raven: [hello my name is] and a silhouette image of a raven (xf - i want to believe)
raven ([personal profile] raven) wrote2006-07-04 01:17 pm

Misc fannish and travel

I'm in that place. Yeah, that place. The one where you have somewhere to be in twenty minutes and the entire twentieth century feminist canon to read before Friday, but you've still got six tabs open and all of them have long fics in. I haven't been reading fic for a while - I gave up searching out Doctor Who fic a while ago, and now I'm only really reading fic by people I know personally. (And I'm not even keeping up with that - [livejournal.com profile] casirafics gave us Ten/Remus here, but I haven't read it yet. Take this as a sight unseen rec, because it's by her and it's Ten/Remus. I'm sure it's marvellous without having read it yet. Um, I digress.)

Where was I? Back in the news of the weird, I have six tabs open of X-Files fic. I am as baffled as everyone else. As far as I know, it's because Evolution was on Channel 4 the other night, and I watched it gleefully. It is my favourite example of a film that's so, so fucking awful that it comes out the other side and becomes funny and charming and eminently watchable. I mean, it has mutating aliens in it! And disgraced Pentagon scientists! And a black guy who goes around saying, "I saw this movie! The black guy dies first!" (He doesn't, but he does need to have an alien surgically removed from his colon, and later, he himself is not-so-surgically removed from the alien's colon.) It's all very slashy - of course, it would be; there's something slashy about a guy murmuring, "Hold me," and clinging to another guy whilst an alien is removed from his colon yes I talked about that bit already. I saw it originally in the cinema, actually; I was dragged with my parents to see Lagaan, and at the last minute I realised that I'd let myself in for three hours of relentless singing and dancing, and went to the next screen to see whatever they were showing. I have since seen Lagaan and realised I was doing it a disservice; it's probably the best modern Hindi film I've ever seen and was absolutely robbed of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film (or whatever it's called), but again, I digress and anyway, dude, mutating aliens.

The point was - yes, there was one - Evolution has David Duchovny in it, and I've always thought this a good thing. He has puppy-dog eyes. He droops at people. I'm all for this. And it got me wondering in passing if there does exist X-Files fic, and well, the internet has a disarming capacity for giving you what you want. I was fannish about the show once, actually; a long time ago when it was in its first run and being shown on BBC2. It was before I got into SG-1 and thus online fandom - I guess I must have been about twelve - but I remember liking it very much and making up stories in my head, natch. I wasn't fond of the myth-arc episodes - although I think one of the first ones I saw was the one where Mulder finds his sister, and I did like that one very much - and I liked the monster-of-the-week ones. Actually, that probably goes for everything; rather than making sci-fi drama an ongoing saga, like Buffy turned into eventually, I'm quite fond of the reset button. It helps with the escapism factor.

So I am wasting lots of time, which is something I suppose, but really, I want to write my quote unquote extended essay this week. I'm reading lots and lots of feminist theory, which is fun but makes my head hurt after a while. And that's all, really. I haven't been working, for a stupid, stupid reason - every time Tony rings up and says to come in and work, I'm ready to go and then I can't, because I have to wait for the gas man. He's been in three times and brought the wrong parts to fix the boiler each and every time. I haven't calculated how much in wages I've lost through waiting for him, as I'm sure that will only depress me.

And more than that, I need the money. I've finally sorted out some sort of travel arrangements. On August 8th, I'm going to Paris, then to Berlin, and then to Rome. I want to see all these places, but more than that I'm sort of making a point to myself; that I'm not rubbish, like I've been thinking over the last few months, that I'm an adult and I can handle this. I don't know why I think I can't. We shall see, I guess.

Also: I'll be in Paris until the tenth, Berlin until the twelfth, and Rome until the fourteenth of August; I'll be in Indiana visiting relatives from September 1st, and then Boston, and then I'll be home again on the twelfth. (Yes, I am flying transatlantic on September 11th. This may or may not be the best idea I've ever had.) But anyway, if any of you lovely people are in any of those places at any of those times, please do let me know, I'd love to meet up.

Um, yes. Time to go and read about feminism. I'm enjoying the peace and quiet.

[identity profile] loneraven.livejournal.com 2006-07-04 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, wow, that's fab! I devoured [livejournal.com profile] iamsab's Scrubs fic with a passion. Hee. There goes all hope of any productivity tomorrow. *g* And yes, you must see the X-Files! Except seasons eight and nine they do not EXIST omg. Having come in under budget for the academic year, I'm spending my small surplus on DVDs to remind myself of the greatness.

ARGH! When in September? Because I will be in Indianapolis, which is a long way from Chicago but it isn't difficult to talk the family into the drive there, they tend to enjoy the roadtrip and we've done it several times before. If I were to appear for a day some time between September 1st and 9th, would you be around? *crosses fingers*

[identity profile] the-acrobat.livejournal.com 2006-07-04 08:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Um, not to intrude, but maybe, maybe if you two were keen on the idea, I could arrange to bus down to Chicago and see you both...

[identity profile] likethesun2.livejournal.com 2006-07-04 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
OMG MEREDITH.

YES.

YEEEEEES.

[identity profile] the-acrobat.livejournal.com 2006-07-04 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
*grabs you and dances around in circles* Yay!!

[identity profile] likethesun2.livejournal.com 2006-07-05 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
The thought that this actually might happen has been pretty much the only thing getting me through this work day.

!!!!!!!!

[identity profile] loneraven.livejournal.com 2006-07-04 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
OMG. If I can get this run by the family - I am utterly transportless in the States - that would be AWESOME.

[identity profile] the-acrobat.livejournal.com 2006-07-04 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
OMFG! I just checked the academic calendar for 2006-2007 and it looks like this would fit my schedule, too!

I hope this works! :)

[identity profile] loneraven.livejournal.com 2006-07-04 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
OMG. I can't stop saying "OMG." We need to make this work. I don't know what I'll tell my family - actually, probably the truth. I have to go to Chicago, have to have to, to meet two of the dearest friends I have in the world. And if all else fails I will RUN AWAY and get on a Greyhound, yes!

[identity profile] likethesun2.livejournal.com 2006-07-05 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
*adds a couple of OMGs to the tally* This would be so cool. Oh, and it's almost a definite that I'll actually have my own apartment (because I am willing to pay through the nose for my privacy, yes I am), so you all'd have a place to crash if needed.

OMG.

[identity profile] likethesun2.livejournal.com 2006-07-04 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Sabine is fabulous. Like I said, I haven't read her XF stuff, but it's sure to be fabulous, too.

I figured it was Indianapolis, which is, yeah, at least four hours from Chicago. However, I'll be there all of September--I arrive in late August--so I will absolutely be around. I might still be settling in, but my sense is that I'll have a fair amount of free time (though it'd be nice if they'd actually send me more information about what specific weekly time commitment the seminar requires). So... if you were to turn up on my doorstep, chances are I'd be yours.

Scratch that. If you turned up on my doorstep anywhere and any time, I'd be yours. :)

[identity profile] loneraven.livejournal.com 2006-07-04 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
YAY. Oh, yay. If I can manage it, it would be wonderful. Let me run it by the family, see what can be arranged. But it would be so wonderful, if only I could manage it! Watch this space.