sagawizard

saveferrets @ 6:03am: Wait a minute while I put on my Tim Russert fat-suit (when did he get so bloated, anyway?)....
Since tonysalieri is predicting the course of the general election, I thought I'd throw in my own slightly more detailed version of events.


It will be Obama vs. McCain. However, Clinton's people are going to keep pressing her convoluted case through the end of the primary season. It will be based on such nonsensical logistics as the Florida and Michigan popular vote totals (despite the fact that caucus "popular vote" totals are ESTIMATES, usually underreported), the results of the Puerto Rico primary, and the fact that she wins the states that Democrats win anyway (ignoring, in true Clinton self-contradictory fashion, the fact that he wins by wide margins in states they NEVER win). She will take it as far as possible to try to force her way onto the ticket, which will put off more and more people as time goes on. The longer she stays in, the more destructive she is to the Democrats (also, the more Pepto-Bismol I need to buy, because that bitch makes me want to puke every time I see her on my television).

Obama will emerge from the convention and give a keynote speech that puts him ahead. His running mate WON'T be Clinton (the party insiders are finally waking up to the fact that the Clinton reputation does to the Democrats exactly what the Bush reputation does to the Republicans); if it is, the "dream ticket" will lose... badly. He'll pick someone else with real balance. Meanwhile, the Republican convention will be dull, although watch out for a last minute surprise from Ron Paul supporters (no, not me -- and I probably should take that sign out of my window...), who will finally get a small amount of coverage now that it won't actually help them any. McCain's running mate is almost certainly Mitt Romney, or maybe Mike Huckabee.

In the general, it will come down to the electoral college again, with McCain winning electoral votes but Obama winning popular votes (if Clinton gets the nomination there will be almost NO black turnout, and that part of the Democrats' jumbled coalition will be lost for a generation). The map will also look different, too, with McCain making inroads in the northeast and Obama making some headway down south.

Oh, and what the hell, the Red Sox will defeat the Diamondbacks in another World Series romp, making everyone in Massachusetts feel sort of bad for McCain (Arizona senator) and proud of his running mate Romney (former MA governer), and so mad that Obama got the nod over Clinton, that Massachusetts will go for the Republican in a fit of collective hysteria.

(There, now everyone has SOMETHING in my predictions they will like, heh!)

morgi @ 12:02pm: Dreams
I had a really strange dream last night--we were fighting World War II again, and my grandfather was in the war, and somehow both grandparents ended up killed. I think. I remember gathering around the kitchen counter in their house with my family and crying a lot. Then Gram was a ghost, and we were at Brandeis, where classrooms had wheelchair-accessible areas that were just big square cellar-like rooms dug on one side of a regular room, with a ramp in between. Anyway, if you pissed ghost-Gram off, she could sort of inadvertently kill you--the normal whitish ghost-glow would become black and she would drain your life. I was trying desperately to protect a friend who had done something stupid and upset her. It was very, very strange.

I have a whole chicken cooking in the Crock-Pot (a variation of Crazy Aunt Purl's turkey breast in the crock-pot for dinner tonight--some homemade stuffing and mashed potatoes to go with it, and we have dinner. I hope. I don't use the slow cooker much so I'm not especially good with it.

tonysalieri @ 4:42pm: Going Out On A Political Limb
I am going to write this down so that I have some sort of record of what happens now vs. six months from now:

I predict it will be Obama vs. McCain in the GE.

I predict that if Obama and Clinton join a ticket together (ha), then they might be able to win. Although I'm still not sure what the right VP might be able to do for him; Hillary might be more of a liability than an asset vs. the GOP.

I predict that despite McCain's many, many current flaws, he will win the election, but it will be another Kerry vs. Bush squeaker. I just don't think at this point that Obama is going to be able to shake the "elitist" label that has clung to him, and like it or not, that has been the kiss of death for Democrats running in the Presidential race for decades now. It's all about image, and not the issues anymore, sadly.

I predict that despite losing the White House to the GOP, the Dems will continue to absolutely destroy the GOP in the down ticket races, and take over enough of the Senate and the House to make President McCain's life very difficult. Indeed, if I were Lieberman, I would be enjoying the last four years I had left in your Senate job. He sure as hell aren't going to get another six, and he's about to be marginalized very soon.

Should be interesting to see how right (or wrong) I'll be!

