[recent] [calendar] [beloved] [friends' friends] [profile]
Below are the most recent 20 friends' journal entries.
| Friday, December 25th, 2009 | ||
|
gregmce |
12:36p | High-Tech Christmas One of my Christmas traditions is that every year, I read James Joyce’s “The Dead” from Dubliners on Christmas Eve. This year, for the first time in about a decade, I ended up spending the evening at my parents’ house instead of going home to my own bed. So it was then that I realized I had left my copy of the book at home. But! Since I now have a Kindle (thanks to a deal I could not refuse!), all was not lost. I went onto the Kindle Store, found a free copy of Dubliners, and before I knew it I was spending Christmas Eve curled up in bed with Gabriel and Gretta Conroy. Christmas was saved, and the future is now. Sometimes, technology is awfully handy. [Originally published at gregmce.com. You can comment here or there.] |
| shakesis | 4:00p | Quote of the Day "God hates Lady Gaga. ... As much as she'd like to pretend otherwise, there's nothing new or different about this particular hussy's pretentious prancing. Does the simple slut truly think that she can change God's standards by seducing a generation of rebels into joining her in fist-raised, stiffnecked, hard-hearted rebellion against Him? Get real!"—The Westboro Baptist Church Clan (pdf), who are fixin' to "picket this sleazy God-hater" in January. Good times.  |
|
ellen_kushner |
11:34a | At the Breakfast Table: Wall-to-Wall Snark, with a side of toast This morning's haze of slightly carboned toast & melty cheese (well you can't get the cheese properly brown without risking the edges of the bread) enlivened by Delia's dramatic reading of A.O.Scott's NYTimes review of the new Holmes movie. Honest - I thought she was improvising when she said: "It seems that an evil aristocrat, executed for a series of murders, returns from the dead to mobilize an ancient secret society that he may have time-traveled into a Dan Brown novel to learn about. Doesn’t that sound fascinating? I thought not." You have to admit is sounds like her. And now, on to music: ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} sdn's FaceBook query a few weeks back re. people's most loathed Xmas song has had me brooding ever since. I realized I don't so much hate any particular song as hate certain musical styles. --OK, there are certain lyrics I really loathe - but you can also ruin a song I love by giving it an arrangement to match those other lyrics. I mean, I'd say something blanketty like: "I hate all Xmas songs written after 1895" - but in fact, there are a couple Victorian ones I could do without, and anything by Irving Berlin is fine by me - as long as it isn't sung by Frank Sinatra. I'm the wrong generation to enjoy Frank Sinatra. (And Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself: As I say, It's Complicated - and would require a lengthier and more thoughtful explication - with charts & texts & Be Specific, Give Examples - than I have time or inclination for here. And I like "The Little Drummer Boy." It's trad-friendly.) Anyhow, Arrangements: I was delighted to learn, this morning, that the right musical arrangement can redeem even the most abysmal song. This morning's edition of The Takeaway featured an interview with Twisted Sister members Dee Snider & Jay Jay French about their new album, Twisted Christmas. When the played the opening of the original of "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." I wanted to curl up and die - but when it kicked into Twisted Sister's version, I knew that was the way it was meant to sound! A delightful tune, really. You just have to put some heart & guts into the roasting bit. So you see, children, there is nothing that cannot be redeemed by art. (They also pointed out that the opening bars of "We're not Gonna Take It" are in fact "Adeste Fideles" - as poor Snider [or was it French?] kept pointing out: "Well, I am a classically trained counter-tenor with 19 years in church choir!" Bless his heart.) |
|
kylecassidy |
11:34a | Merry Gringle More to come, & gifts for some of y'alls. Have a swell day from me and [Bad username: Trillian_stars"] (Lj app for the iPhone needs a bit o' work) Posted via LiveJournal.app. |
|
wrenlet |
10:26a | Happy Friday!  see more Epic Fails *heehee* To those what celebrate today, and those what celebrated last week, and those what celebrate next month, and those what feel Friday is a good enough reason for celebration in itself. You make me feel loved, and that's the best gift of all. |
|
macosx [ macbpro ] |
11:17a | Mac Mini + Webcam + Snow Leopard = Problems? I have a friend who purchased a Mac Mini due to budget restraints, and would like to be able to use a web cam with it. However, he does not want to invest in the $800 cinema display. I looked online and found http://store.apple.com/us/product/TS665 Does anyone have this same situation, and if so what webcam are they using that would work with SL 10.6.2? Thanks and Happy Holidays. |
