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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in verseblack's LiveJournal:

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    Sunday, November 29th, 2009
    9:20 pm
    Success!
    I hit the big 50,000 for National Novel Writing Month!
    Sunday, November 15th, 2009
    7:32 pm
    For my fellow Tesla/Sanctuary fans
    Check out these nifty Tesla pins!!

    http://community.livejournal.com/steamfashion/2214064.html#cutid1

    I know what I'm going to be hunting at flea markets from now on!
    Monday, November 9th, 2009
    9:06 am
    I think I hit the 2nd week slump a couple of days early on Nano...  I ended yesterday only a couple hundred words behind, but it has been a struggle.  I'm at the "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" stage of things (NOT LITERALLY!!!--that's just the old title of the nano forum section that is now called "Nanowrimo Ate My Soul" :)  But right now it seems like the only thing I can get my characters to do is make and drink tea *cries*  I've injured a couple of characters so far, but naturally that only seems to lead to even more cups of tea.  Monsters attack?  Make tea!  Faery  assassin comes over to visit?  Make tea!  I keep describing what my characters are doing with their hand and NOTHING IS HAPPENING!!!  I'm incredibly annoyed with the fact that the voice in the story feels utterly flat.  Voice is the one thing I like to think that I'm tolerable at.  I'm used to dealing with a lack of plot and scenes that don't seem to go anywhere.  But this lack of voice is scaring me--is that even possible to fix on a re-edit?  To add even more joy to my angst I have 4 articles to do for this month for the area paper I write for.  I usually have 2, once or twice in the past I've had 3.  This month 4.  All right, I'll quit ranting now.

    In happier news, "Sanctuary" was fun on Friday.  Well, at least as much fun as a zombie apocalypse ever is ;)  Still sad about the distinct Lack of Tesla *sniff*  Why didn't we get to hear what he was up?  Mr. Black said that he obviously just
    went back to India to wait things out in the Vampire Labyrinth.  I have to agree.  Once Helen is gone and the war devolves into squabbling fights over shrinking patches of ground, I'd say he'd be off to the old vampire city, locking the door behind him.

    Oh, and speaking of "Sanctuary," I found the most amazing leather coat at the thrift store last week.  It's a lovely vintage wine Aigner coat that comes down almost to my ankles.  I tried it on and felt like I was dressed to be a character on that show.  Seriously, if I were one of sane!Druitt's favorite people, this is totally what he would get me for Christmas :)  Mr. Black says it looks like I need a sword to carry under it...
    Sunday, November 1st, 2009
    10:30 am
    Happy National Novel Writing Month everyone!  For those of you taking part, may your characters cooperate and your word counts come easy.  For those of you not taking part, hope your f-lists don't drive you too crazy complaining about their trials and tribulations of novel writing.  Cut us some slack, we're creating ART over here (insert laughter here :)

    I usually try and stay up 'til midnight and ring in the frenzy by getting in a few hundred words right off the bat.  Alas, last night I got home worn out from my college homecoming that I just fell into bed.  But it isn't even lunchtime and I already have over 1,800 words (hey, 1,801 is over 1,800).  Yes, my writing is appallingly stiff and awkward, and already I am having to skip large blocks of conversations because I can't think of anything for the characters to say.  But I'm already ahead on the day's word count AND I learned something I didn't know about one of my characters, so that is what I am choosing to focus on.  
    Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
    3:02 pm
    Whew
    Things have been crazy for the past few days and next month is going to be even crazier.  Yes, I am officially announcing that I will be doing National Novel Writing Month (and expect to be teased without mercy if I do not hit the big 50,000)!  Happily my main female character seems to have grown a spine and developed something of a personality.  I was getting worried about her, my shadily moraled fey characters were delightful and fun, my villain was a bit shadowy but still in a good way, and I had a secondary male character ready to talk my ear off but she was a little too bland.  However, a couple of days ago she went and dyed her blond hair brown and started channeling Janet from the Tam Lin ballad in the best way possible, so I'm feeling a better about things.  Now I just need to come up with some proper rewards for hitting my word count goals.... I had been planning on a fancy coffee drink, but my school's libarary cafe seems to have cut way back on their menu :(  And the J. Peterman shirt I was going to order has sold out.  So we'll see what I can come up with!  I do have my punishiment lined up if I don't finish and since I'm announcing it publically I'll have to follow through.  For ever 1,000 words I fall short I will donate a book from my shelves for the library booksale.  I have plenty of books I should likely turn loose, but I'm such a pack-rat the thought has my heart beating faster.

