In the wake of the constant media coverage of Michael Jackson's death, his "complicated legacy" keeps coming up in conversations -- specifically, the accusations of child molestation leveled against him. I have friends who absolutely believe he was a pedophile, and I have friends who think he was just emotionally stunted and just plain weird. Fortunately, I don't have any friends who are at risk of committing suicide over the emotional trauma of MJs death. *rolls eyes* Really?

But here's my question.

Poll #1423938
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What are your feelings about the King of Pop?

If your answer is "Other" (something I haven't included) educate me in the comments. I'm really curious to see how my flist shakes out on this.

Sorry I'm being so spammy today!

I'd like to thank chash, not only for her awesome J2 fic, but also for introducing me to someecards.com via her When You Care Enough to Hit Send 'verse. There is no better place to go for just the right snarky, sarcastic message to send to a loved one.

And in honor of Gay Pride Month, here's one of my recent favorites:

Is anyone out there as obsessed with the Mark Sanford story as I am? I can't get enough of it. Dude flees the country without telling ANYONE where he's going, leaves no one in charge when he does, avoids his 4 young sons over Father's Day. Seriously bizarre.

R works in city government, and if the city manager is going to be staying overnight in a city two hours away, he puts someone else in charge. IMO, that's Sanford's impeachable offense (well, that and hooking up with his luvah during a state-paid trip to Argentina), not that he was unfaithful to his wife. That just makes him a douchebag. But you don't go take a walk on the Appalachian Trail an "exotic" (WTF??) trip to Argentina FOR A WEEK without naming someone to act in your stead.

ETA: Once again, someecards hits the nail on the head:

You might be a fangirl if...

If you watch an as-yet-unreleased, two-year-old, average horror movie starring the ex-girlfriend of one of your TV boyfriends. (Film was House of Fears, starring Sandra McCoy.)

However, the silly fangirlishness paid off with a 5-second cameo of Mr. Padalecki himself. Woo! (Damn, that boy's fine!)

Honestly, I'd probably watch a movie with Danneel if I came across it. (I think she's in Fired Up, isn't she? I'll add that to the Netflix list.)

Also, I'm stunned and saddened at the loss of Michael Jackson. For all his later-in-life freakishness, I was one of the obsessed preteen masses when Thriller blew up. I would've had the zipper jacket had I been able to afford it. (I did have the sparkly socks, tho.) I was SO in lurve with him then.

I had a folder with this photo on it, and I carried it 'til it fell apart.

It's the end of an era. RIP, MJ.

Hi everyone!

Seems on LJ, I've always been a bit of a lurker, even when I was at my most social back in the VM days. It's how my introvertedness (is that a word) exhibits myself in the online world, I guess. So what does one do when one goes completely into lurker mode and then wants to talk again? Will anyone be there to comment back?

Anyhow, here are how things are with me. Still working 3 days a week, 2 days a week I'm home with my boys as they run the neighborhood with their friends in all directions. Trying to keep up with housework and laundry and the bills and slip in a little SPN fic when possible (though Big Bang is keeping me glued to the computer a bit these days. Yummy long, long fic posted EVERY DAY?? *flails*

How are all of you? miniglik, love the fauxhawk. That is such a *you* haircut! Roz, are you enjoying your summer? Looks like it's been full of JFDoh sightings and shopping and shows. T, I'm psyched to read your Big Bang fic! delicatelight, between you and keepaofthecheez's J2 sims, I think I need to check out this Sims business. Sounds quite different that the Ye Olde Sim City from waaaaay back in the day. Way back. Like decades. *facepalm*

Can't think of anything more interesting to say. I'm delaying pulling Canadian Thistle in my planting beds. I hate gardening or pretty much anything to do with it. But this thistle problem is huge and we're looking like the weedy house on the block. With R in Chi-town tonight, I figure I might as well knock some of it out. I've already filled up a trashcan with the suckers. If anyone out there knows of a weed killer that can eradicate this pesky issue, I will gladly kiss your feet.

Hi everyone!

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted. It's embarrassing, actually. I got entranced with Facebook for a short while and life has been generally hectic, which doesn't leave me much online time except to read a little fic to decompress each evening. (Which, on that note, YAY! Big Bang looks awesome this year!)

