Had we but world enough, and time,

Thanks, John Hughes

elevateyourmind — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:15:10 GMT

I had a long conversation last night with a good friend about people she had been interviewing as a part of her internship. The people are all members/pastors of black churches in the DC area, and some of them have truly inspiring stories. We talked about how reaffirming these stories can be when, like both of us, you’re the kind of person who tends to think that people are selfish and uncaring more often than not.

This morning, I read about John Hughes dying. His movies have always had a special place in my heart, and with all that they are so quintessentially ‘80s, they have a timeless resonance with the teenage experience. Like many others, I find his death is affecting me in ways I couldn’t have predicted of someone I don’t know. Then, I read this blog post about a girl who became pen pals with John Hughes in the ‘80s after The Breakfast Club had meant so much to her. It’s a really beautiful story, and was another example of one of those stories that makes you feel like there is goodness in people all around you. I found it inspiring, and also heartbreaking.

p.s. Check my appropriate crossover icon.

Couch: achieved

elevateyourmind — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:21:42 GMT

Our new place officially feels like a home now! We just bought a couch and had it delivered today! I didn't even know it was possible to buy a couch and have it in your home within an hour, but apparently so. The couch was a great deal as it was a floor model (our favorite). It's a sectional, with a chaise on one end, and it's PURPLE. Really purple. We had planned on getting a chocolate brown couch, but this one was just so pretty we had to have it. So since we had already painted our living room a very light pink, the room looks a bit like my 7-year-old fantasy room. It's pretty intense. We're going to have to figure out some way to make it less overwhelmingly feminine. I mean, we might as well cover our whole house in Georgia O'Keefe paintings and Indigo Girls posters and have all our shirts say things like, "I'm not a lesbian but my girlfriend is." (I just threw up in my mouth a little, there.)

I have been trying to make a schedule for myself for Azkatraz, and haven't been able to make up my mind about certain times as I'm positive there are things going on that I just don't know about yet. I know I'm going to the movie on Thursday, H/D meetup on Friday, probably Fighting the Slytherin Stereotype and Pacing of Deathly Hallows on Saturday, and the H/D panel and concrit roundtable on Sunday. Who's going to what?? How does one decide where to go and what the potential is for missing other things that are happening?? AHHHHH I'M SO EXCITED AND OVERWHELMED WITH THIS DECISION MAKING.

The Everlasting Dark Mark

elevateyourmind — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:44:59 GMT

There is a discussion going on at azkatraz_hpdm about whether or not Draco took the dark mark. This reminded me of one of those little recurring inconsistencies that bugs the hell out of me in fic:

THE DARK MARK WOULD FADE WHEN VOLDEMORT IS KILLED. I mean, am I the only person who remembers GoF, when Snape and Karkaroff were discussing the Mark getting clearer on the skin each day? This clearly shows that the Mark is directly tied to Voldemort's power. Moreover, there's no way all those people who faked Imperius after the first fall of Voldemort could have done so as easily as they did if they had the Dark Mark so clearly on their arm. Lucius Malfoy, anyone?

So while I believe that Draco did take the mark before his sixth year at Hogwarts, I hate the stories all about Draco not being able to wear short sleeves, or his unblemished forearm being a sign that he never took the mark. Either way, I am sure those marks would go away with the defeat of Voldemort. Makes sense anyway, as Voldie would have never used anything as plebian or Muggle as ink, and clearly saw the Mark as his sign of ownership of his followers. The mark is what ties his followers to him, so if they're not tied to him anymore (because he's dead, or even just nearly dead as he was after attempting to kill baby Harry), the mark wouldn't be visible.

That's just my two cents. </rant>

Movie tickets FTW!

elevateyourmind — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:58:47 GMT

I just got an email telling me I now have tickets to see HBP at Azkatraz! HOORAY! I really didn't think that would happen at all. I guess the change in time has made it less popular...

Life has been insane the past few weeks. Between getting ready for my move (joy!), looking for a place, and many houseguests, I've barely had time to breathe. However, summer hours just started at my work (we get off 2 hours early on Fridays), meaning that I now regularly attend happy hour. Rum + Pineapple juice = WEEKEND.

C and I are going to Austin this week for my neice's graduation. I'm super excited. As much as I love being in the bay area, there's something about going to my hometown that just can't be replaced. We're going to swim and eat Tex Mex and hopefully take the boat out on Lake Austin. I'm also going to exchange the cowboy boots I got for my birthday, so I will post many pictures once I have them. I would have sworn that I would never wear something to Texan, but once I left the state, the nostalgia and kitsch factors went up a few notches.

