Category Archives: goodness

goodness, life

Sketchbook

Hey look it’s that otter I drew last week:

in case you didn't know, otters are the cutest

And hey, it’s that octopus I finished tonight:

in case you didn't know, octopi are the coolest

I’ve been spending my free time sketching lately, which is good because I get this weird feeling whenever I’m doing only one thing that I have to do two things.  For example: watching Buffy while sketching is an acceptable combination of activities.  Cooking is also fun because it demands I do many things somewhat simultaneously.  Dishes suck for this reason: they’re only one thing.  Driving doesn’t count because I’m almost always either talking to myself when there’s no music, or thinking up music video ideas to the music when there is (and sometimes talking to myself about said music video ideas).  One thing is not enough.

Why do I have to do more than one thing at a time?  Is it some compulsion–HEY!  I’m blogging!  And doing nothing else!  No, wait, I’m also drinking tea.  False alarm.

So is it some compulsion my generation has developed due to our constant access to any and all things various via the interwebz?  The need to multitask all the time?  I’ve heard that multitaskers aren’t very good at doing many things at a time well, and are even worse at doing just one thing at a time well.  Fuuuuuck!

Reductio ad absurdum: My generation sucks at sex.  No, that can’t be right.  *wink*  HAHAHA!

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goodness, humor, life

Y’know what’s awesome?

Now and then I think, “Y’know what’s awesome?” followed by whatever just caught my fancy.  I should have started writing these down a long time ago, but I didn’t, so I’m starting a segment called…

Y’know what’s awesome?

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Building Romantic Tension

lopsided and mushy, this heart is completely accurate

I was reading this online comic today where these two friends (boy/girl) hang out.  The girl tells the guy he needs to start dating.  The next day the guy wakes up, looks at a photo of the two of them, and calls up some other girl for a date.  Ok, so not the most romantic setup in the world, but you know something’s gonna happen!  And I want it to!  Everyone loves that feeling.

fluffy!

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Clouds

I fucking hate getting soaked in my work clothes, but I genuinely don’t mind getting rained on in my normal, everyday attire.  Clouds are fucking beautiful, even if the rain they produce is occasionally a pain in my ass.  Whenever there’s any rain in LA, I find myself staring at the clouds (they’re pretty exotic here).  I don’t even realize I’m doing it sometimes.  Clouds always make me smile, even if things suck at the time, and rain is depressing or whatever.  Still, clouds are the best.  Especially those big billowy ones.

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goodness, humor

FedEx adventure!

I picked up a package from the FedEx facility downtown today.  It was like visiting a foreign dignitary in a third world country.  Hard to find, then there was a surprising amount of security, then it was a piece of shit.

I got off the freeway and followed my gut south (the directions the FedEx lady gave me were crap).  I passed over a bridge, turned onto the right street, drove past a set of railroad tracks…

were they even functioning?

and then past warehouse after seemingly abandoned warehouse until I reached what appeared to be a cul-de-sac.  But no!  There was this weird entrance with a small sign that said “Customer pickup” on the chain mail fence topped with razor sharp barbed wire surrounding the rest of the cul-de-sac.  On I drove toward what could only be an air strip, given all the chain mail fencing and open tarmac.

it was a quarter mile long

A parking lot!  With weird buildings on one side…

rusty and creepy

…and a train on another side…

it wasn't moving

…and a whole lot of nothing everywhere else.  I asked a man in a uniform walking past my car for directions.

“Excuse me, I’m here to pick up a package.”

Without looking at me, “Just park and head over to the guard building.”  Then he started walking away without pointing to where said building might be.

“Where is the guard building?”

“Over there.”  Then he walked away with certainty.

I looked toward where he had indicated.  A small shack with windows and a few doors surrounded by fencing and… more nothing.  I parked and decided this experience was too weird to not snap a few photos.

I headed to the shack, walked past the “Exit” door, past the sign that said “No weapons beyond this point” and into the “Entrance” door.  There I found two guards.  The White Guard was helping two other men through one of two metal detectors.

White Guard shot me a look

The other guard, Hispanic Guard, asked for a door tag, or something with the tracking number on it.  I gave it to him, he made a call, came back and asked for my ID.  “I need to check you in,” Hispanic Guard said.

