Could you not look down forever

Fandom surprises me fairly often, but it's rarely with something wonderful that has the power to turn a bad day around.

Yesterday the lovely artemisrae  gave me a belated birthday present, something she had commissioned from the fantastically talented pheonee :



GUYS THAT'S MAES HUGHES CLIMBING AN IVY TRELLIS! WITH ROY ON THE GROUND HALF OUT OF HIS COAT! GUYS I WROTE THAT FIC!!! GUYS HOMIGOD ITS SO AWESOME!!!

I just. Thank you both. So much. It MADE my day, and I HAD to share! If everyone enjoys it HALF as much as I do, then we will all have a fantastic time!

I'm kinda ashamed, both of what I'm about to post, and of the fact that it has to be my first post of the new year, but... yeah, well, see the entry title. I post this as both a promise to all of you and a warning to myself. There are things I will not do.

I didn't write this secret. IT IS NOT MINE. BUT DAMN, IT COULD BE!



No, I don't ship Wincest, or Dean/Castiel (whom I haven't even met yet), and no, I will not be joining fandom, reading fanfic, writing fanfic, or, I hope, even any other journal entries about this stupid show that's wormed its way into my heart. I just needed to come clean. It's a new year. Time for a fresh start. I feel a little better already.

Don't judge me too harshly. 

The more I think about it, the more I believe that I desperately need these shoes:


But they're $120. Did I already mention that I was desperate?

WHAT SHOULD I DO?!

[Poll #1498691]

Now I'm going to go watch Merlin. That is all.

You know you had an interesting night when you wake up for work at 4:30AM, notice the blood drying and flaking ALL OVER your legs and sheets, and are so hungover it takes you a few seconds to remember that you rolled in costume blood the evening before so you could be a B Horror Movie Extra (in a Zeta Tau sweatshirt 3 sizes too big and a tiny blue jean skirt) at the Annual Cedar Springs Halloween Block Party and Parade.

Probably shoulda had more food and less liquor. Oops. :)

I'm at the tail end of a busy week! Just finished a paper after studying for my test tomorrow AFTER that project I spent three days working on. I'm glad it's all coming to an close, because the weekend is going to be just as eventful, but quite a bit more fun! I'm off to Chicago tomorrow, for my cousin's wedding! I've been up there once before, but I was so little that I don't remember, so I'm really looking forward to the trip. I don't get to stay very long, but I get to see all of my relatives and get trashed with them (always funtimes!), and see a bit of the city, so I can't really ask for more. Plus, I have a super-pretty dress bought especially for the occasion (yes, I'm vain, I admit it!), and I'm really looking forward to getting to prance around in it! I have to change planes once on the way up there, and once on the way back, but eh, whatev! My family is, of course, driving, because of my mother's disproportionate fear of flying and my father's unwillingness to deal with the airport shenanigans.

Amanda wants a gangster. I wonder if I can bagcheck him...

Currently on page 182 of 674 in The Dragon Reborn (book 3 of WoT), and just loving it. I'm planning to make a good deal more headway on the flight (if I don't get motion sick and decide to write fic instead). I can't believe it took me 4 read-throughs to realize just how bloody much I love Perrin. He's such a sweetheart!

[Poll #1458408]

Summer officially ended for me last Thursday, when classes started up again. Things seem like they'll go pretty well on that front, provided I keep up my reading, and I even got a friend of mine from work to agree to let me observe his child for the 15 hours required of my Child Counseling class, so the first big hurdle is, IMHO, cleared. Subsequently, I'll be cutting waaay back on my work hours (from a full 40, to 16), and depending on finaid to pay my rent again. The good news is that I only have class Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and I only work Saturday and Sunday, so I still have 2 days off. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself

In the spirit of accomplishing things and bettering one’s self – since that’s what school is for, right? - I've started to make another concerted effort to finish the Alphabet Drabbles Meme that I posted forever ago - okay, it was just back in April, and frankly, I'm pretty impressed with myself that I've completed 12 of the 17 requested drabbles; I've never come so close to finishing a fic meme. I'm determined to complete this one, so those of you who haven't gotten your fic, keep an eye out, because it's coming in the not-too-distant future!

Also in the spirit of bettering one’s self, I’ve decided to join a women’s flat track roller derby team; specifically, Assassination City. I’ve been to two bouts already as a volunteer, and I just attended watched one of the practices this evening (all of those things with shes_unreal, who got me interested), where I was able to pick up the necessary paperwork. I don’t have skates, pads (knee, elbow, wrist), a helmet, or the necessary funds right at the moment, but I don’t think the league is going anywhere in the next few months, so hopefully before Christmas… :) I used to take belly dance (for almost 3 years) and I really enjoyed the feeling that I was actually making an effort to do something I loved. I think derby is going to be exactly like that. Plus, I’ve always loved contact sports, but playing football takes more stamina (and is, actually, quite a bit more dangerous) than I care to have, so this is a good choice for me, IMHO, and it’s entertaining enough to make up for my total lack of competitive spirit. Go Ass City! Totally posting a poll about my potential derby name after this!

( Let's discuss The Wheel of Time and how much I love it despite the precarious position I constantly find myself in with relation to it. Cut because... who really wants to read this? )

Now for news from fronts that do not directly revolve around me.

John’s still as beautiful as ever, and boy is he getting big! He’s seems to have gotten past the point of crying just for crying’s sake, and is starting to sleep relatively well through the nights. He really likes mine and my mom’s glasses and my dad’s mustache, so we’re good distractions when he gets fussy. He likes to “talk” to me. He can still only make about 3 sounds, but I’ve gotten him going 3 or 4 times (usually after he’s been fed/burped/changed), which is, my sister tells me, more than anyone but his dad ever gets out of him. I am touched. I knew me and this kid were gonna be tight.

Somewhat bigger news: Monday morning my roommate gave her brother one of her kidneys. Her brother, who is 17 now, was born with kidney failure, and they just recently entertained the idea of Caila giving up one of her kidneys. We went to see her in the hospital yesterday, and she was about as out of it as one can be, but she was healing well after being in surgery for 6 hours. Her brother was still under then, and he stayed under for 11 hours total, but when we talked to their mom today, she said that her little brother’s doing great, and the kidney’s already going to work. Caila gets out tomorrow morning if her pain levels go down, but she can’t come home for a while because she can’t climb stairs.

I think it goes without saying that we are all very proud of her. It’s not an easy thing to do, I imagine, but… well, she did it. I’m impressed.

Nothing sours your mood quite like waiting in line on the phone.

Also, today's high is 105. God bless Texas.

And I swear I'm still gonna finish those alphabet drabbles! Just as soon as I have some time...

But damn, guys -
Isn't he beautiful?

Off to Job 2!