"Uh, tech support? I seem to have spilled soda on my
mobo..."
Well, my uncle got his monster computer, and they just sent me
their first "Help!" note. Hee. If I were a more cruel person, I'd
just send them a reply stating "Toldjya so" and then ignore them,
but.... I'm a sucker for a challenge and they are family, so I'm
going to see if I can help them out.
I'm hoping I can, because he needs the song for a wedding that's
happening tomorrow and it'd be good for me to have a few Wintel
victories under my belt. I'd link to Scotty's site, but I don't know
if he even has one up yet.
And I'd just like to say that I'm proud of my Aunt Mergy for
sending me the e-mail instead of refusing to have anything to do with
the computer at all.
And they've got a cable modem. Checking out their computer's gonna
be fuuuuun. *Grin*
"...And in other news..."
Speaking of Wintels and me... I want/need a new computer. I want a
tangerine iBook so bad I can almost taste it... Mmmm, tangerinie! I
could even -buy- one, and then pay for it in installments, 'cause I
have... (Insert fanfare here) A Checking Account! Yes, I finally have
one. I haven't written any checks, yet, 'cause I'm waiting for all
the computers to get updated. Working in the computing industry makes
you wary of things that get set up via computers -- I saw the woman
at my bank setting it up on the screen before my very eyes, but... I
don't know that I was fully present in the system at eleven-thirty
this morning.
It's kind of exciting to have a checking account. Now, when I'm
out of cash, I can just write a check. Or use my check-card, when I
get it. That's just wild... My mother also pointed out that I can use
the check card for online purchases, which is both handy and
dangerous. Handy because it means that I wouldn't have to wait to
send money to whoever I was buying from (thereby freeing me from
having to remember to throw the check in the mail), but dangerous
because I could quickly (and easily) run myself out of money in a
heartbeat. Amazon alone would eat up the balance in checking, and I'd
probably blow the savings on something like Gundam models. Or more
clothes I don't need.
It's a really good thing that I don't have a lot of strangers over
to my house. I have so many baby-name books that it looks like I'm
chronically pregnant and indecisive. Which I would be, if I were ever
to have a child. I'm not so good at naming a real live human... I'd
follow all the rules, but I'd be so tempted to use names like
'Spoonbill' and 'Cadwalleder' and 'Lemuel'.
My Rules For Naming A Child (Occasionally Applicable To RPG
Characters, But Not Always):
Pick a name that sounds relatively dignified at any age. Sure,
'Muffy' might be the one that makes your heart melt, but can you
imagine singing "Happy Birrrr-thdaaaaay deeeeeear Mu-uffeeeee,..."
to a 101-year-old woman? Or 'Dickie' for a cranky old codger?
(Well, actually, a woman with a Southern accent could -probably-
get away with it -- Cultural variations, of course, are allowed to
influence these rules. I never said they were hard-and-fast, after
all.)
Choose one that is not easily made into either A)
psyche-damaging nicknames B) other slurs, epithets, or annoying
schoolyard rhymes. My name only rhymes with 'cannon' and 'dannon',
pretty much, and no one even really figured -that- out until we
did poetry in 10th grade and we had to write limericks with one
another's names.
Remember that this -is- a baby human being that will grow up
into an adult. If you have to name them something like 'Muffy' or
'Biff' or Lemuel Johannes, at least give them a good solid
(traditional, even) middle name. Or a pair of middle names -- Biff
William Sterling. Muffy Christina Louise. Lemuel Johannes Handzus
Bartecko Jagr The Third. (<-- Kidding!)
Choose obscure saints if you decide to adhere to the
firstname-saint pattern of naming. Louella Agnes. Bartholomew
Conrad. Theoderic Cobol. *Cough* I told you I wasn't good at
naming people.
If you decide to choose a name from a culture other than the
one your ethnic background places you in, learn the proper
pronunciation, spelling, and -meaning- of the name. Just because
'Yaro(u?)' sounds pretty in Japanese is not enough. Naming your
child Yaro(u) may elicit giggles, horror, or anger and puzzlement
among Japanese people, because it's not a very polite term.
So there are the things I keep in mind when naming characters, if
not people. I pay particular attention to nicknames, partly because
they're good for measuring a Cs tolerance for annoyance and partly so
I'll have something to call them for short. Blackwater Portent Jones
is a little unwieldy to type out over and over again, and why call
him B.J.? That's awkward -- reaching for those keys doesn't exactly
make for fluid typing. So I (and most other people) call him Beej.
Fluid typing, easy to say, and he responds to it.
