Cleolinda everywhere

Okay, I think we need to have a little night linkspam. I admit, these are cherry-picked from my Twitter page (which you can read whether you're on Twitter or not), but I'm still trying to get back on my feet and/or normal work schedule. I also have a more expansive raw linkspam feed from my Google Reader on FriendFeed. (I've always had that, in fact.) So you see, the thing is, I'm reading the news; I just haven't been posting it all here as a list. Which I should, because it's fun. I'm just... tired and out of sorts, and have been for a long time now.

Short version: Yes, I heard about the dippy Twilight fan and/or brilliant troll who thinks that The Wolfman ripped off New Moon.

Short version ETA: Yes, I heard about the handmade emo-scented Twilight vulva soap. No, I'm not linking to it. Y'all a bunch of handcrafty trolls over there at Etsy, for real.

Long version: ( Read more... ) 

Oh my sweet God, no movie as stupid as 2012 has any right to be TWO HOURS AND THIRTY-EIGHT MINUTES. I drank HALF a smuggled 12 oz bottle of Coke (Tiny Coke, if you will), and nearly DIED. My bladder is BRUISED.

My mom's the disaster movie junkie--she hasn't seen a movie in the theater in six months (I think she last one she saw was Up), so I went for her sake. Man, I hate disaster movies. I worry about this stuff enough, you know? I'm not really into watching implausibly connected characters run and weep and do noble shit and die horribly for two hours (AND THIRTY-EIGHT MINUTES). I'm okay with watching shit blow up; I just don't want to watch the cast meeble on about it. And let me tell you, internets, shit does not start blowing up until FIFTY-SEVEN (57) minutes into the movie. If you think I give a shit about John Cusack's ex-marital problems, you are WRONG, Roland Emmerich. And even the next hour and a half has way too much wibbling about humanity. BLOW SHIT UP. BLOW IT UP NOWWWWWWWWWW. Seriously: go buy a ticket to this thing, walk in fifty-seven minutes late, watch John Cusack and family outrun an earthquake in a limo (because this part is THE MOST AWESOME THING I HAVE EVER SEEN, at the very least the most awesome thing I have ever seen involving either an earthquake or a limo), and then after they get to Vegas, LEAVE. If you've seen Deep Impact and The Poseidon Adventure, you've pretty much seen everything else. In fact, you can probably just watch Dodge the Freeway in the trailer; I didn't watch it, but my mother says pretty much all the awesome stuff is in there, and the rest of the movie is just a game of Guess Who's Gonna Die (a winner is me!). I was also able to call not one but TWO ridiculous romances, because it was that kind of movie. Honestly, earthquake in a limo and Thandie Newton's French: best things in the movie. Everything else I laughed at until I was seized with urinary tract regret for the entire last hour.

(OMFG THE WOLFMAN TRAILER WAS SO AWESOME IT IS WHAT THE INSIDE OF MY HEAD LOOKS LIKE. I was seriously just sitting there all a-squee, clapping my fists [so it would be quiet!] chanting "WOLFMAN WOLFMAN WOLFMAN!!!!!!" and my mother was like, You are so weird.)

I also grabbed a few sheets of printer paper to fold up and stuff in my purse--turns out that you can just squeak by on six pages and the back of the first page if you take notes sparingly.

(THIS IS THE THING OF WHICH WE DO NOT SPEAK. WE DO NOT JINX IT. IT MAY STILL NOT HAPPEN.)



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

So tired. Did not sleep at all last night, between the rainstorm and the cramps (again: you needed to know this, I'm sure). Headache now. The kind of long day where nothing actually gets done. Did see my doctor for a medicine check; we're going to raise the Lamictal from 150 to 200 (but leave the other two meds alone). And that was the target dose she thought would be best in the end, so I guess we're finally going to work up to that; it was originally (or primarily?) an anti-seizure drug, so what it's supposed to do is help the bipolar cycle even out. I just know that increasing that particular drug too quickly in the past sent me into a deep tailspin, so I'm going to have to be on the lookout for that. The thing is, I went into a dark patch this spring anyway, so the worst case scenario is that I go into another one--one that I'm expecting and watching for--and the best is that I don't, and it helps regulate the mood cycling better.

Also, there is no chocolate in the house. This vexes me. Thus, in this spirit of sleep-deprived vexation, I bring you a smattering of linkspam that might or might not provoke more discussion than usual, I don't know.

