The cubs handle sickness in different ways. One will just lie there quietly, while the other will - loudly - tell me how sick he's feeling. This is the same cub who flung himself face down onto the couch in the busy lounge room and declared he 'wanted to be left alone'. <g>
Yes, they're both still home. The cub who got sick first will probly be able to go back to school tomorrow - the other cub may have to have another day at home. Am I getting much of anything done? No.
We did watch Flash Gordon though. First time the cubs have seen it and they had a ball. I'd forgotten how cheesy it was, but damn good fun. Some of those costumes are intriguing, and Flash/Barin? Poor Dale, she'll never know the truth... <smirk> Ah, she's better off with Aura anyway. Especially once she admits to her BDSM kink. Hee.

Cubs have been playing Cluedo, but not as its makers intended. They're using the house-plan on the board as a battlefield, chasing each other all over the place - roll the dice! Apparently the characters can buy weapons (knife, rope, lead pipe etc:) and use them to inflict damage. I wasn't listening too closely to the rules - it sounded... complicated. >g>

Joules! Crystal Power has turned up in a bookclub catalogue here!

And finally the Snupin's been posted! Hoorah!

Rated R, cos it's a bit rude (but not overly so.)

Lord Rakehell
(Link goes to the archive page where I'm currently top of the list.)

Thank you, Joules, for the beta!

My local library has a small but intersting range of DVDs. I picked up Fritz Lang's 'M' (1931). Even with the overstated performances common to the era (and let's face it, Peter Lorre was never subtle) this is a superb bit of cinema, chilling and powerful.
Lang is described as an 'innovative' director and there's plenty of evidence of that here in one of his first 'talkies'. He plays with camera angles - to great comic effect at times - and deftly swings between the different story threads, allowing them to contrast and highlight each other. Below the suspense there's a sympathetic, wry sort of humour. This humanising humour is absent in the nasty bits though, which just makes them that little bit more skin-crawling, even though the violence is only implied, never seen. (Heh and that's a pet peeve. The introduction of the 'gore fest' in movies - that loss of subtlety - in my opinion has done more to lessen the artform of cinema in recent years than anything else. Except perhaps Star Wars, but that's another rant.)
Yes, so, 'M'. Bloody marvellous!

Both the cubs stayed home on Friday - one was actually sick, and the other insisted that he wanted to look after his brother. <g> If I was being conscientious I should have made the healthy cub go to school but honestly, I couldn't be arsed. It's been a long term, with a few weeks left yet, and we're all tired.
They'll probly be home again on Monday. The sick cub still has a nasty cough, and the healthy cub is now complaining about a sore throat. Of course, that's not stopping either of them playing on the Xbox, but they've both been getting to sleep earlier. Something that only happens when they're unwell...

So, using as a template an earlier fic Joules had coded for me, I coded the Snupin I'd just finished. 25 pages - couple of hours - no problem. Except when I went looking for the file later I could only find the first incomplete and buggy version. Voluble swearing ensued; no idea why the blasted thing hadn't saved properly.
So, I coded it again - another couple of hours. When I'd done I whapped it over to Joules to check. Everything looked fine, so I sent the file over to Master and the Wolf. All sorted, everything fine - except the site mod emailed me back to say he'd fixed a couple of coding glitches, glitches that I knew were only in the first version.
Checked the link - more swearing - yes, my 'puter had apparently reverted to the original file. Again. I don't think my gremlins are technically minded, I can see them both staring as dumbfounded as me! None of us know what's going on...
Fortunately this time the html version was intact so I've sent that over instead. I've asked the mod to check it first before posting, just to be on the safe side.
Tch. Did I simply not save the file correctly? Was the goat the wrong colour? Sheesh. <grump>

Tch, been very difficult to shift the cubs these past few mornings. Not that I blame them, it's been jolly cold.

<smirk> Saw this on someone's icon the other day:
"One thing fanfiction has taught me is that everything is a hot bed of madsex."
Oh, how true...

Ah, and I forgot to mention that the 'fashion parade' at the Japan Festival on Sunday also included a young Japanese man hamming it up in very bad drag. Hee.

Hm, The Breakers is the second Minette Walters novel I've read and again, while I've enjoyed her skill in building the story I found the denoument rushed and unconvincing. Third time lucky? I'll try another one and see how that goes.

