Shoot for the moon.....

Something goes right for once....

2013-04-02T21:22:59Z

My boyfriend gave me some awesome news last night....if this deal goes through. It would help me out financially pretty much for the summer, which would be awesome. A stress off my shoulders.

Speaking of shoulders, I've been wanting to get my hair cut really badly. Not short, just layers and such. But I've been afraid to do a lot with it due to all the problems I've had with it in the last couple years. I haven't dyed it, and I don't use more than shampoo and conditioner (with no detergents). I finally believe I've found the root cause it coming out, but fixing it seems like it's going to be a really big bitch.

The break for Once Upon a Time.......GRRRRR. I mean, it's bad enough the season's almost at an end, but a month break right before the last episodes? Blah. I wish there were other shows on that held my interest, but I'm down to just OUAT and TVD. I'll probably give the Originals spinoff a chance next year, but TVD itself is pissing me off a bit by now, TBH. I did watch the pilot for Cult, but haven't checked out any other episodes.

I'm ready for the summer movie season though - Ironman and Star Trek are out next month. Ironman looks like it's going to be a big improvement over the second movie, but my anticipation for Star Trek is higher - I expect amazing things from it. And I've been waiting longer for it.

OMG - posters.........

2013-03-28T22:34:48Z

Spent the afternoon going through my many, many posters. OMG, I'd forgotten I had so many.

I've always loved posters, but I have a lot I don't have displayed due to not having enough frames (and room). I have movie posters and television show posters. Hell, I have two banners right now too that I love to death, but with my furniture here there's no room to properly display them. They need almost a full wall. One's a Rorschach and the other is a Red Mist.

I tend to alternate posters every once and a while, but I still have too many. That's in spite of having to throw a few away due to water damage (GRRRR).

This summer maybe I'll take pics. It's crazy. Right now I have up on the walls - a 1968 pull out newspaper poster of Dark Shadows' Barnabas Collins, a Watchmen group poster, Kick-Ass RedMist promotional poster signed by CMP, another Red Mist w/ the Mist Mobile, Hit Girl, X-Men: First Class Erik/Magneto, OUAT Regina, OUAT Rumplestiltskin, a HP Half Blood Prince Snape, and a Men in Black 1st movie poster. Oh, and a smaller DuckTales poster from back around the time the show was on - hey, it was one of my first loves! It was an amazing find, in perfect shape).

I have like, 3 other Watchmen posters, a 2nd First Class poster, a Star Trek (2009 movie), and a Disney Afternoon poster (featuring DuckTales, Darkwing Duck, Rescue Rangers, and Talespin).....I want to hang them all, but there's no way. My rooms just aren't that big. :(

Oz, the Great & Powerful

2013-03-24T23:19:30Z

I saw this movie on Friday night...... I wanted to like it, I really did, but I ended up feeling rather negative about it overall.....

To me this is a standard example of a movie with a good concept, but poor execution.

My main problem with the movie is with the characters. Everything from the writing of the characters, to the actors' performances. I've seen and liked many of these actors in other roles, so I'm sure the problem doesn't originate with them, but none of the characters were very likable or had any real depth to them at all. Of them all, only the China girl, and to a point, Theodora managed to make me feel for them.

Sure, Oz is supposed to be an asshole, and I've liked plenty of asshole characters....but Franco plays Oz in such an artificial way to me, with no layers to his performance. There's barely a moment in the movie for me that makes it believable how he rose to the occasion or went through any evolution. I think it's this moment in particular when I realized how much of a problem I had with the characters: Oz telling Theodora that she could return when she's good again....just....ouch. That did NOT work at all.

I think the biggest missed opportunity in this movie was Theodora herself - how she changes, and how much impact that should have had on Oz. But everything happens in a way that feels empty. The characters (and actors) feel like they're just going through a script. It all feels very artificial.

