_jems_

Two things that bug the everlivin' CRAP out of me:

• Unless you're using it as an adjective (the premier episode), the word premiere is spelled with an E at the end. The meaning of premier when used as a noun is
  
  

  1. the head of the cabinet in France or Italy or certain other countries; first minister; prime minister.


2. a chief officer.

Season premiere, world premiere, series premiere. But Canada's premier.


• It's not Bros Before Hoes! That means you put your bros before your gardening equipment, for crying out loud! It's Hos. Ho-ho-hos! Just...GAH!!!

And now that I've gotten that out of my system, last night's TV:

( Glee! )

( Bones! )

I still haven't watched Flash Forward, but I've got it cued up to watch right after Top Chef, which is what I'll be watching in five, four, three, two...

In the past week, I've gotten up early twice in order to catch an episode that had aired the night before, before I had to head off to work: Thursday, to see Glee, and today, to see ( the True Blood finale [now with book spoilers!]. )

( Picspammage! )

I just wasted away most of my evening at Lovely Package. ( There is some really pretty packaging out there. )

I also uploaded a bunch of icons and bought a crapload of DVD sets (Life s2, HIMYM s4, Terminator: TSCC s2, Fringe s1, Middleman, Criminal Minds s1, Dollhouse s1, Twin Peaks s1-2, The Big Bang Theory s1 and probably a few more I'm forgetting). Let me just say that my wallet is hurting pretty badly right now. But retail therapy has done me a world of good, so there is that. =)

Glee is imminent! And I couldn't be happier about it, even though I just can't seem to find it in me to 'ship Rachel/Finn, which seems to be the predominant pairing. And I finally realized that it's because, aside from finding Finn pretty boring, I just don't think he's a very good singer, and the very idea that he's even close to the same league as Rachel, talent-wise, is pretty laughable to me. BUT, there has only been one episode, so I'm willing to let them (and him) win me over.

Since I last posted, I've...

• Become a purse-oholic, with two new purses under my belt. ( This is my favorite... )


• Been to see The Proposal. ( Read more... )


• Caught up with Eureka. ( Read more... )


• Redone my laptop desktop using Rainmeter and ObjectDock. I'm only using standard settings, because I'm useless at this kind of stuff, ( but I still like it. )


• Pretty much become obsessed with Ace of Cakes. I've watched every episode I could get my hands on, but it's not exactly the easiest show to find episodes of.


• Come to the sad realisation that my new-found obsession with Eric/Sookie is the most fannish I've felt in years. Season 3 of HIMYM was a fannish high-point, sure, but it still didn't feel like THIS. I'm not sure how the hell this happened, and ( BOOK SPOILERS )


• Been extra GLEEFUL about Glee, since hellopoe pointed out this complete version of Gold Digger that's viewable to non-Americans. (Thaaaaaank you!)


• Realized that NEW TV is but a few scant weeks away (speaking of which, there haven't really been any leaked pilots this year, WTF?), and I've hardly caught up with any of the shows that I meant to catch up on this summer. I guess I'll just have to stay perpetually behind on my TV watching.

This is the first time in probably a month that I've had the urge to post, so forgive me if this picspam is somewhat redundant (considering everyone has already done one today. ;-)

( True Blood 2x09 )

01. Anyone who looks at this entry has to post this meme and their current wallpaper at their livejournal.
(02. Explain in five sentences why you're using that wallpaper.)
03. Don't change your wallpaper before doing this. The point is to see what you had on.



I use WallMaster, so this is only one of many wallpapers I use (it changes every thirty minutes), but it is the only one actually made for my screen resolution (1920x1080), and as such, is pretty much the only one that actually looks good. I did grab a bunch of Star Trek wallpapers from the official site that I could put up, but that would involve some cropping (they were not 16:9), and I'm lazy, so...

---

So, my vacation is over. I didn't do what I had intended to do, but that's okay, because I dabbled in some retail therapy. And I haven't loved anything as much as I love these two things in a looong time.

