ajsrandom

Mass Migration?

ajsrandom — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 02:23:15 GMT

I've joined the mass migration from LJ, and it's been a while since I posted here, so I figured why not join Dreamwidth? I still plan to stay at LJ, as long as things don't go crazy over here. I hope not, but it's better to be prepared.

Things going on in my life:

I manage to make it through 2 years of the pandemic and not catch Covid. Hubby supposedly did back in January, though he had it pretty easy.

My youngest is getting ready to graduate from high school. They have been accepted at all 3 schools they applied to, which is great. I was hoping they would. Now they have a big decision to make, and I'm along for the ride.

My second son got married last September. She's a wonderful young woman, and will be good for him. I'm pretty pleased by this development. Considering his personality and personal philosophy, I despaired of him ever finding anyone for him.

My oldest and his wife had a baby in July 2020, which makes her about 20 months old. She is so beautiful and a handful for them. She's definitely a daddy's girl and they love her to pieces. It's so good to see son #1 embrace his role as a father.

Me? I'm bumping along as I usually do, waking up late, going to bed early. Hey, it works for me.

It's been long enough

ajsrandom — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 20:32:52 GMT

I guess a year and a half is long enough to go without posting. I guess I just didn't have anything to say, which isn't weird. I'm an introvert and evidently that extends to my online presence. So how's my life been so far? Let's see.

In general:
My 2nd son recently returned from 2 years away, which is great. He's fun to be around and generally brightens up our lives. But things have not gone the way he planned for after his return. Thanks Covid-19, for wrecking another life plan. He is dealing with it in stride as much as possible. He got a job and has a sort-of girlfriend. School will have to wait.

My youngest came out as non-binary and pansexual about a year ago. This was a shock, though I did kind of feel something was up before they told me. At the beginning of the year, they also changed their name. All this has been quite an adjustment and I still slip up from time to time on the name and pronoun things, though extended family has been very supportive. I'm grateful for that.

Writing:
I'm basically only writing once a week now for camelot_drabble. At least it keeps my feet wet and is fairly fun. I jump into a fest now and then, but still don't write much over 1K words,

Reading:
I've set a Goodreads goal this year to read 50 books. So far I'm ahead, having read over 30 as of today. I'm a fairly eclectic reader, but lately I tend to go with romances- nice, fluffy stuff to get me through this stupid pandemic. Which reminds me that I need to go to the library to turn in some books and check out more.

Gaming:
Yes, I game, but not as hard as some people. Lately I've beaten Pokemon Ultra Sun and have taken the post-game as far as I want to. For Mother's Day, I got Pokemon Sword. I beat that in a week and have been working though post-game stuff and expansion pass stuff. It's fun and it keeps me occupied while my son is gaming on my computer.

I think I've written all I'm going to write for today. My life is incredibly uncomplicated but I manage to stay occupied. That's all I can ask for. If you made it this far, thank you and have a great day/night!

It's a meme!

ajsrandom — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 22:36:32 GMT

Stole this one from aeris444. Thanks! :)

How old are you? 44
Tattoos? No.
Ever hit a deer? No
Ridden in an ambulance? No
Sang karaoke? Nope
Ice skated? Yep, I lived in Alaska as a child and it was either that or ski.
Ridden a motorcycle? No.
Stayed in hospital? No.
Skipped school? In university a couple times when I was sick.
Last phone call? My hubby.
Last text from? My father-in-law, sharing a joke.
Watched someone die? No.
Pepsi or coke? Both.
Favorite Pie? Cherry.
Favorite pizza? Pepperoni.
Favorite season? Autumn.
Broken bones? No
Received a ticket? Yep, unfortunately.
Favorite color? Blue.
Sunset or sunrise? Sunset.

2019

ajsrandom — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 20:20:21 GMT

Happy New Year to everyone! :D

Camelot Drabble Holiday Exchange!

ajsrandom — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 20:52:40 GMT

Banner by schweet_heart, Art by Whimsycatcher

Come celebrate the Holidays with us Merlin style at camelot_drabble An anon exchange fest of Christmas gifts – drabbles, drawbles, or any fanwork that tickles your fancy! Hoping to see you there!

