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[09 Jan 2009|03:08pm] sams_cafe Ladies and Gentlemen, and the rest of you: I present to you the culmination of a little project that started three years ago in a Graduate Teaching Office somewhere in the vast midwest. The Alum's Guide To Getting Through University was an extended essay I created to upload all my thoughts on my waning career as a graduate student and provide advice to a couple of people who were soon to be shipping off for their freshman year. In the past few years I've been proud that people have returned to comment on its usefulness; I like to be useful. I submitted it to a few educational-guidebook companies but got no bites (not surprising) so I decided to self-publish it. The end result is a slick, updated new guide entitled "Other People Can Smell You," which I am offering on Lulu.com not only as a hardcopy pocket-sized handbook but also as a free download. I would recommend not purchasing the hardcopy just yet; the first printing is on its way to me now because I have some concerns about the margins in their preview and also the back cover, which in the digital version looks like crap and I'm not sure why. Please feel free to download; it doesn't cost either of us anything. You can access the free downloadable version here, at my storefront, or take a look through it and purchase the hardcopy (which is actually a softcopy considering it's a pocket paperback) at the sales page. In the interests of full disclosure, with media mail postage the book will run you $11 even. Of that, I make fifty five cents. :D Swanky cover, no? post comment

i want the possibilities [09 Jan 2009|03:17pm] musesfool [ mood | happy ] [ music | Gram Rabbit - Devil's Playground ] You know, I knew Jensen was going to be on Jimmy Kimmel last night, and then I completely blanked on it, but thanks to a lovely person on my flist, I was able to see his segment, and he looked really good and sounded really relaxed, way more than he has in the past. As usual, the fans were embarrassing, but I did enjoy his story about his vacation, mostly because as soon as he said where he went, I was like, "The thing with the guy in Belize." Also, I think he was wearing Dean's ring. Normally I am not a fan of jewelry beyond a watch and a wedding band on men, but I do like Dean's ring a lot. And thanks to another lovely person on my flist, there was this picture of Jensen with Jessica Alba (and some blonde I was too lazy to crop out) at the premiere of his movie. They're so pretty! I love JAlba's lipstick, and Jensen's smug mug at having his arms around two hot chicks. And the vacation story assuaged my fears that he has perhaps been hitting the bronzer a little too hard. I wish I could stay I had stopped being reduced to a flaily 13-yo girl with her first crush by him, but that day has not yet come. *** Then I watched Wednesday night's Friday Night Lights and dear god, this show knows how to make me cry in the best possible ways. ( clear eyes! full hearts! can't lose! ) I did love how once again, football was the prism through which all the relationships are viewed. It makes me so sad that they wasted almost the whole second season with stupid melodrama when they could have been giving us more of this, and at that point, we still would have had Smash and Jason around, as well. Anyway, with one episode left, I can say that FNL season 3 has been fantastic - not quite as awesome as season 1, but so much better than the whole of season 2, from which I wasn't sure the show could actually recover. Sigh. If it goes out now, it will at least go out on a high note. Now I think I will try to rewatch season 4 of both SPN and BSG before they come back next week. I haven't gotten any of the stories I meant to write over this hiatus written, and that makes me sad, but new canon soon! eee! *** post comment

[09 Jan 2009|08:50am] sams_cafe GOOD MORNING WOULD YOU LIKE SOME LINKS First off: kaimu_art, in the spirit of tw_season_zero, has drawn an awesome "reaction sketch" to The Making Of Toshiko. :D I love her comments about not wanting Ianto to cheat on Lisa. For those of you not following the Mario di Nes thread, I bring you the Ladies of the Court, the nobless d'goomba: Princess Toadstool VII by garoben and her maid-in-waiting, the Lady Peach (what a tarte) by bluejeanius. In news of Fire of the Crystal Elven Magesword of Dragonstar: The Pegasus Chronicles, Book Three: The Moonwand Cycle, darthhellokitty linked me to a SomethingAwful post about a terrible fantasy novel called Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I swear to you, on my brother's lack of taste, I found this book in his bookshelf and traded it on Swaptree for a copy of Titan AE. HAND TO GOD. There is also now a Fire of the Crystal Elven Magesword tag. See top of post! :D Aaaand finally, cageyklio linked me to a Grow Your Own Doctor kit being discussed on Etsy. I would now like to reenact for you the conversation which followed: Klio: Of course, my brain then went to a completely unnecessary and gratuitous "Grow Your Own Jack Harkness" kit. Warning, proximity to Ianto Jones may cause spontaneous growth. Sam: The "Grow your own Jack Harkness" kit comes in a discreet paper bag with a very interestingly-shaped watering pot. Klio: Oh, so that's what the Neti pot is for. I am totally going to mock up a graphic design for a Grow Your Own Captain kit, print it on brown paper, fold it up like a seed packet, and tie it to the penis pot. 4 comments|post comment

