I don't go looking for trouble...

It's cold outside, there's no kind of atmosphere

2010-01-07T13:37:44Z

These pictures are coooooooooooooooool.

From Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle, aka awesome photos from the Hubble (NYT).

Top Ten Space Pictures: the Best of 2009, aka "Well, OF space and FROM space are basically the same, right? I mean, they all look pretty sweet." (Nat Geo)

As thanks to Laura for that second link, I made her a picture:

(Why yes, I am a huge dork :D)

And then she sent me video WIN!

They DO fit together freakishly well, heeeee. Two awesome things that go better together!

Torchwood: THE MUSICAL

2010-01-06T14:00:33Z

...what.

MUSIC BY ABBA.

I cannot help but think that would have been AMAZING.

'Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you I don't think that I can really survive

2010-01-04T17:35:01Z

LJ 2009 in Review Meme!

January: Yeah, I really have to stop being so mean to Alice.
February: So, casting for the upcoming Avatar movie has basically been a whole load of white-washing racial FAIL headdeskery.
March: So, Courtney and I were discussing how fandom has basically operated the same way for the past several millenia, and the comparison between the monks who wrote Arthurian Grail quests and the Old School Who fans came up, leading to... OUTPOST CAMELOT.
April: ARRGH THE FINALE FILLS ME WITH RAAAAAAAAAAGE ::crushes walnuts::
May: So, during the copious free time that accounts for much of my working day, I stumbled across the following articles on the reading habits of young wimmins, which set me a-ponderin' (and apparently turned me into a grizzled old prospector).
June: RIP David Eddings :(
July: I'm going out. I may be some time.
August: "It was an oversight not to have bought a small cowbell to tie next to me on this rope, for its sound would let you know that I was still descending and still alive; but since that is no longer possible, may the hand of God guide me" (602).
September: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH SNAP, WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
October: Retirement plan
Something which I will not need
For many years now
November: [Invisible Jesus] ...hates you, apparently.
December: P&P&Z: The Miniseries! HUZZAH.

So, I see I haven't managed to start my entries with something other than "so".

New Year's Eve, with David's Zombie New Year party, was awesome; New Year's Day less so, due to an unfortunate confluence of events best represented by the tasteful and understated stylings of Monty Python*.

* Tasteful and understated -- that's what TMI stands for, right?

Anyways, there was new Doctor Who! Less special than last week, but still pretty darn special.

Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part 2

- This just might be me, but when you're writing/producing your last episode of Doctor Who EVAR, wouldn't it make more sense to NOT constantly remind your audience they could be watching other, better-written, sci fi?

The Ben Hur/Space Mutiny Effect: Paraphrased

Mike: You know, a lot of people have compared this scene to Star Wars/Star Trek/Stargate/Red Dwarf/seriously what the hell Rusty.
CROW: Really?
MIKE: Yeah, they usually say "Star Wars/Star Trek/Stargate/Red Dwarf/honestly I've lost count at this point was really good; this episode totally sucks!"

On the other hand, this episode WAS full of emo, dei ex machinis, emo, terrible plot structure, emo, cracktastic nonsense, emo, random fires for the Doctor to pose dramatically in front of, and emo, so maybe Rusty thought he had made a strong enough personal statement ::eyeroll::

- By far my biggest problem with the ep, though, was the train wreck that is the end. I was under the impression that splatting on the ground from a great height was, you know, kinda lethal (it took out Four, after all), so the Doctor's fit about saving Wilf from a Wrath of Khan death scene seemed COMPLETELY BITCHY AND UNNECESSARY, because I was under the impression that he was already dying. If that wasn't enough, he makes his dramatic sacrifice (...eventually) AND THEN DICKS AROUND FOR SEVENTEEN MINUTES SO HE CAN STARE CREEPILY AT HIS COMPANIONS AND/OR THEIR RANDOM RELATIVES. First of all, apart from Donna, we got an awesome send-off for his companions in "Journey's End", and these little vignettes were mostly inferior. Second of all, I heart Ten, and did not appreciate being so annoyed that I started shouting "WOULD YOU JUST DIE ALREADY FOR THE LOVE OF PETE" when it's probably the last time we'll see him onscreen.

