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typsie
16 November 2009 @ 02:11 pm
I keep getting ideas for songs, writing one or two verses, and then realizing I don't have much else to say on the matter. Which is never true, of course, but I keep hitting this block over and over again. So far, I've started songs about:

- Quantum entanglement
- Cryopreservation
- Escape velocity
- Pareidolia

Plus, there's that ever-so-frustrating Sea of Dirac, a song that may never actually reach a final arrangement - only drawing closer with time, but never achieving completion, a la Zeno's dichotomy paradox (which would also make a very good song).

It's even funnier because I don't really know anything about any of these topics. I was never good at science, yet it fascinates me, so I just use these subjects loosely as metaphors.
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typsie
12 November 2009 @ 10:24 am
I just ordered a VHS off Amazon, another achievement in my ongoing quest to track down all the super-obscure films I was a fan of as a child.

You probably know this about me if we've spent any time together, but I'm one of those people who managed to miss pretty much all major films in the 1980s. It's only been in the last 5 years that I've finally see The Breakfast Club and the Indiana Jones movies. Still haven't seen any of the Back to the Futures. The list goes on.

Yet I had a handful of films that I watched obsessively, most taped from TV onto Betamax. I've managed to procure Unico 1 & 2, Manx Mouse, and the weird anime version of The Wizard of Oz with Eileen Quinn as the voice of Dorothy.

Today I ordered another one: A one-hour 1983 PBS special - a Sesame Street movie called Don't Eat the Pictures, wherein the characters get locked inside a museum overnight and have a trippy romp through the paintings. The main plot involves Big Bird and Snuffleupagus trying to help the spirit of a young Egyptian prince solve a riddle (posed by a demon played by James Mason) so that he can face Osiris, have his heart weighed against a feather, and proceed to the afterlife to be with his long-dead family.

Yes, really.

Also of note is a touching musical number sung by Oscar the Grouch to a bunch of broken statues.

It seems really bizarre, now that I think about it.


Next on my list to procure:
- Electric Grandmother
- The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket
- The entirety of the series Mysterious Cities of Gold (I had these on burned VCD at one point, but they've been long since lost.)
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typsie
07 November 2009 @ 02:44 pm
A better picture of my Halloween costume, in that you can actually see my awful leg tattoos, drawn in eyeliner and body marker:




If you look closely, you can see "The Scream" on my upper right thigh. It took several days to scrub that off.



And a close up of my ankle, drawn by [info]praenomenal.

(pictures courtesy of [info]bellybalt)
 
 
typsie
06 November 2009 @ 10:38 am
I don't watch a lot of TV, but I'm excited about these two things:

- Season 2 of Legend of the Seeker starts tomorrow. I can't believe that it's still on the air, honestly.

- A show based on Michio Kaku's fantastic book Physics of the Impossible starts on the Science Channel on 12/1.
 
 
typsie
02 November 2009 @ 02:02 pm
I just finished my [info]damnportlanders Tag Team assignment - tagging July & August 2009.

That's a grand total of 1,480 posts. Tagged approximately 9 out of every 10. That's 1,332 tagged posts!

I feel accomplished.

The project is coming along well. :)

http://community.livejournal.com/damnportlanders/tag/
 
 
typsie
28 October 2009 @ 10:44 am
Many thanks for buying me a paid account extension. I will try to post interesting stuff and make it worth your while. :)
 
 
typsie
27 October 2009 @ 07:26 pm
 
 
typsie
27 October 2009 @ 09:40 am
I normally don't repost email forwards and such, but this was pretty amusing.


It’s that time of year again when Americans like to scare themselves with ghosts, goblins and the rest of Halloween’s spooky tomfoolery. You might call it an annual fear fest, but are these truly our worst fears? Of course not. To find qualms that really make our skin crawl, we need to dig a little deeper, so take a look at these Sun sign nightmares and see if they don’t send a shiver up your spine...


Aries
(March 21 - April 19)

You are at the end of a long line hiking up a tall mountain. The group’s leaders are Virgos, arguing about which way to go, while everyone else plods along at a snail’s pace. You’re going to have to push your way to the head of the line and stage a coup … or tear your hair out. Which will it be?

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
Wait a minute … whose car is that in your garage? Okay, the one you had was breaking down every other day and you were thinking about replacing it … but it was a comfy jalopy and, besides, you hadn’t finished your research. Now someone has gone and made up your mind for you. That’s not fair!

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
Can’t someone change that muzak? If orchestral string covers weren’t bad enough, you work in a room all alone, your iPhone is dead and you can’t get your browser to load. Communication breakdown … your private version of hell … has finally come true.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
As you open your door, your friends shout “Surprise!” It’s your birthday and they’ve got an all-you night planned. As you squeeze between co-workers you barely know, they start projecting a PowerPoint featuring your naked baby pictures, every bad hairdo and ugly date you’ve ever had, plus your fat phase.

