[ Posted on December 02, 2009 @ 11:44 am ] glitterbats [ mood | stressed ] So, my hours have been cut. Good news is, I can still technically afford to pay my bills, I just won't have much if anything left over. However, after this week is over I will probably not have a way to and from work. If my hours hadn't been cut I could afford to take a taxi, but now I can't. Also I think some of the pipes may have busted. Comment

new challenge [ Posted on December 01, 2009 @ 11:46 am ] catness [ mood | optimistic ] This month, (not) looking forward to getting up at 7am every day. May not seem much of a challenge to most of the people here, but it's 2-3 hours earlier than I normally wake up, and I take fucking with my sleeping hours very bad (as opposed to fucking with the diet). Didn't get much sleep this night, being nervous and literally scared to envision how I'll manage to go through the day. (See why I'm doing this?) Hopefully it gets better when I'll be compelled to go to sleep earlier. Sleep deprivation is not a goal, and neither is suffering. Actually, my feelings are irrelevant, but if I feel nice about it, it's even amusing (relax and enjoy the abuse, lol). And self-pity is definitely not helpful. So, if I say or do anything extraordinary stupid during the current month, please consider the excuse that I may be too trashed to think properly ;) Just kidding. The challenge includes being able to function approx. within the normal parameters. 1 pipe problem | Comment

My life according to Star Trek:Deep Space 9 [ Posted on November 29, 2009 @ 12:34 am ] catness [ mood | amused ] Stolen from barush. How to do this meme: Using only EPISODE names from ONE TV SHOW, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat an episode title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "My life according to (show)". Describe yourself: "Facets" How do you feel: "Broken Link" Describe where you currently live: "Far Beyond the Stars" If you could go anywhere where would you go: "Past Tense" Your favorite form of transportation: "Through the Looking Glass" Your best friend is: "Distant Voices" What's the weather like: "Statistical Probabilities" Favorite time of day: "In the Pale Moonlight" If your life was a TV show, it would be called: "Crossover" What is life to you: "The Darkness and the Light" Your fear: "Invasive Procedures" What is the best advice you have to give: "Favor the Bold" Thought for the Day: "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" How I would like to die: "Blaze of Glory" My soul's present condition: "Shadows and Symbols" My motto: "It's Only a Paper Moon" Comment

basterds [ Posted on November 28, 2009 @ 11:21 pm ] catness [ mood | bored ] Finally saw the infamous "Inglourious Basterds". I had the file for ages but in such a lousy quality that I had considered waiting for the DVD, until I get really bored or something. So, after all the hype, it left me entirely unimpressed - and I don't think it's the quality of the video which had spoiled it. The plot is boring, the characters are boring, you don't care what happens with any of them either way (with one exception, see below), it's neither shocking nor depressing nor amusing nor atmospheric. The alleged blood & gore (e.g. scalping) is shown very briefly and is too obviously fake. I had expected to see more of Basterds' action, as a proof why they are supposed to be so fearsome - but most of the movie is talking talking talking. Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) looks and acts like a clown with a funny moustache. Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz (Til Schweiger) is just hanging around looking bored (although I do appreciate the 4 seconds of the whipping scene :) The only redeeming quality of this movie is the character of Col. Hans Landa - he is intelligent, devious, charming, subtle and dangerous - everything one wants to see in the movie character! The bargaining bit at the end spoils it a little, but I suppose it was a followup to the intro, when he mentions that he knows how to think like a Jew. And the scene when he uncovers the disguise of the pseudo-Italians in the movie theater had totally cracked me up! A couple more scenes worth watching: - The capture and murder of Sgt. Werner Rachtman (a German soldier who chose death over betrayal, that was at least touching) - the torture scene of Bridget von Hammersmark (not much to see but heck, with 2.5 hours of trash, you gotta be grateful for every bit of amusement you've got) Also, I've learned a new bar game :) Comment

