Recent Entries

Current Mood: thankful

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Fate has a twisted sense of humor, and sometimes bad things can lead to good things. Or the other way round, of course - but what I'm pondering right now is that old saying about finding true friends only through misfortune. Sometimes it takes a very unpleasant circumstance for people to show their true colors, or for me to distinguish whom I really can and should trust with my unguarded thoughts and feelings. Because, obviously everyone is very kind and polite when they agree on things. It's how they behave when they don't that really tells you what you need to know about them. And the key word in this is RESPECT. So, here's a little bow of respect to my friends - regardless of their opinions. Thank you, once again, for your kindness and grace in difficult times, and for being open with me. And for not expecting me to prove my loyalty by digging trenches or building barricades. Those alien structures have no place here, and I'm keeping my journal public so anyone can see that.

And that's all I have to say from my private little soapbox. Good night.

Current Mood: lazy

Entry tags:

I'm still antisocial, but tolerant :P

Apparently today is International Day for Tolerance. And

taelyn_sass posted this cool banner on her LJ, which I have promptly snagged, because it's just the coolest thing ever. Seriously. I saw it once on a bumper sticker, and have been looking for that image ever since. I love the symbolism. It applies to so much that's been going on around me lately, on all levels - from the global to the personal. It pretty much sums up my entire approach to life, spirituality, ideologies, human interactions, what have you. And it has a nice, aesthetically pleasing look to it as well.;)

In other irrelevant news, I have already started Christmas shopping this weekend, because I am becoming increasingly agoraphobic as I get older, and am slightly paranoid about the ordeal of having to visit crowded malls in December (as well as listen to the same disgustingly stupid Christmas songs over and over). *shudder* I am such a fan of commercialized holiday spirit... lol. If not for my parents, I would probably boycott and/or ignore the whole thing altogether...

And that's all I have to say tonight, I'm afraid. Just feeling talkative for some reason (or should I say 'typeative'? because I haven't actually talked to anyone since yesterday morning, and even though my parents called today, I purposely neglected to call them back). Or possibly procrastinating until it's too late to exercise.:P

Current Mood: enthralled

Entry tags:

where was this fic hiding from me all these years???...

So, I've been going through the list of

mome_awards nominations, not really expecting much, because, you know, it's a multi-pairing event, and I honestly only care for one pairing (or two, if you separate FPS from RPS) - so whatever was nominated in that category is usually known to me already. Well... not so this time. I actually might have discovered the most unbelievably glorious A/L fic of all time. Leaves of Gold by

lady_elina. Now please don't laugh at me, because it's a classic, written in 2004, and I am probably the last one in fandom to unexpectedly stumble upon it - but I'm sure I haven't read it before, because such heart-stopping beauty could never be forgotten. It is crafted with such loving attention to detail - every sentence is perfection. And the depth of characterization is amazing too. It is also absolutely heartbreaking, because it stays true to canon - and we A/L lovers know only too well what that means (in my case, a HUGE box of Kleenex... LOL). Which is why some readers/writers with fragile emotional constitution tend to escape into the realm of happy fluff to balance it out and keep their sanity. Not that I'm pointing my fingers here or anything.:P But, you know, some say that happy!fic simply doesn't work for this pairing, that it's not believable. And maybe they're right. But the reason I crave that happy fic is not because I don't appreciate meaningful, well-written angst. It's because there's only so much my heart can take before I feel like throwing the windows open and howling at the moon. Which probably wouldn't be a good idea right now.;)

But I digress again. The point is, if by any chance you haven't read Leaves of Gold, you're missing out on some seriously outstanding writing. If there's ever an obligatory reading list for people who want to do academic research on our fandom, that story should be on it. Just make sure to keep plenty of tissues handy before you dive in.:P

Oh, and btw - this is a great opportunity to use my brand new official fic rec icon, made by

stormatdusk.:)

Current Mood: surprised

Entry tags:

daily drivel,
work

nobody saw that one coming, I bet

Guess what? They dropped another bombshell on us at work today. We are being sold again. As of January 2009, we will no longer be part of The Nielsen Company. We are in the process of being acquired by another giant international media research corporation, called Kantar. What does that mean? Well, for one, all the people that Nielsen had laid off aren't going anywhere, because every single employee we have now will be hired by Kantar. So, technically, there will be no layoffs - at least for now. Secondly, we no longer have to deal with that obnoxious outsourcing company in India, because, as of today, we are not outsourcing our work anymore. They have a contract with Nielsen, not with us directly, and we aren't going to have anything to do with Nielsen in a few weeks, so we can safely forget about them... lol. No more faxing stuff back and forth fifteen times a week and wasting precious time correcting their mistakes. We will still be cross-training within our department, because the boss thinks cross-training is a good thing (which it probably is) - but there will be no more pressure to multitask like crazy, because no-one's leaving and we will have enough staff on site to manage the workload just fine. So, primarily, I will still be doing what I was originally hired to do. Which sounds perfect.

