Since you're gone my empty arms have nothing left to hold

... wow? Uhm. Haha. I don't think I've ever left lj so long without updating? /o\ ugh I'm so behindddd I can't even. Thing is that rl decided to happen worse than usual (ie worse than the first two months of this year) and I pretty much fell behind on everything go me? Okay uhm so, I'm just going to give a bullet points thing of what has gone down?

a) I finished the master's degree exams - which was actually the #1 reason why I ended up falling behind - you'd think I'd have thought of putting an official hiatus on... anyway, I have just the thesis left and then I'm done? Which - seriously, I can't wait. The last finals were the feast of Ican'tgiveashitaboutanyofthis, ew.

b) So as it is I'm working on the thesis, which at least is one thing I actually give a damn about. I'm also done reading Wild Cards and re-evaluating e-readers, if only to read stuff that you should read on the computer as an only alternative.

c) I also figured I'd give an update because from tomorrow I'll have crappy internet access for the entire month and the idea of leaving the journal deserted until September was totally depressing, but anyway - if anyone who's still around wants postcards from either Vienna or Paris or both tell me and if I have your address is good, if I don't then PM me and I'll be more than glad to provide. :)

d) For the first time in years FINALLY they managed to arrive at the last trial degree to condemn Berlusconi, which totally doesn't mean that he's out of the picture knowing the guy, but it's farther than any other trial managed to get, so yay for that?

e) Comprehensive point for fandom - discussion is welcome but as it is I can't possibly catch up with everything I missed so feel free to go at me with months of lateness ;)

1) SPN: I loved everything about the ending of the season. I'm also ridiculously optimistic about it. I'm thrilled that no one important is dead and that Cas is human for good because omg such good possibilities <33333, and I pretty much was 100% behind the plot in the last three/four episodes or so. I'm currently not too much into the fandom killing itself over possible female interests that are stated to be not permanent but that's not related to the show - I'm ridic excited for S9!

2) Vampire Porn: this season was totally meh but picket itself back up in the last two episodes. Also, please keep Alaric ghosting around because he and Damon are still the best thing about this entire show.

3) GOT: the RW legit put me moping for two weeks. Ops. No, seriously, I spent two weeks going around the house on the point of weeping at every stupid thing. Other than that: better than S2 overall, I was WTF about 90% of Stannis's stuff this season, I'm plenty glad they reunited Jon and Sam, Jaime and Brienne were flawless, the Theon stuff killed me ten times overall and I hate HBO for *that* certain change about which part gets sent to his dad and Asha was better in the two scenes she had than a bunch of other people who had a lot more screentime to themselves. Anyway, as a general adaptation it was tons better than S2, even if Cat not getting screentime in favor of shewhoshallnotbenamed was horrible and.. well, the Robb storyline could have been awesome and it wasn't, but eeeeeh.

4) I've actually watched and caught up with the entirety of Breaking Bad in the last three weeks, which is also the reason why I didn't update here before - TOO BUSY CATCHING UP. Anyway, I'm gonna copy my opinion from the post I wrote falafel_musings on tumblr the other day because it pretty much sums it up and I can't be bothered to rephrase it XD

( spoilers )

Hopefully when I'm back from the various places I'm going to this summer I can post about the last season along with everyone else. I'm so excited for it omg.

5) Pacific Rim was awesomecakes. I'm totally stalking fic for it on ao3 though I'm not planning on writing it anytime soon since I already am behind on fic I should finish and I'll be for years at the rate I'm going /o\, but anyway it was pretty much the only monsters vs humans action movie shot after the fifties that I've seen and actually really fucking liked - not to mention that it was a hell of a lot smarter than 99% of movies in that genre.

