So, right around Thanksgiving I got an email from a woman named Geraldine who had a question about a fanfic I wrote around four years ago set in an unlikely fandom, 'Lancer,' a series from the late 60s/early 70s. Naturally this story was slash, and it turned out there just wasn't any 'Lancer' slash being written, although hundreds of stories were being written and posted every week to mostly Yahoo lists.

In fact, slash was verbotten. And brother/brother slash, which this story featured, was an offense that might involve a firing squad. (An inside joke for 'Lancer' fans, since one of the main characters is facing a firing squad when he's rescued by a Pinkerton agent.)

This story was written for a challenge community that featured 'older' genres. It was a fluke, really, just something that popped into my head when I was given the prompt, "Someone becomes a priest." It seemed like the character Johnny Madrid Lancer might be driven to the priesthood if something really awful happened in his life.

And so Johnny became a flagellant priest in this story.

Anyway, it got relatively no notice, like most of my stuff (hehe). I think there was only one anonymous comment concerned about the slash aspect, but it wasn't a flame.

I joined a few 'Lancer' lists, but I didn't post the story anywhere else (obviously).

So, until the last few months, this story had the distinction of being the only 'Lancer' slash available on line. (Kind of like my 'Wizards & Warriors' story that got linked from its fansite as the only slash one around.)

When Geraldine wrote she asked if I had posted something else under another name, something on fanfiction.net. I told her I hadn't written anything else. She told me about a 'Lancer After Dark' list at Yahoo Groups that had a tiny following, and I expressed interest in joining. So the mod sent me an invite.

For the past two weeks I've been playing there a little. I wrote another very short story, and I've mostly been blathering about the setting, since I've been doing so much research in and around that time line in recent months (1870s).

I'm already sensing that the very few active 'Lancer' fans at this mini-list are getting sick of me. My stories aren't graphic enough, and my posts are too pedantic.

While I think my life at this list is destined to be short, I've decided it's time for an actual 'Lancer' slash community. If I'm going to write this stuff, I want a place to post it. And, frankly, I'm already out on a limb in this fandom, so why do I care if people are scandalized? I can't get my feathers clumped up over two half-brothers who didn't meet each other until they reached their 20s finding themselves falling for one another. I can't think of too many other people good enough for either brother. (I am planning a 'young Ben Wade' story featuring Johnny, though. Can't resist.)

In the meantime, I'm waiting for my 'Lancer' dvd's to arrive from one of the women who sells them off her website. After all, I haven't seen this show in 40 years. It might help.

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

You deserve to have a GREAT DAY! Choose anything you'd like to do today . . .

except:

Play tennis (too cold)
Go to the dentist (too pointless)
Watch 'Public Enemies' (too soon)
Talk to Kent (too annoying)
Clean your bedroom (too frustrating)
Watch the Monk finale (too sad)

(yes, I'll dvr 'Monk')

If we could just go one month . . . hell, if we could just go two weeks . . . without some sort of sickness or health issue. I've started to wonder what it would feel like.

This must be what it's like to be helpless against the inevitable. And as we get older, it won't get better, I imagine.

I just feel completely, utterly dispirited.

And, honestly, I almost never feel this way. I think it's been nearly 15 years since I can remember feeling anything like it.

Well, I guess I'll go clean out a drawer or clean off a shelf. It's time to do something useful. Because this is something I am absolutely powerless against, and I despise admitting to a lack of power.

We're finally on vaca (well, we were on vaca yesterday, but worked, of course), and here we are in Clatskanie, Oregon at Humps Restaurant. I was looking at the familiar menu and noticed they now have internet access for their customers, so we grabbed the laptops and decided to go surfing while we wait for our chicken strips and nachos.

Hehe.

The drive west on Highway 30 to Clatskanie is a Thanksgiving week tradition for us. We've been coming to Humps since it opened when we were kids, and we love their homemade pie.

Yes, it's Oregon, but, NO, it's actually not raining! In fact, the drive was lovely, partly sunny and mild.

I'm ready to start easing away from work, despite the fact there are many things that still need to be done. We have a 'punch list' of problems, and, of course, we won't get our new phone system until next week at the earliest. All that said, the temporary office is far better than I ever expected, with more room at our work spaces and lots of leftover space. In fact, we have one office completely empty (which Tedd did everything he could to get me to use). But I want to show people that we can work in a new, open environment. People are far too used to having their own offices. (I have a feeling I'm going to be thrilled to get back into an office when we make the final move.)

It's kinda weird and exciting at the same time to be back downtown. It definitely adds an energy to everything.

But right now I'm in the center of downtown Clatskanie, not Portland. And I'm staring out the window at the lazy river trying to tune out the conservative news program playing on the overhead TV. As we drove into town, Highway 30 was half closed for the road crew to string the overhead 'Season's Greetings' sign, announcing, "Yes, Marilyn, there is a holiday."

As we like to say, hurray for us!