lls_mutant

Hey there, and welcome to my Journal. As stated in the User Info, I do a lot of fanfic writing in this journal, and this is my official archive post. With the general warnings debacle, I figured I ought to mention: I warn for all the biggies (when I write them), like rape and torture and eating disorders (I don't think I write the others), but I do not explicitly warn for character death, especially for canon deaths (and given that most of the characters I write about died canon deaths, I'd hope it wouldn't shock you.) However, I usually (usually) give you a pretty good idea of the mood of the story. The other thing I don't warn for, but sometimes wonder if I should, is miscarriages. I never write them graphically, but I do write them.

Also! If you're wondering about the header- they're cookies based on Battlestar Galactica. The top row is Cavil, Tyrol, Roslin, Adama, and Tigh. The middle ones are Cally and Starbuck. The bottom row is Gaeta, Hoshi (although I guess he could look like Helo if you prefer), Tory, Head!Six, and Baltar. And yes, Gaeta's leg was delicious.

( Harry Potter FicsCollapse )


( Battlestar Galactica FicsCollapse )

( Those Who Lift Each OtherCollapse )

( Glee FicsCollapse )

( Other FandomsCollapse )

Happy New Year!

Been a busy month. I keep meaning to update, but it's been crazy. December always is.

Toby took a long time recovering from tonsil surgery. ( moreCollapse )

Then, of course, there were birthdays. If you plan on having children and have not done so yet, do not have two in December. Seriously. I know I say this every year, but that should be an indication that I mean it. Anyway, Toby turned 10 and Trevor turned 8. (And if that makes you feel old now, wait until a little further on in this post!) ( BirthdaysCollapse )

The other thing we did before Christmas was visit the eye doctor. It was a nightmare. ( moreCollapse )

So Toby did need glasses, and he picked them out. And just because it makes me feel old, and I like to inflict it on others.... ( picture under the cutCollapse )

We went up to my sister's for Christmas, which was a blast. ( lots of Christmas, including pictures.Collapse )

Since we've been back, I've had to work. And my FIL was in the hospital again, although it wasn't too major. But we had New Year's Eve off, so we FINALLY saw Star Wars! ( SpoilersCollapse )

The rest of New Year's Eve went well. We were supposed to go to a party, but unfortunately it got cancelled due to the hostess's father taking a very bad spill. He'll be okay, but it was nasty. So we stayed home and introduced the kids to fondue. ( pictureCollapse )

One of my cookbooks was from The Melting Pot, so we had Garlic and Herb Cheddar fondue (very tasty), then meat, and then the yin yang (sort of) with chocolate chip blondies and strawberries to dip. It was a good way to see out the year.

Now it's the new year. No real resolutions, but I do need to plan out my running calender and all that. I should probably also get myself in gear- a lot I want to get done today. Happy New Year, and hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Happy Halloween from Peter Pan and a Ghostbuster!



It has definitely been a busy day. Trevor woke up hacking, but otherwise seeming fine. So we went to Toby's soccer game at 10:30. Then to lunch. Then back to the field to Trevor's soccer game at 1:30. Then back to the same area we ate lunch to do grocery shopping. But by his game, Trevor was definitely starting to drag. And by the time we got home, although he insisted he felt okay, he had a fever. Nothing very high- just 99.8- but still. He's either got a cold or a sinus infection, but it's too early to tell. I dosed him well with Advil, and he was able to go out tonight. You could tell he still wasn't feeling like himself, but he wouldn't hear of not going, and he wasn't that bad.

I was surprised how early trick or treat really got going. I mean, it's a Saturday night and we turn the clocks back an hour. I thought it would go later tonight. But our doorbell was ringing by 6. The kids had fun though. We saw quite a few good costumes, with the winners being some lighted umbrella jellyfish that were beautifully done by a couple of preteen/teenage girls. Apparently they'd made them themselves with very little parental help- they were really beautiful. I also noticed there were a lot fewer princesses this year. There were still some, but it seemed like there was a lot more variety in the girls' costumes this year.

