The Company You Keep, Part the Third (H-L)

Partially stolen from murnkay, who traditionally does an end-of-year post in which he says something nice about everyone on his friends list, and partially inspired by the meme that's going around lately where one leaves a comment in someone's journal and then they tell you what they think of you. Phrasing stolen from the Badger Lord arkhamrefugee, because I liked the way it sounded.

I surround myself with interesting and intelligent people. For the most part, if you are on my friends list, it's because you are a cut above ordinary human beings. So here is what I think of all of you, and why I read your journals.

If you missed yourself previously,
Part One (A-C) can be seen here and
Part Two (D-G) can be seen here.

Here is part three.

The Company You Keep, H-L

hardartist: Creator of the online comic Sexy Losers. Rarely posts except to note comic updates. Twisted sense of humor.

ilexx: I said to her once that she lives life more fully than just about anyone else I know. She lives, eats and breathes music, and throws herself into virtually everything she does with complete abandon. She feels, thinks, and does everything with a full, unrestricted completeness that I envy. Of course, that means her setbacks are more unpleasant than most, but it also means her triumphs are more glorious. A very, very talented piano tuner, pianist and singer. Keep an eye out for her. Soon to be married to her beloved Mike.

jamietw: Hasn't posted in months because she has been in and out of hospitals. The wife of my very good friend grunion and a wonderfully sweet and caring person herself. My thoughts are with her virtually every day as she battles back to health. Continually jokes with me about being a grammar and spelling Nazi. :)

jennay138: The "Porninatrix of Wales". A teacher and scholar with a unique turn of phrase, she also writes reviews on the side for a sexual entertainment and informational site. Stronger than she would like to think, she's been through a lot recently and seems to be coming out the other side now. I'm glad.

joethepeacock: Rarely posts in his journal. Creator of Mentally Incontinent, a site full of stories that have actually made me cry with laughter on occasion. I recommend "The Cows...they Talk!"

joverath: John's somebody I didn't get to spend enough time with when I was in Athens. I regret that now because he's got a scalpel for a mind, very sharp indeed. When he says "Jump", computers and telephony equipment of all kinds say "How high?". Slow to trust, but once you've earned it, you have a fast friend in him.

kageneko: The Dark Side Diva! Neko is a viciously talented webdesigner, writer, and spends her days thrashing out various games at Lucasarts. She's gorgeous, smart, witty, and geekier than thou about lots of stuff. Want to get to know her better, guys? Too bad: she's married. Strongly opinionated about important issues and doesn't give a damn who knows it.

katfireblade: Kat has the ability to make me go "Wow" with nearly every entry she posts. She is one of those rare people who can actually pour her soul out onto the printed page (or the computer screen). Her entries laugh, cry, breathe, bleed, soar and dive. A wonderfully evocative writer and somebody I would definitely like to get to know better.

kellinator: The Queen of Snark is (obviously) snarkier than thou, and pulls it off effortlessly. Never quite convinced of her own beauty or intelligence, she's nonetheless evolved a devoted following of friends and fans who love her amusing writing, her bitching about various annoying topics, or just photos of her fantastic rack. :) Oh, and she's smarter than you, too -- she appeared on Jeopardy! and the only reason she didn't win was because she came up against that fucker Ken Jennings in her first episode. She is also intensely loyal to those she cares about and will fight tooth and nail for them.

kevinjdog: The talented creator of the amusing and often topical webcomic Newshounds. The comic tackles lots of issues unflinchingly and is very well-written and -drawn. Thomas is also a storehouse of knowledge on progressive rock and has pointed me to lots of bands or albums that I was previously unaware of. He is the sort of person I would like to hang out with more and it annoys me that he is not local to me. :)

kevinpease: Another webcomic creator, he's behind the slice-of-life comic Absurd Notions (which updates rarely because of Kevin's unfortunate ability to attract weird events in his life). He's also a talented graphic designer and web creator who runs Cerulean Stimuli. Additionally, he is responsible (concept and execution) for the screamingly funny "Memento Dory" icon I often use.

liljohnnya: Another webcomic creator, this time the distinctly Brit-flavored John Allison of Bobbins and Scary Go Round fame.

lisabelle: I am continually annoyed that I have not yet met the lovely and talented lisabelle. She is the kind of person that is usually near and dear to my heart: quiet, bookish, and smart as hell. She is also a member of the Atlanta Sacred Chorale, a group whose shows I am somehow always missing. Devoted to her Girl (and it always touches me how she refers to her with a Capital like that). From what I can tell, what they have together is something very special.

littlegothkitty: I don't recall how I added her to my list, and she seems to post infrequently. In any case I really don't know much about her.

More to follow later today. Must now run off and renew my car's registration. (Birthday coming up the end of this week).

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Currently playing: P.I. Tchaikovsky -- The Nutcracker Ballet (Dorati, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra). A longtime favorite of mine.

The Company You Keep, Part the Fourth (M-O)

Partially stolen from murnkay, who traditionally does an end-of-year post in which he says something nice about everyone on his friends list, and partially inspired by the meme that's going around lately where one leaves a comment in someone's journal and then they tell you what they think of you. Phrasing stolen from the Badger Lord arkhamrefugee, because I liked the way it sounded.

I surround myself with interesting and intelligent people. For the most part, if you are on my friends list, it's because you are a cut above ordinary human beings. So here is what I think of all of you, and why I read your journals.

