Eldrad must live

Meme time (taken from iowayehudit)!

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 16 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

( 16 things about me )

I'm not a big fan of tagging, so I'll say whoever wants to do this, should!

1. Put your iTunes/Windows Media Player/etc. on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
5. Put this on your journal.

( My results )

This also reveals my frequently shameful musical tastes, though I'm sure that comes as no surprise to anyone who reads my LJ.

The Big Read thinks the average adult has only read six of the top 100 books they've printed below.
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2)Italicise those you intend to read/read part of but never finished. (If I italicised the books I want to read, everything would be italicised.)
3) Underline the books you LOVE (or at least really, really liked a lot).
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them.
(Extra rule from supplanter: strike out the ones you disliked.)

( My list )

So, 37/100? (Plus a couple unfinished because they sucked so much.) Not bad, if I do say so myself...though it feels a little unfair, what with me working on my English lit Ph.D. and all. Though to be fair, NOTHING from my actual time period (medieval) turned up on the list...wtf? If they had room to put Hamlet and the first Narnia book twice, then they freaking had room for something like, oh say, The Canterbury Tales? Or Gawain and the Green Knight? Or hell, even Malory's Morte Darthur (or one of the derivations thereof, like T.H. White)? In fact, I think the only things on this list pre-1800 are Shakespeare and the Bible, right? Admittedly, this seems to be in step with a lot of the way literature is taught and perceived in modern society, but pfeh on that, I say.

( FUCK YOU, SHE'S AWESOME fandom meme )

Also, I just remembered that today is the deadline for taxes...fuck, I guess I know what I'll be doing tonight then. D:

Christ, after reading more about it I am looking forward to the new Indy movie (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull).

( Ahoy for small spoilers, basically returning actors and speculation based on website stuff )

But gosh, now I kind of want to get the Young Indy TV series. D:

Edit: Also, a meme from jantalaimon for YOU to fill out in the comments:

( Cut to spare your flist )

...This song is kind of hilariously bad. And not a single "EX-TER-MI-NATE," wtf. (Instead it's all "I-WISH-TO-BE-YOUR-FRIEND," or "I-LOVE-YOU," which is just NO.)

A meme from like half my flist:

Choose a character from a fandom that I know--video game, anime, manga, book--anything. I'll answer the questions below. Post this in your LJ if you you want to do it too and I'll meme you back.

1) What is your opinion of this character? If you like, explain why you like him/her. Likewise if you dislike the character.

2) Is he/she important to the general plot?

3) Can you relate to this character at all? Do they grip you emotionally?

4) How much do you like the fandom that this character comes from?

5) Do you ship this character with any other character? Or, are you particularly intrigued by their relationship with any other character(s)? (romance-wise or platonic)

6) Is there anything about the character you would change? (Personality wise, not anything pertaining to the plot.)

7) If you were in the fandom with this character, how do you see yourself interacting with him/her? (Would you get along well? Fall in love with? Dislike? Friendly rivalry? etc etc)

8) Does this character make the cut as one of your all time favorites (if you like) or most hated?

9) Would you hype up this character (if you like) or warn about (if you dislike) to someone whose new to the fandom?

10) Is this character popular with the fanbase?

...In other news, I hand-calligraphed a few Christmas cards this year. Specifically, I sent them to those of you to whom I've promised calligraphy pieces and haven't gotten around to; I'll send y'all a real, more customized thing, as originally intended, but in the meantime you get a calligraphy bonus! (Some of which are better than others, but y'know, the ones that were TOO sucky I just didn't send, lol.)

Also, I'm working on a "cracked-out yaoi manga" post that's about halfway done, which hopefully will get posted soon (I've only been meaning to finish it for like a month and a half, argh). So look for that sometime soon!

Well, I survived my calligraphy class...just in time for the week to start, argh. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun, and I feel like I have a good start on Batarde, the bookhand which we learned in the class.

For those wondering, the Batarde I learned looks something like this; but Batarde by definition is the bastard child of Textura, also known as Blackletter - a very stiff, formal hand usually used for books - and the more informal handwriting style of Gothic Cursive. Batarde was a pretty common bookhand throughout much of the Middle Ages - as an example, the Ellesmere manuscript of the Canterbury Tales is written in a batarde hand bordering on Gothic cursive.

Anyway, it was a pretty awesome class! I knew some of the people in there already - one person from the calligraphy class I'm currently in, and then fellow English grad students Erin and Laura. Interestingly there were us three English students, a student from the Center for the Book, and everyone else was like 40+, which was slightly odd. (Also, as with every calligraphy class, there were a couple of people who were ANNOYING AS FUCK, but I've just accepted that as par for the course.)

