Notes and queries (this is your brain on cortexiphan edition):

[raven]

(When all else fails, list format. For the unfortunate alpha readers wondering where this week's novel installment is - it's somewhere. It's somewhere. Maybe it'll crystallise next week when I have a day off. I hope so.)

1. I am having a bad day am having a bad month am having a bad year. Lord, but I hate the day job. To top it all off, today I was honked by the driver behind me - because I stopped to avoid running a girl over. Driving in Cambridge really hurts my head. As for the job, I went downstairs today (I work on the third floor, in a windowless office under a tinhat roof) to fetch coffee and one of the other trainees' secretaries said, "Hey, you have something stuck to you. Oh, it's... part of a title plan."

Other people get toilet paper stuck to their shoes. I... don't.

2. It was my birthday! And now it is not my birthday. But it was not nearly as bad a birthday as I'd feared; quite the reverse, in fact. Even though I did spend the day marking up title plans, my department signed a card for me, and the other trainees went to dinner with me, and bought me cake and bath stuff and a £20 Amazon voucher which I still haven't spent. (Not sure what to get! Oh life, so hard.) And my parents sent roses, as they're away. And now I am twenty-five, and have been for nearly a week, and... well. Still here.

Today is Republic Day, though. Happy birthday, India. We love you.

3. I am caught up with Fringe! I am still head over heels for it: smart, character-driven, full-of-heart plots, and witty, sharp writing. What gets me about it, though, is okay, the shows of my heart from the nineties, SG-1 and Voyager and whatnot, they had great characters almost despite themselves. Because of the format, because of the need for the reset button, they had great characters, whom stories happened around. What I love about Fringe is that it is a story about Peter, Walter and Olivia. (I wish it were more of a story about Astrid and Broyles too! But that's something for another time.)

So yes. I adore it, and I am especially enamoured of musesfool's spot-on analysis: Olivia is the superhero, with the superhero backstory (she's a former Marine and she can save the world) and Peter is the fairy princess, with the fairy princess backstory: kidnapped as a child and raised by new parents; now providing a soul and a focus for the redemption of his father.

So... as, the novel is not happening with the writing so much, and to be honest neither is anything that doesn't involve work or crying about work, does anyone want a Fringe ficlet? Prompt me if you would. I'm trying to coax the ol' brain into writing again, which so far slim success.

4. There is no number four. I am writing this in the bath, okay. There is only so much cope with which to cope.

Comments

[brightlywoven]

Happy republic day! Our home countries have the same national day it seems (though mine marks the start of colonial settlement, not the end)

And happy birthday you. I seem to dimly remember 25 as being a good age.

[raven]

My cousin Shlok has dual Australian and Indian citizenship. He waves two flags. It is very, very adorable. :)

You you I will see you in TWO WEEKS omg!

[brightlywoven]

That *does* sound adorable.
Yaaay! I will see you! We will dance! We will restrain shim from spending g the entire day doing dishes!!!

[forthwritten]

*pets*

It could be worse. You could have something inappropriate about Tuckett written on your thigh.

You are excellent, and I'm sorry work continues to suck.

[raven]

Bwah. This is indeed true. Thank you, dear.

[such_heights]

Olivia Dunham, Superhero, brings me more joy than I even know what to do with.

And I always, always want more of Olivia interacting with Astrid, perhaps even the two of them talking about Olivia's superheroic qualities?

[raven]

I am trying to write this! It is not going so well! But I am trying! And maybe it will see the light of day soon. :)

[livrelibre]

Happy belated birthday and Republic Day! May the year ahead bring better things. And i am always a fan of Olivia &/ Astrid if you're so inclined.

[raven]

Thank you, dear! And oh, I love Astrid so much it cannot be textually rendered. ASTRID <3 <3 <3 <3

[surexit]

Oh God, driving in Cambridge must be horrendous. :O Cycling was bad enough.

[raven]

Both are HIDEOUS. So is being a pedestrian and taking the bus. I sometimes think I should just stay home all the time.

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

Stopping to avoid running someone over? You monster.

