Scarlettgirl in Exile

11:19pm: Hope
I know I'm tired and stressed and coming off a very hard week but I am literally a ball of tears. I've had one eye on the television all night while trying to get my requisite 2,000 words finished and to see the joy, the tears, the sheer diversity of those celebrating right now fills me with something that I thought I had lost.

Well played, America. Well played.

8:37pm: *is geeky*
As much as I miss Russert and his white board, a pundit who can rock a smart board is freakin' hot.

Yes..I should be working on my last article that's due tomorrow but I'm dying here. DYING!

7:22pm: Yes I Did

8:02am: Writecon OMG!!!
There was a sense of giddiness when I woke up this morning...

Was it Obama's infomercial?

The Phillies FINALLY winning a world series?

NO!!

Writercon tickets go on sale today!

Don't miss out on the early bird pricing - go to the Writercon website after noon today and grab yours.

In case you're still not sure, check out links to Writercon 2004 and 2006 on our website. More fun than you can cram into 4 days - but who needs sleep anyway?

12:44pm: Since I'm being all political today....
I stood in my kitchen this week with my son, still in his Catholic School uniform, and told him in all honesty that I didn't think I would see a non-Christian elected to the White House in my lifetime. As we continue on this path of polarization that the ultra-conservative right wing seems to favor its become clear that for too large of a population not believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins = EVIL INCARNATE.

So, thank you Colin Powell for taking a stand. You give me hope.

8:42am: Sarah Palin is my role model
To say things have been a little busy around here is a wee bit of an understatement. But despite pushing full throttle ahead in half a dozen different projects and the three boards on which I sit, it's all going shockingly well. And being the type of person to give credit where credit is due, I want to thank Sarah Palin for helping me get through the craziness of the past month.

The past few weeks have been filled with birthday party planning for my two autumn babies, board meetings, committee coordination for our volunteer pool, budget meetings, architect meetings, interviews for one project and public relations work for another, PTO meetings, convention attending (*waves to Phauxcon peeps*), working on writercon and prepping for my next magazine column. I have moved through the turbulent waters of over-commitment with a sense of calm purpose. I'm scheduling and organizing, making lists and sticking to them. Budgeting my time with a keen eye and using thoughtful yet direct communication to move all of these trains forward on the track without missing a beat or a school lunch.

So, thank you Sarah. Because if a woman of your stunning mediocrity, sub-average intelligence and cultural ignorance can rise from the ranks of the PTA to become the governor of Alaska and the Vice Presidential candidate of the United States then I sure as hell can manage my household, my job and my volunteer commitments with grace and style. And I can do it without lying, disenfranchising or insulting anyone in my path. Need someone to chair a Public Relations committee? Hell, yeah! Need a homeroom mom to plan that graduation ceremony? Bring it. Girl Scout volunteer? I can handle it. My new motto is "If Sarah can do it, I can do it better".

Now, I need to slap on some lipstick and pearls and set up my interviews for this week while keeping my eye on the bread dough rising on the counter. Because my father, a small business owner who is so casually racist it burns and is the very epitome of both Joe the Plumber and Joe Six-Pack, raised me to be both intellectual *and* elite. That's what he wanted for me and I don't plan to disappoint.

By the way, he's voting for Obama too.

11:52am: Writercon!!!
This is one of the dozen things that have been eating my brain these past few weeks but the concom is beyond please to announce Writercon 2009 is a go!!



Writercon 2009: Writing Between the Lines will take place July 30 through August 2 in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel.

For those on my flist who attended Writercon 2004 in Las Vegas and/or Writercon 2006 in Atlanta know what a amazing event this is. For those of you who have never heard of Writercon it is, in a nutshell, a fanfic writer's/reader's conference. We come together to explore the world of "writing between the lines" through panels, discussions and workshops. We recognize fanfic as an art form in its own right while at the same time offer programming for those writers who are interested in taking the step towards pro writing. In the past we've had a fabulous array of guests and panelists including writer and producer Jane Espenson (BtVS, Angel, Firefly, Gilmore Girls, Battlestar Galactica); authors Rachel Caine, Susan Sizemore, Jacqueline Lichtenberg and academics Dr. David Lavery and Rhonda Wilcox. We are building a 2009 guest list that will be just as, if not more, amazing.

