I have a new crush. I have a new crush that is so epic in its epic-ness that I'm not sure "crush" is even the right word.

His name is Henry Mallet, he's an 80s British punk rocker who loves gourmet cheese and the word "fuck," and also, he's a ghost who's haunting a former hotel in Sydney, Australia. The only ones who can see him are a dentist named Suzy (Henry's dead, but he's still better at living than she is), a cat, and a pony called King Leopold.

I hope I don't sound too much like some sort of fandom hipster when I tell you that one of the best shows I've ever seen is a show that nobody else I know has seen. :D But my mission now is of course to make you all see it. ALL OF YOU. If you're a member of any of the comms that share these sorts of things, have a look for Spirited. You can also watch the episodes in parts on Youtube. I'm embedding all of the parts of episode 1 below so you can get a taste of the greatness.

I know you've all probably got a million people giving you TV and film recs every day, but I hope you will trust in my taste and the fact that this show has single-handedly reignited the fannish flame I thought I'd lost forever. The ficcing possibilities are endless. (And because I know you're slash fans, you should know that the supporting characters include three gay men, one of them a cross-dresser, who all live together in a three-way relationship that pretty much everybody treats as perfectly normal.)

Please give Spirited a chance. If like me you become an addict, you can find the rest of the episodes also on Youtube (or if you want/need downloads, comment and I'll do my best to direct you or make it happen). There's a comm at spirited_w and there just isn't enough fiction yet. The show's already been renewed for a second season (and two more episodes than the first season had!) so you won't even have your heart broken right after falling in love! The music's awesome, the acting's awesome, the cat's fucking awesome, and it's just the best of everything, really.

So here is episode 1, "The Man Who Fell to Earth," and I hope you enjoy the hell out of it.

I have important questions for you today. Think of this as a poll, but with more rambling commentary than usual.

Okay, seriously, have any of you been watching the Australian series SPIRITED? Because it's one of the most enjoyable things I've seen lately, and I'm pretty sure that there are a number of you (coughmalnpudlcough) who would have a good time falling in love with Henry Mallet. I sure have. So, SPIRITED is about a dentist named Suzy, and Suzy is the only person who can see Henry, who happens to be the ghost of a dead punk rocker from the 80s. With a summary like that this show could've been deeply dreadful, but it's actually incredible. Well, here, watch this and be convinced:



OMG the awesome, it burns, it burns!

In other news, I've been getting into the holiday spirit. For me this primarily means watching the due South episode "Gift of the Wheelman." I love that episode. The titular wheelman is an awesome guest star, the music fucking rules, and there are about a million of those hilarious little 27th moments. I heart you, show. So here's the poll part: aside from the usual Grinch and whatever else gets aired every single year, what episodes/shows put you in a holiday frame of mind? Is there a certain episode of something that you watch every year without fail as part of your festivities?

That is all. I just wanted to babble at you today. Hello! Helllllloooooo there!

Hello friends! I don't have much to say today. You may be interested to know that I am utterly failing at NaNo again, and also my dog has taken to peeing in the house. I HATE YOU TRUDEAU DON'T YOU LOOK AT ME. I think it's because he has new roommates in the form of two golden retrievers. On the up side, he has not eaten their faces off.

In other news, I just happened across this movie trailer today: The Eagle. Now, I don't know who was possessed by madness and thought, "I know! Channing Tatum!" but just from watching the trailer, friends, I can tell that you are going to enjoy this movie. I'm going to enjoy it because it has Romans and horses and Romans on horses and generally speaking that's all I need in life. But you're going to love it because it looks like the most slash-tastic slashiness that ever did slash. I mean, seriously, it's hot master/slave love/hate Roman-on-Gaul(?) action. With some guys random who look like maybe Africans? I'm so confused. But I don't care.

Romans. Horses. Like I said.

Speaking of films: Cowboys & Aliens: Best idea ever, or best ever idea? Discuss.

In other other news, I'm doing another send-me-your-photos drive to drum up a bit of pet portrait business. Anybody want a pet portrait? I'm trying to go crazy with watercolor and inks and stuff. Experimentation ftw! If I didn't get to your photo last time and you'd still like it to be artified, please send it again. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease. I'mma make arts.

In other other other news, there is no other news. It is really cold here. I expect that soon we will be buried in snow. We who are about to learn to snowshoe salute you.

