Happy Birthday tygermama!

I hope that the day brings you enough happiness to last you until your next birthday.

::hugs you::

Title Slip of the Pen
Pairing Jim/Blair
Rating PG
Length 220 words
Spoilers None
Link Slip of the Pen

Written for the 'cast' challenge at sentinel_thurs; link to the post there.

Happy Birthday drkcherry! I hope that your birthday is as sparkly as a snowy field in sunlight and that the presents are just what you always wanted.

::hugs you tight::

I like this one because it's about the writing:

people will comment telling you what their favorite fic by you is, what character/pairing they think you write best, and other positive comments. they can also mention what they think you should write more of, or anything else concerning what they like about your writing.

THE FANFICTION LOVE MEME

I woke to a smattering of snow; very seasonal, though it's disappearing fast, and to discover that three lovely people celebrate birthdays today.

So Happy Birthday to three longstanding friends: knotted_rose, true_brit and doyle_sb4!

I hope that you're all enjoying your special days very much indeed.

::much love and many hugs::

Lots of them; might as well make the most of Karl while we have him as his ten episode run is up soon.

( screencaps )

A snowball maker.

From the Amazon review:

The only con is that the ends on both of ours are slightly out of alignment making a slightly non-perfect sphere but it really doesn't seem to matter too much. It's a small issue that just bugs me as an engineer.

We all have snowball makers already; they're called HANDS, dammit. And perfectly shaped snowballs are an abomination. The Abominable Snowman says so.

And David and I stood staring incredulously for a while in Sears at a contraption you fit around your snowblower to keep you warm and dry: like this.

Not that we have a snowblower (we have SHOVELS, matey, one for each family member and the cats use their tails), but I can see the winter gale whipping this off down the street before you can say hot cocoa. Fighting the elements is the FUN bit of winter!

There was also a three-pronged electric marshmallow toaster that revolves and looks like something off Red Dwarf; let us not speak of it.

The planet is drowning in tat.

Happy Birthday to two lovely people I've known a very long time here on LJ: thebratqueen and willandways.

I hope that the sun is shining for you both on this special day and that the coming year brings you joy.

::much love and hugs::

Just discussing this with snycock so I thought I'd post about it as I've always thought TS got less credit than it deserved for being pretty good issues-wise.

Amnesty commended TS on their Fool Me Twice episode:

Article found on the excellent Richard Burgi Fan Club page here:



"Amnesty International is delighted to support and commend The Sentinel, and its episode, Fool Me Twice. We appreciate the attention the episode calls to the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world and the message it sends to human rights abusers," said Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. "Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are imprisoned, tortured or executed each year because they voice their beliefs. This episode of The Sentinel reinforces the critical message that governments must respect, protect and promote the rightsof all people."

"We are happy to reinforce, through the powerful medium of television, the Amnesty International message of the fundamental human right to self determination," says Paul DeMeo, Executive Producer of The Sentinel.

Not that this couldn't have happened elsewhere, but it just seems so very Canadian.

Our friend Steve went to a drivethrough ATM this week, on his way to meet David for drinks. He was thinking about stuff and absentmindedly drove off leaving his cash in the machine. A few miles down the road, it hit him and he turned around and went back, assuming he'd need to withdraw more.

The man in the line behind him had seen the money, realized what had happened, picked it up, pulled over, and was waiting patiently in the car park for Steve to return so that he could give him the money.

I love that.

I completely forgot to check birthdays yesterday and missed one (always the way).

Many happy returns of yesterday to the lovely unfeathered.

I hope that the coming year brings you much happiness.

::love and hugs::

Title Blue Skies
Type Gen
Rating PG13
Length 100 words (drabble)
Spoilers None
Written for the 'sunny day' challenge at sentinel_thurs.


Blue Skies

The sky's a cloudless, rain-washed blue. Jim's staring up, close to zoning on the intense color.

The sunlight tickles his face as the slight breeze changes its heat. Jim lets its warmth soak deep and stop the shivers.

It's a beautiful sunny day. Just perfect. A day to grab Sandburg and find some fish to harass; to drink icy beer, and catch some rays before Cascade's clouds roll back.

