Fastidious & Precise

Yay!

2009-12-03T06:06:58Z

It's that time of year again! :D

And So This Is Christmas: Tunes To Sparkle The Dark Up [2009 Edition] is my personal ultimate Christmas compilation. Some of these songs have been a part of my Christmas soundtrack since I was a young'un, some of them are more recent favorites - but they all mean Christmas to me. :)

Changes: I added one more song this year, Kate Bush's beautiful "Home For Christmas" - otherwise, it's not any different from last year's edition. :)

And So This Is Christmas [2009 Edition] (m4a)

Here or here!

1 Jingle Bells (Bing Crosby)
2 Happy Xmas [War Is Over] (John Lennon)
3 Wonderful Christmas Time (Paul McCartney & Wings)
4 Christmas Angels (Clannad)
5 December Will Be Magic Again [Bongo Version] (Kate Bush)
6 I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek (The Go-Gos)
7 Oíche Chiún [Silent Night] (Enya)
8 All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey)
9 Santa Baby (Kylie Minogue)
10 Silent Night [Ghost of Oxford Street Version] (Sinéad O'Connor)
11 Christmas Day (Dido)
12 Carol of the Bells (Moya Brennan)
13 Jingle Bells / Jingle Bell Rock (The Muppets)
14 Last Christmas (Wham)
15 Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Boney M)
16 I Wonder As I Wander (Jewel)
17 I'll Be Home For Christmas (Dannii Minogue)
18 Thank God It's Christmas (Queen)
19 Christmas Don't Be Late (Alvin & The Chipmunks)
20 Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24 (Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
21 Sleigh Ride (Spice Girls)
22 Christmas Time Is Here Again (Ringo Starr)
23 Merry Xmas Everybody (Girls Aloud)
24 Home For Christmas (Kate Bush)
25 Wonderful Dreams (Holidays Are Coming) [Radio Version] (Melanie Thornton)
26 The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)
27 White Christmas (Bing Crosby)

BONUS TRACKS ("Bonus" because they aren't hugely essential tracks to me, but they're pretty darn spiffy anyway!)
28 Christmas Time Is Here [Vocal Version] (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
29 Happy Christmas [War Is Over] (Sarah Brightman)
30 December Will Be Magic Again [Single Version] (Kate Bush)
31 A Dream In The Night (Clannad)
32 Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth (Bing Crosby & David Bowie)
33 My Only Wish [This Year] (Britney Spears)

Happy listening! :D

I'm thankful for stuff!

2009-12-03T05:55:43Z

Whoops, I almost forgot to do my annual Thanksgiving list of things I'm most thankful for! Better late than never, I guess. :) The 5 serious things are always the same, but I think that's a good thing - it's great when the big things in your life go well.

The 5 serious things I'm thankful for...

1. Family and friends!!
2. My and my family's decent health. We've all had some problems this year, and I'm thankful that we're all still in one piece at the moment!
3. This semester was a good one! Learned a lot and enjoyed it, too. :) I also declared my major, so I'm feeling great.
4. Happiness continues to be an option.
5. The little things in life!

The 5 not so serious things I'm thankful for...

6. 2009 was a fantastic year for music!
7. More good things in music form - it's Christmas music time!
8. Tumblr.
9. LiveJournal.
10. Oh heck - the internet. :D

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Photos that are relevant to my interests

2009-11-01T09:34:17Z

Just what the title says - pics I've found on the intarwebs that I've liked lately. :)

Pics of the hot dude variety

JIZZ IN MY PANTS. i mean come on now

As I noted on fuckyeahpetercook: fffffuu watermarks

Oh, George.

BARRATT IN A SUIT

Someone made a gif of my favorite Tom Baker moment ever. I love that person, whoever they are. <3

Macros and such as

Pics of the musical variety

Kate Bush is not only brilliant, but also gorgeous.

Kylie Minogue. Perfection. (No, not the Dannii song, but like, the actual word. ;) )

Dannii Minogue. OK, I only included this because the hair makes me lol.

Siobhan Donaghy. Fierce and fabulous.

Lady GaGa. "Bad Romance" is heaven.

Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine. I love this pic; it sort of captures the ~essence~ of her music.

Bat For Lashes (Natasha Khan) is grooving to some tunes.

Paloma Faith is over-the-top and fantastic.

The Verve: the early years.

I have no idea why I'm so awake at 4:25am, but I am, so yeah. :)

Oh oh oh I almost forgot! I finally declared my major! It only took me twelve million years, but I finally did it - now I am officially a History major. Also on the updates front:

I saw my eye doctor two weeks ago, and according to him my eye is indeed slowly but surely getting better.
I got an A- on my midterm, yay! (Ended up only taking 1 class this semester, btw)
And that's about it. :)

Take care, peeps. :) Cheery bye, Scarlett

Halloween Hullabaloo! [2009 Edition]

2009-10-30T05:56:19Z

Oh yeah! It's that time again! The tracklisting hasn't changed much from last year's version, though the BWO and Arabesque tracks have been taken out and replaced with tunes from Florence + The Machine and 2 Unlimited (don't judge me! :) ).

Scarlett's Halloween Hullabaloo! [2009 Edition]
.m4a files in a .rar @ Megaupload or Mediafire

1 Rihanna - Disturbia (Video Version)
2 Pet Shop Boys - The Ghost Of Myself
3 Natacha Atlas - I Put a Spell on You
4 Madonna - Supernatural
5 Kate Bush - Hammer Horror
6 Sarah Brightman - Ghost in the Machinery
7 Moloko - Indigo (Radio Edit)
8 Florence + The Machine - Howl
9 2 Unlimited - Twilight Zone (R-C Extended Club Mix)
10 Ladytron - Ghost (Single Edit)
11 Utada Hikaru - Devil Inside (The Scum Frog Radio Edit)
12 Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400
13 Armin Van Buuren - Blue Fear (Trouser Enthusiasts EBE Edit)
14 Jes - Ghost
15 Poe - Haunted
16 Pet Shop Boys - Vampires
17 Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue - Where the Wild Roses Grow
18 Sinead O'Connor - I Am Stretched on Your Grave
19 Enigma - Sadeness Part I (Violent US Remix)
20 Kate Bush - Waking The Witch
21 Siobhan Donaghy - Ghosts
22 Sarah Brightman - Sleep Tight
23 BONUS Madonna - Supernatural (Original Arms House Mix)

Enjoy! :D Cheery bye, Scarlett

Tunes!