Michelle Williams as Glinda just seemed kind of like she was sleep walking. Rachel Weisz gave it her best as Evanora, but the character is just "there" like the rest. Mila Kunis as Theodora managed to make feel for her, even though I think the character, her transformation and why it occurred was incredibly short changed.

I think a better script, with a focus on more character depth would have improved this movie a lot for me, but maybe Disney just didn't want to go there. As it is, it looks pretty, but mostly makes me lament what could have been.

A moment for OUAT.....

2013-03-12T01:09:13Z

I've been off and on sick for the past couple of weeks, and being out late last night didn't help much. Haven't been doing much outside working and sleeping.

Had to come on here and squee about OUAT after watching it tonight. I had to miss it last night and just now finished it. The beginning and middle of this season dragged in places, but these last few episodes have been so damn intense. I have tons of different feelings on it, but the bed is calling me right now and I have to answer. :)

The leave of absence

2013-03-03T23:50:08Z

It's been far, far too long since I've updated my journal. I disappeared from the online world, basically, and I apologize to everyone on my friends' list that I haven't been around to comment. I sort of disappeared from the world in general for a while, but I'm kinda skirting around the edge of it again. I've started taking an interest in things again.

As far as the personal goes, I've had to start making more active attempts to improve my life, and my health, which deteriorated a bit due to my general misery/black hole I've been in for a long time now. The job situation is a temporary thing because there's an actual high chance of something very awesome coming my way in the future. My boyfriend and I are now taking steps to ease my living situation as well and the future looks a bit brighter.

And a trip to Universal Studios is in the cards around New Years, and I'm really, really excited about that.

I'm the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding this summer. First wedding I'll have been to since I was around twelve years old. My dress is black. She's going with a white, dark purple and black theme.

I'm still watching Vampire Diaries consistently, but I've grown to have a love/hate relationship with the show. I've not forgiven them for killing Alaric and dragging the love triangle out until I'm sick of it, and this sire thing leaves me cold......but I'm still sticking around. I'm still invested in some capacity, even when I sometimes can't figure out why.

I've fallen head over heels for Once Upon a Time. I've been watching since the premiere of season two after missing some episodes in season one and purchasing the DVD and catching up. Regina is my favorite character. In spite of all the horrible things she's done, I just feel for her, and I think it's all Lana Parilla's acting. She's just so damn fabulous. It's been a while since an actress has left that impresson on me, but I love her. I also like Rumpel, Snow, Belle (even though I think they've misused her this season), Emma and Neal. Not sold on Hook.

I've also been rereading Harry Potter, and I just recently watched all of the movies with the BF, who insisted for a long time he wouldn't like it (he did). I wish I could get him to read the books because I think he would like them even more, but he's not much of a reader when it comes to a long book series. We have so much in common with our interests (shows and movies and games), but I'm the reader/writer for sure. We have been playing the Lego Harry Potter games together on the weekends. They're so fun!

Damn!

2012-10-12T15:55:27Z

Damn, it's been forever since I've been on here. I'm going to be working on my journal for the next few days - updating and such. I consider all of it a work in progress right now, haha.

If anyone still reads this, bear with me. :)

ACTA killed dead - And the Declaration of Internet Freedom

2012-07-05T01:31:08Z

My holiday was made today with the European Parliament burying ACTA (hopefully forever). 478 voted against it. 39 voted for it. And 165 didn't vote. That was an even more massive defeat than what I'd expected.

Now most attention should turn the TPP. They're saying now they're going to have "exceptions" to copyright laws in the TPP - but it still sounds very restrictive (even to fair use).

On a better note - sites are putting together the Declaration of Internet Freedom. I'll leave these links here....

EFF Declaration of Internet Freedom page

and

Access Now's Declaration of Internet Freedom page

Maybe my next entry will be about something else for a change :)

TPP - Stop the Trap internet coalition

2012-07-03T05:00:30Z

A new site was apparently created last week by public interest groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Citizen and Public Knowledge. You can sign to send a letter to leaders and trade representatives from countries participating in the TPP.

