Ba-dum, ba-dum-dum-dum!
I’m getting weird “I’ve seen this report somewhere before” vibes from this.
Or maybe those are “yeah I lived in Tucson and I remember how many trailer parks there were” vibes.
We, surprisingly, didn’t live in a trailer park when we lived in Tucson. I say “surprisingly” because we lived in one in Moscow for several years. It was a nice trailer park. We had a nice trailer. That’s where Annabelle showed up and claimed us as her new family.
But I remember my mom and I would always drive through this one big trailer park in Tucson and we would think about the possibility of each of us living in our own trailer right next to each other (because we’re weird).
But then I went back to Moscow so that was that. And then she came back to Moscow. And lived in a trailer, hahahaha.
ANYWAY.
THERE IS A NEW COLDPLAY ALBUM
I REPEAT: THERE IS A NEW COLDPLAY ALBUM
Gonna get. Gonna listen.
Edit: GOD I LOVE THIS GROUP. Favorite songs from this album:
- Humankind (love the energy)
- Human Heart (soooooo pretty)
- People of the Pride (very Muse-esque)
- My Universe (BTS is great)
YAY
A Song-Type Thingy
So.
Tiktok.
I’ve found lots of songs from it. One of the best, I think, is this song from “The Greatest Showman”:
Around the 2:00 mark it picks up and gets really good. The strings in the chorus? TASTY.
Sorry, that’s all for today.
Community Table Read
This is absolutely hilarious. Pedro Pascal fits in with them so perfectly and it’s fantastic how he can’t get through the sperm dialogue without laughing.
Don’t Take Me Home, Country Roads (another West Virginia rant, sorry)
I don’t know why I’m so damn triggered by this state’s shape, but it provokes in me a deep, primal rage that no other state’s shape even comes close to provoking.
Like…what the hell even is this thing?
It’s like someone took twenty other states, threw them into a pile, and then just traced the outline of the pile and said “LOOK IT’S A WEST VIRGINIA LOL”
Or it’s a square-butted frog.
Yes, the rational part of my brain is aware of the fact that West Virginia is shaped the way it is because its borders follow natural features like rivers and the like.
But the irrational, West-Virginia-hating, “there are only 49 states and they all have aesthetically pleasing shapes” part of my brain refuses to be pacified by this knowledge and flies into an UNBRIDLED RAGE whenever I see this freaking state and then vehemently denies its existence.
Ugh.
Goin’ out of my head, goin’ out of my MIND
It’s another survey, please be kind
1. How many cars have you ever owned?
Zero.
2. Can you do math in your head well?
Absolutely not. That is not a skill I possess.
3. What’s your least favorite chore to do around the house?
I hate hanging up my clothes after doing laundry. I’m okay with the actual laundry part, but I’d much prefer to just have all my clean clothes sit in a big pile than hang them up afterwards.
4. What’s your favorite flavor of potato chip?
Plain? I don’t mind salt and vinegar, though.
5. Do you ever read the weather forecast?
Yup. Helps me know what to wear when walking/running outside.
6. Do amusement park rides make you sick?
They didn’t when I was a kid, but ever since I’ve had my appendix taken out (6th grade), I get REALLY motion sick.
7. Who is your favorite Star Wars character?
C-3P0, easily.
8. What kind of cheese do you put on your sandwiches?
Depends on the sandwich! I’m cool with Swiss cheese in most contexts, but if you try to make me a grilled cheese with Swiss, I’ll stab you in the toe. And my Subway sandwiches need that white cheese they have, whatever that is.
9. What radio station do you listen to the most?
I’ve been into C97.7 up here. It plays 80s music, mostly.
10.Who was the last person to give you a gift?
My mom!
11. How old were you when you got your driver’s license?
Sixteen, maybe? I know I could drive during my senior year.
12. What was the first thing you ever learned how to cook?
Probably spaghetti or something like that.
13. Did you ever collect beanie babies?
OH MY GOD YES. I had tag shields and display boxes and magazines and everything.
14. When was the last time you got a haircut?
Right before Covid hit up here, haha. Mid-February 2020.
15. Have you ever been to a bachelor/bachelorette party?
Nope.
16. How many people can you say you TRULY love?
Like four.
17. Where are you most ticklish on your body?
DON’T TOUCH ME
18. Do you like kids?
I do not like kids. Never have, even as a kid, haha.
19. Have you ever cheated on a test?
Nope.
