SPOILERS AHOY!!!!


( Read more... )

* On a semi-related note, anyone feel like going to Madison, Indiana, with me this Saturday? OtR is playing at the Ohio River Valley Folk Festival.

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Had a pretty nice Mother's Day, and Mom says she did too. She woke up with a migraine, and Dad and I both woke up with a headache. Weird. But anyway, skipped church, slept in, and had a casual lunch. Then Mom and I headed to town. We stopped by the library, where I picked up a couple of books about Linux, and then headed to our nearest state park, Prophetstown.

We've always been a bit disappointed by the park, mostly because there's not much in the way of hiking. It's a prairie habitat park, with some river flood plain. Not a lot of trees, and very flat. But they did a very nice job making it a family-friendly park, with miles of paved bike trails and several nice playgrounds and picnic shelters. It's just not a great place for gung-ho hikers the way we are.

Today, though, we were pleasantly surprised by some changes to the park. They've expanded a trail into some woodlands, so we were able to see some new parts of the park. The new trail goes down along a small stream and boggy area. At the furthest developed part of the park, there's a nice viewing platform over the slough. Between that and our hiking in the prairie area, we were able to add some lifelist birds today.

We did a day-trip up to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Friday (and one last Friday as well--they're taking off scheduled snow days at her work) and this past Friday I saw a Common Yellowthroat, but Mom didn't. Today, she got a very good look at one, so she was able to add that.

We also saw a Great Crested Flycatcher, which I have been wanting to see for a while now. Gorgeous yellow belly and cinnamon-colored wings and tail, with a gray crest. He gave us a very good look and did some hawking for bugs while we watched him. We also saw a couple Brown Thrashers and a Gray Catbird, both of which we have at home, but love to see anyway. There were Eastern Bluebirds flying around. We've had a couple of those at home too, but we never seem to get them to stick around. This weekend we put up a second bluebird box (the wren moved into the first one we have) and are hoping the pair will nest here this year.

Other birds we saw were American Redstart (both male and female), and a pair of Dickcissels. They are striking birds. At first we thought they were a type of sparrow with yellow on the head, but then they turned and we saw they were bright yellow underneath with a black bib. Gorgeous little things, and I got some very good shots with the long lens, I think. We also saw an Eastern Meadowlark, Indigo Buntings, Mallards, a Great Blue Heron, and a bird we're tentatively calling a sandpiper. We're wavering between Solitary Sandpiper and Spotted Sandpiper, but until I get the pictures downloaded to the computer and we can compare them, we won't know for sure.

Then our last bird, after we left the park and were driving back towards town, was a gorgeous adult Bald Eagle that flew right over our car. That was exciting! We know they're growing in number and even had one in our own back yard once this winter, but it's never any less exciting to see one. It's good to have such proof they're coming back so strong from the DDT crisis back in the 70s and 80s.

Over the past two weeks, I've added probably a dozen birds to my life list, including five migratory warblers. I honestly think our trip to Trinidad & Tobago taught us to be better birders. We're more willing to take the time to really get an identification. I'm doing a better job at learning to bird by ear (though for whatever reason the Northern Cardinal fools me a LOT). My Audubon iPhone app has really helped, too. I still use my books to flip through for a tentative identification, but what really nails it for me is being able to listen to the bird calls on the app and compare them to what we're hearing. Seeing witchety-witchety-witchety in the bird book is one thing. Knowing for sure you're hearing it is another (the Common Yellowthroat, for instance, says witchety, but I think the American Redstart's teacher-teacher-teacher also sort of sounds like it.)

Anyway, we finished up with ice cream from Coldstone Creamery, and then came home to watch the Baskerville episode of Sherlock on PBS. A pretty good day, for sure!

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I've had an Acer AspireOne D260 netbook for two and a half years, and it came with Windows 7 Starter Edition preinstalled. The netbook has 1GB of memory and a 1.66 GHz processor, but it was never quite enough enough to handle the load of web surfing and Microsoft Word. I took the netbook on our trip to Trinidad and Tobago, and it was adequate for downloading pictures and uploading them to Tumblr, but not truly satisfactory.

Recently, I've had a horrible time making myself sit down at my desktop computer to work on revising the novel. I have an iPad that's okay for actual writing, but horrible for editing and revision. I haven't found a writing app that doesn't mess up the formatting in Word. Not even QuickOffice, which ought to be perfect. But it turns tabs into spaces instead. So annoying.

Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and installed Xubuntu Linux on my netbook. It's like having a brand new computer all over again! I can't quite figure out how to make it as pretty as I would like (I know, I know) but considering the fact that my real complaint with the netbook was that it has always run painfully slow, even while only word processing...

I've decided I love Xubuntu. :)

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A couple of people expressed interest in seeing the kitty play tower, so here are some pictures. :)

Some details I shall mention beforehand:
- I was building this out of lumber scraps I already had in the garage. Leftovers from other projects, etc. So it's a little irregular in size and material. *G*
- Dimensions are roughly 35" wide by 27" deep by 4' tall, basically because I had an old table-top that could serve as the base and was 35"x27". I had two 2x4s I could use as the corner posts, and they were 8' long, so I cut them in half for a 4' height.
- I had originally planned to use 4x4s for the corners, but 2x4s work fine.

( Clickable thumbnails behind the cut )

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This past week I have spent almost every waking moment struggling to breathe through both nostrils and not sneeze more than once per minute. I noticed yesterday that the honey locusts are blooming. Bloody trees are gorgeous, but they are responsible for my current misery. I take Zyrtec and Nasonex on a regular basis anyway, and this week I've been alternating between Benadryl, Mucinex, and Excedrin PM (it has Diphenhydramine HCl in it same as Benadryl). The few times I could actually breathe, I had that awful hot, dry, tight feeling in my sinuses that makes my head ache.

Okay, enough whining.

I've been picking radishes by the double handful this week. I've decided the Sparklers are a keeper. The Crimson Giants aren't quite as nice, but they are giant. I ought to go see if the farmer's market is running yet this year. I could probably make some cash.

Last weekend our Cub Cadet broke. Again. Same stupid plastic fan that broke last year. Wait, let me clarify--same stupid EIGHTY DOLLAR plastic fan that broke last year. We bought a Cub because they're supposed to be quality mowers! Plus our Snapper and Craftsman mowers haven't been all that great, and the John Deere they used at the church was AWFUL. So earlier this week, since I was allergically miserable anyway, I got out the 20-year-old Briggs-Stratton push mower. I have to prop it against the concrete step to get it started, since whoever invented push mowers was obviously a man with biceps the size of AHHHNAAAALD. But I got about half the front yard done. We have over 3 acres. The first two years we lived here, we didn't have anything but that push mower. I was also 20 years younger. LOL My arms and hands have hurt all week.

Today Mom and I decided to finally build the kitty play tower that Dad has been promising to build for eight months. :P We did a bang-up job...once he finally deigned to help us. Before that, I swear, it was like Laurel & Hardy with power tools. What's sad is I have pretty decent building skills, but my measuring and engineering skills leave a lot to be desired. Also, I frequently forget that old maxim: "Measure twice, cut once."

