Disjointed Ramblings of a Hockey-Playing, Guinness-Drinking History Nerd

Hmmm... just trying to revamp my journal a bit here since I figured it needed a bit of a face-lift. Not sure why LJ seems so bloody complex sometimes - really need to learn some more HTML stuff so I can get something really cool happening.

Also caved and got the 'Plus' account just so I could use my new Septimus mood theme = <3333333 Jeez, those things are a lot of work. I hope it's going to show up. They're a bit huge, I will admit, but they work for me. Mwahaha.

Okay... this might work. Will likely post later on tonight after I work on the coat mock-up some more.

Okay, yes, it does after a LOT more tweakage. It's nice having those horrid ads at the top so they don't screw things up entirely.

BUTHOMG MORE USERPICS! MUST make more Septimus icons. KK. Oh hell, can't do that on my brother's computer because the lame-o doesn't have PS installed and he took my laptop to work. So much for that...

Nicked from kaenhoushaki because I can't sleep.

1.) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
"...appeared as a four-part mini-series in 1997 and has never.."
From The Visual Companion to Stardust

2.) Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you reach?
My brother's calender.

3.) What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Stardust. Or if movies don't count, then the Flames game last night which sucked.

4.) Without looking guess what time it is?
11:12 pm?

5.) Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
11:17 pm.

6.) With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Random techno music - quite horrible.

7.) When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
When I got home from the city. Walking to the house.

8.) Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
deviantArt stuff.

9.) What are you wearing?
Jeans and a U of C hoody.

10.) Did you dream last night?
OMG, it was strange - dreamt that terrorists were after our family and we had to 'disappear' for a while. It was quite intense.

11.) When did you last laugh?
Watching the Stardust bloopers. Yes, I do have a one-track mind.

12.) What are on the walls you are in?
John Deere wall paper and pictures of my cousin and his skidoo - I'm on my brother's computer.

13.) Seen anything weird lately?
Not that I can't think of. Oh wait, seeing examples of simplesquirrel's art getting ripped off which is completely retarded and enrages me.

14.) What do you think of this quiz?
Something to do.

15.) What was the last film you saw?
Oh god....

16.) If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
The rest of the shit for my Septimus stuff.

17.) Tell me something about you that I don't know?
I have hyperhydrosis. Completely sick, I know.

18.) If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt and politics, what would it be?
No more animal abuse.

19.) Do you like to dance?
Yeah! But only when no one is watching.

20.) George Bush:
He needs to learn to pronounce "Europe." There are TWO syllables there, buddy.

21.) Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Shannon or Maia. And yes, Mrs. Rick, I stole the second one from your OC! Mwahahaaaa.

22.) Would you ever consider living abroad?
Oh definitely.

24.) What do you want God to say when you reach the pearly gates?
He'll say "yes" after I ask him if Copernicus, Wolfe, Tarleton, and Grant got in. Because I'm not interested if they didn't.

25.) Tag three people who must also do this in THEIR journal.
Hmmm... kk. simplesquirrelinkibusharlequinelf Oh and chibimerrick too. Har. Hope this HTML works - if not, screw it.

Stolen from simplesquirrel Mwaha.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Ran into someone. That was terrible.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Some of them, yes. I decided not to procrastinate as much in school and that worked last Spring semester... sort of. Yeah, this year it's the usual - eat less, exercise more, draw full bodies rather than just the heads. Oh yeah and be nicer to people too, especially my parents, though it's hard at the best of times.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope.

5. What countries did you visit?
None. How lame.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
More money. More confidence.

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
April 21. Got a paper back from my military history prof. with some really nice comments. Pretty much made (and still makes) me feel like I can do anything.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finishing my thesis and getting an A on it. Getting an A+ on my Copernicus project. Stupid how so much of this is related to school and grades.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Buying a horse that was totally unsuitable.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, apart from getting sick five days ago. Oh and I cut my hand open climbing up a rocky cliff at Walhachin to take pictures of Mr. Dew's old town.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
This is lame but my iPod, I think.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Not sure. I'm too much of a cynic to really find good in anyone. D:

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
A number of people. My own occasionally.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Gas and fabric. No lies.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The end of the term and doing well on my papers/thesis. Oh and Copernicus.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Run Free from the Spirit soundtrack

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Not sure. I tend to feel the same during the holidays. Probably a little more stressed.
ii. thinner or fatter? Eeeesh, fatter. Haven't been playing hockey this fall so I'm not the bean-pole I was last year. D:
iii. richer or poorer? God, WAY poorer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Art, travelling.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying, being awkward.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
WTF, it's over and that makes me sad.

21. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?
With my family, watching movies. And writing an email to Mrs. Rick.

22. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Hmmm... yeah, I'm actually quite in love with bloody Septimus right now which doesn't make things on the guy-front easy.

23. How many one-night stands?
Ugh, none. Never will be.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Dancing with the Stars. I'm that lame.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Give me a minute and I can probably think of about ten people.

26. What was the best book you read?
Doctor Copernicus by John Banville.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
iTunes. Which is partially why I'm poor.

28. What did you want and got?
My museum job.

29. What did you want but didn't get?
A new dSLR camera. But that's okay.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Good question... OMFG why do I even need to think about this???? Stardust

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 22 (yikes D:) and... hmmm... not sure. Oh yeah, went out with the peeps from work during lunch hour.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not buying a psychopath horse.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Erratic. Lots of stuff from West 49, jeans, intermixed with random historical items like mitasses, Metis sashes, and 1780s short-coats.

34. What kept you sane?
Mrs. Rick. And yes, that did led to additional INsanity but it was most definitely worth it. And my horse. The NOT crazy one. Music too.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
There's a list. First it was Ciaran Hinds, then Gordon Flowerdew, then Copernicus, and now Septimus/Mark Strong. And Daniel Craig too, most definitely!

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The war in Afghanistan.