He takes his first breath in two minutes and chokes on the stink of a butchered body, surrounded by a buzz of flies.

It's still a beautiful day.

Hold that thought.

500 words, spanking fic. Because I've been reading them all day and it seems like way too long since I wrote one :-)

( Talk to the Hand )

They're complying with a ruling and now it's pretty much empty over there.

http://blog.mininova.org/articles/2009/11/26/mininova-limits-its-activities-to-content-distribution-service/

Three birthdays today!

Happy Birthday to penwiper26, anatari and yinkawills. I hope that you all have the happiest of days and that the celebrations go well.

::love and hugs::

And to those in the US: Happy Thanksgiving!

I just finished watching episode 5 of Eyes. I was wondering if they were going to do anything with the fact that Rick Worthy's character, Chris, is gay; it was a plot point in the pilot, but as we know ::cough:: White Collar::cough:; things can change when the second episode airs.

So when the FBI agent who'd been helping them came to thank (former FBI agent) Chris, I thought it was my slashy imagination that there were sparks, but no, he asked Chris out and it was sweet and charming so I uploaded it.

He could be the equivalent of the Sentinels BOTWs and never seen again, but still... Hang on; I checked IMDB and he's in one other episode. ETA They SAY he is, but he isn't ::pouts::

You know, would it kill TV shows to have more gay characters with nice, angst-free relationships, featured matter-of-factly alongside the straight relationships (this episode had a running plotline about the romantic lives of two other main characters)?

ETA Sera Gamble from SPN wrote this one. Small world.

Stoke are still, incredibly, ninth in the table, though their match against Portsmouth yesterday, which I watched, was pretty dire, especially in the first half. It was as if the ball and the players were a few seconds out of sync.

Of course, the wind didn't help... The Britannia is terribly windy at the best of times (the corners of the ground aren't filled in, do not ask me why) and yesterday it seemed to be more than usually blustery.

What amused me though, was the Stoke segment on the roundup programme later. We were told solemnly that no team has wasted chances more than Stoke and that if they'd won all the games they were leading in, instead of letting their oponents catch up or beat them, they wouldn't be ninth but, wait for it, SECOND.

::crickets::

The thing is, if I had a dollar for every time I sneezed this past month, I'd be chortling happily, but I didn't, so I'm not. Just because you're ahead in a soccer match is no guarantee you'll win it or even deserve to; fortunes fluctuate wildly. Sure, some of the games, Stoke threw away the lead, but others were just plain unlucky for them; it happens. Football; it's a funny old game, as Kevin Keegan astutely told us.

Look at the infamous French handball this week, that got mentioned every two minutes or so on every commentary, or Spurs beating Wigan 9-1 yesterday.

But Stoke are doing okay, bless them. Just don't give away any more penalties in the first 7 minutes, okay, lads? Not every team will pat the ball gently to the feet of my woobie, Sørensen.

A while back, I downloaded an episode of Eyes (2005) as Richard Burgi was in it, and liked it enough to d/l all 12 episodes.

And then promptly forgot to watch them.

Lats night, I started to watch, and wow, Holy Familiar Faces! Plus, it's pretty entertaining and I don't really know why it got cancelled. There are several shows on right now that are very much in the same genre.

Anyway, I decided to upload all 12 episodes (they were never all shown in the US, though other countries showed them here and there and then they became available online; I guess the producers figured someone might as well see them.)

The premise is that a very expensive to run private investigators firm (on the scale of the Lightman Agency in Lie to Me with a similarly offbeat owner, Tim Daly, playing Harlan Judd) is bleeding cash. Another company run by a devious and deadly Gregg Henry (Quinn's dad on Glee, plus he's been on Firefly, Dollhouse, Hung, you name it) is trying to buy him out.

There's an ongoing arc with the buyout as there's a mole in Judd's firm, and each week there's a case to solve. Judd's best friend and deputy is Chris Didion, played by Rick Worthy (Magnificent 7, BSG, SG-1) and the character is openly gay. There's a great scene in the pilot where he intimdates a homophobic skinhead. I also adore the female probie investigator, played by A J Langer.

