sleeeeeeeeep is good, oh yes.

[raven]

(Before anything else, I would like to state for the record: I got through an ENTIRE DAY of Stalin-and-Marshall-Plan reading and have yet to make an "In Soviet Russia..." joke! Go me!)

I have this tendency to think of myself as lazy. This is because I am lazy. My idea of a perfect day involves sleeping, reading, writing and spending hours in the bath. (Still don't have bathtub. Still irrationally furious about this fact.) But, you know, I can step up to the plate, to borrow a metaphor, and am not inherently an awful person, although I need reminding of this.

So, quickly, for future reference: today I went to a lecture on political theory, worked for an hour at the American Institute, walked the half an hour to the careers service, got soaked to the skin, picked up a bunch of post-grad-related handouts, walked back again, got soaked again, spent several reading about Soviet views of the Marshall Plan and the Korean War (and, shamefully, re-read some of my own M*A*S*H fic to remind me of a time when I actually knew about the latter), read over notes on Plato's thoughts on mimesis, helped Pat with the initial distribution of the King John posters, re-vamped and sent out emails to the Cerberus mailing lists, cleaned and updated the Tiptop Productions website, and even went to freshers' LGBT drinks for an hour.

(Edited to add: Queer Drinks was actually great fun. The lovely slasheuse mingled and socialised and made sure everyone was happy whilst jacinthsong, lizziwig and I stood in the corner and pretended to be Lesbian Ghetto Items of Furniture.)

This, I guess, is what happens: I'm Cerberus Triarch, I'm contributing features to Cherwell, I'm doing Tiptop's art and web design, I'm in OULES, I'm trying to apply to post-grad in the States, I'm trying to learn another language, I'm, er, reading for a PPE degree. I'm doing all of this because, well, it's my last chance. I have this amazing opportunity to indulge all my passions like this, and it would be ridiculous not to.

Somewhere in all of that I also managed to cook dinner. I have discovered that light soy sauce is utterly useless for my purposes, most of the time, and Sainsbury's, who have a decidedly middle-Englander approach to food - they have one aisle labelled "Foods of the World", in which they stock such disparate things as noodles, rice, oyster sauce, garam masala, and sundried tomatoes, whilst I hop around and yell about how it's all food of the world, the condescending bastards - don't stock the dark variety. But you can redeem the other type by stir-frying chicken pieces with the light soy sauce, fresh ginger, honey and some sugar. It comes out sticky and moreish and I left some out on the pan, which had been thoroughly licked clean by the innocent-faced flatmates by the time I got back. (Also works with thinly sliced potato, for the non-omnivores among us.)

And now. And now I am spending half an hour messing about on the internet and reading fic, and refusing to let myself feel guilty about it. I'm also writing for ds_team_angst, in addition to the whole huge list, but that is actually something I'm doing to relax. (What this says about me, I don't know.) But it's a lot of fun, writing in a team of people, and I'm really looking forward to its going live. Also, it's keeping me writing at a time of year when I usually just stop even thinking about it, and I don't know, but writing fic is, for me, very sane-making. It's a constant, because of course you keep writing day by day, usually night by night, and it's something in your head that's all yours - no pressure from anyone, this is something you do for you - and it adds colour to long walks across the city, when it looks like I'm admiring the scenery on the way to the Social Science Library, but am really thinking about angsty sex and twisty plots. I don't know. That's the idea.

And speaking of which, I'm going to keep on writing, because I signed up for yuletide. Probably this is quite crazy of me, but I branched out quite a bit in my requested fandoms this year and it should be an interesting experience, if nothing else.

Okay, bedtime. Not productivitiy time. Actual sleeping.




In Soviet Russia LiveJournal reads YOU.

Comments

[rosariotijeras.livejournal.com]

*poke* I need your mailing address for postcarding purposes.

I have this amazing opportunity to indulge all my passions like this, and it would be ridiculous not to. <-- My life right now. I'm glad I'm not the only one like this.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

You have it! See facebook, natch.

I feel like a million years old saying this but damn, you are so lucky to be right at beginning of your undergraduate career. In seven months mine will be over and it's so short, it's all too short!

