Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
Author: etoiline
Harrypalooza
StandardRandom thought: Did you know that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory comes out today? I didn’t even realize it. I know I liked CCF when I was younger, but Johnny Depp looks so odd in the previews that I don’t know what to think. Tim Burton directs, too, which always sort of scares me. Guess we’ll see. Going up against HP, though it doesn’t stand a chance.
So tonight at midnight is the release of the 6th Harry Potter book. I’m excited. It’s about damn time. I decided, since it was the second to last book release, and I really like the books, I would go ahead and buy the hardcover at Harrypalooza, the release party held at Left Bank Books. It costs a little more than Amazon or even Borders, but it’s going to be a big party. Streets closed off and everything. People from the Science Center and City Museum will be there doing scientific magic stuff. One restuarant is having a HP-themed menu. Awww. I do get a goody bag with purchase, and since I’ve already paid I can get it right away. Yahoo. Cece’s coming with, which makes me happy. You might know by now I hate going places by myself.
So, at the risk of showing you once again how much of a geek I am, I made myself a Gryffindor robe with an iron-on patch (now that was a fun thing to do *sarcasm*), a tie with markered stripes, and a wand. I don’t have anywhere to put the wand, so perhaps that should be remedied, and there are no pockets in the robe which I should have thought about before I sewed up the seams. I feel like I made a graduation robe. It’s not quite movie quality, but I’m proud of my efforts. I have fabric for a skirt, but unless I have a lot of motivation in the four or so hours between getting off work and heading downtown, I doubt it will get finished 😉 I was up too late and needed to be awake too early to try to finish it last night. Besides, I made Quidditch-inspired tshirts for me and Cece so we can look goofy together. I’ll try to get pictures.
Excited and scared
StandardWow, it’s been a while, eh? I’d like to say that I’ve been busy. Mostly, I have been. But I’ve also been lazy. Regardless, let’s see what I can remember about the last few weeks.
Most recently: Hello debt, to borrow a phrase from my legal-but-not-yet-moved-in roommate. I bought a bike yesterday. It’s a Novara Aspen, and it’s green. Part of it, anyway. And since my bike that was stolen had the lock and the headlights and the bar ends and the seat pack and the bottle holder on it, I needed those too. And a kickstand. Though I’m a little confused as to how/where to put the one I got on. I love installing things (only a little sarcasm there) but sometimes the simplest things have me muddled. Anyway, it’s a very nice bike, and I’m happy, but dear Lord it cost alot. But it’s an investment, and it’s certainly staying inside now.
Yesterday could be termed an investment day, I suppose. Not only did I get the bike, I got some things at Target that could also be considered investing in my job. Clothes and the like. While there’s no dress code at work, I still feel underdressed sometimes, especially now that I’ll be working with human subjects as opposed to rats. Speaking of human studies, I have to recruit people for the new study I’ll be working on. Joy of all joys. Did I ever mention how calling people is freaky for me? At least it’s not cold-calling. These people volunteered for a study, so at least they know a call might be coming. I’m glad that I’ll have things to do (and thankful I have a job at all) but it’s scary to have something coming up that I know so little about. It’s very new and I’m a little apprehensive. What if I can’t handle it, what if I do something wrong? Boo nervousness. At least it’s comforting that most of the people working on the study with me are new to it too, no one’s done this yet, so we’re all floating in the boat of newness. Yeah.
I don’t know if I can consider wine glasses an investment, but at least now I can indulge my fledging wine tastes in actual glasses instead of cups that were once jam jars. The amount of money spent this weekend is staggering though. No more spending for Jen. I’m an REI co-op member, which means I get a percentage back of what I spend there. I’ve successfully made more of a dividend with yesterday’s one purchase than I’ve made the last two years. Yikes.
Tricky
Standard |
You scored as Severus Snape. Well you’re a tricky one aren’t you? Nobody quite has you figured out and you’d probably prefer it stayed that way. That said you are a formidable force by anyone’s reckoning, but there is certainly more to you than a frosty exterior and a bitter temper.
Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is…? |
all the things we don’t know
StandardSo Much More to Know: 100 things science still can’t answer
it’s the only thing I ever finished
StandardWired 13.07: Spock the Sith Slayer: “Contemporary fanfics have Roswell characters meeting the cast of Smallville.”
Remember how the only piece of writing not assigned as homework that I’ve ever finished was my Roswell fanfic, (Human) Development? I’m still pretty proud that I managed to make it work, and go along with the title. I miss Roswell. The third and final season is coming out on dvd in August. Ah, good old teenage-alien angst.
