Friday, December 31, 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!



Here's wishing everyone a happy and glorious 2011!!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol SQUEE Post

Note: I posted this on my LiveJournal on Christmas Day right after I watched the Doctor Who Christmas Special.  Today, however, I realized that I didn't post it here, which is a travesty on my part (may I be forgiven).  So, a few days late, but never a dollar short (well, I try not to be) - here is the first of what I hope to become a tradition - and not just at Christmas.

**begin post**

My nerves are frazzled - and that all came before 7:00.  All day - ALL DAY - our electricity was blinking on and off.  Our phone and our internet were down at random times.  We had to open presents this morning in the dark (though the sun came up toward the end of the process) and breakfast was cold cereal.  The power eventually came back on - then it blinked off and on at random intervals during the day.

Happy Christmas...

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Not that I'm complaining - but when you have the DVR set to record "Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol" on BBC America at 7:00 pm, you sort of want it to, you know, WORK!

Well, it did.  Mostly.  The power blinked off for about five minutes in the middle, but it came right back on (luckily, some of what I missed was commercials) and I was able to enjoy the happiness and glee that is experiencing an episode of "Doctor Who" (somewhat) simultaneously with the rest of the world.  Below the are some of my initial "OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!" responses.  None of these are very coherent - in fact, I'll be surprised if you see any semblance of proper English grammar (but there are spoilers - now, those you might actually figure out).

 **HELLO SWEETIE**YES, THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE**PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK**

Arthur Darvill's been upgraded to top billing in the opening credits - HECK YES!!!!

Fish flying through the clouds that like opera music - clouds that can only be controlled by the hands of a grumpy old miser - a crash-landing honeymoon flight - Welcome to Christmas, Steven Moffat!

(or should it be Welcome to Steven Moffat, Christmas!)

On a personal note for my viewing experience: the power blipped off right as the Doctor and the young Kazran were about to be eaten by a shark. Yeah - Santa Moff + Fritzing Power Grid = SPAZ!

The Doctor and Kazran visiting Abigail throughout the years - fez, scarf, bowties = aksghuiae aksdgh sakjdgh askjdgh asdsfdssdYES!!!!!!!!!!!

I was trying to catch something that might possibly hint at what the upcoming season would be about (example - "The Christmas Invasion" briefly introduced Torchwood, "The Runaway Bride" made mention of Mr. Saxon, I don't remember if "Voyage of the Damned" had anything to do with Series 4… though Grandpa Wilf was there - but if I remember correctly, Bernard Cribbins' inclusion in that season was a last-minute change due to unforeseen circumstances in casting) - but the only thing that I could peg as a useful hint to the new season was Rory taking a call from a certain "Marilyn."

Except… there was this line - "Things have to end, otherwise, how would things get started?" (something like that. I'm quoting from memory here). O_O O_O O_O O_O

(Have I mentioned I don't like it when DW makes mention of endings????) DX DX DX DX DX

Llama Face

Preview SQUEEage - "Stetsons are cool!" ^_^ Pirates!! (at least, I think they were pirates) - the Doctor taking over the Oval Office - tally marks on River AND Amy - Amy has to save the Doctor - and a lot of other stuff that I can't properly remember because there was so much and I'm going absolutely bonkers over it!!

(I just realized... I need some Matt Smith gifs... barring that - anything with Karen Gillan or Arthur Darvill or even Alex Kingston would work too...)


Now, I need to post this before something goes berserk again!

ETA: I finally got to rewatch this in it's entirety - meaning I caught the approx. 5 minutes I missed - and I must amend my earlier statement that the power blip didn't cause me to miss too much - I missed an entire plot point! The part I missed was the part where the Doctor "marries" Marilyn Monroe (or so we are led to believe) and Abigail and Kazran kiss and Kazran begins his descent into jaded-grumpy-"Life's-not-fair"-old-man.  Damn you, Mt. Wheeler Power!!! *shakes fist*

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Post-Christmas Analysis

Happy Boxing Day everyone!  (hey, if my dad can call his sweatshirt a "jumper," then I can refer to Boxing Day).

It was an odd Christmas - but a good one.  The power was out yesterday morning, so we opened presents in the semi-darkness.  It came back on eventually, but it continued to blip on and off, much to our great annoyance.  Well, I guess since Mt. Wheeler Power are a bunch of jackwads during the rest of the year, it would follow that they would play the Grinch on Christmas too.

We got to talk to Mark, though it took twenty minutes and a trek in the snow to my cousins' to use the phone (Beehive Telephone Company got in the Grinch act as well this year).  Honestly, I can't wait until that kid is home.  Maybe it's just mission fatigue or the fact I haven't seen my brother in three-plus years.  It'll just be good to have our whole family together again.

