Tuesday, December 23, 2008

THIS is a Library!



I cannot express to you the sheer levels of omgIwantthissobad.

In case you're wondering, this is Jay Walker's library. His PERSONAL library. Additional info and pictures (omg the pictures!) can be seen in this article. As someone coming from a long line of bookworms, I have an overwhelming urge to make a religious pilgrimage to this library and gaze upon its wondrous beauty.

What? You think I'm kidding? Look at it. That is the Garden of Eden for writers and book lovers everywhere. If there was an entrance fee to view or tour it I would shell that out in a heartbeat.

Excuse me while I go drool at the pictures some more.


~Sass~

Monday, December 22, 2008

Owens Corning

So, as some of you may know, the hubby and I decided to take the plunge and have some work professionally done. Considering we are (were) in a good position to take on some expense and also considering if we did this ourselves it would take years (I'm not kidding, we move at snail's pace with repairs / remodels / painting), we decided it would be worth it to pay someone else to do some of the shit that needs done to the house.

Fast forward -- we got Owens Corning to agree to finish our basement and re-carpet the entire house because their product, it impresses us. They promised to get the permits and build everything to code. They contracted out for someone to do the 4 foot egress window (because otherwise it won't pass inspection as an actual room), contracted someone else to install the steel framing in the basement and put together the actual Owens Corning product (it isn't drywall), had those same people do the wiring for the basement, and contracted out a third party for the carpet. We said what the hell, as long as we're carpeting the basement, we'll re-carpet the whole house. Personally, I'd like to not have 3 different types and colors of nasty carpet, so I felt this was a good move.

The Deal: We agreed to be on a flex plan of sorts, where if someone canceled or had to postpone their building job we could be bumped forward or back on their schedule. We agreed to do showings with our basement for Owens Corning to get a further discount, got a promotional deal for a TV, and received some cash back thanks to the selling abilities of the sales person. On the two loans we had to get (one bank was stingy and didn't want to finance more than the window job) we managed to have them postpone the payments for a year (which, according to budget, is ossim because we could have paid most of them off before they came due and thus avoided interest). Really kick-ass deal. Even the contractors were impressed (that's later in this story).

OUR ISSUES

Problem #1 - the sales lady who did the design for the basement was not invited out when the basement guy came to check out the job, so he had no idea WTF was going on and had to be informed later. Fine, we were warned this might happen. Apparently the sales lady doesn't always get called in when the project guy does. Half a day's time off used for work.

Problem #2 - We saw this as a good thing at first. Someone needed to postpone their project, so we were going to get our basement done 2 months ahead of schedule. Woo! Guy shows up to check it out... "I can't start until the window is done." Apparently they were supposed to schedule the window guy to come in at some point, which we weren't aware of, and it didn't happen. Guy forgot his cell phone so he went back into the office to see if the window guy was going to be there today. Guy never calls back. Basement postponed back to original time frame. I have now wasted another 2/3 of a day out of work. We now have remnants of basement demolition taking up half of our garage (we were promised a dumpster, which doesn't come until the basement guys are ready to do their basement thing. Insert 2 more months of messy garage here).

Problem #3 - 2 to 4 weeks after the above incident, we get a call from Owens Corning asking if our window had been done yet. There was much confusion, because no, it wasn't done yet, and we didn't know someone was supposed to be out to do it. Had we missed a phone call and a visit? No, because no one ever called us. Two days after this confused conversation with Owens Corning we get a call AT SIX O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING from the window guy (make a note, this is from the contractor, not Owens Corning): "Hi, I hope they told you I was coming today, because I'll be there at 7."

--_--

So, window gets done on time and it's a great job. First thing that's gone right so far. Huzzah, the happiness has started with the basement. Too bad the rest of it won't be done for another few weeks. We're a little peeved with Owens Corning's service. Or complete lack thereof. The window guy is not surprised, and his silence at our comments tells much more than actual words.

