.: so comes snow after fire :.

It's always weird to adjust to normal life after the holidays. Since I live alone, the hardest part is always adjusting to the silence, after days being surrounded by the sound of other voices. Sakura is taking the brunt of it, as I'm more or less constantly talking to her and describing her what I'm doing. Poor kitty. :D

Even if I haven't talked about it here for a while, I haven't neglected my ukulele. Today I finally accomplished something that was a just a dream back when I was 14 and my father bought me a guitar: I finally learned how to play Desperado by The Eagles! That was my favourite song, and favourite album, during a very dark period of my life, and it was one of the few things that actually helped. It holds a very special place in my heart. And now I can play it myself! \o/

I'm also working on (Nice Dream) by Radiohead. It's not hard per se, but it has a couple of very annoying chords that I still can't do without stopping to slowly rearrange my fingers. Well, can't win them all. :D

In fandom news, I have a couple of recs for you lovely peeps. The first is Agent Carter, the new tv series about Peggy Carter, set in the 40s. It's absolutely amazing. Agents of Shield left me completely cold, so I didn't have high hopes for this story, and I was so pleasantly surprised! The story is intriguing, with very few nods to the movies, not relying on the popularity of the characters from the comics, but building their own characters and stories. They are not afraid to show and tackle all the sexism Peggy has to fight through every single day of her life. We also get to see her mourning, kicking ass and taking names, and being an absolutely awesome and rounded character. And the late 40s look wonderful and realistic! At times it even reminded me of The Hour, incredible. So yep, check it out even if you're not a Marvel fan, I think there's something to love in it for everyone. ^^

There's also another little show that just started on ABC, in the slot left by Once Upon A Time. It's Gallavant, a musical comedy about a medieval knight who wants to get his beloved back from the clutches of an evil king. The story has a few interesting twists, and the fact that it's a musical is certainly its selling point, but I think they should have tried harder. The jokes are telegraphed, the characters two-dimensional. Still, the episodes are short and the songs are catching (it is, after all, Alan Menken), and maybe the plot'll get more interesting as the series proceeds. If not, it's still nice.

In other news, I just found out that Random House CA won't do a new Reading Bingo card this year. I still have to decide if I'll just re-use the old one, or make a new one from scratch myself. Obviously help and suggestions are very welcome. I know many of my friends enjoyed the last one a lot, maybe if we put our heads together we could come up with something even better! \o/

It's 1 am, I just came home. I saw X-Men Days Of Future Past.

It was bloody AMAZING.

We laughed, we cried, we cheered, we cried some more. It was perfect. The seventies were so perfect it was like watching Life on Mars. Quicksilver was perfect. Everything is perfect. I may or may not be a little high on this film right now. More coherent thoughts when I wake up tomorrow.

It is time. Time to buy tickets for Iron Man 3. Marvel Phase Two, I'm ready! \o/



April 24, 5 pm, in 2d (obviously). Yessssss! I now have to perform the Nausicaa Happy Dance (tm). Visual aid, think of Miranda dancing to Build Me Up Buttercup. That's it. :D

Getting ready for the gym! I haven't been there in nearly two months, it's going to be fun. I'll probably collapse on the floor five minutes in, but what the hell, it was time to go back! And I missed everyone there too. Not to mention I'm ridiculously out of shape, I get out of breath walking up the stairs to my door, this is unacceptable.

Highlights of the day! I finally recieved my copy of the Travelling Lemon book! It's the most marvellous pdf that ever was, and I already recognized two friends and my entry got a whole page and there are so many awesome places, it's amazing! I spent a good ten minutes squeeing and flailing my arms like a muppet and then called Tati and proceeded to squee in her ear some more. :D

And I finally got my Hawkeye: My Life As A Weapon copy, and holy hell it is so GOOD. I mean, I knew it was a great book because I only read great reviews about it from people I admire, but I wasn't expecting to be so amazing. Plus the peculiar inking, the way time expands in some pages and jumps from present to past in others reminds me a lot of Clover by CLAMP. Just compare this page to this one to know what I mean. ♥

And off I go to don my gym clothes (Kingdom Hearts t-shirt and black sweatpants), wish me luck! And a higher than usual blood pressure too! ;)

Oh what a day, I recieved all the orders I did in July. Which is weird, because they're from different sites, on different dates, and one of them was even supposed to be a birthday gift for myself (so, you know, next month), but apparently the stars are in position or whatever, because my room looks like Santa Claus just paid me a visit. \o/



First, the birthday gift. It's an amazing Avengers skirt I bought on Etsy. It's custom-made, so I had to give them my measurements, and I thought it would take them a lot longer to make it and ship it. And yet, here it is. The quality is great, better than I hoped. It's very soft, comfy, and the red ribbon is actually a belt, so it fits perfectly. And the best part is that with the appropriate stockings I can wear it in the winter too!



