arkratirma: (rorschach)
Early this morning, Kat kept me distracted and cheered me up over Messenger as I waited for Aunt Pam and Uncle Larry to return home (thank you again SO much, Kat!). They arrived just as I was taking off my glasses and necklace to head to bed; I heard the Astro's doors shut outside, then ran to the front room to unlock the door for them. Uncle Larry's kidney stone was confirmed, but he now has a much stronger medication to handle the pain. He felt great when I asked them about the visit.

Went to bed at 4:37. Hadn't been up that late in a couple months, I think.

I remember waking up at 10:something this morning, then thinking I'll just sleep until 12:00. HA. I got up just before 2:00.

I showered, ate breakfast, brushed my teeth, and took Uncle Larry to Oregon City to pick up his prescription at Albertson's. We headed to Fred Meyer as the prescription was filled; I deposited a check I recently got for leftover loan money for the quarter (the most I've received yet; I'm going to put about half of it into my savings), and Uncle Larry picked up cat litter. Got his prescription from Albertson's, then we were off for home.

It was stunningly beautiful today, warm and practically cloudless, just above 60 degrees F. I took advantage of the mild weather and went on a bike ride. Did my stretches once home, ate a bit, then finished reading Little Children with Harley on my lap.

The novel is wonderful, but I honestly prefer the film's ending. Its shock value is so much more pervasive, so much more shattering. I won't give any spoilers except to say that both Ronnie, the convicted sex offender, and Larry, the lapsed cop, are far more unpleasant in the novel than they are in the film; it only brings a deeper significance to their personalities which I found refreshing and unsettling. Ambivalence and conflicting emotions can be thought-provoking. I don't feel I should be entirely pleased with everything I read.

Tom Perrotta's Little Children is the second satire I've read (since reading Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" in Mr. Elkin's senior year English class), and it's the first satire I've read of my own accord and interest. I like branching out. I was a Koontz-head for a long time (well, I still am a Koontz-head), and it feels good to read novels I wouldn't imagine myself reading a few years ago. Of course, my interest in the novel came from my appreciation of the film*, and I like the differences between the two. The scenes that are included in the film translate almost word-for-word from the novel.

*Silly as it is, my desire to watch Little Children stemmed from wanting to see what Jackie Earle Haley's acting would be like: I wanted to get an idea for how he'd handle Rorschach (and Kat said it was a good movie - AND SHE WAS RIGHT). Needless to say, I knew after watching the film once that he'd nail the role (AND HE OWNED IT). Whee!

As long as I'm on the subject of movies, Bolt is absolutely adorable. It would feel right at home shelved next to Pixar movies. HUGE improvement, both technically and in terms of story, over Chicken Little. Incomparable, really. I found it grimly fascinating that, in order to make Bolt truly believe that Penny was in mortal danger, he was never allowed off the set. The scene of Dr. Calico's cats taunting the little dog in his trailer is hilarious. :D

AND OH MY GOD RHINO. BACK THE FUCK UP, IS THAT A TV-OBSESSED, HYPER-ENTHUSIASTIC HAMSTER IN A PLASTIC BALL I SEE? WHY, YES. YES IT IS. GIVE IT UP FOR RHINO!

Bolt and Mittens are precious, and I LOVE the pigeons. Goddamnit, those pigeons! The animators caught every single imaginable nuance of pigeon behavior in those delightful little birds! - constantly rotating heads and necks, puffing chests, fluttering feathers.... Lord. The Hollywood pigeons cracked me up the most. "HOsnap!"

I'll go ahead and include my unfinished post from Friday evening in a cut. Further Watchmen thoughts, Brian K. Vaughan's Pride of Baghdad, and more tl;dr goodness! )

Um... well, I should get to bed soon (though I'll probably sketch a bit first).

The director's cut of Watchmen would be fantastic in IMAX format. ;__;
arkratirma: (scully)
The Scully icon makes its debut. GRRRR! (Ha, Scully from, like... the first season of The X-Files. "Beyond the Sea", to be exact. That episode guess-starred Brad Dourif. Yay Brad Dourif!) [/geek]

(...I actually haven't watched any episodes of The X-Files in AGES. Saw the second movie with Kat over Christmas break, but no episodes. Sad! D:)

Avoiding Nick, hanging out with cousins.... )

Mom and Dad called and asked me questions about Watchmen, which they recently saw together. Dad loved it; Mom thought it was alright. Mom's first question concerned Bubastis. I'm still sad that her backstory is not explained at all, but hey, PRETTY KITTY!

