Egyptology and Egyptian Archaeology

I told myself I was going to organize my music collection when I quit NaNo. My C: drive is getting too full, and I discovered by accident a while ago that Winamp seems to be ripping music files to the wrong directory when I import a CD, so not only is some of the music on my C: drive, but a lot of the music on the external drive is in the wrong place. Plus a little while back I stopped spending money at iTunes and started buying my music at Amazon.com (1. they do 50 albums a month for $5, 2. the files are non-DRM MP3s, 3. I got annoyed at Apple) and the Amazon.com files have been downloading to the C:/users/user/music/ folder. GRAR! I'm not looking forward to this task, though, because I imagine I'll have to redo my playlists. I have a lot of playlists...like at least 250 by my estimate. *headdesk*

cm_exchange has started posting! And the first fic is such a good one! I'm very excited about it this year. We have something like 38 fics, which is a lot more than last year, and everyone's been so great!

It was dark when I left the house this morning for work. It was almost dark before I left work, and it was dark when I got home. Thank goodness I sat in the car at lunchtime or I wouldn't have seen the sun at all today. I want a Ribbon Lamp for Christmas. It's supposed to be people who suffer from SAD, and though I've never done anything but self-diagnosis, I think I would benefit.

I really hope I can sleep tonight. Over the past two nights I've gone to bed and just lain awake for a couple hours, followed by several hours of restless sleep and/or bad dreams. On the plus side, I've made a lot more progress in Joe Mantegna's reading of The Godfather. I walked around all day thinking about Franco Brazzi and wondering if Michael Corleoni really would go through with his plan. (I still feel sorry for Khartoum though.)

The Black Crowes have a new album out and I just discovered this thanks to Amazon's big music sale on Black Friday. The Black Crowes make me happy. I think Dave Rossi would like them.

I told myself I was going to organize my music collection when I quit NaNo. My C: drive is getting too full, and I discovered by accident a while ago that Winamp seems to be ripping music files to the wrong directory when I import a CD, so not only is some of the music on my C: drive, but a lot of the music on the external drive is in the wrong place. Plus a little while back I stopped spending money at iTunes and started buying my music at Amazon.com (1. they do 50 albums a month for $5, 2. the files are non-DRM MP3s, 3. I got annoyed at Apple) and the Amazon.com files have been downloading to the C:/users/user/music/ folder. GRAR! I'm not looking forward to this task, though, because I imagine I'll have to redo my playlists. I have a lot of playlists...like at least 250 by my estimate. *headdesk*

cm_exchange has started posting! And the first fic is such a good one! I'm very excited about it this year. We have something like 38 fics, which is a lot more than last year, and everyone's been so great!

It was dark when I left the house this morning for work. It was almost dark before I left work, and it was dark when I got home. Thank goodness I sat in the car at lunchtime or I wouldn't have seen the sun at all today. I want a Ribbon Lamp for Christmas. It's supposed to be people who suffer from SAD, and though I've never done anything but self-diagnosis, I think I would benefit.

I really hope I can sleep tonight. Over the past two nights I've gone to bed and just lain awake for a couple hours, followed by several hours of restless sleep and/or bad dreams. On the plus side, I've made a lot more progress in Joe Mantegna's reading of The Godfather. I walked around all day thinking about Franco Brazzi and wondering if Michael Corleoni really would go through with his plan. (I still feel sorry for Khartoum though.)

The Black Crowes have a new album out and I just discovered this thanks to Amazon's big music sale on Black Friday. The Black Crowes make me happy. I think Dave Rossi would like them.

All right kids, as evidenced by the return of the Santa Zero icon, it's that time again! I didn't do holiday cards last year, so that must mean it's time to do them again! If you want a card, comment here with your name and address (comments are screened) or, if I already have it, just let me know you want one.

And I will post that wish list one soon, I swear-- as soon as I figure out what to ask for. :p Feel free to post with a link to your wishlist post, too.

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.

I hate family holidays. It's not as bad as it used to be. There isn't a mind numbing soul obliterating anxiety about them anymore as there used to be. There's just a dull ache of worry and some slight stomach tremors. Really the worst bit was that I thought I'd probably never have to go to a shin dig like this again. I would go one day, I just would never have to.

I didn't want to talk about where I'd been what I'd been doing and how I was. I'm better but not so well that I can always talk about Zac or Wyoming or what was a fairy tale life that while childish and unsustainable was also beautiful. I just can't talk about it especially with people who don't get it and no one in my family gets it.

Instead I gave short answers and listened to long unending diatribes of how awesome everyone else is. I was glad they were well but I could have done without the jabs at where they were compared to me. I sincerely hope I never did that to them or anyone else, though my successes are so few and far between, I'm sure I've had little opportunity to knock some else further down that way.

In particular my cousin, who works at Fenway went on and on about how boring but glamorous her job was, how much she hated living at home (though she does nothing there but sleep and hang out), and how wonderful her parties and nights out were. I wanted her to be successful. I was prepared to hear about her success and joy so it didn't even sting that much when she kept slighting me and where I was or discarding some of the work I have to do like chores and house upkeep and whatnot.

What did sting was to find out later that her job at Fenway pays $9/hr she works no more than 30hrs a week and she doesn't get benefits. She'd sat there and scorned my retail work as less and demeaning when we make the same hourly rate, I work full time and my job gives me benefits. I don't have an hours commute by public transportation to pay for or anything.

