| NASA, No Doubt, NCIS, and other things that begin with N |
[27 Jun 2009|08:10pm] |
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Oh man, it's been FOREVER! I'm sorry! My power cord died shortly after I got back from Texas, and I only just got a new one. Plus, after you go away the prospect of catching up is just so daunting - I was kind of overwhelmed before that, but now I give up. Tell me what's new in LJ-land!
As for what I've been doing recently:
( NASA! )
( No Doubt! )
( NCIS! )
And that's my life at the moment. What's up with you guys? I've missed you! ♥
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| Hiatus? |
[03 Jun 2009|01:56am] |
I'm off to Houston, Texas (NASA, specifically*) for a week and a half, and I have no idea whether or not I'll have Internet access. Even if I do, I probably won't have time to check LJ. So I'm declaring a hiatus! If anything interesting happens in your lives or in the world of television, leave me a comment! :D
I'll be back June 12/13, depending on how much energy I have!
*NASA runs a program for college students where they can submit a proposal for an experiment to be performed in microgravity (aboard the , which you may remember from the astronaut murder episode of Bones). My team (which really has nothing to do with me; I barely understand our experiment) was accepted, and so that's where I'm going tomorrow! I'll tell you all about it.
Here's the video from two years ago (Katie Hartmann is still in the club, though she just graduated; Jon Zucker is a dear friend of mine, the person who got me into this club):
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| Newsies! |
[28 May 2009|01:20am] |
Well, this is unexpected, but: Newsies!
Because of ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) amazingly_me (mostly; it's also got Christian Bale, which is always a good thing), I decided to watch Newsies. And I LOVED IT. It's a musical set in turn of the century New York about the boys who sell newspapers, starring Christian Bale at about age 17 (guys, he looks EXACTLY THE SAME. He doesn't even really look younger. It's weird), with Bill Pullman as well (I love him. I only know him from Spaceballs and While You Were Sleeping, but I think he's adorable).
About halfway through, I was like, "Ok, I'm definitely enjoying this." And from that point, my love steadily increased until I was kind of grinning and crying as the credits started to roll. Fantastic. Christian Bale is, as usual, adorable as Jack, a smart good-hearted rough-and-tumble kid with bucketloads of charisma. His new best friend, Dave, played by David Moscow, is also cute, as the brains of the operation, from a family who only recently came on child-labor-hard times when his father was injured and fired. Also, the last few scenes, he's running around in one of those clingy long-underwear type shirts, and he's unexpectedly built. (Kind of like Hodgins, actually: you're like, where did THAT come from? And he's about 17 in this movie, so we're going to stop this train of thought right there.) Also, I suspect he was dating the actress playing his sister: she's got this cute sub-plot romance with Christian Bale, but from doing lots of plays with teenagers, I can tell when there's something going on behind the scenes! :P And all the other boys are fantastic, too. I love boys. I love the ways they interact, and the deep trust and total hurt when that trust is betrayed, and the way they'll mock each other to death but always be there when it counts. Jack and Dave have one of these awesome, awesome friendships, and I love to watch it. There's a reason I want minimal romance in movies like this: as much as I love awesome girls, sometimes I just want to watch the boys, and they're fundamentally different when girls are around, which means I rarely get to see that side of them.
It's kind of like Annie with boys, except instead of the rich adoptive father, the boys help themselves. And I LOVE IT. :D
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| Not spoilery, I promise |
[22 May 2009|02:04am] |
I need to respond to comments on Bones, but first: I finally saw Star Trek tonight. Awesome movie, loved it, possibly more things to say later, but for now, one thing to say.
There was one critical error they made in the production of this movie: having Kirk spout critical plot points in close-up. I don't want to be that person, but I missed a lot of important information because I couldn't pay attention to what he was saying. :P
(Dude is HOT. And I don't like blonds, or men with full lips, but then his mouth kind of blends into his face and his hair is darkish and his eyes are GORGEOUS. Man. And, of course, my favorite: the bruises. Best thing about action movies is that they're full of attractive men with artfully-placed fake bruises. Pretty!)
Ok, fine, actual info: loved Bones, but that's no surprise at all. Chekhov/Charlie Bartlett is adorable. Don't understand why they STILL had the Starfleet girls in miniskirts, though the boots were awesome.