    My other goals for November include riding Moon at least 10 times.  The only acceptable reasons for this not happening would be a) mare is so sick/injured that riding her would cause damage or b) human is so sick/injured that she is bedridden.  I have not been riding nearly enough lately and Moon tends to misplace her brain when not kept focused.  (Sunday was horrible--she kept wanting to throw a fit about everything.  Happily Monday she was much better.)  10 times is not really enough, but with nano, class, Thanksgiving, a family wedding, it might be more challenging than I expect.

    Off for a short break before jumping back to grading papers. 
    Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
    11:10 am
    Stolen from all over :)
    The problem with LJ: we all think we are so close, but really, we know nothing about each other. So ask me something you want to know about me. Something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about. Ask away. Then post this in your LJ and find out what people don't know about you.
     
    Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
    10:38 am
    I wish I may, I wish I might
    Yesterday morning I saw my first falling star in over 3 years.  This wasn't the little scratch of white light I've seen in the past, but a blazing flare of fire just a heartbeat away from making the meteor to meteorite transition.  It was astonishingly lovely--a strange orange rip in the still dark morning.

    I know it has been at least 3 years since I've seen one because it is the first falling star I've seen since getting Moon.  All my previous stars held wishes for horses, and it was odd to come up wish-less when faced with such a dramatic star.  I'm not sure whether it says more about my contented life or my lack of imagination that it took me a few minutes to come up with a proper star wish.

    Moon has been such a dream come true, but since she came home I've been a bit like a knight in search of a quest.  It's hard to talk about how badly I ached for a horse as a child--from 3 until I was almost 30 it was the consuming goal of my heart.  I realize that may make me sound shallow, but so be it.  She has brought so much joy to me, but I am still arranging my mental furniture around the fact that 25 odd years of birthday candles and falling star wishes have finally come true.  In a lot of ways it has been an even bigger mental adjustment than getting married.  I never identified myself as a single girl looking for a husband as I never particularly thought about getting married until Mr. Black.

    But yesterday morning I had a star in need of a wish.  It put me in mind of a few serious things that were more properly prayers than wishes, so driving up the road I did a little praying and a lot of being thankful to God that my life is so very blessed that it does take me a while to come up with something of the proper serious/silly mix that makes a good star wish.

    I finally did come up with one, but like a birthday wish I am keeping it secret for now.  Part of me thinks I should have come up with something "better" for such an awe-inspiring star, but the wish has been made and we'll see where it goes.
    Monday, October 19th, 2009
    9:11 am
    So, I think I am quite possibly falling in fandom.

    I haven't had a lot to do with HP for a while.  "Romancing the Wizard" kept me writing, but it seems to have closed up shop.  I've done a bit with the past couple of SS/HG exchanges, but nothing serious.  And outside of that my reading has been quite limited (though there is one HP story I recently had a sneak peak at that has me very excited!  I think I had better keep my mouth closed, though, as there could be some secrecy involved in that one ;)  I didn't even sign up for the Halloween exchange this year. 

    I've been poking around a bit.  I almost got pulled into Doctor Who, but was too intimidated to do more that read a couple of fics and squee madly over the shows.  I finally managed to see Planet of the Dead this weekend--found it a nice episode, but it didn't feel like a special to me.  Even with the art theft (a favorite plot device of mine!) it didn't seem quite epic enough.  I just missed the Dresden Files TV-fandom as I didn't discover the series until it was already off the air.