2009-10-24T20:51:24Z

Another music meme :)

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LJ along with your 7 songs. ~~Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to.~~ Feel free to snag if you like!

All of these are .m4a files, unless otherwise noted :)
01 "Upside Down" by Paloma Faith
02 "Bad Romance (Radio Edit)" by Lady GaGa
03 "Bodies" by Robbie Williams
04 "Big Hollow Man" by Danielle Dax
05 "Boombox (LA Riots Remix)" by Kylie Minogue (mp3 @ 128kb/s)
06 "Ready For The Weekend (Radio Edit)" by Calvin Harris
07 "Say Love" by Sandra

Cheery bye, Scarlett

iPod Meme

2009-10-23T22:18:18Z

Fun times!

Number Of Songs Total: 11,146
Total Length Of Songs: 37.8 days

Sort By Song Title
First Song: "A'Salk" by Ofra Haza
Last Song: "9PM (Till I Come) - Club Mix" by ATB

Sort By Time
Shortest Song: "Ms. Jody Watley Intro" by Jody Watley
Longest Song: "Non-Stop History 50+1 (Minus Celebration [Techno Rave Remix])" by Kylie Minogue @ 1:09:25

Sort By Album
First Song: "Come Together" by The Beatles
Last Song: "Megamix - 128-132" by Kristine W

Top 10 Most Played Songs
01. "4 Minutes" by Madonna
02. "Destination Calabria (Original Radio Edit)" by Alex Gaudino feat. Crystal Waters
03. "Dancefloor (Speakerbox Radio Edit)" by Crystal Waters vs. Speakerbox
04. "Disturbia (Main Radio Edit)" by Rihanna
05. "Give It 2 Me" by Madonna
06. "Daniel" by Bat For Lashes
07. "Womanizer" by Britney Spears
08. "Heartbeat" by Madonna
09. "Love Game" by Lady GaGa
10. "A Song For The Lovers" by Richard Ashcroft
So many of these are from 2008 - I really got into 2008 tunes, I guess! :O

First 10 Songs On Shuffle
01. "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" by Geri Halliwell
02. "El Asil" by Natacha Atlas
03. "Hello Mr. Monkey ('98 CRN Mix)" by Arabesque [lol this is one of the worst remixes I've ever heard, yet I won't delete it from my iPod]
04. "Isn't She A Sweetie" by Peter Cook
05. "Konichiwa Bitches (Trentemøller Remix)" by Robyn
06. "Rise To The Occasion (Holter/Erixon Remix)" by BWO
07. "Dreamland" by Emilie Simon
08. "My Love Is Better" by Annie
09. "Nightlife (People Theatre's Trip To Berlin Mix)" by IAMX
10. "Breathe [Tee's Freeze Mix]" by Kylie Minogue

Search - How many songs come up for each term?
"sex" - 108
"love" - 940
"you" - 1113
"death" - 20
"hate" - 31
"wish" - 25

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Fuck yeah, Peter Cook!

2009-10-21T05:07:17Z

I joined Tumblr a few days ago and I do believe I've become a bit addicted to the thing. I think the point of Tumblr is basically just to use it to post media like photos, audio, and videos, and quotes and text and stuff. I like Tumblr better than Twitter (I have an account for my music blog) because I don't really do anything worth tweeting about (what a ridiculous-sounding sentence!). Whereas with Tumblr, I have tons and tons of pictures and things to post, so I actually feel like I'm getting some use out of it.

There are all these "fuckyeah" accounts ("fuckyeah___.tumblr.com") that are devoted to posting content related to one subject - like cat macros - or a band, like The Beatles, or one person, like Stephen Colbert. So I thought I'd join in the fun with fuckyeahpetercook.tumblr.com. Hopefully more people will come along and contribute their favorite Peter Cook stuff!

So: anyone else have a Tumblr? :) Mine is givemethekarma, and of course there's also fuckyeahpetercook. Let me know your URL and I'll follow you! :)

Cheery bye, Scarlett

More birthdays! :)

2009-10-02T19:49:53Z

A very Happy Birthday to...

iristigerlily - September 19! :D
martoufmarty - September 30! :D
girlspell - October 3 (not quite the 3rd yet, but hey - I'm on a roll! ;) )! :D

Hope you all had a great day/will have a great day! :)

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Iconsssssssss

2009-10-02T07:44:18Z

Shameless icon pimpage! ;) I've posted a boatload of icons at the iconpile in the past two weeks, so if y'all are in need of icons of...

Siobhan Donaghy (+wallpaper), Bat For Lashes, Florence + The Machine, or HK119... go here
Dana International, Dannii Minogue, Katerine, Madonna, or Natacha Atlas... go here
Kylie Minogue (+wallpaper), Lady GaGa, or The Mighty Boosh guys (+wallpaper)... go here
Emilie Simon, Natalie Imbruglia, Brody Dalle, Bat For Lashes, Calvin Harris, IAMX, or Florence + The Machine (+wallpaper)... go here
Kate Bush, Sarah Brightman, Madonna, or Ofra Haza... go here

Whew! :D

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Picture meme

2009-09-28T04:22:19Z

I'm a meme fiend! The last meme I posted is still open, so check it if you're in the mood for doing a meme. :)

On to the meme!

- Post ten of any pictures currently on your hard drive that you think are self-expressive.
- NO CAPTIONS!!! It must be like we're speaking with images and we have to interpret your visual language just like we have to interpret your words.
- They must ALREADY be on your hard drive - no googling or flickr! They have to have been saved to your folders sometime in the past. They must be something you've saved there because it resonated with you for some reason.
- ~~You do NOT have to answer any questions about any of your pictures if you don't want to.~~ (I'll answer questions!) You can make the pictures as mysterious as you like. Or you can explain them away as much as you like.