I got in trouble this weekend because I just COULD NOT put down pir8fancier's Home Again, Home Again (or stop re-reading Lettered and Lush Life for, oh, the millionth time). Sometimes I just go through phases where I cannot stop reading, thinking, and dreaming about Harry and Draco. I just can't.

This, of course, means that there are times when I just spend hours looking for something to read that scratches that itch in whatever way I need it at the moment. I'm pretty picky about the kinds of characterizations and plots that I'll read, so that search can get really frustrating. Not to mention that so many of my favorite writers have been moving more in to other fandoms. This alone is enough to make me want to join those fandoms just so that I have more things to read. So far, I just haven't felt it (whatever it is) with any of the others. Enjoyment of the worlds, yes, but that urge to move beyond the original canon because I just can't get enough? Not yet.

I've been wondering lately if some people are more able to indulge in fandoms than I am. As much as I've been enjoying getting in to both Merlin and </i>Bleach</i>, I can't say that I believe I could ever enjoy it at the same level as Harry Potter. Part of me thinks that this is just because I haven't yet gotten to that point with either those, or that I haven't found the next thing that will feel the same as HP yet.

I also wonder, though, if maybe it was the process of discovering fandom through HP that makes it so dear. I didn't read HP so that I could read the fanfiction; I was driven to fanfiction because there was only so many times I could read the books without losing my mind, but I still just kept wanting to read them. Plus, Draco just needed more screentime in my mind.

So, the real question is whether yout first fandom is necessarily like your first love: nothing ever quite feels the same. Maybe one day I'll find other loves that I love in very different ways, but nothing will ever feel the same as the first time I saw that perfect blend of canon-compliance and character development (not to mention the boy kissing) in a H/D fic. Hmm. Or maybe this is just that (obsessive) single-mindedness that stubbornly refuses to let me love multiple things in moderation. *shrug*

Either way, I'm jonesing for an H/D epic in the worst way.

Maine and an Update

elevateyourmind — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:13:11 GMT

First, an update on my roommate sitch:

C and I talked with K on Sunday. Luckily, C just kind of did it, rather than waiting for me to work up the nerve to force the conversation. It actually went pretty well, and as usual, I felt silly for getting so worked up. Yes, K can be unreasonable or unobservant sometimes, but she's not going to risk ruining her only friend that is actually involved in her day-to-day life, either.

When we said we wanted to move on July 1, K did start up with the, "well, maybe I'll come too since I'm unemployed" thing. C, being the remarkably intelligent woman she is, spun it in a way I hadn't even really considered. She said that we wouldn't want to leave K in a situation that she wasn't prepared for, but that we also didn't want to have to move again once K got on her feet. She went on to say that if K needed for us to all live together for a while longer, that she would rather us just not move from Oakland yet. Genius! This made K start thinking about it differently, I think, so that she felt more like she had control over the situation. I felt much better about the whole talk after that.

Ultimately, I think K is going to get new roommates to move into the house when we leave on July 1. I think it's a great solution, especially since that way she won't have to be stressed about the costs and stresses of moving so there's less potential for bitterness. Hooray! I really can't wait to be settled into my new place in time for Azkatraz!

And how about Maine, huh? That's C's home state, so she was understably really moved when she heard the news. Her childhood best friend's mother is in the ME House of Representatives and called to give her the news personally. She and C talked for nearly an hour, because she was excited to tell her about all the moving things that happened on the floor. I was especially moved by a story she recounted to me about a long-time representative coming out in a speech, and telling the story of his partner who committed suicide a few years ago. Apparently he hadn't planned on coming out, but felt that it was important for the people around him to know that it was personal for him, for someone they knew well. Apparently that really changed the mood of the debate early on.

I also read this quote from Republican representative Sean Flaherty this morning, and thought it was great:

"Madame Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the House,
I was not going to speak today, in fact I actually turned off my light. But then something happened over the course of this debate, I got a few texts messages and e-mails, twitter followers and facebook messages. They were from constituents, from college friends, from supporters, from folks all around the nation are listening in to us today.

Friends, the country is watching us, they are watching to see where a small, proud, and independent State will stand on the issue of equality. And so I wanted to make sure that folks who are watching know exactly where I stand – even if it may cost me reelection. It is more important, that to do what I know is right, than to do what may seem popular.

