The Republic of Heaven

My boss just text me and told me our store is closed until Monday! And I get paid for tomorrow even though we're off! Woot x2...

after the most grueling semester of my life thus far (and ever, hopefully) and lots of uncertainty, i got a grade back for the final paper of my favourite class in fall 2010 and i'm really pleased. in addition, the prof (who is, apparently, a big deal) said really nice things about it.

<derives self-worth from academic evaluation>

- Rental application for a very nice condo has been approved. It's expensive, but it's 30 minutes closer to anywhere I'm likely to find a job, it has a kitchen big enough to use, and the complex has lots of trees. Unless Nathan finds somewhere better and cheaper this week, we're definitely moving there in May. I'm very excited about all the planning and shopping this will require.

- The last science job I applied to hasn't forgotten about me, but instead is actually considering (according to the recruiter middleman who put my name in for the job) interviewing me soon

- I also have an application in to do tech support (meh) at the software company Nathan's mom works for. I don't think it's quite as soul-sucking as normal tech support, since it's for a program used only by schools and I'm used to dealing with those people, and it pays about twice as much as subbing does.

- I'm getting a smartphone.

- My plans for attending Notacon and visiting Michigan next month are looking more and more like they'll work out.

- It's spring! Even if the temperature outside disagrees. Almost gardening season!

Okay, so...four years ago, I picked up a book with a very silly-looking cover. It had accidentally been placed on the pile of books given to me at work to review (at that time I was working as a sub-editor at the newspaper where I am still a freelance book-reviewer). The book was called Romanitas, by Sophia McDougall. And it was amazing. I loved it so much. And no one, literally no one I knew, had read it. So I did what I always do when I want to discuss a book: I went online. And there was nothing, no reviews, no forums, no fans. Well, I thought, I shall make a fandom myself. So I started up a fanblog.

I met a couple of fellow fans this way, but what was really important was that McDougall herself got in touch. We friended each other on Twitter. We friended each other on Facebook. She started up a Livejournal, and we became friends there too. Somewhere around this point, we started discussing things other than her books, just generally participating in discussions in the online literary community.

And the third book in the series is coming out on 19th May. I got my review copy yesterday. I devoured it in four hours. And then...I read the acknowledgements. And she thanked me on her acknowledgements page. Right there, underneath her agent and her editor and the people who helped her with Japanese translations is: 'And to [...] Ronni [lastname], for being generally wonderful.'

that is so sweet, ronni! aw you must be over the moon

I made another sale! By the end of the year I'll be in double digits

we've been nearly three weeks in scandinavia and we keep trying to have a night out but failing miserably (usually because we are getting old and getting tired by the time the sun sets) but last night we were taken by some people in our dorm to a party at one of the swedish residences and we got to meet lots of people and there was good music and i had a good time. =)

everyone is so nice to us.

woo scandinavia! it warms my heart that you're nearby! stop by chat sometime!

il pleut et l'autre sourit.
the week looks better already.

Well, I'm happy for a lot of reasons - had a really good day today - but mostly I'm here because I just found out that my dear friend and her partner (both of whom you will meet if you attend my wedding, hint) have finally scheduled their commitment ceremony! Nobody plan any srafcons for June 16, because I will be busy.

(Though this does mostly dampen my hopes that they'll come to Massachusetts to get married anytime soon. I'll have to convince them to visit for some other reason.)

Other stuff:
- Went in to work early -> no traffic
- Had an easy day of helping other people with their projects instead of being in charge of my own
- Lunch was outdoors and free because my place of work won an award from their parent company for working really hard after the BP oil spill (before they hired me). I discovered that brownies with chocolate chips in them are greatly improved by sitting in the sun.
- Cape traffic wasn't as bad as I dreaded, and my car only showed a few signs of distress and didn't almost die like it did two weeks ago.
- Listened to my favorite symphony in the car on the way home - loudly, with the windows down
- Am going to Maine shortly, to spend the weekend celebrating my impending grandfather-in-law's 90th birthday.

Good things all around

Edit: Oh, and I read this fandom!secret this morning. It was the perfect way to start everything off: http://i55.tinypic.com/jhy9sk.gif

Ronni! I think I would have become a puddle if one of my favourite authors did that. Are you still solid?

Happiness... I have home-made blackberry buttermilk muffins. *drools*

I am ecstatic because, after two months of waiting, we have internet in our apartment.

*dances with joy*