I said, “Ok… Am I going somewhere?”

“Yeah, right across there to get your package.”  He indicated across the tarmac to a large building.  He politely took down my information, passed me through the metal detector, passed a wand over me, poked through and then closed my purse, double checked to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, and told me to “follow the blue line.”

i lost track of it pretty quick

I followed the line to the building (after losing it once or twice while I wandered around), where my eyes needed to adjust to the darkness.  For a ground floor with no walls, this area was depressing and dark.  No one was around.  The stillness was eerie.  A few echoing clunks and clicks let me know that a machine somewhere was struggling to do its job.  I walked past a motionless conveyor belt with packages waiting to be processed on it.  It looked like a dead snake with a few mice taking a disappointing ride on its back.

it was pathetic

I kept following the blue line.

it collided with a green line, which led to the same place

It led me to an office where two dismal women checked my ID (again), had me sign something, beeped the bar code on the package, and sent me on my way.  I followed the blue line back to the guard station.  Hispanic Guard opened the door for me and passed me through the metal detector while White Guard chilled out.  I thanked him and left, feeling like I had just gone on a quick trip over the U.S./Mexico border and back.  Adventure!

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goodness, manfolk

Animal: A+

The LA Times does some great restaurant reviews, and recently they did one on a place called Animal.  It’s basically a carnivore’s heaven.  So I told Boyfriend about it, and we went.

the coolest purse i have ever owned

I have never had so many delicious meat dishes.  And my stomach was all, “Yes, yes, yes.”  How the fuck did it not occur to me to take a damn photo?  With my iPhone.  Which was in my tiny orange purse.  Frankly, I was too distracted by the delicious food, and the Abita beer which I love and haven’t had for years, and it went perfectly with every dish.  So while I really, really regret not taking any photos, I feel that this lapse in judgment is totally justified.

First thing: foie gras (liver), biscuit, maple sausage gravy
Ok, let me just get this part out of the way: DELICIOUS.  There it is, in caps.  Everything was delicious.  Now on to why.

So, this first dish was delic- I mean super good.  It was sweeter than I thought it would be, and not overcooked.  Texture was pleasant, not rubbery or too soft.  It had a bacon-ish, light sauce covering the whole thing.

Second thing: marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions
This was my favorite dish of the night by far.  The marrow came in a giant bone cut in half with a small spoon to dish out the marrow and onion, covered in the chimichurri (a combo of parsley, garlic and olive oil).  We scooped out the marrow and put it on fluffy, sweet toast.  A completely unique experience which I loved.

Third thing: flat iron steak, sunchoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue
I’d never had a flat iron steak before.  It sounds like a bad idea, squeezing a tender piece of meat like that, but the results were great.  My favorite part of this dish was the revelation that came with it: I finally understand why people like truffles.  When Boyfriend suggested we order it, I was resistant, but because going to that restaurant was an adventure, I decided to give it a shot.  It’s the first time I’ve enjoyed truffle flavor in any dish.  So I’m pretty excited about that.

Fourth thing: poutine (french fries), ox tail gravy, cheddar
This was my least favorite, but it was still a good dish.  It tasted heavier than pot roast, but the visual resemblance was hilarious.  I thought, “We just got ripped off.  We’re totally eating a normal pot roast.  There’s definitely no ox in here, lol.”  Not a good dish to end on because it was so heavy.  But who cares, it was very tasty and hearty.

Technically, this was my birthday dinner with Boyfriend, so he drove to and from the restaurant, and paid for our meal (not cheap).  What a sweetheart.

