So, my Braves can't buy a win to save their lives (8 losses in a row, but who's counting when our pitching is falling apart & half of our starting lineup is injured and/or sick?), but hey, at least it's a long weekend.

Oh yeah, and I also have hot people saving the world (or, at least, midtown Manhattan), so there is that. By which I mean, I finally saw Avengers again today, because a) I really needed the mental pick-me-up and b) I finally re-watched Thor & Captain America yesterday. What, I hadn't seen either of them since last year in the theatre, it was time. (I was sadly disappointed in the lack of extra scenes for Cap, but Thor's extra scenes more than made up for it.)

Anyway, Avengers still rocks, Natasha still rules everything like a boss, I still love Thor more than words, Clint is still a total badass, I still just want to give Bruce a hug, Tony's still puppy!like adorable, and Steve is still pretty much the most awesome of awesomes. Yaye team!!! (Speaking of, where is the fic that showcases Steve's martini-dry sense of humor? Please tell me it's out there somewhere.)

But now, I think I'll heat up lunch (homemade scampi) and sit on my front steps for awhile. It's a gorgeous day out.

One of my coworkers has been bringing his mom's Persian kitten in the office all week because she has (the kitten, not the mom) an eye injury that requires eye drops every two hours. Poor thing has to wear one of those cones around her neck, which sort of sucks. :( And, since I'm the only one in the office that has actually owned cats (everyone in our office is a dog person, it's really weird), I've pretty much been in charge of playtime & babysitting the kitten. Who is completely adorable, don't get me wrong, but it's really hard to get anything done at my desk when there's a curious furball batting my mouse around & thinking that my keyboard and paper are playtoys.

In other news, I can't wait until my Braves get the hell out of Cincinnati and their bandbox of a stadium, I need to drop by Target to buy a new bookcase to replace one of my old ones, and I haven't stepped foot in the gym since last Thursday. Um, I should probably go today before my muscles all atrophy or something. >.<

I'm also pushing my Avengers Rec List to this weekend when I'll have more time to get it all together. So, stay tuned, it's coming, I swear.

Um, and that's about it. How's everyone hangin' today? Anything new/exciting/fun/interesting going on?

- Congrats to Rafa Nadal on his 6th Rome Masters title and, more importantly, for beating Djokovic in straight sets to do it. Vamos & bring on Roland Garros!!

- The trailer for the new Bond film Skyfall has pretty much made my morning, just so everyone knows. Cannot WAIT.

- In RL news, I have a new sofa (RIP Leather Sofa of Awesome, you were great, but it was time to move on) & I am so in love with it. It's olive green & makes my living room so much brighter & it's super comfortable.

- In other RL news, I went to RenFaire on Saturday (after my sofa was delivered) & had a great time eating meat pies, drinking mead, buying handmade jewelry, and seeing my favorite Pirate Heavy Metal Band (the Dredd Crew of Oddwood) perform. The toy piano player that looks like Will Turner-era Orlando Bloom is also still with the band, and still as hot as ever, too. Yaye for eye candy.

- I also finally watched the season finales for Hawaii 5-0 (unless I get my socks knocked off in the first episode of the new season, I think I'm breaking up with the show - it's gotten so unbearably stupid & DDK's hot ass can only take me so far), NCIS:LA (I have many theories about what happened at the end, but mostly I'm all !!!! about where they're going next season), Grimm (I had to laugh, since H5-0 had the exact same ending, but mostly enjoyed the ep), and also caught the first two episodes of the new show, Common Law, which was exactly the sort of light-hearted, frothy show I expect from USA. Also, Michael Ealy & Warren Kole have great chemistry & aren't exactly hard on the eyes. And Sonja Wagner's also in it, which is nice, and it's filmed in L.A., which I also appreciate. Anyone else watching?

- Mostly, though, when not ogling pics of the knights of Merlin playing soccer, I've been reading a ton of Avengers fic. As you do. *g* I feel like I should post a rec list soon. And, hopefully, one day, I'll actually be able to write something in this (or any other) fandom.

