Sooo, Soulsis... Blowie the Blow-fly, eh? Well, if you want a mascot that represents a truly Australian xmas I can think of nothing more appropriate than a blow-fly...

Here we are, 2 hours to go 'til midnight on New Years Eve. Woo-effing-hoo.
New Year's Eve used to be a big deal for me, there was always a party to go and get legless and dance (tch, stop laughing you know what I mean!). I can't even remember what I did for last year's New Year's Eve, and that's not not remembering because of a surfeit of good times, it's not remembering cos I suspect that night wasn't that much different from any other night. Much like tonight will be. *sigh*
Eh, could be worse, I could not even have internet access. : )

... however... AYA!!
Got my AnK cd's! *bouncebouncebounce*. Well, I assume they're for me, the snails had eaten off nearly all of the front of the envelope. : ) I've got all the software I need to run it so with luck, tomorrow I'll be able to get a little time by myself to indulge... Thanks, Onna! *hugs*

*dreamy sigh* K has such prettypretty eyes... so does Yuki... it must be the shape of them, I think - and I can't help but wriggle when Hiro's onscreen...

[blinks at the list of 'types' of pagan. Then frowns] There isn't one here that fits the ningen. Not even a combination of them. Though the description of Our Lady of Intense Suffering reminded her of Moaning Minnie... [smirks] But I'll be a faerie queen if you like...

A seme faerie queen, of course.

Woohoo!
The parcel Joules sent me in October turned up on my doorstep this morning. : ) *bouncebouncebounce*
There was a copy of her 'Perfume' book (very interesting!) and enough sachets of hot chocolate to bathe in if I so wished (however, tempting as that thought is, I'm sensibly going to drink it instead, one cup at a time : )
There was also the Gravitation cd's Talon burnt for me *thankyouthankyouhugs!* and another cd full of yummy YYH dj's. Joules had already sent me a copy of the necessary software to watch Gravitation, so I happily loaded that up and managed to immerse myself in the first three eps before RL (ie: the cubs) called me back. It was sooooo sweet that damn me if the single solitary romantic bone in my body I'll admit to (it's the small, square one in my right ankle) wasn't playing up! Hiro is gorgeousgorgeousgorgeous but I'm afraid I had a bit of an uke moment over Yuri. [sorry, 'lestrel, it's that whole seme thing again *grin*]
But, heh, once again I find myself having some odd insights into a program I've never seen before because I've read mountains of fanfic first. Needless to say I'm looking forward to the rest of the series - haven't had a good look at K yet...

Soulsis forwarded this on to me.
I fall somewhere between Womyncentric Gynocrat and Dances-with-Bunnies with a smattering of Tree-hugging Nature Sprite. ^~^

The Field Guide to Neopagandom

Bright-Eyed Novice
You just read this cool book about a religion where there's a Goddess and a God, and they meet outside in nature, instead of some scary old building. They think sex is GOOD not evil, and you want to know where to sign up.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Mispronounces god/dess names, has to think a moment about which is deosil and which is widdershins. Has a shiny new athame (rhymes with "A-frame".)

Grand Old Wo/Man
Actually remembers Woodstock (the first one.) Will tell you about the time they dropped acid with Kerry Wendell Thornley - or maybe it was Robert Anton Wilson. Anyway, it was somebody with three names. Or was it three people with one name?
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Luxuriant gray locks, listens very intently, knows dish about people you've only read about.

Tree Hugging Nature Sprite
Most prized possession: one of Judi Barry's old tree spikes. Simul-taneously believes in universal love for humanity AND returning the planet to a pristine, uncorrupted state. Apt to remove clothes and fondle the shrubbery at a moment's notice. Can discuss compost in great detail.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: No meat, no fragrance, no leather, no plastic, no smoke, no drugs, no eco-exploitive products, no animal tested cosmetics, no TV, no car, but very tolerant.

Anal Retentive Ceremonial
Book collection actually holds up the ceiling in places. Is studying Greek, Latin and Hebrew all at once. Does "workings" instead of "rituals". All twenty volumes of their magical diaries are all in Enochian.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Won't go anywhere without a book. Is constantly aware of which direction is east. Dresses according to planetary conditions, or whatever was on sale at Wal-Mart.

Womyncentric Gynocrat
A man's shadow crossed her altar once and she spent three weeks purifying it. She'll have no wands in her chalice, thank you. No boys allowed in her full-moon club. Can hold forth for hours on the magical properties of menstrual blood.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Tiny axes or curved knives, just right for amputating a penis, are a favored symbol and often hang conveniently from her body parts. When a man approaches she rolls her eyes and stops talking.

Sexy Pagan Nymph
Oh, they're so nice! All that warm, round, sex-positive flesh -- and you can actually carry on a conversation with them between orgasms...pant, drool...
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Cute. Horny. Displays prominent cleavage. Will recite love poetry to you under a full moon. Likes to do it outdoors. Often destitute. All too few of them.

Corporate Closet Witch
"Hey, boss -- I'd like to take February 2nd as a personal day..." Has an entire chapter of their Book Of Shadows concerned with spells for purifying the workplace. Doesn't mind working on Christmas, especially if there's overtime involved. Quit being overtly Pagan at work since being canned by that born-again boss, but still refuses to say "Merry Christmas."
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Can assume a properly smiley work persona at the drop of a hat. Constantly glances around the room anxiously looking for co-workers and their spies. Non-distinctive style of dress, no conspicuous tattoos.

Childe Ov Kaos
Can name seventeen industrial goth bands without pausing to think. Knows what a Prince Albert is. Personally feels that if no panicky headlines appear the day after you do a ritual, you screwed up. Painted on their jacket, engraved in their flesh and/or boldly displayed as jewelry is an emblem which resembles a combination of corporate logo and arcane symbol. If you don't know what it means, they'll think you're a dweeb.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Easy to picture as an alternative musician or bike messenger, difficult to visualize as a school teacher or research assistant, impossible to imagine as a TV news anchor or bank officer. Always wears black leather, even when sleeping.

Pagan Celebrity
At conventions, stays on the hotel floor that requires a special key for elevator access. Lurks around knots of conversation eavesdropping in order to see if their name is being mentioned. Arrives in helicopter especially for rituals. Starts every sentence with "I". If you ask them how it's going, they hand you a press release.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Always has plenty of books to autograph and will personally sell them to you at a slight discount from cover price. Never seen unaccompanied by beefy amazonian bodyguards and doe-eyed hangers-on. Seems vaguely afraid of anyone they don't already know.

Scary Devil Worshipper
Would never be caught dead skyclad. Rarely smiles, except in a snide, knowing way which insinuates you are an ignorant peasant worthy of conquest. Secretly enjoys Rush Limbaugh and read The Bell Curve with smug satisfaction. Fascinated with Nazis. Probably has never hurt a fly, but they want you to think they're capable of vast destruction.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Lots of black and red. Men like goatees, women favor heavy black eyeliner. At least one inverted pentagram somewhere on their person. If you see several of them getting tanked in a bar, it would be wise to stay far away.

Crowley-In-A-Past-Life
Every magical gathering has at least one of these, along with several variants along the lines of Gerald Gardner, Tituba, Morgan LeFey, or somebody who was Atlantean royalty. Many of them were abducted by aliens recently, and have disturbing dreams rich with arcane symbolism that they will tell you all about, in great detail.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Look for the intense gleam in the eyes, the backpack rattling with various psychiatric medications, and the garments that were clearly designed and tailored on another planet.

Ravin' Pagan
Young and psychedelic. Can dance non-stop all night. Refuses to do boring Eurocentric rituals and prefers deities from sunny climes with lots of interesting local plants. Can say "Ayahuasca" ten times real fast and deliver long quotes from Terrence McKenna.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Dresses in color combinations that hurt the eyes unless you've taken ecstasy. Bloodshot eyes, blissful smile, never goes anywhere without ritual drum.

Fairie Queen
Is he a she? Is she a he? Are they a couple, or are those two a couple or are all four of them a quadruple? If getting answers to these questions could disturb you, best stay away. If, on the other hand, these kind of questions seem overly judgmental, you might have a real good time...
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: When you look at this person, does every sex act you've ever experienced in your life seem hopelessly vanilla? If so, congratulations -- you've found a Fairie!

High Episcopagan
Do their rituals have a script, a choreographer, a stage manager, an orchestra with chorus and last at least three hours? It's a High Episcopagan! They can memorize pages and pages of Olde Englishe, have more ritual garbs than most people have socks, and consider their main pagan influences to be Gerald Gardner, Judy Garland and Busby Berkeley.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Book of Shadows exceeds five volumes. Knows every note of "Carmina Burana" Don't ask them about that 18th century seed pearl trim on their ritual hat unless you've got an hour to spare.

Fundamentapagan
If it's in a book, it must be true. If it's in an old book, it must really be true. If it's in an old book that was handed down from an oral tradition of people who couldn't read, then it must really be way true. Gnashes their teeth if anyone shows up at a circle wearing a watch, glasses, or other mechanical assistance. Believes that anyone who lives in a city, eats meat or has a regular job dare not call themselves a pagan.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Has hissy fits when somebody brings up the old "Crowley ghosted Gardner's books" argument. Goes around correcting everyone's gaelic/old norse/latin/babylonian.

Dances With Bunnyrabbits.
Uses animal symbolism to express nearly all opinions and feelings. Charter member of PETA. Thinks meat eaters should be publicly executed. Has many, many, many pets. Has a spirit animal. Personally owns 927 models, pictures, and other depictions of their spirit animal.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Not counting the pagan his/herself, how many animals can you see when looking at them? If the count surpasses five (including critters found on tattoos, jewelry, garments and undies), you've found a worshipper of beasties.