Headshots of the four main Airbender actors in costume. DO NOT SNIPE AT EACH OTHER IN THE COMMENTS OR I WILL PULL THIS JOURNAL OVER AND COME BACK THERE. I'VE DONE IT BEFORE, I'LL DO IT AGAIN.

Emma Watson on the scene I always think of as Voldemort Ships H/Hr: "I'm going to end up kissing both of [the boys] in the last film. Ugh, it's horrible." But! Emma Watson had the hots for Tom Felton.

Meanwhile: LA Times: Michael Gambon "Sees No Point in Reading" Harry Potter Books by JK Rowling. Maybe I'm crazy, but I love the Gambledore. I'm not saying he's Perfect Exact Book Dumbledore; I'm just saying I love him.

Danny Huston Takes the Crown in 'Robin Hood.' Aw, I love him! I feel kind of warm and fuzzy now.

A major deleted death scene from the director's cut DVD of Watchmen. ... a little less fuzzy now.

What Does Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Green Lantern’ Role Mean For ‘Deadpool’ Movie?

TCM's 'Summer Under the Stars' Posters are Phenomenal.

With ‘True Blood,’ HBO Revives Its Fortunes.

Kodi Smit-McPhee Might Be Oskar in the 'Let Me In' Remake.

'The Wolfman' Gets Down On All Fours: "Rumors of reshoots have been dogging the Wolf Man movie for months. Now we know the truth: instead of paying homage to the original film, the film-makers have reshot key scenes to put Benicio Del Toro on all fours. [...] And then he faces off a much fiercer CG-ed up werewolf. Yes that's right the crew that made a movie based on the Wolf Man now think the Wolfman is lame and did bounding reshoots, so the Wolf Man could be scarier and face off with a werewolf."

Everything Wrong with the Internet in One Gaming Banner Ad Campaign [Badvertising].

I'm going to see Watchmen tomorrow afternoon (and at some point over the weekend, guest on a podcast), so you might not hear much from me over the next couple of days. Of course, as sure as I say that, I'll post five times. I'm just saying, either one is possible. (I never know what I'll be able to write until I sit down and try to do it. So I have no idea if I'll be able to put up something about Watchmen or not.) I'm finishing up a new Secret Life, but I'm also trying to space them out a bit. Honestly, I've just given up on the idea of getting any actual work done until Monday, but at least I know it, I guess.

I've also been feeling really tired lately--I mean, I know you already know that because I'm always talking about it, but I'm starting to think it's actually a mild bit of depression. You know, that chemical imbalance kind where you feel bad for no specific reason, not an event-related depression. We're getting into spring now, though, so I think it'll lift. I'm just not feeling so great at the moment, is all.

And right as I was putting on the finishing touches, the new Star Trek trailer came out. Enjoy.

( Linkspam )

This head cold is driving me crazy--of course, I have the luxury of saying that because it's not very bad. It's the kind of light cold where you sit around moaning all day that man, there is just nothing worse than a stubbed toe, you know? Because you've forgotten what a real knock-you-down bug feels like, you've forgotten anything but the thickish head and the slight sinus pressure and the developing cough and the constant frog in your throat right now. I have had chills pretty bad (no fever, though) and a good bit of fatigue, to the point where I spent half the day in a couch coma and the other half cheerfully on Twitter. Which I'm sure impresses no one.

From wolfsilveroak: "Hey, check out this Etsy shop. It was set up expressly for the Aussie Bushfires. So far, they've raised $12,000 in Australian funds. 100% of the proceeds goes to fire relief and they have free international shipping." Also, from sailorcoruscant: "One of my favourite yarn stores in Victoria is asking for people to knit squares that she will make into blankets for the victims." And from alexthedevil: "A reporter's tale of surviving the fire - 'How we cheated the flames of death.' "

I... have no good segue from that! Snack Deathmatch! Peanut butter cups vs. red licorice.

(Note: Much of the news, even the movie news, is toy-oriented because it's being reported from Toy Fair. So... that's what's up with that.)

( Linkspam )

Tired, so without further ado: ( Read more... )

Late again today, because there was MOAR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. Which was fun, so I had that going for me.

