so it turns out that even with the giant increase, my rent is still fairly reasonable for the area. it didn't stop me from writing what i hope is a rational note to the new land lady to talk about it, but i don't think i'll be moving.

an embarrassingly long time ago i asked for five things prompts, and the lovely phenix_tears gave me a couple that i proceeded to not write ::headdesk:: i've been working on one with my writing tiny habit, and i'm going to stop messing with it and put it up. so without further ado:

( 460w drabblet, 5 times (insert fav person) gets caught looking at (insert not yet partner) by someone else, arthur/eames, PG )

today's gift from the universe is that neighbour!M is once again a neighbour. not an across the hall neighbour, but within 10 blocks neighbour, and i promised i'd stop by for at least a little bit of time this afternoon, so i best get.

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so behind this week, am going to have to give lj commenting a miss despite wanting to say things to several posts, because time won't slow and brain won't co-operate.

gift from the universe actually happened yesterday and is also a two-parter. a fabulous massage and a great deal on future monthly massages. when i lived in nz i used to get regular body work and since i've been back in the states i've been horridly irregular about taking care of that sort of thing. boy have i felt in my wrists and arms and shoulders and stuff. so much goodness and glee and feeling proud of myself for setting up future appointments.

and then i came home to a letter from my new landlady (who may v. well have been mistakenly listed as gift #16. well no, am sure she's a gift in some way, but it may be in the she-made-it-unreasonable-to-stay-in-the-flat-and-now-the-new-situation-is-awesome kind of way) where she introduced herself and told me i could no longer use the deck, my rent was going to be raised $100 in 30 days, and oh, i had to give her 30 days notice if i wanted to move out. so i guess i'll be spending tomorrow researching whether i'm better off moving and writing her an email explaining why she can't cut off access to the deck. huzzah.

also, had a big meeting at bwvj, that included a surprise announcement about one of the staff leaving in two weeks, inappropriate communication and general chaos. double yay.

so i'm going to do my best to ignore all that for what's left of tonight and try and catch up a little on the tivo backlog :P

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today started out with a phone call at 8am by a random repairman that my ex-landlady had given my number to without telling me. this caused much confusion until we straightened it all out and i leapt out of bed to dress before he arrived (my days tend to start around 7.45-8am and end around 1.30-2am. clothes don't usually come into play until 9 or 9.30am earliest.)

the day then included several gifts from the universe, most i've mentioned before: #5. the avengers, #8. a mostly manageable day, #12. summer sunshine, and #17 friends. and also, #18 pretty, pretty dresses. yes, that dress i've been pining after and finally succumbed to showed up. OMG, you guys. it is so v. v. gorgeous. once it's managed to de-wrinkle itself (poor thing being smashed all up in a box), i'll get neighbour!M to take a pic of me in it. until then, you can see it here, along with a billion other dresses i need to have (like this sailor dress and this dress with anchors -- sensing a theme?) you should take time to look around because there are even some on sale and awesome bathing suits and, and, and

anyway, after an odd start, a third watching of avengers (this time with saladbats) and a massive grocery shop with evannichols, i had hoped to actually post a tiny meme-age drabblet thinger, but instead have to go wash all the dishes i own now that i have finally acquired more dish soap. i would promise the writing for tomorrow, except that i won't see much of my computer until fri night, so perhaps this weekend? one can always hope :P

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i took this weekend fairly easy. been struggling a bit emotionally lately, and finally stopped pushing myself for a few days. didn't totally slack off, i worked on some craft projects and cooked some stuff i'd been wanting to try (dirtying a heap of dishes and then remembering that i am entirely out of dish soap ::headdesk::) but i also allowed myself to buy some new ebooks and read a few novellas and spend some time on the phone with friends.

and then this evening i ventured out to help celebrate saladbats's birthday with her family (including sister glitterpunkin) and the lovely winnett and slr2moons. i was not impressed with the service in the place we were at, and though i enjoyed the food okay, it did not live up to their claim of true british fish & chips in my experience, which made me a bit sad. still it was a v. v. pleasant evening overall and i quite enjoyed chatting with all the ladies and feeling at home amongst friends. on top of the nice eve, slr2moons saved me the time and fare of having to catch public transport home ::cuddles her::

so tonight i want to thank the universe for the gift of friends who will share a pint and some chips and deep fried beets and not mind if you dip your food into the ramekin again as long as you dip a part of the food you haven't put in your mouth yet ::nods:: i am extremely grateful to be getting to spend more face time with local folk and phone time with others.

