HP filkiness: TTTO "White Rabbit"

Da Bird had a filk bunny. I proceeded to play with it, with the following (beta version) results:

One spell makes you shiver
And one spell makes you fall
But the spells that Hogwarts gives you
don't do anything at all
Go ask Albus
if you are just small

And if you go
chasing white-masks
but you can't beat them all
Tell 'em a naughty Dark Arts teacher
Has made you heed the call
Call Albus
he'll fix it all

When the prophecies and portents
they tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of potion
and your mind is moving low
Go ask Albus
I think he'll know

When loyalty and bloodlines
have crossed, and allies fled
And the Seer's talking Riddles
And the Dark Lord's 'Off with his head'
Remember
what the Dursleys said
You are dead
You are dead

Freewill of the Week (people keep poking me about these...)

Gemini Horoscope for week of April 28, 2005
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/gemini.html
(May 21-June 20)
A lot of antifreeze tastes sweet even though it's toxic. That's a big problem for dogs and children, who sometimes come upon spilled or open containers of antifreeze and drink it. New Mexico is one of the first places in the world to pass a law making it mandatory for antifreeze to be bitter-tasting, thus discouraging innocents from imbibing it. This should serve as a metaphor for you in the coming week, Gemini. Your inner child or inner pet may be drawn to ingesting experiences that are delectable but noxious. Have your inner adult take steps to ensure this won't happen.

Looks like a timely reminder about religion, among (likely) other things. If you try to compress a chaote into a control freak, this results in Bad Things happening.

Cancer Horoscope for week of April 28, 2005
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/cancer.html
(June 21-July 22)
I won't protest if you resort to some outrageous showmanship to boost your cause, Cancerian. I won't judge you harshly if you try to walk the fine line between creative storytelling and over-the-top BS. Just make sure that you're always motivated more by fun and idealism than by self-aggrandizement. It's time to use all your tricks and call on all the favors you're owed as you sell your self without selling your soul.

Wuh-oh, are there job interviews forthcoming? Maybe?

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of April 28, 2005
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/sagittarius.html
(November 22-December 21)
You're entering into the thick of the problem-solving phase of your astrological cycle, Sagittarius. Your dilemmas are probably heating up, becoming more frustrating and time-consuming. What's more important to know, however, is that you now have a heightened power to fix those dilemmas. In fact, I predict that soon after reading this horoscope, you'll find you have access to unprecedented levels of wild but disciplined determination. As you go about your work, keep in mind Buckminster Fuller's standard for measuring his effectiveness: "When I am working on a problem," he said, "I never think about beauty. I think only of how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong."

Noted, and I'll pass that along the next time we speak.

Active...

http://www.moveonpac.org/pac/event/events/event.html?event_id=630

I'm thinking that perhaps I'll be a little late to my writing group tonight, if all goes as planned.

Bus information to there ( Read more... )

Bus information for back again: ( Read more... )

Figment and I have come to the agreement that we can't talk politics for too long before we have to start talking about Kermit the Frog's presidential campaign. I'm a general liberal, he's a general conservative, and we came to the conclusion together that John Kerry would have done a lot better running on a campaign of "I'm a pompous ass but I can get the job done," rather than "I'm really just a regular guy, even though I come off as a pompous ass." I was polite and did not talk about any Bush but my own, and even that was given a general miss given that I'm not married to him and it wouldn't be proper.

We also talked about cream-pie politics, and how liberals don't tend to get cream-pied by protesters. I suggested that it would be a decent publicity stunt, for a liberal to hire an enthusiastic supporter to pie them, and then react to it gracefully in contrast to people getting all overwrought about being pied. (Figment claimed that he, himself, could actually not be a conservative, because conservatives are not supposed to have a sense of humor, and that sparked the discussion.)

In any case, he and I should never talk politics over the phone, because he will not see my face, and he will miss the obvious danger signs like my lips tightening, my fists clenching, and me shutting the hell up; he'll only clue in when I pull out the big Clue Bat in the form of the topic change to Kermit the Frog. We've agreed that this is best.

Sith, Revenge Of (and Darkside)

I got to talk to Darkside on Sunday. We talked for a good 45 minutes. He got to overhear Figment in the background. Darkside's been sick lately.

Phones came up, and movies.