20. Is your next birthday coming up soon?
It’s several months out, still.
21. Have you ever bailed anyone out of jail?
No.
22. What’s the last board game you played?
Probably that Marvel card game Nate has.
23. Have you ever given someone a fake phone number?
Yes.
24. Do you actually eat 3 meals a day?
HA. No.
25. Do you have any bumper stickers on your car?
I don’t have a car.
26. Do you leave good tips when you eat out at restaurants?
I try to do at least 20%.
27. What’s your favorite thing to eat at bbqs?
Something plain, haha. If someone’s grilling up just regular hot dogs, I’d be good with that.
28. Do you still own any VHS tapes?
Yes, actually!
29. How many of your friends have you known for at least 5 years?
I don’t have any friends.
30. Are you superstitious?
To a degree, yes.
31. What was your favorite book as a child?
As a small child, it was definitely Dr. Seuss’ “A Fly Went By.”
32. Have you lied to anyone in the last 24 hours?
Yes.
33. What’s the most expensive restaurant you’ve ever eaten at?
Probably NOtaBLE.
34. How many jobs have you had?
Five?
35. Are you keeping a secret from anyone right now?
Yes.
36. What’s the smallest town you’ve ever visited?
Visited? I have no idea. Viola’s pretty small, isn’t it?
37. If there was a real Jurassic Park, would you visit it?
Probably not.
38. Have you ever gone golfing?
Just mini golf. I suck at it.
39. What’s your favorite kind of soup?
I’m not much of a soup person. Just regular chicken noodle.
40. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike?
I can’t remember.
41. Do you know any sign language?
I can finger spell!
42. If you became famous for something, what would it be?
I’d like it to be for writing or teaching stats, but it would probably be something dumb that got caught on video.
43. How many friends do you have that are married?
I think most of my old friends are married.
44. Do you ever read the newspaper?
I can’t remember the last time I even held a newspaper.
45. When you’re having a bad day, how do you make yourself feel better?
I don’t. I brood.
46. Do you still have your wisdom teeth?
Nope.
47. Did you have a swing set in your yard when you were a child?
Yes!
48. Have you ever played poker for money?
Nope.
49. You’re making a fruit salad: what kinds of fruit do you put in it?
Fruit salad sounds horrible.
51. What’s the scariest movie you’ve ever seen?
Outbreak.
52. Do you eat your mac & cheese with a fork or a spoon?
FORK
53. Where did you have your first kiss?
At a drag show, haha.
54. When you were a kid, were you ever afraid of cooties?
Nope.
55. Do you ever go Christmas caroling in December?
No, surprisingly.
COMPOSE YOURSELF
Heyo BUTTBOMBS, let’s spend today’s blog talking about my favorite film and video game composers, huh? Because I’ve been Sennheiser-ing it out at night and listening to my favorite scores and it’s hot on my brain at the moment.
Let’s do a ranking, as always. My top 5, starting with the 5th most favorite and ending with my most favorite.
5. Alan Menken
Menken is kind of the “hidden” composer on this list in the sense that I don’t know if many people know who he is (as compared to the two dudes at the top of this list). But I’m putting him as my #5 because he is responsible for many of the classic Disney songs. And those are so connected to childhood that they’re going to forever be important.
Here’s a video showing a lot of his best songs.
[Edit: God, even just listening to those Little Mermaid songs at the start bring back so many memories, haha]
[Edit again: I haven’t watched Beauty and the Beast in forever and HOLY SHIT THE ANIMATION SLKDFJSLKFJSLF]
4. John Murphy
Murphy is on here because of Sunshine. I don’t know any of his other works, but the music in Sunshine is so heartbreakingly beautiful and stressful and haunting all at the same time, making the movie one of my favorites just because of the music alone. Like…listen to Adagio in D Minor and tell me it doesn’t make your heart hurt and soar at the same time.
3. Christopher Tin
Among other things, Tin has done music for the video games Civilization IV and for Civilization VI. Baba Yetu, the song from Civ IV, won a Grammy. But I think Sogno di Volare (Civ VI) is one of the most epic, frisson-inducing songs I’ve ever heard. I’ve posted it here before, but here it is again. Get some Sennheisers and crank this; you won’t regret it.
2. Hans Zimmer
C’mon. Do I really have to explain? Zimmer’s music is so phenomenal that it can’t be explained anyway. I think my favorite thing about Zimmer that is fairly consistent across his work is how so many of his songs swell to an insanely beautiful peak around the 5/6th mark of the song. Here are just a few of what I consider to be his absolute best songs.
