janedavitt

We finished ninth! Best ever position, best ever points total, negative goal difference in single figures for once and we ended on an away win.

Though we always beat West Brom :-)

Sad Liverpool didn't pull off a miracle but they've become a top flight team again after being in the doldrums for a while and second when it was that close is no shame.

Next up, the World Cup.

Delighted to see Stoke win 4-1 (FOUR GOALS!) and pleased for my second team, Liverpool (David and I support each others' teams unless, of course, as happens twice a season, they're playing each other).

What about that Arsenal game? Not a Wenger fan (his loathing of Stoke sticks in my craw and GET OVER the Ramsey incident, for the love of Stanley Matthews, okay?) but I felt sorry for the debacle of his 1000th game as his team lost 6-0. That sending off the wrong player incident was so bizarre. David and sat there exchanging baffled comments that the commentators echoed. The racist overtones of the ref getting two mixed-race players confused haven't escaped notice. For those who didn't watch, Oxlade-Chamberlain handled the ball, lunging, arm out, to deflect it as it headed just wide of goal. Insanely daft, as it was going wide and if he'd stopped it going in, most likely the ensuing penalty would've been converted and his team would be a player down. But he did it, and went to the ref and clearly (you learn to lip-read) said, "It was me, ref. I did it' or words to that effect.

Unbelievably, as the huge screen replayed the incident for everyone to see, the ref gave Gibbs a red card instead, whose only crime was being a few yards from Oxlade. Arsenal were better off losing Gibbs, but still.

Two goals off beating the record for most goals scored in the Premiership at a weekend and an incredible lobbed goal from Rooney. One hell of a weekend.

Still mathematically possible for Stoke to go down, but not likely.

I've never wanted to give someone a hug more.

Stoke just played Chelsea at home, and we've been unbeaten at home for a year. It was Jonathan Walter's 100th game in the Premiership with us and he scored two own goals and then missed a penalty in the dying minutes with the final score Chelsea 4, Stoke 0.

My poor woobie.

The irony is that in the first half we were all over them, nearly scored, looking strong...and Begovic made some incredible saves for us, then fifteen seconds from the end of the half, SJW gave away the first og and then when they came back out, everything went wrong.

The Chelsea penalty shouldn't have been given either. Total dive.

Oh well. There's always next week.

Liverpool just knocked Stoke out of the FA Cup and move on to the semi-finals.

Oh well. Stoke played well and can hold their heads up high.

Lovely to see banners in the crowd from both sets of fans wishing Fabrice Muamba well. He's a Bolton (and England) player who collapsed on the pitch in yesterday's quarter-final with a heart attack and was luckily in possibly the best place for it to happen as there was a defibrillator there and an ambulance waiting. His heart didn't begin to beat independently for two hours. Just such a terrible thing to happen and so sad.

Stoke drew, which means they're through to the round of 32 in the Europa League, top of their group with one game left to play. Whatever happens in that final game, they're safe.

Huge achievement for them. They're faltering a tad in the Premiership, with all the extra games, but still safe. Exciting times!

Gutted, but 1-0 is nothing to be ashamed of against one of the richest teams in the world. Our whole squad cost as much as one of their players. We weren't the best team in the first half, bit nervy, but Sorensen made some world-class saves and we made the final for the first time in 148 years, we're in the Europa League next year, and we're guaranteed a fourth year in the Premiership.

It's all good.

::weeps::

Finished the book in a 'have written last word, can't bear to start revising yet, but there are 86,268 words in a row, so yay' kind of way. It's with the adorable wesleysgirl who's kindly agreed to read it and tell me the most suckiest bits so that I can fix them. I'm in the sort of mood where I can't imagine anyone publishing it let alone buying it or even reading it for free with a kitten and a cookie thrown in, but I know that will pass and I'll be practising modest, witty comments for when the New York Times tell me it's on the best seller list.*

I now have no excuse not to do housework. Darn. I'd write some fanfic to stave off the evil moment but it's been so long that I think I've forgotten how.

The wild violets are clustered thickly in the lawn at the top. As it's been such a late, cold spring, I looked back at my LJ entry about them last year to compare dates and it was made on April 15th, so, yes, they're a bit later but not a lot.

I was spluttering with outrage during one commercial during Glee. It was on Global, which also does NCIS. They flash quotations up with a voiceover and in the NCIS one they spelled 'Gibbs' as 'Gibb's'. TWICE. Gibb's! That makes no sense at all!

David took Monday off (it's not an automatic holiday here in Canada) and we drove though the rain to London. I'd researched ahead of time and there's a street with a pocket of anime and book shops. Eleanor was starry-eyed with joy and could eaily have spent hundreds of dollars if only she had them, and I bought some unusual flavors of Pocky for her anime party in the summer (they're wafer sticks coated with chocolate or flavored stuff from Japan and kind of the in thing with her anime loving crowd). Our supermarket does milk, dark, and strawberry ones but this shop had white chocolate, choc/caramel and PUMPKIN as well as some of the giant ones. Pumpkin! Why? No, I don't know either.

In the used bookstore, I had that feeling you get when you know you're going to find something and I did. There's a mystery author called Dana Stabenow, love her books, set in Alaska, and I knew that years back she did three SF books, totally out of print and I've never seen them. I guess I could order online but I always hoped I'd find them and I got one! Red Planet Run for two dollars. Happy dance time.