Life's been busy, and we're settling into the school year. Toby's settling in perfectly fine. He likes his teacher (I really like her so far) and had a pretty cool first project. The kids had to draw detailed treasure maps (they're doing maps in social studies), write questions about them, and then write a story about the pirate who made the treasure map. I would have liked that assignment. He's also started the French horn, and he's playing soccer (meh) and a Webelo in Cub Scouts. He seems to be very happy and well-adjusted socially, although he has some trouble at soccer. But in the neighborhood and Scouts he seems to get along really well with a lot of kids. The only fly in the ointment for him right now is he has surgery hanging over his head- he's getting his tonsils and adenoids removed the Monday before Thanksgiving. (He hates turkey, so he's okay with this timing.) But after the last six days of a fever sinus infection, even he thinks it's for the best.

Trevor's adjustment isn't quite so smooth. ( More about Trev.Collapse )

In the meantime I leave this, because it does seem right for my household:



Suppose I should start thinking about bed soon. Although I can sleep in tomorrow- yay! Hopefully Trevor will be feeling better. Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

It's been a while, yada yada yada. But you know what's really dangerous? The molton lava chocolate cake fondue at the melting pot. Chocolate lava cake on top, dark chocolate fondue underneath. God, I love our anniversary. Even though (especially since) I still smell like garlic and am feeling the effects of the wine.

Which, despite the post title, was not remotely the point. The point is running. As in, I've been doing a lot of it. I always debate trying to start a running blog, but never get it going. So you guys get it. Oh well, that's what they made livejournal cuts for, right? :)

( Via MarathonCollapse )

( Wineglass MarathonCollapse )

( Hershey Half MarathonCollapse )

Now all that's left is the Philly full. I can tell you one thing- I don't think I'll sign up to run 3 marathons in a season again. I'm also a little worried about the Philly full- I don't think I'll get my long run in, and I really should. My running has been tapering off. But at least I could just finish the half if I need to.

I suppose there's more other stuff, but it will wait for another time. Hope everyone is having good days, and have a great weekend!

I feel kind of weird posting when I haven't updated in forever, but oh well. If I wait for something memorable to say, I'll be waiting a long time :)

Work is work and life is going just fine. The boys went back to school- fourth and second grade this year. ( they're getting hugeCollapse ) They're both doing soccer and Scouts this month, but we might have to wait until soccer is over to go back to swimming. :P I was really hoping Toby would try swim team- he's a very good swimmer and a very mediocre soccer player. But this is what he wants, and the last thing I want to do is force him and completely turn him off swimming (or anything else), so soccer it is. And Scouts, which they love.

Speaking of Scouts, I have been thrilled about the national council's decision to get their heads out of their asses and move to the 20th century. Not everyone is though. And I don't know if this is connected or not, but someone burned the Boy Scout cabin near us down. The thing is, they came one night, and the fire company got there in time. So they came back. It's devastating. The troop has been around for 100 years (this year is their anniversary.) There's a lot of history there, as well as a lot of things that the boys use, like their Klondike Derby sleds, the stuff they use to make wreathes for their big fundraiser, their axes, and a ton of other stuff. Thank God the kids weren't in there when the place caught fire, but still.

Not much fandom, unfortunately. I just haven't had time. :( I miss it, though.

Running has been busy, as I'm coming into marathon season. I started off with the Washington Crossing 15K, which was a decent run with a really, really pretty medal. Next weekend is the Via marathon, which I have a bad attitude about. I decided to do it because it's local and since the 50 states thing will take forever, I decided to try running all the marathons in PA. But one thing I really don't like about this is that the course limit is 6 hours, but the finish festival wraps up at 5 hours in. That just says a lot about what they really think of back of the packers. :P Especially since there's also a marathon relay being run, which I expect has a lot of teams comprised of non-super-humans. It just irritates me. Anyway, I have that, then the Wineglass Marathon, which I am very excited about, Hershey half, and Philly full.

