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Well, this was certainly an.....interesting and all-right day. Not bad at all, but if I ever needed a reminder why I ranted about the things I did in my last entry, today provided one. ^_^;
First, here's what I made out with:
--Three sweaters and an awesome new winter coat, because some of the sweaters I have now are kinda getting ratty, and the winter coat I use right now doesn't exactly do a good job of keeping me warm. 8D
--A stainless steel water bottle, so that I can finally blend in with the everyone else at college who carry around Nalgenes all the time because it's better for the environment that way. ;-)
--Books! I got the second volume of Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys (we're all holding off buying more volumes until I actually start reading the first volume and actually enjoy it), The Soul of Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks), and a cookbook, The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger (because I sure as hell need one XD). I would've liked to get more, but everyone by now knows my book situation, so I don't mind. :P
--CDs! I got The Twilight Sad's Forget the Night Ahead, Bat For Lashes' Two Suns, and The Smiths' The Sound of the Smiths (I would've preferred an actual album, but oh well).
--Posters! A very nice Radiohead one, and an equally awesome Bat For Lashes one. Now my dorm room walls won't feel so bare.
--A Zen-themed weekly planner for 2010. Looks very nice, and apparently environment-friendly too!
--One of those "Remember When..." booklets they sell at gift shops and whatnot that you give to people about the year they were born; of course, mine is about 1989. It's cool looking at all the magazine advertisements from 20 years ago. O_o
--A chamois laptop screen wipe made in the shape of a tiger. Like, an actual plush tiger. Yeah....I honestly thought this was a gag gift at first. But it's cute, I certainly need one (even though I already have plenty of wipes), I might use it, who knows?
--A pen. With a lighthouse and my name on it. It's looks like an expensive pen, but.....it's still a freakin' pen. This was the gift from the aunt and uncle who visited today; I know I can be hard to buy for, but sheesh! (Full disclosure: I have received pens as gifts before. But they were usually somehow pretty damn cool or a novelty, and I was young enough to appreciate whatever I got. This....there was nothing interesting or whatever about this. -_-; It's the thought that counts, I know, but still.)
--CANDY!!!!! Amazing numbers of it. Hershey Kisses, M&Ms, Russel Stover, etc.
--An American Express gift card, which can be used for general purposes. Much needed.
--Lots and lots o' spending money. Also much needed. :DDDDDDDDDD
My sister was pretty excited about her new Limited Too swag, iPod player, Nintendo DS games, Michael Jackson's This Is It, and other stuff, while my cousin got a new cellphone, makeup kits, and a hat with earflaps she really likes. XD
And the food! Once again, my dad made way too much food: turkey breasts, pork roast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, duck salad w/ raspberries and blackberries, tortellini, antipasti, in addition to Lupini beans, cranberry sauce, pickles and onions, applesauce, in addition to all the carrots, celery, peppers, crackers, shrimp, kielbasas, cheese, salami, dip, cocktail sauce, and tartar sauce we had right before dinner. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that my aunt and uncle unexpectedly brought artichoke casserole (which I didn't have, but looked delicious). It's no wonder we didn't have dessert immediately afterward, and when it came time for treats (Italian cookies, as well as the homemade apple pie and Italian cream puffs, all of which were extremely good), I didn't have that much. Seriously, I'm stuffed. I think I could go a full half-day or more without going hungry, I'm that full. XDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
( And now for some Mood Whiplash.... )
My aunt and cousin are leaving in the afternoon tomorrow (technically today). This week went by a lot faster than I expected, and honestly despite everything I've mentioned they weren't as obnoxious as I thought they were going to be. And as much as I'll be relieved when they leave and I can finally relax and do what I've been meaning to do all vacation, I'll be pretty sad too, especially since I didn't get to interact with them all that much. :(
But all in all, it was a pretty good Christmas/end-of-year shindig. How was yours? (Or if you don't celebrate, how was you Friday?)
All right, links time!
Andrew Sullivan explains why 2009 was a fucking awesome year for Obama, and tells all the naysayers, cynics, and concern trolls out there where to shove it. I <3 Sully SFM -- he was awesome during the Iran election fallout, and he's just as awesome now. He's a conservative I can actually get behind. XD
"In Japan, a poll conducted by the otaku matchmaking service Otakuma reveals that four out of five of the top shows watched by female anime fans are about giant robots, while four out of five of the top shows watched by male anime fans are about little girls." (thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
misskalloway for the link)
Two out of the ten finalists for AP Female Athlete of the Year are...Horses
I just....can't even find the words to say what I want to say in response to this. Mostly because what I want to say is nonsensical gibberish born out of anger and disbelief.
UK parish priest: "It's OK to shoplift -- as long as you're poor and you have to as a last resort"
Finally, someone who actually gets it. :D
19 Depressing, Crazy and Downright Awful Nativity Scenes
Exactly What It Says On the Tin™. ;-)
Kurt Schwitters: Citizen of the World
I had never heard of this guy before untiltwo_grey_rooms linked this article on hir journal, but WOW this guy was an amazing artist and an amazing human being in general. This quote in particular got to me, and is perfect for the season (emphasis mine):
"We should not fight our enemies, but our mistakes. The enemy has more right to live than we to kill him….we should all feel like common members of a great nation: Mankind. He who loves his own country must love the whole world. This is world patriotism."
