Hovering near normalcy

Well, Theresa's reading so I guess I can't start writing in my own fantasy language or completely devote the blog to fannish obsessions. (Although, I think Theresa already knows I'm a little bit...uh...unusual...so she might not be surprised. ;) I mean, after multiple, all-day, Saturday classes, all weirdness starts to surface.)

I'm off to the dentist so next time you see me, you might want to wear shades so you're not blinded by my dazzlingly white smile. :D

Get out while there's still time!

Does anyone read this? (I tend to think people don't...and then out of the blue, someone will mention something I posted. Oddly jarring.) If not, I think I'm going to start posting weirder stuff. You've been forewarned.

BTW, if I ever get a black dog, I'm going to name it Sirius or Padfoot. Heh. But if I get a golden retriever, I think I still want to name it Frodo. I was going to get an African Grey and name it Arwen, but now I'm thinking a green cheeked pineapple conure might be better so I'll have to come up with a suitable name. Other people plan the names of their kids, but I plan the names of my pets. Hey, I have a friend who wants to marry a guy named Hugh just for all of the song insert potential ("I love HUGH," "I can't live without HUGH, etc.). That is so ridiculous that I feel that any potential pet-naming cannot even touch that level of insanity.

I just read an interview with Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki (Dean and Sam from Supernatural) that was in a Norwegian magazine and translated into English online. It is very clear that they did not expect this interview to be read in English because their answers are weirder and more honest than any other interviews I've read from them (and they're weird, in general...and very hands-on). It was pretty funny though. I wonder if they know that it's floating around. (Hey, they should know by now to watch what they say around people with pencils and notepads!) Example:

- What's your biggest pet peeve?
- Tabloid press and reality TV. That's some of the worst shit ever. Why does the younger generation care to read or watch that kind of crap? Are they completely stupid and brain dead? It's just sad, Jensen explains and shakes his head.
Jared taps him on the shoulder.
- Relax. The people you're talking about probably watch Supernatural.
- Yeah, and that's good, but that's not really the world's most intellectual show either. Though we are forced to say something else and we're of course thankful that we have a job.

Heh.

How convenient

I'm trapped in my house by monsoon rains, a flat tire and a small rock avalanche blocking my way to the tire store.

So...yeah. Fanfiction.

Okay, this is the only post-DH I've read so far and mostly because it's light and silly and helps make up for the epilogue.

Here's the non-spoilery (for Deathly Hallows) summary from the author's website: Trying to keep your ship from sinking? Dislike the ending of the Deathly Hallows? Find the writing style out-of-place? Want to dismiss it for all your fic-writing purposes? Here's a quick, easy fix.

The Special Edition by alena_hu
Warning: This very short fic contains significant spoilers for Deathly Hallows and will really only make sense after finishing DH.

Turning the sound back on

I've been avoiding people and media and talk and noise...while I've finished HP and the Deathly Hallows...because I didn't want any spoilers. But now, I am finished so I can take life off mute. I won't say much about the book right now, but I wasn't disappointed. :) I was just checking flists and people have already written post-DH stories. I can't read them yet, though. I need time for it all to settle.

My car has a flat tire. I suppose I need to get it fixed before driving 20 miles to a b-day party tomorrow. Sigh.

General randomness

-I just picked up the book Stranger at the Gate (Mel White) from the library, and it's a fairly interesting read. (A professor recommended it so four years later, I'm reading it!) Mel was the poster child for evangelical Christianity (at least, according to him) and ghost-writing for the big guys like Jerry Falwell, and married to a beautiful wife with two fabulous kids....and had a slight problem with being gay. And then he decided it was not a problem and moved in with Gary and lived happily ever after. Well, I don't know about the last part because I haven't gotten that far, but I do know that his partner's name is Gary. Anyway, I'll say more about the book after I finish reading it. However, as Mel was listing his vast accomplishments in the Christian film industry, his 1970s abstinence film sounded oddly familiar. I'm almost positive I was subjected to that movie in some sex ed class. (Nancy and the van definitely rings a bell.) That got me thinking about other exciting sex ed movies. There's A New You A-Comin' wins the YIKES award hands-down. It even had a song that went with it. Puberty fits onto the list of "things about which no one should ever write a song." No, really. And the Brady Bunch needs to sit down too. Whether it's time to change or not. On the plus side, that movie featured a maxi pad that could also double as a flotation device.

