I'm at the ferry docks on Vancouver Island with coltsbane. We left kimerakincaid behind in Victoria because she had an exam or something silly like that. ;)

It's a pretty day here so expect to be innundated with ferry crossing photos at some point.

But really the point of this post is to do that meme that's goin' round.

Comment to this post, and I'll tell you one reason I think you're spectacular. Then repost in your own journal (if you want) and share the love.

If you're on my flist, I feel you're awesome so feel free to comment. I probably won't get to reply until tonight, but I shall do it.

I'm safely in Victoria for another night before we head back to Vancouver tomorrow then up to Whistler for the weekend.  I have pictures galore and stories of wacky hijinks to share, but for now my brain is only aware enough for a meme.

( That RP meme that's been going around )

We find ourselves in Marathon, ON tonight.  Specifically in the Travelodge in that fair town where we are apparently the only guests tonight.  I am just mentioning this in case I am never heard from again.  Look there.  Total horror movie scenario.

Like the subject says, yes.

It's been an eventful, awesome, and fully insane just under first two weeks of the year, and updating has sadly been scare.  Been taking a lot of pictures though because that's the important part.  :D  The other important part is that I've been reading everyone's posts and sending prayers and happy thoughts and hugs and congratulations to be distributed as needed because I haven't been commenting too much due to time constraints.

I still have coltsbane  with me because I'm keeping her forever and not letting Australia have her back.  I haven't told her that yet.  It'll be a fun surprise.  We started the New Year at the cottage of sirgarrett and jennisis as I said in my last post.  There were fireworks over the ski slopes and a skiing parade of torches (well, flares) to rock in 2010 then a long and awesome day of skiing wherein coltsbane learned how to ski and fall down blue routes (much like how I ski). 

( Cut because this got long... )

Now?  We're in Thunder Bay, baby.  Why?  Because, like I told the Customs dude, we like hockey, and Thunder Bay is hockey land.  Which we celebrated by watching the Wild/Canucks game at Boston Pizza.  Sadly the Wild won.  Bastards.  And we're not talking about the Wings game on Tuesday.  Just - not.

And now I sleep.  Tomorrow there may be pictures because I think I have some fun ones, but I've babbled on enough and watched an entire documentary on the rivalry between the US and Canadian women's hockey teams.  Women's hockey is awesome, and I want both of them to win, dammit.

Happy new year everyone! I'm in snowy northern MI with coltsbane, jennisis, and sirgarrett, and it is excellent.

Wishing the best to you and yours in 2010. (And may it be better that 2009!)

Yeah, seriously, I've had no motivation at all to get stuff that I need to done over the last few days.  Partially because I've been catching up on things like Glee and Top Chef and rewatching all three Lord of the Rings movies and generally being totally lazy.  Bad, not good.  Bad.

So the to do list for the next few days, right-o.
( List! )

Suddenly, it doesn't look so bad when it's put up like that.  *makes note*

What we have below is a selection of pictures from the Quebec Roadtrip that coltsbane  and I wandered off on last week.  Since I didn't get so much of a chance to talk about it at the time due to exhaustion and running around during other things, I figured I'd post some pictures now if you guys wanted to see what we were up to!

( Pittsburgh. The Evil. )

And then we drove up to Niagara Falls!  Because it's mostly on the way, and the Australian had not yet seen it.  She kept commenting that "that's a FUCK TON of water."  Which, you know, yeah.

( Niagara Falls in December! )

Which actually worked out really well...for reasons you shall see tomorrow.  *adds suspense*

But the Red Wings are on a bit of a winning streak. If you can call it a winning streak when 2/3ds of those games were won in OT (thank you, Bertuzzi) and when another two players are down with injuries. I haven't checked the Wings blogs yet today because I cringe to see what the reports on Helm and Ericsson are. It's so sad to be hoping for 'just a short-term' injury.

Seriously. Right now it's Franzen, Kronwall, Filppula, Williams, Cleary, Helm, and Ericsson. Five top forwards. One top four defensemen and one young d-man who drives me crazy but is developing nicely. It's just - wow. If you hadn't been following hockey (and I realise like maaaybe 3 of you are), the goals for the WIngs last night came from completely unfamiliar names - Newbury, Eaves, Meech. Yeah. Eaves looked good centering the second line though, and Newbury definitely was out to make an impact in his first game with the Wings.

