You're gonna be bothered by how cool I am.

Friday: My regular shift got cancelled because the office had been dead all day and they weren't expecting any work. This means I'll be out 100-ish dollars from my check (because I'm a temp and only get paid when I'm there), but worse, am concerned this is the beginning of the end at a job that's been a fairly steady source of income for over three years now. They moved a lot of the operations to Florida, but they still can't quite function without some people in the NY office. They tried to get rid of third shift before, but lawyers threw a fit that there was no one in our department overnight, so they brought us back. Am paranoid they're going to decide we're not needed after all.

Saturday: Got called for a short shift at a firm I've never worked at before. Hurray!

Sunday: Got called for a full shift at same place. More than makes up for missed hours at regular job.

Monday: Got called by place I worked over weekend. They like me and want me to do a second shift. But I have stuff I need to do at home and can't quite face a full shift at one place followed by a full shift at my regular place. If it weren't for my third shift commitment, I would absolutely take this job.

And now I'm obsessed that I'll get cancelled for my regular job again tonight, which ticks me off because if I knew I didn't have to go in tonight, I wouldn't have said no to the new place.

Workin' for a Livin'
Have been working like a dog this past week. I don't know if I mentioned that one of the law firms I work at regularly has brought me on as a perma-temp. I haven't mentioned much personal stuff lately, but I can't tell you what a welcome difference it is to know how the bills will be getting paid for the foreseeable future. I work third shift, which makes for an unconventional body clock, let me tell you. In addition, I've done second shift all this week and will do three more days of it next week, covering someone's vacation for the other agency that gives me (less consistent) work. I worked out that this extra eight days should definitely cover BNAT expenses and put a nice dent in the rest of my holiday travel. I'm more grateful than I can say that, for now, things are fairly steady at last and I don't have to be afraid that I'll have to pack up and leave New York at a moment's notice. I've grown rather fond of the place. ;-)

Mark Reads HBP
Mark of "Mark Reads HP" is fast approaching the halfway mark in Half-Blood Prince. He's expressing some, ah, impatience for Ron and Hermione to "get on with it," which happies me greatly. He should reach "Felix Felicis" today, and I am anxiously awaiting his response to Zee Beast. He has been advised not to watch the film until after finishing Deathly Hallows, which I think is a good idea. I know they felt they had to do it, but the filmmakers (and Alan Rickman) definitely gave some pointed hints about where Snape's loyalties truly lie. I wonder if he'll dive right into DH or take a day or two to come down from the end of HBP.

Full DH Trailer OMG
Speaking of HP, I am very disappointed in you, flist, that I had to hear about the forthcoming full trailer for Deathly Hallows, Part I (going live this Wednesday!) from comingsoon.net on my Google feed. Are we a fandom or not?! :P I had almost decided not to look at anything else from the movie, because I wanted to be as fresh as possible, but I can't resist a trailer. Leaked scenes, I think I can do, though. Oh, and it occurs to me that this will be the first Potter film since ... the first Potter film where I won't have been at the midnight release. I could ask for the night off, of course, but as I'm still a temp, I'd lose a little over a hundred bucks in pay. I'd be sad about it, but I'll definitely be there at midnight for the last one - in the shadow of Hogwarts itself, in fact. Well, the one in Florida.

So Many Movies, So Little Time
And speaking of movies ... OMG there are five movies that I really want to see this weekend, but there will probably not be enough time to do them all, and there will be ZERO time next week, since I'll be doing double shifts through Thursday morning. On the absolute must list, though - Catfish, The Town, and Never Let Me Go (and I REALLY want to see Easy A, too, and I'd love to see Jack Goes Boating, but - GAH, WHERE IS MY TIME TURNER?!).

Wanderlust
I'm also contemplating one, maybe two, short trips next month. I had no idea until a few months ago that Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow were SO CLOSE. I'll probably go up there close to Halloween, hear the Legend told in the graveyard, walk the path that Ichabod Crane supposedly rode trying to escape the Headless Horseman, and just generally soak up the more rural side of New York State. I'm also seriously considering dipping down to D.C. for Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's rally(ies).

Weekend commencing in 3...2...1...

* Things are progressing on the job front, and I find myself simultaneously wishing things would speed up (for my bank account's sake) and wishing things would slow down (for my nerves' sake). I'm now registered with several agencies that specialize in legal proofing, and the trick now is to keep calling them, a few times a week, to get on their radar and let them know that I'm serious about working. I'm anxious about the first job, though.


