This morning’s commute is made of FAIL and this day is FIRED ALREADY! Missed my usual train for not one but TWO goddamn freight trains. Sigh. Add on “Girl Stuff” the sequel trying to yank my uterus out everytime I stand up and you have all the elements of an “I’m going to go medieval on your sorry ass and not in a good way” kinda day.
Just got back from having coffee with Lisa. VERY COLD but it was great to sit and talk with her. So much going on in both our lives lately and I miss talking to her on a more regular basis.
The reference in the subject line is from last night’s South Park about the Goth kids getting faced with a huge influx of Hot Topic Vamp wannabes. I always found the vamp side of the Goth movement to be a little pretentious and D & D for my tastes. South Park was HYSTERICAL. It ended with the Goth’s stopping the Vamps by burning down the Hot Topic. Accompanied by the song “Burn Down Hot Topic” . Which I want as my ringtone. NOW!
Comedy Central has the full ep up for viewing.
Gotta dash. Few things to finish up for the day and then home. ARGH!
Weather: Hight today 76 degrees and partly sunny. Very nice because the humidity’s buggered off!
Man this has been the week that never ends! For some reason all the storm carnage seemed months ago, until Bri and I drove through Munster, IN and saw all the blue tarp covered houses and literally EVERY street had half a tree at the curb in from of every house. And Munster was light compared to what happened in Griffith. Still…OY! what a mess.
The in-laws are almost at the signing for their condo and will have their house on the market soon. We will probably be doing what we can to help them get packed up and moved. We are getting 2 fridges out of the deal so there is no complaint here! (One for the basement and one for the kitchen. Our kitchen one likes to go into defrost mode for no reason. Thus the need for replacement. )
OFF TOPIC: What the hell?? Apparently Russia just invaded Georgia!!! And ironically the news is doing a crap job of covering it. Sigh.
Also, I need to stop reading political blogs. They’re starting to give me a monster migraine. Sheer blundering idiots–ALL of them. SIGH. When we have mainstream press trying to proffer the question of whether Obama is the Anti-Christ? There is not enough head-desk in the world. I am gonna be SO happy when theis election is over, regardless of who wins, just so I don’t have to hear about it again.
On the YAY side of the fence–Tonight is the Opening Ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics. Granted they already happened (what with China being all the way on the other side of the planet and all) but It will be cool nonetheless to see the ceremony on telly tonight. And tomorrow, my sprockets, we have SWIMMING! (ZOMG!Michael Phelps!) . This weekend is gonna be a bit wonky. I need to get out to see my mum and sister about some things for the bridal shower and the upcoming wedding. I’m having a bit of a panic attack seeing how close everything is. I have GOT to lose the weight before the wedding. Now I only have 2 months. DAMN PROCRASTINATION!!!
I think I’m reaching that point where I need to remove myself from conversations about politics and world events again. I have a throbbing headache right now after an extended convo with my mum. we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things political, but between that rather highly strung convo and the barrage of stuff hitting the blogs about John Edward’s affair and Obama and McCain’s back and forth and the constant CONSTANT stream of bad news globally…yeah. Had my fill. With exception to the Olympics I think I’m gonna leave the news out of the viewing loop for this weekend. I have enough to stress about right now and, while I know I should be concerned about things, I really don’t have the energy right now to spare for it.
So my friend Lisa has told me that she’s toying with the idea of a Steampunk wedding when she and her lifemate Tom decide to tie the proverbial knot. I don’t think there will be an end to the squeeing on my part if it pans out!!! After my sister’s wedding this October, there are going to be a lot of interesting changes in my lifestyle, health and fashion. I’ve reached that point of being sick of how I look, knowing that I’ve been doing the “comfortable clothes for work” thing for too long. I also realized I’m backsliding into that dangerous area of fashion known as “Soccer Mom”– ::Shudders:: — which no amount of black nail polish can counter act and that must STOP! So–first we must get into shape. Corsets are not fun when you have bulges in the wrong areas! Also, Manic Panic, Kambriel and BPAL will be getting more of my business. Got the new issue of Gothic Beauty magazine yesterday and found a lot of inspiration in that. So did Brian. As in he found inspiration in things that he’d like to see me in and then out of. LOL!
