screws fall out all the time, the world's an imperfect place.

This journal is here as a backup and to keep track of people over here.

Actual posts still happen over at greenapricot.livejournal.com.

There's this old (and I mean old as in square cut nails) salt box house I drive by about once a week. I've been watching it slowly fall further and further into disrepair for a couple years now, till one day the back half of the roof caved in. Yesterday I finally managed to be near it with both my camera and some extra time. I would have taken even more pictures if my camera hadn't run out of batteries (though it's probably good it did 'cause I didn't realize how extremely cold my hands were until I stopped).

( Oh, how I do love run down old buildings )

There is freezing rain falling right now, I am not so into this. At least it's light. I did refill the six gallon water jugs that are sitting in my living room, though, just in case.

Hello world of the internets it's so very nice to be able to access you from the comfort of my own home once again. Three weeks and two days, but I am now solidly back in the 21st century.

I've had a wonderful friend filled New Year's. It's definitely my favorite part of the holidays, all the family stuff and things that are annoying about Christmas are over and I get to spend time with all the people who are home for the holidays. So dreamy are spontaneous romantic friend dinners and big how-can-we-change-the-world-type conversations over wine in the middle of the night. And, I had forgotten the great joy of watching shows that I really love with people that I really love who really love them too. And the great joy of introducing shows that I really love to people that I really love and having them love them too (there has been a fair amount of Doctor Who watching in the last two days and a bit of re-falling in love with the Doctor on my part).

I do still feel rather disconnected from the larger world, though. What's been going on with you guys and fandom while I've been out of touch? Anything good, bad, exciting, wanktastic? Tell me a story.

For New Year's I got a sonic screwdriver but sadly still no internet at my house. I'm gonna go use it on the phone lines when I get home though, see if that helps.

Happy New Year my lovelies! I hope you all had a wonderful friend filled night and aren't hung over this morning. ♥

Reading The Economist's year end issue over breakfast I came across this, the last in the list of briefs on the world this year:

"The first protons were circulated around the Large Hadron Collider. Designed to help physicists explain the existence of mass, some feared the experiment would create a gigantic black hole. Wall Street's collapse just a few days after the LHC was switched on was deemed a coincidence."

This illustrates perfectly why The Economist is my favorite print news source at the moment.


Over the past week and a half I've been reading a lot of print news, since I can't get to my internet news sources from home. It has really brought into perspective how blessed I am in my life eleven days without power and going on thirteen days with out phone and all. First world problems. I was never in danger of freezing, or going hungry, or contracting cholera, or getting shot. I was just inconvenienced because I had to figure out where to get water to drink and flush the toilet and find ice and snow to keep the fridge cold and a the other little things that suddenly became big without modern conveniences. But I knew all along that if I really wanted to or needed to I could drive to a store - even if I had to go an hour to find one that was less affected by the storm and therefore not out of things like bottled water and candles - to buy water and food. And there would be water and food in the store to buy.

That makes me blessed. I only had to worry about things like where I would get water eleven days out of this year. It wasn't fun, I don't really want to do it again (at least not with no notice like that) and I still would really like to have phone and internet back at my house, but it made me think. Now that I can take a bath again and do laundry and clean my house with the ease of electrical aids I'm glad it did. I'm glad to be reminded that all these things I take for granted are a blessing and that people are generally good and good to each other and help out their neighbors when things are tough. It makes me feel closer to the world somehow and, well, Christmas-y which is something that doesn't usually happen to me. Usually I feel like holidays are a giant burden that should be avoided if at all possible but after waking up from the haze of no power Monday night I am now actually kind of glad to realize that it is Christmas tomorrow.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Solstice to all.