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so i promised to report on mib3 which is getting fairly middlin to mediocre ratings from the critics. i really enjoyed it. i love the mib 'verse and enjoyed the additions to both the 'verse and the characters' backstories. not to mention the big bad guy, boris, is a kiwi. none other than half of the flight of the conchords, jemaine. he's one of the first folks i met when i moved to nz, and though i can't say we are friends, we did chat several times before the rest of the world realised how talented he was. am chuffed to see him doing so well. on top of all of that, there is an alien, griffin, that i absolutely adore. i have no real interest in mib fanfic, but i want griffin to cameo in all my other fandoms. so my end vote for the movie? certainly a good rental if you don't want to spend the money for the theatre. i might even pay to see it again due to boris and griffin, though i think there is probably too much coming out in the near future to allow that.

also watched the rather bad netflixed movie, what's your number?, which spends far too much time obsessing over whether the main character is a slut because of the count of men she's slept with (though basically the underlying plot is akin to that of runaway bride.) why did i even let it get on my netflix queue? because, captain america. and he was so worth it.

so apparently the sale of the building i live in is about to be closed. my gift from the universe in relation to this that the new owner seems to be a nice thirtysomething woman and they are almost through mucking about in our abodes. i cannot even tell you how unsettling it is to have inspectors and two realtors and a buyer and an owner and repairfolk all traipsing in and out of your flat without your permission. ugh.

been feeling a bit punk this week, and haven't really accomplished much, but i continue to plug away with my tiny habits and do my best at forward movement. everything is progress ::nods:: but tonight sytycd starts back up, and though i am not thrilled about the changes they've implemented, am still crazy happy it's about to be on ::flails::

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today's gift from the universe is free passes to see mib3 of course that requires much waiting in line, but should also involve conversation with saladbats and possibly neighbour!M. am a little sad to see the current rotten tomatoes rating, but shall enjoy nonetheless ::nods::

speaking of movies, joined evannichols thrihyrne sat afternoon to see the studio ghibli film my neighbors the yamadas. decidedly odd that one. not sorry i went, as it was interesting to see, but um, not something i'd recommend to anyone not fascinated with studio ghibli. far different than any other japanese animated film i'd seen before.

also watched a gay coming of age film from thailand, the love of siam, that had popped up on my netflix queue. sort of sweet through the heaps of angst (not just about the gay, there's other issues in the families involving much brokenness and addiction and pain.) not what i'd call a feel good movie. i switch my queue around to have the next movie sent one of pure fluff :P

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bugger, i so meant to have this posted a few days ago. been busy again, some good, some trying. dad came into town for a quick visit, so had a nice family dinner last night. bbq burgers and grilled veggies. my bro and s-i-l can sure make even simple food delish. those of you that have been hanging around this corner of the internet for a while might remember my buddy Doc J. he stopped by mycity for a night this week on his way to a conference, and we ate much lovely food. it was so nice to see him again and catchup, and i definitely have to count the evening as one of my gifts from the universe. i have got to find more folk to eat sumptuous food with in this town. i can't tell you how much brighter my life looks after a wonderful meal with friends.

did some accidental shopping again yesterday. was meeting s-i-l and nephews at a sports store to hitch a ride. i don't do sports, so thought i was entirely safe. except that they had these tops on sale made with organic cotton that were so cute. one similar to this one in blue and another from the same company that i can't find a link for. cap sleeves, button up, just past waist length in lavender, bit of a 50's cut. each for $20. so cute. also have finally managed to buy this dress, which i have been pining after. unlike most stuff on ModCloth, it doesn't get restocked and will disappear all together off the site for weeks at a time. i dithered over it when it first showed up and then was crushed when it vanished. it showed up again briefly, only i was short on cash and again stalled. poof. gone. i vowed that if my size reappeared, i would by it without pause. it popped up last night, and is now mine. ♥

i'm sure there are more things i should mention, but i'll end with good lord, grey's anatomy, congrats on a thoroughly depressing finalé that will, indeed, have me watching at least the start of next season. my hat is off to you.

now i must go watch nephew2 play baseball with the family. catch y'all later.