A few mornings ago, as I was walking back to the bus after dropping the cubs off at school, I noticed that the scenery - for want of a better word - had the same pinky, lilac haziness that I've seen in some old European paintings. It was caused, probably, by the morning's thick mist being almost dispersed by the sun, but to actually see that effect, to know it's real, was oddly thrilling.
There was a time - long ago, thankfully - when I thought there was nothing left that could surprise or move me. I'm continually grateful to be proved wrong. <g>

And finally: I wrote a angsty Snupin drabble today. Really ought to get 'round to getting my lj ready for posting stuff...

Awww. KittenKong will leave the warmth of the fire to come and sit on me. It must be love...

Yay! Finished the Snupin! And at 24 pages I think that's the longest bit of fan fic I've ever written. Excepting, perhaps, some of those mammoth chapters I contributed to Joules' AC. But anyway, reasonably pleased with it.

The cubs and I went with their Dad on Sunday to the annual Japan Festival in Box Hill; our third year in a row. Blimey, where to start? Ah yes, the Trader's Hall. Lots of stalls, lots of lovely stuff. The cubs bought themselves some toys; I didn't get myself another vinyl figurine of an uber-perky bishojo as I have in previous years. There were several there but none that I really wanted. Instead I bought a book of Hiroshige prints postcards. Just gorgeous!
Next, the cubs and I trooped over to the adjoining building for the flea market and activities. One of the cubs spotted a huge gourd melon and proclaimed it was the biggest pear he'd ever seen! I don't think he believed me when I said it was something like a pumpkin. The stall-holders all thought he was very cute, though. <g>. We found the origami room and I was made a purple frog and a pink boat.
In another room were model trains! Much to the cubs delight. N gauge models of Japanese trains. So woodgie and wee!
Food! We didn't tackle the food hall cos the crush of people was frightening, but there were some traders inside the main building so I got myself some pickled fish sushi ('kin' yum!) and some herb and red bean paste daifuku. There was lots and lots of other foodstuffs to choose from and with an unlimited budget I could've quite easily eaten myself into a stupor. We couldn't see any fairy-floss this year, not that that bothered me. Keeping an eye on two young boys is hard enough without sugar being a factor.
We had an hour or so to wait for the cubs' father's 'performance' so we wandered over to the hall to see if we could get seats. Unfortunately the place was packed but I managed to find one seat at the edge and the cubs sat on the floor beside me - when they weren't down the front of the hall, peering over the stage etc. We arrived just at the beginning of 'youth' section and, I must be getting old, but I was floundering for understanding in places. Two bands performed, a local amateur (I think) and a Japanese professional. Didn't catch the name of either. The local band was of the grungy persuasion and wasn't too bad, what I could hear despite the dodgy sound-system. The Japanese band made me giggle. Four thin and angular young men with spikey hair. Cute, if you like that sort of thing. I gathered they were somewhat known here; they had fans in the audience who knew their songs and squealed enthusiastically throughout the performance. Now, while the bands took it in turns to play, projected behind them was a bizarre multi-media display incorporating modern and traditional symbols of Japan. Plus, we were treated to a sort of fashion show of - I presume - currently popular street wear in Japan. And then, in the middle of all this two girls in school uniforms did an energetic dance to Tatu's "All the things she said". <blink> Which was... interesting.
Overall, that section was loud but entertaining. The next part of the programme was listed as 'Live Calligraphy'. Didn't sound especially dynamic, but it was. 3 people stretched a looong piece of calico out across the stage and, to the accompaniment of a few drums, the artist scribed something that covered the material from end to end - in about five minutes. Then he tore the cloth in half, scrunching up a piece to make a double fistful of impromptu brush. He dipped the lot in a bowl of ink and used it to complete his next piece on four big boards at the back of the stage. Very cool!
And then at last the cubs' father was there introducing his naginata group and talking the audience through the display. Cubs were thrilled.
I needed a break after that so I nipped out for some fresh air and the loo. Got back in time to see 'Action Dance' a Japanese dance group that incorporated martial arts in the moves. ...Right. Athletic people leaping about the stage looking fierce and brandishing (plastic, I have it on good authority) weapons at each other. And then Mr Shiny Purple Pants entered the fray with Mr Shiny Silver pants. An epic battle ensued with nearly everyone dying. Hong Kong cinema, live on stage, without the fountaining blood. It appears I have completely lost all capacity to take dance seriously. <g>
The programme wound to an end. The raffle prizes were drawn and then... the drums! The drums always make everything worthwhile. <happy sigh> They're the main reason I go to the festival. That and the food... :)

It's always nice to know your children are actually listening to your random outbursts what you say. One of the cubs was watching telly when an ad for a 'revolutionary' banish-the-blemishes skin-care product was shown. He said - in a 'Sheesh, are you stupid?' tone of voice - 'You don't need that! Eat more fruit; drink more water and don't smoke!'
<fuge grin> So proud...