>.<

All the same, the kitties seem to like it. I put curtains on the bottom floor because Eowyn likes to hang out in the dresses in my closet. I put holes in one of the walls because they like to reach through and around things while playing. I put in a little hidey-hole under a ramp to the third floor. The fourth floor is a big viewing platform for the window. I still need to get rope to glue to the posts and the ramp, and a piece of carpeting or fleece to tack on the top level so it will be comfy for lounging. They seem to like it, though.

I'm starting to question whether Eowyn or Strider is the dominant kitty. I used to think it was Strider, and I thought Eowyn was getting fat because she binged. But lately I've noticed she actually initiates most of the fights, and ALL of the licking-battles that turn into biting sometimes and cuddling other times. She is a truly prodigious size now. I need to get her to see Doctor Jon so I can get his input on this weight thing.

It might have to do with the spiders. She has killed and eaten two spiders this week, and tonight she killed a GIGANTIC spider. I didn't let her eat that one, because I was afraid it would crunch. But I had to get Mom to take it away from her, because every time I tried to pick her up, she grabbed it in her mouth first. Eek!

I'm typing all this without my right thumb, which is actually really annoying. Didn't realize how often I use it, but I obviously hit the space bar with my thumb most of the time. I was holding Strider and about to do a traumatic ear cleaning, and then Eowyn jumped into a box she plays in, saw something scary (a few of her toys) and jumped out immediately and violently. Scared Strider, who struggled to get away and ripped a two-inch gash in my thumb that instantly started bleeding and wouldn't stop.

Anyway. That's what I'm up to these days. That and slooooooooowly working on my novel, and failing to find a new job because I'm not applying myself hard enough. Or know what I want to do. Or anything.

So how are all of you?

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Larch with dragon core, twelve and a half inches, surprisingly swishy...

...a black cat for a pet...

Sorting--

Wait.

WAIT!

This...this can't be happening.


( My world is crumbling... )

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About to head off for a quick trip to the south to see Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Mom and I got a vacation in January, but Dad didn't get one, and he's itching for a Civil War fix. *G*

Problem is, I'm working hard on learning to travel light, and I'm already taking the novel revision along with me. So do I pack my biggish dedicated travel journal, which I only started using last year, and didn't take to Trinidad & Tobago since I was traveling light there? I have BIG handwriting, so I can't use a tiny little notebook. But Junior size would be okay, and take up less room than my oddly-shaped 9x8x1 inch vacation journal. *sigh*

So anyway, that got me wondering about what other people do for travel journals.



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1. I got a new desk chair today. Huzzah! It seems impossible to find cheap rolling task chairs with no arms. The ones I could find were either available only online (I want to sit in it first, TYVM) or $70, and no way am I going to pay that much for a chair at this point in my financials. But the Gaiam ball chair just wasn't doing it for me. I think if I could make myself sit in it properly, it would be okay, but I tend to straddle it more than actually sitting, and it was putting my sciatica-ridden hip even further out of whack. But I stopped at the local Staples on a whim today and found a task chair on clearance for $27! Woohoo!

2. If anyone is interested in buying said Gaiam ball chair, I'm taking offers. *G* I can keep using it as an exercise ball, but it's just taking up space, and if someone is hankering to try it, I have one for cheap.

3. Have been working on the novel rewrite. Open submissions at a small press that interests me starts on April 16, so I'm doing what amounts to a double-NaNo from March 13 - April 15 or so. Double, because the novel is going to be at least 100,000 words. If I'm lucky. The last draft clocked in somewhere around 200K, which is just too damn long for a debut novel. Fortunately it also featured much Pointless Walking (TM) and since I don't want people to call this "the next Belgariad!!!" I need to cut some of the walking out anyway.

4. Working on the novel was difficult to make myself do, when sitting at the desk wasn't very comfortable. Hence a great deal of my excitement at finding a cheap and appropriate chair.

5. I also bought Mom lots of seeds for her garden today. Can't believe it's been in the 80s all week. In MARCH. Geez, if this is how the spring starts, I am worried about how hot the summer will be. Last year the summer was insufferable and we broke a record for days over 100 or something like that. I would really prefer to stay in the low 90s if possible.

6. I got a coupon off a case of Dr Pepper 10, so I went ahead and bought it. Now I am torn, because their commercials offend me, but it really does taste good. I bought a case of Diet Dr Pepper to see if it tastes as good as I remember.

7. I read a novel recently published by a casual friend of mine. As in, a real publisher, a real novel, with advances and royalties and everything. And...I hate to say it, but the novel mostly sucked. I reeeeally wanted to like it. Fortunately she's a casual friend, really just on Facebook terms. So maybe if I don't mention having read it, she won't ask what I thought? :/

8. Had Little Caesar's for supper. Mmm. Happiness for $5.

9. Okay, there is no #9. I just wanted to keep listing.

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I like being single. I really do. I prefer being single.

But still... That moment when you learn that a truly wonderful man who could have been yours...that just wasn't quite the right man for you...but who you still adore...now has a girlfriend who posts on Facebook that she loves him?

It still stings. A lot. Because if I were just a little less independent-minded and solitary? That could have been me.

...

Still, I haven't seen him this happy in a long time. So I'm glad for him. I'm just a little bit sad for myself, even if it was my decision to end it.

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Well, I'm home, and I'm finally starting to feel recovered from my trip. LOL We had a lot more relaxing time while we were on Tobago, but then we had a 20-hour day of traveling home, flying from Piarco (Port of Spain) to Miami-Dade, seven hour layover at Miami with a last-minute gate change, Miami-Dade to Chicago-O'Hare, then to Indy. We got up around 4:30 to get Piarco in time for check-in and some duty-free shopping (hurrah, two bottles of rum for less than the price of a single bottle in the US). At Miami we had plenty of time to go through a painless passport processing and customs, though it was fun trying to repack one of our checked bags to hold two bottles of rum and one bottle of rum punch. LOL But we did it, and then had plenty of time to kill at Miami. We arrived early in Chicago, so we had about two hours to kill there before our flight to Indy. Thank God Dad was waiting at the gate for us when we got home. I think I would have cried if I'd had to drive home at the end of that day of traveling!

The day after we got home, we were hit with about 3 inches of snow. Bleh. Then over the weekend we had thunderstorms and yesterday it was almost 50. Today we had sleet and snow and then sleet again. No kidding. Seriously, I miss the Caribbean. I've got to find a way to vacation in Tobago more often. In the meantime I've been listening to a lot of soca music and trying to make myself believe it's not bloody cold outside.

