Wow... I think I just lost a month to a strange (re: evil) cocktail of too much work and useless migraine medications. Is there some place I can demand a refund? *blinks*

It was so nice and cool when I was in Narita-- almost like an eternal early spring-- and, though there were thunderstorms almost every afternoon, I think I only had one migraine my entire stay. Ohio welcomed me back with sweltering heat, high smog alerts and several thunderstorms that also featured hail. I found myself almost totally out of comission from the pain... these were migraines the likes of which I hadn't had since I was a teenager. I had to go to the hospital in mid-June: one went on for a record of two days, culminating in a pain so intense I was screaming in my sleep. My brother drove me to the hospital, where they shot me with demerol. (Now, that stuff kills the pain, but it also takes your mental well-being and puts it in a blender. I can't even stand when I'm on that stuff-- though I can report that the weather on Neptune is nice this time of year. ^_~;;;)

Long story short, my doctor has since tried three different meds out on me, all of which have had wacky and unpleasant side effects. They have not, however, had any effect on the migraines themselves-- and some of these pills cost $80 with insurance. Finally, I think we've hit on something that works, but I don't like to take it unless it's dire, because it makes me so lethargic. I like to be up and active, and it drives me nuts that we can't find something that kills the migraines *and* lets me function. Some of our other alternatives have been eliminated due to the history of heart disease in my family... *shakes head*

My doctor-- a tiny, patient Phillipino woman who could stare down Wolverine-- says my body is going through a "major hormonal shift" which, just like in adolesence, triggers my migraines. Because I needed to be reminded that I'm getting old. *pout* ^_~

So that's why it seemed like I fell off the face of the earth. I vaguely remember something from January about hoping 2009 wasn't going to sit on us like a Sumo wrestler trying to make a point-- ah, that was a nice delusion. ... Eh.

The first two weeks of June brought more graduation ceremonies than I can count. Each of my three nieces moved up from their respective buildings-- Elementary School to Middle School (Genevive), Middle School to Junior High (Justine), Junior High to High School (Samantha). I am getting old! ;_; ( In addition, Yana graduated from Elementary School and into the fifth grade... )

-Meredith

I'm home!

....
What day is it again?
Wednesday! Right, good. Wednesday. *nods to self*

Dochira kuni ni imasu ka? (Which country am I in?)

Hahaha. I'm actually only half kidding on that score. ^_~ Serious jetlag and confusion here on my part, but I have only myself to blame. I ended up staying in Japan about three days longer than I planned-- I found out the day before I left that, because I work 10 hour shifts, I had amassed about twice as much vacation time as I'd been told by my manager. There's a limit to how much they'll let you take off at a time, so I actually still have two days left even with my altered plans, but I can use those as sick days when/if I want to. My hotel reservations were only for my original intentions of seven days, but a friend from Nagoya U invited me to stay with her and her sister... I had such a good time. The whole trip was just wonderful-- I stayed for about four days in Narita, rode the train into Tokyo to see Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Asakusa, then got on *another* train down to visit friends near Mt. Fuji, and finally over into Nagoya. I'm never able to express how it feels to be in Japan without sounding cliché, and I'm certainly not going to try now, but I returned very happy and refreshed. It was just so satisfying to eat the food and speak the language (and go on crazy marathon shopping sessions with Mitsuko-chan... ^^;) , and yet when I get home it all gains this unreal quality that makes me yearn to turn right back around.

So not an option. I came back in time for Memorial Day weekend-- I slept roughly 14 hrs right off the plane and then had to be in to work. I pulled four days of ten hour shifts and, by yesterday, I was so tired I tried to put my phone password into the microwave at lunch. X-x;;; Yeah. That double-time-and-a-half they were offering for Memorial Day made it worth it, but only just. At one point Josh found me sitting at my desk, staring into space.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"... gonna clock back in. In a second."
"Are you okay?"
I waved my frappicino-- fresh from the vending machine-- at him. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Honestly, I'm asleep right now and sitting here looking at you."
He did his little dorky Josh-blink at me and wandered off. (Honestly, I found a chibi arcade prize of Doumeki from XXXholic giving the same look Joshua gives me when he thinks I'm talking nonsense. Obviously, I brought it back with me, Leslie agree it was perfect, and we have installed it on Joshua's desk despite his protests. ^___^)

I got home on Monday just after ten, and only barely remembered to undo my hair before I got into bed. When I woke up, it was 9 pm on Tuesday and I was starving. Obviously, I still have a lot of unpacking and such left over from my trip. I really need to take care of that.

