the singer that has more or less replaced Neko Case in the New Pornographers, and is AC Newman's niece. AC stands for Allan Carl.
Australia has compulsory voting for state and federal elections.

Vic Chesnutt, Flirted With You All My Life

2009-12-11T22:35:00.003-06:00

This isn't real
But I just want to feel

I know. I know. Sorry.

There's an inflatable tacky Santa that always scares the hell out of me as I'm walking to my car. But more than half the time, it's deflated because they forgot to turn it on.

This is how I feel. It's like I'm doing all these things to re-inflate, but there's a puncture somewhere, so it's all just pointless until I can find where I'm broken and fix it.

Radio show tonight. On death and Christmas.

Where Do We Go From Here, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

sometimes

2009-12-07T01:46:00.005-06:00

Sometimes when you're going down
You're going down no matter what

Have been plagued by a persistent need to NOT document my life lately. Well, there was the massive DH experience email that went out to many of you. But besides that, I am so dissatisfied with my psyche right now, it makes me to want to vomit to even think of writing in my personal journal.

Problematic for keeping a blog.

I am borrowing a saxophone, but I have only successfully made it sound one note. I cleaned my house last night, at long last. I succeeded in putting all my bills, unpaid for months, into a pile, but have not yet succeeded in going online and paying them. I have a $550 therapy bill. Luckily, I have 3 paychecks from 3 different jobs ready to be deposited. I hooked up my central heat because it snowed in Austin (I didn't see it, but so the story goes). I'm almost done with school. I left my cats in New Orleans at Thanksgiving, but I am kind of regretting it--my time at home is painfully lonely, making me resort to Craigslist dates to get me out of the house, but I have minimal standards, so I end up regretting those, too, not to mention I get stood up more than half the time, which shockingly hasn't taken a toll on my self esteem. Yet. I got 2 free cupcakes today, and ate them both (along with the one I paid for). I'm selling a large proportion of my stuff on Craigslist; I need to make room for my January houseguest. I have gotten to round two of a job interview series, as well as to the training portion of an SAT tutoring job. This week, almost every hour of my time is accounted for, much of which will be getting me out of the house. I think I'm going to foster a schnauzer, though, for the 12 days before I go home for Christmas.

There was so much I could have done today, but I just had a ridiculously unproductive day. All I accomplished was getting a refill of Relpax (for the migraine) and getting those cupcakes (for the self-pity). And now, holy crap, it's 2am, and I have work tomorrow. For the week:

Monday: Work, hang with C, see Ziggy Stardust at Alamo Ritz
Tuesday: Work, job interview, go to KOOP to start first day of volunteering, doctor's appointment, 5 hours of tutoring training and/or meeting L for dinner.
Wednesday: Work, lunch "date" (with friend), 5 hours tutoring training and/or candlelit yoga with J1
Thursday: Crafting day with M and J2, Blue Genie Christmas bazaar with E et al.
Friday: Work, yoga+pizza with D, radio show (2 hours)
Saturday: Hang with C and her cat, F's birthday party and/or D&D
Sunday: Should take today to work on final class project, review CDs, work on Christmas presents, but I get the feeling I will take a pajama day.

Oh.

Immaculate Machine, Blinding Light (from a great album that I can't stop listening to)

2009-12-06T16:29:00.001-06:00

have baby migraine, and no reason to leave the house. think i'm going to throw up, but can't tell if it's from the headache or from boredom. i guess going to get migraine medication is a reason to leave the house. i guess the issue is i have no energy to leave the house. nor to capitalize letters.

we were lucky

2009-11-27T16:45:00.004-06:00

Your body may be gone, I'm gonna carry you in.
In my head, in my heart, in my soul.
And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both live again.
Well I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

(click the video below to have the soundtrack to this entry while you read)

We were lucky we got to say goodbye. We were lucky we got to tell him the things we always wanted to. I am lucky I wrote him that letter, and copied him that poem. We were lucky his students wrote him testimonials in time for him to read them. We were lucky he knew we loved him and he was loved by others. We were lucky we knew he loved us. We were lucky he didn't deteriorate over years and years, but rather faded away over a few weeks and then days. We were lucky he died gently, at home, with his family near him. We were lucky it happened Thanksgiving week because we were already together. We were lucky we were together because it was easier to reabsorb the love into the family network we already have.

It doesn't mean we won't miss him for every holiday and every visit to my grandmother's for the rest of our lives.

Sun Kil Moon, Ocean Breathes Salty

paw

2009-11-24T07:30:00.000-06:00

How do we cope, with the days after a death?
Empty days, nothing happens, not even a funeral.

Listening to Jed the Humanoid. How can a song be so silly and so sad?

My grandfather died this morning. It's very sad. He's been sick a while, but it suddenly took a turn for the worse in the last few days. My mom had collected testimonials from his students and he read the ones she had so far Sunday night. I wrote him a letter of all the memories of him and my grandmother that I will keep for forever. We are lucky we could give him these things.

Cracks in the Canvas, PJ Harvey

freude (no schaden)

2009-11-23T18:35:00.005-06:00

why I felt so alive I might never determine
There might be a word to describe it in German

Been busy today. Transcribed the DH full interview, and reworked my statement of purpose for the Russian Fellowship I want to do. And signed a lot of contracts for a freelance transcription job. Transcribing is very satisfying for me. I hope I can do this one within the parameters I quoted.

Home. New Orleans. Martinis. Jeopardy. Work. Impending...bad things. But no sense of forboding just sadness. I'm glad for DH songs to buoy my spirits. I wrote him a note that his songs have saved my life on a number of occasions. Radiohead I should charge with attempted murder.

DH inspires in me a desire to write again. He writes so much. And I could write that much, and maybe find something salvageable and good, and I could remember my moments better. The blog is a forum for certain things, according to my theory, but not for the types of things I wish I better recorded. He also inspires in me a desire to write music again. Or at least play some music, which usually inspires in me a song or two. I was thinking of seeing if my brother would collaborate on a song with me, or if my dad would record me singing one in his studio. Mom has a top of the line ukulele I could use.

Full, full to bursting things, all.

Darren Hanlon, Elbows (video directed by Natalie van den Dungen)

2009-11-23T01:48:00.002-06:00

made it home to new orleans. transcribing interview. will be doing a lot of work while i'm here. got a freelance transcription job, have to keep up with regular work, have to keep up with schoolwork. ugh.

why am i still up? i'm so close to finished with the interview, but i have to give up now.

still riding the high.

2009-11-21T14:48:00.004-06:00

glad to see there's part of you
reserved for me

I haven't blogged this week, nor did I sleep (till last night; I just woke up). My favorite musician (I'll go ahead and say he's my favorite, after the last few days) came into town Wednesday, and by a series of very fortunate events, I got to hang out with him and his documentation a lot.

I have to tell you that Darren and Natalie are some of the nicest people I've ever met. Ever. I just needed to make a blog update to say that in public.

I don't have time to go through the highlights of their stay. But here are 3:

Playing pinball tournaments with them
Getting a song (one of my favorites) dedicated to me and a friend during the last set.
Interviewing them for almost 2 hours about all the questions I've always wanted to ask about his songs and videos.

Cast of Thousands, Darren Hanlon

more ad reponses

2009-11-18T00:15:00.001-06:00

If a dude says "lol" once, I immediately suspect he is either a) used to talking to 13 year old girls or b) a 13 year old girl. If he uses it multiple times, and inappropriatley (eg "saw your ad want to lol do unspeakable things to you lol") I assume he is mentally unstable.

I talked at length to my therapist about the CL exploits and her face was a mask of horror for the entire 45 minutes I was with her. She didn't find these things amusing at all.

Incidentally am at Sherlocks waiting for a dude and freezing my toes and fingers off. The doorman gave me his jacket is I guess how pathetic I look.

OH!! Rufus Wainwright is phenomenal live! What a great bunch of concerts I've been to in the last month! To be topped off by giving a ride to the last concert of the month's performer, the darling Aussie, Darren Hanlon.

personal ad

2009-11-17T00:28:00.007-06:00

Things I got in the mail

A check from the IRS
A toll road bill for approx. the same amount

I might start a new feature to the blog, "reasons I rejected today's Craigslist personal responses."

