irony_rocks:  I know this is not...  being a good time for you. We are sending so much love in your general direction.   And though I've been LJ lurking the last several months, you're a person I'm always checking in on.  I admire your stubbornness, your courage, your enthusiasm, and your outspokenness.  I know sometimes these feel like things you struggle with, rather than things that make you an amazing person, but all I can say is look, Meg Murray saved her dad and brother and part of the universe with the same toolkit, so go you.

As a practical matter, today will be interesting -- sunrise was 5:55 am and sunset is 8:33, work is going to be nuts, and I made the mistake of having hard crabs for dinner, so I am a walking ball of salt intake, but I did remember to take meds and brush my teeth before sunrise, as well as grabbing a little caffeine (given work-related low sleep) and some high protein foods.  (Since my stomach got rewired, protein is more important to my system than complex carbs.)

The thing is -- and this is how I feel about fasting on Yom Kippur -- it's important to do this in the middle of everything that is real life, to learn to keep faith at the center, even when things are nuts.  (I grew up in a blended religious family, and my own belief system is best summarized as "it's complicated" -- the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (the other half of my blend) doesn't fast much.)

I have learned so much from you about the beauty and meaning of Islam, and for that, I am grateful.  Thank you for letting me share in your traditions and worship. You are foremost in my thoughts. :)

Hey, all!

In case you haven't seen it, today is the LAST DAY to sign-up for the Winter Companions Gift Exchange!  Sign-ups close when it's no longer March 7 anywhere in the world.

Hiya. :)

Here's the short update: I have been online, but lurking, and for once it is for good reasons. For the four years pre-surgery, my life and my house sort of gradually descended into a very, very disorganized state, and as weight has come off and mobility has increased, I've been spending a lot of time digging out. Literally and figuratively. It's AWESOME, but it can also be a little stressful and (for an introvert) exhausting. I wouldn't change it for the world - this year, with my sister seven months pregnant with twins and my dad recovering from shoulder replacement, I had the physical stamina to take on a big chunk of Christmas preparations for my house and my mom's, and I couldn't have done it before.

Also, this week I put on the first pair of ankle boots I've been able to wear in several years. Since I used to LIVE in boots, imagine my delight. :)

I have still been writing, here and there, and I'm reading all over the place - all my old fallbacks (Who, SGA, Criminal Minds, etc.) and some new loves (Avengers and related movies, the Losers, Teen Wolf, the Hobbit). And in that vein:

trobadora and I are trying to get our Doctor/Jack challenge comm, wintercompanion re-energized. The comm's been great at offering ideas and feedback, and we're still in the process of figuring out where 2013 will go. To quote Dora:

<i>Early this month we posted a poll, and asked for comments/suggestions, and today we made a follow-up post with a tentative schedule for 2013.

There's still something to vote on, and we'd love more input on what people would like to see. Summer/Winter Holidays will definitely happen again this year, and we've been contemplating a fic exchange. But a lot is still open, so if you have any interest in Doctor/Jack, please pop over and let us know what you think!</.i>

I keep saying there's a zillion things I'm thinking about these days and want to put down on paper, and this is an excellent way to knuckle down and actually do it. :D




{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

For me, it's going to be 100 Things I've Discovered About Myself.

I'm ten months out from surgery, and everything is just vastly different than it had been for years. In some ways, it's like finding new horizons. In some ways, it's more like rewinding the past five years. And this gives me a good reason to sit down and actually parse out the stuff wandering through my head. :D

I am sort of all over the place of late - not in a bad way, but in a "can't keep up with my own brain" way. My brain and body and life are waking up again and suddenly there are a hundred million things I want to - and CAN - do, and I'd need 36-hour days and a ten-day week to hope at accomplishing them all as fast as I'd like.

BUT. I made up a recipe today that I do NOT want to lose, so I AM finding the time to write it down here, before I get back to beating my remix fic with a stick. So:

( Lentil-beet-feta-pea shoot salad with mustard vinaigretteCollapse )

...with a wallow is the inevitable hangover when real life has to intrude once more. Ugh. Visions of Rochester are dancing in my head, which makes it hard to write a memo.

It's probably a good thing holodecks aren't real. I'd never leave.

I have spent this weekend in a wallow of the sort I haven't indulged in for an age, but instead of being a hormonal pity party, I passed through that valley and came out the other side into sheer ridiculous enjoyment of Gothic novels, Jane Austen, and men in well-fitted trousers. (This despite working from home today.)

( I have watched:Collapse )

Seriously, it has been a fabulous, if ridiculous, few days. It's probably for the best that I have to leave the house tomorrow.

but right now what I really, really want to say, having just seen this week's Criminal Minds, is that I NOW WANT ALL. THE. FIC.

ALL.

OF.