I watched the game in a sports bar. With my laptop because my internets went down unexplainably, and I didn't feel like dealing with tech support. The server though I was insane, but whatever. It was awesome.

It's been a while! I've been online, but updating Twitter/Facebook way more often. It's the lure of 140 characters, yo.

I dropped coltsbane off at the airport this morning so it's terribly quiet in my apartment. Chavez is very confused. She is one odd cat. Chavez. Not coltsbane . Really.

And I'm watching My Sister's Keeper even though it's really quite terrible and just as emotionally manipulative as the book. Which is saying something really. My watching this movie has nothing to do with the fact that Thomas Dekker is in it. >.> But I got Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as a chaser for the terribleness so that's something to look forward too.

The past week has been insane and awesome and full of crazyness. We drove down to Pittsburgh for a brief stopover then up to Niagara Falls for a walk into Canada and back and finally up and over to Montreal for a few days and a Habs game and a freaking massive winter storm. That was fun to drive through. The best part of driving may have been the below picture. (Don't worry, coltsbane took it)

( Cut like a Cut Thing. )

I'm crazy behind on the Days of December meme, and I totally will catch up, but perhaps not right this second. For I have bad movies to watch and lasagne to eat and Yuletide and apps to write. Also a tree to put up and omg lots of stuff.

( The List )

Day 08 -- A photo that makes you angry/sad

I'm going to put this picture behind a cut because it might be terribly disturbing to children and other sensitive people.
( Careful! )

In other news, my passport came today through Fed Ex, and I am SO RELIEVED.

( The List )

Day 6 - Whatever tickles your fancy.

Well.
( I'll bear his T.J Oshie Hamm )

Day 7 - A Photo that makes you happy.

( Sometimes I am le predictable )

Red Wings Update:
The Wings got done with the weekend with three out of four points so I'm pretty happy with that. Didn't get to see the Rangers game last night due to awesome socializing, but seeing Pavs and Lidas get on the board (well, Lidstrom got two assists) was nice. Keep stepping it up, guys. Howard's looking nice too. He's still making rookie mistakes, but I like the intensity and bouncing back from a few hard breaks.

Now if they just hadn't lost to the Oilers last week, I'd consider it a good hockey week.

In the non-Wings news, Montreal game on Thursday. Way too damn excited.

( The List! )

Day 4 - Your favourite book

So, so too hard. Picking my favourite book is like picking my favourite season. It's just unpossible. BUT because I told lyricaldiscord that she had to, I shall try.

Truly probably my favourite book ever is Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain. I know I've talked about it before on this LJ and probably in person if I've buttonholed you about it, but it's an insanely beautiful diary covering from about 1910-1925 from the perspective of a young girl from the upper middle class in Britain. She begins by fighting her family to allow her to go up to Oxford and takes us through World War I as she works as a VAD in London and overseas, writes with her brother and fiance and loses almost everything. I love it so much.

Also up there is Pamela Dean's Tam Lin (all due to padawansguide 's insistence that I MUST read it), Alexei Panshin's Rite of Passage, Persuasion by Jane Austen, and Zola's Germinal.

Then we could talk about the childhood favourites that still are some of my best reads today: Anne of Green Gables, the Little House books, the Drina books, Dark is Rising sequence, Ballet Shoes and all the Shoes books, the Lioness Quartet (and associated Tortall books). Harry Potter (which okay, started when I was in college but whatever), the President's Daughter books, Half-Magic, Five Children and It, and omg way too many more.

...Are we done now? I think we might be.

Day 5 - Your favourite quote.

This meme is mean. I used to collect quotes but luckily much of my collection is on my desktop, and I'm lazy so!

One cannot weep for the entire world, it is beyond human strength. One must choose.
~The Lark, Jean Anouilh

To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows. It's easy to say no, even if it means dying.
~Antigone, Jean Anouilh

I have a thing for Anouilh, yes.

And, of course, the quote that's on my profile page:

O worthy fool! One that hath been a courtier,
And says, if ladies be but young and fair,
They have the gift to know it: and in his brain,
Which is as dry as the remainder biscuit
After a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd
With observation, the which he vents
In mangled forms. O that I were a fool!
I am ambitious for a motley coat.
~Jaques, As You Like It Act 2, Scene 7

As stolen from crazylike_afox , the 30 Days of December (even though there are 31 days in December wtf). And since I'm starting late, you're getting three days in one. Actually given that there will be bouncing around for much of December, I am guessing this will be more like every few days. Still! It sounds like fun! And I need something else to procrastinate with.

