The Bookworm's Musings

Sqee!

2008-05-07T23:36:06Z

My sewing machine arrived last night!
It's a Brother XL 2600 that I got for $90 on Overstock.com (yeah, I was shocked by the price, too. I had budgeted around $400 for this, but..). I've taken it out of the shipping box, but not out of it's plastic bag yet, but it looks great. It's refurbished, but appears to be in good condition.
I'm so excited! I'll be really unpacking it this weekend, after I get my midterm paper done. I've got some material I picked up at a yard sale that I'm planning to use to make an apron as a warm-up project, plus a couple of pillow covers that need finishing, a t-shirt I'm going to turn into a pillow cover, some mending & taking up, etc. Then, after finals are done, the real projects will begin!
I decided to get back into sewing again because it's so difficult to find clothes that fit me, look nice on me, are comfortable, and don't cost an arm and a leg. Skirts and pants are especially hard to find. I've been trying to find some new clothes, a very frustrating task, and wandered into the fabric store. The new owner was very friendly, coming right over, asking about what kind of sewing I do, was I planning any projects, etc. I told her about my dilemma, and she showed me some nice patterns, etc. Next thing I know, I'm dragging my mom down there to consider things further, and then buying a sewing machine and all the sewing supplies, planning what skirts I'm going to make, looking at fabric, etc. And here I am. I plan to add at least two more skirts, a pair of pants, and possibly a couple of dresses or jumpers to my wardrobe this summer. We found the cutest skirt and jacket pattern that will be perfect for work once I graduate. I never wear tight skirts (if it has a slit, it's too tight) or anything much shorter than mid-calf, so finding an actual suit that I like is usually a case of mix & match & make do, but this will look so nice. Sooo excited! Can you tell?
And, since most of my equipment budget is still left, I might even get a serger. I remember how wonderful they are, but now that I've got such a good price on the sewing machine, I've suddenly turned into a pinchpenny, lol. Besides, I'm not exactly sure what kind of serger I need, since I've never had one before. The sewing machine was easy, we used to do a lot of sewing when I was a kid, and mom helped me decide on the right one, but neither of us has ever owned a serger, although I used one in Home Ec. in High School. There are so many choices! All I want to do is finish seams and maybe do rolled hems, but the machines look so complicated! Maybe I'll just spend the money on more outfits instead. We'll see.
A side effect of this is that I might become more social. The more pretty outfits I see, the more I want a reason to wear them! Sewing - #1 reason not to become a hermit.

bookworm_2005 @ 2008-05-03T16:11:00

2008-05-03T23:11:21Z

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
39
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Firefox Extensions: The Test of Time

2008-04-20T02:22:19Z

Because it has been quite a while since my previous Firefox extension posts (see them here), I thought it might be time for a new one. I have been using Firefox for over two years now, and I still love it. In fact, it is probably the single most important and most used application on my computer. All told, about 95% of my computer time is spent in Firefox. Over time, extensions have come, extensions have gone, yet through it all, Firefox remains eternal. I now present a list of extensions that have passed the Tests of Time, becoming so much a part of my browsing habits that I won't even consider switching to Firefox 3.0 until these extensions are fully compatible. And, to round it all off, I will list the Bookmarklets I use and add some nifty screen-shots of my current setup. I am currently using the Firefox 2.0 nightly builds, FYI.

Extensions Which Have Passed the "Test of Time":

Adblock Plus: Now with readily available, automatically updated filter lists. Still love this extension, wouldn't want to be without it. In fact, I never realized what an impact it had until I began regularly using Campus computers, which don't have this extension installed. Ads Suck! There is nothing I hate more then those blasted full-page, time-delayed, click-here-to-proceed-to-your-content ads. Banner & text ads can be tolerated, but hi-jacking ads are among the evilest things ever created! Adblock = Browsing Bliss.
Autohide: Absolutely essential. The best full-full screen extension I have ever used. Allows you to show or hide specific toolbars in full-screen mode, and the auto hide/show (much like I.E.'s new full-screen, in some respects) toggle allows for true full-screen browsing. Unfortunately, this hasn't been updated for quite some time, so you will need to download a compatibility-forcing extension such as Mr. Tech's Download Manager or Nightly Tester Tools first. It's worth it though, no other full-screen extension measures up.
Colorful Tabs: A favorite of mine, this extension colors each tab in a different pastel shade, allowing you to easily tell them apart. Advanced features allow you to assign specific colors to specific domains if you like. I have been using this extension practically since it was born.
Compact Menu Repackaged: Repopulates your menubar (i.e. File, View, Tools, Help, etc.) as a Menu of Menus accessed through a single button. This makes it possible to access any important functions while still saving space or while in full-screen mode. I don't know what I'd do without it.
Deepest Sender: I have waxed poetic about this before, so I'll recap quickly: the absolute best blogging software for LiveJournal, GreatestJournal, InsaneJournal, DeadJournal, etc. Also makes a great html editor for small projects (simply switch between Normal, Source, and Preview modes as necessary).
Findbar Basics: Allows you to use the Ctrl+F shortcut to toggle the findbar on and off. Absolutely indispensable.
Google Toolbar: To be honest, I wasn't too enthusiastic about this extension in the beginning, but I had to install and use it in order to use the Google Web History service. It has grown on me, however. One of the nice things is that you can arrange different parts of the bar wherever you like, instead of being forced to keep it all on one toolbar.
Last Tab: Enables tab flipping and has Firefox automatically go to the most recently accessed tab when you close the focused tab. Very useful.
Menu Editor: I love this extension! It lets me get rid of all those right-click context menu items that I don't need, and to rearrange all of my menus as I please. For example, I use it to move the 'Page Style' menu off of the view menu and onto the right-click menu for easy access.
Nuke Anything Enhanced: Allows you to temporarily hide/remove unwanted content from a page. Especially useful for cleaning up a page before printing. I find it useful for removing page elements that may be interfering with the readability of a page, like extra-wide images, etc.
Story Monitor: Tracks stories from a wide variety of sites, allowing you to see when a new chapter has been added. As an avid fan fiction reader, I use this all the time.
Undo Closed Tabs Button: Provides a button and history menu for Firefox's inbuilt undo closed tab feature. A small thing, but extremely useful. I wouldn't want to be without it.
Update Scanner: Scans pages for updates at regular intervals. I love this extension, it's great for watching pages that don't have rss.

