A Box of Scraps

... out of a fic ... by one small, unassuming letter.

I was really into this fic. There was a conversation going on. It was a good conversation. Then one person said something pretty shocking. Whereby the other person should have, y'know, gaped. Instead ...

They gapped.

The needle totally ripped across the album.

My mind filled with scary images.

And I had to come share it with ya'll.

:^j

I have a confession. I am almost a hoarder. Almost. This means that my house is not as neat as I'd like for it to be. But recently, I found something called a "Your Way Cube", and it has already started changing my world (!!!). I found this wondrous beastie when I want to a Thirty-One party at a friend's house. If you've never heard of Thirty-One, it's a direct sales company that's all about awesome bags and totes and getting organized .. and getting lots of free goodies (!!!). I was so impressed that I signed up as a consultant the next day. LOL!

Which leads me to why I'm typing this. I have an online party set up (online!yay) and would love it if any of y'all wanted to wander over to check it out. My website is www.neatnow.net. One you're there, just click the "My Parties" link. Then you'll click a couple of "Buy Now" links that do NOT force you to buy anything .. they just take you to the catalogue so you can see all the cool stuff. So please .. come see!

[Hidden text here in case, y'know, too spoilery for some.]

Has no one else thought that the most significant thing about Phil's call to Natasha was that he called her 'Tasha .. instead of, say, Natasha or Agent Romanoff or something?

Some folks make a big deal out of only Clint using derivatives of her name. But hello? Phil.

(Dammit, now I'm getting wibbly just from typing his name.) (I do believe in Life Model Decoys. I do believe in Life Model Decoys. I do, I do, I do believe ...)


Okay. That's all I have time for right now (though I have tons and tons of Avengers meta. Oy!).

Oh, wait. One last. Is it true what I'm hearing .. some not good LJ rumours? That they're going to take my "lifetime membership" money and run? That people are going to leave in droves? I've heard these types of things before, but this sounded like it might be more serious(?). Opinions?

Epic fail, Romance Writers Ink (a chapter of Romance Writers of America), for this line in your More Than Magic contest rules ..

– Note: MTM will no longer accept same-sex entries in any category.

Epic fail, Romance Writers of America, for allowing this blatant discrimination to stand.

I had to make the final decision about my dad's outside cat today. It was sad, but I know it was the right decision. He had a long and wonderful life, and I just would not put him through a lot of tests or treatment that would have upset him terribly .. especially not fair when he was suddenly feeling so bad. The vet agreed that it was probably renal failure and was very kind about the whole thing.

So rest in peace, sweet Sam.

(sigh)

On stage, sixteen showgirls kicked high-heels and forever legs over his head (he, of course, was on the front row). While this was certainly worth the price of admission, the pre-show introductions had set that part of his skull that had once been crazed like a shattered eggshell to aching. If they'd all had names like "Charm," he surely wouldn't have been bothered. And admittedly, "Bottom," "Up," and "Glue On" amused him. But the rest seemed terribly odd, with the one that was just letters of the alphabet being a stand-out.

Add to that, twelve of the girls seemed to fade in and out of view as they danced across the stage, while the other four appeared to move through each other. At times he thought he could see another dancer in the background, but it could have been a trick of the lights, for she never joined the main chorus line. (And it wasn't as though he'd never seen this kind of thing before, just never on stage.)

Off stage, he could hear a familiar feminine voice softly chanting equally headache-inducing words, as though coaching the dancers before him. What sounded like "super-cemetery" caused them to break into groups of three, with the odd one spinning among them. Another he couldn't quite make out brought about a brief but impressive flurry of activity. "Concern" made him frown. "Gigelectrovites" reminded him, bizarrely, of toothpaste. And "big bosoms" … well.

"Shhh," the voice murmured, this time from directly behind him. "Sorry." Familiar arms stole around his chest, and as the stage lights and his headache both began to dim, the last thing he heard was "… love you, Jack."

(This ficlet brought to you by the words "gluon," "supersymmetry," "CERN," "gigaelectronvolts," and "Higgs boson" .. and, of course, the number 16-or-17 .. as read on my iPad.)

(I sure wish a link to LJ was built-in like the links to FB and Twitter. Annoying, that oversight.)

ETA: "Fixed" my icon.</small>

Oh! Meant to share this, too ...

I've found the coolest new online store: Green Polka Dot Box (what a name -g-). Like a buying club, but lots of organic items, no crowds, and no driving (!). If you like the idea, go snag a free account before their big launch on October 9. There's a webinar/slideshow thing to get through before the free account form appears, but you can turn the sound off and let it run, if you don't want to hear it.

Yes, I'm still alive ... just swamped with RL. But I'm trying to get back over here.

I've (hang on) cancelled my TV and have gone totally online for viewing. So any recs for new shows to (try to find and) watch would be much appreciated. I'm having a ball watching old shows, movies, and some current shows (albeit a little later than the nights they air), but I don't really know what's new. So please let me know what your favorites are so I can check them out.

Also, any recs for watching TV online? I tend to live on Sidereel.com .. haven't forked out cash for anything other than Netflix. Let me know if you know of something better than Sidereel or if you think one of the charge sites is the cat's meow.

Today, I'm off to go visit "my" baby squirrel today. Found him on the ground in the forest (I was hiking out at the state park that's down the road from me) covered by bees (we think they were attracted by the smell of milk), so there was no way I could walk away without saving him. The ranger and I spent 30 minutes in the office learning how to care for him since the Wildlife Rehabilitator they normally use was unavailable. He was maybe two weeks old when I found him, and (after living on the internet to learn how best to feed one that tiny - they can aspirate very easily) I fed him (very carefully) every two hours for five days until I could find another rehabber who could take him. So now I'm a "sub-licensee", which means I can legally have rescued wildlife for a short time before having to turn it over to a licensed rehabber. I'll be attending my first requisite course later this month. How cool is that?!

And yeah, I'll post some pix of "Valentino" one of these days, because he's way too adorable not to share. As for his name? Well, he's the squirrel who fell to Earth ... Michael Valentine Smith ... hence, Valentino. :^D