Happy birthday to you (again) and to India. I hope things get better; well done for still being here. (And writing in the bath, which sounds a rather impressive skill.)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I am doing it again now - it helps to have a steep-sided bathtub and a footstool of exactly the right height...

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

I have often wistfully contemplated taking my laptop with me when I have a bath, but am too scared of dropping it in and severely injuring myself and/or the laptop.

[icepixie]

the shows of my heart from the nineties, SG-1 and Voyager and whatnot, they had great characters almost despite themselves

I'd never seen it described this way, but that is SO TRUE! The concept/character ideas were so great, but the execution of it all was so...not great. (I admit, one reason I like BSG so much is that it feels like Voyager with consequences.)

does anyone want a Fringe ficlet? Prompt me if you would.

Oooh, I do! Okay, how about Olivia/Peter, day off or busman's holiday, whichever tickles your fancy. :D

Happy belated birthday!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I get the feeling that it's taken a while for TV writers to realise they can do SF and drama AT THE SAME TIME. :)

Tomorrow is writing day! I shall see what I can do.

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

I was honked by the driver behind me - because I stopped to avoid running a girl over.

That happened to me yesterday! (Except I was in Maryland and it was construction workers I was trying to avoid killing.) People are so stupid. O_o

Ooh ... how about a ficlet about Astrid? Something about her love of butterflies, perhaps.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Astrid, lovely Astrid! I shall try.

[bibliotropic.livejournal.com]

1: Another friend on my flist has a tag "law=ass". Yes? ;)

2: Happy Birthday! A quarter century of YOU is really something worth celebrating! I am glad it was nice. Also, happy Republic Day!

3: I am getting more and more tempted to watch Fringe as EVERYONE is talking about it, it seems.

4: I am glad I am not the only one who uses the internet in the bath. It always felt like such a risky, guilty thing. ;)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

1. Ahahahah SO TRUE I love it.

2. thank you, lovely you!

3. It is LOVELY. I really think you'd like it. So lovely.

4. I know right? I am doing it as we speak. Splash splash type splash. So decadent. :P

[macadamanaity.livejournal.com]

BTW I'm so not kidding about a weekend Fringe simulwatch -- if you're game, let me know what time is reasonable (basically, any time after 3pm and before 11pm your time works for me on Saturday, and any time after 3pm your time at all on Sunday is fine. Yes I used a timezone calculator to work this out as timezones break my brain...)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Awesome! How about 6pm my time, 1pm yours? I can't wait!

[macadamanaity.livejournal.com]

Yes! awesome!

[ancalemon.livejournal.com]

How about Olivia telling stories (real or fantastical, or perhaps both) to a daughter of hers, years down the road?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oooh! I like that one.

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

I shall add Fringe to the list of shows I really should get round to watching (along with Community, White Collar, and Suits, which are all things various people rave about).

Everything is slightly better in the bath, particularly books and wine. Have never tried the internet (or kindle) for fear of dropping the computer. I think I am still a little twitchy from dropping books into the bath on at least two occasions...or the time when the spine gave up and I was surrounded by loose, floating pages...

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oh Fringe. I love it so and cannot really say anything other than yes, yes you should.

My computer is on a footstool over the side of the bath, which works surprisingly well. It means stretching your arms, but it's otherwise perfect. :P

[troyswann.livejournal.com]

oh dear. I missed your birthday. Belatedly, happy birthday! I'm also two chapters behind on reading Novel, but am saving it for (hopefully) tomorrow with breakfast--crossing fingers that I don't have to attack the driveway with the snowblower in order to get out later, which will eat into my reading time. I need to see how my good friend Yellow is doing. :)

I'm sorry there is work and crying about work. There should be a patron for you, I think. You current country is crawling with Lords and Ladies Whatnots, isn't it? I mean, what else are they good for, is what I'm asking, if not providing some cope for lovely people who need more cope?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

<3 I love so much how you are Yellow's biggest fan. The poor thing clearly has depths of charm I was unaware of.

Sadly, those patron-type people are the sort of people who end up my clients. It sucks. What does not suck is that I took tomorrow off for no reason at all, and I am going to sit in a cafe and write novel! Yay!

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Very belated birthday greetings to you, and marginally less belated birthday greetings to India!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thank you!