it can't rain at Indian Wells

[raven]

Thank you for all of the book recommendations yesterday, lovely flist. I have made a list. In the meantime I really should be reading Taking Rights Seriously, although something in my brains seizes up and rebels every time I try and read about rule-utilitarianism.

Anyway, things and stuff. I am feeling surprisingly good. The weather's turning, slowly; it's doing it via cooling temperatures and melodramatic detours into thunderstorms. I've lived my whole life in a maritime temperate climate, I am not used to capital-W Weather! Seriously: there was a thunderstorm last week that woke me up because the flashes lit up behind my eyelids, and I got up and watched the sky just splitting open above my head. It was awesome, in the original sense - this kind of purplish grandeur. And then there was another storm yesterday afternoon, while I was esconced in a seminar on the ins and outs of constitutional theory. "Yes, but," one of the speakers was saying, "you don't have a concrete conception of authority, do you, is it all relational?"

"How about we define it first," I suggested.

A purple flash - the room lights up, then comes the thunder.

"That's authority," he said.

...I'm sorry, I am very easily amused.

What else, what else? I think I'm settling in. I think so. Fingers crossed, knock on wood, all the rest of it. I am sort-of maybe being talk-therapied again, not because I'm not well but because I do best in natural light, and Ithaca has long, long cold winters and I suspect it's best to be pre-emptive about these things. One of my intake questions was, I am really, seriously, not making this up, "Did you have a happy childhood?"

....yes, actually. The new therapist is not nearly as fabulous as the old one, but that probably says more about the latter than the former.

What else, what else. I wanted to do a sports class, so I tried a few during add-drop - swing dance was not for me and my hideously uncoordinated feet, and while I wanted to like the boxing class I tried, I didn't really; before I was in a women's class, and this one was mixed, and, er, I am quite strong for my size - kilogram for kilogram, certainly - but there's no way I'm keeping up with six-foot burly men. And I kept thinking, I should keep up, I should keep up, and if I were, amazingly strong and fit rather than averagely so, I would - but then I thought, fuck this, I want to do something for averagely fit women, because I am one and I deserve to be catered to, and dropped the class.

So after that I gave up on organised sport - a wise choice, in retrospect - and discovered the pool, and cold water is currently putting up enough of a fight to keep me going at the moment. I am trying to learn (or re-learn, possibly? I'm sure seven-year-old me was taught it at some point) front crawl without, y'know, swallowing half the pool, and it's a slow and comedic process. (I am looking at diagrams on Wikipedia! I think this probably says someting about how I live my life.) And when I'm not doing that, swimming lengths any old how makes me come out feeling fabulously buzzed and a lot more settled into skin.

Um. What else. I am really, really looking forward to yuletide. And because apparently I'm on a teeny-tiny fandom kick, I wrote 3000 words of Chrestomanci fic last night, dear self, who's even going to read that, but it was the first writing I've done here so that's probably suggestive of settling in. (As is the total, ridiculous, biohazardous mess of my apartment.)

Oh, and, one last thing! musesfool passed this along: fic prompts using episode titles from other fandoms! I have a horrible memory for episode titles - by which I mean I remember them all every one - so, yeah. If I am ever not sleepy again, I should write something. I did leave this one: Doctor Who, Doctor/River, "You Are Cordially Invited..." (Deep Space Nine). Someone should write it for me, because I am not at all demanding.

I am supposed to be going out for dinner. Coffee and nap time.

Comments

[flick]

Lightbox. They're great. I use them pretty much whenever we're not on BST.

[burnmybridges.livejournal.com]

"there was a thunderstorm last week that woke me up because the flashes lit up behind my eyelids, and I got up and watched the sky just splitting open above my head. It was awesome, in the original sense - this kind of purplish grandeur. And then there was another storm yesterday afternoon"

I am very jealous. I love nothing more than a good thunderstorm, and we haven't had any where I am for ages. It keeps threatening, but alas never emerges. Which makes me sad and disappointed...but mostly I just get headaches.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I never understood the whole thunderstorms-and-headaches thing until I came here! I sympathise. :)

[coloursofdusk.livejournal.com]

*raises hand* I would read Chrestomanci fic! Diana Wynne Jones creates the most amazing worlds, and I like your writing in whichever fandom.

Thunder and lightning, ooooh! It's wonderful to sit somewhere safe and dry and just watch the sky open up.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Maybe I should finish writing it, yes. :)

[leiascully.livejournal.com]

I will read it! I like what I've read of Chrestomanci!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! I'm more and more convinced I should finish writing it, once it stops getting LONGER AND LONGER.

