Whoof...after disappearing for a week, I finally got caught up on everyone's lists. So now, a few websites I promised to plug. While you're recovering from Black Friday shopping and your respective turkey day escapades, you can check these out.

FreeRice: Learn new vocabulary words and donate rice to hungry children. Absolutely free to play any time.

The Rainforest Site: By clicking on a link, you donate a dollar to save the rainforest. Absolutely free to click (i.e., you don't actually have to SPEND a dollar) and you can come back as many times as you want.

That'll be it for now.

Reminder to everyone that holiday_wishes starts TOMORROW!!!!
Make a list of things that you really truly want and post it there. With or without contact information, probably at least an e-mail so people can get in touch with you privately.
Also, please browse the wish lists of others and contribute! Some ask for no more than prayers or good thoughts, or just regular letters/cards. You can mail off things you don't use anymore, promote websites, or make monetary donations.
The spirit of the community is the most attractive feature. This will be my fourth year participating! Last year I got The Haunted Palace from my dearest Amy, and I was able to send her some Beatles videos. The year before I sent someone a copy of Driving Lessons, and that was the year I got my 50 Horror Classics.
Even though I'm low on the cash, I definitely plan on fulfilling some wishes. I encourage everyone to join the community! You might be surprised!
</plug>

I hate my job.
I hate my life.
I want to leave and never come back.

Due out on Tuesday.
As a young boy, Carl Fredericksen wanted to have an adventure. He meets Ellie, who wants the same thing. They get married, live a long happy life, and then she dies. Now alone, all Carl wants to do is fulfill their dream of going to Paradise Falls. He attaches a million balloons to his house and floats away, with an aspiring Wilderness Scout in tow. Friends and enemies to be found in Paradise Falls; our protagonists deal. And that's about it.
Yeah...I didn't believe it either. I believe that toys can come to life and a rat can make fine French cuisine, but I do not believe that one can make his house float by attaching balloons to it. Sorry.
Not to mention that the story itself was pretty watered down...there was nothing special about it. The characters really weren't too likeable. Sympathetic, yes, but not likeable. The scout's pet bird was like the reincarnation of Jar Jar Binks. *cringe* On some level, though, the themes of the film came through very strongly: the concept of life itself being an adventure, the notion that things aren't always what they seem, the importance of friendship, and so on. That was the true Pixar touch, and what saved me from giving this film my lowest rating.
SUMMARY: Highly predictable and pretty dull. Not the best effort from my favorite crew...not even a notable production effort. Skip it. Rated PG for some mild action scenes. 1 out of 5.

Check it out...my first animated userpic.
The first time I saw it, "Jailhouse Rock" by the Blues Brothers was playing on iTunes. Totally looked like the cat was playing the song. It pleased me.

10/1 The Haunting in Connecticut
10/2 Creepshow 2
10/3 Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla (okay, not horror, but it DID have Bela Lugosi and it WAS quite horrible)
10/4 Trick 'r Treat - WINNER
10/5 Children of the Corn
10/6 Dr. Phibes Rises Again! (sequel to The Abominable Dr. Phibes, starring the magnificent Mr. Vincent Price)
10/7 Horror Hotel
10/8 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (silent)
10/9 Sleepwalkers
10/10 Quarantine
10/11 Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (actually part 9, and by no means "final")
10/12 The Descent
10/13 Maximum Overdrive
10/14 Tales From the Darkside (aka Creepshow 3)
10/15 Halloween Night
10/16 The Brain From Planet Arous
10/17 Re-Animator
10/18 Jason X (and thusly I finish the Friday saga)
10/19 Stay Alive
10/20 Evil Bong
10/21 Evil Bong 2: King Bong
10/22 Dark Star (early sci-fi done by John Carpenter)
10/23 Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (oddly enough, not horror, but rumored to be Rob Zombie's favorite. And that's good enough for me.)
10/24 The Crazies
10/25 The Thing From Another World
10/26 The Grudge 2
10/27 The Hills Run Red
10/28 Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (three words: Epic. Fucking. Win.)
10/29 Sleepaway Camp
10/30 Troll (wait a minute, Kiki, didn't you see that one? Not all the way through, she replied.)
10/31 Troll 2 (Rusty spoon, this is my eyeball. Get acquainted, won't you?)


There you have it, folks. Happy Halloween!

I hate having to take days off from work. But you know...if I feel awful and unable to function, then I should go home. Right?
But then I tell whoever's boss that I'm sick and I want to go home, or that I'm not coming in because I'm sick, and I ALWAYS feel like they don't believe me! I know it's an inconvenience when I can't come in, but for fuck's sake, I'm not Wonder Woman!
My basic policy on sick days from work is: I don't take them. Or I try my damnedest. Blockbuster has been very very good to me in that regard. Usually if I can still stand up, I go to work.
As for the studio, well...tonight was only my second sick day in almost three years. And of course they hate me, so I'm sure they didn't believe me when I told them. I mean, I laughed a bit because of how much the situation sucked, but that was it. Oh, AND I had to explain myself because I actually was at Blockbuster when I got a voicemail from them, and then I had to call back and say I was sick but that I was at Blockbuster because I thought I'd be okay...I don't know, just this huge stupid mess that I felt like I had to compensate for, as always, I have to have an explanation handy for every fucking thing I do there and I HATE IT.
Go figure the one damn day I had to actually WORK this week is the day I get sick. I don't fake it. I grumble sometimes that I didn't sleep well or that I have headaches or that I'm just plain in a bad mood--I can HAVE a bad day at Blockbuster, because I'm able to joke about it and I know that bad moods are contagious and not good for business. And at the station I bitch all the time, but to no one's face EVER. The other sick day I took there was because I couldn't even MOVE, my stomach hurt so bad. And it's not like I was missing anything important, just a concert. The sports events are way more crucial. Sucked anyway because they were going to make me use the dinosaur camera and a crappy audio feed. So...better I don't shoot at all then fuck it up that badly.
This coming week is excruciatingly slow. Tomorrow, if I feel up to it, is "Trunk or Treat" at Mommy's church, and then Sunday is my lunch date. Also I have to do laundry sometime this week. Blech. Also I'm waiting to hear back from Toys R Us.
Erm...that's it.

