another social casualty

[FIC] I Think I Need A New Heart

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:38:18 GMT

Title: I Think I Need A New Heart
Fandom: The Office
Pairing/Characters: Ryan/Kelly, Andy/Erin
Word Count: 1772
Rating: PG-13/R
Disclaimer: Don't own The Office. Not in the least.
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers through "The Manager and the Salesman."
Summary: "Ryan Howard’s life was not going the way he thought it would."
A/N: Written for ahigheroctave , who wanted Ryan/Kelly and Andy/Erin on a double date. Title is from The Magnetic Fields' "I Think I Need A New Heart," which should really be considered the theme song of Ryan Howard's romance with Kelly Kapoor.

Ryan Howard’s life was not going the way he thought it would.

In fact, it was a pretty huge fucking disappointment.

If you’re just joining us, in the last two years, Ryan Howard has:
-    Graduated from business school
-    Been sexually harassed by his boss
-    Become the youngest VP in Dunder-Mifflin history
-    Been wrongly convicted of fraud and humiliated on YouTube
-    Gotten a minor addiction to certain substances
-    Moved back in with his parents
-    Worked at a bowling alley

And now? Now he was back in godforsaken Scranton, Pennsylvania preparing for a double date with his girlfriend (maybe) and two other Dunder-Mifflin losers.

I mean, really?

His introspective pity fest was interrupted by an insistent pounding on the bathroom door.

“Ryan Bailey Howard, you get out here right now! Your hair already looks super cute and I know you already shaved and we’re going to be late. I swear, you are, like, the most metrosexual boy I know.”

She paused for a beat.

“Oh my God, Ryan, you’re not using my eyeliner, are you? You know I think you look way hot in it but I just don’t think it would work for a dinner date. And I just got a new MAC one and you don’t even know how to use it right. I swear to God, if you ruin it you are so buying me a new one.”

He sighed and opened the door.

“No, Kelly, I’m not using your eyeliner. I told you that’s just for my performance art.”

Kelly rolled her eyes dramatically at him as he adjusted his tie.

“Why are we even doing this? It’s Friday, we could go to New York for the weekend. We’ve seen Andy and Erin every damn day this week.”

“Because, Ryan,” Kelly responded, exasperated. “Erin is, like, my best friend and Andy finally asked her out and-”

“He didn’t even have the balls to ask her out, Kelly. Pam had to do it for him.”

“Whatever! It was super cute and she’s nervous and we’re going to go support her. I swear, Ryan, sometimes I think you don’t think about anyone but yourself.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but Kelly pursed her lips and glared at him.

“Fine.”

(It’s not like he had anything better to do, anyways. As much as he talked about going back to New York, most of his “friends” there probably didn’t even remember his name. And they weren’t really the type of friends that you call up for anything other than a rager or a fix. Yeah, Ryan Howard’s life was a rich fucking wasteland.)

“Besides, this is just like those movies where we’re the really smart, established couple helping two friends find love! Don’t you want that?”

Ryan had, in fact, watched several of those movies with Kelly. He would have suppressed the memories entirely, but most of them ended in him and Kelly making out on her couch before the film’s leads had even gone on a first date. That wasn’t so bad.

“Andy’s not my friend,” Ryan pointed out.

“But he could be!” Kelly replied excitedly as she hooked her arm through his and led him to the door.

This was going to be a long fucking night.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Andy and Erin were already waiting at Cugino’s when Ryan and Kelly arrived. Kelly squealed when she saw Erin holding the single red rose Andy brought her and quickly wrapped her into a hug.

“Oh my God, Erin! You look great!”

“You look so beautiful, Kelly. Just like Beyonce. Or Taylor Swift,” Erin nodded.

Ryan suppressed a laugh. Kelly did look hot – honestly, Ryan thought she pretty much always looked hot, not that he’d ever admit it. Tonight, she was wearing a long purple tunic cinched with a belt and black leggings and flat shoes that he knew were Jimmy Choo because she had reminded him approximately 17 times that night alone. Ryan had tried to convince her to go for a quickie before they got to the restaurant, but she’d pointed out something about the logistics of leggings removal and it being “totally skanky” to get it on in the back of his 2001 Toyota Celica. He reminded her that they’d fucked at least three times in his old car, but she’d told him that his old car had been a Lexus and that was “like, so different.”

They’re seated at a table near the back and Andy makes a point of pulling Erin’s chair out for her, earning Ryan a slap on the arm from Kelly.

“Ryan, why can’t you be more like Andy?” she whines.

(He briefly considered telling her that maybe she should just date Andy since he was the one who gave her that fucking Valentine’s Day card anyway, but thought better of it. He just got out of the doghouse for not remembering Valentine’s Day and initiating a fight with Kelly probably wouldn’t make the night go any faster.)

They order drinks; or, rather, Kelly and Ryan order actual alcoholic beverages (although Kelly’s fruity something or other barely qualifies), while Erin orders a Diet Coke and Andy gets a Shirley Temple. Ryan’s pretty sure his mouth actually drops open as Andy places his order. A fucking Shirley Temple? They should have just skipped dinner and gone straight to Chuck E. Cheese.

As they’re looking over the menu, Andy gallantly tells Erin, “Order whatever you want, m’lady. Dinner is on yours truly.”

Erin smiles like she’s just won the lottery and Kelly turns expectantly to Ryan.

“Yeah, fine, whatever. Just don’t order the lobster or anything.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner wasn’t actually as bad as Ryan expected. Per usual, Kelly dominated the conversation but, at some point in their relationship, her incessant rambling had become a kind of white noise to Ryan. He rarely followed what she was actually talking about, but there was something comforting in listening to her rapid-fire monologue. And he had to give credit to Erin, who found a way to engage with Kelly’s manic conversational style.

For his part, Andy spent most of the evening grinning at Erin with what Ryan could only guess was puppy love in his eyes. Every so often, Andy would send Ryan a bewildered look in reference to the pace of the girls’ conversation and Ryan shrugged. If Andy planned on dating Erin, Kelly came with the package and Andy would have to find some way to adapt.

(Ryan suggested that he order something stronger than a Shirley Temple.)

After the bill was paid, Andy helped Erin into her coat, earning an “awwww” from Kelly. Ryan rolled his eyes and, if the cameras had been there, probably would have thrown a look in their direction in an attempt to establish an exasperated solidarity with the viewing audience.

The couples said their goodbyes in the parking lot, with the girls hugging and squeal-whispering things to each other that Ryan thought could only register in a dog’s ears. Andy had gone in for a man-hug, but Ryan stopped him short with a handshake and a forced smile.

When they get into the car, Ryan let out a sigh, thankful to have survived the evening and be free of his coworkers.

Of course, he was wrong on that last point; not five minutes into the drive back to Kelly’s apartment, her iPhone started buzzing and Kelly informed him that Erin thinks Andy is super cute and they’re going out for ice cream and oh my God, why doesn’t Ryan ever take Kelly out for ice cream?

“Kelly, the last time I took you out for ice cream, you complained that they didn’t have frozen yogurt and you couldn’t eat regular ice cream because you were fat.”

“Ryan Howard, are you calling me fat?!”

“No, Kelly, God. I think you’re perfect just the way you are.”

“Aww, Ryannnn,” she sing-songed, as she slid over to wrap her arms around his torso. “You’re so sweet.”

“Whatever. Don’t touch me while I’m driving.”

By the time they pulled up to Kelly’s apartment building, her iPhone buzzed again and Kelly updated Ryan on Erin and Andy’s date.

“Oh my God, Ryan, Andy just kissed her goodnight on the cheek and told her she was as beautiful as that one painting – you know, the one with the night and the stars and stuff?”

“Starry Night?”

“Yes!” Kelly squealed.

“Van Gogh was in an insane asylum when he made that painting, you know. He cut off his ear,” Ryan said, turning off the ignition and stepping out of the car.

“Ugh, Ryan, why do you have to be such a downer?”