I also have to do a 20+ mile run on October 25. I am debating two possibilities. One is the Patascpo Valley 50K. For some reason I REALLY want to do this run. But it has 4800' vertical, and I have not done much hill or strength training this cycle. There's some time, but not a lot. But I am just so TEMPTED. The cutoff is 10 hours. On the one hand, I ran the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K in 7:38, and that was in the heat of summer. On the other hand, this has more vertical. I was able to look at the results, and it seemed like people who had run both races were averaging quite a bit slower for this. I don't know. My other current option is the Delaware Canal 20 miler. Which is really just a long run with a medal :) I could also consider the Oktoberfest half, but I need the 20 miles, and I'm not sure I want to run the additional seven after crossing a finish line. Or I could just go do a 20 mile run, I guess :) But either of the other options are more fun.

Not sure I have much more to say. I hope those of you who still hang out here are doing well! Drop a line and let me know, if you feel up to it :)

Procrastination. Is there a more beautiful word in the English language? (well, maybe paycheck or chocolate.)

Haven't updated in a long time, again, and for the same reason as always. Life is just kind of going along. Work is good, kids are good. Not watching much- I desperately need to get a new series, but we don't subscribe to Netflix.

I did start writing again, but I started writing original. It's coming out shit right now, but I am just trying to pound through and get a first draft. I have a hard time with world building and describing characters, which makes sense because those are things we never focus on in fanfic. I mean, I can say "Adama's study" or "Gryffindor Tower", and everyone knows what they're supposed to look like. More than that, it's trying to casually do exposition without info dumping. But that's why I figure- get the first draft down. Then go back and rewrite and fill in what needs to be filled in. When I know where things are going better, I'll have better ideas of what needs explanation and how to better drop info.

( more writing talkCollapse )

Summer is almost halfway over, which sort of freaks me out, and it's going by so fast. I'm starting to get annoyed by Facebook, because everyone posts all their fun summer things, and we really haven't done much/aren't doing much. We did our big vacation in February, and I don't have a ton of vacation time left. But we do have a few plans. ( summer plansCollapse )

And of course, today we're going to see the Minions.

And since we're going to the Minions, I'd probably better get some things done. Hope everyone is having a good weekend/summer, and that it's a nice, relaxing day :)

Strep sucks :P Not the kids for once- me. I forgot how much strep fucking HURTS. Granted, we're not 100% positive it is strep yet- the doctor took a culture, but we won't know until Monday. He did give me antibiotics to start though, and said if it comes back negative we'll just discontinue them, but if it is strep, then I start getting better NOW. I need antibiotics maybe 1x/year, so I don't think he's too worried about resistance.

But it does mean that I was supposed to run the Half Sauer, Half Kraut half marathon with afrakaday tomorrow, and now I can't. Even if I wasn't spiking a 102 degree fever earlier, I've barely been able to eat anything all day because of how badly my throat hurts. I did stop and get a chocolate shake, which I could get down, but anything else has been a struggle, and even ice cream hurts. So in addition to recovering, I haven't exactly fueled very well for a 13 mile run. I really do wish they'd make these things refundable. I got lucky once with insurance, when my MIL passed, but these races aren't cheap. But then, since I started running again in 2009, I've only missed three races- this one, the one when my MIL passed, and the Valley Forge 5 mile race when I had the stomach bug.

Still. It sucks.

Wow, a few minutes to sit down and still be awake enough to think. Probably because Trevor is sick. :P Not very- he's got a headache, sore throat, and low-grade fever, and I'm 90% sure it's just a virus. I hope so, anyway. If it was something an antibiotic would take care of, he would have spiked a higher fever by now. And now we're sitting and watching the movie version of Les Mis. (Which sounds crazy, but my kids have discovered the musical soundtrack. Toby actually ended up reading the abridged version, and we're on a Les Mis kick. I figured the movie might help Trevor have the slightest idea of what the heck is going on. If he isn't bored out of his mind- I can't tell.) But the singing in the movie does suffer a bit when watching within 24 hours of listening to the soundtrack.