fangirling meme [ Posted on November 26, 2009 @ 6:52 pm ] catness [ mood | cheerful ] (Tagged by barush) 1)List 5 celebrities you would have sex with without even asking questions. 2) Put all of them IN ORDER of your lust for them [5 - 1, 1 is the hottest]. 3) Say which movie/show/thing it was that hooked you. 4) Supply photos for said people. 5) Tag five friends to do the same. (Not tagging anyone, feel free to steal) Hugh Laurie would've totally made it to the list, but I've never seen him outside the House series, and the person I actually lust after is Dr. House, not the actor behind the role - so listing him would be unfair. This is the case with most of the movie stars - with the rare exceptions, I have no interest in the real-life "counterparts" of the fictional characters. Of course I realize that it's the same with musicians - the person we see on the stage is NOT the same one IRL - but the distinction is more vague, especially with various facts & interviews which are leaking onto the image. Also, decided to restrict this meme to the non-dead people. ( eye candy ) Comment

antichrist [ Posted on November 26, 2009 @ 1:34 pm ] catness [ mood | impressed ] Saw a wonderful new movie "Antichrist" (IMDB link, to avoid spoilers) (thanks again to barush for the rec!) First of all, it's amazingly beautiful, a real work of art! Stunning visuals, great soundtrack, very atmospheric; the action is very slow so you can sit back and appreciate every detail. Second, it's exploring the darkness of human psyche. The main theme is insanity/irrationality. There's a fair bit of sex and violence, but it's not an ordinary "Hollywood horror flick" - rather, a psychological drama. No good vs evil, no prosthetic monsters, gunfights and car chases, all the creepiness comes from within. I was a little disappointed that I didn't find it shocking and disturbing as it's allegedly supposed to be. After some contemplation I came to the conclusion that violence doesn't turn me on unless it's linked to control/power. When the perpetrator lacks any self-confidence and is probably more scared than the victim, it's just not the same. In any case, it's extremely enjoyable for the artistic qualities, and hopefully rewatchable. Also, a little scene at the very end (before the epilogue), even that it didn't last more than a few seconds, made me completely happy. And the dedication to Andrej Tarkovsky (Russian film director) at the end practically made me squeee, because I love his movies and was constantly thinking that the style is so similar. Highly recommended for all the fans of dark art. Of course, hopefully everyone here knows my aesthetic tastes well enough, to avoid taking the rec the wrong way and being tricked into watching something you'd hate :) Here's a quote from the Wiki about the movie production - not a spoiler, just to show what we're dealing with: "it is the real "porno double's" penis that is seen, with fake blood being sprayed by the prop crew." The Wiki mentions that there will be a game "Eden", which starts where the film ends. Another quote: "It will be a self-therapeutic journey into your own darkest fears, and will break the boundaries of what you can and can't do in video games," says video game director Morten Iversen. WANT WANT WANT!! The moral of the story, in my personal interpretation (I assure you it has nothing to do with what the author wanted to say ;) - if you're stuck with somebody insane, never try to "help" on the basis of your own silly theories, but do it professionally - which involves the medications, possibly electroshock therapy and restraints, and in general all the technical achievements of the modern medicine. Or alternatively, you have to remain in full control every moment, and be able to genuinely hurt them, as much as required - it's for their own good. Comment

stuff(1) [ Posted on November 24, 2009 @ 4:40 pm ] catness [ mood | lazy ] Was advised to scrap the ODBC interface, because the admins of the server in question have even less clue than I do, and to try Oracle interface instead. Perl DBI has the Oracle module, so far so good; but it requires installing some libraries which have to be downloaded manually from Oracle site, which requires an account on that site, which can't be created because the webserver dies with internal error. I sent a request through an online support form (I don't know if it works, because I didn't receive any auto-reply). In any case, I don't need the instant reply. A few days would be perfect ;) The downside of writing the story in episodes is that it's always difficult to start the new one. I have two left from the initial outline, both are planned very vaguely, and I've no idea how either one ends. Oh - maybe this is a good case for Tarot. Too bad I don't have a habit of carrying a Tarot deck everywhere I go ;) Comment

