I wrote a snippet of fic this evening, scribbled on a paper carrier bag because that was the only paper I had upstairs and if I don't write things down the instant they come to me, they tend to be gone for ever.

I don't know if it'll ever become anything, still less whether I'll ever post it anywhere, but for the record, it's Freddie and Bel from The Hour. And I'd forgotten what a high I get from writing dialogue when it flows almost effortlessly, when it feels like the characters are writing the lines and I'm just transcribing.

And now I want to stay up all night to see whether I can write more of it, and I can't. I have to be up at a reasonable time tomorrow morning to go and make mince pies with my mum. Why does inspiration strike at impossible moments?  I suspect it's part of the perversity of life.

PS Hello, flist! Am I back? I really wouldn't have a clue.

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You know, the sort of Plan where nothing happens without reason and where no matter what happens along the way, things turn out well in the end.

So just a few weeks ago, I was bemoaning the fact that I was never going to experience proper cinnamon toast, due to the fact that my oven has a pathetic grill that I couldn't imagine would ever get the cinnamon-y butter to bubble as described in mouthwatering detail by fajrdrako.

In completely unrelated (at the time) news, my microwave caught fire last Saturday owing to massive voltage surges in the mains electricity supply. Literally caught fire. ( Like this. )

Thankfully nothing else was damaged because my brother the electrical engineer had warned me to switch off or unplug things like the fridge and the water pressure pump. Contemplating the unthinkable disaster of my new pc and tv being damaged, I unplugged those too and settled down to spend a not unpleasant candlelit evening listening to music on my mp3 player.

Luckily I was in the kitchen, preparing the cats' suppers, when it happened. I smelt something burning, and then noticed smoke coming from the microwave which was switched off but still plugged in at the wall. Eek! Cue its swift removal to the courtyard. I had to turn the hosepipe on it, firefighter-style, to put the flames out.

So yesterday was buy-a-new-microwave-day. It was also cinnamon-toast-day - the new microwave has a fierce grill. *happy sigh* I still think the Plan is wishful thinking, but still. I can haz cinnamon toast. My life is complete.

My computer, OTOH, is very dead - BUT I HAVE A NEW ONE! ::does a dance of joy and jubilation:: I took the plunge and ordered a new system and got it all set up successfully, including a 19" LCD monitor which deserves a litle joyful dance of its own. The only problem is my internet connection - basically, I don't have one, and haven't been able to get online for over a week. ::cries:: And work is extra busy, so stealing a few minutes to read my flist is a delicate operation which calls for stealth and cunning. Neither of which I possess in large quantites...

Some of you might have noticed my new lj name, but for all the difference it's made to me, I really might as well have left it unchanged. Until a few days ago, that is, when I was delighted to receive the following in an email:

"Dear Non-teleporting non-tomato-based lifeform,

Your request to join the "mcr_pic_spam" community has been approved."

In case you're curious, my new name stems (groan!) from the only possible explanation for the mysterious appearance of two tomatoes in dargie's kitchen. I'm telling you, tomatoes are tricksy things - take your eyes off them for just a minute, and there's no telling what they'll get up to! :D

And finally, an Umbrella Academy update - YAY! There's a preview of the first issue of Series 2 here featuring The Monocle in the White House, a flashback with the children snarking at each other while battling a monster, and possibly most squee-inducing of all, The Seance's ouija board. All in the first two pages.

I ♥ Gerard Way's crazy Eisner-winning brain.

Not dead - hurrah! And as the newly regenerated Tenth Doctor says brightly to Rose, "Did you miss me?" *g*

Things that made me happy today:

- placing the order for a new pair of glasses to replace the pair I've now been wearing for... ::does a quick count:: ...nine years, and being told I can pick them up on Monday morning.

- getting a registered letter and opening it with considerable trepidation, only to find a cheque for a Lm42 tax rebate. It felt exactly like drawing one of the good Chance cards in Monopoly!

- the Headstones dvd of awesomeness, courtesy of the amazing brynnmck.

- Hugh Dillon's eyelashes.

- watching Flashback for only the second time ever - Due South (and by extension, the six degrees of Canada fandom) is still my happy place!

- connecting with walkingdaydream on Facebook. I only joined because a cousin who lives in the UK friended me, and I don't plan on using it much - it's a bit scary. I think I prefer the relative anonymity of lj and the freedom that comes with it. And I love the way it's so easy to find wonderful like-minded people here. ::hearts you all::