http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:hpets&section=today deviantART RSS for by:hpets en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:18:10 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/28663260/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/28663260/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:09:28 PST
What does this mean? It means expect lots of postings of poems from me this week! I'll probably post about one a day, so as not to overload people.

Please feel very very welcome to comment on these poems (even if just to say, "I like this" or "I don't like this"), because I'll take all the advice I can get for my final submissions!



Side note: as of two weeks I'm done with school! Really done!

Glee!

And terror!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/28414666/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/28414666/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:54:50 PST

So today I got a phone call from work offering me steady hours until Christmas (as opposed to the on-call fun that I've been getting ever since they ultimatumed me to either work fulltime or basically not at all [link]).

The trouble? I have in fact been filling my open schedule with stuff, namely choir gigs (some of which pay a little, and some which are just about doing good in the community). So I'm probably not as available as they want me to be. Which could mean they'll hire someone more available... again.

So they don't give me enough hours, forcing me to focus on other things, then they turn around and say "Okay, we're ready for you to work now. You've kept yourself completely available, right?" Gee, this feels familiar...

I'll admit, this is more rant than real frustration. I'm heading in shortly, where the manager is willing to try to sort out a working schedule with me. I just need to work myself up enough to not back down if/when they try to make me feel guilty for having other commitments. I would love to have some real hours for the next month and a half, but I've already made my peace with not working there anymore. They kind of saw to that when they forced me to choose between work and the other things in my life. In the two years I've worked there, I've put up with all sorts of instability with my scheduling, so I have no intention of diving for yet another dangling carrot.

On the upside, either way I'm looking for a new job in January!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/27667779/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/27667779/ Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:41:42 PDT
Whoa! Daily Deviation? Excuse me while I squeeee!

Okay, it was definitely a surprise to see something I wrote four and a half years ago suddenly get lots and lots of attention (well, 26 comments and 36 favs is lots and lots of attention in my books, at least).

Anyway, I'm so thankful for the DD. It really inspires me to get more writing done, and to post more of it on devART. ("Grey Melodies" feels like such an old story to me, but then I realize I haven't really written any short stories since!)

Thanks so much to everyone! It really makes such a difference just to know someone's reading your works.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/27479336/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/27479336/ Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:09:24 PDT
"Very nice."
"This poem was nice to read."
"This poem is also a good story."

Argh! Give me critique!

So my plan was to wait until after the workshopping of my poem before posting it here, but honestly, if the peer comments continue like this then what's the point of waiting?

Either way, expect a poem within the week.


By the way, I had a hilarious encounter with Mr. not-so-smart smartass (the one who started an argument with the teacher over a minor formatting detail). I noticed that in his critique of someone else he called them on not following the requirements of the assignment, stating, "I tend to take the requirements more seriously than others at any rate." (Wow, way to condescend.) For the sake of the other student, I gave a quick reply to that, saying, "In [_____]'s defense, we are allowed to move beyond our assignment requirements now" and I provided the link to the question forum where I specifically asked if we still had to follow the assignment rules, and the teacher replied that we are both free to and encouraged to edit our poems from our initial draft in whatever way we see fit.

His exact response: "In my defense, I'm not saying we need to follow rules because there are rules, but because the rules (and as I said, I never considered them to be requirements, for me, they had always been prompts) happened to be a rough guide that if followed, could potentially improve the poem.Whether such rules are enforced or not enforced, is completely irrelevant."

Defensive much?

Ugh, it is so hard not to take this bait, but I know that it isn't the place to be starting an argument, so I'm forcing myself not to reply. (Sorry, venting here is the only way I could manage it.) Honestly though, one more arrogant comment like this and I might just have to send him a personal message of "Hey, could you try not talking down to everyone else in the class? It's kind of annoying."

Yes, a part of me is hoping for that opportunity...

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/27324847/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/27324847/ Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:07:10 PDT
1. Someone else is being a bigger smartass than me. Only perhaps without the smart... He's been flat-out arguing with the teacher about the rtf. rule, publicly on the questions forum, and with a seriously lack of tact. The public part just adds more hilarity to this course, because the rest of us get to read through the alternating posts and spot all the hints of condescension and defensiveness that have gradually turned their discussion into a battle of egos.

For the record, I lean toward the prof's side on this one (which is not to say that I really agree with either). As much as I think there are flaws in the traditional authority-based teaching style, any student should be able to recognize that this is a teacher who demands that exact sort of authority. If you're going to out-right question a teacher like this, make sure it's for a damned good reason (i.e. not over a minor formatting detail). Honestly, you might as well stroll up to a lion and say, "Hey, I think your mane needs to be shaved off."


2. And my second difficulty in toying with the structure of this class is my realization that this is precisely what the prof wants us to do. Our second assignment is even more rule-specific than the first, with requirements like "include the name of at least one animal" and "do not end any lines on a preposition or an article." What's more, this is totally the sort of structure-challenge that I love... As poetry courses go, this one is practically made for me!

...Which probably explains why certain students (see aforementioned) seem to be getting frustrated....

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/27125860/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/27125860/ Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:42:00 PDT
It doesn't help that the other course I'm taking is Interdisciplinary Expressive Arts (AKA Creativity Class), or that this is my last semester and I'm pretty much ready to smack the authoritative school structure in the head repeatedly. Now my Poetry prof welcomes us with a gigantic list of pointless rules and I feel the need to laugh in his face. (Fortunately, the course is online. )

In addition to a thorough grading rubric consisting of bizarre checks and check minuses (Yes, it's exactly the sort of thing I was asking of my Geography prof; the irony is not lost on me), we've been given a full list of rules, most of which I think are just plain silly for a Creative Writing class.

1. "Late assignments will NOT be accepted or graded. No exceptions."
I laugh at this because my last Creative Writing teacher (who was AWESOME, and who is also teaching the Creativity class I mentioned), was a huge supporter of the letting people work at the pace of their own creative juices, and flat out told us, "I'd rather you hand in something late that you're proud of than something on time that you're not happy with."

2. "All poems should be 12 point Times or Times New Roman. They should be left-justified unless for an expressed purpose beyond preference. Poems should be single spaced unless for an expressed purpose beyond simple preference. Poems should adhere to standard grammar, again, unless for an expressed purpose beyond simple preference."
Holy creativity crammed in a box, Batman! Again, I think back to my last Creative Writing teacher, who specifically advised us NOT to use Times New Roman, because it is totally boring to the eye and does not inspire creativity.

3. "All files should be in .rtf and should be named as follows: LastnameAssignment#.rtf. E.g. SmithPoem1.rtf."
Wow... "SmithPoem1.rtf." Doesn't that just scream poetry from the heart?

And this is only a selection of the rules.


If I sound upset about this course or anything, I'm not. I honestly think this is hilarious, and I intend to be an utter smartass about it. A quiet, subtle smartass...

Updates will probably follow... Oh, as will poetry!


(P.S. I've already broken one rule. )

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26717252/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26717252/ Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:11:32 PDT
Go see it.

(This film had better be nominated for screenwriting.)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26550601/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26550601/ Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:50:32 PDT
Have I mentioned how my getting laid off (or something... it wasn't well explained) happened with frustratingly bad timing?


