Friends only
This journal, while boring, is friends only. But if you comment, I'll add you. I'm sure we'll be the best of friends. :D
My submission to the senate enquiry into gay marriage.
Dear Committee Secretary,
I want to get married.
I've met the love of my life, which I've got to say, is pretty awesome. From the moment we met, I had this feeling that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. Watching TV, eating breakfast and doing all those little day to day things just feels right with her.
So, last Monday, I proposed. I'd been planning it for a few months. When I was on holiday in New York in January I went to Tiffany's on 5th avenue and bought a ring. Not one of the expensive ones, mind you, but a nice ring I could use to propose (when I told my father of my intentions, he immediately offered me heirloom jewels to make the final engagement rings).
After taking Karma (my then girlfriend) out for dinner, I made up some story about wanting to walk to Lygon Street for ice-cream, knowing that the walk would take us past the corner of Bourke and Swanston Street, which is where we first met. When we got to the corner I made a speech, not the speech that I had planned, because honestly I was so nervous I forgot some of it, but a speech that said how much I loved her, how I wanted to grow old with her and how that mundane street corner I passed nearly every day would always have special meaning for me.
Then I got down on one knee, pulled the ring out of my pocket, and asked her to marry me.
She said yes.
The next day we started excitedly telling our families, and they all asked "what next", and we realised that we have no idea. Because we both happen to be women, we can't get married in our home country. A country that has a separation of church and state won't let me get married due to the opposition leader's religious reasons, and because the Prime Minister is scared of offending the religious right.
I don't want to have to register my 'domestic partnership' the same way everyone else registers their pet. I don't want to have to take the money that I would spend on my wedding overseas, because frankly Australia's economy could use the millions of dollars that gay weddings would contribute.
I want to walk down the aisle in the garden of the house I grew up in, I want to stand up in front of my friends and family and say I do, and I want that to be legally binding.
Civil unions and domestic partnerships don't count, separate is not equal. And I'm tired of living in a country that treats me and my fiancé like second class citizens because we fell in love. Frankly it's not fair, and I'm shocked that the country of the fair go has found such state sanctioned homophobia acceptable for so long.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for your help in making everyone equal in the eyes of the law.
-Alice
I want to get married.
I've met the love of my life, which I've got to say, is pretty awesome. From the moment we met, I had this feeling that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. Watching TV, eating breakfast and doing all those little day to day things just feels right with her.
So, last Monday, I proposed. I'd been planning it for a few months. When I was on holiday in New York in January I went to Tiffany's on 5th avenue and bought a ring. Not one of the expensive ones, mind you, but a nice ring I could use to propose (when I told my father of my intentions, he immediately offered me heirloom jewels to make the final engagement rings).
After taking Karma (my then girlfriend) out for dinner, I made up some story about wanting to walk to Lygon Street for ice-cream, knowing that the walk would take us past the corner of Bourke and Swanston Street, which is where we first met. When we got to the corner I made a speech, not the speech that I had planned, because honestly I was so nervous I forgot some of it, but a speech that said how much I loved her, how I wanted to grow old with her and how that mundane street corner I passed nearly every day would always have special meaning for me.
Then I got down on one knee, pulled the ring out of my pocket, and asked her to marry me.
She said yes.
The next day we started excitedly telling our families, and they all asked "what next", and we realised that we have no idea. Because we both happen to be women, we can't get married in our home country. A country that has a separation of church and state won't let me get married due to the opposition leader's religious reasons, and because the Prime Minister is scared of offending the religious right.
I don't want to have to register my 'domestic partnership' the same way everyone else registers their pet. I don't want to have to take the money that I would spend on my wedding overseas, because frankly Australia's economy could use the millions of dollars that gay weddings would contribute.
I want to walk down the aisle in the garden of the house I grew up in, I want to stand up in front of my friends and family and say I do, and I want that to be legally binding.
Civil unions and domestic partnerships don't count, separate is not equal. And I'm tired of living in a country that treats me and my fiancé like second class citizens because we fell in love. Frankly it's not fair, and I'm shocked that the country of the fair go has found such state sanctioned homophobia acceptable for so long.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for your help in making everyone equal in the eyes of the law.
-Alice
Entry tags:
Yet another thing about 9/11
Ten years ago I was 13, and I remember Mum waking me up to tell me that planes had crashed into the twin towers. I had no idea what that meant, I couldn't process this. I understood that it was a big deal, but it was too big for me to get my head around. People died in wars and the third world all the time, this was another huge tragedy that I couldn't understand.
Then for the next few days the TV at home was stuck on some channel that was broadcasting nothing but reports on the attacks.
