Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.

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Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
cluegirl	8:59p	Let's talk about sex, bay-bee THE FANFICTION LOVE MEME Okay, before you roll your eyes, there's a strategy to this. Since I no longer effectively have a flavour of the month where fanfic is concerned (Given that nearly all my time is going into publishable work these days,) I'd kind of like to find out what's got staying power. What's still memorable now that it's been months since my 'latest fic'. I have a unique opportunity to ask for some long-view perspective from people who've been reading my stories for the better part of five years now, as well as from people who've but recently dived into fandom, and might know only one or two of my works. It's helpful as a writer, to get this kind of objective feedback, because in order to play to one's creative strengths, it's important to know those strengths, and not just from one's own perspective. So, if you all would kindly indulge me, what's your favorite of the stories I've written? And if you could see your way clear to telling me what stands out about it, that'd be even better. Self reflection is easier when one has folks who're willing to hold up mirrors, don'tchaknow. (And yes, there's a bit of a love-in feel to all of this, I'll admit. That's part of the attraction, isn't it?) Current Music: Let's Talk About Sex -- Salt N Peppa (2 Comments |Comment on this)
sams_cafe	3:48p	WELL THAT WAS AN AFTERNOON. My family arrived at my place and I told them, and this was my mistake, "You're going to have to go down the street, turn around, and pull up to my place so we can unload." They got stuck in the snow at the end of the street. Three inches of snow. In a four wheel drive pickup. I MIGHT HAVE LOLED. And then spent forty minutes helping push them out. Anyway, we got my new hideous chair and my bookshelf up to my apartment, took the rest of my stuff to storage, dropped off the U-Haul trailer, and made our way downtown to the hotel. It took us two trips to get all the luggage to the hotel room, because everything my parents brought is in tote bags. Apparently they've sworn off luggage? I don't even know. But we are here in the hotel now, safe and warm and awaiting room service. We were upgraded, which rocks the house; it means that the room I'm sharing with Emmy is just a room, but if we go next door my parents have a PALATIAL SUITE we can all hang out in. And, obvs, the internet works. I'm so glad we have no more moving to do. (Comment on this)
cluegirl	12:49p	Book log -- December 22 Finished Book Title Author Genre Pages Stars Dec 21 Greenwitch Susan Cooper Urban Fantasy 148 **** Dec 16 Isis Douglas Clegg Horror 113 *** Dec 13 Things That Never Were Michael Rossi Cryptojournalism 262 ***** Oct 19 Escape From Hell! Hal Duncan Horror 143 **** Oct 18 Thirteenth Child Patricia C. Wrede Fantasy 344 *** Oct 7 The Red Tree Caitlin Kiernan Horror 380 *** Sept 24 Summers at Castle Auburn Sharon Shinn Fantasy 342 *** Aug 20 St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves Karen Russell Anthology abandoned @72 * Aug 25 Rosemary and Rue Seanan McGuire Urban Fantasy 346 *** August 19 Mall of Cthulhu Seamus Cooper Horror/comedy 235 *** August 13 Empire David Dunwoody Horror 277 0 August 5 The Sociopath Next Door Martha Stout, Ph.D. Nonfiction 218 **** July 22 Target in the Finder Ayano Yamane Yaoi manga 200 ** July 21 The Wicked Gentlemen Ginn Hale Fantasy 217 ***** July 17 Mockingbird Sean Stewart Fantasy 256 *** July 10 Little Brother Cory Doctorow Suspense 384 ***** July 8 Crimson Spell 1 Ayano Yamane Manga, Yaoi ** **** July 8 Crimson Spell 2 Ayano Yamane Manga,Yaoi ** **** July 8 Ravens in the Library Various Fantasy anthology 369 *** June 30 City of Ember Jeanne DuPrau Fantasy 295 * June 12 Graceling Kristen Cashore Fantasy 471 ** June 8 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Austen/Grahame-Smith Horror/farce Abandoned @ 185 0 June 2 A Madness of Angels Kate Griffin Urban Fantasy 458 *****+ May 7 The Magicians and Mrs. Quent Galen Beckett Fantasy / suspense 498 ***** Apr 28 Jane-Emily / The Witch's Children Patricia Clapp Supernatural 273 ** Apr 20 Too Many Curses A. Lee Martinez Fantasy/humour, YA 316 **** Mar 30 The Witch's Familiar Raven Grimassi New Age nonfic 155 * Mar 03 Watchmen Alan Moore Fantasy/Horror graphic novel 12 issues ** Jan 09 Jigs and Reels Joanne Harris Short story anthology 273 *** Feb 15 A Guide to Folktales in Fragile Dialects Cat Valente Faerie Tale Poetry anthology 163 *** Jan 09 Territory Emma Bull Historical Fantasy Audio *** Dec 30 Butcher Bird Richard Kadrey Urban Fantasy 257 **** Current Music: bagpipes (Comment on this)