Of course, there are other consequences of this news which we haven't figured out yet. Like, for example, changes to our employee benefit plans, holiday schedule, payroll etc. Some of it will stay the same, but certainly not all, and even our HR manager didn't have the answers today (btw, most of the managers only found out about the whole thing this morning). But the bottom line is that we all have jobs, and the new parent company isn't going to interfere as much with the way we do them. Which is enough of a shock in itself, after what's been going on for the last few months... *blinks in disbelief*

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

random RL post

So, just like

surreysmum had predicted, the cause for my sencond visit to the INS headquarters was 'minor and absurdly bureaucratic'. Namely, in one place on the document confirming my newly acquired citizen status and name change, I had printed out my old name instead of the new one, and the officer didn't notice until after I had left. And that is why she had to call me in for another appointment, I had to take four hours off work, take a ride downtown etc.etc.etc. Because I needed to fix my signature. Bureaucracy RULES, I tell you. *headshake* ( Read more... )

Current Mood: satisfied

Entry tags:

my fiction

the Twins came back to cheer me up - how nice of them, isn't it?...:P

I wasn't planning on posting today, but my muses were gracious last night and allowed me to finish a ficlet I had started many weeks ago. It's another glimpse into my 'Twins universe'. Just a bit of warm, fluffy sweetness with a touch of harmless kink - exactly what you need to warm you up on a gray, frigid November night. Like a glass of hot spiced cider or something.;P

Title: Afterglow
Author: Floating Leaf
Pairings: Estel/Legolas, Elladan/Elrohir
Rating: R
Summary: Legolas furthers Estel's sexual education.:P
Warnings: The usual – twincest, silliness, very little plot and way too much fluff.;)
Disclaimer: They still aren't mine, dammit!
Author's Notes: This ficlet immediately follows Voyeurs, posted in August. If you click on the 'my fiction' tag below, you will see all previous little snippets leading up to this one (the 'Twins' series starts with Naughty Thoughts, a few entries down). As well as all my other A/L stuff, of course.:)

( Hand in hand, Legolas and Estel walked through the woods, quiet in the aftermath of their passionate lovemaking. )

Current Mood: sleepy

Entry tags:

blah blah blah

Snagged from

taelyn_sass.

( Another one of those 'random question' memes. )

In other news, I had a call this morning form the nice immigration officer who conducted my citizenship interview. She said she had overlooked something and needs me to come again. Probably no reason to get nervous, but... wtf??? I should have known it seemed too smooth & easy to be true.:| Besides, I was already saving my LAST AVAILABLE vacation day for the oath of allegiance appointment. And now I had to take another half day off. At that rate, pretty soon I might have to start coming in to work on Saturdays just to make up my regular 40 hours, not to be paid for overtime. *sigh*

( Speaking of work... it's a fun little circus of insanity of late. )

Current Mood: grateful

Entry tags:

post-election ramble

YES!!! Thank you to all my dear friends and kind strangers who voted for Barack Obama yesterday. I feel indebted to you for giving this country a chance of becoming one I can proudly call myself a citizen of (within the next few weeks, hopefully). I do admit I had my doubts over recent years - at times it felt like immigrating here from Poland might be eerily akin to jumping from the frying pan into the fire - but now I know for a fact that the majority of people in this country share my views on many important issues. Otherwise the results of this election would have been different. So maybe I can stop feeling so disconnected now. Maybe I can start caring about what's going on around me and ask myself what I can do to improve it. Maybe I can start believing that what I care about actually matters on a social and/or political level. Despite the fact that I happen to identify with quite a few traditionally underpriviledged minority groups, lol. Because all of those groups, and a few others, made their voices heard loud and clear last night. And even though part of my own family voted against them, and I couldn't vote at all, they won. We won. Because most of us believe that the dark ages of intolerance and hatred for those who have the courage to be different should stay where they belong - in the past. And that "live and let live" makes more sense than "live and tell others how they should live too". Knowing this is not some magic problem fix just by itself, of course... but it gives me so much hope. As well as a definition of being American I can gladly subscribe to (as opposed to the arrogant and/or ignorant redneck model which seems to have been the predominant export image in recent years). In light of this, perhaps taking 'the oath of allegiance to the United States' will not make me feel as uneasy and kind of doubtful as I feared it might...