I want another movie. :D
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| Finales. Sad. :( |
[19 May 2009|02:31am] |
FINALLY watched the last three episodes of Bones, plus the finale of How I Met Your Mother. Thoughts:
( The Beaver in the Otter )
( The Critic in the Cabernet )
( The End in the Beginning )
( HIMYM - The Leap )
I hate this time of year. :( Great epic episodes of TV, but now what do I do until September? (Or, well, July when Psych comes back, but still.) Watch shows that I haven't had a chance to, of course, but I'll miss them.
PS: Watching the Colbert Report, and oh my God, I LOVE Meghan McCain. First minute or so, I was kind of skeptical at how she was coming off, but man, she's a reasonable, thoughtful, articulate person who understands what she stands for and why she stands for it, and she approaches it from an immensely practical and very enthusiastic perspective in a very modern way (and, in fact, in the way that I've always been surprised more Republicans didn't agree with. Direct quote: "If you want the government out of your lives, why shouldn't that include marriage?" AWESOME. And SENSIBLE).
Also, fantastic Bacardi commercial: passing through time as he walks through parties. Cool. Guinness has also had some wonderful advertisements in the past, as I saw while waiting in line at the brewery in Dublin. :P
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[10 May 2009|01:33am] |
So, you know who's fantastic?
The Killers.
I don't think I needed to say this, but if you ever have the chance, GO SEE THEM. DEFINITELY. DON'T HESITATE. They were brilliant, and you don't realize quite how many brilliant huge hits they have until you see them play them all in a row. And the LIGHTS! Only boys from Vegas could come up with that. :P
Fantastic concert. Only one change that I could possibly make: have them play "Losing Touch" (off Day & Age) instead of one of the earlier ones that people don't really know. Or even instead of "The World We Live In", which I like, but which isn't as good as "Losing Touch".
But really. GREAT show. :D
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| music + books = ♥ |
[09 May 2009|03:34am] |
Finals period has revealed to me something about myself of which I was not aware: I work best while listening to music heavy on the pianos and the drums. Regina Spektor, Stars, and Eskimo Joe have been my standbys the past few days, and I think The Fray would probably be good too. I think it's because the drums drive me along while the piano is pretty and lilting and stimulating without being distracting. It's music that blends with my body and mind, I guess. This also tends to be music which I can sing along to without thinking, which is always good.
Any other suggestions? I've got a paper due Monday and an exam each on Monday and Tuesday, so I'll need all the help I can get! What music helps you?
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| This is...about religion? |
[08 May 2009|11:38pm] |
It says something interesting about me that I only just realized the lyrics in The Killers' "Human" go, "Give my respects to soul and romance; they always did the best they could." For months and months, I've thought it was "Saul and Romans". It makes sense: the Letter to the Romans, in the Bible, is about righteousness; and Saul strays from being a good man and a good king (the Annointed of God) to trying to kill David, so you know, he's a pretty good example of right vs. wrong.
It's funny that my mind jumped straight to the Bible, there, especially since I've kind of gotten lax in my church attendance. It's sad; I used to be really religious, partly because I believed it made me stronger and kinder, partly because it was really reassuring, and partly because the Bible is full of beautiful and fascinating ideas. (I was also really into fairies and mythology for that same reason.) I've since realized I was kind of a prissy little kid (aided by my old-fashioned taste in books), but I still miss the way intense religion made me feel.
This is why I think everyone should believe in something. I don't care what it is, whether it's God or a different God or a pantheon of gods or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or if it's life or truth or humanity or hope. I'm a Catholic and I always will be - it's burned into my blood and I couldn't give it up if I tried - but I've also decided I'm a Humanist: I believe in what humanity is capable of. I believe we're capable of great good and great evil, and that our own power and our capacity for both is awe-inspiring.
...yes, I did kind of get that from Good Omens. That book is unbelievably life-affirming.
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| I'm still kind of shocked/embarrassed to say this, but... |
[30 Apr 2009|01:51am] |
Fall Out Boy ROCKS.
