Tuesday, December 28, 2010

uuugh.

Just a quick post to check in, though I really should write a longer account of the holidays but I'm beyond exhausted right now and don't think I can manage much.

So: we had a wonderful Christmas with lots of presents and food and games at my in-laws' house, though we got there a couple of days later than we had planned because the car crapped out. Then it finished crapping out on Sunday: the day we were supposed to get back home. Awesome. Specially because our anniversary was today.

It...wasn't very good, but I cried enough about it today that it's really all a blur. The entire day was spent thus: MrFig and his dad (who was just awesome) trying to fix the car, me in the guest house watching bad TV and napping (and yeah, crying at one point because feh, I had to), MrFig's mom cooking delicious lunch for us all, and everyone just being anxious because we needed to get back home today. So on and so forth, until 6pm.

And finally, we came home. We borrowed MrFig's brother's car (huzzah for great in-laws!) and got in at about 11pm. I rested for a bit and packed, showered and got on the computer while poor MrFig slept a little bit.

So went our first anniversary. It's a good thing that neither one of us is really crazy about celebrating these things with big shindigs, but we had been planning for at least a fancy dinner out and some champagne and our wedding cake (eew). But, well, things just don't work out sometimes. We'll celebrate properly when I get back from Honduras (January 12th), and really, at this point? I'm just glad to be home.

Now I wait an hour and a half or so before we have to drive to the airport in 40 degree weather. I check in, fly to Houston, wait for an hour, fly to Honduras where it'll be a nice and balmy 80 degrees. I can't wait to see everyone: a year is way too long for me to be away from home.

I can't wait to see my dogs.

I'll try and check in as soon as I get in, though it might get dicey what with me not taking my laptop this time. It might be a huge mistake, but the thing is bulky and the power chord is broken so I couldn't even take it anywhere. I'm taking my crappy iPod Touch (it's used and the buttons are just totally wonky) and hope it'll keep me entertained. Whenever it doesn't, I'll steal my mom's computer. Bwah.

I'm so tired I feel a little dizzy. I think I'll have a Dr Pepper.

So, catch you all on the flipside. Send good travel vibes.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Cannonball, Part 3!

Here's something exciting: The Cannonball Read is back!

As you'll recall, it's basically a challenge created by Pajiba, in which you try to read as many books as you can in a year. The ultimate goal is 100 (which I barely managed to do in 2009), but you can do 52 (one per week), or even half of that. Whatever you're up to doing. The other part of the challenge is that you write a short review for said book, which I admit really got exhausting after the first 50 or so. By the end I wasn't even trying, which was pretty pathetic of me, and I hope to do much better this time.

The best thing is that anyone can participate, even if you're not really familiar with Pajiba. But you should be, because, well, it's awesome.

Read the full info on the challenge here. It starts off January 1st, so it might be a little dicey for me what with New Year's hangovers and a wedding the next day, but I'll do my best to start out then. I've decided to start with Catch-22, which I've read before, albeit something like 10 years ago (it's preferable if you haven't read the books for the challenge, but I think they're pretty flexible about that). Actually, I started to read it about a week ago, but didn't get very far, what with work and everything, so I'll give myself a couple of days into 2011 before I begin. Meanwhile, I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the fifteenth time or so, mostly because it was just sitting there.

So, there it is. I'm getting myself a library card and going to town with reading. Hope some of you join in! Check back here in 2011 for my reviews, which I promise to put a little effort into this time. 100 books baby! And just to make it harder on myself, I'll try to read one new book for every re-read I do. I need some new material.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Going back to the boring real world stuff...

Alright, so enough with the dilly-dallying and the 'oh I have nothing interesting to say' bullshit because I want to update and I WILL and who cares if it's not the most exciting thing in the world. Right? Right. So, here's a bullet-point list of shit that's on my mind today, because there's a lot of it and I like bullet points. But not bullets. Go figure.

- Going home in 12 days. Eeeeeeee! It's been a year and 7 days, now. I think it's the longest I've ever been away from home before. I almost did a whole year one time when I was in college, but this is definitely the longest. I feel like I'll die if I don't eat a real Honduran tortilla soon.
-So, going home for my older brother's wedding. Eee! We're spending New Year's together in beautiful Copan Ruins. Then the wedding's on the 2nd and I'm home til the 13th. I'm going alone because tickets are way too expensive for both Graham and I to go, so alas. But still! Exciting.
-So I have a dress for the wedding. But I want new shoes for it. And I just went to every single shoe store at the mall today and found FUCK ALL. Everything seems to be either boring old flats (no!) or gigantic 5 inch platform heels that just makes me think that some women must have a death wish. How do you WALK in those? Besides they just make your feet look gigantic. Ugh. And the ones I liked were either $300 (um, no) or in the wrong color. It's driving me insane.
-Oh, yeah. I've quit my job. At least I put in a two-week's notice last week. Last day is December 21st. I should probably feel terrified, but truth be told I'm nothing but relieved. I only planned on staying on til the end of the year, anyway, and it really wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Plus it was just kind of miserable. I'll miss some of my coworkers, but overall it was just a temporary thing, and I won't miss the exhaustion at the end of the day.
-The plan is to finally get to work on getting my teacher's degree next year. I badly want to go back to teaching, and just making a decent salary for once. That'd be nice.
- Christmas shopping DONE. Mostly. I'd write the details here but I suspect some family members might read this so hush, hush. I love Christmas. Can't wait.

So, that's a start. I'll try to get back into the hang of this, since it's been so damn long since I've written anything that's not a facebook status. That's kind of pathetic.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Songs I love by Artists I Don't Like So Much

I'm working on finally finishing the damned Twilight monstrosity, but to hold you over in your surely uncontainable excitement, here's a new feature I'd like to introduce.

As you can see from the very eloquent title up there, it's well, songs I love by artists I can't stand. You know, for all my snobbishness when it comes to TV, movies and books, I've never really been very big on music elitism. I can't really explain or understand it, but I've never worked myself up about certain singers or bands, with perhaps the notable exceptions of Elton John or, well, the Backstreet Boys when I was 15. I think after that I started to realize that bands come and go, and that I really did like a little bit of every type of music (even rap and country, bwah). And while there are artists that I truly do despise, I still let myself like something by people that only bother me and that I normally ignore. For example, I'll steer clear of anything by Katy Perry, I'll let something by Mariah Carey skate on by if I like the song enough. Point is: if I like a song, I'll like a song, and who is singing it won't matter unless it's under extreme circumstances.

All that confusing rant has led me to is this: I actually like a song by Avril Lavigne. Yes, she's a silly little girl pretending to be a punk rocker in the most laughable manner possible, but I still like this song for some damn reason. I think I just heard it at the appropriate time-- we weren't all exhausted by the tiny chick with the raccoon eyes, and I was just in the right mood to hear it and for it to endear itself to me.

Plus, it's just a nice little song. The lyrics are immature, of course, and her voice is quite obviously weak in parts, but there's something I like about it. And here ends my pathetic attempt at writing about music-- mostly I just like a song and I can't really be bothered to explain or understand why. So I'll just post the freakin' song already.

Here's "My Happy Ending" by Avril Lavigne:

[Full disclosure: I didn't even watch the video]




And yes, I realize I just admitted to the internet that I like an Avril Lavigne song. And I posted it on my blog. That's the fun of it!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The Pain: Chapter 24 (finally)

Holy crap, I STILL haven't finished this? I could've sworn I had, because there's no other excuse for how long it's taken me to get to the final chapter of the monstrosity. Well, aside from the fact that work's been insane and I just haven't, you know, missed these assholes. But let's do it, so we can all move on with our lives and I can finally wash my hands off this damned thing.

Into the breach once more, dear friends! Sparkletard, activate!

*Schwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa*

****
CHAPTER 24: AN IMPASSE
(Look! I can use the dictionary to look up them fancy words!)

Variations on "Edward is Pretty" used so far: 43

Quick and Hard Summary:
Just to bring us all up to speed: Bella fell into Eeeeeevil James' brain-crushingly stupid trap and was attacked in a ballet studio. Just after she'd been both beaten and bitten (yay, alliteration) she is saved by the Cullens, who arrive as she's passing out so we miss all the good stuff. Edward is forced to save her by sucking out the vampire poison that James infected her with (which would turn her into a vampire, which is what she really wants all along), and she is saved. Ta-daa. Caught up? OK, so in this one she wakes up in the hospital, where they make up some story for the doctors that is worthy of any battered woman in denial. It's really gross, even grosser is the horrible dependency that comes out of Bella. She talks to her mom, and it's pretty gross too. Everything is gross, but nothing is grosser than all the lovey-dovey talk these two asshole teenagers engage in near the end. Plus, there's an epilogue, which is just beyond laughable. Let's get to the meat in this shit sandwich.

Real-Time Notes:
--She wakes up. Dammit. she's in the hospital. her first words are "Edward" because JESUS WOMAN. ASK AFTER YOUR FUCKING FATHER OR YOUR MOTHER. THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU AND WHY DON'T YOU GO TO THERAPY FOR YOUR SICKENING DEPENDENCY. FUCK.

[That's my angry voice. In case you couldn't tell. I find it hilarious that that's exactly what I wrote down when I was reading it. Not changing a word. Therapy, indeed.]