But it never really hit me. I knew it was huge, I knew it was a tragedy, and I was sad for all the people who died. But there were tragedies all the time. This just seemed to be one that everyone was paying attention to, as opposed to starving kids in Africa or AIDS deaths or whatever, I didn't feel any more connection to this than any of the others. But the whole situation just didn't feel real, everything felt kind of odd.
Then, in February this year, Mum, Dad and I went to the World Trade Centre Memorial Museum. I didn't think it would affect me that much, I figured that nearly ten years later I would have had overload. We've all seen the planes hit a million times, and so many more acts of terrorism have been perpetrated by the US since in the name of "justice".
But being there was like being punched in the guts. Seeing the timeline, looking at the tributes made by families, other fire fighters... It made it all real. Each one of those people had families, things they worked for, pets. They had half built boats in their sheds that they won't finish, new boots they wouldn't get to wear, fish that they wouldn't feed. When you hear that thousands of people died in something it's easy to see the big number and not comprehend it all, but when you see the little things the people left behind wanted their loved ones remembered by: One of the people in the building was an ex-firefighter who always carried a red hanky in his back pocket, a habit left over from when he had to run into burning buildings. When the plane hit he was in the lobby, but he ran up the stairs to help people and used the hanky to help breathe through the smoke. People talked about being saved by the man with the red hanky, and people talked about seeing the man with the red hanky go up one last time and seeing him get crushed under some falling ceiling.
The main thing I can understand about this is the story of the journalists. The people who found out about the disaster on air and had to report what was going on as their hearts broke, as they thought about the people they knew in the building, the people who were in the Rockefeller Centre who thought they might be next, but kept reporting anyway. I don't identify with them in any way, how could I? But I admire them, and their story is small enough to be easily comprehended. Articles like this one: http://on.today.com/rqPI5C are really interesting.
But the thing that moves me the most out of all of this, is the story of how they decided to place the names on the Twin Towers memorial. They didn't just want to place them alphabetically, because that's cold. So they talked to the families of the victims to find out who they would want to be with. Did they have a best friend, or a relative in there? And they put all the requests into an algorithm on the computer and generated a way where they could get the requests to work. For the people that were just visiting and didn't know anyone there, their families were asked to provide their interests, and then they were placed with people that the guy in charge of the whole thing thought they would get along with. They had a guy working full time for months trying to get it all to work, writing to the families, working with the computer and cutting out all the names on cardboard to make sure it looked OK, that there wasn't a really long name put with a real short name. There was a thing with the algorithm that said how many of the requests didn't work. In the end, the way it is now, they managed to full every request. Everyone is with who they are supposed to be. While this does nothing for the dead, they're dead, this is such a cool thing to do for those left behind. I dunno. I find that really moving. Just writing this I'm tearing up a bit.
I told that story about the names to my muslim friend, who got kind of angry. She doesn't want to remember this day. Today is the anniversary of the day people started to look at her differently, and the day that set in motion governments retaliating against innocent people. Those wars led to the deaths tens of thousands of names that aren't remembered by the rest of the world, that won't get listed next to the people they would wants to be with, hell, a lot of them won't even get listed on graves. The actions of a few also led to the persecution of many. In a way, one act of terrorism against the US led to many acts of terrorism by the US against Afghanistan and Iraq. With the war in Afghanistan, the US kinda had a point, but using people's fear as an excuse to invade a country so you can get oil is pathetic.
In the end, we have to ask ourselves if we let the terrorists succeed? And we did. They made the safest form of transport seem dangerous, causing ridiculous security measures to be put in place. Officials are so terrified that you can't even make jokes in airports. They scared us into two wars and tens of thousands of deaths. They made people even more afraid of those who look different to them, who worship a different god. If their aim was to cause terror and make people feel unsafe, the succeeded.
Don't get me wrong, there are no winners here. But I can't help but think that the US, and those countries tied to it, lost more than the terrorists when all's said and done. It's sad, but anyone who says we aren't afraid has clearly never gone through airport security in the USA.
I'm not saying we shouldn't have extra security, to not protect ourselves would be insane. But the Americans have gone a little too far with the pat downs, full body scans and everything else.
This is a country where you can carry a handgun in your handbag when you go shopping, get a free shotgun when you sign up for an account with certain banks, but you can't take a bottle of coke on a plane. Ten years later the world is a more paranoid place.
But that name thing is still pretty amazing.
Then for the next few days the TV at home was stuck on some channel that was broadcasting nothing but reports on the attacks.
But it never really hit me. I knew it was huge, I knew it was a tragedy, and I was sad for all the people who died. But there were tragedies all the time. This just seemed to be one that everyone was paying attention to, as opposed to starving kids in Africa or AIDS deaths or whatever, I didn't feel any more connection to this than any of the others. But the whole situation just didn't feel real, everything felt kind of odd.
