School Begins!

School starts for the boys this week and work starts for me. Today we took the opportunity to head to the Evergreen State Fair. The kids rode some rides, we looked at farm animals, and ate way too much bad fair food. My feet are sore, E's stomach is upset and I'm happy to be home.

Tomorrow the kids will have their last day at home. I head to the school for a three hour meeting. Not that the meeting will be a bad thing. It's actually really nice to be able to get together and talk about all the kids who will be there this year. It's nice going in with a little bit of knowledge as opposed to last year when I came to the job after school had already started.

Then tomorrow afternoon Cal and I will check out his new 2nd grade room. This will also allow me to get his school supplies delivered to the teacher. It's not always a sure thing they're going to make it when you leave it up to Cal (or Duncan for that matter).

Okay. Enough boring talk about my life. Get to reading.

Tamara

BtVS

• Chapter 5 of The Road to Hell by hungryandhorny (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 3 of You're a What?! by swarm012 (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 45 of Of Little Faith by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 18 of Am I the Good Slayer Now? by Squiz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Shutter Speed by EdenLeeRaven (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 3 of Love Comes to Long Lick - Revisited by JustSkipIt (Through the Looking Glass).
  
  
• Part 2 of The Mouse That Roared - A Love Beyond the Stars Flashback by Dax (Through the Looking Glass).
  
  Cold Case
  
• Faith by teh_gandu (Rare & Small Fandom Femslash).
  
  
• Smartass by teh_gandu (Rare & Small Fandom Femslash).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 1 of First Seven Then Eight by phair (her web site).
  
  
• Chapter 2.18 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Sci-fi Doctors by Geonn Cannon (Area 52).
  
  
• The Night You Can't Remember, Or The Night I Can't Forget by Geonn Cannon (Area 52).
  
  
• I Am Not Left-handed by Geonn Cannon (Area 52).
  
  
• Eve In The Garden by Geonn Cannon (Area 52).
  
  

Ramble from phair

Okay, my sister, who rocks, gave me a vinyl transfer system for my birthday. For the younger set; musical recordings used to be stored on large round discs and played by scratching a specially designed needle across grooves etched into hard plastic. The technology was developed at some midway point between the wheel and the hula hoop. Being slightly older than the JFK assassination, I have alot of vinyl records. Boxes and boxes actually. Hence, the gift.

I love the concept! However, I was freaked. The task required me to figure the thing out in order to achieve fulfillment of the concept. Figure it out on my own-some. Oh, heavy burden...(shout out to Shakespeare). And, before I can even get to the computerized part of the gift, I had to assemble the turn table (round plate like surface to put records on top of in order to scratch out sound with afore mentioned needle - trust me it was state of the art once upon a time).

Going back to the 'older' comment of this post should give you some idea how new technology might hold a bit of dread for me. Terror might be a better word. Remember, when I was in college...'mini' computers were the size of rooms. We were still using mimeograph machines...and getting tipsy on the smell. Everybody knew somebody whose cousin's best friend's sister's boyfriend went to school with a kid whose neighbor died from eating pop rocks and then drinking coke really fast. As the story went, his mouth exploded causing his head to slip off his shoulders but I digress.

I stared at the box holding the concept of something, which intrigued me for more than two weeks. My plan was to attempt the procedure of assembly, installing, and trials of recording when I had nothing else to do. This weekend was wide open...nothing scheduled. I mean my usual weekend trip to Mission Church needed to be scrubbed because Jack Nicholson took my usual seat. And, it is pissing rain so no sand time for my butt today. Perfect opportunity to fail and get frustrated without it interrupting any good plans for the day. Or, tomorrow. Sometimes, when I get really frustrated with my inability to rule my world, it can ruin two whole days in a row.

So at 2pm, I set off to tackle the obstacle. To climb my Everest. To soar (and, I'm thinking sink) in my attempt to change and grow and evolve. At 2:22pm, I halted my efforts

I'm still stunned. It was one of the easiest things I've ever put together. That includes lacing up new sneakers. In under thirty minutes, I was able to: debox, assemble the turn table, move my stereo receiver and speakers next to the computer (this was the most tedious part and I might have been able to hook directly into my computer if I thought the whole thing through), install the software, run the tutorial to learn how to record - edit - remaster, and transfer a song to its new digital home. Amazing!

I feel like a flipping genius.

One of my buddies asked about the quality of the transfer. Personally, I think the program cleans up the recordings nicely. Replay on the computer sounded better than the original on the stereo. But, that is just me. I'm still riding my endorphin pony around the living room. I'm totally impressed with myself. I was able to achieve the feat of carrying the concept to its completion.

Now, I'm going back to transferring my past into my future. I wish you a wonderful week filled with the joy of being a flipping genius!

phair

First up...congrats ,phair...new music for your IPOD! And thanks for coming by to share it. I still have a few albums in storage waiting to be uploaded as well, but I did get lucky a few years ago and copied most of them on to the hard drive with help from a friend. What amazes me is the crap they will turn into a CD, and yet some great music from my past has been lost or skipped by. Oh well, typical, I think.

Now on to your updates! Enjoy them.

Elisa

Birds of Prey

• Twist of Fate by Darkenedkarma (Academy of Bards).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.17 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  
• Part 20 of Badges and Nedles (Conclusion) by Warriorangel (Academy of Bards).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Falling by maple cat (Area 52).
  
  Xena Warrior Princess
  
• The Slow Dance of Love by DJ Belt (Academy of Bards).

Mean E here...

...that's me. Btw, Tamara did not sleep in the other room. Her over imaginative mind created some issues that were not there.

The weekend is upon us. Many folks have seen the house and none have placed an offer. Discouraged a bit, but hey we're still here.

Saw a good movie today. Julie & Julia, I recommend this one. Fun. Tomorrow hair cut day and we'll go ramble through some other people's houses.

Here be the updates, enjoy 'em.

Elisa

BtVS

• Chapter 2 of Dealing by Hayley (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 12 of Where We Find Ourselves by lilskippy (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Murder in Suburb
  
• Chapter 16 of Fallen by Erin Griffin (Subtext in Suburbia).
  
  
• Chapter 3 of Genealogy by But I'm not that girl (Subtext in Suburbia).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.16 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Sci-Fi Doctors by Geonn Cannon (his lj).

Happy Friday (or Saturday depending on your location)!

You're getting me again today because E is napping. I'm getting the update done so we can head to Lynnwood to pick up a friend's car. Traffic will be fun enough this time of day and coming back it may even be more fun.

She may kill me for doing this so if you never hear from me again I'm either dead or in the witness protection program.

Tamara

BtVS

• Chapter 44 of Of Little Faith by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 11 of Edge of Destruction by invalid reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 8 of Beauty and the Beast the Faerun Way by Whispr (Rebelrsr's Site).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.15 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).

