I haven't sat down to a fantasy novel in quite some time - my affinity for the genre has kinda waned in recent years - but I've heard a lot about Guy Gavriel Kay, namely his single-volume epic Tigana, ( so I decided to give it a whirl. )

Anyway. So much going on this month omg! I've had several brain freezes trying to figure it all out; at this point I'm just throwing up my hands and going, "It'll sort." Besides all the fannish goodness imminent, I've got a nice, week-long vacation in Mammoth awaiting with the fam once August hits. So excited!

Also, holy crap: HARRY POTTER TOMORROW. This is the most stoked I've ever been for an HP film. Part of that's because this is the most excited Luke has ever been for an HP film (now that he's read all the books and obsessively watched the previous films about 10 times each). But the other reason is that the film simply looks fantastic on its own merits. I am a fan of the later HP books, so that's also a factor: IMO it'd be hard to make bad films out of this material.

Also also: I must bring up COMIC-CON because now that the schedule's been posted, I know everyone's starting to get their attack plans in shape. I am irrationally excited - after all, I'm only attending one day, and the slowest day at that - but the list of exhibitors just floors me. And of course, the opportunity to meet some of you lovely souls in person is so, so beyond awesome.

At this point, I really have no idea what most peeps' plans are for the day, but I know I'll mostly be wandering the Exhibit Hall obsessing - and will have Twitter going to my phone that day - so hopefully it's no big deal to set up a meet at a booth or summat. If you've got any ideas, please spill! TSCCers (roxybisquaint, life_on_queen, etc), I notice that our friend Ashley E. Miller will be co-hosting the Starship Smackdown at 3PM: would this be something you're up for? Or is a raid of the WB booth already in the works? :D

Squee. As if my inner fangirl needs to be fed to such a degree.

Had a lovely extended weekend. It started out a bit rough - I was really down on myself for reasons that weren't initially clear, but that God and good people made transparent to me by the end. Very thankful for the way I woke up this morning - feeling fresh, energized, and hopeful again.

Highlight of the weekend was definitely setting off a bundle of fireworks at a local park in Santa Ana (only city in Orange County where this is legal, far as I know). There were tons of people around us doing the same thing, so it became quite a thrilling experience... diving out of the way of sets that suddenly started giving you a GRAND FINALE when you least expected it, looking up in terror at skyward 'works that targeted you as they rained down... dude. Better than being at a show. Well, almost... Disneyland still pwns every display ever but they're Disneyland, the jerks.

I also found time to finish up the first season of Veronica Mars, which was incredible. But as I jumped straight into the first couple eps of S2, I found I needed to take a temporary step back... because. Well. It's one of those shows where prolonged exposure is not good for me. I need to remember that stable relationships are, in fact, still possible in the world, that no earth-shattering miscommunication is currently messing with my state of mind, that not everyone around me should be suspected of involvement in some heretofore murky conspiracy and/or cover-up... and that basically, I'm sane.

Fiction, man. It can mess with you.

So my entry for the ficathon is officially the messiest thing I've ever written, and I kind of cringe every time I look at it. ( But it's taught me loads about my writing habits. )

Oh well, at least it's been a revealing exercise. Thanks to the kind people who've read it so far and gotten something out of it.

But nevermind that madness. I am here to direct you all to my two favorite pieces that have come out of this ficathon (really, most of the stuff appearing is great, so I'd recommend just hopping on over to scc_reloaded if you've got the time to sort through it all yourself):

The first is Coydog by indiefic, which is the piece that was written for me! And I couldn't be more thrilled with it. John post-Born to Run making the Reeses and company scratch their heads. Cos that's what he does best.

The second is Independence Day by missnyah, which is sheer poetry, from a young Kyle's POV... through Judgment Day and all the way to the final scene of Born to Run.

Great stuff, guys.

Oh, and as always, DIAF FOX.

Nevermind that it contains my birthday and the birthdays of half my extended family, which make it a month of GREAT CELEBRATION and criss-crossing cards and presents (like a pre-Christmas), this month always seems set up to rock, no matter what.

July means we're over halfway through another year. WHAT THE - I know. It also means the sun comes out here, after a June full of haze and clouds (but no rain, of course). I tried doing some shopping for a new swimsuit last weekend, but holy... what is wrong with the world? I always brace myself for some pretty horrifying suit patterns and designs, but I can't remember the selection ever being quite this bad. No wonder I've kept the same suit for three years running now. Sheesh!

July also usually means that I've got at least one more decent summer film to look forward to, and in this case I think there's two (Public Enemies, Harry Potter 6). So, hooray!

This year Disneyland's doing a "get in on your birthday FOR FREE" promotion, so Luke and I decided the 18th would be high time for us to finally renew our passes - taking advantage of that $70 off. (Yep, $70 is the price of a one-day admission now. Disgusting.)

Then of course, a couple weeks later: COMIC CON. I'm still beyond bummed that I only get to go on Sunday, but I hope I get to see as many of you as possible. And run into lots of cool semi-idolized people and totally geek out and embarrass my husband. Woo.

