So I'm typing this using the new keyboard I got... only a true typing novelist would be geeking out over something like this. I'm enjoying it so much, though, that I figured I'd share it with all of you.
Currently it's sparking in a rainbow mode, and that makes me ridiculously happy. So, anyways, I'm probably going to update with real entries sometime later this weekend, after I've determined what I'm going to spend my Christmas mad money on and after I've given Justin his gifts. I already have some good ideas about what to spend my money on, but currently I have things to do... like eat Christmas cookies, play with my new keyboard (which will make editing my novel a much, much happier process), visit with my family, and finish a Christmas fanfic. (Also, apparently I have to babysit my dad while he plays his new Wii game and teach my mom how to use her DS. My parents are adorable sometimes.)
Hope your Christmas is as merry as mine appears to be going :)
- Jen -
25 December 2009
19 December 2009
Avatar
Yes, an entire blog entry. It was that cool. You see, I went to go see Avatar tonight. In IMAX 3D, no less. And it was amazing. Really.
First of all, the scenery was amazing. Second of all, it was nice to see someone who is differently abled as a hero, not just politically correctly speaking. It's never explained how Sully lost the use of his legs, but it's shown that he's just as capable with them as without them. Not only does he not ask for any help, but he refuses it when it's offered. And he doesn't need it. Third of all, the motion capture work showed, it really did. Facial expressions looked real, movements for all the animals were realistic (though I'm not quite sure how feasible it is for horse-like and wolf-like creatures to have six legs), and the crowds weren't just copy-pasted. Fourth of all, it was set up like a true epic. The plot was conventional (easily accessible) but still left room for variance.
I would say one of the few complaints I had about the movie was the excessive scenery porn. I mean, I appreciate that there was some detail put into the environments, but really, I don't think plants bioluminesce in anger when they're stepped on IRL. I also don't think some of those scenes needed to take as long as they did. We get it. They're doing whatever. Also, I found some of the characterization (well, most of it) to be subpar. There was no depth to the villains, and that disappointed me. I mean, it's an epic, so I understand that for the viewer to empathize with the heroes, the villains need to be hated and not understood, but for me, I appreciate a villain who's as sympathetic as the hero. YMMV, however.
Probably going to see it again this weekend in regular 2D just to compare. I don't mind throwing my money at this; it deserves it. Most fun I've had at a movie in a very long time. PSA to everyone: You will enjoy this movie.
- Jen -
First of all, the scenery was amazing. Second of all, it was nice to see someone who is differently abled as a hero, not just politically correctly speaking. It's never explained how Sully lost the use of his legs, but it's shown that he's just as capable with them as without them. Not only does he not ask for any help, but he refuses it when it's offered. And he doesn't need it. Third of all, the motion capture work showed, it really did. Facial expressions looked real, movements for all the animals were realistic (though I'm not quite sure how feasible it is for horse-like and wolf-like creatures to have six legs), and the crowds weren't just copy-pasted. Fourth of all, it was set up like a true epic. The plot was conventional (easily accessible) but still left room for variance.
I would say one of the few complaints I had about the movie was the excessive scenery porn. I mean, I appreciate that there was some detail put into the environments, but really, I don't think plants bioluminesce in anger when they're stepped on IRL. I also don't think some of those scenes needed to take as long as they did. We get it. They're doing whatever. Also, I found some of the characterization (well, most of it) to be subpar. There was no depth to the villains, and that disappointed me. I mean, it's an epic, so I understand that for the viewer to empathize with the heroes, the villains need to be hated and not understood, but for me, I appreciate a villain who's as sympathetic as the hero. YMMV, however.
Probably going to see it again this weekend in regular 2D just to compare. I don't mind throwing my money at this; it deserves it. Most fun I've had at a movie in a very long time. PSA to everyone: You will enjoy this movie.
- Jen -
12 December 2009
Wild blagoposts ahoy!
[This entry is kind of dedicated to Greg, who always gets frustrated when I update my blog since he gets behind. Also, check the next paragraph, IT'S YOUR FAULT.]
So, I haven't really been doing much, but in passing talking to a friend of mine yesterday, he mentioned QC and I couldn't resist looking it up. For those of you that don't know, it's a webcomic called Questionable Content. I'm deep in the archives now or I would link you all to the main page, but it's quickly become a favorite of mine and I'm only halfway 'up to date'. A perfect mix of sarcasm/irony, relationship issues, hipster/indie cred, and nerdiness... perfectly complements my already profound love for xkcd.