( The List! )

Day 1 - My favourite song

( Or songs )

Day 2 - My favourite movie.

( Again in the plural )

Day 3 - My favourite TV show.

( or yeah, totally just one this time. Really. )

Long post is long, and I should be answering the BORG meme questions (which I will do a bit later) but for now I end with a hearty GO RED WINGS. They're playing the Oilers tonight, and God knows, that's the type of game they do love to blow. First game in the NHL for Kindl though. Let's see what our baby defenseman does.

It is the first Sunday in Advent, and I have listened to Christmas carols and made snickerdoodles. I am feeling properly Christmassy. Also Christmassy (like that transition?) are Christmas cards! I have tons this year so if you would like one (and if you are on my flist, I want to send you one), leave me your address in this post and I will write them and send them out and there will be holiday joy in your mailbox soon!

Thanksgiving was all kinds of awesome at House anomilygrace. There weren't the masses of people we usually experience for Thanksgiving, but we did have a coltsbane to experience her first American Thanksgiving (muahahaha, holidays based on FOOD) and turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and apples, cranberry sauce, rolls, spinach and garlic, watergate salad and pumpkin pie. There was a lot of eatin' and then a lot of turkey carcass soup made the next day. Now I have two big bottles of turkey carcass soup (my mom's husband canned it) in my cupboard and it makes me oh-so-happy.

We spent a bit of time on the beach at Lake Michigan though it was cold to an Australian (hee! *mocks*) so we didn't walk too far. HOWEVER it FINALLY snowed while we were there, and I finally got to stop bitching about a lack of snow this fall.

Other than that, the Red Wings finally won (in a shootout!) Saturday night after being shut out TWICE in a row. Watching them score that first goal to break the shut out streak was wonderful. It was a pretty one too. I really need to get myself started on my Yuletide story, and there should be moar ice skating.

Hello dear Yuletide writer!

First of all, I totally adore you already for offering to write in these fandoms. I hope this Yuletide is absolutely wonderful for you and nothing in my list stresses you out. If it does? Do what makes you happy.

I have a major love for familial - especially sibling - relationships in fiction and fic which is pretty obvious as, um, every single one of the my requests has siblings involved. I have no idea. That said, it's pretty obvious that I am totally okay with gen. :D If you'd prefer to write something shippy, that's fine with me too though I am not really good with incest (unless it's the Pevensies every so often and Narnia isn't available this year) :D

I love family interactions, traditions, the little things that bind families together. I like character exploration and mockery and snark, and I like characters that like each other, that strengthen each other just by virtue of their presence and support. I (um, rather obviously) don't insist on anything crazy plotty though if that is inspiring you, I totally enjoy that too.

Bittersweet but hopeful is my absolute favourite tone but I am totally okay with fluff or something darker (especially in the fandoms that that makes the most sense for).



I hope I'm not so vague you're pulling your hair out right about, but seriously, I adore these characters and universes and just the fact that someone is thinking of writing about them for me is making me happy already.

Here, have some cake.

Thank you so, so, so much

~Emily

My words aren't eloquent enough to speak of those who died and those who lived, and so, as with every year, I turn to poetry.

In Flanders Fields
~John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

( Does It Matter? )

( Lamplight )

( Aftermath )
( MCMXIV )

Anthem for a Doomed Youth
~Wilfred Owen

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
--Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries for them from prayers or bells,
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,-
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of silent minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

Hedauville, November 1915
~R.A. Leighton

The sunshine on the long white road
That ribboned down the hill,
The velvet clematis that clung
Around your window-sill,
Are waiting for you still.

Again the shadowed pool shall break
In dimples round your feet,
And when the thrush sings in your wood,
Unknowing you may meet
Another stranger, Sweet.

And if he is not quite so old
As the boy you used to know,
And less proud, too, and worthier,
You may not let him go --
(And daisies are truer than passion-flowers)
It will be better so

They inducted Steve Yzerman into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight.  I don't really have a lot of words that haven't already been said about this.  He's The Captain.  He's the heart of the Red Wings and the greatest leader in sports and every time I see that C on the ice, I expect to see number 19 on the sweater.