Oh, I also forgot to mention that there may be an inevitable swine flu outbreak at Blockbuster. My manager's daughter has it, and so does another manager's fiancé. And when someone at Blockbuster gets sick at all, everyone has to have a turn.
Yup. Yee-ha.

1. Easiest shift switch ever. Wasn't even thinking about it. Now I have to show up at my mom's on Sunday. I don't expect anything to come of it.

2. I'm getting really burned out on horror movies. But there's only one week left in October, so I might as well finish it out.

3. My eight-legged Halloween decorations are gone...presumably they were just trying to find a cover for the wet weather. They have been replaced by literal HORDES of ladybugs. Now I REALLY feel like I'm under attack! I still think Las Mariquitas is a cool title for a Spanish creature feature.

4. Still on the job hunting kick. I had an interview at PetSmart but they ended up not wanting me. On Thursday I have an interview at Toys R Us. That particular position is probably gonna be hell around Christmas, but it's not like I've never worked retail before. And seriously...wouldn't that just be kind of fun overall? I mean, it's TOYS R US! :)

5. On a related note, I was trying not to broadcast any interviews to people, because I always end up getting jinxed as a result. But right now I don't care. At this point, the timing with me quitting the studio should be about right...they won't need me for much, I don't think.

6. It is so very difficult to be positive. I had another nasty little episode tonight fighting with my brain, but I'm okay now. I'm trying this exercise where I write in my journal every day what I'm thankful for and what I'm looking forward to. It helps me sleep a little better...although I'm back on the melatonin because I've got tension. I just don't know where it is, exactly.

7. I find it amusing that with all the horror movies I've been watching, my dreams have really been nothing special. :-P I think I've completely numbed myself.

Here's the situation, as I've come to see it.

At my mom's church are these two new...seminarians? Not sure. They are my age, apparently single, and by her standards, cute and amiable. She showed me someone who looks similar to one, so I don't doubt her taste in looks. Actually I never have, she's usually pretty good about that. What she's not really good at is general assessments. She tells me you should go out with this guy, and then he ends up being a total mismatch.
Anyway.
So, Mummy dearest gets this brilliant plan to invite the two over for lunch, and then have me stop by and pretend to not know what's going on. I know, corny. Props for trying, I guess. The thing is, her proposed lunch date is a day I'm scheduled to work at Blockbuster. I have the option of switching a shift with someone else so I can be at her house.
Truthfully, at the beginning when she presented her idea, I said I would probably be up for that. Then the more she brought it up, the less enthusiastic I was. But then she says, "You should show up, because I don't know what the heck we (her and stepdad) would talk to them about." As if I would. And I don't want the boys to get a bad impression.
Scenario 1: I successfully get a shift switch and show up.
Scenario 2: I attempt a shift switch and don't get it for one reason or another.
Scenario 3: I do nothing...but I tell Mom I tried.
My apathetic nature leans toward the latter, which is the easiest way out. I'm really not interested in meeting them, but it would be a change from routine. I mean, either way I'll be occupied.
*sigh*

There are currently no less than a DOZEN harvestmen (daddy longlegs) hanging out on my wall. I decided to let them stay on as Halloween decorations. They'll die out soon anyway, this weather's terrible. But it's like they're waiting to ambush me or something. :-P
Rented Tales from the Dark Side to watch tonight. Maximum Overdrive was AWFUL. Positively one of the worst movies I've seen in recent years. Stephen King should just keep his butt out of the director's chair.
Money is still rather tight, but I rewarded myself for holding on so long with a classic rock CD. I've got car insurance due in December and my credit card bills are ridiculous, because I've gotta eat, ya know? *sigh* But I don't think a mere $20 purely for pleasure is too bad.
I am really looking forward to holiday_wishes this year. It always makes me happy to send good wishes or tangibles to someone. I may not buy Christmas gifts this year, though, which makes me sad.
Anyway.

Note: This is a remake of REC, a Spanish movie from 2007.

Showcases found footage of a news reporter doing a story on firefighters. The boys get a call, and everyone heads to an apartment. When it is determined that a mutant rabies virus is spreading through the residents, the area is sealed off and everyone inside is trapped.
You know what? That's a scary-as-hell concept. Literally no way out while being attacked and bitten by the psychotic sick people. No cure for the virus, and no hope once a person is bitten. Sort of a claustrophobic 28 Days Later.
As far as structure, however, the whole thing was pretty weak. The reporter has an obviously gigantic ego, still trying to get her story while the people around her drop dead. Character development was severely lacking...even Cloverfield, filmed in the same style, managed to cover that. The viewer is made to care about the characters and their relationships. Quarantine was pretty hollow--the only relationship developed and fairly well-done was that of the reporter and her cameraman, through whose point of view this film was shot. And he was rather likeable, actually. I did care whether he would make it out alive.
SUMMARY: Again, strong concept, but badly executed. Predictable startles, but convincing gore. Perhaps REC is better. Rated R for violence, terror and language. 2 out of 5.

