shovels and rakes and implements of destruction

...or at least my library.

I haven't really been reading a lot of books in the past year or so (actual books, you know, with covers and stuff). I used to read constantly, often as many as ten books a week, but lately I've been into the fannish version of fiction. And apparently I've been spoiled, because these days when I pick up an actual published novel, even by an author I used to love...more often than not I'm disappointed.

The prose is flabby, the sex scenes are more yawn-worthy than moan-worthy, and either the characterization is inconsistent, or the characters exhibit a vomitous level of Mary-Sueishness...sometimes BOTH.

And we're talking BESTSELLING authors, here. I know there's a lot of dreck in fandom, but there's a lot of really incredible writing, too. I think I only realized how incredible when I tried to go back to reading novels, and couldn't enjoy them like I used to. My quality standards are high; and apparently Nora Roberts, Mary Higgins Clark, et al just can't live up to the likes of dira_sudis and felisblanco.

P.S. Do not even get me started on S. Meyer or Laurell K. Hamilton. Seriously. I WILL SPORK OUT MY EYES.

I hate my life. Tradsies? Anyone? Bueller?

Scratch that. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, never mind my flist.

I am suddenly very much in sympathy with anyone who's ever threatened to bomb a call center.

I kind of hate my job today. Like, a lot. For some reason, all the morons have my extension number. WTF?!? And I'm not talking about, say, people who don't speak very good english. I'm infinite in my patience for them, as long as they're not rude. No, I'm talking some 23-year-old asshole sales rep from NYC who thinks he's the shiznit and is too busy trying to look good to pay attention to the conversation, so that every time I say something, his reply is, 'say what now?'

And one more thing-Activations and Consumer Credit gives credit approval for new lines, and then activates them. Hence the name. WE ARE NOT A HELPDESK FOR EVERY OTHER GODDAMN DEPARTMENT IN THE COMPANY!!!! JUST BECAUSE I KNOW HOW TO DO YOUR JOB DOES NOT MEAN I WILL!!!! FOR GOD'S SAKE STOP GETTING PISSY WITH ME WHEN I TELL YOU TO DO IT YOURSELF!!!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GETTING PAID FOR ANYWAY?!?!?! *growl grunt snort* *pant pant pant sigh*

Sorry. I feel better now. So, listen, if y'all could refrain from buying any new cell phones until after Thanksgiving weekend, and if someone is willing to beta schmoopy unfinished Jsquared written in HTML (you don't have to beta my coding-I know that part is right); and give me feedback and hold my hand while I flail about like a mad thing, that would be awesomesauce, and would result in me getting to New Year's Eve in the fic before actual New Year's Eve (right now it is at least 4 veerryyy long chapters away).

And also, for SPN idea bajillion and one, I was going to do Sam and Dean developing an idioglossia (autonomous secret language, sometimes called 'twin language') as children and using it into adulthood. This is RARE, especially for singletons, but it HAS HAPPENED. I HAVE CASE STUDIES, I TELL YOU! But is this just me being fascinated by abnormal developmental psych, or if I threw in some wincest, would anyone, like, want to actually read that? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Oh. And. I have finally got my act together sort of why not, and put up a sticky post for my fic, complete with anchor tags and other goodness, so that it's up at the top and easy to find; and I have also started a sticky recs post, organized by fandom, that I will continue to update as RL allows. I also picked a new layout so that the text size on my old posts is readable for people using Windows (I have Linux at home and discovered that what was displaying as a comfy font size on my computer was TEENYTINY for all y'all-sorry about that).