blamebrampton: 15th century woodcut of a hound (Default)
blamebrampton ([personal profile] blamebrampton) wrote2008-01-29 11:49 pm

Thanks, chaps!

Wow, that was a lovely birthday! I am dying of cake (my third favourite way to go), and very cheered.

Thank you so much to [personal profile] anthimaeria for my cake, to the sweet [personal profile] thady for the balloons, to [profile] romaine24 for the delicious lollipop, and to [personal profile] bryoneybrynn for the preserved organ, you guys are generous darlings with only the slightest touch of gothic. And to [profile] calanthe_fics and [personal profile] jadzialove for the cards! Touched and moved in the happy and spiritual non-public-transport fashion!

And then there were creations! [personal profile] jadzialove surprised the hell out of me with a wonderful Drarry -- she is my Snarry friend! Ginny Potter is frustrated at her ex-husband's inability to move on. She needn't be, all it will take is a cunning plan and some industrial infrastructure. Two men walk into a Ministry lift, each a bit screwed-up. Forty minutes later, the up is altered and the boys realise just how much they owe the women in their lives. A Fickle Fate is delicious and fun and ... just pop by and read it, there are too many good jokes for me to relate.

[personal profile] leochi reached my prompt in her 50 kisses art table (flocked), and painted a very sweet and loving morning kiss between Ron and Hermione, it is so right and so smile-inducing.

[personal profile] enchanted_jae must be the fastest talent in fandom, because 36 hours after I left her the somewhat deranged prompts of sword and finger, she popped up with this lovely ficlet on the effect of Draco's fencing practice on his young man: Swordplay, it's hot and clever and fabulous! And then [profile] complications_g created some gorgeous icons out of some of my fave pieces of leochi art!

As to the birthday wishes! Fandom, you are so much better at remembering than my RL friends. Thank you to the very speedy [profile] under_an_oak, [profile] sansa1970, Cal, [personal profile] lilian_cho, [personal profile] frayach, [profile] lackofmendacity, [profile] christinefic, [personal profile] ciel_vert, [personal profile] sesheta_66, [profile] house_illrepute[profile] brandil, [profile] alex_s9 (the SHINIEST birthday wish ever!), [profile] no_mad_skillz, [profile] winnett, and my lovely Team EWE – I am sure I am forgetting someone important ...Hugs and kisses to all of you!

In other news, I ran into a dear friend I hadn't seen in years on the street today and she followed me home for tea and Diana Wynne Jones bookswapping (I have had four of hers waiting to be returned since I last saw her, she now has five of mine, plus hers). Another friend cooked dinner for me, J and some of our friends, and a publishing house rang to offer me some freelance, I'll find out tomorrow if the redundancy or another gig is in the offing (I hope for the former). Now back to sewing and tidying so our house sitter isn't horrified when she comes in on Friday.

It was a good day! Thank you all for making it so! (And now I am off to hoover with my Dyson handheld. Do not judge me for the fact that I love domestic engineering porn, I gave J a full-sized one for his 30th birthday (he asked!))

Re: Birthdays, Prompts & The Need to Learn Cantonese and/or Mandarin

[identity profile] under-an-oak.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
Awesome! Thanks for that! I'll apologise in advance for the future torture I'm about to put you through in forcing you to read my pathetic attempts! *grin*

Re: Birthdays, Prompts & The Need to Learn Cantonese and/or Mandarin

[identity profile] under-an-oak.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
*bows* I am grateful for your acknowledgement of my poor wish (let's all together hurl our lunches with that show of Asian humility. Nyah)

My muse was kicked awake with a yelp reading those prompts and I'm eyeing my boss (whose cubicle is right next to mine and wondering what I can get away with...

And er...I think I must have caused confusion with the HR comment. *coughs apologetically* I'm in HR. A HR Advisor to be specific. *waves hand* Though I do admit to some homicidal tendencies say, oh, every time I read my emails...

Re: Birthdays, Prompts & The Need to Learn Cantonese and/or Mandarin

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
*Most* people. The remainder are great (in fact I am just back from a meeting with a great one!) but they are often beset by the psychopaths. Guard your territory! hire an intern to tackle the emails!

(I hope your muse runs free, and look forward to reading the result!)

