betaing is fun

[sophinisba]

Last night I announced in a_conspiracy that, because of my bad planning, we're moving back the due date for the hobbit remix fics from July 21st to the July 27th. (I need to hurry up and write mine anyway, especially since the last Harry Potter book is coming out on the 21st so it's not like I'll have a lot of time for writing in those last few days.) I also invited people to comment on that post if they'd like to volunteer to beta, so if you've got a little time in the next few weeks that's a way you could help out even if you aren't writing for the challenge. Here is the post.

Me, I just got done betaing a new Frodo/Boromir fic by claudia603 that is, let's say, very heavy on the Sophinisba kinks. My goodness gracious. I can't wait to see what everybody else makes of this one, but I also enjoyed having it all to myself for a few days too. :)

I hope everyone here in the States had a nice holiday yesterday. I had a really good day. I spent a lot of it reading Claudia's fic, which, like I said, I enjoyed kind of a lot.

The weather here was gorgeous, mostly sunny, warm but not too humid. After breakfast I put on sunscreen and went for a walk around one of the lakes near my parents' house. It's a little over three miles around and a lot of my friends act like it's omg nothing to take a lap around it. (I sure am friends with a lot of runners.) I was really tired and sweaty by the end of it, and a little sore, but it's a really pretty path and it was fun to see so many people outside enjoying the holiday and the nice weather. I just need to get into the habit of walking more again.

In the evening I went to a cookout at gamerchick's place, ate kielbasa and drank Berry Weiss (to make up for that silly healthfulness earlier in the day) and chatted with geeks about geeky things, which I don't really get to do with most of my school friends. (Or, I do talk about geeky things, but my school friends just kind of smile and nod.)

Beth and her husband (eee!) just got back from their honeymoon in Spain and she'd brought me the Spanish edition of a popular Italian novel called El secreto de Sofonisba, about the 16th century painter Sofonisba Anguissola. This isn't the Sophonisba I got the name from but I have heard of her before (from my fellow Sophie sophrosyne31) and the book looks like fun, so that was a neat surprise.

I left when the gang was getting ready to go watch the fireworks because, well, I don't much like fireworks. They're pretty to look at but the loud noises make me nervous. Unfortunately, it turns out that my route home goes across a bridge where hundreds of people go to watch the fireworks. :/ So they had one lane of traffic blocked off, another lane full of people watching the fireworks from their cars, police and crowds of people on both sides, not to mention omg fireworks, all trying to distract me as I drove home. But I had good music on the car radio to distract me from the noise and they really did look nice, looking over the river. I still missed a turn a little later (damn downtown one-way streets!) but there weren't a lot of cars around so it was fine.

I've mostly been staying at my parents' place since my roommate left for Spain a couple weeks ago, partly because it's lonely at the apartment but more because here I have air-conditioning and I get to borrow my parents' car. I lost the parking permit for the other neighborhood so I can't stay there for more than two hours during the day, which is kind of amusing. The one thing that's inconvenient about this place is that there isn't a direct bus from here to work, but that's okay because it gives me some incentive to walk the mile and a half to the bus station. Part of the way is along the lake so it's also very pretty. I guess I should start heading over there now.

Comments

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

*happy happy grin* Thank you very much for the detailed suggestions by email -- I was totally suspecting those were the issues I'd need to deal with!! :-) Yay! A project today to work on!

[sophinisba]

Thank you for letting me read it omg. I had such a good time.

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a fun holiday! It rained in the evening - it rained buckets, actually.

[sophinisba]

Here it just rained briefly in the afternoon, so I'm sure it interfered with some people's holiday plans, but for me everything went really well.

[mariole.livejournal.com]

El secreto de Sofonisba

How cool! Sorry about the noise. At least it's over now for another year. It's a fine time of year to enjoy the outdoors; good on you! Cheers.

[sophinisba]

It really is, and I haven't been been taking enough advantage of the fact that I live in a beautiful area. Lots of walking again today, and it felt good, if still tiring. :)

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

An extension! Hooray! (I'm going to need some time to make this wee fic good...)