This is a multi-fandom event. Good writing is good writing whether you're talking about Time Lords, Time Agents, Demons, Angels or anything else our favorite media throws at us. If you go to the Writercon website you can take a look at the programming we had in 2004 and 2006 and see the rich diversity we've offered at those events. And we're ramping that up - bringing programming that speaks across fandom lines. But don't worry, there will be an opportunity for individual fandoms to come together to get their squee on as well.

Another important thing to note, we are a non-profit organization for fans, by fans. YOU are who we are coming to see, meet and interact with. In our world the writers, not the actors, are the rock stars so there are no autograph lines or photo-ops, just people who love to write talking about our passion no matter if they are an attendee or one of our special guests. Because of this we worked amazingly hard to keep the ticket prices as close to possible to our past cons. This year we will be offering a limited number of early bird ticket at a price of $69. Ticket prices include all of the panels, workshops and discussion for the entire conference; access to the hospitality suite, the dealer's room and various social events throughout the weekend. There will be a cocktail party during Writercon which will be an additional cost of $13. Plus, this year's hotel is centrally located in downtown Minneapolis, in close proximity to restaurants, transportation and a variety of entertainment opportunities. Tickets will go on sale Oct. 30.

Taking my PR hat off, I can't stress how much fun this event is. From it's initial conception (a bunch of fans, escaping the crazy autograph lines at a pro-con, sitting around a pool and realizing that it would be so much more fun to get together and talk about writing and fanfic without all the distractions of a pro-con) to what it has grown, and continues to grow, into. It is a crazy!good time and I hope to see bunches of you there.

There will be more information coming in the next weeks and month as well as lots of fun events to get us ramped up 2009. To stay informed, join writercon and register at our website: www.writercon.com .

3:04pm: DW Fic: "You Can't Always Get What You Want..." | 10.5, Master | PG-13
*waves to flist*

I'm not dead yet but it's been a crazy few weeks, as evidenced by how late this ficathon entry is. Like shamefully late. meep!

Title: You Can't Always Get What You Want...
Author: scarlettgirl
Characters/Pairings: 10.5, The Master
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Spoilers: S4’s Journey’s End
Summary: The Doctor bumps into an old nemesis in an unlikely spot. Is the world in danger or has the Doctor finally lost his mind?
A/N: Written for zauberer_sirin's prompt "Human!Doctor meets alt!Master and is not quite sure what to do about it" in the bluesuit_fic challenge. This is criminally late and I offer my sincere and humblest apologies. Huge props to mydeira and sadbhyl for their beta skills and for walking me through the world of online gaming. I am not worthy.

You Can’t Always Get What You Want…

( But if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need )

8:09am: Today's Twitters
( Twitters and Nonsense )

3:42pm: Super!Doc
I was thinking about something in the wake of the Moffat!wank du jour, particularly about his possible characterization issues.

( Do I really need to cut for Forest of the Dead spoilers? )

Don't say it's just me!

8:44am: Muzak
I was cleaning out The Junk Drawer in the kitchen and found a $15 iTunes giftcard that was given to me with the Mother's Day iPod.

New Music!

I bought "Am I The Same Girl" by Swingout Sister after hearing it on a commercial the other night and being hit with a big ol' wave of nostalgia but, other than that, there's nothing I'm aching for.

So...tell me a song that you just can't get enough of right now - the song you have on repeat and you crank up in the car and sing loudly when no one is looking.

Please hold the introspective dirges, it's summer and time for fun!

3:42pm: I broke it
In a fit of procrastination from a project I need to do but don't want to do, I signed up for twitter yesterday. Well, that and the fact I got freaked out that there is another scarlettgirl on the net, blogging about stupid shit, and I came over all possessive and decided to grab a twitter account before I got bogarted.

Twitter hasn't worked right since.

I am the technology kiss of death. Maybe I should pop over to fanhistory and see if I can blow up that site as well because outing fans and trying to use the sandbox to keep you in smokes and whores just isn't on.

