Suzie Shooter

Belated thank you's for all my birthday wishes on Wednesday! I love you all! *hugs*

I have this week off work, so at least I got a lie-in \o/ - the down-side is that the *reason* I have this week off work is because I am painting the kitchen and lounge/dining room of my mother's house, a task which is turning out to be far more mammoth than expected, not least due to the fact we have to keep emptying various cabinets and bookshelves to move them and paint behind. There's no room to just move everything out.

At least I've trained her to put the radio on as soon as I arrive now. We've been listening the The Hits Radio, as there is minimal talking and upbeat pop trash is ideal for painting to, although a playlist of more than about 4 songs wouldn't kill them. It's not a full day on the ladder unless I've heard Avicii and The Vamps at least four times each....

I should probably apologise for all the Musketeers spam while I'm here. Trouble is, with a half-hour walk each way to her house, I've had plenty of time for plotting...

In an experimental mood, I put a couple of my 1D fics up on AO3 yesterday (the latest one, and a rentboy-Harry one from ages ago). Within an hour they'd got more hits than some of the other fics I've had up there for a year! Oh, the joys of a large fandom LOL.

I can certainly see the appeal of AO3, getting hits and kudos and bookmarks is much more satisfying than LJ where suzie_fic might have *coughs* over 10,000 members, but of those I have no idea if anyone's actually read a particular fic. And other than my darlingest darlings who comment on nearly all of them (♥), they don't get a huge number of comments. (I'm terrible at commenting myself, I never know what to say past a brainless flail, so I'm not complaining, but this is where a hit counter and the option of leaving kudos is so great for a shy fandom haha).

I'm not abandoning LJ, but I might start cross-posting to AO3 as well. Something else I've been considering for a while is unlocking the fics on suzie_fic. (I'll have to change them all individually which is a pain, unless I fork out for another paid account, which ain't gonna happen. Although that would give me page stats as well....no.) I'll probably leave the more dubious ones (underage and dub/non-con) locked though. I've always been a bit wary of posting RPF unlocked at all, but there's so *much* 1D fic out there now I reckon I'd be safely buried and anonymous. Any thoughts?

Day off? Check.
Coffee? Check.
Muffin? Check.
Beautiful sunny day outside? *closes curtains and opens epic fantasy WIP on laptop*

Also, I'm guessing water pissing out of the bottom of my filter coffee percolator near the cable isn't a good thing? Farewell faithful friend, you have served me well through many years of caffeine fuelled filth.

Today I have:
- Done two lots of washing to hang out in the lovely weather. Having just hung up the second load, the washing line snapped, meaning I have probably scandalised the old lady in her garden next door by crying "fuck!". Anyway, I tied the end round a tree and it seems to be fine...

- Planted some seeds. I ordered them from a website called Secret Seeds, which amused me for all manner of childish reasons. Anyway, basil, chives, parsely, borage, poppies and mallow. Assuming the cat doesn't scat them all off the windowsills, should be a good crop.

- Cut my hair up round my ears. Well, yes, all of it, not *just* the hair round my ears - you get the picture.

- Had boiled eggs with toast soldiers, then duck pate and cucumber on a toasted bagel, and then a glass of wine in the sun, sitting on a lawn threaded with violets. There are advantages to not getting round to mowing the thing.

- Cleaned the bathroom, done the washing up, and done an arse-load of ironing.

- Got the River Cottage soundtrack CD in the post. Discovered its existence having googled Mad & Distracted who do the theme music and so on. Decided it was too pricy on Play, looked on eBay and found a copy for £2 on a listing that was ending in 60 seconds time. It also contains one of the maddest songs I've heard for a while...

The Manager: "Sometimes you've just got to put your foot down. This is our Dunkirk!"
Me: "...I'll get me boat."

Hmmn, have just encountered a thing called a Manometer. I wonder what it registers? *g*

Can you tell I'm bored? Anyway, 2 more hours and then I'm off until Tuesday, woo hoo! The fleshpots of London here I come...

Thank fuck it's Friday! *flops*

Still, have had eclairs and strawberries, picked up a copy of Jeremy's latest for £3.99 in Sainsbury's and got home to find another Biggles had arrived in the post, hurrah!

And tomorrow it's Eurovision. Easily pleased, me.

Oh, and on the way home was passed on the road by a tank LOL. Not something you see every day. Not round here, anyway!

Right. Better mood today. *g*

Food, beer, QI, Charlie Higson's Young Bond, unexpected!comments on old fics, and you lot = a happier Suzie. *glomps everybody randomly*

...there is a man sawing outside my door.

So! Train this morning, really flickery striplight, so now I'm paranoid I'm going to get a migraine. Although I suppose it beats yesterday when there wasn't a train at all, and I had to get the overly-expensive-but-still-making-you-late bus. Which it sounded like was a good choice after all, as apparently the rail replacement didn't turn up for two hours.

Oh and I had two small boys next to me to whole way that were playing with a mobile phone that had a fart-noise ring tone. Which was quite funny if I'm honest, but I was pretending to be asleep with my hat over my eyes. It seemed safest.

Did I have a point when I started this post? I can't remember. Oh yes! Meant to say, thank you to suggsygirl for the card and fabulous fic! (and cheque heh). It did actually arrive on Saturday I think, but I've totally failed at remembering to mention it. Postal service willing you might get yours today...

Despite being back at work after two days of migrainous (is that a word?) misery yes yes alright so I also managed to do quite a bit of writing while I was off, shhh today had several moments of win:

- At the station on the way to work the little black cat that lurks on the platform came over and let me stroke it until the train arrived.

- One of the Project Managers bought me a bacon and egg bap.

- This afternoon I was waylaid by a man with a car boot full of flowers, who insisted I take several bouquets back to the office. He said "I work at Sainsbury's, but I'm also a volunteer for the hospital chaplaincy - so I donate the flowers and accept them from myself." LOL. Apparently he brings them in and gives them to random departments to brighten the place up!

Ooh, and tomorrow night I'm going to see Dylan Moran! *bounces*

ETA: Oh yeah, it's the TG/A2A Children In Need thing tonight, innit. Although I may well be asleep by 10:40...

I bought a pumpkin yesterday! (Look, little things, okay?) Anyway, the stalk stabbed my thumb full of splinters, then did the same thing to the check-out girl. I was sympathetic at the time, but I've just discovered she charged me twice for a bottle of wine, so bwahahahahah.

I was intending to have a productive morning today, but I went back to sleep, and consequently (a) have only just emerged, and (b) had really weird dreams. Kidnappings, escapes through booby trapped old mansions, henchmen, possibly now I think about it that guy from the Conchords who was on Buzzcocks, and some sort of blonde princess effort, who I was making a pass at. She didn't mind, either :D

Beer festival later. Suppose it would be too much to hope Rory/Dara/Griff are there on their way back wouldn't it.

ETA: Also on the dream front I've just remembered - yesterday at work we were moving the neonatal ward - and I had a mad dream about that, in which the lady in charge had shrunk to the size of Yoda and was wearing Jedi robes, and I was being helped by Julian Rhind Tutt and Stephen Mangan. I worry about my brain, sometimes...

ETA2: Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall - cramming in more and more innuendo each week, Y/Y?