I finished packing for the most part today, bought my last real Christmas present from the UK, and have been reading QC since I woke up (and also munching on chocolate as I have done so). As a result, this entry is pretty boring, but I have a plan for what I'm going to post tomorrow. I might actually start planning out topics for blog posts now that NaNo is over... my life feels somewhat empty without so much writing in it.
- Jen -
ETA (which stands for Edited To Add, by the way, for those acronym challenged people like me):
I love Questionable Content. SO MUCH. Especially Marigold. It's kind of creepy how much I identify with her. Sleep!snuggling with her flatmate (I am a self-admitted snuggleslut, I create people-piles wherever I sit), the whole nerd look (hello, Hermione Granger hair and red plastic glasses), the weird RPG she's into (she's got WOW, I'll keep my Pokemon), the problem she has with being a shut-in (welcome to my entire November... in fact, most of the time I've been here)... I even just joined a fandom which kind of wears slash goggles all the time, which most of you would call YAOI. I mean, I have legitimate reasons for being on my computer all of the time (most of my dear friends and family are in the States, and I can contact them through e-mail and Skype), but even Hanners would admit that I'm being a little ridiculous and should get out more. [Also, that was a hella lot of parentheses for one paragraph. My bad.]
... and that's enough self-reflection for me. Seriously, I mix Dora's insecurities with most of Marigold's personality, it's kind of weird and awful when you think about it actually. And why am I trying to empathize with a webcomic so much? This is even worse than when I read overtones of my own life into New Moon. WHY. WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF. (It's not even a question at this point.)
Yeah, I did just spend the last... I don't know, about 13 hours straight today, plus 2 hours yesterday, catching up on the backlog. And I laughed out loud several times. Is funny.
So, I haven't really been doing much, but in passing talking to a friend of mine yesterday, he mentioned QC and I couldn't resist looking it up. For those of you that don't know, it's a webcomic called Questionable Content. I'm deep in the archives now or I would link you all to the main page, but it's quickly become a favorite of mine and I'm only halfway 'up to date'. A perfect mix of sarcasm/irony, relationship issues, hipster/indie cred, and nerdiness... perfectly complements my already profound love for xkcd.
I finished packing for the most part today, bought my last real Christmas present from the UK, and have been reading QC since I woke up (and also munching on chocolate as I have done so). As a result, this entry is pretty boring, but I have a plan for what I'm going to post tomorrow. I might actually start planning out topics for blog posts now that NaNo is over... my life feels somewhat empty without so much writing in it.
- Jen -
ETA (which stands for Edited To Add, by the way, for those acronym challenged people like me):
I love Questionable Content. SO MUCH. Especially Marigold. It's kind of creepy how much I identify with her. Sleep!snuggling with her flatmate (I am a self-admitted snuggleslut, I create people-piles wherever I sit), the whole nerd look (hello, Hermione Granger hair and red plastic glasses), the weird RPG she's into (she's got WOW, I'll keep my Pokemon), the problem she has with being a shut-in (welcome to my entire November... in fact, most of the time I've been here)... I even just joined a fandom which kind of wears slash goggles all the time, which most of you would call YAOI. I mean, I have legitimate reasons for being on my computer all of the time (most of my dear friends and family are in the States, and I can contact them through e-mail and Skype), but even Hanners would admit that I'm being a little ridiculous and should get out more. [Also, that was a hella lot of parentheses for one paragraph. My bad.]
... and that's enough self-reflection for me. Seriously, I mix Dora's insecurities with most of Marigold's personality, it's kind of weird and awful when you think about it actually. And why am I trying to empathize with a webcomic so much? This is even worse than when I read overtones of my own life into New Moon. WHY. WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF. (It's not even a question at this point.)
Yeah, I did just spend the last... I don't know, about 13 hours straight today, plus 2 hours yesterday, catching up on the backlog. And I laughed out loud several times. Is funny.
11 December 2009
London, Day 6 (Friday 11 December)
Highlights: Not many.
1. Bus back to Oxford
2. The rest of my day
-----
1. Bus back to Oxford
Pretty self-explanatory. After breakfast, I checked out and shipped out. Made my way to Victoria station and got on the bus to come home and I was back by noon. Spent a little while running errands (to make sure I could eat for the next few days) and grabbing lunch.
-----
2. The rest of my day
Has been spent blogging and on the Internet. I got to Skype with Justin just now, which was good. I get to see him in five days, which is exciting.
Right now, I have a few things to work on. I got an idea for a Christmas range of ficlets, so I need to start on those and appease the people at Shotgun's Lap. I also need to upload my pictures to Shutterfly (including the ones from before I went to London). I'm kicking myself about forgetting my battery charger!!!