-44
"Edward?" I turned my head slightly, and his exquisite face was just inches from mine, his chin resting on the edge of my pillow."

Then she apologizes for what happened, which, great, good way to start.

-"You fell down two flights of stairs and through a window." He paused. "You have to admit, it could happen."

*snort* the sad thing is everyone would believe that story...as they would believe any story they concocted if Eddie hurt her, by the way. Creepy. "Oh, no that bruise isn't from Edward hugging me too hard! I ran into a door, honest!"

-He sighed without returning my gaze. "It was impossible… to stop," he whispered. "Impossible. But I did." He looked up finally, with half a smile. "I must love you." "Don't I taste as good as I smell?" I smiled in response. That hurt my face.
"Even better — better than I'd imagined."

OK dude that's just disgusting. HE SUCKED YOUR FUCKING BLOOD YOU INFINITELY GIANT TWAT. I mean, just. *horf*. Also it's even weirder if you just think of the 'sucking blood' as, well, sex. Which is obviously what it's meant to be. Listen, girls! A good boyfriend will stop because he really loves you!



-"I'm sorry," I apologized. He raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Of all the things to apologize for." "What should I apologize for?" "For very nearly taking yourself away from me forever." "I'm sorry," I apologized again."

HEAD DESK HEAD DESK HEAD DESK HEAD DESK

WHY ARE YOU APOLOGIZING, YOU FUCKWIT. OK, so yes, you were a complete fucking idiot for falling into the trap, but the Cullens knew you're a fucking idiot and still they were dumber than you and let you get away. And they didn't kill James before, when it would've been so easy to do it. So I guess it's everyone's fault. But shut the fuck up, Bella. Stop doing everything your boyfriend says.

"Say you're a banana." "Yes, Edward. I'm a banana." "Good girl!"

FUCK.

[Note: When I saw this in my notes I wasn't sure if it was an actual quote or if I had written it. Tells you something about the quality of the Poop's writing, doesn't it? I mean, I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if there was a line exactly like that in the book somewhere.]

-So Emmet and Jasper killed James, whatever. I guess they were so incompetent that the one way they could deal with him was if he was trapped in a tiny room by himself. Good job, dudes. You're so manly.

- "Afraid of a needle," he muttered to himself under his breath, shaking his head. "Oh, a sadistic vampire, intent on torturing her to death, sure, no problem, she runs off to meet him. An IV, on the other hand…" I rolled my eyes. I was pleased to discover that this reaction, at least, was pain-free. I decided to change the subject."

Jeebus, Bella for ONCE think about yourself and not how your goddamn creepy fucktard controlling monster fucking fucking FUCK of a boyfriend feels.

Aaah feels good to get that off my chest. I hate this guy SO MUCH.
[Oh, the rage...]

-Uh-huh. So the story they'll tell her parents is that Bella drove out to see the Cullens, and then she fell down the stairs. They'll believe this shit? What kind of parents are these?
-"Don't leave me," I cried, an irrational surge of panic flooding through me. I couldn't let him go — he might disappear from me again."

Jesus Christ on a cracker.
-"Friday?" I was shocked. I tried to remember what day it had been when… but I didn't want to think about that."

That means Poop couldn't be bothered to think of something. Hilarious.

-Mom comes in, they chatter mindlessly. Apparently Mom thinks Bella wants to move back in with her which, HA! Poor, poor Mom. You rasied a spoiled, entitled little brat who is so utterly dependent on her boyfriend that she can't take two steps without him. There's no way she's going anywhere with you.

-"Well, he seems very nice, and, my goodness, he's incredibly good-looking, but you're so young, Bella…"

WELL, THAT'S OK THEN. Let's not forget that she also got seriously hurt while being with him and she doesn't have any other friends and she's freakishly dependent on him...jeebus, with a mother like that, no wonder Bella is so monumentally stupid. It's like, you look at Dina Lohan and you understand exactly why Lindsay Lohan turned out the way she did.

-Blahblah, Eddie's all "I should leave you" and didn't we go through all this before? yes we did. At painful, agonizing length. You're too horny, Eddie, and she's too stupid. Therefore, you'll stick around each other like poisonous leeches. The end.

- "Don't leave me," I begged in a broken voice."

This girl is freaking me out. And after she KNOWS she can be hurt by him AND his kind. DO YOU SEE EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH THIS?! Poop has some massive issues, people. Hey girls, throw yourselves at your boyfriend who almost just got you killed, because helplessness is so attractive, and crying and sobbing is the way to keep 'em!

- "Do you swear you won't leave me?" I whispered. I tried to control the gasping, at least. My ribs were throbbing."

Good God this girl has serious psychological problems, doesn't she? Goooood lord!

-"Why did you say that?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "Are you tired of having to save me all the time? Do you want me to go away?"


-Edward is finally making a good point about how this is all his fault and YES YES IT IS HIS FAULT. But Bella's all "no it's all me" and blah blah don't ever feel guilty about how hurt I get!

Those two fucking deserve each other. I guess that's one good thing about this horrible couple: they won't go infect the world with their horribleness once they have each other. It's pretty much how I feel about most celebrity couples.

-"He heard the change in my tone. His eyes tightened. "I don't seem to be strong enough to stay away from you, so I suppose that you'll get your way… whether it kills you or not," he added roughly."

Oh, well that's just fucking fabulous and SOOOOOOOO romantic, isn't it? Ugh, Edward's such a pansy. Man up and move to Paris and get you some french hookers or something. Be the stereotypical man for once!

- He doesn't promise he'll never leave. Snerk. Thus, Poop sets up the entire plot of the next book, by the way.

"You have saved me," he said quietly.
"I can't always be Lois Lane," I insisted. "I want to be Superman, too."



Bitch, PLEASE. You're Jimmy fucking Olsen. You're the shit stain on the bottom of Superman's shoes. Also how is Eddie anywhere near...just...I'll stop. That statement is too fucking stupid to pay too much attention to.

-Bella wants him to turn her into a vampire, whee.

"You are my life. You're the only thing it would hurt me to lose." I was getting better at this. It was easy to admit how much I needed him."

I.E: "Fuck my mom, fuck my dad, fuck those people who seem to care about me for some reason. The fuck do they matter? I Want to be with my pretty boy friend." This chick, honestly.

-*snerk* she basically says she doesn't give a shit about them. They're gonna die anyway, right?

-"I glared at him. "I may not die now… but I'm going to die sometime. Every minute of the day, I get closer. And I'm going to get old."


NOOOOOOOOO NOT OLD OHMYGAWD.

-Christ, Eddie, you know what? she will NEVER stop whining about this. EVER. Just fucking turn her already so we can get it over with?

- "Alice already saw it, didn't she?" I guessed. "That's why the things she says upset you. She knows I'm going to be like you… someday."

HAHAHAHA NICE. Also notice how Poop just told us how the series ends. No need to even read the rest of the books. Oh, Poop. You are a marvel of incompetence.

-"I will," he promised. His voice was beautiful, like a lullaby. "Like I said, as long as it makes you happy…as long as it's what's best for you."

Blargh.

But you know, aside from Mom and Dad, whom Bella clearly Doesn't give a shit about, what's so bad about becoming a vampire, specially with these hippie sparkly jackasses? as I've said before: NOTHING AT ALL. She'll have all eternity to learn and whatever, she won't gain weight from eating, she won't have to worry about money, ever, she'll be with her stupid pretty boyfriend and she'll be covered in body jewelry. But no, we have to make it a dumbass conflict for no reason at all. FAIL.

AND I HAVE REACHED THE EPILOGUE. HALLELUJAH.

Final Impression: Wrong on so many levels.

Final "Pretty" Count: 45

Final Grade: Fuck this, I'm making myself a sandwich.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

I've become one of them--the never-updating blogger

Gah. I've become one of those people who's always 'shocked' when they don't update, write an update about said shock, and don't update again for a month.

Sorry, guys. But the new job thing, when it's not killing any free time I have, kills my motivation and energy levels enough so that the last I want to try and do is write. Specially about Twilight. Brrr. On the other hand I always do feel good when I write something and let out some much-accumulated steam, so I should listen to myself more often and stop being so damn lazy and update.

So here you are: a 4:32am update. Entering the exciting world of Adulthood means that I have to be in at work at 7am, and because I don't have a car I need to take a bus, a train, and then another bus, all of which turns what would be a 15 minute car ride into a one hour trip on public transportation. It's not bad, actually- certainly miles above and beyond the system in Tegucigalpa, so I shouldn't even complain. Plus, having to take the bus is the only reason why I don't have to start at 6am or earlier. Brrr, again.

The job itself is pretty basic: the very definition of entry-level that takes few skills but a lot of energy and an understanding that you'll be working much harder than people a few steps above you. But it's a job, and at this point they've been the only ones to call me back, so I'm not complaining. I only really mind the early mornings; even the bad pay is alright because anything is good after two years of not making any money at all. And at least now I'll be able to list a job in the US as experience on my resume. And I like the physical activity of it, if maybe not the fact that I come home feeling pretty damn tired. But overall I just like the fact that I'm doing something again. I work with an alright group and though sometimes it can get chaotic at least I'm standing out to my bosses in a positive way. I'm thinking of staying on at least until Christmas- it's retail, so I wouldn't get many hours at all after that anyway.

