Eeeee! A snowdome kit! Thank you, Soulsis! <huggle>



The cubs' and their father gave me a copy of Pixar's Cars DVD, and mum made me a cushion:



Flamingos! I like flamingos... :)

We had xmas dinner at a pub/restaurant this year - Terminus Hotel in Healesville. This was my dessert. Tiramisu mousse and a chocolate butterfly. Mmmm...



The rest of the meal was delicious, as well, and it was lovely not having to cook and wash up. Mind you, we did that all on Boxing Day anyway when we met Soulsis and her chicks at Mum's.
Been a busy few days, driving hither and yon, I'm ready for a rest now. <g>

Egad, xmas is 2 days away! I do believe I'm almost ready, while the cubs are almost manic with anticipation. They know they're getting Hornby model railway bits but their father refuses to be tricked by their subtle <snort> questions and won't tell them what. <g> They'll just have to wait...

Eep! My phone's headphones broke! I checked though and it's all still under warranty so today I nipped in to the shops - nice and early, before the last-minute chaos really got started - and got another set. For free! Happy now.

I was trying to quantify exactly why it is I've never much liked the Top Twenty sort of music. With a few notable exceptions over the years, I've found that listening to the mainstream stuff (or 'hits and memories', which is old Top Twenty anyway) is like drowning in beige. Really really uninteresting. Give me Indie any day, at least that sounds alive.

Speaking of shudder worthy, Joules found this site a wee while ago... Worst Album Covers of All Time. Go and look - it'll make your eyeballs bleed, I promise! The most disturbing one for me is 'Julie's 16th Birthday'. I dunno, looks like there's some unsavoury coercion going on there...

Can't remember where I found this, but, ye gods!
"...He growled in a venimous whisper..."
Bwahahahahahah! Would a venimous have larger than normal fangs for a rodent? <snerk>

And finally - tee hee hee. My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Her Most Serene Highness Lady Lutra the Lackadaisical of Walk On Water. That's quite lyrically appropriate, methinks.
(There was a thingy on the Smart Bitches site a couple of days ago. The above was my second attempt as the first wasn't terribly inspiring.)

Anyway, chances of me doing another update in the next day or so is remote, (far more likely to put photos up at Flickr. Link at the top of the page...) so Happy Solstice! Happy Holidays! Eat well, stay safe and remember to say 'thank you' even if you don't like what you got. <g>

<blink> The S cub told me tonight that for next year's xmas list he's going to wish for super powers. He was serious.
(I should mention that both the cubs still firmly believe in Santa Claus - despite my gentle hints to the contrary.)

"Fashion" spotted today at the shopping centre: short, filmy shift things belted over black leggings. <rolls eyes> Let's party like it's 1986...

Heh, in the second last week of their second last year, the cubs finally have the proper sports uniform. That must be some sort of record.

It's taken me 6 years but I've finally realised that school concerts are not for the enjoyment of the audience, they're for the children. The kids have a great time... the rest of us just have to smile and clap like it's the best thing we've ever seen.
And this year's xmas concert was made even more special for me because I got an effing huge cramp in my leg. My own fault, I'd been sitting on the ground for a couple of hours without moving and I'd let my legs get cold.
It was agony - the muscles in my calf and my shin were cramping, as well as the ones across the top of my foot threatening to join in for good measure. It didn't matter how I stretched my leg something seized. Fortunately the cubs' father was there and he knows how to deal with cramps. He got my leg straightened out enough that I could stand, and from there it was just a matter of slowly working the muscles back under control.
I would've been embarrassed - writhing and moaning on the ground, making a spectacle of myself - if I hadn't been in so much pain. I swear, it was like childbirth: the awful inevitability of pain and knowing you can do nothing but ride it out. <g> It feels like I pulled a muscle in my calf; that'll take a little while to heal. Let that be a lesson to me! Take my slippers next time if it's going to be cold!

<suspicious> And how long will it be 'til I have to sign in to Blogger through Google...?

I got home this morning, from dropping the cubs at school, to find our front lawn being mowed by a professionally equipped person. It transpires that one of our house-proud neighbours organised the service - probly cos he finally got fed up with my laissé faire attitude to gardening. <sigh> I'm sort of used to the neighbours tackling the lawn for us themselves, but this... this was unsettling, and it took me most of the day to work out why. I have no problem accepting acts of kindness from friends and family. They're there for me, I'm there for them, it's reciprocal, it's what kin does. When non-kin are kind I get nervous cos I don't know what's expected of me. Probly paranoid, but, I like to have some idea of what the reckoning will be - and I don't believe for an instant that there won't be a reckoning of some sort. Even if this time it's just me being guilted into taking care of the garden myself. Heh, it'll be less traumatic if all I have to do is pay the bill.

Only two weeks 'til the end of the school year. Tch. I swear it was October only 3 days ago.

Sometimes, I just can't resist the lure of the merchandise...

Fortunately I think I can get a bigger memory chip thingy for my phone. 256 mb really isn't enough, not when I've joined 3's music club which means I can d/l items for $1.50 each instead of $3. That's cheaper than itunes! Excited? Oh yes... :) It's fun to browse the music lists - the new stuff is kind of patchy (considering I pretty much only listen to/am interested in indie) - but there's some really interesting older stuff lurking about.
Like tonight I checked what they had for Adam & the Ants, just cos, and - blimey! - not just the 'hits' I expected but the B-sides of those singles and tracks from the Dirk Wears White Sox album. See? I need space so I can nab all this good stuff.
[Currently listening to Beat My Guest which was the B-side of Stand and Deliver. (Shame on me I had to look that up. Tch, call myself an Antperson? Heh, not for a good few years, though I still think the logo would make a cool tattoo... I did remember all on my own however that another song I nabbed - Physical - was the B-side for Dog Eat Dog. {and poking around for the lyrics I find that Nine Inch Nails covered it! Neat, have to track that down as well. Bet it's a real sleazy version. Hee})]
In the past couple of days I've also grabbed copies of Kate Bush's Sensual World single (gorgeous!); Starlight - Superman Lovers; Rip it Up - Jet; Belleville Rendezvous from the soundtrack; Dear God - XTC and Chris Rea's Let's Dance. That'll do to go on with, don't want to blow out my phone budget. <g>

December 1st we put the xmas tree up and now KittenKong has something else to threaten to get my attention. <shakes head> Little madam.

Eeep. The Snupin Lurve Secret Santa has started. The entries are apparently being drawn from a hat and posted at random so I have no idea when my piece will go up.

And I finally got to watch 2001: a space odyssey. Wow. My gods, the detail - it really deserves to be seen on a big screen. (preferably as a double with Alien. <g> The fantasy and the - likely - reality of space travel.)
The ending didn't make a lot of sense but, from memory, neither did the book, and I was surprised at how visually dated it wasn't. Well, dated, but only on a very superficial level. There was a lot of tech that's familiar now. Need to see it again...

Last night one of the cubs had scared himself sleepless with thoughts of 'what if' (what if the house burnt down? etc). His brother cheered him up by reading him some of their favourite Thomas stories. I think he was embellishing them with funny voices and rude noises. That would explain the shrieks of laughter... :)

Night before last I dreamt I was getting ready to travel to America. I only had a short time to prepare so I was charging around digging out clothes and things, always conscious of the time ticking away. In the midst of the chaos an old acquaintance wandered in to the dream, someone I haven't spoken to for years. We caught up, briefly, and I was pleased to hear he had a partner and was looking towards the future. (I suspect my subconscious gave him a happy ending out of guilt for not keeping in touch. Because, yes, that's the way my mind works.)
I woke up from that dream frazzled and not at all rested, funnily enough.

Mum's dysphasia manifests in a few ways. Most common - and the most frustrating for her - is not being able to remember the word she wants at all. Next most likely is using the wrong word, but being aware she's made a mistake. Least common is where she uses the wrong word but doesn't realise it's wrong. Chatting with Mum is always an adventure now, never know what she's going to come out with. <g> For instance she was talking about getting a new 'fridge and mentioned she only needed one with a 'small giraffe'. <giggling> Oh, we laughed...

I was lurking on HP Essays recently where someone was discussing threesomes in fanfic. In amongst the fic recommendations (and there were some happy hours of reading there, let me tell you! Wasted loads of time...) the author dropped the comment about 'where in canon does it say that Draco is attractive'? She has a point, the only physical description we get of the Slytherin Prince is 'pale and pointy'. But then, considering the series is written from the viewpoint of a young/teenage boy (whose author is on public record about her dislike of slash) Harry would be unlikely to notice any potential male phwoarness anyway. <pats him> That's all right, the fangirls make up for that blind spot.
[Edited after spell-checking: Bwahahahaha! Blogger suggested 'threshings instead of 'threesomes'...]

Hee, and still rabbiting on about HP... Can't remember the fic but this struck me as a particularly odd use of 'ameliorate'.
"Silver and gold dust combed liberally across the lush foliage that ameliorated the halls..."
True, the word means 'to make better; to improve' but, um... <scratches head> I don't think it's in quite the right context here.

(And my latest Snupiney thing has been posted in The Zone. Thanks, Joules!)

Awwwww!
Usually KittenKong wakes up long before I get this close...

Hehehe. Xmas cake makes me fart...

Oh, whacko, it's State Election day tomorrow.
... I did have something to say about that but for the life of me I can't remember. Eh well.

Been a pretty full-on kind of week - I've spent roughly 11 hours in the car, driving Mum to and from hospital appointments. But it's all coming on nicely - her therapists are very pleased with her progress. Next week shouldn't be so hectic, though, with only one day of appointments.

