Thanks to some hands-on technomagic from phoenixpdx's partner J, that e-SATA drive that Steve sent north is working!! I've backed up not only the 60GB of video that's been squeeeezing my hard drive, but have copied all of the laptop's user files over to the 400GB storage drive, so now I can start trimming files on the local drive - and loading some of the music files that Steve had put on the hard drive for us to enjoy, plus the 2GB of new - mostly filk! - music that annathepiper brought us as a housewarming present.

Squeeeeee!

So yeah… running short several days, but I’m still making a big point of trying to write at least a little something every night. A couple hundred words is the absolute bare minimum. Next level I’m okay with is my traditional non-Nano quota of 500 words. And, of course, there’s the actual Nano quota. Over the last three days, I’ve hit one of each of these. Which means I’m still dreadfully behind by the Nano count, but it also means I’ve written new words for each of the last eight days running. That’s a big improvement over most of the year.

Chapter 3 is a good way towards done at this point. Melisanda has dropped a little bomb on Kendis, who really does not care for her arrival in the slightest. Team Kendis is about to figure out in the meantime exactly what to do with the Unseelie bard who’s pretty much fallen back into their laps.

And speaking of whom, for giggles and grins and in particular for janne, I’m going to give y’all another snippet. But this one’s bigger and spoilery if you haven’t read Faerie Blood yet, so I’ll stick it behind the fold!

Read the rest of this entry »

Mirrored from angelakorrati.com.

Hey hey! Anyone interested in joining me tomorrow, Monday the 10th, to see the infamous Lotte Reiniger's The Adventures of Prince Achmed? It's a beautiful German animated film made in 1926 using silhouettes against colored and fanciful backgrounds, very ground breaking and rarely done! It's part of the Paramount's Silent Movie Mondays series and is playing tomorrow night at 7:00pm. :)

This is alas not a movie I have a free pass to see - I just think it would be really amazing to see it on the big screen at the gorgeous Paramount. :)

This is a totally off-the-wall reflection on Dark magic in the Potterverse sparked by one of Oryx_leucoryx’s recent ruminations on what’s NOT classed as Dark magic.

Much of what can be accomplished with the Imperius Curse can equally be accomplished by magic that’s not considered Dark in Potterverse canon.

