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random observations.
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Sep. 3rd, 2008 @ 02:55 pm
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There was a young woman who sat down in front of me on the bus today, and it looked like she'd scored a list of the top 20 things you must wear to successfully pull off the 'young, sweet, conservative girl' stereotype and worked it. Pink sparkly earbuds, beige cardigan sweater, string of slightly pink pearls, low ponytail (hair a modest shoulderlength) held by a plastic tortoiseshell clip.
You go, girl. Get down with your perfectly assembled look. I wonder if she was an undergrad?
The guy sitting next to me had long hair, pulled back in a similar low ponytail, but his hair was nearly (accidentally) dreaded, and he was the guy who was yesterday telling a friend about how he'd bought a house over the weekend. (He was pretty excited and TALKING REALLY LOUDLY). Today he was playing games on his Sidekick phone.
I am just about worn the fuck out, flist. The last five days of the paddling season see me dragging my sorry ass around. Somehow, and I'm not sure this is unrelated, I've found myself in that bus-ride zone even when not on the bus. The zone where you can't read a book (I can on a plane, apparently I need to practice reading in cars and busses), don't think you can focus on a glaring computer screen, and haven't the attention span for television (or are too lazy to haul you ass upstairs to turn it on.) Best way to keep a bus-zoned Minx occupied? Knitting. I've gone from casting on to gusset on a sock in four days. That's a land speed record.
I may actually get a few pairs of socks knitted for folk for Christmas this year. Huh.
This list of randomness brought to you by the fact that my race on Saturday will be approximately 27 miles.
Happy hump day!
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meme!
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Aug. 29th, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
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I'm jotting notes for my apocolypse_kree fic (WHAT WAS I THINKING) and getting preeeeetty intimidated, let me tell you. Teal'c, on the other hand, is calm, cool and collected. He-- huh. Hang on a sec. *scribbles madly in a pad containing all kinds of equations and chemical structures on preceeding pages.*
There is a meme going around. It calls for the first sentences of your last 20 stories (do I have that many?) You are then free to analyze at will.
( Post the first lines from your last 20 stories. Do you see any patterns? )
Actually, I'd be amused to see whether you can guess which story is which.
I think I wish my prose was a little more obviously differentiated speech patterns for the various POV characters. I think it's almost there, but not quite. Overall, I'm so proud of having written all these stories. I didn't even have to go back into my earlier, moderately cringe-worthy stuff (I was learning! LEARNING, I SAY.) Gods, some of these surprised me so much. When I was a child, I was driven to tell stories, was encouraged to write stories by my teachers and family. I don't know when creative writing became such a low priority for me, but I feel really happy to have come back to it.Current Music: Real Love - Regina Spektor |
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quote dump and ficathon pimping.
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Aug. 27th, 2008 @ 09:17 am
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Hellooooo, fandom.
On the occasion of the prompt based ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) galpalficathon (multifandom, no commitment!) I thought I would clear out my quotes folder. This is an attempt at organization before I head over there to drop prompts (prompts accepted between September 2-8th, writing due November 16th.) I love prompting from literary quotes and poems, but sometimes I do tend to repeat myself, so I thought, you know, in the interests of not ending up with both apocalypse_kree and galpalficathon prompts being identical...
On the other hand, wouldn't that be awesome? Seeing the same prompt taken to an apocafic place and a women's friendship place? That might be amazing.
Anyway, I'm still going to clear out the folder. You are most welcome to use these for whatever nefarious purpose your little heads can devise. Please let me know if your nefarious heads devise fic, though; don't want to miss that.
( Quote Dump 6! )
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recs for a rough week
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Aug. 21st, 2008 @ 11:03 pm
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It always feels like it's been such a long time since I did this. But. However. Therefore.
I think people could use a reminder of just how many happy places can be found in and about fandom. This is going to be a happy place kind of recs list.
Recommended fanfiction:
Some of the most fantastic meta ever to grace our pages, ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) gwyn_r defines the broccoli test: history, usage and application thereof. Serious awesomeness there. And here, katie_m documents a rather funny application. I'll just link the whole quotedump because it has some brilliant snark in there.
