Hands up all the fangrrls in the room. (Me! Me! Pick me!)
I saw Goblet of Fire again today! <boing> Enjoyed it just as much as the first time and picked up some more details, like how pretty Cho's ball gown is and how tactile a headmaster Kakaroff seems to be. Seriously, he's always petting Viktor, stroking him, and he had his hands on Neville at one point. Not inappropriately as such, I just thought it was odd.
I like the Durmstrang dress uniform - those capes flare out beautifully when the boys are dancing.
Oh oh oh! And there's a priceless look between Harry and Snape when it's revealed it wasn't the Golden Trio nicking stuff from the storeroom. Made me giggle.
The unintentionally funniest line in the movie has to go to McGonagall though, when it's obliquely suggested Harry be used as bait.

"He's a boy! Not a piece of meat!"

Oh, I beg to differ, Minerva. How often has sweet Harry been offered up on the alter of fandom? <evil smirk>

Nicked from Rakina:


You are Draco! Draco Malfoy. You are the
embodiment of a good Slytherin (good
Slytherins? Oxymoron, anyone?) in so many
ways. And you are a Malfoy. You think you
were a Slytherin before Slytherin was a
Slytherin, don't you?


Which Slytherin Are YOU?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ummm... <scratches head> Not quite sure what I was expecting...

The cubs and I had a great time after school today. First we picked up one of their laybys - always a good thing - then we tried out a new icecream place! Mmmm, lovely stuff, smooth and creamy. We all had a 'big cup' with 3 flavours. Mine were strawberry (not bad), coffee (excellent) and blood orange (YUM). The cubs between them had vanilla, mint, chocolate and licorice. They both declared this the best icecream ever! <g> I had a taste of the licorice and have to admit I was impressed. Usually licorice icecream tastes like licorice flavoured vanilla but this actually tasted like licorice. Nummy! I'll have some of that next time though I'm not in a hurry to go back. Icecream is something I only fancy every now and again - the cubs will eat it anytime, thanks, Mum! - but it's good to know there's some good quality stuff handy when I do.
Anyway, continuing the gastronomic tour of the shopping centre we tasted some wonderful ham from one of the delis. Really, really nice - really, really expensive - but so much better than the plastic crap the supermarkets sell. Getting the ham for xmas is usually my job but I don't think I'd want to share this! : )
After we'd all rhapsodised about the pickled pig for a bit we tripped off to a lolly shop to get a present for someone. Naturally, being surrounded by all the sweet stuff the cubs started making noises about getting something else. Fortunately they were able to understood the concept that it's a waste of excellent food to follow it with stuff that's not quite so good. And they were still so full of icecream they weren't actually that hungry anymore. <g>

Hm. I was going to snicker about the use of a particular spell in a couple of HP fanfics but after checking the Lexicon I find it isn't a bit of mangled fanon, as I thought. The spell is Ennervate which is 'used to revive a person hit by a Stunner'. There's a note in the entry which says: "Some versions list this spell as "Enervate," which changes the etymology quite a bit. In fact, if the word was really Enervate, the Latin origins would have exactly the opposite meaning from what it means as Ennervate." Indeed. Guess which spelling I found in the fanfics? Either way it's a silly word to use for a reviving spell.
However, here's something else I found. ''saline stained eyes...'. Guess what that was describing? : )

(It's interesting what Blogger's spell-check sometimes throws up...

icecream - isochronal.
xmas - smash.
stunner - stoner.
fanon - famine.
fanfics - benefice.

Isochronal apparently means 'happening or appearing at regular intervals'. An interesting word in relation to icecream, yes? And fanon-famine? I think there's something in that for all of us... <eg> )

<smirk>

Sturgeon!
The mermen in GoF were modeled on sturgeon!
Hah! I knew it was a big, ugly, prickly fish. Pike are too smooth and sticklebacks are just wee little things...

I finally got 'round to reading The Davinci Code...
I've read worse.
But honestly, I got so impatient with it. What? Another bloody twist? Gods above this thing could've finished 100 pages ago!
I don't have much patience with puzzles, ciphers and anagrams, they make my brain hurt but the ones peppering this - <wrinkles nose> - blockbuster were hardly challenging. I got the clues so often the whole thing became a series of anti-climaxes. And all I can say is that my general knowledge must be pretty damn good if so many people were astonished and amazed by the story. <sigh> I'm glad I read it though, it helped make Da Kath & Kim Code that much funnier...

One of my cubs has been talking about getting a watch for a while now. He's decided he wants a pocket-watch cos 'they're more elegant'. <g> He's got a little bit of money left, we'll see what we can find.

I had a couple of hours to myself so I sat down and watched Boogie Nights again. It's not a comfortable movie, rather sad actually, but damn I'm impressed with the way the contemporary pop/disco tracks were used. One word, in one line of lyric, perfectly synchronised with a moment in the movie to add a layer of depth and meaning. Fantastic.

I picked up the first volume of Gungrave cos it looked interesting in the previews.
Let's see:
Enigmatic bishie with angsty back-story? Check.
Shadowy corporation protagonist? Check.
Wide-eyed bishojou with some sort of connection to the bishie? Check.
Not the most original story admittedly but the animation's quite good, with the occasional moment of brilliance. It's a series I wouldn't mind following but there's no urgency, it's not one of those 'Gnnnh! I have to see the rest of it now!' things. : )

Tee hee hee. More fanfic nonsense...
First of all - songfic is generally a bad idea. I have absolutely no problem with an author being inspired by a piece of music - happens to me a lot - but it irks me when the lyrics are inserted into the text. Really annoying, it breaks the flow of the narrative. One person's 'highly significant' addition is another's (mine) teeth-grinding aggravation. Put the entire thing at the end of the piece, properly credited of course, but not in dribs and drabs throughout, please. (Okay, and now I'm wracking my brain, trying to remember if anyone I know writes/had written songfic. Heh.)

And I've come across a thread in the Snupins that made me blink. It's the premise that Lupin's wolf form is female. <rolls eyes> It's not widely used, from what I can see, and the explanation is... well... hm... Apparently, if you're born to lycans (don't ask me, I'm just quoting!) your wolf form will have the same gender as you. (And I don't know why but the idea that it's a wolf form, distinct from the human, irritates me. There's a flaw in the reasoning somewhere, I'm sure, I just can't pinpoint it.) But if you're male and bitten by a female lycan, you'll be female at that time of the month. <snigger>
I give up, I just don't get it. It's not the silliest bit of fanon I've read but it's up there in the top ten.

<grumble> I want to go and see Goblet of Fire on my own again while I still can - ie: before the school holidays - but with the cubs coughing and snargling enough to stay home I keep having to put it off. Oh well, the film'll probly be on for a few weeks yet.

<languish> It's hot. But at least the xmas tree's up and decorated now, strangled with tinsel. : ) That's my boys...

Goblet of Fire opened today and I was at the first session. <silly grin> I enjoyed it, a lot. True, there were minor characters and plot bits that had been cut or shifted about, and a lot of nuances were trampled in the stampede to get the story told in under 3 hours but it followed the book more closely than Prisoner of Azkaban did and that was bonus points as far as I was concerned. It probably helped if you'd read the book, though - there were points I would've said 'WTF?' if I hadn't known beforehand what was going on. But overall I was impressed. The story more or less hung together in a logical sequence and the darker feel of the book wasn't played down. It's a more grown-up movie from a more grown-up book. I'll be going to see it again; probly next TA Tuesday.
Anyway, here follows a random list of noted points in no particular order. Sorry if it's a bit spoilery but I don't think I'm giving away anything pivotal.

I want that tent! And - ooooh! - pavilions!

Visual effects were superb and didn't detract or distract from the plot. Industrial Light and Magic was involved again, I see...

The World Cup sequence was fabulous but there wasn't nearly enough of it.

And it goes without saying there wasn't enough Snape! What there was though was nicely played. He and McGonagall get some of the best lines. <g>

The mermen looked like they were modeled on pike! Or am I thinking of sticklebacks? Anyway, I enjoyed that sequence, too...

Pooh. We didn't get to meet Charlie Weasley. On the DVD perhaps?

The entrances of the Durmstrang boys and the Beaubaton filles made me roll my eyes. Show-offs, the lot of 'em, though the striking sparks on the flagstones was better than bloody bluebirds!

There was a lot of the Weasley Twins. This is a good thing.

Yay, Neville! He's not in Gryffindor by accident.

Draco looks good in a suit, and his father, well, he looks good in anything, let's be honest. The incredible bouncing ferret was very funny. <smirk>

Is it just me, or is Hogwarts getting bigger? I'm sure there were more buildings this time. And is it customary for the prefects to bathe together? That bath is huge! I know Scotland is a wee bit wetter than Australia but I couldn't help wincing at the amount of water used...

Ah yes, the soon-to-be-infamous bath scene. I sniggered through a lot of that. Poor Harry, the bubbles don't last for long...

