chase_acow

I will do this better this next solstice, but this'll work for now. First seen here at Dragon in a Fez's tumblr though I also really liked both the expansion and the boasts from this blog post. I honestly did not expect the Jimmy Carter zig, but I can't fault the logic. And here, vaguely and maybe historically.

I am going to EAT a boatload of appetizers! A REALLY BIG BOAT!

I am going to CONQUER my neighborhood and RAISE MY OWN FLAG!

I am going to KICK BEDTIME IN THE ASS and make it like it!



This was the first time in years that I was home and trying to sleep on New Year's Eve. The joke is every dispatch is the people who call in gunshots and we roll our eyes, remind them it's NYE or the Fourth of July or a football game and ask if maybe it's possible what they heard was fireworks. Guys.

GUYS.

I was rudely awakened from a sound sleep and my very first thought was OMG, GUNSHOTS. It was not gunshots. Hi, it's me, I'm the problem it's me. (Though if I was going to murder somebody those two dates would be my go to.)

I spruced up my about me things around this journal for snowflake_challenge there were a couple of hard edits and I decided not to try to record my media consumed this year as it was a total fail last year.

insomniatic has some excellent holiday icons over here.

I don't have a lot to add to add of the 'Best of' lists everyone does around this time of year, but here's what I got!

BEST MOVIE: Love Lies Bleeding
Love Lies Bleeding is a 2024 romantic thriller film directed by Rose Glass from a screenplay she co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska, and starring Kristen Stewart, Katy O'Brian, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco, and Ed Harris. Set in 1989, the film's plot follows the lesbian relationship between a reclusive gym manager, who is part of a crime family, and an ambitious bodybuilder who gets wrapped up in organized crime.
And the last ten minutes gets real, real weird in the best way.

- honorable mention: Hit Man I probably would have liked it better in the theater, but the ending bummed me out. A++ until the last ten minutes.


BEST THING I DID: Stop ignoring the small irritants that didn't seem bad enough to do something about any of the hundreds times they annoyed me.
- Bought new athletic shorts for the first time in a decade. Guess what? Every trip to take the trash to the curb is no longer a roulette game of whether they'll fall down and flash my neighbors.
- I stuck a command hook on the wall next to my bathtub because I couldn't reach the towel hanging up top and if I left it on the toilet or ground a cat butt would inevitably arrive. But now it's right there!


The Sexiest Santas in Pop Culture, Ranked
Could not disagree harder. Gross. Kick him out of the number one spot and just slide JK Simmons from Red One into the #1 spot. The movie isn't good, but boy do I love that man.

50 States, 50 Weirdest Roadside Attractions
OK's is a cement mixer that was too heavy to move so the locals painted it like a space capsule and left it by the side of the road. These are way better photos of it.

Dick Van Dyke Sings and Dances Again at 98 Years Old in Emotional Coldplay Music Video: ‘Think How Lucky I Am. I Got to Play and Act Silly’
He's a spry 98 year old! This video filled me with that happy sad feeling of something enjoyed that's soon to be lost.

i guess it's time to take down the tree?

( how it started vs how it ended with two kittens )

I guess I'm not going to specifically shout into the void for snowflake #3? I know that lots of folks prefer not to see any negativity anywhere. I am someone who wants to know that at least one other person hates the very specific thing that I also hate. So, okay, reverse psych worked! Here we go!

( The Magnus Archives - I have seen no hate for two specific voice actors' choices, a character and the ending. )

Generic Video Game irks - stop making everyone grunt all the time and/or give me the option to mute background speech (I'm looking at you last Tomb Raider game and Horizon Forbidden West singing section), and there should be a 5 fetch quest maximum per game and two of them have to be funny (I'm still looking at you Horizon Forbidden West - which don't get me started on Ted Faro).

Real Life (allegedly) - every online food ordering service should have the option for no ice in the drink

I have really enjoyed how bad the Teen Wolf movie apparently was. Tumblr is having a grand old time with it. I stopped watching in S2 or 3, but I will never escape as my Derek/Stiles fic is kudosed on the daily. I keep the mood pics and icons for nostalgia.

( I liked The Noel Diary on Netflix. Justin Hartley is more than adequate as a loner novelist with family baggage. Nice holiday tropes, and does have an instance of infidelity if that bothers you. )

I had a rough Friday. I left work early that morning, made a bunch of treats for my parents who were coming into town to have dinner and watch the Community Band Concert . . . ( (video below in case anyone has some sort of weird urge to watch a bunch of weirdos play decently. Twas the Night Before Christmas starts at 57:47 and it is so cheesy. I love it.) )

then after about three hours of sleep I was woken up to a mass freak out because my friend was missing and after friends and family organized, it turned out no one had heard from her since the 10th. Her sister found her checked into a hospital's behavioral unit. So, y'know, she knows when she needs help, but didn't want to worry anyone else.

Also the kittens got up on the counter and nibbled through the plastic into the orange cranberry cake I'd just made. However, comparatively, it was obviously not that big of a deal to me.

Last night was our work party, and it was the worst job I've done trying to organize it. I asked everyone to bring sides, and only one person told me they'd bring mashed potatoes, otherwise I got cheesecake, apple cider, chips and dip. So I panicked last min and made extra mac and cheese, and sauteed veggies just in case. Good thing because the mashed potatoes over slept, and at the last moment I made the young dude bring rolls. Aw well. The roast and bacon wrapped chicken legs were tasty. They voted to watch Catch Me if You Can which definitely has mins of holiday scenes, but it was a bust and only me and one guy made it to the end.