FUCK YOU, ADRIAN. ;___;

They thought Adrian had said, "I'm sorry, Carol" instead of "I'm sorry, girl", which I found amusing.

Come to think of it, does Adrian even call Bubastis by name? Maybe she'll have a tad more screen time in the director's cut....

Oh, the director's cut comes out in August. I won't be able to see it with Kat, because I'll be in school at that time. D:

WAITAMINUTE: is it July? This article says July: http://scifiwire.com/2009/02/zack-snyder-confirmed-again-that.php

I'd STILL be in school. Curses! This article also claims July: http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1605378/story.jhtml

OOOOO but the director's cut is supposed to be three hours and ten minutes! PARTY TIME!

Holy.... And the Ultimate Edition DVD is said to be FOUR and a half hours long! http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/05/27/watchmen-three-hour-theatrical-cut-4-12-hour-directors-cut-dvd-planned/

This is turning into a supreme BLAAAAAHg.

AND OMG A NEW TRAILER FOR UP IS ONLINE! Watch it here!

Uh, anyway. Pardon the length.

DAMN IT I want to see Watchmen again. Even in its current cut!

Did I mention Cammy has already seen it THREE times? Crazy kid.


OKAY, one more add. This line comes from that last article I linked to: On the sexy nude scenes between Akerman and Wilson: "They're not too hard to look at," Snyder grinned. "It's not like they're big, fat people."

UM. WOW. That scene was still more softcore porn than I'd have liked to watch, Snyder. I was laughing in my head during the entire scene. "Hallelujah" didn't help (no hating on Leonard Cohen, though). Rorschach WITH CLOTHING is sexier than that scene. But I guess that's just me, hurhurhur.

okayI'mdone

AAAAH FUCK NO I'M NOT: the director's cut is apparently only going to be released in Los Angeles and New York.

*rampages*
arkratirma: (rorschach)
HOT DAMN.

Please enjoy some gratuitous Rorschach muscle-age.

The comments in that post crack me up... as well as disturb me. :| Fans will be fans.

Just remember that Rorschach is asexual, kids. I mean, come on! - he makes ME look like a horny bastard.

Nonetheless.... *ahemFUCKthatshitishot*
You know me: I love my oddball character actors.
And I would never deny that I am a walking contradiction.


I feel I've just found the mecca of JEH-Rorschach references. Fanart shall ensue (at a better date).

So! Yesterday: wasn't looking forward to presenting my horrendous animation in 3D Modeling & Animation II. But, as it always goes, I felt much better about it after receiving my critiques and suggestions. And - lo and behold - I actually stayed after Phil had counted roll again to ask for help! Jesus, that NEVER happens. I asked Phil about the problem I'd had with moving the tangents in the Graph Editor; I'd completely forgotten that the Move Tool has to be selected.

GOOD GOD WHY. It was SO SIMPLE! I hate that I forget crap like that so easily. But I got a good start on fixing up my keyframes, and I will make sure I produce something worthy of my time and effort.

Ate with Grace and Aurora after class. Geeking out is a blast.

I'M NUUUTTY!

Stopped at Best Buy on the way home from Gateway to pick up color print cartridge ink and some CD-Rs for my final Maya project. It goes without saying, but printer ink is EXPENSIVE. At least I don't use my printer daily (scanner, much more frequently).

Today in Printmaking, Amy set up a bookmaking demo. I now know how to sew signatures together, which I will utilize for my final graphic novel. I'm doing a simple story involving a hunting raven, possibly Char. I sketched thumbnails in class before the demo, then bought a crap-ton of linoleum at Utrecht ($61-worth). I love relief prints. This is going to be a lot of work, but it should prove rewarding. 'sides, any opportunity to practice graphic novel formatting is a good opportunity!

I seriously thought about heading back to the Hilltop 9 to see Watchmen again after class today.

BUT I SHALL BE STUDIOUS UNTIL SPRING BREAK. Just three weeks now!

....

;___;
arkratirma: (rorschach)
Everything leading up to the midnight release.... )

The opening credits sequence is a stunning kickoff. Set to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'", it covers the history of the Minutemen and includes flashbacks for specific characters (holy crap, kid Rorschach!); one hell of a collage, beautifully composed, covering small but important events not included within the whole of the film itself.

