Cleolinda everywhere

I am not doing so well today. Well--it's funny, I actually feel really good in writing/working terms. Even though the recap of the new Twilight book ate up two days of my life, I feel a sense of accomplishment akin to the glow you get from a really good workout. I feel limber, in other words. Which is good for getting back to gainful employment. I'm having ideas for a fresh round of novel (re)drafting, I'm moving pretty steadily on organizing links for the Vampires footnotes--and I have a slight tingle in my scalp, which makes me wonder if I'm entering a pleasantly hypomanic phase of productivity. The problem is just that my stomach is really, really upset, and I feel really nervous, but I don't know why. Actually, this might also support the hypomania hypothesis, now that I think about it. I am also super, super behind on Google Reader, Tumblr, LJ, email--pretty much everything you can think of, and also, Twitter is fussy today. And I depend on Twitter--LJ is still my base of operations, but Twitter is a very quick, easy way to keep up with news and friends when you don't have a lot of time to spare. GET IT TOGETHER, PEOPLE.

( Breaking news )

On a more positive note, brainchild129 writes that a friend of hers is working with the Peace Corps in Niger, and they're trying to raise $1200 for a goat microfinance program, which is probably the most awesome combination of words I will hear today--that is to say, a program that helps Nigerien women learn business and teamwork skills and earn income of their own, by raising goats. Go to the link if you're interested in helping out.

Two things first:

1) After a few nights of feverish procrastination copypasta coding, I finally have a Secret Life of Dolls read-through for you. You can jump in anywhere you want and, by means of hitting "next" or "previous" as you wish, read the entire saga from beginning to end or end to beginning. That's all you right there.

2) Trufax:

@cleolinda: Okay, since at least six people will have my back: the best song from any Grease movie. Yes it is. YES, IT IS. http://tinyurl.com/dfu6w4
@cleolinda: Yes, that is Michelle Pfeiffer riding a ladder. I think this argument is done.

( Linkspam )

First off, dollish news: Freakishly Lifelike Joker (With Extra Police Uniform) is available for pre-order and a January release! If you do want this, you may want to reserve yours now, because I think the previous version completely sold out.

THE LITTLEST BELLA IS IMMINENT. (Scroll to the end.) I am advised that she will be shipping next week, in fact. I think it'll take me a few entries to work her in, as I started planning for the worst (JULY, WTF), but I can adjust the story pretty quickly. (As previously mentioned, any and all spare Littlest Edwards will be used as doubles. I did the sorta-twin thing once; I don't think I can manage it again.)

MOAR DOLLS: My Little Ponies that might actually taste like candy; Tonner Warehouse Relocation Sale in NY; I have two things to say about the latest repaint here, and they are: 1) This is a very talented artist. 2) That shit ain't right. I don't even want to contemplate what the eventual owner might do with that.

A note about links to movie parodies, video and otherwise: I wanted to do Watchmen in Fifteen Minutes, but I never did because when I sat down, I just couldn't think of anything to say. And several weeks later, I realized it was because I had seen two or three really funny takes on the original book... so when I sat down to write, all that came to mind were their jokes. So from now on, I might link to parodies of movies I plan on writing about in the future if I happen to see them (the movie sites I watch often post them), but only for y'all to see them--if you specifically want me to watch them, well... it's not going to happen. I'm talking about parodies of things like X-Men/Wolverine, Star Trek, Terminator--all the summer movies, whichever if any I end up trying to write about, but also stuff later in the year. I mean, I'm sure parodists will eventually switch over from Twilight to New Moon, and I won't be able to look at those either. I barely look at them now, even the ones I link.

(I remember that I said to someone once that I couldn't read other people's parodies if I hadn't written my own yet, and whoever it was got really huffy about all the things I was "missing out on." You know what? If it's the only way I can keep doing my own thing, I'm pretty sure I'm okay with that sacrifice.)

( ACTUAL LINKSPAM )

More fun in the mail! I don't know who sent me the key pendant, but I LOVE IT.

(I always love things people send in the mail, and thank you so much--I just wanted to make it clear that I don't usually post about things unless I'm trying to figure out who sent it, not because I didn't like it. I just don't want it to turn into, you know, Send Cleo Presents and Buy a Shoutout on Her Journal.)

(Although I do want to mention a glittery Christmas card from Chesh: "Just pretend the snowmen are vampires sparkling in the sunlight. They feed on snowballs.")

Re: Official SKIN OF A KILLER Glitter: ( Pillowcases? Really? )

Oh, and I wanted to mention/recommend this--every year, I get a Kinuko Craft calendar because I love her artwork. (I have already secured 2009's, because apparently I am doomed to know every single thing I am getting for birthday and Christmas, to the point where my mother and aunt and grandmother sat around in my grandmother's kitchen and sorted out who would give me what when. While I was sitting there in front of them. "Would you rather have Prince Caspian for birthday or Christmas?" "OMG STOP IT!!") So... consider it rec'd.

Also, a link request: A write-in campaign to protest the whitewash casting of 'The Last Airbender.'

( More linkspam )

The tree is up! And Sister Girl and her boyfriend are coming over to help decorate it tonight! Thus, linkspam will be early.