(I might be cranky today. Man, do I HATE this project.)

7:44am: 15 Unpopular (and possibly popular) DW/TW Fandom Opinions
As I was sitting here sipping a really good cup of coffee and thinking that Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Thing wasn't all that, I realized I've never done an unpopular fandom opinion thing, so, here it goes -

( Cut for churlishness and DW finale spoilers )

So, this is me, working on moving from "lurker" to "poster" and totally NOT avoiding the sludge of deadline work staring me in the face. *shifty eyes*

10:02am: Firefox fail
I opened my laptop a few moments ago and I had blue screen of death - again - because once upon a time Vista got all pissy when I pulled out my camera cord without asking explicit permission. Randomly, when it recalls the insult, it decides to bitchslap me. Who knew Vista was a bitchy Dom? Anyway, Firefox FAILED to save my tabs for the entire weekend and now I'm lost. So, in no particular order -

Congratulations - go you!
*hug* I'm so sorry
I agree 100%. People can be total jackasses
I disagree 100%, stop being such a jackasses
Are we even watching the same show?
OMG! We are totally watching the same show!
Happy Birthday!
Really? Huh...
*eyeroll*
*squee*
ILU!

I think that catches me up.

How was your weekend?

9:05am: Donna Noble, Super!Temp
Aww...scumorvillany drew Donna in Leela's outfit inspired by Wardrobe Malfunction 37. I am mad impressed by anyone who can put pencil to paper and end up with something more than a grocery list.

Speaking of Donna..( spoilers for The Journey's End )

As for fix-it fic, if you're not reading calapine's Children of Timel you really, really should. A fantastic ensemble piece that is surprising me at every turn.

3:11pm: Pointless Distraction
I am swamped with killer deadlines this week. So what do I do? A book meme!

The result is:

a) I was distracted for 10 minutes
b) I wept at some of the selections considered "significant"
c) I was chagrined to realize that I used to be a person who read a lot.

(nicked from nnwest)

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well let's see.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read. - This gives me performance anxiety. Although I would like to FINALLY read Madame Bovary.
3) Underline the books you LOVE. - I'm lucky I had time to bold the ones I read
4) Put an asterick next to the books you'd rather shove hot pokers in your eyes than read (I added this bit because, dude...The DaVinci Code?)
5) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them ;-)

( The List! With added snark )

3:57pm: Spoilerz
Yesterday I had html issues and a wonky cut and inadvertently spoiled someone on my flist. I felt awful because I try to be uber-careful about things, even casting spoilers. I still remember the "Billie Piper leaving DW is a casting spoiler not a spoiler spoiler" wank. *is traumatized*. That being said ( holy shit! )

2:11pm: Fandom Mishmash
I am still in a fandom state of grace in which my arms are open wide and everything is just washing over me with utter joy. Damn, I could be a Creed song, couldn't I? Even the teeny, tiny annoying bits are all swept under the carpet. Maybe I'll pull them out and mull over them a bit more in the future but for now the ride is exhilarating. ( cut for spoilers for eps 4x8 through 4x10 )

I think the rumors of my becoming a fandom pollyanna are not exaggerated even a little bit. ;)

And then there's Donna ( cut for end of year spec, etc. )

Random fic recs:

The Life Cycle of the Cracking Mosh Toad by lordshiva. A fabulous BtVS/DW crossover that has The Doctor being very Doctorish and Anya just trying to conduct a little business. I adore lordshiva's Doctor - he's funny and snarky but just a little bit scary under all the brash and bluster. I think she get's it just right.

Most Likely Kill You In The Morning by hotelmontana. I have a huge kink for "Rose On Her Own" fic and this is fabulous spin on GiTF.

Finally,a tech question for Wikiflistia: If any of you have converted AVI to MP4 to make them iPod compatible, which program do you use? I've been googling and don't see a clear winner in the race.

10:17pm: OMGWTFBBQ!ZOMBIES!!
Because all the cool kids are killing zombies...

You are in a mall when the zombies attack. You have:
1. one weapon.
2. one song blasting on the speakers.
3. one famous person to fight alongside you.