I wish you all good company, good food and good TV shows to obsess over in the coming year. ♥

My friend (and business partner) R, who lives 10 min from me, has power and internet back at her house. So, T and I are sitting with her in her living room with our laptops just chilling. It also means that even if I don't get power back tonight (which is the power company's projection) I won't have to go work at the shelter tomorrow. I can just come back here. We probably won't get phone and internet at home till Tuesday though, but that's not really all that far away now. If I waited nine days I guess I can wait three more. I also got to shower this morning in a real shower. We'll have to go back home soon so as to not get snowed in here (it's been snowing, first heavily then slowly but steadily, since Friday around noon and we're supposed to get up to 10 more inches today) but I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Life without power and modern conveniences at home is really beginning to grate on me. It's been more than a week now. I am once again at the shelter in the next town using the power and internet. We're supposed to get a big snow storm a little later today. The utility company website says to be prepared for storm related outages. Ha! There are still wires down in my street that you have to drive over to get anywhere. The earliest estimate I've heard for us getting power at our house is Sunday, but we're going to get another snow storm then, possibly bigger than the one today so who knows.

( Some visuals of the ice storm of DOOM )

And now I've got about an hour to charge everything up and fill up my water bottles before the the snow starts and I have to go back home or get stuck here.

ETA: Also, thanks to everybody who commented on my previous posts with well wishes, etc. Seeing your comments when I manage to get online makes me happy but I just can't deal with replying right now. <3

The elementary school in the next town over has power and internet so my business partner R and I are sitting here in the computer lab with out laptops working. I got to use a toilet that flushes and was my hands with hot water and they even have a shower. My world just got a whole lot better. It still looks like I won't have power at home for 7-14 days and probably won't have phone or internet for even longer. But, the school's less than 10 minutes from my house so at least I can come over here and charge stuff and work.

I can't believe this all started only four days ago, it feels like it's been weeks since Thursday. The roads and everything are still totally crazy, every road is completely lined with fallen branches many of which are still actually in the roads. It's like our own little localized apocalypse. I'll post some pics at some later date once I've got some work done.

We got hit by a huge ice storm Thursday night. I've never seen one this bad, so many trees and pieces of trees fell that it changed the whole landscape and treescape. An inch of ice on pretty much everything. All night long all I could here was the snap smash of branches breaking off and falling in the woods around (and onto sometimes) the house every thirty seconds. The road was completely covered in fallen branches, three telephone polls snapped. T's work van has two holes in the windsheild. We have no power and no phone and may not have it again for weeks the rate things are going 'cause the whole region is still pretty fucked up.

I'm fine and all my neighbors and friends are fine but I'm pretty much not going to be around for a good long while except for visits to friend's houses that are more that 45 min. away where there is still power (which is where I am now). I am really glad that our house is heated with wood right now. We may be completely cut off from the outside world but at least we'll be warm.

I didn't do much of anything this weekend except for the usual errands and what not and yet I still feel like there ought to be more weekend. I am far far less sick that I was last week, though, so that is a very good thing.

Watching David Tennant's never ending video diary from S2 near the end of my sickness made me fall in love with him all over again. There's just something so charmingly conspiratorial about him lying on his bed talking right to the camera like he does in the beginning. ( So close up you can see all his freckles. ) *dreamy sigh*

Then re-watching The Girl in the Fireplace last night nearly made me cry and also want AU fic where he does take the slow path. (But I guess if I really want to see David Tennant shaped people in 18th century France I can just watch Cassanova again.) I must say, though, I really am looking forward to the Moffat-led Who.

All this led to the realization that I didn't have nearly enough Doctor Who icons. So I made some. (And I am kind of in love with my new default icon.)