Stories:
ivorygates brings the genderswap, in the 'if they were and always had been women' sense. There's greater history here if you follow IG and her evil partner in evilness Synecdochic, because they individually and together have pretty thoroughly explored both Daniel and Cameron if-they-were-women in grand universes of stories. But this one stands alone, if you care to read it as such, and there are greater wonderful aftershocks in considering an SG-1 that is three-quarters women. Daniel-as-a-female, Cameron-as-a-female, Sam and Teal'c, Season 9. Take Back Plenty (Bellemettle). Gen, AU, team, worksafe and a happy thing.
troyswann dabbles in Farscape with an elegant, alien, communication and lack thereof. Aeryn and John, Voila, for rydra_wong. Incredible atmosphere and stunning dialog, not to be missed.
My happy place is the ocean, and generally, lately, this involves a canoe. Imagine my suprise when Jack is of the same mind (he paddles a different kind of canoe, but I'm not going to quibble about details.) stultiloquentia gives us Meditation, a beautiful little study of Jack and the people who matter to him, even when they're still snoring away back at the cabin. S8's Moebius, but no spoilers. Worksafe.
dragojustine, fairly new to SG-1 writing, gives a lovely Jack/Daniel Five First Kisses, hard and soft and heartbreaking and close and distanced all at once.
Fantastic crossover concept between The Bourne movies and SGA, a sexy slashy thing between Jason and John, and twisty and hot and wonderful. Jack is particularly interesting. And That's For Remembrance by seperis. Not worksafe. Jason/John. Thanks to green_grrl for the link when Delicious and I failed to communicate.
A John/Rodney happy place: Five Lies John Told, by cesperanza, in which John is driven, not only to honesty, but to compulsive talking about feelings to almost everyone, which is so sweetly, terrifyingly, in character. Worksafe, mostly. PG-13.
And more John/Rodney, only this is established relationship without the compulsive talking. In fact, there is manly not-talking, with is possibly my favorite slash trope ever. helenish's Selfish. Really not worksafe (it's smutty, folks.)
And a classic psychological thriller (it's a slash fic! Get it? Sorry) from Torch: Heart of Glass. Interesting and wierd ancients with their inventions, slash, brilliance, love and saving of the day. Very well done. Not worksafe, I don't think.
Also, abyssinia4077 posted a marvelous remix of Into the Breach titled Rosemary for Remembrance (the Paragon of Animals remix) and it's lovely: full of outside POVs of Teal'c throughout his life. About choices and consequences and give and take. The friendship with Daniel, particularly, is lovely. Worksafe. Not precisely gen, though (but neither was the original).
And because I can, I'm going to point you at my latest: Without Fear of Wind or Vertigo, spoilers for Unending.
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Oh frabjous Monday,
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Aug. 18th, 2008 @ 05:42 pm
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This day started with my disapproval of My Undergrad's hours turning into a request for him to keep track of his hours on a timecard. For me, this is significant criticism. I think he actually has realized this.
That was the highlight.
Later, a strange smell in our radiation room turned out to be something burning in the coils of our primary, radiation storing -20 degree C freezer. What followed was a mad dash to find enough shielding and radiation approved storage to keep our experiments viable, a clearing of all waste (complicated disposal, hello) so that maintenance is willing to go in there, and both of us who usually end up cleaning things coming away dizzy or headachey from the fumes.
Then.
My sloppy minion and my procrastinator minion got into a yelling match about accusations, messiness, tact and personal attacks vs. constructive criticism. Yelling.
I already had a headache.
So, it's 5:30 and now I'm going to, you know, start all the experiments I meant to get done this afternoon. I'd head/desk, but I don't need any further reason to leave running.
