Her Life is a WIP

Massive hugs to those on my flist who are having a rough time at the moment *hugs*

My week has been a bit intense (nothing negative, though). As it happens, I handed my Master's thesis on september, 1st (right on time, too) and yesterday was the Big Day. I left for Poitiers on Wednesday evening and on Thursday morning, I faced the three members of my jury as well as 27 other students and I defended aforementioned thesis. (I wasn't expecting such a crowd, to be honest, I thought it would be just the jury and me, talk about a shock when I entered the room lol).

But it went well. And since it was the last thing I needed to do (to pass) to get this brand new degree, well, it's done, I've graduated :) I mean, I don't have the diploma in my possession as of yet as it's too soon, obviously, but still. Yatta! It feels kinda weird, to be honest. What am I going to do with all this spare time omg? I know what I'm going to do, I'll finally start getting classes to get my driving licence - this is the next item on my To Do list for now. Also, I'm about to start my third year of Italian classes early october too. It's ok, I won't get bored, I think ;)

Speaking of not getting bored, I need to finish GoT s7 (I'm halfway through) and start The Expanse s2. Then once Netflix releases it, I'll watch The Good Place (I've heard some good things about it, I'm intrigued now) and, of course, on the 26th, Lethal Weapon comes back to our screen.

Definitely not getting bored, indeed ;)

I keep thinking we're Wednesday, but we're only Tuesday, aren't we? This week is going very slowly, which is a bit of a paradox because my days are quite busy. Guess I'm just in a hurry to reach mid-week; on Thursday night I'm going to a show with Cookie and a friend (for those among you who are familiar with Kaamelott, we're seeing Alexandre Astier's newest one-man show and I cannot wait ♥), Friday night we're having an FP sleepover at home, then Saturday evening another friend comes over to spend the week with us.

In the meantime, it's busy time at work and busy time at home as I've started working on my classes. I decided I was done with being a procrastinator... I think the amount of work I'm required to do and the first assignments I have to hand in at the end of October/beginning of November kinda freaked me out and helped me see the light (it's never too late, right?) :p I've decided to work a little every evening and see where it leads me - hopefully to the land of the happy and relaxed students lol So far so good, I've started working on my first assignment. I'm hoping I'll manage to keep up with everything. Wish me luck!

An area where I'm already behind is tv watching, though. Do I sound like a broken record? Sorry if I do :p I worked on Saturday and then went out on Sunday and turns out I didn't manage to watch ALL THE SHOWS like I meant to. I'm behind... pretty much everything at this point? Except for Gotham, I think. I'm not blown away by that new show but I am enjoying it and plan on tuning it every week. Right now, the shows that are sitting on my HD and waiting for me to watch them are: POI, The Originals, How to get away with murder (watched the first 2 eps, though, so it's not that bad) Downton Abbey (same thing), Arrow and The Flash. Ahem. I'm on the fence regarding Scorpion, as in I'm not sure whether I want to add it to the list of shows I'm (trying to be) watching...

As far as my reading goes; my GoodReads challenge told me I was on track which is a nice change from its usual "You're ## book behind, sucker, you should be ashamed of yourself!". The past week I read Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, which I highly recommend (as soon as I reached the last page, I rushed to Book Depository to order the other two books in the series) and Nous, les Dieux by Bernard Werber, which (as previously mentioned) is one of my favourite authors. As of this morning, I'm reading Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, which I've meant to read for ages without ever getting around to. I'm now remedying it. I'm only ten pages in but I'm already enjoying it, though I'm bracing myself for a heartbreaking ending.

Ok, then, enough rambling, posting this entry right away, before I get distracted and it gets lost in the ether :)

My days pretty much all look the same lately, and they're not as fun as I would like them to be. Guess that's what happens when you're busy writing your thesis and facing a deadline that seems to get closer at an alarming pace - I say 'seems to' but I'm pretty sure it is the reality >_< ( Evidence under the cut )

In order to keep my sanity intact, I try to go out in the afternoon/evening. (  - I do have a lot of pictures of food on my mobile, yes )

Those cupcakes really did help save my sanity that day, btw. Berko cupcakes are almost indecently delicious.

