my moral standing is lying down

As you can see I've been utterly awful in sticking to my plan to update and read LJ. I hope you all haven't given up on me though because I know from experience that it'll pick up again. <3

There have been a lot of awesome things that I've done recently and I really ought to tell you all about them-- like parasailing! and being interviewed for a (silly little) article in the AMNY! and the FUCKING NEW YORK RANGERS ADVANCING THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS! But I've got this other thing to post and I promise I'll come back and tell you all about those other things soon. =D

A few weeks ago on May 1st, thedreamerworld met with Benedict Cumberbatch and Steven Moffat for work-- and got them to wish me a happy birthday. She then sent me the recording via text at which time I proceeded to FREAK THE FUCK OUT (to the extreme amusement of honeymull, who I was having lunch with). IT WAS PRETTY AWESOME GUYS, NGL. Here's the recording:

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH & STEVEN MOFFAT WISH ME HAPPY BDAY! by sarabakari

ETA: BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH. STEVEN MOFFAT. OMFG HOW ARE THEY SOOOOOOOO ADORABLE? WAS THAT EVEN REAL LIFE?

Ahahaha, Judy and I were talking over gchat about how people think she's insane, but I reassured her that some people don't mind insanity and she agreed it must be true since I still live with her. Then I said how I think I've gotten more insane as I've gotten older (yes, Sunday was my 30th) -- but also that I care less about hiding my insanity.

Then there was a pause while I checked my flist and saw that onelittlesleep had posted another fic.

Then there was this explosion:

me: onelittlesleep is fucking amazing, she posts fic A LOT
and all her porn is hot and filthy and WRONG
and delicious
like arthur/igraine
OMG I LOVE HER SO MUCH

judy: hahaha, oh gosh sara
its a wonder why I still live with you
30 and completely insane

me: ahahahahah wow, i didn't even think about how insane that sounded, but yes it's clearly true
Yeah, I'm that sort of talented person who clearly exemplifies, in the next breath, those characteristics which she had just identified about herself.

Please consider the above chatlog a recommendation to read all of onelittlesleep's fics, btw. I cannot describe enough how much I absolutely love her writing. She's one of those people who can effortlessly include fucking hot sexytiems into seriously mood-rich, setting-rich writing. She gets dialogue and description and emotion across in a way that... you don't even need plot. They can fucking be cooking a fry-up. I can't get enough of her canon-era Merlin fic; it's replete with scents and sounds and filth and all I want is to roll around in her writing and press her words into my skin forever and ever.

My favorites?
1. The Merlin Le Fay 'verse where Merlin is Morgana's (and therefore Arthur's) younger brother;
2. The girl!Merlin/Arthur 'verse which started out as PWP but then grew a gorgeous plot in the last couple of parts;
3. The Arthur-centric, introspective Prince Regent of Camelot (complete in 2 parts).

And then just go read all the rest of her deliciously hot, filthy, delightfully wrong fic.

So, doing the photo booth at Acen again this year... of which Sunday is my birthday. Which means my birthday party will be the weekend before. Still not quite sure how I feel about this, but am now resigned to it. =/

It feels really wrong to have paid $275 to be at a con for actually less than 48 hours (even though two-thirds of that will be reimbursed).

Friday 05/20/11:
AA 371 LGA 8:20pm → ORD 9:55pm

Sunday 05/22/11:
AA 350 ORD 5:55pm → LGA 9:10pm

Flyleaf
with 10 Years and Fair to Midland!
at Webster Hall
on Saturday, May 22 (my birthday!)
doors 6pm, show 7pm
$25 in advance, $30 at-door

http://www.bowerypresents.com/event/4438

I'm going with Liz, so if you're interested, please come -- the more the merrier! All three bands are ones I like but don't love, don't really even know their back catalog, so. Yep, that means drinks and moshing! WOOT!

I've never seen Flyleaf before, but I did see 10 Years and Fair to Midland when they opened for Mudvayne at the Nokia Theatre a couple years ago. 10 Years had this single, Wasteland, which I like but barely remember. And I really liked Fair to Midland live, though their studio album is just too light for me to listen to.

So this past weekend -- what did I end up doing?

I said that my cancelled plans had been uncancelled, but that was a bit of a lie. Instead, I WENT TO LONDON FOR THE WEEKEND! A friend gifted me with plane tickets to London to visit my sister, and made me promise not to tell ANYONE until after I got there. INCLUDING MY SISTER. OMG, it was THE MOST HYSTERICAL THING EVAR! <3

My sister was completely surprised. I just showed up on her doorstep -- I literally woke her up Saturday morning at 9:30am by knocking on her door. =D It's a good? thing that security is so lax? Well, I also look like a student, so it's not like I raise any suspicion... also, coincidentally, I had excellent timing. I was worried I'd have to wait a long time to get into her building, but a bunch of guys were going back into the building at the same time I got there so I didn't have to wait at all. Then, as I approached her flat door I heard someone coming out of the bathroom as I knocked; one of her flatmates just opened the door for me. Haha, then I knocked on her door. She told me she came to the door all angry because she thought it was the cleaning lady and that "it was so unnecessary for the cleaning lady to be knocking on my door at 9:30am on a Saturday morning!"