So a lot of changes on the horizon, both internal and external. We are still wanting to start a family, if my bloody plumbing would get with the program!
Anyway–This weekend will be busy and I will probably not get much done in the online world. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully I WILL get some more writing done. I’ve been averaging about 1000 words a night across various manuscripts.
Come Monday, I hope a lot of this stress will be alleviated. SIGH.
Still a little on the chilly side today. Was in the low 30s when I left for work. Brrrr!
Train was 20 minutes late getting in, due to a medical problem with a passenger who needed to be taken away by EMTs. So not exactly auspicious start to day.
AM working on Month end reports and trying to get the monthly Web Updates done for the company Intranet (Involves a bit of photoshopping graphics and some actual code jockeying.)
Bri is replacing our Garage Door today. Our old one was sticking halfway up & down, due to grotty old metal wheels and the door itself was starting to disintegrate. Menards had a sale, so now we can has shiny new door! Just hoping he doesn’t injure himself doing it. ::worries::
Writing is going apace, though I seemed to have stalled out on the scene I’m working on for Carrion Dreams. I have some major polishing to do today on Dark of the Mirror, and I may be pulling All Things Fanged & Furry out of the garage for a revamp. Yeah. I like to make things impossibly complicated for myself these days. Sigh.
Did my abs work out this morning. Funny thing, last night I went to sit up in bed to turn over and COULDN’T. My abs just went, “Oh I don’t fucking think so! ” and seized on me. SO Brian walks in on me acting like a turtle flipped on it’s back. Sigh. REALLY need to get back in shape. Corsets to fit into and husband’s to seduce and all that. 😉
So Bri and I have decided for reals that we’re moving to the Pacific Northwest. We are going to take a trip up there sometime late summer/ early fall to scout out some areas and see where we’re gonna settle. (We know it will be near either Portland, OR Seattle, WA) We know it’s expensive to live up there, but the climate and culture there is closer to our ideal than it is here in NW Indiana. We’re living in an industrial area with crap air & water, surrounded by gang bangers, rednecks and the flotsam & jetsam remaining after the collapse of the steel mills. It’s not our scene. And definitely not someplace I plan on raising kids. We’ll see where we specifically land, and whether we’ll buy a house or build. (Either way, we’re going old style Victorian and green (environmental friendly, not color)) .
Am slowly drifting back into my Goth mode again. It comes and goes, like a black tide, ebbing and flowing in my life, bringing the blessed comforting dark with it. (How’ s that for a bit of gothy posturing–WOOT!) Dyed my hair dark again, and have been stalking the Manic Panic page trying to decide on an accent color. Thinking either After Midnight Blue or Ultra Violet Purple.
I’m finding it scary how fast this year is going by. Bri and I have at least been making headway getting the house prepared for sale, and we have a ton of events coming up, so the year is only going to fly by faster. SIGH. I’m not getting any younger either.
Let’s do the daily vid!
From the vaults:
The Bolshoi — A Way.
Criminally underrated band. Really loved the lead singer Trevor.
Radiohead – Street Spirit
Arguably my favorite Radiohead video, eclipsing “Just” by a hair. This song still gives me chills EVERY time.
On a side note, here’s a partial quote from Thom Yorke about the song…funny how I already knew this without reading this first.
Street Spiritis our purest song, but I didn’t write it. It wrote itself. We were just its messengers; its biological catalysts. Its core is a complete mystery to me, and, you know, I wouldn’t ever try to write something that hopeless. All of our saddest songs have somewhere in them at least a glimmer of resolve. Street Spirithas no resolve. It is the dark tunnel without the light at the end. It represents all tragic emotion that is so hurtful that the sound of that melody is its only definition. …
Our fans are braver than I to let that song penetrate them, or maybe they don’t realise what they’re listening to. They don’t realise that Street Spirit is about staring the fucking devil right in the eyes, and knowing, no matter what the hell you do, he’ll get the last laugh. And it’s real, and true. The devil really will get the last laugh in all cases without exception, and if I let myself think about that too long, I’d crack.
