What do you reckon? I don’t think we’re average, myself... :)

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well, let's see.

( Books! )

Yay! TJs! A day or two late, but that’s due to being completely knackered – I’m so glad I took Monday morning off.

Ok, to go back to the beginning. Left my b&b about 5.00pm to meet gwene, who was driving from Paris, overnight, from her mate’s wedding (!). I got there about five minutes early. Luckily TJs in Newport is a lot easier to find than Orgee was, although in a dodgier area. There was a blacked-out windowed façade and a scruffy door that opened into cavernous darkness. I popped my head round to discover an older bloke, who I’ve seen before, who I think is a relative of Gareth’s, and Gemma, Gareth’s girlfriend. I said a flustered hello or two, and fled sheepishly, since they were obviously nowhere near opening yet!

( TJs, cameras and deafness! )

This time, in my quest to see Blue Gillespie a few more times, it was another trek out to Abergavenny, for a charity gig as part of the evening celebrations for a cycle race. *shrug* That is literally all I know about the event! What that meant in practice was a mobile kind of gig trailer in the middle of a field – well, Bailey Park, but frankly field was close enough. It was wet, it was chilly, but nowhere near as bad as it had been at the Goose and Cuckoo. Bands were playing from about 4.30, but an enterprising fangirl (was that you, flameofaphoenix?) had already asked Gareth when they were playing by the time I arrived at about 4.45, and so we knew that Blue Gillespie weren’t due on until about 8.00 or 9.00, so we had a bit of time.

So what do all dedicated fangirls do at that point? We went to the pub :)

( Continue for talk of Oliver, Cyberwoman and CDs )

Title: Ouroboros
Author: valderys
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Lisa/Ianto
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 8,066
Notes: AU, post-Cyberwoman. Not fluff, not at all. My first (!) attempt to explore what might have happened if Pizzagirl!Lisa had survived. It’s always bothered me that they shot her down like a dog…
Summary: Ianto never gives up, and he never surrenders. Not even when he’s forgotten what he’s meant to be fighting for…

( He’d done everything he could. He’d lied for her, he’d whored for her. He’d cheated, and stole, and been responsible for murders. The only way he could give her up now was if they pried her from his cold dead fingers. )

Yay! It's started! Ok, lately my fannish interests have drifted from LotR a bit, but that hasn't stopped the excitement when I saw rubynye posting the link to the newly launched web comic Waiting for Bilbo! I loved Waiting for Frodo, and fully expect to love this one too :)

Grabbed from katlinel and many others:

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real places, names &/or objects, but nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person you got this from has the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. And Have Fun With It!!!

1) 4 LETTER WORD: Nest
2) BOY NAME: Neville
3) GIRL NAME: Natalie
4) OCCUPATION: Netrunner
5) A COLOUR: Nutmeg
6) SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Nightie
7) BEVERAGE: Napolean brandy
8) FOOD: Nougart
9) SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Net curtains
10) A PLACE: Northampton
11) REASON FOR BEING LATE: Nicked by the fuzz
12) SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Noooooo!

Title: Looking-Glass
Author: valderys
Rating: PG, Gen
Word Count: 3,551
Notes: Loosely based on a concept from Neal Stephenson’s ‘The Diamond Age’, and, with permission, owing a lot to communicator’s fic ‘The Young Ladies Home Companion’. Written for the sga_flashfic's Fairytale challenge.
Summary: What if everything you learned really was learned from SGA?

Looking-Glass

What can I say? Do we get to be dedicated fangirls of the year? :) It was wet, it was cold. We were up a mountain. Not halfway up a mountain, nope, pretty much right up it, to the extent that we were in fog - until I drove down again, and realised it wasn't fog. We'd been in a cloud.

( Was it all worth it to see Blue Gillespie? )

I'm sure you've all seen posts about this by now, but just in case you haven't, LJ are having a poll vote for a User Representative. This guy, jameth appears to stand a good chance and he seems to be a complete arse. I'm all for humour in the right place - but this? Is not the right place. Not everything is 'for the lulz', particularly not on lj in the last year.

Personally, I voted for candidates who seemed at first glance to have reasonable platforms, and who appear sympathetic to fannish interests and lj abuse issues. That means I put legomymalfoy first, rm second and vichan third. They all seemed as cool as each other given my (admittedly limited) reading around, but legomymalfoy seemed to stand the best chance of succeeding, so it was tactical as much as anything.

Can I suggest that you all vote if you haven't already and that bookshop has a good breakdown here, if that's helpful? (Gacked from ngaio)

Went to my first QI filming on Monday, which was excellent fun! Actually, I found it funnier to watch than the other things I've seen filmed, namely HIGNFY and the Friday Night Project. I think it's because it was a lot more effortless than either of the others, with less pick-up shots etc. Also, the main filming was about an hour and a half, which I barely noticed passing, and that's a rarity at these kinds of things. Jimmy Carr is fantastic, for those who don't already know.

Also, the warm-up act was much gentler, the humour in keeping with the show. It's nice that they didn't try and whip us into a frenzy, like they do at the other shows.