3:00 and onwards is stellar.
4:21 and onward.
1. James Horner
Horner and Zimmer are basically tied, but if I HAD to pick a #1, it would be Horner. The main reason is because he is behind the music for two of my favorite movies (Apollo 13 and Titanic). And I’m pretty sure a huge reason why I like these two movies so much is because of their scores. I just really like everything about his style. He uses TUBULAR BELLS, for god’s sake. Examples:
(This is probably my favorite piece from any movie)
The other reason is because of the music in An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. As a kid, this was the first movie where I remember consciously paying attention to the music. It was enthralling. I think it’s what really got me into music.
I LOVED this part as a kid.
Book Review: Pride and Prejudice (Austen)
Have I read this before: Nope.
Review: This wasn’t too bad. I don’t know why it took me so long to get to it on my book list, and I’m also surprised we never had to read this in high school. This seems like a high school required book. I am, though, starting to hit that fatigue wall with all these 19th century English novels. Next time I expand my book list, I’ll make a point to make it more diverse in its authors and settings.
Favorite Part: The Lydia/George scandal was pretty great.
Rating: 6/10
So hey… (part 2)
THANK GOD
Nate is negative, too.
But I have NO IDEA what that was. It felt EXACTLY like the post-second-COVID-shot night.
Beh.
So hey…
I might have COVID.
Last night while Nate was getting ready for bed, I noticed that I was feeling kind of cold. Cold enough to start shivering a little. That’s not too unusual; I am a lizard, as you know, and sometimes I get cold enough just sitting in our 73 degree house to start to shiver.
But then I noticed that the shivering was getting worse.
And then I took my temperature and found that I had a fever.
And when was the last time I had uncontrollable shivering and a fever? Right after I got my second COVID shot.
And considering that I don’t recall ever feeling that exact way at any other point in my life, I was sure it was COVID.
I told Nate all this and he said that he’d been feeling kind of crappy, too, so we were like ALL RIGHT, FREAKING AWESOME, WE PROBABLY HAVE COVID. He went to bed and I crashed on the couch, feeling just as miserable as I did after my first COVID shot (well, without the muscle soreness, except for the soreness in my rib muscles due to the uncontrollable shivering).
This morning I was feeling a LOT better, but I emailed the Department Head and told him what was going on and said that I would have to teach my calculus class from home tomorrow – which was fine.
Then later, Nate and I drove to a testing site and got COVID tested. Now we have to wait and see what the test results will be.
I’m not optimistic.
[Edit: we did not, in fact, have COVID. We’re just dumb regarding our humidifier and aerosoling mold into our lungs. See future blogs for details.]
Stir Fry!!
I haven’t made stir fry since I lived in Vancouver, which was 2011. But I made some tonight and it was great!
Freaking tasty!
Have I mentioned that I like Max Scherzer?
I like Max Scherzer.
The fact that he was pissed off because he had to wear a dark uniform on a hot day is just fantastic.
Feelin’ Blue? Feelin’ Rare?
Here’s a cool article about why blue is such a rare color in nature. Basically, it boils down to how and why color is perceived. An object looks blue because that object is absorbing the red part of the visible spectrum. Red (and colors closer to it on the spectrum) has longer wavelengths compared to blue (and the colors closer to it on the spectrum), and thus is “low energy” compared to the other colors. For an object to appear blue, it must have molecules that can absorb very small amounts of energy. These types of molecules are difficult for plants to produce, and in animals, blue usually arises out of some sort of physical property of the animal that manipulates layers of light to produce only blue (like some butterfly wings or bird feathers).
The most interesting part of the article for me, though, was the discussion of how the word for blue was something that came much later in most languages compared to the words for, say, black, yellow, or red. It reminded me of a conversation we had in…I want to say Emotional Psychology class?…where we were talking about certain languages that didn’t/don’t have a different name for the colors blue and green – they are considered the same color, so they are named the same. I want to say Korean is one of these languages, but I could be wrong.
Anyway. Thought that was cool.
SCREW IT
Horror-themed thingy ‘cause we’re in the horror-themed month WHATEVER WHO CARES
halloween: how would you deal with a home invasion? could you defend yourself?