-Have you ever seen the Target Lady skits on SNL? They're basically about a Target checker who is overly enthusiastic about every item and must discuss it in detail. I met that checker at Target a few days ago. Look, I really don't need to get your opinion and commentary on every purchase, thanks. While I was shopping, one girl called (loudly) to her friend in another aisle, "Hey, I found your Vagisil over here!" I hope they got the Target Lady, and I hope she had a nice little chat with them about the Vagisil. It would have almost been worth buying the Vagisil just to see if she would comment on it.

-I got the audio version of HP and the Deathly Hallows. If you're finished, do not speak to me about it, or I will kill you. That's all. Have a pleasant day.

Media Report

Guess what? We might break the heat record here by having 40 consecutive days above 100 degrees! Exciting, huh? Well, I've been trying to mostly avoid the heat. My mom was here for a couple of days, and that was nice. Other than that, I've been enjoying my media:

*Book: The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold) –If my neighbor hadn’t assured me that the book would get more interesting, I would have stopped listening to the audio narration after the first few chapters. Who would have thought that a book about murder could be so yawn-inducing? But…my neighbor was right, and it did pick up. In reality, the novel is about how 14-year-old Susie’s murder affects her family, friends and others…and how this event unifies, divides and shapes the course of individual lives. I have qualms about this portrayal of the afterlife—and one particular scene towards the end was a little bit too much Ghost and Unchained Melody—but overall, it’s an interesting and ultimately uplifting story of healing and resilience. (Just as a note: Alice Sebold, the author, was brutally raped her freshman year of college. She tells that story in her memoir, Lucky, which I have also read.)

*Book: The Kite Runner (by whoever wrote it…can’t be bothered to find the book right now)—I didn’t read this completely, but I read the beginning and skimmed the rest. As with most best- sellers, I’m a little mystified by the hype. It’s pretty good. Not great. Depressing as well.

*Movie: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix—I confess that I’m still grousing that Cuaron did not direct this movie. (He directed HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is pretty much undisputed as the best HP movie.) If Cuaron had directed OtP, it would have been moody, atmospheric and understated. Yeager chose a modernized, slick, lights and action version…which is fine, but not my preference. As a movie, it is a good movie. It is well-acted and directed. As a representation of the book, I’m a bit disappointed, but I understand the difficulty of trying to condense 600-700 pages of material into a 2 hour movie. However, some of the plot alterations really do not work in light of the events of the next book, HP and the Half Blood Prince. They are minor quibbles, and they’d probably be missed by most movie-goers. However, since I’ve listened to the book about 6 times, these minor details bother me.

*Movie: Ratatouille—Okay, so I’m not the only one who is kind of skeeved out by the rats in the kitchen, but if you can get past that, it’s a cute movie about following your dreams, loyalty and giving others a chance to shine. The animation’s great. I don’t see this as a stand-out Disney/Pixar movie, but it’s entertaining family fare. As I watched this movie, I thought about how the Disney movies of my childhood were utterly terrifying to small children (villains from Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Fantasia, etc.). Disney/Pixar has seemed to move away from that, and I think that’s a change for the better! On the other hand, I miss all of the music from the old Disney movies. We don’t get soundtracks like Lion King anymore…..

*Movie: Ocean’s 13—Well, I can’t really complain about any movie with such enjoyable eye candy, but I found this one a bit lack-luster. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t think it was as funny as Ocean’s 12. It seemed like they were trying to be warm and fuzzy, and I’d rather they just stick to lying and cheating.

*DVD: I Trust You To Kill Me—This documentary follows Kiefer Sutherland as he travels through Europe with the band he fronts, Rocco Deluca and the Burden. ALSO, did you know that Kiefer is the grandson of the Most Important Canadian Ever, the guy who was instrumental in getting universal health care? Now you know! This DVD will appeal to two groups: 1) those who love Kiefer Sutherland (or even just love looking at Kiefer Sutherland), and 2) those who love Rocco Deluca and the Burden. Others will be bored.

*TV/DVD: Supernatural—All right, I decided to give it another shot. Why? The fanfic of course! Too many good writers that I know from other communities write in the Supernatural fandom. So I had to read their stories….and then I needed to know the background. So…the Winchester boys are growing on me. (I must say, though, that for all of the squeeing going on, the boys aren’t THAT attractive. Wentworth Miller, on the other hand….)

