I am returned¹ in glory... to judge the living and the dying.

In honour of ... erm... me², I shall bestow gifts and munificence upon my flock.

This year, the gifts will be piercings³.

Simply request a piercing during the feast of St. Mathias, and if it's sufficiently entertaining, dangerous or just downright obscene, and I will bestow it upon you.

Runners up will be given, as consolation prizes, holy piercings that have been removed from my very own body.

---

Poll #1187625
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

I would like this piercing:

I would like it to be made out of:

Anything else?

1 - From Leipzig, not the grave
2 - See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Matthias
3 - In previous years gifts have been arc welders, nailguns.

Happy birthday Ronja!

My little girl is one year old today. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. She's a little snuffly at the moment, but getting better. She got a really runny nose on my birthday, on Sunday she then had a fever as well, poor little thing. Monday the temperature dropped to normal and while she was still snuffly, she didn't have the terrible runny nose. However, they have also been here welding somthing on the balconies above, so we haven't been able to have her sleeping outside like she usually does, which means she's slept very little the last few days, we're talking 40-50 mins compared to 2-3 hours normally. That combined with stil not being all well has resulted in a more whiny and clingy baby, today she seems to be sleeping (fingers crossed), so far she's had almost 2 and a half hours.

Oh, and thanks for the card steeps, it's lovely. :)

The weather has turned cooler again, especially nights are down to only a few degrees +. Not very nice at all. I want my summer back. Going to be busy baking and tidying the next few days. (Birthday party on Sunday) *sigh* I love baking, althogh it's easier when you can do it without trying to time it around a little one sleeping and eating and such, but I absolutely hate tidying (but I do like having a tidy house, unfortunately it seems I'm the only one who cares about such things here). Ronja is being vaccinated tomorrow, MMR + chicken pox, so I guess we can expect more crankiness and fever (although they say that won't come for at least a week or so) .

Hey everyone.

I'm a 27 year old Scottish female who'd like to share my MK friends code with fellow racers.

Being in Scotland/UK I'm on GMT time and am usually on in either the afternoon, evening or night so I'm likely to catch most of you at some point.

My friends code is: 5370 0759 1444

Leave me a comment here if you add me and I'll add you back. I've already added most of you I think so take a look at the list under the cut below to check if I have added you.

( friends codes already added )

Yay! My iontophoresis machine has just arrived. This might just mean that for the first time in my life I'll be able to behave like a normal person. I'll be able to shake hands with people at work without embarrassment, hold hands with my loved one, read a book without making the pages soggy and yellow, sign things without smudging it, wear shoes without socks without always getting blisters and not have to have one towel on my lap and another on the floor every day at work. And as a bonus I might not get pompholyx, with its crazy-driving itchy blisters, every summer either.

I can't wait to try it. But I have to use it days 1,2,4,7,and 10 initially, so I have to wait until after the SCA event this weekend.

I am so excited about our trip to Brittany and Normandy next week. :-) The weather is getting warmer and has been 18 to 20 degrees there. There has been some rain.

I don't know what I am more excited about – visiting Brittany or visiting the D-Day beach of Omaha. One thing I wish I had was more time in Normandy, but I also want to spend time in Brittany, so I am very happy with both.

Our first visit will be to Clos Luce Manor, where Leonardo spent his last years. It looks like a nice place to visit and we will go there when we arrive in France. kevinrtaylor has been there before and he thinks I will enjoy it. :-)

We arrive very early in the morning, so we will be spending the night at Heathrow in a hotel near there. I think our flight is something like 7:30AM from the dreaded Terminal 5!!!!

Then it's off to Brittany for a week. I don't have a lot "planned" as we are going to just see what we want when we want. I want to see Carnac and Gavrinis and there are some churches that kevinrtaylor wants to show me. Also we plan to visit some chateaus.

On the way back from Brittany to Paris we will go through Normandy and I want to visit the Bayeux tapestry and the Omaha beach site.

Right now I am downloading information about the cemeteries, museums and sites I might want to see and so far I have the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, Clos Luce, the Memorial Museum to the Battle of Normandy and the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. I have opening times, prices and directions for all of these. We also need info on some of the chateaus we might visit.

