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 This is me as interpreted by Okapiprincess via Southpark... uncannily accurate...---> |
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Lutra's Bower
Monday, June 22, 2009Last week of term. Woot!
I was looking forward to days off and lie-ins... but the diary is already looking pretty full. Tch. It'll all be fun stuff with the cubs, however.
Scienceworks is having a special exhibition, based around Star Wars!
Melbourne Museum is hosting A Day in the life of Pompeii [squee!].
We'll be going up to Mum's for a few days.
There's movies to see! Transformers! Star Trek! (again : ) Ice Age 3... and of course the rest of the Harry Potter franchise for me. (Speaking of which, saw Chamber of Secrets last weekend. Had only seen it on DVD. The spiders were even scarier on the big screen!)
And the cubs are having their birthday and party in the middle of it all.
I'm sure I'll be able to squeeze in a nap or two somewhere.~=o>
Penny had a Winter Solstice (afternoon) party on the weekend. There was sooo much food that neither the cubs nor I had the slightest bit of interest in dinner that night. There were competitions, too! Rocket came second in the 'Eat the salada biscuit the quickest' - winning a Darryl Lea giant freckle - and I came first in the 'Guess the songs', winning a Penny-made Beelzenef hand puppet. 'Twas fun. : )~=o>
Driving this morning I saw a bumper sticker on a huge, 4WD ute-monster thing:
"My other toy has tits."
.... nice. >: /
But what really makes me cross is that if I'd made an objection I would've been a humourless dyke/feminist. Tolerance goes both ways, shit-for-brains.
Lutra 10:55 PM. |Joules has been very positive in her comments about the UK series Being Human, so I squeaked happily when it was advertised over here.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Watched the first ep tonight and loved it! Good, solid characters right from the start, plus a smattering of back-story to be going on with along with a scary potential menace = yep, got my attention. Looking forward to the next one. : )~=o>
A little while back I finally got 'round to watching the movie version of Mama Mia. I'd heard a lot of good stuff about it but ultimately it failed to charm. I didn't think Meryl Streep's singing was anything extraordinary and the majority of the characters just made me huff in irritation. (I don't care about you, get over yourselves!) Except for Harry (Colin Firth); I liked him, and, I have to admit the - literally - Greek chorus was a fun idea, but... meh. Won't be going back to that one.
Unlike Across the Universe! Being based on the music of the Beatles gave it a BIG tick to begin with but combined with the excellent casting and performances and excellent use of the music to move the story along I was sold on it completely. Definitely going to get hold of a copy all for my very own. And probably the soundtrack as well. Hmm, and I really do need to replace my Beatles' vinyl eventually...~=o>
Ooh, I'm not as young as I used to be and if there's anything that'll bring this sharply home to me it's the not being able to stay up really late without consequences rippling on for a couple of days. Case in point: last Saturday night, instead of trotting off to bed between midnight and 1 a.m., as was sensible, I hung around watching Rage until gone 3. To be honest it wasn't because I was enjoying the music, it was more of a omigod, can't look away train wreck sort of thing. The theme last week was Retro Dance and we were treated to such gems as Batdance, and Vogue, and, gods help us, Love is a Battlefield. Not to mention Thriller and U Can't touch this. [shudder]
But anyway, I thought I'd be fine cos I had the buffer of Sunday to recover, it wasn't like I was staying up late on a school night. Heh, Monday rolls around and I still slept in past the alarm and ended up dragging myself through the day 'til I got home and had to nap. Tch.~=o>
In the lead up to Half-Blood Prince my local cinema (which is actually part of a huge chain) is running all the previous films in limited re-release. I went to see Philosopher's Stone last weekend; tomorrow I'll be seeing Chamber of Secrets. Hee.
Yes I have the dvds and yes I've watched them a lot but there's something special about seeing them on the big screen.~=o>
This past semester, instead of doing boring old sport, the cubs' school has had the year 8's involved in learning dance and circus tricks. Yesterday evening there was a performance...
I've definitely seen worse! But seriously, the kids looked like they were having fun and it was obvious they'd been working hard on the routines. Good job, y'all! : )
Lutra 12:23 AM. |I haz a sick [coughs].