37. Who did you miss?
My grandma.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
My friends Sarah and Shannon from the museum.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
'Do your best and the rest will follow through.' I actually learned more this year about not stressing out and not being a perfectionist than any other year and I can't believe how well it works.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Uh, that's hard. I really don't listen to music with lyrics.

But before that starts, I just wanted to say Happy Christmas, everyone! I wish I had some Christmas-related art I could post but, alas, no luck. Though I did draw a number of Septimuses from Stardust because I'm completely and utterly obsessed lykewoah. I got a filing cabinet from my brother and I was sorting through some old sketches from last year to put in it and it was like "Holy shite, I was actually kind of good back then." So I drew some more tonight that aren't as crap-tastic as things have been for the last... oh... seven months. Keeping with simplesquirrel's vein, I think I might start a artblog just so I can post some stuff that isn't finished and rant extensively about it on there just so my deviantArt account will be reserved for finished stuff. Anyways! Yes. Septimus drawings tonight. Lordy, this thing is getting worse which is NOT GOOD. NO. The last thing I should be doing right now is fangirling some fictionalized dude who (inconveniently) is one of the most stunning specimens of masculinity I've ever seen, right down to the eyes, eyebrows, hair O GOD THE HAIR, nose, general facial structure. *SHRIEK* Okay, okay. Fwew.... glad that's out of the system. Haha, I just love the whole relationship between the seven brothers. Wonder how Septimus ended up with all the looks... and brains for the most part. I get wickedly inspired for picture drawin' when I think of them all as kids. And poor Una thrown into the mix somewhere. Wonder how far apart they all are in age....

Anyways, right-o, off to bed. I got 6 meters of lovely black wool-viscose blend for Xmas which I was planning on making into a early 16th century cleric's gown but now I'm mighty twitchin' to turn it into something for Septimus. NO. NO. NO. Damn these bloody interests.

And damn this bloody cold I feel developing.

Can't sleep. Too excited for Christmas.

Seriously.

And am HUGE nerd. Watched Stardust last night and am going through a brief obsession with Septimus which I KNEW would happen. C'mon, dark hair, large nose, black clothing, evil - it was inevitable, people! ( See for yourselves )

But my freaking god, Mark Strong can ride! I have never see anyone ride as naturally as he does in a film in my life. It was quite refreshing. And no, I did not take a blue permanent marker and draw the same 7 tattoo on my hand as he has on his hand. *shifty eyes*

K, going to bed now.

Christmas is going to be the end of me. If I had any hopes of getting remotely in shape this winter, it's gone out the window, starting yesterday when I purchased $8.50 worth of bulk Reeses Pieces and proceeded to consume them over the course of two hours, whilst taking screen shots of Henry V (Branagh version).

And the screenshots serve a VERY specific purpose! BECAUSE! I have found the perfect man to play Copernicus, if there was ever to be a decent movie made about him. It's too bad that Christopher Ravenscroft is 70 or something these days but dang. Seriously. I think he's slightly TOO good-looking for Nic - he hasn't got the hugely boney, square face but the cheekbones are most definitely there, as is the dark hair, and the semi-squinty eyes. The profile works nicely too. ( GAH! I think I'm in love...BEWARE HUGE PICSPAMMAGE UNDER CUT )
Henry V is one of my all-time favourites, as much for the lovely array of good-looking men in early 15th century clothing as for the impressive array of contortions Mr. Branagh can put his face through. (Seriously want to make a flash avatar of a segment from the St. Crispin's Day speech...) I just wish the makeup designer had decided to use a little less mascara on the guys during the closeups because it's pretty obvious in places - especially on Kenneth himself, where his blondness really accentuates it.

Spent all day studying for astronomy (GASP). Which is on Saturday. (DOUBLE GASP) I hate studying. With a passion. So much that I usually don't do it until the night before or the morning of. Except this is a special case because it's all managed to stick in my head fairly well and I don't feel like I'm wading into some black, hopeless abyss of unattainable knowledge. Still have a tonne of stuff to do for Christmas - a friend commissioned me to do pictures of her mother's dogs as a present and that is highly stressful because I know how anal owners can be about pictures of their pets. I've got to do three pictures and I'm not sure what I'm going to charge - I don't want to charge a lot since she's a friend but at the same time, it's quite the pain in the arse. Any suggestions?

Oh and yeah, and later there will be more about the guy... the real one. Who is...

... actually alive. Mostly because I'm trying to ignore it so I don't do anything stupid, because it's too long to recount at the mo', and because there's too much other stuff on the go.

PLEASE do this, LJ friends.

Step One
Make a post (public, friends locked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two
Surf around your friends list (or friends friends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part: If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf—to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not—it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

I should really be going to bed at this point but I decided to nick this from inkibus because it looked like fun. Okay, here we go... This is stuff I seriously to god want. I was talking to my mum the other day and she said cryptically "Oh don't bother making a list. I'm getting you stuff you need." God, eff off, mother.

Anyways...

1) About 6 meters of black wool/viscose blend for making a gown to go with my Copernicus stuff. Seriously... 'gown' sounds retarded, doesn't it? But I guess there's no other name for it. It will be almost exactly like the one seen here: http://colonelliamross.livejournal.com/14132.html#cutid1 Also need the same amount of black cotton for the lining. Cuz that's historically accurate... oh well.

2) "The First Copernican" by Dennis Danielson. It's about Rheticus - Copernicus's first student

3) Any other books on Copernicus. Oh yeah, his "Commentariolus." It's edited by Edward Rosen and is called "Three Copernican Treatises."

4) iTUNES!! OMG, an iTunes gift card would be amazing. And any other music - particularly soundtracks, classical stuff, renaissance music, Gregorian chant, etc.

5) This pattern for a Myllan cap since I'll be making one in the near future: http://www.lynnmcmasters.com/myllancover.html All of my mock-ups failed miserably so I'll be needing this.

