Ramblings from the 'goblinn

tagged by qui_quae_quod

I think I may have done something like this before, but I'll play.

A. List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
B. Tag seven people to do the same.
C. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it."

( Seven Facts )

If you want to do this, consider yourself tagged.

Tagged by angelmischa. Here are my top 5 favorite books, that I can remember in my current state of extreme stress and beer induced wooziness. Due to said wooziness, they are in no particular order:
( Top 5 Favorite Reads )

I won't tag anyone, but if you do it, ping me with a link, as I may be a bit busy this weekend.

I think this is a slightly different list than the one currently making the rounds, but I cannot make myself do the formatting required manually just now. But if anyone wants to see it, there it is. Maybe next year.

( Wasn't a terrible day at work.... )
( tnl_awards pimpage )
( 'This could be mathier.' Wee Hob and the Mathematics Experiments. )

Ganked from ladyforash:

You're Ulysses!

by James Joyce

Most people are convinced that you don't make any sense, but compared
to what else you could say, what you're saying now makes tons of sense. What people do
understand about you is your vulgarity, which has convinced people that you are at once
brilliant and repugnant. Meanwhile you are content to wander around aimlessly, taking in
the sights and sounds of the city. What you see is vast, almost limitless, and brings you
additional fame. When no one is looking, you dream of being a Greek folk hero.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Ok. I feel better now.

So, if I ever reach the other side of menopause, will the monthly mood swings taper off at all? Just wondering. I don't think I've actually even got to this side, proper, but having something to hope for would be nice.

Just a very tense couple of days, and some errors at work, some of which are properly my fault, many more of which aren't, and a QC manager who is grasping so hard at trying to keep his job by actually overdoing it for the new overlords (which would beat the previous not doing anything at all, if I weren't the target of choice) and who thinks his job involves creating mountains of reports blaming people for things that go wrong. People who have never been trained on most of these things and who have no procedure for catching them if they had been. People who were already on tight timing thanks to getting incomplete and wrong information when they first asked for it, and got said information far too late in the game as it was.

So, is there any cheer to be had? Let's see. I do feel good that I completed my next chapter of "In Loco" before Monday's deadline, even if I can't post it until it's been beta'ed and rewritten at least. And that I have a groovy box for snarkysneak finally in my car with her address (though I haven't got to the mailing part just yet. Still. Box. In car. That's huge.) And I have been having great fun judging my categories of tnl_awards. I've read most of the fics in my assigned categories, but there were a few I hadn't and-- wow. When all is over I'll have to rec some here.

But for the most part, a meh and stressful day by turns, and I am Sure my trying a doppio con panna this morning in no way contributed to my hair trigger temper/giggles/twitchiness. At All.

I just saw the final nominees list for The New Library Awards. This is the comm I have been incessantly reccing fics for since I stumbled across it soon after its inception, and have now somehow got roped into being a judge for the judged portion of the Awards. For those who hadn't heard, this is a very cool and ambitious new community, designed to bring attention to new and underappreciated authors in the Harry Potter fandom.

I will not, however, be judging in Serpensortia: Best Original Character, nor in Episkey: Best Gen Hurt/Comfort, nor in Diffindo: Best Gen Angst, as "Lost Boys" was nominated in all those categories. ( More awards wittering. )

But again, thanks. And now, what mischief does hobgoblinn have planned for the weekend?

( I have a cunning plan... )

( And finally, guess what I had to do at work today? )

Happy weekend to all.

First: ( cool map. )

( And the mathadventures of wee hob )

That's really all for now. I have ch9 of In Loco nearly ready for beta and a start on 10. But I really need to get cracking on Summer of Giles here. Soon.

Just some random stuff for the week that was.

( Reflections on the week )

( Work wittering )

( Periodical Cicadas )

Well, I have some work to get done before I go out to the ballpark. Hope to revise a bit of ILP 8 and finish ch 9. And get started on editing my Summer of Giles Epic. I've recently joined a WIP finishing community, and a rolling ficathon where you have to complete a chapter the last Monday of each month. I really need to get something resembling a work ethic. Ah well. Happy Saturday to all.

