Thursday, July 31, 2003

Chicago bound

Last night my sisters were nice enough to help me hunt for my Snurch & Procure gift (think Yankee Swap) for the Farscape Anonymous meeting on Friday. (They are so nice!) We found something that made me very happy and will hopefully make someone else very happy as well. *g*

We also bought a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and yes! there are flavors like earwax, vomit, and grass mixed in. (Don't think about it.) Actually we had a fantastic time hesitatingly testing the jelly beans! *eg* My mom, a big Harry Potter fan, volunteered to be the guinea pig. Her first jelly was the earwax. Undaunted she tried another and was rewarded with toasted marshmallows. She also informed us the cherry, blueberry, apple, and banana were good, and that she didn't care much for the sardine. *g*

Well, I'm off to read emails and continue last minute packing of things.

This weekend should be fun!

To those 'Scapers who can't make it to Scaper Con you won't be far from our thoughts! and I promise to take lots of pictures!

Tuesday, July 29, 2003

This link is my contribution to the Pirates of the Caribbean mania. *g* ... Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, ...
GIP

Okay, well, maybe this doesn't qualify as an icon, but it's a gif which is close enough. *g*

In honor of Scaper Con 2003 here is a lovely gif I created of me and Gigi Edgley at SFX November 2002. (well, okay, the purpose of this post is really to show off the gif I did, but it does relate to Farscape, doesn't it?)

Enjoy!


Monday, July 28, 2003

Chicago

Just a few more days & I'll be in Chicago. Please send good thoughts my way on Thursday afternoon and again Monday afternoon as I'm on my way home. I promise to post a ScaperCon report when I return. :)

omg! Ping Pong in the Matrix Universe! (thanks, Micky for the link!) Very cool! You have to check this out!

and yet another link, courtesy of Jody :) Random Name Generator ... mine is Tamma Tiara (insert my real last name here) or Demeter Lyndsey Duchovny-Browder depending on your point of view. :p

Friday, July 25, 2003

Day Off

The plan was to go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum but once we arrived at the Boston Common, my mom decided she'd rather take a ride on the Swan Boats. So we headed over to the Public Garden, bought a bag of peanuts in the shell for $1.00 and took a nice ride on the swan boats for $2.50 (good deals all around!).

Afterwards we walked past the Tadpole playground in the Common and then the State House. We took a round about route through Bowdoin Street to reach City Hall Plaza and continue past Boston City Hall to Faneuil Hall marketplace. There we were greeted with the acrobatic antics of Daredevil Chicken. They were hilarious! and very talented! :)

I saw some cool Kangol bucket hats for sale and almost bought one, but all they had was black and pink. Why couldn't they have blue or white or green? :(

We entertained some children by feeding french fries and peanuts to the seagulls. They seemed to prefer the french fries. lol

On our way back to South Station we passed by the Brigantine Formidable and picked up a schedule. Click here for online information. Not far away was docked the tall ship Jeanie Johnston, an Irish barque. You can find an online schedule at the Jeanie Johnston's official website.

Finally, to end our adventure, a nice, cold dish of Mint Patty ice cream from Ice Jack! (yum!)

Thursday, July 24, 2003

Aficianado Girl post

I'm not just a fan but a Farscape afianado! (hee hee)

Tiriel's adventures as Harvey

Kerlin's Comic Con tales

...

totally non-fan girl links below:

Irregular Orbit: ookworld's wobbly satellite points you to some interesting blogs and has a multitude of fun little links to follow!

summer time means ice cream!
Ben & Jerry's
Haagen-Dazs
Turkey Hill ice cream recipes
History of Ice Cream

I didn't know there was a list of the top 100 historic sites in Norwood. Live and learn!

and for good measure, since my sis is trying out the Boston-NYC Chinatown bus service ($10) today -- Chinatown Bus Lines!

Okay, now I really have to get back to work so I can be home in time for a very important phone call. *g*


Packet Trade

Much information on The Cape Verde Packet Trade can be found under Special Programs at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth's website.

