Offtopic Sofa Time

New arrivals, including the hello threads and the sofa.
KimberHodgela
Super Fan
Posts: 208
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:44 pm
16
Location: Winnipeg, MB

Post by KimberHodgela »

sapphiresilt wrote:P.S. Belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! to Kimber! I'm so sorry I was away from this board and missed your special day. Hope it was wonderful!
Hi'ya, Ei! Thanks for the warm wishes. My special day was pretty wonderful, as I spent it with my friends and then family (whom I am growing to love more and more, now that I don't have to spend every waking minute with them).

It's nice to see you over here - and yes, I agree that if we all lived close by, I'd be less antisocial, and would probably have you all over for tea/drinks on a weekly basis. I'm addicted to Carmen Sandiego's Bones Recaps (http://bonesrecaps.livejournal.com), which run throughout the season - and I've always wished that I had a Bones friend who lived close by, so we could sit and watch the show together, and discuss like Carmen and her sister do.

And even though I'm not in my forties, I still feel like I'm a "very old teenager" as well. I've always said that my mental is about 8 years old, or maybe 12 or so. I still get giddy over silly things, and my best friend over on LJ is a 15 year old who rocks my world. But I also remember when I first got into online television fandoms through my fanfics (I was 16/17 at the time), and all of my good friends were about 30-40 years old. So I guess now it's almost become like a reversal!
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Dude, what you call being a conspiracy theorist I call being well informed - Dr. Jack Hodgins

Sinkwriter72
King of the Lab
Posts: 1860
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:21 pm
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Location: Illinois, USA

Post by Sinkwriter72 »

Sorry I’ve been away for so long. After the vacation week off (and the interestingly contemplative birthday weekend), I’ve spent the last week catching up (110 work-related emails, yikes!) as well as completing the usual month-end work activities.

It’s been. . . well, it’s been an uneasy time. Large shifts are taking place at my job, and as my coworkers have been voicing their anger and frustrations, I find myself feeling a bit empty about it all at the moment. Numb and unsurprised. I saw this ridiculousness, disrespect and disorganization coming; actually, in the past year and a half we all saw it coming, but I can’t seem to get up the requisite fury and upset anymore. I’m simply tired. Sometimes when I think about what’s to come, I think maybe it’s time for a bit of a shake-up in my life. Time to step outside the box, be bolder, seek that which I know makes me feel the most fulfilled and joyous. It’s the ‘how’ that’s the tough part.

Anyway, enough maudlin talk. *wry smile*

ThyneAlone, sounds like your trip was just lovely. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself and found a fun new handbag as well. :)

Weez. . . I’ve often thought about getting a tattoo. I was in the chorus of an opera a few years back -- a music teacher was also in the choir, and one day during dress rehearsal I noticed that her costume revealed a music-themed tattoo on her upper left shoulder. I was fascinated by it, mainly because up until then I’d only seen women with rose or skull or butterfly or heart-shaped tattoos, all fine choices but not really my style. It simply hadn’t occurred to me that I could get something more tailored to my own tastes and interests. Seeing her tattoo that day opened up a whole world of fantasizing about just what kind of tattoo I’d want to get, should I ever have the nerve, find the right design and choose the right location for it. Now, of course, there are all sorts of tattoo-themed television programs here in the United States on TLC (The Learning Channel), and I have seen some truly unique and gorgeous artwork created for various customers. Impressive and inspiring!

ThyneAlone writes:
Sherry - well goodness, I wasn't expecting a book to read when I got back! You write really fluently and thoughtfully - I can tell it's a skill and a pleasure of yours.
*flushes* I used to work for a friend who had her own business, and it was a long-standing joke between us that I could not for the life of me write her a short note when I took phone messages for her. She used to say, ‘Okay, what books did you write for me today?’ Clearly, I have not learned from that time. *GRIN* In my own defense, I felt writing a brief note about what the caller had wanted was much more thorough than the inevitable (and project-interrupting) questions that would come if I had only written ‘Julie called.’

Regardless, thank you very much for the compliment. All I can say is that I’m trying to learn whatever I can in order to hone that skill. Writing is something that brings me great joy.
First of all, happy birthday for tomorrow in case I'm not around. Have a great day. Any plans?
Thanks for the birthday wishes! I had plans with my friend Amanda, but she had a last-minute opportunity to go to Vegas (a place she’s never been), so understandably she had to cancel. Then I had tentative plans with two very good friends (who I usually somehow end up spending time with, around or on my birthday), but they ended up rescheduling for this past weekend instead (and we had a kick-ass, wonderful time). So for a while there, it seemed this year’s birthday would be a solitary affair. I worked out in the morning, tried something a little more challenging, which felt very good. And my brother and his wife surprised me by coming (completely out of their way) to take me to lunch and spend the afternoon catching up, which was lovely. They left late-afternoon-ish, and after chatting on the phone with a couple of people, I did end up spending the evening on my own. Picked up some take-out so I wouldn’t have to cook, came back and popped in a movie while I had my meal. Spent some time writing in my journal, which I hadn’t done consistently in months, so that turned out to be interesting. And I read and did some writing, which felt very relaxing and wonderful. It was a quiet birthday, I realize, but it was still a nice one. :D

