to make an apple pie from scratch

Maintenance!

2011-01-18T12:51:55Z

I did a slight friends-cut just now. Most if not all of you reading this on your flists should be entirely unaffected, since as far as I know I kept the people I've actually communicated with--here on LJ or anywhere else--within the past year or so. If, however, you can see this and you can't see the entry I posted about half an hour ago, and this distresses you, drop me a comment! I will add you back right away...

...unless you are one of the people who I removed because I no longer had any idea who you were! In which case, you fall roughly into Category #2 of people: strangers who have somehow found me (hi!) and would like to be friends. I'd like to know why, and probably where you found me, and anything else interesting about yourself you'd like me to know.

(Note: LJ and its notification system have been glitching pretty badly on me lately. If I don't reply right away, that doesn't mean I'm ignoring you, it means the comments have gone screwy again.)

An Open Letter to Website Creators

2010-06-25T23:00:25Z

Dear Wealthy, Faceless Corporation:

So you've decided you need to have a website. Maybe you make furniture, or create software, or sell hobby items. Maybe you commission work from freelance writers, or are looking for suggestions on replacement graphics for your site. Regardless of exactly what you do, you need your website's viewers to be able to find what they're looking for. It is in your best interests to have a well-laid-out website with a clear, easy-to-follow, and, if at all possible, intuitive path to information.

For example, if your website has a section devoted to support on user issues, it would be a good idea to have a means of contacting someone who works for your company mentioned conspicuously, instead of in very small type close to the color of the background at the bottom of the page. Additionally, once the user has found the "Contact Us" link, contact information should be provided.

Or, as another example, if you sell products, it is frequently considered helpful to list the prices of the products along with the photograph and description. I have had to navigate multiple websites, who presumably have an interest in exchanging their goods for my money, who manage to neglect this.

I have also encountered the website of a certain organization which provides multiple different services. Among their less iconic products are novels related to their other products; I was attempting to discover what the guidelines for these novels are and whether they were currently accepting submissions. It took me, literally, over an hour of clicking every link I could find on the site that seemed like it could be even remotely connected to user-generated content in order to find the answer to either question--as it was, the only question that was answered was the second, but, since it was answered in the negative, the first was no longer urgent.

When designing a website, you should attempt to anticipate the needs of your users and provide appropriate content. This means not having a complicated and beautiful Flash presentation (did you know that many people either disable Flash for security reasons while browsing the internet or use products, such as some phones, which do not support it?) with very little actual information, and no information that could not be gathered elsewhere. Many authors' websites in particular do this; when I worked at a bookstore in my hometown I occasionally needed to find specific information about release dates or publication order, and found nothing useful.

You should consider the purposes of your site (for example: provide users with information about purchasing and supporting Brand X programs/widgets; explain a current or historical event for the edification of users; provide a place for users with a common interest in a certain thing to gather and discuss it). What are you trying to do? What, therefore, would the people using your website expect to be able to do? What can you do to make this as easy as possible? What does the current means of structuring the website and producing content for it imply your purpose is, and imply your opinion of your users is?

Hoping for a more intuitive internet future,
Sincerely,
me.

This entry was originally posted by akatari @ dreamwidth, where there are comments. It would make my life a bit simpler were you to comment there using OpenID.

If I had a website, this would be there. Since I don't...

2010-01-16T02:25:00Z

There's a community that's sprung up to raise money for the earthquake victims in Haiti--it's called help_haiti, and I love the idea because I'm flat broke but want to help anyway. Sometimes the internet is the best thing ever.

The thing is, they want samples of one's work, and while I have an icon journal, I don't have anyplace I keep the other graphics work I've done for myself or friends. So I figured I'd throw a representative sample of the (more recent) stuff I've done up over here, and then link to it there, and then link there back to here so that those of you reading this from my actual friendslist can go bid on me if you want. (If you don't, that's fine; I won't be in the least offended.) [ETA: set of icons auction here; smaller set of icons & 2 banners auction here.]

O oracle of the internet, you all-knowing plenipotentary, answer my question if you can.

2010-01-15T02:46:12Z

So for some demented reason, I want to make icons relating to Arthurian legend now. ~~This is in no way related to me listening to the music of Heather Dale a lot lately. Nope. Totally not at all.~~ The problem is, I don't know that much about it*, and I probably wouldn't ever use them myself. So.

If any of you have requests/suggestions/ideas, feel free to babble away. Favorite quotes about people, artwork you want me to use, things you can't believe anyone ever got to the age of 19 without reading/seeing about Arthurian legend...