    The current show setting my fangirl hear aflutter is Sanctuary.  I watched it first season and enjoyed it, but I didn't anxiously away each new episode.  I found it pleasant and fun, but little more than that.  Toward the end of season one Tesla showed up and I found him all sorts of fun.  But I thought he was going to be a guest character and tried to keep myself from getting too attached.

    Well, first two shows of the 2nd season had my favorite snarky vampire in full force and I've found myself running all over LJ hunting for communities to join.  I'm in the giddy stage of learning more about a show and a character--there is fanfic to read!  Shows to re-watch and analyze!  Shows to look forward to!

    I'm holding myself back a bit.  Sci-fi (sy-fy?) has broken my heart before with Dresden and I haven't fully forgiven the channel for that.  I'm not sure how much Tesla will be appearing this season and I'm a bit leery of jumping in to a fandom whose canon is still being written.  (It's funny, even with HP, I'm still not entirely comfortable with a series where the book has not closed yet so to speak,)

    But it's fun to have a new show to get silly over.  And with Nanowrimo coming it, it only makes sense for me to discover a brand new way to procrastinate!  After all, I discovered SS/HG one October years ago, and look where that lead me...
    Monday, September 28th, 2009
    12:13 pm
    This weekend was a busy one--flea market, library book sale, and community art festival!  Picked up a great stack at the book sale--no less than *7* Charles deLint books!!  Plus an illustrated Alice I did not have (I try to keep a copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on each of my bookcases and I recently brought home a new one.)  Also found a nice children's book where the story is partially in hieroglyphics and a couple of Joseph Campbell books.  There were plenty more, but those were the highlights.  Did not manage to find a copy of Dracula as I was hoping.  (I could easily pick one up at any bookstore, but I was hoping to find an interesting, older copy.)  Was a bit disappointed in the art fair--the usual herb booth did not have any live herbs and I was looking forward to restocking the ones I've killed off the past few months.  I did get a lovely wooden dragon bookmark to go with all my lovely new books :)

    I've been unusually and unaccountably snarly and irritable since Friday.  Every little thing sets me off and I find myself taking offense at the drop of a hat.  I have absolutely no excuse and really need to shape up--second half of student conferences are tomorrow and if I'm not careful I'm liable to bite someone's head off.

    I'm trying to hold off on my serious nanowrimo planning until October 1st.  I believe that is when the forums are set to be rebooted and I'm trying to force myself to wait on plotting my story in hopes of keeping my interest high. As of last night I do have a new character who is trying to weasel his way in.  I'd been playing with him a bit the past week and he's suddenly announced that he wants to take part in the nano story. I'll likely give in, I usually do in such cases.  While I know he will be good for my word count, he will completely change the story and dynamic that I had been hoping to write.  I had in mind an urban fantasy romance between a quilter and what was essentially a fairy bounty hunter/assassant, er, that's an assassant who also happens to be fey, not someone who hunts down the fey.  But this new fellow throws a wrench in thing-- I'm afraid he's going to steal the girl!  He's certainly made it plain that he'd very much like to take a shot at doing just that.
    Thursday, September 17th, 2009
    11:21 am
    Just a quick hello
    Just wanted to drop in and say hello to everyone.  I think school is getting into full swing for a lot of us, so I hope everyone is having good luck with their students/teachers depending on which side of the fence you happen to be on at the moment!

    Right now I'm nursing my injured horse.  She got herself cut/bit? earlier in the week and the swelling has me worried so I need to get the vet out to take a look at her.  Yesterday she threw a small tantrum about me putting the medicine on her and I'm not sure to take that as she's feeling up to putting on a fuss or she's feeling worse and wants me to bug off and leave her be.  *sigh*  One of the many times I wish she could just talk!  Naturally, the injury is right on her side where the girth would go, so no riding for a while.  Well, maybe bareback here in a little bit, but I think the poor girl is feeling too rough for that right now.