Anyway - I did make a pretty good haul this year.  For Christmas, I got:

- A Felicity doll plus her Christmas outfit (I'm annoyed that the packaging called it her "Holiday" outfit.  Good grief - she celebrates Christmas in the book, you morons).

- The new Brad Paisley CD

- "Mockingjay" and "America by Heart"

- "Doctor Who" Seasons 3 and 4 on DVD (and "A Christmas Carol" aired on BBC America on Christmas Day - I count that as part of my gift haul, but it was a close call with the power blipping on and off).

- "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on DVD

- Some shirts from Old Navy and DownEast (plus a Colts shirt from Fanzz ^_^)

- Fuzzy socks

- Tall boots with flat heels (yay!!)

- Mark sent us all Argentina National Team soccer jerseys and authentic Gaucho slippers ($4 off the streets of Buenos Aires ^_^)

- An M&Ms dispenser made to look like a fortune teller - it has a little button you push and you get an answer to any question you ask.  Well, "yes or no" questions, anyway (think Magic 8 Ball)

- A quilter's kit complete with scissors, a rotary cutter and a new quilt pattern from Kathryn (it's pretty sweet)

- $50 Barnes and Noble gift card

- $40 from my grandparents

- Lotion and fancy hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works

- Plus plenty of candy!

I love getting money for Christmas... but now I am somewhat presented with a dilemma.  See, I've been in the market for either a Kindle or a Nook.  I've been looking up reviews on both and trying to decide which one I want to get.  As far as I can tell, there's very little difference between the two other than a few small things that pretty much balance out the comparison.  The only thing I'd want it for would be to read books (I don't really need or want the audiobook capabilities).  I don't really need 3G service either, so I'd be looking at the Wi-Fi-only option.

I have downloaded some of the free Kindle books to my laptop, but the one book that I actually purchased never would download (I just found a free torrent for it and that worked, so I count that I paid for it).  If I got a Nook, I could use my gift card, plus the money from my grandparents and that would knock off about $90 from the final price.  But... I like the fact that Amazon keeps your books in your Kindle archive in case you lose them... but the Nook lets you back up your books on micro SD cards.  I'm a little wary of leaving things solely online because that means you're counting on the internet never, ever, ever crashing or going away.  And with the recent Delicious scare, I'd almost rather have a physical backup of my own (yes, I know that Yahoo didn't really shut down Delicious, but the chaos that ensued on the internet was deafening - so to speak).  But also, the Kindle can read PDFs and I use those a lot and it'd be cool to use that feature.

Anyway - those are my thoughts.  Does anyone out there have any insight into my conundrum?  Do you own either one of these eReaders?  What do you like or dislike about them?  Please chime in because I'd like some input from actual Nook and/or Kindle users before I make my final decision.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Tomorrow is Christmas - It's Practically Here

Our internet was out all day, which means I am woefully behind on all my internet stuff.  But, it's Christmas Eve and that meant that I actually got presents wrapped among other sundry things.

The cousins and I are caught up and ready for the Doctor Who Christmas Special tomorrow (squee!)  And there's presents and food and family and all that wonderful stuff that comes with the holidays, so this is pretty exciting!

There's not much else I want to say - except for you all to have a Merry Christmas!  And also - to post this video that I have already posted, but I want it up for today and tomorrow -



Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Best "Christmas Carol" EVER!!



I don't have a whole lot of time to post over Christmas, but I've located some fun Christmas videos, including some with songs from my favorite Christmas movie of all time - "A Muppet Christmas Carol"   And the music is great too) Enjoy and have a Merry Christmas!



Dear World: Michael Caine as Scrooge = AWESOME! Thank you for your time.



And if I didn't include this song, it wouldn't be Christmas:



Oh, and this is one I made as my gift to the internet:

Friday, December 17, 2010

Sorta Dropped the Ball...

Just to "dress up" my blog for Christmas (and because I like putting off-topic videos on my posts), here are Matt, Karen and Arthur with a fun little Christmas performance just for you all ^_^




Ever since Thursday Night Football started, my pick schedule's been all messed up.  So, I'm just going to skip that game and make picks for the rest of the week (but some quick commentary - I thought that the Niners would at least make an effort against the Chargers.  Good grief...)

New Orleans @ Baltimore - Saints

Arizona @ Carolina - Arizona (not because I like them, but because anyone who picks Carolina to win anything this year is an idiot)

Cleveland @ Cincinnati - Cleveland

Washington @ Dallas - I really don't know about this... I mean, McNabb's not exactly the greatest thing since sliced bread, but Rex Grossman is... well, Rex Grossman.  Well... I guess I'll go with Washington anyway (stranger things have happened)

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis - Okay, I'm crossing my little fangirl fingers here... a win can only help Indy, so please, please, please, PLEASE football gods let the Colts win!

