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New header and layout
May. 6th, 2013 09:32 amI think with my efforts to be more active on LJ it's time to give my journal a makeover. Now I just need to decide on a new header etc
May. 6th, 2013
What's up in the land of Hils
May. 6th, 2013 05:26 pmLook at this! Two posts in two consecutive days! And I've been commenting on other people's entries. So far so good :D
Thanks to everyone who commented on my 'what's up with you' post. Now to cover what's up with me. I'll try and keep it brief so I don't bore you all to death ;)
RL stuff:
Not much has changed really. Got promoted at work to a semi-supervisory position which is nice. Still working weird hours but I get to use the nights and my 4 days off to do other stuff.
Went through a rough patch last year. I'm not sure that it was full-on depression but it certainly had aspects of it. For a variety of reasons two of my best friends stopped speaking to me (I've been reassured by both of them that it's nothing I did but it sort of felt like a 'it's not you it's me' breakup speech) and I had a hard time coping with that. Coupled with that fandom (SPN fandom specifically) was despressing the hell out of me with all the wank so I didn't even have that as an outlet. I really don't like talking about my problems so this is the first time I've really talked about it.
Luckily I'm over the worst of the black period now and I'm working on getting myself involved in things that used to bring me joy. I'm trying to start writing again, although finding the time isn't always easy. I've bought a new camera and now that the weather is getting better I'm making sure I go out at least once a week to take photos. I'm still not sure how the camera works despite reading the instructions several times so a lot of it is trial and error. LOL. Getting back on LJ is actually part of the recovery process as I want to start interacting with people again and squeeing about things that make me happy.
I still work for Random Acts which is challenging but rewarding. The organization has grown significantly since I came on board 2 years ago and we've achieved some pretty amazing things. Looking forward to seeing us continue to grow and do even more amazing things.
Fandom stuff:
I've already touched on this and although I still watch Supernatural I don't really consider myself part of the fandom anymore. It just got too much seeing all the bitching and the expectations fans put on each other (the number of times I got told I should be doing a certain thing or promoting a certain thing 'as a Cas fan' was insane). So I jumped ship (hee. ship).
Here's what I'm watching at the moment. I don't consider them all to be fandom shows. Some of them are just damn good things I enjoy watching.
Supernatural: Still watch it, mostly out of loyalty than anything at this point. I really did not enjoy season 7 at all. S8 has had some fun moments but has mostly left me feeling pretty meh about it
Hannibal: Saw people raving about this on Tumblr and thought 'there's no way I am going to enjoy a TV show about Hannibal Lecter' but figured I'd give it a shot. OMG IT IS AMAZING! I was hooked by the end of the first episode which is rare with me and a TV show. I just got caught up with the most recent episode yesterday and now I'm mourning that I don't have more to watch. It's not a fandom show (not for me anyway) but the acting, writing and overall tone of the show is fantastic! And it's genuinely frightening. Can't remember the last time a TV show scared the shit out of me the way this one does.
Game of Thrones: Something I'd been meaning to watch for ages and I finally got around to marathoning the first two seasons last summer with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jacqui_hw. Another brilliant show. Am all caught up now and watching it every week. I did try and read the books several years ago after one of my friends bought me the first two as a gift but I just found it too complex, which is sort of an issue I have with the show too. Even after two and a bit seasons I still don't know all the characters names and how they're connected to everyone else.
Elementary: This one surprised me. I avoided it for ages because I was sure it was going to be a cheap rip-off of BBC Sherlock which I adore. Finally I decided I should at least try watching it before judging it and I'm still surprised at how much I've ended up enjoying it. It's not like BBC Sherlock at all. In fact it's pretty much an entirely different genre. I think both have merit and both are great and I refuse to get drawn into wank that says you can't like both. I'm still catching up on the show but I'm nearly up to date I think.
Arrow: Another show that I am enjoying immensely. It's like they took all the best parts of Smallville and made this. It's not cheesy, silly or badly written the way SV was at times. And Stephen Amell who plays Oliver Queen is delightful. I follow him on Twitter and Facebook and he's so enthusiastic about his show and about life in general, and he takes time to interact with his fans which is awesome.