As for the film itself.... I was left with an overwhelming sense of ambivalence during the end credits. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot, especially getting to see it with Aurora and Grace. As far as the film goes, I will form my final opinions after the director's cut is released (apparently in theatres!).

Understand, however, that I spent Saturday rereading the graphic novel (yup, the whole book), and I now have a stronger appreciation for what the theatrical cut is compared to its source masterpiece.

The source is far more complex. The source has more to digest. The source is vastly better. But Watchmen the film is still one hell of a movie-going experience, and despite inevitable alterations to dialogue, chronology, which characters are portrayed and how much screen time they receive, how characters interact, and the inclusion of some awkward pieces of music for scenes meant to be dead serious (as well as for scenes that are straight up hilarious), I can say I am pleased with the outcome. I very much look forward to seeing it again over spring break.

Let's just be thankful we've got this cast rather than casts tentatively assembled in the past.

Overall, Snyder's cast is wonderful. Each character is given believable depth, believable faults. Each of them impressed me to some degree, but the two that stood out for me most were Dr. Manhattan and (you knew this one was coming from ten miles away) Rorschach. I do agree with Aurora that Billy Crudup's passive voice seems a bit odd coming from such a godlike Dr. Manhattan (because he is meant to be godlike), but the flatness in his tone of voice, the estrangement from humanity, the intelligent use of CGI to bring him to life.... Brilliant.

Jackie Earle Haley's Rorschach? Fucking phenomenal. I knew Haley would deliver after watching Little Children. The guy can genuinely act with his expressions, even just his eyes, to such an extent that you're blown away by how devoted he is to his portrayal. Add to this prowess his age, height, build, and adopted posture, and he simply IS Rorschach. I was completely entranced whenever Rorschach was on screen. And goddamnit, I think Jackie Earle Haley is gorgeous. <3

Patrick Wilson is perfect as nerdy, lovelorn Nite Owl. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's turn as The Comedian truly showcases the character's brutality while still arousing some sympathy for his plight. Matthew Goode's Ozymandias is Again, the entire cast is commendable.

Tyler Bates' score is lovely and evocative. The soundtrack songs, on the other hand.... Why the hell does "The Ride of the Valkyries" play while Dr. Manhattan is destroying the Vietcong? Just... WHY? Why hadn't only the sounds of warfare been used in that scene? If the song was to be included in the film, it should only have played during Hollis Mason's Under the Hood account of Moe Vernon discovering that his wife had cheated on him, all the while standing awestruck in the door to his office, wearing a pair of foam breasts. Of course, none of Hollis Mason's Under the Hood is in the theatrical cut: that'll most likely be in the DVD for Tales of the Black Freighter. Simon and Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" was a bit too - playful for The Comedian's funeral. Not a cheerful song, of course, but not particularly fitting, in my opinion.

It's late. Need to go to bed. Will continue Watchmen thoughts later. Hurm.

Just know that I am happily and unavoidably re-obsessed with Rorschach. YAY!

GAAAH THOSE EYES! BLUE-EYED RORSCHACH WHEEEEEEEEEE.
arkratirma: (heeeyeah)
Thursdays are almost always fun. This past Thursday, I was going to head home; I called Aurora to let her know, and she told me that Grace would be sad, because she wanted to have me provide some voices for her Audio project. I met up with Aurora in lab 259, then we ended up going to The Roxy to eat. Grace joined us later, and we all had a blast geeking out over cartoons and the like - including how Aurora has transformed me into a bona fide Stork-tard. Yay! The Roxy really IS the best place to eat and have fun discussions! I ordered the Soylent Green Omelet: tons of spinach, mushrooms, and cheese all wrapped up in scrumptious egg, served with hash browns and toast (I chose rye). I could only eat about a third of my omelet, so I got a box for it to take it with me.

From roughly 2:00 to 4:00, the three of us invaded the tiny sound room in AIPD. I kept tripping out on the loveliness of the dual-monitor system. *drools* Oooh it would be SO nice to have a dual-monitor system at home for Maya. Bah, not something I absolutely NEED, but it would be awesome.

Aurora also introduced me to the fabulousness that is Grell in Kuro... uh, Kuro-something. Lemme look it up.... Bah, I don't really know how to spell it. XD It was quite amusing, though.

