maireadinish

I used to work on a ship. Obviously it wasn't a starship, it was just a cruise line. But you know, we had at least one evacuation drill every cruise. The different departments (bridge, engineering, medical, security, etc.) also had at least one specialized drill every cruise. Crew was exercised for fire, medical emergencies, listing (when the ship tilts unexepectedly), man overboard, piracy, and a huge number of other things. It is was done every couple of weeks. Even the passengers had an orientation that detailed how they would evacuate in the case of an emergency.

With that in mind, I wonder how on earth, or rather in the universe, anyone on a starship could ever get bored while on duty. I see many writers talking about all the sitting around the crew has to do. I worked on a CRUISE Ship and a TEACHER, and I had to do crew training all the time. My ex was an engineer and he worked 10-12 hours a day, 7 days a week - and was constantly busy fixing things. And this was in a department of 300. Do you see what I'm getting at? On a military/exploratory ship like the Enterprise that is constantly being attacked, there would be no boredom on the bridge, in sick bay, or in engineering. Granted, when people were off shift, they were really OFF. But when on duty, everyone stays busy. There would be drills for any number of scenarios to practice (and create). There would always be something to fix. There would always be a change of schedule to fix, personnel problems to manage, supplies to order, load, unload, evaluate. Experiments running constantly, mapping to do, mapping to correct. On and on.

And now I'm finished.

I recently found a SpockPrime/T'Pol fic. While I didn't really enjoy the fic that much (just not in the mood at the time, not because of the style), I thought it was a great idea for a nu!Trek het pairing. Anyone know of any?

Does anyone post ST:Reboot fic outside of LJ and DW? It occured to me today that there might be some fic on skyehawke (there is, but only a little). I've looked at ff.net - but that site is blocked at work and really has a lot of bad fic to wade through. I've tried doing google searches, but that results in insane amounts of fic, some good, much bad, some Reboot, a lot of TOS (not really my bag, unless I can mentally insert the reboot cast) as well as the random link to completely unrelated crap. I just suspect that this fandom is bigger than I"m seeing and I'd like to know where I can get more.

So. Star Truck. Hmm...

1. YOUR SPY NAME: (middle name and current street name) Marie Daehyun (Not my street name - my apartment name, because Korea doesn't do street names)

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy) Betty Twizzlers

3. YOUR RAP NAME: (first initial of first name, first three or four letters of your last name):J. McC

4. YOUR GAMER TAG: (a favorite color, a favorite animal) Grassy Knoll Tarsir (Target has the greatest names for colors)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Marie Butler

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name) McC'Sch'Mol (Yikes)

7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards) Eiram Renffahcs

8. PORN STAR NAME: (first pet's name, the street you grew up on)? Goldie Shannon (Guess what my first pet was)

9. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, the automobile your mom drives) The Green Caravan (Bleurgh)

10. YOUR ACTION HERO NAME: (first name of a main character in the last movie you watched, last food you ate) Coraline Pesto

I had no idea how easy it was to get a visa. Today I went to Busan. Found the travel agency (which was actually a bit of a challenge, but I had my handy dandy wifi capable ipod to help me.) I handed over my application, 170,000 Won, my passport, and a copy of my Alien Card and then went about my business. I had no idea how much that was weighing me down until I did it. Now at least I know that I can do it. Easy as pie.

Dear everyone who is making Reboot Icons and writing reboot fic:

You have stolen my life.

I love you.

Yeah, I'm a geek.

A great fest over at insanejournal.


phoenix_flies

The Fifth House 
By MaireadInish 
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction; it is not intended to harm or change the world. I make no legal claims over the rights to this work. I do not own Harry Potter. 
Summary: This story is an AU. It is based on the omniocular May challenge and the fifth house challenge issued by maireadinish(that would be me. Please feel free to add your own response to this challenge.) 
Rating: PG (K+) 
Warnings I may offend accountants and pygmies. That is not completely intentional. Sorry. 

Godric Gryffindor swallowed hard against the discomfort he felt at being here. He didn’t want to be in this place, looking for someone who he didn’t know, but whose reputation definitely preceded him. The others had insisted, however, that the man was needed. And as the youngest of the four, Godric was often shunted off to do the scut work. 