The familiar names for me are in the first five episodes and RB's in 1.8:

1. David Marciano

2. Alexis Cruz, Mitch Pileggi

3. Eyal Podell (he was on Angel and he's the face wesleysgirl and I based Nick from the Ghost trilogy on) and Christina Cox.

4. Joe Spano

5. Jessica Steen

Anyway, here are the links, all around 350MB avi if you want something to watch over the Christmas hiatus.

( Eyes )

Happy Birthday elementalv!

I hope that the day brings you happiness in abundance, enough for all the year to come.

::love and hugs::

Happy Birthday jadebear07 and tsuki_no_bara.

I hope that the day is off to a sparkly start for you and just keeps getting sparklier.

Have a wonderful time celebrating.

::love and hugs;:

My cousin Angus, the one who got the OBE, was interviewed by the Financial Times about his firm's work supplying water to communities in Iraq.

He makes a scrummy lemon cake too; we saw him in the summer when we visited the UK and met his very nice partner, Carla and two children, one a brand new baby. Nice to see the next generation thriving.

Happy Birthday stopwatch_plz!

I hope that it's being the very best of happy days for you and that you have cake and presents and much spoiling surrounding you.

::love and hugs;:

350 MB avi
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SNQCYGDS
( episode thoughts )

This is a belated post-Halloween fic that took longer than it should. No spoilers or warnings, 2600 words of PWP.

( Sweet as Candy )

Going behind a cut.

( episode discussion )

Why is there no Top Chef torrent yet, why? ::pouts sadly::

David's on a management training course this week. As an ex-civil servant, I'm deeply cynical about them, recalling only too many drunken nights in hotel bars getting squiffly with the trainers until 3.00 a.m.

David's home early and sober every night, though; how times have changed ;-) He gave me an exercise to do; 37 questions about problem solving/work organizing and you circle 'applies to me/does not' on a range of about 8 ticky boxes. It was one of those things where you're sure you're being asked the same question three times, worded differently, and you just know your three answers contradict each other.

I was aghast to discover that one of the personality types was 'ideator'. THAT IS NOT A FREAKING WORD! CONFESS! YOU MADE IT UP!

David and I were totally different according to the test. He can solve anything on paper, creatively, but doesn't push to do it for real and I'm someone who explodes with masses of solutions, gets bored, runs with one and rushes it through because I get bored.

Did I mention I get bored?

Hm. I guess it's not too far off.

Mum and Dad flew home on Tuesday. We left them at the airport and discovered the next day that their reserved seats had been sold the day before the flight, including the extra legroom seat Dad paid $80 more for. Gee, thanks, Air Transat! Way to treat customers, one of whom is disabled and in a wheelchair. They got on the plane eventually and were put in the seats at the back by the toilets where the crew sit and as it was an overnight flight, Dad got no sleep. Grr. They'll get a refund but it doesn't make up for 8 hours of discomfort.

Does anyone love writing fight scenes? Not fighting as in describing a fist fight or whatever; they're horribly hard, but two characters quarreling. I do. David says all my fics can be described as 'you get them angry, then there's sex'. Not all of them! Just...well, most of them. It's so much fun writing a screaming match, emotions high, hands waving, UST simmering.

I'm working at the TS Secret Santa drabble prompts; David's parents arrive on Dec 13th so I want to have as much done as possible. They're always so much fun, but gosh, it doesn't seem like a year since I was writing them!

I'm rereading Bill Bryson's travel books and snickering helplessly and often. Love them, especially the Walk in the Woods one.

Maybe I should stop rambling and go and stir stuff; ginger orange stir fry chicken tonight. I was going to make French Onion soup but we're missing some ingredients (not onions; I have them) and I want to do it properly.

Our Christmas cake is made and we'll start feeding it rum/brandy this weekend; came out nice. I love the silicone bakeware; no faffing around with greased parchment paper or those round bits that fall out of the metal ring.

Okay, stopping now.