42 years ago, the Supreme Court found that the right to marry was a constitutionally protected fundamental right when they struck down laws forbidding interracial marriage. It was said then that interracial marriages violated tradition, were morally wrong, and would harm society. But last November, when this country made history and this state overwhelmingly voted for our President, we elected the son of a white mother and a black father who had formed an interracial marriage. Their marriage violated tradition and their marriage was said to be harmful to society. Yet it was their son who grew up to be the president of the United States.

So this country has overcome slavery in the United States, we’ve ensured women the right to vote, and my own great-grandparents, who were Irish, were once prohibited from even apply for many jobs.

Society progresses and makes sure that all people, regardless of their beliefs, must be treated equally. I've heard from so many people in Scarborough who just want to have the equal rights of Marriage for themselves, their friends, their coworkers, and their families. They work hard, play by the rules, pay their taxes, and love this country. I feel strongly about my obligation to vote in favor of granting them such equality."

There are no words strong enough for my rage.

elevateyourmind — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:28:20 GMT

Did you guys know that Matthew Sheppard's death was actually just a robbery gone wrong? That's what the lovely Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) tells us.

Take a look.

Maybe we'll all get lucky and she'll get "robbed" sometime soon.

Camping weekend!

elevateyourmind — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:33:01 GMT

Went camping this weekend's for C's bday. We went up to Bodega Bay up on the Sonoma coast, which is where Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds is set. Weekend highlights included a stunning coast with "gale force winds" (which means no kayaking, boo), blue jays that came to eat our butter, hippies who give out free wood from the back of a U-Haul, and stumbling upon a gay enclave in the middle of nowhere CA. I also made some killer sangria full of strawberries and limes.

It was really insane to see a gay enclave in a town with less that 500 residents. It made me even more confused about the passing of Prop 8, since these were the places we expected to find the down-home, middle-America, "God-fearing" residents who supposedly voted for it. We only encountered really friendly, laid-back people here, so I guess they were out of town. We did go through a super tiny town--only 85 residents!--with adorable antique shops, an old renovated train car, and lots of cows grazing. I loved it!

We tried out a new tent for this trip which kept us really warm despite being right on the ocean. It even had a vestibule! I don't think I get nearly enough opportunities to use the word vestibule. We also got a cast iron pan so that C could try out her skills at cooking over the fire. The food was almost as delicious as the sangria. ^_^

Mmm, onions.

The lovely Sonoma Coast State Beach. Apparently one of the most deadly beaches in CA according to the welcoming sign by the entrance to our campsite.

Our awesome tent! And C in the background. :D

This is the school where Hitchcock filmed some of the creepiest scenes in The Birds

Crazy dream

elevateyourmind — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:58:04 GMT

You guys, I had the craziest dream last night. I was at some sort of meetup for Azkatraz, and sitting in a big circle of all sorts of LJ people--but everyone looked vaguely like the icon I associate them with! For example, alisanne has those totally crazy, colorful lips, and filmatleven had black wings! It was so funny, I literally woke up laughing. I love when that happens.

I must be getting pretty excited for Azkatraz! Anyone else not get movie tickets? I really want to find another group of people to go see it with since I missed my chance to get tix.

Hag Sameach!

elevateyourmind — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:22:28 GMT

Happy Passover everyone!

Last night I went to the Feminist First Night Seder at my old synagogue Sha'ar Zahav. It was so wonderful! My partner came with me, and it was her first seder. Passover is such an inspiring holiday, and every year I forget how much I enjoy the seder. For those of you who have never been to one, a seder is a ritual telling of the story of the Jews' exodus from Egypt. We eat, sing songs, and go through the story as if it happened to us. The neatest thing about them, to me, is the emphasis on remembering our cultural heritage of overcoming oppression as a way of reminding ourselves of those who are still suffering in the world. During the seder, we invite all who are hungry to come and eat, and we renew our commitment to making sure that we do all we can to make the world a more just place.

The night is structured with the Haggadah, which is basically a prayer book to lead you through the night. There are literally thousands of different Haggadot (plural Haggadah), each with a slightly different way of telling the story and interpreting it for our daily life. For the Feminist seder, there was emphasis on remembering the women whose stories are often forgotten both in Jewish and non-Jewish history, and on the various forms of hardships that women face just for being women. CSZ (the synagogue) is an LGBT congregation, so there was also emphasis on that part of our lives. It was really powerful, and lots of great, quirky people were there. Yay!

Other than that, not much going on in my life. I may be moving in the coming months, but that's still up in the air. More to come on that...

How's everyone else doing?