Mercy and Grace are a couple that I don't have short-short forms
for. I have no idea if you -can- make a pet name out of 'Mercy'...
'Merced', I suppose. 'Misericordia' is a little awkward. Grace is
usually changed to 'Gracie', which is another letter and a whole
syllable longer, but it works.
Richard is just Richard, or occasionally Rick. Rickie and Dickie
were rejected by him in his formative years, and I for one am NOT
about to argue with him.
Nor will I be arguing with Kothali, who's short-short name is just
Ko. I do enjoy typing out Khobelithalichen, though, because it looks
a lot more complicated than it is and because I'd rather use the
long, polite form ofhis name than get glared at.
Vic and Marc, of course, are nice and short. I like the name
Victor, though, and Marc-Paul fits the mouth well.
Most people tend to drop the final syllable of my name after
they've known me for a while. Few people can get away with doubleing
the first syllable, and there are only a couple of people that I'd
let add a long-e sound to it in place of the final syllable. I don't
think anyone's ever giving me a nickname that was -not- based on my
name that truly -stuck- to me. Even my Elvis label is fading and
peeling... Which is actually kind of okay.
Eek! I need to go to bed! So, oyasumi nasai!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:41 AM |
Wednesday, October 04, 2000
Some stuff I like about some stuff I've got...
-- Internet Explorer handles window resizes -soooo- much better than Netscape. Change the size of an IE window and everything adjusts with a minimum of fuss. NS? Two weeks later, I'm -still- waiting for my web-page to reload...
-- My butterscotch-and-blue plaid schlep-shirt. I can go anywhere, do anything in this shirt, it's just that damn spiffy. I'm going to get my mother to make me another two or three of these things, in different materials... Maybe even taffetta or satin, if I can convince her to work with it. Either that or I learn to sew myself... Yeek.
-- My collection of hair-things. I'm actually beginning to learn to -do- stuff with my hair and the various pins/sticks I've got.
-- My job. I've got a kid that's making straight As in both of her classes, and I'm so proud! I could just burst.
-- My typing skills, which are actually better than I percieved them to be. I still look at the keys most of the time, dot-covered or not. I think it's something of a psychological thing -- I don't -think- I'll make as many mistakes if I look. (This is not at all true, as those that know me well can attest, and despite Mario's protests.... Hee.)
-- My brother. He bought Desparado (Antonio Banderas/Salma Hayek) and Sleepy Hollow (Jonny Depp/Christina Ricci) today, providing the both of us plenty of pretty people to drool over.
Some other stuff about other stuff...
Heh. I finally got some writing done. Now all I have to do is get into a transcripty mood and get it distributed... I'll probably do that Friday afternoon.
Found Some Like It Hot! Now Mme. Jean and I can watch it... Maybe even tomorrow. Ooh.
I fixed Mme. Jean's family's printer today, which necessitated a trip to CluelessUSA. At least this time I wasn't buying Mac stuff... Got in line behind a family that was buying an expensive computer which they paid cash for (which didn't surprise me). The huge amount of cash required the cashier to do a whole bunch of complicated little scans and tweaks and rehashes of some security procedure, which took about ten minutes. This resulted in us missing Tenchi In Tokyo -and- most of BM:TAS... Could have been worse, I suppose. The printer cartridges could have preciptiated a Pack Of Gum incedent, requiring four cashiers, two supervisors, a manager and a call to CUSA's register-tech support.
Tip Of The Day: To rebuild the desktop of your Mac, hold the Apple/flower/propeller/whatever -you- call the key located immediately to the left (or left and right, depending) of your space bar -and- the option key during start up. Click 'Okay' at the dialogue box, and wait. You and your Mac will be happier for it.
Rants and other negative stuff.
I'm officially annoyed with TVT Records and Maverick Records. All I wanted to do was get on their paper-catalog mailing list, and I can't find it on either site. And yeah, maybe I didn't look hard enough, or something... But you'd think that the designers/idea men would say "Hey, y'know, let's make the catalog an easily-accessable thing, 'cause people will probably want to get it sent to them."
But then again, I've always been too damned logical for most people. Though I love the message you get when you try to look at the TVT site with IE -- "If you still want to ride the short bus..." The TVT site itself, I shall add, is not exactly my idea of a well-thought-out site. Who's idea was the little non-resizable popup, and how can we make sure they never design again? About the only -good- thing about them is that they chose to use a font-size that is actually readable, rather than going with the trendy 9 or 7 (or in some cases, I swear it's -5-) point font. Don't designers understand that people have to -read- their sites?
