Please comment if you wish to be friended, if you're not already on my friends list. If I don't know you (you'll know if I do) please let me know a little about you and why you'd like me to friend you back. If it takes me a bit to get back to you, I appologise. :D
Now that I have your attention (y/n?) may I please beg a few minutes of your time.
Below is the link to a petition asking President Obama - how I love saying that - to appoint a Secretary for the Arts. All the details and "story" behind the initiative are in the petition. This is an area that is obviously very close to my heart and soul, and I ask that if you have ever seen a live symphonic concert, seen a play, been to a poetry reading, visited a sculpture garden or art installation or arts museum, whether these presentations were professional or amateur, hell, if you've read a self-published novel or read a "Style" or "Arts and Leisure" review in a magazine or newspaper, OR if you have children of any age who are or will be going to school in the future, SIGN THIS PETITION!
The arts are a grossly overlooked area of our society and culture - Artists ARE the voice of any society, and it is artists who create that society's culture. Arts and Arts Education are not getting the attention they deserve, and should the decline in Arts support continue the way it has over the past decades, our society will suffer greatly. Many people consider the Arts a joke, this would help us regain our footing and get us the respect we deserve. http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html One might point out how the Renaissance was great, because it sought to solve no social problem, and busied itself not about such things, but suffered the individual to develop freely, beautifully, and naturally, and so had great and individual artists, and great and individual men. One might point out how Louis XIV, by creating the modern state, destroyed the individualism of the artist, and made things monstrous in their monotony of repetition, and contemptible in their conformity to rule, and destroyed throughout all France all those fine freedoms of expression that had made tradition new in beauty, and new modes one with antique form. But the past is of no importance. The present is of no importance. It is with the future that we have to deal. For the past is what man should not have been. The present is what man ought not to be. The future is what artists are.~ Oscar Wilde, "The Soul Of Man Under Socialism"
As all you Americans (probably much of the rest of the world as well) know, Tuesday November 4 is Election Day (woooo).
I hope that each and every one of who who can vote, will vote. Regardless of whether you're voting for Obama, McCain, Nader or Kevorkian, all I ask of you is that you exercise your right to vote. Too many people - myself included - are apathetic when it comes to voting. But this one is "important", if what the news media is telling us is true, and everyone should get out there to vote.
There's much talk this year of voter disenfranchisement, that people will be mysteriously knocked off of registration lists, turned away from polling places for improper ID, receive fraudulent information regarding the location of their polling place, and so on. I have come across an awesome website (thanks to TIME magazine) that can help clear all of that up for you. And with a week left, there's not a lot of time, but if you find a problem now as opposed to at the polls, there may be enough time to do something about it. canivote.org
I've just gone and confirmed that I am registered, where my polling place is, and what form of ID I need to bring. I know that for many those things are plainly obvious, but for first time voters or those who just don't do it that often, there may be question. There's not a whole lot to it, you just need to provide your first and last name, locality in which you are voting/registered, date of birth and last 4 digits of your social. They even provide outside links to your state's Board of Elections website (at least they do for VA, am assuming it is across the board).
A last note to this PSA - lines will be LONG. Polls open at 6:00am and some people will even start lining up prior to that. So be prepared. Lines are typically shorter in suburbs, but you never know and it is best to plan for the "worst". ALSO - I know that in Virginia you can and most likely will be turned away from the polls if you are wearing paraphanelia (shirt, button, ANYTHING) specifically promoting a candidate or party. No Obama shirts, no I <3 Sarah buttons. And I believe this applies in many other states as well. Just to let you know.
/srs bsns You may return now to your regularly scheduled... whatevering.
My little sister, Monica - 16, is somewhat of a golf prodigy, playing since about 6 or 7, she now assistant teaches at a private club, yadda yadda yadda. Just FYI for those who don't know her, she's pretty ridiculous with a club in her hand.
She received an invitation to play in the PGA's Mid-Atlantic Juniors Tour competition. That game is today/tomorrow/Friday. They rank people from the region (in this case VA and MD) according to past performances in Junior PGA open events. Out of 50+ young ladies, she is ranked 9th. 9TH. That's top freaking 10 in the region, according to the goddamn PGA. Should she do well, there is the possibility (I believe, am assuming) to move on to more national type tourneys before the summer is over.