References to the Mathilde or the packet trade in general are found in the links throughout this post. The term "packet" refers to "a regularly scheduled ship which carries cargo, mail, and passengers." The Portuguese men (and sometimes women) of the "packet trade" traveled back and forth on ships from different Cape Verde islands to New England, especially Cape Cod and New Bedford.

1943 (August 23). A group of men from Brava, some born in America, risked a clandestine Atlantic crossing aboard the packet Mathilde and set sail for New England in the middle of World War II. They planned to secure emergency relief supplies and immediately return to Brava. The Mathilde was lost at sea with all hands somewhere near Bermuda. Chronological references: Cabo Verde/Cape Verdean Americans

Brava, CVI

A famous ship in the Cape Verde packet trade was the schooner Ernestina. Read more about her here.
The Move to Paradise

Rarotonga or Bust: Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair's move from LA to the Cook Islands is now a weekly feature in LA Weekly. Their first installment is here!

You can follow their adventures at The Island Chronicles.

side note: I got a raise! woo hoo!

Monday, July 21, 2003

Another fan girl post

Okay, there are sooo many wonderful reports on Comic Con out there, including mesascaper's! Farscapeweb.com has a great two-part report on Comic Con.

Okay, back to work for me!

Sunday, July 20, 2003

Another Icon!

Lookie here at what I found as I was perusing the LJs! I have another beautiful SACoC icon courtesy of the icon goddess kernezelda.

Removing the vest

(tee hee)

I found this on the Save Farscape site. It's a message from Heather Henson, a member of the Henson family to the fans of Farscape. *cheers*

Also at Save Farscape there are more links to pics from Comic Con., including a reort from our very own kerlin. *yay, Amanda!

Yes, this has been a total fan girl post, but many of my posts are like that. Farscape fandom is now a part of my life. :p

----

Okay, we're a bit teary-eyed from "Love Affair" and are now going to watch "An Affair to Remember" (for comparison). We are a glutton for punishment. *sniff*
Quiz Junkie

The following is shamelessly snurched from Lorance.




Jolly good, wot! Anyone for tennis? That'll be ten ponies, guv. You're the epitome of everything that is english. Yey :) Hoist that Union Jack!

How British are you?

this quiz was made by alanna



And on the same site,

What X2 character am I?




Which X2 Character Are You?


Hey! and the outlook for Farscape is looking brighter every day! :)

Pics from ComicCon ...
Frell Me Dead's Pics of Farscape Panel
Ian Smith's web site

and a report from Mesascaper on her LJ -- read all about it here.

Saturday, July 19, 2003

Just another Saturday

I received an ecard from my sister (thanks!) on July 14 for Sister's Day. I'd never heard about it, so I did a search on the net & saw it listed on August 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, depending on whose site it was. Very interesting. ... Then I went to the home page on this computer and saw this article: France bans the use of the word "e-mail." Bizarre. So, then I decided to do a search on the web and find out what other weird or unusual things were happening in the world.

Here is what I found.
News of the Weird reports weekly on the strange happenings in the US. You can search by state, too, and I found the following among news reports for Massachusetts. Maybe it was a slow news day?
1994 -- In April in Easthampton, Mass., a four-foot-long iguana got free from its cage in a car being driven by Joann Colby, causing her to lose control and allow the car to fall down a 25-foot embankment. She and the iguana received only minor injuries. In nearby Northampton, Mass., the next week, another iguana left its terrarium on a jaunt through Sheri A. Dilks' apartment and en route, accidentally triggered an alarm that brought firefighters.

Bizarre News reports on weird news from around the world and also lists unusual holidays. For instance, did you know ...
July is National Ice Cream Month?
July is also National Hitchhiking Month?
July 18 is National Ice Cream Day?
July 19 is Flitch Day? (um, what's a "flitch"?)
July 26 is All or Nothing Day?
July 27 is Take Your Pants for a Walk Day? (I suddenly have visions of Nick Park's "The Wrong Trousers")
July 29 is Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day? (huh?)

This Is True takes stories off of Reuters and from other sources. It's a weekly publication with links to sample stories, like the 40 year old woman who's marrying herself. (is that legal?) Commentary's included.

