I report a happy accident of the kind the Muse she loves to arrange: I searched the Thesaurus for a better word than 'unique' for Ms. Odo, and it gave me 'curious' with this string of possible synonyms. I loved them all.

Thank you for all your wit and wisdom, blessings on you and your family for joy and abundance!

Here's a quick summary of good news, for Dark of the Moon:

• My leave-of-absence has been extended until after the new year, and most of that will be with salary!! **happy dance**
• Making progress on my many late projects; Darkfest and Severus_Shorts finally completed!
• Working on a few barter commissions for design work that make me feel useful, and are pleasant work. **feels like hope!**
• Going to the gym almost every day for some kind of (vigorous) workout, and I am sleeping ALOT.
• I love my critters! just sayin'
• I've applied for a job, a wonderful fun close-to-home job that is exciting, but a BIG drop in salary. Will interview in December. **crosses fingers**

Tomorrow: dog to groomers, a pedicure for me, and some art museum time, a belated birthday artist's date.

Last night we went to see Amelia. I had read a number of reviews and decided to ignore them. The New Yorker criticized it for being a bland feminist fable, a film that would have been good if it were made in the 40s. Well? sometimes that might be just the thing? Why not celebrate the Girl Hero without postmodern edginess? Why not a dramatic and beautiful movie that's inspiring and entertaining?

The movie looks terrific. Hilary Swank is amazing - she IS Amelia. I loved watching her. And the clothes are gorgeous. And the planes, yum!  And listening to Christopher Eccleston 's American accent is hilarious. I kept willing him to slip into brit-speak. I wisht there had been more of Noonan; he was an intriguing character.

But feminist? yes and no. Amelia certainly built on her Suffragette fore-mothers. (Remember her in Iron Jawed Angels? Havent seen it? put it on your list. I shocked me. Not even one hundred years have passed since....**spoilers deleted**)

But why do women's biopics always seem to revolve around marriage? I recently saw the cable biopic on Georgia O'Keefe and was wildly disappointed. That should have been called "O'Keefe & Steiglitz" -- it never told you anything about her life before and after him, and implied that she was who she was because of him. O'Keefe lived a long time after ending her marriage, and really came into her own as an artist during that later time of life.

Anyway, without ranting with spoilers, I wanted more about Amelia's childhood and her work launching the airline industry.
Still, go see it. It's beautiful, and she really is a hero. She put herself out there, she went after her dream, and risked her life in ways we can't even imagine today.

here's some picspam from today's kayak trip, and All Hallow's Eve concert and party. Plus, a few extra poodle pics.

( click for pix )

This past week I felt a real return to functionality.
One of my lost priorities has been the gym, and I am happy to report that I worked out 4 times last week and am now sore, tired and signed up with a trainer for more abuse fun.
And, hmmm, not a coincidence? My libido is back! I hadnt' really noticed it had gone missing, er, as my virtual playmates don't complain when I am distracted, at least, not often. But looking back I can see my interest in teh pr0n has been feeble for a little while here. No doubt many of you shall help me with my recovery. ;-)

I've been so preoccupied with RL, I feel like I've hardly been around my journal(s). I've been reading small fics and keeping an eye on you all, but mostly either running around to the gym or various heathcare appointments, or fretting over my resume, the seemingly endless process.

Today I finally feel like it's DONE!!! Oh, there will still be tweaks, and multiple variations and formats and postings and cover letters and and and, but I finally read it and feel like it's good.

What an amazing feeling, to be suitably impressed with my own career!  After all the effort my miserable (nearly former!) boss devoted to convincing me I'm incompetent, it feels really great to rediscover myself.

It seemed impossible to ever get ready to make this change, and I still can't see how all of it will work out, but it things are lining up, and change.

Remember, remember the fifth of November,

The gunpowder treason and plot,

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

Hello, flist!
I am in need of a brit-picker for several short fics (@2000 words or so each) I am working on, ready this weekend or next week and due by the 15th. One is fluffy, one is darker. more details if you are interested.

thanks!!

a bit late, but, hey, let's keep the magic going. Originally written for severus_sighs Anniversery drabble fest

Title: All Hallows Eve
Author: venturous
Pairings: Mentor!Snape and 1st year Harry; past Severus, Lily; Severus/Harry
Rating: PG
Word count: 6 x 100
Warning: flangst, tears.  slash implied after age 18
Notes: thanks to beta spidermoth for speedy work. I tinkered only a tiny bit with canon time: in HPSS Harry encounters the Mirror in mid November of his first year.


