Trowa Barton (aka Darth Sweetie)

Bake Sale for Boobs

2009-09-23T16:46:30Z

My friend taura_g is still trying to make her goal so that she can join hammercock and kimberlogic to participate in the upcoming Breast Cancer 3-Day in Washington, DC, over the Columbus Day weekend.

treatsfortits is a joint project to help this.

We are running a baked goods auction with a silent auction format. Each item will have its own entry in this journal. Each item has a minimum bid. If you're interested in purchasing this item, put a bid -- at least $1 above the previous bid, if any, please -- in the comments. Bidding will close at 10a. on Monday, September 28th. Winners will be notified via email & LJ comment.

At the close of the auction, we'll notify the winning bidders and ask them to donate the price of the goods via taura_g's donation page, whereupon they will be free to pick up the goods at the GLSE on Wednesday, Sept. 30. (If you are not local and would like to bid, talk to us about mailing the items to you, which should be fine as long as they don't require refrigeration.)

Bid early and often!

So far you can choose from: </font>

And there will be more to come later today.

How Do You Feel?

2009-09-02T15:04:15Z

I do not understand the question.
It is through will alone I set my mind in motion.
Almost human
End of line

Random Thought of the Day

2009-08-25T17:45:53Z

They come in Guam, now!
This concludes our random thought of the day.

Movie Watcher's Log

2009-08-20T05:55:55Z

2195: "Ponyo": I found about this at Worldcon. Saw it with all of GLSE at the Kendall Square Cinema. It's not Totoro, but at least it had more plot than "Steamboy". What concerned me was the lack of backstory on some of the underwater characters, especially Ponyo's mother. Also, it was probably a poor decision to have Liam Neeson voice an androgynous character. It's still cute.

That Twitter Novel Meme

2009-08-20T05:30:55Z

Rather betray fuck buddy, flunk math, and embrace status quo than have my face gnawed by rats. So there, already.

My Worldcon

2009-08-16T07:58:50Z

I should probably core dump this while I still can since memories are fading.

I still remember 2007 in Yokohama with hammercock, in which we partied with the Montreal bidding committee. It was no contest between Montreal and Kansas City for 2009. Having said that, we prepared for weeks to have a great time since we missed last year's con in Denver.
This time, I will be with more people I knew in a more familiar city. I was in Montreal over 8 years ago and fell in love with the environment. A few things have changed since (like the exchange rate and my marital status).

Thursday:
We left early in a caravan with noire and J to avoid any rush hour traffic before hitting the border. NOTE: Always fill the fuel tanks in Vermont before crossing the border. Unfortunately, we were near the Montreal city limits by 5pm, so it took over an hour to travel 5km. Nonetheless, we were able to check in to our hotel by 7pm. We had the luxury of having our hotel right across the street from the convention building. It was convenient for panels and lectures but not for parties since the official party hotel was blocks further away.
After check-in came the common problem of trying to catch-up and coordinate with everybody at the con. Too many schedules; too little time. It ended up being a small dinner mob of 4 with hammercock, noire and J where they were kind enough to indulge me with a piece of nostalgia. One of the places I remembered eating 8 years ago was a Polish restaurant called Stash Cafe in the Old Port. It introduced me to pirogis, and I fell in love with the area. Very European with wonderful food. With each sight, smell, sound, and taste, an old memory resurfaced. There were a lot of, "Oh yeah, I DID THAT!" Try the duck, beer, and wine there. Stay for the old-style architecture. After that, we parted for parties until 4am.

TO BE CONTINUED

Random Thought of the Day

2009-08-13T13:17:28Z

Self-deprecation should not be made into an artform.

This concludes our random thought of the day.

