Transformation

So I went to Jen's house this weekend (along with Sarel, Sara and Tabby). Jen's never met Tabby, so it was sort of a welcome to the family thing. I made dinner, Jen-aka-mini-Betty-Crocker made, like, four deserts, and Jen's friend Tina brought the appetizer. Booze was brought. So was the funk. (haha) So we ate, we drank, and we were very merry. Fun was had by all despite the following:

1. Dave, Jen's sig other, totally forgot and didn't schedule time off, so he was way late getting there.
   
2. We needed more Jolly Ranchers to make - gasp - more Jolly Ranchers. On the way to WallyWorld (btw, Jen, could you live any farther from civilization? I mean really, wtf? How can you live someplace where it takes you thirty minutes to get to a frickin' Wal*Mart???), Sara's glasses broke, and she couldn't see ANYTHING. Plus the evil Vision Center Lady at WallyWorld said she didn't have time to help (it was about thirty minutes before the Vision Center was scheduled to close!!).
   
3. When we got back, I discovered Sarel hadn't taken dinner out of the oven and the cheese was all crusty and charred. Which, everyone said was fine, but I was still a little miffed. The presentation was ruined. It's not his fault, though. I should have stayed with him and kept an eye on it. All my fault. Mine mine mine.

So, I wrote a response to a challenge on Of Demons & Destiny (great Gilesean site, btw, should you wanna know)... anyway, so the challenge is this: Willow and Xander are turned into little kids and it is the responsibility of our favorite chosen duo to watch over them until the little tykes can be returned to normal. It is a Buffy/Giles pairing, but I have kept it pretty light. According to Fanfic.net's guidelines, it is a K+ rating, and that's only 'cause there's a kiss and little nakkie toddlers running amok for a few minutes.

Here's the link to the story: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4195871/1/Family_Fun

And I've already received a review!!!! So, read on:

The following review has been submitted to: Family Fun Chapter: 6

From: Mayhem Managed (blocked)
Reply URL: Blocked
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Aww. That was cute. I usually don't see Buffy and Giles as being viable 'ship material, but in this case you pulled it off really well. There was just the right amounts of humor vs. sorrow - the "are you my new mommy" question and subsequent "raging self-pity" were extremely believable (and heart-tugging).

The only real criticism I have is a technical one - some way of demarcating page breaks would have been nice. Aside from that, though, it was a nice read.

The article from TBO.com....

Deputies: Teens Made Video of Beating For Web
By NEIL JOHNSON The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 6, 2008
Updated: 04/06/2008 08:08 pm

TAMPA - Six teenage girls took turns punching and kicking Victoria Lindsay while others made a video recording of the beating, which went on for 30 minutes.

Two other teens kept watch outside, even knocking on the front door to tell the girls they were making too much noise and that neighbors were becoming curious, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

While they were beating her, the girls taunted Lindsay, bragging that they were going to post video of the attack on YouTube and MySpace, according to an arrest report.
Deputies last week arrested eight teens accused of taking part in the March 30 beating, which left Lindsay with a concussion, damage to her left eye and ear and numerous bruises, the sheriff's office reported.

Stephen Thomas Schumaker, 18, of 6020 Calendar Court W. in Lakeland, was arrested on charges of false imprisonment and battery. He was one of the lookouts, according to his arrest report. Schumaker was released after posting $5,000 bail, jail records show.

Schumaker could not be reached for comment Sunday night, but his father, Robert, said his son had no involvement in the beating.

Robert Schumaker said he talked to neighbors who told him his son was not at the house acting as a lookout.

"They didn't do anything," Robert Schumaker said of his son and another teenage boy, also arrested and accused of being a lookout. "I would like for the detectives to listen to the neighbors and clear my son's name."

The six girls accused of attacking Lindsay were arrested on the same false imprisonment and battery charges, both third-degree felonies. The teens, whose ages are unknown, were charged as juveniles and booked into the Polk County Juvenile Assessment Center.