I knew a movie in Polish had been done in the 1970s about Copernicus but I actually found pictures tonight at work.

( LULZ under the cut ) In the second one, he's second from the left. And there's a lovely fake background in the first. Well, it IS 1970s Poland afterall...

Still trying to figure out whether or not I like the guy who they have playing him.
1) the hair needs to be darker
2) eyes need to be smaller and darker
3) I need to be less anal about this stuff
4) He needs to look more... Slavic.
5) The nose and length/width of face are okay.

Dang, now I want to see this. He's almost good-looking in the second one there. Eeeshh... EXCEPT he'd better be in a red jerkin at one point. Hmph.

Need to go to bed so I'm nice and rested up for making a fool of myself again in the History of Science tomorrow. Don't want to get up early at all but I've got to go. It's a pride thing, unfortunately...

I should write a book... "How to Come Across as Inherently Stupid In Five Syllables or Less." Seeing as I'm quite the master at it.

RETROGRADE MOTION. RETROGRADE BLOODY MOTION God. So I sat in on a History of Magic, Science, and Religion class today when I saw they were talking about the Copernican revolution from the online course syllabus. Went to see the professor about it last Friday and she said sure, it was fine if I did, though they'd actually dealt with Copernicus that morning (HELL!). But I went today anyways and she was describing parallax and how you can't see it between the stars with the naked eye. Then this one girl asks the question: "How does observed planetary parallax show that the earth is moving?" Good question, though it wasn't phrased quite like that. It stumped the teacher, so she asked the rest of us if we could offer explanations for it and, fool that I am, I put up my hand to have a go. And couldn't get it either. Ended up mumbling something about distances, which wasn't even remotely related to the problem. But I thought about it for the rest of the class and I realized it was tied to orbital size so down I went triumphantly after it was over to explain it with a complex diagram on the chalk board by showing how larger orbits were slower and how this would explain observed planetary parallactic difference against the background stars. Whereupon, the prof. looked at me briefly like I was totally out of my mind and said "You can still see that if the earth isn't moving."

"Uh... oh yeah... haha... I guess that's... haha... true, isn't it? Ha... Well, thanks anyway," said the great astronomer and stumbled back up the stairs, feeling like I'd just been on some sort of perverse, academic gameshow.

But walking back to my room, it punched me in the eye. BAM! Retrograde motion! The earth's movement explains retrograde motion which is, after all, a function of planetary parallax against the sphere of the fixed stars, where the outer planets appear to slow down and then move backwards. Of course, this is due to the earth's motion and the larger orbital radii of the superior planets - the earth simply overtakes them on its smaller orbit, which explains this observed motion of the outer planets. Therefore, planetary parallax DOES show the earth IS in motion because it explains the regression of planets.

Hell in a handbasket.

Part of me is tempted to dash up to her office and inform her that no, I am not stupid, and that what I MEANT to say was... (see above). But I'm afeard to get it wrong again and my knowledge base isn't strong enough to wade through it and redeem myself.

In other news, I've got a painting in the works that excites me to no end. It's completely ridiculous and different but so incredibly FUN! These couple of weeks have been insane - I've been seized with this maniacal desire to be creative. In art... in planning more outfits. But mostly in art. Of course, it's all due to Copernicus and to the withdrawal I've been going through due to school. Which is good and bad, since I STILL need to finish an art trade with someone on dA from last spring. God, I loose sometimes. But it's worth it.

Tagged by Weinglasarien and Doxhoont:

1. Post these rules
2. each person tagged must post 8 random (hopefully interesting) facts about themselves
3. tags should write a journal of these facts
4. at the end of the post 8 more bloggers are tagged and named
5. go to their page and leave a comment telling them that they're tagged.


8 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:

1. When I was in Grade 5 I was totally obsessed with Walter from the Crocodile Dundee movies and I have no clue why.

2. Some people sing in the shower, but I do drama. Seriously! When I took it back in Junior High, I memorized three or four monologues and I recite them... well, I guess recite is the wrong word. Anyways, if I'm 'into' a new guy, I try to imagine how they'd give the monologue ie. speech patterns, inflection, etc. This has also been known to happen outside in the wee hours of the morning.

3. My brother and I used to play "The Great Mouse Detective" when we were little. I was always either Basil or Flaversham and he was the other dude - can't remember the name at the mo'.

4. This must be fairly obvious, but I've got a thing for funny/strange-looking guys. Par Example....:

5. I think the best smell in the world is old military stuff. Except for modern webbing because it smells like puke.

6. I didn't actually start talking until I was four years old and the baby-sitter thought I was one kangaroo short in the top paddock because I was always pretending I was a dog.

7. My first 'fandom' was "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (Disney version) and more specifically, Ichabod Crane. That started when I was four.

8. I CANNOT swim in deep, dark water because it scares the bejeebes out of me when I can't touch/see the bottom. As I result, I hyperventilate, sink, drown, and die. Nicht gut.

Right-o! That's it.

I'm not going to tag anyone because I think everyone's had a stab at this already but if you want to do it, go ahead!

Random meme just for the sake of stupidity.

200. My middle name is: Louise
199. I was born on: June 23
198. I am really: moody
197. My cell phone company is: Telus. It's a rip-off.
196. My eye color is: Green
195. My shoe size is: 9/10, depends
194. My ring size is: The same size as my finger.
193. My height is: 5'6 1/2
192. I am allergic to: Nothing
191. I was born in: Kamloops, British Columbia
190. I live in: the past.
189. The last book I read: "Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance: The Glorious Imposter" by one of my profs.
188. My bed is: old.
187: One thing you hate about yourself: The strange shape of my face.
186-180 are missing... ok... odd...
179. My favorite Holiday is: Halloween or Christmas.
178. The perfect kiss is? Not too slimey, I guess. That's a horrid thought.
177. The last three songs I downloaded: If I try to download stuff my computer gets viruses and doesn't work.
176. Last song that made me cry: Something from '300' when I was listening to it last night. Laaaaaaaaame...
175. Are you taken or Single: Pretend-taken... fie.
174. If you're taken, by who?: Raoul Lufbery. It's all been previously arranged.
173. Do you like being single/taken? I'd prefer it if it wasn't pretend...
172/171 are missing.... what's going on here??
170. What did you do last night?: Worked at the library and wrote my thesis.