Now, Daniel Radcliffe is an attractive boy up close but from a distance it looks like the lower half of his face is too small for the top half, not helped by the Bay City Rollers bouffant. And, alas, he's not the best actor in the ensemble, which is a shame cos he does give it his best, that's obvious, but he's not a patch on the far more natural and charismatic Rupert Grint. Pretty versus talent? I know who'd I rather watch. (Snape, Snape, Snape...)

I love the Durmstrang ship. I like sailing vessels (magical or otherwise) about as much as I like pavilions.

... I'm sure there was something else I was going to mention.
Ah yes.
25 minutes of commercials and previews before the movie started. Tch. Including one weird car ad where 2 black bulls, a diving man in black pants and a black car all converge at the intersection of what looks suspiciously like an enormous black crucifix stretched out along the floor. I don't pretend to understand advertising wanks any more.
But, did get to see a preview for the new King Kong movie. Looks better than I thought - it's got dinosaurs! I might go and see that now.

Chapter 30's finished and there's possibly only another 4 chapters to go. I'm teetering on the edge of the final Event... : )

I find the worst thing about hot days is that no matter how much I drink I just can't assuage the thirst. I feel like I'm sloshing inside, but still thirsty...

I've had the cubs home for the past couple of day. True, they weren't that sick, and they almost certainly could've gone to school today but I was the one needing a rest so we stayed home. <g> But, they're going to school tomorrow, first because I want to go and see Goblet of Fire, and second cos it's going to be hot and the school's got air-conditioning.

(I've just giggled my way through the first episode of Blackpool. David Tennant's really quite a good actor, isn't he?)

Interesting dream last night. While I was attending a sort of combination oil painting art class/exhibition it dawned on me that, hey, I could learn to paint! But, as I was preparing an old canvas to reuse, my enthusiasm waned when I couldn't think of a subject I wanted to paint. I didn't want to give up on the idea too soon so I wandered around a bit looking for inspiration and found it in a couple of carved marble architectural details in a graveyard. I was just working out how I could represent that detail when I woke up.

Egad. 1st of December tomorrow. Cubs are anticipating putting up the xmas tree, and starting the advent calendar. Wot fun, eh?

... I've been listening to one cub coughing all evening, and the other's just come out of bed to tell me he's not feeling well. <sigh> Housemate was ill last week - oh joy. Eh, we'll see how they go; a couple of days off probly won't hurt.
As long as it's not on Thursday cos if I can't go and see GoF I'll be miffed.

Cubs' father was watching ID4 this afternoon. What a silly movie - I had great fun snarking.

Handsome President ™ giving pre-battle speech: "We won't go quietly into the night. We will not give up without a fight..."
Lutra 'No Respect' Tenshi chimes in: "And everything will be all right!"

Which earnt me a look from the cubs' father who quite likes this movie. "Have you ever been stirred by a speech?" he asks. "Oh yes," I chirp, "The one in Branagh's Henry V ("We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...") is marvelous! Makes me want to go out and kill Frenchmen...!"
Tra la la.
We decided - after one cub expressed surprise there was no kissing in the 'marriage' scene to which the other one said 'Thank goodness'! - that this must've been the Director's Cut for 10 year olds: more violence, less kissing. <g>

Soulsis brought me some loverly things on the weekend including a gorgeous pink Thai silk goldfish cushion cover, and a pure silk sari! The sari's pale-beige with large mustard and ochre dots - not really my colours but, dang, it feels wonderful. I thought I might dye it an Autumny sort of colour. Yeah, that'd be nice...

Three and half weeks 'til the end of term. Eep.

(Thanks, Joules for the ™ code! ™™™ Hee, new toy...)

Thanks, GoodTwin, the cubs love the calendar! They were very excited. <g>

I was ridiculously pleased the other night to hear a snippet of the Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack being used in a news program. Hee. See the fangrrl squee.

Speaking of fangrrly squeeing - a dilema! <hand to forehead> I was planning on seeing Elizabethtown next (tightarse) Tuesday but then I noticed that Doom is also playing. Orli-squee or horselord? <sigh> I decided on Elizabethtown cos I'm a sook. Doom is rated MA and I remembered the video-game could be really gross - I think it can probly wait for DVD.

KittenKong's slinking about, still twitchy cos there was a dog here earlier. <g> Soulsis came 'round this afternoon, bringing with her my nephews and Snoops, who's quite big now but still a bit daft.
Soulsis made us an Advent Calendar! Nice big wooden one with hooks to hang the numbers on. : ) And a groovy bag with gold fringing for the cubs to go rummaging around in of a morning. So much nicer than the chocolate and cardboard things for sale in the supermarkets.

Half-way through chapter 30...

Is it just me or is this week dragging itself along by its fingernails?

Okay, this is weird. My CD ROM won't read disks but I'm still able to burn files. Course, I can only check that fact using someone else's 'puter, which was a drama in itself. (On the cubs' father's machine my SFSG file didn't show up at all, not even on the updates where I knew the info was saved. Reconfiguring the thing to read hidden files did the trick. Then I stopped panicking.)
Tch. Eh, at least I'm able to back-up my work.

One of Penny's treasured cats caught a skink the other day. The wee lizard's extended and lumpy stomach wasn't cos it was sick - as Penny thought - but because it was carrying eggs. Unfortunately the skink died but now there's half a dozen thumbnail sized thingies being incubated under a lamp. It'll be lovely if they hatch - wee baby skinks!

I went to a Xmas decoration making workshop a couple of days ago. It was fun but not quite what I'd expected. I'd initially signed up cos I'd been shown tempting photos of felt camels but it was decided that as this was a 'beginners' class we'd start simple.
Too simple, perhaps: 2 piece angels with beaded wings and wooden-bead heads. Yes, fun, but I wasn't really learning anything new (except how to dry-felt coloured sheeps wool to make really wild looking angel hair! However...) And I can't take twee Xmas angels seriously anyway - camels are much more interesting.
But there was enough interest from the participants to warrant another workshop, making felt animals this time. : )

Chapter 30 is moving along more easily now, thanks to a solid [poke] from Joules about an unconvincing plot-bunny. <g>

More HP fic-sniggers. Good examples of why it's important, nay, vital to have a beta reader.

"... the hollowed walls of Hogwarts."

<snerk> I know the place is riddled with secret passages but that's ridiculous! Hallowed walls, perhaps?

"Cleaver fingers pinching and lightly tugging..."

Ouch! <smirk> Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...

Heh, cubs' father's birthday tomorrow, and the end of year school disco. Cubs are looking forward to both. : )

Right, <satisfied> that's chapter 29 done. Almost 145k words, too.
When the first draft's finished Joules has promised to have at it with the virtual red pen. I know she won't be gentle or sparing of my feelings but I trust her not to mangle my delicate ego.
<smirk> And I've promised not to get precious, too, so that should help.

I know daddy longlegs are opportunistic, but making a web in my ladle? Tch, cheeky thing...

Cubs and I went into the city again yesterday. It was the M cubs turn to spend his money on train bits. He got a troublesome truck and another couple of pieces of track. Both the cubs really really want to get an engine but I've told them they have to save up. I also keep telling them they'd have regular pocket money to save if they cleaned their room. : )

Here's a lovely story, sent to me by Alarice:

Once upon a time a girl asked a guy "Will you marry me?"

The guy said, "NO!"

And the girl lived happily ever after and went shopping, dancing, camping, drank vodkas, always had a clean house, never had to cook, had sex with whomever she pleased and farted whenever she wanted.

THE END

Ah, there's something in that for all of us...

Oh dear, found a couple more howlers in a fanfic.
"... a fowl mood." <snigger> Does that mean he was clucking mad?
And - "... sleep depraved": is that what happens when you get too much sleep?

And there was an interesting typo in a recent Horrible History magazine. There was a snippet about Captain Cook and how he took a goat along on a voyage so the crew had fresh milk. Then came this: "The goat had been on voyages before - but this was his longest."
His longest? I sincerely hope that was a typo. I mean, it'd be useful to have a good source of high-protein readily available, but really...! The poor creature would be exhausted... <g>

<chirpchirpchirp> I feel like I've achieved something today. Chapter 29 is almost finished but more importantly I've written out my xmas list. Hah! This is a good thing; now I know what I'm 'sposed to be looking for and roughly how much it's going to cost. I even know what I'm getting my nephews and the cubs' father for their birthdays. Just as well - that's all happening in the next week or so.
(<blink> Dammit. And I've missed Toby's birthday again, haven't I, Jayde? Tch, sorry. Absolutely bloody hopeless...)

