Goggles and Lace

So just in case there was anyone still reading this journal, I'm gonna scare you off with a post about Magic cards.

( But I'll at least have the decency to put it behind a cut. )

<3

-Jesse

I got a postcard in the mail today from Susannah and it absolutely made my day.

<3

-Jesse

Okay good news!

I've got the time off work, the tickets booked, the rides to and from the airports confirmed, and I am COMING BACK TO VANCOUVER!

My itinerary is filling up quickly, so book now! So far it looks something like this:

Tuesday, May 5: Arrive at Seattle airport at 8:15ish. Get picked up by demigod Craig, drive to Vancouver. Stay at Craig's probably because it will be late and I will be tired but maybe not if someone really wanted to see me bad?

Wednesday, May 6: OPEN BLOCK OF TIME? Potluck dinner at Craig's place that night. Staying somewhere, presumably?

Thursday, May 7: Lindsay and Kevin's wedding. Shit yhea, bitches. This is what I'm here for. Probably very little free time on this day. Dunno where I'd stay. Suze and Alex's?

Friday, May 8: Open morning, afternoon. Then: date with Laura! Exciting shit! Don't wait up.

Saturday, May 9: MAYHEM! Prolly most of the day, but I could easily make room for dinner or something on this day. Again, not sure where I'm staying this night.

Sunday, May 10: More Mayhem. Ditto Saturday.

Monday, May 11: This day is mostly open! Then, heading to Craig's place again for slumber party/travel prep.

Tuesday, May 12: Get up bright and early to fly home.

Anyway, I know there are probably too many people I need to see to see them all. This saddens me, but I will do my damnedest to fit everyone in! I know Lanie wanted to take me out to dinner at some point, which could happen on the weekend. I also want to try and get Chris to put holes in my face.

Also, anyone who can put me up could prolly convince me to make them breakfast!

God I'm so excited now.

<3

-Jesse

God, people have been ragging on high-fructose corn syrup for a while now but I always figured it was just sugar, so what's the big deal? Well-

"Quantities of mercury have been found in high fructose corn syrup, the ingredient that has replaced sugar in many of our processed foods. Reports have also come out that the FDA knew about traces of the toxic substance in food, and sat on the information."

Well, fuck. Looks like I'm drastically altering my diet again.

<3

-Jesse

As corny as this sounds, I'm finally letting myself dare to hope.

<3

-Jesse

I gots me a job! Finally. I went out to a job fair today and applied for a ton of shit and when I came home there was a message for me... from a company I interviewed at like three weeks ago. And I called them back and the guy was like "How soon can you start?" and I was like "How about Monday?" and it was settled.

So I'm glad that that shit is dealt with. The job is at a photo lab place, doing digital retouching of prom and graduation photos and the like. I imagine it will get tedious, but at least I don't have to think too hard about it, which will leave my precious mental processes free to think about getting an apartment and putting my business together. Only problem is that it's in Montague, which means I'll probably need to buy a car. :/

Okay, time to look at apartment listings on craigslist.

<3

-Jesse

Man no one updates their LJ on Sundays. Why is that? Sundays are the most boring days of the week, so everyone should have nothing better to do than post to LJ.

<3

-Jesse

So, I'm still feeling pretty vulnerable, but...

Jen came over today and we baked a quiche from scratch and it was delicious.

And so now I feel a ton better than I did yesterday.

<3

-Jesse

Me and Erin, we found ourselves a place. A place to live! And not to die. It is sweet. Also, it is a suite.

The address is 3440 Dieppe Dr, Vancouver, which is probably one of the easternmost houses in East Van because it sits RIGHT in front of Boundary. Beautiful neighborhood with a great view of the mountains. The place is a bit small, but EXTREMELY nice. The entire house is only about 4 months old, so everything is new. We're gonna be paying $900 a month, which includes all utilities, internet, and laundry! Pretty slick, no?

The landlord seems like a pretty chill guy. When Erin and I showed up and looked at the place, he seemed to like us for some reason (maybe because I go to SFU? He works there, but it still seems like a stretch) and when we said that we wanted it, he started blowing off other people who were checking it out. Someone called about the suite in the middle of our conversation and he told them to call back in 10 minutes. When they did, he simply ignored the call in favour of answering more of our questions. We knew we were golden as soon as he did so. A woman showed up shortly thereafter and he deflected her by getting her contact info, thanking her, and shooing her away. XD

Anyway, we got the place. We went to collect references and a damage deposit and reconvened with him a few hours later, where we signed the month-to-month agreement. So we've got the place! We're gonna move in at the beginning of May!

I'm fucking stoked!

Oh then to celebrate Erin and I went back to her place and ate pirogies and watched this sweet Japanese movie called "Versus." Deliciously cheesy, great action, fairly low-budget... it was a winner in my book.

Okay, now bed.

<3

-Jesse

"I've got an idea. Let's set Jesse on fire!"
"Okay."
"What do you think, Jesse? You up for it?"
"Uh... sure."

