One of the reasons I'm studying full-time is our previous government's attitude to single parents claiming financial assistance, that is, you are of no value unless you're a: working, b: looking for work, or c: studying with the intent to increase your chances of finding work.
Bastards.
Part of my 'contractual agreement', the premise upon which I can continue to receive a generous [snort] stipend, is that I have to study at least 30 hours a fortnight. Easily done, I'm clearing 40 most fortnights - and having fun with it - but, when I first signed the agreement I was told I couldn't accrue hours. 30 hours a fortnight was the target. End of discussion. This bothered me somewhat cos what do I do during holidays? Was I expected to go back to looking for work again? Or make up the hours with approved voluntary work?
Anyway, scurried off yesterday to the place of joy and happiness that is the Centrelink office to hand in the first load of documentation that proved I'd been keeping my end of the bargain for the past 3 months. The client officer I spoke to was lovely, camp as a jamboree, and very helpful. Apparently the hours are accrued, so I didn't need to worry about holidays, plus, and this was the kicker, I was only 8 hours off my six monthly target. [headdesk] I could, in theory, only go to classes for another week, then slack off for the rest of the time of the contract. Not that I'm going to, naturally, as I said, I'm having far too much fun...

It's Mother's Day this weekend. :) Unlike primary schools, high schools don't provide their students with the opportunity to shop for gifts. This is not a bad thing - the cubs have given me some very... interesting items over the years, bought from the MD stalls. :)
This year all I've asked for is Turkish delight, and I think the cubs' father was out yesterday getting it. Mwahahah.

Soulsis sent me this '50 things about you' thingy... :) Prepare to be completely unsurprised.


1. Do you like blue cheese? – Yeah!

2. Have you ever smoked heroin? – No, but I'm quite happy to eat the results. Oh wait. Heroin. I read that as herrings. Perhaps I should put my glasses on…?

3. Do you own a gun? - Pfft. No.

4. Wax or Shave your body parts? – What? That's got something to do with personal aesthetics, hasn't it?

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? - Nah.

6. Real or fake nails? – Real. Such as they are.

7. Favourite Christmas song? – Nothing. At. All. Unless perhaps it's from the Southpark Xmas special.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? - Mmm… tea…

9. Can you do push ups? – [eyebrow] To what end?

10. What's your favourite piece of jewellery? – On me, or someone else?

11. Favourite hobby? – Doing stuff! Yeah, like with my hands and stuff. And writing.

12. Do you have A.D.D.? – Advanced Dynamic Delirium? Absolutely.

13. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? – I hate nothing about myself.

14. Middle Name? - [rolls eyes] Jane.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. – sushi, homework, is the cubs' father going to be back sometime soon so I can borrow his car?

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. – tea, coffee, ginger cordial.

17. Current worry right now? – Will I have to take the bus to the gallery this afternoon? If so, can I be bothered convincing the cubs to come with me?

18. Current hate right now? – Hate is such a strong word, but I'd have to say I hate the fucking twats in government and industry who are trying to sell the idea that Nuclear Power is a clean, safe alternative. @##$%&!!! [incoherent with rage] Going to have a lie down now...

19. Favourite place to be? – in my head. Hours of fun.

20. How did you bring in the New Year? – In calico shopping bags. Piece by piece.

21. Like to go? - (Not sure about this one. Soulsis, was the 'Wee wee?' bit part of the question, or your answer? Either way my answer would be that there's nothing so overrated as a bad meal, or underrated as a good shit.)

22. Name three people who will complete this? – Chart, perhaps, cos I'll smile winsomely.

23. Do you own slippers? – Hell, yes! Just been given the coolest pair by Soulsis! Red felted Jester slippers!


24. What colour shirt are you wearing? - Green

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? – Not if they're polyester.

26. Can you whistle? – I'm not Roger Whittaker, but, yep.

27. Favourite colour? – To wear: green, purple, pink, some shades of blue. To look at: add orange and yellow to the list.

28. Would you be a pirate? – [wrinkles nose] Not a real one.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? – Having too much fun thinking to sing.

30. Favourite girl's name? - Ceinwein.

31. Favourite boy's name? - Toby.

32. What's in your pocket right now? - Astonishingly, I'm not wearing anything with pockets. If I was, there'd probly be a hanky.

