the tragic flaw of charming men is exactly what it seems

writing is hard work, y'know?

aopt — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:58:11 GMT

I need to vent about writing for just a second. Don't mind me.

I am writing in third person limited from the perspective of a character who uses very casual, blunt language. I realised, midway through, that I am using the kind of language that he wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. There's no salvaging any of it, it's all ridiculous and... not flowery but stylised. And it's not bad writing, either. I don't want to have to go through all of it again but I can't in good conscience let myself continue in this vein. Alas, the woes of the competent self-editor!

I know it's important to kill your darlings when it's for the good of the writing, and I know I need to do it, and I'm going to do it, and it'll turn out for the best in the end. I'm just going to complain about it until then.

well it's goodbye, Boston

aopt — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:21:55 GMT

Hey folks! I'm sorry I've been so absent lately; if you've wondered where I was, the answer is threefold.

1. Tumblr
2. Packing up all my belongings, as I am
3. moving back to California.

I found a replacement! She's a really fun kid, my age, art student, cat owner. Her boyfriend bought me vodka for which I am eternally indebted to him, and they introduced me to their friends while eerisedda was off at conventions and the like. It was a good time, and I'm actually pretty bummed I only met them because I was leaving. But it'll be good to be home.

I have a lot of thoughts about leaving Boston. I'm... not really excited. I mean, I am, but mostly it's eclipsed by the sheer relief. These past months have been nothing but stress and frenzy even at their best, and while there have been good times, there were more bad times. I don't regret it, now that it's over, and I didn't always regret as it happened. I learned a lot of things I needed to learn. I think I'm a more capable person now. And it was good for me to be on my own for a while, as little as I enjoyed it. There's something to be said for going away to find yourself.

I don't like the thought of giving up. I don't like the unfinished business I'm leaving behind, or that I have a lot of friends I might not ever see again, or at least not for a long time. But it's not killing me. There are people I love here, some I know as well as I know pretty much anyone, some I've barely met twice. There are places I love and that have come to mean a lot to me. There are people who've helped me who don't even know it, who I couldn't possibly explain it to. And I might never meet them again, but somehow... I don't mind. I'm not quite sure how to explain it. But I've had closure in a weird way.

But I'm glad to be going home. And in a way that's how I know this is the right choice -- Boston never quite became home for me. I love this city, this coast, but I'm a west coast boy and no matter where I go that's not gonna change. I'll never love a city more than San Francisco. Not even four seasons and New York City can change that. Boston never stood a chance.

Anyway, my flight leaves at 8 tonight (less than four hours to go!) so next time you hear from me, it'll be from the other side of the country. As I said on Facebook, Boston, it's been real. Let's do this again sometime.

more on community

aopt — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:14:43 GMT

So I'm really hooked on this show. I've been marathoning it for the past coupla days; I'm on the seventeenth episode now. And I might be, uh, writing long AU fic? Of the Abed/Troy variety? Yeah.

I wanted to ask, since I know there are a couple Community fans on my circle, would any of you be down for letting me babble about plot at you? My usual source is staunchly refusing to watch the show and while usually this wouldn't deter me, I'm still a little iffy on characterisation (also on how much of myself I'm letting bleed into it) and so. This would be a huge favour.

If you've not seen Community, I'd like to say I recommend it, but because it is so perfectly tailoured to me in so many ways I can't guarantee everyone else will have the same reaction to it. It's really funny, has a really adorable pseudo-surrogate-family vibe, and is super self-aware and meta (thank you, Abed). It hits my embarrassment squick sometimes, but not enough to impede my enjoyment of the show. There's enough gen moments to make the romance tolerable, and the characters grow and mature! Especially Jeff, who at first I despised and now I actually like.

I had more on this entry, but bus internet erased it and I didn't notice, and now I've forgotten. Oh well. Happy new year!

my community college experience was nothing like this

aopt — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 06:48:40 GMT

real fast: So say I wanted to get into Community but only really wanted to watch it for Abed and Troy. Are there any specific episodes that I should download, or am I likely to get a good dose of them in most episodes? I'm planning on watching it on the plane tomorrow and would like to watch something that will actually catch my interest.

I am sort of eating my own words, because last year when I was surfing Hulu I found the first episode of Community and tried watching it. But I gave up halfway through because I hated Jeff so much. And now I'm realising I should've stuck around for the rest of the cast. Then again -- possibly this is going to be one of those "this show is terrible but I love these characters but why am I watching it" kind of deals, and I'll regret this all over again.

