It's fascinating in kind of a,I don't know,meta-fascinating way

Title: It's Time For Chanukah!
Author: vl_redreign
Prompt: Hannukkah

Notes: I changes the spelling to the Romanized version for this. Blame firehead30 and Adam Sandler.

Gus loved the holidays. First, there was Chanukah. Mama would light the menorah and pray in Hebrew. He could recite the first prayer, and Mama and Mommy smiled when he got it right.

Uncle Michael and Uncle Ben were here this year, but Hunter couldn’t come. Something called ‘finals’. They didn’t sound like fun. They bought gifts for him and JR, and even Gramma Debbie had sent something. Lemon bars. They didn’t have those in Canada.

The best part, though, was when he and Uncle Michael watched Adam Sandler sing The Chanukah Song.

“Put on your yarmulke
Here comes Chanukah…”

Just a quick reminder post: We will be marathoning episode 109 on Sunday at 8pm CET (2pm east coast/11am west coast). Should be a good time with Pitts9X6 and Usemyhole27 as our hosts for the evening! I hope to see everyone there as a nice way to end your weekend/escape from the stress of RL for an hour or so on Sunday afternoon/late morning.

Honestly, why do people live where it snows?

Do not misunderstand. I like snow. I like it very much when I'm sitting by the fire at a ski lodge, sipping hot cocoa and reading a good book and waiting for room service to bring my dinner. I like it when it's drifting down romantically, settling softly all along the needles of the evergreens, and making the holiday lights on charming cottages sparkle. I like it when I'm out in it playing with my nephews, throwing snow balls and making snow men.

I do not like it when it makes cars slip all over roads and closes down airports and prevents one from doing what one is supposed to be doing, such as coming home or working.

The bottom line is this, I'm back from a trip, the journey home massively sucked, and I'm so tired I cannot move.

Did you miss me? I missed you!

http://fansee.livejournal.com/141657.html

January: A friend sent me four poems to start the New Year off.

February: Today is the 1th of February, which means that fooish_icons has posted her first set of icons as part of 14_valentines.

March: sjmpets made me do this (sorta).

April: Everything better go well today or your doctor will have me to reckon with!

May: I read four books and saw four movies in less than a month because, as my teenager was quick to tell me, I have no life.

June: Almost six months ago I joined a community called mission101 and pledged to accomplish 101 goals in 1,001 days.

July: Philadelphia is ready for marriage equality...

August: Home from five lovely days in Clearwater, Florida...or, more accurately, Sand Key, a barrier island off Clearwater Beach.

September: It's 3:48 p.m. in Philadelphia, and Samantha and I are back from clothes shopping (ugh!).

October: The C.P.A. who does the owner's taxes came in today to close the books on 2008 so he can file the owner's 2008 taxes.

November: I got up this morning at 8:16 EST, and as soon as I stood up (no mean feat from my platform bed, 24" off the floor), I realized I was O.K.

December: I spent last Wednesday, November 25th, running all over the city of Philadelphia.

Title: Baby Sister
Author: vl_redreign
Prompt: Cooking

Notes: This one just growed. I couldn't stop it. Taylor family juju is strong. Sorry, I don't have an icon for this, so andybj's 'annoying Brian' doodle will suffice. Nicely, I think. ETA: Kudos to court1429 for catching a typo!

( Baby Sister )

http://fansee.livejournal.com/141496.html

Gots me a zillion things to do tomorrow, so many that I should definitely have started them tonight. Instead, I sat on the couch with Samantha and watched "Glee" (DVR'd), "Survivor" and then "CSI." I'm calling it Nana-Sam bonding, not goofing off.

Gotta go finish cleaning up the kitchen. FanSee

OMG!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!

"Dear cocktail waitress...the latest of Tiger Woods's weekly stops:

Please, for the love of all that is unholy, will you just shut the fuck up now? Seriously, you expect me to believe that you were the only woman on the planet that didn't know that Tiger was married? Seriously? No wait, SERIOUSLY??? And since you claim that you were upset when you found out that you weren't the only one, does that mean you have to keep spamming my tv set with your "revelations"?