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goodness, life

Birthday plans

My birthday is tomorrow!

sissy cake

My big plans so far are:

-Sleep in

-Go out for breakfast, maybe to BLD (I hear they have amazing blueberry pancakes; it’s all I’ve been thinking about lately.  They’re $13)

-Feel good about vacuuming my room (that rug is a deeper shade of blue than I remember)

-Watch a ton of Buffy with Boyfriend and my buddy Big Toe

-Do some sketching

-Pick up the strawberry ice cream I left at my friends house last weekend

-Eat strawberry ice cream

-Get dinner at Barney’s Beanery on the Promenade because it’s close to the outdoor ice rink (plus they serve apple cider, and I am not going ice skating sober this year)

-Go ice skating with friends

-Probably watch some Day9 replays while eating more ice cream

-Get to bed before midnight so I can stop being sick for ten minutes this year

February 12, 3:44pm

UPDATE: So far so good!  Slept in until 10 (Boyfriend’s alarm woke us up, grrr), got blueberry pancakes (delicious, really more like giant crepes than pancakes), bought a couple comics at Meltdown, gonna do some sketching and watch some Buffy if I can do both at once 🙂

Kinda hungry, gonna eat some spicy tuna I bought at Mitsuwa yesterday.  I’m in such an awesome mood.  Birthdays are the best.

February 22, 4:23pm

totally worth the $13

UPDATE: Those blueberry pancakes from BLD were amazing.  The best part about them is how well they kept.  I just finished them off twenty minutes ago.  So good!  This year’s birthday was the best I can remember, and not just because I can’t really remember any of my other ones.  I was in an awesome mood from start to finish, even when Boyfriend had to go meet another DP at an open house (and the guy didn’t even show; he had to work).  It was such a great day.

disregard our facial expressions. we had an awesome time.

I went to Barney’s Beanery with some friends, were I got a complimentary “Birthday shot” that tasted like sweet lemons.  Then I had an Abita beer, and another shot of Tequila, followed by a tiny lava cake with candles!  I was mostly drunk while ice skating, where I encountered this guy in a onesie.  He and his lady friend were really nice, and just starting to learn how to do couples skating.  I woke up around 4am to throw up because of all the alcohol (although that amount of alcohol never would have made me puke before), but that technically wasn’t my birthday anymore!  So who cares!  Yay!

free cake!

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goodness, humor

Essie beastlie!

Essie is just the sweetest little thing.  Her dark little spots and bright shining fangs make me smile every time I see her staring up at me.  What a cutie.

When I first saw her, I knew I had to have her.  I showed her to Diminutive Roommate, who then said, “Wait!  I’ll get her for you for xmas!”  And she did.

What a nice little family of creatures I have now!  I think, for balance, I’d like to have a bright yellow or orange beastlie, preferably a gargoyle type, so the other beastlies are aware of their various types of relations.  Maybe I can ask for a custom order?

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goodness, humor, life

The sound of patriotism

The United States has the greatest national anthem in the world.  It’s a bold anthem which, instead of ending with a strong statement of our worth, wonders if it was all worth it.  I especially appreciate no mention of a god (which is somewhat unusual in modern national anthems) because anthems are for and about the people, not their religious beliefs.

The US national anthem is not just your typical, “bless this land, which is ours by the way, and it’s it pretty?”  It’s a challenge to future generations to be as unified and courageous as its past generations.

I love that it questions its citizens.  “Does that symbol for which we fought and died still represent something for which another generation would fight with equal valiance?”

O say, can you see by the dawn’s early light
what so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star spangled banner yet wave
o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Now let’s have a look at a few other national anthems for contrast.  Let’s start with our neighbor to the north, Canada (which I can sing from memory, oddly).

O, Canada, our home and native land,
true patriot love from all your sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
our true north, strong and free.
From far and wide, O Canada,
we stand on guard for thee.
God, keep our land glorious and free
O, Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O, Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

All I can say about this national anthem is that it assumes a lot.  Against whom do they stand on guard?  Who are these people that are so ready to invade Canada that the entire populace must reaffirm their dedication to its defense?  Plus, I’m pretty sure most other countries are asking god for help in their anthems, too, so don’t hold your breath, Canada.

Next is France!  With one of the most recognizable melodies in the world, France’s national anthem is also one of the most bloody due to its origins: the French Revolution!

The French national anthem is long as hell, so after the whole first verse and chorus I’ll just pull out a few of my favorite parts to give you an idea of what it’s like:

Arise, children of the Fatherland,
The day of glory has arrived!
Against us, tyranny’s
Bloody banner is raised, (repeat)
Do you hear, in the countryside,
The howling of those ferocious soldiers?
They’re coming right into your arms
To slit the throats of your sons and consorts!
Chorus:

To arms, citizens, form your battalions,
Let’s march, let’s march!
Let impure blood water our furrows!