The long-awaited Creepshow-esque Halloween movie comes to DVD this Tuesday!
Five separate stories all take place on Halloween night. A couple has a minor disagreement...two sisters look for love during a party...a sadistic principal knocks off a fat kid...some costumed young ones visit an abandoned rock quarry...and among them all, a small child in a jack-o-lantern costume, connecting all of the stories and even starring in one of his own.
Yeah, I think I covered all of it. The stories are actually woven together quite brilliantly; each one has some connection to the others that is revealed at just the right time. Mad props to the screenwriters. This was a very complex concept to tackle and they pulled it off!
The overall atmosphere was just right. You can release a horror movie just about any time of the year, but when one comes on Halloween, there's an extra boost. Probably why I like Halloween and Children of the Corn so much...the autumn ambience.
Star power was weak, but not an enjoyment factor by any means. Anna Paquin as the innocent virgin ends up rocking her "True Blood" roots (and her name is Laurie...heh heh). Brian Cox, a solid C-lister with an impressive resume is terrific as Mr. Kreeg, your standard creepy next-door neighbor. And that's about it.
SUMMARY: I cannot think of a more perfect, fun and terrifying Halloween movie. I really really enjoyed it--the structure, the frights, everything. So worth the wait. Rated R for a bit of language, a smattering of nudity and some truly nasty violence. 5 out of 5.

I have made it a goal this month to watch as many scary movies as I can. Provided my subconscious can handle such a task...it usually can't...Anyway.
Claiming to be based on a true story The Haunting in Connecticut deals with a family living in a haunted house. The oldest son has cancer of some kind and is able to see the haunts. He learns that the house was once a funeral home, and that the folks who ran it were kinda messed up. Stuff flies off shelves, the son has visions, the dead walk around, building to a fairly impressive climax. Roll credits--I won't give anything away.
So basically just your typical ghost story, but with some seriously heavy drama thrown in. I likened it mostly to Poltergeist and The Amityville Horror. Actually, there wasn't much originality to it. There is a reason the cover looks the way it does...it's because that's the only original thing about the movie. The acting was mediocre, no big names. The storyline was weak--the son was not a very likable character, and the rest of the family were pretty two-dimensional. Which of course you can get away with if you're writing a horror movie, NOT a drama. The special effects were decent, lots of sticky cam (quick, distorted shots; shapes popping in and out at random; close-ups and implications...if you've seen as much modern horror as I have, you recognize sticky-cam effects) and some good jump-in-your-seat moments.
SUMMARY: Not impressive for a horror veteran such as myself, but quite good for someone just starting out on horror movies. But seriously, if you want a really good haunted house story, there are much better choices you can make. Rated PG-13 for disturbing images. 2 out of 5.

Up next: Trick 'r Treat and a no doubt ultra-fab TV remake of Children of the Corn. :-P

I would like it to be known that my brain has not accepted its new mentality just yet. Yesterday was terrible and I had to really fight to not obsess and worry. I didn't even sleep...nor did I take pills to help. Ultimately I lost the fight. I just lay there and took the torture I was dealt from my nasty, masochistic, fucked-up mind. I didn't cry or get angry or frustrated...I just took it.
Besides...yesterday wasn't ALL terrible. I got to see Jon again, and every time I thought of him, I was able to smile through my misery. So at least that's something. But for the rest of the day I had caterpillars in my stomach because the one guy at the station is SUCH A FUCKING DOUCHEBAG that I can barely stand to be around him.
That is why, as soon as I can find another job, I am done. I don't care if it's Best Buy or PetSmart or whatever. I applied at a couple standard places, Borders, etc. And I'm going to keep applying to places I might like. I know it won't be in my career field but I do not need all the SHIT that goes down at the studio and all the negative energy I'm constantly dealing with. I just do not need it. I am sick of dealing with it. I am sick of everyone bitching at me and about me. As soon as I can be, I'm done. Fin de la cuenta.
I have been trying so hard to find another job. I have had no hits or interviews for a year. I know everyone's excuse is "the economy." Job hunting is like this big mess in my head: there are way too many places to look, too many terms for the same thing...it's intimidating. And of course I have my limits as to where I'll work.
What I need is prayer. What I really, REALLY need is to trust God that I'll be okay.

I just had a really really wonderful day today, but yesterday was SO bad...so during church my brain kept trying to make me feel shitty by flashing on all the shit that happened yesterday. And I resisted. I did. Last night I had a long conversation with myself about how stupid it was to just be in pain all the time and bitch about everything, and I wondered WHY do I do that?
But it doesn't really matter why. The point is, yesterday was bad, but I don't have to deal with it anymore. I don't even have to think about it anymore. It's done and over with and I don't have to ever go back on it again. And today was just utterly wonderful. Among other things, standing in the rain for a half hour, but not giving a bloody goddamn because I was with Jon and I love him SO FUCKING MUCH...
And watching "Hamlet" via Mystery Science Theater with him and his brother, who's a whole other barrel of fun by himself...
Yeah...I had a good day. And tomorrow I'll be all right. And as long as I can keep up this new mentality I've imposed on myself, I will be even more all right.
*sigh* We'll see.

