Blog Games

2002-08-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

This blog has been discontinued. Those of you who know me will know where to find me. It's been fun.

2002-05-24T00:49:00.000-07:00

Something you should never do: Leave your femme-slash up on your monitor when you take off for a coffee break (I don't think anyone saw...)

2002-05-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Everytime I say, "I'm not much of a shipper" I hear Lil snort - so I won't say it.

But here's some pairings I don't get:

Buffy/ Spike (I did not sit through two hours of "Becoming" with tears streaming down my face so that Buffy could end up with Spike, Okay??!!)
Cordelia/ Angel (see above)
Mac/ Harm (zero chemistry here - and it's not Catherine Bell's fault)
Josh/ Amy (I get Josh/ Donna totally but the guy has it big for Sam, all right?)
Chakotay/ Seven
Chakotay/ Janeway (not any more!)
Chiana/ D'Argo (but that line "Chiana and I are having great sex!" cracked me up)
Nick Fallin/ Lou Lou (Actually she could be a Lu Lu - either way, I don't like her. And it's not just because Nick is MINE, MINE, MINE okay??!

Some pairings I do get:

Gunn/ Fred (the ballerina ep was cool. I didn't know it was written by Joss until afterwards. That line, "I don't dance, I echo" cuts me up)
CJ/Toby (Baby!)
Luke/ Lorelai
John/ Aeryn (you'd have to be dead to not get that)
Josh/ Sam
Willow/ Anya (Come on! It's obvious when you think about it!)
Janeway/ Seven

And I'm about to become a Jack/ Sam shipper - I'm sure of it... Just give me time.

Being a shipper is cool. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

2002-05-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

This Thing Just Goes on Forever...

This week at Zendom we salute the loneliness of the long distance writer.

Multi-fandom novel length recs abound at Easter Egg Vinegar in Your Eyes.

2002-05-21T01:57:00.000-07:00

Because the world is out to get me... (it is! i swear it is!):

1. My name is - Selena Dover. Hee hee hee
2. I may seem like -- I'm completely full of shit.
3. But I'm really -- just a little full of shit.
4. People who know me think I'm -- full of shit (do you sense a pattern here?)
5. If you knew me you'd probably -- think I'm, say it with me now - "full of shit."
6. Sometimes I feel -- okay, that insanity ends here...
7. In the morning I -- hit the snooze button a lot.
8. I like to sleep -- yes, yes I do.
9. If I could be doing anything right now I would be -- hightailing it out of town in big car after just having committed the perfect crime. "Fools," i say derisively as the dust cloud forms behind me...
10. Money is -- really dull in the abstract.
11. One thing I wish I had is -- time.
12. One thing I have that I wish I didn't is -- decaf coffee (actually, Tea, it's not so bad).
13. All you need is -- a bloody good sense of humour.
14. All I need is -- time...
15. If I had one wish it would be -- put Phillip Ruddock on a boat and send him to Indonesia - oh yeah...
16. Love is -- crap.
17. My body -- sometimes out of control.
18. If an angel flew into my window at night I would -- Are we talking David Boreanaz here? Because the first thing I would think was, "Wow. David Boreanaz can fly!"
19. If a demon crashed into my window I would -- sue.
20. If I could see one person right now it would be -- Liz, so I could swat her for passing this quiz on to me.
21. Something I want but I don't really need is -- glasses.
22. Something I need but I don't really want is -- a washing machine.
23. I live for -- yeah, i've been trying to figure that one out...
24. I dare you all to -- takes off you clothes and run out into the street shouting "Be free Earth's creatures, be free!"
25. I am afraid of -- the weird woman who runs the deli around the corner.
26. It makes me angry when -- pretty much everything makes me angry. I'm generally pissed off.
27. I dream about -- Buffy a lot. It's very weird.
28. I daydream about -- fic, fic, fic. Simon Baker....

2002-05-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

Decaf coffee beans really do exist. And they're not bad. But what's it all about, huh? I mean, how do you decaffeinate a coffee bean?

The possibilities are mind boggling. I'm trying not to think about it too much.

And I think I failed my I've-studied-this-thing-backwards-and-i-know-this-topic-inside-out exam. I suck. Nothing like studying law to convince yourself that you really stupid.

2002-05-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

I did this online survey thing - I can't remember what it was for - where I was required to submit a full name. So I chose "Selena Dover." Nice, don't you think? And now I get all this spam mail addressed to "Selena Dover" which is so much less offensive than it usually is.

I was always sorry that I didn't give myself a nice pseudonym when I started fanfic. This is why I hang out with Liz. We're both pretty uninspired that way.

2002-05-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today - today I want to hang out online and chat and surf and write fic.

Fat chance. I'm going to a very boring library to practice the art of mind mapping. I love my life.

And I know there's been some shocking developments in my life lately, but this one takes the big prize. The doctor advised me to switch to decaf.

"No!" I said. "Cut off my arm. Cut off my legs! Give me a hysterostemy!" (that might actually help...)

"No dice," she said. "Decaf it is." (actually she didn't really say "no dice" but wouldn't it be cool if she did?)

So I sat with my freshly ground beans over breakfast this morning and spent some quality time just, you know, saying goodbye. Actually you can get decaf beans. I'm still trying to figure out how that works. And then I'm off to buy some.

2002-05-14T01:39:00.000-07:00

I opened my bleary eyes this morning and thought, "fuck off, world."

It didn't.

On that note, I wrote a J/C. As in Voyager- J/C. Yeah, whaddya know.

It's called The Albatross and you can find it here.

2002-05-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Wild, wild weekend.

Danced silly at the Court to such funkin' tunes as "Murder on the Dance Floor" and "It's in Your Eyes" and that song by SClub7...("Don't stop moving, everybody's grooving..." etc etc). Oh yeah. Rock da house. Drank loads and spent Sunday sick. Snogged a woman who reminded me a bit too much of Kate Mulgrew (I kid you not!) but here's the kicker - as I was falling asleep in the back seat of my friend's car, I kept saying "pling, plong..."

And right before I went to sleep last night I thought of this Farscape fic inspired by MASH and This Life - ba ha ha ha! Yeah, I'll add it to the list...