Grimm: I actually gave up on Grimm at the end of the first season because it just wasn't interesting any more. Then I saw on Tumblr that his partner finds out what he is and that interested me so I gave S2 a shot. SO MUCH BETTER! I'm really enjoying the second season and, again, I'm still playing catch-up with this one but so far it's great.
Once Upon A Time: Again, this is one that has changed a lot in the second season now that everyone remembers who they are. Still good though although I find the side character more interesting than the main ones.
Psych: Seeing a definite improvement with this show after it took a dip for a bit. Lassy will always be my favourite though
Vikings: Another one Tumblr convinced me to watch. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it but now I'm really enjoying it.
Spartacus: I've only watched the first episode so far and I wasn't particularly overwhelmed. I've been assured it gets better though so I'll watch a few more and see how I get on.
Hawaii Five-O: I keep forgetting about this show and I'm still only about halfway through the first season but it is good when I actually remember to watch it
Teen Wolf: Another one I had to be badgered and nagged into watching but I wound up loving it. Can't wait for it to come back
Suits: Still very much enjoying it
Non-TV fandoms:
Avengers: Still my fandom of choice, especially in the Clint/Coulson corner but I'll read most pairings.
Skyfall: Loved the movie. Not even sure how I started reading 00Q fic but I am now hooked on it. Am currently in the process of Britpicking a 50k fic for one of my favourite writers in this fandom which is an honour.
Wow, okay, that was WAY longer than I was expecting. Uh, sorry :-s
Also, if there's anything you think I should be watching that I haven't listed let me know!
Thanks to everyone who commented on my 'what's up with you' post. Now to cover what's up with me. I'll try and keep it brief so I don't bore you all to death ;)
RL stuff:
Not much has changed really. Got promoted at work to a semi-supervisory position which is nice. Still working weird hours but I get to use the nights and my 4 days off to do other stuff.
Went through a rough patch last year. I'm not sure that it was full-on depression but it certainly had aspects of it. For a variety of reasons two of my best friends stopped speaking to me (I've been reassured by both of them that it's nothing I did but it sort of felt like a 'it's not you it's me' breakup speech) and I had a hard time coping with that. Coupled with that fandom (SPN fandom specifically) was despressing the hell out of me with all the wank so I didn't even have that as an outlet. I really don't like talking about my problems so this is the first time I've really talked about it.
Luckily I'm over the worst of the black period now and I'm working on getting myself involved in things that used to bring me joy. I'm trying to start writing again, although finding the time isn't always easy. I've bought a new camera and now that the weather is getting better I'm making sure I go out at least once a week to take photos. I'm still not sure how the camera works despite reading the instructions several times so a lot of it is trial and error. LOL. Getting back on LJ is actually part of the recovery process as I want to start interacting with people again and squeeing about things that make me happy.
I still work for Random Acts which is challenging but rewarding. The organization has grown significantly since I came on board 2 years ago and we've achieved some pretty amazing things. Looking forward to seeing us continue to grow and do even more amazing things.
Fandom stuff:
I've already touched on this and although I still watch Supernatural I don't really consider myself part of the fandom anymore. It just got too much seeing all the bitching and the expectations fans put on each other (the number of times I got told I should be doing a certain thing or promoting a certain thing 'as a Cas fan' was insane). So I jumped ship (hee. ship).
Here's what I'm watching at the moment. I don't consider them all to be fandom shows. Some of them are just damn good things I enjoy watching.
Supernatural: Still watch it, mostly out of loyalty than anything at this point. I really did not enjoy season 7 at all. S8 has had some fun moments but has mostly left me feeling pretty meh about it
Hannibal: Saw people raving about this on Tumblr and thought 'there's no way I am going to enjoy a TV show about Hannibal Lecter' but figured I'd give it a shot. OMG IT IS AMAZING! I was hooked by the end of the first episode which is rare with me and a TV show. I just got caught up with the most recent episode yesterday and now I'm mourning that I don't have more to watch. It's not a fandom show (not for me anyway) but the acting, writing and overall tone of the show is fantastic! And it's genuinely frightening. Can't remember the last time a TV show scared the shit out of me the way this one does.