In other news, the summer has FINALLY ended and we can all rejoice over that. I've never been so hot in my life, but I think I should be better about it next year when I'll be more used the shock if 110 degrees. It's actually about 54 degrees outside and the days have just been glorious. About damn time.

So, I'll go take a shower now and head off to the trenches once more. I'll try and get a few more chapters of "Breaking Dawn" (BRRR) in, and finally finish "Twilight" (or did I finish? can't even remember).

Don't forget to read my Project Runway recaps on Pajiba, they're the best on the planet. Or so I hear.

Monday, September 20, 2010

The Pain: Chapter 23

9 days with no updates? What's wrong with me? How could I neglect it so?

Truth is I've just been having a life for the first time in two years. Have the job, which is good but makes me get home in a state of sheer exhaustion such that the very idea of posting something here makes me sleepier. And last weekend I went out with a ton of awesome Pajibans: Melody, Snuggiepants, Intern Rusty, Ian, GP, Smokin and Blonde_Savant. It was beyond fantastic, though of course it means nothing to you if you're not a Pajiban, though I wonder how many people who read this aren't.

Anyway, I need to finish The Pain and quick. Get it over with. I haven't read past chapter one of Breaking Dawn, but I promise I'll try to advance. That is, if anyone is even interested in more angry ramblings at what most people call the worst book of the series. Worse than Twilight. Good God. But I guess I'll give it a try once I settle my schedule at work and learn how to do things earlier in the day.

So let's finish this bitch. Mercy kill. The second-to-last chapter. It's a short one.

*****

CHAPTER 23: THE ANGEL
[...who sucks people's blood to stay alive. Lovely.]


Variations on "Edward is Pretty" used so far: 41

Quick n Hard Summary:
So James set up a retarded trap for Bella at the ballet studio, and she went there and got attacked after much monologuing on his part. She got thrown against some mirrors and passed out. And then the Cullens arrived and killed James. All this while Bella was passed out, so we don't get to read about ANY of it. Because of course the only possibly exciting stuff always happens offscreen. GOOD JOB, MEYER. Anyway. They see that James bit Bella, so she's been poisoned. Carlisle makes Edward drink her blood "to suck out the poison". Uh huh.

Real-Time Notes:

-She sorta wakes up.

"Because, through the heavy water, I heard the sound of an angel calling my name, calling me to the only heaven I wanted. "Oh no, Bella, no!" the angel's voice cried in horror."

"The only heaven I wanted?" The fuck does that even mean? I hate Poop's pathetic attempts at being poetic more than anything else in this book.

-Wait, so...um, the Cullens have arrived and killed James most brutally in a fire--and this ALL HAPPENED WHILE BELLA WAS UNCONSCIOUS. What this means is that the ONLY REAL ACTION IN THE ENTIRE DAMNED BOOK happened off screen because our fucktarded protagonist WAS PASSED OUT. If you're gonna have the protagonist be the narrator, at least KEEP THEM AWAKE FOR WHEN SHIT HAPPENS. But noooooo instead she bores us to fucking death while TweedledeeSparks and TweedledeeKlutz stare at each other for 200 pages.

-"Yes, I wanted to say. Anything. But I couldn't find my lips."

Oh COME ON, Poop. I know you want to make the girl seem stupid, but COME ON. don't you mean her voice? HER LIPS? THE FUCK?

I JUST BOUGHT MYSELF A NEW PAIR, TOO. GAWD.

42
-"Carlisle!" the angel called, agony in his perfect voice. "Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!" And the angel was sobbing tearless, broken sobs."

How is a voice "perfect"?

Well, at least she's consistent and doesn't have Eddie cry actual tears. Though, how totally sweet would it be if he were to cry tears of blood like they do on True Blood? HOW GORGEOUS WOULD HE LOOK THEN, BELLA?!

-Bella's all mangled. Eddie's all distraught and tearing at his beard and shit and I just DO NOT CARE. I want the bitch dead, Poop. Just kill her or make her a vampire already. Those are the only two ways in which she'd ever be interesting, and the vampirism is a stretch.

-"My hand is burning!" I screamed, finally breaking through the last of the darkness, my eyes fluttering open. I couldn't see his face, something dark and warm was clouding my eyes. Why couldn't they see the fire and put it out?"

Honestly, have you ever run across clunkier narration? It's so stilted and completely lacking in any kind of emotion, which is a rather amazing feat considering that it's a book told IN THE FIRST PERSON.

Also: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA SHE IS ON FIRE BUT NOT REALLY AND SHE IS SCREAMING I AM BURNING AND I AM CRACKING UP BECAUSE THIS IS SO FUCKING DUMB HAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHA THE BEEES AAAAAAGH NOT THE BEEEEEEEEEEES! WHY'D IT GET BURNED?!

-*ahem*

The Cullens finally realize that James bit her. About three hours later, because they're all dumbasses. Whee!!! and remember how one bite apparently turns you into a vampire, which is like the stupidest fucking thing ever and I think Poop confused vampires with zombies, which is just like her and not surprising at all and it just makes her even dumber than I thought she could possibly be.

That's a lot of "which"s.

-And so, of course, the one solution (which, again, makes no sense at all but is just so fucking, monumentally stupid that it's perfect somehow) is for Eddie to 'suck out the poison'. Like James was a snake.

43
"Finally, I could see his perfect face, staring at me, twisted into a mask of indecision and pain."

I love how it's perfect and twisted at the same time. Because that makes perfect sense. Constipation face is kind on no one, Poop. HA. See what I did there? *rimshot*

-Eddie bites her and it hurts and whatever. This means Eddie's got a taste of her. I think it's like getting to first base for him. Probably the closest he's been to a girl, ever.

Though I guess he didn't bite her, just suck her blood, because biting causes sparklyness. She's saved. Much to our disgust.

-So I guess they burn James, and that is it.

-That's it for that chapter. That's it. A build up of 40 pages, and it all concludes with Bella passing out and waking up to Eddie rescuing her. It's the most pathetic, most brutally stupid and insipid 'climax' I have ever read in my life. It's painfully clear that Poop either didn't know how or just couldn't be bothered to write a real action scene. I'm guessing it's the first. She's not nearly talented enough to try, or to even contemplate writing an action sequence. So we have the narrator pass out, miss everything, and wake up to a conclusion that even the dumbest person could see coming a mile away. It's like falling asleep during the final climactic battle sequence and waking up when it's over, and suddenly everything is OK. What's the fun of reading that? Hell, what's the fun of writing it? Goddamn, that was weak. All so that we could have yet another grand savior moment brought about by everyone's stupidity.

Final Impression: Brutally stupid.

Final "Pretty" count: 43

One more chapter to go, guys. Just one more.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

The Pain: Chapter 22

We're so very close to the end, guys. Hang on with me, because it's definitely gonna be a rough ride. Brace yourselves.

CHAPTER 22: HIDE AND SEEK
(Hide the plot, seek, but never find it)

Variations on "Edward is Pretty" used so far: 40

Quick n Hard Summary:
So Bella the Fuckwit has been fooled by James into think he has her mother. She has decided to run away from the only people in the world who could help her (even though they are fuckwits as well) and walk right into James' trap. Fuckwit, Jasper and Alice go to the airport to pick up Edward, and Bella manages to escape with the brilliant trick of...going the other way while pretending to go to the bathroom (no, really). She gets into a cab and goes home, where James tells her to go to the ballet studio, where of course he is, and we find out he tricked Bella by using a videotape of her mother calling her name. No, really. I'm not joking, guys. Quit giving me that look. James monologues for an eternity (because we need time for Eddie to get there) and finally attacks Bella. She passes out. Believe it or not, none of it is even remotely exciting, tense or interesting. Outstanding levels of mediocrity, Poop. Just outstanding.

Real-Time Notes:
-Bella hangs up the phone after talking to James, and walks back into the room with Alice, who proceeds to have another freakout. Bella is pretty sure Alice saw her getting killed, but Alice pretends that nothing's wrong. They go to the airport. I'm left confused with what the hell's the point of having someone who can see the future if they're completely useless about it?

Also Alice's power seems to be really iffy and based on people making decisions? I can't figure it out, but it makes no sense and no one gives a shit anyway. Point is that she's seen Bella make the decision to confront James on her own and...she'll do nothing about it. Why? Who cares? Bitch is as useful as 'gypsy' at the circus.

Or this.

-"How does it work? The things that you see?" I stared out the side window, and my voice sounded bored. "Edward said it wasn't definite… that things change?" It was harder than I would have thought to say his name. That must have been what alerted Jasper, why a fresh wave of serenity filled the car."

Dude's like a freakin' Glade air freshener. Also, yet another 'power' that makes no sense at all. How would something like that even work? Manipulating your emotions through...what? Smell? random invisible rays?

-Alice says she only sees the course while people are on it--zzzzzzzz, get to putting bella in mortal danger already.

-God, this is retarded. Alice knows exactly what's gonna happen. So you know Eddie will read her mind, figures it all out, saves Bella just in time. Fuck this.

-They get to the airport and sit down to wait for Eddie for what feels like an eternity.

"It was amazing how every cell in my body seemed to know he was coming, to long for his coming. That made it very hard."

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID. Haaaaa.