Entire response was one sentence (vast majority); I can understand not wanting to invest a lot of time in something that might not be real, but come on. I suspect a lot of these are spam, but I'm not sure what their end game is, when:
The response, in its entirely, was "watt uppp??"
Respondent's own poetry was included
And it was really bad
Any nudity
Didn't include picture (actually, this isn't as big a detriment as the next bulletpoint)
Included picture, and appeared to be a total douche
Included picture, and appeared to be 13
Tried to tell me something about myself ("you were born in May, and had a strong silent-type father, right?"). No, and no.
Doesn't like music.
Likes music, but the first band they list is Tool, followed by Metallica
Claims not to have a problem with women (OK, if someone claimed to have a problem with women, this would obviously be rejected as well, but...you know, they doth protest too much)
Is more than 2 inches shorter than me (I also balk at more than 3 inches taller than me)
Married

Well, it makes me sound picky, but you really have to be with the number of responses you get as a lady on CL. I didn't list a picture or anything!

Anyway. There were a few that made the cut, and I've already been stood up twice (bonus!). This is going really well so far.

halloween was last month, dude

2009-11-14T00:18:00.003-06:00

Things I got in the mail:

Leotard (it was to be a backup for my unitard if that didn't work. It might still have a better neckline, so perhaps I will use it for my eventual final Illyria costume)
Invitation to be a lifetime member of the Texas Exes

Ella the dog got in from the balcony while I was out tonight (seeing R Crumb, Art Spiegelman, and Francoise Mouly, I might add; it was fantastic), and ripped up everything she could. I'm sure it probably scared the cats to death, but they seem OK. What a mess. What. A. Mess. Oh, but she has her little paw over her face as she's sleeping right now. What a cutie.

And now I'm off to my radio show, where I will do all songs about dogs. I will post the link to the setlist soon.

Craigslist of the week

2009-11-11T17:53:00.002-06:00

I should start another blog feature, favorite Craigslist ads. Sometimes I troll the personals or make random searches on the community and forsale sections, and I come across gems. But they're just my person favorites--nothing I would even bother submitting to the Best of Craigslist. This was from this weekend, from the personals.

Title: I'm looking for someone to watch a Werner Herzog movie with and then make out.
Body: That's about it.

Made me laugh. I wrote to him. Just to tell him he made me smile.

Ella

2009-11-11T13:37:00.002-06:00

Things I got in the mail yesterday:

Mix CD #2 (girl singers) from ronnybear (Doctor Hoss)

Things I got elsewhere this weekend

A dog.

I am fostering this dog for the Austin Dog Alliance, and she is adorable. I'm still a cat person through and through, but I am quite fond of this dog and hope she gets a great forever family. In the meantime I can't wait to have playdates with my friends' dogs.

Rough draft costume pics

2009-11-09T08:18:00.004-06:00

Here are some of the pics from Halloween night.

things in the mail

2009-11-06T20:31:00.003-06:00

I was thinking of starting a new feature of the blog: Things I Got in the Mail Today. I've been getting so much stuff lately. Partly because I ordered it, partly because people are repaying my postcards in kind. But today I didn't get much. Oh, wait, yes, something came for me at work. Anyway, here are some things that have come in the last week:

Andy's birthday present (not exactly what I thought it would be, without spoiling the surprise)
A postcard from Italy (just like the song! Ooh, I just discovered that Florence + The Machine covered that song!), from Danielle
A letter from Jessie
A postcard from Karam
Training materials for my new SAT prep job
Blue hair extensions* (the day AFTER Halloween, of course)

Things I sent in the mail this week

A long letter to Paw (my grandfather) about all the things that he's given me that I'm grateful for. Along with a handwritten copy of "Courage," by Anne Sexton.

*The hair extensions featured a little broken-English write-up of how Chinese hair differs from white-person hair. It was actually kind of interesting, if I understood it right. Something about hair follicles.

My radio show tomorrow night

2009-11-06T19:24:00.002-06:00

http://www.kvrx.org/node/39825

A link from my blog to another blog entry on another blog! Woah! Basically, tomorrow, 10pm central, I'm playing a full hour of Darren Hanlon music, who is one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters. And oh did I mention he's coming to Austin in a couple of weeks?

AND THAT I'M GOING TO INTERVIEW HIM???? DID I MENTION THAT?

Cats slideshow

2009-11-05T20:59:00.001-06:00

slideshow from the class-portion of India

2009-11-04T09:14:00.001-06:00

Don't know what inspired me to make this, but I made it yesterday.

Halloween followup

2009-11-02T01:02:00.003-06:00

Like lonely ghosts
We stay because we don't know where else
To go

Halloween was a success. While downtown, I downgraded my original goal of:

Have 2 strangers know what my costume is supposed to be

to instead be:

Find some pizza.

Check! But in eating the pizza, I lost a glove (don't worry, not the ones I made, just the leather gloves for underneath, but they were pricey, and I had planned on having them around for real use, so I'm kind of bummed, and I keep dreaming I find it).

I think, with the inauguration of my mother's Facebook account, that all my readers are on Facebook, so pics can be seen there. I will eventually upload to here, to semi-complete the Illyrian costume saga portion of the blog. Basically, the costume came out well enough to be worth bettering for a potential DragonCon excursion next September. So it's not done. In fact, in the rush I was in on Halloween day, I forgot some details of the costume (a center frill, and some sequins), which I just discovered upon cleaning my apartment.

I have been cleaning for 5 hours, when all I wanted to do was go to sleep at 6pm, after a day of sailing on Lake Travis. What was my secret to motivation? I took photographs of the mess, and was inspired by the idea of having a "before" and "after" blog update. It was like a cyclone had hit, after 3 weeks not only of not cleaning up after the costuming, but not cleaning up after ANYTHING because of the costume-time. I've made astounding progress. On my fourth load of laundry. Watched 5 episodes of the Dollhouse (including Omega). Broke one of my grandmother's wine glasses. Cleaned up after that incident. Fed the cats. Cleaned the litterboxes thorougly. Talked a friend through a panic attack. Threw out the old food. Changed the sheets. Windexed. Bleached. Washed the dishes (both dishwashers are broken).

My hands are flaky and dry, from all the cleaners.

I do recommend checking out this song. It's beautiful. It's the coda to a first-season episode of the Dollhouse. I meant to play it on my Halloween-themed radio show, but I forgot.

Lonely Ghosts

boots/shoe vote

2009-10-28T22:59:00.004-05:00

OK, I have two shoes to wear under the boot cover. As a reminder, here is what hers look like:

Which of the below shoes look the best?

SHOE 1:

SHOE 2:

i take it back

2009-10-28T13:00:00.001-05:00

Me: You're a genius! What's your IQ?
Him: Ummm...142 I think? Wait, no, I always get IQ and blood pressure mixed up.

memory

2009-10-27T14:52:00.003-05:00

The things I brought you
When I found out you had cancer of the bone

Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car to the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry

When I was in sixth grade, or thereabouts, my grandfather (Paw) went out and got me a sapphire necklace and earring set for Christmas. He remembered it was my birthstone. My grandmother always did all the Christmas shopping, so was a bit shocked at this act of love. I have never forgotten that.

I remember tying the necklace to my shoelaces because I wasn't allowed to wear jewelry during a softball game. I think, and I might be wrong, that this was the same softball game that my mom took me home early from because my cat Louie (missing for a month) had come home. It was a good day. To remember how much Paw loved me, and how good it felt to have Louie home, it was almost too much joy for my lonely 11-year-old self.

Casimir Pulaski Day, Sufjan Stevens

things i've done

2009-10-25T13:37:00.002-05:00

In an interstellar burst
I am back to save the universe
In a deep, deep sleep of the innocent
I am born again

Had a really nice day yesterday. Crafting (read: working on the costume) at Mahe's then a dinner party at Ash's, then a "primetime" radio show (at 11pm). Then sleeeeeep. Deep, deep sleep of the innocent. Friday I had gelato with a former student that I really like. I've been really sick, though, hacking and groaning and whatnot.

Today, the plan is to work on the costume then see Christine after a long time of not seeing her. I'm really looking forward to today.

Sorry the blog is clogged with costume updates. It's really taken over my life, so there's not much else to talk about.

"Airbag" Radioead

how I'm doing the marbleized part of the vinyl

2009-10-25T11:50:00.007-05:00

So there's this design that's on part of her armor that's really hard to recreate. The closest I could get was at my friend Mahe's. She had some fabric crayons, and I just kind of scribbled with them. This is what it's supposed to look like:

This is me working on it:

Oh, and I did the lines with a sharpie. It seems to have worked really well. Also, you can see in this picture part of the dummy I made of myself, which made lining up the pieces to draw the thick black line on a lot easier. It will also make doing the back easier, I think. My friend had to help with the upper back, but other than that, I could do most of it myself. We stuffed it with newspapers and plastic bags. Recycling!

