Something strange has come into my blood these days. I’m finding myself doing things like dancing barefooted against the kitchen floor (dance is joy personified, I think) to the soundtrack from Sliding Doors, and writing love letters to myself in form of verse, reading Alice Munro over and over, baking lemon cake and swirling icing childishly. Happybirthday, I sing, skinny candles that droop of blue wax. Listening to Tori Amos and staring at the Monet print on the wall. Segmenting everything like the parts of a flower, stamen, pistil, anther. My nails are chipped and the light above is waxy and faintly rose-coloured, but I could just be imagining things.

A strange scrap of verse I wrote this morning. The first version was generic and pretty, and I wonder if the second is any better. Somehow, I feel like dancing in patent leather shoes today. Give me a title for the poem and I’ll leave you your choice in adjectives.

You wanted to paint me.
Spring me whole from your brush.
Minerva turned Venus--
Stop a minute, let me ask.

Is it me, or do gas stations
Smell of coffee and blood?
My pink satin is peeling off
My veins carved from arteries
Like Michaelangelo from stone
And I dance a solitary one
With Los Angelos in mind.

Memory-ghosts of your old daubs
I scrub from fingertips
Orange, gold, red, a gash of violet--
There, there you slipped.

When you let my uneasy skin escape
I became solid flesh melting against the grass
No more woman lying white against the bed
I built myself a series of colored blocks
Into my forehead
Picasso, underpainted with verse.

You call me Female, Caucasion
Inherantly less because of my (nasty little secret).
Take your colors away, you can’t paint me
I’m free of religion and you’re afraid
I’ll paint the desert along St. George
The maiden versus the dragon baked dry.

Bare feet in bright red flip flops
Instead I’ll drive to Vegas
And gamble the phlox
And hollyhocks
Against snowfall from a blue sky.

Well, I'm back. With a new layout and a Harry Potter survey, no less!

Q: How did you get into Harry Potter?
A: It was lying about my house and I picked it up and read it almost absent-mindedly. I didn’t really become obsessed until just a few months ago when it just hit me-- it was horrible. Just like that.

Q: Read the books?
A: Do not ask, because the answer will be pathetic. Suffice to say I have read them many times.

Q: Where will you be on June 21st (release of the Fifth book)?
A. At work. Glaring at people at work because I need to read the fifth book. Yeah.

Q: Who are your favorite characters?
A: Ginny, Harry, and Snape. Not necessarily in that order. Oh, and I love Remus and Sirius. Not necessarily together. Really.

Q: Who are your favorite relatively minor characters? (minor meaning they were never the main focus in any one of the books so far)
A: Sinistra, of course! Oh. . . I guess Ginny is minor. Humph. Colin Creevy, just because I’m peculiar like that.

Q: Favorite Professor? (If your favorite character is a professor, please pick another professor)
A: Um. . . Dumbledore

Q: Have any HP merchandise?
A: A few HP postcards and such, not much because I’m poor.

Q: Do you relate to any characters?
A: Yes. I’m very much like Ginny. And, come to think of it, Nita is like Hermione. We’re simply missing the Rons and Harrys.

Q: Do you look like any characters?
A: Nope.

Q: Do you act like any characters?
A: I’m very much a Ginny-esque person. Rather shy, can be a bit bumbling, sensitive, creative-- and of course I adore Harry.

Q: What is your favorite house?
A: Hufflepuff, just because no one else loves them.

Q: Is there a house you absolutely hate?
A: Nope.

Q: Honestly, not just because of what house is your favorite, what house would you be in?
A: Ravenclaw, I think. Just because I’m not particularly any of the other three.

Q: If you were a student, placed in the house you'd honestly be in, what sort of house member would you prefer to date?
A: Uh? A human one? No house-elves.

Q: Okay, suddenly you are a student in Harry's year. Pick someone you'd die to date.
A: Harry. . . um. . . yes, I’d like to date Harry. Cedric Diggory, too, sans death.

Q: Okay, now you are back in time, a student with James Potter. Pick someone you'd die to date.
A: Remus. Or Snape. But . . .oh, sod it. Is survey. Will not worry about ships.

Q: Who would be your secret HP crush?
A: Snape, of course.

Q: Is there a character that annoys you to no end, and should you meet them in real life, you'd want to kill them?
A: Nearly-Pointless Nick. That’s what me and the brother call him. ‘Cept he’s already dead, right?

Q: Do you ever compare people to material in the Harry Potter books?
A: Yes, sadly enough.

Q: Do you ever privately sort people into houses when you meet them?
A: I do.

Q: Who is your favorite founder?
A: Rowena Ravenclaw. Because I like the Ravenclaws.

Oh, go me.

Q: Do you really believe the statement "Not a witch or wizard in Slytherin doesn't go bad"?
A: Of course not!

Q: Do you think that Draco Malfoy will actually redeem himself as many fandom folk try to portray him as doing?
A: I sincerely doubt it. And I really don’t hope he does, either.

Q: Do you think that Professor Snape can actually go back to spying?
A: *sniffles* I hope not. . . obssessed. . . but he’d be in danger! And Sinistra would be in danger!

Q: Is there any character that in the event of their death you would have no qualms about holding Rowling hostage until the author writes the next book and finds some way to bring them back?
A: Snape. Definitely Snape. And Sinistra, too. Oh, and Ron. And Ginny. And Sirius. And. . . right.

Q: Do you read fan fiction?
A: Is the Pacific wet? I mean, really.

Q: Where do you usually haunt for fan fiction?
A: Fanfiction.net and Snitchfiction.net for me slashy needs. Oh, and mailing lists.

Q: What is your favorite fandom pairing?
A: Snape/Sinistra and Harry/Ginny. Oh, and Remus/Sirius.

Q: Who was the first pairing you ever read?
A: Hmm. Ron/Hermione, probably.

Q: Has the slash bug caught you?
A: It’s a full blown cold now, buddy.

Q: What sort of pairings are you most willing to read?
A: Snape/Sinistra, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Remus/Sirius, and various other slash pairings I shall not say here for reasons of sanity.

Q: Is there any pairing that when you see it, you want to beat someone over the head with a blunt object? If so, who?
A: Harry/Hermione. Sick AND wrong, people!

Q: Which rare pairing are you currently on a kick about? In other words, reading every fan fiction of them you can get your hands on?
A: Snape/Sinistra. Hahahaha. Especially considering I write about half the S/S fics, that’s really sad.

Q: How are you about original characters serving as the main character in a story, particularly in a romance with a canon character?
A: Erm. . I don’t usually like. Occasionally, yes. But no usually.

Q: What do you think of when people use alias like DracoMalfoysGurl?
A: Well. Yes, we’ll leave it at that.

Q: Do you think that there is any elitism among authors in fandom groups? If so, who?
A: I think there is, but I just ignore it.

Q: Who is your favorite author?
A: Nita, Dia, Storm. . . various other people who I cannot remember now.

Q: What makes you love a fan fiction?
A: *ignores Nita* Humor, intriguing premises, character development, good romance, fun action.

Q: What makes you hate a fan fiction?
A: Hmm. . . stupid pairings, complete OOCness. . . Snape being fluffy. I cannot express how much I hate this. And I don’t mean good fluff, either. I mean ‘nuzzling Harry’ ala Family Affairs. (Remember, girls? The plagarism attempt?)

Q: How often a day do you check fan fiction?
A: Oh, I don’t know. . . stop looking at me like that. Yes, you.

Guess who got the job of a secretary/receptionist for spring/summer terms?

Yeah, because I'm just that cool.