A couple of the grades at school have incubated chicken eggs recently. The chicks are awfully cute! And free to good homes, as well. I was very tempted but resisted the wee bundles of yellow fluff cos I have a: a cat, and b: nowhere to keep a chicken. One day, perhaps, when I've got my biodynamic garden.

Erk. School photos tomorrow. Still haven't managed to get any of the <cough> required logo'd uniforms so the cubs'll just have to trot up in their cheaparse supermarket stuff. Eh well, it's all clean and I really don't care anymore.

The Snupin is almost finished! Woohoo! Should be up at Master and the Wolf well before the deadline.
And speaking of fanfic; GoodTwin has recently revamped the Prosfanfic archive. I was having a browse through my stuff there and, dagnabbit, for all that it's some of the first fic I wrote it's not that bad. My favourite is still "Heartless Bodie", followed closely by "668: The Neighbour of the Beast". Hm, you know, for a DoyleDoll I wrote an awful lot of Bodie-centric stories.

I think I may be in trouble. Over the recent man-on-a-stick celebrations there were scrummy Lindor eggs available and I indulged whenever I could afford them. I mourned their inevitable removal from the shelves but they've turned up in the lolly clearance shops at less than half-price. I can afford twice as much!
Oh dear... : )

Yes, as the previous - bright yellow - entry proclaims (thanks, Joules!), it was Mother's Day here in the Antipodes.
I didn't get breakfast in bed but as my stomach doesn't wake up for an hour or so after I do, that wasn't something to lament. The cubs had some gifts waiting for me in the lounge room: two frog-shaped plastic back massagers and a copy of the Goblet of Fire DVD. Woohoo! <g>
I didn't immediately turf the cubs off the xbox so I could watch it, however, I had other plans. I got myself organised and out of the house just after 8 a.m. (that's just masochistic on a weekend) so I could get down to the Camberwell Antiques Market nice and early. The place is huge but I was only there for an hour cos I didn't need to peruse every stall. Was lots of fun though, wandering about in the drizzle. : ) I picked up some little odds and sods but my best find was one of those Japanese split-curtain thingies decorated with maneki neko! So cool!
This afternoon the cubs and I sat down to watch GoF. It definitely does lose something on the small screen but is still entertaining. Had a poke around in the extra features but wasn't overwhelmed. Most of the additional scenes were of the Golden Trio, with only one extra featuring Snape on Chaperone duty at the Yule Ball. <eg> That made me giggle; the 'great bat' gleefully swooping down on canoodling teenagers.
Oh, and there was the full version of 'Do the Hippogriff' which was also amusing...

So, that was my Mother's Day. Not the worst I've experienced by any means. : )

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Blimey, it's Friday already? Sheesh. And Mum told me today there's only 5 weeks 'til the next school holidays. That threw me. This term is very, very long - cos of the Commonwealth Games - but there I was thinking there was, oh, at least 8 weeks to go.
I am unprepared for the middle of the year...

I've been adding to my collection of Alan Rickman movies.
Found this one recently - An Awfully Big Adventure - nice and cheap. I vaguely remembered seeing a promo for it years and years ago and while I remembered that Hugh Grant was in the cast it hadn't twigged that Mr Rickman was as well. Naturally when I discovered that I leapt upon it and cackling, bore it home clutched to my bosom.
Damn there are times I love British Cinema. This isn't a comfortable movie, or a comedy, though there were some wonderful moments of wry humour. Ultimately it was quite sad and a little confronting. The cast is understated but strong, with Mr Grant playing a thoroughly unlikeable bastard. The highlight, naturally, was Mr Rickman. I don't think I've ever seen him in a sex scene... <wibble>
There's a lot going on in this movie despite the gentle pace. It's all there, however, in the character asides and banter. Wonderful stuff. Very glad I've got a copy that's mine, all mine, that I can peruse at my leisure. Mwahahahah.

Aaaand I'm about 2/3rds of the way through the rewrite. I think I'm pleased...

