Unseen Ramblings

The exam could have gone worse. I know I managed to get some of the questions right... but I also know I managed to get some of them wrong, having checked certain details afterwards (I'm a glutton for punishment like that). When I say wrong, I really mean it: I couldn't have been more wrong if I tried. I had to choose which bone had a certain thing (a lateral malleolus) from five options. I got it veeery wrong. That's what I get for guessing.

I think I might have better luck writing this evening. But I'll fall off my chair in shock if I actually manage to write all of this fic tonight.

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( See more: Snape and Hermione from the most recent HP video game )

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( ENNEAGRAM test meme )

My current plot bunny isn't behaving itself. I've managed to write two paragraphs on duniazade's fic, and I suspect I'll have to scrap both of them. Thankfully I think I know what I have to do to revive the treacherous creature responsible for the plot, a simple change of perspective from one character to another... but there's just one small snag: I'm not in a writing mood at the moment. I want to be so much, but with the way words are trickling out of me slower than blood out of a stone, it's not going to happen tonight.

Maybe I'll have better luck with the bloody plot bunny tomorrow, after I've got my multiple choice exam on bones out of the way. I've got a horrible feeling about that, too, despite revising.

On the brighter side, I've been running around Hogwarts this weekend on my brand new Wii. Well, brand new used Wii. I just wish I could control someone other than Harry... I wonder what the chances are of a game being developed with Snape in the starring role?

Snagged from kribu

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Tagged by dickgloucester to do the desktop meme. I don't think there's anyone left for me to tag!

( My desktop )

Taken from just about everyone:

Ayerf may explode without warning

M EXPLOSIVE

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com

I suppose it's true. It's not unheard of for me to lose my temper very quickly, although the most dangerous time is when PMT is rearing its ugly head.

Finished another PIF gift yesterday and posted both of the finished ones. One more to do, unless the 2 spaces left are nabbed.

Currently mulling over the plot for a oneshot for duniazade. Slow progress, but it will get written.

I finished my exchange fic two days ago, and I'm already itching to write something else. But what? I can't seem to settle on an idea. It's not like I don't have plenty to choose from... then again, that might be my problem. Perhaps I should choose one of my unfinished things and try to finish it, but an attempt to continue 'The Elder Wand redux' has been unsuccessful so far. Then there's my selection of caged plot bunnies clamouring to be unleashed, but that might turn out to be more than I can manage at the moment. Although there'd be no deadline to write to except dealing with my own impatience.

But at the same time, I can't seem to get the nagging fear that whatever I write next will be rubbish. Maybe I should try writing a crack!fic to see if that will take care of it. Or would that mean that it'd reverse the usual fears?

Then there's non-writing projects to swallow my spare time. Like making Pay It Forward gifts. I finished the one for dacian_goddess yesterday... at last! I think I've perfected the technique, so hopefully the next one won't take as long. I'll certainly be able to get the remaining two gifts done before my deadline of August next year.


It really shouldn't have surprised me to see this on Wikipedia. But it did.

That's what happens when I try to squee when tired. The exchange fic (came very close to writing the title there, which would have meant the torture of coming up with another to use for real...) is done. Or as done as it gets until I get it back from my betas. I hope it won't need too much editing, and that it's to the recipient's liking.

The good news is that I'm within a two scenes of the end. Maybe even a scene and a half, as I think these particular scenes will have rather limsy to non-existent divides. I managed to write over 500 words yesterday, more than I've been managing recently. That gives me a total of 8,500ish so far, which I'm happy with.

The bad news is that I can't really write any more until tomorrow afternoon, as my brother is descending for a rare visit. I don't really need a break from the writing, either, as I had to temporarily abandon my poor exchange fic from Tuesday to Thursday this week, in order to finish some uni work. Still, I hope to finish said fic this coming week (reading week, no lectures), so that there's a nice interval for it to be betaed and any further edits to be made before THE DEADLINE.

Grrr. Just spotted another ladybird crawling up the inside of my window. Now, I like ladybirds. They're one of the only bugs I do like, but these are Harlequin ladybirds, and I can't like them because they're not native to the UK and are an invasive threat to the ordinary, native ladybirds. These nasty Harlequins starve the natives by eating their food source and even eat them. *goes to deal with the invader*

Nabbed from bambu345. I just couldn't resist. I am a sheep...

( Who am I? )

I really shouldn't let myself write at night. I sometimes end up writing stuff that's pretty close to crack!fic, completely unintentionally. Pity I can't reproduce my potentially funny blunder here, as it was on the exchange fic. Still is, as I won't be removing/correcting the errors until morning. Or afternoon/evening, depending when I get around to it.