The cubs and I were wandering around the shopping centre this afternoon to see if we could find any steam train calendars. No luck, but I pointed to the Orli-squee one and said I'd like that. The cubs, bemused, asked me why (I mean, he's not a steam train, how could I possibly be interested?).
"Because he's cute," I said. "Like a bunny rabbit."
The look askance my children gave me made me laugh... : )

When Joules started work on 2AC I knew I'd eventually need to rework my own parts but I thought I'd have plenty of time. I conveniently forgot just how quickly she can work when she's having fun...
Ack! <flail> I'm going to have to think about it sooner rather than later!
I am looking forward to it though, having the chance to go back and get it right this time. A lot of what I initially wrote didn't tally with later events, and of course the character/race concepts evolved as it went along and had to be unsatisfactorily smooshed about to achieve some vague cohesion. It'll be fun to finally tidy it all up.

I've been thinking about what sorts of things will need attention when I start tweaking SFSG. For one I'll need to sharpen up the character descriptions. I don't do too badly at evoking a feel for times and places but the people - with the exceptions of my obvious favourites - can be a little hazy. I should probly write a character list with accurate descriptions while I'm at it; sometimes it can be deuced tricky trying to remember the eye colour of a little-used character.
The story could probly stand a few more lemony bits, too, given it's about a porn-star. <g>

Tee hee hee. Remember how I was sniggering a while ago about fanficers improperly using nutters and starkers? Found something else to snark at. 'Drug' has no relation to the verb 'to drag'. It doesn't - I've checked. <rolls eyes>
(And on a different, but related, tangent: why is there Gryffindor goodies readily available but nothing for the other houses? <grump> Not everyone is a slavish Harry fan.)

LOL! Half-watching a documentary about cheetahs. After a year and a half of keeping her cubs alive, Mummy cheetah wanders off one day while they're hunting (her work here is done...) They eventually notice she's gone and there's much piteous mewing and calling from the male - until he's distracted by a terrapin. <smirk> I see that the attention spans of young males are constant throughout.

Lawks! I got down to one teabag on the weekend. How did that happen? I've usually got boxes of the stuff lurking in the cupboard.
Dammit, and I'm out of coffee too.

I had a dream last night about Ferraris and drag. Not drag racing. Drag. As in the drivers were wearing ensembles that would make Mitzi green with envy.
I have no idea why I dreamt that. Unless... there's an awful lot of machismo associated with Formula 1 racing...
Nope, still don't get it.
I woke up giggling though: 'Ooh, pretty car... Ooh, fabulous frock!' <smirk>

Night before last's dream was rather involved, too. It started with me looking out for a group of children, street performers essentially. I took it upon myself to collect the money thrown to them, to count and distribute it equally. That was hard to do cos I kept getting distracted...
Visited a familiar dream-theatre where they staged plays based on movies. The company always had enormous, beautifully detailed statues as props. The statues were carved from polystyrene but made to look like plaster or marble. Lovely stuff. This time they were showing 'Prisoner of Azkaban' but were rehearsing 'Goblet of Fire'. I got to join in the rehearsals! Flinging myself about the huge, marble-faced atrium, 'flying' on wires. (Incidentally, that's about as close to flying as I get in dreams. I'm usually tethered, or in an enclosed space, but I think that's more an issue of safety rather than entrapment.) That was loads of fun, but I had to get back to sorting the money for the children.
The dream ended with me on a construction site, where I was still trying to get the money organised, as well as trying to wash and sort a bundle of old shirts, and still keep an eye on the children, especially once it started raining and the holes in the ground starting filling with red mud...
Too much to do - I was almost glad to wake up! <g>

<sigh> 2 days 'til the next dribble of cash - 2 days 'til I can buy some tea, and coffee.
Ooh, and cake!

"Mum! There's a man outside wrecking our weeds...!"

<gasping with laughter> Yes, that's a quote. Our very nice next-door neighbour was mowing the front lawn today; as he does regularly. How the cubs have missed the activity all this time I can only put down to male-pattern blindness...

Blimey, it has been a while since updates. (<waving to Soulsis> Yes I am alive, just not very sociable... : )

Cubs and I went into the city on Saturday morning to visit a couple of hobby shops. The S cub had broken into his money box and found he had enough to start his model railway collection at last. He bought his first piece of Hornby rolling stock (Clarabel, one of Thomas' coaches) then generously leant his brother what was left so he could get a few pieces of track. (The M cub, incidentally, didn't have any money that day cos he couldn't find his stash. His father was going to lend him some but I vetoed that. Cubs have to learn to be responsible for their own things and that's not going to happen if they keep getting bailed out. But he wasn't too fussed about it, especially when I said we'd make another trip in when he did find his money.)
So, very happy cubs. <g> I keep getting presented with lists - verbal and written - of everything they want/need for the layout. And I've volunteered to help make scenery. Now that I am looking forward to!

After we got home and had lunch I cracked the whip and got them to help clean the lounge room. It's much better now and guess what? The M cub found his money. : ) If it's not too hot next weekend we'll go into the city again...

Dammit, is there a canon reference to Lupin's eye colour anywhere? I can't find one. Fanon seems to favour brown - tawny, honey, chocolate, coffee, amber etc: - but he's also been graced with blue, or blue-green, probably cos of David Thewlis. (He's 6'4"? Mmmm... Where was I? Right...)
The Prisoner of Azkaban movie doesn't bear much relation to the book - it's a completely different story that heads vaguely in the same direction. I'm not complaining, I like the movie, it's given me some wonderful visuals for when I'm reading.
And this could simply be a perspective thing but am I wrong in thinking that Snape fanciers aren't in your 12-18 year old age group? Snape-centric fics seem to be, generally, better written and more mature than those focusing on the students.

Discussing the difference between lycanthropy and were-creatures with Joules:

Joules: <shakes head> just had awful image of a were-gerbil....
Lutra:<blinkblink> Bwahahahahahahahaha!
Ooh, it'd be a mean little bugger! <eg>
Joules: <growl>
<STOMPSTOMPSTOMP>

<wiping eyes> Ah, dear me. She'll happily face down a mucking great spider but small rodents are her undoing...

[Watching National Geographic Channel.]
...snakes obviously don't have gag reflexes.
And baby tigers are just the woogiest! <squinch>

Chapter 28's finished and I've begun 29. There could be as little as 5 chapters to go before SFSG is finished...

<cringing> Every time I look at the telly tonight I die a little inside...
Gods this is awful - and housemate has insisted on watching it every week cos he favourite object de lust is a contestant.
<whimper>
I'm going to bury myself in slash until the horror is over...

[Later:]
Phew, it's finished. Right...

There was drama on the bus this afternoon coming home. A couple of male Tech students were sitting up the back being loud and mouthy, dropping the occasional real word in amongst the swearing. An older man sitting near them got up and walked down to the front of the bus. I didn't think too much about it until the bus pulled over - not in a designated stop. The older man, followed by the driver, marched back down to the boys and told them to get off. I couldn't see the ID he showed but I assume he was either a member of the Transit Police or a regular copper. There were more words and insults but the young men eventually did as requested.
What bothered me most about the whole incident was not the swearing but the middle-eastern looking boy rounding on the older man and asking him disparagingly if he was a Jew...
Cubs watched it all wide-eyed but seemed to take it in their stride, especially after I explained the 'code of behaviour' expected on public transport.
And there I was thinking the other day that we never see the Transit Police on the buses.

Meep. Okay, this could be interesting. I've stuck my hand up for a Snupin challenge at Master and the Wolf. I wasn't going to, really, but I read through the list of suggestions and one just... leapt out at me. I had the plot worked out within half an hour.
I have until the end of January next year, which is fine, but as this is my first HP fic I'm going to be sweating the details. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to keep everyone in character but I'm remembering my first Professionals fics and the myriad of clumsy, thoughtless mistakes I made. Mind you, I'm a more conscientious writer now so perhaps it won't be quite so bad. <g>

Speaking of fanfic - some links.
First from Sue, the Good Omens/Professionals fic she mentioned in the comments recently.
Discovered in a Bar Fight, by Shay Sheridan.
This was very funny!

"...Violence, not the minuet, may well be the supreme achievement of mankind."

Tee hee hee. I enjoyed this, thank you, Sue.

And this one: Harry Potter and the Plumbing of Doom, by Darth Maligna. An excellently snarky MST of Chamber of Secrets.

Summary: Voldemort shows Harry his enormous snake.

SNAPE: "If I may say so, Headmaster? perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Various confused fangirls in the audience consult the patented Villain-Love Handbook, trying to figure out if this inexplicable change of attitude makes Snape more sexy or less sexy...

<gasping> So funny!

Well, despite distractions I've managed a page of chapter 28 but I do have this chapter planned out so it's just a matter of expanding on the points I've noted down, innit?
Heh. Riiight.
Anyway, only 6ish weeks 'til the end of term - better get a move on if I want to finish the first draft by then.

It was hot yesterday so I put a small bottle of frozen water in the piggle's cage. She sniffed it, licked it, gave it a tentative nibble then having discovered it wasn't edible, ignored it completely. The possibility that it could provide relief from the heat seemed to elude her, but then, she's a piggle of advancing years who wasn't that bright to begin with. <g> It might take a few attempts.