From lady dreamstrifer. Thought maybe it would give me some ideas.

Give me the title of a story I’ve never written, and feedback telling me what you liked best about it, and I will tell you any of: the first sentence, the last sentence, the thing that made me want to write it, the biggest problem I had while writing it, the scene that hit the cutting room floor but that I wish I’d been able to salvage, or something else that I want readers to know.

I anticipate not updating much, and seeing as fall is almost upon us, I have decided to unleash the gladiators of my spider-slaughtering stint.
( The faint of heart and light of stomach may want to look away. )

If I see any more interesting ones, rest assured you shall see them too.

I shall now make up for my lack of presence on LiveJournal.

I. HATE. MY. LIFE.

HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE!!!!!!!

Someone please goddamn fucking shoot me.

Criminy, I'm gone for a week and I miss everything on here...
Um, okay...so I watched Twilight. I gave up on the book, but the movie was better than I thought it would be. I was going to leave a review, but I sort of had too much to say. The acting was mediocre, the writing was weak, and that sparkly vampire scene was TOTALLY POINTLESS. On the upside, the special effects were pretty good and the color scheme was gorgeous. The fact that their locations were so gray and rainy made any color they had really stick out.
I am broke. SO broke. So broke that I had to borrow money from Jon, which I feel HORRIBLE about...my mirror cost $200 to fix and the registration renewal was $100 (!), and I just couldn't make it. I get paid on Friday...I've got a credit card bill and my rent to worry about.
So, in an attempt to make more money, I'm condensing my Beatles music...although it's not going very well. I don't want to just give away the ones I don't need, because it's the BEATLES and I'd have to be crazy to let those go for nothing. That's not me being a fangirl, it's a bloody FACT. Also I had considered selling my Animorphs books because I have the whole collection...but then two days ago I re-read the first one and what a RIDE! Those books will not be surrendered any time soon.
So yeah, the whole selling thing = not working.
On QVC a couple days ago they were selling Christmas things. *sigh* I do not know if I will be giving any gifts this year, save holiday_wishes, most of which are free.
That is all.

Well, SINCE I'm obviously going to be surrounded by New Moon hype at Blockbuster for a while...I started in on the first book.
I've read a little over 300 pages so far. I'm trying to finish it quickly because it's a borrowed copy, but IT IS SO BORING! I may just hand it back unfinished. I keep reading, hoping it'll get better, but it hasn't.
Seriously? This was a bestseller? What the heck is the appeal here?

On an unrelated note, boy did I have a lousy day. I sideswiped a pole with the Cougar and my entire right-side mirror came off. It's going to cost about $200 to fix it. *sigh* Also, as I was going to the studio late...like 2300-ish, a cop pulled me over because he saw that my registration sticker was expired. Right, officer, how boring is YOUR night? Oh, and on my way back, two cops had pulled over two more cars. The ones in Maryville like to chase me.
And by the way, I'm pretty damn sure that my current registration sticker fell off or something. If I didn't get it in the mail, it's NOT my fault. But now I have to go to the bloody DMV tomorrow.
I wish I had a flying car...that way I could travel above obstacles and idiots.
Good night.

Surrender to the puppy face!

*points to icon*

Hehe...now I have Bolt AND Puss in Boots being cute.

I know it's a bit passe, but it's still on the new release wall at Blockbuster, so here you go.
The least you need to know: Bolt (John Travolta) is a TV star. Every week he knocks out bad guys with his special powers to save his owner Penny (Miley Cyrus). When the big bad network executives decide to do cliffhangers instead of resolving the episode, poor Bolt, who thinks it's all real, escapes the set to rescue his girl.
And that's about it. He accidentally gets packed in a crate and shipped to the other side of the country, meets some buddies and has to find his way back to the studio. Typical Disney fodder, although Bolt was extra cute...especially in the dog face scene! The animation was quite good, lots of special effects and things to keep the kiddies entertained.
SUMMARY: Good, clean, family fun...but that's Disney for you. A bit predictable, but definitely worth a look. Rated PG for "mild action and peril" (Bolt does take a bit of a beating). 3 out of 5.

If nothing else, I'm sure the subject will attract attention...
I was scrolling through my previous entries, coming across the one where I mentioned the Twilight SweetHearts that say "Bite Me." I just remembered that Blockbuster has now broken out some New Moon-packaged chocolate creme-filled hearts.
Oh. Fucking. Yeah!
I'll get to it eventually. Really. I was recommended the book. By the end of the month I'll have read everything on my shelf, so I'll start it then.
I can't believe John Hughes is dead. It's so not fair. :(

I've only been slightly active in my shark movies lately. New stuff below.