The instructors - Ward Dunham and Linnea Lundquist - were really good; their vibe was a little weird (sort of like The Honeymooners without the joking threat of physical abuse...mostly), but they were really helpful on showing us where we were going wrong and how to correct it, especially Linnea. And Ward did for each of us an example alphabet of Gothic cursive that's gorgeous and which I will post a photo of later (once I replace the overhead light bulb in my living room so I have decent lighting, I'mma take pictures of a whole bunch of calligraphy projects of mine to show y'all, I'll just add that one to the list).

Also, I bought things! Ward and Linnea run a company called Atelier Gargoyle, which specializes in calligraphy materials, high-quality fountain pens, and seals/sealing wax. I managed to forgo buying a fountain pen (mostly because I just got an inexpensive one the last time I was in England which I like), but I DID spring for a bronze seal and sealing wax. This is the one I got, which seems perfect for me: two lions (I'm a Leo), and a grappling hook that looks exactly like a J. (The sealing wax came free with the seal, since the latter was a bit expensive: so I have sealing wax in gold, copper and vermilion.) I also bought some calligraphy supplies - stick ink to use with my ink stone (which I've found that I really like), a nice calligraphy nib holder, and a portfolio of handouts.

Anyway, the main purpose of this post is to make an offer to my flist: specifically, something along the lines of "I'll send you something sometime within the next year" meme. The twist is, I'll send you a calligraphed and hand-sealed piece of mail! I'll decide what hand I write it in, what colors/materials to use, etc., and rather than a letter it'll probably be something copied out that I think you will find relevant to your interests. My calligraphy is still kind of crappy, but this'll give me an excuse to practice more, and a few of the hands even look kind of okay if they're crappy like mine. XD;

But anyway, if you're interested, send me an e-mail at yosituna@gmail.com and let me know! :D

In related news, the new Chaucerblog post is awesome. "Chaucer" is talking about new TV shows he has ideas for ('cause of the writers' strike), and while Sectes in the Borough (a "hot and explicit showe" with "frank depicciouns of heretical practice") made me giggle, what KILLED ME COMPLETELY DEAD was the following:

Doctor Hwaet: Thys showe doth chronicle the aventures of a solitarye one who must wander the wayes of water on the rime-cold waves, mindful of miseries, yn a large device ycleped the TOWAERDES (the which ys a grete magique ship disguised as a burial mound) that alloweth hym to travel in tymes to come and also yn the places that ben past and the far landes of fantaysye. Alwey he sercheth out and protecteth a poem ycleped Beowulf the whiche he saveth from a fyre and also turneth yn to several filmes in order that the beautee of Angeline Joly may drawe newe rederes to thys tale. “That ys fanTASTick,” he saith yn the rare tymes whan he ys of good chiere. He fighteth many enemyes, includinge the Cybermonks, the Daneleks, and folk who thinke that “Geats” is pronouncid “geetz.”

DOCTOR WHO AND OLD ENGLISH, TWO TASTES THAT GO GREAT TOGETHER...THEY'RE LIKE PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE IN A WAY

Er, also, because I was tagged by youkofujima:

List seven songs you are into right now, no matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LiveJournal along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

Because I'm awesome, I will include YouTube links for each.

Amy Winehouse, "Tears Dry On Their Own" - A really awesome song that I believe samples the original "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." What I like about it is that Winehouse takes this cheerful, ecstatic love duet and turns it into the aftermath: one person singing about having lost another. While it doesn't have the ebullient happiness of the original, it has its own tested but resilient strength.

Fall Out Boy, "Dance, Dance" - To be honest, I don't listen much to the lyrics, but it's peppy and catchy and fast-paced (also, it's included on Dance Dance Revolution Supernova, so I've heard it a lot XD).

Jesse McCartney, "Beautiful Soul" - SHUT UP I KNOW I HAVE BAD TASTE IN MUSIC OKAY. Seriously, though, the lyrics are inane but a nice thought, and I like the mildly funky backing music. (Also, Jesse McCartney is MAI SHOTATO because he voiced Roxas in Kingdom Hearts II.)

McFly, "That Girl" - I love McFly; they're like a British Beach Boys meets blink-182, pretty insubstantial but nevertheless poppy fun. This is one of their earlier songs, but still really good; it's pretty mundane material (boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy loses girl to other boy, boy is sad about the one that got away), but it's just FUN for a song about a story that ends so sadly.