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what a day. started with a web seminar for bwvj (despite this is one of my days i'm not supposed to be working there, but needs must), followed quickly by a slightly traumatic vet appointment where it was illustrated that i am one of those pet owners that loves her furry friends dearly, but doesn't believe in spending $1000 on things that aren't (apparently) causing any issues currently. also failed the kitty momma test by having allowed an inflammatory thing in the tip of her ear (that didn't seem to really be bothering her) to heal itself and now she has scar tissue that will cause her left ear tip to be permanently bent ::hangs head::

so i'd reserved a zipcar for the vet trip with a bit of extra time to stop by the store since i was out of some v. v. necessary things, and a getting little food wouldn't hurt either. i ended up cutting the time so close i had to do a perhaps less than legal uturn-ish thing in order to get the car back on to it's spot on time to avoid the $50 late fee :P next go i will watch th clock better. but success was had and i wasn't late.

then off to use a living social coupon for a foot soak, foot massage, facial and glass of wine. this would have fallen into the gifts from the universe if it had just been the plain treatment, but it turned out i hit it off with the one of the ladies taking care of me, and she and i chatted and i got an extra long soak and foot massage and i gave her my card and it was just lovely.

stopped at the nordstrom rack on the way home, because i needed a new bra (which i found) and ended up with a great deal on the ud 24/7 naked travel-set and ud 24/7 Shadow Pencil Stash (which, okay, isn't any better than the deals in the links, but there was no shipping nor waiting.)

and then i treated myself to an awesome dinner out on the walk home, because Why Not? also, am only mostly crushed by tonights elimination in dwts. also, also, because of all of the above, am waaay behind on computer shtuff, so much skimming will be had. let me know if i've missed anything important, yeah?

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i come from the north, and though i do consider the summer sunshine one of the many gifts from the universe, and even quite like the balmy days, the whole above 30C is not something i'm fond of ::wrinkles nose:: today and tomorrow are set to be such. there may be napping involved.

have had a busy few days with lunches and phone calls and get togethers, so haven't been online much. have been able to keep up with my tiny habits though \o/

i also saw the avengers again. in imax 3D. good god almighty that is an experience. kind of like taking five shots of espresso. and nothing short of awesome. if it didn't cost so bloody much i'd do it again. depending on how long it hangs around in the imax, i just might. ♥

though i love the xmen movies, i'm not a huge reader of the fic since there is a lot of brokenness and angst in the charles/erik relationship. however, i couldn't resist having a peek at misswinterhill's Have You Met Uncle Charles? (tony/others, charles/erik, steve/tony; mature; ~3000w, au). she calls it a crossover, but in fact wolverine was an avenger for awhile, so i'll just call it a marvel 'verse au. i adore the idea of charles being uncle-like to tony. she does a spot on job with all the characterisation and despite it's light-hearted air it doesn't gloss over the messes in the canon stories. really, it's something you want to read. srsly. shoo.

after you read that, head on over to foxxcub's avenger's kissing meme which is full of heaps of goodness.

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so i woke up to the news that i had been ousted from ae_ldws, which is v. v. sad, and sort of ironic given my new tiny habit vow, but not entirely unexpected. i did love participating, but must say i am not entirely heartbroken to be missing this photo prompt of a pikachu bus. srsly.

anyway, here is my final ae_ldws round five drabble:

title: friday night
author: snottygrrl
rating: PG
pairing: arthur/eames
word count: 400
summary: sometimes you get a do over.
genre: post-movie
prompt: "Get the fuck over here."
warnings: a bit of schmoop
disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Christopher Nolan and various studios including but not limited to Warner Bros, Inc, Legendary Pictures and Syncopy Films. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.
author's notes: written for ae_ldws' fifth round, week 8. unfortunately, i got ousted this week, so this is the final drabble in this series.

