I've discovered the perfect way to catch up on my lj reading - mark everything as unread.

Writing
I just wanted to say yay, for I got Estel's Ears through HASA review. With a 7/2 ratio as well. My two declines had nice long reasons why, which was great. They also pretty much agreed with what one of my betas has been saying recently, which is a good thing. And being as I've questioned other people, I should ask this:
Ask me one question - any one - about my writing, then post this in your LJ so I can satisfy my curiosity about yours... (although in my case, it's more if I've asked you, or are going to but haven't quite got round to it yet, then ask me).

Stargate
I had a plan for Stargate which involved watching part 1 on Wednesday, in bed, and then part 2 on Thursday. Except that I was enjoying part 1 so much I went straight onto part 2. Here be spoilers.... I loved Amanda Tapping in it. And Jack and Daniel so fancy each other, don't they? Although so do Sam and Jack, still. I think my head is a strange place. But it was good fun, and great to see General Hammond, McKay (although since his name was in the beginning credits, that wasn't exactly a surprise - I hate it when they do that) and Kowalski.

The Bill
I hated Wednesday's episode, and Thursday's ordinary episode. We've been here before, and it was crap the first time. The half hour one, I liked though. I think perhaps it's the perfect length for The Bill - ie as much as you can take in one go. It does now feel like the end of an era. But left me with an urge to see Old Bill back again. I'm only really still watching for Gina, Smithy, Reg, Tony, Lance, and I'm quite liking Roger as well, he feels like one of the old crowd. But I really don't care who is sleeping with who, just give us a crime and solve it in an hour, not fifteen minutes if you take the sex out.

And on another note, I know through two people that slasher decided it was a good idea to watch when the PoG and Puke storyline was going on. Which, I'd like to point out, it was not. That storyline involved two personality transplants, and turned The Bill first gay copper from the sergeant who happened to be gay, but mainly was very straight, played by the rules and wasn't Bob Cryer, into the gay sergeant.

On a more positive note, I'm off to Redemption in a few hours, and Australia in a month.

I went to a foreign country last weekend - otherwise known as Up North. Or more specifically, Manchester. Which wasn't quite as scary and northern as I thought it was going to be. Although this view,

doesn't really do much for it.

Manchester must be a foreign country because I've only ever seen trams in the middle of the roads in Prague before
.

But it can boast the delights of:

I took 21 photos, I found out when I put them on my computer. I'm really not sure how I managed that. Although one of them is of a particularly blurry tram.

It was also very, very cold, and we got lost a lot. But the Air and Space museum had a couple of Enterprises, a TARDIS, a Dalek and a couple of Cybermen. Oh, and some planes. And we got to see a program being recorded! We went along to Granada Studios (where they film Coronation Street, and other programs I've not been desperate enough to watch) and got to see two-thirds of a gameshow being recorded. I say gameshow because that's what they called it.

We did see a couple of guys set a frying pan on fire, which was quite cool. The host, whose name I've entirely forgotten, introduced it four times - once with one camera, then with another but she said the words differently, so did it again, then couldn't pronounce 'superchef', so did it a fourth time. They recorded audience shots and laughter in advance. Hmm.

It was quite interesting though, but we had to leave before the end so I could get the train that would get me on the last bus. It's not going to be shown until the summer, so we'll have to wait to find out who won a cooking holiday to Goa.

I also had the most interesting train journey home. Even though it started from Manchester, it was pretty much breathing-room only. Why can Virgin not go back to ten carriage trains? So I stood outside first class, which was cold, especially when the door was open and it was snowing outside. It's since snowed three times today, so making that slightly less exciting. Never enough to settles properly though, but I digress.

A drunk girl fell out of the train at Wilmslow, so they dragged her back on, and took her off again at Stafford. A bloke in first class was watching Pirates of the Carribean on his laptop. Which sadly, isn't as good without sound.

At Birmingham the train managers changed over and the new one told the two of his in the corridor to go and sit in first class. Which was very nice and comfortable, but still cold. I did take half my bags to the toilet with me, and the bloke before me came out carrying his laptop. Which didn't surprise me at all.