By the way, anyone know how to repair a piece of bamboo? I brought home a bamboo pencil holder with a hummingbird and the word Tobago carved on it. Gorgeous little thing, but it spontaneously cracked all the way from top to bottom. I imagine because it's ridiculously humid in Tobago and ridiculously dry in Indiana. :( I just wish it had split down the empty portion, instead of right through the middle of the hummingbird. :(

I haven't heard back from the university. Since they wanted to do second interviews during the two days after I returned from Tobago, and start the new hire this week, I am assuming that means I didn't get picked. I'm not heart-broken over it. Secretary III isn't the best-paying position in the world there, and I've applied for a lot of other clerical positions there. I've also applied repeatedly for Writer-Editor positions, and it's annoying me that I am consistently being passed over for those. How many technical writers can there be in north central Indiana who want to work at the university? And why won't the university give the creative writer a shot? *pouts*

The kitties were pleased to see me return home. Eowyn is, if possible, snugglier than ever. She is also, if possible, fatter than ever. It's not that I object to her being a bit plump, but she is positively obese. That can't be healthy. I'm thinking about scheduling her to see Dr. Jon and get his opinion. She gets quite a bit of exercise when I play with her, and she has never even tasted canned cat food, let alone people food. But I do believe Strider is the dominant cat, and I've seen Eowyn defer to him if he wants to eat at one of the food dishes first. I wonder if that makes her overeat when she does eat. I just hate to have to go to feeding times, since I've always just given my cats free access to the dry food dishes so they can eat when they are hungry. It's the most convenient thing for someone who (when employed) is usually away from the house 8-10 hours at a stretch. I suspect Strider has stayed so lean because he never sits still except when he's asleep. When awake, he's incredibly fidgety, and he's better at entertaining himself than Eowyn is. Anything sparkly and he will chase it, whereas she pretty much restricts herself to strings, which require a human at the other end. She makes an occasional foray into feathered toys, but more often than not, that means chewing on feathered hair clips or dream catchers, which displeases Mommy, for some reason. :P

Mom and I are still posting stuff from our trip over at our Tumblr. She is typing up her journal of the trip. I only wrote a journal for two bloody days, proving once again that I am a crap diarist. *sigh* I also haven't written a thing since we got back. I have a short story idea niggling in the back of my mind, but I haven't put anything down on paper but a couple of concepts.

I can't seem to find any recipes for roti that look like the roti we ate at Asa Wright. It makes me incredibly sad, because I thought it was delicious, especially with the split pea soup over it. I wanted to make some of that for the TNT party we're going to have to show our pictures and whatnot to the family. :/

In other news, since coming home, I've decided I adore the new Sherlock, which shocks me. I've also become addicted to Hart of Dixie, though I can't decide what couple to root for. So many love triangles! And I think I am caught up on Criminal Minds, but my computer's DVR crapped out on me while we were on vacation, so I am not sure. There was "Bittersweet Science", then "True Genius" while I was on vacation, and then tonight's "Unknown Subject", right?

Anyway, I think that's about it for now. Anything exciting happen in your world while I was gone?

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We're sitting in our gate waiting to board our 20-minute flight to Tobago. We're on a 50-seat prop plane, which Mom is looking forward to since she's never flown on a prop. The Caribbean Airlines planes are very pretty with the lettering in purple and a flower and hummingbird on the tail.

Yesterday we had a guided hike at Asa Wright in the morning. Then we did some more hiking on our own. In the afternoon we had a different tour guide, Harry from Germany, pick us up and drive us through Arima and Tunapuna to the Pax Guesthouse. We had tea and finally got a closer look at the Orange-winged Parrots, which was exciting. We also saw a Yellow Oriole, which was another new bird.

Last night there was a night walk along the drive at Asa Wright. We saw several land crabs, a Great Antshrike, and TARANTULAS. OMG *shudders* and yet I was strangely fascinated.

This morning we're on our way to Speyside, Tobago, where I am really desperately hoping to be able to sit and relax on the beach. I know we have a waterfall and rain forest to visit, and a glass-bottom boat ride to Little Tobago Island, but I am in some desperate need of down time, and the beach sounds awesome. Especially since I am not a natural extrovert, so I've spent a lot of time feeling like I have to be up or on for all the people around us.

Looks like they're going to start boarding, so signing off for now. Keep good! :D

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Our first full day in Trinidad. We got into Port of Spain just after midnight, following a long flight with lots of turbulence. We saw some amazing lightning pretty close. We were exhausted from all the travel, so we crashed at our hotel near the airport. This morning at 9, our guide Emille picked us up and we set out for Asa Wright.

The Americans built the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway back in WWII when we had an airbase here. So far it seems to be the last good road between Port of Spain and Asa Wright. The nature centre is located up in the mountains on a very narrow little road that is mostly paved and mostly potholed. There's a huge quarry in the mountainside, so the big trucks tear the road up. After a narrow and tortuous hour of riding, honking the horn while approaching every blind curve, we got to our destination.

Asa Wright Nature Centre is wonderful. It's a throwback to the colonial era, originally owned by a German but sold by him before it could be seized during WWI. The land was a cocoa plantation when Asa Wright and her husband bought it. They originally tried to keep the plantation running, but her husband died and Asa decided to turn it into a nature preserve. And she did a wonderful job.

The main house has a huge veranda were birds all but fly up and shake your hand. I've posted a lot of pictures at our trip Tumblr using my creaky netbook and the centre's creaky wireless. (I'm just grateful there's any internet at all!)

The cuisine here is heavily influenced by Indian cuisine, so the kitchen smells of curry. We had a lovely lunch that included pumpkin fritters, which OMG I have to learn how to make those. There was serve-yourself tea at 4 on the veranda, complimentary rum punch at 6 on the veranda, and dinner at 7. In between times, we hiked a couple of trails and spent a lot of time chatting with all the nature guides on the veranda.

Mom and I saw about 20 life-list birds today, including several species of hummingbird and the amazing and entertaining Crested Oropendula. We saw agoutis and some very large lizards, and I was horrified by one very large spider, fortunately far away from our cottage. A baby fer de lance was spotted by guides this afternoon, but we were nowhere near it.

I am just waiting for the internet to load all my stuff to Tumblr so I can crash. I am exhausted in the best way possible. :D

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I always try to make my first post of the year my reading list for the year, so I can find it easily. Last year I read 77 books, 10 of which were nonfiction. I'm going to try to make that 15 nonfiction in the coming year.

2012 Reading List

1. The Body Finder - Kimberly Derting
   
2. Kitty's Greatest Hits - Carrie Vaughn
   
3. Chalice - Robin McKinley
   
4. Phoenix Dance - Dia Calhoun
   
5. Dragon Age: The Calling - David Gaider
   
6. A Long Long Sleep - Anna Sheehan
   
7. The Ghost and the Goth - Stacey Kade
   
8. Beauty - Robin McKinley
   
9. Desires of the Dead - Kimberly Derting
   
10. The Candidates - Inara Scott
    
11. Star Crossed - Elizabeth C. Bunce (REALLY GOOD)
    
12. The Urban Fantasy Anthology - ed. Peter S. Beagle & Joe R. Lansdale (I am totally counting this a read, even though I stopped reading two of the stories halfway through because of disgusting misogyny in one and disgusting blasphemy in the other.)
    
13. Blackveil - Kristen Britain (will someone please read the sequel when it comes out and just tell me what happens? I am sick of reading spoiled whiny characters and poorly edited writing just to find out if Zachary and Karigan ever bloody get together.)
    
