1. I loved today's Wondermark. Don't miss the mouseover!

2. I also loved this super cute picture of a puppy!

3. And this capcha fail.

4. The past few days I've been really good about working on transferring lyrics from my old site to my new site (if you're new to my journal, I've been moving stuff from this old site to this new wiki-based site) and today I decided to compare and see how much I still have left to go...only 350 romaji and 250 translations! And that's all from eight artists + the Digimon lyrics (which were separate, but are now just going to be mixed in because if people want to search just for Digimon, there are category tags). I really feel like I might get this done someday! After over two years of this, it was just feeling like no matter how much I worked on it, it was never going to get done. I think (hope) seeing the light at the end of the tunnel will help keep me on track with working on it every day.

5. I also did other productive stuff yesterday! Always something to be happy about.

1. The Weekly Jump stuff seems to be coming earlier and earlier. I already did One Piece last night as usual, and did Bleach and Naruto early this morning. I have started Bakuman as well, but they said it wasn't as much of a hurry, so I could go to sleep and do it when I wake up, which is good, because I'm kind of falling asleep here. XD But it's still nice to have almost all of that out of the way.

2. I was productive in other areas last night, too! I finished reading my 60th book of the year! (Wow, compared to twenty books last year, and eleven the year before!) I translated two very short doujinshi, half of a one-shot, and a couple pages of Saint Young Men. I wish I'd gotten more done, but I was also traslating the Jump stuff as well, so.

3. We had super delicious grilled chicken and rice last night. OMG it is the best evar.

Title: Naruto: Takigakure no Shitou Ore ga Eiyuu Datteba yo!
Author: Kusakabe Masatoshi
Number of Pages: 222 pages
Book Number/Goal: 60/75 for 2009
My Rating: 1.5/5

Naruto and the gang are on a mission to escort the head of Takigakure Village back home, but not long after they arrive, the village falls under attack. Kakashi has been called back to Konoha, so it's up to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to save the day.

I'm a big fan of Naruto, but this was really boring. Part of my problem was that this was set really early on and so it felt weird going back to when they were younger. I forgot how clueless Naruto was about everything and how annoying Sakura was with her Sasuke obsession (though unsurprisingly, she hardly had any role in the story, especially once the fighting got going). But mostly it was just a boring story that didn't need to be 200 pages long. :p

I read it in Japanese, but it's also been released in English under the title Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village! (The link above goes to the English version on Amazon.)


Mooch from BookMooch.

Yuletide Signups are Now Open!

I haven't signed up yet as I'm still trying to decide what to request and what to offer. I have thirty possible fandoms to offer, but I know I don't want to offer that many. I'm going to whittle down the list and keep the others in mind for Treats.

In going through the list again, I saw so many books and manga that I have on my to-read lists and was like "damn it, I wish I had gotten around to reading that this year!" There were also a couple things (Skim and Flygirl) that I really wish I had held on to after reading them, because I would have offered to write them, but I don't feel comfortable doing so without access to the source material. (I used to feel that way about a lot of manga, too, but now that I have discovered where to download stuff, it's not so much an issue.)

I think my request list right now is Aoi Hana, Glee, Koukou Debut, Modern Family, Paradise Kiss, and Psyren. Obviously two of those have to go.

Probably the one I'm least sure about is Koukou Debut, because what I really want is an AU in which Haruna and Mami realise they're in love and Yoh realises he's gay. Like, seriously, I love the story the series actually did give me, but when it started out with Haruna and Mami being tomboy softball players and Yoh offering to be Haruna's fashion coach, I just really wanted it to go in a different direction. XD But I doubt that's the sort of thing people will be signing up to write, so maybe I'd just be wasting my time with that one.

I'm wibbling on Modern Family, too. I'd like to see fic about Manny, but I don't really have any ideas.

Also check out dark_agenda, a comm whose purpose is to encourage more people to write non-white, non-English-language sources.

1. I had one of the best doughnuts I've ever had last night. It was a glazed buttermilk bar. Still warm. Soft and moist on the inside. Crispy on the outside. OMG. Seriously. Best thing ever.

