rusty-halo.com

RSS feed for Tumblr tag?

rusty-halo — Fri, 18 May 2012 03:56:37 +0000

Anyone know how to get a RSS feed for a tumblr tag? Not associated with a particular user, just anything with that tag.

Usually with tumblr you append /rss, but it’s not working here.

Not that I’m trying to subscribe to http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/thorloki or anything…

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: avengers, my friends know everything

Avengers reaction post

rusty-halo — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:12:37 +0000

( spoilers for The Avengers, mostly squee )

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: avengers

SPN 7×20

rusty-halo — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:43:13 +0000

( spoilers )

Permalink | 2 comments | Leave a comment | Tags: supernatural

Sleep No More Remixed, AKA Best April Fool’s Thing EVER

rusty-halo — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:15:20 +0000

Yesterday was the most fun I’ve had all year, and by far the greatest April Fool’s anything of my life.

I’ve rambled about Sleep No More before, but in case you don’t recall, it’s:

* A mashup of Hitchcock and Macbeth
* Set to music, and mostly without speech
* Told via modern dance
* Takes place over 100 rooms of a 6-story warehouse
* Interactive with the audience (you’re free to explore the sets and props, and if you’re lucky you’ll get pulled into scenes with the actors, or even into subplots that only you are aware of)
* Choose your own adventure (you can follow actors as they go on separate paths, so it’s impossible to see the whole thing)
* Unbelievably sexy
* And dark and violent

I knew they were doing an April Fool’s Day show and assumed they’d change things up somehow, but had no idea how. SO.

First, usually when you enter, you go through a creepy maze, almost entirely in the dark, feeling your way by touch, to the sound of ~eeeerie~ music from Hitchcock films. But this time… I entered the the not-so-eerie Indiana Jones theme music. Which transitioned to the Superman theme, and then the Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back.

So I walked in already cracking up. The eerie maze is not quite so eerie to the sound of the Indiana Jones score. ;)

( cut for length and spoilers )

Permalink | 1 comment | Leave a comment | Tags: sleep no more

Family as Dean’s driving character motivation

rusty-halo — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:42:28 +0000

Really wonderful Dean meta from amonitrate.

This ties right into why the Dean & Sam story isn’t doing it for me anymore–

( my own bit of Dean meta )

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: meta, supernatural

Supernatural 7×17

rusty-halo — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:03:02 +0000

( Supernatural 7×17: The Bad )

( Supernatural 7×17: The Good )

Permalink | 5 comments | Leave a comment | Tags: supernatural

rusty-halo — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:28:28 +0000

Stop SOPA explanation and links to email your senator.

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: politics

Frustration with Supernatural and with Dean’s Arc Especially

rusty-halo — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:34:14 +0000

I’m feeling very disillusioned with Supernatural. I’m in fandom for the squee, and this show is not making me happy anymore, so I think I have to move on. I’m so sad, because my interest is still there and I really want to keep loving it, but it’s just giving me nothing.

I’m primarily unhappy because:

( spoilers up to SPN 7×12 )

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: supernatural

Sleep No More Linkspam

rusty-halo — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:02:12 +0000

So, I am totally geeking out over Sleep No More. Last time I went was my fourth–I got kisses from both the Boy Witch and Bald Witch, and the Boy Witch gave me a locket. :) I am eagerly attending the $250 New Years Eve show and afterparty (anyone want to go with? I feel really awkward going to the party part alone, though their Halloween party was the best party I’ve ever been to, so I’m going on New Years anyway).

I can’t find the fandom, though. :( I know its out there because I keep hearing about obsessive people going over and over (*ahem*), but the closest thing I’ve found is this thread at broadwayworld.com, which has a lot of good info but doesn’t get updated that often. Surely there must be a site out there pointing fans to all the trivia and interesting stories and whatnot?

So, I can’t find it, but here are the nifty things that my Google-fu has turned up:

* A BBC piece with footage from the show and interviews with directors and actors.

* Great interview where the creator walks the interviewer through the sets.

* Best photos of the set that I’ve seen, along with a great (fictional) story of the building’s past as a hotel.

* From the NY Times, the show’s co-directors narrate details about six (of the hundred) rooms.

* Great interview with the theater company’s artistic director, plus details about why it’s a must-see experience.

* Neil Patrick Harris had a cameo in the show around Thanksgiving–watch him raving about the show and his experience in it.

* Interesting interview with the producers with lots of behind-the-scenes stories about the space and how they ended up there.

* Audio interview with the directors in which the interviewer seems peculiarly, politely passive-aggressive.

(One of the interesting things I heard a few times in the interviews is that, even though the show is largely wordless, the dance is very specifically inspired by the dialogue in “Macbeth.” I was so discombobulated the first time I went that I didn’t really pick this up–I was too busy trying to figure out what was going on and who the characters were. But last time, I knew what characters I was seeing and how the scene corresponded to “Macbeth,” so I definitely did pick up a lot more nuances of the dance scenes and was far more riveted by them. I was thinking that the details of what’s being expressed in the dance often correspond directly to “Macbeth” dialogue, and am not at all surprised to hear it confirmed.)

