http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8QSwOBNCvU

I may have been the last person on the Internet to see this, but is squeeful indeed--Captain Jack, showtunes (Wicked!) and a soupcon of public filking. Squee!

If it is your will to go, there is Serenity on the big screen at the Arlington Drafthouse this Saturday at 1pm, doors at noon. Money goes to Equality Now...come drink beer, boo and hiss the Alliance, and throw on your browncoat or your layercake dress for fun!
I won't be there this year due to other commitments, but I plan to watch some to honor Serenity Day (and Whedonmas Observed)

So, go forth and have fun--the NoVa Browcoats are great and it is quite a shiny time.

http://www.arlingtondrafthouse.com/default.aspx?page=event&eid=876

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNmKX7dOP7w

....to "Sexyback", no less.

As always, to the original John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, a debt to pleasure:
http://www.pornokrates.com/rochester.html

The motherswyvers don't know how to act indeed.Heh.

From Theferret, Yuki_Onna and a cast of thousands, a memelet:

Tell me something you think I should know. Tell me a secret, tell me something you wouldn't want to say to me in the public space of my journal (good or bad), tell me a fact you think I'm not aware of. Anything.

All comments screened forever. Anonymous commenting is also available

House Rules:
Please use this space wisely.
Management reserves right to terminate meme at any time.
As always, management not responsible for ball failure.

This has been one of those weeks that feels like I have been dragging myself through mud by my elbows and nobody even claps. I am hoping next week will be better.

Reading: Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs. That's wolfy-tainment.

Writing/Wearing: Still making notes that have not quite coalesced, but I hope they will. There are some interesting ones--at least I think so.
(I am so sad that Lone Star Stories is closed up--I always wanted to make it in there and submitted a good amount, it made me want to keep trying. I will anyway, but I so wanted to write something that would make it after all my tries. Thanks be to them for making me try:))

Wearing: Pink sugar skull dress, pink cardigan, glasses, Wyrding Studios necklace (mighty bling), sandalesque things in grey and red (look, the grey's neutral and some of the skulls have red accents), BPAL's Lilith and the Jarocho (mmmm) and two silver rings.

Planning: A real, live hat. I have double pointed needles and everything. I am moving beyond the safe seas of rectangles and squares, I tell you.
Stories and poems to write. A yummy bath.
Possibly a visit to Honfest.
To get out of this blue mood I am in.
Possibly making fudge.

So, what are you RWP?

As a culture and in our various communities, we should be measured by how we treat our artists.

One of them is currently in trouble. Her name is Catherynne M.Valente and her work has brought joy and strength to readers the world over through Palimpsest,The Orphan's Tales and other works. She has consistently been supportive of other artists,giving of her time and energy, encouraging to all those who create strange and wonderful things and is helping make the world a better place.

Donations can go here--and she will be posting an online serial novel--The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in A Ship of Her Own Making . Support this if you can, any amount:

http://yuki-onna.livejournal.com/487082.html

You can participate in the auction at AdoptingCat by donating an item for auction or bidding on beautiful things:
http://community.livejournal.com/adoptingcat/


You can subscribe to her monthly art and story Omikuji Project
http://www.catherynnemvalente.com/omikuji/

You can spread the word in your journal, on Twitter, anywhere.

Let this be part of the revolution--where we care for and love our artists, those who bring us joy and those who help us find it in ourselves.

Let us, brick by glittering brick, build the road to Fairyland.

Thank you.



Help Catherynne M. Valente
adoptingcat

So, much of my weekend has been me hacking coughing every four hours(when the meds wear off). This meant that I was super loopy at the party, despite having only a fizzy water and a lemonade. I occasionally sound like I ought to be dying in a Dickens novel.

I also wound up watching the first three episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus--for some reason (probably overquotation and oversaturation), I had forgotten how anarchic and brilliant--and just surreal--it is. It's a nice thing to come back and see.
Also, apparently there was an ancestor of the Dead Parrot sketch in ancient Greece. Curious.