Then, the other two packages. My new S.H.I.E.L.D. bag from Etsy (the same seller who did the I Am Sherlocked minibag, she's so talented), The Art Of Marvel artbooks (a note on artbooks: when we first got into the anime/manga fandom, Mom and I started collecting every artbook we could get our hands on. We bought the first one two days before my first surgery, that was painful as hell but went fine, so we had this inside joke that artbooks brought us good luck. Plus we loved them. So now that I found out there are artbooks of Marvel movies, I wanted to buy them all, but they were quite pricey. Then a fanfic writer I follow on tumblr told me there was this special edition, which costed one third of the collective price for all four artbooks, and I obviously got it straight away), the Kingdom Hearts 3D official guide (which looks exactly like the first Kingdom Hearts guide, cue trip down Memory Lane), the second Cabin Pressure boxset (YYEEESSSSS! Best summer ever!), Carry The Fire by Delta Rae and Rock Swings by Paul Anka.



The artbooks came with a poster. An amazing, gigantic poster that made me squee in delight and do a little dance all around. I have a couple of ideas about where to hang it, although I'm an older and wiser Emperor now (and if you got that reference, I must hug you), and I'm going to put it in a frame first. I have two other things I have to frame before hanging them on the walls, and I'm waiting for the end of the summer to do it. That's because the shop is on the other side of town, I'd have to go there on foot carrying a bag with precious, fragile prints, and I'm too lazy to do it in this heat.

You can also see the S.H.I.E.L.D. necklace I bought along with the bag, it has the acronym on one side, the logo on the other.



Close-up of the Cabin Pressure boxset. I'm worried as it doesn't have the Christmas special, it ends with Limerick. I wonder if they're going to put it in the third boxset, although it wouldn't make much sense. I just hope they didn't cut it out entirely, because it's one of my favourites. Crossing my fingers here. This time the booklet is written by Douglas, we have the Hey Chief notes, a few lists (dwarves, sins, etc), a few phone numbers from various women, a Hangman game that looks suspiciusly like a grumpy Martin, and pictures of cheeses.

And yesterday I had an amazing night of sleep. I was wearing ear plugs, as the neighbour upstairs is very noisy when getting ready for bed, and has an annoying smoker cough, but the other times I used them I woke up around 1 am and took them off. This time I fell into a deep sleep, and woke up all nice and cozy just before the alarm went off, and it was so refreshing. Hurrah for ear plugs and for my uncle who told me to buy them! *_______*

I just received my latest order from Adagio Teas! It got here way faster than the last time. They're all from the same seller, the one who did the Sherlock and John teas. I can't wait to serve all these new teas to my aunt! \o/ This time I ordered teas giving more importance to how they would taste (among those with characters I love, obviously). ^^



From left to right:

Reichenbach Recovery - "Only time will heal your broken heart. Maybe this tea will at least bring a little comfort until Sherlock reappears. This is purely indulgent. My favorite tea for a while has been Earl Grey bravo, with a dash of hazelnut syrup (it's what I order at coffee shops when I go with my friends, since I don't drink coffee). It's a very comforting taste to me, and the flavors all go surprisingly well together. It's a bit like fresh baked cookies."

Tardis - "Tastes bigger inside the cup [Ethereal earl grey and enchanting black berry with notes of vanilla]"

Clint Barton - "A slightly playful blend that may be hard to take very seriously, but will prove to be strictly business when under fire."

Natasha Romanoff - "A worldly blend, based off of Russian tea culture. A strong, smokey tea perfect for a busy spy."

Loki - "Cool, refreshing, but just a bit dark, with a hint of floral undertones. This blend truly shines when iced."

My therapist made me promise I wouldn't overdose on caffeine, so we decided I could only drink one cup a day. And I already had my Countess Grey one today. It'll be so hard to wait until tomorrow!

I'm back! I spent the weekend at Tati's, while a storm came and the temperature dropped ten degrees at least. Not very pleasant on sunday night when we were walking through a deserted parking lot, wearing skimpy dresses, at 10 pm, going to the cinema to see Spiderman. Crap, it was so cold. The air-conditioned cinema actually felt warm in comparison.