Stone fruits are back in season, at last! Still hideously expensive and likely to remain so cos there was a freak frost not long ago that destroyed a large proportion of the crop. This follows on from the cyclone that wiped out the banana crop earlier in the year. Not that I eat a lot of fruit anyway - prefer veggies - but they're more of a special treat now than chocolate. <g>

Haven't done much of anything these past several weeks - probably not surprising given the disruptions - but I have finished another installment of the Snupin plot arc. Well, more SnOMC, really - Snape/Original Male Character.
Hah! And I just remembered what it was I had to say about the election!
Our next door neighbours have a Family First placard in their front garden. I doubt they'd be impressed to know they're living next to an avid reader/writer of queer smut. Hee. Good thing I don't advertise my predilections.
Speaking of queer - I finally got to see Brokeback Mountain. Waaah! So sad. I'm glad I didn't catch it at the cinema after all, even though it means I missed the opportunity to immerse myself in the scenery. (That's real scenery, mountains and such, not bishieish ambulatory 'scenery'.) Bawling one's eyes out should be done in private. :)

International Buy Nothing Day. Dem good idea, and surprisingly hard to do. Spending - even on the small incidentals - is insidious.

Gah. Tired. Not sure how much sense this is going to make...
Mum's home at last and I've just got back from spending 5 days with her, helping her settle in and - frankly - seeing how she copes. Cubs came with me (cos it was too much effort to try and organise something with their father) but they had no objection at all to missing a few days of school. Little buggers. :) But they were very well behaved, I have to say, and Soulsis (thankyouthankyouthankyou!) had them for a sleep-over on Saturday night.

I think Mum's going to be all right; she'll never be the same as she was but it could've been so much worse. She's not happy, especially without her car, and with the ongoing outpatient appointments at the rehab hospital she says she doesn't feel like her life is her own yet. It's going to take time, and I'll probly have to keep reminding her of that fact.
It was encouraging to see her putter about the unit. She had no problems using microwave/washing machine etc. (I won't mention the green tea made for me with sugar and milk <g>) She has problems with numeracy now, unfortunately, which is going to make shopping interesting, but if I can't be there to help then one of her friends will.
Meals-on-Wheels has been arranged for her. The service delivers one main meal a day - and Mum's quite happy cos she's never been that keen on cooking. :)
We've made a start on decluttering her unit, but only a start. It's a big task. But now the microwave is within easy reach, the table and kitchen unit have been (mostly) cleared and I went through one of the cupboards and got rid of a lot of old, old food - the earliest use-by date I found was 1997! <shakes head> - and culled some of the surplus canned goods she tends to hoard. Neither of us are anticipating with any pleasure the fuge stack of craft/quilting magazines that need to be cleaned out.

The best thing for Mum about being home is that she's got her cat back. He was very, very pleased to have her back. So pleased that for the first couple of days he was actually quite nice. Didn't take him long to get back to normal however - Mum and I both have scratches...

The thing I like most about Mum's car is that when you drop in $10 of petrol it makes a significant difference. Unlike the big old Ford we had, which, much as I loved her, $10 went nowhere, even with the slightly lower prices at the time.

I was a little late picking Mum up yesterday and when I eventually hurried into her room she said she was worried that something had happened with the car.
Hah! So that's where I get it from! If someone's late meeting me then they've obviously had an accident and they're dead. <rolls eyes> I can blame my mother for that slightly less than optimistic personality trait anyway. One night, many many year ago when I was about 14, Dad was at work and Mum had taken my brother to ballet. I was home alone, supposedly doing my homework but in reality trying not to twitch at every noise, but that was fine cos I knew Mum would be home soon...
I started getting worried when she wasn't back half an hour after she was due; by the time she and my brother rocked up - two hours later - I was frantic. Oh, everything was fine, she'd stopped off for a cup of tea with a friend...
That was the first time, I think, I ever told my mother off. Yes, I was worried, she should've let me know she was going to be late! <g> Of course, the shoe was on the other foot a few years later when she was berating me for staying out late and not letting her know.
Lessons learnt? Probably not. I look forward to similar exchanges with the cubs in the future.

I received notification in the mail yesterday about a change in a payment schedule for one of the bills. I thought it was for the gas and I was outraged! A hike from $20 a fortnight to $72! How was that justified?! Then I read the letter again and realised it was for the electricity and that it was, in fact, a slight decrease. <head->desk> Then I calmed down.

This morning, while routinely deleting the spam that'd wriggled through the filters, I noticed one that had the subject line - [SPAM] Dear friend.... Truth in advertising? I approve of that.

Another oddish sort of dream recently. Only remembered the tail end as I was waking up. Myself and nebulous others (sometimes the cubs, sometimes 'dream friends' ie: not known in r/l) were on a trip somewhere foreign, hot and dusty. We bought tickets for a famous local attraction, a ride of some sort. We hurried on to that to find it was like someone's cluttered lounge room filled with shabby but comfortable sofas all lined up neatly. Before the ride began - and I still have no idea what it was actually sposed to be - a frantic woman stood up and asked us if anyone had seen something important that she'd lost. People obliged by standing up and looking under their seats etc, and I spotted a collection of objects off to one side. I pointed it out to a friend who relayed the info to the woman. The thing that'd been lost was there but obscured by the other stuff. So, though it was me who was sort of responsible for finding the location, my friend got the kudos.
<eyebrow> I'm sure I've got no idea what that could mean.

I thought at first that I was feeling like crap cos of the stress, but no, I have actually come down with something, a mild respiratory viral thingy the cubs brought home from school. Of course, the reason I haven't been able to shake it off is cos I'm stressed. Heh.

So how's it all going, eh? Mum had her surgery on Friday morning and that went well. She's recovering quickly and it looks like she'll be going back to the rehab centre on Monday for, hopefully, just a short while before going home. When she's home, though, that's when life will really get interesting. The half hour trip to and from the various hospitals isn't so bad and I can visit her every day, more or less. The hour long trip there and back to her home is something else entirely. I'm fighting the feeling that I have an obligation to see her just as often but the reality is that I can't. First, I do actually have a life of my own and frequent two/three hour chunks out of that will lead to nothing but resentment on my part. Second, dear gods the petrol.
Eh, we'll work out something mutually agreeable, I'm sure. Mum has friends up there who're willing to drive her around and if I can see her at least once a week that should mitigate the guilt. :)

Now, the cleaning for the rental inspection. Haven't done as much as I feel is necessary but the house is better than it was a week ago. My bed is clear! Yes, fine, the garden's still a jungle, the cubs' room is dangerous to navigate, but my bed's clear!

Hee, I was chatting with the After School Care coordinator the other day and she was telling me about the study she's been doing for the job. She was expressing amazement that she'd managed to finish a 750 word essay about Piaget's Theory. I had to physically stop myself saying: '750 words? That's nothing!'. I used to be daunted by 500 word projects. I wonder how I'd go now that I've got some word-smithing experience? Hmm...
[Edit: the Blogger spell check suggested 'smiting' instead of 'smithing' <snerk> True, sometimes you do have to beat those words into submission...]

Odd dream last night. There was a (bear with me, this is going to be sketchy) sort of Hollywood actors competition where groups were formed around different themes and they had to do... something. Can't remember. Anyway, I looked over the groups, trying to decide where I'd fit best but didn't much like the look of most of them. There was one group, however, that looked eclectic (and more interesting than the Barbie wannabes) and I thought they'll do. But then I indulged in some pathetic passive/aggressive behaviour. Instead of marching up and asking if I could join I performed so badly in the audition that no one else would take me. I was completely unimpressed with myself, but I got what I wanted.
Let's see if I can remember who was in the group. A middle-aged Japanese actress; a handful of older negro actors/actresses; a really gnarled Caucasian actor, and me. And I think they were in Deadwood style costumes. By far the most interesting bunch, but not at all popular and unlikely to win anything.

Moly: Fabulous herb with white flowers and black root, endowed with magic properties; [Oxford concise; 1974]
No reason, I just thought it was interesting...

Oops, been a while...

Well, Mum's scheduled for surgery this coming Friday. She's understandably apprehensive but determinedly not thinking about it. Still not sure how long she'll be in hospital. The plan was, initially, that she'd be going home at the end of October but apparently her therapists are making noises about keeping her in rehab for another couple of weeks beyond the surgery. The not knowing, not being able to make plans is very annoying for my organised mother. :)

She was allowed another day outing last weekend so the cubs and I picked her up and drove her home. She picked up some more bits and bobs, and met up with a couple of friends, then we trooped up to the Patchwork Teahouse for a coffee. Amazingly, I didn't buy anything! I did take a couple of photos though, and they'll be up at flickr soonish.
Had to have a nap when I got home - sooo much driving... Half-hour to the hospital; hour up to Mum's; another half-hour there and back to the Teahouse. Repeat in reverse. <shakes head>
The previous weekend's outing to the shopping centre was exhausting as well, but that was mostly cos of the crowds, I think. And then of course the cubs were clamouring to go to the Meccano Club Exhibition afterwards - which was half an hour away in the opposite direction from home. No wonder I was knackered.

On top of all this to'ing and fro'ing for Mum, I've got a rental inspection due. That's been tough. I generally choose to ignore housework - and it is a choice - but that choice is swinging 'round to bite me on the bum. <shrugs> I'll ride it out, I always do, but I'm not very pleasant to be around at the moment. Eh, at least my house will be thoroughly clean, for a little while.