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Meme!

2009-09-24T00:38:35Z

Here's a silly photo meme thing. No worries if you don't wanna do it! :)

COMMENT AND I WILL GIVE YOU A PERSON. FIND A PICTURE OF THAT PERSON FOR EACH CATEGORY. POST THE RESULTS IN YOUR JOURNAL!!

01. Choose a picture of the funniest face on your person.
02. Choose a picture of your person eating.
03. Choose a picture of your person with an animal.
04. Choose a picture of your person with a member of the opposite sex.
05. Choose a picture where you would have sex with this person.
06. Choose a picture of your favorite outfit on this person.
07. Choose a picture of your person smiling.
08. Choose a picture of your person half/naked.
09. Choose a picture of your person doing an outdoor activity.
10. Choose your favorite picture of this person.

Give me a name of a celeb or whatev and I'll do this meme, too! :D (I'll do any and all suggestions! Check out my icons or interests - though my icons are more up-to-date - for peeps I have piccies of.)

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Hairspam!

2009-09-18T02:43:21Z

Time for a picspam! The current challenge at picspammy is called Color Focus:

Your post should focus on the usage of color. ... Whether you want to stick with one thing and organize a number of caps by the primary colors used in those caps or maybe take one specific color and use caps from a number of different sources is entirely up to you.

Colors are OFTEN used to symbolize something, represent a deeper meaning, or evoke a certain mood, so look for it! Exploring that in a picspam could make a very unique and interesting spam.

I'm afraid the particular colors in the television show I chose to picspam don't have any deep meaning, but they sure do make an impression! :)

A picspam dedicated to Mrs. Slocombe's rainbow of hair colors!

Even without her trademark candy-colored 'do - there are indeed a couple of episodes of Are You Being Served? that feature tasteful brunette or gray locks - Mrs. Slocombe (played magnificently by Mollie Sugden) was a colorful character. But Mrs. Slocombe just wouldn't be Mrs. Slocombe if she didn't have that Mane Of Many Colors! Here is a celebration of Mrs. Slocombe's terrific Technicolor tresses.

But first, a bit of trivia from imdb.com:

After the first episode of of Are You Being Served? (1972), [Mollie Sugden] decided her hair was too plain for Mrs. Slocombe - so she bleached it white and dyed it a different colour for each subsequent episode in the first season. But the ends of bleached hair become spongy, so that the dyes never entirely washed out and, she says, her twin boys didn't appreciate being picked up from school "by a mother with multi-coloured ends." So, after the first season, when she saw the show was a hit, she asked the BBC to supply her with wigs instead of dying her hair a different colour every week.

On with the spam! :)

Give me a head with hair!

And finally, a few that defy categorization:

And that's the spam! :)

I had a lot of fun with this! :D Cheery bye, Scarlett

Happy Belated Birthday Post

2009-09-13T02:52:41Z

So we're coming to the last few months of 2009, and it occurred to me that I had not yet done something that I had wanted to do. And that is - wishing everybody on my friends list a very happy birthday! You see, I never can seem to do things right - like posting a "happy birthday" note on someone's actual birthday. ;) I haven't been very consistent in my LJ-ing or commenting on your journals this year, and I feel like the very least I can do for my lovely, always supportive and kind, flist is wish you guys a happy birthday. Thus my idea for a Happy Belated Birthday Post was born!

Some of y'all have birthdays coming up in the next few months, so don't worry, I haven't forgotten you in this post. I'll do my very best to be on time with your b'day wishes! :)

So let's get this show on the road!

January
20 - neohippie! Happy Birthday! :D

February
17 - koknockout17! Happy Birthday! :D
20 - charleygirl! Happy Birthday! :D

March
25 - theriversdream! Happy Birthday! :D

April
9 - laurenem6! Happy Birthday! :D
28 - spotthesunshine! Happy Birthday! :D
30 - zutulu42! Happy Birthday! :D

May
3 - spice_merchant! Happy Birthday! :D

June
19 - emiliachi! Happy Birthday! :D
29 - agapi42 - Happy Birthday! :D

July
1 - thatsindecent! Happy Birthday! :D
26 - lottie_doyle! Happy Birthday! :D

August
23 - dune_drd! Happy Birthday! :D Also on the 23rd - saintli! Happy Birthday! :D
27 - syphilis_jane! Happy Birthday! :D <3 Also on the 27th - egretplume! Happy Birthday! :D

Hope everyone's special day was super-special! :D :D

All righty! Take care, peeps. Cheery bye, Scarlett

Updates and meme!

2009-08-14T01:59:11Z

The latest in my eye saga! I saw a neurologist twice, and he confirmed that I have optic neuritis. He says I will definitely recover, but it will take time, and I'll have to be checked out once every few months for the next couple of years. I'm just glad that things have settled down now - but it's a wonderful thing that I've got some great doctors looking out for my health. :) I'll only be taking two classes in the fall now - no extra pressure and all. After all this nonsense, I'm actually in good spirits and all, so things are pretty good right now. :)

Here's a bit of frivolity - a meme!

TEN movies I can't live without:
The classics...

Gone With The Wind (1939) - Epic! I've loved this movie since I was a little girl.
It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - A Christmas classic that I simply adore.
Withnail and I (1987) - Though it is a bit bleak, I love this surprisingly layered (well, if you think about it enough!) black comedy.
Bedazzled (1967) - Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Need I say more?
Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975) - This one is just absolutely essential viewing.
Help! (1965) - Great music, cute non-plot, and the Fab Four - you can't get any better than this!

...and the rest. Don't judge me! ;)

Forrest Gump (1994) - I weep - weep, I tell you - when he talks to Jenny at her grave toward the end.
Twister (1996) - This reminds me of a summer when I was like 9 or 10, when life was one big playground. :)
Independence Day (1996) - 1996 was a good year for craptastic movies! :D This one is actually fun to watch at any time of the year, I've found - it was on TV a lot last year, all year.
Steel Magnolias (1989) - It's like watching family, really. I love this one, and it too makes me weep.