<3

-Jesse

My iTunes is dead. I can't start it up without freezing my computer, much less play any music with it. I've been looking for alternative programs today but I only found two for Mac. Songbird didn't work at all (I installed it, then tried to open it and nothing happened.) and VLC was a logistical nightmare that I couldn't tolerate.

Does anyone know of a good Mac-friendly media player, preferably a free download? Not having music is kinda making me crazy. Well, maybe that's the fever. But anyway, I'm sick and the silence of my room is just making that worse. Please help.

<3

-Jesse

You have to respect The Rapture. They're a determined bunch!

They've got to get down. And you know if they have to get down, they will.

Whatever it takes.

<3

-Jesse

So I'm planning on moving in May. Me and Erin are gonna get a place together. It'll be sweet!

There's just one problem: we both have very little furniture. Thus, we are on the hunt! We need:

-Shelves
-A couch of some sort
-Computer chairs x2
-A king or queen sized bed
-Maybe a dresser?
-A coffee table
-Some kind of dinner table, preferably with chairs.

So if any of you have any of this stuff you're looking to get rid of for cheap, or know someone who does, or find someone who does, let me know.

<3

-Jesse

ERASERHEAD.

It made me scream and cry uncontrollably because it was so horrifying.

Fuck David Lynch in his holes.

<3

-Jesse

This week I have been getting tons of free stuff for some reason.

On Tuesday, JJ, a dude I had only just met (he works for the SFSS), gave me a flexible rubber keyboard from Europe which he no longer wanted. I intend to mod it heavily into a steampunk keyboard. You know, sometime.

On Wednesday, Amy delivered into my hands Tillie's complete collection of Magic cards, which she was giving up. I found out about this through Mel while I was hanging out with her on Monday and was able to contact Amy in time to intercept the cards' trip to the Shelf of Reciprocity. Connections!

Just today, while visiting Teri briefly, she gave me a fuckton of awesome clothes, including a corset, which I have been desiring greatly. The corset was kind of crap because the plastic boning in it had become warped over time and stuck out in retarded bulges, but with some quick surgery I removed the offending bones and created a much more flattering shape.

( Pictures )

Hooray for free stuff!

<3

-Jesse

I'LL BE RUDE I'LL BE RUDE I'LL BE RUDE
I'LL BE RUDE I'LL BE RUDE I'LL BE RUDE
I'LL BE RUDE I'LL BE RUDE I'LL BE RUDE
ONLY WITH YOOOOOOUU
ONLY WITH YOU

FUCK YOU CFS AND DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT.

67 TO 33 BITCHES. FUCK YOUR CULTLIKE BROKEN ORGANIZATION. FUCK YOUR INVASIVE INTIMIDATING CAMPAIGN THAT COST TENS OF THOUSANDS OF OUR DOLLARS. FUCK YOUR LAWSUIT. MOST OF ALL, FUCK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ON A PERSONAL LEVEL. I HATE YOU ALL. FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, THE STUDENTS OF SFU ARE FREE FROM YOUR INSANE BULLSHIT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT YOU.

THE BEST PART OF THIS DAY, OTHER THAN HEARING THE FINAL TALLY, WAS BEING EVIL AND MEAN TO YOU FUCKS.

<3

-Jesse

Yhea, I'm ready to start editing. Actor folk would do well to tell me your availability for recording sound (sometime this weekend?) if you read this. If not, I'll just talk to you anyway.

SO! Hand-processing is something of a nightmare, but it's a nightmare I think I've managed to mount, even though there's no saddle or bridle. I want to use it again, for a specific film I have in mind, but I'm not 100% on when I'll be able to make that movie.

The roll I developed today came out a bit dark, but that'll contrast the washed-out look of the other roll nicely. There are some really neat things that this imperfect processing brings out! Sometimes they're really scary, which I ADORE.

The screening will be on April 8th, at some time, in Images Theatre. Everyone should come!

<3

-Jesse

The words I want to say to you
I can't
For I imagine
That you have heard them
Too often
And I would rather be misunderstood
Than be a cliché.

<3

-Jesse

Steampunk is the radical synthesis of disparate components, especially the antiquated with the modern or the familiar with the unfamiliar. In pop culture, the term is usually interpreted as a combination of fantasy and science fiction or as alternate history fiction where advanced technologies were available to civilizations of the past. This is only one small aspect of steampunk's potential, however, and viewing it as the complete definition of the term limits the possible discourse on and proliferation of steampunk concepts and media.

The term originates from the ubiquity of steam power in these stories and the subversive tendencies of their main characters, but I believe it can apply more broadly. "Steam" in my mind refers to the result of combining two vastly differing elements, fire and water; "Punk" refers to the subversive power of things that fit this idiom in general.

Why is steampunk subversive? Because it inherently flies in the face of the the status quo. Even if it is not explicitly speculative fiction, steampunk is based on a simple question: What if things were different? Whether it's a computer restyled in Victorian fashion, old samples remade into modern electronic music, or a fanciful history of the world's first robot, steampunk forces you to question society, culture, technology, and fashion. Most importantly, it doesn't offer answers to the questions it raises, which is a vital ingredient to creating a culture of questioning.

Most of all, I think, steampunk has an extremely appealing aesthetic. ;D

<3

-Jesse