i wish i could buy back

Dude.

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:36:03 GMT

Christmas is upon us here in Orlando, and the weather's finally decided to cooperate and be, you know, not 85 degrees. Everyone's wandering around wearing scarves and muffs and it's about... oh, 60, but it's progress.

I've been staring at my tree and willing it to tell me where it wants to be put this year. My cats have already knocked it over THREE TIMES and it hasn't even been decorated yet. This is going to be exciting!

<<

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 23:17:48 GMT

Oh hey there. I am alive.

Thinking about getting into this journal once again. I've been over at IJ for the last year or so, but there ain't no party like an lj party. So we'll see.

The dish: Still in Orlando, still working for the Mouse. Have my own place, complete with two fat cats. Doing pretty well, all things considered!

<3

Soundtrack : SPN : The End

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:42:58 GMT

"Wild, dark times are rumbling toward us, and the prophet who wishes to write a new apocalypse will have to invent entirely new beasts, and beasts so terrible that the ancient animal symbols of St. John will seem like cooing doves and cupids in comparison."
HEINRICH HEINE, "Lutetia; or, Paris," Augsberg Gazette, 1842

T H E | E N D : A Supernatural Fanmix

1. PJ Harvey : Instrumental #2
2. The Ponys : Turn The Lights Out
3. Wolf Parade : Call It A Ritual
4. Florence & the Machine : Hospital Beds
5. The Cave Singers : Dancing on Our Graves
6. Tilly & The Wall : Chandelier Lake
7. Menomena : Rotten Hell
8. Le Loup : Outside of This Car, The End of the World!
9. Aimee Mann : Video
10. The Cloud Cult : The Ghost inside Our House
11. Chris Garneau : First Place
12. Shearwater : Lost Boys
13. Neko Case : Wayfaring Stranger

The texts are claiming that it's the end of the world, and you believe it. Birds are eating other birds. Rivers boil over. The lucky people have either died or gone mad. Everywhere you look, people are smiling and their eyes are black and bottomless. No reflection. No fear.

You and your brother have survived monsters, hell, death, and each other. But you know that the end, as they say, is nigh, so you two pack up your gear one last time and head out onto the open road.

You pass by ghost towns, abandoned gas stations and dry river canyons. The vultures circle the Impala overhead, and the radio plays nothing but static. The clock on the dashboard flickers.

It might stop running, but you never will.

Download: here

PJ Harvey : Instrumental #2

The Ponys : Turn The Lights Out
Every now and then I get a little help from my family.
I call 'em my friends.

Wolf Parade : Call It A Ritual
You said "the desert will eat us alive".
I said "I'll make the decisions; you just drive".
You just drive.

Florence & the Machine : Hospital Beds
I got one friend layin' across from me.
I did not choose him; he did not choose me.
We got no chance of recovery.

The Cave Singers : Dancing on Our Graves
But oh lord, I know what I've done.
And oh lord, I ain't afraid.

Tilly & The Wall : Chandelier Lake
Chandelier Lake is a mysterious place
and the ghost of a woman who sleeps beneath the waves.
Chandelier Lake is a mysterious place
and she's the only one who knows its name.

Menomena : Rotten Hell
Wading through this mess together,
hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder.
Some may stumble, some may fall behind.
Well it's high time we stepped outside,
drop the gloves and settle this like a man.

Le Loup : Outside of This Car, The End of the World!
The world stood still around us.
We drove dreamless, lost and found again.

Aimee Mann : Video
Like a building that's been slated for blasting
I'm the proof that nothing is lasting.
Counting to eleven as it collapses.

The Cloud Cult : The Ghost inside Our House
We'll start a little family
and call it our religion.
Hunt for ghosts inside our house
Because we'll never give up wishing.

Chris Garneau : First Place
This brigade of girls and boys,
We will rid of you
And of your dangerous toys.
Like father like
Son and so on and so forth.

Shearwater : Lost Boys
My blistered feet
turn bloody,
so I take to the air,
and I am everywhere.
I am starlight,
I am moonlight,
over burning fields and bodies.

Neko Case : Wayfaring Stranger
I am a poor wayfaring stranger
A-traveling through this world below.
But there's no sickness, toil, or danger,
In that bright land to which I go.
I'm going there to see my mother
She said she'd meet me when I come.

Please, as always comment if you take or if you need it re-uploaded. I hope you enjoy!

Fanmix : Bellatrix Lestrange Would Like to Wish You a Fond Goodnight

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 04:58:28 GMT

My intention with this mix was simple: create a mood. It's not about lyrics, although they fit, but it's about instrument and feeling and other pretentious things. The atmosphere in this mix is supposed to be beautiful but creepy - a rotted harpsichord, a faded bouquet. A staircase that creaks only when it's stepped upon, but now it creaks, and you're alone in the house. And you smell her perfume. It's been nearly fifteen years.

But she's not forgotten a thing.

B|E|L|L|A|T|R|I|X L|E|S|T|R|A|N|G|E|
would like to wish you a fond goodnight

1) Isobel Campbell: Lady of Snakes
2) Low: Pretty People
3) Malcolm Mclaren: About Her
4) THC: Need to Destroy
5) The Rachels: Honeysuckle Suite
6) I Monster: Who Is She?
7) Devendra Banhart: Mama Wolf
8) Nouvelle Vague: Psyche
9) Tunng: Tale From Black

Isobel Campbell: Lady of Snakes
-instrumental-

Low: Pretty People
All the soldiers, they're all gonna die.
And all the little babies, they're all gonna die.
All the poets, and all the liars, and all you pretty people:
You're all gonna die.