Promising Extensions Still Undergoing Exhaustive Testing:

All-in-One Sidebar: I have recently switched from my old sidebar setup (ezsidebar & optimiz tweakz) to this new, more widely supported extension. So far, I have been quite pleased, especially once I figured out how to turn on the auto hide/show feature. The sidebar toolbar is quite nice, and the high degree of customization is most welcome. I do miss the ability to save multiple personal sidebars, since AIOS only remembers the most recently loaded sidebar webpanel, but this is a small matter which can easily be worked around. New users, I highly recommend that you read all of the documentation available on the AIOS website in order to get the most use out of this extension.
Custom Buttons^2: This allows you to create custom buttons to carry out any needed action. For example, I have a button that opens the Google Notebook clip window. If you don't want to mess around with creating your own buttons, don't worry, there's a whole database of buttons that other users have created. So far, I have been very pleased with this extension.
del.icio.us IncSearch: I have only recently begun using del.icio.us, but this extension is the most useful del.icio.uc extension I have found so far. It makes finding your bookmarks truly simple. I keep it loaded in my sidebar at all times for easy access. Don't forget to sync it after you go on a bookmarking spree.
Extension List Dumper: An excellent way to keep track of your extensions, or to share them with others. I switched to this extension when it became apparent that I no longer needed all the features of the extension I was using for this purpose. So far, I have been very pleased.
Favicon Picker 2: Allows you to pick your own icons for specific bookmarks. Very useful when you're using bookmarklets, or want to save space on the Bookmarks toolbar by eliminating the text of a bookmark. I use it all the time.
Locationbar^2: Makes portions of the Location URL more visible, links each portion of the URL, making browsing by level much easier. I am finding these features very useful.
Nightly Tester Tools: Allows you to force extension compatibility, among other things. Very useful for using some of my favorite extensions without needing to alter them manually.
Quiet URL: Fixes common URL mistakes in a hyperlink (i.e. http://http://) and purposely disguised URLs (i.e. hxxp://, common in many forums), making them click-able. Also makes text URLs click-able when you hover the mouse over them. Extremely useful, and I have been quite pleased with the performance so far.
Todoist Sidebar: Integrates the Todoist todo list features right into your sidebar. Very useful, and as an avid user of Todoist, I consider it indispensable. However, the built-in keyboard shortcuts didn't work with my setup, instead, the side bar opened whenever I hit the Tab button or the T button. Not Good. Fortunately, there is an easy about:config fix for this. Simply modify the entries specified on the extension's website to use keys that you don't regularly use for other purposes.
User Agent Switcher: Lets you change your User Agent and make websites think you're running IE, or Opera, etc. Great for accessing sites that only allow IE, etc. I don't use it very often, but it does come in handy.

Bookmarklets (Links will lead to a page where you can get the bookmarklet, not the bookmarklet itself):
What are Bookmarklets? Click Here to find out.

Post to Delicious: Takes you to the fullscreen posting page on del.icio.us, with the URL and Title fields pre-populated with the current page's info, and then returns you to the bookmarked page when you've posted.
Quick Post to Delicious w/ 1Tag: Quickly posts a page to del.icio.us, pre-tagged with a pre-defined tag.
Delgate to Todoist: Allows you to post tasks from gmail to todoist. Once you have a Todoist account, go to the Info page and click on Gmail Integration to get the bookmarklet.
LJ Style=Mine: This automatically appends ?style=mine to a LiveJournal URL, and then reloads the page, allowing you to view it in your own style. This is one of the most useful bookmarklets I use. It makes reading on LiveJournal a pleasure instead of a pain. It also works on InsaneJournal, GreatestJournal, DeadJournal, and other LiveJournal clones.
Increase Font Size: Increase the text size. Yes, you can do this in increments with Firefox's text zooming, but this allows you to jump straight to your preferred size.
Toggle Style Sheets: Turns style sheets on or off. Can greatly improve the readability of some pages.
Linearize: Re-orders content on the page into a single column. Great for reading blog entries.
Zap Colors: Makes page white with black text and blue links.
Force Wrap: Forces text to wrap. Doesn't work everywhere, but makes reading those .txt files in your browser a lot easier.
Duplicate Tab: Creates a copy of the current tab in a new tab. I use this on those fiction sites with the little Javascript age statement popups - they don't allow you to open links in a new tab, so I go through the statement & then duplicate the story to a new tab so that I can return to list. Very useful.
Wayback AutoSearch: Find previous versions of the webpage you are visiting with this. Absolutely brilliant! I use this all the time!
Share in Reader w/o subscribing to feed: Great for sharing that interesting article when you don't really want to subscribe to the feed.
Quickly Add Feed to Google Reader: Exactly what it says. Eliminates that Reader or iGoogle step, and provides a nicer interface.
Wikapedia Search: allows you to lookup the selected word on Wikapedia.
Make Quote: Make a formated and referenced Quote for use in blogging.
Fit Images: Squeezes over-large images so that they fit on the page.
No Images: Turns off images for the page.

ScreenShots of my current setup:

On the right, browsing in full screen, with all the toolbars hidden. If you look, you can see the sidebar switch on the left of the picture.

To the Left, my Sidebar in fullscreen mode.