Problem #4 - Three days before the rest of the basement is scheduled to be done, Owens Corning calls on a Friday evening: "So we just want to double check that the steel is delivered and you know that we're starting on Monday." Um... what steel? "Oh, it's not there yet? Are you sure? Did you look in the garage?" Yes, lady, we did look in the fuxing garage. We only walk through it every day after work to get in the house. There is no friggin' steel in there other than the nails from the basement. "Oh, well, it should be delivered tomorrow morning at the latest."

Monday morning: still no steel framing.

Problem #5 - basement guys show up, but they can't start until the steel is delivered. I know this because we get a phone call from the contractors: "we're here to start your basement." As sweetly as I could, from my office cubicle, I told them that I was not at home to let them in because the steel was not yet delivered and I was not going home to let anyone in the house until that happened. The contractors were both surprised and irritated that there was no steel. The steel came around lunch time. The contractors decided to postpone the work for another day. They are also not surprised at Owens Corning's behavior.

Problem #6 - no one told the contractors that we were supposed to have extra steel framing set up on one wall to support a flat screen TV. The steel wasn't ordered for it. We are not surprised. We are, however, VERY irritated, because we only find out the extra reinforcement wasn't done on that wall after the walls are done. Granted, we did come down and check on the basement daily, but the actual building period was only 4 days start to finish, and there was so much steel down there we thought they were already reinforcing it. The contractors themselves were great guys that do a great job, but we are so irritated at this point that we say forget it, the sooner we're done with Owens Corning the better, and the contractors make sure that extra amount is deducted from our total.

Problem #7 - Since we did demolition, no one scheduled a dumpster. We were going to go postal on someone (God, we wanted to!), but the contractors headed us off and got a dumpster to be delivered free of charge. We filled it. They took it away. FINALLY, we can use our garage again.

After this, carpet guy comes out to go over carpet options. Oops, he was supposed to be out before the basement was finished, but to give him some credit, those other contractors were fast. Nice guy, efficient, he's in and out quick as anything. Our carpet is ordered same day with a 2 week lead time and we got a ridiculously ossim deal for it. They predict they can re-carpet the house in one day possibly two if there are difficulties, and we agree to clean the house of knick-knacks and ready everything to be moved around. Insert 1.5 weeks of frantic house cleaning and preparation.

Problem #8 - Last week (one week after carpet man and during the frantic cleaning) we get a call from Owens Corning, which makes us faint because their communication is a joke and holy shit they actually bothered to call us about something. Apparently one of the banks they got a loan through was no longer lending, so we are now split into three loans instead of 2 because they had to immediately open another line of credit to pay for their shit. Ding on our credit and an extra payment to worry about whose payments CANNOT be postponed like the other two loans. Payments will begin immediately. Fine, whatever, this technically isn't their fault. We can't be angry at them. Right?

Problem #9 - The carpet guy calls us today, almost a week after that last phone call. Note: the carpet guy, NOT Owens Corning. What's the problem? THE CARPET WAS NEVER ORDERED because they couldn't get the money from Owens Corning. We are not having carpet installed tomorrow, and we only knew this because the carpet guy felt obligated to call us. Gee, what a novel idea. Someone actually wants to keep their customer informed? Good thing the contractors care for their customers, because Owens Corning sure doesn't. If the carpet guy hadn't called I'd be sitting on my ass all day tomorrow wondering where the hell our carpet was.

Add a week because of the holiday plus the two weeks it takes to get the carpet made / dyed / whatever and we're not on track to have carpet until the end of January, and that's assuming Owens Corning can get their shit together. Realistically, I don't expect to see anything (or get a damn phone call) until February.

Current Status: Pissed beyond belief.

WHAT DID WE LEARN?

Owens Corning may have great product and contractors, but based on their service alone this entire project wasn't worth it. I don't care how good of a deal we got. There is no excuse for the sheer levels of FAIL happening with this project. Honestly, the next time we need to do something we're going straight to the contractors, or we're feeding people pizza and beer for a week straight to do it our own damn selves at a snail's pace. If we weren't in a contract (*eye twitch*) we would have canceled on them a long time ago.

For those of you thinking of buying a service that Owens Corning provides: DON'T. It isn't worth it. Go with someone else. Or do it yourself.