NINE albums that are important to me:

The Dreaming by Kate Bush - I wrote a review of it here. Kate is so creatively uninhibited, so passionate, on this album, that it felt like I was listening to something earth-shattering. Not to be over-dramatic, but yeah, it was earth-shattering for me - as I noted here, Kate Bush's music made me realize that music can truly be powerful art.
Impossible Princess by Kylie Minogue - I reviewed this here (scroll down to get to the IP review). This album means so much to me. I listened to it first at 16, having completed my first round of CBT and emerging from a very troubled time (more came later, but that's another story for another time!). The various moods of the album - frustrated, angry, trapped, hopeful, blissful - matched my 16-year-old self, and it became part of the soundtrack to my life. Listening to it now is very bittersweet, but mostly sweet, because it reminds me that I have come a long way.
Ghosts by Siobhan Donaghy - Review here. OK, it's time for another story! ;) I listened to this album so much in 2007. I hit my lowest OCD point early that year and finally began coming out of it that spring. Ghosts proved to be a very beautiful soundtrack during that time of healing. :)
Ray Of Light by Madonna - Madonna's never sounded better, and I cling to a hope that someday she'll revisit some of the themes and sounds that she explored so wonderfully here.
Clannad by Clannad - Their first album, but not the first album of theirs that I listened to (that was Fuaim, for those keeping track). I just really like Clannad's folkier moments, and this album is full of fab acoustic arrangements. Another Clannad album that I love is Sirius - not as representative of their sound as it could be, but it's a lot of fun!
Fly by Sarah Brightman - My review here. Sarah's poppiest album and my personal favorite! La Luna comes in a close second, but Fly is just so fabulous that I can't imagine my life without it.
The Memory Of Trees by Enya - The album that started it all for me, really. Believe it or not, I was a rabid Enya fan for awhile in my teens. This was and is my favorite of her albums. "Anywhere Is" is still quite possibly my favorite song ever. Like ever, ever. (!!!)
Neon Nights by Dannii Minogue - Review! This reminds me of high school, and hearing "Vibe On" and thinking it was the naughtiest thing ever.
Queen II by Queen - Part of the soundtrack of my senior year of high school. "Seven Seas of Rhye" is my favorite Queen song, and the rest of the album is just fantastic - in particular, "White Queen (As It Began)" is so beautiful.

EIGHT bands/artists/composers I couldn't live without:

SEVEN things that annoy me:

128kb/s mp3s
When people say "I'm so OCD about ____" when they really mean "I'm very particular about ____"
Spam email
How my computer takes like 20 minutes to shut down
...not much else annoys me!

SIX of my favorite songs/artists at the moment:

Florence + The Machine - Lungs is love.
Kylie Minogue - I keep listening to her tunes! Kylie, get a new album out soon! :D
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns is so good!
Lal Meri - I adore Nancy Kaye's voice.
Hadise - Fast Life is my favorite pop album of the year so far!
Polly Scattergood - Such a great debut!

FIVE TV shows I watch regularly: (I'm also counting shows that aren't current or are seasonal!)

Are You Being Served? - I LOVE THIS SHOW. I don't even care what anyone else thinks, this is a classic.
The Mighty Boosh - I adore this show. ADORE.
American Idol - So much fun to watch!
The Next Food Network Star - Also great fun to watch!
Jon & Kate Plus 8 - Don't judge me!!

FOUR of my all-time-favorite books:

Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) - What needs to be said about this classic? I first read this at age 10, and it has remained my favorite book ever since. Scarlett O'Hara's determination and will to keep going colored my idea of what personal strength means.
The Awakening (Kate Chopin) - I can recall, reading it as a summer reading assignment before 12th grade, that I found Chopin's settings rich and visual, but didn't get much else out of The Awakening. For a great Women's Lit class in 2008, we spent a number of lectures dissecting and close-reading the text. The professor guided us in our understanding of the nuances of Chopin's writing, and with those tools I felt like I had unlocked something fascinating as I re-read The Awakening. I was also amazed at how much I hadn't picked up on when I read it at 17! ;) I discovered that The Awakening was not only rich in imagery, but also in meaning and subtext. I still have the excellent version of the book assigned for our class, which includes articles and reactions/reviews of The Awakening from around the time it was first published.
The Harry Potter series, especially Goblet of Fire (JK Rowling) - Goblet of Fire is my favorite of the books, simply because so much happened in it. The Harry Potter books were a phenomenon and, like the rest of the world, I fell under the story's spell.
To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) - Actually, it was watching the film version of this that made me remember how much I enjoyed the book. Themes that are sadly still around today are confronted in this, making for a compelling read.

THREE albums I've bought recently:

Lal Meri by Lal Meri
Polly Scattergood by Polly Scattergood
Messages by Blue Stone

TWO people that have influenced my life: (outside of family & friends)

Scarlett O'Hara - Yes, she's fictional. But her strength is very real, indeed.
Kate Bush - As I said in this post, "Kate Bush is the very definition of brilliant. Her music made me realize that music can be art. I don't think I ever truly appreciated the power of a song until I heard her music. Creative, uninhibited, unique, expressive, literate - her work is all that and more."

ONE thing I couldn't live without:

Turkey Hill Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream. I'm totes serious, guys, this stuff is good.

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Mollie Sugden

2009-07-02T18:21:30Z

Mollie Sugden dies at 86.

It's always a sad thing when one of your favorite celebs passes away, but learning of Mollie Sugden's death really made my heart sink. I've watched and loved Are You Being Served? since I was quite young; my mom and I joke that the cast of AYBS? is like my "second family." Mollie Sugden's hilarious portrayal of my favorite character on the show, Mrs Slocombe, not only makes me laugh to this day, but also makes me think what a talented, skilled comedienne she was. It's so good to read in the BBC article that she had a lovely, full life. Mollie will be very sadly missed.

Not so cheery bye, Scarlett

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!

2009-06-21T23:36:12Z

It's time for our annual Wildwood, NJ vacation! :) See y'all when we get back! :)

Cheery bye, Scarlett

It's always something!

