A post with little focus

[blamebrampton]

The Australian Financial Services Minister looks as though he has had very bad botox. Alas, I cannot find any video of him anywhere, but I am watching him on Lateline at the moment and only his eyelids and mouth move. It's scary! He makes Nicole Kidman look animated!

In other news, February is the cruellest month. It is also the shortest and I hope that life is calmer and less chaotic by the end of it. I am in total headless chicken land, though obviously not as busy as those of you with and having babies and foals (yes, there is another party involved in the foal part of that).

The chocolate bar that is meant to be opening locally is still under construction, though I received a nice letter in the post today, as the owner is applying for a licence and needs to notify the locals. In it, he mentions they will be selling macarons! shezan , I feel certain that somehow your influence over the universe has come to bear here, and I thank you for it!

Another real life friend friended me the other day: I am never sure if it's a good idea for my RL friends to follow me here as I do different things here than there. Although I suppose the ranting on politics and bad journalism are constant to both. And bad puns.

There is also some fandom stuff here, though, which is not like me in RL. I fangirl Elizabethan playwrights a bit, but no fic or cosplay. But Harry Potter fic is both fun and fascinating, so, RL friends, just roll with it. My theory is that it's a postmodern investigation of hidden stories within the canonical text. I think that's actually the whole reason why I write in HP, as JKR provided a fantastic framework which is largely underwritten, giving immense scope for other storytelling.

Though in fact, I should confess I am being dragged to my first fandom con by treacle_tartlet and pseudicide . Come April, you will see me in Melbourne, gadding about in something steampunk and almost certainly failing to recognise any of the actors who will be there. Which will still not be as embarrassing as the time I failed to recognise the then-Australian Prime Minister, who was graciously allowing me to share a lift with him and his burly sidekicks.

I am in an annoying place with work where I still have loads of freelance gigs, but am not finding it satisfying. I do, however, like the freedom to pick up and leave at any time. There is an option for a senior gig where I could whip a newish mag into shape, but it would involve at least a pretend willingness to work full days five days a week without taking months off. Or I have enough money in the bank to spend the rest of the year writing original fiction. Staying where I am is sort of a mid option, it is less career focussed, but does allow some writing time with an income. Might be time for some coin tossing.

Anyway, let's end with cheery news, HAPPY BIRTHDAY for yesterday to the very lovely old_enough  I hope you had a wonderful day! And to darling anthimaeria , my very first fandom friend. I am sure the twins planned to get you something lovely, but they may have been a bit stymied by having no credit cards to order with over the internet.

And a very happy birthday today to frankkincense , you utter darling of a person! How can you be so young? I hope the present fairies are having a good old nap after exhausting themselves delivering piles of much-deserved swag! XXX!!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you! The twins did get me something lovely in that they were well-behaved for their visiting grandparents and napped beautifully. :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Good babies! *Sends kisses*

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Oops... posted anon. But you knew who that was!

[momebie.livejournal.com]

Oooh. Is it a steamcon or another type of con? I really wish we had a steamcon close enough for me to get to (or that I could afford to gallivant off to Seattle or Portland) but Dragon*Con in Atlanta has a pretty decent steam track, so that will have to do.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's some crazy TV fandom thing that has some Torchwood people and others, as well as a cosplay comp, so my friends are dressing up. Since my knowledge of pop culture begins with George du Maurier and ends with Arthur Conan Doyle for the most part, I have decided that it will be wacky Victoriana for me! Happily, this will also allow me to break out some of my fave accessories, including my 19th century watch, brass compass and red kinky boots.

I think I would actually be enthusiastic about a steamcon, because I would be able to discuss optics and Jules Verne and the best pleats to use in a good worsted far more successfully than I am going to manage TV. But it will be time with my dear treacle and the baby she should definitely have had by then, so not misspent! (And, given my time on horse studs, should she somehow still be pregnant, I will be of use should things get dramatic!)

[momebie.livejournal.com]

Wacky Victoriana is one of my favorite things! If I had money and a larger wardrobe I'd wear spats on a daily basis. As it is, they'd look funny with the flip flops. And I just want to go to a steamcon to absorb it all in. I don't get nearly enough of it it in my daily life.

I certainly hope things don't get dramatic! It would be a con to remember, though.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

She would be both giving birth and punching me, saying: 'Do NOTHING until the actual ambulance arrives! NOTHING!'

I did make a normal skirt with a bit of a bustle once, it was fun. But you have to be v skinny to make it look good, so it went to a young person after a while as I covered up the skinny with some lard ...

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

I shall be very put out if this baby hasn't been born by then! And I'm still not dressing up (beyond the cracky not-costume we have discussed) ;P

[silvershinigami.livejournal.com]

JKR provided a fantastic framework which is largely underwritten, giving immense scope for other storytelling.

You just summed up all my feelings about JKR, which I try endlessly to explain to people. I think usually they stop listening to me after a while of rambling about character development and outlines and basically just not making my point very well.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You sound like me talking on dozens of topics: you know EXACTLY why you think something, but articulating it to someone else in language they'll get? Nightmare!

Feel free to borrow that if you ever need it ;-)

[silvershinigami.livejournal.com]

Ha! I have trouble imagining you being inarticulate. ^_~

I also have the problem where I know that I think something, but it takes me a while to nail down why. A lot of the time I read something and go, "Ugh, that wasn't good at all," but when somebody asks me to defend the opinion, I find myself going, "...It just was! Can't you tell??" until several months later after I've spent hours talking and thinking about it. So that's inconvenient.

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

Can I vote for the year off to write original fic? cause I would read that. *g*

Can't wait to see the pics!

[kareina.livejournal.com]

I'd vote for that, too, if you decide to let us vote on the matter...

(Indeed, the whole reason I clicked upon comments at all was to say so.)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

But I need travel money! (Maybe I'll take a month, that's not so bad. I can live for a month on not that much ...)

[kareina.livejournal.com]

Well, wouldn't the fiction writing lead to travel writing, if you got it published? I love your writing enough I'd pay to be able to own (and read and re-read) a book you wrote...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I know from experience that my writing is very sellable, it's just the time to finish up a product, then sell it, then the horror of marketing ... all up its months to years without steady income. Months is quite acceptable, years is not ;-)

And it's travel money -- the days of good freebies are passing :-(

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

But then I would not have loads of money in the bank! Waaaah!

[deensey.livejournal.com]

Yay April and yay convention having!