I'll get a closeup shot of how it looks soon, but you actually can click on the pic of me working and get an idea of how good it looks. I think it looks pretty good, though not perfect. But it's better than the paint pens I got. The other method I considered was blending acrylics and painting on there, but I think it would take more artistic talent than I have to get the pattern just right that way. This is just a shortcut, but I hope the effect is the same.

how to get the vinyl seams to lie flat

2009-10-23T17:13:00.004-05:00

Here is the tip my mom and I brainstormed out together.

Use fusible interfacing on the back of the pieces after you've sewn them together. It will stiffen the pieces up a bit, and flatten out the seams in the front.

You have to press a wet cloth to the back of the vinyl with the interfacing underneath it for 15 seconds. A few times, the vinyl seemed to warp under the heat, but generally, it's a much better finished effect overall. Make sure to do it on medium heat. And the "coated" side, incidentally, is the rougher side. That wasn't readily apparent to me the first time using this stuff.

gloves/gauntlets

2009-10-23T14:21:00.005-05:00

UPDATED: 10/24, with pictures

So, the gloves were a pain. The first one took almost 4 hours. The quilting takes longer than it should. Especially when you forget that sewing speed should affect the tension of your machine and the thread keeps shredding every time you finish a row. Sigh. But I think they look pretty good. I might put a more matte black paint because the gold with black Sharpie is still pretty shiny.

1) get those fingerless "wedding" gloves that I mentioned before. In black, of course.

2) use the gloves to trace out a pattern on gold tissue lamé. I have a picture of this to come. Instead of a tip, cut a flat edge of twice the width you want the hem to be. When you hem, you'll fold the edges down and the tip will return. Make sure to cut the pattern at exactly the same angle of the hand-part as the gloves above.
3) Spray glue the gloves to the stiffer fabric. I used black bottomweight cotton.

4) Spray glue the fabric to thin batting.
5) Using black thread, sew the shapes into the fabric, more or less quilting the fabric.

Try to keep the stripes small, although this will get really tedious when you get up to the wider part of the fabric. This is something I wasn't good at. tracing a pattern out would have been a good idea, but the disappearing marker I had for that purpose didn't disappear on the lamé even after 3 days, so I didn't want that there.
6) Hem up the edges. hem the hand part/point first, and then the rest. For all my hems, I'm staying really close to the edge, so they aren't right in the middle of the pattern. This means a lot of leftover fabric underneath, which is fine because it will probably unravel a bit, unless you've serged or double-hemmed, which frankly, I don't have the patience for at this point.
7) Color with a black Sharpie (a paint pen would probably be even better, or paint, but using the market was pretty easy because staying in the lines with the stitches to keep you in line is a cinch). Be sure you're coloring black the spaces in between the shapes, not the shapes themselves. I don't know what to call these shapes exactly. Hyperboles? (pics to come)
8) Put the black glove on your dummy hand, or some cylinder about the width of your hand, to stretch it out. The dummy hand is ideal because you can then sew in the shape of you wrist and everything into the shape.
9) Hand stitch the gauntlets onto the top of the black gloves, starting with the hand-points; they should be the simplest to sew, since you can reach underneath. I don't know anything about sewing techniques, but what I ended up doing was sewing over the top edge of the gauntlet and catching the glove and then looping back from underneath, if that makes sense. I made sure to only stitch over the black parts of the edge so they stitches won't show as much. Stitch the sides on, but you don't have to do the bottom edge if you've stitched the sides on tight and flat.
10) Get thin regular black gloves (I'll call them "hand gloves"). Leather might work, I'm not sure. Put those on underneath the gauntlet/satin glove combo. You might have to sew yourself a new loop to anchor it to the middle finger, depending on how thick the hand-gloves are.

2009-10-23T08:22:00.002-05:00

Just because I'm hooked on living
Doesn't mean I'm hooked on you

woke early from coughing. Am ready to go a full 37 minutes earlier than usual.

Was also up late working on, guess, the costume. Mom gave me some more ideas (which of course I will enumerate in a costume update).

I have a massive credit card bill this month. Oops. It was mostly the costume, the ticket home for Thanksgiving, and spa week that did me in. Spa week and the costume are pure luxury, so I feel a little sheepish and worried about dipping into savings for this. But you do what you have to. I want to have savings so I don't have to jump at the first crappy job that gets offered me. I need to have a job I love. That's why I went to grad school. To love what I do. As I do now (but it won't last).

Everything is beautiful. Everything is alive. Everything is a mess (in my apartment anyway). I forgot to take a picture before I cleaned up a lot of scraps and thread and fabric that was draped over every surface of the apartment, but believe me, it was breathtaking.

Am listening to my friend's mix for me from a few years back. Yearning, acceptance, and defeat color the songs. And beauty.

I don't fancy driving right at 8:30, so I might drop off the unitard to get the zipper fixed. Which is broke with my MASSIVE BODY. But no, really, I lost another 5 pounds in the last few weeks, according to the doctor, whom I visited yesterday to ensure I didn't have the flu. They couldn't confirm either way, but I had to wear a mask because I was coughing so much. Kind of embarrassing, I guess, but waiting room time was minimized at least. I smiled at the woman who took me back, and then explained "I'm smiling at you." She said she knew because I smiled with my eyes, too. I said I was surprised because my friend (the same one who made the mix for me) said my eyes were cold and unexpressive. The woman told me about 5 times that I had very warm eyes, and that my friend was crazy. She was very nice.

"You Ain't Got a Hold On Me" AC/DC (and Mark Kozelek, of which this is a cover. A cover of a cover.)

my first fanvid!

2009-10-22T00:13:00.000-05:00

It makes me realize how sad Illyria's life is.

Illyria video

2009-10-21T22:20:00.001-05:00

Here is a 25 minute video I put together of my favorite Illyria scenes. I can't control how fast the title cards go by--sorry!

http://www.djscatterbrain.info/Video/

Gloves vote

2009-10-21T18:35:00.007-05:00

UPDATE: Looks like the vote is for glove 2, by 4 to 0. I was kind of surprised. But I think it's the right choice. I wish I hadn't wasted the $40 on rope, but maybe I can salvage it for crafting or something. In the meantime, it's much easier to make glove 2, and I think I can make it look even better than it does with some fabric paint. Sewing the stripes in is kind of satisfying.

Here are some shots with the two different gloves I just made. I went ahead and attached some of the elements. The pelvis needs a lot of work. And also? Note to self: lay off the cookie dough.

glove 2 on the ground

glove 2 on my arm to give it some shape. It's just pinned on as of now, so it's hard to visualize how it would look sewn on tighter. This is the method I mentioned before, sort of quilting lame on it to give it some 3d effects.
Glove 1 looks pretty good, I think, but...
...the back is kind of a mess, and I'm not sure how to keep the ends of the ropes from fraying. Right now, it's hot glue, but I need to cut them flat and straight. I could sew them by hand, or maybe use FrayCheck. I remember that stuff from my sewing class in 7th grade!
Makeup half on, and new hair extensions I got at Sally's today. Still waiting on the real hair extensions. have gotten spray-on, just in case.
full frontal
Glove 1 side
Glove 2 side. Note to self: why do I look even too severe for Illyria? I wasn't even trying that hard!

goals for today

2009-10-21T17:01:00.003-05:00

UPDATE: (10:17 PM) Have learned the Thriller dance and the gloves vote is posted. Also, just ate a few bites of tuna salad. On to homeworks!

Although I am sick and came home from work early, and completely failed at my first goal (unlisted, and rather important to my academic career, but then again, it may be for the best), I am going to make a list of goals, channeling my Bluestocking spirit.

Learn the Thriller dance.
Decide how I'm going to make the costume gloves by making two types and then taking pictures and allowing an online vote.
Finish 2 Water Resource class homeworks.
Eat something besides cookie dough and soft drinks.

more details on how I'm trying to do the shimmery stuff

2009-10-19T18:05:00.003-05:00

I have no idea what they actually used for that metallic looking stuff. It looks almost like mylar. But I've decided to try this:

1) Cut out pattern piece on silver (or a better color if you can find it) lamé.
2) Spray glue the back of the pattern piece (be careful to remember which is the back when you glue it; the glue will easily bleed through to the front, too)
3) Glue the piece to some bottomweight fabric (I'm using white--I don't think it matters much).
4) Spray glue the bottomweight fabric to very thin batting.
5) Stitch some straight lines across the pattern piece, to give it the lined texture.
6) Fabric-spray-paint the lamé to the right color if it's not right already.
7) Hem

over the edge

2009-10-19T01:15:00.002-05:00

Over the Edge blog is someone I lived with on the intentional community (communal farm). She has since moved off the farm, and is making it with her alternative lifestyle out in the world. Really interested stuff to read. She's really thoughtful about everything she does. She originally left the farm to pursue a degree in sociology at the place I went to school, but she wasn't enjoying it, so eventually left without finishing and became a doula. Cool-a!

