Fortress Of Good Fortune

A Happy Summer Solstice to all! What a day! :)

Yesterday was my annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Saints Bill and Tom, who are fresh off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. :) Fitting, as the weather was very autumnal, with the day being cool, breezy and cloudy, a huge improvement over last year's humid 100 degrees.

15,000 of us made the trek to Gillette Stadium. That meant I didn't get near the bleachers (third year in a row) and had to climb up the hill, but got a great viewing spot under a shady tree and used my binoculars for close-ups of the field.

Yep, saw Tom, who doesn't look like a guy who's gonna hit 40 in a week! :) He was sharp in drills, too, and Gronk spiked a ball after a touchdown. :) Newcomer Brandin Cooks looks very good in the offense, so it appears he isn't lost in this complex scheme. Coach Belichick was there spinning his whistle, barking out commands, and reveling in being at the top of his game.

Both back-up QBs looked pretty good, though Jimmy G. ended up with two INTs and had to run a lap with the center after a botched hand-off. Jacoby Brissett has healed from his thumb surgery and was less accurate, but not by much. He has a lot of promise.

It was a very festive atmosphere with a lot of Brady jerseys (and Gronk and Edelman and so on), and they added a few new vendor stations this year. Unfortunately, they also added security check with bag inspection. Pretty sad state of affairs when you have to check fans' bags just to enter training camp. *shakes head*

I brought some slices of bread and my own water, not wanting to pay the jacked-up prices, and it worked out fine. I do wish I could get a bleacher seat like the old days, but I refuse to come hours early before the gates open. I have a long enough drive as it is early in the morning to get here, so I'll make do with the hill.

All in all, very excited about football season! It officially kicks off in September, but training camp is an unofficial opening. The Pats will hold joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars next week, and I bet the Jags don't see 15,000 people at their training camp! :) They are also holding joint practices with the Houston Texans at their camp and the Detroit Lions back here at Gillette.

The Texans and Dallas Cowboys clear out of Texas in the summer. Smart move! They hold their camps out-of-state to escape the godawful Texas heat.

So, yay, football is back! :)

Hi, luvs!

As you can see by the icon on this post, I am busy utilizing my userpic packages and gathering more cool pix to showcase. I can't resist Clark using his heat vision to cook the hot dogs and burgers on the grill. :)

Speaking of cook-outs, I did attend one over the weekend with the requisite menu: hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta salad, potato salad, garden salad, chips, dips, pickles, olives...you know, good stuff! :) Everything tastes better on the grill!

P.S. To get the full effect, check this post out on my journal with its cook-out theme! :)

( Writing talk behind the cut )

Hi, luvs!

It's a wonderfully sunny day, which is appropriate as it's the Summer Solstice! Whoo hoo! :)

Funny how it's now entering the darker half of the year when it's summertime, but the days will start to shrink after today. Every day is a gift, right?

For all you Clex fans out there, the clexmas Spring Fling! Reverse Bang has closed art submissions, but now it's time for the writers, vidders and music mixers to get busy! The Bang is open to all versions of the Clex, not just Smallville, so if you've got ideas from comics, cartoons, or movies, you can use those, too!

Congrats to Cleveland sports fans for a 52-year championship drought in ANY sport ending last night as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the National Basketball Association's Championship Series. It's a sweet feeling, isn't it? :)

Just got back from the eye doctor with a clean bill of health. Always a little nervous, y'know, because...eyes! So I am very relieved. Wearing dark glasses while my eyes are dilated. :)

Good afternoon, luvs!

Very bizzy doing some editing. Love to write, hate to edit! ;) The weather is warm but there is a breeze that is pleasant.

I have been checking out my Halloween Challenge. I'm not sure if there's any more prompts I can add, so may go with it as is. I'll be posting it in August so keep an eye on this journal. ;) Halloween, she says? It's the middle of summer! But when you run things like a challenge, you have to plan early. My own Halloween story has stalled but I'll get back to it. Not satisfied with it (familiar refrain there?) but I may change a few things.

Fanfic you may see from me in the near future:

A Steve/Diana story that is a little different than the usual romance.

An Arrow ficlet that just popped into my head.

A Natasha/Pepper fluff-fest.

A Steve story inspired by a prompt at avengerkink.

Possibly Steve/Bucky fluff! :)

I hope you are all well, and start poking around for your cauldrons just so that they'll be handy when it's time to start cooking up those Halloween fanworks! ;)

Happy Canada Day to all of our friends to the North! :)

Yes, I know, I'm early, but I've got a bizzy day tomorrow so wanted to make sure to get my greetings in. :)

I've been thinking about communications. Yes, Uhura. :) The poll below reflects that and I find that each form has its advantages. Out of the tree, e-mail is my favorite as it gives me time to reflect and compose a message I feel comfortable with, while sometimes I can trip over my tongue on the phone, LOL!

As for texting, while I lament the truncation of the beautiful English language out of technical necessity, I find it handy in certain situations. For instance, my sister went to New York last Friday on the train and instead of eating up the minutes on our cell phones, we texted and had a lot of fun. I don't know how people can text and drive because texting demands total concentration! *shakes head*

I do miss writing letters. If you were around before the Internet, did you write letters or prefer telephoning? I liked letters for the same reasons I like e-mail and it was cheaper to buy a stamp than pay long-distance. :) I don't know how historians will function in the future because our communications are all electronic now and programs change and disappear, along with old e-mails. There's something lovely about a handwritten letter carefully crafted. Guess I'm just old-fashioned! :)

I put 'letter' as one of the choices for sentiment's sake, ha! I know that no one writes real letters anymore. :)

[Poll #1973757]

Hi, luvs!

Since it's getting closer to summer, I thought I'd post this link to the Boothbay Lobster Wharf. Whenever we were in Boothbay on vacation, my family would always visit this place. It was known as The Lobstermen's Co-Op back then, and they've made a lot of changes since our last visit 13 years ago, but the basics are the same: fresh seafood right off the boat in a harbor setting. :) And if you get a craving for lobster, they ship anywhere! :)

Hi, luvs! Did you have a good Canada Day and Fourth of July last week? :)

Bizzy at work today but with enough time to sneak in this entry. How do you like my newest icon? It was created by the talented ctbn60. You should totally go over to her journal and check out how many wonderful banners, icons, story covers, etc., that she has for display. The Man Of Steel icons are here and are absolutely gorgeous! :)

Is anyone else a Faora/Nathan fan? ;)

So, darlings, it's HOT as you-know-what here. Terrible weather. I can't get people who say they love hot, humid weather. People LIKE standing or sitting still and sweating? *shakes head*

Writing goes well. I finally might be able to post a few things later this week. If not, probably next week.

I was updating some of my lists and noticed that I never posted a Master List for my 2011 Summer-By-The-Sea Fic Prompt Request. Well, if you're in the mood for beachy goodness, here you go! ;)

( Master List )