Tango
A rampaging emoticon.
четверг, 30 марта 2006
среда, 29 марта 2006
Tango
There is a current argument in the "Xena Online Community" forum, where a few very young fans are expressing their deep sympathy for Ares in the early episode "Ties That Bind". The summary of their feelings runs something like: "Poor Ares! It's so sad that his plan to turn Xena back into one of his warriors fails (even though this would mean her killng a lot of innocent people)! He loses his love!"
It's amazing how many fandom arguments could be prevented if everyone could be encouraged to accept one axiom: KILLING PEOPLE IS BAD (....mmmkay?
) Unfortunately, when applied to the world of the online fandom, it usually goes something like this:
Whether for love, for money, for fame or for fun - killing people is bad.
With a sword, with a wand, with a rope, with a gun - killing people is bad.
Done in style, with finesse, out in public, at home,
In a field, in a theatre, with friends or alone,
Done while wearing armour or ruffles of lace,
Done while sober and calm or while stoned off your face,
Done with witty remarks or without such ado,
As a ritual slaughter or hunting for food,
With the corpse neatly buried or left for the flies,
Done by good-looking blokes (who might be really nice
if they only had help from the right sort of woman) --
Killing people is bad. Liking bad boys is human.
In all seriousness, it disturbs me that young girls (generally, they are young girls) appear to be fundamentally unable to differentiate between "bad boy" and "cold-blooded killer". Surely some sort of self-defence mechanism ought to kick in before one starts sympathising with a villain whose dastardly plan has been foiled? I've always liked villains myself, partly because they tend to be interestng characters and partly because they get the best lines, but it never occurred to me to pity them for their eventual downfall. The mind boggles. And then backs away, slowly.
It's amazing how many fandom arguments could be prevented if everyone could be encouraged to accept one axiom: KILLING PEOPLE IS BAD (....mmmkay?
) Unfortunately, when applied to the world of the online fandom, it usually goes something like this:Whether for love, for money, for fame or for fun - killing people is bad.
With a sword, with a wand, with a rope, with a gun - killing people is bad.
Done in style, with finesse, out in public, at home,
In a field, in a theatre, with friends or alone,
Done while wearing armour or ruffles of lace,
Done while sober and calm or while stoned off your face,
Done with witty remarks or without such ado,
As a ritual slaughter or hunting for food,
With the corpse neatly buried or left for the flies,
Done by good-looking blokes (who might be really nice
if they only had help from the right sort of woman) --
Killing people is bad. Liking bad boys is human.
In all seriousness, it disturbs me that young girls (generally, they are young girls) appear to be fundamentally unable to differentiate between "bad boy" and "cold-blooded killer". Surely some sort of self-defence mechanism ought to kick in before one starts sympathising with a villain whose dastardly plan has been foiled? I've always liked villains myself, partly because they tend to be interestng characters and partly because they get the best lines, but it never occurred to me to pity them for their eventual downfall. The mind boggles. And then backs away, slowly.
пятница, 17 марта 2006
Tango
Did you know that...
The exprеssion "by and large" (meaning "in general") comes from the nautical: by meaning "into the wind" and large meaning "with the wind". As in, "By and Large the ship handled very well."
The exprеssion "by and large" (meaning "in general") comes from the nautical: by meaning "into the wind" and large meaning "with the wind". As in, "By and Large the ship handled very well."
воскресенье, 12 марта 2006
Tango
Self-indulgent diarism. For the terminally bored.
суббота, 11 марта 2006
Tango
First day of semester. In front of me, two cheerful blondes on their way to class are being introduced by a third cheerful blonde.
Blonde #1: Hi! I'm Jess, by the way!
Blonde #2: Hi!! I'm Jess!...
Blonde #1: Hi! I'm Jess, by the way!
Blonde #2: Hi!! I'm Jess!...
среда, 08 марта 2006
Tango
Of no interest to anyone except "Phantom" fans. Everyone else can move along.
There is a certain beautiful irony in the fact that the Phantom's downfall is brought about by his own actions.
There is a certain beautiful irony in the fact that the Phantom's downfall is brought about by his own actions.
вторник, 07 марта 2006
Tango
There is nothing quite like online advertising. The last banner I saw on fanfiction.net contained four ads, each a gem in its own special way:
Tour Sydney’s Opera House by Bike.
