...you get tired of reading The Faerie Queen for the survey course you're teaching and decide to take a break by reading Chaucer, since it's so much more fun and easier to comprehend.

I graded my first stack of midterms today. Shockingly, most of them were good, which hopefully means I'm doing a better job at this whole teaching thing than I thought. The good ones almost made the bad ones more painful, though. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be to fail students. I keep telling myself that I am not failing them, that they failed by writing the wrong answers, but writing a D- on the top of an exam is still unpleasant.

Ah well. I finished The Man of Law's Tale - only six more cantos of The Faerie Queen to go.

I was very disappointed with this week's RPM. Of course, with a name like "The Dome Dolls," its prospects weren't good to begin with, but I was hoping for at least a little better. For instance, the only female (apparently) that is employed in the upper echelons of the Corinth defensive systems could have been actually competent, rather than panic-stricken without her male boss telling her what to do. Or maybe Summer and Gemma could have beaten the bad guy by themselves, rather than lying on the ground unmorphed and desperate as the guys get woken up just in time and come running to the rescue. Or perhaps we didn't need the "oops, the girl borrowed the car and got it wrecked - can't trust females with that kind of technology" joke.

Also, I'm getting a little irritated with the constant jokes at Ziggy's expense that the show has seen fit to portray over the last several episodes. It was one thing when Dillon stood up for him (and what happened to that Dillon, may I ask?), or when it all seemed to be in good fun, but recently it has seemed almost malicious. Or at the very least, a teasing that is much less affectionate than it used to be.

Perhaps I am too sensitive today? School starting again can do that to me. I did enjoy Ziggy trying to teach Dr. K to cook, and especially that he learned how in prison. I liked the girls being all team-y. I liked Summer knowing how to fix cars in the beginning and Gemma, Gem, and Scott going running together. I even found Tenaya 7 a little more interesting today.

Hmm. Starting to think I should re-watch episode in a more positive mood. We'll see.

Back! The wedding was lovely, and so was the honeymoon. ;-) I'm still rather ridiculously happy. Moving in with someone is hard work, though. Luckily the husband doesn't mind my commandeering the television for RPM!

Title: Noticing
Rating: PG
Characters: Gem, Scott
Summary: Gem doesn't understand why Scott is upset, but he's going to try and fix it anyway. Spoilers for "Heroes Among Us." Mostly an excuse for Gem character study, which is...hard. I expected it to be hard, but it may have defeated me. I suppose I'll try again later?

( Valor is a good thing! )

Title: Passenger
Rating: G
Summary: Dillon's condition for joining the team has the rest of the Rangers wondering why. Set just after "Rain," with references to "The Road to Corinth" and "Go For the Green".

( The first thing all three original Rangers ask him is, why Ziggy? )

I haven't been around much lately, and I won't be for a while after this either. The same reason serves for both statements: tomorrow, my friends, I am getting married. I'm so happy and excited I can't sleep, so I'm posting this before I go. I hope everyone is having an absolutely wonderful day.

I'm reserving judgment on "Ranger Yellow" until I see part two. And also because if I don't spend every waking moment between now and Wednesday working frantically on two papers, I will fail out of graduate school and lose my funding and never have a job. This post is meant as a record of my struggle in case I fail.

Off I go!

This ficlet has been bothering me, more and more intensely, pretty much since RPM aired. It isn't finished, but I need both to do actual work today and get somebody else's reaction before I go crazy, so I'm tentatively posting this now until I can finish it. Reactions, pretty please?

( Dillon's expression is complex, but his mind is simple. )

Taking a break from what feels like endless reading to watch RPM. Loving Ziggy, hoping for some actual character development in the primary colors category, skeptical of Flynn's accent, and wanting the Summer/Dillon vibe to STOP NOW PLEASE - those two together are like watching paint dry. Beige paint.

Also, who wants to bet that whoever Dillon couldn't save was his sister, who was also transformed into some half-machine thingy? Possibly even the girl who is replacing Kegalesia? Then he would have to choose between defeating evil and killing his only remaining family, which would fit perfectly into his life of MASSIVE ANGST*.

*Theory subject to change pending new information, but always must accord with MASSIVE ANGST.

I love my Yuletide story! It is a Tamora Pierce - Circle of Magic story, which I haven't had the pleasure of reading in a very long time, and this particular one is absolutely wonderful. If anyone is interested, it is located here. I also was fortunate enough to receive two other stories, one in Invader Zim and the other also in Tamora Pierce, and they are wonderful as well! I feel so happy, and thankful, and grateful to both my assigned author and whoever else wrote the Yuletide treats.