- Also, maybe those seventeen minutes might have been better spent focusing on, I don't know, THE REVELATION THAT THE TIME LORDS WENT CRAZY AND EVIL? It's not like their death in the Time War at the hands of the Doctor was a major source of conflict, or anything.

- Donna was in this episode why...?

- Wilf is special why...?

- Mysterious lady is mysterious why...?

- Even though they were totally underused, the Evil and Crazy Time Lords were kinda cool, and I really liked that Timothy Dalton was Rassilon. It's an epic plot twist that actually IS pretty epic: the Time Lords bring back their greatest hero to help end the Time War, but he turns out to be a nutty tyrant while they resort to measures as bad or worse than the Daleks'.

- Saying that the Master's drum crazy was implanted during the Time War is an excellent use of the timey wimey ball to explain why he's always had them in his head, except for when he didn't in the entirety of the original series.

- At first I thought mysterious lady was Romana, but now I'm leaning towards Susan because grandfathers are more thematically appropriate. I don't know why they didn't make that more obvious, because unless you assume she's someone cool her appearance lacks emotional resonance, but I really liked that another Time Lord recognized that the Doctor HAD to destroy them to save the universe. I'm a big fan when Rusty helps clean up his emo messes.

- On a similar note, after I re-watched the ep I liked the Doctor's tantrum at saving Wilf a lot more, because it's actually part of the resolution to his companion!emo: half the fit is basically about how Wilf is awesome ("You had to go and get stuck, oh yes. Because that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this, waiting for me all this time"); right after he's done fussing, he mans up and goes "live too long" (i.e. the problem with Time Lords) before switching with Wilf ("It's my honor"); and when he's finally about to take off for the million years of goodbyes, Wilf asks him where he's going, and he goes "To get my reward." His friends are awesome regardless of what he does! They keep him from going Evil and Crazy Time Lord! ~~Staring creepily at them~~ Saying goodbye to them is his reward! Awww.

- While I hate the sixteen minute lead-in, I really like Ten's actual regeneration. "I don't want to go!" = awesomely sad. Farewell, Ten: I will miss you and your hair quite a lot.

- Eleven is pretty awesome thus far :D

In conclusion: YAY RUSTY IS GONE.

So now I'm praying for the End of Time to hurry up and arrive

2009-12-28T04:50:58Z

Watched new Who! It was really special.

Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part 1

So, my theory as to why Wilf is important?

...

Wait for it...

...

BAD WILF!

::ba-dump chh!::

(Also, apparently been reading way too much WoT stuff: my first thought was actually "He must be ta'veren!" I definitely lose points for that one.)

Other comments:
- I love Wilf and the senior citizens brigade (though MAN were those some abrupt tone shifts)
- (Evil?) TIME LORD TIMOTHY DALTON \o/
- The Master is so hungry, he's started eating the scenery (also, he was totally "I KNOW, I'LL DISGUISE MYSELF AS A CHEESEBURGER!")
- At least he didn't eat *raw* hamburger meat (thanks, SPooN!)
- I'm slightly unclear on how he turned into Gollum, though.
- To continue on the Master: so, I guess Rusty just finished watching season 1 of Heroes?
- Yay Donna!
- Um, the Naismiths were CREEPILY INTO EACH OTHER
- Hey, remember the time our president got vaporized, so we elected Obama? (Also, I felt the Obama broadcast scene lacked ironic impetus because let's face it, he's been having enough trouble solving America's woes, much less the world's. Also, Obama does not have a receding hairline.)
- The Master has taken over the world with 80s morphing effects! Never has his evil been so apparent.
- Also: geez, could Rusty at least steal from the GOOD Matrix movie?
- I liked that Lucy got her shit together, but that whole beginning sequence was just baaaaad. It sounded like it was cribbed from Z-list fantasy (or a Uwe Boll movie; I'm pretty sure it would have fit right in In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale)(yes, Uwe Boll rates below Z-list) and I'm annoyed that a random lady picked up his ring and then died 3 minutes later, contributing nothing else to the plot. You're not supposed to use Chekhov's gun to shoot yourself in the foot.
- Random lady in pearls theory: I think it would be cool if it were Rose (she DOES communicate in exactly the same way as she did in s4).
- Time Lords in funny hats! They seem kind of evil now (mainly because of TIMOTHY DALTON \o/), but I'm hoping at least some of them stick around in a non-totally evil capacity and annoy the Doctor -- that way, he can get over his emo AND they can cause bureaucratic nonsense trouble as needed. Plus they can take over Time Management (ba-dump chh!) and let the Doctor get back to saving all the people who would otherwise slip through the cracks, instead of exercising his God Complex.