Quick responses to your other comments:
1) Marvelous choir activity! I am impressed. And delighted that your entire family seems to enjoy music in various ways.
2) I’ve been rewatching Season 1 Bones episodes here and there this summer, and have come across several times when Brennan has referred to sex in a confident and unaffected, unembarrassed manner, which seems to confirm both our thoughts on the subject.
3) You know, I actually haven’t seen the Grinch film. I adore the original storybook, and of course the long-popular animated holiday program, which may have been why I’ve shied away from seeing the new film, afraid it would take something away from my childhood favorites. However, when I find an actor whose work I enjoy, I try to check out some of their other projects to see their range and choices, so I really should make some time to see TJ in the movie. I admit, it does tickle me to imagine him playing a Who. This, I’ve got to see. *GRIN*
4) Though I did tune in here and there (and did make sure to watch the final episodes once the final season was announced), I stopped being a weekly XF watcher after David Duchovny became an occasional player on the show. I missed the rhythm, respect and camaraderie of the Mulder and Scully characters, and like you, felt frustrated with the conspiracy arc which really seemed to fall apart in the seasons after the film came out. In addition, I wasn’t thrilled with how they handled Duchovny’s schedule switch. Instead of creating two whole new characters for the audience to have to learn to trust (Doggett and Reyes), I felt they should have built up the stories and back-stories of already-existing characters of interest in the conspiracy -- Walter Skinner, Marita Covarrubias, and Alex Krycek. These were characters who easily could have been fleshed out and given stronger, larger roles. Plus, the actors were talented and more than up to the task. I’m sure they would have relished the opportunity to explore more. Could have made a more intense, fleshed out, powerfully written story arc, and it would have given David and Gillian the break they needed in order to get some focus and energy back after the exhausting schedule of being the two main (and oftentimes only two) characters of the show.

Final comment: Thank goodness Bones Season 2 comes out on DVD next week. I tried to record last night’s episode, one I haven’t seen and was really looking forward to watching, but I got home from work around 9 PM only to find that all my clocks were flashing. Must have lost power sometime during the day, which is odd because it was a really beautiful-weather day. I’m sure you can imagine the grumbling and muttering that emanated from me for about five or ten minutes, as I made my way around my apartment, resetting every stupid appliance, after I realized I was not going to get to see “The Killer in the Concrete.” I’ve heard it’s a good ep. Ah well. . . I’m a patient woman; I can wait till next week. ;)

Hope all is well with everyone.
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KimberHodgela
Super Fan
Posts: 208
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:44 pm
16
Location: Winnipeg, MB

Post by KimberHodgela »

First of all, I have to say HELLO to you, Sherry. I'm not sure I ever said hey and welcome (a bit scatterbrained I am). It's nice to see another active fan, though I haven't been overly active myself. I always seem to find other ways to spend my evenings, and only think about going online during the day when I'm *supposed* to be working ... oh well.

I think us North Americans (I'm Canadian) are all anxious for September 11th, for those DVDs to arrive. I've been staying away from Bones reruns for the time being, so that when the DVDs come home with me I'll be excited to see all the episodes again. Plus, I can't wait to see the extras!! Bloopers!!! :)

I'm sorry to hear about your work issues, Sherry. It sounds like it's been a rough time for you at work, and you're merely hangin' on by a thread! Keep your chin up, and hopefully you'll have a chance to voice your opinions too. Maybe it will make you feel better about things, and you and your coworkers can work together to fix what's bothering you all. I'm glad you had a nice, quiet birthday, though! (Despite all the plans you had made).

A friend of mine over on LJ (LiveJournal) was recently talking about music-themed tattoos, and she had some gorgeous ideas. I wish I were an artist, so I could create some of the lovely things she was speaking of. But yes, though I don't get cable television any longer, I used to be a big fan of the tattoo shows too - and have a friend taping LA Ink for me so I can see it from time to time now. Some of those artists are insanely talented, and I'm amazed at what they can create, just from a few photographs or a chat they'll have with the client. I'm not sure we have that caliber of artist in my city, though I wish we did!

And while I'm here on the sofa - anybody want to lend a shoulder to cry on? After a really terrible last week and weekend (1.5 hour root canal, face plant on water skis, jarred neck, scraped ankle), topped off by a bad day altogether - I received my first "nasty" comment about a fic I wrote. :cry: I'll admit it, I like slash. And this past year, I found myself writing slash only for a select few communities, and keeping it to myself. I have my other stuff over at ff.net, but never intended to post my slash there, just because I know a lot of people are offended. But I got up the nerve to post it on the weekend, and CLEARLY put in the summary that it was slash to ward weirdos off - and still I got nailed today. This is why I could never write professionally. I don't take criticism well (especially when it's just spiteful and mean), because my stories are personal and mean more to me than just words on a page. And I'm probably being entirely too sensitive about it...
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Dude, what you call being a conspiracy theorist I call being well informed - Dr. Jack Hodgins

Sinkwriter72
King of the Lab
Posts: 1860
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:21 pm
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Location: Illinois, USA

Post by Sinkwriter72 »

Thanks for the welcome, KimberHodgela. I appreciate it!

Regrettably, I can’t say I’ve been a particularly active fan, myself. I haven’t seen the majority of the Season 2 episodes, so I’m looking forward to getting the DVD set next week and watching them in proper order. I can say I’ll be watching regularly from now on, once the new season begins. Looking forward to seeing where they take all the characters next. (And yay for good extras like bloopers, which I usually find incredibly amusing. One man’s fumble over a tricky line is another’s great entertainment, LOL. Not that TJ ever flubs his lines, I’m sure. We’ll find out next Tuesday. *GRIN*)
I'm sorry to hear about your work issues, Sherry. It sounds like it's been a rough time for you at work, and you're merely hangin' on by a thread! Keep your chin up, and hopefully you'll have a chance to voice your opinions too. Maybe it will make you feel better about things, and you and your coworkers can work together to fix what's bothering you all.
Oh, I’ve voiced my opinions plenty. I’m done now. *GRIN* Everyone else is still mad, and to make them laugh, I usually just hold up my fist and say, “Solidarity, man. We’re all in this together.” LOL.