Other fannish stuff...

( Fests and challengesCollapse )

I haven't been keeping up with much in terms of media. I haven't made it to see the new Avengers movie- I wanted to, and was going to take Toby, but then he got in big trouble for lying, and part of his punishment was no Avengers at the movie theater. Which worked well- he was NOT happy about that- but it does mean I don't get to see it. (There's not a whole lot of other time.) Needless to say, haven't seen Mad Max either.

I have been watching ( Game of ThronesCollapse )

Even reading has slowed down. I'm finally reading Battle Royale, because I wanted to see just how similar it is to the Hunger Games. ( Thoughts on Battle Royale.Collapse )

Not much else, really. It's been quiet, but in a good way. Busy, but good. Hope everyone else is having a good one!

Still alive.

I know I've been quiet, but it's partly because I've just been busy. I go in early, I run, I work, I get the kids, we go to Scouts or soccer or swimming, I make dinner, we get the kids to bed, I fall over. :P On the bright side, life is definitely good, but it does just leave me drained. Plus, my computer died. I've been using the kids' computer, but it limits my writing a bit.

I also feel like this has always been a fannish thing, and... well, I sort of feel like I don't know where I fit in fandom anymore. I don't really have a canon I'm fannish about right now. I like the Marvel universe and Shield is my current favorite show, but I don't feel like writing for it. And I'm not getting to see Age of Ultron soon (more on that later :P) I've tried to get into Hunger Games, but it seems like the only way I can do that is crossovers. (I would still like to finish the Dee&Tom Hunger Games fic, but the start is on my other computer.) I've also toyed with writing The Bodyguard Diaries and writing a Princess Diaries story from Lars' point of view, but I haven't really been motivated to do that.

Fandom has also changed. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad change, but some of it is. Everything about fandom is about outrage now. Some of these things need to be said, but I so rarely see anything positive in fandom anymore. Because fandom isn't about content anymore, it's only about representation. A great example- there was a post going around Tumblr about why people should watch BSG and it listed a bunch of tests it passed. And while these are good and I do appreciate that BSG did a lot of things really well, 1.) it's not perfect, but 2.) the post never mentioned that you should watch BSG because it's good. Nothing about how compelling the writing and the characters are or how it makes you feel things, only that it passes these particular social justice tests. I can totally get not wanting to watch a canon because it DOESN'T pass some of these tests, but just because it does is not the only reason to watch something, you know?

( continuedCollapse ) I don't feel like fandom needs to change for me, but I do think it means I need to move on more and more. Although I really, really miss being excited about writing.

(And truthfully, my BSG issue is just I've told most of my stories. But that's that specific fandom.)

Other things:

( RunningCollapse )

I was going to post some stuff about the kids, but I think I will wait and do that later. I really need to get out for my run. Hope you all are doing well, and that everyone's having a nice weekend.

Another day off, another chance to update :P The bad news is I'm home with a sick kid. The good news is he feels a lot better. The nurse called me at work yesterday and said that Toby had a fever and a sore throat, and he looked terrible. I went and got him and got him to the doctor, who said it was just a bit of seasonal ickiness. Well, doctor was right, and this morning Toby feels LOADS better. Not perfect, but enough that I feel frustrated about missing work. I just want to be able to go to work for a full week- is that too much to ask????

Howard's stressed at work and traveling a lot. Toby's sick this week, we had snow last week, and the week before we were in Florida. Which was mostly great.

( FloridaCollapse )

So that was Florida. We did have a good time, it was just frustrating.

Not much on the fannish side of things. I'm trying to write the BSG/Hunger Games thing, and I hope it's coming out okay, but we'll see. Fingers crossed. It's moving a bit, which is more than I've done for the past year, so that's something. I miss writing.

Better get down and work out, and use my day off to actually accomplish some things. Still kind of grumpy about it, but it is what it is.

Picked up a touch of the stomach bug that Toby had. It started last night, and really wasn't that bad. If I laid down I was comfortable enough, I didn't get the intense cramps I got the last time I had a bug. In fact, I couldn't tell if it was something I ate or a bug.