Best bit? Stephen bantering with Alan - naturally :) Stephen won't have Alan 'palm him off with margarine'.

I'd pay to see that...

And in other news, thanks to gritkitty and communicator I've had a look at the US Life on Mars trailer. It's not so bad - although they haven't changed as much as I thought they were going to - the look is right - much more American, but the lines seem really similar. I'm not sure how that will work for an American audience?

Also, I'm sorry, as much as I respect Colm Meaney, he's not a patch on our Phil. I can't see any knicker-wetting happening for him... :)

Title: A Life Well Lived
Author: valderys
Rating: Gen, G
Word Count: 699
Notes: Episode tag for The Doctor’s Daughter.
Summary: At the end of a long life, General Cobb regrets his actions so long ago.

( A Life Well Lived )

Oh, I didn't expect that. Just clicking away on the new Torchwood tie-in novel covers and then. Just like that, sadness. The pared down team in the bottom part of the cover. Oh, they look so lonely.

Ok, I am home, I am more sane, here is my report from Orgee, Blue Gillespie's (and others) gig in Cardiff, at Tommy's Bar.

( You've just been bam-bam'd )

The next day was Collectormania and you should go look at purplephoenix03's report of that, it's much better than mine would ever be!

Extra cool thing: Eve Myles definitely recognised us, and immediately leaped up and kissed me on the cheek! Aww, she's so lovely!

Ooh, just got back in, so I need sleep, and this will therefore be short!

Gareth's gig yesterday in Cardiff, plus the rest of the local bands including Disgracelands (most of Blue Gillespie) who are really good musicians, and the music is growing on me. I bought their cd anyway!

Plus I got bam-bamed this time - twice! Yay! (I knew a particular top might work, and I'm apparently not wrong :)

(This is no surprise to anyone, but a GDL two feet in front of a person, on stage, is... Well. Wow. There may be inappropriate crushes :)

And dear Gareth was a bit tipsy, bless. The moon shone that night, and there are pictures, although not for public consumption, I am afraid to say. It doesn't quite seem fair...

Then drive home at midnight, bed at 2.30, up for 6.30 to head to Collectormania! Even more yay! Just got back.

I got persuaded into going to the party in the evening, and also to buy a Gold ticket for The Hub in Ocotber. *shuffles feet* That's what credit cards are for, isn't it? I'm looking at you purplephoenix03!

I can't namecheck everyone now, but god, all the Torchwood fangirls were fantastic - talk about making a glorious weekend!!! Thank you everyone, and I'll see you all at The Hub, if not at the Hewletts!

Title: Small Things
Author: valderys
Characters: Gwen, Ianto
Rating: Gen, PG for swears, mentions of Jack/Ianto
Word Count: 1,928
Notes: Tag for ‘Adrift’.
Summary: In the aftermath of Flat Holm, Ianto reminds Gwen that it’s the little things that keep us human.

( Just talking to someone, the most important person in her world, that was meant to be enough. )

I'm terrible at remembering the details of these things. If I've left loads out that's why! The Rift was a one day Torchwood con, and quite well-organised considering I think this is the first event this team has put togther.

It was a really good day - thanks to smirnoffmule and her sign there were a bunch of fangirls I got chatting to in the queue and that was one thing that made the day great.

( Toasted Ianto. Mmm. )

A while ago I decided that my RPS should all be on a different journal, The Journal of Shame *grin*, but that was back when I was only writing Lotrips, and well, things have changed a bit since then. The slippery slope doesn't feel as slippery, I've hived off all my fannish stuff to this journal anyway, there's other RPS here now (SGA, and Fry/Laurie) and so. Well. Here's a link, for those that might be interested :)

Title: Happy Accidents
Author: valerienne
Pairing: Billy/Dom, hints of Billy/Ali, Dom/Elijah, Dom/Evi
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,365
Notes: Based on Dom’s photographic exhibition, Happy Accidents. There’s an interview at StarDom in which Dom talks about it, and I want to tell you I squeeed so hard – this fic was 85% written when I read that interview, and yet it fits very well indeed :) Also, the knitted cacti are real – I saw them in Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art a few weeks ago. Written for monaboyd_month.

Dom doesn’t wear eyeliner any more, Billy thinks, all of a sudden. He never thought he’d miss it. Weird.

Reactions...( Spoilers. )

Oh god. I've just watched John Barrowman on the Paul O'Grady Show, and he's said that it's the ( Slight spoiler for 2x13 ) they couldn't rehearse it. OMG. I'm so worried about who they're going to ( Slight spoiler for 2x13 )... *bites fingernails* (Please not Ianto, please not Ianto, please not Ianto)

Only 32 minutes to go.

EDIT: Oh My God. ( Spoiler )

I've put together a highlights report over at nickeyb, if anyone wants to wander over, it's here.

Note: Never done this before - xposted to both my journals - is it overkill, an encumberance to my flist, or no problem? I've been pondering this, because so much of my life is fannish, that I find it really hard sometimes to know where to post, in my fannish jounal or my RL journal. Often, the choice is difficult enough that I've found I haven't posted at all. If no-one minds, though, xposting may be the solution. I'm not prolific, so hopefully it won't become a pain?