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.

Soulsis was out on one of her supa sekrit excursions today, and it being the holidays, I looked after her boys. Well, I say 'I looked after them' but that's not strictly true. I looked in on them and the cubs occasionally, put food down in front of them a few times, but for the most part they didn't need much looking after at all. 4 boys can share an Xbox quite happily for several hours...

I finished Ritual of Proof - didn't take long. Okay, I've read worse drivels, but I've also read much, much better sci-fi. I think this was proposing to be some sort of amalgam but it's essentially a Regency Romance. It was set on another planet, true, and the gender stereotypes were reversed but it still had all the characteristics of a bodice ripper including the 'Top Slice' of society; dashing about the countryside in dramatic storms; and the gently-reared children (boys in this case) of well-connected families being sought and fought over.
It was... all right. The plot was as contrived and thread-bare as I'd expected and there was some mystical shit later on that made me roll my eyes, but it wasn't as self-harm inducing as other drivels I've had the misfortune to delve into.
I don't know that I'd recommend it but if you like that sort of thing... <shrug>

The SFSG rewrite is hardly powering along but it's getting done. I have to keep reading backwards and forwards to confirm details, which ultimately isn't a bad thing - it's quite an interesting story, if I say so myself. : )

An interesting meme that Joules nicked from somewhere:

What was I doing ten years ago?

Freaking out that omigod I'm a mother, and, and I've got to look after these little humans and god-on-a-stick they need so much more effort than a cat...! (<g> I'm perfectly serious - I didn't take to motherhood like a duck to water, no, it was more like a duck to liquid bitumen.)

What was I doing one year ago?

Much the same as I'm doing now: writing, ignoring the housework, marveling at how much my children have grown, grumbling about my living conditions but not actually making much effort to move.

Five snacks I couldn't live without.
Um...
Tea. Tea is a food group all on it's own.
Cheese. I can go for months without chocolate but deprive me of cheese for any length of time and I get nasty.
Sugar. Hi, my name is Lutra and I'm a sugar-addict...
Chocolate Swiss roll. A special treat, really, but sometimes I've just got to have some. It's Bodie's fault.
Sushi. Oh yes, I could happily snack on sushi until I make myself sick. Haven't managed to do that yet but everyone's got to have a dream.

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics.
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen. (and a tip from Soulsis: this is a brilliant song to focus on if you've got something else cycling over and over in your head cos it's got a definite beginning, middle and end.)
Singing in the Rain - (tappity tappity tappity splash!).
Go with the Flow - Queens of the Stoneage.
Wonderwall - Oasis.
King Henry - Steeleye Span. This is a wonderfully lusty song to sing at the top of your voice when you've a few ciders under your belt. It's even better if there's twenty of you.

Five things I'd do if I was a millionaire.
Just a millionaire? Not a multi-millionaire? In which case I'd buy a house for the cubs and I, and furnish it; get a house for my mum if she wanted; ditto soulsis; give money to sundry charities and friends while having enough left over to guarantee an income for a couple of years and go on a t'riffic holiday to the UK.

Five things I like doing.
Writing. Eating. Sleeping. Reading. Thinking about writing.

Interesting, ne?

And finally, some fanfic snerking.
"... lathed a nipple into hardness..."
<blink> Bwahahahahahahah! Ouchies! I've seen lathes, I know what they can do...

Condoleeza Rice. It struck me tonight while watching a news item about her that bunny ears wouldn't look out of place...

The only picture of the flying tram that I could find. The accompanying article's not bad either, but not as good (snarky) as this one. <snicker> (Oh, so that's what the duck was about? Ah, that makes a smidge more sense now.)
I did enjoy parts of the Opening Ceremony though, basically the parts where I wasn't cackling, or cringing, or just staring, bemused and saying: wtf?
There was some world-class waffling from the presenters and at first glance I swore the Welsh athletes were naked! They weren't, alas, it was their beige uniforms that confuddled my eyes.
The fireworks looked deuced impressive though. Melbourne was awash in cordite last night. Very festive, I'm sure...

