Yes, yes. I know. I've been a bit AWOL and being a hardcore lurker on teh Internets.

Like everyone with a soul out there, I've been heartsick at the images coming from Haiti.

While I fully support donating to earthquake relief efforts, there are also long-term systemic problems in Haiti that did help contribute to the disaster and are even now plaguing relief efforts.

There are a number of organizations that are already on the ground in Haiti that, while not as large as Doctors without Borders provide vital services outside of Port-au-Prince.

Once such organization that I've supported in the past, in large part because I know people who are involved with it, is the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation (so named for the town that it's located in).

The Saint Rock Haiti Foundation has worked for more than 25 years to create long-term solutions. Aside from providing immediate medical care (and my sources tell me that the earthquake has wiped them out medicines-wise), they also invest in livestock (goats, primarily) so the local residents have a leg up in supporting themselves, as well as a microloan program to help residents start their own businesses.

If education is your thing, you can sponsor a child for a minimal monthly fee. Said fee covers books, uniforms, tuition, and food. Not for nothing, but one family I know of has sponsored one child (now adult) for 15 years. All these years later, he is now a university student in Haiti. (Yes, the young man is alive and well, although had he stayed in that meeting with his professors for 5 minutes longer than he did, he wouldn't be.)

For those (like me) who are reticent about giving money to religious-based organizations, the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation is nondenominational. While the founders may have been religiously motivated (Catholic socialism at its finest), the organization itself is fully secular. Furthermore, all your money goes exactly where it's supposed to go.

While it's fantastic that so much support is pouring into Haiti on an emergency basis, Haiti is a country that has long needed long-term solutions for its problems. And there's always an important bit to consider: what happens after the news cameras leave and the hard work of rebuilding begins?

As for me, the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation is an organization I do trust, and have trusted in the past, to work towards long-term solutions for Haitians by Haitians.

And so 2009 draws to a close (and hopefully, it will draw to a close for me at a house party...assuming the sanders decide to get off their mechanical butts and start sanding the roads).

So my wish for myself and all of you out there: May the next 10 years be better than the last 10, and my next year be better than the last.

As for me: I'm managing to meet most of my New Year's resolution in decluttering my apartment. My bedroom, thus far, has remained recalcitrant against this resolution, but the rest of my apartment is looking much better than it was a year ago.

Next year, I'm hoping to steal more time for myself and actually get more writing done, especially those ficc-y WiPs that are hanging around on my hard drive, even if most of the people who started reading them are no longer even in BtVS fandom.

To go out on a positive note, here is a mash-up video/song of the hits of 2009.

It makes me so weirdly happy and hopeful, probably because the mash-up itself is weirdly happy and hopeful. I'm going to have to rummage around on the Internet so I can get my hands on the song itself.

Happy New Year, all!

Yes, yes. Belated, I know, but craziness abounded this week.

The traditional Christmas Eve insanity was in full bore, in which I came screaming in to my parents via the Mass Pike (and running late as usual), wrapped presents up in my childhood room (I am the Queen of Last Minute present-wrapping), and sat down and ate an early Christmas Eve diner involving American Chop Suey.

Why?

Because we were going to annual Christmas Eve fete at the Italian half of the family, the one that involves seven kinds of fishes with very scary food.

And let me just say: No one should be forced to eat squid stuffed with ricotta cheese swimming in a red tomato sauce. I'm very sure there's a rule in the Geneva Conventions against feeding innocent people that kind of thing.

My family, the midnight black sheep that we are, were all, "Oh, we already ate! French tradition insists we eat meat! Nyah-nyah!" (Not true, by the way, but we have used Mom!Marcs as a shield for years against the Italian tradition of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve and there's no point in stopping now.)

My younger cousins took this opportunity to glare at my brother and I while they doused their seven kinds of fish with ketchup (yes, even the squid swimming in red tomato sauce and stuffed with ricotta cheese) and through grit teeth proclaimed that it was the Best. Seven. Fishes. Christmas. Feast. Ever!

Hey, it's not my problem that I got the cool, understanding parents who hate the Seven Fishes as much as their kids do, right? Suck on it.

In any case, Christmas Eve ended with present unwrapping (my 'rents and my brother chipped in for a Wii Fit, and dad gave me the traditional gift of MOAR TOOLS for my tool box). This was followed by...

...drum roll please...

Getting sucked into a Pawn Stars marathon on the History Channel (I totally blame Daddy!Marcs for the fiasco) until 1:30 a.m.

He was looking for the news, and the remote mysteriously landed on the History Channel, and well...

Shit, that show is addictive.

Needless to say we were all walking zombies the following day. Poor kurukami thought he must've been among the land of the living dead, what with us drifting off into sleep every 5 minutes and waking up with a loud, "What? What? I'm awake, damnit!" within seconds of the snores starting.

Note to self: Never, ever turn on the History Channel on Christmas Eve. That be some bad juju there.

In any case, here's one of my favorite Christmas Videos ever, "Merry Christmas from the Family" by Robert Earl Keen.

It reminds me so much of the annual Christmas Eve at the Italian half of the family, except my Christmas Eve has more fishes (seven, to be precise!) and a hell of a lot more Italians.

The The Sing-Off live show sounded better than the three pre-recorded shows combined — and all three groups really did sound outstanding.

[According to scuttlebutt, NBC pulled in a few sound people that are big in a cappella circles to make what was supposed to be a throw-away talent show a little shinier because, as it turns out, the ratings were surprisingly good for the relatively small price tag attached.]

And can I just say: What a nice, feel good show! With the sole exception of Noteworthy's so-obvious-everyone's-remarking-on-it entitlement issues, all of the groups genuinely seemed to be having a good time and seemed to be genuinely supportive of each other, complete with rounds of hugs.

In any case, I think everyone going into the live show pretty much knew NOTA was going to be crowned. I called them the winners during the opening night, in large part because they do Latin-flavored pop very well, they were better than most of the other groups on the stage, and a lot of their weaknesses can be overcome via technology in the recording booth and improvements in their stage show for live performances.

And unlike some people on the NBC boards (and a couple of other chat boards I've poked my nose into), I think NOTA won the popular vote fair and square for those reasons.