You already know I loved their latest album, Folie a Deux (I put it on my Top 10 Albums of 2008 list), but I just got back from seeing them at Mohegan Sun, a casino in Connecticut, and they ROCKED. Fantastic. Seriously. So much energy, and I never realized exactly how many awesome songs they have. It was so cool to hear them playing their older hits now, because Patrick Stump has now really learned how to use his fucking unbelievable voice, and the songs have the same energy and same catchy tunes, but there's more nuance in the melodies and more clarity to the lyrics. I love his voice. LOVE it.
Also, they thanked us, which was AWESOME, especially since our signal doesn't actually reach that far (and my friend Gabbi, who interviewed Patrick Stump last year and counts it among the top experiences of her life, was on the floor right in front of them). Yeah, we sold Mohegan Sun ads and were therefore kind of important, but still! I haven't gotten over how cool it is to be a part of this. I hope I never do.
And this show was cursed, so they were that much more awesome. Oh God, the problems. First off, we got 10 tickets through BRU, and oh, the chaos. I got about 50 emails about this show because so many people wanted to go/couldn't go/needed a car. The confusion was madness. Luckily, I wound up on the first list, but the way trading (and ticketing) went on, for about 2 hours today I was SOL, despite having been on the first list. I was PISSED. But things worked out in the end, and I did have a ticket. Then the driver of my car locked herself out of her room, where her keys were. Then we got lost on the way there, making a 1+ hour trip into 2 hours and involving a lot of wandering around. THEN, when we finally got there, one name wasn't on the guest list, meaning 2 people didn't have tickets. (We think someone screwed up at Mohegan Sun, because we saw the list of names, and one of the people in the earlier car wasn't there either, but they didn't have a problem 2 hours earlier.) But then people with spares donated their tickets to us, including 2 floor tickets, which was AWESOME. And just for standing by the will-call window looking concerned on the phone! So it all worked out in the end, even though for about 36 hours up until we actually got in the door it didn't look like it would at all.
And I'm glad it did. So much fun. And they played my favorite song, Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes! It's the opening track on the latest album, and it's really just a fantastic opening song. Love it. Though they did this little anti-corporate thing, and I was like, "Guys, you can't pull off the "ironic corporate tool (Captain Hammer)" thing. Especially since the four of you combined are probably richer than everyone else in this room combined, notwithstanding the fact that the average age is probably 17." But then they switched to rock-star mode, which was much better, and they did it without looking like assholes, the way the two openers I saw did! (I guess the more famous you are, the less of an asshole you have to be on stage. Unless you actually ARE an asshole, in which case all bets are off.)
Basically, they rocked, I'm kind of in love with Patrick Stump in that uncommon "I just want him to sing to me all the time" kind of way, and I'm no longer going to pretend I don't love them. :D My ears are still ringing, I have a killer headache, and I think I'm still dehydrated from screaming. Oh God. Again, please? :D
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| Music for a summer twilight |
[27 Apr 2009|04:59pm] |
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I am so mellow it's almost painful. I just spent 2-3 hours listening to Deer Tick's War Elephant and The Low Anthem's Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, two Rhode Island bands that are a little bit country and a little bit folk, both really good, but oh man, SO MELLOW. (Only I could yell about being mellow.) I have a paper due tomorrow, but it's gorgeous out and these bands are making it so damn summery, and I absolutely cannot motivate myself. Especially since I can justify this as work: I'm our local music queen for the summer, so I need to acquaint myself with these bands (especially as they're part of the upper echelon of Rhode Island music):
One song for each:
Deer Tick, "Baltimore Blues No. 1"
They played at South by Southwest and were featured in Rolling Stone as one of five bands to watch. I'm so proud. :D The more I listen to that song, the more I HAVE to listen.
The Low Anthem, "To Ohio"
On the plus side, I now have the perfect music for summer twilights, with bare feet on the porch and a cold beer, between stars and fireflies and warm breezes.
I can't wait.
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| love |
[22 Apr 2009|12:43am] |
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Oh man, not watching Bones for so long plus spoilers I don't like put me off of it, but this, this episode. ♥ I'm remembering why I love it so much and why Booth/Brennan is, like, my all-time OTP. They are just painfully adorable, and I love the way they're so casually physical and effortlessly affectionate, and the way they talk about deep feelings without getting all "We're talking about our feelings now".