Birthday Boy

The Lord of Chaos has made it to the ripe old age of seven. It's been an interesting seven years with the little cuss and I'm sure the future will be just as entertaining.

Today he stayed home from Camp Shoreline. That made it so much easier for him to ask me many times when it would be time to open his presents. He opened two from my mom first thing in the morning. It wasn't enough, of course. That present opening rush just leaves you jonesin' for more.

We went for a truly mediocre and overpriced lunch at Chuck E. Cheese's in Lynnwood. I had a coupon that gave us 200 tokens for the price of 100 and it turned out that was a lot of freakin' tokens. I bet we have at least 150 left. Alas, that means I will be heading back to Chuck E. Cheese's soon. Ah well, at least I won't have to buy any more tokens.

Tonight we're heading to the Chinese Buffet for dinner (Cal's choice) and then it'll be time to rip into those presents and eat the Moist Chocolate Cake (again, Cal's request). Since school hasn't started I'm postponing a fun birthday party with a few of his friends for a few weeks into school.

Hopefully he's had a good day so far.

Y'all enjoy the updates.

Tamara

BtVS

• Chapter 13 of Little Friend by liljemsey (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 13 of Soulless by lizardmm (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Comics
  
• Jane's World: Aftermath by Paige Braddock (AfterEllen.com).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.14 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  
• Chapter 6 of A Chance Encounter by Bobbie Halchishak (Academy of Bards).
  
  Xena Warrior Princess
  
• Part 21 of A Queen's Tale by Melissa Good (her web site).

Water, Water Everywhere and Not a Drop to drink...

It's been a strange week. I'm wondering if it's Official United Nations Bad Luck With Water Week or Something's Wrong With The Cosmos week. Or something similar. Lots of weird accidents (none serious). All of them involving water. And not just to me. The whole city seems to have had problems.

I started a new contract this week, (btw though they keep saying there's a downturn in the construction industry that doesn't seem to apply here in my city, house-building is booming). I'm working over the other side of town so I need to catch the bus. I was late on Monday. There were detours all over the place because all those nice new water mains they put in a short while ago went wrong. One burst, rather spectacularly in fact, and flooded one of the main routes into the city centre (downtown). That mean road closures & evacuations and such. The road is still closed at the mo.

The forecast for Monday was sunny spells with light showers. Hah!! The heavens opened. The short walk up the hill from the bus-stop left me looking like a drowned rat. Denim takes forever to dry so I spent the whole day soaking wet.

Tuesday started ok except for the roads still being closed. The houses near the pub on the river at were on flood-alert though as it was looking pretty high. Then the day went sideways again. I had to set up the hose to supply water to the cement mixer. I thoroughly checked all the connections, the washer looked as if it could do with being replaced but I decided it would do for now, and I turned the tap (faucet) on slowly. I'm not daft. I've been caught that way before. It was fine, everything worked well. Until I needed to turn it off. As I bent down towards it (I hadn't even put a hand on it yet!!) the seal gave (I guess the washer did need replacing after all). When the seal goes the tap shoots a high-pressure jet of water about two metres into the air. Unless of course there's something in its way. You know. Like a human body. It took me about four minutes to stop trying to fight against the blast of water and think sensibly enough to walk round to the back of the tap - out of the line of fire - and turn it off. I would have been less wet if I'd jumped into a swimming-pool. Another day spent in soaking clothes. I have a cold now. It will probably turn into double-pneumonia at least by the end of the week.

Today I took a change of clothes. I needed them. Another torrential downpour saw to that. I could have done with two changes. Early this afternoon the tarp we had over the work area got overloaded with rainwater. It collapsed. And yep, I was standing under it when it went. The rain got so bad that they gave up trying to set bricks and sent us all home a couple of hours early.

Tomorrow I'm borrowing my nephew's wetsuit (the full suit he uses for surfing in Britain's icy seas). And I'm wearing it under a sou'wester. With fisherman's waders. I'm not taking any chances.

See you next week (unless I'm in ICU with pneumonia), goodnight and may your God/s go with you. (And keep you dry)

Ze

Babylon 5

• Part 15 of Remember by highfructose_cs (B5 Femslash).
  
  BtVS
  
• Part 13 of Tara by Hellmouthguy (The Hellmouth Revisited).
  
  
• Chapter 2 of Prompts by hungryandhorny (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 1 of Deliverance by BFGirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Criminal Minds
  
• Stress Position by scarimor (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 8 of Was it a Dream, was I in it? by lostnfoundcause (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 4 of Inferno by lovepb (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Part 5 of Inferno by lovepb C M Femslash).
  
  Criminal Minds/X-Men Crossover
  
• Torture by Alsike (C M Femslash).
  
  CSI:Miami
  
• Part 8B.1 of Choices by sinjenkai (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 8B.2 of Choices by sinjenkai (Women in Kevlar).
  
  Doctor Who/Sarah-Jane Adventures
  
• Part 1 of Call of Time by xhecticbankaix (D W Femslash).
  
  (Kim Harrison's) The Hollows
  
• Part 2 of The Hollows High School by Dollfleshdecay (ivy_rachel).
  
  Original
  
• Savannah Heat by Vnud (The Athenaeum).
  
  
• Chapter 2.12 (renumbered from yesterday) of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (Her website).
  
  
• Chapter 2.13 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (Her website).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Part 2 of The Grand Fraiser Plan: If I Didn't Have You by LilFerret (Area 52).
  

UXXFD Request

Message from the staff at the UXFFD (Ultimate Xena Fan Fiction Directory).

You may have noticed that the site has been unavailable for a little while. This is due to a server problem. Unfortunately the server isn't ours but belongs to Taylor Rickard so we can't fix it. We have been trying to contact Taylor (and/or T Novan) but do not have a working email address for either of them. If anybody on the list has a recent email address (current as of this year) could they please contact Heartbrknbard with it. Or if you know Taylor could you please ask her to contact Heartbrkn at her earliest convenience. Thank you

Cheers mates. Chat to you all tomorrow.

Ze

Babylon 5

• All These Walls by Annette (The Athenaeum).
  
  Birds of Prey
  
• Part 5 of Goodbye... Never means forever by V (The Athenaeum).
  
  BtVS
  
• Parts 3 & 4 of Unbreakable by DragonWriter17 (Cyberlair).
  
  Criminal Minds
  
• Part 2 of Beautiful Disaster by Maggsie (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Chapter 7 of Was it a Dream, was I in it? by lostnfoundcause (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 2 of Infernao by lovepb (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Part 3 of Infernao by lovepb (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Find a Way by devilsova (C M Femslash).
  
  
• I'm Not Strong Enough For This (Hold Me Until I Am) by aevee (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Payback's a B1tch! by addicted-mb (C M Femslash).
  
  Criminal Minds/X-Men Crossover
  
• Loyalty by Alsike (C M Femslash).
  
