little less ritual & a lot more fun

Almost exactly one month since I've posted on here.  I AM DEEPLY SHAMED.  I don't even have a good reason for my absence, other than lack of fic/anything interesting to say.  I just quit my job on Monday.  I know it sounds crazy being that the economy sucks and I was lucky to even have a job, but it was a full-time babysitting gig, and it was ABSOLUTE torture!  The kid was out of control and literally abusing me, and I just could not put up with is another day!  It's getting seriously depressing that I can't find a steady job.  I have a Master's degree that's leading me NOWHERE, and I can't even seem to land an interview for anything outside of my field (education).  Knowing I'm not alone helps a little but at the same time I'm almost 27 with no signs of a career in my immediate future and it's SCARY!

Switching gears here - I was watching the season finale of TVD (yes, AGAIN!) and I had a question.  When Tyler and Caroline say goodbye before he "dies" is Klaus already in Tyler's body?  Because at that point we've seen Klaus staked, and Rebekah is almost already back in Mystic Falls.  And Tyler telling Caroline she'll have a "beautiful life" just sounds Klaus-y to me.  Has this already been discussed?  (Probably - I'm always late to the party :( )

As for my lack of fic writing you may be asking what the heck else are you doing with your time on the internet?  Well whedonland is still consuming a lot of my time.  I'm so sad this is the last round, and I've only been involved once before!!  I just saw on my F-list that I missed submitting to a challenge that happened to be very time consuming.  Pretty annoyed about that, but oh well.  I'm also still up to my ears in fic I missed out on during my five years away from fandom.  I also seem to be rereading a lot of stuff I read in the past, and that I've read in the last year of being back.  Like The Secret of the Boy You Never Kissed by minxdelovely. Such a great story that I had to reread it when she started reposting it to her LJ.  I also caught up on Yours, William and it's sequel My Elizabeth by thepuddinhead.  Sad to see it come to an end, but really excited to see what she has in store for William and Buffy.  Right now I'm also reading Some Cold Lovin', Las Vegas Style by Bloodshedbaby.  Can't believe I haven't read all of BSB's work, but I definitely don't remember reading this before.  I also have her story Stranded waiting in the wings for when I finish.  As always I'd love some recs.  I'm definitely forgetting to mention other fics I've read in the last month, but these are in the forefront of my mind.  I really want to start rahirah's Barbverse, but I'm so intimidated by the size of it!  Also on that list is The Unexpected Universe series, so hopefully I'll be getting around to those soon.  

I want to get back into Out of Reach, and I've been working on a sequel to Lie to Me which is going to be very different from the first one.  The problem is I have to many freaking plot bunnies running around in my head that it's hard to focus on just one at a time.  I'm trying to write the sequel to Lie to Me in parts as they come to me which is something I haven't done before.  We'll see how that works out, and hopefully I'll have something new to share soon!

Lastly, and WOW was that a long post!, I've started watching Veronica Mars.  I'm only four episodes in, but I'm enjoying it and hopefully Soapnet lets me finish the entirety of the show before it goes off the air!

Okay that's it.  How is everyone else's summer going?  Eljay seems to be pretty dead lately so I hope you're all enjoying!  

Meme #1 - Comment to this post, and I will list seven things I want you to talk about. They might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your journal. Other people can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.

( Questions from ever_neutral: )

and...

Meme #2 -
1. Leave a comment to this post!
2. I will give you a letter.
3. Post the names of five fictional characters whose names begin with that letter, and your thoughts on each. The characters can be from books, movies, or TV shows


( My five favorite "D"s )

Of course I have to give you a rec!  I've been reading so much fanfic lately - I started a new job and have a ton of time to read on my commute AND at work.  

My Life Closed Twice by anaross
Summary: Post-Not Fade Away. Buffy seeks Spike's remains, but then finds him in the most unusal place.

Seriously loved this story!  Buffy really works hard to earn Spike's trust, but it's not frustrating.  Beautifully written and I'm sure everyone has already read it, but if you haven't GET ON IT!  Definitely worth a read or even a re-read.

Last night I read The Ballad of Randy and Joan by Annie Sewell-Jennings.  It's 9 chapters long, and so bittersweet.  

Summary:  "She is a blank canvas, and he is not allowed to paint her."

Since that's not much to go on, it's set in a post-apocalyptic world (it's the end of the world as we know it) and Buffy doesn't remember her life before the world ended.  Such a great read, I definitely recommend reading if you haven't or re-reading if it's been a while.

(Insert whatever holiday you celebrate here!)

After hearing about the community through rebcake, I decided to join btvs_santa.  It sounds like a lot of fun, you get a secret Santa to give gifts (fic, icons, art, etc.) to and you receive gifts that you've outlined in a wish list from someone else.  You can sign-up through Nov 30th, and there aren't too many wish lists posted yet.  If you're interested, it seems like a fun way to spread some holiday cheer!

On a totally different note, has anyone read Long Time Gone by bitternessfic?  I'm up to chapter 21, and I'm really enjoying this story.  Each chapter is long and detailed with great plot.  It's a Spuffy fic with lots of other characters (Anya, Oz, Dawn, Xander, Dru, Willow, Tara, Darla), and those characters have their own story-lines going on.  If you haven't read it yet, I would absolutely recommend it!