Julu's Journal

It's almost Christmas. John and I are sitting by the fire and watching Love Actually. Great movie. Everyone in it is so beautiful. My husband can quote the thing. It always makes me cry.

I've had a busy but good fall. I think the biggest thing was the play that I directed. I worked like mad on it. We came out second in the competition and our kids were very proud. Our critiques were great and most importantly, I was just proud. I was a nervous wreck during the competition. I had told the kids over and over about selling the opening number, and they had been good but never up to what I really wanted. And then, lo and behold, they nailed it. I sat there on the edge of my seat amazed at all of them. It was a great moment as a teacher, watching those kids take that show and really fly with it. I also felt really good directing again. It felt good to be able to trust your instincts. Sometimes I'm not sure I am a natural teacher. I think that I can be a good teacher when I'm on my game – but I don't know that I'm a natural teacher. I think that is why I probably didn't go into teaching right off the bat.

The family is doing well. My oldest is deeply involved on our high school debate team and travels a good bit with them. So far, she's loving it and she's doing really well. She has a lot of her dad's gifts - sharp tongue, quick wit, a sensible nature. My middle child is one of those all around kids who keeps herself busy with a hundred different things. She's had soccer and dance and chorus and she's learning to play the recorder and she's reading constantly. She's much more worried these days about the girl cliques than about boys...we haven't gotten there yet. My baby is the dramatic one, the one with the sensibilities of an artist. She's in a little Christmas play right now and she's had a blast with that. She's also had soccer and dance this fall. My parents are better than they were this summer. Mom had a rough summer, but her health is better. Not perfect - but much much better.

My crew is all thrilled with the national election. John is chairman of the county Democratic Party here and I wish we were as thrilled with how things turned out locally. Unfortunately, everything local was quite dismal. Still, I believe a man has been elected President based on the content of his character and not the color of his skin, and for a girl from the deep south, that makes my heart sing! Now, I just want my gay friends and family to be able to marry the people they fall in love with.

Two movies I desperately want to see over Christmas - One is Milk. Probably no one reading this is old enough to have seen the documentary "The Life and Times of Harvey Milk", but if you ever get the chance, you should absolutely see it. Since I first saw that documentary in college, I've always thought of Harvey Milk as a hero. I've read that Sean Penn's portrayal is incredible. I'm also looking forward to seeing Doubt, a play that I read a couple of years ago and had a student take to drama competition. The play was absolutely incredible and I just read the Rolling Stone review, which says the movie is even better than the play. It sounds like the performances are going to be stunning.

Plans for Christmas...we'll see lots of family. My sister and her family are coming from Dallas, John's mother is coming, and we'll see John's sister and her family at some point too. We'll go with the law firm for an overnighter (just grown-ups). Then we'll go with our best friends, our kids, and their new baby to the mountains and get a cabin for New Year's. Hopefully, that will be fun for the whole crew.

Writing...well, I haven't had time for much to be honest, but I have done a tiny bit. I hope I can do a bit more as I relax over the holidays. It is something that I really love and miss. So - here is a bit of something as a sort of Christmas gift for those who still like fluffy fan-fiction. I wanted to do some different characters - but you know me, I can't have Percy too far away in my writing as I suppose he is my muse. (So weird, I know it!) So this is an H/G story, with a cameo for Neville and it is set at Percy and Audrey's wedding. I might try to write a bit for some of the other wedding guests, we'll just have to see.

Hope you like! Love to all...

( At Percy's Wedding... )

For August 22, 2008:
Happy Happy Happy Birthday Percy!!

Hello friends! I know many of you think that I must have fallen off the face of the earth. I have been crazy busy and had a sort of stressful and wild end to my summer. Things seem to be somewhat calmer now that school has started back, though I am sure that we are not really in the full swing of all our activities and I know that the next couple of months are going to bring a huge challenge.

