Well... so much for hoping, eh?

I didn't get the job. For the past five years, teachers who got a position in the school where I'd really like to be had a score that was inferior to mine. So I thought I had every chance to get the job this year. I mean, what were the chances of someone with a higher score than mine to ask for a job in a school 20 km North of my town, away from civilisation etc etc? Well... Murphy's Law, I suppose, decided that I would NOT get what I wanted. As it was, there were TWO positions available there, and still, shit happened, two teachers got the job, and I'm stuck in my current school and my Y2 class instead of the Y5-6 I wanted so much.

I suppose I should put things into perspective, that it's not that bad, because I get along very well with my Y2-3 colleague and we said we'd work together next year if I stayed. And it's not like my school is complete hell. But I was so sure I'd get the job I wanted that getting the phone call tonight hit me like a ton of brick. Lots of tears were shed, a whole bunch of cookies was eaten, and a shopping trip was decided for Wednesday.

Well, silver lining: I won't have to buy a new car, since I'll still be teaching in town. And teaching in town means less money for petrol. Which means more money to do other things, like buy a new computer, some furniture for my apartment etc.

Memo to self: next time, be less self-confident (never thought I'd say that) Needless to say I'll probably request the same position next year again. When I do, remind me not to get excited before I get the answer.

But tonight, if you have a hug to spare, I could probably use it now.

I'm still behind on replying to all your interesting points in the education debate, but this is just a short update post on things that occupy my mind right now.

1. Air France plane crash. Have had nightmares, been working on controlling my irrational fear. I will be flying to Canada in July anyway; ticket's already been bought, and staying home would mean the phobia's won and I've lost. No way. I've come this far with my fear of planes, so won't go backwards now. Still. Can't say it didn't affect me beyond what's normal in such circumstances. I'll probably need a couple of anti-anxiety pills.

2. European elections. Over 60% of people didn't vote in France, it seems. Shame, shame, shame. I thought long and hard between my two favourite lists and chose once I was in the booth. Still unsure I made the right choice, but we'll see. At least I voted.

3. Roger Federer is hot. Squee'd happily when he won this afternoon (and not just because he's hot: he's been one of my favourite tennis players for years). And he almost made me cry when I saw his own tears. Aww.

4. Horrendous backache today. Hopefully I'll be fit enough for work tomorrow.

5. Two episodes behind on Ashes to Ashes. Shows you how busy things have been here.

6. Final answer for my change of schools tomorrow... the stress might be one of the reasons behind my backache, actually. The position I've asked for in priority is one in the school where I first started, and I'd be working with older children (9 to 11 years old) and alongside my good friend Manue. She and I have been getting very excited about the prospect of working together, but the big drawback is that we'll both be very disappointed if I don't get the position. Which is entirely possible. Would be a bummer, as the school in question is located in a small village where few people want to go, but you never know. Murphy's Law and all that.

7. Saw Yann Arthus-Bertrand's film Home on Friday night: beautiful, poetic, hopeful, and fascinating. Definitely made me more aware of the world around us and what we have to do to preserve it. And even more excited about working with older children, because Home is a great resource for our ecology curriculum.

8. Going back to preps for tomorrow now.

I've been mulling over some stuff over the past school year, and I wanted to share it with you guys on my f-list, as well as ask for your own experience of school in your country (whether it's as a pupil, parent, teacher, staff member...)

( Read more... )

Let's be honest here. I've missed Doctor Who so much lately that I'd have enjoyed any sort of plot last night. Still, I know opinions are very mixed about last night's ep, but I'm in the camp of those who truly enjoyed it.


( More as for why below the cut... )

Meme instructions: Comment to this post and I will give you 5 subjects/things I associate you with. Then post this in your LJ and elaborate on the subjects given.

Here's what wendymr came up with:

( 1. Pouting! )
( 2. Learning English from watching TV! )
( 3. Raptor! )
( 4. Screwdrivers ;) )
( 5. A toss-up between you being the plane-phobic who flies and Lex came in bed )


Come on, f-list! Have a go! :)

Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters/Paring: Ten/Donna
Music: Rule the World
Artist: Take That
Betas: Maud and meijeen : both were tremendous help, giving me encouragement and tips to make the video better. Couldn't have done it without you guys!
File information: available in 39.5 Mb download
A/N: I'm on a roll... This one took me more time to complete than the previous two I've posted to this journal, but I was determined to finish it. Take it as my little tribute to the Ten/Donna greatness. The great poster below was once again created by the awesome meijeen . Comments are love, as usual! :)

