Stargazer

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@%@$@$%@$% The gorram basement flooded AGAIN. Ida can kiss my rear end and say thank you, Ma'am.

Work was not too good. I got pretty upset with The Boss twice, and it's really bad. My temper has just been on the loose.

E-mailed Chris and told him what was going on, and got an answer, that was nice. Also heard from Frank C, and from Malik3000 again.

Stopped at Five Guys for dinner just to be different, then went to my meeting.

Meeting topic was discovering ourselves. I'm growing and changing from this, and finding older things about myself that I'd forgotten.

Called Mom, she had another treatment today, she's still feeling OK. Called Oldest brother, nothing new.

The Kid called, and we talked for a long time about Final Fantasy X. She's doing a vid, I'll post a link to it here when she finishes it and posts it.

Dr. K called and left a messege. Guess I'll have to call her back tomorrow.

Very tired now, and going to bed. Looking forward to seeing Steve B tomorrow.

Gratitude List:

1. The Kid is doing well.

2. Friends.

3. Don't have to work tomorrow.

4. The cats.

5. My meeting and the people there.

6. Growth.

first and foremost, just want to welcome justallyson to LJ. yay. (seriously. enthusiasm goes here.) i look forward to getting back in touch with you; for good this time :)

now, down to business.

( get ready to spriggle ^_^ )

voodoo magic
DC's premier industrial fetish circus
DJs Panic Hardware, Cosmo, Dirty B
White Shadow Live
Tons of vendors
giveaways and more

Friday the 13th of November 2009
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voodoo magic
DC's premier industrial fetish circus
DJs Panic Hardware, Cosmo, Dirty B
White Shadow Live
Tons of vendors
giveaways and more

Friday the 13th of November 2009
( Read more... )

Foxfire (Trickster's Game #3) (2009)
Written by: Barbara Campbell
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Pages: 628 (Mass Market Paperback)

The premise: taken from the author's website, because I'm evil like that: On the bleak northern moors, Darak and his family begin a new life, free from the prejudices of their tribe and the looming threat of the Zherosi. But their past continues to haunt them, and choices made years ago threaten their future as surely as the armies that raze their forests.

As rebellion spreads and the tribes fight for survival, a new force enters the game--Rigat, the youngest son of Darak and Griane. Gifted with magic far greater than Keirith’s, Rigat is the only one who might be able to save his people. Aided by the Trickster, he embarks on a dangerous game of deception that will determine the future of the children of the Oak and Holly--and the fate of the gods they worship.

My Rating

Give It Away: which is a hard rating for me to give. Because I sort of know the author, and I really, really, REALLY like the author. And I'll be honest: I couldn't have written something like this, so I applaud that she was able to write an epic fantasy trilogy with such detail and description and well-realized characters. It's her "first" effort, and as a writer, it's not a stretch at all to say that Campbell's got potential, and I'm really, really, REALLY looking forward to her future books. I want to see what else she's capable of, and based on what I've read so far, I think she's capable of a lot.

That said, the trilogy's final installment didn't satisfy me the way I'd hoped, but I think that's in part due to my own personal bias when it comes to reading fiction. And an important note: Heartwood, the first book, is essentially a stand-alone. You can read the second book, Bloodstone, without reading Heartwood (though you'll miss important character-building stuff), but you cannot, absolutely CANNOT, read the third and final installment, Foxfire, without having read at least Bloodstone.

Should you give the trilogy a shot? Heartwood remains my favorite of the trilogy. I love Campbell's focus on tribal people, as that's not something I've seen often in epic fantasy unless it's to vilify them. And the latter conflict between the tribal people and the Mediterranean-like peoples is also compelling--again, it's something I haven't personally seen all that often in fantasy, so I was happy for something different. And again, Campbell does a great job with setting and world-building. It's just that the trilogy didn't resolve on the emotional note that I wished, and I'm happy to acknowledge that may be more my fault than the author's. If you're interested, I'd say you should start with Heartwood, especially since it can be read as a stand-alone.

Review style: if I'd reviewed this book sooner (sorry folks, I've been distracted), you would've gotten far more in-depth. Instead, you're gonna get something stream-of-conscious that has the POTENTIAL of going in-depth, but may or may not get there. Spoilers? Yes, because it's the end of the trilogy and I want to talk about how that makes me feel. :) So if spoilers don't bother you, feel free to click below to my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Barbara Campbell's FOXFIRE

Happy Reading! :)

ALSO!!! November's Book Club Selection is Alaya Dawn Johnson's Racing the Dark (YA Fantasy). Interested? Details are here.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

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"I Love you" to humanpacifier

Tycoon Dynasty Entertainment announced the release of "So Faded," the debut single from rapper Face Black Rose. "So Faded" is the first track to be released from his upcoming EP "The Year Of The Rose".

"Face Black Rose is different from other artists and albums of the same genre," noted manager Tracy B. of Tycoon Dynasty Entertainment. "Like many rappers, he writes his own lyrics based on his own personal life experiences, as well as the struggles of friends and family members. But that's where the comparison ends. His sound is quite unique; it's a merging of blues and techno with rap."