“Whatever, can we just go inside now? It’s cold as fuck out here.”

“God, why can’t you be as romantic as Andy? He brought Erin a flower and complimented her and kissed her goodnight on the cheek like a gentleman in one of those proper British movies and everything! Instead of being a total skeeze who just assumes he’s going to get invited in at the end of the night. I don’t even think you like me!” Kelly insisted, slamming his car door.

(Okay, Ryan thought. Apparently we’ve entered this phase. We’ve been here before.)

“Kelly,” Ryan said as he walked around the car to meet her. “We don’t need flowers and all that bullshit. We’re not on our first date.”

She was pouting slightly, eyes cast down to her Jimmy Choos. He reluctantly pulled his hands out of his coat pockets to push her hair back and cup her face.

“And I do like you, you know? You wouldn’t be my girlfriend if I didn’t like you.”

Ryan placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

“Now do you want me to go home?”

(He’s really hoping she says no because he really does not want to go back to his parents’ house. Kelly has let him pretty much move in with her since he’s been back in Scranton and he doesn’t say it, but he’s endlessly grateful that he doesn’t have to regress that far.)

“No. God, Ryan, you can be such a jerk sometimes though, you know?” she said, fingering her keys between her gloved hands.

“Yeah,” he conceded.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Hell yes,” he replied, swiping the keys from her hand and bolting to the door.

Kelly giggled, “Ryan, you’re such a baby.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next weekend, Kelly forces him to go on another double date with Andy and Erin.

This time, he thinks, he can guarantee a drama-free night. He picks up a rose from the gas station on the way home from work.

Andy brings a bouquet that night.

That guy is such an asshole.

[FIC] We Are Not What You Think We Are (We Are Golden)

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:26:14 GMT

Title: We Are Not What You Think We Are (We Are Golden)
Fandom: Glee
Pairing/Characters: Mercedes/Kurt, Mercedes
Word Count: 1026
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own Glee. Not in the least.
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers through "Acafellas."
Summary: "Mercedes Jones would like to clear a few things up."
A/N: Written for miraluka3 who wanted Kurt/Mercedes. Prompt was "Don't Fall In Love With A Homo" which I maybe sort of ignored and let this idea take over instead. Oops. Also, I don't read a lot of Kurt or Mercedes stuff, so their characters were slightly elusive to me and that may come through here. And I recognize that I toyed with canon a bit and ignored the "have you ever kissed anyone?" conversation. Title is from Mika's "We Are Golden" (a fabulous music video - go watch it!). Shout out to 0penhearts for bringing a modicum of coherence to my writing. Reviews would be lovely.

Mercedes Jones would like to clear a few things up.

First of all, no, R&B is not all she knows how to sing. In fact, she’s pretty damn good with show tunes. She, like Kurt, adores Wicked and Rent and West Side Story. When she was 8, her parents took her to see Les Miserables on Broadway and, from that moment, she became a musical aficionado. (She thinks Eponine is way better than that weak-ass Cosette ever was and, yes, she cried when Eponine died.)

She doesn’t talk much about it because she knows that Rachel has the market cornered in Glee club on musical numbers, but sometimes she wishes that Shuester would think of her when doling out the lead parts for the big show tunes.

So she bites her tongue and accepts her place as the token R&B/hip-hop singer in Glee because at least that way she knows she’ll have her guaranteed moment in the spotlight.

Second of all, she knows she’s not exactly the image of popularity. She’s overweight, she’s black in Lima, Ohio for God’s sakes, and she’s never had a boyfriend.

(Unless you count Blaine Jacobs in the first grade, who kissed her once after school in the playground while they were waiting to be picked up by their parents. The next day, when he was talking to her before homeroom, his friends called her Thunder Thighs and said in a sing-song voice that they were in L-O-V-E. He didn’t kiss her after that. No, she’s pretty sure Blaine doesn’t count.)

But Mercedes is fabulous and she knows it, even if no one outside of Glee and her family recognizes it.

Third of all, her crush on Kurt did not just come out of nowhere. And it wasn’t a product of loneliness. Or at least it wasn’t just a product of her loneliness.

Here’s the real story:

Much to the surprise of the Cheerios and jocks, the so-called “losers” of McKinley had parties of their own. No, they weren’t the total ragers that the popular kids had, but they weren’t as lame as you might think. Mostly they were held at Becky Danielson’s house. Becky was the lead soprano in the McKinley choir and her parents had, like, a mansion and they didn’t mind providing alcohol to the kids. But since Glee club formed and the school’s choir got all bitter about Glee upstaging them, Becky’s parties had become more infrequent. Mercedes suspected that the parties were still going on and Glee club members had just been strategically uninvited.

Anyways, before the Glee/choir rift, there was a pretty fly party at Becky’s one Saturday night in September. It was a couple weeks after Glee had officially formed and the members were still in the process of figuring each other out. It seemed like Artie Abrams and Tina Cohen-Chang had hit it off pretty well and Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson . . . well, Mercedes didn’t know what to think of those two. They kept making obnoxious googly eyes at each other and it was kind of getting in the way of everything. Lame.

In those first few weeks, Mercedes didn’t know much about Kurt Hummel – she knew he wore some pretty fabulous clothes and that he got thrown in the dumpster a lot by that kid with the mohawk. She thought that maybe he was gay, but she wasn’t sure. He said “fabulous” a lot and she knew that he liked Cher, but Glee was about breaking down stereotypes, right? They were all a bunch of freaks, anyways.

So when she sat down next to Kurt on the couch in Becky’s second (third?) living room, she wasn’t expecting anything. Mercedes would be lying though, if she said she wasn’t surprised when they were making out 20 minutes later.

She’s leaning back into the arm of the couch as Kurt cradles the back of her neck and explores her mouth with his tongue. Mercedes isn’t drunk enough to escape a moment of self-consciousness as she traces her hands under his (Versace) shirt, feeling the outline of his torso and realizing just how much smaller he is than her. A flash of “you’re so ugly” hits her like a ton of bricks. Rather than shrinking back, she pushes her mouth more aggressively into his, desperately grabbing at his back, his shoulders, his ass. He wants her. He sees her, she thinks.

(How they got from A to B, honestly, is a little fuzzy to this day. She had just downed her third cup of Artie’s “special” punch and Kurt was nursing his third or fourth wine cooler. What she does remember is some pretty hardcore flirting and giggling and then Kurt pulling her face to his.)

After a few minutes of passionate fumbling, Artie rolls in mid-conversation with Tina.

“Oh damn, get a room, guys!”

Mercedes watches Kurt’s eyes widen and the pair disentangle quickly. Tina and Artie grin at the two as they conspicuously place themselves at separate ends of the couch and appear to become singularly engrossed in the episode of “The Jersey Shore” that had been quietly glaring from the TV on the opposite wall. Tina and Artie, bless them, let it slide.

So that’s what really happened. And, yes, she did vandalize Kurt’s SUV.

(In retrospect, Kurt himself said that he probably deserved the broken windshield. He told her, weeks after The Incident, that he knew he liked boys but he had been hoping – praying – that maybe he liked girls, too. Maybe he could just ignore the attraction he felt to boys and live whatever a “normal” life was supposed to be according to his Grandma Hummel.)

So in the end, the hypothetical epic love of Kurt and Mercedes wasn’t meant to be. In that moment, his desperation mixed with her loneliness to create a pretty volatile little situation that, honestly, they were probably lucky only resulted in a busted windshield.

And maybe something better came out of it. Kurt was able, finally, to tell people who he really was. And Mercedes ended up with a best friend.

Plus, Kurt promised to set her up with one of the “unfortunately straight” guys that worked in his dad’s garage.

Damn right.