musesfool	10:46a	she knows when and where to strike Random stuff makes a post, yeah? + I got a mix CD in the mail yesterday from spectralbovine! Woo! New music! ♥ - sadly, I had the most godawful headache last night and couldn't listen to it. + The Giants won last night by a large margin and looked competent - dominant even - while doing so. - Unfortunately, it was against the sucktastic Redskins, so it doesn't really prove they can actually win against a good team. + If the Cowboys lose and the Giants win out, the Giants could make the playoffs! + Given the Cowboys' record in December the past few years, this is actually a possibility. - If the Giants can actually win their last two games, which is not anywhere near a given. + I'm glad a lot of people are downloading the music I put up the other night. - I am amused at how few people commented, versus how many download notifications I've received from Box.net. + I downloaded Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) by Florence + the Machine from vonnie_k and OH MY FUCKING GOD WHERE HAS THIS SONG BEEN ALL MY LIFE? NO SERIOUSLY HANDS DOWN THE BEST SONG OF 2009. I mean, I knew "Kiss with a Fist" and I like it, but I didn't seek out anything else by them, and then I downloaded this and it BLEW MY MIND. My mind? Officially blown. Needless to say, I have had it on repeat since Saturday. Also, I keep thinking of the awesome vids people could make! Starbuck! River! Buffy and Faith! Fred! Veronica Mars! You all should TOTALLY make those vids! LISTEN TO THIS SONG, PEOPLE! HAVE I EVER STEERED YOU WRONG? (sorry for the unintentional rhyming.) + Actually, I wonder about that - I know people don't like to use the same song but has there ever been a multifandom vid challenge where everybody uses the same song and you see all the different ways it could be interpreted? Because I think that could be kind of cool. Someone should totally do that. + If you want to claim a yuletide pinch hit, please read this post. I am not on the mailing list, so I don't know what the procedure has been in the past, but apparently there is a problem, so go read the post. [eta] There is now a backup list for pinch hitters. [/eta] - If I'm understanding this correctly, there is currently no gift listed for me in my AO3 dashboard thingy (and there should be? I am not sure), so + if you do want to pinch hit, you could possibly pick up my requests! Middleman! Gentleman Bastards! Megan Whalen Turner's Thief series! Warlock! There's fun to be had there. I'm just sayin'. + Moff's Law. It's so awesome I am going to quote it in its entirety behind the cut: ( Moff's Law ) *points up* THIS. + Today is my last day in the office until next Monday. \o/ Tomorrow is the day of baking many cakes. And wrapping many gifts. So I just have to make it to 5 pm today and I'm free for five days. Woo! *** This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/109954.html. people have commented there. Current Mood: ditzy Current Music: The Boxer - Carbon Leaf (Comment on this)
Monday, December 21st, 2009
cluegirl	10:32p	Long Night's Vigil -- Catt Kingsgrave The wagon draws up to the Forge of the Maker Thrice the Dark Man sets his hand to the door "You're needed, Bright Lady," he cries o'er the threshold, "As you have been needed so often before!" And in the last light of the shortest day's ending The Maker, the Midwife with hair like the snow And eyes like the spring heeds the Cartier's summons And takes her bright flame with the Sun down below. While we in the world where the darkness has gathered Give light to the fire we shall tend until dawn, And offer the cup unto all who come knocking For all here are kindred till morning comes on. In the long Hallow, our Mother she labours To bring forth the Sun and give birth to the year With Fire for midwife and Shadow for lover While we keep the vigil in merry good cheer. We sing our Wassails to the Kings of the Seasons; The Oak and the Holly, the Robin and Wren, Remember the stories of triumph and treason, And how that which falls will arise once again. The old year gives way for the birth of another, Some hopes we may cherish, while others we'll mourn For life is a gift from a generous Mother And out of her labours are all futures born. Ere long the sky shivers from ebon to pewter, The dancers gone clumsy, the singers like crows; We'll stir the Yule fire to mighty last blaze And we'll offer our prayers for all good things to grow Then when the sky lightens from silver to amber We'll stagger outside where our breath steams the cold, Climb high as we may and stretch arms to the day For the dark is turned back in that first kiss of gold. Let all who have gathered give thanks to our Lady, Let all raise their glass to Her labours this night Then settle like coals as the last flames are fading, And sleep for awhile in the Infant King's sight. -- Catt Kingsgrave So apparently my Solstice Present showed up tonight. While I was in the bathtub. Yyyeah. She's a sense of humour on her, does my Lady, and I'm sure it was amusing watching me try to keep my ink and bathwater separate while my couplets were overflowing. As should be obvious from the VERY rigid scansion of this, it's a song rather than a poem. And yes, it came with a tune, but seeing as how I can compose just fine, but can't write music for shite, the singing of it will have to be a hypothetical thing until such time as I can lay hands on a halfway decent USB mic, and commit it to electrons. For the short term, it could be sung to the tune of The Bells of Paradise in a pinch and come out just fine, if a little repetitive. Slainte, all my Witchkin, and Happy Solstice to you all! (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	4:24p	I kept meaning to make an LJ entry today, and then things kept happening in my brain, you don't even want to know. So instead, you get a list! 1. While my knee is healing rapidly (I'm a good healer, to make up for tripping on NOTHING, ALL THE TIME) I've had to shorten my gait, so it takes me like, five minutes longer to get EVERYWHERE. This is improving my balance however. 