A little funny story only my fandom friends could appreciate...my 8 y/o has a new favorite game for his DS, Elite Beat Agents. It's kind of like Guitar Hero in as it uses covers of popular songs that you have to tap the screen to keep up with the beat, and how accurate you are determines the score. Well he's had me collecting the songs on Itunes to put on his and his brothers' iPods, and most of them are ok. Most are a few years old (as is the game) like Sk8er Boi, Ashlee Simpson's La La and The Anthem by Good Charlotte. A few are oldies like Jumpin' Jack Flash by the Stones and I Was Born to Love You by Queen. But I actually balked when he wanted to get Believe by Cher -- because that song was forever ruined for me by Buffy's demon roommate (who I have been seeing a lot in commercials lately.) I did eventually cave and download it, but whenever I hear it come up on the boys' iPods, I expect it to play on repeat forever. *shudder*

I am 5 eps behind on SPN at least and completely behind on this season of The Office, but I hope to get caught up with both next week when I'm on vacation. This explains why I've avoided my flist because I didn't want to see reaction to the episodes til I watch them...(which sounds better than the fact that I've been a shitty friend.)

I hope all is good with you all! Next week I hope to read back on my flist and see what's going on with everyone...

PS: Aw, shit. I've been gone so long, my Photobucket moodtheme is missing. :(

Why, do you ask?

Because my beloved Cincinnati Bearcats are going to a BCS bowl game, and Ohio State isn't. *iz in shock*

Like seriously, I may never again see that in my lifetime, so what better time to post a long-overdue update on my LJ?

What I've been up to:

1. Work, freelance work, kids, housework. The usual, only more of it. (except for kids. Still only two of those.)

2. Weight Watchers. I've been going since my last post in June, and have lost 20 pounds. But my motivation has disappeared and I've completely gone off the rails this weekend. Like I just had Mountain Dew and cold pizza for breakfast. *hangs head in shame*

3. Woo, President-Elect Obama! \o/ (see icon.)

4. Where I work, we sponsor a holiday festival with includes a city-wide gingerbread house contest the Friday after Thanksgiving. Last year had an abysmal (and tacky) professional entry entitled "Jailhouse Rock," (complete with tootsie roll, you know, in the marshmallow toilet.) In the name of Elvis fans everywhere, I swore to restore respect to the King's name and build Graceland in '08 (having never built a g-bread house before in my life.) Well, this past week, I have spent designing, baking, building, and decorating my creation. I finished (well, ran out of chewing gum for shingles) at 5 a.m. on Friday, got 2 hours of sleep, sent R out for more gum at 7 a.m., and finished in time to take the thing downtown at 10 a.m. It was fun puzzling it all out, researching methods and recipes and shit, even though R said, "let's never do this again, k?" I will post a pic as soon as I snag it off my Centro.

5. While in my crazy gingerbread haze, I borrowed a friend's Kitchen Aid stand mixer to help with the dough- and icing-making. I have wanted one for YEARS, but bake so infrequently and have so little counter space that I could never justify spending $300 on something that would literally collect dust for 364 1/2 days a year. Well, what I found is, while the stand mixer was cool & all, I actually prefer my Kitchen Aid hand mixer. So I'm coveting no more. Yaye!

6. On the way home late last night from the holiday festivities downtown, I was jamming out to my iPod and the song "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel came on. Which I quickly realized is one of the many things that has been completely ruined for me (but in a good way) by fanfic. I'll never be able to hear that song without imagining Logan in leather pants serenading Pink!Veronica. Thanks, Gertinator!

7. Speaking of fanfic, I am kinda getting tempted to read Twilight. While folks decry it for being glorified fanfic, I actually like fanfic. And my growing crush on fascination with crazy, loose-lipped RPattz and his crazysauce hair aren't helping matters. *facepalm*

8. Also on the topic of fanfic, there was a little brouhaha over in J2-RPS-land where folks took a stand on the use of "Jenny" as a term of endearment or legitimate nickname for Jensen. This took me right back to the endless battle over Logan using "Ronnie" as an affectionate nickname for Veronica. Ah, my old fandom. I miss it. And it's the first time I've been able to use "my old fandom," as VM was my first. *sigh*

9. Speaking of Logan, I miss my OPJ. My viewing habits are consumed with SPN, and trying to wrap up this "100 movies in 2008" goal (I'm on #72, but am just about finished with 3 more), so I have no time to reflect on S1 & S2 VM, tho I am itching to. Come January, I'm totally rewatching.

10. Speaking of viewing habits, I have not seen any of this season's Office episodes. My NBC affiliate was in a fight for a month with Time Warner Cable and thus we didn't have that network for like a month, just as The Office was starting. And, since I'm a watch-em-in-order gal, I need to download those first 4 before I can see any of the later eps stored on my TiVo. How has it been going? Good? Bad? Meh?

