picked a handful of violets in my name

Mon, 16 May 2011 01:01:49 GMT

21 Days of Dreamwidth

21. What's your favorite thing about Dreamwidth?

The community. :) (I mean, the features are great, don't get me wrong! But the people...)

Links

multikinkmemes! There's a bandom post, hint hint.

littlebutfierce is hosting a love meme. I has a thread. Will monitor the post for other people's threads, too.

comments

Sun, 15 May 2011 00:50:20 GMT

Recently

Garage sales didn't happen because I was up too late last night to get out of bed this morning. Cleaned my room some (needs to be DONE by the time my parents come to visit, since I currently have the futon boxed in and they need to sleep on it).

I also went to Goodwill and Boomerangs to get myself out of the house. I got:

Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor, which I will probably give to Dad

a summer weight black skirt of sufficient length

a strawberry-print shirt

a very gay umbrella ($6 is about what I'm willing to pay for a folding umbrella, because of how quickly I ruin them, and we can use this as a parasol at Pride!)

a magnet-backed weekly schedule whiteboard

All Out Of Munchies notepad (because Ellie and I grocery-shop like stoners even though we're not)

a chips-and-dip plate

a purple and grey plaid skirt

21 Days of Dreamwidth

20. Yes, but what are your thoughts on yaoi?

I was pretty into yaoi for a while - there was a big comm on LJ where I could get scans. But then that comm tightened its age restrictions/enforcement quite a bit and I went back to getting my unrealistic guy-on-guy porn fix exclusively from fic.

Links

rivkat: Media piracy in emerging economies

An extremely interesting study of piracy, defined as large-scale unauthorized reproduction both for profit and via free downloads, around the world. The authors conclude that piracy is largely a problem of a globalized Euro-American entertainment/industrial complex that has successfully generated demand for its products but unsuccessfully served that demand at prices people in other countries can pay, largely from refusal to price copies so they’d take roughly the same amount of purchasing power in poor nations. One example: converting prices as a percentage of per capita income, a Dark Knight DVD sold in India would cost $663 in the US; A Beautiful Mind would cost $421.

Plans

MIT Flea, Mob meeting/demo, JP picnic munch.

comments

Sat, 14 May 2011 00:34:07 GMT

21 Days of Dreamwidth

17. How many people on your reading list do you know IRL?

By my count, 51. 25% - not bad.

18. What don't you talk about here, either because it's too personal or because you don't have the energy?

Not much is too personal - I've used my journaling environment as a support group for dealing with depression and sexual assault. Energy is a much bigger constraint on my posting (thanks, depression!), although most of the things I deliberately leave out are omitted because I know I'm writing for an audience that demands a smidgen of entertainment value.

19. Any questions from the audience?

Ask and I will answer.

being nice to one another

THE YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL MEME

my thread

Links

Obsidian Wings: The Women Men Don't See

Why is it that of all possible human topics, the one that conservative religious people of different faiths agree on is strict gender roles?

Plans

I might hit a couple of garage sales tomorrow morning, if I can haul myself out of bed. Sunday is the Mob meeting/demo and the JP picnic munch.

comments

going to see My Chemical Romance again, brb!

Mon, 09 May 2011 15:30:36 GMT

21 Days for Dreamwidth

( a few more )

Links

azurelunatic: I exist, and I exist in many universes. (Yet another rant about queer erasure)

Silence = Death. If fictional people are silenced by their authors, then fuck yeah, we're marching right the fuck in and giving them voices.

Plans

Get on plane. Change planes in New York. Maybe briefly meet up with Kajsa in Baltimore. Get self + suitcase to the Haus of Fangirl in MD.

comments

Thu, 05 May 2011 03:39:35 GMT

21 Days of Dreamwidth

( Since I'll be offline for a few days, I should get ahead. )

Side Effect: May Cause FEELINGS

So I have a question for the people out there who are not congenitally depressed.

Sometimes I experience semi-random happiness, where I'm just having a nice day and everything is kinda shiny and it's good to be alive. Sometimes I get enormously ragey over stuff that doesn't seem to merit serious RAEG.

And both of those ~~feelings~~ are pretty obviously tied to my meds (along with an increase in ability to Get Shit Done and a decrease in memory function). My question is: do I finally, after 20 years of being depressed, have a reasonable range of emotions?

Plans

Boston MCR show tomorrow night; I'll be in line during the day. Meeting with tuesdaysgone Friday morning for a ride to PA and another MCR show. Assuming the gods of train schedules smile upon me, I should be back in Boston in time for the SlutWalk. (Fingers crossed I can make all my transit connections.) And then there is the DC concert. Wheeeeeee.

comments

FONSFAQ New Orleans: Katrina

Wed, 04 May 2011 00:17:01 GMT

erika asked: did Katrina change NOLA totally, or is it still basically the same city? What major changes have there been / took place because of Katrina?

