Sorry luv, I don't speak Chinese.

Oh, oh, I just remembered something else that sat wrong with me on that Angel episode. The thing about Slayers having, like, this huge pool of shared knowledge? Whaddafug? Are they forgetting the, oh, six years or so of Buffy wandering around knowing nothing at all? (Discounting the seventh year, as who the hell knows what was going on then.) If crazy Slayer girl could be channelling Nikki Wood when she sees Spike, then shouldn't Buffy have had at least a little inclination of who he was when he first turned up? Of course not, because that's bad storytelling. So why do it now? Bleah. Lame, cheap plot device to imbue any random girl with all the knowledge she needs to take the action the story requires. Talk with me Matt, does that make sense to you?

And I think I've found a way to reconcile the whole Lost in Africa scenario in my brain. If Andrew figures that Angel's group are the bad guys, would he really want to tell them where key players are, and admit that they're spread so thin around the world? I think not. It was a ruse. Yup. <nod self>

Addendum:

Forgot to mention this ... what was up with Andrew's hair? Cripes.

Africa? Brazil? Rome?

I just finished watching the third or fourth complete episode of Angel that I've ever seen (previously seen the one where he goes human [cuz it had Buffy in it] and the one that lines up with S7 Buffy [cuz it had Willow in it] ... I think there were others, but I forget what they were about). Given my previous track record, it's obvious that I'm watching it because of the Buffy linkage, since I heard through the grapevine that it set up where some of our much belove'd gang are now, out there in the unfilmed Buffyverse.

So, okay, few thoughts, because I figure it's inevitable that I'll pick up Angel on DVD some day and I always love going back and reliving my virginal newbie thoughts and feelings. (I still get a chuckle when I think about something I wrote a year or so ago after finishing S2 Buffy -- becoming completely entranced by Willow, I threatened to flay anybody who spoilered me on her future developments. How karmic.)

Okay, so random thoughts:

• I don't know if every epsiode is like this, but the whole we're-so-cool Matrixy John Woo-style slow-mo fight snippits? Kinda irritating.
  
• What the hell are the Scoobies doing spread all around the world? Xander in Africa, Willow (and Kennedy :\) in Brazil, Buffy and Dawn in Rome ... I would've loved some sort of explanation on that one. Are they looking for/working with Slayers? I mean, Xander? Alone? In Africa? And I presume from the Union Jack on the lunchbag that Andrew and Giles are in England. Nah, I just don't see the Scoobs all splitting up like that for the long term.
  
• Giles sent Andrew to help out Angel & Co. Andrew. I'd be SO offended.
  
• Maybe it's because I don't know any of the other characters very well and don't care much for Angel and Spike, but .. Eh. The show in general really didn't click for me. Amusing in places, no doubt, but I felt like it was lacking something. Maybe I just wanted it to be another Buffy, which it obviously isn't and probably shouldn't be. Still, pity.
  
• I am indeed intrigued by the idea of Buffy's gang against Angel's gang. Don't have a clue what's up with Angel's group being on the bad side, but still. Interesting.
  
• Spike showing a bit of remorse for what he did. Eh, that goes into serious rant territory for me on the whole Spike character, so I won't go there now. Plus, I don't watch enough of Angel to say if it's something he's been doing since the end of "Chosen", but ... Well, I either want to roll my eyes at it, say "about time", or say "too little too late". It's a conflict.
  
• I'm still trying to wrap my head around Xander alone in Africa.
  
• Bleah. I miss Buffy. And I hate that I missed the chance to enjoy it when it was actually on the air. <grumble>

I've told TiVo to record next week's episode as well, since the teaser certainly caught my attention. Confusion reigns on what's been up with Cordy, but at least she looks better than in that last season ep I saw. And it's Cordy, so .... <shrug>

....Africa?

Odd thoughts

I was sitting here, studying for my Business course, when I wanted to find something that I'd read in the previous 30 pages or so. I started to skim, but didn't find it as quickly as I'd like.

"I wish I could CTRL-F myself," I thought.

Which I found both amusing and somehow disturbing.

Listening To:Going Through the Motions - OMWF

Looking Forward To:Homework being done. Sometime at the end of the term.

Arrogant Worms

Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, this new worm thing sucks arse. I swear, I've had at least 100 pieces of e-mail with the damned thing since yesterday. Thank the gods for preview mail programs, but still. I'm getting sick of deleting two or three of the things every ten minutes. Stupid lifeless script kiddie jerkfaces.