2009-06-18T04:06:49Z

So I woke up on Tuesday morning, put my glasses on, and noticed that I couldn't see correctly out of my left eye. I thought maybe I just had gunk in my eyes from sleeping - you know how you do - so I rubbed my eyes. Then I thought maybe my glasses needed to be washed, so I cleaned them off. No luck - things were still a bit blurry and bright out of my left eye.

I get scared (anxious) about medical stuff, so this was getting me worried. I told my mom about my eye and we talked for awhile about whether or not I should get it checked out. Now, we were sort of on a time table here - we go to the beach on June 22 so if something was wrong with my eye, it needed to be seen to quickly. I just bit the bullet and said "yeah, I wanna get it checked out." We were toying with just letting it be for a day but I just wanted to get it looked at and get any unpleasant medical stuff out of the way before our trip!

We got an appointment (I say "we" because I'll be totes honest here, I needed my momma with me!) with a doctor in the eye doctor's office we go to for a little later in the day. The doctor was really nice (I hadn't met him before) and low-key, which sat well with me because I was a bundle of nerves. He looked in my eyes, put all sorts of drops in them, and though my eyes were apparently normal, at the end of the visit he thought it might be something but couldn't really be sure without an MRI. At which point I got super-anxious. This development made me really worried about what was wrong with my eye; I thought, if it needs an MRI to determine what was wrong, something really bad must be going on with it.

We got an appointment for an MRI for the next day, and an appointment later that next day for a follow-up with the eye doctor.

That night I was, like, useless to be around - I was all quiet and nervous. My nerves get so bad when something is a little "off" with me. I just have such trouble with my anxiety - but strangely enough, my OCD wasn't heightened (it sometimes does get worse with extra anxiety), which was a nice thing. But anyways, on to the next day.

So the next day, we went to the doctor's office with the MRI. I took something like Valium before the visit (my fab psychiatrist called in a prescription for it the night before for me). The neurologist was really kind and the technicians were too. They put me at ease (which is no small feat!) - I have such respect for people in the medical field. :) The MRI itself was not too bad. It was loud and very close quarters, but I kept my eyes closed the whole time and thought of the lyrics to songs I like to pass the time. The only uncomfortable bit was when my left arm fell asleep from holding it funny! It was cramped in that machine, I can tell ya.

After the MRI, the neurologist looked at my scan (it was so weird seeing the inside of my head!) and said that he couldn't find anything wrong. Which you'd think would calm me down, but that just got me worrying about what could be wrong - like what if it were something in my brain? (The MRI was only of my orbits.) See how nuts I can get? Argh.

But the follow-up with the eye doctor set my mind at rest. He called the neurologist during our visit and it sounded like both of them were saying they couldn't find anything wrong, and thought we should just keep an eye (lol) on it for awhile. So the eye doctor confirmed that we will just keep tabs on my eye, and I should come back in two weeks. He said that whatever is wrong with my eye is very mild and he just wants to follow up on it - it'll probably get better on its own.

So things are back to normal now, but it was a pretty intense couple of days!! You know, I get so scared of medical stuff, but the medical pros are always so kind and don't want to do stuff to scare you. I guess I'm just afraid of and anxious about the unknown. :/ We're back on track for the beach, and I was even able to reschedule my hair appointment that I had to miss on Wednesday. That was the funny part of all this - my mom had planned to get her hair done on Tuesday, and I was going to get mine done Wednesday, but I went and messed all that up with my wonky eye! You've gotta find the funny side of things. :)

Hopefully the rest of summer won't be as exciting! ;)

Cheery bye, Scarlett

What doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger

2009-06-14T00:57:14Z

Ooh, The Dark Knight is on right now on HBO (we don't usually get HBO, but this weekend is one of Verizon FiOS' special "all-channel" weekends or something so we've got it - plus a dozen other channels - until Monday!). Last summer's TDK blitz was so much fun. It was such a big deal! If I'm being honest, the movie really isn't the greatest movie ever made - it was the characters that made it so awesome - but the hype that surrounded it made it into something ~epic~. The ONTD party posts with .gifs and macros were great, especially when they happened in the middle of the night and everyone was, like, giddy-tired but stayed awake to participate in the lulz.

I wonder if there will be a big, hyped-up, everyone-loves-it movie this summer? The buzz would have started already, I think, so there likely won't be anything this summer on the scale of TDK. But, there are a couple movies coming out over the summer that I'm looking forward to - like the long-awaited Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince! Public Enemies, starring the fab Johnny Depp, is another that looks cool. I know I'm forgetting one or two others, but all in all, it looks like a pretty good summer at the movies. :)

Anyways, that was just a bit of a ~nostalgic~ moment (although it was only last summer!). I don't think I've posted about how the rest of my semester went - I took a British history course and a science course about global warming - so now's a good a time as any to note that I got an A in both! :O Well, an A- in the global warming class, but on the transcript I think it registers as an A, so it's all good. The history class was packed full of info - it covered British history from 1688 to about the 90s. Some of my classmates thought there was too much information, but - and I'm probably not the best judge because I was only taking two courses last semester, so it was easier to spend time on studying for the class! - I thoroughly enjoyed what was taught and I truly feel like I learned some neat stuff. The professor focused mainly on what was going on socially, what was happening to the people of Britain, throughout history and not just dates and battles and things. That was probably why I enjoyed it so much - dates and battles are very important, but to me, what makes the past so interesting is what the people who lived it were doing. Plus, during the lecture on the 1960s we watched a clip from A Hard Day's Night! So you really can't find fault with a class like that.

I'm having a pretty cool summer so far! :) We'll be having our annual Wildwood, NJ vacation a week from Monday and I'm betting it will be a lot better than last year's trip. We're going to a different hotel and from what we know of it, it'll be a refreshing change!

And finally (this is such a long post) - back around April my mom and I officially began to follow the Weight Watchers points system and we've been eating so much healthier. We'll be adding exercise in after we get back from the beach. I really feel tons better now knowing that I'm doing something good and healthy for myself, and once I start exercising I'll be even more pleased. The goal is not to become tiny-skinny, but to be a healthy size and to just be more healthy in general. I would have loved to do this sooner, but the last few years of troubling times made it hard to be serious about eating right and exercising. It's finally the right time to concentrate on weight loss, and I'm really hopeful about getting some good results!