Buffalo @ Miami - Miami

Philadelphia @ NY Giants - Giants (please???)

Kansas City @ St. Louis - Kansas City

Detroit @ Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay

Houston @ Tennessee - murgh... oh fine - Houston

Atlanta @ Seattle - Atlanta

Denver @ Oakland - I want to say Oakland, but I think Denver is going to be all about paying back for that 59-14 loss back in October... but then I see that Oakland actually has a better record than Denver... but then I remember that it's not about records at all... but then I remember I have a nickel in my pocket and I can flip for my pick! *flips coin* Tails - Oakland

NY Jets @ Pittsburgh - If anything, this past year has proven that the Jets are the new Cincinnati Divalicious weirdo team and it's coming back to bite them in the butt *cackles evilly*  Pittsburgh

Green Bay @ New England - Dear heaven above - PACKERS!

Chicago @ Minnesota - Chicago

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Now I Know We're Related

Anyone who knows my sister and I knows how vastly different we are.  I think it's a form of subconscious rebellion we've undertaken against our parents who insisted on dressing us alike when we were little.  There is a picture of us both in these frilly red dresses going to church (a sad, sad relic that serves to remind us of the fashion horrors committed in the '80s).  Even more distressing is the memory I have of at least three people coming up to us during church as asking us if we were twins (even though these people knew our family and knew full well that my sister and I are two years apart in age thankyouverymuch).

However, now that we are older, we have developed our own interests that rarely (if ever) cross paths.  Even with one interest we have in common - cheering for University of Utah football - we don't participate in together.  This past Thanksgiving, for example, I went in one room to watch the Utah-byu game.  My sister was sitting in the room as well and asked me (rather pointedly) where I was going to be watching the game.  I shrugged, sat down said "In here."  She promptly got up and walked in the other TV room, citing that she cannot watch football games with me - I make her too nervous.  After she and my other sister left, my dad (who had been witness to this entire exchange and knows perfectly well how we sisters are) started laughing.  All I can say is thank heaven for multiple DirecTV receivers in the house.

I'm not upset about this at all.  Far from it - I've actually gotten some pretty funny stories out of encounters with my sister.  Siblings have every right and reason to be their own individual people.  Why would you want to be attached at the hip with your brothers and sisters for the rest of your life?  But we are so different that I have had people express surprise when they find out that she is my sister. 

This brings me to my point in writing this.  In the course of announcing that she and my brother-in-law are expecting, my sister posted to her blog one of the funniest versions of someone announcing their pregnancy I've encountered online.  Her post also serves the dual purpose of confirming to me that my sister and I indeed share common DNA because I agree with her wholeheartedly.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Holy. Crap.

I really have nothing to say about this - I just think it's unreal and deserves to be shared far and wide.



It's like The Greater Cosmos(tm) saying: "Just when you thought the NFL season couldn't get any weirder - here's a stadium roof collapsing!  And make sure you catch it on camera!"

(Just for the record - it was nice and sunny out here in Utah.  I didn't even need my coat today.  Neener, neener).

The weirdest thing is last night I had a dream I was on the Titanic while it was sinking (it's a dream - just go with me, here) and it was making that same noise (I also remember floating underwater and thinking that James Cameron's CGI work was a bunch of crap.  Oh, how I love my subconscious).

Thursday, December 9, 2010

The Strangest Post I've Ever Posted

I'm leading off with my football picks and then I'll go on with some other important stuff

Colts @ Titans - Listen up, Colts - I have picked you since the beginning of the season and here my loyalty is rewarded with a pitiful 6-6 record and we're playing for a freaking WILD CARD SPOT???  DOUBLE-YOU-TEE-EFF??? whyyyyyyyyyy?  ...sigh... I guess I shouldn't abandon my boys now - but I'm afraid that I'm just bad luck.  Oh, what the heck - Colts.

Browns @ Bills - Poody.  Just... poody.  Browns

Falcons @ Panthers - Are you kidding me?  This matchup isn't even fair - Falcons.

Packers @ Lions - Packers

Raiders @ Jaguars - Jaguars

Giants @ Vikings - Giants, Giants, GIANTS!!! (ftw)

Bengals @ Steelers - Steelers

Buccaneers @ Redskins - As much as I want the 'Skins to win... I think the Bucs are better (renaissance year in Washington notwithstanding).