HAHA, SO GREAT!

I left Friday after work, so to those who may have called to wish me a happy birthday after around 6pm New York time, my phone was off as I was on an airplane to London by then.

We had an awesome time hanging out, going around. The weather was GORGEOUS! We went to Ministry of Sound and had some issues with American swipe credit cards and UK ATMs... which resulted in Elizabeth getting in for free! HAHAHA! (Unfortunately, the music there is mostly boring...) But on the way back... someone puked on the bus we were on. The guy totally tried to act all nonchalant after, too. Pretty funny.

Liz and I would intermittently turn to each other and ask what I was doing there.

It was a great weekend, and an awesome birthday gift. =D

( 2.5 days of friends and costumes )

So on Saturday, on the walk over to the Javits, Judy and I passed this sign, posted on the side street of the construction site across from the Javits that used to have several pillars.

Who knows how long it will take to complete, but I think it's pretty cool. It'll be nice to be able to get farther west/crosstown without taking a bus. Although if I were still living at my parents' house, I might be a bit peeved since this means the 7 train will be even MORE crowded by the time it gets to Grand Central, which means fewer available seats at the MOST IMPORTANT TIME -- Friday or Saturday at 2am, when you're tired and drunk and don't want to stand up all the way to the last stop!

Okay, so it's my facebook status AND I had to use it for my LJ subject. It's SUCH a good line, though! Points if you know where it's from! ^_~

Saturday was Chris's birthday tromp through the city. Was a beautiful day, lots of fun, and how do I love thee, Dallas-BBQ-"Texas-sized"-margaritas-with-an-extra-shot-for-an-additional-dollar. Or, as Chris says, drinks "the size of my head". I had a great time hanging out with the usual suspects and a few of the unusual ones as well.

Sunday was quite nice -- a relaxing day at home, I filled up the front tire of the bike with air and took a quick and not-too-taxing ride (with Judy on her rollerblades) over to the supermarket. Maryann was working on Morgan's plushie at home while the entire (non-extended) Lord of the Rings played on the TV in the background.

Side note: TNT's advertising for their channel is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!! Have you seen it? It makes me glad I rarely turn on the TV! It's something about more... whatever, LESS COMMERCIALS. OMG! "LESS" COMMERCIALS?!?!?! EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. they played that commercial (which was EVERY COMMERCIAL BREAK, for over 10 hours), I winced. It was like an arrow shot straight into my grammar-loving heart. SO PAINFUL I COULD CRY. I would rather have more commercials than an ad that says "less commercials." Or, even better, actually having fewer commercials. ;_;

I wanted to do nothing that weekend, and still I failed. I want to have a weekend where I do MORE of nothing. Though I doubt that will happen... until November? I'm going to schedule some weekends of DOING NOTHING in November. Those weekends can be days when other people come over to MY HOUSE and watch TV/anime/whatever or play video games or chat or stare into space while sitting next to me. SOUNDS LIKE HEAVEN.


So tonight... NIN CONCERT~!

So Indiana Jones 4 is being released in theaters on May 22nd -- my birthday. Obviously, it was fate.

I'm going to the 6:30pm show at the Regal E-Walk theater at 42nd Street between 7th & 8th Avenue. I've already bought my ticket through fandango.com because I do NOT want to miss this show!

I recommend also using fandango if you want to join me -- so we can be sure to be at the same showing. I don't know if this will sell out, but I don't want to take the chance. Here's the link -- click on the 6:30 show: click.

nerd_avengers, NoE -- please let me know whether or not you'll be joining me!

I CANNOT WAIT! =D

Real dead bodies; preserved in a polymer, free-standing (as in, NOT BEHIND GLASS CASES!) and amazing. You could get this close!

It took 3 hours to go through the whole exhibit and it would have taken longer had we gotten there earlier and not had to speed up a bit at the end because they closed at 10pm. Certainly, the hook is the fact that they're real bodies. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to get the same information, and even show the same kinds of displays with plastic or other synthetic materials, but I completely admit to being morbidly fascinated. While they have your attention, they put some edumacation into you. Sounds like a good deal to me. =D

If anyone who didn't go is interested in going, I'd be MORE THAN HAPPY TO GO AGAIN.

