Ferret Frenzy

I wrote something!

2008-05-06T15:01:07Z

Okay, so it's only about a page and a half for TPP6, but it is something. It's the first bit I've written in over a month. So I'm ecstatic.

In other news, I think I'm finally pulling out of this funk. I've been angry for the past couple of days and after talking to a couple of friends, I have been encouraged to pick my pride back up and walk away. I can't say I don't still hurt and I can't say I don't still love him. But I can say that I deserve better and I don't intend to wallow around wanting him back anymore. As much as I love him and as much as I have forgiven him over the course of 3+ years, I don't think I could trust him again. Maybe someday, when he's grown up a bit, we can be friends. But right now, it's hard to even respect him. And how warped is that, being madly in love with someone I can't respect anymore?

I'm not saying look for a new chapter anytime soon. But I am saying that I'm working my way back. And since TPP 6 was about 2/3 finished when all this garbage happened, it will most likely be the first new posting. It's already already 22 Word pages long, so this one will probably be the longest chapter of the fic. I trust it will be worth the wait when I finally get it out there.

Migraines again and introducing a new pet

2008-05-05T01:22:58Z

*sigh* I have been lounging in bed all day yet again, suffering from a lovely migraine. I've had a lot of migraines lately, so I'm somewhat concerned about the state of my health. I know it isn't my hair length, because I should have at least another 6 inches to go before it starts to hurt me. But then again, I think it's time for a new look. I love long hair, but I'm not feeling it anymore. So I'm taking hairstyle suggestions. As long as they aren't high-maintenance, because my hair is poker-straight, impossible to curl, resistant to curling irons even to the point of trying to flip the ends, and tangles extremely easily (very fine). I also hate bangs. Right now it is parted down the middle, and slightly layered, and ends around the bottom of my shoulder blades.

Yesterday when I was helping Sami renovate her boyfriend's place in preparation for his return from Iraq, she decided to buy me this modular Betta tank with a off-white background with a maroonish sakura-inspired print on it. It has a Asian-inspired rock display on the bottom with three large dark red rocks over yellowy gravel. The color scheme cried out for a red Betta and I found one with the three trailing drapes of the tail looking like the red gown Zhang Ziyi wore in Hero. So, whether the fish is male or female, I have christened it Zhang Ziyi. lol Imaginative, no? Well, I might look up her character's name and see if I like it better. . .

Oh well, I'm off to eat dinner. Might actually write a bit today, I hope. Depends on the throbbing pain.

Some rambles

2008-05-04T03:01:15Z

I've got a few things on my mind today.

One is the health of my ferrets. Both my boys are shedding their winter coats, which often leads to temporary weight loss. But Chouji, my Chubba Wumba, seems to have lost over a pound and is very thin. I am spoiling him with lots of FuroVite, a vitamin and calorie rich smelly goo that I usually use as a reward. It can stimulate the appetite and can also be used as an emergency supplement when they go off their feed for a temporary period. But I am concerned that I have been having to use it a bit too long. Both girls got their rabies shots on Wednesday and go back two weeks from then for their distemper. Distemper is much more important than rabies healthwise, since rabies will decimate a ferret extremely quickly, but legally, rabies is the bigger factor. It's the one the city issues license tags for. Sasuke goes in probably next month for his and then Chouji is due in June, I believe. Expensive time of year for me in terms of the fuzzies. It's another concern there, too, because I'm not sure if I'll be able to ask their "dad" for any more financial support in their care.

And that ties in to thought number two. I'm pretty sure I can't be friends with him. I mean, for one thing, I have enough friends that I rarely see or hear from and who don't answer their phone when I need them. And as hurtful as that can be, it will only be more hurtful when I can't rely on him. Another thing is, I still love him, desperately. Friendship won't fill that void and could potentially put me in the position of having to support him in a new relationship when I don't want to even contemplate him with anyone else. And third, if I'm going to pick myself up and rebuild my life and find new dreams to replace all the ones he shattered, then I'd only be undermining myself by holding on to him. Let's face it, his decision is selfish and crappy and his refusal to see how much I'm hurting is disrespectful and belittling of the depth of love I've offered him. Constantly telling me I can find someone else, that he's not as important to me as I say he is, and claiming that he hasn't destroyed any of my life plans just shows how little value all the sacrifices I have made and the devotion I have given him actually meant to him all this time. Which is very disappointing. But such is life.