Priest/ess of Political Correctness
Analyzes everything they read or hear for sexist-racist-homophobic- imperialist-Eurocentric content without paying attention to what is actually being said. Believes in personal liberty -- everyone has the right to be overbearing, dogmatic and holier-than-thou, not just the Xtian Right. Incredibly boring yet annoyingly self-righteous all at the same time.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Beady hyper-alert little eyes are constantly in motion, waiting for someone to do or say something bad. Has loud and attention attracting hissy fits when confronted with everyday things such as advertising or corporate franchises. Rudimentary sense of humor is rarely activated.

Our Lady Of Intense Suffering
Is constantly persecuted. You're probably persecuting her right now, you just don't realize it. Became a Pagan because she decided it was that most persecuted religion of all. Can't enjoy anything because it would be selfish to have any fun when so many are suffering.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Tales of woe. Even less of a sense of humor than #17. Bristles when anyone says the words "masochist" or "whining".

I Am Not Spock (at the moment)
Knows at least three filks about Cthulhu and at least forty Star Trek jokes. Has found a clever way to create simple furniture from stacks of science fiction paperbacks. Can name ninety different kinds of spaceship.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Two fisted drinking style. Probably still lives with parents. Many cryptic buttons, badges, patches and other insignia. Too smart for their own good.

Het-Case
Insist that they aren't homophobic; they just believe that Paganism is about a goddess and a god and they do it and what could be more obvious than that? It just doesn't "work right" if you try any other way! Are secretly afraid that gays and/or lesbians are dying to jump their tender hetro bones.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Living spaces abound with depiction's of satyrs with enormous genitals and huge-breasted, doe-eyed goddesses. Long manicured nails and wreaths of flowers (on females only -- men have big, bushy beards instead.)

Norse Code
Heroic and vikingly, these pagans often get into trouble with festival organizers and park rangers due to their fondness for running around with a huge battle-ax in one hand and a full mead horn in the other. They throw the best parties, but if you're a wimp, you're expressly not invited.
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Look for the large, foreboding, biker-like persons wearing runes, with many pounds of amber dangling from their necks.

Pentacles, Inc.
Pagans have disposable income too, right? So how come they aren't buying my hand forged Venus of Willendorf necklaces -- they come in silver and gold, and each one has a genuine cubic zirconium belly button. Would you like a reading? Will that be Visa or MasterCard?
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Has business cards featuring little embossed pentagrams. You never seen so much Egyptian god/dess jewelry on a human being in your whole life.

Monster Truck Pagan
Can build own house, kill own food, school own children, and brew own hootch. Owns guns. Anointing oil is 30 weight. Scrying mirror says "objects are closer than they appear".
DISTINGUISHING SIGNS: Athame is a Gerber with a compass and waterproof secret compartment. Eats meat with visible twitches of pleasure. Ritual robes made from cammo fabric.

Anybody mind if I have a bit of a whinge? (feel free to skip this bit)
The cubs' father works 4 - 7 nights a fortnight. When he isn't working he's online, or playing computer games, or better still out having fun social interactions.
My job (cubs) is 24/7. I don't get weekends or days off, and if I want to do something fun for myself - without having the cubs in tow - outside of school hours I have to go cap-in-hand to the cubs' father to ask if he's free to look after his children, feeling all the while as if I'm being a terrible imposition to him. More than once I've had to drop out of something I wanted to do because he was busy. Yes, if I'd really wanted to go I could've made the effort and found someone else to baby-sit, but a lot of the time, by the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to deal with it and it's easier to let things slide - again.
Is this fair?
I won't go into the disparity of housework, (cos then I'll just get cross and incoherent) or how everything that goes on in the household seems to come down to me because, hey, he works/plays nights, he's not awake during the day to sort out the bills/garden/tradesmen etc. Case in point, we're getting an internet cable connection. Yay etc, but despite this all being his idea, his pushing for it, and the damn thing being installed on his machine, I was the one who had to field the (pushy) salesperson and organise the date for installation - (subject to the cubs' father's approval of course, be a terrible thing if it clashed with something else he wanted to do) - because he had to sleep during the day.
Right, having painted the cubs' father a very dark shade, I suppose in fairness I should also say that he isn't that bad. Thoughtless certainly, impulsive, definitely (Sagittarian) but he loves the cubs, tries to spend time with them and I believe him when he says their welfare is paramount, it just would be nice sometimes not to feel like I'm in this parent thing all on my own...

Re: //Inadequate...
Fuck, Manawolf's pic is SO excellent, why do I even bother?// (see two entries down....)

This from someone who's captured my characters' relationships so perfectly? Inspired a whole R'ren'nkh'ian mythology? Who understands all her subjects so deeply, whose pictures breathe love? [shakes head] That's just daft....

Everyone has a different style, Onna - even the ningen (who, let's face it, really can't draw, not that she's ever let that stop her trying or [shudder] posting the results...!) Manawolf's artwork is beautiful. So is yours, in a different way. I don't see why that should stop you aiming for your own personal artistic perfection. All creators strive for that - in the full knowledge we'll never achieve it, but oh! the joy/frustration/anguish/triumph of the attempt!

We would appreciate it if you reminded yourself, every now and again, in the words of Desiderata [I really hate using cliches, but this piece really does have it all....]

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain, or bitter,
For always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Unless, of course, you really want a horde of hybrids sitting glaring daggers at you (I'm not even going to mention the ki-blasts that could easily melt your pens and pencils, amongst other things... Heh, might be best not to mess with the sibs....)

Heh, emode's What's your romantic fantasy?

Breakfast in Bed

There are few things better than waking up to the smell of hot coffee and sizzling bacon, or fresh fruit and granola, especially when it's right under your nose. What is it about the combination of breakfast and bed? It can be more intimate than a candlelit dinner, yet as comfortable as an old pair of slippers. And this is only the start of your Breakfast in Bed romantic fantasy.

Yours is a dream inhabited by your trusty sweetheart and reliable soul mate, not by mysterious men from exotic places. Whether it's a cozy night next to a roaring fire, or an evening eating pizza straight from the box while wrapped up in a blanket on the floor, you love the fact that your fantasy doesn't need to venture far from reality.

That doesn't mean you don't like a good surprise every now and then. Flowers on your pillow or tickets to the hot new show are enough to provide a year's worth of future daydreams.

Awwww.....!! ^~^

Onna wrote:
//Inadequate...
Fuck, Manawolf's pic is SO excellent, why do I even bother?//

... to which Talon replied:

Baka baka baka onna....just exactly what do you think your pics are?????? *thwackthwackthwack* I don't know how I can convince you....*thwackthwackthwack* but your pics are simply the BEST!!! *thwackthwackthwack*
C'mon onna...you have vastly different styles. *snugs danglemate* I love and love ALL your stuff...(ok, esp the Sage pics) You are NOT inadequate!!!

.. to which I reply:

Yeah, what she said!
Especially about the different styles. So there.

I've just been reading some reviews of Treasure Planet and one reviewer casually mentioned the movie is 'Unlike other Disney cartoon flicks, which are packed with songs and dancing scenes'.
Wait a minute all of the Disney movies I've seen recently, and enjoyed, weren't musicals, whereas the ones (recent and past) I especially loathed as being too sugary saccharin, were musicals. Which is odd, really, given how much I like live-action musical movies...

OK, so I was feeling 'up' when I took this quiz, but, man who needs chemicals to feel this happy? *grin*


Which Sesame Street Muppet's Dark Secret Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Grover on Ecstasy You're funny, you're loveable, you're entertaining, you like to call yourself "Super Grover!"--You're obviously on ecstasy. But that's why we love you. Be careful, ok?

I was going to shift my bedroom furniture around today, but the cubs and I got invited out to see a movie. Well, sort of. Penny, one of the mums from school, had been invited by her friend to see the new LoTR movie, problem was she didn't think it was the sort of movie her 6y.o daughter would enjoy, so she rang me and asked if I minded taking my cubs and her daughter to see something else at the same time. Course not! The kids were all agreeable, so it was arranged (and Penny had 3 free children's tickets so I only had to pay for myself).
We saw Treasure Planet.
I do like the way the Holy Rodent Empire is using non nuclear family structures nowadays, for some reason it makes me feel more connected to the stories, more forgiving of other nonsense. I have no idea why - maybe it took me longer to get over the butchering that was done to Hercules than I care to admit. (Zeus and Hera were NOT a loving couple. Hera was NOT Hercules mother. The Norns were NOT evil. Grrrr... No, I'm fine now, really.)
Where was I?
Oh yes.
I enjoyed Treasure Planet; again I thought Disney had presented a very believable world-frame (ships that 'sail' the ether between planets? Count me in!) and well-drawn, rounded characters with excellent voice-actors. Could've done without the robot though, could see no reason for it's being there - other than maybe the 'cute, furry mascot' but that role was more than adequately filled by Morph, John Silver's pet, who was just gorgeous. And speaking of gorgeous, Captain Amelia was my favourite character, she was so beautifully feline from the way we first see her bounding around the rigging of her ship like a cat with the wind up it's arse, to her wonderfully expressive ears and eyes (her pupils were inconstant motion, fascinating), and the way she'd go from frenzied activity to dignified poise without batting an eyelid. Oh yes, and the long frock coat and mid-thigh length, black stiletto boots didn't hurt either...
While I liked Treasure Planet, I didn't enjoy it as much as Lilo & Stitch, or Atlantis. It lacked the humour of Lilo & Stitch, and the character interaction of Atlantis, but talk about seeing yaoi everywhere...! Sheesh, the veiled references to 'cabin boys' had the children asking me what I was laughing about!
Eh, but if the cubs wanted to see it again, I wouldn't say no...

*pout* Kids get all the cool stuff...
While looking for clothes for the cubs today my gaze alighted on two children sized Zoids t-shirts with really nummy pics of two of the charas. No idea who they were, but... phwooooaar! *fanning self* Dammit, if I had a disposable income I'd have bought them to hang on my wall. Really must get round to actually catching more than the odd 5 minutes of the series...

Found out today that mated pairs of giant Brazillian otters snuggle together when they sleep.... Awww...!
RomanticOkapi said ' bet they turn their heads away from each others faces though to avoid fishbreath'. *rolls eyes*

Hee hee hee, the people over at GlamourLust gave their readers a gift of a wallpaper, which is basically a reworking of my favourite Yu Yu Hakusho 'boy band' pic! Cool!

And here's Soulsis's blog!
AYA!!

I dunno, Talon, I think you'd better take another What Gundam Pilot are You? quiz, just to be sure. : )



How much of a Yaoi fangirl are you?
brought to you by Quizilla



The idea today was to take the cubs to our local shopping suburb to pay a bill and get them trousers and sandals.
Got the sandals, and some shorts for them, and some t-shirts, and discounted Bob the Builder xmas stockings, and bouncy balls on rubber strings and sticky buns. For myself I got some discounted xmas decos - couldn't resist the tacky, shiny plastic pine-cones - and some aboriginal art, now discounted, that I'd been eyeing off for a while. I love the post-xmas sales.
Oh, and I remembered to pay the bill too, and get some food shopping done. Yay me.

Aaron came round late last night with his brand new copy of the extended (like that movie really needed an extra 30 minutes) LoTR dvd. Managed to stay awake for the first half - and found the added bits were relevant in terms of background information and character developement - but slept through most of the second half, missing, alas *hand to forehead* Galadriel's bit again. (I had to go to the loo during that part when I saw the movie at the cinema. Not saying that the sight of an insane poncy elf made me need to go to the toilet, just by that point, given the length of the movie, I had to go or wet myself. : )

Alarice and Pete popped round for a little while last night, too, which was brill cos we get to see them maybe once a year. They gave me a gorgeous 'UpstairsDownstairs Bears' calendar! That'll look lovely next to my 'Sports Illustrated' calendar...

... and Soulsis is getting herself a blog right now!

[*blush*... meep!...]

Took the cubs ages to go to sleep last night cos of course they had their new torches to play with. *sigh*

As arranged, Mum picked the cubs and I up this morning and drove us to my brother's place. It was a good day, really, and yes I'm as surprised as I sound. As well as us, there was an old, old friend of the family, who's currently staying with Mum, my niece and two nephews (Soulsis's bratlings, she and my brother seperated years ago but she got the kids and me in custody ^~^ ) , and the mother of my brother's new partner - plus a mountain of food that despite a brave effort by all present, wasn't reduced to a manageable level. : )
My brother and his partner live in a lovely little cottage on a rose farm. Tiny wee place but very welcoming and restive, and small enough that we could legitimately ask the brats to stay outside cos there wasn't room for us all inside : ) Fortunately they were happy to do that - and it didn't rain.
After lunch came the presents. The cubs got buckets'o'meccano each, which they were thrilled with, and big boxes of textas.
My brother gave me a framed copy of one of his mandalas that I particularly liked, and an asian dragon figurine, and Mum made me a cushion cover from a Hawaiin flamingo print! *grin* Goes very well with my hot pink velour/tassled cushion...
Could've stayed for longer than we did, but the cubs were more than ready to go home around 5pm so Mum dropped us off at the nearest train station. (Tch, I would've been quite happy to take Mum up on her offer to drive us home but the cubs insisted on going by train...)
But we got home safe and sound and now that the cubs are in bed I'm contemplating the ice-cream container full of left-over salad for dinner...

I suppose, now that Xmas proper is over, the actual school holidays begin. I need to consult The List and make plans about what to do with the cubs to keep them, and me, amused...

[*smirk*] Very wise tenshi, very wise...

Besides, why bother with things like tutus when you can play with chains and fur and leather and jewellery - and handcuffs...

(Tch, just re-reading that last post and it looked as if the cubs' father was nowhere to be found.
Not true at all. He was around for an hour or so this morning for the present exchange, then he had to go to sleep (he worked last night), then he was around for another couple of hours for dinner, then he went out... Just like any other day, really. )

[*clamps mouth firmly shut on any inadvisable comments about hybrids and tutus...* Arrum just looked at me blankly when I mentioned putting my otters into tutus, then she wandered away shaking her head at the idiocy. Feh, otterkin, what do they know about playing dress-ups! : ) ]

The nestling didn't survive, sadly but on a more positive note the cubs said this was 'the best xmas ever!'
Nice to know I can do something right occasionally.

Lovely quiet day today, just me and the cubs. I napped, they played, we watched some telly together.
Tomorrow Mum's taking the cubs and I up to my brother's for a barbeque. We were going to do it today, but he has the kids for Boxing day this year and Mum suggested it might be better to leave doing the family thing (such as it is) til then. Fair enough, gives me time to wrap presents and make a salad.

Tired now, time for bed I think. The cubs are all tucked up with their new teletubbies and bionicles and torches, oh my. : )

[*smirk*] 3.35 am... The ningen was supposed to go to bed about 3 hours ago - ye gods even Ken noticed she was stressed and growled at her to try and take things easy... - but she likes the peace and quiet of this time of night...

She says she's skimmed through the whole dictionary and has found that there are an astonishing number of words for birds, trees, lizards (useful, that) non-edible plants, and fish, but not an awful lot for native edible veg and fruit. (I think she's come to the conclusion that native Australians are carnivores - which is fine by her....) She's also noted that there are two words for penis (carloo, menane) and four words for breast (ipi, mundi, namma, ngumpura) but nothing in the book for other reproductive organs... Thorough, you see. Not obsessive, oh dearie me no...

.... You dress your otters in tutus.... uhuh.... OK.... Have you mentioned this to Arrum? [quiet growl] .... just as long as you never try to get me into one....


Feed the nestling warm minced meat (anything will do), tiny, tiny portions, dropping them into its beak with a pair of tweezers if you have them. Unles you feel inclined to mince up worms or insects, this is the best thing for it. It's rare for birds that young to survive out of the nest, but at least you'd be doing your best. Then if it's going to die it will die warm, full, comfortable and cherished, which is about the most any living thing could hope for.

[nuzzle] Sweet and stress-free season to you, tenshi...

Hee hee hee.
The purple and pink ribbony hair accessories Joules sent me make perfect tutus for beanie toys. My Ty otter is wearing the purple one, and the pink one - when not in my hair - is sported by either Pip or Pop (purple otters, Bear in the Big Blue House).

Oh yes, glad you liked your parcel, Joules.
Have you browsed through the dictionary for native aus foods rather than euro? *grin*

*yawn* Merry Xmas...

Tch, forgot to mention that Okapiprincess also gave me a box of purple disco-ball ornaments!!
Purple disco-balls, purple neko bells, purple star garland... Looks like my mid-winter's going to be purple! : )
Had a look at the purple tinsel xmas trees, they're not as nice as I originally thought, the branches are a bit on the sparse side, compared to the pretend pines. Eh, see how we go, there might be a really pretty, smaller, cheaper one out there somewhere with my name on it..

The cubs got a good haul this year - Bionicles, lollies, dinky 'light-sabre', fish puzzles (now maybe they'll leave mine alone), rechargeable torches, teletubbies, binoculars (from Soulsis and sprogs), calendars (Ancient Eqypt and Astronomy), books (ditto), and Gundam toys (the friend who went to Hong Kong got them for the boys). Kittenkong gave them a 'make your own dinosaur fridge magnets' kit.
I got some sea-shell chocolate (lalalalalalalalalalalaalala, Okapiprincess) and a Sports Illustrated calendar. : ) Not the calendar I was originally after, which was an arty b/w nudes that had disappeared off the shelves weeks ago, but this was my second choice so I am pleased.

12 hours later that baby bird is still alive. What do I do now? I know nothing about birds, do I wait for it to cheep before trying to feed it? What do I feed it? Could ring the RSPCA, I guess, though it's not a native so I don't think they'd make any effort to save it...

Wonder if the cubs would notice if I snuck off and crawled back into bed?

More emode tests...

Star Wars Test
.
Lutra, you're R2-D2

You're spunky, resourceful, and just a little deviant. It should come as no surprise that your Star Wars type is Artoo-Deetoo. Just like the diminutive droid who bailed out Luke and the gang more than a few times, you have tons of tools and tricks at your disposal. When in a bind, you are usually the first one who thinks of the solution (even if your zeal for adventure got you into trouble in the first place).

... and I did the TV mother one... came out as Roseanne. *rude noise*

*stops twiddling thumbs to type*
Dum de dum...
Xmas eve and I'm knackered. I'm trying to stay awake until the cubs are asleep and I can direct Father Xmas to the pillowcases strewn over the xmas tree. The cubs are in bed now, gamely trying to keep quiet and go to sleep...

The bright spot of today was a visit from Okapiprincess and her lovely Vikingprincess daughter. :) (I'm serious, Vp is blonde-haired, blue-eyed, almost as tall as me and 10 years old. She's going to be one of those gorgeous, willowy creatures when she grows up...) Anyway, Okapiprincess gave the cubs a small lolly stocking each - thank heavens they were small, the cubs were bouncing off the walls as it was - and I got 2 prettypretty glass fish dishes! Weeee! *happy squeak*

I've been threatening the cubs for the past week with no xmas presents if their room wasn't clean by xmas eve. Spent most of today, despite being ill, cleaining their room. And they did help, a little, complaining bitterly all the while about the Dickensian working conditions. In effect - 'we really love you, mummy, why are you treating us like this?' (ie: making them work) ... grrrr... Because I'm not your bloody servant! Is it fair that I have to clean up all your mess by myself? No, it isn't, so you're going to help me clean your room or else!
Their room's not clean, not completely, but the chaos is a little more ordered. Am I going to follow through on my threat?
*sigh* No. Mostly because I don't want to do anything that will make my babies think ill of me.
What a wuss...

Kittenkong brought in 2 baby birds today. Tiny, wee things with barely a few tufts of down between them. One was definitely dead, but the other was still alive. That one is currently tucked up warmly in a box, wrapped in one of the boys old nappies. It'll probably die, but it'll die warm at least.
That cat needs a cow bell.

Damn!
Another year and no xmas cards (actual or email) sent out.
Sorry. Maybe next year. : )

Tch, forgot to mention...
Really lovely wedding pic, Joules, and you don't look all that different now. : ) (Last time you wore a skirt, eh? I can relate to that...)
Happy solstices, everyone!!

... Soulsis, if I'm asleep when you come 'round - WAKE ME UP!! Delighted as I am to have little surprise presents waiting for me when I wake I do actually like talking to you! : )

Forgot to mention yesterday, too, that Soulsis gave Kittenkong a new collar. Lovely Angel-Delight-strawberry coloured, with little hemi-spherical studs on it. Beautiful! (There were bells on it too, but KK has already pulled those off...)

Someone I've know for ages recently went to Hong Kong: he brought me back a present. A chinese calligraphy set and a box of coloured inkstones. Just gorgeous! I'm all inspired now to learn about Chinese painting...

AYA! Both Joules and I have finished our next ACchapters...

...and tomorrow, I don't have to get the cubs off to school. : )

*humming* On the somethingth day of xmas two of my best friends gave to me-ee - !
- one wobbling flamingo
- one ceramic fish to hang on the wall
- one pretty tea-cup
- two bunches of pretend grapes
and a box full of real cool goodies! (including a wee book on feng shui, a purple disc mobile, chocolate dipped fortune cookies, more chocolates, hanging crystal, I-ching coin ball, sandalwood insence and holder, red candles and a trapped-whale paperweight ^.^)

Soulsis, Niki and I went to see 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding last night - you might have heard of it?
It was funny and sweet, but nothing I hadn't see before. I live in Melbourne, which has the 2nd largest - don't quote me - greek population outside of Greece, and there's been plenty of locally made programs/movies about Greek versus non-Greek culture.
Still, it was a fun movie and I laughed a lot, and I had a great time checking out the props used. (Lamps made from bunches of acrylic grapes!! I've seen them on ebay... *bites nails*)

I don't eat a lot of sweets any more, don't miss them really - except for fruity flavoured licorice (and turkish delight, but you know about that already). I was expecting this time of year to be a trial for me, though, cos this is when my favourite licorice is sold in pretty jars - and I'm a sucker for pretty jars too. So, since November I've been half-looking for the licorice in the shops but, alas, there was none to be found. Huzzah! - I thought - I won't have to buy any!
I found some yesterday. *sigh*
The jars are different from the ones they've been using for the past few years, but still nice. Bought a jar, naturally, and proceeded to make myself sick on 1kg of fruity licorice. The daft thing is, despite being ill from eating all that licorice and despite knowing it's going to make me ill if I do it again - I will go and get another jar before New Year, at least, and eagerly await them coming on sale afterwards...

Had a look at the new Barbie's yesterday, too.
They are very pretty. Of the three available, I like the vaguely eurasion one, Chelsea, the best - I could play with her. I think her clothes are nicer than what the other two are wearing anyway; the leather mini-skirt is just yum. Barbie herself looks like a real bimbo, very Clueless, though still quite pretty. I'd like to get Chelsea, I admit, but I - *pointed look at th' thicket* - will be able to stop at just one doll I'm sure... :)
(Onna, I'd also noticed these dolls looked a little like the Bratz ones. Okapiprincess has a theory that Mattel has been rattled by the Bratz' success and is following the trend, so to speak.)

The cubs have finished school for the year. *deep sigh*
They got their end of year reports a couple of days ago and while the results were good, they contained echoes of my own school reports... 'could do better if he concentrated more'. Bah! Who can be bothered concentrating on external stuff when what's going on in your head is so much more interesting!

Going to change my room around. The way it's set up at the moment, my bed is directly opposite the door and my computer desk is on the left as you come into the room. The computer chair effectively blocks what little walk-way there is between the bed and the desk which means the wardrobe, which is on the other side of the desk, is too hard to get to so under-utilised. So, I'm going to put the wardrobe and desk where the bed was, and the bed over by the window where the wardrobe was. The added advantage of this is that I can lie in bed and watch the stars through the window. :)
Now what I need is a different computer desk, one that goes up instead of out and I'll be able to squeeze another book-shelf in...

Woohoo! We've signed up for a cable-modem connection.
It'll be installed in the cubs' father's room sometime mid-january, but I won't be getting the benefit of it until the other computers in the house have been hooked up to a LAN. *rolls eyes*
Fine, whenever...

(nicked from Onna's blog:)

//Ai no Kusabi mailed

Watch your snailmail, Lutra! //

The mailman gets nervous when I do that... *evil smirk*
Thank you, Onna!

Oh good, nice to hear someone else likes the new Barbie, I thought I was going mad..
But I'll have a look at the actual dolls first, in the vinyl so to speak, before I decide if I really really want one enough to drop massive hints to people for my birthday... (What? Buy one myself? You've got to be joking! ^~^ )

[Talon... just how good a view of the bower do you get from the lemon tree?]

[nuzzle] You're forgiven, tenshi. It's a beautiful face - a very anime face, quite charming. Even the ningen would be tempted, and I have it on her kaasan's authority that she hated dolls, even as a child... Heh, even I can see the appeal!

Evil, temptressOkapi...

I don't like Barbie I have never liked Barbie, but Mattel have just released a new line ... They're gorgeous.
I have no idea why I like them so much but I'm scared... Is this another step down the path towards girlyness?

[*blinks*] "inhaled to the other side of the door"? What sort of thesaurus are these people using? Or is this some esoteric term for teleportation? Heh - "Inhale me up, Scotty..." Doesn't have quite the same ring to it, somehow...

The furry things with the tails are kridessa, tenshi. Courtesy of Talon. Very, very tasty. Another few months and we can start eating them... Though actually, the way they're breeding... They seem to like it here. I'll bring a couple with me for dinner - you can try one and see if you like them.

Heh - the dragonlings are coming along well, aren't they? Time to start training them. And they'll be ready to go to new homes in February, I think - any offers?

On second thoughts, re: re-writing the translation for AnK, I don't think I can! *grin*
"Mimea left the room walking quickly. After making himself sure that she had been inhaled to the other side of the door, the man sat down slowly on hte border of the bed."

Riiight...

[Just been over to the Oasis to see the dragonets - they're getting big awful quick! I see what you mean about their crisping everything in sight, 'lestrel... By the way, what are those little furry things running rampant over there?]

*languishing*
Hot. Don't like hot. Weather forecast says we have a couple more days of it, then it'll get hotter. Oh goody...

Talon, I had a look at the Ai no Kusabi site, the translation one... um... I can't read Japanese, but the japanglish is just as tricky. : ) It's bending my brain, I'm itching to re-write it! But that's a bit rude, fiddling with someone elses work...

"Flash! Don't heckle the super-villain!"
*rolling around laughing*
That was a quote from Justice League.

The cubs got handcuffs in their advent calendar yesterday. Tonight, one of them had hand-cuffed Kero (the *snort* Guardian Beast from Cardcaptor Sakura) to the bed by his neck.
I said not a word...

Okapiprincess sent me this. : )

<.b>The Politically Correct Twelve Days... by Larry Nolte

On the 12th day of the Eurocentrically imposed midwinter festival, my
Significant Other in a consenting adult, monogamous relationship gave to me:

TWELVE males reclaiming their inner warrior through ritual drumming,

ELEVEN pipers piping (plus the 18-member pit orchestra made up of members in
good standing of the Musicians Equity Union as called for in their union
contract even though they will not be asked to play a note),

TEN melanin deprived testosterone-poisoned scions of the patriarchal ruling
class system leaping,

NINE persons engaged in rhythmic self-expression,

EIGHT economically disadvantaged female persons stealing milk-products from
enslaved Bovine-Americans,

SEVEN endangered swans swimming on federally protected wetlands,

SIX enslaved Fowl-Americans producing stolen non-human animal products,

FIVE golden symbols of culturally sanctioned enforced domestic
incarceration,

(NOTE: after members of the Animal Liberation Front threatened to throw red
paint at my computer, the calling birds, French hens and partridge have been
reintroduced to their native habitat. To avoid further Animal-American
enslavement, the remaining gift package has been revised.)

FOUR hours of recorded whale songs,

THREE deconstructionist poets,

TWO Sierra Club calendars printed on recycled processed tree carcasses
and...

ONE Spotted Owl activist chained to an old-growth pear tree.


I've only seen 2, half episodes of 'Zoids, I do not want to rush off and collect any of the merchandise, do I?

Piro, the artist on MegaTokyo put a piece of original artwork up on ebay to help tide him over until the money from sales of merchandise kicks in. The opening price was $10 US. Just checked, and with 19 hours to go before the auction ends, the price is $1025... Now that's what I call support! : )

Hey, Onna, i really liked the Neko-girl pic. If the stripes were a bit lighter, her breasts a bit larger - and not smiling - she could be Kitty... You're right, you can draw girls - should do some more... *spork* (And did I actually say 'yes' to copies of AnK? Cos if I didn't, I'd like to say 'yes' now. I've been listening to Joules go on about it... *grin*).

Okapiprincess has just relayed to me something her son said. Aboi said he's not weird, he's socially misplaced.

And.. at the morning tea hosted at the school this morning for the volunteers (like me) i found out that the school library is staffed by one, single, volunteer. So I bounced on over to her and asked if I could help too!
I like librarys, perfect place to look busy while your mind is elsewhere...

I had a very odd dream today while I was napping away the afternoon heat. I was looking at a kids magazine, something like Disney Adventures, or Kidzone, and inside was a poster of a very pretty anime girl. Problem was, it was basically an 'up-skirt' pose and she wasn't wearing knickers. Very nice - I thought - but I don't think that's really appropriate for this sort of publication.
Any dream interpreters out there like to tackle the significance of that one?

Hee, Okapiprincess told me the other day that by typing 'eyecandy mcdrooly' into Google.com you get my pond as a match. I tried it, and my pond was the only listing. Ah, fame at last.

This was in last thursdays The Age, in the 'Odd Spot' bit, hence no byline:
An English vicar reduced young children to tears and stunned their parents after he said Santa Claus and his reindeer would burn to a crisp while delivering presents at super-sonic speed.
Um, riiiight...

I managed to go for a whole 24 hours without watching CSS.
Made up for it the next day though. Heh.

Oh dear, we missed the Carols by Candlelight thingy that was held in the park near the cubs school. What a pity, but by the time I'd prodded myself to remember *hand to forehead* it was too late. We went to last year's one only because the cubs class was perfoming in it. Mind you, that xmas thing you mentioned on your blog, Onna, looked like fun. : )


From Soulsis...

I am a A Painted Dragon!

Hey, I took the http://dragonhame.com online Inner Dragon quiz and found out I am a Painted Dragon on the inside.

In the war between good and evil, a Painted Dragon tends to walk the fine line of Neutrality....
When it comes to the powers of Chaos vs. those of Law and Order, your inner dragon is a risk taker and answers to no one....
As far as magical tendancies, a Painted Dragon's nature does not lend itself well to the ways of Magic....
During combat situations, the Painted Dragon shows a preference for the rending and slashing of Hand to Hand combat....
Painted Dragons are the gypsies of dragonkind. They move frequently and spend much time in human form, socializing and partying.'
While not truly evil, Painted Dragons have a flair for practical jokes that sometimes get out of hand. They are known far and wide for their troublemaking abilities. A dragon's idea of a good joke usually has dragon sized repercussions.'
The Painted Dragon gains it's name from it's appearance. When one is seen in dragon form, it is garishly colored by every color and hue visible to the human eye (and some that are not visible except by magical means, and to other dragons). If you could tie-dye a dragon, you would have a painted dragon.
'
This Dragons favorite elements are: Glass, Morning Glories, and Festivals

http://Dragonhame.Com

.. and this also from Soulsis. Don't forget to type in your name or identification code. : )

Ah, yes, I remember what it was now.
Took the cubs to the Golden Arches of Dooooom, for dinner, which they enjoyed - and the got a new toy to play with, but while we were there I noticed a poster (about a video) that said 'Take Ronald home today!!'
I think not.
I don't like clowns at the best of times and I especially loathe this one.

I did get round to clearing off my bed today. I had to cos otherwise the cubs would have had to have gone to the school disco in their uniforms. : ) But my bed is now clean and clear again. And I managed to finish a few more pages of my next AC chapter while the cubs were out dancing the late afternoon away.

My cub's (one of them) teacher had words with me yesterday. Apparently she's had to pull him up a couple of times on his 'language'. Oops.
OK, I'm not too bad, I tend to only say 'fuck' (in front of the cubs) when I'm really, really annoyed. More often it's 'bloody' or 'knickers' - they giggle at that one.
I could blame Billy Connolly.. they watched one of his shows...

I'm sure I had something else to say but buggered if I can remember...

Bubble-wrap is a fine thing. We call it 'stress-sheets' in our house. It's very satisfying popping the bubbles as stress relief.
Having said that, Okapiprincess found this site...

(knicked from Onna's blog)

//Will Mahrayne be there?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, the ratsky found this, then asked me, "Don't you know someone in Australia?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20021204/od_uk_nm/oukoe_weather_australia_raindance&e=2

Oddly Enough - UK Reuters

Aussie women to bare it all for rain
Wed Dec 4,12:15 AM ET

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of women from drought-ravaged southern Australia plan to bare it all to the heavens in a bid to make it rain.
Inspired by a Nepalese drought-breaking tradition, the women from Ouyen in the far northwest of Victoria state will carry out a naked rain dance in the barren outback in early March, just ahead of the planting season for the next crop.
"We'll invite all the families from all the communities around in the Mallee (region) who are suffering from the drought, we'll all get together and have food and entertainment all day," said organiser Lynne Healy of the Ouyen Inc community group.
"And the women will get on buses and discreetly go out to a secret location and we will do our dance or our whatever," Healy told Reuters on Wednesday.
Unexpected publicity means the rain dance will probably attract many more than the 200 women the organisers originally expected to take part -- but the media will not be invited.
"It'll be totally nude, hence no cameras," Healy said.//

Oh yes, Mahrayne will be there, with bells on *snigger* literally.
I won't though, I have, um, other things planned for that weekend.

Mmm..mmm...mmm... I *love* watermelon!

I'm procrastinating.
I should be tunnelling through the heap of stuff that's spilling from my bed over the floor in my room.
Eh, later.

I got myself another one of the 3D fish puzzles, the Butterfly fish this time. Didn't take long at all to put it together. Only one left in the series, the cow-fish. I was going to get that today but I really had to buy some food. All the fish in this puzzle series are tropical ones, which are nice, I spose, but I much prefer fresh-water fish, to eat and to look at. Except for tuna. And cod.

I finished, coded and posted a small C.I.5 - The Professionals fanfic yesterday. Been close to a year since I've written anything in that fandom, though I still love the show I really don't have that strong an urge to write it anymore. But I owe a huge debt to it and the fanfic group I fell in with - *thinks* - two and a half years ago; it was after reading stories posted there that I thought that, maybe, I could write. I'd read a lot of Pros slash fanfic, and while I thoroughly enjoyed some of it - still do - it didn't inspire me to emulate it, but the Prosfanfic site had only general fiction of a very high standard and I was tempted to try my hand. The rest - as they say - is history.
I've made some very good friends through the Pros fandom too, Joules, Sammi, Carol & Sue as well as Andi and Di and others who I'm ashamed to admit I only keep in contact with sporadically.
I don't think I'll ever completely let go of Pros fanfic, there's always one or two little things bubbling... : )

School Carol concert last night.
It didn't rain.
Damn.
Wasn't that bad, really, just over an hours worth and the cubs enjoyed themselves, just would've been better if I didn't have a headache. Didn't win any of the xmas hampers though. Oh well, there's always the Easter ones next year.

Got this site fron Onna's blog, about the vibrating Harry Potter broom *raised eyebrows* which led me to this site about a sexually suggestive lolly *rolling around laughing* and then I remembered what happened in the supermarket a few days ago...
In the toy section there's a selection of lolly-toys, things that make noises and lights flash and stuff. We don't buy any but the cubs love playing with them. One of the items on the shelf was a pen topped by a clear plastic globe that has little lollies in it.
It vibrates.
The idea is you switch it on and wait for the lollies to be shaken out of the top - what fun! - but I found myself standing there, holding one of these things, feeling the - quite strong - vibrations going down to my elbow, thinking 'hmm, replaceable battery, bit noisy though that won't be so bad when the lollies are gone, only really suitable for external use...' *blink* Uh...
I know I said my toy-box is depleted but honestly...

I was enthusing to Penny (a friend of mine - her daughter is in the same class as one of my cubs) how much I liked the idea of having a skittle lane, but of course, first I'd need to get some skittles. Penny's a very practicle, can-do sort of person - she suggested I take a wood-turning course and make my own.
What a brilliant idea!
So now I've added wood-turning to my list of stuff I want to learn, along with furniture upholstery/restoration, leadlight, ceramics, basic wood-work, basic car maintenance and photography. (Not actually, photography, per se, I'm not too shabby at that, but I'd like to have dark-room access again.)

I'm helping out at the school today with PMP (the Perceptual Motor Program) for the last time. Ever. Only the preps and Grade 1's do PMP. Mwahahahahahahahahah!
Though this means I'll probly have to volunteer for something else next year. Eh, deal with it when I have to.

*snigger* This How Evil are You quiz from Soulsis.

Check it out, man! How evil are you?
My friend, I'm sorry. There's no way in hell that you will ever be evil. You're as soft as the fur on your belly. You love everything. You're a friggin baby unicorn! I mean, sure, when you're grown-up, you're elegant and such, but.... you're pudgy and.. ugh. If you ever killed someone, it was most likely because you were too adorable.

This also, from the evil wench...

[smirks and ruffles flashing bunny ears] I think we'll start with a... massage... tenshi... And you can dig out the studded tail rings.... handful of the silk scarves... some of that chocolate hazelnut spread... Oh, and I need a couple of your feathers too... Heh, yes, that'll do - to start with...


The fluffy bunny ears are from Carol... That was the second parcel though - what the hell's happened to the first one? It was posted surface on 25^th of October...

I'm sitting here wearing pink and white fluffy rabbit ears. I can see the little flashing lights on them reflected in the monitor.
[It's very uke-bunny, I feel as if I should be kneeling at someone's feet, wide-eyed and breathlessly expectant, awaiting instructions... *looks around, frowning, hands on hips* Tch, where's that hybrid when you need her?]

