Miss Cellaneous

Guys, ( I failed at baking today )

Still: so not a caramel sauce. Any tips for that?

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Also, what's up with certain types of guys on on-line dating platforms? I didn't think much of it the first two times or so, but ( mutualism FAIL )

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Ending on a fannish note: ( House M.D. writers, You're On Notice. )

Must wipe the floor and do the washing before the birthday-barbecuing at Mikey's later on, but if I don't post them now, I'll never post them:

• athena25: "[...]we are made to believe it's unsafe, we are indoctrinated, whether well-intentioned or no, into believing that the world is just somehow more dangerous to women than to men, and that we should do things to ourselves to protect themselves from this terrible, violent world.
  
  Fuck that noise."

• The New York Times, on House, M.D. (spoilers, duh): "Shamefully, I would have been overjoyed if the season finale had ended with House and Cuddy electing to spend the summer together in Corsica."
  
  While I'm not particularly interested in this pairing, the article raises interesting points. Also, ( re: both House and Bones - series finales! )

• Maha asks, "What Is the Purpose of a Health Care System?" - Post I, Post II.

• the_grynne presents the teaser poster and a few photos from Alejandro Amenabar's historical epic Agora, set in 5th century Roman Egypt.

• gnatkip tells us ALL about Better Living With Javascript (on DW).

• coffeeandink posted on "Access Lists: The New Friends Trauma," including a fascinating poll - and the ensuing discussion (on DW) covers just about all viewpoints, I think.

(Does adding "on DW" to links makes you, too, feel as if you were playing the old "in your pants" game?)

I just turned on the TV, wondered why only my DVD player screensaver bounced across the dark monitor, and then realised, duh, no disc, no fun.

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hermine, I already ate the fancy and indeed utterly delicious super-dark chocolate you brought along all up: Two nights of working long (and only having a thin Thai fish soup, today) will do that to ya. On the plus side, there was After Eight Cake early in the afternoon, home-made by one of the secretaries I adore, to celebrate her birthday. Tasty, too (and now of course I wonder if there isn't a muffin or cupcake recipe around...).

::

I will watch House M.D. now. That piercing wail you might hear in a bit would be the result of Bad Things happening to Thirteen.

Much as I appreciate my job these days - I wouldn't mind NOT being at work for twelve hours, you know? & :-/

In other news, House these days is taking me on a roller-coaster ride. ( House M.D. spoilers for the latest arc up to 5x14 )

And yeah, the icon used here is indicative: I signed up for thelittlebang offering to write 15,000 words of Thirteen/Cameron...or, if no one else shows any interest in that* a nice (by which I of course mean properly naughty) SGA femslash pairing. Anything with Cadman goes, although that will have me ask the organisers if genderswitch is allowed. There's also that Allison Porter/Dusty Mehra story in the back of my head.

* I am so not a solitary man.

So they cancelled Pushing Daisies. Don't get me wrong; of the non-cancelled shows I've been keeping up with, Spooks and Friday Night Lights and Dexter and Life and The Sarah Connor Chronicles and House remain enjoyable (although House is, as ever, on notice re: its treatment of female characters), just - none of them are particularly upbeat.

...okay, yes; Dexter cheers me up enormously, but that's a) vaguely disturbing and b) not making it an upbeat show per se. PD was - all whimsy and joy and oodles of gentle melancholy cleverly, fancily and oh-so-colourfully wrapped. Was it in love with its artsy, artificial self? Absolutely, but I never found it too sweet or cutesie, what with all these undertones in far less than perfect harmony.

As for shows I abandoned? I gave Heroes another try - for three eps of Season Three downloaded early on, and then I chucked it into the trash can where it belongs. ( Spoilers, I guess, for HS 3x01-03 )

Also deleted all my Heroes icons because dudettes, so not a show I want to be associated with in any way. (And look, people, I watch Stargate Atlantis proudly...well, no. 0 :-) But I watch it with ♥.) Speaking of, much as I loved Mohinder, Claire, and Hiro, thinking that Angela Petrelli was da bomb, the show as a whole is just not worth my time. Fans with more stamina and stubbornness: Feel free to browse my galleries of Heroes and Heroes Actors icons; I'll do away with the folder after Christmas.