While I did enjoy the crack, I have to say, I am SO READY for Rusty to go. Talk about wearing out your welcome; I've basically lost all goodwill towards him this past year because he will NOT fix his issues. Fortunately, this meant that I was able to discard all standards while watching the episode, so I enjoyed it in all its cracked out faily glory.

Enjoy the great taste of Wassail... in cans!

2009-12-25T07:04:12Z

I just finished decorating the tree! (Shh, we've put it up on Christmas Eve so many times it's a tradition now.) Apart from it being lopsided (not my fault), it looks pretty awesome if I do say so myself. Now it's time to wrap presents and go watch Love Actually with my siblings (we like to make our traditions as interesting as possible).

Have some MST3K carols, everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Dance with me, fat man!

2009-12-19T18:12:26Z

Argh, I was supposed to go the NYC this weekend to see Courtney. Instead, I am stuck at home buried under a foot of snow (which is still falling), and I fear cleaning is imminent. Doesn't the weather know it's supposed to snow during the week? What the hell is up with all this Saturday snowfall crap?

Anyways, I saw Princess and the Frog last night! It was cute. Pretty light-weight, though -- the story wasn't bad, but it didn't have much depth. Likewise for most of the characters, though they were all likable. Prince Naveen, though, was hilariously sketchy; as Mal (I think) put it, he definitely has the most personality out of any of the Disney princes. I think the biggest problem was that none of the songs were particularly memorable -- they weren't bad, but they aren't totally infectious as is Disney's wont, and that highlighted the film's general shallowness. You can do a whole lot with an awesome musical number.

I did like how *active* Tiana was, though -- definitely not one of those Disney princesses who sits around and lets all her more interesting co-stars do all the work. And she actually had a mom and a friend (who was very amusing)! Will wonders never cease. The animation was really pretty (of course), but I think they re-used a lot of character designs from the Emperor's New Groove, which I found rather entertaining.

Overall, though, it was a lot of fun and you should totally go see it. I want more 2D Disney musicals, dammit!

So, have a book meme! Here's a list of all the books I've read in the past year; pick one and I'll give you a short review.

The Lord of the Rings -- J. R. R. Tolkien
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid -- Bill Bryson
The Bell at Sealey Head -- Patricia McKillip
Sabriel -- Garth Nix

Lirael -- Garth Nix
Abhorsen -- Garth Nix
Flora Segunda -- Ysabeau S. Wilce
The Forever King -- Molly Cochran and Walter Murphy

Guards! Guards! -- Terry Pratchett
Men at Arms -- Terry Pratchett
Feet of Clay -- Terry Pratchett
Jingo -- Terry Pratchett
The Fifth Elephant -- Terry Pratchett
Going Postal -- Terry Pratchett
Making Money -- Terry Pratchett

Flora's Dare -- Ysabeau S. Wilce
The City in the Lake -- Rachel Neumeier
Snow Crash -- Neil Stephenson
The White Company -- Arthur Conan Doyle

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- Jane Austen and Seth Graham-Smith
The Summoning -- Kelley Armstrong
Chalice -- Robin McKinley
The Awakening -- Kelley Armstrong
Good Omens -- Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Wake -- Laura McCann

