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London Zoo: SATURDAY NIGHT OPEN MIC USURPER EDITION

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  1.  (10021.1)
    Standard rules, norms, and messaging rates apply.

    How has your week been Whitechapel? Are you sad the boss is leaving us, we doe eyed orphans, in the clutches of the evil organ grinder Si Spurrier?

    Or are you excited for the regime change and the fewer amount of arse eels?

    Talk to each other, Whitechapel.
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      CommentAuthorLokiZero
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2011
     (10021.2)
    Alright, I'll take the bait...

    I really don't know how to feel about Warren leaving. To be honest, most of my lurking involved scouring threads for Warren's posts. You're all lovely people, don't get me wrong, but I was always here because of him. I guess we'll see.

    Si's ramblings do remind me of Warren's older tirades though, so there's that.
    • CommentAuthorFishelle
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2011
     (10021.3)
    The week has been nice. Not having to work on Monday was good. Thursday I basically dinked around on Illustrator all day, and that was nice. Wednesday was pretty crazy what with having to take a giant government truck to drive my old friend and coworker to the hospital to get stitches after she cut herself with scissors, then having to hurry back to get to a mandatory meeting with the base commander where we found out that half the people that live on base aren't allowed to buy groceries anymore. But overall, it was fairly low key work-wise.

    Next week is the one busy week we have each month at work, which in some ways will be good. And at the end of it I get my second paycheck, which is even better.
    The weekend has been a lazy sort of thing, mostly. I caught up a bit with the internet, having not been able to look at Twitter or Whitechapel for more than a few minutes the better part of the week.

    I also went and saw my brother in the hospital for his birthday on Thursday night. I didn't slip up and call him Daniel even once, but stuck with his preferred name of M. He was more cheerful than I've seen him in years, certainly since everything started. I don't know if the doctors have him on something to make him happier, or if maybe there's a part of his brain that's working enough to come to terms with that place being his home for the rest of his life. God, I hope it's the second one, but I really doubt it. He was funny, and kind. I never look forward to visits with him, which is sad, but this time was actually pretty nice.

    Of course it ended with my mom saying after we'd left that the doctors had it wrong, as always. That his memory is as good as ever, and this was no dementia of any sort. Hoping against hope that they will find a cure for him, and he'll be his old self again. This is the saddest part of the night.

    Tonight I watched the last Harry Potter movie. The theater on base was doing a free sneak preview thing. Next week is Captain America. I'm hoping I can have some friends come see it with me.

    For a while I've been hoping to get a ride down to central Utah to see my boyfriend next weekend, as his birthday is on the 18th. But I've given up now, and will just mail him a DVD of La Strada instead. I sure do miss being held by that boy.
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      CommentAuthorrazrangel
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2011 edited
     (10021.4)
    I've gone on and on about how much I dig Warren, I'm sad to see that he's leaving for new frontiers and that I don't know what to expect of Mr Spurrier, etc. So yeah, Still somewhat melancholic and nervous and expect to remain so until the chapter finally ends/begins. But hey, Whitechapel doyenne, Ariana isn't going anywhere, right?

    But it's a Saturday Night and I've an Open Mic before me so here goes. I've been poking at WordPress from all sides, more and more possessed of the notion of a new blog. For once I'm not following others but just finding I need different digs than my patchwork of LiveJournal/Twitter/facebook. WP seems to have most of the tools I need for the very agreeable price of free. Since I'm also desirous of something professional-ish, I figure I should spring for personalized domain and extra storage for audio hosting but I'll cross that bridge when I actually have some audio. I want to load it with pictures of flowers (giving into the girly fact that my girly first name girly is "Flor" girly, which I always girly thought of as a bit girly)(girly) and work out where to add a dragon. Flowers and dragons, that's me. Trouble is the last week has been fucking disgustingly hot so most flowers in my vicinity are dead. Working out the particulars with a friend who's a terrific gardener to go take pics in her backyard.

    Voice classes continue, and yet again I relearned something I'd forgotten since I wrapped up acting classes in college: the breath is a major key to getting inside of characters and letting the character get inside of me. Making the story as short as possible: we worked on some basics of voice acting that are indirect toward acting, but required, namely efforts. All the panting, fighting, gasping, laughing, sighing and other non-verbals that are needed alongside visual action to make it clear what the character is going through. In college I learned to free up my voice which gave me a ton more range, not just vocally, but emotionally with many exercises that drove the voice through different sections of my torso, throat and head. It sounds goofy until you try it. (More goofy still: this is paralleled closely by chakra centers, but I said I'd try to keep this short.) Anyway, doing those efforts I had to keep a character in mind and switch through the types really quickly. It's a hell of a work out, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. At the end each of us in the class staggered out of the booth, ragged of breath and a little overwhelmed. Now, I didn't have quite that precise reaction. Maybe because I'm used to leaving the work behind, maybe because I was preoccupied.