Surgeon, Fangirl....Hater?

Okay, I'm on my way out the door, but I just have to say that this fan-meta-crossover-fic is all kinds of funny, clever awesomeness!

Cristina (from Gray's Anatomy) becomes obsessed with the show, Veronica Mars. I don't even like Cristina, and I love this fic. Cristina is totally obsessive, and I could see her like this. George wants to know when everyone's watching tv without him (and if Cristina can prettyplease TiVo America's Top Model for him). Izzie wants to hear more about Wallace. Meredith thinks Eddie Haskell is misunderstood. And Cristina actually likes a patient...because they have VM questions in common. Spoilers for Season 1 of VM.

Not quite like the Hallmark commercial

Have you seen those commercials for the musical Hallmark cards? Well, I thought that would be fun for my grandma and great aunt (who have close birthdays and are living together) so I sent them one about how hot they are with Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." I just got a voice mail from my great aunt asking if I was trying to kill them. Apparently, opening a card and being greeted with Johnny's dulcet tones was a bit frightening! :) Maybe the cards are better for those UNDER 80!

You know how I said I was sick? Well, last night, I couldn't figure out why it was so freaking hot in the house (Ring of Fire!) and kept checking the thermostat...until I thought to dig out the thermometer. Yep, I had a fever. I took Tylenol, and the apartment seemed to get a bit cooler. I'm still not feeling great, but no fever today. I slept this afternoon to rest up for Harry Potter. I'll just bring Tylenol. And maybe caffeine.

Could this post be any more boring?

Speaking of sick, I am sick...not seriously ill but annoyingly so....just enough that I feel generally unwell. I think I may have an ear infection, but I'm trying home remedies first. Anyway, I have to be better by tomorrow (well, in about 22 hours) because I'm going to the 12:01 AM showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

In other news, we've hit our 27th consecutive day of 100+ degree heat. If we hit 39, we'll tie the record. I don't think we're going to make it though, as the monsoon has arrived and temps seem to be dipping down into the high 90s every now and then.

Well, it's after 1 AM and Pippin is having a fit about being in her cage. I'd better go see what's keeping her up (probably me!).

Prison Break fics

This is primarily for my benefit because I don't think anyone who reads my blog reads PB fanfic, but you never know. I'm just trying to keep track of my favorite PB fics. I've only watched through S1, so there are no spoilers beyond that.

Trick of the Light (lovely, long Michael/Sara with major spoilers for S1 finale)

It takes her a long time to fall asleep. When she does, she dreams of him, dreams of walking with him on the beach, touching his hands, his mouth soft and warm as she kisses him. When she awakens, alone in her bed in Chicago, the tears on her lips taste like seawater and the distant noise of traffic sounds almost like the ocean.

The Difference Between a Rule and a Law (gen-ish, pre-series about Michael and Lincoln)

Rules one hundred and twenty-one through one hundred and forty-four are codes of conduct for Michael. They state how he is to act, what he can and cannot say and do, and exactly what names he is not allowed to call Lisa, Veronica, Stacy, Blonde Kim, Fat Kim, Detroit, Annabella, Shaniqua, Katarina, LaToya, Latricia, Nicole or Mary-Sue.

Michael has broken every rule from one hundred and twenty-one to one hundred and forty-four.

--

Rule two hundred and two states that Lincoln will never deal with the Aryan Brotherhood again.

--

Rule number two hundred and seventy-one is Never abandon your brother. No matter what.

Rule number two hundred and ninety-nine is blood is thicker then water.

Rule three hundred states that there is only one law that matters.

Law number one says you do not abandon your brother.

Ever.

Sickos and Samaritans

I saw Michael Moore's Sicko last night, and it's very thought-provoking. Propaganda? Skewed? Absolutely! But if people miss seeing it (or dismiss the overall message) because the movie is not unbiased, I think they're really missing out. I was just telling one of my friends about Sicko and then encouraged her to see it. "Why?" she asked. "You just told me the whole movie." Well, it's not like there's a plot so I don't see comments as "spoilers," but just in case you feel the same, I won't say too much about specifics in this post (so you have time to go see the movie).