Malcolm Mclaren: About Her
Well no one told me about her,
The way she lies.
Well no one told me about her,
How many people cried.
But it’s too late to say you’re sorry.

THC: Need to Destroy
I won't be your soft one.
I won't be encircled.
You might become something I need.
Don't show me your weakness.
I might become something you need,
Something you need to destroy.

The Rachels: Honeysuckle Suite
-instrumental-

I Monster: Who Is She?
Oh who is she?
A misty memory,
A haunting face,
Is she a lost embrace?
Am I in love with just a theme?

Devendra Banhart: Mama Wolf
When I'm in the woods I know what to call you now:
Hey, mama wolf.
Well, Maybe the mountains know what to call you now:
Hey, mama wolf.

Nouvelle Vague: Psyche
And then you follow a transfer.
If you don't know the game,
Then you're still part of it,
Because out on the streets.
It's strange - dodge the bullet or carry the gun:
The choice is yours.

Tunng: Tale From Black
She washes all the young blood from her hands in the sink,
And she knows that the lights will be there for her,
Breaks down the bodies to dark subtle ink,
And she scrawls on the parchments that hang in the air.
She knows the dunes where the steel cities grow,
And she knows when they jail her they'll grind down the key.
She knows the lights lay the heaviest blows,
And she knows that the sand must submit to the sea.
She knows the thrill of the chase in her veins.
And she knows that the sinking's a trick of the light,
Prays for the silence and cool gentle rain,
And she prays that the radios run through the night.

Download: here (xx = tt)

G|O|O|D|N|I|G|H|T.

As always, please comment if you're taking or if you have any feeback. Thank you!!

OH GOD IT LOOKS LIKE A PERSON.

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 20:28:29 GMT

Re: The male model industry employing skinnier and skinnier models, as witnessed by the increasing popularity of Stas Svetlichnyy, 6 feet tall, and 145 pounds.

"Designers like the skinny guy,” he said backstage last Friday at the Duckie Brown show. "It looks good in the clothes and that’s the main thing. That's just the way it is now."

"It" looks good in the clothes? I think that particularly off-the-cuff usage of a depersonalized pronoun says everything about the ultimate coat-hanger objectification of models that I could take several paragraphs explaining.

"I'm not really sure if designers are making clothes smaller or if people are smaller now," Mr Nguyen said.

Really? You're not sure? Have you been completely absent from any cultural or anthropological study made in the past ten years?

Full article located here.

In which I rant about soup, bad movies, and politics.

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:22:42 GMT

It's been an interesting past few days. Firstly, I've managed to hit 23,000 words for my book, which is far and away what I've ever been able to accomplish before. Score! Secondly, as if to mock my success, Fate would have it that I managed to spill hot-from-the-microwave Campbell's soup on my left hand. My hand is now MANGLED. Seriously, I have never been in so much pain in all my life; the hot soup got my entire thumb and the flesh part between my thumb and pointer-finger. I'm typing today for the first time with it, and it's okay, but daaaamn I thought I'd die yesterday. So far I'm refusing to go to the doctor with it; it feels a lot better today so I think that I'll be fine as long as I watch it.

I've decided that I can't see mainstream movies. I tried to watch The Comeback yesterday, or whatever it's called (no, not by my choice...) and had to leave the living room. So sexist, so racist, and I was like "Seriously? Seriously, this is funny?" Whatev.

Which leads us to Whitney's political observations of the moment! It's Super Tuesday, and we're all talking about politics down here in Florida. I'm surrounded by a fairly diverse mixture of people; the immediate folks I live with are die-hard Republicans, whereas most of my friends outside of my apartment are die-hard liberals (I can't call them all Democrats because some are ardently independent). I've been trying SO HARD to keep my mouth shut about politics because I'm in the middle of networking for a job, and sorry, but I really don't want my Fox News watching bosses to hear my rants about that station. Erring on the side of quiet is my plan.

At any rate, just from my observations, I predict that Clinton and McCain will win primaries. From there, McCain will eventually go on to be president. Is that the sound of my soul being crushed? Yup, yup it is. Because for all the hoopla surrounding the man claiming that he's "moderate"... no. No, no, no. He's very conservative. And it's FINE that he's conservative, but damn people. How is being anti-environment, pro-nuclear power, pro-Iraq War, anti-abortion, and anti-immigration anything resembling moderate?

If the American people fall for that lie... Although they probably will; we re-elected Bush, didn't we?

*waves her Obama flag sadly*

An Insight into What the Hell's Happening in my Life Currently

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:24:56 GMT

So I thought I owed you guys a little more than commentary on Amy Winehouse's particular brand of crazy.

Things are going well. I've got a new job working for Communication Technology at Disney, which means I've got regular hours and higher pay. It's very weird to be working out of the parks, but I'm global so that means I'm working with all four parks, all resorts, and... well, Disneyland! So odd to be working with people you literally never see because they're all the way across the country. Anyway, it's a good job, and it's given me a lot more free time to decompress, which let's face it, was something I was clearly lacking last fall.

Mom, Dad, Missy, Keith, and their three kids came to see me for a few days. It was a lot of fun, but now I admit I'm a big ball of angst about when I'm going to see Mom and Dad again. They're talking about coming down in November, and I'm like "November? Seriously?" That's such a long time from now, and the fact that I don't have a specific date when I KNOW I'll be seeing them next is really upsetting. I've never been a homebody, but I am close to my family. It's them I miss, not Alabama.