I'm asking people to just send good vibes and positive thoughts for/about her over the next few days. She's really nervous (a-duh) but excited. :D
New issue of Rolling Stone came in the mail yesterday.
(Click the pic to get to the RS article online. First half is about music/culture, but then they hit a really brilliant stride in discussing politics and his vision for the country)
I've just gotten through the initial interview, there's also a second article discussing his campaign team, the formation, some of their operations and so on. Really fascinating stuff, and I think it is a good read for people on both sides of the political fence. If we can make this happen, and everything goes even slightly toward what he's got planned for his first term, I don't think we'll recognise this country in four years' time. And that is a wonderful thing.
“Guy's what the hell is going on? We're hearing all sorts of weird news stories, we don't have outside internet access something is cut our outside internet lines. We've got internet because we've got internal service but I don't know what the hell is going on. And now there are all these alarms going off all over the place in the building over at the airport all over the place in the city we can hear like sirens and like weird pops and bangs. What the hell is going on? Somebody needs to give me a call or something because I don't know what's going on. Some people are saying, ___ people are saying that this shit is feared I don't know what's happening Mike's out here with me, Mike's ok right now I don't know about any of the rest of you because I've been able to get online at all in any capacity since probably a little bit before noon. If somebody who has my cell phone number please give me a call at the earliest possible. I don't wants happening, I don't know if you guys can here it in the background but their weird, it's weird and I'm Frankly kind of Scared.”
“Hey guys, not doing much of anything. Standing outside having a break because our internet is fucking up at work and not likely to get online ___ anyway. I'm standing out here with Shannon who's very ___. That is my coworker Shannon who sits behind me. She's, she's a very lovely little lady and yeah apparently I didn't know I was talking with the server guy or IT person Mike earlier with ___ Stan Mike's in his office and he, yeah it was weird. He said something about like something chewing on the wires and that it smelled really bad in server room and he didn't wanna go back in there. I think the raccoon might have like up and died in our server room somehow. Yeah, I don't know, we don't really have pests here so it had to be something like that cause of the woods outside. Yeah we have a lot of woods around our office. It's really nice, we should get a picnic table or something sometime but I don't think the landlord will do that because those douche bags or something like that but yeah, just, just drop it in, never that I had rediscovered(?) the joys really posting and yeah, I'll catch you cats later. Bye.”
Today is Friday the 13th woooooo. I wonder what will happen today, anything interesting, perhaps?
Of course, last time I ventured to wonder that, in all seriousness, the whole 9/11 thing happened and... yah. Trufax. I think I'm like that guy in Surf Ninjas - if I say "what if _________" then it happens. Please tell me someone gets the reference...
At any rate, today just got a little more interesting.
Shuffling around, groaning randomly, a dead look in my eye... eyes, I guess, I do have two of them >_<
My own damn fault though. I went to the gym for way too long (my poor muscles) and then stayed up till gods only know how long watching Season 3 of LOST and maybe finishing up someone's Doctor Who scarf. I really need to find my LOST Season 2, I want me some Henry Gale, plus Monica is wanting to catch up with the series before it all ends. *mental note* But hay, I now have 13 feet of timey-wimey goodness (or will, till I deliver it to its owner!)
Thank god today is Friday though, I can wear comfy clothes to work and generally have a good time of it.
Oh. Work. Let me tell you. Not that many will understand, but whatever. Was talking with a mate of mine who works in Service this morning and he's going on about how stressed he is (worked the night shift, poor bugger) because they got a record number of calls in last night from stores all over the country with false alarm readings. He was saying something about a couple thousand motions all seeming to go bad in the space of one night. THey'd get the call that a motion was going off in a building (lots of distribution centres actually) or that a door contact was reading open. If they couldn't get hold of a night shift manager (none of who seemed to be answering) of course they dispatch the local PD. He started to go on about something regarding local police in some mid-western town, but then had to go because I guess they were getting another deluge of calls? He sounded a bit weirded out, apparently something to do with the police calls or something.
So... yeah this looks like an iiiiiinteresting day. At least I don't have to go home for lunch, so I can get my hours in easily and then leave at a decent hour. Huzzah. Of course, that means being stuck in the building all day, but tis a small sacrifice to make.