Dead Luck

2009-10-19T01:00:00.002-05:00

Dead Luck blog is by my friend Matt, who is my DM and my friend's husband. I think I first met him at an office Christmas party at Green Pastures, when he introduced himself as a writer and reached into his lapel for a card that he didn't have after all. Dead Luck is his novel, and I have read it in an early version, and I think he's going to be very successful one day. The last blog entry he left, over a year ago, was about how a story of his, an offshoot of the novel, was published in a zine. I highly recommend you read the story if you are into SF/fantasy at all.

One day, I mentioned soccer to him, and he joined my team. Weeks, incidentally, before I quit the team. Eventually he tore his ACL, for which I take full credit for having gotten him to join the team. On the first drive to soccer practice, I mentioned I was looking for a SNES version of Shadowrun, by sheer chance. This is how I eventually got an invite for the D&D game that he's the DM of.

If I may make a suggestion, dear reader, always have a D&D game run by a novelist. The story and characters are fantastically creative and riveting. I look forward to these games like crazy, and very little trumps a 6 hours game of D&D at Matt's, even with my busy schedule.

Matt has an insane amount of knowledge and trivia in his head. He and his wife are some of the nicest, normalest weirdos I know, and I adore them. Also, he likes Tori Amos. random, but true.

By day, he is a software developer of some sort (Ruby?).

pieces I have so far

2009-10-19T00:41:00.002-05:00

Here are the boobs. I might do them over now that I've figured some stuff out (like that a narrow zig zag stitch makes for a flatter curved seam with vinyl), but they're pretty decent as of now.

Here is the right shoulder. I haven't sewn the silver on yet because I might spray paint it purple. But I have to wait till I've cut out, glued to fabric, and sewn all the metallic parts because I have to use the "purple pearl" spray fabric paint all at once when I open it. LAME!

left shoulder. This is when I discovered that hems-where-possible really makes the suit look much nicer. And there's a lot of assymetry in this costume. I felt really proud to figure out how to make the shoulder shoulder-shaped. I think it was even more complicated than making the boobs boob-shaped.

Pelvis. The middle part really should be a little redder than the rest, for some reason. For that matter, everything should be a little redder and less brown. But I have to have something to build to later.

Right leg (left leg is the same). Again, silver parts unspraypainted as yet, so they're not actually attached. I think it looks like of cool, even just the silvery. Like an astronaut-superhero.

illyria screenshots

2009-10-19T00:25:00.003-05:00

Here are some of the best and most helpful screenshots I have gleened from my day of watching the last half of season 5 of Angel.

Her chestplate has a weird cross pattern, a random patch of which has been replaced by the silvery-blue stuff.

Her right side shoulder has had a part of the red armor replaced by the shimmery stuff.

Note that the arm-plates don't wrap all the way around.

The left shoulder is fully armor (no shimmery stuff)

The butt will be tricky. It may attach to the pelvis piece from the front.

Most people seem to have guessed on the back in their costumes. There is a lace-up bit, and it definitely looks like there's a zipper up the middle.

The legs. Lots of random shimmery.

The feet/boots that I said I'd update about. There's some bellbottoms going on here. Bellbottoms and clogs. It's like Illyria is at at disco from the knee down.

more costume tips and ideas

2009-10-18T01:12:00.003-05:00

For the wrapping the rope around the arms to make the gloves, my friends suggested I make a mannequin of myself. How, you ask? It's brilliant! You wrap a garbage bag around what you want to model, and then you just wrap and wrap and wrap duct tape around it. Then you can stuff the husk with plastic bags or paper mache! Seriously genius.

Also, she suggested checking the ecology department at UT because the fashion design department throws out a bunch of mannequins every once in a while. Thanks for the tips, J! Will post pics after I attempt the arm-mold tomorrow afternoon.(picture updated October 19, 2009)

2009-10-18T01:08:00.002-05:00

delightful day, filled with 2 D and D games, and 1 spa appointment.

Before the appointment, I had to listen to my poor massage therapist's prior client harangue her for, I'm not kidding, 15 minutes, about how she didn't spend enough time on his neck. She was really flustered for the rest of the visit. I left her a nice comment card. I hope she has a better day tomorrow.

Tomorrow begins with (hopefully) a bike ride in wonderful Austin weather, and then a girl's morning, and then more costume-making.

eye color vote

2009-10-16T23:04:00.006-05:00

Let's have a vote. Which of the below looks most like the above? I probably should have put on some makeup to make it a fairer comparison. But which of these is most striking?

My original color:

Brilliant Blue:

Sapphire Blue:

Pacific Blue:

Old Contacts I Already Have:

Malcom

2009-10-16T13:08:00.006-05:00

Instead of lyrics to open up this entry, I will put this embedded video, to act as a soundtrack as you read.

I met Malcom during a temp job in New Orleans. He worked across the hall from me. I thought he and his friend (Alfonze?) seemed to have a lot more fun than my dysfunctional office (that is a whole separate entry's worth of dysfunction), but I later found out theirs was just as problematic. When he would come into our strife-heavy office, it was always a highlight of the day. He eventually invited me to see a movie with some work people (Phone Booth, starring Colin Eyebrows. Can't think of his name). It was probably the first time I felt like I was fitting in at a workplace. I went to the movie with Lauren, and she and I were astounded to find Malcom wearing a lot (a LOT) of tie-dye. Didn't quite know what to make of that, to be honest.

Later I found out he has a massive collection of figurines. Like, action figures. And loved video games. I discovered he was kind of a geek. Even later, I discovered he is like the biggest geek to walk the earth (in a good way; I after all belong to the Austin Pangeeks, so that's my position on it). But he's really creative. He designs and sends these hilarious greeting cards. One was of Neo and the Prophet, and another was of GIR from Invader Zim riding a pig.

He and his (now) wife moved to San Francisco several years ago. I've kind of lost touch with them since then, except for MySpace, which he stopped updating. But now we're friends on Facebook again, so that's good. Maybe if I ever make it to SF (a possibility in January), I will get to see them again.

He doesn't seem to retain anonymity in his blog, so here is his Facebook, if you're interested in what he looks like. (Obvs, I couldn't do that for Jane, who doesn't even blog under her real name)

Bluestocking (Jane)

2009-10-16T12:46:00.002-05:00

we had our mindset
all things know, all things know
you had to find it
all things go, all things go

I'm going to start my blog introductions, which I mentioned doing a few entries ago. I will go from the bottom up. Since Jane's blog doesn't update in my feed for some reason, she's forever at the bottom.

I don't remember the first time I met Jane, but we met related to Russian as undergrads. She lived near the Russian House, and was in a higher year than Jamie and I were in German. She was one of the most impressive people I'd ever met. I think one time I found out she played cello and I tripped and fell because I was so impressed and jealous. She had a very cute boyfriend. She was incredibly smart. I remember deciding the Echols program was effed up if she wasn't in it. And she's super cute on top of it.

She has since proved herself all the more impressive, navigating upper-echelon academia despite frequent migraines and cold, cold weather. She seems to read about a book a day, according to GoodReads. And she travels like crazy! Again: jealous. She owns her own place, in a big city, which is awesome, and I hope I get to it soon. Then we can talk about Joss Whedon and costume dramas, because oh, did I mention, she is completely able to have non-academic fun, too.

Her blog updates are often about her list of things she has to do, or what work she managed on her dissertation, or if not, what events transpired that kept her from working on it. And all manner of things in between to document her days. When she travels, she makes wonderfully detailed updates about every aspect of her experience. She keeps things personal because she has managed to remain more or less anonymous for the past (10??) years she has kept the blog. She does all the layout herself, and it's tasteful and classy. She will address you "Dear Reader" in the manner of Jane Austen. She is probably my most prolific blog buddy, and sometimes I have trouble keeping up! But it's always a delight to have something fun to count on.

"Chicago" Sufjan Stevens

How to make an Illyria costume, from Angel

2009-10-16T09:39:00.023-05:00

"I wish to do more violence."

