Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

Subject: Some reading material you might wanna catch up on. Time: 2:49 am. Mood: creative.

. . . . . ( The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe ) . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Hahaha!! GOD, I hate Limp Bizkit/Fred Durst Time: 1:36 am. Mood: amused.

. . . . . From Cracked.com's The 20 Worst Album Titles of All Time: #1. Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water OK, maybe we were wrong about the "moving on" thing. Only one title could beat out the mental image of R. Kelly's chocolate factory. This is the Sgt. Pepper’s of horrible album titles. It’s also the exact kind of obnoxious, childish nonsense you could expect from a bunch of grown-up, high-school bully dirt bags. And in case you’re confused, "chocolate starfish" is a reference to buttholes. Oh Fred, you’re hilarious! Almost as funny as when you named a song "Nookie" just so you had something to rhyme with "cookie." Or, maybe it was the other way around. It’s so bad, you'd swear Fred and company came up with it just to be the best at something. Well, congrats, guys. XD! . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: End of an era... Time: 12:58 am. Mood: crappy.

. . . . . My old car, the '88 Chevy Cavalier, is finally gone, after just sitting in the driveway since January. I had planned on getting it towed away eventually, but hadn't gotten around to it. Part of me was definitely sad to see it go, of course. Then out of the blue today, some guy comes knocking on the door, & asks if we wanted to get rid of the car, and if so, he would tow it out for us free of charge. To make a long story short, I took him up on the offer. It's weird. I got that car right before I started working at B&N. I never guessed that the job would outlast the car. Also weird: my former store manager, who started working at our B&N a week after I was hired, just quit last week. So between my car finally leaving, to my former manager resigning, it seems like the end of an era. This is the universe probably trying to tell me to get the hell out of this damn job! Bleh. . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Arrgghh Time: 1:25 pm. Mood: lazy.

. . . . . I've changed the comments option to allow for registered users only. I'm getting WAYYYYY too many spam comments & I'm sick of having to delete them all the time. [A lot has been going on lately, so there's no real reason for my lack of posts other than the fact that I'm lazy & I haven't felt like posting.] . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Killin' time. Time: 6:43 pm. Mood: bored.

. . . . . ( meme ) . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: OMG GREIFERS!! Time: 11:43 pm. Mood: amused.

. . . . . Seen on the SL forums (I swear to christ, it hurt my head to read this): -------------------------------------------------- Subject: Greifers Need To Die In A Hole! I AM NOT LOGGIN INTO SL SO SEE AN EPELEPTC MEGA PRIM OR TO SEE A BUNCE OF BOUNCE PARTICLES OF AN ANUS!, sorry btu i need to get this out, greifers are wasting their time on us, they say we are losers the instand we make an SL account, HA!, they are hacking, and thats a fenderal offense! [To which "someone" replied:] Your grammar ought to be considered a "fenderal" offense. Jesus christ. -------------------------------------------------- *wink, wink*! . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Donut Ham Hamburger!! XD Time: 1:27 am. Mood: amused. Music: http://donuthamhamburger.ytmnd.com/.

. . . . . Jim Gaffigan is fucking hilarious... watched some of his stand-up comedy on Comedy Central earlier tonight, and I can't fucking stop LAUGHING at this one bit: "And we’re never satisfied when it comes to food. You know what’d be good on this burger? A ham sandwich! Instead of a bun, let’s use two donuts! That way we can have it for breakfast. Look out McGriddle - here comes the donut-ham-hamburger!” XD!!! Someone made a YTMND about it: http://donuthamhamburger.ytmnd.com/ XD!!!! . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Colors Time: 11:44 am. Mood: hungry.