In addition to thanking those who voted, I also want to thank those who inspired me to occasionally peek out of my protective fantasy bubble and look around the real world I live in. Those who with their thoughtful posts, generous sharing of links/information and honestly expressed opinions on social/political topics provoked me to do some occasional serious reading (as opposed to fanfic reading, lol) and increase my knowledge. Viggo is certainly number one on this list (no, I haven't read everything he ever posted - or recommended - on Perceval Press... far from it; but one day I might, who knows?...;). I find him just as stimulating for the brain as he is for the senses... lol. Which probably goes a long way in explaining the depths of my obsession... but I digress again.:P What I wanted to say now is that I am also grateful to some people right here on my flist, or fandom in general, who occasionally (or, in some cases, quite often) take the time to talk about serious issues. Being the habitual escapist from reality that I am, I probably wouldn't even be aware of many things going on in this country/world if not for my virtual acquaintance with richly educated and mentally evolved ladies like

gairid,

rainweaver13 or

mellacita - to name but a few. So, paradoxically, diving head first into fandom (a sublime form of escapism in itself) has helped me develop some kind of social consciousness I'm not sure I actually had before. And for this I am thankful - as much as for the gorgeous fiction and other illicit thrills fandom has to offer.;) It is amazing to know that we - a group of virtual strangers - can connect on so many levels. And becoming a fellow citizen to all of you - as well as to Viggo - makes me extremely proud indeed. *nods*

Current Mood: impressed

Entry tags:

movies,
viggo

"Good" premiere at Chicago Film Festival (mild spoilers included)

So... about yesterday. My second 'real life' encounter with The Man.:P Still no progress in the eye contact department (= he's still blissfully unaware of my existence, LOL), and I think that's rather symbolic in the general context of my interactions (or lack thereof) with people I admire... but let's not expand on that for the moment. I had a very good view of him 'in the flesh' for quite some time, though - more than I hoped for, actually. So I guess it all evens out in the end. *sigh*

( Here's the whole story - or most of it, anyway. )

Current Mood: relieved

Entry tags:

on citizenship, ethnicity, name spelling issues and other related subjects

Just checking in for the benefit of the few kind souls who were keeping their fingers crossed for me today (you know who you are :). I passed. Everything went so smoothly I am almost shocked by it... lol. ( Here are the details. )

Current Mood: thoughtful

Entry tags:

memes etc.,
musings

shameless navel-gazing, a.k.a. "nothing new under the sun" ;P

Snagged from

taelyn_sass:

What type of Fae are you?

See? I AM an elf! I KNEW it!!! :P

( And another one: )

Current Mood: sick

Entry tags:

daily drivel,
viggo

I seriously hope Viggo's having more fun than I am right now ;)

Firstly, HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE MAN.:D

Here is a little piscpam to celebrate a quarter century of great acting - I don't have good pictures of all my favorite roles, but I tried to pick ones that show some of the more striking incarnations he has assumed over the years...

( A few more under the cut. )

Secondly, I didn't go to see my parents this weekend after all. I came down with a nasty cold on Saturday night, and have spent most of the time since then in bed. ( Read more... )

Current Mood: apathetic

Entry tags:

daily drivel,
viggo

eee... what?

I've been sitting here for over an hour, trying to formulate my thoughts and make a coherent post, but my brain feels so disconnected. I don't know what I really want to say. I don't know if any of it really matters.

In a way, I can't believe I am already back from my long-awaited vacation. I still feel like I haven't taken a deep breath for months.:/

I am still struggling to catch up on LJ, especially all the new fiction posted in honor of Viggo's upcoming birthday. There is so much I want to comment on... and yet somehow I get more behind each day. I don't know where to start.

