This was sketched freehand on my front porch with only a bit of string for making the circles. Written in Etruscan alphabet: "sunny days-summer rains-prosperity-happiness-health-small things over great-power over our own fate" We conducted a proper summer solstice BBQ atop it at noon (facing south, of course) and then at midnight, we danced semi-clothed around it, singing along to Oingo Boingo's "Water." As far as the magic goes, our house burned down that year, so I would take that as a clear sign that it was UNSUCCESSFUL.
October 2005 Archives
- Resume - For people who want to pay me money.
- Favorite Quotes - A collection of quotes serious and funny, long and short, famous and not.
- Favorite Books - This is a short list of the books on my shelf which I read repeatedly.
- Favorite Movies - My favorite movies and tv shows. I pruned it as best I could, but it's a long list.
- Personal Dictionary - My own specialized vocabulary.
Bio
I am an artist and web developer living in Seattle with my Significant Other and two cats. I am an ex-mormon (since 1997). I dropped out of college two classes shy of a degree. My hair is strawberry-blond naturally, but blue normally. People don't like me much. I have some theories about that, like the fact that I seem incapable of remembering what they look like or what their names are - which leads to awkward moments later. Or the fact that I can't play female politics with any skill whatsoever, and even at times have the gall to suggest other women stop playing those games themselves. But it's probably just that I am not a very nice person and I watch too much Doctor Who.
I've been online since 1996, with my first web page: "The Altar to the Computer Gods," which evolved into "Deal with the Devil," where you could sell your soul online. I got a lot of hate mail for that. This portfolio debuted in 2000 when I got the mleiv.com domain name as a birthday present from the S.O.
I tinker around this site, redesigning it every few years, and adding stuff when I have the time. I don't get a lot of visitors, but I am content just reading it myself when I am lonely or bored at work. It serves as a reminder of my past and (sometimes) an impetus to future ambitions. Since I don't keep a journal and I don't take a lot of photos and I don't have many long-term relationships, it's probably the only accurate timeline of my life to be found.
And for the curious, mleiv is not my online nom de plume, it is my real nickname. I've had it since I was twelve, so don't give me that funny look.
External Links:
I love a lot of movies. I don't go see movies, mind you, but I acquire DVDs and watch them at home... over and over and over again. I have tried other categorizations, but here they are under What I Liked Best.
Wickedly Quotable
I love witty reparte and a bit of dark humor.
BlackAdder - "Cold is God's way of telling us to burn more Catholics."
OfficeSpace - "It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care."
Firefly - "Oh, I'm gonna go to the special hell."
The Long Kiss Goodnight - "Are you just stupid or did you take lessons?" "I took lessons!"
L.A. Story - "With a financial statement like zis, you think you can have ze duck?"
Old French Toys
You know those French dolls, with the little painted china faces and 19th century costumes: harlequins, ballerinas, and aristocrats. And complex machinery with big dirty spokes and pulleys and more twists than a Durer labyrinth. If you like Gilliam, you know what I'm talking about. I love that whole look, the grimey, broken, abandoned ambience made all the more shocking by its innocent and playful origins.
Labyrinth - The Venetian masked ball.
Batman Returns - An old-fashioned Christmas, abandoned Zoo, evil circus clowns, and the ballerina with her poodle.
Lexx (Season 3) - The planet Fire.
The Crow: City of Angels - Beautiful, but run-down.
Abandoned Buildings
I am a sucker for scary movies with abandoned buildings... or abandoned ships, or abandoned cities, whatever.
The Frighteners - The hospital scenes.
Event Horizon - The abandoned language is a special bonus.
Anything with Bruce Campbell
Bruce, baby, I've loved you since the "Dont Waste Utah" ads. :) Runners-up in the Will-Watch-For-Cute-Guy are Jean Reno, Jeremy Piven, Scott Cohen, John Hannah, Seth Green, Malcolm Mcdowell, and Danny Elfman (well, I mostly watch movies for his soundtracks, but he was in The Gift).
Cartoons
Lilo & Stitch. Yup, I am a total sucker for cute widdle alien pets.
Invader Zim - "They're made of WAFFLE!"
Because I am seriously misanthropic and don't have a large community with which to share vocabulary, I seem to have developed my own peculiar use of words. Sometimes this causes a serious communication problem, like the time I told a sommelier that my wine tasted warm and he asked if he should chill it for me. So here is your reference next time I use a word in an unfamiliar context.
Barbie - adj., a beautiful but shallow and narcissistic girl. Works best as a unique identifier when you know several women with the same name and want to single out the one you dislike. Example: Did you hear that Barbie Becky used her college fund to get plastic surgery?
Blair Witch - adj., something of mixed authenticity or sincerity. Example: That last Bruce Campbell novel was seriously in Blair Witch territory. Does he even know Richard Gere?
Bug - noun, an endearment, usually for a small animal. Example: Isn't he just the cutest fluffy fluff-bug?
Entitlement - noun, a sense that one deserves something for some passive quality, and particularly that one deserves it more than everyone else, regardless of the typical rules of fair play. Often manifests in mothers, rich teenage girls, and businesspersons. Can be used in the verbal form also. Example: I can't believe that mother of two cut in line in front of 200 people who had been waiting all day. That's some bald-faced entitlement!
Froofy - adj., describing a woman with large, overstyled hair. By extension, anything too girly, cluttered, and unnecessary. Example: She had this awful froofy room with teddy bears and precious moments everywhere.
Honey - noun, an attractive person; someone you would have sex with. Example: Scott Cohen is such a honey!
Mercutian - adj., someone possessing the mystery, wit, and attraction of Shakespeare's Mercutio. A jester with sex appeal. Example: David Tennant plays a very Mercutian Doctor Who.
Puppy - noun, an adorable dog of any age. Example: I haven't seen your puppy in years, how is he doing?
Stuptastic - adjective, something stupid on such a large scale that it's fantastic. From the TV show "Top Gear." Example: You put an entire bar in your trunk?!? That's stuptastic!
UME - noun, an acronym for Unjustified Male Ego, referring to the overconfidence often found in men lacking physical, mental, or artistic merit, with this attitude especially prominent when comparing themselves to women. This trait often leads to violent outbursts in an attempt to maintain male superiority. Example: I was almost run off the road by a guy with serious UME after I tried to pass him in the carpool lane.
Warm - adj., a flavor homey and comforting, reminiscent of sitting by a crackling fire on a snowy night. Example: I loved that tea. It was so warm and cinnamony.
copyright 2007 mleiv, any reproduction or distribution expressly prohibited