-Then Bella pretends like she wants to go to the bathroom and Jasper walks with her. And then thousand year old vampires are fooled by this fucktard going out the other exit of the bathroom. You've just been tricked by Bella Swan, Cullens. All of you should kill yourselves now.

-She runs. And runs some more. Gets into a cab. Remains stupid.

-41
"How quickly, how gracefully he would move through the crowds of people separating us. And then I would run to close those last few feet between us — reckless as always — and I would be in his marble arms, finally safe."

I wonder, how do you read something like that and not realize how incredibly awkward "marble arms" sounds? Not only is it awkward writing (and just sounds terrible); it's a highly unpleasant image. Wouldn't that hurt? And be cold and uncomfortable? Poop, you just suck in so many ways.

-"It wouldn't matter how long we had to hide. To be trapped in a hotel room with him would be a kind of heaven."

BARF. WE GET IT. I don't even remember why she's thinking this stuff, but again, it doesn't matter. She's on a cab or getting home or something.

-She gets to her house and talks to James on the phone again. Never does it occur to this shithead to, say, check the house for signs of habitation, or check the driveway for a car, or call her stepfather or CALL HER OWN MOTHER AND FIND OUT WHERE SHE IS. Gah. I think we need this again:


-So James - who, by the way, must be slightly disappointed that this was so damn easy- tells her to come to the ballet studio if she wants to save her mother.

-"I tripped several times, once falling, catching myself with my hands, scraping them on the
sidewalk, and then lurching up to plunge forward again."

Seriously?

-Finally gets to the damned ballet studio.

"Terror seized me so strongly that I was literally trapped by it. I couldn't make my feet move forward."

LITERALLY, huh? Also, this couldn't be less scary if there were ponies and daisies floating around.

Ooooh, terrifying.

-Uh-huh. So "clever" hunter James used a videotape to lure Bella into the studio. Because hse's so cunning and shit. He actually does the evil cackle and calls her stupid. JUST MOTHERFRAKKING EAT HER ALREADY. STOP MONOLOGUING.

-"And suddenly it hit me. My mother was safe. She was still in Florida. She'd never gotten my message.
She'd never been terrified by the dark red eyes in the abnormally pale face before me."

One: You could have found that out by calling her, you insufferable shithead.
Two: Oh, so Eddie's an Adonis but James is abnormal? Freak.
Three: EAT HER ALREADY.

-Bella seems to realize that not all vampires are gorgeous. It was just that Carlisle was a bit of a freak and wanted a bunch of models for a family.

-"Just the white skin, the circled eyes I'd grown so used to. He wore a pale blue, long-sleeved shirt and faded blue jeans."

Wait, so "used" to ?! YOU HAVE SEEN HIM TWICE. Also, WHO GIVES A SHIT WHAT HE'S WEARING?!

-James, as eveyr pathetic villain in the history of ever, monologues on and on and on and fucking on and I don't give a shit because he's not killing Bella fast enough. All he's doing is giving Eddie and the Sparkly Bunch time to find Bella--because they all know where she was going. James? YOU DESERVE WHAT'S COMING TO YOU FOR BEING A TWATWAFFLE.

-No joke, he monologues for three paragraphs, telling us exactly what we already know happened. Also, ha. Creep. He's gonna videotape the murder so he can send the tape to Eddie and have a giant game of hide and seek. So he's a psycho, but not smart enough to actually be interesting. You fail yet again, Poop.

-Sigh. So um, James tells us that he had run into Alice before, and wanted to eat her. But some dude saved her from the asylum where she was staying and turned her.

-"And she did smell so delicious. I still regret that I never got to taste… She smelled even better than you do. Sorry — I don't mean to be offensive. You have a very nice smell. Floral, somehow…"

Again with this shit. Bella the freakin Human Febreeze.

Bella Swan: Masks AND defeats unpleasant odors!

-She just stands there and HE DOESN'T EAT HER YET. JEEBUS.

-She tries to run, because she's stupid, and so:

"A crushing blow struck my chest — I felt myself flying backward, and then heard the crunch as my head bashed into the mirrors."

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Obviously, I do not condone violence or violence against women, but this chick isn't a woman, or even human. She's an empty shell and a terrible creaiton, and I hate her, and it's about time someone beat the shit out of her. Not that she'll learn anything from it. Anyway.

-"Would you like to rethink your last request?" he asked pleasantly. His toe nudged my broken leg and I heard a piercing scream. With a shock, I realized it was mine."

Oh what a shitty Harlequin cliche: no one ever knows that...that...the screamer...IS THEM. Ugh. Also the charming, suave villain is so tired. Quit stealing everything from Diana Gabaldon, Poop.

-Blah, blah, he beats her up, she closes her eyes and I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW.

-And then the chapter ends, with not a single moment of true tension to come out of what was supposed to be the climax of the novel. I've never wanted to set a book on fire more.

Final Impression: Need I say it? It was the culmination of 500 pages of paper-thin plot and moronic characters, so it was terrible in every way imaginable. The big 'conflict' was resolved in three pages and some bad monologuing by a ridiculous villain straight out of the Failed Evil Overlord collection. A disgusting, embarrassing failure in every sense of the word.

Final Grade: I'll stop with this ranking, because what's the point?

"Pretty Count": 41, but only because Eddie's offscreen this whole time.

Update, on the Real World Front

....And yet again I've neglected this thing for too long. But I hope you'll understand: I have an actual job and a real life to deal with for the first time in two years, and it's taking some getting used to. Specifically, getting up at 5am to be at work by 7- I leave the house at 6 and take two buses and a train to get to work. The work itself is pretty good, I always keep busy and I'm getting along fine with everyone. It's exhausting, but I get off at 12 or 1 so I have the rest of the day to rest and the time goes by quickly. I won't get into too much detail here, so I'll just say it's easy, relatively mindless work but it's something, and what with the horrible job situation all over the place, I'm incredibly grateful just to have a job. So this was my first working 'week' (it was only three days) and hopefully it'll get easier as I go along. I know that I'll be incredibly happy to be earning some real money at last.

So that's the update on the real life side of things. Don't have much else going on, doing some artwork (almost finished with the one big project I'd set for myself for the summer) and working on my brother's wedding invitations, though I've been unable to work on that all week because of coming home from work too exhausted to care about painting. Also been working hard with Pajiba-- doing the Project Runway recaps has been incredibly fun but also exhausting. Writing an actual recap (instead of, you know, just shouting incoherently as I did here) is harder than I had thought it was. It's fun, but you have to really edit yourself and not end up babbling or recaping every single second of the show. But it's so much fun to write and read the comments, and I've been getting a good response. Good writing practice and thankfully the show is giving me enough good stuff to work with this season.

In case you missed them, here's the recap for Episode 5 and the one for Episode 6. They're full of spoilers, obviously. Next one goes up this Monday, so go and give us some more page views.

So I've had that, plus the EE and I have the Twilight recaps to write. Of course, no one's making me do the Twilight thing, but I feel bad that I haven't updated. I also haven't read past chapter 1 of Breaking Dawn, mostly because I'd completely forgotten about the damned thing. But I'll make up for it. And, now that I think about it, reading and writing in a state of mental and physical exhaustion might be just the perfect mood for dealing with such levels of crap. A mushy brain is all that that garbage deserves.

And that's that. Having a meet-up with some Pajibans next week that I'm ridiculously excited about. Then it's the week of my birthday and I really want some cake. Couple of weeks after that we're going down to visit the in-laws in Houston and it'll be a big party to celebrate 3 birthdays in the family. And the summer is finally over. I love September.

So stay tuned, I'll be posting the next chapter of Twilight in a few minutes. Exciting!

Friday, September 3, 2010

The Pain: Chapter 21

I'm sure you've all been dying to know what happened to Team Sparkletard, so let's get to it.

CHAPTER 21: PHONE CALL
[Why do these chapters even have titles?]

Variations on "Edward is Pretty" used so far: 40

Quick n Hard Summary:
So when we last left her, Bella was with Alice and Jasper and Phoenix, attempting to run away from James by...running to the only other place where anyone who was after Bella would guess she had gone off to. Because these "vampires" are morons. So now Alice has a vision about the living room of Bella's mom's house, which means that that's where James is going. James calls Bella and tells her to go to the ballet studio on her own. Because she thinks that James has her mom (who, remember, is pretty obviously out of town), Bella decides to ditch Jasper and Alice. Because she's a fucktard and can't smell a trap a mile away. At least it's short.

Real-Time Notes:
-I love how even in the middle of what could actually be called a plot (if you really want to stretch the definition to the breaking point) , Poop is still mind-numbingly boring. Bella sits in her room and mopes, basically.

-Alice draws something else and it's Bella's mom's living room, and they assume that that's where James is going. Now the big question here is supposed to be that Bella's mom is out of town, right? But Bella seems to believe that she could come back any second and be caught by James. Because calling her is completely out of the fucking question.

-She doesn't want anyone to get hurt but what does she expect them to do when Eddie's all gaga over her and would probably mope around forever if she died and never have sex again? Jasper tries to knock her out (hee) but fails.

-My notes are kinda muddled on this because of how little I cared about what I was reading, but we find out Edward's on a plane and Alice and Jasper are gonna go check out and then they'll all go to the airport. So Bella gets a call from her 'mom'. It's basically just her mom's voice going "BELLA! BELLA!" a couple of times and then James' voice interrupts. Bella goes into the other room. Apparently that works just fine to fool a couple of century-old vampires.