[Although, on a walk through the bookstore earlier today, I noticed that those sweatpants with words written in giant font right across the bum are just not going away, are they? I entertained myself for a little while envisioning the millions I could make creating labcoats with school emblems on the bum. Or maybe words like 'HOT' There'd be this fabulous radiation double meaning. I think I'm on to something.] |
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Bullet point edition of my life as a dolphin:
- I raced almost non-stop (two water and half-a-cliffbar breaks) in a 20 mile 9-man race yesterday. It was actually a 9-woman race, which was awesome, and it was meant to be a race where, you know, you have *substitutes*, so that people can *rest*. 3 and a half hours later, I had a chance to rest. I kicked ass. So much fun. Beautiful conditions out on the ocean. Perfect for racing. I am so SORE and I love it. I've been stretching for hours and hours yesterday and today. It's luscious.
- My last few procrastinator children at gateverse_remix (yay for those who posted, yay!) keep promising me that their stories will be posted tomorrow. And then I check in with them a week later and no, really, their stories are almost done! I think they're trying to convince themselves as much as me. If they are still promising, still planning to post, I can't very well ask for back-up hitters, can I? Dangit, this modding thing was so easy up until this point.
- I signed up for apocalypse_kree The prompt is a gorgeous poem about culture shock and sharing a drink. I think I'm going to write a 10-minute AU of Children of the Gods, and I have no idea how a project that big is going to get finished in my lifetime. I suspect that surrealis will take very good care of my soul bit while I work, though. Endlessly. I blame Teal'c.
- Sometimes I miss my gazillion icons I had when I was a paid user. Sometimes I miss the editing feature when I say something really stupid. I'm not sure I'm willing to give LJ too much more money, though. Dreamwidth? Sure.
- I accidently spent the night with my Coworker Upon Whom I Am Inappropriately Crushing, but it was terribly innocent, unfortunately. I was wiped from the race and ended up falling asleep on the couch (pretty comfy couch, actually) under a pretty blue and white batik print cotton fabric. He was throwing a house-warming party and really wanted me to come even if I was late getting back from the race. I arrived at, oh, 10:30 or 11 (dear GOD,) tolerated already-drunk people, chatted quietly in a corner and watched a movie with the Boy after the other people left. Sadly, I think he gets too nervous to ever make a move, though there are all these almost-suggestions and nearly-expressed ideas. If he could risk just a little more to indicate what he *wants,* then maybe I could respond, but oh well. It's completely inappropriate anyway.
- I am out of money for the month and need to check to make sure I have money available for critical things like student loan payments. And yet, somehow I find myself on www.athleta.com sale page, filling a virtual cart with virtual articles of clothing that I would really, really enjoy having in my grubby little hands. For reals. Alas for a decent salary.
- I think I need to admit, probably entirely due to beta-ing and being a person off whom drafts are bounced, that I will read WIPs now, and apparently they don't break my brain. I suspect the idea that the author might not ever finish them is still making me wary of stories by people I don't know well, but it's probably time to come out about reading the darned things. *shakes fist at synecdochic, but not really*
- And I keep forgetting this one, but people! I WROTE A STORY. The story is here, and it's a most unusual Teal'c and Vala story. Most unusual. Not that stories about Teal'c's relationships with people are ever highly subscribed. I think a year or two ago, though, when Bra'tac crept into my brain, he left behind a tape recording on repeat that plays things like 'you've written about Teal'c, about his loves, about his family, now write about his *friendships.*' Bite me, Bra'tac, that's what I would say, if I weren't so fascinated by these little esoteric stories.
Without Fear of Wind or Vertigo. In contention for most surprising protagonist ever.
I think that's it? I'll get back to you if I forgot something.
ETA: and here it is. WHY HAS NO ONE CLAIMED A CAM/TEAL'C OR JACK/DANIEL PROMPT AT APOCALYPSE_KREE? It's only the end of the world, people. Go stake your claim on a bit of muse.
Aug. 17th, 2008 @ 09:08 pm
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| » I fail at reading 50 books by people of color, but these are the ones I did read. |
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50books_poc is a community full of book reviews and recommendations. The challenge is to read 50 books, any genre, by an author of color. Many wonderful people are really good at reviewing the books they read on the comm; I am not one of them. This is the only set of book reviews I've written, and I'm woefully short of 50 books, as you see, but it was so worth joining that community. I had a list of scifi/fantasy authors of color (which I link to, below) but I was making my way only haphazardly through it; if I hadn't watched the community, I wouldn't have seen the many recommendations for Colson Whitehead, and that alone has been an invaluable discovery.
