Koala's Place

Color me impressed

2006-09-26T20:52:29Z

Ever wanted to carry your home computer in your pocket? Believe it or not, someone has found a way to do it. I just tried this out on my iPod, and it works!

https://www.mojopac.com/portal/content/hellomojo.jsp

This is so cool!

2006-09-08T02:04:46Z

Kinda like Rocky Horror Picture Show fans and screenings! I think it's a great idea for Buffy. I wish there was a theatre somewhere near me doing this!! I'd go!!

http://www.whedon.info/article.php3?id_article=17858

New Music Video

2006-08-31T05:38:05Z

This is a tongue-in-cheek tale about Ripper, the music industry's newest sensation, how his 'bad boy' superstar image is filled with groupies and scandal, and the love of cold hard cash! Hope you like.

http://www.koalasplace.com/buffy/mvids/mvids.html

Happy New Year!

2006-08-03T00:31:24Z

Not really, I'm just getting in early. See, I got my 2007 Buffy calendar today, and I was happy to see Giles has a full month to himself that I had to report it here. He's Mr. April. :) Anyone interested in purchasing a copy should check amazon.com (where I got mine). It's not published by Cedco this time, but by Universe Publishing. Website given on the back is www.rizzoliusa.com, but I checked and the 2007 catalogue is not up yet. Roll on April 2007!

I've got a new toy!

2006-08-02T17:24:11Z

Well, not exactly a 'toy.' I've been looking for a new notebook computer for a while now. My previous notebook I bought in 2000, so it's older than a dinosaur in PC terms. I found a number of 'back to school' specials this week, and decided to take the plunge on a new Toshiba Satellite. It has a nice fast Core Duo processor, 1.5GB of ram, and 120GB hard drive, so I can finally put all my iTunes on my notebook (my old notebook had a piddly 10GB HDD, my iTunes folder is 14GB!), and an amazing looking 15.4" widescreen display.

I was a bit worried that it would be too big or too heavy to be portable, but after looking at it in the shop, I decided I could deal. After all, my old one had a 14" screen and weighed 9lbs. This one only weighs 6lbs (which is still heavy after you lug it for more than half an hour!) with the bigger screen. And it's not like I actually have a need to be *that* portable. Portable to me is going from my desk to my lounge chair, or outside under a tree, etc. I won't really be travelling with it on a regular basis, although maybe on a casual basis.

So today is playtime with my new toy, getting it all set up the way I want, adding and removing apps. They really pack some junk on new PCs. Tomorrow will be productivity time (Savvy, this means fic!).

I've been waiting for this!

2006-07-11T21:24:20Z

'This' being not only a reason to post in my LJ for the first time in weeks, but for Buffy season 2 to finally be available on i-Tunes! Yay! $1.99 per ep, or $38.99 for the whole season, which is a better value if you intend to buy them all.

I know I'm crazy for wanting to buy this for my iPod, when I have all the eps on DVD. It's just that it's so much easier to click and download, than it is to mess about with the copy and conversion process, and then find it doesn't work right anyway (heh, I've tried).

Well, I'm a happy camper anyway! Poorer but happy.

New music vid!

2006-06-17T03:18:15Z

Inspired by the new genre of fan vids, the 'fanfic trailer,' someone (thanks Trich!) suggested I should try to make one for "Unbreakable." So I did! Much like a movie trailer, it gives you a taste of what's in store if you read the fic. And if you haven't read the fic, then hopefully it will inspire you to start! :D

Find it here.

UPDATE: Link fixed, should work now!

Fic posted!

2006-06-06T17:38:15Z

For anyone interested, I posted the final part of my Buffy/Giles series, "Unbreakable," at my website.

Part 13: "Child of Destiny" can be read here.

I know you can't please all of the people all of the time, but hopefully I've managed to write a satisfactory conclusion for a few of you. :)

CD-R Life

2006-06-01T21:49:03Z

I've heard about it, but I am just now personally discovering that the longevity of a CD-R is, well, not long. I have a lot of photos and home movies and stuff that I burned onto CD-Rs as back up no more than three-to-four years ago, that I now want to re-copy back to my hard drive. They have all been stored properly in cases, away from heat and light during that time, and used not frequently, but occasionally. But still I get heaps of error when trying to read the data!