Above, this is what my toolbars look like in fullscreen mode, when I use the auto hide/show feature mentioned earlier to make them slide down over my content. If you look, you can see the Google logo peeking out from underneath at the bottom.

bookworm_2005 @ 2008-04-17T18:30:00

2008-04-18T01:30:25Z

Well, I have finished The Project that suddenly and abruptly decided to take over my life: I have moved all my bookmarks, including my collection of how-to's, to del.icio.us, and integrated del.icio.us into my browsing life. 876 bookmarks total. Done!
This may not seem like a big deal, since there are quite a few ways to import bookmarks into del.icio.us. I chose not to use them, however, preferring to do it by hand. Why? Because I had tried wholesale importing in the past, and found it too be both slow and confusing. Folders simply don't translate to tags very well. So, I did it all by hand, opening each bookmark, posting it to del.icio.us with the proper tags, deleting it from the original source, lather, rinse, repeat. First My Google Bookmarks, then my local Firefox Bookmarks, then my Google Notebook Collections. All done, done, done! Yippee. I can finally find what I'm looking for quickly. Hee hee.
Strangely, I found that none of the Firefox extensions intended to integrate del.icio.us into Firefox really worked for me. Either key features didn't work with my setup, or they didn't offer features that I needed. In the end, I used bookmarklets and one extension to get the most out of del.icio.us.
Bookmarklets:
Post to Del.icio.us - The official del.icio.us bookmarklet, takes you to the post page with url & title pre-populated, returns you to bookmarked page after posting.
Quick Post with 'toread' tag - unoffical. This auto-posts a page to delicious, pre-tagged as 'toread', and returns you to a xml error page (some sort of coding error here, however, the bookmarklet does work). I tweaked this one a little, substituting 'toread' for the tag that was originally programmed. I use this to quickly save stories that I don't have time to read right away. Suddenly, I have time to do my homework! Imagine that!
Extension:
del.icio.us IncSearch - this totally rocks. I use All-In-One Sidebar to load it in the Sidebar so it's always handy. Remember to sync it after you post lots of links.

Firefly - Life Ain't No Vid Game

2008-03-26T03:18:19Z

Title: Life Ain't No Vid Game
Author: BookwormDragon (bookworm_2005)
Beta: bitterfig
Characters: Mal, The Operative, the Crew mentioned
Genre: Gen
Rating: PG
Summary: Mal's thoughts on the Operative.

Disclaimer: Neither the Firefly/Serenity Universe nor any of the Characters in the Firefly/Serenity Universe belong to me. No profit is made from this story on my part. No copyright infringement is intended.

It was all that Mal could do to keep from rolling his eyes as he listened to his opponent pontificate. The kid may have been quite skilled in the 'Arts' of War, but that was all they were to him, Arts.

Mal would lay odds that the kid had never set foot on actual battlefield before. He had never fought against an overwhelming foe, outnumbered and out-gunned. If he had, he would've shot Mal right between the eyes first chance he got, and saved his preachifying and his fancy sword for his corpse. Kid had some strange notions, that was for sure.

Dead was Dead, and it didn't really matter much to a man how he got there, he was still Dead.

To the kid, though, this was all some grand game, with himself as the Hero, upholding Truth, Justice, and the Alliance Way. He had probably spent the War tucked away safe in some Planning Center, reducing men to numbers on view-screen. He had clearly never faced someone without having superior numbers and firepower to back him up. It was easy to swoop down and kill unarmed folk, after all, when you had the money and manpower of the Alliance behind you. Easy to give the order, easy to murder little girls, and easy to pretend you were making the world a better place by doing those things. You had time for fancy-smancy swords and strange notions. Time to build elaborate fantasies to justify your actions, time to pass judgment on other folk while turning a blind eye to your own faults.

Kid just didn't understand what fightin' for a Cause really meant. His Cause was all abstract, full of unreachable dreams and fancy words, with no room for him in it. Heck, he didn't even really know what his Cause was, just trusted that a group of politicians knew better than he did.

Mal, on the other hand, he knew what his Cause was. It was Book, killed defending his home. It was Wash, dead trying to bring his ship down safely. It was Zoe, with that empty look in her eyes and vengeance in her heart. It was Jayne, terrified of the Reavers but willing to fight anyway - without pay, even - just 'cause Mal asked him too. It was Inara, leaving the safety an' protection of her Guild to fight a hopeless battle beside a bunch of no-good thieves, smugglers, and 'fugees. It was Kaylee - sweet, innocent little Kaylee - picking up a gun to defend her crew-mates. It was Simon, leaving behind everything he knew to rescue his sister, disregarding his Oath to take up arms an' fight for the crew. It was River - damaged, crazy River - as deadly and dangerous as a poorly-cleaned gun. It was the folks on Miranda, just lying down to die because some politicians somewhere got the notion into their fool heads that folks could be made 'better'. It was all the victims of the Reavers, their worlds and bodies ripped apart at the whim of savages. Hell, it was the Reavers themselves, innocent folk who woke up monsters through no choice of their own.

Mal’s Cause was to make sure there were no more Mirandas, no more River Tams, and no more Havens. It was real, needful, and within his grasp. He didn't want to die, but if it came to that, this was a Cause worth dying for. His Crew, his People, his Family - they were willing to fight and die with him for this, so that he could get the word out, and he wasn't going to let their sacrifice be wasted.

Perhaps it was time for the kid to understand what his Cause was really all about. Let him see the secret that he had sacrificed so many lives to protect. Let him see what his much vaunted Honor was really all about, what his so-called 'Better World' would be built on.

Time to grow up, kid, life ain't no vid game full of Heroes and Villains and Grand Quests. It's gritty, ugly, desperate, an' it's all we got - no reloads, no second chances.

As the boy came at him with his fancy sword, thinkin' he was helpless, Mal moved.

Firefly - Revenge is Dish Best Served Cold

2008-03-18T22:42:20Z

Title: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold
Author: BookwormDragon (bookworm_2005 )
Characters: Simon, Jayne, River
Genre: Gen
Rating: PG
Summary: Simon contemplates his revenge on Jayne in Trash.

Disclaimer: Neither the Firefly/Serenity Universe nor any of the Characters in the Firefly/Serenity Universe belong to me. No profit is made from this story on my part. No copyright infringement is intended.

    Humming happily, Simon left Jayne to recover from the paralytic and ponder on his words. River would keep an eye on him, and probably terrify him half out of his mind while she was at it, but she wouldn't actually hurt him, not while he was helpless. And even after Jayne's natural terror of River had been blunted by time and familiarity, as it was sure too be, eventually, Simon's words would still be in his mind, reminding him of the consequences of his actions, far more threatening than any physical threat on Simon's part could be.