Tomorrow: much the same, except I'm going to repack my suitcase, probably, and might visit either the Ashmolean or the Natural History Museum. Then again, probably not.
Sunday: my last full day in England of 2009. Much the same, really.
Monday: leaving early for Heathrow and getting into Columbus around 8 PM EST.
Catch y'all on the flip side. Might do another cute post in the next few days that's more Christmas related. I haven't been much in the Christmas spirit this year... I don't know if it's the foreign country bit or the family crisis bit. We'll see.
- Jen -
1. Bus back to Oxford
2. The rest of my day
-----
1. Bus back to Oxford
Pretty self-explanatory. After breakfast, I checked out and shipped out. Made my way to Victoria station and got on the bus to come home and I was back by noon. Spent a little while running errands (to make sure I could eat for the next few days) and grabbing lunch.
-----
2. The rest of my day
Has been spent blogging and on the Internet. I got to Skype with Justin just now, which was good. I get to see him in five days, which is exciting.
Right now, I have a few things to work on. I got an idea for a Christmas range of ficlets, so I need to start on those and appease the people at Shotgun's Lap. I also need to upload my pictures to Shutterfly (including the ones from before I went to London). I'm kicking myself about forgetting my battery charger!!!
Tomorrow: much the same, except I'm going to repack my suitcase, probably, and might visit either the Ashmolean or the Natural History Museum. Then again, probably not.
Sunday: my last full day in England of 2009. Much the same, really.
Monday: leaving early for Heathrow and getting into Columbus around 8 PM EST.
Catch y'all on the flip side. Might do another cute post in the next few days that's more Christmas related. I haven't been much in the Christmas spirit this year... I don't know if it's the foreign country bit or the family crisis bit. We'll see.
- Jen -
London, Day 5 (Thursday 10 December)
Highlights of my last full day in London:
1. Coffee with Georgie
2. Tate Modern
3. Globe Theatre performance
4. ND after-performance party
5. Last night in the hostel
-----
1. Coffee with Georgie
So, for once, I didn't head straight to the British Museum, but instead made my way to the Russell Square tube station to meet up with one of my British friends. I met Georgie Peters on Facebook about a year ago, and we got to be good friends. I promised her that when I came to England, I'd see her at least once.
She's studying at UCL, so we met at a Starbucks close to there and chatted for at least an hour. It was nice to meet up with a friend for once, instead of just standing silently in museums all day like I had been doing. Also, I love Starbucks, so it was nice to get a latte for once and just sit and stay off my feet.
Before I left to start my day for real, Georgie took me on a brief tour of the UCL campus that she's on, and she even showed me the nearest tube station before she went back to work in the library. Oh, those silly universities that are on the semester system while I'm on the funkiest trimesters ever.
-----
2. Tate Modern
I spent five hours at the Tate Modern getting very confused by modern art. Seriously, that's about the sum total of my experience in there.
Although, I must say, they had a copy of my favorite statue in there, and I squee'd like a fangirl when I saw it in person. So that was exciting. I also was able to do a little shopping for myself, so good on me.
-----
3. Globe Theatre performance
So, I had heard from my friend at ND, Mary Kearns, that she was going to be in a play at the Globe theatre. Naturally, I was eager to see her. (Somehow, I got lost on my way there, even though it's, like, RIGHT NEXT TO the Tate. This just goes to show you how helpless I am with compass-point directions.)
It was a brief performance of Othello, just basically the highlights, done in a very modern style. The staging was excellent, and there was even singing. But the best part was that it was in the Globe freaking theatre. The open air theater, preserved as it would have been in Shakespeare's time, with all of us ND people standing on the open floor where the rabble would have stood. It was kind of brilliant, actually, and I enjoyed it very much. Mary did her reading very well and it was nice to see her. I also ran into two of my roommates from freshman year, Danielle and Katherine, and managed to make a new 'friend' along the way.
-----
4. ND after-performance party
So, after the brief (30-minute, maybe) performance, there was a reception held in the first floor of the Globe for all of the ND people who had attended. I had to pay 5 pounds for a ticket but it was worth it for snacks and the opportunity to talk and visit with my friends. Ben LaPres managed to find me in a room full of people and waved me over to talk about NaNo, studying abroad, and whatnot for a while.
Then, abruptly, most people seemed to leave the party, and I met up with Mary today. She kind of made my day, actually. She walked me across the Millenium Bridge and we walked past St. Paul's Cathedral, which was lit up beautifully at night. We could see it across the river... just gorgeous. She walked me to the St. Paul's tube station and then she said goodbye... I hope exams go well for her.
