"We thread ourselves through innocent flesh"

[hermionesviolin]

I read a bunch of the Secret Slasha fics quickly over the course of Christmas Day (starting with the one written for me, obv.) but have been lame and haven't actually posted a public word about the one written for me, so I'm rectifying that now.
     "The Scent of Fantasies" (Anne/Buffy, post-"Anne" [BtVS 3.01])
It's not what I had in mind when I requested Anne/any (I'd been thinking Angel-era Anne), but the Anne voice feels really true, especially in the first section.

The one written for Ari is really quite lovely.
     "Joyce Summers' Calendar: July 1998" (Joyce/Pat, summer between S2 and S3)

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I spent much of today alternating between backtagging (zomg, so time-consuming) and reading fic.

I know there are serious fics in the Yuletide archive, I've even seen some of them recced, but I started with the crack fic.

Sesame Street -- "Why Sex Ed Should Stay in Schools"
[excerpt] "The lab said that boys and girls need to know what happens to their bodies when they get older, and since they can't talk about it in the schools, we Muppets are going to step in and help out."

Dinosaur Comics -- "INSECURITY COMICS" [edit: Thanks to ave_eva for pointing out that someone in the yuletide comm put the dialogue on the comics template. /edit]
[excerpt] "Was it Colin Mochrie?" Dromiceiomimus said.
    "No, but thank you for reminding me of YET ANOTHER PERSON who feels it's appropriate to mock me for something I can't help."
    "His name is appropriate, though," Utahraptor said.

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys -- "I Friend You, You Friend Him"
Salmoneous invents "Face Scroll" and havoc ensues.  So true.

Commercials (Mac and PC) -- "Hanging Out, BFF"
[excerpt] "That's a nice outfit," he said politely to PC, who was in what Mac considered a snazzy suit.
    "Do you think so?" said PC dubiously. "I keep finding myself wearing it, no matter what I start out in. It just kind of... pops on, and I can't do anything else until I change. I'm not sure it's my color."
    "Nah. You look good in blue."
    "Really?" PC looked doubtful. "People use the words 'of death' to describe this particular shade of screen. That doesn't really seem very positive to me."

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And I have not yet read any of the HIMYM fic written for Yuletide 2007, but in browsing other people's del.cio.us, I found a zombie-apocalypse HIMYM ficlet that Amy wrote.  I'm not even particularly a zombie-fic fan, but I endorse this fic.

And because I never linked it the first time around, Kita says: "I would like to know what you think your favorite (or most interesting, or newest love, or shiniest, or whatever) character is doing this Xmas/Hannukah/Other."

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There have been various things in the metro (yes, I am lame, and my morning commute free paper is my primary news source these days) these past days/weeks about Bhutto and Musharraf, but I hadn't (yet?) delved very deep in, and then there was this morning's news.

In her post, Kita writes:

doqz raises some good points about Bhutta the politician in his post, about muddied history and how only the dead are sainted. kali921 focuses on Bhutta's humanity; what she strived for, what she represented. In the end, I think both points of view are fair, and reasoned. She was a woman, she was a leader; we have the duty to acknowledge, to honor, to *discuss* both.

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joy sadhana for Christmastide (3)

"Joy Sadhana is a daily practice in the observation of joy." -mylittleredgirl [more info]

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.  And they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
-Isaiah 9:2

Five good things about today:
1. I got approximately 8 hours of sleep.
2. The traffic light at Teele Sq. does include a Walk light.
3. I bumped into trijinx on the Red Line.
4. I logged on to facebook for the first time in a while and Sharon had SuperPoke made snow angels with me :)
5. Snazzy new GoogleMaps -- shows 3-D outlines of buildings and even labels some of them.  [Edit: And the street-level view thing, for Boston at least at the moment the icon is a snowperson :) ]
Bonus: Katie gchatted me (it always makes me feel good when someone else instigates chat with me) and we discussed how gchat (and sometimes Outlook) turns your stuff bold when you use asterisks, which is both frustrating and sense-making.  Hi, I am such a geek.

Three things I did well today:
1. I woke up and got up before my 9am alarm easily.
2. I did leave the house today -- did various errands.
3. I made real dinner for myself (and washed dishes thereafter).  Ari, Barilla makes protein-enriched pasta, fyi.
Bonus: I read fic and feedbacked.

Two things I am looking forward to (doing [better]) tomorrow:
1. Possibly making a mix CD for a friend of mine.
2. Seeing that guy from the train in the evening, apparently.  (Anyone wanna recommend a place to go get drinks downtown?  After preliminary Googling, I am thinking possibly Good Life.)
Reminder (because it came up in conversation): I give you blanket permission to write me/any RPF -- though I would personally enjoy it more if it involved people I already adore rather than this new guy I feel no sparks with, but do whatever makes you happy.