PARTIAL FRIENDS ONLY

Currently in the process of (very slowly) locking this journal. The (sad, meager amount of) fanfiction I've written remains unlocked. Comment if you're interested in friending; be warned that I'm largely boring, tend to babble a lot about appropriately boring RL things, etc. etc. Welcome aboard, otherwise!

Media Consumed in 2009

* designates reread/rewatched
** designates read/watched for class

Books, Plays, etc.
Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card
Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card*
The Two Noble Kinsmen by William Shakespeare
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Family by Ba Jin**
The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L'Engle*
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle*
Utopia by Thomas More
The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser**
Warriors of Legend by Jay Navok & Sushil K. Rudranath
Paradise Lost by John Milton**
How to Cook A Dragon by Linda Furiya
The Case for Literature by Gao Xingjian**
Samson Agonistes by John Milton**
Johnny Voodoo by Dakota Lane
Prodigy by Dave Kalstein
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Please Stop Laughing At Me by Jodee Blanco
Hamlet by William Shakespeare*
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Is Lighter Better? by Joanne Rondilla & Paul Spickard
The History Boys by Alan Bennett

Comics & Manga
Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan, Volumes 1-2
Hetalia Axis Powers by Hidekaz Himaruya, Chapters 1-2
Tramps Like Us by Yayou Ogawa, Chapters 1-3
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Allison Bechdel**

Movies & Documentaries
Hero*
The English Patient
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Milk
Howl's Moving Castle*
The Blue Kite**
Never Been Kissed*
The Adventures of Food Boy
Some Like It Hot
The History Boys*
Twilight
Still Life**
Seventeen Again
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Enough*
Slumdog Millionaire
The Children of Huang Shi
He's Just Not That Into You
Watchmen
The Reader
Street Fighter
Taken
Dreamgirls
Coco Before Chanel
Ratatouille*
Juno
Yes Man
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Lust, Caution
Not One Less**
Push
Coach Carter
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
District 9
Eat Drink Man Woman
UP
Coraline
Star Trek
Gran Torino
Anastasia*
A Great Wall**
Orlando**
Withnail and I
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Bright Star
Blood Diamond
The Dead Poets Society*
Julie & Julia

Television, Dramas, Anime, etc.
Gossip Girl, contd.
The West Wing, contd.
Doctor Who, (out of order)
Supernatural, (out of order)
Bones, (out of order)
Criminal Minds, (out of order)
X-Men: Evolution, (out of order)
BBC Robin Hood, Season 1
Demons, Episodes 1-2
Dollhouse, Episodes 1.1-1.13, 2.1-2.4
Ouran High School Host Club, Episodes 4-26
Kings, Episodes 1-3
Castle, Episode 1.1-1.2
Royal Pains, Episode 1.1
Ugly Betty, Season 1
Cashmere Mafia, Episodes 1-7
Glee, Episodes 1.1-1.9
Monster, Episodes 1-9
BBC Merlin, Episodes 2.1-2.8
Liar Game, Episodes 1-10
FlashForward, Episode 1
White Collar, Episodes 1-3

yuletide author identities have been revealed! Which I guess means that it's okay for me to post the fic I wrote. Luckily, my prompt was Justice (i.e. the only fandom I've actually attempted to seriously write for - also, a virtually nonexistent one, but ahaha it's the thought that counts?), gen interaction between Luther and Ron.

Title: Every Good Boy Does Fine
Fandom: Justice
Pairing/Characters: Luther Graves, Ron Trott, brief mentions of Tom and Alden.
Rating: PG
Summary: Luther Graves in past, present, and future.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Written for the yuletide 2008 fic exchange, for joylee56. Originally posted here.

( Once upon a time, Luther was supposed to become a corporate lawyer. )

It's official!

I'll be rooming with svz_insanity in Merion 322. Along with the Merion ghost, I suppose. The photos in the Merion Hall section of the online res life guide look nice enough. Hooray for really old buildings with fireplaces and window seats and stained glass! ♥

I'm going to be in Maui and Honolulu with my parents on a family vacation until August 1st. Volcano tours and windsurfing will, if all goes as planned, be involved. It's supposed to be something like a combination graduation/eighteenth birthday gift. They say to expect something more modest for my nineteenth, and hey, it's not like I'm about to complain about this year's haul.

And after Hawaii, it's almost time for:

- Rooming assignments from Bryn Mawr (dude, Stacy, we really need to end up as roommates, and we totally want one of the suites in Pembroke West; trust me.)
- QUITTING MY JOB.
- Visiting Margaret in Baltimore for shopping, movie marathons, and Otakon. ♥
- Tri-College Summer Institute! (Thank you, Bryn Mawr, for finally sending some form of acknowledgment that you actually know I'm showing up for this thing.)
- Finalizing my bloody college classes and actually starting school.