-----
5. Last night in the hostel
So, during my last night, I actually got to know one of my new roommates. Most of my roommates, besides the guy in the bunk above me, changed in the five nights I was there. By the time of the last night, I was with two British (Australian? couldn't tell with the accent, but British is more likely) girls, the guy above me's friend, a few Asian guys, and then Scott. Scott's an American, in his 40s-ish, originally from Raleigh area, NC, but now working out of Birmingham by way of Washington DC. It was interesting talking to him, because he got his PhD from a British university so he knows how the system works a little bit.
I also needed to call home. For those of you who don't know, my grandmother passed away last Friday, and her funeral was yesterday, so I called home and offered what little condolences I could. I feel terrible about not being there, but there's literally nothing I could have done.
More journal-writing, and that was the end of my night.
- Jen -
1. Coffee with Georgie
2. Tate Modern
3. Globe Theatre performance
4. ND after-performance party
5. Last night in the hostel
-----
1. Coffee with Georgie
So, for once, I didn't head straight to the British Museum, but instead made my way to the Russell Square tube station to meet up with one of my British friends. I met Georgie Peters on Facebook about a year ago, and we got to be good friends. I promised her that when I came to England, I'd see her at least once.
She's studying at UCL, so we met at a Starbucks close to there and chatted for at least an hour. It was nice to meet up with a friend for once, instead of just standing silently in museums all day like I had been doing. Also, I love Starbucks, so it was nice to get a latte for once and just sit and stay off my feet.
Before I left to start my day for real, Georgie took me on a brief tour of the UCL campus that she's on, and she even showed me the nearest tube station before she went back to work in the library. Oh, those silly universities that are on the semester system while I'm on the funkiest trimesters ever.
-----
2. Tate Modern
I spent five hours at the Tate Modern getting very confused by modern art. Seriously, that's about the sum total of my experience in there.
Although, I must say, they had a copy of my favorite statue in there, and I squee'd like a fangirl when I saw it in person. So that was exciting. I also was able to do a little shopping for myself, so good on me.
-----
3. Globe Theatre performance
So, I had heard from my friend at ND, Mary Kearns, that she was going to be in a play at the Globe theatre. Naturally, I was eager to see her. (Somehow, I got lost on my way there, even though it's, like, RIGHT NEXT TO the Tate. This just goes to show you how helpless I am with compass-point directions.)
It was a brief performance of Othello, just basically the highlights, done in a very modern style. The staging was excellent, and there was even singing. But the best part was that it was in the Globe freaking theatre. The open air theater, preserved as it would have been in Shakespeare's time, with all of us ND people standing on the open floor where the rabble would have stood. It was kind of brilliant, actually, and I enjoyed it very much. Mary did her reading very well and it was nice to see her. I also ran into two of my roommates from freshman year, Danielle and Katherine, and managed to make a new 'friend' along the way.
-----
4. ND after-performance party
So, after the brief (30-minute, maybe) performance, there was a reception held in the first floor of the Globe for all of the ND people who had attended. I had to pay 5 pounds for a ticket but it was worth it for snacks and the opportunity to talk and visit with my friends. Ben LaPres managed to find me in a room full of people and waved me over to talk about NaNo, studying abroad, and whatnot for a while.
Then, abruptly, most people seemed to leave the party, and I met up with Mary today. She kind of made my day, actually. She walked me across the Millenium Bridge and we walked past St. Paul's Cathedral, which was lit up beautifully at night. We could see it across the river... just gorgeous. She walked me to the St. Paul's tube station and then she said goodbye... I hope exams go well for her.
-----
5. Last night in the hostel
So, during my last night, I actually got to know one of my new roommates. Most of my roommates, besides the guy in the bunk above me, changed in the five nights I was there. By the time of the last night, I was with two British (Australian? couldn't tell with the accent, but British is more likely) girls, the guy above me's friend, a few Asian guys, and then Scott. Scott's an American, in his 40s-ish, originally from Raleigh area, NC, but now working out of Birmingham by way of Washington DC. It was interesting talking to him, because he got his PhD from a British university so he knows how the system works a little bit.
I also needed to call home. For those of you who don't know, my grandmother passed away last Friday, and her funeral was yesterday, so I called home and offered what little condolences I could. I feel terrible about not being there, but there's literally nothing I could have done.
More journal-writing, and that was the end of my night.
- Jen -
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
