This truly is a historic election: we're either going to get a person of color as President or a woman as Vice President.

Regardless of what anyone might think about Palin or Obama on their own merits (or lack thereof), this is tremendous. Although it's probably not an indicator of a sea change in Washington. And not that those two people are at all equal, or that this plus is actually, you know, a plus.

Of course, we could just elect Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente instead. That would be nice.

(Also: I'm not tuned into CNN, but do they really keep saying that McCain tapped Palin? That's not cool.)

[Edit: can we declare a moratorium on talking about Trig right now? He's really not the point.]

My Exchange Server here at the office is on its last legs, and I'm making with the mail migration from it to my PC. All that's left is most of the Sent Items folder, and I think there may be something corrupted in there (or it just doesn't like the sheer volume of crap that I've sent over the years and refuses to copy it on that basis, one of the two) so I'm manually copying email over in chunks of 50 or 100 or whatever.

During my copying, I ran across this picture that I was sure I'd lost in some hard drive crash or other:



This is my grandpa. He's sitting on an Allis Chalmers D-17 Tractor. Judging by the little bit of the equipment on the back and the height of the hay (it's almost taller than he is!) I'd have to say that he's cutting hay. I was very pleased to find this picture. I was even more pleased when I opened it up and saw that it was "camera ready", as well!

[does happy dance]

Now, I'm not sure which tractor that one is -- He has four of them, you see. I'm pretty sure it's his main diesel tractor (the one he bought for parts and it ran better than the one he was fixing so he fixed it instead). The gas unit that ISN'T torn to hell in the shop has a loader on it, and I think the other diesel has a fancier Grille Guard/Front Hitch.

I'll have to go over there and look at them again.

Forgive the attitude and feel free to just ignore this whole post - but honestly how much crap is one person supposed to take before we impload? I have a short list of things that are making me absolutely LIVID right this minute:

( Cut for way, way too much swearing and word vomit. )

It's that time of year again, when the sound of Fantasy (American) Football teams being created fills the air. This year, my regular league is having the theme of cartoons/animation and all team names must involve either a famous cartoon and/or football players.

For some reason, the league comissioner has objected to my proposed crossover between Captain Pugwash and the Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers which would have been called Aaron Rogers the cabin boy. *pout*

Also vetoed : Hentai Heroes, Linguists of Great Cunning and Muffin the Mule. Also anything involving Green Bay's Cletidus Hunt.

So I turn to one of the biggest bunches of assorted perverts, weirdos and sneaky, cunning SMART bastards out there : you, my flist. Help me come up with something to sneak past him. *evil grin* Pretty please?

Title: A Slayer in Metroland
Author:Maeve Bran
Fandom: Metroland
Rated: PG
Notes: For the Twisted Shorts August Fic a day challenge. This takes place after the movie, “Metroland”. The movie takes place in 1977 and according to “Lies My Parents Told Me” Spike killed Nikki Wood in 1977 so I just had to do this cross as my last of August since I'm going to be gone the rest of the month.
Summary:After Spike kills Nikki Wood a new Slayer is called in England. Her Watcher must face up to his duty.
Word Count: 457
( A Slayer in Metroland )

South Carolina whupped N.C. State, 34-0. Wake Forest looks good, again. (It was Baylor, but whatever.)

But the big (and fairly bad) news is that Stanford beat Oregon St., 36-28 (on exactly the same sort of play we beat Oregon on last year -- an offensive fumble through the back of the end zone). Oregon St. is supposed to be a lot better this year, and so is Stanford. Considering that we're supposed to be worse, and that we lost to both of them last year (the two most horrible games of the season, by far), it was kind of an excruciating game.

Also, our new uniforms! I guess they could be worse, although I'm not sure how.

On the plus side, that's LB Zach Follett (56), on every watch list in the country for the nation's best lineman/linebacker, LB Worrell Williams (1), who a lot of people think is the best LB on the team, RB Jahvid Best (4), who ESPN's Ted Miller thinks is going to be the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, and FB Will Ta'ufo'ou (23), three year starter, and a guy who can blow up a defensive lineman and catch a flare pass over his shoulder in consecutive motions.