( Rule the World )

Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters/Paring: Ten/Rose
Music: I'd Wait For Life
Artist: Take That
Beta: meijeen
File information: available in 38.2 Mb download.
A/N: After listening to this song over and over and over, bits and pieces of scenes have started going through my mind, and since I'm stuck at home with a sore back and the right to lie on the couch and do nothing more than that, basically, well, I worked on this video (my first one for the DW fandom, actually) and here it is. I hope you like it! Video poster is courtesy of the extremely talented meijeen , thanks so much! Sorry there's no streaming version available, but photobucket wouldn't let me upload it, and I'm not a fan of other streaming websites, so I've zipped the file and made it available for download only. Comments are love! :)

( I'd Wait For Life )

Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (as of today)

This morning, when I opened the shutters, I spotted a van down on the street, with a sign on the side advertising a lift company. I couldn't believe it. Then I went downstairs to go to work and asked one of the guys if that meant they'd get the lift working today. The guy said, "Probably not, we have lots to check first." So I left the building rather downhearted. When I came home tonight, THE surprise was waiting for me: we have an operating lift! Amazing.

Having a lift means no more heavy loads (such as my pupils' notebooks, or even groceries) to drag up to the second floor. And considering the current state of my back (sore, really sore, has been so for the past couple of weeks, and all the drugs my doctor prescribed plus kinesiologist sessions don't make the pain disappear completely :P) having a lift is no luxury. AND my super fridge-freezer complete with ice dispenser will be delivered within a few days (I hope!) so that's another bonus. Going to the store tomorrow to sort things out with them.

Squeeeeeeee!!!!

I'm VERY excited!

Found a way to save about 850 euro. I bought a USB wifi adaptor for 20 euro and the desktop is now connected to the internet again. Yay! 850 euro is, after all, a huge part of my next plane ticket to North America... or several pieces of furniture for my apartment. In any case, it was needed, and I'm so glad I can keep this good old desktop for a few more months. :)))))

To celebrate, my finger accidently clicked on "place order" for the Journal of Impossible Things. Oops. ;) Come on, less than 10 Quid, and I've just saved over 800 euro, eh?

Because shit happens, that's why.

*banging head repeatedly on desk and wondering why she even tries*

PS: wanna bet how long before I screw up the laptop, too?

The RSC released a limited number a seats to that evening's performance, every day at 10 am?

And I have to learn about that this morning, the morning *after* closing night.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

*insert huge string of really, really bad words in several languages*

Why couldn't I become a fan of Edward Bennett? *throws fist* No kidding, how much of bad luck converged onto me this time around to actually prevent me no matter what of seeing David as Hamlet? For real? It's just spectacular, isn't it? Absolutely spectacular. Kudos, Bad Luck. You win hands down.

*insert another string of bad words*

It's Hamlet's closing night tonight. Why... WHY?!?

*dissolves into tears* :((((((

Lifted from avoria 's journal again:

1. What are your nicknames?
Kaethel, Kae-Nine, H, Destiny, DS (all depending on fandom and circumstances)

02. How does your hair look currently?
Dark brown and shoulder-length. And dripping wet. And a mess.

03. What's new in your life right now?
General cheerfulness.

04. How many colours are you wearing now?
Two: black and red.

05. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
Everyone who doesn't know me much thinks I'm an extrovert who goes around making jokes and being friendly, but I'm actually very shy.

06. What was the last book you read.
I've just started on Russell T. Davies' Writer's Tale. Before that, I was sort of reading Hamlet, but lost all enthusiasm for that when I realised I wouldn't see David on stage. I'll get back to it once I've accepted that no, I really won't see David Tennant as Hamlet. *sobs*

07. Do you nap a lot?
Way too much. But one of my 2009 resolutions is to waste less time napping.

08. Who is your favorite super hero?
That would be Superman, I suppose, since I used to be such a big Lois and Clark fan. I don't think the Doctor is a superhero, and you know what? That's probably why I love him so much.

09. Is there anything that has made you happy these days?
Editing my Blackpool video in about 24 hours, managing to work less and suddenly feeling like I'm doing a good job in my class.

10. What's your current obsession?
Blackpool.

11. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
About 45 minutes.

12. What websites do you visit daily?
Livejournal.

13. Do you write fic? What was the last fic you wrote?
Yes, I do. The last one I completed was Aftermaths: a journey through Rose's life, from her first morning with Jimmy to her waking up with the Duplicate Doctor in the alternate universe.

