I took a day off today, since my period hit last night and I woke up feeling extremely weak and sluggish (despite having gone to bed around 10 p.m.). Luckily, it wasn't a big deal; we're still busy at work, but it's not so frantic anymore. And having a lazy morning in bed makes the whole monthly affliction much more tolerable...

The weather is still incredibly summerish - I opened the windows to air out the place a bit, and the breeze felt very warm. It even got a bit stuffy inside in the afternoon. I felt tempted to turn on the AC at one point... but I said to myself: It's MARCH, for God's sake. You don't turn on the AC in March! LOL. I didn't even take the kitchen window fan out of the closet - because, for all I know, it might still get cold again in a few days, and once the fan is put in, I won't be able to close the window. But I feel like I have to keep reminding myself it's March - the outside temperature certainly doesn't confirm it... *headshake*

In other news, I just finished reading one of my latest purchases: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. It's an autobiography in the form of a graphic novel. In case you've never heard of Alison Bechdel, she's the author of a popular comic series, Dykes to Watch Out For. ( Read more... )

I have also just discovered that they totally revamped my favorite download website: Soundike.com. At first I freaked out, because I immediately thought that now they're going to start charging as much as Amazon or iTunes - but, lo and behold, they actually lowered the price! It used to be $0.15 per track - now it's $0.10 per track. Seriously... TEN CENTS. Full album for less than a dollar. It actually makes me a bit suspicious. They say they're legal, but how can that be true?... I'm not sure if I should stay away, or instead download as much as possible while this incredible deal lasts (sure it won't be forever). They have a banner up saying "Birthday Party! Only $0.10 per track!" - so perhaps it's an anniversary of the site's launch or something. Anyway... I am currently sampling the medieval/Celtic band Omnia, recommended to me by meathiel (btw, the track samples last a full minute now - they used to be 40 seconds). Thanks, Kerstin! It sounds lovely.:)

And now... bedtime.:/

So, I did watch that old Viggo flick I mentioned a while ago (La Pistola de mi Hermano). It's a strange little movie about a pair of troubled teenagers. And it's not nearly as old as I thought - it was made in 1997. So Viggo is actually 39 it in... LOL. ( He does look very young - but that's Viggo for you.:D )

In other news, the weather is very grey, windy and uninviting, and I feel lethargic, but strangely restless at the same time. My customary walks to the neighborhood grocery stores exhausted me far more than they should have, and I wanted to talk about other stuff, but it's late now and my brain is shutting down.:/ I can't do the "night owl" thing anymore, even on weekends. It's no fun getting old... LOL. *sigh*

Because the older I get, the more sentimental I become (surprised, anyone?...;), I just realized today is the 67th (!!!) birthday of a certain Polish actor I had the most severe crush on as a teenager. So I googled him, just in case there actually were some nice pics available (when I searched before, all I could find were relatively recent ones, and he hasn't aged very well... and, sadly, my collection of newspaper clippings from those ancient times when he still looked good never made it across the Atlantic) - and voila! there he is, playing Hamlet back in the sixties:



See the grainy old black-and-white photo?... *gets all teary-eyed* (yes, that was before I was born, I'm not THAT ancient yet...;P)

And then I found this: "One of Poland’s most popular actors Daniel Olbrychski celebrates 50 years on screen" (from last December):



Not bad for 67, if I say so myself.:) Fifty years on screen, and he never lost that crooked smile... Here's to another fifty in good health and spirits (and no, I am not alluding to the legendary fondness for alcohol among Polish actors in general, and this one in particular; or perhaps I am, just a little...;).

And now I really must scamper off to bed... *sigh*

Comment to this entry and I'll give you a letter. List ten things that you love that begin with that letter and then post that list on your journal.

kehleyr gave me "S"... an easy one.:)

Here goes:

spring (can it come soon?... *wistful sigh*)
summer
storms (especially summer storms :)
sunsets
sunflowers
snowdrops
strawberries
stories (as in "fiction")
songs
solitude

Can you tell I am extremely ready for a change of season?...;)

Stolen from crowdaughter:

I'm running a test to see who's reading my posts. So, if you read this, leave me a one-word comment about your day that starts with the third letter of your LJ USERNAME. Only one word please. Then repost so I can leave a word for you. Don't just post a word and not copy - that's not as much fun!