* compared to the people who actually know and care about Arthurian legend. Compared to the 99.99% of the rest of the world, I know a lot. I can even remember which of the Elaines was Astolat and which was Carbonek. Not that I can actually recite any of "The Lady of Shalott" except the bit quoted at the beginning of the Agatha Christie novel, but there you have it. And I'm hopeless at remembering the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur, Lancelot, Kay, Bedivere, Galahad, Gawain... uh... yeah, that's all I know. Oh! Wait. And Tristan. I keep forgetting he's Arthurian. (I can keep track of my Isoldes too!)

...Uh, and most of what I know about Arthurian legend I learned from Arthur, King of Time and Space, so. Uh.

Why College Is Sometimes Awesome

2009-10-30T21:25:59Z

A few days ago I wrote on my whiteboard

There are 10 kinds of people in the world:
1. Those who know this doesn't have to be a setup to a binary joke.
2. Those who don't.
&
10. Those who aren't reading this at all.

Base three: it's math, too!

A short while later, I had people commenting on base eight ("base 8 is like base 10 if you have two fewer fingers!"), making digit puns, and so on. Bits got erased as people ran out of space. Currently the whiteboard looks like this:

There are 10 kinds of people in the world:
1. Those who know this doesn't have to be a setup to a binary joke.
2. Those who don't.
&
10. Those who aren't reading this at all.
11. Those who can't count.
E. Those who know Hex is the best.

(I couldn't decide between this icon and my nerd icon. Finally settled on this one.)

Movies meme.

2009-06-19T00:19:47Z

So I encountered--somewhere, can't remember where--a meme where one selects quotes from twenty of one's favorite movies and posts them, and people have to guess the movies. The problem is that I kind of hate watching movies and so know very few of them. I picked ten. There should be 20, though. Uh... pretend there are? Quotes are from Wikiquote and may be wrong.

~~"Life is pain, Highness! Anyone who says differently is selling something."~~

~~" 'We danced on the beach, kissed on the beach, and dot, dot, dot.' "~~

"No, no, never mind the Chinese earthquake for heaven's sake...Look, I don't care if there's a million dead...No, no, junk the Polish Corridor...Take all those Miss America pictures off Page Six...Take Hitler and stick him on the funny page...No, no, leave the rooster story alone - that's human interest."

~~"I sold flowers; I didn't sell myself. Now you've made a lady of me, I'm not fit to sell anything else."~~

~~"Computer, define 'dancing.' "~~

~~"The way I remember it, albatross was a ship's good luck, 'til some idiot killed it. Yes, I've read a poem. Try not to faint."~~

~~"If there's one thing I've learned in all my years watching Earth -- is people aren't what they may seem. There are shopboys, and there are boys who just happen to work in shops for the time being."~~

"It means that America has finally produced a genius who can play the minute waltz in 50 seconds!"

~~"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't shoot their husbands. They just don't!"~~

"Obadiah, that's my real name. I've never told that to anyone before."

(edit: guessed quotes have been crossed out but not identified here, so as to permit latecomers to test themselves anyway.)

I know I've done this before, but it deserves to be said again.

2009-06-18T03:49:42Z

If there is one person or more on your friends list who makes your world a better place just because they exist and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.

Cookies!

2009-06-11T05:09:29Z

INGREDIENTS
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa [the unsweetened baking kind, not the powdered drink mix]
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened. [You can melt them a bit (or a lot) in the microwave if it's easier.]
1 cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup granulated [ordinary white] sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups/12 oz chocolate chips
8 oz dried cherries--maybe 12 if you really like cherries

Preheat oven to 375° F.

METHOD:
Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat the butter, the sugars, and the vanilla in a large mixer bowl until creamy, and they do mean "large". Beat in eggs for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. (Or until your mixer goes berserk and you get fed up with hand-beating the mix.) Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and the cherries--reserve a couple of each for when you're scraping the last of the dough out of the bowl if you want to make sure that every cookie has something in it, although they're okay plain too. Drop by rounded tablespoon (by which they mean "sort of glob lumps onto the cookie sheet", right?) onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are spread-out and puffy-looking. They just say "puffed", but the cookies spread out, too. I mean, you're not eating spheres. Anyway, 8-10 minutes is good, forget the puffed thing unless you have a weird oven. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes (it's not the end of the world if you leave them a bit too long, but they might fall apart slightly if you take them off much sooner); remove to wire racks to cool completely. Put something under the wire racks if they're on a good surface, as some crumbs may drop.