Just a wee little vent. I'm getting a good amount of writing done right now, but it's a little soured by the knowledge that no amount of writing is going to change the fact that I need a new job... And the process of job-searching will probably take away a lot of valuable writing time. More frick...

(And one semester left of school is just the icing on the cake. I get to apply to places and say, "Well, I almost have a Bachelor of Arts in writing... By the way I'm not available Thursdays.")


Update: And fantastic timing as always, less than an hour after posting this I get a call from (ex?)work, explaining that they welcome me to apply for a full-time position opening up in the fall, and that I can have it so long as no one exceeding more qualified steps in, and so long as I promise to utterly fit my schedule around them (which means rethinking choir and school) and work harder than ever... Okay, feeling a little overwhelmed by the need to make a decision now...


Update #2: Okey-dokey! Had a lovely emotional breakdown. Got over it. Re-read what I'd just written and realized I already answered my own question. My life will not revolve around working at a bookstore. Time to kick the applying my way into the film world into gear. Wish me luck!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26489464/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26489464/ Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:42:44 PDT Soul of the Forest, the story I've been writing just as a free-write, might actually have a greater potential. I believe I could rewrite it as a graphic novel, and that it would work better in that format.

Now, I know how to write in the graphic novel format, but does anyone know where I go from there? Do I need to write the entire thing out first, or would I only need to write the first instalment to get started? Do I need to find myself an illustrator, or would it be better to send the story out somewhere and let them pick the illustrator? Would I be better off doing this online or attempting to go through an actual publisher?

Of course maybe I should be finishing Moonleaf first... But hey, when inspiration hits I've got to pursue it.


UPDATE: It turns out that story adaptation is hard work! (But I do so love the script format...) So yeah, I'm officially working on two projects at once, now.



UPDATE #2: Oh, and I've also just signed up for the National Novel Writing Month 50,000-word story challenge in November.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26329505/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26329505/ Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:12:34 PDT
That felt awesome.


(Sadly, the email server is on shutdown for nine more hours, but I most certainly will be sending this letter tomorrow, with one satisfying click.)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26077625/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/26077625/ Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:02:06 PDT
Not that it's difficult, per say, but social science essays are so very different from English essays. For one, the teachers seldom appreciate creativity. I doubt I could include a little geography anecdote, or (heaven forbid!) use the word "I" in this essay. I just reread our assignment outline, and ugh is it ever disheartening: "The purpose of this assignment is to [...] develop essay writing skills [...] develop research tecniques for geographical analyses [...] this individual and independent research [...] a crucial component of your course performance [...] it is a measure of your understanding of the subject matter [..] you are to demonstrate your understanding [...] should cover at least two elements from the following list to secure maximum marks [...] research essays are regularly used in academia to describe empirical studies and" blah blah blah more dry comments blah blah etc.

Yes, I have totally been spoiled with Creative Writing courses and Interdisciplinary Expressive Arts courses and even my recent English courses have been very creativity oriented... Bottom line: I no longer feel that I should be required to write such structured essays.

And yet, with all the specifics given on what should be included in the essay (Title Page, Introduction, Method, Results, Figures, Maps, Conclusions), there is a serious lack of actual marking criteria. All I know is that this is a teacher who feels it's only right to deduct a mark anytime he spots a typo or spelling error, even if the assignment in question is only out of 10 marks. This assignment happens to be out of 50 marks... which means nothing to me when there's no marking criteria...

Anyway, I'll be getting back to writing now. I just spent several hours gathering notes on a topic that I knew practically nothing about (I chose to write about salmon streams and dams, because it's an geography-type issue that I've actually heard about before), and I literally just finally typed out my theme statement. (Which was surprisingly easy to do, and made the minor freakout I was having over my time limit very much lessen, as I suddenly remembered that I'm good at essays, and this is a freakin' first year geography class.) So now I finish the outline and then get to the actual writing... At midnight...

So back to the river levels of British Columbia and the effects of human development on marine wildlife... Those who know me will know just how riviting I find this sort of stuff... Writing ability don't fail me now.

Hour-Later Update: Ugh, I keep shifting between feeling totally keen to write and feeling utterly tired. Also, this would be much better if my laptop would stop taking 20 second freeze-naps at sporadic intervals (happened twice while I was writing this)... Methinks it might be time for a laptop checkup...

Tea time!

10-Hours-Later Update: Still writing? Oh you betcha! But sleep was included in those 10 hours as well.

So I just spent a good two hours putting together a map and some other figures, because it's required. Holy hellbells, if I don't get full marks for my map I am going to be peeved, because that was a lot of work! (But non-writing work, so it was also kind of a break.)

Alright: introduction completed, valuable quotes recorded, all my works pre-cited, figures at the ready... Now time to put it all together with some fine writing! (Yes, this is how I write essays... Not recommended .)

Oh, and the essay's due in 4.5 hours.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/25646208/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/25646208/ Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:19:28 PDT
My choir will be spending one week touring London and then one week competing at the International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales.

[link]

Wish us luck!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/25074979/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/25074979/ Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:11:00 PDT
(I just wrote up a vent and then deleted it. Felt good. Not a good idea to make the actual vent public, but I felt like at least mentioning its existence.)


JUNE 4TH EDIT:

I've come to a few realizations the past few days:

1. 5 weeks of full time employment one month from now is, sadly, worth the wait.
2. I'm probably better off job-hunting in September than in June.
3. I'm kind of a tool.
4. Sucky economies suck.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24989889/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24989889/ Thu, 28 May 2009 02:17:03 PDT
[link]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is being redone as another movie... Without any of the same actors, or characters (except for Buffy), or Joss Whedon.

No. Wrong. Very very wrong. And so ridiculously stupid! And infuriating.

I'm so torn on this. On the one hand, it really angers me that the director and producer of the original Buffy film now think they can piggyback off of the TV series' success (which technically they've been doing all along... but I'll get to that later). On the other hand, I'm just in awe of the stupidity, that anyone would think they could go ahead and redo a work so strongly attributed to a specific creator, while said creator is very much still in the biz, and when the TV series only ended seven years ago (with the story still continuing in comic book form), and while this creator still has such a super-outspoken fanbase. Either way I'd really just love to smack Fran Rubel Kuzui across the back of the head.

Which brings me to Fran Rubel Kuzui. She was the director of the Buffy film, and a good part of the reason Joss Whedon decided to redo the story as a TV series, to prove that it could actually be good. Do a little IMDB search and you'll see that Kuzui has barely done a thing since that movie. But since she holds a portion of the rights to the Buffy character, she has an "executive producer" credit for the entire series. And now she's decided to resurrect Buffy once more, this character whose success she was able to latch onto for over seven years...

Does this sound a little suspicious to anyone else?

So call me a crazy fan, but I swear this is not about loyalty to Joss Whedon. This is about the thought that someone could try to pull such an obvious cash-grab. The number of movie remakes happening right now is annoying sometimes, but this is a step further; This actually an outrage.


HOUR-LATER EDIT: Okay, calmer now. I've reminded myself that this isn't even in the pre-pre-production stage. It's just talk between producers... probably not going to happen, especially given the huge outpourings online of negative feedback that I've seen so far. I'm still annoyed that this idea even got as far as it has, but I'm sure it won't get much futher...