I can't give in to the part of me that wants to lay around waiting for him to come back. I mean, if he does come back, it will be very hard for me to say no. But he can't just call me up and say, "Hey, I'm ready to re-commit to this relationship now." That just won't cut it. He owes me a lot more than that and I hope he realizes that. I deserve some groveling and apologies for breaking my heart and turning my world upside-down. And how can trust him? I mean, after all, this is an incredible betrayal and rejection. If he can do it one time, what will stop him from doing that again?

In other news, I think Hugo the Hornet -- mascot of the New Orleans Hornets -- is going to be catching some heat if his impromptu disruption of the 2nd quarter of Round 2 Game 1 between the Hornets and the San Antonio Spurs dramatically impacts my beloved Spurs' performance, considering they were quite hot and playing well and have now spent about 20 minutes on the bench getting cold. I think the refs should get their heads checked for not allowing the teams to go into the back to stay warmed up and instead are making them go through a second warm-up process. *huge sigh* It also sucks that we finally are playing a game against a team in our own time zone and we had to wait til 9 pm for the game start. This game will probably go til midnight and I have to be up for church about 6:30 am and I am not known for sleeping less than 9 hours a day and being happy. *second sigh* Oh well, no matter what, we are the team to beat, we are focused and determined to repeat for the first time in our history, and we CAN! GO SPURS GO!!!!

Bath Day

2008-04-26T19:11:19Z

Well, today is rather warm, especially inside my house as the AC doesn't seem to be doing much more than circulating allergens. (Gotta love spring in South Texas *glares at giant oak tree in front yard*) I was cage cleaning, since my darling ferrets believe that a new cage means they no longer have to use the litter box, and I realized that despite the fan directed at them and the frozen water bottles in socks for them to cuddle up to and their 2 water dispensers being half-filled with ice, they were panting. PANTING! Ferrets don't pant unless they are extremely hot. Their bodies don't have a well-developed system to deal with excess heat. They don't sweat, for example, and much like with cats, panting is not overly effective at dispersing the heat. So I added another fan and a few more frozen water-bottles-in-socks, but decided the best thing to do for immediate relief would be cool baths. It was nail-clipping day anyway, so why not complete the indignity. (For those wondering why bath day is a big deal, there is a lot of debate in the ferret community over the negative impact of baths -- such as flaky, dry skin -- and the general recommendation is not more than once a month. Yes, I realize some people find their "odor" can be controlled by bathing frequently, but I'm not bothered by their "funk".)

Bath day with me is not really exciting for the ferrets. One by one, they get rinsed in the sink, shampoo'd up with a raspberry-scented ferret shampoo, rinsed again, and then quickly wrapped in a towel for a quick scrub, then put back in their newspaper-lined playpen to shake and roll themselves dry. Okay, the last bit is fun for them *grin*. But when their daddy was around, he took all 4 to the bathtub, stripped down, and joined them for a soak. They'd play in the water, swimming and splashing for up to an hour. So I'm sure they are disappointed to be stuck with mommy for the rest of their fuzzy lives, at least in terms of bath day.

Which gets me to thinking how much better their lives were when they had the both of us. They got to outside a lot for more, for one thing. After all, taking two ferrets each out and spending time as a couple while your fuzzy babies romped around in the dirt and fresh air was a lot easier and more fun than it is to take four ferrets out on your own. You find yourself tangled up in the leashes, having them try to go in four directions at once, and talking to yourself. Even worse is the threat of stray dogs. The first time I had all four out by myself, a stray dog came over excitedly to investigate and I couldn't gather all four up into my arms in time, so I had to toss myself on top of this poor beast, scruff him and hold him down until my neighbor saw my predicament and came to help. All the while, three of my "innocent" babies were "investigating" the dog and the fourth had broken out of his harness and run home (Thank God!). When the neighbor took the dog, I ran to my door, threw the three ferrets into the front room and climbed into the big bush to find the fourth. As soon as I had him, the neighbor released the dog and it went straight for the bush as if to find poor Chouji. And then there are the feral cats that set up a perimeter if I have all four out in the outside playpen. *sigh*

Of course, it's been one month since my wonderful man decided he doesn't have time to be in a relationship, so I am naturally quite down today. But I've resolved to pick up the pieces and slowly start getting back into the things that I enjoyed. One of the areas I have to focus on heavily is the ferrets. Because they are "ours", dealing with them has been very depressing and there was a time when I contemplated giving them up for adoption because they reminded me too forcefully of him. But now I see that as selfish childishness. If they were my human babies, I couldn't just do that! So with a fair bit of self-loathing, I am re-committing myself to their care. It doesn't help my mood that someone reminded me today that as early as 3 years of age is considered geriatric for ferrets. Tomo is nearing 2 and a half, Sasuke just turned 2 and Chouji will be 2 next month. Nami is nearing 1 and a half. That means in December, I will have a geriatric ferret! I'm supposed to feed her a different food, which will be a real challenge, not to mention all the extra diseases and special concerns I'll have to watch out for.

It hardly seems I have had them for so long. I guess I should stress that ferret ownership is NOT easy. They are terribly cute animals and have great personalities, but they are not like cats and dogs. I think I might write a post about ferret husbandry later, to explain that, but I am very leery of giving people the impression that they are "easy" pets because they live in cages. The main thing I want to point out is that they should NOT spend all their time in a cage. If my house were solely my own, I'd be able to free-range them more. That and if they'd hit their litterbox more often *sigh*. The other thing I'd point out is that they aren't naturally cuddlers, even though it's almost impossible not to want to cuddle them.

Well, I suppose I'll close this ramble with a few pics of the bath time aftermath. Enjoy.

These pics are in my ScrapBook with little descriptions. I'm not sure how to direct you to that area, but it is public as well.

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot this, but . . . GO SPURS GO! Awesome victory over the Suns last night! Spurs lead the series 3-0. SWEEP THE SUNS ON SUNDAY!!!!!!

Random Quizzes I Felt Like Taking And Sharing

2008-04-05T05:01:58Z

Just found these on various friends pages and took them, then collected them for this post. BTW, Happy Bday deadlydiva.

Find Out Which Disney Girl You Are!
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Belle

Dancing furniture, singing spoons, and a man who needs a serious haircut - sound familiar? Well it should! Belle was a very independent spirit with alot on her mind, much like you are! But in life, there is a needed balance - learn when to speak your mind, and when to hold it back. Sometimes offending someone isn't the best way to go!

Belle

100%

Violet

96%

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

79%

Pocahontas

75%

Mulan

67%

Jane

67%

Alice

67%

Cinderella

58%

Tinkerbell

50%

Jasmine

50%

Megara

46%

Snow White

46%

Ariel

25%

Esmerelda

Which Lord of the Rings Character are you? (lots of characters)
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Frodo Baggins

You are Frodo! Frodo was more thoughtful and moody than Hobbits were wont to be, and eagerly sought out news of far lands. He was also uncommonly perceptive of the hearts of those he met. The Ring influenced Frodo surprisingly little.

Frodo Baggins

75%

Aragorn

67%

Denethor

67%

Elrond

67%

Boromir

58%

Legolas

58%

Gandalf

50%

Galadriel

42%

Pippin Took

33%

Theoden

33%

Gimli

33%

Faramir

25%

Sam Gamgee

17%

Arwen

17%

Eowyn

17%

Eomer

Merry

Your results:
You are Mystique

Mystique		57%
Dark Phoenix		56%
The Joker		48%
Venom		46%
Riddler		46%
Apocalypse		44%
Mr. Freeze		43%
Poison Ivy		43%
Magneto		41%
Juggernaut		33%
Lex Luthor		31%
Catwoman		31%
Dr. Doom		29%
Green Goblin		25%
Two-Face		17%
Kingpin		16%

Sometimes motherly, sometimes a beautiful companion, but most of the time a deceiving vixen.

Click here to take the Super Villain Personality Test

Broken

2008-04-05T04:50:58Z

I have a soul mate. He is handsome, gentle, selfish, vain, funny, compassionate, supportive, proud, generous, kind, wonderful, a great dancer, someone incredibly special. However, he has recently come to the conclusion that I am not his soul mate.