Lindsay's father said the teens attacked her to make a video that might become popular on YouTube, the video-sharing Web site. But the mother of one of the girls arrested said Lindsay had provoked the other teens by threatening and insulting them on the MySpace social-networking Web site.

According to Schumaker's arrest report, here's what happened:

Lindsay showed up at a friend's house on Calendar Court, down the street from Schumaker's, where she had been staying while having problems with her parents. Her friend and another girl started yelling and threatening her. After walking into her room, Lindsay was confronted by another girl, who insulted and threatened her. The girl hit Lindsay in the face several times, then slammed her head into the wall, knocking her out.

Lindsay woke up on a couch surrounded by six girls, who took turns punching and kicking her. She tried to leave several times, but the girls held her down and blocked her from leaving. The girls drove the victim to another house and let her get out of
the car, but with the warning: "If you go to the police, the next beating will
be worse."

Deputies recovered the video, which shows the beating and the teens blocking Lindsay's attempts to escape. The sheriff's office is expected to release the video and a transcript early this week.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter
Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

Posted by ( krisb ) on April 9, 2008 at 9:02 a.m.
While I agree that the parenting abilities of these teens' "parents" should be called into question, all of these "kids" are old enough to know what they were doing was wrong. It's high school, all drama drama drama, end of the world, big teen angst hour. I mean, who hasn't idly thought about smacking their enemy after nasty words are said?

The difference lies in the fact that these girls not only acted on the impulse, they cornered their victim. They "imprisoned" her, humiliated her, showing a sadly unsurprising level of cruelty. How can anyone here think that this is justified? I'm sure the video clip on this site is mild compared to the rest of the footage - tbo wouldn't want to upset their readers too much, after all.

I challenge all who have stood in defense of the attackers to consider this: if your kid sister, or childhood friend, or daughter, were attacked like this... if she was cornered and humiliated and pummeled on the head by six different people... would you really be okay with that? Just because she supposedly said something these girls didn't like? This isn't a movie, people. You don't get to cheer if teenaged vigilantism is acted out. Laws were broken. A girl has suffered permanent physical damage that she will have to live with for the rest of her life. Would you defend the attackers if it were personal? Call out for justice? Or, if your current example is anything to go by, would you
just seek your own revenge, law forgotten, and go after the attackers yourselves?
Yeah, I thought so.

Let these teens face their sentencing. We should expect juveniles to be held responsible for their actions, especially with such a serious offense. Though it makes my heart heavy to know they might "get off light", there is an equal chance that the judge they get will not be lenient in the least. And if they don't learn their lesson the first time, the next will most likely be more serious, and cause even more heated discussions.

Also, just a brief note, blaming myspace and youtube is crazy. It's like blaming the internet for porn. Porn was around long before Al Gore invented the net, and so was unnecessary violence. MySpace is a social networking site, and I, like many of the commenters before me, use it to keep in touch with out-of-state friends and family. You can't blame the site for the people who misuse it. Like I said... that's just crazy.

So... yeah, if you agree/disagree/don't care, drop me a line. Let me know. I may or may not post current event stuff, based on your response! How's that for pressure?

I thought it was a nice touch... *pout* Okay... so my humor is lacking while I'm fighting the plague. Give a girl a break or something... yeesh... [end transmission]

...has been announced. And WooHoo, a British show is makin' it stateside! NBC announced their fall lineup. It included series or miniseries called "Merlin." My current favorite Brit, Anthony Head, has been cast to play the role of Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father.
You can find out just a smidge more here: http://www.nbc.com/Primetime/Merlin/index.shtml

This site should have more info about it as it gets closer to air time, though.

