Heaving over the Hump in Hump Day

So there will be some Cool Shit I Found Online here, but first I have to say something. 

#gpoy

Right now I'm trying to shove lunch in my face one-handed while answering a work email and approximately a billion personal emails, calling my hairdresser back to confirm my haircut for Saturday, and writing this post. You guys, my life has gone from zero to sixty in the best way possible. I started a new job as a project assistant at a local university, and I. Fucking. Love. It. It's the perfect job for someone who's anal retentive with a little bit of ADD-- my job is basically to come in, let my boss dump a to-do list on my head, and then put on Spotify and take care of business. Armed with FileMaker, Photoshop, and (I shit you not) an entire room full of office supplies, I am helping an entire department get ready for their big event of the year (a conference that happens the week before my birthday) and I am kicking ass at it. Not to toot my own horn-- well, actually, I heard my boss tell her supervisor that I'm "awesome, really really awesome" today, so I think horn-tooting is well within my rights. XD

Anyway, the upshot of this is that the past few weeks have been a major whirlwind, with insanely busy work weeks bracketed by weekends full of actually Doing Stuff-- going to visit my grandmother, going to Ikea to buy a wardrobe and dresser, putting the wardrobe together and realizing when it was 80% done that we had put the legs on wrong and had to back up to being 30% done and fix it, that kind of thing.

This is kind of a big deal for me, because (as some of you may know) in the spring I was let go from a job I adored for what amounted to political BS reasons, and it left me sort of at loose ends for a while, wondering what was next for me. And it's a huge relief to feel like I've found a niche, a job I am just as good at as I was at my old job, maybe even better. The pay isn't quite as good, but I work two miles from my house so I'm getting outside and getting exercise regularly, I'm no longer spending upwards of two hours a day in the car, and-- this is really the clincher-- I never have to go to a mall on a Saturday again unless it's to buy things.

Can you hear my sigh of relief? I kind of give one every time I remember that I can enjoy weekends again.

The downside of all this activity is that I haven't had as much time to surf the internet for treasures with which to delight you in between my reviews. Hopefully now that I'm past a big part of the training stage of the new job and am settling in to the actual doing the job part, that'll change. But for now, here! Have some links!

best fanart ever, amirite?

From the Mary Sue: Gina Torres loves everyone who thinks she should be Wonder Woman. Cus duh.

Also, thanks to the Mary Sue for gifting me (and now you as well) with this gem : OmNomNomify.com. Because who hasn't occasionally wanted to replace every picture on a website with a Cookie Monster gif? You're welcome.

Timely! I was talking to someone about the X-Files this week; she'd been scarred as an adolescent by the episode with the monster that lives inside portapotties, which led me to remember the idyllic post-college summer I spent unemployed and marathoning TV shows (including 5 seasons of the X-Files) in a state of questionable sobriety with my roommate. If you, too, believe that the truth is out there, then Flavorwire's ABCs of the X-Files will probably give you a grin.

Flavorwire also ran this really cool piece on why teen dramas are the most radical shows on TV. Don't be so fast to slam the Vampire Diaries and their fans-- they may not be picking up any Emmys (though there are plenty of people who'd tell you Ian Somerhalder's abs deserve one) but there's something to be said for not having to convince your audience that it's OK to portray gay and transfolk in a positive light, even to make them main characters. Also, love the throwback to My So Called Life. Claire Danes, 12 year old me wanted to be you in the worst way...

Speaking of role models, a few weeks ago I went to see Holly Black, whom you may know as being my personal goddess/hero, to hear her talk about The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. I still haven't read it, but it's on my list. Anyway, she got talking about vampire stories, and why we're still interested in them. She mentioned Bunnicula.

looks cute; actually
formatively terrifying.

I'd like to state for the record that that book scared the holy bleeding fuck out of me as a child. Looking back, I think what did me in was the realization-- which, why that was the first time this had occurred to me is anyone's guess-- that stuff can go on in my house after everyone's asleep. Logically speaking, I knew that after I went to bed, my parents were still up-- they were grownups, and not having a bed time was a big part of what, in my mind, made you a grownup. But the stuff going on that they were unaware of, that happened after they had gone to sleep-- that was stuff I knew I really should be scared of.

I've also been thinking a lot about Halloween. I am determined to actually complete one of my epic costume ideas this year (I'm going as the Winter Soldier-- where I'm going dressed as him is a mystery, but by god I'm making that damn costume) and also determined to actually show my face at the door since I live in an actual neighborhood now. The Bloggess, lovely lady that she is, was talking about bringing in books to her daughter's classroom on her birthday instead of cupcakes, and I thought, OMG, how sweet would it be to give a friggin' copy of Bunnicula to kids who come trick or treating instead of candy? I mean, it would quickly sort out the nerds from the chaff as far as neighborhood kids go, but really, I believe in tricking as much as treating when it comes to Halloween. Scare the pants off those brats, that'll keep 'em well behaved. Or convinced they can never sleep again.

Anyway, Amazon has copies of Bunnicula for (literally) a penny each. Once I get my Halloween plans in line, that's happening. Who wants to bring their offspring trick or treating in my neighborhood? I promise the pug who lives next door whose barks sound like he's saying RED RUM isn't actually a demon in disguise. Probably.

Also, Holly Black is a fantastic oral storyteller. She told us the fairy tale of the white cat (the variant version listed at that link, which was half of the inspiration for the Curseworkers series) and it was easily the highlight of the evening. She's got a really great speaking voice and pace, and is hysterically funny. Also, she's dyed her hair a stunning shade of navy, making me seriously consider going back to dying bits of my hair. Holly, you are the absolute bomb. And if any of you delightful people have a chance to go see her speak, do it.

Next up is my review of Crux by Ramez Naam, then I talk about The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch. Spoiler alert: there's probably going to be more than one post about that. When you wait five years for a book, you have a lot to say about it. :D

See you soon,
Emily