they know the rules but they don't know the game

If you haven't voted yet - do so! The polls are still open, you don't need your polling card, they shut at 10pm, it's going to be close.

Local polling station unusually busy but we shall see... Am all burned out after tweeting all day on election stuff - Sky News, BBC and ITV have teamed up for exit poll data from 10pm so that should be interesting. It's odd, I was excited for the USA election but when it's your own... bit more nerve-wracking, worrying, etc etc etc.

More importantly - Doctor Who! Am completely in love with Amy who is all kinds of fab and maybe, possibly, making me want to write again? Maybe. I had a very odd phrase pop into my head when I was watching a couple of weeks ago: When she was seven years old, Amy Pond was eaten. Don't ask me where it's going, I have no idea.

Other things... I visited the very pond that Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy dives into /what did you do on the Bank Holiday? I've read one very good book Anathem by Neal Stephenson which is huge and full of big, important scientific and philosophical ideas; one good book Spirit: The Princess of Bois Dormant by Gwyneth ones which is an SF reworking of The Count of Monte Cristo with female protagonists; and I'm plowing my way through And Another Thing: Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Part Six of Three by Eoin Colfer which is fairly tiresome and totally missing the original's fizz.

(I've read a ton of other stuff but nothing to scream about)

Who's going to be up later tonight watching the election results?

I'm feeling listy this morning.

1. I maintain that job applications are designed to make people not want to apply for the jobs. Grr arghh etc.

2. Supernatural has been confirmed for a sixth season. I am treating this news with caution, remembering what happened to BtVS and noting that swiv reported Eric Kripke described BtVS as a show that hit its stride post-season five. So we have a musical episode and people making out with Spike to look forward to. ::hands::

3. If genre television has taught us only one thing, it is this: Women are better at fighting demons than men. BtVS and Charmed are so far ahead of AtS and Supernatural that you don't even need to deputise The X Files as further proof. (also noteworthy? Sisters are better than brothers)

4. I'm having flashbacks to the beginning of the decade - totally, ridiculously adoring Christian Kane in Leverage. All the characters are unbelievably adorable though the plots aren't a patch on Hustle.

5. pure_bird is making her way through SPN series 3. This means I get a variety of amusing text messages while she's watching though it's hard to tell if she is, actually, behind the sofa.

6. I'm not sure how many of you are keeping up with Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley's offensive side project EvelynEvelyn but for those of you who are, Jason posted on his blog about it which I read last night and made me go more ragey. Like a lot of people, I took it completely at face value and had to have it explained to me by a very patient sunsetmog. She had to explain it twice because I totally failed to grasp that people would dress up as conjoined twins and fabricate a backstory involving the sexual abuse of children as what I assume will be defended as "performance art". Jason notes on his blog that "I’ve spent the past 36 hours doing almost nothing but thinking about this." Really. The past 36 hours. Just the past 36 hours? Wouldn't it have been a better idea to actually think about it and get people's advice and opinions before you started? Quite honestly, I've been totally turned off Amanda Palmer and everything she's ever done and, while it is totally unfair to paint Neil Gaiman by association, I'd be lying if I said I was competely at ease with his tacit approval of the project.

7. Bloody AC Milan. You can't trust them to do anything properly. Though Rio Ferdinand's form is looking shakier and shakier.

8. Do I need a Christian Kane tag? Hmm.

I'm siiiiiiiiiiiiccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

*sniffs*

*coughs*

*looks pathetic*

Which is particularly sad because I made banana muffins from a recipe that swiv gave me and they are amazing and magical and fabulous and I don't want to eat anything. //sadface

Saw the first two episodes of Caprica though I assume that there's a lot I'm missing from not having watched BSG.

