Negative reviews are an interesting thing. I don't get that many but it's funny how one negative review or PM can make you forget dozens of awesome, glowing reviews.

When I wrote the first draft of Some Rise By Sin, I wrote the story I always wanted to read. I pulled Alice and Jasper front and center and gave all of my favorite characters things to do. I meticulously thought out the powers and the conflict and the characters. And at the top of the document, in the header, I wrote "Take your time!" The story has a slower pace than my one-shots, true, but it is supposed to read like a novel. The action will pick up, but I have to get everyone and everything into place. I tend to be very detail oriented and I would never write like...Alice getting taken in chapter one, battle in chapter four. Unrealistic and just not my style.

Anyway, whatevs. I'm going to tell the story I want to tell.

OK, rant over.

I posted a new chapter of RBTL (finally!) but now I have to clean up the next few chapters of SRBS to send to the betas. At some point this weekend, I have to clean my house and do laundry. The clutter in this house is driving me nuts.

I made a decision to just cut back on the review replies and continue with RBTL whenever I can. I work for a huge corporation. I am the lead graphic designer/GUI developer for the websites team but we are all being impacted by the crazy economy. Because of that, work just takes precedence right now. I have strict deadlines to meet and if I don't meet them, I'll cost the company money and endanger my job. My writing time has been cut way back which means I either fill it with review replies, or I fill it with writing. For now, I choose writing. I hope everyone will understand.

So who is ready for spring? It's already getting warmer here (not that it was ever truly cold) and I kind of am dying for some hot weather and maybe a little rain.

OK, enough rambling...off to start laundry and clean up from breakfast!

Well, the new fic is up. Now the nerve-wracking part...waiting for the feedback.

I need to answer some PMs and respond to five pages of reviews but I thought I'd stall by rambling on here for awhile. It is amazing how chapter 34 can be one of the least reviewed chapters in a long time (which I was expecting) and still, somehow, I'm behind on replies.

I should also probably go for a run and make a grocery list (I am out of coffee!) and finish up the laundry and about one thousand other things but stalling seems like a better way to go.

Today, I switched from Pandora to last.fm for my I'm-sick-of-everything-on-my-iPod work music. Y'all, I'm in love. Unlimited skips? Firefox integration? A much larger library? Yes, please. I seriously got nothing done today. But I found a lot of new music. I also like that when you favorite a song and then mouse over the little heart on the Firefox player, it says "Thank you for loving this track." Makes me smile every time.

I got through some more Oscar nominees this weekend. I watched Doubt, Rachel Getting Married, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I'm immensely surprised to be able to say that I liked all three. I was convinced that Doubt was going to be horribly boring but I was riveted. Meryl Streep is a damn genius. Rachel Getting Married was very raw and Anne Hathaway's performance was unbelievably brave. All things equal, she should win the Oscar. I don't think she will, but that truly was the performance of the year. Benjamin Button was interesting and long and I ultimately really enjoyed it. But it was long. And yet it somehow still felt rushed in parts.

So does anyone else watch American Idol? Did anyone notice that I worked my posting schedule around episodes? I'm not sure what to think about this season. I don't really like anyone yet that much. And if Tatiana or Norman make it a step further, I'm done with the show. I mean, I realize that it's barely a singing competition anymore but...does it need to be a joke?

This weekend, I'm having some friends in town for various activities. I think there is a concert of some kind on Saturday, then we are going to try to hit up Gospel Brunch at House of Blues on Sunday and then, of course, Oscar party (seriously...I have to win our game this year) on Sunday night. Should be fun but I am contemplating taking off Monday since something tells me I'll be worn out. Of course, it's not like I'm a construction worker. I do just sit in a cube all day with my Wacom tablet and keyboard. I can do that with a wine headache.

All right, I've stalled enough. Review reply time.

This post won't be much in the way of excitement. As a matter of fact, here is just a random list of things I'm thinking about:

- Working on the long fic today while the rest of America watches the Superbowl. I took out the Bella and Edward POVs because they are the ones I always have to force myself to write. That means that this fic is all secondary characters all the time. Just the way I like it.

- Speaking of secondary characters, check out my sweet [title of show] icon. I went looking for icons that have something to do with writing and found some good [tos] stuff. [title of show] was the best play I saw on Broadway last year. It's closed now but if it ever has a revival or plays in your area, GO SEE IT. It is so inspirational and hilarious. My abs hurt when we left from laughing so hard.

- I am still behind on review replies and PMs but I will try to get caught up during The Office. Writing takes precedence currently.

- I have several outtakes from the long fic and I thought about collecting them to post on ffn in one collection but now I am thinking I will just post them here for you guys.

- This weekend, I powered through some of the Oscar nominees. I saw Happy Go Lucky, The Reader, and Encounters at the End of the World. I haven't been able to get my hands on all the documentaries yet (I'm dying to see Trouble the Water) but of the ones I have seen, it's a tight race. I give the edge to Encounters though. Even though I adored Man on Wire, Encounters was so original, such a beautiful look of the eccentric kind of person it takes to live and work in Antarctica. I nearly stopped Happy Go Lucky after about fifteen minutes but then I was just drawn it. Sally Hawkins was pretty genius in the lead role. I don't think it has a chance in the screenplay category, not against the likes of Wall-E and Milk but it was fun to watch. The Reader was another story entirely. I did not enjoy the movie. Kate Winslet was predictably great, and I think this may just be her year to finally win (although we should never count out Meryl Streep), but I kind of hated the movie. I have a lot more nominees to get through before the 22nd but I am determined to win our Oscar game this year. Determined!

- Work was crazy this week. Another deadline came out of no where and I worked seventeen hours on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, I had to drive down South for a funeral. It was exhausting. I feel better now but since next weekend is my birthday, things don't look to get any less exhausting anytime soon.

OK, enough stalling...back to writing.

You can tell I have the day off. I'll probably never again post twice in one day.

I just made oven baked sweet potato fries (yes...I am that Southern), black eyed peas (for luck), and tofu bites for a late lunch. It was so good. Now I'm pondering making some gluten-free cookies and pumpkin bread. I feel so off-kilter on these mid-week days off. All I can think about is the work I left unfinished yesterday. I think I am going to have to work some on Saturday to make up the time.

Every single time I post a new chapter on RBTL, I think about how much of a mistake it was to use songs for the chapter titles. I love music and I love the emotional punch that a song can give but choosing the songs to pair with each chapter can be such a headache. I know that some people enjoy the songs so it's worth it but...man it's tough. Also, the chapter titles aren't at all descriptive so even I can't remember which chapter is which. I chose to go with songs because I hate titling things so I thought it would be an easier device. It's not. /rant :)

Is it wrong to eat while watching The Biggest Loser? It feels wrong.

I think I'll be taking a break from the potential award winners to see Defiance tonight. I can't resist a good World War II movie (unless it has Tom Cruise in it...then I have no trouble all) and it has a pretty nice cast. I am not looking forward to seeing Doubt or The Wrestler but I feel like I have to. I wish I still lived near the independent theater here in Houston. It's so hard to see documentaries and foreign films now.

God, this post is pointless and now my icon has made me want to watch some Arrested Development.

I purged my old journal and I am starting over from scratch. I decided that I needed a new way to avoid cleaning/laundry/work/writing and resurrecting my old journal seemed like as good a place to start as any...

I also cleared my friend list since a lot of my friends were inactive/friends from fandoms I haven't written in for years so if you are inclined to friend me, feel free. I'd love to meet some new people or reconnect with old friends.