So, I had a good time, I just seem to be missing sleep somewhere along the way. I also met Nic, although I was really disappointed no-one ever attempted to take both our names.

If you click on the photos you can see bigger versions.

I'm still alive. I think. Despite having had flu already this year, and a flu jab, I've had flu. Which is now lingering. I'm only up this late because whenever I got to bed I can't get to sleep. And it's entirely my mum's fault I dreamt about being covered in stick insects last night. I'm still trying to catch up on my life. I'm nearly there. Which is good because I'm away in Manchester this weekend, with Nic. Next week I could be out every night if I wanted, except that I think I might need some sleep at some point. Then the weekend after is Redemption!

But what I really wanted to talk about is Stargate. The other week I saved the episode of Atlantis because it was a two parter. Then, when I came to watch them both, part 1 was just a continuation of what had gone on before and part 2 was really part 1. Which annoyed me. Stargate had a two-parter at the same, so I saved that one as well. And that, I enjoyed. It was BIG. And had all the things that are good in Stargate. I'm suddenly quite liking Ba'al as well.

So I was really looking forward to the following Stargate, which as it was 90mins long I assumed was the equivalent of a two-parter (being as a two-parter is 90mins). Except that this fails to take adverts into account - it just never occurred to me that it's possible to fit 30mins of adverts into a 1 hour program. It might have been okay - let's face it you can't go from the universe's imminent destruction to flowers - except for when they got rid of [censored]. I was trying to work out if there's anyone left to get rid of an I can only think of one. Please can we not have a season 9, so he can stay alive?

This week's Stargate I'm saving for next, as it's yet another two-parter.

Sunday's Stargate I was particularly keen to see because it explains a lot of things about Atlantis I'd forgotten. I noticed they had a little bit of the Atlantis theme tune at the end of the episode! But, yes, that was a good episode. Another BIG one. I was completely shocked by Dr Weir. I knew she'd been played by someone different but I'd not really noticed. Which is quite bad really considering the original was blonde, the new isn't. Never mind.

Anyway, I had exactly the same reaction to her the second time round - didn't like her at first (she was replacing, the irreplaceable, General Hammond) but liked her by the end of it. I was trying to see her as the new Weird through the episode, but they were really different people. Which I can't complain about, given the Stargate film/TV series differences.

I've managed to be talked into going to Prime in September (Buffy con in Blackpool). Although not staying in the Norbreck because they'd have to pay me to do that. Um, yeah. Money. Grows on trees, doesn't it?

Enterprise's cancellation is obviously big news - it made my BBC news e-mail and The Guardian. It's not really a surprise though, I can't say I've been rushing to watch it (I will get round to it though, I'm only two episodes behind at the moment). It seems a shame when you compare it to Voyager, which was also crap, but didn't get cancelled. I saw every episode of Voyager - there should be medals for that.

I discovered recently that My Money can tell you all sorts of things about what you're spending your money on. I only started using it so I didn't have to add up all the things I'd spent every month, because it would inevitably go wrong and I'd end up having to do the sums at least three times. So from the beginning of January I started putting all my spending into categories and the results are quite interesting. The only trouble is that it's a bit difficult to write down where all the cash I get out of the hole in the wall goes to. It accounts for my second biggest spending, after rent, but I'm just not sure how to deal with it.

Happy Birthday for yesterday, Nessime.

I'm tired. It's entirely my own fault though, because last night I felt tired about 11pm, got ready for bed and then decided to stay up for The Dead Zone, which started at 11.55. And I hadn't seen it, contrary to what the TV guide said. And then I watched a program on sleep, which I yawned through. It did feature quizzes that said I was normal though!

Apparently, my sleep is very well-optimised, 89% according to the website although to improve it, it just said things I already knew, like go to bed and get up at the same time every day (nice, but unlikely, I feel), have a comfortable bed (same thing), calm down before you go to bed. Mind you, it also tells me I could increase my alertness with caffeine, and since I really don't like tea or coffee, it's basically telling me to eat chocolate. Sounds good to me.