The Demon's Lexicon -- Sarah Rees Brennen
Naamah's Kiss -- Jacqueline Carey
I Love You Beth Cooper -- Larry Doyle
Mistress of the Art of Death -- Ariana Franklin
Interred With Their Bones -- Jennifer Lee Carroll

The Belgariad -- David Eddings
The Serpent's Tale -- Ariana Franklin
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- J.K. Rowling
The Tales of Beedle the Bard -- J.K. Rowling

Grave Goods -- Ariana Franklin
Don Quixote -- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Silver Phoenix -- Cindy Pon
Elantris -- Brandon Sanderson
Green -- Jay Lake

Shadow Magic -- Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett
Unseen Academicals -- Terry Pratchett
Mistborn: The Final Empire -- Brandon Sanderson
Reaper Man -- Terry Pratchett
Soul Music -- Terry Pratchett
The Well of Ascension -- Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Ages -- Brandon Sanderson

Heart's Blood -- Juliet Marillier

Spam, spam, scrapple, and spam

2009-12-02T23:42:42Z

P&P&Z: The Mini-Series!

HUZZAH.

The Great Scrapple Flame War of 1872

Still typing up NaNo! Why yes, I am slow.

Happy Thanksgiving!/NaNoFAILMo Strikes Back

2009-11-29T18:29:19Z

Thanksgiving was very excellent this year. At the family party, I got to play with tiny cousins-once-removed, and then Kirstin and I maintained our three-year-running championship of Pictionary! Also spent a lot of time in the pubs in Phoenixville and got to hang out with Meg and Sproat, so hurrah.

Anyways, it's that time of the year again!

HOW BADLY DID DAVE FAIL AT NANO?

A) 40,000 - 49,999 words (Dave hardly failed at all!)
B) 30,000 - 39,999 words (A respectable showing!)
C) 20,000 - 29,999 words (Hey, National Novella Writing Month still can be abbreviated NaNoWriMo)
D) 10,000 - 19,999 words (National Short Story Month, not so much)
E) 1 - 9,999 words (Dave wins at National What the Hell Was That, a Sneeze? Month!)

HINT: So far I've written 52.5 pages in my trusty 6" x 9.5" eco-friendly one subject. If you guess correctly, I will give you an internet cookie!

Last year I came in at about 12K; I'm hoping to break 15K this year but who knows. Set the bar low and you can only be pleasantly surprised, that's my motto.

"I no longer doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion!" -- Katherine

2009-11-21T19:26:31Z

After once again availing ourselves to giant margaritas at Chili's, Mal and I saw Twilight 2: Cruise Control. This movie was: 50% studly men running around shirtless, 30% furious blinking, and 15% greatly improved special effects, except for the 5% sparkles, which still look stupid.

Oh, and there was something about werewolves and vampires, too.

Abandon All Hope

2009-11-20T03:30:54Z

In conclusion: no matter how awesome the episode was, it was still filled with FAIL! THERE ARE NO HUMAN LADIES LEFT, WTF.

So, this show has ghosts? Why?

2009-11-06T03:02:16Z

1. I LOVED THE TV PARODIES

2. ~~THE BOOK OF TOBIT~~ [AN: LOL WRONG ARCHANGEL] THE ANNUNCIATION JUST GOT ABOUT FIFTY TIMES MORE HILARIOUS

3. THEY HAD A THEME SONG

INVISIBLE JESUS

2009-11-06T00:34:35Z

...hates you, apparently.

Series finale for SPooN? I think so!

Ich find thy shoon passing fayre

2009-10-30T15:54:15Z

Did you know that the Knights of the Round Table invented the pick-up line?

And thus Sir Gawain spake thusly, Ladye, in sooth thou muste be soore weried, for with michel fleetness of foote thou hast flied both toward and froward throughout min swefnes all the nicht!
-- "La Morte D'Arthvader"

Anyways, find this instructive tidbit and more in "When You Marry", one of those amazingly helpful efforts from the 50s and 60s designed to tell you almost nothing useful about dating, love, sex, and marriage: Love, 1962 American High School Style.

