She lives! She lives!
Ah, it's good to be back! After a few months of crazy real life offline, I'm finally re-emerging. In what is a sort of new-year tradition, or at least a first-post-in-ages tradition, this will be in point form. That way I don't feel quite so overwhelmed by all the random things I feel like posting.
And for the first item on the agenda:
1) Happy New Year to everyone who (for some bizarre reason) happens to be still reading this! Hope you had an excellent break, if you were fortunate enough to have had one.
Now for the randomness:
2) This year, "A Solo For The Living" shall live again. I don't believe in karma, but if I did, I must have accumulated a record amount of the bad-nasty-evil kind in the months since I stopped updating Solo. I sincerely hope I will finally be able to finish it, job and stuff notwithstanding. It hasn't yet caused the kind of emotional meltdown that my first novel-length fic, "Fortuna's Champion", did back when it was stalled, and I'm determined that I won't let it get to that stage. So there. I've finally made a promise (vague as it is ;) ) and you may hold me to it.
3) I'm heartily sick of this climate. Who would've thought it could be foggy and freezing (literally, below 0) at the same time? I've never before appreciated what a 'consumptive' air is, but six months of living in what is essentially a marshland has given me a nasty cough and a newfound appreciation of why even the Romans packed up and left the place in disgust. If only it would snow... The funny thing is, when I went to Paris recently (true, there are definite advantages to living here!), we emerged from the channel tunnel and suddenly, instead of awful London greyness, the sky was a crisp blue and there was brilliant sunlight! Everyone in the carriage gasped and started laughing.
4) A while ago I actually purchased Emmy Rossum's album. :D In my defence, I will add that it was 3 pounds from Amazon, delivered. And you know what? I like it. I like that she didn't go and make a look-at-me vocal album of stock favourites, and I like the 'ambient pop' style (makes excellent background music for ironing, for example :D). It lacks a certain professional polish, and it sorely lacks humour, but that's because the girl is too young to be cynical and too sheltered not to take herself seriously. I'm sure life will eventually see to that.
5) Last year I did hardly any reading, especially in the second half (for obvious reasons). Hopefully this year that will change...
6) Has anyone seen "P.S. I love you", and is it as dismal as it looks from the trailer? Rotten tomatoes gives it the lowest score I've ever seen -- 21%. Oh dear.
7) Not having my parents nearby has finally forced me to learn to cook all those things I normally couldn't be bothered with, from borsch to piroshki. Consequently I'm accumulating all kinds of recipes. Anyone up for a regular recipe-swapping column/post?
8) That's enough. Really. :D
And for the first item on the agenda:
1) Happy New Year to everyone who (for some bizarre reason) happens to be still reading this! Hope you had an excellent break, if you were fortunate enough to have had one.
Now for the randomness:
2) This year, "A Solo For The Living" shall live again. I don't believe in karma, but if I did, I must have accumulated a record amount of the bad-nasty-evil kind in the months since I stopped updating Solo. I sincerely hope I will finally be able to finish it, job and stuff notwithstanding. It hasn't yet caused the kind of emotional meltdown that my first novel-length fic, "Fortuna's Champion", did back when it was stalled, and I'm determined that I won't let it get to that stage. So there. I've finally made a promise (vague as it is ;) ) and you may hold me to it.
3) I'm heartily sick of this climate. Who would've thought it could be foggy and freezing (literally, below 0) at the same time? I've never before appreciated what a 'consumptive' air is, but six months of living in what is essentially a marshland has given me a nasty cough and a newfound appreciation of why even the Romans packed up and left the place in disgust. If only it would snow... The funny thing is, when I went to Paris recently (true, there are definite advantages to living here!), we emerged from the channel tunnel and suddenly, instead of awful London greyness, the sky was a crisp blue and there was brilliant sunlight! Everyone in the carriage gasped and started laughing.
4) A while ago I actually purchased Emmy Rossum's album. :D In my defence, I will add that it was 3 pounds from Amazon, delivered. And you know what? I like it. I like that she didn't go and make a look-at-me vocal album of stock favourites, and I like the 'ambient pop' style (makes excellent background music for ironing, for example :D). It lacks a certain professional polish, and it sorely lacks humour, but that's because the girl is too young to be cynical and too sheltered not to take herself seriously. I'm sure life will eventually see to that.
5) Last year I did hardly any reading, especially in the second half (for obvious reasons). Hopefully this year that will change...
6) Has anyone seen "P.S. I love you", and is it as dismal as it looks from the trailer? Rotten tomatoes gives it the lowest score I've ever seen -- 21%. Oh dear.
7) Not having my parents nearby has finally forced me to learn to cook all those things I normally couldn't be bothered with, from borsch to piroshki. Consequently I'm accumulating all kinds of recipes. Anyone up for a regular recipe-swapping column/post?
8) That's enough. Really. :D