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Below are the most recent 20 friends' journal entries.
| Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 |
phoenixdown7
|
11:07p |
Oprah Christmas Special at the White House clip
Obama's answer to the poll numbers is really interesting, and really, it puts me greatly at ease. It reminds me of why I really, genuinely like this guy. I also like what Michelle says about "reading about it, and being in it", because I think it's so easy for all of us to get stuck in "blogger-mode" and forget about what it's really like out there in the country for people on a day-to-day basis. And I think only watching the media or reading the blogs really skews your view and makes it harder to see the bigger picture and the reality of a situation. It's so easy to get stuck in our own heads. The rest of the special is in parts on Youtube by different uploaders, if anyone wants to watch them. |
grrm
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5:55p |
Odds and Ends
SUICIDE KINGS is out in hardcover (see below) and BUSTED FLUSH has been released in mass market. Meanwhile, I've delivered the additional content -- three new stories -- for the first volume of this storied series, WILD CARDS itself, which Tor will be reissuing later in the year. Since the first volume was historical in nature, telling the story of the wild card from 1946 to 1985, adding some original material to cover some of the "lost years" seemed like a natural. The three new tales: -- "Captain Cathode and the Secret Ace," by Michael Cassutt, -- "Powers," by David D. Levine, -- "Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan," by Carrie Vaughn. No publication date yet. You'll know when I do. As for FORT FREAK, the twenty-first volume in the series that WILD CARDS began, first drafts are all in, I've given the usual editorial note, and the writers are all off revising. This one looks to be a lot of fun. The Class of 2009 is doing some great work, and the old-timers ain't half bad either. On other fronts, Gardner Dozois and I are very close to delivering our original cross-genre anthology STAR-CROSSED LOVERS, to Pocket Books. We're waiting for some minor revisions from one writer. Once those are in hand, the book will be delivered. Only it's not STAR-CROSSED LOVERS any longer. Pocket's sales force did not like that title, so the anthology has now been rechristened SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH. Got a great line up of writers for that one, including Diana Gabaldon, Jim Butcher, M.L.N. Hanover, Peter S. Beagle, Marjorie Liu, Jacqueline Carey, Carrie Vaughn, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, and many more. Everybody's talking about AVATAR, which I haven't seen yet... but I have been going to movies. While the crowds queue up for Cameron, I've been catching up on some of the other films now in release. I enjoyed THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, and liked INVICTUS as well, but the one that really impressed me was ME AND ORSON WELLES. The guy who plays Welles should get an Oscar nomination for that performance. As usual, I am way behind on my Xmas shopping. Where does the time go? Current Mood:  busy |
grrm
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5:01p |
Now On Sale
Today was the official publication day for the latest Wild Cards book, SUICIDE KINGS. Run, don't walk, to your favorite bookstore and getcha copy now. And hell, while you're there, get copies for all your friends as well. All you Xmas shopping in one swell foop.  Current Mood:  chipper |
phoenixdown7
|
1:40a |
AVATAR
That movie was so EPIC and FANTASTIC. I was totally expecting it to be shit. Like, utter horse-patootie. I only went because a bunch of my classmates and their dogs had already gone to see it on the Thursday night it premiered and then got on planes bound for home the next day. It was just something I thought I had to see...not something I actually thought I'd ENJOY. Boy, I'm glad I was wrong. I've been hearing critiques from others about how they were bored for the first hour or how un-PC the plot was, but I loved every minute of it. From the creatures and the special effects to the characters and the plot. Just everything. And yeah, the main, underlying plot is cliche, but it was a cliche done right...with characters who you understand, empathize with, and root for. That's apparently hard to do, because so many action/adventure flicks recently have been utter crap in that regard. Not since Star Trek have I enjoyed a movie so much. And it was utterly fabulous in IMAX 3D. I can't even imagine seeing it on a regular screen. That just wouldn't be as good. Fantabulicious. /End gush |