However, I will say that the treatment of the Americans in the Cuban hospital reminded me of the parable of the good Samaritan (from Luke 10, The Message version of the Bible, emphasis mine): [Remember, Jews were prejudiced against Samaritans during this period.]

25Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"

26He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"

27He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."

28"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."

29Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"

30-32Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.

33-35"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'

36"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"

37"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded.

Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

Insurance companies (and sadly, sometimes Americans in general) are always looking for a loophole to get out of treating a patient. [That's inherent in for-profit health care. The theory of free market doesn't really apply because, in reality, we don't have a choice which HMO or PPO we have...and even if we did, it's a choice between one evil and another.] In looking for loopholes and exceptions, we stop seeing people. When the Samaritan came upon the injured man, he didn't say, "Oh, this is a Jew, and Jews don't like me. He's not my responsibility. His own people should help him." He just saw a person in need...so he helped the man. Jesus said the Samaritan "became a neighbor," implying that our neighbor has nothing to do with geographical location and everything to do with need.

And if we can't convince the US government, at least Moore's directed us to this site: http://www.hook-a-canuk.com/.

Move along people, nothing to see here

Sorry about the wonky fonts below. I'm too lazy to actually fix it, but I will apologize.

'Cause it's my blog and I can

I'm posting lyrics to "Breathing" and "Sick Cycle Carousel." Because I can.

Breathing

I'm finding my way back to sanity again

Though I don't really know what
I'm going to do when I get there
Take a breath and hold on tight
Spin around one more time
And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace

I am hanging on every word you say
And even if you don't want to speak tonight
That's alright, alright with me
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit
Outside heaven's door and listen to you breathing
Is where I want to be

I'm looking past the shadows
Of my mind into the truth and
I'm trying to identify
The voices in my head
God, which one's you?
Let me feel one more time
What it feels like to feel
And break these callouses off me
One more time

'Cause I am hanging on every word you say
And even if you don't want to speak tonight
That's alright, alright with me
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit
Outside your door and listen to you breathing
Is where I want to be

I don't want a thing from you
Bet you're tired of me waiting
For the straps to fall
Off your table to the ground
I just want to be here now

'Cause I am hanging on every word you say
And even if you don't want to speak tonight
That's alright, alright with me
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit
Outside heaven's door and listen to you breathing
Is where I want to be

Sick Cycle Carousel

If shame had a face I think it
would kind of look like mine
If it had a home would it be my eyes
Would you believe me if I said I'm tired of this
Well here we go now one more time

I tried to climb your steps
I tried to chase you down
I tried to see how low I could get it down to the ground
I tried to earn my way
I tried to tame this mind
You better believe that I tried to beat this

[CHORUS]
So when will this end it goes on and on
Over and over and over again
Keep spinning around I know that it won't stop
Till I step down from this for good

I never thought I'd end up here
Never thought I'd be standing where I am
I guess I kinda thought it would be easier than this
I guess I was wrong now one more time

I tried to climb your steps
I tried to chase you down
I tried to see how long I could get it down to the ground
I tried to earn my way
I tried to tame this mind
You better believe that I tried yo beat this

[REPEAT CHORUS]
Sick cycle carousel
This is a sick cycle, yeah
Sick cycle carousel
This is a sick cycle, yeah

Now that I'm posting these, I'm remembering how much I like "Everything" too. Since it's actually the song that drew me to Lifehouse, I'll post lyrics to that one too:

find me here
speak to me
i want to feel you
i need to hear you
you are the light
that is leading me
to the place where
i find peace again
you are the strength
that keeps me walking
you are the hope
that keeps me trusting
you are the life to my soul
you are my purpose
you are everything
and how can i
stand here with you
and not be moved by you
would you tell me
how could it be
any better than this
you calm the storms
you give me rest
you hold me in your hands
you won't let me fall
you still my heart
and you take my breath away
would you take me in
would you take me deeper now
'cause you're all i want
you are all i need
you are everything
everything

Lifehouse and my fabulous 4th

Well, the weather was much cooler than expected-- only 110-113 instead of 117-- and I had a great time at the 4th of July concert. (However, at least one person was sent to the hospital with heat stroke, and one of my friends left early due to heat-related illness.) Lifehouse was the headlining band, and Rocco Deluca and The Burden also played. I love Lifehouse, and I've loved them since their first CD. Their first CD was definitely the best, second was good, third kinda blah...and I don't have their newest one (released 2 weeks ago) yet. They played a great mix, with plenty of their "old" songs. They didn't play my favorite Lifehouse song ("Breathing") but they played my second favorite "Somewhere In Between" (well, that ties with "Sick Cycle Carousel" depending on my life at the time...but usually a tie):