    Nothing happening with me fandom-wise.  Oh, no, I take that back, I was tickled to see "A Small Bet" http://community.livejournal.com/romancingwizard/152878.html show up on the Daily Snitch list of Helena Ravenclaw (The Grey Lady) stories.  If Ursula does not have a portrait, I'm sure Phineas is busy flirting with/talking with/generally tormenting the Ravenclaw ghost!

    Not getting very much writing done.  I've started a tiny bit of plotting on my nanowrimo attempt for this year.  I'm thinking it will be about a quilter who gets caught up with faeries. 

    My fascination with minor characters has struck yet again.  So I recently catch a few minutes of the Doom movie on TV and have found myself spending the hour's drive to work laying out character sketches for Pinky.  Yep, the fellow who's on screen for say, 10 minutes?  I've been trying to hunt down any fanfic, but guess what?  The guy in the wheelchair doesn't seem to have a big following!  I don't even like zombie films, what on earth am I doing playing with a character from a "big monster-go splat' type movie? 
    Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
    10:27 am
    Lately I've found myself feeling a bit homesick for fandom.  Perhaps it's the new movie just out, or the fact that I'm starting to gear up for the new term and am looking for any excuse to procrastinate ;)  I've been re-reading some postings over at the Romancing the Wizard group and remembering all the fun I had there.  Best wishes to the mods of that lovely community who are braving the wilds of original fic!!

    Overall, I liked the HBP film.  I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to movies--if it has fire and magic I'm pretty well set.  I'm a fan of movie!Bella--her brand of Black-family crazy works for me, and like the energy she brings to the films.  The marks on Snape and Narcissa from the Unbreakable Bond get a huge thumbs up from me.  Oh, and having just been in London I was trying not to squeal over all the places and streets I recognized during the opening scenes.

    This summer I've been reading a bit of Agatha Christie.  Mainly because of, get this, the Doctor Who episode where she showed up.  *Hangs head in shame*  Fun, light reading.

    Finally managed to get my hands on "Twisting the Rope"--the follow up to "Tea With the Black Dragon."  Not nearly as strong a book as "Tea," but it was so nice to see Mayland Long again I could be forgiving.  My edition seemed to be horribly edited.  I don't tend to switch on my proofreader brain for published works and I rarely catch typos in "real" books, but I tripped over several problems in this one.

    Hope the rain and flooding didn't hit those out there in LJ-land.  Had several RL friends hit, but thankfully not too badly.  We had some heavy rain, but no flooding.  Moon was a bit perturbed by the lightning and thunder, but she's entirely too practical to try and run through a fence or anything like that.   The fact that she's in a field with several Quarter Horses whose reaction to a bomb going off would be something along the lines of, "Hmm, massive destruction and fire.  Guess that means I don't have to do any work today.  Hope my human isn't late with breakfast," helps keep her calmer.  My cat would like to point out that he was NOT HIDING during the storm, he just happened to be hanging out in the crevice between the computer desk and the bookcase.

    I've been trying to hunt down some good books with fairies (or FAERIES as the case may be), but have not been having a lot of luck.  I've read all the guilty-pleasure "Fever"books by Karen Moning, but need some more dangerous, inhuman fairies.  Plenty of vampires out there, and a smattering of werewolves, but I want Fey Court politics and kidnappings! 
    Monday, August 3rd, 2009
    8:34 am
    Fic Rec
    The ever talented [info]timestep has just posted a lovely, lovely short called "Just One Question" featuring Teddy Lupin and my two favorite Slytherins (oh, who am I kidding, my two favorite HP characters), Snape and Phineas.  Pitch-perfect dialog, a fantastic final line, AND the portraits are playing chess!!
    Check it out at community.livejournal.com/hpcon_envy/155813.html

    Thursday, July 9th, 2009
    1:37 pm
    Hope everyone is gearing up for the latest movie!

