Merry Christmas to All!

[liresius]

Merry Christmas Everyone! Christmas Eve was dinner with a friend and her friends, lots of beer, good old McCallan Whiskeys (12 and 18 years old), Veuve Clicquot and some more exotic drinks. Food wasn't all that great though. I'm surprisingly well today, considering what I drank (drank lots of water too) and what with having a cold, but I don't feel like cooking. Luckily, I don't have to! My real Christmas dinner will be tomorrow when I have some of my students (six 18 year old girls) visit. well, I have opened my pressies, and that was a nice little ritual, although much later in the day than usual. I got to bed after 3:00 am, so I didn't get up until late. Now I must get cracking and prepare for my friend L's visit. We are going to snack, and chat, maybe watch a movie. Have a lovely day, my dear f-listers!

Comments

[ailurophile6.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas to you too! Sounds like you're having a nice holiday so far :)

[liresius.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Hope you have a lovely day too!

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas to you too.

[liresius.livejournal.com]

Thank you! *Christmas hugs galore*

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

*Huggles you too*

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you're having a fine old time already! I hope you enjoy the rest of it - lots of lovely plans there :-). Jemima sends her love - she's sitting between my hands as I type, watching the letters appear onscreen and purring like an engine!

Merry Christmas to you!

[liresius.livejournal.com]

It's been lovely. L co-worker, g-friend) came over and we gorged on antipasto things and then Plum Pud! Discovered L loves Hallelujah too so we listened to all the versions that I have and discussed which one we liked best. I think I'd go for Jeff Buckley's. L likes Rufus'. Then we watched I'm Not There (Bob Dylan movie). I finally got through the whole thing without falling asleep! LOL!

Give Jemima a squishy huggle from me! and you too, natch! *HUGGLES*

Hope you're having a lovely Christmas day and not feeling too sad, my darlin'!

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

Oh how lovely that you spent the time comparing Hallelujahs! LOL! I think I might have to write a G/D fic with that title if I can think of the right plotline to go with it. I like Jeff and Rufus and I'm fond of KD Lang too but still like Cohen's best. They're all good though!

Jemima has been duly squished :-). She had a fantastic time yesterday - all those people visiting the house that she got to play with!

I'm relieved the day itself is over though. It went off very well - my parents came over for lunch and my brother and his family for tea. Lunch was delicious and I'd bought this interesting "conversation topics" game thing that turned out to be brilliant. We talk a lot anyway but these conversation prompts made us discuss things we'd never talked about before.

People didn't leave until half one so I'm shattered today and glad to have the day to myself. It's all a bit too much for me and too many family undercurrents although it really did go very well so I'm not complaining!

[liresius.livejournal.com]

I thought of you when we listened to the Hallelujahs. LOL! I'm actually surprised at myself that I prefer a version not by Cohen! I'm usually fiercely faithful to his versions.

The Conversation Topics sounds interesting! I checked it out at Amazon. Might have to get that one day.

I'm glad the day went well and the undercurrents didn't swirl up to the surface and wash everyone away *g*

I keep looking at your icon and wanting to wipe the blood from Tony's lip! LOL!

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

The one I got was from Iwantoneofthose.com - it's called Table Topics but I'm guessing there might be others out there. I'd totally recommend it though - we loved it.

And yes, poor Tony! Although if anyone's gonna be wiping that blood away it should be Gibbs *g*.

[liresius.livejournal.com]

Oh right, I think I looked at a different version.

LOL! Well Gibbs better get on to it soon, or I'll be thinking he's a neglectful top and deserves to be made jealous *ggg*

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

You're quite right! He should have swooped in and wiped the blood away and got in a temper because someone hurt *his* sub, and gone on the rampage a bit and then come back and cuddled Tony for a few hours *g*. We KNOW how these things should happen!

[liresius.livejournal.com]

*swoons* Guh, I'm so in love with those thoughts! And YES, WE know how it works!!! *g*

ETA: And Tony acts out because he's missing the attention and cuddling and Gibbs has to take him hand eventually, and *literally*

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

That's just SO Tony, bless *g*. It's my motivation for his truly silly escapade in "Tony and Rodney's Excellent Puddlejumper Adventure" which I'm hoping to write soon. I mean, that behaviour is just completely *tony*. Although I'm a bit upset by the lack of headslaps so far in S6. There have been NONE! I wonder if that's a deliberate policy or they've just forgotten?!

[liresius.livejournal.com]

I can't wait for "Tony and Rodney's Excellent Puddlejumper Adventure"!! EEeee!

Yes, where are the headslaps?! I suspect it's policy. It seems so integral to their relationship so I fear they've neglected them for a reason. Grr!

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

Also - the lack of headslaps thing - it feels cold to me - as if Gibbs doesn't care as much any more. SOB!

[liresius.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly! That's the vibe I'm getting from Gibbs from this season. He's a harsher and grimmer man. Much colder than in earlier seasons.

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

I feel that too. In previous seasons I always believed in Gibbs but now I find myself questioning him. As does Tony. I wonder if that is part of the reason that the headslaps have stopped? And Tony has stood up to Gibbs as well this season in Cloak (god knows someone had to!). I wish, though, that they DEALT with it as a deliberate plot issue rather than us having to infer it. It's reminding me of XF when people behaved bizarrely and we could make up reasons WHY but it was never implicit in the canon text of the show. Sigh.