Here’s what’s what: My company (can’t/won’t say which) has been letting people go, from various branches/departments/sites across the country over the past two years, part of ‘cost-cutting measures’ for the ‘good of the company,’ of course. We’ve seen a lot of good, talented, hard-working, knowledgeable people come and go, and have wondered for a long time whether the groups at our site would be next. But the higher-up executives continued to send work our way, in fact piling more and more work upon us -- and I promise you, I’m not whining over a little bit of extra work; this was the kind where you end up working from sun up till 9 or 10 PM at night, in order simply to get your regular daily work done -- and they assured us we were necessary and needed and ‘safe.’ Riiiiight. Almost three months ago, we were told that our entire building was going to be ‘let go’ and the site closed. We’re still here. And they haven’t given us any information since.

I’ve met with managers for hours, telling them what I do, how I do it, why I do it that way, pointing out issues, blah blah. Yet we have no idea what the hell is going on, when exactly they’re planning on kicking us to the curb, how we will transition our work, who’s taking it over, what information they need, what they will or won’t have access to, oh-so-many things they don’t seem to have considered. They haven’t even announced it to the rest of the company, which is the strangest part, because every time they’ve let other people go, they make an email announcement to the entire company that very day. For our ‘transition’? Nothing but crickets. ;)

Part of my thought process on this -- heh, I’m starting to sound like Hodgins and his conspiracy theories -- is that they want people to be uninformed because then employees will start to worry that they won’t find a new job before the holidays, that they won’t be able to provide for their families; consequently, they’ll start looking for a new job, take it, and quit this one, thereby allowing this company to gladly avoid having to pay out any severance packages. The reason I think this: the people who work in my department and all the other departments at this site have been with this company for a long time; some have been here for 15, 20, even more than 25 years. So if they stay until the end, whenever the hell that will be, their severance packages will involve a sizeable amount of money. Not a ‘Hodgins’ amount of money (heh), nowhere near it, but to us, to these people I work with, it’s something substantial they can really use, for a variety of reasons and options. All the more reason for this company to scare them out of here ahead of time so they don’t have to pay it out. Just my theory, of course, but I wonder more and more, the longer time goes by without any order to this ‘transition.’ I mean, it’s been three months. Not a word about ‘end dates,’ no decent follow-through, no organized transitioning of our job processes. I’m a relatively organized person, and this … the way they’re handling things is ridiculous and disorganized. And the fact that they keep touting the company’s ‘values’ of being caring and fair, among other things… becomes more and more hypocritical the longer they keep us in the dark.

My coworkers are planning to stay until the bitter end, because they have been with the company for a long time (15, 20, 22, 26 years). They want that severance package. But they’re frustrated, because of the disorganization, the lack of communication, and the seeming lack of respect for us and all the work we’ve done for this company. I can’t argue with that, so I understand their anger and hurt and fear and dissatisfaction with how things are being handled.

I’ve been with the company a little over five years, so I’m kind of on the cusp of things -- I could stay until the end and collect a semi-decent severance package, or I could start looking for a new job and kiss that severance package goodbye. A large part of me says, it’s not worth it anyway; just find a new job already and move on. The question for me is… what do I want to do now?

Definitely something I contemplated on my birthday, as you can imagine. I just turned 35. I don’t want to go on to another miserable job. I want to be happy and savor life and all the activities I enjoy most. So, where do I go from here? Not an easy decision. Hence, why I feel tired. (smiles)

Okay then! That went on far longer than necessary. Venting over. Sorry about that, gang. :D

Thank you again for your support! Allow me now to return it back to you…
And while I'm here on the sofa - anybody want to lend a shoulder to cry on? After a really terrible last week and weekend (1.5 hour root canal, face plant on water skis, jarred neck, scraped ankle), topped off by a bad day altogether - I received my first "nasty" comment about a fic I wrote. I'll admit it, I like slash. And this past year, I found myself writing slash only for a select few communities, and keeping it to myself. I have my other stuff over at ff.net, but never intended to post my slash there, just because I know a lot of people are offended. But I got up the nerve to post it on the weekend, and CLEARLY put in the summary that it was slash to ward weirdos off - and still I got nailed today. This is why I could never write professionally. I don't take criticism well (especially when it's just spiteful and mean), because my stories are personal and mean more to me than just words on a page. And I'm probably being entirely too sensitive about it...
First of all, I’m very sorry to hear about such a rough week and weekend. Wow. Hope everything is mending and pain-free by now.

Secondly, if you feel comfortable discussing it, what was the general nature of the nasty comment? Was it about your writing in any way, or just to complain about the fact that it’s slash-themed?

If it’s the latter, I would try to remember and be comforted by the realization that -- as you said yourself -- not everyone likes slash (or even the idea of slash) fiction, and that is simply their personal preference; in other words, their issue, not yours. Like with any film or television program or book, they have the novel option of (gasp) not viewing or reading it. You are exercising your right to free artistic expression; in turn, they have the right to check it out or elect not to. If they don’t like it, they shouldn’t have opened it up in the first place, especially considering you clearly marked it with a warning.

If it was about your writing… without knowing details, it’s possible this person simply didn’t know how to word their criticism in a helpful and constructive way. Or, the person is a jerk who was trying to stir up a fight in order to shout their views from their particular soapbox. *GRIN*

As to you perhaps being too sensitive about it, well… there are ways to learn to objectively look at your work and edit it accordingly, yes absolutely. However, no matter what, it is still a personal process. Some people I know even refer to their writings as their babies or their children; it’s that personal and important to them. So, of course it’s a sensitive subject to you! Of course it’s painful and upsetting to hear someone didn’t like what you wrote. Don’t beat yourself up for having feelings about that. You spent valuable time and put your own heart and energy into the writing of your story.