This morning I woke up with another bout, and was miserable for a few hours. packed the kids off on the bus, told the teachers to send them home on the bus, went back to bed. Woke up feeling considerably better.

If I had a ton of vacation time, this would not bug me. But as it is, I don't. I still have more than a lot of people, so I know I shouldn't complain, but I guess I don't feel 100% and I feel like it. ( cut for complaining, probably don't read if you don't have much or any paid vacation at all.Collapse )

More family drama, but it's wearing me out. On the bright side, my stomach seems to be improving. On the not so bright side, we do not appear to have any Campbell's chicken noodle soup, which is the perfect first-meal-when-you-think-your-stomach-is-better food. I think I will have to go out and get some. Hope everyone else is having a better day

I feel bad I haven't updated in a long time, but it seems like the world is moving over to Tumblr, and life is just crazy busy. Good, but crazy busy.

Been doing a lot of thinking about running, and I've decided to forgo a spring marathon this year. I feel a bit guilty over it for some reason, because I do love marathoning, but it's 20 degrees and windy out there and I really don't want to go out and run 8 miles right now. I might tomorrow- it's supposed to be warmer- but today I think the indoor equipment is calling my name. ( More about runningCollapse )

I actually feel somewhat compelled to write a fic again. I have an idea for a Hunger Games/BSG fusion, where Sagittaron had the Hunger Games, and Dee and Tom are both previous Victors. I actually wrote an outline, and I like the idea, but we'll see what I get done. I've been drifting from fandom. Partly because I haven't found a new canon that I'm super fannish about, but also because fandom's migration to Tumblr annoys me at times. ( Grumbling about Tumblr.Collapse )

Well. Guess I should go work out. Maybe I can venture later into Dee and Tom- we'll see how the day goes. Lots to do today.

Have a good one!

( Shipswap LetterCollapse )

Home for the day. Toby's sick, and Howard's out of town. Probably home tomorrow, too, given that he's still got a fever, and there's no way that he'll be fever-free for 24 hours before school. He'd be lucky to be fever-free for 12.

So since Trevor's gone, Toby and I are watching some of the Harry Potter movies. Well, I meant to be cleaning, but I'm sucked in. We watched PoA this morning, and are watching GoF right now. I haven't watched this since it first came out. It feels so rushed, although it pretty much has to be. But I did have fun as I watched the kids putting their names into the Goblet of Fire, because I took that time and entered my name into the New York Marathon lottery.

I did forget just how much I don't like what they did with Ron in the movies, especially with GoF. There's one horrible little moment where Cedric puts his name in and Ron waves, implying that a love of celebrity is huge to Ron. Which, given Harry's status, sucks. I mean, yes, Ron worships Krum, but that's because Krum is a Quidditch player</a> and a damn good one, too. But it's not because Krum is famous. But I think most everyone I know is on the same page with movie!Ron vs. book!Ron, and agreeing that book!Ron >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> movie!Ron.

Still debating what we're going to do with regards to our Florida trip ( in late FebruaryCollapse )

I should go make myself useful- at least fold laundry or something. Not sure how I'm going to handle anything tonight- I plan on seeing what the doctor has to say about Toby. If he's got a virus or a sinus infection I can take Trevor to swim lessons, but if he's got the flu, we're under house arrest or whatever. We shall see.

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Just got back from taking the boys to see Annie. OMG- ADORABLE. ( More thoughtsCollapse )

And now to go find versions of both movies' songs on Youtube....

Happy New Year a day early!

Toby ever so thoughtfully gave me his cold, and this one has me miserable. I have never had congestion like this, where my nose closes so completely. I've also never had problems with post-nasal drip upsetting my stomach, but it seems like it is this time. I was saying better Toby's cold that Trevor's stomach bug, but I'm starting to rethink that. Trevor felt better in 24 hours. :P

rs_small_gifts continues to post, and my fic went up a few days ago. Continuing on my quest to use all the Viva la Vida lyrics as fanfic titles, I wrote Next the Walls Were Closed On Me, which can only be a fic that takes place at 12 Grimmauld place. My recipient wanted cooking together, oblivious!Remus, and relating school exploits to members of the Order, and I was able to fit all those in pretty easily. It was a lot of fun to write Remus and Sirius again- I've missed them.