33. Last thing that made you laugh?– Something my children said.

33. Best bed sheets as a kid? – Two sets! Purple and orange cotton flannel with huge sunny flowers. It was the 70's.

35. Do you love where you live? - In a broad sense - Australia - yes, in a narrow this-is-my-house sense, no.

36. How many TV's do you have in your house? – [blink] I have no idea. At least 2.

37. Who is your loudest friend? - Clothes or volume?

38. How many pets do you have? – 1 cat, and a myriad of characters who live in my head and tell me their stories in great length and detail. At least they don't cost anything to feed.

39. Does someone have a crush on you? – ... was this written by a 13 year old? No, the spelling's too good.

40. What is your favourite book? - I can't possibly answer that - there's too many! Most influential book, however, would be Seuss' The Lorax

41. What is your favourite candy lolly? – Hard jubes, Turkish delight, Darrell Lea jelly beans.

42. Favourite Sports Team? – What is this 'sport' of which you speak?

43. What were you doing 12 AM last night? - Does that mean Midnight? Why not just say 'midnight'? No need to confuse the issue with AMs and PMs. Sheesh.

44. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? - What a bizarre dream…

45. Worst habit? - Procrastinating.

46. Do you play an instrument? – [smirk] Er, no.

47. How long does it take you to get to work? – College in this case - 40 mins. Ish.

48. Plans for the weekend? – Computer, internet, homework, shopping, laundry, art gallery.

49. If you could eat anything in the world right this second? – Rare steak, with chips and fried mushrooms.

50. Do you like the person who sent this to you? - YES! [huggles]

Happy Birthday, Soulsis!

Feeling a bit pleased with myself. I got 95/100 for the pernickety Cataloguing test a couple of weeks ago. That's a Distinction, that is. :)
Interestingly, a few nights back I dreamt I was chosen for Student of the Year, which was a much better dream than the other ones I've been having about alienation - in various forms - that leave me exhausted on waking. Gah. And as for last night's subconcious foray into weirdarse...? A battle between (minor and blurred) Good and Evil, with Magical Girl transformations complete with lightshows and daft chanting. [blinkblink] Riiight...

The cubs' father is a nurse. In terms of on-the-job injuries from attacks Nurses are very high on the list and he's taken some pretty hefty wallops over the years. For the first time ever the family of an abusive patient has acknowledged the problem. He - and the other 2 nurses who copped the brunt - were given a box of chocolates and profuse apologies. [grin]

And now, a quiz thingy nicked from Undunoops.

Your Power Bird is a Vulture

You are always changing your life and the lives of those around you. You aren't afraid to move on from what holds you back. Energetic and powerful, you have a nearly unlimited capacity for success. You know how to "go with the flow" and take advantage of what is given to you.

What's Your Power Bird?

What? No flamingos? :)

Happy Birthday, Miss Raven! (from your slacker Aunt, who forgot.)

Hmmph. There were going to be pics with this post but I hate Photobucket so it'll have to wait...

Right! Wot's been 'appenin', then?

I got 32/33 on the computer test! [happy dance] All of our class passed, including the ones who were convinced they were going to fail. (There was one fail, but the teacher let her resit part of the test there and then, and she got enough extra points to scrape a pass! We like this teacher: we're giving him chocolates next week :)

I got another parcel from Joules! Eeeeee! I know have my very own copy of Prime Contact! Signed an' everything. [bounce] :) I've read the story a couple of times via computer, but it's very different - better! - having the book in your hand. [grin] And it's great to finally see the wonderful illustrations in situ!
There were other goodies in the parcel, too. Sachets - and a jar - of Turkish delight flavoured hot choc; a pair of dopey cow s/p shakers; woodgie wee Japanese bear; bear and penguin chocolates (yum!); a few scraps of really lovely material; orchid soap, and chai tea, which made everything smell great! Thanks, Joules, thrilled to bits with my booty!

It's ANZAC day today (day off, woohoo!). The cubs went with their father to the dawn service at the Shrine of Rememberance. I heard them get up around 4 a.m. Heh, they're a bit tired now, but firmly resisting the idea of a nap...

Well, that was a week that was.

Badger and Rocket came back from their school camp yesterday. They enjoyed it, they said, and they were asleep so fast last night it was startling. [grin] I can imagine there were many early bedtimes in the area last night...
It was very quiet while they were away. Very quiet. I won't say I was drifting around like a lonely ghost but I did miss the little beggars. Eh well, only having to get myself organised in the mornings meant I was getting to school nice and early. Which was just as well as I suffered through had three end-of-subject tests in two days.

