Fish slap calm me.

[sarea]

1) Those with knowledge about the Anita Blake series: Do we ever learn all about Jean-Claude, and how he became the ultra hottie that he is?

2) This Sat. am going to dim sum w/ Scott and Linda and their friends, who are also a couple. I hate dim sum, and I hate being a Singleton amidst all the Smug Marrieds, but afterward we're going to Fountain of Beauty and I'm getting a massage and that's all that matters. I think it's been a YEAR since my last one, and my back has been bothering me lately. I'm hoping it's just the tightness of the muscles back there, and not that something is terribly wrong. How much is one supposed to tip a masseuse? I usually go about 15-20%, but some people say 10% is fine, or a flat rate rather than percentage. What say you? Can I also mention how much I despise the U.S. practice of leaving gratuity??? I wish they'd just factor it into their wages/prices, because I hate having to worry about it.

3) I'm using Bit Torrent for the first time, and I'm having newbie confusion. Some of the files are downloading as .mpgs, and some of them are downloading as .rm files. What I'd like to do is to burn them to a CD or DVD so that I can actually watch them on a DVD player, rather than simply archiving them as files. corianderstem has helped me out a ton, and I think I'll probably be able do that w/ the .mpgs no problem. But does anyone know if you can burn .rm files so that they're viewable in a DVD player, or do you have to convert them to .mpg first? And if the latter, how does one do that???

4) Watched 50 First Dates again last night for the first time since seeing it in the theater. I just lurve it. The ending makes it worth it every time, plus all the rest of it isn't as grating as I normally find Adam-Sandler-esque movies. Have also shamefully watched Coyote Ugly. Yes, it's terrible, but not Surviving Christmas terrible; it's more Get Over It! terrible -- rewatchable. Plus the music was great and I like Bridget Moynahan. Poor Melanie Lynskey, going from playing opposite Kate Winslet in an arthouse movie like Heavenly Creatures to playing these throw-away best friend roles.

5) Jade and I are switching Web servers, so our site will be down for a few days (possibly more if we can't be arsed to reupload everything immediately). That means our vanishingscroll accounts are frozen also, so you'll have to email us at our Gmail accounts if you want to reach us.

Comments

[fearthainn.livejournal.com]

1) Those with knowledge about the Anita Blake series: Do we ever learn all about Jean-Claude, and how he became the ultra hottie that he is?

Not in any great detail. We learn a little more about where he's from and who his master is in later books, but not really a lot more.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a bummer, though I suppose that's how he maintains his hot mystique. And I wouldn't want for it to turn out like the Anne Rice novels, where we learn far too much about Lestat.

Does LKH at least explain about vampire souls/whether they have one/if it's related to the soul they had when they were a human? She's only said just enough that she made me wonder about it, but with no clear answers.

And is it just me or does she occasionally seem to contradict herself??

[fearthainn.livejournal.com]

See, unfortunately I haven't re-read the last few books since I got them, so I can't really remember. The first books of the series are really the best, although LKH doesn't descend to Anne Rice-ian depths in her quest to write smut-filled stories. The latest is coming out in September, so maybe there will be more on JC and his vampire birth and all the rest.

I don't think LKH talks about the vampiric souls beyond saying they don't have them, that it takes 3 days for a soul to leave a body and 3 days for a new vamp to rise, etc. So in that sense it's not like Buffy-verse, where Angel and Spike got "new" souls to replace the ones they lost. I don't think it's possible in Anita-verse for that to happen, but honestly, it's never come up.

And yeah, sometimes she does contradict herself. :)

Also. Your icon? Made me laugh out loud. :D

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Damn, I could have sworn I read somewhere that vampires had souls -- but she didn't specify what kind of soul it was. She was going through the whole ghosts/ghouls/zombies/vampires thing, about how zombies only have the memory of who they once were, didn't have a personality, etc., but vampires actually can think for themselves, etc., and there was something about a soul slipped in there somewhere. I'll have to see if I can find it again; shouldn't be too difficult, since I'm only 2 1/2 books in.