2002-05-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

Man - those little mood indicators on LJ's are hypnotic! There's this one that blinks (seen here on Mazily's journal ) and I just couldn't stop staring at it.

2002-05-11T02:29:00.000-07:00

I've been watching a bizarre combination of MASH, Farscape and This Life videos. I feel confused...

And then I've been doing my reading - it's all about lawyers and ethics and stop laughing up the back, okay??!! The fic is a third priority - and it's all crap anyway. I need inspiration, I need drugs, I need a looong vacation by the beach...

2002-05-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

Reading blogs about The West Wing has got me truly depressed. It's not the spoilers so much (I try to avoid spoilers - but most of the time it's inevitable) as the general disappointment. Sad. Still - there's always next year, right? Even Buffy and XF had problem years (not counting the post-mulder years which are not so much "problem years" as "big fuck up" years).

I find it really weird that I look forward to things like JAG and Angel and The Guardian much more than I do The West Wing and Buffy. And it's not necessarily because they've been disappointing this year (Buffy has been fucking fabulous) but because I have such a high expectation of them as shows and it can only be met or defeated. I'd throw The Gilmore Girls into that category as well because it was absolultely amazing at the end of the first season and they've been battling to hit that high ever since.

Still - they're all still good shows. Way better than average.

I have a ridiculously low expectation of JAG and Angel and consequently they're just much more fun. JAG is so camp! That show just screams for slash (which is being very well handled by Gail and the like...).

But, oh - where are the dizzying heights that categorised TWW last year? Where is the kick? Give it back to me, please?

2002-05-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

God - uni is killing me.

I thought I spotted a grey hair last night. I showed my brother and said, "look at what law is doing to me!" He's not convinced it was grey. I'm not either.

And I'm barely passing - but passing=good, right?

The West Wing is on tonight. The season hasn't grab me liked it used to but I still look forward to it. Truthfully, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's The Guardian more... but you just can't beat the Wing for something to really hit you in a soft place.

2002-05-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

And the ASC Awards have been announced! I miraculously scored 5 awards which means that nearly everything I posted to the Newsgroup last year got an award. Now that's weird.

Here's the breakdown:

Beautiful People gained second place in the Original Series Slash Pairing category.

Prisons gained second place in the Alternate Voyagers category.

Cruel Like Us gained third place in the Janeway Pairing category (on a side note, the first three placings in that category were all girl-slash).

Yours With Honour gained third place in the Voyager Other Challenge category.

Biology, a story I'm rather attached to, gained first place in the Post Voyager category.

Congratulations to a lot of really great people who also won awards including Agents Liz, Lori, Jemima, Kelly, Penny, August and Rocky, and especially Seema who won the Alara Rogers Best Author Award! The Section kicks butt!

Also congrats to Jintian and the Stylus who also ranked up there in the awards.

So lets get that conga line happening! Conga, conga, con-ga! Conga, conga, con-ga!

2002-05-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Update at Easter Egg Vinegar in Your Eyes: My interview with Ellen M.

It's a girl thing, baby.

2002-04-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Liz wrote a threesome.

Liz wrote a threesome.

She really wrote a threesome.

They grow up so fast ...

2002-04-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

Bright Shiny Objects has updated! And there's recs from all over the joint. We've got recs from Buffy, Dark Angel, Smallville, The X-Files and more! Go. Read. Reach Nirvana.

2002-04-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

I'm an Aunt!!!

My nephew, Elliot, is one week early and doing just fine.

2002-04-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!

The Wing Swing is here! Yes, it's time you West Wing femme-slashers got motivated and got on down to the The Wing Swing website for the ultimate slash challenge. You know you want to...

2002-04-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

And argh! Why can't I finish anything?

But look out for The Wing Swing - coming soon to girl-slash authors near you!

2002-04-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

Watched Farscape tonight. There's a couple of eps of the second season that I haven't seen and I finally got around to renting them out of the vid library tonight.

It's fun - and there's not much cuter than Ben Browder or the luvverly Claudia, but Gigi Edgley's fake American accent is grating. And Anthony Simcoe just makes me think of The Castle:
"How much did he want for it?"
"250"
"He's dreaming!"

Heh heh - oh but the real fun is playing 'spot the Australian actor.' Sandy Gore of all people. That almost hurt. I don't think I've seen her since Brides of Christ and she was amazing in that.

Wayne Pyrgram showed up in Stingers which is on immediately before The West Wing. He's a funny looking bastard.

2002-04-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

Update at Easter Egg Vinegar in Your Eyes: The Quotable Zendom. Talk the talk.

(Oh no - I'm listening to Radiohead!)

2002-04-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Even when I do these things I've been leaving them out of my blogger, but this one I just had to share!

Which Rock Chick Are You?

Rock on.

2002-04-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Re: The Buffy Musical:

Man, that wuz cool...

(Oh yeah, she's come over all articulate).

I will say, in more explicit terms, that it will be an injustice the size of Gwyneth's win over Cate in the Oscars if Joss doesn't get an Emmy nom. for that episode.

And my favourite scene? Well, one can not help but love Xander and Anya's Fred and Ginger, but Giles's song with the Buffy slo-mo training accompaniment was so gorgeous I cried (yeah, I'm a complete sap, OK?).

And the overall verdict? Once more, oh yes, once more.

2002-04-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I'm in love with Pamie at TWoP? Pamie does Gilmore Girl's Recaps and they really are the only recaps worth reading.

And the Gilmore Girls are right up there with Buffy and The West Wing for me. Can't be missed. And they make Saturday evening sweet.

2002-04-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

Buffy musical tomorrow!

Speaking of BTVS/ AtS stuff, how scary is evil!Wesley?? Goddamn he was creepy.

2002-04-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

So I finally got to see Endgame(STV). That’s it. All over. I’ve seen every single episode of Voyager. Every single one. I can’t say that for any of the other fandoms I’ve been in (I’ve seen all the Buffy episode aired in Australia – close, but not the same).

But they got home. Yadda yadda. If you want to know what I thought, I wrote a quick review.