My exaggerated woes. Listen to them.

No, I'm being melodramatic. It was fraught, but not that traumatic.
First test was in Computers, MSWord. A fairly easy unit, one might think. Well, yes, in some instances, but we, as a class, had concerns about this one. In a 9 week unit we've had three teachers, and until this latest teacher, who is patient and thorough (and has lovely brown eyes) no structure to the learning. Not so bad for me who has some experience - and confidence - poking about with Word, but a bloody disaster for the majority of the class who are computer illiterate and needed to be taken through step by step. For them, self-paced learning, ie: working through the practical exercises in the text book, didn't work. When we were given a practice sheet a week before the exam, that had examples of the sorts of stuff we were supposed to know, there was panic! Our teacher (did I mention his lovely brown eyes?) suggested that perhaps we could have an assignment rather than a test, which would help him gauge who needed what sort of help. After discussions with the IT coordinator, however, we were told that that wasn't an option but not to worry, cos if anyone failed they'd be given extra help in the wobbly areas then allowed a resit. [shrugs] That's standard policy, really, and I can understand why the IT bod didn't want to tilt the system, but the mood going in to the exam was bleak.
I consider myself fairly competent with Word, or at least have an idea where to look for things, but even so I took the full 90 minutes to do the exam. I managed to finish just about everything, and I'll probably pass, but not everyone felt so confident.
By comparison the test for Library Services Industry (same day as the computer fiasco), was a doddle. :) Wasn't able to complete one part of one question cos the website I was sposed to be looking at wouldn't cooperate, but I finished quickly enough and was able to leave early. Then I went home and had a nap. Hoo, boy, did I need it!
The next morning was the Cataloguing test. Meh, I wasn't too fussed about this one even though the subject is tricky and involved. I've almost certainly passed that, but as you can see, this was a brain-busy week. (Plus, got the Annotated Bibliography assignment back this week - the one I fretted over - and I got 100%! Dead chuffed, have to admit, I wasn't at all sure I knew what I was doing there. :)
Next week should be quieter - and there's a public holiday on Friday - so I can relax now...

Got a parcel from Joules! Two DVDs - Nathan Barley (satirical Brit comedy? Oh yeah!) and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. The latter I'm particularly interested in cos Joules has written some fic for it, and recommended I see the series before reading. [grin]. Will do!
Oooh, and there was also a CD of the radio interview Joules did for the release of Prime Contact! Thanks, GoodTwin! Plus, there was a wee coin, a Malta 1c. It's got a weasel on it! So kewt! And I can't think of any other country that has a weasel on its coinage. :)

A quick summing up.
Holidays were good - did well on my last test - cubs are off to camp next week.

Ok. Details...

So yes, the cubs are off to camp next week. Only for 3 days - ripped off! They're at high school now, I was expecting them to be gone for the whole week! All my high school camps went for a week...
The cubs' father and I - and the cubs - attended our first lot of parent-teacher interviews last week. Heh, funnily enough we were hearing exactly the same sorts of things we heard from their primary school teachers. They're more than capable of the work but they need to work faster, complete tasks, hand in homework. All the teachers we spoke to impressed on the cubs that they won't be getting second chances, particularly in the higher forms; if they don't complete a task/test, they fail. Badger and Rocket weren't happy to hear that, but I think they understand the importance of being organised. Pity they don't have sterling role models at home to emulate. And yes, I include myself in that.
But we did hear some good things, too. Both of the cubs are enthusiastic in class, and not afraid to ask questions, also, their English teacher was very impressed with their class presentations. She said that by the end of their talks even the girls were showing an interest in WH40K. [grin]

And so to my own school work. We're in the process of finishing up some classes and beginning others - consequently, tests. Had 2 last week, with another 2 coming up next week. The two up-coming are going to be tricky - I'm not looking forward to the Cataloguing one - but I got 93% on one of last week's. Be nice if I can keep up the +90% results.
One of our tutors, Kathy, made a chocolate cake for our last class! 'twas very yummy. She's a great teacher too. :)