* I went to see a free performance of 'Hair' last week, thanks to Central Park's 'Shakespeare in the Park' program. Yes, I realize that 'Hair' is not a part of Shakespeare's oeuvre, but they always pair one of his plays with a non-Shakespeare offering. This year was centered on the theme of "What a piece of work is man," which linked their two productions, 'Hamlet' (which closed before I moved) and 'Hair.' It was an incredible performance, and one that occasionally invited audience participation. I particularly loved the curtain call, when the cast invited probably close to 100 audience members on stage as we all jammed to 'Let the Sun Shine In.' The whole thing was quite an experience, and not just the play itself. I quickly learned the hard way that if I wanted a ticket I would have to get in line with all the other crazies at 6am and hold my place for about 7 hours until they actually passed out the tickets. That was a nice little warm up for Butt-Numb-A-Thon, I don't mind telling you.


* I have been absolutely glued to MSNBC during the lead-up to this week and now the Democratic National Convention. There's still a part of me that resents Ted Kennedy and the way he helped so many other Democrats stab the leader of their party (then president Jimmy Carter) in the back. But I can't help admiring him for the amazing thing he did last night. And I absolutely loved Michelle Obama's speech, perhaps especially the moments after it was over, when her girls talked to Barack via satellite ("What city are you in, Daddy?"). That was such a 'mom' moment, when she kind of tuned out the crowd and focused on her daughters, perhaps thinking "Please, be good." :P

I'm getting kind of annoyed with the political pundits, saying that the Dems wasted the first day of their convention by not immediately going after John McCain and the Republicans. First of all, what was Nancy Pelosi, a potted plant? How many times did she lead the crowd in that chant "Barack Obama is right, and John McCain is wrong."? Secondly, I thought this was the kind of politics-as-usual that the campaign was trying to avoid. Obviously, that's easier said than done, but they can at least start on the high road, can't they?


* I'm very excited about Melissa's upcoming book. I'm afraid I may have to wait a day or two to actually read it, though, because it comes out on Election Day, and I don't think I can focus properly on anything until I know what the fate of our country is going to be. I love what I've seen of JKR's foreward, and the comment about feeling like she's been to a midnight release makes me think I'll have to read it with a box of tissues nearby.


* Thank you all for your lovely birthday wishes, and thanks to the Usual Suspects for the piratey goodness and my lovely, rare edition Ninth Doctor. And thanks especially to rhrsoulmates, for making sure I didn't have to spend the first birthday in NY alone. We went to a goofy theme restaurant on Friday called Jekyll and Hyde (the smaller one, in the Village). Our waitress was slightly aloof, and the music was oddly eclectic (from Bernard Herrman's Psycho score to the theme for Ghostbusters - twice!), but the in-house entertainment was enjoyable, especially our frequent visits from someone who looked alarmingly like Robert Downey, Jr. Good times.

It has been brought to my attention that I have been lax in my updates about life in NY. In truth, I have answered so many individual questions on the subject that it never occurred to me there are people who are interested and don't know most of it already. So, in the interest of disclosure, and to have it on record...

* I am fairly close to being registered with a couple of temp agencies that specialize in legal proofreading. These are different from regular temping agencies in that they are much more in need of people to work. So, while the regular temp agencies are watching paint dry because the job market for office workers is so lousy, the legal proofing agencies are in the rare position of having more work than they have people to do it.

This field really appeals to me at the moment, despite the lack of benefits, because I can make a pretty handsome paycheck even just working four days a week. Plus, it's exactly the kind of dry work that I can leave behind at the end of a shift so that I can focus on writing.


* I'll have a post soon with pictures of the new place, but I've still got some things to put away before that can happen. I'm still loving it, but I do have to leave the house with some semblance of a plan, and I can't really afford to take more than one trip Downtown and back a day, because even on the A, the subway trip is a huge time-suck.


* Saw Tropic Thunder, and I may post more thoughts on it later, but for now I'll just say that it's all kinds of awesome. I think I have a bit more affection for Pineapple Express, but TT still rocked like a boulder(c). Tom Cruise needs to not take himself seriously WAY more often. And Danny McBride should be in every film ever.


* There have been no celeb sightings so far, though I know I've ignored at least a couple of opportunities for such. I'm sorry, but when there's a mob in Times Square, screaming and flashing their cameras, my main interest is in avoiding it, rather than hanging around for whoever I'm supposed to be noticing. :P I will be seeing Dan Radcliffe next Tuesday, though, so that will be cool.

