Meanwhile over on the other blog (www.tsemoana.net) I've started reviewing Glee. I fell in love with the show around the time the second season had just started, and I burned through the previous episodes in a week or two. I'm reviewing from the start (yay for dvd), and was planning to do that until I caught up, but recent eps, and specifically last night's Never Been Kissed was that awesome I can't stand it anymore. So I did 2.06, will do 2.01-2.05 in between and then continue with season 1 while keeping up with the current season.

Besides that, I blogged mostly the same stuff as here: books, my life in general, photos, dreams, my cat and introspection.

So…

I decided it’s kinda ridiculous to be blogging on LiveJournal when I have a perfectly good WordPress installed on my own domain, which I pay for every year. With every post on LJ, I neglected this site more, even though I thought I could use it as a pure photo blog beside the LJ. Using this blog has some other advantages too, since I control every aspect of it, I can customize the site much easier. And, with WordPress I can make pages for the more static content.

So, with that said, I spent last night one-by-one copying my LJ posts and its comments to here (the importer didn’t work :/ ), inserting them at the right places so they look to be posted on the same dates as I actually posted them. I’ll most likely repost certain things back here as well. Notably, the resource posts I mentioned last month. Link collecting for these is coming along nicely, but it’ll be much easier to create these resources over there. I can turn them into pages, always at the top to be found, no looking around for it, and, with the save draft feature that WordPress has and LJ doesn’t, the creation of these pages will be easier.

The one thing I will miss from LiveJournal is the ability to have different posts have different user icons. I always thought that gives a certain colour to the page, as well as a different glimpse into the personality of the author.

Anyway, that’s all for now. If you want to continue reading, please come on over to www.tsemoana.ne!

I forgot week 30 :D

The past week was the week that ended with the, awesome as usual, Castlefest!

I'm grateful for being at Castlefest with good friends, for that makes the experience only more powerful.

I'm happy with the pretty things I bought. New music (Omnia's latest, a CD of Scrum), some reading (Diana Wynne Jones' The Tough Guide to Fantasyland), something to watch (a poster of Omnia), things to play with (Vampire Fangs to use when playing Spike at next year's Elf Fantasy Fair) and things to make other things with (fur, leather).

I'm saddish it's over already,  time flew.

I learned beards don't look half bad on me :D

Tomorrow! w00t!

Today I finally tried on the full outfit I've assembled for Castlefest. I bought most of the actual clothes at the Celtic Midsummer Fair earlier this month and had tried the clothes then, but not fully together.

The reason I decided tonight was a good time to try it on (besides the fact that Castlefest is next weekend and it would be kinda nice to know if the outfit is complete or if it needs more oomph) was that the binder I ordered came today.

Backtracking slightly, I'm going to Castlefest as a male character. This, combined with my own genderqueerness, and a conversation I had with Eva recently, made me look to get one

The binder was delivered this morning, and I tried it out then immediately. It's a pain to put on, but it looks awesome! (Although when I loose some more weight it will be even better :D) I wore it again tonight with the costume photoshoot and am still wearing it. It's much more comfortable then I thought and works great. However, as I was looking at my self in the mirror tonight and enjoying the masculine looking chest, I realised I've been doing this, diminishing my chest, for a long time now. Much more so than I previously realised.

I'm female bodied, obviously, but identify as something beyond the male/female dichotomy, I feel I am, at the very least, both, if not more.
The way I dress varies between more feminine things one day and more masculine things the other, depending on my mood and inner feeling basically.  Up till now I usually turned to my hoodies and wider t-shirts on 'male' days, and combined that not only with my most minimising bra (and thanking my lucky stars my cup size is moderate enough :D) but always adding a tight tanktop over it to flatten it as much as I could. It was a fun thing to realise that I've been doing that basically since before I even started figuring out who and what I was in regards to gender. It kinda feels like validation, in a way of "see, I had these feelings and stuff before I realised it, it's real". And this makes me happy.

So, to close, here's some pics. First two of the outfit (binder makes it so much better! I'm definitely wearing it at Castlefest too), then me wearing the binder. If you're my friend on Facebook, I'm uploading more outfit pics there.