( The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead, Imaro by Charles Saunders, The Living Blood by Tananarive Due, East/West by Salman Rushdie, Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu, For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf :a choreopoem by Ntozake Shange,
E-Mails from Scheherazad by Mohja Kahf )
That's it! Wish I'd read more, but there's always next year.
Aug. 11th, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
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| » International Blog Against Racism Week |
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( IBARW, or common little tragedies and the wonders I have seen this week. )
The ibarw community is collecting many and myriad links on a daily basis this week; go peruse to find all kinds of different points of view.
Aug. 8th, 2008 @ 11:03 am
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| » Continuum reaction |
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This will be a play-by-play reaction:
Continuum.
Does anyone else hear this word and expect John DeLancy to come walzing on the screen with a smug expression and stretchy space suit? No? Why not? Have you people not done your fannish homework being addicted to Star Trek episodes? Do you not realize that the SciFi incestuous actor usage mean it’s perfectly reasonable to expect a crossover where DeLancy as Q meets Mayborne and they *hate* each other until they join forces to seduce Jack?
Well, it’s perfectly reasonable to me. And why hasn’t anyone written that, anyway?
( On to the movie! )
Aug. 4th, 2008 @ 11:55 pm
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| » ibarw |
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Y'all know I'm a white girl, right? I have my 'white girl, shutting up' t-shirt and my 'grab your CoC and pimp liek whoa' t-shirt and the incredibly soft and comfortable 'I'm now writing my favorite character of color' shirt and there was that librarian shirt when I collected links of authors of color. I probably walk around with not enough shirt to keep my ass from showing occasionally (I hope not too often.)
I was thinking that what might be really neat for International Blog Against Racism Week this year might be to get a DVD commentary on a Teal'c story (or a Bra'tac story, or a Teyla story...) Possibly with an ibarw slant, potentially with a 'you are a white girl and this is where it shows' slant, maybe a Teal'c character angle, maybe a fandom angle, maybe a writing angle, maybe an acute angle.
The point is, that I'd love to don the 'shutting up now' shirt and listen. If you are interested in commentarying on one of my stories (it doesn't have to be a Teal'c story, it doesn't have to have anything to do with ibarw, but that would be so cool) I have signed up at dvd_commentary.
If you want to skip that comm and it's public nature, you could find a story to comment on here or under the fanfic tag, and just please link me to it when you post. If that's still too exposed, consider concrit sent directly to my email.
I realize that asking someone else to do the work of teaching me about my own blind spots is putting the burden on others. I do solemnly vow not to infer that an absence of DVD commentaries is a sign that I have nothing left to learn. I will guarantee, though, that my response to commentary and/or concrit will be some variation of thank you.
Aug. 4th, 2008 @ 01:33 pm
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| » Hiya there, computer people |
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I spent the weekend travelling over ocean, via man and woman-power, 30 miles to the islands just off the shore of my town. Most people take the dayboat; we go by outrigger canoe and camp for two nights. It was epic. Also, I have crossed the line from 'pleasantly tan' to 'California surfer chic' or, as we in Scifi fandoms may better understand: 'so freakishly out of proportion with eye and hair color lighter than skin tone, it is clear that the biped standing before you is an alien of some kind.'
But I'm embracing that my lifestyle here has some drawbacks. Like the fact that my biceps are larger than some (skinny) guy's I know. But anyway.
(Did you need someone squashed? I could totally smash anyone my flist needed squashed, srsly.)
While I was away, it turned over into International Blog Against Racism Week 2008 (ibarw)! This is frequently an occasion for me to fangrrl Teal'c and his epic awesomness, but this year (unless for some reason I come up with something to say about Teal'c) I shall most likely blog about the books I read for 50books_poc which was intended to encourage reading of books by authors of color. I didn't manage 50, I don't think, but there are some incredible authors that really really deserve pimping, so that post is coming.