    The thing is my teacher was having a really crappy night. As it happened her life is not in a great place and as much as she was happy to run the class because it was something bright and easy on her, she couldn't help but carry the awfulness on her like a mantle. The poor thing, just got back from vacation looking marvelous and feeling awful. Usually when bad things are going on for her she can set them aside, but on Wednesday it just wasn't happening. I totally understand why so the emotion wasn't out of bafflement, it's exactly the sort of situation that would be excruciating for anyone. But because she was exuding so much pain and because she's someone I care about, though we're little more than acquaintances, and also because I had gone and beat the shit out of my usual defenses, all I could do was sit across from her and soak in her agony. At the end of class I did what I could, which is about all i can do with anyone who's hurting like that. I hugged her and looked her in the eyes and did a bit of "there, there" without making any of the lame bullshit comments people make about things turning out for the best. Just eye contact helps about as much as anything so I did that.

    But there's no being strong for someone without giving up some strength for oneself. Luckily, for right now I'm good for it. I'm not going through any of that horrid crap (*knock wood*) at the moment, so even though I drove away from class on the verge of tears, it felt good to be there with her. I hope she's ok.

    The week was miserably hot including some humidity at the end there. So obnoxious. I'm of desert people. We're good with direct, dry sunlight. We get weathered and brown, but we don't wilt. Because the nights are the secret - desert summer nights are cool. We fucking need that. It's not the desert otherwise and ZOMG I can't deal with hot nights. My mom is even taking serious steps toward getting air conditioning in the house. AC, for whatever reason, is not that common in housing in Southern California. Not terribly uncommon, I suppose, but the only time I lived in a place that had AC was exactly one apartment while at college. So... this week was a waste other than the Fourth and the abovementioned class. I spent it doing my best approximation of a puddle.

    Better now. Embloggening now. Planning for my next class. Narrowing down which producer to contact to open plotting re: a voice demo. moving along.

    @Fishelle, ta! Glad someone reads and writes along. And I feel you on the matter of your brother. Somewhat different situation here, but sympathetic.
    --------------
    Thoroughly unrelated trivia question (to which I don't know the answer): Just how many freaking metal songs sample the "running through a store with a 357 magnum" line from Strange Days are there?!
  5.  (10021.5)
    Hmmm.

    Instead of being out at a night of absinthe and debauchery, I am home with a headache that is only now starting to fade after about 24 hours of fucking frustration. I've been given adderall, you see, and... christ. My whole back seized into one massive knot. I am not taking that shit again.

    Now I've some speed to add to the large stockpile of unused opiods I've got laying around. Faaaabulous. Perscription speedballs? Really? That's how I'm spending my 30's? I've been bored of the mangler lifestyle for many years now, trying to be as clean and pure and non-toxic as I can, organic foods, lots of water, yadda yadda... and I've got bottles of amphetamines and morphine just laying about? The difference in what doctors will not just prescribe, but push on you is drastically different between being a 24 year old with purple hair and a 34 year old with hampster hair.

    This week, I was not only given adderall, (as the doctor told me he diagnosed me with ADD just from watching me in the lobby, which, if you know me, is not surprising) but I was also written a prescription for glaucoma eye drops.

    Yes, I've got spinal nerve damage, peripheral neuropathy, scoliosis, trichotillomania, chronic pain, insomnia, Lyme Disease, IBS, panic attacks, OCD, tinnitis, ADHD, all of which are treated with medical marijuana....

    and now I'm on glaucoma eye drops. MOTHER FUCKER.

    I am the poster child for medical marijuana if ever there was one, and NJ just won't give up the dragging of heels. Goddamnit.

    I don't want to be taking all these pills. I don't want to be afraid to use weed instead of tramadol, lest i get arrested.

    Eh. It's all bullshit.

    meeehhhhh... grumble grumble...
    •  
      CommentAuthorjoe.distort
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2011 edited
     (10021.6)
    life is pretty solid, but the wife is depressed so it makes all of my stuff cloudy as well. i really support her in everything, so when she isnt doing good, i get this strange thing where im depressed too but i have no reason so my brain gets all blibbidy about it.

    yes. blibbidy.

    last night i witnessed some vegetable fights while listening to the transformers soundtrack 12" in a friends house. i almost got hit with a hamburger cake. then today i made a slow roasted pork and relaxed withthe lady and pet contingent of the household. tomorrow im going to the MLB celebrity vs retired players game (part of the All Star game, its happening like 4 miles from me) i guess? got tickets for $1 and it should be a fun weird afternoon. balance yayyyyyy
  7.  (10021.7)
    GUERRILLA MIC!