August is going to be quite a month.

Okay, it's raining and thundering like it's the Apocalypse Come To Princeton right now. Holy shit, that thunder is loud. I mean, it's awesome! I just keep on jumping and nearly having heart attacks.

... and in the meantime, ironically enough, I'm reading Stormbenders, which is fabulous, and reads like canon. ♥

Meme time! Was tagged by epicrauko for Flogging Molly, so! Favorites, not necessarily in order, but perhaps roughly so. I tend to change my mind a lot, but the songs near the top are definitely ones I listen to most often.

1. Devil's Dance Floor
2. If I Ever Leave This World Alive
3. The Rare Ould Times
4. Laura
5. Within A Mile of Home
6. Don't Let Me Die Still Wonderin'
7. Queen Anne's Revenge
8. Never Met A Girl Like You Before
9. Drunken Lullabies
10. With A Wonder and a Wild Desire

Okay, I just watched the series finale.

1) It was kickass.

2) OKAY, I ADMIT IT. I have officially been converted to OTP'ing Katara/Zuko. It's not just one of my multiships anymore; it is my O-T-fucking-P of this series, silly as that may be. Certain bits of the fandom may make me wince, but hey, that's every ship's fandom. Fandom in general, even.

( Cut for spoilers )

And now I'm even more desperately in need of fic. Specifically really well-written Katara/Zuko. Guhhhh.

RE: BOILING ROCK

"My first girlfriend turned into the moon."
"... That's rough, buddy."

Oh my God, I love Sokka and Zuko's awkward male bonding. I love this season in general. ♥

( Typing as I watch 'The Southern Raiders'; click here for my stupid color commentary, fangirling, etc. )

In conclusion, I need Avatar fic rec. Preferably with Zutara. Or Mai and Ty Lee. Or Sokka and Zuko being Clueless Teenage Boys together. Or all of the above; I don't care as long as it's good. I've stumbled across some in the past (a good deal of it written by jakia, if I remember correctly), but I've lost track of most of the stories. I should probably watch the show up through the series finale first, but... fic rec. Waaaaaaant.

I'm sort of tempted to write for this fandom now. Even though the show's over (per usual for my track record, wryyyy). BUT STILL. I am so getting into this fandom, even though it's a little late. I've dipped my toes and skimmed the surface in the past, but now I sort of want more. (wry, timing, wryyyyy, I tell you.)

I slept till noon today, then threw a kimono over my tank top and pajama bottoms, dragged myself downstairs to make a cup of Earl Grey tea and some eggs/bacon/toast, lazed around at the kitchen table eating breakfast lunch brunch really slowly, then went back upstairs and stared at my Macbook. I need to drag myself over to the Princeton Public Library at some point today, so I can return A War of Gifts (and maybe pick up an LSAT book, because I'm lame like that), but for the most part, I'm probably going to laze around the house all day. I'm feeling decidedly and pleasantly lethargic. ♥

And I still haven't changed out of the robe and pajamas. They're comfy.

cleolinda on the whole Bella/Edward sex (or lack thereof and ensuing angst) thing:

"Oh Lord, Bella's decided that she wants to lose her virginity before she becomes a vampire. But he won't do that if they're not married! But she won't marry him if he won't let her become a vampire! But she won't let him make her a vampire unless he takes her cherry first! Dude, it's like that riddle about the fox and the goose and the bag of wheat trying to cross the river on a boat made for two."

I LAUGHED SO HARD. SO HARD.

And oh, Stephenie Meyer, you're funny:

Interviewer: "There's been some speculation on the internet..... about Edward being an abusive boyfriend..... ?"

Meyer: "Yeah, yeah, OK. There's a lot of stuff online that has, honestly, broken my heart recently. It is difficult to read things that take such a negative spin on something that is very personal and also makes a lot of sense inside your head [...] I think that people sometimes will go out looking for the negative when really if they gave them the right intentions, I think they are understanding characters better. But it is hard to read."

I wish I were kidding.

