Now, the symptoms in THIS patient indicate a rare condition known as the 'Nerdgasm Coma', which is caused by a person running out of air while screaming and looking at one of the coolest things ever at the same time. The largest recorded concentration of cases recorded was outside of the theater after the premier of Serenity.
I know I should be writing something meaningful and insightful and just...full. But hey, who has the time? I was laughing so hard after this that I couldn't even see the screen!
And if you're not to busy following GayObama, don't forget to check out my Twitter in the sidebar. Sadly, it gets updated a lot more than...well, anything else. Sorry, Facebook. Also, here's a special present for Tristan, Allan, Cameron, and anyone else who's a fan of PURE AWESOME! Please enjoy...Teddy Roosevelt vs. Bigfoot!
Note: This is the second part of one giant post, and this bit is almost all inane pop-culture jabber. For things of substance, scroll down.
On a less introspective note, you should listen to anything you from Marian Call you can get your hands on. Granted, I only have her half-album Got To Fly, but it's swiftly becoming one of my favorite single albums. Her title song "Got To Fly" is sort of an introduction to my brain. It's a little creepy. Seriously, if I was anything approaching lyrically talented, I could have written this. But I didn't, so check it out! Sorry this is set to a BSG montage.
Lyrics can be found here. Her music is a style I'm not usually a fan of, but since the entire album is written about either BSG or Firefly, you can't go wrong. "Good Old Girl" is about a spaceship (I suppose probably either Serenity or the Galactica, although I kept getting pictures of a certain blue box.). "Vera Flew The Coop" is a very interesting backstory for the name of the favorite gun of a certain person with a very cunning hat. "It's Good To Have Jayne On Your Side" is pretty self explanatory (and hilarious). "In The Black" is a sailor-boy type of song like all the ones from the days of pirates and merchants and great ships, but about someone leaving for the stars. "It Was Good For You Too" is an award-wining song told from the point of Firefly's Saffron. You can actually listen to all these and more here, so I didn't put in individual links. And, to save the best for last, here is "I'll Still Be A Geek After Nobody Thinks It's Chic" (a.k.a. "Nerd Anthem"), the best nerd anthem I think I've ever heard. Favorite lyrics include 'my superpower is draining fun from parties' and 'I don't mind being underrated and ignored, the world is much to interesting to entertain ennui, and I won't play it cool so I won't ever once be bored'. Enjoy!
Also! I have added a feed of my Twitter, so you can, if you want too, you know, read all the stuff I re-tweet from The Daily Show, Ellen, Simon Pegg and Nathan Fillion. Wee! BTW, if the counter widget isn't working for you're computer...sorry. You're sort of SOL, I recommend using a calculator. Or a calender. It's what I do.
Note: This is the first part of a giant super-post, but since it was so big I could barely edit it, I cut it in half and posted the two bits seperately. See the 2nd half above. This bit mostly focuses on Mexico, i.e. self-ish introspection.
How was your Thursday? Mine was spent...well, throwing up, actually. So, you know, got that workin' for me. On a related note, you should probably drop my mom a line to thank her for talking me out of posting a picture of the nut that came our of my nose. Pistachio ice cream? Not as much fun the second time around. And you can shut up know, all my immature male readers who've been tittering since the word 'nut'. An are now giggling about 'tittering'. This stuff? This is classy shit. Anyway, life meanders on. My host mother is a little miffed that I have missed so much school. I've tried to explain that I'm sorry and I actually learn more staying at home anyway. I thought it was a Mexican high school thing, but I now realize it's more of a..high school thing. Yeah. I wish there was something cool to tell you. All I can say is, I realized this morning how much I am going to miss the birds here. You barely see them, but they are loud. And cool. They sound like the 'tropical island' track of one of those relaxation CDs you get from the Target (unless you're boycotting the Target). Except, you know, real. The sad thing is, I know I am going to miss it here. Just like when I left home I knew I was going to miss it horribly, but it's sort of impossible to stock up on stuff you'll miss, to be ready. At the time, I couldn't imagine missing home, because I was going somewhere new and different and shiny. I couldn't imagine it, but I knew I would. And lo and behold, I do. Now, I'm sort of starting to get ready to get ready to go home, and I can't really imagine missing here. Okay, that