(Note to my geography-challenged fellow Americans on the various chat boards I've poked my nose into: Puerto Rico is a protectorate of the United States, which means that Puerto Ricans are Americans citizens, which also means that the members of NOTA are Americans. They are not "foreigners", nor are they "illegals", nor do they need "green cards". In short: Die in a fire, you racist asswipes.)

I definitely didn't get the impression that the Tufts Beelzebubs (My homies came in second! Go 'Bubs!) were in the least bit shocked that the NOTA won. Besides, 'Bubs (and Voices of Lee) would've been looking at a fuckload of headdaches if they won the Sony contract (they were planning to split the money if they won). Does it go to the group that performed on stage? The a cappella groups as a student organizations where the membership changes year in and year out? To the universities these groups are associated with?

So, not only do I think the right group won on talent, I would also say that the right group won on "ease of dealing with the legal world of Sony for the recording contract". As a bonus, both the 'Bubs and Voices of Lee got a fantastic shot in the arm publicity-wise and financially, since a lot of people were on the boards asking for CD recommendations. Both groups will be fine,

In other news, I was shocked to spot celebrities in the audience:

• Harry Connick Jr.
  
  
• Masi Oka (aka Hiro of Heroes). As it turns out was the musical director of Brown University's all-male a cappella group The Bear Necessities when he was an undergrad student at Brown. I don't know why that makes me happy to know, but it does.
  
  
• Jack Black. Or at least someone who looked a lot like him.
  
  
• Peter Gallaggher of The OC. Turns out that he's a Tufts Beelzebubs alumni, which explains why he was sitting in the 'Bubs cheering section. Heh.
  

I also saw that the SoCals stuck around, and were clapping and cheering for the three finalists in the audience, which was really nice to see.

While there were parts of last night's show that I did fast-forward through (thank you DVR!), there was plenty I watched.

Put me on the list of people who'd like to see this show pop up again next year.

In the meantime, here's a video capture from the Sing-Off of the 'Bubs singing their melody of The Who from the second night:

The The Sing-Off live show sounded better than the three pre-recorded shows combined — and all three groups really did sound outstanding.

[According to scuttlebutt, NBC pulled in a few sound people that are big in a cappella circles to make what was supposed to be a throw-away talent show a little shinier because, as it turns out, the ratings were surprisingly good for the relatively small price tag attached.]

And can I just say: What a nice, feel good show! With the sole exception of Noteworthy's so-obvious-everyone's-remarking-on-it entitlement issues, all of the groups genuinely seemed to be having a good time and seemed to be genuinely supportive of each other, complete with rounds of hugs.

In any case, I think everyone going into the live show pretty much knew NOTA was going to be crowned. I called them the winners during the opening night, in large part because they do Latin-flavored pop very well, they were better than most of the other groups on the stage, and a lot of their weaknesses can be overcome via technology in the recording booth and improvements in their stage show for live performances.

And unlike some people on the NBC boards (and a couple of other chat boards I've poked my nose into), I think NOTA won the popular vote fair and square for those reasons.

(Note to my geography-challenged fellow Americans on the various chat boards I've poked my nose into: Puerto Rico is a protectorate of the United States, which means that Puerto Ricans are Americans citizens, which also means that the members of NOTA are Americans. They are not "foreigners", nor are they "illegals", nor do they need "green cards". In short: Die in a fire, you racist asswipes.)

I definitely didn't get the impression that the Tufts Beelzebubs (My homies came in second! Go 'Bubs!) were in the least bit shocked that the NOTA won. Besides, 'Bubs (and Voices of Lee) would've been looking at a fuckload of headdaches if they won the Sony contract (they were planning to split the money if they won). Does it go to the group that performed on stage? The a cappella groups as a student organizations where the membership changes year in and year out? To the universities these groups are associated with?

So, not only do I think the right group won on talent, I would also say that the right group won on "ease of dealing with the legal world of Sony for the recording contract". As a bonus, both the 'Bubs and Voices of Lee got a fantastic shot in the arm publicity-wise and financially, since a lot of people were on the boards asking for CD recommendations. Both groups will be fine,

In other news, I was shocked to spot celebrities in the audience:

• Harry Connick Jr.
  
  
• Masi Oka (aka Hiro of Heroes). As it turns out was the musical director of Brown University's all-male a cappella group The Bear Necessities when he was an undergrad student at Brown. I don't know why that makes me happy to know, but it does.
  
  
• Jack Black. Or at least someone who looked a lot like him.
  
  
• Peter Gallaggher of The OC. Turns out that he's a Tufts Beelzebubs alumni, which explains why he was sitting in the 'Bubs cheering section. Heh.
  

I also saw that the SoCals stuck around, and were clapping and cheering for the three finalists in the audience, which was really nice to see.

While there were parts of last night's show that I did fast-forward through (thank you DVR!), there was plenty I watched.

Put me on the list of people who'd like to see this show pop up again next year.

In the meantime, here's a video capture from the Sing-Off of the 'Bubs singing their melody of The Who from the second night:

I woke up this morning with my lower back going into full-on bitch mode at me.

I of course blame this on the Plow Snot that had been dumped at the end of my driveway that came up to — OhSweetJeezus — my chest. Now, I admit I be short (5-feet, 1-inch in my stocking feet to be precise), but that's a fuckload of snow.

Even in snow that wasn't pushed into a tiny mount of Plow Snot, it came up to my knees, which is roughly 16 inches (I have long legs for my shortness). I figure...drifting snow. And I'm being a baby about this (I mean literally, because I was whining the entire time I cut through the Plow Snot just so I could see my car, let alone reach it.)

Thanks to my local paper, I can now officially say that I was not being a baby. My town got whammed with 14 inches of snow. So there.

And my lower back is still in full-on bitch mode, although giving myself a nice big stretch seems to make it happy and calm it down for an hour or two.

In other news, Sing-Off Live Finale Tonight! Go Beelzebubs! Okay, not a chance in hell you're gonna win, but I'll be happy if you beat Voice of Lee, if only because their fans over on the NBC community are kind of ass-hatty.