I rediscovered the voice post number, maybe me and Shannon and Desiree or some people can make a voice post at some point in the future. My coworkers are HILARIOUS.
Please follow this link : http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/t.php (in raw format just in case) to sign a petition urging the United Nations to take action against the atrocities going on in Burma.
With more voices, it is also possible to reach the ears of China, which holds much sway over Burmese goings on. With the 2008 Olympics coming up and China's international reputation on the line, if there is a large global outcry for these things to stop, China should have no choice but to listen.
So please, take a minute out of your time to sign this petition. All you need is your name, e-mail address (and you can unsubscribe from the newsletters if you so choose) your country and postal code. Giving your mobile number is completely optional. They're trying to reach 1 Million signatures on this petition. Let your singularly small voice join with others to ring out for peace, tolerance, and human understanding.
Once you've signed, please spread the word to others. Post this in your own journal or send it as an e-mail.
Disclaimer: No spoilers, I've checked and double checked.
Julie Taymor strikes again! You may know her name from Titus starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange or perhaps the original Broadway production of The Lion King. She's an incredible visual director, easily on par with Terry Gilliam. My mind boggles at the thought of what might happen if the two of them teamed up for something.
Anywho, to relieve some of my anger of late (all directed toward myself, don't worry) today my Nana and I went to see Julie's latest film Across the Universe, that strange looking new movie-musical about a bunch of late 60s war protesting Bohemia loving drug taking kids set to the music of The Beatles. Seriously, it is better than it sounds.
As Live Journal becomes more of a fascist state, I'm considering going on a Friends Only lockdown. I'm sticking it out here till my paid time runs out in May, to keep in touch with you all, but until then I may be interspersing regular posts with PSA announcements and Posts of a Sensitive and Scandalous Nature that - if the latest comment screening and banning on the fucking news post is any indication - could put me in hot water. Hot water of the Ban-Hammer kind.
Yes, Live Journal has made me paranoid.
So I'm just kinda putting up a pre-emptive warning that things may very well go on lockdown here in the next day or so. If you want to continue to be privy to the ongoings of my life in my journal, you'll need to comment in the entry I'll put up after locking all my entries. If I don't know you in real life (or you're one of those groovy Online Pals who I've communicated with for a while) I will be checking profiles and such to make sure you're not an LJ spy or a troll. If you're new to me and I find that you haven't got any sort of visible entry on your own journal, I shall summarily reserve the right to friend back. Which isn't fair to people who may have just joined the community honestly, but comment anyway, and I'll keep an eye on you ^_^
Dear LJ, please don't ban me for this entry. I'm only trying to do right by me.
Damn, but that was fun! I think the NOVA gang did a bang up job, we managed to get quite a few "outside" hits! Not that that was the point of the game, but it was awesome to go onto Technorati and see people I don't even know linking to posts :D
Speaking of which - To everyone who popped by my journal yesterday, ESPECIALLY everyone who commented on the first video post with praise and such - THANK YOU! Credit for that goes to inner_salvation who was my cohort in writing/taping that bit and who also was the supplier and teacher of zombie makeup ways. Further thanks goes to babylonthegreattaraione, Kris' brothers David (the biting zombie) and Jon (unfortunate victim), my sister Monica and Kris' friend Chris for coming out early on a Saturday morning to get covered in face paint and Elmer's glue. And the Karo blood and the peanutbutter/paint gore! Couldn't have done it without ya!
If any of you visitors to my journal care to stick around, please do! I'm always on the lookout for new friends, especially cool people the likes of which participate in Blog Like It's the End of the World Day :D So if you're still keeping an eye on this journal, don't hesitate to drop me a line!
For those of you who may have been watching from the sidelines (star54kar :D) I'm putting together a little bit of a timeline of yesterday's events in the Northern VA area
What a fucking ridiculous ride that was! Fuck! So Tini is back in, we're taking care of her. No one has been bit. She lost her poor bunny, last we saw it it was going all Bunnicula on some helpless pit bull. But we found her boyfriend, also free of Zombites.
I need a brain rest. My brain feels like an effing tastee cone. I don't even know what the fuck that means.
Seriously people it is even worse now than it was. Zombies fucking EVERYWHERE. We might have even seen zombies fucking and I thought that only happened in New Zeland. Eff!
