Cleolinda everywhere

I'm making good time on "Takiawase"--it's just that "Hassun" ran (extra) late because of another project I had to do, so now this is also running late. At some point I'm going to get out from under the backlog, but today is not that day. However, some of y'all in the "Hassun" comments asked if we could have an open discussion thread for the episode currently airing, so: here we are. I'm going to have to be on Twitter to pitch in for the ratings and collect east and west coast tweets for the Storify, but LJ is definitely better for threaded conversations; I'll try to drop in between broadcasts. And if it turns out people are interested in a discussion post like this, we'll keep doing them. To state the obvious: there will be spoilers in the comments. Try to keep it to spoilers through this episode, though, in case people don't want to know about ~the future~ yet.

While we're here, we have two Aromaleigh colors this week:




I mean, all the colors will be there for a good long while, but these are the two newest. I haven't seen them in person yet, but they both have some color-shifting business going on--Lure is meant to be Abigail's multicolored sweater, and Murder Tie has to have some stealth red in it, of course--so it'll be an adventure trying to take pictures of them. Still working on the Tattler swatches--I've found a couple of lighter colors that blend well with it, so that it looks kind of like a sunset. But I'll get back to that after I'm done with "Takiawase."

By the way, here's the preview for tonight--and NBC Hannibal's Tumblr tags:

#Hannibal #NBC #Television #Previews #So last Friday was like the first JFC episode #This Friday is THE REAL GD DEAL #There's not even a part of the episode that we can call out to be ready for #IT'S JUST THE WHOLE THING

Buckle up.

New Made of Fail! In which DAYNA MEETS WIL WHEATON. I have a feeling my dogs will enjoy this one, probably because they will be the only ones able to hear it. (Happy birthday, queenanthai!)

New Tonner Doctor Who pictures! (Compare to the smaller picture still at the top of the page.) See, I told you that they get sneaky and update the pictures. I just... don't know that you're going to like them any better.

New book from Stephenie Meyer in June! Except that it's a 192-page novella about a character who was in Eclipse for 10 pages and no one cares about. Meanwhile, she said a long while back that she would never write anything similar for Carlisle (the original Cullen who was turned in the 1600s), because that would require research. On the upside, $1 from each copy will go to the Red Cross, or you can read it for free two days later with an option to donate directly. Due to the love-hate embrace these books and I are locked in (let's face it: Twilight-related page hits have been very good to me), I will probably recap it. (Speaking of Things I Have Recapped, apparently a great Twifan cry of "WHAT ABOUT MIDNIGHT SUN????!1?" went up on Twitter.) 

Also, if you make an eyeshadow called Skin of a Killer, I WILL buy it. I will hate myself, but I will do it. FOR SCIENCE.

(IT WAS $11.25 FOR TEN SAMPLES!! With FREE SHIPPING. You can't beat that WITH A STICK!)

(You should probably beat me with a stick, but...)

Today on Tumblr: It's another Victorian/vampire/goth-themed day! Don't miss the amazing Atwood-esque white/violet dress.

Snackfood Deathmatch, Semifinals round 2: Rice Krispies treats vs. cinnamon rolls! Are you ready to rumble?

Ricky Martin is livin' la vida open, says he's gay. I don't know if it's just that I spent yesterday afternoon offline reading, but I'm really not seeing a whole lot of reaction to this. Which is probably the way it should be.

The Domestic Poster for Iron Man 2; Smell Like Tony Stark With Iron Man Cologne.

The whole concept cannot help but beg the question: What exactly does Tony Stark/Iron Man smell like? In our imagination, l'aroma de Stark involves the scent of crisp hundos, mixed with new car smell, motor oil, and Axe body spray. Which is to say masculine and slightly industrial, with just a splash of douchebag.

The original fragrance has been described as "leathery" and "woody" (tee hee) and the Diesel website calls it "a voluptuous and explosive cocktail that bears witness to a man with an identity as strong as it is present, almost magnetic," which sounds pretty much like what I just said.