We'll see how the rest of this plays out. For now, we're documenting the progress and lack of communication. Wish us luck.


~Sass~

Bitches!

... on TV!!!!!

Werewolf dramedy unleashed at Fox

Network gives 'Bitches' a script plus penalty commitment
By Nellie Andreeva
Dec 22, 2008, 01:00 AM ET

Talk about a hairy "Sex and the City."

The Fox network is developing "Bitches," a dramedy about a quartet of female friends in New York who are werewolves.

The project, which has received a script plus penalty commitment from the network, hails from feature writer Michael Dougherty and Warner Bros. TV.

TV writing duo Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts have come on board to supervise Dougherty. The two also will serve as executive producers alongside Dougherty if the project, described as a quirky urban fairy tale, goes to series.

"Bitches" continues the werewolf theme from Dougherty's recent horror flick "Trick 'r Treat."

2009 is shaping up to be a big year for werewolves with the release of the Benicio del Toro-starring remake of "The Wolfman" and the "Twilight" sequel "New Moon."

WMA-repped Dougherty's writing credits also include "Superman Returns" and "X2: X-Men United."

Berg and Harberts recently served as co-exec producers on the ABC/WBTV series "Pushing Daisies." The duo, repped by ICM and attorney Gretchen Bruggeman Rush, also created/exec produced the WB's "Pepper Dennis."


Please, FOX, do this show right and for shit's sake don't cancel it after the first season! I want werewolves on prime time TV, damn it!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Internet Addiction

I felt this was worth bringing up, because many bloggers, gamers, Twitterers, etc have -- at least once -- come across this issue being discussed. Whether or not you agree with him, the Last Psychiatrist really makes you sit and have a think about the issue.

Is Internet Addiction Really An Addiction?

From my own personal experience and observations...

I would agree with him. This is a social issue, not an addiction issue.

Think about it. Why do we blog? Why do we Twitter? Why do we have hundreds of friends on Facebook / MySpace / *insert social networking website here*? We want attention. We want the attention we're not getting in the real world.

The Internet allows those of us with social problems to withdraw into ourselves while simultaneously branching out. Those of you that know me in real life should know that I am actually quite a shy person until you get to know me. Why is this? Because I have a social phobia of sorts (and you have no idea how long that took me to figure out). Check the link there for more details, but basically unfamiliar or new social situations trigger my fight or flight instincts. It's not pretty, and was hell to deal with as a teenager. The Internet was actually a blessing for me -- it helped me improve on a lot of my issues with social interaction and become more of a "normal" person (*snort*). Basically I used it as a crutch while I grew a backbone. I could test the waters, find my voice, and learn not to over-analyze people's responses / reactions. It was actually kind of therapeutic (as is writing this blog from time to time).

Then again, building an entire personality around one's avatar / nickname probably isn't the healthiest thing ever, but at least I picked an amusing name, eh?

Of course, not everyone comes out of the internet sprouting wings of social happiness (some never do, that's why the zomgpanic finger-pointing happens), and these kids he refers to are obviously in the beginning stages of social withdrawal. They don't realize yet that their status as a social outcast is probably just all in their head. Like mine was. (Unless you happen to have people trying to stone you to death, and then maybe it's not just all in your head. Separate issue entirely. And maybe you should move?)

I find it interesting, though, that we always like to find something new or tech-y or disease-related to blame for people's shortcomings. Ever notice that? It's never our own faults. It's genetic. It's the Internet. It's that guy on TV poisoning our children's minds. It's those *insert religion/nationality/race here* that are to blame for the decline in whatever. I mean, I did it three paragraphs ago to explain my extreme shyness. It allows us to wash our hands of responsibility. Oh, that guy is a such-and-such. It's not my fault. He's just like that. Oh, I have a phobia, maybe I should take medication for anxiety.

Kind of seems like we're more focused on what the problem is than actually taking steps to treat it.

Yes, of course, it's important to know what it is so that we can treat it correctly. I just think we may have a little too much time on our hands and a little too much money to spend, so we're trying to make it a lot more complicated than it really is. And what does that say about us that we want to be able to label -- and thus separate -- everyone based on their shortcomings and not their accomplishments?

