Written by Matt for deathboxproductions.com

• 04:14 I think I need to start drinking coffee. #
• 14:55 We are stuck on the SkyTrain. Some kind of situation at Waterfront station. Got info? Let me know. #
• 17:13 SkyTrain is back to normal. #
• 21:02 Film History. Coen Brothers. Should be good. #

Deathbox Productions: deathboxproductions.com

Tweaks and enhancements

1. In order to improve site security, we've temporarily suspended the ability to change passwords for old email addresses that haven't been used for over six months. For further information and support, please visit our customer care page.
2. We've launched a new mobile site with an enhanced UI at m.livejournal.com. View spotlights, post to your journal, read and post to friends pages, and more, no matter where you roam! Please let us know what you think, since this will eventually replace our existing mobile interface. You can update your mobile preferences on your account page.
3. We've upgraded from Beacon to Facebook Connect to improve dual posting. If you've already signed up for Facebook Beacon, you're good to go. If you wish to update your Facebook Connect setting, visit Account Privacy settings and scroll down to the option labeled: "Send information about my updates to Facebook." You can choose Always or Ask each time. Remember to save (on the bottom left corner of the page). To learn more, check out FAQ 249. While we're on the subject, if you happen to be visiting that side of town, please join our Facebook fan page for a touch of home away from home.
4. You'll now receive the Writer's Block Question of the Day in the body of email notifications. To sign up for Writer's Block notifications, visit writersblock and choose the Watch Community option. Next, update your Writer's Block notification settings by checking the box to the right of "Someone posts a new entry to writersblock."
5. Paid and permanent users can now view, add, and edit Notes of commenters. Notes will appear beside the username of comment posters (instead of stars) on S1-themed comment pages.

Send some lovin' thanks to your friends with our holiday vgifts!

Photos of the week

We're so delighted with the immense talent of our growing, global lj_photophile community that we've decided to introduce a poll. Each week, we'll choose a half-dozen photos (based on user comments and staff feedback) and ask you to select a photo of the week. The winning photo will be announced in the next newsletter. If possible, please limit photo size to 350x350 to ensure that images display properly on friends pages. We want to thank you again (and again!) for sharing your passion.

Check out this week's photo poll and more fantastic user content after the jump!

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Curtains

Thanks for joining us. To our American friends, have a fantastic Thanksgiving. To all of our international neighbors, we'll eat a little extra for you!

Truth be told, one of the biggest things I miss about living away from home is being able to cook. I mean sure, I can still make food while living at home. But I like being able to shop for my own groceries (reminder to self: bus to the slums to get groceries at Walmart Supercentre, No Frills, Food Basics, or Chinese supermarkets; urban grocery stores such as St Clair Market a.k.a. Loblaws, Metro and Sobey's Urban Fresh are expensive and don't even have a good variety), use the kitchen however I want, and not worried about other people's food preferences. Not that I don't like my parents' cooking, it's just that they rarely cook anything outside their realm of Chinese food, and some days I just feel like making white people food. Like today.

This recipe is delicious, easy to make and simple. In fact, I already had all of the ingredients minus the cheese when I decided to make it! And really, what the hell was I doing without parmesan cheese anyway?

What you'll need:

• 250 g of your favourite type of pasta (For this, I used rotini. Why? It just happened to be one of the three varieties that were on sale at No Frills and I normally find spaghetti to be boring. Usually I like fettucine or linguine if you ask me.)
• 5 strips of bacon, sliced (May consider the low-sodium variety if you're health-conscious, but don't kid yourself, it's bacon ffs)
• 3 eggs (large preferably)
• 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese (I realized this is a hell lot when I started making this, but you can get these suckers sometimes for $1 at Walmart Supercentre)
• 1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of pasta water
• 1/4 cup of milk (I used 2% because the local Mac's sold out of 1%, who knew they had the cheapest milk around?)
• Some ground black pepper, to taste

What to do:

1. Bring a large pot of hot water with some salt and bring it to a boil. Cook pasta until "al dente" as per package's instructions. Reserve a bit of it (around 1/4 cup) of the pasta water for later use.
2. In the mean time, whisk the eggs, cheese, pepper and milk together in a bowl, then set aside.
3. Using a frying pan, fry the slices of bacon until crispy in medium heat. Probably takes around 10 minutes. Drain fat, and throw in mushrooms and garlic to cook over medium heat while tossing constantly.
4. Once mushrooms appeared cooked, add in drained pasta as well as the pasta water.
5. Gradually add in the egg + cheese mixture while constantly tossing for consistency.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Sprinkle additional grated parmesan cheese after plating to taste.

