Mummimamma's kitchen

( Your daily kittenbreak, LJ Cut. )

Went to bed at four-thirty, woke up wired at eight-thirty. I'm sick with exhaustion, aching everywhere, and I'm starting to consider sleeping pills if they'd make it possible for me to sleep in the mornings.

During last night's Exalted session Noriko pulled the least subtle theft ever, involving a martial arts roll and a specialization in "while half naked" to appear to get pummeled in order to steal a document from plain sight. He then proceeded to step right into the Emissary's office, lie badly, talk back, and walk out of there alive.

The fact that the Emissary didn't kill him overshadows just about anything else that happened last night, up to and including taking control of a first age tower in central Nexus and sort of accidentally announcing our presence there to the rest of the town with a spectacular light show visible for miles and miles. If nothing else, we're getting good at keeping the Illuminated Cult busy and drawing (unwanted?) attention to ourselves.

I am sick of seeing gleeful posts about Haider's death. His views have not died with him, and he leaves behind a family who loved him, just like anyone else would. No-one gains, and those posts make us the losers, not people like him.

Taking a short break from my diet of Cybils-only literature to read and review a few last books. Because they're due back to the library. I promise I'll be good from now on!

Perfect by Natasha Friend

Isabelle wants to be anywhere but where she is right now. Where she is is in Group--group therapy. Which is where she got sent after her annoying little sister April (otherwise known as Ape Face) caught her throwing up her dinner in the bathroom, and refused to be bribed into silence.

Isabelle may be in Group, but she doesn't think she has a problem. She's only thrown up a few times. Okay, only a lot of times. But it's her way of coping with the sudden death of her father. Grief isn't allowed her in her house--her mother cries behind closed doors, and her little sister just gets brattier. None of them could possibly understand how sad she feels.

And then Ashley Barnum walks in to Group. Pretty, perfect Ashley Barnum--queen of the eight grade. She's everything Isabelle's always wanted to be--and now she's sitting next to her in therapy.

As Isabelle and Ashley become friends, and Isabelle starts to think about her bulimia, her family and her life, she begins to realize that maybe perfect isn't what she always thought it was.

This book starts off feeling like an after-school special. You know the type--a bulimic girl bonds with the most popular girl in school over shared vomiting experiences, and then the two of them push each other further and further into the deepest depths of the eating disorder. I actually think I watched that one in high school on Health Day.

But then it blossoms into something deeper and better. When Isabelle starts saying no to Ashley, and the place their friendship goes after that. Isabelle's relationship with her little sister April, and the very real, noncliche form their mother's (and their own) grief takes. It's a book that feels rough, and a little bit painful, and sometimes a little too honest--in other words, real.

------------------------------------

How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mylnowski

Jesse, Vicks and Mel are on the road. They’re going to Miami—or more importantly, they’re getting out of Niceville, Florida, where nothing ever happens. They are as different as can be—Vicks, the devil-may-care girl whose boyfriend hasn’t called once in the two weeks since he went off to college. Mel, the rich girl who just wants to be liked, and Jesse, the trailer-dwelling Christianpants who just learned some life-altering bad news.

They have three days, one ancient car, a fifteen-year-old guidebook called Fantastical Florida, and a plan. By the time the trip is over, they’ll have run out on a toll, picked up a hitchhiker, met a cute guy, seen the world’s smallest police station, have a run-in with an alligator (or two) and their friendship will be changed forever.

There is nothing bad about a good road trip book. And this is a very good road trip book. It has all the trappings of a perfect road trip—three very different friends, thrown together for the ride, the crappy car, the road food, the stopovers, the catastrophes, and the memories. Told in alternating voices of the three girls, it’s easy to get lost in this breezy story. My only quibble is that I wanted a little more from all three girls. A little more depth, a little more resolution—especially for Mel—but that’s just because it’s so much fun I wanted more.


------------------------------------

She's So Money by Cherry Cheva

Maya’s life is so busy it’s ridiculous. Between trying to keep her grades high enough for Stanford to offer her a scholarship, working at her parents’ restaurant every night after school and working in the tutoring center, she barely has a moment to herself. But after she makes a disastrous mistake that could bring down the restaurant unless she comes up with a lot of money—and fast—Maya finds herself getting sucked into a plan that’s so evil it just might work.

Together with Camden King, popular guy and all around hottie, Maya starts a for-profit cheating ring. If does homework for enough rich kids, she just may be able to save her family’s restaurant, without her parents ever being the wiser. But as the homework piles on and the stakes get higher, Maya begins to buckle under the pressure. Can she keep up with the piles of homework? Can she make enough money under the table to save her family restaurant—and her butt? And most importantly, will they get caught?