Internet addiction? Turn off the computer and take the kid on a field trip with others like him/herself. Show them the world isn't as scary as they're making it out to be.

And make sure they know it isn't the end of the world if they have a problem.


Quote of the Day:

Anais Nin
"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death."


~Sass~

Friday, December 19, 2008

Happee Snowz!!!!

To all you peeps out there in the NE: hope you're staying warm! Here's some fuzzy happiness of joy to keep you sort-of-not-bored for about 15 seconds!





















Bored with the pictures already? Get interactive with...

YETI SPORTS
SNOWBALL FIGHT
SNOWCRAFT
NINTENDO WINTER GAMES
... and probably more I can't find right now because I'm still at work.

(On that note, I can't give you any sort of clue on the quality of these games. I couldn't follow any of the links because our IT people firewalled friggin' everything. So yeah. You'll have to let me know how it goes.)

Anyway, happy snows!


Quote of the Day:

(Ernest Saves Christmas)
Ernest P. Worell: I am one with the Yuletide, know what I mean?


~Sass~

Monday, December 15, 2008

More Anti-Twilight Ammo

I love you Rod Hilton. Can I have your babies?!

Twilight: The Abridged Script
Copied here for your reading delight! (Can also be seen on cracked.com!)



FADE IN:

EXT. WASHINGTON

KRISTEN STEWART goes to FORKS, WASHINGTON.

KRISTEN STEWART (V.O.)

Once upon a time, there lived an enchanting girl named Stephenie Meyer, er I mean Kristen Stewart. She was so awesome that her awesomeness couldn’t be contained in Arizona, so she moved to Washington to stay with her father, who was totally lame and not cool.

BILLY BURKE

Hey honey. I’m super lame. I got you a car, but it’s totally uncool because I’m totally uncool.

KRISTEN STEWART

Thanks Dad, or whatever. Time for my first day at a new school. Since every coming-of-age story requires the main character be a social outcast, I suppose I’ll have to endure being the unpopular new girl until I do something that proves my worth.

KRISTEN goes to school and is INSTANTLY POPULAR AND BELOVED.

ANNA KENDRICK

Oh my God I love your hair you’re so pretty will you be my new best friend?

GREGORY TYREE BOYCE

Can I take you out sometime since you’re so awesome?

MICHAEL WELCH

No way you asshole, I saw her first!

KRISTEN STEWART

I’d rather watch “The Messengers” than date either of you. Why don’t you go ask Anna instead?

ANNA KENDRICK

Ohmigod I’m getting Kristen’s rejects that’s so awesome!

KRISTEN STEWART

Wow. I guess this is what it looks like when the unpopular fat girl’s pathetic daydreams get written down and published into a bestselling book. Aren’t well-written characters supposed to have flaws?

ANNA KENDRICK

Flaws? Oh, well, um, I suppose you could argue that you’re a little TOO perfect and amazing. But I don’t think so. Let’s make out.

Suddenly, ROBERT PATTINSON enters. The paleness of him and his family members reach blinding levels while the squeals in the movie theater reach deafening levels.

KRISTEN STEWART

Who’s the albino Wolverine?

ANNA KENDRICK

Oh, him? That’s Robert. He’s universally acknowledged as the hottest boy in school but he doesn’t date anyone because no girl is good enough for him.

KRISTEN STEWART

No girl is good enough for him? Man, the excuses closested homosexuals come up with these days…

KRISTEN sits next to ROBERT, who nearly vomits in his mouth and leaves school for a week. Eventually, he returns.

KRISTEN STEWART

Hey, where did you go? Because you are exceedingly mean to me, I find myself attracted to you.

ROBERT PATTINSON

Sounds like textbook daddy issues, you fat cow.

KRISTEN STEWART

(swoon)

ROBERT PATTINSON

You have a bright career as a stripper ahead of you.

ROBERT and KRISTEN continue not quite interacting with each other and having no chemistry together.