Anyway. Episode recs?

(And, uh, sorry I've been so bad at communication. I've been busy a lot.)

leaves on the tracks

aopt — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 06:35:49 GMT

I am writing from the windy city of Chicago, where the temperature is just below freezing and ALL THE FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN DELAYED. Fortunately for my sleeping prospects, I've been given a complimentary room at the Marriott and a flight at godawful o'clock in the morning to San Francisco, and then I will be home and it will be all okay. For now: hot water! King-sized bed! Complimentary lobby internet!

More on this later; I'm gonna head back to the room soon and shower and crash. Just wanted to let you all know what's up, mostly because I am finding it increasingly hilarious. Or, well, it started being funny once I'd checked into the hotel and eaten something.

so move aside, make way!

aopt — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:36:38 GMT

Crossover vids I never knew I needed #58: Doctor Who and Fireman Sam!

found via gipsy_dreamer at doctorwho

aopt — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:39:33 GMT

usullusa is compiling a list of Young Adult fiction that contains LGBTQ (and anything else under the umbrella, such as asexuality, intersex, polyamory, etc) themes. He'd really like some suggestions.

If you're going to contribute, he'd like the info in this order: Title; Author; Genre (if you know it); Age Group (if you know it); Kind of Queer Content (if you know it).

thomas dolby!

aopt — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:59:43 GMT

Just downloaded Thomas Dolby's two newest EPs, Oceana and Amerikana. I recommend them both if you are a fan of interesting music. He does really cool things with sounds that aren't necessarily meant to be musical and has some excellent arranging. And his lyrics range from fun to haunting and traverse the wide range of moods in between. He's been a musical fixture in my life for as long as I can remember, specifically his album The Flat Earth. But he's actually a really quality musician.

His two EPs are available for download at his official site, though for Amerikana you'll have to register at the message boards. Registration perfectly free, though, and they don't ask for any weird information. It was worth it for me. :D

If you're curious as to what he sounds like, here's a couple samples from earlier albums.

One Of Our Submarines -- this is on the more haunting side of things. Very digital. Best listened to at a higher volume, as there's a lot going on in it.

I Scare Myself (originally by Dan Hicks) -- more instrumental. This one's an earworm, though, watch out!

Daredevil 512 reaction post

aopt — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 05:07:00 GMT

SCREAM

First of all YES CARLOS IS STILL ALIVE. I really love Black Tarantula. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's because he stuck with Matt but tried to keep him from going too far, maybe it's because he seems to have it together and know his own limits, maybe it's because he's got some really killer facial hair. I like to think it's not just because I appreciate seeing Latino characters in my favourite series, though I suspect that's part of it.

I love that Dakota immediately went to Night Nurse to look for him, too. I missed a lot of Daredevil leading up to Shadowland; did they have a thing? Because, um, while I totally dig them as friends, they seem to have some serious chemistry and I actually wouldn't mind if they got together. Am I actually shipping a het pairing? That doesn't already exist, I mean? This is weird.

The scene with Foggy was oh god painful and beautiful and everything I love about him. Even though his friends and partners are saying he should ditch Matt, even after everything Matt apparently did, Foggy still wants to stand up for him. "Don't you see? For once, Matt needed me." That's what I love about Foggy so much -- he's a civilian, he's human, he doesn't have superpowers or the know-how or desire to get out there and save the world with his fists. But he muddles through and does what he can and more and has such strength and loyalty. (Ultimate Hufflepuff, you guys.) He believes in Matt when almost no one else does.

And then there was the bit with Luke and Danny that I just really loved for how very them it was. Danny, too, hasn't given up on Matt -- in fact, this was a running theme in Shadowland. Even now, after it's all over, after everything, his first words to T'Challa (when he still thinks it's Matt) are "we know things got a little crazy, all right? But it's over now." Contrasted immediately with Luke's "Like hell it's over." Such a brilliantly written scene. Danny's also incredibly loyal to his friends, to the point of fault, whereas Luke's committed to telling it like it is and doesn't forgive or forget so easily. I really like that in both Danny's and Foggy's cases, there isn't an automatic answer if they're right. At the end, Matt admits that at the beginning, that was himself. He made the choice to kill Bullseye; he set everything in motion. He's not the only one to blame, and he was influenced, but never coerced until he was completely possessed, at the end. So should Foggy and Danny move on? Are Becky and Luke right about Matt?

