LM's (2nd!) visit. :)
Wanted to post something yesterday, but other people posted so many appropriate things and I couldn't think what to say.
But then this morning you - thanks to Impish Girl who's 'unwell' - get the tale of lillianmorgan's visit, that I've been writing out in spare moments. I suck at making RL stuff interesting in the least, so this is mostly for myself (and LM) to remember what happened.
In case anyone wonders, LM is one of my very first LJ friends - she set up her journal only 6 days after I set up mine, and then found me. So we were happy little newbie LJers together, talking pretty much daily. And she was the one who came up with calling my husband Darcy (thanks to our wedding photos). Anyway, on with the show.
Friday
LM train came in at around 4 [insert complicated stuff about taxis and picking children up from school] and she arrived at our house shortly after we did, so the timing was perfect. :)
She, being wonderful, had brought lovely presents - wine, *gorgeous* chocolate biscuits (sort-of for the grown-ups, but the children saw them and spent the next many days begging...) and lots of sweets for the girls! (We rationed them out. It worked v. nicely.)
Then there was general chatter and catching-up etc, interrupted by children. Which reminds me: Little Miss M is kinda misnamed. She ought to be called ‘Little Miss S’ (for Simpson), or maybe just Lisa - because she is *so* much like Lisa Simpson... and when we have guests she becomes a limpet-like cross between an encyclopedia and a library. Impish Girl on the other hand can be very Bart like (she has a ‘spark’ and no mistake), and turns into a particularly bouncy and excited version when we have visitors. But The Cherub really does fit her name to a T, and was cute and adorable and the sweetest toddler *ever*! (Also a dramaqueen. It’s very, very funny.)
Honestly can’t remember a lot of details from that evening. Had some nice ravioli for tea, and watched a few episodes of The Tick, which is awesome! (This is Ben Edlund’s cartoon. He went on to become an Angel writer, and it’s easy to see why).
Saturday
I think it was a fairly slow morning, but I had talked LM into coming to the cinema and watch ‘Stardust’ with me, so Darcy went off to IKEA with the children.
And again I must tell you all to go see ‘Stardust’ - it truly is a wonderful, wonderful story! (And Robert DeNiro! *dies*)
Afterwards we wandered into town and I showed LM the cathedral (which is rather small and pretty and adorably irregular), before we grabbed some food (thank you Gregg’s) and then we got a lift back home with Darcy.
Later in the afternoon (when The Cherub was having her nap), we - because of Little Miss M I think - ended up playing Scrabble. I am rubbish at this, and therefore lost, but ‘team LM and Miss M’ did well, although Darcy got some clever long thing on a triple-word-score and won.
For tea Darcy made pizzas, and then we all went off to the park to see the fireworks display (and bonfire, but we never really got more than a glimpe of the latter). The fireworks were v. pretty, and afterwards the girls of course insisted on going to the funfair at the other side of the park. It was rather a good one, with lots of rides, and - although we tried to restict the children - we were a lot poorer by the time we left. Oh and The Cherub was deeply suspicious of candy floss and didn’t eat hers. I swear she’s the pickiest child *ever*! (If I remember rightly we watched ‘Blazing Saddles’ when we came home, since it was on. Too silly for its own good and not really worth it.)
Sunday
Nothing much to say about the morning, since it consisited of getting all the children in the bath before going to church (normally they’d have a bath the evening before, but the fireworks spoiled that), and LM (not being religious, and probably desperate for a little peace) elected to stay behind.
In the afternoon we had an idea of going for a walk, but Darcy is in the process of composing a Christmas Carol, and went over to his parents’ house, since their computer has some clever music-program (don’t ask, I know nothing about it). The Cherub had her midday nap, and the bigger girls were finally playing by themselves, without needing to jump on LM every minute, so the two of us had a wonderfully fannish afternoon, consisting of lots of talk, watching of vids, burning of numerous fanmixes and printing of several fics. I think I died and went to heaven... (seriously - to be able to TALK about our beloved shows is incredible. I’m lucky that Darcy likes them, and likes watching them, but he thinks that talking is pointless and annoying. *sigh*)
Darcy took a lot longer than he thought, so we never went for a walk, but he made lovely fish & chips for tea (proper homemade chips and actual fish that he himself battered - I love being married to a man who can cook!). After putting children to bed we watched ‘Bill Baily: Part Troll’ which is utterly, utterly wonderful.
Monday
In the morning LM got to experience the delight that is ‘getting children up and ready for school, and then walking there before the bell rings’ - which was actually not too stressful since the girls were happy to have ‘the guest’ walk with them. Then - just to make sure she got the proper ‘stay-at-home-mom experience’ - we went to The Cherub’s toddler group. Although thankfully the librarian (thanks to SureStart there is a library at the group) is a big fangirl (Doctor Who especially, although she’s unaware of the online side of things), so LM managed to talk to someone who wasn’t all about children.
