jadesfire

It appears my cold has moved onto the sneezing phase this morning. I definitely prefer it to coughing, although I have a horrible feeling that they're going to want to share me. Maybe I can persuade them to fight each other to the death.

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8.33am and it's dark outside thanks to the rain. It's a very mild December - we had deep snow at this time last year - and it's messing with my head. I rely on a cold winter to reset my brain, and I know in the years when we don't get it, I cope poorly in spring. It'll be okay, just something to be aware of for next year if the temperature doesn't drop.

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I left work at lunchtime yesterday, which was a good choice. At home, I then spent hours feeling guilty about not doing things there, even though I was there specifically not to do things. Even though it's ridiculous, it's a feeling I can never shift unless I'm literally too ill to get up, and it drives me mad. I've dragged myself in this morning, because The Thing that has been looming all week must happen today. But then I'm going home, and to bed properly this time!

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This week, the chickens on the M&S meal deal were HUGE. Normally they're big enough for 2-3 people, but this week, they're big enough for 4-5. The 2-3 person chicken does us 2-3 meals, by the time we curry it, so I'm fully expecting to still be eating the 4-5 person chicken next week. During weeks like this, when I cannot brain enough to cook, they're brilliant. Also, the apple frangipane cake that came as the dessert option looks yummy. I never take for granted being able to afford to buy these deals (they're usually £10/£12 for main-side-dessert-drink). When I'm out of spoons, they're lifesavers.

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NERD ALERT. I know there are some crocheters around, and as I can't talk about this on my Instagram because they're a present, I thought I'd put it here. I'm making my Mum some fingerless mitts for Christmas (at her request) and am using a pattern I've made twice before. It's fiddly, but great once you get going, and I find the thumb construction immensely satisfying.

( Pics under the cut )

Freedom!

Sort of!

Exams are now officially over. For at least 8 months. If he failed (that's not unlikely with one of them), he still doesn't need to start studying again until next June/July. We're celebrating by going to see Moana at a restored Art Deco cinema near us. Neither of us have seen it, so it's going to be a real treat.

Now that I don't have oodles of free time stretching in front of me any more, I need to get my head in order for fannish stuff over the next few months, so that I don't miss a deadline or over-estimate what needs doing. I'm feeling a bit swamped, but I think that's mostly an illusion due to So. Many. Plot. Bunnies.

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14/15 October - Podfic Big Bang starts posting.
I'm mostly done for this, although I need to make audiobooks of my last fic.

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November - NaNo
I've never actually managed to do anything consistently in November. It's my worst mental-health month of the year, thanks to my SAD. Also, I always felt pressure to write an original piece*, rather than fanfic. This year, I've decided to say "stuff it" and give it a go anyway. I'm playing around with the idea of a Daredevil/Defenders/Guardians of the Galaxy fusion piece, which is big enough for Nano as I'm having to world-build first. It hopefully won't be 50k, though! I'm going for 500 words a day ideally, and more to the point, something every day. I'll try to update here if anyone's interested.

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18 December - Yuletide is due
I have my assignment, I have a shoulder to cry on (thanks, topaz_eyes!), but I have no plot ideas right now. I'm terrible without really clear, tight instructions. The more restrictions you put on a story, the easier I find it to write, which is why I love 'Five Things' fics, or ones that mess around with time. While I love the assignment, I'm flailing a bit at the moment to work out what to actually put down on paper. Welcome to Yuletide :)

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Also 18 December - #ITPE is due
This one is the Informal Twitter Podfic Exchange, for which I think I'm actually sorted. I've got a couple of things recorded, then stumbled across the PERFECT story for my recipient, so I want to get that down as well. I probably won't edit them until after November, but I like to have the actual recording done early.

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Then on top of that, I've got 3 monster Podfics that I want to record so very, very much. But they are 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 hours, so. That's going to take a while. I also have a half-finished The Defenders tag fic that I so, so want to finish, and which I am totally and utterly stuck on. It's the danger of working out the ending for me. Once I know it, I struggle to write it (which is a note to make for NaNo)

For some years, I've kept a private post at the top of my journal, reminding me of WsIP, plot bunnies and Fest deadlines. Looks like it's time to update it!

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*I only realised when talking to colleagues the other day, just how rare it is nowadays for me to have in-depth conversations with non-geeks, and also how much I take for granted that no matter what you like, people will just go "oh, cool, doesn't do it for me". I was deeply thrown by the mockery I got for liking a D&D podcast, or how surprised people were when I said I follow Formula 1. While the geek community is sometimes awful, I do take for granted the idea that you're allowed to be enthusiastic about things without being laughed at for it. I chose not to mention the fanfic because. Well. Obvious reasons :/

More fic! A teeny-tiny Burn Notice fill, because it made me sad that hardly anyone had posted today. The theme is myths and legends, and the prompt is nobody believes Michael Weston could have been one person

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In other news, I am trying to find a 70th birthday present for my uncle for next week. He doesn't want presents, he doesn't need 'stuff', and my initial plan of buying a bridge book from 1946 has been stymied by the cost of postage from the US.

I have, however, been utterly delighted by some of the random titles I found on Ebay. Including "Medical Electricity for Massage Students."

My new challenge: work that into a fic somehow. Has to be done!