  CSI
  
• Part 16 of This Time by tofem (Women in Kevlar).
  
  CSI:Miami
  
• Part 8A of Choices by sinjenkai (Women in Kevlar).
  
  Devil Wears Prada/Anita Blake Crossover
  
• Part 1 of Gift or Curse by Blackgrl71 (The Athenaeum).
  
  Doctor Who/Torchwood
  
• Part 4 of Requiem of the Underworld by xhecticbankaix (D W Femslash).
  
  (Kim Harrison's) The Hollows
  
• Part 1 of Beauty and the Beast by dollfleshdecay (ivy_rachel).
  
  
• My Name by roarax (ivy_rachel).
  
  Law & Order: SVU
  
• Part 4 of If I Close My Eyes by V (The Athenaeum).
  
  Original
  
• The Cross I Bear by Kim Priketel (Royal Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Part 11 of Grappling the Girl next Door by Antonia Matheson (Royal Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Part 1 of Surviving the Storm by Alice D. (The Athenaeum).
  
  
• Chapter 1.19.2 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (Her website).
  
  
• Chapter 16 of The Empire After The End Of Civilization by Phair (Her website).
  
  Xena Warrior Princess
  
• When do you know? (Conqueror) by Cas (The Athenaeum).
  

Time is Flying By

Anyone else shocked when looking at the calendar? Late August already...wow, where is the time going? It's already been over a year since Tamara moved up here. That seems like yesterday and then again sometimes if feels like years.

All well, back to your updates. Enjoy them.

Elisa

BtVS

• Chapter 10 of Edge of Destruction by invalid reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 43 of Of Little Faith by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 12 of Little Friend by liljemsey (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 88 of Faith in Family by georagetaz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 24 of Bed of Roses by KW Jordan (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 12 of Soulless by Lizardmm (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapters 1 & 2 of Love Comes to Long Lick - Revisited by JustSkipIt (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  Murder in Suburbia
  
• Wilted Lillies by Erin Griffin (Subtext in Suburbia).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.11 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).

Sunday

It's been a relaxing Sunday for us. We did manage to get out of the house for a bit so I could spend some money at the Comics Dungeon Anniversary Sale. I'm happy to report that I walked out of there with quite a stack of comics. After that we did our usual grocery store weekend visit before heading home.

You've got a nice bit of reading tonight. Enjoy!

Tamara

BtVS

• Chapter 10 of Essence of the Hellmouth by Wispr (Rebelrsr's site).
  
  
• Chapter 3 of Prompts by retz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 11 of Secrets by rebelrsr (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Yours by Dumbsaint (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• The Wolf Is Back by Hanki (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• React by Kiera (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Magic Brownies by Liz (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Nectar of the Gods by Liz (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Still Here by Minerva (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  CSI: Miami
  
• Choices parts 5-7 by sinjenkai (Passion & Perfection).
  
  Ghost Town
  
• Aces and Eights: Little Jack's Story by Cheyne (Academy of Bards).
  
  Guiding Light
  
• Coming Undone by DiNovia (Passion & Perfection).
  
  
• Poured Out Like Water by ocean gazer (Passion & Perfection).
  
  
• Have You Heard of Galileo? by Senpai20 (Passion & Perfection).
  
  
• Where You Belong by Susan P (Passion & Perfection).
  
  
• Almost Home by Fewthistle (Passion & Perfection).
  
  The L Word
  
• We Don't Need '17 Reasons' Why Bette and Tina Should Get Back Together by Antonia Matheson (Academy of Bards).
  
  Law & Order: SVU
  
• Part 36 of The Sum of Contradictions: Incandescent by beurre blanc (Passion & Perfection).
  
  
• Part 37 of The Sum of Contradictions: Disintegration by beurre blanc (Passion & Perfection).
  
  
• Part 38 of The Sum of Contradictions: Winter by beurre blanc (Passion & Perfection).
  
  Nikki & Nora
  
• Chapter 12 - 14 of Delaney C.O.D. or D.O.A. by ellie-no-name and docwho2100 (J S Odds & Ends).
  
  Original
  
• Dark Matter Command by A. Azel (Passion & Perfection).
  
  
• Dark Matter Enemy by A. Azel (Passion & Perfection).
  
  
• Part 1 of Surviving the Storm by Alice D. (Academy of Bards).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Five Times Samantha Carter Didn't Wear Her Uniform by dhamphir (Passion & Perfection).
  
  
• Five Times Janet Made Sam Late For Work by dhamphir (Passion & Perfection).

Another Open, Another Day

The house continues to look for a new owner. We continue to watch houses we would like to buy come and go. Today we took ourselves off to see Ponyo an enjoyable movie.

While we were at our movie our agent was here having an open house, hence another day goes by.

Now back to the usual grind. Enjoy your updates.

Elisa

Birds of Prey

• Part 1 of Even a Fist Was Once an Open Palm and Fingers by quasiradiant (Birds of Prey Femslash Masterlist).
  
  
• Part 2 of Even a Fist Was Once an Open Palm and Fingers by quasiradiant (Birds of Prey Femslash Masterlist).
  
  
• Part 3 of Even a Fist Was Once an Open Palm and Finger by quasiradiant (Birds of Prey Femslash Masterlist).
  
  
• Part 4 of Even a Fist Was Once an Open Palm and Finger by quasiradiant (Birds of Prey Femslash Masterlist).
  
  
• Life Lies a Slow Suicide by modestroad (Birds of Prey Femslash Masterlist).
  
  
• So, Last Night by seriousfic (Birds of Prey Femslash Masterlist).
  
  
• Sticking the Landing by Adliren (Birds of Prey Femslash Masterlist).
  
  BtVS
  
• Chapter 33 of First, Do No Harm by Miz Black Crow (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 9 of Edge of Destruction by invalid reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 20 of Underneath It All by Asher (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.10 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  She's the Man
  
• A Rebellion Rests by rules1through8 (Saffic).
  
  South of Nowhere
  
• Chapter 11 of Charmed I'm Not by maria1229 (South of Nowhere Fanfiction).

Call for Lesbian/Transgender Authors for DragonCon Panel

A little Friday request for help.

DragonCon in Atlanta GA is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US. This year's guests include the stars of all major Science Fiction films released in the past two years, as well as the cast of the original Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and will feature gaming from every RPG and MMORPG in the world. If you're a gamer, no one has to explain those initials; for those who don't know, they're role-playing games such as the famous Dungeons and Dragons, and Magic: the Gathering.

There is also a writer's track featuring authors such as Sherrilyn Kenyon, Laurell K Hamilton, Raven Hart, Lynn Abbey, as well as Steve Berman, whose editing and writing endeavors have earned him nominations for the Andre Norton Award, Gaylactic Spectrum Award, and Lambda Literary Awards. His gothic YA novel, Vintage, was on the Rainbow List sponsored by the American Library Association's GLBT-Roundtable.