Oh, and I had a request to syndicate my ever-so-scintillating Twitter feed, so... here it is: cleotwitter. (Deeply fascinating sample Twit: "Aaaaand the new Britney song has eaten my brain. Well, it's not like Twilight left me with all that much of one anyway.")

From punzerel: "urbanfictions is pledging to donate 100% of her etsy proceeds in the next week to UNICEF, specifically for emergency relief of the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe. She has some very cool items (check out the doorknob hangers, especially) which would make awesome stocking stuffers or gifts. Would you be willing to post a link in your next linkspam post? Her post here has all the information plus a link to her shop. Thank you!"

Sci-fi’s grand old man Forrest J. Ackerman dies.

( More linkspam )

Welcome to the big time, baby.

( Stewart sparks up, pie-eating on Tyra, Jacob to be recast? )

And finally, the news (well, speculation) I think y'all really want: Could Twilight’s Success Pave the Way for a New Buffy Movie?

Meanwhile, we're just going with the choicest linkspam of, oh, the last umpteen days I didn't post: ( Regular linkspam )

Ah, my eyelid twitch is returning.

And yes, in case you missed the previous entry: "OME" really does stand for "Oh my Edward." Like, not "OMG"... OME. I'm not making it up (am I ever making it up?).

There's a little more Twi-spam, but I'm holding it over for tomorrow. I'm not saying I'm going to do a separate Twilight entry every day (what do I look like, MTV?). I'm just saying that... where there is crazy, I will be there. And I kind of want to see how insane the Planet Hollywood thing turns out to be.

(Hey! Hey! You thought the Paramore playlist was bad? I now have a giant Roxette playlist for my new player. I HAVE NO SHAME.)

Non-partisan election links: Voters find 'we' not 'me' spirit in line; Voter: 'The best hour and a half of my life.'

VIDEO: Vote-Denied Tim Robbins Will Not Stand For this Election Chicanery!; Update: Tim Robbins Was Only Defending His Rights In His Polling Place Fit; Tim Robbins runs into voting trouble and did, in fact, have to "get a court order before he was allowed to cast his vote for president."

Goodnight, Dear Monster Lover [Forrest J. Ackerman]. "Forrest J. Ackerman, founder of seminal scifi/horror fan magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland, has been ailing for the past few days and is not expected to recover."

( More linkspam )

So. Mostly productive today; posted True Blood recap #7 late this afternoon--I still have last night's episode to recap as well. (While we're here: An interview with Sam "Werecollie" Trammell [no spoilers as far as I can tell].)

Today's journal flashback: my dentist, Dr. Jones (no relation), likes to sing along with disco songs.

Oh, and something I think I'm going to start using Twitter for--you know those ALERT ALERT ALERT posts I do sometimes? I'm still going to do those for OH MY GOD GO HERE NOW things, but if I see something really awesome (litmus test: do I start shrieking and clapping like a fool?) that isn't quite that urgent, I will probably post the link on Twitter first (example) and then have it in the normal linkspam later in the day. So, you know, if you're into Twitter, something to keep in mind. And even if you're not, you can still check my page on your usual website rounds.

On to the linkspam: ( Alice in Wonderland news! )

Fairly productive today. We've also got Pete on the premises, and that dog and his lampshade are the saddest thing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of going back over some of my old work, the really short pieces, and dusting them off again. I'm sure this will upset the three people in the world laboring under the delusion that I was a good poet, bless them, but the problem with most of my poetry is that I always try to cram a story in there between the lines, and it occurs to me now that I might just try expanding them into vignettes. My prose voice is probably one of my few real strengths, so it's worth a shot, I guess. It might be nice to try submitting to magazines again, I don't know. I'm thinking about posting a few of them here instead. So... we'll see.

Hm. So for today's flashback... let's go with that mini-entry about The Black Dahlia. Note: I only made up one thing in that entire paragraph, and that is "crushed by a falling anvil." Every single other thing actually happened in that movie.

Linkspam! ( Zac Efron NOT in POTC4 )

So Pete, Sister Girl's dog, is at the vet overnight on an IV because he can't stop throwing up for some reason (God, I hope he's going to be okay). So when she called to make sure he hadn't thrown up yesterday while I was dogsitting him, she started talking about trying to watch the final Twilight trailer, and I got to play Horrify the Twilight Noob (one of my favoritest games) with her as well. Except that she didn't get to see the whole thing, because Pete started throwing up shortly after she got to the "Kryptonite" line.

"Well, dude! That explains everything. Your dog is allergic to Twilight."

"That line was awful, by the way. Was it supposed to be stupid? Can Kristen Stewart not act?"

"No, trust me. I've read the books. She is doing the best she can with what they're giving her."

And then I read her that bit from the "I'm gay"/"He's impotent" interview and regaled her with excerpts of Growing Up Cullen. ("Oh, he would totally scrapbook." "You haven't even read the books!" "No, but he totally would.") I am slowly converting the people around me to The Dark Side, The Way of Lulz, so that someone will take me to see this movie next month.

Oh, and since we've been having Sherlock Holmes set pics: a flashback to the Case Book of Sherlock Holmes entry, in which I express some frustration with "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane." Also notable for "the zenith of Holmes/Watson slashiness."

Linkspam! ( Slutty baby pirates, zombie pinups, omgwtfpolarbear! *splash* )