Cubs' school had its official opening this morning, with dignitaries in attendance an' all. It kicked off at 8 a.m. which meant getting up at stupid'o'clock. Very, very glad we had the car. Would've been a nightmare getting down there on time by bus.
So anyway, speeches speeches blah blah, including a particularly simpering example from Federal Treasurer Peter Costello.
I overheard the person next to me say: 'He plays the audience like a violin.' Yes, but any idiot can pick up the instrument, doesn't mean it sounds any good. I've never much liked violins anyway...
I took a lot of pics but as my woodgie camera wasn't able to get decent shots of anything happening more than 10' in front of me I took a lot of shots of shoes, and shadows. <g> Had to disable the 'boing' sound effect on the camera; it was very loud.
Mercifully, the 'official' part didn't go for too long then we were able to stampede to the free food. Oh yes, the event was catered. We were each given a carry-bag of breakfast type comestibles. A plastic bowl and spoon; a carton of low-fat yoghurt; mini pack of cereal - Special K or Sultana Bran; small container of low-fat milk, and a muffin, which was probly low-fat/high GI/low sugar (I gave mine to the cubs). There was fruit, too, in baskets on the tables. Lots and lots of fresh fruit. Disgustingly healthy start to the day - I should probly do it more often.

Sue found this badfic reference!
I think my fav has to be:

"Remus allows Sirius to pick their new flat. If you're against slash assume it's for financial reasons..."

Against slash for financial reasons? <choking>
Or this little beauty:

"Draco 'ruins' Hermione's reputation by seeing her in her underclothing while a ferret and is forced to marry her."

Wait, what? Hermione turns into ferret as well? Or can her underwear metamorphose? <snerk>
Thanks, Sue!

Our ABC has started showing a documentary series - Life at One - where a group of children are followed from birth (from conception in a couple of cases!) until their first birthday. It's an attempt to define how our personalities develop, and what sorts of things influence them. The tagline of the program is 'Show me a child at 1 and I'll tell you what sort of adult they'll be'. Okay, I might be paraphrasing that but it outlines the essence of the doco.
My cubs at 1 were pretty laid-back, new situations and changes to their routine didn't seem to bother them, and they never seemed to experience the separation anxiety that other, singleton, children did. I think, according to them, as long as their brother was there all was well. <g>
Laid-back they may have been but if there was something they wanted they could be extremely determined and inventive - and they worked in tandem. Little buggers! :) Not much has changed, really.

Music!
I'm a very happy Lutra at the moment. After a couple of weeks I finally caught the name of a track I've been hearing on the radio so I was able to scamper over to iTunes and buy it! Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio. This wasn't one of those songs that grows on you, I loved it from the opening bars, the very first time. And once I had a copy I was able to decipher the lyrics... Bonus, it's a werewolf song! I've never understood the sexiness of vampires - that whole 'undead immortal' thing just doesn't do it for me - but werewolves? Now that's something else entirely...
I've generally been having fun frolicking through iTunes, d/l'ing all sorts of stuff. Coldplay, Body Rockers, Eskimo Joe, Foo Fighters (with my other favouritist song ever - Everlong), Placebo, Pony Up, Kasabian, White Stripes. I'm working through my extensive list of must buy/replace tracks. :) A lot of what I listen to is very primal, bit hard, bit fast. There's not a lot of esoterica that makes an impression and sod all of the 'hits and memories' genre. (Gah, I sneered at that stuff first time 'round, there's no comfort in listening to it now, let alone the new commercial pap. <shudder> Gods, even the 'raunchy' stuff is so bland it makes my brain seize...)
So yes, I like being able to pick and choose tracks rather than having to buy entire albums - and while iTunes might only let me burn audio CDs, Winamp will let me rip mp3s from audio, which means new music on my phone! Woohoo! As I said, I'm a happy Lutra.

Lucky Mum, today she had me and my cubs visiting at the same time as Soulsis and her horde. <g> Probably fortunately the 4 boys took themselves off to explore the hospital grounds - it was getting awfully crowded in the room.
Soulsis brought some lovely home-made soft cakey things for mum, and some colourful eclectica for me. :) A big plastic paperweight filled with bright beads; five cute bamboo styled chopstick rests, and a hippo shaped wafer biscuit thing.

I'm taking Mum on an excursion tomorrow, a shopping trip. She's really looking forward to it, but then I remember what it was like being stuck in hospital for weeks, and just how exciting the prospect of getting out was, even for a little while. :)

<wilting> 37 degrees today. Hottest October day in 90 years. I'm not ready for Summer...

Really bizarre mix in my dream last night. The M cub was with me. An old style diesel engine pulled up. My cub knew what model it was, and that something was wrong with the 'uptake'... something. I told him not to speak too loudly cos he'd ruin the plot for the people who hadn't worked out what was going to happen. Yes, we were in a movie, along with that Jack(?)someone - the Brit actor who appeared in loads of old war movies. (Or was it Kenneth More? Tch.)
Scene change to the cubs' father industriously cleaning the house we were in the process of moving out of. (This bit, I suspect, is complete wish-fulfillment on several levels.) I half-heartedly had a go at wiping something but got distracted by a box of interesting ephemeral stuff that either had been, or should've been mine.
In amongst this Soulsis appeared, either asking for a pic of - or telling me about - a particular style of koi. It was a 'crescent' koi, basically a more or less solid colour with only a contrasting 'crescent' moon shape on it's back. Beautiful. There were letters associated with them as well (as I found out when I googled [in the dream]) - KKR? QKR? something like that.
And finally, the last thing I was looking at before I woke up was a photo or postcard of a brunette, viewed from behind. She was standing in beach shallows, looking out to sea. I get the impression of a filmy, short, belted white tunic, and I think she was holding something long in her right hand. She was accompanied by 7 thin hounds - Afghans, is the closest I can get - standing or sitting to her left, all attentively following her gaze. It was a glorious pic, beautiful composition, taken somewhere in the Greek Isles I presumed, judging by the stunning colour of sea and sky. It felt like a modern interpretation of an ancient Goddess, an impression heightened by not seeing her face.
Needless to say, it took me a little while to integrate with the 'real' world this morning.

Mum news. :)
I drove her to an appointment with a vascular surgeon this morning.
Lovely woman, clear and concise, and patient. Upshot is that mum's going to have surgery to clear out the obstruction in her carotid artery. There's a small risk that the surgery may trigger another stroke, but there's a greater risk if nothing's done. Mum was philosophical.
She was less philosophical when she found out how much longer they're planning to keep her in rehab, however. <g> Until the end of October, most likely. All going to plan she'll have her surgery during that time so she doesn't have to come back in to hospital after she's gone home.
And as I was ferrying her around I had empirical evidence of why stroke victims aren't allowed to drive for at least 3 months. After asserting strongly that she could get back behind the wheel without any problems at all, Mum then proceeded to misinterpret all the visual cues of the traffic, and lights, and signposts. After some time of me (gently) correcting her - ('We're slowing down because the car in front has stopped, Mum') - she admitted that perhaps she wasn't quite ready to drive just yet... <rueful>

I keep having dreams about living in places that have no proper toilets...

Penny and I were chatting this morning about our respective weekends. I told her about the cubs pretending to be daleks (using an old fashioned plunger as a prop). She told me about the trials of kneading 4kgs of white fondant icing for a wedding cake she's decorating. I suggested that an old Kenwood mixer would've been handy for that - then I went off on a tangential reminiscence about how much I used to love pinching the dough hook* from my mum's mixer so I could play 'pirate'. Penny laughed and said she could see the similarities between my boys and I... :)

Mum's doing well, even if she thinks her recovery isn't happening fast enough. She's having occupational therapy, physio and speech therapy every day, and later this week she'll be seeing a vascular surgeon about potentially removing the block in her artery. It's also going to be at least 3 months before she can drive - which means I'll have use of her car for that time, but I'll feel obliged to drive her around to her doctors' appointments, I suppose. <g>

And I've a new Snupin bunny to chase so I'm happy again.

(* That's not a Kenwood hook, but it's the closest I could find with a cursory search.)

Okay, some good news, finally. Mum's been moved to a rehab hospital which means she's not considered to be 'at risk' any more. Phew. I spoke to her doctor today as well and discovered it wasn't a mild stroke at all, but as it only affected a fairly small area it didn't seem that bad. One of her carotid arteries is occluded 69-70% and she may need surgery to clear the blockage. There's risks associated with that, naturally, but the doctor seemed confident it could be successful.
All being well Mum could be back home with her cat in 5-7 days. We'll have to wait and see if she'll be allowed to drive though.


Kittenkong 'helping' one of the cubs with his homework.
(I was appalled, however! One of the words on his spelling list was 'center'! I shall have to have words with his teacher...)

Speaking of spelling, I was having a hunt around for a copy of the Chronicles of Riddick DVD. Couldn't see it anywhere on the shelves - they must've sold out.
Then it dawned on me: c-H-r. <shakes head> Sometimes the blonde goes all the way to the bone...
(And yes, it was there under the correct spelling. Tch.)

I've just finished an angst-on-a-stick Snupin ficlet (only 3 pages). It's the - <counts on fingers> - fifth part of this particular plot arc and will probly be up at The Zone shortlyish. Two more fics should see it through to the end, I think.