2. It was really foggy last night. I loved it. It's still kind of foggy and overcast now, too. :)

3. I got stuff done last night!

I have a an album post I should do, and I still need to do those last three letters of the alphabet meme, but instead here are some songs I can't stop listening to right now. Some I've probably recced before, but some are new.

Coldplay - Viva la Vida
Coldplay seems like they're one of those love them or hate them bands, but I'm not really either. I like a few songs and am bored with most of their stuff. But omg this song. I could seriously listen to this one song forever and never ever get tired of it. I can't explain what makes me love it so, but it's one of those songs that makes me want to bounce around whenever I hear it. (It's a good "waiting in line/at the bus stop" song because of that!)

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
This is her new single and wow. I think I love it more than anything on The Fame, though it took a couple listens to really get hooked. Reading friendsfriends the other day I saw someone's post that said something like "Explain the difference between Lady Gaga and Madonna" and it was obviously meant to be derogatory in that "we already have Madonna, so why do we need Lady Gaga" sort of way (which I see a lot about Coldplay, actually; "Why do we need Coldplay when we already have Radiohead?"), and I just have to say, I don't understand that thinking at all. Yes, Lady Gaga is similar to Madonna in a lot of ways, but THAT'S GOOD. It means MORE MUSIC THAT I LOVE. XD There is no bad here.

Mika - Blame It On the Girls
This is off his new album and has quickly become my favorite song of his EVER. Even more favorite than Grace Kelly, which is saying a lot. But seriously, it's just so, so, so catchy.

The Killers - Four Winds
This is a Bright Eyes cover and I like it way better than the original. Which I had not actually heard before this, but I went and listened to it on youtube and while it was good, I just really like this better. This is a little more upbeat, and I like Brandon Flowers's voice better than Conor Oberst's.

The Killers - A Dustland Fairytale
This is from Day & Age and it's not one that immediately burrowed its way into my brain, but after seeing them live, I went back and listened to a few Day & Age songs I'd skimmed before and this was one of them. And since then it's totally taken hold of me and won't let go. I don't know how I missed it before, because it totally sounds like it should have been on Sam's Town.

My Chemical Romance - Famous Last Words & Welcome to the Black Parade
I put these two together because I don't really have anything to say about them individually, just that they are always my go-to songs when I'm not sure what I want to listen to at the moment or where I want to start my random playlist from. They're also really great for karaoke.

Billy Joel - My Life
I recently rediscovered this song, which I loved as a kid as the theme song to one of my favorite shows, Bosom Buddies (which is totally something I would have nominated for yuletide!). I love the tune, I love the lyrics, and I love how it always makes me think of that show.

Gelugugu - Anpanman no March
This is an awesome, awesome, awesome punk cover of a kiddie anime theme song. It is seriously one of the best things I've ever heard.

Brahman - You Don't Live Here Anymore
I have really been enjoying Brahman a lot lately, but this is one in particular that I just keep coming back to over and over again. It's apparently a cover of a song by a late '70s/early '80s English band called The Fans. But enough of them and more of Brahman! Who are a Japanese punk band with a vocalist whose style of singing makes him nearly incomprehensible in both Japanese and English (though slightly less so in Japanese). I love these guys so much.

Getting near the end! Soon I will actually be reading and reviewing stuff other than SGA again. XD

Day 23: Sleight of Hand

Like Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat by curia_regis 2/5
5300 words. When they discover alien ships heading towards Atlantis, Rodney has yet another brilliant plan to save them. Unfortunately, this plan goes horribly wrong.
( Another one without an ending... )

Imagine Whirled Peas by flyakate 2/5
1300 words. In which there are failed magic tricks, peanut butter and naps. Or, John and Rodney, Supportive Uncles and Master Babysitters.
( Cute. )

Day 24: Open Season

Good Hunting by skinscript 3/5
8700 words. Atlantis sends teams to compete in the once in a generation Pegasus fighting competition Shaur'Atan. Once there, it's open season and everyone gets more than they bargained for.
( Neat idea, though the ending was rushed. )

Daytime Drama by hyperfocused 1/5
9500 words. Will hero pilot John Sheppard accept the offer to start a new life as soap opera hunk Shep Johnson? Will "Atlantis!" wunderkind Rodney McKay (Rod Ingram/Meredith Ingram/series co-writer) finally win his first Zeddy? Will they find love, on-screen or off? Tune in past the cut to find out.
( Ridiculous and offensive. )

1. I have now read 59 books this year! (And am almost done with While I still don't think I can make 75, I think I will be able to make 70. I have a stack of short books here on my desk to choose from.