As a writer, without question I’m empathetic about your hurt feelings because I know the work that goes into creating a story, even a short short one, when you put a lot of time and effort into it, especially in comparison to those who seem to throw theirs together half-assed. Everyone has their own approach and their own style, of course, and not everyone is going to like or appreciate every story that’s out there. And in the wide realm of fan fiction avenues, I can safely say I’ve come across a good deal of gorgeous, touching, insightful, character-driven stories, and also, sad to say, a lot of craaaaap. ;)

I’d say this: Take a look at your piece. If there are parts that could be edited better, parts that have plot holes, or issues with unrealistic dialogue or lack of decent character development, there may be things you can do to clean it up a bit, make it better. That is, if you honestly, truly want to put that much effort into it, and if perhaps you have someone who will thoughtfully and constructively beta your story for you to assist you in your progress. If you don’t want to, that’s certainly your prerogative. Not everyone has the time or energy or desire to commit to doing things that way, and not everyone has the same goals for their fan fic writings. On the other hand, if it feels solid to you, if you feel it’s the best you could do (or the best you want/have time to do), and you’re happy with the way the story turned out, I say, that is all that should matter to you. That person can F&^K off. Pardon my language. (I hope you’re laughing now, because that was partly my goal. LOL.)

I don’t know if you found any support or comfort in what I had to say (I hope you did!), but anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter at this time. Feel free to respond here, or email me, if you want to chat about it further.

All my best to everyone!
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KimberHodgela
Super Fan
Posts: 208
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:44 pm
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Location: Winnipeg, MB

Post by KimberHodgela »

Hey, Sherry! I'm way to lazy to cut and paste quotes from your awesome message, so I'll just reply to the bits I remember, and hope you know what I'm referring to!

First off - wow. Your work situation sounds very, very complicated. I don't understand how companies can be so cruel and heartless like that. Letting all those people go to "save money" or ... sorry for the "better of the company", but they still have the same amount of work to be done, and now less staff. It really stinks that you guys who are left are having to pick up the slack. And working from sun up until 9 pm? That's just cruel! I can't imagine what you're going through right now.

And for them to plant rumours that you guys will all be let go soon, and then to leave you hanging? Wow. That's absolutely awful. Is there anything you can do about it? Is there anyone you can go to? I know my company is unionized, and even though the union takes ages and sometimes is useless, they have helped a lot of people. But I know a lot of companies aren't unionized here in Canada, and I'm not sure about the US. But for some reason, it just seems unreasonable, what they're doing. Like it would even be some sort of labour relations type of thing.

About my story - happily it wasn't a comment about my actual story. And it made me happy (in a bad sort of way) that the commenter made a spelling error in her comment, too. I went and checked out her FF.net site, and she writes B&B fic (filled with horrible grammar and spelling), so I can only assume she's either a novice writer, or a youngster. Basically, she told me the story was "discusting" (yes, that exact spelling). I'm okay with it now, though. I think I'm finally able to laugh and go "ahh. Oh well". And I did send her a little message back, politely (I am Canadian, afterall) saying that she KNEW the story was slash, and she shouldn't have read it in the first place. I also named my other slash fics, and told her she might not want to check those out either. The nerve of some people...

Oh, and bloopers! I love bloopers. I find they are the funniest bits to DVD extras, if they're long enough and include hilarious bits. I know it's somewhat rude to enjoy another person's fumble, but quite often said person/actor enjoys it too. I've heard bits and pieces of the fun that's had on the Bones set, and I hope some of it will be included. Like Emily and Eric singing show tunes (until they were asked to stop), David making Emily laugh when she's doing serious takes, and Emily flubbing up a guy's name in the pilot episode (his name was Kent, and she misplaced one of those letters with another ... I'll let you guys which one... :wink:

Sounds like your viewing of the S2 DVDs will be somewhat similar to my S1 viewing. And really, it was the way to go. I had seen only a few episodes of Bones prior to purchasing the S1 DVDs, and had only seen one of the episodes from the first season (Two Bodies in the Lab). So for me, the other 22 episodes were brand new. And that was awesome. I had such a great time during the long rerun-heavy holiday season last year, because I got to watch the Bones episodes for the very first time.

This time, I'll have seen all the episodes, but it's the extra's I'm looking forward to. And the commentaries, as they were fun last year. Plus, I haven't been watching the S2 reruns this year, so I've only seen many of the episodes once.
word count: 674
Dude, what you call being a conspiracy theorist I call being well informed - Dr. Jack Hodgins

Sinkwriter72
King of the Lab
Posts: 1860
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:21 pm
16
Location: Illinois, USA

Post by Sinkwriter72 »

Hi Kimber!

I've been meaning to write back, to thank you for the supportive comments, but... I've been working really late lately, which leaves me with very little brain cells left for writing decent posts. :D
First off - wow. Your work situation sounds very, very complicated. I don't understand how companies can be so cruel and heartless like that. Letting all those people go to "save money" or ... sorry for the "better of the company", but they still have the same amount of work to be done, and now less staff.
It's definitely complicated, and getting more so as each day passes. *wry smile*

It really stinks that you guys who are left are having to pick up the slack. And working from sun up until 9 pm? That's just cruel! I can't imagine what you're going through right now.
I can't blame it all on the company. I do it to myself, too -- they'll give us a project at the last minute (like they did at the end of last week), and give us a ridiculous timeframe in which to complete it, and most times my coworkers and I will just swallow our irritation and work our asses off to get it done when they want it. Case in point, last Friday, to make some major headway on that project, I was at work until 1 AM. By then, my coworkers (except for one other) had been long gone, but I kept pushing myself to get as much done as possible. What I really should have done was find a good stopping point and leave at a more decent hour. But noooo... I just had to keep going. By the time I left and headed home, I was fried. But I also realized what I was doing to myself, and doing it for a company that doesn't really acknowledge that insane contribution, so on Monday I told my boss that I can't work like that again and that none of us should have to put in those kinds of hours just to get our work done -- I told him, the timeframe for completing that project was impossible, and we simply need more time.