You weren't. There were at least 12 others. So get over it. He didn't love you, and he sure as hell isn't gonna call you to cheer him up now. Oh, and was it really necessary to give US Weekly all your saved text messages? There's a wife and children involved, I'm guessing you don't give a shit about that.

Class act, you are. Now get your ass back to work. Because you're not gonna be the next Mrs Tiger Woods. In case you were wondering."

No love,
Red

And in case you're wondering, flist of mine, no, I'm not sticking up for Tiger. He's a prick. But neither am I impressed with women trying to get famous. This is about as sad as Zsa Zsa Gabor's crypt-keeper husband claiming to have fathered Anna Nicole Smith's baby.

K, I'm done.

...is up over at ai_graphics on LJ. I know most (all?) of you probably don't really care about SPN, but I wanted to post this teaser here as well anyway. So feel free to ignore. ;)

Teasers:


Rrrrrright HERE!!

ROTFLMFAO

Oh, Teabaggers, you SLAY me!!

Mandatory Christmas carols. In school.

MANDATORY!!!

So, in other words, fuck you if you're not Christian. You will sing The 12 Days OF Christmas, and you will not adapt it to suit your nefarious heathen beliefs.

Or, in the words of Ahmed The Dead Terrorist: "SILENCE!!! I keel you!!!"

Sorry, been watching Jeff Dunham way too much.

People...DAMN. Just...*grabs head*

Ummm...what are the chances that someone has an icon of Ahmed TDT? *g*


ETA: I love my flist!! the_minx_17 and michira_70 have given me AHMED!!!

I like Jose Jalapeno-"on a steeeck" also! Good thing I'm not the only one that likes Jeff Dunham!

Title: Brian Cooks
Author: wavingcat5 
Prompt: Cooking

Title: The Muse, She Strikes
Author: vl_redreign
Prompt: Frost

Notes: Only one tonight, guys. Auntie Red is tired.

“So, did you and Daphne have a good time?” Brian asked.

“Yeah. We pigged out on room service-“

“Did you max out the doctor’s credit card, too?”

“Are you ever gonna let that go?” Justin complained.

“Hmmm, let me see…that would be a no.”

“Fuck you.”

“Anytime.”

Justin sighed, his breath fogging the window.

“Now, Sunshine, none of that. You’ll be on your back with your legs in the air in no time. Are you ready for your show?”

“I guess. I have one piece that…” He trailed off, staring at the frost pattern on the window. “I gotta go.”

Title: A Beautiful Life
Author: frantic_quest
Prompt: Frost

( A )

Title: Spring Frost
Author: wavingcat5
Prompt: Frost

( Spring Frost )

I've been wanting to do this for awhile, maybe make it a weekly thing. Cause y'all, there are some fucked up people in the world, and some absolutely batshit insanery going on.

Then there's things that just make me giggle.

( Whatever are you talking about, Red? )

http://fansee.livejournal.com/141108.html

I hope all my LJ friends in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Michigan, and Iowa are keeping warm and safe today. Please check in and let us know how you are doing. Hugs, FanSee

P.S. I understand New York and New England are battening down. I'm hoping the bad weather doesn't veer as far south as south-eastern Pennsylvania where we have a gloomy, very wet day today.

http://fansee.livejournal.com/139857.html

darkriver90 has started posting some of her holiday recipes here and here.

To get in the holiday mood, check them out...and post some of your own goodies. Honestly, just reading the recipes won't put the pounds on. I promise. FanSee

http://fansee.livejournal.com/138036.html

First of all, let's start this out with a little TMI: I generally shower before bed, rather than in the morning, because my mornings can be a tad rushed. My usual routine is: get up, use the bathroom, go down stairs to the second floor, wake the Teenager, turn on my laptop, go down to the first floor, Feed The Cat, etc. (There's a lot of etc.) Believe me, from the time the alarm goes off until the cat food hits the dish, I am shadowed every step of the way by a hungry cat.