[sophinisba]

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you come up with. :D

[danachan.livejournal.com]

Me too me too! */spammy

[sophinisba]

♥

[shirebound]

Walking around a lake sounds wonderful. :)

[sophinisba]

It is! There's a lovely view of the downtown skyline, and it's nice to get back to where you started and have that sense of completion.

[slipperieslope.livejournal.com]

Poor Sophie, I couldn't think of a much worse place to be trapped than on a crowded bridge! Not too many places to go!

((hugs))

[sophinisba]

Indeed, poor me for having bad planning skills! In the end it really wasn't bad. The middle lane moved along fine, I was just a little nervous having all those people around.

But I'll take the hugs anyway! ((Slip))

[suzy-74.livejournal.com]

What a lovely holiday. Even the running! *teehee* (I'm not very good at running myself but I really admire you who do!)

I love friewors but I hate the loud bangs too. I truly don't get why it has to be that kind of sound.

[sophinisba]

Oh no, I can't handle running either, I've never liked it at all. But I used to walk kind of a lot and I've gotten out of the habit lately, so even walking for a few miles is tiring me out now. I just need to do it more.

[danachan.livejournal.com]

I plan on walking more though I don't think it is very pretty around where I live, so I don't feel like I have much incentive. Also I am with you on the fireworks. Mom asked if I wanted to go into town to sit at the park and watch them and I just didn't want to because they are loud and I didn't want the headache. (Also mosquitoes would likely have attacked in such waves they would have carried me off.)

And then I was distracted by your Wiki link, but now I am back.

But a lovely holiday! *hugs* I am glad you had a good time (though I am not happy about the thing with the bridge).

[sophinisba]

It is too bad about the area around your house being mostly just houses, although you do have that water and also the cranes! Also this is maybe not convenient but would it work for you ever to drive to town and take a walk by the big lake? I really think it makes such a difference, Dana, when I'm exercising regularly I really feel better the rest of the time too (except like right now, when I'm starting out and I am sore).

But anyway!! Yay 4th of July! The mosquitoes were starting to be a bother around the time I left the party as well. The thing on the bridge was not really so bad. And next time I will turn on 12th street! That is my plan. *hugs and hugs*

[frolijah-fan-54.livejournal.com]

Glad you had a nice holiday - can't wait to read Claudia's fic!! Damn - I so wish I could help with betaing - but the next 2 weeks are tied up with the 2 jobs. Double damn. Oh well - maybe next time. I have beta'd a couple things for a couple different people now and really enjoy it.

Happy Froday and hope you have a great weekend!!

[sophinisba]

Ah, that is a shame, but yay for the extra money! Summer is a much lighter time of year for me so I get to be more active in fandom these months and I am having a really good time. It was fun getting to tell Claudia just how much I was enjoying this particular fic because it was a lot of stuff that I don't tend to admit to liking in public. :D

[frolijah-fan-54.livejournal.com]

Oh - I forgot to mention - I will also be readng the final HP as soon as it's out - we'll have to compare notes on the ending!!

[sophinisba]

I am a slow reader and I am really afraid I won't be able to finish it before the Chicago trip, especially since I'll also be busy with the remix and some work stuff. However! I'm also very excited.

[lilybaggins.livejournal.com]

I envy you your lake time! I LOVE walking around in the lovely outdoors... sadly, there's nowhere like that around here. Where you won't get assaulted, that is. *sighs*

[sophinisba]

We are really lucky to have that here. There are quite a few lakes right here within the city and they have paved paths around them for walking and biking and roller-blading. At that lake there are trees but it's also really open and on a nice day there are always lots of people around so it's very safe. I wish there were somewhere like that where you live too.

[lilybaggins.livejournal.com]

*hugs* In my old town, there were plenty of places... but I suppose that changes in the big city.

[sophinisba]

There are lakes everywhere in this part of the country, even in the middle of the city, and they've done a really nice job with the paths around them.