However, until this year, there was not a strictly GLBT panel in the writer's track. Kiernan Kelly and I designed one and presented it to the coordinator of the track, and were warmly welcomed. The first ever GLBT writer's panel will be held 9/5/09 Sat, 10pm EST.

Here is the concept of the panel:

"Authors of same-sex romance, including sci-fi, paranormal, and fantasy answer reader and writers' questions about the genre. Explore GLBT Romance's wide appeal across sexual boundaries. This controversial market boasts a growing readership, and splinters stereotypes. Discover the appeal of Science Fiction, Paranormal, and Fantasy as well as contemporary themes within the GLBT genre."

We had six authors, but due to personal issues, two have had to drop out.

This is a call for authors of Lesbian or Transgender fiction, most especially any within the fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction genre. If you are near Atlanta GA and can attend, please let me know. We do not have a budget for travel or expenses, but if you are planning to attend or live nearby and are interested in attending, please let me know ASAP. We have a shared room that can be split four ways.

In a perfect world, we would love to have two authors. One will suffice. If this fits you, please send me an email offline at sempervians @ yahoo .com (no spaces). We will immediately return your email.

Evecho

If you're going to be in the area or attending DragonCon, think about helping Evecho out with this panel. Sounds like it could be fun.

Tamara

BtVS

• Episode 10 of Walk the Line by Electra (her web site).
  
  
• Chapter 4 of The Road to Hell by hungryandhorny (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 10 of Walk the Line by Electra (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 5 of Erased by DushkuHasDibs (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 86 of Faith in Family by georagetaz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Amneris' Letter by Tara's Shadow (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Family Troubles by Musicmad10 (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Time by AndyGirl (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Down the Aisle by April (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Just a Typical Night at the Bronze by Ensam (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Waking Up to Warmth by Ensam (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• An Even Better Way by FenrirWolf (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Fundamentals of a Loving Relationship by Flissy (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 14 & 15 of The Empire After The End Of Civilization by phair (her web site).
  
  
• Chapter 2.9 by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  Harry Potter/Xena Warrior Princess
  
• Harry Potter and the Amazon Queen by Akiela Xal (Academy of Bards).
  
  Xena Warrior Princess
  
• Bacchus Remembers by Annazon Fox (Academy of Bards).

A Good Day

I am employed. The weather is cooler (warmer than I like at 80F, but still doable). Tamara is making evil fried chicken for dinner, that is always good. I'm feeling luckier than many in our country right now, hence a good day indeed.

May you all enjoy your updates and ignore the news for a while. Times like these make me once again happy with my choice not to have a television hooked up to any sort of cable. Internet is bad enough. So today, I skip the news sites.

Later.

Elisa

BtVS

• Under My Skin by babydykecate (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 1 of Whatever's Left by babydykecate (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 16 of Because the Night by bobina (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 11 of Little Friend by liljemsey (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 17 of The Killer in Me by lizardmm (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Comics
  
• Jane's World:Moving Out by Paige Braddock (AfterEllen.com).
  
  Original
  
• Purgatory by Kris Grossman (E-Scribblers.com).
  
  
• Part 1 of In the Shadows by Twila (E-Scribblers.com).
  
  
• Cautiously Optimistic by Kim Pritekel (Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Chapter 2.8 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  
• Part 3 of Unbreakable by DragonWriter17 (her web site).
  
  
• Part 4 of Unbreakable by DragonWriter17 (her web site).

Weird

Got a lot of response to yesterday's post - obviously a topic on which most people hold passionate views. I'll reply to you all asap. I'll even be polite *g*.

Weird thing happened this week. Someone emailed to tell me how much they enjoyed one of my stories and asked if they could post a link on a forum of which they're a member. I was very flattered, thanked them for the praise and said it'd be an honour. I popped along to the forum to see what had been posted. She hadn't posted a link. She'd posted the story. In its entirety. And not only that she'd posted the other story I wrote about the same characters, in its entirety, too. Talk about eating up the forum bandwidth. Mind you, the site it's on probably has about a zillion gigs to play with, but all the same... She left my pen-name & email addy on it so it's not like it wasn't clearly mine. It just seemed, well, strange to copy & paste the whole thing instead of just link to it. Still, it was nice to know she liked it. Personally I'm not happy with either of them, (the stories that is), I'm positive I could do better. But I'll bet every writer thinks that about everything they write.

Ah well. Not a lot to say tonight. Bone tired. Not sleeping well. Too humid. I'll let you get on & read your updates. (And I still love the NHS *g* it's saved my life on more than one occasion).

Goodnight and may your God/s go with you.

Ze

BtVS

• Chapter 11 of Where We Find Ourselves by lilskippy (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 8 of Edge of Destruction by invalid_reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 10 of These Four Walls by liljemsey (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 42 of Of Little Faith by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 26 of Tears Must Be Cried by darklight (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Criminal Minds
  
• Part 1 of Inferno by lovepb (C M Femslash).
  
  Criminal Minds/X-Men Crossover
  
• Jealousy by Alsike (C M Femslash).
  
  CSI:Miami
  
• Chapter 7C of Choices by sinjenkai (Women in Kevlar).
  
  Devil Wears Prada
  
• Chapter 18 of Jigsaw by BeachBum (Foxfire & Moonlight).
  
  Harry Potter
  
• We Meet Again by Janine (Saffic).
  
  L&O:SVU/Ugly Betty/Nurse Jackie Crossover
  
• Part 1 of The Mask and the Bell by Cleo (Saffic).
  
  Original
  
• Sex, Death and Rock'n'Roll by Cyberdyke (Royal Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Chapter 2.7 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (Her Website).
  
  Xena Warrior Princess
  
• Part 3 of The Long Way into the Light by Skald the Bard (Royal Academy of Bards).
  

I love the NHS

Been watching America self-destruct over the past week or so. And I've been sitting here completely gobsmacked by it all. I would tell you what I think of Fox News but I don't think the readers are ready for that much swearing in a single post. I've watched them and their tame politicians lie through their teeth about other countries' healthcare. I've watched them cover themselves in so much ridicule that I'm surprised they still come out in daylight.

Who would have thought that the idea of providing decent healthcare to all citizens, so that everybody can see a doctor and so that an unfortunate accident, illness or just a bit of bad luck with your health doesn't have to make anybody bankrupt, homeless and in more debt than The Royal Bank of Scotland, could be so horrifying. I've watched in completely jaw-dropping amazement as people threatened to kill the president's children because he wants to make sure all American children get medical cover. I've seen TV footage of people, red-faced and screaming in anger because the government dares to suggest they might - just might - like help with their medical bills.

What the hell are they so afraid of?? Do they like knowing that a heart attack could cost them a quarter of a million dollars?? Do they relish having to pay a hundred-thousand or so because they had a minor traffic accident?? Do they want to see their kids die because it costs too much for a bone-marrow transplant. Wouldn't they like to know that all of these things could be treated, with the most up-to-date drugs & procedures, at no extra cost to themselves??

