A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings

Blog comment carnival: May 2012

2012-06-01T10:38:00.000+10:00

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, it's time for reading through another month's worth of your spectacular comments and giving you some love! And HOLY CRAP did you guys deliver some solid gold awesome this month.

If you want to join in, you can link up over at Jessica's blog.

On last month's blog comment carnival:
Pretzel Thief

Aaaaiiiiiieeee, OMG!

You copied my WHOLE cray-cray comment, bahahahah! My most heartfelt and huuuuuge thanks, newfound bloggy BFF!

I...am gleeful and so thankful! :-)))

The only way I can think to repay you is to send you a Pacey Witter hologram. Or, you know, somehow send the real thing to your door. Hmmmm...or else I'll just pimp you out on my blog, yeeeees.

XOXO

(Seriously, how's that Pacey hologram coming along???)

On my post about the Ballestas Islands and Nazca:
Kat

I want cake for breakfast.

Also, I'm glad your pilot didn't look like Goose. Things didn't turn out so well for him :-(

Lorraine

Alien. Dude, an alien TOTALLY made that. Pirates are too distracted with rum and booty to make things in the sand, obvi, so the only other explanation is ALIENS.

On Things I Like Thursday, Volume 3:
Lorraine

RICE BUBBLE. LOL. Your English is funny man.

Also, living in the future wins again, of course. Lame.

On Movie Monday: Top Gun:
Pretzel Thief

I forgot to add, Kilmer's hair in that picture reminds me of the "eeeeeeviiiiiiil" wooden Soviet dude from Rocky V (?) (Ivan Drago!); he sports the same 'do. Must be an 80s thing.

(Duh, of COURSE it's an 80s thing!)

And now I wanna walk zombie-like through the office saying in a booming, robotic voice, "I must break you!"

Ahem.

Also, I neglected to add that although Danger Zone is the epitome of cheese (and then some), I do very much love it and would happily blast it while driving up OR down the Hume! Just so you don't think I'm a Kenny Loggins snob. Trust.

(FYI: Yogi can't stand Footloose. I can't understand that! He says a form of torture for him would be for someone to put him into solitary confinement with nothing but Footloose playing on a loop. BWAH!)

On Oh, hai:
Kat

I was watching a movie with Josh Duhamel in it over the weekend. I described him to Chris as 'that guy who's married to the woman with a three-head', and that description made perfect sense to me.

The only baby shower I've been to was awkward. Women aged 18-80+, who mostly didn't know each other. We sniffed nappies full of melted chocolate bars, and guessed the size of the belly with a length of string. Thankfully, we all got drunk on champagne (except for the pregnant lady).

On Things I Like Thursday, Volume 4:
Jessica

I finally watched the Woman in Black video, and it's hilarious. But then I checked and the Total Eclipse of the Heart video is not available anymore because of copyright reasons :( :( It is (was) also my favorite thing on YouTube. It says it's not available in my country, so if it is still available in yours I am very jealous!

(Jessica - there's a version available here with a cat watching TV frame thing to avoid automatic detection.)

On Movie Monday: Sherlock Holmes:
Vanisha @ Vanishas Life In...Australia

I loved this movie. The fight in the boat yard was probably my favorite scene. And Jude Law made an awesome Watson, when I read the books again, I still retained my image of Sherlock Holmes but Jude Law was Watson!

Nikki

All I have to say is BENEDICT, BITCH. BENEDICT. He's infinitely better than RDJ, and his cheek structure is mesmerising.

However, I love the pre-fight fight scenes in Sherlock Holmes. You know, with the explanations.

Gina

I love this movie on its own merits, but it will always hold a special place in my heart because I went into labor while watching this in the theater. On New Year's Eve.

Deidre

Robert Downey Jr and I have a special relationship that no man could ever mess with...I have adored him since a. Chaplin - RDJ is BRILLLLLLIIANNT

and b. Ally Mcbeal - when he sings with Sting...SWOOOON (although if that were me in that bar being serenaded to, it would be the most awkward moment ever. Serenaded is NEVER romantic in the real world, and when men realise this, there will be less awkwardness...Yeah, I said it).

On my post about Arequipa and Colca Canyon:
Kat
I like the head-eagle, personally. I'd wear one like a hat.