    And the ironic part was that Simon had honestly meant every single word that he had said to Jayne. He would never hurt a patient under his care, no matter what they had done too him. He had taken a sacred oath, after all.

    Jayne would never be able to truly believe that, though, because, had their situations been reversed, Jayne would probably have taken his revenge on Simon at the first possible opportunity. And now that Simon had pointed out Jayne's unavoidable vulnerability to him, he would never be able to forget it. It would always be there, in the back of his mind, whispering that, someday, he would be unable to avoid being at Simon's complete mercy, and did he really want his Doctor to be angry with him when that happened? Jayne's own mind, well-used to analyzing all the possible threats in a situation, would do a far better job of tormenting the man than Simon could ever hope to.

    Hopefully, it would be just enough to make the man think twice before betraying them again, but not enough to terrify him past all reason. He didn't need to start worrying about Jayne trying to kill him in his sleep, after all.

    Revenge was indeed a dish best served cold!

bookworm_2005 @ 2008-03-09T15:44:00

2008-03-09T22:44:58Z

I just updated my Post Apocalypse Survival Slash Thematic List. I still have several stories left add, so expect another update soon.

Tribute - A Harry Potter Story

2008-01-21T03:54:13Z

Tribute
by BookwormDragon aka bookworm_2005

Disclaimer: Neither the Harry Potter Universe nor any of the Characters in the Harry Potter Universe belong to me. No profit is made from this story on my part. No copyright infringement is intended.

***

When Harry named his son Albus Severus, most people, his wife included, assumed that it was intended as tribute to Dumbledore and Snape. Harry let them go on thinking that, because, in a way, they were right. But only in a way.
In reality, his motivations for naming his son after the two men who had had the most lasting and significant impact on his life were far more complicated than mere tribute. No, naming his son after Dumbledore and Snape wasn't a tribute. It was a reminder. A reminder of their flaws and faults. A reminder that they, in their arrogance, had become more twisted than the Enemy they were fighting. A reminder that, in the end, despite all their power and manipulations, they had been nothing but bitter old men who had died alone. A reminder of what could have been if only two men had not decided that they alone had the right to decide the Fate of others. But most of all, it served as a reminder that he never wanted to follow in their footsteps. He never wanted to become a manipulative old man, carrying the expectations of an entire world on his shoulders, willing to sacrifice an innocent child's future for the Greater Good. He never wanted to become bitter and filled with hatred, unable to set aside the prejudices of his youth, determined to visit the sins of the Father upon the Son, professing his undying love for a dead woman, but unwilling to be a Champion for her infant son. He would not be another Dumbledore, another Snape. He would not!
And so, when the Wizarding World tried to make him into the next Merlin, he looked into his son's innocent face and remembered what he could become if he allowed them to have their way.
And when young Albus became friends with Scorpius Malfoy at Hogwarts, he heeded the unspoken warning in his son's name, and welcomed the boy into his home, where he treated him with kindness and respect. It was difficult, at first, for him to set aside childhood memories, because Scorpius looked a great deal like his father and grandfather. But it grew easier with time, to see the boy in light of his own merits and faults and not as a reflection of his family.
So naming his son was a tribute to two great men. Just not in the way that most people thought. As long as his son was there to remind him of the consequences, he would never follow in their footsteps. There would be no Mortal Enemy, no innocent Chosen One, no Greater Good for him. He was never going to be the next Merlin, the next Dumbledore. He would be just Harry Potter, a man who loved his family and treated others with respect. Let others lead their own lives as they saw fit, and he would do the same. It would be enough. And if he ever forgot, or lost his way, then his son would be there to remind him.
It was a fitting tribute to the lives of two powerful men.

The Class meme

2008-01-01T17:17:37Z

Stolen from wishwords:
A Quaker thinking about social class wrote up a set of "how privileged was your upbringing" questions, and made it into a meme. She based it on an exercise by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University, who ask that their copyright be acknowledged by anyone doing this meme.

• Father went to college: yes
• Father finished college: no, he joined the military & went to Vietnam
• Mother went to college: yes
• Mother finished college: no, she dropped out & ran her own answering service
• Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor: no
• Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers: I was homeschooled
• Had more than 50 books in your childhood home: yes, we were all avid readers
• Had more than 500 books in your childhood home: Sometimes, yes
• Were read children's books by a parent: yes, mother often read aloud to us
• Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18: yes, piano lessons
• Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18: no, just piano
• The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively: not always - they are usually just extras and fillers
• Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18: no
• Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs: no
• Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs: no
• Went to a private high school: no, I was Homeschooled
• Went to summer camp: yes, church camp three times
• Had a private tutor before you turned 18: no
• Family vacations involved staying at hotels: no, we didn't go on family vacations
• Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18: no, we shopped at goodwill
• Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them: yes, my mother & grandfather bought me my first car
• There was original art in your house when you were a child: yes and no, my grandmother was an avid needlepointer
• Had a phone in your room before you turned 18: yes
• You and your family lived in a single family house: yes
• Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home: yes
• You had your own room as a child: only for the last year or so
• Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course: no
• Had your own TV in your room in High School: no
• Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College: no
• Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16: yes, at least twice
• Went on a cruise with your family: no
• Went on more than one cruise with your family: no
• Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up: no
• You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family: no, I knew how much most things cost us

bookworm_2005 @ 2007-11-30T00:48:00

2007-11-30T08:48:57Z

Well, that was disturbing and rather embarrassing.
I was one my way home from school today, went to turn into our driveway, and ended up in the ditch instead. First time that's ever happened to me. Fortunately, the ditch is rather shallow. Unfortunately, it is also full of snow, so I got stuck. But, there is a benefit to living out in the country, in the same county that you were born in. Our neighbor and a perfect stranger driving down the street both stopped to help me. Together, they towed me back out of ditch and got me back into my driveway. Funny thing, the stranger who stopped was someone who knew of my Dad (he's a Radio Technician, has ran his own business since before I was born). Small world, huh? The nicest thing of all was that neither of them even suggested that I call a tow truck or wait until Dad got back home to pull me out. They just assumed that they should and would help me, and were very cheerful about it. It was very nice, and definitely reminded me of how nice people can be. Now, I just have to remember to send my neighbor a nice Thank You card. Not sure how I can thank the Stranger, since I don't know his name, so - Thank You. I really appreciate your kindness. Next time I see someone who needs help, I'll be sure to stop.

