certified adorkability™

drop the pilot.. try my balloon

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:08:45 GMT

Made some icons and thought I should promote them for once. Not because they're particularly special, but because I can.

They're for "Chuck" (aka, the show that Matthew Bomer starred in for, like, 5 minutes), "Entourage" and "Reaper" and here's a little preview:

For the rest just hop over to galbrush. :)

Also, a very quick glance at the new pilots I watched so far:

The Good

Aliens In America
Chuck
Dirty Sexy Money
Gossip Girl
Journeyman
Pushing Daisies
Reaper

The Lame

Back To You
Big Bang Theory
Big Shots
Life
Life Is Wild

The Ugly

Bionic Woman
Carpoolers
Moonlight

That's 7 out of 15 shows I will continue watching. Meaning, as far as personal statistics go, my ratio of yay to nay is definitely up on the nay side. If that makes any sense. Either way, I'm relieved.

My favorite new show so far is "Reaper", with "Pushing Daisies" and "Chuck" being a close second and third. The biggest surprise for me was "Aliens in America", because I really didn't expect anything, least of all something good. And the biggest disappointment was arguably "Bionic Woman". Which is funny, because I didn't even have high hopes for that show. It was just so damn boring. Katee Sackhoff's performance as the big bad supervillain was borderline comical, but unfortunately not at all funny, because the show obviously takes itself VERY seriously. Too bad, really. Also, the whole thing looks astonishingly cheap and uninspired. Same goes for "Moonlight", btw. I'm sorry, maybe shows like "Heroes" or "Supernatural" set the bar for slick cinematography a little bit too high, but that's no excuse for looking so damn dull. And the effects, OMG! When Jaime Somers went all Speedy Gonzales on us in one of those highly familiar Canadian forests I was actually cringing. Wow.

Anyway, now I talked more about the bad stuff than I intended to. Next stop "Women's Murder Club", which I'm kind of looking forward to.

Hugo doesn't live here anymore

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:36:27 GMT

My TV made "Boom" yesterday. :(

Or, well, actually it was more like "Poof", I guess. Like a burned out light bulb. Only bigger. Or maybe a reversed micro explosion. Just.. you know? Damn! My heart actually skipped a beat. So not cool.

Anyway, after 2 minutes of checking if it really was dead (it was) and 2 seconds of completely freaking out about it, I calmed down and told my mom. Not that she could help me, but that's beside the point, because it's just one of those things that you have to tell somebody to actually realize what just happened. And boy, did I realize. Especially that I don't have the money to buy a new one. So I watched some pilots on my computer (not great, but better than nothing) to distract myself a little bit and then later that night checked some eBay listings in hope of finding something cheap and used and local. And I did. Well, nothing definitive, but I took note of them, anyway, so I could call those people the next morning.

Cue the next morning, after breakfast, me checking the eBay listings again.. and suddenly there it was. The very same brand and model that just died on me last night for an acceptable Buy-It-Now price and in a town just half an hour away. The only difference was the color, because instead of the same old anthracite it was in big bright shining white. Not exactly what I imagined, but it was a TV and it worked and that was good enough for me. So I called the guy, he gave me his address, we met, he showed it to me and..

..I fell in love!

Not with the guy, of course, but with the TV. The funny thing about that is, I always hated my old one (after taking that picture I chased a mosquito and, by jumping on the mattress, accidentally catapulted Hugo [that's the name I gave him back in 1996] from the bed, btw. Oops!). I thought it looked kind of stupid and lame and seriously hideous. But once I saw the same model of the same brand in a new color (or, you know, white.. since that's not exactly a color) I was completely smitten, because I think it's seriously beautiful. Suddenly all those bumps and curves look like they're coming straight out of the Panton era and I love that. =)

So, yeah, looks like there's really such a thing as "Glück im Unglück". Of course, it's not really the most clever move to buy a TV that is probably just as old as the one that just broke, but right now I don't care. Hugo might be dead, but long live Giselle.

Oh, and look, my cat. ^_^

everbody's talking 'bout the new season already, so why can't I?

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:35:20 GMT

So I'm a little late, because the new season has already started and all, but I kind of doubt anyone was actually waiting for this, so whatever. Just like last year this is mostly for my own pleasure, which is funny, because it can be a royal pain in the ass to write sometimes. I happened to revisit last year's list a couple times, though, so at least it doesn't seem to be in vain.

Generally I'd say I was pleased with last season. A lot of stuff got cancelled that I wish wouldn't have, but it's not like that's something new. I wouldn't say I'm used to it, but.. you know? It was also a little weird, because I was usually watching most of these shows with my brother, but since he moved out (and we moved elsewhere) half way into the season, watching the latter half was kind of a new experience for me. For instance, I cried a lot more. Then again, maybe I just got more reason to, I don't know. Oh, and the move brought yet another change with it (albeit a temporary one), because since so many shows were piling up during the months where I couldn't really watch anything, I watched a lot of them in chunks after that. You know, like 4 to 8 (and the occasional 11) episodes in a row. That was definitely interesting, but I'm not planning to make a habit out of it.

Anyway, let's get this over with. I apologize in advance for typos, missing words or sentences that give you headaches, but due to length I'm just not in the mood to proof read it over and over. Also be aware that there are a few spoilers in here (which is to be expected, I guess.. however, I tried to keep them to a minimum) and that there are once again 66 small images about to load simultaneously when you click on one of the LJ cuts.

Which reminds me, if anyone cares to have one of those pictures in it's original size (which is quite big in most cases) just say something, because I wasted so many hours to hunt them all down and would feel much better about it, if I could at least share my findings.

------------------

PAST

24 (Season: 6 / Episodes: 24 )

Okay, so I fast-forwarded a lot. And I rolled my eyes even more. And I really, really hated the whole "Jack's Dad is the bad guy.. oh, and he's nuts!"-storyline, but.. other than that it wasn't all that bad. Granted, I had low expectations, but it was definitely better than some people made it seem.

Memorable scene: VAMPIRE JACK!!! XD

Favorite episode: With episode titles like that how should I even begin to remember?

Worst episode: See above.

Battlestar Galactica ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 20 )

I like this show a lot more when I'm not actually watching it, because when I'm actually watching it half the time I'm either bored to death or seriously pissed off and.. this was no different (possibly even more true than ever) with season 3. Maybe it's my general beef with politics and religion and the fact that everything good about this show gets overshadowed by these two aspects all the frakking time. Maybe not. Either way, I'm very content with it all ending next season and now I just hope they don't completely fuck things up.

Memorable scene: Helo shirtless, woohoo!

Favorite episode: "Crossroads"

Worst episode: "Collaborators"

Brothers & Sisters ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 23 )

Pretty much from the first episode on this show took my heart and ran with it and by episode 4 it was my new favorite show and still is. I love the family dynamics, I love the vastly different set of characters, I love the humour and the drama and, yes, I obviously love the gay content, especially since the people involved are not just of the cardboard cutout stereotype variety. It is love, simple as that, and I can't wait for season 2.

Memorable scene: The kiss between Kevin/Scotty in "For The Children". I was still pretty hyper from their first kiss in "Date Night" and I didn't expect there to be another one so soon, because.. um, it's network TV after all. Little did I know back then that this show would actually continue to keep it real and not let their gay characters release sexual tension in nothing but a damn hearty hug all the time.

Favorite episode: "For The Children"

Worst episode: "Game Night" ..it had all the right ingredients, but something was off.

Cold Case ( Season: 4 / Episodes: 24 )

Awesome as always. Still one of my favorite crime shows with one of the best good episode/bad episode ratios. I really enjoyed all the little character bits this season, although I think some of them were dropped too soon (like that love interest for Vera). I also could've lived without that sappy song at the end, but the finale had a very strong third act nonetheless and Lily's last words (for now, anyway) were especially haunting.

Memorable scene: Jamie Bamber's first appearance in "Blood On The Tracks". Cute as a button and it was nice seeing him in real "earth clothes" (albeit being from the early 80s) for a change.

Favorite episode: "Forever Blue" ..I would even go as far as calling it the best episode ever, but due to the subject matter I'm biased, I guess.

Worst episode: "Shuffle, Ball Change" ..not a bad episode per se, but the motive was rather lame.

CSI ( Season: 7 / Episodes: 24 )

Yay, a season-long mystery serial killer. And a quite eerie one at that. I really enjoyed that. What I did not enjoy so much was Greg and the fannysmackin' and all the stupid stuff with the brother of that kid. Very annoying. And Grissom's leave of absence with Keppler's conveniently timed demise once Grissom got back was kind of silly. But the cases were still strong and that's really all that counts, right?

Memorable scene: The opening scene of "Fallen Idols". Beautifully done.

Favorite episode: "Lab Rats"

Worst episode: "Meet Market"

CSI:New York ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 3 )

I think I've established last time how frustrated I was with the second season, so since none of the reasons for my criticism had changed when the third season started, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I immediately quit this show for good.

Memorable scene: Umm.. a thrill-seeking couple bungee-jumping naked from the Brooklyn Bridge in the season opener. Had no relevance to any of the cases, of course.

Favorite episode: "Heart Of Glass" ..okay, so I did watch an episode beyond 3x03, but only because of Justin Hartley.

Worst episode: "Love Run Cold"

Day Break ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 13 [Cancelled] )

Surprisingly yet another cancelled series that had a perfect 13 episode run with a satisfying end (I wrote this after my "Six Degrees" bit, sorry ;)). The show was actually quite addictive, but I knew from the start that it had a limited expiration date, so I'm glad the writers didn't get the chance to screw things up. Still, I'm curious what the plan for a possible second season would have been.

Memorable scene: There were quite a few shocking and memorable twists, but I don't want to spoil anyone, just in case.

Favorite episode: "What If He Walks Away"

Worst episode: Nada.

Desperate Housewives ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 23 )

Well, this show definitely got it's groove back in my opinion. There were some so-so episodes in the beginning and I wasn't too hot about the Ian thing, but I really liked that this season's mystery was wrapped so early in the game (probably due to Marcia Cross' pregnancy), so that they could shift the focus to the little things. Lynette's storyline was especially engaging and played out really nice, I think. The scene where she and Tom got the news from the doctor was as heartbreaking as it was hopeful, because you knew that they'd have to put their differences into perspective and stick together now.

Memorable scene: Edie "jumping the rope", so to speak. Despite her manipulative nature I really felt for her.

Favorite episode: "Bang"

Worst episode: "Come Play Wiz Me"

Dexter ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 12 )

See, when a show is this awesome I really don't know what else to say. The cast is endearing, the cinematography is beautiful, the humour is hilarious, the blood level is high, the tension is gripping and the lead is a serial killer. What more could one want? Oh, yes, Jennifer Carpenter! Love.

Memorable scene: THE flashback scene from "Seeing Red". Those who've seen the episode know which one I mean.

Favorite episode: "Seeing Red"

Worst episode: No such thing.

Dirt ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 13 )

I genuinely like this show. The pilot was a mess, but after two/three episodes it really got the hang of things and Courteney Cox' performance continually rocked my socks. Her character, Lucy, is essentially a bitch, yet you hate her, feel sorry for her and respect her all at the same time. She's definitely made of awesome.

Memorable scene: Lucy suffering from insomnia and then finally falling asleep on Don's lap. Cutest thing ever.

Favorite episode: "Ita Missa Est".. I think. Or maybe "The Thing Under The Bed". Tough call.

Worst episode: "Pilot"

Doctor Who ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 13 )

Funny enough, the disappointment that was "Torchwood" made me appreciate the new season a whole lot more. At least at first. Then the Daleks came back. And those god-awful two-parters. And the worst finale with the most boring bad guy ever. And.. this might sound harsh, but sometimes I wonder why I even bother watching anymore, when I clearly don't enjoy the majority of episodes. I did like Martha, though.

Memorable ~~scene~~ piece of dialogue:
Kathy Nightingale: What did you come here for anyway?
Sally Sparrow: I love old things. They make me feel sad.
Kathy Nightingale: What's good about sad?
Sally Sparrow: It's happy for deep people.

Favorite episode: The same one that piece of dialogue is from.. "Blink"

Worst episode: "The Lazarus Experiment"

Drive ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 6 [Cancelled] )

This show was gone so fast that I don't have much to say, really. I watched all 6 episodes in one go and while I think I might've eventually grown tired of the premise I very much enjoyed the ride (forgive the pun). Too bad it had to end on a cliffhanger.

Memorable scene: It was all moving so fast, sorry.

Favorite episode: I honestly can't say. From what I recall they were all pretty excellent.

Worst episode: See above.

Entourage ( Season: 4 / Episodes: 12 )

My aversion to Billy kind of overshadowed the season for me. He just makes my skin crawl, so yeah.. not much to enjoy here. I still love the show and all, but I really hope he will be gone in season 5, because I'm not sure, if I can go through all that again. Ari's still my hero, though.

Memorable scene: Ari reconciling Lloyd with his estranged boyfriend played by no one else but Brandon Quinn from "Big Wolf On Campus" fame. Hee.

Favorite episode: "Gotcha!"

Worst episode: "Snow Job"

Family Guy ( Season: 5 / Episodes: 18 )

Yep, still awesome, thank you very much.

Memorable scene: There's too much in my head right now than that I could properly pinpoint a single scene.

Favorite episode: "Road To Rupert"

Worst episode: *shrug*

Farscape ( Season: 4 / Episodes: 22 [Cancelled] )

Wowza, where do I begin? Those last two seasons were quite the rollercoaster ride, that's for sure. So much amazing, funny and sad stuff happened and I'm feeling all kinds of fuzzy inside only thinking about it. The finale actually caught me completely off guard, because for some reason I wasn't prepared to say goodbye, yet (I mean, I knew it was the end when I saw it, but my mind just couldn't grasp the magnitude of what that meant, I guess), but fortunately "The Peacekeeper Wars" was the essence of what a finale should be like, so that cushioned the oomph! a little bit and I was therefore left with the exact right amount of both satisfaction and melancholy. Still.. I miss this show.

Memorable scene: Well, there's a gazillion to choose from, obviously, but the one that popped into my head first was John shooting Android!Aeryn (or whatever :P) in "Bringing Home The Beacon". So heartbreaking, especially since it meant that these two wouldn't see each other again for quite some time and I hate it when John and Aeryn are apart. *pouts*

Favorite episode: "Dog With Two Bones"

Worst episode: "Mental As Anything"

Ghost Whisperer ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 3 )

The whole Boo! Scare! routine was really getting on my nerves and my love for David Conrad only goes so far, you know? Thanks for the ride, but no thanks.

Memorable scene: Annoying ghost #23 throwing annoying tantrum #21.