Serves 2 (or if you're me, serves 1... just kidding! I eat half for dinner and pack the rest for lunch)



(Not actual size of full serving)

Written by Matt for deathboxproductions.com

• 02:36 Talking to C Dogg on Webcam... from his car! #
• 03:12 I need to write about Michael Moore's Roger & Me. Can't pull myself to do it. A morning project maybe. #
• 11:12 I'm a Left 4 Dead 2 Zombie! bit.ly/6bOuKh #
• 15:17 Writting up "Roger & Me" #
• 21:34 Would you like to be part of a short doc film? Live in the Vancouver area? Yes? Contact me to make it happen! #
• 22:13 Tonight its all about the Shooting Plan. #

Deathbox Productions: deathboxproductions.com

65redroses
Eva is a vibrant young woman with Cystic Fibrosis who survived a double lung transplant. Read about her difficult recovery and personal triumphs over pain, isolation, and fear. Back in school, Eva now works part-time in a children's center and enjoys running and cross-country skiing. A documentary on her story, entitled 65 Red Roses, won three awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

meet_other_moms
A warm and welcoming "Add me" community for moms of all ages and backgrounds from around the world. If you're a mom, just post a little about yourself and start connecting with other mothers based on similar hobbies, musical interests, book/TV/movie preferences, or taste in humor! A great way for busy moms to socialize online.

kitchenfaq
Want to share a fabulous home recipe for coconut bread? Suddenly run out of confectioner's sugar with company on the way and need to find out a quick in-house substitute? Searching for tips on what to charge for a custom-designed wedding cake? Whether you're a professional chef, an aspiring culinary wizard, or a happy home-baker, you'll get delicious guidance from fellow and sister foodies.

Written by Matt for deathboxproductions.com

• 06:44 New Super Mario Bros. Wii is amazing. Its pretty much why I didn't get home until after 2am. Thanks for having us over Rick. #
• 20:38 Taking Erica to see A Christmas Carol in 3D tonight. #

Deathbox Productions: deathboxproductions.com

Mediocre night at the dance club tonight. I was on a different wavelength from most folk there. It was very crowded at first, with hardly any room to dance. I noted with annoyance the people taking photos of each other on the dance stage, or dancing with a glass of beer in their hand. Everyone seemed to be dancing so slowly--it was frustrating. They were even getting into dancing to these lame slow songs! Finally I got some space to dance in. But I probably had too much pent up energy... Romantic frustrations plus slow work progress plus a crowded dance floor... One woman told me slow down, that my dancing was making her nervous, and that I was getting off-beat... The last concerned me, was probably partly true--sometimes I do try for syncopation on purpose, or dance to the fast beat (bobbing up and down 2 or 4 times each time everyone else does)... But I did return to the dance floor for some fast dancing later, although I was a little self-conscious about keeping the beat...

Maybe it's generational--kids just don't like frenzied dancing these days... Or maybe it's that my heart beat is always fast--even resting it's 90 to 100, when I exercise it gets up to 180... And my drug of choice before going out dancing is caffeine, while it seems alcohol is the favored comestible there... I guess some regulars skipped out--there's this dreadlocked hipster who always dances high energy, and who drinks Red Bull at the bar... And Crossdressing Black Guy wasn't there either...

Have a lot of thoughts about relationships, though it seems futile to whine about them here... Also of course a lot of thoughts about various borderline crank or crackpot discrete models of fundamental physics I'm reading up about--finding on the web, usenet, or even the arxiv...

