And this is the reason why I don't ever want to live somewhere there isn't any public transport...
Tuesday night, after picking the cubs up from school, had to get help jump-starting the car so we could get home. (That's what I was thanking Penny for – she happened along as the cubs and I were treking to the nearest petrol station.) The cubs' father and I thought it was the car battery that was faulty, and after recharging it the car started without a problem. Cubs' father got to and from work a couple of times without incident and then yesterday morning I took the cubs to school in the car then went shopping. When I got back to the car, however, I found it wouldn't start.
I'll skip the bit where I swore and cried, and cutting a long story short I left the car in the carpark and got the bus home. Got the cubs home on public transport as well, after stopping off to optimistically have another go at starting the car. (Well, sometimes it works. You leave something for a while, switch it off, and when you come back the problem's miraculously fixed. :)
So, we got the bus to school today. Not really a problem, just time consuming.

One of my cubs told me this morning he liked it when I bossed him about...
<guilty twitch> Am I setting my child up to be an uke?

Hey. Val, remember that supercool spider/twister painting you did? Remember how I said it'd sparked something? It's only a little something, just an adding flavour scene-within-a-scene sort of thing in the next novel I'm planning. Would it be okay if I used it, properly credited of course? Naturally I'll show that bit to you first, once it's actually written. <g>

I've finally begun a fic I had an idea for waaay back last summer holidays. It was originally intended for Dystopia but ultimately it's got no connection with the main narrative of that at all. It could go in with the other sci-fi/fantasy one-off's... What do you think, Joules?

Gah! I am well and truly stalled on chaper 12 of Dancing. It's really sketchy, patchy, needs a lot of work, and yes, I do believe I'm procrastinating.

Aya! Found a copy of the movie Dogma on special and I treated myself. Can cross that off my wish-list now... :)

(Nicked from various blogs.)

Well, gosh, this is a surprise...


How evil are you?


Yeah, I'd agree with these...

INFJ - "Author". Strong drive and enjoyment to help others. Complex personality. 1.5% of total population.

Free Myers-Briggs Word Choice Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Global Personality Test Results

Sensate (50%) medium which suggests you are moderately empathetic, sensitive, and considerate of others. Intellectual (56%) moderately high which suggests you tend to be internally motivated, self seeking, and independent. Assertive (43%) moderately low which suggests you are timid, indirect, and unable to start and/or follow through on things.

Take Free Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

I realised something the other day, or rather, I finally found myself able to articulate it.
Men intrigue me - women don't, well, not in quite the same way. I like women, I understand them and I'm comfortable with that understanding, but men? They're like exotic, unfamiliar labratory animals, I have an almost clinical interest in poking them, wanting to see what they do. Their reactions to stimuli are fascinating.
Heh, but then fascinating or not they're like some types of fine art, really interesting to look at but not necessarily something I'd want in my house .. :)

I've decided that if/when I publish any of my work I won't be using my 'real' surname, my family name. Neither will I use my married name. This aversion to utilising these perfectly adequate names was something else that took me ages to pin down. Put simply (or about as simply as I can manage) what is write is very personal, it's mine and I want to publish it under a name that I've chosen, not a name that's been passed on to me from a male.
I've chosen the surname I want to use, it's still a family name but has come down through the maternal line. I like it, it resonates nicely...

Wouldn't a barcode make a triffic tattoo? But a barcode for what product? Favourite book/DVD? Something tacky, iconoclastic? <evil smirk> Japanese 'love-doll', perhaps, or a Hello Kitty vibrator?

(Rereading what I've written: okay, this is getting a little odd. I'm obviously tired, the barrier between what I think and what I'm actually saying is more porous than usual...)

Thank you, Penny, for rescuing the cubs and I this evening! (Dead car battery, don't panic. :)

[stares at bill, then glares at Zasshu] I hope you're sharing that with Lutra, piglet!

