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 have a problem this morning as I sit down to write some new material for my stories.

Namely, I am so into this novel-length fic I am writing. It is filling my mind, making other writing nearly impossible. I need to post a new chapter of Reading Between the Lines today and I have started four different stories, only to return to the novel each time.

I had this same problem with Six Interruptions. I pretty much ran out of ideas for moments to be interrupted by the end and every time I would start one, I'd end up writing a one-shot for Reading Between the Lines instead. Also, the last chapter was a chore to write because I don't enjoy writing Bella.

Anyway, I have no idea what I'll end up posting today.

In other news, I watched the film Slumdog Millionaire the other night. It's fantastic. It was gritty and frustrating and sad and beautiful and hopeful, all at once. I enjoyed every second of it. I loved the Bollywood number over the credits. It was such a perfect outpouring of joy to end the movie with. Just stunning work.