(Also curious and silly, I am seriously wondering if as the Presidents change generationally if this will mean an end to US military bands performing the Sousa piece that opens it--I know I couldn't keep a straight face during such a thing.)

Fortunately, my medicine appears to be working and there may be mini golf in my near future. Yay.

* Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare was excellent fun, because there are far too few movies with hopping umbrella spirits and kappas and long necked women fighting a Babylonian vampire for the honor of Japanese spirits. Fabulous.

* I need to finish watching Kwaidan which is also excellent and spooky and artsy rather than of the giant monster ilk. Excellent.

*My scarf proceeds apace. I am well pleased.

* I get to have a lounge in the tub bath after I type this. Oh yeah.

* I wrote and completed a poem. Again, aww yeah.

* The Vampire Queen continues to swan around and have carnal knowledge of passing knights. I think true love is coming for her soon....

For a question:

What's the best book you have read recently?

What's the best film you have seen recently?

(for me, Yokai Monsters and </i>Star Trek</> and Bones of the Earth--answer if it is your will do not if it is not.)

May we all enjoy a happy evening. Or day, depending on where you are.

I am enraged--another abortion provider doctor shot and killed.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/31/kansas.doctor.killed/index.html

I feel very strongly about this--I saw two fellow students who got pregnant at my Catholic high school. It was very, very pro life. You could get a full test's worth of extra credit for going to the pro-life march, which I never did.

The students were outright lied to about sex, safety and disease. I saw two pregnant girls viciously shunned--which the staff encouraged. One nun told us that we shouldn't touch the pregnant girl,, ask about the baby pat her belly or really, have anything to do with her.

Shunned.
(She left. The other got to get her diploma in an act of kindness that still amazes me.)
I've had a glimpse of the world the murderer wants--and it is not a world where life is valued. No.
I cannot believe this is still going on.

I went off to Balticon today with Somewanker for the day and had a very nice time. Best of all, I got to meet Melodican and Ego_Likeness and visit the Weird Tales table. Most excellent!

I also currently feel as if I have a book hangover-I made out well at the dealer's room and spent much of my con allowance on many paperbacks--some fun 70's era Lovecraft complete with extra trippy covers, Baby's First Mythos (signed by the author too!), discounted copies of The Alchemy of Stone and The Secret History of Moscow (quite a good score), big book o' Girl Genius, Nine Layers of Sky. an Octavia Butler and a few more....

whew. After that bender, I feel like I will wake up tomorrow having enlisted in the Space Marines or some such thing.

(I also got a free copy of Cthulhu Sex with a book purchase, which is some fascinating lagniappe.) I also came home with some wonderful art, got a few chuckles from my MVJBA shirt and definitely a good bit of tired. I'd been hoping to stay a bit longer, but wound up not feeling so well...so now I am wrapped up with tea and watching Blade II, a rather nice way to end the day.

SJO and Alfrecht. You are both wonderful people and deserve a great year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCn5osoQK_k

The video is by Russian baritone Dmitry Hvorostovsky and his voice sounds very nice; however the main reason to watch is the glorious madness of the video which includes male bosom, female bosom, female hinder, giant rolling crystalline boulders, sword cages...and as the Bitches said, a "distinct Lucius Malfoy vibe." for the hero who has bracers, a bare chest, a cape and...well, the whole thing just screams paranormal romance cover.It is rather amazing.

So, if you've ever wanted to see Lucius Malfoy (or at least a look-a-similar) whip and then rescue a cute redhead while singing French in baritone and dodging giant rolling marble balls--your dreams could come true right now with a simple click.

ETA: In the interests of completeness, here he is singing "Votre Toast" from Carmen at the last night of the Proms-very talented!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqEn57tVA1s
This just has nice singing and no flagellation, bosoms or giant marble rolling balls--thank you to the opera fan on SB!

I had a great time at Penguicon--got into Detroit early and Alpocalypse and I went to lunch at Zingerman's Roadhouse (yum) and also went to visit their bakery and creamery--delicious cheese and gelato and lunch and the staff is always a delight. If you need good eating in Ann Arbor, go to Zingerman's Roadhouse (or Deli)...there are lots of other yummy places, but these are a special treat.