OK, I've been looking for a post like this myself. Rather than have people show off the costumes they DID make, I'm going to try to chart my progress as I figure out the pattern and have brainstorms about how to make this costume (my first; well, OK, no, I made my Morticia Addams costume in 7th grade). I had two of my friends over last night, both of whom are costume designers, and they gave me some good advice. Today is the first entry. I will start with the things one should buy to make it my way. Keep in mind I haven't finished all the parts I've bought these things for, so I might be making adjustments as I go along, in which case, I advise you to read any and all entries I make on the topic by clicking the "Illyria" tag at the bottom.

Here it goes.

First off, here's a really nice detailed shot of the real costume a woman put up in a similar post about her costume. You can zoom in really close, and it's really helpful to get to know what you're in for.

Second off, here are some links to pictures of other people's costumes. People who have gone before me have done an amazing job. I just wish they had recorded the steps of their efforts.
Illyria Costume 1
Illyria Costume 2
Illyria Costume 3
Illyria Costume 4
Illyria Costume 5

Ingredient list

Body

Long-Sleeved Black Unitard. You could conceivably make this with a pattern, but I couldn't find a good one. In some ways, that would be the best option, if you're good enough--then it will be easier to sew the armor pieces tight on to the fabric before you assemble the unitard completely. I found one in cotton with a good collar (#6662 from BodyMotion, at left), which I had to special order from Movin' Easy here in Austin. Another option would be a leotard over jazz pants or leggins, but the best leotards I could find were these at NY Dancewear (thanks for the tip, mom!); however, I didn't fancy sewing onto non-cotton , and the turtleneck collars weren't quite right.
This was the part of the project when I realized it was going to be expensive. But as I haven't sewed since I was 12, making one myself seemed too risky. UPDATED 10/21: I saw the perfect leotard when I went to pick up the unitard. The collar was a nice boatneck, but they didn't have it in black. This might be close, BodyWrappers BW0209.
Red Vinyl. I got lucky and found some on a bargain table for $6/yard, but I think it's just more like $10/yard at most normally, so that's not really too bad. I may end up going back to get a better color because I think what I'm working with is a little too brown; I'll see if spray painting will work or not. If you go in to the detail of the Illyria picture above, you can see the texture of the fabric is almost a snakeskin pattern, so something like this (seen at left) might be ideal, though I haven't seen this fabric person.
Not having finalized the pattern, I'm not 100% sure how much I will need, pretending I don't make any mistakes. I got 2 yards, and this seem to be sufficient, and I suspect if I start over, I'd use much less. But I haven't tried to do the back of the costume yet, which will take a lot of yardage. UPDATE 10/21: I found this vinyl at a local upholstery shop. I also found some faux suede for the boots. They were both about $11 per yard.
Burlap. OK, this is tentative. My costume designer friend suggested this for the shoulder/upper arm (seen at left). I could spray paint it and sew those seams into it. Some of the burlap I've seen almost looks like canvas, but it's apparently very easy to work with.

(<-burlap)
UPDATE 10/21: See this entry on how I decided to do the "shimmery stuff."

Stretchy Elasticy Trim Thing. I don't know what the heck this, on Illyria or in real life. I found it at the fabric store in the bulk trim section. It's like an burgundy elastic thing, and I got half a yard. It goes down the center of her chest, from supersternum to the pelvic cutout. Can it be called a codpiece if it's on a girl? Anyway, I may spray paint it so it's that mottled purple, if I have time.

Thread. Obviously. And have it match the vinyl exactly. You don't see any of the stitches on the original, although you can tell they're there. UPDATE 10/21: If you have a serger, go for black thread and instead of hemming the seams, which is a pain because many of them are curved, you might just serge the edging with a rolled hem stitch. My mom's serger is unfortunately in New Orleans, whereas I am in Texas.
"Rivets." I was undecided what to do about these things. At first, from memory, I thought they were more metallic, and I got some snaps and a snap applier, thinking the inside-out snaps would look like kickass, relatively simple rivets. Probably true, but when I went back and looked at the costume, it was more like rubies almost. To left, I have circled the thingies I'm talking about. Very clearly, they are not metallic rivets. Never rely on your memory when you're at the fabric store. Something like these might work. I have to go back to the hobby store and see what's available.

Nurse Shoes. I've enlisted my shoe-loving mom on this one. What is up with Illyria's shoes? I will try to upload one of the screenshots (update 10/21, link to pic, link to screenshot entry) to illustrate the enigma of her footwear, but I am not one to question. They're boxy and huge. I read a woman call them "nurse shoes," which gave me the idea to use big clogs to simulate the look. I will need some kind of "boot-cover" (like what they have for little kids' costumes) type thing to make them look less like clogs and more like boots, I feel like if I had jazz pants at this point, they might do a good job of making the shoes flow more into the rest of the costume. Certain men's Doc Martens might also make a good option. At left is the first Google image search you get for "black nurse shoes." Thanks for the idea, random forum lady, and Mom!

Gloves

I get the feeling these are going to be tricky. I haven't seen a good version of them online anywhere yet. Here are a few tries, to varying degrees of success.

The items I have bought/will buy/already have are:
UPDATE 10/21: See the gloves updates. Here is the vote which decided I would do the gloves differently than below, close to the second option above. I will still use the opera gloves, though.

Fingerless Black Opera Gloves: You can get these on ebay for about $10. Mine haven't come yet, but hopefully they will be stretch enough to a) truly be one size fits all (I kind of have massive forearms for a girl), and b) be able to fit the unitard sleeve underneath. If not, I'm going to have to fold the sleeve carefully above the elbow. You can see the shape of the glove matches the wedge shape over the hand, so I'm hoping that will make it easier to pattern the eventual rope design.

Regular Black Gloves. I'm actually not 100% sure how to do this...I'm going to go shopping this weekend for them. Leather might work well, and luckily I need a pair of gloves anyway, so it wouldn't be silly to spend $20/30 on them. I don't think knit would work--it would be too thick. I mean, look how elegant Amy Acker's hands are (at left)! My mom had a good suggestion that glove liners might be thin enough to pull it off, so I'm going to check some sporting goods stores for that, and maybe Target or something.

Silver Rope/Twisted Cord (no pic available) My friend suggested I lightly spray paint this to give it that gold-brown patina Illyria's seem to have. I tried soaking it in tea for a few hours to no effect. Not to mention it would take forever to dry.
Black Rope/Twisted Cord with Ribbon. By wrapping it around my forearms in the store (no staring was involved, really), I determined I needed about 10 yard of each color cord. For the black color, I don't know exactly how to explain what I got, but it looks like of like the stuff at left. I'm planning on being able to wrap the cords around my forearm (or a friend's) and hot glue a silver rope to the ribbon of the black one, and then also the next row of the black one onto the previous black one's ribbon, if that makes sense. I'll see if it works once I get started. But I feel like this will give the 3D depth I need to simulate the real gloves pretty well. These items were a bit pricey in total, since they were just under $2/yard. So I really hope they work out well!

Hair and Makeup

This woman has some good and specific ideas for what products to use for makeup. I am probably going a less classy or specific direction with my ideas.

Hair Extensions. Blue, obviously. I ordered a bunch of real-hair clip-in from ebay. They haven't come yet, but I think the more the better. They make Amy Acker's hair various colors blue, and sometimes it's almost all blue, and sometimes just the front is. I guess I'm going for a vibrant blue in just the front half. UPDATE 10/21: I have also gotten some spray on hair color, which is obviously what they use in the show. Be careful if you're blonde--the blonde will pick up the spray color more permanently than you might like. Same goes for blue grease paint.
White Face Powder. Amy Acker is very fair. Illyria has a deathly pallor. My skin tone is at least at the same starting point. I think either the whitest pressed powder at the drugstore would work, or maybe I'll have to get some real costume store white powder. I will apply with a kabuki brush to make sure it's thick. UPDATE 10/21: I ended up with some "alabaster" face powder from the costume store. I will apply with a wet sponge. It looks pretty pale but not ghostly.
Blue Grease Paint. I have this left over from some old costume. I can put it in my hair a little bit, too, for that smooth transition look (left; hmmm...I'll have to do some veiny things it looks like). I have tried it, and it looks pretty great, I think! When I continue the updates, I will of course include pictures of these things.

