Maybe I'm a Wizard After All!

Not witch. Wizard. According to The Dresden Files books, female magic practicioners are still "wizards." I think "witches" and "warlocks" are evil in that universe. Have I mentioned that I'm completely addicted to this series? It's not even that good, but I just can't get enough of it. For those of you unfamilar, The Dresden Files is a series with a wizard protagonist named Harry Dresden. He's kind of a grown-up Harry Potter with even more frightening parental issues. This series takes place in Chicago (woo!) and is kind of a cross between a supernatural thriller and a hard-boiled detective novel. It hits three of my buttons as once! Now can you see why I like it so much?

I'm already at Book #6, Blood Rites. It's awesome. What I like about this world is the fairly unique point of view it takes on Harry's magic, which is both recognizable from previous fiction and also fits into this world all on its own. Also, I TOTALLY KNEW that Chicago was a hotbed for supernatural activity. Everything happens here! For example, did you know that there is a whole supernatural world under Chicago called Undertown? Undertown is filled with nasty creatures that terrify even normal magical users. Under Chicago. Both main 'Courts' of Vampires in this Universe, Red and White, seem to have their headquarters (or significant holdings) in Chicago. The White Council of Wizards convenes in Chicago. Also, an enormous battle between the Summer and Winter Courts of the faeries (much more terrifying than they sound) took place in the skies above Lake Michigan. And the first mention of the University of Chicago was exciting, because apparently a gang of nerdy students became vigilante werewolves calling themselves the 'Alphas.'

So, it's fun. The author, Jim Butcher, isn't actually from Chicago, and apparently didn't even visit until after writing book #8. So he gets some things, um, wrong. The link above addresses some of the more problematic ones, like the fact that he thinks that the U of C is in Lincoln Park. Which, um, yeah. At least he described the students as more nerdy types rather than State School jocks, which is what the TV show did. The inconsistencies don't bother me too much. Strange, because normally they do. I guess I can overlook it when I'm having fun.

So why am I a wizard, again? According to The Dresden Files, technology keeps breaking down around wizards, because of the magical mojo that's constantly in the air around them. And that's been happening to me these past couple of weeks.

My wireless router accidentally got reset when I bought a replacement charger due to cat damage. That means that I can automatically connect to my wireless network, but can't actually go online for some reason. I've had to steal wireless from neighbors, and as a result, it's really really slow. I finally got fed up earlier in the week, and had to call Linksys to try to figure this situation out. My first technician told me that I needed two different ethernet cables, and I only had one. So I went out and bought another one immediately, because OMIGOD THIS PROBLEM NEEDED TO BE SOLVED. I went to the corner Radio Shack and got the cheapest ethernet cord I could find, and hurried back to get another technician. I tried calling again, and got immediately disconnected when technican #2 answered. My little eye started twitching at this point and I started yelling at the cats when they got in my way. It was getting bad.

Third time, right guys? Third time should do it! Well, at least I got a technician on the line. I explained my issue and even let him take control of my computer. I don't do that for just anyone, you know. To do this, I had to unplug my computer from its charger and plug it directly into the modem, since my router was having personal (and professional, if you ask me) problems. I was sitting on the floor, shoving nosy cats away, resetting my router and modem and restarting my computer time and time again. The dude wasn't helping.

Oh, and I forgot! I gave him my phone number in case we got disconnected, so that he could call me back. He was the one that asked for it, so I assume this has happened before. Anyway, now my network has lost my name and is "unsecured" BUT I STILL CAN'T CONNECT TO IT. It's just sitting there. Taunting me. Look at all my bars, Cristina. Don't you want optimum connectivity? YEAH, ROUTER. YEAH I DO. STOP BEING SUCH A DAMN TEASE.

I was so frustrated, and the only thing the technician could offer was to try to reset the router again. This time holding the button down for 10 seconds instead of 20. Blarg. At least it did something, even if I still can't connect. And then, after nearly 45 minutes on the phone with this dude, my crappy cell phone um, well, crapped out. I lost the connection. AND MY ROUTER WAS EVEN WORSE. But this is okay, right? I gave the guy my number. He was the one that asked for it! He'll call back, right? Right?

Yeah, he didn't. Figures. And I was so angry and so upset and so hungry at this point, that I gave up and made myself some tilapia. I just figured that I would plug my computer back in and keep using that weak unsecured signal. Except now, my computer doesn't recognize my charger, and can't charge! I don't even know how this happens, but it's not uncommon. For some reason, when I unplug my computer and try to plug it back in, it doesn't realize that it's plugged into the same charger, and freaks out on me. So right now, my computer is sitting at home, plugged in but not charging, with 58% of its battery left. Eventually, I'll have to do some sort of elaborate rain dance where I unplug it, change the battery settings, restart the computer, reset the power strip and try plugging it in again. That usually works, at least on the third try. But right now I'm too worn out from this to care. AND, Linksys just sent me a "Customer Satisfaction Survey" for my technical assistance. I think I'm going to tell them that the technician completely broke my router. I like my petty victories.