even if it leads nowhere [08 Jan 2009|11:05pm] musesfool [ mood | exhausted ] [ music | Adele - Chasing Pavements ] I am exhausted, so let me just say thank you to everyone who wished me good luck. I think the interview went well - it was for a job that sounds completely awesome, but it is very early in the process so I am trying not to get my hopes up. I have another interview elsewhere on Monday for a job that sounds interesting and like it could be a good fit, so there's that, too. The funniest part of this is that on Tuesday, when fleurdeleo and I were at the diner, I was complaining about the wardrobe advice the other recruiter lady had given me, and she was like, "It's perfectly acceptable to wear a nice shell under your suit jacket. You should set it off with pearls." And I was like, "I don't have pearls." Today, in the interview, the lady was like, "You should see these girls who come in - they're very polished in their expensive suits and their pearls." So tonight, I was telling fleurdeleo about that at dinner, and lo and behold, she pulled a string of pearls from her purse [!!!] and said, "Wear those on your next interview, until you have time to go to the costume jewelry counter at Bloomingdale's and get yourself a set. If you get this job, I am totally taking credit and saying it's because of the pearls." I am totally okay with that. *** post comment

[08 Jan 2009|12:21pm] sams_cafe garoben is not as good at not doing things as I am. But does them much better! *presents to you Mario Di Nes, First Lord of the Water Closet* post comment

until enough was enough [08 Jan 2009|10:49am] musesfool [ mood | surprised ] [ music | Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue ] Eek! Surprise interview is surprising! Let's hope I don't need to know too much about pivot tables, because even after all these years, they still baffle me. Wish me luck! *** post comment

[08 Jan 2009|08:59am] sams_cafe RANDOM WEBCOMIC PTERRY REFERENCE FTW. post comment

[08 Jan 2009|08:33am] sams_cafe I have FOUND the ninth post-it note! This would sound more dramatic and interesting-fantasy-worlds if it weren't a post-it, but if it weren't a post-it then it would lose all of its charm. It was stuck to the back of the DVD player that's built into the side of my TV, and it is about Jack convincing the Doctor to watch porn. Thing of beauty! I have also OVERSLEPT, which is sad considering I fell asleep at nine-fifteen last night, but obviously I needed the rest. Thankfully I'm conditioned to wake up around seven, even on days when I don't need to, so I managed to get out the door by seven-fifteen and still make it in on time. I'm sure the new playlist helped -- there's a bunch of Old Blind Dogs on there, and there's nothing to get you moving in the morning like The Battle O' Harlaw. Of fifty thousand hielan' men but fifty three gae'd hame, and out of all the lawlan' men, fifty marched with Graham. With a diddy ay oh and a fal and a doe, indeed. Having some issues with the iPhone and the new laptop, though; for some reason iTunes doesn't want to recognise video files anymore, so I can't put videos on my phone. And the new computer in general is internet-squirrelly; it will connect just fine, but then an hour or two later it'll drop the connection so hard that I have to restart to get it back. I think it's got to be some problem with the wireless software, the router works fine when I test it with the iPhone. Also: this morning was looking at a Japanese import shop and took advantage of their "Translate to English" button. Fortunately for my own amusement, they use Google translator, which in the past has tried to tell me that "paste the forehead to the walls of the pan" is how the Danish make bacon. This time the best gem was "The Theory of Service" which is going to have to be a fanfic sooner or later. post comment

[07 Jan 2009|08:48pm] sams_cafe It has gone beyond Cold As Balls out there. It's cold enough to freeze your Winnebago, guys. (Gratuitous Muppets reference is gratuitous!) We just watched epic amounts of Wheel with Bland and Blanda. Bland's actually not too bad at Wheel, apparently he used to watch it with his grandmother a lot. And then I had to walk home and lost feeling in my fingers through my leather gloves. Thank christ for parkas and long underwear. I got a very cheery note from the Super that he's fixing my bedroom window on Friday. I guess that means tomorrow night I have to peel off all the tape I was using as a draft-stopper. Properly sealed windows, for great yay! post comment