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

I have a horrible memory for episode titles - by which I mean I remember them all every one - so, yeah.

I, for reasons I don't quite know, memorised all 144 Buffy episode titles in order; if anyone gives me a number I can say the corresponding episode. My sister likes to wheel me out at social gatherings for tricks. (I used to be able to do it with Angel, and can recite all of the 2005-onwards Doctor Who episodes in order, but can't say the numbers off the top of my head.) And yet I cannot remember stuff that I actually need to know for my course, like which of the Canterbury Tales is which or any other useful facts whatsoever.

[leyenn.livejournal.com]

I could once do this with Star Trek TNG, Babylon 5 and had fairly high success rate with X-Files, too. Given a couple of hours to re-cram, I could probably still do it.

We are either sad, sad people or secret savants... I'm not sure I'd like to know which. ;)

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

I'll just tell myself it's the second, and ignore anyone who tries to suggest anything to the contrary.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

....I am actually genuinely impressed by this.

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It is, sadly, one of my proudest accomplishments (along with winning the inter-society Geek Quiz in my first term at Oxford. Proper achievements just seem less important).

[marymac.livejournal.com]

Swimming! It is awesome. I should go in the morning but I am currently less sober than allowed for, oh, anything responsible, so probably won't. Very bad.

I would read Chrestomanci. And make gleeful squeaky noises.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

It is very awesome! Though poss. not when not sober. Er. *pets you gently*

I will finish the story! (She says, grandly.)

[marymac.livejournal.com]

J was supposed to stop me waaaay before I got to glass number three. My lack of fitness is now directly his fault. *purrs*

[highfantastical.livejournal.com]

I am a huge Chrestomanci fan! :DDD

...Also looking forward to yuletide SO INCREDIBLY MUCH.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! I have been convinced that I ought to finish the story, which is now a ridiculous length for something that was meant to be whim.

I AM SO GLAD I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. yay!

[the-acrobat.livejournal.com]

Chrestomanci! I would read it! I've long been a fan of Diana Wynne Jones, and Chrestomanci especially.

Also, swimming. I am glad you are doing it, and I know, very much, about that lovely buzzed feeling. It's my therapy (other than the real therapy which I started this afternoon) and I go a little crazy if I don't do it at least twice a week. So, this weekend, if you want to talk about technique a bit (and flail arms around, hello New York, we are HERE), I would be glad to. Wikipedia in three dimensions!

I've signed up for "Stroke Correction" here, because I'm looking for someone to push me a bit, but my goal is to get to the pool at least 4 days a week... once I get better at getting up before 7:30 a.m. Do they have a class on that?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

That would be amazing, actually. We can scare passers-by with our epic arm motions. :) I wish there was something here like "Stroke Correction" - it sounds like exactly what I need.

I am going to SEE YOU TOMORROW, OMG!

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

ooooh, I DO want to read your Chrestomanci, I DO!

I'm glad you're settling. <3

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And, you know, it's getting written. Slowly. :)

[gamesiplay.livejournal.com]

Yay exercise! And swimming is hard, so I salute you. Back when I was running semi-seriously, I did occasional swimming as cross-training, and I always found it much more strenuous than the running itself.

also hello I am at the very least tipsy, and I can't wait to see you in ONE DAY, since it's very early on Thursday now

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

TOMORROW. Actually tomorrow. Eeeee!

(I am still impressed that you ran seriously! For me, that's hard; swimming is easy-peasy in comparison!)

[rosariotijeras.livejournal.com]

I know how you feeling about weather - when I moved to Glasgow, I got so freaked out that we would have these massive storms and there would be no thunder. What a rip off.

Yay for swimming! It is the best sport, the best exercise, and the best everything. And yay for settling in!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Swimming is amazing. I love how if you stop, the water just supports you; it's like exercising in a gigantic slightly blue bed.

[tau_sigma]

I think pre-emptive talk therapy is a very, very good idea. Also, it's one of those things that makes me go omg, we are kind of grown up; we can deal with our problems maturely and independently and sensibly. Eek.

Swimming! I love swimming - clearly, otherwise I would probably not have done the crazy one mile swim! - but oh, I am so much worse at it than when I was younger. I do breast stroke, with head firmly above water, because I cannot get the breathing synchronised with the motion, and I end up with mouthfuls of water, and it is not good. Good luck to you in your endeavours not to drain the pool! *g*

I am envious of your storms; we do not have enough, here. *sigh*

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

That is exactly what I do! Today I hung off the side of the pool and did some experimental breathing in water. Swallowed most of it, again. *shakes head* Ah, well, all exercise, right? :)