the wrong end of the telescope

So it's September. School starts today (English for Academic Research--yes, it's a mandatory course), I turn 25 in 10 days (this feels less daunting than it did last week, which is nice), and my cat has decided to make up for the malfunctioning heater in my room by lying on my feet. Things are--I don't know, I like life today. I've edited someone else's story (♥), I've eaten a stellar breakfast consisting of unsweetened yoghurt, shredded apples, cereal and lemon zest, and made a chicken sandwich from last night's leftovers.

Also, last night I made Dimply Plum Cake from the plums my grandmother brought over. As much as the end of summer is a little sad, the fact that fall means harvest makes up for a hell of a lot.

( of course, my version of the cake is a little less pretty )

Tonight I went for a walk with dad, about an hour before the sunset. People were playing soccer and volleyball on the field near where we live, and the all-girl team was winning the volleyball game (much like it seems the only serious contenders in the Way-family croquet match was Alicia and Lyn-Z).

We crossed the road and sat down on the cliff, watching as the light settled over the grass and the skyline. Like being in a city and not, at once.

Then we saw hot-air balloons. Four of them, to be exact. They were coming closer, hovering over the trees, and it was beautiful, absolutely stunning. But what was initially looking like a gorgeous sunset, complete with balloons (like a movie), turned into a comedy of errors pretty soon, with some pretty scary moments.

( feels like flying )

Now, I'm waiting for the joint aches to subside (modern medicine is sometimes marvelous) and looking at the dark outside. We can't see the stars, yet, but the closer we get to winter, the clearer they'll become.

I'd steal the death match meme, except I'm feeling sweet and cozy tonight. I'd rather talk about cuddling.

If you feel like it, give me two characters, bandom (MCR or MSI), DCU (Birds of Prey, the Bats (especially the ladies)), and Buffy, and I'll tell you about them cuddling. Wacky crossovers are totally okay, though please don't give me Bob and Batman.

I walked home under a moon that hung so low it looked like it was leaning against the treetops. Dinner tonight was with my friend Hope, an American editor who is--oh, I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to talk to her. It's intense--we share deeply personal stories and problems and listen, really listen to each other, and god, it makes me feel cleaner and lighter and like I can walk tall, no problem, right into the fucking sky.

On that note, I love:

new moons and full moons and falling stars; the ocean, the ocean (home, home, home); wood anemones; kittens; cuddling; shakespeare and stoppard and both the dylans; oak trees (especially the one near our apartment that is split so I can fit into its trunk); kitty; bravery; stubborn bitches; words and sounds and rhythm and vowels; werewolves; novels about any kind of magic; the light in the summer; music (that word holds a whole universe for me); kissing; vienna teng's voice; the world (no, really); and you, yeah, you. ♥

I have returned from the cottage of sunshine, sea, and weeding. It was a good time, for sure, and I'm feeling lots better--I'm down to a sore throat that just won't go away, but other than that things are great. I've been poking at all the prompts and enjoying myself a lot (I should have said you shouldn't expect them right away), so thank you all for those!

Sweden continues to be super-sunny, and there's really no way to explain how stunning that makes Stockholm, so I won't try. Suffice to say that it makes me happy, even if it's really too hot for me (think delicate wilting flower and you have a pretty clear picture of what I'm like in the heat).

Lastly, that picture of Lyn-Z and AFP just made my MONTH.

*waves sheepishly* I've emerged from my post-paper fog and am attempting this posting-with-actual-content again. If by content you mean babble.

I turned in my paper Friday afternoon, and that's it--no more edits, no more revisions, no takebacks, oh my god, I'm DONE. Then I came home and got really tired, really fast. So the weekend was spent in a daze, reading fic (so many good stories you guys, SO MANY), poking at original poetry and my big bang, having some chat conversations with people in which I could notice myself flitting from topic to topic but was too tired to stop it and figure out how to have a real conversation (sorry, those of you who've been talking to me; I'm not quite myself yet), answered some emails and comments (am still behind--if you're waiting for something, I'm getting to it, promise)...I'm a little more awake now, but not much.

I also spent most of yesterday at the cottage. Mostly I sat inside, watching the rain and reading, but I took a walk and watched the sea, gray with rain and wind. That was--it was a good reminder how tiny I really am. I love the ocean, I've loved it since I first saw it (my mother used to joke that I was a mermaid in a former life), and I just needed to stand on the beach and get soaked by rain and watch the water move for a while.

Lastly--getting an LJ in February was the best idea ever. I couldn't have pulled off this paper thing or this big bang fic thing without you guys. Some people deserve special thanks, and they've gotten them or they're getting them soon, but consider this a general I'm-so-fucking-grateful-you-exist, okay? Yeah, that means you. And you, too. ♥

ETA: I said actual content. Do questions count? You should tell me something good, big or small, that happened to you during the past two weeks or so. Or tell me what needs to exist where you live--independent book stores or oceans or trees or cats.

Word count: 20014 words.
State of first draft: done.
Number of words that will be added after betas get done yelling at me for underwriting: 5000? or something?
Number of scenes that are a sentence instead of half a page: only one!

Mostly, though: DONE. FIRST DRAFT IS DONE.

For the weekend, at least. At the cottage, the only internet access I get is pirated wireless in the grocery store parking lot half an hour away from the house. Email me if the sky is falling; I might get it in time to get the fuck under cover. (homeless dot sky at gmail dot com.) I am bringing an excellent story (you are all jealous of me and don't know it), my own big bang, and *gulp* my mini-thesis.