Work tonight. Another three more night shifts.

No Torchwood review from me today because I've decided to wait until tomorrow so I can watch both Day 4 and Day 5. If you've seen Day 4, you know why ;). I just don't want to think too much about that cliffhanger, so I'll watch the eps once I'm sure of the outcome (yeah, I'm totally the type of person who skips to the end of the book ;)).

Anyway, linkage time!

. While I know Australian media - like most media - is full of crap and I rarely believe them, I still have to laugh at two recent news stories. First off, we have Channel Nine morning news with this headline: Jeff Goldblum dies in New Zealand - which led to a spoof on The Colbert Report (video included in link). Then we have an Aussie tabloid announcing Kristen Stewart is pregnant with Robert Pattinson's baby. OMG, Twilight fandom freakout. They could have at least waited until they were filming Breaking Dawn :p.

. Torchwood Children of Earth theme. EEE, love Torchwood music.

. OMG, tinyconfession. Legend of the Seeker themed tiny comics.

. Spock/Uhura in bed art. Mm, totally pretty. I bet that art is based off the Usagi/Mamoru manga image.

Okay, Day 3 - let's go!

( Torchwood Day 3 spoilers )

Holy shit. I could not resist watching Torchwood early. I AM WEAK.

( Spoilers for Day Two )

Australia’s UK-TV/BBC channel is showing Torchwood: Children of Earth! Colour me surprised!

Oh, man, I’ve missed Torchwood. I’ve missed Gwen, missed Jack, and it seems I’ve also really missed Jack/Ianto (hell, when did I start liking that pairing so much? I mean, sure, I was behind them all the way, but I never wanted them to have a couple moment all the time ;).)

( Spoilers for Day One )

EDIT: Curious about the ratings for the ep in the UK? Source: The ratings show that Day One achieved 5.9 million viewers being beaten only by the three main soaps, Eastenders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street. Day One was the 5th most watched programme of the day and the second highest on BBC One. The audience share for Torchwood: Children of Earth – Day One was 25.9%.

Just a quick fly-by note, guys.

Finished off three nights at the nursing home yesterday, which in itself can honestly be quite painful (but yeah, I know I've talked about this ;)). Now I have a cold thanks to the staff member on the second night sniffling and breathing everywhere (yes, what's with all this breathing going on?!). GAH. Feel like death warmed up.

Dyed my hair red late last week, but if I took pictures, you probably couldn't see the change (it's a need-to-be-in-the-sunlight type of shade).

My new animated Teyla mood theme says it all.

What happened to my Dakota 2009 picspams? Um, eeek, naughty Amsie.

For newbies to my flist, Dakota is the mini fox terrier I bought in January. Of course she's not so miniature anymore (one would swear there is a little Whippet in her) and we've nicknamed her Daredevil Dakota (in the same fashion as my cat, Pissy Pussy aka Whiskey).

Things I have found in my bed: bones, bones, and more bones, a half-chewed ANZAC biscuit, bouncy balls and more bouncy balls, Mr Lion, Mr Coyote, Mr Koala, and leaves and parts of trees.

((Previous Picspams))

( Third Dakota picspam )

Sorry for the delay with this file, vonniej!

Okay, guys, remember when I told you all about the Warlands trilogy? (summary and stuff here)

Here is a zip file I uploaded with the three .pdfs.

As I said, this is a romantic fantasy series so expect a little cliche, but it is a surprisingly likeable romance novel.

Enjoy! :)

. Michael Jackson is dead. Wow. I absolutely love his music. It stands the test of time. Give a teenager the "Thriller" album and they'll still think it's cool. As for his real life, I don't know whether or not he was really a paedophile, but he had a seriously fucked up childhood.

Awesome rock star, awesome dancer. Name your favourite Michael songs, guys! Off the top of my head my top two are "Beat It" and "Smooth Criminal." Great music videos, too.

. And Farrah Fawcett. I find it so brave of her to document her decline. I don't think I could have people see those moments. Too intimate.

. I've also been reading a ton about the situation in Iran. What can I say about the young women at the front of the crowds? They are amazing.

. Reposting a link from moodymuse19's journal: How To Woo And Meet A Nerdy Girl. I can particularly relate to #2 (David Tennant, EEEE), #4 (video games FTW), #6 (yes, yes, yes), and #7. I love this reply: If someone pesters me with the inane question "Why aren't you seeing anyone?" I always reply, "I haven't met anyone that interesting."

That's why I'm not dating. I need to write that on a piece of paper for my family whenever they mention finding a significant other.

. Eeep, I submitted a risky entry for lantis_lims this week. I'm thinking maybe I should have held it back and skipped the challenge.

. Another thousand dollars later and a different repairer, my car is fixed and driving perfectly! YAY! Um, now I just have to not spend any money for the next billion years. Okay, strike that, I'm already planning to violate that this weekend given I'm going to see Transformers 2 (no one is talking about this movie on my flist! that *might* be a bad sign).