I was thinking that about Angel and Spike the other day -- probably from thoughts about the Anita Blake books. Specifically about their 'generic' souls, how they can just get their souls replaced, and if it's that easy, then a soul must just be a generic thing. And yet, I don't think that's the case, actually ... not as sure about Spike, but Angel's soul seems to be specifically his (I think it was from the second to last season, when he turned into Angelus again). Yet I think that was kind of contradictory to what had been said before, so that they could guarantee maximum angst. Don't know if you watch those shows, but if you do, then you'll know that they're no strangers to contradiction, either. <g>

Anyway -- I ask about vampire souls because I thought that's what had been suggested, and if so, it was a really interesting concept to me. That maybe a soul is why a vampire is animated/can think for itself. That it's a different soul, a vampire soul, is an unusual but cool idea (if true). I mean ... there was that voodoo queen who was able to trap souls into zombies (gawd, how awful), so maybe it is possible to trap a soul into a vampire, too? Now I'm getting a headache, which isn't worth it given I'm not even sure exactly what I read. I'll let you know what I find!

Haha, I loves me the Orlando, but he was such a little wussie in Troy. :))

[akscully.livejournal.com]

Figuring out a tip causes you that much worry?

[akscully.livejournal.com]

Here, something to help you.

It's on the Internet, so it must be true.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Excellent, thank you.

And yes, it does cause me undue worry. I would just like to know exactly what I'm going to pay before I enter a restaurant/beauty salon/cab/airport shuttle/hotel etc. Is that so wrong???

I mean, I know we're supposed to leave gratuity for service, but like that really happens. I feel guilty if I don't leave at least 15% no matter what the service was like, because like in restaurants servers get taxed on their tips so it's like part of their salary. I wish someone would just take it out of my hands and just include it as part of the overall fee. It's nice when you go to a restaurant w/ 8 people or more, because they just put the tip in there and there's no having to factor it in when everyone's scrounging for their wallets.

[akscully.livejournal.com]

Heh, you have reminded me of what I hate about going to restaurants with parties of eight or more (besides how chaotic it gets and loud and no one knows what's going on), which is that EVERYONE turns into some cheap bastard. I mean, seriously, we're all adults, but people are poring over the bill, figuring out their share to the goddamn penny. Fortunately, I've figured out which of my friends turn into aforementioned cheap bastards and can try to avoid going out to dinner with them. GOD.

But seriously, figuring out 15%? Not hard and I don't feel guilty about it. Waitressing is hard work, they're underpaid b/c owners do assume they're going to get tips and they get taxed on the tips, like you said. For me, 15% is standard, 10% or less if you blow, 20% if the service is so wonderful, my life is changed as a result.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

I know re: large parties and cheap bastard friends.

It's NOT hard to figure out 15%, and that's my standard leave as well. Which sucks, because whether it's crappy service or not, that's what I leave, because they get taxed on it like wages. My point is, if that's the case, because waiting tables is hard work, then it simply ought to be factored into the food/bill anyway, without the customer having to do anything about it and so that parties of multiple people paying doesn't leave one or two people screwed. People can then pay exactly what they're owed, which they can figure out by adding up what they ordered. Rather than doing that and then doing the tip, which is normally where the cheap bastarding usually comes in.

Restaurants and hair salons and everywhere else that we tip now simply ought to pay their people what they're due, rather than depending on the customer to do it. I had a friend in college whose father DIDN'T BELIEVE IN LEAVING TIPS. Fucking pissed me off to no end, but at the end of the day, he goes to a restaurant and doesn't leave a tip no matter what, and the server gets screwed. So it would be better all around if the system were abolished, and do it like they do in the UK -- you pay what it says. Period.

[akscully.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing with factoring it in (which I do think is a fine idea)--you can still get a system where you are expected to leave a tip. It happened to me in Italy. Gratuity was added in already, no matter the size of your party, but you were expected to leave 10% on top of that. 10% of the total, including the gratuity that was already in there. :-l I thought it was a joke but tragically, it was not.