The most immediately appealing thing about this book is Maya’s funny, sassy, voice. She’s a great heroine—smart and geeky, but also sarcastic and sassy. I also loved how Cheva doesn’t demonize the popular crew. Aside from Camden, who obviously gets humanized, the other popular kids are mocked, but not demonized, which is refreshing.

Less refreshing is the entirely stock, one-note nature of Maya’s geek friends and her little brother. They’re all very generic and uninteresting, which is a shame.

Overall, this is a fun, fast, but not overly remarkable teen read.

A friend of mine is looking to start up an online business and needs some ideas on how to design her website. So, here's my question: What are you favorite websites? Business sites of some sort are preferable, but any site that is fun or awesome to look at will do.

Thanks in advance!

Some guy wants to hook up with me to let their flat. I responded to their advert on gumtree which has since myseteriously disappeared.

only...
( Read more... )

at what point do you need to say to someone.. how stupid do you think I am?

Do you habitually do something that REALLY irritates you?

( My answer is back here. )

http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/to/~3/dvPFTAfyOE4/article.pl

http://rateyourstudents.blogspot.com/2008/10/nicholas-nothaughty-from-norfolk-doth.html

Truly, I am not an arrogant person. I really am fairly humble. And I'm not being ironic. I went to grad school because I, quite simply, wanted to learn more about my discipline. I finsihed my program on time, passed my defense, and am now out on the job market. (The latter of those three only bolsters my humility, considering that I have yet to land a job.)

I do teach as an adjunct, and even in my teaching, I remain humble. I truly believe that I can learn from my students, and I look forward to class becuase I consider it one of the most thought-provoking parts of my day.

I list myself as Dr. Nothaughty on the top of my syllabus, and when I introduce myself to my students, I tend to call myself either Dr. Nothaughty or Professor Nothaughty. However, despite all of that, I still get students--semester after semester--who address me as Mr. Nothaughty.

And my blood bolis every time that they do that. Since I work in a "hip" department, where so many professors like to be called by their first names, I feel like quite a prick demanding that my students address me as Doctor or Professor; in fact I never do that. But honestly, if I've earned anything it's the titular distinction that comes with having a Ph.D., and I want my students to recognize that. I'm not looking for fame and glory. I just want to be addressed as professor. How can I make my lovely students realize that they should address me as such, without sounding like an arrogant ass?

I have a friend who was acting really pissy and passive-aggressive tonight (over text). I'm rather frustrated with her. Would it be at all productive to talk to her about this? If so, how can I express it without sounding like a hugely overbearing bitch?

I took one jog around the park and my lungs were busting and I had to stop twice. I'm not this bad. I used to have such good stamina.

Now that fasting season is over, i'm on a mission to go and get my body back. I can feel the pinch in my joints already.

I want to do something really adventurous and active this summer which requires me to be in shape. Climb a mountain maybe. suggestions?

"Touch the cheetos again and I will disembowel you with this tiny plastic fork."

http://feeds.theonion.com/~r/theonion/weekly/~3/418297215/historical_archives_facial

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/historical_archives_facial?utm_source=onion_rss_daily

Woman, look again as twelve years of age! At last, FACIAL CORSETS for LADIES make slender and comely the Woman's Face, pushing up and accentuating...

Someone just broke an outer pane on the french doors at my place. I'm guessing there's no "compensating people for the problems caused by importing thousand of drunken tourists" fund, too.

What is there to do in Atlantic City (besides gambling)?

I'm going to be there for a weekend two Saturdays from now and need ideas.

Mind you I'm traveling with my mother, so no strip clubs.

So this is random, and probably more because I need to say it/type it before I get irrational (Or more so).

Background of question:
I have been seeing said guy for almost 7 months. The first six were not seriously, but we werent seeing other people. I wanted something more serious, and he didnt want it, so I stopped all the fun stuff. No kissing, no touching inappropriately, NADA (because I do care about him quite a bit and its not fair to myself). A few weeks ago, HE (note the HE) decided we should be together. I was ecstatic, but have been cautious - not sure what to believe- so i have been taking it slowly. When we were less than bf/gf we saw each other 4-6 days a week, slept at each others houses constantly, and talked every day. SINCE the day we got together (3 weeks ago) I have seen him TWICE, we have talked no more than 10 times (all very briefly) and it seems as though he won't give me the time of day. I have a lot going on in my life and this is the last thing I need to deal with, a man who is hot and cold.

