Jamie, Your Birth is Definitely Something to Celebrate

Yep, you read that right... it's @Jaymes805's birthday!

Not only that, it's her dirty thirtieth birthday. Welcome to the most awesome decade yet, love!

Demanda, Jamie's roomate, BFF and partner in crime, has created a birthday tribute spectacular over at BorderlinePhenomenal... so you should check it out, if you haven't already.

Jamie is a pretty awesome chick. She's one of my best friends in the world. We tweet, we email, we chat during work hours, we just...click. It's like she just GETS me. I love her to pieces.

She has random quirks. She has a cat called Jasper. She needs white noise to sleep. And she is one of the biggest Jackson Rathbone fans there ever lived. She enabled me to meet 100 Monkeys, I mean, wow!

What do you do for people you love on their birthday? Well, embarrass them, of course. Not that all of these images are embarrasing... but anyway. Here is a small pictorial tribute to one of the most fan-fucking-tastic people I know.

Sarah, Jen, Jamie and I. Supermodel much?

Jamie takes me to SLO's tourist highlight. Apparently.

She car-dances with the best of 'em (with Charla, Tom and Kate)

My SLO besties Jamie & Amanda

Jamie, Kiwi-Ed and a pirate*

*maybe Jamie can tell us all how the pirate photo came about in the comments when she reads this. Please note the wolf t-shirt. Coincidence? Hmmm.

So Jamie, happy, happy birthday. I hope you have an amazing day/weekend and I look forward to hearing all about it when we're both on company time.

I love you to pieces and I wish we lived closer together every single day. Roll on, Hawaii 2013!

Flattered by my Fandom Friends

Last Saturday, I celebrated my 32nd birthday.

I knew a few people were aware of my birthday, but I had no idea of what was about to happen, that would absolutely blow. me. away.

You see, some little birdies (I see you, @Jaymes805 and @17ForeverLisa) concocted a plan. A plan to let all of twitterdom know of the occasion, via this little dude above.

The lovely @MissTeJota and I share a birthday. Kinda. You see, hers is January 20th, mine is the 21st. But seeing as I'm in the future, we celebrate on the same day. I know TJ was as overwhelmed to see her TL full of moustachioed kiwis as I was. Perhaps TJ can tell us all about why the kiwi has such a fabulous mo in the comments.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.

Usually, I wake up to 2-3 twitter mentions each morning, depending on conversations I was part of before going to sleep the night before. On Saturday morning, I had 47 mentions. 47! I was absolutely astonished to see so many amazing well wishes and really awesome, caring tweets.

AND.....

To top it all off, there was more birthday love! The amazing @NixHaw, everyone's favourite South African twitard, wrote this wee post about me. There were tears, I tell you. Tears. She is amazeballs.

Then what else should I spy? @AdonicaSS has a wee surprise up her twitter sleeve too with this avi....

But wait. There's more.....

@SparklyJulNZ, all round BFF in life and Twilight, made this for me..... such a brilliant card from such a brilliant friend. Actually, 'friend' doesn't really do her justice, but on paper, it's all I got.

I spent my birthday surrounded by friends and family, both in person and online. It was perfect. So, thank you all so, so much. I love you all more than you can know.

Amy x

"It's Like VELVET!"

Howdy!

So, People's Choice Awards, huh? We don't get to see it here in NZ, for which I am duly grateful. You see, all the best bits (aka the Rob bits) are at my fingertips thanks to the interwebs and I don't have to sit through the yawnfest that is the rest of the show.

Gee whizz, I wonder what we might all be talking about right now...

Look into my eyes...

 Mmmm. Buzzcut Rob. I REALLY LIKE THIS LOOK.

I know, I know, what about the sex hair? Man's a hairy beast, you know it'll be back. After the Cosmopolis partial shave, I was really hoping for a full shave and was sorely disappointed. Here it is!

I haven't seen any vids from the show yet, but have been perusing Robsessed for the latest in HQ pics...