Stoke won 3-0 last night and are virtually safe from relegation though it's mathematically possible still so not partying yet. So proud. I take some credit as I watched in my shirt, with my mug, AND I wore my lucky socks, the ones I was wearing when we beat Bolton 5-0. Sadly, Matty Etherington tore his hamstring and might not be fit for the FA Cup final. Hope he can at least play a few minutes; he's earned the right to be there.

I have to admit I choked up a bit hearing the Britannia crowd roar out their newish song in response to the Arsene Wengers of the world criticising their style (or lack of):

We'll play how we like
We'll play how we like
We're Stoke City, we'll play how we like

Yes. We will.



*I don't really do this. Oscar acceptance speeches, yes, but who doesn't do them?

Now that song's stuck in your head (if you know it), spare a thought (unless you're a Bolton fan) for my team Stoke whose FA Cup semi-final game kicks off in an hour at Wembley. The FA Cup isn't as big as it was when I was a kid; England would pretty much shut down on Final's day and all the men in the family would crowd into our living room to watch it with beer and the curtains drawn against the sun. Still, it's pretty damn big and for Stoke to make it this far is an incredible achievement, no matter what happens today. If they make it to the final there's a chance they could be in Europe next year too.

The lovely marguerite_26 has just passed this twit-pic-message thingummy onto me

http://yfrog.com/h69weowj

The man who plays Arthur on Merlin is a Stoke fan too. Neat.

My uncle and his two sons are at Wembley as are my best friend Alicia and her husband and son so I have six people to look for in the crowd. What? It could happen!

DO NOT SPOIL ME, PLEASE. Bloody Setanta aren't showing the game live so though it kicks off at 11.00 for me, it airs at 2.00. Poor Mum, actually in England doesn't get to see it at all but has to listen to it on the radio because the Beeb aren't showing it. WTF? This is the FA Cup!

Well, I shall be wearing my Stoke shirt and using my Stoke mug all day to bring them luck.

My, my, my Delilah...

I just updated my webpage. Hmm. It's kind of dusty in there. Gone are the days when I'd have a fic archived with the ink still wet; I write less now, so I tend to let six or so accumulate and then do them all at once. Oddly, I archive to AO3 right away, though, probably because that doesn't take long and archiving to my page means a lot of fiddly coding.

The stats are in decline too; I used to get 300+ hits a day, now I'm lucky to break 100. Not sure why; because people read more on archives and LJs and less on individual webpages? Because I've moved fandoms a lot? Because people are sick of going there and seeing nothing new? Because [insert another whine here]? Not sure. Well, as long as I write fic (and I can't see myself ever stopping) they'll all get archived there. I like having them in one place.

David and I made risotto last night after watching it on Hell's Kitchen so much, though we used a Jamie Oliver recipe (sorry, Gordon):

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/risotto/basic-risotto-recipe

Delicious, if filling, but God, do you ever have to baby it! Constant stirring and attention. I can see why the chefs on HK crash and burn on it, though I think ours turned out fine.

I've been looking at previews for the Glee RHPS episode. They're sanitising some of the lyrics! Uh, why? Sheesh. Either do them, or don't, but you don't mess with the original.

We're throwing a Halloween party this year on a mad, wild impulse. I'll quote from the invitation:

Hi All

We decided that we were tired of the children having all the fun at Halloween so we're taking back the night.

Well, the night before, anyway...

Saturday, October 30th, 7.30 until the Witching Hour, at the Davitt's.

Costumes required, children forbidden, black cats optional.

Please RSVP so we know how many eyeballs we need for the punch :-)

Jane and David

David's going to be a gladiator (mm, bare legs) and I'm cobbling together stuff I have around the house to be a demon bride, all heaving cleavage and black lipstick. Crowley, I'm looking at you...

Football (soccer to those this side of the pond) continues to entertain and dismay. Stoke lost a much-needed point by letting in a goal two minutes into stoppage time ::weeps::but are still doing okay after a dodgy start but Liverpool...oh boy. David is in deep, deep depression and I keep looking at the table and wondering if I'm dreaming. Liverpool. At the bottom. In the relegation zone. This is just not happening.

Funny season all around so far -- and now Rooney looks like he's packing up his boots and leaving Man U. Never thought I'd see the day.

My birthday is off to a lovely start; I had presents (a yoga tote bag for my mat, champagne and chocolate truffles, hanging baskets and an official Stoke shirt from the official shop in Newcastle, gift vouchers and books and David has taken the day off so we can go out and do exciting things (I want to look at patio stones to make our handkerchief sized one bigger).

Loved last night's SPN which had some genuinely great moments that reminded me why I've been watching for five years.

Following the UK election results avidly and have been since the polls closed. My home has stayed Labour, thankfully. It looks so messy right now; who knows what will happen, but any way you slice it, the Tories won't be able to run riot which is something. Can't believe people queued for hours and still couldn't vote but the turnout seems to have been way higher than normal in places.

I think I look like a chipmunk, but David says I look cute (besotted man).

ETA I retook the picture; less chipmunky :-))


The final games of the season all play at the same time on Sunday. Stoke play Man U which means we'll decide who wins the Premiership if Chelsea lose or draw to Wigan. The POWER! Mwhahahaha. I shall be on the sofa wearing my shirt and drinking beer out of my Stoke mug, opened with my beer opener that plays Delilah.

We cannot lose.