 

 

Updated booklist!
A facebook convo reminded me I hadn't posted one of these in quite a while so here goes :D

2010 (so far)
1. Sarah Monette - Mélusine
2. Naomi Novik - Throne of Jade
3. Naomi Novik - Black Powder War
4. Kat Richardson - Greywalker

5. John Scalzi - The Android's Dream
6. Paulien Cornelisse - Taal is zeg maar echt mijn ding {Language is, like, my thing} [Dutch]
7. P.C. & Kristin Cast - Betrayed
8. P.C. & Kristin Cast - Chosen
9. Naomi Novik - Empire of Ivory
10. Joris Luyendijk - Het zijn net mensen {They're just like people} [Dutch]
11. P.C. & Kristin Cast - Untamed

12. P.C. & Kristin Cast - Hunted
13. P.C. & Kristin Cast - Tempted
14: Louisa May Alcott - Little Women

15: Louisa May Alcott - Little Men
16: Louisa May Alcott - Jo's Boys
17. Brent Weeks - The Way of Shadows

18. Star Trek: The Next Generation - Resistance (J.M. Dillard)
19. Brent Weeks - Shadows's Edge

20. Ryan Sohmer & Lar DeSouza - Looking For Group Volume 1
21. Ryan Sohmer & Lar DeSouza - Looking For Group Volume 2
22. Brent Weeks - Beyond the Shadows
23. Preeta Samarasan - Evening is the Whole Day
24. Jeff Lindsay - Dearly Devoted Dexter

25. Terry Pratchett - Unseen Academicals
26. Bert Benson - Euro 5 antwoordt niet {Euro 5. Not answering} <A sci-fi series from my childhood, I recently stumbled across a second hand store that had almost the entire series. I only read maybe two or three of them back then, so am really enjoying the newness of most of these>
27. Bert Benson - Euro 5. Dreiging van de H-Mannen {Euro 5. Threat of the H-men}
28. Bert Benson - Euro 5. Duivels van de diepzee {Euro 5. Demons of the Deep Sea}
29. Bert Benson - Euro 5. Slaven uit de ruimte {Euro 5. Slaves from Space}
30. Bert Benson - Euro 5. De Monsters van Dr. Einling {Euro 5. The Monsters of Dr. Einling}
31. Bert Benson - Euro 5. Op drift in de tijd {Euro 5. Adrift in Time}
32. Bert Benson - Euro 5. Machten uit het heelal {Euro 5. Powers from the Universe}
33. Karen Chance - Touch the Dark [reread, in preparation for reading parts 2-4 which I borrowed from a friend]

Called quits on Deathwish (see previous bookpost). It was getting too damn obvious this wasn't part one and the continuous half-assed referencing was driving me nuts. Plus, the story didn't really pull me in. I haven't touched Perdido Street Station anymore either. I'm giving it till September before I declare it a lost cause. Haven't started A Thousand Splendid Suns yet, but it has made it to the nightstand :D

Of the ones I read since last update, Pratchett's Unseen Academicals was a bit dissapointing. I'm a devoted Discworldian but this one seemed a bit... stretching it, like he wanted to pull too much from everywhere together. The football as topic bothered me only slightly (I'm not a football fan so I expected worse) but the story didn't seem to pay off the way the other books did.

The Euro 5 books feel like a warm bath. And I'm realising they're actually pretty well written too, has something to offer to both kids and adults. It could do with some more female personnel, but for 80s books the author is doing very well with his one female character so far. She's strong, not afraid to do things herself and, as the books get on, gets a fair share of the action too when she's around (she's not part of the regular crew of the Euro 5 spaceship so she's not always there).

I figured, since I not always have my own bookmarks and such handy, and since not everything I want to remember for a while is relevant enough to bookmark, I'd dump them on here. As the title indicates, I'm distinguishing between resources and linkdumps.

Linkdumps, like the imagedump post a little while back, will mostly just be links with short descriptions of stuff that was big around cyber- or meatspace that I want to touch on or keep floating around for a while. These posts are mostly for myself and to give others a distraction or little something to think about.

Resources are thought out posts with links to places about a particular topic. This is useful for me, but can also be very useful for others.

Both types of posts will always be tagged either linkdump or resources, along with tags about the topic(s), so they can easily be found again. Resource posts I've got planned for now are one on gender and sexuality (not sure yet whether or not I'm splitting that one up) and various larp and re-enactment stuff.

This test is doing the rounds of Blogland, so I figured I'd do it. It's rather elaborate, but the results are definitely worth it.


I Am A: True Neutral Human Druid/Ranger (2nd/1st Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-13
Dexterity-14
Constitution-14
Intelligence-16
Wisdom-15
Charisma-12

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Primary Class:
Druids gain power not by ruling nature but by being at one with it. They hate the unnatural, including aberrations or undead, and destroy them where possible. Druids receive divine spells from nature, not the gods, and can gain an array of powers as they gain experience, including the ability to take the shapes of animals. The weapons and armor of a druid are restricted by their traditional oaths, not simply training. A druid's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast.