On a more shippish note, I love the exchange when Danny and Luke spotted "Daredevil". "Holy--" "Go." Actually, the whole scene was great shipping fodder. The whole event for that matter. Marvel isn't doing much to dissuade me from shipping Matt with everyone, and particularly not with Danny (or Foggy for that matter).

I'm super excited for T'Challa's stint as Man Without Fear. I really love T'Challa. He's so concise. "It is [my turf] now. Spread the word." This should be a lot of fun. And T'Challa is less of a trauma magnet, so the title should be, while gritty, rather less full of manpain, which will also be a nice break.

I'd like to just take a moment to be excited about the narrative form here. I mean the whole issue is gorgeous, the art and colours are phenomenal, but the narrative form just takes the cake. It is such a perfect conclusion. We get loose ends to the plot wrapped up neatly, one by one, without spending any energy doing anything else but setting up the future in really organic ways. Slowly we begin to build a picture of what the future is gonna be. And then we get that last page with the supporting cast all wondering the same thing, that one thing we're waiting to find out, that thing that's gonna drive the future of the character and the Daredevil title --

Where are you, Matt Murdock?

No one knows, least of all Matt. He's been quite literally Put On A Bus, on the symbolic Road To Nowhere, and in the grand tradition of heroes who've lost their way, he's leaving his home to find himself. His jeans are frayed and his hair grown out; he's been on his way for a while. He gets off at a gas station in the middle of Nowhere, USA, though there's a town about ten minutes by bus away. He's been stripped down to the essentials. Daredevil's gone; he's just Matt Murdock, not an attorney at law, not a superhero, but also not a supervillain. He's alone. He's got the clothes on his back and the guilt on his shoulders, and he's out to find an answer. And there's no irony here. Neither he nor his cast nor the readers know where he's going.

And he leaves us with these last words before we part ways: They think I wasn't responsible for my own actions... But we all are, in the end. Just as we all have to answer for them.

[Text says: "Because that firs step over the line... That decision to take the life of a murderer and become one myself... That was all me. And everything that followed on from it -- the insanity, darkness, and death -- that's the burden I have to carry... Down a long and lonely road... paved with good intentions."

wishlist 2010

aopt — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:44:40 GMT

I guess people are doing the "ten things I want for my holiday of choice" meme, which I always like because then I can make things for people. So here's mine, in hopes that it will help anyone who for whatever reason wants to give me a gift. :) Nothing is expected, anything is appreciated, etc etc.

1. (here's the big ticket) a replacement roommate so I can go home and not have to beg people for money/ sell my bagpipes for January rent.
2. new music to listen to, holiday-themed or otherwise
3. Marvel trade paperbacks
4. Harry Potter, Excalibur/Captain Britain & MI-13, or Daredevil icons (I like simple, vivid images with a lot of stark shadow or colour)
5. fanfic/art of any of the above, as well as Misfits (which I haven't watched yet but am planning to), Supernatural (which likewise I will be catching up with soon), or Bad Machinery (because I forgot to request it for Yuletide).
6. for all of you to have a fantastic holiday season, whatever you do for it.
7. links to any particularly striking winter-themed (or seasonal in general; I'll use them all eventually) photographs/artwork, particularly of the 1280x800 size or larger
8. food items of any delicious sort
9. paid dreamwidth account (mine expires in three days D:)
10. peace on earth, goodwill toward men, a government that isn't full of fail (hey, a boy can dream)

You should all post your own! :D

croak

aopt — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:12:25 GMT

today I was going to go put up flyers, but it rained all day and also I came down with a cold. So that didn't happen.

bah. I hate being sick.

aopt — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 07:58:07 GMT

feeling pretty good all of a sudden but now I can't sleep.

if the valerian tea doesn't work, guess I'll work on commissions and Yuletide.

I guess things could be worse. :)

take a gander at this

aopt — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 02:04:17 GMT

Wandering about the internet, I came across a really fantastic Harry Potter vid. For your viewing pleasure:

(Does this person have a LJ/DW account? I want to follow them.)

every day it just gets harder to live that dream you're believing in

aopt — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 06:54:02 GMT

Today has been a terrible day.

Lost my job. Didn't get any writing done. My friend's in the hospital. Didn't eat more than some snacks at Transgender Day of Remembrance. I just... don't know how to deal with everything, all at once.