My summer was, in general, quite nice. We took some mini-trips, my favorite of which was a four-day visit to the North Carolina mountains that was just my little family. The mountains are my favorite place and hold a lot of special memories for me. It was great fun to get to enjoy them with all the kids. The end of the summer was a bit different. My mother’s health became a major concern and we decided that she needed to go to Dallas, TX for surgery. We were amazingly fortunate to have a connection to a fantastic doctor there who took very special care of her. She is back home and recovering wonderfully, but it was a tough ride for her for a while. While she was in Dallas recuperating at my sister’s house, I took my sister’s children to visit. It was great fun, but I felt a bit like Molly Weasley for a while. Another stress was a few weeks where I was having some concerns about my own health. Fortunately, all seems to be worked out there too – all I can say is once you pass a certain age, things just don’t always seem as certain in the health arena. It’s good to be reminded of the blessings of every single day.

Now we are back at school and things are gathering speed. I will be directing my first play in 15 years and auditions are next week. I’m quite excited and very nervous. I want so much for it to go well. Please keep me in your thoughts because I know the next two months are going to be crazy.

The husband and kids are doing well. Soccer has started and dance will start after Labor Day. Debate will begin in about two weeks and that will take a lot of weekend time.

We have been glued to politics recently. I come from a long line of what we call in the deep south “yellow dog democrats”. We are deep blue people living in the middle of red land, so we will watch the convention next week with passionate interest.

I must say, I miss writing and Percy and the Sugar Quill terribly. There was something about all of that that was relaxing and soothing. It was a lovely little escape. However, life goes on and there are always new adventures. One of these days I’m going to finish some of my half-done fan-fiction and in the meantime, I always enjoy reading any good fan-fiction I can find.

That’s it from my little world. For tonight , all is well - the flowers are blooming on my patio, my little one is in the bathtub, my husband is cooking chicken and I’m *almost* ready for work tomorrow.

Much love to all…
Julie

June 1, 2008

At last I am writing to update my journal. For some reason, I hate to write when I am in the midst of everyday doldrums. And frankly, this year I’ve had a lot of that.

Today, I am sitting in a place I love, a little family paradise. This stretch of beach is my favorite place to come when we are down here. We don’t make it every time because it is about 30 minutes off the beaten track, but it’s worth the drive to get away from the crowds and see nature. Today we’ve let little silver fish nibble at our toes, watched a dolphin family jump in the waves off shore, and snapped pictures of a crane who was more interested in the fish than in us. It is lovely to feel the weight lifted and to know that I have two months of setting my own agenda ahead of me.

The year has been tough. I say that a little sheepishly, because I know that the trials and tribulations of a new workplace are meager and that with a beautiful, happy family I have countless blessings. Still, I have struggled with the daily pressures this year and I am glad for a break. Next year is going to be different again – I’m being assigned more elective courses (which I’m happy about) and it seems that they are moving me toward building a drama program. I think I’m going to return to my educational roots and direct a play next year – something that I haven’t done in (has to stop and think) about fifteen years now. I’m enthusiastic and nervous and hope I can accomplish this while maintaining balance. I so admire those people who seem to gracefully have everything organized and balanced in their lives. I seem to accomplish in spurtz rather than one graceful flow.

The family is thriving. The girls are great – we’ve juggled dance, soccer, debate, chorus, play practice, and church activities this year for all three. My darling husband seems to be doing well too. The new law practice still is not quite as profitable as it was in our old town, but he is staying really busy and things are growing slowly. My mother’s health is mediocre. I worry - but she and my father seem to plug away at tilling their own little garden.

I have days when I hate (no – loathe is a better word) the small town thing and wonder why in the world I chose to go back home again – was it courage or lack of courage? I’m not really sure. I had dinner with an old old friend this past year…someone I love but just don’t get to see enough..she knows me and she gets the dynamics of place that gnaw at me. She is normally gregarious and exuberant but she dropped all that for one second to tell me that what I had done was worth it. She said it off-the-cuff, but I still hold on to those words.

So plans for the summer…get rid of lots of junk and clutter from my house; do those little decorating things that have been on my list for a long time; start my plans for directing; try to exercise and eat healthier; and write a little more (just for me). I hope all friends are doing well and please forgive that I have been distant. I’ll try to do better over the summer!

And then things get more complicated...
( Saturday P.M. )

( Sunday and Happily Ever After )

The weekend continues...
( Saturday A.M. )

Hello friends!
All is well in the deep south! It has been a busy winter and it is nice to finally see the flowers peek out. Work and family have kept me running like crazy. The change in schools for me this year has been tough, but I continue to learn a lot.