How very exciting! I've not been watching much of any TV, but this is something I will MAKE the time to watch... or at least, record, and watch at my leisure. =)

Just as a note, I checked Mr. Head's profile on IMDB to see if I could find anymore, but got sidetracked by the discussion boards at the bottom of the page. There were a few different discussions, but the first one to catch my eye said "what was his line in sweeney todd?" This is a very valid question, thought I, because I don't remember what the hell he said either. I was too busy turning to my husband and gasping "Hey, that's ASH!" I totally missed the line. So in I go, only to find that there are TONS of people who had the same reaction... they were yelling out "Hey, that's Giles!" in the middle of the theater, and missed the line as well.

Brought a chuckle to my otherwise sick day. (yeah, i'm sick. stupid antibiotics)

I've posted another fanfic... or rather, submitted it to two different websites. I submitted it to BuffyGiles.net and ODD (Of Demons & Destiny on vampirecows.com). I'm hoping that they get their updates done soon. I'll be so excited when I can go to a popularly-visited site and see something I wrote there. Even if it is just fanfic.

More randomness later. I'm at work and don't wanna get the evil eye. =)

... has absolutely nada to do with basketball in my world. It's been kinda crazy, and I'm still lacking in the energy department, although I don't ALWAYS feel tired now.

I went for a follow-up with the doc and thought I'd post an update. The good news is there is a marked improvement in my numbers. The bad news is... it isn't much.

My blood count went up from 8.5 to 9.4 (should be 12.5). My iron went up from 16 to 21 (should be between 40 and 130). And, I don't have the numbers, but apparently, I don't have very much in the way of "stored" iron -- that is, when our natural iron levels get low, we have a bit of back-up iron that helps out. The doctor said she was very worried and we would need to work to raise that as soon as possible.

I have an appointment to see a hematologist on 4/11 regarding the Alpha Thalassemia. You'll know more when I do.

I plan to pick up on my blogging again, so you should see more in April than you did in March. We'll just see how it goes. =)

Yes, it's supposed to say fiend, not friend...

Last night I went bowling with my husband, parents and sisters (Tabby is included as a sister... it's just easier than going into details as to who is what at this point). We played two games all together, then Bill and Mom went home, and us "kids" played another two rounds. It was a blast.

Just so you'll have a clear understanding about me - I usually suck at bowling, as a rule. So I really only go to have fun. On the first game, I got a 53. Bad, huh? Then on game 2, I got a 60. After my parents left, I got an even 100 (obvious improvement, eh?). Then in game 4 I got a 70-something. But really, what did you expect? It was 1am when we finished game 4. I was pretty tired.

I wanted to go bowling not only because it's really fun and somewhat active, but because I signed Sarel and I up for a bowling fundraiser for my office. I didn't want to show up and get a terrible score. And I really didn't want to use the bumpers. So I went today and bowled for the kids' sake, and I had a blast! Even though we didn't get to finish the game - our time ran out because our balls got stuck in the return dohickey. I have pictures of the empty ball return loop and of the guys laying on the floor working on it... Ah, the memories.

As for the game itself, I only had the 10th frame to go, but I was already at 84, so I was very excited. I hit pins at least once a frame, and sometimes avoided the gutter all together. It was so much fun. I'm pretty disappointed that we didn't get to finish, but oh well. It was fun anyway.

I've already begged to go bowling more often. Sarel and I really enjoy ourselves, and it's a nice little stress reliever. It gets us out of the house, away from work, and usually hanging out with people we like. A little later, when I get home, I'll add another post with a few pics of last night and today.

To learn more about the fundraising event, click here.

Oh, and just FYI, my follow-up with the PCP (primary care physician) is this week. When I get out of that, I'll make sure to update everyone. Ta.

Because I go out so rarely, I thought I'd post a little account of my Saturday evening. It started around 3:30 in the afternoon - my sister called wanting to know pricing for a few different things in Orlando (which is just a little ways away from us). She invited Sarel and I, but Sarel didn't want to go. He needed to work.

So I arranged to meet my sister at her apartment by 5:30 and we were out of there by 6:15. We made it to I-drive by 7:30, and after a few u-turns, made it to the side of town we were looking for.