[FIC] Afterglow, Look Out Below

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:38:24 GMT

Title: Afterglow, Look Out Below
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Will/Rachel
Word Count: 2550
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own Glee. Not in the least.
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers through "Sectionals."
Summary: "The first time they kiss, it's graduation day."
A/N: Written for 0penhearts , who I adore. Prompt was Will/Rachel, "Sunburn" by Owl City. I honestly haven't written any fic in 8 years or so, so this could be horrible. For that, I apologize. Reviews would be lovely.

The first time they kiss, it’s graduation day.

Rachel’s headed off to Julliard, on her way to stardom, just like she’d always planned. The ceremony is blessedly short and goes relatively smoothly, barring the minor disruption of several football players streaking across the front of the auditorium as Principal Figgins gave his farewell address to the graduating class. Rachel locks eyes with Puck across the aisle after the incident and raises an eyebrow. Puck shrugs in response, a bemused and slightly proud expression on his face that tells her he, too, would have streaked if not for a stern lecture from his mother earlier that week.

Rachel doesn’t make valedictorian and her parents assure her that it’s fine, she’s salutatorian and they’re endlessly proud of her. She had way more extracurriculars than that ridiculous Bridget Adams, anyways – Bridget was only in, like, two yearbook pictures. No one will remember Bridget.

After the ceremony, there’s a party at Mike Chang’s. Normally, of course, Will wouldn’t attend a student party. Despite his sometimes questionable judgment regarding appropriate Glee club song choice, there were boundaries he didn’t cross. However, it was graduation and, technically, they were no longer students. He would stop by for a few minutes and offer his congratulation to his Glee students. It was the appropriate thing to do as their teacher, right?

(There was more to it that that, of course. Rachel had cornered him after their last practice and made him promise her, in no uncertain terms, that he would attend the graduation party. She had employed her serious face and Will knew there was no way to resist.)

He parks his car outside Mike’s house and just reaches the door when Santana spills out.

“Oh! Hey, Mr. Schue.”

“Hey, Santana – heading out already?”

“Yeah … I gotta go,” she responds, eyes darting momentarily to a car waiting at the end of the driveway.

A car driven by someone who looked suspiciously like Brittany.

“Okay,” he says, with a more than slightly confused laugh, “Well, congratulations on graduating!”

Santana allows a curt “right, thanks” before continuing past him and rushing into the awaiting vehicle.

Will surveys the house as he enters – Mercedes and Kurt are laughing conspiratorially over one thing or another in the corner of what must be the main room. Mike and Matt are engaged in what appears to be an epic battle of Guitar Hero, while Tina, Quinn and Artie place bets on the winner. Puck and Finn, having made up shortly after The Baby Incident, were fighting over who got the last slice of cheesy bread. There were other kids scattered throughout the house that he recognized but couldn’t quite place and Jacob Ben Israel was lurking in the corner. (Seriously, who invited that kid?) Some of the Glee kids notice his entrance and he nods in acknowledgement.

When he finds Rachel, she’s intently refilling snack bowls and replenishing drinks in the kitchen. Will shouldn’t be surprised.

“Rachel, you do know that it’s okay to enjoy a party, right?”

She starts at his sudden entrance, a smile reaching her face when she realizes the source of her interruption.

“Mr. Schue! You came.”

“Of course I did, Rachel. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” he replies. He smiles genuinely. Somewhere in the course of the three years they’d known each other, he stopped focusing on simply placating Rachel and grew to appreciate her genuine devotion, not only to her own ambitions, but to the success of Glee and its members.

“Do you want something to drink? Mike’s parents pretty much bought everything you could think of.”

“Sure, I’ll take a Coke. And I will choose to ignore that jug of SoCo next to the fridge.”

Rachel blushes instinctively. “Mr. Schue, I swear to you that I would never even have thought of touching alcohol before graduation and I wouldn’t have even tried it now, but it’s graduation and Finn said something about important life experiences and-”

Will cuts her off before she can ramble any further, “I’m just kidding, Rach. I think you’ve proven yourself more than responsible enough to handle adult situations.”

They chat comfortably for a few minutes, each of them leaning against the island counter – about her plans for moving to New York, about the future of Glee, hell, about the new Kanye album. (Will thought it was groovy, Rachel acknowledged that it had some artistic merit, but she felt his use of AutoTune cheapened the art of singing.) Will glances briefly at the microwave clock before deciding he should say his goodbyes to Rachel and the rest of the Glee members.

Rachel thanks him for coming and for everything and she promises to send bimonthly updates on her progress toward Broadway stardom. As he turns to leave, Rachel wraps her arms around Will’s neck in a hug. After the initial surprise wears off, Will eases into the hug, encircling her waist with his own arms.

“I’m really going to miss you, Mr. Schue,” Rachel whispers into his shoulder. “Honestly, I don’t know how I would have gotten through high school without Glee. And you.”

Will tightens his grip around her waist briefly. “I’m going to miss you, too, Rach. Glee just won’t be the same without you.”

They pull apart slightly and Rachel’s hands trail flatly down the top of his chest. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s graduation, maybe it’s the faint hint of alcohol on her breath, but she feels slightly braver in the moment. She lifts herself on her toes and presses her lips gently to Will’s.

Maybe it’s the fact that Rachel’s graduated, maybe it’s the fact that he’s going to miss her a lot more than Glee will, but he leans into the kiss, resting his hands on her waist. The kiss deepens slightly as Rachel presses her body into his and lets her hands move upwards to cup his face. Her back is pressed into the counter as he braces his hands on the surface.

A loud crash from the other room startles both of them and they immediately disentangle, color rising in Rachel’s face as Will looks away, running a hand through his hair.

(The source of the crash, they discover later, was a failed attempt by one Finn Hudson to “rock out” on Guitar Hero, resulting in a predictably disastrous conclusion.)

Will opens his mouth to apologize, to explain (explain what?), but Rachel meets his eyes with an almost-wistful smile and quietly tells him not to worry about it.

“Are you sure, Rach?”

She nods confidently. “Absolutely.”

“Okay . . . uh, okay. Well I should probably head out then. Good luck at Julliard, Rachel. You’ll be great. Really.”

“Thanks, Mr. Schue.”

“Will.”

“Will,” she concedes. He closes the gap between them to place a light kiss on her cheek.

“Bye, Rach.”

“Bye, Will.”

He’s just reached the arch of the door when she says, “Will! Wait.”

He turns. “Yes?”

“I have serious reservations about the set list you proposed for New Directions’ opening show this fall. Vocal Adrenaline has only gained talent and with the loss of such strong vocalists as myself and Mercedes, McKinley is going to have to seriously reevaluate how to proceed. I’ll be emailing you a revised and annotated list within the week.”

“That sounds just fine, Rachel,” Will says with a grin.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

He initiates their second kiss.

Rachel returns to Lima for her five year high school reunion. She’s not yet a Broadway starlet, but she’s got steady work on an off-Broadway show and she does part-time work at a local arts non-profit to make ends meet. She’s happy. She tries to keep up with the former Glee clubbers – Mercedes has mastered the art of social networking and has more or less forced Twitter, Facebook and others on the entire New Directions crew. Puck and Quinn reconnected sometime after graduating from high school and are now engaged. They sometimes take weekend trips to New York and had front row seats on the opening night of Rachel’s show. Rachel doesn’t hear from Finn as much as she might like; he surprised everyone by announcing that he was joining the Peace Corps after graduating from college and has spent the last year traipsing around Indonesia.

She and Will still exchange emails every few months or so, mostly Glee-related with the errant real life detail slipping in. He’s still director of Glee Club and lives in the studio apartment he picked out after the fallout with Terri. His life isn’t perfect, but it’s comfortable. Will thinks of Rachel at times – when the newest Glee diva storms out over being denied the “Mama Who Bore Me” solo, when he hears “Endless Love” filter through the sound system in his dentist’s waiting room. Sometimes – just sometimes – when he’s had a few beers and is indulging in some serious self-pity and introspection, he wonders if he and Rachel could have had something together. If she were older, if he had made more of himself, if she hadn’t moved to New York to pursue her dreams. He usually shakes off the nagging hypotheticals and drags himself to bed.