Friday, did some hanging out and napping since I was very tired. I did some partyrambling and then turned in. Note: Penguicon seems to have a very nice crowd and the hotel setup was marvelous.

Saturday at 8am went to the Unreliable Narrators panel and got to lo disten to the fabulous Catherynne M Valente and the delightful Cherie Priest (I am blanking on who else was on the panel, so I am sorry to dis anyone.) I was also delighted that Catherynne Valente built her talk around The Things They Carried--excellent book and excellent choice to talk about other unreliable narrators.)Lots of interesting talk and lots of fun--and also got to see Justbeast who I was happy to find out also loves "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong". Whoo hoo!

I had Open Cola at the consuite, wandered about, got some free swag and met up with Alpocalypse and some friends from Blue Equinox for a yummy lunch over at Beiruit. It was a lovely time.

(I did not get to hug Tux. Oh well.)

Then I went to the sewing workshop and spent an epic amount of time trying to make a dice bag or pirate gold bag (my machine was being quite difficult, but the workshop was lots of fun and I came out with some great project ideas.) I realized I was not going to make it to all the panels I wanted, readjusted, had dinner and then went to the Masquerade . (This was the first Masquerade I have ever been to where I had a seat or could get in.) My favorite part was seeing the folks who had done the "Conjure Up A Costume"--1 hr, lots of art supplies and parts and lots of ingenuity--very fun! (and boy howdy, a lot of steampunk--plus lots of people dressing up as their own characters which was very fun.)

Then, they did the live action Dr. Horrible, which was lots of fun. The cast had great energy, people sang along (the Captain Hammer was especially fun--I also liked that the Dr. H found his own way into the character as well.) There were also mad props for the use of a luggage cart to represent the van (with a gentle push from a stagehand, Captain Hammer arrived) as well as calling for all the supervillans in the audience to come up and party during the party scene.)
It was very, very fun--I like things that have that kind of playful energy.

I was too tired to party crawl.

Since I have an early afternoon flight (and natch, all the things I wanted to see were after noon, Alpocalypse and I decided to have early brunch at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. The food was fabulous and I had the pleasure of meeting Ari Weinzweig, the owner of the various Zingerman's stores--he was very nice and sent over homemade doughnut nuggets (and signed my book!) That was also a lovely surprise. So Penguicon was wonderful fun--I wished I had time to make it to all the panels I wanted (esp more Linuxstuff) I liked the Ecotrack with crafty panels, the atmosphere was lovely and it was just a good, good time. I would have loved to see a few more lit panels, but overall, it was a delight.)

(Next time, I am bringing books even if I don't see a signing on the website:/)


I'm glad to have the chance to have so much fun after too many difficult con experiences earlier (Arisia was always fun for me though)--it's also making me open to giving more things a chance.

So, hurrah. Lovely time! Now for the airplane.

Everyday Weirdness has my poem up today-look!

http://everydayweirdness.com/e/20090430/

Yay-I am quite happy.

I will be at Penguicon this weekend! Anyone else going?

I have made habanero amaretto fudge--sweet and a slow hot burn. Wow.

It may very well indeed be made of win.

http://shadesong.livejournal.com/3858440.html

Shadesong and her daughter are raising money--it's so Shadesong's wonderful daughter can go to a fabulous, geek-friendly educational summer program (Explo). There's a wonderful raffle with great prizes and it goes till May 1--get in on it now!

(and no, I don't just mean DC and the DC metro area.)

Got back from a wonderful trip and realized I had to work far more makeup time than I had expected due to a miscalculation. Hence,have felt very cut off from everything, especially online. However, it's getting better.

For now, I'm off to get my hair trimmed and styled which will be a treat.

I had a lovely dinner with friends last night.
(It's still hard to be back here, like it is every time I travel.I try to make it better but still...)

But for now, shampoo and layers and suchlike things.

If I were Eloise, I would have to go live in the Monteleone.