Blue Powder. I think this will be good to have to outline some features. Use it as eyeshadow, and lightly as blush. It looks like they might even outline her eyebrows a little bit in blue. I might use this for the lips as well. UPDATE 10/21: My friend gave me perfect ice-blue lipstick, and I bought some vibrant blue eyeshadow at the grocery store for $3 that really does the trick. I might even use it for the hairline and neck, applying with a cosmetic sponge. It doesn't look as shiny as the greasepaint.
Color Contacts. If I weren't nearly legally blind (long story), I would be able to get the Icefire Wild Eyes contacts. Part of me was relieved I couldn't because they would have cost $99 ON SALE! (~$115 regularly). You can probably get these from your ophthalmologist if your eyes aren't as bad as mine (they go up to a 6.0 prescription, I think). So I'm either going to wear an enhancer (my eyes are green), or I'm going to try opaques again (I tried these a few years ago, and they just darken my eyes too much to be all that dramatic). I will be posting the results soon (I have some samples to try out), and may solicit help in deciding which option to go with. UPDATE 10/21: Here were the contacts I tried out. I also found a place that will custom make your contacts for like $350. But I don't think they would do anything in my prescription. I've never been tempted to get Lasik. But now I am.

Illyria, last episode of Angel (UPDATE: see my 25 minute video for more great Illyria scenes; ask me for the link by leaving a comment with your contact information)

costume

2009-10-15T00:30:00.004-05:00

a little crappy, but not bad for a first try. I might have enough fabric to do these over with once I get the hang of vinyl seams.

long update

2009-10-14T19:49:00.008-05:00

I felt like I was bursting with stories today, but now that I'm stuck waiting for AAA to come jump start my car, I am sitting here wondering what I was going to say.

First off, the costume is coming along pretty well, but it's very expensive!

Secondly, I went to the Highball last night. It is the new bowling alley/dance bar that the Alamo Drafthouse folks opened up on South Lamar. They used the old laneboards from New Orleans's Rock n Bowl, so it looks homey and old-fashioned, but also very swank. I got a "Highball Old Fashioned," which at first tasted like cough syrup (it was cherry-infused bourbon) but then tasted like cognac, so I enjoyed it by the end.

There were 4 of us. One got drunk and was very funny. We convinced him to:
1) incubate a growing mermaid in his mouth by telling him she would grant him wishes
2) lick the bar table.

He really went overboard on item 2. HIJINKS!

A load of exciting stuff has happened this week, but not all of it can I talk about. I can't even check my phone to remember what all I've been up to, since I clearly can't rely on my memory. I can't check my phone because that particular battery in my life is ALSO dead (along with the car's). All I really wanted to do is go home and work on my costume, but I'm stuck at the office with no one to talk to, waiting for the tow truck. Lame!

I have moved all my entries over to another blog, but I'm undecided as to whether to switch over to it just yet or not. I wouldn't have much control over the look of the blog, not that I do a whole lot with this blog's style.

Quote:
"MF stands for motherfucker!" My Jane-Austen-loving coworker, explaining unneccesarily her earlier use of a euphemism.

I got my first exam back. Considering how little time I'm devoting to the class, and considering it involves multivariable calculus, I'm doing pretty well. I still might take it pass/fail. I don't need the pressure of knowing an A- will pull down my GPA right in the final stretch here!

OK, this is kinda cool. I've been making postcards for friends lately, and here is one that came out pretty well for as little time as I spent on it. Obviously, it is of Illyria, my costume. It helped that I know the pattern pieces by heart now, even if I had to cut them out at 1/10,000 scale.

illyria, again, but better

2009-10-09T00:49:00.003-05:00

Oh distance has no way
of making love
understandable

Wilco was awesome! Wow. Great concert. They even played my theme song of late.

Had a really productive day. I love days like that. Boxing, brownies, underarms waxed, oil changed, inspection done, water donated, crafts returned, etc. etc. 15 steps, then the Wilco concert.

I think I want to do a little introduction to each of the blogs I list on the sidebar. Or rather, to the people that do them, and how I know them. And it might be things I haven't told them before. Or something.

Anyway, remind me of that if I haven't done it in a few days. I have a packed few days coming up. Well, few weeks, really. And I'm working on a Halloween costume that will be aMAZing. So I hope it comes out OK because I've built it up more than a bit.

Here's what I'm up to:
Friday: work, boxing, friend's hypnosis show and/or yoga, radio show
Saturday: lunch with C M &M, karaoke birthday party (oh, and buying present for them sometime)
Sunday: Accordion festival (all day, San Antonio), apply to graduate in December
Monday: work, walk with MJ, Music Monday at the Alamo Ritz (indie videos), problem set due
Tuesday: class, doctor's appointment, boxing
Wednesday: work, dinner with E, problem set due
Thursday: class, doctor's appointment (I'll get ice blue contacts hopefully!), boxing, C and M coffee at my place
Friday: work, spa appointment (it's spa week!), radio show

And things always come up. It actually seems quite doable written out like this. But when will I model the river basin systems?? That question remains.

"Radio Cure" Wilco

somnophagia

2009-10-07T22:17:00.001-05:00

Could you make me forget about?

I updated my S C A T T E R B R A I N website for those of you needing new music. If you didn't get the password, just email me or something.

I'm thinking of having a show about forgetting and remembering. Any suggestions for songs I could play on such a show?

I'm so exhausted today from subbing a 5am show. I need to sleep because I'm seeing Wilco tomorrow night.

I talk a lot about music.

"Forget About" Sibylle Baier

boom shalaka

2009-10-05T23:32:00.006-05:00

I’m getting off track
And I can’t control a thing

I just read some online evaluations of the first course I TA'd, and I got really nice feedback mixed in with the incredibly negative evaluations of the course overall. Of course I already got my anonymous evaluations, but it was nice to hear again anyway.

Speaking of beaming, a new music friend gave me a shout out on her new radio show. Which made me feel FAMOUS! I will endeavor to give dedications to people who might be listening. I haven't ever met this girl, incidentally. We just like a lot of the same music.

Saturday was a disaster, but I don't feel bad about it. As my mom pointed out, the only thing I did wrong in the whole evening was wear 4 inch heels.

Ladybird says hi. Or, she would, if she were a human, and awake. She's snoozing here right next to me. I love her so much.

Boom Anjulie

2009-10-01T21:15:00.001-05:00

I got a returned email that said "failure notice." I deleted it. That's just negative.

2009-09-30T23:53:00.003-05:00

You do it to yourself
Just you
You and no one else

This post is primarily to update the "Just" video link. The video, and partly the song. "Jesus, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

I'm waiting for the Stone Word to fall. Tell me, tell me, tell me the answer cause you may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer. Helter skelter.

References galore! I should make footnotes to this update!

Well behaved cats rarely make history. True. But neither to ill-behaved ones. However, they enrich our lives.

"Just" Radiohead

2009-09-30T18:30:00.002-05:00

It's like the domino theory of stupidity.
Isn't that obvious to everyone?

Isn't there some self-help adage that there are three tripods to your life, and one of them will always be suffering at the expense of the other two? Am I thinking of Bridget Jones? Or this? Well, my professional world is ROCKING! But some personal matters are another thing entirely. A friend is offering to tell me what's wrong with me, and I wish his email would hurry up and come because I'm ready to know. What is wrong with me?

A bit sad

signed,
:(

"Chambrain" Space Ghost: Coast to Coast

2009-09-29T10:22:00.001-05:00

*transport, motorways, and tramlines*

Listening to "Let Down" (Radiohead) on the bus. Life is good. Well, life is OK. Life is bearable. Oh, life.

Woah. Did NOT want that to happen

2009-09-28T09:23:00.002-05:00

OK, I don't know any of the lyrics
I just like the name of the song
And also the band
New Orleans bands are making a comeback!
Check out The Generationals and Hurray for the Riff Raff, seriously!

Saturday I was enjoying some wine while I baked a cake. I was separating eggs because I had to fold in the stiff whites, and I got confused (too much wine?). Anyway, long story short, I took a big drink of egg white. I almost threw up. Ask my mom. I was on the phone with her at the time.

"Brunch with Rocco Fancypants" Egg Yolk Jubilee

2009-09-28T08:10:00.003-05:00

And I've been makin' promises I know I'll never keep.
One of these days I'm gonna leave you in your sleep.
I have to go when the whistle blows-
The whistle knows my name.
Baby, I was born on a train.

Another Monday. Another week to look forward to:

Problem set due tomorrow
Accidental date tomorrow
Midterm Thursday
Waiting for an email that will probably never come
The continued search for a reason to stay in Austin

But:

Seeing Whip It for free
Trip to Sam's Club with N
2 radio shows (one with just Stephin Merrit songs)
Skipping ACL

And this morning:

Waking up in time to cook breakfast and make an espresso
lready being cleaned up from the party last night

And going to work counts as a good thing. I like my job. I wish I could do something like this forever.