Although, speaking of writing in this fandom, THOR IS NOT A DEMI-GOD, NO MATTER WHAT TONY STARK SAYS IN THE FRIGGIN' MOVIE. THOR IS A FULL GOD, STOP, PERIOD, END OF SENTENCE. (Sorry for yelling, but seriously, people, seriously.) Also, Thor & Steve aren't stupid just because they don't get current pop culture. *hands*


And now I'm off to grab some lunch - everyone in my department is out this week at a conference, so it's just me & one other person at my end of the office. Which is sort of nice, since last week was hella busy, but also a little boring. Hope everyone's having a great Monday!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the awesome Moms out there (and that includes yours, if you have one *g*)!!!! I hope you're all spending the day with loved ones & doing exactly what you want to do.

I've been spending most of my weekend - between watching a ton of baseball (go Braves!) - on trying to catch up on some of my TV shows. Got all caught up on Person of Interest (and, uh, WOW, is pretty much the only thing I can think to say), Blue Bloods (Danny & Jamie talking about Joe FTW, n'aww, family!!), and Grimm (if something awesome doesn't happen in the season finale next week, I will not be returning to it next year), and I'm getting ready to get caught up on H5-0 and NCIS:LA. Oh, yeah, and I still have all 6 episodes of Magic City, 3 episodes of GoT, and the last 4 episodes (still) of Justified (although, speaking of, Jacob Pitts had a guest role on Person of Interest, which was nice). And the last 2 episodes of Nikita.

Um. Clearly, I either watch too much TV, get distracted by reading fic and/or comics and/or books too much to watch the TV I record, or I go out too much to watch the TV I record. Or all 3. I'll let you guys decide. *g*


Also, random cooking question for my cooking peeps. I made this salmon ceviche earlier today & the salmon's not finished, um, marinating or ceviching or acidifying or whatever, and it's been in the fridge (covered) for about 6 hours. There's plenty of lime juice & plenty of tomatoes. What should I add, if anything, or should I just give it more time? Anyone have an answer?

I still have SO many Avengers thoughts & meta & whatever else to talk about, but right now I just want to celebrate this small victory:

NIKITA HAS BEEN RENEWED FOR A THIRD SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amen, hallelujah & HELL YES. I'm getting more awesome Alex, Nikita & Amanda on my TV screen next year. \o/\o/\o/

foxxcub is hosting an Avengers Kissing Comment-a-thon, and there have been some great ficlets posted so far. And I really want to write something for it, but I have no idea what (or who) to write. Any ideas or suggestions would be most welcome. :D


And this article by Rembert Browne on the weird nature of Atlanta sports fans is pretty much spot on. At least, when it comes to basketball. I mean, he's got a great point. Most of my pride comes from being from Atlanta - I care about my city doing well, no matter what sport is being played, or even if I watch it. Which is why, even though I hate basketball, I will be rooting for the Hawks tonight.

But I tell you what, Braves fans "travel" exceptionally well. I've seen the Braves play in about 16 different stadiums over the years, and we have always been very well-represented. I don't know if it's because we had so many winning seasons in a row or because so many people grew up watching the Braves play on TBS or because they're really the only baseball team in the Southeast, so if you like baseball & you're Southern, chances are you love the Braves, but I've never had any problems spotting my fellow Braves fans in other stadiums.

We'll see if Falcons fans travel well (well, outside of New Orleans) when I go to KC to see the Falcons take on the Chiefs in the NFL season opener. *g*

Title: "Compromises" 1/1
Authors: Brenda & Jo (azewewish & idiosyncratic)
Series: Claimed Universe
Featuring: Harry Sinclair/Karl Urban (Orlando Bloom, Katie McGrath)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Vampires still don't exist. And Katie's still not Orlando's nurse.
Summary: Orlando gets news on his recovery, and Harry and Karl have a long overdue discussion. Takes place about four months after Unexpected.

I'll get to the bottom of it. But for now, you need to relax and take the night off, and trust me to handle Harry...

As you all know, I pretty much think all teams named "New York" are evil & wrong, but the New York Mets tribute to MCA Adam Yauch on Friday was a true class act & pretty freakin' awesome. Nice for one of the NY teams to honor one of its most innovative & creative citizens.


