the night has a thousand saxaphones

First, predictable insta-rec: Bohemian Rhapsody, by cesperanza, in which Sherlock takes a case for Lady GaGa DaDa.

Second, the following are the two best images on the entire internet of the past week: Number One and Number Two.

I'm not sure what that combination says about me.

Third, still unemployed and psychologically fucked up about it. Send job offers best wishes, please?

(Discussing the Stargate movie)

hilarytamar: So, let me recap here. We're doing speculative linguistic reconstruction of a revision to a translation of an unknown text found in a fictional universe, yes?
Me: yes, right
hilarytamar: You were saying something about loving fandom?

She gets me. She really gets me. I love her to absolute pieces, y'all, and I don't say that enough.

(I also mentioned to her, and I'll throw it out here, that what's stopping me from doing the Mobius fic is not having any clue where to start on the research. I'm just saying that if you can point me to "daily life, with a particular exploration of gender, and also religious impact on daily life, in pre-dynastic and early dynastic Egypt" I would not turn it down. ETA: Got recs already. Wow.)

Assorted random from the last three days:
1. Am now officially cross-posting, in case anyone needs to tidy flist/reading list.
2. Jason Momoa as Conan! I seriously dreamed last night about Jason Momoa being smart and sarcastic and cunning while in a very little loincloth wielding a very big sword.
3. Jon Stewart a little more equal-opportunity than usual recently? First smacking down Rachel over politicizing Haiti (She deserved it. I love you, Rachel, but please try to deserve it less.), and then that inspired, hilarious, spot-on total destruction of Keith Olberman. Wow.
4. bdblack made me this. I have never had anybody make something out of one of my quotes before. I feel special.

( The news coverage of CPAC was so fun to watch over these last few days )

Another thank you to everybody who sent birthday wishes!

Those of you who are having some of the same problems I am these days might want to read Seven Tried and True Ways to Stifle Your Creativity.

Why I would not have greenlit Dollhouse does the best job I have seen of dissecting exactly why Dollhouse is so very very disappointing. Those of you who know me know that I hate disliking something without being able to articulate why, so. This is why.

And for those of you who, like me, are watching Dollhouse in the vain hopes that it will improve, or who, also like me, watched Merlin and hoped forlornly that the Next Big Fandom would be something with a little less cheese and a lot more weight, I feel the need to remind you that NBC's new show, Kings, premieres on March 15th.

It's a re-working of the story of David, as in "David and Goliath," as in "David and Jonathan." It stars Ian McShane, so right there you know at least one character will fucking rock, and I saw the first twenty minutes of it at Comic-con, so I can tell you that the look of it, visually, is just phenomenal. No cheesy campy CGI dragons here- this is a pseudo-modern AU setting with utterly gorgeous outdoors location shoots and lush sets and beautiful camera work and the whole thing is just nice to look at in a way that goes well beyond the (admittedly in some cases very pretty) pretty people. And it has the advantage of both being a story that I would watch even if there were no slash potential at all- because the story of David is a good story and the potential for action plus political intrigue plus intense emotional portrayals of psychologically fascinating people plus really interesting worldbuilding is enough to make me sit up and pay attention- but also having slash potential out the wazoo- because, you know David and Jonathan.

I know I cannot wave my wand and make this the Next Big Fandom, especially given the crappy job NBC is doing promoting it, but I would if I could, and I'm begging you all to check it out.

Oh my God, Canadian politics is fucking fascinating. Seriously, the current crisis is a beautiful, beautiful thing for the political gawkers among us. It turns out that the PM of our neighbor to the north has been a brilliant, scheming, manipulative, beautifully Machiavellian tool for a really long time now. Why did nobody inform me I should be paying attention? *glees*

SGA: On the one hand, the writers sure do suck balls, don't they? On the other hand, they ship Bill Nye/Kaylee. I can't hate them, just for the awesomeness of that.

Chuck: When did this become the Weekly Adam Baldwin Feeds the Slashers Hour? Because I really approve.

Pushing Daisies: I want to find whoever wrote the "fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to stress baking" conversation and kiss them. How is this show so wonderful?

Reason to love Rachel Maddow #3,754: She has a cell phone ring tone on her site titled infrastructure porn. *hands* I am so hot for that woman.

An open letter to the SG1 fanfic community:

Dear writers,

The Air Force does not court-marshal anyone. Ever. For any reason, even sleeping with people of the same sex directly under their command. They also do not court-marital people, though I admit that's a pretty funny image and possibly more appropriate to the crime. And let's not even get started on what the plural is of that word you keep trying and failing to spell.

Amused,
-me

wyomingnot asked my why there isn't more Daniel/Jon chan in SG1 fandom. The answer, of course, is that synecdochic has pretty much carved out the entire niche of clone!Jack fic, such that trying to write him at all feels like stepping on her toes. But it's planted in my head, and now Daniel and Jon have taken up residence and won't shut up. Daniel is pretty regularly making beer runs for Jon, and they have these hilarious, wildly tipsy conversations about the horrors of high school a second time. Jon has taken up with the marching band, so you can imagine how amused Daniel is by that. Daniel thinks it's wonderful- like he has Jack back, back the way it was before year five when Jack pushed him away and he still doesn't know why, back when it seemed like they genuinely... had something. But poor Jon. The cracks are starting to show. I don't know how much longer he can go on like this.