I'm glad my holiday commitments are over. I do have presents under the tree for the first time in years though since my parents didn't try to make me open them when I was upset over my friend temporarily being missing.

IDEK what to write around here anymore.

I'm at 34 out of 40 books for the year. I think I can make it without cheating as much as I did last year. The last fun book I read was The Bodyguard which is all over the best of lists.

This is the most fun I've ever had with a book that starts off with mom dying of an alcohol related disease and then getting dumped by boyfriend. The dialog is fast and clever, the situations are bonkers but fun, and the ending very satisfyingly ties everything up.


I didn't think The Santa Clauses series would be for me, but I noped out of the first episode and didn't even get to Peyton Manning. I do really like Kal Penn, but ugggg, I don't know if I can do it. ( Tim Allen is an asshole, but he can't ruin Home Improvement or the original Santa Claus. New stuff however, I just can't stand him. )


Kitten update: ( When Bear is the slightest bit inconvenienced she makes this groan mutter that sounds exactly like when Marge Simpson is upset. )

I finished reading A Christmas Carol which I've also watched 3 different versions of this year. Patrick Stewart's is still my favorite, but I've watched Mickey and Co since I was little. I never watched a Muppet Christmas Carol until I was an adult so I don't have any nostalgia wrapped up in it. While Gonzo and Rizzo are awesome, I got kinda bored with it at our work party. I refuse to see Jim Carrey's version. My mom still loves George C Scott. I didn't get very far in the FX series. Is that all of them?

Now I need 5 more short books to read. Any recommendations, please?

My favorite Sleigh Ride:


Talk about the last episode of Hawkeye here if you want too!"

paid for my dreamwidth subscription, so I thought I'd use a holiday icon!

Last day to sign up for fandomtrees which is your basic holiday stocking type community. Mine is here if anyone is interested in doodling me a German Shepherd, reccing some Dean/Cas canon fic for the last couple of seasons, or writing Sam/Bucky, Cameron/Teal'c, or some Dragon Age Adaar/Dorian. : )

I am 2/3 done with decorating, and yet there is still tinsel everywhere. Each year there is more tinsel. I swear I don't buy it. Maybe it's replicating? Forget about the Spaghetti Monster, there is only the tinsel. Tinsel that attaches to everything, slowly and inexorably creeping. You find it everywhere. How did it get into your closet? Santa isn't the only one who watches you while you're sleeping. The tinsel knows that you've been naughty.

Or . . . y'know. Something.

Still not over my election malaise.

In the end, I had a good time. Staying at Carl's house though it was still warm and still noisy (barking dog rather than 4+ tv/radio channels) was infinitely better than grandma's house. We still went to see her for a bit everyday and I sadly gave up watching the gooners get their butts handed to them to watch last year's Grinch movie with her. I imagine that mom's still in for some emotional manipulation/guilt tripping for a while, but I'm hoping this will be the year she gets out.

Dasher on the right up there with Rommel had a time. I'm not sure if it was a good time, as he wanted to play but only until Rommel started barking and then the barking would freak him out. He also only wanted to play if I was there for backup. Apparently anytime I left they both just fell over and slept. We did leave them alone to see the movie and they didn't destroy anything, so I'm hoping Dasher now understands that it can be done.

( Saw Star Wars. )

I also made mom watercolor with me, and she seemed to have an all right time. Now I have her flower picture to hang on the wall to remember this holiday and how it wasn't actually the worst.

Now to start taking down all the decorations. . . ugh.

The Perfect Man (24955 words) by chase_acow
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, Lonely Bucky Barnes, Magical Realism, so many xmas tropes, also some organized crime, Sam's family is awesome, temporary sad feelings before the happy ending, Alpine the Cat
Summary:

The perfect man if what a person wanted was a three inch, chocolate, hanging ornament. Bucky twisted the box in his hands again, angling until he could read the words again. He’s sweet and decadently rich! Bucky snorted, he got by just fine, no need for riches he just wanted someone kind. Meet me under the mistletoe! He'd never tell anyone besides Natasha who had caught him in the act one year, but he loved those over the top holiday movies. He couldn't help wishing he'd end up in some ridiculous meet-cute and the hard work of finding someone wouldn't be his problem. He doubted it was in the cards for him, no one had even tried to set him up this year, they must have given up too.

“Happy Saturnalia to us,” he said, kissing Alpine’s head and taking the cat with him to bed. “You’re an okay cat for company, but I wish I really could find the perfect man.”

I started so strong on writing this one, and then super started falling off the horse when it came to writing the action scene. Normally I like action, it's fast and I can usually see it all play out in my head to follow the beats. I think it was probably the fact that I didn't want xmas to get here. Oh well. I hope someone enjoys this long nonsense.

Apparently Chris Evans in a sweater is a universal distraction. That sweater in Knives Out though. It looked so soft, made his arms look so big, covered up any weird man hand hair issues that might have been a problem.

IDK, if my shopping is going the best so far. I bought Dad this Prickly Pear Cactus from the Indoor Desert Grow Kit. It's self watering with no dirt so all he'll have to do it poke it every once in a while. Plants love to be poked. I got Mom a Zorro The Gay Blade dvd because she used to love that movie and we both still love shouting HERE I YAM!. Meanwhile, I have bought myself Two mugs to make up for breaking my NaNo and Cap mugs. I might even be able to start drinking tea again with that infuser mug.

But I still need something pretty for mom and grandma, something useful for stepmom, something funny for aunt and uncle, something cool for brothers. Only twenty more days to despair!