-TS

jesshartley @ 6:18am: In which we seek advice and aid...
I'm in a bit of a pickle.

I've been asked to be a Guest of Honor at the biggest Canadian Anime convention (which is also in the top three North American Anime Conventions) - Anime North.

However, I don't yet have a passport.

They just asked me last night, and the con is in two weeks (Memorial Day Weekend). My research shows no reliable way to assure I can get a passport in two weeks, even if I wasn't on my way out the door to go to another convention (which I won't be back from until Monday, making it a week and a half turn around time.)

I'm exploring options. The TSA/Homeland Security website says that at this point US Citizens can travel back and forth by air with /either/ a passport /or/ a valid state driver's license and certified copy of US Birth Certificate. I have my ID and BC, /but/ at least the first airline I called said I /needed/ a passport (regardless of the HS rules. However, it was 10pm here and I was speaking to someone who was obviously not a native English speaker, so I'm going to check more later.

It is, however, pretty clear that to cross the border by /land/ is fine with ID and BC. However, it's a 2 hour drive from the nearest US airport (which I think is Buffalo, NY) into Toronto.

So, I'm asking - are any of my Buffalo area friends going to Anime North? If I made arrangements to fly into Buffalo, could I hitch a ride with someone to the con and get a ride back to the airport in Buffalo? I would be happy to help with gas money, etc.

Alternately, does anyone know of an airline that /definitely/ allows US citizens to fly into Canada and back on just the State Issued ID and Birth Certificate combo? Bonus points if you're a married woman whose name has changed, because (of course) my birth certificate has my maiden name, not my married one, and while that's not addressed on the website, I ran into problems with that when I got my state ID in Massachusetts (they required a certified copy of the marriage license as well (which I don't currently have) even though it said nothing about that on their paperwork - thus my paranoia.

I'd love to guest at Anime North, but am just not sure how to make this work on such short notice. I'd love to hear from those in the Buffalo/Toronto area who might have suggestions.

morgi @ 6:55am: It occurred to me recently that my copy of "Ma Ya Hi" is TRAPPED in Sony format in my Sony music player. I wonder if I can export it to a normal format--I need my Numa Numa!

I also have "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra" in there too. And something by Souza.

saveferrets @ 9:39pm: Danger Danger!
With apologies to the author of this comic, I thought the list could use a little updating. So, here is my additional data for the chart!

DANGERS, PART 2
(indexed by number of Google results for "died in a(n) ____ accident"

hhttttttoooo          ELEVATOR - 264
ooooooo               MASTURBATION - 7   
ooooo                 COOKING - 5
oooo                  GOLFING - 4
oo                    JUGGLING - 2
o                     SLEEPING - 2 
o                     READING - 1
o                     POOPING - 1
o                     QUAIL HUNTING - 1 

From this meticulously collected data, I conclude it would be a most reckless endeavor to dream about masturbating in an elevator when you're suffering from severe constipation. Seriously, just, don't ever do that... for all our sakes.

Also, golfing appears less dangerous than cooking, so let's all go play 18 holes and then order some takeout. :)

morgi @ 6:02am: Sport-weight yarn is TINY. And apparently I'd better stick to the trick of casting on over two needles, then transferring it to my intended needles... otherwise I cast on so tightly I can't knit it.

My next project is the one for which I re-re-re-learned to knit: a Ravenclaw scarf. I bought the yarn for it FOUR YEARS AGO.

morgi @ 6:00am: Primaries
Talk about close.

tonysalieri @ 3:16pm: 1 Hippo + 1 Birdy + 2 Ewe
My many spies and manciples tell me that today is miashell's birthday.

So, you know, happy Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary and all that :)

-TS

tonysalieri @ 12:09pm: Sign Of The Times
How bad is it that I've become so fed up and disenchanted with the Primary at this point that I am grumbling to myself today about how I will not be able to play GTA4 much tonight because rowanarha will want to watch the incoming results on the big TV.

*heh*

Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

-TS

morgi @ 10:42am: Do they not give out "Lookit me I votinated?" stickers anymore, or are those only for the big elections? If I'm gonna get up early so I can get my ass to the City-County Building at 7 AM, I want a sticker.

42itous @ 7:15pm: The Empire Strikes Barack
Political...um... fanfic? Mashup? Crossover?

