Dusk

Okay, so I probably shouldn't have stayed up this late writing pr0n, but I've already hit the overall word count goal for today (13333), though I still have about 800 to go for the individual daily goal. Man, writing ahead of schedule really kind of goofs things up.

Actually, the individual daily 1667 is more of a personal goal, since I hate seeing red boxes on the calendar widget or red bars on the graph. What really matters is the overall count, which I'm very happy to be PWNING. At this point last year (4 am on the 8th, that is), I hadn't even hit 10k yet. And that was writing a story whose plot I knew intricately. Maybe there's something to this whole, "just write anything" philosophy, eh?

Also in looking back at last year's entries, I see that I had a little flipout when I hit 10k and realized that I hadn't expected to make it that far. lol newb. I'll probably do it again, though, once I'm past the 30k where I stopped last year. Dang that sounds like a lot. But dude, look, I'm almost halfway there!



Also, on the eastern front: Sacramento is now trailing Finland by a full thousand average words per writer. Pitsburgh is only behind us by 400. My personal word count is _still_ above even Finland's average. *is smug*

Come on, Sactown, I can't carry you slackers by myself!

I'm going to run a killing round over the summer holidays, because I want something to do.

Its going to be a flags round, so each contestant starts with one flag, and as they kill off the competition they collect their flags.  But if you die you lose all the flags that you have collected so far.  If you are ever killed you will respan the day after, flagless but able to start hunting for more flags.  The round will finish at the start of first semester next year, with the winner being the person with the most flags at this point in time.

The round will be starting on Sunday 22nd November, and running until Sunday 21st February.




If you wish to enter please leave a comment here



You don't have to be in christchurch for the whole time, just for some of it.

Saya photos from earlier this year. Not sure where they are in my lj but I can't find them in an archive search. Possibly because the fabric wasn't ironed and it was dark so no photos came out well ;)


Flatlined with the interlining and pinned to my DTD. Hard to show how it really looks but this is just an idea for the placement of the main trimming.


This is the main trimming. I would really love another 10m of it but it looks like it may not happen. It's 2cm wide and real metal if anyone happens across it ;)


Trimming with the added ribbon to make it fill out the space a bit more. It works. Well it will once it has a little bath to antique the tone up a bit.


My fabric. Much as I would adore this in green with the lures side out I think the white is just that little bit more austere.

Just updating my tags for the next big project, the Saya y Ropa :)

Bleach #161-164: ( spoilers )

going to work tomorrow.  All I have been doing is watching tv and sleeping.  went to a picnic today at Cornwall Park which was really lovely.

Finished watching season 1 of Castle.  Oh how I am loving Nathan Fillion in this role of Richard Castle.  Trying to catch up on Season 2 now.  Also watched the Supernatural Live episode.   hahahahahahahahhaahhahaaaaaa is all I can say..and SERIOUSLY?!!?!

Oh have decided on a costume that is going to cause some flak.  But I do not care!!!  Also going to work on Bumble Bee and Michelle Obama for next years Mel'geddon.

( Now with video! )

So, that was the end of the local season, but if you don't want to wait until next year there is the Auckland vs Wellington Inter-league match on the 5th of December. Watch their website.

The Dances of Vice Festival in New York returns on November 20-22, 2009 in a three-day nautical themed flight of fancy that will be held in several stunning historical locations and feature performances by New York bellydance troupe Bastet, as well as a number of anachronistic and chimerical amusements, including a presentation on 18th-19th Century European fencing styles, 18th Century ballroom dancing, sea shanties, live Baroque harpsichord and classical music, historical costume inspired fashion shows, and more.

Those interested in sailing away with us this month can find more information about the Dances of Vice Grand Shipwreck Ball at www.dancesofvice.com.

( Read more... )

As many of you know, I do asexuality awareness videos on YouTube (channel swankivy). Not too long ago I posted a video in association with a person who contacted me wanting to spread the word about an online petition designed to get people to support the addition of "asexual" and "pansexual" to the "sexual orientation" options for social networking sites. Increase of legitimacy, yo.

The other day some jerk posted this comment on my petition video:

"there's no such thing as asexuality. asexuality is just an excuse to give someone, who has become too afraid to admit their sexual attraction, confidence. it's so much easier to answer 'i'm asexual,' than to be judged for a sexual attraction to something socially abnormal."

