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That time again...
Jan. 21st, 2010 08:30 am
Our iPod came up with "Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner" as a wake-up song this morning (don't ask, it's... semirandom). But I never can quite parse one of the lyrics, and my brain fills in random words/names for Roland's killer.
For some reason this morning, I filled in that blank with, "That son-of-a-bitch, Edred Thorsson, blew off Roland's head."
For some reason this morning, I filled in that blank with, "That son-of-a-bitch, Edred Thorsson, blew off Roland's head."
Fail Better
Aug. 14th, 2009 02:48 pmYesterday's massive, if localized, Shipment of Race-and-Sexuality-Fail by some speculative fiction writers (I'm not linking; they've already got more publicity attention and critique than they can handle, I'm sure) caused several things to click for me regarding the issues of prejudice, -isms, and privilege that have been circling the Internets lately. I kept thinking of writing a post about it, but my brain was too tired and I had too much to do, and I'm still really in the beginning stages of understanding this crap. So instead, today I came across some essays and explanations and attempts at education; for my own information as much as any of yours, I'm collecting them here:
Sorry if this got long.
- First and foremost, Mary Anne Mohanraj guest-posted on John Scalzi's blog in a really accessible and straightforward way; here's part two.
- The Angry Black Woman blog, which has a fair amount of guest-writers and a lot of content on recent events, including yesterday's. She also hammered the point home for me about why Persons of Color shouldn't be obligated to teach Clueless White Persons what they're doing wrong: it's exhausting.
- How Not To Be Insane When Accused Of Racism - this one's key to understanding the difference between racism and prejudice, and when to Shut Up and not Defend Yourself. I really twigged to somebody's comment somewhere about the disservice many white liberals did to their kids in the 60s and 70s by telling them to be "colorblind" and All Would be Well. We also got a heaping huge dose of "Racists Are Equivalent to Nazis and Baby-Rapers" which tends to make everybody flip out when accused of doing or saying something racist, even inadvertently.
- Ursula K. LeGuin's comments on the "colorblind" idea, and the whitewashing of the Earthsea miniseries. In particular, "I think it is possible that some readers never even notice what color the people in the story are. Don't notice, don't care. Whites of course have the privilege of not caring, of being "colorblind." Nobody else does." was instructive of a blindspot I had until fairly recently.
- I Didn't Dream of Dragons, a slightly different take on the idea of Writing the Other.
deepad's "White People, it's not All About You, but for this post it is" (now crossposted to DreamWidth)- A really good discussion on why 'tone' arguments are usually counterproductive, from Racism 101.
- Oyate's Books To Avoid (mostly books for kids, but still useful)
- ::edit:: Finally, Justine Larbalestier has good news about the cover of Liar, which was originally whitewashed but now is getting a full redo, even in hardcover. Sometimes, things work out.
Sorry if this got long.
No Time for Blogging, Dr. Jones!
Jun. 13th, 2009 05:49 pmNo time to participate in BLITEOTW today, so I thought instead I'd post the horrific little monster ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
featherynscale and I came up with for last night's game.
Literally, the genesis of this thing was the following conversation earlier in the week:
( And this was the result... )
featherynscale and I came up with for last night's game.Literally, the genesis of this thing was the following conversation earlier in the week:
K: We need to decide what to have (our players) fight on Friday. They didn't get to last time.
D: We also need to sort out how to disable (the character whose player was leaving the game). Maybe something snuck up on him in the night...
K: They shouldn't really be able to fix it on their own, we may have to make up a monster.
D: What about an Oogiel?
K: What's an Oogiel?
D: Based on O-G-L, the Open Gaming License?
K: Hmmm... so it would relentlessly work to steal your content and make a copy of you?
D: We also need to sort out how to disable (the character whose player was leaving the game). Maybe something snuck up on him in the night...
K: They shouldn't really be able to fix it on their own, we may have to make up a monster.
D: What about an Oogiel?
K: What's an Oogiel?
D: Based on O-G-L, the Open Gaming License?
K: Hmmm... so it would relentlessly work to steal your content and make a copy of you?
( And this was the result... )
A music joke
Jun. 6th, 2009 05:58 pmC, E-flat and G go into a bar. The bartender says, "I'm sorry, but we
don't serve minors." So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth
between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished, and G is out
flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp
enough.
D comes in and heads for the bathroom saying, "Excuse me. I'll just be a
second." Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this
relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at
the end of the bar and says, "Get out! You're the seventh minor I've
found in this bar tonight."
E-Flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined
shoes. The bartender says, "You're looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this
could be a major development." Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit
and everything else, and is au natural.
Eventually, C sobers up and realizes in horror that he's under a rest. C
is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a
minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an upscale
correctional facility. On appeal, however, C is found innocent of any
wrongdoing, even accidental. The judge rules that all contrary motions are
bassless.