I have not even looked at the Yuletide archive. I should really do that at some point.

Christmas was mostly good, here. ( ChristmasCollapse )

Other than that, though, the break has been good. I had to work Monday and Tuesday, but now I'm off until Monday. I did have to take one day off, for Friday, but no one from my group was going to be in, and I wouldn't be allowed to run my reactor because of that. (Also, some vital things are off anyway.) We're trying to learn a few new games to teach the kids (I got Seven Wonders and Small World for my birthday, and Forbidden Island for Christmas), and I have some things I want to do around the house if this cold lets me up. I'm planning on taking the kids to see Annie on Friday, and I really want to see Into the Woods at some point. I'd LIKE to run, but today I'm going to be lucky to go into the basement and hop on the exercise bike for some time- dealing with exercise and a cold is often good, dealing with cold and a cold is not. And we've got a party to go to tonight- yay!

I do want to do another, more retrospective post, but that's going to wait a bit. In the meantime, Happy New Year to all!

Long time, no post. Man.

Work's been good- really good- but definitely busy. I like my job a lot, I like the people I work with, and I think this job will work out very well for me. I definitely like getting that second paycheck, no doubt about that! And the kids seem to be enjoying Y-care. I personally really like that they play outside every reasonable day. They need to be a bit more active, so that's helping with that a bit.

December is always a crazy month for us. Not only have I been working, but the boys both had their birthdays. ( birthday stuffCollapse )

Now that birthdays are done, I can really focus on Christmas. I need to get the Christmas cards out today, and do some grocery shopping. Not sure how many cookies I will bake this year. ( Christmas cookies and dinner talkCollapse )

A few actual fandom things! The first is rs_small_gifts. After our HP experience, I made that my fan exchange of choice this year. I haven't done it for a few years because I drifted out of HP fandom, but it was really nice to come back and do this truly lovely exchange (with extremely patient mods.) I forget exactly what I requested, but one thing I did say is I would love art, and my "challenge" was that I adore the fancasting of Naveen Andrews for Sirius Black and Sendhul Ramamurthy for Remus Lupin. It's not how I pictured them in the books, but the actors could SO play the parts, far closer to how I pictured them than David Thewlis and Gary Oldman. And I ended up getting absolutely beautiful art by chibitoaster that you can see here. It's a gorgeous ink piece, and the work is just beautiful. I'm not good at talking about art, but I do know what I like, and I do love this.

I also finally caught up with the rest of the world and saw Mockingjay. ( Loved it.Collapse )

Not much else, and I suppose I'd better get moving today. There's too much that I need to get done. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wow- a few minutes to breathe!

So work is going well. I like my job, and I really like getting a paycheck. I'm picking stuff up fairly quickly, and my bosses seem pleased with me. It's exactly what I wanted- a job I can come in and be damn good at soon, but can leave at work. Howard keeps talking about how I can use it as a stepping stone into the company and maybe I can, but maybe I'll be happy in this job for a while. I am getting to the point where I'll need more work soon, but I think that's been planned- it's just a matter of they really want me to get up to speed on this reactor first. That's my first priority, and then I'm pretty sure there will be other stuff after I'm proficient. And some days, I do spend my entire day with the reactor. Other days, like today, I get it set up and it goes off on its own and I don't even have to babysit it.

The kids seem to be adjusting, and so are we. Toby's giving me a little grief- "I don't like waking up without a mom home"- but I'm trying to ignore that because Howard's now always home in the morning to get them off to school. Yeah, he doesn't have Mom, but he has Dad, and what's he? Chopped liver? Turns out Toby also came down with a sinus infection, so I think that played into it a little, too. We'll see how next week goes- it's Howard's first week traveling since I started, which means I have to do both drop off and pick up.