2. The slow-walking thing is why I'm glad that the mailman came to see me today and took the last of my Christmas mailings, because omg I did not want to walk to the post office. 3. Which in turn means I can get a cab home. Ooooooh. And clean the kitchen in preparation for The Arrival Of My Family. 3a. Five bucks says that the first thing Emmy says to me when she sees the collage I made of images you guys sent me is, "Why is there a naked man with a frying pan in the corner?" I'm going to just have to tell her "Art is its own explanation" or something equally ridiculous because I often ask myself the same question, and have yet to find an answer beyond "It was there." (Comment on this)
musesfool	12:18p	watch me try to breathe again It's fairly quiet at work today, so if anyone needs a quick last-minute yuletide beta and thinks I might be reasonably familiar with the fandom they're writing in, feel free to drop me a note at victoria.p @ gmail with the fandom and I will tell you yea or nay. I uploaded on Saturday and have been procrastinating on Broken Toys ever since. Heh. What kind of Max/Alec story would you make me write, if you could? This morning I updated unfitforsociety because I figure the next big update will be with yuletide stories, but it's possible people are looking for things to read right now. So unfitforsociety has been updated with 20 recs for December 2009: * 8 Supernatural * 4 Crossovers * 2 Star Trek Reboot * 2 White Collar * 1 each Being Human, Bones, Dark Angel, and Friday Night Lights *** I'm kinda wishing I'd just taken today and tomorrow off. It's a short week, but meh, this weather makes everything more difficult (stupid slushy corners and four foot piles of snow on the sidewalks). Maybe I will work on the year-end writing meme thingy. Hmm... *** This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/109717.html. people have commented there. Current Mood: lazy Current Music: Momentum - Vienna Teng (Comment on this)
cluegirl	11:00a	Boosting the signal for a missing child in Chicago... As seen here: http://shadesong.livejournal.com/4026081.html?mode=reply karnythia says: "This is my son's cousin. She may have run away, but we don't know that for sure. The police are treating her as a runaway so there is no Amber Alert. If you have seen this girl and have any information please contact the Chicago police at (312)747-8274. Or if you are just willing to spread the link, please feel free to do so. She's a kid and we're worried about her. Thank you." Pass it around, and Chicago folks, be on the lookout! (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 20th, 2009
musesfool	6:48p	i can't take the commercial breaks anymore I've been thinking about year-end - and decade-end - top whatever lists, and I very much enjoyed vonnie_k's year-end music post, so even though I don't really have a top songs of 2009 (in terms of songs that came out in 2009), I can post the 50 songs I listened to most this year, according to last.fm: ( 50 most-listened to songs of 2009 ) I don't really have anything to say, except that was a lot of coding. *yawns* I don't wanna go to work tomorrow. Sigh. *** This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/109504.html. people have commented there. Current Mood: lazy Current Music: Eagles v. 49ers on TV (Comment on this)
cluegirl	4:38p	Thoughts Contingent on Reader Entitlement; the fandom edition First, this: George R.R. Martin is not your bitch (Scroll down the page to the first reader letter, and Neil's response. It's ok. I'll wait.) Now. Let's talk about the Fandom side of Reader Entitlement. Moreover, the first and biggest defining point of this little thing we call "Fanfiction", that thing we all put in our disclaimers, that thing that keeps our arses out of court for copyright infringement: We are not getting paid for this. Now let's take that a step further -- that means that you, the reader, ARE NOT PAYING FOR WHAT YOU READ! You are reading stories for free, and expending nothing more than some electricity, the price of your internet connection, and the time it takes you to read it. You are getting the work, worry, and sweat of every fan writer you click on, For Free. Take a moment to think about that. The writer, who very likely does NOT have professional aspirations, has