... I'm gonna take another nap first. ^^
-Meredith

I can't believe I went four weeks without posting. I'm a wretched, wretched person... (and yes, I know I'm always saying that! ^^;) At least I have a reason for the last two weeks.

... I'm going to Japan. As in, on Monday. At 9:55 am.

And I'm only half packed, and I work from 9:30am-8:30pm tomorrow. Ahahahaha. Ha. No. ^_^;;;;

I've been rushing around like a chicken with its head loosened substantially because, as soon as I got my (very nice) tax return and paid all the grubby hands that suddenly popped up, a thought came to me. This thought was, "I probably won't have this much money all at once again for a long, long time". Only much less coherent, you understand.

Turns out, there was a deal with Delta in which I could trade all my skymiles for a $200 round-trip ticket to Narita, Japan. No, I didn't miss a zero, I said two hundred dollars!!! *suppressing the desire to add more exclamation points* Ever since, I've been trying to wrangle enough vacation time to take advantage of this offer, in time to take this offer. And, two days before the deadline, I made it! I can not express to you how incredibly excited I am-- I'm staying 55 minutes outside of Tokyo, for six days, visiting friends and just making plans to generally have fun and practice the language. I'd almost resigned myself to not being able to afford going back without a job or college related tuition exchange... I can scarcely believe my luck.

The long and short of it is, I have been reading your journals and I should have been better about replying. *bangs head* I need to stop sleeping through my three days off, is what it is.

(Amber-- I want to see a picture of your new dress, and now that you have a passport you can TOTALLY COME WITH ME, and I thought I was the only one who saw Forsaken slash! *deep breath*)
(Leigh- I sent you a pm. I have mixed feelings about the new Star Trek movie, but for you I would go see it in a heart beat!)
(Neb- You are a really angelic, supportive sweetheart, you know that, right?)
(wickedwonder1, ivylore, and madisonpassion- thank you so much for responding to my description of That Sort of Person. I'm sorry I didn't respond personally, but please know that-- when things got ragged-- I would go back to your replies and feel comforted. ^__^)

Incidentally, this trip is timed so that I will be back in time offer moral support when Leslie has her baby (and possibly, you know, offer her a meat-cleaver to use on Josh). However, it will also give me a break from the intense, syrupy bonding they're going through as excited expectant parents. I don't begrudge them a moment of it, but... yeah. *smiles* And I've left Joshua with a long list of instructions and Things Not To Do While I'm Gone. ^_~

I hope to post once more before I leave. *hugs to pieces*
-Meredith

I hate posting this sort of thing, since it always feels pretentious, no matter how honest I'm trying to be. At the same time, I need to communicate this feeling and see if some of you recognize it. After my recent terrifying situation, it feels strange it be aware of this emotion again, even if it stems from long before my unfortunate trip into the Twilight Zone. *shrugs*

I beg your patience. Tell me your story, too.

( I want to know if you've ever met this sort of person-- I want to know if this wrenching behind your ribs is at all familiar. )

* * *

I love words, but some times I hate them-- I can't make this feel real, not overly dramatic.
-Meredith

My brother and I went to see the midnight premire of Watchmen last night, downtown. Sam dressed up as Rosarch (mask made by yours truly) and I... just wore my vintage ruby red pencil skirt and jacket, with my hair in pin-curls. Well, I wasn't dressing in anything skin tight, that's for damn sure. ^_~ I've been looking forward to the movie since I first saw the preview at the screening of The Dark Knight. I'd read the comic before, in college, and went out and bought my own copy some time in October. Knowing I still had to go to work the next day, I was willing to go on five hours sleep to see the premire.