'Knight and Day' Trailer: Good Cruise or Bad Cruise?

First Look: Angelina Jolie in “Salt.”

Al Pacino's Disturbingly Accurate Jack Kevorkian Impersonation.

Must Watch: Creepy Official UK Red Band Trailer for [Rec] 2!

Will Smith locked for two Independence Day sequels? No. NO. NO! I already did the first one for the book! I AM NOT GOING BACK TO THIS.

Our favorite similes from James Franco's foray into short stories.

The Crafty Frouds Say a Dark Crystal Sequel Still on the Way.

Sofia Vergara Joins "The Smurfs" and "Happy Feet 2."

It's Official - Legendary & Warner Bros Bringing Back Godzilla. To which I can only say: OLD MEME.

Pleasantly busy day, it looks like. Howling winds outside, actually, but sunnyish, so that's fine.

Have to wrap presents later. I hate wrapping presents. I mean, I do an okay job of it in the end, and I like presents to be wrapped, but it usually involves me wrestling with a large, fragile sheet of shiny paper for about fifteen minutes.

Still have to take certain pictures. TLB went missing earlier this morning, but was eventually located. I would rather not discuss how the tableshelf ended up covered in maple syrup.

Lizzie's McAfee trial ran out, so I was like, the hell with this, I'm putting AVG on. So now I'm having to do all the scans and setups and whatever, but I hear it's better anyway.

(I am really glad it has a rootkit scan, because isn't that what Sony put on its CDs for a while there?)

For those of you keeping track on the Aromaleigh front, Wish is really pretty with Damask. It's a similar look to Chloe/Amelie, but more pink and less peach.

My feet are killing me, which suggests to me that I need new/better shoes, or some kind of comfort-inducing insert (although those "I'm Gellin'!" commercials make me want to slap someone). I actually want to go buy me some Chucks with my next round of book money, although I doubt those will have any kind of support. Hm. I just want some of those because I rarely get more formal than sneakers, but Chucks are an ever-so-slightly more sophisticated aesthetic than scuffed tennis shoes, you know? And you can customize them! I kind of want to make a purple plaid. I do not see any way to order a foot massage, however.

Bear with me as I lead into this, because I have some philosophical ramblings about beauty products that guys (i.e., people who do not wear makeup and may not understand the appeal of cosmetics) may find interesting.

So. I have gift cards to Sephora, and also a promotional code from their newsletter that expires today, and then three free mini lip glosses as a birthday promotion, therefore: it's economy-boosting time. My on-and-off obsession with makeup, as previously documented here, is somewhat peculiar, given that I wear very little of it. I mean, number one: I don't leave the house much. I have sensitive problem skin, so there doesn't seem to be any point in irritating it with the constant application and removal of makeup that no one's going to see, you know? What I really love is trying out different colors, because if I wear anything, it tends to be eyeshadow and lip gloss--I really need to wear foundation and concealer, but honestly, when I do, all I look like is someone very obviously wearing foundation and concealer, so I figure the flawed natural look is preferable at that point, and I'll just have fun with my favorite eyeshadow palettes (Hard Candy's Suede and Star). Hence the recent fixation on Aromaleigh, because the samples are so cheap that I can play all I want, and I'm hearing from other patrons that their face powders do a really good job of blending and disappearing, so I'm going to get samples of those and see if I can finally achieve the no-makeup makeup look ("Like you, only better!").

As for why girls--some girls--get so obsessed with makeup, even someone like me who rarely wears it, I can tell you very simply: ( Yes, but it's a badass lavender )


(Zomg e-book! The Annotated Movies in Fifteen Minutes: Wizards!)