[Side note: Stay the hell away from from the NBC boards for this show if you want to prevent cranial trauma by head-desk. The FAIL is great there. And I mean FAIL on a scale that I never thought I'd witness this side of a newspaper comments section.]

I woke up this morning with my lower back going into full-on bitch mode at me.

I of course blame this on the Plow Snot that had been dumped at the end of my driveway that came up to — OhSweetJeezus — my chest. Now, I admit I be short (5-feet, 1-inch in my stocking feet to be precise), but that's a fuckload of snow.

Even in snow that wasn't pushed into a tiny mount of Plow Snot, it came up to my knees, which is roughly 16 inches (I have long legs for my shortness). I figure...drifting snow. And I'm being a baby about this (I mean literally, because I was whining the entire time I cut through the Plow Snot just so I could see my car, let alone reach it.)

Thanks to my local paper, I can now officially say that I was not being a baby. My town got whammed with 14 inches of snow. So there.

And my lower back is still in full-on bitch mode, although giving myself a nice big stretch seems to make it happy and calm it down for an hour or two.

In other news, Sing-Off Live Finale Tonight! Go Beelzebubs! Okay, not a chance in hell you're gonna win, but I'll be happy if you beat Voice of Lee, if only because their fans over on the NBC community are kind of ass-hatty.

[Side note: Stay the hell away from from the NBC boards for this show if you want to prevent cranial trauma by head-desk. The FAIL is great there. And I mean FAIL on a scale that I never thought I'd witness this side of a newspaper comments section.]

ElJay Coupons

I know some people are busy making fun of ElJay for this, but know what?

I don't care.

There are some people with Basic and Plus accounts (some of whom are on my FList) who would love to upgrade, but the cost is just a little bit out of reach. And although 40% off doesn't seem like a lot, that's a hell of a lot better than some of the sales I'm seeing out there this season. (Rules of the coupons are here.)

So, if you want a coupon, please comment below. As I'm going to be a bit busy at work, I might not be able to get your coupon to you until tonight.

I only have 10 coupons to pass out.

Comments are screened for privacy, because some people may not want other people to know that they need the discount.


Dreamwidth Invites

In addition, I have 5 more Dreamwidth invites for people who want them. If you do want them, I'll need an email address to send you one.

I only have 5 invites to pass out.

Comments are screened for privacy, because some people may not want to give out their email address in public.


Please do the following in your response be sure to specify whether you're requesting an ElJay Upgrade Coupon or a Dreamwidth invite. If you are requesting a Dreamwidth invite, please give me an email address so I can send it to you

That is all.


P.S. — Edited for mistakes in the coupon rules. This is what I get for reading the rules while dodging snooping bosses who want to know if I'm actually working. The nerve! How dare anyone expect me to work for my paycheck!

First, the important The Sing-Off news: The Tufts Beelzebubs are in the finals!

Also, I can't resist this entry from Ben Fold's blog about what he hopes for the future of a cappella. Be still my heart. He really is so adorkable, and I love the fact he's putting his money (and talent) where his mouth is.

Do you know how many years I've spent in the wilderness, all alone listening to WERS All A Cappella on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons? (By the way for all you non-Boston-area a cappella fans: WERS has live on-air streaming.) Too long. On recently have I met other people who share my love. (*waves to my local peeps*)

First, before I start, a few random observations:

Word on the grapevine is that the groups didn't get to costume themselves. Their costumes were chosen for them, thus solving the mystery why the Beelzebubs looked like a bunch of naughty, spit-balling prep school boys all week. It also explains why some of the girls in the other groups seemed to be constantly tugging down skirts that were too short or pulling at tops that were too tight.

Whoever is costuming the groups really needs to be shot. No. Seriously. Those are some retina-searing colors involved there for all of the groups. I'm thinking specifically of Noteworthy and their searing yellow ensemble for the first night. And dear God, Voices of Lee. Poor, poor Voices of Lee with the pink-and-blue sparklies they were wearing tonight.

You know what this means. The costumer from Buffy the Vampire Slayer found a new job. It's only a matter of time before someone in this competition is wearing Willow's "Elmo's Pelt" sweater from Season 4.

Now all that's left is the live performance show on Monday and I can't wait! It's going to be soooooo awesome!

Now, spoilers under the cut...

( Two of my predictions pan out, and one minor surprise because clearly one of the groups heard my telepathic advice and took it )

Overall, it was a nice waste of six hours' worth of television this week, and I'm definitely looking forward to the live performances (both the three finalist groups as well as numerous special guests) on Monday.

Overall, I'm pleased with the final three line-up, even if one group surprised me by getting there. I also think that the winner is a foregone conclusion.

Still, I tossed my vote in for the 'Bubs, even thought I don't think they stand a chance in hell of winning.

First, the important The Sing-Off news: The Tufts Beelzebubs are still in it!

Yay!

Also, this review from Entertainment Weekly about the show had me cackling my head off. My favorite bit?

A couple of the acts — Voices of Lee; Noteworthy — made such a point of emphasizing their religiosity in their taped introductions, I wondered when one of them was going to realize that one of their opponents was a bunch called the Beelzebubs. Beelzebub. As in demon. As in Satan. Don’t let those nice blazers the Bubs wore fool you, kids! E-e-e-e-k! Run for your lives!

Ah-hahahahahahahahaha!

I was pretty much thinking the same thing last night.

So, tonight, the remaining six groups had to pick one hit, and had to pick one cheesy song (the "guilty pleasure" song).

With one small exception, I agreed with the judges pretty much down the line. And it's only a small exception because I thought the group in question should've been ranked one notch higher, but since they're still in it, it's not a big deal.

( Cut for spoilers and my unvarnished opinion )

So, there's my unvarnished opinion.

Overall, I'm rather pleased. My favorite groups look good going into the final night of competition this week, and one of the groups I really wanted to see gone is gone. The fact that they're gone is made all the sweeter by the nasty attitude they copped on the way out the door.

I also want to add: Ben Folds is adorkable and my favorite reality show judge ever. Shawn Stockman really brings humor and musical knowledge to the table that makes me want to fangirl him. Nicole Scherzinger is basically...the nice one. I think she's kind of in over her head here.