So, I was paying my bills the other day, and I started wondering what it's like elsewhere. I can't imagine not having e-billing, giro payments, and online banking in general. Plus, paying all your bills in one go at the end of each month makes me happy. But I get the feeling that the US is still stuck in that same old "check-is-in-the-mail" archaic bill-paying that was the norm when I lived there twenty years ago. Therefore, ( a poll! )

---

Speaking of bill-paying, I'm only a few weeks away from being completely free of credit card debt, so of course I'm looking at ways to spend all that extra moolah. And I think I found it! I'm leaning towards this one, though to be honest, it's more because it comes in a pretty light blue color than for the battery life. Does anyone have any recommendations? Words of wisdom?

---

I think my eReader purchase has already paid for itself, because I'm reading more books than ever. Since the beginning of May alone, I've read 15 books. 15 books! I didn't read 15 books all of last year! (Granted, it's been mostly chick lit and easy fare, but still!)

Except, reading all these actual books instead of fic has made me realize that I've probably averaged about 100 books a year, just in fic. So I'm not reading that much more than usual right now, I'm just reading other things.

---

( Teevee )

( Watched the Bones season finale. )


( And the Glee pilot. )

Numbered lists seem to be the best way to get back into the groove of things:

1. ( I finished Chuck season 2. )


2. I got my eReader yesterday, and even though I've only used it for a day, I already love it to death. I don't think I can ever go back to reading (long) fic on my computer again.


3. This Strawberry Spinach Salad sounds really yummy. I'm going to have to try that some day.


4. I uploaded some new icons to my Scrapbook.


5. ( TAR finished another season. )


6. I've had to take a few people off my reading filter because of spoilers, and I'm thinking of doing an flist cut. I mean, sure, it's just reaction spoilers, but just because you don't care about the show anymore (or love it so much you can't wait to Tell. Everyone. About. It), that doesn't mean I want to know. Though it seems silly to cut people right when TV is going into hybernation for the summer.


7. Comedies are not making me dance with joy right now. ( The Office. ) ( The Big Bang Theory. ) ( HIMYM. )


8. Everyone squeeing about Star Trek has made me dying to go see it, even though I think I've only watched one full episode of any of the franchises (a TNG episode where they go back in time? Or something?) Good job, flist!


9. I'm taking the first week of June off and I can't wait! The best part is that it's vacation days I've saved from last year, so I still have five weeks of vacation coming to me after that. I'm going to try to find a cheap last minute trip to somewhere around the Mediterranean, and if that falls through, I'm going to redecorate my bedroom. Either way? So much win!


10. Hi, Laura! =)

I've been reading (in most cases, re-reading) Buffy fic lately. There are plenty of fic tropes when it comes to Spike/Buffy fic, but I'm always surprised that two scenarios I find very interesting are in short supply. If they exist at all. ( Read more... )

---

I ordered an eReader! Turns out, the iLiad lost out after all, because it doesn't seem to be very stable, and the manufacturer seems to be on the verge of dicontinuing the device. Of the two remaining devices, the Cybook seems to be better for Mobipocket files, but hardly any improvements have been made to the firmware since its launch.

So I ended up with the Bebook, which I finally settled on because the company seems to have very active support, with frequent updates, and there's even an open source project with improved functions. Also, they're releasing a new device later this year that will do pretty much exactly what I wanted the iLiad to do, but since I want one NOW, I might as well get used to this (cheap) version first and buy a new one in about a year or so.

---

I'm so glad this is only a four day week, because I think The Dreaded Allergies have hit. I've been sneezing all evening, and my eyes are itching like crazy. *sigh*

I meant to post this icon meme over a week ago. Um, oops? ( MEME! )

---

( The Amazing Race )

( Project Runway Canada )

Last Friday, when I was on the way to the subway, A & B Song came on my mp3 player, and I was seized by this unstoppable wave of nostalgia, and I knew I had to start up my Farscape rewatch again (I had just finished season 2 when I took a break...um, six months ago or so). But first I had to rewatch the vid that made me have the Farscape flashback and I'd forgotten something: ( I think it's all wrong )

First of all: Amazon Rank (from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books).

Secondly, remember how I pre-ordered Pushing Daisies season 2? Well, I canceled it, and told Amazon that I would buy it from their rival Play.com, along with everything else I usually would have bought from them until they fix this. But from the way this shitstorm has snowballed since I first heard about it, I'm thinking I'll just end up reordering it from Amazon, because I can't imagine they can keep this policy in place now.