sounds bad, but it's sort of in the same way. I like it here, but I live here. It's...normal..now. I miss home. I can't wait to be back. But, before you know it, I'll be complaining about how boring home is and wishing I was back here. Just part of the process. Sigh. One thing though, I am definitely not the same person I was when I got here. I am now, according to the best experts, at least semi-fluent in Spanish. I've heard about 85% from 2 different sources, which, considering how much I sucked when I got here, and considering my future plans (see below), is a number I can live with. I've learned new customs, learned to handle myself in a new environment. Learned to occupy my time (very good at this one), learned to navigate foreign cities. Learned to play roulette, learned to repair a bathroom drain, learned how to trap a rat. I have new favorites, new likes and dislikes. I certainly have more funny stories to tell at parties. But the thing that counts the most, I think (if not the thing I got most of) is character and perspective. I'll never think about winter the same way again, because now I know what it's like to live in a place that doesn't have one.My perceptions of things have changed forever: Trees, hiking, bikes, recycling. Fair treatment for animals. Selflessness, kindness, openness to strangers. The bonds of friends and family. Freedom of speech, bigotry and stereotyping. My family and friends are so much more important to me now, now that I see what life could be like without them. I see myself through the eyes of those around me, and if these are eyes of people who don't really know me, I can feel like nothing. It's not a fun sensation. I'll never think of school as a chore again. I may be weird, but I rely on learning new stuff. Without it, my brain rots. I'll never take geeks for granted again. Nor getting a glass of drinking water out of the tap. Nor my dog. Nor my clothes. Nor Black Dog, nor The Courier, nor good pizza. Nor Hulu.
I don't know if you're getting this ad campaign in the U.S., but it's everywhere here. Sorry this inspirational moment is sponsored by Coca-Cola, but I found this on the back of my soda can in Veracruz City last week, and it was so cool I thought I should share it. Text in Spanish: Otra razon para creer: Los idiomas pueden ser barreras que nos separan o puentes que nos unen. En la ultima decada mas de 3 millones de jovenes han aprendido epanol en Estados Unidos. Text in English: Another reason to believe: Languages can be barriers that separate us or bridges that bring us together. In the last decade more than 30 million kids have learned Spanish in the United States. (any mistakes are proof that I'm not one of those kids ;P )
Man, I really need to get a job as soon as I get home. I am totally broke right now, and I barely use money here. How am I gonna replace my computer and my phone? And remodeling my room? And getting a wardrobe that isn't so last year (<-that was a joke. Mostly). And replacing my Converse? And raiding the Ikea? And fixing up my bike so I can go touring (squee!)? It's possible I should be thinking about how to pay for school too, maybe, as well. Maybe I should find a religion to join that's not...you know...buddhism. Is there a Frequently-Rains-Money-From-The-Sky God I can believe in? Oh come on, this is the human race we're talking about. Of course there is.
Note: This post was actually written on 12 March, but I forgot to post it. Here it is in all it's misspelled, rambling, inane glory.
So get this. The local version of TNT (which is exactly like the U.S. version of TNT except everything's in SPANISH) showed a movie I always forget I love last night: The Italian Job. As some of you know, along with the previously mentioned Big Three (1. giant robots, 2. dragons, and 3. Megan Fox) there is another kind of movie I really enjoy: heist movies. This doesn't count among the Big Three because on one hand, I am a lot more discerning with my heist flicks (Inside Man, Ocean's Eleven, The Ladykillers) as opposed to my Big Three movies (Transformers 2, Reign of Fire, Jennifer's Body!). On the other, Big Four won't strike fear into the hearts of my enemies. And Big Three will. Shut up. The Italian Job rates with Ocean's Eleven as one of the only movies I've ever found where I liked the remake better than the original (incidentally, there is a rule among among the entire horror movie genre that if a remake is ever better than the original, the laws of physics all turn backwards at once). Also, every time I watch it, I remember how much I want a red Mini Cooper with racing stripes. Seriously, it's like Mini Porn. Snigger. Mini Porn. I'm funny. If you haven't seen it, I thoroughly recommend it, it's funny and smart. And has Charlize Theron. If you don't believe me, I think I'll let Seth Green change your mind.