Game of Thrones: Something I'd been meaning to watch for ages and I finally got around to marathoning the first two seasons last summer with
jacqui_hw. Another brilliant show. Am all caught up now and watching it every week. I did try and read the books several years ago after one of my friends bought me the first two as a gift but I just found it too complex, which is sort of an issue I have with the show too. Even after two and a bit seasons I still don't know all the characters names and how they're connected to everyone else. Elementary: This one surprised me. I avoided it for ages because I was sure it was going to be a cheap rip-off of BBC Sherlock which I adore. Finally I decided I should at least try watching it before judging it and I'm still surprised at how much I've ended up enjoying it. It's not like BBC Sherlock at all. In fact it's pretty much an entirely different genre. I think both have merit and both are great and I refuse to get drawn into wank that says you can't like both. I'm still catching up on the show but I'm nearly up to date I think.
Arrow: Another show that I am enjoying immensely. It's like they took all the best parts of Smallville and made this. It's not cheesy, silly or badly written the way SV was at times. And Stephen Amell who plays Oliver Queen is delightful. I follow him on Twitter and Facebook and he's so enthusiastic about his show and about life in general, and he takes time to interact with his fans which is awesome.
Grimm: I actually gave up on Grimm at the end of the first season because it just wasn't interesting any more. Then I saw on Tumblr that his partner finds out what he is and that interested me so I gave S2 a shot. SO MUCH BETTER! I'm really enjoying the second season and, again, I'm still playing catch-up with this one but so far it's great.
Once Upon A Time: Again, this is one that has changed a lot in the second season now that everyone remembers who they are. Still good though although I find the side character more interesting than the main ones.
Psych: Seeing a definite improvement with this show after it took a dip for a bit. Lassy will always be my favourite though
Vikings: Another one Tumblr convinced me to watch. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it but now I'm really enjoying it.
Spartacus: I've only watched the first episode so far and I wasn't particularly overwhelmed. I've been assured it gets better though so I'll watch a few more and see how I get on.
Hawaii Five-O: I keep forgetting about this show and I'm still only about halfway through the first season but it is good when I actually remember to watch it
Teen Wolf: Another one I had to be badgered and nagged into watching but I wound up loving it. Can't wait for it to come back
Suits: Still very much enjoying it
Non-TV fandoms:
Avengers: Still my fandom of choice, especially in the Clint/Coulson corner but I'll read most pairings.
Skyfall: Loved the movie. Not even sure how I started reading 00Q fic but I am now hooked on it. Am currently in the process of Britpicking a 50k fic for one of my favourite writers in this fandom which is an honour.
Wow, okay, that was WAY longer than I was expecting. Uh, sorry :-s
Also, if there's anything you think I should be watching that I haven't listed let me know!
Monday Fic Recs
May. 6th, 2013 07:29 pm00Q (Skyfall)
A is for Arrogance by winterhill
Q is fucking marvellous on a good day, and Bond wants to learn how to use a computer. Or, Q is an arrogant little shit most of the time, but Bond’s noticed he’s not quite so confident after Silva. Spoilers for Skyfall.
I have no idea how much I needed Q teaching Bond computers until I read this. Absolutely delightful.
Phil/Clint (Avengers)
Custom Job by mikey
Clint was eleven the first time he helped Barney with a grand theft auto...
Wherein Clint learns to love archery, cars, and a dangerous, mysterious guy possibly named Phil who might work for the Russian mob but probably doesn't.
This was a great mesh of AU and canon and it worked really well. Loved it.
A is for Arrogance by winterhill
Q is fucking marvellous on a good day, and Bond wants to learn how to use a computer. Or, Q is an arrogant little shit most of the time, but Bond’s noticed he’s not quite so confident after Silva. Spoilers for Skyfall.
I have no idea how much I needed Q teaching Bond computers until I read this. Absolutely delightful.
Phil/Clint (Avengers)
Custom Job by mikey
Clint was eleven the first time he helped Barney with a grand theft auto...
Wherein Clint learns to love archery, cars, and a dangerous, mysterious guy possibly named Phil who might work for the Russian mob but probably doesn't.
This was a great mesh of AU and canon and it worked really well. Loved it.