I’ve got an emerging CJ/Toby writer for y’all to check out. Meet Melina and have a read of Thin Whine Through Sober Eyes and Strange Beast.

2002-04-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

I've just been reminded of Lori's Star Trek: Insurrection parody Insurblechtion. It's a right royal crack up and I recommend you have a read. It was also my introduction to the very talented Lori and can tell you now that she can crack a wet noodle good as anyone.

I also discovered, via a link from Insurblechtion, Jungle Kitty's If My Aunt From Minnesota Wrote Star Trek: TOS which is also hysterically funny. Read 'em both for a dang good laugh.

2002-04-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

I had a dream about the Buffy musical last night - weird, because it hasn't been on here yet. It's due to air next week (hoorah!). I can't remember what happened in the dream but I knew it was something to do with the musical.

In Victoria P's LJ she mentioned she has a dream about being Donna in The West Wing. That is so damned cool! I want West Wing dreams!

AB and I are working on a paper for a social work conference and we're going to call it "Unpopular Popular" - it's going to be about the way Social Work shuns popular culture as a tool for engaging in social issues. And then we're going to use a few examples of scenes/ episodes etc which we think would be suitable to engages students in discussing social issues. Thoughtful suggestions are welcome.

2002-04-08T00:41:00.000-07:00

Because hanging out in Lori's Blog is fun:

Things I remember not existing:
The internet
Email
Mobile Phones (my god I'm ancient!)
Rollerblades
A decent range of fake-meat products in the supermarket (and this was only five years ago)

Things I could not live sanely without:
A decent range of fake-meat products in the supermarket (yeah - those were dark times)
coffee
The computer and all its associated funness
My car

Things my mom would change about me:
She'd probably make me a lot richer

And for those who give a toss, Easter Egg Vinegar in Your Eyes has been updated with a condensed version of my paper that I wrote for a conference last year. Liz will note that I changed the title a little...

I've changed my mind a bit on what I argued there, but there's the possibility I'll get to expand on some of those ideas if AT and I get our paper written.

2002-04-03T17:32:00.000-08:00

In other news, my one Star Trek: The Original Series fic, Beautiful People, was added to the Best of Trek site. This is very nice, but I do raise a couple of eyebrows at what they consider the "best of trek." But that's what rec sites are like I suppose. You don't necessarily agree with them.

2002-04-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

So tired...

Tired and homicidal. I'm sorry but some people just have to die.

2002-03-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

Why? How weird do you have to be to plagiarise someone else's fanfic? It's just embarassing when it happens. Embarassing for everyone. Crazy.

So I'm blogging in the middle of an online quiz on statutes. Does anyone else studying law spend this much time online?

And Bright Shiny Objects has been updated. Lots of weird and wonderful stuff including Harry Potter, Buffy, Star Trek: TNG and Sports Night and Me!

Teanna and Lil are promising CJ/Ann Stark - and they're writing it people! It's in production! And the fandom holds its collective breath...

2002-03-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

The Brunching Shuttlecocks Drug Slang Translator is always worth a minute of your time but I had a good chuckle when I read these lines from my story Bound to be Moving On:

"So, you'll be working in the White House now?"

"They have to ask me first."

translated to this:

"So, you'll be selling crack in the Heroin House now?"

"They have to ask me first."

The rest of it didn't really make sense because they kept translating "her" and "his" to "cocaine" which was weird. But that line was particularly apt.

2002-03-26T23:00:00.000-08:00

There's no need to argue anymore...

So, I wrote a fic. And it's Seachange, and it's called More Than Memories and it's better than my other Seachange stuff. I think it's the story I wanted to write about Laura but didn't quite know how. But there it is.

After a read through of the Angel/ Logan story I nearly died. It's really quite awful in parts. And it's 20 pages long! Editing, editing, editing. Hoo boy.

Watched The Women of Quman last night and started a post ep which will be short and just for Anna-Moonbar because she's a good girl.

2002-03-20T23:32:00.000-08:00

Updated my links because everyone is moving on and we all need something new.

2002-03-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

That girl, she is wishing my days away.

A girl standing in line at the caf said, "I wish Monday was over." I don't. I have a three day weekend. Monday will be the day I brood about going to work again. I wanted to turn and say, "don't wish my days away."

The Angel/ Logan story is out of control. And the J/C is (gasp!) finished. Teanna is away so Mandy is behaving (for now...).

Found this link in Lori's blog. No. 77 had me in fits.

2002-03-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

It's a dog eat fanfic writer world out there, and it takes guts, determination, and a hell of a lot of ego stroking to get ahead.

So how do you make a name for yourself in fanficland? How do you leave a legacy for bright eyed and bushy tailed, eager young fanfic things to come?

Vera and Seema asked for advice, and you gave it.

The results of the fanfiction marketing survey are up at Easter Egg Vinegar in Your Eyes.

2002-03-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

So everyone's got a cute jingle on their mobile phone now, but I was sitting in the uni library cafe today and I had to laugh when I heard a phone-ring version of the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Coorporation) news theme. That theme is older than I am. It was on all the ABC radio stations across Australian, and even JJJ (the youth radio station) does a funkified version of it.

So now it's on mobile phones. Okay.

2002-03-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

How do you know if your writing is any good?

I mean, someone tells you it's good, but do they mean, "my god, Peter Carey had better look out!" or do they mean, "well, that beats reading the phone book.."?

I was reading a rec for one of my stories recently and I read all the nice things they said about it, and all I could think was, "yeah?" There are so many flaws in my writing and they look like big, glaring signposts to me. "Over here! This woman thinks she can write!"

The story I got the most feedback for (ever) was Imperfect and I posted it when I was drunk. What does it all mean?

2002-03-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Would you believe, the mail room at my work has an envelope sealer?!

I have been licking the envelopes of our 150 pax mailouts and nearly dying from toxic shock! I could have ended up like Susan on Seinfeld. You mean they really don't expect me to lick those damn things?????

How foolish do I feel?

2002-03-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

My email server has been very naughty this last weekend. If you've been trying to email me, please give it another try - I'm expecting it should be fixed by now.

Otherwise luberluber@yahoo.com.au works just fine and I check it daily.