| Monday, December 21st, 2009 |
grrm
|
11:42p |
Giants Crush
Well, that was fun. If only every game was like this... (Maybe it is, if you're a Colts fan). These were the Giants I remember. The swarming aggressive D, the sacks, the knockdowns, the hurries, the interceptions, runners tackled at the line of scrimmage. And on offense, long time-consuming drives ending in touchdowns. Eli looked terrific, spreading the ball around. Nicks, Smith, Manningham, and Boss all had big catches, and even Derek Hagan scored a touchdown. The running game was back, especially when Ahmad Bradshaw had the ball. The O line opened gaping holes, and the D line was so relentless that our wafer-thin secondary was never threatened. Yeah, these were the real G-Men. I have no idea who those clowns in the Redskins uniforms were. That fake field goal the Skins tried at the end of the first half had to be one of the most bizarre plays I've ever seen. Watching Steve Young talk about it in the postgame was hilarious. I do feel sorry for Jim Zorn, whose postgame press conference was... well, obviously, no one ever taught the guy Coachspeak. Poor guy is not long for D.C. But it was a great win. Now we need two more like it, coupled with a Cowboys loss. (Or a Packers loss, maybe... but while I know the G-Men have the tiebreaker over Dallas, no one has ever mentioned who wins a tie between New York and Green Bay). Next week, the Panthers. Who beat the Vikings yesterday. Let's hope the real G-Men show up. Current Mood: happy |
| Sunday, December 20th, 2009 |
grrm
|
6:04p |
Jets Crash
Life is meaningless and full of pain. I saw this one coming. Three missed field goals will always come back and bite you in the ass. Great D, but Mark still has a lot of maturing to do. With the Colts and the Bengals yet to come, I think we can kiss the playoffs goodbye. And I'm not feeling good about the Giants game tomorrow either. Current Mood:  crushed |
| Saturday, December 19th, 2009 |
grrm
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5:08p |
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phoenixdown7
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12:18p |
Things to do in the next week and latest Naruto chapter DX
I just finished my finals on Thursday and basically passed out yesterday from all the cumulative stress and whatnot. And now I've got time (read: from now until February 1st) to do whatever I want! Oooh, there are so many things! Well, on top of working on my portfolio, of course...UGH And I'll be going to Florida for the first time in my life the day after Christmas. DISNEY WORLD...I will finally visit you!!!! But other than that...yeah...free time out the WAZOO. 1) I have to make my gift for the ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) usxuk Secret Santa Gift Exchange! I finally have time to do it...and I've decided it's gonna be fanart. ;D 2) design anthropomorphic States - which is something I've been wanting to do for AGES. America has a lot of children, after all. hehe. 3) Continue my APH fic, A New World. Yeah, leave it to me to try to start something EPIC when I've got zero free time. Hopefully I can get back into it. 4) See Avatar. I'm not sure if it's good, but everyone and their dog is seeing it. So... 5) Buy my baby cousin a Christmas gift. I have no idea what to get babies... *le sigh* 6) work on my portfolio and pose tests for my 2 minute animation for class in the Spring. AND! ( Naruto, WRY SO EMO???? ) |
phoenixdown7
|
10:24a |
30 Days Meme Day 17, 18, and 19
Day 17: An Art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc)Here's a still life I did last week in class. It took about 6 hours with oil paint.  Day 18: whatever tickles your fancy UGH...so LAME...but whatevs... Here's something amusing!  I took it as I was walking to Union Square yesterday. It's the St. Francis Hotel. I'd like to think it means America and England are staying in a room there. haha. Day 19: a talent of yoursUm...drawing? Or painting? or animating? or writing? or sculpting? yeah...I think those are all talents of mine to some degree...not that I'm equally as good at all of them, but I'm working on it! ( list of the days under the cut ) |
| Friday, December 18th, 2009 |
grrm
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10:14p |
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| Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 |
phoenixdown7
|
11:37a |
30 Days Meme Day 14, 15, and 16
