August.

[snitchnipped]

And everything after. (No, not a Counting Crows Fan, but it seems appropriate.)

It's been awhile since I've posted... best make a list of what's happened.

1. NFE is in as of a week ago! This year was oodles easier than last year's, which was rather overly ambitious. But, I had a goal of being more open minded with what I would be willing to write and, most importantly, KEEP IT SIMPLE. It still ended up being twice as long as originally intended... ah well.

The prompt I was given nearly panicked me, but there were two or three bits listed that I was able to run with. I do hope my recipient enjoys it! That's the most important thing.

2. Olympics! I am an Olympics junkie. You cannot peel me away from the TV. Thing is... I don't have cable. The live streams officially provided by NBC are very unsatisfactory (no commentary, no graphics/standings). So.... BBC to the rescue! The link rthstewart gave me for the opening ceremonies has been wonderful, and it's been fascinating to watch things from the British perspective (especially since it's their Olympics). Added bonus: no commercials!

I must say, my favorite thing is the late night gold metal count when they move an arrow up a replica Big Ben for each gold metal, set to Spandau Ballet's "Gold." Hysterical.

3. You'd think it's over and one with, but my Narnia Big Bang is anything but. snacky has been ever so gracious and has gone above and beyond for a second-beta pass on the Beast. Big, big changes are ahead for the piece, and though motivation is usually problematic, I am bound and determined to finesse the shit out of that thing. It is not going to be easy by any means... indeed, some of the "fixes" are actually going to be in the form of supplemental/satellite fics! Oy.

For the time being, though, I'm taking a step back from it. There are some changes that still need some thorough planning, but I'm going to sit on it before I dive back in. Perhaps after the NFE is over and done with!

4. Real Life. Well... it could be worse. Which is funny, because I'm in a trickier place than I was, say, two years ago when I was riddled with anxiety... socially, financially, professionally. I've made a big decision to step away from my profession about a month or two ago (quitting my union and everything), but that has led to unemployment.

BUT, it has also opened the door to big changes. The plan is to do a major upheaval at the start of the new year, and it would be ideal if I could find something in the meantime to financially plan for it. But that's the problem... I can't find anything to fill my time or my bank account. It's been a struggle, I can't lie.

That being said, this past month has been a blast. I have some fantastic friends, the most I have ever recall having, and they all seem to slowly be moving into my neighborhood. Great evenings, great conversations, fantastic homemade food... zero complaints there.

5. On that note... literally. Everyone, please check out my friend's band, Milo Greene. That's the name of the band, not my friend... and really, he's a close friend of several of my close friends. I got to see him on the 4th of July for the first time since grad school, when he provided musical accompaniment to my thesis show. (Indeed, one of the tracks on the album is named "Orpheus" and is a theme he used in our Tennessee Williams' "Orpheus Descending" production). I do take full responsibility for putting a mandolin in this kid's hand.

If you like indie-folk with a touch of bluegrass, with a pinch of Fleetwood Mac harmonies, this is for you. All in all, we're so, so proud of them—their album was released last month, they had a performance on Letterman last week, and they are out on tour now (with a stop at Lollapalooza this weekend... I don't think they're one of the ones that got rained out, thankfully).

But this... this is my favorite song. Enjoy:

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If you liked what you hear, please check out their self-titled album available on iTunes! :D

6. And what else have I done to fill up my time, besides applying for work and being glued to the Olympics? Reading. I read about 25-30 books in the past month, the vast majority of those being Richelle Mead. Yeah, so, the Vampire Academy books are actually good... whatcha going to do about it?

But yeah, I'm going through the entire list of crap YA fiction. Except for Twilight. I refuse to touch those books... and indeed, stay away from all Vampire fiction, save for the aforementioned series. But I liked her other series, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Turns out I liked them better than her adult fic...

My questions for you!

1. Olympics? How're y'all liking them?
2. NFE? How'd it go for you? You excited to read the entries?
3. Reading? What books have you read recently, and more importantly, what can you recommend? And is anyone else on goodreads.com?