Filigree Ingrid

ambientfiligree @ 2009-11-01T11:56:00

2009-11-01T18:59:25Z

ilu corn bag. I have a really vicious cough right now, and heating a corn bag and resting it on my chest eases the pain considerably. <333 It is like the comfort and warmth of a dog without all the weight.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-10-21T03:07:00

2009-10-21T09:12:16Z

I've been reading, but not really in the mood for reviews. Maybe I'll come back and fill them out later.

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Bodies by Susie Orbach

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King

The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of Three by Stephen King

The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands by Stephen King

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

Why We Make Mistakes by Joseph Hallinan

On one hand, I pretty much enjoyed all of them, so that's good. Blue Bloods is a nice change from the usual teen vamp fiction. Of course, if anyone has any specific questions I'll be happy to answer.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-10-19T11:38:00

2009-10-19T17:53:33Z

The tireds are back in full force. Along with some other symptoms, but I'm going to talk to my doctor today and hopefully she'll enlighten things for me. I have drawn two craptastic sketches and written a few painful rp posts, but other than that I've been mostly playing sudoku online and listening to audiobooks. I have been trying to knit and read, but it's hard for me to keep my focus for that long. (Sad, right?) I am very slow at sudoku, too. On one hand, it makes me feel dumb, on the other, it keeps me entertained in spurts for long periods of time.

I think what annoys me most about the tireds is that I WANT to do things. I have ideas and plans. Sometimes I start them, but about thirty minutes in I abandon it because I can't concentrate enough, or don't think I can succeed. I have started so many knitting projects and ripped them all back. One particular sock I've started and ripped back eight times. I have ideas for comics and books and rpgs and stuff. But usually I end up lying in bed, listening to music or the tv or whatever, and thinking about them because I'm too tired to do anything about them. I can't even focus enough to wiki wander. Bleeeh. I've dialed it back a notch at work. It seems like it makes little difference to how I'm perceived as a worker, so yay. I did get a pay raise, which makes me feel less abused. Working for minimum wage is just depressing.

In more amusing news, I've discovered I have the most useless superpower ever. I am as close to a human whiteboard as feasibly possible. Sharpies wash off in a day, rub off in two days. If I dye my hair, it'll start rinsing out in enough quantities to stain my towels. I've tried fake tanning, and that washes off right away.

I also have most of my vampirate costume put together. I'll have to see if I can find some good pants to wear with my coat. Any recommendations for makeup? Maybe something from the Gothic Lolita Bible. I bought black sparkly eyeshadow, and mom should have bright red lipstick. Been trying to find a good foundation again, but apparently the cosmetics industry seems to think that if you are light-skinned, your skin is roughly the color of yellowed parchment. Anyone out there really pale and find a good foundation (that doesn't have rice or soy in it)? I mean really pale.

And stuff.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-10-18T22:16:00

2009-10-19T04:18:06Z

eBay plugging:

http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Wallflower-GNs-1-5_W0QQitemZ190342943458QQihZ009QQcategoryZ8575QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Wallflower-GNs-7-17_W0QQitemZ190342944055QQihZ009QQcategoryZ8575QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

ambientfiligree @ 2009-10-08T16:02:00

2009-10-08T22:03:20Z

My LiveJournal Trick-or-Treat Haul
ambientfiligree goes trick-or-treating, dressed up as a vampirate.
ellorgast gives you 2 tan chocolate-flavoured gumdrops.
lotuseyes tricks you! You get a wad of paper.
m0usegrrl gives you 10 tan coffee-flavoured jawbreakers.
myalchod gives you 17 blue vanilla-flavoured gummy worms.
peppermintberry tricks you! You lose 21 pieces of candy!
she_who_is_soc gives you 13 orange blueberry-flavoured jawbreakers.
shortcakegreen gives you 11 light blue grape-flavoured nuggets.
ambientfiligree ends up with 32 pieces of candy, and a wad of paper.
Go trick-or-treating! Username:
Another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern.

Ru, why you hate me? ;_;

ambientfiligree @ 2009-10-03T18:17:00

2009-10-04T00:33:36Z

This is my official wishlist post.

Gift Cards.

Money.

Gift cards for Target, Costco, Safeway, Barnes and Noble, Whole Foods, Fred Meyer, Land's End, and L.L. Bean and restaurants like PF Chang's, Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, Subway, and Pizza Hut (in no particular order) are very, very welcome. Less essential are things like Lush. Any and all money will be put toward my move to Portland in April.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-09-30T10:44:00

2009-09-30T17:00:22Z

Has anyone read Raymond E. Feist? Any thoughts? Also Georgia Evans?