"Born on a Train" Magnetic Fields (Stephin Merritt)

we hope your rules and wisdom choke you

2009-09-26T22:16:00.004-05:00

breathe
keep breathing
don't lose your nerve

Baked a cake today. 6 layers (at final count).

Going to a party tonight. A dance party, so I don't know how long I'll stay, what with the inability to dance.

Went to see Surrogates last night. It was OK.

I'm OK. I'm fine. Being happy all the time is exhausting.

Exit Music (to a film) Radiohead

2009-09-25T13:00:00.002-05:00

All the hopes that you've been holding onto for so long
And the fires you've been chasing down now are all gone
I can tell you are a long way from the one you love
Ohh the night it takes so long to fall

Tonight is my yoga/dinner/movie/radio show combination. Do you know I can't type the word "radio" without actually typing "radioh" and backspacing? That comes of writing about Radiohead too damn much.

Census tract codes really will be the death of me. And/or my boss's computer which has frozen up for the 15th time trying to load the data I need.

Am a bit tired today, even though I only went to 2 of the 4 bars on the agenda last night.

But it's a glorious day--perfect temperature. I got to wear boots and my blue velvet jacket. OK, so I look a little like Austin Powers in it. So what? He was cool back in 1997.

Have been taking a lot of people-pictures lately. They're on Facebook mostly, of course. Because of the faces in them.

"Egads! My tooth!" (this is a random reference to 1996. Not even the people there would remember it. Don't feel like explaining. It's not that funny.)

"In the Night" Basia Bulat

2009-09-24T12:41:00.002-05:00

Another funny boxing quote

Me: sorry I keep punching your fingers!
Charlie: this is a funny place to apologize for hitting someone

the awesome things

2009-09-23T18:38:00.003-05:00

She fell in love with the drummer,
She fell in love with the drummer,
She fell in love
I miss the innocence I've known
Playing Kiss covers, beautiful and stoned

I continue having red letter days. A postcard life. Or at least, a blog-update life.

Today's coup was marked by an excellent GIS map (after hours of tedium, to be sure, but at least it came to fruition partially, though census tract IDs may yet be the death of me) which even the executive director noticed. And he has started slowly but surely to acknowledge me as a human being, which is awesome. My boss took me to lunch for my birthday, and we got Ethiopian. And she said I was doing a really good job, in order to counteract the opprobrium I've encountered from my research advisor.

Tonight I will make s'mores with my friends. Tomorrow I will see 2 bands play and get drinks with some other friends. Friday, yoga, dinner, and a movie. Saturday, a party. Sunday, a party. Oh, at some point, a problem set must be completed, but I'm not sure when that will be. There are so many more important things in life than school.

And today it's raining, which I always love even though it often gives me a headache. Not today. Not on my watch.

Heavy Metal Drummer, Wilco

Radio podcasts

2009-09-23T00:21:00.003-05:00

Glitter on the west streets
Silver over everything
The glitter’s all wet
You’re all chrome

I have had to put a password on my radio podcasts (right). Ask me for it if I didn't manage to include you in the spam email that got it to you.

I've had a lovely couple of weeks. I don't know why, just because I guess. Things are enormously easier when I can stay awake for the entire day.

Boxing continues to be a joy, the first time exercise has been so, excluding yoga, which is too soft, thought it's nice to buffer the boxing between with yoga. I have developed a Friday ritual of going to yoga with a friend and then getting stuffed-crust pizza and talking about boys. Which seems to defeat the purpose of yoga, the letting go of material things and attachments to people and whatnot.

I've found myself wanting to take care of the people around me. And having them to take care of. A friend that's depressed. A friend that's homesick. I want to fix them, and I feel helpless. One of them doesn't drink alcohol, so even the leftover wine from my party isn't an option. But dinner in a couple of weeks is, at a restaurant of her home country, so that's what we'll do for now.

Anyway, that's all for now. Updating for updating's sake. Send me your address, I'll send you something. I'm stalking post offices now. And I'll probably explain why in the postcard I will mail you.

"Heads Will Roll" Yeah Yeah Yeahs

A case of the Mondays

2009-09-21T22:12:00.003-05:00

My mind's just put on boxing gloves
My heart refuses to fight it

So tired all today. Meant to get lots done and then crash, but here I am doing nothing at all, listening to music, but not new music in a productive, responsible way. No practicing for the presentation tomorrow. I did manage to wash my hair, a few days overdue. And read some letters I got. And am washing my clothes.

Blah. Even though I was looking forward to relaxing, the thought of coming home today struck me as awfully boring. I didn't have anything fun to do, nor did I especially want to do the things I ought to do. Hence, the place is a mess, making me feel even crappier about my life at the moment. I should feel this way. It's just tiredness. Always tired. The only time I feel ready to go is when I'm out with friends. Wow. Am I becoming an extrovert? HAHAHAHAHa that is the funniest thing ever.

Title Fight: Heart v. Mind, Darren Hanlon

Music...errr....Fridays?

2009-09-18T12:52:00.004-05:00

This doesn't have the alliteration of Sirena's theme posts, but I am bored right now, and I just want to share this alphabetical list of the favorites that put on my phone, rather randomly. I'm really enjoying listening to these songs in alphabetical order. This morning I started out with "Shot by Both Sides" by Magazine, which really doesn't seem like a song I would like, but I love it.

(Nice Dream) Radiohead
All Together Now The Beatles
Belleville Rendez-Vous from the movie
Big Exit PJ Harvey
Birthday The Bird and the Bee
Bulletproof...I Wish I Was Radiohead
Casimir Pulaski Day Sufjan Stevens
Chicago Sufjan Stevens
Cracks in the Canvas PJ Harvey (closest link I can get, but it's available on my Radio Shows website, if I get my bandwidth back soon)
Drops in the River Fleet Foxes
Elegy Balmorhea (also available on my Radio Shows website, if I get my bandwidth back soon)
Favorite Adventure K's Choice
Frontier Psychiatrist The Avalanches
Got My Mind Set On You George Harrison (this is the version of the video I like)
He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot Grandaddy
Here It Comes Doves
Hide and Seek Imogen Heap
High and Dry Radiohead
I'm Looking Through You The Beatles
I'm Sticking With You Velvet Underground
If I Needed Someone The Beatles
"In the Absence of the Sun" Duncan Sheik (this is a scavenger hunt, and this is one I just couldn't find)
It's Summertime The Flaming Lips
Knights of Cydonia Muse
La Femme D'Argent Air
Let Down Radiohead
My Love The Bird and the Bee
Mykonos Fleet Foxes
Nobody Told Me John Lennon
Nowhere Man The Beatles
One Johnny Cash
Paper Planes MIA
Planet Telex Radiohead
Polaroid Millenium Superior
Pounding Doves
Sexy Sadie The Beatles
"She Is" Sufjan Stevens (this is a scavenger hunt, and this is one I just couldn't find)
Shot By Both Sides Magazine
"So Bad" Shearwater (Absolutely gorgeous song, available on my Radio Shows website, if I get my bandwidth back soon)
Some Velvet Morning Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood (WTF?)
Street Spirit (Fade Out) Radiohead
Such Great Heights Iron & Wine
Summer's Gone Feeder
Supermassive Black Hole Muse
Teardrop Massive Attack
This is Love PJ Harvey
We Float PJ Harvey
Why Not Smile? REM (could only find the clip)
You Held the World in Your Arms Idlewild

I don't know how you'll use this list. Go to ones you haven't heard in a while? Go to ones you've never heard of? Process the ones that you love and ignore the others? For me, it always depends on what mood I'm in when I'm suddenly dumped with a lot of new music. But there it is.

2009-09-17T02:33:00.004-05:00

"Here we are in Falling Rock again!"

My grandparents are awesome. And I'm not just saying that because they gave me money for my birthday.

I just finished my problem set, but I had no idea what I was doing. So I just wrote a lot. I am familiar with this method from being a TA, and it's freaking annoying for the grader, but I'm doing it anyway.

I went out to Lake Austin Spa today (seeing many a "Falling Rock" sign along 620). It was heavenly. That's the only way I can describe it. There was a light breeze, and a gentle sun. I fell asleep once during a head massage and had a nightmare, from which I started awake, and scared both of us. But besides that, it was all perfect. And it ended with my very favorite esthetician in the world giving me a free sample of something very, very expensive. Bonus of bonuses.