Didn't continue Gossip Girl, either. I enjoyed it, mostly Blair and Serena and Dan, but really, who has the time. Says the girl on crutches who is driven to the physio-rehab clinic for weeks and weeks, I know. I know. Quite possibly, I just wish I had their problems?

(Bones is upbeat, of course. And I adore it - same for The Sarah Jane Adventures and Burn Notice, the latter being on a break, though. And I just remember I have some The Middleman left to watch! Anyone know about the status of that show?)

"17 minutes by foot?" Whom did that on-line route planner hire to determine that time, Usain Bolt?

I mean, look: I sang* the entirety of Five Hundred Miles, Hotel California, My Bonnie, Mrs. Robinson, Yesterday, Dust in the Wind, Herr Deine Liebe, and the parts of Loch Lomond that I remember: that's how long it took, a good thirty minutes, despite my brisk pace (and my feet in asics GT-2100).

...what? Girl scout? Not me; my BFF of teenage years was a scout**, though. We spent many an afternoon in her cozy room with tea & her guitar. & ;-)

* It was raining heavily, and there were no people around. Don't worry unduly.
** no such division in Germany.

In less folk(ish)-song-related news, since I was home this weekend, with proper access, I have started to catch up with my tv.

So, as my icon indicates, I've watched the second episode of True Blood. What? I'm a sucker for...wait, let me try this again. I really crave -- oh, bloody hell: Give me a twisted vampire story, and I'm game-face.

( True Blood )

( Dexter 3x01 )

( SGA 5x10 First Contact )

Exercises now. I hear the doctor is in, and mean as ever. Speaking of ever: If you were waiting for a chance to make my over-worked and under-fanned self happy, you can totally do it by telling me about aby good Cameron/Thirteen fanfic you come across.

Finally, of course: L'shanah tovah!

You guys, I love Bones so. Very. Much. ♥

( Almost done with Season Three now... )

When I'm done, though, I want to see all your reactions. I'm going to make a Bones reading filter (for those already on my flist) and will read anything in the way of ep reviews & meta that you link me to (if you're not on my flist).

Poll #1195355 Bones!
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 47

So?

...remember, if you're not on my little flist: Links to your Bones post(s) in the comments? I'm very interested! & :-)

On to the meta part of the post! A couple of nights ago, just before dozing off, still smiling from the responses to my Bones Appreciation Post, I read one line in a fanpost that resonated with me -- she said what she loved best was the "casual confidence of the women on the show." And I thought, yes, that's it, right there.

We do see confident women in other shows -- but is there anything casual about the confidence of these women? Looking at the Doylist and the Watsonian level, the writers' portrayal as well as the characters' actions, I don't think that's too common. How 'bout we take a peek at The X-Files, House, and CSI? All of these, to some degree, served as templates for the Bones creators.

( The X-Files )

( House, M.D. )

( CSI )

( And then, Bones )

I love the Münster Tatort so much. & :-P

(I even made icons of Thiel & Boerne -- among other Tatort Kommissare -- remember?)

While we're talking about forensic pathologists, who are after all a kind of medical doctor -- what, reaching, me? Surely you jest! -- remember how gleeful I was about the latest two House M.D. episodes? I may have made some icons:

( House M.D. character icons )

Also, while aware of me being annoying that way, may I repeat my plea? (Yes, I've read all existing stories featuring that pairing. ( And... )

I just watched House 4x14. ♥

Oh my dearest, my only friends capable of this feat, would you write me ( this pairing, slightly spoilery, but mostly about what we already suspected )?

Please? Pretty? With 999 cherries on top?

The next chapter of Ard's back from the betas, and I'm working on it.

Now that I have a) less of a workload if more of a study-load, b) found painkillers that work, and c) have assuaged my guilt, let me share a few things about the shows I've been watching, in reverse order:

( Veronica Mars 3x16 )

( House, M.D. up to 3x20 Family )

( Dresden Files up to 1x10 )

( Supernatural up to 2x20 )


Also, I'm about to post an icon batch. Thus:

Poll #979271 Icons -- general or personal?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 22

Which icons would you prefer?

