Excess at Christmas or keep it simple, people.
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: "The Circle Game" by Joni Mitchell
Topic: Reflections
From Betty

Nearing the end of November now and Advent has arrived. For the merchants and consumers that generally means there's a mad rush to stores and malls to start Christmas shopping. Buy buy buy...is that what it has become for so many people? I'm getting a little disillusioned by that mentality. Christmas does not mean you spend loads of money on presents and gifts.

My sister suggested we tone it down this year and I really hope we do. I never overspend anyway, but the focus should be on enjoying Christmas day with family and friends and those you care about - not who gives what to whom and how much everything costs.

I intend to keep Christmas in my own way. And getting stressed out from Christmas shopping is definitely not for me. Peace.

Wales Journal Part 2- That Was the Week That Was
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: In My Life
Topic: General Mutterings
A Week Later...

I've been a little remiss in not finishing my account of my holiday in Wales. Now a week later I'm rested and ready to write and finish the story.

The last three days was a whirlwind of motion. Dancing Wednesday night with Andy's sister Traci-Anne and their friend Andy Ball (so many Andys in the UK!) That was great fun, so was finally tasting authentic fish n chips wrapped in newspaper. My taste buds were not disappointed. yum!

Thursday Richard Dinnick came over for a Legacy think fest. Though Andy and Dinn did most of the talking, I listened mostly, which was pretty hard to do with music blaring in the background. More good times for sure we didn't get back to the flat til the early morning. Didn't sleep much that night at all, but who cares?

Friday was more visiting day. A busy day again and Andy even got a mini dye job. (He can ecplain rhat when he pleases)

Saturday, my last full day was a more relaxing day. Took my DVD camera and we went through the park and acted silly. What else is new? Though a little later I was starting to feel exhausted after a week of activity so it was nice to just relax Saturday night and watch a movie. The Color Purple.. well it's one of Andy's favourites so I didn't mind watching it and the rice pudding and crackers Andy served me was an added bonus. In fact I liked all the food I ate that week with the exception of steak and kidney pie. I wasn't ready for that, unfortunately, but I decided to act like a local and eat it as if I liked it. I succeeded too.

Then Sunday it was time for me to go. A few more pictures taken, then we walked to the bus terminal
for the first part of my journey home. I had a great time, I certainly needed a vacation, after a rough and stress filled two years. I have another set of great memories, only better this time. Who knows if I will ever visit Andy again? Nobody knows the future that's why you enjoy savor every moment in life you can...

A Wales Journal- Part One
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: It's Only Rock and Roll
Topic: General Mutterings
A Wednesday Morning in Wales...

I've been here three days now and my experiences so far are a little different from two years ago when I last visited Andy. A new country this time, lovely if rainy Wales, and a diiferent Andy in a few ways. He's sillier, quirkier and much happier than he was in November of 2003. Which is very good. He's come into his own, living his own life as he wants to, not hiding his real self to please somebody else That's been very good to see


We've had bubble fights, towel fights and just had a blast being around each other. Cardiff is small yet big at the same time and it's great just being here.
Not nuch sightseeing yet as the weather hasn't cooperated, but a vacation is not just about doing touristy things but to live as a local and
just enjoy being in another place.. opening your mind to new things and people and appreciating it all. And I sm indeed. So I am a very happy camper.

More later!

Just a little annoyance? Pah!
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: "Alone" by Heart
Topic: General Mutterings
From Betty.

First the bad news... Andy's computer has crashed and he will be off line for an undetermined time. Meaning he has lost everything, all his files, his in progress stories, the whole works. What a bad time for that to happen. :(

Now the good news... Andy wasn't tremendously upset by the time I found out about his crash and called him. He was calm and very philosophical about it, already planning what to do and rewriting his stories the old fashioned way with pen and paper. If it delays the Legacy for a while it's not the end of the world, knowing Andy he'll put the extra time to good use.

I'll admit I was a little concerned when he didn't appear on line though I had a sneaking suspicion it might be computer problems. Since my holiday to visit him is 11 days away, I need to be in steady contact with him. So I called him briefly and I was very happy to hear his usual upbeat voice. Probably because Andy already received in the post his birthday package from me. Ah what a little Reeses can do...

So eleven days to go and I'm in a pretty good mood myself. Not even a very bad northeaster storm can get me down. I even packed my first clothes in my suitcase, my new yellow jammies...

Till next time,
Ciao!

Make It Stop!
Now Playing: Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head by B.J. Thomas
Please please make it stop! Nine straight days of rain and I'm getting cranky and water logged. Enough already. I want the sun and I want it now!