* The amazing prophecy/orgy/rave scene that everyone freaks out about is set to a mix of the following songs:

H Muet (Jokers Of The Scene Remix) by The Brash

Reece by Ed Rush & Optical

(This seems to be a fan-made attempt to emulate the way the two are mashed up in the show, though it doesn’t really sound right to me.)

* There’s also a YouTube playlist of music from the show (put together by a fan).

* Here’s a discussion where people are figuring out the music.

* Last but not least, I actually put myself through an entire episode of Gossip Girl called “The Big Sleep No More” that took place largely on the set of Sleep No More. Though Gossip Girl is… not to my tastes, it does give some nifty glimpses of the actors and sets, though it doesn’t capture anything of how intense and dark the show actually is.

* Some kind of game (?) on their official website. I can’t figure out how this is supposed to work. I think it’s related to something outdated?

* I’ve also heard interesting things about what this show is “like”; it’s the closest thing you’ll ever come in real life to:

* time travel
* being in a video game
* being in a choose-your-own-adventure story
* being in a movie
* being in a dream

Permalink | 2 comments | Leave a comment | Tags: sleep no more

Why does SPN S7 feel like it’s going through the motions?

rusty-halo — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 03:32:43 +0000

Had a great Thanksgiving with my friend Cat. She stayed over for a few days and we went to Candle 79 for Thanksgiving, where we enjoyed a delicious meal and she ran into David Duchovny in line for the bathroom. I had Thanksgiving with Mulder! In an all-vegan restaurant! :) Of course she was a consummate New Yorker and didn’t let on that she had any idea who he was, though we are both X-Files fans from way back and spent the rest of the meal squeeing over it.

( Why does SPN S7 feel like it’s going through the motions and lacking the dynamism and resonance of previous seasons? spoilers for 7×10 )

Permalink | 4 comments | Leave a comment | Tags: supernatural, x-files

Due South intro episode for newbie?

rusty-halo — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:35:56 +0000

I am hanging out with my friend Cat and she is up for trying Due South (having never seen it before).

I think the premiere is kind of long/slow and doesn’t capture the heights of absurdist humor the show later reached, so I’m thinking of starting her with a different episode. Unfortunately I haven’t seen it recently and have no idea which ep to start with.

Any recs would be greatly appreciated. :)

Permalink | 2 comments | Leave a comment | Tags: due south

Police Brutality

rusty-halo — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:19:06 +0000

I was aware the US police regularly and violently arrest peaceful protesters for fallacious reasons, but I did not realize the extent to which the US police force is being used to brutally intimidate and suppress the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Caught on Camera: 10 Shockingly Violent Police Assaults on Occupy Protesters

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: politics

Cat Photos

rusty-halo — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 03:07:33 +0000

( Lucifer turning red, as mentioned in my previous post )

Permalink | 2 comments | Leave a comment | Tags: cats

Lucifer the red cat

rusty-halo — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 01:44:39 +0000

Lucifer had a follow up vet visit today (to test his kidneys again 3 months after the not-great results came in.)

We saw a different veterinarian than before and, as usual, the vet marveled at how calm and friendly Lucifer is.

The funny part was that he also seemed awed and fascinated by Lucifer’s fur. Lucie is black and white, and as he gets older, the black is turning red. His mom was a black cat and the same thing happened to her when she got older.

This vet said he’s seen thousands of cats and he’s never seen a red cat before. He was really marveling about it, like, “Where did he come from???”

So apparently Lucifer is some kind of genetic freak red cat from the wilds of suburban New Jersey… ;)

Permalink | 2 comments | Leave a comment | Tags: cats

Random life update, and a few thoughts on the OTW

rusty-halo — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 03:21:02 +0000

Anyone going to Dragoncon this year? 10zlaine and I got a Marriott room and memberships, so I guess we’re going. ;) I’m looking forward to it; it’s hard to get bored at a con where there’s so much content and even when none of the programming interests you, just sitting in the lobby people-watching provides hours of entertainment.

Work has been ridiculous. Like staying in the office until 10:30pm and working from home until 1am and coming in at 8:30 the next morning ridiculous. It’s so stressful I don’t even have time to process how stressful it is, because it’s always on to the next thing, and any free time I get, I just want to sleep. I slept until 1:30pm today. I should be exercising or cleaning, but, ugh, I can’t work up the energy to get off the couch, because I know tomorrow morning the mad rush is going to start up again.

I got assigned to be the manager of a big project about a month and a half ago, which I guess is a good thing because it’s a lot more interesting than the little afterthought projects I was working on before, and I’m actually working with people who are really smart and competent, and it’s a topic that I’m interested in. It’s just, OMG, so much, and going so fast. I can’t even think about vacation because this project is going nonstop until at least next March. Ugh.

Anyway, I ended up spending much of today reading posts about the OTW election. It all makes me sad, because as far as I can tell, there aren’t actually any villains, just a lot of people trying to do good work who don’t necessarily have the skills to accomplish their goals successfully, which unfortunately often ends up hurting other people.