New Orleans mostly feels recovered to me, but A) I only visit and B) I think a lot of the remaining damage has become the new normal. I mean, my parents still don't have kitchen cabinets or counters and it's just, like, whatever.

( kinda disjointed )

I have no info on how the surrounding areas are doing; I expect the city itself is one of the most highly-recovered areas.

It doesn't feel the same, but it doesn't feel wrong or broken or irreparably damaged.

comments

giant robots in space

Wed, 04 May 2011 00:10:01 GMT

Recently

Capture the flag didn't happen; no one from the Camberville side showed up, so the four JP residents (well, three plus Daly, who is probably on our side anyway, regardless of where he actually lives) got ice cream and hung out at Cid's house instead.

I got recruited into a BattleTech game. Daly taught me how to play on Saturday and my first session with the group was Monday. (Daly severely underestimated our ability to defend a base. And we discovered a loophole for artillery - if every spotter is -1 to hit a target and we have ten mechs peering over the wall... "hey Cid, the pilot's got brown eyes, are you aiming for the left one or the right one?") I fielded three mechs (all of mine, none from the communal pool) and actually managed to keep track of all of them! Although I think I'm going to have to get my own miniatures, because keeping track of which vaguely similar grey plastic mechs are mine (and which one goes with which sheet) is going to drive me nuts. And because I am me, they will be painted to suit my tastes and will therefore not look anything like they're supposed to.

Biggest news, though: I got into Simmons, after an eon of waiting for a decision. No info on financial aid yet, but I have wonderful parents who will put me through grad school regardless.

21 Days of Dreamwidth

( I missed a few. )

Links

( three links )

comments

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:52:18 GMT

21 Days of Dreamwidth

5. How about when you're not on the computer?

Work. Concerts. Etc. My offline social life is mainly arranged over the internet, although I do have random encounters with some of my friends on the Orange Line (the benefits of going to the same school and living in the same area).

6. What do you wish people who read your journal knew about you?

... you people probably know more about me that anyone except maybe my sister and my boyfriend.

Links

( kink, ad-supported devices, mental illness and medication, filk, reproductive rights )

Plans

Capture the flag, followed by ice cream. Everybody cheer for JP! We are going to destroy Camberville.

comments

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 02:13:12 GMT

Notes

Turned in my last assignment today! Except actual content soon as a result. :D

21 Days of Dreamwidth

4. What do you do online when you're not on DW?

Tumblr, Fetlife (sofiaviolet on both). I read a bunch of non-Dreamwidth blogs plus I use Twitter and Facebook, but since I interact with those mainly through apps instead of a browser (Vienna for feeds, Socialite for Twitter and FB status updates, Adium for FB chat), they don't feel the same.

comments

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 01:36:49 GMT

21 Days of Dreamwidth

( day 3 )

Links

( four links: polyamory, police violence, crutches (metaphorical), web accessibility )

comments

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:43:36 GMT

Recently

Hearing on sexual assault on college campuses at City Hall today. There was a rally beforehand that I missed because I couldn't find it (stupid circus taking over City Hall Plaza *pout*).

21 Days of Dreamwidth

( day 2 )

Plans

Write a little more of my music paper tonight (it's about half done) or write the last short paper for my other class. Work tomorrow morning, then finish the music paper (and write the other one, if I don't get to it tonight).

comments

I'm not drinking from the firehose, it just seems like I am.

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:02:09 GMT

Notes

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth happening now. Expect everybody to be posting all the time. (Seriously, the amount of stuff on my reading page today was terrifying. If you want the actual firehose, the threeweeks feed on Latest Things aggregates posts tagged with several variations on the fest name.)

Recently

Got to see the US Archivist speak today but was barred from the reception afterwards due to being a student (supposedly because of the presence of alcohol, which is doubly hilarious to me because I am over 21 and still do not ever booze it up). Although his speech was good (and confirmed that government archives are not my first choice but would not be too soul-sucking), and I got to archives-squee at the guy I sat next to.

21 Days of Dreamwidth

( day 1 )

Questions meme

erika asked: ( three questions )

Links

( 4 links: male privilege, derby girl names, non-fictional women of interest, migraines )

Plans

Last blog entry for class, last paper for the same class, only paper for the other class, book reviews, responses for the New Orleans FONSFAQ (also still taking prompts), possibly some responses for other FONSFAQs, possibly a notable woman for She's Kind of a Big Deal, the thing I am making for MCR (yes, I am making them a thing).

comments

frequently (or not so frequently) asked questions: NEW ORLEANS

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:42:53 GMT

Welcome to the post where you get to ask questions about New Orleans! Inspired by assorted other FONSFAQ projects, originating with dingsi, who is maintaining a masterlist.