-"The voice I heard now was as unfamiliar as it was unexpected. It was a man's tenor voice, a very pleasant, generic voice — the kind of voice that you heard in the background of luxury car commercials."

....Are you fucking serious with this shit? THAT is your comparison? Really? That's fucking dumber than the time you said Edward looked like he was in a raincoat ad. The FUCK, Stephanie Meyer?! Fucking kill yourself.

-So James tells her to go to the ballet studio, or she'll kill her mom. He says not to call the police tell the vampires and get away from them somehow. So Bella falls for this spectacularly transparent trap and decides to run right into James' arms.

*sigh*

I can't even begin to count the ways in which this is fucking stupid and even contradictory even to what Meyer said about James being smart and wanting a challenge. Trapping Bella Swan is like luring a fat kid into a trap by offering him a donut if he comes along.

-God, she's dumb. Shouldn't she at least TELL them and make a plan? No, dumbass Bella (who KNOWS she's a dumbass) is a dumbass some more and doesn't tell them anything. Because, you know, there's no way that the Cullens could come up with a plan to trap the one guy. What, is James gonna know everything you're planning? Aren't these guys supposed to be all super fast and strong and shit?

You know, I think I'm 15 times dumber after reading that because, goddamn. Twilight makes you dumber, kids.

- Also you dumb bitch, why would James killing you (or biting you, anyway) make you not ever see Eddie again? Fucking idiot. Wouldn't it actually turn you into a vampire like you want to? Unless, of course he wants to totally kill you, which is frankly quite alright by me.

-Snerk. She writes a letter to eddie about how she loves him, blah blah, "don't come for me" (fucktard). He's so gonna listen to you! You know, because he's always respected all your decisions and shit!

-"And then I carefully sealed away my heart."

BARF. THIS WILL NEVER END.

Final Impression: Barf.

Final Grade: Barf.

Pretty Count: Barf -40.

Christ that was terrible. Sorry guys, I couldn't even find funny photos for you. More tomorrow, I think. I was gonna do another one but... no. Enough!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Woop woop!

Gah, sorry about not updating with Pain, but I've been a bit busy

GETTING A JOB.

Woop woop! read that right!

It's only a part-time job, retail, early mornings. So I'll be quite exhausted for the first few...months as I get used to not going to bed at midnight anymore. And not sleeping til 10. Anyway, it's not a glamorous job or anything, but I'm super excited to start being a productive member of society (bwah) and earning some extra moneys and finally getting out of the house.

Woop woop! We'll be back in business shortly. Don't forget to read the Project Runway recaps at Pajiba!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Quickie: Breaking News!

And AWESOME news. My Project Runway recaps will now be moving to Pajiba! They'll be posted on Mondays, so a little later but still as fabulous. I'm super excited, and a little nervous given that it'll be a much bigger audience (or I hope so, anyway). But it should be a blast- just about everything on Pajiba leads to a great, often hilarious discussion, so be sure to check out both the recap and the comments section this Monday.

I know most of the people who read this come here through Pajiba, but in case you didn't, please support our awesome website, and support yours truly, starting this Monday. Expect me to pimp it out in every way imaginable, too, because I like the attention.Woop!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Pain: Chapter 20

Only four more to go, you addicts of Pain. I recommend you read my previous post, wherein I tell Stephanie Meyer what's what, and also announced that yeah, I'll be doing Breaking Dawn next. Curiosity killed the Fig, and what not. Let's get on with it.

CHAPTER 20: Impatience
[AKA: I've gone beyond impatience in waiting for something to happen in this book]

Variations on "Edward is Pretty" used so far: 40 (come on, Poop, you're falling behind!)

Quick n' Hard Summary:
So they're taking Bella away to Phoenix in their fuckwitted brilliant plan to try and set James off of Bella's scent. They DRIVE there which seems unbelievably stupid to me. And then they...sit in the hotel room and wait. That is seriously ALL THEY DO. Welcome to the "plot" part of the book! KILL ME.



Real-Time Notes:

-They're driving really fast, sometimes past the speed limit. Apparently vampires create a cloaking device around their cars that allow them to be invisible to traffic cops everywhere. She didn't say that, I'm speculating on their magical abilities to evade law enforcement.

And let's not even get into the monstrous stupidity of DRIVING Bella to her mother's house (where any good hunter would KNOW she would go) instead of flying her to say, Timbuktu. Wouldn't an unpredictable location reached by plane (you know, so he couldn't follow her scent) be the most logical plan?

OH HAHAHAHA what am I saying? That would require some intelligence on the part of your characters- who, let's remember, are hundreds of years old but seem to have the brains of a discarded shoe on the side of the highway. Jeebus wept.

Smarter than all the Cullens combined

I'm honestly amazed at the level of stupidity of these characters. There's no excuse at ALL to go through all this trouble. It only seems to be about driving Sparklutz apart so they can mope about and he can come to her rescue at the last minute. Oh, did I just tell you the ending? SORRY. But hey, if you couldn't figure it out before, congratulations! you're as big a dumbass as the Cullens.

- They magically get to Phoenix in a day instead of three. She's tired and sad, wah wah wah cry me a fucking river.

-She wakes up in the middle of the night, in some hotel. She misses Eddie. SNORE. When's James gonna show up again to kill her? Ick, if there's anything worse than Sparklutz staring at each other it's Bella moping about Eddie not being there. AND THAT IS WHAT THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IS ABOUT. GODDAMMIT.

-blahblah she's scared and thinks its her fault. Well, yeah, but it's more Eddie's fault for being all possessive like a dog with a toy.

-Alice and Bella talk. GUESS WHAT THEY TALK ABOUT? EDDIE SPARKLES. GOOD JOB.

"It's been almost a century that Edward's been alone."

Translation: "We're so happy he'll finally stop being a virgin! I mean, we really thought he was gay for a while, but then he was more asexual, like a sponge? Anyway, we're so glad he'll finally stop whining about finding his Juliet or whatever the fuck! Happy day!"

Like Edward Cullen. Only less shiny, less asexual, and less of a dumbass.

-We get more of Alice, Jasper and Bella waiting to hear from the others, and Bella worrying, and more waiting, and Bella worrying. Fuck it. This is painful.

- And then Poop kills the vampire mythology some MORE. Apparently her "vampires" are venomous, and a single bite is enough to send people into painful, prolonged agony. Which...just...good god. Why do you have to RUIN EVERYTHING, POOP. Just when I think I can't hate this woman more she completely outdoes herself. So, vampires just have to bite someone ONCE for them to turn into vampires as well? How fucking stupid is that? The whole idea is that it's a big huge deal to turn into a vampire, involving YOU drinking FROM THE VAMPIRE'S BLOOD. It's one of the reasons why being (or getting turned into) a vampire is a big fucking deal, and a horrible thing to do. Why change that? OH YEAH. Just so that Eddie will have some bullshit excuse to not turn Bella into a Sparklepire when she wants him to.

Conclusion: These are not (and have never been) real vampires. They're fucking immortal sparkly snakes. But way less awesome and more whiny little bitches.

-"But all that time, every minute of it, a victim would be wishing for death."

Well that's just fucking stupid. Also, WHY would Carlisle want Edward and Rosalie to go through that shit? Carlie's a fucking freak. What we're saying here is that, instead of letting them die in their own time, he put them through WORSE pain just because he was lonely. And now they hate themselves. Lovely.

-Blargh. So, Alice has a vision that James has changed his mind and will be in some dark room with mirrors.

-Eddie calls.

"I know, Bella. Believe me, I know. It's like you've taken half my self away with you." "Come and get it, then," I challenged."

Ah, I missed your romantic ways, Sparklutz. Puke.

- Alice draws the room she sees. "It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons — when I was eight or nine."

Wait. Old Jelly Legs Swan took BALLET? HAAAAAAAA!

-So she gets worried about her mom and calls her. Nothing happens. Because--get this--her mom is OUT OF TOWN. But she still worries that James is gonna go after her. Which...what?

I think this calls for this image, because words cannot convey my frustration at this stupidity:

*headdesk*


Holy Godtopus, you guys. We've reached Stupidity Threat Level: Midnight. I can't take it. I CAN'T TAKE IT.

Final Impression: Really? Do I really need to tell you? Just look at that photo again.

Final Grade: F to infinity.

Final "Pretty" Count: 40

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Stephanie Meyer, you are the WORST.

Hey, so you know what I haven't talked about in a while? Motherfrakkin' Twilight. Because GUESS WHAT YOU GUYS. I finished it. I FINISHED IT. I read every single page of that monstrosity and I am so very proud of myself. Well, not proud so much as disgusted. But you have to know your enemy in order to destroy it, don't you? And oh, I know my enemy.

I have to say that I'm also glad that I can now safely proclaim, with plenty of proof at hand, and through painful personal experience that this is: THE. WORST. BOOK. OF. ALL. TIME. And I have read some seriously awful shit. I've read Patterson, people. I've read Dan Brown. Nicholas Sparks. Harlequin Romances. Paulo Coelho. And yet nothing has even come close to the awfulness of Twilight. Congratulations, Miss Meyer, you have reached lowest of the low on my scale of Things That Suck. There is nothing the least bit redeemable in your pie of horrors. Not one thing. They are terrible beyond belief, and it didn't even take me that long to find that out. It is hands-down the worst writing I have ever read in my life. It has the most unlikable characters in the history of literature. It has the weakest, most nonsensical 'plot' ever, and it has the most insulting, disgusting, disturbing 'romance' in literature intended for teenagers.