Sign-ups closes tomorrow December 5,^th!

Life Update

ajsrandom — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 21:51:04 GMT

I decided it was well past time I updated! I know, I know, I am very bad at this. Blogs just aren't me, I guess.

Life
I am doing all right, except for a mysterious abdominal pain that comes and goes, Sometimes painkillers help, sometimes they don't. And I've been to the doc, poked and prodded but so far no answers. It's frustrating but I'm living with it. Life is very different with only 1 angsty teen at home. I went through 2 boys, but this one is a girl. So different. And she just started high school, but is learning so much about herself and her capabilities. It's good to see her maturing. Hubby is hubby. He recently started a new job that we're not sure we're goingto stay with very long. They have some issues with our investments, etc. so that sucks. We'll see what happens.

Writing
Outside of Camelot_Drabble, I'm not doing a whole lot of writing. I need to be, because I've signed up for Finish That Fic, WinterKinghts, and Merlin Holidays. Trying to get in the Christmas mood before Thanksgiving is hard for me. Maybe I'll listen to some music- that sometimes helps. It's not about finding the time- I'vegot plenty of that. It's finding the motivation.

Reading
I've been reading mostly fluffy books, silly romances and cozy mysteries. It just seems that time of year. But I did recently finish Ivanhoe (understood it a lot better this time around) and I've got The Book Thief on my list. After Thanksgiving I'll dig into my collection of Christmas books, they range from mystery to romance to inspirational. They always get me in that Christmas spirit, which gets me through December without too much trouble.

I guess that's all for now. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but who knows? Y'all have a great day! :)

Finish That Fic!

ajsrandom — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 20:55:48 GMT

I'm signed up, are you?

'Finish that Fic, Merlin' is back to repeat the success!!

Come join us at ftf_merlin</lj> for a friendly competition to help you get rid of all those blasted WIPs you're ignoring in favor of starting new fics that are also bound to become WIPs at some point. This is your chance to clean out your conscience along with your WIP-folder.

I'm Alive

ajsrandom — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 19:00:30 GMT

I figured it is beyond time I update again, and now is good since yesterday was my birthday. :)

I am actually doing all right physically and mentally. I have good things going on in my life, keeping me busy. It's summer and my daughter just graduated into high scshool, and she is keeping me on my toes by chaufeurring her everywhere. I've also started going to the gym more to improve my "fatty" liver. What exactly that is, I'm not sure. I have to cut back on red meat and exercise more if I want to keep it un-diseased. Pretty exciting, LOL!

My writing life is barely existent. I'm grateful for Camelot Drabble, or I probably wouldn't be writing at all. It's pretty sad, but I just don't have the motivation I used to. I wish I did though, and maybe someday that will change, but for now I'm just going with the flow and drabbling.

In other news, my iPhone 6 just up and died on me. There goes all the pic and apps I haven't updated in a while. I got a new iPhone 8 last night, but iTunes refuses to sync with it, so I can't restore even the old stuff to it. I'm waiting to hear back from the Apple people about a solution, so I'm pretty bummed about that.

I guess that's all for now. I'm keeping it cool in southern Illinois, and I hope y'all are too!

-AJ

Me Update

ajsrandom — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 19:16:57 GMT

I thought I should post something since Christmas is long gone and I've had a little bit of living since then. :)

Life
It's been a week of doctor appointments! Last week, I took my daughter to 2 and went to 2 myself, eye doc and dentist. Today I am reaping the benefits of my dentist visit- a new set of fillings, yay! Half of my face is still puffy as I write this and I can tell why the dentist told me not to eat until it wore off. I had to eat something, and it was hard using only half my mouth, LOL! Other than that, I've been doing all right with my resolutions so far, and as they are so silly, I'm not going to write them here. Suffice it to say I'm trying to improve the health of my mind and my body.