Yay! Finally got my turquoise star on eBay! Someone finally gave me that one piece of positive feedback needed to nudge me up to 100. It was from a recent win, too, not one of the older ones. Tch.

OkapiPrincess was in my dream the other day. I was browsing at a department store: there was an almighty crash as a big stack of lovely terracotta pots fell down, smashing all over the place. OP was standing nearby and I got the impression she was disappointed cos she'd been going to buy one of the pots...

I sat down for a couple of hours yesterday and worked on one of the quilts. It's been weeks since I've done that and it was very grounding. I really do need to exercise my creativity both mentally (writing) and physically (handcrafts). When I don't, my ability to cope with all the niggling little irritations diminishes quickly.
But, for the moment, Lutra is in balance again. : )

Nicked - in a round'about way - from Rakina:

You Are 30% Boyish and 70% Girlish

Even if you're not a girl, you're very feminine. You're in touch with your feelings, and your heart rules you. A bit of a emotional roller coaster, one moment you're up and the next you're down. But no matter what, you try to be as cute and perky as possible.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

You Are Somewhat Machiavellian

You're not going to mow over everyone to get ahead... But you're also powerful enough to make things happen for yourself. You understand how the world works, even when it's an ugly place. You just don't get ugly yourself - unless you have to!

How Machiavellian Are You?

<snerk> 'Somewhat' Machiavellian...

Heh, finished chapter 27. Made myself sniffle.

Good Omens.
<rolling around laughing> He lost the anti-christ!

I've just finished reading Gray Hawk's Lady, by Karen Kay. (Yes, it's a drivel but before I have to give anyone the Glare of Messy Death for sniggering, it was a sacrifice made for research, m'kay?)
It made me laugh, though I don't think that was deliberate. Let's start with the cover. If that guy's Amarindian then so am I. And I'm not, therefore... <shakes head>
You expect a certain amount of purple-tinged silliness in drivels but this bit just made me snigger.

"She swooned, arching her back and pressing her breasts to him in open invitation..."

Pardon? Unless her breasts are down near her stomach I'm not quite sure how this is sposed to work, especially as he's got his hands around her arse "...pulling her in closer." Unless it was just her upper back that was arching away? But if so, then perhaps the author should have been a little bit more specific? Eh, maybe I'm just being picky, but then there were other omissions, I found. 1832 - corsets were derigueur for women but aside from a mention about the heroine's 'uncomfortable' clothing as she's being dragged across the plains by her captor nothing is said about this essential item of clothing. Not even during the obligatory washing-in-the-river scene where she takes everything off, and everything is listed except for the corset. Just daft.
Eh well, it didn't take long to knock this book over, I spose that's one good thing about drivels.

Heh, well the cubs are back - tired and happy to be here, I think. They said they had fun, but they also mentioned in passing that they were teased. <sigh> But, they were happy to talk about the good stuff, and laugh about some of the bad stuff ("I only ate a little bit of my desert on the first night because... <dramatic pause>... it was fruit salad!" ) and they weren't traumatised by being away. On balance it was probably a good experience for them, even if they did get a little sunburnt. I'm glad they're home though, I missed them more than I thought I would. Wasn't so bad during the day, or at night, times when they're either at school or in bed, but the late afternoon and evenings were very odd.
Heh, but their clothes are washed and I have two small sea-snail shells beside my monitor - presents from my children. : )

It's been a disjointed few days for me. Without the daily structure needed to keep the cubs on track I became aimless very quickly. A foretaste, perhaps, of what it's going to be like when they stay regularly with their dad on the weekends? I'll probably be less distracted though, cos I know they'll be with someone who cares for them.
Didn't spend all my time sleeping or reading (HP smut) however - Penny and I had a fun day out on Thursday. We headed East, to the Dandenongs, stopping at a couple of op-shops on the way and having afternoon tea at the Patchwork Teahouse in Warburton.
Picked up some neat stuff from the op-shops, a bundle of material and several books including a Jo Verso cross-stitch book. Very pleased with that - her patterns are lovely and quick. Also picked up a book about the history of Australian Nurses, and another titled "Grammar for People Who Wouldn't Have to Worry About It If they Didn't Have Children." <g> Could be interesting. There was another book I almost didn't get but decided to pick it up anyway because, well... "Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity." Here's the blurb on the back:

The dwarf, the disfigured, the blind man, the homosexual, the ex-mental patient and the member of a racial or religious minority all share one decisive characteristic: they are all socially 'abnormal', and therefore in danger of being considered less than human. Whether ordinary people react by rejection, over-hearty acceptance or by plain embarrassment, their main concern is with such an individual's deviance, not with the whole of his personality.
Stigma is a study of situations where normal and abnormal meet, and of the ways in which a stigmatised person can shore up his precarious social and personal identity. Using extensive quotations from autobiographies and case studies... argues that stigma is intimately associated with stereotype, and that both are related to the unconscious expectations and norms which act as unseen arbiters in all social encounters.

Could be useful for research. The book was written in 1963 - I'm fascinated with 'old' medical etc: texts, they can be such an insight into a society's attitudes and mores.
Spent more money at the Patchwork Teahouse than I'd planned but <happy sigh> such lovely stuff! Penny had cooked chicken curry and rice for dinner then we settled in to watch Princess Mononoke on DVD. I'd not seen it before and I was very impressed. The backgrounds in Studio Ghibli works always look so deep, even if the human characters always look the same.

But anyway, it should be back to normal now, at least until the Summer holidays which are too close for comfort. Heh, I'd like to have the first draft of SFSG finished by then. Not far to go now - the penultimate story arc is winding up...

Oh dear, the guinea-pig's melted.
Not literally, obviously, but she was sprawled out along the base of her cage with the heat, poor thing. Eh well, it's supposed to be cooler tomorrow.

Tch. 11 p.m. The cubs should be asleep by now.
I do miss the little buggers.

Call me overly suspicious but the announcement today from Little Johnny about 'threats to Australia' seemed particularly well-timed. He's been pushing for legislation to protect us from the threat of terrorists but there's been some niggling opposition by moaning minnies bleating about 'civil rights' <insert sarcasm>. Golly, but now there's an actual threat - carefully unspecific as to origin, date, perpetrators - looks like he might get what he wants. >: (

Sorry, Joules, I had to eat the chocolate. It'd gone soft and you can't put chocolate in the 'fridge - it's sacrilegious or something, so Swiss-descended Niki tells me, and the Swiss are experts on chocolate after all so I have to believe her - but it was delicious, thank you. : )
I want some more now...

So - <checking the time> - the cubs should be at the campsite by now.
I don't know if I'm fretting as such but I'm not... content. The problem is, I think, they're away from me in an environment I have no control over. And I'm worried they won't use their sunscreen and get horribly burnt, or that I've forgotten to pack something vital. <sigh> They'll be fine, I'm sure. I should have more faith in the teachers going with them but... an adult:child ratio of 1:10? No, they'll be fine.
I don't think I'll be rattling around the house like an unquiet ghost but this will give me the opportunity to see just how aimless my life is without my children. <g> I'm sure I'll find ways to occupy myself.

Oh! And before we left this morning a parcel arrived. I was getting dressed so I let the cubs open it, warning them that it might not be all that interesting (I was expecting some embroidery thread I'd won on eBay.) It wasn't thread though, it was Yule cards and chocolates from Joules and Kai! Cubs were thrilled, it was a very nice start to their day. And I love my card - have I mentioned that holly is one of my favourite plants? As for the Guylian seashells... Mmmm... Astonishingly I haven't opened those yet - it's too hot to enjoy chocolate right now. I'll wait 'til evening when I'm at a loose end. Thanks, Joules!

It was a lovely quiet day at Niki's yesterday. Too hot to do much so we nibbled on sausages and fruit, and the pack crowded around the 'puter playing games while Niki, Soulsis and I chatted - and eventually - napped. Heh, forgot about the horse race until I got home. Not that I've ever been passionate about the event anyway, it's just a day-off as far as I'm concerned. : )

Bleurgh. It's hot again. And I'm going to start rambling if I'm not careful...

Because tomorrow is a public holiday lots of people also took today off, and they were all at my shopping centre, getting in my way! Slackers! <grumble> Why can't people walk in straight lines?

Eeep! We have two huntsmen in the house! One's in the lounge, which is fine, I can keep an eye on the beastie but the other's in the cubs' room! Ack. I told them not to worry cos it'll keep the mosquitos away. (Translation: I am not negotiating my way over the mountain of rubble in there, at night, to try and catch the stupid thing. I'll have a look tomorrow. Maybe I can chase it outside with a broom...)
I'm very carefully not thinking about how close that spider is to my room, though.

I've been trawling some excellent Snupin (Snape/Lupin) fic in the Chocolate Frog archives. It's well written and enjoyable even though there's a couple of plots I've found so far that are - to my mind - largely improbable.
Mmm, I do like Dom!Lupin though...