So, he's left me. Alone, broken, uninspired. I've been sobbing uncontrollably for 7 nights now. I can't talk to anyone about it without breaking down into humiliating tears. I hate to cry in front of others. I hate to be seen as weak. I've been praying to -- or more accurately, raging at -- God for some kind of intervention. Whether it is restore his love or to take me out of all of this, I am past the point of caring. I just want one of the two.

I have plenty of reasons to go on with my life: my wonderful friends, the darling girls I nanny, the dreams I want to fulfill, the possibility of seeing my Spurs repeat... But the thought of living like Princess Buttercup (The Princess Bride) wears me down, breaks my resolve, tempts me to surrender to the waves of despair.

I try to contemplate life without him. The huge hole gaping in my soul... how can that possibly heal? He (and others) tell me that I will find someone else. I know they mean this as comfort. It is, instead, the worst thing they can say. But I cannot convince them of this because they think I am talking out of emotion. But I'm not. In this, I am coldly logical and determined.

You see, he's dumped me before. And I became what I am now: cold, broken, lost. And it lasted. It didn't get better as time passed. I know that in time, I won't think about him as much. I realize that as time drags on, I'll be able to sleep and eat and not cry. But even should some man march into my life like Prince Humperdink and declare I must marry him will my heart soften again. The hole in my heart may heal over, like the inside of a piercing, but the hole will remain.

Some say that it's okay, the heart can love again, even seriously scarred and torn apart. Well, I don't want someone like that! Someone who has only the shadows of a former great love to offer me. So what right do I have to do that to someone else? Like Evita, my love burned and it burned so brightly, but for such a short time, and now it lies in ashes, never to be resurrected by another. Yes, call me over-dramatic if you like, I've heard that before. But time will prove me correct.

I don't think I'm particularly unpleasant to look at or be around, but in the past 5 years, I've had two men ask me out. One was my boyfriend, the other, a half-drunk guy at a movie event. 30 is three months away. Not the greatest odds, even if I were inclined to start looking. I'm already living one country song, I don't need to mix a few more in. Yes, yes, I've heard 30 is the new 20. Whoop-de-doo. I feel old and you can't change that.

As such, my inspiration is gone. I could care less right now about other people's romances. The only character I can write right now is Minako, and I would fill her with so much anger and depression that she'd be dismissed as emo and everyone's dislike for her would unfairly increase. I have standards for my writing and my character development (borrowed as the characters may be) is carefully sculpted out of the written language. So please understand that there will be an unpredictable delay till my next update. Other pieces may come out of this depression and pain. Or I may only write things for my eyes only. All I can promise is that I will be back.

All I can pray is that I can have him back, too.

have to brag a sec

2008-03-18T04:49:02Z

I am so happy. I have been a fan of Cute Overload.com for a while now and have always wanted to get one of my ferret pics up the there. Well, this weekend, one of my two closest friends and I decided to attempt a themed picture for CO and it was accepted and posted with all haste! See it here: http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/03/ferrets-n-racks.html

It features my two boys, Chouji and Sasuke stuffed into her shirt. My favorite part is that my friend looks like she's more mischievous than the ferrets lol

Feel free to leave a comment here or there, just don't be a nuffer ;> (fyi -- a nuffer is someone who has nothing nice to say or who complains just to complain).

Quick Update

2008-03-12T16:05:50Z

Hello anyone who is reading this.

I haven't had much free time. I've been quite busy with work and home stuff. However, Monday was an unexpected rain day and though I had a huge migraine, I started writing on TPP 6 and now have 16 pages written. Yay me. The rough draft is in the hands of my beta for her opinion on it and I hope to continue working on it as time allows.

ADABN and GU are on hold at this time, but I am hoping to work on them as well. I will finally get to see my boyfriend on Friday and will be with him and some friends all weekend, so I doubt I will do much writing between now and Monday. However, Monday starts Spring Break and I don't know if I will recruited for the two remodels going on in my work and friend circles or if I will have time to myself.

Happy St. Patrick's Day in advance. I shall be wearing the Orange and the Green as the Green is historically significant to my family (shout out to County Cork) and the Orange is religiously significant to my family. Politically, I'd prefer to wear the White and continue to plead for my Irish compatriots to work together for peace and harmony. I'll be spending my day with a couple friends who also are of Irish extraction and enjoying Boondocks Saints at the Alamo Drafthouse (awesome theatre chain, btw).