Man...I am really bad at keeping up with this! not that anyone actually cares...Day 14: A non-fictional bookI would say Dreams from my Father, because it's an awesome read, but I'm frikaking angry with Obama right now so... Old World, New World: Great Britain and America From the Beginning by Kathleen Burk. Apparently it's the only history book that exists where the entirety of the UK and US's relationship is described from the beginning to present day. And on top of that, it's a good read. Interesting shite...but this could just be the history major talking here... ;D Day 15: A FanficUm...I'll just go by fandom, shall I? Harry Potter - Harry/Draco: Eclipse by Mijan/Phoenixsong Summary: "You're dead, Potter... I'm going to make you pay..." Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But, when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back. Harry/Draco slash, Post-OotP. My take: It's basically one of the best, almost gen fics I've ever read in any fandom. The way Harry and Draco's hatred transforms into friendship then to love is ridiculously realistic and the interplay of their emotions is really well written. Just a warning though, it doesn't have a lot of snogging...most of it is friendship...until the end. APH - US/UK: Just a Kiss by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) sakuratsukikageSummary: Just a one-shot about how America wants to kiss England. My Take: really well written. I really love everything by this author. <333 Naruto - SasuNaru: I Think I Better Leave Right Now by Purrfectly679 Summary: After 5 long years, the heir to the Uchiha clan is finally back, engaged to a certain pink-haired girl... But old emotions reawaken as the 2 rivals once again meet face to face, eye to eye... And heart to heart? My take: one of the first fanfics I ever read in this fandom. It's still one of the best. It's one of the only fanfics I ever ever read to this day that made my heart pound with every new chapter. The ending was a bit of a letdown, but there's an alternate ending on her profile that makes it all better. ^__^ Day 16: a song that makes you cry (or nearly)Um...I usually don't just cry by listening to a song, but the closest I can think of is Everything by Lifehouse ( list of the days under the cut ) |
| Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 |
phoenixdown7
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10:26p |
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phoenixdown7
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3:22p |
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| Sunday, December 13th, 2009 |
grrm
|
11:38p |
Green Sunday
It was a good day to be wearing green in the NFL. The Jets won their morning game convincingly, even with Mark Sanchez nursing his knees back in New York City and Kellen Clemens playing abysmally in his stead. Hardly mattered. Gang Green's running game was hitting, and the defense played lights out. Of course, they were in Tampa Bay playing this year's Bucs, so it hardly counted. Josh Freeman, the heralded Bucs rookie QB, looked just awful, but maybe some of that was Rex Ryan's D. Still, these Bucs are so bad they ought to make them go back and wear the creamsicle uniforms until they start playing better. The Jets are still in the playoff hunt, but just barely. They pretty much have to win out, and with the Colts and the Bengals on their schedule, I think that's unlikely. And next week they have to beat Atlanta, who have a bad record but gave the Saints all they could handle today. Green Bay won as well. Another "green" team. And, sadly, this evening the midnight green Iggles of Philadelphia defeated my Giants in a heartbreaker. All the talking heads are saying what a great game it was. Pfui. It was an EXCITING game, yes. The G-Men came out stumbling and spotted the Iggles to a two touchdown lead, then battled back for the rest of the game. Every time they closed the gap to one score the Eagles would get punch in another one and widen it again. Finally the Giants managed to take a one-point lead at 31-30... only to have the Eagles get a long TD on the very first play after the kickoff. The scoring continued after that, and finally ended 45-38 in favor of Philadelphia. The Giants racked up a ridiculous number of passing yards, and both teams left points on the board. McNabb missed one wide-open receiver who was streaking downfield for what should have been a certain touchdown, receiver Mario Manningham of the G-Men had two endzone receptions disallowed for having one foot out of bounds, and his fellow wideout Hakeem Nicks had a couple of TD passes bounce off his hands. There was also a Giants linebacker who dropped what would have been a certain pick-six served up by McNabb. It too bounced off his hands. (And weirdly, it wasn't a pass after all, but a forward fumble, but after our LB dropped it players on both teams just ignored the live ball lying there on the grass). There were fumbles, a punt return for a TD, an freaky pass broken