Ghost Rider - Babysitter

2007-11-25T10:17:14Z

BabySitter
by BookwormDragon (aka bookworm_2005)

Disclaimer: Neither Ghost Rider nor any of the Characters in the Ghost Rider Universe belong to me. No profit is made from this story on my part. No copyright infringement is intended.

~*~

Johnny stared at the boy sitting on the other side of the picnic table, hardly able to believe what he had just heard.
"What?" he asked, feeling rather dazed.
"So, you're basically the Devil's babysitter, right?" the boy repeated, innocently. "I mean, you keep his little brats out of trouble, so they don't end the world ahead of schedule, right?"
Johnny couldn't help it. He threw back his head and laughed until he cried.
"I've never looked at it quite that way before, but I guess you're right," he managed to gasp out eventually, wiping away tears of laughter. "That's exactly what I do."

~*~

Fandom Musings

2007-11-25T08:29:49Z

So, I was thinking rather smugly about the fact that I don't have any OTP's (Only True Pairing), when I realized that, oops, they snuck up on me. Drat! When I first got into fan fiction, five or so years ago, my first fandom was Buffy The Vampire Slayer, followed by Harry Potter. I still don't have any real OTP's in those fandoms, but as I gained more fandoms, I guess I acquired some OTP's without meaning too.

Star Trek Original (Classic)
Kirk/Spock - although I can occasionally enjoy seeing either Kirk or Spock (or both) paired with Dr. McCoy if it's well written, I really prefer Kirk/Spock. It just seems right and proper, somehow. I definitely don't like to see them paired with anyone else. It just seems wrong when they're not together.

The Sentinel
Jim/Blair - perhaps one of my strongest OTPs. Separating Jim and Blair is so wrong that it makes me feel sick. I don't mind threesomes or foursomes, but Jim & Blair need to be together. Still, there's some good Gen and mild Het out there that I can tolerate, because Jim & Blair are still very close, and I can tell myself that they're still doing it off camera.

Due South
Fraser/Kowalski - while I can enjoy a well-written Fraser/Vecchio piece, I still have a strong preference for RayK. I would never consider writing anything but Fraser/RayK, and I don't really want to see Fraser paired up with anyone other than one of the Rays.

Starsky & Hutch
Starsky/Hutch - my newest fandom and my strongest OTP. Pairing them with anyone but each other is so wrong it's indescribable - even more wrong than separating Jim & Blair in The Sentinel would be. Plus, I'm surprisingly resistant to kink in this fandom, especially BDSM. Considering the level of trust required between particapants in a good BDSM scene/story, you'd think that Starsky & Hutch would be the perfect fandom for it, but it just feels wrong to me when I read it. I like Hutch & Starsky's relationship to be expressed very tenderly, with an almost transcendental bond between them and I like the balance of power in their relationship to be clear and equal. I'm sure I'll get over the kink aversion in time, but they will probably always be my strongest OTP.

Highlander
Methos/Duncan - They just seem right together, although adding someone else into the mix doesn't bother me that much. Since they're both Immortal, it totally changes the dynamics between them, IMHO. As long as they eventually get together, and their friendship with each other remains strong, it's all good.

Huh. Considering the number of Fandoms that I'm into, maybe 5 OTPs isn't such a big deal after all.

bookworm_2005 @ 2007-11-17T23:30:00

2007-11-18T07:31:06Z

So, I just finished watching the first season of Starsky & Hutch. Let me just say that it is THE slashiest show I have EVER seen. It's even slashier then The Sentinel. No slash-tinted glasses required! You can practically see the strong bond between Starsky & Hutch right on the screen. The depths of feeling they have for each other is very, very clear. Wow.
And the Fan-fiction pretty high quality, too. After having watched the first season, I now understand just why it's such a popular and well-loved slash fandom.

Dead Man Walking - a due South Ficlet

2007-11-17T01:26:23Z

Dead Man Walking

by BookwormDragon (aka bookworm_2005)

Disclaimer: I do not own due South. Other people do. I make no money from writing this story. No copyright infringement is intended.

When young Benton pulled his sidearm and pointed it straight between his eyes, Gerard knew that he was going to die today. Here, on the gravel at the side of a highway, out in the middle of nowhere.

He could see it in the boy’s eyes. He was so like his Father, in so many ways, with his unwavering morals and his expectation that others would abide by the same code. But there was a difference. The elder Fraser had always been a big believer in the justice of the system, had always been reluctant to take the law into his own hands. Young Benton had none of that. Instead, he had the same underlying hardness, for lack of a better word, that Gerard had noticed in many of the young recruits from the more rugged territories. The farther away from civilization they had been raised, the more likely they were to have that undefinable knowledge that they could and would do what needed to be done, no matter what the cost. That same hardness that he could see in young Benton's eyes at this moment.

The boy knew his enemy - his betrayer - now, and he would do whatever was necessary to eliminate any further threat to himself or to his father’s memory. The fact that his father had once called Gerard a friend only made the betrayal that much more bitter to him. He wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, to put a bullet into the brains of a man that he had once looked up too, just as soon as he had gotten all the information that he could from him. It was in the boy's nature to be relentless in the face of a challenge. Bob Fraser had been the same once, but age and experience had taught him when the odds were too high, when concession was the only sensible choice. Young Benton hadn't learned that lesson yet. He still believed that Justice would prevail, that good always won in the end.