And go watch some MST3K while you're at it:

Are You Ready for Marriage?
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE RUBBER BAND?!

What To Do on a Date
Had this been an actual date, you would have been instructed where to go.

Web Filter Violation

2009-10-26T14:52:14Z

Apparently our filtering software was written by someone's outspoken granny:

What I Did on My Summer Vacation (Part 2)

2009-10-21T18:59:01Z

Ahahahahaha.

Timeliness is for losers.

Yellowstone National Park

Artist Point

The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Another shot of the Lower Falls

Brink of the Lower Falls

Ironically, the Lower Falls are taller than the Upper Falls.

You have three guesses how "Brink of the Lower Falls" got its name, and the first two don't count.

You also have three guesses as to how Yellowstone got its name.

Close up of the rainbow!

Yellowstone River above the falls

The colors are from the thermal features in the canyon walls. They say you should be able to see some geysers there, but I never have.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Elk chillaxing in the parking lot.

Jupiter Springs. These terraces were much more active when we were there ten years ago. When a hot spring goes inactive, the terraces dry up; without the bacteria, the colors disappear, and the travertine starts to weather.

Mound Terrace

Meanwhile, new springs pop up elsewhere.

Mini terraces! I love the dry one in the middle; the deposits look like tiny stalagmites.

Part of Upper Terrace

Possibly this is Canary Spring. It's supposed to be bright yellow, but I think changes in the water temperature have altered its appearance. That, or I labeled my pictures wrong.

Another part of Upper Terrace. The trees die as the hot springs bury their roots in water and mineral deposits.

Some new terraces along Lower Terrace. How do I know they're new, you ask?

Because the trail was in the way. I vote they should name this "Unexpected Terrace".

Another new hot spring.

Liberty Cap, a "dormant hot spring cone".

Yellowstone's North Entrance

The arch at the northern entrance, by Gardner, MT. If you watched Ken Burns' documentary on the National Parks, they showed this just about every five minutes. The bottom inscriptions say "Yellowstone National Park" (left) and "Established by Act of Congress March 1, 1872" (right).

Happy Trafalgar Day!

2009-10-21T15:22:49Z

All hail the mighty zombie arm of Horatio Nelson!

sometimes a bid order is just a bid order

2009-10-16T21:58:51Z

Here's a fun game: what do YOU think I got to type specs for?

- Fiber Reinforced Composite handle eliminates vibration and hand sting

- Newest hybrid technology to deliver maximum performance

- Cushioned synthetic leather grip offers exceptional feel and durability

- Ensures unyielding durability and performance

- Extra-long barrel construction provides the ultimate power source for serious ball players

- Stacked barrel maximizes sweet spot with the strongest and thinnest walls of the tightest composite weave

- Exterior re-enforced frame increases perimeter strength and stiffness

- Slapper preferred-maximum control and barrel length

- Specifically formulated to maximize sweet spot contact area

- Patented Extended Flex design lengthens sweet spot creating the largest hitting area in the game

In conclusion: 'Stiff handle delivers more barrel flex, resulting in better trampoline effect which produces greater performance. This stiff handle alloy also gives more consistent feedback, allowing you to "feel the hit".'

...

...

...

Softball bats! Duh.

Yeah, so I actually had to submit those for purchasing. Kinky.

403(b) Tax Sheltered Account (TSA) Education -- Haiku

2009-10-01T19:33:16Z

Retirement plan
Something which I will not need
For many years now

***

The story of Ed
Retired at sixty-two
Less money than Joy

***

My leg falls asleep
I try to hide my boredom
My chair is squeaking

artoo! you're on FIRE!