I'm handling the change okay, although I've had a couple of "get home and cry" nights. But one was the night before I started my period, so that doesn't fully count, and the other was the other night, when I was tired and cranky and in a lot of pain from some blisters. I do feel like my time with the kids has been cut drastically, even though it's not really that badly, and I think I will feel less rushed as we get into the routine more. Thankfully, this happened while we don't have any sports practices, so it does make it easier.

I haven't fully hammered out how I will run, but I can see it coming. I can do whatever I want on lunch hours if the rig is running, which means I can run at work. Also, once it gets lighter earlier in the mornings, I could get up and immediately head down to work, run, then shower there and start not long after I'd start normally. (Or I could set my alarm a little earlier.) There's a trail right near where I work, so there's good running down there. But right now I'm taking a break, because I just ran the ( Philly marathonCollapse )

So now I have four days off- whoohoo! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which will be spent cooking. We have a very small contingent coming. I'll talk about the drama some other time, but for now, let's just say we're down to 8 people, two of which are my own kids and won't eat much. I'm trying to keep it simple, but the thing about Thanksgiving is it's one of those holidays where having more people really doesn't make more work. I'm still making turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, and dessert- just one batch of each instead of two. Which is the same amount of work, really. In fact, it's more, because if my SIL was coming she'd bring the potatoes and another side, and this way I have to do it all :P But the pie is made, I've made the cornbread for the stuffing, and I'm going to go brine the turkey in a minute. I could probably get away without making cornbread-sausage stuffing and just make Stovetop, but I love the stuffing and hate Stovetop, so that ain't happening. In fact, that's pretty much what it's coming down to- I'm making what I want this year.

Friday I'm going Christmas shopping. It's tradition, and I don't get up super-early and go. Besides, now that I'm working, I've got to start getting it done. I'm not sure what I'm getting, but I should start getting it done :) It's not a year my sister is coming, unfortunately (well, fortunately in terms of Toby being sick and the snow), but I'll still go and enjoy myself. Howard's going to take the kids to see Big Hero Six, so that should be fun. Saturday and Sunday... I don't know yet. I want to see people, I need to paint, I'd like to do stuff with my kids, I need to do chores... I don't know. And I really want to see Mockingjay at some point.

Way behind on geekish stuff. Been writing my R/S small gift (thank God and mods for extensions!), and it's coming slowly. Need to catch up on Korra. (And wishing these were real, because I'd buy the Lin one so fast your head would spin.) We're caught up on Shield, catching up on Person of Interest. (And I'm suffering through the Newsroom for my husband and Dev Patel.) I did actually manage to almost finish a book- I've been reading Ready Player One, which I bought over a year ago. I'm debating how much I like it. On the one hand, tons of 80s references, and it is very reasonable, and I love Aech and the twist there, which I didn't totally see coming. (I mean, I knew there'd be a twist with Aech. I just thought Aech would be someone else.) On the other hand, it's a total geekboy fantasy, which isn't necessarily a terrible thing, just not my thing. But I've almost finished it and it was pretty entertaining, so it was worth something. I'm debating if I should let Toby read it quite yet, but I think not. It's actually not the violence (which isn't too graphic), but 1.) the way the videogamer geek boy is handled, and 2.) the 80s references are too much a part of the plot. [Unknown LJ tag]

On the one hand, I think a lot of Wade's obsession with Art3mis is shown to be unhealthy, and I really think- just based on the language that Cline used describing Wade's behavior- that we're not supposed to think Wade's persistence is a good thing. He steps over the line a lot when Art3mis breaks things off, and I don't want that to be a model of how to handle rejection that my son reads. Especially since, despite the implications that Wade's obsession isn't totally healthy or handled well, it's also clear it will pay off in the end and he'll still get the girl. It's a contradictory thing, and almost feels like the author put some negative things about Wade's pining and stalking in because someone told him that Wade wasn't being healthy. I don't think that's true, especially since some other things come about very organically (like Aech's backstory, which was believable and I enjoyed very much), and the author seems pretty aware of issues like that. But Toby's almost 9, and yeah. Besides, like I said, the 80s references are just too prevalent in the book. The person I should give the book to is Howard, since he LOVES 80s pop culture.


guess I should go brine that turkey. Hope you all have a great day and a great holiday!!!

