elrhiarhodan

On Monday at 6:44 PM, the world lost the amazing Temve.

( Read more... )

I was dreading my birthday this year. It's the first without either of my parents - and while it's been a while since we've made a big deal out of them - there's still a hole in my heart (and there will always be one, I am sure).

But my friends are wonderful, they made this one to really remember.

The whole weekend was actually filled with too much awesome for words.

Saturday, I just lingered in bed, reading fic...when the phone rang. Wasn't expecting anyone, but I answered it anyway. It was the collection agency that's been calling for someone who has a very similar first name and the same last name. I get polite messages every few days for her, and frankly, I am not going to spend my evenings on hold trying to call back and get it corrected. But this wasn't a robocall and I very politely explained to the caller who I was, and who I wasn't and she promised I wouldn't be getting any more of these annoyances. (Score One).

In the afternoon, I took a bag of scrap gold I'd been collecting over the years (a long number of years), and sold it. Nice bit of change there. And more importantly, it was forward progress. (Score Two).

Got the "good" table at Starbucks for the evening - the one closest to the power, and with the direct lighting (and the table top that doesn't rock). (Score Three).


Didn't stay 'til closing time, but went home and FINISHED MY FIC!!!!! Did you hear that? It's finished! 20K of lovely, lovely UST and frotting and domestic bliss. (Score Four).

Sometime around midnight, the presents started rolling in!

First was a podfic of my superdirty (and I didn't realize how dirty it was until I listened to it) fic, Bang Bang, Baby, Bang Bang from my dear, dear friend afiawri. I hope she'll let me upload it to Sendspace or Megaupload so other peoples can hear it too.

Next was a White Collar domestic futurefic from my dearest gyzym - Certain Things in the Real World. Neal's gone legit, but he still has what it takes...to piss Peter off.

When I woke up, I had fic from my oldest and dearest LJ friend, photoash -Truth Doesn't Always Set You Free. It's lovely and sad and angsty, and it's also the first time she's written anything from Peter's POV and it's MAGNIFICENT.

Then I was brunchnapped. RL friends too me to brunch at the Garden City Hotel, a wonderful establishment where the champagne flows freely and the food is incredible (cold lobster and champers is just a WONDERFUL combination - the Peter/Neal of gustatory delights). There was also bread pudding on the dessert buffet. I can't explain how much I love bread pudding. It is a miracle like Peter/Neal/Elizabeth OT3, especially when drizzled with raspberry sauce. And now I need OT3 foodie goodness. With raspberry sauce.

Also, I got lots of lovely prezzies - a silk shawl, a leather wallet, books, beads - in other words, LOOT! And my sister gave me an Amazon GC (we exchange the same monies for our birfdays every year).

I got home just in time for Slashchat, and while I was a little too buzzed for real coherency, the lovely ladies fed me cake and many Neal clones. And got me to write more tentacle porn (hugs you byrons_brain). And a magic tattoo wingfic thing that is going to become something for jrosemary's birfday.

As the evening came to a close, I got more fic.

About a week ago, coffeethyme4me a/k/a the high goddess of WC porn asked if I'd like a 500 word ficlet (she had a day or so before classes started), and I said how about underage Neal / older Peter. And she took off like Secretariat at the Belmont Stakes, and wrote the most gorgeous, awesome and achingly beautiful story - it takes no prisoners and makes no apologies. If You Are Going To Do It, Do It Right (Do It With Me)

But the day didn't end there. I got three more stories - three incredible historic A/Us from the A/U Queen, daria234

I've gotten birfday wishes from all of the world this year, RL and LJ friends have taken the time to give me their love. One of the best came from damietta who wished me a year as beautiful as Neal Caffrey.

Thank you everyone! You've made what I thought was going to be a difficult day into something utterly wonderful.

HUGS AND SMISHES TO YOU ALL!!!!!!

ETA: More birfday fic has rolled in:

surreal_44 wrote me some lovely Peter & El UST for Neal - Running Up That Hill. It's the first of THREE parts.

deepbluemermaid was kind enough to start a small comment fic for me when I was feeling down, and she made it long and gorgeous. Peter gets a back and neck massage from Neal after a stressful week. Neal gets .... well, I don't want to spoil the surprise: Magic Hands

jrosemary wrote a short sequel to her Ace-Neal story, Like Air, for me. This one's called Exit Strategy.

THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

 


In short, not much. Or a whole hell of a lot, depending on your point of view.

My company was closed on the Friday before Christmas, so technically, my vacation started on Thursday night. I pulled into my favorite Starbucks, got a Cafe Mocha and started writing. 'Bucks was opened until 4pm on Christmas Day, and I was there writing until they kicked me out (it was very interesting to watch the staff go through the store and take down all the Christmas promotional materials.