Hee, yes, I had fun with my mum. We went op-shopping, and patchwork shopping. I came back with loads of material I don't need for my stash and some very pretty Chinese tea cups I found - 4 for $2. I also found a lovely handmade ceramic bowl for only $1.50. The glaze is essentially sand-coloured, not something I normally look at twice, but it's got a beautiful shape. It'll make a very nice serving bowl.
Mum bought me an electric kettle for my birthday (as I requested) and I bought the cubs new electric toothbrushes. Neat ones, too; the holders look like mechs. Cubs were pleased. : )
Not sure that I'm all that happy to be home but I'm certainly glad to be back in my own bed. My mum's couch is hell on my back. <g>

Niki leant me Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. What a fabulous story! I laughed, I was infuriated, I was squicked. Going to get my own copy, I think. Definitely worth a reread.
As a special 'treat' I got myself a copy of a recommended Drivel, Dara Joy's Ritual of Proof. I haven't been game to open it yet, not immediately after Anansi Boys at any rate. I want to savour the afterglow of that a wee while longer before I bludgeon my sensibilities with Romance, even recommended Romance. : )

A quote I heard on the telly while at my mum's:
"A crooked cop: a friend, a lover, a brother..."
Gosh, I thought, how progressive! Incest on a prime-time Aussie soap?!
Nah, just a poorly worded advert. Tch.
And this one, from a breakfast cereal commercial:
"It doesn't matter what's behind you - it's what's inside you..."
<splutter> Bwaahahahahahahahah! Taken out of context that's very suggestive. <snigger> Maybe I should watch commercial telly more often?

... a flying tram.
Bwahahahahahahahah!
I'm watching the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games... More later. I don't want to miss a moment of the good taste...

Oh, and yes, I had fun at my mum's, thanks. : )

(That link up above is for an ordinary, ground tram - I'll see if I can find a pic of the mystical flying tram once the ceremony's finished.)

Happy birthday to me,
it reached 38 degrees...

(Hey, it scans!)
Yes it was hot today, though not unexpectedly. It's usually hot (if not stupidly hot) around my birthday.
So, last night the cubs and their father presented me with a cream cake - mmmm... - and a pair of very cute cards the cubs had made. ("This mech was going to wish you happy birthday - but the pilot had to eject!" <giggling> And, "Hope your birthday's a ... <cliché bomb explodes> Blast!" <g> What can I say? They spend a lot of time playing Spy vs. Spy and Mech Assault...) Where was I? Ah yes.
Anyway, that was lovely, and today Soulsis kidnapped me (and the cubs) and took us 'round to Niki's. Lots of good conversation and evil food. Soulsis gave me a pair of chicken salt and pepper shakers (incidentally, a pair I'd looked at on eBay and really liked but decided not to bid cos I already had a few things outstanding) and then she plunked a packet of marzipan down in front of me and said I had to imagine it was a Ham-ham! <rolling around laughing> She didn't quite get time to make it... Funnily enough, Niki also handed me a packet of marzipan. <g> I like marzipan, oh yes I do. She also gave me a packet of Jelly Bellys, a lovely card and a purple tin! Oh, almost forgot the fishy glass dessert dish from Soulsis as well... : )
Best of all though was I got to nap uniterrupted in air-conditioned comfort. <eg> I suppose it's indicative of, I dunno, something, that I get more enjoyment from an afternoon snooze on my birthday than a wild party. But then, I never really was a party girl, so there you go.
Thank you, Soulsis and Niki! <huggle>

(Ah good, the cool change has come through. Should be able to sleep well enough tonight...)