Nestlé says it makes about 4½ dozen cookies, but that's without the cherries added, so you might get a few more than that out of the mix. Or, if you're like me and always make the cookie blobs too big, a few fewer than that.

Amazon? FAIL.

2009-04-12T23:38:42Z

Amazon thinks it's a good idea to remove sales rankings of books dealing with GLBTQ issues--thus also removing those books from searches on the site.

No, really; I'm not making this up.

And--all hail the power of Google--

Amazon rank

communication fail

2009-04-03T18:31:34Z

I just spent almost fifteen minutes trying to explain a question to my psychology professor so that he could figure out how to answer it. And I failed in said attempt. argh.

Stolen from lady_violaceous and thewriter16

2009-03-16T19:39:18Z

I have been in a meme-y mood lately.

Put your music player on shuffle. Write down the first lines of the first fifty songs [I did 75, because I was bored]. Make your flist guess them. Please don't Google songs (well, please don't Google songs and then post the title as if you'd guessed it--you can Google and keep the information to yourself).

Exceptions, as invented and/or used by me: the song has no lyrics. The song has no lyrics in a language that you can understand enough to accurately write down. The entire first line is the title (use your own discretion here--if it doesn't sound like a title, it's okay; if it's "oh hey, title", then you can leave it out). The song has a verbal introduction and you can't figure out where the song starts.