Posters! I always forget how much I love posters. I bring this up because if somebody can get me one of these I will probably kiss them. Seriously, I cannot WAIT to see this movie. Also, I realized no-one here knows about my weird sci-fi poster obsession. No, I don't mean posters for sci-fi movies (although those are pretty cool too), I mean the travel posters for sci-fi places. So far, this is the only place I have found that makes good ones. But seriously, look how cool they are! They have trips to Jupiter, To Rivendell To tour the Kessel Run and to join the Imperial Empire
The only thing they're missing is some Firefly stuff. I want a travel poster for Persephone!
Oh wait, here's some. Actually, I'm not sure the Browncoats need anymore cool spaceship stuff. Seriously, some of this is getting a little obsessive. Oh, who am I kidding? This stuff is AWESOME! I want this, and this, and this.. Oh! And this! And I can put this on my scooter heeheehee... Dear god, just imagine what my dorm is gonna look like at college. Not to mention the dork living in it. Ahem. Hopefully something more interesting and substantial will be up either later today or tomorrow, but the weekend is coming, so who knows. Have a great weekend!!
*A Side Note: If you're ever bored, try googling 'very cunning hat'. It's a little disturbing.
This post is dedicated to Woman Driving, Man Sleeping by The Eels,
because without it I wouldn't have woken up this morning, so I wouldn't have gone to school, so I wouldn't have gotten bored and wandered off to type this post. Hello world! Didja miss me? Firstly, birthdays! Over the last month or so, I missed a whole bunch of peoples birthdays. Better late than never! Big ups to Allan, maybe next year I'll both remember AND be there. You've seriously got me on this one, I don't think you've ever missed one of my birthdays. Guess you're just a better person than I am. Feliz Compleanos to Karina, my first host sister (although I haven't met her in person yet). Hope your birthday was epic and the rest of your exchange in Japan is awesome too. Thank you for letting me sleep in your room. Happy birthday to Jose Louis too. Thanks for going to such lengths to get me to your party, and thanks for being such a good friend to me here. BTW, you may see Chicago sooner than you think...
On to the mundane inanities! For the .00001% of the population that gives a damn: -Supernatural is on Hellatus until April 16. -Sherlock doesn't start until the fall. -Being Human UK season 3 finishes next week. -Doctor Who season whatever-the-heck-number-they-decided-they're-on doesn't empieza (start) for another month. -Jim Butcher delayed the release of Ghost Story until freaking July 26. If you particularly want to suffer, Penguin Publishing posted the first chapter on their website. It's well worth a read if you want to torture yourself and not actually learn anything. Darn you, Penguin! -The Star Trek sequel isn't coming out until sometime in June next year. I knew it wasn't coming out for a while, but a whole year. I need me some Spock! And Uhora.
On the other hand, The Listener actually got a second season. No one remembers this show because it was Canadian, and while it did pretty good in the north, America barely showed it. I caught it free on Hulu way back when, and was disappointed that I quite enjoyed it, because saying there will be a second season but they don't know when is kind of a surefire sign that you will never see the show again. But, god bless those Canadians, 2 years later season 2 started airing. I quite recommend checking it out if you get the option. Also, they get massive props for using The Heavy's Short Change Hero during the first 2 episodes. Quite well, I might add.
Also, I saw I Am Number Four over the weekend. Frankly, I don't care what the reviewers say, I loved it. I would recommend it to anyone, even though it's clearly a setup for the 2nd movie, which might not happen. That said, I have a long history of enjoying good books turned into less good movies (examples include Jumper, Stormbreaker, City of Ember, Percy Jackson and The Olympians). Hell, I even kind of liked Eragon, and that movie was awful. Of course, the three things a movie can have that will ensure I love it even if it's awful are 1) giant robots 2) dragons 3) Megan Fox See why I love Transformers so much? That said I don't know if even adding giant fire-breathing lizards to Transformers 3 will make up for firing Megan Fox...
My return date is down on tickets! As my arrival date proved, that by no means insures that I'll be back home the day after, as my arrival date proved. That said, the number on my ticket is 30 June. I am putting a counter in the sidebar for the fun of it, but it's wrong right now. The little green 'plus' button is covering up the third number. I am coming back in 112 days, not 12. Sorry folks. It's odd, the feeling that I only have so much time left (about 112 days right now). I am going to miss it here, but at the same time I am really looking forward to coming home. I miss my family, my friends, my dog. I miss my school, English, descent hamburgers. Pizza! Chinese takeout!