This morning, for divers and various reasons, I decided to shower before I went down to the second floor. I went into the bathroom, the cat at my heels, pushed the door to, and turned on the shower. The cat panicked. He could have gotten his paw in between the door and the jamb and pried it open - he does that often enough - but he was too frightened to think clearly. Instead he howled. Two howls and I took pity on him and opened the door. Then I pushed it to again and went on getting ready for my shower.

As I watched, the door was pushed slightly further open. In popped a head, and the cat looked at the shower where the water was still falling briskly. My bathroom is tiny - it only holds the toilet and the shower - so when he turned his head, his whiskers were about one foot from the falling water. Out went the head. Brief pause. The head is in again. Razor looks at the water. Out goes the head. This sequence was repeated six or seven times. Finally he pushes the door open wider and walks all the way into the bathroom, still eying the water. He stands still for a moment, then he walks up to me, bumps his head against my leg and leaves, tail proudly held above his back. A cat iz brave!

P.S. Razor loves his new icon, a joint effort by critic75 and myself. (Actually, there weren't any joints involved. We were stone-cold sober while working on it.)



critic75 cropped this and adjusted the color.
Razor is sitting on my To Be Filed pile, on my workstation.

http://fansee.livejournal.com/137855.html

I apologize for spamming my f-list, but this is just to let you know that I posted five more pics to 100_snapshots.

That is all. FanSee

http://fansee.livejournal.com/136649.html

Two hundred perfect words. Read it here, and give simplystars lots of encouragement.

You know I don't often pimp fics, and when I do, the writing is something special. FanSee

http://fansee.livejournal.com/135150.html

I've posted another block of five 100_snapshots HERE. FanSee

http://fansee.livejournal.com/134668.html

If firehead30 was brave enough to do this, well, then, so am I!

Leave a ONE WORD comment that you think describes me. It can only be one word. No more. Then copy & paste this as to your journal so that I may leave a word about you. FanSee

http://fansee.livejournal.com/134621.html

I take credit for the Phillies win. As blondrunner pointed out to me, if I go to bed when the Phils are ahead, they win. I made it to the sixth inning last night, when they were ahead 2-0. You know the outcome!

Go Phillies!!

http://fansee.livejournal.com/132652.html

Last year I was surprised and over-whelmed by all the greetings I got on my birthday from all of you generous folks. This year, knowing what was coming, I started anticipating my birthday in August. So, if it was expected, why was I again over-whelmed? I dunno, but I was.



I got a note or a card from:

brianswalk
chering
wordsalone
1bongo1
shammymacc
mactwck
sandra_qaf
orange_seconds
germansoulmate
pclu2004
tigbit
tosca15


Some of the sentiments made my eyes get a little watery, but two really stick in my mind. In one, the sender said she had reread my fic in celebration of my birthday (OMFG! Nothing could make me happier.) The other informed me that, "Vodka is not just for breakfast anymore." I laugh every time I think about that hint from Emily Post.



court1429
germansoulmate
shadownyc
spike7451
arwensong
sjmpets
rapunzel50 (Yes, I will be on that plane as soon as I fill my bag.)
plumduff
mandagrammy



sarahj2222 (The very first!)
herefordroad
ozchique
shadownyc
bodleian
critic75
sexy_pumpkin
spike7451
tosca15
petulant2u
arwensong and blondrunner

It's all too much. I'm all choked up again and so very, very thankful that I can count all of you...and many more, as well...as friends. Hugs, FanSee ♥ ♥ ♥

http://fansee.livejournal.com/131975.html

I've posted five more pics to 100_snapshots. FanSee

http://fansee.livejournal.com/131651.html

I've updated my mission101 goals here. FanSee

http://fansee.livejournal.com/131553.html

Six books in three weeks! Lordy, what a binge. Read some good stuff, though.

I only saw two movies and...True Confessions...I saw them both today. Hmm.


2009 50 Book Challenge

1. Rock n' Roll, by Tom Stoppard.

2. The Letters of Noel Coward, edited by Barry Day.

3. Marrying the Captain, by Carla Kelly.

4. The Boy Who Was Buried Today by Joseph Hansen.

5. Death Comes for the Fat Man by Reginald Hill.

6. Ruling Passion by Reginald Hill.

7. Dead Heat by Dick and Felix Francis.

8. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin.