Stop the Trap

The TPP is a seriously scary pact - not just because of what it will do to the internet, but for many other reasons as well. There's a reason it's being called "the corporate power tool of the 1%". What little that has leaked about it is absolutely scary. I can't imagine what the full pact looks like.

ACTA - email the INTA Committee!

2012-06-18T20:06:22Z

The next committee vote on ACTA is said to be on the 21st. This committee as far as I know will then write a recommendation on what to do with ACTA for the full vote in July. ACTA has been rejected by four other committees. This one - the International Trade Committee - is important.

Go here: This has website has a link to the list of the delegates that will be voting on ACTA - email them and let them know we want them to reject it!

There are sample letters for both European citizens and non European citizens. No matter where you live, you can make your voice heard. I typed up my own and sent it to them.

The usual lobbying suspects are apparently still pressing them to pass it - there's even a rumor now that they may try to have a secret ballot when they officially vote on it in July. See Techdirt. for more.....

Garbage - Not Your Kind of People

2012-05-21T23:51:23Z

........releases tomorrow....and I'm so damn excited. They've been my favorite band since I discovered them in 1998. Even though I didn't love beautifulgarbage or Bleed Like Me the way I did their self titled debut or Version 2.0 (my favorite cd of all time, honestly), I never stopped loving them. To hear new material after so long........

*squees!!!*.

OMFG The Avengers.........

2012-05-07T07:43:12Z

Saw Avengers this weekend, and was freakin' blown away by how easily Joss Whedon juggled all of those characters. It was so fun. Just damn. I'll be more coherent later. :)

White House Petitions - CISPA and TPP

2012-04-28T21:15:52Z

Wanted to post these in the hope that more people would see them:

These are two open petitions on the White House website, one is of course asking Obama to veto CISPA. The other is a plea for transparency on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. CISPA is currently in the public eye, but the TPP is a dark cloud on the horizon.

The TPP is yet another CLOSED DOOR pact - a trade agreement that sounds harmless on the surface but was created in secret just like ACTA. It honestly sounds like it could criminalize so called "infringment" even when there's no money/profit being made. From what I've read, that's just a small portion of the intellectual property section of it that got leaked - who knows what else it will do?

CISPA petition

TPP transparency petition

READ ABOUT THE TPP HERE:

Electronic Frontier Foundation's TPP page

I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

House Passes CISPA: Make Sure It Dies In Senate

2012-04-28T20:58:36Z

Originally posted by impala1967 at House Passes CISPA: Make Sure It Dies In Senate

Originally posted by a_phoenixdragon at House Passes CISPA: Make Sure It Dies In Senate

Originally posted by dancingdragon3 at House Passes CISPA: Make Sure It Dies In Senate

Originally posted by game_byrd at House Passes CISPA: Make Sure It Dies In Senate

Originally posted by nrrrdy_grrrl at House Passes CISPA: Make Sure It Dies In Senate

CISPA would give the government and corporations vast new powers to track and share data about Americans’ Internet use.

But our hundreds of thousands of emails and tens of thousands of phone calls have had a real impact:

Amendments were adopted that made CISPA (marginally) better.

Earlier this month CISPA was supposed to sail through, but we helped foment opposition, and the vote was far closer than anybody could have imagined even a couple of weeks ago.

Most Democrats held firm in opposition, and more than two dozen libertarian-leaning Republicans defied their leadership and voted no.

Most importantly, President Obama has threatened to veto CISPA.

***Additionally, CISPA would destabilize the internet inviting cyber attacks and increasing the amount of identity theft.***

The Senate will consider cyber security legislation in the coming weeks. Let’s turn up the heat right away: Tell the Senate to reject CISPA and any and all legislation that doesn’t respect privacy and civil liberties.
Add your name at right to tell the Senate to reject cyber security legislation that doesn’t respect privacy.

http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/cispa_passes/?akid=1332.1998782.hoiowQ&rd=1&t=2

CISPA - Another SOPA

2012-04-13T17:43:32Z

They just don't quit:

CISPA - internet spying

It's getting voted on in a week. It has over 100 supporters.

