| Daily Happiness |
[07 Nov 2009|07:33am] |
I forgot to mention the happiest thing yesterday! After waking up Thursday to find that I'd been slapped with a $49 fee on an old credit card because they've decided to charge a yearly membership fee if you don't use the card, I called to see if I could get it reversed. The guy gave me no trouble about reversing it, but said he would have to cancel the card to do so. Fine with me, since I'd been planning to cancel it anyway, since I have no plans to use it and there's no reason to keep it if they're going to charge me a fee to do so.
Anyway, this is the second time in the past year or two that this has happened, so it finally got me off my ass to go through our cards and cancel the old unused ones. You see, although this year we finally got ourselves out of debt, for many, many years we had $20,000+ in credit card debt and were constantly juggling it between cards to try and get lower interest rates. Which meant we signed up for a lot of new cards if they offered a cheaper rate for balance transfers. So the cards just sort of accumulated over the years.
Between the two of us, we called and cancelled about ten cards, leaving us with three cards each. Which I still think is overkill, but just in case we ever need them, they're there. We have two that we usually use and pay off immediately if we need to use a card for something, but I'll try to rotate them so that they all get used a bit and thus not hit with any fees if these guys decide to institute them as well.
It felt really good to get those cards sorted. I'd been meaning to do so for ages, because we really just do not need all of those cards sitting around. It also made me think about how happy I am to be debt free, really for the first time in my adult life. It's such a weight off my shoulders, especially considering less than two years ago I couldn't see a way out of it and thought I'd be crippled by that debt for the rest of my life.
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| [NaNoWriMo] |
[06 Nov 2009|10:29pm] |
5500 / 50000 words. 11% done!
Behind, but I'm hoping to catch up by the end of the weekend. Pretty sure I can do it.
Comment at Dreamwidth Read  comments
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| Broken Computers and Broken Healthcare |
[06 Nov 2009|09:53am] |
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1. Computers. I would like to say tat my Vista computer problems are easing....but that would be a lie. I did have enough crash free time yesterday to balance our checkbooks/bills in Quicken (all 3 months dating back to when my older computer died). This means that - once again - I am not online or reading mail.
2. Healthcare. One issue that has been overlooked - until recently - in the healthcare debate is how certain federal laws already give health care insurance companies and employers wide discretion to deny health claims with little or no penalties.
Under ERISA (a law created in the 70s to protect pensions and retirement accounts), health care plans funded by employers face no penalties or liability if the employer hired claims administrators falsely deny a health care claim. In fact, if you were to sue you would have to prove that the claims administrator acted arbitrarily and capriciously. In laymen's terms this means you will need to find a memo that says: "I think we should deny this claim because I think the person is really a donkey in disguise and we don't insure donkeys." The memo that says: "We can deny this claim even if we have objective medical evidence to support it because (a) we were able to find one doctor in the world who agrees with us and (b) this is an ERISA claim. In fact, thank God this is an ERISA claim 'cause if this were any other claim we'd have to pay it.." Well that memo would not help you win your case. And yes there have been those memos.
Currently 170 million Americans get their health care insurance from employers. Many employers over 5000 workers are "self funded" - that means the employers pay the claims costs and they hire the United Health Cares and the Kaisers and the other insurance companies to administer the claims (for a transaction fee). The claims administrators use their own insurance claim guidelines and also negotiate fees with the hospitals and doctors on behalf of everyone - both the insurance carriers own clients and the employees covered under the 'employer plan.' But the money to pay for the employee medical bills comes from the employers. Thus, your claim is subject to pension and retirement laws - not bad faith insurance law.
If you buy health care insurance on the open market (or if your employer does), then it falls under insurance state laws. if the insurance company wrongfully denies your health care claim under state insurance law, you can sue and get penalties and recover for the loss of life. Or recover damages to pay for your loved one's ongoing medical care if the person is injured or made more ill because of the claim denial.