( 73 Doctor Who icons, Tenth Doctor and Ten/Jack from 2x12, 3x11, 3x12 )

Watched some Merlin yesterday while languishing on the couch. It is delightfully cheesy and full of ho-yay (and I imagine there gets to be more of that after the first 3 eps from the chatter I've seen around). It's rather live action Harry/Draco-like actually (though Arthur isn't as arrogant as Draco but then, who is). Speaking of BBC productions and period pieces with modern dialog (which I find quite delightfully amusing), earlier in my sickness I watched the Cassanova mini-series with David Tennant. I didn't remember until about half way through that it was a RTD production as well and. It's rather like watching proto-Jack Harkness as played by David Tennant (just think about that for a minute. YUM). I enjoyed the not-quite-period costumes and modern dialog, I don't think Cassanova ever said "bollocks" but I sure do like watching DT say it (or, you know, do anything at all). Also, watched the first couple eps of Secret Diary of a Call Girl and I quite like that too. And finally saw the X-Files movie. It was like a pretty good extra long monster of the week episode with lots of fan service for Mulder/Scully shippers and bonus Amanda Peet and Callum Keith Rennie (who I didn't eve realize were in it till I read the netflix sleeve). I am satisfied.

Two of my favorite girls are coming home for Christmas and it just dawned on me yesterday that that means we can watch the Doctor Who Christmas special together. yee!

I am still sick today but in a less "why god, why" way. Actually got some work done this morning and ventured outside to the mailbox (which is about 250 yards from the house and up a hill so not a totally trivial endeavor) but now I am exhausted. Who knew updating websites and thinking could be so tiring? For today's "I'm too sick to really think" entertainment I'm thinking Being Human and some Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and maybe more Merlin.

I'm thinking that this isn't a cold I've got but the flu, though a relatively mild case as far as flus go, so I've go that anyway. It's times like this that I'm very glad I work from home. Though since I first typed this I tried to do some work and have since realized that I don't actually have the brain capacity to do anything detailed. Of course the work that I have to do now is quite detailed.

More importantly though, Dexter 3x09 and 3x10. HOLY SHIT! I take back anything bad I ever said about S3. I cannot wait for next week and now I really want Dexter fic. Not anything about the eps necessarily just more Dexter thoughts.

Sickness induced memes:

This is called the "alternative life meme" and basically you have to fill out the questions with fictional characters that come to your mind. Pick a different person for each answer. No repetitions!

( 1. The guy you would take to meet your parents: )

I totally want to put Ianto down for just about every one of these.


And that poem/song meme. Put your iTunes on shuffle, the first lines of the first 20 songs are lines in a poem (or song), the 21st is the title.

( the lowercase title makes it MEANINGFUL )


Crap, how do you delete a word from the Firefox dictionary when you accidentally added a misspelled word instead of picking the correct spelling?

Ugh, I think it's time for more tea and decongestant and to check out that Merlin show.

The apple pie is in the oven (and oh, do I ever love that I have a man who will make the crust for me, I hate making crust) it will be done in time to take it up to T's mom's for dinner in an hour and a half. Later I will make my I-am-a-giant-pie-snob-and-mine-are-the-best-ever pumpkin pies. I forgot to take the pumpkin out of the freezer yesterday (randomly woke up at 5:30 this morning, remembered that and put the tupperwares on the counter, much to T's confusion as to why I was getting up and going in the freezer at that hour) and it takes a while for 24 oz blocks of frozen pumpkin to thaw. Then tomorrow we will cook the free range turkey I impulse bought on Monday when I was at the new (and completely awesome) health food store. And friends will come over to play games and we will eat turkey and pie and mashed potatoes and it will all be wonderfully chill and lovely. And then there will be two more days if weekend after that. *dreamy sigh* And, despite the fact that T and I are still sick, I am in a better mood than I have been in weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving/long weekend/random Thursday in November everybody. <3

I am sick. At first I was really annoyed about it but then I couldn't remember the last time I actually was sick (not in the last year anyway) so that doesn't seem so bad. Also, I finished two big projects on Friday so that means if I'm still sick tomorrow I won't have a ton of work that has to get done.