    London was wonderful. Lots of great food and great art. Managed to get front row tickets to "Wicked" which was lovely. Mr. Black was very impressed. Before the trip he kept saying, "Everyone refers to musicals as 'the one with the chandelier,' or 'the one with the helicopter,' or 'the one with the bridge.' I want to see the one with the dragon!" So we were both tickled to find that "Wicked" indeed had an impressive dragon clock!

    Finally managed to get inside the Temple Church. I'd tried on my last 2 trips to London, but never managed to catch it open. After going through the delightful Sir John Soan's museum, we asked one of the workers there for directions. After some trouble getting across the Church I was looking for (she asked if it was the one from the DaVinci Code, but I wasn't sure if that was it. Turned out it was. I just wanted to see it after having read about it in a guide book and then having been thwarted so many times it had become a matter of principle to get inside), she was able to point us the right way. Before we left she added rather doubtfully, something to the effect that, "It keeps really odd hours and is closed quite a bit!"

    In sadder news, I discovered that I am truly a muggle :) Tried to find platform 9 and 3/4, but never did manage to find the sign! I really wanted to get my picture taken with the cart halfway through the wall...

    Currently enjoying the deer that keep visiting the yard. One has twin and they are so much fun to watch!

    Hope everyone is well out in LJ-land.
    Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
    3:23 pm
    Hmmm, riding the horse bareback during shedding season might not be the brightest idea I ever had. Not only is there all the fur, but shedding season also corresponds to warmer days and more grass which in turn leads to bouncier horses. I hadn't ridden bareback in a while, so I think Moon was a little surprised when I jumped up there without putting the saddle on. (One would think my normally bright horse would figure out what was coming when I lead her up to the mounting block and go through all the little before mounting rituals we usually do, but nooo.) She turned her nose around to my leg, whickered, then gave a little hop. I grabbed her mane, kicked her, and she decided that it was easier to be good than bad. All in all, a pretty nice ride, even with the opening bounce.
    Sunday, March 15th, 2009
    1:34 pm
    Phineas!
    The Daily Snitch has issued a call for story recs dealing with (drumroll please) PHINEAS NIGELLUS!

    http://community.livejournal.com/daily_snitch/458632.html?view=1115272#t1115272

    I've go on and posted links to most of my stories featuring my OTP (One True Painting), but I have not gone through all my old posts to hunt down everyone else's stories yet. If you have a fic (or know of a fic) featuring this snarky portrait, please post the links over to the Snitch! I'm going to try and hunt down as many as I can, but things are busy in my neck of the woods right now... Thanks!
    Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
    9:47 am
    !!!!!!!
    I'm sitting here in shock right now. I'm going to London. LONDON!

    Mr. Black and I had been planning a summer trip to Yellowstone. I've never been camping and have barely ever stuck my toe past the Mississippi River, so it was going to be A Learning Experience for me. Then, after seeing a new report on fares going down the night before last, Mr. Black suggested I run an internet check on prices. It was a lot cheaper than we expected, so last night I wound up with hands shaking on the mouse making a purchase.

    Naturally, I am convinced that Something Will Go Wrong and the trip won't really happen. (Before my high school trip across the little pond I was *convinced* that I would die before I made it to England.)

    I just can't believe it. I've been making lists of all the things I want to go back to, double checking online that certain restaurants are still open. I'm freaking out about having to deal with Heathrow (I've always gone through Gatwick with the nice train ride in to the city to shake out all the airplane cobwebs.)

    I get to lay out itineraries. I need to find out when the Temple Church is actually open, having never managed to show up on a day you could get inside. I need to train Mr. Black not to talk on the Tube ;)

    So here's to my honeymoon! (Only 3 1/2 years after the wedding ;)

    I'M GOING TO LONDON.
    Friday, February 13th, 2009
    3:15 pm
    Happy Friday the 13th!
    Friday the 13th has long been a favorite day of mine. The very first Friday the 13th I was aware of, I won a drawing with my library's children's reading program and received a wonderful gift certificate to our local book store. (I had read 13 books and so my name was in the pot 13 times :) Ever since then, I've always thought fondly of the date, and have been prone to noticing good things that happen.