KRISTEN STEWART

Hey, your eyes are changing color from gorgeous to ultragorgeous. What’s going on?

ROBERT PATTINSON

Alright, you got me. I was acting like a jerk because I secretly totally love you.

KRISTEN STEWART

Of course! This also explains why the captain of the football team always acted like he hated Stephenie Meyer!

ROBERT PATTINSON

There’s more. I want to eat you.

KRISTEN STEWART

Holy shit, really? I need to go home and do some waxing first, but…

ROBERT PATTINSON

No, I mean literally eat you. I’m a vampire.

KRISTEN STEWART

Hmm. The only way I will believe you is if you carry me up a mountain using special effects from the 70’s.

He DOES.

KRISTEN STEWART

You really are a vampire! Does that mean that garlic, stakes, and sunlight kill you?

ROBERT PATTINSON

Don’t be stupid. All of that lore is far too interesting for this movie. Being a vampire just means I get superpowers. It’s like being Spiderman, but sexier. Also, I sparkle in the sunlight.

KRISTEN STEWART

So that’s why why your family moved here, because it’s always overcast!

ROBERT PATTINSON

That’s right everyone, this whole movie is a 2-hour-long setup for a joke about the Pacific Northwest.

KRISTEN STEWART

So if you’re immortal, how old are you anyway?

ROBERT PATTINSON

Over a hundred, but to be fair I’ve spent most of that time working on my hair.

The two of them GAZE into each other’s eyes with UNCOMFORTABLY HUGE CLOSEUPS for 80% of the rest of the movie.

INT. KRISTEN’S BEDROOM

KRISTEN wakes up to find ROBERT watching her sleep.

KRISTEN STEWART

Holy fucking shit! If you weren’t so hot I’d have you arrested! How long have you been doing this?

ROBERT PATTINSON

2 months.

KRISTEN STEWART

But I’ve only lived here one month according to the script.

ROBERT PATTINSN

Yeah, the script was written in six weeks. Don’t get hung up on shit like that.

KRISTEN STEWART

Oh. Well, as long as you’re here I guess we could have sex.

ROBERT PATTINSON

No, I can’t have sex with you! I’d be unable to control myself! I’d bite you and turn you into a vampire! Also I ejaculate boiling venom, so I’d need to wear like fifty condoms.

KRISTEN STEWART

Wait, we can’t have sex at all, and you can’t suck my blood? How can you make a vampire movie without anyone sucking blood?

ROBERT PATTINSON

It’s alright, I think this movie already has more than enough sucking.

INT. BILLY BURKE’S HOUSE

BILLY BURKE is cleaning his gun and drinking a beer while listening to country music.

KRISTEN STEWART

Dad, my boyfriend is coming over to pick me up. Try not to get dork all over him.

BILLY BURKE

Okay, let me meet him after the movie makes the film industry’s ten billionth joke about protective fathers disliking boyfriends.

KRISTEN STEWART

Alright. Oh and also he’s a 100-year-old vampire, don’t say anything racist about vampires, okay?

ROBERT PATTINSON

Hello, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kristen has said absolutely nothing about you because you’re so lame.

BILLY BURKE

So I hear you’re a 100 years old. And interested in my 17-year-old daughter. So, mathematically that’s like, what, a 40-year-old dating a 6-year-old?

ROBERT PATTINSON

Ummmmmmmm…

BILLY BURKE

Yeah, so my friend Chris Hansen would like you to have a seat right over here.

KRISTEN STEWART

Dad, you’re embarrassing me almost as much as my acting does! I’m just going over to his house to have dinner with his family, I’ll be back before 11. Unless the ravenous vampires murder me, of course.

BILLY BURKE

Alright, just bring this pepper spray with you. It’s literally the very least I can do to offer it to my teenage daughter.

KRISTEN STEWART

Daaaaad! Stop being such a loser, I don’t need this!

BILLY BURKE

Really? Weren’t you almost raped by four guys earlier in the movie?

KRISTEN STEWART

Yeah but I have a BOYFRIEND now, which means I no longer have to be independent of physically capable of doing anything on my own. GOD!

