Imaginary Gardens

Things That Make Sickle Happy:

1) Mom and I made chocolate cake today and have consumer half of it in three sittings. Tea and cake for dinner, bitches! With limoncello for dessert :D

2) Our neighbuorhood has a local black cat who may or may not belong to someone. At any rate, he's** the boss of these streets, as evidence by the Great Postureing and Spitting Stare-Down he had with another cat one night. Anyway, he likes rolling in the shade at the entrance to our apartment building, or sitting by the gate in a sun-induced stupor.

After a few, "Here, sniff this hand!" encounters, we've moved onto the "Yes, you may pet me, human," stage. I've taken to thinking of him as Bob, because the first few times I saw him I was listening to a Sookie Stackhouse novel where a minor character, Bob, gets turned into a back cat.

Today he was curled up by the gate, dozing in the sun. I walk up and wait while Mom fished for the keys, all, "Oh hey, look who's back!" Well, the darling Bob cracks an eye open, stands and meowls at me. I knew what that meant: "Pet me! Pet me!" Honestly, petting Bob totally makes my day sometimes.

3) I've discovered how to work Windows Media Player so it doesn't freeze up the second I even think of asking it to do something. The trick is to wait ages between each action, kind of like with Echo Bazaar. So I think I'll slowly be able to work on that Supernatural fanvid I've had sitting on my computer for pretty much a year now. Also, I started writing down ideas for a Sarah Connor Chronicles fanvid. I have too many fanvid ideas! Shut up, visual brain strung out on music! Shut up!

4) Watching and snarking at Jurassic Park 3 (Italian dubbed) with Mom.

Linguistic Factoid of the Day:

The English expression, The clothes make the man, is in direct contradiction to the Spanish expression, Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda***

Similarly, one can counter, It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all with Yes' lyrics, Owner of a lonely heart is much better than an owner of a broken heart.

30 Days of Doctor Who: Day 14 – The Villain Who Scared You the Most ( Read more... )

30 Days of Supernatural Meme: Day 14 - A scene that makes you happy ( Read more... )

40 Days of Supernatural Meme: Day 14 - Favorite storyline within the overall storyarc? ( Read more... )

Links of the Day:
Supernatural: ( Read more... )
Doctor Who: ( Read more... )
True Blood: ( Read more... )
Human Target: ( Read more... )
Sherlock: ( Read more... )
Other Fandom: ( Read more... )
Multifandom: ( Read more... )
Random: ( Read more... )


* Chinese Proverb
** I'm assuming it's a male. Anyone pipes in going on about patriarchy, feminism and inherent sexism can keep on piping thataway.
*** Although dressed in silk, the monkey is still a monkey.

I went with mom to the Ethnic Market today, where we got papadams and mangoes and looked for Sohan papdi, which we found, but not the brand we knew and definitely not at a good price.

I looked through about 600 job ads yesterday, found a few which I could, concievably, if you squint, be elegible for. Mom is less than supportive by this point about my lack of employment and says that, come September, I just have to grab onto whatever I can. To which I reply that that's been my damn motto ever since I first started looking for a job. It's not like I've been saying no to any job, damnit.

My psyche - that metaphorical anthropomorphic personification of my mental state - is currently up a tree on an alien planet with a psychopath. Good times.

Also, I had the most distressing dream last night: ( Read more... )

30 Days of Doctor Who: Day 12 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy ( Read more... )

30 Days of Supernatural Meme: Day 12 - Your favorite funny scene ( Read more... )

40 Days of Supernatural Meme: Day 12 - Favorite clothes? ( Read more... )

Links of the Day:
Supernatural: ( Read more... )
Doctor Who: ( Read more... )
True Blood: ( Read more... )
Other Fandom: ( Read more... )
Multifandom: ( Read more... )
Random: ( Read more... )


* Neil Gaiman, Sandman

Yesterday's Italian class was only revision, revision, revision, with an extra dash of exercises. Today's class was canceled because our substitute had to be somewhere's or something or whatever, he has his own schtick, and our real teacher is still sick, or "sick" or whatever. So we'll recoup the 3 missing hours by adding on some fifteen or so minutes after every class that's coming up. Right... Our real teacher better have been damn sick, because this is all very unprofessional. And expensive, did I mention that?

So instead of going to class, I spent the morning writing a cover letter for a position as a consulting scientist here in Rome, did some exercises and then, after lunch, mom and I took a walkabout and came back with fruit.