Also, my expensive headphones no longer play sound out of the left earbud. It makes working out kind of weird. And will probably cause my brain to implode or something. I don't know.

The answer is that I'm clearly a wizard. I have to be, right? Right?

[ETA: I just remembered another recent technology mishap. I bought a new album on iTunes and wanted to put it on my iPod, but due to a strange mishap involving updating iTunes and settings getting mixed up, when I plugged my iPod into my computer, it got erased and written over with random albums. BUT STRANGELY, some of the music already on the iPod (and some of the random transferred stuff) got transferred back to my computer, erasing the rest of the music that was already there. And now my iPod is a strange mix of all the music left on my computer, which is a strange mix. I lost 75% of my music, and most of the stuff that I listen to regularly. I'm left with the Wicked and BSG soundtracks, and, like, Sufjan. I have not been having a good time recently.

I'm Tired People, IGNORE MY DRAMA

Hi everyone. This is me trying to do a regular update. LOOK AT ME GO! Um, honestly, what this entry was going to be a passionate and immediate defense for the character of one Mr. Samuel T. Anders, since I do adore him so. (and not just because he is so very pretty--I actually have many real reasons for it) But, eh. I find I don't have the willpower. That's right ladies and gentlemen, I don't really want to talk about Battlestar Galactica right now. Or really any TV shows. WHAT?! Now, people, I'm still me. And if you get me started talking about TV and let me spin up my wheels, I'll probably get enough steam going to fully annoy you. But I really don't want to initiate the conversation.

I think I realized this earlier today, when I was thinking about writing a blog entry about BSG and Sam Anders vs. Lee Adama, and found that I was getting a nasty headache. That's right, a Syfy headache. It's really weird. I don't really want to spend time thinking about these issues anymore. Like, I'm bored by it now. Which is very strange for me. I think...could it be possible....

AM I GROWING UP?! Like, I'm bored by doing all the same old things at work, and that includes reading about my favorite TV shows. Bored. Which means work has become even more unbearable than it already was. I don't know. I think I'm just done. And with no other prospects on the immediate horizon, that thought fills me with a sense of dread. Impending doom, if the doom wasn't actually impending, but more, er, drawn out. You get the idea.

Like, I'm afraid to start planning my future because it's been on hold for so long, but if I don't, I know that my soul will actually start seeping out of my body to try to find a better place to hang out. Yikes. I should really force myself to study for the LSATs, since I am TOTALLY going to do those now. I've kind of been faking the studying so far, and that's no good. I think this boredom is probably my mind's way of trying to wake me up. If it takes away all my fun distractions, I'll have to work!

My head hurts. My eyes hurt. My stomach feels weird, and I don't want to go to the gym now; however, I am forcing myself to do the last one. I come home to an apartment I hate that I really don't care about maintaining anymore, since I never invite anybody over. I'm kind of a mess. And, and I think I realize that now. Stasis is only, heh, sustainable for so long. And although I keep finding TV shows and other hobbies to obsess about, I don't really have anything else to do. And wow, that needs to change. OKAY, LSATs. I can do this. I can force myself to get back into studying. It didn't used to be this hard.

And yeah, I know I've said this before. I'm very very very good at making GRAND AND IMPORTANT DECLARATIONS OF TRUTH and just figuring that getting it off my chest is actually, um, doing something. But y'all, this time it's TOTALLY different. I'm actually bored by doing anything else, which has never happened before.

Wow, I didn't mean for this to be a downer entry. Blame the fact that the most serious issues I've thought about recently involve BSG. It finally broke me. I'll defend Sam some other time, when I'm more forward thinking and also not EXHAUSTED FROM WAKING UP AT 3 AM AND NOT BEING ABLE TO GO BACK TO BED. That probably played a part in this little melodrama.

Um, okay, upbeat things. I can do that. Have some happy thoughts:

1. I may get auburn highlights when I get my hair cut soon. So get excited about that!

2. Hey, remember The L Word? I found this randomly when I was looking up something on The Dollhouse, and thought it was really funny in an awkward, kind of unfunny way. Don't ask. Nobody knows what I mean anymore:

Lesbian video from AfterEllen.com

3. I AM GOING TO KILL MY SHOULDERS AGAIN TODAY. I am absurdly excited about this.

4. Wheeeeeeeeee. G'night.

God Hollywood, Stop Sucking So Bad

I'm a creature of habit, as many of you know. I like to go home after a long day's work, play with the cats, surf the 'net (IF I EVER GET MY NEW COMPUTER), maybe pop some corn and catch up with my stories.