My response was this:

"Wow, good job! Did you come up with this yourself, or did you take troll lessons? That's so special! ^__^ "

I think there was a time when I would have taken great care to explain to this person what an ignorant statement that was and try to set him/her straight on the issues. But this smelled so stupid to me--was so blatantly reeking with DELIBERATE INSENSITIVITY and SELF-INFLICTED TUNNEL VISION--that I just plain could not believe someone would say it for real. After all, I go out of my way to make the information available, and I explain in this video (as well as several others) what asexuality is. It was appalling to me that someone really could watch it and come up with "What? There isn't a such thing. You're probably just afraid to admit you're attracted to little boys, dogs, or members of your own sex."

I think I've reached a point in my awareness attempts where I'm resigned that some people don't WANT to understand, and that I can't make them. You know what they say . . . you can lead a horse to water. . . .

This isn't to say I feel defeated or despondent about it. Far from it. I think it's pretty special that I've played the part I have . . . that I have over 300 subscribers on my channel who apparently want to regularly hear some girl talk about NOT sex on the Internet . . . that I got to be one of the voices on an asexuality-related feature-length documentary on the movement . . . that I get thank-yous and supportive comments every single day. But I think I've just discovered there is a point after which I'm wasting my breath and keystrokes. Some of these people WANT to watch me melt down and get frustrated at their lack of understanding. Some of them just get pleasure out of trying to make me feel I am making no difference at all.

I think their worst punishment is having to be themselves.

Just a reminder and an addition to the schedule - There will be a screening of 'The Crow' from about 7:30 while the final setting-up happens, for anyone who would like to turn up & help out :)

[x-posted all over the place]

From: marsden.marsden@gmail.com
Event: Gothic Vampire Mega Birthday Party of Doom
Starting: 2009-11-13, the Evening of Friday the 13th of November 2009
Ending: 2009-11-14, the Pre-dawn of Saturday the 14th of November 2009
Location: Christchurch, Gladson Ave
Contacts: Robert, Marsden, Chris ph 942 1585
Notes:

1. It's Friday the 13th!
2. It's about that time of year again!
3. It's the end of exams!
4. We haven't had a party here in ages!

What more do you need?

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and Bastet is participating with their latest show Read My Hips.

Come see stories told through movement and music. Let's get together for a night of good food, good company, and (of course) lots of dancing. And if you're participating in NaNoWriMo this year, come meet and commiserate with other writers.

$10 cover ($5 off if you pre-register by email before November 10th), $10 food/ drink minimum. This is a Belly Dance For Change event, and all door procedes go to NaNoWriMo's Young Writer's Program.



( I see you shimmy in anticipation )
We hope to see you there!

http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?lot_id=159540801
ENGLISH SCHOOL
16TH CENTURY
PORTRAIT OF A LADY

http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?lot_id=159530325
GERMAN OR ENGLISH, AFTER 1527
ST. CHRISTOPHER AND THE CHRIST CHILD AND ST. MARGARET

http://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/galeria-on-line/galeria-on-line/obra/la-dama-del-abanico/
Squee! For those with multiple ear peircings ;) She has two in her left ear :) Love the zoom Museo del prado, it's wonderful :) Also nice clear evidence of hair wrapping and that these headdresses are not puffy cauls! Elizabeth de Valois is an interesting case though. There are more distinct shapes and it does appear to be a net of pearls of multiple layers.
I've already mentioned the gown is actually satin so we don't need to go there again. Ever. ;) I do though wonder if I have enough small pearls to embroider my own gown properly though. And if it would drive me too batty. And indeed if I would do the wide chevron velvet ribbon (which is hinted on her memorial statue). Black on black details. Gotta love 'em ;)

http://www.skiptoncastle.co.uk/hist.asp?page=3
This would be my embroidered jacket should I ever be mad enough to start one ;)
Anne Clifford. Love the leaves.

I have literally been dreaming about my white Saya y Ropa y Jubon for a few nights now so as soon as I am fit to get everything sorted I want to start sewing the braiding to that so I can get it finished before Midwinter Coronation. I have Plans (tm) to get pearls on there as well but I know that would just be a leeetle overkill. Super fantastically awesome though. Hmmm....


Now I need to decide if I want to be correct and lop off the train I have on the skirt. I could then use the fabric for other purposes such as tabs and such for the Jubon ;)

So reminder of the style:
http://www.kleio.org/de/geschichte/stammtafeln/medici/4937.html
2nd and last 2 images (Italian though)
http://www.kleio.org/de/geschichte/stammtafeln/habsburger/abb400aa0.html
3rd, 4th and 5th from bottom
http://www.kleio.org/de/geschichte/stammtafeln/habsburger/abb100bbb.html
Top most



And ooooh, not the same but golly so pretty:
http://www.kleio.org/de/geschichte/stammtafeln/habsburger/4817.html
All of them, but especially the middle.