[rosariotijeras.livejournal.com]

Well, let's be fair, I DO have a four year education whereas yours is three. And don't say it's short! I can't believe it's freaking October already!

[hips-lips-tits.livejournal.com]

in soviet russia, 'in soviet russia' makes jokes about YOU.



i LOVE those.

[amchau.livejournal.com]

(My first reaction to the opening sentence was 'in Soviet Russia, jokes make YOU'.)

[hips-lips-tits.livejournal.com]

that was mine as well, but then i saw that she--always the quick one-- had beaten me to the punch.

so i made went ahead and made the joke, just a little more confusing. trying to be original and witty and such.

not quite sure if it came out as intended, but that was after 4 hours in the ER and a heavy dose of pain medication. i think i did well, considering! :]

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

You WIN. *g*

[gamesiplay.livejournal.com]

...Damn, you ARE busy. And so completely unlazy. I mean, maybe in a vacuum devoid of stimuli you'd be lazy, by temperament, but you choose to do all of these things, you have the energy to commit and follow through. That's really impressive. I couldn't do what you do.

Also, your dinner? MMM. Is there a recipe you've made up for this, or are you just throwing in ingredients to taste? It sounds delicious. (Again, something I cannot do. Today one of my apartment-mates came in at the tail end of my cooking session in the kitchenette, stared at my bowl full of kung pao chicken, and said, "WHOA, did you make that?"

I looked at her dolefully and said, "It's leftover Chinese. I made the white rice at the bottom.")

writing fic is, for me, very sane-making. It's a constant, because of course you keep writing day by day, usually night by night, and it's something in your head that's all yours - no pressure from anyone, this is something you do for you - and it adds colour to long walks across the city, when it looks like I'm admiring the scenery on the way to the Social Science Library, but am really thinking about angsty sex and twisty plots. I don't know. That's the idea.

Yes. Exactly. This is what writing is for. How do non-writers survive?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*blushes* I do the same amount as anyone else, taken over an academic year. It's just the whole eight-week-term thing that makes my life an exercise in running around like a crazy person.

The chicken was v. nice indeed. *g* Actually, I cooked it the day before yesterday just with garlic and soy sauce, and it was when I was heating it up again on the hob that the honey jar caught my eye. Actually, though, it worked so well that I think I may deliberately recreate it in future.

I don't know how non-writers do it! I think people who run get it, too - they seem to have that same brain-drained calm when they come back from a run - but other people? I've no idea.

[amchau.livejournal.com]

You do so much. (In Soviet Russia, so much does YOU.) I haven't yet signed up for Yuletide, and I think I probably won't, because of madeness of January exams. (In Soviet Russia, Yuletide signs up for YOU.) I will now stop making Soviet Russia jokes. (In Soviet Russia, jokes stop making ME.) Also, my Sainsbury's does stock three kinds of soy sauce-- light, dark, and reduced salt-- and also packets of instant miso soup, which are wonderful. I live on noodles and miso and museli. (In Soviet Russia, noodles live on ME. Argh! Must. Stop. Typing....

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

...stop it! *g* Sainbury's may just suck here. But at least I'm not in SOVIET RUSSIA!

[amchau.livejournal.com]

In Soviet Russia, Soviet Russia is in YOU.

(I do apologise. Outside Soviet Russia, I phone YOU?)

[tmpe5t.livejournal.com]

Mmm, soviet russia... Excellent hats.

Anyway, that reminds me of the joke Iraqi TV guide that was making the rounds in 2003-ish...

"14.00 - "Question Time" - Members of the public face awkward questions from the Secret Service."

And also feaured 'Buffhi the infidel slayer'...

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Well, I think the hats may have survived the fall of the old regime.

Urgh! The thing is of course that the Secret Service joke could have been made about so many people during so many periods of history.

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the ds_matchup challenge is helping keep you...regular? That wasn't what you were going for, I know, but I feel the same: writing is what keeps me sane a lot of the time, even when it's the thing that's making me crazy.

And wow! You are productive! That schedule of tasks to accomplish makes me break out into a nervous sweat and you did it all in one day. That almost qualifies as a feat of strength!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*snerk* Regular! Yes. :P

Me = productive! *g* Not something that happens often. Thank you, dear.