None of these are "necessary" and we will visit what we feel like visiting. :-)

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd be touring military museums, battlefields and cemeteries of WWII.

I can't wait to try the local cider, calvados (apple brandy), seafood and some nice cheese. :-) Most of all, I want some alone time with my wonderful hubby, :-)

A sign has appeared in the kitchen at work:

By length, weight or colour?
Alphabetically by first name?

The Edge of Love     17 MB
The passion and pathos of legendary poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys) is told through the lives of two extraordinary women. Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley) and Dylan were each other's first loves who feel the thunderbolt once more when they unexpectedly meet in London ten years later. Caitlin (Sienna Miller) is his adventurous wife, wily at using her beauty and always up for a bit of fun. Despite their love-rival status, the women form a surprising friendship - and though bombs rain down on London, the trio indulge in the glory of being young, and alive. When Vera meets and marries handsome Officer William Killick (Cillian Murphy), Dylan resents his trio becoming a foursome - and Caitlin notes it. Directed by John Maybury (Love Is the Devil, The Jacket). Lisa Stansfield also turns up on the cast list. Yes, that Lisa Stansfield.
I'm having a few Atonement flashbacks here. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona     14 MB
A first, music-only trailer (which is always interesting) for Woody Allen's latest movie. After his last few movies were set in England he now made a stop in Barcelona which is the setting for the romantic adventures of Vicky and Cristina. These two young Americans spend a summer in Spain and meet a flamboyant artist (Javier Bardem) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Penélope Cruz). Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a sexually adventurous free spirit. When they all become amorously entangled, the results are both hilarious and harrowing. Patricia Clarkson is also part of the cast.
While there's no dialogue in the trailer there sure is a lot of snogging going on. I'm sure Bardem needed a lot of convincing to take this role. Movie will be screened out-of-competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Cannes 2008     Program .pdf
Speaking of Cannes, the festival opens today with the premiere of Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles' new movie Blindness. Also taking part in the competition are the mystery thriller Changeling directed by Clint Eastwood, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's first directorial effort Synecdoche, New York, Steven Soderbergh presents his two movies about Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Wim Wenders The Palermo Shooting.
Since in recent years a lot of the movies that premiered in Cannes later turned up on the Oscar short-list the whole program might be worth a look. The link above leads to a pdf file that contains all information. And here's a long article about this year's festival from Salon.com.

The Human Contract     18 MB
Erotic thriller about a successful corporate type (Jason Clarke) harbouring a deep, dark secret who befriends a free-spirited stranger (Paz Vega) who encourages him to ditch his stuffy lifestyle and live life in reckless abandon. Idris Elba, Ted Danson, Joanna Cassidy are also part of the cast. Directorial debut and also written by Jada Pinkett Smith.
While Paz Vega is obviously infinitely more attractive I sadly pick up a slight Basic Instinct 2 (or the more recent Deception) vibe.

Journey to the Center of the Earth     HD480p 34MB   HD720p 101MB
A second trailer for this family action-adventure about a science professor (Brendan Fraser) who, together with some kids, when on an expedition in Iceland, stumbles upon a major discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey deep beneath the Earth's surface, where they travel through never-before-seen worlds and encounter a variety of unusual creatures.

Further to the below entry, the press are looking for more examples of forced take down of fan fiction, products etc. they're excited by the Dr Who knitting wars!!

Anyone got any fun examples or good websites to point to?
NOT the JK Rowling court case - i know about that one already :)

This is a chance for all you slash types to take a stand!!

EDIT: UK examples preferred please.

Offered without comment: http://www.nikkoamerica.com/nhe/dvd_projector_video.html

Breathe in... Breathe out.. Right

Firstly, please could people text me their numbers to my Singapore mobile as most of those I have are stale (or missing following a sync incident). Oops

Secondly, plans for some of the evenings:

• Wednesday 21 - Garlic 'n' Shots, from 20:00-ish. Join us?
• Thursday 22 - patsy_social
• Friday 23 - Betty Ford Clinic Something Gothy
• Saturday 24 - Off to Cambridge, possibly Screaming Banshee Aircrew @ The Barfly in the evening
• Sunday 25 - Lazy (late) afternoon in a London pub, maybe in Hampstead

Thirdly, expecting to be in London from Tuesday through Friday daytimes and the public holiday. Looking to visit the National Gallery, Tate Modern and Tate Britain plus go "Oooh" from the London Eye - having recently been on the Singapore Flyer

Last night I had a visit from two guys offering me a free trial of the Daily Mail.
Can we say AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!?

29. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

I wasn't expecting another Kavalier and Clay, which is just as well - this is quite different: a plot-driven, hard-boiled Chandleresque thriller set in the present day in an alternate world where Israel didn't come to be, and the Jews have a temporary homeland on Sitka Island, Alaska. But the 60-year lease on the island is up, the Americans want it back, and a potential Messiah has been murdered. Enter Detective Meyer Landsman, divorced, alcohol-dependent, cynical, and his loyal sidekick Berko Shemets. Chabon doesn't avoid the gumshoe clichés, but re-casts them in a half-invented Yiddish argot, transplanting them to a Jewish milieu where they take on a mythic, Old Testament sheen. Sitka feels very real - a Jewish society that never was, that has evolved in isolation, and, in the absence of natural enemies, factionalises and begins to destroy itself from within.

This is an alternate history that is more than just a what-if? scenario, a cruel dissection of the Jewish people's psyche. Not being Jewish myself, I can't say how fair or accurate it might be!

It's a cracking, page-turner of a story, and the witty, punchy dialogue a pleasure to read.

I'm loving the new series of Doctor Who but ( Spoiler Warning )

I mentioned to X a while ago that after an election campaign, particularly an on-the-day operation, I dream about campaigning. He looked horrified, but it's true. Even after Sittingbourne, I dreamed about knocking up. After Bromley, I dreamed about campaigning for a solid week. At the last General Election, I regularly dreamed, before and after, about endlessly delivering my own ward, and I had something similar at the last council elections.

Last night, I experienced a whole new wrinkle to this. I'm not going to Crewe (out of the country), and I doubt I'll make Henley (out of the country/President's Dinner). And yet, last night I dreamed about Dibley Central, and even populated it with the right people (most of whom I know by sight, even if they don't know me), and dreamed about going campaigning.

I. Am. Appalled.

So you and your friends are over for a night of fun karting and mayhem, when the unthinkable happens... Your friend selects your favorite character from the roster and now you can't kick their butts with grace because you aren't using your star character! And the dang Wii jacket surrounding your wii remote will only bounce off their chubby little head instead of smacking them with the hard plastic...

( What is one to do!?! )

This technically isn't a save file altering trick, so you shouldn't have problems with your save files if you do this. BUT as with any non-standard-gameplay operation, please use this with caution!! Any questions and comments are welcome for discussion!

Dear Enid Olde Lady,

I so adore you and I'm glad I rescued you from certain death and took you home to live with me. I have one request, though: Please stop peeing on stuff. I know you're a good kitty, you love lap cruising when the roomies and I are sitting around, you don't freak out and attack us, but the peeing has got to stop. I'm not sure what your issue is with the bed in the guest room, but that's not your litter box and neither is the rug in the band room. I love you dearly and I wish I could spend all my days just cuddling you, but please keep your waste limited to the litter box.

Your loving mommy,
A.

Poll #1187413 Wii_SmashOnline or Wii_KartOnline?
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Which Community Will Hit 300 First?

Just a fun little poll to see if the future can be predicted~ ;D

- hikarisenshi

Dear Lyric and Lyre,

Welcome to the family! I know you're still a bit scared of me since I just adopted you today, but I promise I'm not trying to scare you. Give me a chance, and I promise to give you your space while you get used to a new place. And about locking you in the bathroom while I went to work - that is not going to continue forever, hopefully not for long at all. However the first several times you explore my apartment I want to be with you, not stuck at work. I have a day off on Friday. After that we'll see if I still the need to put you in there a bit longer or not. I did provide you with a bed, toys, food, water, and a litter box in the bathroom though. It can't be that bad in there.