On saturday we finished our Game of Thrones marathon... almost. The last episode, Valar Morghulis, was corrupted, so it stopped working 8 minutes before the end. I was absolutely shocked. It cut off that cliffhanger, and we had no way of downloading it or anything before two days. What the hell.

On sunday we had to go to the local pharmacy, because three days ago, during the night, I was attacked by rabid insects or demon flies or something of that kind, as my arms and hands are full of poisoned blisters and bites, and they hurt like hell. Tati even feared it could have been an allergic reaction to something, but no, it was insect bites that didn't give me any super powers, just the inability of using my fingers for anything, and woke me up in pain everytime I turned in my bed at night. Anyway now I have meds, so it's slowly getting better. What the hell though. Again.

And now, let's talk about the movie! Important info first: I love Spiderman in the comics. He's a fantastic character. And I hated the first Spiderman movies (I didn't see the third one, but considering I enjoyed the first two movies just as much as I enjoy going to the dentist, it wasn't high on my list). I absolutely *loved* this movie. Spiderman finally acted like the one from the comics, Andrew Garfield was great, Emma Stone amazing as always, they put the focus on the characters, not the fight scenes, and the villain was a fascinating, complex character. Stan Lee's cameo was his best yet, and it referenced Kick-Ass so much, I was in heaven. On the way home we kept talking about how this Spiderman would interact with the Avengers, as we both hope they solve that copyright conundrum and let him join the Avengers as he should. It would be so awesome. A baby Science!Bro joining the team. *__________*

And now off to download Breaking Bad and Leverage! Two of my favourite shows are finally back! \o/

It was a day full of curve balls, but I managed to dodge them all and still have a smile for everyone. Nausicaa: 1 Life: 0. Tomorrow it's therapy time, and we haven't seen each other in three weeks, and I'm literally leaving post-it notes all over the house so that I don't forget any little thing I have to tell her, that's how crazy it's gotten to. I'm also going to check with Mom's doctor, as she hasn't feeling very well lately. As it turns out, she suffers the hot weather just like she did before the coma, so nothing out of the usual, but everyone got a scare.

Leaving real life on the side, it was a lovely day fandom-wise. Coming back home I stopped at the comic book store, and asked the guy at counter if he had any idea where I could buy the sticker album for those Avengers stickers they had given me at the Disney Store back in Verona. As luck would have it, he had one, which was left in his care by a customer, to give to a friend. What a random and crazy happenstance! :D We started reminiscing about our childhood, back in the 80s, when we used to buy sticker albums. I remembered my Little Mermaid one, and he told me he had one for this cartoon, and I hope that link can make you even glimpse the girly 80ish atmosphere that had burst all around us while reminiscing. I love hanging out with guys my age. Magical. :D

There was a last stop before getting home, to buy the first piece of my first cosplay ever (duh-duh-duh-dum), as seen in this picture:



I'm going to play it all mysterious, but it's actually easy to figure out which character it'll be. ;)

There was also a package from Amazon waiting for me, with the first Cabin Pressure boxset! It's the first season, on three cds. Other than that, they could have made a little effort with the packaging or the booklet, but I shouldn't complain. ^^"


There's a list of things that make you completely happy, by Arthur: the first item is something concerning apples, and the others read "when you really don't want to get up, and then you realize you don't have to / when you get home and your dog goes bananas / when you think you've lost your wallet, and then you find it / toblerones". As usual, Arthur is my spirit animal.


Dodging a suprisingly hyperactive Sakura who wanted to steal my camera, I set at my table to arrange those stickers I already had, while listening to Fitton on my stereo. I think this should be added to the 'pure happiness' list. *____*


I was surprised to see most stickers belonged to the same two pages, plus one Hawkeye, and one Iron Man. And I only got two identical ones, I feel lucky! I had completely forgotten sticker albums always have a poster inside, so there was that too. :D


It took me a few tries to peel the paper off the first sticker, but then it all came rushing back. Hurrah for feeling like a six-year-old again! \o/

Today sent me all sorts of mixed signals. The morning was splendid. Everything I set out to do went perfectly, and everyone I met was incredibly nice to me. I had all kinds of wonderful conversations with strangers. Then I had some problems at the bank (they changed my account's number), and I had to call four different callcenters, and that got me so nervous I was on the verge of tears. But then everyone who answered was exceptionally nice, and now I have solved almost everything, and only have to visit another office on thurday. Crisis averted, faith in humanity stronger than ever. And I even rescued Sakura who was trying to eat a bumblebee. I scooped her up and rushed her inside before the bumblebee decided to act.