There's random thumping and tapping coming in through the walls - tap tap thud - which is making me tense up into a really annoyed little ball that can't think straight, hence this lopsided entry. The wolves are in the walls, eh? Shoot them dead.

And now, Lost. Die, you thumping, tapping bastard, die!


Links of the Day:
Ashes to Ashes / Life On Mars: ( Read more... )
Lost: ( Read more... )
Supernatural: ( Read more... )
True Blood: ( Read more... )
Watchmen: ( Read more... )
Multifandom: ( Read more... )
Other Fandom: ( Read more... )


* The Wolves in the Walls, NGaiman

I think the Muse has revivd a bit. Whilst discussing One of Them with the henrygalelovers folk, I mentioned in passing an idea for a Lost fic, and marzella_108's simple Write it! Write it! must've kickstarted the ol' bint. So I'm off to write now. \o/

In other news, have done diddly-squat else today except attent Hip Hop lesson. They finally took the stripper pole away! Whoot! And next week's the last class, so we'll be getting sort of report cards. Yays!


Links of the Day:

selenak's extensive and inciteful musings on Lost: Benjamin Linus, Season 4 Finale, Five Favorite Appocalypses (Or Near Misses), Angel: Connor Essay: The Fascination Of What's Difficult, Season 4's Ending and Connor, Season 4 Revisited, Part 1, Season 4 Musing Continued, Season 4 Reviews and More Reviews.
12_12_12's licewise extensive meta on Lost Season 1General, Characters, Episodes 3x17-3x23 Review, Part 1 and Season 4 Review, Part 1.
canis_takahari's Life on Mars/Doctor Who Fanfic: He's in the Best-Selling Show (Sam/Doctor)
AM Radio's Angel Fanfic: How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Connor's summer with Fred and Gunn.)
ylee's offers original musical compositions up for bid, with three provided as examples, including a remix of Angel's Themesong, and her Angel: After the Fall Review makes this comic series sound awesome.
lolcoholic compiles funny Stephen Moffat quotes.
Netgirl_y2k's Doctor Who Fanfic: The Idiot's Guide to Foiling Alien Invasions (Jackie and Mickey save the day by bickering, drinking lots of tea and spending a lot of time in the pub in the middle of the day.)
Sweet Fantasy - 25 years of Terry Pratchett's Discworld - Neil Gaiman interviews Terry Pratchett again.
EW: The Isle Files - Lost producers answer some questions, or at least say which questions will eventually be answered.


* Billy Shakespeare ;)

Meme via lienne:

If you read this, I want you to comment or to post in your own space something about your current situation that's right. It might make you happy, it might just not make you sad, but it should be a thing you don't want to change if you can help it. No "soon I will" or "I have done". Present tense only. ( Read more... )

Meme via fallen_iceangel and aelora:

You are in a mall when the zombies attack. You have:
1. one weapon.
2. one song blasting on the speakers.
3. one famous person to fight alongside you.

* Weapon can be real or fictional; you may assume endless ammo if applicable.
Person can be real or fictional. ( Read more... )

I managed to write a little bit yesterday. Totally random image, totally useless, but words! Words got written!

( Read more... )


Links of the Day:
David Tennant was on Jonathan Ross' show. The Podcast. It's still not up on YouTube (but undoubtably will be.)
ursulav's art plus tea. A match made of awesome.
henrygalelovers's posts TV Guide Follow Up interview of Micahel Emerson just after the finale.
ack_attack's Lost Finale Recap of Hilariousness
qthewetsprocket's response to a meme has song recommendations.
World War Z is also an abridged audio book. Awesomesauce.
wtf_nature posts an eagle attacking a swan in mid-air, a snake eating its own tail, and lemmings really do jump off cliffs
Rescuers scour sea for lost European divers. The first thing that came to mind reading this? They're on the Island! And it's moved!. Sad, really.


* Ibid meme #1

OMG Lost episode rocked my socks clean off!

Thread summaries off the ongoing-post over at ack_attack's. She's posted a selecection on the afterparty, but this is way more extensive. 'Cause I'm a freak. I got a bit carried away with the copy-paste. Go ahead and call me crazy, I know it's true.

For the record, I've been compiling this not-so-short list for 4 and a half hours, going through 1435 comments on 44 pages. It's now 4:18 am. I hope at least someone reads this and gets a kick out of it. Squee at me if you're a Lost fan?

Spoilarz in graphic detail! Graphic, hilarious detail with some profanity sprinkled in!