Viggo looks incredibly young on the new pictures from Denmark. Must be the refreshing lack of facial hair.:P I can't believe I might see him live like this less than two weeks from now. But then again, I might not, because I somehow doubt my ability to stand and wait around outside for a few hours in temperatures below 50F/10C. Early September in Toronto is one thing, but late October in Chicago is quite another...

I watched Appaloosa again. Still hate Renee Zellweger, I'm afraid. But Viggo & Ed are both perfect. And so is Ariadna Gil. She's absolutely hot, btw. As some people reading this journal might know, I have mixed feelings about het in general - but I'll take Viggo & Ariadna anytime.;P

This weekend is already over before it started - I work tomorrow (doing overtime again), then have to cook, because there won't be time for it on Sunday (need to visit my parents & do a month's load of laundry). And then there will be another 6-day week of trying to catch up on stuff and failing miserably. *weary sigh*

Current Mood: sleepy

Entry tags:

memes etc.

memes are irresistible, aren't they?...;)

I was tagged by

taelyn_sass.

Here's how it works:
Each person starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.
Those that are tagged need to write on their own LJ about their ten things and post these rules.
At the end of your entry, you need to choose ten people to get tagged and list their names.

( My ten confessions. )

As for the tagging, it's been a bit of a challenge to pick ten people on my flist who are actually likely to read this or want to play... but here goes:

alliwantisanelf,

gairid,

helynhighwater,

matan4il,

mellacita,

rainweaver13,

romi,

stormatdusk,

surreysmum and

vamp_ress. And now let me fall on my face and get the five hours of sleep I've got left till I need to get up in the morning... *sigh*

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

in case you thought I was dead or something ;)

Okay... where do I start???... *takes a deep breath*

For the benefit of anyone who might care, or could possibly have been wondering about my atypical silence, here's the explanation: MY INTERNET CONNECTION DIED FOR TWO WEEKS. Yes, that's right. Two weeks. For no apparent reason. ( Read more... )

But, as fate would have it, those past two weeks have been quite eventful, and I probably would have been posting like crazy if I could... so now trying to squeeze it all into a single entry (because I don't know when I'm gonna have time for another one) seems like quite the challenge. I guess I'll just briefly point out the highlights, so to speak.

1) I spent last weekend at the

texas_retreat. It was lots of fun, and I am amazed at how much effort the organizers of this event put into making it a great, memorable experience for us all. ( Read more... )

2) Watching Appaloosa was a delightful experience in itself, as well - except for Renee Zellweger's character, who simply didn't sit well with me, from start to finish. I wouldn't go as far as to say that she ruined the movie for me... but I found her intensely annoying. I'm glad she wasn't Viggo's love interest. *shudder* I wasn't too thrilled by the ending, either... but that's all I'm gonna say for now. No spoilers.:P

3) On October 29th Viggo will be in Chicago for the Good premiere at Chicago Film Festival!!!!! I was lucky enough to grab a ticket for the event soon after they came on sale, and I fully intend to take the day off, team up with

akashaelfwitch and do some stalking.;P

4) Two days before that, on the 27th, I am scheduled for my citizenship exam (!!!). ( Read more... )

5) There were so many LJ posts I meant to respond to, and so many emails I meant to write, before I lost my internet connection that I seriously don't know where to begin. I will certainly try to catch up as best I can, but there is no telling now long it might take (my vacation is almost over, it's back to work on Monday, and for all I know, I'll probably be trying hard to keep sane until sometime in November... lol). So if you don't see a comment from me where you would normally expect to see it - or if you see one a week or two after you posted something - please don't think I've been ignoring you on purpose. I'll get there, hopefully, at some point. It's just that this is probably the craziest fall season of my (so far) relatively uneventful existence... *wipes brow*

Current Mood: confused

Entry tags:

movies,
musings

and now for something completely different

Okay... here is a question to anyone on my flist who feels inclined to discuss a controversial topic. What is your reaction to the sight of two teenage boys making out? And by 'teenage' I do not mean over 18 - since I'm pretty sure I know how almost everyone on my flist would react to that.:P I mean barely teenage - as in somewhere around 13, perhaps. In other words, clearly below the age of consent by even the most liberal standards.( Read more... )