And all this screaming about "socialised" medicine?? Don't they realise they already have it?? It's called Medicare. The president simply wants every US citizen to get the same benefits that the elderly do. You already have "socialised" firefighting and "socialised" education, and a heavily-subsidised "socialised" army. What is so bad about adding hospital care to that?? What is so wrong with the idea that every single human being deserves the best possible medical care from before they're born to the end of their natural lifespan??

I don't know. Just when I thought I understood American politics you go and baffle the hell out of me again.

Ze

Babylon 5

• Part 14 of Remember by highfructose_cs (B5 Femslash).
  
  Birds of Prey
  
• Her Idea by merfilly (DCU).
  
  BtVS
  
• Splintered by Asher (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 85 of Faith in Family by georagetaz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 6 of Legacy by DushkuHasDibs (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Stay by Hayley (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Charlie's Angels
  
• Cupid's Angels by Del Robertson (Academy Annex).
  
  Criminal Minds
  
• Chapters 14 to 17 of Empty Allegiance by Carly Carter (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Chapter 5 of Was it a Dream, was I in it? by lostnfoundcause (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Chapter 19 of Road Trip by addicted-mb (C M Femslash).
  
  
• A Girl In A Room part 3: Ohio Rise by gilligankane (C M Femslash).
  
  
• A Girl In A Room part 4: The Living, The Forgiving by gilligankane (C M Femslash).
  
  Criminal Minds/X-Men Crossover
  
• Death by Alsike (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Nights Spent Listening to Noises by Alsike (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Want by Alsike (C M Femslash).
  
  CSI
  
• Meant to Be by Crystal K. M (The Athenaeum).
  
  
• Part 16 of This Time by tofem (Women in Kevlar).
  
  CSI:Miami
  
• Part 7A of Choices by sinjenkai (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 7B of Choices by sinjenkai (Women in Kevlar).
  
  Doctor Who
  
• The Strength to Hold On by stunt_muppet (D W Femslash).
  
  
• I've Come Back for You by Lilah (Sarahjane Fic).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2 of Just a Breath Away by Colleen (The Athenaeum).
  
  
• Part 19 of Badges and Needles by Warrior Angel (The Athenaeum).
  
  
• Chapter 2.6 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (Her website).
  
  Ponyo
  
• Mercy by cleo (Rare & Small Fandom Femslash).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Advent (Changing Lives 55) by SJSlashfan (Area 52).
  
  Star Trek:TOS
  
• Nightingale by hitlikehammers (Trek Femmeslash).
  
  Voyager
  
• I Regret To Inform You by S Berry (Academy Annex).
  
  Xena Warrior Princess
  
• Cycle of Vengeance by Elsieaustin (The Athenaeum).
  

Two Weeks

The first day of my final two weeks of summer vacation has gone well. Cal will be at Camp Shoreline for the next two weeks playing and swimming. I'm hoping he comes home exhausted each day. Duncan will be in his basement cave playing Xbox Live. My days will be spent relaxing and doing chores between the two houses.

Y'all enjoy the updates. Time for me to pick up Cal.

Tamara

BtVS

• Chapter 17 of Am I the Good Slayer Now? by Squiz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 1 of Dealing by Hayley (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 32 of First, Do No Harm by Miz Black Crow (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 7 of Edge of Destruction by invalid reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 11 of Soulless by lizardmm (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 65 of Finding Her Way Home by Rebelrsr (her web site).
  
  
• Chapter 12 of Tara by Mark Warren (Hellmouth Revisted).
  
  
• Stay by Heyley (Electra's Fanfiction Archive).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.5 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  
• Part 19 of Badges and Needles by Warriorangel (Academy of Bards).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Hair (Changing Lives 54) by SJSlashfan (Area 52).
  
  
• A Well-placed Bet by LilFerret (Area 52).

Easy Sunday

Did some chores and lazed around a bit today. Need to finish the update and then go fold some clothes...all and all a very relaxing day. Work starts again tomorrow and with my co-worker on vacation it means I need all the rest I can get today.

Another update comes your way. Remember to give those authors some feedback and to let us know when you want to ramble. Have a great week!

Elisa

BtVS

• Chapter 10 of Little Friend by liljemsey (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 31 of First, Do No Harm by Miz Black Crow (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 41 of Of Little Faith by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 27 of Constants by Jasmydae (Through the Looking Glass).
  
  
• Chapter 33 of The Apothecary by Phoenix (Through the Looking Glass).
  
  Law & Order: SVU
  
• Chapter 2 & 3 of Res Ipsa Loquitur by Patricia L. Givens (ADA's Office).
  
  Ponyo
  
• Mercy by Cleo (Saffic).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.24 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).

Celebrate Shoreline!

I've had a weekend chock full of celebrating Shoreline's 14th birthday. Friday Cal and I watched the skateboarding competition. Cal seemed to enjoy it but soon grew bored because he couldn't go on the course and ride his scooter.

Today, E, little e, Cal and I went to the big parade. It was a lot of fun. We had prime seats on the route and the kids made away with a haul of candy.

After the parade, we popped home for lunch and then E took a nap while the two kids and I went to the car show and the festival at Cal's school. There were plenty of nifty booths set up but the kids were only interested in the inflatables play area. For $20 they had a good hour and a half of fun. We hoofed it to 7-11 after that for a Slurpee and E picked us up.

We took little e to her other mom's house, stopped by the mall to pick up accessories for E's new DS and now we're home. I'm damn glad to be here.

Tamara

BtVS

• Chapter 10 of Where We Find Ourselves by lilskippy (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 30 of First, Do No Harm by Miz Black Crow (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 84 of Faith in Family by georagetaz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Pretty Little Hate Machine by KW Jordan (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.3 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  
• Parts 12-16 (Conclusion) of Patient Zero by Andrea Doria (Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Sex, Death and Rock'n' Roll by Cyberdyke (Academy of Bards).
  
  South of Nowhere
  
• Chapter 10 of Charmed I'm Not by maria1229 (South of Nowhere Fanfiction).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Passing Afternoon by Geonn Cannon (Area 52).

Ugg...

End of a long week. Taking vacation and then returning means double the work load. Sure felt like it this week. Very happy to see the end in sight today.

Hopefully a somewhat restful weekend lays ahead.

Enjoy your updates!

Elisa

BtVS

• Chapter 10 of Secrets by rebelrsr (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 6 of Edge of Destruction by invalid reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Connections by UniDagger (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Sold! by UniDagger (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Family Ties by UniDagger (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• And She Came to Me at Night by SpellGal (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• White Flag by Sher (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Insomnia by ShadowCat (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.2 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  
• Part 1 of For a Song by Sapphire Bard (Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Part 2 of Trust Our Tomorrows by Carrie Carr (Academy of Bards).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Girl in the War by Geonn Cannon (Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Courage by Arcturus (Area 52).