I have (at last) finished a new story. It is about how Percy met Audrey and I'll post it in four chapters. Honestly, I felt a variety of things about JKR's announcement about Audrey. I was happy that she, at least, gave Percy a marriage with two little girls. And I was very fond of the names of the two girls as one of the two names is also the name of one of my own daughters. I was a bit mystified that Audrey seems to be pulled from thin air. We actually seem to know less about her than any other partner. We don't even know her last name! On the positive side, this left me open to imagine lots of possibilities and I had fun thinking about who Audrey could be and how Percy would fall in love after the war. In my mind, she turned out quite different from Penelope.

I have to plug St. Margaret's Audrey, which was my wonderful birthday present. Please have a look on St. M's live journal, if you haven't already. And a huge thank you to the queen of fluff for always looking over my stuff and saying sweet things.

I think I'm calling this The Long Weekend, though I'm sort of ambivalent on the title (suggestions are welcome!)

This one is for James because he's always made me feel happy to write Percy.

( Part 1 - Friday )

Hey everyone! Had a great day on Sunday. We went to the city and had Indian food, which is my favorite and something that I can't get now that we are in the boonies. Then we browsed a bookstore, something else I can't do in the boonies, and went to see a really good movie. If you love the Beatles, you'll enjoy Across the Universe. It's a musical - a bit like Moulin Rouge but with Beatles music. I don't consider myself a Beatles fanatic but I do like them a lot, and being married to a true music fanatic I know a fair amount. I was interested in the movie not only because of the music but because Julie Taymor was directing. She's the director who designed the original Lion King on Broadway and is known for her creative work with puppetry. I was not disappointed. The young singers were talented and beautiful, the design was energetic and creative, and the original love story (between Jude and Lucy - get it?) is quite sweet and sexy. If you can't find this at the theatre be sure to check it out when it comes out on DVD. I don't know if this will work but I'll try to link the trailer. It's fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ6d3m-GFyw

I'm still working like crazy and trying, trying, trying to squeeze in a bit of personal writing time.
Love to all my sweet friends...
Julu:)

New Year’s Resolution…
Communicate more on Live Journal.

So here goes…

Life this past year has been very good, but very exhausting. The weeks before Christmas were filled with work, coming home, trying to take care of the children’s issues and then after supper, more work until midnight. Now I’m at the end of the holiday and it was too short and filled with obligations. I'm afraid I don’t feel particularly rested or rejuvenated. Part of the stress comes from this first year of teaching a new subject at a new place. The post Christmas study list includes Dante’s Inferno, A Doll’s House (which I know but it has been years), The Great Gatsby, Merchant of Venice and some other stuff I’m sure I’m forgetting. I think next year, when I have been through everything one time, life will be a bit less complicated.

I continue with my love/hate relationship with my small town southern home. I measure and second-guess the pros and cons of this place all the time. I miss the city and sometimes want to scream at the narrow-mindedness of this place, but I love the beauty of the land, our home, and the practical little benefits small-town life provides. I’m blessed to have three beautiful healthy children and a darling husband, whom I adore.

Last night we went to visit our best friends for New Year’s Eve. When we got to their house, they ushered us into the guest room and hanging above the bed was an enormous photo of me and the-darling-husband from when we were in our 20’s. In the pic, I was in desperate need of a haircut and my long hair was over-curled 80’s style and way out of control. I must have gone crazy with the hot-rollers. I was wearing a leather jacket that was in that old “Members Only” style and (this is the worst part) I had this bandana knotted like a necklace and tied around my neck. Gross. Darling-husband looked far more normal in his denim jacket and dark sunglasses. And we both looked much skinnier. They gave us the picture as our Christmas gift. What a hoot.

So – on to the prevailing HP news…Who the *&%$# is Audrey?!? :)

Oh well, it is a lovely name and at least she married Percy and gave him two daughters with adorable names. I can see Percy being completely over-protective with two little girls. I was terribly afraid she was going to marry him off to some yucky character or to tell us he married but he was such a jerk that he divorced years later. One minute I think JKR hates Percy and then the next I think she likes him after all. It’s a bit odd. I have been thinking about Audrey for a couple of days now and I think I’m figuring out who she is for me. It’s actually sort of fun to come up with her. I’m sure whatever I come up with will eventually go out the window when JKR gives us more information one day, but it’s nice to have some strings off of Percy in the relationship department. After all, he has a lot of baggage.