written a story that they wanted to write -- or perhaps for a fest, they tried to write something someone else wanted to read, -- and they have shared it with the world. Yes, you've the right to your opinions, and the right to speak your own opinions, (This is, after all, probably the reason why you made and maintain a Blog Of Your Own in the first place, after all.) You are in no way obligated to like the story that's hiding behind any given link you may see on the internet, but neither was the writer obligated to write anything for you that you'd like! If they wrote the story FOR you in the fest, then perhaps there is a shadow of obligation, but people, please -- it's still fucking FREE! It's work for no pay, it took time and attention and care to create, even if the writer's skill was not up to the task, they still bothered to try! They chose to create something instead of sitting back, consuming story after story, and whining that they don't fancy what's on offer. I mean for Cod's sake, if we buy a book in the store and we don't like it, do we show up at the writer's signing tour or release party to jump into the autograph line and heckle him? (You know, yeah, some folks just might be that kind of spiteful. Those are the ones who make me despair of humanity, and they are sure as FUCK not invited onto the Mothership when the pre-comet-impact evacuation goes down.) No, what NORMAL PEOPLE do, is to tell folks who ask that they did not fancy it. Perhaps they make a blog post to say they did not fancy it, or if they're a professional reviewer, they might tell their readership that they did not fancy it, and why. If the book crosses a line of racism, sexism, or religious offense, then yes we can expect to see the outcry against it happen on a higher profile, and at a greater volume -- up to the assassination call on Salman Rushdie for Satanic Verses. So what is it that makes us as readers so much more ready to be spiteful about work we DID NOT have to pay for? Other than the fact that we can, and the writer in question is unlikely to have highly paid lawyers who might give us a telling-off for acting like arseholes, I mean? Is the internet really such a contempt-breeding ground that we can't even manage basic respect for effort, and the emotional investment required to create for no pay? Is it really such a hardship to back-click when we find that we don't like what we're reading (For Free,) and just go off to another story (also For Free,) which we might like better without leaving snide public notes for the writer of the first? Is it really such a hardship to express our opinions on these gifts of fiction in our own blogs, rather than showing up at someone else's Open House to complain about the canapes being cold? Is it really so hard to imagine, before we click 'post comment', what we might feel if we were to receive such a comment on our own work under such circumstance, and to temper ourselves accordingly? Is such altruism actually anathema here in Internet-land? Okay now; there is something to be said for con-crit, yes. There's a bloody LOT to be said for it, because yes, one much make mistakes, and get feedback on those mistakes in order to improve. But there is also a simple fact -- FACT, I say! -- that there is a time, and a place for it, and when one delivers what one intends to be constructive criticism in such a way that it's publicaly humiliating and hurtful to the recipient, then it is no longer in any way constructive! The time for constructive criticism is when it can still be applied to the story in question -- in other words, when you are the beta,-- and if one must offer it retroactively, it really is best to offer it privately to the author, by way of LJ message or e mail. There is less of the author's dignity at stake in such a private approach, and your offering the benefit of your experience is less likely to come across as you being a pedantic arsehole and showing up at a party for the express purpose of pissing in the punch. Because, let's face it, That Person -- the one who busts into a conversation to tell people they're wrong, or to correct someone's grammar, or to criticize their philosophy, -- That Person is never really welcome in that conversation, even when they're Right. And That Person is unlikely to be included in further conversations either, not because they were wrong, so much as because they were just plain Rude. For Cod's sake, could we please put a little effort into remembering that the writer does not OWE us, the readers, anything more than A Story? And that if we get A Story, there is no contractual obligation under which it will have been written to our tastes, to our preferences, or even to our level of skill or comprehension? That we are getting something for nothing, and in no way does that make the writer Our Bitch? Common Sense Disclaimer: Yes, this was prompted by Recent Events -- not just one event, either. If you think that I'm talking to you? You might be right, but I am not talking JUST to you, as there was not a single Recent Event that prompted this, but a rising trend thereof, which I have been noticing and finding more and more irksome in the past few months. You may certainly choose to take it personally, but kindly remember that is your choice, and it creates in me no obligation to live up to any delusions of persecution on your part. This is my blog, and as such, it is where my opinions generally do belong. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
