( Comments later but for the moment, these screencaps must speak for themselves )

( Dancing... outtakes )

This video makes me cry and cry, but you know from love and stuff

( Where The Hell Is Matt? )

Afternoon coma due to (euphemism for menstruation). Dream included many top favorites: Being chased. Being chased by wild animals. Being chased by wild animals, one of whom is a wolverine, in front of a massive crowd inside agiant arena whose floor is divided up with chain-link fence set up like a maze that led to a giant swimming pool full of sharks and people with chainsaws (I"M NOT EVEN KIDDING). Other highlights -- being chased by murderous giants, people plotting to have me and my dream family killed, trying to escape on top of a moving truck only to blunder back into the place I was trying to escape from and for the finale, watching one of my fellow escapees who had fallen into the shark pool, emerge, minus one leg and fountaining blood, riding half a shark with a motor shoved into its backside, into the warehouse office of our evil employers and murdering them all with her chainsaw and gun. Good times, brain, good times.

When I mentioned being excited about seeing Valdy at the Vancouver Island Music Festival, a certain person who shall remain harriet_spy accused me of being a hippy. I denied it -- partly because I am naturally contrary and partly because I just never conflated folk music and hippies in my imagination. Which is, you know, kind of odd, considering. *g*

Anyway, it turns out that folk music and hippies kind of go together in the way chickens and eggs, and I, it seems, am one of them. There is photographic evidence and there is a sarong involved.

The VIMF was amazing and I got to cross a couple of biggies off the life list, like seeing Earl Scruggs play Earl's Blues live, hearing the Wailers play No, Woman, No Cry while standing in a field at midnight with 5000 people under a starry sky.

Also, at the smaller, more intimate stages I got to see Bela Fleck perform again, twice; watched 6 banjo masters take my favorite instrument through its paces: African banjo, Chinese banjo, Jazz, Western European classical, and North American traditional banjo. Got to hear a raga played on an instrument that is a kind of slide sitar and actually had a raga explained to me! Went to a Gaelic singing workshop where I learned about waulking songs and peabroch (<-- afficionados, feel free to add all the other letters), heard some spoken word songs, got to see Valdy be, you know, Valdy.

The most amazing performances, however, belonged to a young blues singer from New Brunswick, Matt Anderson. We first heard Matt do a cover of Ain't No Sunshine. He's such a dirty guitar player, and his voice is -- if Janis Joplin were a 6'6", 400 lb, twentysomething guy from the Maritimes, she would sound like this. The audience basically flipped out. A buzz started. Matt's albums sold out at the cd tent. During his solo concert the next day, other performers started showing up. Sitting in the blazing afternoon sun, under a blue cloudless sun, I kept getting shivers. He is that good. Don't know if his albums match up to his live performance, but *man*.

Another highlight was getting to chat with various amazing people in the audience or parking lot or near the food vendors. We were fortunate enough on the first night to sit behind the guy who was in charge of transportation and his friend, a professional musician. They knew many of the performers and had been to many festivals and so we got to hear a lot of stories and gossip and behind the scenes stuff. We also got to have a chat with Spider and Jeanne Robinson, who we haven't seen in ten freaking years and who are largely responsible for Mr. Spike and I meeting. Mr. S. got to meet Valdy (I was off buying cds!) and also Enoch Kent, a singer from Glasgow, whose wife mistook Mr. Spike for Matt Anderson. *g*

We also spent some time wandering around Courtney, which is a nice small town with a really GOOD bakery. The weather was perfect, Mr. Spike and I were both relaxed and happy, stress was at a minimum and my period waited until Monday to arrive. Really, really good vacation!!!

I will be away until Monday at the Vancouver Island Music Festival and so will miss the SGA premiere, but if you want to see what I thought, you can look here.

You know, I have mostly had a lot of respect for the Canadian military. Yes, like any large group of people with guns it has its potential to do great harm, but mostly we seem to try not to. And now I am very pleased and proud to see that gay soldiers here are not only enouraged to come out, but that the gay community is actively being recruited.

link via wonderbadger

Have you seen this?