Leo (July 23 - August 22)
Amidst booing and hissing, olives and cocktail umbrellas flying through the air … you’re cowering on a karaoke stage after what you thought was a knockout rendition of Wild Thing. Returning to your table, you find your date has bailed and left a napkin note telling you what a complete loser you are.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)
You’re behind a counter, facing a long line of angry customers waiting to tell you in detail about everything that’s wrong with the product you designed. That’s right, the one you slaved over for years and were sure would be a best seller. They don’t want exchanges or refunds … they want your head!

Libra (September 23 – October 22)
Your partner’s quirks have been gnawing on your last nerve for what seems like eons. You’re about to explode when … sure enough, like clockwork … he/she pulls one more stunt. Arms flailing, screaming at the top of your lungs, you lunge for his/her throat. So much for your famous emotional control, Libra.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)
You trust your new sweetie implicitly, but that doesn’t keep you from indulging in a little snooping while he/she is in the shower. Rummaging through bedside drawers, you discover a set of sexy underwear you’ve never seen before. Two can play at this game, you vow, as you plot your revenge.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
The jury has come back with its verdict and you’re guilty. You’ll be spending the next decade of your life in one place. But don’t worry … it’s a minimum-security prison with a lovely view of the freeway. You can still dream about all the places you’ll travel when you get parole.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)
Who’s that waving his finger in your face? Why, it’s that guy you used to supervise before your job was outsourced. Now you’re wearing stonewashed jeans and sitting at a tiny workstation in a row of cubicles that never ends. What happened to your Gucci suits and private corner office?

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)
A security guard meets you at the entrance to your new workplace and whisks you away to a room where you undergo a complete makeover. When you’re finally escorted into your new office, you discover everyone looks exactly like you. Next on your newbie schedule … brainwashing!

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
You hear a loud knocking on your door and open it to find three IRS men ready to rip into your tax return. They want you to account for every latte expense you listed and are suspicious of your self-employed income too. Tearfully, you open the shoebox where you shoved your receipts to face the sorting and organizing you dread.

 
 
typsie
20 October 2009 @ 03:22 pm
Also, you know it's bad when you get an email with the subject "(Old Friend From High School) tagged a photo of you on Facebook."



Worst. Prom. EVER.

Can you guess which one was my date?

Nope, not the girl (Ariel), although I borrowed my dress from her. Not the creepy guy behind me, either. No, it was the dude with the hat in the upper right corner. It was more or less a blind date, as I couldn't find anyone to go to the prom with me (sad, I know). He was annoying as hell. I spent the entire night trying to ditch him. This picture was taken at the after-party, where I had a really dreadful allergy attack.

Hard to believe that was more than 10 years ago.
 
 
typsie
14 October 2009 @ 04:04 pm
I shared this on Google Reader, but it was just too unsettling not to post it here too.

DO YOU EVER DREAM ABOUT THIS MAN?



Apparently over 2000 people have dreamt of him.

Edit: It's apparently some Italian viral marketing thing. Still creepy, though.
 
 
typsie
09 October 2009 @ 01:24 pm
I'd really like to do something social tonight, but I also really need a bike-less day. Would anyone be interested in coming over for drinks, movies, games, Rock Band, etc?
 
 
typsie
05 October 2009 @ 12:15 pm
Day 3 of biking to work. It's already getting a little easier, although I'm still dreadfully slow (I think I must have been passed a couple dozen times this morning). Also, it's nice that the trip into downtown is almost all downhill, since I'm typically surly and lazy in the morning. Haven't yet gotten the hang of getting home in decent time (it really shouldn't take me an hour to ride 8 miles), but I suppose that will come with practice.

In other news, I FINALLY saw Wall-E this weekend. Cried like a little bitch, of course. I suppose I'm a sucker for stories about irrational, improbable love. Maybe in six months, I'll get around to seeing Up.

Alter Egos: Ceasefire is this weekend and I have no idea what to wear. I guess I can always reprise The Eyesore, but that feels like such a cop-out. I also don't have a Halloween costume, nor any good ideas for one.
 
 
typsie
02 October 2009 @ 12:05 pm
Got a 1-on-1 with [info]fixedd this evening. May show up later for 80s dancing, but it'll depend on how sore my legs are (right now they are very sore).

Then Loney Dear is tomorrow, my heart soars! Also possibly helping Malcolm move, and some cleaning and getting ready for my guest that arrives in two weeks.

Other than that, not much. If you'd like to get together for drinks/safety/whatevs, you know how to reach me.
 
 
typsie
30 September 2009 @ 12:24 pm
Now, possibly more than ever before, I have no clear idea of what I am or what I'm trying to be. Tara says this means that I am probably MORE myself than ever, because I'm not clinging to so many labels anymore. When I try to peer into the probabilities of my future, everything beyond a month or so from now is extremely murky. Nothing is certain in any way - not my job, not my relationship status, not my home, not my friends, not my projects. I am almost completely free-floating, and I don't even know how to deal with it.

But this is life, I guess - learning to get used to the notion that there is no security, no real safety to be found anywhere in this world.