Incidentally, in New Zealand you don't need to suffer altitude sickness or awkward 2km walks to visit our hot pools ;-)

(I'll be there ASAP, Kat!!)
Hi, I'm Kerri

Travelling Aussies = Gold. The copious amounts of alcohol resulting in the heavy occa accent coming out; the normally quite eloquent Australians start sounding like sheep-shearers from the Aussie outback.

And why is it someone ALWAYS has vegemite. Whether your standing in the middle of the Amazon river or trudging across the Sahara desert, someone always has vegemite.

On Does this mean I'm cool now?:
Pretzel Thief

Okay, you? AHH LUHHV YOU. How can you possibly be this awesome and kind?!

Mind sufficiently blown.

But seriously, thank-you-thank-you-THAAAANK-YOUUUU! You are awesomesauce, and then some. Trust. I feel very privileged that we've become bloggy BFFs (hee!) in such a short timespan. Not surprising, though, since you're fantabulous. YOU!

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for this kickass Liebster Blog award, and for your WAAAAY wonderful description of me and my blog. I'm rapt!!

Oh, and a big fat YES to a future Melbourne blogger meet! I say we make not-at-all-creepy Pacey/Josh face masks and go to town, bwah! I've been meaning to suggest anyway that you and I should catch up for a drink/dinner in the city one evening, when it suits us both! :-)

XOXO

(I kind of desperately want to do that whole Pacey/Josh face mask thing, just to see how people react...)
Ti

No sparrows tried to get into my car at MickeyD's, but birds did keep headbutting our windows this spring because the lady who lived here before us let them nest in her window sills.

On Things I Like Thursday, Volume 5:
Fire Fairy

I will no longer demand that Soft Kitty is sung to me when I'm ill, it will be Soft Dalek - brilliant!

Lorraine

I saw the beginning of that video of Renner singing. I didn't see the end because I had effectively passed the heck out. SO HOT.

And thank you! I'm really enjoying make fun of these books. Like a lot. In an almost evil away. It makes me feel better, less evil, when people say they like them. We can't all be evil, right?

Miss your face,
Lor

Kim

There's this bit in the video where the band comes back in for the big ending and his voice is all... gaoisdnofnslkdnfsbdf

Sorry, I passed out for a minute there.

On Movie Monday: A Knight's Tale:
Penelope Lolohea

Haha, THIS is my favorite Heath Ledger movie. I know he did others, but it was the first time I saw him in a movie, and wanted to remember who "that handsome knight" was. After watching this movie, I even named an ice cream creation for my 7th grade Foods class after him (The Heath Chiller, complete with Heath candy bar crumbles). :)

And can I just say how much I agree with everything you said? This movie is so perfect. I watched it after my tweet this weekend, and was thinking the exact same thing about Rufus Sewell. I don't think I've ever seen him in a different role. I think he was MADE for these types of roles.

Katie

Dark Knight! I love that movie.

A Knight's Tale is made of awesome, though. The Chef and I used to find every opportunity possible to work "It's called a lance. HELLO." into conversation whenever possible. Good times.

Lorraine

I will watch this every time it's on. Every. time. Oh, I'm supposed to be at work in five minutes? Doesn't matter. I'll watch it. Oh, my mom fell down some stairs and is broken? Doesn't matter. I'm gonna watch A Knight's Tale. Momma will understand.

(None of the above things have actually happened.)

So, yeah, I'll say this one is my fave HL movie.

On Reliving my teen years (aka Kirsti rewatches Dawson's Creek. The comments on this were AMAZING. You should really go and read all of them):
Ruby

The last few episodes of Season 3 are the greatest teen TV ever. I still have a printed out transcript of Pacey's "by the side of the road" speech to Joey before he kisses her. I should be embarrassed but I just cannot be.

Oh and I hated Dawson too. He is foul.

Pretzel Thief

AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!

::gets a hold on self::

Um...

::teeters::

...bwahahahahahahahahah!!!

:P

Thank you. THAAANK YOUUU. This made my (boring-ass) Tuesday, dearie!

But let me get to a-commentin'! (I fear this comment might get out of hand fast, so I shall try to...not let this happen. Eeeek! :D)

Season 1 Joey (or "Old Joey" as she was affectionately termed by TWoP, i.e. Television Without Pity) used to be awesome. Snarky, abrasive, funny, calling Dawson (read: Fivehead) on his shit...and then they started dating and she lost her backbone...but then Old Joey resurfaced in glimpses in season 3...