[eta: past Teal'c meta includes this post, this one, aaaaaaaand, yes, this one. There are many fic recs in there too, as you may imagine.]
I shall at this point, though, just take a moment to self pimp and tell you that I have written yet another Teal'c story. Only this is Teal'c's friendship with VALA, which felt like such an odd thing to take on, and now I've written it, I'm shocked that there aren't *more* Teal'c and Vala stories. I mean, is that not a fascinating friendship? And they clearly get along so well despite having every reason not to.
Anyway, at the intersection of ibarw and the gateverse_remix, I give you: Without Fear of Wind or Vertigo (the Joker's Wild remix). Worksafe, spoilers for the series finale. My story, yay! Remix of holdouttrout's fantastic Jester's Silence. Also gen, also worksafe.
It is also the one week anniversary of the Gateverse Remix 2008! (Link goes to the masterlist) All stories went live last week, and the last straggler late stories should be rolling in over the next day or two. As such, allow me to point you to a couple of the OUTSTANDING remixes that came in this year (not a complete list, obviously, go check out the masterlist and feed the authors yay!)
My very favorite set of stories (original and remix) are from synecdochic and raqs, respectively. They are the story of Daniel struggling to come home, and Jack figuring out what he has and what he needs. Beautiful, psychologically complex, and the remix adds an incredible layer with Daniel's smart, smart and detached POV. There are slash undertones, and it's recovery from a complex injury, but no one does PTSD like these authors do. Strongly recommended. all men will be sailors until the sea shall free them from synecdochic and ...and the truth shall set you free (the freedom remix) from raqs. R rated, but worksafe-ish.
synecdochic's remix this year was a Lovecraft-style remix of a dream sidlj wrote for Daniel. In the Fullness of Time (The Shores of Lost Carcosa Remix) is from Sid's In the Fullness of Time. I love this for the change in style, as opposed to POV, which takes it from a strange and revealing dream to a remarkably creepy story of love vs. madness in the search for the Lost City. Does anyone else remember Syne remixing a dream in funky style last year for the remix? I'd say she was falling into a pattern, except all of these are so clearly not what you expect. Fascinating to watch an author do such unusual things, really.
Another favorite is the Atlantis story blinking in the sun from minnow1212. This is a Teyla who belongs, who negotiates and translates and is patient and wonderful. Elizabeth is here in her memories, as are Athosians that few remember except herself, her relationship with Ronon is elegant friendship and John and Rodney are so alien and fond. Extraordinary story, a remix of raisintorte's Black Light in a Shady Alien Motel Room, John POV. Possibly not worksafe due to creative euphemisms.
Lastly, with the award for most dramatic structural remix, rigel_7 did a multimedia remix (Spatial Orientation, appropriately) of lokei's Learning Curve (Tilt). Fantastic tone, and I adored the advertisements in the magazine layout. Worksafe.
Aug. 4th, 2008 @ 11:01 am
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| » Remix fic posting! |
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Title: Without Fear of Wind or Vertigo (the Joker’s Wild remix)
Author: _minxy_
Remix of: Jester’s Silence by holdouttrout in the gateverse_remix
Spoilers for: SG-1 series finale "Unending"
Pairing/warnings: None. Teal'c and Vala friendship.
Word count: ~6,800
Beta thanks: go to rydra_wong.
Author’s note: The title is from Italo Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler.
i say this because i feel you down here with me,
this thing i have for you, it is as noble
as being wronged from birth, is as fierce
as a fight for something impossible
that i know you understand.
wait. i will. it is like sleeping,
how it keeps you still
and fills your head with pictures.
(from “Dive” by Michelle Tea)
( The Tau’ri have a notion of circles in hell, Daniel told her about it once, and it had made very little sense; hell was not motion and geometry. )
Jul. 28th, 2008 @ 11:09 am
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| » Reeeeeeeecs post! Getcher recs heah! |
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Yes, I know it's been ages, but I had a birthday and some traveling and then I was almost overcome by a mean ol' rotten COLD... and I bin readin' the whole time, aight?