Ramble from Marilee

Yay! Marilee dropped in to chat....

Hi,

My brother came into my room at 1 am, last wednesday...??? ( at that hour, it could have been saturday ), and said I needed to come to his room to look at something. I swear I was caught between throwing something at him for getting me out of bed and a true concern. I thought he was going to cry.

I get up and go see what the upset is....

His A/C was not letting the water drip/drain outside, instead, it had been going into the wall and had buckled the 'bead board', discolored ttrim and made a nice wet mess of the rug and padding.

Tell me ....what am I suppose to do at 1 am?

Well, I can tell you.....go outside, with a flashlight and check the A/C.

I told him when he had it put in the window, it HAD TO TILT slightly 'out' so something like this wouldn't happen. As I was looking at the thing, it was as level as it could be.

I told him there was nothing to do at the moment...... the following day HE could call a neighbor of ours that is very handy and see what he could do.

It took a week, $50.00 in new 'bead board' and another $25.00 or $30.00 in paint and adhesive.

He paid our neighbor $100.00 for his work.

My brother has calmed down....until the next upset.

You just have to love 'queens'...a real must' when one is your brother. He bought new towels because he ruined the others trying to soak up the dirty water from wall that had dripped on the floor.

I hope you all have a good week/weekend.

Marilee

Hope y'all are staying cool! Enjoy the updates and give Marilee a shout to thank her for rambling.

Tamara

BtVS

• Chapter 11 of Willow Destine by Wispr (Rebelrsr's site).
  
  
• Chapter 40 of Of Little Faith by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Connect by EdenLeeRaven (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 16 of The Killer In Me by lizardmm (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 29 of First, Do No Harm by Miz Black Crow (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Comics
  
• Jane's World:Rigth Place, Wrong Time by Paige Braddock (AfterEllen.com).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2.1 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).

Sport & Stuff

Well I hope you're having better luck with that meteor shower than I am. If they want to be seen in my little corner of the UK they're going to have to grab a couple of picks and a bloody big shovel and do some serious digging. The sky is hidden behind a wall of cloud about 20m thick and it's raining (again). Ah well, maybe next year.

Watched the football earlier. International friendly between Holland & England. The first half was a bit of a humiliation. We weren't playing that badly but a couple of real howlers in defence left us 2-0 down. It reminded me of that Ruud Gullit saying, "We in Holland play Total Football whereas you English play total b*llocks". A couple of changes in the second half made all the difference and we finished a respectable 2-2. Not a bad game. And of course the new Premiership season starts this Saturday. I'm a happy camper because ESPN have picked up the games that Setanta dropped when it went belly-up and the first game they're showing is my lads. Come on you Gunners!! And to really make me happy they also picked up the Aussie Rules. No sign of the hurling or the Gaelic football yet though. So I'm only very happy and not yet ecstatic.

Apparently, (should I wish to stay up into the wee, small hours), I can also watch some strange ritual where a group of grown men play something resembling of rounders game and fondly believe it's a sport. ESPN seem to have about two-thirds of their schedule devoted to this. It's called MLB. Weird.

This is Ze signing out and waiting for the explosions *g*. Have a good week, goodnight and may your God/s go with you.

Ze

BtVS

• Chapter 5 of Edge of Destruction by invalid_reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 29 of First, Do No Harm by Miz Black Crow (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Criminal Minds
  
• Closer to Fine by Maggsie (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Chapter 18 of Roadtrip by addicted-mb (C M Femslash).
  
  
• A Girl In A Room part 2: Feeling Of Community Brewing by gilligankane (C M Femslash).
  
  Murder in Suburbia
  
• Mocking Lillies by Erin Griffin (Subtext in Suburbia).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 2 of Just A Breath Away by Coleen (Royal Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Shadows by Elsieaustin (The Athenaeum).
  
  
• Chapter 1.26 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (Her website).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• By Her Side (Part 53 of Changing Lives) by SJSlashfan (Area 52).
  
  
• Promise by Dhamphir (Area 52).
  
  
• Passing Afternoon by Geonn Cannon (His blog).
  
  Voyager
  
• Chater 27 of Decisions & Destiny by BeachBum (70,000 Light Years From Home).
  
  Xena Warrior Princess (Conqueror)
  
• Part 1 of Birdie's Song X - Gone by Onesockbard (Athenaeum).
  

Writer's Block

I haz it. Apparently not just for my writing but now for my blathering also. I haven't a clue what to witter on about tonight. I can tell you the weather today was brilliant. Sunshine & 22c. I can tell you my hand hurts because I got it trapped in a cage door at the pet shop. I went to stroke a baby rabbit and the shop assistant crept up behind me and scared the bejesus out of me by saying, completely without warning, "Isn't he cute??" And I jumped about fifteen metres off the ground and the cage door shut on my hand. (It was a big cage - 8 rabbits and 6 guinea-pigs in it.) She laughed so much that I felt like a total twit and I left in a hurry and forget to buy the dog food I'd gone in for in the first place. (I bought two new dog toys that I hadn't intended to though.)

I can also tell you to make sure to look at the night-sky over the next couple of evenings because it's time for the annual Perseid Meteor shower - at least, have a gander if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, I think you're out of luck below the equator.

Apart from that I haven't a thing to say. Enjoy your updates

Ze

Birds of Prey

• The Fear of Falling by inspectorboxer (Birds of Prey Femslash Masterlist).
  
  BtVS
  
• Chapter 5 of Dealing by Hayley (Electra's Elsewhere).
  
  
• Chapter 10 of Beauty and the Beast the Faerun Way by Wispr (Rebelrsr's site).
  
  
• Chapter 15 of Because the Night by bobina (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 27 of First, Do No Harm by Miz Black Crow (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 9 of Little Friend by liljemsey (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Criminal Minds
  
• Diggin' An Early Grave by Maggsie (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 1 of Over At The Frankenstein Place by darkbardzero (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 2 of Over At The Frankenstein Place by darkbardzero (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 6 of I Don't Believe in God by Jessi_08 (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Chapter 15 of Ten by lostnfoundcause (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 1 of Beautiful Disaster by Maggsie (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Chapter 17 of Roadtrip by addicted-mb (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Chapter 4 of How we lose, how we win by frenhu (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Chapter 5 (conclusion) of How we lose, how we win by frenhu (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Part 1 of A New View by lovepb (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Part 2 of A New View by lovepb (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Elevator by addicted-mb (C M Femslash).
  
  Criminal Minds/Nikki & Nora Crossover
  
• Nolan Women by lostnfoundcause (Women in Kevlar).
  
  Criminal Minds/X-Men Crossover
  
• Touch by Alsike (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Pain by Alsike (C M Femslash).
  