1. Please, folks, may I have your attention please...
~~2. David walked into the valley with a stone clutched in his hand...~~ -- "Into the Fire", The Scarlet Pimpernel -- mikuru_chan
3. As roses bend through breeze, unbend me...
~~4. It's only when I lose myself in someone else that I find myself...~~ -- "Only When I Lose Myself", Depeche Mode -- cianne
5. On the first part of the journey, I was looking at all the life...
~~6. Were you so blind you could not see I killed him--yes!...~~ -- "Murderer's Confession: Rosa Bud", The Mystery of Edwin Drood -- quote_sheet
7. This is hard to say, but as I wandered through the lea...
8. Sayin' "I love you" now, baby...
~~9. Midnight, not a sound from the pavement...~~ -- "Memory", Cats -- opportunemoment
~~10. Wandering child, so lost, so helpless...~~ -- "Wandering Child", Phantom of the Opera -- isilwen_dreams
11. I've been Norman Mailer'd, Maxwell Taylor'd...
~~12. Once I had a secret love...~~ -- "Secret Love", Doris Day -- mondragone
~~13. You're the top, you're the Colosseum...~~ -- "You're the Top", Anything Goes -- opportunemoment
14. Love is but a word that wandered here from pastures green, where it was rarely said or seen and seldom sung...
15. I have learned to love the fallow way...
~~16. Honey, honey, how you thrill me, uh-huh...~~ -- "Honey Honey", ABBA -- laurus_nobilis
17. In 1649 to St. George's Hill a ragged band they called the Diggers came to show the people's will...
18. It seems we've stood and talked like this before...
19. He's the kind of guy puts on a motorcycle jacket and he weighs about a hundred and five...
~~20. Good news! She's dead!~~ -- "No One Mourns the Wicked", Wicked -- opportunemoment
~~21. Money talks, but it don't sing and dance and it don't walk...~~ -- "Forever in Blue Jeans", Neil Diamond -- mikuru_chan
22. Belinda was mine 'til the time that I found her holdin' Jim...
~~23. On a clear day, rise and look around you...~~ -- "On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever", On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever -- quote_sheet
~~24. It's the wrong time, and the wrong place, though your face is charming it's the wrong face...~~ -- "It's All Right With Me", Cole Porter -- opportunemoment
~~25. Isn't it rich? Are we a pair?~~ -- "Send in the Clowns", Stephen Sondheim -- opportunemoment
26. If we were perfect strangers, how perfect life would be...
~~27. See the moon sink down in the sky, darling, let your fantasies fly, darling...~~ -- "The Riddle", The Scarlet Pimpernel -- mikuru_chan
28. Impossible things are happening ev'ry day...
~~29. I thought love was only true in fairy tales...~~ -- "I'm a Believer", Neil Diamond -- laurus_nobilis
~~30. Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes...~~ -- "Seasons of Love", Rent -- opportunemoment
31. It was the third of June, on that summer's day...
32. The night descends softly, with a hush of falling leaves...
33. Once I bet me last ten pence and won...
~~34. No, stay--I don't care what you've said or done...~~ -- "Prayer", The Scarlet Pimpernel -- mikuru_chan
~~35. Where it began, I can't begin to knowin'...~~ -- "Sweet Caroline", Neil Diamond -- quote_sheet
36. I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail...
37. Mama, she always told me this would happen...
38. While I'm far away from you, my baby...
~~39. Hello, darkness, my old friend...~~ -- "The Sounds of Silence", Simon and Garfunkel -- laurus_nobilis
~~40. Left a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day...~~ -- "Proud Mary", Creedence Clearwater Revival -- frostflowers
~~41. Little town, it's a quiet village--every day like the one before...~~ -- "Belle", Beauty and the Beast -- laurus_nobilis
~~42. I got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere...~~ -- "Fugue for the Tinhorns", Guys and Dolls -- mikuru_chan
43. Hey, buds below, up is where to grow, up with which below can't compare with...
44. I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler, I'm a long way from my home...
~~45. 'Celia, you're breakin' my heart, you're shaking my confidence daily...~~ -- "Cecilia", Simon and Garfunkel -- mikuru_chan
~~46. To everything, turn, turn, turn, there is a season...~~ -- "Turn, Turn, Turn" (I have Googled, and determined that it was written by the Byrds; my version is sung by Judy Collins) -- isilwen_dreams
~~47. They call you "Lady Luck"...~~ -- "Luck Be a Lady", Guys and Dolls -- opportunemoment
48. My baby's crying on a Saturday night...
49. I am not myself these days--for all I know I might be you...
50. I touch your hands and my heart grows strong...
~~51. I remember days full of restlessness and fury, I remember nights that were drunk on dreams...~~ -- "Where's the Girl?", The Scarlet Pimpernel -- mikuru_chan
~~52. Down once more to the dungeon of my black despair...~~ -- "Down Once More", Phantom of the Opera -- opportunemoment
53. Who will love a little sparrow...
~~54. I caught you, sir, having a look at her, as she went strolling by...~~ -- "Once in Love with Amy", Where's Charley? -- quote_sheet
~~55. I've been cheated by you since I don't know when...~~ -- "Mamma Mia", ABBA -- laurus_nobilis
56. The lady comes to the gate, dressed in lavender and leather...
~~57. I bet you're wondering how I knew about your plans to make me blue...~~ -- "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", Marvin Gaye -- mikuru_chan
~~58. Cosette, it's turned so cold...~~ -- "Come to Me (Fantine's Death)", Les Miserables -- opportunemoment
59. We've got sunlight on the sand, we've got moonlight on the sea...
60. I am Lazarus, risen from the grave!...
~~61. My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender...~~ -- "Waterloo", ABBA -- laurus_nobilis
~~62. Who is this man, what sort of devil is he, to have me caught in a trap and choose to let me go free?...~~ -- "Javert's Suicide", Les Miserables -- opportunemoment
63. Tell me why your features all delight me, tell me why I love your hair...
~~64. Dearest, darlingest Momsie and Popsicle...~~ -- "What Is This Feeling?", Wicked -- opportunemoment
~~65. People everywhere--a sense of expectation hanging in the air...~~ -- "Voulez-Vous?", ABBA -- nirejseki
~~66. Go to sleep, say your prayers, rest your head upon my shoulder...~~ -- "Lullaby", The Scarlet Pimpernel -- mikuru_chan
67. The night is bitter, the stars have lost their glitter...
~~68. Through the corridors of sleep, past shadows dark and deep...~~ -- "Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall", Simon and Garfunkel -- opportunemoment
~~69. Don't wish, don't start: wishing only wounds the heart...~~ -- "I'm Not That Girl", Wicked -- opportunemoment
~~70. Between the very dead of night and day...~~ -- "Moonfall", The Mystery of Edwin Drood -- quote_sheet
~~71. I'm limited--just look at me, I'm limited...~~ -- "For Good", Wicked -- opportunemoment
~~72. It's true! It's true. The crown has made it clear...~~ -- "Camelot", Camelot -- quote_sheet
73. The sea is darker than the sky...
74. You swore that you had taught me everything from "A" to "Zed"...
75. Bad news, bad news, I heard you're packing to leave...

Yes, I have widely varying tastes in music. There are whole genres I have that didn't even turn up, too. (Also, my iTunes really likes some things, apparently...)

pokes the internet

2009-02-16T22:12:52Z

Why are some of my icons showing up wrong, and others not at all?