OH! I don't know if it counts (it does to me), but I did see Janet Dacal (who plays Carla in the cast of In the Heights, and who played Vanessa on the night I saw the show - and was AWESOME) outside the Richard Rodgers Theater signing autographs and greeting fans of the show. She's even taller and skinnier in person, which makes me sick. :D


And that's basically it, aside from the more humdrum stuff of getting a NY driver's license and a library card (first check-out: Georgette Heyer's The Black Moth). I've also loved watching the Olympics - how awesome is Michael Phelps, breaking another world record last night, even with chlorine water in his goggles?!

Taking a break from the horror series for a moment to update on what I've been doing besides that lately.

( Boss's Day Out )

( Moviegoing )

( Veronica Mars )

( The Most Wonderful Time of the Year )

Work
Well, I've effectively (if not efficiently) shipped off my boss, 8 adult counselors, and 40 campers (grades 4-8) to sports camp for the week. Every year it's always hairy and I always forget something that makes things more complicated, but I think it went well. So I'm kind of on my own this week, which is both good and not-so-good.

Movies
I saw both Nacho Libre and Cars this weekend. There are some great things about Nacho Libre - most notably the ever hilarious Jack Black - but something about it just seemed ... off. Maybe it was the audience I saw it with, but many of the things that I could tell were supposed to be funny just fell flat. It was a cute story, though, and it was worth the price of admission to see Jack Black freestyle a love tribute to the hot nun Incarnacion.

cargill was spot on when he said that Cars was a ripoff of Doc Hollywood. I'd like to think that I would have made that connection even without hearing him say that. Hotshot doctor (or in this case, a race car) is on his way to California to "make it big." He gets waylaid in a small town where he has to work off some kind of property damage before he can leave. During the several days he is there he interacts with the town's inhabitants who are annoying at first but eventually grow on him. And there is a lawyer-type female who could (or could have) made it in the big city but chose to stay behind, presumably so that she can meet the hero, change his life, and make him fall for her.

Yeah, the story is forumlaic, but the magic comes from the concept. I love the way Pixar takes an idea and a world as far as it can possibly go through every detail. This is a world where cars are in the place of humans (and animals - tractors=cows, and there are even car bugs). It's also a little snapshot of Nascar culture, and while it doesn't really play exclusively for those people, that's where a lot of the humor comes from.

Oh! And if you see it, stay for the credits and check out the Pixar car parodies with lots of voice cameos. Too cute.

Fandom
I'm slowly but surely getting through the mina_de_malfois story. I'm not sure why, but it's just not captivating me the way it is the rest of my flist. It kind of reminds me of the Olympics two years ago. Maybe I just came too late to the party. Or maybe it's just me being solipsistic. :P That's certainly nothing new.

And of course there's charlottelennox. Reading the comments on Bad Penny and trying to keep up with everyone who is talking about it has sucked up my entire weekend. I really have nothing to say about it right now that hasn't already been said, though. And I have no intention of confronting anyone about anything. The guilty parties clearly know that things are being said, and if they can't be bothered to answer the allegations, they're the ones who end up looking like asses. Plus, none of the people involved know who the hell I am anyway. ;)

It's an interesting time in the fandom, and things are shifting in unexpected (mostly pleasant) ways. I was just getting into the fandom when all of the msscribe stuff was going down, so I'm not as invested as other people are, but I'm glad the GT people are finally having their day. They were the first fansite I joined and people there were always nice to me.

Work
Well, I've effectively (if not efficiently) shipped off my boss, 8 adult counselors, and 40 campers (grades 4-8) to sports camp for the week. Every year it's always hairy and I always forget something that makes things more complicated, but I think it went well. So I'm kind of on my own this week, which is both good and not-so-good.

Movies
I saw both Nacho Libre and Cars this weekend. There are some great things about Nacho Libre - most notably the ever hilarious Jack Black - but something about it just seemed ... off. Maybe it was the audience I saw it with, but many of the things that I could tell were supposed to be funny just fell flat. It was a cute story, though, and it was worth the price of admission to see Jack Black freestyle a love tribute to the hot nun Incarnacion.

cargill was spot on when he said that Cars was a ripoff of Doc Hollywood. I'd like to think that I would have made that connection even without hearing him say that. Hotshot doctor (or in this case, a race car) is on his way to California to "make it big." He gets waylaid in a small town where he has to work off some kind of property damage before he can leave. During the several days he is there he interacts with the town's inhabitants who are annoying at first but eventually grow on him. And there is a lawyer-type female who could (or could have) made it in the big city but chose to stay behind, presumably so that she can meet the hero, change his life, and make him fall for her.