6) I have no clue of how I'm doing Gishwhes this year since I'm in Paris for a fifth of that week, but I'll manage to come up with something in that timeframe... (anyway, Misha = ♥ I CAN'T WITH HIM LATELY)

7) Oh, Under the Dome is also pretty cool, but if you read the book imo you can't enjoy it fully since they made two huge changes I'm not exactly down with. (Aka: my favorite character changed job and is stuck outside the dome so he has no role and Julia is too young for that part. I liked that she was older than the usual leading lady, damn it.)

d) Concerts-I've-seen-this-summer speaking: Bruce Springsteen was outofthisworldfuckingawesome as usual, Bon Jovi round two ended up in Dry County + These Days AGAIN which would have been enough but seriously asdfghjkl they were awesomecakessssss, the National were WOW (though seeing them the day after BJ after a three hour train ride put a hamper on my ability to stand up XD), the Patti Smith one I caught in April was outofthisworldexcellent but then again I think I've seen her more times than anyone else I've seen (except Bruce maybe) and I wasn't exactly surprised on that side. Also I ended up going with my parents to an Inti Illimani concerts that was for almost free in a park and while they definitely were more schooled on the songs than I was it was pretty damn good too.

e) Books I've read: Wild Cards as a whole is great but I'm not gonna go do a twenty one books series review in detail in a post that is already ridic crowded - suffices that I loved it. xD Considering that reading twenty books in a row took me five months and that I was doing the last finals I haven't read much other than that and my school books, but for something different: the last King (Joyland) is also pretty great and DOESN'T have a fucked up ending (!!!), though the last twenty pages made me scream in rage for different reasons - and I kind of cried at the end even if it was a book about killings in an amusement park. I'm completely beyond any kind of dignity. Saramago's Blindness (which I should have read years ago, in my plans..) is a total masterpiece as far as I'm concerned - probably I won't read a better one this year but then again we're talking about stuff that is waaaaay above average level. Coming down to less exquisitely literary deals, Fifty Shames of Earl Gray is hilarious. And you don't even need to read the original to have a crack, as long as you know the general plot and the basic character traits you're good. Honest, I spent a train ride trying not to read hysterically out loud.

f) On to the rest: WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU FLIST? ;_; I can't possibly catch up to... five months of missed entries especially when I'm leaving again tomorrow and I still have to finish packing so catch me up with what's been going on with you? At least when I'm back I won't be TOO MUCH out of the loop. <3

Aaaand okay I'm going to finish packing - I'll answer eventual comments in the evening :) (if I don't, I will at some point next week when I actually have time to do it from my outdated phone, ops.) ♥

[service communication: if I'm not around here, I'm definitely around on twitter - handle is always janiedean]

1. First thing, quick fic rec for anyone who might be interested (idk how many on here are into both, but it's so brilliant I have to share): this is an ASOIAF/Father Ted crossover where Stannis, Renly and Robert are priests living on Craggy Island and it's the most beautiful crossover that ever crossovered in every history of crossovers. Seriously. You don't have to be familiar with Father Ted to crack up, though if you are it's funnier. Okay, there it is. You won't regret it.

2. That said, I SAID I WAS GOING TO DO EPISODE REACTIONS AGAIN and I'm doing it. Okay, SPN time since no vampire porn this week.

( spoilers )

3. Two GRRM-related things: seriously. IS THERE SOMEONE WHO READS WILD CARDS other than me in the universe? Seriously, I spent Easter reading throughout books sixteen and seventeen and it's just - so many delish characters and I have at least four otps TWO OF WHICH ARE CANON AND CURRENTLY LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER and while it does have the asoiaf realism/angst (as much as superhero books can have) CHARACTERS ACTUALLY GET TO BE HAPPY MOST TIMES even if they get through hell first, and there's canon queer/interractial/interspecies relationships and okay while some parts are seriously WTF or tacky or irrationally gross as a whole IT'S REALLY REALLY GOOD D: and I can't find fic or a fandom or ANYTHING except a forum that is updated every two months, whyyyyy.