( by clicking on this link you assert you are of age to read PG Rated fiction - Arthur sits on the stool and tries to remember what it means to go out for Friday night drinks at the local bar. )

in other news, i had to stop watching scandal because it is too frickin good and was making me all stressed and angsty. and even though i want to know what happens, i also know that it will be much better for my sanity if i don't make it part of my life. so still totes recommend it if you aren't a woobie like me ::is special snowflake::

also, mostly approve of the final four in dwts. and am still dying for some inception or avengers ballroom fic. why isn't it on my kindle right now?

and twitter was a giant obama & whedon lovefest today (as opposed to obama/whedon which would be just odd.) i approve of this ::nods::

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so a quick post tonight because am fighting a cold and want to get to bed early and still need to do the dishes :P

i just wanted to share another gift from the universe. the universe has been spending quite a bit of time lately making me v. v. aware of this guy's work with the concept of tiny habits. like really tiny. so tiny the idea of doing them every day for the foreseeable future isn't daunting. so tiny they are downright silly. but what happens is they are complete-able and will make your brain get used to doing something and you can celebrate the accomplishment everyday, even though it's small. like vowing to write at least one word every day for your story or your blog or whatever. just one word. your allowed to write more, but you only have to commit to writing one. and on those days when everything goes to hell in a handbasket, or you can't get out of bed, or you're running around like a chicken with your head cut off you can probably still manage one word and you will have kept your commitment to yourself and worked on that thing that you really want to do, and that honest to god does help transform your life. serious.

so i've started today with a daily commitment of reading one page/blog that has to do with journey stuff, write one word in a blog post or fanfic and sew one seam/knit one row. i've even made a little calendar that i can put checkmarks by or little stars or hearts or whatever to keep track of how well i do. what tiny thing could you commit to?

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let me tell you, 13.5 hours in a movie theatre is a long time even for this girl. it would have been easier if i'd had better food and drink and a companion so that i didn't have to cart my stuff with me every time i went to pee, but the universe sat a lovely father with his teenage daughter next to me, so that helped kill the 15 - 20 minutes between each film.

was amazed by just how much foreshadowing and twists and ties there are in the whole series of flicks when watched together like that. no spoilers on the avengers just that i liked it a lot. the marathon included the 3d version, but not the imax 3d. so i'll be headed back to the theatre next week for that experience, because why wouldn't one want to see that team in really, really big?

am still desperately trying to catch up (again) due to essentially having no internet from about 1pm on thurs to 11pm friday. this was due to the fact that i didn't get home from the marathon until about 3.15am and had to be at bwvj by noon, so i pretty much just read any email i had to and dropped in bed, got up, went to bwvj and then ran to catch a bus to see neighbour!M, who is back from her year of travelling around the world. which leads me to another gift from the universe, neighbour!M brought me timtams ::flails a bit:: i was never addicted to them as some are, but there is something so iconic about them it makes me all warm and cuddly inside.

how are all of you?

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today's gift from the universe is that i seem to have won this week's ae_ldws, which i find totally bewildering. i thought all the drabbles were excellent again this week, and while i thought i had a chance at staying in the running, i certainly didn't expect to win the week o.0 so i've made it into the bronze round, which i am incredibly chuffed about.

title: diplomatic dreaming
author: snottygrrl
rating: PG
pairing: arthur/eames
word count: 375
summary: there's nothing better than a good slice of pie.
genre: sci-fi
prompt: café
warnings: none
disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Christopher Nolan and various studios including but not limited to Warner Bros, Inc, Legendary Pictures and Syncopy Films. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.
author's notes: written for ae_ldws' fifth round, week 7. stunningly, it also won that week ::is chuffed:: a heap of gratitude goes to rurounihime who kept me from weeping when i was stumped by the prompt.

