(no subject)

[cleolinda]

So I'm done with my exam. I don't know about the second and third essays, but I do think the first essay, the big compulsory question, is a thing of minor beauty ("Pierre seems to offer no moral instruction, unless it's 'Hey kids, don't marry your sister'").

As for the 15-page essay, I said to hell with it and took an incomplete (a common and casual occurrence in my department; I've had professors say, "I want this to be really good, so if you need extra time, just take the incomplete") rather than go to the exam wrung out over trying to finish it. On one hand, I do not have the pleasure of being done with the stupid thing (which I actually think is going to turn out pretty well). On the other, it felt really, really good to have it put off until January and not have a nervous breakdown right before the exam, so I'm going to have to believe I made the right call on this one.

And then I got home and we had another corporate Christmas basket. And this one was a good one: Godiva cocoa! Ghirardelli chocolates! Tiramisu biscotti! Smoked... salmon? Okay, that's a little Which One of These Things Is Not Like the Other, but we'll manage. Oooo, and more Danish butter cookies. And cheese straws! Cinnamon-roasted cashews! Dried apricots! And some kind of English tea that has bergamot but is apparently not allowed to use the words "Earl" or "Grey"! Sister Girl ran off with the cheese spread and the water crackers, which is fine with me because it means I'm more likely to get the chocolates.

(Speaking of cheese, I just got a spam email with the subject heading Careless cheddar. What, guilty cheese has got no rhythm?)

Also, I think I have finished my Christmas shopping. Well, I do have to buy something for the Dirty Santa game (and I know exactly what to get, but cannot mention it here if I want to maintain the element of surprise). And maybe another something for my mother. And I have a deep foreboding that I have forgotten someone or something. But we've got nearly two weeks until Christmas, so I'm sure I have time to make up for anything I've forgotten. (Cue ominous music.)

(I had a weird dream the other night that I came into the den and my father--who I haven't seen in eight years, and has never stepped foot in the house where I live now--had found the Sofia Coppola Marie Antoinette, the one with the trailer I just linked to the other day, on cable. Yes, even though it's not in theaters yet. We were all--"all"; I get the feeling there were other family members in there as well--like, "Holy shit, we'd better watch this then." And then the rest of the dream was a really weird version of the movie that... didn't really have much to do with the movie at all. I think Marie was eventually dragged off from an 18th-century spa to her doom. I just... I don't know what to make of these dreams sometimes, I'm telling you.)

Tonight (as in, Tuesday night): The original King Kong on Turner Classic Movies and the awful Jeff Bridges/Jessica Lange 1976 remake on AMC, both at 7 pm. I'm thinking it's TCM for the win, here.

From the lovely edda: "Would you mind throwing this: www.bestoftimeclocks.com into the mix? It's my former Intern Lady's new web business and I told her I'd try to give it a nudge out into the great wide 'net. If not, it's not the end of the world. It's basically a huge site for clocks, complete with chimes. *adjusts pimp-hat feather and jeweled cane*" Ooo, the sun clock.

The Mission: Impossible 3 trailer. Wait, Philip Seymour Hoffman is in this? Wow, not caring has totally interfered with my knowledge of this movie.

"I'm still lesbing with Angelina Jolie and you can't stop me!"

Depeche Mode win headlining slot at Coachella fest. Mmm, Depeche Mode.

Man Apologizes After Fake Wikipedia Post . "A man who posted false information on an online encyclopedia linking a prominent journalist to the Kennedy assassinations says he was playing a trick on a co-worker. Brian Chase, 38, ended up resigning from his job and apologizing to John Seigenthaler Sr., the former publisher of the Tennessean newspaper and founding editorial director of USA Today. 'I knew from the news that Mr. Seigenthaler was looking for who did it, and I did it, so I needed to let him know in particular that it wasn't anyone out to get him, that it was done as a joke that went horribly, horribly wrong,' Chase was quoted as saying in Sunday editions of The Tennessean. Chase said he didn't know the free Internet encyclopedia called Wikipedia was used as a serious reference tool."