Then, in February this year, Mum, Dad and I went to the World Trade Centre Memorial Museum. I didn't think it would affect me that much, I figured that nearly ten years later I would have had overload. We've all seen the planes hit a million times, and so many more acts of terrorism have been perpetrated by the US since in the name of "justice".
But being there was like being punched in the guts. Seeing the timeline, looking at the tributes made by families, other fire fighters... It made it all real. Each one of those people had families, things they worked for, pets. They had half built boats in their sheds that they won't finish, new boots they wouldn't get to wear, fish that they wouldn't feed. When you hear that thousands of people died in something it's easy to see the big number and not comprehend it all, but when you see the little things the people left behind wanted their loved ones remembered by: One of the people in the building was an ex-firefighter who always carried a red hanky in his back pocket, a habit left over from when he had to run into burning buildings. When the plane hit he was in the lobby, but he ran up the stairs to help people and used the hanky to help breathe through the smoke. People talked about being saved by the man with the red hanky, and people talked about seeing the man with the red hanky go up one last time and seeing him get crushed under some falling ceiling.
The main thing I can understand about this is the story of the journalists. The people who found out about the disaster on air and had to report what was going on as their hearts broke, as they thought about the people they knew in the building, the people who were in the Rockefeller Centre who thought they might be next, but kept reporting anyway. I don't identify with them in any way, how could I? But I admire them, and their story is small enough to be easily comprehended. Articles like this one: http://on.today.com/rqPI5C are really interesting.
But the thing that moves me the most out of all of this, is the story of how they decided to place the names on the Twin Towers memorial. They didn't just want to place them alphabetically, because that's cold. So they talked to the families of the victims to find out who they would want to be with. Did they have a best friend, or a relative in there? And they put all the requests into an algorithm on the computer and generated a way where they could get the requests to work. For the people that were just visiting and didn't know anyone there, their families were asked to provide their interests, and then they were placed with people that the guy in charge of the whole thing thought they would get along with. They had a guy working full time for months trying to get it all to work, writing to the families, working with the computer and cutting out all the names on cardboard to make sure it looked OK, that there wasn't a really long name put with a real short name. There was a thing with the algorithm that said how many of the requests didn't work. In the end, the way it is now, they managed to full every request. Everyone is with who they are supposed to be. While this does nothing for the dead, they're dead, this is such a cool thing to do for those left behind. I dunno. I find that really moving. Just writing this I'm tearing up a bit.
I told that story about the names to my muslim friend, who got kind of angry. She doesn't want to remember this day. Today is the anniversary of the day people started to look at her differently, and the day that set in motion governments retaliating against innocent people. Those wars led to the deaths tens of thousands of names that aren't remembered by the rest of the world, that won't get listed next to the people they would wants to be with, hell, a lot of them won't even get listed on graves. The actions of a few also led to the persecution of many. In a way, one act of terrorism against the US led to many acts of terrorism by the US against Afghanistan and Iraq. With the war in Afghanistan, the US kinda had a point, but using people's fear as an excuse to invade a country so you can get oil is pathetic.
In the end, we have to ask ourselves if we let the terrorists succeed? And we did. They made the safest form of transport seem dangerous, causing ridiculous security measures to be put in place. Officials are so terrified that you can't even make jokes in airports. They scared us into two wars and tens of thousands of deaths. They made people even more afraid of those who look different to them, who worship a different god. If their aim was to cause terror and make people feel unsafe, the succeeded.
Don't get me wrong, there are no winners here. But I can't help but think that the US, and those countries tied to it, lost more than the terrorists when all's said and done. It's sad, but anyone who says we aren't afraid has clearly never gone through airport security in the USA.
I'm not saying we shouldn't have extra security, to not protect ourselves would be insane. But the Americans have gone a little too far with the pat downs, full body scans and everything else.
This is a country where you can carry a handgun in your handbag when you go shopping, get a free shotgun when you sign up for an account with certain banks, but you can't take a bottle of coke on a plane. Ten years later the world is a more paranoid place.
But that name thing is still pretty amazing.
Entry tags:
Monster Ark
So I wrote this forever ago to save some of my friends from actually having to watch Monster Ark (2005 movie starring Renee O'Connor and Tim DeKay). FIgured I may as well post it here:
FBI agent from White Collar: "Hey, it says here that if we go to this place and open up a box, a monster will destroy the world."
Renee: 'huh. Better go open that box then. BTW, I hate you because you totally cheated.'
FBI: "Holy crap! The monster is killing people! How did no one see this coming?! Also, did not cheat, you're paranoid and slightly unbalanced. BTW I don't believe in god."