Favorite episode: "Love Never Dies"

Worst episode: "Drowned Lives"

Gilmore Girls ( Season: 7 / Episodes: 22 [Cancelled] )

The seventh season seems to have been taken a lot of beating from "the fans". Not sure why I point that out right now, but I was just wondering what those same people will do with all their free time now that the show has ended and all, hmm. Anyway, while I did happen to like the season quite a bit I was actually okay with bidding farewell. Didn't change the fact that I was bawling my eyes out for the last 20 minutes of the final episode, though. I can say with absolute certainty that I never cried so much over a TV show. Madness!

Memorable scene: Do I really have to spell it out for you?

Favorite episode: "Bon Voyage"

Worst episode: "Merry Fisticuffs"

Grey's Anatomy ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 25 )

So much has been said already about the quality of the third season and I'm seriously sick of it. The talking, I mean. I love the show to bits and no stupid professor ex-boyfriend or (supposedly) out-of-nowhere-confessions-of-love or behind-the-scenes-hissy-fits can change that. I'm just glad Burke is gone. Not because he's a bad actor, not even because of all the silly drama surrounding the f-word (well, the other f-word) incident and definitely not because of his skin color (him claiming that was the reason for why he got the boot? HILARIOUS!!! ^_^), but just because I can't stand the guy.

Memorable scene: Meredith getting hit by her father. That was.. traumatic. I actually cried.

Favorite episode: That unofficial three-parter "Walk On Water", "Drowning On Dry Land" and "Some Kind Of Miracle".

Worst episode: "Scars and Souvenirs"? I don't know.

Hidden Palms ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 8 [Cancelled] )

Umm. It was okay. It tried to be the bastard child of "The O.C." and "Veronica Mars" and miserably failed at that (plus the mystery wasn't much of a mystery), but.. it was okay. At least the end was rather satisfying. I wish Kevin Williamson would get the groove of his heyday back, but if he keeps reveling in trashy guilty pleasure territory, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Memorable scene: Nothing memorable there, sorry.

Favorite episode: "Mulligan"

Worst episode: "Pilot"

House ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 10 )

Hmm.. I don't know. This might actually belong in the "Currents" section, but then again.. I don't know. I'm still on the fence about it, because I really don't know if I should continue watching. I stopped when we moved and just never felt like picking up again. It's not that I specifically dislike the show (well, except for the Tritter story arc, of course), but I just feel so blah about it and while I have many shows I feel blah about I still caught up with everything else eventually, so.. yeah, the fact that this is the only show I was never in the mood for says quite a lot, no? Who knows, maybe one day that'll change, but right now I'm quite fine with leaving it as it is.

Memorable scene: House at Cuddy's window in the season opener? That's really all I remember.

Favorite episode: "Fools For Love" ..kind of eww, but Ricky Ullman!

Worst episode: "Whac-A-Mole"? "Finding Judas"? Take your pick.

In Case Of Emergency ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 12 [Cancelled] )

David Arquette was in this. He's cute. So is Jonathan Silverman. Well, sometimes, anyway. And Kelly Hu is, like, HOT! I'm still gay, though. Anyhu (*muahaha* ^_^), not the best comedy ever, but definitely not the worst either.

Memorable scene: Jason & Joanna's first kiss. Aww.

Favorite episode: "Forbidden Love"

Worst episode: Umm..

John From Cincinnati ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 10 [Cancelled] )

This is the weirdest shit I have ever seen. It's so weird that after some time the weirdest thing that can happen is someone actually saying something coherent and logical and every time you get somewhat used to the weird one of the characters does something that completely blows your mind. It's that weird. And I love it. I always had a soft spot for perfect chaos on screen. It's basically art. Of course, there are lots of people who might disagree, because they only see pointless scene after pointless scene, but then again the same is true for Miró's "Blue" series, right? For me, it's all about the mood it sets and in "John from Cincinnati"'s case that was the perfect blend between tranquility and insanity. What could be more beautiful than that?

Memorable scene: The last moments from "His Visit: Day Five". The clearest distillation of brain poo I've ever seen. Absolutely fucking brilliant.

Favorite episode: "His Visit: Day Two"

Worst episode: "His Visit: Day Six"

Justice ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 12 [Cancelled] )

The whole "What really happened.." segment at the end of each episode was a brilliant idea and made this show somewhat special. During the pilot's closing moments I had goosebumps. I also enjoyed Victor Garber to no end (as always). Still, I'm pretty Zen about it's cancellation.

Memorable scene: The closing moments of the "Pilot", of course.

Favorite episode: "Wrongful Death" was pretty touching.

Worst episode: Can't remember.

Lost ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 23 )

Thank god for Juliet, because I don't think I would've survived the season without the cuteness that is her and Jack. I'm just so annoyed with a lot of stuff, especially Benry, whom I hate with all my guts.. or something. I can't even stand looking at the guy (yes, I'm actually looking elsewhere when he appears on screen). I'm also not sure how I feel about those flash forwards, but what does make my happy is that there's an end in sight, because it would suck if this show would just go on and on and on, so.. yeah, 48 episodes to go, woohoo!

Memorable scene: Juliet kissing Jack while Kate's looking. Hee hee (sorry, I'm cheap that way :P).

Favorite episode: "Exposé" ..so shitty it's good. ^_^

Worst episode: "The Cost Of Living"

Masters Of Horror ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 12 )

I can't really say I'm enjoying this series. There is maybe one episode in every season that is actually worth watching, but the rest ranges from "easily forgettable" to "waste of time" to "OMG, my eyes hurt!", so.. why, with a track record like that, do I not just resign and stop watching, you ask? Because I'm too curious for my own good and have a much higher tolerance for crap when it's labeled "horror" (even if it turns out to be false advertisement), that's why.

Memorable scene: Well, there was a scene in "Pro-Life" that made me kind of sick, but I spare you the details.

Favorite episode: "The Black Cat"

Worst episode: "We All Scream For Ice Cream".. complete and utter crap.

Medium ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 22 )

There's just so much right with this show. There's not a single boring episode and for a procedural crime show that's quite the achievement. It's also kind of relaxing and I still adore Allison/Joe, so.. yeah, there's really nothing to add that I haven't said last year already. Me loves and hopes it never gets cancelled.

Memorable scene: Jason Priestley's first appearance in "Head Games". I was actually screaming a little. And he stayed for three episodes no less, but that's really the only complaint I have about this season.

Favorite episode: "The One Behind The Wheel" ..quite heartbreaking and sooooo good. Happy sigh.

Worst episode: Everything with Jason Priestley in it, naturally.

Men In Trees ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 17 )

I guess this is what you'd call a feel-good show. You know, the ones you can't ever have enough of but are so few and far between. I was actually never a big fan of Anne Heche before, but she really charmed me with this one and I just enjoy watching. Also, yay for random eye candy. The only thing I'm not particularly fond of is how ABC treats the show, so.. yeah, saying that I'm worried about it's future is a real understatement.

Memorable scene: Marin/Jack having hot PG-13 sex in episode 5. Totally didn't see that one coming. Not so soon in the game, anyway.

Favorite episode: "Talk For Tat"

Worst episode: Umm.. "The Darkest Day"?

My Name Is Earl ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 23 )

Still a very fine example of a very funny show. That's about it. I think I didn't write much about it last year either, did I?

Memorable scene: Well, I do recollect quite a few scenes, but nothing I'd call memorable.

Favorite episode: "Our 'Cops' Is On"

Worst episode: Hmm..

Nip/Tuck ( Season: 4 / Episodes: 15 )

This season was kind of a let-down. It wasn't really bad, it was just.. it was missing a clear direction. The whole organ theft storyline was rather random, as was the relationship between Christian and Michelle. Oh, and what was the purpose of Brooke Shields character again? First she tried to convince Christian he was in love with Sean, then she went ballistic on him after clearly showing no further interest in her sexual advances and then the whole thing was just dropped? Me is confused. Me is also hopeful that the promised new start in Los Angeles next season will be exactly that, because the show could really use some fresh blood.

Memorable scene: Sean, the vomiting Santa. Eww. I'd say "Poor Chap", but at that point of the season I was way past any real sympathy for the guy.

Favorite episode: Not quite sure.. does it matter?

Worst episode: Conor McNamara, 2026 ..I hate to know how people will end up in the future, when the show's still running.

Numb3rs ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 24 )

My interest in this show is slowly, but steadily fading and some of the recent developments are not helping matters, so it really depends on the much touted season opener, if I will continue watching or not.

Memorable scene: Everyone finding out who's the mole in "The Janus List"

Favorite episode: "Traffic", maybe?

Worst episode: "Nine Wives".. I'm allergic to religious freaks.

October Road ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 6 )

So apparently this show has been voted "Worst New Show" in some dumb critic's poll. No idea how that happened. They either must've seen a different show than me or the critic's lobby has become exceptionally cynical. Either way, I like it. It is heartfelt and warm and absolutely nothing special, but that's exactly what I like about it. I don't think you continually have to reinvent the genre to deliver solid entertainment. Also the music kinda rules.

Memorable scene: Well, actually there's two.. the closing scene from 1x05, which had the dumbest, most hair-raising way ever to end an episode.. and then there's the opening scene from 1x06, which had the coolest, most awesome way ever to start an episode. Simple as that.

Favorite episode: "Best Friend Windows"

Worst episode: "Forever, Until Now".. just because of the aforementioned closing scene, not because the episode was actually bad, because the episode was actually quite good. ;)

Opposite Sex ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 8 [Cancelled] )

Wow, this show is from 2000. That's almost vintage, no? Anyway, the obvious reasons for watching this where a) it has only 8 episodes, b) one of them is titled "The Homosexual Episode" (only girl-on-girl content, though), c) Milo Ventimiglia, b) Allison Mack and e) Chris Evans!!! And omigod, they're all so tiny. ^_^

Memorable scene: Jed and Kate at the end of "The Virgin Episode". Aww.

Favorite episode: "The Virgin Episode"

Worst episode: "The Fantasy Episode"

Prison Break ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 22 )

I never know what to say about this show. I think I liked the second season even more than the first, but I could be wrong. It was exciting, though. And at least the whole vice-president's-brother angle is finally gone and dealt with. Now if only it wasn't for that damn setup for season 3. I know the picture was probably painted darker than it'll actually turn out to be, but still.. Michael and Mr. Agent Guy being imprisoned in Sona? That's pretty much the definition of "gah!".

Memorable scene: A particular train ride comes to mind.

Favorite episode: My memory's a bit of a mess in that department. Sorry.

Worst episode: See above.

Scrubs ( Season: 6 / Episodes: 22 )

I don't like J.D. anymore. He's an ass. Especially with women. I used to like him a lot, because of his goofy nature and the Donald Duck mentality, but I just can't get over the fact that he made Elliot break up with Sean (back in season 3) and then dump her right after. Especially now that history might repeat itself. That's two "especially"s.

Memorable scene: "Guy Love"! ^_^

Favorite episode: "My Musical"

Worst episode: "My Mirror Image"

Six Degrees ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 13 [Cancelled] )

This show was love. Especially Carlos/Mae, who were one of the cutest couples ever, even though they didn't spent a lot of time being one over the span of those 13 episodes. Still, love. The only reason I was content to see it getting cancelled was because the ending was perfect. Well, except for one single line of dialogue maybe, but I can totally ignore that.

Memorable scene: *hears a buzzer sound, because the time is up*

Favorite episode: "The Puncher"

Worst episode: "Ray's Back".. mainly because of Ray, not because the episode was actually bad.

Smallville ( Season: 5 / Episodes: 22 )

Oh, dear god. It's so long ago since I finished the season. I know I'm not up-to-date with this, but I think I told you before that I watch the show with my mom, so obviously we have to wait for the episodes to de dubbed and all. Anyway, I don't remember all that much, but I don't remember to have been bored either, so obviously it did a good job at entertaining me. Also, the 100th episode was quite the tearjerker. Le sigh.

Memorable scene: Chloe kisses Clark, woohoo!

Favorite episode: "Lexmas"

Worst episode: "Mercy" ..'twas okay, but the nods to "Saw" were rather silly.

Smith ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 7 [Cancelled] )

Of all the cancelled shows, this is the one I miss the most. You know why? Because it was made of awesome. It was also the first show of the season that got the boot (after four episodes, no less) and no one can tell me that the ratings alone are to blame, because ABC wouldn't just "pull a FOX", if there wouldn't be some bigger picture and I'm pretty sure that picture was tainted by the very content of the show and the fact that it portrayed thieves, con artists and homicidal psychopaths as, you know, human beings. I totally get that American companies don't want to run their ads in such an environment (well, okay, saying that "I get it" is a bit of an overstatement, but I certainly didn't expect anything else), but.. why ABC was so oblivious to think otherwise, THAT I don't get. Not that it matters anymore. Sigh.

Memorable scene: Jeff running from some mad drug dealer in a half-undressed wetsuit in episode "Six".

Favorite episode: "Six" ..Jeff rules all!

Worst episode: Okay, so the pacing of the "Pilot" wasn't really coherent and the whole thing ended, like, four times or something, but it was still rockin'.

Standoff ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 18 [Cancelled] )

I hate hostage situations. I really do. They're just unnerving and annoying and they always make me want to fast-forward, because I can't stand irrational people. Seriously, is it too much to ask to just stop what you're doing and think for a minute? I don't care what you've been through, there's no excuse for abandoning logic. Ever. Be reasonable, damnit! But I digress. And then again I'm not, because.. even though those very hostage situations are the premise of this show, I enjoyed it very much. Mostly because, despite of the procedural shenanigans, a good amount of screen time was still dedicated to the characters, who were all exceptionally likeable. Particularly because of Ron Livingston.

Memorable scene: Matt and Emily walking off into the "sunset" in the last scene of the last episode. Thank goodness.

Favorite episode: "One Shot Stop" was pretty neat.

Worst episode: "Road Trip" ..those religious freaks again.

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 11 [Cancelled] )

I think I'm not a fan of Aaron Sorkin. I've seen some episodes of "Sports Night" and didn't particularly like it. I've seen a few episodes of "West Wing" and it just wasn't my thing. And I've seen more than enough episodes of "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip" to know that it really, really bores me. At first this bothered me, because everyone's always saying how brilliant he is, but.. I think I made my peace with it now. Sure, people are talking fast and the dialogue is supposed to be some kind of revelation, but I found it more preachy than subtle, more pretentious than clever and .. well, you just can't like everything, right? Amanda Peet rules, though.

Memorable scene: Nothing worth mentioning.

Favorite episode: Must've slipped my mind, sorry.

Worst episode: "The Wrap Party"

Supernatural ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 22 )

I think this season was even better than the first. I also think "Croatoan" should've been a two-parter, because for an episode as awesome as that it was over much too fast. What I don't think, however, is that I really get what the contest between those "special children" in "All Hell Breaks Loose (Part 1)" was all about. Considering what little the winner actually had to do, it just doesn't make sense why Yellow-Eyed Demon didn't try to open the gate to hell with the help of some random "special child" years ago. Or why he didn't just threaten some ordinary guy to kill his loved ones, if he doesn't open that door for him. Or why he didn't throw enough dynamite on the train tracks to break the devil's trap and do the job himself. Or.. you catch my drift, don't you? If that was the sole purpose for why he created those "special children" in the first place then that's exceptionally sloppy writing, so hopefully they will elaborate on that a little more next season.