I was enthusing to Penny the other day that I'd found a place where I could buy rolls of polypropylene book covering. Yay! And then all I'd need was a database program and I could finally get on with cataloguing my collection...!
She looked at me and shook her head. "You really are a librarian, aren't you?" Hee! Give me half a chance...

I decided that, because I'll be taking 98% the kitchen stuff with me when the cubs and I move out, I'd be generous and help their father restock. To that end I've been looking in op shops for cheap crockery etc. Found some the other day, a nice, sensible (boring) pale grey dinner set - but what was more tempting was an even cheaper set of 'Country Garden' style crockery. It had ducks on it: kitschy 80's white ducks with blue bows... <big evil grin> The cubs' father will never know how close he came to having this <cough> quality, tasteful product gifted to him. I think he'd appreciate the joke, but no, better to keep him on-side.

And again I forgot to mention Soulsis' generosity - a handful of pink and purple neko bells (shiny!); a small fish wall-plaque mosaiced with bits of mirrors (more shiny!); and a cat's face dangly thing with marbles for eyes. <g> The sort of thing you hang in trees to keep the birds off your fruit. Thanks, Soulsis!

<sigh> It's supposed to be hot for the next couple of days - low 30's. I'm not anticipating that with any pleasure, but still, once this first flush of heat is over it'll mean I'll have less trouble adapting to the Summer temperatures later.

Heh, I think we're being kidnapped tomorrow and taken to Niki's for a Melbourne Cup Day get-together. Should be fun!

<sniffle> Just watched the last part of Casanova.
Now that's the sort of happy ending I love. I'm going to be sniffling for days...

I pandered to my inner 12 year old today. Schleich produces a wonderful range of realistic plastic models - animals, knights, smurfs <g> - and I've now got 4 of their horses on lay-by. I haven't really been a horsey-girl since I discovered pop-stars but the Schleich horses called to me. Meh, perhaps I'm hankering after a simpler time - I might pick them up and think "What the heck...?". If so, then I've got a niece who'd probly appreciate them. : )
But they are really lovely...

Gah, I'm fretting over the cubs' upcoming camp, not cos they're going to be away from me but cos they're going to be with people - kids - who don't have much respect for them. And the cubs can be oversensitive when they're wound up and tired. <sigh>
No, no - I'm only borrowing trouble, aren't I?
Gods, the preparation for it though! Everything has to be labeled, not to mention being found and cleaned ready for packing, or it has to be bought. I was trailing around the shopping centre, watching my money dwindle while the 'list of things needed' didn't seem to be getting any shorter. I think we have everything now, including runners (joggers) for the cubs which should be interesting cos they can't tie their shoe-laces by themselves yet. Not that I've made much effort to teach them - they always wear pull-on boots. So, guess what we'll be doing this weekend? Oh well, at least they can shower/clean themselves without help.
<huggle> Thank you, Soulsis, for the loan of the sleeping bags! The cubs love them - they've already tried them out. : )
I've organised with the cubs' father to drive us all into school on Wednesday, that'll stop us having to muck about with suitcases et al on the bus. Luckily Tuesday is a public holiday so I can spend the day stressing without being interrupted by having to take the cubs to and from school. Tch, is it any wonder I want to be 12 again?

Found this short comic on my favourite snarking site. So funny! Sparklypoos! <smirk>
It came from this site - check out the other comics, and the HP fan art. I'm still giggling over some of it.

Oh, this came from the same site...


Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Awww... I like Lupin

LOL! Just heard on the Lenny Henry show:

Did you know Sagittarius has git in it?

I know a couple of Sags. Tee hee hee

I am outraged and appalled!
The cubs and I went into a big chain store today to have a look at the toys, as is our wont. The cubs pressed the buttons on everything, as is their wont, and... Bob the Builder had an American accent! For the love of National pride, why? Wasn't the degradation of Winnie the Pooh enough?
Grrr...
Anyway...

The cubs are moving into the gruesome little boy stage. We were looking at flower buds on an agapanthus and it was noted that, fully closed, they looked like birds' heads. Then I'm gleefully told that, partially opened, it looks like the bird's vomiting, and, fully opened, look, the bird's exploded!
... riiiight...

Saw the most amazing cloud-formation this morning as I was coming home from dropping the cubs at school. There was a back-drop of slate-grey rain clouds and in front of them was a series of white cumulus clouds. Startlingly white when the sun hit them; absolutely beautiful! It stopped me in my tracks.
I like clouds. : )

Hn, it's that awkward time in fresh produce where the Winter fruits are out of season and so are more expensive but the Summer fruits aren't in yet to take up the slack. Oh well, at least the Lebanese cucumbers - my Summer staple - are half the price they were last week.

In my dream a couple of nights ago I was chatting/traveling/hiding from lions with a group of people. One of the women tossed me a large plastic spool and mentioned something about our time together in the fabric mill. I knew what she was saying was true but the memories were so far back, so distant, I couldn't recall them with any clarity.
I've never set foot in a factory except to tour it, not in this life at least. I'm not saying for sure it was a past-life echo, mostly because before I went to bed I was watching a documentary on the history of photography. The programme included a segment about photography being used to bring to light the terrible conditions mill and mine children worked under at the turn of the 20th century. An interesting dream though, even so.

By golly, chapter 26 is tripping along nicely. Should have that finished soon.

Okay, well I didn't have dreams about rampaging frozen mutant cockroaches, or their sea-going relatives, but I did dream I was a music teacher at a school of yoga. : ) I was asked to demonstrate my musical ability, which made me pause because, you know, I wasn't really a musician, but when I sat down at a dinky little student's piano I found my fingers knew what to do and I was able to fumble through a simple piece well enough to make people think I was just a little rusty. <g>
See? Another dream about pretending...

Yay! Finished chapter 25 and already 2 pages into 26. This is the second-last story arc; once that's concluded there'll be one more event then it's on to the final bit. Woohoo! Not only that I've actually plotted out some future bits so I won't be stumbling about trying to string things together when I get there.

Why are children still taught the times tables up to twelve (1x1 - 1x12)? No denying it's handy but we don't really use base 12 anymore. Is it just to keep the 12x12 reference grid on the back of exercise books neat and square? I think it would be better to have them learn up to x15 as standard.

After putting it off for weeks I finally got 'round to starting the repairs to the M cub's blankie. The first part was easy enough - patching the bald spot in the wadding, tacking down the loose bits of material - but when it came to trying to attach the new cover there was frustration, and language that made the cubs gasp. I've tacked the new covers on and while the shark material is nice and smooth, the green is going to be puckered. Ah well. The effort will still be appreciated, I'm sure.

I'm watching the first part of Casanova, with David Tennant in the lead role. I'm really enjoying it, it's wickedly funny in places and DT's very good but I'm still not sure I can see him as Dr Who.

Couple of quiz things nicked from Joules.

Hee.


You are Dea dubiosa, the Goddess Sue. All
the power of heaven and earth is at your
command, which doesn't stop you from throwing
tantrums, or explain why we've never heard of
you before.


What Species of Mary Sue Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Er...


Which Slytherin Mary Sue Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

And this one was contrived - I just wanted to see where all the Snape questions led.


Which Slytherin Mary Sue Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Truly, Joules and I do have some interesting conversations on ICQ.
To set the scene: I was querying a word I'd used in SFSG, wondering if it could be considered too Terran for the setting. Joules agreed but as it was very late, and she was very tired she couldn't think of a suitable substitute...

Joules: Nah - brain go 'bampf'. Ask me tomorrow?
Lutra: LOL It's bampfed to the bahamas?
???<blink>???
Actually, 'bampf' is what Nightcrawler does when he teleports.
That's what I mean. Your brain's bampfed away.
... ah... right - undertandee a bit maybe...
nope - no Bahamas...
Maldives, yes
Lucky thing, sunning itself on the sand, being mistaken for a jellyfish...
<growl> My brain does NOTNOTNOT look like a jellyfish....
<smirk>
<THWAP>
<yip!> All right, it doesn't look like a jellyfish!
Though I have seen some washed up on beaches here that are reminiscent of brains. If brains were see-through and smooth.
My brain is neither see through nor smooth. Nor does it exist in only the four usually Terranly discernible dimensions.
Now that I can believe! <nods> Tardis brain. Yes. It's the only way everything can fit
Quite! Insult it at your peril!
<sarcastic quiver>
<eyebrow of dooom>
<snicker> What's it going to do? Come and get me?
<incline head> You think it can't?
....
Oh thank you, now I'm going to have nightmares about being pursued by a brain that doesn't look like a jellyfish!
... I hesitate to ask, but you think brains generally look like jellyfish?
<patpat> Keep taking the tablets...
Well, no, but it was the only washed-up-on-the-beach sort of thing I could imagine a brain looking like...

Conversations like this aren't really atypical, either. <g>

I've got 99 positive feedbacks on eBay. Now if just one of the three sellers that 'owe' me feedback would get off their lazy arse I'll get to 100. Dammit, I want my next-coloured star! <pout>

Hm, a 'for-sale' sign's gone up on the house across the road. I'd been wondering what happened to the little old lady living there, haven't seen her or her gorgeous old pale-blue ford for weeks.