Pennangalan Dreams is a great example of the Teeny Font problem. I dare you to read the description of a pair of boots, I just dare you... Er, at least it's waaaay too teeny to read in IE. Perhaps -that's- been my problem all along...? *Sheepish little smile* It looks like that was it. Yeesh. It has NOT been my week for making grand statements and sweeping generalizations, since the second I open my mouth, I step hard on my tongue. An' it -huuuths!- *Snerk*
My face and I not exactly the best of friends, but I'd recently been getting to feel a little more....confident, I guess, and definitely more comfortable with it. But now... I don't know what changed, but something did, and I can't find the positive anymore. I kind of don't think that my family wants me to feel positive about it, which stings a little. This is my -family-, who's _always_ told me they loved me no matter what, before.
In an abrupt change of topic, I -love- the sound of the marimba. It sounds like... Water, or something. It's great. *Grin*
"I want that!" -- Crow, Eegah.
Actually, I think I want -these-. Or maybe these... Mmm. Yeah. I could kick ass in those babies.
I like the term and the images the term 'babygoth' brings to mind. I know that it means 'a goth that is under the age of majority', but... I just keep seeing little pale infants with eyeliner and skull-bedecked pacifiers. It's funnier in my head, trust me.
And on that silly note, I'm going to bed. G'night.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:25 PM |
Monday, October 02, 2000
Is it wrong to lie to strangers? I just got a 'Q message from someone using the name 'Julia' for an online casino. I fired off a note in return, telling 'her' that "I do not smoke, drink or gamble, for those things are sinful. Please do not send me any more messages." I don't smoke, drink(*) or gamble, but I also don't think they're necessarily sinful... I think reading Something Awful is bad for me.
* -- I drink on Sedar, and only about a third of a -small- glass at that. My alcohol consumption can be measured in ounces... Or milliliters, for those so inclined. I just had the You Need To Get Drunk argument AGAIN, coupled this time with the suggestions that I eat pot brownies, take methamphetamines, and/or suck down some Nitrous Oxide. *Shakes head* What do I have to do to convince them to leave me the fuck alone? Scream at them? My head hurts, I don't feel good, I don't want to go to school tomorrow, and I really, really, REALLY want an SO to basically maul until I haven't a sexual feeling in my body.
It would be easy, sometimes, to just reach out for what I want. To just lean over, wrap arms around, and plant a kiss right on that mouth... WHY? Why do I feel this way? Why do I have to feel this way? Why do I have to be this way?
Why am I such a wimp? Why am I so vain? Why am I so spineless, so malleable, so -human-? Why am I so fixated on how I look? On how I don't look? WHy can't I let things go? Why do I feel like the only freak in the world? Why do other people have such a hard time just dealing with it, with me? God, just for a day, let them all be me. Let them see, God, what I see, feel what I feel, hear what I hear. Let them finally understand their cruelty, conscious or not. MAke them see, open their eyes, minds, and hearts...
I'll give -you- some advice, bitch...
Bearded chicks don't want your advice. They don't want your sympathy, pity, sidelong glances, or snickers. We don't want your scorn, your disrespect, or your disregard. We don't want your smirks, suggestions, or (in some cases), compliments.
We want your respect. We want your full, -professional- attention. We want your interest in our words and ourselves, not in our faces or our hair.
We want you to treat us just like you treat any other "normal" woman. We want you to remember that just because we look different does not mean that we have no eyes, no ears, and no feelings. We are not insensate dolls, brought to life by some twisted Frankenstein for your amusement. We are not stupid, retarded, or otherwise impared. We feel. We see. We hear.
We want -you- to ignore how we look. We want you to pretend, just like we pretend, that it doesn't exist. Don't be syrupy or sappy or too-perky. We can tell when you're faking it.
At least, -I- want to be treated like anyone else, and I -can- tell.
Oh, and for those two guys in the truck at the corner of Lk Otis and 68th? I could see you.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:08 PM |
I SOOO want this shirt. Yeah, maybe I'm a newbie to the world of alt.gothic.fashion, but damn... This Chick Digs Skinny Pale Guys, at least. Or Buff Pale Guys, or Goth As Fuck Guys... Goth Guys, yum... How could you -not- like something like that? *Cough*
I want a bow like hers, too.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:28 PM |
Okay, one last thing I found while cleaning up:
Untitled, as of yet, and something I whipped up using my Magnetic Poetry kit.
He desires
Naked ice
Salt lingering
On moist lips
A blue moon for
Long summer hours
At the pool
And
A man's embrace
To hold [him] against the
Universe
That he has
A lover is
No[t a] secret
Nothing less than
Magic.