[growls and reaches for wallet…]

Aaaaargh! <grumble> Saturday's episode of The Bill ended on a major cliff-hanger but cos of the stupid Angel's thing taking up 3 nights I have to wait 'til next saturday to find out what happens.

Took the cubs to Smorgy's tonight for dinner, and guess what? There was a new dessert. <rolls eyes> Lemon meringue pie made as only a bulk-food family restaurant can. The crust, though sweet, still managed to be tasteless, the filling was so insipid it wouldn't have offended the anti-lemon nazis on ff.net and I swear a bit of the meringue topping that fell off my piece bounced off the table...
But the cubs enjoyed themselves and that's all that matters, right? :)

Since being pregnant I've learnt to listen to what my body tells me and right now it's telling me to avoid wheat products. Actually, given the general antipathy I have towards bread and pasta it's probably been telling me this for a while. (Though there are times when hot buttered toast is just perfect, or fresh, crusty bread with soup. Mmmmm... Anyway...) I eat a lot of rice, and quite enjoy rice noodles, so that's not a problem, and I suspect if I bought a corn-based cereal I'd be more inclined to eat breakfast. Heh, and there's always porridge – yummy – though that's more of a weekend thing. :)
Fortunately this doesn't feel like a full-blown intolerance (do you have any idea how many products have wheat in them? It's boggling!), more like a precautionary measure. Eh, will see how we go.

<happy squeak> Joules is writing a KMask/Eskara ficlet! KM is big, <quiver> so big...

Heard a quote last night (from the Brit comedy 'Gimme Gimme Gimme') that had me rolling around laughing. One of the characters accused someone of 'being so far in the closet they were back in ****ing Narnia! <wiping eyes> So funny...!

I like aspirin, aspirin is my friend. If I take some 20 minutes before I have to do any amount of walking the fused lumps of flesh and bone at the ends of my legs don't hurt so much. :)

Have you noticed that when politicians go visiting (Please, Mrs Bush, can George come out to play?) they always stage 'photo opportunities' where the Press (and the polie's official photographers, no doubt) can record the auspicious occasion. Have you also noticed that no matter how firm and friendly the handshake the politicians never look at each other, only at the cameras? I find this disturbingly insincere, and annoying.

I cooked myself a curry. Okay, it was a watered down version of an already mild dish (and the curry powder was quite old) but still adventurous of me, nonetheless. :) The cubs wouldn't touch it, naturally, but I enjoyed it.
I can just see the evil look my mum would give me if I told her I cooked it: when I was little I'd have to go hungry sometimes because I'd never eat one of her curries. <g>

I've been having a slack couple of days, not doing much else but rereading old stuff of mine. It's good to look back and see you've improved. <g> I was delving into some of my initial Professionals fanfiction, specifically a 3 part story I wrote 4 years ago with Sammi. In between wincing at the sheer clumsiness of the prose (the plot was mostly Sammi's, the words were mostly mine) I could still spot the occasional good bit and be pleased. I'd forgotten how much I liked one of the original characters, someone I devised out of Sammi's basic ideas. It'd be so very easy to lift this character and put her somewhere else amongst my original fiction – she'd fit right in to Dystopia, or the Supers' universe. Hm...
Should probly check with Sammi first – I don't think she'd mind but it'd be... polite. :)

(Why do I feel defensive about the state of the house when the cubs' father's special friend is over?)

I had a good look at the Kylie Minogue replica doll today... Is she supposed to look like a transvestite? I have yet to see a 'scanned face' doll that actually looks like the person they represent.
In a pet shop they were selling painted shells so your hermit crabs can have that funky look. Gotta admit the ladybird patterned one was cute. : )

<happy squeak> Picked my fugu sake set up from lay-by! Hee, now I can have a sake party to christen it...