Well, I'm certainly a little stress-bunny at the moment; I've had a niggling headache that's ebbed and flowed - mostly flowed - for four days now. In fact what I'm feeling right now is recognisably akin to the sort of stress induced by rental inspections or moving house. Which is odd, really cos I wouldn't have thought it was quite as bad as all that. Perhaps it's cos there's multiple small stresses ganging up on me instead of one huge mofo. Hm.
So what's going on?
Mum's still in hospital. She's not improved but neither has she got worse. She's capable of looking after herself but the hospital doesn't seem to be in any hurry to release her. She's waiting to see the specialist - tomorrow, I think - and then we'll hopefully have some concrete indications about her future. I know we'll both feel better once we have something definite to plan for.
I've still got Mum's car and that's a whole 'nother load of niggles, not least of which is that other drivers are so stupid, and dangerous. Sheesh - you can't trust any of them to do as expected! Being on high-alert everytime I get behind the wheel is very wearing. (Yes, I could just not use it but it saves a lot of time, especially getting out to visit Mum. 25 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half...)
Plus it was the first day back at school today and already there's a list of bitty crap piling up that I have to wade through. Gods above, why is nothing ever simple there? And is it possible to find yet another way of screwing money out of us? It all feels really sly and underhand, as well, along the lines of 'Look what's happening here! Isn't it great? Oh, by the way we need you to pay for this, and this, and this...' So irritating. Though to be fair, that perception could just be my cyclical paranoia. I'm sure I'll be all sunshine and fluff again in a few days. <grump> (The dream I had last night hasn't helped, either. I discovered that in the undersea world we were operating in, both my cubs and Penny's daughter were being deliberately held back, physically, emotionally and academically. I woke up angry - never a good way to start the day.)

<sigh> I'll survive, no doubt, I have in the past, but currently I feel I'm approaching a 'Cannot cope, off to Mordor' moment. Eh, could be worse, I spose, though I'm not going to speculate on how it could be worse cos I don't quite trust my luck at the moment...

So there we were at the Museum on Wednesday - the cubs, Sarah and I - trailing about having fun and going 'Oooh', as you do, when I got a phone call from a friend of my mum's letting me know that Mum was just being bundled into an ambulance.
Eeep!
Apparently she'd had a mild stroke - ultrasounds and CAT scans later confirmed it - but at the time she was protesting that don't be stupid, she was fine. <rolls eyes>
So, she's in hospital, and not terribly impressed. The stroke's affected her word recall but thankfully not much else by the looks of it. There's no problems with her motor functions, and though she's perhaps a touch slurred in her speech it's mainly that she keeps losing words. And my mum's a great talker so not being able to communicate readily is very frustrating. Trying to convey what it is she needs has been a trial, though vaguely amusing, I have to say. Seems like we're using a combination of mime and telepathy at times and it just makes us giggle at the ridiculous of it all.
Haven't had any direct contact with her doctor yet so we've no idea how long she'll be hospitalised. In the meantime I've got her car - so I can pop in and see her without having to rely on public transport or Soulsis' kindness - and her cat's in the cattery. Poor bugger; I don't like him very much (it's mutual) but he obviously misses her. He was giving me such a look as I was going through drawers and cupboards finding clothes for mum. <g> I had no right to be doing that!
Hopefully she'll be able to go home soon, and without too much disruption to her life. It'd hurt if she had to stop driving, I'm sure, the loss of independence would be awful. Eh well, we just wait and see, I suppose.

Oh, and I have to say big thanks and huggles to Soulsis for running the cubs and I out to the hospital on Thursday, and then over to Mum's to pick up the car. Would've been sooo much more awkward without your help, sweetie, thanks! :)

<happy dance> Finished and sent off my sekrit Snupin Santa Challenge! In plenty of time, too, the deadline is the beginning of November. Thanks, Joules, for the beta - and the Brit-check. I had no idea 'bailing up' is an Australianism...

It's been a laid back kind of holiday. Haven't been tearing around madly doing stuff, mostly cos I just can't afford it. But we've managed a couple of things. Last week Soulsis et al popped 'round for the day; she stayed here with the boys (all four of them) while my niece and I went down to the city for a visit to the National Gallery. It's a big place, a bit overwhelming, not something you can see all of in one day. Best way to tackle it is to go for a couple of hours and look at only a few sections. Bit of a bugger if you're only visiting Melbourne, but honestly, there's so much there.
What did we see? Browsed around the textiles and the European 14th to 18th centuries for a bit, then had a snack, then Becca decided she wanted to see the modern stuff. Not much at all in that collection - that was on display at any rate - but what there was was striking. But, how do you judge 'good' Modern Art? Where's the line between 'wank' and 'significant'? There were a couple of pieces where I found myself thinking, 'Blimey, I could've done that!' But could I? Could I really have tried to play with colour and form and produce something that wasn't pretentious, or worse, ordinary? Some of the pieces looked as though they'd been executed very quickly but that's not to say there was no thought put into them. I know that's how it works when I'm writing, I can (usually) ponder something for ages, then bang it gels, and off I go...

The Gallery's a bit precious about taking photos, too, but I took this before I'd actually asked if it was all right to take photos. I can technically plead ignorance, yes?



This is a doll's dress from the 1800's. It's about 40cm in length (big doll!) and made of patchwork, specifically the 'tumbling block' design. Cor...

I also had a wander through the photographic gallery upstairs - photos from America in the 1930's to the '50's from various photographers. They weren't 'arty' but they captured a moment in time and made it real. Just amazing, it's the sort of stuff I aspire to.
After that Becca and I had to go home cos we was all culcha'd out. <g>
In the meantime the cubs had had fun with their cousins, and Soulsis wasn't ready to kill any of them by the time we got back so all in all it was a successful day.
And I got presents! A pair of pressed glass plates with goldfish designs! Becca had painted the fish on one of them a lovely, vibrant orange. Gorgeous!

And yesterday the cubs' father offered to take the cubs and I to Puffing Billy! (He'd hired a car for the weekend.) That was great, and the cubs' father's first time on the train. Cold though, and it rained! It hailed, in fact. We didn't stay too long, just took the train to Lakeside, had a look at the model railway, then caught the next train back to Belgrave. Because we had a car we were home by 3. <g> It was a good day and the cubs had a ball. There'll be some photos up at Flickr soonish, once I've winnowed down the 170 to something reasonable. Damn, I love having a camera again...

A snippet of Joules' and my ICQ conversation. Inspired by this photo:

...which flowed on from something mentioned in my previous post. ("(The cubs are playing a combat game on the Xbox. One of the cubs has draped himself with a green bedspread - his 'camouflage gear'. )..." )

Lutra: I've got a pic, though they posed for it.
Joules: go on then.
hang on...
[pause while I fiddle about sending files...]
<pissing self laughing> um yerrss. I like hte headgear, very camoudlaging.
<giggling> indeed... they remind me so much of myself...
you wander round in a green blanket witha teletubbie on your head? <patpat> keep taking the tablets.
LOL! Well, not that, specifically, but wandering around draped in other stuff pretending to be something else...
That happens less now than when I was 11. all my imagining now goes on in my head.
and I see snowglabes.
globes too
<g> er, yes
<bangs head on desk> <glares at fingerials and leapfrogging keyboard>
actually, snowlgabe is a nice word.
it is! Sounds like a weapon.
a snowglabe... mmm, it does.
snowlgabes.... a kind of owl?
<g> an owl... with weapons!

<g> We can keep ourselves amused for hours...

A header for a bit of spam I received today:

Please your woman Brock

That's a funny name for a woman...

Ack! The cubs tell me they're developing pubes! Nooo! It'll be facial hair next!

I knew I wasn't on par the other day when I made myself a cup of tea but when I looked in my cup I saw I'd only added hot water to sugar. Hm.
What's more significant, perhaps, is that I don't take sugar with the tea I'd been planning to use.

'Snark' is a great word - but it's a fanon word. I don't think it should appear in fics that are trying to follow canon. (And I say this in full knowledge that I've used it before in my own fics. Tch. Sloppy.)

You know what I like most about my camera? (And it is a camera - its secondary function is a 'phone.) It's the instant gratification. Take a photo, download it, have a look. Easy peasy. And one day soon I'll work up the courage to see about getting prints made. One of the photo shops nearby will do prints from digital for 20¢ a piece (cheaper than regular processing). The 'conditions' are that there has to be more than 10 in a batch (<eyebrow> considering I've narrowed my 'must print' list down from umpteen to a mere 200 I don't think that'll be a problem) and it must be a 'next day' service rather than 'instant'. I can live with that. :)

I'm still really enjoying the Tennant series of Dr Who. There's no excessive moralising, the stories are - mostly - sharp, and about as believable as Dr Who gets. Costumes/prosthetics are great, the sets don't wobble... It's all good.
It makes me ponder, too, which is something that happens all too rarely with television. For instance, in last week's episode one of the character's has childhood memories of the Doctor. In the flashbacks we see our hero, but there's no sign of Rose. I got all shivery thinking that with time being as fluid as it is around the Doctor, that scenario could've come from any time in this incarnation. He could've come back to our past years after Rose. Cor...

At least once during any given school holiday I indulge in staying up stupidly late. Night before last I got offline and shut down the 'puter around midnight but I wasn't too tired so I thought I'd make a start on a bit of knitting...
I crawled into bed at 3.45. Needless to say I was useless the next day. <g>

And we're almost at the end of the first week of this two-week term break. Haven't done much at all (can't afford to!) and I'm more relaxed than I have been in quite some time...

(The cubs are playing a combat game on the Xbox. One of the cubs has draped himself with a green bedspread - his 'camouflage gear'. <giggling>)

Michelangelo's 'Dying Slave'. You've got to ask yourself - dying from what, precisely?