As long as they don’t hurt Nate or Pepper, they can do whatever they want to me.
nightmare on elm street: do you have bad dreams? what’s your worst nightmare?LIFE IS MY WORST NIGHTMARE
The frequency of nightmares is finally starting to go back down after spiking due to COVID-related panic. I still get some pretty graphic/terrifying ones, but they’re not nearly as frequent as they were there for a while. Nothing beats this one for how real and absolutely terrifying it felt.
child’s play: thoughts on dolls? do you collect anything?
Dolls don’t creep me out or anything, if we’re keeping with the theme here. I collect a lot of things, but not dolls.
friday the 13th: did you ever go to summer camp? did you enjoy it?
I never went to generic “summer camp” but I did go to camp in the summer if that counts, haha. I did Art Camp A LOT (and loved it), I did Sports Camp a few times (and complained about it), and I think I even did Bible Camp through St. Mary’s a few times too.
fright night: how easily do you fall in love?
Not very.
dracula: if you were a supernatural being, what would be your weakness?
Probably something stupid, haha. Like those aliens in “Signs” who have water as a weakness and then GO TO EARTH, A PLANET FULL OF WATER
a quiet place: have you ever made up your own language?
Not my own full language, but the coos had their own words and terms for certain things.
get out: what’s the most uncomfortable situation you’ve ever been in?
I haven’t been in too many, surprisingly. Probably that time when Rob and I went to his house (which he still shared with his ex) while said ex wasn’t there. He and I were just hanging out in his room but I left my purse on the sofa in the living room. Ex came home, saw the purse, and basically ran away. We had to spend the next six hours driving around the city (in my car) searching for her. NOPE NOPE NEVER AGAIN.
hereditary: do you have any ticks? can you control them?
No comment.
saw: what’s your biggest sin? is it redeemable?
I’m not telling! It’s one that I’m definitely not proud of, but the karmic forces of the universe have made sure I’ve paid for it.
it: thoughts on clowns?
I DO COCAINE!
(Metalocalypse reference)
train to busan: thoughts on public transport? how do you usually get about?
Public transportation is great! I used to ride the bus quite a bit here, but I actually haven’t been on a bus since COVID.
insidious: have you inherited anything from your parents? do you have a close relationship with them?
I haven’t inherited anything from them other than some physical/personality characteristics, haha. I have a great relationship with my mom and a good one with my dad.
sinister: is there a recording of you that you want to erase?
Probably.
silence of the lambs: is there anyone you envy? what would you change about yourself?
Man, don’t even get me started. There are SO MANY THINGS I would change.
paranormal activity: have you ever had an experience with ‘things that go bump in the night’?
Just that thing at Idler’s Rest that wanted to kill Rob and me. But I don’t think that was paranormal; I think that was a real person out there.
the shining: how’s your concentration? do you put your self into projects?
If I’m into something, I am INTO IT. My concentration can be really great. I can care 1000% if it’s something that matters to me.
carrie: how was high school for you? did you go to prom?
High school was…meh. 10th and 11th grade were really rough, but 12th grade was good. I did go to prom.
the exorcist: what are your thoughts on religion? do you follow one?
To each their own. I am not religious.
psycho: do you enjoy staying at hotels? any weird stories?
I LOVE staying at hotels, especially alone (though this has happened like once). I don’t have any super fun stories really, but I do remember that we used to rent a poolside room at the University Inn in Moscow for birthday parties when I was younger. Super fun!
nosferatu: what do you fear most?
The future. I think the world is screwed and will be screwed faster than most people think.
28 days later: what would you do if you woke up and there was nobody there?
Like…nobody at all in the whole world? I’d probably enjoy it for a bit because I’d FINALLY have some time to myself, haha, but then it would get pretty lonely.
scream: are you any good at solving problems? could you solve a crime?
I do not have a detective’s perspective. I am the least observant person ever, so I would be terrible at solving crimes.
poltergeist: do you watch television? what’s your favourite show?
We don’t currently have cable (just the six(?) basic channels), but I do like having the TV on in the background when I can. My favorite show is still Chicago Hope.
frankenstein: have you ever felt rejected by your peers? do you think you ‘fit in’ with other people?
Man, I have STORIES. I was the coolest of the cool in first grade because I was the co-founder of a game called “coos.” Everyone played it. Then coos started to become unpopular and so did I. Then I was kind of the “weird kid” after that.
night of the living dead: if you could, would you bring people back from the dead? who?
L E I B N I Z. Like…who else, really?
the omen: how do you feel about children? would you want any of your own?
I hate kids.
split: is there more than one side to you? do you hide parts of yourself from people?