Movie Watcher's Log

2009-08-13T01:54:32Z

2193: "Coraline": I saw the Friday screening at Worldcon. In theory, it was following an introduction by Neil Gaiman. Unfortunately, hammercock and I missed that. (I'm still trying to remember what we did that evening. Dinner? Where? I remember what she was wearing. I remember the afternoon with noire, but not much else. Reminds me of movie #2194.) The screening took almost an hour long due to technical difficulties. If there was such a thing as an anti-ad, it would be for a Blu Ray player. Thankfully, someone got the DVD version before the entire audience stormed out.
To be honest, this was the most I've been immersed with Neil Gaiman fiction with the exception of seeing sweetmmeblue as Death. Almost like a reverse Nightmare Before Christmas. Remind me never to piss off the cat.

2194: "The Hangover": I just saw this less than an hour ago. It's so wrong, but in a good way. Between this and "He's Just Not That Into You", Bradley Cooper perfects the Smooth Operator role. This movie brags not one but two Daily Show alumni. Ed Helms handles the Nerd-coming-out-of-shell role well. I fear that Rachael Harris will be typecast as the Frosty Bitch for a while. Even Mike Tyson was funny.

Well, I'm Home

2009-08-12T05:29:51Z

hammercock and I came back from Worldcon.
Eventually, there will be:
A core dump
Detox
A sanity check

Now, off to my squishy bed.

Movie Watcher's Log

2009-07-21T18:16:26Z

2191: "300": I finally saw it as it was saved on our Tivo. It did look like a video game

2192: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince": Though I never read the books, I knew enough of the story to know already how it ended. Now, I'm just trying to wait until 2010 and 2011 for the final films.

Movie Watcher's Guide

2009-07-17T16:48:53Z

2189: "Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down": Funny. I saw this on cable. The format reminded me of Hitchhikers.

2190: "3 Blind Mice" Chewie film with Edward Furlong. Imagine witnessing a murder via webcam. Not going into details due to personal kinks.

Random Thought of the Day

2009-07-16T20:36:37Z

Never read literary criticisms of a play before seeing said play.
You will overanalyze and forget to be entertained.

This concludes our random thought of the day.

Another Random Thought of the Day

2009-07-01T00:41:03Z

Conversations with a Mobius strip would be one-sided.
This concludes another random thought of the day.

Random Thought of the Day

2009-07-01T00:31:11Z

I'm tempted to see the Transformers sequel just to post thereafter, "NOW, Michael Bay raped my childhood."

This concludes our random thought of the day.

Movie Watcher's Log

2009-06-24T19:23:01Z

2188: "He's Just Not That Into You": I should actually start with a confession: I like classic and surreal romantic comedies. I'm a romantic. The more twisted, the better as long as one thing happens: he gets the girl or vice versa. This is why I thought "Slumdog Millionaire" was a good choice for Best Picture at the Oscars. This is why, though "Chasing Amy" was better in originality and intelligence in dialogue, I preferred "Zac and Miri Make a Porno". This is why I bought the DVD to this film. By many purposes, this should be at best a mediocre film. It's easy to scoff at how the characters deconstruct and dissect each movement and word to falsely surmise any hidden message. We believe what we want to believe and can be guilty of overanalyzing. We think that our crowd is above the antics of the characters in the film, but the film is applying what I call "Hollywood Hyperbole:" a bit out of proportion but the problems are real.
In my case, I envision the letter "S" in the beginning to reiterate that there were times in which the answer was simple: she just doesn't like me "that way."

I broke it down to each main character in the film since this is an ensemble piece:

Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin): I had a hard time trying to sympathize with the character. She was the one who overanalyzed every nuance in a date. There were scenes in which she continually pushed the comfort levels of her dates with repeated phone calls and deconstructed criticism. Funny enough, all of the advice that she receives in the film does not include a key fact: Desperate aggression is a turn-off. She was at times two notches away from stalker status, as if her sole purpose is to find Mr. Right at any costs. But, she's a hopeless romantic who likes "Some Kind of Wonderful", and that can't be too bad.

Alex (Justin Long): Between this and "Zac and Miri", the actor is trying to distance himself from the geekiness of the Apple commercials (as well as "Dodgeball") and go for the Smoooooooth Operator persona. I like his character. No bullshit in telling you the truth. It's tough love with the "love" part gradually sinking in.

