Arrogance in a morning

Douchebag: *rides past Shanan and Alistair on a bike despite it being a very narrow path*
Me: I don't get people who do that. Just walk until you reach a wider area.
Alistair: Yeah, well, he's probably in a hurry to get somewhere.
Me: The time he takes to navigate past padestrians will probably cost him more than if he just walked. He's a moron.
Alistair: That's a quick judgement.
Me: It may be quick, but it's a fair assessment. Especially considering how he's not me.
Alistair *brief pause* ... and therefore must be a moron.
Me: Precisely, anyone not me is a moron.
Alistair: *chuckle* I like that logic.
Me: Well take you for example. You're a moron. And you're not me. What more empirical proof to we need?

*brief pause for laughage*

Me: I'm sorry, if Connor were here I would've definitely picked on him. As it is, however, you're going to have to be my bitch.

I had only 3 hours sleep this morning, but I was totally in my witty prime and on was on fire all day. It's such a satisfying feeling when you end a day assured that every conversation you had was filled with gratifying lols of your own doing. Ideally that'd be the way I live every day.

Past few days have been hectic, hence the lack of posts. Each night I've been doing work (or taking a break and watching something) and by the time I realised what time it was, I had to hop straight into bed to maximise my sleeping time. I was going to write up my Lost season 5 finale analysis tonight, but as it turns out, it's 2am and I'm buggered. This was seriously one of the best episodes ever - I was able to rewatch the entire double episode the next day ... I think that says something ;)

I've got a lot of thoughts and theories on Lost... so I'll see if I have time to write it up tomorrow, it'll be a coupla thousand words long, as usual, but most likely going to be worth it ;) However, I'm likely going to go watch Angels and Demons tomorrow with Gobi, so that's a few hours gone. AND I plan to work on Spiral, either fully plan out my next chapter or even write it, which will take another few hours.

As I think I mentioned in my last Spiral entry, I came up with a pretty kickass final scene for the chapter. And I know the scene that comes directly before it. But between the opener and the penultimate scene I have no idea what to do. I'll have to come up with something to fill it in. The time frame can't be too long either, to make the final scenes work. Maximum a day or two. Might do a character based chapter.

It's going to be so frickin' sweet if I'm able to send Colby my next chapter by Sunday evening or Monday. Since I only received it a day or two ago. I can't even remember, my sense of time is completely rooted (or unrooted, as the case may be...).

I wonder how many hours I'll be able to sleep for - anyone wanna place a bet?

Muse's Triad

I probably speak about the Muse far too often, but sometimes the timing of things just is too perfect. (Isn't it odd how I attribute all the shit in my life to a malicious, bitchy omnipotent God, and all the perfection in my life to an ethereal, practically powerless Muse?) She speaks out to me with three things that will happen or are happening this week.

1. House.

If you asked me a few weeks ago about this would all end I wouldn't have a clue. It really has felt like one long episode starting with Kutner's suicide. The result of this is the catalyst for Cameron and Chase marrying, but also House's introspection into who he is and why he is the way he is. But this latter point was deftly avoiding overt explication, rather it was symbolically represented in Amber and how he handles with that.

And that final moment at the end, when he realises his detox and sexual encounter were part of the delusion... So perfect and unexpected and yet you feel like you should've seen it. They dole out precisely what the fans one, the long awaited Huddy relationship, and in our fervour, we don't examine its possibility. No one cried foul and accused them writers of writing unrealistic scenes - the situation in which House and Cuddy fall into each others' arms was too perfect. I could learn a thing or two from that.

Seriously though, the delusions aspect of it has been hinted at for ages. Like that bus scene with Amber at the end of season 4. He wasn't in some drug addled state, such as season 2's finale, perfectly lucid and rational and yet he converses with Amber on a celestial bus?! Surprised no one joined the dots sooner.

Where can they go in season 6 with House in an institution? I have no idea. But I seriously hope they introduce a psychiatrist character (STEPHEN FRY!? OMG!) that examines him ferociously. Why not even have the guy sit in on differentials (whilst House is still there)? Alternatively, they could focus on the hospital with them trying to work without House there. Imagine a whole episode without Hugh Laurie in it... that would be an amazing ep (from an artistic point of view).

2. Lost

Lost finale on Thursday. Incident fever has hit an all time high here. My mind is just constantly running and trying to come up with some ideas as to how it all pans out.

3. 8-Bit theatre.

If you don't read 8-Bit Theatre, then you haven't lived. Go do it. Now. I've always maintain that despite it being a webcomic, despite it being designed for comedy, despite its "subpar" graphical style, that the plot and the characters were the work of a genius. That they were characters capable of ringing true, archetypes that spoke to the irrational. That, and they were fucking hilarious.

All of my time at Grammar, I had pinned up the infamous episode 434. Why? Because of the intense and rapacious discussions it created. A vague and wholly unfunny episode generates the most discussion out of any episode for a comedy based comic? That only spoke to how powerful the plot and its fans and speculation would run.