The grade 3 mums had our once-a-term lunch today. You'd think by now I'd have learnt never to assume anything. Previously we've always had these lunches at a particular pub – this time the venue was changed but I only glanced at the note we were given and ended up in the wrong place. Tch. Was only a few minutes late though.
Food wasn't bad at the new place, decent sizes, reasonable prices. There's a biggish indoor playground there as well, might think about taking the cubs there sometime. (Incidentally, we lived across the road from this pub for several months but never managed to get there. Funny, eh? : )

(nicked from OkapiPrincess' journal:)

<blinks> Pardon?


Blue! Your eyes are the Blue of insanity! You make
a lot of friends easily, and you're very
carefree and easy going. Watch yourself,
though, because responsibility is still a big
deal. That doesn't mean you have to stop your
flower obsession, however.


What Color Are Your Anime Eyes?
brought to you by Quizilla


Hm. Dogs - friendly, affectionate, pretty dogs - have figured largely in my dreams the past couple of days. Generally I don't like dogs - this is interesting.

Hey! I've made it through another month without succumbing to ebay! <pleased>

One of my cubs made up this joke...

Q: What do you call something that charges at people and is really dumb?
A: An oxymoron.

Trust me, in comparison to the previous jokes he's come up with, this one is actually funny. : )

There are advantages to reading novels out of sequence. I'm halfway through Tepper's 'Raising the Stones', which was written before 'Sideshow' (the last one I read) and is set in the same continuum. Knowing what's to come takes the 'ooh' factor out of the plot twist but I'm also picking up loads of background information which is making the events of the 2nd book so much clearer. <g>

Heh, well, I probably shouldn't be thinking of starting anything new, not when there's how much stuff waiting to be finished, but I've been fiddling about with plans for my next novel. It's got a name now, or at least a working title, and I've been writing character/racial summaries.
Hee, this is fun! Going to be waaaay more involved than 'Dancing' - there may even be enough material for more than one book. Eh, we'll see. : )

Threaten to eat it? Heh, if it hasn't hatched after all this time maybe you wouldn't want to eat it? Eeeuuuww...
Has anyone's eggs hatched?

<sigh of relief> And that, I think (unless I fail) is that for the last subject I'm enrolled for. There's a couple of others I can see about signing up for but they don't start for several weeks. Eh, we'll see. :)

We've got school photos this coming friday, which means I have to find and keep clean the least stained/chewed articles of the cubs' uniforms. They really do need new stuff but it's so expensive to kit them out. I baulk at the price of the official uniform pieces and the el-cheapo brandless stuff I use as a substitute has been annoyingly scarce this year.

The piggles' cage has been slowly falling to pieces over the past few months. I obviously tugged too hard when I shifted it to a fresh spot of grass on the weekend cos the back wall of their hutch came away completely! (Damn chipboard.) So there I was with an unsecured hutch and 2 piggles who'd suddenly taken an interest in the gaping hole and potential freedom. Fortunately it wasn't too hard to come up with a solution. The cat's carry-box was in the garage, I took the front grill off of that, pushed it up against the entrance of the hutch (there was a little lip of wood it fitted quite snuggly underneath) and then jammed a brick at the back of it so it couldn't be accidentally pushed out of place. So far so good, the box is plastic and enclosed so the piggles won't suffer from drafts, and it's holding up well enough. I'll need to get a new cage for them soon though, either buy one or ask one of my clever, handy friends if they can make one for me. :)

Hn, I feel a bout of ethical vegetarianism coming on. I cooked roast chicken last night and found myself staring at the little carcass thinking: 'omigod, that's a dead animal'.
Heh, maybe if I just stick to meat in chunks, or minced, and don't think about its origins I'll be fine...

I know sour milk is what cheese is made from but it still shouldn't taste like it.

The cubs and I went swimming this afternoon. It was good, I felt much better for the exercise. I really should do this more often.

'k, my next AC is teetering on the edge of being finished. It's short and I'm not overly impressed with it but it sets up a few things.

