fox

one of the things proven today was that even on vacation, i am not immune to Unscheduled Naps. i lay down to read for a bit before dinner, and was unconscious when my sister-in-law called at the time on the reservation to say it'd be good if i joined everyone at the restaurant. :->

the USB mouse attached to this computer works fine, apart from it occasionally 'blinks' and relocates the pointer over in the bottom left corner of the screen.

i have notes on the whole trip, and will in fact have a Whole Trip Report at some point, but i wanted to use this title [points to subject line] before i forgot it.

got a wee prezzie for Norman, and a card with a calligraphy-style rooster on it (this being the Year of the Rooster) to go with. yay!

leaving (along with my parents) tomorrow morning. fortunately, the taxi is coming to take us to the airport at 9:45, a completely civilized hour. the following day, everyone else (my brother and sister-in-law, her sister and brother-in-law, his mother, and my brother's mother-in-law) has to leave for the airport at 6am. poor bastards. heh.

[eta: oh, also. have been getting some lovely comments on my yuletide story (and one in particular that i hug close and call George -- beta types will probably recognize that comment on sight [g]), a couple of recs, and the recipient seemed sincere in her liking of it. :-) so, that's good and respectable and yay! last year i was utterly spoiled for comments and recs -- not that i wasn't proud of my story and pleased that so many people were impressed by it, but it was my first yuletide, and here i was among the belles of the ball. heh. i told myself ages ago that i was going to have to keep in mind that that was a freak occurrence, and i have done so -- but i am glad this year's story hasn't gone completely un-recced. [slightly ashamed of own tendencies to be praise-seeking whore] (i don't feel, by the way, that i'm giving away anything by mentioning that the thing has turned up on a small number of rec lists. there are a lot of things that have been recced only a few times, and a few things that have been recced a lot of times, just like always. plus, only a couple of days until the reveal anyway. my cover is un-blown.)]

1.  yuletide story uploaded!  came up with a title and a summary at 2:30 am and was happy with them both!

2.  happy birthday to darththalia and my dad!

• cold is quickly getting better.
  
• making steady, if glacial, progress on the thesis work.
  
• have more or less decided to bag the yuletide work in progress, or at least hit pause on it, and go with the other option.  i had some good thoughts last night on the second option, and that way i won't wind up disqualifying myself.  then, once i've handed something in, if i can work out how to do the other thing, my recipient can have two presents.

may go to the movies later.  also more shopping for house stuff with the mom.  mmmvacation.  :-)

i have my yuletide assignment!  i am spoiled for choice omg!  [falls down and dies]  [has trouble choosing]  [carries on cleaning room and sorting laundry]

oh -- back for just a second.  last year's betas were ellen_fremedon and merrycontrary; if they, or any of the rest of you, think you'd like to give me beta help this year, please feel encouraged to drop me a line.

have completed yuletide signup!

had to keep notes to be referred to in the event of a ctrl-click mishap; so i am now in a position to tell you that i offered thirty-seven fandoms (5 with character specifications and 32 without), beating last year's effort, when according to my e-mail confirmation i offered eight.  i can't tell if that means i'm waaay more adventurous, or if it means there were that many new fandoms i'm familiar with this year.  (all 8 of last year's are among this year's 37, for what it's worth.)  also, there were some duplicates, so i've actually offered (i think) 35 distinct fandoms; also also, there were just a few more that i recognized and know vaguely but decided i don't know well enough to write in them.  (there were still more that i recognize by name but that's it.  we will not consider them.)

i have requested As You Like It (Touchstone and Jaques, though not necessarily Touchstone/Jaques), Pride and Prejudice (Darcy/Bingley; 'in want of a wife', indeed), Hamlet (Hamlet, Horatio, and/or Laertes), or The Truman Show (how messed up is that Christof, yo?).

letter to santa will surely be forthcoming once the assignments are handed out.  i should maybe also have requested someone to write my thesis for me!  :-D