2. Including the $150ish we already had set aside, we've now reached $450 towards Carla's new computer (over halfway!), thanks to the CD sales. :D We should get the balance of the financial aid money this week, so we can put in a little from that, and then a little every week from whatever I make, and I think we'll definitely have enough saved up to get it by Christmas.

Title: Transgender History
Author: Susan Stryker
Number of Pages: 190 pages
Book Number/Goal: 59/75 for 2009
My Rating: 3.5/5

A better title for the book would be Transgender History in the US, as there's barely any acknowledgement that other countries exist, much less that there might be trans people living there. It's also really short. The last forty pages are notes and such, and the first thirty are defining terms, so only 120 pages are actually devoted to the topic at hand. But for what it is, it's a pretty good read. While focusing primarily on white trans people, it does include PoC fairly often and acknowledges their contributions (which is frankly better than I expected when I saw it was published by the now infamous Seal Press).

Oh, and one thing I really didn't like was that it was written in a sort of textbook form, with lots of insert boxes. I hate those, because you either have to stop reading in the middle of something to read them, or you have to remember to come back to them at the end of a section/chapter.

I followed a link to Accidental Dong tonight, a blog with has pictures of unintentionally penis-shaped things. And it was pretty funny and I was thinking of reposting the link.

Until I came to this entry with a photo of Caster Semenya, where apparently the "joke" is that she didn't know she was intersex, so she must have an "accidental dong". There's even someone in comments who refers to her as "she" in quotation marks.

What the fuck, people? I feel sick.

Had a fun day yesterday. We took the bus over to Alexander's to help him move some furniture and stopped at Togo's on the way. There are no Togo's anywhere near us anymore so I haven't been there in years, but last time we were over by him we saw one on the corner of Normandie and Wilshire. They still have my favorite turkey cranberry sandwich, too! The one we used to go to was the one down by Fry's in Manhattan Beach, and before that one closed they stopped selling the turkey cranberry, so I thought it was just off the Togo's menu altogether, but apparently it was just that store. So delicious om nom nom.

Title: Wizard and Glass
Author: Stephen King
Number of Pages: 672 pages
Book Number/Goal: 58/75 for 2009
My Rating: 4/5

I had hoped that this would be the year I finally finished reading The Dark Tower. That's...obviously not going to happen. But at least it's the year I finally finish rereading the books I read years ago, so that I can finally read the final three.

I read Wizard and Glass not long after it came out, so it's been a while. I found there was a lot I didn't remember, though I still remembered the gist of things. I wasn't quite as annoyed by the detour this time around, since I have the final three right here, whereas the first time I read it, I'd been waiting years and years for a new book in the series and then instead of furthering the plot, it was all backstory.

Still, I didn't like this as much as the first three books. Which is weird, because usually I love backstory and flashbacks and reveals and all that sort of stuff, but I just find the story of Roland's time in Hambry really dull. I mean, obviously I still liked the book, since I gave it a four, but really. Especially anything to do with Roland and Susan was just beyond tedious. Someone needs to sit Stephen King down and tell him not to write romance, because it's really not his strong suit.

I won't be starting Wolves of the Calla right yet, because it's super long and would take most of the rest of the year to read. Instead I'll read short books to try and get closer to my goal. XD Then Wolves of the Calla will probably be one of the first books I read in 2010. :)

1. I got these Blueberry Muffin Pop Tarts at the store yesterday and omg they are so good. They actually do taste like blueberry muffins, not just blueberry Pop Tarts.