Interesting lot of dreams last night. The first was about a selkie in a rainforest by the sea (still trying to pin the details down on that one), in the second, an unattractive man asked me if he could defecate on me – for the purposes of research. I said no but that I could watch him shit if he liked. He agreed, but then didn't show up for the appointment. The third dream was a news report/eyewitness account of the recent 'Lancaster Uprising', (or something), where 600 Protestants from the North of England travelled down to London to slaughter as many non-Protestants as possible. They'd killed 1000 people before they were caught. Weird. Perhaps I'm watching too many historical docudramas...

<miffed> Michael bloody Parkinson on his show last night called the Pet Shop Boys 'golden oldies...! Ok, fair enough they've been around for ages but dammit, I associate them with my youth.
Humph, golden oldies indeed. <settling ruffled feathers>

<sigh> My fav DVD shop has the first 3 volumes of Yu Yu Hakusho, up to episode 12. My initial reaction on seeing them, naturally, was to cackle maniacally and snatch them off the shelves...
Heh, well, I think I'll finish collecting X first; I've seen those YYH eps whereas I'm viewing X for the first time.

Finished replacing the offending stars in the quilt-strips, now all I need to do is clear a space (2 metres x 2 metres) so I can work out the order to sew them together. Hah!
This next step may take some time.
(Oh, and this could just possibly be taken as being a teeny bit obsessive, but I've worked out, roughly, that once the strips are joined up I'll have hand-sewn over 153 metres. :)

Hn, our national broadcaster is heavily promoting an upcoming program 'Angels in America. I always get suspicious when that happens, it means they've spent an obscene amount of money on something and are really hoping it'll rate well enough to justify the cost.

Ack. Seriously squicked myself last night. Forced myself to sit through all of the Herbie Hancock 'Rockit' video clip. <shudder> It's only hydraulics, think of something else...

"Thomas was a little engine with a long tongue..."
James' driver and fireman were feeling him all over..."

Hee.
Taking things out of context is such fun.

Half-way through my next AC - it'll only be a short one, I think - and an idea for a short, 'future' side-story tentatively raised its hand yesterday. I told it to line up with the rest of them. :)
Now, ideally, spending a week on my own (with computer and net access of course) would be a triffic way of catching up on work. That's unlikely to happen any time soon so I guess I'd better just get on with it.

Excavated a goat-trail from my bedroom door to my bed last night. It took me half an hour. I have got to rethink how I handle the limited space available. The easiest solution is to move to a new house with 3 bedrooms, a workroom/study, lots of inbuilt cupboards, room for bookshelves, a lock-up garage for storage etc. That'd be great but what if I can't achieve that (for whatever reason) within the time-frame I've allocated? Am I willing to continue living the way I do, picking my way through mountains of stuff, never being able to find anything without searching for an hour first? No... ergo I have to think of another way to with cope with the lack of space. <frowning> After the last couple of moves there's not that much I can/want to get rid of... Eh, I'll have a look in the garage later and see if I can shove in a few more boxes.

A conversation with one of my cubs after I'd told him he couldn't do something:

Cub: <pouting> You're Mrs No-Fun.
Me: <eyebrow> Mrs No-Fun?
Cub: Yes, you never let me do anything.
Me: Yes. You're right. I never let you use the computer, or watch television, I never take you to the Aquarium, Museum, movies...
Cub: <pause – you can hear the gears whirring> Okay, you're Mrs Almost-No-Fun then.

<rolls eyes>
And in the supermarket this evening I was stopped by an elderly lady who wanted to tell me what beautiful hair my children have (this isn't an unusual occurence). We chatted for a while and then she smiled at my cubs antics – they were wrestling with each other - and made the comment that they 'were showing off because I'm talking to you.' I smiled sweetly and said that, no, they were like this all the time...