So. Trying to ease back into work--there are people in my life who don't think that what I do is terribly interesting or worthwhile, and even I admit that it's only recently that it's become a gainful employment once again. So I don't tend to recognize that it's possible to overwork myself, my dreams aside. But then you look back and realize that I put out an e-book and two Fifteen Minutes (HEY DID YOU HEAR ABOUT NEW MOON IN FIFTEEN MINUTES? BECAUSE THAT'S STILL THERE) in the space of about six weeks, and that's a lot of mental effort. I mean, narrative fiction is one thing--but humor can actually be kind of nerve-wracking, because (as I'm so fond of saying), it's either funny or it's not, and if you're any good at it, you know when it's not, and you just have to sit there sweating blood until you come up with something that is. Which is why I love a nice rambly entry or recap that just happens on a whim, because it's not me trying, and it doesn't involve breaking out into metaphorical hives. So my point, and I did have one, is that I'm having to recognize that maybe I am just a little bit burnt out right now. But the more time you take off from something, the harder it is to get back into it--think of how much you dread going back to work after several days off--so I spent yesterday setting up footnotes on New Moon, should something else in the house blow up and I find myself ever needing to do a third e-book. Just putting in the numbers and reminders to myself ("Talk about that news article for this one, here's the link"), which I also did last November for the Twilight 15M, and let me tell you, a year later, that really came in handy. So I did that to ease myself back into footnoting, so on and so forth.

I think one of the things I'm going to try to do is be a bit kinder to myself, in terms of work. What I really need to do, I think, is stop trying to create deadlines and expectations for myself--which sounds odd, but the thing is, the ones I create are stressful, self-defeating, and counterproductive. I think you do need discipline, but I need to live more in the present with it--put in the daily hours and work steadily and do my best, but not worry as to whether that "best" is good enough, and if I'm "on track" and set all these grand unattainable plans, because that does not produce results for me. In fact, it makes me kind of crazy, and the best things I've done in my life were, in fact, the things I did on a whim and with no expectations. That may not work for you, but it seems to work for me. So I'm going to try to live more with my best efforts in the present and stop trying to stress myself out about the future.

(I have a Zen Garden app on my phone that starts up with little sayings, and one of them was, "To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders." I think it's a little like that.)

Meanwhile, in other news, we're supposed to get snow tomorrow (YAY), and the dogs are deeply depressed because it's too cold for them to go out and play (I'll let them out after lunch, once it's warmed up a bit). Also, I think my birthday present to myself will be a whole mess of eyeshadow samples from Aromaleigh, since they're only $1 each anyway, last a good long time, and you can get as many as you want. (Aromaleigh: TLE approved.)

A few quick links:

'The 40 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It' is Sadly Real and Has a Trailer. And sharp-eyed folks on Twitter noticed that a certain sparklepire shows up at 1:37. (BEHOLD.) Way to steal from the easiest target ever and still fail at humor, guys.

New Moon retold with lolcats.

Vampirism Does Not Make Stalking Attractive. I think I might actually buy this shirt to sleep in. You know, as a precautionary measure.

Full info at Neil Gaiman's Twitter: "Scary and sad: Paralyzed & abandoned by insurance -The Full Story."

Remember the Twilight hate questionnaire a lot of you guys filled out? Well, octoberland's article is up now!

From oasis_beatles: megmatthews20 needs eye surgery related to Marfan Syndrome, can you help? hope_in_sight is running a general/fandom auction to raise the $1500. As far as vouching for the validity of it, I recognize Meg's username as a longtime reader/commenter here (I was actually kind of shocked when I saw who it was for, the name was so familiar to me). I haven't seen her comment in a long while, for reasons that should be obvious.

Also, I know there were a couple of similar reader requests in my LJ messages, but I swear to you, my inbox has eaten them. I rarely if ever delete messages there, and there's at least two I can't find now. I have to add, though, that I'm very wary of posting requests for causes that can't be easily verified, so keep that in mind.


(Zomg e-book! The Annotated Movies in Fifteen Minutes: Wizards!)

So today is my journal birthday (six years old!). Also: HALLOWEEN. Wish I felt more celebratory. I felt pretty horrible all week, but then I cheered myself up with a Twitter-spamming errand-shenanigans photo safari this morning (uh... sorry about that, Twitfolk). It went like so:

( You're in Honeydukes? )



(Zomg e-book! The Annotated Movies in Fifteen Minutes: Wizards!)