A news article about cloning woolly mammonths from The Guardian in the UK. I don't know how reliable The Guardian is or if it's a tabloid, but why would you want to do this is the first place?

Oh, and this one from the BBC regarding claims that lasagna is British in origin.

And lastly, NewsBop! has a host of odd news headlines from around the world with links to the full story. One of the stories listed has to do with Europe's favorite pastime, another with the subway performer arrested, with his cat, by NYC police. Also, of note is the Armed robbers steal bags of rubbish story.

I learn something new every day. ;-)

Friday, July 18, 2003

Bloggers Anonymous

Blogging is addictive. It really is. I didn't understand how much until I gave it a try. Amanda had warned me, but I hadn't taken her seriously. In fact, I was told about this months ago by Micky, but like many people, I said, "Blog? What's a blog? Oh, that's nice," and never fully realized how nice it is.

Someone I know checked out a site of mine awhile back (just a personal site, not a blog or anything fancy) and told me it was cute. She "likes fan sites." That statement made me pause. Fan site? Well, I suppose I'm a fan of myself ... Another friend checked out my blog recently & replied with "I don't get it. Isn't it just a website?" This led me to explain that a blog is an online web log, etc. Later another friend admitted she hadn't checked my blog out yet because she thought it might be too personal, as if she were reading my diary, and wasn't sure how I'd feel about that.

... well, anyway, ... almost everyone has a blog these days, and it's a great way to stay connected or share your point of view (etc.)

As an example, check out The Homeless Guy. I found the link over at Pro Blog (which is a blog about, well, blogs). There's also blog maps for certain areas, like New York City or London or Washington, D.C. Hey! There's even Bananas Foster which posts recipes to their blog. Oh! and a list of Boston Blogs and more is out there on the net as well.

Enjoy!

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Drabble Goodness

Well, my SACoC drabble is now complete, for better or worse. Comments are welcome.

Ooh, last night we watched some of The Duel, from the same people who did Storm Riders. You can read a review of The Duel here.

And finally,

Some links to share:

Erica & Jessica's 1999 Cruise to Bermuda: no, I don't know them, but their site brings back memories from my first cruise *g*
In Memory of a Scaper: Alex Stansky
IGN FilmForce article: is it Rumor or is there some truth to the article?
Troy and Nora Fan Fiction: noralaura's latest installment in the Troy/Nora fan fiction series
My Pet Skeleton: I still love to visit this site after all this time!
Wacked USA: a puzzle site
Moccu.com: from the creator of Yenz.com
Johnny Clegg Dot Com: official website for singer Johnny Clegg
Ashley MacIsaac: official website for the Cape Breton singer

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Random poetry?

LJ Random poetry is goin' around ... unfortunately, I can't create any because I don't have a paid account (free LJ for me!), but it's a cool concept. It creates a poem out of random content in your live journal. If you have a paid live journal account and want to check it out, you can type in your username at Patrick's LJ!

Or just use the form below! (found on his lj) Enter your livejournal username and click "Go"!

Username:



I had an invitation for going out to dinner with my family, but I'm still at work, so no dinner for me! *sniff*

There's more I wanted to post, but I'm trying to get out of work soon, so I can go work on my drabble.

*sending happy thoughts to Amanda (lucky girl) at Comic Con while she interviews the guests! you'll be awesome!*

Monday, July 14, 2003

Não quero trabalhar

I'm still curious as to what "le moing" is in French. "L'habit ne fait pas le moing." Could it be slang for perfect? Practice doesn't make perfect? oh, I dunno, doesn't matter.

I wanted to post something up beat about how much fun I had Saturday at the Farscape Viewing Party, but my mind is in a fog, so I'll do that later.

So instead, a link to the SACoC Meeting hosted at fbf's journal where you can read all sorts of fine drabble and enjoy. Be forewarned, the fics are *not* G-rated and involve JC in various states of leather. *g* (also, I was often reminded of the DMB while reading many of the drabbles *beg*)

'Scapers, enjoy.

and to my non-Scaper friends, what are you waiting for?