9. The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer.

10. The Rebellious Ward by Joan Wolf.

11. The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin.

12. Bones and Silence by Reginald Hill.

13. High Stakes by Dick Francis.

14. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk.

15. City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin.

16. Where Did I Leave My Glasses by Martha Weinman Lear

17. The Little Dog Laughed by Joseph Hanson.

18. Dewey, the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron.

19. Control by Manna Francis.

20. Deliverer by C.J. Cherryh.

21. Conspirator by C.J. Cherryh.

22. Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb.

23. Silks by Dick and Felix Francis.

24. Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell.

25. Early Graves by Joseph Hansen.

26. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.

27. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich.

28. Bone Black by bell hooks.

29. The Surgeon's Lady by Carla Kelly.

30. Jhegaala by Steven Brust.

31. O Jerusalem by laurie R. King.

32. The Mulberry Empire by Philip Hensher.

33. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich.

34. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon.

35. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

36. Hiroshima by John Hershey.

37. Cyteen by C. J. Cherryh.

38. Regenesis by C. J. Cherryh. This is a long-awaited sequel to Cyteen which picks up right where Cyteen ended. Cherryh left many a string dangling at the end of Cyteen but, unfortunately, tying them off did not propel the plot of the second book forward. Perhaps too many years had passed...certainly Cherryh's development of the atevi culture in her Foreigner series leaked into Regenesis...or perhaps the deaths of too many players at the end of Cyteen left Regenesis without a compelling conflict. I enjoyed Regenesis but it wasn't a peak reading experience.

39. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. This was the first selection of the fandombookclub. I enjoyed it, perhaps more than anyone else except whoever recommended it. Gaiman wrote it as a riff on Kipling's Mowgli stories in the The Jungle Books, and I loved the Mowgli stories. So I recognized Bagheera/Silas and Shere Khan/Jack Ketch and that the quarrelsome discussion on whether or not to take Bod in recalled Akela's pack's arguing about Mowgli's fate. I really should have reread the first Jungle Book before I read TGB, but I still caught enough references to make Graveyard fun.

40. Promises in Death by J. D. Robb. Hey, sometimes you want to improve your mind and other times you just want to have a little fun. For the latter, J.D. Robb is just the ticket. I must say, though, that in this case of the death of an off-duty policewoman, the story didn't have the momentum I expect in a Roarke/Dallas procedural. I think Robb has to bite the bullet and let Dallas either get pregnant or think about it seriously. That'll get the series moving again.

41. Persopolis by Marjane Satrapi. I bought this book in 2008, shortly after I saw the movie, and then it sat. I never seemed to get around to reading it, and now I wonder why. I loved the movie, and the book is perhaps even better. With the book, I got to really look at the drawings, some of which are quite powerful. The story of Satrapi's adolescence is heart-wrenching, as her parents decided to send her to Austria to live on her own at age 14 because her out-spoken opinions made Iran unsafe for her. She went home at about age 18, where she discovered that Iran wasn't a country she could live in permanently. Always, with memoirs like this, I am reminded of Nabokov's Speak, Memory, probably the most eloquent description of exile I have ever read.

42. Hunter of Worlds by C. J. Cherryh. Hunter is, I believe, the first of Cherryh's books published, and many of her themes are there, fully grown: how impossible it is for alien races to ever understand each other, the necessity of cooperation anyway, and the role of language in expressing their differences. In addition, she packs quite a complicated story into 200 pages, with much action. I hadn't reread it in nine years, and it stood the test of time.

43. Medicus by Ruth Downie. Last week I went looking for a book that I would want to read, and - miraculous, miraculorum - I found it in Medicus. Ruso is a Roman doctor, stationed in north-eastern Britannica in the second century A.D. Somehow, when two whores go missing and a third is badly injured, he gets put in charge of finding out what happened to them...in his spare time, as the saying goes, between 1:00 and 3:00 in the morning. Ruso has a cynical outlook on life, leavened with a wry sense of humor, which made for a fun read. I shall be looking out for Downie's second book in the series.

