Haaaaaaaaaaaaaalp

So. I wanna make filters. But I cross-post (from DW to LJ). How can I make a filter that includes my buddies on LJ and use it when I'm posting from DW? I've poked around the FAQ and tried experimenting some, BUT I BE CLUELESS.

And, MORE FLAILING, the snowflakes. ;___; I had a genuine flail attack when I received multiple ones, like, WHY WOULD PEOPLE WASTE MONEY ON ME ON V-GIFTS PLEASE JUST BUY YOUSELF CANDY INSTEAD IT'LL MAKE EVERYONE HAPPIER. Then I found out it wasn't a sale or a bizarre coincidence, but free gifts! *beams!* [Yet I've been so flaily I HAVEN'T KNOWN HOW TO SAY THANK YOU. (If the word "flail" still makes sense to you by the end of this post-- or before I even began-- you are an admirable, admirable person.) WHICH IS TO SAY. Thank you for my snowfall in Brazilian summer, thank you for the messages, and, awwwwwww, and, *hides*.)

Today was sort of a failure. I felt like I couldn't do anything right. Drove in rush hour traffic in Houston for 1.5 hours getting lost and going in the wrong directions. People are such assholes here and driving on the freeway is a nightmare. I felt this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that was anxiety, anger, frustration... it still hasn't totally gone away. To make myself feel better I bought myself a Christmas apron (and some other stuff). So. Yeah. Somehow the first time I go shopping for Christmas presents I come back with only things for myself... fail. But a fun fail.

One thing that kept me from becoming completely homicidal was the christmas music on the radio. What's your favourite Christmas carol? My favourite religious carol is "O Holy Night" and my favourite secular one is probably "All I Want For Christmas" although "Rocking around the Christmas Tree" sends me into an euphoric spending spree so I guess that one is one of my faves, too. I love Christmas carols but once I get home I don't really get to listen to them except in the car because my dad hates them. Yeah, he's so cheerful and festive. We can only listen to Christmas carols two days: when we put up the tree and Christmas day. And since I won't be there for the tree decorating, I guess I'll only get a couple hours of carols on Christmas day...

I am really tired, physically and mentally exhausted, which is actually kind of odd for this hour, but I didn't get my nap so I guess that's why. I should go to bed early just in case my body is trying to tell me something with this fatigue. Probably: stop playing solitare instead of sleeping at night.

This place is a wreak. Tomorrow: cleaning, meet w/ professor about final paper, library, research, nap, more cleaning, more research, writing. Sounds like fun! The only really fun part of the day will probably be cleaning because I'll be able to watch a movie or listen to music (maybe even... Christmas carols!).

Got two Christmas cards (Thanks darkangsty42 & Molly!) I feel like an adult. Who lives in a real apartment. Who gets real mail. Just realized all my cards are at home so they might not get sent until close to (or after :P) Christmas.

I'm very unhappy because my beloved pink dragons...



...apparently are no longer available on planet Earth. And I need new ones. D:

Corporate sponsorship in college athletics has gotten out of hand. Witness the ridiculous bowl names this season. For instance, no matter the nifty season Pitt is having, I can't bring myself to be excited about the "Meineke Car Care Bowl." Sometimes the sponsor name forms unintentional phrasing alongside the proper bowl name, as in the "Brut Sun" bowl. And I'm sorry, Aggies, but y'all deserved better than the "AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl." Finally, any bowl that includes a ".com" in the title has gotta make players and fans alike wince (here's lookin at you, "Papajohns.com Bowl").

Change-resistance athletic directors and uni marketing folks should consider this: y'all'd save a shedload of money in ink if ya got to print up tee-shirts with the relatively simple logos for "Playoffs 2009."

http://jenmccain.net/?p=411

These Blue Sun Travel Posters Series two are so great! Jayne’s Town poster! MUST HAVE! And the Shadow one is so pretty!

And another set: Blue Sun Travel Posters
I love the Visit Historic Serenity Valley. And Miranda.

I even like the BSG Propaganda Posters

I want to buy them all and frame them and hang them on the walls.

SQUEE!

so, the designers suck, but i am going to make paper chains tonight :)

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/12/what-i-plan-to-do-this-week.html

Write.

Walk the dog. (Seen here being walked by me half an hour ago. I was not wearing special protective warm clothing. It was remarkable.)

Not go onto the internet except occasionally to email people things they are waiting for.

Sleep.

Posted via email from Neil's posterous

Over the past few months of running in a hamster wheel, I developed habits that made sense for the GOTTA KEEP RUNNING lifestyle: whenever I got a free moment, I just rested. I went into what I've termed a "socialization cave," and kept quiet, to myself.