Question: So the Question is: I've been dying to talk to him all day, do I send a "not meant for him" text that I previously sent to a friend and feel it explains exactly how I feel? I've tried calling him, (not all today, but spread out over the last week) and we haen't been able to get to that point in a conversation. (Which is really weird for us).

The text would say "It just seemed like he wanted to be with me. Theres no other way to define how he acted and what he said. I waited SO long to see if he wanted to be with me. Now I'm Kicking myself."

Another good source of links and information.

• 11:24 McCain forced to defend Obama at his own rallies to boos and groans: tinyurl.com/3my9jf #
• 16:13 Looks like I might be moving back to Georgia. Hmm... #

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http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/19160

We have the winners to our Henry Jaglom contest. Thanks to everyone who sent in cool film facts. Here are three that I selected randomly.

Dave said: Raiders of the Lost Ark - In the famous scene with the swordsman, an elaborate and complex fight was planned with Indy only using his whip to beat the villain. Harrison Ford was suffering from a nasty flu and after a long day of retakes, finally suggested the adlibbed scene where he just pulls his gun and shoots the guy.

Marty said: Martin Scorsese appears in all his films.

Joseph said: This is also not really a secret, but definitely cool. M. Night Shamylan likes to play with visual effects in his movies. In the 6th sense, every time there is a scene with a ghost, there is something bright red in the scene…Balloon, sweater, tent etc…..In Unbreakable, whenever Samuel L Jackson’s character Mr. Glass is in the scene, there is a vivid purple color….gift wrap, carpet, jacket liner….and finally in The Village, the whole red/yellow color thing.

Guys, we’ll be in touch shortly and tell you how to download your films off iTunes.

Hey guys, i was wondering if it's ok to run this software on Windows XP? I got a game (Hover) on my computer already, and it works fine. I just want to be sure. so i don't waste my money. It's just my most fave game of the past, and i'd like to have it back. :) thanks!!

I remember my dreams every single morning, plausibly because I wake up to get a drink every night and interrupt them. I've been told that's why.

Does anyone else remember their dreams this frequently?

Also, do you place any stock in dream premonitions? or whatever.

( My answer... )

http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/to/~3/IyRt3XRgGkk/article.pl

The "Knight Rider" theme (original version; haven't seen the new one, don't intend to) and that Nancy Sinatra Cher "Bang bang, he shot me down" song are the same.

I'm thinking that some personal budgetting/bookeeping software to help keep things in line. Does anyone here use anything of the sort? What do you use and what do you like and dislike about it?

Secondary question: anyone else having to hold back from asking a million questions tonight or is it just me? lol

Would you be able to get into a novel using things like zodiac astrology, palmistry, and elemental personality typing as major plot points, or would it be too hokey?

(Preparing for novel in November, can you tell?)

Hey there everyone. Wynter and I and my 2 little monsters, meaning kids, smile will be moving to Vancouver BC next year and I was wondering if there are any of you in the BC area?

I don't know BC and having some friends there would be nice. One can only talk to their dog so much, lol.

Boy, this will be a scary new move but definitely looking for to it.

this is just a rant.

today i went to the baby shower of an old high school friend. this is her second child, her first being born by emergency c section...so of COURSE this one is being scheduled...she got to pick the day and everything! yay!

another pregnant woman was there as well with her one year old son. she is due in about a month, but since her son came 12 days early, they're just going to induce this one 12 days early too...why not?!

i didnt say anything.

also, someone who's blog i read was talking about how she had to spend the last five days alone w/ her 3 month old son and how hard it was...and when her husband returns from his trip, they're buying a stash of formula and some bottles and she's going to sit by the pool for two days....

sometimes i just feel like im the only one in my set that feels the way i do about pregnancy and birth and thereafter...

sigh.

What advice would you give to a girl (19 years old, if it matters) who's never been in a relationship before? Mostly due to her acting uninterested (even when she was, and it just happened like that and she couldn't help it) in guys when they expressed interest, if it matters. Can you tell I'm not an English major? Can't articulate well.

I need to post more pictures of my boy here as he grows. He's 10 months old now, which means time really does fly.

For those of you that don't know Zoran, he's my Slovak import GSD I got for protection training. Right now his sire is running the gauntlet at WUSV. I'm really proud of my boy, his breeders and his parents. Can you tell I like to brag about him?

Anyway. Here's some pictures of the crazy pup.

There is also two images of Moki, our rescue who is extremely bonded to Zoran. Both are amazing dogs and I don't know what I'd do without either of them.

( Zoran Fo Foran )

Cecil castelluci & t_windling have been telling us how wonderful title of show is, so we finally went to see it on Broadway tonight before it closes tomorrow.

