Sideline interests

Happy weekend!

As many of my twitter buddies know, this weekend I went to the beach. This isn't gonna turn into one of those "ha ha I'm at the beach in summer and it's snowing where you are" posts - although interpret as you will - I just wanted to take this opportunity to show you the results of a little hobby of mine, photography.

Cos apparently, with work, life, Girl Guides, life, twitter, blogging.... umm, I have spare time. Yeah...

I tweeted a few of these pics over the last few days and I had a fantastic response. Thank you all for your support. I love sharing my photos. If anyone is interested and would like me to email higher resolution images, let me know.

Oh yeah, and in case you're wondering, this is Waihi Beach.

It's true!

What interests (non-twi) do you hold that we don't know about? Tell everyone in the comments!

Kiwi-Ed's hotel room adventure. Oh dear.

So, last week I went to Wellington for business. Boring, boring, boring.

Imagine my surprise when I open my case on arrival to find Kiwi-Ed, with a sly, nasty little grin on his face. I was in a pickle. What should I do? Take him with me in my handbag and risk public embarrasment, or leave him in the hotel room and risk potential destruction of property?

It was quite a quandry. In the end, after much debate, I decided to shut Kiwi-Ed in the hotel room fridge. There was no safe, or wardrobe, so I decided the fridge was the next most secure location. For his own safety, of course. Hey, it's not like he was gonna get cold or anything, right?

I thought this was a fool-proof plan. Each night I got back to the hotel and he was still there, mumbling about human vampire rights and pacing the floor when I let him out of his chilly prison. This was all well and good, until I checked my camera (which had been safely tucked into the bottom of my case) today. Well, well, well, look what I found:

The commentary on these photos is my own - what I can only imagine Kiwi-Ed was thinking at the time. He most likely has a lot to say on the matter, but as he is currently on the naughty-step with vampire-proof duct tape (there is such a thing here in NZ), I am not allowing him to make conmment.

"Now, where did TwiKiwi leave the laptop?
She took it with her? Stupid girl" [thank gawd I did!]

"At least she has good taste in hotel-room-DVD-entertainment.
But who is that idiot on the right? I'll make sure he's out of shot"

"Room service? Do you have any human blood?
Hello? Hello?"

"Bored bored bored.
There aren't even any trees to climb. Or Spidermonkeys"

"What the hell does she use all this shit for?
There are things guys should never see"

"Yep, still got it"

"Perhaps I could start some fun.
If only fire couldn't kill me - that would really suck"

"Hmm, the perfect feather density. I have plans for these later on.
Wait, what? TwiKiwi's coming back? Well shit, that'll ruin everything"

"This is WAY more like it. Peaches & Cream, eh?"

Oh dear. Next time, I think I'll take my lockable suitcase, and check it thoroughly before I leave.

Our Darkest Day

I post this in response to many tweets and emails I've had from my twi-sisters. Thank you so much for all your kind words.

Today New Zealand suffered - and continues to suffer - one of it's darkest days. Our largest southern city, Christchurch, has once again been struck by a large earthquake. This was an aftershock from the quake back in September but due to the proximity to the central city, the time of the day (1pm) and the shallow nature of the quake, the devastation is much, much worse.

Devastatingly, there has been loss of life today. At this time there are an estimated 65 people who have passed. Many others remain missing. For up to date news, please click here.

Thank you so much for your kindness via twitter and emails. I live in Auckland, in the North Island, so am safe. I do have friends, colleagues and family in Christchurch and all but a few have been in touch. I wait anxiously to hear from others, however mobile phone networks are overloaded.

If you would like to donate to the earthquake recovery appeal, please click here.

Christchurch Cathedral - before

the Cathedral today

Yet again today, I have been reminded about the sheer power of friendship and love amongst this twi-dom. Thank you all so much for being you.

Fic recs galore!

RL is kicking my arse right now, but I've had this draft prepared for a while. So, without further ado...

Let's talk Fan Fiction!

I've been reading a fair bit lately and thought I'd share some of my favourites. Let me know if you've read them!

[the italicised text is the blurb from FFn, the rest of the text is my opinion. My computer is being a bit of an arse so the links are not showing up properly. Click the titles. Oh, and forgive me for not adding banners. Or proper spacing. It's late and I can't be bothered - I know, call the Whambulance....]

THE RED LINE

WinndSinger

Edward is an exotic male dancer. Bella is a college student studying psychology and needs a subject to do her thesis on. Bella pays Edward to belong to her for 2 weeks so she can study him. Things soon get very interesting between them.

I know this fic has been around for ages, I just caught up and read it. LOVED IT! This Edward is so fucking sweet, and the stuff he goes through... I had to skip a couple chapters (you'll know them when you get to them) but regardless, brilliant read.

COTTON CREEK

rtgirl

Bella is a travel nurse who moves every six months. Edward is a music teacher in a small southern town who gave up his Nashville dreams to return home. She never knew what a home was…until he gave her one. Fun/Fluff/Romance/No angst. Some citrus.

This is the most recent fic I've read after reading a rec on Twitarded. So cute! I haven't read a 'no angst' fic for EVER so it was kinda refreshing. And a Southern Edward? Ooh yes please, ma'am.