Cheeky smile

And how about this for the greatest moment in Betty's life? Hmm, possibly not.. but I can imagine a certain polite young man from England would have been on his best behaviour hanging out with the glorious Ms. White...

She's rapt!

I also noticed Boy's been beefin' up a little. I wonder if it's for a role? Maybe that's what the haircut is for too? The possibilities are endless... MafiaRob? CriminalOnTheRunRob? *sigh*

You want some Badass?

All this talk of buzzcuts reminds me of a very important time in my life. I know I've told you about my Shave before but imma take this opportunity to revel in the proudness a little more. The longer it's been since I did this, the more I can't believe I did!

I work for a national cancer charity and in April 2008, I lost my locks. And raised more thank $3000.

scary

Holy shit! there's no hair on my head!

What a poser

Everyone, and I mean everyone, wants to touch your head when you're a chick with no hair. You can check out my YouTube clip here, if you so wish.

And what did it feel like? Everyone said "It's like VELVET!"

So, to close this miscellaneous ramble, I invite you to stare at these pictures and imagine running your hands over this gorgeous head.... and feeling the velvet....

 *buzzgasm out*

Girls are Awesome, Boys are Dicks*

*Except Rob. He's not a dick. Although he'd like us to get off his. I heard he floats on a cloud and pisses rainbows. Disclaimer out.

Pretty edit stolen from here.

OK I so just got sidetracked by google images... Right. What am I here to say? I promise this post is not about Rob's dick... although, hmmm....

Shit.         Focus!

Oh yes. Girls are so fuckawesome. I mean that in a heterosexual, girl power, we rule the world kinda way. Like these ladies did...

You see, I got to thinking about this recently when I was recalling several conversations I had with a friend of mine. You might know her, you might not. But I'm not gonna tell you who I'm talking about so it's really a moot point.

You should listen to this song while you read this post. If you're a regular here, you'll know it's a favourite of mine.

Girls stick together, through thick and thin. Especially when talking about boys. My friend and I have been supporting each other a lot through various man issues, and when we were chatting the other day we laughed about how, when everything's great, we are all "Ooh, aah, he's so dreamy" and then when everything is shit, we're all "Bastard. I never liked him. Arsehole".

Between the two of us, we've each supported one other through dating, a new relationship, and a breakup. Or, in one case, a what's-going-on-I'm-in-limbo situation. No matter what, we will always back each other. If she is pissed off at a guy, I'm pissed off at him. If she is in love with him, I will listen gladly to her raving. I would like to warn him I'll grind his balls into meatloaf if he hurts her, so, yeah, I reckon she's important to me. And I'll go out on a limb here and say she hopefully feels the same about me.

We live in different time zones. I can email her at stupid o'clock, and she's there. She can HeyTell me at work, and I will sneak into an empty office to message her back. The moral of the story is, through all of these situations, it amazes me just how fucking loyal we can be to each other.

Granted, I know there are right bitches out there, but in MY circle of friends, my girls are amazing.

I love that, no matter what is going on with  men  douchbags, we stick together. 

I googled 'girls talk about boys' and this is what I got. Eeek!

Let's start with my RL friends. Loyal to the bitter end. There is a group of six of us from university days... cripes, graduation was eleven years ago and we're still tight. In fact, this was how I came to know the gorgeous @SparklyJulNZ. But that's off the topic. This group of six girls, although at times we've been spread all over the world, can get together, even once a year or less, and we're as close as anything. Of course, some of us are closer than others (i.e. the other four know nothing about fan fiction that Jul and I devour) but in general, we will all always be there for one another.

And then there's the whole other world of my twi-friends. My twatwaffles. My h00rs. Let's face it, you've gotta be a closeknit group to call someone else a whore and it be a compliment, right?

Thanks @ChloeCougar!

I LOVE that no matter what time of the day, what day of the week (insert snarky comment about being Future Girl here) there is always someone on Twitter, and if you need to have a rant, you can. Free for all. These can be people who know nothing about you, apart from a made up name and a 2cm square picture (that may or may not be your preferential pic of Rob) who can become the greatest friends in the world.