Soulsis et al came 'round for a visit yesterday. The cubs were very happy to see their cousins and the sprogs all more or less played happily together all afternoon. Soulsis brought me some presents! A beautifully tacky devilled-egg set (chicken-shaped dish with egg-shaped depressions and matching chicken-shaped salt/pepper shakers) and a very pretty Wedgewood sandwich plate! (That link's just to show an example of the plate, by the way.) She also brought a big batch of fresh Anzac biccies, and let me use her car to do some shopping. <g> Thanks!
And then Niki showed up bearing chocolate cake! Then she amused herself hacking a path through the vegetation obscuring the path to the front door - something I've kind of thought about perhaps getting 'round to one day. Hee, I have the best friends.

There's a Latin translation of Philosopher's Stone - how cool is that?
Was there a Klingon version as well? Or did I imagine that? Hm...

I took a week off to play with a Snupin. It's not quite finished yet - I estimate it's about 2/3 through - but 12 pages isn't too shabby. But, it's back to SFSG now, during the day at least.

I borrowed an Eddie Izzard DVD from the library. Laugh? Oh gods, yes! I really enjoy his stuff. In this show he was talking about poking stoics with sticks, and drawing comparisons between cows and dancers, and how he subscribes to the Chaos theory cos what else explains why seals are so good with balls when they're not part of their natural environment. What would happen if you gave banjos to tigers...? <g> I've been giggling for days...

Oops. Been a while...

Heh, well, the SFSG rewrite's ground to a halt cos I'm having too much fun with a Snupin at the moment. I'll get back to it soonish though...

Today was one of those days when I'm very glad I don't drive. There'd been an accident in the city in the morning which closed the nearby freeway. Consequently all the roads that fed into that freeway - including the one my bus tootles along - were stupidly slow. Fortunately the cubs and I managed to get the early bus this morning, but even that was 15 mins late. We still got to school before the bell rang so it wasn't too bad, I suppose.
I was almost late picking the cubs up this afternoon cos the traffic was still chaotic and the bus had to take a looong detour to avoid standing still for half an hour. Fortunately this sort of thing doesn't happen very often.

Some of the phishing mails are quite funny.
This one came yesterday:

Due to last days hack attacks to our database we decided to review
our customers account information to prevent security problems . If you could take 3-5 minutes out of your online experience to verify your account status , you will not run into any further problems .

<snigger> My online experience?
And today's phish had this at the top, well before the 'official' content:

Â? a week after she brought those oogy sundaes? boyish bowl "He said.

The riding mower was a small tractor-like vehicle meant for keeping larger-than-average lawns neat and clipped. Just remember, a little pain and it will be over. I hope she will be tried again on one of the other counts. His dreams were confused and unpleasant. What's that? It was summer vacation, his father working, his mother gone to spend the day in Boston with Mrs Kaspbrak from across the street. If I start out on the bike at first light, I might even be able to make it back before noon. countenance

Riiight. Are they even trying?

We've been having some lovely Autumn mornings recently. Nice and crisp, clear blue sky and no frost yet. I like this time of year.

<happy sigh> I watched Velvet Goldmine today, first time in months. I forget how much I love that movie. The interactions and tangled histories of the main characters still fascinate me.

Thank you, Sue! If I hadn't read your blog I wouldn't have picked up 'Forests of the Heart' by Charles de Lint. Wow, fabulous book, fabulous author. The story started slowly because there was so many characters to introduce, but once the pace picked up and the individual threads began to flow and twine I couldn't put it down. Fortunately the library has a lot of his work for me to ferret out and pounce on. Forget the Anita Blake series, this stuff is far more engaging!

I let the cubs watch the 'South Park Movie'. I admit I was a little concerned cos the language is... extreme's too extreme a description, but it is pretty full-on. I warned the cubs beforehand but they still wanted to see it, so...
<g> They enjoyed it, so much so they've watched it 3 times now. Fortunately perhaps a lot of the humour and concepts are zipping way above their heads (I'm waiting for them to ask me what a clitoris is) but they're having a good time cracking up at the slapstick. I've forbidden them to sing the <ahem> Terrance & Phillip song at school cos that will completely ruin my reputation as a responsible parent. : )

"Every Breath You Take" really is a malevolent song.
I miss The Police sometimes. They produced some incredible music and were an excellent live band.

