I dreamt of apples [entries|friends|calendar] Raine Thompson doodler @ deviant art [ userinfo | livejournal userinfo ] [ calendar | livejournal calendar ]

(1 apple fell | light the incense) Arigatou ne [27 Nov 2009|12:28am] [ mood | thankful ] I am thankful that despite losing 80 pounds, I can still let myself eat Thanksgiving dinner without guilt. Well...too much guilt, at least. I am thankful for my family, especially the geeky ones that understand me well enough to laugh at my jokes. I am thankful for my friends, who remind me every so often that I am loved despite being a partly-crazy psycho bitch. I am thankful for my husband, who I love dearly and tenderly and miss dreadfully right now. I know he misses me too and will do the dishes while I'm away. I also took the pig. I am thankful for food, which remains delicious in fantastic ways. Oh green bean casserole, you are amazing (not the Campbell's stuff, cuz that stuff sucks). I am thankful for the 50,000 words that I've written so far, and the 10,000 or so more to come before I finish my first draft. I am thankful for a mother who will go shopping on Black Friday with me, but just to the places with the best deals, and no earlier than 9 o'clock. I am thankful my youngest cousin is turning out just fine. We're going to play DDR on Saturday and I plan on showing her Dissidia. I am thankful for having a brother with a great voice that I love singing duets with. I am thankful for a wonderful girl who knows who she is. :) I am thankful that I have a place I can put my thoughts, and people will tell me what they think of them - but only if they want to. It appeals to my narcissistic side just as much as my tendency to flee from the spotlight.

(5 apples fell | light the incense) My hands were conspicuously on my lap, left on top. [17 Nov 2009|07:32pm] I get carsick on the T, so I always try to grab a seat facing forwards, since that's the only thing that quells the nausea. The first car at 1st Ave was filling up fast and I darted into the first available seat. The young hispanic man next to me watched as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. "Sleepy?" he asked. I looked at him and blinked. "Not really, just tired." He nodded. Every thirty seconds or so from there on out, he would ask me another question of small talk in broken English. He asked if I was working. He asked where I lived, then told me where he lived. He asked my name, and said it sounded European. He asked my age, and did a double-take when I told him. "Twenty-seven?" he said in surprise. "Twenty-seven?" I nodded. "Yup." "I think twenty, twenty-one." I nod again at the compliment. "Twenty-six," he said, and I looked at him oddly. He gestured to himself. "Twenty-six." "Oh." I nodded again. Nodding is a very neutral response, I think. He asked me if I spoke any Spanish. "Nope," I said, and he looked confused. "Not at all. I took French." Then the big question hit. "Boyfriend?" he asked. I shook my head and smiled. "Husband." "Oh," he said quietly, then his eyes widened as he translated. "Oh!" He flushed and looked away, nodding his head as he began to apologize profusely. I just smiled thinly and said it was alright, and he didn't ask me another question for the rest of the trip.

(3 apples fell | light the incense) For Sale! [16 Nov 2009|09:25pm] [ mood | optimistic ] Alright. I'll preface this with saying that I -know- the pictures are pretty crappy. My lighting was terrible and my camera is pretty weak. I photoshopped each picture to best show the clothing featured, so if the background colors don't quite match, that's why. Also, I'll gladly take extra photos of things if needed, and answer any questions about the clothing shown here. Lastly, don't take my price as set in stone - I'd rather sell it, period, than donate it. Give me an offer, and we'll work something out. :) ( Click Here for My Inventory! ) Lastly, this isn't everything. I have some more things to gather and photograph, but this is the first batch, at least.