Kris was such a fucking master and shot a bunch of them all to shit as we blasted into the garage. My van is DRIPPING and smells like ten thousand asses. But we're safe and we're in. We're so in
“Yeeeeah what's up, whadddup, bitches?! I just got Tini out, uhm, we totally totally totally kicked major ass! Except that ah, Tini can't exactly say much of anything on this post UNFORTUNATELY because what ahhhhh, we're speeding back down the Prince William Parkway. We are gonna be back at Kris' house soooon, so soon! But yeah, Tini can't talk because aahhhhh... she kinda broke her collar bone! Yeah, fell off a LADDER onto the roof of my CAR... But it's ok, it's ok, it's ok! Because she's fine, I got her out, she has got her ah her HOT FOAM CUTTER. That's right, weildin' the weapon of JUSTICE!! And ah, you know, to that guy who wrote the Baa - the BLEAHHH!! I can't even talk right now! Oh my god, this is so intense!! To that guy who wrote the Zombie Survival Guide: screw you, Max Brooks! We got the Zombie Surviving right here! Oh shit shit shit shit we gotta go we gotta go! (indecipherable) Stuff in the road bye!”
But seriously, I can't believe so many people have gotten bit. This is the worst fucking thing that could ever happen ever. taraione and her husband babylonthegreat were both attacked in separate incidents, at home and work respectively. Tara was the one Kris and I were gonna try to "rescue" (?) before all the killing started out front. Another friend of ours, tiepilot who works with Fred (babylonthegreat) was attacked at work earlier this morning. He was the one who infected Fred. I'm sorry guys, I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry we couldn't do anything. Fred, you asked, we tried. Tara, we were this close. James... if I can find them, I shall covet and protect your Coupling DVDs. Not that any of you are likely to be reading this, or able to comprehend it if you are.
I swear to piss I'm never leaving the house again. There's still a ton of them out there. We're just hoping that the government or national defence or something comes by soon to get survivors out. If there's any sort of National Security monitoring this, and gods I never thought I'd say anything like this but, Hi, we've got four survivors COMPLETELY UNINFECTED in this house. Two women and a man, early/mid 20s and a year old infant. One woman is pregnant (5 months). Please send help.
I've stopped looking at news reports online. Can anyone Out There bring me up to date on where things stand? Is anyone anywhere doing anything?
What's that thing that soldiers get after fighting in the Iraq war? Traumatic Stress something? Yeah I think I got that. And I can't stop staring at Jon out on the back deck. There's nothing else we can do. He's one of Them now. He's only 15. That's not right. Not right. I haven't been in touch with any of my family today. I don't even know if I have a family any more. I don't even know if we're gonna make it through this.
Biiiig sanity check. Yeah. I think I've dropped multiple san levels in just the past ten hours alone. heh. I know he's not real, but now I know how Ash feels. I'd totally cut off a limb now and attatch a piece of machinery to it. OMG maybe I can get bit on the leg and we can go get Izzy's rifle out of storage and I can attatch it to my severed limb like Rose Magowan in Grindhouse. I would be so awesome. Legless, but awesome. heh.
We're rolling out to get Tini. Or I am even if Kris doesn't come. Whatever, I can fucking take it. And if they get me, at least I went out fighting. Hell yeah. Fuck my mom's car, it's a fucking tank and it can take it. Toyota quality all the way, baby! Listening out back, it doesn't sound like anyone's on the parkway bypass. I always wanted to race down that sweet stretch of pretty road doing 90. Tini, I'll be there in 15 minutes.
“All right so um... I-I-I re- I really don't know what we're really going to ah quite do, um, I just wanted to do a quick post. I'm not near a uh a computer right now but uhm... (bangs of Kris un-boarding door) Oh shit um, OK yeah. We're... comin to get you Tara, uh, we're gonna try... God. Um. Kris should be coming in a few minutes. Uh... We've got ourselves armed with lots of old sporting equipment from the Saylors' - oh God - from the Saylors' garage. And uhhm... Yeeah. We're - We're gonna go out there. I just wanted to post this because uuuuh I wanted everyone to know that ah, we're at least gonna try to fight. Uhm... So yeah, ah, if we make it, we make it. But if we don't, uh... Bye everyone. Oh god. All right. Bye.”
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tired.![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
EPIC.
InViNcIbLe.
accomplished.