IT.

*ETA* Possible spoilers in comments.

Way behind the eight-ball, but I made it all the way through!

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 15: In your own space, share a favorite memory about fandom: the first time you got into fandom, the last time a fanwork touched your heart, crazy times with fellow fans (whether on-line or off-line), a lovely comment you’ve received or have left for someone. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

( Oh, the CaucusCollapse )

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 14: In your own space, ask for help. Need a beta? Always wanted to learn how to make a vid? a fanmix? icons? Maybe you’d want to have someone cheering for you while you work on an upcoming big bang or fannish bingo? Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

( What is this whole thing about a PLOT?Collapse )

Fandom Snowflake details here

Day 13: In your own space, share a favorite piece of original canon (a TV episode, a song, a favourite interview, a book) and explain why you love it so much. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

( I got stuck partway through five books of The Dark is Rising sequence the first time I read it.Collapse )

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 12: In your own space, rec at least three fanworks that you think would make a good intro into XYZ fandom. Rec a fandom overview, a introductory picspam, stories that define and shape the fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

( There is this show called Criminal Minds. Mostly, it is about a team, and I love it. There are often serial killers.Collapse )

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 10: In your own space, talk about a creator. Show us why you think they are amazing. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

( wendymr. What a cool person.Collapse )

Day 11: In your own space, ask for recs. Something as simple as "I like XYZ (where XYZ is a kink, a pairing, a trope, etc) - please rec me some." Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

( Oh, threesomes. Rec me some?Collapse )

Dear lord, this week. I am desperately glad it's over.

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 9: In your own space, create a fanwork. A drabble, a ficlet, or an icon, art or meta or a rec list. A picspam. Something. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I've been promising raisintorte I'd attempt Reid/Prentiss forever. So here's a ficlet.

Title: By and By
Author: wojelah
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Reid/Prentiss
A/N: For raisintorte, who really, really wanted it.

( The thing is, it creeps up on her.Collapse )

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 8: In your own space, talk about a talent (or talents) you have. Everyone's got something they're good at. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

( What I can do....Collapse )

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 7; In your own space, create a list of at least three fannish things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a fannish wish-list of sorts. Drop a link to your wish-list in this post. Maybe someone will grant a wish. Maybe you will grant a wish. If any wishes are granted, we'd love it if you link them to this post.

( Things I would love...Collapse )

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 6: In your own space, rec at least 3 fanworks you thought you wouldn't like (because they weren't your fandom or they pushed against your boundaries or you thought you just wouldn't be interested) and that you ended up loving.

( Harder than I thought...Collapse )

(aka, better late than never...)

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 5: In your own space, share something non-fannish you are passionate about with your fannish friends. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I'm a dork. It's taken me a long time to own it without shame, but I'm finally at the point where I love what I love. So: some things I love:

Animal rescue: I don't have nearly enough time for it, but I first started volunteering when I was in law school, went back to it after Katrina, while I was in NOLA, and now a friend of mine has started a group, and it fills a big gap for me.

Theater: This encompasses so, so much. I love to perform, but I love to stage manage more. I've been paid to do both, along the way. I love Shakespeare beyond the telling. I love watching, I love participating, I love critiquing. I love costuming and set design and direction. I love musicals and stage plays and improv. Just. Love.

Old radio and music and movies: I grew up on Abbott and Costello and Fibber McGee and Gunsmoke, and I still really love the Big Broadcast, which is on my NPR station every Sunday night. I love the great movie musicals, Katherine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy, Rosemary Clooney, Sinatra, and Bing and all the rest.

NPR: Oh god. I'm addicted.

Cross-stitching: I like crafting generally, but stitching soothes my remarkably scattered soul. It's both creative and orderly, and I can do it alongside many other things.

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 4: Introduce yourself to someone you admire and friend/follow them on whatever platform you use - journal or Twitter or Tumblr or whatever. Afterwards, leave a comment in this post with the equivalent of "I did it!"

No lie, I am not a good introducer. In college, anyone was welcome in my dorm room, but if I went to someone else's, I felt awkward and out of place. Even on LJ, I still feel weird and awkward and intrusive when friending new people and commenting for the first time, even though it's been forever since I started using LJ to actually comment and connect with people.

I am a GREAT welcomer, though - even if we've never talked before, I would love to say hello. :D Come on in and make yourself at home.

Fandom Snowflake details here.

Day 3 Comment to someone you haven't ever interacted with before. Afterwards, leave a comment in this post with the equivalent of "I did it!" It doesn't have to be anything complex - it can be feedback for a fanwork or discussing something you might have in common or even simply admiring their icon. The point is to reach out to someone you normally wouldn't and connect with them, even if it's only for the briefest moment.

( I met two of my closest friends through something a lot like this.Collapse )