Bookworm's Musings

Well, if reader action is any indication, my new WIP Harry Potter/Highlander crossover, By The Sword, is far and away my most popular story ever! As of today, 16.48% of those who visit the story on fanfiction.net either leave a review or add the story to their favorites or alerts lists. Compare this to only 6.64% for the next most popular story, or only 3% for my most visited story. Wow. By the sword may not have the most raw hits, or the most reviews, but clearly the readers like it.
I have this nifty excel spreadsheet set up to automatically monitor my FF.net stats and convert them into useful charts. Sometimes, I just can't resist sharing the results. :)

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?
( The Books )

Grand Total: 31

Thank goodness that's done with!
I pulled an all-nighter writing my first informational speech for my public speaking class (it took much longer than I expected it to), and then gave the speech today. I think I did pretty well. I avoided verbal fillers, didn't lose my place, and cited all my sources during the speech. My topic was the Life and Death of James A. Garfield, but it ended up being too broad. To meet the seven minute deadline, I had to cut a lot of my best writing out. :( Still, I had best designed powerpoint, and overall the teacher said it was an A- speech at least. So I'm satisfied. And now it's out of the way and I can concentrate on other things, at least until this weekend. Another speech is due next Monday, and than two more after that, so no rest for the weary!
And just to make things even better, I volunteered to give the speech and design the powerpoint for our marketing group project. What was I thinking? Honestly though, speaking and design are my strengths, along with organizing, so it makes sense for me to do it. The presentation has the most impact on our grade and leaves the strongest impression, so I want that part under my control, thanks.

It's interesting, the difference between what we perceive about our creations vs. what others believe.
I've become a bit of a junkie for checking my Fanfiction.net traffic stats, and I noticed something interesting: My opinion of my stories and my readers' opinions don't always correlate. For example, the story that I think is the best story I've written, in terms of characterization and emotion, Life Ain't No Vid Game (Firefly), is actually at the bottom of the list in raw hits. As far as reviews go, it's somewhere in the middle, and it has no alerts and only one fav. On the other hand, my two most popular stories, in terms of raw hits, alerts, and reviews, are my two CSI: Miami WIPs. It's not that I think that those are bad - they're actually not. The exercise of writing a piece for every single episode of CSI: Miami (Unprocessed Evidence) is doing wonders for my writing skills and my ability to find something worth writing about. And A Burden Shared is my first slash fic and my first continuously chaptered fic, as well as being my first plot-driven fic. But they're both unfinished, unpolished, and just don't pack the emotional punch that Vid Game does.
It's just interesting, what traffic stats can reveal. Fortunately, while I enjoy and appreciate the validation that high traffic and plentiful reviews can bring, that's not why I write. I write for myself and for the characters. I share my stories as a way of sharing my vision of the characters and the worlds they populate. If people enjoy my vision, that's a welcome and appreciated bonus, but it's not vital for my survival as a writer.
These days, I find myself writing more than ever, despite a very tight schedule. Writing has become my number one creative outlet. Pretty surprising for someone who can't even diagram a sentence.

So, I was overcome with a sudden case of organization! I did not, however, feel at all compelled to take out the trash from my room (are you kidding? That would be way too much like work!). No, I felt the need to transfer all of my writing from Google Docs onto my computer, with tags and saved searches (♥ Vista) to arrange things in neat categories. This syncs to my laptop as well, of course. I had been using Google Docs because I was using a public laptop away from home, but now that I have my own laptop, I don't need to anymore. And this means I'm not dependent on an Internet connection when I want to write. Yeah!

Anyway, It took two days, but I'm finally done.

152 fiction pieces in various stages of completion (each chapter of a chaptered fic counts individually). 21 assorted pieces of non-fiction.

And I found a few abandoned pieces that I might publish as developed plot bunnies on fanfiction.net, so pop over and check it out if you're interested.

So, in case you hadn't guessed from my latest story, I just saw the newest Star Trek movie.
Wow!
I'll say it again, Wow!

It was wonderful! The characters were spot on, the plot was great, and it added a depth and grittiness that the Original Series lacked.
I can hardly wait to see more in this universe. Now, I'm off to read fanfic for it. Yum, yum.

New Story!

Sticks and Stones by BookwormDragon
G; No Pairings; Star Trek 2009
What was going through Jim's mind during that scene with Spock on the Bridge? Warning: Spoilers for the new movie.
Also on my website.

And I've started another CSI: Miami story!

Unprocessed Evidence

A series of connected one-shots featuring Horatio's thoughts and feelings during key moments of every episode.

Gen - PG.

Also here on my website.

A new chapter in my CSI: Miami slash fic!

A Burden Shared by BookwormDragon
PG13; eventual slash, Ryan/Eric
A few words can change the courses of so many lives. An AU based on the Episode "Nailed." This will eventually be Eric/Ryan. 
Possible spoilers for Season 4 episodes "Nailed", "Shattered", and "The Score".
(Also on Fanfiction.net)

I've started a new CSI: Miami story:

A Burden Shared by BookwormDragon
PG13; eventual slash, Ryan/Eric
A few words can change the courses of so many lives. An AU based on the Episode "Nailed." This will eventually be Eric/Ryan.
Possible spoilers for Season 4 episodes "Nailed", "Shattered", and "The Score".
(Also on Fanfiction.net)

As I twittered last night, our campus was temporarily invaded by anti-abortion protesters. (Protesters rally against abortion, Daily Record)
Apparently, this is actually an annual event, although it's the first time I've seen it.

