Richard Brook

This has been going around my F-list, and I'm bored and putting off doing a dozen other things, so this seems like a good time to do a meme.

Ask me about any character I RP or write, and I will pick one of the following and tell you:

(a) Three facts about them from my personal fanon.
(b) Two reasons they're amazing.
(c) Five things that I'd like to see happen to them.
(d) Three people that I might ship that character with and why.
or
(e) If I don't know the character or the fandom, I will make something up.
Original stuff and AUs always okay!

Day 02- The meaning behind your livejournal name

It's kind of boring, really. I originally created this account for role-playing purposes, but it took getting halfway through an EP on mixed_muses before I realised that I could not play this character. Around that time, I was looking to change my LJ name. This account suddenly became free and unused, and I really liked the name. So I went from being a zombie to a bent cowboy.

Thanks to someone in SF_D, I now have a zombie cowboy icon to go with it.


Day 03- A picture of you and your friends
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 06- Favorite super hero and why
Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Livejournal and why you made one
Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Who are you

So I'll do a meme.


A - Act your age?

I... guess? I don't really know many people my age, so I'm not sure how to answer this question.

B - Born on what day of the week?

Friday. I totally just looked that up, because I never knew that.

C - Chore you hate?

Dishes. Grah.

D - Dad's name?

Dad? Bill. If your asking for bio-dad, that's Terry. I don't know him, though. I did just spend a week at my dad's over the summer, though.

E- Essential makeup item?

Don't wear it. I do occasionally paint my nails. But I'm lame at keeping up with it.

F - Favorite actor/actress?

I really adore Simon Pegg. Also, Paul Giamatti and Kevin Spacey.

G - Gold or silver?

Silver. Gold is all yellow and gross.

H - Hometown?

I always just claim Portland. I don't think that I can technically answer this question, though, since by the time I started high school, I'd already lived in about 20 different states.

I - Instruments you play?

I don't. I pretend to play the guitar, though.

J - Job title?

Nothing.

K - Kids?

Nope.

L - Living arrangements?

Cruddy little apartment.

M - Mum's name?

Caren.

N - Nude?

I always feel like I'm on display, so no.

O - Overnight hospital stays?

:-|

P - Phobia?

I'm slowly working on overcoming an irrational fear of the dark.

Q - Quote you like?

Eat exuding oinks upon and bleed decrepit broken bones at caustic spells of hell -- that's been in my head all week. Please make it go away.

R - Religious affiliation?

No, thanks.

S - Siblings?

Four.

T - Time you wake up?

Whenever I'm done sleeping.

U - Unique habit?

Erm...I think it's more of a tic than a habit, but I go mad if my taskbar doesn't stay in a certain order. Thunderbird must ALWAYS be far left, next to the quick launch. Firefox is always right next to Thunderbird. Then is whatever auxiliary application I'm running (Paint Tool SAI, Plants vs Zombies, et cetera), followed by my IM windows. If, for some reason, they get out of order, I have to close everything out and put it back.

V - Vegetable you refuse to eat?

Onions. Because they will kill me.

W - Worst habit?

Procrastination, totally.

X - X-rays you've had?

Everywhere.

Y - Yummy food you make?

Spaghetti Bolognese. Is delicious.

Z - Zodiac Sign?

Sorry, what?

So here's another meme. Found on writingvixen's page.

A - ACCENT: I know I have one, but I'm not sure what you'd call it. I guess it's sort of the American equivalent of Brad Pitt's accent in Snatch; not really from anywhere, and baffling at times. Not quite as heavy, but it was a constant struggle when I was working at a call centre. That's what happens when your family lives like gypsies, though.

B - BREAST SIZE: DD. AKA, too fucking big.

C - CHORE YOU HATE: Laundry. Because it's all the way on the other end of the building.

D - DAD'S NAME: Billy. Yep, his mum called him Billy. Mostly, he just goes by Bill, though.

E - ESSENTIAL MAKE-UP ITEM: Is nail polish considered make-up? I don't wear anything on my face, so it'll have to count.

F - FAVORITE PERFUME: Don't use it.

G - GOLD OR SILVER: Silver. It just looks more classy. Gold's all yellow and weird.

H - HOMETOWN: I always list Portland, because that's where I went to college. But seriously. I'd lived in about 10 states before I started high school.

I - INSOMNIA: Yes, and if things don't change soon, I'm going to have to start medicating again.

J - JOB TITLE: Nothing.

K - KIDS: I don't mind them, as long as I can give them back at the end of the day.

L - LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: Tiny apartment with three boys -- two of which are cats.

M - MOM'S BIRTHPLACE: Pierre, South Dakota. Funnily enough, that's also where my father-in-law was born. Ryan and I met in Washington, where he'd lived all his life.

N - NUMBER OF APPLES YOU'VE EATEN: What?

O - OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAYS: I hate them. Even worse, I hate coming home all bruised up and sticky.

P - PHOBIA: I used to have quite a few, but I've done a good job at getting over most of them. There are still one or two lingering, though.

Q - QUEST: Right now? A good night's sleep.

R - RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: No, thanks.

S - SIBLINGS: Four

T - TIME YOU WAKE UP: Whenever I wake up

U - UNNATURAL HAIR COLORS YOU'VE WORN: I used to do this really awesome "colour" that would change depending on the light. It was either black, or blue, or violet, or crimson. I did that for a few years, until they discontinued the colour.

V - VEGETABLE YOU REFUSE TO EAT: The ones that will kill me.

W - WORST HABIT: Procrastination. But that seems to be the default for everyone.

X - X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD: Everywhere? Seriously.

Y - YUMMY FOODS YOU MAKE: Spaghetti Bolognaise. It's the one thing I can guarantee that Ryan will devour.

Z - ZANY QUIRK: I can't be barefoot. I hate it. It may be a phobia, I'm not sure. I even wear shoes in the shower.

yakalskovich gave me five interview questions. Here are my answers.


1. You live in Vegas, realm of hyperrealism, where other people go for slightly strange vacations made up of gambling, world class live shows, and intentionally trashy weirdness. Also, CSI. What is the best thing about it for you, and what's the worst?

I could do without 95°F at 2am. Really, that's the only thing I don't fancy. And the public transport. After living in the Portland area for about 20 years, I do miss reliable buses that run 24 hours and actually follow the timetables.

I must say, though, that I do really enjoy the hyperrealism and sheer absurdity of this place. I've never been anywhere else where I can walk into a corner shop and buy nail polish, sushi, and a new pair of shoes.

2. If you could change one fact about reality as we know it, what would it be, and why?

Hmm, that's a tough one. I'm not sure, actually. I've always sort of seen the universe as a dark comedy; even if I'm not outwardly laughing, I find most things in life funny as hell. I'm not exactly sure if I'd want an of it to change.

3. Talk about your cats! Add pictures if you like.

This is Cosmo. He's four, and absurdly difficult to photograph. Probably because when he does get his pictures taken, it's when my husband dresses him up like this.

Cosmo was born from a stray that my flatmate had taken in. He's named after Cosmo Kramer (the annoying neighbour from Seinfeld). We took him and Tram (the other surviving kitten), as well as their mother (who never actually had a name, but she eventually started answering to Stupid Whore, which we thought was funny) when we moved, because my flatmate was moving as well, and the building she was moving to didn't allow pets. Unfortunately, when the kittens were far too young to be separated, Tram climbed out of a window and we never saw him again, and now Cosmo can't stand being alone. If he even thinks he's been forgotten, he'll run into the room and start being loud. There's a bit of irony in that, considering his namesake. The last time we took him to the vet, he weighed in at about 15 pounds. She told us that he's underweight for his size, but we've no idea how to get a cat to gain weight.

Speaking of Dexter, here he is. Unlike Cosmo, he is a total ham, and will pose for the camera. He was born from that same Stupid Whore cat about a year after Cosmo. Once Dexter and the female from the litter were old enough, we got rid of the girls, and kept the boys. Dexter is named for Dexter Morgan. I have a massive scar on my thigh from when Dexter was a kitten. I was at the computer in my underwear (we were living in Death Valley at the time), and Dex wanted up on my lap. Being a kitten, he was rather uncoordinated, and the whole affair ended with a lot of bleeding. Again, there's irony there, given his namesake. Dexter is the baby. He only weighs about 13 pounds, and is also underweight. But, seriously.How do you get a creature to gain weight when it sleeps for 20 hours a day?

People say that you can't train cats. This is a lie. Our boys only know one traditional command. They know "lie down," which only ever gets used when they want lap time. They tend to like to just stand with all four of their feet situated within about four square inches on my stomach, which really hurts. They know loads of other, more abstract phrases though, which almost gives the impression that we've taught them to reason. Our "commands" are structured like, "Are you allowed to be up there?" (get down) or, "Get your fingers out of that!" (for when they claw up the sofa). My favourite, catch-all phrase is "Don't let poppa catch you doing that." That one started out from a time when Dexter had started chewing on Ryan's bootlaces, but has turned into a general sort of, "stop being a dick" command. They also know hand signals, and simple commands like, "fuck off" (get out of my seat) or "I will destroy you," (shut up). They do respond better to Ryan than they do to me, though. Half the time, he just has to look at them, and they do what he wants.