ROBERT and KRISTEN go to visit ROBERT’S FAMILY MANSION in the middle of the woods, because of course the FANTASY MALE should be rich, too.

INT. GLASS MANSION

KRISTEN meets ROBERT’S VAMPIRE FAMILY.

KRISTEN STEWART

Jesus, this place is paler than an Anne Rice book signing event. At least it doesn’t smell as bad.

PETER FACINELLI

Welcome to our ridiculously expensive home. I’m the father figure of this family because I’m the one who turned them all into vampires. There’s something disturbing about the idea that I’ve only turned teenagers into vampires, but let’s ignore that.

KRISTEN STEWART

Wow, you guys are so close. What keeps this family together so well?

PETER FACINELLI

Funny you should ask. Let me tell you about Count Joseph Von Smith. One day a vampire named Moronula appeared to him and told him to find these golden stakes buried in a coffin…

NIKKI REED

Knock it off, dad. So, Kristen, there must be something really special about you for Robert to take such a liking to you and risk the lives of his entire family. Tell us about yourself.

KRISTEN STEWART

Me? Oh, no. I’m just a hollow placeholder for all of the teenage girls in the audience to project their personalities onto. I have none of my own whatsoever.

NIKKI REED

Oh. Well what do you like to do for fun?

KRISTEN STEWART

Mostly smoke pot on my porch in front of the paparazzi. What about you guys?

PETER FACINELLI

Vampire baseball.

KRISTEN STEWART

Ha ha, no seriously.

PETER FACINELLI

Really. Vampire baseball. We even have uniforms. Want to come watch us play?

KRISTEN STEWART

Actually as it happens the very last thing on Earth I or any other sane person would want to watch is vampire baseball, but go ahead.

They play vampire baseball, which looks exactly as stupid as it sounds to all of the males in the audience. The game attracts the attention of some EVIL VAMPIRES, who actually do the type of shit vampires are supposed to, like fucking kill boring humans. One of them, CAM GIGANDET, notices KRISTIN.

CAM GIGANDET

Oh man, that looks great, are you gonna finish that?

ROBERT PATTINSON

Stay away from her or my family will have to kill you. Specifically, we’ll have to hiss at you like fifth graders pretending to be Dracula, and then kill you.

CAM GIGANDET

Murder, eh? That’s one hell of a family activity. My family usually just plays scrabble.

PETER FACINELLI

The family that slays together, stays together.

CAM tries to eat KRISTEN, a poorly directed action sequence ensues, and eventually he is defeated.

PETER FACINELLI

Kristen’s been bitten! She’ll be turned into a vampire within minutes unless you suck the venom out! I can’t do it for some reason or another.

ROBERT PATTINSON

Since the whole novel this is based on is just Mormon propaganda for abstinence and bloodsucking is a metaphor for sex, what exactly is this advocating?

PETER FACINELLI

Look, all I know is that even though it’s going to be REALLY HARD, you’re just going to have to PULL OUT of her before CLIMAX. The climax of the movie, I mean.

He DOES. It’s very DISSATISFYING.

INT. HOSPITAL

KRISTEN wakes up in the hospital, and ROBERT wakes up after her.

KRISTEN STEWART

I thought vampires never slept.

ROBERT PATTINSON

Script. Six weeks. Remember?

KRISTEN STEWART

Right. Well, thanks for saving my life after endangering it by inviting me into your dangerous world. Let’s go to the prom together.

ROBERT PATTINSON

Actually, I think it would be better if we broke up. To keep you safe.

KRISTEN STEWART

From vampires?

ROBERT PATTINSON

No, from being typecast forever after this series is done. I’m screwed, but it’s not too late for you.

KRISTEN STEWART

No. No, you can’t ever leave me. Never. No matter what. We must be together forever and ever and ever.

ROBERT PATTINSON

Holy shit, you’re a clingy psychotic bitch. Maybe we have a realistic high school relationship after all.

They stay together and go to the PROM.

KRISTEN STEWART

I want you to make me a vampire so that I can be with you, even if it means sacrificing my own life as a mortal.