(Sometimes he pours a stiffer drink and passes out on the couch.)

He spies her from across the hotel reception room the school chose to host to the reunion. She’s laughing at something Artie said and her head tilts back so that her hair brushes the scooped back of her sleek black cocktail dress. Will briefly notices Jacob Ben Israel is also watching Rachel from a table in the corner of the room. (No. Seriously. Who invited him?)

He walks over to the group. Rachel’s eyes light up as they meet his and she grabs his hand, pulling him into a hug.

“Will! It is so good to see you.”

He smiles more broadly than the situation called for and tells her how great she looks. She still has that kernel of self-doubt that causes her to cast her eyes down and protest his compliment. Will greets Artie as well as Tina and Mercedes, who’ve just arrived, and Artie launches into part two of his tale.

By the end of the evening he and Rachel are left alone at a small table as the DJ lethargically continues to plug the sound system with something quiet and pop-y that reminds Will of The Postal Service. She’s got a hand wrapped around her glass of red wine, leaning in toward Will to explain just how much the lead in her play was willing to do with the director to secure her role. Somehow, the conversation turns to Will’s life in Lima, a subject he’s not exactly thrilled to probe into, and Rachel senses his hesitation.

“Will . . . what happened?”

He runs a hand through his hair, sighing. “Nothing happened, Rach . . . nothing happened.”

(He wants to add “and that’s the problem,” but this isn’t the venue for such indulgences.)

She doesn’t push it further, but stands up suddenly and grabs his hand. “May I have this dance?” she asks, a slightly mischievous smile adorning her face. He grins and nods his consent.

Will pulls Rachel close to him, closer than acquaintances or even friends really, but she seems to encourage the decision and he reminds himself that she’s not his student anymore. Hell, she seems to have a better grip on productive adult life than he does. Rachel lets her hands loop behind his neck (just like that night, he thinks) and he rests his hands on her lower back as they sway slowly to the music. They both have better dance skills than this, she muses idly, but lets the thought pass as the soft rhythm lulls her into acquiescence.

“I’ve really missed you, Rach,” Will confesses before he can stop himself.

She pulls back slightly and her eyes meet his, a mix of confusion and anticipation. She opens her mouth to launch into a well thought-out speech about how he has lots of things in his life to be thankful for, how he can come visit her anytime he wants, and so on, but she’s cut off as his lips push into hers.

It’s initially clumsy, he’ll admit. There’s a moment before she responds where he panics – this is a terrible mistake, he shouldn’t be imposing on her in this way, and, oh God, he is that teacher he sang about all those years ago. Will’s relieved when she reciprocates, drawing her hands up the back of his neck to weave her fingers through his hair. Her mouth explores his, pushing deeper into their kiss and he relaxes into the moment.

The experience is short-lived, however; both realize they’re in the middle of the dance floor – not exactly the best venue – and Rachel eyes Santana Lopez out of the corner of her eye, critically evaluating the situation. Rachel slowly draws back from Will, returning her hands to their earlier position at the base of his neck, and smiles at him.

Will thinks for the second time that that night that she’s going to reproach him and run through a litany of reasons why they can’t possibly have done what they did and why it certainly can’t happen again.

Instead, she cups his face in her hands and whispers, “I missed you, too.”

Rachel explains to him that she has to go, her dads are expecting her, but that he should call her tomorrow. She kisses him softly on the cheek and leaves.

A minute later, after Will collects himself, he follows to leave.

“Nice one, Mr. Schue,” Santana remarks, as she leans into the arch of the door. If this were high school, he would have been offended, but the edge in her voice has been replaced with a playfulness that he thinks he should probably thank Brittany for. She and Brittany had never officially “come out” as a couple – what was the point, Santana reasoned – but they had settled down in Lima and bought a house together. Santana had taken over as coach of the Cheerios when Sue was hired as a full-time analyst for ESPN2 and Brittany coaches the school’s newly formed dance squad.

He smiles in spite of himself, rolling his eyes slightly, as he replies, “Thanks, Santana. See you Monday.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Will calls her the next day. She’s happy to hear his voice and says as much. Since the previous night, Will’s had time to think – there’s an age difference to consider (although 12 years isn’t really that much, right?); there’s the long distance thing to consider (Lima’s not that far from New York, he reasons).

He pushes aside his concerns when Rachel explains that her flight’s in a couple hours, but she’d really like him to come visit her in New York when he gets a chance – after all, he hasn’t seen her play yet and he could do in-field musical research for Glee, right?

Will smiles into the receiver and tells her that he’ll do what he can and maybe he can get some time off in a month. He says that he hopes she has a safe trip and they say their goodbyes.

As he puts down the phone, he feels better than he’s felt in years.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Will arrives at La Guardia 11 days later.

"It's The Magical Mystery Kind / Must Be A Lie"

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:54:51 GMT

Well shit.

So I coerced ahigheroctave into writing Stefan/Elena fic against her will by promising to do this thing. This thing being write some drabbles.

The first TEN people to comment in this post get to request that I write a drabble/fic of any pairing/character of their choosing. ~~In return, they have to post this in their journal, regardless of their ability level.~~ (Eh, whatever, I think you should do it but you don't have to just to earn the right to torment me.)

Now, here's the thing, folks - I have not written fanfiction in, oh, EIGHT YEARS. And I'm sure it was ER fic. Yeah. So that tells you how far back into the days of yore that was. Anyways, hit me with your best shot. Now's your guys' chance to get revenge on me for poking and prodding you to write crap you didn't wanna write. Fair warning: This will likely be crap. Or crack-tastic. Or both? Fuck, I don't know.

Fandoms: Glee, Grey's, The Office, Vampire Diaries, Californication. Just for funsies, let's throw ER and The X-Files back into the game.

Can't do: Porny stuff (OH THE IRONY), slash (ie. canonically straight characters becoming suddenly gay - it puzzles me; canonically gay ships are just dandy), weird shit? I don't even know.

I make no promises on how long these things will be. I would imagine not so long. Because me and the fanfic writing? Uh, estranged. But I swear I will try my damnedest. And it would probably work best if you could throw a prompt my way. I'm a sucker for music/lyric prompts.

Have at it.

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:02:55 GMT

Hey dudes. If interested, there's a fanfic prompt-a-thon going on over at the LiveJournal of crickets . Head on over and prompt like crazy, y'all. Good times!

The Lion of the Senate

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:32:57 GMT

Damn it. He didn't get to usher through health care reform or even see it passed . . . damn it. He was an incredible public servant and a critical voice for our party and our country. RIP.

They're all gone now. The only surviving member of that generation is Jean.

"The Circle Of Your Friends Will Defend The Silver Lining"

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 01:28:31 GMT

Hey there, LiveJournalLand.

Drive-by post to pimp the Support Stacie Author Auction. A lot of y'all have probably heard of it before, but for those uninitiated - Stacie/"Pooh" is a member of the fandom community (mostly "Gilmore Girls," I think) and about three years ago, she was diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, she is uninsured and her husband's salary isn't enough for all the medical bills and supporting their kids. So, some fandom folks got together and decided to do something. One of the somethings is the author auction.

The way it works - there's a bunch of different authors (~100?) from a number of fandoms. You bid on them. If you win, they write the story you want written but were too lazy/untalented(ME)/whatever to write yourself. There are some amazing authors offered in the auction and it goes until tomorrow (April 6) at 6PM CST. I think.

Anyways, all the profits go to help pay Stacie's medical bills. So it's a good cause and you get fic out of it if you win! And sometimes, the authors are awesome and have special offers just for bidding.

So, go bid! (NOT FOR slybrunette THOUGH - I ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH COMPETITION, BITCHES)

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:48:18 GMT

New name for new Derek Shepherd: Cereal Killer.

Y/N?

