Good Things Friday
Because yes, even when life is very rough, there are good things. We just have to look harder to find them. (Ooh, sorry. I think I was channeling Pollyanna for a minute there!) But I am very grateful for and appreciative of the following things:
1. I actually managed to write something. (Try to contain your shock.) It's a double drabble for snape100, called A Plague of Flies. (Rated PG for broody teen!Snape and insect-icide. *g*)
I'm actually quite happy with it, for all that it took me practically a week to write a measly 200 words. (Admittedly, I only had time to work in bits and pieces, but still, yeesh.) ~rueful~ But for all the rust I could feel in working on it, it felt really good to have something creative to work on and to know that there's still a part of my brain that's not taken up with other, more practical concerns. And I'm proud of myself for finishing before the next challenge posted! Small victories are better than none at all.
2. Speaking of small victories, I am grateful for the weight loss that I noted earlier this week. It may not be anything I planned, and I definitely wish it had been under different circumstances, but it's still a good place to start and a great incentive to keep going. I managed to sneak in some treadmill time and a bit of yoga this week, and I'm going to try and do better when I can. And I was able to swap in some clothes I haven't worn in a few years for the flappy things, so I don't have to walk around looking like Saggy McDrooperson, either.
3. Dad's laughter. He's in much better spirits these days, and I've introduced him to The Mighty Boosh, which has him regularly guffawing as much as his stitches can stand. It's kind of hard on the healing chest, but it's really good for the soul, and hearing Dad laugh--something he loves to do--just fills me with happiness and hope. Besides, it's really fun to share this with him, since he is my Goofy Comedy Buddy for life, the one who introduced me to Monty Python and Mel Brooks and Bill Murray and Steve Martin and... basically, everything that shaped my tastes in humor. I'm glad we can enjoy this together, though I suspect my mother is dreading the dorky in-jokes that are bound to pop up at family gatherings. *g*
4. Also in the category of "I'm sorry this had to happen this way, but I'm still glad it did" would be the improved relationship between my Dad and my uncle (who, if you'll remember, just lost his wife a few months ago). My uncle has been a huge, huge help over these past few weeks, and I think he and my dad have been really good for each other. They never didn't get along, but I don't think they've been quite this close in years, and I can't tell you how happy I am to see them rediscovering the pleasures of each other's company. They're already making plans for day trips and future road trips and museum visits!
5. Building off of number four, I'm also incredibly grateful that my uncle's help (as well as all of us settling into schedules) has meant some rare and precious pockets of me-time this week. It's helped me feel a lot more human, and I can't tell you what a difference it makes. I feel like I'm starting to get my equilibrium back. Again, baby steps are better than none at all!
6. Thanks to the ever-brilliant and generous bambu345, I've been given the gift of a wonderful, angsty, SS/HG-tinged story over on hpcon_envy! It's called Dusk, and it's a follow-up in the same universe as her previous Snape and Draco gen piece, Conviviality. Read them both, enjoy the hurt/comfort (Bambu is the master of beautifully restrained, resonant h/c), and leave her some squee. Her Snape is deliciously, maddeningly complex (and maybe self-destructive), and her Hermione is perfectly determined, smart, bossy, compassionate, capable, stubborn, and yet also vulnerable beneath her bravado.
Best of all, she's going to write more from this universe! ~glee~ I can't wait to read it. Bambu fic is always a reason to celebrate. Thank you so much, Bambu! ~hugs you~
Good weekends are wished to all... I'm behind on the Exchange, but I'm looking forward to nibbling away at it when I have the chance. Reading and reviewing has proved to be good therapy, when possible. :-)
1. I actually managed to write something. (Try to contain your shock.) It's a double drabble for snape100, called A Plague of Flies. (Rated PG for broody teen!Snape and insect-icide. *g*)
I'm actually quite happy with it, for all that it took me practically a week to write a measly 200 words. (Admittedly, I only had time to work in bits and pieces, but still, yeesh.) ~rueful~ But for all the rust I could feel in working on it, it felt really good to have something creative to work on and to know that there's still a part of my brain that's not taken up with other, more practical concerns. And I'm proud of myself for finishing before the next challenge posted! Small victories are better than none at all.
2. Speaking of small victories, I am grateful for the weight loss that I noted earlier this week. It may not be anything I planned, and I definitely wish it had been under different circumstances, but it's still a good place to start and a great incentive to keep going. I managed to sneak in some treadmill time and a bit of yoga this week, and I'm going to try and do better when I can. And I was able to swap in some clothes I haven't worn in a few years for the flappy things, so I don't have to walk around looking like Saggy McDrooperson, either.
3. Dad's laughter. He's in much better spirits these days, and I've introduced him to The Mighty Boosh, which has him regularly guffawing as much as his stitches can stand. It's kind of hard on the healing chest, but it's really good for the soul, and hearing Dad laugh--something he loves to do--just fills me with happiness and hope. Besides, it's really fun to share this with him, since he is my Goofy Comedy Buddy for life, the one who introduced me to Monty Python and Mel Brooks and Bill Murray and Steve Martin and... basically, everything that shaped my tastes in humor. I'm glad we can enjoy this together, though I suspect my mother is dreading the dorky in-jokes that are bound to pop up at family gatherings. *g*
4. Also in the category of "I'm sorry this had to happen this way, but I'm still glad it did" would be the improved relationship between my Dad and my uncle (who, if you'll remember, just lost his wife a few months ago). My uncle has been a huge, huge help over these past few weeks, and I think he and my dad have been really good for each other. They never didn't get along, but I don't think they've been quite this close in years, and I can't tell you how happy I am to see them rediscovering the pleasures of each other's company. They're already making plans for day trips and future road trips and museum visits!
5. Building off of number four, I'm also incredibly grateful that my uncle's help (as well as all of us settling into schedules) has meant some rare and precious pockets of me-time this week. It's helped me feel a lot more human, and I can't tell you what a difference it makes. I feel like I'm starting to get my equilibrium back. Again, baby steps are better than none at all!
6. Thanks to the ever-brilliant and generous bambu345, I've been given the gift of a wonderful, angsty, SS/HG-tinged story over on hpcon_envy! It's called Dusk, and it's a follow-up in the same universe as her previous Snape and Draco gen piece, Conviviality. Read them both, enjoy the hurt/comfort (Bambu is the master of beautifully restrained, resonant h/c), and leave her some squee. Her Snape is deliciously, maddeningly complex (and maybe self-destructive), and her Hermione is perfectly determined, smart, bossy, compassionate, capable, stubborn, and yet also vulnerable beneath her bravado.
Best of all, she's going to write more from this universe! ~glee~ I can't wait to read it. Bambu fic is always a reason to celebrate. Thank you so much, Bambu! ~hugs you~
Good weekends are wished to all... I'm behind on the Exchange, but I'm looking forward to nibbling away at it when I have the chance. Reading and reviewing has proved to be good therapy, when possible. :-)