Saturday, July 12, 2003

Ramblings

Still no Drabble in Progress though I read many a fic online at Leviathan for inspiration.

Friday night, watched Cutthroat Island with Geena Davis and Matthew Modine. Such great names the characters have ... Mordecai Adams, Morgan Adams, Mr. Shaw, King Charles (the monkey). "Bad Dog." It's a really fun pirate movie full of humor, adventure, swordplay, a kick eema heroine & her damsel (Mr. Shaw) in distress. (hee hee)

Previous to Cutthroat we watched the 1960s version of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. It is a *far* better movie, imo, than the recent remake, despite the fact that the Eloi are all, um, well, so "blonde" (literally). Why is it that the special effects of this version seem to outshine the CGI effects of the remake? I had more fun watching our hero travel through time in his machine this time around.

While on the topic of movies, I'd like to recommend the Chinese film Hero, a sophisticated tale, wuxia pian style, of love & intrigue (though not necessarily in that order). I especially enjoyed the way it was filmed, the choices made in the filming, such as the use of color to tell the story. Maybe I can rewatch it next weekend now that we have it on DVD.

-------

On the genealogy forefront, a Bermuda journalist contacted me because of a post regarding the shipwreck of the packet Mathilde. Turns out he has access to some papers from 1943 and has offered help in researching the shipwreck if I can get him a more specific date! Progress comes to those who are patient. *bg*

On the home front, Daddio's having a grand old time with his new DVD recorder/burner. I've been asked to request some movies from him. What to choose? Ah, decisions ... *g* Grandma's still in rehab ... frelling incompetence by those frelniks at the hospital .. for over two months this has been going on, paying for the doctors' mistakes *grumble*. Little Olivia West is settling in by all accounts. Sherbert's applying herself to her studies. Tracy's okay, and Matt's eye is okay, and I have to remember to visit little Angel soon. *g* Let's see ... Gno's business seems to be booming. Glen's on the road. Josephine's getting ready to move. Silvie's in the midst of wedding plans (no folclorico for me, per Silvie). Linh's got AC in her coolio apartment. Haven't heard from D in awhile, so I don't know what she's been up to. Sheila is ... where is Sheila? Wonder how Jeefa and Missy are doing, especially in this heat.

*sigh* hardly get to see anyone anymore -- never enough time in the day

ah, but tonight is the Farcape Viewing Party, so that should be fun (though no ice cream for me this time).

-------

conversations from my looking glass world

Naturally, I overslept this morning and woke up a half hour before the first patient was scheduled .. and took the shortest shower in history .. and ran to work .. to find out that Laura had opened the office for me & was already there. lol


"I'm alive, and you're alive, and we're alive together."
-- Mr. Shaw to Morgan, Cutthroat Island

Friday, July 11, 2003

8th Grade Math

Found this at msn.com

Could you pass 8th grade math?

I was relieved to find out that, despite the fact that it's been many years since I was in 8th grade I could still pass the math ... barely. *g* I got 12 out of 16 questions correct. Woo hoo!

I had starting packing for Scaper Con, but now I must clean and disinfect my suitcase over the weekend, then start all over again. Wonder why? Read all about it here.

... and tomorrow is a Farscape Viewing Party! yay!

... and my hair shall be snipped appropriately for the summer weather!

... and somehow I must still tackle my drabble for Sunday. You'd think 100 words would be simple, wouldn't you? *sigh* I must now admire my icons in the post below for inspiration.

Wednesday, July 09, 2003

Ooh, icons!

After the Kiss

Ctegan's SACoC Black Tee

Just a little test to see if I can show off my lovely new icons, courtesy of icon genius kernezelda. I am the SACoC Supranavel Engineer, btw, in charge of John's Black Tee. Just ask feldman! I've also recently discovered what a drabble is and must now set to work on my DIP (drabble in progress). So, for anyone who's keeping track, I'm a SACC, FA (Farscape Anonymous), honorary PPR (I think), and now SACoC member! *phew!*

And last, but not least, if anyone wants to visit my video (and some of you already have) on Dallascaper's site (Farscape Fantasty.com), he or she is more than welcome to. The direct link is here. While you're at it, be sure to check out the other vids and the fan fiction and art as well. There are some amazingly creative Scapers out there! :)

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Games

Links to some online games:

Pigeon Poo: This one is much harder than it looks. Try as I might I could not score one point for Walter Pigeon.