My second-favorite line (also the title of a song)? I'd rather be nine people's favorite thing than a hundred people's ninth favorite thing.

But the hands down winning number for all creative people - and you should paste the lyrics to your desktop and also download the original cast recording from iTunes (and if you know some cool way to do this without making sure that the writers, performers and producers get your 99 cents, well, OK, then) for the soundtrack to your worst moments - is DIE, VAMPIRE, DIE! in which Susan lists all the vampires "that stand between you and your creative self- expression," ending with everyone's favorite:

The last vampire is the mother of all vampires, and that is the vampire of despair.
It’ll wake you up at 4am to say things like:
'Who do you think you’re kidding?'
'You look like a fool.'
'No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be good enough.'
Why is it that if some dude walked up to me on the subway platform
and said these things, I’d think he was a mentally ill asshole,
but if the vampire inside my head says it,
It’s the voice of reason?

Why, indeed?

DIE, VAMPIRE, DIE!!!!

A ton of high school (college?) kids seem to have adopted this song as their anthem, and posted their own versions on YouTube. I want to watch them all!!! And, OK, yeah, the cast recording seems to be on YouTube as well. Hmph.

I bet deliasherman is blogging this right now, too. But I bet she doesn't tell you she had tears running down her face by the end of the song.

My computer crashed today and I lost everything. Is there any way to backup my ipod for free? I had copypod but apparently once you buy it, it's not yours forever. Halp!

I tried to google this, but I just kept getting "Oedipus complex...parent of the opposite sex" results...so, what is the "opposite" of the Oedipus complex*? I.e., when a child (usually as a teenager) starts to see their parent(s) not so much as demigods but as fallible beings and rebel, etc.? Is there a term for this?

* - I don't think Oedipus complex is exactly the right term, but it's somewhat close...?

The one announcer on the Florida/LSU game is rather annoying I muted it and turned on some Rie fu. Is it strange that I'm singing along to a song half in Japanese and half in English while watching football at home by myself? Yeah, don't answer that. ~_^

I did nothing today, except I did manage to clean the kitchen after I made lunch. I really am going to write something tonight though, I just don't know what.

http://drawn.ca/2008/10/11/springfield-punx-pop-culture-favourites-as-simpsons-characters/

http://drawn.ca/?p=5630

Dean Fraser’s been reimagining some of his favourite superheroes, 80s cartoon characters, and pop culture icons as pitch-perfect Simpsons characters: Springfield Punx. This month it’s all Marvel heroes, but some of my favourites are the real-life actors like The Office’s Dwight seen here, or Arrested Development’s Tobias.

(via)

Related posts:
The Simpsonzu
Battlestar Simpsonica

What's the job you always kinda wanted to do but kinda haven't at the same time? What holds you back?

Me: stripper. The commute I'd have to do as well as self esteem issues.

i just got a dvd burner....
what is a good program to use to burn dvds

(something free, if possible)

thanks!

Why are you trying so hard to fit it, when you're born to stand out?

http://feeds.theonion.com/~r/theonion/weekly/~3/418134800/infomercial_makes_leap_to

http://www.theonion.com/content/radio_news/infomercial_makes_leap_to?utm_source=onion_rss_daily

Onion Radio News - with Doyle Redland

For those of you with a SO, or in long term relationship...

Can you recall the first time you realized you "liked" your SO?
What about the first time you realized you were in love?

I remember both, but my other half does not.

http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/to/~3/pKaRo-u6Brg/article.pl

What's your go-to Monopoly piece? Just how imperative is it that you play with that piece and not something else?

I was always quite partial to the dog, since HI, vet in the making here, and if I ever played with the teeny-tiny iron, I got sent to jail so much I still refuse to use it. Yes, I'm superstitious like that.

Today we had the annual Blessing of Animals in celebration of St. Francis' feast day at Mission San Luis. Now, I'm aware that St. Francis' day was actually a week ago Saturday -- 10/4 -- but the reason for MSL's late scheduling of the event was deliberately calculated. It seems that last year, when they held the Blessing close to the actual saint's day, that day coincided with an FSU home game that was taking place in the afternoon. We had iffy weather, and many people were at the football game, and so we had a rather paltry turnout. But this year the football schedule was checked, and our event scheduled on a Saturday where the home team is playing in the evening, and therefore people are looking to find something to do in the afternoon before the game. We also had beautiful weather this year, and so the official numbers of attendees came to somewhere around 500. Excellent!

So we had the place all gussied up, there was music and dancing, everyone was wearing their nicest historical duds, and there were all manner of animals around to be seen, petted and blessed. Because the MSL interpreters were told that the food being donated was primarily for the volunteers, we all brought in stuff to tide us over...and so there was actually a good lot of food to be had in spite of a perceived lack.