Reading
I've read a couple of nonfiction books and 1 silly romance novel so far this year. I'm kind of doing the LJ book bingo thing, only I won't be sad if I don't happen to get blackout, LOL! The book I liked the most was Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown. She really digs into how we can develop into our authentic selves. I totally dig all of her books, and I oen them all, which is saying something. What, I'm not quite sure. :)

Writing
Besides finishing off Winterknights, Merlin Holidays, and Camelot Drabble's holiday snacks, I haven't done much besides weekly drabbles for CD. I just don't have the motivation to whip out my WIP and put it into shape. And I need to, since I signed up for Finish That Fic. I have a pathetic 0 words for that so far. One of these days I'll get it out and look at it.

I guess that's all for now! My life is pretty boring after all, I guess. By the way, has anyone tried out the "new post editor"? I tried it once and it sucked, IMHO.

Merlin Advent Calendar #24

ajsrandom — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 20:54:09 GMT

Merry Christmas everyone! This is a little thing I manipulated a bit. :)

I so loved doing this every day! Enjoy your holidays everyone!!!

Merlin Advent Calendar #23

ajsrandom — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 23:00:10 GMT

Another fic rec today! :)

Title: A Camelot Christmas
Author: lordtrayus
Pairing/Characters: Arthur/Gwen, Merlin/Morgana
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 9,176
Summary: It's Christmas in Camelot, Arthur and Gwen are married, Morgana has renounced evil, so why isn’t Merlin that cheerful that it’s Christmas? Argwen and Mergana, enjoy!
Notes: This is one I read every year, I love it that much. Takes place after S4.

Merlin Advent Calendar #22

ajsrandom — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 21:00:20 GMT

Merlin Advent Calendar #21

ajsrandom — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 21:00:30 GMT

A fic rec today! :)

Title: Tis the Season to Be Jolly
Author: MegElemental
Rating: PG
Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Morgana, Arthur/Gwen
Word count: 6,600
Summary: Merry Christmas! Merlin reflects, on a cold Christmas Eve, on a past Christmas that had more promise than this coming one... M/M, Arwen. A little Christmas treat.
Notes: This starts and ends a bit sad. The happy middle is a warm and fuzzy romance that leaves you going "awww."

Merlin Advent Calendar #20

ajsrandom — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 21:00:22 GMT

Merlin Advent Calendar #19

ajsrandom — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 21:00:29 GMT

Now here's something I would have posted to Camelot_Drabble if I'd remembered to sign up! :D

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Merlin groaned in frustration as he read the “departures” board. His flight home had been delayed again, and he was beginning to wonder if he’d make it home for Christmas at all. He walked back to his seat to sit with all the other disgruntled holiday travelers. Meanwhile flights came and went while he waited.

After once again checking the board, he decided to call home. He punched in Morgana’s number and waited for it to connect.

“Hello, love,” Morgana’s voice said over the line. Merlin sighed as contentment washed over him. Her voice was a panacea to cure the worst ill.

“Hi there. It looks like my flight has been delayed again. It’s pretty frustrating out here and I’m not holding on to much hope that I’ll make it home in time.”

“Oh, Merlin, I’m so sorry.”

“There’s nothing you can do about it, but talking to you has already made me feel much better.”

“I’m glad. And Merlin, I have faith you’ll be home soon.”

“Thank you, love. That’s just what I needed to hear.”

“Good! What else can I do to take your mind off of things?”

Merlin shifted in his seat. “Tell me what’s been happening there.”

“You’ll love this. It’s supposed to snow tomorrow and not stop until Christmas night.”

“That will be wonderful to see.”

“And here’s a surprise for all of us. Arthur told me he’s planning to propose to Gwen on Christmas. But it’s supposed to be hush hush so you can’t tell anyone.”

“Aw darn. I could have a lot of fun with that.”

“I know. But—”

Morgana’s voice was cut off by an announcement by the gate official. “Attention everyone. Flight 444 bound for London will depart as soon as its current passengers have deplaned and the crew has turned the plane around.”

“Did you hear that, Morgana? I’ll be boarding soon. It seems I’ll make it home in time after all.”

“I’m so glad! Take care, love. I’ll be there to pick you up when it arrives. Let me know when that will be.”

“Of course. I love you. Thanks for being there for me.”

