aworldinside

I'm hooooome.

Well I got home yesterday after 38 hours of airports and flights - including a lovely 11 hour stopover in Incheon Airport in Seoul. I got a few things done (wash all the clothes, actually have food in the house) before sleeping for 11 hours. So needed that.

While I'll miss people I left in the UK a lot and in some ways being back in London felt like I never left - I'm happy to be back. It's nice to be back in my own bed and Wellington is looking pretty gorgeous in the sunshine. Also positive job things happened while I was away. I had a semi-interview via skype while in Barcelona and got offered another job too. I am still trying to finalise some things but it's looking positive.

( Europe - in bullet points )

There will be photos. Eventually. These things always take me time.

Let the tv catch-up begin. Being in the UK meant I mostly kept up with The Thick of It (Malcolm I missed you so) and Downton Abbey but other than that ... ahaha no.

Why I started with H50 I'm not quite sure, but I did.

( oy - which is to say 3.01 and 3.02 )

I also haven't really kept up with LJ/DW so that's another thing on the online to-do list. I uh ... sort of kept up with Tumblr as my queue of pictures of Gabriel Macht's face might attest. *cough*

Also just in time for Get Together this weekend! Very much looking forward to seeing everyone but I really need to do my Sportsnight pimp. I need to channel my feelings about Dan Rydell .... <333

And uh Yuletide noms are happening already? Dude. Time flies.

Yep, I've left it a long time again.

Despite the heat (which wasn't that bad really) and the odd hiccup (banks grr) the holiday to the US was awesome. New York was insane, huuge, varied and hell of a lot of fun, Boston was really nice and Bruins obsessed (and I got to have an awesome time meeting tangleofthorns) and DC was ... a lot of walking, but also really great to visit. I did all the big tourist-y things, and saw some things I've wanted to see all my life. So, well, well worth it. Also, insanely good travel luck on the way home including a business class upgrade and avoiding one flight delay and one flight cancellation.

New Zealand is fine. I have missed it and I'm enjoying Christchurch's idea of Winter - which seems to be cold nights and 13 degree days with blue skies and sunshine. The aftershocks haven't been too bad, but the holes and the not going into town and ... yeah, it's a bit to get used to. The city is both better and worse than I thought, if that makes any sense. I've mostly been lazing around the house and adjusting, but I should get on the job thing and make a decision about staying here v.s going back to Wellington. Despite the hassle and the expense, I think going back to Wellington is more likely.

I just spent some time tidying some things from the US trip/the UK and reading over some old entries (why do I do that?) it just made me all nostalgic. It all seems so far away already. *sigh*

Fandom wise, it's still a lot Fringe (and trying not to think too hard about the Comicon panel and the lack of Josh on it), but I'm trying to start a West Wing re-watch because it's been ages and now me and my full DVD collection have been reunited.

I've also been working my way through the rest of The Song of Ice and Fire - thanks to my friend having them on her bookshelf here - yay.

( I'm now most of the way through 'A Storm of Swords: Part 2' - spoilery )

There really should be new icons - and I've been saying that forever but now I have time.

And yeah, holiday photos really need to be loaded somewhere.

Edit: Oh random vid rec: Fun in the Blue verse (Fringe) - vid looking at the weird and amusing moments on this side. Really well put together and just a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

So, I'm back from Melbourne. I have not really gone near the flist. I'm kinda scared to at this point, but I might make some sort of start tomorrow. In pieces. I have however procured what I have missed TV wise, including the Colbert Christmas special, which was awesome.

( Melbourne - a collection of random (geeky) observations )

I'm happy and sad to be back, but I've had a day to get used to it now. Work tomorrow. Joy.

I must drag myself out of bed as I have to go to work for three or so hours and have other things to do/buy/be indecisive about.

Instead I shall embed an awesome Colbert clip and Jon's interview with Bill O'Reily, which was awesome, and Bill O actually did pretty well. I was ... almost impressed? Anyway, it's great.

( Mr Snuggles, hot cocoa, Jane Austen, baseball and Marvel comics )

Upside: Melbourne is less than a week! \o/ I was Google Map-ing (it is too a verb) the other day to get a feel for where I'm staying and where the airport is etc and also rediscovering why Google Street View may indeed be the most stalker-esque Web 2.0 application. Anyway, yay Melbourne.

Also, Yuletide writer? The letter is coming, I swear. Please forgive my slack-ness.

Well, I'm back, and to be honest, I really wish I wasn't. Queenstown was heaps of fun and now I feel like I've just been dumped back down in reality again with its job applications and all its other shit. *sighs*

I have conquered all of the flist entries I've missed. Yes, all 480 of them, including the ones that dealt with the bombings in London on Thursday. When I was away, as soon as I saw the newscast my stomach lurched and I quickly ran up to borrow my friend's computer to check my flist. I was so happy to see that everyone of my LJ-acquaintance was unhurt.

I might type up a longer Queenstown entry and include some photos, but to sum up, it was a low-key and very enjoyable five days. There was some fannish things (Lost finale, seeing Batman Begins) and some just plain odd things (who knew SingStar could be addictive, even to those who really can't sing?)

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(  Brief 'Batman Begins' thoughts )

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As for the Lost finale, I don't have any really detailed thoughts other than to say than I really, really liked it. Way to work the suspense, J.J.

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Also watched the first ep of the new Doctor Who series. It was ... interesting. Definitely not bad, but I wasn't blown away either. However, that was my original reaction to Firefly and House and look where that's got me. ;)

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I've finally started my OotP read-through. *deep breath* I'll post my thoughts all at once, but I did watch my friend do her read-through when she was down in Queenstown and it was so cute seeing her squeeful and fearful reactions. 5 days till HBP. Wow. I've taken the whole weekend off work as I think it's unlikely I'm going to get it all read Saturday day as I have Shihad tickets for Saturday night. I am keeping well away from any spoilers, as while I can handle them for some things, this is definitely an exception.

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I really hate asking people to be referees on job applications. Especially as getting a third referee who is not a family member or close friend is going to mean e-mailing a lecturer from last year and admitting that I have really done very little with this year. I can't think of another option. I've only had one 'real' job and two supervisors from that are already my referees. *frets*

Note to self: You actually want this job. Suck it up already and type the e-mail. It's not like you actually have to talk to her in person.

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*holds back her fangirlish thoughts about RSL saying that the Getty Museum is his 'after-work hangout' in this scan*