Anyway, I was on my way to class, so I couldn't stop and chat, but I do have somethings to say:
( Cut for Ranting )

Yes, I know that I was going to finish the dress and wear it tomorrow, no excuses, but...
I found some really good excuses: First, the fabric design was much more whimsical that I remembered, meaning that it wouldn't really fit the definition of "business casual" without a blazer to wear over it and  I don't have one. Also, I have more left to do then I remembered. So, while I did work on the dress today, I haven't finished it and I won't be wearing it tomorrow. I do plan to finish it soon, however.
I finished the front skirt section and attached it to the bodice, so all I have left is the side seams, invisible zipper, sleeves, hem, and the fasteners & decorative buttons.
So far, I'm quite pleased with the pattern, although I can see some areas where my technique needs some work.  But it will be very wearable when I'm done, and then I'll be ready to cut the really nice cloth and make it again.

I am clearly an evil daughter.
First, I introduce my mother to the wonders of computers. I buy her a nice, powerful desktop to replace the old, slow, decrepit laptop she used about once a week.

• I show her how the computer can make her life easier: spreadsheets for the households accounts (no more math!), email and chat for quick communication with family and friends, and the wonders of the internet.
• Then I introduce her to fanfiction. She loves it, and soon spends 2-3 hours a day online.
  
• I introduce her to the wonders of eBooks and the computer's ability to enlarge text on demand. She practically cries with joy, because she has always been an avid reader, but her eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, limiting her to Large Print books only. But the computer can make any book large print.
• And I show her the wonders of watching DVD's in the computer: the control over things like fast-forward, etc, makes it far superior to using a TV & DVD player. Plus, headphones allow total privacy, so she can watch what she likes, without having to fight with Dad about it (she wins, but why deal with the stress?).

So far, so good. These days, my mom spends almost as much time on her computer as I spend on mine.
Now comes the evil part: Today, her power supply failed and it will take about a week for the replacement to get here. (It takes a special kind, so I can't just go into town and buy one.) Oh Noooos! She is understandably upset by the prospect of an entire week without her computer.  I feel almost guilty, here. Almost. I do understand her horror, however. The very idea of being without a computer: shudder. Even worse: both she and Dad are sick right now. Sick and no computer.

I set up my desktop with some basic shortcuts for her, so she can use it while I'm away at school with my tablet. So she asks, "You're going into school early tomorrow, right?" lol.

She does have the old tablet that I turned into an ebook reader for her, so at least she has all her ebooks.

Hopefully, the power supply will get here soon and we can back to our blissful, technology-enhanced lives.
:)

Why can't doctors write normally? My mom's reading glasses broke today and she needs a new pair. We were going to order them online, because she still has the prescription: with luck, they would be here by next Friday. But nooooo.... the doctor couldn't be bothered to fill in all the boxes with actual numbers instead of mysterious codes. Arrrgh! So we have to wait until Monday, go to the doctor's office, hope that they can fill in the blanks/translate the weird codes. Of course, we can do price comparison: can the doctor's office beat the $27 online price? We shall see.

Moved and updated my Multi-fandom Apocafic Slash Directory.

Remember when I mentioned the special Birthday Dinner?
Well, today's the day, and the food has been made and the feast devoured.
I have pictures!
( Cut for huge pics )

Well, one of my harddrives failed, so I lost a big chunk of my media collection, including all the SWAT Kats episodes, and many others. Fortunately, all of the media can be reacquired, and I wasn't using the drive to store important data. Still, this is an irritant. I spent a large portion of the day figuring out whether it was the drive, the external enclosure, the connecting cables, or my computer that was at fault. It's nice to know that it wasn't the external enclosure after all, since the actively cooled ones that I use cost $50 to $60 dollars each. I'm replacing the 500GB with a 1TB drive, so it's as if I bought a new 500GB, which I was planning to do soon anyway. Ironically, the 1TB costs about the same as 500GB did when I bought it...

But, in happier news, I installed an internal wireless card in my mom's computer, which gets a much better signal and is much more reliable that the usb dongle she was using. At first, I thought that I wouldn't be able to install the card, because it came with a large bracket and the computer takes a small one, but the guy at the tech shop suggested just removing the bracket entirely, and that worked great. She's very pleased and so am I.

Now, off to work on that pesky group project...

So, this year, instead of us all going out to dinner to celebrate my birthday, we're going to have a special meal at home instead. On the menu so far:

• Steak Strips and Penne with Heavy Cream Alfredo Sauce
• Breadsticks to dip in the Alfredo
• Three-Bean & Onion Salad
• Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Italian Soda

All of my favorite foods, at one time: yummmm.
Mom will make the pasta and Alfredo sauce (using the Olive Garden recipe - absolutely heavenly), and the Bean Salad. My Brother will make the Cake and Frosting, and we'll probably buy the breadsticks from Pizza Hut, unless brother decides to make those as well.
Doesn't it sound wonderful? We decided on this not just to save money, but so that we could enjoy all my favorites foods cooked just the way we like them. I can hardly wait!

I just received and installed my new DVDRW Lightscribe Drive. Once I got a drive with the correct connectors for my computer, it was extremely easy to install and works perfectly. Hehe. $35 for the drive vs. $600 for new computer with the desired drive. Hmmm. What an easy choice!
Very pleased.

So I had been keeping all my collected troubleshooting information online in a Google Notebook. This was normally quite convenient, since I'm pretty much never without an internet connection at home. The trouble arises when I'm on campus with my tablet and suddenly can't connect to (or even see) the campus network. All the information I needed to troubleshoot the problem was inaccessible. Ooops. So I moved my collection off of Google Notebook and into OneNote, synced between my desktop and laptop. Now I will always have it, even if I'm without internet. And I started tracking specific problems and how I solve them, for future reference.