Rams @ Saints - Saints

Seahawks @ 49ers - Neither are that good, but I like the Niners

Broncos @ Cardinals - What is this, making me pick between Bad or Worse? (and I'm not sure which is which).  Broncos

Patriots @ Bears - the Bears are good... but the Patriots are better (darn it).  Excuse me whilst I vomit - and select the Patriots (now watch, this'll be the the week they choke)

Dolphins @ Jets - Jets

Chiefs @ Chargers - KC

Eagles @ Dallas - Dallas is even further on my poop-list from last week's Colts-beating shenanigans and I choose the Eagles

Ravens @ Texans - Ravens

Tomorrow is our play and I'm really excited for it.  I'm nervous, to be sure, but I'm also excited.  The kids are ready to rock and roll and I'm ready for... something big to go down.  I've just had a lot of fun doing this.  I almost want to do another play in the spring (almost).

And - for something completely different - I've been reading the "Mark Reads" blog, where this guy named Mark reads books chapter-by-chapter and he reviews them.  Currently, he's reading "The Hunger Games," (which I loved and am on my second read-through) and he's read all of "Harry Potter" and "Twilight."  I'm reading through his thoughts on HP - I tried to read the "Twilight" ones, but there was too much WTF-ery for me to process (and some of his anti-LDS sentiments sent me seething.  It was better to avoid it altogether).  I do love reading his thoughts as he read HP because it reminded me of the absolute joy and giddiness that I experienced when I read all the HP books for the first time.  I am a big enough person I can set aside larger differences (religion, politics, etc.) for the pure love of fandom (what can I say - I hold out hope that there is somewhere in this world that people can get over these ticky-tack differences and find something - however small and/or seemingly insignificant - that they can agree on).

However, some comments in the blog (and some lines from Mark himself) brought up some questions of morality and sexuality (don't ask me how these things happen - the internet practically invented random tangents) and that got me pondering about my own thoughts on the topic.  Sort of an odd thing for me to be musing over (if you know me, you probably know that this is something I've never been comfortable with discussing - that's just how I roll), but I've run into some articles about how sexuality is viewed in society - whether it's from a religious or secular standpoint - and I've become fascinated by what others have said.  I'm not about to change my opinion on the subject (unless something earth-shattering happens, but how earth-shattering is another topic), but I do like learning about what other people think and why they think that.  It's something I'd like to expound upon for myself, but not in a way you might expect.  I've got to think it over, though, so give me a while.

(Wow - that was the weirdest post I've ever written - everything from football to sex... And... I'm going to leave it at that...)

Thursday, December 2, 2010

NFL Picks - Lucky 13

And we welcome you to Week 13!  Roll on with the picks -

Houston @ Philly - I flipped a coin and it said Houston... but my first instinct was to go with the Eagles, and I typically like my first instinct, so that's what I'm going with.

Buffalo @ Minnesota - Minnesota

Cleveland @ Miami - Miami

Jacksonville @ Tennessee - If Tennessee wins, that helps the Colts.  But I don't think it'll happen (darn it).  Sigh... Jaguars (but come on Titans!)

New Orleans @ Cincinnati - New Orleans

Denver @ Kansas City - KC

Washington @ New York Giants - Giants

Chicago @ Detroit - Chicago

San Francisco @ Green Bay - Green Bay (it was so sad watching Monday Night Football last week and the commentators make all kinds of jokes at the NFC West's expense... wish they would pick it up...)

Oakland @ San Diego - My pick is San Diego, but due to the outcome of a certain game last week that I can think of, I will be cheering for Oakland (I really don't like the Chargers.  They aren't yet to the level I hate Dallas or New England, but they're making a case for it).

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay - Ooooh... this should be an unusually good one. The Falcons are hot, so I'm going with them.

Dallas @ Indianapolis - I have long since resigned myself to the fact that this is just not Indy's year.  However, that does not mean I'm going to abandon them now, and especially NOT against Dallas.  Colts by 7.

St. Louis @ Arizona - It will be a cold day in hell when I throw my chips in for a team that has max hall on it - even if he's just a backup (watch... he'll get traded to someone I like in the off-season - just watch).  St. Louis.

Carolina @ Seattle - Seattle

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore - Another one that promises to be a barn-burner.  But I like the Steelers, so I will go with them.

New York Jets @ New England - The lesser of two evils: Jets.

Current Standings - Last week's results garnered 12-4 (though, I happily relinquish any points because of a Rams win).  Record-to-Date: 78-41

Now, off to finish my final LI843 project.  I need to come up with something interesting and fun about fonts and typography in web design.  Seeing as I'm a bit of a newspaper/yearbook layout junkie, you'd think this would be right up my alley.  HA!  And again, I say - HA HA!  It's converting that information into a decent-ish website that's the problem.  Well... I guess I'd better get started...