Every cold I ever get always shows up as a sore throat and leads to me loosing my voice, I'm well on my way to that point right now. Also, very spacey and I woke up at 7:00 this morning but I fell asleep at 9 pm so I guess that is a lot of sleep even if I am still super spacey. And it's the perfect excuse to just sit in the corner of the couch in my nest of pillows and blankets and read fic and watch TV (though if I'd let myself do this sitting around and doing nothing thing two days ago I might not be sick right now, a well).

Last Saturday when we went to see Quantum of Solace It was 63 degrees when we got back from the movie. Last night it got down to 14. I'm guessing this sudden and ridiculous change in temperature has something to do with this cold. Quantum of Solace, though, was quite entertaining. Daniel Craig and his casual badassery and well fitting pants will never stop being fun to watch.

I haven't watched this week's SPN yet but I actually rather liked last week's (I feel that may be unpopular opinion but I haven't really been paying attention). And I'm looking forward to this weeks which I will surely watch today at some point along with this week's FNL. And I'm now only one ep behind on Dexter and I'm enjoying S3 quite a lot, I'm loving every one of the new characters.

Since I started feeling sick on Thursday I've had this overwhelming urge to organize and redo all the tags in my delicious. It is a quite comfortingly mostly mindless task that gives me great satisfaction (even though I am not done yet).

I've spent most of the morning waiting for clients to send me materials so I can work on, well, anything. I'm waiting on everyone and it is annoying. *sigh*

I have only one episode left of Dexter S2 and if it wasn't for the fact that T is at work and is just as excited to watch it as I am I'd be watching it right now. I wasn't as into S2 at the beginning like I was with S1 but I feel like it's really come together. And I love Doakes even more this season (he and Dexter are the perfect adversaries. It gives me such pleasure to watch them and not even in a slashy way) and Lila (crazy train wreck that she is) and of course Dexter and Deb but that goes without saying, right?. So, compelling with the plot twists and Dexter's fucking badassness and cleverness. I'm looking forward to being able to charge right on into S3.

Speaking of love. I have been loving Friday Night Lights to tiny little bits (so much so that I'm totally willing to ignore the weird things they seem to have done with everyone's age). Tim and JD together was great last week. I'm hoping for more of that. And Landry and new band girl. And Matt and Julie! Haven't watched this week's yet but I expect it to be just as amazing as the rest of the season has been.

Dexter, FNL and Californication (which I never seem to have anything to say about (maybe 'cause nothing needs to be said) but oh, the love it is great) are definitely my top three shows right now. Sorry, SPN, you are now number four. And I have been liking Supernatural I'm just not totally into it and, really, I don't know why. It's like something just doesn't feel right. It could just be the lack of music (I know they have to use less 'cause of budget). Or maybe my heart's just not in it. Or maybe it's that I keep ending up watching it with T who is really not that big of a fan (except for if Ben Edlund wrote the ep but then I agree with him the Ben does it best). I'm gonna keep watching for sure just not obsessing over it (which is probably better for my health anyway). I have been enjoying me some J2 roommate fic lately, though. (ETA: Hello, mood icon. I miss Jo and Ellen.)

Or maybe it's that my crazy love obsessing energy is focused on the Whoniverse. My first reaction to the news that David Tennant is only going to be the Doctor for four more specials was noooooo. 'Cause though I'm a big fan of Christopher Eccleston for some reason I could never get into him as the Doctor. I worry that I won't be able to get into the new actor like couldn't get into him. But then I think about how that is a damn silly thing to be worrying about especially since whoever eleven is won't show up until 2010 and Steven Moffat is in charge. Everything is going to be fine (and trolling the internets for casting rumors isn't going to get me anywhere). Anyway, the thing I'm looking forward to most about christmas at this point is Doctor Who (which is really more about how holidays have become an annoying ordeal in my life lately than anything but still. Excited).