I've also come across Dinosaur Comics slashfic (thanks toeska_rina for the link) and Finding Nemo genfic today. I haven't read these yet; I'm mostly linking these for the novelty factor. ;-)
Finally, Jay Smooth expresses what I've been feeling all along much better than I ever could:
First, here's what I made out with:
--Three sweaters and an awesome new winter coat, because some of the sweaters I have now are kinda getting ratty, and the winter coat I use right now doesn't exactly do a good job of keeping me warm. 8D
--A stainless steel water bottle, so that I can finally blend in with the everyone else at college who carry around Nalgenes all the time because it's better for the environment that way. ;-)
--Books! I got the second volume of Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys (we're all holding off buying more volumes until I actually start reading the first volume and actually enjoy it), The Soul of Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks), and a cookbook, The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger (because I sure as hell need one XD). I would've liked to get more, but everyone by now knows my book situation, so I don't mind. :P
--CDs! I got The Twilight Sad's Forget the Night Ahead, Bat For Lashes' Two Suns, and The Smiths' The Sound of the Smiths (I would've preferred an actual album, but oh well).
--Posters! A very nice Radiohead one, and an equally awesome Bat For Lashes one. Now my dorm room walls won't feel so bare.
--A Zen-themed weekly planner for 2010. Looks very nice, and apparently environment-friendly too!
--One of those "Remember When..." booklets they sell at gift shops and whatnot that you give to people about the year they were born; of course, mine is about 1989. It's cool looking at all the magazine advertisements from 20 years ago. O_o
--A chamois laptop screen wipe made in the shape of a tiger. Like, an actual plush tiger. Yeah....I honestly thought this was a gag gift at first. But it's cute, I certainly need one (even though I already have plenty of wipes), I might use it, who knows?
--A pen. With a lighthouse and my name on it. It's looks like an expensive pen, but.....it's still a freakin' pen. This was the gift from the aunt and uncle who visited today; I know I can be hard to buy for, but sheesh! (Full disclosure: I have received pens as gifts before. But they were usually somehow pretty damn cool or a novelty, and I was young enough to appreciate whatever I got. This....there was nothing interesting or whatever about this. -_-; It's the thought that counts, I know, but still.)
--CANDY!!!!! Amazing numbers of it. Hershey Kisses, M&Ms, Russel Stover, etc.
--An American Express gift card, which can be used for general purposes. Much needed.
--Lots and lots o' spending money. Also much needed. :DDDDDDDDDD
My sister was pretty excited about her new Limited Too swag, iPod player, Nintendo DS games, Michael Jackson's This Is It, and other stuff, while my cousin got a new cellphone, makeup kits, and a hat with earflaps she really likes. XD
And the food! Once again, my dad made way too much food: turkey breasts, pork roast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, duck salad w/ raspberries and blackberries, tortellini, antipasti, in addition to Lupini beans, cranberry sauce, pickles and onions, applesauce, in addition to all the carrots, celery, peppers, crackers, shrimp, kielbasas, cheese, salami, dip, cocktail sauce, and tartar sauce we had right before dinner. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that my aunt and uncle unexpectedly brought artichoke casserole (which I didn't have, but looked delicious). It's no wonder we didn't have dessert immediately afterward, and when it came time for treats (Italian cookies, as well as the homemade apple pie and Italian cream puffs, all of which were extremely good), I didn't have that much. Seriously, I'm stuffed. I think I could go a full half-day or more without going hungry, I'm that full. XDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
( And now for some Mood Whiplash.... )
My aunt and cousin are leaving in the afternoon tomorrow (technically today). This week went by a lot faster than I expected, and honestly despite everything I've mentioned they weren't as obnoxious as I thought they were going to be. And as much as I'll be relieved when they leave and I can finally relax and do what I've been meaning to do all vacation, I'll be pretty sad too, especially since I didn't get to interact with them all that much. :(
But all in all, it was a pretty good Christmas/end-of-year shindig. How was yours? (Or if you don't celebrate, how was you Friday?)
All right, links time!
Andrew Sullivan explains why 2009 was a fucking awesome year for Obama, and tells all the naysayers, cynics, and concern trolls out there where to shove it. I <3 Sully SFM -- he was awesome during the Iran election fallout, and he's just as awesome now. He's a conservative I can actually get behind. XD
"In Japan, a poll conducted by the otaku matchmaking service Otakuma reveals that four out of five of the top shows watched by female anime fans are about giant robots, while four out of five of the top shows watched by male anime fans are about little girls." (thanks to
misskalloway for the link)Two out of the ten finalists for AP Female Athlete of the Year are...Horses
I just....can't even find the words to say what I want to say in response to this. Mostly because what I want to say is nonsensical gibberish born out of anger and disbelief.
UK parish priest: "It's OK to shoplift -- as long as you're poor and you have to as a last resort"
Finally, someone who actually gets it. :D
19 Depressing, Crazy and Downright Awful Nativity Scenes
Exactly What It Says On the Tin™. ;-)
Kurt Schwitters: Citizen of the World
I had never heard of this guy before until
two_grey_rooms linked this article on hir journal, but WOW this guy was an amazing artist and an amazing human being in general. This quote in particular got to me, and is perfect for the season (emphasis mine):"We should not fight our enemies, but our mistakes. The enemy has more right to live than we to kill him….we should all feel like common members of a great nation: Mankind. He who loves his own country must love the whole world. This is world patriotism."
I've also come across Dinosaur Comics slashfic (thanks to
eska_rina for the link) and Finding Nemo genfic today. I haven't read these yet; I'm mostly linking these for the novelty factor. ;-)Finally, Jay Smooth expresses what I've been feeling all along much better than I ever could:
