awmperry | Recent Entries

How come blogs are always so aimless? It's always just random witterings, isn't it?

Aaaanyway, this post does actually, in a complete breach with tradition, have a point. Yup, I'm about to plug my fanfics. This is a full list, by the way; copied from below, with a few more recent ones added.

Dark Autumn: Combat Catalyst (http://www.hgnetwork.co.uk/siye/viewstory.php?sid=9060) - This was my entry in SIYE's Dark Autumn challenge. It had to fit certain requirements; three battles described, Neville taking charge, Harry using a spectacular new curse, and so on. I'm very pleased with this one - lots of non-fluffy fluff, action, comedy and cool-under-fire Luna.

"Have A Chocolate, Tom?" (http://www.riddikulus.org/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=5661) - A very short 500-word fic that I wrote in about an hour after the idea popped into my head. I like to see loose ends tied up, y'see.

The Potter Monster (http://www.hgnetwork.co.uk/siye/viewstory.php?sid=8611) - A parody of that metaphorical monster that Rowling had crawling about inside Harry during HBP. Be warned, though, it's gory. Well, it's ripped off from Alien, so what can you expect?

Dementors And Crumpets (http://www.riddikulus.org/authors/torak/DC.html)
- A collection of little vignettes, the first of which was inspired by a discussion of the tea room at Azkaban, showing scenes that... well, they could have happened. There's nothing to conclusively say they didn't, at least. First up, the Dementors in their tea room discuss who finished the milk. After that, I've got partially-written chapters about the Death Eaters' Christmas party, and even a fic taking place entirely within the Malfoy family fridge.

The End Of The World (http://www.hgnetwork.co.uk/siye/viewstory.php?sid=8610) - Got the idea for this one from the last line, which just popped into my head one day. The rest of it kind of grew from there. Fairly grim - everybody (and I do mean everybody) dies, but I always think of it as a rather optimistic take on the apocalypse. And, of course, decidedly fluffy. I'm very chuffed with this one, in fact.

I've got a few more in the works, including a novel-length sequel to HBP (which I'm having a great deal of fun with - at the moment I'm writing a chapter unashamedly ripping off Raiders Of The Lost Ark).

Current Mood: awake (barely)
Current Music: Phil Collins Big Band - Pick Up The Pieces

I've just placed an order. For a ludicrously-specced Alienware. We like that, oh yes we do... no more waiting for days for a render!

Whaddya mean, "So what?"

Current Mood: Bloody delirious
Current Music: Beyonce Knowles & Stevie Wonder - Signed Sealed Delivered (Live)

All my suspicions confirmed:

You scored as Lord Havelock Vetinari. You are Lord Vetinari! Supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork! Cool, calculated, and always in control. You graduated from the assassins guild, but failed a course on stealth and camouflage, because the professor never saw you there (even though you attended every class). You always seem to know what everyone is thinking, and after a conversation with you, people feel that they have just escaped certain death.

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Lord Havelock Vetinari

75%

The Librarian

69%

Greebo

63%

Carrot Ironfounderson

63%

Death

63%

Commander Samuel Vimes

56%

Cohen The Barbarian

50%

Rincewind

44%

Esmerelda (Granny) Weatherwax

38%

Gytha (Nanny) Ogg

25%

Which Discworld Character are you like (with pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Russell Watson - Faith Of The Heart

...you arrive at a 9 AM lecture to find a Media Studies class in your lecture theatre and your lecturer hunched up outside trying to find a spare theatre.

...you arrive at said spare theatre - ten minutes' walk away, and guaranteed to be empty - and find an English course.

...your lecturer says (once the 9AM lecture has started at 10 AM) that next week it'll definitely be at 9 AM in ED101.

...you arrive at said 9 AM in ED101 the following week and get told "He's given up, the lecture's cancelled" - and find the theatre occupied. Again.

Well, at least it's good for a chuckle, and it keeps you on your toes. Makes you adaptable, quick-witted. And gives you lots of sodding exercise.

Current Mood: bemused
Current Music: Clement Freud, Paul Merton, Stephen Fry, Liza Tarbuck - Crow's Feet

That's settled, then. Off I go back to university; Freshers' Week starts on Saturday, and while I'm not strictly a fresher this time round it makes sense to go then anyway as a sort of refresher course.

Airsoft's still good fun, and with any luck I'll start an airsoft soc when I get back to uni - and by the way, have a look at www.saveairsoft.org and do what you can. Sign the petitions, contact your MP, start playing airsoft, buy all the airsoft guns you can before Blair gets his bloody stupid VCR bill through. There are so many flaws in that bill that I can't even be bothered to enumerate them; it doesn't do anything to reduce crime, just clamps down on law-abiding citizens practising an enjoyable and safe hobby. In fact, under the new law, even a wooden replica of a rifle - like the one a mate of mine made from a plank and a length of aluminium tube - would be illegal.