So I was looking through the communities I'm currently in and I came across the Crest of Handmaidens lj. Then I looked at one of the posts and found the link to our old forum.

OMG, I've been reading all the old threads for around three hours now. Old JC drama and Crest House Cup stuff, mostly. I still maintain Valdis (the Phoenix house!), Tizrah (HIPPIES UNITE!), Zylona ('tis the Pervy Bunny) and Octavia (um, what was Octavia known for again?) are the best house cup names ever.

To people who have no idea what this post means: when I was in the Star Wars fandom oh so long ago (*grins*), a few friends and I put together this group called the Crest of Handmaidens - named after Padme Amidala's handmaidens in the prequel movies. Suffice to say, the group grew to around 40-ish people and we actually had a really active message board (man, I can't believe that board was so active).

I met so, so many great people through that group. I still keep in contact with a handful of them. I think of the others and hope life is treating them the best because they were such awesome souls.

Just updated my header and fixed parts of my layout over at my icon journal. You like?

serenehorizon // serenehorizon // serenehorizon

I'm planning on a "footsteps of the past" type icon post with Number Six icons (since that's why I begun iconmaking in the first place). So, if you'd like a Six icon, please comment here with a cap :). Right now I'm working on caps from the miniseries, but I'll take caps from any season :).

Oh, icon edit! I wasn't happy7 with the icon I made a few months ago with this cap, so here's another try. Snaggable etc.

The loan and the car didn't work out, but that's okay.

I've taken my Fairlane to a RACQ approved mechanic to get a second opinion. This is my third mechanic in the year and a bit I've been here in Toowoomba. Why are mechanics so slimy and willing to rip you off? I'm sure some of them don't do it purposely by replacing what appears to be wrong on the surface but not diagnosing the actual problem (this is my issue right now).

Amsie's Book Update:
EEE, the library just got their hands on "Engines of God" by Jack McDevitt for me. He's totally my favourite author given his science fiction mystery work. Does anyone else read his books? (Summary: Many years ago humans made a discovery in the far reaches of the solar system - a huge statue of an alien creature, with a description that defied all efforts of translation. But except for a set of footprints on Jupiter's moon, there is no trace of the race that has left it behind.)

I recently finished "Brain Plague" by Joan Slonczewski, which I found absolutely fascinating. (Summary: To enhance her art and protect herself from the deadly microbial brain plague affecting her world, Chrysoberyl agrees to act as host for a colony of beneficial microbes"only to find that the tiny creatures inhabiting her body have their own agenda. Set in the same universe as A Door into Ocean and The Children Star, Slonczewski!s latest novel examines the creative process through the mind of a woman caught up in the temptation to play God to her inner voices. The author blends a quirky humor with deep insights into the human mind in a mesmerizing story that belongs in most sf collections.) I think I'll try to pick up her other books :).

I'm also onto the third and final book of The Chronicles of the Warlands trilogy by Elizabeth Vaughan. The library had the first book, but I had to go searching on the net for the other two so I have .pdf files if you're interested in reading the trilogy :). It's actually a pretty decent book for what it is: a romance and fantasy novel. (Summary for first book in series entitled Warprize: Even though she is the daughter of a king, Xylara refuses to wait idly for a marriage that will benefit the Land of Xy and so becomes an accomplished healer, a useful skill when her country is drawn into war with the Firelanders. Even though her half brother, the present king, does not want her treating the enemy, Xylara feels she must--both for the honor of Xy and for simple humanity. When her brother suddenly surrenders to the Firelander Warlord, Xylara is stripped of all her possessions and sent to the conqueror as a slave referred to as "Warprize." As Xylara learns to live with the masterful Warlord, she begins to understand the very different social structure and beliefs of those she has seen as uncivilized. Vaughan's brawny barbarian romance re-creates the delicious feeling of adventure and the thrill of exploring mysterious cultures created by Robert E. Howard in his Conan books and makes for a satisfying escapist read with its enjoyable romance between a plucky, near-naked heroine and a truly heroic hero.)

In the next few days (well, moreover the weekdays of next week), I'll probably be distant (I'll be doing lantis_lims and skimming my flist, but that's about it). I found my ideal car on Thursday and have since been trying to get finance. I saw a perfectly kept 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee (in gold) down in Nerang - the last owner kept the interior A+. When I got in I was like "omg, electric seats!" and it beeped at me for a while because I left the door open with the key in the ignition while I inspected it.

I'm not going to show pictures until the finance actually comes through and I have my grubby paws on the car.

Getting finance is awful. I haven't been trying to make a lot of money in the past six months because I've been too focused on my weight loss and getting over my broken ankle etc, so that doesn't reflect too well. My parents will go down as guarantors, but they recently sold their house, paid off their debts, and invested what was left in second hand boats (my step-father has this fishing dream), a bus (my parents have this dream of driving around Australia, which I think I've mentioned), and two 4WDs themselves (my mum bought her Range Rover cheap from a private seller and now she's having serious problems with it).