I... really have mixed feelings about the whole thing, now. ^_^;;;;

( The Good Was Really Good; The Bad Was... (***SPOILERS***) )

At any rate, my feelings towards the movie are complicated, but intense. Which is what movies should do. ^_^;;

In other news, a friend of mine bought me a copy of Good Omens as a random please-cheer-up-present. It was just what I needed. I can't tell you how many times I almost dropped the book, I was laughing so hard! It's brilliant. Every single bit of it is brilliant! I am now deeply in love with Crowley. He could take me for a ride in his Bentley, anywhere. And I mean that.
-Meredith

_{*I deeply loathe, despise, and revile Frank Miller as a director, writer and artist. Please see his hand in All-Stars Batman and Robin and then come talk to me. After, you know, you've finished vomiting.
[mind you, it's my opinion, and if you love Frank Miller... free country, right? *checks*]}

Here's hoping the new layout colors and background aren't too hard on your eyes, but I just couldn't resist. I love black and pink together-- very elegant and understated. Can you believe this was actually wrapping paper someone used at Christmas? I was very careful opening it, so I'd have a big enough piece to scan.
Why, yes, I am a massive dork. What makes you ask? ^_~

And, filed in the section, 'Better Late Than Never', I present my truly pitiful log of Fics Written in 2008.

( The Year of '08 in Fics )

Can you believe we're standing here in 'aught nine? Strange as that sounds, the thought of saying 'two thousand ten' is even more bizarre-- saying 'oh-eight took the edge off things, you know? Maybe I'm just weird. ^_^

Sitting here with the Christmas tree on, with a glass of sparkling champagne and some Cheerios, while Sam snoozes on the couch and the girls play Super Smash Brothers downstairs. I'll make them go to bed in a little bit-- they're a little hyper now. We set off party poppers on the back porch, after all. Such a mad, gay night life we live. ^_~ I went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button yesterday and, while it wasn't as good as the short story, I did enjoy it. I'm thinking of that backwards clock right now, swooping past nine, down to eight, down to seven, ever backwards. I'm thinking, too, of Ray Bradbury's The Pillar of Fire, which I first read at age thirteen, in an old moldering anthology I found in the back of the school library. That corpse, standing on a cold hill riddled with disturbed graves, hating the bright city and the future he can't understand.

As afraid as I sometimes am when the future looms at the foot of my bed... I don't want go back. I think, sometimes, our generation tends to become over-absorbed in our own problems, forgetting the trials of the past. I love history, love the words and rhythms that bring it back to life, but I wouldn't want to live there. *shrugs* Contemplating the future is overwhelming; longing for the past is deceiving. I think we've got to make the most of here and now.

Do any of you know this poem? My mom used to read it to me when I was a girl.
From Kalamazoo to Timbuktu,
From Timbuktu and back;
it's a long, long way,
a long, long way,
a long way down the track.

From Timbuktu to Kalamazoo;
It's just as far to go back.

Happy New Year, everyone. Let's make the best of this we can. I know we can, and I intend to.
Here's to the Year of the Ox!
*hugs*
-Meredith

So, I have The Dark Knight in my hot little hands. So, after I slept the entire day away (these ten hours shifts will be the death of me *whimpers*), I simply had to sit down with my hot chocolate and pop it in. It was just as good as in the theater. While I still have fond childhood memories of the original, goofy Adam West Batman, I enjoy and appreciate a darker, more adult version as well. Mind you, I think DC comics have allowed things to get too dark in current story lines, and Frank Miller should never have been allowed within a thirty-five mile radius of our Dynamic Duo, but those are rants for another time. Over all, I enjoyed Nolan's ride. I liked the story line; Bale's wry Bruce is endearing in his dual roll, especially how he uses other people's expectations and prejudices to hide his identity. I loved this version of Harvey Dent-- not normally a villain I express much interest. Michael Caine is the perfect Alfred, and the wry dynamic he has with Bruce hides the deep affection they have for each other. If you'd asked me if Gary Oldman was a good choice for Gordon, I'd have said no-- but boy, is it nice to be wrong. ^_^ And, of course, Ledger's Joker makes my skin crawl. That's a compliment.

Rachel Dawes annoys the hell out of me, but that's hardly surprising. She lands in the already well-populated category of 'female character adored for no apparent reason', joining Lana Lang and Mary Jane Watson. It's a personal thing.