'kay, I'm definitely past the half-way mark in the rewrite now but damn it's been a battle at times. Not that there's terribly much to tweak but when I'm in the midst of a <hand to forehead> this is clunky and puerile and no one will ever want to read it!! crisis of confidence I sometimes find myself wondering if it wouldn't be easier to start again with something new. I'm not going to, of course, because I'm lazy but stubborn, and I'm not going to waste over a year's worth of effort (plus the time Joules has put in beta'ing for me). I just have to remind myself sometimes that I can and will see this through to the end. After all, I finished the initial draft of the story, what's harder than that? <g>

The cubs really enjoy The Order of the Stick but they miss a lot of the D&D based jokes. They've responded enthusiastically to their dad's suggestion that he run a campaign for them and I said I'd join in. It could be fun - the cubs' father is an excellent game-master - but I have to admit that role-playing just doesn't hold the appeal it once did. Eh well, should be interesting to see how the cubs cope with the somewhat restrictive rules: "No. You can't have that mega-twega death-dealing spell until you're nth level..." <g>

I saw in a documentary sometime ago that wolves (and dogs/foxes as well, I assume) can in some instances help their sense of smell by snorting out puffs of air through their noses. This apparently boosts the scent particles into the air so they can be snuffled up easier. Guess what - it works! I've been trying it with very faint smells and it does give a stronger trace. I've had some odd looks though; it's not everyday you see someone with something pressed right up against their nose, snuffling and snorting with a look of intense concentration... <smirk>

Speaking of dogs... I borrowed an Akira Kurosawa DVD from the library: "Nora inu (Stray Dog)" [1949]. I knew Samurai flicks weren't really my thing but I was curious to see how the Japanese handled a Film-noir, one of my favourite genres.
Bloody marvelous! <bounce> This may be one I end up buying. The story starts simply but gains layers of complexity as it progresses. Seeing the depiction of a post-war, post-occupation Japan was intriguing, especially the sometimes uncomfortable blending of East/West culture. Stylistically the film is wonderful with some breathtakingly elegant cinematography and staging that spoke volumes about Japanese artistic sensibility.
...Yes, the more I think about it the more decided I am to have my own copy. This definitely bears repeated watching.

And still on the subject of Japanese cinema - I picked up a copy of Dianna Wynne Jones' "Howl's Moving Castle" cos I thought it might give me some insight into some fuzzy bits of the movie. All I can say though is that the movie - gorgeous as it is - bears little resemblance to the book. They're both great, but ultimately not comparable. I haven't quite finished the book but I have to say that I got a little excited about it. Part-way through it took a left-turn which transformed it from an enjoyable but not particularly gripping story into something truly magical. There's quite a list of the author's other works - I'm going to see what else of hers my library has...

Curriculum day, today - tacked on to the Easter long-weekend; woohoo! - so the cubs and I went to see Ice Age 2. Fun movie, pure fluff, but entertaining. Scrat, as usual, was a highlight.
So, yes, the movie was okay, butbutbut... <squee!boing> posters advertising PotC 2: Dead Man's Chest. Biiiig posters... MmmmOrli-squee... Something to look forward to an' all. <g>

And speaking of Johnny Depp (there is a link) I finally got to see From Hell. It's another Jack the Ripper movie, not something I generally go out of my way to see, but I thought this version was t'riffic - and sad. True, historically, it's bollocks but Depp produced an interesting take on Insp. Abberline and the plot made more sense than some 'recreations' I've seen.

Moving right along to more historical bollocks...
No, that's a bit harsh, though "Nights at the circus" was certainly a confounding read. It became more fun, however, once I stopped waiting for it to make sense and just went along for the ride. Not sure what else to say about it, really, except that for the life of me I can't imagine how it was made into a stageplay!

Cubs and I spent a few days at Mum's for Easter. We ambled off to Alexandra for a day at the steam tram railway. It's been over a year since we were there and it was good to note the improvements to the site/displays. Soulsis and her chicks popped 'round on Monday morning for a few hours. Soulsis - bless her - had made a huge tin full of biscuits; they didn't last long. <g>
It was a nice, relaxed weekend and astonishingly I came home without any material. A couple of books, true, but no material. Egad, what's the world coming to...? <sigh>

I've been watching a series on ABC, Little by Little, a documentary about the development of the Dusty Springfield musical. Hee, well, last night I dreamt I was part of the cast, in a 'small but pivotal role' except I hadn't had any rehearsals, I didn't know where my costume was or what my cues were. Funnily enough I was more annoyed than anxious cos I knew I'd be able to wing it with minimal direction but still a little bit more organisation on the part of management would have avoided all the aggravation. <g>
Today I picked up a copy of DS's greatest hits cos I thought if I was going to be in the stageshow I'd better know the songs...

