I just saw this movie for the first time in my life.

...

I cried.

I'm rather glad that underthepale mentioned that movie to me. Granted, I need to rewatch it do to missing some parts, but it was... really moving.

Na no nya. Meow.

Previously on The Secret Life of Dolls: A lot of stuff happened.

So: Christmas in Shelfia, with a bit of catch-up from the Compocalypse. ( We Two Kings of Númenor Are )


(To be continued. Part two: Serafina. Part three: Anna.)

Pleasantly busy day, it looks like. Howling winds outside, actually, but sunnyish, so that's fine.

Have to wrap presents later. I hate wrapping presents. I mean, I do an okay job of it in the end, and I like presents to be wrapped, but it usually involves me wrestling with a large, fragile sheet of shiny paper for about fifteen minutes.

Still have to take certain pictures. TLB went missing earlier this morning, but was eventually located. I would rather not discuss how the tableshelf ended up covered in maple syrup.

Lizzie's McAfee trial ran out, so I was like, the hell with this, I'm putting AVG on. So now I'm having to do all the scans and setups and whatever, but I hear it's better anyway.

(I am really glad it has a rootkit scan, because isn't that what Sony put on its CDs for a while there?)

For those of you keeping track on the Aromaleigh front, Wish is really pretty with Damask. It's a similar look to Chloe/Amelie, but more pink and less peach.

My feet are killing me, which suggests to me that I need new/better shoes, or some kind of comfort-inducing insert (although those "I'm Gellin'!" commercials make me want to slap someone). I actually want to go buy me some Chucks with my next round of book money, although I doubt those will have any kind of support. Hm. I just want some of those because I rarely get more formal than sneakers, but Chucks are an ever-so-slightly more sophisticated aesthetic than scuffed tennis shoes, you know? And you can customize them! I kind of want to make a purple plaid. I do not see any way to order a foot massage, however.

*awaits Cirno jokes*

In other words, yes, I am bad at Touhou. Very bad.

Expect a couple more videos (one of 'em being about a certain skeleton whose pieceset Skeleton-T borrows in Puyo 7) made today.

Na no nya! Meow!

A few things of interest (or not):

The Christmas village on the back of our piano


A less artistic overhead shot

A darkened street

My festive sleeve, which I managed not to set on fire or trail through the dip (you can also see my moonstone ring)

@alliancesjr: @cleolinda This makes me think of pre-1960 attitudes towards women and body parts. One of these days you're going to show us an *gasp* ANKLE

@cleolinda: @alliancesjr http://twitpic.com/uvgzt  

@queenanthai: @cleolinda You HOOR.

Lucy at the party

What I got at the swap:




The little china cup is actually a strainer that goes in the large cup; that's a wooden spoon sitting in it. The three teas are jasmine, green, and black, and there are little compartments in the box for the teas and the metal strainer. All of this is pleasing to me, particularly since I've been drinking my tea out of a coffee mug.

And for those who asked about "movie that will be made of certain book I was buying," I gave Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (movie version to star Natalie Portman), plus a guide to zombie survival.

Very tired--like, "sleepy" tired, not "verge of a nervous breakdown" tired. Maybe it's just because there's been a lot of holiday-related running-around lately, which is fun. And I've been eating out more, which means I'm drinking soda, which means I'm getting more caffeine than I should, which means I'm not sleeping very well at night. All I know is, a friend called yesterday and thought something was seriously wrong, because I sounded completely out of it. I woke up a bit late and didn't take my meds on time this morning, so now I have a headache, etc., which I'm hoping will go away by the time I go out to the Christmas swap party tonight. Speaking of which, I am still trying to find my boots (just short black boots to wear under my jeans, nothing huge), because I would really like to wear those. Also, I have very nearly talked myself into wearing a dark blue top with crocheted sleeves that are a bit... princessy. Eh, I will claim they are "festive."

First, a few Avatar links, since that's what the last entry was about. And thanks for such a civil and thoughtful discussion over on the Avatar entry. It took 360 comments for someone hostile to finally show up and inform me that I am a prejudiced, touchy-feely liberal. After the all-time high of cleoloindaisgay, this was a fairly disappointing flame.

James Cameron Reveals His Quest to Build More Perfect CGI Boobs. Unfortunately, I read this before I saw the movie, so I spent the whole thing staring at Neytiri's goods, curious to see if such a paradox as a CGI nip slip could possibly occur. 

EW on Avatar: Does story matter? "Titanic is Shakespeare compared to Avatar." ICE BURRRRRRN.

James Cameron Planning 'Avatar' Trilogy, Director Tells MTV News. Yeah, I told you.