Written by Matt for deathboxproductions.com

• 03:48 Cinematography Exam Practice bit.ly/6niEnv (photo) #
• 04:22 TEDx Vancouver is tomorrow. A few instructors from VFS are part of the crew. Check out @TEDxVan for more. I'd like to see it. #
• 06:19 I woke up last night telling my girlfriend to finish the editing. I think I've been thinking too hard about film school. #
• 06:19 Cinematography exam tomorrow. #
• 14:28 Watching @TEDxVan tedxvancouver.com/foreveryoung #
• 16:52 Cinematography camera exam today. #
• 17:21 I picked up a Sony MHC-GX250 twitpic.com/qercy Nothing special but the price was right. FREE! #
• 23:12 @Jeryes which phone? #
• 23:12 @sarahdope I'm going to check out A Christmas Carol in 3D tomorrow night. I've heard good things. Can't wait. #
• 23:15 TONIGHT: New Super Mario Bros. Wii #

Deathbox Productions: deathboxproductions.com

Written by Matt for deathboxproductions.com

• 02:14 Pigeon: Impossible bit.ly/TiIGw #
• 04:03 Director is working on his Shooting Plan. Its going well but I'll be up all night. #
• 05:40 I need a few tips on designing floor plans. #
• 06:30 What is Google Chrome OS? www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QRO3gKj3qw Can't wait to see the new netbook computers. #
• 18:10 Had TacoTime for lunch. twitpic.com/q9z8s Never again. #

Deathbox Productions: deathboxproductions.com

naturesbeauty
Always on the lookout for compelling images, we were delighted to discover this flourishing community of artists who share a love of nature. Honoring the subject with photographs, paintings, sketches, prose, poetry, and
other creative works, you'll be simultaneously riveted to your monitor and inspired to run helter skelter towards the nearest wooded dale.

Written by Matt for deathboxproductions.com

• 03:00 The Retweet to share tweets (BETA) is a bit confusing but in the end it might be for the best. #
• 04:32 VFS is keeping me busy. Its a good busy. #

Deathbox Productions: deathboxproductions.com

Postcard winners!

We wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude for sending so much joy our way. Frank is still blushing with excitement over the love notes, proposals, propositions, and occasional intimate photos sent from his admirers around the world (China, Norway, Japan, and Poland just this week)! At his request, we blindfolded Justin, one of Frank's BFFs, spun him around in five dozen counterclockwise circles, and asked him to point to ten random postcards/envelopes pasted to the wall. After a brief trip to the bathroom, he chose the following lucky winners, to whom we will give a six-month paid account token (for paid, basic, and plus users) or, for our permanent account holders, a $15 voucher for the LiveJournal gift shop.

So, without further ado, the winners are:

1. seraphene
2. fotog
3. boykitten
4. seshat_6
5. anti_aol
6. lisalees
7. katrinkacat
8. mistyboston
9. _woody_lein
10. another_slender

Bugs, Tweaks, and Enhancements

1. We fixed a bug from the last release that was causing screened comments to become unscreened if they were edited
2. If you happen to be gaming around the corner, check us out on Facebook and be sure to spread the word!
3. We've added new vgifts to celebrate Thanksgiving! Check out our feathered friend, below!

Give more with charitable vgifts

In honor of national adoption month, we're offering a charitable vgift (priced at $2.99) to support Love Without Boundaries, an organization that provides healthcare and adoption to orphans suffering from life-threatening diseases. LiveJournal will donate 100% of gross proceeds from the sale (we'll cover the cost of credit card transaction fees). To learn more about Love Without Boundaries, please visit lj_cares. You can purchase your Love Without Boundaries vgifts in the Virtual Gift shop. We'll keep you posted on how much we raise!

Photos of the week

We're delighted to showcase yet more incredible photos from some of our brilliant LiveJournal photographers around the world. Keep posting (and tagging). And be sure to show some love by commenting on the awesome view at lj_photophile.

Check out this week's photos and more amazing user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. See you next week!

