~{deeper than all roses}~ chicken scratch 22

{{Friday, July 4, 2003}}

So. Finished Order of the Phoenix last night. Feel like I've been kicked in the teeth, punched in the gut, and had my heart torn into little pieces -- as any good book should do, really. ^_^ I alternated between marvelling at J.K. Rowling's genius, and raging at her (necessary but infuriating) cruelty, as she conjured up levels of excitement, adrenaline, fury, grief, pride, and pure-and-simple fangirly *sparklies* that I have not felt from a book for a long time. *sigh* So, so many characters I absolutely loved, though I can't mention most of them without being mildly-to-severely spoilerific. Will say this: I love Ginny's new development, I want to see more of Tonks, and this is the BEST portrayal of McGonagall EVAR. XD XD XD

I also found myself thinking, at several different points in the book: "My God, it is clear this woman is a mother." If not for her accuracy in detailing Harry's conflicting and frustrating thoughts, with clarity, compassion, and humor; or the way she portrays adolescent relationships without being patronizing or sugarcoating; then most definitely for the amazingly loving parental figures we see at every turn: Harry's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Dumbledore ... Just -- wow.

Have since read several different reviews of OotP, but I particularly recommend this one, as being unique and thought-provoking. I'm not sure yet how much I agree with this reading, but the dissection of Umbridge's character is great.

Leaving tomorrow, so ... packing needs finishing, and I'd also like to get the new layout up tonight (and hopefully it's one everyone can see >_<). If anyone wants to reach me, I'll still be checking my UW email. So ... jaa, mata~~

~with each breathing~06:32 p.m.

{{Sunday, June 29, 2003}}

So, yes, I've been rather socially stagnant this past week -- but at least I've been productive in that time. For one, I'm *finally* done with cleaning my room, throwing out unnecessary crap, and getting all my clothes back where they belong -- or, to be more accurate, back where they should be temporarily until some of them are packed up for California, and then for Seattle. *pauses to sigh and lament* (Nah, I know it'll be fun when I'm *there* -- I just tend to get rooted easily to whatever spot I'm stuck at for the moment, especially if there are lovely cool people in said spot. I mean, when I get there, I'll be happy to see you and Bren and everybody again ... and then I'll miss you when I leave ... but be glad to see everyone at home ... and then miss them when I leave for Seattle ... O_o)

I've also finally finished editing chapter 5 of Ashes, and am plugging along in chapter 6. Go me! I'm not sure how successful the editing part was, because I've sort of reached the point where I can't bring myself to read over the bloody thing ONE MORE TIME ... But at least we're moving forward in the story. And I actually know what's going to happen next! I mean, of course we had some idea before, a sort of vague outline. But now! Plot! :D I'm having fun, just doing a gen fic (although, well, who am I kidding -- there will be WAFF aplenty. Hell, the entire premise of the fic was *based* on WAFF. But that is an entry for another day. XD) And planning with neechan the execution all this stuff we've been tossing around between us for years. Let me tell you, she is an invaluable partner in this undertaking. I mean, where would I be without suggestions like "Why don't we just have Aoshi whip out his kodachi here and yell 'It's ON, bitch!'?" Or her nudging me out of a technical snag by explaining that Talawrynne's healing can be *white* magic because *white* blood cells attack poisons! (You see, this is why I have a biochemistry major on my side. Keeps the science accurate in my writing. XD;;)

Moving on ... I'm about halfway through American Gods, and am liking it a lot. I thought the way Gaiman incorporated various mythologies and folklores was charming, but now he's gone and pushed my sparkly buttons by examining the relationship between humans and their gods, and the role of belief. Not to mention the inclusion of a somewhat self-referential passage on real world suffering, and the safety of fictions. I have to finish the book soon, though, because neechan is gnawing on my ankles trying to get me to read Order of the Phoenix. And I'm wishing I didn't need to sleep, so I could. ^_^;

*is enjoying the laziness of summer to the fullest*

Oh, and this is a bit random, but -- a shot of Hugh Jackman from his upcoming movie, Van Helsing. To quote Bridget Jones: "Ding dong!" *_*

~with each breathing~12:40 a.m.

{{Thursday, June 26, 2003}}

Hisashiburi~~ Nothing much to report, been a homebody lately. ^_^; Haven't been online either, obviously. (Which is not good when spam-cleaning time comes around, though. *gnashes teeth*)

Been reading, mostly. I've been pounding through my books, though -- books I've been meaning to read, and which I *am* glad to read -- so that I can get to Order of the Phoenix. @_@ I didn't think we'd be able to get it for weeks, not having pre-ordered ... but apparently that's not the case, seeing as it only took three days to come in after we ordered it. So now it's there ... tempting me. XO With the current state of things, at least, neechan can read it in peace, and we aren't hissing and spitting as we fight over it. (Yet.)