2. I dislike daylight savings and don't understand the point of it, but I'm glad to get an extra hour, especially since we're going out and doing stuff later today.

3. I've sold quite a few CDs from my most recent sales post, and had requests for even more. We're hoping to make enough to buy Carla a new computer for Christmas. She sold her Mac Book and has been getting by on my old laptop (which after some very weird shenanigans, seems to be working okay again for the moment), but is increasingly frustrated with having to use Windows all the time. So we're trying to save up for a Mac Mini.

Day 21: Fish Out of Water

Grace, Too by perspi 3/5
1400 words. "One dance, and then we'll talk cease-fire," John promises, using his free hand to carefully slide Rodney's glasses off and fold them into his shirt pocket. "You'll be home in an hour."
( Probably would have given it a four or five if not for the ending. )

Day 22: Coup de Grâce

The Dread and Fear of Kings by valderys 2/5
8400 words. They were used to odd happenings and sudden danger, even on Atlantis itself. A woman's voice calling John to come away? That wasn't even a blip on the scanner - until John began to listen to it.
( Was interesting at first, but took a sharp left turn into Not My Thing. )

Twice Blessed by chellefic 3/5
10,800 words. Even when things are peaceful, John can't seem to keep from doing dangerous things.
( I wasn't totally happy with the ending, but overall it was pretty good. )

We have finally decided to part with all our CDs (or at least what can be sold), so here is a list almost 500 more CDs. There is a ton of jpop here, but also a lot of English-language stuff (and a few other languages as well).

Prices vary from $1 and up. I imagine the bulk is in the $3-5 range, but some will be higher. Just let me know which ones you're interested in and I'll give you the pricing.

If you have questions about the condition, just ask, though I think most of these are very good to like new (all are playable).

Shipping is by media mail in the US, airmail/priority elsewhere.

I prefer paypal, but also accept cash or money order.

( CDs! )

I also still have hundreds of CDs and a couple dozen DVDs here. Most CDs on this list are $1 each and most DVDs are $3 each.

I...really can't figure out where yesterday went? But I somehow did manage to get some stuff done, so yay for that.

Also I meant to put this in yesterday's post, but forgot. Our heater magically started working again! We have a wall heater out in the living room and we rarely used it because we don't spend much time out there. But a couple years ago it just stopped working altogether. The pilot light was still on, but adjusting the little thermostat dial did nothing. So I figured oh well, don't use it much anyway, and figured it was dead for good. But then last night it just magically came on all by itself. I didn't even touch it. It just fell below the temp that it showed on the thermostat (which was the same temp it had been left on these past couple years) and popped on. So now if we're out there and want to use it, we can!

Hey, I watched TV.

( Supernatural 5x07 )

( Ugly Betty 4x01-04 )

( Modern Family 1x01-06 )


So now I am watching Supernatural, Ugly Betty, Glee, Modern Family, Brothers & Sisters*, Leverage, The Simpsons, and Family Guy. Even if three of those are half-hour shows, that is a ton of TV. To be honest, I really don't understand how TV is relaxing for most people. Keeping up with stuff is super stressful for me.

I had been planning on watching FlashForward just to see, but even the thought of it was beginning to stress me out, so I think I'm going to just set it aside for the moment. I have the first six eps on my hard drive, but I moved them from the internal "watch it soon" folder to the external "maybe someday" folder. I have the book, so what I'll probably do is read that and see how well I like it and whether or not I want to watch a show based on it (I doubt the show has much to do with the book, though). I know there are people on my flist watching it, but I don't hear much talk about it. What do you guys think of it? Awesome or just okay?



*I still am not caught up on Brothers & Sisters. I have half of S3 to watch before even getting to this season, but because I'm watching so many other shows, I never seem to have time to catch up.