How many Honors College students does it take to change a lightbulb?

2009-01-30T23:13:47Z

Well, actually, to get a student identity-card out from the radiator it fell into. But lightbulb jokes were mentioned.

Answer: four and a half.

We were working on our Überjournals (which have nothing to do with Discworld's Überwald, although I can't help but think of that when I see the word Überjournal) when one of our group members said that she needed to talk to the maintenance people because they hadn't yet gotten back to her about getting her i-card out of the radiator.

The rest of us: "Sorry, what?"

She explained, "Well, I was going to the bathroom yesterday and I left my notebook and my i-card on top of the paper towel dispenser, and they fell, and the i-card fell into the radiator. I can see it there, but I can't get to it or anything." We granted her permission to vanish and continued without her. When she returned, she said that there was nobody in the maintenance room.

As one woman, we abandoned our Überjournal and trekked off to the bathroom to investigate, prompting lightbulb jokes. The conclusion was, "How many Honors College students does it take to get an i-card out of a radiator? None, it takes the maintenance staff."

We arrived at the bathroom. We poked at the radiator. I went upstairs and got my pliers and my screwdriver and a wire coat hanger, which I cut open with the wire-cutter bit of the pliers. Someone else--the half person--brought tape. We tried to make the hanger sticky. Eventually the i-card was dislodged.

Celebration ensued. Yay, girl power!

Hee. Yep.

2009-01-29T04:22:56Z

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

the Awesome must be shared! and then I promise I will stop spamming.

2008-12-31T04:31:53Z

Terry Pratchett gets a knighthood!. So now it's Sir Pterry. ^____^

DO NOT WANT.

2008-12-31T03:00:45Z

Phantom of the Opera (the musical) sequel.

...D:

Pros:
Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Cons:
Sequel.
CONEY FREAKING ISLAND.
Sheer what-the-hell quotient is through the roof.
I'm sorry, but the Phantom is Michael Crawford. I'm going to hate the voice of whoever they cast for it unless it's almost identical.
They're doing this for the money, right?
Also, in case I didn't say it loudly enough the first time: SEQUEL to PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

Verdict: *headdesk*

Paint samples. (No, honestly, it's not dull!)

2008-12-31T01:05:53Z

We're stripping the wallpaper (teddy bears and primary-colored stars and such) off the walls in my room. It will soon be painted. This means I got to frolic among the paint samples! \o/ And they have such cool names, as well as being pretty. (Granted, there are some stupid names too. I only share the awesome.)

luscious; cherry cobbler; chianti; exotic flowers; interlude; delicious berry; raspberry mousse; magenta jewel; wildflower path; Nairobi dusk; antique ruby; wine tasting; iced cranberry; antique gem; deep pleasure*; crown of laurel; precious jasper; shy blossom; voodoo; royal court; amethyst reflection; alakazam**; mystic; black Bordeaux; rose garland; sweet spiceberry; mission wildflower; haunting melody; mulberry; meadow flower; first blush; baritone***; indulgent; garden spot; vineyard; herbal garden; thyme green; volcanic island; chocolate cupcake; climbing lily; zen mist; sassafras tea; pastel sage; water sprout; feldspar; rejuvenate; cucumber crush^; rockwood jade; honeydew; fairway mist; spirit whisper; key lime; brand new morning; white truffle; toasted marshmallow; delight; summer haze; princess ivory; Serengeti sand; country lane; fall straw; sweet illusion; peach fade; feather white; June vision; frostwork; pesto; marsh fern; sonata^^; soft wine; whisper; curio shoppe^^^; wood anemone; evening peace; silver mauve; belladonna; serene thoughts; harmony; rose kiss; springwater; Serengeti plain; Napa Valley; spring blossom; jonquil; uplifting; first light; pink amour; luminary; delicious melon`; applecrunch; ponder; rum spice; mulled wine; Victorian mauve; warm cocoon; chai latte; peach bud; seafoam spray; green shimmer; Monet moonrise; midsummer dream; wine frost; shell brook; rosily; winsome rose; chocolate froth; wild honey; rose sachet; butternut wood; swan wing; mysteria; Gobi Desert; garden wall; sandstone cove; divine pleasure``; lilting laughter```; mulling spice; moon dance; feather gold; moon rise; toasted chestnut; peach fade; glazed pecan; aurora orange; restful; copperleaf; spring hill; Athenian green; frost; Egyptian Nile; Scotland road; mystical sea; valley mist; garland; deep smoke signal; pearl violet; lavender lace; silverberry; sparkling spring; fading sunset; vintage; mountain haze; timeless lilac.

