Things and stuff
First, a fandom thing:
I wrote a story for seasonal_spuffy's "Road Trip" round called We Will Drive Through the Fire. If you want to know anything about my experiences with the California wildfires last month, that will give you an idea.
We were lucky, and only had to flee the terrible air quality. Code purple. Did you even know there was a code purple, to indicate air that is worse than Code Red Dangerous? Neither did any of us. Taking a little road trip is not the same as being evacuated for 10 straight days, as happened to BFFC. Thinking that it would be the standard sort of evacuation - in which you come back the next day to a perfectly fine house - they left their cats at home. When she realized that they wouldn't be let back in for a long, undefined time, BF became frantic. She made arrangements to go in by boat, but when she showed up with the requested fire-fighting gear, they explained that she'd have to swim in the last few yards. Not a happening scenario for my friend or her heart-patient husband. However, a friend of the family, a surfer, volunteered to swim in and then hike to the house - which they knew from drone footage was undamaged - and he camped out with the cats for 5 days. The cats were entirely unfazed when the family got back, of course. Another family friend lost her house in Paradise, but wasn't there. I say again: we were lucky.
In good news - I was off nursing my Dear Old Ma post-surgery (she's doing great!), when McDiva got a grand plan together to go to Japan for six weeks. She and her sweet GF had the most wonderful time, and can't wait to go back. In fact, they are so determined to go back and stay awhile that they are even considering attending university there. This is a great relief to me, and I am constantly trying not to show too much enthusiasm. Pros: college! Finally! Tuition prices there are often lower than in the USA, even at the very good schools. Word is that Japan is desperately seeking international students, so that seems positive. I might get to visit at some point! Cons: It's far, far away. She has to actually research and apply. I don't want to get involved in that process, having been burned before. Then, if there are problems once she's there, I will not be able to do much. Maybe that's a good thing. She managed for six weeks, after all. I worry about her emotional fragility. I can never decide if she's fragile because of my involvement, or if I'm involved because she's fragile. *sigh*
Before they left, we went to Season 3 of the Buffy drag show. Excellent new addition was the gal who played Mr. Trick and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. She did her own amazing stunts and sang a little opera, too. Marvelous. We've also seen the Marnie opera (simulcast from the NY Met), and been to see a few live music things, including Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce. I'm almost through Killing Eve and starting the new Mrs. Maisel. Culture continues to be fun. The mid-term elections added the slightest bit of shine to my world, fingers crossed.
In the plans never go how you think department, MiAmor has retired! That part was planned. The other part of the plan was to move to Portland after a three month sojourn in Europe this spring. The Portland plan is still on, but the EU trip is off because our 13-year-old granddaughter moved in with us in October. We are glad to have her - not least because she is watching Buffy with us for the first time - but it does rather mean sticking to the school calendar more than I'd like. It's unlikely that she'll be able to get a passport, for Reasons, so hauling her along, school be damned, isn't likely to happen either. Oh well. We might do a shorter trip to the UK, just MiAmor and I, or we might do the whole thing at a later date.
Work is in a tiny lull, which is why I've finally got a moment to post. Unfortunately, I upgraded my operating system in a mad fit of optimism, and have spent nearly two weeks in talks with various tech support personnel. Never again. (I always say that.)
Finally, another fandom thing: I've been helping hello_spikey post her work at AO3, and while there's still lots to go - that gal is pro-lific - there are 100 stories up now. Gosh. That's a lot of delicious vampire pr0n. Yum.
This entry was originally posted at https://rebcake.dreamwidth.org/47454.html. Please comment here or there using OpenID.
I wrote a story for seasonal_spuffy's "Road Trip" round called We Will Drive Through the Fire. If you want to know anything about my experiences with the California wildfires last month, that will give you an idea.
We were lucky, and only had to flee the terrible air quality. Code purple. Did you even know there was a code purple, to indicate air that is worse than Code Red Dangerous? Neither did any of us. Taking a little road trip is not the same as being evacuated for 10 straight days, as happened to BFFC. Thinking that it would be the standard sort of evacuation - in which you come back the next day to a perfectly fine house - they left their cats at home. When she realized that they wouldn't be let back in for a long, undefined time, BF became frantic. She made arrangements to go in by boat, but when she showed up with the requested fire-fighting gear, they explained that she'd have to swim in the last few yards. Not a happening scenario for my friend or her heart-patient husband. However, a friend of the family, a surfer, volunteered to swim in and then hike to the house - which they knew from drone footage was undamaged - and he camped out with the cats for 5 days. The cats were entirely unfazed when the family got back, of course. Another family friend lost her house in Paradise, but wasn't there. I say again: we were lucky.
In good news - I was off nursing my Dear Old Ma post-surgery (she's doing great!), when McDiva got a grand plan together to go to Japan for six weeks. She and her sweet GF had the most wonderful time, and can't wait to go back. In fact, they are so determined to go back and stay awhile that they are even considering attending university there. This is a great relief to me, and I am constantly trying not to show too much enthusiasm. Pros: college! Finally! Tuition prices there are often lower than in the USA, even at the very good schools. Word is that Japan is desperately seeking international students, so that seems positive. I might get to visit at some point! Cons: It's far, far away. She has to actually research and apply. I don't want to get involved in that process, having been burned before. Then, if there are problems once she's there, I will not be able to do much. Maybe that's a good thing. She managed for six weeks, after all. I worry about her emotional fragility. I can never decide if she's fragile because of my involvement, or if I'm involved because she's fragile. *sigh*
Before they left, we went to Season 3 of the Buffy drag show. Excellent new addition was the gal who played Mr. Trick and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. She did her own amazing stunts and sang a little opera, too. Marvelous. We've also seen the Marnie opera (simulcast from the NY Met), and been to see a few live music things, including Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce. I'm almost through Killing Eve and starting the new Mrs. Maisel. Culture continues to be fun. The mid-term elections added the slightest bit of shine to my world, fingers crossed.
In the plans never go how you think department, MiAmor has retired! That part was planned. The other part of the plan was to move to Portland after a three month sojourn in Europe this spring. The Portland plan is still on, but the EU trip is off because our 13-year-old granddaughter moved in with us in October. We are glad to have her - not least because she is watching Buffy with us for the first time - but it does rather mean sticking to the school calendar more than I'd like. It's unlikely that she'll be able to get a passport, for Reasons, so hauling her along, school be damned, isn't likely to happen either. Oh well. We might do a shorter trip to the UK, just MiAmor and I, or we might do the whole thing at a later date.
Work is in a tiny lull, which is why I've finally got a moment to post. Unfortunately, I upgraded my operating system in a mad fit of optimism, and have spent nearly two weeks in talks with various tech support personnel. Never again. (I always say that.)
Finally, another fandom thing: I've been helping hello_spikey post her work at AO3, and while there's still lots to go - that gal is pro-lific - there are 100 stories up now. Gosh. That's a lot of delicious vampire pr0n. Yum.
This entry was originally posted at https://rebcake.dreamwidth.org/47454.html. Please comment here or there using OpenID.