( The first teaser for Joss Whedon's internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, with Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion. [imdb] )

Never question me again! (note: it is not my fault there were no questions relating to the use of commas or sentence fragments)

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test ...

English Genius

You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 100% Expert!
You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Share this test with your friends! OR DIE!!!

http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-commonly-confused-words-test

OH MY GOD PEOPLE

IT'S KOL-YA.

KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA KOLYA

KOL. YA.

ETA: This is NOT a spoiler post for S5

Is anyone interested in podficcing any of my fic? I am screening replies to avoid the massive humiliation of no one answering at all. If anyone *is* interested, I'd be very pleased to have it done -- leave an email address so I can contact you with my delighted squeals.

I just want you all to know that every time I see a post of how close you are to finishing your ginormous SGA fic, I get ridiculously excited. FIC!

OMG STOP FINDING FEET!!!!!!

SGA Blooper Reel -- the real one! pointed out by sheafrotherdon

The set visit of the woman who won lunch with Joe Flanigan (w. bonus David Hewlett).

SGA! SGA! SGA! SGA! SGA! SGA! SGA! SGA!

( stupid dream image won't leave my head, trying to purge it via writing, no need to read. )

So, basically I live in a suburb that is no longer on the edge of wilderness. As more of the habitat is developed, more bears end up wandering through the parks and backyards and trails. Black bears (a couple of yearlings) have recently been seen wandering through the space between our neighbours house and ours. Also different black bears (mother and cubs) have been seen in two locations nearby. Since I'm on foot (or on a bike) most of the time and my route to work involves a very nice trail that goes through a little patch of wilderness, I've become more concerned about encountering black bears in a place with no immediate retreat.

Here is my current plan.
1) I will buy a set of bear bells (lately I've been shaking my keys and singing aloud but that feels inadequate somehow) in order to give advance warning to the bears.
2) should the bear bells fail me and I actually see a bear I will back a way slowly, speaking in a low calm voice to identify myself as a human.
3) if the bear follows me or bluff charges I will probably FILL MY PANTIES, while at the same time making myself look big and, talking in a loud, firm voice, tell the bear to go away.
4) if the bear attacks I will yell: "That's my purse!" and kick it in the nuts. Er, I mean I will fight it off with everything I have.

I won't carry bearspray because I'm more likely to shoot myself in the face with it or use it as contact lens cleaner than actually use it effectively on the bear.

Also, you are all very creative in the 'this will save your life' department and therefore you are all FIRED!!!!

Poll #1205726 BEARS!!!!
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

If you encounter a black bear while walking on a trail, you should...

When addressing a black bear you have encountered on the trail you should...?

If the bear doesn't leave you should...?

My bear cred:

This will save your life in a black bear encounter

swiped from slodwick:

You are in a mall when the zombies attack. You have:
1. one weapon.
2. one song blasting on the speakers.
3. one famous person to fight alongside you.

* Weapon can be real or fictional; you may assume endless ammo if applicable. Person can be real or fictional.

1. 17 lb sledgehammer
2. Cobrastyle by the Teddybears featuring Mad Cobra link is to video
3. Ronon Dex

So, both debchan and Jflan turned up at my birthday party last night. It was amazingly fun. Debchan had become insanely successful in some obscure internet-related field and we were all a little in awe of her. Jflan had been invited as a special guest but as usual I was too shy to approach him. I was pleased enough that he joined the immense conga line of people that ran through the whole house, upstairs and down as it was one of those magical conga lines where he kept getting closer to me and debchan every round.

Hey debchan! Apparently my brain really misses you! (me too. *g*)

PS: it's nowhere near my birthday. I think my brain is trying to distract me from upcoming dental surgery. GO BRAIN BO!

Monster's Den: Book of Dread

"Monsters' Den: The Book of Dread is Flash RPG of extraordinary depth. It is essentially a turn-based, tactical dungeon crawl, and it understands your insatiable clawing lust for magical super-trinkets. If the promise of powerful enchanted do-dads gets your blood pumping even a little bit, then Monsters' Den will have its generous claws in you for quite a while." -- Jay Is Games

It's like a pretty version of Dungeon Hack.

Oh, and how come no one told me there was a Virtual Villager's 3???