14. Liar's Moon - Elizabeth C. Bunce
    
15. Forever - Maggie Stiefvater
    
16. A Matter of Profit - Hilari Bell (EVERY BOOK I have read by Hilari Bell has been amazingly insightful and unique. I will always read this woman's books.)
    
17. Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots - Abby McDonald
    
18. Down These Strange Streets - ed by George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois
    
19. Carpathia - Matt Forbeck
    
20. Thirteenth Child - Patricia C. Wrede
    
21. Blood Red Road - Moira Young (GO READ THIS RIGHT NOW!)
    
22. Honor's Paradox - P.C. Hodgell
    
23. Under Attack - Hannah Jayne
    
24. The Grimm Legacy - Polly Schumann
    
25. Echoes of Betrayal - Elizabeth Moon
    
26. Delirium - Lauren Oliver
    
27. Across the Universe - Beth Revis
    
28. Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community - Andrew Marin*
    
29. Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity - Adam Hamilton*
    
30. Armed and Magical - Lisa Shearin
    
31. The Trouble With Demons - Lisa Shearin
    
32. Bewitched and Betrayed - Lisa Shearin
    
33. Con and Conjure - Lisa Shearin
    
34. Love Wins - Rob Bell* (? Do I call this nonfiction when I think his theology is shaky?)
    
35. 
    

* nonfiction

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Russian Roulette - PG-13 - WC: 635 - Gen - Emily, in DC, after Louisiana

Drabble - Rossi/Prentiss

First Love and Second Chances - PG - WC: 1100 - Prentiss, Rossi - Emily wonders about second chances.

Where Wolves Fear to Prey (2/?) - R - WC: 2,578 - Rossi/Prentiss - AU. A wolf pack doesn't gain members painlessly. The BAU team is no exception...but David Rossi isn't quite what Emily Prentiss expected.


Wow. I know I said I was going on fandom hiatus, but this list of fics really kind of sucks. So let's throw in my original writing too.

I revised about 35,000 words of one novel, and I wrote about 50,000 words of a new novel for NaNoWriMo.

Also, I read 77 books this year, which is not as many as last year, but 10 of those were non-fiction, which is better than last year.

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The first lines meme for 2011.

January: My 2010 Reading List had 105 books on it, 7 of those (I believe) non-fiction.

February: So last week I spent three days with a stomach bug, so I stayed home Wednesday through Friday.

March: I live in Indiana.

April: So many things I was going to do tonight, including getting feedback to someone, writing a scene, maybe some laundry...and five hours later I've watched the first two discs of Six Feet Under but haven't accomplished anything else.

May: A friend of my mom's is looking for a book.

June: I am currently researching something that, if my suspicions are correct, is going to cost my company about $13,000.

July: Posting this here for a couple of people who have taken the precaution of deleting G+ for the time being. (Seriously: I didn't post until July 25? I knew this was a crazy summer, but wow.)

August: Ganked from a lot of my friends, here's the NPR's Most Popular Sci-Fi & Fantasy novels meme.

September: I'm still sort of overwhelmed at the amount of poop two small but growing cats produce.

October: Happy fucking birthday to me.

November: I quit my job on the 24th.

December: Yesterday was a good day.


Wow, that leaves out so much. Like Merlin dying and my trip out west and getting two new kittens and the migraines and the job trouble and the financial trouble and quitting after being made part-time and Mom winning the trip to Trinidad & Tobago and winning NaNoWriMo and fighting the company for my unemployment and winning the unemployment appeal and spraining my ankle.

Whew. Just typing that makes me tired. What a crazy year. Here's hoping 2012 is better career-wise for me.

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Well, the ankle isn't broken. I have a bizarre small purplish swollen bit on the right side, but it's otherwise not swollen at all, maybe because I got ice on it right away and kept it on there for a good while, and kept doing the 20-on-40-off all evening. Slept with it elevated too. But this morning when I got up to let the dogs out and feed the horses, it hurt like a bitch. Since I had that bizarre purplish bit and it hurt so bad, I decided to go ahead to the urgent care. The exam portion was only $72 (I think they gave me a break since I didn't have insurance, but I know I also got 10% for paying in full today). The x-rays, I don't know how much they'll be yet, but I have a while to find out, because they have to bill me.

Anyway, Dr. Hatcher (I love him) says it's just a sprain, and they gave me an air splint to wear. I explained I had horses to feed and he said that was fine, but to watch my footing in the barn because uneven ground can cause a second injury (believe me, I knew that already! Feeding this morning was a bitch). Then I told him about going to Trinidad and Tobago in a couple of weeks, and he said it should be all healed up by then. I love him. He's got the best bedside manner of any doctor I've ever known, and he's never condescending or patronizing. He takes people seriously even if they don't have a medical degree. *G*

So the orders are to keep off it as much as possible, but he said it will be healed up just fine for our trip. I can deal with the pain as long as I know I'm not damaging it worse if I have to put weight on it. So there we go.

Now if only I could figure out this blasted camera. I've been doing intensive experimenting, using both the Nikon manual and my National Geographic Photography Field Guide (and shutterspeed and photofriends. So far I still can't get the extreme closeups that I want to know how to do. But at least I've figured out how to change the shutter speed and aperture, which I wasn't very good at before.

I've started a tumblr for my personal stuff at http://stephaniecain.tumblr.com but so far I haven't decided on a name for Jan & Steph's trip to Trinidad & Tobago. Any suggestions? :D

This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/1138662.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Since Boxing Day I've been house-sitting for a friend of my mom's. I feel pretty lucky to be doing it, too. She and her husband have a small ranch and farm near us. I'm responsible for taking care of Woodrow (the corgi) and Rooster (the gigantic greyhound), four horses, and about sixteen barn cats, as well as one semi-house cat that thinks she's a dog. The neighbor is taking care of feeding the hundred or so head of cattle (thank God). I'm having a blast. This house reminds me of the lodges I've stayed at out west. Entirely log construction, inside and outside, gorgeous wood floors, wood furniture that the husband made himself...Wonderful.

I've had a couple of little issues, like not being able to get the central heating to work (it was like 57 degrees in here the first day, and 54 yesterday), and then failing to get a proper fire laid in the fireplace last night. But fortunately after the fire smoked itself out for the second time (I don't have problems with campfires, so I'm not sure what's wrong), I went and fiddled with the furnace, and the central heating started working.

But today the real problem hit. Woodrow and Rooster informed me loudly that someone was here. (They were lying, it was just the construction crew coming back from lunch.) But I didn't realize they were wrong, so I went downstairs to see who it was. And I missed the last step.

I landed with my foot at a ninety-degree angle to the floor. I can't remember the last time something hurt so much. I sat there whimpering for a little bit, then made it over to the freezer and got ice on it. But I couldn't get hold of my mom (who is on Christmas break from school) for a while, and being out in the ass-end of nowhere (which I usually love) means I can't just hop in the car and drive to CVS for an Ace bandage really quickly. Not that I could really drive anywhere, because I have a manual transmission, which requires the use of both feet, not just one. I could probably manage gas and brake left-footed, but not gas and brake AND clutch.