(The project? Writing out everything we do for our jobs, step-by-step, as if anyone off the street could come in, pick up our 'procedure manual' and do our jobs, slower than we do them, of course, but still be able to do our jobs by following along with our written process. There are so many steps to what I do and to write it out in an understandable, thorough, My-Job-For-Dummies kind of way? Takes more time than the ONE DAY they wanted to give us to complete it.)
And for them to plant rumours that you guys will all be let go soon, and then to leave you hanging? Wow. That's absolutely awful. Is there anything you can do about it? Is there anyone you can go to?


Well, since I last posted, my manager emailed our HR rep (that's Human Resources, in case it's something different where you are) and demanded an update, echoing our frustrations and telling them it's not consistent behavior for a company whose values are to be fair and caring.

That afternoon, our division got an email from the higher-up VP, stating that he was very sorry, as he'd 'missed [his] target date' for giving us more information about the layoffs. He was trying to plan it all in phases, who'd be let go when. Which baffles me -- what has he been doing for the last 3 months since he first verbally told us our whole building would be let go? And didn't he have at least a basic plan in place *before* telling us that? *shakes head* You see what I mean about disorganization and disrespect for the employees.

Anyway, blah blah... boils down to: yesterday we got called into a meeting at 11 AM where they finally told us that our last day will be November 12.

So it looks like I better hustle up and dust off my resume, and start looking more seriously at the job postings I've been browsing and considering applying for.

*heavy sigh* This has been my week.
About my story - happily it wasn't a comment about my actual story. And it made me happy (in a bad sort of way) that the commenter made a spelling error in her comment, too.
LOL. *shakes head, amused* One thing I can't stand is someone who's hypocritical, more than happy to point out what they think are someone else's 'flaws' but not paying attention to their own stuff.

At any rate, I'm very glad you're feeling better about it.

And I did send her a little message back, politely (I am Canadian, afterall) saying that she KNEW the story was slash, and she shouldn't have read it in the first place.
*chuckling* You know, I used to watch Due South regularly, really loved Paul Gross and his marvelous talent, and the writers used to play on that 'super-polite Canadian' bit quite often for his character. It always tickled me whenever he'd say "Thank you kindly" to everyone for pretty much any little deed they'd do. Still, I had to wonder -- never having been to Canada before -- if it was anywhere near accurate, or just something Hollywood was having fun with. But everyone I've talked to that's from Canada has seemed so lovely, I can't help but believe it. *GRIN*
Oh, and bloopers! I love bloopers. I find they are the funniest bits to DVD extras, if they're long enough and include hilarious bits. I know it's somewhat rude to enjoy another person's fumble, but quite often said person/actor enjoys it too.
Exactly. And usually they're laughing when they fumble something, or start being silly with their co-star during filming of the scene, which makes it seem like they're really enjoying their day, their work, their colleagues, all of it. That inspires me and makes me enjoy the show even more, knowing they're having a good time creating what I'm seeing on the screen.

I've picked up my S2 DVDs at last -- now I just need to find time to go back through and watch the whole season, ep by ep, because there are many from that season that I haven't seen yet. I'm looking forward to seeing the evolution of the season and the characters' stories, from start to finish. I better hurry up though -- Sept 25 will be upon me before I know it, and I'll want to have a feel for S2 so I can go into S3 fully updated and ready to enjoy the next part of the series.
I had such a great time during the long rerun-heavy holiday season last year, because I got to watch the Bones episodes for the very first time.
Definitely sounds like fun!

We'll have to get an S3 thread started for commentary on the new episodes. Is there a way to start an S3 folder, so -- within it -- there could be a separate thread for each episode (so the threads don't get too long, or the different episodes' comments mixed together)? Anyone, anyone, moderator, whoever is in charge? Ideas? :D
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KimberHodgela
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Post by KimberHodgela »

Sinkwriter72 wrote:I can't blame it all on the company. I do it to myself, too -- they'll give us a project at the last minute (like they did at the end of last week), and give us a ridiculous timeframe in which to complete it, and most times my coworkers and I will just swallow our irritation and work our asses off to get it done when they want it. Case in point, last Friday, to make some major headway on that project, I was at work until 1 AM. By then, my coworkers (except for one other) had been long gone, but I kept pushing myself to get as much done as possible. What I really should have done was find a good stopping point and leave at a more decent hour. But noooo... I just had to keep going. By the time I left and headed home, I was fried. But I also realized what I was doing to myself, and doing it for a company that doesn't really acknowledge that insane contribution, so on Monday I told my boss that I can't work like that again and that none of us should have to put in those kinds of hours just to get our work done -- I told him, the timeframe for completing that project was impossible, and we simply need more time.


Wow. Work until 1 am, eh? That's insane!! But I understand what you mean about your almost doing it to yourself. I mean, you wouldn't have to be there that late if your work didn't assign such ridiculous timeframes! But at the same time, you have the drive to finish things by deadline, so you work yourself to the bone. That's where it gets difficult. I've been swamped at work lately, too, as I've been given another duty that nobody else wanted to do. As a result, I've been skipping out on a few breaks, and working into my lunch time - but nobody has told me to do this, it's been my own choice, because I really need to get things done, and I'm obsessive like that. So, if I were to complain that my work was making me miss breaks/lunch, it wouldn't be 100% true!
Sinkwriter72 wrote:Well, since I last posted, my manager emailed our HR rep (that's Human Resources, in case it's something different where you are) and demanded an update, echoing our frustrations and telling them it's not consistent behavior for a company whose values are to be fair and caring.