It's very tempting to set the end of this week as a personal deadline for finishing the exchange fic. But it's bad enough with Nov 16th looming on the horizon without tripping myself up with a closer date.

No real progress on the exchange fic so far today, other than correcting last night's mistakes. I'll try to force some more words out after dinner.

Went to see Ratatouille this afternoon. As per usual for a Pixar endeavour, it was very good. Different, but just a good as their other offerings.

What else? Oh, first look at my friends page on LJ this morning, and I was bombarded by all this kerfuffle about JKR's latest interview revelation. Looking at various posts and outright rants... 'nuff said, really. I'm just wondering what will be revealed next. Thoughts on a comment?

The doors into my bit of uni are clearly marked 'pull', and only open one way. More than once I've pushed. Not today, however. No, today I climbed to new heights (or lows) of stupidity. On the train home, on pressing the button to open the door, I wondered whether the mechanism had broken. Thank goodness other people were also getting off, as one of them very kindly pointed out that 'You're pressing the close button.' Oops. My excuses for that blunder are that I was tired and the train was heated as though it was the depths of winter outside.

At least today's lecture (Sex and gender to do with skellingtons) and practical (leg bones) were interesting.

No progress on the exchange fic yet today, but hopefully that will change after dinner. I'm in a fairly positive mood about it, even though I'll doubtlessly be handicapped by being tired.

( cut for danger of whingeing )

I could have got home at least an hour earlier today, if not for a pointless talk. Why insist on compulsory attendance for a talk virtually read from a powerpoint presentation that's going to be online anyway?

Then shortly after arriving at home, my laptop restarted itself as soon as I'd brought it back on from standby. I know it was automatic to allow security updates to be installed, but first Windows bloody XP could have made sure that everything was saved before doing so! It's very lucky that I'd saved the latest part of the gift exchange fic before I left this morning, or I might have lost it. Word can and does recover some material, but it has its limitations, as bitter experience has taught me.

Tomorrow, if all goes well, I'll be going to a booksigning by Terry Pratchett in Cambridge. But before that, I'll be undergoing the joys of shoe shopping. Boot shopping, to be precise. I had intended to go and see Ratatouille (think I spelled it right), which comes out in cinemas tomorrow, but I'll need to be home in order to go to London for my step brother's birthday dinner. French restaurant, food looks to be good.

Snagged from kribu and dickgloucester

Two results, as I confused it sufficiently.

( What flavours )

( The Phobia )

I haven't made much progress with the exchange fic, but I have a fairly good idea where I'm going with the plot. The characters were not cooperating, but I think I've managed to remind them that they're fictional and therefore have no say. Not sure how long they'll behave, though! No hawt sexx0rs is planned, but Severus and Hermione might insist. If they do, I guess I'll have to try threatening them with a threesome, with Ron instead of the usual Lucius.

Ugh. Thoroughly revolting day. Got half-drowned (I was using an umbrella, otherwise it would have been completely drowned) in my lunch break between lecture and practical.

However many times I blew my nose, I was still just as blocked up as before. To top my miserable day off, it's also the wrong time of the month.

On the plus side I got the opportunity to handle some arm bones, and the video game I've been waiting aaaages for has arrived. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass looks to be good, but I haven't played that much on it. No, I've been a good little exchange participant and tried writing some more. Without much success, but being tired might be partly why the plot bunny is only twitching.

With words beginning with 'h', are they preceded by 'a' or 'an'? As far as I know, it's not a vowel, but I'm sure I've heard 'an historical' and 'an hypocrit'.

How old am I? Young at heart, that's my excuse. And Harry Potter mad.

( Meet Professor Snape. And Miss Granger. In plastic. )

Got some more writing done on the exchange fic, up to a pivotal scene. Now I've got to flesh out that plot. Hopefully that plot bunny will behave now that Shiv has threatened it with details about Ronald's sex life.

( the rant )

We-ell, I wouldn't actually go that far, but I do feel more human than I did yesterday. I'm lucky there wasn't a lecture yesterday, or I'd have missed it even if I'd gone into London. I was rather vacant.... My head no longer feels like it's full of sawdust and the wrappings of cotton wool have gone. Cold and sore throat's still there, though. Whatever my well-wisher's did obviously worked, so thank you!

Absolutely no progress whatsoever on my gift exchange fic yesterday, but I hope to get as far as I can before lectures start again next week for me on Tuesday. Done a bit of prodding at my plot. No plot holes detected so far, but there is a vital part where I've only got a few words to go with. Somehow I've got to flesh that out before I reach that point, or I risk writer's block. Yet I need to write up to that point to get the previous stages out of my head so I can concentrate. D'oh!