Ooh, no; I forgot. I tidied L's closet and found FIVE pairs of hand-me-down from E pants (trousers) that fit her perfectly and she loves. They'd been put in there years ago and become buried. Five! And they've hardly been worn; E grew out of stuff so fast and her trousers all ended up around her knees in weeks it seems.

Short 500 word episode tag for last night, 1.08, mild spoilers.

Just something that came into my head watching. And could this show get any more canonical about these two being married? I keep expecting an episode to start with them both in bed and the alarm going off...

( Decompression )

Happy Birthday emerald_green37

May the day bring you all that a birthday should, and in abundance.

::hugs you::

Wow, that doesn't happen often.

Happy Birthday to jd_junkie, savoytruffle, thefourthvine, and katbacker03: I hope that you all have the kind of days so good that you count from them for weeks to come. "Hey, it's two months since my birthday, the day I got the pink, foldaway helicopter. Doesn't time fly? And me, too, now I have a helicopter."

Like that :-)

::much love and hugs::

Just under the wire by a minute but Happy Birthday ponders_life! It's Mum and Dad's last full day visiting so I've been rushing around and forgot to check the list.

Hope it's been the best of days for you.

:;much love and hugs::

Once again, RB provides the chest. And more. Think The Rig, not Big Shots, sadly. Mike also took his shirt off. Bad mistake. He didn't really shine in comparison.

I love the last two :-)

( screencaps in abundance )

Happy Birthday to foofasaurus (that's such a cute name!).

I hope that you have the best of days celebrating.

::hugs you::

It's here. Today's the last day, this is positively the last reminder, and at midnight EST voting in the 2009 LMFA closes.

Why are you still reading this? :-)

You can browse the ballot here and then head to the voting page here to cast your vote.

Friends loaned us Beatles Rock Band so that Dad could have a go on it. Dad was a drummer back in the day and he hasn't lost his touch, though in some ways it's harder for him as he's used to playing the songs his way and he says the game is a beat behind.

He's scoring 96% and 40 note streaks without even trying; obviously isn't inherited. I just had my first go on it and after six songs, the best I did was 50% and that was due to wild flailing and hitting everything. I just cannot coordinate to go from yellow to yellow/red, yellow.

I thought it was helping when I started singing along (and bouncing up and down, but let us not speak of that) but noooooo.

Oh, the shame.

I sent out 'Loss of Contact' to the Moonridge people last night and felt in the mood to write a standalone PWP in the PoC verse.

This is dedicated to t_verano as a thank you for her wonderful work in beta reading LoC.

There are no spoilers for LoC; this is just the boys playing on a random afternoon. No spanking, just some D/s play, more fun than anything else.

1200 words.

( Point of Order )

Going behind a cut.

( episode thoughts )

This time from Dear Author's Joan and Sarah F who gave it a B+ and had some very interesting and thoughtful points to make.

And the adorable t_verano has done an incredibly fast turnround on the Point of Contact sequel beta and I have it here in my hot little hands and I'll try to get the editing done so that I can send it off to the Moonridge bidders today or tomorrow.

I suppose I should stop calling it the PoC sequel; it does have a title;

Loss of Contact.

Which sounds potentially angsty, but you know me; all angst is temporary. Usually ;-))

I'm also writing a post Halloween PWP featuring Jim and Blair and a lot of leftover candy and making a start on the drabbles for ts_secret_santa. The prompts are here and I hope lots of people play this year; always so much fun.

And now I'm taking Mum out to wander around downtown. In our town, that's a small area, so it won't take long :-)

Two lovely people celebrate today, nwhepcat and kres.

Happy Birthday to you both and may the day bring you nothing but happiness.

::love and hugs::

I'm remembering. Family members who returned from WW2 shattered and broken, half-forgotten stories from childhood, told to me by my grandparents that still resonate, studying WW1 poems at school and trying to grasp the horror and futility of the struggle.

All those who ever died so that I could be free to write this -- thank you.

Happy birthday fractal_bat!

I hope that the day is the best of all days and that the cake is deliciously squishy.

Have fun celebrating!

::hugs you::

In last night's episode, so I won't bother uploading it unless anyone wants it.