<lj-cut text="Forcing someone”> Forcing someone into marriage with someone they find physically and morally repulsive? Imperius or a love potion, per Harry, and Hermione explicitly tells us that love potions are never classed as dark. Forcing someone to do something they’d never even consider in their right mind, something that would horrify them if they knew it? Imperius or a neat combination of Obliviate plus the Confundus Charm will make a settled middle-aged couple emigrate across the world and forget their only child, who's in mortal peril. Imperius or the Confundus Charm will make a member of the Order of the Phoenix lead his companions <i>and himself</I> into a Death Eater ambush. Disarming a disoriented enemy? Imperius or Expelliarmus serve equally, eh, Minerva? So. Tampering with someone’s emotions is not intrinsically Dark. Tampering with someone’s mind and memories is not only not Dark, it’s normally presented as laudable (well, others before me have noted that the books are a bit anti-intellectual for a series set at a school). (The only time it WAS shown to be wrong was when it was done by a coward to claim undue credit for brave deeds done by others.) Tampering with someone’s physical mobility, freedom, or ability to act (Tripping jinxes, Impedimenta, Petrificus totalis, Expelliarmus)? Again, entirely unproblematic. In fact we understand Harry to be particularly heroic for using Expelliarmus to kill Tom Riddle. What we need to consider here about Expelliarmus is that most adult witches and wizards can perform almost no magic—hostile, defensive, neutral, nothing—without a wand. Expelliarmus is presented as the Disarm Charm, and it is that. Depriving an enemy of her wand is disarming her. But it’s not just like knocking a gun out of someone’s hands. It’s more like the magical equivalent of knocking off her HANDS (at least for the time being). A wandless witch has NO means of directly performing most magical spells. She can ride a broom or use objects pre-charmed by others, care for some Magical plants and creatures, brew some potions, transform into her Animagus form—if she happens to have one. Anything else that canon tells us a wandless witch/wizard can do? The only supposedly wandless wizard we really know is Hagrid: who has the pieces of his old wand, who’s protected by Dumbledore, and who cheats shamelessly. Lucius, who really WAS deprived of his wand, didn’t seem to have much left that he could do, did he? Moreover, if we’re to believe the wandlore presented in DH, anyone subjected to Expelliarmus has permanently lost their wand’s loyalty. Well, I think we can dismiss that theory. Harry might not have noticed that Lockhart’s wand answered better to Snape forever after the Dueling Club, but Neville Disarmed Harry in the DA Fifth Year. I do think that even Harry would have noticed if his wand suddenly refused to obey him and pined for its true master, Neville. And even if <i>Harry</i> didn’t, some at least of Jo’s readers would have. But still. Even without that complication, Expelliarmus doesn’t merely disarm one’s opponent; it deprives him/her (for the time being) of (almost) all capacity of expressing his/her magic physically. My point? (<I>“Finally,” </i>readers breathe in relief.) In Tarot and some classical and modern (European) philosophical and magical systems, there are held to be four elements: water, air, earth, fire. They correspond with four qualities or aspects of the whole human being: emotion, mind, physical strength/action, and will. And Jo explicitly told us that the elements correspond to the four Houses: Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor. Interfere with someone’s emotions (water/Slytherin’s quality)? No problem, not intrinsically dark. Interfere with someone’s mind (air/Ravenclaw’s quality)? No problem, usually good. Interfere with someone’s physical ability to act (earth/Hufflepuff’s quality)? No problem, usually heroic. Interfere with someone’s will? (Pause to gasp in utmost horror.) UNFORGIVABLE! Which would give us, finally, a simple definition of Dark magic as Jo conceives it: Anything opposed in any way to Fire (that’s why it’s called Dark, the opposite of Fire which produces Light, get it finally?) / will / Gryffindor. Which are the SAME. Which, of course, is also why when True Gryffindors (not fake ones, cowards, like Wormtail) perform magic that might possibly be considered, um, uh, a little (cringes at saying it), er, possibly, just maybe, er, a little <i>problematic</i> if done by someone from another House, it could never be classed as really Dark. Because Gryffindor is the House of Fire, Will, Courage, don't you GET it? Sigh. Aren’t metaphors made concrete nice. Thud.

We got a good turnout for Saturday's house filk. Fourteen folks showed up at various times. Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed energy, good music, goodies - many home made! - for the potluck table, etc. :-) Folks started arriving around 12:30pm and the last of the locals left around 9:30pm. We'll likely have another house filk sometime in 2010, and our new abode feels nicely warmed by the music and friendship.

Your tired, thankful, contented hostess.

like this guy's...

(SFW. NSFPepsi. H/t LJ-less PK, WLite.)

(p.s. at least I *hope* it doesn't.)

Some roads will get you to heaven
Some roads just wear down your shoes
Some roads you know will be hell-bound
But there's a road that will get you through
Love is the soul's road calling you...
So where is that road?

Lawrence Gowan, Soul's Road, from Gowan: Solo Live

What songs comprise the soundtrack of your life?

NaNoteWriMo: day 6. I took some of the fragments (but not all of them) from the 2nd and 4th and wrote a little bit more music and realised that some bits that I didn't know connected did in fact connect, and lyrics, and now there's a song! "Shout at the Desert," 3m10s. It's very much a first-draft but that's all I'm going for here, but despite doing nothing yesterday, I remain on schedule.

I know. I'm scared too.

Oh, I think I also managed to record all the bits for a rhythm track for "Getting Away With It" today while in studio. That's on the first CD. I don't know why it's so damned difficult to get right. (Okay, sure, part of it is that it's a marathon at 6m20s but still.) I'd like to perform it at tomorrow night's open mic at Soul Food Books but I'm simply not good enough at it yet with the new lyrics. Next month, for sure.