"I Want To Feel It, If Just To Know It's True"

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:57:36 GMT

Alright, in an attempt to push myself out of my funk of yesterday, I decided to compile my list of the best YouTube videos of the past year. These are not necessarily videos that came out last year, but I happened to discover them then. Here we go:

Video #1: You Can Vote However You Like - Ron Clark Academy

Oh my God, I love everything about this video. I hadn't even heard T.I.'s original song before this, so whenever it comes on the radio, I can never manage to get the right lyrics out. These ones are better anyways.

Video #2: Joe Biden's Biggest Interview Yet

"Senator Biden is now my homeboy." AHAHAHAHAHAA. Yes please. I want Biden to be my homeboy.

Also, proof that Biden can answer super simple questions. It sounds ridiculous, but particularly after Palin, making sure we actually know the basics is kind of a good thing.

Video #3: Biden Cracks Up

I swear, not all of my videos here are going to be political. Or Biden specific. But LOOK AT THAT MAN. The laugh is infectious. Also, the SNL skit was fucking hilarious. AndImayhavearagingBidencrush. Ahem.

Video #4: Grape Lady

Seriously . . . classic. The Grape Lady is legendary. And I love her. I feel somewhat bad for her, but MY GOD. The noises she makes, the reaction from the in studio anchors . . . everything is so brilliant. She could make a career based on this video alone.

EDIT: In case you're interested . . . where are they now?

Video #5: 2008: The Cinescape

The movie year in review. It's incredibly well synced, and I love the song they chose for it.

Video #6: United States of Pop 2008

Same thing, this time with music. I like this one even more than the film one.

Video #7: Behind the Scenes at the DNC

It's super long, but you should watch it if only for the part where Obama discusses the Jonas Brothers (about 9:00) and the end sequence bloopers (little before 14:00).

Video #8: Heartless - Kanye West

Stupid video embedding was disabled . . .

Probably my second favorite song off of "808s and Heartbreak" (number 1 = "Street Lights"). Hype Williams directed the video, which I think is really cool. Very Kanye appropriate.

Video #9: Big John

By far, my favorite political spot of the 2008 cycle. THIS IS NOT A JOKE, PEOPLE. Real advertising here. His reaction to the response given to this video: "My staff convinced me it was a good idea. Maybe I need a new staff."

Video #10: What What (In The Butt)

I do not claim to understand it, but it is made of awesome and also funny and also WTF? Bless you, Samwell.

Alright, that's all folks. I reserve the right to update this at will. And now I ask . . . your favorites?

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:58:46 GMT

YES WE CAN.

I am so beyond excited and exhausted and exhilirated and about a bazillion other verbs that I can't even begin to iterate. This is incredible. It's a victory for the Democrats and a victory for African Americans and, most of all, a victory for the country. We are on the brink of having the first black president. This doesn't erase the very real racially based issues that our country still faces, but it says to every child out there that Martin Luther King's dream is possible. I'm beyond moved. I'm a little drunk. And I can't wait for tomorrow.

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 05:53:21 GMT

JOEEEEEEEEEEEEE BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDENNNNNNNNNNNNN.

YAY. I like Biden and he was probably my top choice, so I'm psyched. More thoughts later. Maybe.

Oh, in related news, I totally just watched "The War Room" again (documentary about the '92 Clinton campaign). Stephanopoulos before he became a traitor and Carville before I disowned him! Hurray.

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 22:22:10 GMT

Anniversary of the death of Wade Edwards is today.

Not much more I wanted to say. Just thoughts and prayers to his family.

"The modern hero is a person who does something everyone thinks they could do if they were a little stronger, a little faster, a little smarter, or a little more generous. Heroes in ancient time were a link between man and perfect gods. Heroes in modern times are the link between man as he is and man as he could be." - Wade Edwards

"It's Too Late To Apologize . . ."

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:00:56 GMT

Meme time, as I'm putting off creating actual substantive Namibia related posts for now . . .

01) Where’d you get the shirt you're wearing? One of my classy Old Navy wifebeaters.

02) Who do you currently like? Currently feeling a lot of love for Kanye. And John Edwards. Real life love? Not so much.

03) Do they like you? Yes, please?

04) Sunrise or sunset? Sunset, but mostly because it's the one I'm more likely to see. I'm always feel so accomplished when I wake up in time for sunrise, so that's go it's advantages, too.

05) what time did you go to bed last night? Midnight-ish.

06) what woke you up? The sound of our overland trucks revving up to leave at 5AM to get back to Cape Town.

07) what movie is in your DVD player? Currently have no DVD player.

08) would you kiss the last person you kissed? Last person? Oh, haha. I understand. You're expected to have HAD a last kiss to reference. Funny.

09) Last thing that pissed you off? Our internet being down.

10) Are you cocky? Yeah, probably.

11) Can you speak French? Ha. No.

12) Have you ever been to Mexico? Yup. Puerto Vallarta once, Tijuana once.

13) Do you make your bed daily? Hahahahahaha. Yeah right.

14) Your favourite movie? That's just a mean question.

15) Your favourite TV show? Currently? "The Office."

16) Single or taken? Single. Boo.

17) Do you own slippers? Nope.

18) Boxers or briefs? Boxers, unless you are built like Usher. Even then - boxer-briefs.

19) Is there a TV in your bedroom? Not my current bedroom. My bedroom at my dad's house? Yes.

20) How many piercings do you have? Just the standard ear piercings.

21) What do you think of Tom Cruise? Kind of batshit crazy. I still like "A Few Good Men," though.

24) Last two numbers in your phone number? 43.

25) Who was the last person you called? Amanda.

26) Where are your parents from? Wisconsin.

27) Are you afraid of the dark? Given the appropriate context/mindset, hell yes.

28) Can you roll your tongue? Yup.

29) Who was the last person to call you? Evan.

30) Best fast food French fries? I adore Arby's curly fries.

31) How was your day? LONG. On the road from 5AM to 4PM.

32) *is out drinking #s 46-48 under the table*

33) Have you ever eaten at T.G.I. Friday's? Yeah, it kind of blows.

34) Can you skateboard? Ha. No.

35) How about play an instrument? Not anymore.

36) How much money do you have on you right now? R170, or so. Therefore . . . $20-25ish.

37) what are you listening to right now? "Fight Club" on SABC1.

38) Who's in your house? My roommate Debbie and her boyfriend.

39) What are you doing today? SLEEP. Tomorrow is getting my presentation ready for Monday. Great.

40) Is your window open? No.

41) What side of the bed do you sleep on? Left side.

42) Who was the last person in/on your bed other than you? Um . . . does having a joint sleeping bag/comforter hybrid bed with Amanda for our Namibian camping trip just now count?

43) Can you think of anyone special you want in your bed? The usual suspects - John Mayer, Jason Mraz, etc., etc.

44) Your favourite season? Fall or winter.

45) Can you drive? Absolutely.

46, 47, and 48 are having a drinking contest with #32

49) Favourite food? Cookies.

50) Something you're looking forward to in the next month? Possibly getting to go to my dad's friends vineyard here in South Africa for a grand tour.

51) Have you ever been to an art museum? Of course. Not that it was ever that amazing.

52) Do you like Mexican food? Yes'm.

53) Papa John's or Domino's? Papa John's, probably. Not a big pizza person.

54) When's the last time you showered? Last night.

55) What do your pants look like? Black stretchy pants. Usually for working out. Today? For pajamas due to lack of clean PJ shorts.

56) Favourite Cartoon to Watch? Does South Park count?

57) Have you ever seen/watched Aqua Team Hunger Force? A few times. Meh.

58) Current favourite song? "Desert Rose" - Sting.

59) Last person you gave up on? Some of the uber-dudes on my Namibia tour group. Ah well.

"I Won't Hesitate No More . . . "

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:15:03 GMT

Mraz is The Man.

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:16:35 GMT

I hate Ralph Nader.

That is all.

"I Only Wanna Be With You . . . "

Fri, 02 Jan 2004 07:02:32 GMT

Snagged from

[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<lj-user="chanthemaurafan">') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]

<lj-cut text="Survey">Snagged from <lj-user="chanthemaurafan">:

1)Using band/artist names, spell out your name.