In short, dear lady, your book was disgusting. It destroyed my soul. It destroyed my brain as I tried to comprehend what kind of a mind could come up with something so thoroughly awful. It destroyed yet a little more of my belief in humanity, because the mere idea that people like this stuff (genuinely like it!) makes my heart ache.

You, Stephanie Meyer, are the worst.

But, hey, you're a millionaire, so who gives a shit what I think, right? WRONG. Because YES. Because you are awful and I think you should care. So, there.

And guess what, Miss-I-don't-care-what-Figgy-thinks-about-my-Horrible-Book-of-Horror: I AM NOT GOING TO STOP. Oh yes. No use pleading. I'm gonna read the other three books in this series of Utter and Absolute Pain and I WILL CONTINUE TO DESTROY YOU.

No, no use in pleading. No. SHUT UP, lady. I don't care if you've had enough. I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I KNOW MY ENEMY ENOUGH TO DESTROY HIS ARMIES AND THEIR FAMILIES AND BURN HIS ENTIRE CITY TO THE GROUND AND SOW THE FIELDS WITH SALT AND--

*cough*

I think I got a little carried away there. I just hate that woman so much. Even though, yes, I know that I brought this upon myself. Go away with your stupid "logic" and your "reasoning" and "Figgy this is your own fault"s. I don't like you either. Don't make me go over there and destroy your armies.

Anyhoo! I was gonna do the next chapter of The Pain Part 1 here, but I think I'll let this post stew in its own rage a little bit, and go take a shower because I feel dirty.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Project Runway, Season 8, Episode 4 (THE CRACKHEADS ARE IN TOWN)

I always feel like it's been forever since I updated this thing. Then I realized it's only been 4 days since I've bitched and whined and ranted. Maybe I just have an addiction. I think if I tried I could update at least three times a day, but I have to force myself not to so people won't become exhausted. I mean, sometimes I make myself tired. But that's what you get for having an overactive imagination. Better just to have these conversations with myself as I clean the house or take a shower or whatever. Anyway.

Episode 4, Season 8. The show is almost an hour and a half long, and I'm sorry to say that's about half an hour too long. Sometimes the filler is pretty pathetic. But let's start at the beginning of the craziness. This week: hats! crazy hats! albinos! ambulances! Tim Gunn is a ghost! the judges are on crack some more!

BOOM.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Pain: Chapter 19

We're nearly done, troops! let us plow through this shitty excuse for a last minute attempt at a plot.

Just a quick thought regarding the casting for the terrible movies. Kristen Stewart was a terrible choice for Bella Swan. Think what you want about Miss Permanent Bitchface, I just think she has too much personality for Klutz McBoxofrocks. Even if it's an obnoxious personality. Granted, Bella could have been played by a cardboard cutout with its face removed so that each fan could attach their picture to it, but still. Stewart doesn't play vapid too well. She just looks like she has to poop all the time.

Pattinson, on the other hand? Weirdly perfect for Eddie Sparkles. He's got that completely bland, generically handsome face with the good bone structure and creepy eyes that Edward needed. Of course, calling him a Perfect Marble God Whose Face Devastates Nations is a bit of a stretch, but dude's just pretty. And his soul-killing monotone is exactly what I imagine Edward sounds like. So mumbly.

Anyway, let's get to this thing.

CHAPTER 18: GOODBYES
[Yay! It's super short!]

Variations on "Edward is Pretty" used so far: 39

Quick n Hard Summary:
When we last left Sparklutz, the Cullens are trying to concoct some plan to get Bella away from the EVIL HUNTER James. First they go to Bella's house where Bella pretends to be going home to Phoenix. She yells at Charlie, then leaves. It's incredibly stupid and needlessly elaborate. Then they go to the Cullen's lair to prepare for Phase 2: The Dumbening, and Frenchiepants (Laurent) is there to tell them that James will never give up. The end.

Real-Time Notes:
-So, the big plan seems to be that Bella goes home to Charlie and yells a lot about Edward being a meanie and how she's gonna leave because she hates everyone, etc. It's funny how it's sort of implied that Bella is such a bitch that no one will really be surprised that she did this.

-"I'm going borne," I shouted, my voice breaking in the perfect spot."

Borne? OK that might be a typo. I don't care enough to check.

-blah blah, she yells, Charlie's freaked out, she's breaking his heart. The idea is that she's doing the same thing to Charlie that her mom did when she walked out on him. And that's kind of weird. Did Bella hear her mom when she left or did the mom tell Bella this after the fact? If she did, well I can see where Bella gets the bitchiness, because that's a terrible thing to tell your 16 year old daughter.

-OK so this whole thing was so badly written that I got confused about what was going on. They want James to overhear the yelling. But he'll know that the Cullens are just trying to throw him off, so he'll stick around and not believe the story? It's really stupid either way, because they're counting on James falling for their lame-ass trick, which amounts to putting a fake mustache on Bella and thinking it's a good disguise.

THEY WILL NEVER KNOW YOU NOW, BELLA.

How these people survived for thousands of years is beyond me.

-Anyway, they get to the car, leaving heartbroken Charlie behind. But Bella obviously doesn't care so we forget about him pretty quick.

-"I'm not sure if there's anything I could have done to avoid this, once he saw you. It is partially your fault." His voice was wry. "If you didn't smell so appallingly luscious, he might not have bothered."

One, what is it with this chick's smell? Second, yeah it'll ease her mind to keep getting blamed for someone WANTING TO EAT HER even though she did nothing. Yay let's blame the victim? Poop, you are one fucked up lady.

-Ha! Of course it comes out during the conversation that if Eddie hadn't reacted like a dog whose favorite humping pillow had been taken away, James wouldn't have cared as much. But he did, and James was all "SCORE!" and now he wants to prove he's better than the Cullens. So it's all your fault, Eddie you asshole.

-Bella asks how you kill a vampire:

"He glanced at me with unreadable eyes and his voice was suddenly harsh. "The only way to be sure is to tear him to shreds, and then burn the pieces."

HAHAHHAAHAHAHA. OK first, I'm furiously taking notes. Second, what a dumbass way to bypass all the easy ways you can kill REAL vampires. No sunlight, no stakes, no silver bullets. Third, so only a vampire can kill another vampire? Lame. Fourth, Poop is surprisingly violent for all her pretensions of purity and niceness.

-I don't get why they can't just lure James into the house and kill him. They'll have to do that ANYWAY and it's like ten of them against one of him. Two if you count his slutty girlfriend. But these people are idiots and don't even consider that. I mean, maybe their reasoning is that they don't want to keep Bella trapped in a house all the time, but think about it: this chick has no friends, barely eats, has no life, doesn't care about her dad AND she wants to spend all her time with Eddie. She would LOVE being sequestered with him. But nooooo let's go forward with the dumbass plot.

Again: I love the internet.

-So Frenchiepire is there for some reason and tells them that James won't give up trying to hunt Bella.

-"Laurent was shaking his head. He glanced at me, perplexed, and back to Carlisle. "Are you sure it's worth it?" Edward's enraged roar filled the room; Laurent cringed back."

AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA. Go Laurent. Also, let's bring this back for hilarity:

Oh, Eddie, you're so fearsome!

-Anyway. So they're gonna try to lead him on the wrong trail by getting Rosalie to wear Bella's clothes. They'll go in one direction while Bella and JasperAlice go in the other towards Phoenix. Also...just....You know, once James finds out that she's gone in another direction, won't his first idea be that she went towards Phoenix, where she SAID she would go? THIS PLAN JUST GETS DUMBER AND DUMBER.

-Speaking of dumber and dumber, Bella and Eddie say goodbye. Though they'll be apart for two days at most. But everything's dramatic with these halfwits.

40
"For the shortest second, his lips were icy and hard against mine. Then it was over. He set me down, still holding my face, his glorious eyes burning into mine."

Phew! I was starting to worry that Poop had reached the end of the thesaurus entry for "Pretty", but it seems that she'll just start reusing words. Huzzah!

-Jasper tells bella she's worth it. Special Snowflake points! Let us barf.

-OH COME ON. The Cullens seem to have STEEL PANELS to protect their house with. Like they slide over the windows and shit. Wait, how long have these people been living there? When did they have time for this?

Grr. So they could just keep her in there forever. But no, we need some half-assed plot from the Happy Shitty Plot Hat to keep Sparklutz apart and make them all angsty. ARGH.

**

Final Impression: The level of dumbassery covering this entire plot won't let me get through at anything else. Like the completely unnecessary breaking of Charlie's heart and the stupid plans and pretending like everyone's in danger. Poop fails at everything.

Final Grade: F

Final "Pretty" Count: 40

You know, I was gonna do another chapter, since this one was so short. But I hated writing this so much that I can't take any more. Need to cleanse my brain with something smarter. Like Jersey Shore.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Project Runway: Season 8, Episode 3

Episode 3! there was a party store! and glitter and sequins and way too many garlands! There was some really ugly shit and some cute little outfits, and Betsy Johnson was as insane/high as ever! Gretchen is more annoying than I ever thought possible, and Tim Gunn is dream BFF!