Yuck

elevateyourmind — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:51:38 GMT

I've been intermittently sick over the past several days. I hate feeling like this: one minute hot, the next cold, my throat keeps starting to hurt and then getting better, and I'm congested completely for about 2 hours, and then I just have nagging sinus pain. WTF??

Of course it kept me from doing any of the stuff I wanted to for Hogsmeade weekend over at Hogwarts_Elite. Oh, well. I guess there's always next term.

Not much else I can think of to report. Been feeling remarkably boring. I did buy some new books, and I watched the first 3 episodes of Merlin. That is absolutely the slashiest show I've ever seen in my life. Jesus.

SOME THINGS TO KNOW

elevateyourmind — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:27:32 GMT

1. How hot is Kara Thrace??? SO HOT. Like, epic hot. That's saying something, considering she's blonde. Eww blondes.

2. How do I think blondes are so unattractive even though I think Kara Thrace and Draco Malfoy are the hottest??

3. I am druuuuunk. On boxed wine. But it's okay because it's Whole Foods boxed wine that tastes decent. And I can't remember how to log in to Yahoo Chat and no one's on AIM and I've been gone too long to have any friends online! BOOOO.

4. Sometimes I want.. everything. I didn't know how to finish this sentence once I started it. Also it's really hard to type when you're drunk.

5. HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

No more BSG :(

elevateyourmind — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 18:59:58 GMT

First off, for those of you who don't care at all about Battlestar Galactica (for shame!) go amuse yourself here.

I can't believe that the show is really done. Wow. I cried my little head off. Thoughts:

Adama and Roslin! ♥ That was so perfect, just so much them and so bittersweet. In Daybreak Part 1 I couldn't really seem much reason for all the flashbacks, but I really see why they did that now. I loved seeing how Laura came to the decision to follow politics and how she wasn't ready to feel anything yet, so it made her love with Bill Adama that much more meaningful for both of them. So, so much love for these two.

...I still don't think I quite get what was supposed to be the deal with Starbuck. I mean, clearly she can resurrect, but what was the deal? It seemed like they were going to at least spell out the importance of her father (did he create the cylons? is he God?) or something. Maybe I need to watch it again. All I got was that she died and came back and that the knowledge she had was what they needed to be saved. Also, why hasn't she magically appeared in my house yet? C'MON KARA I JUST WANT TO CUDDLE.

Lee Adama is boring. The only good thing was that he wanted to totally bone Kara Thrace, and I'm right there with him. Otherwise, total snooze fest.

Did anyone think the 150,000 years later thing was kinda lame? I mean, all that buildup just for that? I dunno. It wasn't awful or anything, but I was underwhelmed. Maybe it's just because I don't want it to be over. I would have liked it better if Starbuck had showed up at the very end.

my musical soulmate

elevateyourmind — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:59:42 GMT

I was just looking at the LJ of a new friend *waves to of_gallifrey*, and saw lyrics to one of my favorite Regina Spektor songs, "On the Radio."

Some questions arose from that remembrance:

How is Regina Spektor so awesome? Why am I not listening to her right now?

Does everyone have a musician/musical group that they feel somehow embodies them? Because she is absolutely my musical soulmate.

If you do have a musical soulmate, would it stay the same, or evolve as you do?

If the musician/group does change, does that mean it was just a favorite, and not actually the music of you?

I guess this isn't that different from how one would think about realtionships, etc. I mean, it's all just a different form of belief in lifelong monogamy (or not believing, as the case may be).

In other words, great job to my finacee in getting me one of her albums to woo me. I was quite wooed.

So what do you think, flist? Do you have a musical soulmate? Has it changed over the course of your life?

Tales of My Weekend

elevateyourmind — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:01:27 GMT

What a fantastic weekend I had! Of course, since it's already Tuesday, you can tell how busy my week is turning out so far. Let's focus on the positive though, shall we?

I went to an opera on Friday, The Tales of Hoffman. It was the first opera I’ve ever been to, so I got all gussied up (red lipstick and all). Though by the time C(my fiancée) and I got ready, we didn’t have time to sit down for dinner before the opera—so we ended up wolfing down some Baja Fresh in the new Prius just before the show. Two things I found out from that experience:

If you want a free churro and lots of attention, wear a cocktail dress and red lipstick into Baja Fresh on a Friday night.

Lipstick all over a burrito is just about the least appetizing sight in the world.

The opera was really neat—it was adapted beautifully by one of C’s coworkers, and it was really accessible so we actually knew what was going on!