We decided to eat at Cafe Tu Tu Tango, which was right next-door to our final destination: Pirate's Cove Putt-putt Golf Course. Cafe Tu Tu Tango is an amazing little restaurant. Click here to see their website. And while we were there, three local artists were painting and selling prints. I actually purchased one - it's a bad-ass looking tree titled Methuselah - from one of them. He was my favorite of the three. His name was Jason Sipple (of Orlando), and you can find his website here. He does commissioned portraitures of people and pets, but that's not the only thing he does. (His website takes a little while to load, but it's worth it to see thumbnails of his work... go check it out when you have some time, or if you're in the area, visit in at Tu Tu's)

We went mini-golfing and had a blast. Tabby (my sister's fiance) nearly took a guy's head off after she hit her ball too hard. Later, we found out that the ball went down the hill, bounced across the parking lot and glanced off the side of a little red car. She cried for two holes after we found that out... poor Tabby. She's too tender-hearted for her own good. We got ice cream and Sara and I decided we'd take Tabby to Ripley's Believe it or Not museum to cheer her up.

We got to Ripley's around 11:30pm. They close at 1 am (thank goodness). My favorite memory of that was right at the beginning - there was a preserved, five-foot long sperm whale "dork" hung up on the wall. I pointed it out to both of the girls and laughed my ass off at their disgusted reactions. The "ewwww"s were treasured greatly.

All in all we had a great time. We hit Denny's when we got back to our neck of the woods. Boy... you see and meet some interesting people at Denny's at 2am. But that's another story for another time.

I finished reading Duma Key by Stephen King on Wednesday night. (You may remember - I got this book for Val-day from my hubby...) I began reading it on Sunday (2/24). I'm sure you can guess, because I finished it in four days, that it was a great book. Not impressed? This monster of a hardback is about 2.5 inches thick. Hefty.

• The Talisman - written in conjuction with Peter Straub. (My first SK experience; I've read it 3 times and plan on a 4th before the miniseries comes out)
• The Green Mile - recent series. (I shouldn't have to tell you that the books are better than the movie)
• Bag of Bones
• Dreamcatcher
• Misery - excellent!!

As promised, I finished On Writing by Stephen King. I can say with all the confidence and bluster of a young fan, that he is a frickkin' genius. He is humble, with a history that took me by surprise.

It was described by The Wall Street Journal as follows: "Remarkable and revealing... Memoir, style manual, autobiography - the inspiring On Writing seems almost unclassifiable." (according to the first page)

That's it, really. I have no qualms or doubts about reading it again. More than likely I'll be reading it with a notepad and pencil in hand. There were absolute gems held within those pages, and I can't wait to start implementing them into my writing. I already write more like him, which he assures in the book is perfectly natural, but it's with great satisfaction that I find the words are still mine.

I'm still able to write in my own voice.

I've just been given the go-ahead to tell it like I see it, and not in the pretty fluffy words that are imposed on us by uptight teachers and professors.

In the last few days, I've read the pages aloud to my husband, either while he's watching TV (I love our DVR), or working... but mostly it was while he was driving during our commute home from work. And the sections I read to him have sparked conversations that were important for both of us. My husband is no idiot, thank God, and he understands how important writing is to me. He is also another perspective on what may impress me. Help me see something I'm not considering, or applaud my ability to point out something he missed.

Something else that's important to me: my husband doesn't believe me to be an idiot, either. I think he also sees how happy just reading about writing makes me. He sees how encouraged I am by reading Mr. King's book. He assured me that he has faith in my abilities, and that I have the kind of raw talent that could be molded by Mr. King's advice (when compared to another author I've been reading who approaches writing like there's a map you can follow and find success buried under that damned X).