I wonder what they plan to do with bikes in the Opera House. It's really not that big!
We deliver worldwide from Paris.
We are besides the Eiffel tower!
Well, what a relief. I thought they had the Eiffel Tower too... I was going to order it and everything.
Fully Escorted in Paris, visit
the Eiffel Tower & a River Cruise.
A tour of Paris that includes the Eiffel tower?
What a radical idea! And I'd love to know how one visits a river cruise.
Aida Magic Flute Vienna Opera.
Quick and Safe.
SAFE? Just how dangerous is opera, usually? Do they mean that no chandeliers will fall on my head? Or that I am unlikely to be accosted by a group of tourists on bikes?
That decides it; clearly Vienna is the place to go.
Tour Sydney’s Opera House by Bike.
I wonder what they plan to do with bikes in the Opera House. It's really not that big!
We deliver worldwide from Paris.
We are besides the Eiffel tower!
Well, what a relief. I thought they had the Eiffel Tower too... I was going to order it and everything.
Fully Escorted in Paris, visit
the Eiffel Tower & a River Cruise.
A tour of Paris that includes the Eiffel tower?
What a radical idea! And I'd love to know how one visits a river cruise.Aida Magic Flute Vienna Opera.
Quick and Safe.
SAFE? Just how dangerous is opera, usually?
Do they mean that no chandeliers will fall on my head? Or that I am unlikely to be accosted by a group of tourists on bikes?That decides it; clearly Vienna is the place to go.
пятница, 03 марта 2006
Tango
четверг, 02 марта 2006
Tango
While rifling through my old poetry for a friend, I came across this piece I wrote six years ago. In view of the previous post, it seems rather ironic. And look, not a single "hell-tell-well" in sight.
ESMERALDA
Lithe body, black eyes
Writhing, twisting
Snake-like
Silent tremors of the drums
Beat, hold, beat.
Scarves swishing, red skirts
Flashing, beating
Death, birth
Silver bells on nimble feet
Beat, hold, beat.
Sidelong glances, tambourines
Quiver, tremble
Beat, hold, beat
Lose your body, lose your soul
Chase the shadow of that song
Teasing pain you can't control
Follow close,
Abandon all hope ye who enter here.
Tango, 9 May 2000
ESMERALDA
Lithe body, black eyes
Writhing, twisting
Snake-like
Silent tremors of the drums
Beat, hold, beat.
Scarves swishing, red skirts
Flashing, beating
Death, birth
Silver bells on nimble feet
Beat, hold, beat.
Sidelong glances, tambourines
Quiver, tremble
Beat, hold, beat
Lose your body, lose your soul
Chase the shadow of that song
Teasing pain you can't control
Follow close,
Abandon all hope ye who enter here.
Tango, 9 May 2000
пятница, 24 февраля 2006
Tango
Having listened to the English version of some of the songs from the French musical "Notre Dame", I could not help but take the official translation as a challenge. So, armed with Google, a dictionary, and one very put-upon French-speaking friend, I've managed to concoct something resembling "Belle". (Just what the world needs: yet another version of this song.)
The original lyrics are here, and the English version is here. A few lines in this translation really appealed to me, especially in the first verse, so I kept them -- but I wanted to try to move away from those tooth-grinding "hell-tell-well" rhymes, and to stick closer to the original meaning.
Click here to see my efforts
So, armed with Google, a dictionary, and one very put-upon French-speaking friend, I've managed to concoct something resembling "Belle". (Just what the world needs: yet another version of this song.)The original lyrics are here, and the English version is here. A few lines in this translation really appealed to me, especially in the first verse, so I kept them -- but I wanted to try to move away from those tooth-grinding "hell-tell-well" rhymes, and to stick closer to the original meaning.
Click here to see my efforts
суббота, 18 февраля 2006
Tango
Swiped from here. Hopefully nobody is offended by religious humour. I'm particularly fond of #10.
Why God Never Received Tenure at Any University
1. He only had one major publication.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. It had no references.
4. It wasn't published in a referred journal.
5. Some even doubt He wrote it Himself.
6. It may be true that He created the world, but what has He done since then?
7. His cooperative efforts have been quite limited.
8. The scientific community has had a hard time replicating His results.
9. He never applied to the Ethics Board for permission to use human subjects.
10. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning the subjects.