. . . . . Bit of time-killing fun taken from a friend's blog: Colors meme RED 1. Closest red thing to you? A red Fire King glass mug (that I salvaged from the old cottage in Maine before my extended family sold it). 2. Has anyone ever cheated on you in a relationship? Yes. 3. Last thing to make you mad? The world; or, to be more precise, the state of it. 4. Are you a fan of romance? Not anymore. 5. Have you ever been in love? Plenty of times. 6. Do you have a temper? Oh, yesssssssss. Of course I do, I've got Irish blood in me. ORANGE 1. Closest orange thing to you? The plastic cap of an Odwalla juice bottle. 2. Do you like to burn things? Sometimes, yeah. 3. Do you dress up for Halloween? I try to every year -- I love Halloween, although the past few years have been rather disappointing. 4. Are you usually a warm-hearted person? I'd say about half the time I am. 5. Do you prefer the single life or the security of a relationship? I seem to have had no choice in the matter for most of my life, so I've gotten used to being solitary. I don't think I'd even know how to cope with being in a relationship, to be honest. 6. What would your superpower be? Flight, shapeshifting, invisibility, psionics. YELLOW 1. Closest yellow thing to you? An envelope. 2. The happiest time[s] of your life? When I'm "in the zone" working on an art project, laughing with friends, or learning/seeking knowledge about whatever topic I am obsessed with at the time. 3. Favorite holiday? Halloween, definitely. 4. Are you a coward? In a lot of ways, yes I am. I hate to admit it, but I am. Actually, I hate to be that way more so. 5. Do you burn or tan? Burn, burn, burn. 6. Do you want children? GOD no. *shudder* 7. What makes you feel warm and safe? Being with L, mostly. Working on art, when I'm focused and productive. Curling up in bed with a book. GREEN 1. Closest green thing to you? The cover of the book Mind Performance Hacks. 2. Do you care about the environment? Of course. Sometimes I worry too much about it. 3. Are you jealous of anyone right now? I shouldn't be, but yeah. 4. Are you a lucky person? I don't consider myself to be, no. 5. Do you always want what you can’t have? Trying to give up on that. 6. Think of six green things that make you happy: Trees, the ocean (when it gets that bottle-green hue) the Aurora Borealis, green tea lattes from Starbucks, our cat Chewy's eyes, wasabi. 7. Are you Irish? Not 100%, but a decent part of my heritage is. I definitely look it, that's for sure. BLUE 1. Closest blue thing to you? A blue CD wallet. 2. Are you good at calming people down? Usually. 3. Do you like the sea? God, yes, I love it. It scares the hell out of me, but I am fascinated by it and drawn to it; it seems to have a life and will of its own. 4. What was the last thing that made you cry? My usual existential crisis. 5. Are you a logical thinker? I try to be, although it is impossible for me to completely disregard emotional factors. 6. Can you sleep easily? Not usually anymore -- unless it's a time I'm not supposed to be sleeping, like when I'm at work. :P 7. Do you prefer the beach or the woods? Both, depending on my mood. I love the sea, but I also love trees. PURPLE 1. Closest purple thing to you? A pair of argyle armwarmers that were formerly knee-high socks. 2. Like being treated to expensive things? Sometimes -- but I am not one to be impressed with or attracted to things MERELY because they are expensive. Status symbols annoy the everloving shit out of me. 3. Do you like mysterious things? Almost always. 4. Ever met anyone in royalty? Nope. 5. Are you creative? Absolutely. Not as much as I'd like to be, but yes. 6. Are you a lonely person? Not usually, as I am a very solitary person, but sometimes loneliness crushes me. PINK 1. Closest pink thing to you? A pink plush frog. I may be evil, but I happen to like cute things. 2. Do you like sweet things? When I'm in the mood for it, yes. 3. Like play-fighting? No. 4. Are you sensitive? In every sense of the word; not only emotionally, but mentally, physically. 5. Do you like punk music? Some of it I love (older stuff), some I absolutely despise (pop-punk, which I think is a complete contradiction in terms). 6. What is your favorite flower? All of them. 7. Does anyone have a crush on you? Haha... that's ludicrous. BLACK 1. Closest black thing to you? My clothes. 2. Do you like morbid things? Very much so. 3. Do you like being underground? Sometimes. 4. Are you afraid of death? Not so much of my own...but I do fear pain. And I am afraid (terrified) of losing loved ones. 5. Do you prefer neutral or vibrant colors? Generally I prefer bold, grab-you-by-the-throat colors, but I like any color in the right context. 7. What’s your favorite text ever? Jesus, that's a tough question. Currently, it's Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. Several other works that have had huge emotional impact on me over the years: Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block; A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving; the poetry & prose of Jim Morrison, Charles Bukowski and Danielle Willis... . . . . .

Comments: Read 4 or Add Your Own.

Subject: "How Propaganda Works" Time: 11:18 am. Mood: discontent.

. . . . . -- From an article found at http://home.att.net/~bob.wallace/howpropagandaworks.html If you consider yourself a sentient being, I urge you to read this and spread its message. PLEASE evolve your mind a bit and learn to think for yourself. ( It's not hard to understand how propaganda works. You don't need a college degree, or to even to read any of those thick textbooks everybody hates. Everything relevant can be explained in one not-particularly-long article. And, I guarantee you, you must understand how propaganda targets you, to immunize yourself against the attempts...((READ MORE)) ) . . . . .

Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.

Subject: The Stanford Prison Experiment Time: 2:14 pm. Mood: distressed.

. . . . . Anyone who is even remotely interested in human psychology and/or human rights absolutely NEEDS to read through this website: The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study of the Psychology of Imprisonment Conducted at Stanford University A quick summary: What happens when you take a group of ordinary people, divide the group in half, and assign half of them as Guards and the other half as Prisoners? It's amazing and shocking what happened over the course of a mere SIX DAYS when this experiment was conducted in 1971. It's really, really disturbing how easily the human mind can be manipulated. (Yet another reason why I typically despise the human race.) I had read about this experiment before, but this website goes much more into detail. Frightening stuff. . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: * Movie column Time: 1:32 am. Mood: hungry.

. . . . . Updated 8/19/07 ( MOVIE LOG - Click To View ) . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: the same could be said for artists. Time: 12:20 am. Mood: melancholy. Music: Bob Marley - 'Natty Dread'.

. . . . . So You Want To Be A Writer if it doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don't do it. unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut, don't do it. if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screen or hunched over your typewriter searching for words, don't do it. if you're doing it for money or fame, don't do it. if you're doing it because you want women in your bed, don't do it. if you have to sit there and rewrite it again and again, don't do it. if it's hard work just thinking about doing it, don't do it. if you're trying to write like somebody else, forget about it. if you have to wait for it to roar out of you, then wait patiently. if it never does roar out of you, do something else. if you first have to read it to your wife or your girlfriend or your boyfriend or your parents or to anybody at all, you're not ready. don't be like so many writers, don't be like so many thousands of people who call themselves writers, don't be dull and boring and pretentious, don't be consumed with self- love. the libraries of the world have yawned themselves to sleep over your kind. don't add to that. don't do it. unless it comes out of your soul like a rocket, unless being still would drive you to madness or suicide or murder, don't do it. unless the sun inside you is burning your gut, don't do it. when it is truly time, and if you have been chosen, it will do it by itself and it will keep on doing it until you die or it dies in you. there is no other way. and there never was. -- Charles Bukowski Bukowski, as always -- a fucking genius. . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Limited access Time: 7:18 pm. Mood: disappointed.

. . . . . To anyone who reads this: My computer is pretty much shot but it'll be awhile til I can replace it, since I am broke. My internet access is going to be very limited until further notice. You can contact me by leaving a comment at this blog, I'll get notification thru my email. I will try to check it regularly. Wish me luck. :\ . . . . .

Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.

Subject: Hit and run Time: 8:18 pm. Mood: pissed off.

. . . . . Fucking weekend from HELL -- Went out to my car about an hour ago to discover that someone had HIT it and taken off. It happened yesterday but I didn't realize it until today because it's not that noticeable from the house. Yesterday afternoon I was in my room when I heard a pretty loud "BANG" outside. I looked out the window because it sounded like an accident & was worried about my car (which I park on the side of the road), but from my vantage point I didn't notice any damage to my car; the left signal light is already cracked, but it didn't look like anything else had happened to it. There was a larger, navy and white SUV, & a gold SUV sitting in the road next to my car, though, so I thought that was a little odd. I thought perhaps maybe they had hit each other. I could see the driver of the navy & white SUV, and he was craning his neck to look all around everywhere. He sat there for a few minutes and eventually someone jumped into the passenger side and they drove off. I didn't think anything much of it until today. I've got the weekend off; I stayed in yesterday & most of today, so I didn't notice the damage until this evening. On closer inspection, I saw that someone HAD hit my car, in the same spot it had been hit when it had belonged to its previous owner -- right on the same cracked tail-light. But this time the damage was much worse: the front left corner is now dented and cracked much more than it was before. Shards of the fender were laying in the street. I knew immediately that the BANG I heard yesterday was the guy in the navy & white SUV hitting my car. I called the cops, filed a report, and took pictures of the damage. The cop talked to the neighbors, but of course nobody had any information to offer. And I never caught the guy's license plate number, so there's not much the cops can do at this point. I'll have to get the plate number in order for them to pursue it. The neighbor's house has a lot of people living in it, and a few of them were sort of hanging around outside, on the porch and whatnot, while the cop was there. I never usually see these people outside ever, unless it's one of their cars coming and going (which is something that happens CONSTANTLY, around the clock). One of the girls was on the phone, kind of eyeing the scene cautiously. So I wouldn't be surprised if she got on the horn to warn whoever did it. Because I KNOW one of those bastards know the guy. I've seen his SUV parked on our street enough times to recognize it. Oh well... hopefully he'll be back and I can grab his license plate number. But I am not very optimistic about that. Why ME, for fuck's sake?? They all have pretty nice, newer cars/vehicles. I drive a $200-piece of shit Buick. Why can't people just leave our shit alone?? I can't wait to move out of this fucking hellhole neighborhood. . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man, I salute you! Time: 12:14 am. Mood: amused.