Heh, my umbrella is the best anti-rain talisman I could have. If on overcast days I step outside without my large and inconvenient-to-carry umbrella I'm bound to get wet. However, if I do carry it, the sun will come out.

Lessons I have learnt:
The creases in a crumpled linen shirt will mostly smooth themselves out after the garment's been worn for half an hour. While this still doesn't make it look like you've taken the effort to iron your shirt, it makes it a little less obvious that the shirt's been lying on the floor for a month and was only picked up that morning cos there was nothing else clean to wear. <cough>

Oh! I've seen Orli-squee calendars! Not many of them - it looks like they're selling quickly - but... I want one! He's so cute <squinch>, lolling about trying to look all sexy and sultry, just like a big boy! <smirk>

And, I've finally found a solution to something that's been intermittently bugging me for months - how to make a red blood-cell shaped cushion. Yes, I've worked out how to do it. I'll need to attach and stuff the inner cylinder of material to the outer covers first before sewing on the proportionately wider outer band. The difference between the inner and outer bands should, in theory, pull the material down into a concave on both sides.
Ah, I can see it now, a lounge-room full of giant red blood-cells...

Woke up from a very detailed dream yesterday. I was at a beach, where I learnt that the young surfers communicated their desire to go to a different beach by executing particular moves on the sand. ie: a back-flip meant one place, a jump and spin another. I thought this was an odd way of communicating with bus drivers, even foreign ones, but no, it was to tell the waves where you wanted to go. I couldn't help thinking this wasn't a particularly safe way to travel...
Later I appeared to be trailing around after a blonde woman as she told me about her life. She set up a drum-kit on a breakwall and played 'til the sun went down. Then we went to Niki's new house by the sea for a party and sleepover. (Niki always seems to be doing well in my dreams. I wonder why? Perhaps she represents success? Anyway...) The cubs' father was there as well, but that wasn't as important as trying to explain to someone that it was fine to kill an icky, black, poisonous spider but they had to leave the beautiful garden orb alone.
The next morning, in a cafe, the blonde woman had dyed her hair red and was pretending to be a journalist - she asked someone to give her some 'news' to talk about to help the deception - while I somehow had given someone the impression that I knew all about medieval basketball and so found myself on a court, in a tunic, wondering what the hell I was going to do...

And last night's dream was just as detailed but I can't remember much of it at all besides trying to take a shower, on a bed, while wearing a veil... Very odd, and frustrating.

Chapter 24's finished and I've started 25. I'm making it up as I go, it seems, detailing things that really should have been included near the beginning but as I didn't think of them until now... <shrug> That's what rewrites are for.
And, there's no help for it - I'm going to have to sit down and puzzle out boring but necessary things like comparative rotations and travel times between the planets.
I also need a reasonable substitute word for 'porn'. Hm.

I growl at the retail push to introduce Halloween into Australia but damn I love the jack'o'lantern lolly buckets. I have one now - I got it from a 'Free with every purchase over $10' offer. <g> It really doesn't take much to make me happy.

Heh, the cubs' father finally had his 2 dead cars towed away.
And I've successfully got my phone number transferred into my name. Tch, cost me $50 <grumble> - what a rip-off! - but at least now I only have my own bills to look after.

Finished reading the Regency House Party book. It was quite interesting, taking a more historical perspective of the event than the television narrative which focused more on the emotional journeys of the individual participants. I'd like to see the series again, I really enjoyed it. I got terribly involved with teh drama. <g> Not sure I'd want to live in the era but it was a deuced interesting time.

The cubs' school is changing its uniform policy. As of next year, official school uniforms will be compulsory, not simply recommended. This is really annoying cos the 'official' uniform items are 3 times the price of the generic garments I can get elsewhere. I'm not sure the reasoning behind the move but I think sometimes the school board forgets that even though we're in an affluent area, not all of the families have commensurate incomes.
Ah well. I spoke to the principal about it and she mentioned there's a government scheme to help low-income families cover the cost. Going to have to look into that, I think.

I had a spare half-hour today so I indulged myself and watched the first episode of Cyber-City Oedo, subtitled. I've only seen the dubbed version before and the difference is amazing. There's no swearing, for a start, and I think because the vocal track isn't stuffed with profanity the story is allowed more time. It made more sense this time, at any rate, and it was more... lyrical. The ending's quite different as well. The dubbed version gave the impression that Sengoku was about to do something naughty for personal revenge but in this version it's more along the lines of crusading within the confines of his 'job'. I quite like Sengoku in this version, he seems to be more noble, less of a yob - though he's still a smartarse. <g>
I prefer the opening theme in the dubbed version, though, but so far that's the only thing I prefer. I'll have to see how the other 2 episodes rate.

Caught by accident the other night, half of a program about the Thomas the Tank Engine phenomenon. <g> The cubs were thrilled - they got to see the actual models used in the tv series - but what I found interesting was listening to Rev. W. Awdry (the original writer) snark about the 'business people' writing his characters into entirely improbable situations! Gosh, that sounds familiar...
Missed the part about the Thomas movie - would've loved to hear what he had to say about that abomination.

Nicked from Joules:

Your Harry Potter Sue by Riven-008
Your name
Your Sue's First Name	Kitty
Middle Name(s)	Rachel
Last Name	Everleaf
Hair	"silvery waves"
Eyes	"ruby"
Other Distinguishing Marks	you don't need any
House	Ravenclaw
Love Interest	Severus Snape
Number of Sporks Required	101
Quiz created with MemeGen!

Tee hee hee. Snape.
Ravenclaw? Nah, I'm too lazy for that.
There's a very funny mini-saga about the meme over at The Zone. Check in the comments for Tuesday, October 18. : )

My hair is fine, thin and weak but I like the colour. It's a genuine tawny, honey-blonde, and it glimmers in the sunlight...

At the cubs' school this afternoon we had the official launch of the 'You Can Do It!' program - a program designed to help motivate/educate children about the benefits of self-confidence and a positive self-image. (Sounds naff but having flicked through some of the literature it's actually a well-structured and useful curriculum.) It took place in the quadrangle between the classrooms, something that bothered me a little as it meant that everyone was going to be outside in the strong sunshine for 2 hours, but more importantly there were no chairs for the visiting parents! Yes, I'm a wuss, anyway...
Parked myself on the steps of the staff room, in the shade, and sat back with some trepidation to watch the events. I say trepidation cos I've learnt to be wary of the words '... and each class will be making a presentation...' Other parents will know exactly what I mean.
It was more entertaining than I could've hoped. <g> Each class did have something to say or show but it was all mercifully short and to the point. I got a little distracted though. There's 5 basic tenets of the 'You Can Do It!' program - Organisation, Confidence, Resilience, persistence and Getting Along - and the phrase 'never give up' kept cropping up. Cos of the way my mind works I immediately followed it, to myself, with 'never surrender' - Never give up, never surrender! being the catch phrase from the sci-fi show in the movie Galaxy Quest. And thinking of that reminded me of the movie's other well-known phrase 'By Granthar's Hammer..., which is of course what Alan Rickman's character is famous for. And thinking about Dr Lazarus led me to thinking about Snape which set me off on a whole new mental tangent... <g> Ah, I can keep myself amused for hours if necessary.
A paraolympian, Don Elgin, gave a talk about his experiences - and showed off his prosthetic leg, much to the morbid interest of some - then the kinder were divided into 4 groups and given a chance to take it in turns learning 'circus' skills, to whit (to whoo!) Devil Sticks, hoola hoops, Poi, and Diablo. It looked like everyone had fun with the activities and tell you what, some of those little preppies could keep a hoop going for ages!
Once that was over with we were given a demonstration of acrobatic/gymnastic skills by a very limber, very strong and beautifully muscled young man called Sergei the Magnificent. That was fun! And amazing - the range of movement he was putting his spine through made me wince! It was an undeniably sensuous performance though: even if the silver trousers and bare chest weren't enough some of Sergei's movements could only be described as caressing. It felt a little odd, having naughty thoughts about the star of the show while surrounded by children going oooh, aaah! : )
The afternoon rounded off with the local Mayor presenting the principal with a cheque for lots of money so we can have a brand-new sports ground made once the new school is finished, and then inside for tea and biscuits to while away the few minutes before the bell went and I could take the cubs home...
I hadn't really wanted to come along to the afternoon but I'm glad I made the effort. Sometimes being a conscientious parent can be fun...

Seeing as this old-style blog template doesn't have info-panes, I thought that every now and again I'd post a list of links of interest.
Today, it's a few web comics. (Unless stated, the links take you to the first comic.)

Sink or Swim: OMG, the tiger's got a mullet!
I've only just discovered this anthropomorphic comic but the archives go back to 2001. The story is patchy but potentially interesting, and the artwork is good, evolving from b/w to colour. There's a lot of characters, and so far (early 2002) no smut. Not sure I'm interested enough in furries to keep reading but I'll see how I go. It updates 3 times a week.
(Oh, that link's not the first in the archive, by the way, just something that made me giggle.)

