What's New Archive

What's New - November, 2000


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Thursday November 30, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Yes, friends, this is an actual, honest to goodness update. And not just a wimpy little update, either... no ma'am/sir. It's a full blown update, complete with the ever infamous random ramblings (my apology for this still being in effect), the updates, and the silly title at the top (list version only)!

What a deal, friends! And it's totally free! There are no hidden fees, no inflated monthly service charges, no nothin'!

Have I mentioned I firmly believe I was a TV announcer in a previous life? I seem to channel it at random times. It's like a bad tick or something.

I'll have you know I went to great pains to put out this update. You see, it's very difficult to type when one has a cute little orange kitten named Tango on one's chest asleep. I finally remedied the situation by putting him down to lay by my dog, Kira. He's a very happy kitten now. He's purring.

A note about the updates -- I'm almost caught up. I think I have some Lynka's stuff to include (and will do so in the next update), and some other submissions which out lovely Beyond Uber editor has sent me via email, and then I *think* I'll be finished.

URL Correction:

It was brought to my attention by Deb (thanks, Deb!) that I had a wrong URL for a story. So here's the corrected version:

  • A Shot Won't Cure This By FlyBigD posted at MaryD's (Beyond Uber Alt)
    24th in the Plan D series. *****Raven and Celine Recommend*****
What's New:

Tuesday November 28, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Hi! Remember Me? I'm that person who sends out the updates. Usually. Yep. And, in an effort to catch up on things, below is a partial update. Tomorrow you'll find more of what I've missed over the past few days.

And thanks to Sandy for letting me know you laugh out loud at my updates. I hope those around you don't think you're completely insane for doing so. If they do, just blame me. "It's not my fault, Celine made me do it!" is what you should say. Of course, they won't know who Celine is. Be sure to calmly explain that, no, Celine isn't a voice in your head or an alternative personality. She is an individual whom you haven't actually met, but still drives you to fit of uncontrollable laughter daily via her email messages. You could throw something in there about Celine being beautiful and of genius quality, but I don't want you to lie or anything.

That should clear everything up. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll dispatch Beyond Uber's lovely editor Raven's cousin Guido to take care of 'em for ya.

What's New:

Thursday November 23, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Happy Turkey Day!! That is, happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it, and happy day in general to those who don't. I'll be traversing to my brother's house for the holiday, where my sister-in-law will make her famous extremely-dried-out dressing. It's a family tradition.

Things I've learned this week:

  • It's really difficult to take a bath when there are two cats playing with a cat toy in the bathtub
  • When getting a hair cut, I need to be sure to check the back before leaving to make sure it hasn't been cut crooked and in an unwanted style
  • Whenever I try to go blonde, I invariably end up with a red tint
  • I need to remember to have printed uber handy so I can snap it up and take it with me at a moment's notice so I can occupy any free time with something worthwhile
All words to live by, I'm sure. Especially that last one.

In other news, I'm am absolutely going gaga over the latest *spoiler* photo from Creation (yes, I said SPOILER! If you are spoiler allergic, don't click on the link below!!!):

http://www.primenet.com/~outback/fanclubs/spoil/retvalkyrie608r119a.jpg

It's a very nice photo. Couple that with (ATTENTION! Another SPOILER pic!!! Don't click on this one either, all ye spoiler avoiders!!!):

http://www.primenet.com/~outback/fanclubs/spoil/dangerprey610035.jpg

... and it's been a very good day in spoiler land. *sigh* Another very nice photo. Yep.

What's New:

Tuesday November 21, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): I am, as you may have already noticed, a complete moron. I had two story updates I should have included last night I completely forgot about. They are the first two stories listed in the What's New section.

In other news, I attempted to cook breakfast today. Normally, if a microwave isn't involved, I don't cook. Trust me, the world is safer this way. But today... I tried to cook a little. Nothing burned, fortunately, and all was edible, but I think I'll leave the cooking to others.

What's New:

  • Soul Searching - Chapter 2 By Web Bard posted at her site (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Beth and Reese discuss the perils of keeping secrets from one another and begin to build a bridge of trust between them. Continuing story. *****Celine Recommends*****

  • Gossamer - Episode 49: Voices of Authority Posted at the Gossamer Site (Beyond Uber)
    Kris and Heather are served with legal papers. Constance and Dominique have an interesting shopping experience. And Edward pays a secret visit to Heather.

