bironic

Happy 2011, everyone.

I am starting the new year with a clean sink, a pop song stuck in my head (soon to be replaced by the song I'm vidding to) and the discovery that four (!) of my prompts were filled in the kink_bingo December mini-challenge:

• Just for a Moment by welfycat (SGA, Lorne/Sheppard, not being able to close/open legs)
• Evan Lorne: Vampire Hunter by welfycat (SGA, Lorne/Parrish, vampire roleplay)
• Flames by swan-secrets (Supernatural, Ruby/Anna, bondage+gags+toy+consent play)
• Unfamiliar Ground by windandthestars (Sanctuary, Kate/Will, adult virgin)

From what I read/watched of the month's collection, my favorite was the beautiful vid Repeat Encounter by pi (Mushi-Shi, Ginko/tentacles).

Heh, and then there was that Care Bears manip I did. All I can say is I'm sorry.

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I've been thinking back to the last few New Years, noticing how life has changed.

December 31 three years ago, the president of Hell Job kept several of us in the office until well after dark to finish a major company project. The best part—the part I tell people about because it encapsulates so much of what was wrong at that place—was when (right after he'd shushed the head of IT, who'd been checking his watch and saying his family was expecting him for dinner) he declared he had to leave, hefted a case of champagne onto his shoulder and left us there to finish.

Two years ago, I spent the evening in my grad school apartment writing most of Outtakes with the Twilight Zone marathon in the background.

Last year and this year, deelaundry et al kindly had me over for a leisurely dinner and word games.

Next year—or, technically this year—I suppose I should do something special. We'll see what December brings.

Hey, folks.

Today is the last day of 2006. (Well, it is in this time zone; for those who are already celebrating, Happy 2007!) It's a time of reflection, of slowing down, of looking back. And with the start of the new year, the second annual Memoryfest will commence.

How it works: I will post one memory each day for the month of January, and I invite all of you to post one of your own in the comments. If this year's turns out to be anything like last year's, we'll then get into the most interesting conversations in which we discover cultural and individual similarities and differences, coincidences, etc., and follow tangents into the oddest topics. It's really great fun.

There aren't any official rules. The guidelines I've set for myself are to only post memories that I haven't told many people about, or written in a diary about, before. Not because they're traumatic, but because I want to write about the small stuff—seemingly inconsequential little recollections that become stories in the telling and often reveal more about myself than expected. I also exclude events that happened within the last few years; they're more complex in the retelling, and I'm more interested in the things I can remember all the way back through early childhood.

In addition, to answer some of the questions I've been asked recently: You can post a memory that's related to mine or one that has nothing to do with it. You can participate every day or whenever you feel like dropping in. You can comment without sharing a memory of your own (though I'll be sad). If your memory is very long or very personal, you're welcome to post it on your own journal and put a link in comments. I'd just ask as a courtesy to people who may be reading here who aren't on your f-list that if your post is locked, you please indicate so along with the link. A tip for keeping a memory public when it involves other people is to change or abbreviate the name(s) to an initial.

You can browse through the index to last year's Memoryfest to get an idea of what it was like.

Last year we had maybe ten participants from my small f-list, all of whom I knew personally, from my sister to good friends to people I'd met through HP conferences. We had Americans, Brits, ex-pat Americans in England, an Indian-American and a handful of Danes. This year, there are more than 70 people reading this journal. Most of you I've never met in person and a few of you I've rarely or never spoken with online. From what I can tell, in addition to more of the above, we now have people in and/or from Canada, France, Scotland, Austria, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China and I think Japan. (Have I missed any?) We have a greater age range too. I'm sure this diversity will make for an even more interesting 'fest.

Happy New Year! I very much hope to see you in January.

The Memoryfest Rundown

( Things I have learned during this project )

( Things I have not learned during this project )

( Some random things we have discussed )

( Some not-so-random things we have discussed )

( Miscellaneous profundity )

( Memoryfest Prizes )


Seriously, though, I've enjoyed this month enormously, and I hope you have too. It's hard to say what I liked best: learning these private, personal things about each of you; exploring storytelling in this straightforward style, both for the way in which the memories shaped themselves into stories and for the reactions, both expected and unexpected, they brought out in us when we read them; the connection to the past that sprang up again and again as I chose and wrote about these memories; or the alternately silly and thought-provoking diversions we found ourselves in along the way.

There was going to be one about vomit tonight but I've spared you. Have some acrophobia instead.

( 30. Middle School )

Tomorrow's the last day, my friends. Think of a good memory and let's go out with a bang.

Minds out of the gutters.

Whew. I’m all written out today, and owe a bunch of you responses. A short one tonight.

( 28. Pre-School )

While we're on the subject...

( 24. High School )

Filled to the brim with a busy day topped off with post-food shopping/new-recipe meals, House reruns and a Firefly ep, I retire to bed with the hefty Cartographer's Craft PDF. Happy weekend, everyone!

( 22. Elementary School )

Comforting dreams of Robert Sean Leonard, vampire movies that end with everyone dying in a sudden explosion, documentaries on jellyfish whose stings turn female scientists into porn stars (long story): Life chugs along.

( 20. Pre-School )

Alan and Denny mambo-ing in Denny's office for several minutes. Is all I have to say about "Boston Legal" tonight.

( 18. Elementary School )