Three weeks to go now. I'm getting excited and anxious about that bus/coach connection I have to make to reach Cardiff. Underground walkways in the airport to the bus terminal, but not terminal four. Oh joy, I can see me getting confused easily. sighs
Repeats "There are plenty of people to help at the airport."


Writing is going slowly for me now. I admire Andy's abilty to just write whenever inspiration strikes him. Me? I fret over each sentence. If he and Denis didn't encourage me like they do I'd go back to poetry. Still, I am not writing a novel....

It's been a long time...
Now Playing: Michael Jackson - "BAD" (the album)
Topic: General Mutterings

Yes yes, I haven't written in this for ages. I know. I get reminded about it daily from Her Nibs in the States. So here I am...

Quick update. Went to see INAPT play their first gig and they were amazing! My little brother is going to go so far... can't believe he can play the guitar soooo well. Woohoo! Also met up with Vicky and few other friends while in Southend, and decided that I am definitely moving back there ASAP. (After the hours and hours of chatting with Dan I just know that's where I should be. Near my little bro again.) Also got reunited with the rest of the Balls (including the Bitch that is Dan's mother - a woman I will never ever forgive), which was great fun. Amazing how people can change in two and a half years. Finally met Dan's girlfriend, the lovely and funny Stef. He adores that girl... bless. That look so good together. Also met Simon's (Dan's brother) girlfriend, her Hobnobness, Michelle. She cracks me up. So quirky. Wonderful!

Writing wise, things are progressing. "The Lunar Inheritance" is being recorded very soon indeed, although I doubt I will be able to attend. "The Solar System" came out today, although I have yet to recieve my two contributors' copies - so, Dan, little bro you'll have to wait for yours! This is where I wait to see what the reviews are like... it's a little bit oddball my story in that collection, but hopefully people will like it.

THE LEGACY is also gathering pace. Been heavily re-editing all the available stories, turning them into proper e-books, with only two and a half to go. Been great fun, and amazing how much I forgot. What is also amazing is how rich a history THE LEGACY has developed these last four and a half years, as I am not beginning to see thanks to Ewen Campion-Clarke's ever expanding "Discontinuity Guide". Season Five is almost ready, and six is in the planning stage, plus I have put the feelers out for season seven authors.

So, everything is peachy. If I was in Southend now my life would be pretty much complete.

Oh, and Betty will be visiting soon... so better get the fish wet and ready.

Minor Annoyances....
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac
Topic: General Mutterings
From Betty

What a day! While Andy is having fun watching his little brother's band Inapt, here in Massachusetts I was just trying to get inside my house. Seems while my mother was outside the screen door handle/lock broke and we were locked out of the house. Our neighbor spent over half an hour trying to open the door for us.Finally he succeeded and we were in. An inconvenience for sure, but we were lucky it didn't happen in the dead of winter.

While Andy is away this week I'll keep an eye on Legacy business, as well as put my mind toward "Judgement Day." I've been writing more poems lately and that always boosts my creativity.

I think I'll call my friend Lori this week. I saw her parents and her daughter at a mall not too long ago and it's amazing how much Kaela resembles her mother at that age. A little sense of Deja Vu-sometimes the past sneaks up on us just for a brief moment.

Another entry soon.

Time and What to Do...
Mood:  cool
Now Playing: Time is On My Side
Topic: General Mutterings
The end of September now, and it's amazing how quickly time is passing.


Not that I want to blink and have it be November. I still have two stories to write and though I know what I have to write and it's clear in my mind, but to sit down and type is always more difficult for me. Partially because I'm such a poor typist, correcting my mistakes interrupts my train of thought, and then I get annoyed at my slow progress.
At the moment, "The Scarlet Letters" has my interest more than "Judgement Day" probably because it's a short story and will be easier for me to complete. Tardis' scenes in Judgement Day require a lot more planning..
Still I have time...

And it might be that I'll have an easier time getting ready for my holiday in Wales. Here's hoping..

Cofio
Now Playing: ALONE - The Tomorrow People (by Nigel Fairs)
Topic: General Mutterings

Well, I did try to sleep, honest, but since I've been asked to pitch an audio idea my head has been buzzing. It's an idea that I've had for a while and have been searching for the best place to use it. Hopefully I have found it.

So, wrote the outline and a sample scene (took me two hours - which is a long time for me!) and have sent it off to the producer. Now I wait... always the least fun part, the waiting.

So, I'm not even tired now. Did sort of sleep, but not for long. I think I shall have some coffee and toast to get the old metabolism kicked into gear for the day.

See ya later.