1. Comment to this entry saying 'ICONS!'
2. I will pick 6 of your icons.
3. Make an entry in your own journal and talk about the icons I chose.

reddwarfer asked about:


blast of happy in my ass
This is from Sinfest, as are many of my icons. I used to use it all the time to post about happy things, but I haven't in a while because I didn't have it on DW. But I've uploaded it here now, so I expect I'll be using it again. :D


you people disgust me
This is another Sinfest one. I can't even remember what the original comic was about, but it's a great one for posting about asshats.


cheerleading squid
This one is based on a badfic excerpt that was posted on babb_chronicles. It was supposed to be cheerleading squad, but the typo made it so much better. I just had to make an icon.


i do not approve of your shenanigans
This is a picture of me. I like it quite a bit, but I look a little more frowny than usual, so I thought it made a good "do not approve" icon. I never did use it much, though.


cry moar
I think I made this during Mammoth Fail? No, I think maybe it was the Elizabeth Bear fail. I can't find the link to the original comment (not mine), but it was a twist on the old "I can't be racist! Some of my best friends are black!" thing + the habit of so many white women to start crying and making it all about their pain when it's suggested they might have done/said something racist.


it's like my body is crying
This is from Penny Arcade. The one where Gabe is playing Wii Sports and doesn't know why his "body is crying" because he's never worked up a sweat before. XD I made this one when I first got the Wii.

Feel free to ask about any of my other icons, too. I have more on LJ than on DW, because I've been super lazy about uploading stuff to DW.

1. The yuletide mods are having an amnesty this year, so anyone who defaulted and was banned in previous years can participate! That means me! :D I'm pretty excited about it.

2. Alexander came over for dinner last night, which would normally not be good for me on a Thursday, since I have Jump translations to do, but I got Bleach and Naruto out of the way in the early afternoon, and Bakuman didn't come in until like eleven last night, so it all worked out. :D

3. I was really productive yesterday, despite it being Jump day (which often means I don't get much else done besides those) and having Alexander over.

4. My mom said I could borrow her car to pick Erin up from the airport when she comes to visit.

So I can participate in Yuletide, but because I didn't know I could during the nominations, I of course didn't nominate anything, nor have I been thinking at all this year what I would like to read or write.

Among things I would have nominated if I'd had a chance are A Softer World (so many strips make me want stories), Canadian webcomic creator RPF (especially Joey Comeau/Ryan North, but others, too!), Natural Nylon RPF (that would be Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Sean Pertwee, Sadie Frost...), Hourou Musuko (not sure I'd trust anyone to write this, but I'd love to write it myself), IS~Otoko Demo Onna Demo Nai Sei~ (same; though hopefully by this time next year it will all be scanlated, so I can drum up a bigger audience!). Maybe Saint Young Men. Um, probably some books I've read this past year, though I can't think of anything off the top of my head. A bunch of songs, mostly likely. (Obviously I'd have to trim my list down, but still!)

Anyway, there unfortunately doesn't seem to be a way to see what was nominated this year. Just what was nominated ever. So I'm not sure if some of the stuff I'm considering is even actually available. Of course new stuff was obviously nominated this year, but I'm not sure whether some older fandoms were renominated this year or not.

Right now I'm considering these:

Aoi Hana
Azumanga Daioh
Beck
Better Off Ted
Glee
Koukou Debut
Modern Family
Psyren
To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

The only one I know for sure I want is Psyren. Everything else is up in the air.

I'm always so hesitant about requesting Japanese-language stuff, not just because I fear the possibility of fan Japanese, but also because most people are getting it through a filter, often a very distorted one if all they have to go on are bad fan translations. But this year looking through the list, manga were what most jumped out at me.

I also saw some that I was interested in writing, but maybe as a treat rather than a full-length fic, such as MARU. I can't believe someone nominated Maru. I was thinking of it myself, but someone else thought of it, too!

But then cesare brought up the point that someone might think they should nominate the author's charmingly mangled English, which just...no. D: I really hope that doesn't happen.

Also I'm kind of annoyed that I already gave away my copy of Sherri Smith's Flygirl, because it's been nominated and I would love to write it. But I no longer have a copy and neither does my library, so that's out. I hope someone else writes for it, though. I'd definitely read it.

I was going to save this for my Daily Happiness post tonight, but since there have now been four people commenting/posting/emailing me to tell me about the Yuletide amnesty (and thank you all!), I figured I might as well post about it now.