Aight then. This is the good stuff:
(minxy: purveyor of the very best addictive Stargate fanfic since, oh, 2005)
(underscores are optional.)
For whatever reason, I've got some great McKay/Sheppard for you, and taken as a whole they are *fascinating* together.
minervacat's I'd Go Home If I Knew How to Get There is a classic. I've probably recced it before, actually. It's one of my favorite characterizations of John, where self-awareness is always just out of reach, and the prose and structure work so well to emphasize that. McKay/Sheppard, John POV, PG rated, I would say.
Compare *that*, folks, with the quite rightly heralded If You Want to Kiss the Sky from siegeofangles. Which turns a lot of the tropes we base slash around right the fuck on their asses. It works the anti-tropes well, it tells a fascinating story and in the reverse concepts, reveals a *lot*. Not worksafe. Poly.
Then, you know, smut: The Rite of Nereeth from mmmchelle. Once again interesting themes of intimacy and relationships and marriage, etc. Only this time, with porn. Not worksafe. Really not worksafe. Threesome.
And, bringing it all back together, the ArtWord response from Lim and Speranza: S is for Space. Story and vid! Two in one!
Right, on to the SG-1 type things.
Any story from paian is a story worth reading, imo, but when she writes Teal'c, something really sublime happens: An I for an I is to the prompt of Identity, and really, really amazing. Teal'c. And Identity. By Paian. Go read it. Worksafe.
surreallis is taking prompts for the next round of apocalypse_kree (I *love* submitting prompts, man. Love.) so it's only fitting to recommend something she wrote for the occasion last year. Angst, death and a really rare pairing; it's wonderful. Bend Low Towards the Dirt is harsh realizations and coping and anger and coming back to the only person who knows. Jack/Cam, at the end of the world. R rated.
Jack and Daniel from dragojustine (who is newer to SG-1 but writing some great Jack/Daniel stuff.) In a brilliant set of counterpoints within contrasts, the classic relationship between Jack and Daniel brought to bear in fantastic characterization on a new relationship. PG rated, maybe, definitely worksafe, but not light. Timing. Jack/Daniel and team. Worksafe. I wanna say it's early seasons possibly.
And Continuum is released officially in, what, four days? Here are two very nice reactions for you when you see it (OMG, SO GOOD.)
synecdochic has a reaction to Continuum (which more or less starts and ends with EEEEEEEE!) followed by a ficlet titled June 24th, 2008 (1600-1630 Zulu). Sam, being wonderfully Sam and in command.
kazbaby created a gorgeous companion vid, which (I think I can say without spoiling) perfectly encompasses the fatigue of fighting for ten years +, but then what happens when our team are called to stand and fight again. Just beautiful. Oh, *team*. Ride On.
Jul. 24th, 2008 @ 08:44 pm
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| » loopiness, thy name is Minx |
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Point: I have a cold. As a result, I'm amped up on meds, and I can't be held responsible for anything I may say (or write).
Point too: I have given up commuting by car to work and it's led to so many moments of characters everywhere on the morning and evening buses.
Yesterday, I left work early and stopped by the farmer's markets and store to get the fixings for a nice light soup. For reasons that might be blamed on pseudoephedrine, I could have nothing but French Peasant Soup (a white bean, leek and cabbage soup, no actual French peasants, recipe is now in the comments) which required me to locate a ham hock. I don't know why this seemed so critical, but three stores (including a butcher shop that has switched to being a deli without changing it's name) later, the manager at the fairly upscale supermarket has run all over the store fetching, wrapping and pricing a $2 piece of ham bone for me. That was so sweet. Also the soup is pretty wonderful, especially with warm, crusty baguette bread dunked into the broth.
Point regarding stupid American vacation policies: I technically get no vacation days at my job, although it's fairly shocking that I take weekends off without fail. I do, though, get sick days, and I've apparently accumulated enough that when I went in to have this ridiculous time card thing stamped my boss looked at me pointedly and suggested I *take* a sick day or two. He just doesn't realize that every time I vacation it counts towards sick days, I think. We don't pay much attention to reporting that stuff anyway.