Now that my workload is currently cut by half, I'm having difficulty reversing those habits. I'm still staying in, and not doing as much as I could in my free moments. BUT I'm getting better! :3 :333 Every day I contribute more towards my Bigbang fic, so I'm getting back in the swing of that; and today, between rigorous tagging, I also painted, picked 365 photos, and edited a fic. (What I edited today was the easy part; now I need to create bigger changes, and I'm just as stumped on how to go about that as I was a month ago. I guess I'll print out a copy and hand-write ideas along the margins, sometimes that helps get ideas flowing.) SO MAYBE I'LL WHIP MYSELF INTO PRODUCTIVE SHAPE AFTER ALL.

I did take 365 photos every day, and I will be posting a slew often so as to catch up. ♥

086



Some of you may remember the tennis prodigy Guga Kuerten; well, he's from the island/city in which I live. I don't know if he's living here at the moment-- probably?-- but I do know he has a lot of manezinho (native to the Floripa island) pride. He's built several buildings, including this one.

[The newspaper printed last year that he was taking a university exam for either biology or drama-- he hadn't decided which yet. *laughs* I wonder what ever became of that? I think if he'd taken it, or gotten in, there'd have been more news about that! *reads wikipedia article* Oh, look it, he got in as a drama student. Good for him. :D (I can only imagine how WTF his classmates felt to know they'd be studying with him!)

Speaking of university and Guga, UFSC, where I study, had a question based on him in the physics section, the year my sister took the entrance exam. Something about at what velocity a ball (GO AHEAD AND SNERK) would fly at once he hit it at an angle/etc. HAHAHAH. And one of my second cousin's first word was Guga. IN OTHER WORDS, dude is a celebrity in these parts.]

087



Our (beat-up) Linux representative at my internship, in the morning light. :)

088



THERE IS A STORY BEHIND THIS PHOTO.

So, one fine morning late on my way to class, I passed by the ecological park, as I usually do, since it's on the way. I have my music on loud enough that I can't hear anything else, and I'm deep in my thoughts, probably plotting fic or porn or something. Next thing I know, something big and fast is crashing to the ground right in front of me. "Oh my god," I exclaim (in English), because even over my music I hear the crack.

My first thought was that it had to be a fruit; I was walking beneath trees, and even if I'd never seen these bear fruit, I couldn't imagine what else it could be besides a pineapple or a papaya.

But I looked and saw what you can see in the photo.

IT WAS A FUCKING TURTLE.

And then I boggled because another centimeter or two and that crack would've been OVER MY HEAD, and WHAT THE FUCK was a turtle doing falling out of a tree? Some prank? I didn't and don't know! My second reaction was, WHAT DO I DO FOR THIS CREATURE, and my third was, I CAN SAVE HIM IN A SECOND, NEED PHOTO FIRST.

I snapped this photo, and just about then two middle-aged women walked up to comment on the falling turtle. Very nice ladies! :D We boggled together, and they agreed with me that I couldn't try to stick the turtle back into the park where I stood, since there was, above the two-meter stone wall, a three-meter chain link fence. And even without those barriers, turtles shouldn't be left amongst the trees! But a solution was easy enough: I was headed down anyway, towards the park's entrance, right where the lake and the turtle's natural habit are. We bid each other goodbye, I stuck my camera away in my oversized bag, and took the turtle in my hands.

I was worried the turtle wouldn't survive the fall. It'd fallen a long distance, wouldn't that rupture its shell? And it was quiet in my hands, contracting to its shell. It was large enough that I had to hold it with both hands, and I kept saying things to it like, "hold on!"

When I reached the entrance, I said something to the guards about how I'd found it uphill and wanted to stick it back in the lake, but they didn't seem to really care, just waving me on. :D So I walked to the lake and wondered how to best put it in; there was a significant drop from the surrounding rocks to the lake itself. However, at that point the turtle must've sighted the water, because then he popped out of his shell, limbs and head straining for the watery promised land. He basically jumped out of my hold and into the water! I watched, hoping to see him submerge, and became worried when he didn't; except then I looked a few feet away and saw his head poking up. He'd swum away. *laughs*

So surreal! GUYS, DON'T DROP TURTLES FROM TREES, OKAY, THAT'S NOT NICE.

089



"Smile you're being; freed." What the eff. *laughs* That's a trash can. What is a trash can doing, telling me I'm being freed, with poor punctuation at that?!

090



An urban shot. :) Those buildings in the background are in mid-construction.