14. What's the last thing you laughed about?
My headteacher actually made a joke that made me laugh: I still have no lift in my apartment building (courtesy of my dear builder Fernando, who ran out of money to pay for it - it's official now), so my headteacher gave me a big box with my name on it. When I opened it, there was a knotted rope to help me climb up to my flat.

15. What's the last song that got stuck in your head?
Cupid, from the Blackpool soundtrack. Told you I'm obsessed!

16. What's the last movie you saw?
Learners, which was cute, but not brilliant. Yeah, okay, maybe the obsession is David Tennant... Wait, no, I watched Amelie on TV the other day. Bored me to tears, that one. And no, not just because David wasn't in it! ;)

17. Do you buy or download the movies you watch
I usually watch them on TV or buy them. But then I don't watch a lot of films at all. I prefer TV shows.

18. What is your least favourite thing to do that you did today?
Something I haven't done yet but will have to do: completely clean Ms Kitty's loo. Why couldn't I get a cat who knows how to clean her own litter tray? Sigh.

Nicked from avoria :

1. When did you start watching?
I think it was back in February 2006... I think.

1a. Why?
nene2811  and I were spending a week atwendymr 's, who made us watch series 1. We both immediately fell in love with the show, its characters and the Nine/Rose greatness. Watched all the episodes in one week and then stood at Toronto International Airport impersonating Daleks. People around us probably thought we were nuts!

2. What was your first episode?
Rose.

3. Which episodes have you seen?
All of New Who. Many of them several times.

3a. Favourite?
Hard to cut it down to one single episode. Probably Doomsday, but Turn Left, The Stolen Earth and Journey's End come as close second(s)...

4. Are your friends/family interested in the show?
I managed to turn my mum, two of my friends, and one of my work colleagues into DW fans. Another couple of my friends also love the show, but they discovered it on French TV - it wasn't my doing!

5. Which Doctor is your favourite?
Ten. Took me a long time to get used to him, but the last ten minutes of Doomsday were my demise. After that, I rewatched the whole of S2 and Ten was definitely *my* Doctor.

6. Which Doctor is your least favourite?
Can't say, because I know only of Nine and Ten, and I loved Nine, too.

7. Which TV companion is your favourite? 
Arf... the impossible question. I can't choose between Rose and Donna. I love them both to bits. I'm totally fond of Rose because I'm a huge Doctor/Rose shipper. I think they have such chemistry on screen, and it's one of those great love stories that makes the hopeless romantic in me sigh and be happy. :) And Donna... well, I didn't like her much in The Runaway Bride, but then as soon as I saw her in Partners in Crime, I thought she would make a fantastic companion. Her relationship to the Doctor was fresh and new, and they were really great together. So I can't choose.

8. Which TV companion is your least favourite?
Martha. I didn't feel her character was as developed, as deep as Donna or Rose. Also, her relationship to the Doctor was too much of a one-way, and that got tiring after a while. And I was still grieving for Rose, so I couldn't really relate to Martha then. Add to that poorer scripts in S3, and that was Martha doomed for me.

9. Do you listen to the Big Finish audios?
No.

9a. If so, which is your favourite?
N/A.

9b. Also: which Big Finish companion is your favourite?
N/A.

10. Have you listened to any non-Big Finish audios?
I've listened to the Stone Rose. Mostly because I needed to hear David Tennant's voice in my ears during my holiday in England last summer. Enjoyed it, though. Laughed my head off when he did Mickey's voice. :)

11. Have you read any of the novels or short stories?
Nope. I intend to, at some point, but I tend to prefer fanfic to official novels, because most of the time fanfic is of better quality.

11a. Have you written any of the novels or short stories?
Nope!

11b. Which is your favourite?
I've only read one, so I can't say.

12. Have you read any of the comics?
No. Not much interested either.

13. Do you watch any of the spinoffs (e.g. Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures)?
I got into Torchwood recently. Of course, since they killed off my two favourite characters (and therefore my TW ship), I'm not sure I'll keep on watching.

13a. Which is your favourite?
Can't say since I haven't watched any SJA.

14. Is there any particular episode/book/audio/comic you desperately want to watch/listen to/read?
I'm always craving to rewatch my favourite episodes.

Fandom

1. Do you write fanfic for Doctor Who?
You bet I do.

1a. If so, post a snippet of a work-in-progress (or several)!