Those are supposed to be bear claw scratches on the pants and collar and shoulders, I think, but I'm not sure. I guess I'll wait until Saturday to see.

Several users reported seeing incorrect userpics. Support says that "LiveJournal developers have recently taken action to correct the issue where user's userpics appeared to randomly replaced with another user's images".

This has been happening to me a lot. Unfortunately, livejournal claims "the issue should now be resolved."

This is unfortunate because, given my friendslist, when it happened to me it looked like everyone was suddenly a Devil Wears Prada fan. It was awesome; all sorts of people were featuring Meryl and Anne and Emily in never before seen quantities.

I'm kind of sad that the issue has now been resolved; it was nice when everybody shared my fandom.

Meme lifted from joonscribble:

( Post the first line from your 25 most recent fanfics... )

( ... and try to find a pattern. )
~

Feeling more than a little stupid at the moment.

Whereas my main computer is still got some virus's on it, the main batch and one of the particularly nasty ones has gone. Of course, while scan after scan after adware scan keeps being run, I'm sitting there twitching, due to my lack of internet access, as this laptop's wireless adapter isn't properly setup to use my router yet, and won't be until the main computer is fixed.

Cue someone pointing out that I could just unplug the internet cable from the sick computer and plug it straight into the laptop.

Cue head-desk moment.

So, I'm back. Email's probably still not the best way to get hold of me, so what have I missed?

Title:A Drive in the Country
Author:Maeve Bran
Fandom: Batman – Nolan verse
Rated: PG
Notes: For the Twisted Shorts August Fic a day challenge.
Summary:Lorne and Bruce have a conversation.
Word Count: 367

( A Drive in the Country )

A while ago, I had a sleepless night and ended up with a Facebook account, which is sort of a giant timesuck with no apparent point.

But then - I discovered PackRat...which instantly made Facebook in a ginormously huge timesuck without even the barest hint of a point. Sure, it was all fun when I was collecting every set and the markets and rats actually had cards I was looking for, oh, EVER.

Now that I'm down to one or two sets I'm working on the whole game has gotten really dull. I'm level bazillion and two; I've got money and good cards to drop for steal attempts; yet, I seem to wandering about looking for three of something I've never even fecking SEEN in the game, though allegedly it's been around for two weeks, so I can combine them and make some other thing I've never seen.

Yeah, it's a whirling carousel of fun these days.

And THEN...I found this .

'What is that?', you ask, squinting at your monitor wondering if this is all just a sign you should be calling the men with butterfly nets to come get me now.

THIS:

I'm not really sure either but best I can tell it's a BEANIE BABY NINJA! Teh roxors, right?

Seriously, I am having to hold myself back from filling my entire pack with these and just logging in to Facebook to stare at them and giggle.

I want to be a ninja...who uses ONLY these dolls in her attacks. SERIOUSLY!! I'd wear all black, sneaking silently and stealthily through shadows, drawing close to my unsuspecting prey when....

WHAMMO!

I'd smack them in the back of the head with a well thrown, tiny beanie projectile OF DEATH!

They'd fall to their knees with a slight 'oof', eyes wide as they stare uncomprehendingly at the missile of CUTE that felled them. While they pondered the possibility they'd accidentally unleashed some sort of farce curse, I'd emerge from the darkness, a tiny ninja doll in each hand, and pummel them right off this mortal coil.

Okay, so yeah. It would never work. But the mental image really amuses me, OKAY?

Also, for those that are wondering if Ves' account has been hacked or what, no no, it really is me, though perhaps it would help for you to understand that I just got done watching an hour of Yahtzee rambling on at light speed over at Zero Punctuation and I still do that thing where I can't help but glom onto the intonation and expressive style of whatever I just read/watched/submersed in last.

So yeah - I'm fine. Just sort of Yahztee-like. You know, if Yahtzee had an imaginary realm and...you know, BOOBS.

I actually finished this a while ago, but then I immediately leapt into The Other Wind, and well, I like these last two much better than the first three.