show me your vision, your wild apparition [07 Jan 2009|07:31pm] musesfool [ mood | amused ] [ music | The Stone Roses - One Love ] unfitforsociety has been updated with 56 Yuletide recs in 43 fandoms. All of them appeared in this journal first, but now they all have author names on, and fandom tags on each post etc., so they're easier to negotiate. unfitforsociety has also had a makeover. I um, kind of got bit by the redecorating bug again. Crazy, I know. So, poll! ( help me redecorate! ) I think this is kind of hilarious after my freakout about changing the layout last time. But maybe I am growing and changing. And I can go back to this one when the weather gets warm again. I dunno. We'll see. But you know I like to poll the electorate. I mean, find out what you think. (nb: this is for LJ only - I don't know if IJ has all or even any of these layouts.) *** I watched last night's episode of Leverage this afternoon and dear god, how is Alec Hardison SO FREAKING AWESOME? Why is there not tons of Alec/Eliot fic? And Alec/Parker? And Alec/Eliot/Parker? And Alec being uber competent? And Alec being snarky about how unprofessional everybody else is? Seriously! He is MADE OF AWESOME and also seriously HOTTASTIC. *hearts* *** and I am trying to post this and boom! LJ is not working. After the panic yesterday, I am amused. *** 1 comment|post comment

[07 Jan 2009|02:55pm] sams_cafe What is Hetalia and why is fandomsecrets covered in it? Ahem. I am done with the phone interviews, thank god. On the other hand, I mapped out the Meatloaf Bakery and it's actually off Fullerton, not Belmont, quite a ways from the El stop. So I am not going to be paying them a visit anytime soon, most likely, and thus R is going to be disappointed when I do not show up with meatloaf for our Wheelfest tonight. But I will pick up some Byron's, 'cause I know what sandwich he always gets there. I can't actually get in touch with him, since his phone service has mysteriously vanished. Poor lad's feeling the pinch a little at the moment -- he's cancelling his cable tv soon, and thus we will no longer have pre-queued Wheel to watch. I'm getting a converter box for my DVR, however, so on the other hand I can set the DVR to record it each night, which is almost as good. A man's gotta have his Wheel fix, after all. I've been working on the self-publishing project on-and-off and I'm just about ready to do final prep for Other People Can Smell You -- tonight I need to make the cover and then begin the process of figuring out how to upload everything properly. I suspect that I find the prepwork so entertaining because seeing to tiny details sooths me. I've tweaked the page numbering four or five times, and spent an hour or two mucking with the formatting of the front matter. It should look pretty splendid when it's done, though. It's taught me a lot about the basics of using the new Word as well -- having to relearn the location of nearly everything, from scratch, is such a pain in the ass. I wouldn't mind the buttons if the menus were more intuitive, but some buttons show up in three different menus and some buttons are in menus that they shouldn't be in at all. Plus some menus only show up if you click other buttons, what the fuck. It's like a really boring video game. (Speaking of which, I am totally pwning the Temple of Time in Zelda. Who loves the ball and chain? SAM LOVES THE BALL AND CHAIN.) post comment

i see orion and say nothing [06 Jan 2009|11:51pm] musesfool [ mood | tired ] [ music | Ani DiFranco - Untouchable Face ] fleurdeleo and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire tonight and it was lovely. Also, every movie should have a big musical production number over the credits. I would totally stay and watch them if that were the case. *** There is a lot of worrisome banging in the pipes going on in my building (and no, that is not a euphemism). I thought they fixed this problem with the boiler after the umpteen boiler repairs/new boiler installation last year. I cannot sleep with all that racket going on. Mostly because it is really random and has no rhythm to it, so I will relax, thinking it's finally over, and then BAM it'll start again. And then stop, but for a different interval, leading me to think it's finally over and then BAM it starts again. Ugh. *** The fannish year-end meme, gacked from marinarusalka, among others. Your main fandom of the year? Supernatural Your favourite film watched this year? Iron Man. I think Dark Knight was really well done, and Heath Ledger gave an amazing performance, but I don't know if I can say I enjoyed it, or would want to sit through it again. Your favourite book read this year? The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon was pretty fantastic, as was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I highly recommend them both. Your favourite album or song to listen to this year? huh. I don't really do albums anymore. As for songs, possibly "Handle Bars" by the Flobots. It got a lot of listens, as did many other songs. Your favourite TV show of the year? SPN, though Chuck, BSG, Bones, and season 3 of FNL make convincing contenders. Your favourite LJ community of the year? remixredux08 of course. Your best new fandom discovery of the year? Dark Angel. Shut up. I suppose I could say Chuck and Pushing Daisies, but as I don't write for them, it wouldn't be the same. But I am seriously hardcore OTP about Max/Alec, which I never expected. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year? Pushing Daisies being canceled. Henriksen being killed. Your TV boyfriend of the year? Dean Winchester Your TV girlfriend of the year? Kara "Starbuck" Thrace Your biggest squee moment of the year? The shipper in me wants to cite seeing Indy/Marion and Mulder/Scully on the big screen, even though the movies didn't really hold up to the squee. I'll steal marinarusalka's answer and go with ( spoiler for Supernatural, s4 ) Though having Bill Adama and Laura Roslin finally admit they love each other is up there. The most missed of your old fandoms? Firefly. I need to do a rewatch. I've a hankering to write some more Firefly fic, I think. Mal is starting to make noise in my head again. The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to? I need to watch The Middleman. Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year? BSG returns with its final episodes! SPN comes back! Burn Notice comes back! It's gonna be awesome! *** post comment