Christmas with the family and three lovely stories - this has been a very good day. =)

I just had a major breakthrough for my Yuletide story. Major, as in it exploded to four times its length in about that many hours. I really, really hope that someone besides me likes it. Or really, that one person in particular likes it. Here's hoping.

I survived the end of the semester and am surviving the physical therapy post-surgery. It gives unpleasant an entirely new level, but it has given me just enough strength to walk without crutches for the crucial 45 minutes in which I am maid of honor in my best friend's wedding tomorrow, so I think everything is worth it. Here's also hoping that my knee doesn't collapse in front of the altar.

And after all this craziness followed by Christmas (which I've done no shopping for, due to said surgery and not-walking and all), then m-m-maybe...I could get back to writing my Boukenger challenge? Or see the end of Jungle Fury? Or catch up on Go-onger? I almost don't believe the possibilities are really possible.

Sanity makes tentative return in one, two, three, four, five days...

Never mind! I attempted a late entry submission and it worked! Which means that I get to write a Yuletide letter. =)

( Dear Yuletide Writer, )

I just saw the Geki vs. Bouken movie, and there are a few things I must say:

1) Seeing Masumi be all smiley-starry-eyed over Akashi was creepy. So very, very wrong. Where is my sarcastic, angry Masumi? Okay, maybe he can be less angry now that he's conquered his darkness and replaced Akashi and all, but that doesn't mean he has to lose his prickly snarkiness, right? Please? I was so relieved when he called Retsu a jerk and jumped at him during the credits that there are not even words.

2) Anyone who wasn't wearing red or black got so shafted here. I felt especially bad for Ken and Gou, but Souta might as well not have been there for all the lines he had. Also, by the ending credits I had completely forgotten about Kaze no Shizuka.

3) Rio and Mele = AWESOME. The look on Rio's face when the big bad stopped controlling him...fabulous.

4) I would have loved to hear the conversation preceding Akashi and Jan's "return to the wild." Jan: "Let's go! It's nikiniki wakiwaki!" Akashi: ::staring at loincloth:: "And you're sure I can't wear pants?"

Eh. This amused me in parts, but I felt like it could have been much better. Many lost opportunities swallowed up by hymns of praise to Akashi. And Masumi, please, please, stop doing that to your hair; whoever told you that was a good look for you lied.

Here's hoping my internet connection works long enough to post this...hijacking unsecured networks when wireless all over your apartment complex goes down is such chancy business.

Fandom: GoGo Sentai Boukenger
Title: Always
Rating: PG
Summary: Masumi didn't know why he was still traveling with Natsuki. Set pre-series, a few months after Natsuki and Masumi meet. For 10_themes prompt 10 - Excitement.

( Masumi, come on! Keep up! )

Fandom: GoGo Sentai Boukenger
Title: Prey
Rating: PG
Summary: Masumi didn’t like the new guy. He didn’t like his hair, he didn’t like his attitude, and he especially didn’t like the way Akashi looked at him. For 10_themes, prompt 03 - Envy.

( Masumi didn't know why Akashi was so fixated on the Ashu watcher anyway. )

Fandom: GoGo Sentai Boukenger
Title: The Worst that Could Happen
Rating: PG
Summary: Tag to episode 14. For 10_themes, prompt 04: Fear.

( It was suicide to fight a Boukenger unhenshined. )

I did not want to do this until I'd seen more than fifteen (non-consecutive) episodes of Boukenger. In fact, I did not want to do this at all, seeing as I rather badly need to concentrate on grad school. But after I spent all of Old English on Friday sketching out fic ideas instead of translating the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, it was already a lost cause.

10_themes for Inou Masumi

01.	Greed	02.	Lust
03.	Envy	04.	Fear
05.	Love	06.	Hate
07.	Depression	08.	Anger
09.	Joy	10.	Excitement

Also, I need more icons. To be specific, more icon space. So do I deal with the annoyance of ads or bite the bullet and actually pay for this thing?

In the last few days I decided to watch a couple of episodes of Boukenger, since it was the only Sentai series in the last five years I hadn't seen any of. And wow is Masumi the most angry and emotionally damaged character I've seen on a purportedly kid's show maybe ever. He is so emotionally needy and desperate for affection, any affection, that it just fascinates me. I really think he would do anything for someone who even pretended to care for him. I wonder if the show makes use of this farther on? And if it would be worth dealing with my meh feeling about the show in general to find out?

I have to finish this paper by midnight. I have to. But that is only three and a half hours away and that is also how many pages I have left to write, plus I must EDIT. VERY MUCH EDITING.

I am so doomed.