I've been rewatching Torchwood S2 slowly. I'm nearly done and I keep coming across long post-S2 fics so I've been saving them up to help with the trauma once I get there. I'm stuck on From Out of the Rain, though, 'cause I remember it not being super great so I'm not excited to keep watching it. But I've decided I'm going to watch it all in order so I can't watch Adrift until I do. Oh, what a terrible situation I have created for myself. Also, when is S3 of Torchwood? It annoys me how imdb doesn't get updated in as timely a fashion for British shows.

Oh look, work has appeared. Hoorah!

I got sunburnt yesterday standing outside for eight hours holding Obama signs. I hate getting sunburnt almost more than anything and I usually do whatever I can try to avoid it at all costs and get very cranky if I can't. But today, though the skin on my face is all tight and itchy and dry and will likely be like that for the better part of the week, I don't care. I was so fucking worth it and I would do it again in a second. I would stand out there longer, for days, because the fact that these two people

are the next First Lady and President of the United States is pretty much that most amazing thing that has happened in my life.

Every post I read about the election (which is pretty much every post on my flist) makes me cry, just like watching the live feed of Grant Park last night made me cry and refreshing cnn to see Pennsylvania then Ohio then Virginia go blue made me cry (and whoop with joy at the same time). I still can't really believe it. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and it's going to be all over but it's not. This really happened! President Barack Obama, guys. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!

( And, as I often do when I'm very excited, I made some icons of President Barack Obama )

ETA: Indiana! We got Indiana! Indiana on top of Virginia holy shit!

Holy fucking yes. YES! I'm still not going to be able to sleep but for the best possible reason EVER.

I went to vote this morning around 9:00 and then I stayed and held signs with the other Obama supporters (there are a surprisingly large number of them in my small mostly conservative town). I got home five minutes ago and after I've had some lunch I'm going right back. Fuck working, my clients can wait. This is history we're making here.

Between the sinus headache I woke up with this morning (which seems to be mostly immune to drugs) and my inability to stop myself from constantly refreshing the RCP poll averages to assure myself that Obama is still doing ok I'm finding it very hard to concentrate on anything work related. I've been having strange restless dreams full of clashing blue and red patches the last few nights, a sure sign that playing with the electoral maps just before bed is a bad idea. BUT, The Economist endorsed Obama in this week's issue. I find this very encouraging especially considering they were clearly in favor of McCain only a few short months ago. I can't remember ever caring this much about an election or a candidate and have had many a conversation with friends who feel exactly the same. It feels epic and hopeful and like being part of history and totally anxious making at the same time. Constantly fretting about the outcome of the election is definitely upping the average stress level of my life. *sigh*

Maybe I should just call it a wash and clean the kitchen instead of trying to work. We left the kitchen a mess when we went away over weekend and, sadly, no magic fairy came to clean it while we were gone. Then finishing S1 of Dexter became the priority once we returned last night. Oh my life, it is hard. heh.

Speaking of Dexter I can't remember ever watching a show that was a more coherent, complete and satisfying story than S1 of Dexter (except maybe for Cowboy Bebop but since Bebop was never meant to have more than one season I'm not sure it's a fair comparison). I love a story that gives me enough to figure out some of the mystery before the characters do and can still blow me away with unexpected twists. I'm liking the beginning of S2 so far too, not as insanely much as S1 but still quite engaging.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow, kids.

ETA: This Obama picspam is made entirely of AWEOSME (so much so that it actually made me tear up a bit, that's what hope does to me apparently) not unlike the man himself.

i just watched the first four episodes of Dexter and. WOW. All I can say is why didn't someone sit me down and force me to watch it sooner? (though to be fair various people have tried and it didn't take until now so I only have myself to blame.) I fucking love it. Or really I should say love him. Pretty much had me at hello. He's so... organized. (And I keep having these thoughts about how I want Adam!AU!Ianto and Dexter to get together. Not necessarily together together (though, HOT) but oh the psychotic organization. OH.)

Wow, it is really fucking windy out, and warm. Is this some sort of weird late season hurricane remnant? I hope the half built shed remains intact.