Cheery bye, Scarlett

My summer classics!

2009-05-28T02:08:42Z

I'm a member of several music-sharing communities here on LJ, and there was a recent request post asking for your favorite summertime songs. This prompted me to put together a playlist of my summertime favorites - songs that have heated up my summers through the years. Quite a few of the songs are those from recent years, but all in all it's a playlist that is sure to make the heat rise! :)

Scarlett's Summer Classics!

01 Destination Calabria (Original Radio Edit) - Alex Gaudino feat. Crystal Waters
I first heard this in 2007 and it has become my favorite summer song. This is like my summer anthem! It makes me think of going to the beach. :)

02 Delius (Song Of Summer) - Kate Bush
I think I must have first listened to this song a few years ago. It's got a wonderfully hazy, sleepy feeling, like you might feel on a summer evening.

03 Money To Burn - Richard Ashcroft
A feel-good sing-along kind of track! I love those horns that pop up every so often!

04 Summer Calling (Radio Edit) - Andain
This one makes me think of summer nights, full of fireflies and yummy smells from cookouts!

05 Anyway You Choose To Give It - The Black Ghosts
This is from last year, but it really made an impression on me! I remember listening to it at the beach last year and loving the fast-paced beats.

06 How Bizarre (Radio Mix) - OMC
A classic one-hit wonder! I loved this song back during a summer in the mid-90s and I always make sure to give it a spin during the summer to bring back memories of being young(er) (I was probably around 10 or 11!) and stupid(er)!

07 Chariots Of Fire (Credheadz Remix Radio Edit) - BWO
A couple of years ago I found myself listening to this at the beach on repeat. This remix takes the original pure pop track and beefs it up, making it into a rather epic kinda thing.

08 Everytime We Touch (Radio Mix) - Cascada
Cheesy old song it may be - but it makes me smile! :)

09 Closer to Your Heart - Clannad
A lot of Clannad songs remind of the summer, because I started listening to them many summers back. I chose this one because it's fun and bouncy!

10 Makat Hom [i la dirla da da] - Dana International
I started listening to Dana a few summers back too, and this one is a lot of fun and very summery!

11 Sunrise - Dannii Minogue
I loved this track from The Hits & Beyond, and it reminds me of the summer it came out!

12 Hot Summer Night (Radio Edit) - David Tavare (Feat. 2 Eivissa)
A relatively new track with a great hook and breezy production.

13 Jesus Doesn't Love Me - Dragonette
Not really summery, technically, but I always associate it with summer because that's when I first heard it! A fun electro-pop ditty with sinfully good lyrics! ;)

14 Crickets Sing for Anamaria - Emma Bunton
A perfect song for "summertime, when all the crickets sing"!

15 Thnks Fr Th Mmrs (Lenny B Short Term Memory) - Fall Out Boy
I listened to this and the BWO track a lot during that summer, despite not being a Fall Out Boy fan. I am a big fan of remixes, though, and this mix really has a lot of attitude!

16 Trippin' Me Up (1st Demo Version) - Kylie Minogue
It's not an officially released song, but it easily could have been - it's fantastic!

17 Summertime - Geri Halliwell
Rather sexy, actually, and beautifully put together. I really like the guitars.

18 The Way - Fastball
If you listen to the lyrics, it's a sad song. But if you just focus on the cool chorus, you'll turn that frown upside down!

19 Long Hot Summer - Girls Aloud
Not my favorite Girls Aloud song, but it specifically mentions summer and I just had to include the Girls in this playlist!

20 From Paris to Berlin - Infernal
Oh man, what a scorcher! I absolutely LOVED and still adore this track. Memory time: I was shocked a few summers ago to hear this song on the boardwalk as my family and I left the nut house in Cape May - Morrow's Nut House, that is! :D I had no idea the Nut House was that hip!

21 Ray of Light - Madonna
A really great, hyperactive song!

22 Faster Kill Pussycat - Paul Oakenfold ft. Brittany Murphy
Listened to this a few years back and loved it. I can't believe Brittany Murphy, who voices Luanne on King Of The Hill (great show, btw!), did the vocals on this!

23 Umbrella (The Lindbergh Palace Radio Edit) - Rihanna
You couldn't get away from this song a few summers ago, and why would you want to? This remix brings the song fully into the pop realm.

24 Cry For You (Radio Mix) - September
Ah, what a cool song. That cry of "you'll never see me again!" is positively anthemic!

25 Kayitz (summer) - Ofra Haza
Hebrew for "summer," "Kayitz" is a cute little ditty that you'll love, even if, like me, you don't speak Hebrew!

26 Tattva - Kula Shaker
Have yourself a psychedelic summer with this hippy-dippy tune!

27 Saturday Night Forever - Pet Shop Boys
An ode to the carefree joys of Saturday nights! Saturday nights in the summer are always worthy of celebration.

28 Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer - Nat King Cole
A absolute classic. It's just not summer if I don't listen to this! :D

Enjoy! Cheery bye, Scarlett

Another meme!

2009-05-25T00:15:46Z

Meme time!

01. How has LJ changed your life?
I've internet-met a bunch of cool peeps, and there's so much to read and see and listen to on all the communities here. I think LJ has enriched my internet experience. ;)

02. What do you do before bedtime?
Watch some TV, usually music videos on VH1 or MTV or mtvU.

03. What would be your last dinner?
The Quesadilla Burger at Applebee's. Oh my goodness. It's just beautiful.

04. What is the ONE place you want to go before you die if you had the money and the time?
I'd like to visit England. I used to want to live in England, but that was when I was young and full of crazy ideas.

05. What scares you?
Classic horror movies - in particular, Frankenstein (the 1930s version) and the 1920s version of Nosferatu. Like, if one of these is on TV and I pass it by accident while flipping through the channels (this happens during Halloween season, generally), I will yelp and jump a little in my seat. And then change the channel right quick.