Any topic is fair game, as long as it relates to New Orleans. I personally am qualified to say stuff about:

schools (I went to a Catholic school, a non-religious private school, and a public school)

history (especially free women of color before the Civil War, considering I just wrote 30 pages about that topic)

culture

food (although you may be getting my typescript of my mom or sister's answer)

And, as that last parenthetical aside suggests, I am willing to consult with my sister (another born-and-raised New Orleanian now living elsewhere) and my parents (who both live there now).

harpers_child has also volunteered to answer questions. Other people can volunteer, too! Volunteering can be as minimal as answering one question and you don't need to pre-register or anything. This post is happening in my journal because it needs to happen in somebody's journal; this is not my pet project that I am all possessive about. Feel free to link as widely as you desire and contribute however works best for you.

To ask a question: leave a top-level comment with PROMPT in the subject. One question per comment, please.

To provide an answer: post your answer to your own journal. Then reply to the question-comment with a link.

You may post questions starting now; I would encourage you to post answers during the three_weeks_for_dw period of April 25th through May 15th.

comments

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:11:10 GMT

Another good day of research. Tomorrow is haircuts for Mom and I - I desperately need one; it's been about a year. (My hair has a rapid growth cycle, so the ends get very thin if I forgo trims, which makes them even more prone to tangling.) And I'll probably do at least one more day of research before I head home, but even if I don't manage that, I'm satisfied with the materials I have.

I'm getting caught up on my dreamroll. I had to use the ?date=YYYY-MM-DD argument to view the older posts, but I have finally caught up to the point where ?skip=NNN works. Links from the past two weeks forthcoming; I foresee a heavier dose of fic recs than usual, because of kink_bingo and bandombigbang.

comments

Fri, 28 May 2010 06:46:08 GMT

viklikesfic: What Is Kink?

kink_bingo: Giant Kinky Fandom Secrets Collection: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Play with the mockup of the new Update page and tell Dreamwidth what you think.

Buzz Kill: Bad Erotica Opening Line Contest

the_shoshanna: tabnabbing: a new kind of phising attack

comments

Tue, 25 May 2010 01:49:40 GMT

Hello from New Orleans!

( catching you up on me )

***

azurejay: a lot of things get broken (bandom, Pete/Patrick, ageplay, SFW) and if you do whip her from time to time (bandom, Pete/Ashlee with Patrick, multiple kinks, NSFW)

toft: oh, boccaccio, wtf

femslash_kink (Second Annual Femslash Kink Meme)

azurelunatic: An Open Letter to Jackasses Wasting My Time on Twitter

theleaveswant for kink_bingo: Pervertible World: Essay and Picspam

comments

There is no way I will be able to keep this up indefinitely.

Tue, 18 May 2010 23:45:39 GMT

But hey, until I get lazy/short on time again, enjoy the linkspam (now with quotes!).

( long post is long )

comments

I hate my knees, just for the record.

Sun, 16 May 2010 03:01:54 GMT

( Friday night )

( Saturday night )

comments

overwhelmed in advance

Fri, 14 May 2010 06:05:08 GMT

No pictures today; my outfit was kind of boring. Pinstripe pants and a Threadless shirt. (I will try to get up a picture of my jacket, though, because it's fucking cool. Black, with larger versions of these clasps.)

The good news is that the next few days may be warm enough for me to wear some of the cute stuff I picked out. And I have actual reasons for leaving the house, which forces me to put clothes on. \o/

Plans! I am having a busy weekend, it looks like. Friday night is Slutbutter, because Cameryn Moore (most of my weekend is because Cameryn Moore). Saturday, I want to go to Sowa Open Market, and then Ellie and I are heading out to Wilmington again for roller derby. Sunday is the Flea at MIT again (note to self: visit ATM beforehand), and then Phone Whore, and then Fuckbucket.

My Monday is currently 100% empty, and I am going to nap hard, motherfuckers. I will have earned it.

Daily Song (right-click): Cobra Starship - Move Like You Gonna Die

1. history: Another book, and a consideration of a historiographical problem

2. jjhunter: dreamsheep poem

3. trascendenza: On Cantonese tones.

And since it's now technically Friday... boston (which I co-mod, as of recently). And unfunnybusiness_dw exists. I love reading steampunk_nusantara.

I'm actually pondering pruning my dreamroll... so I suppose this would be a good time to declare amnesty: if you're tired of my face or my links or my frequency of posting or my whatever, you can unsubscribe!

comments

daily song + links

Thu, 13 May 2010 04:40:19 GMT

Daily Song (right-click): My Chemical Romance - Desolation Row
Since they're what I listened to at work today.