Still, now with having evenings off, I've never been writing more. My short little attempt at a book is now suddenly a real, viable, 20,000 word book that's still going strong. I'm going to be needing some readers later on down the road, and the thought is both exciting and terrifying. I've already made the decision to play editor far before I let anyone else see it, though, putting work out there that wasn't at least half-done is against my style.

But it's a beautiful, wonderful thing to be writing again.

An Entry of Very Little Substance

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:26:14 GMT

I suppose I could use this space to talk about how I love my new job, how awesome it is to be back on a normal schedule, and how great it is to have TIME to DO STUFF again, but instead, I'm going to bitch about Amy Winehouse's hair.

scuppernong LOOK.
scuppernong LOOK WHAT SHE DID TO HERSELF!
scuppernong WHY
scuppernong WHY, AMY WINEHOUSE
victoriana Amy Winehouse: Because I hate you, Whit.
scuppernong Go to rehab, bitch! >:o
victoriana Amy Winehouse: NO NO NO!
scuppernong those tears you'll be crying won't dry on their own when I'M THROUGH WITH YOU

For serious, Amy. You've been looking rough lately.

An end of the year, a beginning of a new one...

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 11:40:45 GMT

So this year has been amazingly good and bad. Wonderful things have happened, and some shitty things have happened. I've been too alone, and I've been too crowded. No middle at all, which is so unsatisfying, but you know what?

I survived it all. It's all behind me. I may have spent the Auld Lang Syne part of the ringing in of 2008 alone at the info kiosk wondering what in the hell I was doing WORKING on this night, but I just had the time of my life at IHOP with all my peeps. Chocolate chip pancakes, inappropriate jokes, and wow. What a fantastic time.

2008's started off well. Exhausting, but well.

2007 Meme

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 04:36:16 GMT

I usually do one of these every New Years. Somehow I missed it last year, but eh. SLACKER AM I.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Spent Christmas away from family. Underwent some basic relationship firsts. Been sexually harassed by someone at work. Graduated grad school. Wrote a 120 page paper.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I pointedly didn't make any New Year's resolutions last year. This year, I'd like network with the Disney ad people. Simple, to the point, and will further my career.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope, but Missy had another miscarriage. :(

4. Did anyone close to you die?
R.I.P., Ima.

5. What countries did you visit?
None. Sigh.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
@#($)#*@()%* FINISH MY BOOK ALREADY.

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
May 19th - great birthday celebration
July 21st - the final Harry Potter coming out!
August 11th - my graduating grad school with flying colors
December 24/25th - first Christmas without family

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Graduating grad school not only well, but REALLY well. I worked my ass off and got my academic groove back all in one year.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Hellooooo, lack of Job I Can Be Proud of.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I got into a comic book series, Fables, remarkably obsessively.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Everyone doing the CP. Holy cow, we've been working our asses off.

12.1 Who kept you sane the most?
Kelly. Definitely.

12.2 Who made you laugh the most?
Kelly, Sarah (both Marnell & T.), Danny Boy

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Francisco's and my own. Him for taking advantage of me, and me for letting him.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Hi Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Hi Fables. Hi Disney pins. Hi Lush. Bye paycheck.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Kicking ass and taking names in money room. Getting my professional internship.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
M.I.A.: Paper Planes
Kate Nash: Foundations
Arcade Fire: Black Mirror
The Teddybears: Yours to Keep
Rilo Kiley: Silver Lining
TV on the Radio: Wolf Like Me
Justice: The Party
Two Gallants: Las Cruces Jail
Neko Case: Favorite
Mickey Avalon: Jane Fonda

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Sadder, but only because I miss my family.

ii. thinner or fatter?
Thinner by a little!

iii. richer or poorer?
SO MUCH FUCKING POORER

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Socialize. RP. I've been a bit of a busy hermit lately.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Question myself.

20. How will you be spending Christmas/New Year's?
Working. Literally. Which is a bummer, but eh, I had a really good New Year's last year.

21. How many one night stands?
None. I dated everyone I boffed.

22. What was your favorite TV program(s)?
SUPERNATURAL. Dexter. Pushing Daisies.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope!

24. What was the best book you read?
The Devil in White City.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I didn't really discover anyone new this year that I can think of. The Knife, Acid House Kings, Bonde do Role maybe!

26. What did you want and get?
A professional internship with Disney's Communication department. The ability to stand up to people.

27. What did you want and not get?
Balance.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - which is crazy 'cause it was my least favorite book of that series!

29. What did you do on your birthday?
GOT REALLY EFFING DRUNK. Fell off a stool. Hit up about four bars. Requested "Surrender" by Cheap Trick everywhere we went. Remembered little to none of the last two hours. And then made my famous Hangover pasta the next morning for Sarah and I.

30. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?
More time for ME. I really lost a lot of it when I moved to Florida.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Rich hippie - pretty dresses, bold prints, and cowboy boots from New Mexico.

32. What kept you sane?
My iPod. Kelly.

33. Which celebrity did you fancy the most?
Jared Padalecki.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Global warming.

35. Who did you miss?
My family. I miss my brother so much I'm pretty much weeping once a day.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Kelly, Daniel, Christina, Nicole, Mike, Pamela... the list goes on.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
I have two:
- Don't date rich boys. If you have to, date rich men.
- Standing up for yourself isn't the same thing as rocking the boat unnecessarily.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"My heart is a stone - just for you it breaks easily." - the Acid House Kings

To think, up until 10 minutes ago this would be a fairly happy entry.

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:52:20 GMT

I usually put my politics beneath a cut, but I'm afraid that I'm too enraged at the moment to care.