(4 apples fell | light the incense) Productivity! [16 Nov 2009|11:03am] [ mood | productive ] Quest was fun, mostly. Saturday was very warm while the sun was up, and otherwise very cold. The plot rotation seemed short on NPCs and things were slow as a result, but the last mod I went on was fun so that feeling stuck with me when I left. I got home at around five Sunday morning and happily slid into the nice, warm bed to pass out. I woke up Sunday just before noon and had an amazingly productive day. It began with a shower. Then I tore into two newly-acquired used computers and inventoried all the components, with only a brief detour to look up how to open a Dell clamshell case on the internet. I replaced my sound card with one of the cannibalized ones, then found drivers for it and the (hopefully) correct drivers for the other three sound cards we have on hand. When I rebooted my computer, I saw an unfamiliar frame open on the task bar that had no window. Instead of just closing it like I had the last time I saw it, I poked around and discovered that it's a side-effect of a known trojan. I hunted down the trojan, deleted it, scanned the drive and changed major passwords. If I start acting odder than usual in some places online, let me know? I played around with some game demos on Steam, then downloaded SimTower and enjoyed that for a bit before getting pizza for dinner. I plotted what I'll be making for the DoA Secret Santa exchange, caught up on Amazing Race, then watched the new AR episode as I photographed all the clothes I'm planning to sell. The rest of the evening afterward was spent in Photoshop, because either my camera sucks or I'm a shitty photographer. Am currently pondering attending Light-Up night downtown this week, since I'm here anyway during the start of the festivities. I've never been, though, and would love company, hint hint. :D

(6 apples fell | light the incense) What I've Been Up To [12 Nov 2009|11:17am] [ mood | busy ] Work: My hours shifted to 10-7 last month, which has been alright but cuts deeply into my evening time. I'm in charge of two different nationally syndicated programs, which is pretty awesome, but I still don't have quite enough workload to keep me busy all day long. So I'm still around quite a bit online during the day, just with less freedom to read webcomics. WoW: I've been playing less WoW and futzing about with other games recently. I miss raiding and I haven't lost my interest in WoW, but the weekends end up the only time I'm really up for playing, and I've been busy on the weekends lately. I'm hoping to get Vengmi to 80 sometime before the expansion, and I'm looking forward to 3.3, but with my schedule I wonder if I'll get to raid again without piggy-backing with other activities. BJD: Peter's not here yet. ;_; The manufacturer got really backed up and they may be shipping September's orders within the next week. His wig has arrived and is gorgeous, and his wings are mostly done, I've got the apoxie and paint for his mods and a sample ear has been created from Sculpey. When he gets here, I'm ready! Quest: Is tomorrow! Looking forward to the Quest weekend bigtime, although I'm afraid I forgot to submit production. I'm honestly not sure. >.< Spouse: Kent got a promotion at work, which means he's a manager now. Or supervisor. Or whatever the terminology is. The important part is he's got a raise and underlings, which is pretty awesome. The downside? His hours are all over the place, as well as his days off. But still, he's happier now that he doesn't have to talk on the phone all day. Novel: I crossed the 45k mark yesterday and I feel great! I was telling Kent my concerns last night that the story might not be as good as I want it to be, but we both agree that I just have to write it and find out. I'm at least two-thirds of the way through the story, and actually starting to move into uncharted territory - I know where the plot goes, but there are details that still need worked out. Thanksgiving: I'm hoping to head down to Maryland for the holiday itself, but I wanted to have a get-together at our place for a not-necessarily-related-by-blood-family feast. Currently looking at sometime next weekend, how's that work for people? Car: Took the Prizm in for inspection, cost me $500 to get it to pass. Am now seriously considering selling the car I've spent $1600 on in the last 18 months, yet only drove 1100 miles. Zipcar is present in Pittsburgh, and may do well as a backup plan when the bus pass doesn't cut it. Other: Saturday's PIMBA championships were wonderful, and I cried when they announced Mr. Monteleone's official retirement (effective two days later, seriously). PT's show this year was absolutely incredible, and I am so damn proud to have been part of that band. I miss marching.

(2 apples fell | light the incense) Fashion for sale [10 Nov 2009|03:52pm] [ mood | embarrassed ] For those unaware, or just plain haven't been keeping track, I've lost about 80 pounds over the last 18 months, going from a size 22 to a size 12. I've done everything I can, but with reduced bedroom space (thank you, king size bed), I need to say goodbye to many, many pieces of clothing. So, before I go through the trouble of photographing everything, would people be interested in buying said clothing in the first place? I've got things from L to XXL, from 14 to 22, and a lot of it is in good shape. I'll donate it all if nobody's interested, but a few bucks here and there from the clothes would go further towards a new wardrobe than the donation discount. ^.^;;

(light the incense) Sharing the awesome. [05 Nov 2009|08:50am] [ mood | bouncy ]