Jaws (1975) - Still as bitchin' as it was thirty years ago.
Jaws 2 (1978) - That rare decent sequel.
Great White (L'Ultimo Squalo/The Last Shark) (1980) - Officially working on my own rifftrax, possibly a sketch or two to go with it. Any takers?
Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002) - One real good jump-in-your-seat effect, and most of the shark footage is real.
Shark Zone (2003) - Same production company as above, very well-edited and well-shot (some of the same real shark footage). Terrible acting and terrible writing, though.
12 Days of Terror (2004) - The most boring shark movie I've ever seen...and this one was true!
Raging Sharks (2005) - Nothing particularly special about this one, except that there are about five sharks and a fully functional underwater research facility. Pretty cool.
Spring Break Shark Attack (2006) - Pathetic, made-for-TV drama, fraught with bad acting and bad effects. One good scene.
Jaws 3 aka Jaws 3-D (1983) - Your typical 3-D movie...eye-popping effects dancing around the barest hint of a plot.
Jaws: The Revenge (1987) - Currently holding the record for the LEAST amount of shark attacks in a shark attack movie. Two people died. The rest of the movie was Chief Brody's widow brooding about her son being killed by a shark. Yup.
Blue Demon (2004) - About genetically altered supersharks cruising the coastline. There's also some kind of conflict with ex-lovers or something.
Sharks in Venice (2009) - Well...it delivers what it promises. Same company responsible for Shark Attack 3 and related. And there's Stephen Baldwin to boot. Contains some of my new favorite attack scenes.

NEW STUFF:
Deep Blue Sea (1999) - My god, this is a GREAT movie! It has everything! I bought it!
Dark Waters (2003) - Sharks on a submarine! Or, um...attacking a submarine. Something about a couple con artists having to rock back some genetically altered sharks. And don't they all.
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009) - And by the way, Lorenzo Lamas is in this one and the preceding one. A couple of prehistoric titans are released from their frozen mid-battle stint by Mr. Lamas and Debbie Gibson (yes, 80's teen pop icon Debbie Gibson). Sadly, the battle sequence isn't nearly as epic as the title proclaims. One cool-looking but impossible scene where Mega Shark attacks a 747.
Red Water (2003) - Same story as 12 Days of Terror, and so far equally as boring. Although this one takes place in modern times. "Star" power: Lou Diamond Phillips, Kristy Swanson and Coolio. Yeah.

What's left?

Shark (1969)
Blue Water, White Death (1971)
Jaws of Death (1976)
Shark Kill (1976)
Terror Storm (1977)
Tintorera (1977)
Night of the Sharks (1987)
Mission of the Shark (1991)
Shark Attack (1999)
Shark (2000)
Shark Attack 2 (2001)
Shark Hunter (2001)
Megalodon (2002)
Open Water (2003)
Shark Attack in the Mediterranean (2004)
Hammerhead (2005)
Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)
Shark Swarm (2008)

I may not bother with the Open Water movies...they just sound kinda boring. I still can't believe I haven't seen the rest of the Shark Attack saga.
Here's what I think: In a shark movie, if you can't explain important aspects of characters in five-minute increments or less, don't bloody do it! We don't watch creature features because we give a shit about emotional baggage.
That is all.

Wanted to show off my new icon.
Was going to write about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince but lost interest. I liked it. My cousin and I had a long discussion afterward. I didn't leave her house until about 0500. She's a bit of a purist when it comes to Harry Potter, so she wasn't terribly pleased with the film.
A week ago, I got these mind-numbing pains in my stomach...from what I have NO IDEA, but I was almost completely out of commission for three days, and took all day Saturday just to sit around and recover. I took off Blockbuster Wednesday and the studio Thursday, and then Friday I worked seven hours at Blockbuster and THEN had to tape a god-awful bluegrass concert in the evening. Yeah, not much fun. I still don't know what the hell happened in my stomach. Wasn't my period, may have been something I ate...or something else. Ugh.
SO...things have FINALLY slowed down this summer, and voila, here it is August. Go bloody figure. I had nothing going on this week except for putting in some hours at the Wood River Blockbuster cuz they needed people. Oh, and last night I had to shoot a Dixieland band concert, god it was worse than the bluegrass one. I think the boys give me those because they hate to do them.
I have nothing much going on this week. I feel so lazy. I'm pretty sure I gained some weight just sitting around and working and watching movies and working and eating pasta and working. I kept looking at myself today and thinking how fucking ugly I was.
I went out with my other cousins tonight for a couple drinks...I have two pineapple vodkas in my system, but only because I had to drive home. Next Sunday is going to be very interesting....I work in Wood River until 1800, but programming at the station starts an hour before that and no one will be in to set it up. So I have to go there before I go to Wood River and set it up so it plays at the right time. My cousins invited me over Saturday night, and one of them lives 45 minutes from Edwardsville, and I have to be in Wood River by noon. Which I guess means I can't get TOO hammered cuz I have to actually wake up. I can probably get away with 1030, maybe even later.
I'm just thinking that was too much useless information. So I shall be going now. Good night.

I have five (?) Kahlua minis in my system right now. I could drive home just fine and I'm noticing typos, so I guess they aren't really so potent. There were a few entries from my friends I wanted to comment on, but I was afraid I would say something offensive. My filter is broken, you see.
On Wednesday all day at work I felt like crap. Thursday was even worse. Friday was even worse. Today I spent the entire day in bed until church at 1800 and then I went to my cousin's house for a little shindig. I just now got home.
I have to get up tomorrow and go to work again. However, I am off on Monday and Wednesday, which is good, because Wednesday I will be recovering from Harry Potter...
I am so bloody stoked about that. Seriously. But I am very very worried about being annoying and fangirly around other people, so I can't show how truly stoked I am.
Okay...I seem to be making more typos...maybe it's because my nails are PERFECT PAINTING LENGTH. :) If I can get the other five Harry Potter movies, I can watch them on Monday and paint my nails.
Kiki is pleased. Good night.