Completely unrelated to the rest of this post, I must share a few random details about the new Muse album that have come out via a recent Japanese interview. Because they make me smile:

1. Inspired by George Orwell's 1984, and there is a "hidden love story" in it. lolz. Matt sez (translated from Japanese):
   
   

   I felt so powerfully that two people use love as a means of resistance and to resist the situation they struggle. The harmony of a love story and discontent with politics - that's one of the themes of the album.




2. The most normal song on the album is close to the strangest song on Black Holes and Revelations. Double lol! It's going to be so fun to watch the fans tear out their hair. I remember the frenzy when "Supermassive Black Hole" was released. "OMG IT'S A POP SONG." Newsflash: Muse writes pop songs. And they're quite good at it, too.



3. Other terms being thrown out to describe the sound: The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, classical music (of course), a new kind of discotheque number, and a glam rock song like T.Rex.

This is going to be so. Much. Fun.

Title: Further Up and Further In
Author: equustel
Rating: PG-13
Characters: John, Allison, Kyle, Derek, Sarah, Ellison
Summary: There were things still behind his eyes that most people had let die away under the weight of war.
Beta: life_on_queen, bless her.
Author's Notes: Written for ilanabean42 in the scc_reloaded ficathon. This piece started humble, then turned monstrous by the end – I blame the characters for being awesome and Kevin Reilly for making sure I won't see them again. Tool.

( Kyle's voice cut through the low ringing deep in his ears. )

Because it's an abnormally slow work day, and I've been meaning to give this one a go.

Thanks gega_cai!

1. Comment that you'd like to play and I will pick four of your icons.
2. Make a post (including the meme info) and talk about the icons I chose.
3. Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
4. This will create a never-ending cycle of icon glee.

( I love too many things. )

When is fangirling voice actors from a video game appropriate?

( When they are CLAUDIA BLACK and EMILY ROSE of Uncharted 2. )

Every time I see her, I just can't get over how similar Emily looks to Elena - if they ever did go through with an Uncharted movie, which would be wholly unnecessary because the games basically are movies anyway, she'd be the most "well duh" casting choice ever.

I love that she's so amazed by the fan response to Elena being back. Honestly, I am too. When IGN, of all places, is proudly declaring their Nate/Elena love in a write-up about gameplay demos, you know a feat has been accomplished with these characters. Heh.

And CLAUDIA BLACK! Well, you guys know me. I am just sitting here all AERYN SUN *flail* and basking in her awesomeness. That voice!

I love them and their enthusiasm and it is totally contagious and I cannot waaaaait. For this game. OCTOBER. Dude this fall is gonna rock.

So, this seriously is becoming the Summer of Music for me, as Mute Math finally announced their sophomore release (Armistice), which will be hitting the streets on August 18th. This has been a loooooong time coming, and I've gotten so used to waiting on it I sort of gave up on following MM news for awhile there. It's a good thing I subscribe to those handy newsletters!

Muse has yet to release a street date for their new album, but the rumor is September and I'm betting they'll hold to that, as they've already announced a ginormous international tour and all. (Alas, North American dates probably won't be set for any sooner than 2010. Sniff!)

VNV Nation's Of Faith, Power and Glory hits on June 23rd, and the new song that's out ("Tomorrow Never Comes") rocks something fierce. But the clip-preview of the rest of the album leaves me startingly cold. I'm betting that's just the deceptive nature of song clips, though, which I've always hated. VNV wouldn't let me down... would you, guys?

Meanwhile, I still can't stop listening to the new Dredg. I like what some random dude said on Twitter: "The only way it could be better is if it came with a puppy." For serious, guys. So amazing. It is poised to single-handedly get me through the workday. Again.

So I expected to like the new Dredg album.

But not THIS MUCH. WOW.

We listened to the whole thing over dinner last night, just shaking our heads the entire time.

I don't know if there's anything more gratifying, in the wide world of music, than being a fan of a really good band when they're still young, and their potential is still mostly unrealized. Because then you get to watch them grow up. They haven't yet earned the ability to coast on their accolades and talent; they have to work to put out something special.

Dredg has worked four years to put out this record, and the more I listen to it, the more I have trouble believing I'll ever go back to their older albums with the same enthusiasm. It's so good that it casts a shadow on their former self.

( I gush some more. )

If you've never heard of this band before, this is the album to start with. It's criminal they aren't better known, when there's so many pretentious art rock bands out there with half of Dredg's talent getting big heads from indie-crowd praise. These are musicians really worth your time; this is an album with untold replay value.

For the curious, a little birdy told me you can listen to the whole thing streaming somewhere on the web. How convenient!

There was a brief but awesome THUNDERSTORM last night that woke me up all giddy at 2AM. The air smelled wonderful. California, it's been way too long since you've gifted me with one of these! Now can you do it during the day, next time?

It's been a really odd week so far. I've felt at odds with myself and others, and I'm not used to that. I've also been having serious doubts about my motivations for certain things, and I can't tell you how much that sucks the big one. It's nothing major; just... funny how easily I can pull one over on myself.

( Meanwhile, adventures with Sokka the parrotlet! )

We're such dorks.