Proof

In honor of Independence Day, show us something patriotic. 

They say this video was sincerely made, but the fact that the creators were sincere doesn't change the fact that it is the one of the greatest parodies I've ever seen.

And now, to clean your ears out after that, something a bit more suitable.

Happy Independence Day!

What have you been putting off all weekend?

Working on my CCS AMV for the contest at Sakura Paradise. I have a pretty good start, and I know I should be working on it, and with my job I have less time during the week to put into these personal side projects during the week, but every time I open the project, I just dink around a little bit and close it, because I just can't get myself into the zone.

Also, I've been meaning to do more blogging, and I just haven't. I'm even to lazy to get my lazy hobbies done. How sad is that?

What's making you smile today?

The "Where the Hell is Matt?" videos always make me smile, but I do believe this is my favourite so far.

And can I just say how much I love it that some software developer in Seattle got bored and so used his save up money to travel the world, made a cool video of himself dancing, and got so much attention that now someone pays so he can keep on doing it? AND the people who pay him don't tell him where to go or what to do, they're just like "We like your style. Keep doing what you're doing." Something about that makes me so happy.

What's your favorite type of donut?
Submitted by tomatshonino.

Baby flavoured donuts. Definitely.

What's the hardest part about the role you play in your family?

The rebel liberal not-Mormon middle child role?

Probably the fact that I can't just turn my family off when I need a chance to relax and be myself without worrying about offending someone or being offended by someone who I love. And the fact that there's no kind way to speak that frustration.

Or dealing with my little brother. Because the values I would instill and the answers I would give are vastly different from my parents, and so I'm torn between doing what I think is best and respecting my parents' right to raise their own child how they want.

I cannot wait to go to college in the fall.

Has anything unlucky happened to you today?

I'm sick. Super sick. I've had three different friends call to hang out, and I can't. I can't even talk; I've basically completely lost my voice. I had to call in sick to work, and this is only my first week (but over the phone they could at least tell I wasn't faking, seeing as I couldn't really talk, and I was noticeably sick towards the end of the day yesterday, but still MY FIRST WEEK. You just don't DO that.)

So, yeah, I guess you could say that's unlucky.

So, Stephenie Meyer, that lovely woman which brought us the Twilight series, has written a new book.

Now first, on Twilight, I have read all of the books and will continue to read them. When discussing them, I tend to smile. I wouldn't miss the upcoming movie for the world. Well, maybe for the world. But still, it would take some pretty major forces of temptation to keep me away.

Do not mistake this for me thinking the story is any good. Horribly dramatic and cliched forbidden vampire/mortal teenlust with the overuse of words like "smolder". I think the books are, basically, terrible. I don't like them at all. I love them, yes. But for all of the wrong reasons. I can't stop reading them, when I have my hands on them, but that is more of a morbid fascination than a appreciation of skill. The Twilight series and I have a very bizarre relationship.

And so, as a continuation of this morbid fascination, and because today I found out that I have more scheduled freelance stagehand work, and so I can afford it (especially because as a new release it's on sale), I bought Meyer's new book, The Host.

The Host: A Novel

Stephenie Meyer

The Host is being advertised as Meyer's first novel for adults, but considering that she's Mormon, I doubt there will be any actual sex (though that would be AWESOMELY HILARIOUS). I think the whole "adult" thing is supposed to be a "you don't have to be embarrassed if you're not a preteen and you're reading this!" form of advertising - added to the fact that main character is 22 or something like that.

I picked up the book earlier today, and am 80 pages and 8 chapters in. Basic plot: an alien race known as "souls" have taken over Earth by installing themselves into human brains and overriding (essentially killing) the human inside and then using the human memories and knowledge for themselves. Humans aren't the first race they've done this to, and every time they inhabit a species they acquire that species' language and knowledge and live by their patterns. They see themselves and improving and saving these creatures. The creatures they kill to do this see it, understandably, as genocide.

The story follows a soul named Wanderer who takes the host body of a rebel woman named Melanie Stryder. But Melanie resists having her mind controlled, and in their (now shared) memories, they both see the man Melanie loved, a man named Jared. What is slowly developing from this is a love triangle between the soul and the host for the same guy.

Here's the thing, aside from the love triangle, the story is actually kind of interesting. And I was surprised how much I was enjoying it. A little too descriptive, yes, but the whole sci-fi aliens battling for control of the brain thing? The processes and life cycles of these aliens? Their made up culture and rules? I thought it was awesome.