2002-03-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

I really don't know what I'm doing...

I really don't.

2002-03-05T01:27:00.000-08:00

Because I'm bored and because Victoria P. mentioned it in her blog, and because I've a tendencey to lean towards the angsty side of fanfic, here's my favourite happy fics:

Escape Speed (XF) by Punk
Vespers (XF) by Penumbra
Lunch Date (STV) by Liz Barr
And Straight on 'Til Morning(STV) by Monkee
Dance, Then, Wherever You May be (TWW) by Luna and Jess
The Tallest Orders (TWW) by Pares
Scarlet (XF) by Jamie Greco

I'm sure I could think of more if I tried - and there was one or two that ended happily but spent most of the story in abject misery, so I wasn't sure if this fitted into the definition. But I was looking for stories that were kind of ordinary and nice, and yet meaningful. Got an afternoon to kill? Have a read - they'll make you smile.

2002-03-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

B is back - and she's not happy. One eppy into the new season of Buffy and I'm already bawling ("Don't go Giles...!"). But it's oh so exciting!

And Teanna is building me a shrine because "I wanna, I gotta, I wanna be adored..." (Btw, Anna, I tried to join WW Femme Slash and I think I broke Yahoogroups...).

2002-02-21T17:43:00.000-08:00

Bright Shiny Objects finally goes live! Yes - in the spirit of YMMV (come back! All is forgiven!), BSO is a mult-fandoms rec site with lots of goodies to help you navigate the many fandom waters out there. Go check it out - now!

2002-02-20T01:02:00.000-08:00

Grrlslash is where it's at and, like Teanna will tell you, Mandy's a bitch.

With that in mind, I wrote Bound To Be Moving On - a CJ/Mandy story where Mandy wishes she had screwed CJ. But hey, don't we all?

Coming to web site near you: Scully/ Mac, Logan (DA)/Angel, Diana/ Marita, more CJ/Mandy, and maybe I'll finish that Max (Seachange) story one day.

2002-02-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

"If you're not on your feet, you can't win,"

- Roy and HG on "The Ice Dream" after Steve Bradbury's Gold Medal.

You have to laugh. You have to go "Oh man that sucks!" and then you can laugh your silly arse off...

2002-02-13T00:20:00.000-08:00

OK - so I've been offline lots and moving house and organising pain-in-the-arse forums for retirement incomes experts so I owe you all email - and at least one entry in the blog war! I promise it's coming...

And Manchester Part II was not as good as Part I but CJ is gorgeous and those jeans coupled with Teanna's latest fic Whatever Happened to Baby Mandy? forced me to pen a quick CJ/Mandy fic last night which y'all should see soon.

2002-02-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Quick M*A*S*H Fanfiction:

In Korea It Is Raining

In Korea it is raining.

In the scrub room the nurses wipe the mud off their boots while BJ sings "My Blue Heaven" and Hawkeye pretends to know the words.

On such a rainy day the sombre tableau of the post-surgery poker recalls renaissance paintings, an ethereal mix of dark and light. Radar is winning. When it rains, Radar wins because only Radar likes the rain in Korea.

“When I was your age,” Winchester tells Radar. “We would not have spoken to our superiors unless we were invited and we certainly didn’t swindle their earnings at poker.”

“Yeah?” says Radar. “That’s too bad, Sir, ‘cos grown-ups usually have more money.”

“I’m out,” Hawkeye says, and he throws his cards on the table.

“Me too,” BJ says as he does the same.

Once upon a rainy day, Trapper talked to the still and swore on his Aunt Thelma’s statue of St Theresa that it was talking back. Trapper didn’t have an Aunt Thelma and the likelihood of any of his relatives owning a statue of St Theresa was remote, but Hawkeye knew what he he was saying. On a rainy day in Korea, sometimes you talk to the still.

2002-02-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

Doesn't it just make you wanna stamp your feet and throw a hissy fit?!! You come up with a great title and someone has already done it. And it's not like you've chosen something terribly obvious, there's a level of obscurity to it, but some other smarty pants has already done it.

Damn. I hate that. And when they're better writers than you it just rubs salt into the wounds.

Example? The original title to A Man Walks Into a Bar was "Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before." I gave up on it after August posted a quick fic with that line recurring in it. Interestingly enough, she was inspired by a line in a Tom Waits song and I was inspired by the Smiths. Makes you think doesn't it?

Anyway, it's happened to me a few times. Do I lack originality? Do I somehow astral travel into other people's minds? Which of these two possibilities do you think is more likely?

And the West Wing last night kicked arse.

2002-02-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

WEST WING TONIGHT!!!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment... the happy dance!

2002-02-04T01:16:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried doing a google search on your own name? I've done this a few times since my mother told me she found my webpage by putting in a search for "christine giles" (actually she didn't - she found a Buffy page by someone called Christine and of course the name "Giles" was there as a matter of course). Anyway, you can find me quite easily by searching for my name, but you can find some other interesting people running around with my moniker too. Of particular interest was the one on a Steve Winwood fansite - just in case anyone was thinking that was me, let me just reassure you, it was not!

And why is it, that when I do a search for Seachange fanfic I end up here, but not if I search for Seachange fanfiction?

2002-02-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

Liz, that woman of unequivocally good taste, sent me this book for my birthday (which, incidentally, was a month ago, but do you hear me complaining? No...). I feel all inspired now... that Scully/ Mac story should be finished any day now.

And what else is cool? Lil sent me this book for Christmas. You guys rock!

And I finally bought the latest You Am I album and Tim Rogers will be here Thursday night! Yeah!

2002-01-30T23:21:00.000-08:00

I finally decided to update the why section of my webpage. The personal info was getting a bit irrelevant.

2002-01-29T23:38:00.000-08:00

Deslea at Blondie's Ratcave scored an incredible coup by getting a down and dirty question and answer session with X-Files writer Frank Spotnitz. It's a fabulous inquisition into Frank's ideas and thoughts on the minor characters of XF.You won't read anything like it anywhere else! Check it out here.

2002-01-29T20:38:00.000-08:00

Something y'all just have to read: Witness by Hth. It's a Faith/ Max from Dark Angel story with truckloads of that "welcome to the end" mood-stylings that I love so much. And it's a great Faith, like it should be.