In the afternoon before she left, I think we just talked (as far as I remember). Talking is very much of the good. :)
Then we got a taxi to the train station (I had to go pick up children, so needed to be in town anyway) and then very sadly it was time for goodbyes. :(
But we had a lovely, lovely time and I don’t think I forgot anything major... Did I?
Now LM being especially wonderful, she sent me a birthday present that got here Saturday morning - Season 1 of Angel on dvd! There was much rejoicing, and in the evening Darcy and I watched the first two episodes. (He’s seen all of S5, but only bits’n’pieces of the rest, since we didn’t watch it back before Buffy ended. And I’ve only watched the whole show through once, so there was lots of things I’d forgotten. Mostly though I was reminded of just how adorable Angel is, and how much I love watching his show. *deeeeeeeep sigh* I miss my show.
Just a few notes on 'City Of'... (really enjoyed ‘Lonely Hearts’ too, but there were a few moments of the first ep that I have to mention.)
Darcy enoyed it very much, despite its very obvious ‘this is a pilot episode’ feel (and the exposition is rather neatly handled IMHO). Of note he especially enjoyed the ‘Angel jumps into the wrong car’ thing, and the throwing Russell out of a window (where he of course burns up before he hits the ground). There was also the moment when Doyle begins driving away, then swears and backs up again, before attempting to drive through Russell’s big, metal gates. Darcy said (rolling his eyes) “He’ll never get through those!” and then a second later the car crashed into them and they didn’t move an inch. :)
Oh and he also very much liked:
Angel: "Doyle, I don’t want to share my feelings, I don’t want to open up. I want to find Russell and I want to look him in the eye."
Doyle: "Then what?"
Angel: "Then I’m going to share my feelings."
But what stood out for me was - apart from Lindsey!!!!!! - this:
Tina: He likes - he likes pain. I mean he really does. He talks about it like it was a friend.
Was there ever a better description of Angelus?
And when Tina runs away from Angel, thinking that Russell is paying him, she says: “You’re just like him!”
Which just goes to the heart of why I love Angel so... In the words of the_royal_anna:
And this is it: the bleak, endless cycle Angel fights against. He is the victim that dares to be the champion. But is he driven by the blood in his heart or the blood on his hands?
I don't know that Angel acts to prove he's worth something. I think that Angel acts to prove he's worth nothing. He acts to prove that actions are worth something; that even a monster is capable of good acts.
'Damage review'
My poor dead show. I’m looking forward to ‘After the Fall’ intensely - but it’ll never be the same.
But then this morning you - thanks to Impish Girl who's 'unwell' - get the tale of lillianmorgan's visit, that I've been writing out in spare moments. I suck at making RL stuff interesting in the least, so this is mostly for myself (and LM) to remember what happened.
In case anyone wonders, LM is one of my very first LJ friends - she set up her journal only 6 days after I set up mine, and then found me. So we were happy little newbie LJers together, talking pretty much daily. And she was the one who came up with calling my husband Darcy (thanks to our wedding photos). Anyway, on with the show.
Friday
LM train came in at around 4 [insert complicated stuff about taxis and picking children up from school] and she arrived at our house shortly after we did, so the timing was perfect. :)
She, being wonderful, had brought lovely presents - wine, *gorgeous* chocolate biscuits (sort-of for the grown-ups, but the children saw them and spent the next many days begging...) and lots of sweets for the girls! (We rationed them out. It worked v. nicely.)
Then there was general chatter and catching-up etc, interrupted by children. Which reminds me: Little Miss M is kinda misnamed. She ought to be called ‘Little Miss S’ (for Simpson), or maybe just Lisa - because she is *so* much like Lisa Simpson... and when we have guests she becomes a limpet-like cross between an encyclopedia and a library. Impish Girl on the other hand can be very Bart like (she has a ‘spark’ and no mistake), and turns into a particularly bouncy and excited version when we have visitors. But The Cherub really does fit her name to a T, and was cute and adorable and the sweetest toddler *ever*! (Also a dramaqueen. It’s very, very funny.)
Honestly can’t remember a lot of details from that evening. Had some nice ravioli for tea, and watched a few episodes of The Tick, which is awesome! (This is Ben Edlund’s cartoon. He went on to become an Angel writer, and it’s easy to see why).
Saturday
I think it was a fairly slow morning, but I had talked LM into coming to the cinema and watch ‘Stardust’ with me, so Darcy went off to IKEA with the children.
And again I must tell you all to go see ‘Stardust’ - it truly is a wonderful, wonderful story! (And Robert DeNiro! *dies*)
Afterwards we wandered into town and I showed LM the cathedral (which is rather small and pretty and adorably irregular), before we grabbed some food (thank you Gregg’s) and then we got a lift back home with Darcy.
Later in the afternoon (when The Cherub was having her nap), we - because of Little Miss M I think - ended up playing Scrabble. I am rubbish at this, and therefore lost, but ‘team LM and Miss M’ did well, although Darcy got some clever long thing on a triple-word-score and won.
