Real Life, Music and the Fandom
Real Life News
I'm kind of in between things right now and waiting for decisions to be made which I have no influence on- and I hate it. I don't know how to be patient and to wait for the things you want to happen! But, alas, this is the agenda right now: Next week Wednesday is Alex birthday, which I'll spend with him in Munich to celebrate. Then we'll go skiing in Austria together for five days, where we'll also meet up with some friends we haven't seen in ages. Then I'll spend the next four or five weeks researching the subject I want to write my dissertation on. On April 17th I have an appointment with the professor who I hope will be my mentor in the whole process. He needs to agree to taking me on as a Ph.D. student and then I can get officially started. I would have loved to start earlier but he's a guest lecturer in Cambridge at the moment. And of course, there's still a chance he'll say no. All of this would probably involve my moving to Munich sometime in spring. As soon as I have been admitted I'd need to look for a grad student job, housing etc... it's exciting but I wished I could start with some of that right now while I still have the time. While I suppose it won't hurt to be on a longer holiday for once, I fear I'm just not used to it anymore! I have this annoying problem of always trying to plan everything ahead.
Music, or more specifically, the concert you need to go to if you live in the US
Like my dear friendquinnponders, I have this impossible all-consuming love for Brian vander Ark, whose music I simply adore. He has a beautiful voice, writes music that'll just go under your skin and on top of all that, he's live even better than on his records. If you have any interest in music at all you need to go and see him. He has shows on the west coast and a couple on the east coast as well during the next weeks. You absolutely won't regret going to see him perform! Tour dates are HERE!. You can listen to some of his songs HERE.
The Fandom
I have read two good HP genfic stories lately, in case you're interested. If you're a Harry Potter fanfic fanatic, you really need to friend omniocular. That community is like a gold mine when it comes to digging up good genfic. But anyway,
The Dying of the Light (Neville, Augusta, PG-13)
Summary: Augusta and Neville adjust to life after the attack on Frank and Alice.
The Blue Flower (Phineas Niggellus, PG)
Summary: Phineas Nigellus, on his way home from a trip to Germany, is called on to solve a deadly mystery on the Rhine. Features a cameo appearance by a familiar object from the Hogwarts of Harry's day.
Warnings: none, unless you count misuse of themes of Romanticism.
Note: The fic is set during Nigellus’ tenure as Headmaster of Hogwarts. Nigellus and the Harry Potter universe are the property of JK Rowling. The idea of Wittenberg as a centre of magical research I owe to nineveh_uk, but it fits well with Germany’s role as nineteenth century intellectual powerhouse in all sorts of fields. The Lorelei is a figure of German folklore, most famous because of the Heine poem (though other people wrote about her too). The title is a reference to Novalis.