2002-01-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

Is it wrong, when you hear "Hotel California" playing on a radio somewhere, to embark on a mission to see said radio thrown through a window?

2002-01-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

Well, no one owned up to reading Tammy or Misty... Dang.

My weekend was crazy and I aaaaaaaaaaaaaache all over. I can't seem to write. I mean, my brain won't form phrases. I've been trying but I'm just turning out some insane crap influenced by the sound of footsteps on hospital floors - I can't get it out of my head.

And fuck Australia Day. Nothing like blowing up fireworks to celebrate bigotry, narrow-mindedness and intolerance - not to mention really, really inane radio stations that churn out the same drivel EVERY GODDAMN YEAR and whose vague nod to indigenous culture is the same song by Yothu Yindi every year.

Get me a boat and let me sail away.

2002-01-23T00:23:00.000-08:00

Are there any Brits reading this journal who might remember Tammy or Misty comics?

Tammy and Misty were these comics aimed at girls around the age of 9 - 12 - God they had some crazy arsed stuff in those comics! Everynow and then I remember one of those stories and I think, "Fuck that was some crazy shit!"

Today I'm stuck on this one about a girl who finds that the new girl at her highschool really has it in for her and wants to make her life miserable. Then, it turns out, the new girl is the other girl's daughter from the future. She does something to her daughter in the future that causes her considerable torment, so the daughter finds some mystical way to go back in time and return the favour.

The girl's name is Thursday and the story was called, of course, "Thursday's Child."

All the stories were serialised and would end eventually. This one ended with Thursday's daughter going back to the future. The very last panel had the ryhme, "Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go..."

I sometimes wonder if I'm the only nut who read these things.

2002-01-22T22:57:00.000-08:00

New article at Easter Egg Vinegar in Your Eyes by yours truly. It's about feedback and mentions one or two dos and don'ts so if you think you could use a little advice, check it out.

2002-01-22T00:52:00.000-08:00

So I did a bit of research. David Wenham is going to appear in the upcoming LOTR movies as someone called "Faramir." Cool.

2002-01-21T23:36:00.000-08:00

David Wenham is in Lord of the Rings? Why didn't someone tell me?!!

Curious factoid: David Wenham, as Diver Dan, was in an episode of Seachange called "The Fellowship of the Suit." In this episode the local lads buy an Armani suit at a heavily discounted price. The idea is that they will share usage. The share situation leads to division as the former friends end up fighting over it. The suit is eventually discarded at sea.

Doo de do...

2002-01-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

Lil - Break out the cookies and send one to Jerie who correctly guessed the song reference further down the page. The song is, of course, the theme song to The Paper Chase - a late 70s/ early 80s TV show about law students. It was a damn good show. I recall watching repeats on daytime television around about the Summer of 1987. I think they aired them at about 10.00 in the morning or something so I had to get out of bed for them - but it was worth it.

And isn't it amazing how these things come around again?

2002-01-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

Early beginnings in the much promised Seachange fanfic endeavour. The first of the Pearl Bay Vignettes have been posted. Admittedly, I've written better stuff. But it's early days in the genre yet.

2002-01-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

It's official. I'm a law student.

So I hope you'll all permit me a little self indulgence while I do a song and dance number:

"Oh..... the first years are hard years, much more than we know
With good friends and lovers, we'll fill every row
Stay open to all things, unknown and new
Then one day, we'll all say
Hey look we've come through, the first yeeeaaarrsss....."

And I'll give a Lilla-certified cookie to anyone who can tell me where that came from.

2002-01-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

Because she outed me (sorta)...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEEMA!!

2002-01-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

And it's around about time I got involved in the Blog Wars...

As CJ stepped up to the podium the press corps leapt to their feet.

"CJ! CJ!"

"If you'll all just be quiet..."

"CJ has Christinecgb entered the blog wars?"

CJ sighed. "If you'll just let me get to the point, I will tell you that Christinecgb can neither confirm or deny that she will be entering the blog wars. President Bartlet on the other hand, is going after Lori, Seema and Jemima with the kind of arsenal usually reserved for Hollywood actions films such as Independence Day - which you have to admit, is pretty unusual for a liberal, pacifist President, but the approval figures are up five percent so what he hell do I care? Next question?"

"CJ does anyone know how it started?"

"No. And is that really important? It's a blog war! Deal with it."

"CJ what are the forseeable outcomes of this blog war?"

"If not a complete takeover of the internet by next month, then at least an 8 percent jump in the President's approval ratings."

"CJ does the President have a comment on the alleged neutral status of Liz."

"Yes he does. The President is most disappointed to see that Liz has not embraced the challenge of a good blog war in the way that he knows she is capable of, and he has commented favourably on Jemima's attempt to engage her in battle by stealing her poolboy."

"CJ can you tell us more about these poolboys?"

"I'm sorry but that information is classified and available on a need-to-know basis only. However, for those of you concerned about the disappearance of Danny Concannon and his connection with these so-called 'poolboys' let me just say that Christinecgb's office has issued a press release saying Danny is 'just fine' and considering a career change."

"CJ, will they blow up the Death Star?"

"Here in the White House we prefer the term 'Life Relieving Orbital Locus' to 'Death Star'. And, as the ultimate goal of any good blog war should be to blow up the Life Relieving Orbital Locus, then we can expect, should everyone handle their positions correctly, that this is the desired end result. I'm not about to call it either way, but Toby, Josh and Sam have placed the current odds on this outcome at an incredible 65:1. But they know nothing about the situation and were really just gunning for an inclusion in this blog entry."

"CJ, do you think the blog wars have been unfairly harsh on Chakotay? I mean he's only as good as the lines he's given..."

CJ looked menacing. "All right, who issued Star Trek Monthly with press credentials? Somebody get him out of here."

A couple of brawny looking security guards bundled the reporter out of the room as CJ collected herself.

"Well that's all we have for tonight folks. Don't forget, I'm here 'til Thursday - and seatbelts save lives. Thank you!"

And the band played on...

