yesterday, in bullet form

hey. the sun is shining. weird. i mean, because it wasn't shining a few seconds ago. not weird in general. cuz, you know, that's what the sun does. it shines.

yesterday was an all around good day. because...
+i got to chat with starbuckle for a wee bit in the morning.
+ i beautified our porch with big potted mums and a bunch of mini pumpkins.
+i ran into B at the grocery store. i haven't seen her since... i'm not sure when. we were at mhc together and i have always liked her so so much. she doesn't live around here, she was only around for the day and i was lucky enough to bump into her. that made me happy.
+my first voice lesson went very well. i really like this teacher so far. a few things he said contradicted some things my old (and much beloved) teacher had told me, but i tried to be open minded about it and give it an honest try. seems to me that the goal is to keep the things she told me in mind while giving his techniques a try and then figure out the combination that works best for me. it's just really really good to be singing again, to be thinking about technique and using my voice well. ahhhh.
+i cooked a quick and tasty curry for dinner. i love cooking. just love it. and i love the idea for cooking the rice - jasmine rice with a touch of cinnamon in it. mmm.
+then rehearsal was also good times. we finally got to sing the weelkes and byrd pieces and uuhhhhh, they're so great. <3 byrd. AND! annelarissa and i will get to sing a wee duet. we haven't seen it yet, but it's a medieval piece and supposedly very pretty. eee! a duet with anney! how excited am i?
+and then a bit of hanging with anney and jenny after rehearsal too. lucky me. and then home to help my lady edit her paper. i am learning much about the history of labor law in this country. it's actually pretty depressing. the history, not the learning.

who do i appreciate?

starbuckle!

though i seem to have missed the actual day, no one really minds, do they?

i have said these things before in other contexts, but can i don't think a beta like starbuckle can be over-appreciated. i mean, she's not only the one who helps make my writing better, she's the one who got me writing in the first place. i honestly don't know whether i would have ever posted fic if it hadn't been for her. i love our beta-writer relationship. i feel more at liberty to write knowing that she will read it first and give me her honest and thorough opinions. and when we work through things together, they inevitably end up more convincing, more eloquent and more satisfying. really, i never want to write anything without having jenny beta it.

i also owe appreciation for beta to fearlessdiva, cimorene111 and annelarissa who, in addition to jenny, helped me with my most challenging fic thus far, all souls' day. having so many great betas on one short story was enlightening. they all caught different things and they were all useful and thought-provoking. they all have wonderfully critical eyes and that story is much the better for their help.

i will sing you a song no one sang to me

nnnyah. talking about my remus/bran bunny with camillfarfalla and harrimad_sol made me really want to write it. like, really. ng. but not really. it's more like i want the story to exist, suddenly and completely, with no effort on my part. yeah.

so. our bathroom is in a state of undress. as in, the linoleum has been ripped up off the bare wood floor. because the toilet has been leaking and the floor is wet and rotting. the good part of this is that we get a new floor (the old one was ugly) and a new toilet. whee! the bad part is that our landlord takes FOREVER to do anything. the weird part is a conversation we had about the floor guy on the phone today. she was telling me that he would be coming over and he's new to her so she'll want me to tell her what i think about him. and then she said, apropos of nothing, "he's not gay." um... ? ok. and then basically she said she was giving him a try anyway and blah blah.

what does this mean? that she usually only employs gay repairpeople? how completely odd and unexpected that comment was.

of the sad: i spent a lot of time today preparing a yay-your-paper's-done! dinner for my lady. but she forgot she had a union meeting tonight. so she'll be home late-ish. and we'll have a very short dinner. :( oh well. it will still be tasty - pumpkin potato pie. ::drinks wine::

whee! angel tonight!!! and baby kitty! eeee!