That afternoon, our division got an email from the higher-up VP, stating that he was very sorry, as he'd 'missed [his] target date' for giving us more information about the layoffs. He was trying to plan it all in phases, who'd be let go when. Which baffles me -- what has he been doing for the last 3 months since he first verbally told us our whole building would be let go? And didn't he have at least a basic plan in place *before* telling us that? *shakes head* You see what I mean about disorganization and disrespect for the employees.

Anyway, blah blah... boils down to: yesterday we got called into a meeting at 11 AM where they finally told us that our last day will be November 12.

So it looks like I better hustle up and dust off my resume, and start looking more seriously at the job postings I've been browsing and considering applying for.

*heavy sigh* This has been my week.


Man, what a week! I'm sorry it has been so crappy for you. :( That's horrible that you've gotten a confirmed layoff date, yet at the same time it does give you the opportunity to, as you put it, "dust off your resume" and start job hunting/applying. I guess the least you can say is that they didn't tell you the day of/before, and at least give you a few month's notice. What a crappy thing to do, though!
Sinkwriter72 wrote:*chuckling* You know, I used to watch Due South regularly, really loved Paul Gross and his marvelous talent, and the writers used to play on that 'super-polite Canadian' bit quite often for his character. It always tickled me whenever he'd say "Thank you kindly" to everyone for pretty much any little deed they'd do. Still, I had to wonder -- never having been to Canada before -- if it was anywhere near accurate, or just something Hollywood was having fun with. But everyone I've talked to that's from Canada has seemed so lovely, I can't help but believe it. *GRIN*
Due South!! I loved that show too. And yeah, Benton Fraser was a little bit too polite for most Canucks. I mean, I suppose there are people like that out there (where, though??), but for the most part I guess we are kind. I'm slightly Fraser-esque in that I thank people (yes, sometimes "kindly" just for the heck of it) for little things like opening doors, or other minor things. But I'm just like that. I think people should be nice to others, and help them out even if they don't' know 'em. I'm big on general stranger kindness, and I get upset when I'll hold a door for someone and they don't so much as smile at me.
Sinkwriter72 wrote:I've picked up my S2 DVDs at last -- now I just need to find time to go back through and watch the whole season, ep by ep, because there are many from that season that I haven't seen yet. I'm looking forward to seeing the evolution of the season and the characters' stories, from start to finish. I better hurry up though -- Sept 25 will be upon me before I know it, and I'll want to have a feel for S2 so I can go into S3 fully updated and ready to enjoy the next part of the series.
Sounds like you've got a heavy duty before you! Season 3 does start on the 25th which is, as of today, 11 days away!! I hope you're planning for some fun "Bonesathons" in the coming weeks/weekends.

I know that I picked up the S1 DVDs last year in November when they came out. S2 was already in full swing, and I had seen maybe 3 episodes (one of them was actually a S1 episode). So it was really entertaining for me. I happened to start watching "live" just before the big breaks of the season, so while everyone else was upset about missing their new Bones, I was watching S1 as if it were all brand new!! It was great.

I've seen all of the S2 episodes now, but some I've only seen once. And one I've only seen via YouTube. So that will be fun. I was debating over whether to watch my favourites first, or go back to the beginning and watch them in order. Last night I began viewing of "Titan on the Tracks" (Ep 2.1), but this weekend I promised to try and transcribe the 14th episode of the season. So I may watch them out of order afterall!
Sinkwriter72 wrote:We'll have to get an S3 thread started for commentary on the new episodes. Is there a way to start an S3 folder, so -- within it -- there could be a separate thread for each episode (so the threads don't get too long, or the different episodes' comments mixed together)? Anyone, anyone, moderator, whoever is in charge? Ideas? :D
That's a really great idea! I know that over on the TV.com forums there are always new threads for each episode - but with us having this forum here to our little TJ-lovin' selves, I think we should start discussion of each episode after it airs. I know some of us aren't in the US/Canada, and as such they won't get to see the episodes when we do. But a few can find them online shortly after they are.

As for the folders - I'm not sure if/how that can be done, but it sounds like a great idea. That way we can have a general "S3" folder on the main page, and then within that can have each episode - where we can discuss Jack/TJ and anything relating to them! Maybe someone else has an idea (like our Baby Admin!), or our moderator perhaps...
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Post by ThyneAlone »

Hi gang.
This seems a useful place to apologise for not being around the rest of this weekend. Today I am buried in marking but also rehearsal - an operatic concert this evening with our singing teacher's pupils, for which, for those who are interested, I am performing Pamina's big aria from 'The Magic Flute', a long duet from 'La Traviata' with my better half and the Waltz Song from 'Romeo and Juliet'!

Tomorrow we start off pretty early driving Offspring no.1 to his accommodation in Leeds - his uni term starts on the 24th and he's moving in now since 17th onwards is Freshers' Week. Nerve racking for him and poignant for us and poor bereft son no.2. So I won't be around. It's really frustrating to be so busy at such an exciting time TJ-wise. I didn't get time to watch the youtube bloopers and deleteds thoroughly last night either as we were off for a celebratory final meal. Don't forget, though, I am coming in for updates whenever I can.

Sherry, I can hardly believe the appallingness of your situation. It has to be totally illegal. Though I do know what you mean about finishing off work to a deadline for your own satisfaction and peace of mind. And I can certainly sympathise with the frustration of writing out the minutiae of your tasks for the next unfortunate to come in; I recall doing that once for a part time bank job and it took ages. Thing is - again - once you have something you are proud of going like clockwork it is supremely irritating to think that a newbie might come in and mess it up if you don't give incredibly detailed notes.

