Continental Drift

Let's see if I can also post... I think I'll leave making a picspam post to whenever LJ is working properly again, especially as I haven't got any picspam prepared yet. So here's just a short(ish) overview of what I've been up to. (Erm, yes, depending on one's definition of short(ish).)

DiaCon Alley: great fun! Met up with ayerf at the Liverpool Street train station upon my arrival to London; we headed straight over to St Pancras from there and off to Canterbury.

( Cut to spare the f-list from all the blabbering. )

The trip was absolutely wonderful, but now I'm exhausted. Didn't do anything yesterday, and now it seems I've picked up a cold somewhere - very sore throat today and slight fever - so I don't think I'll want to go out today, either.

At least I do have stuff to do at home - will have to start betaing ayerf's sshg_exchange fic, the first chapter of which is already in my greedy paws. I'm so glad I got mine handed in before the trip - don't think I'd have the energy to deal with it now. (Also, that meant that I didn't have to be too scared of Shiv when meeting her. The Eye of Shiv is intimidating enough when turned at Other People.)

Right, glad I've saved this as the dozens of attempts at posting all day long haven't worked... *eyes LJ threateningly*

(Note: posting this to DW now instead, just so I wouldn't lose it. I doubt the crossposting to LJ will work either, but we'll see.)

Went for a short walk in Kadriorg yesterday after work with mum, who brought my camera along - still with the macro lens attached.

I have to admit that while I wouldn't pick it as the walk-along lens to bring with me on a holiday, I'm starting to enjoy the rather odd fixed focal length (135mm equivalent - imagine the field of view sort of stuck on the 4x zoom point for compact cameras), as it both limits what I can shoot but also makes me look around more for targets suited to that field of view. And it's a very, very fine lens - I'm really loving the colours and the sharpness.

( Cut for pics. Birds, random people, water, etc. )

Am hoping to get some quality reading time at last this weekend. Last week was pretty bad work-wise - started getting a bit dizzy too often, so I tried to limit my computer time at home, sticking to LJ and reading news and such instead of lengthier things.

Am also seriously considering the SSHG exchange. Damn scared, but too tempted. And I've even managed to think of some prompts, which I fear suck, but ... maybe I'll still come up with better ones, too. Just worried that the muses & plot bunnies will not be cooperative, but on the other hand... I should manage something short at least, surely? And I was really tempted to join the last time already, when I'd not even written anything at all yet, so I'm thinking I'd end up regretting it too much if I didn't this time.

Happy birthday to shiv5468! I hope you have a fabulous day.

In your honour, a tiny little plot bunny decided to show up, and gave me this.

( A fluffy ficlet for Shiv. )

Have been feeling better today after the utterly pointless yesterday, so I let mum drag me out. Didn't go anywhere in particular, just walked around central town a bit, mostly behind and around the national library & a little bit in the old town, and then did some much-needed grocery shopping.

( 13 pics behind the cut. )

Watched the introductory round of the Estonian Eurovision Song Contest final last night... bleh. Hasn't been this dull and uninspiring in ages. It's not that most of the songs were awful as such, it's mostly that I had forgotten all about them 2 seconds into the next one. The only one I semi-liked and which has been growing on me (and which thus probably has no chance of being voted winner) was this one: Ice Cold Story.

Right. Need to go and read (and review) some exchange fic now! I'm feeling a bit bad about being so behind, but I've been just mentally too tired in general lately to read more than one fic a day most of the time... if I did, I just wouldn't get much enjoyment out of them.

Still not feeling too great, but nothing like yesterday - nose still blocked (and sore from yesterday, although I put plenty of cream on it last night - which burned like hell, but was worth it) and throat could be a bit less sore, but in general, I'm hopeful it'll have passed by tomorrow.

( Speed typing meme. )

( Pirate name meme. )

Also got a few more random London pics uploaded, so here they are.

( Eight London pics. )

I've actually managed to make a tiny start in catching up with all the reading... although I've only managed to read a few of the shorter exchange fics so far. Should get myself some tea and get on with it.

Yay - snow at last! We had an entirely snow-free October this year, which was just odd - usually there are at least some mild snow showers.

Not that I expect it to stay, but it's rather pretty right now.

( One snow picture and kitty picspam behind the cut. )

Spent hours trying to come up with nominations for the sshg_awards - that was so hard! Remembering all my old favourites, then actually finding them all for the links and for checking the publishing dates, and then deciding on the categories, which was just... I kept wanting to have at least four categories for each story. And then I came up with 30 stories all in all or so, and after posting remembered that there were still a few more I'd have wanted to nominate. I can't nominate absolutely everything old I've ever liked though, can I?

Hmpf. Need to finish my coffee before it gets cold, and then consider going out... might be fun. Might be cold and wet, too. *ponders*