Yeah. And you wonder why I don't write poetry any more.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:33 PM |
Sunday, October 01, 2000
Okay, time for some links.
Gothable Patterns --
This site suffers from TeenyFont, though most of the important bits
are readable. I can understand using little fonts for things like
copyrights and contact info that has to go on every page, but... Not
for the main links. Not for the stuff you -want- people to see...
</whining>
Vicious
Venus. Corsets and more. I don't know that I'll ever own a corset
-- I'd want one that was comfortable, and corsets have -never- looked
comfortable to me. The site's okay -- some lovely if too-small
pictures, no prices (but then, they do custom work, so maybe it's one
of those depends-on-the-materials things)... They're in Australia,
which makes it kind of hard for me to get anything from them. Sigh.
Antimony and Lace --
DIY Goth clothes. Yeah, more. It's a phase, okay? I think I'm getting
to actually be a kid, now, now that I have the money and the driver's
license to do so. When I was growing up, I didn't get to do
everything that most kids do. We were poor and we lived way the hell
out where the buses didn't run, not that I wanted to ride the bus
anyhow.
---------------
So I've been trying to shoe-shop online. I always forget that -my-
idea of 'pretty' and 'sexy' and 'attractive' is either completely at
odds with everyone -else's- ideas, or that it severely overlaps those
of foot/shoe/sock fetishists. Not that I have anything against the
admiration of a well-turned ankle in velvet or silk or lace, but it
gets kind of...difficult, to look for these things and then want to
-order- them when the sites are all covered with fetish-this and
fetish-that.
I think I just don't want to have to answer questions from my
family. *Blink* It doesn't help that I'm decidedly single and weird,
either. How do I tell my mother that I'm not buying these things
(most of which are all academic, at the moment) because I want to
dress up like a cut-rate floozie and troll 4th avenue for customers,
but rather that I just want to try it out? I guess I could just tell
her -that-. *Rolls eyes* I'm such a dork sometimes, I swear...
Yum! You're mocha. Intense, rich, and a little complex, you're
as tasty as they come.
Yeah, it's cheezy, and yeah, everybody and their uncle takes these
kinds of tests. But they're fun, and I like to see what sort of
strange conclusions other people can draw about me from a limited
amount of information.
Recent Acquisitions:
AK Women's Run T-shirt with the beautiful crane from this
year's poster on it.
3rd Security Squadron T-shirt, which I bought because I
couldn't stand not having some mysterious security
shirt.*
A new pair of blue jeans! Yaaaay! I still need a couple more,
but one will do for now.
An ankle-length silk skirt, in granny-pink with blue, white,
and kind of peachy-orange flowers on it. I'm still trying to
decide if I want to dye it or not.
2 more pairs of fishnets.
A Sick Sad World logo sticker for me, a Buttercup glitter
sticker and a die-cut heart sticker that has the word 'evil' on it
for Mme. Jean, and a secret sticker for Reesa.
The Adventures Of Kotetsu, subtitled.
* We went to the Army/Navy Surplus store today, which was pretty
cool. They have some great shirts -- blue-and-white Russian Naval
Sailor's Blouses, for instance, and black T-shirts that say 'Navy' in
big block letters. I wanted one of each, but I can't move myself to
pay 22.50 for a shirt that's not made of anything rare and special.
Maybe I'll get a Navy shirt for Christmas or something.
I'm something of a sucker for official-looking clothing that
doesn't have anything important behind it. I'd wear an Eclectica Mall
Security shirt, or a Krushers Team Physician shirt or something...
I'd wear a Navy t-shirt even though I'd only join the Navy if I had
absolutely no other option. I love military dress uniforms and
insignia, though I'm loathe to join up and get my own. I want a Guild
seal tattoo, for crying out loud.
So anyhow. Oh! The white T-shirts! *Grin* Like I said above, I'm a
sucker for official-looking things, and I like T-shirts that say
funny or clever things. (One of my recent faves reads 'Give me a
dollar and I'll go away.', but that's mostly because it reminds me of
Adam.)
So I've decided I'm going to make my own shirts. So far, I think
I'll have one that simply reads 'Dyslexics have more nuf'. Or maybe
my mother's favorite -- 'Dyslexia feeds my family'.
I know another one will be a Krushers shirt -- I even came up with
one for the booster club:
"Konamasi Krushers Booster Club -- Crazy women singing
Finnish lullabies and making Mama's own Späetzle since 1958."