Who else, Helga had asked distractedly as she shuffled building supplies among a dozen overzealous house elves, could they get to organize the stairs needed to both encourage the students to get to class on time and to remain defensible against possible invaders? Moving stairs would be the perfect thing to trip up any invaders, after all. Salazar had grudgingly admitted that despite his oddities, the man was actually quite brilliant. Rowena had logically added as well, “that many hands make light work” and that, as such, five was obviously better than four. She was always rather pedantic like that, huffed Godric to himself. No one had actually consulted him. 

And so Godric was dispatched to knock on the door of the oddest wizard of the age. He braced himself for what lie ahead, whether he was to be swamped by a surprise attack of half plucked (but otherwise healthy) pigeons, or hexed with gills and a burning desire to eat salmon. Unfortunately, as the man in question never repeated his traps, Godric would just have to be prepared for anything. 

And so he raised his hand and knocked. And waited. And waited some more. And then he waited still longer. Finally impatient, the wizard raised his hand to knock again, only to find that his hand stuck to the door and that he was slowly, but surely being sucked through the wood. 

Now, one may not be aware of this, but being sucked through four inches of oak is not a pleasant experience. Particularly, as in this case, he didn’t just come through the other side. Rather, he found himself fully sucked into the door, trapped between the outermost layers of wood and fully integrated into the grain, the wood both scratchy and viscous against his skin. It was a bit like being caught in headcheese laced with stone. In other words, decidedly uncomfortable. 

Some time later, a few hours perhaps, the owner of the house (hovel? Shack? Cottage? It was hard to tell from inside a door) arrived home. He gave a mighty guffaw and pulled the highly discomfited Godric from the door with one swift tug. 

Godric sat huffing on the floor where he had landed and looked up at his still chuckling host. The man was a short wizened man with a long black and silver beard and even longer hair, incongruously purple. He was dressed in a ragged robe, glitteringly gold, with an exceptionally large and stiff collar, sandals (despite the snow on the ground), and most unusual of all, a jellyfish jauntily perched on his head. 

“Patience,” my dear boy, the man croaked in an unusually frog-like voice “Is a vir... Oh, was that a paloon?” The man scampered off to look out the window, leaving Godric sitting open-mouthed on the floor. 

“Excuse me, um, sir?” Godric began as, after a moment to collect himself, he rose gracefully to his feet, “I was sent by my colleagues to present to you a proposal. You see…” 

“Hush, boy! You’ll attract hosenflies!” The man reprimanded with a hiss. “They always follow paloons. Nasty vermin they are, too.” 

“Um, yes, of course… sir.” Godric stammered dismissively, but in a reduced tone. “I have been commissioned by my colleagues to enquire as to whether you would be interested in an intellectual venture of, what we believe, to be of the utmost importance to the future of the wizarding world.” 

The man looked at Godric, unimpressed and harrumphed. “So old Sal finally admitted to needing me did he? I assume you’re here about this ‘school’ of yours, is it?” 

Godric flushed. It wasn’t just any old school. It was to be a thing of greatness, devoted to the education of witches and wizards until the end of existence. Their names would survive forever as the great founders of the greatest wizarding school ever created. Godric puffed out his chest and opened his mouth to continue. “Yes. I am here to ask you to join us as the fifth founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” 

>~< 

No one really understood how the sorting hat chose members of Uric’s house. The hat refused to tell any of the headmasters. Some years, for example, the hat chose every fifth person who donned the hat. Other years, it seemed completely random. One year, an extremely gifted (and apparently very bored) Ravenclaw analyzed fifty years of sortings and determined that the names of those sorted directly and arithmantically equated to the fifth word of every seventh book in the library in the year 1672. This particular Ravenclaw left the wizarding world and became an accountant. 

The odd thing is, in its thousand year history, every member of Uric’s house, bizarrely named “Henry” considered their life a success. And, even by “normal” standards, they were mostly correct. One wizard, for example, by the name of Tom Riddle, wrapped in the purple and brown of his house, became an ambassador to the Pygmy wizards of southern Chile. It was a real boon for the man and he was much celebrated by his housemates. Until he was eaten. Damn Pygmies.

You know, I've been reading HP fic for a while now and although I've seen plenty of AU's in which Harry is raised by Snape, McGonnagall, Lupin, Dumbledore, and Sirius, plus combinations of all of the above. But, you know, I've never seen any where he's raised by Flitwick, Sprout, or any of the other teachers. Why is there no Filiusitus challenge? We all know Lily was talented in Charms after all. Or why hasn't Sinistra stormed into the Dursleys and swept poor little Harry to her bosom? She seems like she could be formidable. Or perhaps Sprout, while examining some bush finds little Harry abandoned underneath and raises him as her own? Okay that's all. As if I had nothing else to do today.