Under ERISA all you get is the value of the health care benefits that were denied. If you're dead....well, no need for that health care.
So when you hear pundits talk about doing away with those pesky state laws that make it so hard for health care insurance companies to do business across state lines ..or pundits talking about changing the laws to make certain that *all* employers won't be required to abide by state health care insurance laws...they're talking about extending ERISA to privately purchased health care plans.
Check out your employer health care plan and remember... your health care is already being rationed and if you have employer funded health care insurance, well you're already living under a different 'standard of care.' ... More here and here
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| Daily Happiness |
[06 Nov 2009|06:15am] |
1. I loved today's Wondermark. Don't miss the mouseover!
2. I also loved this super cute picture of a puppy!
3. And this capcha fail.
4. The past few days I've been really good about working on transferring lyrics from my old site to my new site (if you're new to my journal, I've been moving stuff from this old site to this new wiki-based site) and today I decided to compare and see how much I still have left to go...only 350 romaji and 250 translations! And that's all from eight artists + the Digimon lyrics (which were separate, but are now just going to be mixed in because if people want to search just for Digimon, there are category tags). I really feel like I might get this done someday! After over two years of this, it was just feeling like no matter how much I worked on it, it was never going to get done. I think (hope) seeing the light at the end of the tunnel will help keep me on track with working on it every day.
5. I also did other productive stuff yesterday! Always something to be happy about.
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| Wednesday, November 4, 2009 |
[05 Nov 2009|12:23pm] |
![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) emeraldsword: random fic editing query - What is the etiquette of rewriting/re-editing fic after posting? Is there any? Do you all feel deceived if you go back to an old favourite and find that the author has amended the text since the last time you read? Do you even notice? -
- accioslash: Thirty Days of Spam...Day 2 - Fic and art clearly aren't treated the same by fandom when it comes to unauthorized re-posting. Seriously, how long do you think I could actually keep up a site with a re-post of a popular fan fic with the notation "I don't know who wrote this, but if it's yours, let me know and I'll credit you." But I see that with art all the time. -
- ladydreamer: Easy Out - I've heard producers and writers often talking about how flattering it is that fans can get so angry at them about what they've done on a television show or a movie, and how it's an ultimate compliment in a way, since what they want to do is move the audience, to make them feel intense emotions. Any emotion is good, right? -
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| Daily Happiness |
[05 Nov 2009|07:09am] |
1. The Weekly Jump stuff seems to be coming earlier and earlier. I already did One Piece last night as usual, and did Bleach and Naruto early this morning. I have started Bakuman as well, but they said it wasn't as much of a hurry, so I could go to sleep and do it when I wake up, which is good, because I'm kind of falling asleep here. XD But it's still nice to have almost all of that out of the way.
2. I was productive in other areas last night, too! I finished reading my 60th book of the year! (Wow, compared to twenty books last year, and eleven the year before!) I translated two very short doujinshi, half of a one-shot, and a couple pages of Saint Young Men. I wish I'd gotten more done, but I was also traslating the Jump stuff as well, so.
3. We had super delicious grilled chicken and rice last night. OMG it is the best evar.
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| Book 60: Naruto: Takigakure no Shitou Ore ga Eiyuu Datteba yo! by Kusakabe Masatoshi |
[05 Nov 2009|02:53am] |
Title: Naruto: Takigakure no Shitou Ore ga Eiyuu Datteba yo!
Author: Kusakabe Masatoshi
Number of Pages: 222 pages
Book Number/Goal: 60/75 for 2009
My Rating: 1.5/5
Naruto and the gang are on a mission to escort the head of Takigakure Village back home, but not long after they arrive, the village falls under attack. Kakashi has been called back to Konoha, so it's up to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to save the day.