Hashing out of phone situations was helpful -- as I'd assumed-from-last-conversations-on-the-topic, his cellphone is essentially for emergencies only as far as incoming calls go, in his preferred use pattern. Weeknights are still out as far as conversation goes. Bedtime is 9 pm. He has to get up early to commute to work, halfway across town, and this is Phoenix we're talking about, and rush hour is dire, so he has to be up by at least 5, and he's got sleep issues. Communications with him are ... limited. What would be a few days' discussion with a normal person takes a few weeks to hash out with him. We operate in a time warp all our own. It takes most people some time to get used to the idea that I speak to him on the weekends, and on the weekends only, and there will be no communication happening between those times, so to ask for any updates on anything pending with him multiple times during the week is futile.

Movies: he actually isn't interested in the Hitchhiker's Guide (blasphemy!) but is interested in Revenge of the Sith. Negotiations on Revenge of the Sith were therefore opened; he refused to make any promises about same because of his upcoming jury duty.

I always phrase it like that, negotiations opened, when planning a movie date appointment with him. It's very much a negotiating process rather than the usual process of planning an outing with any other friend of mine. Darkside has an obnoxious schedule; when that's coupled with intermittent transportation problems, family obligations, pre-existing or pre-emptive other appointments, and a general introversion, it's very difficult for anyone to get any time with him. I'm lucky to even score the regular weekend phone appointments (even though I mostly take those for granted).

We'll see how negotiations go. I may wind up planning for best-case-scenario and then making preparations for same given his sign-off on the matter, with the understanding that this is best-case-scenario (or even going with a "likeliest" scenario, more likely) with alternate plans in case of worst-case. This is the sort of thing where one needs to plan at least two weeks ahead, if not four, and we're down to about three right now, yet he won't know until about nine days beforehand if he's even got a prayer of making it.

Best-case, I'd like opening night, with the other freaks. [A comment was made about a week ago about Star Wars opening night by someone non-fen, non-geek; I'm still bristling from that one. I may look normal enough to pass, but those are my people. You just don't trash-talk my homies. Trying to explain it makes it worse. ] Likely-case, perhaps opening weekend on Sunday afternoon. Worst-case, and I've tickets reserved beforehand, and he can't make it but I can, I give a small gift to an unsuspecting random person, either friend or just a stranger right there at the theatre. Figment's now my default backup for escorts, it seems...

Fwd: Guide Dog Aunt sends me these.

I've seen this particular list before. #3 is still my all-time favorite. ( 10 Euphemisms for "Your Zipper is Down..."  )

Modern procedure for healing black eyes (adult)( Read more... )

"As I've Matured..." (life lessons) ( Read more... )

(no subject)

Not enough sleep, so no protest for me! Alas.

Linky linky

The 15-Minute Man (comedy, biology, Xander moment)

The Mysteries of Porno (text, NSFW)

What to do/not do for chronically ill friends (discussion, advice)

Hee, hee.

V brought chocolates with, so I had to look up Crunchy Frog. (Warning: Python, disgusting choccy ingredients.)

We're having an interesting writing group. V turned 50. We're at Cafe Fiat tonight.

Techie Bits

Madam Twi'lek from freshstartwrite is in need of a new computer, one that's got a modern OS, a modern version of MS Word, Photoshop, and basic internet connectivity. easalle is plotting to have her husband go shopping with Madam Twi'lek very soon. Whee! Computers!

If Darkside isn't going to be using Tigereye, I may reclaim her from him soon, so that I can have computers set up here in the fashion to which I am accustomed. I would also like a new monitor.

Figment's car is under repair, and will be down for the better part of a month. Figment has gotten a bus pass. He and I won't be seeing as much of each other as we are used to because of this.

Firefox seems to be behaving itself now with links in frames. I think it was a bad patch to my tabbed browser extensions that was breaking it; this latest update seems to be doing very well indeed. I'm glad, because that was getting very tedious. I don't like unstable products.

My Tower of Doom by the computer desk has been updated with the phone books. This is a handy place for them, as they're right by the phone, and out of the way where I won't step on them.

I love the fact that the stove has its own built-in timer. I think I use the timer more than I use the stove. I use the timer on laundry, to make sure I get it swapped over when it's done. It's really convenient.

This is going to be a hectic week for me at work; I really need to start digging up my schedule book and writing the stuff I need to do in there rather than just relying on memory and paper and whiteboards. I really want an electronic whiteboard that I can enter stuff into so it'll display it where I can see it constantly, a whiteboard that'll synch up with online address/date/memo book and PDA. Speaking of PDA, I need to dig up AzureBlue and see if she can't be convinced to work again. Yay, technology.

I also need to set up my printer. I have a really nice printer. I just need to find my cables.