(1 apple fell | light the incense) NaNoWriRant [04 Nov 2009|10:11am] [ mood | annoyed ] So, it's NaNoWriMo. For the unaware, that's short for 'National Novel Writing Month', which encompasses the idea that for 30 straight days you bang out 50,000 words that are (theoretically) not complete gibberish. The editing can come later. I've attempted to participate, but failed miserably, for three years now. This will be my fourth straight year of failure at NaNoWriMo, but I don't mind. I'm hoping next year will go better. Despite my current burst of inspiration for second novel (WTF, me, you're not even done with the first yet!), I use the NaNoWriMo website as a resource, while participating without intending to win. Since I came into November with 35k words already written, it'd be cheating if I -did- 'win'. The forums at the site are pretty interesting. Lots of good advice, lots of people contributing...and then there's the Character and Plot Realism forum, which makes my reader brain want to cry and throw itself out a window. Let me explain. This specific forum is geared towards answering plot questions so that the author can make their plot realistic (a.k.a., believable). While this sounds fantastic on the surface, you start to read it and discover that the majority of querants are incapable of using Google to find their answer, let alone having the creativity necessary to write a fucking novel in the first place. To illustrate, here are some actual questions reposted from the forum. They are followed by the answers I wish I could post, because these people piss me off: I need you to list off all the famous magical creatures you can come up with. Wiki it, you lazy asshole. But how famous can they be if you haven't heard of them before? How to commit suicide, and what happens after? Well, you can start by slitting your wrists. And then you bleed out and die. How can my serial killer be caught? Are you kidding me? You have to ask other people to figure out a major plot point in your novel? Do us all a favor and turn off your computer, go to the library, and read the genre you're trying to write. In the end, it's a blessing the vast majority of these monstrosities go unpublished at the end of the month. Because based on the quality of the questions asked, they're 99.8% utter shit.

(5 apples fell | light the incense) Television Programming 303: Digital Satellite Transmissions [03 Nov 2009|12:17pm] [ mood | aggravated ] Once a television has obtained permission to air programming on the station, it must then acquire the programming from one of several sources. In 301 we covered tape delivery, and in 302 we visited traditional satellite feeds. What follows is advanced satellite feed technology: digital satellite transmissions. In traditional satellite feeds, the program source airs the program in real-time, and authorized stations can target the satellite and record the program, likewise, in real-time. While this is the accepted standard in broadcasting, technological advancements have allowed for the transmissions to evolve. With digital satellite transmissions, the program source digitizes the content and sends it via satellite to internally authorized stations. The station receive the content digitally and can then choose to either import the content into a digital automated system, or play it back and record it to tape for analog rebroadcast. The main advantages to digital satellite transmissions are as follows: -digitized programming takes less time to transmit than real-time -authorized stations can be added and removed instantly -digitized programming can be seamlessly integrated with digital automated systems -content will be deleted from the stations' servers when their air window expires Now, despite all these very clear and present advantages, all of the processes involved create increased opportunity for both human error and equipment failure. While with a traditional satellite broadcast all that is needed is a tape fed over a satellite transmission, digital satellite transmissions require several additional steps that can be - to put it bluntly - easily bungled. Firstly, the source tape needs to be digitally encoded, then edited into several different segments based on the show's composition (Segment 1, Commercial Break 1, etc...). The encoded segments then need to be integrated with the appropriate commercial spots and local black by means of a digital 'format' sheet, a step-by-step timed outline of a show's composition. Then the show is sent as a package digitally to the transmission service. The transmission service takes the bundled package and sends it out over satellite, where it then arrives at the destination stations' servers. The stations' software determine the transmission to be complete by a simple communication over the internet. As mentioned, any number of factors can be mishandled during this process: -the wrong commercials could be accidentally integrated (easily done, as spots are identified with a long, usually incomprehensible string of numbers) -the program could be assembled in the wrong order, the upload to the service could be interrupted -the service could fail to send the program in a timely fashion -even a momentary internet disruption could cause the show to arrive incomplete Additionally, the service could experience a slow-growing file corruption that removes random stations from the authorized lists, resulting in dozens of stations calling the syndicator wondering where their programming is. And the syndicator could call the service, wanting to know what is wrong, and the service could string them along for days with no comprehensible explanation or even a proper acknowledgment of the problem in the first place, leaving the syndicator in deep trouble with a very large programming provider. All in all, what I'm trying to say here is: PATHFIRE SUCKS. FUCK YOU, PATHFIRE. Class dismissed.