    Sunday morning here now, Saturday night was a bit of a dozey, grumpy write off, although I did managed to edit a few pictures. Woke up this morning and felt a sense of deep calm and peace that lasted all of five minutes before the reality of my workload came crashing back. I'm going to try and ignore it as best I can today, I don't think I can do much 'work' work here because my VPN connection is so damn flaky and always messes my own machines up... maybe a bit of planning and notewriting - I really hate that I've got to the stage where I'm starting to feel guilty for not working at weekends, especially given I'm working silly hours all week.

    Been an odd week - I'm 90% sure I came across an old friend as a 'joke' page on Facebook, he (at least it looks very like him) apparently stands like a statue all day at a roundabout near Winchester wearing a hooded top and rucksack, sometimes carrying a DVD or a picture of Princess Diana. I happened to be driving past myself on Thursday and saw him, and I'm pretty positive it's the same guy.

    I thought about stopping and trying to talk to him, but we haven't spoken for 15 years (the last time he freaked my girlfriend out quite badly by speaking in tongues at her quite aggressively) and I wasn't convinced he'd remember who I was, and from all accounts he's been pretty far gone for years - when I last knew him, mental health problems and excessive drug use were taking their toll. Just very sad and disturbing, especially to see him as a figure of fun for a bunch of horrible know it all students.

    So, today I will mostly be pottering, tending my garden (I HAS COURGETTES AND PEAS!), and trying to batten down as many mental hatches for the coming hurricane.

    And maybe pootling on G+, on which I think I am here.

    Peace to all
  8.  (10021.8)
    Today is the end of my work week; I'm getting ready to head in right now.

    Had a great dinner with the lady last night, we fell asleep watching netflix Louis CK standup, basically fell asleep laughing too hard.

    Found out coworkers actually appreciate me at work, and they're mostly guards that give a shit about the work they do, treating the inmates there well.

    Had to spend about twenty minutes yesterday listening to an inmate tell me he's afraid of returning to Mexico after his sentence is up; his entire family was killed by the cartel. Allegedly. No idea if it's true or not; I gave him information on how to contact our gang intelligence officer in case it is true. Even if it's b.s., it was a hard story to listen to.

    Three weeks left until I road trip it with the lady and my little girl; we're heading out to the woods for a week in a cabin. Horseback riding, bat watching, hiking, etc. Looks to be fun. No cell phone reception or internets.

    Wondering what things will be like here, at the end of the world. Planning on staying around here for as long as I can; this is the only little corner of the internet that I find I like the company.
  9.  (10021.9)
    Sunday over here now...but spent saturday sketching bands. Out of practice but super fun! Highlight of my week. Even got to field test my ipad for sketching. Best bit was it was all free. More band sketches, i say.
    • CommentAuthorDarkest
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2011
     (10021.10)
    I for one welcome our Spurrier overlord(s). Warren will probably be about (and we all know that he took a copy of the keys and the "Red Button" with him).

    I'm hoping that Mic by the people for the people means these threads will be open a little longer. I usually miss the 'mic if I'm not careful.

    Was at a local fair on Saturday. Last one because... we are opening Niche Comics either at the end of this month or early next month and trying to get everything done. I'm nearly done with the first batch of orders and I can move on to to getting the furniture in.

    The minor injury on my foot is nearly good enough to do exercise again so I'm full of junk food because it's the last excuse (I'm hoping) before I get back to being healthy (moreso anyway).
    • CommentAuthorallana
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2011
     (10021.11)
    on saturday i gifted myself with a most malicious sunburn. now i'm catching up on my Space channel offerings and obsessively Solarcaine-ing my legs. yeah, vacation.

    trying to imagine any benefits from joining Google+. i guess if it's more an email-contacts-based socializing, instead of an old-high-school-rivals-based grouping....? might i still be able to hide from people who are too stupid to simply put my name into a search engine, rather than Facebook?
    • CommentAuthorDarkest
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2011
     (10021.12)
    From my tentative poking around of G+ you are able to keep people at arms length. I'm looking forward to filtering my posts for relevance-to-people's interests. Also so people don't know everything leading to the post night out untagging session. I also like the different feel. Still getting to know it though.
  13.  (10021.13)
    I'm sad to see the boss go, but in light of his leaving I've decided to try an take a more active role in the community. Get out those dusty figure drawing and other art books and give it a go. Put the stories in my head on paper.