>.<

I did manage to get hold of Mom about an hour and a half ago, and she's supposed to be bringing an Ace bandage when she gets done running errands in town. But I can't figure out what all she was planning to do before coming here. *sigh* I could limp out and ask the construction guys to run me into town, but as nice as I'm sure they are, I don't generally get into trucks with strange men. And I could call the neighbor who's feeding the cattle, but honestly this seems a little minor to trouble him over, since I know Mom will get here eventually.

I did take 1500 miligrams of ibuprofen, and I've eaten, and I scooted up the steps on my butt so I have the netbook. Putting weight on it doesn't actually hurt, but putting weight and then having any sort of shift of that weight bites deep. Good thing, though, because I had to take the dogs out about half an hour ago. They just couldn't wait any longer.

I haven't looked at it yet. I have thick wool socks on that I think are providing some compression, and are definitely providing insulation against the ice.

Randomly, it's really hard to get barn boots off when one of your ankles doesn't work properly.

This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/1138334.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Since Mom and I are going to TNT in January, I want to get a blog set up where we can easily post some of the thousands of pictures we will take. I'm going to have the netbook along to get pictures off the DSLR and will hopefully have plentiful web access, but I don't want to spend a huge amount of vacation time online. So any photographers or artists who have online galleries, etc., can you please respond?

NOTE: I want Mom to be able to upload stuff as well as doing it myself. She keeps a nature blog and I want to find a way for her to post pictures easily all the time.



This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/997966.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

First of all, I apologize for comments and emails I haven't responded to. I confess, I have spent some time being utterly depressed, and some time being utterly busy, and some time being frankly lazy. But I am going to try to catch up over the next little while.

So last week I had my telephone hearing about whether or not I was eligible for unemployment benefits. It was unpleasant and by the end of that day I had managed to stress myself into a headache bad enough I nearly took a migraine pill. Fortunately the next day I felt better physically, and despite occasional fretting about whether or not I said the right things, I managed mostly to put it in God's hands and stop worrying.

Yesterday I got a letter from the state, informing me that the judgment was in my favor and I was eligible. And it turns out what the HR person from the former employer said worked against her, and the state feels the company treated me badly. It's so nice to receive financial validation in that way, and it means I can stop applying for dingy $10/hour secretarial positions at the university and start applying only for the jobs I really want to have.

On a new note, here is something I didn't post about at first because we weren't sure it was real, and then because we weren't sure how it would work out, but now the arrangements are made, so I feel comfortable posting about it. In January, my mom and I are going to Trinidad and Tobago for a week-long birding trip! She randomly entered a contest with a birding magazine she reads, and at first we thought the award email was a scam, but then her name showed up on the magazine's website, and then she started getting calls from the magazine and the travel people arranging the trip, so it's real! Our flights are booked, our suitcases bought, and we're very excited.

Incidentally, we have something like a 6-hour layover in Miami on our way home, so if anyone is in the area and feels like coming to the airport to get us, we could hang out for a few hours. :D

I'm doing handmade gifts for Christmas this year, but sadly they are not in the mail yet, so no one will get Christmas from me until after Christmas. I suck horribly at getting to the post office. :(

Also, the first trailer and wallpaper and movie poster for Part 1 of The Hobbit movie is out! I am so freaking excited! See them here. Part 1 is out in a little less than a year, and Part 2 follows a year later. *flails*

Ganked from a lot of my friends, here's the NPR's Most Popular Sci-Fi & Fantasy novels meme. I voted, and of course am outraged that some of my favorites didn't place very high (or even make the list. WTF where is Paks?!) but I'm pleased that I've read a bunch of these, and today I started the highest ranked book that I hadn't read yet and have always meant to.

I'm cheating. I'm going to bold things I've either read all the way or read all I plan to. I'm going to italicize those I plan to read. I'm going to strike through the occasional Never in my life shall I read this book.

Also, I would like to say that I already did this meme once, because I printed off the list as soon as it was released on the website, and marked all the books I'd read.

( Read more... )

Wow, I thought I was at 36. Forgot about Xanth. A lot of these books have been on my to-read-someday list anyway (like Dune), but so many good new books come out every year I hadn't gotten around to a lot of them. I also read much more heavily on the fantasy side than on the science fiction side, and I'm incredibly disappointed that the Coldfire Trilogy by CS Friedman and the Company Wars books by CJ Cherryh didn't make this list. I know Coldfire is science fantasy more than science fiction, but still. *grumps*

Posting this here for a couple of people who have taken the precaution of deleting G+ for the time being.

Apparently this Robert Scoble guy who posted this is famous, but as I am only a geek and not a programmer, I had never heard of him. Anyway, here is what he says he was told re: the real names issue at G+.

Since I added to my offerings, I have a few things to say about the Queensland Flood Relief auction:

- Every $1 AUD (Australian Dollars, which are about 1=1 with US Dollars now) will get you 100 words of fic, written to your specifications, within certain limits.
- There is NO WORD LIMIT for the top bidder; three bidders after the top bidder are limited to 20k words each.
- I'd prefer to write in the Criminal Minds fandom, but I'll also take bids for Due South and Dark is Rising.
- If you know me from the Harry Potter fandom and are at all interested in the end of the Redemption series, I'll take bids specifically for finishing Redemption.
- If you want Tolkien fic, I'll write about Eowyn. I don't actually write LotR fic, but for this, I will.

Pairings I will write:
-Criminal Minds: Rossi/Prentiss, Rossi/Hotch, Morgan/Prentiss, Hotch/JJ, Rossi/Morgan, Hotch/Reid, Morgan/Reid, and canon pairings. I don't believe in shipping Gideon or Strauss, because ew, so I won't write those. I don't write femslash or Morgan/Garcia.
-Due South: ...um, RayK/Fraser.
-Dark if Rising: well, I prefer Jane pairings, honestly, but I also love Will/Bran, and I confess, I love Will/Barney, though I've rarely seen it. Simon/Bran would be interesting but if you're bidding on me, you should get something I know for sure I can do, yeah? ;)

- Bidding ends 23 January at 11:59 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Savings time.

GO HERE. I'M AUCTIONING MY WORDS* FOR FLOOD RELIEF.

Every $1 AUD (donated to the causes listed on her post) buys you 100 words, with no limit on the top bidder.


* Where the value for words = words in the Criminal Minds fandom

Title: Where Wolves Fear to Prey
Author: innerslytherin
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss
Word Count: 2,900
Written For: amichevole
Summary: AU. A wolf pack doesn't gain new members painlessly.  The BAU team is no exception...but David Rossi isn't quite what Emily Prentiss expected.
Notes: I'm super sorry I didn't get this posted until Dec 31 here, because I forgot that would be January 1 for you!  :(  I hope this is something like you wanted.  I've never written anything like this before in a "real world" fandom, but I did my best for you!
Notes 2: I can't believe I wrote this.  And I loved writing it.  But it's unbetaed, so if you find a mistake, please point it out.