:::::I Do (YES)/Do Not (NO) Believe In:::::
142. Love at first sight? Yeah.
141. Luck? HUGE
140. Fate? I think we control our own fates...
139. Yourself? Today I do!
138. Aliens? Not really...
137. Heaven? Maybe... I'll know when I get there...hopefully...
136. Hell? See above. I like simplesquirrel's idea that it's filled with precalculus. XDD
135. Ghosts? Yes. I swear there is one in my house.
134. Horoscopes? No. That would be a cushy job, though, writing those things.
133. Soulmates? Yeah, definitely.

:::::Which is Better?:::::
129. Hugs or Kisses? Neither preferably.
128. Drunk or High? Drunk, I guess. But within limits.
127. Phone or Online: Online
126. Red heads or Black hair: BLACK HAIR OMG.
125. Blondes or Brunettes: Brunettes.
124. Hot or cold: Hot!
123. Summer or winter: Summer for sure.
121. Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla
120. Night or Day: Evening, actually. Always seems magical for some reason.
119. Oranges or Apples: Neither.
118. Curly or Straight hair: Straight.

:::::Here's What I Think About:::::
116. Paris Hilton: skanky (Okay, I made that one up because $116 was missing)
115. Back stabbers: Shallow and insecure. They waste my time too.
114. Parents: Sort of necessary. I like mine for the most part.

::::Last time I:::
103. Went out of town: Up to Edmonton for horse shopping.
102. Had food: Wendys junior bacon cheeseburgers at 5:15
101. Saw someone I haven't seen in a while: Sunday afternoon. My old neighbors and I haven't seen each other in eight years.
100. Cried in front of someone: The monday before last at work (SO lame)
99. Grew: Mentally or physically. Did a TONNE of mental growing today.

::::MISC::::
90. Who is the ditziest person you know: These two chicks I saw today at the fabric shop. Of all the ditzy people I've came across in my 21 years, these ones took the cake. Holy cow.
87. The last movie I watched: It was something good... but I can't remember. Might have been Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom...
82. What I don't understand is: how snakes mate. Seriously!
80. The most unsatisfactory answer I've ever received is: I already have a girlfriend.
76. Something I will really miss when I leave home is: my horses! But I don't plan on leaving for a couple of years at least.
75. The thing that I'm looking forward to the most: This Tuesday - I'm riding Paris for the first time.
74. The thing that I'm not looking forward to is: Working some crappy job this summer.
72. Today: was amazing.
71. Next Summer: I want to go to Europe
70. Next Week: I don't know.
67. People call me: Alison, Ali Baba, Mrs. Lufbery, Sjalve (teh Viking name), Beckham.
62. The person who knows the most about me is: Probably my mum.
60. The most difficult thing to do is: Apologize.
59. I have gotten a speeding ticket: Yes. it was expensive.
58. I have stolen something: garden gnomes
57. Favourite drink: Water. How boring.
56. My zodiac sign is: Cancer
55. The first person I talked to today was: The ladies at work, I think.
54. First time you had a crush: In elementary school on a kid called John Johnson.
53. The one person who can't hide things from me: My brother, maybe.
52. Last time someone said something that you were thinking? Maybe last night...
51. Right now I am talking to: Robin at work.
50. What is your dream job? Historical advisor for historical films.
49. First job? Working as staff as Air Cadet Camp.
48. I have/will get a job at? The University library but I might be working for a landscaping company this summer or something...
47. I have these pets: Spunky, Ziggy, and Paris = teh horses. Jessie, Robbie, and Bonz = teh dogs. Bagheera, Courtney Campbell, Rastus, Mandy, Puffeh, Lady Jane Gray and The Stench Panther = teh cats (Bagheera had six more kittens last night so now we've got a shite load of cats). Fishwald = teh Siamese Fighting Fish.
46. I hope: I can get the same room in Rez next year.
45. The worst sound in the world: Babies.
44. The person that makes me cry the most is: Me. (I'm hearing ya, M.C.!)
39. My boy/girlfriend is: Non-existent.
35. Florida or Hawaii: Hawaii.
33. My favorite piece of clothing is: My Metis sash.
32. My favorite sport is: HOCKEY
31. Last time I cried: Last nigh but just a tiny bit.
30. My friends are: AWESOME but they all live too far away.
29. My computer: Sounds like a jet liner and is full of viruses.
28. The school I go to is: Big and stressful.
27. Last person I got mad at: The guy who just came by work and wanted to renew his books but couldn't because our system doesn't let grad students renew their books until 1 May. I told him I couldn't renew the books and he's like "Why?!" and I said "Because our system isn't set up for it." He said "Why?!" again. GOD GO AWAY.
22. The all-time best movie is: That's hard. I couldn't really say...
21. The all-time best thing in the world is: Getting an A from a really tough prof. OR having a family barbeque on a warm, summer's evening.
18. The most annoying person you know is: People at the library.
17. I lose all respect for people who are: shallow. Which is most people.
16. The movies I have cried at are: We Were Soldiers. SO MUCH.
15. Closest friend name(s): Mrs.Rickencampbellerik and Marla Davies. XDDDD
13. Favorite web site: deviantArt and least favourite too!
12. I want to be: Not so hard on myself.
11. The worst pain I have ever been in: Getting a cist removed from the back of my neck. Le gross.
10. My favorite word is: Byron - I guess it's a name...
9. My room is: Tannish.
8. My favorite celebrity is: MARTIN HENDERSON
5. My weakness is: Dairy Queen. Like you wouldn't believe!
4. What I like about the opposite sex: Someone I can talk to easily, who listens, and who doesn't look like a sack of dog logs.
3. Who broke your heart: The RGB.
2. One thing that makes you feel great is: "having a good friend to talk to that really cares." I'm with simplesquirrel on that one!
1. You filled out 200 questions because: I'm am FINISHED THE UNSPEAKABLE and I have NOTHING else to do! (except for a million corrections now....)

