brit_columbia

You are my best English teacher!
I've never been really motivated to learn this language, but that changed when I began to read your fanfiction. And as my real English teacher is unfortunately too shy to teach my class, your incredibly awesome fics are the only thing that helped me improving my marks. A nice side effect.

I'm so happy that at least one of my two favorite manga series got a worthy continuation. Thank you so much.

You know, this was one of the nicest and most timely comments I've ever received. This morning I was discussing with my father the 'rightness' of this writing path that I'm on.

To clarify, I'm a service-oriented individual, as I've mentioned in these pages before. My motto for living my life is to try to have a beneficial effect on the people whose lives intersect mine, and if that's not possible, then I want to leave people at least no worse off for having known me. I haven't always succeeded in this, but for the most part it has been working for me.

The type of work I do now involves working directly with groups and individuals in ways that lead to practical and measurable improvement in the quality of their lives.

I started wondering if it was really okay to spend so much of my energy writing escapism. I personally look for escapism first and foremost in my own reading choices, so I know firsthand how escapism encourages people to use it as an excuse to shuck off their more tiresome duties, such as studying for exams, writing papers, organizing their taxes, cleaning their messy kitchens, etc. Those things, though tiresome, are nonetheless important to the quality of a person's life.

Then I returned home and read your comment and thought 'Yaaay! I had a beneficial effect on someone!'

Really, I'm going to take this as an answer to my question from the universe.

Thank you, thank you!

I know how it is with RL getting in the way....

*hugs tightly*

Yeah, I know you do. You're on a rollercoaster of your own. *hugs back appreciatively*

Thanks for letting us know. RL can indeed get pretty hectic, but I appreciate that you make time for your writing. An author who posts even semi-regularly, or who maintains the most basic standards of quality, seems to be getting more and more rare, so I'm glad there are still people like you out there.

Don't worry about the wait period. Promise us a lemon like that, and we'll wait till kingdom come!

Thank you! I feel like I often have to fight the world to make time for my writing. I'm really looking forward to writing the lemon.

Hi Brit,

Take your time, because I know exactly what you mean. I am more than happy to wait. Quality needs time to grow, just like fine wine.

Don't let your health go to hell, because we need you......okay I need you. I am addicted to your writing style and your sense of humor.

I really like our commentary back and forth and I would really miss it...............and you if you were to ever fall ill for any reason.

So NO WORRIES, fic or no fic all your loyal fans will wait patiently like we've been.

Be well Brit and stay well.

Love yah

Dax

Dax, how's the foot? I've been thinking about you and wondering how you're getting on. Does it still hurt? Have you had to stomp anyone with the robocop boot yet? If so, I'm sure they totally deserved it!

*gets up off floor from laughing fit*


Hey Brit,

Trust me I've considered stomping out a couple of people who seemed to have gone hysterically blind and did not see my crutches right in front of them as they proceeded to bump my foot, but thanks to the robocop boot, they and my foot were saved the trauma.

My foot is actually almost completely healed, it still twinges and aches if I overdo it. I'm still limping, but I can actually get around the house without the crutches, outside is another story. I'll cut down to one crutch starting Monday and leave the robocop boot home as a test run.

I've grown to hate that thing. It's HOT, HEAVY AND HOT. Now it's more of a hindrance than a help. I'm gonna miss getting a guaranteed seat on the bus though, that was one benefit that I loved.

Hopefully when I get on the bus my one crutch is enough to get someone up and out, but I'll just deal and pray that no one steps on my foot since it will be camouflaged in my regular boot.

Enough about me, I hope all is well with you and your health, please pay attention when your body starts hollering at you to take a break..........AND TAKE A BREAK!!!!

Please.

I may not know you personally, face to face, but you have become pretty important to me and if my only link to you is your fics and you disappear on me because you DIDN'T LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, I'll lose it.

Have pity on me please, my poor heart won't be able to take it, okay.

*sends twin yaoi masseuse*

Keep them as long as you need.

Later

Dax, so sorry for the late reply. It's been a hell of a week, especially the first three days. Today, however, the sun is shining and I'm feeling guardedly optimistic.

I get so mad when I picture people carelessly bumping against your foot! How could they not see your crutches? Crutches are big and awkward and take up space! Grrr.

You really ought to be able to get a seat on the bus with one crutch, rather than two. A crutch is a very clear indication that the person has an injury. Last November/December, I hated having to haul my damn crutch everywhere. Nobody would fake a foot injury just to get a seat on the bus if it meant having to lug a crutch around all day.

I certainly hope that no one stepped on your foot this past week. And if they did, I hope you poked 'em somewhere sensitive with your crutch.

Thanks so much for your kind words about my health. Actually, I do have a history of not listening to my body and pushing on through pain and sickness. I also will do anything to avoid going to the doctor most of the time. Everyone nags me about it. I've really been making an effort recently to get more sleep and eat better. I've started taking vitamins again, and I actually went to the doctor and got all kinds of tests. I'm going back in a week and a half. I have two appointments actually. So, you see, I'm finally listening to my poor exhausted body!

But I've been thinking a lot about what you said, the part about me disappearing. The only way I would ever disappear without telling my readers would be if something serious happened that put me beyond the power of internet communication. I've been wondering if I should make some kind of provision for that. It just seems so morbid, you know? But on the other hand, in the last month, I've had about 5 really close calls when I was cycling to and from work, after years of hardly any mishaps. I think it's because my place of work recently moved to a new location and the traffic is much heavier and faster, there. Anyway, it got me thinking that if anything happened to me, everyone in my RL would know, but the online friends and readership I've built up would be forever wondering. I'm going to come up with a plan...

The twins did a fabulous job, BTW! Thanks for sending them. They didn't mind at all when I asked them to perform the massage shirtless.