Yuletide is allowing previously banned participants to sign up this year! And if you (by which I mean me) get your fic in on time and don't default, you will be free to participate in future years.

Yay!!!!!! :D

I wish I'd known about this during the nomination process, but I know for sure torches nominated Psyren, which is one I wanted to request. I'll have to look through the list to see what's been nominated. I'm sure out of 3000 fandoms I can find a few things. XD

1. Still nice and cold yesterday. I love this weather!

2. I got my paper done for yoga* yesterday and it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd thought it would be. The first paper was one of those where I could barely think of anything to say and didn't meet the minimum length requirement at all. But this one I was able to easily get two pages without putting much of any thought into it. (I'm horrible at writing papers, so that is really rare and amazing for me.)

3. Pretty productive day! Not only did I get the paper done, but I also got a good chunk of translation stuff done.

4. I've been on a caramel apple kick lately. Carla introduced me to these caramel wraps. Ralphs has them in a package of five for $1.50, so they're pretty cheap. They're thin circles of caramel and you just wrap an apple in one and stick it in the oven for five minutes, then let it cool off and eat it. Not the healthiest food ever, but as a replacement for a less healthy snack or dessert, it's not bad. It's mostly apple, after all.

5. ???

I was going to say something else and then I got distracted and forgot. D:









*Yes, I'm taking a yoga class that has tests and homework assignments. It's because we're taking it at the college. But it's so much cheaper** there it's worth it.

**Because we're low-income, we don't have to pay the per-unit fee (which would only be $26, since it's a one-unit class, but still), just the general enrollment fees, which come to like $46. That's for an 18-week class that meets two times a week. Plus I get an SMC ID that lets me take the Santa Monica bus anywhere, anytime for free for the whole semester. I took a look at a class offered through the city and it was $75 for a class that was like 8 or 10 weeks and met once a week. I'm sure private studios are even more expensive.

Day 19: Creature Comforts

Technical Perspective: A Civilised Discourse in Interior Design by pennyplainknits 2/5
13,800 words. Interior Designers AU, based very loosely on the Doris Day movie Pillow Talk. John Sheppard is a reclusive new designer, who invents an alter ego in order to get close to sarcastic but genius designer Rodney McKay, of Athos Partners. But what is truth, and what is a lie? And what will Rodney do when he finds out?
( Cute, but reminded me how much I hate the romance novel/romcom formula. )

Bargaining by elementalv 1/5
3000 words. "Broken. Dick."
( Not nearly as interesting as the summary makes it sound. )

Day 20: Writing on the Wall

Late for the Arrival by deltacephei 2/5
8200 words. It was no secret that people weren't Rodney's strong suit. This was probably the reason why he hadn't caught on before. The proverbial clue bus had rolled by four times before realization finally hit him like an expertly delivered kick to the head.
( Cute enough if you like this type of story. )

It was sooooooo overcast and windy yesterday. Of course posting about it will make sure it's bright and sunny today, but I can't help it! I love the fall weather. The wind made it a little dry, and I got grit in my eyes when we were out running errands, but still. So nice and autumny!

Also I was pretty productive yesterday. :D

One of the last times we were at Trader Joe's they had samples of super delicious rosemary ham and cilantro jalapeño hummus in a wrap. The rosemary ham was too expensive, but the hummus was fairly cheap, so I got some for myself (Carla doesn't like cilantro, so it's mine, all mine!) and have been eating it with Wheat Thins. It's soooooo good. I think I'll have to get some more next time we're there.

Also the last time we were there, they had this cheese called (I think) "frying cheese". I got some out of curiosity and the vague unspoken hope that it might be similar to paneer and...it is! In fact, I'm really not sure why they're not just calling it that. They were carrying paneer several years ago and then, as happens with all things I like at TJ's, they suddenly stopped. Obviously I could buy some at an Indian market, but I don't know of any that are really close or convenient, so I've just given up. But now! I will definitely be buying more of this. :D

And in completely unrelated news, there's a new Discworld book out! I had no idea.