So, after months (years!) of procrastination and - let's be honest - outright avoidance, Cathouse Ellis is finally finished. <shakes head> 3 years and 4 months since the first part was posted in Joule's Darkside. My first foray into yaoi, as well - up until then I'd only written yuri or het.
Heh, smut is no easier to write now than it was then. <g>
Anyway, Joules (thanks!) is coding part 2 as I blather. I imagine it'll be posted sometime later today, UK time.
[Edit: posted now, before I finished my update! Thanks again, Joules!]

That's torn it! Literally. My favourite pair of (pink stripey) trousers have ripped and all I've got left to wear is a couple of pairs of tatty trackys. The real crisis, however, is that the trackys don't have pockets! <hyperventilating> Nowhere to put my 'phone! No help for it now, I have to make myself some more trousers. With pockets.

Because we had the use of Soulsis' car on Tuesday the cubs and I trekked off to Scienceworks. Lots of fun. :) The special exhibition this time was 'License to Spy' - with a mystery to solve and clues to be discovered using various technologies. <g> Not a terribly hard challenge for an espionage/crime fiction buff like myself, but very interesting nonetheless. I got a particular satisfaction from opening the safe. Working the tumbler mechanism took some concentration, and some muffled swearing. But I did it! Cubs enjoyed the exhibit as well - we were in there for an hour and a half without really noticing.
I also treated us to the Planetarium for the first time in ages. There was only one program showing that day, 'The Problem with Pluto' and while I'm sure it was really good and informative I'm afraid that I was so comfortable lying back in the reclining seat that I dozed for a bit. Probably just as well, it was a long drive home and I'd started the day tired.
I took some photos (surprise surprise); some of them are up at Flickr...

Got my hands on a couple of interesting books. The first is Terry Jones' Barbarians in which he demonstrates exactly what it was the Romans did for us - and it's not as much we've been led us to believe. <g> I was pleased to discover it's the book that accompanies a series - and then the cubs' father told me that we've been seeing the ads for the series for the past few weeks. Okay, so I'm not all that perceptive some of the time...
The second book is Kafka's Soup, a 'complete history of world literature in 14 recipes'. Have I mentioned that I'm a sucker for quirky recipe books? In essence this is 14 recipes written in the style of particular authors. For example:

Lamb with Dill sauce a la Raymond Chandler.
[snip. list of ingredients]
"I sipped on my whisky sour, ground out my cigarette on the chopping board and watched a bug trying to crawl out of the basin. I needed a table at Maxim's, a hundred bucks and a gorgeous blonde; what I had was a leg of lamb and no clues. I took hold of the joint. It felt cold and damp, like a coroner's handshake. I took out a knife and cut the lamb into pieces. Feeling the blade in my hand I sliced an onion, and before I knew what I was doing a carrot lay in pieces on the slab...'

It's very funny. The Jane Austen recipe takes four and a half pages to describe something that takes 2 minutes to cook. <g> Beautifully done. There's even a recipe a la Marquis de Sade (Boned Stuffed Pouissons) but I haven't attempted to read that one yet, it's even more verbose than the Austen! (Though having just glanced at it, it appears to be in a modern setting - talking about delivery vans being clamped... Intrigued, now.)
Anyway, yes, interesting books. No doubt I'll get around to trying out some of the recipes eventually as well.

Looks like the hard rubbish collection is finally over. We've done well from it this time, however. The cubs' father found a recliner armchair in good nick, the only thing wrong with it is one of the struts has snapped so it wobbles a bit, but otherwise it's very comfy. He also found a tall, thin, chest of drawers that holds all our DVDs with room to spare. I found a pair of wooden kitchen chairs. Given how heavy they are I'm guessing they're from a time when furniture was made of things other than pine. Good, solid construction, too.
I also found this piece of cat-furniture:



As you can see, KittenKong is quite pleased.

Sparkles illuminating dictionaries and notebooks. Sums up my life nicely... :)

That thumping sound is me banging my head on the desk.
4pm yesterday - camp-eve - I rang the school to let them know the cubs wouldn't be going to camp.
8.30 pm the recovering cub perks up and declares he'd really like to go after all. The change of mind is a bit annoying but no problem, we're basically ready, all I had to do was finish packing and find a few things...
9pm he's wavering and after weighing the pros and cons decides that he'll stay home after all.
I should've listened to my instincts. I should've set my alarm for sparrow's fart so I could poke him awake in plenty of time to change his mind again. Which he did.
7.30am this morning I'm woken by disconsolate wailing and floods of tears. <sigh> Told him to get dressed while I tried to ring the school. My thinking was that, though the bus was due to leave at 7.30 it might have been delayed. If it was and I could let someone know we were on our way (in a taxi) they might've been able to hold the bus for us.
No one answered the phone so as a back-up plan I left an email asking if anyone was planning on visiting the campsite and would they mind a passenger?
In the meantime, in an attempt to cheer the cub up I suggested that as we're going to have Soulsis' car tomorrow we could take a trip somewhere. The cubs immediately suggested Puffing Billy (surprise, surprise) but I pointed out that we could get there anytime by public transport. The place we can't get to without a car is Scienceworks. Trawled about on the 'net for a bit, finding out what special exhibitions were on and what was showing at the adjacent Planetarium. Cub got very enthusiastic about that and asked me to ring the school to let them know he wasn't going to camp. <rolls eyes>
So when the principal rang later to see if he still wanted a lift I politely declined - but I didn't tell him she'd offered because frankly I was fed up.
It is a shame he's missed the camp and to be fair it was a huge decision for him, essentially deciding whether to go off on his own for the first time ever, but, blimey... I don't suppose this will be the only decision he ever regrets, however, and it could be something of an object lesson. It still hurts to see my cubs upset, though.
But, barring any other crisis, we'll be off for a fun day tomorrow - and this time, I've got a camera!

And so it came to pass that as one cub recovered from the dreaded lurgy the other fell to its insidious clasp. On the day before camp, too. <sigh>
So, while one cub might be well enough to go away for a few days of educational fun he certainly won't go without his brother. Which is fair enough, I spose, cos his brother had no intention of going away without him when he was sick.
But - dagnabbit - looks like I might not be getting my child-free days after all.
But the sicker cub might get better quickly - it's happened before. Either way we probably won't know until the very last minute whether they'll be going or not. <grump> All this shilly-shallying is most aggravating. (And if I sound like Lady Bracknell it's cos I jolly well feel like her!)
It's not just my two either, at the parent-teacher interviews last night I found out that there were 8 missing from one cub's class, all down with this bloody virus. I wonder how many are actually going to make it to camp? Eh well, whatever happens they've got some new clothes at least, and fresh batteries for their torches - always a good thing in their opinion.

I wonder... does reading slash fiction before reading/viewing the original influence one's perception of it? Case in point: I hunted down Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence cos a fan author I keep tabs on wrote a couple of short pieces around the books. I'd only read one of her (very short) fics but if I hadn't, would I have still picked up the slight slashy potential? Hmm, possibly, if only cos I'm alert to those sort of nuances now. <g>

Speaking of fanfic... Sac - it does not mean quite what you think it means.

A baglike membrane-enclosed cavity in animal or vegetable organism; membranous envelope of hernia, cyst, tumour etc.

That doesn't sound that reminiscent of the scrotum, to me. Perhaps I'm just being picky.
But while checking that I found this:

sabulous - sandy, of sand.

<g> "Oh, yes, daaaahling, the beach is sabulous!"
How can you not love this language, eh? :)

Right, so I think I've got all the gear the cubs will need for their camp (D'oh! Except torches and batteries. Tch, I'll pick those up on Monday...)
I like buying clothes for the cubs about as much as I like buying clothes for me, but I've brought on myself the aggravation of trudging hither and yon. I've been meaning to get them new stuff since Summer but, as usual, kept putting it off and off and off... <g>
But my search today led me into op-shops where I found all sorts of lovely things. Some more pretty cutlery; a pair of beautifully shaped rice bowls; a little Chinese teapot decorated with a blue carp; a couple of shirts that the cubs may or may not wear; knitting needles; a hand-painted lizard mug; a touristy book about the Louvre; a Japanese 'bamboo' patterned dipping-sauce dish; and an intriguing piece of junk Chinese pottery, the sort of thing that's produced quickly and cheaply as packaging. This piece is cylindrical, lidded, and decorated with a rough relief of pandas and bamboo. Its glaze is strongly reminiscent of baby poo but despite that I quite like it...
Oh, and how could I forget the large, imitation clam shell fashioned from pearlescent white plastic. <snerk> Pure class, that is.
However, I was just sitting down to lunch (beef tataki! yum!) when I got a call from the school asking if I'd like to pick up my sick cub - the cub I forced jollied into going to school this morning. <sigh> He's got a bit of a cough/cold and is not feeling the best. I'm crossing fingers he'll be all better by Wednesday... and that his brother doesn't come down with the same thing in the meantime.

Hm. I can't see any xmas merchandise per se in the shops yet but things like specialty tins of biscuits and buckets of M&Ms have appeared on the shelves. It's Father's Day this Sunday - I suspect the retailers are waiting to get that out of the way before starting the xmas campaign. Hmph.