Grace and I followed Aurora to her apartment and hung out for several hours. We watched the original Friday the 13th and laughed at its cheesiness.

Although... what's upsetting about the movie is that a real snake is killed. The snake is so obviously real that it hurts to see the actor hack it up with a knife.....

ANYWAY, we made a caffeine run for Starbucks. I picked up my beloved Strawberries 'n' Creme Frappuccino. <3

Left late, got home late. Traffic was smooth.

I talked briefly with Dez earlier tonight; she's going to Cuba tomorrow! I also just finished talking with Cammy, and he left to watch Amelie with some friends. God that movie is hilarious.

In closing, I leave you with something Cammy linked me to while we were talking. This shit brought genuine tears to my eyes, it's so goddamn random and silly!



DBZ was always a bunch of lulz in general to me, but oh, THIS is classic! XD

OH OH AND WATCHMEN IS NEARLY HERE! I can't believe the wait is practically over.... Thursday, after my Printmaking class, Grace and Aurora are going to come home with me, then from home we'll head to the Regal Cinemas in Oregon City. They'll get to spend the night after the movie is over (around 3:00 in the morning, ha) and I will drive them to Gateway after we've had breakfast and such. I can't wait!
arkratirma: (stork)
Draco meme


I made this around March last year. Thought I'd post it for fun. And because Draco is precious!

This post is also an excuse to use the silly Stork icon I made. Watched the first episode of Storm Hawks via YouTube. Fuck that is a FUN show.

Tomorrow (er, later today) will be academically productive. Yesterday, I dusted my shelves, did a load of laundry, walked to Beeson, talked with Cammy on Messenger (it was good to talk with my brother again), and got all caught up with The Dreamland Chronicles.

Cammy watched and really enjoyed Little Children, but he actually didn't care for Sarah or Brad much at all, and wishes the movie focused more on Ronnie.

Although the "date scene" kind of scarred him - but that's to be expected from practically everyone who watches Little Children.

...Yay Jackie Earle Haley! :P

OH! Speaking of JEH, check out this photo of Rooooorschaaaach because HOLY SHIT it's AMAZING.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm266504960/tt0409459
Teeheehee JEH is a tiny li'l bastid.

TWO WEEKS. TWO. FREAKING. WEEKS!

LORD I SHOULDN'T BE THIS AWAKE!

I haven't even had caffeine.

Let it be known that one of my resolutions this year is to attempt to develop better sleeping habits.

But I don't think I'll achieve them. D:

And I actually got up at a rather decent time yesterday morning: just before 10:00! That hadn't happened in, what, more than a month?

That's it. Time to brush my teeth, then bed.

Or brush my teeth, then sketch, then bed?

Or sketch, brush my teeth, and finally--

*is hit in the head with a cinder block*

WAIT.

I KNOW WHAT THIS MADNESS IS.

IT'S THE WATCHMEN WIGGLIES!
arkratirma: (Default)
Lucky bastard, I am: I have two homes.

I'm very awake from the cup of coffee I had about four hours ago.

It RAINED yesterday! HOLY SHIT YEEEEES. I spent some time walking in it, went down to the creek wearing my hat, drank in the clean, refreshing scent of the land around me. Called Aunt Pam and asked about Jessi's cell number (Jessi was originally going to pick me up from PDX, as Aunt Pam and Uncle Larry had planned on spending this weekend at the beach), but Aunt Pam told me that weather up at Rockaway was supposed to include 50 mph winds; they canceled the beach trip. Aunt Pam and Uncle Larry will be picking me up later today.

I wonder if I could bother them to head to TFAW on the way home.... Milwaukie is between Portland and Beavercreek, so it wouldn't be too out of the way. Then again, I could still try seeing what Michael is doing on Sunday and spend some time with him.

I don't know if I mentioned this or not, but Jessi is pregnant again! I'm going to have another little cousin here in several months. <3

Reorganized my closet yesterday. Believe me, my closet desperately needed a makeover. Since I've been attending college, my closet has become a catch-all: computer and printer boxes, books from Grandma Ruthie and Papa Bob's house, chairs, old laundry baskets; you name it. Now, there is actually walking space inside it again, and the boxes that had been underneath my bed (before it went from twin to queen) are now snugly tucked against the wall. All nice and tidy!