Dominic Deegan: Oracle for hire.
Joules introduced me to this one. Kinda fantasy, revolving around a seer and his family and friends and enemies. B/W with the occasional colour panel, it's a complex story laced with humour and some truly awful puns. There's a little implied nudity and rudeness but a lot more violence.
I got sucked in to the story, to the point of not writing anything for two days while I caught up with the comic. <g> It seems to be more or less het but there's a few bishies I'd love to see slashed.
Updates daily.

The Order of the Stick.
Another recent discovery. A stick-figure rendering of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, complete with a useless, clueless bard, a homicidal halfling, a gender-indeterminate elf mage and references to character classes and bonuses. So, so funny!
Not especially violent, and there's been one reference to Dwarf sex. <g> Updates 3 times a week.

Sublunary.
A perpetual yaoi favourite - I get withdrawal symptoms when it's normally reliable updating schedule is interrupted. I love the artwork in this comic though the story can drag at times and there's not enough smut! Well, not enough smut to satisfy me. When there is smut though, it's explicit and beautiful.
Updates 3 times a week.

Avalon
It's interesting what you can find following links. Manga influenced dark-future, supernatural, vampires etc. There's a fair amount in the archives but the updating is sporadic by the looks of it. Not a particularly novel storyline, unfortunately, or characters, and the artwork is variable at best but there are some gorgeous individual panels that are a real treat. And it's stuffed full of bishies.
Some m/m smut (weeee! slave-fic!) and a little violence. It hasn't updated since the middle of September but I'll look in on it every now and again.

And a last one for now...
Alien loves Predator.
This is another one Joules introduced me to. Take Alien and Predator action figures, photograph then photoshop them into a comic strip set in New York and let the hilarity begin. Bizarre and sarcastic but very, very funny.
Updates once a week normally, but as the author has just become the father of twins don't expect the updates to be as regular as before. <g>

Yes, well. So that's what I do with my time when I should be writing...

Might do a list of blogs next time I get the urge to share my interests.
<g> I spose, like 'fridges and bookshelves, link-lists can tell you a lot about someone.

Ack! The cubs are off to camp in a few weeks! Good god on a stick, where's the year going?
Heh, the cubs brought home notices today, asking if there were any parents wanting to come along as well. Hah! Not on your life! Yes, I'll miss the cubs for the couple of days they're not here but not enough to want to tag along with them. : ) Besides, it's bad enough being a responsible adult on a day trip with a mob of the little horrors, I don't think I could handle three days!
Soulsis, do you have a couple of sleeping bags we can borrow, please?

The Smart Bitches had me cackling today with a post about '15 things that only happen in Romances'. The post itself was very funny (5. Laudanum will soothe the pain of anything from a minor headache to six bullets in one's left buttcheek. And it tastes like crap warmed over, but the taste is easily masked by tea. Weak tea. <snerk>) but the comments are hysterical!
I love this site - I take notes on the offchance I ever feel motivated to write a Romance...

Hee. Joules is thinking about popping over here, with Kai, for a holiday in a year or so. I'm sure the cubs and I will be able to find plenty of things to keep you entertained while you're here. <g>
Better get on with moving into a house not afflicted with CHAOS - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.

I've had an interesting day. Sort of. I was supposed to meet someone at the cubs' school this morning so I could give them some training in the library software but unfortunately they'd had a bingle last night and couldn't make it. I elected to stay anyway and get some work done instead of having to come back later in the afternoon. Ended up staying for 3 hours but plodded through a fair amount of cataloguing, including some niggly 'kits' bits and pieces. It was lunchtime by then so I ambled off to the nearby shopping centre and got something to eat (a bacon burger from a Golden Arches of Doom competitor. Normally won't touch them but I've been craving one for a couple of weeks so, meh.)
Then I decided to tackle the banks and see about getting a loan. My own bank was the least helpful, where I was told my loan application would 'almost certainly' be rejected. Why? Cos I'm on a government pension (single parent) and that type of income, apparently, isn't guaranteed. Oh yes, because nowadays an actual job is guaranteed stability and security. <sarcasm> So anyway, grumped out of there to try a couple of other banks. The first suggested I apply for a credit card cos they didn't lend as little as I needed, and the second happily let me fill in the forms for a personal loan...
I should hear back from them both in a few days though I'm not going to be holding my breath. Not being a customer of the other two banks won't work in my favour.

But something positive did happen today. My phone is under the cubs' father's name, and both our numbers appear on the same bill. Not a problem when we were a couple but I've been getting leary about dealing with it now we're separated.
I suggested I get my number transferred into my name - this means we'll be billed separately - then he can give me a little less 'housekeeping' each week and be wholly responsible for his own bill. Works for me! Works for him too, so that's what we'll be doing. One small baby-step towards Lutra's emancipation. <g>

I was browsing an insurance broker's site to get an estimate on contents insurance. Got to the end of the form and - for security or something - was asked to type the word I saw in the box. The word was SNAPE.
<rolling around laughing> Joules says it's a sign, but of what neither of us are really sure...

Awww. Discovered the rather endearing cockroaches I occasionally find about the house are actually a native species. (Second image down) I'm in two minds now about putting them in the freezer when I catch them, but then, they're native to Queensland not Victoria. They probly arrived in a bunch of bananas, that's how most Queensland creepy crawlies get down here.
They freak the cubs out, however, so I probly shouldn't let them have the run of the house...

Time for some pink stuff. I deserve it.

I didn't want to move house unless I could do it a: without getting into debt; and b: without having to rely on the cubs' father to make ends meet. After beating my head against those unrealistic expectations for a year I've finally admitted they're not practical goals. Unless I'm willing to stay where I am for an indefinite period (I don't think so!) I will need to get a loan to cover the bond and first month's rent, but after poking around some of the banks' online loan-calculators I believe I can borrow enough without the repayments crippling me.
Of course, this is assuming it doesn't all go arse up cos a dodgy credit history means no one will give me a loan. Oh well, if that's the case I'll just have to gird my loins and get the money the hard way, by saving. (Though I know from experience it's too easy to splurge when you've been consistently down about things for a while. You just know having that DVD/book/cutesy bit of anime kitsch will make you feel better.)
But no, I'm not going to get myself in a tizz about it all just yet. One step at a time...

However, continuing on in the vein of finally getting things done - I've made a pair of trousers! As always it's taken the imminent failure of my last remaining pair to get me moving but, lo, I now have serviceable dark-lilac linen trews, with pockets. Not only that but I'm 3/4 of the way through a more fun pair, made from a hot pink/pale red indian cotton tablecloth Soulsis found in an op-shop. <g> Once they're finished I can then choose to make up the lime/purple stripes (with fringes! Also from Soulsis) or the self-coloured green stars xmas material I picked up on sale last year. And then of course I've got 4 sarongs to make into tops. Astonishingly, some of these trews/tops will even mix'n'match!
Most won't but when has that ever bothered me? : )

Oh yes, almost forgot. In my dream last night I was traveling to meet a secluded community of friends (essentially the Islandkateers group) who now lived underground in a big, very comfortable not-quite-bunker. There was a fortress-like quality to the place - thick doors, security, wariness - but I was welcomed there. As I was visiting what was a new area for me I decided that I'd like to go out and have a look around. I was appalled at how much the train fare to the 'city' cost, and I was still dithering over whether it was worth the expenditure of not when I woke up. <g> Interesting, eh?

Mmmm... cheesegasm...
Made myself some cauliflower cheese tonight using a blue vein that was bitey enough to begin with but had matured (ie: been forgotten in the 'fridge for two weeks) into something like a stilton.
Bestest cauliflower cheese I've ever had!

Odd sort of dream this morning. Can't remember the exact details but there was an 'evil' residing in an animal. I had to kill the critter but it took a long, long time cos the thing kept resurrecting itself. When it was finally dead, I realised it'd infected another animal and I had to go through the whole process again.
Interestingly, there was an oriental-style mysticism overlying everything that happened in the dream. It didn't feel odd at all.

Standing in line at the bank yesterday I saw a man who obviously worked out in a gym. His pectorals muscles were so big it looked like his nipples had been pushed half-way to his armpits. Oh yes, very attractive.

Ahah! If you wait long enough all that you desire will be discounted. <g> Picked up a half-price copy of the book from Regency House Party, a program I thoroughly enjoyed when it was shown here last year. Fascinating read...

Words of wisdom Joules saw somewhere:

'Give me ambiguity or give me something else.'

Heh, I could live my life by that.