We hardly knew ye, Awesome Joey!

Re. Jack and Andie, I guess they're...fraternal twins? ::shrug::

Pacey is TEH BEST. Always and forever times infinity.

(I mean, he bought Joey a WALL, for chrissakes! And knew about her mum's bracelet at the prom! And kissed her by the side of the road! And...everything!)

Dawson is a tremendouche.

That is all.

(I, too, wanted to punch him almost always -- there was a whooooole contingent! He was such an entitled and obnoxious prick, thought he owned Joey...ACK!)

Cannot believe Joey passed up a semester in Paris for Fivehead, ZOMG.

That GIF? Never gets old.

"Dawson's cry face is the greatest thing this show ever gave to the world."

::slow clap::
Word, Kirsti. WORD.

Description on TWoP of that particular moment:

"Joey turns, and as soon as she's looking the other way, Dawson's face crumples into the most hideously misguided man-crying scene since Luke Skywalker learned the truth about his father in The Empire Strikes Back: 'Noooooooo! That's not true! That's impossible!'"

Hahah!

"EVERYTHING IS PACEY AND JOEY AND NOTHING HURTS." Bahahahah...love it!

That singing mugger episode was hands-down one of the worst episodes of television EVER.

So, Jessica from Go Fug Yourself used to be a writer/recapper for TWoP; specifically, she covered seasons 5 and 6 of Dawson's (and she was as hilarious then as she is now).

Here's Jessica's blurb for the locked-in-a-Kmart "Castaways" eppie:

"Joey and Pacey are locked in a K-Mart. No Dawson. No Audrey. No boring tertiary characters yapping about their stupid lives. Katie Holmes and Josh Jackson look alive for the second episode in a row as their characters actually talk about the fact that, you know, they used to go out. Eventually, Pacey admits that he's been having schmoopy feelings for Joey. She kisses him a couple of times, but asks to think about the possibility of them getting back together for a bit before giving him a definitive answer. Bonus: Pacey loses the goatee! Praise the sweet Lord!"

Bwah!

Ooh, even better, here is Jessica's blurb for the season 6 opener, i.e. when Dawson and Joey sleep together:

"Dawson and Joey finally have sex. Across North America, hospitals report sharp increases of eye-related injuries, including bleeding from the eyes, bleach thrown into the eyes and eyes being gouged out by the patient. Authorities are mystified."

Hahahah!

Okay, I really, really, REALLY need to end this comment, like, yesterday.

::plonk::

Thank you again, o great one! ;-)

XOXO

(Quite possibly the longest and most spectacular comment I've ever received. Thank you, Pretzel. Thank you)
Emily Hornburg

I actually didn't watch the show when it was on the air. I started to watch it like one or two years after when TBS played re-runs. My older sister made fun of me a lot.

Dawson is dumb. Just... UGH. Douche. And yeah, FRANCE ALWAYS TRUMPS DAWSON JOEY COME ON NOW!

YAY TEAM PACEY!!!!!!!!

Just all of this - yes yes yes. I love it so much. I'm totally going to re-watch this show now. ... Once I'm done with The Doctor.

On my post about Puno and Peruvian homestays:
Deidre

Home stays freak me out for JUST THAT REASON. - When I was Germany I stayed with a German family that conveniently spoke English - but I did watch the Nanny in German a few times. As it turns out, the jokes didn't translate as much as I had hoped.

On Things I Like Thursday, Volume 6:
Kat

Whoa, that video.

The knicker things worn by the ladies make my crotch hurt and my belly button cry :-(

Lauren

I started watching Doctor Who from the "beginning" (whereas before I started with season 5... someone told me to...?) and I now understand your fascination with David Tennant. You should have talked me into watching it months ago.

(YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, another conversion!!! I'm like a door-to-door "Have you accepted the Lord?" type, only with Doctor Who...)

On The most wonderful time of the year (aka Kirsti watches Eurovision):
Nikki

JEDWARD LOOKED LIKE TWIN DAVID BOWIES SINGING JUSTIN BIEBER SONGS. I died. So hard.

On The most wonderful time of the year, part 3 (aka Kirsti watches the Eurovision finale)
Pretzel Thief

Serbia 3rd place, YAAAAY!