( Where Wolves Fear to Prey )

...and I don't know whether to cry or cheer. LOL Every year I love doing this, and every year I'm traumatized by doing this. But then again, every year I come back for more. *G* resolucidity was a Godsend this year to me and severity_softly, no question. With our largest participation ever, there were a lot more types of requests, and the Rossi/Prentiss corner of fandom really made itself felt this year (*cheers*), and I feel it overall went really well.

We've still got a little while before reveals are done. I would encourage any of you who haven't kept up on reading (as I freely admit I haven't!) to use this long holiday weekend to cram it in before you know who wrote the fics. Trust me, it adds a whole new level, and I honestly love seeing what people comment on my fic without knowing it was me who wrote it. :)

Since I've got just about all my various holiday exchange things done (only one more fic to tone and post), I'm going through today and commenting on all the things I was able to skim but not really enjoy and comment on while I was busy posting them. It's fun. :)

And of course I managed to delete it. First time that's happened with Semagic. Go me. So in brief, here's stuff that's going on:

• The cmrossiprentiss Advent Calendar - I posted fic today called The Most Profound Gifts. We've got posting lined up for every single day of the month.
  
• The cm_exchange posting - all pairings and both art & fic, and there are some fabulous gifts already posted over there!
  
• Dentist today - tiny cavity filling, which meant a shot. Ugh. Hate shots in the mouth despite numerous tattoos, piercings, and not being afraid of regular shots.
  
• Cataclysm released today. I spent hours replacing the power supply unit and video card on Sunday. Shouldn't have taken hours, but it did, because power supplies are bitches. It had nothing to do with me being an impatient dumbass, so shut up.
  
• Speaking of Cataclysm, Dad bought it for me for Christmas. Not sure if I'm getting it now or having to wait three weeks. *grumbles*
  
• Headache. Ow.
  
• We're supposed to get a nasty snowstorm this weekend in two waves. Frankly I thought the four-five inches we got all day this past Saturday was bad enough. I hate getting out and driving in winter.
  
• I'm trying to make my mom's Gateway (ugh) laptop run again. Last night backed up the hard drive. Tonight running System Recovery...and not having much luck. Damn Gateway.
  
• Bought a new chair for my computer desk. It's a Gaiam BalanceBall Chair. I'm afraid I overinflated it, but I'm going to wait and see how it is tomorrow. I've already let air out twice. Also, my back hurts. But I hear that's supposed to happen at first. Maybe. At least it was a cosmetically damaged piece so half price. LOL
  
• Won NaNoWriMo but haven't actually finished the novel yet. I stopped after validating and haven't gotten the momentum back yet.
  

( [Large] pictures of the new chair and computer upgrade, because I am geeky like that )


And yes, that is a glowing blue LED at the back of the PSU on the CPU, TYVM. *G*





This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/996034.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Wow. Just found this song accidentally when I was searching for something else, and wow. I know I got the iTunes Holiday Sampler last year, but for whatever reason the song didn't resonate with me last year the way it did today. And wow.

( Video behind cut )

This belongs on my list of sad/wistful/angsty holiday/winter songs.

This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/995664.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I honestly can't believe everything I've accomplished this weekend. I think either the Zoloft kicked in or I kicked my own ass into gear. Things I've done since Friday evening:

• Went through both closets and four of my five dresser drawers and got rid of three trashbags full of clothes. Dad dropped them off at Trinity Mission for me yesterday.
  
• Three loads of laundry
  
• Got all my exercise clothes washed and loaded into my gym bag.
  
• Biked several miles on the West Lafayette park system's bike trails with Mom.
  
• Hiked at Celery Bog and saw a green heron, a kingfisher, and lots of the usual waterfowl.
  
• Got my night-elf warrior up to level 37 and fished in the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza. Didn't win though.
  
• Started working on new graphics for this year's cm_exchange--which will be opening for sign-ups this month!
  
• Cleaned off my desk.
  
• Found DVD #1 of North and South (BBC one) and the padlock I spent 20 minutes looking for yesterday.
  
• Balanced my checkbook and paid all my bills--and even had money left over!
  
• Revised 1500 words of my original novel, including writing a brand new scene with elements of two of the old scenes.
  
• Rediscovered my recliner.

And now I'm off to bed by 10:30! One of these days I'll manage to get my bedtime moved back to 9:30 on work nights, but 10:30 is pretty good! G'night, all!

This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/995178.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Title: My Girl
Author: innerslytherin
Rating: PG
WC: 4,821
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss
Summary: Emily thought the teenage years were supposed to be a challenge. Apparently no one informed one precocious eleven-year-old.
Prompt: Written for the cmrossiprentiss Family Picnic Summer 2010 ficathon. My prompt was Dave & Emily's daughter.
Note: Thank you to smacky30, who has twice now dropped everything for a last-minute beta. Thanks also to astraea36 for providing early input about being the mother of an eleven-year-old girl.

( My Girl )

Title: A Family Way
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss
Rating: PG
WC: 3450
Summary: Dave thought his life was complete. Emily had other ideas.
Notes: Written in honor of the fabulous mingsmommy's birthday. Thank you very much to smacky30 for preliminary beta and hand-holding and to resolucidity for giving it a final polish.

( A Family Way )

This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/994615.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I promise this is the last time I'll spam y'all's flist tonight. I won't even cross-post this anywhere but cmrossiprentiss tonight. ;)

Title: Coming Clean
Pairings: Rossi/Prentiss & Hotch/Reid
Rating: PG
WC: 1600
Summary: Emily gets tired of keeping secrets. Spencer and Hotch have to share a bed. And occasionally love is the only comfort there is.
NOTES: Thanks to resolucidity for the beta. Spoilers for "Exit Wounds".

Series: The Fifth Year - a series of Season Five episode tags
1. Not So Alone, 2. Weeping Endures for a Night, 3. The Blink of an Eye, 4. Trust and Regret, 5. Something Pretty Wonderful, 6. Hope and Bourbon, 7. Shaking Things Up, 8. Cementing, 9. Life Goes On, 10. Reeling, 11. About Last Friday, 12. Past Motivations, 13. Taking the Plunge, 14. Plummeting, 15. Moments of Respite, 16. Kind of a Romantic Tale, 17. Transgressions, 18. Show Me a Hero, 19. A Gentle Place, 20. Objectivity and Companionship, 21. What Passes for Normal, 22 Extracurricular Reading, 23. Strange Little Families


( Coming Clean )

Title: Doubling Up
Pairing: Hotch/Rossi
WC: 1020
Rating: PG
Summary: No one questioned what Dave's sleeping arrangements would be.
Notes: Written for sheryden, who wanted this ficced. :D Thanks to severity_softly for the beta.

( Doubling Up )

I almost didn't write an episode tag for this one, because I have a hard time considering it canon. But somehow I couldn't resist the challenge of fixing it. So here goes:

Title: What Passes for Normal
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss and Hotch/Reid
Rating: PG
WC: 925
Summary: After returning home from San Francisco, our favorite couples try to get back to what passes for normal.
Notes: Thanks to resolucidity for the beta. Spoilers for "The Fight". If you liked the concept of the spinoff, you might want to skip this installment.