sams_cafe	10:58a	So, my parents and sister are driving cross-country to Chicago for the next two days, in order to bring me the stuff I left in storage with them when I moved here. They're also bringing me The Best Chair Ever, which my mother acquired sometime in the 70's. It has bright-orange nubbly upholstery, and is almost unbearably comfortable. I am very excited to own a hideous comfortable chair. What I had not anticipated is that my parents would not pack things with which to entertain each other while they are on the road (I have no doubt Emmy is glued to her headphones and hopefully struggling through the last of The Great Gatsby for school). As the dog -- who they're bringing along, apparently in a padded box mounted on the dashboard -- is asleep, mum's primary source of entertainment is texting me. I love them. I just have to remind myself sometimes. (Comment on this)
cluegirl	7:21a	Witnessing the dawn. One 12 inch candle. 15+ hours. Still stubbornly burning away, as the sun climbs the sky. It's overcast today (Snowpocalypse a bit farther south of us, but we're under grey woolen skies all the same,) so we haven't got the first pointing finger of gold, but you know what? I'm not in Avebury either, so the effect would be wasted on me here. Especially since fatigue poisons and Top Gear irreverence have done RIGHT away with the proper ritual tone for me at this late date, and it's entirely likely I'd wind up invoking Lord Buggerall again, by accident. (I hate when that happens.) (And yes, I know it's not THE Solstice night. I'm just fine with that fact, thanks.) Goodnight! (Comment on this)
cluegirl	4:28a	And all the little children as round the table goo... It's 4:00. The Vigil is down to 3. We're watching Top Gear, and rather groaning from the stunning spread we helped to devour earlier. And we're still watching our FIRST taper of the night slowly burning down. To give you a sense of scale, we lit the candle about 12 hours ago, when the sun went down, and when we bought them this morning, the apiarists told us that each taper might just be good for two hours. More, if they burned in a draughtless room. Significantly more, I'm thinking. What's more, if this one taper lasts another three hours, I believe I shall laugh forever. There shall be photos, once Dominus downloads them from the HappySnap. Which will probably be sometime tomorrow, after we've all slept. (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
musesfool	9:06p	like the sweat of lovers laying in the field This afternoon I made cinnamon-chocolate sour cream cake. It came out well. I gave the whole thing away to fleurdeleo, though. It was too sweet or too something for me. I don't know. This happens to me a lot when I bake - I often don't want to eat whatever it is after a small bite. We went out for our traditional "We're having a blizzard, let's go to the bar" pre-Christmas drink tonight. The Bar Around the Corner was full of a private party, so we went to a different place, with a much better beer selection and fancier appetizers. It was good. I had a couple bottles of Lindemans lambic framboise. Now I am ready to sack out on the couch. *** Okay, call me crazy, but it was my understanding that an idea was kripked when fic dovetails with something that later occurs in or is confirmed by canon, and that jossed is still when canon later contradicts something posited in fic. I don't like it when people use kripked to mean jossed, when my understanding is the opposite. I get all confuzzled. You know what else I don't understand? People who ship a pairing when they hate half of it. I mean, I guess I kind of get it in the "This makes my favorite character happy, so even though it's not my favorite person, I can get behind it" way, but too often it reads like, "I hate hate hate this character, so I'm going to write a story about how unworthy they are for the character I love, and make a romance out of it, even though it is super creepy with that subtext." And sometimes it's not even subtext. Can you tell I've been trawling ff.net for Max/Alec again? Why would you write Max/Alec if you hate Max so much? It just makes me crazy! Just ship oh-so-perfect Manticore's best alpha male!Alec *rolls eyes* with someone else and then I won't even have to click on your story and we'll both be happier! And your story will be at least 50% less creepy if you like both halves of your pairing. I'm just saying. *** This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/109140.html. people have commented there. Current Mood: tipsy Current Music: Love Reign O'er Me - Pearl Jam (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	6:16p	I've been wrangling this post over and over in my head for about a month now, perhaps a little longer, and it's still just plain messy, so I'm going to plow through and see what I can make of it. At the start of November, a friend of mine died. Her husband's wishes are that there be no memorial post, so I'm not going to talk about who; if you knew her, you've heard by now, and if you don't know who, then you needn't worry. K and I met via the Whofandom earlier this year, while I was working on Nameless, and we shared an interest in digital publishing and its effect on the wider world. Not to make this all about me -- though grieving usually is about the survivors -- but she was instrumental in opening my eyes to some things about writing, and my writing in particular, that I hadn't considered. She sent me an essay on Nameless that she'd been working on, examining the use of geography and space in the novel. It was a brilliant piece of work standalone, but it brought home to me the fact that this story wasn't just being read by the Cafe or talked about it amongst people I knew. It was out there, in the world, and people were reading it and forming opinions that had nothing to do with what I thought or felt. People were analyzing what I did and finding things in the writing I hadn't consciously put there, but which were there anyway -- the same way I did in school with books I read and plays I worked on. To be the subject of that focus is at once thrilling and frightening, but endlessly educational. She made me feel -- as the VOYA review and many people have done since, but with her, it was the first time -- like a Real Published Writer. I've since learned through a mutual friend (to whom I am indebted for maintaining communication when K's eyesight failed her, and sharing in the mourning) that she had a wide array of literary interests and that I was in extremely respectable company under her eye. I'm glad to have known her and the thoughts she had on my work. She had notes on The Dead Isle too, which I expect to have in due time, when the sorting and sifting and other work is done. I'm very much looking forward to hearing what she said about it. Um, there's no real point to this post, really, except to say that K did this thing for me, and was a friend. I want to put out there in the world that I miss her, I wish I'd known her better, and I wish I'd known her longer. Grief is natural and fades, and I'm okay; but I wanted to say it, so that it's there. (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	2:00p	Things what I have done today: Cleaned the bedroom and living room Vacuumed the bedroom and living room (technically the Roomba did this) Made reservations for the whole family to see Sherlock Holmes on Christmas Day, followed by fancy dinner downtown (That last one is remarkably difficult. Most restaurants aren't open, and those that are have a Prix-Fixe menu that's a little out of our league, or serve food that one of us won't eat. I finally triumphed, however!) Things what I must yet do: WRAP CHRISTMAS PRESENT OMG Mail two cards Clean and vacuum the kitchen Clean the fridge Cook rice I cannot wait till my family arrives, in part because they are bringing me A RICE COOKER. \o/ Now I venture out into the snow, to mail a card and buy a hamburger. :D (Comment on this)
Friday, December 18th, 2009
musesfool	11:44p	and if you believe that what's done is done I made this chocolate mousse tonight. It's good, though I think I made the same mistake the poster made, because mine is also riddled with small bits of unmelted chocolate (or perhaps the meringue was too cool? It is fairly cool in my apartment so I don't think "room temperature" means what they intended it to mean). And also, there are way too many fucking bowls involved. Okay, it's only two, but you have to wash one of them in the middle of the process and I do not have enough room to be pouring things from bowl to bowl and washing up in the middle. I have a cutting board laid over my sink and a strip of counter space about 12" long by 4" wide, and the top of my stove. That is it. My life, so hard. wah wah wah. I think I'm pretty much decided on what I'm making for gifts, but tomorrow I will be trying out some kind of cinnamon chocolate cake. I will report back how it turns out. If it is really awesome, maybe I will drop out the nutella cake and substitute it. Decisions, decisions. I think baking is a good way to spend the coming snowpolcaypse, don't you? *** This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/109040.html. people have commented there. Current Mood: sleepy Current Music: that history repeats from father to son (Comment on this)