See, but then whenever the plot weaves away from the fate of the human race and that nature of the alien species who has conquered it into the memories of Jared?

"The hair was just a few shades darker than the skin, except for the flaxen streaks that lightened it."

"His lips are softer than his hands, and hot, even in the warm desert night. A flock of butterflies riots in my stomach and steals my breath."

"My skin burns where it meets his. It feels better than good, but it sets off a strange aching in my chest."

"It feels like a flat sun is pressed between us - pressed like flower between the pages of a thick book, burning the paper."

"His hands are in my hair and my heart is about to combust. I can't breathe. I don't want to breathe."

It's good to know that Stephenie Meyer isn't going to let me down, smoldering eyes and all. She gets 10 points for actually using the word flaxen (*snort*) and another 10 for that terrible sun/flower/book/fire mixed metaphor. Oh, and using the word "combust". That also gets 10 points.

Heeeeeee! *gigglesnort*

Look for updates as I read on! 

So, if you haven't heard of This American Life, the first thing I'm going to ask is

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

But then I'm going to forgive you, because although it is arguably the most internationally popular radio show of our time, a lot of people don't listen to the radio.

I don't even listen to the radio. See, because that's what the internet is for. I download the hour long show every week for free from iTunes. The podcast is fabulous. I've been listening to it religiously every week for about a year now. It's something I really look forward to.

It's a sort of documentary series, with a pretty simple format. They choose a theme - regret, unknown power, the audacity of government, returning to childhood - and will provide a series of personal/grand/complex/humorous/moving stories from that theme. Sometimes an entire episode tells just one story, but normally you get 2-4 stories of various lengths filling up the hour.  They recently had one which took time to tell the story of a girl who was going to college in California, but wasn't a citizen, and the reasons behind that and the things she had to go through because she couldn't get her citizenship, and what she would have to do if she wanted to apply to be legal and how it was basically out of the question as much as she wanted it. The story made me cry.

ANYWAY - so I love this radio show. And last year it became not just a radio show, but a TV show. They produced, along with the radio show, this lovely six episode TV show, which I downloaded (legally) and loved. Just as beautiful as the radio show.

And recently they had this event for the premiere of the second season of this show with a live broadcast to various theatres around the country that people could go to for not just the first episode of the second season, but also interviews and behind the scene stuff. And I almost went. Despite that it would be by myself, and two hours of driving each way, I almost went. The only thing that stopped me, and just BARELY stopped me, was how much the gas would cost to get there.

And now the first episode has premiered on Showtime, is available on Showtime's On Demand channel, it is THERE. Out there in the world, just waiting.

But I don't have Showtime.

And, what with it not being a hugely promoted and popular show, it is also nowhere to be found on the internet. Or anywhere where I cold legally get it without subscribing to Showtime, which I can't afford.

So I'm just going to appease myself by watching the trailer over and over again.

Oh, and for those who are interested in the podcast - you can go to iTunes and subscribe for free. This weeks episode is actually a rerun of the episode they aired when the first season of the TV show premiered, and is based around television, but because it's somewhat self-promotional, the format is very different than normal. Mostly in that this was obviously recorded in front of an audience and in that the stories basically all come from regular contributors to the show, instead of these regular contributors doing what they normally do and telling the stories of other people, they are telling stories about themselves.

That being said, it might be a good one just because it introduces these contributors so you can know who the people making this radio show are. Ira Glass is there of course, and also Sarah Vowell and David Rackoff, who are two of my favourites.

So go to the iTunes store, look up This American Life, and you can subscribe to the podcast for free, or you can go to thislife.org and download the mp3 of this weeks podcast there. You can also listen to all past podcasts through streaming media on their website for free. CHECK IT OUT.

Because I totally want to have someone to talk about these stories with!

Wheeeeeeeee! So at New York City Comic Con they had this huge avatar exhibition/promotion thing, and I feel the need to share the online low quality video-cammed bootleg love.

Annnnd, some fantastic Avatar comedy! The gaang go to see a play. About themselves. Hilarity ensues.

And, by the way, the date on that first trailer for the series finale, JULY 2008, totally sucks. We were supposed to have the finale by the end of May. But because the people at Nick have no idea how to market or air anything, it won't be until July. This doesn't only suck because it's a longer wait. It also sucks because by then? The entire Book 3 boxset will have been released. That's right. You can buy the episodes on DVD before they even air on television.  

HEAD. meet DESK.