    My week's been shitty. I broke my iPhone's glass, but I fixed it (I work in a service depot and fix small laptops all day, so it was no challenge). My mom was diagnosed with pulminary fibrosis and was told she has about five years to live without a lung transplant. I had a terrible dream afterwards of her calling me from a Tower of Bones, built upon the massed dead of every human being, asking me to save her. It was fucked up man.
    •  
      CommentAuthorAlan Tyson
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2011 edited
     (10021.14)
    I'm hoping that Mic by the people for the people means these threads will be open a little longer. I usually miss the 'mic if I'm not careful.

    I agree with this. Might I propose we make this something more of a Weekend Open Mic thing? Maybe starting Friday night, ending Monday morning? (Well, ending by sort of consensus, since none of us can actually close threads).
    • CommentAuthorAllen
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2011
     (10021.15)
    I spent the weekend, in Memphis, with nearly all of Saturday being on or near Beale Street, by the end of the trip, I was convinced that moving down there was the completely right idea.

    Beyond the wondrous weekend, things have been pretty blah, still quite unemployed, and trying to fix everything that doesn't involve relationships with my family, friends, or girlfriend. Short and sweet message is now over.

    PS I also like that the Open Mic is open come Sunday, for I just got back home and wanted to share a little bit, I sadly missed Warren's last Open Mic due to being too busy on Saturday.
  16.  (10021.16)
    I like the Weekend Open Mic idea. I've actually been fairly busy with real life so keeping up here and everywhere else online hasn't been happening.

    So what's going on with me? I might be buying a duplex, renting out the upstairs and living in the downstairs. I've looked at the place and I like it but... I need to find how much getting the foundation redone first, and then make an offer and all the stuff that goes along with it.

    There's been lots of picnics on our beach, and last night a coworker/friend came over and we hung out by the beach. That was really nice. And Watson keeps trying to sit on the card game my mom and I are playing. Silly cat.

    I'm working on a personal project of drawing a hand daily, and I've gotten a week's worth so far. I'm drawing again, and that's what's important. So that's my week.

    As for Warren leaving and Si as our new overlord... I'm undecided. I don't think anyone could do Remake/Remodel quite like Warren does. But change is inevitable and there's no point complaining about it. Also, I suspect I'm going to be online less and less anyway.

    @Fishelle: Why are they not letting them buy groceries? That is so odd.

    @razrangel: It's always hard to see a friend having a hard time. You're right, sometimes you can just feel that they're hurting. *hugs* You seem to be handling things well lately, so I'm hoping things keep on getting better. :)

    @Rachæl: I wish you could get pot legally. And get the all the medical things you need to get sorted out.

    And now I seem to be incapable of thinking straight. Yeah.
    • CommentAuthorFishelle
    • CommentTimeJul 11th 2011
     (10021.17)
    @trini_naenae

    On the military base I work on/live by, they have a commissary, and it's basically just groceries in there. The nearest other place to buy food if you live on post is a Wal-Mart that's 45 minutes away.
    The people that work on base are either contractors that work for a private company, or they work for the U.S. government. They both do the same job. In my department for the summer (photo) the contractors are usually better. They make less money. More of them live on base, I think.
    Some higher up, the Secretary of the Army I think, just decided that contractors can't use the commissary anymore. And, of course, the commander feels the need to enforce this. (We're getting a new Colonel on Thursday, but he's the current guy's best buddy, so we're still fucked with the bad leadership.)
    With this, the raised rent price that they basically started charging without telling anyone (which, by the way, they just take directly out of your paycheck if you're living on post), the raised prices at the one diner they have in the work area of the base, and shutting down everything that could possibly entertain anyone living there, everyone's pretty pissed.
    My brother lives on base. He's a contractor. My annoyance at all this shit is nothing to his rage.
    I cannot wait until the school year starts and I can move away from this place.

    (Grumpy tone do to grumpy day. If this thread doesn't close soon, you may get a second rant from me about life. And I don't think anyone wants that.)
  18.  (10021.18)
    YOU HAVE TO STOP

    ITS MONDAY

    THIS IS WHITECHAPEL
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      CommentAuthormister hex
    • CommentTimeJul 13th 2011
     (10021.19)
    It's now bloody Wednesday and this thing hasn't been killed yet. WELL, GOOD. Because I've spent two fucking days cleaning out a hoarder's place (um ... three places, actually.) And I NEED TO VENT A LITTLE BIT. OKAY??!? Good.

    ... "Unbelievable," is what I keep saying to myself. That someone, a human being, could live like that? And talk like that, like there was nothing wrong, and that he's a genius and we all don't get it? No. NO.

    That's it. Someone chuck this thread in the fucking bin, with everything else, where it belongs.

    The upside is, I got to make the "Bin Done Gone" joke, like, five times. Whenever someone asked me where the bin went. (I've been breathing Hate Fumes for the last two days. Forgive me if this goes astray. Or ashtray. Or whatever.)

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