I also got a wireless router this weekend, so I can finally use internet from bed at home. Now just to replace my power cord so I can turn the damn thing on...

As promised, here's Luna!

WHAT IS UP, FANDOM?

elevateyourmind — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:08:44 GMT

I'm back! It's kind of remarkable how long I've been gone--time passes more slowly in retrospect, I guess.

While I don't really want to talk about my reasons for disappearing for so long, I will say that I needed some time to regroup and figure some stuff out, and I just couldn't do that and be online for a while. I'm really excited to talk to so many of you again... Hope you're willing to forgive my flakiness!

Things in the world of Elle are going fantastically. I am super, super excited at the moment because I just registered for Azkatraz! It's especially awesome because it's in my (adopted) hoemtown, so registering and requesting the time off work is really all that I have to do. Yay! Who else is going?

Other exciting things:
1. I'm engaged!
2. Barack Obama! I love that man.
3. I'm writing, and really excited about it. Hopefully I won't get discouraged halfway through because of how it's not as beautiful as other people's stories and stop writing.
4. I got a kitten! My cat hates her, but she's learning to cope. Kitten's name? Luna!
5. ...I dunno. I just needed the list to have five things.

So, everyone, what's the haps? How's everything? What have I missed (aside from absolutely everything)??

Holy moly! It's almost Deathly Hallows!

elevateyourmind — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:01:30 GMT

Wow, have I ever been missing fandom! For those of you keeping track, I still don't have my computer back, hence not being online ever. I also am in the middle of a career change, so that leaves no money for fixing it in the near future. Sad.

However! I will be going this evening to pick up DH with verdenia and I just could not be more excited! Luckily, since I have no costume materials of my own, she has some to share, so we will be rockin' at the release party. Of course, now that it's only a few hours away, it's getting harder and harder for me to not look at the spoilers online. I'm so impatient.

Since I had the opportunity, though, I figured I would update and let everyone know that I am still alive and still loving all you crazy Harry Potter kids like the dickens. (Does that need to be capitalized? I have no idea what that phrase actually means, and whether it is a reference to a person.) I came to fandom completely by accident, as I am sure many of you did as well. After the second time I read the series all the way through, I just wanted more, which led me to looking for discussion forums, which led me to genfic, which led me (quite quickly, I might add!) to the world of love that is H/D. Of course, then I learned that apart from having a surprisingly large number of really talented writers, fandom has some genuinely marvelous people who I would spend time with all the time, regardless of HP obsession status. Man, I miss you guys.

Also, emptychairs visited me! We went to the beach and ate sushi and watched Veronica Mars, and it was pretty much perfect. I am now hanging, for a few more hours only, with the lovely and wonderful nuclearvenus. We also went to the beach and got sushi and watched Veronica Mars. Apparently that's what I do when people come to visit me.

One of these days I will return and start journaling again in some regular and coherent way. Until then, I hope those of you reading this aren't annoyed with another "Sorry for not posting" post.

Now, off to mentally prepare myself!

HarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotter

My first birthday present of the season!

elevateyourmind — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:33:17 GMT

Oooh, how exciting! karaz just gave me balloons for my birthday! Thanks so much, darling! Celebrate!

...And this is just so that not all my sentences end in exclamation points.

In case you were wondering...

elevateyourmind — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:49:50 GMT

Yes, it is illegal to send used beehives to Canada from the U.S.

And yes, I'm still gone. My computer is still very, very dead. I am, however, sending Valentines to those who requested them and to some who didn't (but who sent me xmas cards). If you want a Valentine and didn't request one, it's not too late!

D:

elevateyourmind — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 18:42:18 GMT

So, uh, my computer just died. I'm having the worst day EVER.

...I may be gone for a while (again).

Oh, pretty please!

elevateyourmind — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 18:50:09 GMT

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I love Valentine's Day. Admittedly, it probably has more to do with its proximity to my birthday (precisely a week before) than anything else, but still. I mean, what's not to love? I know that it's super commercial and geared toward relationships and all that, but really it's a chance to tell people that you care about them/admire them/love them/~~wish they were dead~~, and you get to do so with candy and hearts and baked goods (oh my!).

Plus, I always give great Valentine's so that people will think better of me on my birthday. :D

Get your own valentinr

In that spirit, please leave a comment here (screened) with your address so that I can send you a valentine! Then, go leave me a Valentine for me to open on the 14th.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Adding to the collective SQUEE.

elevateyourmind — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 19:33:03 GMT

I'm so torn: Deathly Hallows both can't get here soon enough and is FAR TOO SOON. I'm also especially sad I can't go to Sectus.