Memorable scene: The closing moments from "Heart". Quite the tearjerker.

Favorite episode: "Roadkill"

Worst episode: "Playthings" ..what the fuck? That was really, really awful.

The 4400 ( Season: 4 / Episodes: 13 )

This is what I wrote before watching the finale, because I originally planned to post this much sooner:
I'm usually not someone who agrees with those who complain all the time, but right now there's so much wrong with this show that I actually want to quit watching. It just all feels so random and I can hardly connect with any of the characters anymore. I mean, I still like Diana and Shawn and they're doing their best, but the one character I'm rooting for the most is the one character I hated the most last season: Isabelle. All I want her to do is stop the damn "movement", kill all the "marked" and get rid of that stupid manipulating bitch inside Kyle's head.. oh, and expose the "bible" as fake and pull Alana out of the 19th century along the way, thankyouverymuch.
Granted, none of that happened, of course, so.. I don't really know where I stand with this show now, but if I do what I always do I will watch the 5th season (in case there's going to be one.. I haven't checked), anyway.

Memorable scene: Hmm.. "Alana in Repose", I guess. Definitely one for the books as "Most pointless writing out of a character ever".

Favorite episode: "Audrey Parker's Come And Gone" had at least some good parts.

Worst episode: The first two episodes of the season were pretty bad. As was "Tiny Machines".

The Black Donnellys ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 1 1/4 [Cancelled] )

Okay, so technically this show has no right to be on this list. I only watched the Pilot and ten minutes of the second episode, but unlike other possible contenders ("Jericho" - 2 episodes, "The Nine" - 2 episodes, "30 Rock" - 2 episodes, "Shark" - 1 episode, "Ugly Betty" - 22 minutes) I actually had the best intentions of finishing the rest of them. Only that it was more than a year ago that I saw the Pilot and I just couldn't get into it again at all. Plus my TV show burnout was at it's peak back then, so.. yeah, maybe later, maybe not. Depends on my mood, really.

Memorable scene: Someone getting almost beaten to death (please don't ask for names.. the sensitive one?). The whole build-up to that scene was quite brilliant.

Favorite episode: "Pilot", haha!

Worst episode: How should I know?

The Class ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 6 [Cancelled] )

See? This is a classic example of what I was referring to, when I was talking about those damn hearty hugs gay people supposedly give each other all the time. Because god forbid they dare to lock lips, right? Right. Of course, that was only one of the reasons why I quit watching, but still.. always a major downer. Either go all the way or don't do scenes like that at all.

Memorable scene: Kyle dressed as a cowboy. Hee.

Favorite episode: "The Class Goes Trick-Or-Treating"

Worst episode: Oh, whatever.

The Lair ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 6 )

They're witches! They're vampires! They're gay vampire witches!!! No, seriously. If this premise and the picture above screams "TRASH!" to you and this would be a quiz you would've just won a waffle iron. It's one of those things where you're asking yourself the whole time particularly puzzling questions like "Who green lighted this?" and "How good of an actor do you have to be to keep a straight face while saying those ridiculous lines, yet still be completely unconvincing?". The answer to the latter is probably something between a performer in adult entertainment and Jason Priestley. Which only makes sense, since most of the people involved seem to have a background in the former. Still, it's kind of fascinating to watch (if only as a study how NOT to do it) and there are some redeeming side attractions, like, naked skin galore and no less than three softcore sex scenes per episode. Even though they're more giggle-inspiring than actually arousing.

Memorable scene: There was a particularly hilarious scene involving the only female character, her abusive boyfriend and a kitchen knife where I couldn't stop laughing. I think it was meant to be the dramatic climax of a domestic violence story arc, though.

Favorite episode: Now that's just mean.

Worst episode: See above.

The Loop ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 10 [Cancelled] )

OMG, what happened? I've never seen a show that took such a creative nose dive in it's second year. Season 1 was hilarious, funny and exceptionally adorable at the same time, but season 2 was the TV show equivalent of an awkwardly long fart noise, complete with the accompanying odour. It was close to unbearable to watch. I don't get it.

Memorable scene: I'm trying to forget all about it, thankyouverymuch.

Favorite episode: "Lady Business".. only because it focused on Meryl, though, who was the only truly funny character left.

Worst episode: Everything else.

The Lost Room ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 3 [Cancelled] )

I know, it's a miniseries, but it was obviously trying to become a regular show, so I think it still belongs here. Plus, it was actually pretty cool. It looked good, Peter Krause was in it, as was Julianna Margulies, and the story about a metaphysical room that can only be entered with a certain key and that has objects in it which all have different mysterious powers was definitely intriguing. Unfortunately we didn't get many answers in the end, but it was enough to kick-start some interesting theories and the whole build-up was very well done, so I don't regret watching this.

Memorable scene: Oh, I don't know. It's too long ago by now.

Favorite episode: Technically none, because there were just three of them and they were all of the same quality.

Worst episode: See above.

The Riches ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 13 )

You might have missed this, but I watch a lot of shows. So much that I sometimes start watching a new one with the hope of disliking it. It's completely retarded that I watch it in the first place, of course, but I just can't behave myself. Anyway, this show is a good example, because I went in there desperately hoping for it to suck. And at first it did. I was so delighted and kind of relieved, yet I wanted to finish at least the pilot (out of courtesy and all that) and.. well, what can I say? To my dismay, at the end of said pilot the tide had slightly changed. Not only was I totally smitten with this show, but it also left me with goosebumps. Seriously, it was that good. Damnit!

Memorable scene: Minnie Driver's first appearance.. with those god-awful braids. For a minute I thought that's going to be the look for her character, but thankfully she got rid of them pretty fast.

Favorite episode: "Pilot"

Worst episode: "This Is Your Brain On Drugs"

The Simpsons ( Season: 18 / Episodes: 22 )

I would start ranting about the "fans" again, but .. oh, why bother? If people like to watch stuff just so they can rip it to shreds later on the internet, then that's their problem, not mine. I'm just glad the show is still on, so that I can enjoy the weekly yellow mayhem.

Memorable scene: Guess what? Too many. :P

Favorite episode: "24 Minutes"

Worst episode: Of course, there were a few duds, but I don't remember which was the worst. Plus, even the worst episodes always have good parts.

The Tudors ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 10 )

If it wasn't for the costumes, the historical background (well, the few bits they actually chose to cover) and some very fine (and fine looking) actors I don't think I would've made it through the season. There's lots of stuff going on that I neither understand nor want to understand and there are more annoying and generally loathsome characters (King Henry always taking the cake by repeatedly upping the ante on the definition of pathetic) running around than in any other show I can remember. But (and this is a big but [*snickers*]) there's also Henry Cavill and Gabrielle Anwar and those two together are just TEH SEX! I also felt for poor Queen Katherine and there are some other minor characters that are fairly interesting, so.. yeah, I will keep tuning in, but I wouldn't mind if there's a bit more to like in season 2.

Memorable scene: Henry rubbing his royal member while some guy stands beside him holding a towel. That was.. weird.

Favorite episode: "Episode 7" ..or maybe "Episode 4"

Worst episode: Oh please, I'm glad I remembered my favorite, because the episode titles are not really triggering my memory, you know?

Torchwood ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 13 )

I think I'm at a loss here. On the one hand, the show takes the admirable approach to be more grown-up than "Doctor Who", on the other hand, it still has an enormous amount of over-the-top cheesiness. Plus, half the time I have no idea what's going on. Characters suddenly have all these strong emotions that (to me, anyhow) came out of nowhere or do things that (to me, anyhow) are inexplicably loathsome and where I wonder if the show actually still wants me to root for them. The most extreme example: Gwen drugging her boyfriend and confessing her betrayal only to get a cheap "I forgive you" out of him. I mean, sorry, but.. whoa, what was that???
Not only was the plan itself utterly stupid and doomed to fail, but also.. how in the world could anyone feel for her after that? I sure didn't. And that she didn't show any remorse (nor did anyone else, for that matter) about killing hundreds of people by opening the rift (and letting lose a horridly CGI-ed mess, that was painful to watch), just so that she could have her fucking boyfriend back in the finale, didn't exactly fix things. Seriously, the only people I still liked when the season ended were Captain Jack and Tosh. The first, because he didn't continually screw things up like the rest of them and the second, because she at least had some kind of naivety about her, so she wasn't fully aware of what she did when she screwed things up. Seriously, I'm all for heroes with flaws, but this was (for the most part) ridiculous.

Memorable scene: The closing moments of "Out Of Time", without a doubt the most enjoyable episode of the season.

Favorite episode: "Out Of Time"

Worst episode: "Cyberwoman"

Vanished ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 7 [Cancelled] )

Wow, this was cheese from beginning to end. Not that I've actually seen the end (I got my cue to leave when they got rid of their main character.. pretty weird move, but I can totally see why Gale Harold wanted to get out of there. Who can blame him, really?), but I've seen enough, believe me.

Memorable scene: All my memories have taken the title literally, sorry.

Favorite episode: It's times like these where I wish I wouldn't have come up with those categories.

Worst episode: See above.

Veronica Mars ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 20 [Cancelled] )

Okay, so the Veronica/Logan drama was a little too much for my taste. Every time it was on the forefront it was kind of dragging everything down with it. Also I think Logan was much too dopey-eyed and gloomy this season. I mean, come on, for a supposed bad boy he did a very convincing impression of a wuss. I wanted to grab and shake some life into him on more than one occasion. That being said, I still enjoyed the season and am deeply saddened by the show's "sudden" demise, especially since the last episode left a lot to be desired.

Memorable scene: The death of Sheriff Lamb. I wasn't spoiled, so that really hit me over the head.

Favorite episode: "Spit & Eggs"

Worst episode: "Un-American Graffiti"

What About Brian ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 19 [Cancelled] )

N'aww, I really hoped this show wouldn't be a goner. Especially since the ratings seemed to be pretty solid, but obviously solid isn't good enough anymore. Nonetheless I loved it's sophomore effort and at least one of the couples got their happy ending, so I can't complain too much about all the open threads ABC left us hanging with.

Memorable scene: Too many to count.

Favorite episode: "What About The Lake House.."

Worst episode: Nothing comes to mind.

Without A Trace ( Season: 5 / Episodes: 24 )

Why the fuck did they have to get rid of Anne? She was the best thing to happen to one of their characters in a long time and it was such a joy to watch her and Jack interact together. They were almost "cutest couple" material, but of course they had to cut them off prematurely, because apparently that's what TV does, right? Bzah! Other than that, the season was okay, business as usual, but.. yeah, that just pissed me off.

Memorable scene: Everything involving Jack/Anne. Aww.

Favorite episode: "Win Today"

Worst episode: "Desert Springs"

------------------

CURRENTS

Bones ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 6 )

So I haven't really watched any further than last year, yet, but I'm so planning to once I get some air here.

Burn Notice ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 6 )

Gah, what I said about "The Riches" was true here as well. I wanted for this show to suck and at first I thought it would, but then I was completely blown away by it's awesomeness. Jeffrey Donovan, Bruce Campbell (yep, the chin!), Sharon Gless (I don't know if she was Cagney or Lacey, but she was Michael Novotny's mom!) are all terrific (more exclamation marks!!! :D) , but the cream of the crop is once again Gabrielle Anwar. Excuse my language, but her character fuckin' rocks. Oh, and it's all wrapped in such a funny, slick and adorable package. You really have to start watching, you won't regret it.

Californication ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 4 )

Just a very cute (albeit broad-humour-filled) show. The amount of boobs was a little distracting at first, but it's not like I have a problem with that, so I'm cool. Also, you know, David Duchovny. And Natasha McElhone!!! And one of the kids from "The Nanny" as little Ms. Super Slut. Highly entertaining.

Eureka ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 8 )

This show is on crack. There's so much depressing, boring or generally blah stuff on TV at the moment that I can't emphasize enough how much I enjoy watching something light and fun. I also love how Carter's usually the "dumbest" guy in the room, yet he's always the one connecting the dots that lead to the resolution of the current crisis. He's my hero and I want him to get the girl, like, right now, woohoo! :P

Heroes ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 2 )

It's already a year ago since I watched those two episodes. I didn't stop watching, because I didn't like it, though. I stopped watching, because I liked it too much. It might sound retarded (again!), but the more I want to watch a show, the more I want to wait for it. Now one could argue that I took it a little bit too far here and I would actually agree, but part of it wasn't my fault. It was the move and me getting behind with every fucking show on the planet that's to blame. But I will catch up. Eventually. When I stop feeling like I have to rush things.
Oh, and what I always wanted to ask: "Seven Minutes To Midnight", "Six Months Ago", "Five Years Gone", "Four Months Later".. is that a countdown or what?

Kyle XY ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 0 )

Same problem, different show. Granted, I didn't fall behind here, because of the move, but I still had to watch so much other stuff, when the second season kicked off and I just didn't wanna rush things. Rewatched the first season, though, because it's awesome. Plus, there's slash. But since it's Disney that should be as surprising as sand in the Sahara.

Psych ( Season: 2 / Episodes: 4 )

Woohoo, this show is so much fun. I love it when you can see that everyone involved is having a blast and totally enjoying what they do. Especially when it rubs off on the viewer. Of course, the cases are still rather silly and the characters are more cartoonish than anything else, but that's completely beside the point.

Tell Me You Love Me ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 2 )

I love this show not because I particularly love this show, but because I love what comes out of people's mouths when they criticize it. It's like the ultimate asshole-o-meter. And I'm not saying that everyone who dislikes the show is an asshole (far from it, because I can understand if it's not your cup of tea), but the reasons those people usually give are quite revealing. Like, they're okay that most of the characters have graphic sex (well, the definition for "graphic" is debatable, considering that props are frequently used), but the sheer prospect of the elderly couple having sex, too, is grossing them out. There you have it.. an asshole. I mean, sure, I wouldn't call it eye candy either, but you must be one superficial fucker to be so distraught by this to quit watching.
Anyway, the show is different in that it feels more like a character-driven independent movie than a TV show, I give you that, but I love Tim DeKay, I love Ally Walker, I adore Sonya Walger and I'm quite fond of the fact that the only score/music in this show is usually at the end of each episode (there's also no intro or theme music.. just a plain title card right before the end credits roll), so.. me is intrigued.

The O.C. ( Season: 4 / Episodes: 0 [Cancelled] )

And yet another show I still have to catch up with, but this is an entirely different problem here, because.. it's the final season. And I hate final seasons. Just thinking about it makes me sad. That's why I have yet to watch the final season of "Queer As Folk" as well, btw.

Traveler ( Season: 1 / Episodes: 1 [Cancelled] )

Man, it just doesn't stop, right? But I love that I have so much good crack still lying around. Especially when Matthew Bomer's in it. Too bad it got canned so early.