Anyway. I haven't really learned any new Spanish today or anything interesting. I did learn how to make an origami heart. And how not to make an origami boat. Sigh. Life on Thursdays hasn't been that interesting since Supernatural moved to Fridays. Oh! More useless TV talk! I know I am the only person in the known universe (at least that I know of) who watches White Collar, but I gotta say, I would recommend starting now just so you can enjoy the last episode of season 2, which aired this Tuesday. Pitch perfect, folks! Pure genius.
As some of you knew, I was looking forward to learning to play jarana, a local kind of Ukulele-guitar-thing. Well, looks like that's not gonna happen. I still ask every day when I come home from school, and get the daily "Don't worry, we're looking", which I now realize means the odds of anything actually coming of this are about as good as mine are of finding $500 on the street. I still would really like to learn, but I couldn't have played when I got back to the states anyway, since jaranas are expensive, delicate, and apparently only made by certain people. If I had one, I probably would have broken it on the plane. Instead, I noticed that the arts school right in front of my house has guitar lessons, so I am going to go over there later today and see if they offer classes in some kind of Mexican guitar techniques. I've heard some people play Flamenco too, and that stuff sounds SO COOL. Anyway, I'll let you know as more develops. Also, before my mother goes after me again (hi mom!), I watch almost all of this stuff at least with Spanish subtitles, usually doblada (dubbed), and no, this is not all that I do with my life, not even close. This is just my version of gossip, and I have to share it with someone. Expect it to peter off quite a bit when I get back to the states and have a captive audience...I mean, have people who care. Ahem. Have a great day!
Well, I guess it's about time we face facts. I have done, let's see, about 4 posts since the beginning of February. This seems to indicate a bit of a problem. I have been trying to dance around this for a long time, but this morning I found myself seriously considering starting another blog to talk about whatever I wanted to talk about, and I realized this was about time to effect a change. I was actually looking forward to getting back home were no-one wants to hear about my daily life, so I could comment on what I wanted. See, I have the same problem with this blog as I do (or rather did) with my journal: it's supposed to be about my life, and I don't really think about my life in that way that much, at least not in situations where I am well-placed to write about it. I do, however, think very deeply and hard on a variety of wacky and unrelated and, frankly, mostly useless topics all the time. I've been trying to keep that habbit off of here (this alone seems to indicate I am failing royally). But sitting down every day, or even every week, to write about things which now, to me at least, are commonplace and everyday when what I really want to talk about is how awesome this looks, is a little to much like work. I find myself putting it off again and again, until before you know it we're hitting the second week of March and hey, I don't have that much time to go here anyway. So, instead of starting a new blog when I can't even handle the first one and damaging the integrity of my 70 something posts (word! Only took me two years, too), I am officially opening up the topic of this site. I tried this on a whim with my journal, and I now rank at a good 5 entries a week (weee!), so I know this isn't completely off base. Basically, I try to write whatever I want for as long as I want, as long as it's about once a day or every couple of days. Oddly, it seems to work backwards, too. In the journal's case, I gave up on writing on the world around my and just wrote whatever, but once you get started you eventually run out of random crap to scribble and end up on...the world around you. Go figure. So, expect a lot more random stuff here, interspersed with stuff from my life. Hopefully my mom and dad will be relieved, cause most of this junk was getting mailed or Skyped at them a couple times a week, and that's just not fair for only 2 people. Let's spread the annoying around! There will be some of this, mixed in with a whole lot more of this and this. Whew! I set out to say one little thing and end up with 3 paragraphs. Really...baddly spelled paragraphs. Sorry. I'll run it through the English spell-checker when I get home. Pitty that won't fix the grammer. Speaking of fixing stuff, the side bar is at least visibly functional now (although you should see the code behind it. Yeesh! I probably can't add anything in there ever again). Also, I messed with the comment function so that theoretically anyone should be able to use it, not just Google members. Give it a try! (it's the little speech bubble in the corner of the post). I get a little happy thrill everytime I have to moderate a comment, cause it means this is being read by real people. So, enjoy my mindless dribble, and expect more soon!
Sorry for the gap, folks. Been going through a bit of a slump brain and self-belief wise, and no-one needs to read that. I should be back up and running soon. In the meantime, you can catch up on the news in Egypt. And you might as well read this for the title alone: Cactus Walking on 20 Legs Found in China. Stay tuned!