S - Savage Garden
T - Train
E - Elvis Presley
P - Proclaimers
H - Hootie and The Blowfish
A - Alanis Morissette
N - No Doubt
I - I have no idea . . . ;)
E - Evanescence

2) Have you ever had a song written about you?

Pshyeaaa. Yeah, right.

3) What song makes you cry?

"Goodbye" by Hootie and the Blowfish.

4) What song makes you happy?

"Sexual Revolution" by Macy Gray.

5) What do you like to listen to before bed?

Whatever strikes my fancy at the time.

6) Who was/were your idols when you were younger?

Bwahahaa! Oh gahhh, Spice Girls, N'Sync. ::cringes:: Oh, and Garth Brooks.

7) First album you ever bought?

Hmmm. Probably "Garth Brooks: The Hits".

8) Name a song that reminds you of someone and why?

Anything by Christina Aguilera for Chanie.
Anything by Van Morrison or Hootie for Raine.
Anything by Jason Mraz for Kibs.
"Rainbow Connection" by Peter Cincotti for Rachy.</lj-cut>

*Stephanie*

"I Write, But Mostly on Hotel Paper . . ."

Fri, 02 Jan 2004 05:06:08 GMT

Happy New Year, all!

[Warning: This post is slightly unorganized ramblings that are just flowing out of me. Continue at your own risk.]

I've just been thinking way too much in the last couple days. About everything and anything. It's big stuff. About why we exist and down to smaller, "less important" things, like why I don't have a guy. And what will happen in the future - if I will be forever alone. And why that would be. Also, am I just continuing down this path of trying to be like various celebrities. And why that is. Plus - my obsession with TV shows.

Anyway, the rest of this post I'll discuss these things. And to spare those of you who don't want to hear my introverted whining anymore, I will put it behind a cut.

Well. First is the whole life thing I guess. I've been thinking about it lately - how we're so wrapped up in our lives. I know it's cliched, but life is so much bigger than us. We're all caught up in whether a guy likes us, or whether we'll get into the school we want, or get the perfect job, or whether our friends really like us. But, if you look at it from someone who's not living a life here on Earth - you can see how insignificant a lot of these things are. What does it all amount to when we die? What's the point of our lives? What will we be remembered for? Not for whether or not we made first chair in band. Not for whether we got into Harvard or community college or not at all.

We have to leave an impact on someone's life. We have to influence someone living on Earth, improve someone's life in some way. And it doesn't have to be some huge charitable action, it can be helping a friend in need, or being a shoulder to cry on.

On the flip side, maybe those little things, like what school we get into, or what boyfriend we get, are the important things. Those are the things that determine who we meet, who we are able to influence - for better or for worse. In the end, maybe that is the way we make an impact on the world - with just the people we interact with.

I don't know aout this one. Maybe it's irrelevant. Maybe it's stupid. But I don't truly believe it is. The belief I have in my head is that every person in high school had at least one boyfriend/romantic experience. I have not. I mean, unless you count Adam. But he's an sshole and we never dated, so he doesn't even count. I keep waiting for this life-changing thing to come into my life, and fix the empty feeling. In my mind, at least, this life-changing thing is a guy. And I'm not stupid, I know intellectually that a guy will not fix my life, and will not improve me. But my intellect can't override my desires. In the end, the id rules.

I keep finding myself trying to be like actresses or musicians; trying to have the size 4 figure and the abs and the gorgeous skin. I don't think it's healthy. I keep telling myself, "Oh, you just want to be healthy." Which is true, but it's not my goal. My goal is to look like Jennifer Garner or whoever the hot girl I'm looking at on the television screen or magazine page is. It's unrealistic and I hate myself for it. I don't have millions to hire a personal trainer and special foods prepared.

And I don't think comparing myself to celebrities is helping me get healthier anyway. I just get more depressed when I look at these stick figures on TV. Maybe I think that since I see these people with boyfriends, then I'll get a boyfriend, too. That's ridiculous, too, because I don't want to be with someone who's attracted to me only physically. That's stupid. But, it's also true that most men do notice women by physical appearance. At least initially. I mean, you set a Playboy bunny and Roseanne in front of a man, and they're gonna go for the Playboy bunny. And it's not fair, because the Roseanne woman may be more interesting as a person, but as a society we're obsessed with physical appearance and what's on the outside.

And another thing - it really pisses me off how only pretty people are sex objects on TV/movies. The only way to counteract our society's obsession with appearance is to start changing people's views. A majority of people are greatly influenced by what they see on TV. Well, it's only logical that people would be inclined to like teeny stomach, big breasted, gorgeous people. So I call for a change in the way TV is produced - start casting people, not by what their waistline or race or whatever is, but by their talents as actors. They have affirmative action in college, etc. I don't want them to have a quota to meet, but I want them to be more open.

This is not to say that I am not guilty of an obsession with pretty people. Faaaar from it. I love Vartan and Noah and Eriq and David Anders, etc. I wish I could see not-traditional-gorgeous type people on the TV screen, so I could grow an obsession with them, too. But I don't, because I am offered up a tray of 85% beauty, and 15% non-traditional-gorgeous. This also isn't to say that beautiful people can't be talented as well - Jennifer Garner is a wonderful example. Michael Vartan, as well.

I don't know why I'm addicted to these TV shows. I know it's stupid, I know they're not real. It's probably some form of escapism, which I've heard isn't healthy to have. It's easier to relate to people on a screen than it is to relate to actual people. As stupid as it sounds, I know the screen-people won't judge or abandon me.

I don't know how I'll look back on my teen years. I don't know what I've done. What will I say to someone, ten years from now, when they ask me what I did with my teenage days? "Well, I really liked some TV series." It's kind of crazy. People who aren't obsessed with TV shows don't understand the obsession. I mean, TV shows are obviously not my whole life, but they are a part of my life. I don't really know what I think about it all, I really appreciate any insight you guys could give me.

Wow. I didn't think I'd get that analytical. Maybe I shouldn't post all this, but I think I will, because I've been thinking about it, and I think you guys should know this stuff I'm thinking about.

A side note, that might explain some of the stuff in my "celebrity wannabe" section - I'm completely obsessing over the Macy Gray song, "Sexual Revolution". Download it, if you haven't heard it. It's awesome and quite empowering. ::nods::

Anyway. I must be off to obsess over "Sexual Revolution" and my TV shows some more. ;)

*Stephanie*

"Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Stayin' Alive . . . "

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 19:25:30 GMT

Lalala. I should be doing my homework. But Brian [or someone at his house] is on the phone. And I can't remember what Chemistry I'm supposed to be doing. SO you can't say I didn't make a valiant effort to actually start my homework. I tried, guys. ;)

Snagged from craziechick:

1 Godfather, The (1972)
2 Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
3 Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
4 Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003)
5 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)
6 Casablanca (1942)
7 Schindler's List (1993)
8 Shichinin no samurai (1954)
9 Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)
10 Citizen Kane (1941)
11 Star Wars (1977)
12 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
13 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
14 Rear Window (1954)
15 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
16 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
17 Memento (2000)
18 Usual Suspects, The (1995)
19 Pulp Fiction (1994)
20 North by Northwest (1959)
21 Fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain, Le (2001)
22 Psycho (1960)
23 12 Angry Men (1957)
24 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
25 Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
26 Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
27 It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
28 Goodfellas (1990)
29 American Beauty (1999)
30 Vertigo (1958)
31 Sunset Blvd. (1950)
32 Pianist, The (2002)
33 Matrix, The (1999)
34 Apocalypse Now (1979)
35 To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
36 Some Like It Hot (1959)
37 Taxi Driver (1976)
38 Paths of Glory (1957)
39 Third Man, The (1949)
40 C'era una volta il West (1968)
41 Fight Club (1999)
42 Boot, Das (1981)
43 Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001).
44 Double Indemnity (1944)
45 L.A. Confidential (1997)
46 Chinatown (1974)
47 Singin' in the Rain (1952)
48 Requiem for a Dream (2000)
49 Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
50 M (1931)
51 All About Eve (1950)
52 Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
53 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
54 Se7en (1995)
55 Saving Private Ryan (1998)
56 Cidade de Deus (2002)
57 Raging Bull (1980)
58 Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
59 Rash?mon (1950)
60 Sting, The (1973)
61 American History X (1998)
62 Alien (1979)
63 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
64 Leon (The Professional) (1994)
65 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
66 Vita ? bella, La (1997) (Life Is Beautiful)
67 Touch of Evil (1958)
68 Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
69 Wo hu cang long (2000) (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)
70 Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
71 Great Escape, The (1963)
72 Clockwork Orange, A (1971)
73 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
74 Annie Hall (1977)
75 Amadeus (1984)
76 Jaws (1975)
77 Ran (1985)
78 On the Waterfront (1954)
79 Modern Times (1936)
80 High Noon (1952)
81 Braveheart (1995)
82 Apartment, The (1960)
83 Sixth Sense, The (1999)
84 Fargo (1996)
85 Aliens (1986)
86 Shining, The (1980)
87 Blade Runner (1982)
88 Strangers on a Train (1951)
89 Duck Soup (1933)
90 Metropolis (1927)
91 Finding Nemo (2003)
92 Donnie Darko (2001)
93 Toy Story 2 (1999)
94 Princess Bride, The (1987)
95 General, The (1927)
96 City Lights (1931)
97 Lola rennt (1998) <---- Is that supposed to be "Run, Lola, Run"? ::wooks:: 'Cause I've seen that.
98 Full Metal Jacket (1987)
99 Notorious (1946)
100 Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)

The Ultimate LiveJournal Obsession Test
Category	Your Score	Average LJer
Community Attachment	18.28% You've got pals to cheer you up when you're down, but no audience to applaud you... Yet.	22.58%
MemeSheepage	21.05% Only trendy when it's sufficiently entertaining	28.44%
Original Content	45.16% Some stories must be told - and you're the one to tell them	38.46%
Psychodrama Quotient	9.64% Had a comment taken out of context once or twice	17.21%
Attention Whoring	13.64% Slothfully Seeking Susan	20.65%
Take The Ultimate LiveJournal Obsession Test and see how you match up!

*Stephanie*

"We Are the Champions, My Friend . . . "

Mon, 29 Dec 2003 05:29:19 GMT

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Packers 31, Broncos 3.

Arizona 18, Minnesota 17.

We're going to the playoffs, baby.

::glows::

I love my team. I love the Cardinals. They're amazing. And so is Brett Favre. And Ahman Green.

You have no idea how happy that makes me. Most of my friends aren't much into football. So they don't really get it. But this was absolutely amazing. So, if any of you out there are closet NFL fans, show yourselves and do a happy dance with me. Unless you're a Vikings fan. ;)

::starts conga line to the 'Packerena'::

*Stephanie*

"What Made Us Think That We Were Wise And We'd Never Compromise"

Sun, 28 Dec 2003 06:51:14 GMT

Finally watched LotR tonight. I'd never seen it before. ::wooks:: Now, before you guys start giving me the incredulous look, you must listen to the plan I had. ;)

See, I knew if I went off to see the first one in theaters, I'd become obsessed and get really pissed that the next part hadn't come out yet. So, my plan was that I'd watch the first two the weekend before the third one came out, and then I'd have no problems. Well, that didn't exactly happen because I got rather busy. So, I watched the first one in its entirety tonight. And here are my thoughts.

- Hobbits, as a people, are really stupid. I mean, come onnnnnn. ;)
- Orlando Bloom is hot. Legolas is awesome. As I expected. But, unexpectedly, I don't like him the best as far as characters go. Which leads me to my next point . . .
- Holy frick, Aragorn is awesome. Viggo's hot as hell, too. I love that character.
- I already know Gandalf's not really dead. So no biggie. LOL

Anyway, it's a very cool movie. I can see how it would have been better to see it on the big screen, though. ::shrugs:: Eh, whatever.

*Stephanie*

"She Got Out Of Town, On a Railway New York Bound"

Sat, 27 Dec 2003 06:34:50 GMT

1. What did you do in 2003 that you'd never done before?
Went to two concerts in a weeks' time.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I will come out as strongly against New Year's resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I don't think so . . .
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope.

5. What countries did you visit?
USA, baby. ;)

6. What would you like to have in 2004 that you lacked in 2003?
A boyfriend. ;)
7. What date from 2003 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 1 - Went to John Mayer/Counting Crows concert w/Brian, Ellen, and Allison.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
No clue.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Probably lots.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Got pneumonia.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Alias DVDs. I don't know.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I don't know.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Uhhh, the Bush administration and spineless Democratic Party leaders?

14.Where did most of your money go?
CDs

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Seeing John Mayer, David Gray.
16. What song will always remind you of 2003?
"Senorita", "Rock Your Body", "Hey Ya".

17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
For better or worse, more contemplative.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Put myself out there more.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Internet. Getting caught up in stupid high school drama.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Family time.
22. Did you fall in love in 2003?
Not really.

23. How many one-night stands?
So many. ::coughs:: Yeah right.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Scrubs and Alias.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Yeah.

26. What was the best book you read?
This year? Did I even read any books this year? ;) I read Fahrenheit 451 at some point last school year. Which I enjoyed very much.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Josh Groban. He's amazing.
28. What did you want and get?
"Closer" by Josh Groban, Packers stuff.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Nemo and Love Actually.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
My sixteenth birthday. I went out to dinner and to a David Gray concert with my mom.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having a boyfriend
34. What kept you sane?
My friends. Who were always freaking there for me. Even when I had my frequent mental breakdowns.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
John Mayer.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Iraq. The Bush administration's lovely "WMD" ordeal.

37. Who did you miss?
My best friend from childhood, Molly. Lisa, too.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Well, I became better friends with Sarah.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003:
I don't know. To value the friends that you can depend on.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"Something's missing, and I don't know what it is . . ."

*Stephanie*

"Tell Me Love Isn't True, It's Just Something That We Do"

Sat, 27 Dec 2003 05:53:09 GMT

Merry Christmas, all. Hope everyone had a looooverly holiday.

I haven't updated in forever and a day. Been busy with pressing things like mailing out all my cards, and ::coughs:: watching "Alias". ;)

What's new? Hmm . . .

- My Mayermobile needed a new muffler. Got that on Monday, courtesy of my dad. $250. Ridiculous. My stepmom was like, "Do think it's worth it to invest that much money into that car?" I was like, "Hell yes." ;)

- Christmas movie marathon on Tuesday at my house. Was much fun. Brian came early and we got the movies and Chinese food. We watched "Home For the Holidays" [Robert Downey, Jr! Robert Downey, Jr!], "It's a Wonderful Life", "A Christmas Story", and "Muppet Christmas Carol". Andrew, Ellen, Alex, Sarah, Allison, Chad, and Brian were all there. It was Chad's first movie night. Surprisingly enough, I don't think we scared him off. Go us. ::wooks:: We ended up wrestling [per usual]. Somehow, it ended up being me against four people [Sarah, Allison, Andrew, and Brian]. Sarah was holding my head/neck, Andrew and Brian had one hand/arm each, and Allison had my legs. Needless to say, I managed to break free on several occasions. Mwahahaha. And believe I inflicted injury on most of them. ;) Sadly enough, when they had me pinned to the ground and I attempted to spin out of their grasp, I had my hips slammed into the wooden floor and now sport a lovely yellow-purple bruise on where my pelvic bone hit the ground. ;)

- Brian came to church service with me and the family on Christmas Eve. It was cool. I think he liked it. I loooove the Christmas service. It was about angels this year. At the end, a bunch of feathers dropped from the ceiling and we could all pick one out. And the end was my favorite - every year we all hold hands and sing "Rainbow Connection". ::wooks:: So I go to sort of a hippie church. ;) Anyway, it was great. My favorite line from the sermon was:

One of the first steps to becoming and angel is - you have to believe in your wings.