I'm a big fan of Naruto, but this was really boring. Part of my problem was that this was set really early on and so it felt weird going back to when they were younger. I forgot how clueless Naruto was about everything and how annoying Sakura was with her Sasuke obsession (though unsurprisingly, she hardly had any role in the story, especially once the fighting got going). But mostly it was just a boring story that didn't need to be 200 pages long. :p
I read it in Japanese, but it's also been released in English under the title Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village! (The link above goes to the English version on Amazon.)
Mooch from BookMooch.
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| -.- |
[05 Nov 2009|11:30am] |
I just read an addme-type post where someone said one of their hobbies was "raping [their] computer". As English is not their first language, I sincerely hope it's a misunderstanding of sorts and not a deliberate attempt to use the word rape in "edgy", "hip", "funny", or "un-pc" ways. Which I disapprove of. *
The world and the people in it are pissing me off in lots of other ways, too, but I'm too tired to even list these. Maybe I should just go back to bed.
* Eta: I've explained my issues with the usage of the word in casual contexts in this IJ comment.
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| Yuletide |
[04 Nov 2009|09:14pm] |
Yuletide Signups are Now Open!
I haven't signed up yet as I'm still trying to decide what to request and what to offer. I have thirty possible fandoms to offer, but I know I don't want to offer that many. I'm going to whittle down the list and keep the others in mind for Treats.
In going through the list again, I saw so many books and manga that I have on my to-read lists and was like "damn it, I wish I had gotten around to reading that this year!" There were also a couple things (Skim and Flygirl) that I really wish I had held on to after reading them, because I would have offered to write them, but I don't feel comfortable doing so without access to the source material. (I used to feel that way about a lot of manga, too, but now that I have discovered where to download stuff, it's not so much an issue.)
I think my request list right now is Aoi Hana, Glee, Koukou Debut, Modern Family, Paradise Kiss, and Psyren. Obviously two of those have to go.
Probably the one I'm least sure about is Koukou Debut, because what I really want is an AU in which Haruna and Mami realise they're in love and Yoh realises he's gay. Like, seriously, I love the story the series actually did give me, but when it started out with Haruna and Mami being tomboy softball players and Yoh offering to be Haruna's fashion coach, I just really wanted it to go in a different direction. XD But I doubt that's the sort of thing people will be signing up to write, so maybe I'd just be wasting my time with that one.
I'm wibbling on Modern Family, too. I'd like to see fic about Manny, but I don't really have any ideas.
Also check out ![[info - community]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png) dark_agenda, a comm whose purpose is to encourage more people to write non-white, non-English-language sources.
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| THANK YOU! |
[05 Nov 2009|12:24am] |
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music |
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Sufjan Stevens: "Dear Mr. Supercomputer" |
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OMG, Mystery Fangirl is all paid back and I'm so weebly that I just can't deal. Yes, weebly.
So, in thanks for all that you -- and you, and you, and also *you*! -- have done, I'm offering snippets. I'm actually working on four different stories right now and so won't be able to do them immediately, but I promise to try.
Rules: DC or Malazan Book of the Fallen. I might be able to manage a Buffyish thing here or a Marvelish thing there, but odds are waaaaay low on that. You can pick one of my icons, or give me a three- or four-word prompt, or two or three character names, or whatever you'd like. Note: I'm about to add a Roy icon to the mix, so keep that in mind. :D
No, you don't have to have contributed to ask for a snippet, but if you *did* contribute, I really hope you *will* ask, even if it turns out I can't manage it.
*hugs you ALL*
From Mystery Fangirl:
"I only hope that you all feel like incredibly, wonderfully, extraordinarily kind and virtuous people because that's what you are. None of you had a reason to help me but you did. I will always be grateful."
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| zine of the day |
[04 Nov 2009|01:39pm] |
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1. first, more computer and browser instability = makes me cranky and less online/reading checking email.