I do, however, have a legitimate narrative bone to pick, both as a fan of the comics and as a feminist. And that bone is Barbara Gordon. More specifically, how mercilessly she was cut from the story line. Here was the perfect opportunity for the writers to set up a strong foundation for her adult passion for justice. Here was where we could begin to understand why the daughter of the commissioner could turn to being a vigilante, and continue to hide it from her father. Batman's crusade against the Joker's "human experiments" and Gordon's comments about hunting Batman because 'he can take it, he is Gotham's guardian' are the early experiences that could easily sketch the relentless, courageous Batgirl (and later Oracle) we see in the comics.
What did we get instead?
Some boy-child, the holy patriarchal son, conjured up from nowhere to be Jim's 'most beloved-family member'. Why, Nolan, why? I can understand the bad writing behind Rachel; some of it is plot-driven (in order for Bruce to fully dedicate himself to Gotham, she must always be out of reach), some of it is just the fact that a lot of male writers seem to have trouble writing fully-fleshed female characters.

_{(Not to get sidetracked here, but I do apologize for the generalization. There are men out there who write amazing female characters. Joss Whedon, is an awesome example. Stephen King is another. Theodore Sturgeon wrote amazing, subtly strong females in a time where "handing the action to the girl" was no accepted. But sometimes, I think guys-- particularly in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, just don't get it. Do I have to bring up 'Samantha Carter' from Stargate? I didn't think so.)}

Anyway. I can handle Rachel-- she's very useful dead, I will say that. But I just don't understand why there was any need to create a whole new random character to be threatened, when it would have been so much more in keeping with DC canon for Gordon to have a close relationship with little Barbara. It would have been great, to see a young Babs staring after Batman as he flees from the very people he's worked so hard to help. What an easter-egg for comic fans!

God, it just makes me crazy. Maybe you'll think I'm paranoid, placing the gender-swap at the feet of the patriarchy, but it seems justified. That's always been the assumption: that sons are more valued by their fathers than daughters. (Hell, it was certainly true with mine. ^^;;;) But I'd just loved to have seen a close bond between Barbara and her dad. I love her comic character so much.
Just... disappointing.

Maybe I'm picky. *rolls shoulders* But I had to get that off my chest.
-Meredith

Here's wishing all my friends, in the states and abroad, a Happy Thankgiving. I hope everyone had a wonderful day with friends and family (or sans family, if you prefer ^_~), with good karma all around. It's rare for me to draw sentimental holiday pictures, but I really felt like it this year. I had a wonderful time with my own loved ones, and just... I think it's important to celebrate togetherness with the people you truly cherish, not the people you feel obligated to pretend with. If you really care about someone, you want to protect them and make them happy, right? That's what love means. So here's to happy families, traditional and otherwise. Kanpai!

I wanted to color in the background on this picture, but I didn't really have the chance. *sigh* I wanted to get it up in a somewhat timely fashion. So, from left to right: Mark, baby Sayuri (who does not want her bottle-- she wants Mark's soda), Miku with her finger in the pie (dessert first!) and Leonid laughing about it, Kanoe with the turkey, and Devin with her girlfriend Letticia (sharing a Grape Nehi).

I'm working Black Friday tomorrow (X_x;;;), so I should probably get to bed. (I'm doing 8:30am-7:30pm. Shoot me now.) I've never done this before, so I'm very nervous, especially after all the horror stories from the seasoned associates. If you have a sec tomorrow, wish me luck. I'll be in the trenches.

Though, if someone from ECom shits in my foxhole, all bets are off. ^_~
-Meredith

*points to icon* My brother brought me a copy of Hellboy II: The Golden Army this morning. He actually bought a copy for each of us, since he wanted the three-disc special edition and the BPRD belt-buckle they were selling. The buckle looks cool, but the way the symbol hangs makes it look like a warning sign meant to indicate, 'caution! there is a sword in my pants!'. *sweatdrop* I dunno.

Anyway, I just finished watching Hellboy-- I actually think I enjoy this one just as much, if not more, than the first. The scenery and characters are so astonishingly beautiful and grotesque, and Nuwala's dresses are to die for. Plus, Hellboy and Abe's drunken Barry Manillow kareoke? Priceless.