I also brought out my half-glued hummingbird puzzle. Dad had put it in my closet upright, not knowing it was only half-glued, and the whole top of the puzzle crumbled into its individual pieces. When we moved from Weimar, Grandma Jo had done the same thing when she packed it into our old trailer. Second time this puzzle will have had to be reassembled.... I've got it out on the dining table now. The dining table is a catch-all and is only really a dining table during the holidays, so I thought, Why not? Got some of the pieces back together, but it took me a while to find its box lid to have a reference for the artwork. Maybe Mom will have fun putting it back together a bit until Christmas.... Bwa ha ha.

ANYWAY, Mom brought home Iron Man (and almond M&M's, yummy!) last night, and after Dad was done watching the premiere of Sanctuary, we watched it together.

It's a great film, immensely fun and visually breathtaking. Za had gushed about it during Drawing for Animation spring term, telling us to go see it "just for the animation!"

I can't begin to imagine how many goddamn hours it took to RENDER that animation, but oh, is the finished product delicious. Lots of laughs sprinkled throughout the action.

Cammy wanted me to watch Magnolia, but it's a good three hours long, and I plan on going to bed by 2:00 at the latest / earliest (ha). I think I'll borrow it instead. Dad and Mom are bringing Cammy's desktop and printer to him tomorrow after they drop me off at SMF.

Once back at Aunt Pam and Uncle Larry's, I am going to get my XPS set up. Maya should arrive soon. It may have taken a daintily considerable BITE out of my card amount, but Dad is helping me with the cost, and hey... at least it's LEGAL!

Aaaand I will give Draco some much-needed snuggle time. <333 He is in such good hands with Aunt Pam. She described how she had him run around the yard and how he got to stay outside for a few hours in his outdoor cage on a very balmy evening.

I'm flying back up to the Land of Rain and Sporadic Sunshine, otherwise known as northwestern Oregon.

DAMN IT, I AM SO AWAKE.

I read about a scene in 2009's Watchmen that departs from the novel quite a bit. Yes, it deals with Rorschach. Oooohfuuuuck I want to see this movie SO BADLY. I'm eating the hype like candy. Not good for me. Who the hell plans on scheduling her 2009 spring term to not have class on Fridays just so she can see a freaking movie on its opening day? - SIX MONTHS before the damn thing is released? XD

If Watchmen isn't at least three hours long AND rated R... we'll know something's terribly wrong with it. Heh.

Here's to a happy, healthy October, everyone!
arkratirma: (Default)
Kat's dad dropped her off here sometime after 3:00 Friday afternoon. Commence the usual Kat-and-Jill craziness! We listened to music, geeked out over various boards on the IMDb, made gratuitous use of the SSE, hung out by the creek, face-palmed more times than I can count, and watched Little Children.

Of the last several films I've watched at home, Little Children is undoubtedly the best.

For a film that addresses such controversial and unsettling circumstances (among them: having a registered sex offender move into your neighborhood; repeatedly indulging in an affair while constantly questioning and ignoring its morality; and learning to forgive people who have done bad things), Little Children concludes its characters' stories so beautifully and tragically that absorbing everything you've just watched takes a good couple of hours.

Kat and I discussed it at length long into the early hours of Saturday (we'd watched it very late at night). Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson work fantastically together as Sarah and Brad, each bored, dissatisfied, and longing for something outside the confines of unhappy marriages. Jackie Earle Haley (I'd been adding an extra Y in his last name, curses) is phenomenal as Ronnie J. McGorvey, recently released from prison after exposing himself to a minor. Noah Emmerich is equally engaging as Larry, a police officer retired in disgrace who makes it his duty to keep watch on Ronnie's home and harass him and his ailing mother.

There are so many standout scenes in this movie.... First among them - the kickoff (if relatively mild) shocker - is the kiss Sarah and Brad share at the park as their children and three prissy suburbanite moms watch, stemmed from the mothers' bet that Sarah couldn't get Brad's phone number.

There's Ronnie's excursion to the public pool: he casually makes his way to the water with fins, mask, and snorkel, and proceeds to satisfy his predatory urge to be around children. The panic and fear the parents feel once they realize that the pervert is in the pool is astounding to watch.... Even more disturbing is how quickly fun at the pool resumes after Ronnie has shouted a defiant "I was only trying to cool off!" and been escorted away by the police. (Jackie Earle Haley's tiny frame is part of what makes this scene so arresting to me.)