<grumble> I'm feeling thwarted, I've not been able to find a DVD copy of 2002, not in my usual haunts anyway. Looks like I might have to gird my loins and venture into one of the Asian video shops in Box Hill.
And because I couldn't watch 2002 again I watched Velvet Goldmine instead. : )
Heh, and guess what? Iggy Pop has recently released a 'greatest hits' CD which includes 'Gimme Danger', my favourite song from Velvet Goldmine that's not included on the soundtrack. Hee, if the 30 second grab of the track I managed to squeeze out of Border's crappy 'preview' system is anything to go by, Eyecandy McDrooly's version is very close to the original. : ) Eh, even if it's not it won't hurt having some Iggy Pop in the music collection.

My latest Dystopia chapter, 'Seduction', is now posted (thank you, Joules!) and I've reviewed what there was of Dancing's chapter 11. It needs expanding, certainly, but I have to have a think about it first. The next AC is planned, and the next Elga is beginning to bubble. <happy sigh>

Tidied up all the loose ends of my scarf tonight – that's finished now - and I completed the final strip of my quilt! <happy dance> Now I just need to replace a few of the stars then I can get on with piecing it together. Chuffed? Oh yes...

The cubs favourite program on Cartoon Network at the moment (apart from Transformers) is The Cramp Twins. It's gross, though not as gross as Ed, Edd & Eddy and I swear the opening theme utilizes the first two stanzas of Slade's 'We're all crazy now...' Not entirely inappropriate given the show's content.

<growlypurr>
I watched 2002 and was hooked within the first 5 minutes. Bishies and leather and wire-work, oh my! What more could I ask of in a film? Supernatural elements? Check. Humour? Check. Sniffly bits to keep the fluffy bunny happy? Check... : )
I'd give it a high phwoooar rating too. Nicholas Tse is exquisite (and such a flexible little cuss <smirk>) but Stephen Fung (is that the actor or the chara's name? Can't remember, anyway...) isn't quite as sculptured but he's soft and round and he's got the most beautiful smile.
There was a bit near the beginning that had me giggling. Tse's character (I have enough trouble remembering Western names, let alone Asian ones. It took me weeks to sort out Kurama-Kuwabara. Where was I? Oh yes... ) told his partner he was trying to look cool in front of the 'spunk' (was there an Australian subbing this, perhaps? <g>) and in my innocence I immediately thought he was talking about the traffic cop (Fung) who as far as I was concerned was the only 'spunk' that'd had screen time so far. Silly me, Nickiepoohs was talking about a female cop we hadn't seen yet but who was then shown in a flashback.
Too much yaoi in my life? <squinch> I don't think so....
I want to watch 2002 again - now, please - which means either: a/ getting a new VCR so I can play the tape I've already got, or: b/ seeing if it's been released on DVD.
IMO this would make a fabulous series – I'd watch it! Especially if they kept the original cast... : )
There was a lovely line of script too, which is quietly nudging something in my brain – '...tears from a spirit mean love and rebirth...' Not sure where that's going yet but no doubt it'll deign to let me know in the fullness of time.

Not sure if this was deliberate on the part of the broadcaster but immediately before and after the movie they ran an add for a funeral plan. <snigger>

Right, my next Dystopia chapter is almost ready to be posted which'll mean there's 53 chapters now. Not bad, eh? : )

Blimey, only 2 more sessions of this latest class I'm taking then that one's finished with. Really should see about getting my name down for some other subjects. Eh, tomorrow...

Hee, I love inspiration :)
Got 4 pages of a Dystopia chapter done today without even realising it! This, combined with the 3ish pages I did end of last week, and the oneish page I started with months ago it's adding up nicely.

Does anybody remember from yesteryear the 12" remixes (on vinyl) of the 7" releases? (Do they even do anything remotely familiar on the CD's now? Oh yes, there's dance mixes I spose.) Remember how it used to be a case of taking your chances buying them? Sometimes they were good, just like the single you adored but 2 or 3 times longer. But sometimes they weren't good and you ended up thinking 'What the hell have they done to this?!'.