‘Avatar’ could get nine Oscar nominations. I don't know if I'm just more mature mellow as a person now than I was circa Titanic, but I think I would manage not to claw my eyes out if it won something huge. I don't know--maybe my Zoe Saldana love is helping me hold on.

The "Moff's Law" link going around: RT @ebertchicago To people who say "Just enjoy! Don't analyze!" This speaks eloquently for me: http://j.mp/4XAkBR.

Meanwhile (alert alert alert): today's 50% off sale at Aromaleigh is the Eye Lustres section ( Quick reviews of the ones I like )

Speaking of color: Colorstrology. Something about birthdays and colors and Pantone sponsorship, I don't know, but it's interesting. December's color is Pagoda Blue, and the 14th turned out to be Green-Blue Slate: "Complex, quick-witted, expressive." "You are expressive and funny and people like it when you entertain them" in particular made me laugh. DANCE, HUMOR MONKEY!


Speaking of which, I am so behind on Secret Life. Oh God. The Christmas/catchup installment looks like it's going to be in three parts now. Dammit.

*hoards all chocolate for herself*
That answer your question?

Moving along, I guess I should talk about Rhythm Heaven.

I've played a little of it, but I want to save it on Christmas. However, what I've experienced?

I have got to wonder how amiworld gets Perfects on stuff like Moai Doo-Wop and Love Lizards. I've got so many Try Agains that I ended up skipping those. Other than that, I've got a few Superbs, but I've mostly got Just OKs. I'm kinda scared to go for any Perfects, though.

I suddenly remember why I suck at rhythm games... and that's the reason I'm kinda scared to play Bust-a-Groove a lot. As tempting as it is to use it in an episode of YouTube Poop Hell, I'm getting the feeling that I'm going to be hearing "More rhythm!" every five minutes.

Oh, well. Since GWIC is going to be officially over and done with in two days from now, I'll likely to play it while I'm taking a break from Galaxy and Rhythm Heaven.

Speaking of Bust-a-Groove...


I've got to try something like this.

Oh, and I'd kill for two of these, and you should easily guess which two. ;-)

Na no nya! Meow!

( *whistles* )

Na no nya! Meow!

I was planning to be online for a while and do some stuff for the GWIC finale the other day, but... I wasn't feeling too well. In fact, I'm still a little worn out and even feeling a bit cold as of right now.

I hope it's nothing bad because I want to get some presents for my parents and put up a video or two.

Other than that, I've just got done playing more Platinum. Hardrock, my recently hatched Gible (and by recently hatched, I mean an hour or so ago), has now evolved! When I get done with him, Sunyshore's Gym Badge will be as good as mine~! Now the question is what I'm going to do about the Pokemon League. I bet Cynthia will be as brutal as she was in Pearl. Just have to hope for the best, but just for the sake of getting ready...

Aaron - Aina should handle him. Reflect should help in terms of defenses, and HP Fire for the win. If worse comes to worse, however, Ace should pull through against Yanmega and Vespiquen.

Bertha - Another all Aina match. Glicisor might be a problem, though. Ace wouldn't be much help, so Kitty-N, Misora, and Seren should get SOME screen time here.

Flint - Oh, boy. NOTHING for my set of Pokes, and Aina would be in trouble. I think I should either attempt to teach Misora Water Pulse of level up Rosamo so I can sneak her on board. This is what I get for having top five favorite Pokemon with three of 'em being Normal-types. XP

Lucian - Four of out five Psychic-types for the picking for Kitty-N, Misora, and Seren. Aina should handle Bronzong, and Gallade... well, he's up for grabs.

...
Ugh, now I'm getting a little woozy. I think I better end this entry, but first...




Dwacie cutscenes! Yeah, you've already seen 'em, but I don't care.

Finally, I think I couldn't pick a better time to get a Wii!

Na no nya. Meow!

Only a few days left till Christmas. Yay. ;-P

Aside from working on the GWIC finale (which, at this point, I'm kinda tempted to give a hint), there won't be too much going on.

However, there are going to be a couple of changes happening, but I'll save those around New Years Eve.

Oh, and I've got a chance to hear that Raffine vs Feli cutscene thanks to a certain Wuwue fweak.

My response?

...

IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT KEEPING ME FROM TAKING FELI HOME, YOU WILL REGRET IT.

Ahem.

So yeah.

I had a Pokemon battle against said Wuwue fweak, and... it was brutal for me. He swept my team while I was lucky enough to take out his Skarmory.

It's official: I am not battling material. XP

But back on Puyo Puyo 7, I played some more online matches, and... well, these players can do stuff the AI can only wish they could do. And while I was lucky enough to win a 2-player Fever match... yeah, that doesn't say much at all.