Hey Brit,

It turned out that I had to where my robocop boot after all, since my 4 year old decided to drop down on my foot with his knee when I had no bandage or any sort of protection on it, so it was hurting so bad I had no choice.

It's a good thing though, because I just saw my ortho doc on Thursday and he looked at my follow up x-rays {FYI-I ACTUALLY HADN'T BELIEVED I BROKE ANYTHING UNTIL HE POINTED IT OUT ON THE X-RAY. I KNOW, I KNOW I'M STUPID, NOTHING THAT PAINFUL COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BROKEN. DENIAL IS A BITCH} and he said I still had to wear my booty and use my crutches for the next two weeks.

I'm already in my 5th week heading into my 6th, so almost there. I need to take some more follow up x-rays in a week before I see him in two weeks. So eventually I will be able to walk without the damn thing on my foot. Can you sense my hatred of it yet. LOL.

You know I thought I was the only idiot {YEAH I SAID IDIOT} who didn't go to the docotor unless I was practically bleeding through the eyes. It takes alot to get me there. But I had an eye opening conversation with a stranger on the phone that made me realize that yeah its okay to put your family and others first, but not at the expense of yourself.

The story goes like this:

I was trying to receritfy for my health insurance which my son is on and the deadline was coming and I still hadn't received any paperwork to do it, you see I'm on govermently funded health care in the good ol' US of A and if you lose it, it's a bitch to get back, so I called the Customer Service number and I said to the woman "I don't care about me, I just don't want my son to lose his health insurance." she proceeded to tell me "what about you, if you get sick who'll take care of your son."

My sons father and I are together, but when she said that it made me realize that I wouldn't want to miss out on anything if I were to get sick, because I didn't take care of myself. So you see, it's great to do for the ones you love, but would they want you to endanger yourself to do for them. I doubt that, so think about that the next time you dodge a car riding home. You are loved Brit, I can tell that and not just in your RL, count me as one of them.

Like I always say, YOU ROCK!

Taking an extra few minutes to get through that traffic wouldn't hurt now would it, by the way - YOU GAVE ME A CORONARY. STOP DODGING TRAFFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Behave yourself, please.

*takes sedative*

Now about the yaoi twins, I gave them specific instructions on the amount of clothing they were suppose to where, which was as little as possible(which means none), so I'm sending over another set and both teams could really work those kinks. I mean your muscles........get your mind out the gutter Brit.

I mean really.

hahahahhaha.

Later Brit.

I'll have you know that my mind LIKES wallowing in the gutter! And I have so many kinks that it probably would take two teams.

You're absolutely right about the fact that even if we can't always summon up enthusiasm for doing the boring things necessary for maintaining health (like controlling ourselves around junk food, taking vitamins, getting enough sleep and going to the doctor when we should), it's still necessary to give some thought to how our absence would affect the quality of our loved ones' lives. Even though I often feel too busy to even think, I have to admit that if something happened to me, it would have a huge impact, both emotional as well as practical, on my father, my husband and Fluffy, too! They all depend on me in different ways. My presence has a balancing effect on the predominantly male energy in the house. Sounds like it might be the same at your house, too!

There's only one of me and I am necessary to several people's happiness. I should try to remember that instead of thinking of myself as a sort of insignificant cog in a much larger wheel.

Thank you for reminding me. And I promise I'll slow down in traffic. (My husband says exactly what you said--I had to laugh when I read that!)

Right there with yah in the gutter Brit.

THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!! Remeber you promised!

Hope all goes well with the check ups and I'm proud of you.

I'll try to do the same too. After foot gets the all clear. I'll make an appointment for a full physical from my doc. I promise, you can hold me too that, if you keep yours and NO DODGING TRAFFIC!!

Okay?

Okay!

Later Brit

It's a deal--let's hug on it. *squeezes Dax* I'll ride my bike more conservatively and you'll get a full physical.

*squeezes Brit back*

DEAL!!!!!!!!

*bear hug*

No problem, sweetie. I'll still be lurking around when I'm not sidetracked by my own RL stuff.

As I am currently suffering some sinus problems, I can appreciate feeling more like writing something when my brain is feeling fresh and alert.

Take care of yourself, Brit!

Are you better now? I hope so! We need our brains to be as fresh and alert as possible. This is one of the reasons I'm making more of an effort to go to bed earlier and stay there later.

Erin, thank you so much for saying so! I really mean it. I sometimes worry that my readers will lose interest in watching for my fics. After all, some of them have been on the AND journey with me for pushing three years. And then at several points along the way, I've picked up as well as lost some others. However, I'm mostly a positive person, so rather than focusing on those I may be losing, I write for the people who are reading. I'm grateful for my readers, whoever and wherever they are, and naturally I don't want to disappoint them. (I know I sound annoyingly like Pollyanna, but it's the truth!)

It touches me that you care about my health and happiness. Thank you. *Hugs you*

No, I've never written anything (creatively, that is. I'm not counting boring reports and proposals at work) except FAKE fics. However, I've got zillions of ideas. Well maybe not zillions, but definitely thousands. Writing original fiction has been very much on my mind recently.

I just want to warn your figurative nuts that I'm probably going to post something this weekend! AND chapter 42 is done and beta-ed, except for the lemon, which I'm still writing. It's been a week of writing in 15 minute bursts, which is no way to write a lemon, but I haven't had a choice. I'm thinking about posting without the lemon and then inserting it later after it's been beta-ed.

Thank you for sticking with me!

Hi Catti! I know it's been a long time, and I totally understand the way you feel because I hate waiting too! I don't like to make my readers wait, either. I used to be able to post every couple of weeks, but this past year has really been rough for me. Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know that I'm making progress on A New Day ch 43, but it's still going to be another one and a half or two and a half weeks before I can post it.

Thanks for still caring.