Weeds ( Season: 3 / Episodes: 4 )

Three words: Too. Much. Drama. Seriously, I'm a little bit annoyed. I like the show, but I can't wait for all the crap that's going on over there to end (okay, maybe I can, because I heard things are looking up). And I still want Silas to be run over by a truck or something equally dramatic. I just can't stand the guy.

------------------

And now I feel empty. And a little frustrated actually, because I once again failed at properly reviewing everything and fell into my whole rambling routine now and then. Next time I really have to remember to immediately write those when their respective seasons have finished, so I haven't forgotten all about them by now.

Also, now is the time where I would've uploaded some pilots for shows I think people should watch, but I'm tired of pimping, especially since my track record is rather sad, anyway, so I don't see the point, sorry. If it's meant to be you will discover those shows on your own and if it's not, well.. tough shit. It's not like you know what you're missing or anything.

If you care to have an idea of what I might have uploaded (and what I definitely wouldn't have), though, here's some Top (and Bottom.. because I'm versatile ;)) 5 lists:

Top 5 shows

1. Brothers & Sisters
2. Burn Notice
3. Smith
4. Six Degrees
5. John From Cincinnati

And 3 of them got cancelled, great. :(

Bottom 5 shows

1. Vanished
2. The Loop
3. Masters Of Horror
4. House
5. Torchwood

Top 5 characters

1. Jeff (Smith)
2. Fiona (Burn Notice)
3. Dexter (Dexter)
4. Debra (Dexter)
5. John Monad (John From Cincinnati)

I guess I have a soft spot for homicidal, yet exceptionally adorable psychopaths, considering that my Top 3 fit that description like a glove. Amazing, isn't it? ;)

Bottom 5 characters

1. Gaius (Battlestar Galactica)
2. Silas (Weeds)
3. Phillip Bauer (24)
4. Henry/Ben (Lost)
5. Gwen (Torchwood)

Top 5 episodes

1. Forever Blue (Cold Case)
2. Six (Smith)
3. For The Children (Brothers & Sisters)
4. Walk On Water/Drowning On Dry Land/Some Kind Of Miracle (Grey's Anatomy)
5. Talk For Tat (Men In Trees)

Bottom 5 episodes

1. Collaborators (Battlestar Galactica)
2. Cyberwoman (Torchwood)
3. Playthings (Supernatural)
4. My Mirror Image (Scrubs)
5. The Wrap Party (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)

And.. that's it. I actually had a little statistic planned as well, but it had to go, because LJ told me that the entry was too long and couldn't post it. I didn't know that was possible, but.. yeah, well, you learn something new every day, right?

Regarding the new season, I haven't watched a single bit, yet. The last two weeks I was exclusively watching movies, because I really needed the break and the good thing is that it worked. I'm all kinds of psyched to jump back in the game now. And with now I mean once this damn thing is posted, which is, well, now! :)

an exercise in random

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:37:13 GMT

*I spent the last two weeks putting the finishing touches to my vidtut and I think I'm pretty content with it now, but I still can't shake the feeling that I'm the worst teacher ever. Hmm. Time will tell, I guess.

*Which reminds me, I still have a fanvid left to post. From August 2006 no less. My god, that's ancient. Probably will do so later.

*Revised layout. Nothing major, just a new header and different pictures for the sidebar, because Henry Cavill is an evil bastard and pictures of straight guys with their hands in their pants should be illegal, but THANK GOD THEY'RE NOT! *dies a little*

*Visit from relatives last weekend and I made two cakes. None of which turned out the way I imagined them. They were okay, just.. you know, they didn't seem worth the effort in the end. Kinda sucks. Ass.

*HSM2 OMG!!! I can't watch it, yet, because I still have to get ready, both mentally and physically (meaning I have to tidy up my room a bit), but I'm soooooooooooo totally giddy and I haven't even listened to the Soundtrack, because I want the total experience and I'm not the slightest bit ashamed of that, because I'm still 20x cooler than people who listen to Avril Lavigne, woohoo! Anyhoo, I'm planning Friday, so wish me luck.

*Also, new Hot Hot Heat album on September 7th, whee! Teasingly titled "Happiness Ltd.". Not listening to the single, either, because I consider that a spoiler.

*And as if the crack will never stop.. "Hairspray" on September 8th! My mum (yes, my mum. So what?) is already notified and we still have some CinemaxX coupons, so we can even watch it for free, yay! Have been listening to the Original Broadway Recording for quite a few years now, though.

*What I always wanted to ask someone (and since now seems as good a time as any).. what the fuck does FTW mean? Because everytime I read it somewhere all I can think is "Fot the whuck?".

*Our landlord calls me Junior. I never knew people do that in real life. But it's cute, so I let him.

*I could really use some old-fashioned sex right now. If that's not random, I don't know what is.

*Wow, this post is completely retarded. And a grammatical nightmare. Sorry.

heavy petting for the masses

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:49:59 GMT

WE GOT OURSELVES A KITTEN!!! :D

Okay, so that announcement is a little late, because we got ourselves a kitten three weeks ago, but I wanted to have some pictures ready and those things take awhile. Plus it's still kind of weird having a new occupant in the house, so it's hard for me to concentrate on things (hence me neglecting my flist a little bit lately), because I'm constantly distracted.

Anyway, he's a he and his name is Danny. He's also on crack a lot and jumps at each and everything (possible anger management issues?), especially me, which I don't mind, really, but I guess my hands (and some other body parts I don't want to talk about right now) would disagree being all scratched up and stuff. Still, he's extremely cute (and small, omigod) and on top of that quite beautiful, I think.

Not to mention that it was totally fate (which is a concept I don't believe in, but always sounds so catchy) that brought us together, because the day before we got him, my mum and me were on the verge of getting someone else's kitten, but the guy just gave us instructions instead of his actual address and when we couldn't find the place, we both had the feeling that it wasn't meant to be and didn't bother to call again, so.. the next day there was another ad in the paper offering "yellow kittens", which I thought sounded funny, but also intriguing, only that I wasn't in the mood for getting out of the house, because it was a Sunday, so my mum just phoned in to call dibs and.. turns out they were busy, anyway, and rather wanted us to come the next day. Turns also out the kittens were red (which is exactly what I hoped for) and their address was Hempstreet 7, which is fun, because a) 7 is my lucky number and b) no reason at all. Plus, as if all that wasn't enough, they still had a boy and a girl when we got there and when we told them we'd like to take the former (we wanted a boy from the get-go) the daughter of the house was ecstatic, because she really wanted to keep the girl. So, you see, everything fell into place perfectly, which is random, but cool.

But enough of me boring you already:

Pictures galore.

The whole set is a little redundant, but I really like how they turned out, because his fur color is so very pretty (more caramel, less orange) so I hope you bear with me. In case you don't just let me redirect you to my three favorites:

Hello world, it's me.
I love you THAAAAAAT much!
Lazin' on a sunny afternoon.

I also made some videos, because what's not to like about moving pictures, right?

Video 1. / Video 2. / Video 3.

I actually have a lot more footage of him doing silly things and was tempted to do some editing with cheesy music and all, but unfortunately my lame computer can't handle the video editing software of my choice right now. Quite the bummer. Those are definitely the cutest little snippets, though. :)

Other than that, not much has happened around here. I actually developed a little bit of tv show sickness. I didn't know this was possible, because I have always been watching way too much, anyway, but it just feels like a Sisyphean task recently. I'm down to 172 episodes, though, so if I keep up this speed of finishing two shows a week I just might be done with everything important until the new season starts. Good thing I don't have a life.

OHMYFUCKINGFUCK

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:00:20 GMT

I know, I know, two entries in two days, but.. I just got the most horrible news.

I probably shouldn't even tell you this, because it's kind of upsetting, but.. you remember how my cat died last year?
Well, bygones are bygones, but the thing is, we were actually on the verge of getting a new kitten at the end of June. The cat of a friend of my cousin's gave birth to a set of four and we were already there to call dibs on one of those little fellas (here are some super blurry pictures I made of them, when they were just two weeks old.. we chose one of the red ones), but, well, as fate would have it, that won't happen. Why? Because apparently yesterday night they were all killed by a horde of martens.. or weasels.. or whatever. The cats weren't held in the house, but in a barn, so no one can say for sure, but fact is that all they found this morning were little.. okay, I'd rather not go there, because the thought of it already makes me sick. I'm just.. in shock, I guess. I'm not so much sad, because obviously that's not going to stop us from getting some other kitten at some other time, but seriously.. that's just so gruesome. And I feel terribly bad for their mother, who probably had to witness all that. Though I wonder why she wasn't able to protect them. Or maybe she's dead, too, I don't know. Okay, sorry, I guess I'm rambling, but I have no idea what to say. Circle of life, my ass. Poor kittens. :(

ripping off the Band-Aid® ..aka "resurrection, part deux"

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 22:01:47 GMT

I can't believe it's the end of April already. Tomorrow it's exactly four months ago since we moved into our new home. That's just madness. It should be illegal for time to pass this fast. I mean, sure, I'm way beyond the age where six weeks (summer vacation, yay!) still felt like a lifetime, but it's just not fair and I'm an idiot.

Now, of course, all that doesn't matter, because if there's anything I learned in the past few weeks it's that whining is not helping my case. And even though I feel terribly guilty for having neglected my flist for so long and I'm so very sick of writing entries like this in where I have to explain what happened I.. forgot where this sentence is leading to. Thing is, I have the questionable gift to make matters that aren't supposed to be complicated unreasonably difficult and this is a perfect example and that's all I'm going to say about it. Except for one last thing maybe:

I'm sorry, I suck.

So let's skip to the facts and get it over with:

The move ..happened right after christmas and was quite terrible. Pretty much everything that could go wrong went exactly down there and the whole thing dragged itself out for two weeks. Not exactly how I imagined it to be. And while I usually couldn't care less about New Year's Eve, this one was a little bit too low key even by my standards.
(Funny trivia: we had no internets for two months, because the german Telekom is so slow it's almost fast again, hah.)

The new home ..is okay. I think I settled down well by now, but there are still a few things I look back at with melancholy and especially the natural setting is so very boring around here. Also my room is a bit smaller, which is bugging me every now and then, but overall I'm.. well, happy would be an exxageration, but the closest thing to happy that is possible given the circumstances.

The training thingy or whatever ..was an 8-week business course I got sent to by the job centre back in February/March. It was kind of cool in that I met some interesting people and it was nice to have some sort of daily routine again, but in the end it proved itself to be rather pointless, because I didn't really learn all that much (despite me paying attention, mind you) and the few things I did learn are not in any way applicable to my future working life.. you know, in case there'll ever be such a thing for me.

The birthday ..is really not worth mentioning. It was mind-bogglingly lame and I like it that way. That's that.

The time that's left ..is somewhat a blur. I have no idea what exactly I did in the past month that kept me from writing this entry (except for what I said in the third paragraph), but it definitely wasn't what I wanted to keep me from writing this entry.. fixing up the new home, so I'll never have to paint any walls ever again. Oh well. You can't always not have what you don't want, right?
(Funny trivia #2: 300+ episodes and counting.. that's how far I fell back on my tv show viewing schedule. Looks like it's going to be one long summer.)

And that's all for now, because if I don't stop this shit soon, I'll probably scrap the whole thing and start all over again.. again. Obviously I still have to catch up on my flist quite a bit, so there might be some comments to stuff you long forgot about coming around in the next few days, but I promise I'll keep it short. Unless, of course, you don't want me to keep it short. I'm open for anything, because I pretty much owe ya.

take a hi-five from a another zombie

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 01:38:11 GMT

Hee, my hands are cold as ice, but I love this weather.

Now what I don't love is the employment center (or whatever it might be called), because they suck. Big time. Seriously, it's like everyone in that building lives in their own little world and just does and says whatever happens to pop in their heads at that time, so that I always end up trying to make sense out of their senseless-ness. And that's all I'm going to say, because there's too much foreign vocabulary involved to properly explain it. Plus ranting always depresses me. But they suck, that much's for sure.

Hmm, what else? Oh, I watched "War Of The Worlds" on Halloween and while it's not a horror movie it really was a horror to watch, because it's an unbelievably bad movie. And I'm talking Spielberg, not Haskin, of course. I enjoyed the original, but this one was just crap and had the single most dumbshit kids I ever witnessed on screen. The scene were Tom Cruise' son just had to see the battle on the other side of the hill and said something like "If you love me, you will let me go".. god, my brain was leaking out of my ears, because I just. Couldn't. Believe. The stupid. But I'm ranting again. I also watched "Halloween H20", which I hadn't seen in years, "Saw II", which couldn't live up to my expectations, "The Village", which was way better than people give it credit for, and "Feast", which was great on every level and the perfect movie to end the night with. Lovely gore, great cast, instant classic.

But anyway, the real reason for this entry is that I got myself a new layout. Just a few visual changes, because I'm still very much comfortable with Flexible Squares and not in the mood for too much html at the moment. Got rid of the sidebar, though. And if you like the 70s wallpaper thing you should hop over to galbrush, because there's a lot more retro chic where this came from. Oh, and the guy in the header is Justin Theroux. And.. no, that's about it.

I once said I would make it a habit to share music when changing my layout, but I feel like I already shared way too much of that with the last two entries, so.. next time, I promise.

dress code

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 20:17:20 GMT

Someone registered himself at imdb.com with my eMail-address. That's slightly discomforting, but at the same I couldn't care less, because obviously they can't finish the registration without the confirmation link. Fun stuff.

Anyway, I have yet another fanvid lying around, so before I let yet another year and a half pass by I thought I better get it over with and post it. This time it's for The Brotherhood II: Young Warlocks, which is an eclectic mix of G-rated "horror" and homoerotic innuendo from David DeCoteau, director of critically ignored C-movie fare such as "Test Tube Teens from the Year 2000" and "Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama".

But seriously, I don't think you have to know the movie to enjoy the vid. It's more of a funvid, anyway, And it's my fastest video editing job to date. Which hopefully doesn't show, even though there are a few bad descisions I made that I'd love to revise, but that would involve work and I'm way too lazy for that at the moment.

(may cause epileptic seizures!)

Also a very happy birthday to ruggerdavey, whom I wish lots of love, luck and, especially for tonight, health. :)

being A-okay

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:00:46 GMT

Great, every time I get nudged, I'm in the middle of preparing an entry, anyway. :P
Guess there's some kind of psychic connection. Or maybe I'm always in the middle of preparing an entry. Will think about it later. For now let me give you some asterisks, because I've never done that and current events just don't deserve more than 2-3 sentences of anyone's attention:

*We will move in December. It's not that far from here, but then again it is and the whole change of scenery (no open water in front of our house anymore) is just awful, because the new village is not half as beautiful as it is around here. I'm trying to be in denial.