stuff [ Posted on November 24, 2009 @ 1:44 pm ] catness [ mood | content ] The Internet connection at home is still on and off - problem with the basic infrastructure, the building is too old. We had replaced the modem and the router, on the insistence of the ISP; the new router (Linksys) has a definite advantage that it stands vertically, so the cat can't sit on it - but other than that, it doesn't make any difference. At least I have to admit that my Internet dependence is getting manageable. Though having a reliable unlimited connection 5 days a week at work is helpful too :) After the personal writing sprint of yesterday, it's 4K left until 50K, so the formal win is feasible in a couple of days - but there's still a lot of work if I don't want it to collect virtual dust at the end. My movie-watching currently alternates between ST:Enterprise, Red Dwarf, and Rammstein concerts. (LOL, the combination of these three things kind of describes my story ;) I'm not really excited about Enterprise, and I don't understand why - everything is there, but it just seems like "more of the same thing", neither fascinating nor annoying. Maybe watching too much of the same thing causes a data processing overload. On the other hand, "The Andorian Incident" wasn't half-bad, I may even have to rewatch it because I couldn't concentrate as my mind was elsewhere. The kid got a burn on his finger while experimenting with building up tolerance to fire, because he's always impressed when I play with it. I had explicitly told him to stay clear of fire because it's not for kids, but they do not always listen... So, I know it's very sick and deranged on my part but I'm proud of him ;) Comment

I'm currently mostly mindless ... [ Posted on November 24, 2009 @ 8:05 am ] ajatshatru ... so I am existing mostly on facebook. These days most people have facebooks, and so - having seen this on a friend's wall there, 'm posting it here as well ... 'On Friday, Facebook will start using your photos in ads that will appear on the profile page of your contacts. It's legal and is mentioned in the fine print when you create your account. If you want to prevent this from happening, do the following: Settings, Privacy Settings, News Feed and Wall. Then...Facebook Ads, choose "No one" and save changes.' ... Comment

See, I love autumn storms... [ Posted on November 23, 2009 @ 9:46 pm ] shadowvalkyrie [ mood | cranky ] [ music | Duran Duran ] ...except for the part where I get soaking wet on my bike. Also, rain dripping from the ceiling. Again. I can haz bukkit? Comment

twisty little passages [ Posted on November 23, 2009 @ 10:32 pm ] catness [ mood | silly ] The caves were a maze of twisty little passages, all alike, but the captain walked with confidence, as if he knew exactly where he was heading to (as opposed to the author, LOL). Weber had no difficulty in following him, keeping out of sight; he was a little worried that he could lose his way in the caverns, but due to some kind of a tracking device which the author had completely failed to mention but which will be hopefully introduced at the editing stage, he was reasonably certain that he'll be able to return to the shuttle safely, and he was only hoping that the author wouldn't want to make an example out of him by getting him involved in some gruesome and painful scene in order to increase the word count. Comment

comics: nano love [ Posted on November 23, 2009 @ 9:47 pm ] catness [ mood | silly ] A picture is worth a thousand words! too bad they don't count towards the Nano quota ;) but oh well, couldn't resist. ( the cat is writing a story ) Comment

[ Posted on November 23, 2009 @ 6:20 pm ] catness [ mood | productive ] Mucking around with UnixODBC. Admittedly, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I've proceeded far enough to send a meaningful question to the server admins (via a coworker who interacts with them). Ok, maybe a stupid question, but I have a few extra bitch-credits to burn. Hope they do NOT ANSWER FAST. I've done enough damage socially useful labour for today, and now decided on a followup for the writing marathon which had worked so well for me on Saturday. Aiming at 46K at the end of the day. And no Tetris or bash until (if) it's done. Oh and here's a bash quote which made my day! "Once Professor Snape was asked to work in the hospital wing instead of Madam Pomfrey. This is how the serial "Dr House" was created." Comment