And in conclusion, this icon wins forever and ever:

To follow along with Margaret's idea, I retook this test. My results went like this:


Cognitive Process Level of Development (Preference, Skill and Frequency of Use)

extraverted Sensing (Se) ********** (11)
unused

introverted Sensing (Si) ******************************* (31.1)
good use

extraverted Intuiting (Ne) ********************************* (33.4)
good use

introverted Intuiting (Ni) ***************************************** (41.2)
excellent use

extraverted Thinking (Te) *********************** (23)
limited use

introverted Thinking (Ti) *********************************** (35.1)
good use

extraverted Feeling (Fe) ***************************** (29.3)
average use

introverted Feeling (Fi) ************************************ (36.3)
excellent use


tl;dr version: I'm an INFJ, I really suck balls at "enjoying the physical thrill of action in the present moment" (I didn't think I was that bad, honestly, I didn't!), and I'm probably too fixated on the future for my own good. :D (I also didn't expect the Fi to be all that high - I hate moralizing, for the most part. Honestly, I thought the stats for Fe and Fi should've been flipped, but there you have it.)

So, I think I may be a little bit in love with Burberry.

This is quite unexpected, because (a) I've never particularly liked shopping (though this is probably mostly due to being forced to shop with my mother), and (b) I don't really pay much attention to fashion beyond looking nice, presentable, and when the occasion warrants it, dressy. I'm inclined to think that spending copious amounts of money on designer labels is a bit silly, when you can get perfectly functional (even attractive!) clothing for less money. Yes, I own a number of designer items (mostly small things - handbags, wallets, watches, etc. - maybe the occasional shirt, skirt, or pair of slacks), but most of them are either gifts from relatives and family friends, or things that my mother insisted that I get. Don't get me wrong, I think they're quite nice (I do get some pretty good use out of my Coach and Guess wallets/handbags), and I like them, I'm just not really the sort to save up my pocket money to splurge on them.

Still, I can't help but want a Burberry coat really freaking badly. Any of them. All of them. And the outfits in these ads and these! It's my sort of thing. Hell, I even love their menswear; it's the sort of clothing I'd find attractive on a guy. If I were to say that I have a personal "style" (and good lord, I never thought I would, but then, I never thought I'd spend an entire livejournal entry babbling about fashion of all things), or a preference for a certain "look," it's... very Burberry. I even like their damn website.

Never mind that Burberry is horrendously expensive.

Okay, you can stop laughing at me now. ;__;

It arrived a couple days ago; it's a MacBook, and it's a lot like my old computer, but sleeker, and more compact, and it's so pretty. My dad got one of the computer scientists from the university to come over this morning and help me set it up. (Said computer scientist also lectured me on how I should take "real hard sciences" to fulfill my Division II requirements at Bryn Mawr and steer clear of "physics for poets," and I was like alksjdfaj nooooooo.)

And my new iPod works on it too! And have I mentioned that it's pretty? ♥

I saw Across the Universe last night. It was a fun movie in a... drug trip sort of way, but a bit too long, and it probably could have done without some of the more elaborate sequences. Still, fairly enjoyable. I was amused at the beginning, when Jude meets Max at Princeton of all places. Though oddly enough, the Princeton of the movie looks a hell of a lot more like Bryn Mawr than actual Princeton University. (The two schools have very similar architecture, but there are some subtle differences that are a bit difficult to pinpoint.)

So, you know what's really fabulous? When the managers forget to give you one of your breaks during an eight-hour shift due to being short-handed. Well, that, and customers who insist on bringing more than ten items to a ten item express checkout line. *headwall* In other words, MY DAY WAS SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME.

A Cellphone Conversation With Cecilia During The Break My Boss Actually Remembered To Give Me:

ANDREA: So, I hate my life. Also, I'm halfway through the first episode of Macross Frontier. Alto is pretty.
CECILIA: Yes, he is.
ANDREA: Michael would also be pretty. If his hair wasn't absolutely horrible.
CECILIA: I love Michael! I hate his hair. And his ears are pointy.
ANDREA: Maybe he's a leprechaun? Didn't we come to the conclusion that he was fandom!Lockon, except also a gigantic douche?
CECILIA: A French leprechaun.
ANDREA: Okay, so maybe he's half French, half leprechaun.
CECILIA: Ranka is half alien!
ANDREA: The little girl is half alien? Wait, there are aliens?
CECILIA: Yes. There are two kinds. One kind is humanoid, but can take two forms. One kind looks like gigantic bugs that kill people. And Alto has to kill them.
ANDREA: One kind has two horns?
CECILIA: No. *explains aliens*
ANDREA: So, the little girl is half gigantic bug?
CECILIA: No, the little girl is half gigantic humanoid.
ANDREA: That kills stuff?

Also, I sort of want to watch Gunslinger Girl. And The Rose of Versailles. And various American TV shows and movies. (I have way, way too many things I want to watch.)

HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT.