(3 apples fell | light the incense) Halloween Weekend 2009 [02 Nov 2009|10:15am] [ mood | happy ] I had a great weekend. :D Friday night was spent dressing up and going to a costume party at a house we'd never been to before, nor did we know the owners. We got there and walked around awkwardly as we realized there was nobody there that we knew, so we hung out in the garage with the grown-ups and waited until Kent's coworkers showed up. Then we walked around, talked, bummed around, stood by a fire pit, and generally had a good time until around one in the morning, when we left. I eventually rolled out of bed Saturday morning, and did some stuff. Stuff involved tweaking my audio card settings so that I could play Torchlight without it crashing, then installing Diablo. Then when I got my ass handed to me on the second level, I remembered that you had to save frequently in that game. Oops. Trick-or-treating was cold, but non-rainy, so a good number of kids were out. I handed out candy, dressed as a geisha, wearing the yukata I bought in Japan for the very first time. Trying to style my hair appropriately made me appreciate the trouble geisha went through. The makeup, too. Kent was a sexy pirate for about an hour, then he got bored and went inside. I saw tons of store-bought costumes, a healthy dose of sorry-excuse-for-costumes, and a handful of amusingly original costumes. 'Cereal killer' was pretty cute until I saw a second one, though. The best was a girl in a jukebox outfit, complete with flashing lights and music playing. I'm decently sure she was the same girl who was a fortune teller machine last year. Then, at quarter to midnight, I nervously walked to the Dormont Hollywood theater for my first-ever RHPS with live cast. Bought my ticket, took a seat, and was soon branded with the traditional lipstick V for all to see. Thankfully, I wasn't alone - it seemed like a third of the theater were also virgins. The night was filled with much insanity, and while I knew some of the callbacks, I was more amused to sit back and hear everyone else yell them. Worth mentioning was the fact that Janet in the cast was replaced by a blow-up sex doll. I think it was an improvement. >.> Yesterday, Kent and I combined our gift cards to have a feast at Red Lobster. We've been there twice in recent memory and both times we've had absolutely spectacular service, and the food's been great, too. We ordered so much stuff I promised myself I wouldn't eat anything else the rest of the day. Then we waltzed over to WalMart and put together a bedding set, complete with new pillows, for less money than a bed-in-a-bag, then we went home and dressed the bed. Then we napped. The rest of the evening was filled with gaming, and I installed D2X and got through Act I with a necromancer. I've only really beat the game two or three times, and pretty much always with an assassin. But necromancers have the added advantage of sitting back and letting minions do all the work. And now a new week begins. Wheeee~!

(1 apple fell | light the incense) Virgins to the front! [01 Nov 2009|02:26am] [ mood | flirty ] As they say...only one time is your first time. ( I felt it was worth commemorating. )

(light the incense) Timeline of Events [31 Oct 2009|12:27pm] [ mood | satisfied ] Monday, October 26th: We assemble and place King-size bed in bedroom. Bed takes up half of total square footage. Tuesday, October 27th: We pick out a mattress pad online for the new bed. Decide on Amazon because of Super Saver Shipping. Order is placed, estimated shipping date is November 2nd, with an estimated arrival of November 11th. We figure we'll make due, because free shipping is worth it. Friday, October 30th: Email arrives from Amazon that the mattress pad has shipped...from halfway across the state. Saturday, October 31st: Mattress pad arrives. Carolyn writes happy LJ entry and finds it difficult to avoid typing "Cocktober".

(1 apple fell | light the incense) Put down the yardstick! [29 Oct 2009|11:21pm] [ mood | amused ] SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS The best comedy mimics truth.