I have been having such intense, intensely WEIRD dreams lately. Weird enough to weird me out, and that takes some doing. At least I dreamed of a Me/Midna/Zelda threesome last week, which was beyond awesome.

But then again, last night I dreamed about hanging out with skeletal Death-as-a-psychopomp in a sort of Doctor-and-companion sort of manner. It was his day off, I think, or at least partially. Since he was wearing bermuda shorts, a hawaiian-print shirt, chuck taylors and a brightly colored baseball cap. Apparently my subconscious felt the need to represent a lot of different ethnicities (my spellcheck keeps trying to tell me "ethnicities" is not a word =/), since my POV was from a Mexican girl with an odd fondness for hair dye, Death used to be African-American (the dream included flashbacks of his life prior to being a psychopomp), the main antagonist was not!Molotov Cocktease, and at some point Death was guiding an Inuit into the afterlife. It was a really long dream, and my memories of it are pretty fragmented, but I get the idea that I need to stop using the History Channel as a white noise, since the plot involved quantum realities and string theory. Or M theory. Whatever. Anyhow, we were climbing the stairs of a tall building and near the top we meet up with all of Death's friends from when he was not!Death (Alife?), and apparently used to be a superhero. Deadpool was there, along with a lot of Vietnam War-themed superheroes. This was when not!Molotov Cocktease showed up, and people started acting really strange because their selves in alternative quantum realities were being killed. (Or something. The plot does not hold water when actually examined.) I realized not!Molotov Cocktease was at fault, and started chasing her with a gun. I say a gun, but it sort of looked like a Nerf gun or something, sans actual barrel opening. Instead there was a membrane over the barrel opening so when I shot it, it was like a pew pew type laser gun, with invisible bullets?! IDK. Either way I had to shoot not!Molotov Cocktease nine times, because of the quantum reality manipulation that doesn't make sense. Each bullet hole in her was very small and tidy, which I suppose is nice since we were falling through the middle of the building and shooting at each other. Blood trails might have obscured my vision. I also reverse aged during this time, and I could see all the different colors I had dyed my hair. Unfortunately I woke up just before finally killing not!Molotov Cocktease, which makes her live up to her character.

The scary part is how much of the dream I omit in this description, just because I don't know where to put it.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-09-29T10:19:00

2009-09-29T16:50:59Z

My Lobotomy by Howard Dully

I actually read this and the book below a few days ago, but I've been lazy.

This book is fascinating in a very morbid sort of way. I've always wondered about lobotomies, and reading about the effect one had on a real person is very interesting. Not quite as depressing as A Child Called "It", but Dully's description of his abusive mother nearly matches it. Dully's voice also really shines through. You can tell that although Fleming might have helped, Dully did in fact pen most of the novel.

Rating: 6/10

Who Would I Recommend It To?: My Lobotomy has a broad appeal, anyone looking for an interesting biography would probably enjoy it.

Would I Read It Again?: Probably not.

Synopsis:
In this gut-wrenching memoir, Howard Dully recounts what life was like after he was needlessly lobotomized by an unlicensed physician at the age of twelve at the behest of his abusive stepmother.

The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig

So like, reading the first book in the series might be a good idea. Just saying.

Charmingly cliche, The Masque of the Black Tulip indulges in a great deal of romnov tropes without making them feel forced or cheesy. I particularly enjoy the main character of the series, Eloise. She is a history nerd who wear Jimmy Choos, and that is okay by me. I think the only things that really bother me are the covers, which are beautiful but do not match the time period involved. And occasional slip-ups like mentioning dinosaurs. It's really hard to hit that "almost historically accurate, but don't worry about the details" target with me, but Willig has managed it and I am happy. Definitely a fluff sort of novel, but I enjoy it. I'm currently working on the first novel in the series, so I can read all the others without being confused.

Rating: 7/10

Who Would I Recommend It To?: Anyone who enjoys period romances.

Would I Read It Again?: Maaaybe. I have it on audiobook, which greatly increases chances of a second go-through.

Synopsis:
The author of The Secret History of the Pink Carnation continues the romantic adventures of England's greatest spy with a newly arrived adversary from France, the murderous Black Tulip.