Sunday - well, if you live in the Northeast, you know what happened on Sunday. It snowed. Lots of it. Official total for my area - 15.7 inches, but based on my own readings, we had close to 20. I cooked and wrote all day, as the wind howled. Very exciting.

Monday, once the driveway was dug out, I headed out. And you guessed it - to Starbucks. Where I sat and wrote and drank and munched and wrote and chatted. Until they kicked me out (6:00 early closing because it was getting icy out there).

Tuesday I was supposed to meet sonia6349 in the City, but the trains weren't running - so we postponed for a few days. I ended up sleeping REALLY REALLY REALLY late (like 'til after 1 pm). I got up, got dressed and went out. Where, you may ask? Well how about Starbucks for a change. No - wait - I went to the library first and took out Season 1 of Numb3rs and the entire set of Prime Suspect. THEN I went to Starbucks, where I sat and wrote until they kicked me out (10 pm closing during the week).

I was a good girl, and got up on the early side the next morning (8 am), did some grocery shopping, some other things and...oh, fuck. Why should I even bother mentioning it. I went to Starbucks, sat at my corner table and wrote until 9 pm or thereabouts. I may have stopped at Barnes and Nobles for my new wall calendars, but that's about it.

Thursday broke the pattern - that was the day I drove to New Jersey and met jrosemary, of White Collar Fixation fame.  We had an utter blast - talking for hours about everything, and then about everything White Collar.  Even though it took over three hours to get home (grrrr traffic), I had a smile on my face the entire time.  jrosemary is funny and smart and warmhearted and just an incredibly super person.  (She's been my alpha, my beta, my cheerleader and drill sergeant for a story I've been writing - the one that puts my ass in a chair in Starbucks for a week and then some).

Friday was an abbreviated writing day - because (gasp!) I had plans for New Year's Eve.  This year marks the tenth I've spent with my friends F&G.  Our evenings are pretty low key - none of us really drink.  But the food was good (filet, mashed potato, salad, plus starters and dessert).  We usually end up watching a movie instead of TV, because frankly, none of us want to kill off brain cells (will they stop wheeling out Dick Clark already).  But this time around, I made a mistake.  I picked up a DVD set of White Collar AND a copy of La Jolie's latest, Salt.  Because I'm all about teh Choice.  They made the WRONG CHOICE - and we watched what has to be the worst movie I've ever seen (and I've seen some stinkers).  I could have been smiling at Peter and Neal's banter in Pilot, biting my nails over Govat, or cheering Neal on at the end of The Portrait, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - we watched Queen Puffy Lips pout her way into a hand-to-hand with Liev Schreiber.

The movie finished, we said goodnight, I went home (because, you know, Starbucks was CLOSED). 

Saturday was more writing at 'Bucks - yeah...as if I'd do anything else.  Don't remember much after that.

Sunday, nasty and rainy though it was, was an utter blast.  Took the train (yes, FINALLY the LIRR got back on schedule) into the City and met sonia6349 , FINALLY.  I really shouldn't put it quite like that, because we were shoulder to shoulder while waiting for TDK's autograph at the Paley Center event in June.  But this time, we finally talked with each other.  OMG - what a smart and lovely and wonderful and GAH - sweet person she is.  If there is a posterchild for what a fandom fan should be, it's sonia6349 .  We talked WC for hours (over 'cue at Brother Jimmy's). 

Yesterday, was last day of my vacation - because I am fortunate enough that requires the New Year's Day holiday to be celebrated in the New Year.  And guess where I spent it?  Not in Panera, that's for certain.

Now you may wonder, nine days of writing - but nothing new's been published...what gives?

Well, I'm working on a freakin' epic.  In the 10 days between 12/24 and 1/2, I added approximately 15k words to this crazy story I'm writing.  Yeah, it's White Collar, and yes - it's A/U.  But I don't want to say anything more than that - because it's really a story I don't think anyone's going to want to read.  It's just that ...well ... odd.

And I decided I needed a bit of a break, so I'm writing what was supposed to a short and dark story involving rough sex.  Hmmm, it's dark and it's got some rough scenes.  But no real sex - yet.  And it's not short.  SOMEONE HELP ME, PLEASE?

And now, back from the whining.

I've been thinking about dates for the next Promptfest.  There's a couple of things that are delaying it in my head.  First is THE CHICAGO BIG WC FANDOM MEETUP over MLK weekend.  (If you live in the area or want to come to the Windy City in the deepest part of winter, and want to join in the FUN FUN FUN, PM me for the deets).  I don't know how important a part my cheerleading played in the success of the last fest - but I can't do it justice if I'm distracted. 