( by clicking on this link you assert you are of age to read PG Rated fiction - Arthur had just taken the first bite when their shuttle pilot, Yusuf, approached the table. )

now i need to go get ready for the movie marathon ::flails like mad:: i expect to be completely done for tomorrow, so don't be surprised if i'm a bit scarce.

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thank all that is holy. have made it to the end of this last glut of obligations, meetings, etc. now i'm just back to my regular life of not having enough time to get to everything :P

first off, the drabbles went up late, so i'd love it if y'all went over and voted for this week's ae_ldws drabbles before tomorrow evening london time. it's sci-fi this week, and there are some brilliant entries.

also, i am officially licensed to drive in the usa again. i swear i will never let my license here lapse again. such a deal both mental and logistically to get it back. but is done. am now waiting for my cars2go membership to come through.

my eighth gift from the universe is a day that seems mostly manageable. it feels like such a blessing not to have to worry about meeting a deadline today, or rush off to some obligation. i have some general flat maintenance to do, some knitting and sewing i'd like to get to. also a billion things on the computer, but am going to stay mostly away after i post (i hope, anyway), since i need some downtime from it ::breathes deeply again::

lastly, if you haven't seen the new tdkr video, click below. the sound of fandom squeeling is practically deafening. this movie is going to break me into tiny little bits. i can't wait.

( ::flails helplessly:: )

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i really have to learn not to commit to extra things on the last week of the month, otherwise i become a bit of a crazed person (just ask poor ru, who had to listen to me rant last night.) the week consisted of several meetings and a lot of rushing around. one of the 'extras' was a volunteer gig yesterday afternoon that was a bit trying, but good things came out of it in the end and at least it's done with ::nods::

stunningly, i made it through yet another week of ae_ldws (and no, am not fishing for praise. i do realise that short writing is something i'm fairly decent at, but i'm competing with some much more prolific writers who do excellent work.) i did rather like this one, though, so am v. v. pleased that enough others did to keep me in the running.

title: ruthless efficiency
author: snottygrrl
rating: PG
pairing: arthur/eames
word count: 289
summary: eames never thought snacks could be his undoing.
genre: pre-movie
prompt: cheetos
warnings: none
disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Christopher Nolan and various studios including but not limited to Warner Bros, Inc, Legendary Pictures and Syncopy Films. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.
author's notes: written for ae_ldws' fifth round, week 6.

( by clicking on this link you assert you are of age to read PG Rated fiction - Repressing a yawn, Eames tries to focus as Cobb goes over the latest changes to the architecture. )

had a bear of a time with this week's, and would still be wailing and gnashing my teeth if it weren't for ru ::covers her in kisses:: we're down to four of us, so i'd be ever so appreciative if folk could go over to the comm to vote tomorrow when the drabbles go up ♥

one of my gifts from the universe this week, was the reminder that sitting down with friends to celebrate is a v. v. good thing. the event qualified as one of the 'extras' that i committed to this week, and there was disgruntlement about how it was arranged and the assumptions that were made by others, but spending a couple of hours with delish appetisers, tasty drinks and interesting co-workers is really not a bad way to end a work week.

and i still haven't finished all the things i agreed to do before the weekend was over, so i best get back to it. hope to be around a bit more next week, but only time will tell.

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quick, quick, quick post. it's the last week of the month, which means i'll be pretty awol. i've got an all night event at on wed, and an extra long meeting on thurs aft/eve, as well as an early gig on friday and my usual 20+ hours at bwvj, so i won't be keeping up as well with all that is digital.

besides wanting to post to tell y'all that, i had to squee about my latest gift from the universe, rurounihime wrote me a fic! ::flails helplessly:: the ripple effect (arthur/eames, r, 6700w) it's also on ao3. i'd gush on about how good it is, but my words would never do ru's writing justice. just go read ♥

also, also, there's only a little bit of time left to vote for this week's ae_ldws over here. head on over if you get a chance before voting closes.

