Snow day!

Or ice day. I ran out of places to put the snow yesterday; the heaps in the drive are higher than I can toss a shovel (note to my British readers; we're not talking a garden shovel size; it's a huge scoop and when it's full of wet snow my pipestem arms tremble and go on strike). I am building up some muscles; my back didn't start to spasm until the third time I went out.

The freezing rain came down on top of it and when I went to bed the snow looked glazed, solid and shiny.

Which is all well and good but my mum arrives at 5.00 from England... hope the airport/roads are clear by then.

Primal scream

So David's in Sweden, has been all week, leaving for the UK today. So CIBC, his credit card company, call. Won't speak to me. Want a phone number (which I don't have).

I say; this is because he's making charges in Europe isn't it?

I cannot discuss that with you, madam.

No, but it is, isn't it? Because it's okay, he's there, you don't have to worry it's been stolen.

I cannot discuss that with you, madam.

No, I get that (don't actually) but I just want to make sure you're not going to refuse to let it go through if he tries to use it to pay for a hotel or --

I cannot discuss that with you, madam.

{Jane starts to get mad] Look, you've done this before -- a few times, actually - can't you just check his records and see that this is normal?

I cannot discuss that with you, madam.

Check the records! He goes abroad all the time on business! ALL THE TIME!

I cannot discuss that with you, madam. He needs to call us.

Why? Will you stop his card if he doesn't? Since when do you need permission to go abroad from your credit card?

I cannot discuss that with you, madam. We might stop his card if he does not call us.

[Jane loses it spectacularly] And if you do we cancel that card, okay? This is ridiculous!

I'm sorry, madam, but...

Yeah. I know the rest.

I'm still furious.

Sentinel vid 'Best Friend' Jim/Blair

You know how sometimes you just want to go sappy and use every single well-known clip you can and just wallow in it?

And yet still, despite the lyrics, you're determined not to give in and do the really obvious clip to match the lyrics in one particular instance ::cough:: fountain scene::cough::?

Yeah, me, too ;-)

This is a quickie vid and it probably shows, but, eh, I had fun.

Pure schmoop, around 18 MB, to Queen's 'You're My Best Friend'.

http://www7.spread-it.com/dl.php?id=1fe8c6cafeaf9d48f703c462008af3b7eb1acde4

or

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=C0C2C0D55C400CE7

All sorts of stuff

LJ is making me sad. I feel it struggle to load pages and comments and fail with a pitiful little wheeze and collapse on the floor, big, teary eyes staring up at me.

Get better soon, LJ! ::pets it::


I'm still trying to deal with a backlog of comments; not ignoring you all, just difficult with all the LJ errors.

And I see there's another round of oh, fandom, why are you not a level playing field with me as star striker, the one who gets the record-breaking transfer fee and the celebrity parties?.

At which I snicker heartlessly.

Never has been, never will be. Deal.

And that seems to flow into what fandom has a right to expect from us.

I don't think I owe fandom anything because fandom, as an entity, does not exist; go on; put salt on its tail; manage it? No? Let me know when you do and that's when I'll accept it has a coherent, single identity and feelings to be hurt. When fandom agrees in one loud shout that YES! a drabble is a hundred words, I'll listen to you, but I'm not holding my breath even on something that simple ;-)

The people who make up fandom; they're a different matter. Which is why (setting aside any nonsense about BNFs because they're rarer than you think and most people you think are ones, aren't really. Drop them in a fandom three doors over and they're newbies with damp ears. Unless they're a real BNF in which case, yes, they'll have had a terrible night's sleep on that pea-infested pile of mattresses) which is why, getting back on track, I do stuff I don't have to (yes! Even non-BNFs have social consciences!).

Like leaving feedback, reccing fics (should do that more often; I get shy about it which is silly), betaing for anyone who asks, taking part in ficathons and challenges, saying thank you to every piece of feedback, helping newbies with questions, uploading stuff... I don't HAVE to do any of it. No one can make me, although there can be social consequences if you don't do some of it.

But I feel like I should, because people did it/are still doing it for me and it gives me a lot of pleasure. I do it with a glow of belonging, paying it forward, whatever. It feels nice to help and it's what I was brought up to do.

I LIKE doing it. It's as much a part of the LJ experience as writing is for me.

But I don't have to and neither does anyone else.

Of course, if we all sat back and waited for someone else to do the work (and a lot of it is work; I do a tenth as much as some people; less; I'm in awe of their committment, enthusiasm and generosity with their time) we'd be staring at empty screens.

But you can't force participation, or guilt people into it.

I happen to want to do the little I do.

So I do.

That's not particularly meritorious. Ask me to do something I don't want to do and I'll be that rapidly retreating figure on the horizon.

I think I had a point in there somewhere...

Uh, fire bad, smut good?

RB on Las Vegas alert

Nine o'clock tonight. Still so very yummy.