My reward for today was the new Teen Wolf episode \o/ ( No review but I guess I'll enter spoilery commentaries real soon - which includes potential spoilers for next episode, btw )

Also, omg people, I know I sound like a broken record but how is Derek/Scott not part of Fandom's popular pairings? Especially when we get dialogues ( like this one. ) I repeat, ( Same spoilery bit inside that made my heart sing ) I'm not even making that up, you guys, it's canon ♥

That little scene was fantastic even without my slash goggles on, really. This is exactly why I love Scott, it was pretty sweet hearing one of the characters spell it out :-) Same thing with that first scene between Isaac and Scott, btw. Did I mention I love Isaac/Scott as well?

I don't know what's been happening those past two weeks but I've been efficient, reasonable and disciplined. The ultimate proof that everything can happen ;-)

I'm - so far - sticking to the resolution to go to the library 2-3 times a week after work for, at least, 2 hours. The feeling of satisfaction once I'm back home is, idk, indescribable? ;-) Basically I can spend the whole evening reading fic, reading a book, cruising LJ, watching my shows without feeling the slightest bit of guilt because I've kept the good work earlier. So I can do all those things, meaning I can do absolutely nothing and be happy about it \o/ Somehow, I can appreciate it even more because I know I'm not wasting time I should be using to study. Win-win situation.

I've also decided to do something about the lack of actual-books!reading that has been going on last year. Complaining about the fact that I'm not reading anymore isn't exactly helpful so I thought of doing something new, ie stop complaining and actually do something about it. So. When I'm back home, I'm now putting the laptop away after I've had a bit of fun and picking up A Book. And, more incredible yet, I try to go to bed before midnight, sans aforementioned laptop, and read some more. I can't believe I'm proud of that "accomplishment" but sad truth is, it is an accomplishment since, up until recently, I spent hours reading fic and going to bed/sleep late because I was, you guessed it, reading fics. I needed to find more time to read books and since I couldn't exactly cut in my studying or my social/familial activities, I picked teh internet. I told myself, "self, it's just a matter of balancing things out. I'm not forbidding you from going on-line and enjoying your time there, I'm just demanding you make more room for all those books you've been complaining of abandoning." And so I did.

So far so good \o/

Having said that - and contrary to the subject I picked for this entry - some things are still my top priorities and tonight I'll be watching White Collar before I even look at my book (I'm re-reading American Gods) because WhiCo is back, did you know? ♥ ♥ This will be the second episode I download since MegaUpload's demise. It's just not the same without it - except for how it is. I will miss MU, though, it was my primary source of tv downloads and, even though I have other means to get my hands on them, it's just another sign that things are a-changing and I don't like changes :-/ Besides, I hate the idea that websites like that can disappear overnight. Let's just hope that MediaFire, RapidShare & al won't follow. I need to download my weekly dose of tv shows in order to be able to dole out some nice amount of money to get the actual DVDs of aforementioned downloaded shows and maybe some merch (mugs, tshirts) and, if I'm lucky - or they are - a ticket for an expensive convention... maybe abroad - so that I can spend even more money as a tourist!

Anyway, that's neither here nor there ;-) Though wait, I have to share something hilarious and brilliant: When LOTR meets SOPA

Right after work, Cookie and I went to a new library that opened near our workplace and we studied there for two hours, go us! We're planning on going there on a regular basis (we'll return as soon as tomorrow, as a matter of fact) as we kinda fell in love with the place and the atmosphere. It's much more modern than Ste Geneviève (the one I picspammed some time ago) but it still manages to be cozy and when you're sitting at the big desks, you don't feel like you're sharing the place with a gazillion other students. I think we'll keep Ste Geneviève for the weekends and the new one for the week.

We got back around 8.15PM, I did a load of laundry, I cooked our dinner then tomorrow's lunch and I think I totally deserve to be relaxing in front of Castle now, Y/Y?

This weekend was very busy too but unlike last weekend (or the next) it was fun all the time: afternoon tea with greedy_dancer at moimoietmoi's (SAM always has yummy treats for us when we have afternoon tea at her place) followed with dinner at my parents'. Then on Saturday we had The Esu over with my nieces for our second raclette of the year (hopefully not the last) and late afternoon we went to the mall, hoping to get our hands on new clothes since it's the sales at the moment. Which I did, score!

And! In between everything - well, it was before everything as I did it on Saturday morning, to be exact - I suddenly had an idea. What if I uploaded my SPN fics over at AO3? I have no idea where the idea came from, but I realised I had very few of my fics in general and none of my SPN fics in particular (remember when I used to write fic? Back In The Day) archived there and I thought it might be a good idea to do some saving. Especially as I don't even have a single of my (own!) stories saved on my computer any longer. Or anywhere else, for that matter. I used to have them all stored on my HD when I had computer!Clark and computer!Dean then they both died, I stopped writing altogether, and I sorta forgot that I didn't have any trace of my stories anywhere but on my LJ.