1. ak47. You don't have to aim much and you can just mow the sons of bitches down without getting Zombie splooge on your new shoes.*

2. "Club Foot" by Kasabian. Hey, if it can help me beat 1,740 loads of laundry into submission every week, Zombies would be a piece of cake.

3. River Tam from Firefly/Serenity. Hell, if I had River I'd give back the ak47.


*Why else would you be at the mall unless to buy new shoes?

*goes back to writing press releases*

10:13am: Scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the fandango-
I've been flirting a little bit with the Iron Man fandom. Nothing drastic because I'm lazy and playing in a new fandom is too much like work sometimes. But the occasional Tony/Pepper fic is a nice break. Last week I grabbed a pretty cool fanmix composed entirely of artists and songs I've never heard and I"m loving it. It's been a while since I found a mix that I really like since most of the recent crops have been a bit depressing. Don't get me wrong, I like the occasional "my love has left me/ I'm not appreciated by the one I love/my life is lived in memories so I think I'll just sit here and think of the good times " song but a steady diet sort of makes me want to throw myself off a bridge or something. Plus, it's really hard to dance to that level of emo. It didn't help that for a while there was a whole spate of Sarah McLachlan. I know this will probably get me drummed out of fandom, LJ and womanhood in general but I really can't stand Sarah McLachlan. More than I hate Candyland - and you should all know by now how much I hate Candyland. But if I had to choose between listening to Sarah Mclachlan and playing Candyland, I'd play Candyland for eternity. Even the Dora The Explorer version. It's *that* hardcore.

Anyway, back to mixes. I'm fairly musically deprived what with having so many people in the house under the age of 12 with very distinct musical tastes. And lord, as much as I try, the still persist in having their own opinions. I try exposing them to the good stuff, we have discussions about the appropriation of musical cultures in the music of the Rolling Stones, the crazy talent drowned by ego that was Guns 'n Rose. We've listened to cowboy cool Dwight Yokum; I've teased them with The Wombats and Arctic Monkeys. We've listened to all sorts of urban genres and talked about how music is more than just the words and notes; how an artist can take music and make it a form of poetry that twists and and plays with words.

As Tech Support Who Updates The MP3 Players, I slip stuff on there *all* the time for them to listen to but still it's "Mommy! Can we listen to the Wiggles?" Sometimes we get really radical and listen to the Monkees or Dan Zanes or even The Bare Naked Ladies. The Eldest travels his own path and is into soundtracks. REALLY into soundtracks, as in "if I have to listen to the PotC soundtrack ONE MORE TIME I may take a cutlass to something myself!". It's sad.

Last weekend we were in the car and after refusing to listen to @&*# "At World's End" for 7,629th time we flipped on the radio and lo, the "Bohemian Rhapsody" came on. Being of a certain age, Mr. S and I, of course, sang along.

The children were horrified.

When it was over the Eldest exclaimed that that was the single most freakiest song he'd ever heard. Then he came to me on Monday and asked how that feaky song ended up on his iPod. *shifty eyes*

Now they are all singing along. And taking parts. The 3 y.o. is particularly proficient with the "mama mia" chorus.

I think there might be hope for them after all.

10:49pm: Damn
Obama may be playing the crowd, playing me, but I don’t even care. I’ve never felt such hope that change is actually possible. Rather than go on about his accomplishments, his groundbreaking moment in history, he cast the light on others and brought everyone into the moment - that is a mark of a great leader. It felt historic and I believe it is.

4:23pm: DW Fic: Wardrobe Malfunction 37 | Doctor/Donna | PG
I couldn't resist this prompt. ;)

Title: Wardrobe Malfunction 37
Author: scarlettgirl
Pairing/Characters:: Doctor/Donna
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
A/N: For themarriedonmars prompt 37: Donna is forced to don one of Leela's rabbit skin bikinis. She's not happy about this. Beta read by sadbhyl and mydeira.