Renee: 'Dude. You should totally believe in god. Like whoa. Also, you're dreamy when you fight bad CGI and come across clues two minutes before the optimum time.'
Sergant: "THE MONSTER IS KILLING MY MEN! Did you see Mr T on the Snickers ad? He's like, my hero yo. Best actor ever. I want to be just like him.
Renee: 'It says here on this bit of parchment I just found that the only way to stop the monster is if the chosen one can find the magical god stick and use that god stick to do something totally implausible.'
FBI: "Oh wow! The sun! I totally believe in god now. Hey look, a stick. BTW you're hot when you're terrified."
Renee: 'You're the chosen one AND you believe in Jesus? Take me, take me now, I no longer believe you cheated on me, although I won't admit I was being an irrational bitch.'
FBI: "I choose to forget how miserable you make me and how you're insane. OM NOM NOM."
The end.
FBI agent from White Collar: "Hey, it says here that if we go to this place and open up a box, a monster will destroy the world."
Renee: 'huh. Better go open that box then. BTW, I hate you because you totally cheated.'
FBI: "Holy crap! The monster is killing people! How did no one see this coming?! Also, did not cheat, you're paranoid and slightly unbalanced. BTW I don't believe in god."
Renee: 'Dude. You should totally believe in god. Like whoa. Also, you're dreamy when you fight bad CGI and come across clues two minutes before the optimum time.'
Sergant: "THE MONSTER IS KILLING MY MEN! Did you see Mr T on the Snickers ad? He's like, my hero yo. Best actor ever. I want to be just like him.
Renee: 'It says here on this bit of parchment I just found that the only way to stop the monster is if the chosen one can find the magical god stick and use that god stick to do something totally implausible.'
FBI: "Oh wow! The sun! I totally believe in god now. Hey look, a stick. BTW you're hot when you're terrified."
Renee: 'You're the chosen one AND you believe in Jesus? Take me, take me now, I no longer believe you cheated on me, although I won't admit I was being an irrational bitch.'
FBI: "I choose to forget how miserable you make me and how you're insane. OM NOM NOM."
The end.
Entry tags:
Epic LOL!
Lez Chat! Real lesbians, chatting. From Funny or Die.
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/fe850505bc/lez-chat
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/fe850505bc/lez-chat
Entry tags:
Gif party!
I found a whole bunch of gifs, and it's been too long since there's been a gif party on my flist. So.. GIF PARTY!!
Entry tags:
Emmy picks!
I've been meaning to give you a proper update, and I'll get around to that soon. In the meantime, here's who I WANT to win Emmys. These maybe aren't the people who I think will win, this is just who I'm rooting for.
( under the cut )
( under the cut )
Entry tags:
Sorry to double post, but...
I thought you guys might be interested in my Supanova interview. I submitted this piece to the Perth paper, but what with not being in Perth, I have no idea if it made it. Anyway, it's an interview with Leah Gibson (Twilight, Caprica, Watchmen) and Summer Glau (Firefly, Serenity, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles) about their experiences of conventions.
Supanova
ALICE CLARKE
The world of sci-fi conventions can be a confusing place to navigate. If you’re new to the realm, the masses of people dressed as characters you’ve never heard of, the sheer number of queues and the enthusiastic fans asking actors nit-picky questions can be quite daunting.
Imagine, if you will, that you are one of those actors facing the nit-picky questions and the lines of hundreds of people waiting to get your autograph. It’s a scary thought; even worse if it’s your first convention.
But the brave Leah Gibson, who is in the sci-fi series Caprica and the new Twilight movie, is finding her first convention experience more exciting than scary. “It is exhilarating,” Gibson said. “Any first time is always a little anxiety-provoking, but I’ve been easing into this and it’s been so much fun and the fans have been so sweet.”
Summer Glau, star of Firefly and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, is no stranger to conventions. Being a featured actor in any Joss Whedon project is enough to keep you going on the convention circuit for years. But there is an extra level of love for Glau in the geek community, beyond just the people she’s worked with.
After seeing how hard and how much work these kinds of conventions can be for actors, especially the popular ones, it makes you wonder what keeps them coming back. For Glau, it’s her gratitude towards the fans. “As long as I continue to feel the support, I’m going to keep saying thank you,” Glau said. “I have been so lucky to have the core audience that I started out with continue to give every job I do a try. So any time I get the chance and I have free time to travel, I choose a place to go and meet people face to face. I didn’t know this world existed and it changed my life completely.”
Glau actually came out to Australia for Supanova four years ago and, according to her, the event has changed dramatically in that time. “It’s grown times ten! It’s so much bigger now than it used to be,” Glau said. “I do all kinds of events, big and small, and I think it’s a really fantastic event because it reaches out to all different parts of the genre. It’s cool to come sit and talk to voice actors and comic book artists, and the people are so kind. I love the family that runs it.”