. . . . . I'm in a pretty damn mopey mood tonight, but this made me laugh a bit. I actually sold one of my Bunnyken avatars in Second Life so I IMed the guy who bought it (because I don't think I've actually sold any before tonight, haha): Nebulosus Severine: whoa! i didn't think anyone would buy one of those Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: I finally found it! Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: I remember seeing it before. And now I have it! Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: Thank you. Nebulosus Severine: awesome! haha, you're welcome. where did you see it before? Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: I was searching for guts one night and saw it, at your store I guess. Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: You must have played the Sims 2? Nebulosus Severine: nope, never have... why? Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: The bunny that appears when your little sims get lonely is strikingly similar. KaiLastOfTheBrunnenG Macdonald: No beak tho... KaiLastOfTheBrunnenG Macdonald: lol Nebulosus Severine: hahaha Nebulosus Severine: ever since i saw a picture of the real bunnyken, i have been mildly obsessed with it Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: The other person in the room irl just said: "What is that, a chicken?" Nebulosus Severine: it was something i came across with on ebay -- god, i wish i had bid on it!! at least i saved the pics tho, lol Nebulosus Severine: hahaha.. awesome Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: Thank you for lighting up a dull evening. Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: Is there a group Bunnyken lovers? Nebulosus Severine: hmm, not yet! Nebulosus Severine: glad i could give you a laugh tho, haha Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: Yes, it is great! I can't wait to drag this out some time. Nebulosus Severine: hehe Nebulosus Severine: be sure you have a look at the face of the body shape too, if you take off the mask -- it's extra special. Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: oooh Nebulosus Severine: haha Nebulosus Severine: it's just sort of deformed looking Nebulosus Severine: for extra ha-has Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: It's all becoming clear now. Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: I think I will be taking some snapshots with reflections on for slpics.com. Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man cackles Nebulosus Severine: awesome! Nebulosus Severine: XD Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: But that will be at another time. I will send you the url when I do it. Nebulosus Severine: hehe, sounds good to me. i'd love to see more bunnykens in the wild. Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: GReat. I must go now to dream of beaks n freaks Mr. Bunnyken Appreciator Man: gnite Nebulosus Severine: rofl Nebulosus Severine: nighty blinkums "Beaks and freaks..." Comedy GOLD! . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Insomnia Time: 5:33 am. Mood: exhausted.

. . . . . I feel crappy and exhausted but I can't sleep. Why the fuck can't I just go to sleep? . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: I have been Simpsonized Time: 8:39 pm. Mood: amused.

. . . . . compare: . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Art Prank (found on Digg) Time: 4:11 pm. Mood: amused.

. . . . . Found on Digg.com: Prank on Artist Who Created $100 Million Diamond Skull Artist Damien Hirst unveiled the most expensive contemporary artwork ever made, a skull bedazzled with more than 8,000 fine diamonds. It's expected to sell for at least $100 million. Last night, an artist created a replica covered with 6,522 Swarovski crystals and dumped it outside the gallery in the middle of the night on top of a pile of trash. http://www.woostercollective.com/2007/07/fucking_with_perception_hirsts_for_the_l.html HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I think some of Hirst's art is interesting, but this prank is INFINITELY more clever than the original piece. Fucking GENIUS. . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Little bit o' recent press Time: 9:16 pm.

. . . . . From the July 10th issue of the Metaverse Messenger: (Date in the picture is a misprint.) http://www.metaversemessenger.com/pdf/2007/07/MM20070710.pdf . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Animals are amazing, part 7, 417, 537, 412 Time: 11:18 pm. Mood: awake.

. . . . . [Transcribed from an entry I made in my paper journal] When researchers asked a middle-aged parrot to describe an empty tray during a counting test, the bird spontaneously answered, "none." Understanding the abstract concept of zero is quite a hoop to fly through; humans can't do it until age 3 or 4. (original source: shit, I forgot to write it down, but it was out of a magazine, possibly Psychology Today.) More in-depth article: http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/050701_parrotzero1frm.htm . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: SAVE THE INTERNET! Time: 4:06 pm. Mood: worried.