“I’m stuck in an ice box wearing fetish gear and you’re...” She stopped mid-sentence and took a step back, horrorstruck. “Oh my god….you’re a furry!( Read more... )

9:38am: Canon - so close it burns
I've really been having a hard time writing about this season's Who other than general "squee" and "joy". Someone else was posting about this recently and I responded that it just seems too close to process. I mean, with the BBC's 13 ep schedule, you spend so much time waiting and talking about the show and creating fanworks that when the actual source material is in front of you it's almost too bright and you need to step back or get burned.

Or I could just be nuts.

I *am* enjoying this season, I am very squeeful about the trailer, I love Donna and I'm enjoying the lighter-on-the-surface show this season. I also know that there are bits that, upon reflection and debate, aren't going to hold up but that's okay too. I don't expect perfection and it's those little wrong, raw bits that often open the door for the most interesting debates. (As long as it doesn't turn into yet another freakin' round of Companion A > Companion B because damn...) I guess my point is that part of me aches to pick apart the threads of the tapestry while at the same time I want to wait until the whole cloth is woven so I can see the pattern.

And then there's Moffat. Love Moffat. I don't think he's the Second Coming or anything but I've loved his stories and the chances he's taken with the show. He's created some of the best secondary characters on the New Series and certainly has written the scariest villians. Gas!Mask Jamie? The Clockwork Robot under the bed? Weeping Angels? I am absolutely certain that I will spend a good chunk of S5 watching between my fingers. I am also, clearly, a wimp. I mean, that scene in Jekyll where Hyde is chasing Kathering through the dark house? EEEEE! It's that sort of non-violent tension that kills me. The only thing I can complain about in his eps is that continuity blip in GiTF but I have to lay the blame for that on RTD. He's said again and again how picky he is with scripts, with the exception of Moffat's. It was really his responsibility to tell the writer that there was the little thing that happened at the end of School Reunion we might need to address in GiTF. Instead, he let it slide. As for everything else? Bring it. Make it as wild and as cracky as you 'd like, although I don't think that's the direction in which he'll go. But this show is nothing if not a changing beast and I can't wait to see what's on the horizon.

As for the latest round of rumors re Silence in the Library? I just can't stop laughing. Moffat really does like poking the bear, doesn't he? I expect the boys at DWF will be crying in their beer what with all the betrayal and such.

I think the reason I'm so completely nonplussed by the histrionics is that a long time ago I took the advice of an old, old schooler who, at the very beginning of my Who journey when I was trying so very hard to puzzle out the canonicity of the dense Whoverse, told me "It's all canon, none of it's canon."

Wax on, wax off.

But seriously, that was a brilliant bit of advice. It's happened in the past, it's happening now and it hasn't happened yet. So, in my head, all these very happy pairings are still sailing on....The Doctor and Rose and still traveling/separated/reunited; The Eighth Doctor and Charley are still having adventures/will meet again; Jo is still the Princess of TARDIS *and* Mrs. Jones; Four and Romana are in Paris/Romana is still President of Gallifrey; Martha is with the Doctor/Tom/Jack (okay not all at the same time but wouldn't THAT be fun?). I mean, in a show about time travel (will *not* say timey-wimey stuff) it only makes sense to me that it would be comprised of hundreds of threads, each a non-linear story, binding together to make a strong narrative of "The Doctor". It's a thought that fills me with joy.

Or, I could just be nuts. ;)

7:55am: Doctor Who Crossover Geekgasm
THIS was pointed out to me this morning. The heavens parted and the angels sang. If Steven Moffatt brings this to S5 then there is nothing on earth that will shield us from the tidal wave of geek!gasm that will break the internets.

*crosses fingers hard*

5:59pm: Writercon 2009 - Fly-by post
*deep breath*

chrisjournal made the announcement here so now it's official - rusty_halo and I will be co-chairing Writercon 2009. chrisjournal's boots will be hard to fill but I'm confident that rusty_halo and myself will do our very best to make 2009 the best experience possible. My co-chair is fiercely organized, passionate and strong-willed. While we both have our own individual approaches to fandom, we are in complete agreement in our dedication and commitment to this convention. In short, we'll make a good team. ;)

2009 - I can't wait!

*note to self - update icon