Awake with the light

[ceitfianna]

I really did mean to sleep tonight but it didn't seem fated to happen. Perhaps I can reset myself by staying up today and then sleeping when I get home from work tonight. I do plan on treating myself to a proper breakfast of pancakes or French toast or waffles at I think the Broken Egg.

In the meantime, I've finally started setting up my playlists on my new computer and I'd forgotten how for some reason iTunes will reorder and separate things by various artists. Its a pain as I like having my soundtracks in order. Also I have lots of random songs that people have given me and I don't recall them all, which makes things interesting.

I'm also rereading Tam Lin as between the various moves, my lovely paperback copy went missing and I bought a new one from Amazon. The cover image isn't as beautiful as the painting but its nice. Rereading is a joy as this is one of those books that truly imprinted on me. I first read it my junior year of high school when I had a horrible English teacher who did horrible things to my creative writing. We had block classes and I had her twice that year for creative writing and English, in both of them we spent most of our time writing essays for contests as they made her look good. It took me far too long after those classes before I actually started writing fiction again as she made me not look forward to writing. The two upsides were one of my oldest friends, the guy who introduced me to LARPing and was my first boyfriend was in the class, he was willing to argue with her and cause trouble, and she had a eclectic paperback collection. I picked up Tam Lin and it clicked for me, I think its partly to blame for my love of Classics and urban fantasy. One reason it worked for me was that I grew up on a small college campus so the setting felt quite familiar to me.

Now in_the_blue started a round of the icon meme and so my answers to that will go under the cut. I love any excuse to look at everyone's beautiful icons so please comment.

Comment on this post and let me know you want to participate. I will choose six userpics from your profile and you will explain what they mean and why you are using them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so others can play along.




I drink tea, quite a lot of it and read. My happy place is to be in a comfortable place with a good book, tea to drink and something to nibble on. It balances everything out. This icon captures that idea beautifully and sunlitdays is one of my favorite icon makers.



I love birds so very much and I first chose this icon for my Changeling pup, pi_wakawaka and then decided I needed it too. I love the colors and vibrancy and look of mischief in the person's eyes. Someday I want a mask or dress or something like that.



The Disney version of Robin Hood is my second favorite movie take on the myth, Errol Flynn's is my favorite and I love the little rabbit. In my head, he's their version of Will and I love his expression and this is my oh shit, what's wrong now icon.



I have a long and deep abiding love for the Narnia books and I enjoyed the movie version. One of my favorite parts was Tom Wilkinson as Professor Kirke and when I spotted this icon I had to have it. Its for those moments of going, oh please, you can't be serious. I love how he looks kind and also like he's going to explain things soon. I also have a nu!Trek Bones' icon with a similar expression except Bones implies there is more stupid involved. Professor Kirke just thinks you're being silly and wondering what they teach in those schools.



These are Charter Marks from the Abhorsen Chronicles by Garth Nix, one of my favorite fantasy worlds. I was introduced to it by saphyria's brilliant portrayal of Yrael and read them and acquired Sameth, my mixed up makesthings. Charter Marks are the magic of the Old Kingdom and I think they're beautiful and this icon is my general Old Kingdom icon along with being pretty.



This icon was originally created for part of Sameth's canon, but I discovered I quite liked it. When I was younger I did horseback riding and have done it again whenever I can and at some point figured I needed a horse icon. I love the lighting and motion in this image, it has a great sense of something is going to happen.

Comments

[spooky-lemur.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten how for some reason iTunes will reorder and separate things by various artists. Its a pain as I like having my soundtracks in order.

I've found that if you select all the songs on the album and get info (file menu/get info or command+I (control+I on PC)). Then go to the option tab and at the "Part of a compilation" pull down change it to yes and it will group everything selected together. It will move all the mp3s to a folder within the iTunes music folder compilations with the title of the album.

ETA: Oh and I'll do this meme. I think I even have a few enw icons since the last time we did this.

Additionally, I wanted to thank you for suggesting After the Golden Age! I am loving the book and it's mysteries. I've read a few other super hero genre books and they were fun but not quite there. This book proves the genre can work in prose.

[ceitfianna]

Ooh, that sounds very useful. I'll have to see what I can do about that. I think its done some of that already as I know within the iTunes music some things are together just not all of them. If that will help will keeping them together, it would be much simpler than futzing with each song.

I'm glad you liked it. It was interesting, I was reading other reviews of it on LibraryThing and found myself thinking that its a well written book but makes more sense to genre readers. I know that within it there were references I probably didn't get as I don't know comics terribly well.