What we would have to do to accommodate S3 with ep discussion subheadings would be to create a separate forum housing S3 threads. We only have one forum at the moment, which is the talk TJ one, and I've mooted before that it should be split to create other forums.

This is what I considered:


BONES forum - S2 DVDs, the 2 J/A threads, PUP and S3 eps (yes I know that means we don't have a S3 thread for each episode, but at least it would be tidied up and Bones related. Or if people preferred we could have Bones forums for each season, which is what you are suggesting. But we mustn't forget that this is a TJ forum and not an exclusively Bones one.)
WELCOME forum - for new arrivals, including all the hello threads and the sofa
TALK TJ forum including stuff like the haircut discussion
OTHER WORK - discussion about anything and everything that isn't Bones. Could be split later on as TJ does more film & TV. Would currently house the Validation thread
ANTICIPATION - for all spoilers and threads such as Anticipation
MEDIA - sightings, media, pictures, links
ADMIN -anything linked to the way the site is run and possible improvements. The site mod thread could go in there and it would be a good base for Ben - a little office.


Yes I know - anal. But you would know straight away which door to go to for certain topics, although overlap could happen quite happily. I guess it wouldn't hurt to suggest it to Ben if any of you are interested. What do you think? :D
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Post by KimberHodgela »

ThyneAlone wrote:Yes I know - anal. But you would know straight away which door to go to for certain topics, although overlap could happen quite happily. I guess it wouldn't hurt to suggest it to Ben if any of you are interested. What do youthink? :D
He'ya Steph! That does not sound anal at all. In fact, I LOVE the idea. It seems a bit more organized (and I'm huge organizational freak too). Right now we've just got the "Talk TJ forum", like you've said, but that's pretty broad. Since it's obvious that yes, everything we discuss will be related to TJ, but on different topics, it would be nice to separate and start to group topics.

Perhaps you or Rebecca could mention this to Ben and see if he could hook us up with this set up - or if, as a Baby Admin herself, Rebecca could be given the power to do so. That way we'd definitely know where to post if we had an idea/comment or anything else! Great idea!! :)
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Post by Sinkwriter72 »

Sorry for the delayed response! It's been a hell of a week. :D

I absolutely agree -- those forum titles and groupings sound very thorough and organized (and I am all about the details, myself... LOL). Gives you an idea of where to go for what topics. I also like that your suggestions take into account that Bones is not TJ's only project, which is important.

So long as it's okay with TJ Thyne and his moderator/administrator, I'm totally on board with it. Great ideas, Steph!

(Er... that is, can I call you Steph? *GRIN* I was going to reference you as 'ThyneAlone,' but thought that a 'Kudos! Great job!' should be addressed more personally.)

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Post by ThyneAlone »

Sinkwriter72 wrote:((Er... that is, can I call you Steph? *GRIN* I was going to reference you as 'ThyneAlone,' but thought that a 'Kudos! Great job!' should be addressed more personally.)
Sherry
Well duh. Of course you can, Sherry. I really do feel like I'm in among good friends here. Thank you so much for such an overwhelmingly positive endorsement - to you and Kimber. I think I just might make this suggestion and see what Ben says. It shouldn't be hard to do. I moderate for a similar-type board which has just this arrangement. One of the great things about that one is that newbies know exactly where to go for a warm and fulsome welcome, therefore we get many new members.

Sorry you've had a bad week. Hope things have straightened out just slightly now, knowing what a tense and horrible situation is currently your lot. Drop in and update when you can, remember you have interest and support here. :)

Steph x
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Post by ThyneAlone »

Heya! Where on earth is everyone? Your sofa drinks have gone cold and I haven't seen any of you for days! Are we all bouncing in excitement for S3 starting today then? See you soon!
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Post by KimberHodgela »

ThyneAlone wrote:Heya! Where on earth is everyone? Your sofa drinks have gone cold and I haven't seen any of you for days! Are we all bouncing in excitement for S3 starting today then? See you soon!
I'm here! Well, partially.

Of all the weeks to do so, my computer has reached breaking point! So it went into the shop yesterday, and probably won't come home to me until the weekend. As such, I won't be online tonight after the premiere :cry: I'm at work now, and trying to keep up to date on my breaks and lunch. I'm just heading over to the TV.com forum to see if the J/A thread there needs reviving...
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Currently watching Bones...

Post by Sinkwriter72 »

... but we're in commercial. And all I can say at this moment is...

OH MY GOD, they're upsetting me!!

Here's why:

"...Except babies. They taste like fish." :shock:

That man is hideous.

*face is now way beyond cringing*

Ew, ew, ewwwwww.

When am I going to learn never to eat dinner while watching this program? LOL.

And we're back from commercial. Gotta run!

PS. Zack is breaking my heart right now.
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Post by ThyneAlone »

I'm gonna have to depend on expressive posts like that last one to get me through the period of being unable to view. And I know I can rely on you all to do it faithfully and properly. Don't forget now!
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Post by Sinkwriter72 »

And here I thought I was being overly melodramatic. I prefer your term: expressive. :D

When are you able to view these episodes?