I have shows that I regularly watch and a few others that I'm just beginning to get into. For me, television is a necessary component in unwinding after a tiring [read:boring] day. I need something to grip me, or else I'll just slip into a stupor. Reading is great (especially for the bus rides), but sometimes I need to see the story. And there are some great ones out there.

Let me take this opportunity to thank the studios for finally paying their writers what they deserve, because some of the cleverest writing out there is on TV. I mean, it really makes sense, if you think about it: TV writers have to cram a full story into either 1 hour or 30 minutes. The dialogue has to be crisp and clever, and the story has to progress efficiently, with just enough left hanging to keep the viewer coming back for more next week. I like TV, okay.

I like certain shows, too. They may not always be the "best" shows on TV, but they normally have something fun to hook me with. Like Summer Glau. Speaking of Terminator: TSCC, I'm worried. I think they're going to cancel the show this season, because the ratings aren't that great. Okay, so it's the Terminator TV show. I get that people might think that's ridiculous. But, I actually really like it. Not only is it full of fun action sequences, but it's really secretly a heartwarming family show. With killer robots! And I fear for its safety. I really hope Fox doesn't pull the plug soon, but I think it's going to happen.

Pushing Daisies is adorable. It may push every boundary of realism, and be kind of sugary sweet, but it completely embraces it. It's so damn cute, and the stories are so bizarre and over the top that it actually really works. It's like if Tim Burton decided, "Hell with it, I'm producing something CHEERFUL." According to a headline I just read (which inspired this whole post), more people are watching Knight Rider, which is a horrific remake of a sci-fi TV show **coughbionicwomancough**. Really? That show doesn't even look fun, for all its flashy special effects. I don't think I have to worry about this show yet, but I'm more on edge than I want to be.

The Riches is officially cancelled. That really sucks, but I'm not surprised. FX didn't give it a good chance, and I think the Writer's Strike killed it, as the past season seemed really rushed and random. That's really a shame, because it was an interesting concept and I really enjoyed watching Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver onscreen together.

Thank god for new pleasures. I'm always late in the game with certain shows, since my curiosity for them is inevitably killed by approximately 200 people ordering me to check out this particular TV show. I'm sure it's wonderful, but you sound like a crazy person. Don't you talk about "glass houses" to me! Stop it. There's a reason that I haven't actually watched The Wire yet. Anyway, I finally broke down and watched a House marathon on USA, and okay, crazy people, it's a really good procedural. And a breath of fresh air from the currently stale medical dramas and L&O. Hugh Laurie is kind of amazing, and I do have lots of fun playing "what else was he/she in?" with the guest stars. Seriously good guest stars. And did I mention Hugh Laurie? This is a good show to sit and watch if you have an hour to kill.

I'm finally watching Mad Men as well. And, AND, I watched it before it won the Emmy. Check my Twitter feed if you don't believe me. It's so good that I've got a series recording of it set up on my DVR. I don't do that for any other show. Even the shows that I actually do regularly record. Amazing cast (including the incredible Christina Hendricks AKA YoSaffBridge from Firefly), compelling scripts (Marti Noxon just joined the writing staff for anyone who might know who she is), and set/wardrobe to die for. I highly recommend it, although be warned, it's not a fast moving show, and you have to pay attention to details. I'm incredibly impressed that it actually won the Emmy, as it's not the flashiest show out there. But it certainly deserved it, in my point of view. Hollywood done good. Even though I read another headline somewhere that more people watch that horrible Scott Baio show than probably even know what Mad Men is. That's appalling, but I believe it.

Thankfully I've also got shows like The Office and 30 Rock (when it eventually comes back) to fall back on. But other than that, I can't help but think that TV is getting really, really bad. Did y'all see the previews for Kath & Kim? Yikes. Is this what the vast majority of America wants to see? Really?

Please stop taking away the shows that I do watch, in order to cater to the loutish masses.

Please.

Fine, I'll be over here waiting patiently for Dollhouse to premiere.

Hint: It's About a "Villain"

I need a new computer. Sooner would be better, as my current computer apparently does not want to be charged up anymore. I think I'm just going to take the hard drive out of the ole Dell so that I can keep my information somehow. I'm looking at the new Dell Inspiron 1525, and it seems like a decent deal. Also, it comes in cool new colors!