Whatever it is, this video cracked me up!

saveferrets @ 9:35am: Elitism Vs. Senility... didn't we already have that fight back in 1980?
You'd think in the 15 years since criticizing Bush Sr. for being mesmerized by a grocery store scanner, Hillary Clinton might have learned how to pour herself a cup of coffee.

How about playing THAT one for us, news media? Hmmm?

morgi @ 12:34am: First photo from fireworks demo
It's like neon fireworks.

The new camera is not ideal for fireworks photography--the lack of a bulb setting is a serious flaw--but if you get the settings right you can still get some damn good photos. It takes very nice photos, too, and doesn't appear to have any autofocus issues.

Also I managed to snap my left index fingernail off juuuuuuuuust above the quick.

saveferrets @ 9:39pm: In honor of the Kentucky Derby, I present to you...
Things I'd Want To Name My Racehorse, If I Had One

Zebra Envy
Giant Bladder
Lovable Loser
Needs A Hug
Don't Call Me Ed
Questionable Quagga
Doctor Octohorse
D'œuvre
Galloping Garbageman
Can't Find My Keys

berek @ 1:22am: Tony Stark, you're my hero!
Saw Iron Man.

Still flying.

I think Marvel Studios was an excellent decision by Marvel.

I am now officially looking forward to The Incredible Hulk.

And I am so ready for forward progress on Captain America, Thor, Ant-Man, and Avengers.

Gimme!!

*giggle*

saveferrets @ 9:45pm: Half-assed (OK, like, 1/17th-assed) British TV spoilers
"The Shadow Proclamation" is actually an anagram of "Doctor Who Alias Math Pen."

Maybe the series four finale involves the good doc saving the universe by trapping the bad guys in a giant maze of transcendental irrational numbers?

OK... probably not.

But I'd totally watch that.

roboknee @ 11:45am: Seven Questions
If you would be so kind, ask me the seven questions below. Just copy and paste them into a comment, replace the blanks with anything you want--personal, silly, surreal (e.g. 3. Donkeys or sandcastles and why?), or deep -- and I'll answer honestly as I can! Then post this in your own journal and see what kind of things people want to ask you!

Please Note: I may take a while to answer.

1. What do you think of _____________ ?

2. When did you last ____________?

3. __________ or ___________ and why?

4. What did you ______________?

5. What's your favorite ______________?

6. How would you ______________?

7. Who would you most like to ________ ?

tonysalieri @ 1:04am: My God...It's Full Of Awesome...
So we just got the PS3 today...holy hell!

Not only does GTA4 look mind-blowingly spectacular, but I've figured out how to integrate it with the small media server on my PC so that I can watch all my DivX files over the WiFi link onto my HDTV. And the HD Torchwood files I downloaded are fantastic; it's hard to believe they crammed 16:9 full screen with 5.1 surround sound into a 350Meg file.

Unfortunately, I have to manually transcode all my Farscape files in order to make them viewable (And I accidentally destroyed one of my unwatched episodes trying to figure the process out) but this is just spectacular. Totally and absolutely, this was the sort of thing I've been wanting for a long while, and that I got it for $200+ dollars off the list price is all the sweeter.

-TS

tonysalieri @ 1:15pm: Happy Thingy Time...
People keep telling me there's something noteworthy about today, but damned if I know anything about that. Damn if I don't have a lot of pagan/pagan-friendly friends though :) That, or possibly Socialists. Or Socialist Pagans. Or Pagan Socialists.

Happy Thingy-Bopper Day today, whatever your personal Thingy-Bopper happens to be :)

-TS

P.S. Iron Man. 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Holy crap!

42itous @ 10:40am: It was about 35 degrees at dawn when I joined a hundred or so people dressed in winter coats, colorful hats, flowers, and bells. They were singing when I arrived, many reading from yellow songbooks. Fiddles and accordions and flutes accompanied morris dancers and sword dancers. Children dressed in white with green ribbons crossing their chests and flowers in their hair danced around a may pole. The sun came over the roofs and touched the tree-tops as we moved from the river, to a quiet quad of the university, to the middle of Harvard Square where traffic rumbled by and pedestrians stopped for a few minutes to watch the dancing before continuing on their ways to work. Now the sun is bright, the air is getting warm, and I can hear the birds celebrating:
Winter is over -- summer is on its way!

morgi @ 6:07am: In purusit of gauge
So when I started the black and grey hat I did it on size 8 double-pointed needles, figuring gauge would be the same as on size 8 straight needles. (It wasn't.) When the hat started coming out obviously too small I cut it free from the skein and set it aside to finish later and then donate to charity or something.