  • Fire and Ice - Chapter 11 By Alison Phipps posted at her site (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Trial of Conscience - Chapter 19 By Troubleshooter posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. *****Celine Recommends*****

  • Culture Clash - Chapter 17 By Malaurie Barber posted at XenaEyes (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • My Conversation With Ares By Briar posted at XenaEyes (Beyond Uber Gen)
    Summary pending.

  • Another Ares Diary By Briar posted at XenaEyes (Beyond Uber Gen)
    Summary pending.

  • The Honeymoon By Lena posted at XenaEyes (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Sequel to The Apartment. Complete. *****Celine Recommends*****

Monday November 20, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Um. Well. See, I couldn't find anything to put in the update. I tried... really, I did. I looked high, low, sideways, underneath, over there, around the bend, over the river, through the woods, diagonally, in between, up one side and down the other, and in all the nooks and crannies, but didn't find a darned thing, as far as uber updates go.

I even pondered finishing my Uber Is sequel, but then I realized I still don't have a plotline, so that kinda nixed that idea. Not that my first story had a plotline either, of course.

Oh, update on the above -- I just wrote a little in my sequel. It still doesn't have a plot, but it does have a little scene going which may or may not lead to something more. Just like the relationship between Sarah and the yet-to-be-officially named narrator of the last story.

Uber News:

Carole Giorgio, author of Laguna Nights and Sedona Rain, has a new site at Midgit's Small Corner of the Xenaverse:

And here's something interesting... a lovely photo at MaryD's of the lovely Renee O'Connor and Lucy Lawless at an awards show: That's a photo which could fit any number of ubers, me thinks, especially Dar and Kerry from Missy Good's stories.

What's New:

  • Not a darned thing. Nothing. Nada. Ziltch. Zero. This space unfortunately left blank.

Sunday November 19, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): You know what I've discovered? I'm not bad at playing Tony Hawk Skater 2. Yep, the things you don't discover. Just thought I would throw that in.

I don't normally play computer games, but I kinda like this one. Cheat codes are a good thing. I used to ride a skateboard when I was a child... I still have it, in fact. It has pelicans and palm trees on it. Can you tell it came from Florida? My nephew calls the board "old school," which makes me feel old. Of course, he doesn't seem to believe I'm actually an adult (it's not my fault I look 15), so in some weird way, that balances things out. Maybe.

Tango the kitty update -- he's presently hanging off my pant leg by his toenails. He and my/his dog Kira have been chasing each other for several minutes... oh, wait, the cat just knocked the phone and portable CD player off the desk. He's really quite talented.

In other news, you'll notice an update to Now Playing On the Jukebox In Hell in the What's New section. I meant to include that the other day, but I forgot. At least, I think I did. So, apologizes to ROCFanKat and to the story's fans. I have a brain, but I swear it doesn't work very well.

Uber News:

Lynn Norris, author of the fantastic Second Chances, has her own site, hosted at Midgit's Small Corner of the Xenaverse:

What's New:

Saturday November 18, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): My mother had surgery on her eyes today. She has a genetic thingie which causes her to have excess tissue in her eyelids, making them droop which greatly affects her vision. Her take on the situation -- she finally was able to go to a plastic surgeon, and it had to be for a medical problem.

In other news, I've been reading "Love Thy Neighbor" by Kelly Aten (http://www.amazontrails.com/xena/neighbor.htm), and am loving it. It's Beyond Uber Alt, finished, and not very long. It already has a Raven Recommends, and I'm throwing in a Celine Recommends, as well. It's good stuff.

And, yes, I did fall asleep last night when doing the update. Guess I slept on that whole deal a little too much, eh?

What's New:

Thursday November 16, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): I just have to stop sleeping. That pesky activity sometimes makes me not send out this update, such as what happened yesterday. Yep. I should be staying up late, watching Madam Cleo commercials, and not rest until this update makes it to its faithful readers.

Then again, maybe not. I'll have to sleep on it and get back to you.

I discovered yesterday that tire stores are fairly boring places if you aren't into looking at a bunch of tires. Which, incidentally, I'm not. I had to travel to such a place to get a tube for my little scooter repaired, and spent a good deal of time waiting. I pondered eating some stale looking vending machine food, but settled on getting a Pepsi, instead. I also discovered, in my boredom induced stupor, that all the magazines were geared toward a male reader. Which, incidentally, I'm not. A male, that is... I am a reader.

