Fortress Of Good Fortune

In the middle of a nor'easter! Sure looks pretty, though.

Oh, and Happy Pi Day!

🥧 😆 🥧

Crossposts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1557781.html

Last night before I went to bed I looked out the window and it was snowing! SO pretty! More than a dusting but hard-pressed to call it an inch. Rain today has already washed away most of it, bit sure looked beautiful and no roads were impacted.

Speaking of snow (jobs), I see the Orange One has announced his run for the Presidency in 2024. The only drawback to him losing in the last election was his eligibility to run again. This guy just won't go away! You know, the Repubs passed the two-term limit for President after Dem FDR had won 4 terms. Can we use Trumpy to implement a one-term limit RIGHT NOW?

If he wins, should the Dems accuse the election of being rigged? Storm the Capitol? Whine, cry, and throw temper tantrums? lunch against the wall for others to clean up? All done by Cadet Bone Spurs.

Crossposts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1544724.html

Hi, luvs!

We are battening the hatches down here. Not only are we getting 8-12 inches of snow, but rain and sleet as well. Starts tonight. I have my flashlight batteries and battery-powered radio just in case!

Wow, if the Patriots were playing at home tomorrow, the fans would have had it rough! Guess Kansas City isn't supposed to be as crazy.

One of the Christmas stories I've been working on was kind of meandering. I knew what I wanted to say but it was kind of dragging along and not quite crisp, y'know? Anyway, I had a new idea yesterday and now it's all being pulled together. Dontcha just love that when it happens? :)

Stay cozy, and keep reading and writing! :)

June was a bizzy month, celebrating birthdays and the Wonder Woman movie! :)

( Read more behind the cut )

Hi, all! As we approach the Inauguration (*shudders*), I thought I'd post these YouTube videos for comparison purposes. If JFK isn't your guy, I'm sure you can find plenty of Inaugural speeches and pageantry for other Presidents, but if you stick with me, here are some random thoughts:

Watch on YouTube

This shows JFK's speech of thanks to Frank Sinatra for putting together this Inaugural Gala, and it was mentioned that some Broadway shows had to shut down temporarily as the plays' stars were all in Washington! I'm just guessing that there won't be the same amount of A-listers at Trump's Gala.

This speech is Cold War-heavy, but JFK came to office a committed Cold Warrior. He began to move away from that position, however, especially after staring down into the abyss of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. After that he pushed hard for a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (signed by him in 1963), better communications between him and Khrushchev (the infamous Hot Line), and efforts to lay the foundation for detente between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. His speech in June of 1963 at American University emphasized that peace should not be a Pax Americana, but a global peace. He also had quietly committed to pulling the American advisors out of Vietnam, keeping it on the downlow because he had to get re-elected in 1964, but he thought it was crazy talk to commit U.S. ground troops there. He publicly called it Vietnam's war to win.

Anyway, the Inaugural Speech itself is delivered forcefully and with eloquence. Think of that as you listen to Trump hem and haw and probably attack his critics in his speech. I don't know how this guy is going to last in office. Presidents are criticized for what they eat for breakfast. Thin skins don't last long in the Oval Office.

Watch on YouTube

Finally, a short piece by Movietone News (still going strong in 1961!), that gives an overview of the day. It was a brilliant day, cold and clear, and as anyone in snow country knows, the sky is incredibly blue and the air sharp and clean on a day after a major snowstorm. So began the American Camelot, glittering like diamonds. :)

THANK YOU to the anonymous donor who gifted me with all my extra userpics!!! *dances*

Thanks to all of you who listened to my moping and moaning about losing them. I know it's a small thing, and some might think it's stoopid, but we all have our quirks and this is one of mine. *hugs icons tight* I was pretty bummed with the loss of so many icons, particularly a bunch of Steve/Diana and Bruce/Dick lovelies, but so many more!

I TOTALLY appreciate this! What a great thing to cheer up a bleh Monday, though I admit a snowstorm the day after the first day of spring is pretty funny and very typical of New England! :)

I might even be inspired to do a little more fanficcing! :)

My f-list is THE BEST!!!