Here. We. Go.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Pain: Chapter 18

Be warned: this is where the "plot" starts. Just writing that makes me scoff and feel like a liar, because...well fuck it, it's not a plot but shit (stupid shit) sort of happens. So the chapters are blissfully short, but no less stupid, which is a marvel in itself. They're just as bad, but we get fewer longing stares, which is something. So, same old, basically. I'm rambling. Let's get to it.

Chapter 18: The Hunt
[AKA: the hunt for something to redeem this book is once again a miserable failure]

Variations on "Edward is Pretty" used so far: 39

Quick n Hard Summary:
The Pretty Clan and Klutz have their boring-ass baseball game interrupted by three new vampires, one chick and two dudes. They're blood-drinkers, so they're the closest thing to real vampires this book has. Then one of them smells Bella and freaks out by her dookie smell, saying he wants to eat her. Eddie gets all territorial and the other three go away, and then they all freak out because the one dude is probably gonna do everything to hunt down Bella. I say just let him have her, but no...They start driving Bella away to wherever but then decide to come up with some retarded plan to throw James off the scent. It's stupid, but you didn't need me to tell you that, did you?

Real-Time Notes:


-If vampires can smell Bella from miles away why don't you just cover her in mud or garlic or bear shit? You're in the WOODS. THINK, PEOPLE, THINK!

The thought of Bella covered in bear shit fills me with glee.

-Three vampires come into the clearing, two dudes and one chick. They move like hunters and are dressed in frayed clothes and are barefoot. I love how the most menacing thing Poop can think of is hippies.
OK, fine, that's pretty terrifying. You win this one, Poop.

- Their eyes are red. Their leader, Laurent, is all hot and whatever and talks with a french accent, which means he's probably evil and maybe gay. Everyone knows the Gay French are the evilest. The woman's name is Victoria and she has slutty red hair. James is boring but seems alert. He claims they just want to play baseball.

I love it. The three biggest threats to Poop seem to be The Gay French, Slutty Women and Plain Looking Dudes. AWESOME.

-"Of course." Laurent nodded. "We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway," he laughed. A shiver ran up my spine."

Semi-real vampires for once, hurrah! Of course the Cullens treat them like hillbillies who eat roadkill, because the Cullens are snobs and wouldn't let these people into their Country Club of the Gorgeous.

Oh how unspeakably plebeian! Please to take your stench elsewhere, you thing!

I don't even know.

- You guys, something is HAPPENING. I don't know how to deal with this! I mean, it's pretty lame and whatever and there's still Sparklepires, but at least it's not Sparklutz looking at each other, you know?

- Suddenly James smells Bella's dookie smell and everyone freaks out. Seriously, guys. A nice bear shit mask would've saved you so many problems.

-"You brought a snack?" he asked, his expression incredulous as he took an involuntary step forward. Edward snarled even more ferociously, harshly, his lip curling high above his glistening, bared teeth."

RAWR. I PEED ON HER FIRST. WOMAN MINE. RAWR! RAWR! Also, glistening teeth? That's disgusting.

Oh, Edward, you're so manly!


-The hippies leave and everyone freaks the fuck out. Edward drags Bella away, stuffs her in the car and starts driving away...not towards her house. Lovely! And they refuse to tell her what's up because that will help the girl calm down! Everyone in this family is an asshole.

-"You don't understand," he roared in frustration. I'd never heard his voice so loud; it was deafening in the confines of the Jeep. The speedometer neared one hundred and fifteen."

Oh yeah this guy's a fucking PRIZE. We get this vague idea (another failure of first-person narration) that Eddie read in James' mind just how bad he wants to eat Bella or whatever, but the fact that they don't SAY THIS TO BELLA is really fucking stupid and not helpful at all. So she's freaking out in the car and no one is telling her anything, specially her boyfriend, who is just screaming at her and generally being a dick. I hate that sparkly fuck.

-So after forever they tell her that James wants to hunt her down (for no reason at all other than Mary Sue must be in constant danger), and Bella freaks out because he'll probably try to get to Charlie, though if he wants Bella then who cares? And heh, way to care about your dad NOW, Selfish McStupidson.

-"You didn't see — you don't understand. Once he commits to a hunt, he's unshakable. We'd have to kill him." Emmett didn't seem upset by the idea. "That's an option."

Ha I knew I liked Emmett. So why don't they just DO THAT? There's like 7 of these sparkly bastards against one of him, and their best idea is to drive Bella really far away, even though they KNOW that vampires are super fast and can stay on a scent forever? Gah it's like the prettier you are the dumber you get.

Secretly a genius, in Poop's Universe.

-WHOA. STOP THE PRESSES. Bella actually has an IDEA. *GASP SHOCK AWE*! Everyone is as shocked as I am, which is pretty hilarious. Her idea is to pretend to go to Phoenix so James will follow them and then they can hide Bella.

*FACEPALM*
(Also my new favorite photo in the world. I love the internet.)


-"You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep."


Edward you are SUCH an asshole.

-"Bella, please just do this my way, just this once," he said between clenched teeth."

JUST THIS ONCE? When the hell have you ever let this girl do ANYTHING her way? Fuck off, Sparkles, you controlling twat. Yet another failure on Poop's part--we're supposed to believe that Eddie is justifiably frustrated by the way that Bella disobeys him or whatever the hell, but all we know is that Bella is stupid and never does anything out of her own resolve. So it's just another instance of Poop telling us that a character is whatever without actually showing us any proof that the character is this way. You know? It's just terrible fucking writing all around.

-There's a lot of yelling and planning and it all seems really stupid when they could just wait for this dude at Bella's house and kill him. What the hell does it matter? At least in True Blood they have a vampire hierarchy that keeps you from killing another vampire. In this case there are NO CONSEQUENCES to killing the dude that's after your girlfriend. Just kill him!

-Um, so the stupid plan seems to be that Bella will pretend to be going to Phoenix all angry at her dad or whatever, and because James will be listening he'll know they know and won't believe she's going. And Rosie and Esme will lay a fake scent trail for James to follow. Bella WILL go to Phoenix, with Jasper and Alice. And then Eddie will meet them there.

This is the dumbest plan in the history of plans. I've seen smarter plots in cartoons meant for infants.

That one episode where they waved at the sun?
That had a better plot than this shit.


Also the idea of the vampires taking a flight leads me into another tangent. Do these people have IDs or something? and how do they justify getting new ones every 40 years or whatever? Is one of them just an expert at faking documents or something? What happens when they go through security or a body scan? Hmmm?

Oh fuck, who cares. Poop clearly didn't think about anything, why should I?

-"What are you going to do in Phoenix?" he asked her scathingly. "Stay indoors."

Oh, because people will be sooooooo freaked out about people wearing body glitter in PHOENIX. OK I don't know anything about Phoenix, but come on. What the hell are the consequences of someone seeing that they glitter, for crying out loud. We've been through this. People won't give a shit.

If THIS guy could become not only accepted but well loved,
what the fuck do you have to worry about?


- "Bella." Edward's voice was very soft. Alice and Emmett looked out their windows. "If you let anything happen to yourself— anything at all — I'm holding you personally responsible. Do you understand that?"

Yeah, THAT will calm her down. Could this guy BE more of a douchebag? Blargh.

-Chapter ends! huzzah, that was short and now Sparklutz is separated YAY!

**

Final Impression: Poop fails at plotting, obviously. I hate that the only problems Bella faces are from other vampires and not Edward, so she'll never learn anything (because he's different!). Every character in this book is a dumbass.

Final Grade: D, because at least the vampire trio was amusing, and because someone wants to kill Bella, an idea I fully support.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Quickie: Godtopus Eats

Just a quickie to pimp out the other blog I'm contributing to, Godtopus Eats. You have to check it out if you haven't yet; there's some incredible recipes in there, some from yours truly.

I made this last night and haven't been able to stop eating it since then, it's that good. You can click on my name at the top to see my other contributions. It's fairly new so expect a lot more deliciousness to come. I've made a few things that other people have posted and haven't been disappointed. They're mostly really easy to make and just delicious.

So be sure to check it out! And expect another episode of The Pain pretty soon. Maybe today if I can stop being lazy.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Project Runway Recap: Season 8, Episode 2

A new season of Project Runway started a couple of weeks ago. It's always been one of my favorite shows--the combination of reality show drama/personalities mixed with watching the (admittedly skewed) process of creating fashion is a winning combination for me. Plus, there's Tim Gunn, who is hands-down the coolest person on television. Anyway, this is one of the few shows that I love reading the recaps for. There's a lot of details you can miss pretty easily, and a lot of people do wonders with the snark. But I've always felt that the recaps are either too long or too short; too detailed or not detailed enough. So I figured, why the hell not write my own? I realized that I have a lot of pent-up snark and love for this show and no one's really gonna give me what I want in a recap. And I need a break from writing horrendous Twilight recaps.

I'm still trying to figure out how I'll write the recaps. I figure anyone who reads this will have already watched the show, so a blow-by-blow probably won't be a lot of fun. So I'll try to mix a recap of what happened with a lot of commentary, because heaven knows that this particular group of people is already driving me insane. And we're on episode 2. So, just keep in mind that I've never tried a TV show recap, so give me some slack. Comments will be greatly appreciated, of course.

