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So yesterday I ended up with a screaming headache, and I did not watch Doctor Who because I was busy lying down. But I am watching it tonight, and I swear there will be Three Things, unlike my remissness with the Christmas Special. (Which I did watch, and wow, it was a gorgeous travesty, wasn't it? I mean, what a mess, and I totally didn't care.)

I took a Sudafed in order to get to sleep, forgetting that Sudafed gives me tripped-out dreams. I vaguely remember a giant fandom convention, at which I was supposed to work a specific table in the exhibition hall, but which I could not, of course, ever seem to get to. Still, misswinterhill and I had fun trying.

Headache's still nibbling round the edges this morning, so I'm taking it easy. But I think in honour of Easter I will make myself some fried eggs.

(no subject)

So, when I was about twelve, I acquired a box of secondhand books, including a couple of Anne McCaffrey's dragonrider books.

(Among them was Dragonquest, which I vividly remember because the edition was old and it had the most hilarious cover I had seen in my young life.)

The other two Anne McCaffrey books were Dragonsong and Dragonsinger, the first two parts of a trilogy but a complete duology in themselves. The story is pretty standard fantasy-coming-of-age stuff, but I latched onto them and re-read them frequently. While I eventually acquired and read most of the Dragonrider books available at the time, those two in particular were comfort reading, because they were about:

a) Fire Lizards, which are tiny psychic pet dragons and the coolest idea ever
b) Being a TOTAL FUCKING MISFIT in EVERY POSSIBLE WAY
c) Scene after scene of people telling the TOTAL FUCKING MISFIT that it was okay to be a TOTAL FUCKING MISFIT.

So I could relate.

I've been listening to a lot of books on tape recently because it's something to occupy my mind while I do other stuff, but I can't listen to books I haven't read because I lose the plot too fast. And while I know Anne McCaffrey has a lot of shit to answer for, I do love these stupid books. So I thought, well, why not listen to the Dragonsong books and see if they're like I remember?

It's actually eerie how much they are like I remember, to the point where I can frequently predict the next line of dialogue despite not having read them since I was seventeen. They're not bad books -- I'm of the opinion, which I know many people share, that McCaffrey's later books have been crap, but the Dragonsinger books were pretty good. Which is just as well, since while listening to them I realised that a shit-ton of my prose structure is based on the writing in those books. This is mortifying and hilarious all at once.

I do have a few observations to make, which will probably only be comprehensible to those who are very familiar with the books but which may amuse everyone else.

First, Menolly's brother Alemi and the Half Circle Harper, Elgion -- they were totally doing it, right? That's not just me? I'm pretty sure it's not just me, they spent a lot of time alone in boats. Second, I want like burning a well-written AU where Menolly stayed at Benden and ended up with T'gellan, because T'gellan was cool and seemed kind of into her and once Menolly got settled in the Harper Hall she got boring. Third, I could swear that in one of the later books there were some bits from Sebell's point of view, right when Menolly arrived at the Hall, where he and Talmor were in a vicious but totally unspoken competition for Menolly's favours, but I'm damned if I know where. I've never read fanfic for the series, so I know it wasn't a fic.

Possibly I wrote that last one in my head at some point. You'd think I'd remember doing something like that, but most of my teen years are this big blur of literature, fanfic, and repeatedly failing math class.

Anyway, that is my ode on cheesy fantasy novels of my youth. I still would give an arm for a Fire Lizard. And now let us never speak of this again.

(no subject)

I know it's late, but it's here: Sam's Three Things About Doctor Who!

Spoilers for 6.01: ( The Impossible Astronaut )

3a. ...look, I'm not happy about the way I felt about this episode. I really am not, and I genuinely don't know if I'm making a valid value judgment or if I'm just irritable and taking it out on Doctor Who. But I don't even have four things to say about it. So I am going to end this in the traditional way I have ended Three Things for a few months now:

Oh Mozzie.