If it does, though, expect wrath!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24418110/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24418110/ Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:00:01 PDT

So this week I went to get my schoolbooks for the next semester. Since I work at a bookstore and get a nice discount there, I wrote down all the ISBNs for my required books and then checked if I could order them from work at a cheaper price than from school. Guess what I discovered?

My school's prices are identical to the regular publisher prices.

Does this sound right to you? Maybe I'm crazy, but I kind of assume that universities tend to give students some sort of discount on their required books for class... and since they order books in bulk, it also seems highly likely to me that the universities get a good deal from the suppliers. (I know the bookstore I work at gives deals to teachers and schools, so universities must get at least as good a deal, most likely better.)

So, one might ask, who's keeping the student discount all to themselves?


I'm choosing my 30% employee discount over my 0% student discount, thank you.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24335620/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24335620/ Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:34:31 PDT
My previous "Worst Multiple Choice Question" was of course:

Which is the best definition of [some word. I've forgotten the exact question]?
A. [definition 1]
B. [definition 2]
C. [definition 3]
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
Tip: When the question is "Which is the best..." anything, "All of the above" should not be an option, and "None of the above" should certainly not be an option! Obviously I could come up with a more thorough definition than A, B, or C, so "None of the above" are the best... The correct answer was C, by the way.


This used to be without a doubt the stupidest multiple choice question I've ever come across... And then I took a beginners' Business course.

I was just now going through my old tests to study for my exam tomorrow, which reminded me just how awful some of these questions were. Please allow me to show you:


These well-known stores are examples of bargain retailers:
A. Walmart & Zellers
B. Sears & The Bay
C. Zellers & The Bay
D. Sears & Walmart
E. all of these are correct
Purpose of this question? To detemine if we're all sufficiently-thrifty shoppers, of course!

Which of the following individuals is credited with helping Japanese manufacturers achieve a dramatic improvement in quality?
A. Frederick W. Taylor
B. Malcolm Baldridge
C. Shoichiro Toyoda
D. Grant M. Starke
E. W. Edwards Deming
Purpose of this question: Did you memorize every single section of the textbook? Because expect random factoids pulled from it.

If MicroAge has $400 000 in sales revenue and has to pay 2 percent in franchisor fee to Hearco, MicroAge would have to pay:
A. $80 000 B. $2 000 C. $20 000 D. $800 E. $8 000
We interupt this Business exam to bring you a standard Math word problem...

This week, Jessica's Variety had sales of $4,000, employees were paid $1,000, cost of goods was $1,500, and rent was $500. Profit for the week was:
A. $3,000 B. $4,000 C. $1,000 D. $2,000 E. $1,500
Initially this looks like another Math question thrown into the middle of a Business test. But the correct answer is B. ($4,000), so clearly this is actually a test of our ability to find a magical definition of Profit that doesn't involve any subtraction. ("That product that cost me $300 to make, I sold for $100. Hey, I made $100 profit!")

From Confederation (1867) to 1981, Canada's total accumulated debt was only _____.
A. $78.5 billion
B. $57.8 billion
C. $85.7 billion
D. $40 billion
E. none of these are correct.
The random factoid returns!

Peter, [sic] is a Canadian citizen who owns a manufacturing plant located in China. The dollar value of the goods will be reflected in _____ in Canada.
This question seems perfectly fine. But then look at the question that immediately followed...
If Paul, who is a Canadian citizen, owns and operates a shipping company outside of Canada, the value of the goods and service are recored [sic] in _____ in Canada.
Yes, the same question twice in a row. This is actually how they were in the test.

As a proportion of GDP, Canada's level of R&D _____ of other countries.
A. is far behind
B. lags behind that
C. is very far behind that
D. is about the same as
E. none of the above
Yet again, this seems in itself like a fair question. What got me was that I was unclear whether "other countries" meant all other countries or just the economically-advanced ones (USA, China, etc.). When I asked the prof this, his answer, I kid you not, was "I don't know. It's in the textbook."


And the best (and by best I mean worst) question I have come across this semester...

...

Here it comes!

...


Sherrie wants to save money and time on her research project. You recommend she use:
A. primary data she has collected herself
B. an inexpensive research method such as a quick literature survey
C. abstract databases
D. secondary data to save money
E. none of the above
Purpose of this question: To break our minds by telling us that our answer to the question "What answer do you give?" is wrong. Here I thought I would recommend a literature survey, but it turns out I'd actually recommend secondary data.
Oh, and isn't that "none of the above" option the real kicker?


Well... that turned into a lovely rant...

Ah... Nothing like a little venting before an exam. Wish me luck tomorrow! And wish me also fewer stupid multiple choice questions!


(P.S. If anyone else remembers some stupid e... ]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24334543/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24334543/ Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:39:16 PDT

10. Alias

9. Battlestar Galactica

8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

7. Angel

6. Fullmetal Alchemist

5. Babylon 5

4. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

3. Tin Man

2. Firefly

1. Jekyll

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24190964/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24190964/ Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:14:26 PDT

I have to say, I've loved the series in general, but not exactly a five star rating on that ending. Honestly, it felt like they used a completely new writer or something.

There were so many pointless filler scenes, the cliche shots made me wince, and I truly believe that I could've come up with a better explanation of some of the big over-arching mysteries... Those who know me know I'm not the biggest personal horn-tooter, but I really do think that my guess at how it was going to end was better than how they actually ended it. (Frikkin' [blank]s? Total [blankity blank blank]!)


Whew, that came out a tad more critical than I expected, but I just had to vent. Apologies to other BSG fans. I swear, I'm one too, but the story pace just went so downhill in those last few episodes.


Thank Whedon that Serenity just started on TV.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24050994/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/24050994/ Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:31:21 PDT Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility and I hated them both.

So with that in mind, try to imagine my reaction when I was receiving books at work and came across this: [link]

And then I read the back:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."
So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton--and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers--and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.

And then I bought the book.

OH.

AWESOME.


(For more info: [link])

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/23924107/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/23924107/ Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:24:58 PDT
So it's nearing the end of the semester, and I have a pile of work to do (including seven more pages of writing due in four hours), and I just feel like going for a walk in the woods, or dancing, or making a sandstone carving... It's a rather unproductive mood when you're trying to sit down and get homework done, but meh! I'm pretty much enjoying it anyway.

Where does this mood come from, you may ask? Well, I suspect it comes largely from a certain bit of creative emancipation I recently experienced. Yes, I sang at home. Loudly, for a long time, and most importantly, without embarassment!

For those who don't know me, I pretty much don't sing on my own in public. So even though I was in a semi-sound-proofed room (singing into a microphone), and the only people around to hear me were my parents, this was a huge step for me.

"Well, good for you, Stephanie," you might say, "But how does this matter... erm... at all?"

Thank you for asking. This matters because I've now come to a realization. If I can sing into a microphone, surely I can speak into a microphone. If I can speak into a microphone, I can read my own writing out loud and then listen to it. This could help me see any phrases that don't work, and also make me more comfortable with reading aloud. Reading aloud just happens to be my biggest worry when it comes to being a professional writer (because I know that being at all successful requires some active selling), so the idea of practising that just makes perfect sense.

So yeah, it's one of those Why didn't I think of this sooner? things. Yey clarity!

So now I'm feeling super excited and eager to get to work on this plan... *Ahem* But first I should probably get this other homework done...