<giggling> It's fun listening to the cubs playing combat games on the Xbox - they swear like (19th century) troopers. "Take that, you bugger!" "Aaargh, no! Oh my gosh!" Is it any wonder they're uncomfortable with actual swearing?

And I've picked my challenge for the 6th wave of the Snape/Lupin Fuh-Q-Fest. : ) It's not due 'til the end of July - if I'm quick enough I might be able to slide a second fic in as well...

Eurgh. Don't like cheap Easter chocolate - it's gritty. <shudder> But some of the wrappers are so pretty. It's not a complete waste, though, I get the wrappers while the cubs will happily eat the crap.
(Awww. The S cub's just produced some 'wrapper art' of his own. He's fashioned a small human suffering from yellow fever [gold wrapper] covered by a blanket [red wrapper]... I knew the Horrible History/Science series would be beneficial. : )

<g> Following Joules enthusing about the Nights at the Circus stage play (March 31 on her blog) I hunted down a copy of Angela Carter's novel at my library. Interesting, very interesting, even though I'm having to read it in increments - the Victorian setting is... off-putting. Pfft, 'off-putting', hell, it makes me hiss! But anyway, I'm intrigued to see where it goes. Is Fevvers a hoax or not?

One book I've had no trouble reading though, is Circus of the Damned, the third in the Anita Blake: vampire arse-kicker series. I'm not sure why I'm reading these, to be honest. Crime fiction is my equivalent of brain-candy Romantic drivel but I don't like horror at all and this series is kind of a fusion of the three genres. One out of three shouldn't be enough to keep me reading, but I'm intending to finish the series even though the conclusion of Circus felt like a cop-out. Eh, perhaps I'm a literary masochist, or just stubborn. Actually, no, it's probly laziness. The books are easy to read, they don't tax my brain and they keep me distracted while waiting for/traveling on buses. I'll read the fourth anyway and then see how I feel.

Sometimes I like discomfiting my children, if not shocking them outright.
I treated myself to a copy of Spiderbait's video clip compilation DVD; and one of my favourite tracks is a subtle little number called Fucken Awesome. <smirk> One cub has to leave the room when it's playing, he just can't cope with the language... but I really like this track, it's fast and boppy and unlike the majority of other songs that are riddled with profanity, it's happy, not angry. No matter, there's other tracks the cubs do enjoy and will watch over and over again. I'm slowing making inroads into expanding their musical tolerance...

This would have to be my favouritist line in a fan fic ever:
"Severus had taken to a magic-less life like a trout to international finance..."
<rolling around laughing> It's a quote from an excellent and very funny snarry, 'Fourth Year' by Calligraphy. There's an awful lot of good HP fanfic out there, more than I ever would have suspected. I've been having such fun! <g>

Almost half-way through the rewrite now, as well, all thanks to Joules for the betas. : )

Monster trucks. I just don't get it. <scratching head> Is it... is it like grotesquely huge breast implants? Repulsive yet you can't take your eyes off them cos they're so weird?

I'm reading through Jane Austen's Guide to Dating (Lauren Henderson; 2005). The author has compiled a list of 10 dating 'principles' that constantly pop up in Austen's stories. The author says that after consulting (having foisted on her) dating 'manuals' and advice that not only needlessly complicated the process of finding a mate but turned everything into adversarial powerplay, she found herself turning back to Austen's simple, common-sense notions of over a century ago - back to a time when divorce wasn't an option so one had to be more selective in one's choices. : )
It's amusing, though some of the sweeping generalisations make my lip curl, and Henderson very deftly uses examples from the novels to illustrate the principles as well as modern-day anecdotes from her friends and family to demonstrate how it all works in real-life.
Amusing an' all as it is I can't see myself using the advice with any regularity though. I'm not likely to 'date' anymore, but you never know, I might meet someone nice in the retirement village to hold hands with after a suitable amount of time strolling about the elegantly manicured gardens. One wouldn't want to appear too forward, would one? <g>
(And on a side note: I keep meaning to read something of Austen's. I've seen a few of the dramatisations and loved those but the prose is harder to decipher than Dickens. Admittedly, the only attempt I made on one of the novels was when I was pregnant and therefore only had half a brain, but still, it'd be easier now, surely?)