A full Christmas gift inventory. 'Cause I'm a freak.

- "ER" Season 1 DVDs [Dad/Stepmom]
- Progressive Scan DVD/CD player system ["Santa"]
- Book on Ireland with lots of pictures [Dad]
- Headphones [Dad]
- Hulk Hands [Stepbrother ;)]
- "Chicago" DVD [Little Half-Sis]
- "Closer" by Josh Groban [Stepsister]
- Foot Spa Kit thingy [Gail and Lee, my old babysitters]
- Car fresheners ["Santa"]
- Car Emergency Kit, addressed to the Mayermobile ["Santa"]
- Lotion ["Santa"]
- Packers license plate holder [aunt and uncle]
- Favre bobble head doll [aunt and uncle]
- White button up sweater [Mom]
- "Let It Be . . . Naked" by the Beatles [Mom]
- "Pirates of the Caribbean" DVD [Mom]
- "Hotel Paper" by Michelle Branch [aunt and uncle]
- Sun/Stars candle in a really cool holder [cousins]
- Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles book set [uncle]

And random money/gift certificates.

I made out pretty damn well.

Actually, I got repeat presents from one aunt and uncle, because I gave them the same list as others ["PotC", "Hotel Paper", and "Closer"]. They bought it from Amazon.com, so I don't know if I'll be able to return 'em, but we'll see. I've learned my lesson. And my aunt made sure I knew not to do it again. ;) I actually would have gotten another repeat next week [the ER DVDs] from my stepmom's sister, but she intercepted her. So, maybe I'll get some other DVD set. Hee.

Oh, and my dad got the West Wing DVD set from my stepmom, so woooohoooo. Plus, my dad also got the book by Al Franken, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them", so I'll be able to read that.

I sent out most of my stuff on Monday to all you guys, a couple extras on Wednesday. So they should arrive within a week or so. ::nods::

Oooooooh, everyone worship the icon. ::oohs and aahs:: Favre is unbelieveable. I love him so much. He's amazing. For those of you who don't follow football, his father, whom he was very close to, died the night before a Monday night game. He made the decision to play the game. He wound up passing for 311 yards in the first half alone. The highest passer rating you can get is 158.3. He ended the game with 399 yards and a 154 passer rating. He was absolutely brilliant. We'll probably get to the playoffs, but who knows. Tomorrow's game between the Seahawks and the 49ers will help determine it - if the Seahawks lose, we're almost definitely in. If not, it'll be up to several other factors. Go, team, go.

*Stephanie*

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 06:52:54 GMT

Lalala. Oh so glad it's Friday. One week of school left. Then Christmas break. Woooo.

Speaking of, I really need to figure out -

A) What I'm getting for people.
B) When I'm getting it [this weekend? maybe?].

And if I have enough money/how much money I need to mooch off the folks.

So far I've gotten two gifts - for my stepsister, I got the Beyonce cd. I felt so dirty buying it. Ickkk. And I got my dad a book on what would have happened if so and so had/hadn't happened in major wars. ::shrugs::

On another issue, screw you, period. ::pouts:: My back hurts.

I think I'm gonna do my cards this weekend.

I had tests up the wazoo this week. I had an IB Bio test on Tuesday, an IB Chem test on Wednesday [that one nearly caused a mental breakdown - but I did alright on it ---> should not have freaked out.] and an IB History test today. Next week, I have an IB Chem test and a Pre-Calc test. They won't be that bad, though.

"ER" was weird. Kem and Carter sucked the big one. I looooooved Neela/Gallant to death. ::giggles:: Gallant shook his ass, too. ;)

"Alias" rocked. I can't remember much. I did not enjoy Syd/Will. But Syd said she hated Lauren, and Sloane had Lindsey killed, so that made things better. Plus, Spy!Daddy gave Vaughn a talking-to. LOL

"Scrubs" is my favoritest show EVER. I love it so much -

JD: Dr. Cox, you've got to tell her about it. Tell her everything you feel.
Cox: Should I give her every reason to accept that I'm for real?

::snorts::

I love that damn show. :D

Alright. I'm off to bed. Sleepy time.

*Stephanie*

"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, I Will Understand"

Sun, 07 Dec 2003 05:44:54 GMT

Alrighty. Christmas/Holiday card time. So far, I'm sending cards/things to:

Raine
Chanie
Robbie
Rachy
Kels

Anyone else who wants one, IM me. Or email your address to me. And Robbie and Kels - could you email me your addys again? I had them . . . and now I have not. ;)

*Stephanie*

"It's The Best Time Of The Year . . ."

Sun, 07 Dec 2003 00:06:43 GMT

Rachy asked. And I can't deny Rachy her requests. Or I can't resist the urge to talk about my issues. ::shrugs:: Maybe a bit of both? ;)

Well. HOSA, first, I guess.

I don't really know where to start. HOSA, for those who don't know, is Health Occupations Students of America. We work to learn more about the health professions that interest us, and volunteer our time to benefit the community. Etcetera, etcetera. I'm vice president, and was elected last year. The way it was supposed to work was that I would get VP and my friend would get presidency. My friend, Brittany would have been a really good president. But, due to this gap between the elitist seniors and the "others" [including my friend and I], one of the now-seniors was elected. She wasn't a good president at all, and hated me. Even the other seniors admitted she was a bad president and that why a petition to impeach her was started.

I have a heavy class load, and I need to devote a lot of my time to my studies. A lot of the other seniors can volunteer waaaaaay more time to HOSA-related activities than I can. One girl in particular, Sarah, really resents me. And she has an enormous attitude problem. She has improved somewhat since last year, but she still has an attitude. She's not the only one who has a problem with me, but she's the biggest problem. At the meeting last night, our advisor told me to run the meeting, since there was no president at the moment. The whole meeting, Sarah was interrupting me and had absolutely no respect for my authority. While we were discussing possibly nominations for the new president, our advisor was telling the group how she and I had talked and I decided that I didn't want to take over the position because I didn't believe I could putthe effort and time into that it needed. Sarah turns to me [by this point, she's leaning against the head table that I was seated at], and goes, "You couldn't be president anyway. You don't do anything. No offense." Oh, yeaaaaah. No offense taken. Of course. Ugh. So I talked to the advisor and a couple girls were there after the meeting, including Brittany. I expressed how frustrating that was. And another part of the problem is that about half of the girls in HOSA are also in a class, HYA [Health Youth Apprenticeship], with the advisor. So they're all closer, I guess. Anyway, I think things will probably improve once we get a new president. 'Cause another part of the problem with me "not doing anything" was that the president would not talk to me. And I think a new president would be good, and they can delegate jobs to me and such.

Now. Onto non-spoiled brat-ness.

Well, I just feel like I'm given so much. Once I get into the "real world", I don't want to have to feel like I'm drowning. I want to be able to support myeslf, at least somewhat. I look at my other friends, or at least a lot of them, and they can't afford to do some of the things I can, like just go to a movie whenever I want. I mean, the best example of it is probably the fact that my parents just gave me a car, all expenses paid, and I don't even have to pay for gas. Granted, it's not a wonderful car, but I love it. I love that I can just have a car when I get my license. But I also understand that that's not the way it works for most people. At my mom's house, it's different, she doesn't just buy me whatever. She looks at price tags, she gives me $5/weekend for allowance. And it makes sense that I have no job, because I couldn't commit myself to a job, with track and swimming seasons during the summer. ::shrugs:: I don't know. So the start of my campaign to not be a spoiled brat is that I'm going pay for half of my Christmas gifts I buy this year. See? Small steps, my friends, small steps.

Anyway. That's all she wrote. Por tu, Rachy, mi amor. ;)

*Stephanie*