Series: The Fifth Year - a series of Season Five episode tags
1. Not So Alone, 2. Weeping Endures for a Night, 3. The Blink of an Eye, 4. Trust and Regret, 5. Something Pretty Wonderful, 6. Hope and Bourbon, 7. Shaking Things Up, 8. Cementing, 9. Life Goes On, 10. Reeling, 11. About Last Friday, 12. Past Motivations, 13. Taking the Plunge, 14. Plummeting, 15. Moments of Respite, 16. Kind of a Romantic Tale, 17. Transgressions, 18. Show Me a Hero, 19. A Gentle Place, 20. Objectivity and Companionship


( 21. What Passes for Normal )

I just got my copy of The King Commands in the mail! I am bouncing up and down with glee and so utterly thrilled to finally see it in print! Hurray for megburden! My parents are both already fighting over who gets to read it next. :D

If the fantasy fans on my flist aren't familiar with megburden's work, you should be. She has an incredibly compelling set of characters, and the sense of place in her novels is fantastic. Northlander introduces Ellin and The King Commands continues her story.

Those of you who are Stargate fans should acquaint yourself with her writing too, because she is one of the collaborators in a six-book set of official tie-in novels that are going to be released starting later this year. I'm sure those of you interested in keeping the gate open will want to read her other work as well.

I've been privileged to call megburden a friend for...well, almost as long as I've been on LJ, I think. She's a wonderful and inspiring human being, and I'm lucky to know her. But that's not why I'm saying nice things about her book. I'm saying nice things about her book because she is also an extremely talented writer. I love her characters, I love the little glimpses I've gotten behind the scenes, and I love the setting of her novels.

Okay, now leave me alone, because I have to go read! :D

This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/993561.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Just got home from vacation a couple of hours ago. Doing laundry and avoiding looking at the unpacking mess on my bed. Clearly I don't have the BAU ready-bag mentality. I wonder if I would ever get good at that, being ready to leave in a moment's notice and have everything I needed.

It was lots of fun and began with visiting Monocacy where my hometown hero General Lew Wallace (better known as the author of Ben Hur, Governor of New Mexico territory, and US Ambassador to Turkey), saved the Union. It also included climbing Maryland Heights at Harper's Ferry in 90+ temperatures, horseback riding on the battlefield at Gettysburg, walking along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, driving the National Road (US 40), and a quick stop at Fort Necessity, where George Washington basically started the French and Indian War by accident.

I picked up at least half a dozen stamps for my National Parks passport, and I got a sunburn and sore shins and a sore butt. Also I had to buy two pairs of shorts because I only packed one pair, because who the heck thought it was going to be in the 90s in April in the mountains? Then I was freezing yesterday because it was SNOWING at Fort Necessity and my jeans smelled so strongly of horse that I couldn't really wear them again. LOL

We also visited Adams County Winery in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania, after looking at the websites of Fauquier and Loudon County wineries from the Virginia Wine Country. Any winery that a) doesn't list its wine prices, or b) charges a tasting fee, got nixed from my list, and we quickly decided that Virginia Wine Country was too hoity-toity for us. We found Adams County by accident and came home with seven bottles of wine. Yes, seven. I also tried on a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses at the Gettysburg outlet mall and...quickly sacrificed a large portion of my rather tiny vacation budget to buy them.

I did manage to catch the Criminal Minds Lousy CM Spinoff episode on Wednesday, and Supernatural on Thursday. My poor parents were totally lost with SPN, and both thought the CM spinoff as bad as I did. And now I'm glad to be home and my kitty is snuggly enough that he must have forgiven me already for being gone, and it's back in the 70s, which is acceptable weather for early-to-mid-April. But I really don't want to go to work on Monday.

So what has been going on with all of you? I tried to keep up on things, but the spotty nature of reading LJ on the BlackBerry and having a very weak wifi signal at the hotel (combined with being so exhausted I didn't bother turning on the computer a couple of evenings), made that difficult.

This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/993324.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I just finished reading Spare Parts: A Marine Reservist's Journey from Campus to Combat in 38 Days by Buzz Williams.

I've been reading more non-fiction over the past couple of years, but this one stands out because it's about "my" war. Every generation, I think, has a war that shapes them in some way. For me it was Desert Storm. THE Gulf War, as I've been known to call it. I was a freshman in high school and my best friend's brother was posted on the USS Saratoga, which carried F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets that would be involved heavily in the air action of the war. At that point in my life I was yearning to be a military pilot, though since my eyesight is so bad I knew I would be limited to helos. (Side note: the only reason I didn't end up in the Air Force is because I'm a snob; my senior year in high school I had ROTC papers, but they didn't at that time want Communications majors, so I didn't sign up, because I was damned if I would be an enlisted man. Yes, seriously.)

So anyway. Desert Storm was "my" war. I remember the controversy, I remember the protesters, and I remember that my school was covered in student-made anti-Iraq propaganda. Not only that, but the current war in Iraq would have literally been my war if I had gone through with my ROTC intentions, so desert warfare has always interested me. So when the parents and I were at the armor museum at Fort Knox and I saw this book (and an autographed copy at that), I knew I had to pick it up.

Williams' writing is full of attitude but very genuine as he recounts his time as a reservist and the conflicting emotions he felt about being a Marine and eventually being called up to war. He doesn't talk about strategy and tactics. He doesn't talk about the reasons for the war. In fact at one point he relates that an officer informs his company that they are going to Iraq because the officer told them to, and they will stay as long as the officer wants them to stay. To be a Marine is not to question why you fight. To be a Marine is to fight.

He addresses the dichotomy of being a soldier one weekend a month, the struggle he had adjusting back to civilian life after boot camp at Parris Island, as well as how spending Christmas with his family just before deploying to Saudi Arabia actually made this harder for him. He talks openly about how inept his company was in some respects, and it's obvious that the lack of training they were given before their deployment weighed heavily on him.

Williams also displays a sense of humor in some of the stories he relates, so the book doesn't come across either as a diatribe or a paeon to warfare. But reading it, you're never spared the idea that Marines are killers. Period. It was a lesson drilled into the recruits on their first day by their drill instructor, and it's an idea he comes back to more than once. At the same time, he talks about the Marine Corps giving him direction and teaching him how to be a "respectful boyfriend, disciplined student, and productive employee". He's still very much connected to his own identity as a Marine, even though he became a civilian in 1995. And though he very clearly appreciates the Marines, he doesn't dodge the more difficult topics, such as deficiency in training and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that so many veterans suffer.

The writing style is friendly and approachable, more like you're sitting at the table with a beer in hand, listening to "Master Gunner Weeams" tell his stories. I burned through this book in a few days, and it was nice to get a little update, in the epilogue, on the lives of several key figures in the book. For a man who is not too much my senior, who fought in the war that in many ways shaped both my generation and the one that followed, Williams has turned out a fantastic commentary on the life of a Marine Light Armored Vehicle crewman during Desert Storm.

This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/993276.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

1. I need a young woman with black hair (or very dark brown) to visualize a character I'm writing. I've ruled out the usual suspects of Beckinsale, McAdams, the Deschanel sisters, Dennigs, Glau, Brewster...man, I went through so many pages of Google images. I just can't find quite the right woman. Suggestions?