So far, I've uploaded one SPN fic but I'll add more whenever I have the time/remind myself to do it. I'm also downloading and saving them all (for keeps) via the site - thank you Download button :-)

PS: it has nothing to do with anything but omg, White Collar D-1(+1)

Argh, where have my LOTR icons gone?? I've been longing for my old LOTR userpics for some time now but alas, what with the deaths of Clark and Dean (my old computers) the past years, I've lost all of them. This is a sad state of affairs, believe you me! Guess I'll have to resign myself and cruise for new ones.

There have been two topics on my flist today, it seems, but only one of them was a happy one so I'll just focus on The Hobbit trailer. Seeing happy post after happy post on my flist has filled me with glee ♥

The LOTR trilogy is an equivalent to Proust's little madeleine as far as I'm concerned; it brings me back to those three years early 2000s when December would mean Christmas and a new LOTR film and I remember the anticipation every year, how exciting it was. As much as I enjoyed the HP books and the HP films, I was never excited about a new part of the series coming on the big screen, it was never A Big Event for me. Unlike LOTR, TTT and RoTK, which I waited with bated breath. And now I have something else to look forward to next december! Though, next december? Sounds like an age! But I can already imagine how epic and exciting things will get as we get near to december 2012 *bounce* I'm thinking of marking the date in the FP calendar so that we're sure to be all free when it comes out! ;-)

Another reason to be happy about today was that Cookie and I went to the library Sainte Geneviève to study this morning and we actually found seats, this time! ( I took two pictures because... well, when do you ever need a reason to take picture of a library, right? )

We'll definitely go back. And make sure to go there early; last Saturday when we went, we had to go back home because there was no seats left #LibraryFail. But no fail this time! We worked around four hours before we went out for lunch (well, it was 2.00PM but same difference) to reward us for the good work before doing some more Christmas shopping. I'm not 100% done yet but I have hope!

Thanks go to greedy_dancer for her very helpful post about prettifying Pinboard prettified :-) I've tweaked with my Pinboard and like the new look of it - as simple as it is.

Speaking of Pinboard, here's an entry written by Maciej (aka Pinboard Dude) that could sum up why so many Fandom people are taken with the guy. I enjoyed the read.

Onto RL news. Today was one hell of a Monday; 6.00PM couldn't come soon enough. I also had the pleasure of queuing for what seemed like an eternity during my lunchbreak, in a hall where it was so hot that it felt like being in Hell, only to be told that, "I'm really sorry but the documents OtherDepartment gave you? Are not the ones we need. Or even want. We can't enroll you at the moment, sorry" Turns out I have to start everything from scratch. I could have strangled someone. When I called OtherDepartment, they told me that "yes, no, everything has been stalled at the moment, did we forget to tell you? But we'll start fixing our mistakes next week. And will keep working on it till mid-November"

At this rate, I'll have access to the on-line courses a week before I'm supposed to hand in the four essays I have to write for the first semester. This is beyond ridiculous. I shouldn't be surprised, I know how it works - or not as the case may be - but there you go *sigh*

Anyway, onto less annoying things. Weekend shaped up to be lovely with a great Bday Party on Saturday evening and family time on Sunday. Then in the evening we started catching up on our TV. Doctor Who and Merlin were both watched (everything else has been downloaded). I loved DW, unsurprisingly, and really got into Merlin - it was an intense series premiere and I can't wait to see the rest ♥

This will be short because I'm knackered but I did it! Today I defended my thesis and I passed! Well. Technically, unless I completely messed up either/both thesis or/and oral presentation I was certain to pass and get my degree because I only needed to get 50% at the presentation to validate the whole year, but the real stake for me was elsewhere as I really hoped I'd get at least 70% so that I could be allowed to keep going, ie do a Master 2 next year. And I actually got better than 70% so I graduated with High Honour \o/ Or whatever the non-French equivalent might be ;-)

Anyway, heee I passed! I was so happy when I was told the result that saying I was beaming would be an understatement lol Being proud of yourself is a wonderful feeling ♥

Now the Real Fun begins, though, as I'm supposed to start on the paperwork that will allow me to enroll for the infamous M2 but seeing how late my thesis defense happened, I might have some difficulties. In other words, I'm afraid it's going to be a nightmare. Good thing I thought ahead and contacted some professors already. I won't start from scratch. Let's just hope it helps!