The school holidays were very quiet, mostly because I had no free money until the last 3 days. Then the cubs and I spent a day at Puffing Billy, meeting up with Soulsis and the hordlings later so they could shower us with gifts (hee! I haz a flamingo finger puppet! And a Dalek easter egg!) The day after that we all trooped out to see a surprisingly engaging movie. That was fun! Oh, and Soulsis, Miss Raven and I investigated a garage sale nearby and I came back with a big new maneki neko! 30cm, with whiskers! And only $5! Nicely spotted, thank you, Soulsis. :)

We had some wild weather over the hols, too. Windy. Very windy. 'Hurricane speeds', apparently, gusting over the State. Trees down all over the place; a couple of people killed by buildings collapsing on them. My cable broadband, and the landline, were down for 4 days, but we were fortunate. Some other areas had no electricity for close to a week. Erk. I don't like high winds at the best of times and this lot just made me want to take refuge in a cave. Surprised we didn't lose more of the roof, or the fence, though. Just lucky, I guess.

Ah, crime fiction, I loves it, but haven't read anything much of the 'foundation' stuff - y'know Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle. I have however, finally got 'round to reading some Raymond Chandler, him being considered one of the icons on the genre.
It's very cool! Humourously dry, wonderfully descriptive, and written in 1st person, which I'm partial to - as evidenced by the 1 and 4/5 novels I've written in that style.

Here's a couple of examples.

"... It got quiet. There was loneliness and the smell of kelp and the smell of wild sage from the hills. A yellow window hung here and there, all by itself, like the last orange. Cars passed, spraying the pavement with cold white light, then growled off into the darkness again. Wisps of fog chased the stars down the sky."

(From Farewell, my lovely - Penguin, London - p.55)

And this bit, where Marlowe's just come to from being knocked unconscious.)

"... fall down and hit the ground with my face, The reason I hit it with my face, I got my chin scraped. That way I know it's scraped. No, I can't see it. I don't have to see it. It's my chin and I know whether it's scraped or not. Maybe you want to make something of it. Okey shut up and let me think..."

(as above, p. 59)

See? Funny. I giggled. :)

Ah, holidays, the perfect time to laze about watching DVDs. In this instance, seasons 1 & 2 of The Thin Blue Line.
The cubs and I really enjoyed this, lots of laughs, but oh, Mr Elton, you can't help the social commentary, can you? Not that that's a problem, dear me, no, it's great to see something funny that's got a bit of substance.

But these hols haven't just been spent watching DVDs, no indeed, I've been doing homework as well. I've 3 tests to look forward to in the first week back in term 2, so I've done some solid revising for those, and - finally - made a start on a couple of largish assignments.
I don't like assignments. Tests are fine - you revise, you do the paper, it's done - but assignments hang around and around for ages. Also, I'm finding it quite difficult to get my head in to the fact, rather than fiction space. Having to condense and paraphrase a huge wodge of information makes my brain hurt. As for keeping to the word limit? [throws hands up in disgust] 1000 words is not much space at all to describe the features of two libraries. Hmph.
Eh well, could be worse, I spose, I could be trying to fathom a less than fuzzy subject like Physics. Oh, that'd be a laugh, I'm sure. :)

Tch, the cubs asked me to stop dancing the other day. True, I was dancing in such a way as to produce maximum irritation but I'm still entitled to artistic expression, yes?
[smirk]
My poor boys...

And finally, I just have to say how much I detest the phrase 'light on fire'. You 'set fire to' something, or it's 'set alight'. Grrr.

o o
\ /
>-- --<
(     )


It's a crab!

Why a crab emoticon, you ask? Well...
Earlier today Joules showed me this lovely pic of a nebula from the Astronomy Picture of the Day site. I remarked that I could see a crab in the image, while Joules said she saw an Anglerfish.
All very interesting. Anyway, 'Crab Nebula' was ringing dim bells so I googled it, as you do, and found this on Wiki. We both thought - Joules and I - that that looked less like a crab than mine!
So yes, a crab emoticon was forthcoming from me.
What? You want logic? Pffft... :)

(Completely unrelated: [snerk] Cubs are off to camp in a couple of weeks. They're planning on recreating "The Parrot Sketch" for the 'talent' night...)

My suitcase compliments my flamingo!

Pretty!



Sur ma vacance! The story so far...