Of course, all this is happening in my head, not on paper, and I will lose all the best bits if I try to write it down. But they won't shut up.

Oh, New Hampshire, never change.

Oh my GOD. Only about six hours till the polls start closing, and I have a job interview to do and I don't know how I can endure it! *bites nails*

If you live in California, PLEASE remember to help defeat Proposition 8. Wherever you are, and no matter how excited you are about the presidential contest, please remember that the race keeps going all the way down the ballot!

Edit I ♥ John Barrowman. Yes, I have been wearing that tshirt out and about town all day today.

Edit 2: Electric Boogaloo! Rachel Maddow's biography on Twitter reads, "i see political people..."

*crush intensifies*

Edit 3: Yes, I am doing it this way so my flist doesn't strangle me for making a bajillion updates. I Didn't Vote for Obama Today. This made me cry.

( Here's the thing: this feels like a hugely important election. )

And one day they will ask, "Did you know, while it was happening? Could you feel it in the air, this thing you were a part of?"

We will remember that there is something happening in America, that we are not as divided as our politics suggest, that we are one people, we are one nation.

And, together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story, with three words that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea: Yes, we can.

Awesome day with wendy yesterday. Gymnastic superstars tour thing! About one-third high-energy exhibition, one-third amateurish Cirque-du-Soliel knock off, one-third truly crappy concert, yet somehow combined for way more entertainment value than I anticipated. Also, much better ratio of barely pubescent girls to hot hunks without shirts than I was expecting. It is good to be pandered to!

( Cut for politics )

All I am saying, really, is this:
-That there are conservatives and Republicans who do not identify in these ways because they're uninformed, or reactionary, or xenophobic, or religious wackjobs, or stupid, or evil.
-That there are some that share my basic worldview, my thought processes, my way of thinking about the world, who I would find intellectual equals and valuable conversation partners and admirable antagonists... and that while I obviously know that, I perhaps do not really hear it as often or sincerely as I should.
-That party labels are not inherently tied to rightness or wrongness of ideas or policies, or even to basic worldviews or values.
-That I sincerely hope that if political labels slip from my original conception as radically as they have for him, I will have the same courage he does to step back and consider with intellectual honesty and clarity.

( Passage, Connie Willis )

( On being told to smile by Random Guy )

Hello, I am an INTJ, and I just want people to do three things: make rational sense, say what they mean, and leave me alone.

Oh God, I'm a horrible person.

Uh, the other thing was going to be a little essay on McCain's "Senator Obama doesn't understand the difference between strategy and tactics," and what the difference is between strategy and tactics, and how McCain doesn't actually seem to be able to tell them apart, and how Obama's calm insistence on the Surge as a tactic in service of strategic priorities he thinks need to be re-examined in the face of McCain's repeated squawking of "The Surge is a strategy and it worked!" is basically everything I need to know about their relative critical-thinking capacities and which one I want as president.

Except I think everyone on my flist both 1. understands the concepts involved and 2. agrees with me. So, hell with that. Instead, have linkage:

A fascinating description of the bailout negotiations, if you like the sausage-making perspective (Washington Post)

A good article on "strategy and tactics" as it relates to campaign style (The Atlantic)

*boggles*

metafandom? Me? Seriously? In what universe?

*boggles more*

Also! I just baked for the first time in two years. It's a chocolate-strawberry dump cake, recipe courtesy of seperis. I think I love her forever for that. Three ingredients, no mixing, and the result is hot chocolate-strawberry goop with a chocolate crust on top.

\o/

Too much procrastination, not enough work or writing. Have to stop paying attention to politics; am possibly grinding my teeth down to dust (You had to make the VP debate EASIER because you didn't think she could COPE with it? Jesus Christ, is there anyone in this entire country who is even PRETENDING to treat Palin like an actual candidate? Also, way to grandstand, McCain. Do you really think that you- avowed economic know-nothing, lifetime proponent of deregulation, and not even on the relevant Senate committee- are really utterly necessary to pass the bailout? Are you really so scared of campaigning that you will use any excuse to panic-monger instead?)

Oh, right. I'm NOT thinking about that.

Anyway, tomorrow: answering my wonderful metafandom comments. Writing, for the first time since Sunday. Working on a beta obligation that I just fumbled so bad. Getting back to my abandoned online course.

Pimping livelongnmarry , a fandom charity auction to raise money for the fight against the California initiative which will legally destroy existing same-sex marriages and ban any further ones. I have no money to give these days, so instead I'm offering beta services for sale very cheap. Bidding begins on July 1st. You don't want to miss it!


Stephen Colbert takes on McCain's repeated, idiotic use of the word "transcendental." All. The. Time. Seriously, for about the last month I have wanted to shake the man and say "Senator, I do not think that word means what you think it means." Stephen, ILU.


The following is navel-gazing, feel free to ignore.

( That Ronon fic )

( I want SO BADLY to talk about the Daniel amnesia fic )