My weekend was pretty jam-packed with awesome: I bought ALL of the comics ever during Free Comic Book Day (the irony is not lost on me *g*), I had a fabulous time at Disneyland & California Adventure with Stace (for 2 people with no game plan & not getting to the park until 4pm, we packed a lot of rides & fun into our time at the Mouse House), and Stace & I went to see The Avengers on Sunday (my 2nd time, her 1st) & had multiple fangasms over everything. Seriously, it's even better seeing it the second time. There will definitely be a 3rd.

In fact, I pretty much just wanted to stay home from work today so I could read Team Fic, but sadly, that didn't happen. However, any recs would be awesome. I'll read anything that's not Steve/Tony or Phil/Clint (seriously, when DID that pairing start & why? I mean, I love Clint & I adore Phil, but huh?????). I may even dip my toe into writing in the fandom, provided I can trick my brain into actually writing again. The muses have been strangely silent the last few months (writing on the Longest Fic Ever with Jo aside.)

First off, a shout-out to my girls sabrinagb & editorzon for the ticket - BEST (LATE) BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER!!!!

(For those that don't know the long, strange saga, for over 10 years, Coldplay & I were star-crossed lovers. Every SINGLE time they played here in L.A., I was either out of town or had a monster previous commitment - mostly, though, I was always out of town. Bad timing, guys. I was beginning to think I'd never get to see them live.)

Anyway, it finally happened last night, and wow, it was so worth the wait. SO worth it. I don't care if you hate this band or think they're overrated or think they're a poor man's Radiohead or think Chris Martin is overblown (for the record, you're wrong on all of these things, because they're awesome, period, end of story *g*), I defy anyone to see this band live & not walk out just feeling more energized & better about life. They create so much positive energy & put on such a great show that I was pretty much beaming from the time the show started until it ended.

We got a FIREWORKS show, people. And they gave everyone these kickass LED bracelets that lit up randomly during certain songs. They had big-ass beach balls that they put in the audience. And came out to play 2 songs on a stage in the MIDDLE of the Bowl so the people in the back could see them up close. Chris Martin also swears like a sailor, and it was totally endearing. He also fangirled the Avengers film and No Doubt, and dedicated "Yellow" to Gwyneth, which I thought was pretty sweet. They also had this killer light show going on, and they (sort of) graffiti-ed up the Bowl with all of this neon spray paint. (Again, sort of. You had to be there.)

And, let's not forget the music. They're SO GOOD live. SO GOOD. They're not afraid to do different arrangements for their songs & they know how to fill up space when they need to & how to let the music speak for itself. And they played "In My Place", which, aside from "Daylight", is probably my favorite song by them. Probably. It changes, depending on my mood. They also did a beautiful acoustic version of "Speed of Sound" that I want to own. And they played "Up In Flames"!!! And "Violet Hill"!!! And "Lovers In Japan"!!!! So many great songs.

Oh, and!!! Chris did this gorgeous stripped-down version of "Fight For Your Right" on the piano that pretty much had me in tears. I have no idea how in the world he was able to rehearse & arrange this song to play live on such short notice, but I guess that's what you do when you're a genius. The entire audience went nuts, especially during the "Mom, you're just jealous/It's the Beastie Boys" part, because he changed it to "And we're sending all our love out/To the Beastie Boys". ♥ A very fitting tribute to MCA.

All in all, I was floating on air by the time the show was finished & wanted them to play another 2 hours. And I really hope it's not another 10 years before I can see them again.

( The Full Setlist )

I am dead tired today at work, but somehow functioning, which is good. AND, I have Coldplay tickets tonight, so there's no sleep for me in my future, either.

But holy fuck, the lack of sleep was SO worth it to see the midnight showing of Avengers last night...( SPOILERS )

Man, I'm so heartbroken to hear about Adam "MCA" Yauch's death. I've always loved The Beastie Boys. :( :( :(

He will most definitely be missed.

Okay, the game's been over for two hours now, and I am JUST NOW catching my breath. What a fucking game. My boy Brian McCann hits a grand slam off Doc Halladay, Jason Heyward comes in the game & hits a 2-run single, Freddie Freeman has a huge hit...