2002-01-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

Also - there is a new article up at Easter Egg Vinegar in Your Eyes which you should check out. It's by Jintian and she, rather bravely, takes on the topic of Real Person Fic. Don't forget to tip your waitresses.

2002-01-09T18:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my Diaryland pal Ray-Andrew, here's what my New Year's Resolution should be:

Take the What Should Your New Year's Resolution Be? Quiz

Once more, an internet test speaks volumes about me. How do they do it?

2002-01-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

I wrote this X-Files story a while ago and finally got around to fixing it up and posting it. It's a Marita story and it's called If You Need.

And it might be this weird head space I'm in, or it might be the planets or something, but I was checking to see that the story had reached Ephemeral (it had) and I saw that it had 2 "recommendeds." Now this is not so surprising. I can usually get seven or eight recs out of a story I post, even when it isn't MSR, but I was so amazed at these two recommendations. And I was captivated by the idea of someone - someone who didn't know me from a bar of soap, just reading my story at Ephemeral and thinking, "Yeah - I liked that," and hitting the "recommend" button. It's quite lovely really.

Tell me fanfic land isn't just really cool, sometimes.

2002-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

AT mixed up the dates for my birthday dinner and it turned out to be remarkably good fortune because we went out to dinner tonight instead and had a marvellously good time, with good food, good wine, and divine coffee. I am now, one year older, and possibly less wise.

Isn't there some sort of myth about leaving your Christmas decorations up past New Year? Bad luck? Don't you ever wish they could be more specific? "Bad luck" as in you'll fall down the steps and twist your ankle or bad luck as in you'll lose your job and be destitute for the next five years?

Who wants to place bets on how long my Christmas decorations will last? The betting odds for June are about 3:1.

2002-01-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2002. Such as it is.

How do you like your New Year? Shaken but not stirred? Well done? Rare? Over easy?

So, why don't you all get back into fic now and write me something inspiring? I'm a little stuck for inspiration at the moment - I wouldn't call it writer's block, I'd call it writer's inertia, and it's different I tell you!

So I'm writing Seachange fanfic, and that's weird and wonderful. Then there's this story about Leo and Mallory that I've been working on for ages, and then, after trying forever, I figured out a way to get Scully and Sarah MacKenzie together without involving copious amounts of alcohol, so that's a start, I guess.

I'm thinking Cold Chisel today, which will make my Australian friends laugh, but there were one or two songs beyond that Karaoke favourite, "Khe Sanh" - such as "Breakfast at Sweethearts" and "Flame Trees." And those flame trees will blind the weary driver, my friend. Maybe I'm just getting in touch with my inner bogan.

2001-12-28T19:14:00.000-08:00

Funnily enough, I've got a Pulp song in my head... only it's "I am not Jesus, but I have the same initials. I am the man who stays home and does the dishes..." and not the one I was looking for...

I'm all over Seachange at the moment. I watched the First Season when it aired a couple of years ago, but I kind of gave up after Diver Dan left. But just lately, I started watching the Third Season repeats on television, and got hooked all over again. And then, of course, I had to go and get all the tapes I'd missed out of the vid library. I even started writing a fic - and let me tell you how crazy -good it feels to write in places I know and have seen with my own eyes! I was so ecstatic about being able to do this, that I have practically turned the story into a travel brochure for Melbourne (which is damned funny because my brother got the Late Show DVDs for Christmas and now we've been watching "Got One More Melbourne cliche... Oh No..." with audio commentary!) I will be sure to fix this in the edit...

And then last night we watched the DVD audio commentary for the Naked Gun - with David Zucker! The man is a genius! Very funny.

2001-12-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

So I added my latest to the West Wing menu. It's called Words Beneath and it's a CJ and Toby with a bit of angst and lots of swearing. If you don't like the word "fuck" you won't like this story. I like the word. My sister recently insisted that the first word any child of mine spoke would be "fuck!" As I have said often, I don't intend to procreate any time soon.

2001-12-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

Enterprise is also coming to Channel 9 in the new ratings season. This is pretty funny because we haven't seen Season 6 of Voyager on Australian TV yet. Liz is giving it four weeks at a decent time slot before being shoved back to 11.30 pm. I'm giving it six but she's seen it so I'd stick with her odds if I were you.

I went to the Somerville last night to see the Michael Winterbottom film, The Claim. For the out of towners, the Somerville is an outdoor theatre that hosts the International Film Festival every summer. There's been a plague of outdoor film theatres in Perth recently. You pack a picnic dinner, a couple of bottles of wine and watch a very average film. If you're lucky you're too drunk to care. Welcome to Perth where pretension is not only a goal, it's an obligation.

The Claim, as it happens, was one of those very average films, although one or two film-makers could learn something from that kind of attention to detail. It's based on Thomas Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge apparently. I only remembered this when we got to the end and I was wondering what all that meandering pathos was for - oh yeah, Thomas Hardy. I like Thomas Hardy by the way, but doesn't he work better in books than in film? Has anyone see Jude? And what the hell possessed anyone to make a film out of Jude anyway?

The films at the Somerville are a bit of a gamble and sometimes I feel lucky, which is probably some huge cosmic joke - or something...

2001-12-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

We're getting Smallville! I saw an ad for it yesterday. It's airing on Channel 9 (I think... I could be wrong here. I'm hoping that I'm wrong because otherwise we'll see it for six weeks in a decent timeslot, where it will fail to get a huge reaction and then it will be moved to 10.30pm).

2001-12-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

I took my brother to the Labor Party Christmas get together last night. The food was provided by the Country Women's Association and if you know anything about Australian politics you'll find that really funny. And they had cheese on toothpicks. My brother looked at it and said, "is that cheese on toothpicks?" After I assured him it was, he said "ah the goodness of dairy and wood, together at last..." Cheese and toothpicks! Where was the pineapple, I ask you?

We were pretty damn un-impressed. We joked about taking off to find the Liberal Party Christmas get together to see if they had better food.

2001-12-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

And I don't say this often enough, but doesn't ANYONE write Sopranos fanfic???