In desperation, Gerard invoked the only thing he could think of – Robert Fraser’s unblemished memory. He knew how proud Bob had been of his service and his uniform, and he was sure that Benton knew it too. When he saw the flicker of uncertainty flash through the boy’s eyes, he nearly sagged with relief – he wouldn’t die today after all.

bookworm_2005 @ 2007-10-27T20:07:00

2007-10-28T03:07:44Z

As promised, here are the updates for my Plot bunnies collection.
Google Notebooks is really well suited for publishing something like this. Did you know that you can subscribe to a public notebook via RSS, and receive the latest entries/posts in your RSS reader, just like a blog?

bookworm_2005 @ 2007-10-27T01:54:00

2007-10-27T08:55:02Z

For those who care, I just finished transferring my Plot Bunnies to a Public Google Notebook. See it Here. Expect some updates soon.

bookworm_2005 @ 2007-10-10T19:01:00

2007-10-11T02:01:36Z

Well, I've done my civic duty. I just finished serving as a juror on a civil case. Boring, boring, boring. It did have its interesting moments, though. All I can say is: Read the contract all the way through before you sign it, even if you think you already know what it says. Oh yeah, and get your own lawyer before entering into any binding agreements. Never assume anything. Each party involved in a contract or agreement should have their own lawyer, for their own protection. Lawyers aren't like toys, they can't be shared. But even if you do have your own lawyer, it still doesn't absolve you of the responsibility to read that contract before you sign it.
On the positive side, now that I've served, maybe I won't be summoned again for a while.

Dies The Fire Audio Recording

2007-09-13T02:58:56Z

The things I do because I love my brother and I love a particular book....
I am undertaking the recording of Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling. Why? Because it's not available in audio format, my Brother hates listening to books that have been converted to audio by running them through a Reader, and I really want him to read this book. We've already had several discussion on topics raised in the book, and he really wants to read it, but no audio. So, I'm recording the whole thing. I've just finished the first part of chapter 1 (19MB & 21 minutes of reading), and man, you never notice how much 'fat' an author has left in his book until you are forced to read it word-for-word! When I read to myself, I tend to skim and 'snapshot' through a lot of the 'fat', and thus I don't really notice it unless it's overwhelming (Anne Rice, you need a more ruthless editor), but reading aloud means slogging through all that stuff. Also, Stirling has peppered this book with Gaelic and Norwegian words, which adds nice flavor, true, but it also means lots of research and pronunciation practice for me - not something I'm looking forward to. Still, I'll chip away at it, bit by bit, and before you know it, it'll be done.

Due South Musings

2007-09-06T01:30:54Z

So, I've been re-watching due South, and I have come to a conclusion: I DESPISE that red uniform! Not because of what it represents or anything, but because of what it does to Fraser and how it effects the way others see him. During the first few seasons, we see him in his field uniform (the brown/gray one) quite often, and he appears human, flawed, passionate, and approachable. The field uniform helps to bridge the gap between Fraser and the American cops - it makes him look like just another cop. When he's wearing the field uniform and he makes suggestions or deductions, people (especially cops) listen to him and take him seriously - they respect the experience and work that the uniform implies, and expect him to have the faults of any other human being. But stick him in that red monstrosity, and suddenly everything changes. No longer do people respect him as a person or think of him as another hard-working cop. Instead, he becomes a cross between an Icon, a Mascot, and a Superhero. They expect him to be perfect, to do no wrong, to be saintly. At the same time, he is to feel no pain, to have no emotions. People stare at him, they mock him behind his back and to his face. He's not human to them anymore. And as the seasons go on, Fraser spends more and more time in that @#&^ red uniform and less and less time being human. His interactions with the other characters become more and more stilted, he smiles and relaxes less and less, and he loses that cutting tongue (pilot episode, he really lets Vecchio have it, anyone else notice?). The passion that he shows in the first season disappears. In a way, it's as if that Red Uniform is slowly strangling the life out him. By the end of the fourth season, we almost never see him in the field uniform and he's lost nearly everything that makes him Benton Fraser to me. Mind you, I'm a big fan of Fraser/RayK (OTP), but the Fraser of seasons 1 & 2 is much truer to the essential Benton Fraser, as far as I'm concerned. Yes indeed, I despise that red thing! Kill, Kill, Kill!
And that's another thing: many authors' insistence on writing Fraser as an extremely civilized, rule-bound man, who has never had a dark thought in his life, and who wouldn't hurt a fly to save his own life. In my opinion, that is not Benton Fraser. Yes, he's very courteous, thoughtful, and forgiving of the people around him, but when you live in small community in the middle of nowhere in an implacable land filled with daily danger, that's nothing more than enlightened self-interest: you never know when your very life may depend upon the goodwill of your neighbors. And yes, he often seems overly concerned with the letter of the law, but consider this: he's in a strange land, among a strange people with strange customs, and he has little knowledge of how they apply their laws in real life. Of course he is concerned with the letter of the law, it's the only concrete guidance that he has. As for civilized - I think of Fraser as a man who would like to believe in the inherent goodness of man and in the justice of the system, but deep down he's a pragmatic man who will do what is necessary to survive. How can he not be, given where he grew up? No, Fraser is not a hidden rapist or serial killer, but he is just as capable of making hard choices and having dark thoughts as anyone else. He's just better at hiding it. In my opinion, Fraser is a dangerous but disciplined man, not a goody-goody two-shoes.

bookworm_2005 @ 2007-09-03T18:31:00

2007-09-04T01:31:36Z

Hahaha! LOL! ROFL!
I'm listening to Chris LeDoux's Bareback Jack, and, man, have I got a dirty mind! Apparently, I've been reading to much porn recently, 'cause what I'm hearing and what the song's saying: two totally different things!