To those who think that our government - local, state, and national - has the best interest of the people in mind, I'm afraid that after this morning, I'm just going to have to laugh. And no, this isn't a stab at the GOP in particular, because although I loathe Reagen's legacy, the Democrats have participated in this problem just as completely.

My autistic brother woke up with a swollen abscess in his mouth yesterday. He wasn't seen by anyone until just now, nearly 36 hours later, despite my mother calling over 14 clinics in the immediate and not-so-immediate area. Why?

"Oh, we don't service 'special' adults."

Good to know. It's almost as amusing as the time that the state sent us an official determined to teach my brother (he of the 6-month-old comprehension) to drive. And then it's almost amusing as the time that this state official came back. Again. And again. Every year, just to see if Matthew was still autistic. Yes SIR, state official sir, my brother still EATS WALLPAPER and USES DIAPERS. Yes SIR, it's a remote possibility that next year he'll be ALL BETTER and will be able to hold a job! Because this is America, and everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and become someone!!! It's in our national identity!!! My country 'tis of thee, people!

But if, by chance, you're one of the REALLY BIG MAJORITY of 'special' adult Americans who are unable to hold a job, much less care for yourself, then you're swept under the cracks and forgotten about.

I realize that I'm not going to get a happy ending with this one. But couldn't someone help make it a slightly EASIER unhappy ending?

Ugh.

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:51:07 GMT

Remember that coordinator who'd been harassing me earlier in the week? He did it again. Put me on a cart far away from others, got in my face, and demanded to know if I was a snitch.

Oh, I'm going to be a snitch NOW. He's going to be so impressed with how well I snitch. I go in to talk with my manager tonight.

I'm fucking terrified.

Jesus Christ, will it ever stop?

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:44:33 GMT

I usually try to be pretty honest in my livejournal about what's going in my life, so I feel bad for my recent cryptic entries. The truth is, I was (and am) obsessing over what's going on so much that I just didn't want to dwell on it much here. I think I've reached a point now where I don't feel completely 100% crappy about things, so I'll go over it here.

In the past week, I've had a problem at work with being harassed by a manager, I've gotten both a cold and a boy-that-thinks-he's-my-boyfriend that I'm evidently sleeping with, and I'm in the middle of working a grand total of 85 hours.

It's been quite a trip.

First things first: I'm seeing a guy. Me being my usual commitment-phobic self, I'm really, really, really freaking out over this. I'm terrified. Absolutely terrified. As most of you know, I've had girly health problems for a while now, and my birth control isn't 100%, so to say I have hangups over sex and the possibility of getting pregnant means that at the moment, I'm redefining anxiety. Yes, I'm doubling up on protection (hi, I'm paranoid, not stupid), but I still worry. Things break. Medications go awry. We're also not really sexually compatible. I have sex like a guy. Fun, fast, and maybe if you're really lucky, I'll cuddle with you. He likes going for hours and hours and oh god, I get sore all over again just thinking about it. Couple this with my insecurities about dating, committing, and the fact that this kid I really, really like is leaving in January back to Mexico, and I'm ready to scream. Whitney-who-doesn't-know-what's-going-to-happen is not a Nice Whitney. She is a Savage Whitney. And believe me, the caps are necessary.

Okay, so I have that situation going on. Secondly, I'm training and working in my second job. Yes, 45 hours a week at Disney was not enough punishment, nor gas money for that matter. My second job is at the mall at Lush Cosmetics, and so far, it's awesome. Lots of nice people. I sometimes feel that I'm not "alternative" enough (no facial piercing, I'm not a vegan, etc), but I know my products and I think that comes across pretty well.

Finally, there was a huge blow up with one of my managers at my other job. He's an ass to begin with - he harasses all the women, says demeaning, sexual things to them, etc - but no one really calls him on it because frankly, he's insulting, but harmless. He's rather large and not really mobile, and I could probably beat him up, so our usual status quo is ignoring him when he gets nasty. Well, the other day, he crossed a ton of lines, and I really don't want to go into it but we reported him, and now he's dealing with the other managers' wrath. And he came across to me at work, called me a stupid bitch, and a rat, and a snitch, and told me I'd be sorry that I said anything.

Charming, really. I told him to get the fuck out of my face if he didn't want to be slapped with a sexual harassment suit so quickly his head would spin around his gelatinous neck.

That obviously didn't win me any points from him, but the other girls who heard me started cheering and standing behind me.

It's a monstrous pain in the ass. I'm not about to take his shit, nor be blamed for his screwup. If he goes after me again, he's going to get a lot worse than my telling him off. He's unprofessional, misogynistic, and all-around foul, and if I catch him going after any of the Fantasyland girls again, his ass is grass.

And that's my life in a nutshell. Really no wonder that I've been living off of corn syrup and caffeine lately, right?

Cryptic Entry #2

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 20:54:47 GMT

Follow up to my previous Cryptic Entry...

I went out there. I gave trusting him a shot.

Now I don't know what I'm feeling. It's a good thing that I can't call in to work because it's a money room shift, else I'd spend the rest of the afternoon in a ball crying.

I don't mean to be overly dramatic, and I really am fine. But I don't know what at all I'm doing, and I never react well to that.

For the record...

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 04:32:38 GMT

I'm tired of being emotionally unavailable.

I'm officially saying "screw it". Trusting someone shouldn't be this difficult.

Happy Halloween... for you and me!

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 23:16:13 GMT

HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone! I just found out that I got my internship that I applied for - Come January, I'm going to be working on the Disney website! I'm so excited.

Tonight I'm going to Pleasure Island and CLUBBING IT UP in VICTORY. Wooo!!