A. xx

Oh, What a Circus...
Topic: General Mutterings

I've decided not to bother putting my thoughts about my split with Richard on here, after all. Too much like airing dirty laundry in public. Suffice it to say, it's been a year and I got through it. I nearly had a nervous breakdown yes, and no I have not, and never will, forgive him. C'est la vie.

I'm a better man for what happened and I'm in a good place now. I have the love I need via my Family and I have my faith in myself, and karma. What goes around comes around. Always.

And it's late... Night!

p.s. done a major revamp of my website tonight, and I think it looks rather splendid.

BOLLOX!!!
Now Playing: LITTLE BROTHER - Hootie & The Blowfish
Topic: General Mutterings

Fucking hell!

Just checked my account, thinking I had calculated everything perfectly for my trip to Southend, only to find I forgot about the angelfire cost which has now knocked me way over! Fuck! Which means money is going to be soooo tight... But there is no way I am missing Daniel's gig. No way at all...

So not in a good mood now. FUUUUUUUUCK!!!!

This and that
Mood:  happy
Topic: Reflections
Sunday night Sept 18, 2005

From Betty

I just finished talking to Andy a little while ago and he is, in a word, giggly. Or to use his word "wonderful".

And considering this is the first year anniversary of him being a single man, I say Thank God. When I think back to how Andy was a year ago I could cry. Shaken to his soul, lonely, I feared for his sanity and safety for a while. As Andy has written, we chatted often online which I was glad to do, but in a way I prayed we wouldn't chat as much, because that meant Andy was healing and getting his life back and entering the world outside of his P C.

I tried not to waste energy thinking about his ex-partner, because if I did think of Richard I'd swear and want to scream - and a year later, I still want to swear and scream at Richard. Not many people make me do that but he does... Hurt somebody I love and you are a non-person to me; beneath contempt and the swill of the earth.

Thank goodness time does heal, with love's help of course. Andy has a lot of love in his life now. He's so much happier recently, it's a joy to talk to him. Even his writing is different now, in a way echoing the maturity and the learning he has undergone. Good things are in store for him, and I love seeing it unfolding and watching him become the man I always knew him to be.

Isn't it Ironic...
Now Playing: THAT DAY - Natalie Imbruglia
Topic: Writing

Nothing like a bit of irony, is there?

Nick Walters was commissioned to open Season Five with "Re: Genesis" but he vanished a couple of months ago so I decided to take over, since this is one story that we've been trying to put in "The Legacy" for years. I even stepped down from "Judgement Day" and got a new writer in to replace me. So I finish the outline for "Re: Genesis" today, and only 30 mins ago I get an email from Nick saying he lost net connection for a few months and he has a storyline for "Re: Genesis" which he can still do by the agreed deadline.

Oh the irony! So, what do I do? Having a professional writer of Nick's reputation will be great for The Legacy, plus it frees me up to focus on the editing of Season Five, the plotting of "Utopia's End", plus building the forthcoming AJPF Online Publishing website... Hmmm.

Watch this space! Wonderful...

Mission Accomplished
Now Playing: PUT YOUR EYES OUT - Ill Nino
Topic: General Mutterings

Yay. Finished the outline for "Re: Genesis", which is an amazing thing since I don't usually like writing synopses at all, but since starting work on "The Lunar Inheritance" back in Feb I've to like them. Crazy, so what Noise Monster Productions has done to me? They're turning into a pro writer! Eeek!

I think "Re: Genesis" is going to be quite well recieved, it draws a few parallels with "Genesis of the Daleks" while managing to maintain it's own plot and throws a few unexpected curve balls. At least I think so, but we'll see what the punters think.

Been a lazy weekend really. Getting used to not having Daniel about again has been annoyingly slow work, but I've been catching up with my house work, plus the writing, and even chatting to Becky - two hours on the phone. Wonderful stuff. Of course she would choose to call me just as I laid on the sofa to read "Blindsighted". I swear she planned it. *L*

Currently waiting on either the phone to ring again (this time Betty) or Andy (or Daniel) to come on MSN for another long (sometimes drunk in Dan's case) natter.

Catch ya later.

Light Night Ramblings
Now Playing: FRAIL - Jars of Clay
Topic: General Mutterings

Ah. An empty home. Still keep expecting to see Daniel in the front room, not helped by the hours long chat I'm currently having with his Dad. It's nice that Andy and I get on so well. It's only in recent months that we've really talked, and I think this is our longest chat ever. Talking about exes, Daniel, family, memories, all sorts of interesting stuff. And it's so cool that Andy really does get the bond between me and his son... "I have noticed that when you two are together it's like you have not been apart. You just talk and know what to say all of the time. Nice." To use Andy's exact words.

I should go to bed soon... I should. Been plotting out "Re: Genesis", too... getting back into now.

Night all!