That's all for now.

Well, what have I been doing?

2008-02-25T04:15:59Z

Hello all. I've been working quite a bit. My hours have changed from 4 days a week to 7 days a week with overnights, which means I have to take all of my study materials with me. I've lost a good chunk of evening inspiration time, so I have to learn how to reclaim time for me instead of collapsing tiredly on the couch.

In good news, I have written about 2 pages on TPP6 -- which may not sound like a lot but it ended up being woven into the established amount in rewrites, so hopefully it will make what I had written better. It's currently awaiting my dear beta's opinion.

I've also written a couple of pages for GU, but it came out a bit clunky and needs some tweaking.

No inspiration as of yet for ADABN, I'm afraid.

I have been having a good bit of trouble sticking to my daily Japanese study schedule. Maybe I'm putting too much on my plate. But I really want to see progress!!!

Here's this week's plan:

Today: catch up on the things I'm behind as well as weekly kanji test
Right now that means I have 30 min "fun" manga reading -- by fun I mean not stopping to figure out what things mean in a dictionary or getting bogged down by the grammar, just going for overall comprehension of the story, not line by line technical translation
AND
2 pages of the short story "Nigashita Sakana wa ookikatta" by Mori Youko. By 2 pages I mean the two pages of text found in the book "Read Real Japanese", which has translations and grammar points covering the bottom third and the facing page. As I read, I document EVERYTHING I don't know.

Mon: 200x ea of the first 2 of this week's 10 kanji
Next section in Verb text (LOTS of conjugation practice)
3 pod cast lessons from JPod.com

Tue: 200x ea of the next 2 of this week's 10 kanji
30 min "fun" manga reading
3 pod cast lessons from JPod.com

Wed: 200x ea of the next 2 of this week's 10 kanji
Next section in Adj text (LOTS of conjugation practice)
2 pod cast lessons from JPod.com

Thu: 200x ea of the next 2 of this week's 10 kanji
next 2 pages in "Nigashita"
1 pod cast lesson from JPod.com (toughest level)

Fri: 200x ea of the last 2 of this week's 10 kanji
Next section in Particles text (oh yeah, quizzes)
2 pod cast lessons from JPod.com

Sat: catch up on anything missing
Next section in Onomatopoeia text (this is a neat tool)
1 pod cast lesson from JPod.com (to leave room for catching up)

Yeah . . . so, that's what I have to get done each day, regardless of how much time I actually have to myself. And some days, all I have is that 2 hour (hopefully) nap and maybe an hour after the older of my nanny charges goes to bed. I love the family to pieces, so please don't take this as a complaint. It's just that I was used to a bit more "me" time happening naturally and now I have to figure out how to carve it out for myself . . . something I've never been very good at.

In ferret news, the vets have confirmed Sasuke is NOT adrenal -- thank you, God! -- and he is almost done with his amoxycillan -- which will devastate him since he thinks it's a treat. He's such a silly boy.

Ah well, ganbarimasu!

Writing Updates

2008-02-11T05:22:44Z

Okie dokie

so . . . .

TPP 6: planning for the chapter has begun to take shape, rough skeleton sketched, looks like a VERY long piece. 6 pages written about Minako's past.

ADABN 16: no more progress on this one yet, just the inspired scene, hope to sketch out a plan once I get a bit further along on the other two stories, especially TPP

GU: First big news, it has a name! It is Given Unconditionally and it is a play on the name of my friend who challenged me to write this story, Goddess Usagi. Since I've been calling it GU for so long, I decided that it had to be named G(something) U(something). Together, we wracked our brains to come up with something we felt was suitable. Anyway, Chapter 4 is underway with 3 pages written. The story is planned out through at least Chapter 5 in depth, but I have a few crucial decisions to make before I can sketch out the ending. I'm predicting 8 chapters for this OHC-based fun fic, and I don't plan to post it up until it is done, so don't go wishing for this one too soon.

In other news, I have buckled down and created my own super-intensive, 7 days a week Japanese study program to keep me fresh and improving. That is the absolute must for me to do each day, so I am using writing as a reward for getting everything done. Whether or not this pays off for you, my readers, is yet to be seen.

