outside under the moon
Holy melodrama last night, you guys. Goodness, did I ever need to get some sleep. I apologize to those of you who made the mistake of clicking on that cut. I did get some sleep last night, and while I am still feeling pretty wiped out this morning, that's just because I am a girl and we have that whole TMI thing that happens once a month. Mine wipes me out for the first couple days, for reasons which I will spare you, but I'm sure you can imagine.
I did not call in sick this morning, but it was a near thing. Instead I got up, worked out, and dragged myself in here because I have a meeting to go to at 2:30 and I told my coworker I'd give her a ride, so I couldn't just go straight to the meeting like a normal person.
Anyway! Day three of that meme, after which I will shut up and go get some writing done, maybe (probably not). I will definitely answer e-mails today. They may not make a bit of sense, but you will get an answer, if you've been waiting for one.
The Seven Day Meme
On each day, post the following:
day 01 | a song
day 02 | a picture
day 03 | a book/ebook/fanfic
day 04 | a site
day 05 | a youtube clip
day 06 | a quote
day 07 | whatever tickles your fancy
Here's a book recommendation for you: Sleeping It Off In Rapid City by August Kleinzahler. It's a book of poetry which first drew me in because of the title (Rapid City, South Dakota is one of my favorite places in the entire world, no lie), but the poems keep me coming back for more. (I keep pulling it off the shelf and lovingly flipping through the pages, wishing someone else would check it out and love it as much as I do. But no one ever checks out books of poetry that aren't anthologies or written by Mary Truro.)
I should probably just buy a copy. Anyway, one of his central themes is travel, and it's rare to find a writer who manages to capture the exact mixture of wonder and melancholy that comes along with wandering so far from your comfort zone. Here is an excerpt from the title poem:
I have come here from far away
After many years of wandering
Disillusion
And found surcease here from all my cares
Surcease here from doubt
Here, at the center of it all
On a great slab of Mesozoic rock
This sanctified ground
Here, yes, here
The dead solid center of the universe
At the heart of the heart of America
That is exactly how I feel whenever I find myself in Rapid City, whether by happenstance or design. I love that place at a level that's more primal than intellectual, and sometimes I wonder if it's not because, at least in part, it really is the geographic center of the U.S. I don't know how to put it into words. I think it's something you either feel or you don't, but I encourage all of you to go see for yourselves, if you ever get the chance.
Not everyone is into poetry, however, so here is another book recommendation for you: Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman. I am showing my age here, recommending a memoir written by a guy who grew up in The Middle Of Nowhere, America, speaking nostalgically about the influence 80s hair metal had on his adolescence. I can relate because I grew up at the same time, albeit in Coventry, Rhode Island, which isn't The Middle of Nowhere, America, but sure as hell felt like it when you were growing up there.
Library Journal has this to say about Fargo Rock City: Klosterman uses refreshingly candid language: reading his debut is like overhearing a drunken discussion between two music fans...Perhaps more than a memoir, this is a seriocomedic defense of a culture that was only cool to those who participated in it.
I think a lot of us can relate to that.
And lastly, if you are just looking for some new(ish) fic, I have a link for you. Office fic is sort of a niche market, in that the show is so good on its own that it hasn't generated much of a fandom. Icons and discussion, vid after vid featuring Jim and Pam, sure, but Office slash is not a huge market, let's face it. Which is a shame, because it's one of those rare shows with a canonically gay character whose sexuality is pretty much a non-issue most of the time.
If, however, like me, you watched the season premiere and immediately fell in love with the concept of Andy/Oscar, this fic is for you. It's not quite what I want to read, so I will keep writing epic Andy/Oscar in my head without ever putting it on paper (mostly because I fear Andy's voice), but this one is in character, funny, and believable within the context of canon. And the guest appearances by other members of the cast pretty much rule.
The Totally Gay Version of Jim and Pam by firthgal.