Heh. No wonder I love it so much. There’s that soul deep flirting with darkness that I indulge in way too much lately.
Weather: high — 49 degrees (!!!) and partly sunny. (It’s colder than a witch’s left….::looks down:: well YOU KNOW!)
So…wee bit chilly round Chi-Town way today. Walk to the office was a treat. But I have coffee and homemade chocolate chip Writer’s Block bread to warm me back up.
Apache seems to be doing well. The vet has me keeping an eye on on her for the short term, but she seems to be back to her old self.
I’m so frikkin tired today. Eyes are watering constantly which does not make for happy eyes.
Okay, confession time. Ready? ::deep breath::
I’m a huge “Twilight” fan. Yes I know the books are brain candy for teens. Yes I know they’re hardly literary classics. But they’re like crack. And I honestly cannot wait for the damn movie to come out this December. I mean SRSLY. I’ve been having dreams about the characters.
I know I’m usually pretty obsessive about vampire related stuff (Remember my feverish refreshing of the YouTube of Mick’s turning on Moonlight? Yeah. OBSESSIVE). It’s an obsession I’ve had since I was very little. I used to sneak out of my room when I was supposed to be napping at age 3 and surreptitiously watch Dark Shadows from the doorway of my mum’s sitting room. She knew I was there and would “Discover” me if things got too scary, but for the most part she let me watch. My vampire love was born early. I have a huge collection of vampire related books, movies and thematically related music. Hell, I’m even writing a Vampire novel as we speak! Fell sideways into the Goth subculture in my teens as well.
So why the lengthy ramble? Because I think the one thing that Stephenie Meyers books have that has captured my attention is she put a new bit of twist on the mythology. Her vampires don’t have fangs, just very sharp teeth, which are coated with venom. To turn a human you have to put them through days of sheer burning agony. She’s taken the pleasure of the Turning and, if you’ll excuse the expression, turned it on its ear.
Vampire mythology is an interesting area to write fiction in since there is no definitive canon and probably has the most vicious arguments raised over what a vampire is supposed to look like, act like and a host of other sundry minutiae. There have been so many variations written, some to good effect, some not so much. We have romantic vampires, vicious vampires, animalistic vampires, fangless vampires, vampires who can walk in the sun…the list goes on and on. It’s almost impossible to find a creative twist on the vampire mythos that hasn’t been done into the ground already, or without going so far off the grid, your vampire resembles nothing that can be CALLED a vampire. SIGH. And it should be noted that Werewolves have a similar dilemma.
Anyway. enough with the rambling for the day. Have month end reports lurking like the smoke monster behind my monitors, just waiting to leap on me when my attention is diverted…should go deal with that! Also have some writing to do today.
OH! forgot to mention I started my workout regimen yesterday and have sore abs as a result. Gonna keep up with it though, so hopefully I can look decent for the wedding in June.
Daily Vid post:
This song has been stuck in my head for the past few days…and the vid is just a neat visual mindf*ck. So without further ado –more homeboys from Chicago:
Chevelle — Vitamin R (Leading us Along)
and just for S & Gs, (G being GOTH) Heres’ a Peter Murphy vid for y’all//
Sorry haven’t been keeping up with the posting, but there really hasn’t been much to talk about.
Yesterday was a bit of FALE, however. Had to go to the Dentist and get a pre-crown file down done on one of my teeth and two fillings in my wisdom teeth. Yikes. About 12 shots of novacaine and today I feel like someone socked me in the jaw with a 2 x 4!
On a happier note, I just found out that Amazon has the ENTIRE series of Witchblade for pre-order. SO MINE!
Video for today…From conversations over at Zee Shortwave Dahlia board..(Which ya’ll should come join! ) Heres a video by the criminally underrated Sunshine Blind (The only vid I think they did, actually)
Nevermoreland 