The convention itself is a whirlwind of activity, leaving the actors with very little free time. In Sydney, as well as the energy it took to do all the work required for the convention, the actors were all jetlagged, having flown in from America only a day or two before. But if Gibson was jetlagged, she wasn’t showing it. “You know when you’re a little kid and you wake up and you have something really exciting, like a fieldtrip that day, and you’re just wide awake and spring out of bed?” Gibson asked. “That’s what this whole weekend has been like to me so far. I don’t even know if I’m jetlagged or not.”
Although you would think that the actors would be far too blasé to ever go to a convention as a participant, Gibson said that there is one man she would brave the crowds for. “I am a huge fan of Ian Somerhalder (star of Vampire Diaries),” she said. “I would definitely wait in a line for hours to have his autograph!”
Supanova is at the Claremont Showgrounds June 25-27. Guests include Eliza Dushku, Dichen Lachman, Summer Glau, Leah Gibson and many more. For more information go to www.supanova.com.au.
Supanova
ALICE CLARKE
The world of sci-fi conventions can be a confusing place to navigate. If you’re new to the realm, the masses of people dressed as characters you’ve never heard of, the sheer number of queues and the enthusiastic fans asking actors nit-picky questions can be quite daunting.
Imagine, if you will, that you are one of those actors facing the nit-picky questions and the lines of hundreds of people waiting to get your autograph. It’s a scary thought; even worse if it’s your first convention.
But the brave Leah Gibson, who is in the sci-fi series Caprica and the new Twilight movie, is finding her first convention experience more exciting than scary. “It is exhilarating,” Gibson said. “Any first time is always a little anxiety-provoking, but I’ve been easing into this and it’s been so much fun and the fans have been so sweet.”
Summer Glau, star of Firefly and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, is no stranger to conventions. Being a featured actor in any Joss Whedon project is enough to keep you going on the convention circuit for years. But there is an extra level of love for Glau in the geek community, beyond just the people she’s worked with.
After seeing how hard and how much work these kinds of conventions can be for actors, especially the popular ones, it makes you wonder what keeps them coming back. For Glau, it’s her gratitude towards the fans. “As long as I continue to feel the support, I’m going to keep saying thank you,” Glau said. “I have been so lucky to have the core audience that I started out with continue to give every job I do a try. So any time I get the chance and I have free time to travel, I choose a place to go and meet people face to face. I didn’t know this world existed and it changed my life completely.”
Glau actually came out to Australia for Supanova four years ago and, according to her, the event has changed dramatically in that time. “It’s grown times ten! It’s so much bigger now than it used to be,” Glau said. “I do all kinds of events, big and small, and I think it’s a really fantastic event because it reaches out to all different parts of the genre. It’s cool to come sit and talk to voice actors and comic book artists, and the people are so kind. I love the family that runs it.”
The convention itself is a whirlwind of activity, leaving the actors with very little free time. In Sydney, as well as the energy it took to do all the work required for the convention, the actors were all jetlagged, having flown in from America only a day or two before. But if Gibson was jetlagged, she wasn’t showing it. “You know when you’re a little kid and you wake up and you have something really exciting, like a fieldtrip that day, and you’re just wide awake and spring out of bed?” Gibson asked. “That’s what this whole weekend has been like to me so far. I don’t even know if I’m jetlagged or not.”
Although you would think that the actors would be far too blasé to ever go to a convention as a participant, Gibson said that there is one man she would brave the crowds for. “I am a huge fan of Ian Somerhalder (star of Vampire Diaries),” she said. “I would definitely wait in a line for hours to have his autograph!”
Supanova is at the Claremont Showgrounds June 25-27. Guests include Eliza Dushku, Dichen Lachman, Summer Glau, Leah Gibson and many more. For more information go to www.supanova.com.au.
Winter Tech Accessories.
Hey folks,
On Sunday my Winter Tech feature was printed in the paper. Unfortunately, due to space, the non-tech accessories reviews were cut. But, I like the reviews and I thought maybe you guys would be interested in them. They're not thrilling, but hey. You get that.
Low-tech accessories to keep you warm while using your tech this winter.
ALICE CLARKE
Etre Touchy Gloves
Etre Touchy gloves have the thumb and index fingers cut out, leaving them free to use your iPod, play your DS or read Braille.
They come in a range of colours and are favoured by many celebrities including Lily Allen, Lady Gaga and Ne-Yo.
Etre Touchy gloves are shipped from the UK, cost £19.99 (around AU$35) plus postage and are available from www.etretouchy.com.