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i was a bit wary when several of my flist started wandering down the path to avengers fandom. i seem to be unusually picky about what boys i'll read and have never really been a big comic fan. but i did already love the movies out so far, and was willing to see what would show up.

the result? much squee and twirling. i've already used one avengers fandom thing in my one hundred challenge, and i suspect there will be more (as well as some hp and inception), but today i'm just gonna mention some fandom and non-fandom bits and be thankful they exist at all.

bless good ol' stan, the original comic included an ever changing cast of quite a few quirky heroes including ant-man, wasp and villains that had converted to good (hawkeye being one of those). how can you not love a group of super heroes that fight the masters of evil? ::pets them::

i could rec a bunch of fic, but am going to stay in mostly gen for this post, and rec you two short podfics that will make you smile:
Round World with a Square Heart (steve/tony (though this can be read as completely gen and merely about friendship. i'd actually call it steve, tony rather than steve/tony), pg, 10min41sec) written by somehowunbroken read by meri streaming or download. Steve doesn't quite fit in here.
64 colours (gen, pg, 12min41sec) written by musefool read by meri streaming or download. Darcy's life is weird, but she kind of likes it.
with both of these i was just going to listen to them and not download as i've got a heap of podfic on my machine, but both were so charming that i ended up listening and then downloading anyway ♥

also, the existence of the franchise means i get an opportunity to go do this on the 3rd: 2.15 - iron man, 4.45 iron man 2, 7.15 - thor 3d, 9.30 - captain america 3d, 12.01 - avengers 3d. bought my ticket yesterday. i actually wasn't planning on seeing a midnight show, but i couldn't pass up the chance at this. i find it kind of amusing they substituted iron man 2 (which was a bit rubbish) for the incredible hulk (which was really rubbish. shame) so as not to have the wrong bruce banner. is okay by me, i'd much rather watch rdj than ed. can't wait to drown in super heroes for a day :D

no doubt in my mind that the avengers belong on my list of gifts from the universe ::nods::

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was going to try and post more often ::squints at calendar:: not really happening yet.

but have decided to do the ao3 meme-age making the rounds, because i found it interesting.
1. twelve days of christmas - merlin (bbc) (arthur/merlin, mature, ~5400w) hits: 902
2. i never wish to be parted from you - inception (arthur/eames, mature, ~4700w) hits: 832
3. but hold me fast, let me not go - hp (draco/harry, mature, ~4500w) hits: 530
4. seahorses do it with ease - hp (draco/harry, teen, ~1000w) hits: 470
5. 20 random things that amaze harry potter about his son, albus - hp (al/scorpius, general, ~1000w) hits: 422
6. the harry/malfoy thing - hp (draco/harry, teen, ~2950w) hits: 374
7. seahorse do it - hp (draco/harry, teen, ~1550w) hits: 356
8. seahorse do it with friends - hp (draco/harry, general, ~480w) hits: 344
9. my heart - hp (draco/harry, teen, ~580w) hits: 340
10. seahorses - hp (draco/harry, teen, ~100w) hits: 304

the most fascinating thing? every one of the hp fic is an mpreg. as a matter of fact it's a majority of all the mpreg i've ever written. just for comparison i've 89 total works on ao3 (a handful of which are drabble collections, which represents a heap of drabbles not counted as individual works.) huh. #2 is my xmas fest fic from this year. i imagine if ao3 had been around when i was still writing hp, they'd be at the top of the count. i'd have to add my hexfiles hit count and my skyehawke hit count to get a clearer picture of what fic of mine has been the most popular. am not going to go through the effort, but a quick squizz at skyehawke (where my hit counts are much, much more respectable) shows that mpreg and vampires top my fic over there (but mostly higher ratings have higher hit count.)

today's gift from the universe is a gorgeous, sunny day with an unexpectedly high temp for the season. had a lovely walk in the sunshine after a successful shop at the fabric store. yays for straight up, uncomplicated gifts of sunshine ♥