I must get up from the computer now and go take down the Christmas tree. The long wait for spring begins tonight! Love to all my friends and I will try to be better about communicating this year.

This is a bit from the story I've been working on for - ooh...over a year now! Yes, it really does exist. Percy and Penelope are newlyweds in this story and this snippet takes place on a day when they are out having fun in London. It also happens to be Bill's wedding day, but that's for the story. At the start of the snippet the two have been out for a bike ride. Percy has ridden out of Penelope's sight and she finds herself lost in a very strange alley.

( Read more... )

This is a little missing moment from Chamber of Secrets with Arthur and Percy from Arthur's perspective. I was inspired by the way Mandrakes are used in other works of literature and their historical mythological connotations. I hope it is enjoyable and that a few Percy-fans might find it.

Title: The Thing About Mandrakes...
Word Count: 2,347
Pairing: Arthur/Percy; Percy/Penelope
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
***

( Read more... )

Well, I had the most blissful of birthdays! Sweet Hubby and I woke up with kiddies crawling in bed with us and enjoyed a round of wrestling and silliness. Then I got presents. My middle daughter made me the most beautiful homemade gifts that she had put so much work and thought into...a precious bracelet and key-chain and card. The littlest angel saw all this work and realized (bless her cute little heart) that she didn't have a present for me like big sis. So she ran to the laundry - pulled out a sock and drew a happy face on it - then came back and proudly gave me my present - a sock puppet! It was a precious and frankly, hysterical moment, eliciting much laughter, hugs and applause from everyone. Hubby took us all to brunch and later that night took me out for a delicious and romantic dinner. On the way home, we stopped by B&N and I bought several plays and several Loreena McKennitt CD's. I was overjoyed to see that her new release has "Penelope's Song" on it. It's been playing non-stop.

If you've never listened to Loreena McKennitt, I highly recommend her for HP writing inspiration. Her music has a real mystical quality to it and is very influenced by Celtic music, as well as British myth and literature. Whenever I think of the kind of music that would surround magical people, I think of what she does - something that is rooted in the ancient and timeless.

I hope everyone has seen the lovely Percy/Penny story that St. Margarets wrote for my birthday and the simply adorable, take into your arms and hug, 10-year-old Percy that Kit the Brave did for me. If anyone hasn't seen either of these beautiful bits...please check them out on St. M's and Kit's LJ. AND don't miss Starsea's wonderful missing moment Cat's Paw on the SQ.

It was a great birthday! Thanks to everyone for sharing the Percy-love and for all the warm wishes.

To the sweet stars in my itty-bitty universe...
My birthday is Saturday and so I am going to make a request, because you don't know what's out there unless you ask.

For my birthday, nothing would make me happier than a little Percy-love. The Percy-hate always makes me SO sad and makes me feel bad about people and the world. Percy-love represents something for me about love and acceptance, about doing your best to see beauty in all people and what all people have to give to the world. I know I fail at doing that, but I do try. It is something that is important to me to try to always remember - whether it is with my students, or my family, or even politicians who make me crazy. I love Percy because he is so flawed, so insecure, he tries so hard and messes up so completely - his imperfections are very human to me.

So...nothing specific, nothing big and fancy - but a tiny bit of love for my much-maligned favorite character would make my heart happy!

Love to all...
Julu

I started my party fluff weeks ago when the challenge came out and then put it away with all the pre-holiday crazies. Now it has turned out to be a very silly little New Year's fluff. St. Margaret told me that I have to put some non-angsty Percy out into the universe so I had fun writing him secure and happy in the future. I also had great fun with my other couple and trying to put together the feeling of old friends and married life.

Hope someone enjoys...Happy New Year to all!

Title: Auld Lang Syne
Word Count: 3,163
Pairings: Percy/Penelope; Oliver/Luna
Rating: G
Warnings: None
**

( Read more... )