One of these days, I WILL get ten chains a lot more often... hopefully with both classic AND Fever/Daihenshin pieces.

Finally...

Wow.

Na no nya! Meow!

So I just saw Planet of the Cat People (P.S. They're Blue) in 3-D, and then Brett the Vet and I went out for Moe's. (They have a whole salsa bar!) Short version: A large portion of my readership is going to kick my ass.

Long version: ( MASSIVE SPOILERS )


ETA: What the HELL? Hospital: Actress Brittany Murphy dies at age 32.

So, I've played more Platinum and went through the Distortion World the other day.

From what I've seen in videos (without spoiling myself), what I've read, and what Monty Eggman told me, I'd expect this to be Palkia times ten. Nightmares involving Giratina bringing the apocalypse upon us (or at least some worldwide disaster) would be often and I would too scared out of my wits to even bother getting the last badge in Sunyshore City.

Instead, I had a moderately easy time through the Distortion World with the only real obstacles being Cyrus (stupid Houndoom and Earthquake-using Gyarados) and catching Giratina (took me FOREVER to get the thing!) so I can get rid of it when I get the chance. Thank God for the GTS! It's better off with someone else; I like my cats, squirrel, and whatever the heck Meganium is, thank you.

Now I know how Falzar feels when he told me that the whole Giratina bit was a waste of potential. Granted, I doubt he had any nightmares involving Groudon and Kyorge, but I was expecting to rant about how tired I am.

In fact, the only reason why I'm up at this time of day (a little past eleven in the morning!) is because my mom wanted me to clean up.

Oh, well. At least I can figure out who's going to be up against Volkner. Kitty-N's Limber would work greatly here, and Misora's Heal Bell can come in handy in case someone gets paralyzed. And then, there's Seren's Captivate and Aina's resistance to Electric-types. Ace's Light Screen would help, but... I think I should train up a Ground-type. I'll have to level it up a LOT (the cats are at level 51 at this point!), but I'm sure it'll worth it. Perhaps I can have my take at another Garchomp...?

Na no nya! Meow!

You know, I could be working on the GWIC surprise or the second episode of YouTube Poop Hell (which I've started on sometime ago). I could be playing Mario 64 and getting the rest of the stars. Heck, I could be doing dishes and my laundry or getting some sleep.

Instead, I'm making stuff that has no business existing.

And I can't wait to work on the video version! The only thing I have to worry about is unlocking everyone and making decent chains! XD

On something that isn't related to Puyo (for Purugly's sake)...


That squid just topped Ekoro in the "makes no sense whatsoever" department.

Na no nya! Meow!

Oh my sweet God have mercy. ( I decided that I would rather not go to prison )

By the way, remember this story?

Meanwhile, on the way home from our last excursion of the day, we dropped by my grandmother's to bring her some more ornaments. On the way out, I stopped to play with a--I don't know, I guess you'd call it a banner? It kind of looks like a long flat bell pull? I don't know. She has it hanging on her front door, and it's this tan-colored strip of fabric with little decorated felt Christmas trees, edged with shiny gold rickrack. "I loved this when I was a kid," I told her, shaking it a little so the bells would jingle. "Ruth made that," my grandmother said warmly. "She really liked arts and crafts. She made all of this herself, every bit of it. Even the tassels. She sewed everything on it there--the sequins, the little ornaments, she even put the pearls on the trees. She's dead now."

I managed not to crack up until I got to the car. My mother couldn't understand why I was doubled up in the passenger seat crying with laughter. I'm not sure I understand it myself.

This year, I got pictures of it:




And now, I flop.

P.S. I still want a foot massage really, really badly.



(Zomg e-book! The Annotated Movies in Fifteen Minutes: Wizards!)

Lately, things have been hard on me at home and at  school but as its getting better I've been thinking about things that I'm grateful for. It might just be because it's so close to Christmas but I realized how amazing it is to love someone and how exactly long it takes you to realize how much. For example, you have Nick, who has pretty much loved me for about six years running now. I've been thinking back lately about when we were little and how much I still love him then and now. It's cute and it brings a smile to my face during a hectic day.
Then you have Kim, who's the next closest person to me that's outside my family, who despite their craziness, I still love. It only took a short time for us to love each other as much as we do but it's still amazing and I'm always endlessly grateful to her. Then there's Icchan, whom I realized I also love as a sibling but it took me about two years to realize what kind of love that was. That's probably why nothing worked (it was pretty much incest). All this time, whether long or short, wasted or not, still had something in it or something I might've missed until now. It's crazy, I know, but there is time that I am grateful for.