2. Anyone here know much about web hosting and Wordpress? :/ I made an impulse purchase to try to get a webpage set up, even though I'm not 100% sure I want to use Wordpress to do it (fortunately WP is free, but still...) I've got the domain name registered and I've got the webhosting...and for the life of me I can't work out how to connect the two. I've done this once before. I ought to remember. But that was sooo many years ago. I have no memory of how to do this.

3. Anyone out there actually like DST? It's a pain in my ass. I wish Indiana had held out.

4. Happy late Ides of March and early St. Patrick's Day. :D

Title: Objectivity and Companionship
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss and Hotch/Reid
Rating: G
WC: 825
Summary:
Notes: Thanks to resolucidity for the beta. Spoilers for "Solitary Man". This one's short, but I might do another for this ep...we'll see.
Series: Series: The Fifth Year - a series of Season Five episode tags
1. Not So Alone, 2. Weeping Endures for a Night, 3. The Blink of an Eye, 4. Trust and Regret, 5. Something Pretty Wonderful, 6. Hope and Bourbon, 7. Shaking Things Up, 8. Cementing, 9. Life Goes On, 10. Reeling, 11. About Last Friday, 12. Past Motivations, 13. Taking the Plunge, 14. Plummeting, 15. Moments of Respite, 16. Kind of a Romantic Tale, 17. Transgressions, 18. Show Me a Hero, 19. A Gentle Place

( 20. Objectivity and Companionship )

Title: A Gentle Place
Rating: Hard R
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss and Hotch/Reid
WC: 1920
Summary: Emily's not a mother but she understands how it feels to lose a child. Aaron's a parent but needs to be reminded, sometimes, to be a lover as well.
Note: Thanks to resolucidity for the beta and brain-storming. SPOILERS for "Mosely Lane".

Series: The Fifth Year - a series of Season Five episode tags
1. Not So Alone, 2. Weeping Endures for a Night, 3. The Blink of an Eye, 4. Trust and Regret, 5. Something Pretty Wonderful, 6. Hope and Bourbon, 7. Shaking Things Up, 8. Cementing, 9. Life Goes On, 10. Reeling, 11. About Last Friday, 12. Past Motivations, 13. Taking the Plunge, 14. Plummeting, 15. Moments of Respite, 16. Kind of a Romantic Tale, 17. Transgressions, 18. Show Me a Hero


( 19. A Gentle Place )

Title: Show Me a Hero
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss and Hotch/Reid
WC: 2136
Summary: Sometimes a case shakes the faith of even seasoned FBI agents. Everyone needs some reassurance now and then.
Note: Thanks to resolucidity for the beta. SPOILERS for "Public Enemy". Title is from the opening quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy."

Series: The Fifth Year - a series of Season Five episode tags
1. Not So Alone, 2. Weeping Endures for a Night, 3. The Blink of an Eye, 4. Trust and Regret, 5. Something Pretty Wonderful, 6. Hope and Bourbon, 7. Shaking Things Up, 8. Cementing, 9. Life Goes On, 10. Reeling, 11. About Last Friday, 12. Past Motivations, 13. Taking the Plunge, 14. Plummeting, 15. Moments of Respite, 16. Kind of a Romantic Tale, 17. Transgressions


( 18. Show Me a Hero )

Sunday night blues strike again, so I am refusing to let them take over.




I will remember this this week and not let things overwhelm me.

This entry was originally posted at http://innerslytherin.dreamwidth.org/991661.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Title: Snapshots of Us
Pairing: Hotch/JJ
Rating: PG
WC: 1,400
Summary: Hotch doesn't realize JJ is single again. JJ is doing everything she can to clue him in.
Notes: Written expressly for kosmickway, who was the second highest bidder on my help_haiti auction.  The first line is from "Santa Monica" by Theory of a Deadman.

( Snapshots of Us )

Title: Just About Jack
Pairing: Hotch/Prentiss
Rating: PG
WC: 3,919
Summary: The team wants to help Hotch after the final encounter with Foyet. Emily wants to help both Hotch and Jack. What she can't quite figure out is how to help herself.
Note: This fic was written expressly for mitfordgal, who was the top bidder on my help_haiti auction. Thanks to darkhawkhealer and severity_softly for the beta jobs.


( Just About Jack )

Title: Transgressions
Rating: R
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss and Hotch/Reid
WC: 964
Summary:
Note: Thanks to resolucidity for the beta. SPOILERS for "Parasite".

Series: The Fifth Year - a series of Season Five episode tags
1. Not So Alone, 2. Weeping Endures for a Night, 3. The Blink of an Eye, 4. Trust and Regret, 5. Something Pretty Wonderful, 6. Hope and Bourbon, 7. Shaking Things Up, 8. Cementing, 9. Life Goes On, 10. Reeling, 11. About Last Friday, 12. Past Motivations, 13. Taking the Plunge, 14. Plummeting, 15. Moments of Respite, 15. Kind of a Romantic Tale

( 16. Transgressions )

Title: Kind of a Romantic Tale
Rating: PG
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss and Hotch/Reid
WC: 1,422
Summary: Emily's careless words linger with both couples.
Note: Thanks to resolucidity for the beta. Spoilers for "Risky Business".

Series: The Fifth Year - a series of Season Five episode tags
1. Not So Alone, 2. Weeping Endures for a Night, 3. The Blink of an Eye, 4. Trust and Regret, 5. Something Pretty Wonderful, 6. Hope and Bourbon, 7. Shaking Things Up, 8. Cementing, 9. Life Goes On, 10. Reeling, 11. About Last Friday, 12. Past Motivations, 13. Taking the Plunge, 14. Plummeting, 15. Moments of Respite

( 16. Kind of a Romantic Tale )

Title: Moments of Respite
Rating: PG
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss and Hotch/Reid
WC: 1,030
Summary:
Note: Thanks to resolucidity for the beta. Spoilers for "Uncanny Valley".
Series: The Fifth Year - a series of Season Five episode tags
1. Not So Alone, 2. Weeping Endures for a Night, 3. The Blink of an Eye, 4. Trust and Regret, 5. Something Pretty Wonderful, 6. Hope and Bourbon, 7. Shaking Things Up, 8. Cementing, 9. Life Goes On, 10. Reeling, 11. About Last Friday, 12. Past Motivations, 13. Taking the Plunge, 14. Plummeting
 
 
( Moments of Respite )

Title: Love Letters
Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss
WC: 200
Rating: G
Warning: Extreme sap

( Happy birthday wifey! )

My thread is here: I am offering two fics in the Criminal Minds fandom.


Some of my friends are participating too:

darkhawkhealer (fic journal cuspofqueens) has a thread here and is the person who first alerted me to the entire thing this morning.

mingsmommy has a thread here.

smacky30 has a thread here.

microgirl8225 has a thread here.

sodoesrachael (aka breakthesky89) is offering 25 icons here.

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO MY WIFEY severity_softly!!!!!

ILU! <3