I really didn't start writing this post to wax lyrical about how awesome we are, but it turns out, that's exactly what I'm doing. Girls really do rock! My cousin is currently staying with me, she is home from Europe. I haven't seen her in more than three years, yet, we can have conversations about the most important, close-to-our-heart things, and it's great. And she's not even the cousin I'm close to! I don't have any males in my generation in my family (brothers or cousins), or any close (straight) male friends who aren't my friends because they're married to my friends (does that even make sense?). So, I can only speculate, but I'm guessing if I sat one down on the couch and moaned about my love life, he'd either run a mile, grunt, or focus on the TV (or all three).

 You know what? I haven't said HAPPY NEW YEAR. I guess in a round-about way, this post is really a celebration of friendships, both RL and twi, and what better way to start 2012 than with a celebration of our awesomeness.

Go ahead, share some awesome in the comments. Thank you for reading.

Urban Dictionary LOVES Twilight Fans

Hello luvvers!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Before I get into this post, may I say that Christmas in the summer sun here was wonderful, made all the better by all the lovely twitter messages from my twifriends with festive wishes.

Random abstract xmas ornament on the windowsill

I was going to write a post about my summer holidays, but I couldn't be bothered. I got distracted. And no, not by the lovely pressies that were under the tree for me... but by the random time-suck vortex that is UrbanDictionary.com. You see, ever since I have owned an iPad, it's amazing how I can spend hours just mucking around on the internet... for no apparent reason and for no apparent gain.

 So, if you're back at work, or still on holiday and have plenty of time on your hands, sit back and check out a few of the highlights I found... oh, and my two cents worth about each. I now present to you some of the funniest (and, quite frankly, a little close to home) Twilight-related posts from UD:

Twilight Saga

Afreakishly addicting book (stolen from a fan fic site) written by a strangemiddle aged woman who created this character named Edward who sparkles in thesun light, instead of bursting into flame like normal vampires. Then there’shis (stupid and pathetically clumsy) girlfriend, Bella (who's a whore) whofalls in love with her BFF Jake then rejects him because he's not like Edward.And he's a werewolf so Edward hates him. Then she gets knocked up by Edward andthey make a baby (that wants to kill her). After having Renesmee (a name thatwas created using a mormon thing where the names of both grandparents arecombined) Bella dies and becomes a vampy. Then come to find out Jacob fallsmadly in love with Renesmee (which makes him a baby fucking paedophile) andBella gets pissed. To makes a long, 4 book, story short, the Cullens have this big war that neverhappens against the (old wrinkly leader people) Volturi and they all end uploving (the evil little Mormon critter) and everyone lives happily ever after(forever and ever and ever).

My favourite thing about this little synopsis is "stolen from a fan fic site"... 

 Twitard

One who takes fandom of Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, to a level of orbeyond obsession. They often flame forum postings trying to defend the book,regardless whether the book was being critiqued negatively or not. They arealso prone to using all caps, not checking their spelling/grammar, jumping toconclusions, falling in love with Edward, and biting people's heads of for justsaying they didn't like the book.

Harsh... but in some cases possibly fair? I would like to defend my corner of the fandom about spelling and grammar... especially given how heavily I had to spellcheck the above paragraph after pulling it from the site! Touche... 

TwilightMom

A groupof 40 something pre-menopausal women who have been neglecting their children,spouses, jobs, and various pets since 2008 to post their ramblings about adazzling 107 year old vampire who who is stuck in an eternal hell of highschool and the clumsy, idiotic girl who loves him. 

The reason I wanted to include this is that I think this definition also covers those of us without children or spouses... or guilt. Hell yeah I neglect RL to post ramblings (such as the one you are currently reading) and hell no I don't feel bad about it. 