[06 Jan 2009|10:07pm] sams_cafe So I was going to watch League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and instead I wrote a space operetta. Uh. Oops? Title: I Were The Heavens Fandom: Torchwood Rating: PG for language Summary: A sixteen-year-old boy from Boeshane is going to win the war. The Time Agency has a vested interest in children like him -- and so does the Admiral of the Fleet. post comment

[06 Jan 2009|05:42pm] sams_cafe So, I did not get meatloaf. It was a very icy snowy evening, and I decided coming directly home would be more intelligent. I had something else to post about, but hell if I can remember what it was. Something to do with the interviews I spent all afternoon doing. Blah. In other news, I mentioned ter369 the other day; she was a friend and fellow-fan who died recently and is much missed. cluegirl and juliefortune noted that the twelfth is her birthday, and are going to hold a fic-fest in her honour. I will probably not participate -- I don't know, I don't really cope with death well and writing for Ter would make a bit too sad, I think. But I think people who do want to write should. If you'd like more info about Ter's Birthday Fic Party, or to participate, you can check out Clue's post. No rules, just fun, as Clue and Julie say. :) post comment

the ending's not the same [06 Jan 2009|04:41pm] musesfool [ mood | groggy ] [ music | Tom McRae - The Boy With The Bubblegun ] I was up very late last night - I went to bed at a reasonable time, couldn't sleep and ended up staying up until about 3:30. Which would have been fine except I had an interview this morning and... yeah. That happened. It went as well as these things ever do, which is to say, I felt it went fine walking out of there, but it was still just an agency and not an actual place looking to hire someone and really, I don't think I'm going to consider an interview a true success until someone offers me a job. Then I came home, backed up my LJ, did some grocery shopping, and took an epic nap, which I am still groggy from. *** Things I am actively thinking about: 1. I wrote last night, and it felt good. Hopefully, that trend will continue. 2. In order to get back into the s4 Sam'n'Dean headspace, I rewatched "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Heaven and Hell" and ( spoilers ) Overall, I am still very pleased with the way the show has gone so far this season. 3. iTunes is finally getting on top of things and waiving DRM on all the music it sells. About freaking time. The change in pricing structure is interesting, as I am sure there will be much more that costs $1.29 than $0.69, but I will be happy not to have to do the whole burn-to-CD-reimport dance to get rid of the lock. 4. I posted a story yesterday! Stirred Dark Angel; Max/Alec; adult; 3,530 words In which Alec puts his money where his mouth is. So to speak. It didn't come out quite as funny (or hot) as I'd imagined it, but I almost always find writing dirty talk ridiculous, and the sex didn't go quite the way I thought it would, but overall I like how it turned out. Thanks to those of you who've commented. I really appreciate it. * Things I am choosing to ignore womanfully until such time as they can no longer be ignored: 1. that SPN spoiler that's got everyone in a tizzy. No, not that one. The other one. I refuse to believe it until it shows up on my TV. Because it is the height of DUMB. (possibly there will be spoilers in comments?) 2. I feel bad for the folks laid off by LJ, especially if they don't get severance, but I don't see it really affecting us in any way at this time - if it comes down to it that LJ no longer makes code updates etc., and some other service does it better, or is actually fan-owned and run or whatever - then I guess fandom will move. Where fandom goes, so goes my nation, mostly. I've been ready to pack up and go since Strikethrough, so. My LJ is backed up. I am musesfool on IJ, where all content has been mirrored, JF (where it has not been, because I don't plan on going there), and er, that other one that was Scribblit and is now, um, Inkhost? Inkspot? Something like that. Aha! Inksome! Where none of the layouts I choose ever actually work, so whatever. I have begun putting new fic on the new Wordpress version of my website, and I am slowly filling in the stuff that isn't on the old version (I've already copied over a bunch of the small fandom stuff, but I am not sure how much of the HP stuff will make the transition; none of the XMM or SV stuff will at this time), so there's that. * Things that regularly appear on my flist that I don't care about: 1. those clicky dragon things 2. twitters 3. Merlin (and please don't bother trying to change my mind; my indifference, it is vast and nigh impenetrable [which is to say, if Anthony Stewart Head couldn't penetrate it, you certainly can't]) *** 4 comments|post comment

