The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

– Marcel Proust, novelist, critic & essayist


(I know I did this yesterday, but it was so good I had to pass it on.)

"I am who I choose to be. I have always been what I chose . . . though not always what I pleased."

--Miles Vorkosigan
(Memory, by Lois McMaster Bujold)

Do any of you have recommendations, books or whatever, for someone who isn't good at setting and sticking to a schedule? It's not just that I procrastinate (although I surely do that, as well) but that 1) I am a task-oriented person, which inhibits me from using my time in small chunks because I hate to work on a project but not at least finish whatever step I'm on; 2) I'm not good at multi-tasking, at keeping a lot of important tasks in my head, and lists/calendars (which I do use) only help a little bit; and 3) I don't have any way of setting up a proper filing system at the moment (I'm working on that, having been promised office space in this house when we moved in).

Seriously though. Anything? Not just about organizing, but about, like, retraining one's brain? I don't even know what I'm looking for, I'm just quite sick of the constant (and usually correct) feeling that I've forgotten to do something important.

BTW, I'm not remotely ADHD; I'm kind of the opposite. It's not that I can't focus, it's that I focus too hard on whatever I'm doing at the time, to the complete detriment of whatever else I'm supposed to be juggling. Give me a single task, or a series of closely related ones, and I get wickedly productive. *shrug*

I wanted to wait until the Yuletide authors were revealed, so my list could be complete. :)

( the fic year in review )

Last year I called 2008 the year of waiting, and dubbed 2009 the year of change, hoping that name would be prophetic.

( Not so much )

( And then we have 2010 )

This is me, shrugging off 2009 so I can walk into the newness of the coming year. May God bless each of you with a better year than you dare to hope for.

Yuletide authors have been revealed! Here's the story I wrote for my recipient, dreamsofstars.

Fandom: Life on Mars (UK)
Title: The Most Important Piece
Type: Gen, Case-story
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 for language
Spoilers: you should know the first half of series 1 to get the background; technically, this is set well into series 2.
Author's Notes: Thank you to my betas, ishie and irenak, for their sharp eyes and ears and their cheerleading, and to my Britpicker jhall1. Without their quick turnaround this would not have been done in time!


( The Most Important Piece )

Pixel has been found! I looked out the back door this morning while my coffee was brewing, and saw him peeking out from below our neighbor's house. Went out, petted his ears, then scooped him up protesting and carried him into the house.

Called my roommate to let her know just as she was making copies of a "Missing" poster at the local Kinko's. :) Happy endings for the win!

A great film. Not just George Clooney being awesome, although he deserves the recognition he's getting for this role, but the script, the direction, the insights into human loves and isolation versus connection... It's stunning. I may have to buy it at some point.

BUT.

Do not go see this film if you are unemployed. I am so serious. I managed to get through the film, and then there's a song in the credits that was written by an amateur and given to the director, and I came apart at the seams. I would have gotten up and run out of the room if I'd thought I could make it without tripping over people. (Well, and also I'll be damned if I run from a song in a movie.) And I don't mean quietly tearing up; I mean choking sobs (and swearing), blinding emotional pain of the type I can't let myself feel too often, because it would entirely incapacitate me.

Just wanted to make sure you all know what you're getting into if you decide you want to see it. :)

We have two cats at our house, here, which belong to one of my roommates. All of us were gone over Christmas, so we got a friend to cat/housesit, which seemed to work out well. Until I got home (first of us) and realized that I didn't see one of the cats at all, and there was extra food in the automatic dishes.

He got out. And we don't know where he is. Please pray that he finds his way home, and is safe meanwhile. He's big, has all his claws, and is a gorgeous sable gray with a white chest. Name of Pixel. He's also the world's biggest scaredy-cat. I'm sure he's terrified, wherever he is.

...and have no idea what to think. O_o

I love Wilf and his silver cloak. *g*

I adore the Doctor; the moment in the cafe was startlingly unexpected and perfect.

( but I'm not at all sure about )

Thoughts, you all?