I technically watched hockey before Steve Yzerman played for the Wings, but hell if I remember any of that pre-kindergarten watching.  I remember my dad loving him and telling me to watch his game.  I remember hating the people who called him snake-bit through the early 90s, and I remember absolutely crying as I watched him lift the Stanley Cup in 1997.  And 1998.  And 2002.  I remember watching in awe as he played through pain that would cripple most grown men, watching as he led his team, his collection of superstars,with grace and humility and dedication, watching as he chose to retire because he didn't want to be a part-time player and crying as he walked off the ice for the last time wearing #19.

Therefore I picspam.  Because I love.



This is how a superstar acts in Detroit.  Humble, gracious, acknowledging the fans, and playing with more heart than should be humanly possible.
( Lots and Lots More Pictures )



Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Steve Yzerman.

(Entry title brought to you by the utterly adorable Pavel Datsyuk.)

So the good news is I talked to my brother last night, and he and his wife are not announcing an impending arrival over Facebook.  Instead they're buying a house!  It has a pool and the house next door is bright blue.  These are the only two things I know about said house.  This speaks directly to my brother's sense of what's important.

Wings are up by 2-0 with 3 minutes to go in the third period.  So far they have remembered to play all 60 minutes and I am CRAZY proud of them for it.  Even with Rafalski and Ericsson out, the D is looking good, and Datsyuk's being the freakin' man by getting both assists first to Zetterberg then to Holmstrom.  (Random fact?  Homer has now scored on every NHL team.  COLLECT THE WHOLE SET, you crazy Swede.)

Last night of the week for me at work.  Not really looking forward to it.  One of the girls at work has decided I'm teaching her how to knit tonight.  Which - I wouldn't really mind except that a) she didn't actually ask and b) she annoys the crap out of me.

WINGS WIN IT.  Ozzie gets his 50th career shutout, and I relax after 2.5 hours of watching terror.  There shouldn't be this much tension over a game in early November, but there it is.

I find myself eyeing Facebook suspiciously this morning. 

My sister-in-law is posting cryptic things about how she and my brother have "big news" for those who don't already know it.  She also is posting about how she has shortened work weeks the rest of the month.

Thus I suspect one of two things.  She and my brother are somehow managing to make it out here for Thanksgiving again (which would be YAY but I doubt cause three trips + their wedding in a year is a lot) OR she is pregnant (also YAY but...).

Let me tell you how pissed I will be if I find out my brother and his wife are going to have a baby on FACEBOOK.  

DO NOT MESS WITH THE WRATH OF THE AUNT-TO-BE.  


 

Well, it is November (Rabbit Rabbit!) and thus the siren call of NaNoWriMo does again try to convince me that I ought to try it.

But I know how that tale ends.  I try, I fail, my brain goes pzzt over a whole bunch of not managing to to write 50,000 words in a month.  Which, you know, is reasonable cause all y'all who succeed are insane.  :D

Let's see, Friday Night Lights is back which thrills me to the tip of my tippy toes.  I love the way they managed the reset, I love our boys, and I continue to love Coach and Mrs. Coach and her kickass awesomeness.  Um, Offense, yeah, that's what they want.  <3  I can't wait for the next episode which I might even manage to talk about on time. 

The Wings managed to win one straight out last night which makes me wonder if I'm their little bad luck charm.  They played the Flames at home so the game wasn't until 10pm EST which meant I didn't watch a bit of it due to workiness.  Last game I didn't watch was against the Canucks last Tuesday.  They won that one too but managed to go down 4-0 against the Oilers of all teams on Thursday night when I watching.  IDEK, guys.  I could try to not watch on Tuesday and test the theory but screw that.  They'll have to learn how to cope.

Also how to play 60 full minutes and keep the forechecking strong and actually play defense, Lebda.

I'm going to try to do that whole 'modifying' NaNo that seems so popular this year because I am nothing if not a follower.  I'm going to sign up for Yuletide this year (*FLAIL*) so I'll try to possibly strengthen those writing muscles a bit by writing at least something everyday.  Yeah, I doubt any of it will get posted because um, hi, have you met me and my flailiness, but it's worth a shot and maybe I'll be able to then attack Yuletide and manage to succeed without coltsbane having to physically force me to write while she's here (UNDER THREE WEEKS EEE)

This post has been brought to you by random thoughts.  Also working tonight and skipping church on All Saints due to sleep and insanity.  Oops.