I saw an unforgettable film last night. David's Birthday (original title Il compleanno). It came out in 2010, and apparently was a big hit at Cannes. It's a story of a middle-aged, seemingly straight, happily married guy falling for his best friend's teenage son. I think the name David is a very deliberate choice, because the boy totally has the look of a Michelangelo sculpture about him.:) And he is an underwear model (played by an actual Brazilian model, Thyago Alves). ( Read more... )

I hereby notify anyone who might care that I have finally created a DreamWidth account. I mean to use it as a backup, in case LJ goes to hell (which everyone seems to think is eventually going to happen). It's a free account for now, without any bells and whistles, and I'm not too crazy about the available journal styles for free accounts - so I don't really feel like posting from there. However, I don't think it is possible to crosspost from LiveJournal to DreamWidth (I know I can do it the other way around, but... meh). Anyway... I'll worry about that later. For now, I imported my profile, entries & comments over there for safekeeping, but I don't want to get rid of the paid LJ account (and my 200 pretty iconses, prrreciousss!...;) anytime soon, so I guess I'll just leave it the way it is and see what the future brings. However, if you are on my friends' list and do have a DreamWidth account, by all means go ahead and add me over there (I am also "floatingleaf" on DW). And let me know who you are if your DreamWidth username is different from the LiveJournal one.:) I just want to get an idea of how many people on my flist actually have DW accounts...

In other news, I just accidentally discovered another INCREDIBLY AWESOME music band. TIAMAT. The name sort of rang a bell (and I mean as a band, not just as a Babylonian goddess... LOL) - but I never really looked into it further, until it came up on the list of "similar artists" while I was downloading something else the other day. So I thought, well, I might just as well check it out... and before I knew it, I was a hardcore fan.:D I love when that happens. Somehow, seemingly out of nowhere, another 4-hour playlist appears on my iPod as I get to sample two decades of discography that happened while I wasn't looking.:) Anyway... long story short, it's another one of those Scandinavian bands that started out as death metal, but ended up being more goth rock/darkwave/psychedelic etc. It sort of sounds like a cross between Anathema and Sisters of Mercy. Which, if you ask me, is positively orgasmic.:P Surprised, anyone?... *looks around* Didn't think so.:D

Well... no time for futher elaboration tonight, but here's a random vid to illustrate the case in point. Wings of Heaven, from the album Prey (2003):



This is the kind of sound I can't ever possibly get enough of. Seriously... who needs drugs? Music is all the "high" I can handle, thank you very much. *floats somewhere on cloud nine*

So I didn't go to the movies yesterday. I woke up still feeling pretty weak and lethargic, and was actually relieved when akashaelfwitch cancelled our outing (something urgent came up on her end). It was very cold and windy too, so getting dressed and venturing outside really didn't sound appealing. Instead, I spent the day lounging about, reading, catching up on emails etc. Which seems to have been exactly what I needed.

This morning my energy levels were back to normal, but after a full day at work I am a little deflated again. It is always a bit tough to "get back to reality" after a long, relaxing weekend - especially if said "relaxing" was mostly due to not feeling very well. And it is particularly tough, for me, in cold weather - after spending a few days ensconced warmly at home. There's always this baleful feeling of "wahhh, do I REALLY have to go out there in the grey, frosty morning and shiver at the bus stop???" *sulks*

I'm sure I'll get over it in a few days... but right now I'm struggling with a bit of classic winter gloom. Which means I might not be feeling very chatty in the near future. The one thing that helps with this despondent mood is getting more sleep - which, of course, makes weekday evenings even shorter.:/ But what's the use of longer evenings if you're not coherent enough to enjoy them much anyway?... I've found the hard way that I am unable to "cheat" my body when it comes to the required amount of sleep - that "one more hour" of computer time at night will sooner or later come back to bite me in the ass, especially if I have to get up early the next morning. Still, it's tough to be the strict parent to my inner child and send it to bed when it's having such a great time online.:D Which, I'm sure, is something a great many of my flisters can relate to...

Happy New Year, Dear Flist! Here's a little something to make you smile - a very short, hilarious interview with Viggo, David Cronenberg & Vincent Cassel that someone just posted on viggo_daily:



I couldn't resist sharing it, because it made me LOL despite the generally crappy mood I'm in right now (nothing to do with being by myself on New Year's Eve - everything to do with Mother Nature being a bitch and making my period start about five days early this month, introduced by a vicious headache).

Anyway... no worries, dear Viggo - I will never send you dirty underwear in the mail.:D My fannish obsession - even for you - doesn't go QUITE that far. Thank God. *headshake*

The Hour has struck!!! I think it's officially OK to go to bed now...:P

So this meme-thing has been making its rounds through my flist...

( A summary of the year 2011... )