A native New Yorker, Face Black Rose has an opinion about his music as well, "When my mother died, I had a lot of anger in me, and it scared me to a point where I knew I had to channel it in some way. Music helped me do that. That's why I feel people can relate to me - because just like all the greats - Sam Cook, Matilda Jackson, Biggie, 2Pac, Jay Z, and 50 cents - I put my heart on the line with my music. There is passion in every note I sing and every verse I rap."

Although his debut single is just being released, Face Black Rose is not new to the music scene. Performing for the last two years, he has worked with music industry veterans Ja Rule, News, Producer Boodah Monk, and Havoc from the Infamous Mobb Deep.

"So Faded" is now available for purchase. The 10 track EP, "The Year of the Rose" is expected to debut around Spring of 2010 on the independent label Tycoon Dynasty Records.

http://www.FaceBlackRose.com

http://www.myspace.com/faceblackrose

http://www.twitter.com/faceblackrose

For more information, please contact:

Tycoon Dynasty Entertainment

(888) 831-8313

faceblackrose@gmail.com

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Sikivu Huthcinson has a blog Blackfemlens


Her, she takes on Ayaan Hersi Ali in Feminism’s Freedom Fighter? On Feminism, Atheism and Ayaan Hirsi Ali

In mainstream media, public conversation about the intersection between atheism and what I will loosely term third world feminism is as rare as Halley’s Comet. In the corporate media universe the groundbreaking work of feminists of African descent like bell hooks, Angela Davis and Patricia Hill Collins remains largely unknown, relegated to academe. Feminism, when invoked at all in mainstream media, is framed as the province of white women, a vestige of a less “enlightened” phase of American civil society.

The phenomenon of world renowned atheist feminist author Ayaan Hirsi Ali, however, would seem to defy this pattern. In a recent Los Angeles Times interview entitled “Feminism’s Freedom Fighter,” the Somalian-born Ali proclaimed women’s rights the human rights issue of the 21st century. An outspoken critic of Islam, Ali is a controversial and uncompromising figure with a compelling personal story of triumph over adversity. A victim of clitoral mutilation in her youth, she has dedicated her life to challenging institutional sexism and patriarchy in Muslim societies. Her activism against gender-based terrorism and repression of Muslim women has been influential in the West, generating international accolades as well as death threats from Muslim extremists. Rising to prominence in the post 9/11 anti-Muslim hysteria of the Bush era, Ali has elicited controversy for her perceived Muslim-bashing, garnering a plum position at the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and morphing into a champion of Israel.

Much of Ali’s feminist ideology is based on the contrast between the violent repression of women under Islam and the liberal humanist traditions that supposedly shape women’s rights in the West. In her writings and public discourse she is fond of making sweeping pronouncements deriding the cultures of Muslim societies, valorizing the West in ways that downplay its cultural hierarchies. In a 2007 interview with Reason Magazine she waxed, “Western civilization is a celebration of life…everybody’s life, even the life of your enemy.” Of course, in many Muslim societies feminism is still a dangerously radical concept. For many Muslim feminists, the very notion of women’s personal freedom is a space of epic struggle. Yet Ali’s totalizing assessments set up a false dichotomy between the West and Muslim societies. By portraying feminism as a battle that the West has already won, she absolves bourgeois democracies like the United States of their schizoid relationship to women rights and human rights, a relationship in which rape and domestic violence are part of the national “democratic” currency. And by ignoring the historical context of the “third world within the first world,” she ignores the very real socioeconomic differences that exist between American women of color and white women.MORE

You Are a Donkey

You have a reputation for being stubborn, but that's okay. Your stubbornness has served you well in life.
You know what you can and can't do, and you resent anyone trying to push you. You like make changes on your own schedule.

You are a very conscientious creature. You are willing to take responsibility for yourself and for the people you care about.
Because you have a lot of burdens, you have to be extremely careful and cautious. This explains your "look before you leap" mentality!

Again, here is a list of bands I am (video) interviewing people from in the next month or two. If you have any good questions then post them here and I'll see what I can do.

Dio/Whitesnake guitarist Doug
Sonata Arctica
Die Apokalyptischen Reiter
Korpiklaani
Nile
(and maybe Sylosis, if it comes down to it)

Thanks,
Barry

Metal Injection is right... This is a total Sploogfest

One of the side links lead me here... To the psychedelic madness that is... A Horse Named Baroness


Enjoy

The heavily armed monkeys guarding the servers currently report no site-wide problems.

Stephen Michael Apatow's latest track, "If You Loved Me," is an uplifting song that testifies to this artist's passion for humanitarianism and the grassroots fight against poverty. "If You Loved Me" features a driving beat behind ambient synthesized tones and rich chords. The piece builds to a thumping, danceable groove under the heartfelt lyrics. If this tune does one thing, it shows how passionate Apatow is for his music and, more importantly, for his cause.

Listen to "If You Loved Me" on Airplay Direct: http://airplaydirect.com/music/stephenmichaelapatow/

Get this player from Fairtilizer!

http://www.humanitarian.net