Random thoughts from Grimmauld Place

Apparently the American military powers that be are tracking Santa Claus' exact location! Have a look here:

http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html

:-)

And if case I don't get online later on or tomorrow, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the very, very best for 2010 (and I say "Twenty-ten")

So it seems I have until the end of the week until my DW paid account - which was kindly donated to me via yvi - expires. I do agree with the principle of paying for a service you appreciate (and particularly one that isn't bombarding you with advertising otherwise), but this is the first time in that time I've actually used a paid account feature here at DW, and I don't think I can just up and leave LJ just yet - there are too many people I am friends with over there who aren't (yet) over here, and I want to keep my Scrapbook intact as well, and I can't do that to my satisfaction without a paid account there. So what to do?

Poll #1468 Just because
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6

Should I get a paid account here on DW as well as on LJ?

When I first joined LJ, back in the days when you need to either pay or have an invite code to do so, it was a much smaller, friendlier and less obviously commercial place than it is now. It's certainly lost that feel, which I lament, and I do appreciate that about DW. But LJ has so much of my history and my current links still. Am torn :-/

It's the DearSanta deadline imminently for the usual, low pressure fic/art exchange. It's small, multi-fandom (though all participants must be willing to write/draw in a common fandom - Harry Potter - to help with matching people up with a secret Santa) and for writers only has a minimum of 500 words. The deadline is today, I think, but I'm sure anyone signing up in the next 24 hours will be welcome.

All the details are here:

http://community.livejournal.com/dearsanta/profile

And this year it's running on Dreamwidth too!!!!

http://dearsanta.dreamwidth.org/profile

Needless to say, I've signed up again this year, even though I'll probably stress a lot about the lack of writing time. But the reason I do so is that it's a friendly exchange, challenges me to write - last year's was the first time I wrote a non-HP fic (nearly). And I've generally loved what others have written for me in the past:

2008/09: Revisions (Harry/Padma)

2007/08: Practical Experience (Harry/Parvati/Kingsley genfic)

2006/07: Twenty-Four (Ron/Padma PG-13)

2005/06: The Haunting of Malfoy Manor (Harry/Parvati NC-17)

2004/05: Fireworks (Harry/Parvati NC-17)

2003/04: Midwinter Waking (Harry/Cho)

Also 2003/04: Grant Me One Wish (Neville/Luna PG-13) - I *really* liked this one!

There seems to be a bit of a pattern emerging there, doesn't there - I do give a list of quite wide-ranging requests, honest...

There you go, DearSanta has been running for at least 6 years already. Will you join in the 7th?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to anotherpenguin - Hope you've had an excellent day :-)

Cross-posting to LJ - let's see if this works

This is nice: I've actually got the laptop out after a good night's sleep and am lazing around in bed doing things like setting up this new Dreamwidth account. It seems quite a few of my LJ friends now have accounts here...

*goes to look around the site*