*exasperated sigh* Have I mentioned before that I'm really ready to be done with school?

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/23723037/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/23723037/ Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:01:04 PDT
After three days, I've decided that Twitter's certainly an interesting phenomenon, and a lovely place to release my novel-writing frustrations!

So, if anyone's dying to know what my day-to-day writing life is like... [link]

(P.S. These past few days I've been trying to finish an instalment of about 50 pages which I had hoped to have done last Thursday... Just to explain the slight crazy.)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/23281049/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/23281049/ Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:07:24 PST
After managing very slowly through the first 10 pages of my second instalment, I came across a chapter which I've pretty much had to entirely rewrite, and as a result of course I'll need to rewrite several upcoming sections. (Like pulling a damn thread.)

But the good news is that this chapter is now so much better than it was! It may have taken me two days of writing to fix, but the bottom line is that I'm happy with the result, so I can't complain about the work. There's nothing quite like looking back on something you've just written and honestly feeling for every one of the characters involved. I'm sure you visual artists experience something similar.

I'm still quite behind on my original schedule, but I've got space to catch up. I hope to get my second instalment finished by next week, so 30 more pages, here I come!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/23063904/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/23063904/ Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:08:57 PST
Ah yes, after the writer's high comes the writer's low. I've submitted my first part of my story for judging, and now come the "Is it good enough?"s and the "What if this part is a problem?"s and the "How do I continue?"s.

The trouble may lie in the fact that since submitting my work for critique, I haven't heard a peep of comment on it, from the teacher or from peers. Fair enough, I submitted my work about four weeks before the first instalment is due for the course, but the silence is killing me, and more importantly it's killing my inspiration.

Then on top of that there are of course my other writing courses, which keep asking for work which to me feels like a waste of my time. Blargh. I'm ready to be done with school any time, now...

Nothing to do about it but write, I suppose.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22751970/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22751970/ Fri, 23 Jan 2009 04:16:54 PST
1. Look up "runner's high."
2. Replace runner with writer.

(What a crazy concept!)

And to properly present a writer's high, I'm currently writing this whilst on one.

So... I just finished the first of four sections of Moonleaf. Finished. As in, "Holy crumbcakes, I'm done!" And now it's 4:00am. And I work in five hours. And I can't go to bed just yet because I now have to write about how I just completed a big writing mini-goal.

Woot!
And also, oh boy am I going to be tired tomorrow.

The funny thing is that 5 hours ago I was quite tired, and worrying that I might not succeed in my goal of finishing the first installment today (side note: Today = Thursday until I actually go to sleep and wake up). At some point in the writing (and I have no idea when it happened), I guess I fell into the mode, which is when the writing sort of sucks me in and I don't snap out of it until I'm doing the final scan through.

Alright, the tiredness is finally coming, so away I go...

(P.S. And tomorrow I have a couple-page assignment due for my Creative Writing class. I just finished 18,000 words, and tomorrow I have to write a couple pages... You see why I'm having trouble taking my other courses seriously this semester?)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22671825/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22671825/ Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:23:21 PST )

[link]

I really love Joss Whedon!

...in the most professional, nonstalkerish way.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22588863/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22588863/ Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:52:43 PST Moonleaf update!

I'm still at chapter 7, but in my defense it's been a super-busy week, and I've very recently been held up by the discovery of a logic-defying time warp between some of my chapters.

I was getting confused about the timeline of the story, so I finally made up a chart today to figure out how many days pass in each of the two separate locations that I focus on at the beginning. Turns out time moves slower in the forest than it does in the city... Who knew?

...

Anyway, I guess that's the sort of thing that needs to be fixed, so I get to meditate on that one until I can sort out a solution. (Fortunately I already have a pretty good idea what I need to do and where I need to do it, so now it's just a matter of writing the additions.)

And so begins my battle against reality...


(P.S. I'm not actually hysterical. In fact, I feel pretty calm about the whole thing. But the emote depicts my quiet, inner frustration so very well!)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22554166/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22554166/ Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:18:44 PST

From the December 2008 issue of Vanity Fair...

Cooking with Cormac McCarthy
by Craig Brown

Pasta. Plain. But Good.

INGREDIENTS:
Pasta.
And salt.
And water.
And Fire.

DIRECTIONS:
Place the pasta in the water and the salt in the water and the water in the pot and the pot on the fire.
In the pot? The fire in the pot?
No. The water in the pot. The pot on the fire.
The pasta in the water?
Yes, in the water.
And the salt in the fire?
No. The salt in the water.
And the water on the fire?
No. The water in the pot and the pot on the fire. Not the water on the fire. For then the fire will die and dying be dead.
Nor will the water boil and the pasta will drain dry and not cooked and hard to the teeth.

The salt falls nor does it cease to fall.
The water boils. So be it.
Cease from placing your hand in the boiling water. Place your hand in the boiling water and it will cause you pain.
Much pain?
Very much pain.

In the pot the bubbles bubble up and bubble some more. The bubbles are bubbly. Never more bubbly bubbles bubbling bubbliest. And having bubbled the bubbles still bubbly.
Or bubblier?
Or bubblier.
Across the kitchen a board intended for chopping. Here. Take it. Chop.
What will I chop? There are no ingredients to chop.
Just chop. Don’t cease from chopping. To chop is to become a man.

After 10 minutes. The pasta stiff and dry and upright no more. The pasta lank and wet and soft. In the eternal damp of water.
Pour water free like some ancient anointing. The pasta left alone in the pot. Alone and naked.
The salt? Where’s the salt?
The salt is gone. Lost to the water and gone forever.
I grieve for the salt.
It is the salt for which I grieve.

Tip the pasta out.
The pasta?
Yes. Tip it out. Onto.
A plate?
Yes. And stop.
Finishing your sentences?
Yes.
Why?
Because it’s so.
Irritating?

Nothing in your memory anywhere of anything so good. Now the pasta is eaten. Disappeared. The pasta disappeared as everything disappeared. As the comma disappears and the semicolon disappears and the inverted comma disappears and the apostrophe disappears and the adjectives and the pronouns all disappear.
Leaving just full stops and And.
And And?
And And.
And And.

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

In other news, I've just finished Chapter 6 of Moonleaf.

I've taken to writing the last sentence from each completed chapter on my school bag (which is a Whedon-ified, writing-inspiration birthday gift from my friends and is totally awesome) as a way to show off my progress without actually showing off. Seeing as the book is going to be just under 40 chapters, the bag should look pretty interesting by the end...

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22384299/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/22384299/ Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:54:35 PST
Sorry for my DevART absence (feels like I've been saying that a lot, lately..). It's been busy times, and I don't see this year being any less so.

My New Years Resolutions:
1. Finish novel and start working to get it published.
2. Is that novel done yet?
3. GET WRITING!

I'll be starting classes again next week (speaking of which, school is something I'll also be finishing this year ), and in one of my classes (so awesome) we're allowed to set whatever project goal we want, so I intend to submit a complete novel in four 50-60 page installments. This will officially be the first course where I'm darn-well aiming for an A+. (Anything lower = the book isn't ready yet.)

So yeah, busy times, but I'm pretty excited about the whole thing!