Snuggy vs Slanket
A blanket with sleeves is the perfect solution for that age-old dilemma of how to stay warm while using your laptop on the couch. Of course, you could put on an extra jumper or wear a dressing-gown backwards, but where’s the fun in that? Besides, the dressing-gown option leaves your feet exposed to the elements.
There are two options of armed blankets on the markets, both of which have their pros and cons.
The Snuggie is much thinner than the Slanket, making it more suited to nights when you need to be just that little bit warmer. Another bonus is that the deluxe version has a pocket, giving you a handy place to store the remote and the phone. It’s also a lot shorter than the Slanket, making it easier to walk around in. The downside is that if you’re taller than 5’3”, your feet are going to freeze.
The Slanket is nice and thick, making it perfect for medium to bitterly cold nights. It feels as though it’s made out of better quality material and has more sturdy-looking hems than the Snuggie. It’s nice and long, meaning that we of above-average height can keep our feet warm, too. (Because, really, who wants to walk around in a blanket?) The downside is that it’s weirdly long in the neck, making it easy to get food on it. Either the person who designed it thinks that arms are much lower than they actually are, or they want your family to be able to pull the blanket over your head after you die without removing your arms. Whatever the reason, it’s annoying and just gets in the way.
Personally, I prefer the Slanket, but really it all depends on what you look for in a blanket with sleeves.
On Sunday my Winter Tech feature was printed in the paper. Unfortunately, due to space, the non-tech accessories reviews were cut. But, I like the reviews and I thought maybe you guys would be interested in them. They're not thrilling, but hey. You get that.
Low-tech accessories to keep you warm while using your tech this winter.
ALICE CLARKE
Etre Touchy Gloves
Etre Touchy gloves have the thumb and index fingers cut out, leaving them free to use your iPod, play your DS or read Braille.
They come in a range of colours and are favoured by many celebrities including Lily Allen, Lady Gaga and Ne-Yo.
Etre Touchy gloves are shipped from the UK, cost £19.99 (around AU$35) plus postage and are available from www.etretouchy.com.
Snuggy vs Slanket
A blanket with sleeves is the perfect solution for that age-old dilemma of how to stay warm while using your laptop on the couch. Of course, you could put on an extra jumper or wear a dressing-gown backwards, but where’s the fun in that? Besides, the dressing-gown option leaves your feet exposed to the elements.
There are two options of armed blankets on the markets, both of which have their pros and cons.
The Snuggie is much thinner than the Slanket, making it more suited to nights when you need to be just that little bit warmer. Another bonus is that the deluxe version has a pocket, giving you a handy place to store the remote and the phone. It’s also a lot shorter than the Slanket, making it easier to walk around in. The downside is that if you’re taller than 5’3”, your feet are going to freeze.
The Slanket is nice and thick, making it perfect for medium to bitterly cold nights. It feels as though it’s made out of better quality material and has more sturdy-looking hems than the Snuggie. It’s nice and long, meaning that we of above-average height can keep our feet warm, too. (Because, really, who wants to walk around in a blanket?) The downside is that it’s weirdly long in the neck, making it easy to get food on it. Either the person who designed it thinks that arms are much lower than they actually are, or they want your family to be able to pull the blanket over your head after you die without removing your arms. Whatever the reason, it’s annoying and just gets in the way.
Personally, I prefer the Slanket, but really it all depends on what you look for in a blanket with sleeves.
Flist cut
Hey folks,
I just unfollowed around 100-150 communities and journals that I either don't know anymore or just don't read. It was mostly just communities for old fandoms and journals that defriended me forever ago and I just never got around to cutting. Chances are that in my feverish clicking I will have accidentally unfollowed people that I do still know, so if you think you have been unfollowed in error, just say and I'll fix it.
I just unfollowed around 100-150 communities and journals that I either don't know anymore or just don't read. It was mostly just communities for old fandoms and journals that defriended me forever ago and I just never got around to cutting. Chances are that in my feverish clicking I will have accidentally unfollowed people that I do still know, so if you think you have been unfollowed in error, just say and I'll fix it.
Entry tags:
Avril Lavigne. What the hell?
I have had a song stuck in my head for a week. It's by Avril Lavigne. And, of course, it wouldn't leave my head, no matter what I tried to replace it with. So the time came where I had to actually listen to the song.
The only problem was that I had no idea which song, I just knew that Avril was singing about a boy, with whom she seemed to be having issues, and there was some sort of identity crisis involved. She didn't know herself, no one knew her, something to do with clothes. Very deep stuff.
So to get it gone, I have just endured a listening party of Avril's most popular singles. I weep for the human race that these were once popular.
I know it's been done to death, but Sk8er Boi has raised my ire.