“Always. I love you too. Be safe. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Merlin rang off and settled back in his chair. He could believe the good news. Now he and Morgana would be together for their first Christmas as a married couple. Life was truly good, even if it didn’t always appear so.

Merlin Advent Calendar #18

ajsrandom — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 23:28:15 GMT

Another fic rec! :)

Author: rubberglue
Title: The 12 day of Christmas
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Arthur/Gwen, Merlin
Summary: There are 12 days to Christmas and a visit to a small coffee shop brings some Christmas magic to Gwen's life.
Word count: 10,133
Notes: This fic is so sweet it might rot your teeth. It's romance through and through, with lots of Merlin-ness thrown in for fun. :)

Merlin Advent Calendar #17

ajsrandom — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 23:12:06 GMT

A little comic I created from a Merlin scene. I think it's funny, WDYT? :)

Merlin Advent Calendar #16

ajsrandom — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 21:18:44 GMT

Just another thing I cooked up. :)

Merlin Advent Calendar #15

ajsrandom — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 00:12:34 GMT

Another rec today! It's a series of Christmas fics I wrote in '15 and '16.

Series title: Christmas Fluff, 11 stories
Author: ajsrandom
Rating; G to PG-13
Pairings/Characters: Various/just about everyone
Words: varies from 1K to over 8K
Summary: All manner of cute, fluffy, happy-ending holiday stories I hope you'll like. :)

Merlin Advent Calendar #14

ajsrandom — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 21:55:51 GMT

A fic I created a couple of years ago. :D

Homemade Christmas

Six days before Christmas and Merlin was now fully prepared. He’d decorated the flat, done the baking, and his last present from Amazon had arrived today. It was now wrapped and under the tree with the rest of the ones he was giving. He’d also updated his Christmas card list and signed inside the cards. All he had to do was address them and write a short letter. Then he’d be good to go for Christmas! It was odd being the responsible one for once.

By contrast, his flatmate Arthur hadn’t done hardly anything. He’d willingly let Merlin do all the baking and decorating, occasionally giving input but not lifting a finger to help. He’d done a little online ordering, Merlin had noticed, and had gone to a Christmas market downtown that Merlin had dragged him to. Arthur didn’t have anywhere to go for the holiday, as his sister would be with her fiancé’s family and his father would be out of town on business. Merlin had invited him to come to his mother’s house with him, but Arthur hadn’t given him a firm answer yet.

So Merlin was naturally worried about Arthur. He just didn’t seem to be in the mood for Christmas. When Merlin asked him about that, he’d said his childhood Christmases had been nothing special. It had been just the three of them; present unwrapping didn’t take long. And their rich father always bought them what they’d asked for. They’d never gotten to decorate or bake—their servants had always taken care of those things.

Merlin thought that sounded woeful indeed, but he was determined to make a happier Christmas for Arthur this year. He pushed and pushed at Arthur until he said, yes, he’d go to Merlin’s mother’s house. Merlin smiled and gave him a hug, telling him he wouldn’t regret it. Two days before Christmas, he carefully packed his gifts into Arthur’s car, and they were off to Ealdor.

Merlin turned the radio onto a station that played Christmas music. Arthur gave him a look, but didn’t say anything. As they drove, Merlin told Arthur all about his little family’s traditions. “First we’ll decorate the tree; Mum’s told me she’s got a gorgeous one this year. Then we’ll decorate the sugar cookies and gingerbread men. We used to leave them out for Father Christmas, but now we just eat them with lots of hot cocoa.”

“That sounds . . . fun,” Arthur replied.

Merlin made a face. “Of course it is. Then in the morning we’ll open all our presents and eat a breakfast of waffles covered in strawberries and whipped cream. Oh, and sausages for protein. After we clear that up, it’s time to start on Christmas dinner.”

“I suppose you’ll have a turkey and the usual sides.”

“Why yes, we do. And you’ll get to help.”

Arthur eyes widened. “Merlin, you know how I am with cooking . . .”

“Yes, you’re the takeaway king, but don’t worry. Mum and I will be there to help you.”

“Oh-kay.”