In other news, I'm still trying desperately to write something. I obliquely mentioned a while back that I'm kinda sorta trying to write a book. The idea seems strong right now, but for some reason the words aren't coming out onto the page properly anymore. I've outlined and thematacized and character sketched and all that fun stuff, but the actual story isn't coming out right. I think I'm overthinking things and being too perfectionist about it.

It's okay to make mistakes and suck. It's okay to make mistakes and suck.

I know that, brain! However, this is incredibly frustrating, because I've had this idea for the better part of a year now, and have developed it from a loose sketch of an idea into something which can possibly stand on its own merit. Of all things to possibly give me a creative bump, it was something in the movie D.E.B.S. I know! I sketched out my first ideas for the story on a train ride back from Peoria last Thanksgiving. Dr. Horrible is also similar theme-wise (which is maybe making me so afraid to try--damn you Joss Whedon). In fact, all this recent "Oh woe is me, I don't know what I want to do in life. OH, I know, I'll be a movie director and tell wonderful celluloid stories, yadda yadda yadda" stuff started because of the sudden, incredible desire to tell this one story. So, you know, best answer is to actually write a damn book.

I feel like I've been watching too much TV and getting into too big of a rut recently, as well. This blog isn't nearly as interesting as it should be for a 23 year old living in one of the biggest cities in the good ole US of A. My solution has been to read voraciously. So far, it's been reigniting the need to tell the story, but until recently, I really haven't had great inspiration.

The Sirens of Titan was really really great, and although Vonnegut is both quite deep and quirky as hell, his style isn't something that can inspire me in writing. It's amazing, but doesn't resonate with what I'm "writing." Twilight actually helped, in that it showed me how to not write a compelling book. I can learn bunches about proper characterization, plot, and development of a meaningful theme by looking at what Stephanie Meyer didn't do. Am I still being too mean to her book? Perhaps. Regardless of my personal anger towards it, the book is, after all, really only a poorly plotted bodice-ripper with no actual bodice ripping, and probably good for someone to read at a day on the beach. HOWEVER, if that thin read can inspire such a rabid (terrifying to even an unabashed Whedon fan) fanbase and make that much money, maybe my little idea can at least interest someone somewhere.

So now I'm reading 1984. YES! Not only is it changing my mood and making me more paranoid/ more obliged to express myself than ever before, but the themes of the book are keeping with slightly similar themes that my world will contain. Not to mention, it's a hell of a good read. Now if only my computer at home could work, so that I can actually start to get some ideas out, without the sheer paranoia that slacking off at work now creates.

Thank you, Winston Smith. Your defiant journaling has helped me to remember why I wanted to write in the first place. Maybe I can finally force myself to do it.

Whiny McWhinerson

I've been having a not too happy summer. I don't really know why, but I've been in a funk for, like, a month. No real cause for it, but this malaise (post-college malaise perhaps? Alex?) has been settling gradually over the weeks. Maybe it's due to the fact that it's nice outside and I'm cooped up in an office building doing pointless busywork, since we've run out of meaningful busywork. Maybe it's due to the fact that I've been having more money issues than ever before. Maybe it's because my great-aunt has been slowly dying of lung cancer and just passed away last Friday.

Well, whatever the case, I've been shutting down a bit more than normal recently, and I need to cut it out. Mainly because I totally stopped working out. I haven't been pushing myself in the gym as much, and I haven't actually run in weeks. So, this has turned into a cycle of self-abuse. I feel down, so I don't want to go work out, so I don't get endorphins regularly coming in, so I get really out of shape, so I feel even worse. I've been going through endorphin withdrawal! The remedy has been Netflix and ordering in. Not good for my wallet or my health! And when I got Buffy, I've just been watching that and eating ice cream. Not that there's anything wrong with Buffy and ice cream, but I have to be active as well.

I actually realized this over the weekend, and have now managed to run my old pace on Monday and yesterday. This has been really hard to get back into, since I managed to get so out of shape. Tuesday I did some stairstepper (cop out!) and lifted a little. I'm seeing Joel on Sunday, and I'm a little scared. Not only is he going to kick my ass more than normal, but I feel bad about letting him down. I guess I've become one of those cliched people, or clichle, who wants to make her trainer proud. Damn my abusive relationship!

Also, I need to seriously clean my apartment. I wouldn't be surprised if people think I'm actually depressed from the way it looks.

Okay, so that's me. I'm already feeling better, and hopefully I'll be able to stick this one out. In the meantime, here's something happy:

Where the Hell is Matt?

I guess I'm slow on the uptake, because I'd never heard of him before this morning. That was pretty cool.