(from pianoworld.com by way of
Groundhog Day
Feb. 2nd, 2009 09:16 amOkay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today!
Overheard before leaving...
Jan. 27th, 2009 09:05 amMe: 13, 13, 14, 16, 18, 17, 11...
featherynscale: If those aren't somebody's D&D stats, today is going to suck.
Me: No such luck; temperature arc for today.
featherynscale: If those aren't somebody's D&D stats, today is going to suck.Me: No such luck; temperature arc for today.
Happiness is a Warm Gun
Dec. 24th, 2008 01:39 pmToday's happiness is brought to you by the mad desire to filk Christmas Carols to the theme of the parlor game Mafia.
Unfortunately, most of the rewrites are chock full of in-jokes so they lose something in translation, but I'm laughing hysterically over here... I just finished "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!"
The Twelve Days of Christmas are fairly easy to understand, though. My favorite iteration thus far is:
Unfortunately, most of the rewrites are chock full of in-jokes so they lose something in translation, but I'm laughing hysterically over here... I just finished "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!"
The Twelve Days of Christmas are fairly easy to understand, though. My favorite iteration thus far is:
On Day Twelve of Christmas,
the mod revealed unto me
Twelve scummers scumming,
Eleven players posting,
Ten trackers tracking,
Nine lurkers lurking,
Eight people voting,
Seven hammers dropping,
Six goons a-swinging,
FIVE RE-PLACE-MENTS!
Four scum factions,
Three dead townies,
Two town masons,
And a cultist vigilante.
Happy Thoughts, Revisited
Dec. 12th, 2008 01:01 pmToday I am most happy for XKCD, mostly because it reminds me how trivial and first-world my relationship/Linux/physics/raptor problems really are, but also because it makes me laugh out loud, when so few things do.
If you've never read it, read it. Five of the last six have been brilliant (today's is kinda "eh")... and don't forget to read the title text with your cursor!
If you've never read it, read it. Five of the last six have been brilliant (today's is kinda "eh")... and don't forget to read the title text with your cursor!
No punchline...
Nov. 5th, 2008 06:48 pmQ: What do you call a sociopath with a poorly developed sense of self and anger management issues?
Home from the Wars, err Con
Sep. 2nd, 2008 10:11 pmTired. Okay, not actually tired, because we Slept All Fuckin' Day, but off-kilter. I keep having to recalibrate to 'normal society' expectations, like what you can and can't say/look at/find odd.
Mostly caught up on LJ. Internet at the house is still sketchy, but tonight it's somewhat better (hence actually posting here). They're sending a technician out Tuesday between 5 and 7... yes, I know today was Tuesday. I meant the next one... Grrr. Apparently it's "signal noise on the line", which at least means it's neither the modem nor router.
Got a fair bunch of pictures at Dragon*Con. Some are still in post-processing due to the flash starting to die, but many are good. Those can be found atfeatherynscale's Flickr account, or elsewhere on the Internets.
Speaking of elsewhere on the Internets, my Green Arrow costume wins the "most pictures taken of me" contest, hands down, so those'll be showing up all over the place I'm sure. Not bad for about a week's work, though next year's iteration will be better. A couple of minor logistical issues popped up, but thankfully the skintight doublet wasn't one of them, even with all of the scantily clad ladies around (including two GA-less Black Canaries, one of whom nearly expired from glee at seeing me). Which is good, because lots of little kids (many not even at the Con, but at surrounding restaurants and the like) wanted to have their picture taken with "Robin Hood". That was especially worth it. Hardly anyone knew who John Constantine was, and No One did before dark. That was funny, if not wholly surprising, in retrospect.hekatatia: As promised, here's the first picture link!
Very little drama. Insane amounts of fun. Going back next year.
P.S. The Wheel of Time track director is working on being an Actually Real Live Famous Person, between hosting JordanCon next April, and getting a piece of her humor up on Cracked: http://www.cracked.com/article_16587_hollywoods-5-saddest-attempts-at-feminism.html
Mostly caught up on LJ. Internet at the house is still sketchy, but tonight it's somewhat better (hence actually posting here). They're sending a technician out Tuesday between 5 and 7... yes, I know today was Tuesday. I meant the next one... Grrr. Apparently it's "signal noise on the line", which at least means it's neither the modem nor router.