Not a lot to tell, actually. Cubs and I have just come back from spending the Easter weekend with my Mum - hence the pic of the suitcase. Mum picked us up from the train station on Saturday then we trundled off for a ride on the Healesville Trolley. Always fun.
On Sunday, Soulsis and her chicks came 'round for the day. Much chocolate was exchanged and consumed, as well as some of S's excellent biscuits!
After packing our suitcases on Monday we nipped out to the Patchwork Teahouse in Warburton for morning tea, and a browse of the fabrics. I saw some beautiful green batik - decorated with ivy, dragonflies and butterflies - but even on special it was too expensive so with many a regretful sigh I put it back. Next thing I know Mum's marching off to the counter, bolt of material in hand, and buying us some! We now have a metre each! Squee! (She justified it as being part of my birthday present, even though we're closer to her birthday now than mine. :)
On the way back from that we stopped in at a mega garage sale where I spent $5 and came away with armfuls of stuff that had to be squeezed into my luggage somehow. Mwahahaha Despite the fabulous array of stuff at brilliant prices I was restrained. Just think how much stuff I would've been able to bring home if I had a car...!

Last day of term I had an excursion to the State Library. Extremely cool place - I was all tingly!
It's big, too. A couple of years ago it took over the space the Museum used to occupy, plus it has an enormous off-site storage facility a couple of hours out of Melbourne. Wow.
My favourite bit was the Images department where they're digitising the squillions of images to put online. Photos and cataloguing? That's my idea of heaven! Where do I sign?

(Speaking of photos, and blatant self-promotion, here's my Flickr account...)

And finally...

Little did they realise that conventional weapons would be useless against the giant chocolate bilby...

There was a music DVD playing while the cubs, their father and I were dining at the Hog's Breath Cafe this evening. The not particularly interesting selection (Toni Basil, Cyndi Lauper, Culture Club, Bananarama, Rick Astley, for god's sake...!) prompted me to snark mildly about it being a collection of 'the least threatening songs of the 80's', with the companion volume of 'slightly edgy songs of the 80's'. :) However, I did almost snigger my coffee up through my nose when 'Angel in the Centrefold' came on...

Last night's episode of Life on Mars (which I've really taken a shine to this second season) had a Camberwick Greenesque beginning that made me giggle.
And lo and behold, the clip's up on YouTube.

Study results!
I got 100% for the other test I had last week, but only 94% for the Cataloguing assignment. Admittedly, I lost 1 point cos I didn't fully understand the question - the rest were lost to silly, careless mistakes. Still, not a bad result. :) (What would Little Miss Overconfident look like, I wonder?)

Egad, it's almost the end of first term!

I haz a flamingo!




Hee, this is Raoul, and yep, as I suspected, Mum is physically incapable of keeping a secret. I hedged a bit though, when she asked if I had any idea about what she was getting me. :)



I've just spent the long weekend at Mum's, without the cubs. Was verra niace. I napped a lot.

LOLOL I recently logged in to flickr and got this:
"OH HAI Lutra! Now you know how to greet people in Lolcat!"

And I got 40/40 for one of the tests last week. Yay!

[head->desk] When engaged in cataloguing tasks it is very important to a: know what you're doing, and b: know what you're doing.
I've just spent 5 minutes trying to find the authorised subject heading for 'man-eating animals' on the Library of Congress' site. Couldn't find a thing, no matter which angle I came at it from. ('man eating animals'? 'killer animals'? 'dangerous animals'? etc.) Not a sausage. [oo! I wonder what the authorised heading for 'sausage' is? Tch, later, you mental butterfly...] Anyway, so yes, couldn't puzzle it out. Then, giving up in disgust and moving on to the next word on the list to search, I o'erglanced 'man-eating' and discovered it was in fact 'meat-eating animals'. [rolls eyes] Oy bloody vey... (The subject heading for 'meat-eating animals', by the way, is carnivora.)

[grump] One of the cubs has had a hair cut and now I'm getting them confused.
Not that they're identical, or anything.

Cool! Harper Collins has got Neil Gaiman's American Gods up to read online! Only for the next couple of weeks, though. Even so... Flipping through the first few pages reminded me how good it is and that I must read it again.

[And the LOC authorised subject heading for 'sausage' is 'sausages', with a 'see also' note to look under 'animal products'. Well, there you go...]

Ooh!
I've just had a thought!
Computer projectors = slide shows!
I can subject an entire room of people to my photos without having to muck about with slide film!
Mwahahahaha!