Conor (Kevin Connelly): Male counterpart to Gigi. A common theme of the film is that one person cares for another more than vice versa. Gigi pines over Conor while Conor pines for his "friend" Anna. (Like many traditional, fluffy rom coms, a straight male sees the attractive female friend as a consolation prize with the connotation of "the home game.")

Anna (Scarlett Johansen): Hard to watch her character, since she justifies flirting and having an affair with a married man. Again, we like to think that we are not so blind to wreck a marriage just for the possibility of finding "The One". You want to smack her head and scream, "What makes your relationship special if the man is willing to trivialize his marriage?) It's everything Chris Rock made fun of in his stand-up ("A man sees a woman with someone and says to himself, 'I want someone like her.' A woman sees a man with someone and says to herself, 'I want HIM! And I will slit that bitch's throat to get it.') After further seeing her scenes, I was dumbfounded at her anger when said married man cheats on her with his own wife. Wasn't even worth the skinny dip. Christie Brinkley did it better in "National Lampoon's Vacation".

Ben (Bradley Cooper): Between this, "Failure to Launch", and "The Hangover", the actor is in danger of being typecast as the Player. He's does the cheating jerk role quite well.

Janine (Jennifer Connelly): The actress does seriously, emotionally stunted roles well (see "Requiem for a Dream", for example). As the wife, she receives more exposure and normally in these films as the anatomy of the affair is addressed. The problem is that the character isn't exactly sympathetic, so all parties lose.

Beth (Jennifer Aniston): She pretty much plays Jennifer Aniston, only a little more serious. To her, a 7-year commitment isn't enough. The concept of marriage out of peer pressure is never fun to watch. (Youngest sister is getting married, why can't I? WAAAH!) However, the chemistry with Ben Affleck works. Weird.

Neil (Ben Affleck): Emotionally mature. The ideal boyfriend minus the need to marry. He cares through actions rather than words. If anything, one wonders why is he seeing Beth. However, as stated, the chemistry works.

Mary ("Drew Barrymore"): It was probably after this film that she decided to no longer due such comedies, hence "Grey Gardens". It showed. Her character was probably there to address how cyberspace further complicates dating (i.e. using Myspace/Facebook/LJ/Twitter/Dreamwidth to find that soulmate.)

Overall, one must remember two things after seeing the film: (1) the less serious you take dating, the happier you will be, and (2) avoid genearalized pronouncements on how supposedly all men or all women think.

A Meme I Stole

2009-06-13T06:49:26Z

The problem with Live Journal is that we all think we are so close, but really, we know nothing about each other. Hence, I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me. Something that should maybe be obvious, but you have no idea about.

EDIT: Comments will be screened.

Random Thought of the Day

2009-06-10T14:47:40Z

I was amused that some of the panic and anxiety I got from being boxed in at Diesel can be eased with a Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock T-shirt.

This concludes our random thought of the day.

New Addiction

2009-06-08T14:01:17Z

I have a weakness for whoppie pies from Steve's Snacks Bakery, particularly peanut butter/chocolate. Now I've discovered that:
1. You can order online.
2. They come in mint.
3. They sell by the dozen.

This is dangerous information to have.
Yum.

Random Thought of the Day

2009-06-05T15:57:40Z

Why do I feel like I'm listening to a Cylon Basestar Hybrid every time I read a Twitter post?

This concludes our random thought of the day.

A Meme I Stole

2009-06-04T15:41:39Z

1. You can ONLY answer 'Yes' or 'No'.

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks—and, believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming. Nothing is exactly as it seems.