1) House rules: Don't fight on my journal. Don't. Disagree, discuss, that's great. But you will be civil and non-snippy to me and each other on my own journal. Take it somewhere else if you can't.

2) My stepfather decided to buzzcut the Angry Jasmine again. The jasmine then got so much angrier, in fact, that it disgorged a swarm of yellowjackets that stung him upside the head several times. I'm not even making this up.

3) Yesterday, I opened the front door to take Scout outside on his leash, and there's a dead bird toes up on the doorstep. A fairly large bird, too--you know, the size of a pigeon, rather than a sparrow. We have no idea what it was doing there, because it was under the little porch overhang fairly close to the door, so it couldn't have just fallen out of the sky or something.

( Linkspam )

Well, I said I'd post it tonight, so... despite bad news, here we are.

So. We were all still recovering from The Serafina-Faramir Incident when I was going through my mail on Saturday morning. Well, actually, I was letting The Littlest Edward sort it, since he's still in need of occupation.

( Dude! You got more mail than I did! )

Not much tonight, but what the hell:

THE FINAL SNACK DEATHMATCH. Reese's cups are dying out there, people!

Birmingham could get up to 3 inches of snow overnight. Naturally, there is panic in the streets.

Electronic cigarettes, what?

Are the photos of Borneo's monster snake real? AHHHHHH.

What Happened to Weird? Paranormal sightings are on the decline. I DON'T KNOW, WHY DON'T YOU ASK THE GIANT BORNEO SNAKE.

"Watchmen" Unscripted.

From sunni_sideup: Paul Weitz, brother of Chris, will direct 'Eclipse.' Yes, together they directed American Pie. Cue Twihard shrieking that they didn't get a prestigious "name" director... now.

From snicks_chan: Twilight the Musical! I am telling you, and I will keep saying it until someone listens: if it doesn't have a rousing rendition of "Love Bites," I want no part of it.

Meanwhile, goonie_freak has pictures of the Sparkle Conversation Hearts. Those are just... delightful. I mean, I know I like to snack on a good pile of glitter now and then.

From Justine: Twilight Supernatural Face and Body Powders... for an immortal glimmer! In Lustre, Dazzle, and Sparkle. AROMALEIGH, I AM APPALLED.

I wonder if they would be any good for dazzling up an Edward doll.

Nnnngh. Still tired, mostly from running around all day doing errands. I mean, it's a good tired, but it's on top of the sneezing and the chills, so that's not so good. I did go try to spend my Sephora gift card, though. See, the value of actually going to a Sephora, instead of just ordering online, is that all the color swatches look great on the website, but then you go to the store and everything looks totally different. Not even bad-different, just... in the store, you get a better idea of what you'll actually be putting on. (And of course, there's all kinds of highlighters and luminizers and concealers and liners and it's like, look, what does this actually do? And you try it on the back of your hand because ew public sample germs and you're like... oh. That. Yeah. Well. I'm not spending $30 on that today, thanks.)

( And now we're all standing over my hand )

A little linkspam to keep us from getting behind:

OSCARS CRISIS! Hollywood Frustrations And Fears Over Sunday's Awards; Stars And Advertisers Give Show Cold Shoulder:

For weeks now, they've been begging myself and the other journalists who cover the Oscars not to trash the planning and performances for this year's telecast like we have in years past. Because their frustration and fear is that, if Sunday's top-to-bottom reworked show can't bring back viewers after 2008's sunk to its lowest ratings ever, then nothing will. And the worst part is that not even Hollywood wants to participate in the Oscars anymore.

And then, among discussion of the desperate measures taken to spice up the show, there's this:

One new idea thought up by the producers that will be seen Sunday? Trophy boys. The result is that very handsome young men will now join very beautiful young women on stage carrying out the Oscar statuettes. If that's not an acknowledgement that the viewership for the Academy Awards these days is limited to only females and gays, I don't know what is.

( Oscarspam, Eclipse release date, Imaginarium poster, Coraline's sweater )