elanya

Last question! and I more or less managed to post an answer every day, hooray!

fishmalk asked me a really good end of the year question: Do you think that on average the world will be a better place next year than it was this year? If so, why?

Unfortunately, I don't have a good answer. Or rather, my answer is "no". I think on average it will be about the same - it isn't likely to me that there is going to be anything in one year, good or bad, that will so majorly sift the balance of the whole *world*.

I guess we'll have to wait and see!

No really - anything you ask me in the next 24-ish hours, on this post, I will give you some kind of reply. I may screen comments if it should somehow go strange in unexpected ways, but I am not sure I need worry (mostly as...who even reads this? Especially without prompting.) Let's find out! Anon commenting is on, I believe.

A quick reply to today's question from fishmalk because I do have an answer quick to hand:

I have always wanted to visit the Ukraine and the Black Sea area. I don't really know *why* I have, but it fascinates me for some reason. I've never been able to afford it, and of course the region is deeply troubled at the moment. But I'd really love to see Kiev someday.

I am lucky though - earis has been (envy!), and she brought me back a few little souvenirs - a totebag from Kiev, a beautiful little mug from Swallow's Nest Castle, and a little iron of a saint whose name I forget but it is really pretty! so I have some Thing even if I have never been. There are a lot of other places I'd love to travel too, in Europe and elsewhere. I'm lucky to have been around as much as I have, though!

Tomorrow I don't technically have a question submitted, but I thought I might do sort of an AMA style thing instead - just leave me questions in the comments all day tomorrow and I'll try and answer them. I might not get them all answered *tomorrow* but I'll try! And if I don't have nay questions by, like, 11 PM my time I'll just poke naryrising for another drabble prompt ^-^

Meanwhile, I have a bunch of stuff I need to do today, so I am also including a ( to-do list... )

A very timely question today from chairman_mat! The full version is: If you had to (decided to) leave where you live now (for whatever reason), where would you like to move to and why?

My visa actually runs out at the... beginning of may? June? I need to double check that. My employers here are not planning to renew it - unless I find some miraculous local job, I *am* going to have to leave where I'm living currently, and I have given a lot of thought as to where I would like to go.

The most basic answer is: wherever I can get a job. Ideally somewhere in Canada, but my visa is transferable is someone else were to renew it, up to 6 weeks before it expires, so that's still a possibility.

If Canada, I would like to wind up somewhere I already have some kind of social network, or someplace where I have an attachment of some kind: Windsor where naryrising lives, or London (Ontario) near longpig and wererogue. I have clusters of friend in Edmonton and could be quite happy there, an a quite large cluster in Ottawa as well. The other day I found a job posting for a job that is in Oromocto, which is right near my hometown, and I would love to go back there if I could as well. Tomorrow, in fact, is for writing cover letters!

Another odd day, and so the question comes from fishmalk, who asked: What are some things that you think are worth suffering for?

I had a hard time answering this, partly because it is so open ended. (I am using that as my excuse for why I am a day late, nd it is *mostly* correct!) Like - how much suffering are we talking here? Is it like - it is worth walking around the British Museum in bad shoes for a day, knowing your feet will be killing you later? Or are we talking - leave behind everyone you love knowing you'll never see them again? Losing a limb?

In any given situation, I'd rather find ways to mitigate any potential suffering, for the most part. That said, I had my wisdom teeth removed two weeks ago and am still having jaw pain, and decided to have dinner without waiting for my ibuprofen to kick in, so apparently 'dinner' is worth some minor amount of suffering? in this case, some extra old cheddar, hummus and naan (couldn't find the pita at the store), and some cold rotisserie chicken. Ow? maybe 'pride' is a better answer, but even that is slightly mitigated. I *did* take painkillers, just too late :p

I think that self improvement can be worth suffering, to some extent - that's a thing that requires constant assessment, whether you are talking about physical suffering from physical training or emotional/mental suffering from isolation, stress, etc... You need to let yourself decide whether the threshold is of where the costs outweigh the benefits. Quitting is okay, and if you think otherwise, you risk failing even when you succeed.

Enough pith I think!

naryrising has declared this to be Ralf and Ander day. I am okay with this! My contribution to this worth celebration is a drabble, of course!

( Made )

So! It is Christmas day! I had a nice quiet Christmas at not-home, and got a ton of things that are mostly book. I got 7 books (one is more of a booklet, but it came with a CD of Insmouth Sea Shanties)! Also a swift and some hand-quilted ornaments! And I think some other things on the way as well - at least one other thing, anyway!

I will make a squeeful Yuletide Post later, probably in my writing journal proper. This might be the year that I try to make a proper recs post! maybe. There are some things that I definitely want to make sure people read!

Hem! Anyway! I was asked (by fishmalk) about stories from my misguided youth that you might not know about. Actually I am going to tell you a story from my fairly explicitly guided youth - a story from my Sea Cadet days!

( What's that, you say? )

Meanwhile: alllll the yuletide flailing! OMG!

But for now - December meme! Another drabble for naryrising :D

( Christmas in Ashland )

What - if I haven't gone to bet yet, it is still the 23rd! That's how this works, okay???

fishmalk asked me what makes a good friend. Once again, I apologize for giving you a short crappy answer instead of a longer more in-depth one that the question probably deserves. Whose idea was it to post this during Yuletide? feh! At least I think I am done the treat I was working on, which bring my YT word count up to somewhere between 16-17k. So far! I still have until around 6 tomorrow to write more. I'm hoping for drabbles. Lots of drabbles... we'll see!

Anyway - friends! I think good friends are people you actively want to be around, and that you can trust. You are invested in each other's lives and want what is best for each other, but they are willing to be straight when they have problems with you. They are people you *can* be honest with, knowing that you can get through whatever troubles come out of it. Good friends respect you and respect your boundaries (and as a corollary, you should respect theirs!) Good friends are fun, but they are there when you are having a not so great time, and actually want to help you. That doesn't mean they will be able to, or that they will necessarily know how! Friends may feel magical, but they are actually not. Not usually. Good friends will help you look after yourself.

I probably have more thoughts on this when it isn't midnight and I'm not yule-fried. But I wanted to say that I am an extremely lucky person when it comes to my friends, and I know this and I hope my friends know they are appreciated! <3!

Whew - not toooo far behind at least! Taking a break from yuletide writing tonight and going to bed early. Had bad drams last night, hopefully will not have any repeats! A drabble prompt today from naryrising ^_^

( Mentor )