I am writing this while looking out through my balcony doors, which have two feet of snow piled up against them, driven by the hurricane-level winds. I can barely see the backyard. The wind has been howling since midnight and the Governor instituted a travel ban, so only essential personnel can be out driving. It's days like this that I'm glad I don't live on the coast! They're getting hammered.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft upped the ante last night. After arriving in Phoenix, he started the press conference with a statement adamantly declaring innocence and backing his head coach and quarterback to the hilt. He also took a shot across the bow of the NFL by telling them to stop leaking information and come out with a report. He expects an apology to his team, especially Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, if no definitive evidence is found that they tampered with footballs.

After a week of talking about balls, the story may end with a video given by the Patriots to the NFL. It shows the ball boy taking the bag of balls (both Pats and Colts footballs) and going into a room, which turned out to be the bathroom! He was in there for 90 seconds. A big doubtful that he could let the air out of 12 footballs in 90 seconds! Guess what he was doing in there? Yep, using the bathroom before the game! Sheesh!

If the Pats are lying, they are taking a HUGE risk by all these statements. It wouldn't surprise me if they were (nothing much surprises me anymore), but they sound pretty convincing. Of course, the haters are gonna hate no matter what, but as Tom said, you find out who your friends are during something like this. Drew Bledsoe, the guy he replaced in 2001 but remained friends with, stuck up for him publicly this week, and so did other former Patriots and some non-Pats. It's been reported that Seattle is a little nervous that the Patriots might band together so well against the storm (ha, ha!) that they could be breathing fire next Sunday. :)

Well, that's just peachy. I come in from shoveling a foot of snow and my inbox has the cute little message that my LJ icons are expiring on the 13th. Just the cherry on top of my sundae! I can't even watch freakin' Youtube on this computer with the dial-up and no sound, and I can't afford cable so who knows if I'll ever see Arrow again because I've lost the CW because of signal problems, and now my freakin' icons are going! Great, just great! Fun way to start the New Year! If I could renew them I would but can't because of reasons I won't go into here, but I'm tired and bitchy and I'm ready to cry and I can't do this right now. I'm out!

Today is the 69th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. It was the Third Reich's last gasp and Panzer units attacked and surrounded embattled towns like Bastogne and caused the Allied lines to be pushed back. The soldiers were thinking about Christmas and were mentally unprepared for the brutal struggle ahead.

Europeans said it was one of the worst winters in memory, and many soldiers froze to death as well as were killed in action. Allied planes were grounded due to bad weather and it was the largest land battle that American soldiers would ever be involved in. During the battle (which lasted well into January), the infamous Malmedy Massacre took place, with the S.S. killing dozens of American POWs. There was spy business going on as well, as trained Germans pretended to be Americans and misdirected American troops and switched signs, etc. It was a distressing time for people, hoping for the end of the war as they tried to celebrate the holidays back home, and the titanic struggle exploded just nine days before Christmas.

By the time the Allies pushed the Nazis back, many lives had been lost, but Germany was finally broken. They would never again put up a fight on the scale of the Battle of the Bulge, and the war would be over in Europe in May of 1945.

It was said that many of the American soldiers who were replacements and pretty green acquitted themselves well in this battle, and that when cut off from their units, they took the initiative without orders from superiors. The Germans were the better soldiers but the Americans were better at independent action when necessary.

Please remember the veterans of World War II and all veterans of all wars. Thank you.

Title: Snow Angels (1/1)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters: Bruce/Dick, Alfred
Genres: Challenge, Fluff, Holiday, Humor, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Summary: When they’re snowbound at the Manor, Dick persuades Bruce to take advantage of it.
Date Of Completion: December 14, 2012
Date Of Posting: December 26, 2012
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 1015
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Notes: Written for fandomaid. The winning bidder was icalynn. Prompt: Water/Snow. Also written for my 2012 DCU Fic/Art Angels Challenge. Prompt: Snow Angels. And written for my 2012 DCU Fic/Art Silver Bells Winter Holidays Challenge. Prompt: Summoning Bell, Jingle Bells (Song), Christmas. Finally, also written for saavikam77’s 2012 DCU_Freeforall Winter Holidays Challenge. Prompts: No. 4: Eggnog/Hot Cocoa, No. 11: Candy Canes/Cookies and No. 14: Snow/Ice/Frost.

( It was Gotham’s first snowfall of the year, and since it was Gotham, it was not a typical ‘first time’. It had stated innocently enough, with fat, fluffy flakes lightly falling as children squealed in delight and adults admired how pretty even the city looked when covered in pristine snow. )