Point regarding the remix: I haz crappy first draft yaaaaaaaaaaaay! Now to go over it before begging my poor beta to take a look.
Status: Crappy First Draft! \o/
Word count: 5,700
My level of frustration with this story: pretty low, though I worry that I've short changed some (or many) areas. I blame cold meds for all comma splices.
Most disturbing realization at the end of writing this story: I think I completely forgot to include General Landry. Like, at *all*. And he's most definitely in the story that I'm remixing. Um.
Most rewarding realization: Oh dear God I love my protagonist. Forgiveness and then a quest for forgiveness, in that order. She *says* things like this! ALL THE TIME. And it's usually about sex, which is so entertaining.
Point the last: I love cotton clothes. I'm in a tank top and jeans, with a light, soft, loose cotton sweater over, and I feel wrapped up in blankets. I wish I could feel wrapped up in a masseuse, though, since the muscles in my neck and back are sore as hell, but I'll settle for cotton.
Point the last-I-really-mean-it-this-time: I need more coffee. Into the wilds!
Jul. 22nd, 2008 @ 10:10 am
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| » Greetings from the other side of thirty! |
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Y'all may have noticed that I do not intend to age gracefully so much as loudly. I'm pretty much convinced that age = more awesome, and thus I make a big deal out of my birthday on an annual basis, complete with announcements as to my age.
So I'm thirty-one now, that's one whole extra year of awesome! Go me!
I had a great birthday with my family, and they managed to replace ALL the books I took to sell back to Powell's. I got classics (Vanity Fair, which I've never read, but is in a pretty hardcover), books I requested (Zahrah the Windseeker, by Nne Okorafor Mbachu and suggested by the Authors of Color in SciFi list, and the Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie upon whom I have a massive reading crush) and books people thought I might like, including some graphic novels whose names escape me.
So the luggage... didn't get any *lighter*.
My soul did though! (I see you, I see you rolling your eyes, y'all just stop that right now, I'm having a post-vacation, 30-something, moment.)
I am remiss saying so, but I am also so grateful to all of you who wished me a happy day (or realized that I have no shame in celebrating birthdays for many days, nay, weeks! And continued the happy wishing.) Thanks, guys! There were even fannish gifts of a communal nature, which is one of the highlights of fandom, if you ask me. I love that we share presents:
dustandroses, bless her, wrote (for me yay!) a funny little picture ficlet which allows us to love on the wonderful late Don S. Davies, as well as Jack/Daniel.
And teand, may the sun shine warmly on her shoulders, wrote me Sam/Teal'c/Cameron! FOR REALS! Unending fic! And threesomes (well, kissing threesomes)! Some of my very favorite things! Worksafe, though there is a very funny Mason-Dixon line in there that will have your coworkers looking over to see what the laughing is about. Three Legged Stools.
(p.s., msbeata thoughtfully had a birthday during the week of Minx also, and so teand *also* wrote her a fic! A marvelous teamy, Jack/Daniel, off into the sunset with you, fic. Say Rather Farewell, worksafe.)
So, thank you, guys. And a special shout-out to Salieri, who danced me a birthday dance involving a phalanx of jaffa, dragonboats (with lanterns!) skimming across the sea, a martial arts number, my name spelled out in staff weapon fire, and Jaffanerian Jazz Hands. Everyone knows those Jaffanerians do jazz hands like none other.
I got love for the world. Free hugs available on request (or pretty much anything else you can think of to request--I'll do my best!)
Jul. 9th, 2008 @ 02:54 pm
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| » The contents of my suitcase: |
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-One ziplock bag containing little bottles of face soap, mostly. Also a toothbrush and travel deodorant. And my mouthguard (I hope. Did I get that this morning into my bag? Huh.)
-One skirt, four shirts comprising one each for very hot weather, hot weather, cool evenings and a layering piece for cooler days. One set of jammies, underwear, some socks. Also the socks I'm knitting for my Mom. I am wearing a set of jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket and pair of shoes.