And unrelated but tonight at my parents' we watched some of the Super 8 films they did Back in the Day and omg, it was awesome. I saw their wedding - they looked so young and it was moving to see so many people that have died since then looking so young and healthy and just so happy - I saw my Christening. Then a Christmas and two birthday parties (my sister's first and her third) It was weird because Chiara looks like my sister when she was the same age but I realised, seeing myself on films, that she also looked like me. It was uncanny. Though not that surprising, I suppose, when you consider you often - not always, I know - look like your siblings yourself but still, watching on me on screen and seeing my goddaughter was quite the experience.

I'm thinking 5.00PM is a good time to stop studying, right? Right. Besides, I have an important question to ask you guys. Does anyone know of a way to travel back in time?

I'm asking because if one of you found a way, I'd like to know all about it, in details, and go back to 2001 to see this theater production of Out in the Open with James McAvoy. Come to think of it, I'll bring you with me if you fancy seeing rentboy!McAvoy kissing a dude or sitting at his feet, head on his lap - and generally being his awesome self on stage, I mean. I wouldn't want to be selfish! That first picture in particular does wonderful things to me; Blond Guy's hand on McAvoy's neck especially.

Completely unrelated now. I'm not really the kind of person who shares pictures of their cat but I guess I'll make an exception for once because I thought it was cute (yes, I mentioned "cat" and "cute" in the same sentence, shocking, I know - for realz). A bit of context first: turns out I've completely given up on the desk in the study when I'm working on my papers - I think I see it more as Cookie's now because that's where she draws and works on Photoshop. Beds are my new desks now; I can spread my books and binder and notebooks and papers and pens and whatnot all around and I can move in different positions when I'm reading/writing and I like it much better than sitting at a desk, I found out. Plus, our bedroom is always cool and very bright and it's inspiring.

Anyway, Jack-the-cat loves nothing more than sneaking in the bedroom, and whenever I allow him to keep me company (it's just that I hate finding hairs all over the bed, I'm sorry, cat lovers) I'm always amused at the spot he picks to sprawl. ( Case in point )

Ours isn't a king bed or anything but I can assure you there was plenty of room for him to sleep comfortably. But I guess doing it in the middle of and on top of books is a lot more fun! Well, I'll say it again. Dogs I get. Cats are crazy ;-) Then again he seems to enjoy his book-turned-pillow and, hey, who I am to judge?

Heee yes! Remember the 47-page paper that I handed in last week? The one for my media sociology class (the one I did on Supernatural and fan culture and the likes)? Well I just saw that I had a mail from the teach' and turns out I got 17/20 (85%)! Dude, 17 out of 20. I did have a feeling I'd done a good job with it but I was afraid it was more wishful thinking than anything, you know? I'm absolutely thrilled ♥

It was a lovely way to end what turned out to be a very good day. I'd taken today off to work on my thesis - I did wake up early to have an early start on the whole thing but I just couldn't concentrate. So I gave myself a huge break and basically did nothing but rest and read Erik/Charles instead. It was very good for the soul, believe you me!

Speaking of Erik/Charles, the fandom is such a joy, isn't it? To think just a couple of weeks ago we were all hoping for even a ficlet and now look at it! I can barely keep up with the fics that are being posted every day. The fanart is just fantastic, either gorgeous or hilarious. The fanvids are pure love. There are fanmixes posted regularly (though I can't seem to be getting into them) and now we also have our first podfic. That is, I think it's the first one, correct me if I'm wrong :-)

I'm a bit in withdrawal, though. Film-wise, I mean. It feels like ages since I saw it! I totally need to see it a sixth time! Which is good as Cookie and I plan on going again on Friday. Let's just hope there won't be any change of plan.

Why is there no more RPS in the fandom, though? Because, honestly, it's not like McAvoy and Fassbender don't cooperate. Case in point. If you ever wondered how many times James had sex with Michael? The answer is 'four'. I'm sure he lied, though. Four times? Four times on the golf cart, maybe, not four times total! Here is the rest of the interview, btw. The interviewer is fun, he shares my love for James McAvoy's hair. I like him!

Incidentally, how did I not realise until watching XMFC interviews how sexy a Scottish accent is? The things you learn, wow.