( General exclamations of mindfuckery )

( Random Love for... )

( On Aaron )

( On Alex )

( On Bernard )

( On the Captain )

( On Charlotte )

( On Claire )

( On Daniel )

( On Hurley )

( On Jack )

( On Jacob )

( On Kate )

( On Locke )

( On Miles )

( On the Other Others )

( On Sawyer )

( On Sayid )

( On Tom )

( On Spoiler-character )

( On Spoiler-character )

( On Various Plot Points )

( On Ben, the focus of this episode )


* starshine_3
** Jack Tears, TM

The Pit of Blah is getting muddy :(

Ma called, worried because I've been pretty AWOL recently. ( Read more... )

Today's walkabout sucked yet more suckety popsicles, now in rain-flavour! Stupid shitty city with nothing to do...

I never did send that email to my supervisor, telling her how I'm actually working. (Well, *finger quotation-marks*, but yeah.) Stupid introduction, all "Heeey, this paragraph's getting a might long, ain't it? No no no, don't cut it short! You need to say this stuff! But not here! No, not there either. No, you can't mix-and-match, what is this, a buffet?"***

It took me literally a couple of hours to fully change from outdoors clothes to indoors clothes and settle back to being indoorsy and do regular indoorsy stuff. That doesn't make sense. I mean, I'm just not doing stuff anymore. Except being all blank and/or wibbly. Dunno what's better. I mean, the blankness is just so I'm not wibbly - emotional!aneasthesia - so I guess that's better. But then that means that I don't think anymore. Zip. Oooh, there's the erratic thought now and then, but - *stares at cursor for ages* Yeah.

Steps to Making Sickle Better****: Tonight's Programming

( Read more... )

ETA: The Cuddleiscious Leopard of Win is gone! Gooooooone! There is nothing to cuddle at the top of the stairs! Woooooooooe!
[Translation: The stuffed giant!leopard seems to have disappeared. I am upset.]


Links of the Day:
katrina87's Fanmix: Leave The Earth Behind You And Take A Walk Into The Sun (Doctor/Rose) and Fanmix: I'll find a way (Rose Tyler EP) are pretty but probably too old to have viable download links.
exotik's Master Picspam 1 and 2 (John Simm in Doctor Who) is a thing of sexy, sexy beauty. No one should look that fuckable in a black suit and tie. Unf indeed.


* Jean-Paul Sartre**
** Fuck you, Sartre.
*** Writing things as sentient is fun!
**** For a given value of "better". Obviously, there's something wrong with my own definition of the word.

Prince Caspian Trailer.



*high-pitched and unending squee*

In other news, I got out of bed at 1 pm (unfortunatly, not unusual - my body seems to think its somewhere in the Atlantic, time-zone wise), cleaned the apartment (mopping the floor without a mop was interesting), got groceries (foooooooood) and re-watched Voyage of the Damned (where David Tennant is gorgeous - and lanky - in a rumpled tux and, yes, the inevitable Chucks). Gods that happy couple in VotD makes me so frelling happy. That's what I want, right there.

Watching Shaun of the Dead last night, I realized that Shaun's mum, Barbara, was Penelope Wilton. Yes, that's right, Dr Who's Harriet Jones, Prime Minister. The fandoms, they bleed together!

ETA: Whilst comment-chatting with pythfic, she responded to my doubts as to Noah Bennet's omniscience with, "Also, c'mon. He's Noah fucking Bennet. He has ways of finding this out." To which I innocently replied that it "ought to be on a pin or flag or somethin'." So she says the magic word: icon.

It's her fault. Really, it is.




Links of the Day:
Comic: Turn Your Hampster into a Fighting Machine
FandomWank Wiki: a whole wikipedia on wank
solarbird watches Sweeny Todd and gets the urge for Shepherd's Pie (as one does). Original recipie.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, whilst still unfinished, has a cover by Dave McKean. \o/
Milo Ventimiglia: Wacky Picture Thread
cleolinda's Cloverfield in Fifteen Minutes is up, also on m15m. I still do not feel the need to watch this. (The fact that the two movies with "Zomg! Spiffy camera effects and movement!" - The Blairwitch Project and Children of Men - that I've ever watched were done so forcefully from the first row may have something to do with this.) Also, her Heath Ledger linkspam, including a quote from the NewYorkTimes which reflects my own sentiments: ( Read more... )
ETA: Ten Things I Loved About Heath Ledger and Book: Lol Cat 101

* Sycorax leader, The Christmas Invasion: Dr Who