Listening To:Yellow - Coldplay (Been in a Coldplay mood of late. They are of the good.)

Looking Forward To:Still the writing thing.

How low can you go?

I think my laziness hit a new peak (or is that a trough?) last night. I went downstairs at around 2am with a bit of a sweet tooth and decided that I desperately wanted some of the yummy ice cream Mike bought last week. (Tillamook's feature flavour, this most delish fudge brownie thing .. Mm. Tillamook rocks my world.) So I brave the mind-numbing cold of the first floor to make my way to the freezer. (Don't question the need for ice cream in 30 degree weather, there is no logic here.) I yank it open, remove the carton, and then go to the cupboard for a bowl.

No bowls.

Now this may not seem like much, but remember that the household consists of Mike and I. And Jett, of course, but she can't reach the cupboard. We have something like nine or ten bowls for any of your bowl-type needs. But there were none there.

Grumbling, I went to the dishwasher. Several bowls were in residence, however they hadn't been cleaned yet. I cast my gaze to the sink, to see it stacked with dishes.

I really hate that. It's a total pet peeve of mine, to leave dishes sitting in the sink. But since the new term started, I haven't really hit my rhythm yet, don't have the balancing act down between classes, homework, personal projects, family-stuff and household chores. And since the household stuff is far and away my least favourite aspect, it pretty much always gets the shaft. Like then, when I had a sink practically overflowing with dishes.

I looked at the full sink. I looked at the partially full dishwasher. I looked at the oh so tempting carton of ice cream. And then I went to the cupboard, pulled out a cheap green plastic tumbler and used that for my bowl instead. Then I put the carton back, turned off the light and went back upstairs.

Even sadder? When I got up this morning, I saw that Mike had used the same trick for his cereal.

'Course, he was also a sweetie and actually loaded up (and ran!) the dish washer, but still. Our life cracks me up sometimes. There's nothing like etreme laziness to promote resourcefulness.

Listening To:Life in Mono - Mono

Looking Forward To:Finishing up this bit o' writing I'm currently working on.

Hello Video Goodness

Yay, I've completed something else that is available for general public consumption. New nummy videoness, for all your Buffy S3 needs. Oo, and it's to Tori, too. Guaranteed to be one of many eventual Tori Amos videos, because she's just way too good and angsty to not use repeatedly.

And while I have everyone's attention, today is Amy's birthday, so e-mail her and be sure to rub it in that she's older than me.

You Know You've Heard it All When ...

...your mother makes a simile that involves a stripper's pastie tassle-thingie.

Note to self, revisited.

Hello, dumbass. When you tell yourself to wear your trench to the night class on the snowy campus, here's a hint: WEAR THE BLOODY TRENCH TO THE NIGHT CLASS ON THE SNOWY CAMPUS. Gods, sometimes I think I have all the mental retention of a hot plate.

It's all perspective.

This Business course I'm taking is going to be a hoot. I'm only part way through the first chapter, and I've already read "goods and services" enough times to create some extremely bizarre mental images about the material. Many involve bunnies.

Of course, as one might expect, it's very "Go Money Go" and there are those anti-corporation tendencies and all, but at least I have images of bunnies to help.

Listening To:"Bab O'Riley" - The Who

Looking Forward To:Finishing the reading so I can finish the homework so I can go back to writing.

Okay, BRRR.

Note to self: wear trenchcoat when attending night classes on a snowy campus. Thin flannel shirt, not gonna cut it.

Still, nice change to actually HAVE class today. The instructor seems like quite the character (and pretty popular to boot, I think there were something like 40 people in the class and at least half knew him -- seems promising).

Even better, I was able to get all of my books at this campus, so no trudging through half of downtown Portland to get the rest. Oh, and I can now actually do my homework before it's due, that's always a plus.

And with a poor segue, I also feel like mentioning that things up here <tapping temple> have been rather bizarrely active lately. Which makes it sound like I sit around drooling with one thought at a time running through my brain which isn't true (it's three), but still. Way active brain. I think I'm slightly manic and this is an upswing. This is a good thing, but I'm getting to the point now where there's so much I want to do that I'm having trouble focusing on any one thing. Typical. Still, guess I'd better do the American thing and completely exploit it while I can.

