sheldrake

Hello. Sorry I haven't posted for ages. I kept thinking I ought to post about this before I started on any of the usual waffle and fluff, and I've been putting it off because it's not something I particularly want to talk about or expend any more energy on. But it's been bothering me that there might be people who don't know about this, and who deserve to, and a public post seemed the best way to stop that from happening. A heads-up, if you will. I've thought about it, and discussed it with a friend, and I see no reason why this shouldn't be made known publicly. If there is a good reason I'm not aware of, then of course let me know.

So, this will mainly affect people who were around in the Lotrips fandom of olden times. I recently found out (from a friend on the flist, who found out from someone on her flist, etc etc) that Kia Bright, known on LJ as hjartad and then punkmeanscuddle, did not, as we were led to believe, die in 2005 from heart failure/suicide. She actually faked her own death, and is still alive. I don't know how it all came to light, but it seems pretty definite that this is the case. It seems she's still in the same job, and may have accounts at Twitter and Last.fm. Like I say, I know little else in the way of details, but feel free to email me about it if you want to.

The awful thing about cases like this (one of the awful things) is that they leave you feeling a fool. You've been duped, and you feel (however unjustifiably) that everybody else must have known and not told you. I have no idea, really, how widespread this knowledge is, but I spoke to at least one person who didn't know and was shocked to find out. And, you know... there are lots of people I like and respect around these parts, and who deserve better than the lie we were unfortunately being fed for the last few years. (Absolutely no judgement intended on anyone who didn't want to post about it, I nearly didn't myself). So, um -- if you already knew... as you were, and if you didn't, I'm really sorry to be the bearer of ugly news. Oh, and apologies to the many people to whom this will mean nothing at all -- permission to scroll on by!

Right. I shall now move on, and get back to the waffle and fluff you love so much and tolerate so kindly.

If anyone is a particular fan of 80s lizard-invasion TV series V, galactic_jack has spontaneously decided to spam and pollute my lovely ms paint post with imagery and merchandise from the aforementioned scaly alien love-fest. This has been a public service announcement.

There is a severe food crisis in several West African countries. Here are some ways to donate to help people in Niger, Mali, Mauritania & Burkina Faso:

DEC Niger appeal in the UK

Save the Children USA

International Red Cross & Red Crescent

This journal's going Friends Only for a little while. If you're not on my Friends List, well, you're honestly not going to be missing all that much. If I ever manage to finish any of the thousand and one WIPs (believe it or not, I have every intention of finishing at least one!) I'll post them unlocked. Ha! No one is spared the fic!

At this point, if you wish, you can imagine a nice interlude film thingy, like they used to have on the olden days on the BBC. A nice lady arranging flowers, perhaps, to the tune of 'An English Country Garden'. Or a fisherman attempting to balance spoons on his nose, accompanied by someone playing Greensleeves on a kazoo.