However. Tahanu kind of feels like the plot was tacked on; the ending was totally rushed and deus ex machina-y (and mostly completely unnecessary and kind of ruined the book for me) and made what had been up to that point a lovely, poignent, meditate book about women's lives a set up book for some random dragon randomness. Not that I dislike Tahanu as a character -- I think she's very interesting. But in the same way that I would have liked The Farthest Shore a lot better if it had been about Lebannen rather than about Ged, I would have liked Tehanu a lot better if it had been about Tenar's story rather than whatever it was about. (No, really, what was the stuff at the end? It's like Le Guin got to the end and though, "oh dear, this is a series, I should really pretend to be all about the grand old high fantasy and dragons again, shouldn't I. Wait, let me insert some plot here and there.")

This is three books in a row, though, where Le Guin has written books that are narrated by one character but about another character. This isn't a bad thing -- as a narrative strategy, it's very interesting -- but the problem is that I'm less invested in the characters that Le Guin puts at the center of her series -- Ged and Tehanu -- than I am in the other, secondary characters. The ones who aren't the saviors of the universe. (Which is to be expected, really.)

Also, Le Guin is clearly growing as an author, and growing in her interests as a person -- the focus on Tehanu, on Tenar's life in widowhood, and the way that the world constrains women, especially women who don't fit a standard of behavior, because of their intelligence, or their looks, or their past, is great to read.

But the "plot" was pasted on. Yay?

a. Post a list of 15-20 TV shows you love (current or cancelled)
b. Have your friends list guess your favourite character from each show
c. When guessed strike the line and write a little bit about why you like that character
d. Post in your own livejournal.

Picking fifteen shows was hard. I was really reaching by the end.

1. Lost
2. Supernatural - Dean, guessed by czarina_boomkat.
3. Pushing Daisies
4. Battlestar Galactica
5. Firefly
6. Heroes
7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
8. Angel
9. Dark Angel
10. Veronica Mars
11. Friends
12. The Simpsons
13. Futurama
14. South Park
15. My Name is Earl

The person who answers the most correctly wins nothing other than the satisfaction of knowing me far too well ♥ *sits back and waits for selphie_jazz and mujubius to answer every one between them*

Memes are a good way to pass the time at work. As opposed to, say, actually working.

Choose five series (no peeking before you choose them), list them, and then answer the questions behind the cut.

1. Bleach
2. Fullmetal Alchemist
3. Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
4. xxxHolic
5. Fruits Basket

I admit, I cheated a little bit for this one and amended the order of the series I'd picked so that Tsubasa was the one addressed in question three. It was the only series I could think of an answer to that question for!

( The Questions. SPOILERS FOR EVERYTHING LIEK WOAH. )

And another one. Just because.

List the first five OTPs that come into your head.

1. Ichigo/Orihime.
2. Renji/Rukia.
3. Roy/Riza.
4. Jacob/Bella.
5. Zelos/Sheena.

( The Questions )

I talk too much, don't I?

My Mom took some pictures of McKay and emailed them to me, so I figured I'd share them.  We know he's a Pit Bull type, but after looking online at pictures of the various breeds that fall under that general heading, McKay appears to be a pure bred American Staffordshire Terrier.  My folks have a vet appointment this Friday to get him fixed and get his shots, so it's official, he's their dog.

PG; Eureka missing scene; 300 words. SPOILERS FOR EUReKA 3.04.

Jack sat with Allison, heart aching for her as her shoulders shook with sobs.

( Not Like This )

(x-posted to eureka_tag)
-~-

I am so tired. There was moving of furniture this weekend, and dinner and TV at my aunt's last night, and now maevebran visiting today (with two SGA episodes to watch!) and Mom going on vacation until next Tuesday; that means I'll be spending the next several evenings with my Dad, who's determined to watch every Harry Potter movie plus the entire extended trilogy of Lord of the Rings while she's gone, because she won't watch them with him.

And I just finished 16 days of Olympics, of which I actually sat down and viewed about 72 hours of footage, mostly after work. My brain is full. What am I supposed to be writing, again? =)

Regarding dinner at my aunt's: the new season of TV is starting to air, and one of the shows is that "America's Toughest Jobs" on NBC. I saw the first episode last night, and I can't help but wonder the premiums on their insurance are-- a couple of people nearly got clotheslined into the freezing ocean working the crabbing boat, which would have been an instant death sentence. Brrr. And ow. They really do work those people hard. And they don't appreciate whiners; they canned the "ugh, I can't!" and "can I get some help here?" gal even over the spaz who kept repeatedly screwing up the instructions.