Last day of term. Woohoo. I'm knackered... Spent the morning tearing around paying bills and picking up groceries; dived home long enough to unload then tore out again to get down to the school in time for the end of term assembly.
<sigh> The principal suggested the preppies sing their song again and while everyone else smiled, in my mind I was shouting 'Noooooo!' Yes, I was a prep parent once, I can remember that swell of pride at seeing your sprog up on stage for the first time but by year 5 you're over it. Or perhaps I was just having a cynical day... : ) But, I got through the second rendition of Oscar Organised without screaming. Amazing how pleasantly distracting thoughts of Snupin can be. Heh, and people probly thought that goofy grin was cos the preps were cute.

Penny gave me 3 sets of plastic grapes! And a box of gorgeous beaded fake fruit and berries. <g> The raspberries glisten: they look delicious.
I bought myself another present, too, a big tin of assorted licorice. Mmmm. I'm hiding that from the cubs. So mean.

My local fabric shop is having a sale; I picked up some wonderful black and white linen material for my (proposed) Snape plush. Actually I got 2 pieces of black, one of which is slightly heavier and coarser than the other and will be great for the outer robes. There's more than enough white, too, for Balian's 'good' shirt. <g> So satisfying having projects to look forward too.

I'm running away to my mum's for a few days next week. The cubs are looking forward to that cos they'll be having boys' time with their dad. Just them, and the Xbox. <rolls eyes> As long as they get outside at least once a day and eat the fresh fruit I'll leave for them I shouldn't be returning to a house full of gaming-zombies...

I know when I'm reading something good cos I'm not mentally editing as I go. Just as learning to teach ballet meant I couldn't watch a performance anymore without critiquing, being a writer means I can't just simply read a story. This isn't a bad thing by any means; I'm learning more now from what I read. With good work I'm half-consciously studying/comparing style and language use - with bad work I'm reinforcing my knowledge of what can and can't be done with words. So, in conclusion, even godawful crap serves a purpose.
My, aren't I a little ray of sunshine this morning? <g>

Moving right along...
This is a completely evil site. Cat owners will know precisely what I mean. <snerk>

The chapter 4 rewrite is turning out to be tricksy, very tricksy. It might've helped if I'd been a little less vague when I initially wrote the thing. Eh well, there's deep satisfaction in coaxing out a better product.

Hee. I bought myself an early birthday present today from an opp-shop. I've seen a lot of casserole dishes with lids shaped like chickens but this one was a duck, a very handsome green duck, I might add. It spoke to me; I couldn't leave it behind. It was expensive, though - $12 - far more than I would normally consider paying for anything from an opp-shop but as I'd been willing to pay 5 times that amount for a brand new one I didn't think it was too bad. The glaze inside is perfect, too, I don't think it's been used at all. Not that there's any guarantee I'll use it either, but it's attractive enough to be decorative.
Plus I picked up a pair of lovely mauve flannel pyjamas very cheaply. They won't fit me at all but that doesn't matter, I only bought them for the material.
And I'm now the proud owner of two kilos of sun-dried and marinated tomatoes! Mwahahahahah! They were on special at the supermarket - less than half price. I wonder how long it will take for me to finish the jar? I can almost certainly guarantee that very few will actually be used in cooking - I'll probly just snack on them as they are.

David Attenborough's new series on insects is fascinating, in a creepy sort of way. So interesting to watch, but I always feel itchy by the end. : )

Russian Ark has been on my 'to see' list for a long time. I borrowed a copy from the library the other day and finally sat down to watch it. Absolutely intriguing, if incomprehensibly... Russian in places. Still, the 'making of' documentary in the bonus features went a long way towards filling in the gaps. Now that I've got a clue I'd like to watch it at least once more before I have to return the DVD, see if it makes a more complete sense with a second viewing.

The cubs and I watched the HRE's Atlantis for the first time in probably over a year. Aside from a couple of cliché<cough>trademark HRE moments, I'd forgot how much I enjoyed this movie. It remains one of the few HRE name-brand productions I respect.
And damn those Atlanteans are an attractive people...