I can't be losing sleep
over this, no I can't
and now I cannot stop pacing
give me a few hours
I'll have this all sorted out
if my mind would just stop racing

cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
this cannot be happening

this is over my head
but underneath my feet
cause by tomorrow morning
I'll have this thing beat
and everything will be back to the way that it was
I wish that it was just that easy

cause I'm waiting for tonight
and then waiting for tomorrow
and I'm somewhere in between
what is real and just a dream
what is real and just a dream
what is real and just a dream

would you catch me if I fall out of what I fell in
don't be surprised if I collapse
down at your feet again
I don't want to run away from this
I know that I just don't need this

cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
this cannot be happening, yeah

cause I'm waiting for tonight
and then waiting for tomorrow
and I'm somewhere in between
what is real and just a dream
what is real and just a dream
what is real and just a dream
what is real and just a dream

[Jason Wade wrote that when he was 17. Not bad.]

Jason Wade truly has an excellent voice. He's very personable with the audience too, which makes things fun. During one of the songs, a tarantula walked right in front of the stage, and as the security guy tried to scoot it away, Wade said, "No, wait, bring that back! He's my pet tarantula. Bring him up on stage-- he does tricks!" As security looked at him askance, he said, "No, I'm kidding! Get that thing away from here." Then he added, "I've been touring for 8 years, and that's one of the strangest things that's happened during a show. I was just singing, and this tarantula walks right in front of me, and it's THIS BIG [spreads his arms several feet]!" Heh.

I was there with several friends, and we alternated standing right in front of the stage and hanging out on our blanket (to cool off, rehydrate and give our eardrums a break). One of my friends returned to the blanket after a long time down by the stage. "Are you deaf yet?" I asked. "WHAT?!!" she shouted. "Can you still hear?" I asked. "HUH?" she responded. Yeah. But I agree, it was much more fun down by the stage (ringing ears and all). I like feeling the bass through my whole body, the beat almost like emotional CPR. It's like being part of the pulse of something greater than yourself.

The fireworks were fun too and lasted for almost 30 mins. The recorded music for the fireworks could have been better (or they could have had one of the live bands play), but all in all, they were enjoyable.

Disappointments:
1. I didn't win $10K. The person right in front of me won. I got $100 though so I don't feel like a loser.
2. No Kiefer Sutherland. I didn't really expect him to be there, but when they announced Rocco Deluca, they said, "And maybe Kiefer Sutherland will jump out of a bongo drum during the concert." Okay, no, I didn't think Kiefer was in a bongo drum (it would be way too hot), but I thought maybe he was there and was going to make an appearance. Sigh. No Kiefer. (Or maybe he was in a bongo drum and was overcome by heat exhaustion.......)
3. They didn't play "Breathing." :(
4. Lifehouse played "You and Me." Okay, I know this is the radio single for their third album, but I don't like that song. I find it boring and tedious. Oh, well.

I had a great time anyway.

Just step over the bodies and enjoy the music and fireworks

So...our friendly weatherman says that it will be between 111-117 degrees tomorrow. Delightful. Guess where I'll be? Outside, at a concert. If you don't hear from me for a while, I'm probably in a heat-induced coma.

Waiter, there's a fly in my soup! Oh, nevermind. It's just my bird.

I removed my bowl of lentil soup from the microwave and set it on the counter, only to have Pippin swoop down and land IN MY SOUP. I removed the soup-soaked bird from my dinner and tried to coax her into the sink for a bath. She would have none of that. Well, I didn't want her dripping lentils all over the apartment so I held her on her back with one hand and grabbed a wet washcloth with the other. Generally, she is quite opposed to this position, but today, instead of clucking and squirming, she remained still....and seemed to enjoy the sponge bath. In fact, she's been a lot cuddlier in general over the past few months. She enjoys being pet a lot more, and let me tell you, petting a bird is really adorable. :)

Still, I wish she would stay out of my soup. And I still think she needs a full bath. (I don't know why she doesn't want one. It's been 108 degrees for the past several days. You'd think she'd welcome the water! But no.....just soup.)