11. Last night, a bunch of us were relaxing in my downtown office after the holiday stuff ended, and I overheard a group on 6 high school girls in our breakroom. One started talking about "the guy who plays Denny on Grey's Anatomy" and how he's hot. At first, I was like, woo, JDM getting some props from the younger set! Then I realized that no one mentioned him on SPN, which made me sad. (John Winchester, anyone? Anyone?) Will I ever meet someone in person who watches this show? The blank stare is getting old.

12. Speaking of Denny Duquette, I saw a commercial for Grey's (which I haven't seen since the end of the season where he died) and it showed Denny with Izzy. Anyone know what's going on there, and if it's worth wading back onto the Greys!verse? I mean, I love ya, JDM, but I don't know if I can stand Meredith, even for you.

OK, that's all I can think of to ramble on about. I will post my 100 movies list in a separate post, if anyone's curious. I hope everyone had an awesome summer and fall and Thanksgiving (my American friends, anyway.)

1. ( That Sandy's a class act. I'm just a nosy old woman. )

2. I saw the SATC movie last weekend with my two girlfriends (LOVED it!) and the random subscription I have begun to receive from Vogue (if you knew me, you'd know how hilarious that is) sent me a FAB photo story of Carrie & Big's imagined honeymoon. Guh, I <3 Big. *swoon*

3. Today we raced to the local Best Buy when they opened and snagged ourselves a Wii. The WiiFits were sold out, but we and the boys are having fun being really bad at all the games. I'll have to get in line some future Sunday to get the WiiFit.

4. I think this week I'm going to start Weight Watchers again. They have a class Wednesday at lunch in an office 7 floors down from mine. It honestly cannot get any more convenient than that, and god knows I need to do SOMETHING. I'm tired of having such a limited wardrobe because nothing fits anymore, plus I just look like crap. (Not to other people, but to myself.) I'm ready for a change. I'll have to cut way back on the MtnDew, but it's time I do that anyway. My kidneys will thank me, I'm sure.

Lately, I've been feeling like so much of the music on my iPod is old/retro/tired. But as I only listen to Lucy (the alternative hits channel on XM) or ESPN Radio, new music doesn't really cross my path often. Actually a lot of the newer music I have on the iPod was recced by y'all or found in the odd fanmix.

I live in Ohio -- which in my experience is the land of 4 kinds of music stations - top 40, adult contemporary, country and classic rock (with a smidge of alternative rock.) My friend Ida told me the way she stays in touch with new music is to periodically check LA's KROQ website. They have lists of the most requested and most played songs, and you can play a 30-second snippet of each song to try it out. But, shockingly, KROQ's music is, well, rock music. Alternative rock, but still rock. So tonight I thought I would check out New York's Hot 97's website for R&B/hip-hop recs, and I soon realized that I feel a little old for a good portion of their music.

I'd love to find a source for sampling singer/songwriters (I've seriously got a thing for Steve Carlson's music at the moment) but also somewhere I might hear Rilo Kiley or Brandi Carlile, with maybe some Weezer and/or Foo Fighters thrown in there. An eclectic mix is what I'm looking for. And I'd rather just listen first than download potentially a bunch of songs I won't like.

Can y'all help me out? *bats eyelashes*

I know I've read enough rants about punctuation and word choice and grammar on my flist to know that I'm not alone in my annoyance when mistakes are repeatedly made. But there is one thing that I see everywhere (by folks with otherwise good grammar usage, in the RL and online) that it is DRIVING ME UP A WALL and I knew I could share it here.

The apostrophe-s used to signify a plural of something, specific the plural of a family name.

AAAAAAAGH. *pulls hair*

For instance, saying The Winchester's when speaking of Sam and Dean as a unit. IT'S JUST AN S PEOPLE. NO APOSTROPHE NEEDED. Or Padalecki's or Anderson's or whatever. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

If it's the gun belonging to a Winchester, then it's Winchester's gun. Multiple guns belonging to the Winchester boys: Winchesters' guns. Otherwise it's just Winchesters.

It gets a little murkier when speaking about the Thomas family or the Cummins family or the Adams family (heh). I have always thought it should be The Thomases or The Cumminses or The Adamses. I told this to friends with the last names of Thomas and Cummins and they looked at me like I was nuts. Am I incorrect? And the Adamses? I always just address their Christmas card to the Adams family to give myself a little chuckle.

*climbs off of soapbox*
Thanks for listening. And PLEASE smack me down if any of my notions on this topic are incorrect.

On a completely separate note, Ben Browder is very hot. *gazes fondly at my moodtheme icon*