**

Alright, so I'm starting this on Episode 2 because, well, I just decided to start this and Lifetime doesn't have that episode available anymore. Here's where we're at: There were 17 people and they had 5 hours to make an outfit using a garment another contestant had given them. There was a lot of really ugly shit, a lot of boring stuff, and nothing really spectacular, though what can you expect when you give people 5 hours to make something? Anyway, the judges teased us by pretending that one or more people might leave (this will be relevant later) but in the end they just kicked out McKell, a hippie lady who made what I thought was a fairly harmless shiny dress. There were at least three people who made more hideous things but they were given a second chance for some reason. Then the contestants got to move into their fancy apartments and that's where we're at now.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

The Pain: Chapter 17

YOU GUYS. I am *this* close to finishing The Pain: Book 1. I only have The Epilogue to go. Oh yeah, there's an Epilogue. I have no doubt that it will be condensed pain. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know (in case you were wondering) that no, none of this crap ever goes anywhere. There's some DANGER BELLA ROBINSON DANGER towards the end but it amounts to nothing because Stephanie Meyer is a terrible fucking writer with no idea how to write tension or, well, anything remotely intelligent. But the pain is almost over!

Still haven't decided on doing New Moon yet, but I figure it can't get worse than this, right? ....Right?

Let's get to the Chinese Water Torture.

***
CHAPTER 17: THE GAME
[AKA: Vampire baseball! even stupider than REAL baseball!]

Variations on "Edward is Pretty" used so far: 36

Quick n Hard Summary:
Billy Black and Jacob go visit Bella for some reason. Well, mostly to warn her about what a bad influence Eddie is. If you think she listens you haven't been paying attention. Charlie comes home and they talk about Eddie. Finally Eddie picks her up to go to the mountains. They make out, it's horrible, they get to the mountain. They play vampire baseball but are quickly interrupted by the three new vampires Alice predicted earlier, who are coming towards the field. It may seem like we actually get a plot, but let's not kid ourselves: this woman wouldn't know a plot if it came up and bit her in the face.

Real-Time Notes:
-Sparklutz return from Chez Cullen, and Billy Black and Jacob are there for a visit. Apparently Billy came out warn Charlie about Eddie. GOOD ON BILLY.

-Eddie is all horrible about the werewolves-- who, let's remember, are Native Americans. I mean we don't know they're werewolves yet, but we all know they are. Point is, he is a RACIST BASTARD. OK, fine, probably not. But it's funny and it's late and I have to find whatever humor I can in this.

Eddie Pan: HI YOU INDIAN SAVAGE
Billy and, um, Jacob, were not amused. Daddy Billy is about to bitchslap the shit out of Eddie Pan.



-So Eddie takes off. Blah blah, Billy warns Bella about being with Eddie, Bella is a sulky teen and doesn't listen. Which, I can't really blame her in part (teens are stupid), but with this being Creepo McSparkleson, I'm with Billy here. Billy leaves.

-"Now that I was removed from Jasper's and Edward's influence, I began to make up for not being terrified before."

Must be nice to have your feelings fucked around with. I wish Jasper were here so he could calm my rage over this. NO, NO I DON'T. GO AWAY YOU CREEP. GO BACK TO YOUR CREEP FAMILY YOU SPARKLY EQUIVALENT OF A VALIUM.

Fig 1: Jasper Cullen

-"Jessica, Mike, the dance, the school — they all seemed strangely irrelevant at the
moment."

Everything else is irrelevant to you, Bella. You're the most selfish chick on the planet. You have no personality and no ambitions and you've attached yourself like a leech to another, sparkly, leech and you will never ever let go. Why people give a shit about you is beyond me.

-I think Jessica calls her up at some point to talk about the dance, but I don't remember. All I wrote was : WHY IS JESSICA TRYING TO BE FRIENDS WITH THIS BITCH. I mean jeebus, I know she's a Mary Sue and pretends to be an outcast and whatever, but it's really baffling to me why people want to keep being her friend. Most teens wouldn't give someone this sullen and uncommunicative and stuck up a second thought. Clearly, Poop knows nothing about teenagers.

-Bella tries to tell her dad about Eddie, and Charlie's reaction is great. He keeps calling him EDWIN which cracks me up because it's just as likely a name for that twit.

37, 38
"Edward is the youngest, the one with the reddish brown hair." The beautiful one, the godlike one…"

YEAH, TELL HIM THAT. Maybe he can stick you in a mental hospital for being such a complete lunatic.

39
"I hadn't realized how hard it was pouring outside. Edward stood in the halo of the porch light, looking like a male model in an advertisement for raincoats."

OH COME ON. That is the worst fucking metaphor I have ever heard in my life. A RAINCOAT AD?! THAT IS THE BEST YOU CAN COME UP WITH ?! THAT! ARE YOU SERIOUS WITH THIS, POOP! you mean he looks like...THIS:

OH YEAH BABY.

ROCK ME, EDWARDEUS. SUCK MY BLOOD! OH YEAH BABY! RAWR!

Holy jeebus on a cracker. I could cry right now from the ludicrosity. Here's some other terrible fucking metaphors you could use, Poop:

Edward stood there in the rain...

...Looking like a mannequin at a store where they sell jeans, you know the really hot ones? Yeah like that! and they're all pale and stuff and omg so gorgeous. And the store plays really awesome house music and there's awesome posters of awesome guys and it's awesome at the mall. That's what he looked like, yeah.

...Looking like one of those little naked cupid statues they have in old English gardens and stuff where they have pretty flowers like freesia that would smell just like ME except Edward is like an older version of that? And maybe not naked.

...Looking like the design on a really sexy bottle of Axe Spray.

...Looking like a really great fillet mignon left out in the rain for too long except it was covered in foil so it was shiny.

...Looking like a dragon in a really sexy girl-dragon-meets-boy-dragon-story. With sparkly scales.

Etc. I was actually gonna google 'sexy dragon' for a photo for you guys, but then I remembered that this is the internet and rule 34 and whatever and I'm not risking that.

-Anyway. Charlie meets Eddie and it's really boring, probably just to contrast how much cooler and better the Cullens are than poor old Daddy Swan. They take off in Eddie's new car.

-He has some huge jeep with him. It's Emmet's of course, because in Meyer's world your car reflects you! I love that Eddie=Volvo. Everyone knows that Volvos are the cars of sparkly marble gods everywhere.

Oh, yeah, a Volvo just screams "virgin sex god".

-Bella, "adorably", is an ass with the seat belt so he gets to feel her up as he clips it for her and she HYPERVENTILATES because HAVE SEX ALREADY OR YOU WILL EXPLODE.

-They get to the mountain and once again Bella has to be piggy-backed up the trail. They make out some more.

-Instead of keeping safely motionless, my arms reached up to twine tightly around his neck, and I was suddenly welded to his stone figure.


Shocked Granny is SHOCKED at your pornyness.

-Seriously, that was just wrong in so many ways.

-Finally they get to this big open field on top of a mountain. They do it up there during storms because apparently their hits are so hard they break the sonic barrier or some shit. The Cullens are all there, and they have bases all set far apart---listen, I'm not gonna describe the goddamn vampire baseball game. I skipped most of it. The basic gist is they're all really fast, really strong, really graceful and really pretty.

-Klutzy McHornyson stands apart with Esme, the "mom".

-"Well, I do think of them as my children in most ways. I never could get over my mothering instincts — did Edward tell you I had lost a child?"

There is no one in this family who isn't a creep. Who says that to a 16 year old?! It makes perfect sense that they all came together. "Hey yeah I like them! Did I tell you how I lost my left toe to a deadly fungus in the 12th century? TRUE STORY!"

-I don't get why they play baseball. It's so completely random. It's like some piss-poor attempt at creating Quidditch-- HA! I Just realized I'm right. She's trying (and, needless to say, failing miserably) to be JK Rowling, but she doesn't have a smidge of the talent. I are a genioos.

- Needle scratch! Everyone freaks out because they feel three vampire strangers approaching. REAL vampires, not hippies like these guys.

-Poop tries (and fails, again) to be all tense. Doesn't work. Point is, there's three other vampires coming their way, who want to 'play' but, of course they will immediately want Bella because of how she smells like raw steaks and teriyaki or whatever.

Mmmm, raw steak smell.


-"That won't help," Alice said softly. "I could smell her across the field."


GEEZ, BELLA, TAKE A BATH. I know you're all obsessed with your sparkly boyfriend but let's not forget basic hygiene!

-Rosie's all pissed. I like that she's the only one in this universe who doesn't seem to like Bella because she gets how much of annoyance she is. ROSALIE, BE MY BEST FRIEND. But remember she only hates Bella cos' she's JEALOUS. That's the only reason girls hate other girls!

-And so, something like a plot finally starts to happen. On chapter 17. Brilliant fucking job, you hack.

Final Impression: Vampires playing baseball is dumber than regular people playing baseball. Plot points in the forms of three visiting vampires are not gonna be the only real threat Bella has faced in this book, not counting Eddie's creepiness.

Final Grade: D. We weren't focusing on Bella and Eddie alone, but the rest of it was just stupid.

Final "Pretty" Count: 39

Only six more chapters to go!

*sob*