In fact, I've read the first three parts of a beta copy of a really, really cool story by a really, really cool bard who shall remain nameless because I dunno if she wants me to mention the story yet. But I promise... it's really, really good. Yep. So if that unnamed bard wants to send more my way, I really, really wouldn't object. :) :) :)

In my uber stuff news, I'm actually making a little (stress the word: little) headway, so I might actually come up with something. Keep your eyes crossed.

Also, happy thoughts to Carrie's AJ, who is under the weather right now... get well soon, ye wonderful bard.

What's New:

  • Daniel By MaryD posted at MaryD's My Little Corner (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Short story based on the Zoe and Eva series. *****Raven Recommends*****

  • We Love You Because... By MaryD posted at MaryD's My Little Corner (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Short story based on the Zoe and Eva series. *****Raven Recommends*****

  • The Claiming of Ford - Log 39 By T Novan posted at MaryD's (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. *****Celine Recommends*****

  • Stand Off By Teagen2 posted at MaryD's (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Short story. Summary pending.

  • Knowing Me, Knowing You - Part 2 By Jaden posted at Lynka's Fan Fiction (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. Janna deals with a few of her fears and insecurities when asking Aaryn out.

  • Conspiracy of Swords - Parts 15 and 16 By Shadowriter posted at Lynka's Fan Fiction (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Love Thy Neighbor By Kelly Aten posted at Lynka's Fan Fiction (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Summary pending. *****Raven Recommends*****

  • Misunderstood - Part 2 By MJ posted at Lynka's Fan Fiction (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. *****Raven Recommends*****

  • Culture Clash - Part 17 By Malaurie Barber posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Adventures In the Dust Trade - Part 1 By WolfDragon posted at Amazon Nation (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Summary pending. Continuing story.

Tuesday November 14, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Since I have a strong desire to pretend real life didn't actually happen today, let's see what else is there to ramble about... um, thanks again to the folks who have been writing to me regarding my story. I have exactly three sentences completed to the attempted sequel, so as you can see, I'm zipping right along. At this rate, I might finish before the U.S. decides who really is going to be president. That should leave me plenty of time.

Oh, wait... update: I now have four sentences. I should have five sentences by Friday.

Site URL Change:

Troubleshooter's site The Courtroom has moved to a new URL:

http://www.cfsg.net/thecourtroom

So, please update all dockets, briefings, lawsuits, summary judgments, evidence, opening/closing arguments, and witnesses to the new address.

What's New:

Monday November 13, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Hmmm. I just was kissed by a beautiful girl. Of course, it was one of my dogs and she actually licked my face, but let's not be picky about it.

I want to thank everyone who wrote regarding my little story posted yesterday. I appreciate it very much. And, apparently, some of you are now without your posterior ends, as I received some ROTFLMAO's in the feedback. If you fit this description, please send me a photo of your condition immediately. It sounds interesting. Where do you put it after it falls off, anyway? Is it recyclable? Can it be reattached?

Just curious.

And, not sure if I can, but I'm going to try to write a sequel. I apologize in advance.

What's New:

Sunday November 12, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Um. So, uh, I kinda wrote something. A short something. I wouldn't even mention it, but Raven, our lovely Beyond Uber editor, would send out her cousin Guido after me if I didn't.

Since I kinda like living, I'll post it. But, all negative feedback goes directly to Raven! Yep. If you're in the mood to read something short and of questionable value, check out my listing in the What's New section.

In other news, I bought a Christmas music CD today. I already have a ton of Christmas music, so I really didn't need another CD, but I bought it anyway. It's a compilation thingie. I also bought chocolate, but that didn't have anything to do with Christmas. It just looked good. Tasted good, too. I would share, but that's pretty hard to do via the Internet.

Oh, by the way... the October updates were finally archived.

What's New:

  • Uber Is As Uber Does By Celine posted at Beyond Uber (Beyond Uber Alt)
    A short story about a woman who wants to be an uber Gabrielle and is looking for her own uber Xena. *****Raven Recommends*****

  • Gossamer - Episode 48: The Important Questions Posted at the Gossamer site (Beyond Uber)
    Constance and Dominique finally arrive at the younger woman's home in Georgia. Kris Hollingsworth takes the first step in recapturing her dreams. Molly gets a surprise at the supermarket.

  • Misunderstood - Part 1 By MJ posted at Lynka's Fan Fiction (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Summary pending. Continuing story.

  • An Unexpected Pleasure Trip - Part 1 By Ri posted at Lynka's Fan Fiction (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Summary pending. Continuing story.