FY 2010 50 Movie Challenge

1. Knowing with Nicholas Cage.

2. Hairspray with John Travolta (in drag) and Michelle Pfeiffer.

3. The Buddy Holly Story with Gary Busey.

4. Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

5. Taboo, directed by Nagisa Oshima.

6. Rhinoceros Eyes, directed by Aaron Woodley.

7. Inglourious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarentino.

8, 9, and 10: Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum, with Matt Damon.

11. Particles of Truth with Jennifer Elster and Gale Harold. I watched this movie two or three times right after I got the DVD, but hadn't seen it again in a couple of years. I hauled it out and dusted it off because we were going to discuss it on gale_allthetime, and I found that I liked it better than I remembered. Gale does a very nice job with the neurotic Morrison, and I seem to have developed a tolerance to Jennifer Elster. I'm glad I revisited it.

12. Donnie Brasco with Johnny Depp and Al Pacino. Hey, Depp and Pacino. Can't go wrong with those two, can you? Not really, although this movie had a few scenes that had me watching through my fingers. Was it a peak experience? No. Am I glad I watched it? Sure. In particular, one scene, where Brasco makes his mentor, Lefty, say the name of a guy they have just killed, is worth the price of admission alone.

Title: A Tale Of Two Trees
Author: vl_redreign
Prompt: Christmas Tree Image

Notes: Meanwhile, back in the Pitts...

( A Tale Of Two Trees )

Have you ever wanted to be loved and adored but didn't know how to make that happen? It's easy. Write porn. More specifically porn involving B/J, teh love, and the current theme at bj_action - SNOWBOUND.

Never wrote any fic before, no problem. Many fandom writers have tested their fic writing skills for the first time at bj_action. Including yours truly.

Sign Ups "officially" close today, but Bunny and I never turn away porn as long as your fic is in on time, you are welcome to sign up at any time between now and the due date.

Just Go Here To Sign Up


*banner by pfodge*

So what are you waiting for? :D

I just spent 45 minutes shoveling. At midnight or so my alarm will go off and I will shovel some more. Then I will get up at 5 am and do it again. Hopefully I will make it to work after that. When you take care of living things for work, there is no such thing as a snow day. Right now I am hating snow.

Please remind me why Snow is beautiful and wonderful and good.

Sign up for SNOWBOUND at BJ_Action

Sign ups technically close today. But if you know Me and Bunny, you know we never turn away porn. :D And sign-ups are welcome from now until the theme ends. As long as you have your fic in on time. It's all good.


*banner by qafmaniac

Title: A Christmas Fairy's Tale
Author: frantic_quest
Prompt: Image of Christmas Tree
Note: So this one is in six parts. Mega-monster warning for excessive schmoopiness!!
( A )

I don't know if you'll ever see this but I thought I'll do it anyway...even if it is a little late.BUT you're not home yet,so...

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥



Did you have a great day at that fabulous place?
I hope so and I also hope that this year (and all the years to come,of course) will be a good one for you...more fun and waaay less stress!!

And no,no vid this year BUT I do have a b'day pressie for you.It's hidden at the bottom on the profile page of one of your comms....*iz sneaky*

( Want a hint...or two? ;) )

Love you lots,
Tita

I found some of my notifications for insane journal in my spam folder. I normally don't open that folder at all, just deleting it occasionally. I don't know why I decided to check it, but I'm glad I did. I know that IJ has been having issues with notifications and that squeaky is diligently working on the problems. I'm going to keep a closer eye on my spam folder for a while to see if it continues.

*has heart attack*

One hour ago my layout was there,then it was gone and now it's back.Same goes for some other layouts.Gone,back,gone,back...WTF IS GOING ON HERE????

And no,this time it's NOT the hosting site that I am currently using to store the layouts!!

*grumbles*

ETA: *sobs* My layout is gone again...