The "I am really not making this up, honest!" list:
* Glidden 90RR 16/298
** Glidden 30RR 10/131
*** Behr 680F-7
^ Behr 440C-2
^^ Glidden 30RR 30/103
^^^ Glidden 70RR 31/112
` Behr 280A-3
`` Behr W-B-210
``` Behr 260E-1

There were also the Celeries: Celery Bunch (Behr 420C-3), Celery Sprig (Behr 410C-3), Celery Ice (Behr 410E-2). And Bagel (Behr 300C-3) with Peanut Butter (Behr 270F-4) and Marmalade (Behr 240B-4). And Alfalfa (Glidden 90YY 24/354). And Asparagus (Behr 410D-4).

*considers poetry*

following the Zeitgeist: Ben and Jerry's is doing it right

2008-12-18T04:08:45Z

So, Ben and Jerry's (Vermont-originating ice-cream company, for those unfamiliar with it) finally caught on to the stereotype/idea/whatever of brokenhearted women retreating to their rooms to sulk in solitude over a pint of ice cream. (According to my roommate, such ice cream must be Ben and Jerry's brand, but I don't think I'd ever heard that one before... I mean, I've seen it, but not that it's ESSENTIAL OMG.)

Therefore: chocolate therapy. No, really, Chocolate Therapy™: See? Not making it up. It's quite tasty, too, actually, even though it's not quite as distinct as it sounds.

oh, college.

2008-12-11T02:16:02Z

I have a horrible suspicion I am about to become a D&D player. Because I didn't already lose enough immense amounts of my time on unproductive things, y'know.

Blast Kat's handbook for being so shiny!

Holiday music requests!

2008-12-07T16:22:28Z

I mentioned last night in spork chat that I had "Carol of the Bells" stuck in my head, so then KD said she'd love to hear me sing it, and Midge found me recording software which I should be able to figure out somehow although I still have no idea how I'll get the files to Sporkers.

So then I figured, hey, if I'm already doing one holiday song, I might as well take requests. I will be strongly limited by whether I know the song or not, so most or all Hanukkah songs will be out (I think I know the basic dreydl song, period) as will a lot of non-English Christmas music, much of the random secular Christmasy stuff--especially the more modern ones, and any Kwanzaa or Solstice songs.

...Actually, if there's any non-holiday music request anyone has, I might as well do that too. Again, if I don't know it, I won't sing it. (And if I don't like it, I also won't sing it, because... yeah.)

dies laughing

2008-12-03T01:14:38Z

best NY Times front-page photo evar y/y?

To quote my roommate, "That needs to be captioned 'Kiss me, you fool!'" It is so unintentionally, hilariously awkward.

\o/

2008-11-19T04:47:46Z

50,000!

Can we?

2008-11-05T04:09:05Z

Yes, we can!

Even though he was going into election day with an estimated lead of at least 100 electoral votes, according to every source I saw anywhere, I was still convinced something was going to go wrong somehow. And it didn't.

And I'm so glad, and so proud, that we as a country finally took a step away from Bush's catastrophic trainwrecks of policies. Maybe the world will realize that we're not all bellicose, ethnocentric jerks. Because we aren't. Only a tiny percentage of Americans are--it's just that for the last eight years one of the worst of these specimens was representing us to the world. And now, now we can say, "Look. We're not that bad. We like health care, and making peace, and agreeing that there's not just 'Americans' and 'terrorists'."

And I am damned glad of that.

Edit: Also, my commendations to McCain for his concession speech, which was rather touching. "This man who was my rival and is now my president." No immaturity, no selfishness, no complaints, and no accusing the vast left-wing conspiracy of stealing the election from him.

I can worry tomorrow about backlash. Tonight? I am a citizen of America and the world. And I am proud to be so.

lady_akatari @ 2008-11-04T14:53:00

2008-11-04T19:53:45Z

IF YOU ARE AMERICAN AND ELIGIBLE (and registered) TO VOTE, GO VOTE.

yay, finally a version goes through that applies to me!

2008-10-31T10:57:45Z

Copy this sentence into your livejournal if you're in a heterosexual marriage/relationship (or if you think you might be someday), and you don't want it "protected" by the bigots who think that gay marriage hurts it somehow.