Listening To:"Going Through the Motions" - OMWF

Looking Forward To:Creative energy expenditure

Back to the Drawing Board

Uh oh. I think I may have made a grievous Buffy error. After a couple of conversations about my latest Top 100, it occurred to me that even among the 700 or so, I'd left out a few moments that I really shouldn't have. So I went back and reviewed a couple of episodes, and discovered something. It wasn't until I hit about fourth season that I shut off the internal censor. By S4, I was pretty much hitting the capture key with abandon, but earlier on I was restricting myself to the highly impactful moments only. One major thing working on this has taught me is that the show is about so much more than the highly impactful moments.

This is good, in a way, because I think it's finally answering the question I've been asking myself of why there's so damned many moments from S7 when I really didn't care for it all that much in comparison to seasons 2 and 3, both of which were really short changed.

So, I'm going back to those two seasons in particular. Not rewatching the whole thing. I mean, when a group of nameless vamps are standing around posturing, I think I can safely zip past it and not miss anything. But otherwise, I'm going to work on rebalancing this list. I don't think it'll impact the Top 100. Those are pretty much the biggest moments, and if I missed it the first time around, then it really doesn't deserve to be there anyway. But for the rest, I predict shift. That's good, though. It really has been bothering me that it's so S2/S3 light.

How the hell I'll fit this in with the fifty other things I have going on right now that need attention (okay, four), I'm not sure, but then that's the fun of projects, yes?

Conquests!

<sitting happily at computer, playing Civ3: Conquests>
Mike: How y'doing?
Me: I have crushed the Byzantines. The fools thought to stand before me.
Mike: Guess you showed them. Who else do you have to destroy?
Me: The Greeks. Lousy, stinkin' Greeks.
Mike: Ahh, them.
Me: Stupidy stupid Greeks.
Mike: Yes, but they DO have Xena.
Me: <pause to look at screen> Oh, wait, I'M the Greeks.

War. So horrible, you can even forget yourself.

The Joys of Snow

It is so snowing outside, and I'm totally loving it. Although I do find it highly amusing that class -- the first day of class -- was cancelled yesterday due to the weather. And if it keeps up like this, I'm not sure it'll be open tomorrow, either.

Mike's work on the other hand, as of right now, is open for business. Under adverse conditions, though, which typically means that anybody who comes in gets time and a half. It's snowing so bad outside, though, that if he goes in, it'll be double pay. It's pretty hard to resist over $20 an hour, but I consoled him by saying if he does decide to go in, we'll get some VGM soundtracks. I think that perked him up considerably.

As for me, I woke up this morning with a 'fic in my head, so I think I'm going to spend the bulk of today sitting in the bedroom on 'Bit, watching the snow blow around happiliy in the 25mph wind and write. I'm even being indulgent (and sane) and putting the heater on. Should be a good day.

Listening To:People crunching as they walk outside.

Looking Forward To:Watching big ol' flakes dance outside my window.

The Debate Begins

Gotta love when something you work so hard on becomes a conversation starter. I'm currently tracking several threads in various places on my Buffy Top 100 list, and having a great deal of fun in the process. I think a couple of people are about to come to blows over the Yellow Crayon speech. Tee-hee.

Between the stuff online and the e-mails I've gotten, three significant thoughts occur to me:

1. Yay for all us Willow fans.

2. I'm so gratified to see that I'm not alone in shunning of the Spuffy thing.

3. Most people think I'm nuts for not ranking Buffy killing Angel higher. (My reasoning for that, by the way, is simply a) Don't care much for Angel; b) He came back, thus invalidating a whole chunk of the emotion behind the scene. Believe me, if ... that person who was shot had come back, that death wouldn't have ranked as high as it did either.)

Besides just the satisfaction of completing the darned thing, this totally makes the months of work worthwhile, and all of the encouragement to follow through with my threats about expanding the list give me warm motivational fuzzies.

And I got it done before New Year! ...in my head.

Listening To:The heater humming.

Looking Forward To:Getting something else accomplished on my last day before school starts.

VICTORY!!

It is done. I'm too hung over to do more than order you justify how long I spent on it. Go. Now.

Late New Year

Feh. I'm TECHNICALLY done. I have all the moments written, and I'm working on my last clip now. I just have a few finishing touches (like, say, proofreading), but I'm way behind on my alcohol consumption, so I'm firmly stating now that my New Year isn't starting until tomorrow night. Because I can. So there, goal met. Booze now.