  • You Have To Close A Door To Open A Window By Ri posted at Lynka's Fan Fiction (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Short story. Summary pending.

  • Leave Well Enough Alone By Sarkel posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Gen)
    A fortune-teller gives up her trade because of a terrifying occurrence. She's learned her lesson... or has she? She must confront her own fate when her granddaughter discovers evil. Complete.

  • Homecoming - Part 8 By jtd posted at jtd's Own (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

Saturday November 11, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Real life decided to kick me in the wazoo yesterday, and then I fell asleep again when I was doing the update!!! Sorry this is late. I'll also be doing out another update later.

What's New:

Friday November 10, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): I bought a Christmas decoration yesterday. A lighted thingie in the shape of a star. So I guess this means the holiday season, at least for me, has officially begun.

I already have tens of thousands of lights to put up already, so buying more is not a good idea. Not that it will stop me, of course. And ever since we started decorating the house, others in the neighborhood have started doing it up big, as well. The checkout person at the store where I bought the Christmas decoration yesterday asked me if I was going to do the lights this year, and that she always makes a point of coming to see them every year. That is very cool. It's one of small town life. Nobody has anything better to do. :)

Oh, some personal notes -- Get better soon, AJ! Congrats on the promotion, Raven! And, happy early birthday, Carrie!

What's New at Beyond Uber:

  • Uninvited - Part 4 By Deb Kern posted at MaryD's (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Falling By Web Bard posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Beth and Reese meet and through a series of "falls" soon realize that they are falling for each other. *****Celine Recommends*****

  • Falling Stars By Web Bard posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Beth and Reese travel to the Grand Canyon for a writing assignment for a magazine. Over the course of several days, they take their relationship to new levels and begin several adventures in the Grand Canyon, including horseback riding and a night under the stars. *****Celine Recommends*****

Thurday November 9, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Well, I guess the U.S. may or may not know who the next president will be sometime in the next... oh, century. So, maybe we should all campaign to have Missy Good's Dar and Kerry be president and vice president... and not necessarily in that order. There are already Dar and Kerry in 2000 bumper stickers, so it shouldn't be all that difficult.

Monday November 8, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine):

My laptop had some Windows98 problems today, where I was told the system.ini and a kernel32 file had both been deleted, and that I had to reinstall Windows98 (and I didn't get the option to repair files, just reinstall the whole darned thing)... which made me lose all my custom settings, etc., and I'm having to reinstall several programs. Anyone have any idea why this might have happened? I can provide more details, if anyone would be so kind as to give this a shot. Please email me at celinec@wvi.com... and thanks to anyone who has any suggestions.

Story Correction:

I had the wrong URL for a story in the last update, so here's the correct info:

Thanks to Reenie for pointing out the error.

What's New:

Wednesday November 8, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): I was all set to do the update last night... and then I fell asleep. See, last week my dentist had started a root canal and put a temporary filling in the tooth. And yesterday, that filling decided to break... which resulted in a fair amount of pain. So back to the dentist I went, where the filling was fixed, and I was living happily on pain medication.

Which put me to sleep. On the plus side, I started reading Carrie Ryan's "On Raven's Wing" - (Unfinished, Beyond Uber Alt), at the dentist, and have been merrily plowing my way through it since. Our own lovely Beyond Uber editor, Raven, has recommended it to me several times... and I'm glad she did. So, in addition to a Raven Recommends, it also gets a Celine Recommends.

That story is what kept me awake through the U.S. election coverage. As for me, I was lost in the world of Carrie's story, so the election coverage wasn't anywhere near as boring as it otherwise would have been.

Non-Uber News:

Gotta do it, even though it's not uber. Fanatic and T Novan have written a novel length Conqueror story called "Soul Searching" which is required reading on my list. You can find the story at MaryD's:

http://ausxip.com/fanfic12/soulsearching.html

And the zip file:

http://ausxip.com/fanfic12/ss.zip

What's New:

  • Insight - Part 2 Conclusion (Beyond Uber Alt) By Minerva posted at MaryD's Conclusion.

  • Our Reunion - Chapter 43 By Jenah posted at MaryD's (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Irrefutable Evidence - Part 11 By CN Winters posted at MaryD's (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. *****Celine Recommends*****

  • Uninvited - Part 3 By Deb Kern posted at MaryD's (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Undeniable - Part 10 By KM posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. *****Raven and Celine Recommend*****

  • Knowing Me, Knowing You By Jaden posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    A weekly (Hopefully) episode story that follows Janna Ross on her quest to find true love. In Episode One, Janna has a night out with her best friend Karen, and comes away with something unexpected....