(P.S. I've officially removed the first three chapters of Moonleaf from my deviations. Their presence here was making me uncomfortable, because they were old versions and I feel my writing has since improved a fair bit, but I didn't want to post the edited versions that I actually hope to publish.)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19632422/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19632422/ Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:56:02 PDT ...

So, the rules are: The first 10 ppl to post in this journal get a free quick sketch of whatever they request.

The catch is supposed to be that you will need to do the same for 10 others, but what with sketches not exactly being my forte, I expect I might have some trouble getting 10 takers as is... So, the catch is recommended, but totally optional.

So post here and let me know what you'd like me to draw for you. Links to reference images would be great if it's a specific character you'd like.

Warning: Sketches are likely to be of poor quality and in stick figure form... Enjoy!

1. ... One of the Ninja Turtles (Donatello) - PENDING
2. ... Evil Spork - PENDING
3. ... X-Files (stick figure) Fanart - IN PROGRESS
4. ...
5. ...
6. ...
7. ...
8. ...
9. ...
10. ...

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19565477/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19565477/ Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:25:49 PDT [link]

Yes, there's a Wikipedia entry solely devoted to describing how MacGyver has solved problems. Obviously I had to share this information.


(Thanks to xkcd for making this discovery.)


((Seriously, who took the time to write all of these out?))

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19475758/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19475758/ Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:21:48 PDT [link]

Just finished watching the last act, and damn, I should've remembered that Joss Whedon has a knack for blending comedy with deep, weighty stories... Now I feel all riled up with emotion, which is going to make sleep more difficult... But it's still totally worth it, of course!


Seriously, watch "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog" right now. It'll be off the internet in less than twenty-four hours.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19436968/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19436968/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:36:28 PDT Warning: I may come a little close here to crossing that line between totally-professional admiration and crazy fanaticism...


Question:
What does Joss Whedon do during a writers' strike?

Answer:
[link]

If you haven't seen it yet, hurry up and see it!

The first act was posted at midnight July 15th. By morning the site had been overloaded with viewers and crashed... but it's all up and running again now! Act I is also now the #1 television episode and television series selling on iTunes.

Act II just came up, and Act III is coming Saturday. It's all being taken down Sunday, so go go go!

(P.S. It's official, even Joss Whedon acknowledges that sporks are evil! That in itself has made my night!)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19058887/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/19058887/ Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:13:41 PDT
Funny how that doesn't work nearly as well for people...

.
.
.

This may require further analysis...

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/18931259/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/18931259/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:48:01 PDT [link]



]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/18863947/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/18863947/ Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:49:13 PDT

Damn, times that I wish I had a subscription (and was thus able to do thumbnails)...


1. What do you like about your style?

Photography: I like the concept of finding the moments of beauty in life.

Writing: I've always felt quite happy about my dialogue and plots, and I'm really having fun with deep character development right now.

Drawings etc.: I really like trying different things, though most of my drawn stuff has a common theme of enjoying myself and/or putting way too much time into small details.


2. Which is the most popular deviation in your gallery? Why do you think people like it so much? What do YOU like about it?

The Legend of the Evil Spork"

I'll admit, its presence in my signature does help it get all that attention, but I think it's also popular because it's random and fun. This deviation is my baby because it's something totally unique that I created.


3. Pick one of your least popular deviations. What are the things you like about it, despite the lack of popularity?

"Watching You"

First of all, deer are the animals that I feel the closest connection with, so this photo evokes a lot of emotion for me. I also just love the mysteriousness of it.


4. Which is your favorite picture, concept- or idea-wise? Would you ever revisit this idea and try to make a new picture based on it again?

"Beauty in Stone"

I'm not technically religious, but this image really gets me every time I look at it. It's the cracked stone base that I really love.

Although the photo is unfortunately not the best quality, I wouldn't want to try to replicate this image with a better camera in a different place. But perhaps if I ever visit the Beaujolais wine region again...


5. Do you have a favorite quickie? What are the things you like about it?

To Live Not to Exist"

This was definitely just a play with a trial version of Jasc Paint Shop, but I like how it turned out, and I feel that it suits the quote well.


6. Do you have a favorite piece that involved tons of time and effort?

*cough*Moonleaf*cough* (Seven years and counting...)

But in terms of an actual picture...

"Karsilus"

I did this piece completely on a basic Paint Shop program, and I'm quite proud of it. It's shown me what I can do when I actually put in some time and effort.

(By the by, I'm currently into a new Paint Shop project, one that I'm a month or so into and that is already way more complicated than this one.)


7. Lastly, pick your top favorite image in your gallery. (If you picked this picture in any of the previous answers, please pick the next favorite or something.) Why do you like it so much?

"Waiting for a Voice"

One of my newest pieces, but definitely one of my favourites. I love the simplicity of it, but there's a lot of meaning there, too. Also, this work is completely my own: I took the picture, developed the film, and processed the photo myself.


tagging


]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/15757746/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/15757746/ Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:12:09 PST
And of course this email comes to me at the end of a very long and frustrating day of work at the same pizza place that I've been at for over three years, a day that involved constant complaining from customers and co-workers alike (i.e. one of the cooks was upset because he had to work long hours that day, and I, who started before him, had to listen to him whine about it all day... and then there was the customer who decided to lecture me for five minutes because of an error made that I had nothing to do with). Essentially what had been keeping me at this place the last couple months had been the belief that I'd only be there a month or so more before getting the opportunity to move onward to an actual career in screenwriting.

So the gist is: I need a change. I've already started looking into a job at a bookstore (slightly closer to my field of interest, I'd say), and whether I get that or not, I'm making strong plans to make December my last month of employment at this pizza place.

Fortunately for me, the employment rate over here is quite high right now; I'm seeing "help wanted" signs pretty much everywhere... And there are a lot of bookstores around!

So I'll soon be stepping off this very well-beaten, circular path. Wish me luck!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/15096320/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/15096320/ Wed, 17 Oct 2007 02:40:22 PDT
So why is it so hard for people to just acknowledge the existence of things to which they can't relate? Why are we so bent on fitting everyone else into our own personal molds? Why can't we just accept that you feel this way, I feel that way, and neither of us is wrong?

I refuse to believe that I'm the problem for being what I am. The problem lies with those who have a problem with it.


Yes, all hail my super-vagueness. The bottom line here is that I'm feeling very isolated right now...


(EDIT: So I posted some deviations to make myself feel better... Which actually worked, somewhat.)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/14234727/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/14234727/ Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:23:48 PDT

The first 10 people who say they want to will be featured. I will go through your gallery and choose three of your deviations I like the most and post them in my journal for everyone to see! It's pretty much to show you off. Who doesn't want that?

The catch?

You gotta put this in your journal as well if you want to be featured.

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

1. ~Charliepyro08
There's such personality in all her works! Practically all of her stuff leaves me with a smile and some interesting thoughts to ponder.

Graffiti Brain - Truly awesome, in all its random glory!

If Only - Part philosophical, part humourous, part serious... all within one simple occurrence! Certain people may not be 'ready' for this poem's message, but I think it's brilliant!

Ferrex Kelly - I don't know who Ferrex is, but he looks great here! Wonderful use of inking and shading.

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

2.

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

3.

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

4.

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

5.

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

6.

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

7.

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

8.

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

9.