Also, I've got this damn epic to finish - and if I start the fest before that's done, jrosemary will kill me.

So, as much as I like the idea of having the next 'fest start just before the Season premier, I'm thinking that the timing would be better if I started it on the morning of the 19th, right after the premier - which should catch the wave, so to speak (and give me a nice book of starter prompts.  It will run until the 31st, because on Feb 1st, I fly out to Arizona for four days of sun, fun and spending lots of money.

Anyway...that just about sums up everything in my life.  How were YOUR holidays?

A few weeks ago, I ranted against the awfulness of pop Christmas music. Now, I'd like to share with you a beautiful holiday song - Wendy & Lisa's "At the Closing of the Year" from the highly underrated 1992 movie, Toys.




If I cannot bring you comfort
Then at least I bring you hope
For nothing is more precious
Than the time we have and so
We all must learn from small misfortune
Count the blessings that are real
Let the bells ring out for Christmas
At the closing of the year
Let the bells ring out for Christmas
At the closing of the year.

If I cannot bring you comfort
Then at least I bring you hope.

Now all the winter bells are ringing
Hear them echo through the snow
And the children's voices singing
on the streets so far below

This is a time to be together
And the truth is somewhere here
Within our love of people
At the closing of the year.

A few people on my flist have been doing year-end reviews and assessments of their writing, and I thought - hey, that sounds like an interesting exercise.

( Or a nice way to keep me from doing any real work.  )

Another drabble fill from the Promptfest IV Masterlist.  It's been done before, I know - but this was a tough one to fill: Neal - Cogent:

---

Neal has never felt that his lack of a formal education was a detriment to any of his chosen careers (con artist, forger, thief, bakery owner, professional poker and backgammon player) or even the ones foisted upon him (confidental informant, FBI consultant). He is highly self-educated in subjects ranging from Japanese diplomatic history to Renaissance art to the modern political history of Myanmar/Burma, he is fluent in several dead and living languages, and can perform complex mathematical calculations in his head. In short, Neal knows what he needs to know, and if he ever needs to learn something, he does. Having some letters and a fancy Latin title behind his name is meaningless.

Peter, on the other hand, worries about Neal’s incomplete education. It’s not that he thinks any less of Neal because he didn’t graduate high school or that he doesn’t have a college degree. In fact, his admiration for Neal and for his intelligence increases when he realizes what an accomplished autodidact he is. There are very few subjects that Neal can’t speak to with anything less than perfect expertise. But still, it bothers him.

With so many other things going on, the issue of Neal’s lack formal educational credentials gets pushed deep into the back of the refrigerator, and it is many months before they actually sit down and talk about it. Peter, blunt instrument that he can be sometimes, simply asks Neal why he never got his high school diploma.

Neal blinks – he wasn’t expecting this.

“What does that have to do with anything, Peter?”

“It bothers me.”

“Why?”

“Because it does. You are the smartest person I know, and somehow it doesn’t seem right that you never graduated high school.”

“Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard.”

“But he has a high school diploma.”

“I somehow don’t feel the lack. Never have, I expect I never will. Peter, I just don’t get why you are taking this so personally.”

Peter sits there and fumes. Not at Neal, but at himself. He can’t really form a cogent argument to support his position. And he knows that a GED is not going to make much of a difference in Neal’s life.

Neal watches his friend, his partner through narrowed eyes. “Peter, if it will make you happier – I got my GED when I was in prison. Which is, if you want to split hairs, not the same as a high school diploma. I believe the ‘E’ in GED stands for ‘Equivalency’.”

Peter doesn’t comment. He just glares at Neal, feeling a little bit like a fool.

Neal figures he’s got about a week before Peter starts harping on him about a college degree.

( A selection of random things that have happened today.  )


It's Pimping Time

whitecollarswap , the brainchild of krazykipper , and co-modded by rabidchild67  and yours truly,   is opened and taking signups through September 25th.  It's a fic swap for the first round, and it's going to be a lot of fun.  I hope you'll all sign up.

Last night, I celebrated Passover with MVDF V, her husband and some old friends of hers that I like.  As the saying goes, a good time was had by all.  Since we all hate the traditional, male-centric Haggadahs that she had - we told our own version of the Passover fable.  At the end of the meal, we didn't sing songs.  We told dirty jokes.

M had a slew of fairly mediocre ones, I did my turn with the dumb blond ones, but V had the best one of all...

( The Difference Between Men and Women... )