I tried size 10 needles and the gauge came out too big. I tried size 9 needles... and the gauge was the same as size 10. I think. Black is apparently about the worst colour to use for a test swatch, because it's almost impossible to see the stitches, especially when you're holding a gauge measurer up to it.

I tried to find the original hat last night, to see what the actual gauge is (I never actually measured it), but I can't find it. I also can't find the needles it was on, though I did find the one stray one I thought I'd lost out of the set. It can't have gone too far--my current knitting stuff area is a cardboard box on a set of plastic drawers behind the couch. (I need to find something better one of these days.) I'm afraid Q*Bert may have dragged it off, but where to?

And I'm wondering... how big of a difference does one or two needle sizes make in the size of the finished piece? If I use the size 10 needles, will the hat come out humungo? How much smaller will it be on size 9?

tonysalieri @ 10:14pm: It's Fated, Baby!
So my friend Ryan has this thing, where like he's very fickle about his consoles. And as soon as I told him I wanted to borrow his Playstation3 for a day to play GTA4, he tells me "Hey, you want my 60Gig PS3? I bought it five months ago and hardly use it. I'll sell it to you for $300, and I'll throw in Drakes Fortune for an extra $30"

I opened up my gambling stash, and low and behold, I had EXACTLY $330 in cash. I guess it was meant to be. Actually, this is pretty great, I really wanted a 60gig SKU, but they don't make them anymore, and I'm going to save a ton of money doing it this way as well.

Thank you, universe!

-TS

jesshartley @ 10:57am: In which we seek Lost ties..
Weekend after this, I'll be attending my first Camarilla convention in many years. I'm planning on playing Lost and Requiem, and seeking ties for both characters.

If you will be at USCC (even if you won't, but especially if you will) and you'd like background ties with either of these characters, please contact me ASAP, so we can get something set up.

Lost
Time Period (Past 5 years)
Character: Mara-Zen, Spring Fairest Dancer (Fame 2)
Location: Anywhere in the world
Mara has spent the past 5 years since her escape travelling around the world, building a reputation for herself in mortal communities as a creative and innovative dancer whose main claim to fame is blending unlikely dance forms into artistic fusion (ballet and ballroom, for example, or erotic/exotic and jazz/tap) She never stays in any one area too long, being driven by her whims into a nomadic lifestyle. She will settle in one place for a few months, then disappear when fall or spring come around, often in the company of one of the handsome or beautiful people from the local freehold.
Possible tie-ins - Past lovers (male or female, although she has a pechant for the beautiful, graceful, or those who are quick to fall under her charms), past rivals (see above), professional tie-ins (she has a talent scout/agent, but lots of room for other performers, theater owners, arts mentors, etc.)

Requiem
Time Period - Vampiric - Since New Years Day 2008. Human - Past 5 years, on the streets, 15 years earlier in some small rural desert town in the SW.
Character: Blue (previously various aliases, originally Elizabeth Rogers), Carthian Daeva
Location: SW US
Blue was embraced and then abandoned on New Year's Eve.
Possible tie-ins - Mentor who taught her since her embrace (prefer Carthian or Unaligned, but flexible), street folks who might have known her pre-embrace, those who might have known her as a child/youth in her home town.

tonysalieri @ 9:59pm: Children Of The Video Game Age...
So I just bought Grand Theft Auto IV. I even splurged and got the super fancy shmancy limited-edition version that comes packaged in a nice steel safety deposit box, with a Rockstar keyring, keys for the box, a nice nylon duffle tote bag, a decent hardcover bound "art book" and a soundtrack disk. It's a tremendous amount of high quality junk for just an extra $30 above the game cost.

So far, from all the reviews and stuff, it sounds like it's a really spectacular game, just as I hoped. The main problem?

Um..I don't have a Playstation 3 to play it on.

(Heh)

I'm waiting until June, when the new $500 bundle comes out. When I found out you could use it to play DivX files on my HDTV, that pretty was the tipping point. I was looking for an excuse, and I kind of knew that GTA was going to be the thing that got me to buy a PS3.

Now I gotta wait another month, month and a half...dum de dum dum dum....

-TS

P.S. Sadly, this is not the first time I've bought a game before I bought the system...I had WiiPlay for a good three weeks before my Wii...