From the currently untitled DuplicateTen/Rose story on my hard drive. Haven't written a single word on it in months, but that's the last page or so that I did write:

He found her curled up on the made-up bed in the sitting room, still fully clothed, and fast asleep. Traces of dried tears had reddened her cheeks, and his one heart sunk. He knelt onto the sofa and tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her skin.

She mumbled something inintelligible.

“I got on the wrong bus,” he said somewhat sheepishly when she opened her eyes and asked him what time it was. “Not quite used to all those routes yet.”

She didn’t smile.

He slid his hands under her and lifted her off the couch. She buried her head in his neck, and he carried her to her own bed, laying her gently and tugging the quilt back onto her body. He hesitated for a second, then bent down to kiss her temple softly.

He was standing up again when her hold on him tightened.

Stay.

The words were on her lips, though she didn’t speak them out loud. She didn’t need to.

He took off his shoes and lay down next to her, sighing contentedly when she rested her head on his chest and wrapped an arm over his waist.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered in the darkness. “I shouldn’t have assumed that you’d work at Torchwood. That was out of line and… I’m sorry,” she repeated.

He brushed his hand through her hair. “I’m sorry, too. I know you just wanted to help.”

“No, but I told you I didn’t like you making choices for me, and what do I do? Exactly the same.” She sat up as she spoke, and looked at him.

“It was a lot to take. I go from being the Doctor and travelling in the TARDIS to being human, having only one heart, one very short life, and having to pretend I’m a normal person.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It is. If I hadn’t been there with you, you – the other you – wouldn’t have left you here with me. He’d probably have kept you with him. You’d be travelling in the TARDIS.” She lowered her eyes.

He put a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t, Rose. Don’t think that this is your fault. I made that choice. I wanted to stay. I wanted so badly to be with you. What I said to you… I meant it. I would’ve said it three years ago, and I finally got the chance to tell you, and nothing could’ve stopped me this time. I love you.”

She edged closer, her eyelids flickering close as her breath mingled with his. The first touch of his lips on hers was feather-like, and she felt his hands frame her face, fingers tangling in her hair. Their kiss never deepened, remaining a fluttering touch of lips, gentle foreplay that never went further than chaste strokes and sighs of relief.

When they pulled apart, there was a big grin on the Doctor’s face. “I could get used to this,” he commented cheerfully.

“Making up is the best part of fighting.”

“We should fight more often.”

She lay back onto his chest, and his fingers curled in her hair. “Couples fight.”

Are we a couple, Rose?

He didn’t ask the question out loud, both possible answers scaring him out of his wits.

2. Do you create Doctor Who icons?
Haven't done that in years.

2a. Let's see a sample! 
No, let's really not. Let's talk about it again once I've figured out how to create nice icons with photoshop. ;)

3. Recommend a fanfic/icon/fanvid/fancomic/fancreation!
Hilarious and absolutely brilliant fanvid: Anything You Can Do, byrhoboat  andjagwriter78.
The last fanfic that moved me to tears: Sense, byadaliazandra

4. Have you been to any Doctor Who conventions?
No, but I'd love to!

5. Have you ever dressed up as a Doctor Who character?
No.

6. Do you own any Doctor Who merchandise?
Um, yeah. DVDs and soundtracks of course, but also books related to the show (the latest one being RTD's Writer's Tale - utterly fascinating read!), a led sonic screwdriver, a brand new sonic screwdriver I haven't used yet *g*, a TARDIS USB hub, mugs, little cast iron Dalek, Cybermen and TARDIS, a t-shirt, calendars, a TARDIS keyring and a TARDIS phonecharm. I'm such a geek. And I want to get the action figures now. ;)

7. Are you a fan of Russell T Davies?
Huge fan. I think he's a damn brilliant writer, and he's as big a Doctor/Rose shipper as I am. And I'm in the process of reading his Writer's Tale, which makes me even more of a fan of him.

7a. Steven Moffat?
Ouch. Afraid not. I absolutely loved The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances, and Blink was good as a standalone. However, I had huge problems with The Girl in the Fireplace, and I was bored to tears during the library episodes in S4. I have a big problem with Steven Moffat ditching companions to the side in favour of a new "romantic" interest he suddenly introduces for the Doctor. Plus he turns the Doctor into some sort of omnipotent superhero, which I hate.

7b. Paul Cornell? 
Father's Day was brilliant. Not such a fan of his other episodes.