    Today did not let me down! While skimming my f-list I noticed the SS/HG Digest had a story listed with the title "What Did Phineas Have To Do With It?" Immediately, I thought, "Oh, please let that be my gift in the Exchange!" And sure enough, it was!! Go http://community.livejournal.com/sshg_exchange/156329.html to read it. Very fun, very witty, with an utterly delicious twist in the tale. The piece features a hysterical section from an owl's POV. Didn't you always want to see Snape racing madly through the halls of Hogwarts, firing spells at an owl who's just trying to do his job? I simply must get a little toy owl and name it Erasmas now. (I have a crochet pattern for a little owl, and I'm thinking I'm going to make that my next project. Oh, and the book also has a hedgehog pattern, so I can make my very own magical Google hedgehog of the sort Ursula made for Phineas in "Letters and Secrets" http://community.livejournal.com/romancingwizard/321290.html.)

    Oh, other nice things that today is bringing include a fantastic oriental umbrella stand that was such a good deal I feel like I stole it and my husband is taking me to "Tartuffe" tonight :)
    Saturday, January 24th, 2009
    9:51 am
    Recently read/reading:
    Last week I polished off MacAvory's lovely, slim little book "Tea With the Black Dragon." (I think there is a rather famous SS/HG fic by the same name that I have not yet read.) Very fast, fun book. The dragon was delightful, and it was nice to see a heroine who was about 50 or so help save the day and get her fellow (er, her dragon). Plus, it was fascinating to see a book set in the early '80s with computers as part of the plot. Looking very much forward to reading more by this author.

    Am working my way through Guy Gavriel Kay's Tapesty trilogy. I think these books will re-read better than they read. His writing is so georgous, so poetic that it's easy to get side tracked on the story. Good for lingering reading. A bit dark for my taste and too many people are dying, but stunningly beautiful use of words.

    Am listening to "Coraline" on tape in anticipation of the movie that comes out next month. It's read by Neil Gaiman, and I was quite pleasantly surprised at what a wonderful reader he is. I've listened to a few other authors reading their own work on tape and my reaction has been tepid. He does not sound at all like I thought he would, so that was a bit of a shock. I read "Coraline" a few years ago and thought it was nicely creepy, but didn't remember much more than the fact that the cat was all sorts of awesome. I'm enjoying it more listening to it, but the cat still steals the show. Usually I have a hard time listening to books when the narrator is opposite the gender I imagine the words in. (For example there is a Brother Cadfael book on tape read by a woman and I just can't finish it. Yes, I know the books were written by a woman.) So I was leery of listening to a man read "Coraline." But, no problems so far. I hope the movie makes a ridiculous amount of money so maybe we can get a proper movie version of "Neverwhere." (And then maybe people would start writing fanfic for it...) I've never wanted a fandom for anything as badly as I would love a Neverwhere fandom. Come on people, this is a world where all your "American exchange student has crazy adventures" plots would actually *work.* Where is the fic? Where are the nice character sketches of Door playing with her powers? Where are the humorous pieces with the Marquis? Where is the crazy story that somehow, someway convinces readers for half a heartbeat that Door/Mr. Croup could actually *work?* (Now if that last wish isn't proof that HP fandom has completely and utterly fried my brain beyond any hope, I don't know what is.)

    SS/HG exchange is rolling along. Some lovely things out there and I need to get myself in gear and do some more reading and squeeing. I'm not one to go hunt down fan art, but there was a picture of our couple dancing that I want as a postcard and a lovely little black and white piece with Hermione reading and Snape as a cat that I so want for a bookplate. How everyone who's in on this loves their gifts! (And everyone else's gifts as well!)
    Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
    1:44 pm
    In which Verse illustrates that she is so not over it...
    The "it" in question being the fact that Doctor Who is moving on to Doctor 11. The other day I was at the store and stopped by the craft department. I have a chest of drawers full of fabric, but that doesn't stop me from oohing and ahhing over the latest pretty prints and colors. One moment I was harmlessly admiring a nifty pink and green floral and the next moment I was standing in from of the yarn practically squeeing--"It's the same color as the TARDIS!" Naturally, something that can elicit such an emotional response and cost less than $2 went into the cart. But it made me realize just how sad I am about the end of this era. My feelings are awfully intense for someone who isn't a part of the fandom and has only been watching the series for just over a year.