  • A Trial of Conscience - Parts 17 and 18 By Troubleshooter posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story. *****Celine Recommends*****

  • A Sacrifice for Friendship - Part 11 By DS Bauden posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

  • Culture Clash - Part 16 By Malaurie Barber posted at the Merpup Academy of Bards (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Continuing story.

Tuesday November 6, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine):

New Tango the kitty photo! He's been sleeping curled up with my cocker spaniel, Kira, and I had to take a picture:

http://www.specialweb.com/kitty/tango_kira.jpg

And right now, they're playing some form of tag together. They make such a cute couple. Do you remember that movie with Tom Hanks called "Turner and Hooch?" Yeah, me either, but I remember the title. Well, the caption for this photo is, of course, "Tango and Pooch."

Yes, the carpet is a lovely puke-colored orange. As to why... the house was built in the 70's. People did strange things in the 70's. Some examples: My mother gave birth to me. Richard Nixon was president for the first part part of the decade. People listened to disco. That awful, awful song "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks was actually popular. The clothing was... well, it was bad. Really bad.

But, some good things did come out of the 70's. Renee O'Connor was born in 1971. And all of you fine readers out there reading this who were born in the 70's are perfect examples.

So I guess that makes things all right then.

What's New:

Sunday November 5, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): I did my civic duty and dropped off my ballot today. While I was sorely tempted to put "Xena" as a write-in for president of the U.S. (I love Conqueror stories ;) ), I actually voted for a real person. And here in Oregon, we had dozens of ballot measures to vote on, so the voter's pamphlet was, literally, the size of a phone book.

While I was downtown, I did encounter some Christmas decorations... but I didn't buy any. It was hard, but I managed to refrain. But, I did buy a tin of chocolates with a holiday-themed Elvis cover for my mother. It will be interesting to see how long I can go before I give them to her. I can never seem to wait to give somebody a gift. I'm a weak person.

And just so you know, she doesn't read this, so it's okay to talk about it. :)

Sad News:

Becky Wright (Rebekah), one of the Xenaverse bards, passed away on Oct. 29th. You can still read her stories:

http://www.caveofchoirs.org/stories/fanfic/xenaff/rebekah.htm

There is also an online memorial in her honor:

http://www.nutbread.com/rebekah.html

She will definitely be missed.

What's New:

  • Eternal Mourning By J Falconer posted at XenaEyes (Beyond Uber Alt)
    Short story. Summary pending.

  • Gossamer - Episode 47: Pleasure Island Posted at the Gossamer site (Beyond Uber)
    Abigayle Nguyen's plan for revenge gains momentum. Kris Hollingsworth practices for her future endeavors. Dominique learns startling information about her mother. And Heather Patterson dreams of what she thinks she can't have.

Saturday November 4, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): My brother just left here with my old DVD-ROM and a 128MB memory chip. I must be insane (why do I hear a collective exclamation of "Duh!" from everyone reading this?? ;) ). But, part of the deal is he has to help put up the Christmas lights. The house has a couple of high peaks, I don't do ladders well, and I'm rather short, so that will be his job.

So that means the Christmas decorating will start very soon. Which is really a good thing since I can't put the Halloween decorations completely away since part of the Christmas decorations are behind where the Halloween decorations go. Boxes and boxes of decorations. Big boxes.

I played computer tech today, so now my computer is all set up with my CD-RW drive, zip drive, etc. And I didn't even break anything. Now if I can just find the rest of my software I need to install, I'll be all set.

Which means I'm screwed, of course. I am the queen at losing things. The various CD-ROMs I need could be literally anywhere. If you happen to spot them, let me know.

What's New:

Friday November 3, 2000

Random Ramblings (By Celine): Hi all. Well, said I'd have an update yesterday, but didn't quite happen, unfortunately... and I greatly apologize. I haven't been feeling well, so I've been offline for the most part. Which really sucks, friends. Here I have a nice, new, spiffy computer to play with, and I haven't been able to.

Tonight's update will be an attempt at catching up, but I'm not sure I got everything. If not, I'll put the rest in tomorrow.

In happier news, I have the Halloween photos up... check 'em out at:

http://www.specialweb.com/halloween

What's New:

The Beyond Uber What's New from October has been archived