  
• Fear by Alsike (C M Femslash).
  
  CSI:Miami
  
• Part 6C of Choices by sinjenkai (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 6D of Choices by sinjenkai (Women in Kevlar).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 6 of Taming the Wolf by Sammet (Royal Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Part 1 of Trust Our Tomorrows by Carrie Carr (Royal Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Chapters 15-17 of With All of My Heart by Catherine Burke (The Athenaeum).
  
  
• Second Best by wicked archer (The Athenaeum).
  
  
• Chapter 1.25 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (Her website).
  
  Xena Warrior Princess
  
• The Gods of War: A Janice and Mel Adventure Part 1 - And So It Begins by Capt'n Cat (Royal Academy of Bards).
  
  
• In the Good Old Summer Time (Mel/Janice) by Akiela Xal (The Athenaeum).
  

Monday Craze

First day back from vacation and one realizes why they don't take more vacations. Lots to do this week. Feeling lucky to have the job though.

Hope you all have a great week and Tamara and I will be back to chat at you on Thursday.

Enjoy your updates!

Elisa

BtVS

• Chapter 3 of The Road to Hell by hungryandhorny (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 83 of Faith in Family by georagetaz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 4 of Edge of Destruction by invalid reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 7 of When Life Hands You Buffy, Make Fuffy by BFGirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 10 of Soulless by lizardmm (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 4 of Saving Grace by Amber Lee (Through the Looking Glass).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 1.24 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  
• Chapter 1 of Sand by KW Jordan (Academy of Bards).
  
  South of Nowhere
  
• Chapter 9 of Charmed I'm Not by maria1229 (South of Nowhere Fanfiction).
  
  Xena Warrior Princess
  
• Chapter 20 of A Queen's Tale by Melissa Good (her web site).
  
  
• Part 1 of Birdie's Song X - Gone by OneSockBard (Academy of Bards).

Still Alive

Just returned from seeing the Ballard Locks. In all my visits to Seattle I somehow managed to miss it.

As E mentioned, we made it back from the Oregon coast safe and sound. We did manage to keep our tradition of having one fight while on vacation. Fortunately these fights usually don't last long. I hate to have a crappy time on vacation so I try not to let my being really pissed last too long. I'm sure E has a totally different perspective on things, however....

Tamara

Birds of Prey

• Walking Away by Adliren (Birds of Prey Femslash Masterlist).
  
  BtVS
  
• Parts 1 - 3 of The Buffy Tapes by DragonWriter17 (her web site).
  
  
• Chapter 23 of Bed of Roses by KW Jordan (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 9 of These Four Walls by liljemsey (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Murder In Suburbia
  
• Genealogy by But I'm not that girl (Subtext in Suburbia).
  
  Original
  
• Chpater 1.23 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).

Another guest ramble...

This one is from phair in response to Joan's ramble last night.

On getting what you pay for...

Decades ago Boston was considered the mandatory pre-Broadway run. Producers wanted to make sure shows could be successful here before they fully financed a run at the BIG time. Remember, if you can make it in New York then you can make it anywhere. At least, that's what the song says.

I'm not sure why they picked Boston. It might be because of its proximity to their ultimate destination. It could be because famous names and flashy staging would not overly impress the Brahmins. I like to think it was because they could test things out on a similar group of people who were a smidgen less jaded than the regular New York theatergoers.

The bottom line was the people of Boston got cheap seats for Broadway quality work. However, the works were not fully cooked. Depending on audience reactions, acts were added, subtracted, multiplied, and/or abandoned. It saved producers money and the embarrassment of failing in New York.

I was lucky enough to catch a couple of shows in their pre-Broadway state. A few were stinkers that nothing could fix. A couple were savaged by critics, revamped dramatically and managed to fly on Broadway. But, one gave me a magical moment which will forever thrill me. The audience became one with the performer and we collectively salvaged a show. Well, maybe not the whole show but at least a piece of it.

Lily Tomlin was getting one of her shows ready for Broadway. I don't even remember which one. She was amazing throughout the entire performance. Frequently, she tore open the fourth wall and spoke directly to us. Then IT happened: pure entertainment.

Toward the end of the show, Lily stopped dead in her tracks. She paused then looked at the audience and said, "We took something out of here last night which wasn't working. I'll be damned if I can remember what I'm suppose to say next. I can only remember what I'm not going to use." Of course, the audience howled with laughter. She commented it might have been the best laugh of the night. Somebody in the audience suggested she use the piece that didn't work and let us decide. That made Lily laugh.

Then Lily did something I had never seen before or since. Lily Tomlin ambled over and sat down on the stage stairs to talk to us. She told us what they took out and why – she was right, it didn't really fit. It must have been five full minutes of Lily being Lily; who was much different from the character she was playing on stage. She asked us what we thought and listened when several people called out thoughtful answers and truly helpful suggestions. She thanked us and then went back up on stage to finish the show.

The play was brilliant. It did fabulous on Broadway. When it came back to Boston post Broadway, I went to see it. It was wonderful but it was different from the show I originally saw. It was polished and gleaming and flawless…and a little less fun than the first time. Oh, it was funny, very funny. But, the show didn't need me or the audience anymore. It was complete and beautiful and perfect. Perfect.

Anybody seeing it would know when to laugh. It didn't need a room filled with other people laughing to make the humor happen. It could be filmed and shown without a laugh track and people would still laugh right when they were supposed to laugh. Which is, what I believed happened to the production.

I think of writing on the internet in much the same way as a pre-Broadway run. Anything can and does happen. Writers are working through the kinks and teasing out knots. Readers supply feedback about what is or isn't working. Some writers experiment with formats, grammar, voice, settings, genre, and many times the experiments cross over the rules of the KING's English. I think that's okay because we ain't got no kings here and can talk how we feel like it 'cause were just plain vulgar - in the most literal definition of the word.

I don't mean this to sound like a push back. Joan is right, E is right, everybody who demands good editing is right. Technically, very right. But, I wonder if the desire to be entertained by a perfect performance cheats all of us out of moments of pure entertainment: absolutely memorable magic.

Okay, I want to thank phair for sharing such a great story and I do see the point, but I'm not sure I can agree. I think I want to be cheated when it comes to those writing magical moments. But, I will say it again, thank you, phair and please keep calling it as you see it!

Now to your updates, enjoy 'em.

Elisa

BtVS

• Chapter 3 of Edge of Destruction by invalid reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 1 of Ups and Downs by False (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 39 of Of Little Faith by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 13 of As Long As She Needs Me by fairyjnr (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Nurse Jackie
  
• Just a Little Prop by doesnt_go_away (Saffic).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 1.22 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).

Ramble from Joan

We are home and tired and got lucky as Joan sent us words.

The Tools of the Trade, or Lazy Writers, Frustrated Readers

Hiya Ladies,

Has this happened to you, too? You're in the middle of a story when your reading is interrupted one time too many, and, rolling your eyes, you hit the "Back" button.

