Update at last! May in a nutshell...

[dendritejungle]

Hello all you wonderful people! Damn, I have missed you. Sadly, this is still pretty much just a sticking-my-head-in-to-let-you-know-I'm-still-alive kind of thing, as I'm gearing up for the next round of events, but I can give you at least the point-form version of my life recently:

• The most awesome thing about May? nixwilliams' visit to Canada! \o/ audreyovisual, neeuqdrazil, toft_froggy, eboniorchid and I had a blast showing him our corner of the world. Seriously guys, if he ever intends to show up in your town? GRAB HIM! He's as hilarious and enthusiastic and friendly in real life as he is online, and cooks AMAZINGLY to boot. And did I mention the backrubs? And the general awesomeness? He gets the DendriteJungle Houseguest Seal of Approval.


• Hosting the Supernatural finale viewing - and for everyone I promised the LJ list of who was there for friending purposes, here you go: nixwilliams, audreyovisual, krakkernuts, morphing_lanes, shing_, trias_cube, neeuqdrazil, burnfor and not there were eboniorchid and onci_dium. Two of my (other) illustrious co-workers were also there, but they aren't on LJ.


• Working overtime on the website and generally for That Big Event coming up. :P


• Seeing mah girls, of course, who are as lovely and awesome as always. *smishes them*


• Finishing 35 origami roses and some cranes for an exhibit for That Big Event. I swear I will get to actually SEE the exhibit one of these days.


• Getting my parents' new computer up and running - 7 hours and counting. And oh yeah, getting MY new computer up and running - between the software installation and configuring and data transfer and sorting I'm probably at 20 hours or so and counting. *wince*


• Spending mealtimes watching the anime series Death Note which I am loving to bits. LOVE. ING. I can't get enough of the "how will he get out of this one?!?" chess-like mind games, and Light vs. L has to be one of the most interesting and dynamic pairings I've seen.


• Planting up a little storm for my container garden. *pets it*


• Prepping for and going to a trade show in New York for a week. Crazy tired at the end of each day, but did have dinner with old friends one night and fairylane and company another. Oh, and a third night I was so exhausted I just ordered ROOM SERVICE. \o/ I love room service. It just feels so decadent. Two other things: I ended up staying in a ritzy hotel since there was nothing else available. AWESOME. And I loved beyond all reason this ad for Spike TV's upcoming Star Wars movie marathon (click on it for a larger version):
  
  It was on the ceiling of a public transit bus: you should have seen the looks I got crouching on the floor to take the photo. Apparently I'm weird even by New York standards, heh.


• And last weekend was Anime North, the highlight of my yearly geek calendar. Enjoyed Friday evening and Saturday, am now the poud (if rather poor) owner of a whack of new anime DVDs, finally got to see a few shows everyone's been talking about, and was introduced to the delightfully quirky Moyashimon, a series about an agricultural student who can see microbes and the wacky hijinks that ensue.

...and, of course, the oh-so-exciting cleaning and laundry and putting away from all of the above. :P

This week is moderately less crazy before the final plunge into the ten-day hell of That Big Event and my favourite annual event, the World Wide Short Film Festival. (I'm deeply amused by the hilarious promo video on the homepage. Look, it's me! :D Okay, not literally.) For any Torontonians interested, these are the viewings I'm currently planning to be at:

Wed June 11, 9:30 PM: Slap 'N' Tickle (Cumberland 3)
"Girls who gotta have it, boys who can’t keep their hands off them (or each other), a six-foot penis, and a horny dinosaur share their saucy stories in this year’s naughty line up of sexy shorts."

(There's some neat Japanese animation on Thursday evening, but apparently you can rent/buy those programs on DVD.)

Friday June 13, 7:30 PM: Japanese Spotlight: Emerging Auteur Animators (Cumberland 3)
"National Film Board of Canada animation producer Michael Fukushima and Judy Gladstone of CTVglobemedia’s Bravo!FACT curate this program of shorts from a country that brings the world some of its most remarkable animation."

Friday June 13, 9:30 PM: Sci-Fi: Out There (Cumberland 3)
"Oh the humanity! And the non-humanity! Love, death, and the search for meaning are all on display, so enter our 2D holoimaging facility (okay, the Cumberland Cinemas) for a stellar dose of alien invasions, flirtations with immortality, extraterrestrial existential angst, and extremely well-fitted lab coats."

Friday June 13, 11:59 PM: Midnight Mania: Creepy (Cumberland 3)
Get ready to squirm with eight disturbing short films from as far away as Russia and Norway and as close as right here in Toronto. The zombie apocalypse, French were-creatures, serial killers…we got it all and more.

Saturday June 14, 12:00 PM: Official Selection 8: The Great Escape (Cumberland 4)
"Stuck in a rut, trapped under the ice, or caught in a modern-day egg-laying fable nightmare, everyone needs to escape their lives once in a while. Heroic, comedic, and dramatic, enjoy these quick getaways from the everyday."

Saturday June 14, 4:30 PM: Thai Spotlight (Cumberland 3)
"Ranging from obvious homages to a beloved king to works that simply celebrate living gracefully, these shorts in celebration of Thailand’s monarch display a national cinema bursting with talent, fearlessly blending traditional and modern arts."

Saturday June 14, 7:30 PM: Official Selection 12: Watch What You Eat (Cumberland 3)
"Sweet, sour, spicy, and salty – these food films are so delicious, we bet you can’t watch just one. Rich and flavorful, our menu features fare suitable for both comedy and drama-rich diets."