Quick update [ Posted on November 23, 2009 @ 12:02 pm ] shadowvalkyrie [ mood | determined ] Weekend was hell. I barely slept, and was consequently in the foulest mood since Attila after he fell off his pony. (Including the need to decapitate people and burn things.) Developed the theory that roommates were trying to drive me out before the end of the month. It made enough sense that I already made plans for initiating a rapid move next Saturday. Turns out there was (mostly) a chain of unfortunate coincidences at work there. Talked it out with A last night and we agreed to try and make this work with minimum annoyance on all sides until February. (I can't actually move out till then because I'd have to pay rent anyway, stupid three-months' notice.) As things currently stand, I probably will rent stepdad's flat. There's no way in hell I'll ever get a flat of my own that size and that well-situated for this little money otherwise. Also, I could keep a cat or dog there, which wouldn't be possible in most places. I'm looking at one other flat this Wednesday, but... Let's say I've come to think it's not that bad an idea as my initial knee-jerk reaction suggested. Felt better after ten solid hours of sleep this morning, and find my outlook on life drastically improved. Uni papers are still hell, though. Comment

Do I even have any Trek slashers on my flist other than myself and jemisard? [ Posted on November 22, 2009 @ 6:53 pm ] glitterbats [ mood | sore ] [ music | Chester Bennington - Morning After ] Now that I've actually seen the new Star Trek movie, I feel comfortable recommending jemisard's Spock/McCoy trilogy (rated PG.) It begins with Before You're Old, in which TOS!Spock seeks out STXI!McCoy in an attempt to set right an old regret. The prequel Time Enough shows us the last days of TOS!McCoy's life, which he's chosen to spend with Spock (character death, obviously.) The last part of the trilogy is the sequel Bloom of Youth which takes place almost immediately after the events of Before You're Old. STXI!McCoy discusses with STXI!Spock the conversation just concluded with his counterpart and what impact it has to their comradeship. This trilogy is one I'd consider a must-read for Spock/McCoy shippers, and would reccomend to non-shippers for the same reasons; jemisard's strong grasp of characterization makes the interaction between all characters a delight to read. She maintains the classic interaction between TOS Spock and McCoy, the more antagonistic and shaky version of the same with their XI counter-parts, and in doing so subtly illustrates both the similarties and differences between the four characters. Her plot is also a joy, fitting easily into the cracks between series and movie in such a way that I could easily see this happening. Ok, dry pseudo-professional tone aside; you should totally read this. I read the trilogy when jemisard first posted it, and made the choice to see the new Star Trek movie because of how well she'd written in that 'verse. This fic convinced me to spend actual money guys, I am a skinflint this is a big deal! Comment

[ Posted on November 22, 2009 @ 1:14 pm ] catness [ mood | okay ] Had such a nice dream today - and instead of enjoying it while it lasts, kept searching for inconsistencies, due to a vague feeling that it's too good to be true, therefore something must be wrong. (Well duh! the mere fact that we were together had to be a major tip-off!) At the end, focused on the fact that he's supposed to be taller than me. This destroyed the illusion and woke me up - even not to the reality but to another, stupid and boring dream - well done :( Damn perfectionism ;) In the happier news, back online. Unlike the previous incident 2 weeks ago, was mentally and technically prepared, and actually in a pretty good mood; had a bitching fit only once, during the dinner, and stopped on my own accord; spent most of the time writing. I even start to believe that putting limits on the Internet usage might make sense ;) Comment

personal linguistics [ Posted on November 19, 2009 @ 10:53 pm ] catness [ mood | contemplative ] I've noticed that my usage of the word "lovely" is slightly unconventional. It's a high compliment on something artistic/creative which I appreciate specifically for brutality/violence/abuse/pain. This doesn't deviate from the standard meaning of "lovely" as pertaining to love and beauty, but probably implies a slightly uncommon perception of love and beauty. Maybe that's why the album "Liebe ist für alle da" had so precisely "clicked" with me. Of course, in real life I'm not a monster or maniac, I think it's kind of my "stage image" - after all, most of the musicians, writers and other people of creative professions behave reasonably sane in real life, in spite of depicting all kind of darkness and atrocities in their art. It's just that when your stage is imaginary, sometimes it's difficult to find where exactly it ends. Comment