2001-12-20T06:13:00.000-08:00

I think you have to question whethere something is under attack if you only ever see the defence. I was reading this thread on GO about cliques and private groups and I started wondering if I'd missed a major offensive. Granted, there seemed to be previous history to the argument and i know how residual frustration can bubble to the surface at times like these, but is there a lynch mob out there for private lists?

God, I hope not. There's a lot of them. I can think of eight off the top of my head and that's just the ones I'm aware of. You want a private list? Start your own. Is this really such a big deal?

I want to do something like start a list where we all have to speak in turn, and we have to think up a story idea on a regular basis and then pass it on to the person before us in the speaking order so that they can write it. See - that's what's missing in most of these lists - order. There is a list for everyone, everything, ever man, every woman, every liar, every sinner, every saint and every priest, every worker, every employer, every introvert, every extrovert, every legend in their own lunchtime, and their dog. If you can't find somewhere to fit in in fanfic, try sport - it's healthier anyway.

By the way, that three feedbacks per week thing would be fine if I could get around to reading three fics a week. Is it wrong to go to bed before 10 pm? I'm sooo tired....

2001-12-18T22:21:00.000-08:00

The Feedback Now movement: Open your heart and you can start the revolution. Right now!

2001-12-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

Over dinner last night, N., R., A., (falling over laughing at those initials) and myself, decided to celebrate my birthday by getting tatoos that say "Christine's Birthday 2002." We thought it would be a good way to solve the "I want a tatoo but I don't know what to get" dilemma.

By the way, due to popular demand, KISS MY ARSE day has been extended into KISS MY ARSE week.

And I saw this guy pulling out of the car park today, who looked like Dominic Chianese. I wanted to run after him yelling, "Uncle Junior!!" He even had the little hat.

2001-12-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

Today is official KISS MY ARSE day.

Today you are encouraged to tell all who demand of your time to "KISS MY ARSE!!" Shout it from the rooftops people! Let's see banners, let's see skywriting, let's see full page ads in the local press - KISS MY ARSE!!!!!

(And for all my friends who have been concerned about my mental state lately, fear not. Three more days and then I'm finished for the year and I will be like Marge and Homer bathing in mud while a mantra recites "all is well" in the background.)

2001-12-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

Recently, Farscape made yet another brief appearance on Australian TV, only to be wrenched off after two episodes. And this from the company that made the series (Ninemsn). Channel 9, and indeed the other commercial stations, were berated in the Australian Media magazine for not giving scifi series a chance to build an audience. The evidence has shown that when given the opportunity, and a decent timeslot, they thrive. Stargate made the top 20 ratings figures of the week recently.

So if this keeps up, I could finally see season two of Farscape by the year 2004.

2001-12-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

I was walking through the parking lot this morning and noticed a Cherokee Jeep with the licence plate, "Jed." I want to stand next to it later to see who gets in - I've never met anyone called Jed. It's a rare name for an Australian, although, here at the university, we have an exchange programme (staff and students) with the University of Illinois so maybe it's one of our US exchange people...?

The effort to get my sister to name her baby Josiah is falling on deaf ears.

I eat waaaaaaay too many chocolate coated coffee beans...

2001-12-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

And in the "Damn, I wish I'd taped it" department...

I was watching Seachange last night (Australian drama - one of the few good ones), and there was this striking conversation at the end between two characters (I don't watch it enough to know who they were). I tried to find a transcript online but didn't have much success. So, from the dark recesses of my memory, here's the gist of it.

First Guy: I used to be scared of swallowing ping pong balls. It must have been something to do with those clowns at the fair. Anyway, I was always really scared I would swallow a ping pong ball.
Second Guy: So what did you do?
First Guy: I decided I was going to cure myself of this fear once and for all, so I put a ping pong ball in my mouth, and swallowed it.
Second Guy: You swallowed it!
First Guy: Yeah.
Second Guy: That's dangerous.
First Guy: Damn near killed me!

[pause]

First Guy: I don't think you should have to face all your fears in one life time.

It was just one of those things that got me....

2001-12-13T22:48:00.000-08:00

Amusing story of the day. Of course it begs the question, just how much alcohol did Big Kev drink to blow .121 (let's just say they don't call him "big" because he's magnanimous). And just how "excited" was he?

2001-12-13T19:20:00.000-08:00

Oh stuff the comments, I don't need you all to tell me you love me (much...). How about an email then huh?? HUH???

So it's the end of the year and I've been on the radio talking about TV highlights for 2001 and trying not to say The West Wing too much... And then there was this list that someone mentioned of the greatest Australian singles of all time (the Easybeats "Friday On My Mind" was number one), which got me thinking about the greatest Australian song of all time... "Shivers" maybe, but I like "Bury Me Deep in Love" by the Triffids more. How much Nick Cave can we include in this? "From Her to Eternity" gets me, just gets me. And "An Unguarded Moment" by the Church, "Souleater" by the Clouds. But lets get into the 90s (and the naughties!), "My Happiness" by Powderfinger is already an anthem and "Anna's Song" by Silverchair is the reason I find myself defending Silverchair to my pop-snob friends when I'm drunk.

And the greatest song of all time? Today I'm saying "Town Called Malice" because I'd played it on my show and the dance music guys yelled,"I love this song" and danced in the second studio which was great, but that's just how people feel about it. Tomorrow I might say something else...

2001-12-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

Oh fuck - Snorcomments has died. This presents a bit of a quandry; do I continue to use Blogger without comments (free comments programmes are kind of hard to come by at the moment) or do I go to the dreaded Live Journal which, i have to say, looks kind of frustrating...

2001-12-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

"You have an interesting weblog and an equally interesting life. You don't need to exaggerate to make your stories sound exciting. They already are. You have a small circle of friends, both online and offline, and they all love having you around. You're an all around nice person and the best friend anyone could ever imagine having."

Which I think just means that I'm rather dull online and off - and that I really should stop surfing when I should be working.