Happens to me far too often. The problem is that what throws me from the flow of the story is *within* the story. "Mary, is not at home." WHAT? I see the comma, I expect a clause that will modify the subject, but none comes forth. So I stop and re-read the sentence (instead of following the story), only to realise that quality control has, yet again, failed.

"Their over they're in there car." Forehead hits keyboard, a desperate wail fills the room, and -- yes, "Back".

Not to mention how many authors do not treat their readers to the basic politeness of running a spell checker...

I know it can be hard. I'm a writer (well, 'scribbler') myself, and if there is a mistake I have not made I cannot think of it right now. But let's face it: a writer works with language. Her imagination provides the raw material that has to be brought into shape to be presentable. That includes ripping out parts where your fascination with the subject caused you to ramble. That includes weeding out over-the-board redundancy ("Her deep blue, cerulean eyes had the colour of the Mediterranean sea."), which *can* creep in when you're carried away with enthusiasm for a particular scene. And the very least you can do is not to violate the language you use to transport the story.

Of course, when you proof-read your own story, you tend to see what you *wanted* to say, not necessarily what's actually before your eyes. Personally, I re-read it until I get sick of it, which is not nice, but helps to build a certain distance. If you are lucky enough to have betas, nurture them, praise them, *especially* when they can be a p.i.t.a.

And when your exciting story excites with a really exciting plot, remember that there is a thesaurus to help you come up with exciting alternatives.

Then, when you're finally satisfied, re-run the spell checker. Believe it or not, this short ramble contained two spelling errors. Of course, writing this necessitates another run *which I am not going to comment on*, because... right.

Yes, it's frustrating work. But would you rather frustrate your readers?

Any errors in this ramble will hopefully only make you laugh, not angry.

Joan

Okay this ramble made me laugh and you know what? She is completely RIGHT! Editing is one of my number one I hate this story issues. I also suggest highly anyone writing get a decent editor. Even the crappy speller, editor and writer I am can be saved by Tamara's editing skills. And I also get the advantage of blaming her when something is missed. Perfect, no?

Here be the updates, I need to get moving on the laundry.

Elisa

BtVS

• Chapter 9 of Lost by Zigpal and Rebelrsr (Rebelrsr's site).
  
  
• Interrupted by Hayley (Electra's Fanfiction).
  
  
• First Date Nerves by Hayley (Electra's Fanfiction).
  
  
• Pretty Girls by Electra (Electra's Fanfiction).
  
  
• Chapter 2 of Edge of Destruction by invalid reality (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 9 of Lost by rebelrsr (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Pretty Girls by Electra (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 26 of First Do No Harm by Miz Black Crow (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapters 1 & 2 of The Road to Hell by hungryandhorny (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 1 of Ups and Downs by False (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 1.21 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  
• Chapters 9-11 of Patient Zero by Andrea Doria (Academy of Bards).
  
  
• Chapter 3 of Trouble Times Ten by JLNicky (Butchesbabesandbards.com).
  
  
• Chapter 2 of Francis and Morgan by Jaye Morgan (Butchesbabesandbards.com).

Drizzle

Unlike Ze we are not getting rain, but today for the first day in weeks we did get some drizzle. It was nice even though we were still doing the tourist thing here on the Oregon coast. Today we visited the Newport aquarium and moved north a bit to see Lincoln City and Depoe Bay where we glimpsed a gray whale and a few more sea lions and some beautiful coast line.

Home tomorrow, hence expect another late update.

Now back to it. Enjoy your update.

Elisa

BtVS

• Chapter 25 of First, Do No Harm by Miz Black Crow (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 16 of Am I the Good Slayer Now? by Squiz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 1 of Prompts by hungryandhorny (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Comics
  
• Jane's World: Breaking Up by Paige Braddock (AfterEllen.com).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 1.20 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (her web site).
  
  
• Chapter 7 of Twisted Secrets by Mickey Minner (her web site).
  
  
• Chapter 7 of Twisted Secrets by Mickey Minner (Academy of Bards).
  
  South of Nowhere
  
• Chapter 8 of Charmed I'm Not by maria1229 (South of Nowhere Fanfiction).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Duet by LilFerret (Area 52).
  
  
• Low-level Primates (If Only 2) by Dhamphir (Area 52).
  
  
• THanks to Heimdall by Dhamphir (Area 52).
  
  
• The Right Thing to Say by Dhamphir (Area 52).
  
  
• Paid in Full by Dhamphir (Area 52).
  
  X-Files
  
• The Dedication by Dhamphir (Saffic).

Squelch

That's the noise my boots are making in case you were wondering. Not that it's rained today. Nope they're still soaked from the last two weeks of torrential downpours. Now I don't generally mind the rain. I'm used to it. I'm English after all. You can't be English and not be accustomed to rainy weather. I'm not quite as anti-sun as E is but I do like rain. Well, I like the kind of gentle drizzle my (Irish) mam used to call "A soft day". But this?? I'll be getting webbed feet if this keeps up!! And I'm not quite as upset by high temperatures as she is either, I've travelled the world and can cope with temps of 50c and dry or 40c+ and high humidity, but at here home I don't really like it if it gets above 30c. And I prefer below 25c.

The weather we're having now?? Torrential rain and temps of 14c. It's August for pete's sake. August!! It should be sunny and 22 or 23. I got soaked right through to the skin walking to work yesterday. My boots were sodden. OK, that doesn't sound bad, getting soaked walking to work.. But when you consider that at the moment I can leave the house at 7.57 to be at work for 8.00...Daft, I calls it. It's that bloody global warming they're always talking about on Radio Four...

The fun thing about the site I'm working on now?? It's social housing produced jointly by the city council & a housing association. The company's name?? Mi-Space. I love the look on people's faces when I say I sub-contract to Mi-Space.

Ok - not a lot to read tonight but enjoy it anyway. See you next week. Same daft time, same daft channel. Goodnight and may your God/s go with you.

Ze

BtVS

• Chapter 23 of Class of 99 by eday69 (Through the Looking Glass).
  
  
• Chapter 2 of Writer's Block: It's all happening at the Zoo by Paint the Sky (Through the Looking Glass).
  
  
• Chapter 2 of Promts by retz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 82 of Faith In Family by georagetaz (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Kiss Me, Kill Me by _EK_ (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 9 of Easier To Be by kool-aidrocks2008 (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Criminal Minds
  
• Part 5 of Why I Don't Believe in God by essi_08 (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Part 4 of Hell Breaks Loose by Maggsie (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Falling Upby Maggsie (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Chapter 16 of Roadtrip by addicted-mb (C M Femslash).
  
  Original
  
• Chapter 1.19 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (Her website).
  
  Stargate SG-1
  
• Shock Treatment (Part 52 of Changing Lives) by SJSlashfan (Area 52).