RED LETTER YEAR

theswandive

Alice needs to leave her single life behind. Venturing out with her brother, she finds more than she expected in a pair of warm brown eyes. What started out as a physical need may, in fact, be more.

This is my first foray into femmeslash after theswandive told me about her story. I love it! Alice x Bella. If you've never tried femmeslash but you're curious, give it a go! It's not complete yet but it updates regularly. Also, this Alice is fuckawesome with an intense backstory. I can't wait to see what happens.

PUDDLE JUMPING

107yearoldvirgin

To know the ending, you must start at the beginning. I'm Isabella Marie Swan. Eighteen years old. Senior. Short in stature. Skinny fat. Brown hair and eyes. And this is my story. It's not your run of the mill fairy tale.

If you haven't read this fic, shame on you. It was complete a couple weeks ago, updated every day! That's some commitment from 107yearoldvirgin! It'll make you laugh, cry, laugh again, cry some more. Please add this to your list, it holds a very important message.

LAST TANGO IN FORKS

Awesomesauce76

Bella Swan has spent a lifetime putting everyone else's needs before her own. Could a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger begin to change all of that?

LTIF rocks my world. Seriously, the lemons - ooooh them lemons. You will never look at butter the same way again. Oh yeah, and the story is awesome too. Nearly finished, I think.

WELCOME TO PARADISE

suzie55

During a summer long stay in Hawaii, Bella meets Edward, letting her inhibitions go. With other options on the horizon, she eventually has to decide between her heart's desires and her head's logic. Lemons Angst Canon Lemons Happy Reading.

Mmmm I loves me some Surferward. This is nearly finished too, and has been an awesome ride. [twss]. Oh, and Team Pineapple FTW!

THE CULLEN CAMPAIGN

belladonna1472

Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan both have parents who are powerful on Capitol Hill. Problem is, their families are political enemies. What happens when Democrat!Edward and Republican!Bella bump into each other at Union Station in D.C.?

Ooh... politicward? Yes please. This story is great, from the first chapter on the train till the latest update. I am not sure how much longer it has to go, but you gotta jump on this train. Pun intended. Do it! Oh, and I hate this Emmett. I've never said that before, but so far, it's justafied.

THE BLESSING & THE CURSE

TheBlackArrow

By pretending she is falling for Edward, Bella is fulfilling Esme's dying wish. But sexy, possessive Edward can read her mind. Will she ever get into his? Can Bella forget the pain of her teenage years, and can she resist his relentless seduction?

It's been a while since I read this but all I know is that this was one that made me stay up all night. Possessiveward is a little annoying at first - hmm, ok, alot annoying - but you'll come around to him. Trust. 

THE TRIP HOME

MsKathy

When Bella takes a long overdue trip back to Forks, an unexpected detour helps her find her way home. M for adult themes and lemons.

This is the only polyamorous fic I've ever read - Edward x Bella x Jasper. If you haven't tried poly, I can recommend this. I know it's not for everyone, but let me just say this - I stayed up all night, I re-read bits, and oooh boy I wanna go back there. Curious? Try it!

ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT ANARCHY

Hunterhunting

One-shot submission for the Tattward and Inkella contest. A little 1980's anarchy Edward meets a not so innocently innocent Bella.


The only O/S in today's recs, I love this one for the punk, the tatts, the attitude... oh, and the sex. Add it to your list today!


So, there we have it. 10 recs from me. So... have you ready any of these? Do you have more to share? C'mon... leave me some comment lurve...

TwiKiwi hits Fifty.... that's what she said

Hi honey I'm home! Thanks for the well wishes. The RSI is almost back to normal and I can type again.... which is just as well, because it's time to announce a winner!

A couple of weeks ago I announced on Twitter that there would be a prize for TwiKiwi's 50th follower.

Well, what other number was I gonna choose? C'mon now...

Oh, I'm sorry, where was I?

That's right. My 50th follower! So without further ado.... drumroll please....it's

*** Miss TeJota! ***

Yay! Thanks TJ! There's a special gift on the way to TJ as we speak. Here's what she had to say:

"First off, I was ashamed that I wasn't following your site. So I rushed right over and didn't even care which number I would be I just needed to be a follower. Then to find out I won a prize on top of learning about your awesome blog was UH-mazing. I was so excited. I FLOVE stuff. Especially when it's free and coming from New Zealand, the place I've always dreamed of visiting." *bouncy*

Thanks for your kind words TJ! Check out TJ's blog here.

The moral of this story is, of course, follow me! Who knows what might happen when I get to 100.... that's double Fifty.... ooh the mind boggles.

*AHEM* and now for a moment of seriousness - THANK YOU all, so much. For everything. For all the witty comments, tweets, retweets, emails, and LOVE that you show me, and SparklyJul (who is always lurking) in this crazy world we call Twitardia. I really wouldn't be without you now, you are my life now [cue eye roll: there had to be a quote there, natch it was gonna be that one]

Without further ado, check out these amazing MotU vids that Biel has created. She is such a talented lady. I'm sure you've seen these before, but if not, head over to Biel's new YouTube channel and show your support. She's re-uploaded everything that Scummit pulled a few months back.

Sigh. I really do heart Fifty, even if my name doesn't say so anymore.