Currently

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:41:28 GMT

I'm quite happy, lately. Not just happy, although that's the simple term for it. Comfortable in my skin would be the best description of it. I feel confident in things I want to do, and what I want to accomplish. I like my work. I like the people I live with. I like my situation - meeting new people with similar interests, similar dreams and ambitions.

Tonight I went to a Rilo Kiley concert and sang along to every word with the rest of the crowd. I met a beautiful boy named Kevin who bought me drinks and made me feel dizzy even when I was dead-sober.

We sang along together all the most important words: I am flawed if I'm not free.

Random thoughts for you!

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:33:32 GMT

- Livejournal is still slow as the second coming, thanks to shitty internet
- Kids on leashes = HILARIOUS.
- toll roads = not so much.
- have several job interviews lined up, yay!
- am intrigued by the notion that in Florida, evidently you DON'T use the sidewalk as a third lane. Who knew?
- sword fighting with coat hangers is more common than you might think
- am so poor I could cry, but won't, because Disney really sorta is the happiest place on earth
- will never be drinking Malibu Rum ever, ever again, and
- my fear of Nicole Ritchie grows and grows.

The end.

What a day.

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:06:52 GMT

Things I Was Supposed to Do Today:

- Leave Moose with a babysitter at 10:00
- Help Mom go grocery shopping
- Spend some time at a local spa getting my highlights in my hair, a cut, and eyebrows done
- Meet up with both Mom *and* Dad for lunch around 1:00.

Things That Actually Happened:

- Babysitter was hour and a half late
- Mom went grocery shopping alone
- Local spa canceled on me at the last minute, leaving me fighting the Back-to-School kidlets for a hair appointment. Succeeded in getting hair appointment. Also succeeded in getting a hair stylist who thought that "warm highlights" on my deep brown hair is equal to all-over color. I AM NOW A BLONDE.
- Long hair appointment and subsequent horror leads me to miss out on lunch with Dad; had a late lunch with Mom, in which she broke a tooth three days before we're supposed to leave for Orlando
- Had teenage butthole pull out without looking and blam my Jeep. Minimal damage, but maximum RAGE.

Now if you don't mind, I'm going to hide under my bed before lightening strikes me.

Why?

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:25:48 GMT

Okay, be warned. This is a rant not exactly on politics, but on the media's reaction and presentation of politics. I'm putting this behind a cut tag, so if you click on it, I can't be blamed for any disagreeing opinions.

When did the media get so bad in this country? When, exactly, did journalism become a thing of entertainment rather than substance? Why have headlines appropriate on the cover of US Weekly suddenly become appropriate on CNN.com? Everywhere I look: "Lindsay Lohan: Innocent?". "How to lose 100 pounds". "Why Pit Bulls Are Misunderstood". I understand that these are stories of interest, but are they important?

Are they more important, say, than the fact that Schwarzenegger is looking to get the qualifications of running for president changed? More important than the fact that at least 24 Iraqi citizens died today at a football match? More important than our current administration claiming we need another two years in this war to begin with? More important than the pieces of wire-stabbed cheese, batteries, and clay that are being used to test smaller airports' capacity to catch a bomb? (Houston, Baltimore, San Diego, and Miwaukee - these are your cities that are catching these makeshift explosives). We're on the brink of an environmental disaster because the melting permafrost in Alaska is making the oil wells totter. Oh, just what the environment up there needs - galleons of oil flooding its last remaining refuges. But of course, if we addressed that problem we'd actually have to address - gasp! - global warming.

I don't understand. I don't understand it at all. How can someone like Nancy Grace be considered a legitmate journalist? What are her qualifications? Oh... right.. she has a law degree. Does that mean that she's in the least qualified to act as a journalist? Remember that cutesy sketch a few weeks ago where Mika Brzezinski refused to report on Paris Hilton and famously ripped apart the news story? At the time I admired it. Now though, with the media turning away from Paris to other stupid, inconsequential stories, I'm viewing it in a cynical light - a way for the mainstream news to appear to be above that crap, when in reality it's still peddling it, and we're still putting up with it.

I just don't understand. I had to hunt for those news stories that I mentioned above. I got most from the BBC, who seems a more reliable source for actual news than our own country. It's not only ridiculous, it's disgusting.

And yes, I'm on a high horse, here, I realize that. I love celebrity gossip as much as the next gal. It's fun! I don't expect to find much of anything remotely anti-Bush at places like Fox News.

But it's not just Fox News or US Weekly. It's nearly everywhere, and I expected better. Obviously, I shouldn't have. Regardless of political leanings that you might have, you have to admit that this country is hated the world over. We're in a war. We're on the brink of environmental catastrophe. We have far bigger issues than simply whether or not Lohan's been snorting coke again.

I'm not sure that the majority of America cares so long as the gas prices remain remotely affordable.

And if anyone has an alternative online news source that doesn't kiss the administration's ass, please, I beg of you. Save my sanity and supply it.

Deathly Hallows Reaction Post

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:57:15 GMT

This was crossposted to my CDJ.

Bear with me. This is going to be long, and random, in no particular order, and probably bulleted. This isn't everything, in fact I may not even talk about points that were big to some people, but it's what made the greatest impression on me. Oh, and also: CHOCK FULL OF SPOILERS.

- I don't know where to start. So I'll just start with the unexpected moment that made me cry the hardest - Dobby's death. Why did this affect me so much? No idea. I hadn't cared much about Dobby before - truth be told, he bugged the everliving-shit out of me - but when he was stabbed, mourned, and buried... dudes, I wept. WEPT. That was the only time I wept at all in the DH, although I certainly moaned, screeched, and punched the air in victory otherwise.