ROBERT PATTINSON

So, the next generation of young women is currently flocking to see a female lead starring in a movie by a female director based on a bestselling book by a female author, and in this movie the main character wants to become completely submissive and self-sacrificing for a male.

KRISTEN STEWART

I love you. Put a baby in me.

ROBERT PATTINSON

At least the other three books can’t possibly be more misogynistic and depressing.

They ARE.

END

Friday, December 12, 2008

Braindeaded



Sorry for the lack of posts this month, you twenty or so readers you! I've been a little brain dead. Between work, skool, general anxiety, and the realization that I may be trying to do too much at one time (see first born syndrome), it's just not been a creative month. I can't even bring myself to write some snarkity snark snark for you all to escape to (which is the actual purpose of this blog, contrary to what my post topic titles may tell you!).

I may just bite the bullet and take a complete mental vacation for about a week. No worrying about all that stuff I didn't get done (coz I was too worried about getting it done to actually DO it), no agonizing over the name that just won't die*, no more dwelling on my roller-coastering emotions (DIE, anxiety! DIE!), no thinking about anything writing related, no nothing. The only things I absolutely have to get done are work stuff and house cleaning... which I wish I could put off for a while, however we're getting the carpet replaced in the whole house in about 1.5 weeks, which means stuff needs to be able to move easily, which means all the friggin' clutter has to go.

BUT, since I'm not going to worry about anything else this week, the cleaning might be therapeutic.

Yes, I am weird like that. Sometimes shutting off my brain and doing a lot of busy work (cleaning) is good for my soul.

Anyway, I'll post as the mood strikes me, but the trend for December seems to be several days between posts and I don't see that changing the rest of this month. Your resident Ninja Bunny needs some quality offline time.

*My friggin hero won't give me a clue as to whether or not he wants his name changed and if he does he's sure as hell not tellin' me what it is.


~Sass~

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Which Creature of the Night Are You?

Surprise!!! lol

Who saw that one coming?

(Actually, I fully expected NOT to be a werewolf even though I wanted that to be my answer. This day is just full of surprises!)

What I find interesting is that I'm also equal parts vampire and Cthulu spawn... hmm. Does that mean when I shift at the full moon my werewolf form drinks blood and sports a few extra tentacles?


Which creature of the night are you?
Your Result: Werewolf
 

You are a vicious fighter and a vicious lover, absolutely dedicated to your pack. You are pushed to anger by disloyalty and injustice and have a tendency toward sudden, periodic bursts of wild behavior.

Vampire
 
Cthulu Spawn
 
Incubus/Succubus
 
Demon
 
Ghost
 
Sorceror
 
Which creature of the night are you?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Top 5 Favorite Music Vids

These aren't my favorite songs, but they are my favorite [semi-recent] music videos. They're not listed in true preferred order, just listed as I could find them on YouTube.

#1 - "Love Me Dead" by Ludo
Why? - Fun song, fun video. As Demps put it, "this is the direction emo should have gone." I agree!
Favorite part - "you SUCK so passionately!"



#2 - "Tear You Apart" by She Wants Revenge
Why? - Because this song wins at life and the video makes me want to know WTF happens next!
Favorite part - the chorus. I mean really, find me another song with a chorus like that. It gets stuck in my friggin brain!



#3 - "Don't Shoot Me Santa" by The Killers
Why? - It makes me have a lolgasm. Srsly.
Favorite part - The puppet show!



#4 - "1985" by Bowling For Soup
Why? - The '80s references are priceless.
Favorite Part - When they're in the garage acting like Robert Palmer in "Addicted to Love"



#5 - "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim
Why? - Christopher Walkin. Dancing.
Favorite part - All of it, really. I mean... Christopher Walkin. Dancing. He dances.




So what are your favorite music videos?



~Sass~

Monday, December 8, 2008

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

After speaking with my sister, it occurs to me that there are a great many people who haven't seen this video.

I must fix this.

Now, this is pretty long. I will wait patiently for you to go get your slippers on and find a good place to huddle under a blanket or something with your laptop. No, really. Do it. This is over an hour long. Get comfortable.