Important: I got an email the other day from someone who said that reading The Gift of Fear hours before she attended a seminar helped her realize that the seminar was Bad News; she was able to run away, literally, out of the building, before they got their hooks into her (they immediately started telling people to ignore gut instincts, interestingly enough). Turns out the seminar was the cult Lifespring under a new name--please be aware that variations operate under the names "Mastery In Transformational Training" and "Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness," according to Wikipedia. So basically, I wanted to alert everyone to that before anyone else got sucked in, and also, READ THE GIFT OF FEAR, SERIOUSLY, IT IS ON SALE RIGHT NOW, I AM NOT KIDDING.

Also: in the interest of slimming down the linkspam entries, I've looked into using FriendFeed for the less crucial stuff. Basically, anything I post on Livejournal or Twitter will show up there, and anything I "share" from Google Reader will as well. I won't hit share on anything I intend to use on the linkspam posts--the good and/or movie stuff--so at least that way you're not getting it twice, but if it's just something randomly kind of interesting, I'll throw it up there anyway. (And you'll also see the kind of stuff I initially flag and then don't use.) And you can then add the RSS feed of that to Google Reader if that's what you use. It's a whole recursive tangle of feeds, but you know, whatever. It gives people options. I'll try it for a while, see if it works for people.

Meanwhile, the Twilight sequel trainwreck has gotten EVEN WORSE. ( Hey, can you be in Vancouver on Monday? )

( More linkspam )

From joannad: The Russian hackers got someone else. Whatever you do, do not click on the user journal or Shoebox Project links mentioned in the entry. And to secure your own journal, choose a secret question NOW. (ETA: Or not?) Here's what I would advise doing, in terms of setting your question/answer: since we're worried about hackers and not people in our daily lives stealing our journals, I would suggest writing the question and the answer down on a piece of paper, not storing it anywhere on your computer or online, and guarding that paper with your life. Here's why: choose a question, and for the answer, pick something completely unrelated. What was your first pet's name? Hardware store. You see what I'm saying? Something that no one would ever, ever guess, even by combing your journal for clues, because it's a non sequitur in the first place. And that's why you're going to want to write it down, in case you forget your randomly-chosen unrelated thing.

Okay, in less urgent news: If you didn't catch the ETA on the Twi-spam entry, Hot Topic has given up on trying to set line-up times and they're just giving out wristbands for Thursday and Friday in a first come/first serve free-for-all. People who don't hear about this until they show up "early" tomorrow night? Are going to be exquisitely pissed.

In even less urgent news: Sometimes people have to interview writers for school assignments (you know, "Interview a published author"), and because I'm not as scary as people who are actually important, sometimes they ask me. So if you'd like to hear (well, read) me answer questions I am spectacularly unqualified to answer, my most recent interviewer has let me archive some here.

In just really frustrating news: Our dishwasher has officially given up the ghost. Sigh.

Something fun: from t3andcrumpets, pretty, crazy-color eyeshadow that I have been drooling over all week. I'm not saying I'd go full-on rainbow with it (like on the front page), but you can shop by color, if you know what looks good with your eyes. I might just be crazy enough to try Hibiscus or Blaze in the distant future, I don't know.

(Purples are so preeeeettyyyyy.)

( The Alternate History Theme Park Where Dinosaurs Fought in the Civil War )

Y'all, I am seriously beginning to think that my productivity is affected by barometric pressure. I spent three rainy days feeling like a slug, and now it's gorgeous outside and I feel great. Or maybe lack of sunlight chagrins my dazzle? I don't know. I'd like my dazzle to be more consistent, though.

(I should note here that the fine people at WTFudgery sent me five samples--chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate walnut, chocolate pretzel, and spicy chocolate--and I said I would give anyone with a name that fantastic a mention here whether the fudge was good or not. Fortunately, it was very good.)

(If it sounds like I've suddenly had people sending me stuff the last few weeks, well... that's kind of how it's been. I don't know. Every couple of years or so, my mailbox suddenly fills up with awesome. I'm not sure why--maybe because I've put up some new kind of thing online, like the Fifteen Minutes or the sporadic I still feel terrible about not finishing those Lost recaps or whatever. I guess it would be the Twilight recaps in this case.)

Linkspam! ( Spider monkeys, tight hamsters, Terror Tram )

I just discovered the origin of "Do not want"! A day without learning is a day wasted, y'all.

(Also, I fell into the wiki and couldn't get out for two hours. Bad TV Tropes! Bad!)

Via dduane: Good luck with your hell demons: Dead Monster Washes Ashore in Montauk. ( MOAR )