Yikes!  Using the blood of the enemy to water your crops?  That’s fucking metal.  What a picture to paint, all of it!  So brutal.

It goes on to include gems like this:

Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What fury it must arouse!
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!

Hey, they’re trying to make us slaves again!  Fuck that!  Get angry, you French people!

Tremble, tyrants and you traitors…
…Everyone is a soldier to combat you.

…as long as they’ve retained their right to bear arms.  But seriously, I picture farmers rushing a line of fully armed invaders with their pick axes and back hoes.  Pretty great.

The last verse might be the best for its evocative sense of honor.

We shall enter in the (military) career
When our elders are no longer there,
There we shall find their dust
And the trace of their virtues (repeat)
Much less jealous to survive them
Than to share their coffins,
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or following them.

Ok, so the French are giving us a run for our money in the “World’s Best National Anthem” contest.  Theirs is pretty fuckin’ awesome.  But minus points for length.  Or whatever.

Oooo-kay, I just had a look at the full lyrics of the British national anthem, God Save the Queen.  It’s about as good as it sounds.  Lots of divine evocation, no mention of the citizenry, super dull.  But the lyrics used to include another verse (for a very short time):

May he sedition hush,
and like a torrent rush,
rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the King.

Haha, oh no!  Not the Scots!  Leave them be, King George II!  Bad king, no!

Japan.  Wow.  Leave it to Japan to make me feel stupid.  What a pretty anthem.  Very short and pretty, but not a whole lot to say.  Tough to inspire the citizenry to take up arms to defend their country with such an understated, slowly paced song.  But that’s so Japanese, lol.

May your reign
Continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations,
Until the pebbles
Grow into boulders
Lush with moss.

Touché, Japan.  Touché.

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goodness

Flipped for the sake of copyright?

Yes, it’s another Naruto credits song (Domino- You Can Do It!):

I watch this credit sequence every time. Just as the episode ends, I’m about to get out of my chair and close the browser, this comes on and I have to watch it. The animation, the choreography, the music, it’s just so well done. I’m a fan of this series. Could go without all the FILLER OMG, but I guess that’s expected.

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goodness, life

Endless vocabulary

James Murray of the OED

April 2, 2010: I posted this on Facebook, and quickly realized that if I was going to be this hilarious and brutally clever, I needed what any self-respecting college graduate working 12-hour days needs: a blog.

English is an amazing language. With over half a million words, it’s the largest, and best-known language on the planet, and it’s still growing. But there isn’t a word for everything.

Non Sequitur
I was watching some reality TV the other day (the hair cutting one), which mostly consists of a bunch of hair stylists being super friendly one minute, then brutally snappy the next. A couple of them were having a pointless argument which I was mindlessly enjoying when I realized that one of them was using nothing but non sequiturs to win the argument. And it was working. It went something like this:

x-You don’t know how to do a pixie cut.
o-Where did you learn to cut hair?
x-New Jersey.
o-I bet it was ghetto.
x-Your pixie cut looks like crap.
o-Your pants look like crap.

I’ve had conversations like this; they make me crazy, and I’m not ashamed to say that the last time this happened (philosophy class at USC), I snapped. I ended up completely abandoning our discussion to berate this guy on derailing the conversation just to gain the illusion of victory. I remember saying things like, “Stick to the topic, or stop talking,” and “I feel like we’re having two different conversations, and yours is dumb.”

Why isn’t there a word for this person? The English language has a word for just about everything, so why not someone who depends solely upon non sequiturs to win a discussion?

Instead of making up a whole new word, I propose that this word already exists; all we need to do is modify the definition to include those brainless shells of people who choose to free associate their way through conversations.

Derailer
Though currently confined to use within the railway community, derailer is an English word for a device that intentionally takes a runaway railcar off its track. I can think of no better metaphor for people who obliterate coherent discussion with their inconsequential input on a regular basis than a device whose sole purpose is to screw up the forward progress of a strong, useful machine.

Derailer. Use it, people. Use it to shame your family, friends and coworkers into becoming more useful conversationalists, and save them from the vengeful gaze of the ghost of Productive Conversation (yes, it’s dead, you killed it).

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