[spooky-lemur.livejournal.com]

I'm actually still reading it but I've only a third of it left. I might need to reread it to catch the nods as I've been more interested in the story and the mystery.

[ceitfianna]

The mystery plus the characters are so compelling. I'm thinking about picking up more Carrie Vaughn books are she masters that tricky place of action and mystery. I'm reminded of Seanan McGuire just with a different focus.

Also thank you so much for the iTunes help, I can't believe I never figured out how to do that before, but it works. Apparently I like anthologies in my music as much as I do my books.

[74asecret.livejournal.com]

I've read her Discord's Apple (very good) and some short stories before and I rally like her characterizations. It's like she can take familiar old cliches and breath new life into them. I think this book is so strong as the spot light isn't on the super heroes.

And I'm glad I was able to help. I've spent a lot of time under the hood figuring out how to group audiobooks. = ]

And I'm being lazy and not logging out of a character LJ.

[skidmo]

Yay, icon meme! I'll do it. :)

[ceitfianna]

I love the icon meme, its one of my favorites. Also Liir and William have been fascinating, they've gone in really unexpected directions.

[skidmo]

I'm having a lot of fun with them. Liir will pretty much talk about anything as long as it doesn't get too personal.

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

Since I already did this once, how about icons for not_that_spike? I haven't let my humble bountyhunter out to play for a while. Or if you're not into the idea of character journals, pick some new ones for me. I like explaining them!

[ceitfianna]

I just realized that I forgot to do the answers for one icon. This is what happens when I don't sleep. Now to give you icons.

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

Yeah. This from Session #20, Pierrot le Fou. It's the only episode of Bebop that was done digitally, and it's dramatic in the extreme. I used this for Spike when he really, really didn't want to get shot right that moment.

Oh, this icon makes me very very sad. It's the last frame of Spike in the entire series. Let me spoil it for you: it's a sad sad moment! BUT. It's a cool icon, because he's smiling, so I used it for his melancholy or deceptive moments.

This is from the movie! I LOVE THIS MOMENT, Spike taking time out of his fruitless searching to spar a little and teach some Jeet Kune Do to a passing kid. I used it for that because he used to teach at Milliways, and also for when he's being uncharacteristically selfless and helpful. Or, you know, just around kids in general.

Also from the movie, after Spike's almost killed (for the first time) by Vincent Volaju. Okay, let's talk connections (I was so excited that LJ apparently decided to post this before I wanted, thank you edit function). Vincent's played by Daran Norris, who played Cowboy Andy in the series. In real life Daran Norris is married to Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, who played Julia. SMALL WORLD. This was always one of Spike's "hey, I'm wounded and this time I don't feel too fucking good about it" icons.

Ah, promotional art! I only ever used this for Spike when he was threading with Beth (or mostly only ever used it for them). It's his "yo, I'm your man" icon and like the keywords say, he smiles like that for Beth only.

Yeah, staring into space! It's from the very first episode, Asteroid Blues, when Spike's... probably contemplating the utter futility of life and death and everything (he's a little bit of a nihilist). I love this one. I use it for when he's contemplative as hell and can't face what's going on.

[kit-the-brave.livejournal.com]

I remember Tam Lin! It was part of that fairy tale series edited by Teri Windling. My favorite was the Snow White and Rose Red, but I liked Tam Lin a lot.

And I love the Disney Robin Hood! That icon cracks me up. :)

[ceitfianna]

I don't think I've read the others in the series though I keep meaning to. Tam Lin was one of those books that clicked for me.

Disney Robin Hood is one of my happy movies and someone linked me to this lovely post of icons and I snagged that one and the one I'm using for this comment.

[silveraspen]

I haven't read Tam Lin anything in a long time. Maybe I should remedy that.

Icon-meme me?

[ceitfianna]

Pamela Dean's Tam Lin is my favorite-poetry quoting, discussions of theater, college life, people that feel real and lots of Classics.

[one-more-cherry.livejournal.com]

Me!

[ceitfianna]

[one-more-cherry.livejournal.com]

Thank you! <3

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say that your icon of Professor Kirke rules! His face right there - I love that whole bit where is he is all, "Then logically she must be telling the truth." Narnia was the secret escape of my childhood.

[ceitfianna]

Oh yes, they were the books I'd reread all the time. I actually haven't read The Last Battle since at some point when I was young, I said I wouldn't as the series would be over. I still haven't.