And then August happened.

It's been a full month, I can certainly say that. Went to Florida, North Carolina and Georgia on separate trips, saw an excellent play, finished a couple of fics, read some books. Went to work. Squeezed in some social dates while I was home. Caught the earthquake but avoided the hurricane. (My family in NY didn't; one half still doesn't have power, while the other half almost lost their boat in storm surge high tide.)

Now I am back for the foreseeable future and committed to finishing at least one more line for Kink Bingo before the deadline hits and RL responsibilities kick back in. I wrote a fic for "held down" that ended up being more choking/breathplay or sex work, so that's on pause. The DS9 vid is back on the table, though, metaphorically speaking, and if it doesn't work, you're going to get a 50-image picspam, because I really like the fit for its square.

Re: books, I already talked about the Zelazny compilation, and may I also recommend a collection of New Yorker essays by Berton Roueché from the 1940s and '50s, called The Medical Detectives? I picked it up at Borders' fire sale and it's wonderful. ( They are diagnostic and epidemiological mystery stories… )

Fellow House fans might enjoy specific essays like "The Orange Man." I wonder how many essays in the rest of the book served as source material for cases on the show. ETA: Yep: the very next essay, "The Dead Mosquitoes," which I'd bet inspired the episode "Poison."

Re: play (Uncle Vanya at the Kennedy Center), Hugo Weaving was delightful, Richard Roxburgh as Vanya almost as much so, the dissonance between humor and everyday despair came together well at the end, and for the rest I'll direct you to alpheratz's review.

Also, a traditional Greek cabaret group called the Sophia Bilides Trio was playing the Millennium Stage as we walked to the theater, and it was glorious. Witness an example, only she had finger cymbals rather than a hammer dulcimer last week.

Re: this weekend's trip, there was a spa, which was a wonderful indulgence (massage! Jacuzzi! wine! buffet!), and also there was sushi and a lot of TV. I always end up watching shows at this friend's place that I've never or hardly ever attempted. This time it was episodes of The Closer, Necessary Roughness, Top Gear (U.S.), How the Earth Was Made, Leverage, Eureka, one or two others I'm already forgetting, and a couple of NCISes for old time's sake. They watch a lot of TV. Lately I've only been watching True Blood and catching up on House.

And then when I got back, the Vividcon DVDs were waiting along with a box of birthday goodies from synn. Hurrah.