Squee? [ Posted on November 19, 2009 @ 7:20 pm ] shadowvalkyrie [ mood | relaxed ] There are some spontaneous impulses you just don't question. Like the urge to RUN! NOW! I had after returning from uni this afternoon. I currently don't get to do that as often, because uni starts at 8 am thrice weekly, which means getting up at six, and while I wouldn't mind getting up earlier, I try to let my roommates sleep in the mornings -- in the (evidently futile) hope that they'll do the same for me at night -- and I'm not usually up to sports in the evenings. But maybe the additional sausage from lunch wanted to be sweated out, or something. Or maybe it was but a symptom of a general feeling of... antsiness I had all day. *shrugs* I wish I had more of a writing urge, though. ":-( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There's no news on the living situation, except that my roommates and I finally had our talking out, where I told them, what the hell, I'll move out (to which they were surprisingly D-:" -- tough luck boys, if I say something, I follow through), and refused further half-baked compromise. If I've learnt one thing from these last ten months, it's that I need to live alone. I can't really afford it, but I need to. Living with the family was worse in some ways, better in others, but at least I was used to them and their bullshit. Strangers will always be strangers, who come up with weird, stranger-type ideas. (One of roommate C's other complaints -- after "You never clean the bathroom!", to which I truthfully replied "Neither do you two!" -- was that I always keep my distance. So what? I didn't move in here to make new friends! We're not married, and I'm therefore not obliged to spend my free time with you. I'm always friendly, except if you piss me off, and it took repeated insults from a certain asshole friend of yours before I gave up on politeness and bitched back, which I think is all you can ask for. I just want to live here, with my books, my internet, and some fucking peace and quiet. And anyway, we don't have hobbies besides occasionally watching The Simpsons and the evening news together. We are not the hippie commune a town over; there are no mandatory group activities here. What's so hard to understand about the concept of apathetic co-existence? I like it, and there's nothing wrong with me for that, so stop trying to say it is. I'm not saying something's wrong with you because you can't be alone and quiet, either. It's a difference of opinion, that's all.) Yeah, we talked everything out in great and excruciating length. ":-/ (I probably mentioned I hate talks like that?) Bottom Line: Bleh. Roomshare life plainly isn't for me.* I've emailed Dad about the flat, but he hasn't written back yet. It's probably too expensive anyway (though, well, he did buy(!) my stepsister a flat of her own, so he could well give me reduced rent... the fact that I'm not genetically his offspring shouldn't matter that much), but I'd like to rule that opportunity out rather than wonder whether I missed a chance later. *(Scratch that. Human company plainly isn't for me!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The academic news is good, though! I'm starting to be carefully (very carefully) optimistic about the papers I had almost written off as doomed. YAY. (Except for the part where I actually need to get them done. Now. Which means I hardly get the fanfic porn internet time I require to function. *headdesk* I'm trying to catch up on comments though, I promise!) Even more YAY: my favourite prof (favouritest of evar, you might now say) has agreed to mentor my MA thesis!!! SQUEE!!! (He was scarily relaxed about that aforementioned paper of his that I've been procrastinating since February. I can't help but wonder why I've been dithering about it so much! Nevermind. It's all SQUEE now!) ":-D 2 pipe problems | Comment

'I'm so depressed' ... [ Posted on November 19, 2009 @ 2:23 pm ] ajatshatru [ mood | I'm so depressed ] ... The bad part of being depressed - for me, that is - is that when those words - 'I'm so depressed !' - are in my mind, I actually hear them in my head as they are said by Marvin - voiced by Alan Rickman --- which makes me burst out into giggles. There is something hugely wrong with this scenario ... ... Comment

LJ QotD [ Posted on November 19, 2009 @ 3:04 pm ] catness [ mood | lonely ] What scene from a movie, book, or play would you most want to recreate in real life? Who would you play? Who would you cast in the other roles? With my top physical abilities and outstanding personal charm, I'll most certainly screw up any scene worthy to be implemented. I think I'll use the opportunity to bring the Borg to the real world, and play anyone who is successfully assimilated at the end. Now, if I didn't have to "play" the other person, but "be" the other person... Oh, fuck you, LJ, now I'm going to spend the rest of the day daydreaming... :P [edit]But then - as noted in a comment to one of my friends - I'll agree to any role as long as it is not *me*. Ok, maybe any role except Arnold Rimmer from Red Dwarf, because it's close enough ;) Comment

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