2009-09-27T23:20:12Z

FAIL

2009-09-24T15:47:55Z

So, I don't have a lot to say about Mackenzie Phillips (apart from "Poor Mackenzie Phillips, that's horrible") but I am kind of enraged at the way CNN's article is written. Comparison:

CNN
The Times

Blame the victim much, CNN? So not cool.

gonna go to the place that's the best

2009-09-18T02:38:58Z

Oh, Supernatural. You are the only show who can simultaneously be awesome while confusing the Bible with The Lord of the Rings.

1) YAY! There were important female and black guest-stars and they DIDN'T DIE!
1a) Also, it was Ellen and Jo and Rufus and they were FTW!

2) So, last week min sweoster totally said "Wait. If Castiel's sigils mean that NO ANGEL can find them, doesn't that include HIM?" And she was right! I love getting Kripked.
2a) You know he spent those three days wandering around, trying to find them. SPECIALEST ANGEL.
2b) I foresee lots of angelic text messages reading "WHERE R U GUYS??"

3) Not only did they address the demon blood addiction storyline, but we found out what Dean's amulet does! Continuity FTW.
3a) Also, SPooN takes the term deus ex machina VERY SERIOUSLY.
3b) At least it's still about a million more times awesome than when BSG did it.
3c) Yes, I'm still bitter, why do you ask?
3d) Dude, Starbuck's an angel, she should totally guest star. That would be AWESOME.

4) Yay, music WIN.

5) I see that SPooN has no plans to stop kleptoing plots from Good Omens. Ah well, at least they only steal from the best.
4b) Which is apparently why the end of this episode sounded like an ep of Avatar. Next week: Sammy Alone!

6) Seriously, though, War carries a SWORD. First they deny me St. Michael's flaming sword (although ANGEL CONDOM, hee) and then they replace War's with the ONE RING? WTF.
6a) Stay tuned as the Horsemen wreak havoc with Pestilence's Orb of Aldur, Famine's Alethiometer, and Death's Elder Wand!
6b) WHY DO YOU HATE SWORDS, SPOON? IF YOU LIGHT THEM ON FIRE THEY'RE ALMOST LIKE LIGHTSABERS.

In other news, today I learned the Etruscan alphabet! I bet you wish you were as cool as me. And that your name, when written in mirror image, looked like IENNI8EP.

a nose by any other name would still smell

2009-09-14T02:29:49Z

Username meme!

My username: shadydave, because my name is Dave, and I am shady. Though if you want to be technical about it, Dave is one of my chiefest hypercoristics (I have many names!) and 'shady' was the adjective of choice in high school, also appropriate because I spend most of my time on teh intarwebs lurking.

My journal name: "My God! It's full of stars!" -- quote from 2001: A Space Odyssey (the book, not the movie), and uttered by my namesake when he discovers the creepy monolith is actually a stargate.

My journal title: "I don't go looking for trouble..."

My subtitle: "...it comes looking for me." A (probably inaccurate) quote from one of the HP books.

My friends page: "A Parcel of Rogues", which is from a Robert Burns poem, but which I actually found from reading annotations for The Wee Free Men. Crivens!

My default userpic: Dave from 2001! I like it because it looks like he's jammin' with his spaceship.

On the other hand, at least they wouldn't skip all the songs

2009-09-10T15:35:41Z

"[John] Lennon, however, had been championing a Lord of the Rings project (he planned on playing Gollum with Paul McCartney as Frodo, George Harrison as Gandalf, and Ringo Starr as Frodo’s confidant Sam)." -- The Beatles Movies That Never Happened

...

WHAT.

A Gentleman Does NOT Conga

2009-09-08T01:54:16Z

Discovered by naturalblue208: the best Pride and ~~Produce~~ Prejudice sketch EVAR!

Watching "Man of La Mancha"

2009-09-04T00:14:38Z

I'm slightly unclear as to why, when you have someone whose life is exciting as Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (three words: CAPTURED BY PIRATES), you remix him as Shakespeare and having him run rather nonsensically afoul of the Church (instead of the revenue service). Well, unless...

CERVANTES: I wasn't expecting a kind of Spanish Inquisition!
RANDOM DUDE: NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!