You've made some changes since the virus caught you sleeping

Okay. Things I have done in the last couple of weeks that have not stressed out my life.

In my latest quest for fanfiction of quality, read the first volume of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and rented Stephen Frears' Mary Reilly (1996). The first of these I liked immensely, such that I am now looking for the next volume; the second didn't quite focus as I think it was intended to, but at least I have now seen John Malkovich and his Jekyll and Hyde were quite acceptable to me.

Also rented Jim Henson's The Storyteller (1987), about which only good things can be said. I'd seen two or three episodes before with spectre_general and his wife, but I sort of went on a bender and watched all nine episodes in a night: fortunately, it is impossible to overdose on John Hurt. The number of random character actors who populated that series impresses me. I even spotted Jason Carter—I frankly hadn't thought he'd ever been anyone other than Marcus Cole.

Met some friends in the Yale Bookstore for a few minutes of random browsing, only to discover a five-actor reading of a local playwright's retelling of A Christmas Carol was in progress near the magazine racks; I came in around the Ghost of Christmas Present and stayed to the end, and had a very nice conversation with the actor who had played Scrooge (and who looks like a character actor from the 1930's) afterward. hans_the_bold more or less had to drag me out, because the bookstore was closing, but we repaired to HGS and watched The Hunter (1980), which features Steve McQueen in his last role and a very young LeVar Burton as a supporting character. Yes, of course I watched Reading Rainbow religiously as a child.

Rented The Corpse Bride (2005), because I am under the general impression that I need more Tim Burton in my life, and loved it. I have now had "The Remains of the Day" stuck in my head for over forty-eight hours.

Caught the last third of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) on television, which reminded me again that quite possibly the character for whom I feel the most sympathy in the entire trilogy is Admiral Piett. I had not realized, however, that he has such a fanbase. This is actually kind of awesome.

Had sushi tonight with a friend who is a divinity student, and conducted a conversation about trinitarianism, grace, and salvation without exploding. Also, tempura-fried ice cream.

The story I'm writing for greygirlbeast's Sirenia Digest has mutated: I thought it was first-person futuristic, but it seems in fact to be third-person steampunk. Yeah. No recent influences there. Excuse me while I blame Nikola Tesla.