florahart	4:21p	I often find this blog thought-provoking... So, Shapely Prose... I don't actually agree full-bore with everything she says all the time, because I do think there is a relationship, if not quite the one(s)* being pushed by large chunks of society, between weight/food and health, but I also think that given how prevalent those social messages are, having some voices that are a little over the top on the other side is probably all to the good. Anyway, today she talks about the effort to have kids not leave Santa cookies because cookies are a sometimes food, and the comments, in which people write letters to Santa and tell him why he can't have cookies, may have me falling off my chair with giggle. Possibly repeatedly. *The messages I think are bad are: 1. fat people are unethical and weak and probably pathetic; 2. fatness and weight can be measured and talked about in absolutes even in the absence of other data; 3. only thin people are pretty. The messages I wish we spent more time on are: 1. feeling well and strong are worthy goals and sometimes but not always weight management/reduction is a part of reaching them; 2. the ethics of consumption are about sustainability and sharing of resources, not about fatness; 3. beauty isn't about skirt size. Nothing about any of that should be taken as a criticism of the efforts I am aware many people who might read this have made to change their own bodies. I originally posted this at http://florahart.dreamwidth.org/1015256.html, and you are welcome to comment there. OpenID and/or anon comments are allowed. (Comment on this)
cluegirl	3:04p	We twa hae paddled i the bourne and pu'd the gowans fine... "So why hunt the wren then?" Says Milder to Mulder, "Why hunt the wren then, if it's such a small thing?" "It's an old Pagan custom," Says Mulder to Milder, "And 'Hunting the Sausage' don't have the same ring!" The Ton Cake is done, glazed, and cooling on the countertop. It weighs roughly as much as Brazil, and smells like Sin-in-a-Bundt-Pan. I cannot wait to cut into it and taste that bad boy. I've made up another batch of candied orange peel, which I will presently put into oatmeal cookies, along with some Ghiradeli dark chocolate chips -- Anybody got a really good oatmeal cookie recipe that'd be a good vehicle for that? I've got nothing that I remember with any particular fondness when it comes to oatmeal cookie recipes, -- and after a trip to market, I'll get a start on the Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs. I'll be leaving the Wassail until tomorrow night, given that it'll be served from the stove. And along the way, I've been pecking at a fun little Holiday ficlet. Naughty of me, I know, with Tempus Fugitive languishing away, but I refuse to pretend contrition -- I'm having fun tying fandom cliches into knots on this one, and I mean to carry on enjoying it, thanks. TF will hold for a day or so, at least. So... What, my Witchkin, are YOUR plans for Solstice this year? Current Music: Joy to the World -- 3 Dog Night. (Comment on this)
musesfool	1:51p	glimpse your many futures Bring me the finest bagels and muffins in the land! My yuletide story has been sent off to beta! It turned out all right in the end, I think. It needs a good polishing, but it isn't the horror I was afraid it was going to be when I was struggling over each and every word. Now onto Broken Toys! *** I stayed up late last night and now I am very tired. It was hard to get out of bed this morning. It is very cold outside, and it's supposed to snow. My parents said not to come, because of the weather. So I have an unexpected weekend at home. Surely there will be baking. And writing. And sleeping. Dear god, so much sleeping. Have a poem, since I am clearly incapable of writing an entry: The God Who Loves You It must be troubling for the god who loves you To ponder how much happier you'd be today Had you been able to glimpse your many futures. It must be painful for him to watch you on Friday evenings Driving home from the office, content with your week— Three fine houses sold to deserving families— Knowing as he does exactly what would have happened Had you gone to your second choice for college, Knowing the roommate you'd have been allotted Whose ardent opinions on painting and music Would have kindled in you a lifelong passion. A life thirty points above the life you're living On any scale of satisfaction. And every point A thorn in the side of the god who loves you. You don't want that, a large-souled man like you Who tries to withhold from your wife the day's disappointments So she can save her empathy for the children. And would you want this god to compare your wife With the woman you were destined to meet on the other campus? It hurts you to think of him ranking the conversation You'd have enjoyed over there higher in insight Than the conversation you're used to. And think how this loving god would feel Knowing that the man next in line for your wife Would have pleased her more than you ever will Even on your best days, when you really try. Can you sleep at night believing a god like that Is pacing his cloudy bedroom, harassed by alternatives You're spared by ignorance? The difference between what is And what could have been will remain alive for him Even after you cease existing, after you catch a chill Running out in the snow for the morning paper, Losing