-A gigantic pile of shirts, books and CDs as gifts. This is bigger than the pile of clothes I'm taking to wear, but not as large as item line #4 (following):
-A dozen books. I really can't explain this, except that it's part of a noble policy to clear *out* books from my shelves by selling them back to used book stores, and I *know* we'll be going to Powell's when I'm home this weekend and this way I can buy more books! You see how well this works? Perfectly logical. One of the books is Salman Rushdie, though, and I'm obviously Not Selling That Ever.
The Guy In My Lab Upon Whom I Am Inappropriately Crushing (well, it's not that inappropriate, as there is no chain of command issue and we seem to be mutually crushing, but my lab is six people small and I'm still waiting for someone to talk me out of this) is driving me to the airport, and wanted to help me carry my bag. Being as how I kind of pride myself on traveling *light* (har) I let him carry my work bag with laptop because my carry-on bag is easily 1/3 books and rather heavy. He actually said, interestingly, that he didn't expect me to have much luggage, but he's not surprised I have *heavy* luggage. Whazzat all about, do you think? If I weren't doing this wierd sell back books thing, would you imagine that I would have heavy luggage? Hrm. I must ponder what this says about me as a female.
I am happy to be seeing my family under pleasant circumstances. We've been gathering for sad things too much lately.
Jun. 27th, 2008 @ 11:13 am
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| » Fly-by complaining |
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You know, one of the lingering problems with my computer crash this spring is that my graduate advisor, for all his faults (and there were many), was generous with computer programs. My current advisor is fairly stingy, and as a result I've just discovered that I DO NOT HAVE PHOTOSHOP ANYMORE.
And free trials even are not available from Adobe until the first. I have a presentation on *Thursday*.
...how am I going to survive putting together presentations and papers on the crappy, dirty, always cluttered lab computer?
help. crap.
Jun. 24th, 2008 @ 09:31 am
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| » Meme questions, answered! Film at 11. |
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A few days ago I posted a meme loosely paraphrased as the "name something you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it," meme, but bracketed it with discussions of short stories and most people started chatting to me about stories (not complaining! great recs!)
Except Pixie, who had so many questions it'll take multiple posts, I should imagine. (Actually, I'm still open to questions, though my week just got a lot busier, oy.)
So, first up, the fandom post:
The fandom question(s) was (were):
( How you write and conceive of stories (...) ? )
( Do you have lots of WIPs? (not really, but here are ones that I do have:) )
( Do you think you'll ever move on from writing gateverse and write in a new show? )
Jun. 19th, 2008 @ 10:39 pm
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| » iMeme |
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Seen most recently at surrealis's place:
Everyone has things they blog about. Everyone has things they don't blog about. Challenge me out of my comfort zone by telling me something I don't blog about, but you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it. Ask for anything: latest movie watched, last book read, political leanings, thoughts on something, favorite type of underwear, explain an interest, a fandom obsession, pre-fandom obsessions, whatever.
I'll answer in blog posts this week, I should imagine.
Also, if you, for some reason, are not bursting with questions about what experiments I ran today or what the sound of ejecting pipette tips really sounds like, talk to me about Warren Ellis. I heard somewhere that his short stories (Spider Jerusalem in particular was referenced) were some of the most extraordinary out there, and I'm really, really into short stories lately; but what I find is almost universally graphic novels. I certainly don't *mind* graphic novels, but they are not grabbing me with the same ferocity of short story collections these days. Am I barking up the wrong tree? Are they referring to graphic novels as short stories? Have you other short story authors to recommend? Other books you've read recently that you feel like the world should know about?
I've been reading Charnas's Walk to the End of the World, and I wish it weren't kicking me out as often as it is; but I persist. I am also reading Salman Rushdie for the first time, his East, West stories, and oh sweet cheesecake, I am in love with the language. I ration the stories so that I have time to properly process and consider the remarkable subjects despite the somewhat unreliable narrators. Extraordinary.
Jun. 17th, 2008 @ 03:50 pm
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