11. When subjects didn't behave as predicted, He deleted them from the sample.
12. He rarely came to class, just told students to read the book.
13. Some say He had His son teach the class.
14. He expelled His first two students for learning.
15. Although there were only ten requirements, most students failed His tests.
16. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountaintop.
Why God Never Received Tenure at Any University
1. He only had one major publication.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. It had no references.
4. It wasn't published in a referred journal.
5. Some even doubt He wrote it Himself.
6. It may be true that He created the world, but what has He done since then?
7. His cooperative efforts have been quite limited.
8. The scientific community has had a hard time replicating His results.
9. He never applied to the Ethics Board for permission to use human subjects.
10. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning the subjects.
11. When subjects didn't behave as predicted, He deleted them from the sample.
12. He rarely came to class, just told students to read the book.
13. Some say He had His son teach the class.
14. He expelled His first two students for learning.
15. Although there were only ten requirements, most students failed His tests.
16. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountaintop.
четверг, 16 февраля 2006
Tango
вторник, 14 февраля 2006
Tango
It's been a while since I've had a good rant at the expense of nobody in particular. Time to let off some steam.
The victims this time are the people profiled in articles like this one (in Russian). Briefly: Russian ex-pats are returning to Russia in droves, supposedly after becoming disillusioned with the West.
No doubt, this happens. From what I've seen, the "returnees" are mostly people who left Moscow or St Petersburg in the last decade. No doubt, some are unhappy and unable to adjust, and long for the comfortable, familiar environment. Nobody could fault them for this.
But the most important point that everyone seems to miss is that these are people who were moving to and not moving from. A rant, and some unashamedly self-indulgent diarism
The victims this time are the people profiled in articles like this one (in Russian). Briefly: Russian ex-pats are returning to Russia in droves, supposedly after becoming disillusioned with the West.
No doubt, this happens. From what I've seen, the "returnees" are mostly people who left Moscow or St Petersburg in the last decade. No doubt, some are unhappy and unable to adjust, and long for the comfortable, familiar environment. Nobody could fault them for this.
But the most important point that everyone seems to miss is that these are people who were moving to and not moving from. A rant, and some unashamedly self-indulgent diarism
вторник, 31 января 2006
Tango
There aren't many movies that are better than the hype, but "Brokeback Mountain" is one. I just returned from seeing it, and it's so hard to shake off the emotional aftermath... Ang Lee's directing is incredible - so precise and honest that somehow this movie seems to speak without words, like a piece of music. But damn, it hurts.
Generally, watching something that popular with a large crowd is a recipe for disaster. My sister reports that at the premiere she went to, gay guys cheered every kiss and made a racket that drove her nuts. Not today. For once, even the gigglier elements of the audience shut up after the first half an hour. At the end, there were people wiping their eyes and sniffling, and the usual chatter was kind of hushed. It gets to you.
I have some semi-intelligent thoughts about the film itself, but I wanted to post a purely emotional review for the moment, just because.
Generally, watching something that popular with a large crowd is a recipe for disaster. My sister reports that at the premiere she went to, gay guys cheered every kiss and made a racket that drove her nuts. Not today. For once, even the gigglier elements of the audience shut up after the first half an hour. At the end, there were people wiping their eyes and sniffling, and the usual chatter was kind of hushed. It gets to you.
I have some semi-intelligent thoughts about the film itself, but I wanted to post a purely emotional review for the moment, just because.
четверг, 26 января 2006
Tango
I seem to have accumulated a large number of e-books on my computer, but it would be really nice to have some inexpensive piece of equipment that lets me read them away on the bus and generally away from my computer.
Palm Pilots cost a fortune and are way out of my league. Wonder if there is anything else out there? Surely it can't be that hard to make a simple pared-down computer that opens PDF and text files? Hm.
Palm Pilots cost a fortune and are way out of my league. Wonder if there is anything else out there? Surely it can't be that hard to make a simple pared-down computer that opens PDF and text files? Hm.
понедельник, 23 января 2006
Tango
Phonecall. Let us pretend for a moment that my husband's name is John Smith.