4. Second GRRM-related thing: if I have any Theon fans on here who are on tumblr but we don't follow each other, me and a friend on there will hopefully be hosting a week of ridiculous Theon fangirling in mid-May because seriously the hate on the guy is pretty horrible atm and it'll just get worse as the season progresses so if anyone's interested, we'd love to have you. ;)

5. In other news: I spent Easter between despairing over my grandmother (whom I love but the more time passes the more I'm convinced that she'll never understand that life doesn't equate obligatory valley of tears) and feeling like some old person because my ten year-old cousin spent like half an hour speaking about how in his class people get caught for hiding their i-pods in their shoes, can't use their cellphones or *i-pads* in class etcetera etcetera. At which my basic reactions were: 'WHY would you buy your ten year-old an iphone or an ipad or ANYTHING LIKE THAT' and 'fuck when I was ten we didn't even bring our frigging *walkman* to school and we didn't spend time during classes playing Angry Birds'. Which probably explains a lot of things, but still, I'm too young to feel like an old woman and wish that kids these days would just go and read Treasure Island under their desk instead of playing Angry Birds, if they really have to not pay attention.

... damn, I sound like my grandmothers used to sound when I was seven. Brb, getting drunk.

6. I also had a sort of half-high school reunion. Half in the sense that just half of the people were present, and most of them were people I never talked to. But for some miracle it actually went decently, we got nicely buzzed (even if the beer I had was good enough to keep me awake until 4 AM even if the entire thing was over at 2...) and idek, apparently it took five years to get past the stage where people forget how much they used to dislike each other in HS but it was nicer than I thought it'd be.

That said, I'm also apparently too old to get buzzed and then go to bed at five AM because the morning after I woke up at like 11.30 AM and I wanted to spend the entire day in bed.

7. The politics around here are getting so depressing that I can't even fathom it. Not any news, but still, when you think you can't get worse IT GETS WORSE.

8. At least, I found a recipe for strawberry muffins which works like a charm. Now if only I had a chance to use said muffins to charm the Richard Madden lookalike haunting my university who appears in there once every two years or so, my life would be awesome. Again: why don't I know how to flirt? Because I'd have done that three months ago, if I had.

9. In more interesting book-related news, I'm three chapters into Fifty Shames of Earl Gray and it was deliciously hilarious. I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes on, because if the rest is as good as the first three chapters, it's going to be the funniest thing I've read in ages.

10. Aaand since I have nothing else of import, I'll just leave you with this, which is arguably the best piece of live music that I've heard in the last six months that wasn't a concert I was attending. You're welcome. ;)

Extra that goes outside the list:



Congratulations, US. I'm not in the habit of blathering about politics that aren't my own but considering who was the alternative, congratulations. Also, just one thing even if it's late and probably not relevant anymore: dear Mitt Romney, Italy's economy is fucked because all the policies adopted here have *not* been the same as Obama's in the US. Check your facts.

That stated, on to less worldwide things.

1. First thing goes first: GASLIGHT ANTHEM ARE IMMENSE. Seriously I so don't regret the Milan trip - it was *amazing* and I got first row and they're as awesome as I thought they'd be AND THEY PLAYED FILM NOIR DSFKDSHFKSH I CAN'T COMPREHEND HOW AWESOME THAT CONCERT WAS. Not to mention the Wolverine action figures on the speakers - nerds, NERDS! - and the incense going on so that it'd cover the fake-smoke-they-always-use-in-concert smell. NO SERIOUSLY. ALSO BRIAN FALLON YOU'RE SO CUTE IN PERSON I DIED. HE SMILES ALL THE TIME I CAN'T.

LOOK AT HOW LOVELY HE IS.



sjafhkdsfgdkshfg. mollivanders you're in for a treat when you go see them. ;) Aaand I don't have time for full reviews but there might be one later. That said: I LOVE THESE PEOPLE OKAY.

2. So I'm doing mini_wrimo again. Hopefully I'll use it to finish stuff I have to finish rather than starting stuff at random that is never going to see the light of day.

3. GISHWHES killed my soul, but it was awesomecakes. Except, do never, ever do something stupid like reading The Raven to a crow. Or read anything to a crow. Stupid birds. I might post some of the pictures at some point, but ugh seriously it was a lot crazier than last year. I don't dare imagine what Misha is going to cook up next time...