Guys, we were down 6-0 in the 5th inning with Doc pitching and TIED THE GAME. Then we were down 12-8 in the 8th inning and TIED THE GAME. Then, after the Phillies tied it in the top of the 9th, we went into extra innings, and dude, Old Man Brave (also know as Chipper Jones) hit a motherfuckin' walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th to win the game for the Braves.

What a game. I seriously had about four thousand heart attacks during it, and we totally wrecked our bullpen to get there, but man, if feels great to finally win against the Phillies, and in such dramatic fashion.

We really can't let Chipper retire. Not with the way he's swinging the bat this year. *g* GO BRAVES!!!!!!


ETA: Congratulations to Jered Weaver for pitching his first no-hitter ever!!!! I caught the last 4 innings of the game & man, he was dealing tonight. Couldn't have happened to a better guy.

Title: "Sick Days" 1/1
Featuring: Leonard McCoy, Jim Kirk, Spock
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Disclaimer: All rights belong to Paramount, not me.
Summary: There are days when McCoy swears he's stuck babysitting children instead of being CMO on a starship.
Notes: Written for Remix Redux X. Original fic was In The Sleeping Curves by lady_krysis.
Thanks to idiosyncratic for the beta!!!

Figures, McCoy thinks. He’s stuck on this flying bucket of bolts babysitting children, their juvenile captain most definitely included.

It's a damn good thing that I'm really not the violent sort, because today would be pushing my limits. Everyone on the entire planet seems to be determined to get on my last nerve today. Ugh. And, fannishly, the new Trek rumor that's going around (don't worry, I won't spoil anyone) is just...DO NOT WANT. If it's true, I may not bother seeing the new film next year.

Anyway, in an effort not to stab people, I'm focusing on Good Things About Today:

- The new Dark Knight Rises trailer is out and I am literally bouncing in my seat in anticipation. So much love for this franchise & what Nolan's done with Batman. SO MUCH LOVE.

- Speaking of geek films, I'm going to the midnight show of Avengers on Thursday night with koncupiscence and I'm stupidly excited to finally see the film. THOR!! STEVE ROGERS!!! CLINT BARTON!! NATASHA ROMANOFF!!! Not the biggest Joss Whedon fan ever, but I have faith he'll do right by The Avengers.

- I'm getting to see Alfred Molina & Jonathan Groff onstage here in L.A. in August in a production of Red, which is pretty much the coolest thing ever. :D

- I've been going through all of the Blu-Ray & DVD extras on my copy of Fast Five, and dear God, my love for this cheesy, awesome, OTT franchise and the Great Epic Love of Dom & Brian could not possibly be greater. Why haven't there been more post-Fast Five fics????

Okay, that should do me for now. But if any of you guys want to squee or have fun news to share, I'm all ears!!!!

Congrats to Rafa Nadal for both his win at Barcelona & for becoming the first player in the Open Era to win 2 different tournaments 7 times!!!! Quite a feat. :D Vamos!!!

Speaking of congrats, Tim Hudson made his 2012 debut today, and while he wasn't vintage Huddy, he looked pretty damn sharp for a dude that came off of back surgery in the off-season. And he only allowed 2 runs in 5 solid innings of work. And, y'know, the Braves got the win, so yaye home team!!

Relatedly...well, in the sense that it deals with Atlanta sports, fuck you very much to Bill Simmons of Grantland, who refused to give the Atlanta Hawks any love against his Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Especially since the Hawks handily beat the Celtics in Game 1. Yes, I realize it's one game, but seriously, I'm sick of this team not getting any respect. (I know, I know, I hate basketball, so why do I even care, right. Well, I care, because it's the Hawks & I always care when an Atlanta team is disrespected in the media. I'm such a homer.)


In TV news, I caught up on the last two episodes of Nikita & without going into any spoilers, go Team OTP & go Team Nerd!!! I really hope this show gets its third season, because the world needs more TV shows about kickass women & their male sidekicks. *g*

I also caught up on Blue Bloods, which continues to rock, and finally saw the preview for the H5-0/NCIS:LA crossover happening tomorrow night & Tuesday night, and all I have to say is, bring it on & I cannot wait!!! \o/

- I'm so fucking sick of Bryce Harper already and he hasn't even made his Major League debut yet. Omg, media, STOP IT. Let the boy (and he IS a boy - he's only 19, for fuck's sake) just play ball & stop annointing him with all of these grand expectations & accolades before he's even had a chance to play.