Choo!

Now what?
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: BLOOD BROTHERS by Papa Roach
Topic: General Mutterings

And so Daniel is now gone. Man, this place feels so empty and quiet. Not that ma bro is noisy, but when he's here you know it. Which is a good thing. Fuck, I never realised how much I missed not having him around, but now that he's been here for five days and has gone again the realisation has hit me. Still, on the plus side (for it's good to look at the best in all things!) I'll be seeing him in exactly two weeks when I go to Southend for his fist gig, and his mobile works again so no reason to have such limited contact as we have in recent years.

One thing is for sure; no fucker is getting between us again. Partners, other friends... whatever. Once was enough. And I'm told I should forgive? Yeah, sure. I'm not a Scorpio for the heck of it, ya know.

Now I'm pondering the new start to "Re: Genesis" - thought a new, kind of funny, way to kill off a certain character and parallel the story this is a re-write of - sorta.

Hmmm.

Holodays writing and so forth...
Now Playing: Josh Groban & Charlotte Church: "The Prayer"
Topic: Writing

From Betty


Gee, after trying before to write an entry here, I think I've finally figured it out. yay. Thanks Andy.


After being in a decidedly non writing mood for a long while, I'm slowly getting back into writing. I'm not content to just read and read, so I just got out my notebook and pen and started working on a couple of poems. That's where I feel most comfortable and that's what prepares me to tackle more ambitious things that I've promised to do, like "Judgement Day" and my Legacy short story (working title at present "The Scarlet Letters") And thank goodness I don't have to write to British standard!

In the back of my mind is my holiday in Wales now seven weeks away. Still some things to sort out, but all that will be solved. I'm going to focus on the positives, and remember while everyone I know will be in cold, gloomy New England, I'll be in scenic cool wonderful Wales. :)

Sleeping the Night away
Topic: General Mutterings
Hiya all!

Just thought I'd make a quick posty while Daniel is sleeping on my couch. And, yeah, I should be in bed now... gonna have to wake him up in a mo, cause he'll get a bad neck sleeping the way he is. This is why I have spare room, see, so people don't need to get a bad neck on my couch.

It's really amazing having him here. Although it's been the past of three years since we've really seen each other it's like Dan and I never parted. Although he is a lot taller now, towering over me, with facial hair and many piercings, but he's still the little bro I remember and love deeply. Many long chats, chilling to DVDS and rocking some deep tunes, plus him persuading me to change my plans for Swansea. Not that he tried to do so, just him being here and learning about the first gig for his band, Inapt, made me want to go to Southend instead of Swansea. Wow. His first gig! Super cool. No way I'm missing that, not for anybody.

So, catch ya all soon... time to sleep.

G'night!

~A~ xx

BORED!!!
Now Playing: Natalie Imbruglia - COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS
Topic: General Mutterings

*snore*

Where is everyone? OG Chat is empty, there's no Jase, Ant, Bets, Dinnick, Grussell, Miller... has everyone fallen off the Earth again leaving poor old me alone? Bah.

I'm in a good and silly mood, but also bored. Don't want to write any more of "Ray of Light" cause I'm also a little tired and will only fuck up and have to rewrite it tomorrow. Not that I don't rewrite it anyway, but that's not the point.

Got another slight rewrite to do on "Night Before Home" for DWP. Which reminds me, sorted things out with the editor. Not that I actually had a real problem with him, of course, rather that pompous tit of a supposed-co-editor of his, Kyle. I wonder if he's still gonna try and retract the character of Grae? Be amused if he does, actually, and even more amused if Bob lets him. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for respecting someone's artistic right (obviously), but being pompous and storming off with your character is plain daft and silly beyond words. La de da... Grae leaves in three stories anyway, so we can get on with the wonderful new companion, Rachel Silverstein... who's like Doctor Who's version of Willow, only younger and not called Willow. Yup.

OK, I think I shall go now... maybe watch "Horror of Fang Rock" or read more of HG Wells' "The Undying Fire"... hmm, we'll see.

Top banana!

~A~

p.s. Or maybe have a wank.

p.p.s. Kidding, gee, lighten up! ;-)

Breathe
Now Playing: Breathe - Liberty X
Topic: General Mutterings

Ah, thank god for Dinnick. Been really having trouble getting back into "Lunar", so Rich is taking over for a bit while I get my groove back on. So I've been working on "Ray of Light" (with assistance from Rich, Bets, Greg and Ant) - writing something fresh and new tends to get me back in the mood for the old stuff. So, once Rich had looked over the script, I'll be back up to my usual level of enthusiasm...

Here's a pic to cheer us all up... A nice sunny day in Cardiff.


andy's photo album