Friday night, and I'm home alone. By tomorrow, I'll no doubt be less dead and bother witchsis or grundbuch or the old friendsfolk, but tonight I was happy to just be able to sit back, read the friendslist, and ponder fandom. Which I love, whom I love.

thassalia gives us some sweet and true thoughts about International Women's Day & fandom.

chase820 and I talk about House M.D., Why We Ship Them All, and that mindgames are where it's at. (Also that Chase -- the doctor not the fellow LJ fan, although I'm sure it's true for her, too -- is pretty.)

Icon fans, go vote in this round of the sheppard_lims contest. If you like.

And, since I have computer access even though I am not in my own apartment right now, I won't share my five fave stories of my own with you but my ( five fave drabbles )

Happy 1st Advent to all of you. <||:-)

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For kangeiko, House & The West Wing, 400 words: ( Dr. Gregory House & C.J. Cregg. PG. No spoilers. )

For avrelia, The X-Files & Veronica Mars, 200 words: ( Scully & Logan. PG. Spoilers for 3x07 Of Vice And Men. )

For honeymink, Alias & The X-Files, a drabble: ( Lauren Reed & Marita Covarrubias, PG, spoilers for Alias S3. )

The latest bit of spam in my mailbox is from "Ute H Burton."

I am fondly reminded of my American High School AP US History teacher, who had just that first name...and was told by wide-eyed students that they'd thought she was of Native American descent before seeing her in the flesh.

Anyway, since I'm too groggy to be studying right now, just one or two (or three) sentences each about recent TV shows.

( Dexter )

( House )

( Stargate:Atlantis )

( Supernatural )

( Torchwood )

( Veronica Mars )

Feeling more decompressed now. V. good. Even found valuable outlines. Yay.

Here you go, as promised, icons: ( SGA, Spooks, House, The West Wing, Supernatural, BSG, CSI, Lost, & Dr. Who )

A few are already assigned to people whom I knew and who gave me specific screencaps, but the rest -- feel free to take any for you & yourself alone (and tell me so, of course, so I can mark 'em accordingly).

Came home, slumped onto the sofa and didn't leave it for quite a while. Class plus little sleep does not for a fit Mona make.

***

God, I've missed this show. (And how could I forget it in my earlier meme list, along with The West Wing? *sigh*)

( Squeeview House 3x05 )

Which brings me to the fanfiction actually envisioned: The first three meme responses; I'll work my way through them as I can – I hadn't thought there would so many folks interested.

( Fox Mulder & Charles Gunn -- TXF & AtS, rated G, no spoilers, 200 words )

( Rodney McKay & Veronica Mars -- SGA & VM, rated G, no spoilers, 370 words )

( Rita & Angel -- Dexter & AtS, PG, pre-series for Dexter, 491 words )

I found a quite delicious John/Elizabeth story.

And by "quite delicious" I mean "hot and messed-up, yay." Of course. ( Caveat plus a few sentences on John/Elizabeth and braving fic of questionable quality. Also, House/Cameron. )

Turned in a lot of stuff today -- hooray.

So, apart from seeing doctors, working, and talking on the phone, what have I done?

( Watched House )

( Watched Due South )

( Watched CSI )

Four recs shamelessly stolen from viciouswishes*:

( SGA )
( SGA/BtVS )
( House )
( Firefly )

* Thank you, honey. I dig your rec sets.

If you take a plane to London from Germany? Be prepared that the bus ride from Stansted Airport into the city takes longer than the flight itself.

Anyway, if you can read these lines, I´ve made it to kangeiko´s house safe and sound. Sound-ish, anyway. & ;-) We've already eaten take-out Japanese, had plenty of tea in her pretty place, and are just about to head into central London -- she for her dissertation, me for, well, LONDON. Which feels like home, still. Again.

But the rides up to the point where we met were long. And ouch. Here, have a drabble (House, after 2x17, rated G):


( Cameron knows they find it funny. )