Male voice on the othe end: "Hello, Mrs Smith?"
Tango, expecting a telemarketer, since nobody else would refer to her as "Mrs Smith": "Yeeees? Who is this?"
Male voice (MV): "Is John home?"
Tango (T): "May I ask who's calling?"
MV: "A friend. Is John home?"
T: "What friend?"
MV: "John's friend. Is he home?"
T: "What's your name?"
MV: "John knows my name."
T: "Still, could you tell me so I know?"
MV: "I'm John's friend, okay?! When will he be home?"
T: "If you don't give me your name, I can't tell you that."
MV: "I'm John's friend, he has lots of friends - when will he be home?"
T: "What is this about?"
MV: "The purpose of my call is to talk to John, ALL RIGHT?! Now tell me when he's going to be home so I can call him back!"
T: "Not unless you give me your name."
MV: "All right, my name is Jamie, now when will he be home?"
T: "Nice try."
MV: "Look, I gave you my name, what else do you want, the name of my current girlfriend, what?"
T: "Good-bye."
.......
Okay, what the HELL was that? My husband, who was as baffled as I am, says has no friends by the name of Jamie, let alone ones who refer to me as "Mrs Smith" and are rude on the phone. A telemarker would have no problem telling me his name and the purpose of his call. An acquaintance would introduce himself also.
Bizarre...
Male voice on the othe end: "Hello, Mrs Smith?"
Tango, expecting a telemarketer, since nobody else would refer to her as "Mrs Smith": "Yeeees? Who is this?"
Male voice (MV): "Is John home?"
Tango (T): "May I ask who's calling?"
MV: "A friend. Is John home?"
T: "What friend?"
MV: "John's friend. Is he home?"
T: "What's your name?"
MV: "John knows my name."
T: "Still, could you tell me so I know?"
MV: "I'm John's friend, okay?! When will he be home?"
T: "If you don't give me your name, I can't tell you that."
MV: "I'm John's friend, he has lots of friends - when will he be home?"
T: "What is this about?"
MV: "The purpose of my call is to talk to John, ALL RIGHT?! Now tell me when he's going to be home so I can call him back!"
T: "Not unless you give me your name."
MV: "All right, my name is Jamie, now when will he be home?"
T: "Nice try."
MV: "Look, I gave you my name, what else do you want, the name of my current girlfriend, what?"
T: "Good-bye."
.......
Okay, what the HELL was that? My husband, who was as baffled as I am, says has no friends by the name of Jamie, let alone ones who refer to me as "Mrs Smith" and are rude on the phone. A telemarker would have no problem telling me his name and the purpose of his call. An acquaintance would introduce himself also.
Bizarre...
суббота, 21 января 2006
Tango
A completely brilliant slogan in the window of a shop:
Shoot the kids
Hang the family
Frame the wife
Yes, it is advertisting... a photographer's shop.
Shoot the kids
Hang the family
Frame the wife
Yes, it is advertisting... a photographer's shop.
Tango
вторник, 27 декабря 2005
Tango
For some reason, Christmas crackers (those cardboard things shaped like bon-bons) always contain a silly hat, a silly toy, and an even sillier joke.
My favourite among this year's crop:
Question: What do you get if you cross the Atlantic with the Titanic?
Answer
And to think that someone, somewhere, gets paid to make up these things...
My favourite among this year's crop:
Question: What do you get if you cross the Atlantic with the Titanic?
Answer
And to think that someone, somewhere, gets paid to make up these things...
вторник, 20 декабря 2005
Tango
A room with a bed on wheels, the smell of alcohol in the air, restraints, rubber belts, metal studs, and electrodes -- no, this is not someone's BDSM fantasy. Welcome to the neurophysiology department, where you can feel like an extra in "One Flew Over A Cuckoo's Nest" as your arms are strapped with rubber belts and zapped with electric currents. This is called a "nerve conduction study".
After being zapped from every angle, I have been pronounced healthy. And let's face it, you can't buy research like this -- if I ever decide to write a sci-fi thriller, this experience should come in handy.
This is called a "nerve conduction study".After being zapped from every angle, I have been pronounced healthy. And let's face it, you can't buy research like this -- if I ever decide to write a sci-fi thriller, this experience should come in handy.