Comments

[elbales]

That reporter? Is lame.

What on earth is Dirty Santa?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Basically, you bring ornaments, or gag gifts, or whatever you decide on--one gift per attendee, not specifically intended for anyone. The first person chooses and opens a present. The second person chooses and opens a present, and can keep it or force the first person to trade. The third person can keep theirs or force one or two to trade. And so on. The first person, however, is the one who gets the last choice among all the opened gifts, so it's really the best spot to have.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_skye_/]

I just got a spam email with the subject heading Careless cheddar. What, guilty cheese has got no rhythm?
HAHAHAHAHA!!!

You MUST tell us what the Dirty Santa game is!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Man, I thought it was fairly common. Maybe it's a Southern thing: http://www.livejournal.com/users/cleolinda/351031.html?thread=15368247#t15368247

[syneblue.livejournal.com]

the free Internet encyclopedia called Wikipedia was used as a serious reference tool.
?
Oh dear. I mean, I love Wiki, but the words "serious reference tool" do not flash through my brain when I think of it.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

The sad thing, though, is that that's been Wikipedia's whole spiel in the media lately--they can be a serious reference tool, and in theory they'll be even LESS biased than traditional encyclopedias because all kinds of people will have access to the "edit" button. I think the Wikipedia people are new to the internet, or were perhaps born yesterday.

[edda.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU!

Am working on my own CafePress idea still, but my scanner does not do...anything, really. Am going to see if public library has one. *crosses fingers* Or the University, there's that...

Had another idea related to one I told you about. (Unspeakable Evil-related, not holiday-related.) More later.

[skyblade.livejournal.com]

I think Cruise is secretly patronizing Hoffman in the Oscar race in order to get his movie more coverage and pedigree. But then, lo and behold, his plans are conceivably brought down by a straight actor pretending to be a gay man. I'd be mentioning some Irony Gods right now, but the Litigation Gods are a little more ruthless.

[cosmob.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking it's TCM for the win, here.

Actually, 98.42% of the time, it's TCM for the win. Sure, they'll show movies that kind of make me boggle, but, most of the time, TCM is the best thing on.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

All I know is, I checked the listings one night (like, a couple of years ago) and it was that awful Keanu Reeves-Rachel Weisz movie about them being rocket scientists or something. Chain Reaction? Yeah. American Movie Classics: Well, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Goodness - a fifteen page essay! I'm glad I didn't have to write one of those.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, grad school frequently kind of sucks. ; )

[tess0927.livejournal.com]

Coachella is likely to be amazing, if the DM show I saw here in Detroit on the 30th of November was any indication whatsoever.

I feel your pain on the paper - I am in an MA program myself and currently slogging through a 15-page monstronsity on the post-modern construction of gender in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Best of luck with the post-holiday completion.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yikes--good luck to you too.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Your gift-basket listings make me huuuuungry.

Hehe

[ironclad1609.livejournal.com]

I stopped counting how many dreams I had about seeing movies I was looking forward to way ahead of them coming out. Mostly with disappointing results, or a horrible movie theatre or an awful crowd. I can't remember ever being pleased in those dreams...
Speaking of which, with J.J. Abrams in charge I am somewhat excited about M:I 3

[the-bumper-car.livejournal.com]

Hi! You might find the following very interesting.

The awesomest Lost trailer ever. (http://movies.collegehumor.com/items/2005/10/collegehumor.1618980.mpg)

Another guy who's on death row who shouldn't be on it (http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2005/12/travesties_of_t.html)

[trede.livejournal.com]

Since it's the 14th here, happy birthday Cleo.

It's my birthday too. Yay for us. :]

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks! And happy birthday to you!

[princessstarr.livejournal.com]

All I gotta say is mmmGhirardelli. Definitely could use some of that right now.

[this-quiet.livejournal.com]

The former lover? Sounds creepy and slightly stalkerish.