Parent-teacher interviews today, hooray. I deliberately arranged the interview times to be quite late so the cubs could go into the After School Care program - which they enjoy - but also so I could have a couple of extra hours to myself in the afternoon (to pet my new duck <g> ).
The cubs' father came with me - another reason for the later timeslots - and we were both pleased with what the teachers had to say. Both cubs seem to be happier and more settled this year. They're interacting a little better with their classmates and there's less overall friction. They're also both more inclined to have a go at sports which is great to hear, though they're still not overly inclined to finish class work on time. Heh, that's a criticism that's carried all the way through from Prep. But, their teachers are happy with them; the cubs are more than capable, academically, and their reading, comprehension and spelling are very good. I knew that already but it's nice to have it confirmed.

The rewrites of chapters 1-3 were relatively easy but 4 is undergoing a major overhaul after I had a [ping]. The extra detail is definitely needed, though; it'll define and deepen a couple of the characters.

Dagnabbit it's hot again. <grump>

"I really must get off my arse and get on with SFSG..."
The irony of that statement is, of course, that I need to stay on my arse to carry on with the task. Very awkward typing while standing...

And so another school Twilight Sports fades into memory. Haven't missed one yet - something to be proud of, I suppose. As is now traditional we had fish and chips for dinner in the park before the event, then the cubs had fun participating, happily running first and second last in their year level heat. In the team 'novelty' events, one cub's team came second, and the other's fourth, which meant they both had a 'placing' ribbon to pin on their shirts along with the non-placing 'well done' ribbons.
As always I avoided the 'Mum's' race (pfft, yeah right, I'm going to run in front of people) but, <soppy grin>, the M cub offered to run for me so I could have a ribbon as well. (He wasn't allowed to but it's the thought that counts.)
And Penny, bless her, gave us a lift home afterwards. Most grateful - we got in the door around 9 instead of closer to 10. : )

<sigh> I miss my piggle; she died a couple of days ago (old age). I miss her enquiring/demanding shrill whistles and how she'd brazenly sniff KittenKong when the cat stuck her nose in the cage. Sure the piggle was psychotic but she was company while I did the dishes. Eh well...

Egad, only one more week of term left.
I'd like some cooler weather now, please.

Tee hee hee.
IKEA is having a competition/promotion thing where (I think) you win something if you can guess correctly if something is worth more or less than a related IKEA product. There's posters and billboards all over the place with stuff like "Does this pair of thongs [flip-flops, for non-Aussies] cost more than this IKEA shoe rack?" There's one though, that had me gasping with laughter.
"Does this Boyband [CD] cost more than these four knobs?"
Oh gods, cacked myself laughing - and I'm quite sure that was an entirely deliberate pairing. <g>

The rewrite inches onwards. Took me a day to sort out one paragraph of Very Important Details. I knew what had to be said, I just couldn't seem to phrase it in such a way it would make sense to anyone else. But, it's done now and I can forge ahead.

Would stubbornly forcing yourself to read/finish badfic indicate a tendency to self harm? Just wondering...
Joules - after one of my typos - has come up with a word to describe what you do to your brain when you read badfic. Crusie: a cross between bruise and curse. : )
Tch, and I've yet to read a convincing Evil!Dumbledore, or even a plausible EvilDeedsForTheGreaterGood!Dumbledore. Give it up, people, it's like turning Harry into an angsty girl, or making Snape a hidden fluffy-bunny who only needs luurve to release his true nature. <gackshudder> He's not misunderstood, he's a bad-tempered, grudge-bearing bastard who nevertheless will do what he has to and not expect anyone to thank him for it. </rant> I think I might forego trawling for fic for the moment and concentrate on my own...

The cubs' father had a colonscopy the other day. He was very twitchy beforehand because he'd recently nursed two patients who consequently died from complications of the procedure.
Before he left for his appointment with Doom he gave me a verbal list of what he wanted done with his possessions. I told him he could write it all down properly when he got home. : )
As it was, he got the all-clear; there's nothing nasty lurking in his bowel. Well, nothing nastier than normal.