All Hallows Eve

October 31, 1991 – Hogwarts

He gazed, transfixed, into the Mirror of Erised. Of all the revelations during Harry's first weeks at Hogwarts this was the most profound: his parents had been Wizards, well-loved, smart, and beautiful. Yet they were just as dead as all the times Dudley taunted him. It was baffling. He tried to feel through his confusion. They smiled at him from the hazy mirror, and he wished he could step inside and be enfolded in their arms.
( Read more... )

Too much fun not to share:  some holiday amusement from naadi 



tonight, I'm busy. Tomorrow, I celebrate. professor Sprout will attend a Samhain concert with her dogs.
(They are going as Wolves in Sheep's Clothing.)

All week I've been sorting, recycling, filing and pitching. I had a terrible backlog of paperwork,  boxes of unfiled stuff in chaotic heaps, thrown in boxes and piled against the wall. But the wall of shame is no more!

I also rearranged all the art in here, replacing my great-grandfather's portrait* with Severus' HBP poster and hanging lots of water-themed painting. I found treasures I thought were lost, when I got to the final boxes they weren't papers at all, but treasures.

The clear space in here is just amazing! I've always loved this room, but now it's really the Library/Den/Office. I feel so worn out, but pleased with this lovely clear space.

*don't worry, Great-Grandpa is in the studio for cleaning and frame repair. I still love him!

...from a series of witty and perverse comics  at oglaf.com.  thanks to la_dissonance  for connecting me. All you defectors to Merlin, I dedicate this to you:
( clickee )

It's a meme, but it's an easy one. ;) Gacked from r_grayjoy

Leave a ONE WORD comment that you think describes me. It can only be one word. No more. Then copy & paste this as to your journal [if you feel so inclined] so that I may leave a word about you. Keep it going [if you want]. :)

update: basic resume is roughed in. just needs editing.
time for lunch!

she whose moods flow like the weather is having a blue day. matches the deep grey wet sky, cold rain dripping of sad leaves, falling, falling.
**heavy sigh**
OK, snap out of it, darlin. You need to write a federal resume. **shudder**

hugs accepted! and maybe quick cheer-u-up reccs?

I'm wallowing in early Rickman.... I haven't seen this film in ages...not since I've been a Snape fangirl.

It's comically 80's -- the big hair, the novelty of car phones and pacman-ish computer graphics...  lots of yuks. And bang-bang shoot-em-up, of course. But Alan makes it all worth it. Mmmm, that voice. Even that cracky American accent.

Oh, and I am a closet former Bruce Willis fan... (David/Maddie!)  Hmmm, do you suppose there is Hans/John slash out there?

Title:Into the Forbidden Forest
Fest: founders gifts on LJ
Gift for: peskywhisitpaw
Author/Artist: venturous
Characters/Pairing:Rowena/Godric
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Genres: mystery, romance

Author's/Artist's Notes: peskywhisitpaw, I enjoyed your prompts because they generated all manner of stories as I mused on who and what to draw for you. But the allure of a mystery was too strong for these two to resist! Thanks to Founders Gifts mods and participants for shedding light on wonderful, essential and oft neglected HP characters.

Art created in PS3 using a highly-processed iStock photo background (see below) and original figures. This was an experiment with light effects and I'm pleased and surprised with the direction it took.

Summary: Drawn by a mysterious light, Rowena and Godric are drawn deeper into the Forbidden Forest, until they have lost their way. Will Rowena's familiar be able to resist the enchantment and help them find their way?




here's the photo I started with:

yes, you read that right. put down your coffee and

click here

Agh!! My web skills are too poor for most of the jobs I'm seeing.
Fortunately I am a quick study!

Maybe you can help cheer me on... ( Read more... )

from deborak and littleblackbow :

The problem with LJ/IJ/DW: 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 journal and find out what people don't know about you.