up by an Eagle that caromed off his thigh into the hands of the Giants tight end... lots of crazy, colorful, thrilling stuff. Both teams played hard. But a great game? Pfui. For fans like me, who appreciate defense, it was far from that. Neither team brought their defense, from what I saw. The Giants certainly proved themselves unable to stop the Eagles. After ranking as the best defense in the NFL at season's start, our D has fallen apart. Especially the pass rush. McNabb had all day back there. Eli played one of the best games I have ever seen him play -- his stats were off the charts, and would have been obscene if Manningham could have stayed in bounds and Nicks could have caught the balls that were bouncing off him -- despite the fact that he was under pressure every snap. McNabb, on the other hand, could have filled out and filed his tax return in the pocket on a couple of those plays. What the hell happened to the Giants' fearsome pass rush? We have the same players as last year and the year before. With added depth; by rights we should be better. But Bill Sheridan, our new defensive coordinator, does not have them playing the same agressive attacking style that Spags did last year, that has made a world of difference. Sheridan needs to go. I want my Big Blue D back. I like winning games 13-10 much more than losing them 45-38. Oddly, despite the loss, the Giants may still have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Jets do, provided the Cowboys continue their traditional December collapse. But I am not holding my breath. Next week's game against the Redskins has the look of a classic trap game. After getting up emotionally for the big games against Dallas and Phillie, the Giants are all too likely to suffer a bad letdown against the Skins and get upset, which would effectively end their season. I've seen it happen before. And Washinton is better than its record. And even if they get past the Skins, the Vikings are waiting at season's end. The only silver lining in the clouds over the Meadowlands is the fact that the Giants own the tiebreakers over the Cowboys, so if both teams finish with the same record, New York goes to the playoffs and Dallas stays home. But right now Dallas is a game up. Life is magical... but full of pain. Current Mood: disappointed |
phoenixdown7
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9:30p |
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phoenixdown7
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12:23p |
30 Days Meme Day 12 and 13
UGH...I keep on forgetting to do this! Day 12: Whatever tickles your fancyWell, this is useless...Um...GO SEE PRINCESS AND THE FROG for HAPPY HAPPY FUN TAIMEZ!!!! You'll like it and my CAREER DEPENDS ON IT! Day 13: A fictional bookUm, Ender's Game. You should read it if you haven't. It's pretty good...mostly for the ending. Just an awesome twist. ( list of the days under the cut ) |
| Friday, December 11th, 2009 |
phoenixdown7
|
12:01p |
30 Days Meme Day 10 and 11
Just a disclaimer to Day 09's photo from the previous post. I didn't even think about the troops aspect of it when I first saw the sign and I'm pretty sure that's not what the commenter meant to criticize when they put their sharpie to it either. I was actually so ignorant that that was the way that it could be taken, that Judo's first comment went completely over my head. All I remember is that Bush wrapped himself in the flag and the troops all the time. It was his clever way of making his opposition look bad. So that if you didn't agree with his policies, you OBVIOUSLY didn't support the troops or AMERICA. That was his schtick...and so any phrase with Bush and supporting the troops just melded together into one ugly deceitful campaign slogan. And I'm sure that's the way the sharpie-commenter meant it too. It was all about Bush...and how this person with the sticker on his SUV could still support him when it was the Summer of 2009 and Bush's approval rating was at 20%...and it was in SAN FRANCISCO (the city conservatives love to hate). That's what the WTF comment was all about. Anywho...on with the days... ( Day 10: A photo of you taken over 10 years ago )( Day 11: A photo of you taken recently )( list of the days under the cut ) |
| Thursday, December 10th, 2009 |
phoenixdown7
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11:36p |
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phoenixdown7
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10:12p |
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| Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 |
phoenixdown7
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3:57p |
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