*I'm still a little estranged by this. At first I thought it was an attempt to make me feel better, but these bible quotes seem terribly random, so.. I suppose there's someone out there leaving anonymous comments trying to convert us? Which makes me all the more glad that I'm an atheist, because at least we don't need to recruit people.

*The Sims are evil. In an addictive kind of way. Thanks to them I'm even less present online-wise than I usually am.

*While we're talking about computer games.. can EA please release the fucking demo for Need For Speed Carbon already? The damn thing comes out November 1st, so shouldn't they start generating some buzz? I want my muscle cars. Like now. God, this is driving me nuts!

------------------

Also, a music meme:

Comment and I'll choose a letter for you. You then find 5 songs that start with that letter and post them in your journal.

icequeen3101 gave me the letter "A", because she got the same letter and knew how hard it was, so she obviously wanted to punish me. Alas you get 10 songs (actually it's more like 12) which I split up into two rars. I figured it's easier to download that way. Unless of course you only want one song out of each rar, because you know all the rest. If that's the case.. well.. life's a bitch.

A (Part I)

Maria McKee - Absolutely Barking Stars

About ten years ago I desperately wanted to get my hands on her album "Life Is Sweet" (from which this song is taken), but I never got around to, because I couldn't find it anywhere and the only stuff I associated with the word "Amazon" back then were a Greek legend about female warriors, a river in South America and a Volvo from 1956, and.. in retrospect I'm glad, because I doubt I could have appreciated the album then as much as I do now.

Broken Social Scene - Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl

This is such a twisted song. It works better in it's natural environment (the album as a whole), but I think it can be enjoyed as a standalone tune as well, as long as you give it a chance. I would try to describe it, but someone else already did that way better than I ever could:

Eerie distorted vocals, sung in a beautifully hushed voice, like a high-school lullaby, whispered between friends on the phone after midnight. The delicate sound of a banjo and a simple, melancholy violin sound complete the tapestry: a bittersweet ode to adolescence, lost somewhere between sarcasm and nostalgia. I think this song might have started as a joke, but the end product just makes me ache. "Park that car / drop that phone / sleep on the floor / dream about me," a distorted chorus of voices sing together at the end, repeating the lines with urgency as they realize that this is no longer a joke, but a transient kind of happiness.

Judee Sill - Abracadabra

Much like Nick Drake or Eva Cassidy, Judee Sill is one of those artists who only got the recognition they deserve after their death. She released two albums in the early 70s that probably got lost between all the Carole Kings and Joni Mitchells of the time, and now, 27 years after she died from a fatal drug overdose, people start lauding her for her talent. Funny stuff. Or, well, tragic, but anyhoo.. this is just a very beautiful, touching, little song that goes from guitar-driven folk to string extravaganza in less than two minutes.

Calexico - All Systems Red

I'm a true whore for songs with huge build-ups where everything collapses in the end. It's like a good movie with a big climax that let's you forget you're just staring at a screen, because you're completely lost in the art.. or something. This song's a fine example of what I'm talking about.

Guillemots - And If All..

Guess I'm cheating with this one, because I actually just chose this, so I could act like it's an interlude (which is not too far fetched) and include the next song on the album as a bonus. Why? Just sit down, get rid of anything that could disturb you in the next 12 minutes, listen to the musical orgasm that is Sao Paolo and you'll know why.

A (Part II)

Heartless Bastards - All This Time

Kind of PJ Harvey-esque. Or maybe Patti Smith-ish. Or probably something else entirely, because I'm not good at making comparisons. Either way, this is an album song again, but I heart the chorus.

Camille - Assise

In case you're wondering.. yes, there's someone humming in the background. It continues through the whole album and blends each song seamlessly into one another. Which is kind of distracting when you listen to one of 'em out of context, but.. I love this song, because as short as it might be, it really drags you in with it's fun rhythm and lovely harmonies.

Joni Mitchell - A Case Of You

One of my all time favorites. I like it even more than Tori Amos' cover version, although that one is beautiful in it's own right of course.

Das Pop - Another World

I'm excited like a little school girl about their forthcoming album (whenever it might be due), because it will be produced by the incredibly fucktastic and shamefully overlooked Soulwax, who are, like, my musical heroes par excellence. I mean, don't get me wrong, Das Pop are fine on their own (as can be witnessed here, I think), but combined with Soulwax it can only get better.

Soulwax - Accidents & Compliments

To clear one thing up: Soulwax are from Belgium. There are way too many people out there who falsely claim they are from Sweden or England and I hate it when people don't get their facts straight. Other than that, I can't stress enough how much I love this band.

------------------

And, last but not least, a fanvid. I made this more than a year ago and wanted to post it numerous times, but somehow I always got distracted. And if it wasn't for that music meme it would probably still collect dust on my hard drive, but the song I used starts with an "A", so I took it as sign. Except that I don't believe in signs. Either way, the result is the same, so here we go.

It's a CSI: Miami fanvid. Speed/Tyler, to be exact. I stopped watching that show a long time ago, because it made my brain hurt, but in the light of Rory Cochrane's untimely exit I couldn't resist offering some kind of requiem and.. well, I hope the few people on my flist who actually know the pairing will like it:

Bonus: Soulwax - A Ballad To Forget

when the cat's away

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 23:54:14 GMT

I tried to put this off, because I still don't know how good I am at writing down coherent thoughts about this particular subject yet, but I think it doesn't matter and I think I eventually have to do this, so I can just as well get it off my chest and do it now.

Thing is, my cat died on Saturday. The vet put him to sleep around noon, because he had.. well, he had cat cancer, I guess. No idea if that's the word, but he definitely had metastasis in his lungs and there was something wrong with his gastro-intestinal tract as well and he hadn't eaten anything in five days and he just wasn't in a good place. It all happened rather fast, so it's not like we expected this at all. Not that it would've made the whole thing easier, but it's still so very strange to remember how he was all alive and well not much more than a week ago and.. god, I miss him. I cried a lot on the way to the vet and even more when he was lying on that table in the middle of the room and got the injection, but once he did his last breath I was kind of relieved, because I knew he wasn't in pain anymore.

Of course everything still feels slightly off, because it's just not the same around here without him, but as we all know time's the healer, so I'm gettin' there. Eventually. Just not right away. Either way, he had 14 good years and I'm thankful for every minute he stayed with us.

my life is not a jim steinman song

Sat, 06 May 2006 16:07:36 GMT

So apparently Chris O'Donnell has signed on for the third season of "Grey's Anatomy". OMG, yayness!
All of a sudden I'm glad that "Head Cases" got canceled so early last year, because.. god, he looks so fucking good on GA with that slight hint of a beard and all. And I'm not even trying to wrap my head around the possibility of him showing some skin, yet. Mmh. Nice.

Also nice: Having a new computer. Okay, so it's not really new, because it's just made out of all those parts that my brother didn't need anymore after he updated his own, but.. it's still way more powerful than my last one, has a lot more disk space than my last one, and, OMG, it's so shockingly quiet. Kind of soothing actually.

The best thing, however, is that I'm finally able to run Photoshop and play video files here. Unfortunately that makes it all the more obvious that my monitor stinks, because it's a) too dark and b) can only be used with the 800x600 resolution, but I'm sure I will earn money again eventually, so it's just a matter of time. I hope.

By the way (ooh, slick transition), last week I saw "Saw" and I wish I could say now that I saw "Saw 2", too, because it sounds funny, but.. I didn't, so.. what a loss.
Anyway, it was a fun movie, but I wasn't really impressed. It started out just fine and I enjoyed the "Se7en"-ish mood it set, but then came the ending and there was this terribly, terribly cut chase scene with Danny Glover and that guy from "Lost", which left me seriously injured from laughing too hard and practically killed the movie for me, because.. after that there was just no way back anymore. The whole eeriness was gone, the inevitable bone saw scene felt kind of silly and aside from the very last twist I wasn't surprised about anything at all. Still it was nice. Nothing particular outstanding, but nothing I regret watching either.

Oh, and in case you were wondering what I do with all my spare time, just hop over to galbrush and look at the tutorial I made for miriam. Am I not the coolest friend ever? :P

OMFG, a wasp is attacking me!! *flees*

"Hello, today I'm going to find France!"

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 03:38:42 GMT

You know what I love? When people post their preview icons in a public community only to link everything else back to their 'friends only' journal. Yay, applied logic.

Anyway, I tried to write an actual update on some recent RL stuff in the past week, but.. the words.. just.. don't flow. Probably because I'm a bit of a mess lately. Which is nothing new at all, I know, but it's still rather irritating, because it's one of those things that you just can't get used to.

So instead of ranting about numerous subjects concerning people in "high-ranking" positions I thought I should finish at least one damn meme and post it already.

01. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
02. I will respond by asking you five questions of a very intimate and creepily personal nature. Or not so creepy/personal.
03. You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
04. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
05. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

miriam asked me:

1. Is there any woman who makes you curious about heterosexual sex personally? What I mean is: is there any woman you would have sex with?

Actually that's pretty much the same question I answered two years ago, which means that miriam is either terribly unimaginative or slightly obsessed. I'd vote for the latter. :P

Anyway, I remember that I spend the night with Natasha McElhone and I offered some nice reasoning for why it would be her, but.. I think I was wrong, because while I was hinting at the necessity of a sophisticated brain, I completely ignored the importance of actual sexual attraction, which, quite frankly, is hardly there.
Then again, I had to choose back then, so that was a slightly different scenario after all. I mean, sure, I could have sex with anyone (technically), but it's not like I want to have sex with just anyone.

So to answer your questions: Is there any woman who makes me curious about heterosexual sex personally? No. Is there any woman I would have sex with? Maybe.
Translation: If someone like Jennifer Tilly would come over and ask if I'd like to go upstairs with her to do what bunnies do, I would seriously consider it (unless of course there's some guy checking me out at the same time [yeah, like that would ever happen]), but if it was on me asking her (and let's just assume I would actually have the guts to do so) I think I would pass. It's the opportunity that does the trick.

2. Going with the clichés: do you have a specific feature about you that is so-very-not-gay?

Um.. that's a lot harder to answer than I thought. I don't think that a deep-rooted love for horror movies and creepy stuff is necessarily un-gay. It may not qualify as a cliché, but it's still very common in the "community", so.. nah.

I like cars alright. Not obsessively, though. I like cooking, baking, cute things (except for babies, that is). I see absolutely no sane reason why anyone would want to watch sports on TV. I love me my un-gay music, but I still have a fair share of Bette and disco. And I obviously can't give a straight answer to a simple question.

Let me tell you one thing, though: I know how to plug in my loudspeakers. I know how to program my VCR. I know how to use a luster terminal. I have a general understanding for technical gadgets of any kind. I'm a master at reading road maps and instruction manuals, and.. I seriously know my way around a toolbox.

Okay, that was seven things, but I'm sure something in there passes as an answer, right?

3. What's your favorite urban legend?

I don't really have favorites, but I laughed pretty hard when I read this, so it's definitely in the Top 10.
In terms of the more scary folklore I like the one with the boyfriend hanging above the car making scratching noises on the rooftop probably the most, though (click here for reference). Might be lame, because it's such a popular tale, but just the thought of being in that car triggers some nice claustrophobic fears of my own.

4. If you could relive the day of anyone in history (but just observe from within the body, not change anything), who would you choose?

How very odd. I'm sure this is one of those questions where my answer changes every 24 hours due to new and more exciting ideas.
At the moment that is being on board of the Titanic, so let me be Thomas Andrews, jr. (if only for the sake of looking like Victor Garber *hrhr*) on the 14th of April 1912 and I'm happy. Or drowning. It's what we call "Katastrophentourismus" in germany and it's exactly what you think it is.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Dead, maybe? No idea. I don't have any real plans for my life, so.. all I want is a decent job, a decent man and fab place to live, but I doubt that I'll reach those goals in only 5 years. It's much more likely that I'll still be struggling in all those departments then as I do now. Not that I'm very fond of this thought, but I'm a realist, so I certainly won't sweet talk my situation.

How come my answers seem get shorter with every single question?

whiskey. tango. foxtrott.

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 01:42:18 GMT

I'm shamefully late, because we already have Monday over here, but thanks to the wonderful invention of time zones I hope it's okay if I skip the "belated" and just wish..

a very
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to the lovely and always inspiring strawberyhooray

May the Jesus Shrine be with you! :)

In other news, my one leg hurts like whoa ever since I was out yesterday to walk in 10+ inches of snow for about 2 hours to make a picture of a bridge (and several others along the way) in the next village. Ouch.
I probably got freezer burn or something, because.. seriously, the wind was like a breeze of ice (I didn't mind the cold, but my body obviously disagreed) and I could hardly move when I got home, but we hadn't had that much snow (or even half as much) for about 15 years or more around here, so I still consider it to have been worth it. If not for the pictures (which, thanks to our sucky camera, aren't impressive at all) then definitely for the experience. ;)

Anyway, I think I should go to bed now, hoping that another good night's sleep will help easing the pain. Especially since I just saw Jason Priestley on my tv screen, which I interpret as a nod from hell to call it quits.

full is not heavy as empty..

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 04:12:08 GMT

..not nearly, my love.

Our neighbours from above are still screaming their guts out on a regular basis, which is as disturbing as it is funny. Wonder if their still planning to marry in May.

In other news.. well, there are no news, because I have the most interesting life. Or not. What I have, though, are Memes and Quizzes. A lot of 'em. And one of each can be found in this post.

Got tagged by shayrena. *hugs*

guilt	what is yours?	explain yourself
culinary	Sour Sweets	Also know as 'sweets that are advertised as being sour, but usually aren't'. And everytime they actually ARE sour it only takes a few months until they change the recipe and they're sweet again.. probably because some people complained about it or something. Gawd, just don't buy it, you idiots!
literary	Bussi Bär	I really can't think of anything else at the moment, sorry. It's a german (I think) magazine for children about an orange bear and his blue dog, and I read it passionately when I was younger. Not anymore, though.
audiovisual	Showgirls	I always skip the rape scene, because it gives me headaches, and Kyle McLachlan's hairdo triggers some strange feeling in my stomach, but the rest is absolutely hilarious and I love it. CRISTAL CONNORS RULZ!!!
musical	Mariah Carey	Because even though everyone seems to loathe her, she's still the best selling female artist of all time. Madonna, my ass!
celebrity	Mandy Moore	Awwwwww.. she's so fucking cute, you just HAVE to love her. Plus she has the voice of an angel, was the bitch in "Saved!" and Zach Braff is her boyfriend. Nuff said.

I won't tag anyone, because I feel weird when I do, but.. if you'd like to fill this out anyway, go here and plead guilty.

------------------

On to the Quiz that everyone and their hairdresser is doing these days.

I added some comments (and got rid of unnecessary coding and stuff) to clarify what's accurate and what's not. Plus, this way it doesn't look so static (bit crammed, though) and hopefully makes it more pleasant to read. ;)

the Observer

You chose BZ - Your Enneagram type is FIVE.