Orisinal: Morning Sunshine: A collection of really cute games!
LiveJournal

Okay, well, I started a LiveJournal as well. (You are so right, Amanda! They're addictive!) There's not much there, but you're more than welcome to take a peek over there if you choose.

Laura might be joining me at the FS VP on Saturday! (don't worry, Laura, there won't be any Stormtroopers! *snicker*)

Oh, and I wanted to include this cool link http://www.memoryburn.net/memorial/memorial.html that the wonderful Micky showed me. It's a definite must see.

Saturday, July 05, 2003

Welcome to the West baby!

Little Olivia Isabella West was born to parents Melanie and Joe on July 4, 2003. :)
Happy Fourth of July!

... one day late ...

Thursday night we watched fireworks in a parking lot with several dozen people ... and flag boy (at least that’s what we ended up nicknaming him). Every once in awhile we saw a him racing through the aisles holding a waving flag high above him. Very cool. Lots of fun to see the kids get so excited by the fireworks as well.

Friday morning, we returned some videos and picked up new ones, including more Dead Zone, The Day the Earth Stood Still and First Men in the Moon based on a book by H.G. Wells (with special effects by Ray Harryhausen).

Mel and Joe started their wait for the new baby around noon time. Shannon and Bob were married on July 4, too.

The annual Cookout on the Common was pretty good with $1.50-$2.00 for hotdogs and $1 for drinks (including humungous bottles of water). The runners in the Firecracker 5K were amazing to watch; I can’t believe they ran in the 90 degree heat! We found out about Norwood Day on September 15 (sounds like it’ll be fun -- including Juliet the Cow), and the parade was awesome! Norwood residents lined the streets along along the route, with families in tow. (In fact Norwood’s annual Independence Day parade is the largest one around, or so they say, and just about the whole town comes out to watch the procession.) As in previous years the Cycling Murrays (of Cambridge & VT) and the Ancient Mariners of CT (aka the pirates) were in the parade. The parade itself lasted at least two hours and had both local and international acts. Besides the procession of police, fireman, military and veterans, there was a steel band and marching bands, complete with color guard, from Ontario, Canada (including a Phillipine heritage group). The Colonial pipers and bagpipers were cool, along with the historical recreation people and the Minuteman. The Krazy Clown band was funny, and we loved the costumes of Norwood’s Folclorico group (Portuguese folklore dancers), but we still haven’t seen them dance! We’ll have to position ourselves better next year. Oh! and Rex Trailer made a return appearance -- always a treat because of the way he rides along the route, in costume and on horseback.

As it was last year the parade took place not only on the main street in town but above it as well. In between the marchers planes flew overhead. First, one of those skywriting planes made several passes. Later came the two fighter planes, passing low above us, side by side. Michele really liked them (she said they were Harrier jets), and I really wished I’d had my camcorder with me. *ahem*

We were too tired to listen to the concert in the bandstand when it was over and headed home instead. All in all a good day. We intended to end it with the Pops (on TV), but Dark Shadows was requested, so that DVD was played instead.

Thursday, July 03, 2003

Dead Zone

Last night we watched The Dead Zone for the first time, on a DVD rental, premiere episode, and all I can say is Wow. (and Anthony Michael Hall sure got cuter as he got older - and lo! and behold! he can act!) Hopefully there will be more episodes available for rental this weekend! It's awesome! (or at least, the very first ep was) Check it out! :)

Oh, yes, and we started on the latest DVD collection of Dark Shadows. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far. It was late, and we all had to work in the morning. ;)

Ooh, and when I got home last night, there was a surprise in the mail for me! The latest issue (my first) of The Independent: Film & Video Monthly from AIVF! Guess the theme for this issue is Experiment! ... and there's an article (which I'll have to read more closely this weekend) on low-budget special effects using iMovie, Quicktime, and Photoshop. Sounds like it's right up my alley! ;)

... The Countdown to Scaper Con has begun ...