| slashdotorg | 4:06p | Jobs Finally "Happy" With Unannounced Apple Tablet All the rumors of an Apple tablet PC seem to be culminating in a flurry of rumors suggesting we may see one as soon as next month. Sources inside Apple are saying that Jobs is finally "happy" with the device after being involved in every detail of bringing the tablet into the light of day. As a side result of these rumors it seems that Apple stockholders are also getting a bit of Christmas cheer with a significant bump in stock price. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
|
|
ru_foto [ sidusdirum ] |
7:10p | |
|
recalcitranttoy |
11:08a | Happy Pope Tipping Day In what has become a strange tradition, the Vatican's Midnight Melee, starring last year's champion Pope Tipper, Susanna Maiolo, was again broadcast worldwide to adoring fans. As she was escorted from the scene by brightly colored Midnight Melee ushers, Maiolo was heard exlaiming "See you next year!" Given last year's absolution as a reward for her victory, it could indeed happen. Vatican officials shrugged off the notion that future Pontiffs be chosen with an eye towards untippability, however this reporter could not help but notice how many seminaries are now including mixed martial arts curriculae along with traditional fare. After a recent cage match at Boston College, priest to be Paddy O'Scrapper said this was more fun than hearing confession, and the new program would be certain to attract more young men to the priesthood. "Not only that, but it keeps us in great shape," O'Scrapper exclaimed. The Holy See also refused to comment on the rumor that the Pope has declared "We're Not Gonna Take It" as the official song of the papacy. "We will not reveal our strategy for next year," said a senior official who asked not to be identified. Clandestine video shot of the Pontiff with his personal trainer has been pulled from YouTube. Exercise equipment manufacturer Bowflex answered our inquiries about shipments to Vatican City with a terse "Even the Pope can have a Bowflex body." Current Mood:  amused |
| theonionfeed | 10:00a | Parent Mad 6-Year-Old Didn't Like Peanuts Special ROSE HILL, VA--Bruce Pillard, 34, was angered Tuesday over his 6-year-old daughter's indifferent reaction to A Charlie Brown Christmas. "That show is a classic and an annual tradition!" an incensed Pillard told daughter Courtney after watching the program on CBS. "It is not 'boring,' and the voices do not sound 'weird.' What the hell is wrong with you?" Courtney was then sent to her room for the remainder of the evening.
|
|
ru_foto [ dementievskiy ] |
7:00p | |
|
ru_foto [ timofeev_m ] |
6:00p | |
|
eisoj5 |
8:53a | ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} yuletideSince the server is being HAMMERED over there and I have yet to be able to even see what the commenting form looks like, let me just quickly say: I HAVE INDIANA JONES FIC AND IT IS ARCHAEOLOGICAL. :D :D :D :D :D I will leave a better comment later, when comments are easily posted!!' (Also, I have two treats waiting for me in Yuletide Madness. I am very pleasantly surprised by this!!) |
| shakesis | 3:00p | |
|
ru_foto [ a_shy ] |
6:49p | |
|
photographers [ ludovikxiv ] |
5:44p | |
|
ru_foto [ ludovikxiv ] |
5:43p | |
|
ru_foto [ nizami ] |
6:44p | |
|
dewline |
10:42a | On the morning of the Day... Strangely, I don't feel too much melancholy on this particular anniversary. I do feel some amusement at some of the stories and images shared so far. Take this one. We may be seeing more pop culture depictions of Saint Nicholas under his multiplicity of aliases along such lines in the years and decades to come. Or this one about the dietary habits of New Brunswick's squirrel population. That's got to be one of the more painful dietary modifications of the habits of Canadian wildlife I've read of in recent years. *winces in sympathy* Also, heartened by this one more local in scope on animal adoptions. Good in particular to see the due diligence being carried out beforehand. Oh, and in case anyone's wondering: assorted clothes, proper hangers to store them in the closet, and copies of Extreme Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean and The Age of Persuasion by Terry O'Reilly and Mike Tennant. CBC Radio shows gone to print editions, yes, the both of them. Worth your time, both. And that's the under-the-tree tally so far. Be well, one and all... |
|
dwicons [ csiyiota ] |
5:35p | 30 Tenth/Rose Icons All season 2... credit csiyiota , of course :D | don't steal, redistribute, edit or hotlink | comments are love Preview:    Allons-y! Current Mood:  giggly |