First up, what the hell is with the spelling of the title? Are the letters 'a' and 't' that hard to find? Were they using Jess's keyboard? (Sorry Jess, but your keyboard is weird)
And Boi? Assuming they were using a standard qwerty keyboard, the 'y' is the second key to the left of the 'i'. Did they write this on a typewriter? Was their 'y' broken? Did she want to use that money she saved on the 'a' by showing off that she could afford an extra vowel? Is the song actually about a gender bender? Maybe this skater boi is really a subversive lesbian, which would make the song a lot more interesting.
( While you're still marveling at the title, the lyrics are even worse )
This is what happens when I can't sleep. I really wish I hadn't given my room to Dad, this couch is not comfy.
The only problem was that I had no idea which song, I just knew that Avril was singing about a boy, with whom she seemed to be having issues, and there was some sort of identity crisis involved. She didn't know herself, no one knew her, something to do with clothes. Very deep stuff.
So to get it gone, I have just endured a listening party of Avril's most popular singles. I weep for the human race that these were once popular.
I know it's been done to death, but Sk8er Boi has raised my ire.
First up, what the hell is with the spelling of the title? Are the letters 'a' and 't' that hard to find? Were they using Jess's keyboard? (Sorry Jess, but your keyboard is weird)
And Boi? Assuming they were using a standard qwerty keyboard, the 'y' is the second key to the left of the 'i'. Did they write this on a typewriter? Was their 'y' broken? Did she want to use that money she saved on the 'a' by showing off that she could afford an extra vowel? Is the song actually about a gender bender? Maybe this skater boi is really a subversive lesbian, which would make the song a lot more interesting.
( While you're still marveling at the title, the lyrics are even worse )
This is what happens when I can't sleep. I really wish I hadn't given my room to Dad, this couch is not comfy.
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Kinda short review thingy of Ladette to Lady
“Proper lady boot camp” sounds like a logical impossibility, but that’s just what Ladette to Lady tries to be. This season starts off with eight troublesome Australian women, who are then yelled at and browbeaten into wearing twinsets and preparing canapes for English ‘gentlemen’ by a group of shrill Englishwomen pretending to be ladies themselves. As each episode concludes the teachers ask the most difficult student to leave. At the end of the season they celebrate their success of mildly reforming the most compliant student.
Entry tags:
Icons!
I made some icons, I like them. Thus they get posted. I think I could have made them better... But I'm still learning, so yeah. If you have tips, please give them.
[4] Still: Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (Joanne/Maureen, Tracie Thoms & Eden Espinosa)
[3] Animated: Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (Joanne/Maureen, Tracie Thoms & Eden Espinosa)
[2] Animated: Australian Wicked (Glinda/Elphaba, Lucy Durack & Amanda Harrison)
[3] Animated: LA Wicked, Ugly Betty (Glinda/Elphaba, Megan Hilty & Eden Espinosa)
[3] Animated: Penny McNamee
If you use, please comment and credit! Thanks.
( Follow the default link text colour cut )
[4] Still: Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (Joanne/Maureen, Tracie Thoms & Eden Espinosa)
[3] Animated: Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (Joanne/Maureen, Tracie Thoms & Eden Espinosa)
[2] Animated: Australian Wicked (Glinda/Elphaba, Lucy Durack & Amanda Harrison)
[3] Animated: LA Wicked, Ugly Betty (Glinda/Elphaba, Megan Hilty & Eden Espinosa)
[3] Animated: Penny McNamee
If you use, please comment and credit! Thanks.
( Follow the default link text colour cut )
Entry tags:
Life in Plastic
I'm really getting into this whole YouTube thing, and thus I have done something I know I will regret. In 2006 I made a REALLY REALLY AWFUL Buffy fan movie for media class. In this film everyone in Sunnydale gets turned into action figures. My original plan was to film it in many locations at my house and have all the characters voiced by nice people in a nice room so it would sound and look good.
Then I forgot about it until the due date and I ended up having to cobble it together in my flat with stuff I found in a box of old doll house stuff we were going to give to charity. I also hadn't had a chance to get all the action figures I needed or record everyone properly. Or do the final script edit. Really it's a terrible terrible piece of crap, but it might be so bad it's funny and really, someone should laugh at it.
So with that disclaimer, I give you: Buffy season 8, ep 6: Life in Plastic:
Then I forgot about it until the due date and I ended up having to cobble it together in my flat with stuff I found in a box of old doll house stuff we were going to give to charity. I also hadn't had a chance to get all the action figures I needed or record everyone properly. Or do the final script edit. Really it's a terrible terrible piece of crap, but it might be so bad it's funny and really, someone should laugh at it.