Joules has finished Band 3, another of her Alternate Oedo stories, and it's fabulous! Had me cackling aloud in places, and I definitely want "I'd rather be eaten alive by weasels..." (© to Joules, of course) on a t-shirt! Says it all, really. <snerk>

I joyfully perform The Dance of the Returning Vegetables! Brussel sprouts and asparagus are coming back into season! : )

Had some good wee bits of luck today. The supermarket had finally got 'round to restocking the organic coffee I like, but that wasn't the lucky bit. There was no price on the shelf - though I know it generally retails for around $8 - neither did the item register at the, um, register. After standing around for a couple of minutes trying to get a response from the front desk, the cashier eventually shrugged his shoulders and put the coffee through for $1. Bonus! And there was some more luck after school. On our way home the cubs generally indulge in a daily taste test at Trampoline Ice Cream. Earlier this week one of the lovely staff gave them both a small cup of ice cream for free. Very sweet of her, I thought, but tonight when we stopped in to buy the cubs' weekly cone's worth of numminess, she gave me a free cup as well! Lychee and Lime sorbet... <swoonthud> Just delicious. Needless to say, under these circumstances, the cubs and I are happy to continue our patronage.

Got to see "Howl's Moving Castle", at last. The artwork was beautiful of course (bishiebishiebishie!), but the story left me wondering if I'd missed something. It made sense in an overall sort of way but the detail was patchy in places. Admittedly I was watching the dubbed version - and we all know how true-to-the-original those are, especially for something that's going into general release - but it smacked of squishing and pushing things around to suit a more 'Western' viewpoint. <scowl> Why can't they just translate the bloody things as they are? There's no need for all this... tinkering...
I'll watch the subbed version sometime, see if I can glean any more sense from that.

I'm about a third of a way through the SFSG rewrite - which sounds more impressive than it actually is. Or perhaps I'm just frowning at my dithering again. Though it seems to be getting easier.
Once again big [huggles] to Joules for her invaluable help betaing. <g>

I see that the Goblet of Fire DVD is finally on sale here. <pout> Can't afford it yet, oh well.
I'm reading Order of the Phoenix though (for only the second time - it's much better on a reread) and I can't help envisioning Dan Radcliffe's inevitable chewing of the scenery. Attractive poppet but really not the best of actors. Ah well, bless; I'm sure he does his best.

Hee, so yes, Penny and I went to the Closing Ceremony. It was fun, though the evening had a bit of a rocky start, a slight communications mishap. Penny thought I'd invited her daughter as well, though in fact I only had 2 tickets. Likely my fault, I was too excited to be coherent, I suspect. <g> Anyway, not really a problem as it transpires, the cubs' father was happy to look after Sarah as well. And because I'm slightly obsessive about ensuring there's plenty of time to get somewhere, Penny and I still made it to the MCG early enough to have a leisurely picnic and a look around before finding our seats.
And there was a pleasant surprise! Free tickets - I thought we'd probly be up with the gods... Not at all! 12 rows from the front, almost directly underneath the VIP box! Impressed? Oh yes...
I don't like being in amongst a mass of people but a happy, boppy audience of 80,000 is vastly different to your xmas shopping crowd. There was a great, communal vibe that only got stronger as the evening progressed. The remodeled MCG is a good venue, too. It's well organised and sign-posted and there's toilets everywhere. Very important. I went there years and years ago and I remember it was a bloody long trek to the loo!
The Scared Weird Little Guys were the warm-up act and they were extremely good, very funny. They sang some of their own stuff ('Old MacDonald had a farm' to the tune of 'Teen Spirit' <snerk> ) and taught us some simple choreography and lyrics for later in the program. The highlights for me though were the arena-wide, co-ordinated camera flash (so bright!), the mexican wave camera flash, and the world's largest ping-pong match. <g> The audience in the Southern Stand vs. the audience in the Northern stand batting an imaginary ball between us. There is nothing quite like 40,000 people gleefully bellowing 'POP' when it's their turn to 'volley'.