... and on a related note, in less than one month, I'll be on an airplane ... *gulp* ...

Wednesday, July 02, 2003

I should be working

I should be working, but it's after hours, and I just can't concentrate. I must've completely taken down wrong the names and phone number of two people coming in tomorrow for appointments. They said they *thought* they were here before but couldn't remember. We could'nt find their records, so Laura called and left a message. I called later and reached someone and was told (rather politely, too) that I had the wrong number, and yes, that was the number you dialed, but no, I think that's the name of the family who lives a few houses down from us -- sorry, I don't have their number! So I called information. No one with that name in the area, even with an unlisted number per 411. Oh, there's a similar name (not close enough) a few towns away. Hmm ... well, since it doesn't make sense that someone would make an appointment under an assumed name (I even had the woman spell it out!) and give the wrong contact number on purpose, I must've taken the info. down wrong. *sigh* This means we're in for one hezmana of a morning. Upset patients + upset boss + upset staff = bad day for me! Oh well, did it to myself, didn't I?

... Still thinking about Katharine Hepburn ... Have all the classics actresses and actors passed away? *sniff* I decided to do a search on her name and found this beautiful fan site, Katharine Hepburn: Woman of the year, which has a wealth of information! This other site here has a great links page for more Katharine Hepburn sites.
Ask Matt

No, Snoopy, not your Matt, but TV Guide's Matt Roush. He did it again, on the second page of "Ask Matt":

Question: There have been a slew of fantasy/science-fiction shows over the years (Hercules, Xena, Andromeda, Stargate, and The Lost World) in syndication. However, the networks (with the exception of WB and UPN) just don't produce these sorts of series. Why not? — Lee C.

Matt: Don't forget Fox, which has tried for years to find the next X-Files, and most recently went into outer space with Firefly, however briefly. The networks don't seem to have the patience anymore to nurture or bankroll these kinds of shows. Blame a lack of nerve and imagination. Many of these shows take time to build a following, and even then, most attain cult level at best. (X-Files was the exception with its mainstream success.) But when one really works, like Buffy, look what that does for a network's image. You'd think if some of these dinosaur networks truly wanted to get into the 21st century, they'd take a risk with a visionary producer (calling the next Gene Roddenberry) and stick with it, especially if the show is good. Now all of a sudden I find myself missing Farscape again.


Yay, Matt!

On another note, our Matt was hit by a parked car the other week but is okay. Yes, you read it correctly. I didn't think such a thing was possible either, but it is. I want to laugh when I say it because it sounds so absurd, but in reality it's not funny. Of course, that doesn't stop me from telling people. :p

Oh, I was going to rant a bit about Matchmakers, not the site, just people in general who always want to hook me up with their nephew or cousin or neighbor (yet, not knowing anything about me, the Matchmakers feel these people are "perfect" for me). I cringe when I hear that the person is "perfect"; no one is. And "perfect" for me? How can they know what is "perfect" for me? Especially if they answer that the person never smiles or is quiet or has a nice job. Uh huh, yeah ... "perfect" ... but instead of doing a big ol' rant because it doesn't necessarily bother me that much, I will share some news. I have a Live Journal now, too! (Thanks to Katya) Of course, there's nothing there yet, but I'll keep you updated. ;)

... oh, almost forgot, Happy Fourth of July! (early)


Tuesday, July 01, 2003

Apples & Oranges

I hate when people start a conversation about apples, turn it into a conversation about oranges, suddenly relate it all to bananas, circle around a bit, then veer completely off into the subject of turnips, and all the while insisting it's the same conversation about apples ... *sigh*

On a happier note, it's July! and I have a moccachino! Nothing is wrong in the world while you drink a frozen moccachino with whipped cream and chocolate cocoa stuff sprinkled on top. (hehehe)