091



Some... coffee-thingy and a salgadinho. Salgadinhos, literally "little salty things," are your typical fast-food/quick snack items here in Floripa. I don't like them much, to be honest. >__< There's pieces of... dough? with meat/chicken/shrimp/broccoli/palmito filling. The filling is usually filled with spices and onion, and I don't eat onion, so if I'm ever hungry at a bus terminal or between classes, and I didn't bring anything to eat, I'm pretty screwed, because I don't like the only option available, salgadinhos. ME IS WOEFUL. It's why when I spend the day out, I bring my own lunch from home. :PPPP

I woke up and Fellowship of the Ring was on TV, which is just like turning on the radio and hearing a great song and being all excited, even if you already own it, because even if you already own it, you probably wouldn't go to the effort of playing the thing yourself, because sure it's good, yeah, but the unexpected surprise of radio and TV makes things so much better somehow. The magic being out of your hands and so on.

If you know what I mean.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/2009/12/sunday-secrets.html

You may find the brave voices captured in this short five minute film haunting, shocking and humorous. In some of their faces you'll see joy, anguish and grace as they trust you with their confession.

Today only (extended thru Monday), $2.00 will be donated to HopeLine for every PostSecret book purchased using the link below. Thanks for spreading the word.

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God

Order Your Copy Today



PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people
mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.












-----Email Message-----
When I went to my first gynecologist appointment at age 18, it was with a female.  Since she was part of a family practice, she had also recently examined my mom, and when she tried to make girl talk, she told me, "Wow! Deep vaginas must run in the family".  

Then, she sang "come out, come out wherever you are" to my cervix.  I'm 26 now, and I have only been to male gynecologists since then.  Whew.


-----Email Message-----
I always figured the male gynecologist paid more attention in school (it's the vagina.. come on..).













-----Email Message-----
About 3 hours ago I wanted to do just that, skip Christmas for once, but my best friend just talked to me, and I do not think she knows the impact she just had on my perspective...












-----Email Message-----
I am going home for Christmas. I'm scared my family will realize I'm addicted to cocaine again.  

Even if you don't post this secret Frank, please post a trusted drug help hotline on your site. It's so hard for us to go home at this time, because even if we want to get better, we often just can't do it in time.  We just remember what we used to be like, and how Christmas used to be.   

Christmas is the hardest time to be an addict.


-----Email Message-----
1-800-662-HELP, which provides referrals to substance abuse treatment 24/7/365. It's run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Good luck - the holidays can be tough, but they are also a time of forgiveness.


-----Email Message-----
As someone who loves an addict, all my family wants for Christmas is for our addict to come home, and let us help. It would be the best Christmas gift ever. We are waiting with open arms for you.





See More Secrets. Follow PostSecret on Twitter.




-----Email Message-----
Whenever I am wearing clothing and shopping in the store I got it from, I secretly hope they will give me a discount.





-----Email Message-----
Dear Frank,

Last year I mailed you two postcards, "Next year, I want to get my tree with you" and "I will not wear mistletoe to work," both referring to the same crush.

I was bowled over just now to see that someone had wondered how my first secret turned out.

This year, I will celebrate the holiday with someone wonderful . . . but he's not the guy I wrote those secrets about. Even if I hadn't fallen in love this year, this Christmas would find me fairly indifferent to the person I mentioned in that postcard.

Time work wonders.


-----Email Message-----
But if you left it up to me
Everyday would be
A holiday from real

Oh, it's a picture of perfection
Ah, and the postcards gonna read. . .











PostSecret on NPR's Interfaith Voices and Here and Now




Use the link below to buy PostSecret books for yourself, or as gifts, and $2.00 (for each book purchased) will be donated to HopeLine 1(800)SUICIDE. Thanks for spreading the word.

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God
</p>

What a marvelous day! My housemate is off at another acupuncture thing, so I've been having a great day and trying to keep my frenetic activities under control. I have been on the phone a lot, enjoying my free minutes (happy shout out to emansil_08 for the lovely conversation, and an unexpected pleasant surprise call from evannichols), and working on my knitting. I will write on my Yuletide fic later tonight, but for now, I'm enjoying the fire I successfully built, the smell of scented candles and the eight-freaking-foot Christmas tree we put up last weekend, and my handwashed sweaters drying in front of the fire on the new drying rack I bought last night. Because trying to have a handwashed sweater dry flat in an unheated house? Not so much. :P

So! A picture of the assembled cardigan. I still can't get the coloring right on it with my camera. The cabling is really a true cabernet color, not the reddish you see. But you get the point. So now I'm going to enter the new realm of i-cord and call wolfiekins and koshweasley and enjoy my Celtic music. :D