- Re: the afore-mentioned victory punch: Percy's unexpected arrival. Loved it. It was amazing. I've always loved Percy, and never agreed with the "He's going to turn Death Eater" theories. He was bullied, belittled, and very, very petty because of it. And he stayed away from his family because of that bullying and belittling when he really, really shouldn't have. His realizing of his mistake and subsequent return to the thick of battle... oh man, I was so happy.

- Redemption: Thinking of it, this book was FULL of people seeking redemption for terrible misdeeds, or at least a reversal of their past mistakes: Severus Snape, Percy Weasley, Regulus Black, and even the previously-untouchable Albus Dumbledore. Not to mention Draco Malfoy, who I believe really was fighting the Death Eaters in his own cowardly, cowering little way. Don't believe me? He did his BEST not to help identify the Trio back at Malfoy Manor, even with both parents imploring him to do it and the possibility of not living in fear over his head. That's revolt, in quiet, unexpected ways.

- Albus Dumbledore: I'll be forthright - I was never one of the people who found much interesting about Albus Dumbledore. Inscrutable power, no matter how kind, has never attracted me. I'm too practical to put much faith in the mysteries, which is one reason I'm usually quite nervous playing Ravenclaws. At any rate, while I've appreciated Dumbledore as a character, I've never loved Dumbledore because he made no sense to me as a human being. Like Harry, I saw him as all-knowing and wise; unlike Harry, I wasn't much interested in him as a result of it. So this backstory of Dumbledore? Oh man. I can safely say without hesitation that I love Dumbledore. Love. Part of it is that I understand his selfishness - his deranged sister that he loved, but felt caged to care for - on a level far too close to home. His mysterious refusal to be Minister of Magic makes sense, as does his remorse, his close-guarding of Harry. I love Albus Dumbledore with all my heart, now.

- Okay, must squee for a moment about Bill/Fleur! The sickening displays of affection! The brave acts! Bill's taking Harry under his wing and inquiring about his plans with Griphook without judgment! Fleur switching to Harry's marked-for-death body without a peep except to gripe about her appearance! Oh man. I'm so relieved on their front. I can say out of all the romance, theirs is my favorite.

- Oh, right - the romance. It's no secret that I'm no Ron/Hermione or Harry/Ginny shipper - I prefer Harry with Luna, and Ron and Hermione with any number of other shippable people. The romance in HBP totally left me cold, and if anything made me like the main canon couples even less. Yeah, I still don't like Ron/Hermione or Harry/Ginny all that much. But I wasn't bothered by it in this book, because the focus wasn't on the romance. It was on the war, and how the war effected all relationships - friendship, romance, enemies, etc. And that was fine with me. I'm just glad that all these poor kids ended up happy in the end.

- And the romance I didn't mention: Lupin/Tonks. Yeah, they still leave me cold too, although I was amused that JKR made it clear that "NOT ONLY DOES LUPIN LIKE GIRLS, HE LIKES TO HAVE SEX WITH THEM TOO AND KNOCK THEM UP ACCIDENTALLY". Yup, nothing you can say can convince me otherwise: Teddy Lupin was an accident. I bet Andromeda had a few choice flashbacks. XD At any rate, oh, Lupin and Tonks. I didn't like them together, but I'm sorry they DIED, and I'm doubly sorry that they were sloppy enough to orphan their own child. I'm not blaming them for getting killed - but oh, no WONDER Lupin was so angry and sour in the start of the book. He knew exactly the risks they were facing, with Tonks pregnant, so it was really no wonder that he went off on Harry like he did.

- The mystery of R.A.B. is close to my heart for two main reasons. The first is because I love Regulus Black, and the second is because I have always refused to believe that all Slytherins were heartless, evil gits. Slughorn's appearance in Book 6 seemed to support my theory, but R.A.B. being exposed as Regulus Black cemented it. This theme of mistakes in youth - in Regulus's case, extreme youth, as he'd gotten the Mark when he was sixteen - was reiterated by the tale that Kreacher told of Regulus's fanaticism toward the Dark Lord. This fanaticism I maintain was brought on by his deep desire to be the Perfect Son, as witnessed by his bedroom decorations. At any rate, he got in, eventually wanted out, and left himself with certain death to ensure that his family and the wizarding world was protected. That's an action of pure steel, and one I'm sure his brother would have been proud to know about. I cheered when Regulus Black's locket came blazing into the battle with a cry of glory from the house elves who were carrying it. I had been hoping since OoTP that there was more to Sirius's "cowardly little brother", but his story was even better than I had dared to anticipate.

- Likewise, the life and death of Severus Snape. Little known fact about Whit: when I first entered the Harry Potter fandom, I was a massive Lily/Snape shipper. MASSIVE. The shipping burned off by the time I read PoA, but it was still something of a vindication when I read the bit in OoTP when James was as much of an arse as I had once assumed him to be. I was surprised, actually, to see Snape's unrequited crush on Lily in DH, mostly because I associated that relationship so strongly with fanon. Did it make it any less satisfying? Not in the least. Snape staring into Harry's eyes as he died - because he wanted to see Lily's one last time - didn't make me cry, but it made me mourn as no other death in the book managed to make me do.

- Speaking of death, and graceful reactions to it: Molly Weasley has forever had my heart, but in DH, she OWNED IT. OWNED IT. I don't even need to say why, really, but I'm so glad that Molly took out Bellatrix, if only because it'll shut up all the Feminism 101 idiots who are convinced that just because she's a housewife and mother that she's oppressed and weak. I don't even want to TALK ABOUT how often I've heard that argument.