Got a fair bunch of pictures at Dragon*Con. Some are still in post-processing due to the flash starting to die, but many are good. Those can be found at
featherynscale's Flickr account, or elsewhere on the Internets.Speaking of elsewhere on the Internets, my Green Arrow costume wins the "most pictures taken of me" contest, hands down, so those'll be showing up all over the place I'm sure. Not bad for about a week's work, though next year's iteration will be better. A couple of minor logistical issues popped up, but thankfully the skintight doublet wasn't one of them, even with all of the scantily clad ladies around (including two GA-less Black Canaries, one of whom nearly expired from glee at seeing me). Which is good, because lots of little kids (many not even at the Con, but at surrounding restaurants and the like) wanted to have their picture taken with "Robin Hood". That was especially worth it. Hardly anyone knew who John Constantine was, and No One did before dark. That was funny, if not wholly surprising, in retrospect.
hekatatia: As promised, here's the first picture link!Very little drama. Insane amounts of fun. Going back next year.
P.S. The Wheel of Time track director is working on being an Actually Real Live Famous Person, between hosting JordanCon next April, and getting a piece of her humor up on Cracked: http://www.cracked.com/article_16587_hollywoods-5-saddest-attempts-at-feminism.html
Our Deepest Fear
Feb. 25th, 2008 05:16 pmThis poem always rattles around my brain in the strangest moments, and it crossed my radar again just now. Worth noting:
A Return to Love - Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
A Return to Love - Marianne Williamson
Tonight is the annual New Year's costume party held by some friends, and my costume is going to be Mephistopheles in a charcoal-grey suit, black silk shirt, blood-red tie and nails, discreet horns, and a contract.
( It's this last part that I want your help with. ) (and yes, the original does get smaller and harder to read with each clause)
I'll post the formatted PDFtomorrow later...
( It's this last part that I want your help with. ) (and yes, the original does get smaller and harder to read with each clause)
I'll post the formatted PDF
featherynscale gets it in one...
Dec. 11th, 2007 01:41 pmYesterday I picked up Elantris, the first novel by Brandon Sanderson, the poor bastard author who has been tapped to finish out Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I wanted to see what his writing style was like, and if I didn't like it, hey, this one's a standalone, so not much time lost.
I got in the car after work andfeatherynscale asked "What's that?", indicating the book in my hand. I told her, and she said "Thought so.", having seen the same news piece about WoT that I did. Then I said I'd learned two things already: that he's our age, roughly, and that he's probably qualified to write about Rand's many lovers. "Why's that?" she asks, to which I reply "He's LDS." A great chorus of groans followed, and featherynscale remarked, "I thought you were going to say you knew he could finish the story right because he was our age, and thus had been reading it for half his life, like us."
Lo and behold, DragonMount has an interview with him in which he remarks:
I'll take it.
Also, he's determined to answer the question of who killed Asmodean, thank the Light!
I got in the car after work and
featherynscale asked "What's that?", indicating the book in my hand. I told her, and she said "Thought so.", having seen the same news piece about WoT that I did. Then I said I'd learned two things already: that he's our age, roughly, and that he's probably qualified to write about Rand's many lovers. "Why's that?" she asks, to which I reply "He's LDS." A great chorus of groans followed, and featherynscale remarked, "I thought you were going to say you knew he could finish the story right because he was our age, and thus had been reading it for half his life, like us."Lo and behold, DragonMount has an interview with him in which he remarks:
I've been with The Wheel of Time since the paperback release of THE EYE OF THE WORLD back when I was fifteen years old.Of course, Harriet asking him is a big plus, and he seems to have his priorities right about the opportunity, and the source material. But really, it's like authorized fan fiction.
I'll take it.
Also, he's determined to answer the question of who killed Asmodean, thank the Light!
Something intelligent later
Nov. 27th, 2007 09:09 amFor now, I gift saffronhare, featherynscale, and anyone else who wants it with The Dough-Naughts of Unknown Kadath.
saffronhare, featherynscale, and anyone else who wants it with The Dough-Naughts of Unknown Kadath.Due to a variety of factors, I eventually cheered up last night (not least of which being that it's nigh-impossible to say "Awww, Missus J!" in a bad New York accent without cracking up), and the annual porch party went off without a hitch and with zero drama (always a plus!). Of course, some people seemed to forget that it was Wednesday, not Friday/Saturday, and thus were draggin' ass this morning, but that's what we used to call a Natural Consequence. ;)
We did have a stunning lack of trick-or-treaters last night, did anyone else notice this? We started to get a few around 6 before we were really set up, then they came heavily for about an hour, and by 8 we'd seen the last of them! I don't remember being able to shut the door before 10 PM, before!
featherynscale has pictures of the party (not entirely Work Recommended) and the Second Stupid Pumpkin Project, the first of course being Pumpkinhenge from some years ago.
We did have a stunning lack of trick-or-treaters last night, did anyone else notice this? We started to get a few around 6 before we were really set up, then they came heavily for about an hour, and by 8 we'd seen the last of them! I don't remember being able to shut the door before 10 PM, before!
featherynscale has pictures of the party (not entirely Work Recommended) and the Second Stupid Pumpkin Project, the first of course being Pumpkinhenge from some years ago.