Soon they arrived at Merlin’s mum’s house. Hunith threw her arms around Arthur in welcome and he gasped at her strength. But as she led them inside, he looked around in wonder. The place looked positively Christmas-y. It was cozy without being pretentious, sort of halfway between their flat and how his father’s house looked. He smiled and basked in the warmth, going where Hunith instructed him and putting down his things.

That first evening they sat around and talked about anything and everything while drinking mulled cider. Arthur learned more about Merlin from Hunith and was pleased to see him blush whenever she told a particularly embarrassing story. He hadn’t seen Merlin embarrassed before, though he did plenty of things that would have embarrassed Arthur.

The next morning they set to decorating the tree. Merlin dug out boxes of ornaments from the attic and brought them down. Arthur had as much fun hearing the stories behind some of the ornaments as he had from the previous night. Many of them had been made by Merlin in his primary school days. After everything was on the tree, Hunith invited Arthur to set the tree topper, which he did gladly. He’d never known decorating could be this much fun.

After Merlin had taken the boxes back to the attic, they trouped into the kitchen to start decorating the cookies. Hunith took several containers out of the freezer and laid them on the counter while Merlin pulled out the powdered sugar and decorating bags. Arthur watched as Merlin and Hunith mixed the icing and showed him how to use the bags. Soon Arthur was decorating fairly well and smiled at his and the others’ creations. It really was quite a fun activity.

Soon it was evening again, and once again they sat around the living room with mulled cider. This time Arthur told Merlin and Hunith stories from his childhood. He found himself opening up to these two more than he had to anyone else. Hunith and Merlin just made it easy somehow.

It seemed he’d just laid down to sleep when Merlin was shaking him awake. He led Arthur over to the tree where Hunith was waiting for them. They sat down and began dividing up the presents. Arthur was surprised to see ones from his sister and father there. Merlin must have been behind that.

They rotated opening presents. Merlin explained that this made the joy last longer. Arthur and Merlin both received scarves from Hunith, and Merlin had gotten Arthur a new sweater that matched his eyes. Arthur was immensely grateful to them both for thinking of him. It was somehow nice not to get exactly what he wanted.

Breakfast was quite enjoyable. He’d never had the combination of waffles, strawberries and whipped cream before, but it was delicious. He gladly helped clean up and ready the kitchen for making dinner.

Actual cooking was surprisingly fun. Merlin made it fun with his goofy jokes and clumsiness. But despite those, the man could cook. Arthur wondered how he’d never noticed before. He watched and assisted in awe as Hunith and Merlin created enough food to feed at least ten, let alone three.

Eating the dinner was even more enjoyable. He’d thought he’d known everything about Merlin and Hunith by now, but the stories kept coming. He found himself laughing quite a lot and marveling at how this tiny family made Christmas so much more enjoyable than his childhood experiences had been.

That night he went to bed, grateful his goofy flatmate had invited him to his family Christmas. It was wonderful to see what Christmas could be like with those who took the time and care into making it an enjoyable experience. Next year he’d help Merlin decorate and bake more, and even ask him to teach him how to cook.

Arthur missed the satisfied smiles Merlin and Hunith exchanged before they went to bed. It truly had turned out to be the kind of Christmas that Arthur needed and deserved.

Merlin Advent Calendar #13

ajsrandom — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 19:33:52 GMT

A little Arwen today! :D

Merlin Advent Calendar #12

ajsrandom — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 20:02:36 GMT

Thought I'd do a rec today! :)

Ttitle: Christmas Time
Author: mydoctortennant
Pairing: Gwen/Arthur
Rating: T
Length: 5,330 words
Summary: Christmas is a time of retrospect and looking forwards.
My Notes: This is a sweet little story about the development of Gwen and Arthur's relationship at Christmas time. It includes flashbacks of previous Christmases and a special flash forward. :)

Merlin Advent Calendar #11

ajsrandom — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 20:10:11 GMT

Another Mergana, since they are my OTP. :D

Merlin Advent Calendar #10

ajsrandom — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 22:26:37 GMT

After I saw the painting I posted yesterday, I decided to recreate it with actual photos. I think I did OK, WDYT?