I ran out of tea! Unthinkable! And I couldn't find my usual brand (Nature's Garden Organic) so I had to resort to Twinings. Admittedly I bought the Lady Grey for Soulsis cos it's her favourite (and she needed coddling cos it's been a difficult couple of days, what with trying to get her head around Bail Justice legislation and having to put up with the street lights down here in the suburbs disturbing her sleep - tch, country folk. Where was I? Oh yes...) but I don't remember Twinings being so delicate. And by 'delicate' I mean 'weak as piss'. <g> That's a daft phrase, isn't it? 'Weak as piss', cos even weak piss isn't weak. Not that you'd want to drink it, but still... Where was I?
I had a lovely Earl Grey blend yesterday afternoon, at a cafe. Not sure of the brand but it's made with real bergamot, and sage, I think. Absolutely delicious and it brewed into a wonderful rich shade of claret. The only downside was that the teabag was made from nylon net fashioned into a pyramid. Terribly stylish but not at all compostable. Hm, wonder if I could buy the tea loose-leaf. That'd be neat.
So, Twinings, it'll do at a pinch, but it's still better than <spitspit> Liptons. :)

I have two reasons to anticipate the beginning of a month now. I get my broadband 'net speed back, plus my Flickr account ticks over and I can upload again. Given the amount of pics I take I think it's not outside the realm of possibility that I'll be pushing the limit for uploads there on a regular basis. <g> That's not to say that all my pics get posted, oh no, just what I consider the best/most interesting/illustrative.
Needless to say, there's a new batch posted...

More bizarre, and strangely analogous, suggestions from Blogger's spell check:
manga - mange
anime - anion
Trigun - truism
Gessekai - gasseous (<snicker>)
Nightwalker - nostalgia
daft - deft

Two weeks left of term. Or rather - given the upcoming camp - one week and two days...

(Early this morning at Chez Lutra:)
Me - to dawdling cubs: Come on, vivement!
Cubs: Is that German?
Me: No, it's French for 'Get a bloody move on...'

<g> We laughed.

I had a serious 'screw the rent' moment a couple of days ago. In the manga section of my local Borders I saw Megatokyo Vol 1-4; and Volume 3 of Absolute Boyfriend. <grump> I was restrained; I know that if I get myself into financial straits no one's going to bail me out. Essentials have to come first or life'll just get messy.

The school camp is at the end of this term. Up until Monday afternoon the cubs were determined they weren't going. I told them they had to tell their teachers - knowing full well that their teachers would try to talk them in to changing their minds.
Cubs are enthusiastic about the camp now. I hope it's fun for them; they did kinda sorta have fun last year, despite some teasing and bullying. <sigh>
Better make a list of stuff I'll have to buy...

I know the end of term is approaching cos my, at best, half-hearted organisation is slipping even more. Some mornings I really do have to give myself a stern talking to once the alarm's gone off. The idea of staying in bed and just letting the day slide is too tempting. :)

I don't have the same sort of problems with numbers as Joules but I do have my moments. For example, I've been very conservative with the music on my phone - deleting stuff so I can put more on... Until it dawned on me that 50000ish kb isn't 5 megs, it's 50. <shakes head> And that's just what's left on the memory card, there's almost the same amount free in the phone's memory as well. D'oh!
I've been thrashing my anime playlist recently, too. Wonderful! I've got a few tracks from Noir, including my song-of-the-moment Salva Nos. It's the 'action' theme, operatic techno sung in Latin. Marvelous stuff. There's something very poignant about 'Save us, God; Give us peace' being sung over vicious gun battles. Makes me shiver.
What else have I got? Opening theme to Excel Saga, Akira, Gravitation and X; 'Sound of Life' and 'First Donuts' from Trigun; the CCO 808 theme from the dubbed version (it's got more balls than the original); a pure percussion track, 'Tatakai no taiko' from Mononoke Hime; 'Shinma no Kodou' from Vampire Princess and 'Gessekai' from Nightwalker, both really atmospheric tracks. I did have 'Eden' (Yami no Matsui) but it conflicted somehow with the phone software. It would play the track... and then shut down. But I deleted the file and everything seems to be back to normal now. And <sobs> unfortunately 'Cloud Age Symphony' from Last Exile, and 'Gravity' from Wolf's Rain won't play! Which is distressing cos combined they're 12 minutes of teh love. Ah well, I might be able to find another copy of them someplace.
Thank you Joules, and Onna, for the various additions to my music library. <g>

I know the weather's beginning to warm up cos I'm able to spread the butter with relative ease.
<grumble> And the countdown's on. September 1st is only <counts on fingers> 3 days away. I'm expecting to see xmas decorations appearing for sale any day now...

The school library was officially opened this morning, after the weekly assembly. Fortunately I had the foresight to boot up the 'puter before the entire school trooped in cos the principal wanted to have a little 'first book borrowed' ceremony. (<g> Actually, the borrower was about the fourth person to use the system, but I didn't think there was any need to say so...)
But, the library is operational now, I even wrestled the database software into a headlock until it did what I wanted! (Gosh, that makes me sound butch [like 'hutch'] but no, really I only read the manual.)
And I definitely don't want to take credit for it all. Had lots of help from other volunteers, shifting the books over from the portable school and getting them on to the shelves. Let's face it, if that'd all been left up to me I'd still be wading through boxes! Yea, for I am a work-shy wee mousie...

The school concert wasn't as traumatic as I'd feared. We had the junior and senior school brass bands (from now on to be one combined band); the junior choir and the middle-school choir. The preps - wearing afro wigs - did a little dance to 'Blame it on the Boogie' and were naturally well-received. We were also treated to a Road Safety display from another grade - which made me giggle cos one of the songs was from a television commercial here years ago and I remembered the cheeky version my friend Jackie used to sing.
Both the cubs' grades performed plays but unfortunately the stage's sound system sucked and it was hard to hear what was going on. All the kids did very well, though, especially the lead in the Sherlock Holmes play. He would've had to have been the gayest Holmes I've ever seen, and performed so unselfconciously. <g> I foresee a future NIDA graduate...
The evening wound up earlier than expected, thank all the gods; it'd been a long, long day for the children. It was good to see that the weeks of rehearsal had been worth it though. The hall was packed - I'd be curious to know how much money the school made from the event. Not just from ticket sales but from the tea and coffee and snacks as well. That's one thing you can't accuse our Parent Committee of, being shy of making the most of a fund-raising opportunity.

(And, oh bother, I miscalculated. It's three weeks 'til the end of term, not two. <pout> Eh well, they'll be here before I'm ready for them anyway.)

I'm feeling justifiably smug. I managed to find the cub a costume coat, scarf and waistcoat for $7. I love op shops.
I also got another couple of fistfuls of attractive cutlery for next to nothing and I paid $7 for a dictionary that's the size of the combined Melbourne phone books. I'm a happy woman...
It's a neat dictionary, too. Circa 1968, Webster's (which is American, I think, but it spells colour, honour and centre correctly, with notes on the American spelling) and illustrated in colour. <g> There's hours of browsing amusement here.

Next week is the final Bollywood Dancing class for the term and our teacher suggested that we might like to dress-up for the occasion. Hee, I won't be going so far as a sari but I do have a set of ankle bells. There should be another class next term and I'll be signing up for that as well, I've really enjoyed this. Plus I continue to be pleased with how quickly I pick up the steps. :) That decade or more of dance in my youth obviously hasn't been wasted.

Look! ↑ ↑ ↑ I can do arrows!
No no no, I jest, that's not what I'm excited about.
Joules has coaxed the blog template into accepting a link to my Flickr account! Neat, eh? <g> Thanks, Joules!

I admit that being lazy and procrastinative [eh?] can sometimes get me into difficulties. I'm not sure, though, if the latest aggravation is entirely my fault.
The cubs' school is having a Concert [and there were groans there was much rejoicing]. The Concert is this Thursday night but I've known about it for weeks. I discover today that one of the cubs doesn't have a costume...
Being lazy and procrastiwotsit I tend to take a laissez faire attitude to school. I rely on written notification - or failing that, a quick word from a teacher - to let me know if there's anything I should/need to see to. If I don't get a note then I assume there isn't a problem. I understand that teachers are busy and shouldn't be expected to micro-manage everything but still, I had no idea about the cub's costume. The other cub had his costume provided so I assumed...
Anyway, tomorrow after Bollywood Dancing I'll be trawling 'round the op-shops looking for a codger coat and hat/scarf. <sigh> I could really be doing without this last minute franticness.

And I suppose needing to go costume hunting tomorrow is another reason I can't accept a free ticket to a (matinee) dress rehearsal of Camelot. I was offered one today and it was very tempting but I had to decline. Not only was it very short notice but it would've meant reorganising a doctor's appointment after school plus running the risk of not getting back from the city in time to pick the cubs up from After Care if the thing ran overtime. <sigh> Too much like hard work, alas. Eh, I'll placate the fluffy bunny by dragging out the DVD and having a good sniffle.

Had a surprise visit from Soulsis on the weekend! And she came bearing really cool gifts! A pair of scissors with goldfish pics on the blades; a crab/lobster apron with matching serviettes (hee); a copy of a Bumper Book of Fun!! thing I put together years ago as a joke; and a 1983 issue of National Geographic that has an article about an artist using eclectic trash in his work. (Inspired? Oh yes.) <g> Now I have a reason to hang on to the crap I find...

ASIMO. <hissss>. And the cubs won't bloody stop talking about it, even after their father advised them that I really, really don't like robots. They were quite put out when I said that come the day - as they prophesised - humanoid 'bots were freely available to the masses, I'd be off up to the mountains as far away from 'civilisation' as I could.
"But what about us?" they asked, eyes wide (cos, remember, they're planning on living with me forever and ever).
"You can visit just don't bring your robots."
"Oh..."
<g> Their faces were a picture - I think that was the first time they'd ever contemplated a life away from me...