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

10.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/14189934/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/14189934/ Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:44:33 PDT
[link]


(Yeah, I'm on a collegehumor.com kick)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/14158339/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/14158339/ Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:53:10 PDT [link]

Need I say more?

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/12162748/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/12162748/ Mon, 12 Mar 2007 21:44:58 PDT

Anyway, I stole this from ...


--THEATRE KID--
[x] Ever been in a School play?
[x] Have you ever seen a Broadway/West End show?
[x] Seen more than 10 shows?
[x] Have you ever been/Are you in school shows?
*[x] Does your current job involve theatre in some way?
[x] Want to end up working in/for theatre?
[x] Can you recite all of the lyrics to your favorite play/musical?
[] Do you break out into random songs whenever/wherever!!
**[] Do you like the Sound of Music?
[x] Did you like the Broadway show?

*Mwahaha! I'm filming a school play this week!
**But maybe that's just because I've only ever seen bits of it.

TOTAL = [8]

--REDNECK--
[] Do you have a couch in your front yard or porch?
[] Do you drive a four-wheeler?
[] Do you ride four-wheelers?
[] Do you like to get dirty?
[x] Do you like country music?
[] Do you have a broken car in your back yard?
[]Do you own a cowboy hat?
[] Do you live on more then 1 acres?
[] Do you have more then 4 different animals at your home?
[] Do you watch Larry the Cable Guy movies?

TOTAL = [1]

-GOTH--
[] Do you wear black eyeliner?
[] Is most of your clothing dark?
[] Do you think about death often?
[] Do you want to die?
[] Are you a social outcast?
[x] Are you pale?
[] Do you own something from Hot Topic?
[x] Do you enjoy Tim Burton movies?
[] Are you mean?

TOTAL = [2]

--PUNK--
[] Can you skateboard?
[] Do you wear Vans, dcs, converse, ect.?
[]Do you do stupid stuff with your friends?
[] Have you gotten in trouble with the Cops?
[] Do you watch the x-games?
[] Do you have any piercings?
[] Do you like/wear a mohawk?
[] Do you wear Band t-shirts?
[] Are you a rebel without a cause?
[] Have you called someone a poseur recently?
[] Does it piss you off when people say poser instead of poseur?

TOTAL = [0]

--PREP--
*[x] Do you say the word "like" alot?
[] Do you shop at Hollister/Abercrombie&Fitch/AE/Aero?
[] Do the people in Hot Topic scare you?
[x] Do you laugh a lot?
[] Have/do you watch LAGUNA BEACH?
[x] Do you like pop music?
[] Do you want/have a little dog?
[x] Do you smile a lot?
[] Do you hang out with your friends a lot?
[] Do you always carry a purse/wallet?

*Though I think being able to admit that makes me less preppy than otherwise.

TOTAL = [4]

--HIPPIE--
[x] Is your hair long?
[x] Do you own a tye-dye shirt?
[x] Do you want to save the animals?
[x] Do you think war is unnecessary?
[x] Do you like classic rock and trippy music?
*[] Have you ever participated in a protest?
[x] Have you ever been overcome with a desire to hug a tree?
[] Do you play a ukulele or os?
[] Do/have you ever smoked the peace pipe?
[] Do you wear a peace sign around your neck?
[] Do you just sit in the grass with your friends and play guitar?

*I'm going to guess that silly school "honestly I was just bored" protests don't count.

TOTAL = [6]

--GANGSTA--
[] Do you act ghetto?
[] Do you wear do-rags?
[] Do you like hip-hop?
[] Was Tupac truly the greatest rapper in the world?
[] Do you believe he's alive?
[] Do you like afros?
[] Have you ever said "Fo Shizzle"?
[] Do you like to dance?
[] Do you own any Baby Phat or G-Unit?

TOTAL = [0]

--EMO--
[] Do you cry often?
[] Do you wear hoodies?
*[x] Do you like hard music?
**[x] Do people not understand you?
[x] Do you write your own poems?
[] Ever dyed your hair red, black or dark?
[] Have you ever cut yourself?
[] Are you LONELY?
[] Do you like ohio is for lovers by Hawthorne Heights?
[x] Do you think a lot?

*I don't really know what that is but it doesn't sound like it's rap or metal or punk or something like that so sure why not?
**But that's probably because I don't make sense sometimes.

TOTAL = [4]

--SURFER--
[] Do you surf?
[] Do you wear flip flops year-round?
[] Is your hair shaggy?
[] Do you wake up before 6 every morning?
[x] Do you own any pairs of shorts?... ]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/11677645/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/11677645/ Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:50:58 PST

If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be? So, here's how it works:
1. open your library
2. put it on shuffle
3. press play
4. for every question, type the song that's playing
5. when you go to a new question, press the next button
6. don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...


1. opening: I Am A Rock (Simon & Garfunkel)
2. waking up: Flavour Of The Minute (Corbin Keep)
3. first day of school: Binnorie O Binnorie (Mediaeval Baebes)
4. Falling in love: Where Do We Go From Here? (Buffy musical)
5. The fight: Running Out of Ink (Barenaked Ladies)
6. breaking up: Firecracker (The Wailin' Jennys)
7. Prom: Fuego- Angry People (Barenaked Ladies)
8. Life's ok: Masquerade (Phantom of the Opera)
9. Mental Breakdown: A Little Fall Of Rain (Les Misérables)
10. Driving: Pinch Me (Barenaked Ladies)
11. Flashback: Waltz De Chocobo (Nobou Uematsu)
12. Getting back together: In Silent Awe (Corbin Keep)
13. wedding: Jericho (k.d. lang)
14. Birth of first child: The Sun (Maroon 5)
15. Final battle: Life For Rent (Dido)
16. Death: This Land is Mine (Dido)
17. Funeral: Must Get Out (Maroon 5)

Man, look how many would've just been perfect if I'd skipped "Binnorie O Binnorie"...

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/11381873/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/11381873/ Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:53:41 PST
Would you believe that that is a grammatically correct sentence? Well it is! Yes, this is another one of my random discoveries in the bizzare land of the English language... So once again:

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Making any more sense? Well, what if I identify that there are three different meanings of the word "buffalo" being used here?
1. The city of Buffalo, New York
2. The animal "buffalo" written in one of its two acceptable plural forms (the other being "buffaloes").
3. The verb "buffalo", which means to confuse, deceive or intimidate.

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

I swear it will start making sense! Now I'll start adding some more words to clarify the sentence:

Buffalo buffalo that other Buffalo buffalo buffalo also buffalo other Buffalo buffalo.

And now some rewording:

Buffalo bison that other Buffalo bison intimidate also intimidate other Buffalo bison.

Starting to make some crazy, mindblowing sense? Let's do some more word replacing:

Tokyo dogs, whom other Tokyo dogs bite, themselves bite other Tokyo dogs.

Tokyo dogs Tokyo dogs bite bite Tokyo dogs.

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

So? Do you see it? Have I made anyone's mind explode? Has the word "buffalo" completely lost all meaning to you yet?


(Seriously, think I'm making this up? Check this out: [link] )

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/11248686/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/11248686/ Sat, 30 Dec 2006 18:19:07 PST

Put your iTunes/Winamp/WMP on shuffle.
Say the following questions aloud, and press play.
Use the song title as the answer to the question.
NO CHEATING.

