Holidaze

[bironic]

Winter break: the joy of working for an academic institution. Chilled out at my dad's for a few days for the end of Hanukkah, which was nice. Survived a 30-person Hanukkah party with extended family. Then he and I made a beautiful wooden cutting board.

<-- partway through the process

Currently chilling out at my mom's for Christmas, which she apparently now celebrates. There were more family dinner parties. Now, Star Wars jigsaw puzzle complete, a cranberry-orange-cinnamon-cloves mix is simmering on the stove, filling the house with a wonderful spicy cider scent, and we are watching TV.

(Me: So you're finally able to watch Mythbusters again, after we showed you James Bondage?
Mom: Ehhhhhhhh. It's... definitely different.)

Later, flying down to see synn, whee. It's been almost a year and a half.

And on the plane, I expect to finish Ancillary Justice and perhaps start Ancillary Sword. Ohmigosh, Ancillary Justice is so great. It is just as Pop Culture Happy Hour and a couple of friends promised. Such an interesting concept for universe and protagonist. It took a couple of chapters to get into, but then she won my heart on, what was it, page 26? -- singing with three mouths -- and there was that one chapter in the middle where everything happened, and I honest to goodness made noises at the book, I was so invested in the character. Couldn't tell you the last time that happened.

Giving gifts has been satisfying. And receiving some! My sister gave me music files on a flash drive and my mom found a Deep Space Nine clock for me on Etsy that is fantastic. Also a teacup that says "Potions Master."

Have bookmarked a handful of Yuletide stories to try. We'll see if there's any intersection among canons I know, canons I like, canons I'm interested in reading fic for, and good stories. Definitely want to try the Imperial Radch ones after I've finished the books.

Hope those of you who are observing winter holidays have had a good week, and hope those of you for whom the holidays are difficult have made it through all right. ♥

Comments

[zulu.livejournal.com]

Yay, I'm glad your holidays have been so good! We were doing the jigsaw-plus-movie last night as well. (I might have been in a post-turkey haze on the couch. But I claim credit for at least two pieces.)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Hope your puzzle didn't drive you as batty as ours drove us. Once the characters were in place at the bottom and the ships were slotted together at the top, we were left with a lot of same-looking blues and sparkly silvers. But my sister persisted, and therefore also prevailed. \o/

[sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com]

What a gorgeous cutting board! I'm so impressed!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Thank you! My dad is good with woodworking and was willing to try this new endeavor. We used a free program to design it and do the math, and then acquired some boards (maple, walnut, and that beautiful red is something called padouk, which left pink dust all over everything, ha) and did a lot of gluing and sawing and gluing. If the oil and wax seal it like they're supposed to, I hope to enjoy it for a long time to come.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*beams at you*

My friend vassilissa has found/founded the Ancillary Justice / Sword fandom if you want to drop a line.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Noted!

[roga.livejournal.com]

That board looks fantastic! And ammm a rec from you AND PCHH? I will have to check this out. I see this is a trilogy - is the whole thing complete?

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Alas, not yet. Two out of three, as of October. I finished the first one and still think that middle chapter was the bestest part, but still highly recommended. Especially if you enjoy what fandom calls a "clam."

[selki.livejournal.com]

Here via your fanvids.

I loved Ancillary Justice (it won me from the start, finding someone in the snow outside a bar on a remote planet, such a classic adventure opening), and just gobbled up Ancillary Sword this weekend, also very enjoyable.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Hello! I just finished Ancillary Sword yesterday, and agree with you. So glad to have read them both. It's funny you mention the beginning of Ancillary Justice - my editor, who has a tendency to pick up whatever books people have lying around on their desks, looked at AJ and remarked on the first sentence certainly being a reel-in.