 TwilightBuzzkill

A harshslap in the face to bring a person back to reality, to get out of Twi-Land.Usually a person has to tell the Twihard to get a life, and thatusually does the trick. 

Twihard: I wish I was a vampire! Golly!
Twibuzzkiller: Are you kidding? There are so many things wrong with the book! Imean, first off, If the Cullens are so keen to the scent of human blood, howcan they go to school around girls on their periods? 
Twihard: Just shut up, OK!!! You're such a Twilight Buzzkill!

I would like to raise my hand and let you know I have had a Twilight buzzkill experience or two... but not in the way that the author of the above was thinking. More in the "holy crap I just want to keep reading but it's 3am and I really need to go to work and be a professional human being tomorrow."

Twilightdenial

A personwho despite denying that they hate Twilight, the books, the movie, the actorsetc... They are in complete love with it, and Twilight memorabilia can be foundhidden in their homes.

I included this one because, in the beginning, I was a denier. Now? Hell no, out and proud! I display  all  most of my memorabilia openly... sure I do...

Twilightfucked

The frameof mind a fan of the Twilight Saga will get after watching a Twilight movie, orreading one of the four books. This usually involves talking/thinking about itnonstop, dreams of vampires or werewolves, and (in rare cases), online fanfiction stories.

Only one comment here: RARE cases? Umm, nope.

 TwilightMasturbation

When agirl or woman proceeds to masturbate and sexually reach an all time high(moan), due to the appearance and/or voice of Edward Cullen and Jacob Black.

No comment required, methinks.

And the award for the most random UD posting about Twilight goes to....

Twilightmoist

Vaginalwetness that results from watching a twilight movie or reading a twilight book.

...or fan fiction lemon.

I look forward to your take on the above. Have at it* in the comments:

*Look! I learned an American phrase! Yay me.

Lazy Sunday Fic Recs Galore!

There's been a lot of talk of fan fiction in the twiverse this weekend. Yesterday we had one of the greatest hashtags I've seen in a while... #FicMoments. There was much reminiscing and also lots of fics I haven't read that I quickly added to my to-do list.

I've done a few rec posts on this blog before. If you are interested, go back and check out these posts from October, February and April. 

Jaymes over at Borderline Phenomenal also posted about fic last night, and I've read some awesome stuff lately, so thought I'd share some recs...

Running for Home
Ooza
B/E/Volvo (!), AH

After a lifetime of feeling out of place, Edward is told his entire past was a fabrication. On his journey to uncover the truth he meets Bella, a young woman who is neglecting all responsibility for the first time in her life. Will these two strangers help each other discover who they really are?

I loved this... light and relatively short. I guess I could also picture it, since it's not long since I was driving in the states and staying in motels. This Edward is so precious about his car, it's hilarious!

A Constant in the Darkness
Camoozle (Author of For the Summer)
B/E, AH  

Bella, suffering from an eating disorder, returns to Forks to care for her estranged father. She seeks comfort in Edward, an aspiring chef, who is having difficulty dealing with his own demons.

This fic OWNED me while I was reading it. Quite angsty but so, so good. Although I did want to shake Bella!

Dear Mr Masen
JenDonna
B/E, AH

"Error 434: Reprimanding an executive." Life changing or just stupid? Dear Mr. Masen: A story of unauthorized Internet usage, culinary delights and the goings-on at Cullen, Inc.

This is mainly written in emails exchanged between our two main characters. Lots of fun, and a good slow burn.

The Exclusive
MrsAubergine
B/E, AH  

Edward Masen is a gorgeous politician about to become prime minister of New Zealand. Everybody loves him, but behind the public persona he has a secret desire. Political journalist Bella Swan is determined to find out what it is.

I was sent this rec because of the NZ link. It's really cute! And was great for me because I could picture so many of the places. Quick and fun.

Vinyl
107 YearOldVirgin
E/B, AH

Its just another day at Vinyl Records Store: Fun. Uncomplicated. Just like having sex with your best friend, and coworker, should be. At least, that's what Bella and Edward are hoping. The rest of the employees, on the other hand...

