| Ford |
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| 10:50pm 14/07/2009 |
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Can I assume that this business with the Focus RS on Top Gear means you've actually started putting engines in your cars instead of anemic hamsters on wheels?
Do the cars actually go forward? Up hills?
EDIT: The shittier and more derivative a rap song is, the likelier it is to be played as loud as possible in a parked car with the doors open. Under my window. |
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Read 1 - Post |
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| Sarah Louise |
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| 07:22pm 14/07/2009 |
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You all remember Michael Jackson died?
There has been a lot of media crap around since then about that guy.
You want to see something really good and really poignant about it instead? My friend Sarah Louise (Sally Bloodbath on livejournal) made a really wonderful comic about her memories of MJ, and it is a refreshing, good thing.
I am just telling her as I write this that she needs a website, because that is the truth, the lady is talented. You should tell her so, because I am hounding her to get on it.
Check out her recent interview on Everything is Wonderful. |
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Read 7 - Post |
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| Four Days. Four Planes. No Waiting |
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| 10:22pm 14/07/2009 |
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Today was a very peaceful day for me. Restful. Serene. I have not been on a plane for twenty-four hours.
'Surely,' you might say to yourselves with a puzzled frown, 'Surely, Sarah, that is a common state of affairs?'
So you might think.
On Friday I flew from Dublin to London, where I had a photoshoot for Company magazine. It was held in a laundrette: I was told they once held one in a biker bar. It was me, a lady who sells ceramics, and two other ladies who run a boot camp, and the idea was all to be extremely glamorous and strike fabulous poses, offset by the ordinary surroundings of a laundrette.
Of course not being the glamour model type, I instantly made some terrible mistakes. As for instance, I assumed that the elderly lady whisking her clothes out of a washing machine was involved in the photoshoot.
SARAH: Do you just have to take the clothes in and out all day?
OLD LADY: *HORRIFIED STARE*
SARAH: Oh right. Right. Sorry, I understand.
OLD LADY: *eyes soften*
SARAH: You have to stay in character, right?
OLD LADY: *RIGHT BACK TO HORRIFIED STARE*
The other ladies in the photoshoot were, to use an eighties phrase, stone cold foxes, which was intimidating, but the wonderful magazine people made me look quite nice. I was in a rather daring red corset dress, which I believe only horrified the elderly lady more: all she wanted was lemony fresh laundry, and she was accosted by a minx with a plunging neckline and eyelashes that were black as my sinful heart.
Afterwards I just missed meeting ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) orexisbella to my woe, and then caught up with Cassandra Clare and our friends Josh and Clary.
Everyone was very taken aback by my upswept hair and impeccable eye make-up. And by the way I entered the room.
SARAH: STOP. PAUSE. ADMIRE ME.
EVERYONE: *stare*
SARAH: This is the most glamorous I will ever be. I hope it was good for you.
They thought it might be the start of a whole new radiantly lovely me, but I woke up the next day with my usual Scared Hedgehog do, and that dream died.
Saturday we got the plane from London to Scotland.
We arrived in Glasgow and upon entering my hotel room I discovered a man directly below my window playing a bagpipe. 'Yes, I realise this is Scotland,' I told the air. 'No need to overdo it: you have made yourself perfectly clear.'
At the Borders in Glasgow we were welcomed by the awesome booksellers, who gave us GIFTS. Chocolate and one pink and purple sock monkey each! I was so delighted.
SARAH: ... CASSIE. I have a NOTION. Our sock monkeys.
CASSIE: Yes?
SARAH: THEY SHOULD FIGHT.
CASSIE: Uh, I think my sock monkey is a pacifist.
BOOKSELLER: All sock monkeys are pacifists.
SARAH: Not my sock monkey. I see the light of battle in his button eyes.
My sock monkey's button eyes searched for new worlds to conquer. I named him Alexander. As Cassie refused to name hers, I named him Gandhi.
Everybody agreed that I should not bring Alexander out to meet our awesome audience. I feel this was a mistake.
Nevertheless we had a fabulous event! Cassie was poised and winning: I mostly told crazy stories and aired ridiculous theories about books. We passed around a box for questions called The Demon's Instrument's Question Box, and I read out from The Demon's Covenant and Cassie read out from The Clockwork Angel, as they are both not yet published and thus thrilling and secret.
Afterwards we gave out copies of the first chapters. I was meant to have a system, but I forgot it completely and sort of vaguely waved copies at people. I apologise if someone feels gypped because they did not get a chapter!
Also my lovely Scottish cousin came by and gave me a box of chocolate.