4. You live car-free in a small apartment, in a place dominated by large (if not always well-made) cardboard McMansions, where even the homeless sometimes still have cars and public transport is notoriously iffy. What are the most obvious advantages and limits of that mode of living?

Have I ever gone into my reasons, publicly, for not driving? If not, or for those who missed it, there's actually a huge reason behind it. Given my state of health, it would seem logical that I should have a car, but I have horrible anxiety issues, which I only learned a few years ago were linked Asperger's Syndrome, and they sort of wax and wane. I've been getting better at dealing with them in some aspects of life, but I still will find myself randomly freaking the fuck out for no damn good reason. I partly don't drive because I really don't want to be in charge of a piece of heavy machinery when my moods decide to play up. Also, every time I've tried to learn, I've lost my shit after about ten minutes. Driving scares the hell out of me. I'm the worst petrolhead ever.

Ryan does have a license, but he sold his car a few years ago for financial reasons. AKA, it was going to cost us about $5000 to get it registered in Nevada for a bunch of bullshit reasons, and he just never bothered buying a new one.

This is a major consideration whenever we relocate. Bus lines are a must, and it must be in an area with "stuff." Stuff, in our current location, is defined as a few restaurants, a 24 hour supermarket, and a branch of our bank. We're about two miles from Caesar's Palace (where Ryan works), and over the winter, he bought a bicycle to further save money (since bus passes are about $80 a month). I can handle the shopping (usually) since the Vons is just across the street, but Ryan's been in charge of the bank lately. It's actually about a mile away, and I can handle it, but just barely. It's just easier for him to hop on his bike and get the rent cheque that way.

5. A Dream Vacation, or one place you'd like to visit in the course of your life.

My dream vacation is the road trip variety. I'm all about the journey, with the destination coming second. We're trying to work out a trip to San Francisco again, since it's been a few years since we went up there (and it's a lovely drive between Vegas and Frisco), but Ryan has problems getting time off, given his job.


Feel free to comment in if you want me to interview you.

1. Go to Google (or Yahoo) and type, "You know you're from (your state) when...."
2. Cut and paste the list.
3. Bold or italicize the items that apply to you

I did two. And I did cities, because they seemed more entertaining.

( Las Vegas )

( Portland )

Comment on this entry and I will give you a letter. Name 5 songs you love starting with that letter.

merrymatryoshka gave me B.

Beekeeper's Daughter, by the Residents
Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite, by Eddie Izzard
Brick, by Ben Folds Five
Baby Fratelli, by the Fratellis (I think I may need to put a Spoilers for Hot Fuzz warning on this one)
Breakdown, by Tantric


And a bonus, because I really love the choreography:

Burning Love, by the Residents

This one's going round my F-list. So, why not.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4-7 sentences on your LJ along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest (unless it's too troublesome to reach and is really heavy. Then go back to step 1).
6. Tag five people.

Physicists are now working on the post-silicon technology that will dominate the computer world after 2020, but so far with mixed results. As we have seen, a variety of technologies are being studied that may eventually replace silicon technology, including quantum computers, DNA computers, optical computers, atomic computers, and so forth. But each of them faces huge hurdles before it can take on the mantle of silicon chips. Manipulating individual atoms and molecules is a technology that is still in its infancy, so making billions of transistors that are atomic in size is still beyond our ability.

Physics of the Impossible, by Michio Kaku, Doubleday, 2008


It was either this, the Pocket Ref (which is mostly diagrams and charts), or Would, Could, Should, which doesn't even have 50 pages. But they were all here in this room, so there ya go.

( For the record, this is what the Pocket Ref looks like on page 123 )

Not tagging. Do it if you want to.

Ganked from goddessdster

You give me a fandom (book, movie, or TV), and I'll list:

One True Pairing Ship:
Canon Ship:
"If this happens I'll stab my eyes out with a spork" ship:
"You are one sick bastard" ship:
"I dabble a little" ship:
"It's like a car crash" ship:
"Tickles my fancy but not sold just yet" ship:
"Makes no canon sense but why the hell not" ship:
"Everyone else loves it but I just don't feel it" ship:

Please, make it a fandom that I've, you know, seen. :P