I also took my eldest niece to see The Haunting of Molly Hartley today. It was okay-- entertaining, but it tried a little to much to riff on Rosemary's Baby, without forming a solid center of its own. It was still a nice diversion, and it's always nice to treat Samantha to something separate from her sisters. Never having had a sister myself, I still imagine it might get a little annoying to have to share so much. Going to 'grown-up' movies with my mom was always a nice invidual treat, when I was a kid. Molly Hartley wasn't graphic at all, which was nice. It was more of a psychological-thriller-with-a-side-order-of-Satan.
_{Servo-voice: "Mommy, it's Satan and its fun!"}

In other news, I'm up for my six-month review at work tomorrow. *bites nails* I hope my manager built crying-time into my meeting. Haha. I wish that was a joke. If I get eight good calls and two bad ones, he always makes me listen to both the bad ones and none of the good ones. He also told me he was writing me up for being 'sloppy' last week, because I accidentally clocked one too many times. X_x;; I usually just try to avoid him as much as possible.
This is supposed to be my chance for a raise, but at this point I'm just hoping to get through the meeting. Cross your fingers for me, onegai shimasu. _{(Please? ^_^;;)}

Nothing much else to share, save that 70% of my DVR is taken up with episodes of House, MD. I have a House/Wilson monkey on my back. (The other 30% is comprosed of History channel documentaries on alien theories and human sacrifice. What does that say about me?)

Take it easy, guys!
-Meredith

My brother called me this morning at seven in the bleed'n am, to annouce loudly in my sleep-clouded ear, "I just voted mothafucka!"
I am taking away his South Park DVDs.

In all seriousness, he went to vote right after he got off work at six, and stood in line for about forty-five minutes. (Fifteen of which were spent waiting for the polls to open.) He was number nine to vote in our precinct.
_{(Ohioans are slow voters, I know. Hush. Our ballots have little bubbles that need to be colored in, which people seem to find inordinately challenging. Are they having SAT flash backs? Who knows.)}

I went around two in the afternoon, in between the lunch rush and the just-got-off-from-work crowd. It only took me about ten minutes, but the line was really starting to get long as I was walking out. With all the voter fraud in Ohio, I was relieved to see they were checking ID and addresses. And I was number 300-- I felt like there should have been some sort of prize. ^_~

The big issues in Ohio were #5 (payday loans) and #6 (adding a casino). There was also #1 (property rights and ground water) and one about the length of time before you can put a proposal on the ballot. We are just crazy in this state, I tell you. We live fast, hard and dangerous in these parts. *giggles, rolls eyes*

Now there's nothing to do but sit and wait. Though it's been pretty obvious what the outcome was going to be all along.
-Meredith

ETA: And now we know.

And once again, she surfaces from the abysmal morass of that terror known as real life and hopes, mayhap in vain, that people still remember her.

... Okay, so that was a little melodramatic. But not by much. Either that, or I'm letting the drama running rampant in my work life color my vision. *flips on some rose-tinted glasses* Ah, there we are. *waves* Here I am! Still alive and sort of kicking. The biggest block lately has been the sudden reemergence of my migraine problem. I swear it comes in cycles-- I'll be okay for a few years, and then they come back with a vengeance. I had one that sent me to the ER, so my doctor has me back on proscription meds for the pain. I'm hoping to get her to lower the dosage, since the stuff makes me feel really lethargic and out of it. *sigh* But I'm feeling a lot better than I have in weeks, regardless of the impression I'm swimming through molasses.

The only other news that's kept me away from my beloved 'net has been work drama-- some nasty third party with a personal agenda accused me of 'sexually harassing' a male friend of mine at work. He had no complaints against me, and even knew about my orientation, but this third party felt that the one time I tossed him a pen and winked was filled with sexual intent. The whole matter's been cleared up, with apologies from my managers ect, but it basically forced me to come out to my entire department in the middle of a training meeting. And that, as I pointed out to the 'minority advocate', can't be undone, no matter how many apologies I'm given.

... yeah. So, so glad to have all of that over with. I just couldn't get online and spill my guts while it was going on-- I was feeling pretty bleak about it. Please forgive me for not being around.

I want to know what's going on with you guys! Comment and update me, please!

*hugs and love*
-Meredith

How awesome is it to have working electrical current? How unspeakably cool is it to have a nice bright living room and feel cold when you open your fridge?

.... it is wonderful in ways that can not be expressed with simple English. It is, in my brother's understated words, Fucking amazing.

In case you haven't already guessed, my home and that of my brother where among those who lost power when the tail end of Ike blasted through poor oblivious Ohio. I have nothing but the utmost sympathy and heartache for the people in Texas, because -- lemme tell you-- the winds that reached us here in the Ohio Valley were brutal. I can't imagine what they were like at full force, when Ike made land fall. Both Sam and I lost siding, and I also lost a shutter from the front of my house. Not a big deal, all things considered, but it was scary while we were outside in the wind trying to get the debris before it could be blown around and hurt someone. Sam has a nasty cut on his let from a nail, and everyone in the neighborhood had trees crack or pull up by their roots. Everything seemed to hit between 1 pm and 4:30-ish, so there was enough light for the neighborhood to get together and move the trees out of the street and away from dangerous positions. I met more neighbors this weekend than I have since I first moved in years ago. Sad, but true. Everyone was very helpful, though, cutting away branches and clearing things.