I was in another one of my irrational bad moods today...I had to go shoot a municipal band concert in the park with the new guy. I really hate those because they rarely play anything I know and the stuff they do play is mostly long and slow and boring, or it's John Philip Sousa. I'm bloody sick of the guy already.
But a few things happened...I killed some time at Borders reading PostSecret and related tomes. I want very badly to send a secret and have people read it, and feel the release that others felt when they sent in their secrets. I don't really have any secrets except one, and if I were to send that one in, people would totally know it was me. So I got off on this mental tangent thinking of things that I don't usually bring up in normal conversation, and how I could word them to elicit some emotional response. How bad am I.
Tonight at the concert was a singer who had been there last year. She's really good and I talked to her and she remembered me. She sang "I Got Plenty of Nothin'" from Porgy and Bess and I thought about that song and an entry from an LJ friend that sort of said the same thing. I had left her a comment...I'm constantly rearranging my apartment and throwing stuff out. I told the singer about cleaning out my closet and having one empty dresser and donating TONS of stuff to Goodwill this summer and she was very impressed. Another woman who was chatting with us said that I inspired her to clean up her clutter. Wow.
So Daniel Radcliffe was on Letterman, and so was Sacha Baron Cohen playing Bruno (I think he is SO SEXY! Bruno, not SBC...:-P), and that cheered me up a lot. Daniel is so funny! Then I watched some of Contact with Jodie Foster, which, when I saw it in theaters, I was too young to appreciate. But it is a really well-done movie. The script is so charged and the effects are terrific.
I might be getting a cold or something. I felt like crap yesterday at work. My mind's gone existential since this afternoon and I had to unload some of it here. If I don't, I won't sleep, and dammit I have to get up tomorrow.
And that's it.

Japanese horror gem from 1965, and on the 50 Worst list. The plot goes something like...the Frankenstein monster's heart is shipped over from Germany to Japan just before the Hiroshima bomb is dropped. Years later, a mutated radioactive boy is captured. He proceeds to grow to a 100-foot monster. It's implied that he'd eaten the radioactive heart, though never explained. Anyway, there is of course the group of militants who want to kill the monster and a handful of scientists who don't. Suddenly, there's another monster on the loose, as a result of an earthquake. The two behemoths have a showdown and they both die, the end.
What I learned about this movie was that the second monster was supposed to be Godzilla, but the filmmakers thought that was too hard to believe. Enter Generica, a nameless reptillian entity that sort of looks like a hybrid of Gamera and Godzilla and thrashes around like a puppy dog...or a man in a rubber suit. At any rate, it was actually kind of fun to watch. A human wrestling with a monster I think is more exciting than two guys in suits duking it out.
Next up: Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster.

Unfortunately, YouTube does not have all the clips required, so I didn't finish the proceeding film.
Troll from 1986 was on the 50 Worst list, which is why I went searching for it. I discovered some REALLY nice factoids, and I was rather having fun watching.
Okay, where to begin. The star power consists of June Lockhart, Michael Moriarty, Julia Louis-Dreyfus AAAAAAAND....Sonny Bono. So far, so good. Fraught with cheeseball 80's special effects and a singing mushroom (!) it mostly feels like a Gremlins ripoff. But fun, as I said, despite my inability to follow the plot.
Bonus: Noah Hathaway. If you're a child of the 80's, you know exactly who he is. Extra bonus: Guess what his character's name is?! I'll give you a hint, he's a VERY FAMOUS boy wizard! I SHIT THEE NOT!
I haven't had so much fun since Howard the Duck. :)

I got my hair cut at the beauty college yesterday and it's frigging PERFECT! Excessive attack of vanity on the horizon...

I love my new Van Halen greatest hits CD. Too bad I missed the 80's in my music taste development phase.

I can't believe Michael Jackson is dead. :(

I lost track of how many spiders I slaughtered. Somewhere over fifty right now.

Erm...that's it.

I got my ticket for the midnight show of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

:-D

Yeah...I finally got around to it.
OKAY, not like anyone who reads this needs Jason Voorhees 101, but here goes: Back when the very first movie came out, a young boy drowned in a lake because the counselors allegedly weren't watching him. Mommy found out and did some nice voodoo to bring him back to exact revenge. Hence the long string of sequels featuring kids going to camp and getting killed, having no knowledge of what went on.
Cut to present day dumbass teenagers doing dumbass things. Jason knocks them all out in about ten minutes, except one. This one's brother is searching for her and encounters yet ANOTHER group of college kids hanging out in a nice cabin in the vicinity of Camp Crystal Lake. You can fill in the rest.
Now, despite this being produced by Michael "Sound and fury signifying nothing" Bay and also being a remake, it was not bad...for a slasher film. I mean, how good can your average pick-em-off-one-by-one-psychokiller flick be?
Jason is not the slow-moving, mentally disturbed individual he once was. This guy is brilliant, determined, large and IN CHARGE. He is only programmed for revenge, and he is very good at it. Most of the deaths were really creative and definitely unexpected. The cinematographers employed this neat little trick where they set you up, let you off, and then scare the hell out of you in seconds. Very good technique, also not resorting to cliches. There were a few moments where I went, "Saw that coming!" but probably because I've seen so damn many slasher movies.
The look of the film overall was great--dark, but not too dark; excellent misleading camera angles; and a genuine atmosphere of terror. The viewer really gets a sense that Jason can show up anywhere, any time...the tension is right freaking there.
SUMMARY: Yeah, okay, I liked it. I had pretty low expectations, but then again, the old movies were hokey as all hell. It is a "very good" slasher flick. You might also be interested to know that this movie is the 13th in the entire series. Rated R for standard horror movie fodder: violence, sex, drugs, language, etc. 4 out of 5.