Oh and I now allow anonymous comments on my journal, so you can tell me what you are thinking without having to make an account. Don't abuse that feature. ;> I will delete anything I don't like.

Where does my writing stand?

2008-02-06T04:33:58Z

Okay, I know that's all anybody popping in here really cares about. :P

Anyway, I have been VERY busy -- just not with writing. The family I nanny for is planning to move, so we are in the throes of updating and renovating the house they currently live in. This means longer hours for me, which I appreciate because I adore the kids, but which y'all may not because it means that I don't get to write very much, since the only time I would have for that is nap time and the older child doesn't need a nap, but does need to be kept out from underfoot.

Also, it's not just my writing that is needing my time. I am still behind in my penpal letters *sigh* and haven't spent much time with the fuzzkids, either. And, yes, that is a big deal, since they are highly social animals that crave socialization with their human(s). I can't tell you how heartbreaking it is when all 4 of them leap at the cage in utter excitement when I arrive home only to dejectedly watch me collapse on my bed. I think I get a day off on Saturday -- but no guarantees. I've only had one day off in the past 2 weeks and I spent in in bed with a killer migraine. Not exactly the most rejuvenating day-off ever...

That does not mean that nothing is being created in terms of the stories. Lots of thoughts are running through my mind. That's the way I prefer to work anyway . . . letting the concepts stew in my mind for a while before sitting down and letting things flow.

So yeah. I know it's been 10 days since my last update (A Dark and Boring Night 15) and I know some people may have been confused by the fact that 14 and 15 came out mere days apart. And it's only been 18 days since I updated The Princess Problem. That's a lot of writing to have posted in such a short amount of time. I may be a bit sensitive at the moment, with the loud clamor for speedier updates, but really . . . look at the reviews yourself and then imagine them all pouring in at you! That many demands to update quickly takes the fun out of receiving the reviews, to be honest, and kind of kills my creativity. I suppose the reviewers mean it in a flattering way, but my chapters are not hastily pounded out strings of words. I carefully cultivate them and I am extremely conscientious about them. I want them to be the very best that I can make of them. So they take time. Because I am an overachiever, yes, but also because I want to make sure that the story is told EXACTLY the way I want it to be.

Well, off on another tangent, I'm kinda curious to see who is actually reading this thing (besides Loki and GU *hugs) . . . so if you are . . . why don't you leave me a comment?

That's all I can think of right now on this late evening of Fat Tuesday while the kiddies are sound asleep in their beds and their parents should be home within the hour. Oh, I could be writing, you say? *nods sagely* I could, if I wasn't writing this as I take a break from my JapanesePod101.com studies (and Peter's horribly irritating voice -- sorry, but I just can't stand it!!!). I've only been studying from this site for a week, but so far, I'm able to recommend it. Best part -- quite a good chunk of it is free!

~B

EDIT: ADABN 15 posted

2008-01-25T17:18:20Z

ADABN 15 has ~~entered the final proof and check stage~~. been posted at FF.net. I have received 19 reviews for ADABN 14 so far! I wonder if I will get more for ADABN 15? I will spend some time this weekend making sure the DGRFA is current (which I am pretty sure it is not . . .).

In-progress status:

TPP6: planning stages

GU challenge: up to chapter 3 written, up to chapter 5 planned -- still no title; will most likely not be posted until it is completed

ADABN 16: ~~c'mon, I just wrote 2 chapters! I'm probably not even looking at this one for a little while, we'll see~~ So much for a break, lol, as I proofed 15 one last time a scene popped into my head for 16, so I have now entered the planning stages for this chapter as well.

Other projects in my life:

Work
Monthly overhaul, bleaching, and re-designing of five-foot tall ferret cage
Bi-weekly bath of 4 ferrets
Studying for certification exams (I'm expanding my certification)
Several pen pal letters
Creation of 5 themed, Nice and Neat FBs
Laundry (weather has suddenly changed AGAIN and I've got to get more sweaters and the like out of storage *grumble*)
Getting enough sleep (this should probably be top priority . . .)
Re-organization of my room (and some redecorating if I can find the energy)
Several cross-stitch pieces
Memory books for each of my mom's students spanning the year (big, Big, BIG project, and it's entering the high-gear point. May have to dedicate all of Sunday to it for starters.)

