(no subject)

A lovely, quiet, but productive weekend for me. Finished the story I was working on (19 pages, and that was after cutting a few scenes out), finished a new mix with which I'm inordinately happy, got a great deal done on my new dance bra (beading isn't nearly as time consuming as I'd always thought), some cleaning, some laundry, a costume workshop at tamago's, and even managed a nice couple of dinners out (Malaysian twice, but different restaurants- both exceedingly good, Spice Island and Thaiphoon), and some lovely social time with the girls at WCW.

Of course we spent a lot of that time HP geeking, but dammit the book comes out in a few short days so it's practically a requirement at this point. Oh, tersa, here's as close as I could find to a quote from JKR on which house Peter was sorted to:

Sirius Riddle: What houses were Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter and Remus Lupin[sic] in? Everyone tells me they were all Gryffindor, but I won't believe it unless I hear it from Ms. Rowling herself!
JK Rowling says: This is JK herself saying that they were indeed in Gryffindor!

Now it's arguable that she was being cheeky about the kid having typed "Remus Lupin" twice and figured there was wiggle room if he belonged to a different house, but I think she meant that Peter was, indeed, a Gryffindor.

The tricky bit I find to answering questions about characters and events for me these days is that I end up confusing what I've read in fanfic and in the novels. We were discussing a lot of subjects last night, particularly Snape's history and I kept referring to stuff I read in Summon the Lambs to Slaughter, which is the best fanfic hands down I've ever read in the genre and answers pretty much all of my Snape questions in a way I think works best. Still, even with a satisfactory fannish response to said questions I still want to know what JKR is going to tell us about it. Even if I don't like her final answer, I still want to know.

I fear I'm going to be utterly useless this week for anything aside from spending far too much time thinking about these books and characters. How I'm going to make it through Saturday without running off for a few minutes to read is beyond me. I did promise myself I could read the chapter titles and count how many "Snape" and "Lupin" references pop up, but that's it.

(no subject)

via Talking Points Memo:

So we've got Karl Rove's latest story, as recounted by his lawyer, Robert Luskin.

Rove did spill the beans about Plame in an effort to discredit Joe Wilson. Only he didn't mention the name 'Valerie Plame'. He only spilled the beans about 'Joe Wilson's wife'.

I'm no lawyer. But I'd hate to go into court with my case resting on that distinction.

And of course the GOP calliope is already in full swing with the repeated wingnut bray, "But, but he didn't actually say her name!"

Good Christ, somebody on the Right please just this once come out and declare Rove a douchebag who must resign (at the very least) so I can reassure myself that y'all aren't just a bunch of Kool-Aid drinking automatons. Please? Just this once?

(no subject)

Mmm, sometimes payback, she is a bitch. And oh my is it ever warming my heart to read the transcript of Scotty-boy McClellan slowly roasted over some nice toasty coals today by a press that has finally begun to shake off its crush on the Bush administration.
Read the whole transcript, or just enjoy a few of the highlights:

MCCLELLAN: If you’ll let me finish.

QUESTION: No, you’re not finishing. You’re not saying anything.

You stood at that podium and said that Karl Rove was not involved. And now we find out that he spoke about Joseph Wilson’s wife. So don’t you owe the American public a fuller explanation. Was he involved or was he not? Because contrary to what you told the American people, he did indeed talk about his wife, didn’t he?

MCCLELLAN: There will be a time to talk about this, but now is not the time to talk about it.

QUESTION: Do you think people will accept that, what you’re saying today?

MCCLELLAN: Again, I’ve responded to the question.

QUESTION: You’re in a bad spot here, Scott…

(LAUGHTER)

... because after the investigation began—after the criminal investigation was under way—you said, October 10th, 2003, “I spoke with those individuals, Rove, Abrams and Libby. As I pointed out, those individuals assured me they were not involved in this,” from that podium. That’s after the criminal investigation began.

Now that Rove has essentially been caught red-handed peddling this information, all of a sudden you have respect for the sanctity of the criminal investigation.
[...]
QUESTION: So you’re now saying that after you cleared Rove and the others from that podium, then the prosecutors asked you not to speak anymore and since then you haven’t.

MCCLELLAN: Again, you’re continuing to ask questions relating to an ongoing criminal investigation and I’m just not going to respond to them.

QUESTION: When did they ask you to stop commenting on it, Scott? Can you pin down a date?

MCCLELLAN: Back in that time period.

QUESTION: Well, then the president commented on it nine months later. So was he not following the White House plan?

MCCLELLAN: I appreciate your questions. You can keep asking them, but you have my response.

QUESTION: Well, we are going to keep asking them.

When did the president learn that Karl Rove had had a conversation with a news reporter about the involvement of Joseph Wilson’s wife in the decision to send him to Africa?

MCCLELLAN: I’ve responded to the questions.

QUESTION: When did the president learn that Karl Rove had been…

MCCLELLAN: I’ve responded to your questions.

Burn, Scotty, burn, and may that great conflagration engulf Rove, his sycophants and maybe, just maybe this entire dirty administration.

As The Light of Reason puts it:

In light of the latest revelations, if this White House genuinely cared about national security and protecting the lives of our citizens, Rove would have resigned by this morning—and Bush would have accepted his resignation. Moreover, Rove would be gone if this administration, and Bush most notably, had any integrity or any sense of decency at all. But they don’t, of course. In a much saner and healthier world, no one would ever have heard of Rove—and he would have been consigned to a fate as a third assistant bookkeeper, in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps working for a manure company. Yes, I think that would be suitable for Mr. Rove, since that’s what he appears to enjoy shoveling so much.
[...]
Well, the wheels are coming off. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch of bastards.


A-fucking-men.