In other news, this was a very football heavy weekend and I watched it all with the excuse that I was ill and therefore couldn't really do anything else. So, hooray for football! Obviously, we had the Liverpool derby (wtf up with people calling it the "Merseyside" derby? There's two sides to the Mersey, people, and football clubs on both sides) which was as bone-crunchingly good as usually. Only two red cards! Alright, if you want to watch great football, you don't tune into the Liverpool derby but if you want to watch passion, determination and people getting taken off on stretchers, you do. It's like a throwback to the English football of yore. Anyway, we had a lot of decisions go against us - apparently, it's fine to only nearly break someone's leg and kicking someone in the head is okay but heaven forbid you should attempt to get the ball while doing so. That's a red card offense. *rolls eyes* Mind you, I have not seen such a toothless Everton team since... the last time we beat them, which was the last time they lost. Bwahahahahahahaha. Really though, they were fucking hopeless.

What else? Oh, Wolves were unlucky because they were by far the better side. Man United only put five past Portsmouth - not as impressive as it sounds by any stretch of the imagination and they might have needed to improve their goal difference more than that by the end of the season. And Chelsea and Arsenal. Wow. If I was an Arsenal fan, I'd be furious. They played exactly the same way they did against Man United - defending far too high and unable to penetrate the United defence - and then did the same against Chelsea who might reasonably be expected to line up in a very similar way though with the added bonus of having a midfield with legs. I give Arsenal credit for their tenacity and attitude and they just didn't give up but there is no earthly use having all the possession if you're not going to do anything with it. Arsenal play us on Wednesday and they could beat us for much the reasons why we tend to beat United. I wonder if the Arsenal team watched the derby. Would you want to watch those tackles and then play a Liverpool side who won with ten men for 55 mins?

If Arsenal lose to Liverpool, there's only two points between third and fourth.

Which really only leaves one thing left which is the removal of John Terry as England captain. I would be surprised if Ferdinand is fit enough to go to the World Cup. He's had so many back problems he might not even be fit enough to be picked. So can we assume that Steven Gerrard will be the default captain with Wayne Rooney backing him up? Aww, two Liverpool lads done good.

ETA: OMFG My Bloody Valentine is exactly as bad as everyone said it was.

Alright, alright, I am here, I just keep writing these long, involved posts which inevitably get far too personal to post anywhere. So.

I just about missed out on having to drive in the snow when we had unexpectedly flurries on Friday which was a huge relief. (it's all fun and games until you're driving a KA)

I have a *stack* of books to read. Really, it's ridiculous - especially as I keep reading the same ones over and over again.

I'm doing this course which is essentially a business module aimed at graduates who want to improve their chances of getting a job and since trying to get into academia is more difficult than... a really difficult thing (not helped by the fact that my publication list is low because my papers are sitting tied up in potential books). The course has been... well, extremely intensive (it's full days rather than a lecture/seminar a week) and we're in groups for peer support and there's a guy in my group who DRIVES ME ROUND THE BLOODY BEND. Ugh. Right, right, I don't look my age, not even close (most people seem to consistently shave six or seven years off) but I HATE being patronised. Really, really hate it. And when my group got onto talking about Lotr, I didn't appreciate him telling the group what my opinion on it was. And I would like to think that having written over 100,000 words on Lotr in four years at doctoral level, I understand it a little better than someone who wrote 8,000 words in a semester for an undergraduate dissertation (which, frankly, couldn't have been that good or his degree classification would have been better. For the record, I got a first in my undergrad dissertation). UGH. Men in their early twenties, yuck. (actually, not fair, L is also in his early twenties and in my group and he and I clicked like anything so figure that one out).

Other things: the football results are no longer making me cry and rock in a corner so that's good. Though wtf is up with Gerrard. He must be carrying an injury.

Not been watching Being Human. Not consciously not watching it, I loved the first series, but just... wasn't interested. Have been having headaches though and I never want to be bothered with television when my head is bad. Though books are still fine. ::hands::

The John Terry thing. Well, honestly, it's a mess of England's making. He's consistently behaved in a manner unbecoming to the position of England captain so the FA have only themselves to blame. And when you've whored yourself and your family around in the public eye for endorsements and money, you yourself have blurred the line between publicity and privacy. Can't blame a judge for pointing that out. The real victims here are Terry's wife - and my heart really does go out to her because he's humiliated her internationally - and his children, and Wayne Bridge and his son. I see that several City players - though not the perennial fence sitter Gareth Barry - wore "Team Bridge" shirts at the weekend. It is unreasonable to ask Bridge to be led by a man he counted as a good friend and who repaid that friendship by betraying him so badly.