This is the kind of relationship I want in life. ♥
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[17 Apr 2009|01:35am] |
It's Spring Weekend, woo! (This means I will be consuming liver-damaging amounts of alcohol and seeing lots of bands this weekend. It'll be awesome!)
....and, tonight's Bones!
( The Mayhem on the Cross )
I could only watch half and then MegaVideo cut me off, so I don't know how this turned out. Please don't spoil me! :D These are just my mid-episode notes; I don't have anything overall yet. That might come tomorrow. :D
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| The Mortal Instruments Trilogy |
[15 Apr 2009|04:00pm] |
I was beginning to wonder: why do I never ship slash? I always say "it's not my thing," but that makes me feel vaguely dirty and homophobic. I recently figured it out: it's because slash ships are so rarely canon, and I ship almost exclusively what's presented in canon. (So, I do love Aziraphale/Crowley, but in a totally asexual way, as they're "asexual unless they make an effort," and it kind of creeps me out to see them presented another way.) How did I figure this out? I found one that I LOVE.
On a whim, I bought a book called City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. It's a modern/urban YA fantasy about a society of demon hunters (called Shadowhunters) and the half-demon folks (werewolves, vampires, fairies, warlocks, and more) with whom they have an uneasy accord because they share the same world. It's really good. Apparently, there was some huge plagiarism scandal over Cassandra Clare in the early early days of Harry Potter fandom, back when you were passing fic around to your friends and no one expected it to explode the way it did. Some people still hate her for it, and some people think it was just a stupid mistake. I don't know the whole story, so I have no judgment, but based on these books, I'm inclined to think the latter. They're just wonderful, and familiar enough that you can tell she reads (and loves) a lot of YA fantasy (there's definitely more than a hint of Voldemort and the Death Eaters in it), but it's totally original and even makes me like a genre I don't generally care for (the whole "gritty urban" thing usually turns me off. For example, I do not like Holly Black at all, despite the fact that I really really should).
BUT: as for the ship (and more of the books, so cut for minor spoilers; I'm just getting into the (brand-new) third installment now):
( The Mortal Instruments Trilogy: My Ship and Why I Love It )
Also, the series is really good and has EATEN MY BRAIN. I CAN'T GET AWAY. Fortunately, they're all out now, so I can finish it, but I want more in this world! It just sucks you in and keeps you there, so that from a distance, trying to analyze it objectively, I can't say what's so great about it, but I CANNOT STOP READING. I love it. :D
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[13 Apr 2009|09:38pm] |
So, Emma Watson may be coming to Brown. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It doesn't matter at all, as it's highly unlikely I'll ever meet her (and I really doubt my opinion matters anyway), but still. :P On the one hand, she seems lovely, sweet, and fun. On the other, deep-seated jealousies from back at age 13 when I was immensely bitter over the fact that I couldn't play Hermione because I was 2 years too old, 6 inches too tall*, and American. :P
*Seriously. Taller than Rupert Grint, and Ron's supposed to be the extra-tall one!
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| Oh, television! |
[09 Apr 2009|10:05am] |
Finally caught up on Bones, and, thanks to 4th_avenue_cafe, I've been thinking a lot about how House and Bones differ in their treatment of the interns, and why one succeeded where the other failed. So that'll come later. But first, let me say this, with regards to The Doctor in the Den: I absolutely do not believe that a tiger ate a human and left the skeleton intact. You've got to be freaking kidding me. Animal interference is one of the BIGGEST influences on postmortem destruction: taphonomists look at that almost first. The hell is that body placed the way it was. Bones gets things right more often than not, but when they go wrong, it's like all the fact-checkers went on vacation that week (actually, could I have that job? I'd LOVE it). Also, Brennan's clothes sucked this episode. In general, I covet her wardrobe (professional AND beautiful - the women in this show are the best-dressed professionals on television), but here, everything was either ugly or just super-unflattering. Loved Angela's black and green formal dress, though.
As for tonight's episode:
( The Science in the Physicist )
( The Office )
( 30 Rock )
This is the first time I've watched TV while it was on in a LONG time. It made me happy. :D And don't forget, intern analysis coming soon!