---

I spent the last few days cleaning my apartment (taking stuff to the recycling center, tackling the balcony, buying new plants, etc), so today I took some time off. Which naturally led to watching more Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (I am completely smitten. Still).

But in an effort to not run out of episodes before noon (I only had four or five left this morning), I went back to Super Mario Galaxy, where I'd been stuck for a while. And because of my determination not to run out of episodes, I've now added 15 more stars, and I still have the last two episodes of T:TSCC to watch. I had meant to watch them tonight, but I got all caught up in link-hopping and now I still have episodes saved for tomorrow! Yay!

---

In all the Amazon excitement, I almost forgot the reason I had intended to post today: I got myself a Dreamwidth account! And for once I managed to snag my user name without underscores! I managed to import most of it okay, but the comment import was aborted on the first try, and when I tried it again, it imported them twice. Eeek! Weirdly, the comment count in my journal is correct, but in my user info I have twice the number of comments, and there are duplicate comments on every entry. Oh well.

If you've got an account, let me know!

I'm currently halfway through The Deeper Meaning of Liff, which is like my favorite new thing. For those not in the know, it's "a dictionary of things there aren't any words for yet", by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd. All words are really geographical places. ( My favorites so far... )

And let me tell you, by the time I stopped working at almost eight last night, I was feeling hynish in the extreme. But today was the first day of my five day weekend, so today is a happy day!

---

I've been watching a lot of TV since my last update. A LOT. I'm almost back to my January levels, after dropping to alarmingly low levels in March.

( The Sarah Connor Chronicles, up through 2x12 )

( Life )

( Better Off Ted )

( My Boys )

I've run out of NCIS seasons on DVD, so unless this Farscape itch gets its claws in me completely, I think the next show in the pipeline is going to be Deadwood. Finally!

---

I've been really good about adding 25 bucks to my Kiva account each month, and so far this year, I've made seven new loans (the repaid loans have enabled me to loan $175, even though I've only put $100 into my account)! And I think that once this year is up, I'll probably be able to make at least a loan a month in perpetuity without adding another cent.

And since I love the idea of this site so much, here's that link again:



And if you do decide to make a loan, do join the fandom team. The number of members has doubled since my last mention, and the amount loaned has quadrupled, but I still think fandom can do much more.

And if you're into country rivalry, Team Sweden just passed Team USA, which is simply pitiful, you guys. Come on, where's your patriotism?! ;-) (If you're wondering where my patriotism is, I don't care so much about the US being ahead of us, since the US population is about 30 times the size of ours. I just want us to beat those @%!#^/$ Norwegians!)

( The personal stuff. )

---

I joined farscaperewatch, but the one-episode-a-week thing probably won't work for me. I mean, that's almost two years! I'll have rewatched the show a couple of times by then. But I did figure it'll be fun to follow along since I was never in the fandom the first time around. I'll probably pick up my last rewatch where I left off, at the beginning of season 3, instead.

---

In other TV news:

( Dollhouse )

( Castle )

( Project Runway Canada )

( The Amazing Race )

( How I Met Your Mother )

( Southland )

Everyone and their mother posted about The Sarah Connor Chronicles this weekend, and since I haven't seen a single episode since the season premiere, I thought I'd make that the next show I catch up on.

---

I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this icon considering how simple it is. And it's still not right! But I'm past the point of caring. So I uploaded the new stuff to my Scrapbook.

COME ON, ONLY HOURS TO GO!
SPEND YOUR MORNING WISELY!

Also, I changed my vote from Spike to Lorelai after a lot of soul-searching. Not because I love her more, but because I want a girl to at least have a shot at the final two (and I don't think Veronica does). It's looking pretty hopeless right now, though.

How is it that the Drama Bracket is so boring? It's like voting for the lesser of Who Cares?

I wish I had something else to post about, but this is pretty much what my life consists of right now. This and work. Woohoo, party!

If anyone has any advice about eReaders, I'd love to hear it.

I wasted the entire day playing around with Mobipocket Reader and Creator, because no matter what, that'll probably be the platform I'll be using. And the best part is, of course, ( making book covers. )

Oh, also:



Because seriously, how can she be losing in the first round?! Even if it is to the Doctor. I mean, HELLO, it's Aeryn! Vote! But not if you're going to vote for the Doctor.

