Lokifan

So ten days ago I noticed a bunch of people had added me on DW and knew something had gone wrong with LJ. I did a quick flist check, this being in the middle of some Christmas madness, and saw. So you can probably already tell I think this is significant but not urgent.

Before I start: some of you have clearly realised this, because I started adding people and got subscribers back, but: Dreamwidth separates the two sides of friending people on Livejournal. If you subscribe to me, you see my entries on your flist. If you give me access, I can see your flocked entries. A lot of you are giving me access to your friends-only entries but not signing up to see my posts on your flist which seems like a mistake :)

I certainly think it’s a good idea to back up your LJ via Dreamwidth import: it’s amazingly quick and easy (although I keep my backup journal separate from my current Dreamwidth, because otherwise my DW entries would be twinned since I crosspost from there.) Dreamwidth in general has a lot of pluses over LJ and the people there tend to be fascinating and talented and erudite, even more than the average LJ comm, which is a pretty fucking high bar.

( I actually think the biggest vulnerability for the English-speaking fan communities )

So in summary, we'll see. Import but do not panic.

1. I have a shiny new layout! (On LJ, anyway... My DW desperately needs fixing up.) I went through four other ones before settling on this one. It’s a big change from my last one, but there’s still plenty of colour and I don’t feel like a shill for Nike, which is nice. Pklus I loved the unity of theme with that layout and my long-time default icon, but I do actually have a super-pretty Lokifan icon waiting in the wings which goes with this new layout nicely. Excite!

(Sorry, I care too much about layouts. But it’s pretty! And I get to have a subtitle again!)

2. The family is here! The first 48 hours were great, then there was a somewhat disastrous conversation about my future and the next day I failed HEAVILY. Couldn’t bring myself to go and meet them. Guilt guilt guilt. So much guilt, in fact, I didn’t log on to Skype to talk to my friends that day even though I really wanted to because then I’d have to admit why I felt like crap. The family went to Hanoi that day, and they’re back on Thursday. On Friday we leave to spend EIGHT DAYS TOGETHER in Cambodia. Pray for me.

3. I had my six-months observation at work today. It did not go brilliantly. I have the feedback from that on Thursday, plus my six-months professional development interview, and then I have to teach a three-hour class and then go and see my family for the first time since I flaked on them. THURSDAYS SUCK.

3a. Although the observed-by-my-boss portion of the class didn’t go fantastically, in the last forty-five minutes my students shared some watercolours and got a Plaster-of-Paris duck or crocodile each to paint. And two of them gave me their finished statues :D :D :D Two more didn’t want theirs, so me and Ngoc, the TA, took two home each. I took the two crocodiles, who are now sitting on my shelf getting to know the crocodile I painted myself with another class yesterday.

Had a lovely time with some friends this weekend, with lots of zombies and WATCHING OF THE ROOM – thank you, annephoenix! There was also watching of a GOOD film and eating home-made lasagne and chocolate tart. *wins at friends*

Apparently I didn’t mess anything up too much with the moving. My dad’s in an excellent mood now – he’s a lecturer on African economic history, and spent YEARS writing a long and impressive book about it. This long and impressive book just went paperback, which academic books don’t often do. So YAY DAD! We shall not make a penny, of course – he waived his cut so the book could be bought more cheaply by African universities, especially Accra and Asante – but he’s very proud.

I shall talk Amsterdam – at last! – and my Five Things meme very soon. ( But right now – I’m in Devon! )

I strongly suspect Livejournal will get rid of this Facebook/Twitter bollocks since it’s got nothing to do with how the majority of users, including non-fen, use the site. I hope so anyway! My RL and fandom lives are relatively connected but I’ve been burnt by lack of privacy – particularly by misguided friends outing me without realising I’d mind. So this is definitely worrying!