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Well, all right, I'm almost better now, but I've just had a week off from practically everything - except cooking - cos I couldn't move without violent coughing. Eh, just a cold, albeit a nasty one, and not in the least bit flu-like.
Apparently there's now over 700 people in Victoria confirmed as having the N1H1 virus. What's not been made clear, however, in allllll the news reports and statements, is whether they are actual cases of the swine-flu, with symptoms, or just people who've tested positive. There is a difference, surely?~=o>
[snerk] Knicked from Undunoops by way of blpaintchart...Fish - The Freshmaker!
Generated by the Advertising Slogan Generator. Get more fish slogans.
~=o>
Borrowed a copy of the Speed Racer movie from the library. Once you get past the 'oh my god, my eyes!' reaction to the hyper colours, there's really nothing in it. It's a bit clever in a couple of places, I suppose, and the smattering of slash potential kept me vaguely interested (Racer X/Taejo yes!) but at the heart of it, it's just a race movie [snore]. Cubs loved it, unsurprisingly. It does deserve to be seen on a big screen though. Even one of them new-fangled plasma tellies'd do the trick.~=o>
25 years of Tetris!
Have you seen this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0LtUX_6IXY
Lutra 11:13 AM. |Well, I've been prodded! See, I've got the bruise an' all...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Sooo, it's been months since I last updated, has it? Goodness, how did that happen? [Look! Fleeing haddock! -> >@ >@ >@ ]
What have I been up to? School. And school. And r/l's minor crisis and irritations. And school. What I haven't been doing much of is writing - which I really do miss, as evidenced by the increase of graphic dreaming - but I find it difficult (really difficult) to switch between the necessarily different mindsets of writing and study. Let alone updating a blog...~=o>
So yeah, 2nd year of the Library Studies has been pretty full-on. Class work's fine, and I'm not having any problems with the content but, ye gods! The homework! Fair enough, it's entirely my own fault I haven't kept on top of it, but there is significantly more work to do than last year. Still, I'm enjoying it, and I'm still convinced this is what I want to do. :) (Though some of my classmates have got it in to their heads that I should be teaching. [eyebrow] I don't think so. I have taught, in the past. Don't want to do it again. I tried to explain my lack of enthusiasm for teaching thusly: when I think of library - or archive/records management - I get a warm, happy buzz. When I think of teaching there's a huge, welling bubble of disinterest. Just because I can teach, and could be quite good at it, doesn't mean I want to.)~=o>
What else have I been doing? Reading a lot of books, a lot of books, and seen quite a few movies, the most recent of which was Star Trek!
Do I need to warn for spoilers? Ok, consider yourself warned.
Squeee! [happy dance!] Marvelous! No matter how smooth the later series of ST were TOS was always my first love. It was wonderful to see the uniforms, the ship's corridors, the bridge! The characterisations were spot on, too, and I found the whole thing entirely plausible. Alternate Reality? Sure, why not? Star Trek, like any Sci-fi worth its salt has always entertained - if not actively explored - the possibility of alternate universes. :)
I want to read some fiction now, but there doesn't seem to be much about. Well, not in the places I trust to host decent stuff.~=o>
Season 3 of Torchwood will be airing soon! Andandand, UKTV over here will be showing it around about the same time 'twill be airing in the UK. [bounce] I won't have to wait for the DVDs to see it!~=o>
Ok, that's it for now. Given my track record I should be posting again around - what? - xmas? [smirk]...
Lutra 10:53 PM. |
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
[glowers at Lutra] If I remember rightly you did say you had some news and reminisces and maybe a few photos to post... This is me PRODDING. I know you're busy and have a lot to get done but honestly! No post since January? C'mon, if I can continue while writing three books, surely you can post the occasional quickie bit of news...?
Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor 11:38 AM. |Three days in a row of 40+ heat and society is falling apart! Srsly! Transport, electricity and the 'net have all had 'difficulties', and by 'difficulties' I mean severely disrupted train services due to buckling tracks; large portions of the state blacked out by an overloaded electricity grid; and my webz server falling over. [grump]
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Lots of people are going to the beach, apparently.