Stupid Time again, even though I haven't really done any work today. How bad is that? Well, I DID get some of the images sorted out. That's a TONNE of work... But this was gacked from simplesquirrel on deviantArt and I wanted to do it with Lufbery and Cuthbert Grant. Holy cow, that is un-necessarily...er...kinky. O_O Ahem. Anyways...

Characters Chosen:

1) Gervais Raoul Lufbery - OMG, Luf's first name isn't Raoul. O___o
2) Cuthbert Grant (early 19th century Metis leader - 1/2 Scottish, 1/4 French, 1/4 Cree and is ridiculously freaking sexy)

---------------------------------------------
How Old Are You?
---------------------------------------------

Lufbery: 30
Grant: 24

---------------------------------------------
Height?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: 5'6 1/2" (Same as yours truly XD)
Grant: 6'3"

---------------------------------------------
You a virgin?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: (grins) Haha, can't say dat I am...
Grant: (grinning too) You'll have to ask some other people about that one...

---------------------------------------------
Who's your Mate?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: OMG. Alison Mercer. (Haha, no, it would have been some random French bimbo. Hmph)
Grant: (grinning) Ride east along the Assiniboine River until you get to Fort Tremblante. Watch for the girl with the dark skin and red hair. That's her.

---------------------------------------------
Have Any Kids?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Not in de near future, dat's for sure.
Grant: Someday. I've got to get the fur trade wars over with first though.

---------------------------------------------
Favorite Food?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Mushrooms.
Grant: Frozen Sugared Ice (early 19th century equivalent of icecream LOL)

---------------------------------------------
Favorite Ice Cream flavor?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Not sure about dat one. Chocolade, mebbe.
Grant: Vanilla

-------------------------------------------
Killed anyone?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: (shrug) Occasionally.
Grant: Yes. And I'd kill him again too.

---------------------------------------------
Hate anyone?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: De Boche, I guess.
Grant: A few people actually. But hate's too strong a word... let's just say we don't get along.

---------------------------------------------
Any Secrets?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Do you seriously tink I'd tell you?
Grant: (grins)

---------------------------------------------
Love Anyone?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: It was complicated.
Grant: Nah, that's too much work.

---------------------------------------------
Ever slept in all day?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Yah, on de train from New Dehli to Jodphur. De night before was a bit...ehh...rough.
Grant: Not voluntarily.

---------------------------------------------
Favorite Show?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Dunno. Dis modern interview ting doesn't work too well for 'istorical people.
Grant: Sheridan's Rivals. Saw it when I was in London last year.

---------------------------------------------
Favorite Movie?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Like I said...
Grant: Not quite sure what you mean there...

---------------------------------------------
Favorite Band?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: (decides to bite the bullet and deal with the modern stuff) Angels and Airwaves, I guess.
Grant: La Bottine Souriante. They're a French Canadian band. Not too shabby.

---------------------------------------------
Eye Colour/s?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Dunno. Green, mebbe.
Grant: Uhhh... black?

---------------------------------------------
Skin?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Ehhh...white? (looks at his hands) Mebbe a little pink?
Grant: Does that matter?

---------------------------------------------
Shoe Size?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: 8.5
Grant: 12

---------------------------------------------
Fat/Average/Slim?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Short and stocky, I guess (hides the bathing suit picture)
Grant: (looks down and laughs) Well, I guess you could say a bit muscular...

---------------------------------------------
Rain, sunshine?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Anyting dat's good for flying.
Grant: Sunny, definitely.

---------------------------------------------
Pool, Beach?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: River, actually.
Grant: Beach.

---------------------------------------------
Camping, staying home?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Walks are nice, but I like staying 'ome.
Grant: Uhh... I'm Metis. I'm camping nine months a year.

---------------------------------------------
Dog, Cat?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Cat, I guess.
Grant: I'd choose horse but since that's not an option, I'll take a dog.

---------------------------------------------
Believe in aliens?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Uh.
Grant: Who wrote this thing?

---------------------------------------------
Teeth?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Teeth... what. What do I like in teeth? What are mine like? Kinda small and far apart.
Grant: Nice and white. Not too hard to find in the North-west.

---------------------------------------------
Car or Ship?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Whatever. As long as it runs well.
Grant: A ship is pretty useless on land...

---------------------------------------------
Any Unusual Things about you?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: I dunno.
Grant: It took me a while to figure out how beaver pelts were made into hats when I was little. But that's a pretty lame 'Unusual Thing'

---------------------------------------------
How much food/drink do you need a day?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: Enough. Someting to drink helps too.
Grant: I bit, I guess. Pound or two of pemmican. Depends how much work I'm doing.

---------------------------------------------
Favourite Place?
---------------------------------------------

Luf: (laughs bitterly)
Grant: On my horse, in the midst of a galloping herd of buffalo.

And thar we go, mateys. Stupidity has been accomplished for today.

After working on The Unspeakable since 11:30 this morning, the time has come to do something stupid again. So here's another meme. I'm finally doing the Soundtrack of Your Life One which... turned out pretty darn odd with my tastes in music.