Now it's later in the day, and Peire & I are home crashing, for the most part. We had spunkymelos over to join us for a nice spaghetti & meatballs dinner, but now we're being couch potatoes. I'm so glad our weekend has come!

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/19159

In 1566, the Swiss artist Tobias Stimmer (1539-1584) was commissioned to adorn the Haus zum Ritter (Knight’s House) in Schauffhausen with frescoes. Today, the Haus zum Ritter’s frescoes are considered the “best preserved Renaissance frescoes north of the Alps.” A bit about the frescoes and Stimmer:

1. The frescoes on Haus zum Ritter cover a wide range of themes, ranging from the virtues of Swiss knights to portraits of the owner (Hans von Waldkirch, a knight) and the artist himself. Also included are allegories of the virtues maintained by the State and the Church; mythology, including Apollo, Daphne, and Odysseus; self-sacrificing love; and female virtue and male steadfastness.

2. Tobias Stimmer was one of 11 children of Christoph Stimmer, who was not only a schoolmaster but also a well-regarded painter, calligrapher, and bookbinder. At least five of the other Stimmer sons also became artists.

3. Haus zum Ritter was built in 1492 and was originally two individual medieval manor houses. When Hans von Waldkirch rebuilt Haus zum Ritter in 1566, he added on the upper floors. Stimmer spent between two and three years covering the façade of Haus zum Ritter with his frescoes.

4. Though Stimmer was an artist by trade, producing woodcuts for book illustrations, he was also a writer. He authored a comedy in 1580 that “portrays the misunderstandings that arise when a wife plans to seek a lover during her husband’s absence.” The comedy, titled Comoedia von zweien jungen eeleuten, wie sey sich in fürfallender reiss beiderseitz verhalten, is usually just known as Von zwei Eheleuten.

5. Stimmer’s original frescoes were removed from Haus zum Ritter in 1935 and were replaced with reproductions by Carl Roesch. The badly damaged originals are now on display in the Museum zu Allerheiligen (All Saints Museum).

A larger version of the photograph of Haus von Zimmer is available here.

Fans should check out this archive of Haus zum Ritter images.

“Feel Art Again” appears every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You can e-mail us at feelartagain@gmail.com with artist suggestions or details of current exhibitions.

What do YOU think George Lopez means when he says, "Watcha"?

What bothers me about this election is what bothers me about all elections – the feeling that one of the deciding factors for many voters is which candidate can lay claim to the mantle of “The Average American”. I am the 'average' American, I am (though I loathe this term and will probably never forgive Palin for making it so popular) 'Joe Sixpack', and while I like myself a lot, and I think I'm pretty smart, I don't want someone like me in the White House. Why are people voting for the candidate they want to have a beer with? The candidate who shops at the same stores they do? When did average become something we want in the person who will lead our country? Why is this the quality so many voters are asking for?

I don't want average, I don't want anyone close to average. I want the smartest guy in the room. I want someone with both depth and breadth of knowledge. I want both a strategist and tactician. I want someone who considers the long-term. I want someone capable of consideration. I don't want someone who only looks the big picture and ignores the details. I don't want someone who thinks in bullet points and twenty-second soundbites. I don't want Joe Sixpack to lead my country. When we're at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, when our financial system is in the middle of a crisis - when, in short, we are living in the real world - I don't want someone average in the White House. I don't want someone average anywhere near that office. I want better than average. Why is being average – or at least being thought of as average – a good thing in a politician? in a Senator, or a President, or a Governor? If I'm going to hand over the keys to the kingdom, I'm not giving them to motherfucking Joe Sixpack. I don't want to take the low road. I want the smartest guy in the room. I don't care if he's black, white, hispanic, filipino or blue. I don't care if he's a she, I don't care if he's gay, I don't care if he's married or divorced, I don't care if he's a hockey mom, or the son of blue collar parents. I don't care if he grew up in Hawaii or Indonesia or Kansas. I don't care if he owns seven houses or twenty-seven. I don't care if he's catholic, protestant, mormon, jewish or islamic, I want the smartest guy in the room. I want the best America has to offer. Not the average.

Elections shouldn't be decided on who you'd like to sit down and have a beer with, elections should be decided on issues. What kind of choices will the next guy make? What kind of people will they put in charge of the State Department? Of Treasury? Who will they choose as their advisers? What are their positions on the issues that matter to you? That's what you think about before you vote. That's how we ought to decide. Average isn't something we should strive for in a President.