ETA2: It's back!! *clings to layout*

Title: One More Thing
Author: wavingcat5
Prompt: Christmas tree image
Notes: 2 drabbles.

( One More Thing )

Here are some cardinal icons that I was able to make for you. Enjoy.

Offering this icon all I need is a name. I will take request until Saturday December 12th. 8:00pm pacific time.

Title: The Other Is Gold
Author: vl_redreign
Prompt: No such thing as angels

Notes: *looks at prompt* Ms Chanders and I disagree.

( The Other Is Gold )

You were one of my very first friends on LJ and you made me feel so welcome in the QaF fandom and for that I will always be grateful!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday that's full of family, friends, fun, cake and lots and lots of presents!  

To make a short story long...

vl_redreign wrote awesome Jenn in her awesome Gusmas drabbles (that you so need to check out over at qaf_drabbles. secretsolitaire said in the comments section that Jennifer is totally where Justin got his awesome. And I said that needs to be an icon and Red said that I needed to come here. So here I am!

An icon that says, "Jennifer is totally where Justin got his awesome." Or "Jennifer-Where Justin gets his awesome." Or something else that you think sounds better for an icon.

Red suggested these caps: 311 from the GLC. Or, the Pride parade 204, with them holding hands, because Red loves it when Jenn says, "I'm proud of you, Justin."

I will go find those caps later tonight and post them in the comments.

If anyone is interested it would be much appreciated!! :D

Jesus Christ Face of God on cracker snowflake cookie! ;)

Ok, did a little [calling] birdie tweet how I haven't been milking/drumming/piping/leaping/dancing around a patridge in a pear tree? 

Although in my song there are two turtle doves and an alien in a mummy.

( The Twelve Days of Not-Quite-Xmas )

Title: Angel
Author: wavingcat5  
Prompt: No such thing as angels
Notes: 3 drabbles

( Angel )

Title: Nobody's Listening
Author: frantic_quest
Prompt: No Such Thing As Angels

( Nobody's )

Title: Don We Now
Author:
Prompt: Our gay apparel

Notes: Sorry, this one got away from me. Five drabbles this time.

( Don We Now )

Title: Happy
Author: wavingcat5 
Prompt: Our gay apparel
Notes: 2 drabbles

Most of you know that I live in CA. Specifically, Davis, which is part of the Sacramento Valley.

I just saw a weather report.

It's snowing.

IN FUCKING SACRAMENTO.

Which is 11 miles from me.

So, I checked our weather.

It says: "Cloudy/rain/snow".

Snow. Here.

Sen Inhofe, how much more proof do you need? Global warming is REAL.

I don't care if it melts or ends up slush. I want to see some snow. It's been years. Sigh.

It's episode 108, hooray.
Tonight we go on the Blond Ambition Tour, and we learn that sometimes things are better the second day.

Everyone ready? Then let's do this!

Title: Fashion Show
Author: frantic_quest
Prompt: Our Gay Apparel

( Fashion )

I thought I'd leave you guys with one of my fave holiday treats! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do every year!

THE TWELVE YEARS OF CHRISTMAS by bigboobedcanuck

YEAR ONE

YEAR TWO

YEAR THREE

YEAR FOUR

YEAR FIVE

YEAR SIX

YEAR SEVEN

YEAR EIGHT

YEAR NINE

YEAR TEN

YEAR ELEVEN

YEAR TWELVE

HAPPY RETREADING!

~~~~~~~~~~~


by pfodge (a million thanks!)

Please write me some snow-PORN! Pretty please with Brian and Justin on top!
SIGN UP HERE!

I need to be in bed because I'm leaving early in the morning but I wanted to say good-bye to my beloved flist. Plus, you guys have all been so great about Champ that I wanted to let you know the wonderful, magical news: HIS LIVER PROFILES ARE ALL WITHIN NORMAL RANGES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is most excellent! We both thank you for all the well wishes and support. Hopefully when I get home, his stomach tube will come out!

Now onto porny things!

by pfodge

GO SIGN UP NOW!

GOOD BYE all...I shall see you when I get back!

XOXO