Current Mood: tired

Entry tags:

daily drivel,
work

quick RL update

So, last Saturday it rained. And rained. And rained. And then rained some more. And by Sunday there were flooded streets (including some major roads) all over Chicago. Which, of course, entailed some necessary detours and basically insane traffic chaos in every direction. I went to see my parents on Sunday afternoon, and when I came back, nearly every street in my area was blocked off by the police. I almost drove back the 42 miles to my parents' house to spend the night, since the possibility of finding a legal parking spot within walking distance of my building seemed like way too much to hope for. Finally I 'got lucky', but by then it was almost midnight, and the whole situation made me very tense - so of course I didn't get much sleep that night. Not a good start to the week. *sigh*

Also, my internet connection went dead for about three days. It only came back last night, so I'm still playing catch-up on email, flist and such (I was able to check my email at work, but I didn't even try to access LJ or open some 'more interesting' attachments due to complete lack of privacy at my cubicle ;).

In addition to this, work is crazy busy right now - I am being trained in YET ANOTHER new section of our products, as well as doing about five different 'urgent' projects at the same time (just trying to decide what to do first is becoming a challenge, lol). It's going to be like this at least till the end of September - and then, after I get back from my early October vacation, it's gonna be crazy again for the next 2-3 weeks or so. After that it may slow down a bit, but it's really not a given, since all the people who have been laid off will be actually leaving, so all the work they are doing right now will fall on the rest of us who stay. Btw, I'll be working 5 hours this coming Saturday. And I already feel as tired as I usually do on Fridays. So... forgive me if my posts in the near future are either non-existant or decidedly uninspiring.;) I'm just trying to stay afloat, so to speak (I know, bad joke, considering the fact that some people's houses were actually flooded... but somehow I find dark, morbid humor particularly appealing at the moment :|).

Current Mood: giddy

Entry tags:

movies,
viggo

I couldn't help it, really ;)

I know today may not be the most aproppriate time for a fangirling post... but I just have this unsurmountable urge to squee.:D All because of this one amazing, wonderful guy:

He's all the way at the top of the Hollywood dream machine these days - and still, no trace of an inflated ego can be detected in his behavior. ( None whatsoever. )

Current Mood: calm

Entry tags:

this and that

So I went to work on Saturday. It felt extremely weird to be there, but, fortunately for my sanity, I wasn't the only one, and the three hours passed very quickly. I think I can handle it every once in a while.;)

Also, a quick culinary note to myself: after making a salad dressing that contains yogurt/mayonnaise etc. (AND lemon juice as well), it is REALLY a good idea to store it separately and only mix with the salad right before eating. Otherwise the salad just might get a little bit... less exciting the next day.;)
And while I'm on this topic, let me just say I'm NOT going to try any recipe that involves tofu ever again. Blargh. I might be slightly obsessed with eating healthy at the moment, but I do have my limits... lol. Plus, the mushrooms & the delicious Sichuan sauce (which, unfortunately, didn't impart any flavor to the tasteless, colorless lumps) would go just as well with chicken, I'm sure.:D

And while I'm here, let me recommend a sweet (despite being rather heavy on the angst) Asian/American movie called Ethan Mao. ( Read more... )

EDIT: I forgot to mention that yesterday my scale showed 134 lbs. That's the lowest since... I don't know, sometime around 2003 or 2004, I suppose. As well as almost 30 lbs down since last summer. Wow. Looks like I really did it. I am, in fact, genuinely impressed with myself - and let me tell you, that doesn't happen very often.:P

Current Mood: rushed

Entry tags:

news digest ;)

News Item No.1: Vacation problem solved. There is a Slashy Retreat in Texas in October (

texas_retreat). I almost forgot about it, then thought it was already too late to sign up... but it wasn't. All booked now, including the plane ticket. Definitely cheaper than the Yaoi Con in San Francisco would have been.:) Plus, I'll get to meet some famous ladies from the Adult_Viggo Yahoo!Group.:P

News Item No.2: I got the fingerprint notice for my citizenship application already. I only sent the application about three weeks ago. The website said you normally wait 9-12 months to hear back from them after they file your case. OMG WTF???... Unless I misunderstood the instructions and it meant that the waiting period starts AFTER they take your fingerprints. Since they apparently need them checked out by the FBI before they can process your application. You know, just in case you're a dangerous terrorist or something. *headshake*

News Item No.3: The boss wants me to do 3 hours of overtime each week in September - including this current week. ( And she tells me this on Wednesday. )