Hey, I have to take my victories where I can. ;-)

I really like Serbia's song, Zeljko has a great voice and the music was pretty and whatnot, but what irks me is that Zeljko has a tendency to end a lot of his songs, like, fortissimo to the max...I mean, enough already, dude. I think it'd be more effective if they changed the dynamic towards the end and made it quiet, ending with a tinkling piano and maybe a bit of violin.

HEY, BUT WHO ASKED ME.

:P

I went unspoiled yesterday ahead of Eurovision Night with Yogi's sister and hubs...but once Sweden started getting ahead in the votes it was clear they wouldn't be beat.

Cyprus was and still is my fave song and imma buy it, dammit! :D

Thank you for your snarkilicious coverage of the past three days, you rocketh! :-)

XOXO

On Movie Monday: The Fifth Element:
onoxfordtime

Honestly - every time I use the Oyster card in London I have to stop myself from actually saying 'Multi-pass!' (mool-tea-pass!) out loud...

Eisparklz

Random facts about Eileen - I've been wanting the tattoo on her wrist in henna brown since the movie came out. I still haven't done it, but if i ever did get a tattoo, that is the one.

Love the quirkiness of this movie - Aziz, light! used to be my favorite thing to say when it was too dark to see. Until lumos came along :)

On my post about Cusco, ancient Incan stuff, and the most annoying woman on earth:
Katie

Why must the baby animals and bundle o' guinea pigs be so cute? They're distracting me from the awesomeness of the Incan ruins.

And finally, on Things I Like Thursday, Volume 7:
Gina

OH MY GOSH WHY HAVEN'T I SEEN AT TRAILER YET?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I love you so hard for putting that in my life. I am so beyond ridiculously insanely stupidly excited.

I swear, these posts get longer and longer every month. STOP BEING SO FUNNY, Y'ALL!! (But also, please don't ever stop, because I love you all and it would make the baby Jesus cry if you did.)

Don't forget to head over to Jessica's and link up!

K xx

Things I Like Thursday, Volume 7

2012-05-31T21:36:00.002+10:00

Seen random stuff on the internet that you find hilarious or just want to share? Head over to Gina's to link up!

Between covering Eurovision over the weekend, and getting a shiny new phone to play with on Monday, I didn't get to do my usual aimlessly gallivanting about the internet in search of random nonsense stuff. So you'll only get a couple of offerings this week. But I'm okay with that!

First up, if you were/are a fan of Dawson's Creek and/or Joshua Jackson, you HAVE to go and check out my bloggy BFF Pretzel Thief's post on her massive fangirl crush on Josh. Because it. Is. HI-larious. (Also because she called Dawson "a tremendouche", and that is officially the best word of ever. Even better than my go-to ("douchecanoe"), which I stole from The Bloggess.)

ANYWAY. Check it out. Because of reasons.

And then we have this, which I saw yesterday and am still cuh-razy excited about. Is it December yet????? (If you don't love Les Mis, I *may* have to disown you. Sorry... Except that I'm not.)

Found something online this week that you desperately need to share? Head over to Gina's and link up! Equally excited about Les Mis? Let me know so we can fangirl about it together!!

K xx

Ancient History, Volume XIV

2012-05-30T08:35:00.001+10:00

In case you missed the last installment, it covered Puno and an awkward homestay on Lake Titicaca.

The morning after we returned from the homestay, we got up to discover that there was no hot water in the hotel because the hot water heater had burst. Shortly thereafter, the water was turned off full stop. At least we were still able to brush our teeth due to the need to use bottled water for such things!

So it wasn't a particularly enjoyable six and a half hour bus ride, particularly when there was only one stop (and therefore one toilet break!) on the entire drive. Upon arrival in Cusco, it was pretty much a sprint to the showers. Although not before Nessa and I discovered that, unlike the rest of our group, our room was a dungeon with some kind of medieval padlock on the door. It was impossible to get open in a hurry, and once you eventually got the lock undone, you had to go down about three stairs to actually get into the room:

That evening, we had our briefing for the Inca Trail, and met the four people who were joining our group. There were two couples, who were quite a bit older than the rest of the group: one couple were sweet and hilarious and in their 40s. The other couple? Were a millionty years old, and very VERY annoying. Okay, technically it was just HER that was annoying. She was loud, unfit, and got everyone's names wrong right up until the end of the tour. After about 10 minutes in her company, I mentioned quietly to various members of the group that she was going to annoy the living shit out of me. I was promptly told to not be so judgemental and to give her a chance.