Of course, the fact that the kid is a cocky asshole isn't exactly endearing him to me, but still. He also needs to learn the lesson of just shutting up & playing ball & letting his work speak for itself.


- Why hasn't anyone written the crossover where Thor meets Worf and they go drinking & carousing together?? Don't tell me I'm the only one that thinks that'd be a match made in heaven. *g* They would totally get on, warrior to warrior, like a house on fire.


- And speaking of Thor and people he gets along with, why is there so little Steve Rogers/Thor fic out there?!?!?! Come on, people, they're hammer brothers. (Seriously, it's canon, look it up.) Thor adores Steve & Steve thinks Thor is awesomesauce. (I won't get into my anti-Steve/Tony rant right now, but just know I'm thinking it.) They're total besties - well, aside from Steve & Bucky, who are truly the BFF of all BFFs and my One True Marvel OTP outside of Clint & Natasha when they were together.

The first trailer for "Lawless" (formerly called "The Wettest County") is finally out!!!

Seriously, why isn't this movie out yet?? I need to see Tom Hardy & Jason Clarke playing brothers while being chased by a sadistic Guy Pearce & Gary Oldman on my screen!! Plus, it's directed by John Hillcoat, who can do no wrong in my eyes, and the screenplay is by Nick Cave, who can also do no wrong in my eyes.

If this film is even half as good as The Proposition, I'll be insanely pleased.

- Happy 40th Birthday, Chipper Jones!!!! It's crazy to think of you as 40 - to me, you'll always be the gum-smacking kid manning the hot corner and hitting walk-off bombs. I hope you have a great day today, and that your knees let you play tonight in L.A., since I'll be at the game, and it would be nice to see you. (Also, it would be nice to get a win tonight. Just sayin'. *g*)

- This Andy Lau casting rumor is pretty much making my morning, no lie. PLEASE LET THIS HAPPEN!!!!

- And this casting rumor for Fast Six is also making my morning. Seriously, I would be uber-stoked if this person was cast.

- And, because I just gave the recipe to Stace, if any of you guys are in the market for a really good salad recipe, this Salmon, Grapefruit & Avocado salad recipe is pretty much amazing. I put Mediterranean spices and lemon pepper on the salmon when I seared it, and also added mushrooms and cherry tomatoes to the salad for some more crunch and flavor. SOOOO GOOD!!! All of the noms.

GUESS WHO JUST BOOKED THEIR TRIP TO BOSTON IN JUNE TO SEE THE BRAVES TAKE ON THE RED SOX AT FENWAY!!!!

Um, okay, it's a pretty ease guess. *g* But, omg, you guys, I am SO friggin' excited!!!!! I've never been to Boston, which means I've never been to Fenway, and to see my Braves play there, in the same stadium where they won their very first World Series back in 1914 (for those that don't know, the Braves were actually Boston's first baseball team - 1871-1952, then they moved to Milwaukee for 13 years, and Atlanta's had the team since 1966), against my favorite American League team? Dude, I'm so stocked.

Of course, I still need to book my flight, but I do have my hotel & tickets to Fenway booked. Actually, it's a pretty cool thing that the BoSox do - you can purchase a package that includes hotel for 3 nights, tickets to 2 games, a gift bag that includes a shirt & hat & ball & all kinds of stuff, tickets to batting practice, a tour of Fenway, a pre-game reception with one of the current BoSox players (I really hope we get Jacoby or Salty, since Salty came up through the Braves system), and discounts on concessions at the game. It's like baseball nirvana, man.

tsuki_no_bara, I hope I'll get a chance to visit with you while I'm there!!!! (And any other Boston peeps I have on my flist.) I'll be there June 22nd-25th.


In other news, congrats to Rafa Nadal for finally getting the monkey off his back and beating the living hell out of Novak Djokovic for the Monte Carlo title!!!! This (*knocks on wood*) should bode well for Rafa's clay court season. \o/


Now I'm off to finally catch up on Grimm, Justified & Magic City, and work in a trip to the Farmer's Market while I'm up.