Top 5s: Places, Movies, Snupin Stuff
Ok, this is me caught up on my Latin homework (for the moment) and continuing the Top 5 Meme. I'm going to try to knock out several in one block this time. I am saving the crafty / art ones until I have the time to actually sit with my various sites and portfolios and things. Plus I took photos of the first sophisticated doll I ever made, when I was 14, for Emily's Top 5, so I'll have to post those before I can do that one.
Also, I have a shoebox full of photos from my high school trips abroad and my college years - those are going to be scanned soon and posted to Flickr. So watch out, college buddies. (I admit there are a few folks I wish I could airbrush out, but I will maintain the integrity of the photos.)
from
glockgal
Top 5 places you've visited (and loved) -- Another hard one! I've visited too many places! I could just list major cities but that feels like cheating. I'm going to try to be very specific here, and also keep the list to short visits. For lack of a better way to list them, I'll go chronologically. (I could do a whole Top 5 just about churches, too. Or restaurants!)
1. Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary -- Not only does it have an awesome set of statues and a gorgeous monument, but when I was in Budapest there was an outdoor concert here. We sat on folded cardboard chairs and listened to a massive choir and orchestra. I think it was Beethoven's Ninth. I have terrible photos of my exchange sister and our friends looking like complete dorks in the twilight as we waited for it start. That whole trip was really amazing, but something about music always makes things stick in my mind. I also got to play the church organ at a tiny gorgeous chapel in the countryside, and I always remember that, too. It was up a spiral staircase by the door.
2. Kawiarna Jama Michalika, Krakow, Poland -- a most excellent artists' cafe on ul. Florianska near the Florian Gate in Krakow's Old Town. One of those places where the young artists of the day hung out and gave the owner art. The decor was a fabulous mix of modern and Art Deco / Art Nuveau, and the desserts were fantastic. I love places like this, full of history so deep you can feel it through the soles of your feet.
3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY -- The first time I visited was my freshman year of college, and I've been back many times since then. I always find something new. I could sit in the Classical Gallery for ages, and have. I know exactly where William the Faience Hippopotamus lives in the Egyptian Galleries, and visit him every time I go, if his gallery is open. There's a room in the Asian Art, Japanese section that has a fountain, and it's wonderfully peaceful. I know just where to find Madam X in the painting galleries when she's at home. And the Cloisters are the next best thing to going back to Poland or Wales for castles. I didn't visit nearly enough when I lived in NYC.
4. Stash Cafe, Montreal, Quebec, Canada -- home of the best Polish food I've had outside of Poland (sorry, Polish Home!) and some really excellent vodka as well. In the heart of Montreal's old town, on a cobbled street in some beautiful buildings, where the atmosphere is wonderfully Old World. The first time I went here it was the end of winter, cold and dark and I was with college friends on a spring break trip. The next time, it was summer, hot under blue blue skies, and I was with WorldCon friends and fellow geeks. I ate there a lot.
5. Tenby, Pembrokshire, Wales -- This surprise wonder of a town was the emergency B&B location when Jaye and I were trying to get to Pembroke Castle. In the way that things work out on such road trips, our detour to find beds ended up being an awesome site in itself. The walled town was full of cute buildings, lovely people, and had a seaside Promenade that was just the thing for us after our long drive down from Snowdonia. We had a wonderful dinner, a scrumption breakfast, and hung out drinking Brains at the local before going for a walk by the bay. You can't ask for much better than that for a vacation!
Top 5 things you do to stop being bored
1. Read fanfiction.
2. Draw something.
3. Start a crafty project
4. Grab a beloved book off the shelf to re-read.
5. Start organizing my apartment.
from
dizilla
top 5 favorite sci-fi movies (or if not enough, fantasy too) -- Oh, Diz, I could do five of each! And in fact, I think I will!
Top 5 Science Fiction Movies (How much is this going to be dominated by recent releases? SO MUCH)
1. Them! -- ok, this one I probably would have merrily dismissed until my mom mentioned it was one of her favorites. And it's pretty awesome! Giant radioactive ants terrorize Southern California! A lady scientist in the 50s! Action, adventure, sacrifice, and flamethrowers!
2. Star Wars-- Do I really need to elaborate on this one? Two words: Darth Vader.
3. Star Trek (XI) -- Ok, it's flawed and wreaks havoc on the Universe with glee, but dude - I watched it, like, 15 times on a bad bootleg, and three in the theater, and bought the DVD as soon as it came out. I may have been just a teeny bit obsessed.
4. Moon -- This film messed with my head in the very best way. Everyone should see it, but it's hard to gush without giving the whole thing away. I think I was definitely happier seeing it when I didn't know about its essential plot points.