( Speaking of TV, here's how my fall schedule is shaping up... )

Anyone else picking up a new show they'd like to recommend? (And I stress new; I know all about the benefits of Numb3rs and Supernatural, of which I've only seen halfway through season 1 of each; more will have to wait on time and $$ for DVDs).
~

Title: What Are Friends For
Author: Maeve Bran
Summary: Carter comforts Allison after the events of "I Do, Again".
Rated: PG
Notes: This is an episode tag to Eureka 3.4 “I Do, Again”
Word Count: 433
( What Are Friends For )

So, it wasn't until after I was looking at TV Guide's 2008 Fall Schedule and the Premiere Calendar that I realized I watched a hell of a lot of TV. No wonder I'm such a loser *wink*

TV Shows:

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles I am so very much looking forward to this second season. Hopefully it continues to be as good as the first few episodes. Plus, Brian Austin Green is seriously hot. If he was that hot on 90210 I probably would've watched. Wow. It doesn't hurt that Summer Glau is smoking hot either.

SUPERNATURAL Yes, it got caps! Woohoo! I am anxiously awaiting the return of this show... I've been a good child and refrained from spoilers. *bounces*

NCIS Grrr at the finale for last season. They better fix the mess that they created. The end.

Bones Yummy David. *pets him* So, the finale for Bones was also kinda grr with a side of argh. I'm going to reserve complete judgment until I see how they handle the situation this season.

The Unit I adore this show for so many, many reasons. And I'm looking forward to its return, though it has been shifted to a different night. Boo!

And if I happen to be home and in front of the TV I try to catch Samantha Who, Two and a Half Men, House, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and there are probably a couple others I am missing.

New TV Shows:

Dollhouse Oh how I love Joss. And oh how I love Eliza. I'd say I'd pray for this show, but I really worry its future is already sealed...Joss and Fox... Eliza Dollhouse Interview *hearts Eliza* She is so very, very beautiful. And Joss's Dollhouse interview (complete with Buffy Comic Spoilers) Here

The Mentalist I'm really looking forward to the return of Simon Baker. It looks like a good show, but basically feels like a mainstream version of Pysch - only less funny. Here's hoping Simon Baker remains on the air for a few episodes at least.

My Own Worst Enemy This can either be awesome or totally suck. I'm not sure how I feel about Christian Slater on primetime tv, but I hope the show (and he) does well.

Movies:

Burn After Reading anyone? I am so there. And I think I'm going to take my boss along with me. The initial trailer that they released had me snorting I was laughing so hard. I so hope the movie lives up to how excited the trailer made me.

I'm very much looking forward to the Fast and Furious movie! Seriously, I can't even begin to tell you how much it tickles me that Vin Diesel is back as Domenic Toretto! You can see a trailer for the movie Here! Wheeee!!
Or thanks to dhark_charlotte (for helping me through my idiot moment) you can watch it below:

This isn't helping my girl!crush on Michelle, or helping me get over my long standing crush on Vin!

End Note:
Apparently I wanted to go out of my way with the html coding this post. Phew! I think my fingers might fall off.

Title: A Good Time
Author:Maeve Bran
Fandom: Batman – Nolan verse
Rated: PG-13
Notes: For the Twisted Shorts August Fic a day challenge.
Summary:Bruce and his guests go out on the town.
Word Count: 1425

( A Good Time )

Well, it looks like Mac (short for McKay, since he's such a big wuss) is going to be my folks' dog as there hasn't been a single call on the adds we placed in the local paper and online through Petfinder.com.  They've had him since we picked him up and have fallen in love with him.  He sleeps on his mat in the family room, or in their bedroom, and knows his new name now.  My Step-Dad and one of their neighbors are putting in a fence this week so that he can go outside off leash.  He'll also be traveling with them whenever they go out of town in their motor home, since he travels exceptionally well (they take him everywhere with them in the car now). 

I'll be taking my camera with me the next time I go over to my folks place so that I can post some pictures of Mac.  We looked at some pictures online and he appears to be a pure bred American Staffordshire Terrier.