This post originated at ソラバドのおん: Solarbird Makes Noises, on Dreamwidth.

The Interstitial Arts Foundation's online auctions are live now, with a new auction item going up every day. It's a rolling set of auctions, with the first item up on November 1 and closing on November 8, the second up on November 2 and closing on November 9, and so forth. My hat isn't up yet, but go take a look at the other cool things.

The last three days I’ve been running short on the word count–mostly because of the huge overnight release we had to run for work, which meant staying up until two last night. Tonight, I’m just running so short on brain that I’m lucky to get any words out at all, but I’m making a point of writing at least a couple hundred just to keep some momentum going. We’ll see how much I can make up over the weekend.

Good news is, though, Chapter 2 is done and I’ve brought another couple characters on camera. Millicent gets to make her first appearance, as well as another character who showed up in Book 1 and who will be back for more this time around.

Written on Tuesday: 777
Written yesterday: 901
Written tonight: 235
Chapter 2 total: 2,906
Bone Walker total (first draft): 5,464

Mirrored from angelakorrati.com.

Thunder! Lightning! WOOT! :D

These things are very rare in Seattle, and one of the things I miss about being on the East Coast!

UPDATE - We got crazy stormy winds! WE GOT HAIL! HOT DIGGITY DOG! They're coming down like gang busters! About the size of small peas. :D The ground outside my door is a solid layer of white now. Soooooooo cool!

Yes, I'm kind of a freak. ;)

For such an icky gray day, I certainly had a nice one. I did some much needed paper purging/filing this morning (though sadly I did NOT find the piece of paperwork that I've been looking for over a week - bah!) and then at 1pm darthhellokitty came over for some most excellent hanging out time. We went to Mae's on Phinney Ridge for 'lunch', because she wanted some place that served breakfast all day, and that was the only place I could think of for sure since the IHOP is no longer here in the UDistrict. It was also on route to our main destination of the day, the Endless Knot warehouse sale. We had some time to kill, so we browsed in Fred Meyer's where I bought a small toy for myself and a present for Christmas, and then we hit Top 10 Toys across the street.

DAMN! Now THAT'S a toy store! I generally find most toy stores (or toy sections in department stores, to be exact) to be pretty meh, with a lot of stuff that is annoying and commercial and totally un-fun and uninteresting looking to me. This place was pretty much the opposite of that with about 50% of the store really looking like cool, wonderful, fun stuff! Yeah! It would be a dangerous place to work, that's for sure! I succumbed to buying a cute plushy Mad Cow disease prion rod (as made by GIANT microbes) and some adorable kissing flying pigs that I've been secretly (okay, not so secretly) lusting after ever since marzipan_pig got a pair for her birthday. SQUEE!

We got to the sale about an hour after it opened, but there was still tons of gorgeous stuff to check out and try on. I did my best to be very good and only buy clothes that I knew I would wear or that would be good for work clothes as well as regular clothes. Trying to be practical but still SO MUCH TEMPTATION! Danger Will Robinson! Danger! I was thinking of going back again tomorrow (they put out new stuff every day) but I also know that I have NO will power - even when I know that I have no money. It is a bad thing. So perhaps I will not go and save myself from indiscriminate and ill advised spending. ;P

All in all, a most excellent day spent hanging out with a most excellent friend. Yay! Tonight I'm going to go see The Damned United with my excellent friend Glenn, so that should also be, well, excellent. ;)

Looking for some fabulous clothes at fabulous prices? Well, look no further!

Endless Knot and many other fabulous clothing companies are doing their bi-annual warehouse sale. Women only! One giant room/dressing room with crazy great prices. Skirts and pants only $5! Short tops $14! Long tops and jackets $18! Wowie zowie! Clothes for all sizes from the very petite to large plus women's sizes!