(light the incense) More random crap to keep me busy. [29 Oct 2009|06:34pm] [ mood | accomplished ] A universal classic: The Mary Sue Litmus Test I got through my three main characters before deciding that I really didn't have anything to worry about. Rian (6 points), Menya (15 points), and Charley (1 point) are all decidedly not-Sues, and that's good enough for me. :)

(13 apples fell | light the incense) For the hell of it. [28 Oct 2009|04:25pm] [ mood | accomplished ] Fantasy Novelist's Exam Assume all answers to be 'no' if they're not touched upon here. >.> 3. Define 'heir'. 25. I don't see how this applies. At all. 35. Yes. Shut up. 37. Yes, but nicknames apply. Just like real life. 39. ...are you serious? I mean, do you -look- at the words you've typed here? 41. Yes. Because it's a race bred from two other races, and 'half-human' isn't specific enough. 47. Again, not seeing how this applies. 64. Depends on how hard it was fired, where it struck, etc...but I see what you're saying. 65. Do you think people only ate good food 'on the road'? 72. ...yes. =\ ...that's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I feel better. :)

(5 apples fell | light the incense) (( Tonight at 9pm ST )) [28 Oct 2009|11:00am] [ mood | excited ]

(6 apples fell | light the incense) <3 [27 Oct 2009|11:50am] [ mood | touched ] For those people who don't understand the lure of internet games, who don't understand why people get attached to friends they make there, and simply cannot understand why we keep playing after we've 'won'...this link explains part of it. http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=20677860557&sid=1&pageNo=1 It's not always about the game - it's about the friends you make in it. :: needs to clean the apartment for her guest in December ::

(1 apple fell | light the incense) Bedspace [27 Oct 2009|10:13am] [ mood | pleased ] Thanks to the generosity of wonderful friends and the strength of my husband, we now have a king-size bed in our bedroom. Last night was our first night in it, despite only having pillowtop box springs for it. We rolled out our full-size foam pad on top and slept on that as a trial run - I'm pleased to say it was a success. I'll probably order a king-size pad tonight and we'll hopefully have it in a few weeks. Amusingly, the bed easily takes up half the bedroom. We're plotting some rearranging to make things easier to reach (like, the dresser). However! This means we now have the bedspace to accommodate two additional visitors to L'hotel Gabriel. We moved the full bed over to the guest room and folded up the single in the closet, for good measure. Of course, now that room will need rearranged, but c'est la vie...

(3 apples fell | light the incense) Writer's Block: Forgive and forget? [26 Oct 2009|10:16am] [ mood | serious ] Do you tend to forgive and forget or hold grudges? What is the longest you've ever stayed angry with someone? Is there anything the other person could say or do to win back your friendship and trust? View 1515 Answers I don't usually do these things, but this question is one I feel people should know my opinion on, so here we go. I hold grudges. I hold them pretty hardcore. If you cross me, or one of my friends, you are on my shit list, which honestly doesn't count for much except that I think you're an asshole and won't trust you with anything, ever. I like to believe that I'm a pretty trusting person, so when that trust is betrayed it upsets me more than some people would expect. There are two people in the world who have made my "punch" list. These are people that if I saw them again, I would punch them in the face on principle. Both of those people have fallen off the list due to time - one changed his actions and has become a decently tolerable guy; the other was downgraded to the newly-created "slap" list based on the number of years that have passed since her transgression (to be fair, I will consider the slate clean once I slap her). With all that said, yes, it's completely possible to win back friendship and trust. While there are no set-in-stone rules for it (bribing is more likely to piss me off than entice me), I will say that heartfelt expression of regret and a long honest talk can fix most problems. If something doesn't involve me directly, it's all in the person's actions after the incident that helps me decide how I feel afterward. I'm sure this sounds somewhat petty and arbitrary, but that's how it is. Through grade school I was constantly ridiculed and mocked, beat up and teased to the point that I didn't feel that I could trust anybody. The friends I had proved themselves to be such, and I had a decently insular childhood in that I didn't socialize much beyond those people. And yet, in time, even some of those friends betrayed me. In my own way, I try to protect the friends I have, and I shut out the ones who have proven otherwise. That's just how I am.

(9 apples fell | light the incense) Concerns. [23 Oct 2009|11:24am] [ mood | discontent ] Recently I find myself rather annoyed with feeling grown up. Not so much that I am grown up, but that some people I socialize with still haven't reached that point. I'm too polite to point out they're being childish, but too irritated to feel comfortable around them. Not sure what to do. There is more to life than video games. Anime is entertaining but not enough to build an identity around. Dolls are beautiful but certainly there are more important things to spend $1500 on in a month. Writing is time-consuming but not everything you are. Am I the one who's crazy? Am I just being intolerant of other people's hobbies? Do I just need to flee to the hills and become a hermit?

navigation [ viewing | most recent entries ] [ go | earlier ]