Well, that's it for now. Hope everybody enjoys the update!

~B

ADABN 14 posted

2008-01-23T05:35:27Z

WIP Info

ADABN 15: needs a couple of more paragraphs, will most likely work on this tomorrow afternoon if I can find the time.

TPP 6: plotting in progress, currently re-reading the manga and re-watching key parts of the live action to determine just how far I want to go with Minako's character revelations at this point

GU challenge: on hold until ADABN 15 is complete. Still need a title...

ADABN 14 near to posting

2008-01-22T19:09:36Z

A Dark and Boring Night chapter 14 is now in the hands of my beta, Goddess Usagi. As soon as she has stamped it with her little golden seal of approval, I shall post it up at Fanfiction.net and then turn my attention to ADABN 15 and the plotting out of TPP 6. How far I get today depends on several factors, mainly on how much free time I have after work. There's ferrets to bathe and a cage to scrub top to bottom and laundry to do. Since yesterday was MLK Jr Day, I took it completely off -- sleeping in instead of doing any of my usual chores and then watching Dr. Who with my dearest friend, Panda. And, of course, I haven't spoken with my honey in about 3 days. . . not sure why I haven't heard from him except that I expect he has been busy.

Why can't ferrets be Navy SEALS?

2008-01-21T02:35:51Z

I look at this picture and laugh. These three look like they are practicing how to slip out of the ocean under the cover of night. Okay, maybe I'm the only one who thinks this, but the way the flash caught their eyes certainly makes them look like they are up to something. The sable darling sporting a spiky new hairdo is my oldest male, Sasuke (his daddy named him, so don't blame me ;>). It's hard to believe he will soon be two years old! The "green-eyed" ferret waiting her time to strike is the alpha mamma of the group (and my smallest ferret), Tomo. She turned 2 years old on Christmas Day. The red-eyed mix is my best friend's ferret; I was ferret-sitting and decided to bathe them. His name is Itachi -- which sets my boyfriend off in Naruto-related giggles. This red-eyed guy is not yet a year and he beats up on all the others (I have 4 total), plus his big sister, who is a pit bull. While I was taking this photo, he was leading the assault -- on me, since I was the only remaining piece of "dry land" in the bathroom at this point.

This is Chouji. He's a beautiful, loving, mellow boy who loves to pose for the camera. He only has 3 canines, sadly, because he developed a cavity in one of them due to neglect before I got him. (They only fed him mush, long after he should have been weaned onto dry kibble.) In this photo, he was still a bit overweight, but he has now lost a pound due to better nutrition and fun playmates. He's a year and half (give or take, since we don't know his birthdate).

Finally, this is my darling Nami. She turned 1 on Christmas Eve. I fell in love with her the second she climbed up my arm, bit my cheek, and then just hung there. Such spunk! She is my most active ferret and the only one brave enough to steal Tomo's treats -- even though she won't eat them. She just likes to start fights. She is also a bit of a makeover artist, since she keeps changing colors on me. When I first got her, she was a champagne. Then she became a silver mitt. Then she shifted to a light silver blaze. Right now, I have to call her a mix. I'm hoping she'll settle down and become a panda. She is the only one of my four who has ruby glints to her eyes. The other three have black eyes.

Well, I said I was going to post about my angels, so now I have. I can ramble about each one for all eternity, but I shall stop here. Maybe I'll find some inspiration soon so I can finish ADABN 14, but right now, I want to watch my Brit-coms on PBS.

~B

Wow . . . lots of reviews to reply to . . .

2008-01-20T02:48:53Z

well, 18 reviews at FF.net . . . nice. And some of them were new people. Of course, it would help if PGSM would go global, so more people would have access to Takeuchi Naoko's re-envisioning of Sailor Moon. My Minako is so heavily influenced by it that it comes as a shock to those who only know the anime's Usagi-like version of Minako. But I'm happy to try to explain to anyone who asks.

Updates:

My RR chapter: completed, waiting for people's thoughts on it. I have never done one of these before, so I'm actually kind of nervous -- even if Goddess Usagi tells me to shut up *wink*

ADABN 14: nearing completion, a few more paragraphs should be all it needs.

ADABN15: will focus on this next.