SARAH: Aw, thank you!
CASSIE: Whoa, did that girl give you chocolates?
SARAH: Yes, she's... (pause) She's a big fan.
Oh, the evilness of me!
I like Scotland a lot. Sock monkeys, chocolate, book lovers and excellent questions, what is not to love?
The answer: bagpipes.
The next day, I flew from Glasgow to Dublin, where I re-packed my tiny bag, collapsed in a heap, had my first kaffee klatsch with some awesome students, and then flew back to London where I attended Cassie's London party. I was primed to put up my hand and ask her ridiculous questions, but unfortunately there were too many fans with great questions, and also she refused to call on me.
I met many great people there as well, and also had an opportunity to harass Maureen Johnson, which I enjoy doing.
SARAH: You should write a book. Set in Dublin.
MAUREEN: I should get the boat to Ireland and have an adventure!
SARAH: Yes! You should stay with me. We could have cereal fights.
MAUREEN: Explain yourself. If the plan is not sufficiently crazy, I will not agree.
SARAH: You take the plastic bag of cereal out of the cereal box. You open it, fill it with milk, and then tie the bag up again. Then, you hit each other on the head with your bags of cereal until the bags EXPLODE.
MAUREEN: ... Agreed.
Sales continue steady but not up for the US Demon's Lexicon: remember to harass your friends and your genetically engineered to read household pets, so as to get the next part of Sorcerer and Stone next week! In the meantime, The Demon's Lexicon just sold in Indonesia and the Czech Republic, so give me five and let off some fireworks in a remote location out of doors!
Tomorrow I give a talk with two other lovely author ladies about Demons, Fairies and Ghosts which may turn into an all-out fist fight. I could say that I will not start it, and the madness will not be entirely my fault, but I don't like to lie to you guys.
The day after Cassie and I fly back to Dublin, where we will have another Fabulous Event at 6:30 16th July, with readings and advance chapters and shenanigans, definitely crazy stories and perhaps a secret, ninja sock monkey appearance. Also there will be Mortal Instruments T-shirts and badges with Demon's Lexicon ravens and 'Of course Nick had to get rid of the body' on them.
I like my badges. My mother wears hers to the tennis club. They look at her with suspicion, these days. Who is Nick, they wonder to themselves, and where, oh where, is he putting the bodies?
Until next time, I hope you will be betting on me to win in the Demons, Fairies and Ghosts fist fight. If some canny librarian youtubes it, you can rely on me to provide you with a link. |
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Read 38 - Post |
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| no subject |
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| 10:48am 14/07/2009 |
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Alright! Squeem and I are settled in to the apartment, and it's really nice. We're still working on unpacking and finding our way around. I seem to alternate between really happy, content kinda days and days where I can't stop worrying about the future and finding a job and whether I'll even be able to stay here after the huge stress of finding a place and moving. Guess what kind of day today is? So yeah, I've got this weird contradictory thing going on where I'm desperately applying for jobs here at the same time that I'm making plans to go back to Ontario if I have to.
For a break from all that, here is a meme! Stolen from mekosuchinae:1) Post ten of any pictures currently on your hard drive that you think are self-expressive.
2) NO CAPTIONS!!! It must be like we're speaking with images and we have to interpret your visual language just like we have to interpret your words.
3) They must ALREADY be on your hard drive - no googling or flickr! They have to have been saved to your folders sometime in the past. They must be something you've saved there because it resonated with you for some reason.
4) You do NOT have to answer any questions about any of your pictures if you don't want to. You can make them as mysterious as you like. Or you can explain them away as much as you like. ( Big images behind the cut! I don't actually have that many images on my hard drive, since I usually just del.icio.us everything ) |
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| Callbacks |
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| 09:27am 14/07/2009 |
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mood:  cheerful music: radio
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I got a voicemail yesterday from the lab manager for the job I applied for, and she wants to set up an interview. This is so unreal. I've never had anyone get in touch with me so fast after sending in my application and resume. Health care is usually so pokey about things...
Also on the voicemail, the manager said she had a position for "evenings and weekends" open, with no mention about the daytime hours. Hopefully that's a good sign for me!
I'll be calling her back today on my break. Fingers crossed! |
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Read 1 - Post |
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| The Day Of Reckoning |
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| 04:52pm 13/07/2009 |
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Went to the doctor for the wrist. Was given X-Rays, but until the radiologist looks at them nothing stands out about the bones. No erosion at least, which is a good indicator that it's not osteo-arthritis.