But people are only realising now how perfect the characters are. They're morons. It was apparent from the very get go (after 100 eps or so) that it all started to fall together. Despite the variable personalities, such as a character was as dumb or as smart as the joke needed, there was some core truth to it all and now it's coming out.

The shits real now. Everyone can feel the ending coming soon. Maybe he'll cut to a tangential arc and keep us in the lurch. If he does, great, the lols are needed. But I suspect he may not, Mr Clevinger, that clever man, will truck along, going down this inevitable path towards his story's end.

This afternoon when I read the latest episode, I sat here stunned, in silence. Were it another time of day, I may've got emotional. Over pixelated characters on a screen? wot?! But that feeling of having everything you thought you knew pulled from underneath you. That's so powerful. Again, another lesson I could use for my own writing.

***

All this to say that Colby has (finally) given me the latest Spiral chapter. I'm planning on staying true to my word, that I would get it back to him within 1.5 weeks. So that gives me until about Friday of next week. I suspect, if all goes according to my tenuous plan, I will give it to him on Monday, having utilised the weekend to my advantage.

What can I say about Colby's latest chapter... Well, he's managed to throw a spanner into the works. That is, disrupted the things I wanted to do with a few characters and suddenly lit a fire under my plot's ass. That is, he's placed pressure now onto me to write something I hadn't planned. Which is great. I sort of did plan something similar, but his way is probably better.

He's also ruined my larger mythos that I wanted to use. Well not totally ruined, but definitely placed it udner duress. I think I can still manage to salvage most of it.

However, there were no mindfucks, as he promised. Just spanners. And that was to me as a writer. No minor-mind-fucks for the readers... But I intend to throw him a mindfuck next chapter. Pretty much planned it tonight just sitting here studying. From there, I have a few spanners to throw him as well. Partly to salvage my plot and partly just to fuck with him :D

A real life Zombie would be scary.

^^ That little insight is an example of one of the many shambolic thoughts that cascade through my mind during the course of the day. It's 10pm at night and you're standing around in a dark street waiting for a bus, birds (crows?) of some description are squacking off in the distance, the trees in the park near you russle and you see shadows of Lord knows what flicker peripherally, it's only natural that undeath becomes salient.

Seriously. Think about it. We've all played zombie games in our time, running around the streets of a deserted city or run-down building... Seeing an animated cadaver limp around a corner. But seriously consider it happening to you in real life.

I imagined one today, coming from underneath some street lights. It wasn't even running or anything. Slowly but gradually making its frenzied way towards me. That's scary.

Or how about my one apparition of a herd of 5-6 all charging around of the bushes? That slow-motion reveal where I can only see their figures in the darkness, as they teasingly step into the curtain of light and unveil their malicious intent.

It seriously puts me in the mood to play Left4Dead, which as I have heard, places one in the exact mindset of complete surprise and shock. I haven't played a game with that in such a long time. I think I might have to go out with Gordon some day and play it at a LAN place - said he'd be up for it. He said it'd be for multiplayer, but I'm more interested in campaigning with him. Will have to find someone else who'd be interested in doing that... Hmmm! Maybe Connor and Spears and Gordon and me? That'd be an interesting team!

*mind races at the endless Zombiephillic possibilities*

And now I'm going to sleep after having relived all those visions. Nightmares much? D:

Evaluative forms

At the end of each semester, all ANU students must endure a grueling process in which every lecture and lab/tute they attend will have these Evaluation Forms. You give feedback on the lecture materials, the lecturer and the course in general.

Typically, it taxes me in every possible medium to fill these in, though I endeavour to leave insightful and useful comments. Not for this Neuroscience, though. I'm looking forward to the moment I get my hands on those forms. There are so many things wrong with this course.

I'm the sort of person who knows the difference between when I just don't get something and when something is unneccessarily difficult. It's not just a matter of instrumental value, I know I will use 5% of the knowledge acquired in this course throughought my life, that's not the point though. There's just too much to learn and all crammed into this one course.

Let's take this week. I have a 5% quiz. According to the syllabus, the readings are ... 7 chapters. Not just light frothy chapters either, densely packed, heavily jargoned readings. Fuck this. I'm hedging my bets and focussing on two chapters only.

Theoretically there's only 15% of this quiz business left. Overall not a significant amount. I'm worried and studying for what is ostensibly very minor. It's like Cap As at Grammar all over again - everyone freaking out for what would end up being 1.75% :P People pulled all nighters in the boarding house. Seriously, there's something wrong when people worry about not having done enough or knowing enough for a number of marks that I can count on one hand.

AbCab #3

Totally decided that I'm going to number these and keep a label on 'em. I have no idea why I didn't do it before... Anyway, I'll periodically trawl my twitter feed and collate a list for all you luverly people.

• Cruft
• Minutiae
• Verisimilitude
• Alacrity
• Dalliance
• Ameliorate
• Oftentimes
• Vicissitude
• Iconoclast
• Majuscle
• Apotheosis

Short list this time ... Didn't find much when I was stuck in Sydney, I guess :\