By persistence alone, I've been able to recover most of my 'safely store back-ups,' ie: trying over and over until I get it copied. I'm just glad I decided to do this now and not in another 12 months time! So it's all coming off CD-R and going onto my hard drives. I've got a few old ones sitting around, and recently bought external cases to turn those old drives into external storage.

I've since moved to DVD-R, and I sincerely hope the lifespan of burned data is longer on that medium. Only time will tell...

omg Savvy!

2006-05-29T16:08:25Z

I *LOVE* britwatcher's new LJ banner! *squig*

World of Warcraft

2006-05-28T15:24:24Z

This will likely be of no interest to anyone but me! :D

Today, in WoW I got my sixth piece of Devout armor (I play a Dwarf priest). Woohoo for me! *happy dance* That's 6/8 pieces I have! I now just need the crown and the skirt and I am complete. Of course, getting those means killing two major bosses: Gandling in Scholomance, and Rivendare in Stratholme, many many times over until he drops what I want (I've already killed both several times with no luck). That translates to hours and hours and hours and hours of gameplay. Which is why I am so happy to have 6/8 pieces of my set! It's taken many many runs to get this far.

(the blue chest bit with the gold lions is my guild tabard and not part of the armor)

On a related note, if you're still reading this, I have four free trial keys to give away to anyone who might want to try out the game. All I need is your email addy to send the key, then you download the game client and play for 10-days free (broadband connection recommended, but you can play on dial up if you're patient!). Of course, if you keep playing after 10-days, there's a perk for me too, in the form of a month free gameplay! I'd love to see some B/Gers playing, that would be cool!

A writer's life for me

2006-05-26T21:03:38Z

Today, I started on my next fic project. 'What?' you may ask. Well, here's a sneak peek at my idea:

Finished!

2006-05-22T23:52:29Z

Today marks the end of an era for me. Today, I put my long running B/G fic series, "Unbreakable," to bed.

Yes, peeps, it's finally finished! I did my final edit of Part 13 and sent to one beta reader this afternoon (I have two this time).

"Unbreakable" began life as a simple challenge response, way back in December 2002. And now, hundreds and hundreds of pages and almost four years later, it's all over. So much has happened in my own life during the time, including the lost of my father in 2003, while (co-incidentally) writing the part where Buffy lost her mother. So much tragedy and drama, so much joy and happiness, for both me and my fic. I'll miss visiting with Buffy and Giles, and I'll miss writing the story. But I am also looking forward to moving on to new things.

So join me as I pop the champagne, and stop by to have a glass. It's a done deal!

B/G manip rec

2006-05-18T15:53:08Z

Old news maybe, but... I was just surfing around and found this. I cannot tell you how much I LOVE AND ADORE this B/G piccie! It inspires me so much!

http://trkkr47.seeking-solace.com/manips/buffy/touched.jpg

Lots of other really nice manips to be found on this site too, warning tho for some FRAO. Trkkr47 is amazingly talented!

Hmmm...

2006-05-18T05:58:05Z

You Are a Dreaming Soul

Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this world
So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time
You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all...
But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult

You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you.
Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses.
Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others.
Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life.

Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Anyone know a good song?

2006-05-10T17:17:03Z

I'm wanting to make a new music vid, but I currently have no song and no inspiration. Can anyone recommend a song to me? It was suggested at my website that I try to do a vid companion to my fic "Unbreakable" using the song of the same name by Westlife. However, I'm not sure that's technically possible... unless I used show stills and fic fakies to populate it. Anyone have any ideas or comments?

Yeeessss!!!!! air punch

2006-05-09T22:51:31Z

This may be old news, but it's new to me. Season 1 of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is now available on iTunes! This is what I've been waiting for, the perfect thing for my 60GB video iPod. I've resisted buying "LOST." Now I can have Buffy! I can't wait for all seven seasons to be released.