Anyway, suffice to say, I'm stressed. My current car is really giving up the ghost and I've got to renew the rego tomorrow (gah, I don't get why QLD Transport won't transfer the rego!) because obviously it'll take at least a week to find some sort of finance.

So, yeah, grumpy me again.

Three months earlier and $800 dollars later, then a fortnight earlier and $800 dollars later, my car still needs work - apparently an expensive part needs replacing, too. *sigh* My car is a '95 Ford Fairlane and it just keeps doing something under the hood.

I feel like I'm throwing money I do not have into a bottomless pit.

Which is why I'm looking at used four wheel drives. Only three cars have caught my interest so far - Ssangyong Rexton, Jeep Cherokee, and Ford Territory. I've found a few deals on the net, which means travelling into Brisbane for the day.

The downside of this is that I'll a) have to ask my bank for a student loan and b) lose my dual unleaded/LPG tanks. Of course I can convert the car later on, but you know.

Excuse my grumpiness.

Oh, wow, guys, thank you.

Thank you to ohfreckle for the sweet bear on my profile page, mrs_sweetpeach for the LotS birthday graphic, and calculare for the paid account time (oh, you didn't have to but THANK YOU :D).

Thanks also to the people who responded in my last post with birthday wishes and to those who have left me notes on their ljs (I've only been able to skim my flist so far, so expect replies to those notes!) :).

Thanks so much.

Btw, the vanilla slice was absolutely yummy and the fish was fresh :D. Thanks for thinking of me, guys :).

It's my birthday tomorrow, guys! (well, tomorrow in my timezone) June 12th 2009 is my not-so-big 22 years. I'm planning on breaking my diet and having fish and chips with a vanilla slice for lunch!

Birthdays used to be bigger for me when I was younger because that was the only time I got stuff I needed/desired. Since I have my own money now, I can buy whenever. Not receiving presents is actually more of a relief now given my family never really knew what to buy for me (well, unless you're my mother and spot something green - my favourite colour ever).

So yes, I'm looking forward to my lunch treat tomorrow! OMG, sugar!

(As an aside, this means I've known obaona (Oba) and uscathena (Jayen) for around seven years! Wow.)

I just watched the latest ep of Ghost Whisperer on Aussie TV. I'm now streaming the next few eps because I can't wait for next week! I feel weird given I was always pro-Medium and anti-Ghost Whisperer because I saw it as too much of a rip-off. I've fallen so behind with Medium (at least a season, maybe two?).

Mmm, I love Rock 'N Roll by Eric Hutchinson. Makes me want to dance every time!

Okay, guys, I've done more work on my Star Trek LIMS idea.

Here is the header and layout I have planned (it's currently over at my prep journal). I'm really liking my header at the moment :D. Thoughts?

Also, I'd love to hear ideas about the various themed weeks you'd like to see. Given that there's just so much Star Trek (and I have my favourites, so I'm terribly, terribly biased!), I'd like to "poll" you, flist ;). For the first few weeks I'm thinking: Star Trek 2009 intro caps, TOS intro caps, TNG intro caps, DS9 intro caps, VOY intro caps, and ENT intro caps.

Hmm, example themes - Bajoran week?, Trill week?, medical officer week?

Is anyone in for helping me collect caps? *fingers crossed*

Btw, please head over to lantis_lims and vote. Thanks :).

Question: do you think people would be interested in a Star Trek LIMS? (all incarnations) At least I have a name picked out - finalfrontier_lims.

C'mon, scifi show ideas, guys! I'll try to think of another idea to encourage you all ;).

Some of these icons are from various competitions. All are snaggable. Comments are nice :).

Playing with colours (or, as I like to call them, "KAHLANZ CAN BE EPIC TOO"):




( More LotS, SGA, BSG icons I haven't shown )

Okay, question time, guys! I think you'll all come up with really interesting answers :D.

If you had the power to create a new science fiction TV show (on whichever channel you want - SciFi, Fox, etc), what would your show be about? Write a brief synopsis!

Here's my answer:

Taglines: The search for life out there continues // Do not look below (accompanied with a picture of the gas giant and the space station above) // Ion has returned

Exploratory vessel Ion left Earth space dock on February 11th, 2110. It has been found again in sector 8411 on March 22nd, 2116. Empty. The onboard AI registers the date as 2120.

The nearest human installation is Vega Six, a small science station circling a large gas giant in a system of twin stars. Vega Six is now the focal point of the Ion investigation. Far on the frontier of human space, the new Earth-born commander struggles with the vocal majority of colony-born staff who have little loyalty to the ties of old Earth.

But what they don't know will drastically alter their new mission: the location of Vega Six is no mere coincidence.

They are being observed.

It sounds like a cross between Deep Space Nine, a little bit of Stargate Atlantis, E.T., and time travel movie, probably. What would I call it? Hmm, Vega 6?

Would you guys watch it? ;)

Links:
- talkofcake's ideas