And an early happy birthday from this li'l old reader of yours. =)

Pimp request

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Diane Duane is taking a reader poll to see whether there's a market to self-publish a book that won't get published any other way. The book is a sequel to her first two "cat wizard" books, which haven't sold well. (I personally recommend them to anyone who likes her Young Wizards series, which is set in the same universe.) Duane explains the whole thing on her blog (http://outofambit.blogspot.com/archives/2005_12_01_outofambit_archive.html#113446948274092674), which shows where to indicate interest in the book.

I know I'm not your only minion that enjoys Duane's writing, so I wondered if you'd pass this along.

Re: Pimp request

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

No problem. I've actually talked to her a few times on LJ--I haven't read any of her stuff, but then, I haven't read that copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell I've had for like six months now, so that reflects more on the number of hours in the day than anything. She's been really cool, so I'd be more than happy to help her out.

[missmp.livejournal.com]

The tag "cheese just wants to love you" will have me giggling all day. Thanks!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I started tagging cheese entries because of the original "Cheese just wants to love you" Paris Hilton rant, but I realized that "cheese" didn't quite cut it as a tag. So I went to Tag Management and changed it. : )

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

So since when is wikipedia a serious reference source? I mean any crazy joker like that one can post whatever they want on there and no one would stop them. Except they did this time. And he lost his job. And is probably really reevaluating what was a lame practical joke idea anyway. But anyway, I love wikipedia, but I'd never use it in a research paper.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

See, WE all know that, but Wikipedia management is trying to convince people otherwise.

[snacky]

Hee, I just noticed that I am your mood. :-D

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, I was!

(LUCY!)

[jantalaimon.livejournal.com]

...for the record, i wanna see a tribute act in Vegas called "Lesbing Crosby." :D

[edda.livejournal.com]

*icon love*

[kvschwartz.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the incomplete.

Have a fantabulous birthday tomorrow!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

I had a dream last night that I was taking a final exam and had to write about Rent, and somehow managed to be watching the movie while I wrote the essay, but that led to a disjointed thing because every new scene was new evidence for the essay. The thesis had something to do with "No Day But Today". And the teacher was my high school social studies teacher. And I was in bed taking a final in the gym.

Brokeback Mountain

[dylancole01.livejournal.com]

Saw it late (which I should NEVER do) because this gives my mind permission to torture me by replaying the story over and over again. Once was bad enough (bad in the OMG!! so heartbreaking sense.) So, I was wondering if you were gonna see it?

Re: Brokeback Mountain

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

If it gets here, yeah (our main art theater just closed). If nothing else, it's going to be a major Oscar player, and it needs to be seen. : )

[blackdiamants.livejournal.com]

Corporate Food Basket of the Gods! What? No ambrosia?

And that last paragraph was entirely too alarming. My father's name is Brain Chase (on occasion O.o), but he's in his forties. No matter, I haven't seen him for a decade.

Gift Exchange!

[tony-pius.livejournal.com]

I worked at a game company for a decade, and the gift exchange was the best part of the annual Christmas party. We always had a cap (usually about $20, and not always observed) on the dollar amount of the presents, and we evolved this set of rules:

Everyone chooses a number from a hat.
Person #1 takes a gift from the table, opens it, and exhibits it.
Person #2 can open a fresh gift or steal the open gift. If your gift is stolen, you may steal an open gift or open a fresh one. Therefore, every round ends with someone going to the table.

No gift could be stolen twice in the same round, and a gift that moved for the third time was "locked" and not eligible to be stolen. This last rule meant that the best numbers were in the 1/2 to 2/3rds area, because a lot of good gifts were open and some of them had already moved once or (better) twice.

Then, since it's a company full of gamers, you had constant negotiation. "You're number 19? I'm number 18. You want the Seinfeld DVDs that have already moved once? OK, I'll steal them on my turn so then you can lock them on your turn, but you have to buy me a beer the next time the waitress comes around." "Done!"

[koritsimou.livejournal.com]

(Speaking of cheese, I just got a spam email with the subject heading Careless cheddar. What, guilty cheese has got no rhythm?)


Best. Reference. Ever. And now it's in my head, because I love that song.

Also, a very Happy Early Birthday, to you, to you!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thank you!