In other more pleasant news my bro got a letter from Mass Maritime and we think it might be his acceptance *hopefully*. I've got to wait for him to come home and open it but I'm super hopeful for him. It's very exciting.

Also, they've finally corrected the comp and literacy portions of the mtels, I should finally have results and hopefully a license on the 9th. Maybe I've be able to pick up some second term work or start vigorously looking for the fall. I'm apprehensive and excited. I don't know what I'll do if this doesn't work and my parents feel strongly I'll need several other back up plans that I'm not sure how to approach but I'll have to figure something out soon I guess.

Hopefully the insomnia will end soon. Hopefully.

I haven't been able to sleep normally since I got my temporary crown. It came complete with the insertion of a post and that's undoubtedly where the bulk of the pain is coming from. A fiberglass rod was shoved up into my upper jawbone, after all... my body is adjusting to this but it involves lots of pain and headaches.

Vicodin + caffeine = a very sick Ardath.

I may call the dentist's office today and see if they can get me a non-hydrocodone-based prescription (oh hay I've never tried oxycontin is it good?) or I may fall asleep the second I get home and be worthless.

Finals are coming up, wheeeeeee!

So here's the rest of my semester, which is this week and next:

Two papers due on Friday. One just needs revisions, the other I'm behind on.
Another paper due Monday, along with an oral presentation of its information, and then that class is done.
Finals next Thursday and Friday, both of them obscenely early in the morning.

And that would be that. So once I do the papers and presentation I'll have most of a week to study, and it's material I've been enjoying so it's sticking nicely in my head anyway.

This at least makes it easier to deal with the fact that, at the moment, I have no brain power to speak of and only had three hours of sleep, maximum, last night. I just want to crash... at least once this little class is over I finally can (once I get home).

Onward.

I have just officially given up on NaNoWriMo this year. I can't keep going on this right now. I like the story, I like the characters, but it needs more than I can give it in two days.

Mixed feelings on this, but mostly at the moment relief.

Had a good day today. Mom and I drove up to Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area to see the sandhill cranes. At the height of fall migration (which is October) there are something like 30,000 sandhills there. Today there couldn't have been that many, but I'm guessing there were a few thousand. It was incredible how many of them there were, and how wonderfully noisy and gorgeous and awkward yet beautiful they were.

On the way home we stopped quickly at JC Penney, where I bought a pair of brown dress boots (I had JUST BARELY given up on the brown dress boots I've been wearing for at least 5 years), a black wool men's peacoat (because the women's didn't have inside pockets WTF?!), and a pair of Levi's (men's, because those also fit me better) for like $170 total. I'm incredibly happy that Black Friday sales now extend to Saturday. LOL I also got a couple of new nail polish colors because Sally Beauty is right next to Michael's, where Mom and I also stopped.

Of course, I have only gotten about 400 words written so far. You guys, I might not make NaNo this year. *sigh*

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"

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 :)

Or something like that. Watching an old episode of "Stingray..." it's an episode in which he checks himself into a mental institution to investigate reports that it's being used as some kind of espionage base. After throwing a deliberate freak-out at one of the other patients to establish his crazy creds, the other patient tells him:

"Yeah, you came to the right place. You're a bona fide fruit salad."

My instant reaction:

"Mmmmm... fruit salad..."

There's some downstairs.

It probably wouldn't be nearly as funny to me if I weren't so sleepy/insomnia-laden at this moment in time.

But now I'm hungry. And snickering.

Mmmmm... snickers...

(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 )

Title: About Last Friday
Pairings: Hotch/Reid, Rossi/Prentiss
Rating: PG
WC: 1759
Summary: After Foyet.
Notes: Thanks to resolucidity for a quick beta. SPOILERS for "100".

Series: This is part of a series of Season Five episode tags I've been writing.
1. Not So Alone
2. Weeping Endures for a Night
3. The Blink of an Eye
4. Trust and Regret
5. Something Pretty Wonderful
6. Hope and Bourbon
7. Shaking Things Up
8. Cementing
9. Life Goes On
10. Reeling


( 11. About Last Friday )

Title: About Last Friday
Pairings: Hotch/Reid, Rossi/Prentiss
Rating: PG
WC: 1759
Summary: After Foyet.
Notes: Thanks to resolucidity for a quick beta. SPOILERS for "100".

Series: This is part of a series of Season Five episode tags I've been writing.
1. Not So Alone
2. Weeping Endures for a Night
3. The Blink of an Eye
4. Trust and Regret
5. Something Pretty Wonderful
6. Hope and Bourbon
7. Shaking Things Up
8. Cementing
9. Life Goes On
10. Reeling


( 11. About Last Friday )

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.

Title: Reeling
Pairings: Hotch/Reid, Prentiss/Rossi
Rating: PG
WC: 1315
Summary: Hotch and Emily are both shaken up by their encounter with the Fox. Coda to "Out Foxed".
Notes: Betaed by resolucidity. SPOILERS for "Out Foxed".

Series: This is part of a series of Season Five episode tags I've been writing.
1. Not So Alone
2. Weeping Endures for a Night
3. The Blink of an Eye
4. Trust and Regret
5. Something Pretty Wonderful
6. Hope and Bourbon
7. Shaking Things Up
8. Cementing
9. Life Goes On


( 10. Reeling )

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 ;)

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 ;)

Because I'm getting nowhere on my Big NaNo ComebackTM tonight and the mess in my room is driving me nuts, I am going to clean until 8.

( Photographic evidence of the mess )

I'll post a set of after shots in 40 minutes.