Perhaps footballers have always behaved badly. Perhaps they always will. But in that weird, high-pressure glass bubble that is the highest tier of the professional game, there are some things which are still sacrosanct. Your mate's family is one of them.

I cannot believe that it has been five weeks since I last posted here. Wow. I've been around, though, honestly.

So what's new? Got what is possibly the greatest ever Christmas card from dave_unhinged, had a couple of weeks temping back where I used to work which was vast amounts of fun (no, no sarcasm, it was brilliant) bought some lush knee high boots, hung out with pure_bird a lot, failed at petrol stations, shopped my CV around, went to a careers meeting - and an eighties themed birthday party (not the same event) and read a lot of books (no change there).

I am radiating smug, having just come back from the very last of the Christmas food shopping - though it has not been lost on me that I've been up all this week at exactly the same time as I would get up for work. Despite weather reports of terrible driving conditions, actually it's been fine. Wet roads, sure, but not icy and, okay, yes, we've got fog but we had it all last week too so no difference there. I'm gently warming up and someone else is unpacking the food. Bliss!

Must remember to wrap pure_bird's present before she comes round later. Though I have no idea when she's coming around. That might be something worth checking out. Hmm.

Have totally lost the plot re: tv. So am behind with Flashforward, SGU and NCIS. Oh! Neil Gaiman's silent film is on Sky One at 10 tomorrow night so don't forget.

<3

Dear Daily Mail,

Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP.

[edited for a new googledoc link to the article. Deny the Daily Mail hits]

Healthy and fit 33-year-old men do not just climb into their pyjamas and go to sleep on the sofa, never to wake up again... Whatever the cause of death is, it is not, by any yardstick, a natural one. Let us be absolutely clear about this. All that has been established so far is that Stephen Gately was not murdered.

And I think if we are going to be honest, we would have to admit that the circumstances surrounding his death are more than a little sleazy... Another real sadness about Gately's death is that it strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships.

Gay activists are always calling for tolerance and understanding about same-sex relationships, arguing that they are just the same as heterosexual marriages. Not everyone, they say, is like George Michael.

Of course, in many cases this may be true. Yet the recent death of Kevin McGee, the former husband of Little Britain star Matt Lucas, and now the dubious events of Gately's last night raise troubling questions about what happened.

It is important that the truth comes out about the exact circumstances of his strange and lonely death.

As a gay rights champion, I am sure he would want to set an example to any impressionable young men who may want to emulate what they might see as his glamorous routine.


There is so much wrong with that article I don't even know where to start and in any case, I am so angry I have to go and do something else because otherwise I'm going to break something.

ETA: The Press Complaints Commission servers are struggling to cope - next step, the advertisers.

ETA 2: Derren Brown has helpfully put on his Twitter where Moir's article breaks the Code of Practice

ETA 3: c&p from the Facebook page.

Advertisers BT Broadband and National Express coaches (press edition) and online advertisers Procter and Gamble (Pantene, Fair Non Bio Gel), M&S, Jean-Patrique Knives, ScienceandMaths.net, Clinique, Kodak, Nescafe and Enjoy England should be made aware of the hateful content that their brands have been placed to.

If you want to contact an advertiser whose brand communication has been placed next to this hateful content and alert them contact details are publicly listed as follows. Advertisers do not have advanced knowlege of the content of Mail columns, but they or their media buying departments can contact the Mail and let them know if they are unhappy with how their adverts have been placed and the content they are placed next to.

Sometimes you get so crammed full of WTF moments that it's impossible to write an LJ post because they all come tumbling out at once and in no order and then you just forget all the best ones.

Though I do think that everyone has taken a big spoonful of crazy with their breakfast lately - Dannii Minogue I'm looking at you. I rarely, rarely watch things like the X Factor so it's just bloody typical that something like this happens when I'm watching. And obviously it's dominating all the reporting which is also irritating. (I actually wanted to write about how different Simon Cowell is with Dermot O'Leary compared to Ryan Seacrest but then Dermot is more adorable than an adorable thing and Ryan Seacrest looked like he wanted to use his microphone to beat people to death during most of last year's American Idol).