I'm happy to be wacky and post my reactions in the meantime, if it amuses. *GRIN*
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Post by ThyneAlone »

When can I view them? Um. Almost never, as things stand. They start going out in the UK around mid-October, but I don't think I'll catch up with them then unless I find me a regular taper. Without going into tedious detail, my cable provider had a well-publicised little financial spat with Sky which meant that I was denied Sky1 access immediately, and I mean immediately, before 'Aliens' was broadcast in England. Now I know we should have maybe, at that point, gone Sky, and preferably Sky Digital, given that in a very short time analogue is being removed UK-wide, but frankly a) we'd never have managed to get through all the month's notice and reconnection nonsense while there was any meaningful amount of season left and b) we do actually have other important destinations for our money at the moment, son no.1 just having taken off to university.
So there you are. And I couldn't go to the Fox showings on MySpace cos they aren't accessible to non-US viewers, folks. I have survived partly on screencaps, ep summaries, fine descriptions from great friends, sides etc and partly on internet cribbings. Youtube was a good source to start with, then they started getting litigation problems and barring people who put the eps on site. Then I went away to places like http://www.tv-links.co.uk Though the vids are not 100% reliable it's better than nothing! And last year it kept me ahead of the UK broadcasts!
No idea then, when I get my viewings. Should be before the S3 DVDs come out though :wink:
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Post by ThyneAlone »

Hi all! Well, first got to apologise for being out so long. As I throw myself with abandon and exhausted on an equally abandoned and worse-for-wear sofa, I glance round at the chaos of crumbs and glasses I have failed to clear up and feel a bit sad at the absence of friends. I'm sure you've all been as busy as I, though. Miss you.

Finally it is half term and I have a fortnight to recuperate, and, unfortunately, catch up on the mound of pastoral and academic work that stares at me reproachfully from a corner like a lost puppy. Work has been an absolute b---h, to continue the doggy simile. I'll have loads of time to tell you all about this later, but I have to dash now as I am having my hair done to revive me somewhat. Want to get an extreme colour to make me feel as unschool-like as possible.

I see we have had no moves on shifting the Talk threads into the main forums yet, but all I can do is message the occasional reminder. Back later! Hope to see you all soon!

Steph x

OK I'm back. Nice strong copper red, which should have faded acceptably by the time I get back to work, but which currently looks pretty vibrant and just about I-don't-care enough. Son no.1 will look at it askance when we go up to Leeds to see him next week, and I could ask for no more!

As I said, work has been preventing me from dropping in here or on some of the other sites I frequent. I have actually opted out of choral society temporarily to give me an extra catch-up evening during the week, and this is very unusual for someone who likes to have her leisure time spent in leisure activities. I am administering and reassuring my little form of 24 boys, providing pastoral care for 90+ pupils (phone calls and written reports all the time), teaching full-time, with exam level German, both for the first time in 19 years (!), helping the temporary department Head to run the department and additionally at the moment attempting to organise the annual year 7 Easter trip to Normandy. Yes, I thrive on deadlines and hard work, but this is getting quite ludicrous when added to the day-to-day grind of marking and preparation!

I'm missing our David, too. His contact has been brief and practical, when we are all yearning to have all the details of what uni life is really like up there in Leeds. A week or two ago I walked into his bedroom and quite unexpectedly dissolved into tears. Hopefully next week's trip to see him will remedy that a little. We are keeping our fingers crossed that his brother, who has just sprained his knee badly while playing football, is more mobile by then. At present he is very proud of the 'cool' bandage and crutches (no, didn't steal them, won't have to pay for them ;) ), but I think he'll be heartily sick of their limitations by then!

Still determinedly seeking to keep up with Bones, and succeeding astonishingly well, with trips to youtube, sidereel.com and tv-links.co.uk. OK, quality is sometimes poor and buffering irritating, but I know what's going on, and viewing the new-look TJ on a regular basis is definitely buoying me up, though with the new look (on everyone, actually) being quite so different, I am still certain that Player Under Pressure cannot even slightly resemble its original. Awaiting the S2 DVD patiently still - darn postal strikes!! I'll let you know when I have a chance to bask in it. And I'll try to be that bit more forthcoming while I'm 'free'. Trust you are all thriving out there. I'm going round with one of those garbage bags to pick up the litter in here, then sweeping and dusting and maybe lighting the fire, to welcome you all back when you're ready. Take care, guys.
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Post by begolden »

Good to hear from you, Steph. I will commiserate with you on the work front--we are finishing our first trimester, and progress notices and parent/teacher conferences loom on the immediate horizon. All I can do is try to keep my head above water, get enough sleep, and not get sick! I've had a pretty healthy class this year with few absences, but last week they began dropping like flies from colds and flu. I continue my regime of vitamin C twice daily and laying off the sugar. Hopefully, I will make it through to November and a blessed week off!

Hope all our other Hodginites are doing well? Haven't seen Victoria about in awhile, and I fear we may have lost Eileen over Jack's bad behavior a couple of episodes back. I know Kimber pops in from time to time (waving at Kimber), and so I hope we can all find time to show that we are all still alive and kicking!
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Post by ThyneAlone »

begolden wrote:Good to hear from you, Steph.
I need hardly say - great that you have managed to make it in - lucky I had the place looking marginally tidier (excuse my little eccentricity here, I do like feeling that this is a real gathering room)! Work gets in the way of everything, doesn't it? I do sympathise with the hordes going down with 'flu etc. I was off for a day last week, but that was probably the result of being run down and stressed rather than the bug that has definitely been going round. We have just gone into what we call half term. There are 3 terms a year but all are broken up by a week (or, this time, two) off in the middle.
begolden wrote:Hope all our other Hodginites are doing well? Haven't seen Victoria about in awhile, and I fear we may have lost Eileen over Jack's bad behavior a couple of episodes back. I know Kimber pops in from time to time (waving at Kimber), and so I hope we can all find time to show that we are all still alive and kicking!
Indeed. Oh, I would be truly sorry to lose Eileen, I hope she hasn't taken things to heart. I miss all the others too. Ah well, another ep next week, maybe people will be able to comment on that, however briefly. Look forward to seeing you round. When is your week's vacation?
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