I've been reading a lot of fic recently, kind of jumping from one fandom to the next. Here, have a few recs:

The Big Bang Theory

• The Earth Moved 1,117.7 Miles In Our Kitchen, by rashaka, art by irrel. Like Wonder Woman, Superman, She-Ra and all those characters her geeky friends cherished, Penny knew in one single, glorious moment what she had to do.

  This was the fic that converted me to Penny/Sheldon. Be sure to read the comment!fic, as well, because it was there that it happened, with the knocking (I'm sure you'll realize what I mean when you get to it). That was when I had my breath-studdering, heart-skipping moment.

How I Met Your Mother

• metal heart, by the_spin. she’s never heard a love story like this one.
  

  This, along with 'A' Game is now the fic against all HIMYM is measured. Not a lot holds up to that standard, trust me.

Veronica Mars

• Fish Out of Water, by dark_roast. Logan opts to leave Neptune, and spend summer vacation with his grandparents.

  A crossover with a fandom I have absolutely zero knowledge of, yet I loved it. The atmosphere was so rich, and the setting was so non-sensical that it couldn't help but make sense.

(And now I'm completely curious if the pingback feature will work. dtissagirl (sorry, dtissagirl) already proved that the rename feature does.)

---

Speaking of reading, I'm thinking of finally getting myself an eReader. Because I'm not in the States, Kindle and Sony Reader are not options for me, and I'm having a really hard time finding something I REALLY want, so I'm thinking of settling for something cheaper. (I have this gut feeling that the eReader market is about to explode, and I don't want to buy something insanely expensive, only to be unable to afford the next generation readers.)

The three options I have right now are:

1. Cybook, by Bookeen. This is probably the leader right now, almost entirely because I like the look of it better than the other two contenders.


2. BeBook. Almost exactly the same features as the above, except it apparently has a patented screen, which I'm guessing makes the reading experience more paper-like.


3. iLiad Book Edition. This one is almost twice the price of the other two, and it has two major differences (for me, anyway): It has a 16 grayscale screen as opposed to the others' 4 grayscale screens, and you can write on the screen (meaning it can be used for notes, etc). But I don't know if it's worth the price, especially not if there is an explosion in the next few years, like I expect.

Does anyone have any tips? Advice? Recommendations? I want the reader mainly for two things: for buying and reading books, and for compiling, storing and reading fanfic.

---

In the world of TV, I've watched a lot, but have very little to say.

( Legend of the Seeker )

( Top Chef )

I've also finished Brothers & Sisters season 2 (and am acquiring season 3 as I type), am in the middle of NCIS season 3 (and I have the season 4 DVDs all ready to go after that)

Holy crap, I just saw that Castle is premiering on Monday! I'm not sure how to feel about this. On the one hand Naaaaaathan Fiiiiiiillion! On the other hand, the trailer I saw a while back looked hokey and not at all up my alley.

I feel like I hardly have enough going on right now to cobble together one entry. Let's see if this list of Things Going On Right Now proves me wrong:

1. I'm siiiiiick. Ugh, I hate it so much. At least I'm over the hump (I think). From now on it'll just be a few weeks of coughing, sneezing and general mucus issues. Lovely!


2. I'm currently translating season 2 of The Office, which is having the effect of making me fall in love with the show again. Not the new episodes (unfortunately), but I'd forgotten how much I loved it back in the day - and how much better Michael was before he became this caricature of a person. ( Season 5 general spoilers )


3. As per usual, I'm watching lots of TV. *is currently at 332 episodes watched* ( Dollhouse 1x01-1x02, ) ( Life 2x15, ) ( Top Chef 5x13, ) ( and NCIS, season 2. )


4. Today I got an email from Amazon.co.uk, informing me that the Pushing Daisies season 2 DVDs will be released on May 25th. I preordered that puppy so fast heads were spinning. Even though I still haven't watched the last aired episode (I don't want to be out of episodes to watch!), I think that three months gives me enough time to come to terms with watching the end of the series. *sniff*


5. I've been making icons that I'm not hating on entirely. I'm not loving them either, but I consider this a definite step up from the months and months and months of crap.


6. Oscar night, huh? For once, I've actually seen quite a few of the movies. Still can't bring myself to care very much. I mean, it's not as if it's the Emmys, which has just become a farce, but I just don't feel the Oscars are all that much more relevant at this point.