If you missed yourself previously,
Part One (A-C) can be seen here,
Part One (D-G) can be seen here, and
Part Three (H-L) can be seen here.

Here is part four.

The Company You Keep, M-O

marared: I have had a thing for Jaime for years (more or less since I first met her on the Ytsejam mailing list more than a decade ago) and the only thing that keeps me from doing anything about it is the fact that she lives in Baltimore and I don't. Where to start? One of a very very small handful of people who are as sarcastic and cynical as me, just as fanatical about Lord of the Rings (actually, fantasy in general) and progressive rock/metal as I am, a wry grin and pointed remark for every occasion -- she's a handful, all right. Got me hooked upon Tad Williams, Diana Gabaldon, George R.R. Martin and Jacqueline Carey among many, many others; I've repaid the favor by recommending piles of my own favorites to her. She's also a damned good writer and artist in her own right.

mari_who: I don't recall how I discovered her journal and she posts so infrequently I haven't learned much about her. Seems nice enough, though.

martinhesselius: A true Livejournal phenomenon, Glas is an expert photographer, a social monster, a philosopher and poet and much more. His entries can run the gamut from utter nonsense to deeply thought-provoking mind questions and somewhere in between. He has an astonishing ability to get gorgeous women to pose for him in various states of scanty clothing, and seems to make new friends and acquaintances effortlessly.

metaphorge: Another Livejournal phenomenon. I've only met Fox once, but it was very entertaining. He was somebody I would have liked to hang out with a lot more, but he moved out to California to pursue his dreams with his beloveds, tyrsalvia and xanadumalion. Yes, I said "beloveds" -- he is also one of those people who has made me reconsider the viability of multiple person relationships, because all three of them seem quite happy together. Has an obsession with toys and is one of maybe two people I know whose knowledge of Transformers equals my own (the other is ashtreza).

missbiscuit: Alternate handle of one_woman_army (see below).

mistersleepless: Story/fast fiction repository of Warren Ellis, writer of much stuff and incredibly cool guy.

mistervimes: Brian helped get me my new job, for which I would think he totally rocks (that is, if I hadn't already thought that long before). Massive knowledge of obscure films and actors, pop culture in general, and Green Lantern in particular. Amazingly laid back and fun to hang out with and talk to. Amazingly devoted to his kids and his wife. He rocks.

mistresskelley: Kelley once bought me a year of paid time out of nowhere, just because. That's the sort of person she is. She founded the Livejournal community whatchareading and has an incredibly cute dog named Hailey.

mollyringwraith: AKA lemonlye, the writer of some of the funniest LOTR-related fanfiction/parody work the world has ever seen.

morenasangre: I don't know her terribly well (she's one of those quiet people who only posts infrequently, and only then when she has something interesting to say) but she's said some of the nicest stuff about ARTC's performances that any of us have ever heard and for that she has our eternal thanks.

mpceccato: The man who knows the film world inside and out, Matt used to run the Atlanta Movie Theatre Guide, currently runs a film review TV show, and will smack you down at trivia without even breaking a sweat. Expert on pop culture and 80s nostalgia as well.

mrdisco99: I met Ric through Matt and wish I had the chance to hang out with him more. A systems and mainframe expert, Ric's also got impeccable taste in music and a brilliant mind that never quits asking questions. He is a fantastic father to his son despite interference from his ex-wife.

mthielbar: A recent addition to my friends list, Melinda is an outstanding writer and I'm looking forward to reading more of her stuff.

muffle1969: I don't know Marva that well, but I've been to see her sing with various bands and she has an amazing voice -- powerful and capable of sounding like just about anybody she pleases, but uniquely her own. She makes a great frontwoman.

murnkay: For some reason I have not added the Blue Monkey to my friends list until quite recently. This was clearly a mistake, as he is a skilled storyteller, humorist and generally an all-around cool guy. I am looking forward to getting to know him better.

mwyaren: Yet another of those people I met through the Ytsejam mailing list or IRC channel. Merideth is sweet and a great listener if you need to talk about your problems. Call her "Meri" only on pain of death.

myrdith: Somebody else I don't know very well but have liked hanging out with the one time I met her. Currently reorganizing and reprioritizing her life and it's been interesting to watch her progress.

n3m3sis42: Met her at a party christine9600 threw for her husband. She was the only one that interested me enough to look up and add when I got home, despite the fact that damn near everyone there was on Livejournal. She has a quirky outlook on life and makes a great photography subject.

neflhim: I don't know Geoff well, but he has a remarkable tendency to surprise me with the thought-provoking comments he leaves in response to some of my own entries.

one_woman_army: Juliana is gorgeous, smart, and an amazingly talented singer and guitarist. I would be at her feet in a heartbeat except for the fact that she is SO far out of my league that the league isn't even in the same universe as me. Her voice is like honey blended with smoke and her songs run the gamut of human emotion from pathos to comedy and everything in between, always with evocative, wry lyrics. Mark my words: she will be an immense star one day. In addition to her singer/songwriter talents, she is also a very good actress, able to play virtually any role she likes. I feel lucky to associate with her (albeit infrequently) through ARTC.

I shall continue these later, or perhaps tomorrow. Patience, P-Z people. Your turn's coming. :)

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Currently playing: Jimmy Buffett -- Christmas Island. The track "Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum" alone makes this a keeper.