5. Inception -- Who wants to go see this again with meeeeee?
Top 5 Fantasy Movies
1. Ladyhawke - This has got to be one of the best movies ever. Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Rutger Hauer in a beautiful story of love, betrayal, and redemption. You just have to kind of go with the crazy 80s soundtrack, though. ;)
2. The Last Unicorn - I know, the book will always be better, but this is a pretty great adaptation, and wonderfully captures the awe and humor and emotion of the story.
3. Labyrinth -- I'm always torn between this and The Dark Crystal, but David Bowie put this one over the top. Plus the Dark Crystal gets docked slightly for freaking me right the fuck out when I was 9. ;)
4. The Lord of the Rings (collectively) -- it's actually kind of hard to choose one of the three, although 1 and 3 have more Sean Bean, so that's always nice. They all have their great points and their great flaws, and while I can take or leave these books, I watch the movies over and over again.
5. Legend -- Don't judge me, despite baby Tom Cruise in no pants! Tim Curry is amazingly awesome as the Darkness, and I think I may have mentioned earlier that Evil is Sexy, right? Nom nom nom.
Yes, they're alliterative. What of it?
Top 5 favorite Snupin Kinks/Cliches -- uh. hm. another difficult one, because you know I'll read anything if the author sells it.
1. Mpreg / kidfic. There doesn't have to be mpreg, although it's hilarious when there is. Love that Wizarding biology. I just like schmoopy fun cute post-War happiness, when both men have had the angst of their past laid at least partially to rest.
2. Remus as a super-spy and/or world-traveling secret agent during the "Lost Years", and then again with Severus during the course of the books.
3. Snape secretly invented the Wolfsbane potion and won't tell Remus about it because of his epic luuuurve.
4. Remus growing a very uncanon spine and standing up to Dumbledore/Sirius/Harry/whatever, thus earning Severus's respect, which leads eventually to the epic luuuurve.
5. The 'Turn or Kill' scenario in which they are trapped together at the Full Moon to punish Severus or through some kind of epic misadventure, and they have to find a creative solution - usually this involves some ridiculous Werewolf Mating Custom/Biological Imperative. I will also take "Snowed in and must cuddle together for warmth, leading to more" as a less-angst-ridden alternative.
Also, I thought of a woman to add to my favorite characters list: Philippa Somerville from the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. In fact, most of the women in the Lymond Chronicles are rockin' awesome, with Sybilla right up there after Philippa. I still haven't finished the Niccolo books, I have got to get on that.
This entry was originally posted at http://zephre.dreamwidth.org/452888.html.
comments posted to original post.
Also, I have a shoebox full of photos from my high school trips abroad and my college years - those are going to be scanned soon and posted to Flickr. So watch out, college buddies. (I admit there are a few folks I wish I could airbrush out, but I will maintain the integrity of the photos.)
from
glockgal
Top 5 places you've visited (and loved) -- Another hard one! I've visited too many places! I could just list major cities but that feels like cheating. I'm going to try to be very specific here, and also keep the list to short visits. For lack of a better way to list them, I'll go chronologically. (I could do a whole Top 5 just about churches, too. Or restaurants!)
1. Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary -- Not only does it have an awesome set of statues and a gorgeous monument, but when I was in Budapest there was an outdoor concert here. We sat on folded cardboard chairs and listened to a massive choir and orchestra. I think it was Beethoven's Ninth. I have terrible photos of my exchange sister and our friends looking like complete dorks in the twilight as we waited for it start. That whole trip was really amazing, but something about music always makes things stick in my mind. I also got to play the church organ at a tiny gorgeous chapel in the countryside, and I always remember that, too. It was up a spiral staircase by the door.
2. Kawiarna Jama Michalika, Krakow, Poland -- a most excellent artists' cafe on ul. Florianska near the Florian Gate in Krakow's Old Town. One of those places where the young artists of the day hung out and gave the owner art. The decor was a fabulous mix of modern and Art Deco / Art Nuveau, and the desserts were fantastic. I love places like this, full of history so deep you can feel it through the soles of your feet.
3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY -- The first time I visited was my freshman year of college, and I've been back many times since then. I always find something new. I could sit in the Classical Gallery for ages, and have. I know exactly where William the Faience Hippopotamus lives in the Egyptian Galleries, and visit him every time I go, if his gallery is open. There's a room in the Asian Art, Japanese section that has a fountain, and it's wonderfully peaceful. I know just where to find Madam X in the painting galleries when she's at home. And the Cloisters are the next best thing to going back to Poland or Wales for castles. I didn't visit nearly enough when I lived in NYC.