Clearly, the solution is to give me all the money in the world and let me decide on its distribution.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

you can still get a system where you are expected to leave a tip

*sigh* Yeah, I can see how that would happen. Dammit, it should be like going to Nordstrom's and buying a purse. You look at the price tag, freak out, pay for the purse, the salesperson gets their commission, you walk out. The mall: one of the last gratuity-free frontiers.

Clearly, the solution is to give me all the money in the world and let me decide on its distribution.

But then you'll expect a tip for your services.

[akscully.livejournal.com]

Dammit, it should be like going to Nordstrom's and buying a purse.

Yes, but then you'll be pressured into buying the most expensive item on the menu. The waitstaff will be all, "BUY THE LOBSTER OR SURF AND TURF," and you'll be all, "Uh, this is TGI Fridays, d00d," and they'll be all "FUCK YOU," and walk off and give you crappy service as result and you couldn't do anything about it since they're on a commission. Well, I suppose you could order salad and water but then you're just hurting yourself.

But then you'll expect a tip for your services.

Yes, but I'll deserve it, you see.

[sumdumgai.livejournal.com]

Any chance that you can get the pictures back up, so that, you know, Byron's auction doesn't spend the crucial last few hours with a dead pic?

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Alas, no, as I do not have control over when the new servers will come online. And oops, I knew I forgot to do something -- alert you. It all happened rather suddenly, us leaving our current provider and going somewhere new. I hope you have all the files that you had on there...

[sumdumgai.livejournal.com]

Yes well the auction closed about 25% lower than it should have. Fortunately that's only $5 in this case, but then again that's like giving away a free card. You get an F. Worst... cousin... ever.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

*facepalm*

Why don't I PayPal you $5, and you can just add it to his total? What's your PP account address?

Random stranger commenting on your lj...

[slythhearted.livejournal.com]

I saw this entry through Mynuet's friends page so thought I could give you my 2 cents on Jean Claude.

The canon knowledge of JC has to be pieced together (and in some cases contradicts itself) as yet LKH hasn't gone down the Anne Rice's over information route.

JC was not a noble. He was raised along side a nobleman's son and when said son had to be punished it was JC's job to take the lash in his place. He still has the faint scars on his back from this. He grew up to be a bit of a hottie and was sired by Lisette who was of Belle Morte's line. Vampires descending from BM have powers based around sex magic which added to his already hottie status. At first Asher did not welcome him at the vampire court as he was a little bit worried that this new vampire would be a danger to his own position as resident hottie. They managed to overcome their differences and spent several decades merrily shagging their way around Europe with Asher's human servant. When Asher was tortured JC decided that he needed to be taken back to the court to heal. BM was repulsed by the now scarred Asher and the price for taking him back was JC signing himself over to her for a 100 years of servitude. He was 'given' to anyone (male and female) that wanted him. After the century was up we hit a blank spot in his history until he appears in St Louis at the start of the series. During that time he developed into a Master and gained the ability to control the wolves.

On the question of souls - my understanding is that Anita suspects that vampires have a soul during the night but when they 'die' at dawn the soul goes somewhere. This uncertainty around what happens to the soul is one of her main problems with taking the fourth mark.

Does that help?

Re: Random stranger commenting on your lj...

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Oh, pooooor Jean-Claude! :(

I appreciate your taking the time to go through his history. I'm only a few books in, so some of this is a bit of a mystery (I've heard of the name Asher, but he hasn't actually appeared yet), but that's probably for the best. ;) I should definitely quit this kind of probing so that I actually have something to read/be surprised by. <g>

I'm normally extremely anti-spoilers, but in the case of the Anita Blake books I couldn't help myself ... I think it's because I'm not a big fan of love triangles (especially when there's a character I love more than another -- JC in this case), and had to know what I was getting myself into.