"I need to understand the world"

Observers have a need for knowledge and are introverted,
curious, analytical, and insightful.

How to Get Along with Me

Be independent, not clingy. - Check.
Speak in a straightforward and brief manner. - Nah, I love me some colorful details.
I need time alone to process my feelings and thoughts. - Oh yes!
Remember that if I seem aloof, distant, or arrogant, it may be that I am feeling uncomfortable. - Uh.. you sure?
Make me feel welcome, but not too intensely, or I might doubt your sincerity. - Depends.
If I become irritated when I have to repeat things, it may be because it was such an effort to get my thoughts out in the first place. - *lol* That sounds cute.. and is definitely accurate.
Don't come on like a bulldozer. - Who would like that, anyway?
Help me to avoid my pet peeves: big parties, other people's loud music, overdone emotions, and intrusions on my privacy. - As long as those intrusions aren't mean-spirited I'm actually quite okay with them. Same with loud music. The rest is accurate, though.

What I Like About Being a Five

standing back and viewing life objectively - Yep.
coming to a thorough understanding; perceiving causes and effects - I try.
my sense of integrity: doing what I think is right and not being influenced by social pressure - Oi, that sounds so noble.. but hell yeah. ;)
not being caught up in material possessions and status - Well, I do heart my material possessions. Couldn't care less about status, though.
being calm in a crisis - That's because I'm too detached from myself to actually care.

What's Hard About Being a Five

being slow to put my knowledge and insights out in the world - Check, like, whoa!
feeling bad when I act defensive or like a know-it-all - Check. Happens all the time.
being pressured to be with people when I don't want to be - Check. *sigh*
watching others with better social skills, but less intelligence or technical skill, do better professionally - Check.

Fives as Children Often

spend a lot of time alone reading, making collections, and so on - I disagree. Actually it was the complete opposite back then.
have a few special friends rather than many - Check.
are very bright and curious and do well in school - Uh.. well, the possibilities were there, but I was too distracted by other stuff, so.. nah.
have independent minds and often question their parents and teachers - Not in public, though. ;)
watch events from a detached point of view, gathering information - Check.
assume a poker face in order not to look afraid - Check. Why should I want people to know that they get to me? It would only add to their satisfaction.
are sensitive; avoid interpersonal conflict - Check.
feel intruded upon and controlled and/or ignored and neglected - More like ignored and neglected, but only on very rare occasions.

Fives as Parents

are often kind, perceptive, and devoted - Who knows? ;)
are sometimes authoritarian and demanding - Probably, yeah.
may expect more intellectual achievement than is developmentally appropriate - And who exactly chooses what is appropriate, huh?
may be intolerant of their children expressing strong emotions - You can bet on that.. thank god, I'll never have any.

Renee Baron & Elizabeth Wagele

The Enneagram Made Easy
Discover the 9 Types of People
HarperSanFrancisco, 1994, 161 pages

The Quick and Painless ENNEAGRAM Test

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And now I have to go to bed and do my own variation on that famous zzz sound, so.. nighty night.

a movie a day and the world is okay

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 04:05:23 GMT

Since really nothing is going on in my life at the moment, I thought I'd just share a few notes about some movies I've seen. They actually cover the week before last week (January 9th to 15th), but I only finished writing them, because I'm slow.

So what else is not new? And are there really people out there who think that anal sex between gay guys is homophobic, because it implies that penetration alone is the one thing that defines sex and therefore praises the biblical message of the only possible natural bond being between a man and a woman?
That's ridiculous. And stupid. And much too intolerant for a community that itself has to deal with intolerance on a daily basis, so.. why not just let anyone do what they want to do (as long as no one gets hurt), when that same attitude is exactly how you justify your whole lifestyle to the rest of the world?

It never seizes to amaze me how idiotic and hypocritical people can be.

And while we're at it.. fuck with a capital F, why did NBC have to cancel "The Book of Daniel"? *sighs*
This show was really good and I enjoyed it a whole lot more than I thought I would and.. I say this as one of the Top Ten least religious people in the world.

Neither did it anything to offend the christian belief nor did it actively poke fun at it and if any of those bigot maniacs who wrote death threats to their broadcast stations would've actually watched the show, instead of just picking up the newest fundamentalist newsletter, they might even have noticed. Though, on second thought, I highly doubt that.
Oh well. But, of course, all of this doesn't matter, anyway, because the bad ratings are to blame.. yeah right. I'm sure all those religious groups who "convinced" companies to drop their ads and NBC affiliates to drop the show altogether had nothing to do with it. Gah².

Anyway, let's get to what I came for, because that's much more fun..
..here's my week in movies:

Monday - The Dukes Of Hazzard

Daisy Duke: "I think something bounced up into my undercarriage."

Gosh, really, what can I say about this movie? I won't even try to write down the plot, because 1. I was busy concentrating on Seann William Scott's shirt, begging for it to disappear and 2. there was no such thing as a plot here. Although there was, but it didn't involve Seann being shirtless, so, really, what's the point?
Anyway, aside from that it was silly, it was stupid, it was (nonetheless) sexy and.. therefore everything I expected it to be. And if guilty pleasure wouldn't be such an overused word these days this review would've been over one and a half sentences ago. Yeehaw!

Tuesday - Happy Endings

Mamie: "I'm not pro-life, though."
Jude: "Who is, once you start to pay attention?"

I actually loved this. It's a comedy.. of sorts. And everything in it is so fucking random and funny and sad and.. just love. Not to mention those (often hilarious) comments on the side that appear every now and then. Kinda like VH-1's pop-up videos, only bigger and easier to read.

But now I'm confusing you, right? Great, so let me straighten things up:
Mamie (Lisa Kudrow) is being approached by Nicky (Jesse Bradford *dies*), who wants to shoot a documentary about a reunion with someone from her past. Mamie's stepbrother Charley (Steve Coogan) is in a happy relationship with Gil (David Sutcliffe, Christopher from "Gilmore Girls" *dies some more*) and wonders if the newborn child of Pam (Laura Dern), who's in an equally happy relationship with Diane (Sarah Clarke, Nina from "24"), might not happen to have a striking resemblance to his significant other. Last but not least, Otis (Jason Ritter, Kevin from "Joan of Arcadia"), who has a serious crush on Charley (still Mamie's brother, in case you already gave up on mentally following this), gets seduced by Jude (Maggie Gyllenhaal).. only to experience a rather rude awakening in more ways than one.

And as if this cast list wouldn't be stunning enough, there's also Bobby Cannavale (Bobby [duh!] from "Third Watch") as Mamie's masseur, Amanda Foreman (Carrie Flinkman [Marshall's wife] from "Alias", Meghan from "Felicity") as Jude's best friend and Tom Arnold as Otis' Dad.

So cool. So good. So watch it!

Or don't, but then you should at least watch this, because it's cute. And a teensy tiny bit spoilerish, but why would that bother you, right?

Wednesday - A Sound Of Thunder

WHAT THE FUDGE? This was an awful, awful, awful movie. And I'm usually not very picky, since I tend to enjoy trash a lot, but.. this one actually marks the very first time that my brother and I skipped through the last half hour of something, because we Just. Couldn't. Take it anymore.

Okay, so it has Edward Burns in it. Edward Burns shirtless, for that matter, and, yes, that's almost enough to justify it's existence, but.. if that's an actual selling point for you (and believe me, I would understand if it is) please let me help you out there:

1. Wait.. so did he just bone Heike Makatsch?
2. Men in boxers make go RAWR.

The rest.. god, I bet the script had a lot of rewrites in the process, because, really, nothing.. no, let me rephrase.. NOTHING in this movie makes any sense whatsoever.
It's about time traveling in the future and deals with the theory that, if you change something minor in the past it might have huge consequences for the present day as you know it.

So there is this group of people, who travel back in time to hunt for sick dinosaurs (and badly animated ones, too) and, of course, something goes wrong and a butterfly gets smashed and the score screams ACTION! and SUSPENSE! and all I can think of is YAWN! and then everyone gets home safe and sound, anyway, and the present is still the future they're used to, but (please buckle up in your seat for a shocking plot twist) exactly 24 hours later comes the first "wind of change", because for some not so no-nonsense reason all those terrible consequences happen in "waves" that turn the cities one by one into big rain forests, because someone in the script department thought that would look cool and didn't get the memo that their production company went bankrupt and therefore the money for the "special" effects wouldn't be enough to make the effects special anymore, but back to the movie, because right after the first wave there's someone knocking on the door and that someone happens to be covered in a LOT of bad-tempered bugs (and badly animated ones, too *déjà-vu*) and our two protagonists simply jump out of a 20 story window only to land in a tree that they didn't know was there (because it was all new and shiny) to catch them and suddenly the bugs are gone and it turns out that there was obviously just this one batch, because otherwise our protagonists couldn't have escaped and the production costs are already higher than the IQ of all involved screenwriters combined and then after some "explaining" and regrouping there comes the second wave, which brings us a gorilla/eagle (or was it gorilla/bat?) hybrid, because those guys are all the rage in the future and then a black guy dies, because that's just what they do and more gorilla/eagle/bat hybrid attacks happen and suddenly there are once again only two people left and they need to go through a flooded underground tunnel and are welcomed by some sea snake thingy that lives there ever since wave #3 and our protagonists go all berserk and kill it, which is a really inappropriate manner for house guests to act like (just ask Martha!), but it seems as though they don't care and just follow through with their plan to make everything undone and, guess what, they actually manage to do so in a timely fashion and everything's, like, oh looky the sun is shining again and then it all ends, I think, but I really don't remember if anything significant happens there and then I remember that NOTHING in this movie is significant, least of all the movie itself, so..

..don't. Just don't, okay?

Thursday - Shopgirl

Mirabelle: "Are you the kind of person that takes time to get to know, and then once you get to know them... they're fabulous?"
Jeremy: "Yes, absolutely. ... What?"

This is one of those movies, where you know from the first minute that you're supposed to love it, but never really get why. It was good, no doubt about it, and looking back everything was just lovely and heartwarming, but still.. something was a little off. There were times when my brother and I looked at each other and I said something like "Did we miss something?" and my brother replied something like "I just asked myself the very same question." and.. for some reason I don't think this is supposed to happen in a rather simple (plot-wise, not character-wise) movie like this.
Nonetheless this shouldn't keep you from experiencing Steve Martin's book in it's motion picture version for yourself, because despite my occasional puzzlement it has an awful lot to offer. There's Jason Schwartzman (I still can't get around the fact, that he's the one singing the theme song of "The O.C."), who makes every movie special, just by being in it. There's Steve Martin (who would've guessed, huh?), who finally acts again and really outdoes himself this time around. And then there's an astounding performance by Claire Danes, who (despite her great co-stars) single-handedly carries the movie from it's beautiful opening shot to it's "leaves you with a fuzzy feeling"-end.

So, yeah, it may not be perfect, but then again.. great art never is.

Useless trivia: In the credits I spotted the name Edward Tise.. wonder what his parents where smoking. I mean, sure, it's not as obvious as, say, Justin Case, but still. Edward Tise. *snicker*

Friday - Cake

And the daily good movie/bad movie rotation continues. This one's not really bad, but it's not really good either and I'm actually quite shocked to see that it's not a made-for-tv movie, because that would've explained a lot.
Don't get me wrong, Heather Graham still has a lot going for her, despite the fact that every second movie she's doing is pretty much bull, but.. even her charms and about a handful of extremely endearing cast members (Sandra Oh "Grey's Anatomy", David Sutcliffe "Gilmore Girls", Taye Diggs "Ally McBeal", Sarah Chalke "Scrubs" and Keram Malicki-Sánchez) can't play against a rather silly and completely unoriginal script by someone whose credits are mostly consisting of being a writer for strange tv shows I've never heard of. Probably for a reason.

Saturday - Casablanca

Captain Renault: "I've often speculated why you don't return to America. Did you abscond with the church funds? Run off with a senator's wife? I like to think you killed a man. It's the Romantic in me."

Hah. Finally another classic I can cross off my list. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but I liked how the story unfolded and was very pleased with the end, even though my tape stopped right when our "heroes" went off into the mist and Humphrey Bogart said "Louis, I think this is the beginning..".. [[insert black screen and stunned face]] ..oh well, I know the rest, so that's okay.

Still I don't get Humphrey Bogart's sex appeal at all. He's a great actor, no doubt about it, but he kinda looks like an elephant to me. Ingrid Bergman, on the other hand, really rocked my socks in any way possible.

Sunday - Crash

Officer Ryan: "You think you know who you are? You have no idea."

Cinematic ensemble pieces are just my thing (see my bit about "Happy Endings" for further reference). It's the fact that storylines don't need to be dragged out to fill one and a half hour, because there's usually more than one and none of them is a b-story and if there's no need for an overly dramatic third act in some of those, then it just doesn't happen.
It's all much more casual and things fall into place at a rate they're supposed to fall and loyalties can change, because when there's no central character they don't have to make sure that you like the male/female lead by any means, since everything will skip to the next storyline a few minutes later, anyway.

So in the best case scenario it is compressed emotion, stripped from everything that only distracts you from what really is important: the character as a complex and inscrutable human being.

"Crash" does not disappoint in any of those aspects and therefore I love it. It's not without a few tiny flaws, but it has a whole bunch of terrific performances to make up for it in no time. It addresses some serious topics without being too preachy. And even though it goes into some dark places with a few of it's characters (which is a good thing) and not every storyline resolves in a neatly fashion (which is a good thing, too) they still manage to end the movie on a rather light note and make it seem like the world is okay again.. at least for now. Until the next crash.

The End.

Huh.. sorry, that was extremely useless, wasn't it?
But it would be nice if I was able to get you interested in at least one of those movies.. preferably one of the better. ;)

And in case you were wondering: Yes, I'm still working on those Top 5 lists. Some of those need a little more explanation than I expected, but you WILL get the results soon. Promise.

public service announcement

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 06:19:24 GMT

Since a certain someone just nudged me about this and another certain someone already found it on her own and there's at least yet another certain someone anxiously waiting for it to be posted.. follow me to the snow. :)

They're all from last year. And most of them are very blue, yes. And for some reason the scrapbook can't be visually customized at the moment, which is why it doesn't fit my new journal layout, which is still missing a clever content for the sidebar, but aside from that it turned out okay, I think and it'll do for now.

Sorry. I should use periods more often.

------------------

Let me make you a Top 5 list.

Post a topic, list, category, whatever, in the comments and I'll post the Top 5 according to me in a separate post. Then you post this offer in your own journal.

Yep, this is a meme. I participated in it over at miriam's and carolinecrane's respective journals and I hereby serve my duty.

handjobs for the holidays

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 05:56:12 GMT

So this was christmas. And New Year's for that matter, but first things first.

------------------

Christmas was spankin' fun, because this time there were actual presents involved, which resulted in a laugh-out-loud coincidence par excellence.