Peter Cetera, "The Glory of Love" - Naysayers to the contrary, Peter Cetera ROCKS, whether in Chicago or doing solo stuff. This song is just gloriously cheesy, in the best way possible, and always makes me think it should be the theme for some over-the-top Arthurian romance film. I AM A MAN WHO WILL FIGHT FOR YOUR HONOR~~

James Marsters, "Rest in Peace" - I recently rewatched the Buffy musical, from which this is taken; it's Spike, rocking out with a love-hate ballad. I believe that's enough of a reason. (I often like to sing this in the shower, because I know all the words by heart, as with all the songs from that ep; ...yes, I know, I'm a dork.)

Akira Yamaoka, "Theme of Laura" - For some reason, Silent Hill music is great for traveling; I love listening to this or "Silent Hill" and just looking out the windows of a bus as the sky darkens. This is just an awesome song, with the guitar and all.

Too lazy to tag anyone; anyone who wants to should do it!

A meme from bemysty:
~> Go to Google.com
~> Click on Maps.
~> Click on "get Directions".
~> From New York to Paris
~> And read line # 23.

If you laugh, repost this.

I laughed my ass off. Oh, Google, how I love you.

Also, the English grad students on the flist should enjoy "I wandered lonely as a cloud," the rap version. I figured I'd post this for all of you who are fellow lit freaks, but even if you don't particularly like Wordsworth or know him that well, this version is worth checking out. (THE SQUIRREL, OH WHUT.) Did Wordsworth really need to be "updated for the YouTube generation"? I don't know, but the result is HIGH-LARIOUS.

...That last link was sent to me by my mom, which was kind of odd. I know she's hanging out a lot with the Latino Writers Collective, who are really nice people, but now my mom seems to be trying to be "urban" and "hip." The e-mail telling me of this (that also went to her LWC friends) opened with "yo, my peeps!" _O_

Those of you who know my mom, this will probably make you go "buh?" the same way it did me.

I need to work on cutting down my BPAL backlog...so, review time!

( BPAL: March Hare )

( BPAL: Aureus )

( BPAL: Dragon's Heart )

( BPAL: Kuang Shi )

In other news, tonight I baked three loaves of challah and half a dozen bagels. You can tell I'm hitting that busy time, because baking is one of my preferred procrastinations from schoolwork. Because who can fault you for procrastinating when the end result is tasty treats? :9

From iowayehudit:

Greed:	Medium
Gluttony:	High
Wrath:	Low
Sloth:	Very High
Envy:	Medium
Lust:	Medium
Pride:	Medium

Discover Your Sins - Click Here

Ahhh, sloth. I've been meaning to do something about that tendency one of these days, but you know I really can't be bothered. XD

Let's Positive Linking!
- So this is what Homeland Security is devoting their resources to. And this. Nice to know our government is watching out for us so...thoroughly. >_<
- Haha, what a great newspaper error. Apparently there's a student newspaper even worse than the U-News! XD
- British atheist looks at Colorado Springs megachurch. I do agree with the original poster that the British guy is just dripping with audible scorn, and actually gets kinda heated (though I imagine if you're a British person unused to wacky American fundamentalism, you might get kind of exasperated in a "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SO STUPID" way). Sadly, the pastor does have a point in that the British guy totally does come off as arrogant (even though he's right). On the other hand, AUGH but said pastor is creepy and smarmy - and also apparently ill-informed as to what the Nuremberg trials actually were. XD
- Man, the day I win the lottery I'm totally going to buy a house just so I can build one of these. Of course, I suppose I'd actually have to PLAY the lottery first. XD
- Haha, this completely not worksafe music video is amusing! It's especially amusing given the production of Love's Labors Lost that I recently saw was set in the same time period, so now I'm imagining the King of Navarre asking the Princess of France whether she takes it up the ass. XD
- Apparently aliens are stealing schoolgirls' slippers. God, I love the Japanese (in general, and Mainichi Wai Wai in particular). What would we do for fubar without them?
- JOJO + STAR WARS FOR THE WIN. :D :D :D
- This is SO HOW IT IS. (From firestorm717.) Which reminds me, I need to do my taxes and FAFSA this week. D:
- Apparently the reputed Shakespeare death mask may in fact be genuine. (From rathershady.) They still seem pretty unsure about it though.
- For animal lovers (or haters), 50 Animals in Casts. (From surlykitty.) SO CUTE BUT SO SAD ;_;