I got a parcel from England today! *happy squeak*
The chocolate bar (a Whispa, kind of like an Aero bar, only made by Cadbury's so infinitely better) got eaten for breakfast while I pawed through the rest of the gorgeous stuff.
As well as the bunny ears there was a bottle stopper that had a xmas tree snowdome on it (looking for appropriately pretty bottle to stick it in so it can go on display with the rest of my snowdomes :), some rose incense which is covered in pink glitter (weeee! too nice to burn, well, maybe one or two, the rest will be artfully arranged somehow no doubt), and some pink and purple ribbony hair accesories that have rhinestones on them! I was going to cut my hair short, but I'm not going to now so I can use the hair ties.
Andandand, there's a CD as well, chockers full of interesting stuff (Dido's 'Take my Hand' is destined to be one of those songs that gets played when the sooky romantic is stirring restlessly in her cage... And CSS... *swallow* Definitely not one for when the cubs are around.)
But best of all was the card - beautiful, beautiful gold fishes on a black background! The card's going into a frame, and I'm tempted to knick, er copy, the fishes as a basis for a tattoo, they're exactly what I've been looking for!
Thank you, Joules! *GLOMP* (and Carol? Some of the presents were from you?)

I've said it before, but I love presents!
*grin* Between Soulsis and Joules it's a wonder that certain portions of my anatomy aren't exploding with delight...! ^~^

(knicked from Onna's blog)
//Of course, I still have Mahrayne in a flowing gown waiting to be put to paper with a pencil.//

*happy squeak* I can be patient, yes I can...

I didn't think Battlefield Earth would be much chop, Joules, I only got a couple of chapters into the book before I abandoned it, just couldn't bring myself to read any more of it's unique brand of crap.

Heh, after months of waiting, and several changes in programming, Cartoon Network has DBZ playing again at a time I can watch it (9.30pm) and the story's finally gotten back around to almost where it left off before it was - to my disgust - repeated. We're currently at the start of the World Tournament before our heroes go off and deal with BippityBoppityBoo. Finally. Hopefully this time the barstid programmers will let us see the rest of the eps. Grrrr....

Feeling a bit - dislocated at the moment. My own fault, I spent a few hours this afternoon reading Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale (compulsive, disturbing) and I got sucked in to the world-frame. It happens a lot if I spend more than half an hour reading something, and then RL can sometimes be difficult to get back to. Years ago, I read the entire set of Elf Quest graphic novels in about 4 hours - it was days before I completely shook myself free of it, reality was just so... bland in comparison. This disassociation wasn't so much of a problem before I had the cubs, but I can't really afford to let it happen now, I need to be in the same continuum as my children.

Heh - the ningen says that's on Xmas Eve morning in the UK, and the bratling has never seen it. Guess we'll be watching it too... (She says thanks, by the way. Apparently Kai already has admirers amongst the girls in his year...)

The cubs and I curled up on the couch tonight to watch A Muppet Christmas Carol. I like the Muppets.
There was a beautiful, perfect line of dialogue in the movie too. Rizzo the Rat was scoffing at Gonzo - who was Charles Dickens :) - saying that he couldn't know what Scrooge was doing, they couldn't see into his window, to which Gonzo replied - "Writers are omniscient. I know everything!" *rolling around laughing* Well, in the universes I have some control over, maybe.

Odd sort of day, the cubs didn't get out of their pyjamas (though I did put them in clean pjs after their bath) and I spent most of the day asleep. Hn, must've needed a do-nothing day...

Hungry now. Want chocolate.
Maybe I'll have a peach instead? The reason being that I do have peaches in the house, whereas I don't have any chocolate - and I don't want chocolate so much that I'd consider walking to the supermarket at night to get it.

Only 10 more days of school to go before the end of the year. Let's see how much writing I can pack in before I have the cubs at home with me for 6 weeks. Wonder if I can get their father to look after them for a few days here and there...?

Awwwww!


What sort of Dragon watches over you?
brought to you by Quizilla

The Regal Silver Dragon is your protector and guide. Benevolent and kind, Aid is always available to you when it is truely needed. You and those you love are always protected.

I did something the other day I hadn't done for a long time, I went into our local Lush shop. UK bods will probly know this company, don't know if there's any Lush stores in the US. They make the most wonderful toiletries and skin-care products. It's not often I can afford to buy anything from there but it's lovely to just go in and inhale. Afterwards my hands smelt wonderful now from where I'd been carressing, fondling the soaps and massage bars and fizzy bath-bombs... :)

I'm not good with puzzles, well not the ones dealing with spatial relations - you know, jigsaw puzzles, 3 dimensionals, those stupid ones made up of shiftable tiles that you have to get in order, *rolls eyes* Rubik's cubes - but the other day I found a series of really cute, fish shaped 3D puzzles that were tempting enough for me to try. And bonus, they were packaged in quite pretty, plastic nautilus shells. What the hell, I thought, and rummaged through to see which types were available. I settled on a puffer fish (blow fish, ball fish etc) cos, hey, they're freaky enough to be interesting!
Of the series, the puffer fish had the most (22) pieces. It took me an hour to put the bloody thing together, and I was bored within 15 minutes but I made myself finish it. Dead chuffed when I was done though. :)
I bought another one of the series, the clown fish, it has 11 pieces and it took me 10 minutes. I'd say that was an improvement...

I shouldn't complain, should I?
The other day I wasn't feeling the brightest so the cubs' father did the washing up for me. Lovely gesture, however, when I went to do the next load I found the washing-up liquid was all gone. Now, according to my calculations, with frugal use (ie: the amount I normally use) there was enough in the bottle to see us through 'til the next payday.
Not only had the cubs' father emptied the bottle, he'd also rinsed it out to get every last usable scrap of detergent. And then he put the bottle back in it's spot, empty.
*sigh* And I was all out of bubble-bath too.

I think I'm going to call my next house Chez Otter.

A page of quizzes from Soulsis. Not startlingly indepth - except for the Alien Abduction one - but still fun.
Here's some results I prepared earlier...


You are WAY too aggressive at times
You are almost always hungry
You seem to work best in a school of piranhas.



Which "Natural Wonder" are you?





Find out what kind of driver you are!
You are among the most intelligent and best mannered among all drivers. When you are in a hurry, you may push it a little, but you never race. When you are relaxed, you don't impede others by driving like a turtle. You are mindful of others and occasionally downright nice, but mostly you keep your wits and keel.


Which Computer Component Are you?

SQUEAK!!
Just found out that plushies for MegaTokyo are in the works!
I wanna Boo! I wanna Boo!
... and the 1st graphic novel is due for release in the next couple of days. Aaaargh! No money! *paniced panting* Hope there's some left after xmas...

Did you know I can hypnotise my cat by scratching the top of her head?

Heh, the cake stall and sausage sizzle on election day raised close to $1000 (Aus) for the school. Not a bad effort.

'Line Rage' - the irrational anger you feel when you can't get online because another member of the household is hogging the effing connection! Grrrr... Line Rage makes you attack-dial the server until you force the line clear. (Heh heh heh)

This is a very interesting site sent to me by Penny. Go play Feed the Model. *smirk*

Woohoo! Next chapter of AC is almost finished.

(I forgot to mention - the 'Misfit talent' quiz was unearthed by Soulsis...)

Interesting...

Primary Ability: Healer Healers are gentle people, gifted with the ability to heal others with the strength of their own minds. They can examine a person's body and aura, helping them to recover from injury or sickness. Healers never put themselves first, and can be generous to a fault.
Secondary Ability: Farseeker Farseekers posses the ability to communicate over great distances via telepathy. They are great friends who know when they're needed, and seem to be able to detect others thoughts.
What is your Misfit Talent?

Ooooh! *bouncehappysqueak* One of the smallish independent cinemas down here will be showing Singin' in the Rain and An American in Paris as a double early next year! The cubs' father has already volunteered to babysit, so now all I have to do is round up my girlfriends, and Aaron (well, he counts as a girlfriend anyway) and go indulge my Gene Kelly fetish!

... and speaking of cute cubs, Joules, Kai's gorgeous! His hair looks so lovely and silky, and he has your eyes : ) I think you can expect the fans to start lining up before he's much older... *grin* (Sorry, I meant to comment days ago but I got caught up in everything else.)

The xmas tree generally goes up on December the 1st in our house, for no other reason really, than it's an easy date for me to remember. Otherwise I'd be saying all through the month - 'tch, really must get round to putting the tree up' but never doing it.
The cubs and I put the xmas tree up today after school - a couple of days past schedule. Had to dig the old plastic one out of the garage seeing as the cubs refused to wait for us to buy a new, living tree at the end of the week. I'm sure the lower branches of the tree are missing, I'm sure it was taller than that, but we have the top bit, and the trunk/base part, that's all we really need.
As soon as the tree was up the cubs decorated it.
Not really being creatures of the 'less is more' school of thought, they've smothered the thing in decorations - if it didn't have a metal frame it would be sagging beneath the weight. :)

Earlier this year I saw a xmas tree made out of purple tinsel! How cool is that?! I'm going to go back and see if I can find another one, keep it for next year when I might have a place of my own...

One of the cubs has been devising his own fast food restaurant. It's called McThomas and it's signature dish is a 'funnel-chuff meal'. As well as free sunscreen, you get toys with this meal - there's four to collect.
There's a Thomas, that has a button to push and he makes a chuffing sound and there's a wind up Percy who runs around in circles. The Toby toy makes bubbles, and Mavis whistles 'Humpty Dumpty' when you push her button.
*grin* If you're not familiar with Thomas the Tank Engine that probably didn't make a whole lot of sense.

*phew* 5 pages of the next AC chapter done, not before time.

And now for some more Holiday Blog...


Friday 15th November.

My sleep was a bit patchy, not surprisingly. For the past 2 (more?) years I've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor, at Caroline's I've got a real bed, with a base. I was 2 and a half feet off the ground. I got vertigo if I looked over the side...