1. How does the world see you?
"Scary Ned" - The Arrogant Worms

2. Will I have a happy life?
"Oh, Had I A Golden Thread" - Eva Cassidy

3. What do my friends think of me?
"What A Good Boy" - Barenaked Ladies

5. How can I make myself happy?
"Johnny C. Bad" - Nobou Uematsu

6. What should I do with my life?
"Through With You" - Maroon 5

7. Will I ever have children?
"Not Coming Home" - Maroon 5

8. What is some good advice for me?
"Easy" - Barenaked Ladies

9. How will I be remembered?
"Java Jive" - Concordiae

10. What's my signature dancing song?
"I Have A Dream" - ABBA

11. What's my current theme song?
"The Winner Takes It All" - ABBA

12. What do others think is my current theme song?
"Aliens" - Corbin Keep

13. What shall they play at my funeral?
"Waterloo" - ABBA

14. What type of men/women do I like?
"And So It Goes" - Concordiae (It's the King's Singers version)

15. How's my love life?
"What's Up" - Corbin Keep

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/11145541/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/11145541/ Fri, 22 Dec 2006 01:46:26 PST
[link]


Some of my favourites that I ended up getting:

Dashing through the snow,
In an one-horse open sleigh,
O'er the evil spork we go,
Laughing all the way.
-Jingle Bells

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much sparkly.
-O Christmas Tree

'Meh', they told me,
Pa-rum-pum-pum pum.
-Little Drummer Boy

May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be in tune.
-White Christmas

Rudolph the red-nosed nonalcoholic
Had a very shiny nose.
-Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Good tidings we bring
To you and your non-denominational winter holiday.
-We Wish You A Merry Christmas


I'd love to see what amusing ones you ended up with!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10955733/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10955733/ Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:23:19 PST
[link]

Check that site out and I've done my job.

...And in case you're afraid of the unknown link, I'll explain. I've just discovered that there's a campaign going to get Joss Whedon a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year. If you don't know who Joss Whedon is (and if "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Firefly", or "Toy Story" don't ring a bell), you have some research to do, so get going. If you do know who he is, lend your support! Spread the word! They're hoping to get the necessary $15,000 (used to pay for the creation and installation of the star, as well as maintenance of the Walk of Fame) by Feb. 14th, 2007. The deadline for the nomination is May 31st, 2007.


Some good clips to have a look at:

[link] - Whedon's replies to "So why do you write such strong women characters?"

[link] - Random hilarity!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10879537/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10879537/ Tue, 28 Nov 2006 13:39:02 PST (Hope she doesn't mind!)

---------------------RED-----------------------

1. Closest red thing to you? The Vodka Twistee shot that has been sitting at the head of my bed for just about a year, now... Wow, there's one no one who knows me would've expected...

2. Last thing to make you angry? Erm... angry... hmm... I guess that'd be the most recent completely unprepared customer that I've had to deal with over the phone at work. "I'd like a pizza" "Okay, what kind would you like?" "Oh, I don't know. What do you have?" And then after guiding them through choosing their food, I ask them for their phone number and address only to discover that they've just moved, or that their at someone else's house, so they waste more time as they search for the numbers. (Seriously, if you're going to order something for delivery, be prepared to give the address!) Whew... so, yup, I'd say that's the last thing to make me angry.

3. Do you have a temper? VERY seldom

4. Are you a fan of romance?: Hard to say. I find that I like romance in films (to a certain degree... there's definitely such a thing as too much), but in reality I find a lot of romance to be kind of hokey... But theoretically, yes, I like romance.

-------------------ORANGE-------------------

1. Closest orange thing to you: Bob! The little orange creature that I made out of orange puff balls, back in my orange obsessed days. He's been sitting in a little box that I made into a bed at the head of my bed. I totally forgot about him until just now!

2. Do you like to burn things?: Depends on the things, and on where I am. Campfire with friends: yeah, I do kind of enjoy watching the way the logs burn. Fancy dinner with candle light: no, pretty sure I can restraing myself from throwing my napkin on the candle just to see what happens.

3. Dress up for Halloween?: This last one? Not really... but in my defense I was closing at work. I did, however, purposely wear only black and red to work... and as such I was more dressed up for Halloween than anyone else there...

4. Are you usually a warm-hearted person?: I believe so.

5. Do you have anything against redheaded people? Nope.

6. Are you usually full of energy?: Hmm... not really, no.

-------------------YELLOW-------------------

1. Closest yellow thing to you? My Lemon Splash flavoured water beverage.

2. The happiest time[s] of your life?: Pretty much every Christmas.

3. Favorite holiday?: Gee, now that's a tough one... Erm, I guess, CHRISTMAS.

4. Are you a coward?: Hmm... I think that's yet to be determined.

5. Do you burn or tan?: Neither.

-------------------GREEN-------------------

1. Closest green thing to you?: My bed.

2. Do you care about the environment?: Yup... though I'll admit I don't do a super amount to help it.

3. Are you jealous of anyone right now?: Yeah, the frickin' twenty-two-year-old who's already published two best-sellers, one of which has just been made into a film.

4. Are you a lucky person?: It varies.

5. Do you always want what you can't have?: Not always, no. A lot of the times I want what I can have... and sometimes I don't want anything.

6. Do you like being outdoors?: It also varies. I'd love to live far away from any big cities, but I definitely enjoy staying inside a lot of the time.

7. Are you Irish?: Not to my knowledge.

-------------------BLUE-------------------

1. Closest blue thing to you?: The water on the map of Europe that hangs on my wall.

2. Are you good at calming people down?: I'm not really sure... I know I try.

3. Do you like the sea?: I've got mixed feelings there. I like swimming, and the ocean is gorgeous, but I don't like swimming in cold water and I occasionally have a fear of the things that one finds in the sea.

4. What was the last thing that made you cry?: A dog food commercial.

5. Are you a logical thinker?: For the most part

6. Can you sleep easily?: Not really.

---------------------PURPLE-------------------

1. Closest purple thing to you?: The goo in my lava lamp.

2. Like bein... ]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10631066/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10631066/ Sun, 05 Nov 2006 22:55:29 PST

And finally I get to submit "Thanks for Watching 3". As with the others, it's not really anything special, but it's a labour of love! Thanks to those who watch me!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10588825/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10588825/ Thu, 02 Nov 2006 01:39:18 PST
Well, today my dad made an appointment for our dog, Kyla, to be put down... er... again... Yes, last time she bounced back just in time, but she's almost forteen now, she's very much overweight, and she has a good load of health issues (seizures, arthritis, addison's disease...). Today she's been having a lot of trouble walking. We've been having to lift her up so that she can go outside (not an easy task with such a large dog). She's also not eating, which means we can't give her her pills. When my mom and I came home this evening her tail wagged but she didn't even lift her head... I don't really see her bouncing back a second time...

Anyway, thus far I'm dealing with this a lot better than the last time. It's still pretty hard; she's been with me since I was six. But I think everyone in my family pretty much agrees now that it's for the best. I'll admit it also helps to have Zeke with us. (He's such a big sweetie.)

So the only available time for the vet tomorrow (technically today) is pretty early in the morning, but we're almost certainly going to phone and reschedule it for Friday (Unless Kyla has a really bad night). Upon hearing about Kyla's condition, at least one of my brothers are planning to visit tomorrow. After all, she's our first family pet that we've had from very young to old age.

