So, I had a fabulous Yuletide and am really, really glad I participated. I received three stories, which I really appreciate - although I'm curious which was my main gift and which was a treat. (One I am inferring was a treat and am pretty confident in that inference.) I'm super grateful to the people who wrote for me and am eager to see the reveals!

I also wrote six pieces myself, two of which cracked the 1000 word mark (my main assignment and one of the treats I did). It was great challenging myself to write some new works based on fandoms I would not usually write for, since I'm normally a strict "one obsession or inspiration at a time" kind of girl. Great experience all around - I got to write for The Picture of Dorian Gray for the first time in my life, despite at first feeling that I loved that novel too much to write for/about it. (By the end of this process I was all "Nope, apparently not.") I also got to revisit some Arthurian mythology, which I hadn't thought of in years, and got to use some of the ideas from my Velvet Goldmine backlog. So this has been a lot of fun.

Also watched the Doctor Who Christmas special. My spoiler-free review is that that was super disappointing. I loved the fiftieth and was all excited that they were finally getting back on a role. And then I thought this was a ginormous mess, in the typical Moffat mess way where they just throw every plot point and character and species and monster etc etc at the episode willy-nilly and hope that'll make it good. Maybe I was just distracted when I watched it and didn't follow well enough to understand but I don't think so - and damn, that was disappointing. I will miss Eleven and Matt Smith, because I love him/them, and really wish they'd have regenerated Steven Moffat into a new head writer instead.

Finally, I just put on the first episode of the new Dracula series with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. What am I watching here? This is another series that just seems bizarre and I'm not sure how far I'm going to go with this. If JRM weren't in it or weren't so damn attractive I probably wouldn't have bothered at all - but he's not even looking that good because of that stupid facial hair. Meh.

My head hurts...

1) Finally got my old iPod speaker working and was able to bring down my old, no longer being used regularly iPod and listen to music while doing my swim in the apartment pool (got through just over half of Bowie's Hunky Dory, natch). That was awesome; I'd been looking to make swimming laps more interesting and was lucky enough to get the pool all to myself tonight. It may have been deserted because the water was kinda slimey, salty and gross. It's supposed to be a salt water pool but they may have overdone it tonight - yuck. But, oh well. (Took a good shower right after, so don't worry. =P)

2) I also think I'll use this journal to test out a new way to engage with fandoms. Inspired by the web site Polyvore and the one fashion blog I like to read, College Fashion and their "Inspired By" columns, I have been spending an inordinate amount of time trying to put together 'looks' inspired by the things I'm into, e.g. songs, books, TV shows and movies. This is not a project about cosplaying but, rather, is a way to use fannish interests to suggest things to do - or rather wear - for day to day.

( Making Torchwood the trial balloon fandom, so looks inspired by Torchwood after the cut )