A petition:
Avaaz petition

And how to contact your representatives to tell them to vote no:

How to look up your representatives

With this, ACTA, and TPP (which is the scariest one, if what I've read is accurate - and people really need to start getting mobile on it), the U.S is beyond disgusting to me. They're leading the war on the internet. I guess it's fitting, since they lead the war on everything else. Stuff like this is precisely why I feel the government is broken, from the top down.

Thank you, Ron Wyden

2012-03-22T04:27:28Z

I honestly don't know much about this guy, other than how he opposed SOPA/PIPA, but I've been reading a lot of articles like this one:

Wyden wants Obama to submit ACTA for ratification to Congress and appreciating his stance.

I was uneasy about the OPEN ACT thing that he helped/came up with in place of SOPA/PIPA (though Big Media hated it right away, so that might count for something), but his strong belief on ACTA and how things like these need to be shared with the public and taken through the proper channels gets my respect. We need more people like him in Congress, at least when it comes to the internet vs. the Content Industry.

All U.S. Internet Providers will be policing downloads by July 12, 2012

2012-03-19T17:31:42Z

Originally posted by bajoransmurf at All U.S. Internet Providers will be policing downloads by July 12, 2012

Originally posted by awakenyourfaith at All U.S. Internet Providers will be policing downloads by July 12, 2012

Originally posted by ragnarok_08 at All U.S. Internet Providers will be policing downloads by July 12, 2012

Originally posted by gandolforf at All U.S. Internet Providers will be policing downloads by July 12, 2012

Originally posted by zelda_zee at All U.S. Internet Providers will be policing downloads by July 12, 2012

Originally posted by mickeym at All U.S. Internet Providers will be policing downloads by July 12, 2012

Originally posted by nrrrdy_grrrl at All U.S. Internet Providers will be policing downloads by July 12, 2012

Originally posted by mangacat201

All U.S. Internet Providers will be policing downloads by July 12, 2012

Seriously. WHAT THE FLYING FUCK WORLD.

"File-sharers, beware: By July 12, major US Internet service providers (ISPs) will voluntarily begin serving as copyright police for the entertainment industry, according to Cary Sherman, chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The so-called “six-strikes” plan is said to be one of the most effective anti-piracy efforts ever established in the US."

The article goes on to give details. After six notices, internet providers will decide to throttle a person's internet speed, or cut it off altogether. I don't know if they will crack down on torrents only, or if it is up to the internet provider. I get the sense it is up to the internet provider. So some people could get away with downloading non torrents, while others might get their internet service cut off. I urge you to click it and read, as we all know people who download.

No more downloading eps of your favorite shows for vidding, gifs, or fanfiction art. No more downloading screencaps possibly. I'm so sorry my friends. I don't even know if BT Guard will work to protect you, but I would google it if I were you. It is a professional service that supposedly can protect you from the invasive eyes of your internet provider.

Just, my friends, please make each other aware. Please be aware of the date JULY 12TH. Mark your calendar and double check with your internet provider by then. If you start receiving notices of downloaded activity, this is why. And your internet service could be throttled or cut off.

Fox News confirms this:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/03/17/us-isps-become-copyright-cops-starting-july-12/

Youtube video explaining this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5OG0R-yS-c

ETA: Petition for RIAA and the Obama Administration: Stop ISPs from launching a massive copyright spying scheme this July 12th

The Administration - ACTA

2012-03-08T00:00:44Z

I usually keep up with ACTA/SOPA/TPP and other censorship bullshit on a daily basis now. Stumbled across this article today:

State Department response to Wyden's fight against ACTA here in the US.....

I don't talk politics here at all, but Obama has disappointed me, with this, among a few other things....