4. Since we're talking Misha: random-ass-sort-of-late-but-not-for-the-last-episode reviews of SPN 8x05 and 8x06.

( spoilersspoilersspoilers )

5. Non TV related and concerts related: Mumford and Sons are coming to Rome in March (SCORE FOR ME - TOTALLY GOING) and Bon Jovi after finally learning that Italy is Not A Place To Be Feared are coming to Milan in June! MORE CONCERTS FOR ME! And less money for me I fear, but you only live once I suppose.

6. I finally settled things re my study plan. Which means I can do my Masters thesis with the professor I want. And I didn't even have to argue with the office (too much). I think the Apocalypse *is* coming after all.

7. The indecent number of spam comments LJ left me this week is mind-boggling. I haven't had that many in ages. :/

8. Aaand that's all there is for the moment. Hopefully I'll have some half-decent concert review up at some point soon, along with other stuff. And I'll manage to update properly.

1. ... hi again. *waves* wow, this month I've been the worst at updating. *sigh* well, I'm giving you bullet points.

a) University has started again. I have sort-of-decent-classes, except for the ones that I have to study for without attending. Also I should manage to do my masters thesis with the person I want, but there's some bureaucracy drama going on over there and seriously, it's been five and a half years and I'm *still* headdesking over bureaucracy.

b) Random advice from yours truly: never put iodine tincture on you if you can help it. Long story short, I put some on my shoulder to relieve myself from mosquito-related swelling and I practically burned a hole into my skin. That happened two weeks ago. I still can't go out without gauze over it. /o\ seriously, don't ever do it.

c) I have tickets to see Gaslight Anthem in Milan! \o/ I'm so excited about it, you don't even know. \o/

d) My granddad is doing decently, or at least more decently than I thought, so at least there's that. *crosses fingers*

e) I have the new Chabon book. I'm not much far into it yet, but it's about two guys working in A USED RECORD SHOP. Needless to say that the moment I read the synopsis I was very much pleased.

2) So, TV that isn't SPN. Have all bullet points - nothing will be spoilers.

Boardwalk Empire: Richard and Van Alden are (the last one surprisingly) the best thing about this season yet. Nucky is seriously starting to scare me. Margaret has gotten slightly better since last season's fail. I appreciate that the Italian people actually sound Italian. Needs more Chalky overall. Gillian keeps on majorly creeping me out and Richard is still the best person in that bunch.

H50: the premiere was meh, also because they were seriously pushing the 'let's write shit that couldn't possibly happen according to the laws of physics' - also people need to stop dump all the angst on Chin. The second episode - I watched it the evening when I finished The Wire. Suffices to say that I totally don't remember what happened. The last one was actually delightful, also because finally they went back to the S1 formula. Can it be like that always? Thanks. Anyway, as things are whenever Danny or Chin aren't on screen I tend to tune out. :/

And a shout out to the vampire porn, which is back today and which will undoubtedly make my Friday a lot better than it is right now.

Anyway, the sad thing is that (with SPN's exception, but more on that in the next point) everything I'm watching lately seems either sub-par or just *not good enough* because I keep comparing it with The Wire, which is obviously not very smart of me since a few things can compare to it in the first place.

3. Okay, let's talk about SPN. I wanted to make a post about the premiere but I obviously didn't because a) I was too lazy, b) last week this time I was too busy trying to figure out what to do about the iodine-induced burn on my shoulder (with pitiful results) and in the end I didn't manage. So, under there there's rambling about both the premiere and the second episode.

( spoilersssssss )

4. In other news, the new LJ posting interface (the one in beta) is fugly. Can I hope it can be opted out from, when it's time? Because I don't want buttons to help me with my html. :/

5. And with that I'll probably go have another emotional breakdown while I rewatch that certain part of the latest SPN ep discussed above. I still can't believe that happened.