It was a bit misty today, so no point in going to any of the look-outs, wouldn't have seen anything (though I still would have liked to go). So we trooped off to Katoomba instead to do some shopping and track down the house where an old friend of mum's used to live. (Found it, and the park that was named after the friend's father. Mum dutifully took pictures of it all for her.)
Katoomba's claim to fame is that it's the best place to view the Three Sisters rock formations. Consequently, it's a complete tourist trap, but it's really not a very pretty place though as tourist traps go it's quite cheap. To me it felt a lot like Taralgon, in Victoria, only hilly. (note: Taralgon has been described as a 'shallow end of the gene pool' town. Very country, very local. No offense to anyone living there of course.)
Got some postcards and some food and a really cute pair of pink/white hair ties (that will be used on a future project, details to follow as they become available) and generally puttered around until we went home for lunch. Was very tired in the afternoon so I crashed out for a few hours, waking up just in time for dinner. Fancy that. And I didn't have to cook it. :)
Rang the cubs after dinner to be told how much I was missed *sooky smile* one of them even hugged the phone cos he couldn't hug me...

Saturday 16th November.

First stop today was a clothing factory in Katoomba that was having a garage sale. Mum and Caroline - who are both well into handcrafts, especially patchwork, gleefully descended on the mountains of material, gathering up great armfuls of the stuff. I was a little bit more restrained; I got 2 metres of a lovely sage green cotton (not sure what I'll do with that yet), a small piece of bright blue and red tartan (which I do know what I'm going to do with - it's related to the hair ties) and a lot of pale green silk cord (33 metres as it turned out) which I was very happy to get cos I haven't been able to find anything close in Melbourne, and I need it for one, very specific purpose.
Then we went to Leura which is a very pretty, well-maintained little town. Leura styles itself the 'heart of the Blue Mountains' and it's an up-market tourist trap with prices to match. Every second shoppe sold antiques or 'Country Crafts' *rolls eyes*. We visited the patchwork place there - what a surprise - 'Picklemouse Cottage'. I bought a tiny piece of purple pansy material because it was soooo prety. 'Picklemouse Cottage' didn't just have patchwork supplies though, it had lots of other stuff - pretty, shiny stuff and I was a: very glad I didn't have a credit card, and b: very glad that lay-by wasn't really practical for me.
All of the shops in Leura had xmas decorations for sale and we went in and had a look through a couple of stores. Loads of things, some very clever, some pretty cheesy - it got to the stage where I was going to take a cricket bat to the next singing, jiggling Santa I saw as well as breaking the fingers of the person who activated it. Why does all the singing xmas crap have American accents, by the way?
In one shop I saw a decoration made out of large neko bells, wired together to look like bunches of grapes! Cool! And guess what, I've just bought a whole pile of purple neko bells that I was wondering what to do with!
Didn't buy any xmas decorations but I did get a little trinket box shaped like a bunch of grapes. I like grapes.
Crashed out again that afternoon before dinner, just so tired.

A quick word about my back-pack...

... which is purple, as you know, and amongst other things, has 2 of the purple neko bells and a 'baaing' sheep called Winston (thank you, Carol!) dangling from the front of it.
I cannot sneak anywhere while I'm wearing the pack; the bells bounce around, jingling madly, and Winston 'baas' as he's bounced against the bag. I was getting some very strange looks from people, wondering what the noise was and where the heck was it coming from? :)

... to be continued...

[sigh....] see, tenshi, told you that would happen. Damn ningen's sulking now....

Heh - nice, isn't it tenshi? Warm, cosy - who needs a sleeping fur?




Leaves maazi bemused, but what the hell, what's one more body on the sleeping platform... [smirks and dives in too...]

They are cute, aren't they? : ) This photo is a couple of months old. Their hair is much shorter now (curse their father!) and there's - collectively - 5 more baby teeth gone.
And today their 'surprise' was a Goku pen and some small scribbler pads...

Lutra's cubs - aren't they cute?

The cubs woke me up early today so they could get their 'surprise' from the advent calenders... aaarrgh...
In the number 2 bags were small chocolate treats (a Caramello Koala and a Freddo Frog, respectively) and a small squishy doll sort of thing covered in softish spikes. These were well received, though one of the cubs managed to lose his at school *rolls eyes*.
No doubt they'll happily wake me up early tomorrow and every day until xmas... aarrgh...

At the museum, in the childrens' area, is a playground full of good, old-fashioned sorts of games like stilts, and quoits, and checkers (played on a huge board) and noughts-and-crosses (ditto) and skittles. I've decided I want a skittle lane, shouldn't be hard to set up at the side of the house : ) Of course, I'll need a set of proper wooden skittles and ball... I remember there was a woodworker in Tasmania who made them. Heh, well I've been wanting to get back down there for years, this sounds like a perfect excuse. And I'd like a croquet set (was quite disappointed that no-one gave the cubs' father and I this traditional wedding present when we got married *grin*) and a bocci set. Now that's a fun game even when playing with boys who can throw the jack much, much further than I could ever hope to throw the balls. : )

I have a secret vice.
I like to watch the fashion channel on pay tv. It's always good for a laugh. "What are they wearing??"
Tonight I caught some of the male fashions (or 'pour homme' as the segment was tastefully labelled). Some of the clothes modelled were really quite nice, though the models did nothing for me (not unusual), but the visual affects (effects? eh...) were quite amusing. The picture was focused through a large circular area and there where thinnish horizontal strips popping up randomly across the screen. The strips slightly magnified the area they were over and - *titter* - they seemed to be mostly centred over the models crotches, as the pretty boys strode purposefully towards the camera, and on their arses as they strode just as purposefully away.
I giggled.

It was hot today. I don't like hot - neither does the car. Drove up to Soulsis's and had to stop for half an hour so the car could cool down. Tch.
Kittenkong doesn't like the hot either, but that's not surprising seeing as she can't remove her fur coat to cool down.

[Eew! You're quite right, 'lestrel, girly just looks silly on me. : )
Though I will still get my ears pierced... ]

[stares in horror, then wraps tail tightly around waist - trapping wings - and drags tenshi firmly away from girlyness....] Oh no you don't!

Well, I got the cubs' advent calendars done in an hour and a half. Not bad. I reuse the little cloth bags every year so that saves a lot of time. And the cubs were delighted with their 'surprises'. Today they got a blue and red sparkly xmas decoration - that will go on the xmas tree when I a/ buy a new, potted one (seeing as our other one died from neglect : ( or b/ dig out the old, plastic one from garage. They also got a large, gummi Tweety-bird each. Loathe that character, it was very satisfying watching the cubs gnawing on him *smirk*

Took the cubs to the museum today. Didn't have a timetable for the bus so we left the house when we were ready and hoped for the best. Tch. Turned out we just missed it - and the buses run every hour and ten minutes on a sunday. Ack. Long wait.
And then there was the train into the city, then a tram to the museum...
How was the museum?
Hmm... It was good, but it didn't seem to have as much stuff as I remember the old one having. It probably does, but there's so much space between the exhibits, unlike the old museum where everything was crammed in together. Still, there was some interesting things, and the cubs enjoyed themselves making paper wind-socks and 'dubba-dubba's' (what they call propellors. Think about it, it's the sound helicopter rotars make.) But they were more than ready to come home after a few hours. Fortunately the journey home didn't take as long as the journey out...
I'd like to go back to the museum on my own (and I can cos I've got a membership *smarm smarm*) so I can have a proper look around without being ordered to come and look at something else. *rolls eyes*

Tch. Trying to get my next AC chapter started - amongst other things - just haven't been able to find the time/energy. I guess it is the end of the year, after all, and things start winding down...

Watched Fantasia 2000 on the Holy Rodent Empire channel this evening. I like the flamingos with the yoyos and if I was a whale I'd want to fly too, but my fav piece is the last one, with the spring spirit.. it's very appropriate that she is woken by a stag... wonder if the company realised what they were doing?

Omigod, I'm turning into a girl!
I'm thinking about wearing skirts and getting my ears re-pierced (lobes, not even cartlidge!).
Ack! What's happening to me?

I'm sitting here, filling in time online while I wait for the cubs to fall asleep cos only then can I sneak around and make up their advent calenders. *sigh* It would be so much easier for myself if I simply bought them one of those ready-made ones with the chocolates inside, but I don't, I make them from scratch. Little numbered bags of goodies and lollies - this will be the fourth (?) year I've done it, I think. Should have made them up last night, thus cleverly avoiding the rush tonight, but I was too tired. Eh.

Election day today in Victoria and the smell of barbecued sausages and onions hangs over the state...
Election days must be a boon for schools and churches cos they inevitabley have a sausage sizzle or a cake stall going at the same time the polling booths are open. Great time for raising money, few people can resist a sausage sizzle after doing their democratic duty. I spent a couple of hours this morning on the cake stall at the cubs stall, slowly being driven crazy by the smell of the sausages : ) which I couldn't really afford.
Yes, I voted. After 15 years of being a conscientious objector (voting is compulsory in Aus) by deliberately letting myself drop off the register - not hard to do, I moved house 8 times in 10 years - last year I re-registered in time for the federal election. I think it's important to have a say about how things are run. Sure, my single vote doesn't count for a whole lot, especially as the party I vote for is fairly minor, but when this minor party gets a reasonable number of votes, it can shake up the complacent, major parties, make them realise that they don't have things all their own way.
I have no idea if that made any sense, sorry *grin*, political theory is not my forte.

Ahah.. sounds like the cubs are asleep... time to make the calenders. Just hope I get them finished at a reasonable time, we're sposed to be going to the museum tomorrow (finally got our 'Friends of the Museum' card!) and I need to get at least some sleep. Doesn't matter, I can always go to bed early tomorrow. : )

[...*thinks - smirks* ... I could fancy some more of that skooshy chocolate flavoured cream...]

Wouldn't you rather have some more of that skooshy chocolate flavoured swirly cream - and some strawberries? [smirk]

Roast cauliflower is absolutely delicious, the fluffy bits of the florets takes up the oil and go brown and crispy. Yum!