Anti-ACTA petitions

2012-01-27T03:46:43Z

If anyone hasn't signed these, here are petitions I've been watching.....

An international petition almost at 250,00 signatures...

White House petition to submit ACTA to the senate for ratification

^This one needs more signatures - since the US has already signed ACTA, this is most likely a more realistic petition. It's not yet at 4,000, and it needs 25,000 for a response.

But there's also A White House petition calling for an end to ACTA before it begins

^ This one is already past the 25,000 required votes for a response and is still climbing.

On the SOPA/PIPA front, a personal favorite is this one: A White House petition to investigate Chris Dodd and the MPAA for bribery!

I've signed all of these.

Black March

2012-01-25T05:27:17Z

I've seen "Black March 2012" making its way around LJ. While I believe in the idea, I'm not very comfortable with some of the wording on the image attached to it, so I haven't posted it here in my LJ.

I also agree with the addition of encouraging people to buy from those who are against SOPA/PIPA and to support small businesses that would suffer.

I am going to participate in it though - because honestly, I'm already particpating to a degree and have been since December. I've paid close attention to companies supporting SOPA/PIPA and have been actively adjusting my shopping decisions and purchases accordingly. I've not gone to the cinema in months, but I had every intention of seeing at least three movies released in December, and would like to see one released now (Underworld: Awakening). There are a lot of movies that I want to see through out the year and I'm unsure if I'll see any of them in the cinemas.

I just don't feel like giving money to those that would take the internet away from me and other fans and destroy it. No matter how much I might want to see a movie, it's not more important to me than the future of the internet. As a raging fangirl, I've given them so much of my money, it sort of makes me sick at this point to give them any more, knowing what they're trying to do to the people who keep them rich.

I've been buying my media content used more often in the past couple of years, and SOPA/PIPA/any other censorship bills will just increase that. I can get used video games, used CDs, used movies and books and the money won't go to Hollywood. And I'll feel a little less sick.

This year may end up being "Black 2012" for me.

Depp Dark Shadows

2011-09-15T23:01:16Z

The new pic of Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins in the Dark Shadows movie?! WTF. That's all I can say. I've heard/read that this isn't how he's actually going to look in the film, but I'm not sure how much this reassures me.

Barnabas Collins DOES NOT and SHOULD NOT equal Michael Jackson. That is all.

First Class!!!!!

2011-09-11T23:02:58Z

Bought First Class on blu-ray Friday and watched it with my best friend the same night. :) We'd already watched the first two X-Men films over the past few weeks - she'd never seen them. Now she's a new fan.

It feels strange to own the movie because even though I haven't seen it since the last week of June, when I watched it on Friday night it felt like not much time had passed. I think that's a sign I saw it too much in theaters. ;)

I want to show her Thor next (I'm definitely buying it on Tuesday!) because I know she'll like it, but with Vampire Diaries returning on Thursday night this week, it may have to wait until the first TVD rerun.

Writer's Block: Jumped the shark

2011-08-19T18:26:48Z

Supernatural.

I used to love the show, and I'll always praise the first four seasons, but beyond that, the show has just gone down hill. I try to stick with my shows, but when I no longer enjoy it, when I find that the quality and writing and characters start to decline, I bow out. I stopped watching SPN regularly during season five. You could see them trying to drag the show out on screen - they should have stuck to the five year plan. Sam and Dean and their angst have gotten old because it seems like the writers have no idea where they're supposed to be going with it or the brothers themselves.

Though it ended last season, Smallville should have ended years ago. Once they started moving too strongly into the "Superman" territory, it ceased to be Smallville, and lost sight of what the show was originally about. Superman characters were inserted into it even though Clark wasn't even close to becoming Superman....it felt forced, and it took away from the creativity the show was founded on in the first place - Clark growing up and his friendship with Lex. Lois should never have been brought in during season four. The show was still young, and it should have concentrated on better developing Clark and Lex's friendship and later conflicts.