2001-12-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

Wrote this fic called Eyes Grow Feet after the Hummingbirds' song. It's CJ/Ainsley and it may not be everyone's cup of tea but I exorcised a few demons on that one and I really wanted to write another Ainsley (and yeah, I think Pilgrim's Chorus was way better too...). But I still think I owe Ainsley something. Something worthy of the gorgeous creature who charmed me silly in In This White House. I guess she'll have to wait her turn, though because I'm devoting time to Jed and to this J/C extravaganza that Liz and I are going to write (and which Liz is devoting countless hours to already, right Liz?). And then there's that CJ/Toby that came to me the other day that seemed like a good idea at the time (although my notes look kind of jumbled...), and there's the Leo and Mallory story that I really want to write. And - oh yeah - I'm supposed to be writing a paper over Christmas. I'm thinking of getting some shackles and chaining me to my desk. Hmmm... where to get a poolboy to bring me coffee, though...?

2001-12-11T23:50:00.000-08:00

I went to my first Christmas Lunch for the season today. One down and twelve or something to go. I got ambushed into giving a speech at this one which was pretty funny because I was ambushed after my fourth glass of champagne... You know, I can't help thinking that if were a bunch of men getting together for Christmas drinks we'd all get plastered and talk about sports, but these are womens' groups so we don't drink (except me, of course) and we "network." Feh. But here's the funny thing; out of the four people giving speeches, mine was the shortest and the only one that was remotely funny (well, at least I thought so...). I always try to bring the funny when giving a speech even if the result reminds me of Donna in "And It's Surely to their Credit"...

Anyway, Luna's new fic Revelation is a thing of beauty. Check it out. And also check out the latest article at Easter Egg Vinegar in Your Eyes which is an examination of the paragon Voyager fic "Talking Stick/Circle" by Lori. More insight for those seeking wisdom...

2001-12-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

"Whatever happened to the bikes?" I asked RM last night. We used to ride bikes when none of us owned cars. We used to live a lot closer too so when we didn't ride, we could walk. RM says he drives the car next door these days. Yeah, I do too.

I was having coffee with J when I ran into RM and he asked, "So how did you two meet?" J gave him this crazy arsed story about being separated at birth by a Polish IVF centre which had me in fits. I laughed so hard I missed most of what she said which is a shame because I would love to repeat it someday. Honestly, I'm no good in a ruse. I just can't keep a straight face.

Today as I was walking up to my office I saw a security guard at the flagpoles changing the flags. He had an electric screwdriver which he put in the back of the flagpole which hastily lowered the flag. Is it just me or does anyone else think it lacks a little reverance? There's something rather romantic about using the ropes to lower the flags - it's a ritual. Yeah, I know - who gives a toss...

I want to write crossover fic. I want to write something insanely stupid and fucked up and I want to be serious about it. I told J my Jed/Leo story would feature Jed and Leo in leather in a gay bar but god - I just can't do it. I'm not interesting enough for myself.

2001-12-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

So it's only taken me two months of living on my own in the suburbs to start listening to The Smiths. I have two more months here - how much lower can I sink?

Last night I dreamt I was dancing to a song that had this refrain; "I only miss you when you're gone."

2001-12-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Birds have taken to shitting on my car on a regular basis. It might have something to do with my habit of parking it under the tree near the driveway but I'm reading it as further proof that the suburbs are out to get me. That, and the fact that I can't seem to remember which day is bin day.

By the way, for anyone who has seen him, Big Kev is really quite disturbing.

On another topic, for something truly edifying, can I recommend Penelopody's latest, A Closet to Keep You in. These lines;

"But she thought of a night watching Rachel sing through the tempered glare, hearing her voice angle around a guitar and a microphone. And she thought of listening hungrily to lyrics for a hint that this was enough, for something that pointed back to her."

...just eats me up.

2001-12-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

Goddamn. I was just re-reading my story A Man Walks Into a Bar and I noticed the most humongous error! That will teach me...

I'll give my first born to anyone who can tell me what it is (btw, I don't plan on having on children...).

2001-12-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

It's Friday! "Greenroom" were rehearsing in the foyer of the station this morning. These guys can sing and play like no one's business - so why do they sound so bad? I blame Pearl Jam. I blame Pearl Jam for that whole goddamn post-grunge rock, howling vocals and whining guitar licks. You know who you are...

Should you be so inclined, you can check out my show via Real Audio, Friday mornings at 23.30 GMT at RTR FM. God is in the TV...

2001-12-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I wrote a list of all the fanfic I intend to read and the order in which I intend to read them in. There's no particular reason behind the order except that obviously the older ones are closer to the top. Is anyone else this anal?

Here's the list for anyone who gives a fly:

TWW Subsumption by The Stylus (better known in STV circles but you really should read her TWW fic).
JAG/TWW A Hell of a Long Way From Harvard and Uniforms by Gail Morse because she slashes Webb and Concannon and who can pass that up?
XF Final Respects by Sophia Jirafe
TWW Revelation by Sparky Luna
and TWW Honor the Man by Jae Gecko (and that's frames people so you'll find it there somewhere...)

and then by tomorrow there will be more... And one day I want to get around to reading all that stuff on the Our Boys archive.

Fanfiction is hard work!

2001-12-05T00:32:00.000-08:00

While Harry Potter mania sweeps the Fanfic community, I've been nominated for an X-Files Spooky Award. This is a big deal because when I first started writing fanfic and felt like a wee little fishy in a big, big pond I saw all these great authors that I admired being nominated for Spookys and I thought "Wow, if i just got nominated for a Spooky that would be Zenith for me." So, I did, and it's nowhere near as satisfying as I anticipated (and who's surprised about that? Anyone?) but it was nice and unexpected because I'm not very prolificic in the XF community and I didn't take part in the first two rounds of voting (and I've got no idea who nominated me to begin with - thanks, whoever you are). The story that was nominated was The Fugue and it's a Krycek and Marita story, post-"Requiem." It's been nominated in the Krycek/Marita section amongst a pile of stories that are much better than mine so I'm not expecting to win an award.

Go here to check out all the nominations. I recommend reading Deslea's Waiting in Tangier which is an unusually likeable romance story, Sophia Jirafe's Never be the Same Again in the Marita Characterisation category, Shara Zade's Reunion and the Tiburon Cafe in the Best Other Character section, and then check out Bugs' Waxing Moon in the Reyes Characterisation section. And if you like 'em, vote for 'em. Voting begins December 8th.