I'm cutting and pasting in a bunch of quotes from the loose_canon board of responses I got to my ideas about Snape and Dark Magic. It's for my own use, and I'll put it behind a cut, but if anyone wants to see it, have at. First and foremost, though, a link to a most excellent essay by bohemianspirit. If you missed that one, it's worth a look.

( And now the excerpts from loose_canon posts: )

My Snape essay got kinda taken over by this one. Thanks to the denizens of the Yahoo Group loose_canon for the recent discussions that led me to realize I need to get these issues straight before I can do much more with the story. They led me to pose the question there, in what sense is Dark Magic Evil? (Dark chocolate isn't, after all.) And here's what I've come to, for the purposes of my AU.

( Dark Magic is unadulterated Evil... )

A long while back, I found it helpful to set down in writing the way I viewed the character of Rupert Giles to see how I was or was not capturing his essence as I wrote:
Original "My Giles" Post (have to scroll down a bit) -- And a later addendum.

It strikes me now that, in addition to rereading this and doing a couple more for the Willow and Ethan of my Summer of Giles Story, I really need to do one for Snape. The Snape of "In Loco Parentis" is not the same Snape as the ghost in "Lost Boys." Neither are quite the Snape from canon, either.

That's perfectly okay. While fanfiction creates the expectation that your work is going to be highly derivative and based on a common framework, each writer brings his or her own "take" on the characters, puts them in situations quite unlike those we see in canon, and often has to choose among inconsistent clues from different places in that canon. And sometimes, while choosing, has to decide what kind of character he wants to spend time with.

So, that will be my project for the day, after helping out with the church Rummage Sale, getting Wee Hob a shiny new planner to write down his plans for completing merit badges this summer (and inexplicably, he wants me to teach him Latin, which, yeah, I'll do as long as he promises not to be a Dunderhead and actually does some homework) and cleaning up a bit.

But in the meantime, if anyone wants to weigh in on any of these characters, particularly how you see Snape (and Hermione) in "In Loco Parentis", I would love to see what has been coming across for you. I can already tell from a couple of reviews on this last part that I need to be doing a better job of making clear how this Snape is unlike the one in canon, and making the how and why of that plausible for the purposes of this story.

Happy Saturday, all.

Yes, I know I should be in bed. But I just ran across this fantastic story and had to rec it on the_new_library and leave scads of feedback for it. (You know how I get sometimes.) See what's been keeping me up past my bedtime and spamming your f-list tonight here.

Last night Wee Hob and I got dressed up to attend the annual banquet for the Bishop's Choir. I haven't been as regular and faithful to the group as I'd like to be, and I was honored to be invited anyway. But the real honoree that night was an amazing fellow who has devoted the last 74 years of his life to this chorus. Here's the article that ran in the local paper.

( Tornadoes and grace )

For all those following it, the next chapter of "In Loco Parentis" is up here.

Saw this on the Sunnydale Herald today and signed up. The finish-a-chapter ficathon sounds like a fantastic way to build/ keep momentum going, but even if it's not, I'm in. Ch 8 of In Loco has been through first beta, I know what I need to fix, and I hope to get in a shape to post this week. I've got a direction on 9, as well. And I've got some editing on Summer of Giles to start soon.

But writing this entry is not getting any of that stuff written, so-- back to it.

But there are a couple of folks on this f-list I would be Delighted to see jump in here. In particular, (cough Water Hold Me Down cough and De Profundis .)

Oh my. Just looked at the master list. Good news is, my posting day is the day before I leave for Texas to visit my mom.

Bad news is, it's about 8 weeks from now. I really am going to have to get on the ball here and figure out what to do, and how to fix my 06 Nano Novel to be a suitable Summer of Giles offering.

In other news, Wee Hob had a wonderful time whitewater rafting in Tennessee this weekend with the Scouts. As it was raining this morning, he brought a damp tent home and it is now set up in our living room to dry/air out. I think he plans to sleep in it tonight, after he finishes his dinner and the Homework he didn't have time to do before he left Friday afternoon.