I hide many things, yes.
pan’s labyrinth: do you have any siblings? are you the favourite?
No sibbies.
evil dead: have you ever woken something sinister?
I…don’t know?
the babadook: have you ever felt like you were being watched?
Every once and a while.
bird box: what would you do if you went blind? could you cope?
I’d have a really hard time. I’m sure I’d adapt, but it would be really, really difficult. How would I do my walks? How would I draw? Teach?
cabin in the woods: where do you spend your holidays? do your friends go with you?
I just go back to Moscow, haha.
the purge: if all crime were legal for one night, what would you do?
JAYWALK THE SHIT OUT OF THINGS
GOOD JOB, ALBERTA
This freaking province, man.
We’re not even the most populous asldfjweurdfhlsdfhssd.
Book Review: The Optimist’s Daughter (Welty)
Have I read this before: No.
Review: Well, I mean. It’s a book.
This is Goodreads’ description:
The Optimist’s Daughter is the story of Laurel McKelva Hand, a young woman who has left the South and returns, years later, to New Orleans, where her father is dying. After his death, she and her silly young stepmother go back still farther, to the small Mississippi town where she grew up. Alone in the old house, Laurel finally comes to an understanding of the past, herself, and her parents.
I’ve fixed it:
The Optimist’s Daughter is the story of Laurel McKelva Hand, a young woman who has left the South and returns, years later, to New Orleans, where her father is dying. After his death, the book is no longer worth reading, as you’re now stuck with the pushiest, whiniest, most self-centered and ANNOYINGLY STEREOTYPICAL character in literary history and you won’t even get the satisfaction of anyone confronting her because Laurel is too timid and also too ANNOYINGLY STEREOTYPICAL to say anything. By the end of this book you’ll want to heave your Kindle into the stratosphere out of anger and frustration.
I’m not even kidding, yo, I could BARELY get through this book because I wanted to punch every single freaking character in the teeth. The only tolerable one was the dad and he got lucky and FUCKING DIED instead of having to deal with Laurel and the stepmom.
Favorite Part: The end. Because then the book was over and I could read something better.
Rating: 2/10
Edit: this thing won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973? Were there no other books written during that time period?
Book Review: A Night to Remember (Lord)
Have I read this before: I read like half of it in Vancouver, but then I accidentally left the book on the bus (I am a horrible library patron, I know) and never recovered it.
Review: Want to read the book that a large portion of “Titanic” (the movie, obvs) is based on? Lord interviewed 63 survivors of the sinking and has a lot of direct quotes and experiences. Much of the non-love-story dialogue in the movie is from this book. And it’s really well-written, too, so it’s not just this slog of “and this dude was doing this when the iceberg was hit” and “then this person thought “[insert thought here]” when they saw that most of the lifeboats were gone.
Favorite Part: I just liked linking all the stories with the dialogue that’s in the movie. Because, y’know, I can quote the whole damn movie.
Rating: 7/10
Book Review: Mutiny on the Bounty (Nordhoff, Hall)
Have I read this before: Yes! I remember reading this in either junior high or high school. I distinctly remember reading it in between bouts of ice skating in Moscow while they were Zamboni-ing the rink.
Review: Not NEARLY as good as the other book on my list with “mutiny” in the title (I really don’t know if any book will ever top The Caine Mutiny for me. I just love that book so much nnnnnnnnnf), but pretty good. I didn’t remember much from it from the first time I read it, so it was a pleasant re-read in the sense that I didn’t know (in terms of the specifics, haha) what was going to happen.
Favorite Part: I don’t think this counts as a “favorite part,” but every line of Bligh’s was read in Bugs Bunny’s voice thanks to this:
Rating: 5/10
Muppets??
This actually looks like one of the old classic Muppet movies, yo.
Needs Rizzo, though.
HEYOOOOOOOO
I miss Jazzy.
Just thought everyone should know.
More Pepper
So Pepper is an exceptionally pretty cat. Jazzy was gorgeous too, but I think because her coloring was so dark it didn’t show up very well in photos. Pepper, on the other hand, basically glows because she’s so white (and also sits still for pictures, unlike Jazzy), so her prettiness shows up very nicely. Observe!
She looks deflated in that last one, haha.
POOT PARTY
Songs that have castanets in them when they don’t really need castanets IRRATIONALLY PISS ME OFF
I don’t know why, so don’t ask me to explain, dawwg.
Eigenblogger 