So there it is: I'm sort of hitting a new era in my life, it would seem. The world moves ever forward, etc.


In an attempt to lighten the mood now, here's some humour of the day: An actual phone conversation I had at work today (technically yesterday):
Phone: RING RING
Me: Classic O.P. Pizza.
Customer: Hi. Do you guys have pizza?
Me: ...(And here inner me smacks head into a table repeatedly)... Yes we do!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10564236/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10564236/ Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:27:37 PST I already have "Thanks for Watching 3" ready for submission... So here's hoping I don't get any new Devwatchers before I hit 2000 (because that'd really be unfortunate! ).


And now to the real news... my brother's getting married!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10034660/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/10034660/ Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:54:23 PDT
]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/9952383/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/9952383/ Sun, 03 Sep 2006 14:27:41 PDT Soul of the Forest. Upcoming, I may or may not post more Europe photos, depending on whether or not I come across anything that I feel the need to post. I'd like to write more of Soul of the Forest, but I intend this year to send Moonleaf out to (hopefully!) be published, so that one takes precedence right now... and unfortunately I won't be submitting more of that one than the three pages that are already up, so I may appear to be doing very little for the next little while...

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

posted a link to this site in one of his journals, and I found this thing so fun/addictive that I think I'll have to share it with others. It's a write-your-own-music sort of thing. Punk-O-Matic.

Here's the what I came up with (to hear it, copy the text below, go to the site, click "Load" and then paste the text into the box at the bottom):

--3---3-6-0-0-0---1---1---3-5-3-6-0-0-0---1---1---2---2------8775-775-776-886-9----------------0---0---8---8-5---------0---0---8---8-5-80--80--6-c-8---8-5-0---0---c------6-a---a---6-7-6-8-0---3-2-6-7-6-8-6-7-6-8-0---3-2-7-6-7-8-9-a-0---3-2-6-7-6-8-6-a----

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

Ah yes, and one more thing... Happy Birthday to me in a week and a day! (Yuppers, I was born on September 11th.) I shall hold a little online party in one of my journals. Bring your emoticons! ]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/9443476/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/9443476/ Fri, 21 Jul 2006 00:27:56 PDT and ! Very much in the coolness! 'Twill be much in the coolness, though unfortunately it means that I probably won't be visiting DevART more than a couple of times in these next several weeks... But when we get back you can definitely expect some new writing submissions and probably a lot of photo submissions (though I'll try not to overload with a pile of photos all at once!).


And now to something that's pretty unrelated to the rest of this journal... Those who know me may know what I mean when I say that I'm listening to THE CD. Yes, I have finally put together my favourite songs onto a CD (It was only *cough* three years or so in the making...)!


And moving back to me going to Europe tomorrow... er... so long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/9083166/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/9083166/ Fri, 16 Jun 2006 02:04:02 PDT
Apparently "The Legend of the Evil Spork" has received over 1000 views! So exciting!

Okay, sure, the fact that I have a link to this particular deviation in my signature might have something to do with this.... but I still find this worthy of celebration!





By the way, I'm finally working on my writing again. I hope to have my next chapter of "Soul of the Forest" up in a few days... I would've had it sooner, but it's been a very busy week!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8936139/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8936139/ Thu, 01 Jun 2006 00:43:06 PDT
"Buffy loves Angel. He loves her. And I love Ho Hos."

"I also don't trust Caribou anymore. They're out there, on the tundra, waiting... Something's going down. I'm right about this."

"The two things that matter the most to me: emotional resonance and rocket launchers. Party of Five, a brilliant show, and often made me cry uncontrollably, suffered ultimately from a lack of rocket launchers."

"I love to write. I love it. I mean there's nothin in the world I like better, and that includes sex, probably because I'm so very bad at it."

"[Serenity] is, in an unprecedented sense, your movie. So, it if sucks, it's your fault."

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those people on it. Damn."

"Yes, Eliza Dushku has said she'll come back if the stories are interesting. Which is just too damn bad, 'cause I had some really dull stuff lined up for Faith. Man, quality dull. She was gonna knit, there was the whole psoriasis arc, intense dandruff... Oh! She was gonna vacuum. But like, obsessively. It's the kind of lifeless TV the fans demand, but apparently Little Miss Contrary isn't into that. Well, fine."

"Praise. You get lots of praise. Eventually you begin to think, 'I INVENTED TELEVISION!' and 'Why doesn't my wife think I'm cooler?'"

"I do see an end in sight... It's called a massive coronary."

"I truly believe that in years to come, people will look back and say, 'That was a show that was on TV.' Yessir I truly do."



I believe the word is SQUEEEEE! This is why this man is my idol! Random, brilliant humour (that and the fact that he's an awesome writer/director)!

And if you don't know who Joss Whedon is, I would be happy to enlighten you! Just ask!


So which is your favourite? Personally I adore the first line. In addition to just plain being brilliant, it reminds me of my choir's motto, "Stopping the sucking." My next goal in life is to get a shirt that says "Always be yourself... unless you suck." on it. (Seriously, I intend to look into it tomorrow!)

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8905992/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8905992/ Sun, 28 May 2006 21:13:16 PDT
[link]

You know what this means...



WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!



I really hadn't expected that it would win, but come to think of it, generally those who love "Serenity" LOVE it. I think the fanbase for movies like "Batman," "Harry Potter," "Star Wars," etc. were spread between those.

So cheers to Joss Whedon! Looking forward to "Wonder Woman"!

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8716104/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8716104/ Mon, 08 May 2006 23:48:36 PDT just four days ago, when I learned that she too was reading "The DaVinci Code." Here is a piece copied from my exact comment:

"What do you think of the writing so far? I have to say, I haven't been terribly impressed by the writing itself (though the story is quite intriguing). It seems to be getting better (maybe I'm just getting into the flow of things), but there were definitely some moments that made me grimace, particularly at the beginning... For example, the first line of the first chapter... "Robert Langdon awoke slowly." On the cliche scale, that is only one level better than "...awoke with a start."... But I'm on the verge of a rant here, so I'll stop now. It is definitely an interesting story!"


And now we move to last night, when I was reading this book in question, and came across these words at the beginning of one of the chapters:

"Silas awoke with a start."

........................................ Can you feel my pain?

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8641687/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8641687/ Mon, 01 May 2006 13:32:17 PDT
happy happy


And now moving on!

I posted a few photos today... I was tempted to submit more, just to spite , but these were the only ones that I wanted to submit. I think summer inspires me a lot more in terms of photo-taking, so I hope to be taking more pictures than I have been.

]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8546783/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8546783/ Sat, 22 Apr 2006 01:30:24 PDT
sad sad


And now moving on!

School is more or less officially over for me! I've finished my last exam, and now I'm just waiting for all my final grades. So, as promised...



]]> ~hpets http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8369594/ http://hpets.deviantart.com/journal/8369594/ Wed, 05 Apr 2006 01:28:34 PDT
When you have the time, please vote again (or if you haven't done so before, simply please vote)!

Comedy

People: Women

People: Men

People: Groups

Animals: Birds

Animals: Furry

Animals: Fantasy

Writing

Nature

Abstract

]]> ~hpets