:)

Speech Recognition Software

2007-09-03T00:04:42Z

Okay, I need some help.
My younger brother is severely dyslexic (or at least, that's the most accurate diagnoses that the 'experts' have been able to make, and the one that he has chosen to 'embrace' as he has found that telling people "I can't read" tends to cause them to make inaccurate judgments about his intelligence and work ethic, while saying "I'm dyslexic" prevents this), and although he can read better than he thinks, he still struggles a great deal, and he certainly never reads for pleasure (audio books rock!). Frankly, I would describe his reading level very much like my experience in ASL class - I watched for keywords and terms I understood, and guessed the overall meaning from there, and even then, I was only able to gain any understanding at all because the instructor signed slowly for our benefit. I suspect my brother does something very similar, as I have seen him follow cooking instructions for microwaving/re-heating food, etc. But I digress... Anyway, he's got text-to-speech set up in his browser and for many of his games, so he has that part covered. The problem is that he really struggles with writing and spelling as well, but he wants to write, and, once he manages to overcome his spelling barrier (usually by dictating to someone who then types or writes for him) he's actually quite good. He really wants the freedom to cut out the middle-man, and do his own writing, and I don't blame him - being able to do this will be necessary for his future independence. I've been looking into several different types of speech recognition software, including the engine that's supposed to be inbuilt into Microsoft Office. There are several promising options available, but they all have one problem: they need to be 'trained'. This training involves reading aloud pre-defined passages, which is something that he can't do. Frankly, most of the passages are long, boring, and meaningless, so he can't exactly memorize and recite them, either. Does anyone know if I can train the program for him? Or if there is another way to overcome this problem? I don't want to spend money until I know for sure that the program will do what we want it to.

The Perfect eBook Reader - An Unattainable Dream?

2007-08-21T06:49:32Z

After all the efforts that have gone into creating eBook Readers (I mean the hand-held devices, not the software), you would think that someone would manage to get it right. Unfortunately, as my recent search for a suitable Reader for my Mother proves, this is NOT the case. So, below is a list of the features that I believe would make eBook readers finally come into their own:

Simple design - I don't need it to take out the trash and wash the dishes for me, thanks anyway. Focus on its main purpose: to read eBooks.
No proprietary formats - I need my reader to read all (or at least most) common formats: txt, pdb, rtf, html, lit, etc. I'm not buying a Reader that will only read your small library of ridiculously overpriced eBooks in your proprietary format. Do I look like a sucker to you?

If you absolutely must limit the Reader to your proprietary format, then you must also make a simple, effective, easy-to-use converter available to your customers free of charge, so that they can convert their library into your format quickly and easily. This converter should be able to convert all common formats, regardless of any DRM security features.

No DRM - If you must have some DRM features on your Reader for legal reasons, try to remember that your customer is not actually your enemy.

Most people want to be able to read non-protected data on their Reader: personal documents, email that they have compiled into an eBook, legitimately free non-secured eBooks that are offered by many publishers (Baen Free Library is a good example), etc. Just because it's not DRM doesn't mean that it's stolen.

Navigation - Conveniently located navigation keys. I don't want to have to use a stylus or get into a particular yoga position just to turn the page! Just put back, next, up, down buttons in the most comfortable location.

For me, this would probably be either on the right or left side of the screen, or at the bottom. I can't say for sure because I haven't tried it. That's what usability studies are for.

Place the back & next buttons in the most convenient location, place other navigation buttons elsewhere, where I won't be likely to hit them by accident.

Accessibility - the ability to easily change the font size/style (and color scheme) to anything I want is absolutely essential! Hauling around a magnifying glass just so that I can read your 8pt font is ridiculous.
Storage - the Reader should be able to handle a library of a least 1000 books without blinking.

Should also have a USB port for pen drives & support standard memory cards.

Syncing your library with a desktop or laptop should be effortless and should not require purchasing more expensive hardware (such as a docking station). A double-male USB cable should work just fine.

IMHO, an internet connection is not necessary as long as there are several other possibilities for moving data on and off the device (see above).

Screen - the screen should be readable in all conditions, with a backlight that can be turned on and off as necessary. Also, the brightness of the screen should be adjustable to one's personal taste.

Those new 'True Ink' screens sound really nice and would be great, but if I'm going to have to pay $400 for it, no thanks.

Batteries - the device should have a good battery life, and it should be possible to swap batteries 'on-the-fly'. Batteries should be easily rechargeable via inexpensive charging station and/or plugging into the USB port of a desktop/laptop.
Portability - device should be light and easily portable.

If possible, offer two sizes - a smaller one for those who want to carry it in their purse/briefcase, and a larger one for those who want more screen space.

Flexibility - The ability to install your own reader software would be great, but as long as the Reader supports most formats, not essential.
Price!! - The price should be reasonable. No way am I going to pay $400 for an eBook Reader! $150 is about the most I'd be willing to pay for a Reader, $200 if it reads all formats, has little or no DRM, comes with an excellent warranty and wonderful customer service, etc. I don't care how wonderful a Reader is, I'm not paying $400 for it.

After looking over my list, I can't really see anything that is impossible, or that hasn't already been accomplished in some way. If only someone would design a Reader like this, I would be ecstatic - and I think that a lot of other people would be as well. Know of a Reader like this already? Especially one that reads all (or most) eBook formats (particularly txt & html - I can convert any eBook to txt or HTML if I must), has a large screen for prolonged reading, and doesn't cost more than $150 dollars? Please comment and let me know.

Windows Vista: Go Straight to the Change Desktop Background Tool/Window

2007-08-16T04:19:43Z

How to Make a Shortcut (and Assign a Hotkey) to go directly to the Change Desktop Background Tool/Window in Windows Vista:

I recently got a new computer with Vista pre-installed, and, I must say, I love it! Vista has many new and useful features which are mostly packaged and presented in an attractive and user-friendly way. Of course, there is a small learning curve, as I re-learn how to do old tasks in the new Vista Way, but so far the transition has been quite smooth.
One thing has nagged me, however. I like to change my Desktop Wallpaper frequently, and I love the new Tool/Window that Vista has for doing this. What I don't love is how many steps it takes to get to the Tool/Window in the first place:

Show the Desktop (via alt+tab or Win+D or the Taskbar/Quick Launch).
Right-click on the Desktop and wait for the Menu to load.
Choose Personalize from the bottom of the menu and wait for the Explorer window to load.
Choose Desktop Background, wait for the new window to load.
Select your new background, hit OK.
Close the Explorer Window.

