The Madcap Gaffes

I don't think I want to know how Courfeyrac intends to be backed up :)

LiveJournal: The First Decade

Just in time for holiday shopping, we're thrilled to announce the release of our ten-year anniversary anthology. Published by Blurb.com, the book showcases a decade of extraordinary talent drawn from LiveJournal users around the world. This must-read compilation features stories, memes, photos, comics, editorials, graphic content, and more, including:

1. Excerpts from Oh No They Didn't (a/k/a ohnotheydidnt), the largest community on LiveJournal, covering celebrity gossip, entertainment news, and pop culture
2. A look at post-Katrina New Orleans from the journal of Poppy Z. Brite
3. Gripping narratives, including a poignant reverie on a blind date
4. Photography that spans the globe, ranging from old-fashioned Polaroids to underwater photography
5. Mouthwatering dishes from food_porn

What began as a late-night inspiration back in Brad Fitzpatrick's college dorm in 1999 has grown to encompass nearly 25 million users worldwide, with journals and communities covering every conceivable hobby, passion, and topic. To get your copy, please visit the Blurb Bookstore. For updates and entries from book contributors, please join lj_turns10.

Tweaks and enhancements

• You can now ban a user from all of your communities and journals at once. To access this feature, hover over the person's userpic and choose Ban user everywhere from the drop-down menu.
• Follow LiveJournal on Twitter!

Give a little to help a lot!

In honor of National AIDS Awareness month, we've added a new charitable vgift. For each red ribbon you purchase for $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to support the development and global distribution of an affordable HIV vaccine (we'll cover credit card fees). You can read more about IAVI at lj_cares. While we're on the subject, we raised $740 from our November fundraiser for Love Without Boundaries, which supports emergency healthcare and adoption of Chinese orphans. We thank you for helping us help others.

Photos of the week

We're back with more incredible pictures from our super-talented LiveJournal photographers. Congratulations to ilya_gorokhov, who is the winner of our very first lj_photophile poll.

We hope you'll continue to post, vote, and comment! A gentle request: Please post only one photo at a time and limit size to 350x350 (so images display properly on friends pages). And now, without further ado, get ready to cast your ballot and view more awesome user content after the jump!

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Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. Stay safe and snug out there!

Temeraire has turned up on fanficrants. I would cry if it weren't for the comment fic of Temeraire trying to cheer Laurence up by bringing him prostitutes.

GTFO, creepy skeevy person who thinks Laurence/Emily is in any way shape or form an idea that can even be written.

**EDIT Thu Dec 3 23:24:15 UTC 2009 **

Hey Everyone, we are about to run the last alter job that we need to on our database servers. This will effect userpics / scrapbook / vgift images for the next few hours. Have no fear, your images aren't lost, there is just a really intensive process running on the servers which store the information for mogilefs. Thank you for your understanding and all the LJ love...

Hey LJers,

I just wanted to let you all know that we are going to be performing some mogilefs maintenance over the next few days. We will be upgrading our current version to latest stable as well as changing some db config information to better handle the amount of files we are currently hosting. This shouldn't cause a big impact on site stability, but you may see some minor delays with userpic / scrapbook images appearing or other requests associated with our mogilefs. We would love to not have that happen, but unfortunately with some of the steps we need to take we have to cause a delay with images. I figured this was a better solution than taking down all of LiveJournal because well lets face it, we all need our daily LJ fix ;)

Thanks,

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're high on adventurous spirit, but low on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about inexpensive hotels and youth hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

But Christ, WTOP:

Red Line delayed after person struck by train
November 30, 2009 - 4:54pm
WASHINGTON - Riders should expect delays on both directions of the Red Line after a person was struck by a train Monday afternoon.

Metro Transit Police say they believe a person was pushed into the side of a Red Line train at the Gallery Place-Chinatown station around 3:35 p.m.

Metro says a preliminary investigation indicates two young men were fighting and one pushed the other into the side of the last car of a six-car train. The train was stopped at the platform at the time of the incident.

The person who was struck - a minor - was taken to a nearby hospital.

Metro held the train at the scene of the accident for 45 minutes. During that time, Red Line trains were single tracking between the Farragut North and Judiciary Square stations.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON - Riders should expect delays on both directions of the Red Line after a person was struck by a train Monday afternoon.

Metro Transit Police say they believe a person was pushed into the side of a Red Line train at the Gallery Place-Chinatown station around 3:35 p.m.

Metro says a preliminary investigation indicates two young men were fighting and one pushed the other into the side of the last car of a six-car train. The train was stopped at the platform at the time of the incident.

The person who was struck - a minor - was taken to a nearby hospital.