Yeah, the story is forumlaic, but the magic comes from the concept. I love the way Pixar takes an idea and a world as far as it can possibly go through every detail. This is a world where cars are in the place of humans (and animals - tractors=cows, and there are even car bugs). It's also a little snapshot of Nascar culture, and while it doesn't really play exclusively for those people, that's where a lot of the humor comes from.

Oh! And if you see it, stay for the credits and check out the Pixar car parodies with lots of voice cameos. Too cute.

Fandom
I'm slowly but surely getting through the mina_de_malfois story. I'm not sure why, but it's just not captivating me the way it is the rest of my flist. It kind of reminds me of the Olympics two years ago. Maybe I just came too late to the party. Or maybe it's just me being solipsistic. :P That's certainly nothing new.

And of course there's charlottelennox. Reading the comments on Bad Penny and trying to keep up with everyone who is talking about it has sucked up my entire weekend. I really have nothing to say about it right now that hasn't already been said, though. And I have no intention of confronting anyone about anything. The guilty parties clearly know that things are being said, and if they can't be bothered to answer the allegations, they're the ones who end up looking like asses. Plus, none of the people involved know who the hell I am anyway. ;)

It's an interesting time in the fandom, and things are shifting in unexpected (mostly pleasant) ways. I was just getting into the fandom when all of the msscribe stuff was going down, so I'm not as invested as other people are, but I'm glad the GT people are finally having their day. They were the first fansite I joined and people there were always nice to me.

The insane portion of my brain was in charge when I agreed to "host" a Dramatic Arts Festival that is being held at my church. Now, by "host" I mean pretty much sitting at the front desk and making sure people can get into the door and our gated parking. It's going to be about 10 hours today and roughly 9 tomorrow. And the people who are running the event are Teh High Maintenance. The first half hour has already been a fresh piece of hell, with all kinds of people coming in and out, calling, and my boss thinking of 87,000 things I have to do for my REAL job between now and Sunday.

I'm sure it will slow down eventually, but I'm going crazy at the moment. I brought some DVDs and books to keep me occupied, though. And I'm comforted by the thought that these extra hours will pay for my airfare to Salt Lake City in July. :P

ETA: *sigh* And now there's a metalworking project going on right where I'm working.

The insane portion of my brain was in charge when I agreed to "host" a Dramatic Arts Festival that is being held at my church. Now, by "host" I mean pretty much sitting at the front desk and making sure people can get into the door and our gated parking. It's going to be about 10 hours today and roughly 9 tomorrow. And the people who are running the event are Teh High Maintenance. The first half hour has already been a fresh piece of hell, with all kinds of people coming in and out, calling, and my boss thinking of 87,000 things I have to do for my REAL job between now and Sunday.

I'm sure it will slow down eventually, but I'm going crazy at the moment. I brought some DVDs and books to keep me occupied, though. And I'm comforted by the thought that these extra hours will pay for my airfare to Salt Lake City in July. :P

ETA: *sigh* And now there's a metalworking project going on right where I'm working.

* I love this icon to bits. It never fails to make me laugh.

* Watched The Life Aquatic last night. I love Wes Anderson's deadpan sense of humor. It's a perfect fit for Bill Murray. I had heard lukewarm things about it when it was in theaters, but I highly enjoyed it. Willem Dafoe's Klaus, the cute little Zissou musical theme, the "bond company stooge" turning hardcore ("we f***in' stole it, man" made me laugh SO hard), and "Don't shoot him; he's an unpaid intern." This movie is adorable.

* Ants. There are ants all over the church where I work. In the pews. In the offices. In the cubicles. Crawling out of some people's keyboards. I'm guessing they're a consequence of all the contruction that's been going on the last few months and everything being so open and exposed. Still very annoying.

* Isn't it funny how other people's bad behavior can wake you up to your own? I had one of those moments last week. I was about to do something really self-involved and potentially hurtful to someone else. Then, just before I did it, I saw someone else being really self-involved and hurtful and I saw what a mistake I was about to make. This happens a lot when I feel like gossiping, too (in fact, it happened yesterday) - I see someone else do it and think "Um, no. I don't think that's a good idea." Providence is interesting that way.

* Just a little over 2 months until Goblet of Fire is released. And just a little over two weeks until Serenity comes out. Eeeeeeee!