- Mr. Lovegood was a character close to my heart, and even though I know fandom will probably piss on him from here on out, I sympathize with him. He lost his wife, and then his daughter was in danger. He was terrified, and I thought JKR wrote out his terror extremely sensitively despite the fact that he was basically giving up our heroes.

- I might have been the only one reading really closely when the book was discussing or involving werewolves, but since I have not one but two characters directly having to do with lycanthropy I took so many freaking notes on it. Evidently the curse can be passed down through sex, as Lupin mentioned to Harry that he was terribly worried about his child having it. Voldemort referred to Tonks and Lupin's future children as "cubs" as well, implying that he, at least, believed that they would carry the disease. Now, as Lupin himself said, his kind generally didn't breed, but there had to have been records of werewolves who had. He also mentioned "half-werewolves", so it's possible that instead of full-out lycanthropy that children of werewolves might exhibit some characteristics, like Bill. Anyway, aside from that note, I was also pleased to read this significant fact that Lupin mentioned - that Ted Tonks and Andromeda Black did not approve of him marrying their daughter. Now, yes, you can understand a parents' consternation at a much-older man marrying a young woman, but that wasn't what Lupin had said they were so apprehensive about. They were concerned about his status as a werewolf. One could expect such a prejudice from Andromeda, who grew up a Black in all the regular senses, but Ted Tonks, a Muggleborn that knew the cold sting of prejudice? If a Muggleborn doesn't like werewolves, especially one as decorated, kind, and brave as Remus Lupin, I'd say that prejudice against those with lycanthropy is still pretty mainstream.

- It's always been all about the minor characters for me. Love 'em. So it warmed my heart to see Mafalda Hopkirk, Gabrielle, and Al Runcorn, not to mention all the kids at Hogwarts. And oh, there's so much damage there. Lavender, bitten by Greyback, (though was he in wolf form? was it even the full moon? Or did he ravage her like he ravaged Bill?) Zacharias Smith cowardly running in front of first years to escape, Pansy Parkinson taking it upon herself to point out Harry... yeah, I was eating it up. I was a little disappointed not to see anything else of Blaise Zabini or Theodore Nott, but not really surprised, as both of them assured me quite cheerfully in my headspace that NO WAY IN HELL would they fight against Voldemort. So I wasn't resentful of the decision in the least, and was actually more pleased to see that not all of the remaining Houses chose to stay and fight.

- I sort of loved the Malfoy family in this one, which is new for me because ordinarily I'd never liked them. It was made abundantly clear in this book that the family was broken, was a pawn for Voldemort and nothing more. And they couldn't escape, wouldn't escape, and they had long ago accepted this. All they wanted, more than freedom, was to ensure that Draco was alive. And Narcissa has some serious balls - her declaring Potter dead when Voldemort was breathing down her neck was an act of bravery easily on par with Lily Potter's.

- I so LOL'd when Harry initially mistook Andromeda for Bellatrix. XD

- Epilogues are always frustrating for me because I almost prefer making up far-off future endings in my head. Not to mention the fact that it makes RPing extremely difficult because of the canon ships involved. However, I didn't much mind the epilogue in this case, because... like I said above when discussing the canon ships I wasn't fond of, it was lovely seeing Ron, Hermione, and Harry so freakin' happy. Canon is our gift. It's not necessarily what has to be followed, or what needs to occur in every game regardless of what we "know" the future of JKR's universe to be. But it's extremely comforting, somehow, to read that epilogue and hear the laughter of the children, and know that yes: the war was worth it.

Notice:

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:58:02 GMT

Just so ya'll know... I'm going on an LJ hiatus until Deathly Hallows comes out. I was spoiled the last time and that's NOT going to happen again. See you guys after the 21st!

Music Meme

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:48:58 GMT

The (current) ABCs of Whit's Music

Acid House Kings
Bonde do Role
CocoRosie
Destroyer
Electrelane
Frida Hyvonen
Girl Talk
Hazey Janes
Immaculate Machine
Johnny Boy
Kinnie Star
Los Super Elegantes
M. Ward
New Pornographers
Okkervil River
Patrick Wolf
Quix*O*Tic
Raincoats
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
TV on the Radio
Unkle
Voxtrot
White Rabbits
X
Young and Sexy
Zombies

This is just a current list of what I'm listening to, not an all-time.

It's time for your shallow dose of pop culture!

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 03:12:44 GMT

It's probably really sad that my snobby, pretentious, indie-music lovin', Pitchfork readin' ass is REALLY REALLY EXCITED about the Spice Girls reuniting. There might have even been squealing involved.

And Isiah Washington needs to learn how to stop talking.

Meme stolen from chellealistic

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:48:43 GMT

Start off by picking your 10 favorite recording artists without looking at the questions below...then answer the questions and post in my 'replies' section :D Then cut and paste and put it in your LJ!

Disclaimer: This is just my favorite THIS VERY MOMENT. This list is subject to change. Like whoa now.

01. PJ Harvey
02. Neko Case
03. David Bowie
04. Sleater-Kinney
05. The Knife
06. Andrew Bird
07. Tori Amos
08. Liz Phair
09. Gillian Welch
10. Rilo Kiley

Q: What is your favourite song by #9?
"Paper Wings". It's the first song I ever heard by her, and I remember exactly where I was. It was 10th grade spring break, and I was in a gorgeous beach house with one of my friends, Leslie. We were taking turns with the stereo, and it was her turn, so she put on the Hope Floats soundtrack. Not being a country fan, I rolled my eyes and put up with the CD... but then one song came on well into the tracklist. It was this gorgeous voice, guitar, and bass... I just stopped what I was doing and listened. To this day I still do the same thing when I hear this song.