Moving right along.
Pirates of the Caribbean 2. (Did I really need to include a link?)
I was prepared to enjoy this movie and so was just a little bit disappointed. It's not that it was worse than the first but like other blockbuster sequels there seemed to be a reliance on references and in-jokes from the first, and a lot of these seemed gratingly contrived. (Except for one, which had me cackling). Plus, while there were some cracking new characters, and some gratifying character growth for the old ones, Captain Jack was just more of the same. It really felt like Depp was simply rehashing what'd worked previously.
It was a very long movie, as well, with not a lot of substance. It's not a good sign when I keep checking my watch instead of becoming immersed in the world.
There were plenty of good bits, however. The CGI was t'riffic - I'll never trust an octopus again - and the hint of angsty plot there at the end made me prick up my ears.
I'm glad I saw it at the cinema but I have no desire to see it again. I'll probably get the DVD when it's released, though that'll probably be more for completeness sake than anything else.

One DVD (and soundtrack) I will be actively hunting down, however, is Triplettes de Belleville.
Wow, just... wow.
The story is so simple you don't need subtitles for the (sparse) dialogue to follow what's going on, but even so it's hard to describe. It's quirky, but not light, and definitely sinister in places. The animation is astonishing but the 'wow'ness of it sneaks up on you. It's a - I dunno - fairly loose style, I spose you could say? The little bit of CGI incorporated stands out but not in a bad way. People and places are caricatures - this is in no way trying to replicate reality - but there is a wonderful subtlety of expression. Especially on the dog. My gods, that's a dog. <g>
According to the blurb on the back cover, Triplettes was up against Nemo in the 2003 Academy Awards. The fish won, and I can see why, even though Triplettes is a much better movie. Technically, Nemo was a marvel with an easily digested, brain-candy plot. Triplettes is thought-provoking and emotionally engaging in a way that goes right to your soul.
... Or you'll hate it. <g> Either way, it's an experience.

Hah! I've signed up for the The Lupin/Snape Lurve Community Snupin Santa. Already started my super sekrit assignment but I'll actually have to do some research if I want to do it justice. <g>

The cubs' school is putting on a concert next week.
Help me... heeelp meeee...
It probably won't be that bad, really...

And just in case I'm being too subtle about my feelings for my camera/phone (I take waaaay more pics than make calls) - I've recently updated my Flickr account.

You've gotta love a camera that'll let you take a dozen photos before getting out of bed. (Camera was to hand cos I use my mobile as an alarm clock. The question is, if I had a separate camera would I take that to bed with me as well? Sadly perhaps, the answer is probably yes. <g>)

Cubs and I went to Penny's for dinner last night. Virtuously, we walked there, too, it only took half an hour. Nice afternoon for it, sunny without being hot and mostly downhill.
Even though the cubs viewed 2/3's of the food with suspicion they did at least try a taste instead of refusing outright. Wasn't too embarrassing as I'd warned Penny they'd do this.
What did we have to eat? A hearty cabbage, bacon and tomato soup; a potato, salami and egg bake; and apple and blueberry crumble for dessert. Mmmmm...
Heh, we had three hyper sprogs last night, and that was without the benefit of sugar. Just the normal high-pitched, frenetic energy of children being creative and having fun together. :) It helps that there's really cool toys at Penny and Sarah's, like a trampoline, and digicam/video. There was an entire saga unfolding - and being filmed - in the lounge room; something about a mad scientist, his assistant and the cat who tries to stop him...
There were protests all 'round when I declared it was time to leave but the cubs went to bed without a fuss when we got home. <g>
Thanks for inviting us, Penny, and thanks for the lift home. I really didn't fancy catching the bus that late.

When I got home last night I found the big black spider (that normally lives on the kitchen window) trapped in the sink. What was she doing out of her web? As far as I know from observation this species don't move at all. So anyway I gingerly helped her out of the sink, (twitching all the while cos she really is big and fast), and nudged her towards the window. I figure I'll give her a day or so and if she hasn't moved back into her web I'll take it down. Absolutely brilliant for keeping European wasps under control but it's not very pretty.

Our weather seems to be warming up slowly <grumble> but it was so cold in the kitchen the other morning that the jelly I'd made the cubs for dessert had started to set without being refrigerated. :)
Can't say I'll miss the cold but I'm not looking forward to the heat. But, some of the trees are starting to blossom or come into leaf and the port wine magnolia down the road has flower buds. Now that lovely smell is something I'm definitely looking forward to.

I went to see Confetti last week and loved it. A British mockumentary about a wedding magazine hosting a competition to find the most original wedding of the year. The contestants chosen (from a right bunch of weirdos) are Naturists, a 'Tennis' couple, and a pair who want a Busby Berkeley style musical wedding. (The dialogue was all improvised, apparently, I'm even more impressed.) Great characters, especially the Wedding Planners. I was sceptical at first - two gay men? Hadn't that been done before - but these two were so well played, tiptoeing the ragged line between the magazine's and the couples' frequently unrealistic demands. I loved these two outrageous but still believable queers and felt like cheering when they (quietly) took a stand against the magazine to give one of the couples what they most wanted. <happy sigh> The fluffy-bunny loved that bit.
And here was something I found interesting. The Naturist couple spent a lot of their screen time nude. I blinked at first but the nudity was so unsexual by the end of the movie I wasn't really noticing it any more. Which is, I suppose, the aim of naturists. <g>
This movie is quirky UK fluff and won't lose anything on DVD compared to big screen. It's another on my list of films to buy.

Some more fanfic snerks:
Infactuated - she knew all there was to know about him?
And - 'the vaulted Marauders'. <howling> I think she meant vaunted...

<happy dance> I got another parcel yesterday! From Joules this time containing a signed copy of Crystal Power (gorgeous!); a DVD (Blow Dry mmm... Rickman...); a cinnamon scented, grape festooned candle; another piece of the lovely salmony silk; a massage octopus (<snerk> 8 thumbs, eh?); a froggy floating pond ornament; 3 packets of strawberry angel delight! (<swoon> mine!); 16 sachets of the Turkish delight hot chocolate; a CD full of music and manga (Raditz, phwoooar! ... just looking!); and a good handful of Cadbury creme egg bars (which are mostly all gone now. <licks lips>)
Thanks, Joules, your Care packages are as appreciated (squeed over) as ever. <g>

Right, The Libertine. Fascinating movie, not pretty at all, despite the glorious costumes - it seemed to view everything through a miasma of mist, and mud and candle light. In the opening frames the Earl of Rochester (Johnny Depp) tells us bluntly that we won't like him, and he's correct, up to a point. For me it wasn't so much a case of dislike for the excesses of the 17th century poet, as pity. The movie's tagline 'He didn't resist temptation. He pursued it.' is misleading. It makes John Wilmot out to be a romantic sort of rogue, and he is not. He is a deeply unhappy man who retreats behind moral cowardice to avoid the effort - and perhaps pain - that's needed to realise his potential. It felt like a life wasted. Here was a brilliant man who could've overcome his weaknesses but chose not to, and when his life falls apart with drastic consequences all he can say is 'I warned you not to trust me'.
It was a tragic story with a tragic ending, and yet, he does rally himself for a sort of redemption at the end. It was a small gesture compared to the damage he'd brought to himself and others, but it was a glimpse of what he could have been. And that was when I started sniffling. :) I'd like to read the play now, if not some of Rochester's writings, and I want a copy of the DVD when it comes out. Not just because it's another notch in my Depp collection but because it's an intriguing piece of art in its own right. <shakes head> Who wants to fill up on cotton-candy movies when there's stuff like this around?

Speaking of cotton-candy... I couldn't resist the bishie on the cover of Absolute Boyfriend and so I bought my first ever manga. It was so cute, and so funny, I giggled all the way through. (And of course, being alert to the slashy possibilities didn't detract from the reading, either <smirk>). I liked the style of art, too, simple and clean but very expressive. Volumes 2 and 3 of the translations are available, apparently, so I'll keep my eyes peeled for those.

I've recently been keeping track of the weather, just to see how accurate the forecasts are. I only had 14 days of data to play with for July but even so the results were interesting. On average, the weather bureau underestimated both the low and high temperatures by only half a degree. I'm trying to get a full month's date for August then I'll run the figures again - but I suspect it'll be a similar result.
(Good gods, next I'll be looking into rain gauges for my garden. As long as I don't begin taking an interest in shovels I should be all right...)

Our ABC - which is my default telly channel - occasionally broadcasts some very strange things late at night. For instance, sometime last week I looked up from the 'puter to see a performance by an 'experimental orchestra'. <blink> Music, only by the vaguest definition, enhanced by the orchestra members writhing about while wearing plastic bags and shredded paper. I got the impression of something oceanic but that was only because one man appeared to be acting like a seal. The rest made no sense at all... Oh well, 'art' is only in the comprehension of the beholder, I suppose. :)

After a really good day at Puffing Billy on Saturday, Sunday was very strange. I let myself sleep in and when I eventually opened my eyes at 11 a.m. I felt very bleurgh. Headachey and hungover; very annoying considering it's been months since I had a drink. Anyway, dragged myself out of bed but only managed an hour or so of useful activity before I had to apologise to the cubs and take myself back to bed for another few hours. It was well into the evening before I began to feel better. I really don't like days like that.
(Chatting to Penny about it on Monday we concluded that I must've been channeling her vodka hangover. That, or I just let myself get horribly dehydrated.)

