so like a week and a half later
It's been an... eventful few days. I spent last weekend visiting my baby sister in Brussels, where she moved over the summer for an airline security job. We flew out quite a group - my parents, aunt and uncle, and my grandmother, who was one of the reasons I wanted to join now and not go visit baby sis on my own; I want to take every opportunity I can to travel with her, and she was amazing. Not only did she match us step for step, but she also - has this way of making stories happen around her. There was a point when we were in the main square of the old town at night, watching couples waltz around a huge lit up Christmas tree, and she was captivated by the dancing of this one 70-year-old Belgian couple. She later went over to strike a broken-English conversation, and of course it turned out that she'd honed in on the one random French-Belgian-Jewish couple in the mix; with the man managing an "I speak a little Hebrew", and stories about how he was in Israel with a familiar youth movement back in the fifties.
It was a short trip - just a weekend really, with a day in Brussles and a day in Antwerp, and it was so much fun. Europe is beautiful, and refreshingly freezing, at least those parts; and more than anything, it was fun and utterly bizarre seeing my little sister as, like, a kind-of -- I guess entirely, really - grown up. With an adult job, and an adult apartment, living abroad, doing everything for herself. I'm super proud of her, and a little jealous - she may not have long-term plans yet, but she seems really good with where she's at right now - but mostly I'm just happy for her cause she seems happy, and relieved that she's so. It was also great to see her so I could miss her a little - I love my sisters, but we're not a touchy-feely family, and we're not best friends (not that siblings should or shouldn't be, just - I'm contrasting myself with those who are), and it's so easy to just get caught up in life and not really miss her absence. It's not like when she was in Israel we talked on the phone or spent a lot of time together - we had the occasional text message, and mostly we'd meet at my parents' house for Friday night dinner, and that's it. My relationship with middle sister is the same, and we literally live a fifteen minute walk away from each other. So... it's basically out of sight, out of mind, I'm not inventing anything new here. But I was really glad to spend time with baby sis this weekend, which... made me miss her more. In a good way. And not for long, happily, I'll see her again in two months for a few days of ski.
I got back on Monday, and then had two or three days more of Yuletide to finish up, which also panic-preparing for an eighth-candle lighting I had at my place. It was my first time hosting this group of people, and I think it went well - my favorite dish on earth aka mom's corn soup turned out amazing,
marina helped me fry up latkes (with a grated yam tossed in too - amazing), and everyone eventually found parking, which I consider a success. And then more Yuletide, thank you to my handholders who did not give up hope.
On Wednesday the choir I'm in (I joined an acapella choir!) had a tiny little performance, singing two songs at this event, which was fun, and then on Thursday I took a day off work, which was so needed and lovely. I visited my former boss/current friend and met her newborn, and the most magical thing happened omg: consider that I don't have a lot of experience with babies and I hardly ever hold any, but she gave me the baby while she made coffee, and a few moments into my arms the baby started fussing, and I started singing to it and IT WORKED and she just -- snuggled in and went to sleep. I SANG HER TO SLEEP. It was amazing. I know it does not sound like the most thrilling thing in the universe but believe me it was SPECIAL.
Since I was in the center of Tel Aviv which is this crazy consumerism vortex, I ended up buying four bras (they are great bras) and a pair of boots. They are great boots. They are plain black leather, and have been purchased as a replacement of the black leather boots I bought last year right before I left for the states. Those boots had been new, but apparently three months of daily wear in the New York winter got the best of them, since there's a hole in the sole that's not worth fixing. These new ones were twice as cheap and I'm hoping will last more than twice as long, cause, I mean, it was eighteen degrees celsius here today. That's winter.
Oh Friday I met LJ-friend-who-is-visiting! <3. It used to be that every summer some LJ people would visit Israel, but that's not happening so much anymore (why did everyone have to grow up and not be eligible for Birthright anymore and have jobs they can't take days off of). So it's really fun when I do get to meet old friends :D
Yesterday morning I went to a museum to see the World Press Photo contents exhibition. It was nice, but not as awe-striking as the first time I saw it was.
My goals for the end of the month are... to manage to read as many more Yuletide stories as I can while authors are still anon. And to take care of two important work things that have to do with uh, me getting money. Let's make sure that happens, self, hmm?
Day whatever recs:
Вме́сте те́сно, а врозь ску́чно. by Anonymous (3829 words, Mature, Молодежка | Junior League, Yegor Schukin/Andrei Kislyak)
Summary: or, “Together, it's cramped; apart, it's boring.”
“You were distracting me,” Yegor says.
“Wasn’t.” Andrei skates in a tight circle around Yegor, poking at his chest when he ends up back in front of him. “Beat you fair and square.”
Yegor pulls his helmet off. His hair is sticking up in sweaty spikes. “And I suppose you’ll want a reward for this, hmm.”
It’s said flatly, no inflection at all. Andrei’s breath catches anyway.
“I think I deserve one,” he says.
This was the story that was gifted to me. Lovely, gorgeously-written story that nails Andrei Kislyak's characterization dead on, and rich irritated troubled angry teenagers in general. The fandom is Junior League, which s a Russian hockey teen show that can be found on Hulu - it's basically like hockey FNL (except, you know, not), and both the show and the fic are great.