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a total h00r for anything Amber writes. This is no exception - Empire Records x Twilight? Yes please! Fun, quick and dirty. Love.

Show Me a Garden That's Bursting Into Life
atypical-swan
E/J -> E/J/B eventually, AH

Isolated and unable to trust people, Dr Jasper Whitlock finds himself in Forks, WA, taking on yet another temporary teaching position at a boarding school. He meets the enigmatic yet troubled music teacher Edward Cullen and his group of friends and family. Will they be enough to teach Jasper to live again? To love?

I have spoken before about my curiousity for polyfic and this story sated me.. for a while! A great slow burn, that starts with E&J and eventually Bella comes into the picture. A long fic, but a GREAT fic. Truly worth the time it takes. Also made me appreciate the awesomeness that is E/J... 

Twinned
Conversed
E/J, AH

Edward and Masen Cullen look identical, but mistake them at your peril. Watch as their carefully constructed world falls apart when they meet the new girl in town. There's slash-lite, het-smut and Jasper having shower sex with y'all.

After Show Me a Garden, I decided I was ready to test the waters of slash. @17ForeverLisa is always talking about Twinned and it's sequel, Seventeen Men. I am halfway through Twinned and I am loving it so far... if you're slash curious, give it a go! This Jasper is one of my all time favourites.

There you go, should give you a little more to be going on with!

Oh, and in other fic news....

We've been talking alot about the HunterHunting fics today, Clipped Wings & Inked Armour and the Misapprehension of Bella Swan. LOVED both of these, and I recently reread CW&IA. @LuvsMeSumEdward shared this pic today.... so thank her for the jaw-dropping, panty melting goodness... Tattward owns me!

ALSO... did you hear that Emancipation Proclamation is being published? It's going to be called Sempre. Love the title, how appropriate! Khar says this on her website: 

While the general plotline is still the same, the book is significantly different.  It was rewritten from the beginning to put it in its own world, so to speak, so please don't pick it up thinking it's simply EP-with-names-changed in print, because it's not.  It's much more (in *gasp* significantly fewer words).

I. Can't. Wait.

That's all I got for now, tweeps. Feel free to leave recs or your feelings about fics in the comments.

It's Starting to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

That's right! The sun is shining, the temperature is warming up and summer holidays are looming...

Pohutukawa trees flower in summer and are known as kiwi Christmas trees

Oh wait. I'm sorry... that's just for the benefit of my downunder peeps...

The Kiwis: @SparklyJulNZ, @Eds_Piano, @VamptheNewBlack and @CasperNZ; The Aussies: @EdwardsIsobel, @StackedlikeSookie, @Anna_Faze et al... and of course there's my favourite South African, @NixHaw.

Disclaimer: If I missed any other Southern Hemisphere tweeps I sincerely apologise 

Thanks @SuzPetals for the festive touches

You might remember last Christmas I told you a wee bit more about how we do Christmas here, since it is so different to the festivities in the Northern winter. Well, this year, I have a few little touches of North America on my tree, and I thought I would share them with you all - and the memories they bring back for me.

Memories of fun times in SoCal w Jen & Sarah

Vegas, baby! Cocktails with Rikki

Monterey was gorgeous

Fun times in San Fran

A grapevine leaf from Napa with Charla,  Kate, Jamie, Amanda & Sharon

WA! Had a great time w Lesa, ChyLynn, Amy & Erin et al

From Mecca itself!

A special gift from @TwiPolar_Wife

I loved Vancouver, no bears on our twi-set tour though

My final stop, Vancouver Island with Deb

Oh, and I know someone else who wanted his two cents worth...

Thanks so much for the outfit, Deb!

I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather read fic, hang on twitter and read blogs than go shopping. So, this weekend is internet shopping central right here! I hate Christmas shopping with a passion, and every year I swear I'll do it early... and every year I don't.

How are your Christmas preparations going?