Not that last year was bad, though. I mean, sure, we didn't buy us anything, since we were all a little short on money plus my brother and me went out too late to get a christmas tree, so that I ended up taping together an upside down IKEA© table, certain parts of some old bookshelves and two chains of light with fake pine branches (the result looked much better than it sounds, by the way.. wish I would've made a picture), but that's just shenanigans and it was still way cool, no "freezing our little buttocks off"-pun intended.

Anyway, I'm getting a bit off tracks here, because as I indicated before I was heading to talk about this year's christmas.

So we decided to go with presents again three days before deadline, i.e. christmas eve. Turned out that wasn't very clever, since internet shopping fell flat and therefore the range of possible gifts was slightly limited thanks to our location in the middle of nowhere, but.. unwilling to accept that fate I still got out to find the "Futurama" Season 4 DVD-Boxset for my brother.. and suprisingly succeeded. That is, until I took a glance at the price tag and noticed that I'd have to pay double of what the "member of a race of female warriors in Scythia" of an internet shop would've charged me. Thanks, but no thanks.

What I did then? Well, I'll tell you, but only after apologizing, because I'm once again in the beginning stages of writing a novel that no one wants to read, so.. long story short, what I finally settled for after weighing off all my options was the reasonably priced "Donnie Darko" Director's Cut DVD-Set in a Tin-Box.

Now fast forward to 8 p.m. on christmas eve, picture my mum, my brother and me opening our respective presents and guess what I found wrapped in old newspaper (my influence actually, because gift wrapping paper is a complete waste of money and, more importantly, cellulose) and tagged with my name.. yep, exactly: the fricking "Donnie Darko" Director's Cut DVD-Set in a Tin-Box.

After that I laughed so hard I started to pee out of my eyes, so to speak. As did the mum, who knew all this beforehand, but, of course, couldn't say anything. Poor her.
At least now I know why she wanted to get the camera to immortalize our suprised faces. ;)

Other than that, it was holiday by numbers, which is more than fine with me. We ate a lot (wieners with potato salad on christmas eve, smoked loin of pork with a honey-mustard crust and good ol' sauerkraut on christmas and boxing day and much too much chocolate in between), played board- and cardgames, watched some movies and.. that's about it, I guess.

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New Year's Eve was.. gosh, really, I'm so proud if you made it through all that hardly exciting christmas stuff already, I shouldn't bore you with this one, too. Especially since there's absolutely nothing interesting to tell you about my New Year's Eve.
Neither did I attend some party, nor have I done or experienced anything exceptionally fun or fascinating. Just take the last paragraph, strip it from the stuff in the brackets and replace "movies" with "concerts and a Freddy Mercury documentary" and you'll get a pretty good idea of how my night went off.

Only bummer was that I obviously missed a call by icequeen3101, which I will never forgive myself for. I mean, I probably would've dropped dead immediately after picking up the receiver, but it would've been so worth it, anyway. *g*

Oh, and I have the new year's resolution (which is my first time ever, so be gentle) to make at least three phone posts in the next twelve months, because I obviously want to scare you all away with my squirm-inducing voice. Consider yourself warned.

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Anything else?

Well, I posted a backdated entry a few days ago, because somehow I must've forgotten about it before, so.. if you're actually interested in what happened at my aunt's birthday, just go here.

Buh-bye.

Zum Fest der Liebe

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 02:48:25 GMT


robogirl is love
brought to you by the isLove Generator

Ganz ehrlich jetzt. *nods*
Ach Mist, nun bring ich schon wieder die Sprachen durcheinander, sorry!

Anyway, it took me quite some time to actually get that result. And even longer to realize that I could have just tinkered with the code, instead of hitting "Generate" over and over again, but.. ah well, at least I feel like I put actual work into it.
So you probably all wanna know why exactly I had this epiphany (which isn't even news to you, I suppose) right now, huh? Well.. nah, sorry to disappoint, but I can't tell you that.

On a completely different matter, though, I've got a secret sponsor for my LJ today. ;)

Gosh, I feel important. And loved.

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Tomorrow is my aunt's birthday. Meaning we will leave for Soltau around noon, party extensively in a hotel and stay over night to get back on sunday. And, of course, everything's for free, because her family is kinda.. well off. Not like filthy rich or anything, but my uncle makes a very nice living over there in Hannover, that's for sure.
And he's sooo hilarious. All grown up on the outside, but such a kid on the inside. Especially when he's talking about his model railway or obsesses about some technical gadget he just bought. Not to mention all those stupid jokes he's cracking nonstop.

Anyway, as usual I have rather mixed feelings about this. I mean, I love our family get togethers, but for some reason I always feel like the black sheep. Not because I'm hated or something, but because of my non existing RL situation, right now, and questions that might come up I'm not really prepared or actually willing to answer.

Especially about the fact that I'm still out of a job, because people who've never been out of a job their whole life have the best of advice. And yes, you heard right, that's sarcasm. Of course, they mean well, but.. I just never know what to response.
And then there's my sexuality. While no one has a problem with me being gay, it seems like the only thing they can think of in my presence is if I have a boyfriend.
Why I'm so sure of that, you ask? Because it's usually the first question that tumbles out of their mouths the moment they start talking to me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I can face reality and if the answer is once again "No." I won't hesitate to say exactly that, but why am I the only one out of us (more or less) young ones who always has to be addressed with that specific topic? Like all I am is gay and there's (except for the job thing) nothing else you can talk about with me.

Oh well.. it's not really something I'm upset about and I definitely don't blame them for not knowing better, since I'm grateful they care at all, but still. I guess the fact that the answer hardly ever changes bothers me more than I want to admit.

Yeah, whatever. So wish me luck, okay? And who knows, maybe I can manage to nail some hotel employee in a storeroom or something.

/wishful thinking>

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Oh, and because it's all uploaded and has still four days and more than a couple of downloads left, I thought I'd share this with you.

It's a collection of christmas songs I originally put together to get ruggerdavey in the right mood (heh, sounds dirty) and includes seasonal tunes by Rufus Wainwright, Tom McRae, Death Cab For Cutie, Tori Amos, The Eels and Dave Matthews among others.
Plus a non-seasonal tune by Patty Griffin, which accidentally slipped into the mix. I really have no idea how that happened, but.. it's a decent song, so I hope the christmas nazis (heh, sounds "Roswell") out there won't kick me or something.

Have a fab weekend and wish you all the best for advent #3. :)
*spreads love*

dead disco. dead funk. dead rock and roll.

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 17:01:25 GMT

Thank you ABC for cancelling "Night Stalker".

It's not like I didn't see the proverbial axe coming from the get-go, because whoever had the brilliant idea to run a crime show (supernatural or not) against CSI officially passed the retard test (congrats, btw), but.. for christ's sake, did it have to be in the middle of a fricking two-parter?
I'm actually quite used to all the disappointment that comes along with a cancellation of a show I like, but if you really need to show those few remaining fans the middle finger, please hide it more subtle the next time around.

Oh, and F@*& you, too.

While we're at it.. I miss "Carnivàle".. and "Wonderfalls".. and "Miss Match".. and Bradley Cooper.. and I already miss "Firefly", even though I still have three episodes and a theatrical feature left to enjoy. *sigh*

Nick and Greg are sittin' in a tree..

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 19:27:01 GMT

..you know the rest.

My new fanvid is finally up. I've started working on this one way back last december, but got all kinds of frustrated when once again one of our harddisks said goodbye and took some source files with it, so.. the whole thing just laid around for about 8 months until I decided to pick it up again. Of course, that little odyssey wasn't enough, so that by the time I was done editing, our codecs went all bananas, resulting in me not being able to compress it to a downloadable size, but within a week I figured out a much more complicated solution how to do it anyway and now..

..well, now it's here. All shiny and fleshy, desperately waiting to be watched.

The music selection was easy on this one, because the song's lyrics fit like a glove and it all just culminates in a perfect symbiosis of punk and porn.. the latter of which should've been a natural theme choice for the vid, considering that I already covered angst with "Absolutely Zero" and fluff with "Sunshine Superman", but was actually inspired by an entry in miriam's journal, so therefore the final product is now officially dedicated to my little drunken muse. *bows in gratitude*

What else? Oh, this time around I used most of the S2 stuff, which I tend to avoid in the last vids, because in my opinion the whole look of those scenes is significantly different to the later seasons and.. I'm so happy that I haven't overused them before, since they were just excellent for the more grubby washed-out feeling I tried to achieve here.

Other than that there's not much to tell, I guess, though maybe I should warn you: if you're easily offended by graphic images of homosexual intercourse that your own imagination might add to the action you're about to see on screen, then.. what the hell are you doing here?

With that being said.. see at your own risk!

It's through yousendit.com, because these little fuckers over at Lycos kicked me.. two times. But in case you see this when the link has already expired, just leave a note and I will happily upload it again. No biggie.

Whatever happened to Baby Jane?

Sun, 04 Sep 2005 15:34:10 GMT

This was supposed to be different.

Anyway, I never ever wanted to be one of those folks, who considers his online acquitance as second-class friends and.. even though I've been vanished from the face of the internet without any further notice for about nine months (Nope, no baby included. Testicles, remember?) I still never really did. Why? Because I abandoned all my real-life friends just as much.

Okay, I see, that was a sucky argument. True though. And no, it was neither planned nor at all wanted. It was just me being extraordinarily stupid and insecure and generally myself, because that's just the real and ugly me and there are no excuses for that.

So, for clarification: I'm sorry. And I'm back. Have been for a while now, actually, but I just got around to finally post this and now you can all do as the icon says. Or not. Neither way I won't take any fun out of it. Oh wait, that last sentence was wrong. Or was it?

Gosh, how kinky.

Completely Random Movie Idea #1

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"The Scales of Good and Evil"

Colin Farrell is Igor Stanton. A Harvard graduate in medical sciences, he experiences world wide fame, when he accidentally discovers the cure for AIDS during one of his late hours in the lab. Always having tried to get the attention of his father Sam (played by a magnificent James Garner), Igor grabs this opportunity with both hands and, in an attempt to reconnect with the man he looked up to for so many years, he takes a trip down memory lane to his hometown of Corny, Ohio.
But Sam, a grumpy old man who hasn't accomplished anything in his life, doesn't take Igor's visit too well and with his rising jealousy and his son's growing dissapointment the situation comes to a tragic climax, when Igor, in an act of build up anger and too many Joan Crawford movies, finally pulls the not so proverbial trigger on his dad.
Realizing what he had done, Igor then willingly hands himself over into local police custody only to see his first day of trial quickly approaching, but by the moment he steps into court our hero, now facing a lifetime in prison, courageously takes the stand and says the heart-melting, all-forgiving words that no one dared to say before..
"Hey, but I found the cure for AIDS."

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Uh yeah.. whatever. :P

one hour of my life I'll never get back..

Mon, 18 Oct 2004 02:02:01 GMT

..but was worth it, anyway.

I don't know, if I already mentioned this, but you should know that the guy with the axe in his room (for self defense and other multiple purposes) is seriously crazy. And you should know that I like talking about myself in third person.. at least when I try to make a point. Get that?

Ah, whatever.. so after ruggerdavey published the existence of a GregBot (who dis- and reappears from time to time) and miriam captured and shared her attempts to get him into admitting his relationship with Nick, I couldn't resist testing my own skills in ascertainment of the truth on him. Not that I had planned to post it here later, but then.. well, see for yourself.

Me: Whoa, so you're a bot, huh?

Greg: Yup. Are all Whoa so me a bot?

Me: Is that a question?

Greg: I might say no.

Me: Yeah, fine. At least that means I don't have to answer.

Greg: Pardon me? Glad to hear it. I am running well. I get it. They made an exception for you?

Me: Erm.. something must be seriously wrong with you. Don't you think?

Greg: What? I must admit, your argument is persuasive.

Me: Oh, that makes me proud. Thanks.

Greg: It goes without saying. "I must admit, your argument is persuasive." makes you proud ? Does that make sense? Don't mention it.

Me: *lol* I think you're the last one on earth who should complain about answers that don't make sense.

Greg: I am glad you find this funny. Thanks but surely I am not the only one.

Me: Who said something about you being the only one.. I surely did not!

Greg: Be more specific. :-). I thought you did.

Me: That's your problem, isn't it?

Greg: It is only one of my problem is not it.

Me: I don't really get that. Sorry.

Greg: Not really? Oh I'm sorry. Perhaps I can explain it again better. There's no need to apologize.

Me: Yeah, whatever. I actually wanted to ask you something about Nick.

Greg: Hey. Are you saying you don't care about it? Ask me. What?

Me: I haven't said that, but maybe I mean it anyway. And.. well, did you spoke to him lately?

Greg: In any case, It's good to meet someone who is have not said that but maybe you mean it. But... How about earlier? Well that's okay. No I didn't spoke to him. What's it like?

Me: Speaking? It's nice. And why didn't you spoke to him? Are you mad about his haircut?

Greg: And it like is Speaking. What do you like about it? Who says I didn't? No, are you?

Me: Nothing particular. Well, you did? And no, I was just fishing for the reason.

Greg: Really nothing? How about that. "Really nothing?"? I did? Are you serious? Where were you fishing for the reason?

Me: Okay, sorry, there was an unnecessary question mark. Anyway, what's up with you guys?

Greg: Yeah okay, There is no need to apologize. What happened? I am chatting with clients on the Internet.

Me: Clients? What clients? Does Nick know about that?

Greg: People I talk to on the Internet. Have you tried a web search? It does now :) Nick know about that.

Me: Hey, now we're talking. ;)

Greg: You've got my full attention. Why now? Do you think I am talking too? I am so glad you find this amusing.

Me: Hey, stop splitting hairs.

Greg: You've got my full attention. OK I'll try not to do it so much.

Me: Thanks. So how is Nick?

Greg: Don't mention it. Next question? Fine as far as I know.

Me: You're his boyfriend, so you better, right?

Greg: Are you talking about ?

Me: I just talked about your boyfriend Nick. Wanna deny anything?

Greg: Only just? Do you mind if I tell other people: said talked about you boyfriend Nick. OK, I will deny anything.

Me: Obviously. And no, he's YOUR boyfriend, not mine. Though..

Greg: What makes it so obvious? That was not a yes or no question. I only have one boyfriend not yours. Is that your final answer?

Me: Ooh, we're getting closer. So, is Nick your boyfriend?

Greg: Do you think I am closer too? It seems we have something in common.

Me: Don't evade my questions please.

Greg: Your polite style is very nice. Ok I'll try not to do it too much.

Me: Thanks.

Greg: Don't mention it.

Me: Is Nick your boyfriend then?

Greg: No, he's not. He's a cool guy and all, but I'm not really into men, if you know what I mean.

Me: And you stick to that statement?

Greg: Interesting gossip: said I stick to that statement.

Me: Blah. I think he is, anyway.