8. What say you to Season 6b? 
Having not watched Old Who at all, I can't say.

9. The UNIT dating controversy?
Again, haven't watched any Old Who, so...

10. The Blinovitch Limitation effect?
I think I'd have a problem with the show if it didn't take the BLE into account.

11. Multi-Doctor episodes?
I'd love a Nine/Ten one.

12. What's your favourite Doctor Who technobabble? 
Gosh. I love all of Ten's technobabble. Mind you, Ten could read the phone book to me and I'd find it fascinating. Yeah, yeah, I'm pathetic, I know. The worst part of it is that Ten's technobabble used to drive me bonkers, because I usually didn't understand a word of it and put that down on the fact my English wasn't good enough. Then I realised that no, it just wasn't supposed to make sense anyway. ;)

13. Have you watched other TV shows exclusively because of the presence of Doctor Who actors?
Yes. Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which I thought was all right, but not brilliant. Mind you, it was dubbed in French, so... And Blackpool, which I absolutely adored from start to finish. I'm still in the middle of watching Taking Over the Asylum, and I find it very moving. But so far, Blackpool really wins the prize for me.

14. Have you met any of the actors?
Don't rub it in. I was supposed to see David on stage two weeks ago, so don't rub it in...

14a. Travelled to any filming locations?
I went to Cardiff last summer and of course took the mandatory trip to Southerndown Beach. It was very moving, standing there and thinking back on Doomsday and Journey's End.

15. What do you think of The Curse of Fatal Death?
Haven't seen it.

16. Do you have any fannish opinions that you think are fairly unpopular?
I think Jack/Ianto is an aberration. I'm a Ten/Jack shipper and I love OT3.

17. What's your favourite pairing?
No hesitation there: Ten/Rose

18. What pairing(s) won't you touch with a really long pole?
I'm not closing any doors.

So... chandramas and I had been planning this trip for months. In fact, it all started last spring, when I couldn't manage to get seats for Hamlet in Stratford and chandramas emailed me saying they were transferring the play to London. She took an RSC membership, got us two seats right away, and that's how we planned to spend our Christmas in London.

We were really sad of course when we learned that we wouldn't see David Tennant after all, but we were still determined to have fun and enjoy our holiday.

( Read more and see pictures behind the cut )

Finally went downstairs to take a couple of pictures, and here's one:

Walked to work this morning. It took me a little over half an hour, which is what it'd have taken me to drive there anyway, considering the road conditions.

Once Gwen and I got there, though, we realised we were the only two teachers in, and the phone kept ringing... in the end only four of us managed to make it to school today - the other teachers live in small villages that were snowed in. So at first we were contemplating having to deal with 220 kids between all four of us. We spent the morning asking parents to please keep their children home. For once the hierarchy had given us the go-ahead to do that, especially as when they called we still had over 90 children at school. And Gwen left in the early afternoon to have a vague chance to make it home and not be stuck in Chatellerault another night.

Anyway, it hasn't snowed again but the weather reports announces -8 for tonight, so who knows what it'll look like tomorrow. Have to say walking home was not a doddle, especially as I had no choice but to go grocery shopping, so I was bringing back lots of bags and things.

But you know what? I love the snow so much that I don't mind. :) Then again it's much easier to say that once you're home with a laptop and a wifi connection, a purring kitty keeping you warm, a mug of steaming Whittard's tea nearby, and Skynews on TV (what I wouldn't do to have my little piece of Britain at home ;))

I don't believe this. First, you've got to know that I live in Western France, and we get a couple of centimetres of snow every six or seven years. I think we did get a tiny bit three years ago, but I'm not even sure of that. Anyway... I heard this morning on the radio that we might get snow showers tonight in the neighbourhood, but you know what the weather's report is like. It's not always that accurate. So I wasn't holding my breath.

The thing is, though, it's been unusually cold here over the past few weeks. So the ground is basically frozen, which means any snow will stick. And snow we got today. It started lightly this morning, then it started sticking this afternoon, and it's been falling non stop for the past couple of hours, so everything's covered in fluffy white now. It's very pretty, but... bearing in mind that no-one's used to snow here, two centimetres on the road means that it took me over half an hour to get home from work (a journey that usually takes me less than 5 minutes) and my colleague Gwen, who lives in a small village something like 20 km away, is coming over to crash at my place because the road to her village is too slippery. 

So that's it really. Adventure of the day. If there's still any snow tomorrow I'll take piccies! :)))))