Sleep now. Happy Fourth!
Now if only I had a love to compare styles with
Standard| Your Summer Love Style is Serious |
 While others may be into a summer fling, you’re about the real thing.And there’s a good chance you’re already serious with someone already. For you, the summer is about getting closer and more committed. Just don’t get tempted by any of that hot weather eye candy! |
| Your Expression Number is 9 |
| An idealist and humanitarian, you strive to make the world a better place. You do your best when you follow your feelings and sense of compassion. Deep down, you dream of being loved by many. You are capable of much human understanding and have a lot to give to others. Although you are a giving person, you can become selfish if you are ignored. |
Book thoughts
Standard[ETA: pass the potato!]
St. Mark is the patron saint of Venice, and as such, you see his symbol, a winged lion, in many places around that region. Sometimes the lion is clutching an open book, sometimes a closed one. Open, it means the statue was carved when Venice was at peace. Closed, Venice was at war. There is a church in town called St. Mark’s, and it does indeed have a winged lion on the very interesting architecture-wise chapel. I’ve never looked to see if it holds a book, open or otherwise, but perhaps if they have art shows again I will be able to find out.
The random trivia above is brought to you courtesy of The Historian, the debut novel by Elizabeth Kostova, a bestseller before it was even released. Damn but I hope my first novel sells like that. Guess I should get it written. Had an idea for Moonstone today while I was aliquoting samples. And who said science squashes creativity?
Anyway, I went ahead and bought The Historian in hardcover on the strength of word-of-mouth and reviews that I’d read about it. I’ve been breaking my “buy no hardcover books” rule quite a bit lately. Picked up The Traveler as well, after the Writer’s Meetup Tuesday. I’ve got so many books waiting to be read you’d think I’d quit…but I can’t. It’s an obsession. Both books look to be a good investment. Haven’t gotten far in either, but it’s a sad fact that even I cannot read two books at once.
And of course, the huge book of the summer, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, comes out on the 16th. (I can’t believe it’s July already.) I went ahead and preordered it at Left Bank Books, so I’ll be going to the midnight release party and meet up with a few other fans from the hp_stlouis livejournal, I hope. I just really wanted to party, and this seems like a fun way to do it. Cece might come too, which would make things doubly fun. It looks like there’s going to be a lot going on that night, so yay.
Hopefully I remembered all the things I wanted to say before the power went out unexpectedly for just a second earlier. But that second was definitely enough to turn off every computer and light and electronic device, so I lost what I was typing. I love technology. The funny thing was, I was listening to my portable cd player, but I hit pause just as the lights went out, so I was really confused for a moment as to why my battery-powered player suddenly stopped. Don’t you love feeling sheepish?
Meaning And Origin Of : Jennifer
StandardMeaning And Origin Of : Jennifer
Jennifer
White wave : Welsh
Sensitive, emotional and caring you seek peace and harmony and desire to work for the benefit of others and society. Your talents and abilities may draw you towards teaching or service occupations where you would be a natural success. Although quite reserved your courage and ideals mean that you are single-minded and industrious in pursuit of your goals. Your affectionate and giving nature means that you are loved by all.
Philosophy
StandardLord of the stellar rings
Random note: This marks the three year anniversary of entries in this particular blog. ATTS has been around for three years, but about two months of the original entries were ‘closed’ in Greymatter, my previous blogging software, and as such, they didn’t get transferred. So instead you get some holy shit. I love my little ‘on this day’ module on the sidebar.
Punzie mentioned on her LJ how she had lots of questions, and to sum it up, she used this:
loveandthequestionsofsexandfutureand
universityandcareerandfamilyandchildrenonedayandwheredoifitin
Basically, questions that any teenager on the cusp of starting out on their own would be asking. Unfortunately even if you answer your 19-year-old self’s questions, there will always be the 20 y/o’s questions to answer, and the 21 y/o’s (though those might be slightly easier due to the possibly inebriated state they are asked in) and the 22 y/o’s…I’m asking questions, what do I want to do with my life, am I really right in thinking of med school, would I really be able to make a living as a writer, am I even capable of finishing a story, since I’ve been working on bloody Moonstone for a decade. I suppose som questions you can never really answer, or the answer keeps changing. There are definitely times when I wish I knew what was going to happen in my life, and if I could get some certainty that yes, you will finish the novel or yes, you will be a good doctor or no, med school is the wrong choice. Que sera, sera, je suppose. As much as I think fortunetelling is a bit of a quack, I wish someone could give me a glimmer.
Lots of superfluous quizzes, if you read on.