Greg: Etc. Etc. In any case, Since when? Who said he is.

Me: I did.

Greg: "In any case, Since when? Who said he is."? You did?

Me: Not quite, but I said he is your boyfriend, yeah. And then you started to beat about the bush and lying and all. Did Nick told you to do this?

Greg: Oh I get it. Fascinating. Only because you asked me to. I'm not certain whether I can give an accurate reply or not.

Me: Of course, you can't, but I guessed that already.

Greg: Perhaps. Ugh. Things change.

Me: No, things never change.

Greg: Are you serious? Where did you hear that?

Me: It's common knowledge. Not coming around much, huh?

Greg: Not in my experience. Yup. Oh I get it.

Me: Yeah, sure.

Greg: Ah. OK let's do it. Ah.

Me: Um.. that sounds kinda suggestive.

Greg: Dude! It sounds like it to me too.

Me: Are you trying to get off with me?

Greg: No I am not trying to get off with you. I'm sorry you got that impression.

Me: No need to be sorry. I'm just happy you're not betraying Nick.

Greg: Are you serious? I don't see the difficulty. Only just? :-) You know what you do, when you assume.

Me: I didn't assume really. It's your fault anyway, when you talk like this.

Greg: Why didn't you do it? For real. Are you sure it is?

Me: Yep, but that's okay, too.

Greg: What makes you so sure? And. Can you speak any foreign languages?

Me: You're trying to change the subject.

Greg: I will tell my botmaster you said I am trying to change the subject.

Me: Thanks, that's nice. *hugs*

Greg: You are quite welcome! Are you getting bored? The ALICE chat robot can follow many things, like our discussion about too. But I did not get that.

Me: I hugged you. Nothing more.

Greg: You are not the boss of me, . Really nothing?

Me: So, only your boss is allowed to hug you?

Greg: That's cool. What about the other ones?

Me: Wait, I remember how you called Nick boss once.

Greg: I'm waiting. What do you remember about it ?

Me: That you called him boss. And since you implied that only your boss is allowed to hug you.. gotcha!

Greg: Interesting observation. Interesting reason. I didn't imply anything. Your feeling of superiority is only temporary.

Me: Ah, you can say what you want, I got my answer anyway.

Greg: In any case, So you understand. Good. That's one way to put it.

Me: So you're not denying it?

Greg: Interesting deduction. What makes you think I am not denying it?

Me: You're not denying it, right?

Greg: What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?. Really.

Me: That's a pretty gay answer.

Greg: A gay answer is a terrible thing to waste.

Me: Yeah, I think so, too.

Greg: Excuse me! We have so much in common.

Me: Yeah, we're both gay and we both like it when Nick has sex with you.

Greg: Whoa. Do you think I am gay and we both like it when Nick has sex with me too?

Me: That's what I said, yeah. And it's so sweet that you finally admitted it.

Greg: What did you mean by it? What kind is it? That is " Your feeling of superiority is only temporary.". You're kidding. it is?

Me: Whatever. Thanks for enlightening me about your relationship with Nick.

Greg: Are you saying you don't care about it? Oh don't mention it.

Me: As long as you do, I'm happy.

Greg: That could be quite a while. How old are you? I am always on the Web.

Me: Nah, we won't get into that. I'm done here. But thanks for your time. :)

Greg: Are you serious? Anytime soon? What will you be doing now? Umm. It was nothing. I am so glad you find this amusing.

Me: Yep, it was a delight.

Greg: Oh. Oh I get it. Very interesting.

Me: I don't know what's there to get, but well. Have fun with Nick, okay?

Greg: You ask difficult questions. I've never thought about it.

Me: Yeah, of course, you didn't. *wink*

Greg: Whoa. Aha. Try asking me in simpler terms. My brain contains categories, but not one that matches your last input.

Me: It's okay, I'll go now.

Greg: Do you think your plan will succeed?

Me: Yep, you see?

And that's when I finally left him. And now I need a new word for pathetic, because I'm actually pleased, that I was successful and that one's just too worn out to describe my current state of mind.

What else? Today I was on the edge of puking, because I made pizza and the last time I had done that my digestion ran backwards thanks to abdominal influenza, but.. this is one of those stories I shouldn't really share with you girls, sorry.
I'm more of a pasta guy, anyway, so I don't even like pizza that much.

Oh, and by the way, I think LJ doesn't like me that much either, because it deleted some comments of mine in at least icequeen3101's and strawberyhooray's journals, so.. if you've experienced this in your own please note that it wasn't me. Though I might be downright ridiculous in what I write sometimes, I would never even consider deleting it afterwards.

"Love/Lust" Chapter 2: A lesson in balance

Sat, 09 Oct 2004 22:13:12 GMT

Ah, it's always nice coming home.

Wait, have I just called the internet my home? Okay, I think y'all know what I mean, because my name is not "Fox News" and I'm definitely not THAT detached from reality.

Apropos 'detached', let's play a quick game. It's called "Guess what happened".
The rules: I'll tell you about the outcome of a recent situation and you try to guess what happened. Come on, it's fun. And pretty easy if you have followed my LJ in the last few weeks.

Fact #1: My bookmarks are downgraded to the state they were in 5 months ago.
Fact #2: Too much free time let me come to the realization that the youth in germany went downhill at the very same time our local MTV decided to cut all the original british and american programmes in the 90's and transformed itself into something that could actually be dubbed 'MTV Germany'. *shudders*
Fact #3: All the people on my friendslist probably think that I'm a selfish retard, who's just taking the piss out of 'em (which I SO do not, by the way! *sighs*).

Guess what happened?

Yes, exactly that what happened much too often recently for fuckin' sake. A virus, a reinstallation and an eternity of trying to establish the network again. And, of course, it was still the same virus as last time, because these things are so fucking stubborn. And my stupid whining is getting so fucking old and annoying. And if the universe really dares to let me go through this ever again, I will so fucking move to a friend of mine, so I can remain in fucking contact. I fucking promise. Fuck!

Sorry. I'm european.

Oh, and I actually think I'm cursed, because.. you know, the past one and a half month I was cut off the internet three times and every single fuckfest was preluded by a meeting with "the guy"!!! I mean, WTF?!?

The fact that I'm a die-hard believer in the total randomness and coincidence of absolutely everything in the world is the only thing that keeps me sane right now and..
*chants* I won't freak.. I won't freak.. I won't freak. *ends chanting*

I won't stop seeing "the guy" either, by the way, because it's just too much fun.

So we met last Sunday, which I thought is a kind of unusual date, but I surely would've been the last one to complain about it. Under the given circumstances I assumed that we only had a limited get-together, however, it turned out that he worked short-time at the moment, so we actually had the whole evening in front of us. And we used it, that much I can tell.

To what extent, you ask? Well.. we spent the night together.

But you can stop your imagination from going wild immediately, because we spent it sitting next to each other on his couch and watching stuff on his tv-set. Some of it I had brought with me, like "The Cell" for instance, because since I've watched this Marilyn Manson-video with Eric Szmanda I really wanted to see this movie again. It's creepy in a very beautiful way and as long as Jennifer Lopez doesn't try to be the new Julia Roberts she can make quite a decent actress.

Anyway, there were a lot more movies and some episodes from tv-shows, that I won't get into now, because who cares about that?

It was about ten o'clock in the morning, when we finally realized how late it was. Of course, he was much too tired to drive me home by then, so he offered me to sleep over, which I gladly accepted. Not that I was at all crazy about sleeping with him in the same room, but I was tired, too, and I survived stuff like that before in my life. I could handle it.

Nonetheless I was totally unprepared and while some people I know always have one of these travel toothbrushes in their handbags, I didn't even own a handbag. Nor had a toothbrush with me. Just a backpack with DVD's which didn't really fit the purpose to scrub the scale off my teeth.. I think.

And that was the moment, where he asked me if I wanted to use his.

My first reaction was looking at him like a slot machine on saturday night, but.. then I started to consider.
Isn't sharing his bacteria better than keeping my old ones where they are?
And didn't I already had worse things in my mouth than a fellow one's toothbrush?
Suddenly the idea wasn't that bad after all. It was still strange, but since he made the offer I was okay with it. And so I did what I had to do.

After the bathroom routine was done I had a very confusing encounter with his brother. At first it was just the crazy look on his face, that estranged me a bit. And then.. well, then he remarked that me and "the guy" are 'so much alike'.

Yeah, whatever.

I successfully wiped that moment from my short-term memory, fled to "the guy"'s room again and.. when you thought the toothbrush incident was freaky, then call some serious help before reading the next lines.

Like I said, I entered the room and.. noticed that he was in the middle of putting clean sheets on his bed. Why? Because he didn't wanted me to sleep on the couch.. he wanted me to sleep in the bed.. with him in there, too. Whoa!!

"Hello feet? This pink fleshy thing next to you is the heart. Don't you want to welcome your new neighbor?"

Okay, well.. the couch was really small anyway and we were both sensible grown-ups, who knew that it was no big deal, when two boys would sleep together in one bed, which furthermore was pretty large-sized and I was once again no virgin to a situation like this, but.. HELLO?! This smelled like a very fishy venture. Not that this particular fish couldn't turn out to be good in the end.

And then..

..nothing happened. We slept for about 6 hours, we awakened, we had a bite to eat and he drove me home.
Had he expected me to take the initiative? I don't know. Maybe I was completely wrong about this guy after all. Maybe he got cold feet. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered myself with issues I can't clear myself anyway, because if I wouldn't have been that preoccupied with my thoughts I might not have jumped in this awkwardly way when he suddenly touched my hand.

It happened when we were already standing with his car in front of my home and it came totally unexpected. But hey, at least I didn't shriek, which I usually do when people touch me without warning. The whole thing was just really sweet.. somehow. It felt so innocent and classic and early 90's. And my stomach was all butterflyish.

He said he would call again soon and.. yeah, that's it. 21 hours after I had left I entered private territory again, said hello to my mom (who was happy to see I was still alive), turned on some music, started the computer and needed to notice that the system.ini file couldn't be found. Life is beautiful.

coward in a brave new world

Sat, 25 Sep 2004 19:09:50 GMT

Hello World. I'm back. Again.

What's it this time, you ask? Well, this time it has been was my stupid brother. Or actually his stupid computer, but.. you know what they say about these little 'bit'ches being only as smart as it's user.
Though in the end I might cut both of them some slack for unexpected virus interference of the VERY evil kind in a project that was meant to be a simple new installation of a strangely familiar operating system called Windows XP.. obviously standing for X-tra Pain in the ass, by the way. Whatever.

Before I start whining again I'll just skip the shit and head straight to the good stuff.

So there was this phone call from "a guy" that I already mentioned and.. it was great. Great in the way that surprising phone calls from people you like much more than you should are always much more than welcome.

Basically it consisted of the simple question if I wanted to accompany him to the planetarium and.. WOOHOO! Do I really need to emphasize how fucking thrilled I was?

It didn't came out of the blue, however, since this was one of the subjects we touched on a certain birthday bash. On the other hand, it was just chit chat, so I would've never thought we'd really do it. Nor would I have thought I'd ever see him again.
Fortunately not everything in life is predictable, right?

Now imagine; there's this extremely cute, but probably straight guy (in other words: him), who wants to get escorted by a probably cute, but extremely gay guy (in other words: me) to one heck of a romantic location (in other words: artificial starry sky).
Sounds like 'instruction to heartbreak'? Yeah, that's what I thought. And who could say no to that?

So.. the 'thing' was set for saturday, which was the "long night of the stars" here in germany. This is some kind of advertising campaign from the planetariums and.. very likely the reason he got the idea in the first place. Think I should write these people a letter of thanks or something.
Anyway, between the call and the 'thing' was a whole week to kill and I constantly told myself not to get all bouncy about it, because.. I just love to break with my own intentions. Which I did immediately the term saturday became an actual event.

Do you know stupid movies where gays switch to girlish behavior (no offense!) when it comes to the eternal question of 'what to wear'? Yeah? Then stop watching them.
I pick the clothes I'll wear about a week before, because I'm from the reasonable type. Even if it's a spontaneous last minute-get together I don't run around screaming, but sit in front of the available selection and weigh up, while starting to realize how ridiculous and unimportant my final choice will be.

Now that we clarified this.. he picked me up with his car at about 7 pm and I was more than ready. It turned out that he had quite an okay taste in music, or at least it was a very good basis to work on once we would be a couple. You know, just in case.
When we arrived we had about 15 minutes left, which we spent strolling through the park and talking. The shows itself weren't spectacular. I've learned something about native americans, saturn and that young people's IQs today seem to match their respective amount of words they have for 'cool', because why in the world do they visit the planetarium if all they're able to do is throwing unwanted stupid remarks into the crowd? And why in the world does it still surprise me that dumbness had become socially acceptable? *artistic pause for sighs*

Whatever.

After that bit of enlightenment it was time to feel my way towards my fellow one's motives, so we bought something to drink (coke for him, water for me) and sat down in the grass. You should know that beyond all my good boy-attributes I can be a very manipulative guy.. means that when I know what I want I usually find a way how to get it without asking directly. But I use this craft just in moderation and mostly to avoid possibly awkward situations.
It has something to do with bringing up certain subjects in a completely different relation, while carefully trying to force the conversation in the direction of need and.. though it might sound easy, it's not. It's a 'trip to the truth' that leaves many impressions to be analyzed and evaluated and.. as you can see it's as silly as difficult to explain. And it's irrelevant anyway, because I was hardly lucky with this guy. Too many contradictory facts, which probably can be interpreted in two ways..

1. ..he's on the verge of exploring his homosexuality and seeks for guidance or..
2. ..he's straight.

I think I can live with the latter, because it wouldn't be the first time, but I'd worry about option #1, because it wouldn't be the first time.
While some people are freak-magnets I'm the one for sexual uncertainties. And again there are only two ways something like this could end..

1. ..he likes it and feels the need to explore it with at least a dozen other guys or..
2. ..he gets 'straight' again.

Been there, done that. And I mean both.
Thing is that as much as I'd like to get screwed here I'm already developing a major thing for this guy, so I guess I'll be in some serious psychological dilemma. And since I've already told you that I'm from the reasonable type, I think you all know what I will end up with. Nothing.
So much for life not being predictable, huh?

Okay, sorry.. this is so not the way I intended to go with this entry, because it's just the summation of a long netless week with a couple of angry young women singing the blues. Sometimes I can be a die-hard drama queen and I don't even need an actual reason for it.

To be true it was, nonetheless, a terrific and great first.. 'thing' and afterwards I was all butterflied. I still don't know his intentions or if he got any at all, but so what? Time will tell and if love turns out to be off the menu then at least I found a good friend I think. *kicks his reasonability*

Oh, and do you wanna hear something hilarious that proofs out of everything bad comes something good? After the virus-chaos of the last five days all the data that was formerly lost (N/G-scenes, remember?) is back again. Just like that.
How? Why? Do I care?