Ready now? Good. Click play.




Words escape me. I tear up every time I watch it.

RIP, Randy Pausch (as of July 25, 2008). You're an inspiration to us all.



~Sass~

Jo Leigh and Book Suggestions

So, as I twittered earlier, I've apparently been living under a rock. I just discovered this and there's only 2 days left on the auctions...



Some of these are really ossim. If I had the money, I might actually bid on the Smart Bitches auction, because you know those books are some good reading. As it is I'm trying to see if there's one that falls under "affordable." One I clicked on at random was up over $300, and lowest I saw so far was $52 (though I didn't look at many of them. I skimmed).

Gives me the warm fuzzies to see so many writers (and agents and editors) sticking up for each other. That's the type of community I strive to join in all my endeavors. (Hey, snarky bitches have a heart too, you know. I do actually care sometimes!)




Oh, also... I need suggestions. I have 4 nieces (soon to be 6 coz of my step-bro is engaged and his lady friend has 2 more daughters) and I don't know what in the hell to get them that they'd enjoy. Bookwise, I mean. (Remember, I'm buying books for everyone this year!)

Does anyone have suggestions for these ages?

niece 1 (sister of 2) – 10 yo
niece 2 (sister of 1) - 8 yo
niece 3 – 4 yo
niece 4 – 1 yo
future sister of 1+2 – 10 yo
future sister of 1+2 – 3 yo


~Sass~

Sunday, December 7, 2008

More Quizzes! YAY!

Getting caught up on my blog reading. Found a couple of hilarious quizzes courtesy of Janet Reid. Here are the results!

47%

I could survive for 35 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Janet has 10 seconds on me with the velociraptor but I beat her by 1% on the zombie thing. What are your chances for survival??


Then, of course, I had to take some of the other quizzes. This one is just too much funny:

15



~Sass~

Friday, December 5, 2008

Stalkerific

Okay, seriously, I lol'd so hard I almost fell out of my chair.

How To Be An Empowered Stalkee

"And then I read on Stephenie Meyer’s website that vampires don’t need to blink and then it creeped me out EVEN MORE because I kept envisioning Edward sleep-stalking Bella over and over again in my head and it looked like this:"

Edward: (O_O)
Bella: (-_-) zzZ
Edward: (O_O)
Bella: (-_-) zzZ
Edward: (O_O)
Bella: (-_-) zzZ
Edward: (O_O)
Bella: (-_-) zzZ
Bella: (-_o) *
Edward: (O_O)
Bella: (ó.ò)


And it gets better. Seriously, go read it.


~Sass~

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Buy A Friggin Book Already


Please, for the love of all things holy (or unholy, as may be your preference), buy some books this season.

Why? Because:

1) I like books. I want to continue to be able to buy new books. I want to read new authors. I want to keep bookstores from reducing inventory or closing stores. You do to, right? (Right?!)
2) New authors (including myself! HELLO! /wave) would like to be able to land a publishing deal before next century, and we can't do that if publishers are doing things like laying people off and halting all new acquisitions. (For a look at how sad this is getting, check here.)
3) And, generally, increasing literacy rates is a good thing.

So yeah. Support the publishing industry. Make your little cousin/niece/brother/everyone sit down and read a book for once. Even Scalzi is asking for everyone to submit suggestions for books to give as presents. I have 7 nieces and 3 nephews and you can bet your last shopping dollar they're all getting a nicely bound set of printed paper for Christmas. (Or laminated cardboard, as two of those kids are only a year old. But whatever, it counts.)

Side note, blogging is a little bit of a non priority this week since we lost half our team at work and I have a final project (paper + presentation) due on Tuesday for the last friggin' school day of the semester. I'll be sparse this week but I'll be back with a vengeance next week, I promise!


Peace out and happy reading!


~Sass~

Twitter


Twittering, I does it now. (Okay, yes, I'm slow. Sue me. Better late than never, right?)

http://twitter.com/sasseebioche

This is a wonderful tool for keeping track of friends, goofing off at work, and generally distracting myself from just about everything else that needs my attention. I like it already!


~Sass~