Q: Is there a song of #1 that makes you sad?
HA HA HA. PJ Harvey? The queen of depression? I literally can think of ONE happy song that woman's written. The most sad song she wrote, I think, would be Kick It To the Ground, a b-side from the To Bring You My Love era, I believe. Nature dealt me raw/planted me with hate/took my only love/to an early grave. Powerful stuff in deceptively simple lyrics.

Q: What is your favourite song by #8?
Oh jesus. Um. Um. Well, you can write off anything she's done since White Chocolate Space Egg of 1999, because it's pretty much unadulterated crap. Not entirely (God knows I have nothing against pop), but compared to her earlier stuff... there's just no comparison. I'll say that my favorite Liz song today is "Batmobile".

Q: What is your favourite song by #10?
THIS MEME IS TRYING TO KILL ME. Okay, okay. Um. My favorite Rilo Kiley song is... "A Better Son/Daughter". It's just so tragic, heartfelt, and yearning.

Q: What is your favourite album by #8?
Funnily enough, I used to think that Exhile in Guyville was overrated. I liked it well enough, but it hadn't clicked. Now I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Exhile is Liz Phair's masterpiece, with White Chocolate Space Egg and Whipsmart SO CLOSE behind.

Q: How did you get into #5?
Oh, the Knife. My current favorite weird-as-shit dance music. I downloaded some Knife off of Silent Shout about two years ago, listened to it once, and went "omg this is scary" and deleted it. Then for some reason I redownloaded "We Share Our Mother's Health" from a music blog, and it really grew on me. And now I play The Knife as loudly as possible to compete with my neighbor's obnoxious hip hop! :D

Q: What is your favourite song by #4?
WHAT IS WITH THIS FAVORITE SONG SHIT?! Honestly! I can barely come up with a top ten! Okay, my favorite song by Sleater-Kinney is... "Jumpers". Seriously. Have they ever rocked harder? And it's such a heartbreaking song about suicide.

Q: Who is your favourite band member of #1?
Dude, PJ Harvey is one person. SO I CHOOSE PJ HARVEY.

Q: What is a good memory concerning #4?
I remember ages ago, a few months after 9/11 when the patriotism/jingoism was in full swing. It felt like I was the only one who saw it as poison - all my friends got on my case for not supporting the invasion of Iraq. And here came Sleater-Kinney's One Beat album - a proud, patriotic, anti-war album that celebrated America without falling sway to majority's opinion. Every time I listened to it, I felt vindicated.

Q: What does #9 remind you of?
Gillian Welch reminds me of long, hot days in the sun, dust swirling around, lemonade on my lips and slowly-dying honeysuckle on the vine.

Q: Is there a song by #3 that makes you sad?
"Always Crashing in the Same Car". Because c'mon... who can't relate to that one?

Q: What is your favourite song of #1?
DID YOU JUST ASK ME TO FIGURE OUT MY FAVORITE PJ HARVEY SONG??? DID YOU??? REALLY?? Fuck you, meme. Forget it. I'll give my top 5 favorites, because I really can't deal with this shit: "Angeline", "No Girl So Sweet", "The Dancer (acoustic)", "Big Exit", "Water".

Q: How did you become a fan of #7?
Oh, story time. When I was in middle school, there was a very strange girl in my class who was obsessed with Tori Amos. I remember very clearly sitting on her porch with Boys for Pele blaring on the CD Player and her proudly showing me that iconic image of Tori suckling a baby pig. Yeah, I wasn't that intrigued. Then a few years later, I found Under the Pink in a used CD bin, popped it in, and gave it a tentative listen. It took a while to grow on me, but once it did. Whoooo boy. I can safely say that I was obsessed with Tori the longest and the most fervently.

Q. What do you like to do while listening to #6?
Andrew Bird is very cerebral music to me. Usually when I listen to him, I like to have a little pot of tea going with a book nearby to read.

Q. Which of the 10 has influenced you the most?
Gosh. Probably... a combination of David Bowie and Tori Amos. Tori because she sort of celebrates weirdness, and it made me feel no longer alone any more to listen to her stuff. David Bowie, on the other hand, has such a fun time in his music - he never really gets too serious, even when he's on approximately 2349209582583 drugs at once. It's from him that I learned to appreciate serious artistic experimentation as well as the most shameless pop tune.

Q. Which artist makes you the most happy?
Neko Case. I just listen to her, and I smile. Even if her music is pretty much depressing. I feel like she's someone I could just sit down with, have some coffee, and talk about pretty much anything.

Q. Which artist makes you the most sad?
Liz. Again it should be stated that I'm referring to EARLY Liz, not current poptart Liz. Her stuff is so... barren, so empty. She's got this amazing heart but no one gets in.

Q. Which artist makes the best dance music?
Duh, the Knife. They're the only dance music on this list!

Q. Which artist have you liked the longest?
I think Tori came before Liz. I think. I honestly can't remember. It was either Liz or Tori, and I got into the both of them in early high school.

Q. Which artist have you liked the shortest?
Andrew Bird! I've only "discovered" him in the past few months.

Q. Are there any artists you will still be listening to in 20 years?
Neko Case is timeless, in a word. I'll be listening to her forever. PJ and David Bowie, as well. I'm unsure about Tori, because I don't listen to her nearly as much as I once did. I'm pretty sure Liz will remain in my CD rotation until I die.

Q. What are you listening to now?
The new Okkervil River CD that's leaked. It's called "The Stage Names".