To Lyre specifically: you seem a lot braver than your sister, and you let me pet you more. Please tell her it's okay to come out of hiding, and that she doesn't have to jump every time I reach my hand out.

I love both of you, and I am thrilled to have cats living with me again.
-Your Food Provider

Oscar!
Stop biting your brother on the butt! The vet was not amused!
<3
Mum

I know you are concerned about burying your business in the litter box but why be so much more concerned about it at 3 in the morning? You woke me up with all that scratching!

No love right now
Foster mummy

I keep having this issue but forget to ask for help, mainly because it's kind of hard to explain:

Here I have a sidebar div and a text/content div, both within a container div, and then a footer div outside the container (here's the CSS). The sidebar div is set to "float: left", the text div is not positioned, and the footer div is set to "clear: both". The issue appears when the height of the text div is less than the height of the sidebar div - then the footer jumps up to match the height of the text div as opposed to the sidebar div. I've worked around it by setting a height for the sidebar, but then I have to manually change that every time the sidebar's height changes.

I have the same issue on another site where the sidebar div (float:left) and the content div (not defined) are within a container div, and the footer div (clear:both) is outside it, except here the footer stays below the sidebar but the defined background of the content div jumps up to match the height of the content div as opposed to the sidebar's, which led me to believe that it's not the footer being outside the container that's the problem.

...I hope that made at least some sense, I can try to clarify if it didn't. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Cut cause you probably don't care ( Read more... )

Interesting to think that the below picture is expected to set a record for any work by a living artist when it goes up for auction Tuesday night.


"Benefits Supervisor Sleeping" depicts Sue Tilley lying on a worn-out couch.

Updated 14May08 The 1995 portrait, titled Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, sold for $33.6m (£17.2m) at Christie's in New York.

Today I learned that I do, in fact, have a brain.

When I was having the Migraine of Doom, it got to the point where my GP referred me to a neurologist, who did various tests and concluded that it was, most likely, a Migraine of Doom. He did mention that he was going to discuss it with a superior to see if any further tests were appropriate, but felt it wasn't likely.

Imagine my surprise when, the following week, a letter popped through the letterbox containing an appointment for an MRI scan (aka a Brain Scan to we mere mortals). Today I had that scan.

I had to make sure that metal was removed from my person, which meant taking out all the piercings. I also made sure not to wear a bra, and to stick to leggings and a T-shirt - a tactic which saved me the humiliation of the hospital gown. They confirmed the answers I had given on my screening form, and took me into the room, which looked exactly like you'd expect, with the gleaming white machine centre stage, and its High Priestesses secluded behind glass in the next room. It had been suggested that I bring a CD to listen to, and I had to ask them to fetch it from autopope in the waiting room. I hadn't been able to find the CD of Ultravox's Rage in Eden, so I opted for Moi dix Mois' Dixnadu instead.

I had to lie on a trolley, with a cushion below my knees, and headphones (with plastic tubing instead of cables!) were placed around my head, before a white plastic cage thing was put over my face (not tight or anything). I was then wheeled head first into the doughnut hole mouth of the machine, and then the trolley was raised until it seemed my face was almost touching the ceiling. My arms were positioned, and some kind of padding put into place to give something resembling comfort. The inside was lit, and brightly so, and I decided to close my eyes, think of Mana, and attempt relaxation.

Words of explanation were said, and my music came on. Because it was coming through air, not copper, it sounded like I was underwater, or maybe listening to it via a tin can and a bit of string. The bass was non-existent. The machine shuddered into life, and it was remarkably loud. This masterpiece of shiny modern technology sounded like the digestive system of a metal-shredding robot with indigestion. Every so often, the music would stop and a distant voice would tell me that the next part would take a particular length of time. Each time, the noise varied. At one point it added a rhythmic bassline, to replace the one that had got lost in the tubes, except it was taken from something by Rammstein. At other times, Einstürzende Neubauten popped in to join in the jam session and the whole machine seemed to shake.

And then, after about 20 minutes, it was done, but fluffcthulhu will have to wait about 2 weeks.

ETA: And whilst I've been able to get my nose ring back in again, I can't get the ball to fit in the gap. Bugger.