"Well, I don’t see you complaining, do I? Look, that’s not the point. The point is, you’re the only dude for me. The only person for me." Andy faced the camera again as he enthusiastically proclaimed, "If anything, I’m Oscarsexual."
I did not call in sick this morning, but it was a near thing. Instead I got up, worked out, and dragged myself in here because I have a meeting to go to at 2:30 and I told my coworker I'd give her a ride, so I couldn't just go straight to the meeting like a normal person.
Anyway! Day three of that meme, after which I will shut up and go get some writing done, maybe (probably not). I will definitely answer e-mails today. They may not make a bit of sense, but you will get an answer, if you've been waiting for one.
The Seven Day Meme
On each day, post the following:
day 01 | a song
day 02 | a picture
day 03 | a book/ebook/fanfic
day 04 | a site
day 05 | a youtube clip
day 06 | a quote
day 07 | whatever tickles your fancy
Here's a book recommendation for you: Sleeping It Off In Rapid City by August Kleinzahler. It's a book of poetry which first drew me in because of the title (Rapid City, South Dakota is one of my favorite places in the entire world, no lie), but the poems keep me coming back for more. (I keep pulling it off the shelf and lovingly flipping through the pages, wishing someone else would check it out and love it as much as I do. But no one ever checks out books of poetry that aren't anthologies or written by Mary Truro.)
I should probably just buy a copy. Anyway, one of his central themes is travel, and it's rare to find a writer who manages to capture the exact mixture of wonder and melancholy that comes along with wandering so far from your comfort zone. Here is an excerpt from the title poem:
I have come here from far away
After many years of wandering
Disillusion
And found surcease here from all my cares
Surcease here from doubt
Here, at the center of it all
On a great slab of Mesozoic rock
This sanctified ground
Here, yes, here
The dead solid center of the universe
At the heart of the heart of America
That is exactly how I feel whenever I find myself in Rapid City, whether by happenstance or design. I love that place at a level that's more primal than intellectual, and sometimes I wonder if it's not because, at least in part, it really is the geographic center of the U.S. I don't know how to put it into words. I think it's something you either feel or you don't, but I encourage all of you to go see for yourselves, if you ever get the chance.
Not everyone is into poetry, however, so here is another book recommendation for you: Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman. I am showing my age here, recommending a memoir written by a guy who grew up in The Middle Of Nowhere, America, speaking nostalgically about the influence 80s hair metal had on his adolescence. I can relate because I grew up at the same time, albeit in Coventry, Rhode Island, which isn't The Middle of Nowhere, America, but sure as hell felt like it when you were growing up there.
Library Journal has this to say about Fargo Rock City: Klosterman uses refreshingly candid language: reading his debut is like overhearing a drunken discussion between two music fans...Perhaps more than a memoir, this is a seriocomedic defense of a culture that was only cool to those who participated in it.
I think a lot of us can relate to that.
And lastly, if you are just looking for some new(ish) fic, I have a link for you. Office fic is sort of a niche market, in that the show is so good on its own that it hasn't generated much of a fandom. Icons and discussion, vid after vid featuring Jim and Pam, sure, but Office slash is not a huge market, let's face it. Which is a shame, because it's one of those rare shows with a canonically gay character whose sexuality is pretty much a non-issue most of the time.
If, however, like me, you watched the season premiere and immediately fell in love with the concept of Andy/Oscar, this fic is for you. It's not quite what I want to read, so I will keep writing epic Andy/Oscar in my head without ever putting it on paper (mostly because I fear Andy's voice), but this one is in character, funny, and believable within the context of canon. And the guest appearances by other members of the cast pretty much rule.
The Totally Gay Version of Jim and Pam by firthgal.
"Well, I don’t see you complaining, do I? Look, that’s not the point. The point is, you’re the only dude for me. The only person for me." Andy faced the camera again as he enthusiastically proclaimed, "If anything, I’m Oscarsexual."