Metro held the train at the scene of the accident for 45 minutes. During that time, Red Line trains were single tracking between the Farragut North and Judiciary Square stations.

If the train was NOT moving, then that headline is like saying "Metrobus struck by pedestrian". Technically sort of true, except NOT.

At least I wasn't working today and I'm heading to Signature tonight, therefore I don't need Metro.

bookfails
Planning to do your part to help boost the declining publishing industry this holiday? Better check here first. Sure, there are plenty of folks who post glowing reviews of their favorite books. But what about the epic fails? Compose and/or discuss snarky, incisive critiques on the books you despise most.

foundphotos
Ever stumble across a frayed photo in your grandmother's attic? How about a faded picture tucked in the sleeve of an old novel at a used book sale? This is the place to post them. An amazing, eclectic collection of photographs sure to delight anyone with a penchant for history or nostalgic memorabilia.

note_to_cat
Having trouble conveying the concept of accountability to your cat? Now you can share letters to your significant felines and give public witness to your declarations of love and domestic negotiations. Whether you want to publish an apology for falling short on your cat-nip obligations or you need to raise a delicate hygiene issue.

It sort of has an ending! Like, an actual ending ending, not entirely just a convenient stopping place. (though I could always pick it up again next year and take it all the way to Paris the way I initially intended.)

50,008 words. In total, 108,180 words of coherent, though not necessarily good, original historical fiction, and I didn't have to pad the end with unwanted sex to do it.

Why is it I can write NaNo that no one will ever read, but I can't seem to write cover letters no one will ever read?

Ok, now to heat up dinner, and to start to work on Yuletide.

I have no words amazing. Forum's cast, the production, the text - I didn't realise there was so much humour.

I may have some coherent thoughts tomorrow, more than just KARL MILLER IS AMAZING AND I'M IN LOVE WITH PRIOR WHICH JUST FIGURES, DOESN'T IT? Yeah. Seriously in love with Prior as played by Karl.

Sobbing at the end. Sobbing. Thinking that I'm not sure how much I like how we've suddenly gone all "talk to the audience", except I'm sobbing, so it's obviously effective. Partly textual, I must say, what with the continued lack of civil rights.

Love love love love love. Seriously.

Have been making Thanksgiving dinner, cleaning up and posting new fic, picking at NaNo - and dammit, I don't think I have another 4200 words for reasonable ending. Possibly because I have an extra roughly 6000 words on last year's, and both together are one novel. I have my 100,000 words. Just not within the required time frame.

Damn.

I have a couple days to figure this out. I don't want to pad with sex because that's not the point of the ending as it is. It's fine if I were to go beyond, but it doesn't really serve the story to go beyond. It's sort of epiloguish if I can work another bit in, and I don't think I can extend what I'm working on. Grr.

Should probably clean up next part of From Childhood's Hour since I suspect some of you would like that posted this weekend. Also need to re-read some Thomas Paine and possibly start picking around on some Romantic research so I can actually finish that fic, and I need to do a review of the source material for Yuletide since I've got a week left on that. (I can do 1000 words, and I think I have my hook, but I need to review the source to make sure it all work with canon.)

Also, should have been writing cover letters. I suck.

Tweaks and enhancements

1. In order to improve site security, we've temporarily suspended the ability to change passwords for old email addresses that haven't been used for over six months. For further information and support, please visit our customer care page.
2. We've launched a new mobile site with an enhanced UI at m.livejournal.com. View spotlights, post to your journal, read and post to friends pages, and more, no matter where you roam! Please let us know what you think, since this will eventually replace our existing mobile interface. You can update your mobile preferences on your account page.
3. We've upgraded from Beacon to Facebook Connect to improve dual posting. If you've already signed up for Facebook Beacon, you're good to go. If you wish to update your Facebook Connect setting, visit Account Privacy settings and scroll down to the option labeled: "Send information about my updates to Facebook." You can choose Always or Ask each time. Remember to save (on the bottom left corner of the page). To learn more, check out FAQ 249. While we're on the subject, if you happen to be visiting that side of town, please join our Facebook fan page for a touch of home away from home.
4. You'll now receive the Writer's Block Question of the Day in the body of email notifications. To sign up for Writer's Block notifications, visit writersblock and choose the Watch Community option. Next, update your Writer's Block notification settings by checking the box to the right of "Someone posts a new entry to writersblock."
5. Paid and permanent users can now view, add, and edit Notes of commenters. Notes will appear beside the username of comment posters (instead of stars) on S1-themed comment pages.

Send some lovin' thanks to your friends with our holiday vgifts!