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[04 Apr 2009|03:51pm] |
So, we all know that I like to nitpick with regards to Gossip Girl's view of college. In the latest episode, Dan was denied financial aid from Yale. Please wait a moment while I guffaw.
If your family makes less than $200,000 a year, Yale doesn't expect them to pay ANYTHING. AT ALL. And above that, it's not like they expect you to pay the whole thing at once: there's a scale. You have to be making a hell of a lot of money for them to not give you any financial aid at all, and I'm sorry, but I don't think Rufus makes that kind of money.
Oh, the lies they tell for a plotline.
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| 17 Days of Nothing, then WHAM! |
[27 Mar 2009|06:36pm] |
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So, instead of television, a movie watched streaming on Netflix! Yay!
I don’t know how many of you may have seen this, but in case you haven’t: Penelope, starring Christina Ricci and James McAvoy and produced by Reese Witherspoon, who is also in the movie. It’s a beautifully set, beautifully filmed fairy tale set in that delightful land somewhere between here-and-now and once-upon-a-time that you find so often in Tim Burton (or even Pushing Daisies) where manmade things seem to have grown and natural ones handcrafted. And while the point is a little heavy-handed, it’s so wonderfully performed (and delightfully plotted, with some unexpected twists) that it’s hard to care.
( I felt the rush of a thousand heartbreaks )
So watch it, if you haven’t. It’s only an hour and a half long, and it’s just delightful, and I loved it. Charming, enchanting, and a dozen other magical words.
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| TV, or the lack thereof |
[27 Mar 2009|03:24pm] |
I am turning into a terrible poster. I blame chemistry-of-death (and not Chemistry of Death, as that would be interesting and awesome) and also spring break, which is just drawing to an end now. I went to Montreal for a few days to visit frenchfriedeggs (dude, it's weird calling you that!), and I discovered that microbreweries are fun and flawlessly and interestingly mixed drinks served in Mason jars are AWESOME. Oh, to be of age. Too bad there aren't really many cool bars in Providence. And then I went home, and now I'm back at school, as I am to be on air twice tomorrow. And get paid for it. Yay, money!
I am also kind of horrifyingly behind in TV. I haven't watched Bones in, like, 3 weeks, partly because I missed one and never got a chance to catch up, and partly because I'm horrified by the spoilers that I've seen floating around. (PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one. I CAN'T BE. I'M TOO HORRIFIED.) Of course, I totally reserve the right to go back on all that as soon as it all happens, but for now, HORROR.
How I Met Your Mother was awesome this week. THERE'S the Robin that I love - I've been rather disappointed by her lately. But here, personality and fun and yay! Also, I cannot express how much I love Marshall and Barney being friends. Are they not the cutest ever?
I am confused about where The Office is going with this arc. Should be interesting to follow. And 30 Rock is generally hilarious. I particularly loved this week. :P
I think that's most of the TV I've been watching. There are about 8 shows I need to catch up on (Lost, obviously, and Dollhouse and Castle and Kings. And Dexter! Man, I'm behind - I haven't seen any of this season of any of those).
I will get back to making real posts, I promise. I kind of miss that - analyzing TV. I'll catch up on Bones over the weekend, fer sher.
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| Allow me to sway your vote |
[10 Mar 2009|03:58pm] |
Because, as a few people have pointed out in the comments, he's a genuinely nice guy, and most of them have been knocked out already. Vote for the good men!
(I shouldn't care about this as much as I do, but man. The only characters left that I really love are Booth and Barney. So go vote!)
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| Fandom Cage Matches! |
[09 Mar 2009|03:16pm] |
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Guys, he's losing to Dean Winchester (though it's REALLY CLOSE), and this is just not right, because Ned is too adorable to lose to anyone ever. So go vote!
You also have the opportunity to vote for Barney Stinson vs. Liz Lemon, Jon Stewart vs. Chandler Bing, Dexter Morgan vs. Seeley Booth (I like this. Killer who is also a cop vs. Cop who has killed people), Chuck Bartowski vs. Greg House, Malcolm Reynolds vs. Tenth Doctor, Spike vs. Lorelai Gilmore, and Blair Waldorf vs. Veronica Mars.
Plus, lots of awesome GIFs and picspams in the comments, so really, everyone wins! :D
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