Saturday June 14, 9:30 PM: Official Selection 11: Human Resources (Cumberland 3)
Some people “are” what they do, while others play at 9 to 5. Take a break from your daily grind with these hard-working dramas and comedies starring a staff of quirky accountants, eccentric writers, and personal slaves.

Saturday June 14, 11:59 PM: Midnight Mania: Freaky (Cumberland 3)
"The world can be a very strange place and we’ve got the cinematic proof. Abused flora, hybridized fauna, alien mind control, and the shocking side effects of radioactive beverages are all captured on film."

There are, of course, a lot of other programs going on; these are just the viewings I'm hoping to make it to. If anyone's interested, it's cheaper to buy tickets in six-packs so I'm happy to pick up tickets for other people while I'm getting mine.

And THEN I've got one week before a trip out west for a family reunion.

So my apologies for not catching up on your LJs in May - and June isn't looking much better! I'll try to do at least a bit of reading this week, but please bear with me if I don't comment much over the next little while. If anything important is going on with you, though, and you'd like to let me know do please feel free to drop me a line/comment - I care how y'all are doing!

Comments

[audreyovisual.livejournal.com]

WOOT! She's aliiive!

Oh, OK, I knew that - I've actually SEEN YOU IN PERSON a few times in the past few weeks.

Still, here in the LJverse it's been sadly Denless for a while.

You realize, of course, that everything you're putting off until July means July will be crazy busy too!

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

Just a few times, eh? Like, EIGHT HOURS A DAY FIVE DAYS A WEEK OMG?!? My mission, you know, is to infiltrate every area of your life. *waggles eyebrows suggestively*

Sadly, yes, I was looking at my July and realizing exactly that. Much to my amused chagrin. Oh, the curse of a happy busy life. WOE IS ME! *dramatic hand to forehead*

[audreyovisual.livejournal.com]

" EIGHT HOURS A DAY FIVE DAYS A WEEK OMG?!"

Ha. Who was away in a certain large city for a week recently?

Even when you're there, we've been busy enough to not see one another all that much daily.

And put those eyebrows away, young lady.

*clutches pearls*

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

Okay, fair enough. :)

*tucks eyebrows into pocket* *FOR NOW*

[spiraldurga.livejournal.com]

I've been wondering if I should try to get an appointment with you in July, or if I should just wait until fall...

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

*giggle* Well, my weekends are already (!!) shot if you were thinking of a whole-day thing, but if you're up for dinner or coffee or some sort of evening get-together, that's certainly doable! :)

[spiraldurga.livejournal.com]

I am completely up for a dinner or coffee. Email me your availability. I am away in July 11-21.

[http://users.livejournal.com/shing_/]

Wow, that is one hectic schedule you've got going there. Makes my life seem woefully empty and boring.

Oh well.

*goes back to doing nothing* :D

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

I'M JEALOUS! I WANNA DO NOOOOTHING FOR A WHILE! *grabby hands at your doing nothing*

[nixwilliams.livejournal.com]

*GRABS YOU*

o hai! i had a fabbo time at yours, yes indeedy! say hi and give pats to the kitty for me! *g*

good luck with everything and don't stress yourself out. (and start drinking tea instead of coffee, for reals! it will make you caaaaaalmer! *g*)

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

Mercy, grabbing! *cluches pearls frantically*

I am SO GLAD you had a good time!!!1!! :D :D :D Totally makes the organizational stuff worthwhile. \o/

Kitty says purrrr. I say snooooozzzzzznnnnn... *snore*

[mycrazyhair.livejournal.com]

Well, given that you're not reading LJ is probably worth mentioning that I'm having a bit of a get-together at my place on June 14th. Er. But it appears you're well and truly booked that night, so have fun!

And if by chance you're into painting gay garden gnomes, that's happening on Sunday, June 8th at my place. If you're interested and want a gnome, just let me know.

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

Ooo, thanks for the heads-up! I'm afraid I am indeed swamped, but I really do appreciate the invite. I hope to get back to your place sometime, really!

[lostandalone22.livejournal.com]

*HUGS* Good luck with your garden.

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

Thanks, sweetheart! I hope you're doing well! *hugs back*

[krakkernuts.livejournal.com]

I hope you have a wonderful, fun-filled summer - just don't wear yourself out with all that busyness.

As for me, I'm finally allowed to say where my parents are going!

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

\o/ Thank you - and you too! Big changes afoot, eh? I hope your move goes smoothly, and you take to your new digs like a duck to water. :D

[neeuqdrazil.livejournal.com]

Hooray for all sorts of good things! Especially hooray for good anime and short films and lurves!

*smooches*

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

*twirls you* Hear hear! :D

Hey there saylor

[ishai-wallace.livejournal.com]

::lets out a long low wolf whistle::

Fancy meeting you in this neck of the woods. I'm probably a much newer denizen in this environ, but hey, good to find you.

I've added you as a friend if that's alright. I don't see you in person nearly often enough and well, here is an adequate second.

j

Re: Hey there saylor

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

Y HALO THAR! Fancy meeting you in a place like this! ;P I'm delighted you've friended me, and have done so back.

*hugs*

[trias-cube.livejournal.com]

nixwilliams is really wonderful. I'm so glad I got to meet him through you guys and hang out with him and you all. That whole week was so much fun!

Supernatural finale was excellent!! I was quite pleased with the ending. :) *evil smirk*

You should totally get someone to take pictures of your origami roses and cranes at the exhibit. Congrats on finishing them all and a successful exhibit!