The Pink Carnation, history's most elusive spy and England's only hope for preventing a Napoleonic invasion, returns in Lauren Willig's dazzling imaginative new historical romance. The Masque of the Black Tulip opens with the murder of a courier from the London War Office, his confidential dispatch for the Pink Carnation stolen. Meanwhile, the Black Tulip, France's deadliest spy, is in England with instructions to track down and kill the Pink Carnation. Only Henrietta Uppington and Miles Dorrington know where the Pink Carnation is stationed. Using a secret code book, Henrietta has deciphered a message detailing the threat of the Black Tulip. Meanwhile, the War Office has enlisted Miles to track down the notorious French spy before he (or she) can finish the deadly mission. But what Henrietta and Miles don't know is that while they are trying to find the Black Tulip (and possibly falling in love), the Black Tulip is watching them.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-09-22T23:02:00

2009-09-23T05:19:46Z

Monster by A. Lee Martinez

New book! Actually I'm in the middle of reading a handful of other books, but I picked this one up the other day and finished it posthaste.

I really like books with the practicalities of magic and magical creatures addressed. This book is one of them. The titular character Monster works as pest control, catching yetis and trolls and the like. Magic is used by a certain few, but only because most humans sort of blank out magic. It's an interesting idea. There's also a female lead, Judy, whom I like quite a bit. She can sort of recognize magic, but it's difficult without help from others. I also really like how there's a good gender balance. Monster is intended to be a regular guy with the usual bit of sexism, but there's Judy to balance him out. The primary antagonist is a woman, and usually any remarks about gender are practical. No matter how you spin it, women are usually less of a threat to a walrus dog than a man, just due to size.

Here's the synopsis from the B&N website which happens to be the same as the synopsis on the book flap.

Meet Monster. Meet Judy. Two humans who don't like each other much, but together must fight dragons, fire-breathing felines, trolls, Inuit walrus dogs, and a crazy cat lady - for the future of the universe.

Monster runs a pest control agency. He's overworked and has domestic troubles - like having the girlfriend from hell.

Judy works the night shift at the local Food Plus Mart. Not the most glamorous life, but Judy is happy. No one bothers her and if she has to spell things out for the night-manager every now and again, so be it.

But when Judy finds a Yeti in the freezer aisle eating all the Rocky Road, her life collides with Monster's in a rather alarming fashion. Because Monster doesn't catch raccoons; he catches the things that go bump in the night. Things like ogres, trolls, and dragons.

Oh, and his girlfriend from Hell? She actually is from Hell.

Should I start rating the books I read? Comments encouraged. Also does having the cover and synopsis right there help or annoy?

ambientfiligree @ 2009-09-17T23:34:00

2009-09-18T05:36:56Z

I am back!

I am really tired!

I am having fun!

But still really tired! (I am wondering if new meds are at fault.)

And stuff. Look at Chii's cleavage in the meantime.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-09-14T08:36:00

2009-09-14T14:37:44Z

WEDDING IS OVER. PJ and Stephanie are successfully wedded, and I have not accidentally killed anyone.

Now I am going on vacay, kthnxbai see you Friday maybe.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-09-11T04:33:00

2009-09-11T11:05:56Z

So, I am totally awake. I blame going to sleep at 10:30pm (very early for me) and having an exceptionally vivid dream. Shimmy, you were the co-star!

It started in not!Splash Page (a lot of my dreams have "similar" locations, but tend to have all the details wrong), where I grabbed a bunch of comics before walking down the road to see Shimmy at university. It was a short walk, since evidently I can teleport from one end of the city to the other just by walking. We walk down not!N 27th Street to not!downtown because Shimmy forgot something at some house. On the way we discuss the ethics of marijuana, since she was looking to buy some to help her relax on the weekends, and I wanted to know if she'd found a dealer.

We get to the house, which turns out to be totally broken down; there's a tree growing in the living room, etc. But apparently Shimmy's class was using it for something, and she'd forgotten her purse there. By then it was nighttime, though a train was passing by and the lights from it lit up the house as if it were daytime. (I think my brain had forgotten it was nighttime when we entered the house, because the lighting was like sunlight. But I said to myself, "Wait a second, it's like 2am." Poof, a train is passing by. Oh, so that's why everything's easy to see!)