Kissed any one of your LiveJournal friends? — yes
Been arrested? — no
Kissed someone you didn't like? — no
Slept in until 5 PM? — yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? — yes
Held a snake? — yes
Ran a red light? — no
Been suspended from school? — no
Experienced love at first sight? — yes
Totaled your car in an accident? — no
Been fired from a job? — yes
Fired somebody? — no
Sung karaoke? — yes
Pointed a gun at someone? — yes
Did something you told yourself you wouldn't? — yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? — yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? — yes
Kissed in the rain? — yes
Had a close brush with death (your own)? — yes
Saw someone die? — no
Played Spin-the-Bottle? — no
Smoked a cigar? — no
Sat on a rooftop? — yes
Smuggled something into another country? — no
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? — no
Broken a bone? — yes
Skipped school? — no
Eaten a bug? — no
Sleepwalked? — no
Walked on a moonlit beach? — yes
Ridden a motorcycle? — no
Dumped someone? — no
Forgotten your anniversary? — no
Lied to avoid a ticket? — no
Ridden in a helicopter? — no
Shaved your head? — no
Blacked out from drinking? — yes
Played a prank on someone? — yes
Hit a home run? — no
Felt like killing someone? — yes
Cross-dressed? — yes
Been falling-down drunk? — yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? — yes
Eaten snake? — yes
Marched/Protested? — yes
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? — no
Puked on an amusement ride? — yes
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? — yes
Been in a band? — no
Knitted? — no
Been on TV? — yes
Shot a gun? — yes
Skinny-dipped? — yes
Given someone stitches? — no
Eaten a whole habenero pepper? — no
Ridden a surfboard? — no
Drunk straight from a liquor bottle? — yes
Had surgery? — no
Streaked? — no
Been taken by ambulance to a hospital? — no
Tripped on mushrooms? — no
Passed out when NOT drinking? — yes
Peed on a bush? — yes
Donated Blood? — yes
Grabbed electric fence? — no
Eaten alligator meat? -- yes
Eaten cheesecake? — yes
Killed an animal when not hunting? — no
Peed your pants in public? — no
Snuck into a movie without paying? -- no
Written graffiti? — no
Still love someone you shouldn't? — no
Think about the future? — yes
Been in handcuffs? — yes
Believe in love? — yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? — no

My Stomach's Back

2009-06-04T03:30:15Z

I had a pasta meal at CPK. Between that and a burger last night, I had my first meal in a week. It felt bloody good. Now I just have to feel confident enough to drink either coffee or alcohol.

Movie Watcher's Log

2009-06-04T03:28:35Z

2185: "Havoc": I didn't count this earlier because, to be honest, I only saw it through MrSkin. Now that I've seen the full version on IFC, I can say that I saw the best parts already. I finally found out what the film was about, and it disturbed me. It's pretty much about bored teenagers from upper-middle class families who decided to go gangsta in dress and attitude in LA, getting high and talking trash. Little do they realize the horrors of crime and poverty in real gang life. If they don't like it, they can crawl to their rich, emotionally ineffectual and numb parents.

2186: "Terminator: Salvation": I saw this while hammercock was on a date. As I discussed with others, this film made the TV series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" redundant which probably helped in its cancellation. Viewers, tired of seeing John Connor as a wishy-washy angsty teenager can embrace the character as close to the iconic savior as possible given the setting. Since the movie takes place in 2018, it is before he leads the entire resistance. It's better than T3, but not as good as the first two which doesn't say much. James Cameron set the bar high with the look and feel of the machines, the characters, and the settings. The terminators of this film are not as glossy. (They haven't had time to perfect the hyperalloy combat chassis, so steel/titanium had to be used for the clunky T-600s, Harvesters, and Hunter Killers.) Anton Yelchin nailed Kyle Reese right down to his diction.

Random Thought of the Day

2009-06-03T15:08:55Z

In this economy, Bohemia is trendy again.

This concludes our random thought of the day.

Random Thought of the Day

2009-06-01T15:45:38Z

Last night, I knew what it was like to have the digestive capacity of hammercock, taura_g, OR ariesd. It sucked.

EDIT: They all have stomachs smaller than an apple, so this post was about my INABILITY to eat.

This concludes our random thought of the day.

Random Thought of the Day

2009-05-31T03:53:24Z

As I try to catch up with the outside world after illness-related exile, my mental reactions have been limited to:
He didn't.
He did.
She didn't.
She did.
Him???!?!!!!
Her????!!!!!

Let's play a game called "End of the line, my Valentine." (I dare someone to guess which movie that came from.)

This concludes our random thought of the day