NEED 12 NOW. NOW. WHY IS THIS SERIES SO SHORT.

lksjadf;klsjdf;jl *bites fingernails*

Okay, I have to walk to work in fifteen minutes, but I definitely just marathoned Toshokan Sensou up through the seventh episode. alskdjfasfjk GUN-TOTING LIBRARIANS, more please. I am loving this show, and I ship Doujou/Kasahara so very hard. They're adorable. I will be forever amused that there is a character named Tezuka. Who's mildly boring, but not unlikable. And oh, I adore Komaki so, so much. He's just that sort of character. And Shibasaki! I love everyone, okay. I am so watching the rest of this (what's been subbed so far, anyway) when I get back from McCaffrey's today. ♥

I also got through the fifth episode of Torchwood. I like Gwen well enough, but don't find her that interesting, except when she's interacting with Jack, in which case I start shipping Jack/Gwen. (I love their little moments at the ends of episodes 3 and 4. And the scene where he teaches her how to shoot things, mmmmm, firearms.) I know, I ship too much het. But I do see the appeal of Jack/Ianto! (And oh, oh, episode 4.) I'm an incurable multishipper. And I think the tidbit of Jack backstory in episode 5 broke my heart a little. I saw it coming from a mile away, but still. And oh god, creepy little girl. I sort of hated her from the start. (Sorry, it's a thing. Hate creepy children. Haaaate.) The entire episode was a bit chilling in general, but enjoyable.

And now work, gahhhhhh, GROCERIES, HERE I COME.

- I can't find the receipt for the new iPod; ergo, I can't return it. WHOOO.
- However, apparently, I don't need a new computer; I just need to... somehow upgrade the system? (it's a Mac OS X 10.3.9 right now; it needs to be a Mac OS X 10.4.5, I believe.) I have no idea how to go about doing this, but my father seems to think it can be done. Somehow.
- Though I might be getting a new computer for college anyway. My parents are fuzzy on these details.
- Dear Bitchy Customer: I am a student with a summer job as a cashier; I am not your personal servant. Pointing out that you'd like something done differently is perfectly all right. Being so shockingly rude about it is not. Oh, and by the way, talking to the next customer in line about me as if I don't exist, and making snide remarks about the nature of this job? So classy, lady. So very classy.
- Reread bits and pieces of the Shadow arc today. Suddenly remember how boring Bean was. Sigh. Oh well, Peter-as-a-main-character sort of makes up for it. The politics are a bit difficult to follow, but there are some great pieces of dialogue. But I still don't like Petra/Bean.

Am now trying to decide whether to (a) read more Enderverse, (b) futilely search for Enderverse fic, (c) watch more Torchwood, (d) watch more Supernatural, (e) watch more Alias, (f) start and/or continue some random anime, or (g) attempt to force myself to write. Guh.

THE GOOD: I got the new 8 GB iPod nano, and it's all sleek and silver.

THE BAD: My iBook G4 isn't advanced enough to let it actually work.

THE UGLY: I am unsure of whether or not Best Buy still actually sells the old iPods.

I hate technology.

And on an unrelated note, I seriously need good Enderverse fic, orz. There's a facebook group called "Ender Wiggin can own Harry Potter any day," and I am way more amused by this than I probably should be.

Damn you, War of Gifts, for dragging me back into my old (seriously old) fandom.

Now that I actually know what a Welsh accent sounds like (yes, thank you, Torchwood), I really like it. It's sort of the like the lovechild of an Irish accent and an English one, and the result is startlingly pleasant.

In other news, epicrauko left a very long message on my cellphone. For the record, she sounds like Freakazoid on crack.

And I say that with the utmost affection, Margaret, I do, I do.

You'd think it would be a relief to work in a grocery store on a day as hot as today. Except for the part where they didn't turn the air conditioning on at the checkout counters.

LOLOLOLOLOL, MCCAFFREY'S.

And then I walked home, because my parents were out and couldn't give me a ride. My neighborhood is on a giant hill. GOOD TIMES.

Also, does anyone have Supernatural fic rec that... isn't Winchestercest? Much as I love Sam and Dean and their dynamic, I'll admit to being sort of squicked by incest, particularly between siblings. I'll read it very occasionally, but only if I really like the writing, and if it's meant as either crack or serious mindfuck - and even then, it just isn't really my cup of tea. In general, I hate sexualizing familial dynamics, and I honestly enjoy interesting platonic relationships.

And I mean, I sort of fail at slashing. Except when it's, like, Tenipuri (because how can you not slash Tenipuri, and even then, there are some het ships I like, okay, stfu). And Harry Potter, sometimes. I do occasionally wish I were more of a slasher at heart; largely preferring het and gen is so not a useful trait to have in fandom, orz. ;_;