All the organs & etc. are colored by the exhibitors; pigment production stops after death (hmm, makes sense) and so the color drains away. THE HEART LOOKS BETTER WHEN IT'S NOT RED! Really. It's so cute!

ALSO! In one of the cases was the human nervous system still attached to the eyes and brain and OMG IT WAS DR. MANHATTAN FROM WATCHMEN!!!11! It was really funny because I glanced over and thought, Wait! Where have I seen this recently?! What movie or book could possibly have had this scene in it?! HAHAHA. Obviously, I started reading Watchmen at the exact right time. Really amazing.

JUDY, I WANT TO GO AGAIN WITH YOU! =D Also, I want to go to the Mütter Museum even more now!!!

Maryann sneaked a couple of pics with her cellphone camera, and she sent them to me, but I realize that my phone sucks and I can't save pictures that have been messaged to me onto the microSD card in order to transfer them to my computer. Does anyone know how to get around this with a stupid Samsung phone? I should have taken photos with my cellphone, then I would've been able to do just that. ;_;

That was Sunday. On Saturday was Yoshi's awesome end-of-the-year/birthday party. Games were played, drinks were had, silliness ensued. I gave him RE4 for the Wii. Joshypoo gave him Manhunt2, of which we saw the beginning. It looked interesting, but the beginning was a bit boring. And am I just jaded or was the killing kind of not as shocking as I thought it'd be? (Oh wait, I don't think he did any of the really violent kills, so maybe...) Yoshi drunk is pretty darn amusing. I played more sudoku on the DS than is healthy. I meant to talk to Jerry more than I did. (BTW, if Jerry buys Rock Band this week then there will be Rock Band party at my house this Friday night.) I think we had the quickest L to J to Q44 ride home from Yoshi's I've EVER HAD. It was shocking.

The only bad thing this weekend -- I dl'd Portal but there's a part I can't get past 'cause my computer goes to blue screen. I have the recommended RAM (1g) and minimum processor speed, so my only guess is that my graphics card is not up to the task, and this makes me very very sad. I want to play it more. NOT FAIR!

So I've been away from LJ for the past month or so. I haven't really caught up on everyone's posts, but I just don't think I'll have time to do that. If there's anything you want to brag about/gossip/share with me, please comment! I love chatting. ^^

As for me, every weekend for the past several weeks has been filled with plans. Recently, a bunch of us (AJ, Maryann, Liz, Juliet, Judy) went to the American Museum of Natural History -- thanks to Judy's contact we got free vouchers to see up to 4 special exhibits. Mainly we went to see the Mythic Creatures exhibit, which was interesting, but it seemed targetted more toward kids than adults. It was decently informative and I learned some new things, but again, it wasn't anything to write home about. The Cosmic Collisions film in the Planetarium, however, was exciting and awesome. Man, I'd love to go see it again. I love being in the dark and some of the scenes where asteroids and such come flying at you are simply exhilerating. (Or scary, if you have a fear of heights/falling like metallicapixie.) Afterwards we went over to Yoshi's party which was pretty packed, and lots of fun! Got to see people I haven't seen for a long time, so it was nice. And discovered that the 3 and 4 go right near his house, so it was a lot easier taking the 4 into Manhattan and then transferring to get back into Queens than it would have been trying to take the shuttle since the L was all screwed up.

This past weekend was really awesome and amazing and other such words. Stampede's birthday party was on Friday night in the back room at Whiskey River. Lots of people showed up ~ many people I haven't seen in months, like Victor, E-man, Sean Badguy, Elise! And I was really happy that Sean came too, even though he'd previously had other plans.

Saturday I missed out on the mini-golf get-together, which is really too bad because I've been wanting to go mini-golfing for at least a year or two. I had to do family stuff, so... but I'm pretty sure there's a mini-golf place in Queens I might be able to go to, I just have to find out where it is. For some reason, I want to say that it's in Rosedale. I also seemed to have missed an interesting time at Vic's BBQ. In light of Chris's descriptions, I very much regret having missed the party. ^_~

But Sunday made up for it. Helped Judy and Juliet (who are officially going out, btw) move the rest of Judy's stuff from her old apartment to her new one. I got to drive the small 10' truck, which was a lot of fun. I miss being high up off the ground when driving -- with no worries over potholes and bumps and such. So nice and easy. Oh, but the lack of the rearview mirror freaked me out sometimes. Later, Sean joined us and we walked around in the rain, ate dinner, tried to visit AJ at work (who was very unaccomodating) since his office building is within 5 blocks of Judy's new apartment. ^_~

Hmm, more details later.

[edit: It amuses me greatly that the file name for this post is 221212.html]