Written by Matt for deathboxproductions.com

• 02:21 I am the director of a short documentary film titled "Critical Pedal". #
• 11:44 Jugo Juice smoothies are amazing. bit.ly/2LpUpf #

Deathbox Productions: deathboxproductions.com

Written by Matt for deathboxproductions.com

• 02:59 Just got the new "Left Coast Punk" EP from Mxpx on iTunes. Can't get enough. I missed listening to these guys. #
• 03:25 @Jeryes Assignments are more important than Heroes man! #
• 04:46 (Music) Copyright Time Bomb Set To Go Off bit.ly/3Uexxq #
• 11:58 "Unfriend" is now a word in the New Oxford American Dictionary. bit.ly/2oqsRh Go facebook. #
• 14:53 VFS doc Pitch today. Critical Pedal. #

Deathbox Productions: deathboxproductions.com

China My China

Last night I stayed up to watch Obama's "town hall" meeting in China, streamed live from the White House web site.

While I've followed the headlines and the op-eds and the blogs throughout the Obama administration, I haven't tuned in that much to Obama's speeches, I guess... While the anger that was omnipresent during the Bush misadministration is gone, and there's some reasonable hope for health insurance reform (but some worry about Stupak admendment), I think I feel left behind in a way in that I haven't felt a sense of personal renewal to go along with the turnover of the country to what I feel is a better path. Perhaps some of that has to do with the state of the economy, and that the recession crimps my urge to jump ship and go off in search of research or teaching with more independence or more concept-laden...

But as an Obama supporter before the first primary votes were cast, my hopes were also that the cultural climate would improve with having an actual smart and thoughtful, empathetic person setting priorities. (I realized that Bush was so provincial he acted as if Texans had invented the unique virtue of provincialism...) And of course the tea-bagging birther types are raving mad about cultural changes in the opposite direction to what they envision... Glenn Beck seems to be bemoaning no real policy changes but the kitchy nostalgic for a world that never existed right-wing propaganda machine that kicks in when Republicans are in charge...

I guess the optimism, sense of perspective, and sense of meaningful community I caught in the China town hall reminded me of some of what I felt has been missing.

I was a little surprised by a few things: Obama's confident strut on entering, his basketball analogies, his confidence that he wasn't going to go off-message if he gave his genuine responses in his own words... Though I wondered if, when asked about his winning the Nobel Peace Prize, he may have had a blind spot--he said he felt hardly worthy in the presence of past winners, but didn't the Dalai Lama also win? In China, in contrast to the US, HH the DL is not viewed as a secular saint, but more like a rebellious nationalistic heathen vampire or something... A minor point, but I haven't seen it mentioned.

* * *

Well, there's a lot more circulating around my brain... But it's getting late. Perhaps now I'll get back in the habit of writing public entries...

Written by Matt for deathboxproductions.com

• 01:47 I'm going to drive my car with an iPhone. bit.ly/20qLNA #
• 03:06 We have a couch. twitpic.com/pqdey Landlord kicks ass. I might have to pick her up some BK Whoppers. #
• 03:11 The world famous (or Canada only) Burger King King deals! twitpic.com/pqdwt #
• 11:58 Watched "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" last night. twitpic.com/prdr8 A great doc about the film ratings system of America. #

Deathbox Productions: deathboxproductions.com

givesushope
It's that glorious time of year when we reunite with loved ones (we neglected all year), stuff our faces to excess, and pass out in front of the TV. Perhaps a recalibration of the thanksometer is in order. A spin-off of the popular GivesMeHope.com site, this community invites you to document moments of kindness, generosity, and pure human love.

veggieslackers
Despite its mainstream appeal, Thanksgiving is not for everyone. There are those struggling with food disorders, for whom this day causes endless conflict. There are the cash-challenged, who can't afford the gluttony we've grown to expect. There are the lonely, who don't have loved ones nearby. And let's not forget the vegetarians, who decry the animal cruelty. But there's one more group we often overlook: the terminally lazy! This community of lazy vegetarians offers easy recipes for an animal-friendly feast.