TPP6: planning in progress. WIll focus on Usagi and Mamoru's relationship conflicts (ie Kimiko and Minako) and on Minako herself. Character exposition on Minako, hopefully some humorous moments with crazy Kimi...

Unnamed/ GU Challenge OHC: planning in place for the next two chapters -- I just need a name!!!!!

Right now it's halftime between the Spurs and Rockets. We are up, but we have to put this team DOWN!!! Let's kick some, hiney boys! They can't just give Duncan a swollen eye and not get crushed!!! (ah, Texas rivalry games are so much fun . . . except when it's the Mavericks. Then, it's personal.)

Been writing like mad today

2008-01-18T00:43:36Z

UPDATE: TPP 5 is complete and being beta'd! Yay me! It clocked in at 23 pages/112KB. So that should make up a bit for the long wait, I hope? I know, I know, I'm sorry!!!!

Good new for those waiting for The Princess Problem Chapter 5: I have already written an additional 10 pages, bringing my total up to 20 and I'm not yet ready to stop. There's probably another 5 pages left to go. I'm extremely happy about the recent burst of inspiration I have had on this fic.

I have accepted an invitation from Princess Destiny to write the next chapter in the destinysgateway Round Robin. I have never written for a Round Robin before, so I hope my entry will be up to snuff. My wonderful friend Goddess Usagi contributed chapter two, so I'm pleased to be included in this great group of writers that we have going so far. It's a humorous Secret Identity fic in which Mamoru shaves his head for charity. Imagining our beloved Mamo-chan without hair is hard, and somewhat depressing. Oh well, it's all in good fun.

In response to Goddess Usagi: I know *wails* I have to come up with a title!! *pulls hair* I've never had this much trouble with a title before.

FF updates

2008-01-17T04:26:52Z

Well, I'm basically going to use this LJ as an update site for where my fics stand. Yes, I still plan on posting up pics and ramblings of beloved fuzzies, but I just haven't gotten sucked into LJ enough to really post here. Oh well.

As you probably know if you are checking up on my status, my fanfics can be found at Fanfiction.net under the author name Bunniko. My Sailor Moon fanfics can also be found at destinysgateway.com, also under the name bunniko. If you are wondering why my LJ is under the name of banniko, well, it is because I prefer that spelling, since my nickname, Bunny, is romanized Banii in Japanese. Yet, Banii looks funny and would probably be hard for others to remember, so yeah. Basically, I just prefer banniko but it's too late to change those older accounts now.

Alright, enough rambling.

These are the current fics that are in progress:

Sailor Moon:
A Dark and Boring Night-- both chapters 14 and 15 are nearing completion. The Usagi story is set for both chapters, but the Hanako story is what I am still working on -- please remember this is a One Hour Challenge and the total time I spend writing for EACH chapter is only supposed to be one hour, so these chapters are short
The Princess Problem -- currently chapter 5 is in draft form. I have 10 pages written for the actual chapter, plus another 5 pages of notes and scenes. This is the sequel to An Unlikely Encounter (which was an OHC). These chapters tend to run about 20 pages, so I am most likely halfway through this chapter. I have a lot planned for this chapter with several romantic moments, violence, drama, and more.
Untitled (tentatively called the Goddess Usagi challenge) -- this is a brand-new OHC that I have begun working on as a challenge from my very good friend Goddess Usagi as a ploy to get me writing again. I have written 3 chapters for it and I have no idea how many more there will be as my drafting tapped out at Chapter 5 and my timeline would only be partially completed by that time. Part of my trouble drafting for OHCs is because I can't guarantee how much I can get written in only an hour. It is another TK/SM first season identity discovery fic with the added twist of discovering their identities as Serenity and Endymion as well. Summary: Mamoru snaps at Serenity in a dream and slowly is taken over by Endymion. The change is becomes complete when he meets Usagi in the arcade and Endymion recognizes her and sets out to win her heart.

These are the fics that are on (permanent, most likely) hiatus:
King of Dreams, Owner of None -- this Labyrinth fic hasn't had any relevance to me in a long time and I apologize to any readers who might still be hoping for it to continue. I seriously doubt I will be returning to this story, unless it possesses me and demands a conclusion. I hope it is the only story I ever abandon.