... mind you, slide film does give beautiful results. Rich and deep...
... but then I'd need another SLR...
... but then again I've seen some lovely stuff done with digital SLRs.

Hm...
Need a digital SLR, obviously. I wonder if there's any place that will let me put one on layby for about a year? :)

So yes, the major assessment assignment for one of my subjects was to investigate my local library and then give a verbal report to the class. I put in a lot of work for the assignment, trawling the website for information and prowling around the place taking photos. I was organised, I really was, in my head and on paper but I was disappointed with the result.

Part of the problem was that I wasn't organised enough, or perhaps more correctly, I wasn't organised in the right way. Yes, I'd taken the time to get the photos ready, and collate the info and set it out logically but I hadn't actually given much thought to the talking. I'm not an effective public speaker - I know this, I get tangled, and I talk too fast, I don't breathe between sentences - and yet being aware of this I still more or less decided to wing it. [rolls eyes] My own fault, entirely.
On the very plus side, however, I worked out how to use a computer projector! I mean, they're dead simple, really - you just plug it in to the monitor slot - but having never touched one before I was justifiably pleased with myself. (The trick was you had to press the power button twice. Once to switch it on, and then again to activate the lamp.) Hee.
My tutor said I did very well, though, so the presentation can't have been too bad, and I've probably passed. :)

Heh, four weeks in to the 2 years (possibly 2.5 for an Advanced Diploma) and I'm already pretty sure where I'd like to go with this. I don't have much enthusiasm for customer service, no, what I like is searching, cataloguing, archiving. Thinking of this Course purely in library terms is limiting - what we're learning is information management. The principles can be applied all over the place! How cool would it be to work in a photo/film archive? Or somewhere like our State Library that has a huge collection of ephemera? I could (read: am already thinking about) branching out, later, into conservation and preservation - which could lead in to allll sorts of cool things! Weeee!
This would be in conjunction with the writing and publishing of my novels. Naturally. ^_^ ([grinning] I was bored in my 20's, I'm enthusiastic now - I'm going to be unstoppable in my 90's!)

Time for a couple of book reviews, methinks.

I'd like to say I'm making an effort to expand my literary horizons by actively seeking out and reading the sort of classic stuff that keeps appearing on 'My favourite/Most influential etc' booklists, but no, the 'right' books falling in to my hands is more serendipity than anything else. For example, I spotted Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray in an op shop, and as it was one of those things I've been meaning to read like, forever [valley girl head toss] I picked it up.

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[spoiler warnings, perhaps?]
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What an interesting little story. It was terribly coy about Dorian's 'evil' indulgences - except for the mentions of opium - and as for how he ruined all those women, and men...? Hmmm. My slash-heavy imagination was happy to fill in the blanks. I felt like smacking Henry, though. Self-indulgent git.
The abrupt ending threw me, I have to admit. Having vague memories of a couple of dodgy film versions I knew how it was going to end but still, I was expecting more of a debriefing. Though the abruptness did - and is still - keeping me happily occupied contemplating what might have happened next so perhaps that's not such a bad thing.

Next: Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls. (This one I spotted on a library shelf...)
It's trash, but it's historical trash. Not a favourite read - it bounced me between boredom and frustration. Boredom cos the 'plot' was very predictable and, omigod, het is sooo dull. As a seasoned purveyor of smut it really was quite tame though I could see why it was controversial in the '60's.
And frustration because narcissism and the consequent blaming of everybody else for your problems but yourself gets right up my nose. All right, yes, it was made abundantly clear in the text why this was happening (stress + drugs + being forced by the 'industry' to maintain an impossible ideal of youth and beauty ÷ fragile personalities) but even so... [grumble]
It was disappointing, too, cos the story started out with a promising feminist slant, but alas, all too soon it degenerated into, well, just another trash novel. I can see where Jackie Collins got her inspiration... :)

Coming up soon: My Class Presentation and How it Could've Been Better...

[grizzle] Three days in a row of above 30c temperatures and I'm in a bit of a mood. I know perfectly well that Summer won't be done with us 'til end of March at least but I allowed myself to be lulled by the several days of quite reasonable weather. [grump] Eh well, cool change tonight, apparently...

Eheheheheh. I think my mum's bought me a life-size plastic flamingo for my birthday! It seems the stroke she had a couple of years ago has left her physically incapable of keeping a secret. :)

I was at the Salvos the other day, just browsing, as you do, when something on a distant shelf caught my eye. It was green - a good start - and appeared to be an acrylic paperweight, one of the things I tend to collect. I almost dismissed it, however, cos it just contained a weird looking dog...