To all my friends on LJ, have a very merry Christmas. :]
Yours truly,
~B

For some strange reason, I decided to play a few online battles in Puyo 7.

Yes, it was the first time I've played online Puyo matches since the PC version of Fever.
Yes, I played as... *Purugly stares at me* my favorites.
And yes, I got owned.

Na no nya. Meow!

So. Tired in a very lazy, self-indulgent way. I don't know if it's the holidays or the birthdays or what, but I've got to get over this dragginess--however pleasant it might be at the moment--at some point. I am, however, going to see Avatar on Sunday, and am working on some kind of zen meditation to rope off my EXTREME WEARINESS of the hype I've been hearing for an actual, literal year about how this will CHANGE THE WAY MOVIES ARE MADE. I don't know which way they mean, but if involves 3-D becoming the standard movie format I'm going to be pissed off, because it gives me headaches like whoa, and keep in mind that I have to balance those damn glasses on top of my real ones. I'm afraid to ask what other ways they might mean, because so far, "Huge effects spectacle with an overly familiar story and clichéd dialogue," "The nation divided into warring tribes of Fanboys and Haters," and "Would you like fries with your topless Neytiri figure?" kind of seem like business as usual.

@cleolinda: RT @flickchart: Director Michael Mann said of AVATAR: "There's before this movie, and after this movie."

@cleolinda: RT @flickchart: Spielberg quoted on AVATAR: "The last time I came out of a movie feeling that way was the first time I saw Star Wars."

@cleolinda: People, you realize now that I'm not going to be impressed unless Avatar delivers orgasms AND hot fudge sundaes. Knock it off.

@cleolinda: @jamevph The only thing more obnoxious than the hype would be if the movie actually turned out to be that good.

@cleolinda: @gorgeousnerd Oh, I mean, I'm going on Sunday, and I'm going to try to be zen about it and set all of that aside.

@cleolinda: Although I do wonder--"Doomed romance on the Titanic" is an easy sell. "Giant blue cat people do... something," I don't know.

@cleolinda: It could be the Second Coming, but I don't know how well it might actually do. Interesting to see how it shakes out.

@lilithsaintcrow: @cleolinda "Giant blue cat-love on the doomed Titanic! It's a sure thing!"

@cleolinda: @lilithsaintcrow Aw, man, giant blue cat-love screeching in the back of a Model T, do not want.

Then, from gfrancie: I Hate James Cameron, but I Love His Movies. Yeah... that's probably going to be me Sunday afternoon, after I recover from my 3-D headache. I will hate myself for liking it after being battered with hype for TWELVE SOLID MONTHS, but I also feel like it's intellectually dishonest to blindly hate something just for the sake of hating it. Meanwhile, I don't even know if there will be anything Not to Be Spoken Of, but I wouldn't count on it. Also, I'm still not sure if The Lovely Emily and her husband were kidding about painting their faces blue or not.



(Zomg e-book! The Annotated Movies in Fifteen Minutes: Wizards!)

Cutest song about Mario Kart ever.



The thing is that he's actually very good. This will most likely be in my head for the next few days...
Dftba,
~B

First of all: my mother and I are trying to decide on an e-book reader to get for my stepfather. His main problem is visibility--we hit on this as an alternative to large-print books, in that any book can become "large print" if you can adjust the font size. Portability is less of a factor, therefore--if one reader is larger than the other, that might actually be a bonus for us. I hear the Nook is sold out and kind of got crappy reviews along the lines of "Wait for the 2.0 version," but Mom thinks she might be able to get one anyway (she has Ways). On the other hand, the Kindle has a lot of advantages that I am vaguely aware of, but it's also got screwy DRM issues where it won't let you do things with, you know, the files you bought and paid for. So she says it would be nice to be able to have the e-books on the reader and the computer, DRM issues would be really frustrating, etc. So 1) ease of use and visibility for someone who is not a tech-head and 2) minimal DRM foolery, those are our main criteria. I know nothing about e-readers, except that I have the Stanza app on the iBella and don't ever use it. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Second: padawansguide needs a new host for her site, the movie-focused The Costumer's Guide (where I had tons of fun a couple of years ago trying to help identify all 60+ Marie Antoinette costumes. Good times); in particular, she says, "I would like at least 5-10 GB of disk space and at least 150 or more GB of bandwidth a month. With no weird [usage] caps they don't tell you about!" We discuss a couple of options at that first link, if you have any ideas.

Third, and not a question: New trailer for Iron Man 2.


(Zomg e-book! The Annotated Movies in Fifteen Minutes: Wizards!)