Okay, I found out about The Sing-Off kind of at the last minute, mostly because The Boston Globe today had an article that my beloved Tufts Beelzebubs were going to be on tonight.

Check it out: Tonight, tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday (the live performance finale is on December 21) NBC is hosting an a cappella competition!

Yay!

It appears that NBC is attempting to cash in on the Glee-mania (not that there's anything wrong with that), and I have to admit that this is a good way to do it. My one big complaint, the zillion or so commercials. I started DVRing a good half-hour after the program started and I caught up with the live stream 15 minutes before the end of the two-hour block. GAH! How is that possible? How?

Anyway, the judge's panel was actually knowledgeable and helpful for the most part: Ben Folds (who recently put out a CD called University A Cappella which was a collaboration between himself and more than a dozen university a cappella groups), Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men (who actually does seem pretty knowledgeable about a cappella), and Nicole Scherzinger (singer for the Pussycat Dolls, she was the weakest of the judges).

In any case, the Beelzebubs are still in it! I'm so excited! Yay!

Other spoilers profiling all 8 a cappella groups are under the cuts.

First up: The first round of 4 groups.

( The first group of four: NOTA, Voices of Lee, Noteworthy, and Face. I call bullshit on the elimination. )

In any case, I think the first grouping was just out-and-out odd. With the exception of NOTA, the other three groups in this round were I think the weakest performers and had the weakest stage presence. I also thought it was weird that both of the a cappella groups from the religious universities were in this group instead of split between the two rounds.

And now the second group of four, which mostly the stronger groups overall.

( The second group of four: Beelzebubs, Maxx Factor, SoCal, and Solo. Although I'm sad about it, the right group was eliminated. )

So, that's my judgment for tonight's Sing-Off on NBC.

I can't wait to tune in tomorrow.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeee!

ETA: After re-watching the performances, I'm going to state who I think should've gone, and rank the remaining groups.

( Rankings by Moi )

So, there's my ranking, for what it's worth.

God, I'm so sad.

I'm kind of torn about my B-day.

1) It's kind of nice to still be here on planet earth.

2) However, I am working, which sucks and has put me in a horrible mood.

I had plans for today. PLANS. As in: salon visit, bank visit, oil change visit...

Okay, okay, it was more like I had a list of errands to get done, but please note that they are now not done and I am at work where, as of Thursday, Dec. 3, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be. (Ummm, does that even make sense?)

On the upside, I'll get my cruelly-snatched-away day off on Friday. Maybe. Possibly. We'll see. Depends on who else gets sick/has a nervous breakdown/suffers from a head explosion at an inconvenient time.

As for me, I'll be over in the corner swallowing aspirin and downing coffee like a caffeine junky in need of a fix.

Enough of my whining, I'd like to thank llaras, lillian13, wesleysgirl, and entrenous88 for the virtual snowflake cookie. I totally, totally needed to see those today. *hugs all*

And thanks for the B-day wishes from everyone. As I haven't done any look-see at LJ today (except for the .10 seconds I'm now stealing from the company — please note the whole gets sick/has a nervous breakdown/suffers from a head explosion) I see some people have pinged me with B-day wishes. I'll try to respond, but this is a blanket thank you as well.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work. At 5:30 p.m.

Have I mentioned the serious need to whine right now?

Good thing I voted in the special election to replace Sen. Kennedy this morning. I voted for Mike Capuano, but I'd be more than okay if Alan Khazei won.

Just, please sweet Jesus, not Martha Coakley or Stephen G. Pagliuca, otherwise I'll have to hold my nose when I vote in January because the Republican candidates are just not even worth considering.

Remember when I posted about Farscape being sold for less than $75 on on DeepDiscount DVD?

Amazon is now selling the complete Farscape for $57.99.

If you get it in combination with The Peacekeeper Wars, the total is $65.98.

*blinks*

Now I'm wandering into, "Thinking about getting this as a birthday present for moi" territory.

PeeEss — I caved. It's my combination Birthday/Christmas present to moi. I blame its availability on Netflix streaming for breaking my resolve. I just watched the entirety of Season 1 in 4 days. Nothing like being reminded how damn much you love a show.

I'll be over here feeling shame -----> because I am weak like veal.

For all you Firefly fans, I really do suggest giving Farscape a shot. It's a far, far superior show, IMHO, especially in terms of universe-building, unpredictability of plot, and use of Muppets.

You heard me right: Farcape is associated with The Muppets. What more do you need?

If you're still not sure, you can watch the first three seasons of Farscape via the magic of Netflix streaming. Season 4 and The Peacekeeper Wars have not been uploaded yet.

Dear Co-Workers,

When you ask me to do something after I go home for the day/while I'm eating lunch/in a client meeting/meeting with another co-worker, you are not going to get an answer right away.

I know you are all Very Speshul Snowflakes, and I Love You All Equally.

However, you are not the only Very Speshul Snowflake in my life. Please take a look around our comfy little company and see All the Other Very Speshul Snowflakes that are also in my life.

So before asking me, "Y U not dun yet w/ that thing?" Please check the company calendar that tracks my movements during every waking second of my day and make note if I'm with one of the Other Very Speshul Snowflakes that Are Not You.

Thank you muchly.

Yr Loving Co-Worker,

Moi

Within 10 minutes Martha Coakley disqualified herself as a possible choice (IMHO) because of her support for the Patriot Act. Forget it, lady. You definitively lost my vote right there.

Five minutes after that Steve Paglica disqualified himself when he started insisting that "job training" and tax credits was the key to overcoming jobless woes. Having gone the job-training route myself in the past and known people who've gone that route, job training doesn't work when no one's hiring at all.

Alan Khazei is well-meaning and even seems to have some good ideas, but seems singularly clueless about how to actually get shit done in Congress. Plus, he confused TARP with the Stimulus. A reluctant fail there, but fail nonetheless.

So, it appears my vote is cemented for Mike Capuano at the 40-minute mark.