    I've known for a while now that part of my "Doctor depression" is because my very sadness reminds me that I am Not British. Many of the long time British fans who grew up watching the series seem to be reacting to the implosion and denial of the new American fans with a mixture of superiority and bewilderment--to these fans the changing face of the Doctor is part of the show, a fundamental part of the mythology and one thing that makes the series so special. And these reactions only serve to remind me that I am Not British, that I did not grow up watching this series and my interaction with the show is quite different from a huge majority of fans.

    Now, having spent 30+ of my 31 years on this earth Somewhere Other than the British Isles (namely, the Southern United States), one would think that I would have had plenty of time to adjust to the fact that I am Not British. Just because people comment on my "English accent" does not make me British. (To some Americans, proper English spoken with a southern accent sounds "English." The Arkansas actor who played the butler on "The Nanny" said the main thing he did to get his "accent" was to speak in a gramaticaly correct fashion.) Just because I understand the political situations described in a nineteenth century Englishman's journal better than the events described in my own newspapers does not make me British...

    During my undergrad years I found myself in a clique where all things British were highly celebrated. Scorn of American literature in favor of Brit Lit was accepted in my circle. We read Jane Austen and Iris Murdoch and sniffed that the other girls only liked Faulkner because they thought the professor was hot. I often found myself saying with a slight smirk that "The only American writers I will confess to liking are Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, and Ray Bradbury." Landing a spot in the school's study abroad program in London was a feat highly celebrated. Once in London we found ourselves celebrating our first times past the "Big Red Bus" tours without being asked if we needed a tour of the city. "Maybe we don't look so obviously American now, maybe we're fitting in," we told ourselves. I still laugh about the untold number of times I was asked for directions around the city by someone with an English accent. (Got some funny looks when I offered those directions in my Southern drawl.) In grad school I found myself in an "American Literature before 1750" class and I and several other students consoled ourselves with the though that we were actually reading "English" "French" "Spanish" and "Native American" literature.

    But history books, Lewis Carroll, a semester in London, and a summer at Exeter College, Oxford cannot make one British. And I'm reminded of that whenever I face the departure of the only Doctor I've ever seen "in real time." As much as I like to think I've matured out of my "British is Best" youth, it still makes me sad. I can't fully understand what it means to have grown up with this show, and I can't help but think I missed out on something special because of that.
    Saturday, December 20th, 2008
    8:48 pm
    Three Days of Happy
    The rules are that for eight days you have to post something that made you happy that day.

    Ack! I'm three days behind! Not because I haven't had things to be happy about, but more because I've been too sick (blech cold) to fully aprreciate them. So here, to get me on track are three things that are making me smile.

    1. Got to ride Moon today. It had been a while, between grading stress and ailing I hadn't felt like climbing aboard my little firecracker. Yesterday I briefly pondered it, but the wind sounded like it was about to blow the barn down, so I stayed on the ground. Barn did not blow away, but one of the stall doors did blow open. Happily, it was not the stallion's door. It was however, the door to the double stall/run that housed the two new horses. While running after any horse in a windstorm is not my idea of fun, running after two horses who don't have a clue who I am would be even less fun. Thankfully, I managed to get the door closed before anyone realized escape was an option.

    2. My story for Romancing the Wizard is done! Phineas, Ursula, and a magic hedgehog :)

    3. My desk is clean! Er, well as clean as it gets ;) I'm going to reward myself by setting out the McDonad's My Little Pony I just got. Yes, 31 years old and those little pastel ponies make me smile. I was treating myself to junk food on the last day of school and couldn't resist.
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