Quick update

[blamebrampton]

The Min cat is still with us!

In fact, aside from one alarming night and an ongoing wheeze, she has been in robust good health. She has even reclaimed her kitty tower as 'the' place to be after disdaining it for most of the last year.

In some ways it is simply tragic to see how healthy she is, aside from the cancer. On the other hand, it is wonderful to see that she is in good spirits and clearly no or very minimal pain. The many good wishes she has been sent have definitely been helping! Well -- they've definitely helped us at any rate!

The salmon diet, apparently, is the kitty version of medical marijuana. I have had to go out and buy another stash of tins, hurrah! We're onto the good red salmon, sod the wussy pink.

The weather has been exceptionally cooperative, and after the first wet summer in a decade has continued fine and dry since she has been home, so she has sat in her pot of miscanthus each day, then trotted out to follow the late afternoon sun. Her old people have visited her daily and she is pleased to see that she is finally being worshipped appropriately. In further good news, the local vets will be able to come here to euthanise her when the time comes, and there is a pet crematorium who do local pick-ups. We plan to scatter her ashes in her garden beds (several) and favourite rat hunting ground.

For my part I have been a bit lj invisible for the last few days as I desperately struggle to get through my worldcup fic. No extensions under any circumstances is a bit ghastly, since no one can plan for RL disasters and there are a number of people in even worse situations than me who are left hanging between flogging themselves and letting down their teams. We are all choosing to flog ourselves, but I do feel that in a perfect world we'd have a little leeway to work some more sleep into the schedule.

Oh well, when you read the fic with more typos than any other (and you do not want to KNOW how bad my brain is at homonyms when I am this thinly spread), be kind, it will be mine, and it will not in any way be the fault of my lovely betas.

Back to the writing and the listening to breathing, out and in, with only a little whistle, she still has time ...

Comments

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

Great news on the cat, and I'm glad to hear that you're sounding chipper, even if it is probably put on to make the rest of us feel better.

Um, in relation to world cup, surely that's what the back-up writers were for? Why not use them when people have unavoidable situations like yours?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

The guilt! The not finishing, the failing, the landing my problems on someone else's shoulders with only a fortnight and a half, the conviction that I can do it, really, and who needs sleep ... the fact that I appear to be somehow sharing my brain with a Jewish grandmother, when it all boils down to it.

A genuinely chipper day with the cat. It's still heartbreaking, but compared to he last two people I saw off through cancer, she is having a ball of a time and not being a daily source of heartbreak. We are both prepared to fall completely apart when we have to put her down, though. Happily, the place where I am freelancing has told me that I am to stay home and cry whenever I feel I need to, because they are all crazy cat ladies, too. It's quite lovely.

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

I'm worried about you. I'm worried about you all, in fact. I've seen some bizarre and frankly, close to breakdown behaviour from world cup people. I just want everyone to remember that fandom is meant to be fun!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It is *definitely* second or third place on my list of worries. I have reconciled myself to the fact that my work will be underdone and that there will be people who simply don't like it. I'm a big girl and will cope.

I have a long list of bookmarks for next week when fandom can be fun again!

But yes, you are very right in that it is bonkers to be working this hard for an arbitrary deadline for a fandom fest. I won't be signing up for anything that has no flexibility on deadlines ever again, it's just not how life, or indeed publishing, works, even though I can see why a mod might be attracted to the concept.

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

You may not know but I'm not enamoured of the idea of the world cup - never was since it was first advertised. There's enough divisiveness (is that a word, even?) in fandom without pitching for winners and losers. Every fic should be a winner IMO. I know you're very level-headed in such matters, but I think you're in the minority. I expect to see some locked posts about people being crushed over 'losing' their round. I detest the concept I'm afraid. And the more I hear about it the less I like it. Of course there will be some great fic and art, but I'd like to see a return to free-form fandom, where authors write what they want to their own deadlines. Fandom, IMO, needs another fest like it needs a fucking hole in the head.

I'm SO unfashionable darling. Long may I remain that way.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Actually, my initial excitement at the prospect of lots of new great stuff has dimmed under the prospect of exactly what you outline.

Prepare to see me praise people insanely, though, because everything I have seen or seen snippets of has had so much thought and love go into it. After this, I think I will exchange occasionally and otherwise keep myself to my own timetables. I shall join you on the unfashionable benches, proudly, in my favourite Australianism, daggy.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Daggy is a great word, along with "Ya dag!" and "Oh god, I am such a dag ..." the latter to be used when spotted at the shops wearing Ugg boots in winter (yes, people do leave the house in them -- not me, I hasten to add).

If you would like a primer for your Shazza Sue, I speak the local argot fluently, albeit with the wrong accent. But years of careful study have seen me learn the difference between dry as a dead dingo's donger, and so dry the goanna's gone. I may write a book ...

Wow. Really? I have to say that my team has been FANTASTIC in terms of sanity and keenness to support other teams and good writing and art. We all plan to be big praisers of good work, and sympathetic pointers out of the good where people have had problems pulling off their prompts. But we have some v nice people on the team, which I think is a good influence. Hopefully that attitude will prevail as the cup begins.

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think I've seen a few things from your team. Everyone seems so well balanced and happy!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

(It's Sansa and co, they are good influences. Keep it quiet so they don't become vain ...)

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

I think Sansa is genetically incapable of vanity. It's why she's such a good candidate for captain. If only every BNF was as sane.

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

i hate butting into conversations *looks at clock* two hours after the comment was made, but i agree 100% with cal. the whole winners/losers thing just makes me cringe. we all need to support not divide. and yes, YES...i know this is for fun...but...it just really bothers me. and i too predict lots of hurt feelings withing locked posts in the weeks to come. emo-venting comes with the territory. it's the staple of all fandom writers. :D

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

And to me, this is all fuelled by the depression of the epilogue.

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

i knew you were going to mention the epilogue.

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

I'm like a stuck record, aren't I?

Well, all I can say is that my post of the other day has already given someone pause for thought, and I've seen a few pages of the most wonderful fic outline.

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

really? well that's good to know.

speaking of outlines, i still have the one i never sent you. (or did i?) does arsonophobia ring a bell? anyway...this is the fic (along with my WIP) that i'll be working on after the animagus fest. which...i...still...havetowrite. *hides*

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

Nope - you mentioned it but never showed it too me. I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

*leers*

Watch your inbox.

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

got it!

i'll show you mine when i get home from work.

...and i'll show you the outline too.

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

There's nothing remotely rude about mine so far. (Give me a chance! I've only written a few hundred words!!!)

I'd say it's safe to open at work.

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

i'll open yours...but mine is on my hard drive at home. :(

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

Probably just as well. I'll trying really hard to do some actual writing instead of a lot of procrastinating. I've actually written a few more words since I sent it to you!

*pats self on back*

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

yaye!

*is proud*

[lilian-cho.livejournal.com]

Fandom, IMO, needs another fest like it needs a fucking hole in the head.

Ahahahha WORD.