(The post I found most compelling was this one, because it expresses a lot of the same concerns I have that the fannish golden age we’re living in now isn’t likely to last forever.)

Also, having spent the past year learning to be a project manager, I have to say: no matter how smart and well-intentioned you are, being a good manager is really hard. And it’s a hell of a lot easier with a good mentor than when you are trying to figure it out on your own. Maybe the OTW should either recruit experienced volunteers or hire consultants to teach project management skills to people in key roles within the org?

Anyway, I think the ideas behind the OTW are wonderful, and I hope that these are growing pains that they’ll be able to work through and emerge from in a better state.

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: dragoncon, otw, work

Becky is not all fangirls

rusty-halo — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 19:31:18 +0000

( spoilers for last night’s SPN )

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: fandom, supernatural

Linkspam

rusty-halo — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:38:31 +0000

I don’t know WTF to do about Delicious–keep posting there even though it sucks now? Go to pinboard even though it costs money and I don’t have time to learn a new interface and does it even have Android and Chrome plugins? Wait for a fan-made alternative?

In the meantime, I keep thinking I need to post here more often, so here’s a post of stuff I would previously have bookmarked to Delicious:

Did everyone see luminosity’s new vid about the awesome of Dean? I will show this to people to explain why I love him. :) :) Plus it’s Luminosity so goes without saying that the vid is technically brilliant.

Excellent meta from Tumblr about how SPN others queer characters. Thank you hoeg for the link.

SPN and economic instability, interesting essay by amonitrate

Awww, this vid about how much Sam and Dean love each other. (Just ignore the abjectly awful song. ;P)

Really good SPN fanart, lots of hurt!Dean, some disturbing by smallworld_inc

fajrdrako is writing wonderfully detailed annotations on “The Game of Kings,” the first Lymond book.

I have been listening to Nick Cave almost non-stop (mixed in with PJ Harvey) for about 6 months, but haven’t felt much need to seek out videos. Of the few I’ve seen, this one for Tupelo is my favorite so far.

Also there is Henry Lee with Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, where PJ Harvey is so riveting I barely notice Nick Cave is there…

And while randomly clicking around, this awesome clip of Hole doing “Pretty on the Inside”. *sigh* There is a part of me that will always adore Courtney Love.

I also have a whole pile of fic I could rec, but no time to put it together in an organized fashion. Stupid Delicious. >:(

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: courtney love, linkspam, lymond, music, nick cave, pj harvey, supernatural

Pearl Jam Twenty

rusty-halo — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 01:51:02 +0000

Just got all teary watching Pearl Jam Twenty, Cameron Crowe’s documentary about Pearl Jam. Twenty because they’ve been a band for twenty years, a fact I can’t actually wrap my head around even if I understand it intellectually.

I’ve noticed this thing where I grow apart from people, and time goes by and I age, but in my head I expect them to be exactly the way they were when I last saw them. Of course it doesn’t work that way. It’s shocking when we meet up again, to discover that the distance between us is not just my distance, but theirs too.

I miss the time when I could be so profoundly moved by art. I spend so much of my time in fandom, but for me the thing I’m fannish about is ultimately entertainment. It’s something I enjoy very much, and the human connections I form with other fans can be profound, but the fannish work itself is distant in a way. It exists for my pleasure, and I can leave it behind if it stops pleasing me.

Music is something else. I can’t ever leave it behind.

There was a time when music defined me. It’s imprinted into my foundation of self. This film captures so much of that era… I can’t believe it was twenty years ago.

The film is very well made; the juxtaposition of “Alive” from their second show ever and “Alive” today is inspired, as is the focus on the concert experience, the way that the band and the audience become one creative organism together.

It was good to see so many familiar faces. Andy Wood, Chris Cornell, Kurt Cobain, that little glimpse of Layne, Jerry, Sean, and Mike… and of course the Pearl Jam guys. I used to have Cameron Crowe’s entire 1993 Rolling Stone interview taped to my bedroom wall. My entire room was wallpapered in clippings about these bands. I wanted to be Chris Cornell when I grew up.

It was unusual for a musical movement. They cared so much about integrity and ethics. They were so emotionally honest, so revealing and raw; in retrospect, so naive, so young. It was so easy to relate, to believe my struggles were similar, and to love them so much.

I discovered this music after moving around and changing schools five times in five years. I was ugly, too tall, too smart, geeky and weird in every possible way. I had no friends and no mentors. I was so lonely and music was the only thing that filled that gaping empty hole inside, that made life worth living. I looked up to those guys so much; they were my older siblings, my cool uncles. My initial foray into feminism was because of Eddie Vedder and gay rights because of Kurt Cobain. I wore band t-shirts and ripped jeans for two years. I remember wishing that Eddie Vedder was my father.

It makes me miss Danielle. She was the first real friend I ever had, and music was one of the primary ways we connected. Twenty years. So weird seeing how much the Pearl Jam guys have changed, and I’ve changed, and knowing she’s changed. Things that once meant so much, now so far apart.

Permalink | Leave a comment | Tags: friends, music, pearl jam