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Opening Credits - Manta Squadron from "Sky Captain and the World Tomorrow"

Waking Up - To the Space Port from "Treasure Planet"

First Day at School - Opener from Call of Duty (okay, that is weird)

Falling in Love - Water Music Suite No. 3 by Handel (that's pretty good, actually)

Fight Song - The Parting Glass from "Waking Ned Divine" (uhhh WTF. That's a pretty lame fight song)

Breaking Up - War from "Pearl Harbour" (this is creeping me out)

Prom - Whiskey Before Breakfast - Metis fiddle tune (NICE)

Life - Hold the Line from "First Knight"

Mental Breakdown - Something else from Call of Duty

Driving - Dance Above the Rainbow from "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames"

Flashback - Can't Stop the Rain by Cascada (ZOMG something modern!!! And it works too)

Getting Back Together - Headlights on Dark Roads by Snow Patrol (something else modern!! *gasp*)

Wedding - Late Again from "The Prince of Egypt" (portentious?)

Birth of Child - The Tullymore Polka from "Waking Ned Devine"

Final Battle - Dobbin Leaves Amelia from "Vanity Fair" (that's pretty lame...)

Death Scene - Part of the Don Quixote Suite by Telemann (it sounds WAY too happy)

Funeral Song - The Tri-Wizard Tournament from "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

End Credits - Take Her Back Again from "Much Ado About Nothing"

I really like Opening Credits and First Day at School and Life. But the rest of it is pretty random.

K, so I heard back from my advisor and he agreed to meet on Tuesday at 1 so things worked out nicely. I just crossed the 42-page mark with The Unspeakable and it's not going too bad. Just really freaking slowly. I want to go for a ride in the worst possible way (after all this horse talk) but I'm not going home until I get the vast majority of it done. I'm 1/3 of the way through Chapter 4 then I just need to write the conclusion. THEN I need to start the editing process when I can hopefully plump the entire thing out a little bit... I'm sure that won't be a problem when my supervisor goes to town on it and finds that I missed a whole bunch of stuff or something. Blagh. But I AM ahead of schedule at the moment - was supposed to have Chapter 3 finished today, which it is and I also managed to get some done on 4.

I made chibimerrick's shanghai noodles for supper tonight too which was tasty. But somehow, by some strange law of physics, I managed to cut my thumb on the frozen shrimp when I was thawing them out to put into the mixture with everything else. How does THAT work?? I thought they were my friends..... ;_____;

Gacked from Kaenhoushaki, just for the sake of pure procrastination. And the fact that I've been burning my brains out on my thesis all day. So it's time to do something stupid

List Five Movies and Answer the Following Questions

1. Dances With Wolves
2. The Patriot
3. Flyboys
4. Kingdom of Heaven
5. Rob Roy

1. Who is your favorite character from 2 (The Patriot)?
Lordy, Will Tavington for sure, even though he's the evillest of all the evil dudes in history... ahem... er... film.

2. Who is your least favorite character from 3 (Flyboys)? Probably Rawlings. Just because he annoys the hell out of me: "Yer English is gittin' so gud." LOL Poor guy, I guess he's not that bad. Though they should have made the movie about Cassidy instead.

3. What would a crossover between 1 (Dances with Wolves) and 5 (Rob Roy) include? I don't know where to start with this one since they're both so different. How do you cross over western Plains history with the 1715 Uprising? We'll skip that one.

4. What is your favorite pairing from 4 (Kingdon of Heaven)? Okay, does 'pairing' mean something romantic? If it does, then there only kinda was one... Sibylla and Balian, I guess. But if not, then I really liked the relationship between Sibylla and her younger brother Baldwin... poor guy.

5. If you were to set up one character from 2 (The Patriot) and one character from 4 (Kingdom of Heaven) on a blind date, who would they be? HOMG Tavington and Sibylla for sure! He would try being all smooth and she would whip out the "Ice Queen" act on his ass and they would end up absolutely hating each other.

6. If you could meet one person from 5 (Rob Roy) and spend the day with them, who would it be, and what would you do? ARCHIE FOR SURE. We'd go clothes shopping and then I'd get him to show me all his nifty fencing moves. LOL That is the weirdest thought, actually. O____O

7. If you could change one thing about 1’s (Dances With Wolves) plot, what would you change? That Dunbar's horse got shot. Holy crap, I cried at that part. People getting killed? Meh, whatev. But his horse was really quite excellent.

8. Explain a relationship between two characters (not necessarily romantic) from 3 (Flyboys), and why you like the relationship between them. Cassidy and Whisky, just because it's so much like Luf and Whisky. Both guys didn't have much in the way of friends so they hung out with the lions instead. It's pretty deep actually.

9. If the main characters from 5 (Rob Roy) and 2 (The Patriot) were both drowning, and you could only save one, who would it be? God, Rob for sure. Mel Gibson annoys me so much. I was kind of hoping he would have got pwnt by Tavington in the end anyways...

10. If the main character from 4 (Kingdon of Heaven) met the main character from 3 (Flyboys), would you think they'd get along? Balian and Rawlings? Yeah, I actually think they would. They sort of have the same personalities.

11. If you were able to add a new character, any kind of character you wanted, to the storyline for 1 (Dances With Wolves), what would the character be like, and what would their role be? OMG, I'd add a Metis guy but I'm not sure what he would be doing living with the Sioux since both groups were deadly enemies. He'd be medium height, really easy-going, a freaking amazing rider and hunter, and amazingly sexy. He'd be living with the Sioux tribe that Dunbar is adopted by, after being captured a few years earlier. Or something like that. Just another brave, I suppose.

12. What's your favorite scene in 4 (Kingdom of Heaven)? ALL of the Baldwin scenes. But if I have to pick one, then the part at Kerak when he pwns Reynald. Frakking brilliant.

13. If you could kill off a character who doesn't die in 2 (The Patriot), who would it be and how would you do it? Hasn't this been discussed already? It would definitely be Mel Gibson's character. I dunno... it would have to be at Tavington's hands, I suppose (how cruel is that???) Maybe gets decapitated by a cavalry sabre. Or maybe something really stupid, like he falls down the stairs. But that would be lame.