Chapter 23's finished - 24's started. : )

Our Government's decision to allow 'sample' GM canola crops to be grown here has been controversial to say the least.
"There won't be any cross-contamination, don't be silly!" scoffed the chemical company behind the tinkering, "Those irresponsible Greenies are just being alarmist..."
Well guess what...? >: I
Some will argue that the amount of GM material found in some of the regular crops (less than 1%) is negligible but dammit, it's there now. Thank you so bloody much, you conniving bastards.
</pissed-off rant>

... I did plan on mentioning some other, lighter things but I'm too fecking annoyed now...

Except this. This was fun.
(nicked from The Zone :)




.:Neptune:.

"You are a very passionate person, however,
this passion often remains hidden below the
surface. You have a great deal of compassion
for others and are always willing to help those
in need. You have a great generosity, sometimes
so great that you neglect yourself while giving
to others. You also have a stubborn side,
though, which serves to protect you from being
taken advantage of by those you help."


. : : Which Astrological Planet are You? : : . [10 Gorgeous Pics!]
brought to you by Quizilla

It's not often I'm traumatised by soft toys.
I saw one today, a sitting black and white cow. It was nice and soft, inoffensive - but wait, what's this tan thing sticking out of it's bottom...?
Aaaargh!
I pulled the thing and out popped an effing lion! The lion and cow were joined in the middle! I'm not sure what was more disturbing, that a predator and prey had been forced into this unnatural arrangement or the fact you can hide one animal up the others' bottom!
From what sick mind did this spring?!

Walking with the cubs to school today I glanced up at the overcast sky. The underside of the clouds were rippled like waves and for a moment it was uncannily like being under water. <g> And then the wind moved and they were just clouds again.

At the cinema with the cubs last night watching 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (fabulous movie, have I mentioned? Lose yourself in the patterns... wow... Where was I? Oh yes...) Christopher Lee's character - Wilbur Wonka - came on screen and both the cubs twitched.
"That's Count Dooku!" came almost simultaneous gasps. <g> Heh, I think that was the highlight of the movie for them.

Chapter 23 is almost done and I've finally touched on one of the Events that signals the beginning of the last story arc. Hoorah! This is a real milestone - when I first started writing SFSG this point seemed so far away. <g>

Soulsis found these! Aren't they cute? I'd love one! A little cave on wheels.

Awww... KittenKong brought a friend home. Very pretty dark-silver tabby longhair - possibly a full or mixed maine coon judging by her tail and ruff. Friendly, too, and quite young, even though she was as big as my full-grown KK. She had a collar, was in good condition, and has been recently neutered, but damn, if she is an MC what the hell is her personal staff doing letting her wander about at night? That could be up to a thousand dollars worth of cat!
Such a cutie though! She didn't come inside but she was happy to sniff my fingers and smooch up to the window frame when I cooed at her. <g> Heh, and I think she's also the only cat that KK hasn't seen off the property. : )

<sigh> I have a finely tuned molehill-mountain skill - I'm very good at getting myself into a flap about things that are either out of my control or might not happen at all.
There's a house coming up for rent in our street, just a few doors up. It's only 2 bedrooms, and expensive (though an average price for the area) but in a lot of other respects it's ideal. However, I'm giving myself anxiety attacks over everything from moving expenses, to switching the utilities over, to keeping the rent up to date.
See what I mean? I haven't even looked at the place yet.
But no matter what I do, money is a priority consideration. I like this area but it's horribly expensive, especially if you're a low income family. I have choices - there's always choices. The cubs and I can move to a cheaper area though there's no guarantee it'll be somewhere I like (and by 'like' I mean 'feel safe'); we can stay in this area and scrape by, or we can stay right where we are, which actually isn't too bad financially even though I'm really not happy. So which would I prefer? To be emotionally or financially constrained?
Eh, I shouldn't fash. I know that if something's meant to happen the means will be found. But still, I fret...

There's been movement on the building site at school over the holidays, but not that much. The concrete slabs are down and the some of the wooden frames have gone up but it doesn't look like a lot of work for two weeks. True, the slabs are huge but the semi-detached house being built nearby made more progress than that during the same time. What can I say? Private versus government contractors?

Wonderful dream last night - one of my rare 'flying' ones. I was alternately in a car, on a bike, or self-propelled, and I was exploring some fairly rustic countryside including a rescued old brick/thatched roof barn that had been the studio of an eccentric 18th century artist. I had a look inside - it was empty, huge, and in desperate need of restoration but I was thinking of the possibilities in having such a space to work with.
Heh, I'm pretty sure I know what prompted that dream...

I've had a good morning. The cubs were up before me and they made themselves breakfast - highly unusual but very welcome on a school morning. Popped in to the supermarket on the way home and atypically checked my receipt. Found I'd been charged the full price for something that was on special so I got a full refund which meant the item was free. Bonus! And then I get home and find a parcel from Joules waiting for me! <bouncebounce>
Gorgeous little otter figurine and an otter postcard from Becky Falls in Dartmoor; usable scraps of the electric-blue organza recently utilized in the Taylor household, plus a big piece of pinky organza (that'd been in bratling's room, hadn't it?); a bizarrely cute dangle-charm from Littlesaru which makes me laugh every time I look at it (thanks, Littlesaru!); about a fortnight's worth of turkish delight flavoured hot chocolate (longer if I ration myself <g>) and two packets of Strawberry Angel Delight! <bouncebounce> Ah, I could smell it as soon as I opened the parcel. Mmmmm... mine, all mine. Mwahahahahahahah!
Thanks, Joules! <huggle>

I got another present the other day, too. The cubs' father regularly asks friends of his that are traveling to bring back snowdomes/snowglobes to feed my obsession for tourist tat. His calligraphy teacher went to Honkers last week but apparently she couldn't find any snowdomes as such (which is daft, seeing as aaaaaallll the snowdomes available in European countries are made in China) but she did find something else globish. A palm-sized glass sphere that's been hollowed out and then painted with tigers on the inside surface. Really pretty; it's sitting next to my monitor, in front of the window. The light shines through it and the picture glows. I can handle this sort of tat, as well. : )

I was very brave the other day. The young huntsman that'd been lurking on the wall for a few days was sitting on the side of my monitor! Erk! But, I managed to catch it in an empty Pringles tube then put it outside. Not sure if I'd have been able to do that if a: it'd been a full-grown spider, or b: the container had been see-through. <shudder>

The DVD of Kingdom of Heaven is mere days away from being released in Australia. I will get it, of course, must keep up my Orli-squee library of works.
And, yes, freezeframe! Now I can have a really good look at the costuming details.

I'm taking the cubs to see 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' tonight after school, but right now I'm going to put the kettle on and have a hot chocolate...

Tried something different for dinner tonight (for myself, the cubs had omelets) - a vegetables/left-over rice bake thingy. Layered rice, sliced tomatoes, zucchini, and garlic with a cheesy sauce then wacked the lot in a slowish oven for, oh, ages. Wasn't too bad though it could've done with more and sloppier sauce, and perhaps some herbs or something mixed in with the rice. And maybe a splash of white wine, too. I'll remember that for next time.

Sat down with the cubs this afternoon to watch the live-action Thunderbirds movie on telly. Aside from Parker, Lady Penelope, a gloriously understated The Hood (Ben Kingsley) and some nifty vehicle SPFX, this movie was just silly. I wasn't sure what the director (Jonathon Frakes) was trying to do with it. Kids' movie? Teen movie? Comedy? Action? It ended up a banal hodge-podge of all of those things with no real depth, but more disappointingly this was another movie that used Blurs' extremely cool 'Song 2' (the 'woo-hoo' song) in the promos but not in the movie itself. False advertising, I say. <pout>
But the cubs enjoyed it, laughing themselves silly at the goofy sound effects in the fight scenes. Heh, each to their own.

I did have a few hours to myself yesterday. I nipped up to the op-shop where I found this for only $2. I'm always happy to add to my collection of history books.
When I got home I took the opportunity to catch up on some definitely non-cub-friendly anime. I knew nothing about Technolyze before I bought the first volume but it caught my eye cos I like the 'Dark Future' genre. This was very dark, very graphic, very stylish. There was no dialogue in the first episode until ten minutes in and the prologues of the nascent stories were told in jagged snippets of intermingled action. If I hadn't read the blurb on the cover I might have had trouble working out what was happening!
Actually, no I wouldn't... I'm familiar enough with the genre to have been able to piece it together without too much trouble. : )
The animation is interesting, gritty, almost sepia in sections but realistic which is my preferred style. The stories have started slowly, which isn't such a bad thing. Instead of being confused with a bombardment of characters and plot the slow unfolding means I have a reasonable grasp of the politics of the worldframe, a solid base to build on. I'll pick up the second volume when I can afford it.
And lastly, I don't much like techno but the opening theme is brilliant! I'll be downloading that as soon as I can find it. <g>

Joules is right - I have to be more disciplined if I want to be a real writer. I'm too easily distracted, too easily discouraged. So, I have to make myself write something of SFSG every day, even if it's only a paragraph, even if I don't feel like writing anything, and despite distractions. <nods> I can do this.

Did you get home safely, Alarice? Was the puppy pleased to see you? <g>