The main program began with some footy practice. The lads jogged around for a bit then did some hand-passing and kicking while the mascots and cheer squads cavorted on the sidelines... Yerrss, I rolled my eyes at that, then snickered aloud when the boys were joined by ballerinas in football team coloured tutus. In the Opening Ceremony we had a flying tram, in the Closing Ceremony there was a giant football hoisted aloft. <sigh> But things only got better from there on in.
The music was great - Ben Lee, Bodyrockers, Paul Kelley, John Farnham, amongst others - and the fireworks were spectacular. Unfortunately, at times there was so much going on with all the dance groups it was easy to miss details of what was happening. The big screens were very handy for some of it, showing those of us not able to see the arena floor in its entirety, how the performers spelled out 'I [heart] M', and a fuge representation of Dame Edna's glasses. <g> That was the bit Soulsis was in - 1000 purple wigged Edna's waving LED lit gladioli. I spotted Soulsis amongst the masses, too, thanks to the big fake flower she was wearing.
D'oh, almost forgot to mention the Bollywood performance, which was wonderfully sparkly and bouncy. Lots and lots of well-drilled and enthusiastic dancers doing their thing while a parade of giant Indian Icon thingies paraded around the edge of the circle. : ) marvelous! I think it'd be so cool to go to the Opening Ceremony in New Delhi in 2010.

The evening had to end though, so after the performances and congratulatory speeches the MCG slowly emptied out. There were so many people it was slow going making our way back to the railway station, and the train we squeezed into was horribly overcrowded, but for all that everyone was good-willed and helpful and there were no problems.
It was a great night, all told, and made me wish I'd made more of an effort to actually go to the Games.
Thanks for the tickets, Soulsis!
<g> And thank you for the Edna glasses...

Weee! I'm going to the Closing Ceremony! Soulsis - as one of the artistes - got tickets! <excited> Why am I excited? Cos in the closing ceremony the host country for the next games puts on a little show and the next host country is India! <big eyes> I wonder if there'll be elephants...?

I read 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' for the first time in decades. Very interesting to see how it compares to the films. For instance, there's moralising conflict in the first movie that wasn't in the book. That was taken out of the second movie but another type of moralising conflict was added instead. Also, single sentences in the book became entire scenes in the first movie but were again whisked away in the second. The children are given Nationalities in the first movie but not mentioned in the book, and Willy Wonka is a whole lot weirder and subtly wrong in the second movie than either previous incarnation (though the Gene Wilder's version is definitely more comic).
I can see why the squirrels were replaced with geese in the first movie (much harder to animate) but I'm glad they were back in the second movie - so cute! I noticed that a few of the changes made in the first movie were carried over to the second but on the whole the second movie is much closer to the original book, despite the addition of back-story. <g>
I really, really like that movie. Soulsis leant us her copy of the DVD and if it hadn't been for the cubs nattering at me while I was watching I would've sunk as deeply into it then as at the cinema.
Patterns, patterns, patterns! Can't help wondering what it's like in Tim Burton's mind if that's how his internal visions translate to the screen. Wow. And I definitely want a copy of the soundtrack; that just gets better with listening.

I thought I caught a mouse the other day. I thought I was very clever. That was until I went to release the wee beastie outside only to find it had somehow sidled out from inside the cardboard tube despite both ends being - I assumed - adequately covered. Hmph. Tricksy things, mice.

KittenKong is getting used to Soulsis' dog, at last. Instead of running away and hiding under the neighbour's house the past couple of visits she's grimly, stubbornly, stayed inside. And she's held her ground when confronted with an exuberant puppy, even though said puppy just can't seem to tell the difference between a happy, playful cat and a pissed off, touch me and you die cat. <g> Her language chip needs updating, obviously.

Well, here's a couple of bits from the meme that I managed to miss:

Five things I'd never wear again.

Black. I realise now it makes me look jaundiced, not deep.
Grey. A dreary colour that brings me down, man.
Beige. <shudder>
Polyester. Gah, I hate that stuff!
Leg warmers. I used to wear them legitimately, when I was dancing, but no, never again.

Five favourite toys.
Tee hee hee.
That I'm willing to mention: Computer. Snowdomes. Slidey pens. Poi. Material.
And some toys that I look forward to playing with (ie; when I get them) : digital camera. Lap-top 'puter. A proper CD player. Interesting bed. New house.


<sigh> Back when I was writing the first draft of SFSG there were a number of places/plot things I skimmed over with the intention of getting back to them 'later'. Well, 'later' is 'now' and my blitheness has come back to bite me on the arse. Still, I'm working through the rewrite considerably faster than the first draft.