[liresius.livejournal.com]

Hm, that's a good point you make for why they might have stopped the headslaps. You hit it on the head with why it's annoying though - we are having to infer it. It's frustrating. I wish we'd seen some emotional honesty from Jethro in Cloak. It seemed like he got off entirely too scot free for my likes, for the way he used them.

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

I agree re Cloaked. I DO understand why he did it but there needed to be more of a consequence - more questioning of him. Because I'm totally happy to believe in him, implicitly, the way Tony does, but I need to know he'll always have their backs and I didn't know that in this ep so it seemed out of character. Although I CAN believe that he thought he was protecting them - but that's not good enough and I don't believe they'd have wanted him to be that paternalistic if he'd given them a choice. They'd rather know and take their own risks. But let him and Tony HAVE that conversation at least! I want to see it play out and not have wonder if that's why there are no headslaps any more *g*

[liresius.livejournal.com]

Yes, I understand his thinking and I want to believe in him too, but something disturbed me about his reactions to Ducky and Tony down in autopsy bay, in THAT scene where Tony play acts Gibbs. Yes, Gibbs said he thought he was protecting them, but something in his stance and demeanour gave me a very uncomfortable feeling that he didn't GET why they were so upset with him - almost as if he was a mild autist, emotionally. His team are living, breathing people who can (and did) get hurt, and he just didn't seem to get that there were real (relationship/trust) issues and consequences to his playing God, and using them as pieces.

You know the more I think about it, that could be the reason for no headslaps of lurve, but then ep 8 is not all that early in the season either. We should have been treated to at least one by then *g*

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

I can't help but think there's a deliberate "no head slaps" policy - I just can't figure out the reason for it as they definitely know it's a popular part of the show!

I loved your description of Gibbs as mildly autistic - sometimes he does come across that way!

[liresius.livejournal.com]

This is definitely something we'll have to keep a close eye on as the season develops.

Gibbs is an odd mix - sharp as a tack, especially with work, but relationships ..hm, Heartland shows he gets irritated with too much talk and I don't think he can/wants to express his feelings at all!

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

I wonder if he was different before Shannon and Kelly died? To be honest, what little we see of him as a young man in Heartland, he seems really hopeless at conversation there too! I suspect she did most of the talking. But his father and Shannon both seem quite lively and chatty so I suspect he has a fondness for those types of people - and Tony is of a similar kind *g*.

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

Re the icon - I assumed it was from Cloak (I didn't make it) but now I'm wondering if it's from that undercover op ep where Tony gets hit a few times. What do you think? I'm trying to think specifically of the bit in Cloak where it might be from (so I can, you know, go and pause on it *g*). Oh god I love whump so much! I hope Tony gets hurt again soon *ggg*.

[liresius.livejournal.com]

I totally didn't get this comment in my email (I think!) Sorry for the delay. I just saw it now.

And during the course of our convo above I went to check out Cloak and discovered I must have deleted it, (argh!) so I'm now getting it again. *sighs*

Oh whump! Yes, yes, yes! But do you know how deliciously EViL that sounds? I hope Tony gets hurt again soon *ggg* LOL!

I'll let you know what I find, when I gets my grabby hands on Cloak. What was the other undercover ep title/number? I might still have that one. I have most of them.

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

The S3 ep is episode 8 "under covers".

And I know! I AM evol *g* but I would love to see him really get hurt - like beaten up very badly and for Gibbs to find him.

[liresius.livejournal.com]

Damn! I didn't keep that ep because it had no headslaps in it! LOL!

Oh that is such a delish H/C scenario - I dearly wants it!

(and I was right - I got your 1st comment in this thread by email much later than it actually registered in the post)

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

I'm embellishing here but I wouldn't mind if it was in some way Gibbs's fault Tony is hurt *g*. Or that Tony is hurt because he's done something brave but stupid. Either one works for me! LOL!

[liresius.livejournal.com]

Just checked Cloak and your icon is definitely from that ep. It's at about 19:15 into the ep. Blood spray patterns match! (This assessment is kindly provided by your friendly neighbourhood NCIS forensics expert *points at icon* and she expects some CAF-POW in return)!

Ooh, I love the two ideas, although the first might need to be in a longer fic to develop it properly. Gibbs and his still-water-runs-deep issues might take some 'splainin' *g*

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

Isn't it the middle of the night where you are? *g*. I'm loving having a nice old back and forth chat with you! We haven't done it in ages :-).

Thank you for the blood spray patterns analysis *g*. Here is your caf pow, Ms Abby Liresius!

And yes - Gibbs is the ultimate in "strong, silent type" really - and Tony is just such a chatterer. That's another reason why I like them together. Although...Tony is as reticent about his true emotions as Gibbs - he just hides them in a different way.

[liresius.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is! It's 1:50 am, but it's just so nice being able to stay up late, cus I'm on holidays until the 6th.

It has been very nice to have the back and forth tonight - on several threads too!

Thanks for the CAF-POW! *hugs*

They go so well together! I think the chattiness (or not) factor is what makes them such an entertaining pair! I love how Tony casts fabulous nets of illusion, distracts from the truth with his stories and Gibbs is an unmoving stone wall. *g*

[xanthestories.livejournal.com]

Yes - that's totally it. Tony's fabulous nets of illusion and Gibbs's unmoving stone wall. It's such a beautiful combination.

Yay to holidays! I feel a bit the same! Mind you, I must get to bed on time tonight as my 9 year old nephew is spending the day with me tomorrow and will be showing up around 9 I think!