Sure, I know, I could convert my own, but that's sooo much trouble. And quite frankly, most of the conversion software I've tried doesn't work real well. Likewise, iTunes' built in conversion process doesn't support the audio format from a DVD rip, so there's an extra step you need to do first. So by my way of thinking, it takes time and effort, and I still could end up with something unwatchable. I'd rather just pay for them (even though I already paid for all seven seasons on DVD) and have nice watchable copies!

W00t! Well, I may be the only one, but I'm excited about this anyway! :) $1.99 per episode, in case you are wondering.

Are You Smart Enough?

2006-04-30T01:57:04Z

Take the test! :)

http://deffryvaleschool.org.uk/index.shtml

Koala's B/G Fic Challenge #1

2006-04-28T16:49:42Z

"A Woman of Substance"

I don't have time to write this myself, so I'm hoping someone else will!

The Timeline: Season 4, Sunnydale. Buffy is about to go to, or has just started, college. Giles is unemployed and lonely after Olivia's visit.

The Players: Buffy is 18/19, Giles is 45/46. In many ways, she is still a child, trying to find her own adult identity (we've seen Buffy act immature on a number of occasions). He's older, wiser, more worldly experienced (not necessarily talking 'in the bedroom' but that's not a bad thing either!). He misses adult company.

The Setup: There have been a lot fics (I've even written a couple!) where in order for a B/G relationship to develop, Buffy first brings Giles down to her teenage level. For example (but not limited to) taking him to The Bronze to dance with him. Ain't nothing wrong with that! But . . .

The Challenge: Giles brings Buffy up to his level. Instead of, say, dancing at The Bronze, he takes her to an opera or a ballet, or even just the theater. You decide. These are just examples. The real challenge is . . . how does Giles take teenage-and-often-childish Buffy, and turn her into a woman of substance?

The Dos:
    * This is a romance, no unnecessary smut
    * Sex is allowed, but Buffy needs to learn something from it (emotionally, not just physically!)

The Don'ts:
    * No Riley (he's just the cute TA she's noticed around campus, hardly a blip on her radar)
    * No Initiative (although I will allow mysterious glimpses of the commandos in the shadows)

The Bonus Points:
    * Joyce finding out
    Or
    * Buffy confiding in her mother

Vid to share

2006-04-19T17:18:03Z

I didn't make this one, but I did enjoy it and wanted to share. Slight warning for some Giles/Ethan undertones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N57SphHdY3c

New New Doctor

2006-04-17T21:43:55Z

So I'm sitting here watching Doctor Who and loving every moment of it, and I'm suddenly struck with the thought that it wouldn't take very much nudging for me to jump ship... from Buffy/Giles to Doctor/Rose that is. This thought is followed with an immediate mental howl of denial. I don't want to jump ship. I don't. Not yet anyway. But it would be so easy to do so. It wouldn't take much at all, and I fear that as I watch more Who over the coming weeks, this feeling will only intensify. There's just an on-screen chemistry there that's hard to ignore. Plus shipping is not only built in, it's encouraged. No more pretending like with B/G.

I'm teetering on the very edge, ready to fall. But where will I land?

B/G Easter treat

2006-04-14T20:47:27Z

Happy Easter, everyone!

As an Easter treat, I've posted a teaser for the 13th and final part of my B/G series, "Unbreakable," at my website. It's got a lot less calories than candy and chocolate! Word of warning: Despite this being the finale of my series, I haven't finished torturing B/G just yet. There's still time for one last gutful of angst! Comments welcome.

w00t!

2006-04-11T03:20:44Z

I just watched the new trailer for the new Dr Who, starting April 15th!! w00ty mc-w00t w00t!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2006/newearth.shtml

What the ...?

2006-04-10T19:56:01Z

So here I am today, deciding to work on my fanfic... and something unexpected happened in it. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? I've taken a turn into gritty, dark, adulterated sex, of lies and betrayal, of the unexpected and the shocking. I went from FRT to FRAO! So I repeat, is this a good thing? Or a bad thing? And yes, I am talking about the last part of my series "Unbreakable." Oh my, how will B/G ever survive? :D Who really wanted a happy ending anyway?

Bored, bored, bored... yawn

2006-04-05T18:18:30Z

I'm bored.