2. but second: zine o' the day: "The Centaur Tales is an AU Houston Knights series in which, according to the art, the heroes are centaurs. The second volume is a Sentinel crossover. "
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| my rats continue to be adorable |
[04 Nov 2009|08:50pm] |
They now all come up onto my hand when I put it in the cage, and climb onto me and sit on my shoulder. They now also let me pet them. They are not yet comfortable to be grabbed and picked up, and they haven't yet learned to come when I call either, so I won't let them run outside yet. But they are definitely interested in exploring outside the cage, so I have to be watchful now.
In preparation for future playtime I have made a simple enclosure from wooden panels connected with cable binders that I can put up to let them play outside while they are very little without guarding every tiny opening between, beneath or into my furniture, so that may happen soon. Previously I just let tiny ones play in the whole room like adults, but it is just extremely stressful to keep track of them when they are tiny. My last ones squeezed themselves beneath my mattress for example and in all sorts of places, even with me doing my best to block all gaps between walls and furniture and make the room safe. Obviously it's more interesting for them if they can explore the whole room, but they will have to make do for the sake of my nerves.
I mean, the size of the enclosure will be all of the center of the room so they can run further than in the cage if they like, and obviously I will put in something for them to climb, and hide, and such for entertainment. I have a large branch now, but I'm looking into whether there are maybe cat scratching tree combos that would maybe work for rats as a more varied playground. I've also seen a kind of ferret play tree in a pet store that looked real nice and good for rats (probably because they are closer in size than cats), but it was quite expensive unfortunately (the ones for cats were too). So I'm still looking for something like that.
Finally, I have decided to go with Linus and Leo for the new names I wasn't decided on yet.
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| Daily Happiness |
[04 Nov 2009|06:38am] |
1. I had one of the best doughnuts I've ever had last night. It was a glazed buttermilk bar. Still warm. Soft and moist on the inside. Crispy on the outside. OMG. Seriously. Best thing ever.
2. It was really foggy last night. I loved it. It's still kind of foggy and overcast now, too. :)
3. I got stuff done last night!
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| Songs I'm currently obsessed with |
[04 Nov 2009|04:13am] |
I have a an album post I should do, and I still need to do those last three letters of the alphabet meme, but instead here are some songs I can't stop listening to right now. Some I've probably recced before, but some are new.
Coldplay - Viva la Vida
Coldplay seems like they're one of those love them or hate them bands, but I'm not really either. I like a few songs and am bored with most of their stuff. But omg this song. I could seriously listen to this one song forever and never ever get tired of it. I can't explain what makes me love it so, but it's one of those songs that makes me want to bounce around whenever I hear it. (It's a good "waiting in line/at the bus stop" song because of that!)
Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
This is her new single and wow. I think I love it more than anything on The Fame, though it took a couple listens to really get hooked. Reading friendsfriends the other day I saw someone's post that said something like "Explain the difference between Lady Gaga and Madonna" and it was obviously meant to be derogatory in that "we already have Madonna, so why do we need Lady Gaga" sort of way (which I see a lot about Coldplay, actually; "Why do we need Coldplay when we already have Radiohead?"), and I just have to say, I don't understand that thinking at all. Yes, Lady Gaga is similar to Madonna in a lot of ways, but THAT'S GOOD. It means MORE MUSIC THAT I LOVE. XD There is no bad here.
Mika - Blame It On the Girls
This is off his new album and has quickly become my favorite song of his EVER. Even more favorite than Grace Kelly, which is saying a lot. But seriously, it's just so, so, so catchy.
The Killers - Four Winds
This is a Bright Eyes cover and I like it way better than the original. Which I had not actually heard before this, but I went and listened to it on youtube and while it was good, I just really like this better. This is a little more upbeat, and I like Brandon Flowers's voice better than Conor Oberst's.
The Killers - A Dustland Fairytale
This is from Day & Age and it's not one that immediately burrowed its way into my brain, but after seeing them live, I went back and listened to a few Day & Age songs I'd skimmed before and this was one of them. And since then it's totally taken hold of me and won't let go. I don't know how I missed it before, because it totally sounds like it should have been on Sam's Town.