14. If you could visit the setting of 1 (Dances with Wolves) or 3 (Flyboys), which one would you like to visit? Well, where I live is almost exactly like how it looks in Dances with Wolves, so the aerodrome in Flyboys, I guess.

15. If you could date anyone from any of these titles, which character? Haha, I think we all know the answer to this one. It would be Gabriel from The Patriot, of course. HAHANOJK. The uber smexy Reed Cassidy, definitely. And it would work, too. Trust me. ;)

Well, okay, that's it. Feel free to pinch if you're so inclined to similar procrastination. Gawd, I'm tired of working on the thesis already. It's almost at 10,000 words and around 35 pages. I figured I'd have it finished by Tuesday morning, which means Chapter 3 must be finished by the end of tomorrow, so I can write Chapter 4 between Sunday and Monday BUT NUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. I got an email from my supervisor today where he was like "ZOMG. CAN YOU FINISH IT BY MONDAY MORNING SO WE CAN MEET AT 10 AND I CAN GIVE YOU A SHITE LOAD OF CORRECTIONS TO DO???"

Uh, no.

Frick.

I should be in Geology right now but I'm not. So far I've missed... let's see... four classes in a row including this one. Not exactly cool. Do I have an excuse? Only for one - last Thursday when I got my teeth out. The rest.... well, I'm at that stage when going to class is just another thing I need to do when I've already got so much else on the go. This is the stupidest, most absurd way of thinking but it actually stresses me out because I'm like "ZOMGSOMUCHINFO" when I DO go. So to avoid stress, I don't go. Not sure what the logic is there. So instead I stay home and write a LJ entry. Producteeeve.

Okay, so what else. The fan on my laptop is broken and there is little in this world that annoys me more than that right now. When I'm sitting hunched miserably at my desk trying heroically to squeeze a couple more semi-intelligent sentences out of my brain, the last thing I need is my fan letting out random whirring/clicking/buzzing noises as it shuts off. Lordy, that drives me up the wall. See? There it goes. That and the whole fingers-not-working-whilst-trying-to-type thing.

I'm also in a current state of starvation. I've got nothing in my fridge except for a couple of bags of mouldy salad that hide behind the pot of rotting shepherd's pie when the light turns on. There's a good variety of sauces and jams and one can of Guinness and a couple of pitas but that's it. This is very weird but that seems to mirror my life at the moment. Guinness = the good stuff, like dA, LJ, riding, art. It's not very good for you because it's a bit distracting when you're trying to work. The remnants of the shepherd's pie = my schoolwork. It started off really wholesome but now it's just kinda half-there, mouldy, and ignored. The rotten salads = my exercise program. Given the amount of work, I just haven't had time for it anymore. The pitas = my job at the library. I can always eat them if I'm really desperate. With schoolwork, I always figure "Oh, I can do it tonight at work." And the dirty dishes in the sink signify nothing more than procrastination.

It's one of those days. This needed explanation. My life needs explanation. Right. Less emo and more work.

This happens once a year. Just once. Annually, I hit a day when I could write the world's greatest novel in one sitting - the words flow like water, the ideas are coherent, profoundly intelligent, and beautifully interconnected. My fingers work; I can type without cursing at missed keys and subsequent lost ideas. I hit that day today at work and managed to write this week's four pager on Andrew McNaughton for military history in under six hours. I seriously can't believe it. I thought I would be able to get one pathetically disjointed paragraph at most but no. The entire. freaking. thing. is. finished. Which means I'll have ALL DAY tomorrow to study for my geology midterm on Thursday AND *le gasp* I might even be able to work on Chapter 1 of my thesis (half of which is supposed to be finished by Friday). OMG, it feels like I suddenly have so much free time!! Go figure, though - I'm not even remotely inspired to draw anything right now. Hmph. Well, anyways...

So there we go. Now I'll spend the rest of the year operating and thinking on the usual mediocre level. *sigh* That's the only bad bit.

Oh and something else too - I've finally got my hands on the newest James Wolfe biography, something I've been dreading since I first heard it was coming out. It looks frighteningly good from what I've read so far which alarms me since I wanted to be the one to write THE biography of Wolfe. I've read other things by this guy - he really knows his stuff and he's an excellent writer. Dammit. Maybe I'll just be stuck writing the kid's version. Damnation. I guess that's okay though. Got to start somewhere. I seriously wish I had more time for that. Maybe this summer. Okay, rambling now. I need to go to bed, but before I do, here's tonight's results, just in case you're absolutely desperate for something to do. Hideously boring and likely full of mistakes. It hasn't been edited yet.

( What was Wrong with Andy McNaughton? Explaining the Reasons Behind His Failure as a Field Commander at Exercise ‘Spartan.’ )

Holy frick, have I been stupid for the last two days. It's one of those things where motor skills, vocal skills, thinking skills, and pretty much everything else have ceased to function. Trying to talk is a write-off, trying to get the key into the lock to open the door is impossible, trying to put my contacts in is a joke (it took twenty minutes today and I'm not even being sarcastic), trying to write essays and not sound like a complete retard is like bicycling across the Atlantic Ocean. At least I'm getting stuff done but I'm still very VERY stupid. ( Here's some proof if you need more convincing... ) ZOMG, Lafayette Escadrille shepherd's pie!!!!! XDDD Er... yeah, that's supposed to be the Indian head but it turned out pretty lame. And I tried to write "Lafayette N124" around the outside but it's really messy. A year or so ago, chibimerrick showed me how to make this and she told me I always needed to draw something on the potatoes before I put it in the oven. So I was like "Hmmm.... what should I draw this time??" So yeah, Lafayette stuff. I made that on Monday so that was the start of the stupidity. I'm hoping today is the climax - things should get better after this.... At least the huge amounts of stress have gone away. For now.

I've been 'trying' to write essays all day so this is my break. LJ ramblement.