I would like to see an AU fic, from any time period involving canon characters (Dumbledore, McGonnagal, Riddle, Marauders, Trio, multiple - really, any generation) based on the premise that there were 5 founders and, therefore, 5 Hogwarts houses.

What characteristic would this house be based on? Who would have had an alternate sorting because of it? Was the 5th founder an eccentric who just took students at random during sortings, or students who really marched to the beat of their own drummer? Perhaps he or she was extremely organized and pragmatic and so sorted students based on these virtues - the positive of such students would be that they get things done - the downside is that they may be calculating and unable to improvise. Or maybe this founder focussed on pure compassion and helping people, no matter what (Poppy Pomphrey would make a great head of house for this house!), or perhaps this founder was a follower who turned out minions. Or maybe this founder was spiritual, or stern or respectable, or grave, or wholesome, or self-reliant, or funny, or creative, or innovative, or neutral, or unflinchingly Dark or Gray...

Anyway, the ideal fic would have a brief introduction of the fifth founder (or be based on the founders time) and later show an alternate sorting for some or multiple characters and how these sortings affect the timeline.

Or, if anyone has ever seen such a fic, please let me know.

I just got back from the "staff getaway weekend (re: 25 hours, 5 of which were on the bus)" in Szczyrk (or however it is spelled). We had a really great time, even though it was a bit short. We left on Saturday after work and arrived at about 6:00. We ate dinner, played "team-building" (re: drinking) games and then hit the pub. We all got up at five (re: ten) to go for a hike (re: ride up the mountain on a ski lift). Now, to be fair to us, I got up at 8 and we did walk halfway down the mountain (the ski lift was shut down on account of high winds). So, our weekend away was a great success. Now I'm off to bed, so I'll be ready for work at 8 tomorrow. Dobranoc! (Pictures later this week - I hope).

This is a church in Gliwice; the town where I currently live.  I pass it every day on my way to work.



This is a shot of Prague at night:



The Main Square in Prague



Part of the Wroclaw Rynek



The chapel in the Wieliczka Salt Mines near Krakow

It's been a while since I posted, obviously, and so much has happened! I've now been teaching here for almost five months. I've travelled to Wroclaw, Krakow, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Prague. I'm hoping to go to Budapest in April, and *somewhere* in May.

Wroclaw is an amazing city; and unlike other places, devoid of tourists, for the most part. The Rynek (town square) is beautiful. The rynek is wonderfully colorful.  I spent the day with Caroline, Hugh, and Jamie just wandering around.  It was amazing.

In Krakow, I went to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines.
So very beautiful - and all carved from salt!


I spent Christmas in the Baltic States.  Problem is, I was attacked by killer munchkins - I got away, but not without some damage to my poor knee.  Oh dear.  Estonia was by far my favorite place to visit.  It's old town was heavily influenced by their neighbors across the sea.  And it was such a great place to spend Christmas day.  




A few weeks ago I went to Prague for a weekend - now that was amazing stuff.  I saw castles, churches, concerts.  I drank beer, coffee and absinth and something that tasted like Christmas.  Nostrovia!


So, now I just have to plan what I'll do next... (Perhaps I'll try to figure out how to include photos, when the instructions are all in Polish <sigh>)

Some of the teachers and I (Keiran, Linda, Caroline, and David) travelled to Pszczyny yesterday. It was rainy and wet and cold, but it was still a lot of fun. If nothing else, I learned a new card game on the train.

Pszczyny is a smallish town for Poland (38.000 residents). There's an 84 acre park with a Bison reserve (which we didn't get to) and an open air museum (which was pretty cool) and a palace (also very exciting). The palace was perhaps my favorite, if for no other reason than that we were required to wear slippers over our shoes and we could (and did) slide around on all the floors. It was the hunting lodge of some emperor and Princess Daisy who was apparently someone important. The "hunting lodge" was three stories tall and it took us three hours to walk around one wing of the place. I cannot even begin to imagine living there. That and all the dead animal bits would get on my nerves a bit. There is such a thing as moderation, after all. Who really needs an elephant tusk in their den? Or a dead wolf hanging from the ceiling?