At least I don't have to go back to work next week, I guess.

Shit.

aopt — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:58:44 GMT

Hey I hate to keep asking about this but does anyone know of A) a frequented site other than craigslist wherein people seek roommates/a room to rent, or B) someone who's moving to Boston and looking for somewhere to live?

I wouldn't keep asking if it weren't important. I've put an ad on craigslist, but I don't know which other websites are bullshit and which ones people actually use. Gonna make a flyer to put up around town. But if anyone knows anything, I'd really appreciate it if you could share. This is sort of urgent.

cards! cards everywhere!

aopt — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:53:27 GMT

Weeeeell we all know my horrible track record for actually making and mailing cards (I think I still have some to send out from last year, whoops) but I am determined to try again this year. Thus: who wants a card? It will be hand-made since I can't go buy any. If you feel uncomfortable giving me your address or just feel you have a better chance of receiving one this way (it's very likely this is true) I can also make you a digital card.

Anyway, if you want one, leave me:
1. Name it should be addressed to
2. Mailing/email address
3. Character/figure you would like to wish you a happy holiday
4. (optional) Preferred holiday*

*if you leave this out, I will make it non-denominational.

Comments are screened for your convenience.

horribly negative post full of horribly negative thoughts

aopt — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 06:30:04 GMT

/insert standard vague statement of unhappiness here

I got a hit off an ad I published but the woman in question is thirty and my roommate wants someone no older than twenty-five. Which, I mean, is fair and all, but what if no one around our age wants to move in?

I hurt my wrist somehow on Thursday; I don't know what I did to it exactly but it's not swollen at all. It does hurt a lot when I put weight on it or bend it back. I don't know if it will be a problem at work or not.

I am seriously behind in NaNo and am not sure when I am going to catch up.

It's looking like I'm not going to be able to see Harry Potter on opening night, I think it's sold out. Which is not really a big deal, but I was looking forward to it, and I don't have much to look forward to these days other than sleep.

I need to clean.

I am having difficulty coping with the fact that I really like Katy Perry's song "Teenage Dream". I mean, actually like it, not just appreciate it for its dance music value. I don't like Katy Perry. I don't typically like her music for its quality if at all. And yet, this song.

~~I really don't want to go to work tomorrow.~~
I really don't want to go to work ever.

I need to buy a winter coat but it seems silly since I'll be leaving. But I suspect I'll want it while I'm here.

New York is too far away to just pop down for the evening.

I am out of comfort food. Also salad. Also things to drink that are not water or tea.

Good things, because ending on a good note will in theory make me feel better:

I did laundry today.

I saw a friend today and we had coffee and chatted. That was fun.

When I get home tomorrow I can watch Misfits and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

I am at least getting hits on my housing ad. Well, two. And neither of them seem like they're going to work out, but if two people were interested, others will be, right?

I get paid tomorrow.

going to sleep now. Things will most likely feel as bleak in the morning but at least it'll be with six hours of sleep more than I have now.

sought: replacement roommate

aopt — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:53:05 GMT

Early shift tomorrow. It's wicked cold outside. Winter's coming, and I don't have a suitable coat, but I don't mind.

I'm going home.

I'm not going into why this is a good idea for me right now, but suffice to say that while I love Boston, this isn't really the right time for me to be living here. I'll try again, later, but not for a while. The reasons to move here were good, but the reasons to leave California were flawed, and the things I was hoping to find here were things I could find (and in some instances already had) back home.

I talked with my roommate tonight and we have resolved to find me a replacement and hopefully a third roommate as well. If I can find at least one person before December (or at least have things finalised before December 20) the moving process will be made greatly easier: I just won't come back after visiting home for Christmas.

This said, does anyone know of someone who's looking into moving to Boston or finding a new place here? We're in Allston, closer to Brighton, the bus stops almost in front of our front door and Union Square is within walking distance. Heating, garbage and recycling, and hot water are provided; we pay for electricity, gas, and internet. We have a lot of space, two bedrooms, one bathroom and another one that the landlords say they'll fix up eventually. The landlords are pretty reasonable people and there's no middleman. It's about fifteen minutes to Harvard Square and half an hour to Copley. We have a washer and dryer in unit, and also a dishwasher. Nice view. It's not very loud except for the odd firetruck. Our neighbours are friendly and mostly keep to themselves (and also quiet). There's a lot of reasonably priced food options, a park, and nightlife also within walking distance. I'm currently paying about $950 (including utilities) a month; if we found two people, rent would be cheaper than that. My roommate has a cat. She doesn't smoke; I haven't either. If you want to negotiate with the landlords, you could potentially have a parking space.