My Chemical Romance - Famous Last Words & Welcome to the Black Parade
I put these two together because I don't really have anything to say about them individually, just that they are always my go-to songs when I'm not sure what I want to listen to at the moment or where I want to start my random playlist from. They're also really great for karaoke.
Billy Joel - My Life
I recently rediscovered this song, which I loved as a kid as the theme song to one of my favorite shows, Bosom Buddies (which is totally something I would have nominated for ![[info - livejournal.com]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif) yuletide!). I love the tune, I love the lyrics, and I love how it always makes me think of that show.
Gelugugu - Anpanman no March
This is an awesome, awesome, awesome punk cover of a kiddie anime theme song. It is seriously one of the best things I've ever heard.
Brahman - You Don't Live Here Anymore
I have really been enjoying Brahman a lot lately, but this is one in particular that I just keep coming back to over and over again. It's apparently a cover of a song by a late '70s/early '80s English band called The Fans. But enough of them and more of Brahman! Who are a Japanese punk band with a vocalist whose style of singing makes him nearly incomprehensible in both Japanese and English (though slightly less so in Japanese). I love these guys so much.
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| Fic reviews: McShep Match Days 23 & 24 |
[04 Nov 2009|02:09am] |
Getting near the end! Soon I will actually be reading and reviewing stuff other than SGA again. XD
Day 23: Sleight of Hand
Like Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat by curia_regis 2/5
5300 words. When they discover alien ships heading towards Atlantis, Rodney has yet another brilliant plan to save them. Unfortunately, this plan goes horribly wrong.
( Another one without an ending... )
Imagine Whirled Peas by flyakate 2/5
1300 words. In which there are failed magic tricks, peanut butter and naps. Or, John and Rodney, Supportive Uncles and Master Babysitters.
( Cute. )
Day 24: Open Season
Good Hunting by skinscript 3/5
8700 words. Atlantis sends teams to compete in the once in a generation Pegasus fighting competition Shaur'Atan. Once there, it's open season and everyone gets more than they bargained for.
( Neat idea, though the ending was rushed. )
Daytime Drama by hyperfocused 1/5
9500 words. Will hero pilot John Sheppard accept the offer to start a new life as soap opera hunk Shep Johnson? Will "Atlantis!" wunderkind Rodney McKay (Rod Ingram/Meredith Ingram/series co-writer) finally win his first Zeddy? Will they find love, on-screen or off? Tune in past the cut to find out.
( Ridiculous and offensive. )
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| Daily Happiness |
[03 Nov 2009|06:07am] |
1. I have now read 59 books this year! (And am almost done with While I still don't think I can make 75, I think I will be able to make 70. I have a stack of short books here on my desk to choose from.
2. Including the $150ish we already had set aside, we've now reached $450 towards Carla's new computer (over halfway!), thanks to the CD sales. :D We should get the balance of the financial aid money this week, so we can put in a little from that, and then a little every week from whatever I make, and I think we'll definitely have enough saved up to get it by Christmas.
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| Book 59: Transgender History by Susan Stryker |
[03 Nov 2009|04:38am] |
Title: Transgender History
Author: Susan Stryker
Number of Pages: 190 pages
Book Number/Goal: 59/75 for 2009
My Rating: 3.5/5
A better title for the book would be Transgender History in the US, as there's barely any acknowledgement that other countries exist, much less that there might be trans people living there. It's also really short. The last forty pages are notes and such, and the first thirty are defining terms, so only 120 pages are actually devoted to the topic at hand. But for what it is, it's a pretty good read. While focusing primarily on white trans people, it does include PoC fairly often and acknowledges their contributions (which is frankly better than I expected when I saw it was published by the now infamous Seal Press).
Oh, and one thing I really didn't like was that it was written in a sort of textbook form, with lots of insert boxes. I hate those, because you either have to stop reading in the middle of something to read them, or you have to remember to come back to them at the end of a section/chapter.
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