eleven years that the god who loves you Will feel compelled to imagine scene by scene Unless you come to the rescue by imagining him No wiser than you are, no god at all, only a friend No closer than the actual friend you made at college, The one you haven't written in months. Sit down tonight And write him about the life you can talk about With a claim to authority, the life you've witnessed, Which for all you know is the life you've chosen. ~Carl Dennis *** This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/108764.html. people have commented there. Current Mood: sleepy Current Music: I'll Fall with Your Knife - Peter Murphy (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	11:18a	OH AND I saw the episode of House everyone said I had to see, the one that was all about Wilson. ( Three Things! ) 3a. I have to say this outside of cut, because really, Wilson? Really? "She hurt my friend. She should be punished." Dear House and Wilson: It's okay to be hurt if a woman rejects you, and it's okay to be hurt if she's dating someone you consider a friend. It's even okay to be hurt if she's your friend and rejected your other friend. You know what it's not okay to do? Punish her for not loving you. Creeps. (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	9:25a	So I totally didin't realise NCIS was new this week. Which is why Sam's Three Things are BELATED. Spoilers for Episode 7.10, ( Faith ) 3a. Okay normally I would mention how I absolutely DID NOT tear up at the end, with McGee and the Most Adorable Child Ever, but instead I have to say this: I watched the latest episode of Merlin last night as well, The Fires Of We're Not Nazguls, Really, We're Not, and the first ten minutes were the most awesome ten minutes of Merlin ever, followed by the most ridiculously stupid forty minutes ever (okay not the most ridiculously stupid of Merlin, though, that would be the fucking troll episodes). OMG YOU GUYS DID YOU SEE MERLIN THROW HIM HIS SWORD THAT WAS TOTALLY BADASS AND THEN HE DRESSED MERLIN'S WOUNDS WITH HIS OWN. CLOTHES. AHAHAHA. (Comment on this)
musesfool	1:16a	i got a little story you should know \o/ 1240 words! I'm not done, but the end is in sight! Woo! And now I must go to bed, because I am up way too late. *** This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/108421.html. people have commented there. Current Mood: jubilant Current Music: one for my baby - frank sinatra (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
musesfool	10:22p	i had sex with your wife Friday Night Lights ( spoilers ) I love this show so so much. I can't believe that it consistently gets shut out of awards, because it is pretty consistently (early season 2 aside) head and shoulders above most other shows on television. Sigh. *** I came home from work tonight and took a nap. I haven't done that in ages (I mean, okay, a few nights ago I fell asleep on the couch, but that wasn't planned - this was planned). I also ordered in, something I don't do very often anymore either. I got my period this morning and it's freaking freezing out. I felt I deserved both. Also, my new comforter arrived. I haven't had a new one in ages. I still love my old (fifteen-years-old) black comforter with the lilies on it, but I needed something new and this one is pretty. Hopefully it's warm, too. I'm not going to put it on the bed till my period's over, though, just to be safe. *** This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/108070.html. people have commented there. Current Mood: mellow Current Music: Absolute Beginners - The Jam (Comment on this)
cluegirl	7:14p	Hang dang-donglers on the bathtub! Trim the occupant with floof! I was just totally busted singing Seussian nonsense to myself in the kitchen. I didn't think Dominus was going to come home before he went bowling. Am not thoroughly mortified. I was singing Trim Up The Tree by way of self-medication against the rather awful scene I've been writing today. If a story rides on the strength of its villain, then I can't fear for TF on that count. Because Hughes is thouroughly creeping me out. He's a mad, bad bastard, he is. *Shivers* It's surreal to be writing him while listening to OFHM. (Other Folks' Holiday Music) "Do you see what IIIII seee?" "God, I hope nobody sees what you see, Thomas. One of you who sees that way is quite enough, thanks!" Today's temperature has been hovering around 12 F. That's without factoring in the windchill, by the way. The Faithful are Not Best Pleased, and are convinced, to a whisker, that somehow it's All My Fault. Mithril has begun to come and inform me about the dereliction of my door duties on a fairly regular basis, alternating between scolding me for Doing It Wrong, and sucking up in case I might be convinced to open the door properly, so it's warm. One day, Cat Physics will overturn the scientific world, you know. It's just a matter of time... and then learning to write, really. It'll happen any day now, you mark my words. (Comment on this)

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