There are still people in the area without power, but my subdivision was lucky enough to get full power back on Wednesday. Cable didn't come until later, but at that point we were just overwhelmingly glad to have light. I don't think I've ever known a quality of darkness like that; true night, broken only by the moon. Some places still had power-- Sam's part-time job included. He works third shift, so he and I situated the girls in the basement before he left. We all slept together with the dead bolt on, and a machete in my easy reach, though I think the last bit may have been over dramatic. Still, there were two cases of looting on the second night, so maybe it wasn't so silly. We didn't have any trouble, though-- we just burned a lot of my previously decorative candles , played a lot of cards, and took turns reading aloud to each other. My brother's biggest complaint was that all my perfumed candles made his place "smell like a French whore-house."
"Look," said I, "do you want this place to smell like a fruit basket, or so you want to kill yourself falling over the myriad sharp things you collect?"
So there.

The girls were excited to have school off. In fact, they only went back today. I had no such luck, unfortunately. Nameless-Co was still up and operational, though I was one of only twelve people in our entire department who actually showed up. Needless to say, it was an enormously cranky day, but we all took the time to charge our cell phones and other important batteries.

I am so, so glad to have the power back on now, you just have no idea.
But more than that, I'm unutterably thankful things weren't worse.

Now I want to hear from you guys, because I feel dreadfully out of the loop!
Love,
Meredith

Well, I certainly managed to disappear for a while there, didn't I? It's amazing how fast days can go. I swear, every night when I get home from work, I think, "I'll have my Starbucks, read for a while, and post to LJ". I manage the first two, but always seem to end up asleep on the couch with whatever novel I'm reading clutched to my chest. This prompted Sam to come in, wake me up (they were out of eggs at his house-- he thought he'd come over and help himself to some of mine), and ask me, "Is Mr. King really that good in bed?"
"What?" I asked, still mostly asleep. He pointed to the book in my hand, which was Pet Sematary by Stephen King. I promptly threw it at him.

In other news, the scheduling department is redoing *all* the schedules in the Credit Granting department, which means I no longer get to have my comfy Tuesday-Saturday work week. They gave us six options, the "best" of which turned out to be a Friday-Sunday four-day work week with ten hours each day. I am using the term 'best' in a very loose sense here, clearly. ^_~
It's not all that bad-- it'll be nice to have Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday off all in a row; and my days won't be switched at random. I'm just not sure I can do ten hours at a stretch. *bites lip* We'll see what happens. It's effective on the 7th which means, due to where the switch falls, I'll end up working four eight hour days and two ten hour days in a row before I get a break again. .... *nervous laughter* And during our mattress sale, too! Who knows, after six days, a mere ten hours might look like a synch.

( Nothing much else to add, save that I went to the funeral of a distant relative on Saturday )

Thanks for listening, guys,
-Meredith

*waves* Hey, there. I was going to post something over the weekend, but I keep getting distracted by the Olympics. I'm not a big sports person-- gymnastics and figure skating are pretty much my picks for summer and winter games-- but when there are ladies playing volleyball in damp sand... yeah, it's hard not to watch. ^_^;; And Japan had a pretty kick-ass team too. My mom and I are terrible; we get on the phone to watch gymnastics together, and end up just slamming the commentators. I was howling with laughter by the time my mother suggested perhaps some of the male anchors are downloading 'crotch cam' from the balance beam. Bad Mom, no cookie. ^_~