I suppose I should feel proud of myself. I was sufficiently aware of where the candidates stood going into the debate. (I was torn between Khazei and Capuano going in, with a lean toward Capuano.) The fun for me is watching which candidates ended up on them "The only way I'm voting for you is if you're up against one of the Republican candidates for Kennedy's seat."

Not that I'm crapping on Republicans in general. It's just that the two Republican candidates are running to the right. In Massachusetts. Yeah. That'll work.

And then one of them (Scott Brown) came out in favor of the death penalty. In Massachusetts. In public. While he probably won't get negative numbers, I'm willing to bet that someone in the state Republican Committee wept into his or her cornflakes when Brown went public with that little tidbit.

That last paragraph is brought to you by the phrase: "You know you live in the Bluest of Blue States when..."

To be fair, though, Jack E. Robinson, the other Republican candidate, is pro-GLBT rights. The rest of his platform, though, is...yeesh. Yeah. I'm not seeing him getting too far, either.

Still, it was an entertaining hour all around.

And I admit that Capuano endeared himself to me by visibly wanting to strangle is opponents while refraining from doing so. Also good: the other three were all about creating new programs (notably for jobs), while he was pointing out that the programs already existed (true), but had been badly underfunded for years (also true), so why not just use what we had without inventing the wheel.

Yeah. I think I feel lots better about my choice now.

Off to hear the presidential address now.

Hunh. I was not aware that one of the co-writers of "M.T.A." was a woman.

The Boston Globe reports today that Bess L. Hawes died Friday at the age of 88.

*ponders*

Since I was thinking about posting a song a day as a gift to all my peeps out there in L.J. Land, I guess I know what my first track will be.

In the meantime, please enjoy this video of the song from the Kingston Trio.

For those of you who are interested, the first 3 seasons of Farscape are now streamed on Netflix.

*puts on party hat and fires up the Roku*

In other news, have felt like crap all day complete with gastrointestinal distress. Finally caved and drank a 12 ounce bottle of Gatorade and zonked for a half-hour.

I woke up actually hungry and feeling oodles better. Yay!

But in case this is nothing more than a brief upswing, I'm going to cancel the nature walk tomorrow.

Just the same, though, I'm freezing.

I have to say one good thing about the Congressional delegation from MA:

They're very big on Tele-Town Halls.

And somehow, I got on the list of people who will actually drop anything for them and listen in which means that in the past two months I've ended up in two Tele-Town Halls — it would've been more except that I hadn't been home to answer the phone.

Anyway, it's no secret that there's a bruising fight going on here to replace the late Sen. Kennedy.

Lucky me, the candidates are calling me. And what do you know? A call tonight from candidate and Congressman Mike Capuano for a Tele-Town Hall complete with Q&A for voters.

Most of the people on the phone are asking questions I would ask, so I was just going to listen to the answers, when a question popped into my head:

Female veterans. Namely, lack of services for female veterans within the VA system itself.

I have a relative that runs a homeless veterans shelter and he's felt that he lacks the resources to help female veterans. THis, with Iraq and Afghanistan bringing in a lot more female veterans than past conflicts. Also, ginmar, herself a veteran of Iraq has mentioned this issue in her journal.

So, yeah. I hit him with the question: There are a lack of services for female veterans. I know people experiencing this first hand. Can you do anything about this?

There was a little bit of a "Humina, humina, humina" when I asked. *evil smile*

But, and this is the important bit here, I'm the first person to bring up the issue of female veterans to him. Period. Amen.

He acknowledged that the VA is under stress across the board. I also definitely got the sense that the idea that female veterans might require different services from their male counterparts was not an idea that actually crossed his mind. To be fair, the female moderator seemed to be taken aback by the question when I put my question into the queue as well, so I suspect that this simply isn't an issue too many people even think about, male or female.

According to Congressman Capuano is that a big part of the problem is simply that there doesn't appear to be a whole lot of information out there. (Keep in mind, this is the first time Congressman Capuano had even been asked about services for female veterans.)

Although he was very receptive to getting more information about the issue, the problem is getting the information to him (or to any congressman/senator who might be willing to do something about it, really) from a reliable source with hard data.

The other issue is that the VA tends to try out reforms in large urban centers before rippling out to smaller centers (which the congressman pointed out is SOP). So, the issue, based on the Congressman's answer seems to be this:

• Getting veterans' organizations to actually raise this as an issue
  
  
• Getting Congress-critters attention about the issue
  
  
• Getting a local large VA medical center to collect data and try something to address the issue
  
  

He was definitely intrigued by the question, though. And that's something

In short, noise needs to be made if attention is to be paid. A lot of noise.

My brain officially hurts. A lot.

And I can't even figure out where to begin. Also in my way: not a veteran, not a member of any veterans' organization. My family was mostly an Air Force family (the odd Army and Navy person aside), and the last conflict where any of them actually needed to fire a gun was in World War II.

My Air Force vet dad, for example, spent most of the Vietnam war decoding coded signals from Russian fishing trawlers in Japan. He was more at the military intelligence/geek end of military service, and not so much at the actual carrying of guns end of military service. Other post-World War II people in my family fell very much into that same category of "geeks" (although, it could be because they were more the geeky Air Force-type people as opposed to the front-line boo-yah people).

So, no juice there, either.

*sigh*

Of course, let me add that I feel like I've been run over by a Mac truck (I've been under the weather since yesterday morning) and I'm not firing on all cylinders mental-wise.

Well, at least I raised the issue. Lord knows what good it'll do. Maybe someone out there has ideas and can run with it with their own Congress critters.

ETA: To be fair to Congressman Capuano, he gave an honest answer to my question. Even if you had the hard data in hand, it's not an issue that would be resolved easily or soon. I also give him credit for taking it and trying to answer it without resorting to a pat answer and without fluffing me off.

I had been leaning towards him for the election anyway. His answer didn't really change that.

At some point, my workdays will be less than 12 hours so I can actually respond to comments.

In any case, I wanted to wish you all a Happy Turkey Day. Yes, yes. 'Tis a day early, but I will be out of bed early in the ayem, and who's gonna be online anyway? (Okay, okay. All you non-American type people will be online. Americans will be doing their Turkey Thang.)