For tea Darcy made pizzas, and then we all went off to the park to see the fireworks display (and bonfire, but we never really got more than a glimpe of the latter). The fireworks were v. pretty, and afterwards the girls of course insisted on going to the funfair at the other side of the park. It was rather a good one, with lots of rides, and - although we tried to restict the children - we were a lot poorer by the time we left. Oh and The Cherub was deeply suspicious of candy floss and didn’t eat hers. I swear she’s the pickiest child *ever*! (If I remember rightly we watched ‘Blazing Saddles’ when we came home, since it was on. Too silly for its own good and not really worth it.)
Sunday
Nothing much to say about the morning, since it consisited of getting all the children in the bath before going to church (normally they’d have a bath the evening before, but the fireworks spoiled that), and LM (not being religious, and probably desperate for a little peace) elected to stay behind.
In the afternoon we had an idea of going for a walk, but Darcy is in the process of composing a Christmas Carol, and went over to his parents’ house, since their computer has some clever music-program (don’t ask, I know nothing about it). The Cherub had her midday nap, and the bigger girls were finally playing by themselves, without needing to jump on LM every minute, so the two of us had a wonderfully fannish afternoon, consisting of lots of talk, watching of vids, burning of numerous fanmixes and printing of several fics. I think I died and went to heaven... (seriously - to be able to TALK about our beloved shows is incredible. I’m lucky that Darcy likes them, and likes watching them, but he thinks that talking is pointless and annoying. *sigh*)
Darcy took a lot longer than he thought, so we never went for a walk, but he made lovely fish & chips for tea (proper homemade chips and actual fish that he himself battered - I love being married to a man who can cook!). After putting children to bed we watched ‘Bill Baily: Part Troll’ which is utterly, utterly wonderful.
Monday
In the morning LM got to experience the delight that is ‘getting children up and ready for school, and then walking there before the bell rings’ - which was actually not too stressful since the girls were happy to have ‘the guest’ walk with them. Then - just to make sure she got the proper ‘stay-at-home-mom experience’ - we went to The Cherub’s toddler group. Although thankfully the librarian (thanks to SureStart there is a library at the group) is a big fangirl (Doctor Who especially, although she’s unaware of the online side of things), so LM managed to talk to someone who wasn’t all about children.
In the afternoon before she left, I think we just talked (as far as I remember). Talking is very much of the good. :)
Then we got a taxi to the train station (I had to go pick up children, so needed to be in town anyway) and then very sadly it was time for goodbyes. :(
But we had a lovely, lovely time and I don’t think I forgot anything major... Did I?
Now LM being especially wonderful, she sent me a birthday present that got here Saturday morning - Season 1 of Angel on dvd! There was much rejoicing, and in the evening Darcy and I watched the first two episodes. (He’s seen all of S5, but only bits’n’pieces of the rest, since we didn’t watch it back before Buffy ended. And I’ve only watched the whole show through once, so there was lots of things I’d forgotten. Mostly though I was reminded of just how adorable Angel is, and how much I love watching his show. *deeeeeeeep sigh* I miss my show.
Just a few notes on 'City Of'... (really enjoyed ‘Lonely Hearts’ too, but there were a few moments of the first ep that I have to mention.)
Darcy enoyed it very much, despite its very obvious ‘this is a pilot episode’ feel (and the exposition is rather neatly handled IMHO). Of note he especially enjoyed the ‘Angel jumps into the wrong car’ thing, and the throwing Russell out of a window (where he of course burns up before he hits the ground). There was also the moment when Doyle begins driving away, then swears and backs up again, before attempting to drive through Russell’s big, metal gates. Darcy said (rolling his eyes) “He’ll never get through those!” and then a second later the car crashed into them and they didn’t move an inch. :)
Oh and he also very much liked:
Angel: "Doyle, I don’t want to share my feelings, I don’t want to open up. I want to find Russell and I want to look him in the eye."
Doyle: "Then what?"
Angel: "Then I’m going to share my feelings."
But what stood out for me was - apart from Lindsey!!!!!! - this:
Tina: He likes - he likes pain. I mean he really does. He talks about it like it was a friend.
Was there ever a better description of Angelus?
And when Tina runs away from Angel, thinking that Russell is paying him, she says: “You’re just like him!”
Which just goes to the heart of why I love Angel so... In the words of the_royal_anna:
And this is it: the bleak, endless cycle Angel fights against. He is the victim that dares to be the champion. But is he driven by the blood in his heart or the blood on his hands?
I don't know that Angel acts to prove he's worth something. I think that Angel acts to prove he's worth nothing. He acts to prove that actions are worth something; that even a monster is capable of good acts.
'Damage review'
My poor dead show. I’m looking forward to ‘After the Fall’ intensely - but it’ll never be the same.