. . . . . From savetheinternet.com: ( What is Net Neutrality? F.A.Q. ) . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Art Spam Time: 12:42 am. Mood: annoyed.

. . . . . In larger art groups in Second Life, members are politely asked time and time again to refrain from sending group IMs -- it is seen as spamming and can be quite annoying. Some people just don't get it! In this instance, the same person spammed both this group AND the Art & Artist Network. . . . . .

Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.

Subject: Thought for the Day Time: 11:59 pm. Mood: thoughtful.

. . . . . The most important thing to remember is, no matter what anybody else tells you, it is never, ever, unpatriotic or un-American to question anything in a democracy." Steve Earle . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Procrastination Time: 2:58 pm. Mood: busy. Music: Brian Eno.

. . . . . Sweet jesus, I'm far behind. More updates soon, I promise. . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Stop trying to be my friend -- all you want to do is talk about yourself and how "cool" you are. Time: 1:09 am. Mood: annoyed.

. . . . . Grand. If there’s one word I hate, it’s grand. It’s so phony. -- from The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) Have fun with your "grand" life, you asshole. [You know who you are.] . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: meh Time: 3:04 am. Mood: depressed.

. . . . . Only 3 days away from the SL4B build deadline, and I STILL CAN'T FUCKING THINK OF A GOOD IDEA for a build. I'm so fucking frustrated with it that I feel like fucking WEEPING. I feel like just telling them I fucking quit. I have no good ideas, only half-ass ones. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. The art muse is fucking dead. I feel like fucking quitting SL. I'm no fucking good at this art shit anymore. It sucks to start to follow your dream and then discover you're a failure. Now what the fuck do I do with my life!?! . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Slump Time: 4:32 am. Mood: nervous.

. . . . . Christ -- this is the WRONG TIME for me to be going through a creative slump. I'm getting close to freaking out -- in a week, my build for SL's 4th Birthday Celebration (which is going to be HUGE, including potentially big-time exposure) needs to be DONE. Not to mention several other projects that I committed to. The work's not the hard part -- I'm just drawing complete fucking blanks for ideas, all around. I've started and scrapped more half-ass attempts at stuff than I care to think about. Once I get a solid plan, I'll be fine. But what the fuck am I going to do if the ideas don't come to me? I feel IMPOTENT. I feel like something inside me is in a coma. Wake the fuck up, for fuck's sake!! . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Finally Time: 5:11 pm. Mood: energetic.

. . . . . Yesterday, I finally got an exercise bike. I didn't want anything fancy, so I found one in the classified ads for $20. I'm going to start doing 15 minutes a day and work up from there. Bought a yoga mat too so I hope to start doing that a few times a week soon (as soon as I find that stupid yoga DVD I bought). I need to do this -- have needed to for a long time now. Not only for my physical health but for my mental health as well -- it's true that exercise is good for the mind as well as the body, I can feel it even when I only do little things, like take a walk or do some gardening. ( & speaking of mental health ) . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Subject: Unsleepy Time: 3:42 am. Mood: thinking.

. . . . . Was invited to take a tour of the "Virtual Starry Night" exhibition in Second Life. Not only is it an extensive, well-built, well-organized gallery of Vincent van Gogh's work, it has detailed 3-dimensional recreations of several of his paintings. So, you (or rather, your avatar) can not only view the Cafe Terrace at Night, you can walk into it, pull up a chair, and sit down at one of the tables. Not many things in SL impress me anymore, but this exhibition really was more than I expected it to be. A worthwhile journey to take; if you're a resident of SL and want to visit, click here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Luctesa/101/190/66 Van Gogh's one of the few classic, household-name artists whose work I enjoy, & whom I consider an influence. His use of color was genius, absolutely fearless. The brushstrokes he used plainly show his fervor & his mad, uncompromising drive to create. The emotion he put into his work speaks to me as artist-to-artist, not as a mere observer. It's no secret that he suffered a great deal of mental and emotional anguish during his life, which is evident in several of his works (especially later ones); & somewhere between the suffering and the euphoria of creation, I feel a kinship with him. Not to be trite, but I wonder what van Gogh himself would have thought of the virtual interpretation of his work. . . . . .

Comments: Add Your Own.

Nebulosus Severine's Journal You're looking at the latest 39 entries. Missed some entries? Then simply jump back 39 entries.