Aside from helping my parents navigate the Black Friday Joy that is Best Buy so they can replace their 7-year-old computer tower (all the peripherals work fine), the big event I'm looking foward to is a local nature walk on Sunday afternoon. I'm all like, "Woo-hoo!" about it to a crazy degree.

I mean, no one does nature walks in late fall New England. And here is a local group planning to do just that! I don't know why that thrills me to pieces, but it does. I'm definitely planning on going. There may even be pictures.

And speaking of New England, in honor of Thanksgiving, I'm posting links to the Boston-360° Panorama site for Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship.

The Boston-360° Panorama site is associated with The Boston Globe. Directions to navigate the 360° pictures are under each photo.

And, ummmm, yeah. Before you ask, that really is what Plymouth Rock and Plymouth Harbor looks like. *cringes*

Or rather, Stafani Germanotta before she created her Lady Gaga persona.

And, ZOMG! The original songs she's performing are fantastic. The first is gorgeously torch-y and quite beautiful. The second is a bit more pop-ier, but in a girl-and-her piano kin of way.

And neither one would never, ever get within a million miles of a Lady Gaga album.

So, if you Flove Lady Gaga (like moi who really, really digs pop tart diva performance art) you have to see this.

If you hate Lady Gaga, but love classic-sounding love torch songs, you really have got to to see this.

Plus, you get to see what Lady Gaga really looks like without the stage props.




Yup. That's why I'm a fan. The woman's got actual talent. Plus, I actually get the sense (as someone on my FList pointed out) that she does have control over her own image and agency in how she choose to present herself.

Oh, and for the hell of it, Lady Gaga's performance from the America Music Awards last night (a melody of a pre-recorded version of Bad Romance and a live performance of Speechless) is under the cut.

( Under the cut because I'm pretty sure the stage costumes are NSFW )

I don't know why this article from the Boston Globe cracked me up so much.

I think it's the picture (see below).

Apparently a juvenile barred owl has decided to move in at Faneuil Hall, which is basically tourist trap/city government/lots of businesses in tall buildings central (not to mention a historical landmark).

Anyway, it appears that "Hooter" (at least that's what most of the locals have taken to calling him) decided to oversee the folks putting up the Faneuil Hall tree by sitting in the tree and watching people while they decorate it.

*falls over laughing*

Oh, wildlife. You never cease to amuse.

Fun fact I did not know but learned from the article: Logan Airport apparently has some snowy owls living there. Hunh.

Now, a hilarious picture of "Hooter" supervising the tree decorating.


Photo by James Egan as published in the Boston Globe

DeepDiscount DVD is selling the entire series of Farscape for $74.38.

That is easily the best price I've ever seen for Farscape ever.

I have a question for my FList:

Can anyone tell me about the Wii Fit Plus? Is it any good?

I ask because I have a a couple of exercise DVDs, but the problem is that whenever I use them I'm never sure if I'm doing it right, so I wind up being hesitant to use them, especially the Yoga one.

From what I can see, the peripherals that come with it seem to give you some guidance on that score, which is actually what I need.

So, any of you out there who's used the Wii Fit or owns it, drop me a line and tell me about it. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Gracias.

Oh, Xander Mood Theme. I love you. You know I do. I will never, ever give you up.

But see, I found these two other mood themes that are just *beautiful* and I must have them.

The problem as you can see dear FList-ies, is that you can only display one mood theme at a time.

Which should I use? The Pixar Animated Mood Theme, or the Earth Animated Mood Theme.

Both mood themes are by the fabulously talented upsa_daisy.

So, dear FListies, it's POLL TIME!

[Poll #1483928]

Sometimes I forget how genuinely dark Bruce Springsteen's lyrics are on both The Darkness on the Edge of Town and Nebraska.

The again, the ghost of Charles Starkweather hangs over Nebraska, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised by that one.

This message brought to you by, "Things you re-discover when you listen to a CD that you haven't listened to in a zillion years."

Faced with another 12-hour day (work sucks).

Also, Maine sucks, too, although the vote was close. I'd write a huge rant about how much putting other people's civil rights to the popular vote is simply evil, but see my first sentence (work sucks).

However, all you bigots in Maine, I'd like to leave you with this factoid: After 5-years of equal marriage (as in, any two adults can get married to each other regardless of sex, sexual identity, ethnicity, and creed), Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate in the nation.

What's our divorce rate? Why 2.3 marriages per 1,000 end in divorce here in the Bay State, which is what the U.S. divorce rate was in 1940.

I think this is the point where I raise my middle finger at Maine voters who voted YES on 1 and tell them: "You've been lied to, motherfuckers. Plus, you're evil for fucking over your fellow citizens."

Dear GLBT people: Massachusetts still loves you. So does Connecticut. And Vermont. And New Hampshire (for Christ's sake, New Hampshire.) And Iowa. Please come. Bring the spouse. And your tourist dollars.

Hunh. I guess I had time to make a little rant about Maine.

On the fandom front: V was kind of boring. And of course the black guy, who was one of two visible ethnic minorities in the cast (and that includes extras), was a good alien who's gone native.

I think I fell off my couch laughing when I looked at the "inner city church" that was showcased in V and noticed that it was very, very white. Ummm, bwah? I mean, a Catholic church in a major urban area and not one Latino (at the very least) is in the parish? Seriously? That's a major FAIL right there.

Plus, again, the action takes place in NYC. In the world of TVLand, NYC apparently has a total of 2 black people (seriously white cast with seriously white extras to the point of distracting), one of whom is really an alien. *facepalm* FAIL!

I know it seems like a small thing to be bugged about, but it really, really bugged the shit out of me through the entire episode. NYC, people! Can we try to get a little more "color" in the cast? Please? To make it look like it actually takes place in 21st Century NYC as opposed to TVLand NYC? Pretty please?

*sigh*

Although V bored me, I'm going to give it a couple of episodes before deciding whether or not to wipe it from my DVR. To be honest, it's not looking good for V, especially since the DVR is about to get eaten alive by Hitchcock movies.

I'm sitting here at my desk and faced with another 12-hour day.

I realize, "Oh crap! I forgot V is on tonight, and I'm dying of curiosity. Plus, Alan Tudyk is in the cast, so I must watch."