... why? Don't they know how hot it is out there? Sheesh. Wouldn't do me any good - I don't need 30+ UV protection to stop the sunburn so much as spakfiller! I look at the images of people baking on the sands and I don't see healthsome frollicks, I see melanomas and skin like leather. [shudder]~=o>
Egad, cubs go back to school on Monday! There's so much to do! Cos of course I've been putting it off all holidays cos there's been plenty of time. Oops. : )~=o>
This article caught my eye: "Sexy swimmer denies Thorpe relationship". It amuses me that her surname is Beard. [snerk]
Lutra 10:54 AM. |Cubs are sleeping over at a friend's place tonight. Not the first time they've been away from me but I'm really missing them this time. Eh well, they'll be home tomorrow and then their (boy) cousins will be staying over with us for a couple of nights.
Saturday, January 24, 2009~=o>
The cubs, their dad and I went to see Valkyrie this afternoon. It was quite good, gripping in places with believable performances, even from Mr Cruise. Amazingly, the cubs' father had no quibbles about the accuracy of uniforms, vehicles etc; one of his bugbears in historical fims. I did have a quibble however, about one of Stauffenberg's justifications for Hilter must be deded!!!1!!, but, after consulting with the resident military historian (cubs' father) we concluded that it could be within the realms of possibility, just not very likely. Anyway, I was kind of chuffed I picked it up.
Cubs' father and I did have a few reservations about taking the cubs to see this movie - it was the first non-comic/tv show 'M' rated movie they'd seen at the cinema. But it wasn't too graphic, or gruesome, and they enjoyed it, declaring it 'awesome!', though I suspect that was because of the explosions (and military hardware) rather than the emotional and political ramifications of Hitler's assasination. : )
What I really enjoyed though, was sitting with the cubs and their father afterwards discussing potential 'what ifs...' of European history. [grin] So cool...~=o>
And, yay! I'm all safely re-enrolled for another year of study. Good news, too - all our workbooks this year are included in the 'materials fee'. Phew! That'll be about $300 I won't have to find...
Lutra 11:46 PM. |Joules prodded me. "Don't you think it might be time for a blog update?"
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Oops, well it has been a month...~=o>
Right!
Xmas: very quiet. The cubs and I went with Mum and Soulsis et al, to a restaurant. Food was good, though the cubs and their (boy) cousins hardly ate anything of the set menu. Alas, they were too old for the 'kids' menu so couldn't have chicken nuggets and chips. [rolls eyes]
New Year: crowded. Niki, Soulsis and I took advantage of the free (therefore crowded) public transport to go in to (crowded) Melbourne for the free 'family-friendly' fireworks on the Yarra. Show only went for 15 minutes but it was fun. Been a long, long time since I've seen live fireworks...
Then we - plus the rest of the families - squeezed our way out of the (even more crowded) city and on to the (even more crowded trains) as the non-family party people tried to squeeze in. Won't be doing that again in a hurry.
Made it back to Niki's before midnight, though, so we toasted the new year in there.
Resolutions? A few.
School Holiday: ongoing but rapidly drawing to a close. Cubs and I have managed to get out and about a bit.
We went to the Melbourne Aquarium! Penguins! Fish! Happy Lutra!
We house sat for Niki. Cubs really enjoyed having a room each. And I finally got to see Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. It was so laughably awful! And very clever. I've been to Romford; I'm sure I don't remember there being a spooky moor... (And having watched the program I finally got to read Joules' fics. So funny, and so accurate! [snerk])
We went to Nana's for a few days. We had a ride on the Healesville Trolley, and a visit to the Blue Lotus Water Garden. Nice.
We've seen movies. Madagascar 2 (better than the first. I laughed.); Bolt 3D (excellent animation, ludicrous plot); and Igor (amusing, bordering on witty in parts but otherwise not that engaging).
Upcoming: busyish. I'm re-enrolling for the second (final) year of my degree course in a few days. Woot! I haz new stationery and a cool metallic Batman (not Dark Knight) contact with which to cover my student diary! I'm all set.
Also, I've promised Joules a slashy fic for her birthday in February... Better get on with that then, eh?~=o>
Lutra 10:31 PM. |Foodporn. Oh how I luvs it... Watched a particularly good one tonight. Kylie Kwong: My China [drool] All that fresh, fresh food... While watching it I formed the resolution that next year I'm going to try different cuisines at different restaurants at least once a month. (On my own. I enjoy food, I enjoy eating. I don't enjoy listening to the cubs whinge about what I'm eating. [rolls eyes] Philistines.)