We're also looking into putting up flyers and advertising elsewhere, but it'd be nice to find someone who's got the qualification of being a friend or a friend of a friend, etc. Any help is appreciated! Also, feel free to link this to people if you feel so inclined.

Less business, more blogging later. This is more urgent, though. Thanks.

word count: 1,713

aopt — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:36:51 GMT

Will be posting word count updates daily. So: who wants to be on the NaNo filter? If you were on it on LJ last year, you're still on it, no worries. (Unless you'd rather be off! In which case let me know.) I ask because I might be posting excerpts and I don't necessarily want them to be easily accessible to the public. Note that even if you're not on it I will be talking about it all the time anyway (just not the details of my writing, mostly my writing habits) so if you have a huge aversion to anything NaNoWriMo you might want to stop reading my blog for the next month.

Going to a write-in later tonight, which should be fun; hopefully I can get substantially ahead this year and actually finish my novel, not just get to 50,000 words.

The title this year is "Standard Fare" and it's a horror-lite whodunnit. I'm pretty stoked.

a working man

aopt — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 23:31:08 GMT

Been working a lot lately. Had a 35-hour week this past week and a 34-hour week next up. Tuesday and Wednesday are the new weekend. Closing is my favourite shift. I get along way better with the closing guys than the openers. Possibly it's because of the supervisors -- B* (closing supervisor) and I bonded almost immediately over being comic geeks whereas A (opening supervisor) doesn't really talk to me about stuff other than work.

There's a sort of inadvertent grouping by gender going down, too. I don't know if other people notice it. A and B don't get along too well, and most of the guys seem to be assigned under him (except Other J and V) as closers. Whereas the girls are mostly under A. They've been sort of condescending to me, which I didn't notice so much when I was still learning the ropes but found extremely grating today, perhaps because I've gotten used to knowing how to do things. No one female-presenting has asked me anything about myself or talked to me other than asking me to do things/showing me how to do them. And I mean, I don't mind, it's work, not socialising, but I think it's odd that this split is there. And sort of nice in that I pass completely; even my boss and the manager J, who have seen my official documentation, refer to me by my preferred name and pronoun, and the guys call me "dude" and "bro" regularly. So gratifying.

All this dishwashing is killing my hands, though, and all this standing around is wreaking havoc on my feet and legs. Guess I should report back to physical therapy. I have no excuse; I even have the prescription for it with me. I have a bunch of appointments to make, actually, which I keep forgetting to do because I'm not used to it, I guess. Also I am slowly but surely getting my sleep cycle back on track, but this is being horribly interrupted by a terrible return of insomnia which I'd keeping at bay for years by not sleeping at sane hours. Herbal sleeping remedies are doing nothing, but I can't exactly afford to shell out for over-the-counter sleeping pills. I think I may just ask a friend to buy me some more cheap wine, that works sometimes. Would ask for something stronger, but I can't really afford that right now. Not until November rent is paid.

Speaking of November! NaNoWriMo is nigh, and as I'm not at school anymore there is NO WAY IN HELL I am missing it again. I'll probably ask again in an entry that is not a million words long, but is anyone interested in me making a Noveling Filter? You will be subject to all of my pained rants about how my main character is refusing to cooperate and the plot still doesn't exist and I am SO MANY WORDS BEHIND, and maybe occasionally even some story. It will probably be urban fantasy of the "pre-adolescent of some variety discovers magic world in rank alleyway, kicks ass despite obvious limitations" variety, with sphinxes. Though there is a chance that will be only part of it, depending on how much mileage I can get out of this character.

Hopefully this will effectively kill the writer's block I've been suffering since this summer, and I will be able to write when I am not working as I originally planned when I decided to move to Boston, and will actually have something to show for 2010, creatively speaking.

Have to finangle some free time to make it down to NYC again, this time to visit my grandparents, who will be in town. Not sure which days I should be there, which will be a scheduling problem, but hopefully I can work things out with both my manager and grandparents before that week. And also Girlyman will be in town then and I am not sure how all of these things will be accomplished. What I can't do is miss any more work than I have to, because I have bills to pay and oh god when did I become an adult.