(Although Alan Tudyk's presence does not automatically mean I'll tune in next week if V sucks. For example, the horribly derivative and overrated Firefly still bored the tits off of me, despite Tudyk's presence.)

Then I remembered, "Hey! I have DVR now!"

Which means I can sign onto the Verizon Web site and tell my cable box to record V since it is unlikely I'll be home by 8 p.m.

Plus — I can record in HD.

YAY! I will see V on...wait...

ABC-HD? Really? ABC now has the rights? How the hell did that happen?

I vaguely remember the original series V that ran on NBC, but I think I was a little too young for the two V mini-series that proceeded it. In a lot of ways, I'm going into the pilot totally unspoiled because I don't even remember the original.

The only thing I actually remember from the original series is that Robert Englund (a.k.a., Freddie Kruger) was in the original V. He played a good guy, vegetarian alien who was subject to religious persecution from his own people. He and the other people in his alien religion ended up joining the human rebels to help them fight the new alien power structure.

Okay, maybe I do remember something from the original V.

Yeah, I'm kind of surprised I remember that, too. Then again, I was kind of a Robert Englund fangirl at one point. I'm kind of hoping he pops up in the new series, assuming it lasts beyond the next 2 weeks.

Title:  Reaping the Whirlwind (Boom Boom Ba Remix), Part 5/14
Author:  liz_marcs

Summary:  What does the addition of supernatural-related reaps to the reaping workload, Roxy’s promotion, the addition of a new grim reaper with supernatural experience, a new sort-of boyfriend who may or may not be a pirate, and an approaching apocalypse all have in common? New grim reaper boss George doesn’t know, but she’s willing to bet that in the middle of it all the universe will kick her ass. Again.

Fandom:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Dead Like Me crossover
Characters:  Dead Like Me (order of appearance) — George, Mason, Daisy, Roxy, Kiffany, Delores, Penny, OCs.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (order of appearance) — Dawn, Buffy, Willow (appearance only), Giles (appearance only), Xander, OCs.
Pairing:  George/Xander (nothing explicit)

Rating:  R for language, cartoon violence and death, sexual situations
Warning:  Spoilers for all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show only), Dead Like Me, and Dead Like Me: Life After Death.

Original drabbles:  Six Drabbles About Dawn and Death by nothorse

 
( Read more... )

I usually don't get trick-or-treaters, mostly because I'm off the main drag and it's fairly dark (plus, I haven't been home the last few Halloweens).

So, I do what any sane person would for Halloween. I buy candy I like, because I know I'm going to end up with most (if not all) of it.

So that means Perugina Baci for moi! (The Italian bit of my Yankee semi-muttishness really does come out at times.)

Anyway, I spotted a rare sight this evening. Trick-or-teaters! YAY!

There was a Japanese family (son UPS driver; daughter princess).

There was a Chinese dad and his daughter (princess).

There was an Indian family (son clown).

I love my neighborhood. &hearts

Anyway, I run out of my apartment with my Baci as they were collecting candy from someone else who ran out of their apartment to pass out candy and said, "Can I have trick-or-treaters, too?"

Awwwwww, so cute!

The adults in all three families, being cosmopolitan sorts, took one look at the box and started doing happy dances. The wife in the Indian family was like, "Best. Halloween. Stop. Ever."

And the Japanese wife was so totally cute. She was carrying around a bowl of candy and while I was passing out the bon-bons of deliciousness to kids and adults alike, she asked me if I'd like a piece.

I looked at her and blinked. "Um, you're new to trick-or-treating, aren't you?"

She beamed at me. "Our first year!"

I bit back the urge to say, "I would've never guessed."

Instead, I grinned at her like a loon, took the candy, and wished 'em all a Happy Halloween.

Awwwww! Sooooo cuuuuuuuute!


And so, to one and all: Happy Halloween. Blessed Samhain. And Happy New Year. My the turn of the seasons find your health, wealth, and happiness grow, and may your ancestors watch over you, guide you, and keep you in wisdom and grace.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to keep my eye out for more random trick-or-treaters just in case.

I've been AWOL in large part due to work. I.e., 12-hour days for all!

I can't actually complain since the bosses are actually putting in 18-hour days themselves.

The good news, the work spigots are opening up, which means better job security for those of us who managed to hold on to our jobs through this mess. The bad news is the economy is still jumpy enough that no one's hiring anyone anywhere near as I can tell.

Right now, I'm feeling a bit burned out.

Which means that there hasn't been a whole lot of TV watching goin' on. At least, not live TV watching. So, I cue up the VCR (which I admittedly haven't used since my fam went half-sies with me on a new TV for my B-day last year to replace my soon-to-be useless 16-year-old TV).

*takes deep breath*

Do you know what happens when you attempt to watch a VCR tape on an HD, flat-screen TV that was rated a Consumer Report's best buy because it's good quality for relatively cheap?

You can actually see the movement of the VCR tape on screen. We're talking jump-y, fuzzy, skipping pictures because the TV — which is in some respects smarter than the average bear — is just not having it.

I had a headache in 5 minutes of even trying.

And so, technology has kicked me in the ass. I was forced to upgrade since not everything I want to watch is streamed online (how I've been watching Glee) or available on-demand from Verizon (how I kept up with Kings).

So...I bowed to the inevitable. I decided to swap my run-of-the-mill cable box for a DVR cable box. And since Verizon does so love holding a gun to your head, I've got to live with an HD DVR cable box.

*puffs breath*

Fine. I don't like the extra cost that goes with HD, but fine. As it turns out, thanks to a whole bunch more discounts Verizon decided to throw at me, plus my canceling of a premium service that I wasn't really watching anyway, my Verizon bill only got bumped up $4.

Then Verizon pulls a dope move. I get to install the box myself. I don't have a problem with self-installation because I'm pretty good hooking up electronics. No. My problem is they delivered this HD DVR cable box to my front door and left it outside my front door. They left it there all day, giving any naked ape a clear shot at grabbing this oversized box for themselves.

Okay, no one did, but c'mon. Human nature being what it is, I'm shocked that the box didn't sprout legs and walk away.