Mom had warned me that "You see a WHOLE lot of Kate Winslet" in Little Children, which is... very true. You also see a whole lot of Patrick Wilson's ass. ...Phaaahaha, I can't help finding sex scenes hilarious, especially when a friend is around to make oddly witty jokes to concerning them. For acts supposed to be so intimate and relieving, they sure look ridiculous, don't they?

...I guess it's just me, then. Anyway!

The infamous "date scene" is the most upsetting and painful sequence I've seen in a film recently. If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm referring to.

'If you tell anyone....' and more spoilers.... )

I felt quite satisfied with the film's ending. Watched Little Children again late last night.

I can rightfully say now that I can already see JEH as Rorschach - as perfect a Rorschach as anyone could portray. Jackie Earle Haley has the right height, build, age, and intensity to make Rorschach as captivating as he is in the novel. SO. DAMN. EXCITED.

I drove Kat home and picked up a Monster Khaos for us to share and SweeTarts for each of us. Helped trim Sam's claws, then headed home. Cali hung out for a short time, but it was a lot of fun. Mom was very happy that you enjoyed dinner so well! :)

Yesterday, Mom, Dad, Jim and I drove down to UC Davis to bring Cammy some supplies and Dad's bike. We ate lunch at In-N-Out, dropped Cammy back off at the college, then went home.

Alex and Kile hung out here for a couple hours; we had fun playing with the PC Tablet handwriting recognition pad. I'll have to post some of the screenshots here soon; they're hilarious.

After Alex and Kile left, I'd gone outside again to enjoy some Twizzlers and just look at Dad's garden area. I discovered two baby blue-belly lizards in the bottom of the now-empty koi pond and got them safely out to the rocks surrounding the tub. Poor dears must have been sunning when they slipped into the tub; I wonder how long they'd been there? The second lizard seemed ready to let go until I gently tried to pick him up, at which point he began scrambling to get out. Such cute little lizards!

At Dez's urging, I added a little chunk to Brainsick a few nights ago, and have reached 26,000 words.

WELL, THAT'S ALL FINE AND DANDY.

NOW FINISH THE FUCKING STORY! :|
arkratirma: (rorschach)
GAAAAAHFUUUUCK.

...That's not angry, by the way.

JUST IMPATIENT.

REALLY. FREAKING. IMPATIENT.

(Real quick: I just discovered that TFAW, Things From Another World, sells the Watchmen trade paperback for $9.99. That's a dollar less than what Cammy bought it for, and there's a TFAW in Milwaukie, Oregon - so I can snatch Watchmen for $9.99 in-store and avoid sales tax! BOO-YAH.

Michael took me and Cammy to the TFAW in Milwaukie a couple years ago. It's an awesome store, chock-full of comics and graphic novels and figurines and whatnot. Milwaukie is also the headquarters of Dark Horse Comics.)

Okay, so: the video in the link posted below is another behind-the-scenes look at the set of Watchmen, in which Jackie Earle Hayley discusses Zach Snyder a bit.

It's funny that he's playing "the ultimate antihero," as the narrator describes Rorschach, because this guy just sounds SO friendly, AND a lot younger than he actually is (forty-seven). Seriously, I did not expect him to sound like that.

Which means Rorschach is going to be all the more believable in film. <3 Let's hope for it.

http://www.watchmencomicmovie.com/081308-watchmen-g4-set-visit-video.php

Visit to Brandon's last night was awesome! Brandon, send your mom my compliments for the dinner; I don't think I thanked her for it. Blackened salmon, wild rice, broccoli with cheese sauce, and French bread = oooooh yeeeees.

Brandon's new puppy, Sophie, is THE SPITTING IMAGE of Roxy (Roxie?). It freaked me out when I first saw the little bundle of white fluff, because she is, without a doubt, Roxy's doppleganger. SO CUTE!

We watched the new episode of House (EXPLODING DEAD OLD GUY'S STOMACH WAS WICKEDLY GROSS AND HORRENDOUSLY AMUSING), and the pilot for Fringe, which Brandon had recommended to me. Brenna and Nelson were obsessed with calling the main actress ugly, so after they'd left, Brandon and I watched the second episode together - and without the constant berating of the protagonist, it was a lot more enjoyable.