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Hit 10,740 before dinner tonight. Woot! Well ahead of schedule. So am taking the rest of the evening off to actually spend some time with my husband.*



*Though if he goes to bed before midnight I might sneak in another few hundred, we'll see.

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Wait, we had Lexa Doig as a hunter in the future in one Supernatural episode and Steve Bacic as ( spoiler ) in this week's? Maybe I'll get to see Gordon on Supernatural after all.

So, another week has swept past without much to show for it, I'm not sure where the hell the days go, since I'm hardly doing much at the moment.  They just disappear.   I'm now running out of time to finish the main part of my costume for the vampire party (I started the dratted thing a month ago to avoid exactly this *sigh*) Which seems to sum up my life at the moment pretty well.  How do "normal" people manage to do everything? I can't wrap my head around it.  The concept of doing things like dishes every day, and vacuuming twice a week and all that mundane stuff that people just DO.  It's like I'm missing that gene or something.

Not sure where I'm going with this ramble :)  I guess I'm just feeling a bit directionless at the moment. Not very sure about uni next year, not sure what the point of it is even if I cope with it, since it's not going to lead to anything I can do as a career. Don't even know what I would want to do for a "career" anymore (not sure I ever have really).  But there's nothing else for me to try.  To borrow the lego theme from XKCD and Bunny comic (:p), I feel like I've been building a tower all my life, and there are all sorts of extensions, sticking out in every direction but leading nowhere, and now I've run out of blocks to go higher...  Heh, it worked in my head anyway.

I guess the point here is that I need to find more blocks somewhere. 

In other news, I need your opinions.  I've got the urge to dye my hair somehow, am wondering if I should just go blonde, since that would be pretty extreme for me.  But I'm not sure if it makes me look like a crazy person rather than, y'know, just unusual hair.  Here's a photo of me last time I was blonde (this was the middle step before I dyed it bright red that time, it took 2 packs of bleach to get it that shade, otherwise it just goes gold-ish yellow/ginger like this)  Thoughts?   Suggestions?  Should I maybe go for purple or bright red again instead?  Can only really afford supermarket dyes, so the awesome manic panic type colours are out unfortunately.

Hello. I'm honestly think this is my first post. I'm a 25-year-old virgin whose never really actively sought out a boyfriend, nor do I feel like I really need one. I guess it helps that I'm sort of an big introvert and have really low testosterone. Not to be tmi, but all of my female friends masterbate and the like, and find it weird that I don't really care about my body in that way. I'm much more interested in finding someone that's sort of a friend but with snuggling benefits? I know that sounds cheesy, but that's the closest I can describe it. I wouldn't mind being monogamous with another individual, boy or girl, as long as I can get close to them, and we have a lot in common. I mean in the way of always knowing I can come home to someone, and that they won't dedicate their attention to another. Nothing of it really has to do with sex, of course. It's an emotional bond. I'm sure this would be the definition of a soul mate.

Granted I'm not saying I could never have sex, it's just on the list of priorites and importance of relationships, it's at the bottom of my list, easily. I'm much more stimulated in the way of mental and emotional connection. I'm an artist, so when I really get into it, there's my masterbation and eventual climax towards the piece's completion lol. Any other asexual artists else feel this way?

Recently I admit, I've been going through an identity crises the past two years or so, and letting other people influence me. I thought it was just me 'growing up' but it was more of a sort of supression.. Amist that I felt like I needed a boyfriend, and needed to be more social in order to create normalcy for myself, because I wasn't feeling much of anything else, and hell, everyone else was doing it. My art was suffering during this time, too.

I eventually got accepted into a private art institute, and I actually had problems producing genuine art, even if it's for the classroom, I still get a lot out of it, and want it to express who I am. I found myself stumbling in the place that I've always wanted to be. Gradually though, like someone recovering from any other trauma, I'm regaining myself, and my art. There was a point where I was actually trying to 'sexualize' myself, and it only left me feeling empty. I wouldn't take back the experience, because I learned from it, but it's been a difficult time of confusion. Recently I know that I'm getting back on track, because a friend I meant recently said "Are you asexual? You don't seem like a very sexual creature". And somehow that put my mind at ease. I always want to leave my options open, but I think I could only do something with another person if I was genuinely in love.

Anyone have similar stories of confusion, or openness?

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