So, in any case, I now have an HD DVR thingie, which is kind of cool. However, Verizon managed to be boneheads again and not include instructions on how to operate the damn thing. I pretty much figured it out on my own the basics, but I have no idea how many hours can be stored on the thing or what channels I actually can access (it appears I've got a mess of HD channels that I didn't have before...and they don't necessarily match up with the channels I've got on regular cable), or...or...or...

So, anyway, I tested the thing last night, and I've been playing with it half the day to figure out what I can and cannot do. (Checks clock and swears profusely about how I wasted my day.) I kind of like the fact that I can do the delayed watching maneuver so I can fast-forward through commercials.

Of course, this is where you figure out how many commercials there are stuffed in your average hour of TeeVee. For example, do you know that a single Burn Notice episode has 17 minutes of commercials? I did not know that before I started watching it on a 20-minute delay and almost caught up to the live stream on the USA HD channel.

*facepalm*

Also, watching Burn Notice on HD you notice a lot of tiny things. Like how Bruce Campbell looks entirely too healthy underneath his character make-up to play a washed up intelligence operative with a serious alcohol intake, how Gabrielle Anwar has really lousy skin, and Jeffrey Donovan manages to look pretty rat-like (or rather, more so). You also notice that Sharon Gless (God bless the Gless!) does not do plastic surgery and she looks all the more awesome for it.

Yes, I watch Burn Notice for Campbell and Gless. Now I'll actually be able to watch it regularly because the DVR's memory is better than mine.

*ponders that a bit*

Shit. I've got a piece of television equipment that's smarter than I am.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to run off to the Verizon storefront to shove my old cable box into their hands, and to give them hell about how the HD DVR was delivered.

Maybe if I'm lucky, they'll have DVR operating instructions instead of the nonsensical Q&A on the Verizon Web site that manages to go on for pages without being at all informative.

If I'm really lucky, they'll be able to tell me what channels I actually have, because I'll be damned if I can make heads or tales of it. The on-line list doesn't seem anywhere near complete, because, seriously, what the hell is the "Create" channel and why is it randomly set in the 500 block of channels? Although the HD Movie Channel is kind of cool, where the hell does it even come from? Because I haven't been able to find evidence it actually exists, beyond the fact that it's streaming through Verizon FIOS to my TeeVee even as we speak.

*throws up hands*

Technology! It's enough to make you want to go Luddite. I shouldn't have to think this hard about my entertainment choices, damn it!

Around these parts, Halloween is not just A major holiday, it's THE major holiday of the year.

It's bigger than Christmas, and almost as big as Thanksgiving.

Considering that I live within spitting distance of Plymouth Rock, geologically speaking, this should give you a pretty good idea just how big Halloween is in New England. Salem sets off fireworks on Halloween Night, fer Christ's sake!

Not for nothing is Stephen King from Maine, Nathaniel Hawthorne from Massachusetts, and H.P. Lovecraft from Rhode Island. Hell, New England Horror Writers have their own writerly association.

I mean, the online version of The Boston Globe has an entire online section just for Halloween. While other parts of the U.S. have there "XX days of shopping before Christmas", we've got the "XX days of shopping before Halloween" countdown.

Most people I know (at least those who are lucky enough to have jobs) have Halloween parties where they work, as opposed to other parties for other holidays.

*dreams of my company Halloween party and the delicious food everyone's going to bring while we completely shut down the company from lunchtime until close*

To prove my point about the awesomeness of Halloween in New England, I present to you a picture of the grave of Mercy L. Brown, Rhode Island's last vampire.

Okay, it was Mercy's corpse that was accused of being a vampire, which resulted in it being exhumed, the heart removed, burnt, and the ashes mixed with water. The slurry was then fed to her brother, whom everyone believed was a victim of Mercy's blood-sucking ways, as a cure. (It didn't work, in case you're wondering.)

Ummm, did I mention that this happened in 1892? As in "less than 8 years before the start of the 20th century".

Just to remind everyone, less than 12 days of shopping before Halloween!

Or in my case, less than 12 days to come up with something yummy for the company holiday party.

Yeah. Pretty much anyone who knows me will tell you that this result is completely no surprise at all.

( Whoops! Forgot Cut! )

*checks watch*

I don't care. I'm out of here at 5:15 p.m. so I can hit the gym for an hour.

*hyperventillates*

Just came back from an hour cardio at the gym and the rain is just this side of freezing. The news is reporting that the coast is getting hammered with a Nor'easter.

It's only October and we already have a Nor'aster! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!

I know it's true because I just came home to find a flock of very pissed off and confused seagulls in the parking lot.

The local crows, I should note, are equally pissed off and are massing for all out war on the seagulls. There will be birdie blood on the pavement for sure.

Meeting the fam for lunch and a movie promises to be fun.

It's only mid-October and it's snowing!

This winter is going to suck.

And despite my debilitating cold (held in check by the magic that is Robitussin gel caps — even more awesome than liquid form!), I crawled onto YouTube to check something out recommended by kurukami.

I didn't get to the video (sorry!) because, as befitting my somewhat whacked out brain (due to cold and Robitussin), I got distracted by shiny!

I learned something new. See, it appears that Pachelbel is the most played composer in the world and the Father of All Pop Music.

How did I reach this conclusion you ask?

Please meet the Axis of Awesome and their song "4 Chords", which they contend is the basis of all pop hits.

First, let's start with them singing it live (it also appears to be a more up-to-date version than the one they recorded).

( 4 Chords (Live) )

Wheeee! That was fun. Now here's a fan-made video of the recorded version of "4 Chords", except it comes with an "answer key" of artists and songs.

( 4 Chords (Studio Recording With Answer Key) )

So, who is the genius that discovered that golden progression? Who is this giant among men that delivered it unto our ears first?

The answer, according to comedian Rob Paravonian, is Johann Pachelbel.

It goes without saying that Paravonian is not happy about this state of affairs one bit. He even has a very, very funny rant about it.

Which you can watch here...

( Pachelbel Rant )

And so, I have spread a little knowledge today.

There are days when the Internet is simply Good.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to crawl under my comforter and sleep for a year.