Aaaanyway... In other news, I've started writing again; while most of my writing in the past has been original fiction, with a smattering of non-fiction, columns, journalism and random witterings, I've recently started writing Harry Potter fan fiction. (While I'm on the subject, I think the worst mistake Rowling made was tweaking the Potter books to appeal more to kids, with the random bits of juvenile humour; the every-flavour beans, bat bogeys, troll snot... who needs that? That, I think, lost her a lot of adult readers who would otherwise have really enjoyed the books.)

Getting back on topic, my HP fanfics:

The Potter Monster (http://www.hgnetwork.co.uk/siye/viewstory.php?sid=8611) - A parody of that metaphorical monster that Rowling had crawling about inside Harry during HBP. Be warned, though, it's gory. Well, it's ripped off from Alien, so what can you expect?

Dementors And Crumpets (http://www.riddikulus.org/authors/torak/DC.html) - A collection of little vignettes, the first of which was inspired by a discussion of the tea room at Azkaban, showing scenes that... well, they could have happened. There's nothing to conclusively say they didn't, at least. First up, the Dementors in their tea room discuss who finished the milk. After that, I've got partially-written chapters about the Death Eaters' Christmas party, and even a fic taking place entirely within the Malfoy family fridge.

The End Of The World (http://www.hgnetwork.co.uk/siye/viewstory.php?sid=8610) - Got the idea for this one from the last line, which just popped into my head one day. The rest of it kind of grew from there. Fairly grim - everybody (and I do mean everybody) dies, but I always think of it as a rather optimistic take on the apocalypse. And, of course, decidedly fluffy. I'm very chuffed with this one, in fact.

I've got a few more in the works, including a novel-length sequel to HBP (which I'm having a great deal of fun with - at the moment I'm writing a chapter unashamedly ripping off Raiders Of The Lost Ark), and a tiny little fic involving Voldemort and a box of Chocolate Cauldrons (http://www.fictionalley.org/fictionalleypark/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=96933).

Well, that's about it. This blog isn't getting much in the way of updates - that's probably a good sign. :-D

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Neil Sedaka - Laughter In The Rain

The time is now 0202 on Thursday morning. I need to finish packing my kit for Berget, because we're leaving at four. AM.

And you have no idea how much I just don't want to go.

I've got more kit than I'll ever use, and due to the guy appointed commander of my platoon at Berget, my original character concept has been mauled beyond recognition. So - since, as an organiser, I didn't need to pay for my ticket and I thus have nothing to lose - I have formulated a plan. It may be cunning, but cunning isn't my forte at two AM.

I will return to my original character of an RMP major. If the CO objects, I just get in the car and go home. No loss to me - I don't particularly want to play the game, after all.

Oh, and for those who haven't a clue what I'm on about: Berget 4

Current Mood: depressed
Current Music: Sara Löfgren - När ingen vet

Yet another day wobbling wildly from goodish to badish. On the upside I've got a ticket to Rhapsody In Rock at the Royal Albert Hall next Saturday, but on the downside I've got a sore shoulder.

Good: Driving test on Thursday
Bad: Driving test on Thursday

Good: Going back to Scotland, then to Brussels
Bad: Bloody luggage....

Good: Mamma and Alex back in Sweden, if only for a visit
Bad: Mamma as highly-strung as ever

Good: Got a couple of DVDs to watch
Bad: Got sod all to watch on Swedish TV
Ugly: Swedish TV

Current Mood: morose
Current Music: Martin Stenmarck - Las Vegas

The time is now 0041, Monday morning.

By 0955 I will be sitting in a car for my second week of driving lessons. In Borlänge. Which is two hours away by train.

Which means that I need to get on the train leaving at 0655, which means I need to be at the station by 0610, which in turn means I need to be up by - urgh - 0430. Yes, that's in just over three and a half hours.

Still, it means I could have my licence by the end of the week, so...

Night, all. Three hours of sleep... gah. I want ten!

Buggrit.

Current Mood: stressed

Absolutely right, this post really has no point. I just wanted to check if this desktop posting tool worked. Ho hum.

Current Mood: bored
Current Music: Celine Dion Special - Conga

We have six inches of snow. But, since we Swedes are morons, nobody knows how to clear snow off streets any more.

The standard snowplough these days is a pickup with a cheap plough bolted on the front. It has no weight and no power. The other vehicle they use is a big tractor. Plenty of power, of course, and good grip - but the buggers don't ground the blade properly (it might get worn...) so instead of clearing the road we get an inch-thick layer of very solid, tightly packed and compressed snow. And yes, it's bloody slippery, thanks for asking.

This country is infested with incompetent buffoons running every civic office, so obviously roadclearing is outsourced to people who have no clue about snow, and are more concerned with the life span of their ploughs than people breaking legs.

In other news, the second obstacle on my road to a driving licence has been defeated. My 70-question theory test - maximum allowable time 50 minutes - was deemed a pass.

With 33 minutes left on the clock.

So yeah, I'm pretty chuffed. Now it's just a matter of scheduling a driving test and passing that, and I will collect my delightful little Land Rover....