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just when you want to cry, you get a lovely comment from a mysterious person on a drabble. it's v. sweet that the mods over at ae_ldws forward comments folks leave since the comments are screened. so whoever you are mysterious person, thanks heaps for making my day ♥

that, and making it through another round \o/ this was the drabble they praised:

title: picture perfect
author: snottygrrl
rating: PG
pairing: arthur/eames
word count: 246
summary: ariadne knows what is what, or maybe not.
genre: fluff
prompt: frame
warnings: none
disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Christopher Nolan and various studios including but not limited to Warner Bros, Inc, Legendary Pictures and Syncopy Films. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.
author's notes: written for ae_ldws' fifth round, week 5. perhaps not as fluffy as it might be, but about as fluffy as i tend to get.

( by clicking on this link you assert you are of age to read PG Rated fiction - Ariadne fumes as she refills her coffee mug. )

filed in the omfg category, i got hit on by a man 31 yrs my senior. and i am no spring chicken. don't get me wrong, i have no issues with age difference in relationships of any kind. i hang with folk many, many years younger than me quite regularly, but 30+ years gives even me pause. and really, we have nothing in common to even maintain more than a friendly acquaintance sort of thing. i had the delusion he was just looking for someone else to have tea with occasionally. yikes. i must really need to be reminded of that second gift: things-don't-always-go-as-planned and its corollary: everyone's-plan-is-not-the-same.

never mind, universal gift number three is the loveliness of spring trees. mycity has heaps of flowering trees and right now we are awash in tiny petals blossoming everywhere and raining down on the footpaths. if i had a smartphone, there would be an accompanying picture that i would have taken on my walk to or from work today, but alas, you will just have to imagine. i've always has a particular fondness for cherry trees and plum trees and such like. ::squees at the pretteh::

this is mirrored from the original post on dreamwidth. you can reply to this post, but i'd prefer you comment there with a dw account or openid ♥

i've had a sort of hibernation weekend, only not. managed to finish a pair of fingerless mittens i'd been working on forever. had a lovely and extensive phone chat with a fandom friend. dealt with some computer stuff. hung out doing crafts with saladbats for a bit. stopped by sockdreams and bought some awesome spring/summer socks to go with the dresses (these (in white), these (in white as well. nearly half off due to a miniscule stain on one cuff near the back), these (also in the sale bin for nearly half off just because they no longer had the plastic wrapping around the cardboard), these (in purple) and some sparkly light green anklets from mp that aren't on the site, but were in the store.) got my drabble done. downloaded some fic i've been meaning to. more little stuff like that. so a weekend that was a cross between being lazy and productive.

my 100 things gift from the universe i'm going to talk about today, was the reminder that things don't always go as planned even when one thinks ones following the instructions. i started on another pair of fingerless mits and was working on them today. i was finding the pattern challenging, but thought i was managing, until the moment i realised i wasn't and was far enough off, that i had no choice but to rip out about 4 rows and redo. even in the redo i ran into some issues. and yes, i wanted to pout and whimper, but i have managed to get it back on track with minimal tears, and am watching the stitch count like a hawk now. it made me think of all the other things in my life that won't always stay to task and sometimes stray far enough that i'm forced to take several steps back and try again, but everything always seems to mostly work out in the end and things don't have to be perfect to be beautiful ♥

on an extremely random note, for those of you that gave up on grimm early on, i would suggest giving it another go. they've still got huge issues with the v. core of the myth (and there's no fixing them, so one has to ignore that piece. however, i find most folks don't find them as glaring as i do until i say something and then their like oh. you're so right!), but they've stopped with the fairytale of the week stuff (i mean sort of. they're still introducing different aspects of the world each week, but not so blatantly trying to follow A Fairytale anymore), and though they're obviously still cops, the shoehorning it all into regular procedural format has stopped as well. as irritating as i found it at the start of the show, i never would have believed i'd be enjoying it so much now.

this is mirrored from the original post on dreamwidth. you can reply to this post, but i'd prefer you comment there with a dw account or openid ♥