I took 132 photos at Puffing Billy, for a total of 25 megs, and I discovered a lot about my woodgie phone camera. It doesn't handle motion very well, and without a flash I can only rely on available light. Not much of a problem with flourescents but incandescents don't work well at all. The 2 megapixels can sometimes give a surprisingly good picture but I've had to learn to judge what probably will and won't work with the digital zoom, or with close-ups. I probably have more 'failed' shots with this camera than I would with an SLR but I'm learning the media and I love not having to cart around rolls and rolls of film. As someone known to take oodles of photos at the merest hint of something interesting, the cost saved is significant. I do fret a little, however, at the volatility of the medium. One 'puter crash and you've lost everything, without having negatives to go back to. So, I've been very good about burning everything to CD on a regular basis. Ideally I'd like to have hard copies of favoured photos too, but that can wait for the moment. Even more ideally I'd still love to have an honest to goodness darkroom, but again, that can wait... :)

Dagnabbit. As I'm only using the free Flickr account I can only have 3 photo 'sets'. Pooh, I'd been relying on setting up another one so I could sort today's Puffing Billy pics in some semblance of order instead of the 'fling'em'up'there' method I used. I could delete the lot, I spose, and start from scratch. Not sure if I can swap them around once they've been uploaded...
So, anyway, be warned that this latest batch of photos aren't in a logical sequence. <g>

Yes, the cubs and I went to Puffing Billy today! A belated birthday present for my babies. <eg> I'm so tired, though, and my eyes are stinging. We had to have an early start (out of the house by 8 a.m) to make sure we got to Belgrave in plenty of time to catch the only train scheduled to go all the way to Gembrook. Normally we just travel to Lakeside but today we went alllll the way to the end of the line. Ultimately it's less than an extra hour each way but it was so blinking cold in the windowless carriages! Fortunately there was a cosy fire waiting for us in Gembrook station, so after some hot chocolate and basking for a bit the cubs and I meandered around the tiny township for an hour or so. Let's see, Gembrook has: a motel, a pub, a fast-food place, 3 antiques/collectible/artsy shoppes, a newsagent/post office, a motoring museum (closed today), a bakery, an itty supermarket and 3 bar/cafes. Can we say 'Tourist Town'? <g> There was a very nice park, though, with a gazeebo. At first the cubs were all keen to explore the playground but the siren call of the steamie was irresistible and we spent the remaining time before the return journey poking around the station and the engine. :)
It was even colder on the way back.
We hopped off at Lakeside and dashed up to the Model Railway for a look before dashing back down to the station in time to catch the last train to Belgrave. From there it was a nicely modern (warm) train back to Box Hill to catch the bus home.
We had a great day, despite the soot in the eyes and the frozen fingers, and the cubs are already talking about their next trip. <g>

Onna told me there was a parcel on the way, and that it was heavy...
An understatement! <bouncebounce> I opened up the box and cooed over the huge wodge of charm squares material - and then I looked in the plastic bags. Holy Heck! I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say my quilt fabric stash has doubled. There's some gorgeous material in there, thanks, onna! And that's not mentioning the selection of craft books and magazines. I foresee many happy hour of inspirational browsing...

I had a few things to say about The Libertine, which I saw earlier this week, but I can't keep my eyes open. The sibilant wit will have to wait for another time. <sleepy yawn>

Tch, I've had access to a camera for two weeks already and only just remembered I have a Flickr account. Anyway, I've put up a handful of pics here - more to come when I'm better organised. <g> (And have a look at my 'buddy icon'. Dormouse! Squee! Not a photo I took myself, obviously, cos there's no dormice in Australia, but nicked from the 'net somewhere.)

I have numerous, non-urgent side quests and picking up a copy of Ned Kelly (very cheaply) was one small step closer to fulfilling one of them.
Now, I'm not an aficionado of the Ned Kelly myth though I've been marginally aware through the years about the arguments over his character. To some he's simply a murdering crinimal, to others a valiant freedom fighter pushed into outlawry through the prejudice of the police. Right, whatever, I have no real opinion but it was pretty bloody obvious within a few minutes just where the film's sympathies lay, which was firmly within the 'ordinary man forced into crime' camp. It was dissatisfyingly obvious, in fact, almost Marty-Stuish. Add a spurious romance to the clumsy attempt to gain our sympathy and it wasn't a significant film at all. That's not to say that the cast were crap, cos they weren't. Most of the characters were very well played and believable, and Heath Ledger in particular did well with what he had. What did annoy me, though, was the melodramatic aspect of some of the police (and the beards, dear gods, the beards!). As instruments of Kelly's perdition one in particular was overplayed and just irritating. Yes, yes, the authorities had it in for the Kelly family, we know that, there was no need to highlight it so strongly it became farcial. Sheesh.
What I did really like about this movie however was how well it portrayed the landscape. Outback Victoria is not especially hospitable but it is striking.
... and Orli-squee's Irish accent was soft and gentle and just darling! <squinch>

I had a dream the other night that my father asked me if I'd seen his bowtie. I had to think hard but I vaguely remembered seeing it in an ornamental brass box of my mother's. Problem was, Mum had packed most of her stuff away and I spent nearly the whole dream rummaging around in cupboards and cardboard boxes looking for the stupid thing. Tch.

And speaking of looking for things. I heard a snippet of classical music last week and it drove me mad! I knew it from somewhere but couldn't quite place it. I knew - or rather, my body knew - it'd been used regularly in the ballet barre work exercises I endured years ago, and I was almost certain I'd danced to it as well.
I finally remembered what the piece was just before I went to bed that night - the opening stanza from Carmen. As it happened I hadn't danced to it but the impression I had of particular steps and swirly skirts was because I'd seen it danced numerous times. It's always good to solve a puzzle, I went to bed feeling very smug.

It was announced at assembly this morning that the cubs' school is getting (has bought with Government funds) one of the cabins built for the Athletes' Village in the recent Commonwealth Games. Neat! We're acquiring a piece of history, a building that's been imbued with the desperate hopes and determination - yea, perhaps even the very sweat - of world class athletes. That can't be anything but inspirational, ne? <g>

<sigh> The broadband limit ran out very quickly this month so I've had an enforced absence from eBay of two weeks.
Which honestly probably isn't a bad thing.

More delights of my new phone: having the music piped directly into my ears has in some cases enabled me to hear the lyrics more clearly. Outkast's Hey Ya, despite the cheerful tune and peppering of 'love', 'together', 'forever' words is not a nice song. And I've discovered that my favourite ever Kylie song is spookily appropriate for the project I've just started.

Finally...
Spotted cloisterphobic in a fan fic. <snerk> The fear of monasteries?

Heh, had proof positive today that the new school library was designed by an architect and not someone who actually works in a library. The front desk is very nice, wide and long, lots of space, but all the cords and cables from the 'puter and peripherals hang down and across the drawers underneath the desk. Opening a drawer without tugging on a cord and pulling something vital off the desk is a challenge. The drawers are integral to the desk, so they can't be moved, likewise the 'puter is anchored to one spot and can't be moved. Tch, eh, we'll sort something out, no doubt.
The library's coming on, though! All of the boxes of books have been emptied and the majority of the items are on the shelves with only a waist-high pile of odds and sods left over, mostly stuff that's escaped being processed, or been catalogued incorrectly. Of course, that's not counting the other waist-high pile of new stuff that's come in since the holidays. Going to be busy. :)

The second Bollywood class was even more fun than the first. I still feel like I'm a heffalump with delusions of grace but it doesn't matter. It's a challenge, and tiring, and I'm enjoying myself immensely. I'm remembering the steps and the sequences without too much trouble, and while the transitions continue to be awkward and my fingers look like claws cos of the unfamiliar positions, this is satisfying on a very primal level. <g> I'm not kidding about my hands, I've never bemoaned quite so much my lack of long, graceful fingers. Some of the movements are very subtle and they got lost in the stumpiness. <giggling> Which in itself is quite funny...

Oh yes, my phone. I have a new phone, have I mentioned? <smirk> I've been playing with the camera, seeing just what it can do. It's pretty basic, and what works one time might not work again in almost identical circumstances, but I'm sure we're reaching some sort of amicable working relationship.
The itty screen in almost useless for viewing, though, and I generally have to wait to see what a pic looks like on the 'puter monitor before I know if it's worth keeping.
It's all good, though, yes. :) I definitely need a memory chip so I can lug about more music. Never realised how marvellous headphones are for shutting out the world.

Hee, Freddie Mercury sang about being in love with his car - I think I'm in love with my phone! I spose it's not quite new technology but even so I'm surprised at how quickly I've taken to it. <thinking> Perhaps it's the colour? Grey is serious and intimidating while pink is a happy-fun consequence free toy. :)
So anyway I've been having fun with my new toy - taking photos, downloading music - and the alarm has a snooze button! How cool is that? With my old phone, which I've been using as an alarm clock for months and months, I had to reset the alarm if I wanted a snooze but now it's just one button. Hee.
It was a bit rocky to start with but, you know, putting the SIM card in the right way round works wonders. <g> There's still a couple of things I need to suss out, but I think I'm pretty comfortable with my phone already. And music, yay! I've been listening to things I've not heard since the last 'puter melt-down. :)

The school library has finally got its shelves so I spent a couple of hours today hefting boxes of books around. It was very satisfying. <g> Managed to unpack probly 10 boxes, and there's at least twice that much left cluttering up the storeroom. Should keep me busy for a little while...