Photos of the week

We're so delighted with the immense talent of our growing, global lj_photophile community that we've decided to introduce a poll. Each week, we'll choose a half-dozen photos (based on user comments and staff feedback) and ask you to select a photo of the week. The winning photo will be announced in the next newsletter. If possible, please limit photo size to 350x350 to ensure that images display properly on friends pages. We want to thank you again (and again!) for sharing your passion.

Check out this week's photo poll and more fantastic user content after the jump!

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Curtains

Thanks for joining us. To our American friends, have a fantastic Thanksgiving. To all of our international neighbors, we'll eat a little extra for you!

I thought other Samuel West fans might like to know,

a) He has a Twitter.

b) You can watch a trailer for ENRON here and here. Disorienting American accent warning!

c) He's in the new Murder on the Orient Express. I actually have read the book and seen the Albert Finney movie several times, and yet like most Agatha Christie I never remember anything about it (except for the production values).

Anyone seen ENRON? There seems to be a Vanity Fair photoshoot coming up (although I don't know - is there a UK VF or just the one?).

I can haz new roommate!!!! Nothing is signed yet, but she says yes, and I need to check with the leasing office as to what their hours are this week because of Thanksgiving.

That is a huge weight lifted. I can manage on the no job front as long as I'm not paying rent and a half.

This is the best thing to happen in months.

Got behind with NaNo, but have now gotten back to just over 36,000 words, which means as long as I can do 2000 words a day for the next week, I'll be fine.

Am definitely self medicating with theatre, but how can I not when people are so awesome? No Boat was last night and was surprisingly awesome (want to go back if I can, but not enough to pay full price), so good to see Matt, am seeing the second half of Angels in America on Friday, Glory Days reunion concert on Monday, and am plotting for Camelot the following weekend. (because I rather like Camelot, and when the hell am I ever going to see Todd Alan Johnson again, and the word on the production from people I trust is that it's fantastic. and yes, I absolutely must take the opportunity to meet Todd in person because this is perhaps the most delightful coincidence of all the weird coincidences of DC casting out of NY ever.) Also, Ruy Blas reading the following Monday, then ushering for a Christmas Carol twice in something like a week. And possibly trying to figure out when to see the August: Osage County tour because that play is awesome and I'd love to see Estelle Parsons as Violet. Such a happy holiday season show that one is - although the Westons will make nearly anyone's family gathering look much better by comparison :)

Am being submitted for a receptionist position at the Embassy of South Africa. Not great money, but it'd be for a month, and that would be v. nice. (my guess is that theirs is South African and taking home leave, and I doubt the Embassy is needing to cut back the way the last receptionist gig turned out.) Job stuff isn't otherwise going anywhere. Everything that's being hired for right now is either higher level than I'm qualified for or marketing/communications positions for which I'm not competitive. There are a couple I need to write letters for, but I'm not optimistic.

This week need to find Christmas cards so I can get them ready and send them out after Thanksgiving. Networking ones, anyway.

I'm not quite in "I hate my life" mode, but my only optimism is theatre directed, nothing to do with life. It is very hard to write cover letters when you have absolutely no belief in anything. I may try decamping to Starbucks tomorrow morning. If I'm in public, I have to do work. And it's hard to hate life when drinking a pumpkin spice or eggnog latte.

As You Like It is, uhm, interesting. The cast is fantastic, I should say that right off. But how could it not be? Ted, Floyd, Andrew, and Aubrey, all in one cast. Plus Miriam is back, and i love her. So I enjoy the play, and I enjoy the cast.

( And now I'm going to cut for spoilers )

It's too bad, too - this will be a Free for All selection, and it has some crowd-pleasing elements, but I'm not sure I look forward to seeing it again. It is a great cast, though.

65redroses
Eva is a vibrant young woman with Cystic Fibrosis who survived a double lung transplant. Read about her difficult recovery and personal triumphs over pain, isolation, and fear. Back in school, Eva now works part-time in a children's center and enjoys running and cross-country skiing. A documentary on her story, entitled 65 Red Roses, won three awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

meet_other_moms
A warm and welcoming "Add me" community for moms of all ages and backgrounds from around the world. If you're a mom, just post a little about yourself and start connecting with other mothers based on similar hobbies, musical interests, book/TV/movie preferences, or taste in humor! A great way for busy moms to socialize online.

kitchenfaq
Want to share a fabulous home recipe for coconut bread? Suddenly run out of confectioner's sugar with company on the way and need to find out a quick in-house substitute? Searching for tips on what to charge for a custom-designed wedding cake? Whether you're a professional chef, an aspiring culinary wizard, or a happy home-baker, you'll get delicious guidance from fellow and sister foodies.