Oh! Oh! Other people who borrowed the crazy spoon - Alex Ferguson claims that referee Alan Wiley isn't fit enough to referee at Premier League standard despite Wiley being no further than 17m from the ball at all times and out running SEVEN Manchester United players. Usually you see a story involving Fergie and generally the punishment is extremely soft but this time he's in trouble with the trade union. I hope he thinks that making this the story rather than Ben Foster's WOEFUL display is worth it. Though I'd love to know who he thinks he's kidding - no one who watched the match for example.

Absolutely LOVING Flashforward, I just adore everything about it. There aren't many tv shows that look like films but so far every week I've been just blown away by the quality of the shots. Also: 5'8" LOL. And saw the new ep of Bones last night and can I just say that David Boreanaz needs to not shave regularly. Guh stubble. And jeans. I'LL BE IN MY BUNK.

(I'm so nostalgic at the moment. First Christian Kane, now David Boreanaz. I'll be listening to Nsync again before we know where we are...)

You know, I'm sure that my entries were interesting and funny instead of what happens when my brain sloshes all over the keyboard.*

Oh! I saw Up and it is ridiculously charming and lovely and you must all go and see it. *nods*

And finally: Stephen Gately. Absolutely stunned and very sad. Thirty-three is incredibly young and he was such a lovely person.


ETA: OMG HOW BAD IS CHERYL COLE'S SINGLE? BRB LAUGHING FOREVER.

* Glancing back through my LJ I can see that this is not, in fact, the case. SADFACE

I must be mad...

Everything Is Illuminated. Lotrips. Billy/Dom.

I started writing this a very long time ago. It was the last Lotrips I finished writing and periodically over the last couple of years, I've tweaked it and done tiny editing here and there. It was not an easy write - when I started it, there was very little being written about character bleed - but there's a lot in it that I'm proud of.

It was written for sunsetmog's birthday several years ago and txvoodoo convinced me to post it. So blame them. <3

1: is the number of drinks I had last night with pure_bird that has somehow resulted in my feeling like hell on sticks today. Meh. May have sinusitis again. Cate's car still extremely shiny and beautiful despite now being a year old.

2: members of Panic! At the Disco, whose new single "New Perspective" is available as a free download from Coke's Myspace. Google alerts - not just for football. Also 2 related to the tragic deaths of Patrick Swayze after battling pancreatic cancer and chef Keith Floyd following a heart attack.

3: are the sandwiches that my mother left at home instead of taking to work. Ugh, my mother puts SALAD CREAM on PASTRAMI. How is it possible that we're related?

4: is the number of goals that Liverpool put past Burnley and Manchester City put past Arsenal on Saturday.

5: is the number of fandoms I'm currently writing in and

6: is the number of WIPs I have on the go. SOMEONE MAKE ME FINISH THESE FFS.

I HAVE NO COMPUTER. YES, I AM TRANSFERRING THIS DIRECTLY ONTO THE INTERNET USING ONLY THE POWER OF MY BRAIN.

Hah. No.

My irritating, Spencer Smith-loving laptop has gone back to PC World (I KNOW - it was a PRESENT what can you do?) in the hopes that its ghastly tendency to overheat will be cured. In the meantime, I am computerless. This is a very distressing situation to be in given that I have had a computer for MORE THAN HALF MY LIFE. See? I can make CAPSLOCK with my brain.

*bravely chokes back sobs*

In other news, I went to Edinburgh and took a rubbishgroupie with me and collected a swiv while I was there and got to meet a Gneil while I was there. Which was awesome. Also bought books, went on a ghost tour, got rained on in the castle, found the Scottish honours and got swarmed at the Fringe. Packed a lot into a very short time and I have pics. Somewhere.

V. V. disappointed with the end of the transfer window. No one got kidnapped this year...


ETA: AND NOW GMAIL IS BROKEN! WILL IT NEVER END!?!?!?!??????