I had a pretty awesome birthday, too. As is tradition, Sam took the girls and I to Montgomery Inn Ribs, where I had a full king-size slab, and Grater's icecream for dessert. (Raspberry chocolate chip... mmmm...) My grandmother sent me a pair of crystal earrings and an iTunes card, the girls bought me a pack of what my family refers to as 'Meredith's snooty artist pencils', but my mom and brother really blew me away. A couple of weeks ago, one of my favorite rings went missing, and then mysteriously reappeared. I thought I was just being a flake, but it turned out that Sam had taken the ring down to Dillard's so they could size the ring and my mom went in on together. (I have *extremely* tiny fingers.) It's just gorgeous! It's a oval-cut Dawn Topaz stone (sometimes called Twilight Topaz, depending on the vendor), in a gold setting. Not only does it match the bracelet and necklace they got me for Christmas, but the stone is seriously the size of my thumbnail. Now, granted, I have small nails to go with those tiny fingers, but it's still amazingly big. I'll have to take a picture-- it just feels so elegant and at the same time decadent, wearing it. I guess it sounds like avarice, but jewelry is really my one weakness-- I love the colors that get trapped inside gemstones. I leaned over the table and smacked Sam full on the cheek when I got it, I was so astonished.

My birthday present to myself was being able to sign up to have Friday off per budget at Nameless Co-- we're always really slow just before a sale, and they offer days off without penalty on a first-come-first-serve. I am working an extra hour on Saturday (1:30 PM- 11:15 PM), but since Saturday is my Friday, it shouldn't be too bad.

To finish up, here's a picture I drew while the phones were slow. It's baby!Hellboy, inspired by some whimsical discussions I've had with Amber. I imagine Hellboy was a bit of a challenge to feed, even as a wee lil' demon. There's also a pencil-sketch of baby!Abe floating around here somewhere that I ought to finish. ^_^

I tried to write last night, but after a page and a half of convoluted muck, I gave up. *sighs, rocks* It'll come when it's ready. I think what I need to do is write a side-story for "Certain For the Dead" before I go back to the main present-line plot. I dunno. It's just that, watching "Fragments" makes it pretty much canon that the Hub was a simmering hotbed of UST pretty much from the time Jack hired Ianto until "Cyberwoman". Jack *so* enjoyed being rolled on.
Still, there is to be no bad writing! *Johnny Depp voice* "Bad writing is not allowed! What do we do with bad writing? We erase it!" */end JD voice*
Amen.

And now, I think I hear some vanilla scones calling my name from the kitchen....
-Meredith

Notes: Hey, there we are again! *does a little dance* I'm so excited that this story seems to be flowing again-- I actually sat down on Sunday night and wrote this whole chapter in one go. Though, honestly, I think rewatching 'Cyberwoman' helped. Ianto looks so young in that ep, and he just tears out you heart and keeps stomping on it... *sniffles* Anyway, I have nothing else to add, save that I appreciate you taking the time to read my story.

If I can bother you a moment more to comment, I'd be really appreciative!
Love,
Meredith

Spoilers: 1x4 (Cyberwoman), 1x5 (Small Worlds), 1x6 (Countrycide), 2x12 (Fragments); DW 1x11&12 (Parting of the Ways)

Previous Chapters:
[HERE AND NOW (I): Intersection]
[THEN AND THERE (I): Memoria]
[HERE AND NOW (II): Sweeter Than]
[THEN AND THERE (II): Each Small Piece]
[HERE AND NOW (III): Ex Parte]

( Certain For the Dead 6/? (TORCHWOOD; Jack/Ianto, MA) )

Author's Notes: It should be noted that I am really, really nervous about posting this. I doubt if anyone remembers this fic, but I started it back in October, and hit a roadblock in December. I haven't written anything since February, but when the bug finally bit me again, it was this story that came to mind. "Small Worlds" is still one of my favorite Torchwood eps, story-wise, and season two only made me swoon over Ianto more. I revised some of my plot plans in light of season two, but really, this chapter is pretty much as I planned it in my head back in January. I just couldn't get it out. X_X;; I just really hope the break isn't jolting or noticable, and... yeah. I'm only making myself more nervous, so I think I'll shut up.

I would like to thank you for bothering to read my story. If I could trouble you a bit more for feedback, I'd be ever so grateful! ^_^

Spoiler warnings for 1X04 (Cyberwoman), 1X05 (Small Worlds), 1X06 (Countrycide), and 2x12 (Fragments).

Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out a lot more quickly than this one. God will'n and the creek don't rise. *sheepish*
-Meredith

Previous Chapters:
[HERE AND NOW (I): Intersection]
[THEN AND THERE (I): Memoria]
[HERE AND NOW (II): Sweeter Than]
[THEN AND THERE (II): Each Small Piece]


( Certain For The Dead 5/? (TORCHWOOD; Jack/Ianto, MA) )

Ohhh, look at the spinning galaxies. ^__^;; Finally got off my bottom and redecorated my lj, which is really just a small symptom of a larger mid-summer cleaning virus that seems to have taken hold of me. I normally do a dust/vaccuum sweep of the house every week to ten days, but I've been digging through closets and scrubbing down on a large scale, recently. Part of it was the local news that the Cinci area has centipedes in unusually high numbers this year. I hate centipedes! Oh, words can not express my hatred, my loathing, my firm belief that no creature on this or any other planet could ever really need that many legs. Evil things! *shudders* But the cleaning needed to be done anyway, so it's all good.

Moreover, cleaning my physical surroundings seems to have helped my mental landscape. I actually wrote something! I am so completely thrilled and relieved by this that I cannot stop myself from throwing in many excessive exclaimation points (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Look at 'em all! To be perfectly honest, I don't think I've written more than a paragraph together since the middle of February, when I finished the first chapter of 'Things Rank and Gross Possess It Merely' (Torchwood). All while things were spiralling out of control at my previous job, I was just hanging on for dear life-- I didn't write a thing, and couldn't even manage to approach it once I started at Nameless-Co. I just, couldn't. It was starting to really bother me. I know it seems stupid, but I was so relieved to have produced four pages yesterday that I almost cried. It's not stupid to me, though-- at the risk of 'jinxing' myself, I needed to know it was still in me.

Nothing much else to add, save that I just caught a peek at the new Harry Potter trailer! *bounces* This gives me something to look forward to, cinema-wise, before Watchmen comes out in March. It looks dark, but... *fangirl moment* OMG MY SNAPE IS A TITLE CHARACTER */fangirl moment*

*bounces* So, how are you guys? ^_^
-Meredith

Wow, I hadn't really realized how long it's been since I've written in this thing. My last public entry was back in May! *blanches* I've been more concerned with keeping up with my friends' pages since I started working-- plus, while I like my job, it's not terribly interesting. I am thinking of moving to Fraud Investigations or Entrance Apps after my first six months, mostly because I'm getting the feeling I don't want to be on the phone at Christmas. People are insane during holidays. I've only done Memorial Day, 4th of July, and the one-day sale we had last week-- it was absolute madness, and veterans told me the nonstop carnivals I experienced are a walk in the park compared to Black Friday. X-x;;; On big sale days, the department gives free popcorn, ice-cream, hot-dogs and other food bribes to all employees, as if to dull the pain. We also played phone-bingo during the 4th, which is an experience I'll never forget. ^_~

Anyway. Those are pretty much the highlights-- I come home, curl up on the couch with a novel (finished At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft; have moved on to Stephen King's Dreamcatcher*), read for a while, and fall asleep. I usually startle awake when the air-conditioning finally kicks on, at which point I wash my hair and march myself off to bed.

But what makes every day fresh, interesting and new? Fandom, of course! ^_~ (Ahaha... it's not completely true, but it would still be less sad if it weren't so accurate. ^^;)

( Fandom Cornucopia! Law & Order, Doctor Who, and Hellboy, with bonus Torchwood ramblings. )

*hugs tight*
-Meredith

_{*The slash in that novel-- like mainline crack, it is. I also find it funny that King openly admits his wife referred to the novel in progress as 'the one with the shit-weasles'.
*Yes, a het pairing I actually zealously support! The horror! ^_~}

Six days into training and-- at the risk of jinxing things-- I feel like I might be starting to get the hang of our more routine problems. Out of the six calls I got tonight (this past weekend was a big sale event, so today was extremely slow), I only had to transfer two of them to higher-ups. I was able to successfully solve things for the other four callers, which is not too bad, all things considered. Since we're in training, we're only on the phones for four of the eight working hours; luckily, its not four straight hours of phones, and then four straight hours of class. We sort of switch off two for two, which breaks things up and helps keep me from getting bored. (I'm not bored on the phones-- I'm bored when I'm waiting for the damn thing to beep. ^^ We're not allowed to do anything while we wait. I guess no one ever told them that watched phones don't ring? ^_~)

I managed to entertain myself by looking for interesting town names (Powder Springs GA! Far Rockaway NY! Incline Village NV! Yes, I suck.) and making a mental list of favorite characters. ( These are the fruits of my labors: )