Neopets [06 Jan 2009|02:01pm] kelex Another zap! JR has turned from Glowing to Invisible (oooweeeooo *insert Twilight Zone theme*) My petpet went from an Altachuck named Proteus to a pile of soot named Spiffy, and today? Chocolate Bartamus! Woo!!! post comment

[06 Jan 2009|12:48pm] sams_cafe Like all true terrible fantasy, Fire of the Crystal Elven Magesword of Dragonstar: The Pegasus Chronicles, Book Three: The Moonwand Cycle really never does end. iambickilometer wrote some of it. And added illustrations. Jack Harkness with elf hair, you guys. Rodney McKay with elf hair. The woman of Sibur is in the forest! post comment

[06 Jan 2009|10:48am] sams_cafe Y HELO THAR WURK, U CAN HAS A SAM! I had seventy new emails when I arrived this morning. Fortunately most of them were easy fixes/helps and that freed me up...just in time for BossBoss to pounce on me and ask me if I would do telephone interviews for a bunch of candidates for Coworker J's job. Coworker J pretty much has it sewn up, but we have to go through the motions to make it look legit. Which means I get to call people and ask them challenging questions! HOORAY. Or, you know, not. My Swaptree stuff is already starting to arrive, for great media yay. I am going to go home tonight and watch The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen! Thank you Bernard, your love of crap fantasy is going to greatly enhance my DVD library. I might stop off at Belmont and try the new meatloaf restaurant there, though. I feel like my life may not be complete until I have tried a meatloaf cupcake with mashed potato topping. Meatloaf and cheesy steampunk action flicks...can't beat it! post comment

[05 Jan 2009|10:48pm] sams_cafe This afternoon R came by and woke me up with his buzzing at my door and kidnapped me. We ended up at his place with Bland and Bland's girlfriend and Porkchop (just...don't ask, that's actually what we call him), watching the Fiesta Bowl. Then R broke out a Christmas gift from his mum, who thinks he drinks way more than he does to judge from how she always sends him home with wine. This time she gave him a Rabbit, which is not a vibrator as many of you are right now thinking but is in fact a really fancy wine de-corker. So to test it out we naturally had to open one of the millions of bottles of wine he has. And see, my Guests left me cupcakes, and Bland's girlfriend's mum sent HER cupcakes, so... We had wine. And two kinds of cupcakes. And watched football. My head is spinning with cognitive dissonance. I mean, it was dessert wine, if that makes it any better. Do you think it would be seen as chauvinistic to name Bland's girlfriend "Cupcake"? She's going to need a name... And now to bed. Again. 1 comment|post comment

it varies from season to season [05 Jan 2009|06:36pm] musesfool [ mood | hungry ] [ music | Death Cab for Cutie - Why You'd Want To Live Here ] Icon meme! Seen most recently at chez slodwick. Neato table gacked from lizbee. I tried not to have any repeats, and also, my answers could change at any moment! ( 100x100 ) How many icons do you have total? 176 How many can you have? 195 If you could buy space for more, would you? depending on my financial situation, probably. Do your icons make a statement about you? that I really like Jensen Ackles and Katee Sackhoff? What fandom do you have the most icons of? Supernatural (66) The second most? Huh. Firefly (17). I thought for sure if would be BSG (or, to be honest, Katee Sackhoff) but that's 16. I think. What ship do you have the most icons of? I don't technically ship Sam/Dean, but I have the most icons of them as a pair (27). Otherwise, I just have one (or two) each of pairings I ship. How do you categorize your icons? Uh. Mine are sadly haphazard, if you mean how are they uploaded. Currently, I use quotes I like as keywords - lyrics or lines from poems or shows that seem fitting. I used to just use emotions and/or character names. Are your icons mostly made by other users? Mostly, yeah. Do you make icons? Yes, though they're not very fancy. I like textless icons, so I've learned how to crop, brighten, and sharpen. Are they any good? I like them! I really wish I remembered I had all these different icons. I fall into the trap of always using the same ones, and I have some great icons that are just languishing from lack of use (or fear that someone will misinterpret the text as directed at them, when often I just mean it as a commentary on whatever situation I'm talking about. That's why my Frank icon gets so little use. Sigh.). You should feel free to talk to me about my icons! They are very pretty, I think. I should probably go rustle up some dinner now. *** 2 comments|post comment

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