Like last night, when closing supervisor said I could probably go home early, we were pretty much done, and I replied "NO. I CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS WORK." Or earlier in the day, when I saw my schedule for next week and asked my manager, "Hey, if you can make it work, could I get more hours next week?" because 27 hours was TOO FEW. Despite the fact that I am SO TIRED from work and would LOVE a lighter workload. But that is impossible. On minimum wage, I can afford to live here if I work an average of 35 hours a week. If I can't consistently make this, I will need to find a second job. Aaaaaaaaaah.

ANYWAY the chances that many people actually read this far are fairly slim, I expect, as you probably said, "Ah, Iambic is having money problems, WHAT ELSE IS NEW" and moved on to more exciting fandom-y things. I could get excited about Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but why make this entry relevant to people's interests? I'll go attempt to plot instead. Happy weekend for those of you who actually have one. Know that I am jealous.

* Letters substitution for actual names, of course

so that happened.

aopt — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 05:18:45 GMT

So the job is pretty cool, and I may have more to say at a later date, but right now it is just really important that I inform you all that my boss' name is Yusuf.

brb writing the fic where Yusuf owns a coffee shop and the rest of the team work for him.

(by the way the tag is lying. I am not a barista yet. Just a busser for now.)

Forgive the terrible pun.

aopt — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:37:07 GMT

Pros: Steve Epting, Gail Simone, Stephen Sadowski, Kevin Maguire, Valentine De Landro (who is drawing me Pete Wisdom omg), the Tiny Titans guy and the Mini Marvels guy (neither name is coming to mind, I am sorry and also hung over), rufftoon from deviantart, insomniac from everyone, several more awesome fandom people (some of whom live in Boston!), Chris Batista (who is the coolest guy ever seriously. HE ADDED ME ON FACEBOOK), and FABIAN NICIEZA who is really fantastic and surprised I'd read X-Force and knew about his Rictor writing and showed me next month's Red Robin and it was amazing.

Cons: OH GOD MY FEET. OH GOD MY WALLET. OH GOD THIS HANGOVER.

Longer NYCC post later.

jobs and cons and ROBOT DEATH HOOKS

aopt — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:57:57 GMT

Woke up from a Peter Pan/ robot apocalypse crossover nightmare ten minutes ago to realise that I had a doctor's appointment RIGHT NOW. I hope this isn't indicative of my day.

By the way, the job I have is at a coffee shop on Newbury St so I can watch the hipsters and really ridiculously rich businessmen and tourists go about their day. The coffee shop is staffed almost entirely by people who look like art students though, which bodes well. And the owner is super nice. Also they got back to me the same day I had the interview, which was the day after I turned in my application. Starbucks could stand to learn something from them.

Also! I will be at New York Comic Con ALL WEEKEND, so if you'll be there and want to hang out, send me an email or private message and we can arrange a meeting point or exchange phone numbers. Or if you are going to a meetup you think would be relevant to my interest, let me know and I might come along. :D I will probably not be in costume because I've been too busy/broke to put one together. Alas.

And [Bad username: usullusa"] and onlybythenight sent me a care package with Shadowland and Avengers Prime and cookies and Swedish fish AND THEN OWEN BOUGHT ME A PAID ACCOUNT, so clearly they are the best people ever and should be showered in gratitude forever. (By the way, if you don't know them? They are awesome. You should get to know them.)

EMPLOYMENT

aopt — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:51:41 GMT

I HAVE A JOB YOU GUYS.

(sorry if you're getting this everywhere, I am just THAT EXCITED.)

yeouch.

aopt — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 02:54:20 GMT

Places that have been hurting for the past three weeks:
shoulders + arm sockets
upper back
lower back
hips
knees
ankles
feet (arches)
head
wrists

Also my right leg keeps falling asleep when I sit down.

I think most of this is either stress-related or to do with the fact that I don't have a chair in this house, but still, it hurts, and the dose of ibuprofen I'm taking only helps so much. I have a doctor appointment next week (yay, state-funded health insurance!) but does anyone have any suggestions for the meanwhile? Stretches you find effective, exercises that help, painkillers that work better for joint/muscle pain than ibuprofen, etc. I know eventually I'll need to go back in for physical therapy for the ankle (if I don't soon, I might end up needing surgery). But I do need to keep walking on it in the mean time.

My back's the worst, though. I'm getting to the point where the pain is unsettling my stomach. Ach.

Will return to non-complainy posts later.