Anyhow, we were technically trespassing. This is important because a little old lady with the HEARING OF SUPERMAN hears us in there, over the train passing by and comes to yell at us. We pretend to be asleep behind a hay bale, but she doesn't fall for it. She's all happy because she's going to send Shimmy to court, so I try to be reasonable for about five seconds, then yell back at her. I distinctly remember one bit of dialogue, where I say, "YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO? ... I'm gonna be your best friend." I think I was trying to get her off guard, or maybe just allow Shimmy to run away. Either way, I woke up all upset. Now that I'm awake, I realize she was trespassing too, since she came in the house to yell at us. Unfortunately my dream self didn't notice this. Though I did notice she was too tall for me to try and beat up.

Shimmy, don't leave your stuff in broken down houses. Sheesh.

On a separate note, I finished reading a couple books last week.

Rant by Chuck Palaniuk
This is the first Palaniuk book I've actually read. (I know, I know. I really avoid popular literature until I am certain the people who recommend it have similar tastes.) This one was... weird. Good, but very strange. Honestly, I wanted to know more about the rabies epidemic than the man who caused it. I found all the discussion of partycrashing pretty dull too, but whatever. It's still an interesting book, especially I am sure most people find the main foci the best part.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
First Lisa See book, I've been wanting to read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan for a while, but just haven't gotten there. Also a good book, sort of reminds me of The Good Earth, except it manages to be more depressing. I hope there is a sequel, though. I want to know what happens. :< Cliffhanger ending.

... And stuff.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-09-08T11:57:00

2009-09-08T18:01:20Z

Wedding has still trapped me in its clutches. :c So stressed out, I can't even describe. Right now I'm struggling with getting my glasses in on time, getting yarn in on time, and cleaning house along with helping mom with everything. I guess what chaps my ass most is knowing my brother will do jack shit to help with my wedding (whenever that is). Bleh.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-08-31T10:14:00

2009-08-31T16:17:32Z

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Calling On Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Finished re-reading the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. <3 They are reassuring.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Really good, wow. I know a lot of people have already read this book, but I tend to wait until the clamor has died down. I think I'll read The Almost Moon next.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-08-24T17:18:00

2009-08-24T23:25:38Z

Read books!

A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
This one took me a while to finish because my audiobook was all scrambled at the end. :c So I had to buy the novel and figure out where I was. Martin is fucking cocktease. Also, has anyone noticed that Sansa seems to be collecting grotesques? (Sandor, Tyrion, Loras)

The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt
So. Fucking. Good. I read this one with Gina. She picked it out of the pile of books I've bought but haven't read. It's very kitchen sink, but he does it so damned well it's unbelievable. Debating on getting his newest book, which is still in hardcover (and then buying Court in hardcover), or waiting until it's in softcover.

Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture by Ariel Levy
Really interesting. I'd add this to Triple Bind and The 51% Minority on my pile of books every woman should read.

I'm also re-reading the Enchanted Forest Chronicles for a break. Then I'm going to try and plow through my pile of bought-but-not-read books. @_@ I can do iiit.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-08-22T08:11:00

2009-08-22T14:11:45Z

I'm glad someone else noticed the Evony ads.

http://americancopywriter.typepad.com/blog/2009/08/advertising-on-the-web-1.html

ambientfiligree @ 2009-08-18T23:05:00

2009-08-19T05:21:46Z

I've been reading still. XD A lot. However I've been incredibly lazy about writing up reviews. So here's some brief blurbs of things I have read in the last couple months.

Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez
Dead Is a State of Mind by Marlene Perez
Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene Perez

Daisy > Bella. Although the books themselves are really short (~200 pages each), which is kind of disappointing. Good series, though. It's like fast food, bad for you but delicious and filling. ;_;

Nightwatch by Sergei Lukyanenko

Want moooore. The ending to the third part was so pleasantly surprising. Not to mention Anton is so skillfully executed, since it's difficult to write protagonists. The translator deserves kudos, too. Usually translations feel more choppy.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I have had this book recommended to me for freaking ever. And now I know why. XD It is a really good book, very well written. My only complaint are the extended romance scenes, but that probably pleases those who want a nice manly man in their bed.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

There is a reason this book is a bestseller. DELICIOUS. A great example of write what you know. I really hope this author does more.

The City and the City by China Miéville

Hm. I am sure some people will love this book, but I found it a bit too obtuse for my taste. I know the story is written from an insider's POV, but keeping the reader in the dark for FIVE CHAPTERS is a too much. I like the concept, though, and the murder mystery angle was refreshing for a fantasy book.

You Are So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay

More fast food reading. TEEN FICTION IS SO ADDICTING. :c It is fast and when you're done you feel all awesome because, well, you just read another book! This one is really hilarious. I hope there are more. It'd make a great television series, I'll tell you.

