I was browsing through my rescued files after nursing my computer through an operating system catastrophe, and found a spot Arcee fic that I wrote quite some time ago, and forgot about. I originally meant to incorporate it into a larger story, but Arcee vetoed that--she thinks the scene says all that needs to be said. I'm hoping some readers weigh in to agree or disagree.

Personally, I'm rather busy right now. I'm on a work-from-home contract paralegal job right now, reviewing thousands of legal documents and categorizing them for the attorneys on the case. This makes folding laundry and washing dishes seem like fun, in comparison. I'm also studying to take the exams to get my securities license, which is an exercise in memorizing exemptions. One thing you learn when studying any form of law is that the law itself isn't what will trip you up--it's the exceptions to the law that will lose you exam points and trial cases.

Needless to say, I'm also looking for a full-time permanent job somewhere within an hour's drive of home that offers something more interesting to do and would pay the rent and the car repair bills.

My car is in the midst of its 50,000-mile breakdown cycle. This is something akin to human adolescence, during which body parts that worked perfectly well for a considerable period of time abruptly go to pieces. For people, it hits between the ages of twelve or so and fifteen, and causes growth spurts and bad poetry while the body upgrades itself and tries to patch the operating system. For Chryslers, it hits at around 50,000 miles, and causes automotive angst in the form of unsettling pops, groans, and squeaks, that when investigated by a professional mechanic turn out to be the result of a couple of thousand dollars' worth of worn parts. Since August, my friendly local mechanic has replaced the battery, brake shoes, brake rotors, outer tie rods, front tires, and right front headlight wiring in my car. The stereo died at right around the 55,000 mile mark, and my brother and I learned how to take apart the dashboard and solder wiring harnesses in order to install a new stereo. When I went to do my grocery shopping on Friday, I found an eight-inch crack in the windshield. This is a car that lives in a garage with only a bottle of Rain-X for company, so there is no chance that a rock or tree branch fell on it from above while it was parked. The temperature has been fluctuating all over the place, as it is wont to do in southern Ohio at this time of year, so it must have been sheer air pressure that cracked the windshield. I'm hoping my insurance will cover it--my credit card still hasn't recovered from the brake rotor work.

So anyway, I'm going to get back to working, in the interest of paying off my credit card and buying Christmas presents. May everyone who reads this be blessed with a family and friends to celebrate a holiday with.