AND HOW WILL THIS AFFECT PROPHECY?? ASDGFK;L'DFGAJDGHJSKDHG

Alright. I'm calm. I'm collected. ~~And I'm most certainly not drunk on champagne and excitement at work before noon.~~

Can I also just take this opportunity to say how much I love having an intern to do the work I don't like? It's GLORIOUS.

Travels and thoughts on Sorting

elevateyourmind — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:03:47 GMT

I'm finally about to board my flight back from LA. I ended up having to stay an extra day down here to do work for another conference that my CEO is speaking at. I was staying at the Biltmore Hotel which was supposed to be a luxury hotel. Yeah, not so much. They sheets were like sandpaper, the room had a tiny bathroom with gross towels, the TV was from 1991 (or thereabouts) and the service was AWFUL. I don't think I'm a hotel snob, but when your company is forking over the cash for a nice hotel, you expect a certain amount of, oh I dunno, luxury. I'm wondering if the reason I had such bad service was because I'm young. If I were 10 years older, would they have taken me more seriously, and treated me better?

------

In other news, I am finally trying to catch up with my sorting over at sorting_elite. I have been very neglectful of my lovely 'Claws.

While sorting, I came across an app that seemed very Slytherin to me, and one of the comments (which sorted the applicant into Gryffindor) said that she was thinking too much about the Slyth aspects of her personality and thus she wasn't "wired" that way. This got me thinking about what it means to be Slytherin in this comm. (Or just in general.)

This particular person talked about purposely planning the way that she presented herself to people in order to create certain perceptions of herself, which helped her in achieving the things she wants. To me, this is a sort of manipulation (and dare I say cunning) that seems especially Slytherin. If she was acting that way without a second thought, it wouldn't necessarily be goal-oriented, and thus would not seem to have an ambition tied to it. I guess my question is, is it more Slytherin to naturally present yourself at your best at all times, or to purposely and with forethought decide how you want to be perceived and then act accordingly?

I often wonder why it is that there are so few people sorted in to Slytherin at hogwarts_elite. In some ways, it makes sense because the qualities exhibited by the house are not as universal as those of, say, Hufflepuff. However, I'm often surprised at certain people being sorted into Gryffindor or called Slytherpushers who, to me, seem pretty traditionally Slytherin.

Any thoughts?

YOU GUYS!

elevateyourmind — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 05:00:55 GMT

I am at the California Childhood Obesity Conference. Staying in the hotel by myseld. I have been having room serivce, and tehy serve cocktails. and now I am drunk,. Being drunk? FUN!

ALSO, I may or may not ahve left a drunk comment on your lj. That is because, whoever you are, I love you. I really, really do.

Also also, I love someone else who I am not weven supposed to talk about loving anymore. Sad sad sad.

Also also also, I met an FCC chairman (chairperson, I guess) who knew my orgaization and it made me feel important.

I've been on chat a bit, but haven't actually seen any of you who i want to talk to online. What is up with that? I miss you guys. Particularly henpecked. I don't know if I say it enough, or maybe too much, buit I love you all!!!!!11 ha.

Writing those 1's, despite all the silly fandom and online jokes that use it, reminds me of Margie, my wonderful friend from college who doesn't ever talk to me anymore. Sad. She's awesome. Her lj tghat she never updates anymore is margie_margie. She's awesome. I already saidf that. Man, one cocktail shpuld not do this to me, and yet...

Also again, I love HP and HP fandom. I really do want to contribute more to fandom but I have no real idea how. Although soon I will have more time to work for the PSA (Potter Slash Archive), and then I might feel a bt better.

Soory for any of you reading this.

Homeless no more!

elevateyourmind — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:35:08 GMT

After weeks, nay months of frustration, I have found an apartment!

It is glorious, and wonderful, and in the heart of the Castro! I'm going to be living with a lesbian couple, one a professor, the other with a feminist psychology degree and working at a hospital. I'm so psyched!

I could pretty much rhapsodize for hours on my new room and the giant kitchen and private back yard and laundry and free cable, etc., but I won't. Instead, I'm going to do a picspam as soon as I move in, so stay tuned!

Also, I'm still on the lookout for more appearances of Hogwarts Express, the all-woman Harry Potter drag group. If anyone hears anything, let me know!

(Wow. Lots of exclamation points in this entry.)

Ooh, a meme!

elevateyourmind — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 07:12:38 GMT

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