I know. I never call, I never write. I make my mother worry. But I'm alive, honestly! And things are going well, so I don't really have anything to complain about, which probably shocks you. SHOCKS YOU. I am becoming a new me who doesn't whine so much. And no longer eats cheese. I wonder if there's a correlation.

I have only two important things to tell you. First, that for NaNo I am once again working on my novel. It has Mounties and horses and a half-wolf who is deaf (but not dumb) and possibly some sexy times. Please pressure me to finish it, because the number of NaNos that have gone by with me failing to finish my first one is just depressing.

Secondly, it's starting to snow here in the mountains, and I have realized that I own no winter boots. My last pair, which weren't warm enough anyway, I completely destroyed with one winter of hard work in Montana. I'm willing to spend the money for decent quality boots (up to maybe around $100, I am not yet rich), but I don't know what to buy. I figure waterproof and insulated are a must, but I'd love something lightweight and minimalist that I can actually be athletic in. I'm planning to do some snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, working with horses, hopefully dogsledding, and undoubtedly a lot of shoveling.

But what do I buy? My usual "the cheapest thing they have at Payless that will probably not cause me to lose my toes" isn't going to cut it at 7,000 feet in the snow. Do I need ankle boots with gaiters? Boots that go up to my knees? Mukluks? Pac boots? Should I plan on getting something with a certain "comfortable to X degrees" rating? I FAIL AT USEFUL THINGS. Snow-dwellers, please advise me.

In others news, if you care what I'm up to and haven't been reading my other blog, just a reminder that it's there. You can also pick up the LJ feed at redroanpony. I've been posting a lot of pictures lately. It's good times.

Hello Internet friends! It's so nice to be here on the Internet again, even though I'm doing it from a coffee shop. Did you know how long it takes to download TV episodes over coffee shop Internet? A long time, is the answer.

ANYWAY, I need your help, oh wise friends on the Internet. Before I moved, malnpudl was helping me learn to play her guitar. (It's because I'm terribly inspired by Glen Hansard. I can't help it.) I wasn't very good at it. Then I moved and didn't have a guitar at all, but I mentioned it to my coworker and he was all, "Oh, you can borrow my spare!" So now I have a borrowed guitar (yaaaay!) and no idea what I'm doing (boooo!). Can any of you recommend tutorials or books or videos or... anything? I have absolutely no knowledge of music, music theory, how to read music, how to read tabs, or anything else related to what I'm attempting to do. It's just, I really want to be able to play. Mal got me started on some chords but I can't play any songs. Actually, I can't switch between chords without it sounding like rubbish. I'm just a little... lost.

One of the cool things about my new job is that out on the ranch, we have a mostly-weekly barbeque followed by a campfire. We all sit around and people who can play play and people who can sing sing and I sing along kind of quietly because I'm not good at it, but I'd really like to learn how to play one of the simpler Swell Season/Frames songs, like What Happens When the Heart Just Stops, so I can play something at campfire. It'd be awesome. And terrifying. And awesome.

Speaking of my singing voice, a few years ago when I posted my wtf-life-manifesto, a story about a girl named mitch, I mentioned being displeased with the timbre of my voice... my feeling is that I speak in a range much lower than what ought to be my natural range. (My voice wears out very quickly when I speak, and the more knowledgeable I'm trying to sound, the deeper my voice gets.) I've wanted for a long time to do some sort of voice coaching to find out what I could sound like, but feel that's kind of a stupid idea because couldn't I just try speaking at a different pitch and fix it myself? But I can't. I've tried. Do you have any idea how hard it is to change your own speaking voice? Hard, is the answer. So I'm wondering whether anybody has any advice on that subject? DVDs? CDs? Books? Anything? In-person voice coaching might eventually be possible, if I can find somebody in the area who does it, but I'm not sure I'd be able to afford it. Any advice?

Dear friends of the Internet,

My new home is adorable. ADORABLE. And affordable. And extremely close to my new job. (I can commute on foot! Woohoo!) And it has gorgeous hardwood floors... which both the owner of said home and I are a bit worried that Trudeau The Giant Dog-Thing will destroy. I've looked into various solutions, including a) area rugs galore, b) Soft Claws, and c) little doggie booties. (Or, more accurately, huge doggie booties.) I thought I'd check with you to see if any of you genius people had any input on this subject. I know that keeping the nails trimmed short helps, but does not eliminate the problem. The area rugs don't seem like a good idea because then I'd still get scratches where there are no rugs. The soft claws look cool but I imagine the frequent runs we'll be taking on trails and roads will considerably shorten their lifespan. (It was suggested that I use the soft claws indoors and protect them with booties when we're out on the road, but that just seems a bit excessive.) Booties are the most doable because he'd only have to wear them when he's indoors, but I don't know if I'd be able to keep them on him.