I'm coming to realize that I've never had a strong sense of identity, and in truth, I guess I don't even really have any idea of what identity is in the first place. When you peel off all the layers of what you DO, you should be left with what you ARE, right? But how does one define that, anyway?

How do YOU define your identity? What makes you uniquely you? What is it you cling to, when you have nothing else?
 
 
typsie
28 September 2009 @ 11:04 am
Wasted most of the weekend either asleep or in a funk, although it was somewhat brightened by going for drinks with [info]yoopie and [info]alana_ash on Saturday evening, then watching Little Miss Sunshine last night with the doomies.

Spent a lot of time thinking about how I've been slacking off on a lot of my projects, since I've been feeling rather worn-thin as of late. I suppose I've had decent enough excuses, but at some point I have to get myself back on track. Staying up talking on the phone until 3am most nights isn't helping much either, although I really don't want to cut back on that right now, as it's been my one reliable comfort through all the recent madness.

Music:
I haven't finished any recordings in months (although I'm still making progress, little by little, at least), and I have 4 or 5 songs that need to be written. Really, I think I need to get back to the piano. I've gotten so overwhelmed and frustrated with arranging and tweaking and obsessing over tiny errors that I've lost my central focus: at the heart of it all, it has to be about me and the piano. It's cliche, I know, but I don't care.

Exercise:
When October begins on Thursday, I won't be buying a monthly bus pass, which will both save money and force me to bike the 8 miles to work everyday. I'm hoping this will kick-start my metabolism. I have gotten a few remarks in the last couple weeks that people have noticed that I've lost weight, which seems funny to me because I've been such a slug recently. I definitely need to get out dancing again - but I'd like to maybe find places to go that are a little closer to home. Are there any decent clubs and/or dance nights in N/NE?

Other:
It appears that I'll be going home to Fresno sometime around Christmas. I don't know exactly when or for how long. I'll post an update when I know more.

Due to the whole work business, I'm going to be pretty much broke from here on out, unless I manage to find a new job. I'm still going to try to 1-on-1 with people, but we'll have to meet at places that are very very inexpensive.

Speaking of which, I've got an open 1-on-1 slot for tomorrow night, anyone want to get together?
 
 
typsie
19 September 2009 @ 10:58 pm
There's a really excellent twitter called Shit My Dad Says, which is exactly what it sounds like - some guy tweeting shit his smart-ass elderly father says. On the feed today, the quote was, "Sometimes life leaves a hundred dollar bill on your dresser, and you don't realize until later that it's because it fucked you." It got me to thinking about the strange duality of control over one's life - how in one way you control everything, and in another you control nothing. Both at the same time.

Sometimes I feel like I went into a coma at age 16 and have simply dreamed up the remainder of my life, never really learning or absorbing much of anything significant through my experience, because none of it is real.

This isn't always a bad thing, though, because it makes me look at my world and think, "Wow, if that's true, it means that this is the life I imagined for myself, the ideal life for me - an environment where I am both challenged and supported."

In fact, I think the world might be a little better if MORE people believed that what they perceive as reality is really just a fictional land that they can create and manipulate. We might not feel quite so helpless.

I think most people feel very helpless most of the time, but nobody wants to admit it. Even the wealthy CEO of a big company knows that his future is in the hands of the market. Even the world's best doctor knows that he can't always save every patient. No one is above the laws of fate, it's one of many things that connects us to each other.

But at the same time, no fate is above the laws of us. Every little thing you do is the starting point of a ripple that extends and expands into the future. We are the product of the choices of millions of people who came before us, and the shapes of our lifetimes are bounded and refracted by the waves they made.

How many future-dwellers will shape their lives by your choices?
 
 
Current Music: Avenged Sevenfold - Seize the Day | Powered by Last.fm
 
 
typsie
16 September 2009 @ 10:17 pm
This link is dangerous for you to click: http://bsidesrus.blogspot.com/
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typsie
16 September 2009 @ 08:00 pm
When and where did you meet me?
And what was your first reaction to me?

And two unrelated questions of my own:

What interests do you and I share?
What does that say about us?
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typsie
15 September 2009 @ 01:34 pm
So we've been brainstorming a devious plan:

!! GIRLS OF DOOMCO CALENDAR 2010 !!

Why? Because we know a bunch of good photographers and lots of hot, HOT ladies. Also we need booze money. Et pourquoi non?

Poll #1458023
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 34

Which would you most like to see as the theme?

View Answers

Pin-up girls
6 (23.1%)

Booze
3 (11.5%)

Geekery
13 (50.0%)

Zombies
1 (3.8%)

Pirates
0 (0.0%)

The months
0 (0.0%)

Victorian
3 (11.5%)

Other suggestions?

Comments?

Would you like to be involved as a ...

View Answers

Model
15 (60.0%)

Photographer
11 (44.0%)

Costumer
10 (40.0%)

Props/Set
10 (40.0%)

Fluffer
15 (60.0%)

 
 
typsie
15 September 2009 @ 09:40 am


Hey, I AM a big fan of Baader-Meinhof.