06. What do you do in your free time?
Internets and websites and graphics, often all at the same time.

07. If you could speak another language (meaning one you currently don't know), what would it be?
I used to want to learn to speak Irish Gaelic, because I was mad into Clannad and Enya music at the time, but I think I'd like to speak French. I took French class for 5 dang years, yet can't remember much at all!

08. What personal belonging do you have with you everywhere you go?
My iPod! I love that little thing. <3

09. What was your favorite song or musical group when you were young?
The Beatles! I remember loving "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at a weirdly young age. What can I say, I've always had good music taste. ;)

10. Are you a risk taker?
In some cases, I guess. It depends on the situation.

11. How do you want to be remembered?
I'd like to be remembered as someone who was kind, intelligent (or something!), and just generally a good person.

12. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Hopefully graduated from college and in graduate school, working toward becoming a history professor.

13. If you could spend one day with any celebrity, who would it be?
I'd like to spend a day with Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt because I bet it would be a zany kind of day.

~~14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?~~

15. Would you rather be single & rich or married but poor?
Married but poor.

16. How many children do you want to have, if any?
I really can't see myself having children. I love kids, especially babies (awww!), but I don't think I want to actually have any.

17. What's better - to give or to receive?
To give, but sometimes it's good to receive, too. :)

18. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
It would depend on who they were! What a weird question.

19. Would you have 100% safe sex with a stranger for $10,000,000?
Oh my. Probably not, actually.

20. What are you looking forward to most in the next six months?
Summertime! :D

I do love me some memes. :) Cheery bye, Scarlett

Will the real Peter Cook please stand up?

2009-04-27T18:20:52Z

I'm in McKeldin Library's computer lab right now and I found the urge to post rising! ;)

I have Google email alerts for "peter cook" (and "freddie mercury," "kylie minogue," "sarah brightman,"and "madonna," for anyone interested! :) ) and often I get alerts that have nothing to do with the only Peter Cook that matters, like news stories about Christie Brinkley's ex or various people who happen to be named Peter Cook. Add another non-Peter Cook Peter Cook to the list - this time, drug developer Biota's chief executive.

I dunno, it just amuses me how often I get a "peter cook" alert that isn't about the Peter Cook I actually care about. :)

Also, in Peter Cook-related news - arthur2dudley , I'll change the links to your site when I get home from school today! :) Check out arthur2dudley 's Dudley Moore site if you're a fan of Dudley, peeps! :D

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Memes and such

2009-04-20T02:29:13Z

I'm on a meme kick right now!

LJ Meme

1. My username is ____ because ____.
2. My journal name is ____ because ____.
3. My journal is titled ____ because ____.
4. My subtitle is ____ because ____.
5. My friends page is called ____ because ____.
6. My default userpic is ____ because ____.

1. My username is scarlett_h because I've used "Scarlett Hartley" as my ~online pseudonym~~ since I was, like, 12 or 13. Scarlett comes from Gone With The Wind, and Hartley was Vivien Leigh's maiden name. (I was really into Gone With The Wind at the time!) Why do I use an alias? Well, at 12 or 13 or whatever I just really took to heart the notion that you shouldn't put many real-life details online. ;) By the time I realized that I could, in fact, just use my first name, I had already established myself as Scarlett H on lunaestas.com and elsewhere on the internets so I just decided to keep on going online as Scarlett H. (For what it's worth, my real name is Deanna!)

2. My journal name is Scarlett because... well, look above!

3. My journal title is Fastidious & Precise because for some reason I really love the way Freddie Mercury sings that line in "Killer Queen." When I registered my LJ in 2004 I was big into Queen so using a Queen lyric was just the thing to do! :)

4. My subtitle is Happiness is an option because it is my life philosophy (as well as a Pet Shop Boys tune!). My journal subtitle used to be GEEZ! I need some drugs!, which was something Bob Fossil said in a Mighty Boosh radio show that made me laugh. I actually changed my journal subtitle today to "Happiness..." because I just felt that it was time to change it. I had chosen "GEEZ!" back during some bad times and I'd just rather have a more upbeat line as my subtitle now. :)

5. My friends page is called Friends will be friends... because of the same reason I titled my journal Fastidious & Precise! :)

6. My default userpic is of Polly Scattergood at the moment because I'm really into her debut album. :)

And here's a music meme!

Five Current Faves

List five songs that you currently love. It doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the songs in your blog. Then tag five other Livejournal friends to see what they're listening to.

I tag anyone who wants to do this meme! :)

1. "Slide Away" by The Verve: I've had their "best of" for years now but have only now been really loving it. The chorus is just beautiful.
2. "Please Don't Touch" by Polly Scattergood: Probably the most accessible song on Polly Scattergood and easily the most upbeat. The hand-clappy beats are great!
3. "Big Time Sensuality" by Bjork: I have no idea why I'm listening to Bjork right now. I've never liked her voice and I have to admit that put me off from ever trying to listen to her stuff. But, knowing that she wrote Madonna's "Bedtime Story" and also knowing that there must be some reason why other people like her ;) made me want to try her songs out. Right now I'm loving "Big Time Sensuality," but I'm not sure if I'm totally sold on her yet. We'll see...!
4. "Raspberry Swirl" by Tori Amos: I've liked this song for awhile but I just felt like listening to it again recently. I find that I either really like or really get bored by Tori's music, but this song is one that I adore.
5. "Promiscuity (Radio Edit)" by Antigone: This cool track has got me eagerly anticipating the release of her album this year!

If you're in need of icons, check out my three recent posts. :D

And that's about it! Cheery bye, Scarlett

Picspam of a Doctor Who: The Android Invasion scene

2009-04-19T03:31:24Z

Picspam time! The current prompt at picspammy: "focus your spam on one scene or sequence." For me, this one was a no-brainer. I saw that prompt and my mind immediately went to this one bit in the 1975 Doctor Who story The Android Invasion. It marked the moment I fell in lurve with the mighty Tom Baker, and of course Doctor Who!