I expect that some of you are experienced with this. Any words of wisdom?

In other news, today's trailer repairs are going to cost me a good $400, but at least I didn't end up having to do anything with the truck beyond an oil change. Also, my trailer is going to have a new plug that apparently looks space-aged, and the brakes and lights are actually going to both work! At the same time! It's like a miracle, only it costs money! On Friday Juno and I will be visiting the vet to get her health certificate, and in the meantime I have begun whittling away at my belongings again. Does anyone need a unicycle?

Being as you're all connected to the internetosphere information machine or whatever, you've probably already heard about this. But in case you haven't... you should know that at last night's Lakers game, Dustin Hoffman and Jason Bateman sucked face. On the jumbotron. I officially love them both. What's really interesting about the coverage of same is which sites are showing all of the photos -- including the ones with the actual face-sucking -- and which ones are showing just one of the photos of the two of them making eyes at each other. Kind of sad that in this day and age, when most movie sex scenes that we consider pretty pedestrian are practically soft porn, people still can't handle seeing a photo of two guys kissing.

I can handle it though. Seriously. You can send all those photos to me.

Of course, we as a nation are currently having problems with other things, like our black president (who is apparently a "raghead", did you hear?), and now Arizona is having trouble with the idea that there are non-white-colored children in their schools. No, seriously. Read that article and then go cry in your Wheaties, because that's about the level we're at.

In other news, the reddit hivemind has decided to love Keanu Reeves. And you know what? It's contagious. Apparently he's the most awesome guy in Hollywood. Apparently this is just an average day for him, and he's like... the best dude of all time. I choose to believe it because he's Keanu fucking Reeves, man. But I will not be joining in on the "dress up like Keanu" day. That's just over the top, reddit.

Today, my day has been yo-yoing. Things are going well, and then it all goes south, and then it's looking up again, and then I want to throw myself off a building... it just isn't right. I can't handle this kind of stress, people.

So I IMed abbylee and demanded that she cheer me up, and she sent me youtube links of adorable people being ridiculous, and magically, it worked. And then I went and found some more, and lo, my mood is lifted. So I thought I'd share the joy, just in case anyone else out there is having a day like mine.

Ewan McGregor and Craig Ferguson being adorable together

Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel sing the confrontation song from Les Mis. It's kind of epic.

James McAvoy and Craig Ferguson being adorable together

Neil Patrick Harris on Ellen.

Eddie Izzard and Craig Ferguson kick it up to 11. (And here's part 2.)

Neil Patrick Harris talks about prank-calling Mekhi Phifer.

I'm sure you've all seen this by now, but in case you haven't, Craig Ferguson recently did an episode which was rather irregular for late-night TV: just a single episode with a single guest and the two of them having an actual conversation. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

In other news, I have been watching American Idol and while I won't bore you with all the Idol chatter you're probably subjected to by everyone you know, I do feel it's important to mention that I love Lee DeWyze. If you also love Lee DeWyze, you should check out The Beautiful People, All Right, Predicament, and whatever else you unearth on youtube. THE END.

I have a question about books. Actually, I have multiple questions, and they relate not to my usual questions about what books are awesome but rather they are about writing books.

I'm working on a non-fiction book project which is largely interview- and experienced-based... essentially profiles of living people and the work they're doing. I believe the technical term would be "creative nonfiction." I know my subject very well and I've started connecting with the people I'll be interviewing and whatnot, but I have a lot of questions about the nuts and bolts of it: legal releases that may be required, how much I should tell people about my project, best practices in interviewing and whatnot. (The legal part is of particular interest, because some of the programs I'm looking at are youth projects, and I need to make sure everything is covered.) I figured a lot of you with your backgrounds in academia and AWESOME might be able to answer questions, or point me to some good books on the subject? Maybe?

Via one of my RSS feeds: a masters student is doing a thesis on time spent alone; knowing all the introverted types on my flist, I thought you guys might like to help a student out by taking her survey.