In case you're wondering, I'm deliberately referring to SK as Mr. King because I've never met the man, don't know him personally at all, and therefore refuse to address him as Stephen or any other derivation. I'm not just some whack-job fan who thinks she can emulate him and become rich and famous. I am however, a very real fan. I'm serious about developing the craft... if I have any talent to be developed, that is. And as he says in the final pages:

"Some of this book - perhaps too much - has been about how I learned to do it. Much of it has been about how you can do it better. The rest of it - and perhaps the best of it - is a permission slip: you can, you should, and if you're brave enough to start, you will. Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up."

Went to the movies for the first time in a long while and saw Jumper with Hayden Christensen (lil' Darth in the recent Star Wars chapters), Diane Lane and Samuel L. Jackson. It's about a guy who develops the ability to "teleport" when he was but a mere teenaged boy. It was purely by accident, by his understanding. He'd fallen in a frozen-over river, been swept under the ice by the current, and under the threat of death, "teleported" himself to the public library.

You realize pretty much immediately that you're being drawn into love with the kid. His mom took off when he was five, his dad was a real jerk. And he had this hopeless, puppy-dog love for a girl named Millie. Oh, not to mention he was picked on heavily (the bully called him "Rice bowl", which I learned later was because his name is David Rice).

He sees the potential for this power, and decides to run away. ("If my mom could run away, so could I"... which proves to be quite a little tie-in, trust me) What is a fifteen-year-old to do? He hops on a bus and flees to New York City. Rents a room the size of my guest closet and learns more about his abilities.

He realizes that if he can visualize the place he needs to go, he can be there. He just has to close his eyes and concentrate, and wham, he's on the top of the Empire State Building.

You can see where this is going right?

1) What the hell is he going to do for money? Well, he goes to a bank, sees the inside of the vault, and there you have it. Money.

2) What kind of future does this life of crime lead him? Well, golly, he can't get caught 'cause he doesn't touch anything but the stuff he takes. Eight years down the road and he has posh apartments, travels the globe daily, and shows himself to be increadibly lazy (there is a small part where he's sitting on his designer couch in his designer apartment and can't reach the remote... instead of LEANING over, he teleports to the other end of the couch for the remote).

3) Where's the conflict? Enter Samuel L. Jackson, playing Roland the paladin. A "knight" who tracks down jumpers with his organization in tow. And when he finds these "jumpers" (the people who can teleport), he traps them and kills them.
Aha! That's satisfaction right there - plenty of conflict. Because suddenly, a lead breaks free and they find our friend, David the Jumper. He flees, after grabbing a token bag-full of cash, and goes home.

I won't outline the entire film. I will say that I have a love-hate attitude for it, though.

It has originality going for it. The special effects and "powers" expressed were impressive and fun to watch.

The short list of items I found annoying is a little longer...

Open ending, almost hopeful that the studio would have a reason to make a sequel. Gag.

Cardboard motives, cardboard love story, cardboard cardboard cardboard. There's only so much fiber you can take in before you're stuck in the potty room wishing you'd never done whatever it is that brought you there in the first place.

As much as the populace has enjoyed it in the past, the "story of the golden-hearted criminal" motif is getting just a smidge old. What's pathetic is that I was hoping they (the writers of this movie) would actually tackle the "hard" angle - have him use his abilities to make money legally. A naive notion, yes, not the least of which was encouraged by my having not seen the preview. Instead, we're expected to embrace his bank robberies because he leaves IOUs. (WTF? What kind of person leaves an IOU from a bank robbery? and how is he going to pay it back? Robbing another bank? Gag again.)

All in all, glad I saw it. Was a nice little break from reality, and like I said, originality helped to dampen my other concerns. I'm a little miffed that I paid $17+ bucks (2 tickets and a soda later...) to see it, but not enough to actively complain about it or anything.

I can assure anyone reading that if a sequel comes out, I'll wait for it to hit DVD. The only real draw to seeing this imaginary sequel will be to watch someone of significance die, and see how the other characters react. That's the only way the sequel could interest me I think, which is sad. It's pretty bad when a character must suffer to get my attention. Poor things.