On the way to the bank I walked by a little music store. I checked the windows, and they had Harvest by Neil Young. It was my dad's favourite album, and I already had it (both tape and cd), but I suddenly remembered all the times he told me of when he bought the LP, as a teen, and how much he loved listening to it. So I entered and bought it. The clerk put it in a transparent plastic bag, I walked out, and a middle-aged couple saw it, and the man stopped and said, in awe: "Harvest. Neil Young. Congratulations." I stopped on my tracks, smiled and said thanks, a bit surprised. He went on praising the album and my taste in music, and I thanked him again, and we talked about how the classics stay in our hearts, and that even if cds have the best sound, vynil records have an inimitable nostalgia factor.

Today shall be remembered as the day corporations tried their best to piss me off, while strangers made my day so much brighter.

It was also the day my Art of the Avengers artbook finally arrived, which made me squee and do a dance around the living room to Heart of Gold, while Sakura silently judged me.



She can't understand why I got so excited over that book, while it came in a much more interesting box.



Along with a few Civil War comic books, that are apparently very comfy.

day one • a song
day two • a picture
day three • a book/ebook/fanfic
day four • a website
day five • a youtube clip

I'll go with the latest book I bought, Professor Moriarty : The Hound of the D'Urbervilles by Kim Newman. It arrived two days ago, I haven't had the chance to read it yet, so here's what Amazon has to say about it:

Imagine the twisted evil twins of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson and you have the dangerous duo of Professor James Moriarty - wily, snake-like, fiercely intelligent, terrifyingly unpredictable - and Colonel Sebastian Basher Moran - violent, politically incorrect, debauched. Together they run London crime, owning police and criminals alike. When a certain Irene Adler turns up on their doorstep with a proposition, neither man is able to resist. An entertaining and wickedly humorous crime adventure from the bestselling writer of Anno Dracula.

Sounds so fascinating! *____*

On the fanfic front, my favourite Avengers fic, and one of the best I have ever read, In Which Tony Stark Builds Himself Some Friends (But His Family Was Assigned by Nick Fury) by scifigrl47. It has everything, humour, romance, drama, great character development, an eye for the comics while keeping the movie characterizations flawless, it is definitely an A+.

I'M BACK!!! Wow, that was a long trip. I took the first train at 7:30 am. My aunt parked the car four minutes before the train left, and we had to run uphill to reach the station. Those years at the gym are surely paying off. I arrived in Turin at 9, and met my eldest cousin, who's studying there. We hadn't seen each other in six months, and she looks older and more beautiful, wow. We had breakfast, and talked a lot, mainly of Game of Thrones. We're both crazily excited about the season finale on sunday. :D

Then I took another train at 11, and spent the next five hours reading Game of Thrones on my Kindle, running to the bathroom (it's the second day of my period, yuk), and watching the scenery. No earthquakes this time, and a taxi ride later I was finally home. Sakura was absolutely flabbergasted. She looked at me as if I was a ghost. She's been in my neighbour's care for only two days, but I guess for a cat it still feels like a long time. She's been following me steadily ever since, and I almost tripped on her twice while cleaning up the air conditioning unit - it's so hot and humid here in Venice, as soon as I came in I took the filters off and washed them, so that tomorrow I can use it, at least to dehumidify the air a bit. There were no damages because of the earthquakes, except for a little wooden camel I bought years ago in Tunisia, that fell from a shelf and broke. Some of my manga were scattered too, but none had fallen on my action figures, so no damage there either. ^^

I had two packages on the kitchen table waiting for me, and I tried to take a picture of the content like I usually do, but Sakura kept getting in my way. XD





Now it's time for some tea, a bit of dusting, and then I'll lie on the couch for a while. These long trips are very tiring when one's on her period. ^^"

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There are also some great fandom news:

- You can vote the cover for the Travelling Lemon project here. ^^
- The sequel to X-Men First Class has a release date, summer 2014! YES!!!
- Some pictures of Eleven's New Outfit! I love it! Yesterday I also read some huge spoilers about the identity of the new companion, but my lips are sealed. ;)
- They're releasing a Phase One Avengers Bluray Collection: all the six prequels, plus the Avengers movie, in one delicious package. It would be so freaking tempting, if I didn't already own them all. Still, holy crap, so tempting.