Friday, December 19, 2008
As luck would have it, my college is very close to an area that - I'm sure - has more cafes and restaurants per square metre than anywhere else I can think of in Melbourne. : )~=o>
So there I was, having a good time at my TAFE class' xmas party, anticipating the Kris Kringle, when I get a phone call from the cubs' year co-ordinator. Had my children spoken to me about going in to seperate classes next year?
[scowl] No, they had not - though I was completely unsurprised they hadn't. The question of whether or not they should be in the same class has been an issue every year of their schooling, generally with them vehemently resisting being separated.
Anyway, their teachers thought they could do with some 'individual development' but wanted them to talk it over with their dad and I before the class lists were finalised. Because the cubs had 'forgotten' to mention this when asked days ago, it meant we only had something like 2 hours to get back to the coordinator with the decision. Tch. However, when we pinned them down about it turned out they weren't that fussed this time. Go figure. I think they've realised that, yes, they do sometimes need time apart. And they'll be in the same maths class so that's not too bad I suppose. : )
Lutra 10:20 PM. |Two days of steady rain and, oh bloody hell, there's a leak in the ceiling almost directly above my monitor. [scowl] The drips are falling just to the side...
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Right, shifted the monitor over another few inches but I don't like the way the wet patch is spreading along the fault in the plaster as I watch. I hate having to contact the estate agent. I always get defensive, I always feel as if whatever's gone wrong is going to be viewed as my fault...~=o>
On a cheerier note:
And so it came to pass that five of my subjects this year were graded, and lo, I did receive Distinctions in all. (Cue chorus: 'I am so smrt' etc.)
Admittedly one of those DI's just squeaked in - half a mark less and it would've been a Credit. (That was for Cataloguing. Given the results of the first 2 tests I worked out I'd have to do very well indeed on the last one to average a Distinction. I checked and I had done very well indeed. : )~=o>
Trotted off to the cinema with a few of my classmates to see Baz Luhrman's Australia. It's not had good reviews but I really enjoyed it. 'Grand scale' and 'Sweeping epic' are not unjustified I feel.
It was very long and there were a couple of points where it could've ended and still been a good movie, but going through to the ending it had gave it a real depth. The movie's been described as 'superficial' but I think it's only superficially superficial. True, it's a simple story, told a hundred times before but at heart it's a fairytale. Not the twee, genuinely superficial pap that's served up under that heading nowadays but a Brothers Grimm type of fairytale. There's villains and heroes - archetypes, not stereotypes - myth and magic, revenge and justice. (There's this sort of fairytale element in all of our Baz's films. I love the way he creates that slightly twisted, slightly surreal sense of 'real' life. Marvellous. : )
Amidst all the horror, drama and romance 'Australia' was also genuinely funny, the humour reflecting a peculiarly Australian viewpoint. There's a deal of funny in there that other nationalities probably won't get. But that's okay, this is a film about and for us. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Lutra 10:45 AM. |[happy dance!] Finished my first year of study! [happy dance!] Passed everything! [happy dance!] Most of the subjects were pass/fail but of the three that were graded I got Distinctions! I am so smart. S.M.R.T... : )
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Still waiting for the results of the last exam - it was on Tuesday - but I'm pretty sure I've passed that. It wasn't as dastardly as we'd been expecting. (I honestly can't remember if that subject is graded or not but if it is I'll have cracked a credit.)~=o>
Badger and Rocket's maths teacher has recommended them for the accelerated maths program next year! They're chuffed, their dad and I are chuffed. The only problem I can foresee is the cubs deciding it's too much like hard work and dropping out. : )
I think with encouragement they'll stick at it. They do like being told they're good at something.~=o>
Heeheehee. We watched the new Wallace & Gromit program last night - A matter of loaf and death (formerly titled Trouble at 'mill, apparently). [snerk] Very funny, and there was an in-joke, just for me! Gromit's trying to get rid of a bomb, he goes to throw it out a window but there's ducks in a pond! At this point I squeaked, declaring: "There'll be nuns in the next shot!" And there was! 'Someday's you just can't get rid of a bomb!'~=o>
And finally, a couple of quiz things nicked from blpaintchart.Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...
Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.
Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.
People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.
Take the test!