... Though one of the things that would otherwise have me grappling and clawing with neechan for the book actually *isn't* -- and that's the, um ... death ... because ... i accidentally found out who it is. (Though really, it's not my fault! I could perhaps have been more prudent in my clicking of links, but I really didn't think there'd be spoilers here~~ T_T)

And anyway, I don't know much -- not how, or when, or by whom -- just the name of the person. (And I won't say what I think about it, because I don't want to give anything away. ^_^;; Just ... um. People who know can probably guess my thoughts.)

You know, I really think the suspense no longer comes in whether or not a character dies, for me, anymore -- it's how I'll go about inadvertently spoiling myself. Mou. >_<

Anyhoo ... that's about it for me. I need a new layout, but I've been working rather listlessly with a half-formed design with a random image of Kirika from Noir. Haven't had any good ideas lately. Creative atrophy notwithstanding, though, one of the major obstacles is figuring out how to alter the size of brushes in Photoshop 5.5. XD;; Methinks I'm in need of more adjusting to this version than I previously thought ...

Other things I wanna talk about? See recent news re: the Supreme Court and the Canadian legislature, on the legality of homosexuality and homosexual marriage. (What made me laugh, though, was when a spokesman for one of the groups opposing the Court ruling conceded that this was all well and good, you know, equal rights and all ... but if we're going to interpret law, we should do it based on the *Constitution*, goshdarnit, and not go listening to any of these *political* groups going around trying to change opinions! Because, you know, heaven forbid we let politics affect the lives of the people! Or, for that matter, let the Supreme Court judges interpret the principles of the Constitution in a real-life context. Those Amendments, after all, certainly aren't an indication that our forefathers failed to mention anything in the original document! I mean, seriously, what did he think the civil rights movement was made up of -- walking and talking "We the people"s?)

... And on the other hand, maybe it *is* a good thing I already spoiled myself. Because otherwise I would have found out just now ... in the FF.Net review I was reading ... in the RuroKen section. Because, apparently, someone felt the need to mention it then and there. O_o Um.

~with each breathing~11:54 p.m.

{{Saturday, June 21, 2003}}

Catching up. Or something like that. I just needed something to do -- I've been feeling a little ragged from all the goodbyes I've had to say as of late, and you can only read sappy romance novels for so long without getting maudlin yourself. ^_^; At this point, I'm almost looking forward to my departure for California, because at least there I can remain comfortably with a fixed set of people for two whole months. ^_^;;

Haven't been doing much lately worth reporting, at least not to other people. But I saw both Down With Love and Finding Nemo, and I would recommend them both. The latter gets a higher approval rating for me, partly because it's Pixar, and it was absolutely beautifully animated. Also, I was expecting a full Renee Zellweger/Ewan MacGregor musical, which Down With Love was not. And I could ruminate more deeply on why the movie didn't quite click with me, but I'll simply end by saying that Ewan MacGregor has an unfairly cute puppy dog face, even when he's being a cad. *sigh* It's probably a good thing he didn't end up playing Lupin and distract from the rest of the movie. That, and the volume of RPS would shoot through the roof. XD;;

Okay, this is a somewhat insubstantial Friday Five, but I thought I should do it just because. You know, a tribute of sorts. ^_^

1. Is your hair naturally curly, wavy, or straight? Long or short?
Long, and straight to the point of tedium. It falls out of braid or high ponytails, and no curl or other manipulation will hold for more than a few hours; longer with hairspray. But then I get that crackly-gunk feel. Either way, the illusion is broken. XD

2. How has your hair changed over your lifetime?
Um ... sadly, not much at all. I've never had it shorter than to my shoulders (which won't be changing in the near future), nor has it been colored (which might). Though sun exposure has done its work over the years, and now I have a strip of red on the right side of my head. ^_^;

3. How do your normally wear your hair?
Down. Unless it's up. XD But not in a braid, because it'll come out; or a bun, because I don't know how.

4. If you could change your hair this minute, what would it look like?
I've always wanted to have a natural wave, ending gradually in gentle curls. But then I realized that's not possible without daily maintenance, and I'm too lazy. So maybe if I were being realistic I'd say I'd have a streak of white in front. (Not Rogue. Polgara the sorceress, thank you very much.) I'd have to kill my hair with bleach, but at least it'd be doable.

5. Ever had a hair disaster? What happened?
Er ... no. The major failing in my hair is that it doesn't *do* much at all, good or bad. So I haven't had disasters, per se -- only lost opportunities. ^_^;

That's all for now. Good night everybody!

~with each breathing~01:26 a.m.