Secondary Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)


Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (19)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (20)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (19)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (20)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (21)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (20)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXXX (8)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXX (9)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXXXXXXX (8)

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXXX (7)
Neutral - XXXXXXXX (8)
Chaos --- XXXXXXX (7)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Evil ---- X (1)

Race:
Human ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Dwarf ---- XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Elf ------ XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Gnome ---- XXXXXX (6)
Halfling - XXXXXX (6)
Half-Elf - XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Half-Orc - XXXXXX (6)

Class:
Barbarian - (-4)
Bard ------ (0)
Cleric ---- (-4)
Druid ----- XXXXXX (6)
Fighter --- (0)
Monk ------ (-21)
Paladin --- (-25)
Ranger ---- XXXXXX (6)
Rogue ----- (-4)
Sorcerer -- XXXX (4)
Wizard ---- (0)

I'm grateful for books, for they make everything better.

I'm happy it's almost Castlefest, I am soooo looking forward to going!

I've been annoyed with myself this week. Looking ahead is all good and well, but I tend to look too far ahead, and stay there with my head, instead of coming back to focus on the here and now. And sometimes the here and now suffers because of it.

I learned (sorry Ingrid! :D ) that Ingrid's bed and my back/hips don't get along very well.

Long ones, both of 'em. And also both dreams of the variety with a story line instead of bits and pieces.

March 2001,

I was in the United States, staying with a friend. In the house were also two men who had borrowed a video from someone. They asked me if I wanted to return the video to the man they had borrowed it from. I did so and when I came to the lender’s place, it appeared the man made copies of videos and lent these out. Something was wrong with the tape however and the man gave it back to me to take home again.

Back at my friends place, she and I watched the tape and were shocked as it showed something unexpected, some kind of criminal act. I took a bicycle and went to take the video back to the lender again. I showed him the tape and he was just as shocked as we had been. He took the tape and kept it.

Back home, the two men had found out they’d given me the wrong tape. Somehow, they knew I’d seen it and they came looking for me. I had returned from the lender by now and wanted to check something in the hallway and saw the men there. They were standing in the hallway, holding baseball bats. As they saw me, they came running at me so I fled the house, barefoot, without a coat. I grabbed the bicycle, rode to the lender’s house as fast as I could, and told him my story after which he said he’d help me.

I cycled back for a short while to tell my friend I was leaving and to get my things. After that, I got back to the lender who took me to the airport and bought me a ticket back to the Netherlands. Once I got back to Schiphol, I called my friend and asked her what I should tell my parents. She said I should tell them there had been a death in her family and that they had dropped me off at the airport on their way to the death.


May 2009

I was in a university library, one of those older buildings, with the interior dark and more classic, yet shabby through years of student use. The woodwork, shelves and round tables and such were dark. The chairs at the tables were reasonably comfortable with fabric on the seats, even though that too was old and faded. Some of the chairs had armrests.

I was lying on two of the chairs, covered with a coat, watching one of the tables. Close to me sat a journalist, watching another table. He was writing an article and was following me around for that. At the table I was watching sat two girls. One was crying because of some sort of social drama and fell into the others' arms for comfort.

After, the journalist and I went looking through the library for more stories for his article. At the same time I was doing this with him, I was also still lying on the chairs. Yay for astral projection?
We saw a boy and a girl in the library, they were close friends.

The journalist and I returned to the library a number of times and we kept running into these two groups. With the two girls there was always major social drama for the one that was crying. The boy and the girl were always just studying and talking.

Suddenly I was walking through the hallways of the university itself, without the journalist. I was also older now, in my forties, and it turned out I was a professor at the university. Then there was a cut scene and I was walking in one of the dorms. I passed an open door and as I looked in, I saw the girl from the boy/girl group.

She was packing her things and was quite obviously devastated. The boy was helping her. All of a sudden I knew exactly what was going on: Her parents were coming to take her home. I didn't know the exact reason, but it was either because her brother had died, or because there was no more money to let her go to school. (Or possibly it was both reasons)

The two were just packing books in a box when I passed. They were talking about her having to leave. I felt sorry for her, and thought it a shame that she had to go. I'd seen her in the library so many times I felt I knew here, even though she was no student of mine. I went into the room, knelt down with them and started helping. I told her a story about my son when he was in his freshman year, which had been a few years ago. I don't know what the story was, but it was apparently relevant to her situation.

THEN, major change, I was suddenly bicycling in France...

We were with a group, going through little villages and lovely countryside. Sometimes, there would be traffic lights. Then Conductor Jan (from the orchestra where Nienke used to play) said --and I just heard him, I couldn't see him-- that there were some traffic lights that would blink red and that it meant you could cross. Because, apparently, you often saw people waiting for them to turn green, which it never would. And they would only realise that when someone native to the area came along and crossed.
Jan continued that the same thing applied to a concert. Sometimes there would be breaks, but then you just had to play low tones, that was what the people around here expected. So tomorrow at the concert that was exactly what they should do, keep playing the low tones.
So apparently the orchestra had a concert there, but then what the hell I was doing there... :D