Re: Birthdays, Prompts & The Need to Learn Cantonese and/or Mandarin

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Common wisdom in my circles has it that China is the 21st century. So we'll either need it to communicate with an increasingly powerful global player, or else to secure interviews with those fleeing the biggest societal breakdown since the Black Plague. Either way, it will be a story!
ext_7717: Lilian heart (Penguin!Chiyo-chan from Azumanga Daioh)

Re: Birthdays, Prompts & The Need to Learn Cantonese and/or Mandarin

[identity profile] lilian-cho.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Torture by fic, my fav. kind X-D

Friended you back =)

[identity profile] shadowclub.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
Happy Birthday!!

Re: Birthdays, Prompts & The Need to Learn Cantonese and/or Mandarin

[identity profile] under-an-oak.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
Cheers. Thanks for that. More new LJs for me to stalk (^__^)

[identity profile] jadzialove.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
It is 11:36pm and so it is still you birthday here.

I am dying of cake (my third favourite way to go),

Okay, my guesses for the other two are: chocolate and kindness

Happy Birthday one more time!

::hugs::
Edited 2008-01-30 04:39 (UTC)
ext_7717: Lilian heart (Drarry tiles for me <3)

Cantonese and/or Mandarin

[identity profile] lilian-cho.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
those fleeing the biggest societal breakdown since the Black Plague.

?

I'd suggest learning Mandarin first before Cantonese.

[identity profile] scrtkpr.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
Happy Birthday! ♥

Re: Cantonese and/or Mandarin

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
It's the grim scenario (and note well it is out there on the fringes of thinking with those who posit the imminent and utter collapse of the US into poverty and religious extremism).

Basically it says that the meganations (China and India) will collapse under their own weight, unable to feed their populations in a time of failed crops and natural disasters and see a wave of refugees spread out across the world prompting international conflict. With every broad natural disaster comes an epidemic, and China is a hotbed of influenza and I think it actually also has some natural bubonic plague reservoirs. (Just like Yellowstone in the US!)

I do think that I'll be using any Mandarin skills I manage to acquire to be able to speak the lingua franca of the Pacific region by the end of this century ...

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:44 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you! I think I am still having a birthday in Hawaii (my father always said you should start your birthday on New Zealand time and end it on Samoan!)

The hugs are welcome! Have some back!

[identity profile] frances-veritas.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:45 am (UTC)(link)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Belated, but I hope it was a good one! :-D

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:46 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you! Write some of your new fic for me instead; I enjoy reading all of your stories! It was a lovely day, and today I came home from my redundancy meeting to a two-month booking at a publishing house I like, to go with my big cheque. This has all been a very good one!

I look forward to getting to know you better, too!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:47 am (UTC)(link)
Cheers dear! It was great!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:52 am (UTC)(link)
Doesn't matter at all! At different times both my father and mother forgot my birthday, so I'm never fussed if friends do.

Ooooooh ... I love art, but it's fest time and I know how busy everyone is. I have an idea, what about the links to your favourite three artworks of yours?

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
OOPS! And THANK YOU!!!!!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:54 am (UTC)(link)
You should definitely drink it for me after my disgraceful episodes with The Drink last week (sack journos, watch bar tabs soar!!)

Thank you, m'dear. I have a redundancy cheque winging its way to me which will pay for a visit in which we can meet up for an actual drink!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
The 29th is still going strong from San Francisco to Samoa! thank you!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
Oh don't be silly! Thank you so much for your good wishes! My parents both forgot my birthday in different years. It worked out well when my dad did it, since I ended up with a new pony (his parents breed horses), but it means I never mind when my friends forget!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
Cheers dear! It was a very happy day indeed!

Thanks so much for your kind words! But no prostrating -- it is terrible for the knees!

I have to blame my family for the humour. We're infamous for it. Our Finnish friends gave up trying to work out what was satirical and what was straight and just assumed everything was satirical unless we gave the "Serious" signal.

It was nqdonne, she cajoled and threatened alternately, I thank her, too!!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 07:11 am (UTC)(link)
Your icon is hysterical! Thank you very much!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 07:13 am (UTC)(link)
It's still the 29th in Samoa! Thanks, matey! It's either be positive and take up arms and by opposing, end it. And I only half-know one low-rent Russian arms dealer ...

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 07:14 am (UTC)(link)
Nah, chocolate and sex -- kindness never killed anyone!

Thanks dear, I LOVE MY FIC! (and go and read Jae's fic if you haven't, it's gorgeous, too!)

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2008-01-30 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

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