Strange as it might sound, this one scene - more of a moment, really - was one of those things that has stuck with me forever. I first saw it when I was 15 and now, at 22, I still go a bit gooey when I see it. But the great thing about this scene is that it transcends just being a hot Tom Baker moment. After I had gotten into the show and had a good sense of what it was all about, it struck me that this scene from The Android Invasion summed up, for me, the character of the Doctor. And I'm not even limiting it to the character of the Fourth Doctor. You could make a case that this scene could have happened in any of the Doctors' eras, though I'd also argue that only Tom Baker could have pulled it off so subtly and with such panache. ;)

So what exactly is this scene, and why does it provide a succinct explanation of why the Doctor is awesome? Well, at the end of the story, good ol' Sarah Jane thinks the Doctor has been killed, but as she soon finds out it was really just his android double. The camera cuts to the Doctor standing in the doorway, and he says something like "Don't waste any tears over him, Sarah." Sarah Jane looks up, surprised to see the real Doc there, then looks back to see the android Doctor "decompose" back to its metal framework (through the use of just amazing special effects, lol). Relieved, she says emphatically, "Don't ever do anything like that again!"

The Doctor stands silently for a second, then breaks into a grin. He fiddles with his hat and beams "Come on," beckons with his head towards the door, and turns and walks out.

This is what the Doctor is all about. He just grins and heads out, on to the next adventure.

Here is photo evidence (well, screen captured evidence!) of this most terrific of Doctor Who moments.

Sarah Jane: "Don't ever do anything like that again!"

The Doctor: "Come on."

The End

For your viewing pleasure: the scene in question in .avi format (mirror link) and iPod-ready format (mirror link).

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Yet more memes!

2009-04-10T02:12:12Z

More meme-ness. :) Wasting time is an art, and I think I've perfected it. ;)

Handwriting meme!
1. Your name and username.
2. Left-handed or right-handed?
3. Favorite letters to write?
4. Least favorite letters to write?
5. Write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
6. Tag 5 people.
(For some reason the paper scanned in funny, so it's all ~colorized~~)

*****

5 Favorite Things Meme
I've crossed out three of the categories because I don't really watch a lot of TV series right now, except for American Idol, lol.

5 favorite men currently on television:

5 favorite women currently on television:

5 favorite television shows of all time:
1. Are You Being Served? and Doctor Who
2. Blackadder
3. The Mighty Boosh
4. King of the Hill
5. The Simpsons
Runner Up: n/a

~~5 favorite television shows of right now:~~

5 favorite bands or artists:
1. Kate Bush
2. Clannad
3. Kylie Minogue
4. Sarah Brightman
5. Madonna
Runner Up: Queen

5 favorite songs by 5 favourite artists: (except I can't choose just 1 for each!)
1. "Them Heavy People" and "Sat In Your Lap" by Kate Bush
2. "Buaireadh an Phósta" and "Coinleach Ghlas an Fhómhair" (both Clannad 2 and Magical Ring versions) by Clannad
3. "Take Me With You" and "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" by Kylie Minogue
4. "Who Wants To Live Forever" and "Only An Ocean Away" ... and also "Anytime, Anywhere" (can't choose just 2!) by Sarah Brightman
5. "Frozen" and "Has To Be" by Madonna
Runner Up: "Seven Seas of Rhye" and "Killer Queen" by Queen

5 favorite books:
1. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
2. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. Harry Potter series
Runner Up: n/a

5 favorite movies:
1. Gone With The Wind (1939)
2. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
3. Withnail and I (1987)
4. Bedazzled (1967)
5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Runner Up: Help! (1965)

*****

Word association
1. Beer:
No thanks

2. McDonalds
Tasty

3. Relationships:
Would love one ;)

4. Purple:
Nurple

5. Power Rangers:
The Yellow Ranger died. :(

6. Weed:
That TV show called "Weeds"

7. Steroids:
Some are good, right? For medical purposes?

8. Cartoons:
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack was the first thing to come to mind!

9. The President:
Yay, Obama!

10. Tupperware:
This old creepy episode of Eerie, Indiana, I think it was called, where people lived in giant Tupperware things

11. Florida:
Jeb Bush D:

12. Santa Claus:
Is real! :D ;)

13. Halloween:
"...Jack is a real cool cat." From David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs," I believe.

14. Alice:
In wonderland!

15. Grammar:
Useful! ;)

16: Myspace:
Not so useful

17. Clowns:
Kinda creepy

18. Marriage:
Mawwage

19. Paris
Je t'aime. Never actually seen that movie, though.

20. Pat:
It's Pat!

21. Redheads:
Nicola from Girls Aloud!

22. Blondes:
That stupid stereotype about "dumb blondes"

23. Pass the:
Cheese? I have no idea why that popped into my head. :/

24. One night stand:
I had this artsy Barbie doll book when I was younger and there was a Barbie done up to look like a bedside table, and was titled "One Night Stand." It's weird the things that stick with you!

25. Donald Trump:
Hair is a bird.

26. Neverland:
Peter Pan

27. Pixie:
Haircut

28. Vanilla ice cream:
Better with chocolate sauce!

29. Hooters:
Oh my.

30. High school musical:
Not a fan of the movies!

31. Pajamas:
I is wearing them. :)

32. Woody:
Allen

33. Wet Socks:
Not cool

34. Love:
Is good :)

Cheery bye, Scarlett

Meme!

2009-04-09T23:50:42Z

Icon meme! :)

1. How do you feel right now?

(Just chillin' and listening to music!)

2. What's your favourite pastime?

(Listening to and contemplating music)

3. Do you consider yourself a strange person?

(Yeah, somewhat!)

4. What's your favourite fandom?
and
(classic Doctor Who and The Mighty Boosh)

5. OTP?

(Scarlett and Rhett)

6. How do you describe yourself?

(Thoughtful and kind)

7. How do others describe you?

(Kind and just very slightly mad, probably!)

8. Do you have an icon of your future husband/wife?
I have icons of several of my ~future husbands~, lol, but here's my fave:

(Julian Barratt)

9. Do you have an LOLWHUT icon?
Several! :D
and and
(Howard Moon and Kate Bush and Dannii Minogue)

Cheery bye, Scarlett