(knicked from Onna's blog:)

//Thinking about drawing *gasp!* Mahrayne and Kelapa or a Tane and Dari pretty soon, since I can draw girls!//

*chibi eyes* 'rayne and Kel? *happy squeak*

... and ...

//Okay, if you sat back to back with Radi, wrapped in his hair, just where would your wings go so you could have as much nice warm back contact as possible? hee... And wouldn't your wings get tangled in all that hair?//

Not back to back, nonono. Snuggled in front to back, peeking out from underneath the mane while great hanks of it cascade down around my wings... *dreamy sigh*...
(Gorgeous pic of Mij and Sage, btw, you do great hair. : )

Ye gods it's almost the end of the school year! The cubs will be in grade 2! My babies... *sniff*

Aaargh. I'm knackered...
I stupidly volunteered to go on the school excursion today. We went to a farm. A very nice farm, as farms go, lots of loverly aminals - sheeps, cows, 'orses, donkeys, goats, deer, pigs, rabbits, piggles, chickens (there was a pink one! I swear! Pink and fluffy. Looked like a silky, very, very pretty!) but as I was wandering about I couldn't help getting hungry... all this delicious food there for the hunting... I looked at one of the deer and it backed away from me, ears twitching. Heh heh heh.
I'm also sunburnt.
Yes, it was coolish and overcast, but I still should have taken my hat. Tch. Bloody idiot, how long have I been living in Australia?
We got back to school half an hour before the final bell so I was allowed to take the cubs home early, and when I got home I found the Present Fairy had been to visit! Sitting snuggly amid the chaos which is my bed were two little flamingos on sticks (to put in pot plants. I'll need to get another pot plant though, my Madonna lilly is currently overwhelmed with pin-wheel fishie things *grin*). There was also a PowerPuff girl money box, a clear, pink plastic lobster - with sparkles in it! - massager thing, and a tape talking book of Martin Shaw reading 'Tess of the Durbervilles'. (Mr Shaw has the nummiest, bestest voice...) Heh, I like getting presents, always guaranteed to cheer me up. Thank you, Soulsis!! *HUGS*
The cubs were tired out from all the excitement today, one of them took himself off to bed about 7pm, poor kitten. : ) and fun as it was, I don't think I'll be volunteering for another school excursion in a hurry.

I've been pondering the best way to describe my holiday. Hmm, might just transcribe the entries from the pseudo-diary I kept - maybe fiddle with the tense... eh, we'll see how it goes.
Having said that, here's (at least) some of my holiday blog...

Thursday 14th November.

Woohoo! Holidays!
Got up at 6am *shudder* to be ready to leave as soon as my mum and my brother came round to pick me up. I'd packed the night before so there wasn't much to do except get myself dressed and fling the last few things (the list was written on the back of my hand) into my bag, then - ta dah! - done! Damn, I love it when I'm organised.
Christopher, my brother, drove Mum and I into the city to the train station but didn't hang around to see us off - parking is a cow down there - just gave us both a hug then zoomed off before he could get into trouble for parking in a 'tow-away' zone.

The journey from Melbourne to Sydney takes 11 hours by train.
I love trains, really I do, I especially like long train journeys. I like travelling, the feeling of going somewhere (and I've always found the motion of the train mildly arousing - but that's something else ^_^;; ). I also enjoy travelling through country New South Wales, there's parts of the land there which is hilly, the ground rising up in smooth curves and swells, with folds and clefts and dips.. It's a beautiful, subtly erotic landscape and one of these days I'm going to make the journey with someone I can snuggle with...

The train journey was uneventful, the food was OK, didn't spill anything on myself on the trips to and from the buffet car. Napped a little, read a little, spent a lot of time looking out the window at the dry, dusty brown countryside and the emaciated cattle. Australia's caught in a drought and it shows. The only patches of green we saw were the occasional irrigated field, and the shallow strips edging the few creeks and dams that carried water. It was quite sad to see, especially as the last time we made this trip (four years ago) there was flooding. This time there's been bushfires. Fortunately we didn't come close to any, but we travelled through the smoke from one - that was an eerie ten minutes.

I don't spend a lot of time with my mum, and I forget what she's like to be around. Jeez, she can't 'alf talk!
I'm used to a certain amount of quiet in my life - the only time Mum didn't talk (and this goes for the whole holiday) was when she was asleep. I love her dearly, but honestly...

Mum and I got off the train at Moss Vale, where we were picked up by Caroline and Ted.
Caroline is an old friend of the family, we made her acquaintance when we emigrated from England. She was one of the teachers who volunteered to hold classes for the kids on the ship - (yours truly remembers those classes, vaguely, colouring in pictures of kangaroos and the Australian flag, and learning some Rolf Harris songs *rolls eyes*. I was so prepared for life in Aus).
C & T live in Wentworth Falls, in the Blue Mountains, and it took about an hour and a half to drive there from Moss Vale - an hour and a half of The best of Kenny Rogers...

It was dark by the time we got home, so to speak, and Mum and I were both knackered. C & T have a german shepherd dog, called Rajah, big, old, sooky thing they're both completely wet about (child substitute) and he was very glad to have visitors, he kept presenting us with his blue rubber ring toy in the hopes that we'd play with him. Not likely, Mum and I are both cat persons. : )
Needless to say, being so tired, we trotted off to bed fairly early. The last time we visited C & T, we had seperate rooms; on the way up, Mum said something about us having to share a room this time cos Caroline was renovating, or something.
Damn! - I thought to myself - that puts an end to any plans for dragging someone back for screaming animal sex. *derisive snort* As if...
But, it turned out we had seperate rooms anyway - not that that made the idea of SAS any more likely...

to be continued...

Right, not a proper update as yet, but I'll get some stuff out of the way...

Did I have a good holiday?
Yes, thank you.
Am I glad to be back?
Kinda sorta. The problems I had when I left haven't miraculously sorted themselves out but the cubs missed me, and I them, and they're delighted I'm back. Being away did give me the opportunity to have a think about things, though, and I have a clearer idea of what I want/need, but more importantly, I think I've got some strategies worked out now on how to get what I want. Time will tell.

Now, let's see... quizzes...


Fair enough, I don't go seme very often, but the description seems accurate...



How seme are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


Ooookaaay...



What's your sexual appeal?
brought to you by Quizilla


Did a whole bunch of emode quizzes...


Lutra, when you reveal your true colors in love, you're a Caring Partner

You value the special bond love can create and are likely to seek out someone who cherishes that deep connection too. Whether single or in a relationship, you're a compassionate person who cares about others. This strong people-sense makes you more skilled than most at understanding individuals' differences and reading others' moods. Above all, you're looking for a steadfast, loyal partner who you can trust to stand by you in good times and bad.

Did you know?

Caring partners often care about aesthetics and often strive to keep the things around them attractive and clean.


Hmm, not sure about this one though, it's half right, but the bit about 'the scene' is bollocks ...

Lutra, when you're head over heels, you are a Prized Partner

You appreciate the finer things in life and tend to seek out others who share your refined tastes. High fashion, gourmet meals, luxurious getaways — these are the kinds of things that you enjoy. If you can experience them with a worldly, stylish mate, all the better. You are drawn to people who know how to take care of themselves and are hooked in socially. Whether you're out at a club or a restaurant opening, it's important to you to be part of the scene.

Love does change you. Whether it simply enhances who you already are, or makes you a completely different person, finding someone whose love personality compliments your own makes for the longest, happiest relationships.

Did you know?

Prized Partners tend to have higher ambition than most people do, and typically work hard to meet their goals. Because this type of person can be a perfectionist at times, they can sometimes be tough on themselves.


This was from the inkblot test - very interesting, but took a long time.

Lutra, your unconscious mind is driven most by Love

Everyone has a desire to love. But your desire is rooted very deeply in your unconscious and affects many of the decisions you make in life — whether you are aware of it or not.
You have an energy about you that inspires people to experience their true feelings of love and act kindly towards others. In this way, you and your drive for loving relationships start a chain reaction of positive experiences.
The reason you are driven by love, may be because your unconscious is trying to avoid the opposite of love — hate. You, more than others, may be afraid of experiencing severe discord with others. That may, in turn, heavily influence your choices about relationships and the way you communicate your ideas, wants, and desires to others.
With such a strong orientation towards loving others, your relationships hold a very special place in your life. Your capacity to love may be greater than those around you, and therefore you may have more to give in relationships than your romantic partner does. Remember that this is a gift you have and one most others don't possess.
Though your unconscious mind is driven most strongly by Love, there is much more to who you are at your core.

Did you know?

People who have unconscious minds driven by love tend to be nurturing types who are good at taking care of those around them. They may also shy away from spending too much time alone.


This was an emode Goddess inspiration quiz thing (tch, can't remember the title).
I laughed.


Lutra, you're an Angel!

Just like the haloed and winged guardians of good, you truly have a heart of gold, sweet Angel. Whenever there's a chance to pitch in, save the day or just make life easier for the people around you, you're the one for the job.
You don't just jump in without planning — you use your angelic head to figure out how to do things right the first time, like only the most dependable goddesses can. Whether brainstorming a new solution to a problem, planning a surprise party for your parents, or lending your friends a wing to cry on, you've got the right instincts, so follow them whenever you can. As natural as it is for you to take care of the people around you, don't forget to treat yourself right, too. The best friendships, and loves, of a lifetime tend to blossom when you become your own guardian angel.

So don't listen to those who say nice girls finish last. People have always seen you as a goddess of thoughtfulness and good intentions, and it hasn't slowed you down a bit. All in all, Angel, you've got it made with your glowing attitude and ability to see from on high. So get out there and change the world!



And finally, Soulsis sent me this link. Beautiful, beautiful things - I wish I could justify the price...