I reeeeeeally really hate my life.

I FOUND MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL!
I have been looking for MONTHS. $1.60 for a VHS copy at Goodwill, a place I have checked MANY times. I was looking along the clamshell VHS tapes and I had a real funny feeling that it was there.
Kiki is pleased. Oh yes.

My mom informed me that the county was laying people off. And she offered to drive me up to Bloomington to apply for some jobs in person.
I had one miserable fucking weekend. Friday night I went to bed at 2200 and just drifted in and out until I had to get up at 0820, feed my neighbor's cat, go shoot a softball game (delayed an HOUR so I only shot two innings, but I had the new guy with me) and then work at Blockbuster until 1600. I did okay, though. I slept quite a lot on Friday after work, actually.
I had originally liked the new guy we hired at the studio, but I don't anymore. Not that he's another douchebag, he's actually pretty nice, and I'm nice to him without effort. But I don't really like him.
Boy, am I in a bad mood. And I don't have a good reason for it, either. Nothing went wrong today. Except for that whole county-laying-people-off thing. I don't think that affects me...after all, when school starts up again, we definitely need four people to tape things. My mom just has this way of making things sound apocalyptically (?) bad. Like it's the end of the world for me because the county is laying people off and Blockbuster MIGHT file for bankruptcy. But that's the way she thinks...just way ahead of the next 24 hours, basically the polar opposite of me.
I had to buy a new belt for Blockbuster. Normally I hate wearing belts, and I just had this old faux-snakeskin thing that finally broke yesterday. So I bought two new ones from Wal-Mart because they were hanging together. One is silver and sparkly and the other is pink and has jewels on it. And you know what? I love them both. I wore the pink one today. I never liked wearing belts before. Weird.
Nothing else.

So I cleaned out my closet today.
I now have one completely empty dresser and a pile of empty hangers. Yup.
I can't believe how many pairs of jeans I bought when I was a size 14. What a waste.
I have mixed feelings about the procedure. I was very unhappy to discover that two of my favorite denim capris didn't fit anymore. But I did find a few cute jeans and capris that still worked. And some shirts that I just tossed aside and said, "What the hell was I thinking?"
It really sucks because since I have no social life, really all I wear are khaki pants and my work shirts. I mean, I sleep most of the day anyway, so I don't usually change out of my pajamas until I have to. Pathetic, I know.
I am determined not to let work ruin my summer. Even if I don't hang out with people much, I'm going to try and do different things every day. I have a whole list of movies to watch, books to read and journal activities to do. Plus some birthdays. :)
There are also some whole-day activities I have planned, like a Lord of the Rings marathon. And of course there's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in July. :-D
SOMEONE PLEASE FUCKING CALL ME THIS SUMMER.

I had a dream last night about my dog. It played out like a montage: walking him around the block, feeding him, playing with him. It was so real that as I was coming out of the montage I had to try really hard to convince myself he wasn't around anymore. And all of that came from looking at his picture on my profile. Sad, huh?
My dreams are getting weirder, though. The night before last I had another two-hour dream with credits at the end (the first one being the inspiration for my current horror-movie script). However, I didn't get to see the end because the character I was playing died before that. A small group of us had some kind of deadly plague that you could get just by touching. At first we were fine, but then we would all of a sudden get sick and worsen and then die. I dropped into a chair and stopped moving, and then some cats came up. I shoved the first one away, but the others kept coming and they nipped at me. I couldn't stop them, of course, because I was dead.
And that'll be it for now.

Using only song titles from ONE ARTIST, answer these questions. Pass it on to some people you like and include me. DO NOT repeat a song title (or else, what's the point?). Could be harder than you think.

Pick Your Artist: the Beatles! (duh)

Are you male or female: Girl

Describe yourself: Free As A Bird

How do you feel about yourself: I Am The Walrus (heh heh)

What are you looking forward to: Rain (sure, why not?)

Describe where you currently live: Penny Lane

If you could go anywhere: Magical Mystery Tour

Your favorite way to travel: Drive My Car

Your best friend is: Nowhere Man

Your favorite color is: Blackbird (well...not really...)

What's the weather like: Good Day Sunshine

Favorite time of day: Good Night

If your life were a TV show, what would it be called: Something

What is life to you: Misery

What is the best advice you have to give: Your Mother Should Know

If you could change your name, what would it be: Michelle

Your favorite food is: Strawberry Fields Forever

Thought for the Day: Tomorrow Never Knows

How I would like to die: Why Don't We Do It In The Road (ha ha!)

My soul's present condition: I'm So Tired


Gods, I love the Beatles, they've got a song for everything.