Sale takes place at the Small Faces/Arc Gym at 9250 14th Ave NW in the Crown Hill district. Hours are:

Thursday: 3-9pm
Friday: 10-9pm
Saturday: 10-9pm
Sunday: 10-4pm

New clothes are put out EVERY DAY so there will always been good stuff available! They request people pay in cash if at all possible, since prices are already so drastically cut.

I am happy to report that Referendum 71, confirming the legislature's move last year to grant full domestic partnership rights except the word "marriage" within Washington State to any couple, seems to be passing.

I am less happy to report that the state of Maine has fallen to the dark side in that respect.

Most of y'all know me by now, you know I was raised in the land of Cotton... but by educated folk, who taught me one basic lesson: It does not matter whether a person is black, white, brown, green, or purple polka-dotted, she is a *person*, treat her with respect. I believe that to be true not only of race, but of religion, size, age, gender, and any number of other things. But especially of orientation.

I got smacked over the head with the orientation question just shy of my 21st birthday. My best friend (who can out himself if he wants) came out of the closet on a forum I was running. Put my goody-two-shoes former self into a real tailspin, since what he was was at total odds to what I held as religion at the time. But as ladyvagabond wisely says, grace will out, and I came to the conclusion that, regardless of who or what you are, if you give a damn for your fellow sentient being, then you're probably all right.

Which conclusion led to a lot of changes in my life, not the least of which was where I call home... but that's another story.

I don't know who posted it first, maybe filkertom, maybe solarbird, but it is a sentiment with which I have to agree. I am sick and tired of the vast majority of my closest friends having to endure a gorram popularity contest what seems like every stinking year now. These are PEOPLE, for Seldon's sake, and all they want is to be treated as such.

I saw an icon, and have asked to snurch it, that pretty much sums it up:

GAY AGENDA:
1) Spend time with family
2) Be treated equally
3) Buy milk

That sounds an awful lot like what *should* be an American agenda.

It's up to you and I to *make* it that way.

It has become increasingly obvious that there will be little to no help from the other Washington, despite our hopes. Time for us here at home, wherever home is, to get noisy.

People are people. Race, creed, gender, orientation, it *does* *not* *matter*.

These are *people*. And it is time we insist they are treated with their inalienable respect.

Enough with the yearly popularity contests. Enough with the snubbing, the exclusion, the beatings, the death. When you see wrong, make a stand. For your friends. For your neighbors. Because it's right.

Original post here, seen first in filkertom.

Seattle friends, click this link to see a photo of a car just like the one that Seattle police are seeking in connection with the assassination of a police officer at 29th & Yesler.

If you see it, call 911.

My Dad came through for me. Big time.

*whew!*

I am very relieved! This means I can pay my rent and not panic if I can't find a job right away.

That is one good thing about my Dad - in a pinch, he'll be there to help.

Hey, all you NaNoWriters!

This post originated at ソラバドのおん: Solarbird Makes Noises, on Dreamwidth.

Damnyankees.

It's Football Time!

that is all.

The last couple of days were not so good, mostly because of horrible elections. I hate elections. They're always about kicking queers in the teeth.

Anyway, I wasn't doing much yesterday, or a lot of today, but this afternoon I did get going on a very angry song which is probably more of a Mary Kay and the Cosmetics piece than a Crime and the Forces of Evil piece, but! It's three minutes of music, so that's three more to the tally! Plus a little under a minute of two song pieces that I'll work into something else but I don't know what yet. Tallies so far:

Music: 7m. I am currently on schedule. Yay!
Song fragments (don't count towards goal but I'm keeping track): 3m

This post originated at ソラバドのおん: Solarbird Makes Noises, on Dreamwidth.

A funny thing happened on the way to Harry’s sorting. The reputations of the houses got terminally messed with, and even those of us who eventually prided ourselves on objecting to the distortion never fingered either the culprit or the timing of the crime.

( That a )