But then...
"I know that shape!" quoth I to myself. "Isn't that Jeff Koons' 'Puppy'?"

I scampered over and was delighted to find it was indeed representative of that piece of seminal... art, but even better - the paperweight was a souvenir from the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain!
So exciting! I so rarely see tatt of that quality!





I'm easily pleased. :)
Just wait 'til I work out if I can post somewhere a video of the glorious plastic chicken Soulsis gave me!

So, I've managed two whole weeks as a student. Still fun though I can already feel the slide in to 'routine'. :)

I'm enjoying myself and cos I have a little bit of background knowledge/previous study I'm feeling really smart. [smirk] My 'Literacy Skills' tutor complimented me on my searching skills. Dead chuffed, but I didn't want to tell how just how long I spend online chasing stuff up for fun, let alone what I do in the name of research or idle curiosity.
But, even though what I'm studying right now is familiar territory I'm still learning new things, which stops it getting boring, and stops me getting cocky. Little Miss Overconfident? Ooh, yes...

OhOhOh! Speaking of which found out some jolly useful things about the college's Library website! Alongside the catalogue record of an item is a 'Keep' tab. Click that and the computer stores the record for you (you have to be logged in for it to work). In the menu bar above the record is a 'Kept' tab. Click that and the record is emailed to you! Why is this a nifty thing? For building a bibliography! I won't have to keep written notes and I can c/p neatly from the screen - eee!

Had another early class on Wednesday (8am, gah) and the time until the break and my first cup of tea for the day was kind of weird. I'm easily distracted by shiny at the best of times but when I'm tired... The tutor's jacket was made of a subtly spangly gold-threaded pink/mauve check (actually much nicer than it sounds) and I repeatedly caught myself staring, entranced. [sheepish]

There hasn't been much homework so far but I've got [counting on fingers] 3 assignments to be getting on with. Not difficult tasks, just time intensive.
And there's an excursion next week! Down in to the city to have a look at a special sort of library! Cool!
Gods, I love this course... :)



Happy Chinese New Year, by the way. It's the year of the Rat, but for some inexplicable reason pineapples seemed to be part of the theme as well...

I've just been to see Sweeney Todd.
In a word: blood-soaked - and all right Mr Depp can only do one accent - but I certainly appreciated the movie. Enjoyed? Mm, no, but Mr Burton's awfully good at creating believable fantasy worlds, and the cast was fabulous! And I like musicals [shrug]. Someone mentioned somewhere Judge Turpin's trousers and now I quite understand the unholy fascination. Yerrss, indeed...
(The cubs' father has just asked me how closely it followed the original story. I had to say I didn't know. I first heard about Sweeney Todd when I was, oh, twelve, or something and like most horror stories it squicked me completely and I've mostly avoided it since then, but honestly, Mr Depp and Mr Rickman in one movie? Couldn't resist. Besides, in the journey from original to musical, things do tend to get buggered about. Even more so if The Holy Rodent Empire has a hand in it somehow. [glower] )

I seem to have survived my first week as a full-time student, though my brain's a little porridgey. (I was sposed to go and see ST last night but as I was falling asleep on the bus coming home I thought I probly needed the sleep more.) Friday was difficult - 5 hours of 'Use Cataloguing Tools' - but Wednesday was particularly tiresome. Classes started at 8am! Erk! I got there in time, and managed to stay awake but... Fortunately early start days also finish early. Just as well or I'd be useless.

And my weekend away was lovely - I even drank alcohol.
A leisurely seven hour road-trip with good long breaks in Camperdown (great op shop there!) and Port Fairy (soooo pretty! And another op shop, and a sweet shop. Mmm...)
True, the accommodation at Cape Bridgewater isn't the best but it is cheap and having the hall/kitchen for our use is wonderful for the social aspect. We cooked all our own lovely food, or rather, Pete cooked all the lovely food and everyone else helped with preparation and clean up.
On Saturday morning 4 of us went on an expedition into Portland to acquire the supplies we'd forgot to pick up the previous day (garlic and napkins, basically) and we found two more op shops! In the afternoon there was another expedition, in the opposite direction, to the petrified forest on the cliffs. Very cool. I'll get off my arse and get some pics up soonish. Probably. Homework, you know...
Niki and I came home on Sunday, very tired, to the sauna that is Melbourne in the Summer. It'd been lovely and fresh down on the coast. Eh well, that small inconvenience certainly didn't ruin the rest of a great weekend. :) Very glad I went. Thanks, Alarice for organising it!