I love living here. Every time there's a thunderstorm, my subdivision gets absolutely HAMMERED. So awesome. :)
Wednesday night there was this crazy electrical storm, and when I saw it, I sat outside and watched it roll in. It was really cool. There were numerous lightning flashes first, then faint thunder that got louder and louder, then the wind and rain, like a tidal wave coming over my roof. It was intense for a time, then it gradually faded back out. I'd never done that before, watched a storm from beginning to end. I enjoyed it.
There's another one outside right now. :)

So remember that cute guy who used to work at the gas station? The one that left and I figured I wouldn't see him ever again?
He came into Blockbuster today. Almost freaking floored me, that's how surprised I was. He looked really good. We talked for a spell...I unfortunately have a PACKED weekend, so he said he'd call me on Monday.
Yeah. How awesome is that.
In other news, I hurt very very badly pretty much everywhere. I did five hours at Blockbuster and then I had to go shoot a soccer game. The problem I have with soccer games is that the camera is moving constantly for 40 minutes straight, so if I don't have a good position going for me, I'm totally screwed for that amount of time. And trust me, I did NOT have a good position going for me tonight. And I still had to tote a ton of equipment up and down two flights of stairs.
So I am going to watch One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and eat bagels and just not move for a while. Good night.

I fucking lost it again at the studio. Just once I'd like to do something to prove I'm not a stupid idiot. I screamed again while I was in my car, but not too badly.
I had to tape another concert tonight with the holy grail of disagreeable dinosaur cameras, and it was hot and I put it up too high and I hurt and the music sucked monkey balls, that's right I said it. Of course I had to try and not cry for the whole hour. Then someone came up to me after the show and said I did a good job. What he didn't know is that I couldn't get the damn camera to focus. So I cried again.
And now I'm thinking, okay, seriously, how drugged was I on my last few periods, because this is the worst one I've had in a while. Or how busy was I...sometimes when the first couple days are at Blockbuster I do all right. I think.
But it totally happened today the same way as yesterday. I was operating pretty well, calling my friends and wandering around and then TEENY LITTLE INCONSEQUENTIAL THING and bang, I'm off. GOD-DAMNIT. At least my crying didn't last as long tonight. Probably because I didn't have time to think about it.
Anyway, tomorrow I don't have any work. Then soccer, another concert and softball, which I actually enjoy. You know, I don't see the guys too much, really, so I don't know why everything matters so fucking much when I do see them. That didn't make any sense...I tried to word it a few different ways, but it didn't work.
I took another sleeping pill last night, but my entire body was fighting it all night and all morning. I'd start to feel my muscles relax and then my body would just jolt for no reason. I can't get comfortable on that stupid mattress.
On an unrelated note, I slayed EIGHT spiders today. EIGHT. They were pretty good-sized, too. The spray I have kinda sucks, they take forever to die. It's only entertaining for a short time. I miss the Hot Shot I had last year.
It occurred to me today that I can't remember the last really good time I had with friends.

Feeling a bit better. *sigh*
Okay...so I bought Wreck This Journal and have decided to dedicate a whole other LJ to it. In case anyone's interested, clicky: wreckmekiki
Personally, I like the username I picked out. :) I'll update it every time I do something with the journal. Enjoy.

I am in a very bad mood right now, but I am not going to rant...not about why I'm in a bad mood, anyway. How can having to deal with stupid mean people all the fucking time possibly be good for me, and why haven't I found another job?
And I was in such a fantastic mood earlier...completely out of nowhere. I had to tape a school board meeting tonight and they're boring but I really feel like I know those people. The school board president retired this year and everyone gave him a really nice send-off. Plus I had a nice dose of pretzels and blended coffee at Borders, I got paid on Friday and I bought Wreck This Journal, which I'll tell you about later.
And one LITTLE thing happens and I lose it. On a related note, I did start my period, so I account for the mood swings. I got in my car and screamed almost all the way home because I was so upset. What the hell, it worked for Lennon and Yoko.
And then this other dumb thing happened that pissed me off...I went into Walgreens trying to calm the fuck down and bought some PMS pills and I started to cry again right there in front of the cashier. She asked me if I was okay and I said I was...then the rest of the way home I was playing different scenarios in my head: She gets my info off my debit card and calls the police to find out where I live and make sure I don't kill myself. Geez, now that I wrote that down it sounds really stupid.
Then I got home, still crying, and there was a guy sitting outside the apartments next to mine talking on his cell phone. I couldn't see what he looked like, but as I kept crying, sure he could hear me, I played another scenario: He knocks to see if I'm okay, ends up being really really cute and something stems from it. Also really stupid...pretty much only happens in movies. And I was trying to think of someone I could call that would make me feel better, but the only one I could think of was Jon and he's usually in bed by about 2100.
And who the hell even stops to think when they see someone they don't know crying? I mean, really. People freak the hell out, okay, that is what happens, TRUST ME. They pretend they didn't see it. That person crying might be trying to lure me into a trap!
So of course I usually have pretty good control over that. I have to. You're not supposed to bring your shit to work. I'm twenty-fucking-five and I still cry like a goddamn baby and I just freak everyone out and I hate it. When does it stop?

'Twas midnight in the small abode. The components were released of their hold smoothly and without fail. Smeagol's VGA cord snaked gracefully toward its new home.
A thunderstorm had begun outdoors. As a bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the newcomer, Kiki hollered at the sky, "GIVE MY CREATION LIFE!" and laughed maniacally.
The single blue eye pulsed. The unit buzzed with activity. The monitor glowed with its unchanging resolution. As another lightning bolt appeared, Kiki gazed in awe at her startup screen. It asked for a name. With trademark dexterity, Kiki tapped:

FRANKENGOLLUM.

And she saw that it was good.

So I have a boyfriend now.

EDIT (midnight): Hoohoo, I gotcha! April Fools.