( very spoilery speculation for Karl )

ETA spoilers for other RB roles in the comments.

Yesterday was beautiful, mild and sunny, so Dad, David, Lauren and I went for a walk in the local woods. We'd only just started to go along the trail when the couple in front of us called us over; the man, who seemed to know what he was talking about, had found a salamander and we all got to hold it for a second. It was small and wriggly and kind of slimy in a rubbery sort of way. Think of a live Gummi Worm :-)

He said it was quite rare and when we got back, we looked it up. It seems to be this one:

Jefferson Salamander which 'only occurs in southwestern Ontario where it is rare and local'

Bound and Determined, written by Alexa Snow and me, and published by Loose Id, has just been given two five star ratings, which is a very nice way to start off a Monday.


The reviews are here:

Rainbow Reviews, reviewer Lily

and

Whipped Cream, reviewer Fern

They make me want to read it, and I already know what happens :-)

A scarier thought than brain-eating zombies and all that leftover candy: a week from tomorrow, it'll be too late to vote in the 2009 LMFA. Voting closes at midnight EST on the 15th of November, and then it's all over but the counting.

Mondays are never fun, but don't let Monday the 16th have an extra reason to be gloomy because you've missed the boat; vote for your favorite fics, vids, or art while you still have the chance.

You can browse the ballot here and then head to the voting page here to cast your vote.

Just took L and 2 friends to see this for L's ninth birthday party.

I read the book to my daughters when they were little, but it's not part of my childhood (not sure it's known in the UK much?) so my mum, who went with us was a bit lost.

As she said; nothing happens.

I liked the book well enough but when I saw they were making a movie out of it, I was all ???? as there is not a whole lot of source material (nine sentences and the pictures?).

I found it profoundly depressing and dull with the odd moment of discomfort and my favorite bit was the sea and the beach; gorgeous setting.

But overall? Meh. And most of it went right over the kids' heads so what was the point?

Happy Birthday to a longstanding LJ friend, the lovely desoto_hia873.

I hope that the day brings you nothing but good things from start to finish, with enough left over to fill the coming year.

::love and hugs::

Behind the cut.

( episode thoughts )

I'm hosting the Torquere LJ today, so come on over and see what's going on. I haven't posted anything yet as the house is full of children getting ready for school (I childmind two extras on Thursday morning).

I've developed a sharp stabbing pain in my elbow. Dad says it's bursitis. Not sure if it's too much typing or yoga. I'm putting on some cream and taking ibuprofen.

Yesterday was Lauren's ninth birthday. We all went out for a meal and ended up at Montanas. Waiting for the food, the birthday girl reached for something and tipped her Coke into her lap along with a dozen ice cubes.
Her leggings were soaked through but I had the bright idea, since were were surrounded by big box stores, to run to one and buy her a new pair. Mexx Kids was a minute away and we dived in, grabbed some navy velour pants ($30 down to $15) and I explained what had happened, the lady clipped off the price tag and I paid while L changed into them.

Ran out fast -- and set the alarms off as a clunky plastic security thing was still attached.

The thing to detach it was attached to the counter so we had to lift L's leg up over her head pretty much to get it off. Fun was had :-)

Three lovely people celebrate today, so the cake needs to be many layered and delicious.

Happy Birthday sif_aka_joanna, sarituss and yasminke!

I wish you all the very best for today and the rest of the year.

::much love and many hugs::

Torquere interviewed me last month, since Wintergreen was being published.

If you'd like to read the interview, it's here.

I also did a Wintergreen drabble for promo purposes:

More Than One Way

Dan's eyes were closed, his lips shaping the words of the song his iPod was feeding him, a tuneless drone itching Tyler's ears. He contemplated walking over and peeling Dan's fingers from the bright red iPod, then putting them on him. Tyler had body parts that liked to be clutched lovingly, tightly, too.

But Dan pouting was hell, and Tyler didn't want to lose a finger.

He began to strip instead, tossing his discarded clothes at Dan.

By the time Tyler was unbuttoning his shirt, Dan was grinning, half-naked, and hard, the iPod slipping out of sight behind a cushion.