my moral standing is lying down

I just had this odd feeling of déjà vu and nostalgia brought on by the wafting scent of someone's meatloaf or roastbeef or something. And yet, the memory it dislodged had nothing to do with food. It was just me, sitting at my desk at work, feeling as if I had just started and that everything was new and I was kind of pretty darn nervous.

How that feeling is related to that scent, I don't know.


So in other news, I am unexpectedly and annoyingly free this weekend. The Electric Zoo thing is not going to work out as it's more than I can really justify spending at the moment. So I'm looking for other, cheaper things to do over this three-day weekend where everyone and their mother is apparently having way more fun than I will.

I'm scheduling something for myself on Monday, so that, at the very least -- if I end up lazing about like a bump on a log on Saturday and Sunday -- I'll at least have done one interesting thing. I'm going to get some cultcha in me. By visiting the MOMA to see this:

The Erotic Object: Surrealist Sculpture from the Collection

There's an 11:30am lecture/gallery talk for it that I'd really like to attend. Does anyone know if the admission price covers the lecture, or if that's additional?

Hmm, maybe I should make a day of it and go to the Museum of Sex.

Would anyone like to come along?

SO. I really want to go see Star Trek again. There were several factors which prevented me from enjoying it completely the third time I went to see it. I was super tired; the theater was crowded and VERY warm; I'd just seen it for the second time the night before; I was sitting next to someone who doesn't talk AT ALL during movies. So yeah, I shamefully admit to falling asleep during a lot of it.

But. I'm ready again to see it. In fact, kind of craving it. What I really need is for someone to rec some good hot Star Trek reboot fic!

I also would like to see Terminator: Salvation, despite the fact that it could very well be horrible.

In other news, I finished watching the first season (13 episodes) of Numb3rs. It was entertaining enough. Much like The Mentalist, plots are pretty simplistic (though not as simplistic as The Mentalist plots). I mostly like the dynamic between the brothers, and the mathematics aspect of it. Though it's kind of like many computer/math stories where they use "cool" graphics to symbolize the technical process. Which means, there's a whole lot of substance missing.

It took a few days, but I downloaded all of season 2 of Numb3rs. And I'm bringing my laptop to Johncon, so I will have that for down-times.

Randomly, I came across some info about this place, Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World. I WANT TO GO SO BAD. IT'S A FUN PARK OF PUZZLES AND ILLUSIONS AND BRAINTEASERS! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! It's exactly the kind of thing I love!!! Unfortunately? It's in New Zealand. ;_;

In lieu of that, since I don't think I'll be able to get to NZ anytime soon, I will have to make a date to go to the Hall of Science to visit their Ames room. I haven't been there in a good long time, so I think it's time to go back! =D

[edit: I surprise myself by the fact that I, unexpectedly, have already-existing tags for some of the less commonly mentioned items in this post. I'm so organized! ]

Apparently, FIT has a museum! I didn't know this! (And now, I think back on what I've missed all this time!)

Current exhibitions are Arbiters of Style: Women at the Forefront of Fashion (May 21 to November 8, 2008) and Gothic: Dark Glamour (September 5, 2008 through February 21, 2009).

Hours are: 12-8pm (T-F), 10am-5pm (Sat). Closed Sundays, Mondays, and legal holidays.

Also, admission to the exhibitions is free!

I think I'd like to possibly make a visit this Saturday before the anime fundraiser event. Let me know if you'd like to join me.


( and now, a visit from the meme sheep )

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!