So far, it's a pretty damn awesome update on The X-Files; it's got similar themes, but no aliens. And a crazy old genius-killer named Walter to boot.

I left Brandon's a few minutes before midnight. I LOVE driving that late / early, when practically no other drivers are on the road. It's dark, quiet, and oddly blissful. I used to get extremely uncomfortable at the thought of driving home in the dark, but now - it's wonderful. Such focus and concentration is good for my brain.

I thought of Finch while driving, thought of what he'd think about while driving.

Goddamnit I need to write!
arkratirma: (Default)
...and I'll look down and whisper "No."

I began reading Watchmen Wednesday night. I've only finished Chapter One and Chapter Two, and it's already fucking astonishing.

Answer me this: how many graphic novels do you know of that are on Time Magazine's 100 Best Novels list?

The story and art are unparalleled.... I hope Brainsick can be half as inspiring and influential as Watchmen has been (although, yes, I am very aware that what I am writing is quite different from Alan Moore's genre, save from psychological complexity in my characters, and Watchmen has been around since 1986).

...I'm just really pissed at myself because I looked forward through the novel to check out the art and learned Rorschach's true identity. ULTIMATE ANTICIPATION-OF-MYSTERY FAILURE.

Regardless of this error, I will still enjoy the novel. I hope it will bring me knowledge of and inspiration for this medium I aim to pursue for at least two of my stories. I'm going to continue reading it tonight.

I find it endlessly fascinating that Moore created a vigilante whose face mask is an ever-changing complexity of inkblots, hence his handle: Rorschach, a nod to the psychological test. Rorschach is a violent character, but - thanks to my eagerness to look ahead in the novel - I have an understanding as to why.

I talked with Brandon (!!!) last night on Messenger, and we had fun geeking out over all kinds of comic-y stuff. I also finally watched all of "Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" starring Neil Patrick Harris, and it's BRILLIANT. NPH rocks. (He can play a completely convincing straight guy so well.) So does his Dr. Horrible, because Dr. Horrible has a Ph.D. in horribleness.

Today, Dad and I drove down to Wilsonville to pick up my custom-built desktop from Fry's. We met up with Brenna at Gateway and she was very grateful that we were there to pick up her belongings; I was happy, too! I can't wait for our flight in just one week.

And now for a tale of computer joys and computer woes.

My custom-built desktop was nearly a dream-come-true: it was BLAZING fast, probably the fastest damn system I've EVER used. I kid you not, it went from On button to desktop screen in what must have been thirty to forty-five seconds. It had a duo-core processor and it ran faster than Dad's quad-core desktop at home, mainly due to the fact that its OS was XP Pro. Also, I asked for a clean machine, no added crap like game demos and trial programs. The sole shortcut on the desktop screen was Recycle Bin.

We got a blue screen error before I installed Webroot; after installing that antivirus software, the computer booted up again without any problems.

Activating XP Pro, however, proved to be another issue. That's right: Fry's did not activate the operating system for me. As Dad learned after calling them back (once I had a new installation key after calling Microsoft), Fry's doesn't even have in-store Internet access. Well, no big deal, right? New installation key, all good to go...?

Yet more problems. There was a miscommunication between Dad and our sales representative, and my desktop came home with us without a wireless card. No Internet access at all. We drove all the way back to Fry's, got a wireless card, and Dad and Cammy picked up laptop cases.

Back home, Dad installed the card. Internet up and running.

After I tried installing my printer software, the machine began going into blue screen fits again. Dad did a system check on it and after waiting more than an hour for the check to finish, it still came up with blue screens.

My would-be-lovely mutt desktop is going to be euthanized tomorrow, returned to Fry's for a full refund. I will get a Dell XPS desktop of some type that is already completely built and ready to go either in-store or online. I can get a preinstalled downgrade to XP Pro on the 630. Windows XP is still the safer way to go when it comes to system compatibility with Maya.

Damn you, Maya.

And, no, we have never had any trouble with Dell computers.

Just finished another fun conversation with Dez. Need to kick my ass into gear for my "Advanced" Image Manipulation final. Must take photo of columns at Ankeny Square for From Caves to Cathedrals.

I am going to be a better student next term.

I really want to be a better student.

I want to write Brainsick, write ALL of it, and THEN worry about edits.

BLARGHLEHARGLE.

January 2012

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