Within 24 hours, almost every member of the group had come up to me to say that yes, I was right and she was the most annoying person on earth. Needless to say, I got ever so slightly I-told-you-so-y. We decided that we needed a safe word so that we knew to suddenly stop talking if they came up and we were bitching about them. After a day or so, the safe word became synonymous with their names, and we just called them Mr and Mrs Watermelon instead... (Not to their faces, obviously!)

The following day started with a trip to Saqsayhuaman. Our guide for the day promptly informed us that it's pronounced "sexy woman". It's super awesome and historic and HOW THE HELL DID THEY MOVE THESE ENORMOUS STONES?!?!?!

Yet another unflattering photo of me for scale

Minus me so you can appreciate the awesomeness

More of the site

It would be even more awesome if the people of Cusco hadn't used it as a quarry up until the mid-20th century... ANYWAY. You also get a pretty spectacular view of downtown Cusco from Saqsayhuaman:

By the time we'd finished there, my inner archaeologist was flailing with excitement (Lor: this is kind of like when Ana's inner goddess does a samba, only much more awkward and nerdy. And not over a creepy stalker weirdo). We then headed up to Tambomachay, which was some kind of Incan spa or shrine to the water gods. Or both. Jeez, archaeologists. Make up your minds...

From Tambomachay, we went out to the Sacred Valley, which is pretty spectacular:

...and then to a llama/alpaca/vicuña education centre. Which basically ended up being "OMFG Mrs Watermelon is making us all stabby. Thank God there are baby animals here that we get to feed":

It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!!

Eventually, we ~~were dragged away from the babies~~ left the education centre, and drove into Pisac where we were set free on the market and had empanadas for lunch. Om nom nom nom nom. Lunch was followed by a trip to a chicha brewery. We were given samples of chicha, which is completely and utterly vile, and - if I remember correctly - slightly chewy... Call me weird, but fermented beverages should not be chewy... There was also strawberry flavoured chicha, which was equally disgusting. The chicha brewery also had a room full of tasty snacks/adorable pets:

They're guinea pigs, in case you can't tell...

Our final stop of the day was Ollantaytambo, which was a royal Incan estate, and is super dooper awesome and amazeballs. Especially if you have an inner archaeologist:

Those are Incan storehouses about half way up the mountain. SUPER PRACTICAL!

After a couple of hours of me flailing around like an excited idiot and the rest of the group going "Hey, that's kind of old and nifty", we headed back into Cusco. Our tour leader issued us with our bags, sleeping mats and walking sticks for the Inca Trail (eek!!) and we spent a delightful evening packing by torchlight, because the hotel conveniently had a blackout. It was excellent preparation for the next four days. Or something...

Next up: The Inca Trail, on which Mrs Watermelon gets even more crazy and annoying, and on which I think I'm going to die.

K xx

Movie Monday: The Fifth Element

2012-05-28T23:24:00.000+10:00

Oh, hai. Are y'all relieved that Eurovision is over and that I'll now shut up about it for another 12 months?? (Extra apologies to those of you who follow me on Twitter, and who had to live through the #sbseurovision frenzy that I had going on.)

Anyway, Eurovision (I promise I'll stop talking about it soon!) actually inspired this week's movie choice. The contestant from Albania reminded me quite a lot of the Diva. And once I'd come to that conclusion, this movie was the obvious choice!

A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings

Blog comment carnival: May 2012

Things I Like Thursday, Volume 7

Ancient History, Volume XIV

Movie Monday: The Fifth Element

The most wonderful time of the year, part 3

The most wonderful time of the year, part 2

The most wonderful time of the year

Things I Like Thursday, Volume 6

Ancient History, Volume XIII

Reliving my teen years

Movie Monday: A Knight's Tale

Things I Like Thursday, Volume 5

Does this mean I'm cool now?

Ancient History, Volume XII

Movie Monday: Sherlock Holmes

Things I Like Thursday, Volume 4

Oh, hai

Movie Monday: Top Gun

Things I Like Thursday, Volume 3

Ancient History, Volume XI

Blog comment carnival: April 2012

Movie Monday: The Avengers

101 in 1001 #18

Things I Like Thursday, Volume 2

Ancient History, Volume X