... I really should take the xmas tree down. Leaving it up 'til the Australia Day weekend is just slack. :) Trouble is, this year it's tucked away in an inconspicuous corner, not out where everyone can trip over the damn thing. :)
Tch, and I'm fed up with my domestic arrangements, as is usual after the cubs and I have house-sat for Niki. Was even better this time cos Mum had lent me her car for the week, so I had the illusion of having my own house and my own car. [grits teeth] Eh well, not a lot I can do about it at the moment, my finances and the outrageously expensive rental market being what they are.

Cubs are back at school next week. Once again the holidays have zipped past. Of the suggested list of 'fun things' we've done about a third, not bad going. As for the 'holiday jobs'? Heh, that one thing I did right at the beginning remains the only thing ticked. Oops. Really should make myself some new trews though...

And now, a meme. Forget who I nicked it from. Oh yes, undunoops

1. You have 10 dollars and need to buy snacks at a gas petrol station:

Coffee flavoured milk. I'd probly have to use the rest for petrol.

2. If you were reincarnated as a sea creature, what would you want to be?

Mermaid!

3. Last book you read?

'Hornet's Nest' - Patricia Cornell (Cornwell?). Currently reading 'Two for the Lions' - Lindsey Davis, a Marcus Didius Falco thriller.

4. Describe the last time you were injured?

... can't remember. Um, slicing my thumb open 2 decades ago while preparing dinner? No, there must be something more recent. Ah, pulling a muscle in bed - I was just stretching, honest. Oh, I know, doing my ankle at the snow. My own fault, wearing the wrong shoes...

5. Of all your LJ friends, who would you want to be stuck in a well with?

[blink] I wouldn't want to be stuck in a well.

6. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone? If you don't have a phone what would it be if you did have one?

Varies, but it's always a pic taken with my camera phone. Currently it's this:


Previously, it was this:



7. If you could only use one form of transportation what would it be?

Magic carpet!

8. Most recent movie you have watched in the theatre?

'The Waterhorse'. Wasn't bad, but David Morrissey as an upper-class Brit threw me for a moment.

9. Name an actor/actress/singer you have the hots for:

Jared Leto. Oh, Hephaistion... Boys in eyeliner. Mmm...

10. What's your favorite kind of cake?

Proper, heavy fruitcake. With marzipan and icing!

11. Look to your left, what do you see?

Are we talking the 90 degree arc between head-on and over-the-shoulder? Purple sparkly lamp; red flocked Buddha money box; 'puter stack, stacked with books; cat tree; cat igloo; window.

12. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

Laces?

13. Favorite toy as a child?

My plastic horses. I made them stables out of cardboard, and tack out of brown vinyl. I drew plans for landscaped dioramas they could roam.

14. Do you think people talk about you behind your back?

Yes. But only when I'm paranoid. The rest of the time I don't give a shit.

15. Do you like running long distances?

What is this 'running' of which you speak?

15. Have you ever eaten snow?

Probably, when I were a wee lass in England. Heck, I remember eating dirt so snow wouldn't have been a stretch.

16. What color are the sheets on your bed?

Blue. But only cos I can't find violent pink, purple or orange in 100% cotton.

17. What is the first television theme song that pops in your head?

Dr Who.

18. Do people consider you smart?

Only if they know me.

19. How many piercings do you have?

One.

20. What is your favorite salad dressing?

Either good quality olive oil and/or vinegar, or something indulgent like a blue-cheese dressing.

Golly. Wasn't that interesting? :)

I really should listen to my intuition. The other day I found myself thinking that perhaps I should make sure there's candles and matches handy. Two days later there was a blackout - while I was online - that killed my modem. [grump] ...Not that having the candles accessible would've stopped my modem from frying, however.
(I'm online and posting due to Niki's good graces. The cubs and I are house-sitting for a few days, and yay, she's got internet!)




... but in a nice way... :)

[giggling] Skittycat has done a Mills&Boon style illustration for one of my Snupins. Should I warn for cross-dressing...?