Uhmmmm I think that's it for now? 8D Feel free to ping me for more details. I am more likely to give a more exact opinion depending on who I am talking to, since I don't want to discourage people from reading these books, I am just critical.

On a side note, I wonder if I should keep track of new manga/comics I've been reading. I'm almost through with Red River (phew!) and need to review what to work on next. I also bought new Ex Machina graphic novels recently and it reminded me how much I love that series. I'm trying to round out my American comics better, since there's some damn good stuff. It just tends to be on the edges. Sigh. Also, if someone reading this likes Sandman (Gaiman), there's a new spin-off called House of Mystery and it's written by BILL WILLINGHAM. om nom nom.

PS. THIS IS KIND OF IMPORTANT. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF DARK HORSE WILL REPUBLISH BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL UNFLIPPED?

ambientfiligree @ 2009-08-05T05:58:00

2009-08-05T11:58:56Z

I'm doing a BPAL order on Friday, if anyone wants to join in. <333

ambientfiligree @ 2009-07-13T14:48:00

2009-07-13T20:49:52Z

View Poll: Pyrite needs colors!

ambientfiligree @ 2009-07-07T13:18:00

2009-07-07T19:25:03Z

So the fam is away for a few days, and what do I do?

Dishes.

Garbage.

Laundry.

Admittedly the dishes and garbage (garbage by way of maintaining cat boxes) would get pretty toxic if I didn't take care of it today, But still. I know half of it is not wanting to do other things, like go to work or my knitted dress. The other half is that is what I do when I'm by myself, undisturbed. Tomorrow I'm gonna excavate my room and get things laid out to finish my weeaboo quilt. It's just so much easier to clean when I'm not worry about checking on dogs, or being interrupted by family.

Blah I have so much stuff to mail too. T_T The postal service is the bane of my existence.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-06-25T07:50:00

2009-06-25T13:54:42Z

I cannot believe how poorly I slept. I literally woke up every half hour to forty-five minutes. I'm so tired my eyes hurt. All because I had to work a closing shift last night and today I'm working an opening shift (and then working at Splash Page). Augh. *crawls into a hole to die*

ambientfiligree @ 2009-06-22T22:03:00

2009-06-23T04:07:52Z

Oh right, I read Pretties and Specials (Scott Westerfeld) as well. Evidently I forgot I finished Spook by Mary Roach and How Sex Works by Sharon Moalem. (I love reading about sex, both from a smut POV and a scientific POV.) I have opinions on the Uglies series, but don't feel like pulling my head together enough to write about it. Ha.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-06-18T20:12:00

2009-06-19T02:20:33Z

I have been somewhat productive today!

So a while back I mentioned the massive bag of corn I have, and the corn bags I'm making from it. I've actually had two half-done for a week, but I needed to unearth my sewing stuff more in order to make the covers. Today I finished them! Here's a picture of one, I don't know where the second went. Imagine a square one as well. <3

I also made the innards of another three bags. (One normal sized, two hand-warmers.) They're currently resting, since they have lavender oil and buds in them. While I was pre-cooking the corn for the second set of bags, I lined a tin box with felt for my dice.

Now if only I could find the rest of my dice. ;_; Sigh.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-06-17T11:20:00

2009-06-17T17:25:39Z

I'm rounding up stuff to be eBayed again. <3 But something I'd really like to get off my hands is some Rowan Kidsilk Spray. I've got 9 skeins, they've lived in a huge ziploc bag for almost all their life, the exception being when they first arrived in the mail. It's enough yarn to knit a circular shawl, or two triangular shawls.

Normally the yarn goes for ~$15 a skein, but I'm currently pricing all nine skeins for $65, plus shipping.

ambientfiligree @ 2009-06-17T09:06:00

2009-06-17T15:14:32Z

I have been reading a bit, but since I've been sick as the proverbial dog, not that much. I finished A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin. Good stuff. Yesterday (literally) I read Uglies by Scott Westerfield. Damn you, teen fiction, you are so addicting. ;_; Teen fiction is usually a quick read, so I feel like I'm getting stuff done. My standard for getting stuff done lately has been pretty low, including things like "remembering to take all my medication" and "eating decently."

My to-read list keeps getting longer. T_T;;; I miss the days when I just went to class and read tons of books. AND Jacqueline Carey published a new book. She likes making me poor. *sobsob* I need to go back to buying only reference books. Or not buying books at all. Ahahaha ya rite.