Then she sent me out for a blood test because my mother had rheumatoid arthritis and my symptoms are suspicious. Whenever I think of how shitty Mom's life was and try to imagine the constant pain she lived in, I cringe. I don't want that to be me.
If the test comes back positive, though, we'll have a good chance to keep it at bay with an arsenal of modern treatments and exercise, and at least I'll finally know why my joints are trying to destroy my life.
If it's negative, she's going to send me to occupational rehab for the wrist, and we'll just have to dig deeper to find out what's so messed up in there.
If that still doesn't work, we start considering sharp objects.
And now I begin the 2 or 3 day wait for test results. Plenty of time to stew in angst because OH GOD WHAT IF I'M TURNING INTO MY MOTHERRRRRRRRRR
On balance, it's an excellent chance to practice mindfulness. |
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Read 3 - Post |
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| this means waaaar |
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| 02:58pm 13/07/2009 |
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Ok, am over the shock and now I juat feel determined instead. I will earn some moolahs for real through hard work and arty goodness. I am furthermore gonna chew through the War on Aisle 8 comic like never before. I WILL TRIUMPH TRIUMPHANTLY IN THE DEAD TREE FORMAT DEPARTMENT OR THE WORLD WILL BE DESTROYED BY THE WAILING AND BITCHING NOISES. |
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Read 2 - Post |
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| Once More, With Feeling! |
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| 01:31pm 13/07/2009 |
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Oh fuck. My gym membership came off hold this month instead of August, and I didn't budget for it.
Hi again, negative account balance!
*Goes off to smack head into wall several dozen times* |
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Read 5 - Post |
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| no subject |
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| 07:16pm 13/07/2009 |
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mood:  sick
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I am sick and attempting not to be grumpy. My nose/throat is clogged and it is REALLY ANNOYING. The post office claims that they attempted to deliver a parcel for me at 8.00am this morning. I WAS HOME AT 8.00AM THIS MORNING AND YOU SURE DIDN'T. Now I have to go pick it up at the post office. I mean, sure that's like a block away around the corner, but it's still irritating because it is going to be really freaking cold tomorrow morning (see: winter) and I am SICK.
Current evening plans: cook dinner, eat dinner, go to bed.
[In other news my travel insurance came through all approved for my medical condition; now to look at US flights and book the Wincon hotel room! BUT LATER, WHEN I AM NOT IRRITATED AND SICK.] |
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Read 14 - Post |
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| no subject |
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| 09:32pm 12/07/2009 |
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Today it was sixty-three degrees and overcast and occasionally very, very rainy! So we went to the zoo. Because there is no better time. And there was a brand-new penguin exhibit and I love those little football-shaped bastards.
Because it was so rainy I only took the little cheapass camera, so I didn't get many pictures this time. I did take a good picture of a penguin, though.
Also, one of these things is not like the other:
 duck, duck, goose, sort of, sort of
Apparently this plain ol' white goose believed that if he stood on one foot and occasionally tucked his head behind his wing, the flamingoes would all accept him as a pale-ass flamingo. So he tested this theory. And it worked. He is now a flamingoose and life is good. |
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Read 4 - Post |
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| The hero's sword....thinggy... :D |
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| 06:36pm 12/07/2009 |
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I made his sword in3-D....
Hope you all enjoy it!
Here's my Art site
www.silverbeam.deviantart.com
Might was well put a little plug in for myself.... Feel free to inspire me to do a 3-d piece for you or comission me!
I love doing weapons, plushies, keyblades, lightsabers, and just about everything else
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Read 2 - Post |
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| no subject |
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| 05:40pm 12/07/2009 |
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I'm so excited for my portfolio! Me and my sister are handmaking the book!!
Were already coffee staining the paper for it, but it doesn't print off well with my work so I'm going to take my images to kinkos still, get the glossies and cut them out unto the coffee stained paper and make them look taped and tacked on with written information parts!
Were still indecisive about the cover itself though. We'll probably go with a leather cover but I wanted a keyhole sort of ideal there. If I could find some plastic little realistic eyes oh god that would be great. I think we might have it look psuedo stitched together! Ahh this is so cool.
I have like two enviroments and two more turn arounds and 2 more weapon sheets to do and I'll be happy with everything. I might add a background to the Flight/Hatchet Girl image like suggested by the Wizards of the coast guy.
And then I think I have a more solid portfolio this year.
7 turn arounds
4 enviroments
about 4-5 polished pieces.
3 weapon sheets.
it would be GREAT if i can get that Hangeron piece done. But i'll have to see how much SLEEP I want. |
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rushed
YAY ART!