So with that disclaimer, I give you: Buffy season 8, ep 6: Life in Plastic:
Worst.Movie.Ever.
I have no words. None. Check out this trailer: http://www.youandithemovie.com/index.html
Four words sum up this movie well: Misha Barton. Abattoir. t.a.t.u.
I cannot wait to see it, it will be the perfect addition to MMFest!
Four words sum up this movie well: Misha Barton. Abattoir. t.a.t.u.
I cannot wait to see it, it will be the perfect addition to MMFest!
Entry tags:
Lindsay is awesome.
Lindsay, my best friend, has made me new shoes (because the last ones were for tiny footed people... Like Andi).
And they are awesome. Because the photos are FRACKING HUGE (but awesomely so) I have put them behind a cut, because your flist might die from the awesome overdose (I really like these shoes).
( Have some photos: )
For more photos of the sides (which are awesome) go here: http://gallery.me.com/alicepire#100059 :D
And they are awesome. Because the photos are FRACKING HUGE (but awesomely so) I have put them behind a cut, because your flist might die from the awesome overdose (I really like these shoes).
( Have some photos: )
For more photos of the sides (which are awesome) go here: http://gallery.me.com/alicepire#100059 :D
I think I can come to terms with my sometimes cane needing...
...Just because I know these exist: http://www.swordcane.com/burger_swords_home.htm
Entry tags:
Icons, Wallpaper and a banner thing
Hey folks,
I've decided to start trying to make icons and stuff again, because my PC recently got fixed (I never got around to learning how on my Macs... One day I will though, because dear god do I hate Windows).
So while I try to find some more stuff to av and try to remember how I used to do this, I thought I might post up some stuff that I made ages ago.
( a wallpaper and an animated banner after the cut. All Imagine Me & You. )
Just don't forget to credit and no hotlinking and all that usual stuff
EDITED: Because apparently my .mac account doesn't like gifs. grr.
I've decided to start trying to make icons and stuff again, because my PC recently got fixed (I never got around to learning how on my Macs... One day I will though, because dear god do I hate Windows).
So while I try to find some more stuff to av and try to remember how I used to do this, I thought I might post up some stuff that I made ages ago.
( a wallpaper and an animated banner after the cut. All Imagine Me & You. )
Just don't forget to credit and no hotlinking and all that usual stuff
EDITED: Because apparently my .mac account doesn't like gifs. grr.
Entry tags:
Friends of Dorothy
Hey folk. Yesterday my Gelphie article was posted on the MCV site (and I assume the issue went out and can now be found all around Melbourne). It wasn't as long as I wanted to be, so I didn't have enough room to make my case, for example I had to leave out a couple of georgus quotes from Amanda and Lucy and leave out a quote said by original Fiyero (and some of the musical evidence got cut by the editor, which is fair because I did go slightly over my limit...)
I was kinda excited about this piece because although it's not all I wanted it to be, and probably isn't my best work, I liked it and I really enjoyed writing it and researching it. (who doesn't like having to go to Wicked for work?)
So yeah, you can find the piece here http://mcv.e-p.net.au/features/friends-of-dorothy-4712.html
Tell me what you think.
Also, while I'm pimping out my work, my Ani DiFranco exclusive was put up on the Cherrie site recently. It was originally going to get the cover, but then Dorothy Porter died, so she deservingly got the cover (although, and I know it's horrible to say, but I was kinda disappointed, because it was going to be my first cover)
You can find the piece here. http://cherrie.e-p.net.au/features/return-of-ani.html
I would love your thoughts on it. I was scared as hell doing it because I'm not really a music journo (well.. I guess I am now...) and I feel really uncomfortable asking personal questions. But I hope that doesn't come across. Honest criticism is VERY welcome.
Merry Christmas!
-ADKC
I was kinda excited about this piece because although it's not all I wanted it to be, and probably isn't my best work, I liked it and I really enjoyed writing it and researching it. (who doesn't like having to go to Wicked for work?)
So yeah, you can find the piece here http://mcv.e-p.net.au/features/friends-of-dorothy-4712.html
Tell me what you think.
Also, while I'm pimping out my work, my Ani DiFranco exclusive was put up on the Cherrie site recently. It was originally going to get the cover, but then Dorothy Porter died, so she deservingly got the cover (although, and I know it's horrible to say, but I was kinda disappointed, because it was going to be my first cover)
You can find the piece here. http://cherrie.e-p.net.au/features/return-of-ani.html
I would love your thoughts on it. I was scared as hell doing it because I'm not really a music journo (well.. I guess I am now...) and I feel really uncomfortable asking personal questions. But I hope that doesn't come across. Honest criticism is VERY welcome.
Merry Christmas!
-ADKC