Anyway, it was my first trip out and I feel much more confident about catching a train now. American public transport is practically nonexistent after all, so figuring out train schedules is not something I do often. Add to that that everything is in another language and one just has a crazy time of it.

The park was also quite beautiful despite how soggy it was. We stopped during a stretch of sunshine and had lunch (mmmm nutella) on a park bench. All in all, it was a nice day.

I am sick today. I always seem to come down with very noisy bronchitis at the most inconvenient times. I’m not sure if it’s allergy based – they’ve never heard of synthetic fibers to fill pillows and blankets in Poland and its hard Autumn now – or if its actually a virus of some kind.

Fortunately I have Barszcz czerwony. It’s a lovely clear soup that, because it’s hot and salty feels wonderful on the throat. Drinking something purple is a bit odd (it’s made of beets), but Poles really know how to make soup. I’ve also had Bogracz (a thick spicy! beef stew) and Zurek (a sour Kielbasa soup native to Silesia). I don’t suppose that you can tell I’m hungry at the moment? I think that despite my illness, I’m going to trek to the igloo in order to nutrificate. The “igloo” is a rounded glass building in the Rynek (the town center). It’s mostly a coffee shop/pub kind of place, but it does serve inexpensive meals as well. And, when it works, it’s one of the few internet hot spots in Gliwice. Going out for meals is going to be my downfall, but when you can get a whole meal (chicken fillet, fries, salads), including beverage for 10 zl (about $3.50 US), it’s so much easier than cooking.

I’ve finished training on Tuesday and had my first Callan lesson on Friday. I will be teaching three kids’ class – the Ladybugs, who are wonderful, the Kittens – who I’ve renamed the Wildebeests, spawn of Satan that they are, and the Lions – who I occasionally love, and occasionally loathe. I also teach an FCE class. FCE stands for First Certificate in English and is a British standardized exam similar to the American TOEFL. I haven’t taught it yet, but I’m looking forward to doing so. I think that it will be a nice change from Callan.

It isn’t that I think Callan is bad. It gets students talking in the first lesson and never lets them stop. I don’t think that I would learn well with the method; I’m better at learning when I can write stuff down. Basically, we ask questions and the students answer with the longest answer possible.

Teacher: Is war between two countries pleasant? (repeat).
Answer: No, war between two countries isn’t pleasant, but it’s unpleasant.

We just rapid fire questions from the book and the students answer them, mostly by repeating the structure. It’s an odd way to learn, but it seems to work. One of the biggest problems that I have with it is that it is almost entirely guided oral practice, but the tests are all written. Of a fifty-minute class, five minutes are spent on reading, and five on copying a dictation. Outside of that, they get no practice and there is no free conversation until the last of twelve stages (which takes about three years to reach). Also, some of the grammar is blatantly wrong. It’s also exhausting to teach, because you have to work very quickly, ask the questions fast, include gestures, project your voice, keep track of who has answered and who hasn’t, and be mindful of your next class.

OMS&G - Polish music video programs are *amazing.* On Sunday morning I woke up bright and early and flipped on the TV and, since I don't understand a word of Polish, I thought maybe music would be a good choice. The first video had this woman running through the woods. Okay, not too bizarre for a video, we have "Hungry like the Wolf" after all. But the woman is at least in her 50's. Now, I'm not saying this is bad. But I did think that perhaps it was a program designed for older people. The fact that the hosts were old people sitting on a bench in a park, pulling slips of paper out of a basket kind of reinforced this idea. I thought it was kind of nice that there was a MTV for the next generation.

The next video was Jessica Simpson. I was wrong.

Then, oh dear, they showed this amazing video. Two middle aged men, on playing the guitar, one playing the accordion (he didn't have teeth) stood in a *kitchen* and sang a song that I believe was about soup. At the end of the video all these kids came rushing in and they all ate soup. Take that VH-1!

I finally got my visa today! I have been waiting forever to get everything done and ready to go to Poland. First, I lost contact with my first employer; turns out that my e-mail provider started deleting everything but junk mail from my inbox. Then I found another job. It took forever for them to secure my working permit, but it took even longer for the permit to come in the mail (it was two weeks overdue). Then I sent all my paperwork to the embassy (overnight) and, despite having priority shipping, it took several days longer than necessary.

But now, I finally have it and I'm going to go to Poland this week!

Good Lord, what was I thinking?