And tonight, during the problem set time, my cats have been distractingly adorable. I took pictures, which of course I will post somewhere. Maybe on Catbook (the feature within Facebook). Also, I bought Wilco tickets finally. And tomorrow, after boxing, I will probably go dancing.

Trying to keep the "all about what I'm doing" entries short and sweet. I will come up with something entertaining soon enough.

My grandmother, unclear that the warning sign was not a signpost for a new town.

2009-09-14T23:55:00.003-05:00

Hold on, hold on, keep holding on to me
I will love you from the bottom
No one holds you better than me.

The party went swimmingly. Special thanks to my mom and dad for helping me give it. There are pictures on Facebook. I also had an extra special show Friday, and a few people called in told me how much they liked the set. Today, my toes are still numb from wearing the crazy shoes. I went to yoga, and we did these funny squats, and he kept saying, "You should really be feeling this in your toes." I smiled smugly and held the pose longest of anyone. Been ridiculously productive at work, despite shooting pains in my shoulder. Yoga teacher helped with that, though yoga itself made my back hurt (again, I am falling apart).

Anyway, it is now officially my birthday, and I feel blessed by some higher power at the moment. Good family, good friends, good cats, good city, good ice cream, new phone, computer possibly not broken, subscription to the Economist, cards to open, new Twilight T-shirt and trading cards, a fridge full of wine. And a giant problem set to finish tonight. Sigh.

Despite that, it is The Best Birthday Evar.

The Bird and the Bee "Birthday"

pics

2009-09-11T20:12:00.001-05:00

from my shopping spree

omg lol this update! is so girly!

2009-09-10T09:54:00.003-05:00

This is kind of about you
And this is kind of about me
But one day, we'll float
Take life as it comes

Party plans are finally coming together. I think there will be many people there, which is exciting and terrifying to think of. I'm listening to the songlist (because of course I'm playing DJ; or, iTunes is, with my careful supervision), and it's starting my day off right.

I went on a shopping spree yesterday (well, for me). I got (brand new, not thrift shop): two pairs of shoes (4 inch heals...STUPID!), 2 dresses, and a shirt. At Strut, a place I've been hearing about, and indeed, it is adorable, and relatively reasonably priced for a boutique type shop.

Hey boy won't you take me out tonight
I'm not afraid of all the reasons that we shouldn't try

"We Float" PJ Harvey (secondary quote The Bird and the Bee, "My Love")

2009-09-09T15:51:00.004-05:00

Days are just drops in the river to be lost always
...
Years ago, birds of a feather would arrive nightly
Gone you know, held to another like clutched ivy
On the shore, speak to the ocean and receive silence

I think, after all that, I am going to drop Russian.  I
really like a leisurely
lifestyle, and I won't have that while stuck in campus
for 8 hours twice a week.
So, that's that.  Whatever it may hold for my future,
it holds delights and wonders
for my present.  I stay in boxing.  I keep the radio
show.  I plan things like this
super awesome party this weekend.

And to you Russian Housers: guess who's coming!  Sasha! 
(Alex, not Alexis, sadly).
We've lived in the same city for 6 years, and I've never
seen him.  But that's the
wonder of Facebook.

"Drops in the River," Fleet Foxes

2009-09-06T16:00:00.001-05:00

Live your life until love is found
Or love's gonna get you down

I was listening to Darren Hanlon because I was very happy. But then I realized I was happier than that--I am Mika-happy.

"Lollipop" Mika

2009-09-05T18:28:00.003-05:00

I was stronger
I was better
.....
Let it fall
Let it fall

Chiropractor helped. Two migraine pills helped. Yoga didn't help. Wine didn't help. Narcolepsy pills didn't help (HATE those things). Shower didn't help. Saigon Sorbetto helped. Radiohead helped. Rain and thunder helped. Grocery shopping helped.

Radiohead really helped. Listening to old b-sides. Making me cry tears of joy and sorrow.

"How I Made My Millions" Radiohead

2009-09-04T02:57:00.002-05:00

The moment's already passed
Yeah, it's gone
I'm not here I'm not here

I am physically falling apart. I haven't been able to sleep all week because my backache wakes me up. Tiger balm, a bolster, Aleve, ibuprofen, and an ice pack don't help. My stomach hurts right now. Probably from a combo of the medicines and eating a frozen burrito on an empty stomach. I did thaw it out in the microwave first.

So much for my impressive sleeping skills.

How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found, Radiohead

sleep study results

2009-09-03T21:35:00.003-05:00

I officially fall asleep fast enough and consistently enough to be called "extremely tired," or some such non-clinical sounding term. I have twice the dreams that you do, too! And I don't move, not once, all night. Even with 50 electrodes pasted to my head. So, long story short, I'm being treated for narcolepsy.

I saw the Fruit Bats last night with A. A and I tried to separate out the real vampires from the fangbangers, and also identify what A and J labeled the "try-hards" when they were in college. I love the concept of a "try-hard"! Tired today, more so than usual, but it was worth it. Also, boxing was worth dragging myself to tonight because awesome things transpired. This weekend has filled up nicely, with yoga+pizza kicking things off tomorrow at 6. Don't forget to tune in at 1am tomorrow night to kvrx.org (or search kvrx on your college radio stations on iTunes).

2009-09-02T00:47:00.002-05:00

Now all I wanna do
is sleep

What is UP with this week and not being able to sleep?

"Sleep" Garbage

i hate this post

2009-09-01T09:50:00.003-05:00

And if some day your dreams are leaving you
I'll still believe in you

First day of class, for me anyway. Sigh. I kind of like the working world. But I think I'll like this semester's schedule (assuming I get my stupidity fixed--got dropped from my class for not paying tuition on time): 1 class UT, 1 class ACC (also up in the air), 1 hour radio, 4.5 hours boxing, 2 hours yoga, 30 hours work.

Margaritas were had last night, with A and J, J who is moving here next month. Neither of them are drinkers, and I got there early, so I was mostly at the bar drinking alone, which is awesome. It was also my old place of work, so bonus if anyone recognized me. I only recognized one person, about whom I once had a dream that he saved children in his free time, a la Superman.

"Tomorrow is Today" Billy Joel

i am an evil bitch

2009-08-31T11:33:00.002-05:00

have already succeeded today in making my boss cry. isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

before I blow your cover

2009-08-30T14:27:00.004-05:00

always the best disguise

a license to defile

everyone you despise will die

so smile

I should have quoted "Lazing on a Sunday afternoon"! Because that's what I'm doing. Still in my PJs, nursing an aching back, eating brownies, and espressos with goat's milk (well, in my defense, eating anything else would involve leaving the house, and I'm just not up for that).

Why am I updating? No reason really. There is another quote from boxing that I find funny...but I will have to change some names to make it ungooglable. OH! Also! I am probably going to change my blog over to something a little more private soon. I know some of my readers (mom) don't have blogging accounts, so I'm soliciting advice on a good way to do this. Wordpress has a good option of having a password for each entry. Any other readers want to weigh in?

Here is the quote. My name is Carrie Davis. The gym is called "R. Laud's Boxing Gym."

Gym Owner: Davis! ....Carrie!
Me: Richar....what should I call you?
Owner: Mmm...you can call me whatever you wa--
Me: Can I call you Dr. Laud?
Owner: No.

Oh, another solicitation for your help: I think I'm going to have an hour-long show dedicated to the works of Stephin Merritt. That is, all his incarnations. What should I play? If you recommend one I don't have, I might request that you send me a copy... And that reminds me to let you know that my new radio time slot is 1-2am Friday night/Saturday mornings, central time. I LOVE this new time slot. But I will miss my old cohost, so I might still show up to keep her company for the Wednesday 5-7am slot, minus the music prep and volunteer hours.

"Smile (No one cares how you feel)" Gothic Archies

2009-08-25T22:09:00.003-05:00

And all of a sudden, you wash out
Like a soft, sudden, summer rain

It rained in the late afternoon.

It yielded me nothing. All is dark. All is silent. All is humid.

Sibylle Baier, "Forget About"

2009-08-25T20:54:00.003-05:00

Me: What do you listen to?
Boxing teacher who always has headphones on: Everything.
Me: Eye of the Tiger?
Boxing Teacher: constantly.

Friday night 1-2am central

2009-08-25T07:43:00.005-05:00

No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took

And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood

And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again

Well, I wasn't going to do a radio show. I really wasn't. But I got a great time slot for the next semester, and it's just an hour, so it'll be a lot less work. Which is great. So I'm taking it.

"On the Radio" Regina Spektor