Lots to say today, now that I have time to sit and write.

Kids: First of all, Happy Halloween a day late! We had a knight and Harry Potter this year:



It was a good Halloween, although Trevor was worn out at the end, that's for sure. I dressed up for the parade the night before as Sirius Black, but given that I had a tank top on to show off the tattoos on my chest, I opted to dress more warmly last night. I never did get a picture of my Sirius costume, but it wasn't that great anyway. I wanted to be Harry's Patronus, but I never managed to find antlers and didn't feel like trying to make them.

And right now Toby is totally cheating at Lord of the Rings Monopoly. This has long day of fighting written all over it, especially since we're not going anywhere today.

Job Search: Has finally paid off! Starting November 10 at hubby's company as a development chemist. The job sounds good- a lot of labwork, no travel whatsoever, no paper writing, and hopefully some flexibility in my hours. (Like coming in at 6:30 or 7:00 and leaving at 3:30 or 4:00.) We'll see how it all works out. It's going to be a pretty big transition for us, but ultimately a good one. I've enjoyed being home while the kids have been out of school, but I'm bored while they're in school, unless I have a project going. It will be an adjustment, but since one of the things we'll have to adjust to is a second salary, I'm guessing it will be good.

Marine Corps Marathon: Was great. The quick summary: finished my ninth marathon(+) with my third fastest time, had a great weekend, loved the race, and got my favorite medal yet. ( The Far More detailed Weekend Summary Under the CutCollapse )

Overall, it was a fantastic marathon and an amazing experience. I did find the course to be very crowded the whole time, and there were a few points that that was annoying, but on the other hand, I never felt alone, either. I would absolutely, positively recommend this one as a first time marathon- there's a reason it's a first for so many people. The MCM really caters to first timers as well as people who've run marathons before, and it's a great one to do. I had my highest percentile finish ever, finishing at 61.5%, which is pretty cool :) I don't know that I'll do it again because I want to run different marathons, but I would definitely recommend it to others in a heartbeat, and maybe some day I will come back and do it again.

So now I just have Philly, then I'm taking a month off from running, I think :) Or at least scaling back. We'll see if I do a spring marathon- I might just do halves this spring, depending on how work goes. If I do do fulls this year, I'd like to do Gettysburg and New Jersey in the spring, and maybe Baltimore or NY and Bucks County in the fall. (While I'm trying to do a marathon in every state, I've also decided to try to do all the PA ones, which is significantly cheaper.)

Fandom/Writing: So I'm glad I didn't sign up for Yuletide this year. I did sign up for rs_small_gifts, but I feel like I can do that, and I'm hoping to get that written before the end of this week. I also want to take a stab at NaNoWriMo, but we'll see what happens. I've had a plot in my head for a long time, and I figure even if it sucks I need to start slapping it down. I don't know how much I'll get done starting work and still having Philly on my plate, but we'll see.

Been watching Korra (although we need to catch up on the last two episodes) and Agents of Shield. I was really disappointed I couldn't find a quick and easy way to do old lady Toph, because she was AWESOME. I've also been enjoying AoS, although again, need to catch up. But I'm liking Mac (Mak? Mack?) a lot, and I'm looking forward to watching where it's all going. But really, not much else.

Guess I should get a little workout in, or at least a shower. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Not feeling productive today. Which is not good- I need to get going.

( RunningCollapse )

( Job searchCollapse )

Discussed Halloween as well, and I will be taking the kids to the parade and around. Now I just need to figure out what to dress up as. Simple, cheap, and warm. Not sure what to do... suggestions?

And the one thing I AM sure I should do is get my butt out on that trail. Off to run. Have a good one!