1. fairestcat: Some meta recs and a tangent about my own participation in these conversations

2. helens78: geek conventions and body/self image

3. sanguinity: There Are Some Battles That I Do Not, Will Not, or Can Not Fight

4. yvi: Dev \o/

5. roga: "APPARENTLY NORWAY IS SENDING TO THE EUROVISION THE LOVE CHILD OF JOHN SHEPPARD AND ADAM LAMBERT"

comments

Dress Your Best: work-to-evening outfit

Thu, 13 May 2010 01:19:56 GMT

So apparently I lied about only making one post for Dress Your Best. That's just how the picture-taking shook out.

Today's outfit was originally put together as an example of "casual night out" - dinner at a restaurant and/or one of the less-glittery local theater/dance/etc. things I go to. Unlike my fancier (by which I mean sparklier) stuff, I can wear something like this all day.

Today's photos also highlight one of my favorite "oh shit it's cold" coping strategies for Boston's sudden weather changes: Add A Hoodie.

( four photos )

As you can see, I didn't really accessorize today - baby steps, people! - but I have plenty of red jewelry (the shirt does lend itself to one of the larger pendants from Wyrding Studios) and at least three purses that could work (the devil Hello Kitty bag if I need to carry a lot of stuff, a shiny red purse, or a faux leather black one). And it could probably do with a belt, but belts are tricky.

ETA: *facepalm* It helps if you upload the pictures before you post the entry. And also if you type the correct URLs. [No one saw that.]

comments

moar links

Wed, 12 May 2010 06:00:21 GMT

( 20 links )

comments

cheer up, self

Wed, 12 May 2010 01:35:24 GMT

Daily Song makeups (right-click):
Veruca Salt - Seether (May 8th)
The Pipettes - One Night Stand (May 9th)
Goldfrapp - Slippage (May 10th)

Daily Song (right-click): The Dollyrots - Because I'm Awesome

synecdochic: the ghost in the room, or, why modesty is a dirty fucking word

There are a lot of things I am good at, and a lot of things I do that are awesome. I feel no particular need to list them, and at least a few come up in general blah-blah-this-is-my-life (I am good at my job, for example, and the stuff I do generally isn't done by people with my level of education - there's a reason I call myself an apprentice archivist). I write well. I'm making an effort to contribute to my online community (having - I think - accustomed myself to frequent and at least moderately meaty posts, and having always been pretty zealous about replying to comments, I'm now pushing myself to comment more on other people's stuff).

As far as I can tell, the main limit right now on my level of kickass-doing-of-things is... depression and the learned procrastination, apathy, and lack of action that go along with a lifetime case of dysthymia.

( blah blah depression not-so-yay )

Basically, nobody worry! I'm just feeling less happy/content than I think I should be - for no apparent reason, which means it is cyclical brain chemical shenanigans.

comments

Dressing my best!

Tue, 11 May 2010 02:51:06 GMT

So, here's the thing. I'm going to put together five outfits (for Dress Your Best Week), plus an extra outfit or two to account for Boston's fickle weather.

But I can't work the timer on my camera to save my life (well, I can work the timer, but I can't get decent photos with it), so the next time that A) I'm awake, B) Ellie is home, and C) it's sunny outside, I'll get her to take pictures of all the outfits.

And I'll stick all the photos and all the fashion meta in one post, so that nobody will hate me for spamming them. :D?

In the meantime, the prep! ( My list of five body parts, and the types of outfits I want to construct... )

comments

the promised photos

Mon, 10 May 2010 21:36:17 GMT

( 17 photos of Northampton )

At this point, my camera died. Stupid thing consumes batteries at a rapid pace. So all of the following photos were taken by Ellie.

( 12 more )

( and two pictures of me, taken by Ellie )

comments

picked a handful of violets in my name

21 Days of Dreamwidth

Links

Recently

21 Days of Dreamwidth

Links

Plans

21 Days of Dreamwidth

being nice to one another

Links

Plans

going to see My Chemical Romance again, brb!

21 Days for Dreamwidth

Links

Plans

21 Days of Dreamwidth

Side Effect: May Cause FEELINGS

Plans

FONSFAQ New Orleans: Katrina

giant robots in space

Recently

21 Days of Dreamwidth

Links

21 Days of Dreamwidth

Links

Plans

Notes

21 Days of Dreamwidth

21 Days of Dreamwidth

Links

Recently

21 Days of Dreamwidth

Plans

I'm not drinking from the firehose, it just seems like I am.

Notes

Recently

21 Days of Dreamwidth

Questions meme

Links

Plans

frequently (or not so frequently) asked questions: NEW ORLEANS

There is no way I will be able to keep this up indefinitely.

I hate my knees, just for the record.

*overwhelmed in advance*

daily song + links

Dress Your Best: work-to-evening outfit

moar links

cheer up, self

Dressing my best!

the promised photos

overwhelmed in advance