I Build It Up by Anonymous (4372 words, rated G, The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal, TJ/Amal)
Summary: Long distance buddy breathing.
This is so, so so so great. It's everything you could want out of a sequel to the comic, it's god great characterization for both of them and just perfect dialogues, good insights, beautiful prose. I considering this to be my canonic epilogue to the comic.
comments on Dreamwidth.
It was a short trip - just a weekend really, with a day in Brussles and a day in Antwerp, and it was so much fun. Europe is beautiful, and refreshingly freezing, at least those parts; and more than anything, it was fun and utterly bizarre seeing my little sister as, like, a kind-of -- I guess entirely, really - grown up. With an adult job, and an adult apartment, living abroad, doing everything for herself. I'm super proud of her, and a little jealous - she may not have long-term plans yet, but she seems really good with where she's at right now - but mostly I'm just happy for her cause she seems happy, and relieved that she's so. It was also great to see her so I could miss her a little - I love my sisters, but we're not a touchy-feely family, and we're not best friends (not that siblings should or shouldn't be, just - I'm contrasting myself with those who are), and it's so easy to just get caught up in life and not really miss her absence. It's not like when she was in Israel we talked on the phone or spent a lot of time together - we had the occasional text message, and mostly we'd meet at my parents' house for Friday night dinner, and that's it. My relationship with middle sister is the same, and we literally live a fifteen minute walk away from each other. So... it's basically out of sight, out of mind, I'm not inventing anything new here. But I was really glad to spend time with baby sis this weekend, which... made me miss her more. In a good way. And not for long, happily, I'll see her again in two months for a few days of ski.
I got back on Monday, and then had two or three days more of Yuletide to finish up, which also panic-preparing for an eighth-candle lighting I had at my place. It was my first time hosting this group of people, and I think it went well - my favorite dish on earth aka mom's corn soup turned out amazing,
marina helped me fry up latkes (with a grated yam tossed in too - amazing), and everyone eventually found parking, which I consider a success. And then more Yuletide, thank you to my handholders who did not give up hope.
On Wednesday the choir I'm in (I joined an acapella choir!) had a tiny little performance, singing two songs at this event, which was fun, and then on Thursday I took a day off work, which was so needed and lovely. I visited my former boss/current friend and met her newborn, and the most magical thing happened omg: consider that I don't have a lot of experience with babies and I hardly ever hold any, but she gave me the baby while she made coffee, and a few moments into my arms the baby started fussing, and I started singing to it and IT WORKED and she just -- snuggled in and went to sleep. I SANG HER TO SLEEP. It was amazing. I know it does not sound like the most thrilling thing in the universe but believe me it was SPECIAL.
Since I was in the center of Tel Aviv which is this crazy consumerism vortex, I ended up buying four bras (they are great bras) and a pair of boots. They are great boots. They are plain black leather, and have been purchased as a replacement of the black leather boots I bought last year right before I left for the states. Those boots had been new, but apparently three months of daily wear in the New York winter got the best of them, since there's a hole in the sole that's not worth fixing. These new ones were twice as cheap and I'm hoping will last more than twice as long, cause, I mean, it was eighteen degrees celsius here today. That's winter.
Oh Friday I met LJ-friend-who-is-visiting! <3. It used to be that every summer some LJ people would visit Israel, but that's not happening so much anymore (why did everyone have to grow up and not be eligible for Birthright anymore and have jobs they can't take days off of). So it's really fun when I do get to meet old friends :D
Yesterday morning I went to a museum to see the World Press Photo contents exhibition. It was nice, but not as awe-striking as the first time I saw it was.
My goals for the end of the month are... to manage to read as many more Yuletide stories as I can while authors are still anon. And to take care of two important work things that have to do with uh, me getting money. Let's make sure that happens, self, hmm?
Day whatever recs:
Вме́сте те́сно, а врозь ску́чно. by Anonymous (3829 words, Mature, Молодежка | Junior League, Yegor Schukin/Andrei Kislyak)
Summary: or, “Together, it's cramped; apart, it's boring.”
“You were distracting me,” Yegor says.
“Wasn’t.” Andrei skates in a tight circle around Yegor, poking at his chest when he ends up back in front of him. “Beat you fair and square.”
Yegor pulls his helmet off. His hair is sticking up in sweaty spikes. “And I suppose you’ll want a reward for this, hmm.”
It’s said flatly, no inflection at all. Andrei’s breath catches anyway.
“I think I deserve one,” he says.
This was the story that was gifted to me. Lovely, gorgeously-written story that nails Andrei Kislyak's characterization dead on, and rich irritated troubled angry teenagers in general. The fandom is Junior League, which s a Russian hockey teen show that can be found on Hulu - it's basically like hockey FNL (except, you know, not), and both the show and the fic are great.
I Build It Up by Anonymous (4372 words, rated G, The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal, TJ/Amal)
Summary: Long distance buddy breathing.
This is so, so so so great. It's everything you could want out of a sequel to the comic, it's god great characterization for both of them and just perfect dialogues, good insights, beautiful prose. I considering this to be my canonic epilogue to the comic.
comments on Dreamwidth.