As you can see, the whole process actually has more steps now than it used to, although the new interface is much more intuitive and user-friendly.
I searched extensively online for a way to go directly to a specific task in the Control Panel (in this case, the Change Desktop Background Tool), but without success. I found lots of neat Keyboard shortcuts, some interesting user tweaks, and plenty of grumbling or squeeing, depending on people's opinion of Vista, but no shortcut/method to go straight to the Change Desktop Background Tool.
So, after some experimenting, research, and careful reading of the Windows Help Files (where I finally found the path to the Desktop Background Tool), I decided to make my own solution. Here it is:

Go to the Desktop or wherever you are going to store the shortcut.
Right-click on some empty space.
Choose the New menu.
Select New Shortcut.
In the Location box, paste the following: C:\Windows\System32\control.exe /name Microsoft.Personalization /page pageWallpaper

If your Windows is not installed on the "C" drive, replace the C with the letter of the drive where Windows is installed on your computer.
Other then changing the drive letter if necessary, do not change anything else in the above path (unless you really know what you are doing). The spaces and switches are supposed to be there - if you remove them, this may not work.

Click Next.
Name your Shortcut. "Change Wallpaper" is a good name, for example. Click Ok.
Optionally, right-click on your new shortcut, choose Properties, and change the Icon to something more pleasing and descriptive. Click Ok.
There are several ways to assign a hotkey combo (keyboard shortcut) to this shortcut, but I am only going to explain the simplest one, which is the one I use:

Right-Click on your Change Wallpaper Shortcut.
Choose Add to Quick Launch.
Go down to the taskbar and rearrange your Quick Launch bar as you desire. The position of the shortcut will determine what key combination is used to invoke it. For Example, my shortcut is positioned first on my Quick Launch bar, so I use WinKey+1 to invoke it. If it was positioned as the second Shortcut on the bar, I would use WinKey+2 to invoke it instead, and so on... As I understand it, Quick Launch can support 9 such Key Combinations.
Once you have added the shortcut to Quick Launch, you may delete the original shortcut from the Desktop if you like, or move it to another folder for safe-keeping (recommended).

If you follow the above procedure, the steps to changing your Wallpaper will be much shorter:

Hit WinKey+1 (or your chosen key combo) or click on the "Change Wallpaper" shortcut on the Taskbar or Desktop.
Choose your new Wallpaper, hit OK.

There you go: from at least six long steps to just two very simple ones instead!

Tell me what you think and let me know how it works for you,
Bookworm.

Today's Fanfiction Rec: The Sentinel

2007-08-14T01:32:59Z

Control Issues by lit_gal (whole story in one file here.)
NC17; Jim/Blair; AU, Rape/Non-con*, Explicit Violence, Adult Themes;
In the words of lit_gal herself:
The United States is fair to its Sentinels, but given the history of abuse they've suffered, the state has a right to take some steps to protect them... even if that curtails a few rights. At least, that's the belief most people have. A chance encounter between a Runner named Jim Ellison who refuses to accept the party line and a hippy in an airport might just change the world.

This is an absolutely awesome story. It's well thought-out, realistic, and beautifully written. lit_gal deals tastefully and realistically with a common fannon cliche: Either Guides or Sentinels are enslaved or have fewer/no rights under the law. Most stories using this cliche are sensationalist, overly dramatic, and essentially implausible. Not so with Control Issues. lit_gal has done a wonderful job of making this cliche so realistic that the Readers can imagine that such situations could take place in their Real Lives. This is a thought-provoking look at things like privacy, the government, institutions, bureaucracy, and inequality in our daily lives. Of course, the story is so wonderful that you probably won't even notice the fact that you're being prompted to think about these weighty issues until after the fact!

Definitely a must read - especially for Sentinel fans!
Just scroll down to the bottom of the tags page that the story link leads to in order to find the first chapter.

*Rape of characters is mentioned/described in reasonably explicit detail. However, at no point do Jim & Blair rape each other or anyone else.

bookworm_2005 @ 2007-08-11T16:48:00

2007-08-11T23:48:22Z

Well, I've gotten several things done in the past few days.
First, and most noticeable, I cleaned up the code for my user info indexes. This was a rather tedious task, thanks to a long legacy of copy>paste>alter when I added new links and entries. Quite a few unnecessary tags to remove. Plus, my brief infatuation with a particular font meant going through and removing all the font tags - and almost every line of code had about three font tags. You'll notice that I added brief descriptions to most of my index links, as well as some new badges and banners. But most of the changes went on 'under-the-hood', so to speak, and aren't immediately noticeable. I must say, however, that Deepest Sender makes a wonderful HTML editor for these smaller blocks of code.

Second, (and this is totally squeeing & nothing you will be able to see) I discovered a new program! Or rather, I discovered how to use a program that was already installed on my computer but that I never considered using before. After I recovered my fics from my old hard drive, I wanted to find a way to keep track of them: a journal, with links to the local file, a place where I could keep notes about plot and research for each story, a way to keep track of how far along I was in each fic, etc. I tried several different things in Word, Excel, Access, etc. but nothing worked the way I wanted it to. I even searched online to see if there was some good journaling software that would work for me. Nothing. And then I came across the FAQ's for Microsoft OneNote. Now, I have Onenote 2007 installed on my computer since it came with the rest of my Office Suite, but I've never really considered using it because I don't have a Tablet PC that will run it. But after reading the description, I decided to try it out, and I was totally amazed! Not only can I use it to keep track of my fic writing in a way that makes sense to me, but I can also use it for research projects, to organize my recipes, to keep track of misc personal info, for classwork, the list just goes on and on... I spent most of last night playing with my shiny new toy - adding my fics to their own organized notebook, setting up a notebook for Fall Quarter at College, and so forth. I'm now exploring various ways to make sure that I can take my notes with me wherever I go, since I have a two-hour gap between classes this Quarter. I'll be spending a lot of time on campus and I would hate to waste it by not having my papers & study and research notes handy.
OneNote totally Rocks!

Third, my new RAM got here this morning! 2 1GB sticks ($40 apiece, what a bargain!) for a total of 3GB of RAM in my Computer. It's so very fast now, and I can enjoy all of Vista's special effects without pain. Beautiful.