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Okay -- never let it be said I don't admit when I'm mistaken (though, you know, sometimes I don't). I didn't realise the surge was as wide as it was, on Ike -- and that is an inaccurate read off Google, because the range they project is quite a narrow corridor for such a large storm. My bad, and I am still thinking of the evacuees. And the, er, non-evacuees. And as ever if anyone needs assistance or can offer it feel free to use the journal as a clearinghouse.

Mama Tickey is without power but otherwise fine; she's on a hill in a northern suburb, so the likelihood of flooding around her place is pretty well nil. Plus she has family in the area as well as in Austin -- Dad Lucky's brothers both live down south with their wives and kids, though they're well out of range of the storm. I'm more worried about what she's going to do without her FOX News. :D

In other news *rubs hands* now that all the Torchwood fic is out of the way, except for edits on the Zine piece, it's time to get back to Jack & Ellis. I'll be re-reading the chapters to date over the next few days, but work should recommence soon. If I feel I'm rolling along well on that then I'll jumpstart LC and LoG, though depending on how my resources are expended on J&E I may just have to finish that up first.

In a way the internet has given me an excellent gauge of how my mind is modulating -- as a kid I could track four or five chats at once, when now I can really only handle one, two at the most, with any amount of attention paid to either. I used to be able to have a big fic running and get several smaller fics done at the same time, even tracking between fandoms, but not so much anymore. Part of it is, of course, that however challenging my coursework was, I still generally had much more free time in high school and grad school than I do now (undergrad was another story, which could explain the hiatus I took as an undergrad). And while I regret the loss of that ability to multi-track, it's also true that the writing I do now is of a much higher quality, with more depth and scope than previous. Which is naturally pleasing.

I was going to walk down to the post office and pick up a package today, but *stares out window at pissing down rain* not happening.

Mum, still panicking, is actually going out in the foul weather in Texas to buy me a TV because she can't drop-ship the one she's picked out for me and quote "You need to have news!"

Whatever keeps her busy.

Meantime, before I dive into J&E, there's still unpacking to do. Though I've got it down to about three boxes remaining, two of which are waiting on Things (coathangers or a file basket) before they can be properly unpacked. And I've still got a sheaf of posters flattening on the desk while I wait for the frames to arrive. AND, although I love my Cafe Collage just as it is, I also ordered a proper print from Office Depot -- for five bucks I get a black and white print on bond paper, complete with gromits in the corners for hanging. Not too bad.

Mneh, good day to stay inside. *hunkers down*

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*comes up for air*

So, I've been reading this book. It's kind of engaging.

:D

I forgot how much fun jack_and_ellis was, how much I loved Jack and Ellis and Clare and Purva, and I also forgot how clean and easy the next steps in the plot are. I got so caught up in problems that aren't really problems but more like...I don't know. Maybe excuses not to write. Because Bernard went to Australia, and that was kind of painful, but Australia itself was never painful. Though I'm not treating it very kindly at the moment, but that's Jack and Clare's issues, not mine. Or possibly it was because I can see where the story is going and the climax of action always scares me, because it's the hardest part of the work. Irrelevant now, I suppose.

I did an overhaul on all the old stuff, which means I'll be going through chapter by chapter and posting revised versions where the old versions were, eventually. It's not enough of an overhaul, but it's all I can handle until the thing's done. The point is that I got three thousand new words down tonight, and they're not just words but good solving-problems words. You know, as if my work were an actual craft, instead of me fucking around with imaginary friends.

No wonder I kept working on this even when I had a broken wrist and had to write it by hand.

Which reminds me, hey guys, 2008 did not get off to a great start. And Torchwood and Doctor Who have been awesome in helping me cope and I'm definitely not going to ditch them, but I am really sorry about ditching J&E and Harry Potter and everything.

Jack (Baker, not Harkness) threw a fit, but then he was a bit overdue for one. Very cathartic, I think.

"Do you comprehend what this place is, Clare? This is your land but -- I don't want to see it destroyed either. Automobiles. Mechanised elevators. Electric lights. The machine age is here, Clare, it's right here, the revolution is here. It's not theory to me. I see actual quantifiable value and I'm frightened, because if there is a war all of this becomes -- blood. England fires on Brisbane and all of this is destroyed. That's more important than whether or not the Empire is moral. I listen to you argue with him and all I can see is the University Library on fire. Don't you dare make this about you. It's about so much more than you it isn't even funny. Everything I've worked for, it's all for nothing because they've already done it. That's okay. I don't care. I can learn what they've done, I can study and catch up and be part of this. I want to, because it's amazing. And they're so close to destroying themselves because a hundred years ago Father LaRoche told England they should ship their criminals to Australia. Because of some stupid grudge. Look what they've done to the people here. Look at what they're going to do to themselves and tell me you're any part of Australia."

C'est bon, as Purva would say. Have I mentioned I love Purva? How did that sneaky Baratarian come out of my head?

There's still some rewriting to be done before I can post an update, but three thousand words is a pretty heartening jumpstart.