*looses at life*

Oh, and WTFFFFFFFFF????? The Oilers traded Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders - looks like there's a case of the "Stupids" going around.

Mostly for the benefit of my fellow geeks on dA.

This is all so very, VERY true.

- You see the riot police on TV and start critiquing their shield wall.
- People greet you on Monday morning with "So did you kill anyone this weekend?"
- You can't use your dining table because it's covered in half finished mail.
- You have a table specifically for making mail so it doesn't take up your dining table.
- You suffer from post-battle depression.
- You know every line in Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail by heart.
- Bad fighting and/or costuming has ruined an otherwise decent movie for you.
- You're a burly guy who looks like a Hell's Angel, but you do embroidery in public.
- At a formal dinner party, you politely grab your sleeve to keep it from dropping in the food, only to realise you're wearing a suit.
- You can eat equally well with a dagger or a fork.
- You've decorated a cake in Celtic knotwork.
- You return to work after a weekend event, only to find you left all your money in your belt pouch.
- You sometimes wear your jackets closed only by the top button and without putting your arms through the sleeves.
- After a party you ask yourself "Hm. Now where are my clothes?" and you're stone sober and fully dressed.
- You're watching what's been billed as the most romantic scene in any movie ever, and all you can think is: What kind of armour is he wearing?
- You can and do curse in Gaelic, but you aren't Scottish.
- You have more kit than clothes and the kit is in better condition.
- You visit a period castle, notice the draperies and bedspreads, and think of what lovely clothing they would make.
- You visit a period castle, museum, historical site, etc. and you can spot the mistakes in the tour guide's lecture.
- You're male and your girlfriend, not you, is the bored one being dragged from fabric/clothing store to fabric/clothing store.
- The lady at the fabric store asks your girlfriend if she needs help and she points at you saying, "He's the one looking for material"
- You get a Christmas card in the mail and you look at the shepherds and background figures with a magnifying glass to see the costuming details.
- Your kid gets a cardboard punch out castle and you take it away from him and put it together yourself, point out the flaws in the architecture, and based on your assessment of the flaws in the architecture, figure out how you could, hypothetically capture it if it was a real castle.
- Your kid gets a bunch of plastic knights you swipe them to outline your tactical ideas for the next war/fighter practice with your friends.
- You hide the really awful costume references in the stacks at the library, so future costumers won't be led astray. Or, you write criticisms in the margins of said awful costume references.
- You watch Henry V (or the Zefferelli Romeo and Juliet) over, and over, and over, again - for the costumes/fighting scenes.
- Your immediate family consists of only two rather small, thin people, but you justify your purchase of a full-sized van/pickup truck saying "We'll need the extra space for events!"
- You're annoyed because the armour and/or the costumes at the museum aren't displayed so that you can get a good photograph of the back/insides. (This happened to me in Quebec City)
- Your reference section on your field of interest is better than the equivalent section in the local library.
- Your idea of a pack lunch is mince-meat pie, cold mulled cider and wafers left over from the feast the week-end before.
- Your hobby takes more of your time than your job. (Or your schoolwork)
- You name your pets after obscure historical figures.
- You name your children after obscure historical figures.
- You name your truck, your car, your catapult.. after obscure historical figures.
- People assume that you're an exchange student/recent immigrant because they hear people calling you by the most outlandish names... of some obscure historical figure!

Feel free to pinch.

And credit for my icon goes to simplesquirrel. XDDD It never ceases to make me smile.

God, if time management was one of my New Year's resolutions, I'm getting more than enough practise at it this semester. Whooo-eeee... and Reading Break is certainly not going to much of a break since I have to come into the city three times, once for class and twice for work. Dammit... I'll be able to get everything done for this week since I'm just about finished my paper for my class on Wednesday, though I still need to find two of the readings (which will take no less than three hours of random searching/journeying around Calgary). I feel like a bit of a schmoo since I didn't read everything as thoroughly as I had last week but that's because some of it doesn't really apply (or so I think...) This is for my class on the psychology of military leadership. The guy that teaches it is absolutely phenomenol (speling? lol) - one of the best military historians in Canada and certainly the best prof. I've EVER had. I don't want to let him down so I hope he doesn't ask me really indepth questions on the stuff I didn't read as thoroughly. I'm also trying to work in some time where I can go see a hockey game with one of the guys I know from a class I took last year. We're both UBER hockey nuts so that'll be fun. But next week my military class has been moved from Wednesday to Monday so I'll only have four days to do ALL the readings AND write my four-pager. Yeah, I'm supposed to be working on my thesis at one point too, reviewing my Hated Geology notes, and researching my final paper for the military class. Ha ha ha haaaaaaaa...... yeeeeeaaaahhhh. Went for a nice long ride today, though, which was pretty de-stressful. Though my horse was getting pwned by the gravel roads. I'll get him shod once things thaw out a bit more... He's getting thinner too, which is cool.

Haven't watched Flyboys yet, though I DID see the Special Features on Friday. There's so much Cassidy goodness in the deleted scenes. *expires*

Art'll be forthcoming at one point this week too. I want to find a really good shot of Martin Henderson from Torque (that's just about the WORST movie EVER made - I kid you not. Watch it and see) where he looks all buff just because it would be funny, since I'm not into buff guys at all. XD I was going to do some artness tonight but chibimerrick and I worked on a new layout for my journal. Check it out!! I am seriously PWNED by this. Hmmm... Lufbery. Bet you didn't see that coming. XD But the 'disease' is getting better, definitely. Last week was still pretty intense. O_o

That's it for now. It's probably the only chance I'll get to post anything this week given the insanity that is my life right now. I WILL let you know how the hockey game goes though. ;) *smells a bit of romance in teh air*

Lastly, thanks so much chibimerrick!!! Your skillz at graphic design and html (especially!) never cease to impress me! *big hug*

Meme pinched from simplesquirrel

( Teh Meme of Procrastination )