4. Stash Cafe, Montreal, Quebec, Canada -- home of the best Polish food I've had outside of Poland (sorry, Polish Home!) and some really excellent vodka as well. In the heart of Montreal's old town, on a cobbled street in some beautiful buildings, where the atmosphere is wonderfully Old World. The first time I went here it was the end of winter, cold and dark and I was with college friends on a spring break trip. The next time, it was summer, hot under blue blue skies, and I was with WorldCon friends and fellow geeks. I ate there a lot.
5. Tenby, Pembrokshire, Wales -- This surprise wonder of a town was the emergency B&B location when Jaye and I were trying to get to Pembroke Castle. In the way that things work out on such road trips, our detour to find beds ended up being an awesome site in itself. The walled town was full of cute buildings, lovely people, and had a seaside Promenade that was just the thing for us after our long drive down from Snowdonia. We had a wonderful dinner, a scrumption breakfast, and hung out drinking Brains at the local before going for a walk by the bay. You can't ask for much better than that for a vacation!
Top 5 things you do to stop being bored
1. Read fanfiction.
2. Draw something.
3. Start a crafty project
4. Grab a beloved book off the shelf to re-read.
5. Start organizing my apartment.
from
dizilla
top 5 favorite sci-fi movies (or if not enough, fantasy too) -- Oh, Diz, I could do five of each! And in fact, I think I will!
Top 5 Science Fiction Movies (How much is this going to be dominated by recent releases? SO MUCH)
1. Them! -- ok, this one I probably would have merrily dismissed until my mom mentioned it was one of her favorites. And it's pretty awesome! Giant radioactive ants terrorize Southern California! A lady scientist in the 50s! Action, adventure, sacrifice, and flamethrowers!
2. Star Wars-- Do I really need to elaborate on this one? Two words: Darth Vader.
3. Star Trek (XI) -- Ok, it's flawed and wreaks havoc on the Universe with glee, but dude - I watched it, like, 15 times on a bad bootleg, and three in the theater, and bought the DVD as soon as it came out. I may have been just a teeny bit obsessed.
4. Moon -- This film messed with my head in the very best way. Everyone should see it, but it's hard to gush without giving the whole thing away. I think I was definitely happier seeing it when I didn't know about its essential plot points.
5. Inception -- Who wants to go see this again with meeeeee?
Top 5 Fantasy Movies
1. Ladyhawke - This has got to be one of the best movies ever. Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Rutger Hauer in a beautiful story of love, betrayal, and redemption. You just have to kind of go with the crazy 80s soundtrack, though. ;)
2. The Last Unicorn - I know, the book will always be better, but this is a pretty great adaptation, and wonderfully captures the awe and humor and emotion of the story.
3. Labyrinth -- I'm always torn between this and The Dark Crystal, but David Bowie put this one over the top. Plus the Dark Crystal gets docked slightly for freaking me right the fuck out when I was 9. ;)
4. The Lord of the Rings (collectively) -- it's actually kind of hard to choose one of the three, although 1 and 3 have more Sean Bean, so that's always nice. They all have their great points and their great flaws, and while I can take or leave these books, I watch the movies over and over again.
5. Legend -- Don't judge me, despite baby Tom Cruise in no pants! Tim Curry is amazingly awesome as the Darkness, and I think I may have mentioned earlier that Evil is Sexy, right? Nom nom nom.
Yes, they're alliterative. What of it?
Top 5 favorite Snupin Kinks/Cliches -- uh. hm. another difficult one, because you know I'll read anything if the author sells it.
1. Mpreg / kidfic. There doesn't have to be mpreg, although it's hilarious when there is. Love that Wizarding biology. I just like schmoopy fun cute post-War happiness, when both men have had the angst of their past laid at least partially to rest.
2. Remus as a super-spy and/or world-traveling secret agent during the "Lost Years", and then again with Severus during the course of the books.
3. Snape secretly invented the Wolfsbane potion and won't tell Remus about it because of his epic luuuurve.
4. Remus growing a very uncanon spine and standing up to Dumbledore/Sirius/Harry/whatever, thus earning Severus's respect, which leads eventually to the epic luuuurve.
5. The 'Turn or Kill' scenario in which they are trapped together at the Full Moon to punish Severus or through some kind of epic misadventure, and they have to find a creative solution - usually this involves some ridiculous Werewolf Mating Custom/Biological Imperative. I will also take "Snowed in and must cuddle together for warmth, leading to more" as a less-angst-ridden alternative.
Also, I thought of a woman to add to my favorite characters list: Philippa Somerville from the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. In fact, most of the women in the Lymond Chronicles are rockin' awesome, with Sybilla right up there after Philippa. I still haven't finished the Niccolo books, I have got to get on that.
This entry was originally posted at http://zephre.dreamwidth.org/452888.html.
comments posted to original post.