I had a good weekend, too. Had a quiet dinner with my platonic friend, watched Snow Cake with him after. Saturday was Way Too Long at the ballpark, though we came out better on the money afterward. If they dock us again for any reason though, that's it. Too much effort for too little money. I made a determined effort to drag myself out of bed and into the shower before noon, but only because I knew I would have to go pick up the Wee Hob early in the afternoon.

But mostly, I just needed to wibble about the fact that Summer of Giles has started. Which I have now done.

Here am I, skating in just at the wire to wish a very happy birthday to coyote_william. I have been meaning to read her Gifts for a long while now. Or rather, read to the end of what was there. I started it again last night, and -- wow. Her Dawn coming across a now human Spike 5 years post Chosen (in an AU where S5 of Angel never happened) is wonderfully rendered, and the interesting ways the two have grown, and how they are alike in some ways, is well worth reading. It eventually reunites William (as he now prefers to be called) and Buffy. But so far, I really like William's backstory and the different explorations of family relationships. At any rate, the best birthday gift you could give her would be to go read and leave some feedback.

Better get back to helping Wee Hob pack for the Whitewater Rafting trip this weekend. He seems to have learned a little from the last one. Though somehow he has the idea that if one sleeping bag is good, three would be ideal....

Good night, all.

Thanks to dragonydreams for the link to her lovely icons page, whence I snagged this lovely gem. I have some others, though, that I have no idea where I got them, and the guilt is weighing heavily on my soul. Does anyone know where these three came from?

http://p-userpic.livejournal.com/57280084/11102969
http://p-userpic.livejournal.com/57280043/11102969
http://p-userpic.livejournal.com/57600886/11102969

Also, I just got done reading the latest installment of JK Phillips' "Unchosen," and man-- if you haven't read it, start it now. It's refreshing reading Buffyverse fic this good, and at the same time reminiscent of stuff I read when I first came to the fandom. I don't know how to explain it, except to say that there's a freshness to it similar to the fics spawned by earlier seasons, before the bone crushing angst of later seasons took hold. It's not light and fluffy, but it's not as ponderous as later stuff I've read, either. Or maybe, as later stuff I've written is fairer. At any rate, here's the link to her site.

Finally, Wee Hob is determined to go swimming today, despite the fact that it was 40 something degrees (Fahrenheit) last night, is in the 60's now, and I've said No repeatedly. If he asks One More Time he will not go swimming until after school lets out in another week and a day, even if it's a hundred out there.

I've just now got to looking at the new installment on this, but I notice she has the following request on her home page:

Also, if anyone out there is really good at doing graphics, I have a request for a cover for Unchosen. I tried contacting Dusty, who did the beautiful cover for Death Brings Clarity, and had started on one for Unchosen (before I lost it in my computer theft), but I don't know if my contact info for her is still valid and I haven't heard back. So I'm looking for anyone else who would be willing to give it a try?

I'm almost sure Dusty is related to some of you on my flist, but if not, I also know there are a lot of talented graphics artists on it as well. If you have anything to offer either of her requests, go here and follow her links on the May 21 entry to get in touch with her. (I emailed her a bit of feedback and she was most gracious in her reply.)

I'll have to let you know what I thought of the story later. Thanks again to sniggs for the original heads up that let me know this long languishing WIP was back in business. If you're at all a fan of the Buffyverse, you should check this author out. (Fair warning-- Buffy/Giles implied; sometimes more than that. But worth reading even if you dislike that sort of thing, for the kids, Giles as a dad and widower, and Ethan being Ethan.)

As I was reluctantly waking up this morning, I got the flash of a question about the Buffyverse. Remember that stupid throw away line in Chosen, where Giles says he has to "dig up" his sources "quite literally; some of them are dead." What do we know about talking to the dead in the Jossverse? ( Read more. )

And thanks to katekat1010 for the lovely selection of Giles icons; for some reason I had none. If anyone has other Giles icon sources, please let me know-- hers were the first I stumbled across. I'd like a Giles hugging Willow one, I think. You can go to my user pics to see what I have so far-- all the Giles ones are hers. Except kitten giles-- anyone know who made that? I need to credit it appropriately.