Yeah, I'd agree with that.
...and then there's this! Star Wars Personality Test.
Bwahahahahah! Short, round, incomprehensible to most... Yep, that sounds like me.
Your results:
You are R2-D2
R2-D2 66% C-3PO 66% Jar Jar Binks 62% Darth Vader 61% Boba Fett 61% Han Solo 59% Luke Skywalker 58% Jabba the Hutt 57% Princess Leia 56% Padme 56% What you lack in height
and communication skills,
you make up for in industriousness,
technical know-how and being there
when others need you most.
(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)
Click here to take the "Which Star Wars character are you?" quiz...
(What?! Jar Jar Binks was more or less next! Um...)
Lutra 9:20 AM. |Glancing through the local paper yesterday I saw an article about an amateur theatre group's all-female cast production of Julius Caesar. Even better it was being performed just down the road in the recently completed, super snazzy Drama complex at the cubs' high school. So this afternoon I left my children to their own devices and went to get some culture.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Wow, I'm impressed. It was definitely an amateur production, with all the variables of talent that can encompass, but nevertheless it was a fabulous adaptation. Set in the 'modern era' it made good, stylish use of multi-media with mock-ups of CNN style reporting and news-breaks to link the scenes. Antony's 'friends, Romans...' speech was treated as a live broadcast fed through to the large screen at the back of the stage. (Interestingly I found myself naturally gravitating to that rather than the real live actress standing only a few metres away.) Likewise, we viewed Cassius' suicide (and monologue) as a video blog. Very effective.
Sets were well structured, simple and versatile, and the costumes were a sometimes ironic reflection of the characters.
The all-female cast made for a very different dynamic in parts, too. There were some uncomfortable stirrings from the audience during the poignant scene between Brutus and her 'partner' Portia. (I'd expected something similar with Caesar/Calpurnia but in this instance Calpurnia had become Caesar's daughter.)
I enjoy Shakespeare and I especially like non-traditional interpretations. (My love of AU's touches everything! : ) This version was beautifully done, I was engrossed and I'm very glad I made the effort to see it.
Lutra 9:30 PM. |I broke my tooth on some Turkish Delight.
Friday, October 17, 2008
... All right, to be absolutely accurate, I broke my tooth on an almond in the TD.
Didn't hurt, just another bit chipped off an already damaged/de-fillinged tooth.~=o>
[happy dance] I haz the Dr Horrible soundtrack!
Doesn't make a lot of sense without the visuals but the Cubs love the Bad Horse Chorus.
Bad Horse, Bad Horse
Bad Horse, Bad Horse
He rides across the nation, the thoroughbred of sin
He got the application that you just sent in
It needs evaluation, so let the games begin
A heinous crime, a show of force
(a murder would be nice of course)
Bad Horse, Bad Horse
Bad Horse, he’s bad
The evil league of evil is watching so beware
The grade that you receive’ll be your last, we swear
So make the bad horse gleeful, or he’ll make you his mare
You’re saddled up; there’s no recourse
It’s “hi-yo, silver!”
Signed: Bad Horse.
(Music by Jed Whedon and Joss Whedon
Lyrics by Joss Whedon)
Itunes now has the show available to d/l but as I don't have a DVD burner there's not much point getting it. I'll just hang around waiting for the store release.
Lutra 8:42 PM. |I've got a craving, a twitchy, skin tingly hunger that's making me restless. I know this feeling. Ooh dear, it's obsession.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Torchwood.
Sure the show's flawed - plot holes, melodrama and bwuh...? moments abound - but damn, I don't care. More. More.
I really hope there's some good fanfic out there or I'm going to explode. (Joules has already supplied me with a site to browse but I'm holding off until I've finished season 2... and some homework. Curse this streak of responsibility!)~=o>
Earlier, in the kitchen.
Me, to Badger, regarding blemishes: Hey, let me squeeze your nose!
Badger: Nooo!
Me, advancing predatorily: Yeees!
Badger, pointing at the kitchen window: Look! A cat distraction!
Me, turning to watch KittenKong pick her way over the sink: Eh?
Badger, running away cackling: Flee! Leg it!
Me: [pause, laughing] Just cos I fell for that doesn't make you clever!
Ah, it's a fun household... : )
Lutra 9:44 PM. |