I was watching one of the LotR movies on a nice, big plasma screen the other day. Couldn't help thinking how cool would it be to watch anime on one. <dreamy sigh> Vash's nose up close. One day... when I'm unecessarily wealthy...

There's a movie showing on telly early tomorrow afternoon which - when I mentioned it to Joules - provoked a bout of spontaneous drooling. <eg> A Hong Kong flick, 2002, with Nicholas Tse. Joules sent me a copy of this movie at least a year ago and I've not been able to watch it cos the stupid VCR doesn't have a stupid long-play function (That's also the reason why, GoodTwin, you've not heard anything from me about the JJD videos, cos I haven't been able to watch them. Just thought I'd mention that. :)
Where was I? Oh yes... Anyway I've only got one class in the morning tomorrow so I should be home in plenty of time to catch it.
Course, I can't record it cos the stupid VCR won't do that either, but hey, at least I'll finally get to see it.

And speaking of movies (but not in this case recommending one) if you ever get the chance to watch Galactic Force, I beg you, in the name of sanity, no matter how much of a geek sci-fi fan you think you don't do it!
The only name I recognised in the cast list was Brigette Nielson and we're all well aware of her association with quality products, aren't we? (Though having said that, I have to say I really like Red Sonja, but that's got nothing to do with her acting ability...)
Trite, clichéd, appalling... These are some of the words I mentioned in the first 5 minutes to Soulsis - and then came the plot twist (TM). In a nut shell, the bad guys are after a power source, a crystal which is being kept/guarded/whatever by the good guys who've been hounded to the brink of destruction because of it. The leader of the good guys dies in the heroine's arms - after the bad guys have made off with the prize - but with his dying breath he tells her there was another crystal created, in case something like this happened... it had been kept safe on another planet...
Oh gods, please - I whimpered, horror struck at the looming unoriginality - please don't let that other planet be Earth...
Next shot we see the New York skyline...
That was it, I went to bed in disgust.
Awful.

The cubs have recently gotten into the Transformers and today there was much rejoicing - we picked their new toys up from lay-by. They got stumped, though, when it came to actually transforming the things from one mode to another. The cubs asked me - their technology-challenged mother - to help.
I tried, I did, but had to give up after 10 mins - I just couldn't make sense of the diagrams. I've never been good at following written/drawn instructions (I'm rubbish at origami) no matter how precise they are. However, show me how to do something and I'll pick it up very quickly (or alternately leave me alone to fiddle and prod and I'll eventually nut it out).
<g> See, not a complete idiot then...

Hn. I think the mutant eyebrow gene I inherited from my father has activated. Eyebrows that swept up to a demonic point gave his face character – doesn't quite work the same for me...

This is one of those answer-the-questions-and-reveal-all thingies. It came to me through one of the email lists I lurk on...

What time do you get up?

On a school day, usually around 7.30, any other day it depends on how long I'm allowed to sleep.

Bed time?

Between midnight and 1 a.m. generally, though that can creep up to 2-3 a.m. if I don't have to get up early the next day.

Gold or Silver?

Silver, though I don't often wear jewelery. The stud in my nose is silver and if I decide to put any more holes in my body they'll probably be plugged up with silver as well. :)

What was the last film you saw?

At the cinema? 'Love Actually'. Or was it 'Return of the King'? Tch, can't remember...
On DVD? Um... 'Love Actually'... <happy sigh>

What is/are your favourite TV shows?

Currently: Teen Titans, Mondo Thingo, The Bill, Strictly Dancing... I'm usually tuned to our ABC : )

What did you have for breakfast?

Today was a school-day so nothing until lunchtime. This isn't unusual, most school-days all my energies are directed in getting the cubs ready.

Beach, country, Mountains?

Oh yes, mountains...

Favourite ice cream?

Don't eat it very often but I'm very fond of Cafe Grande - it's got grand marnier and chocolate almonds.

Butter, plain or salted popcorn?

Ooooh! Coloured!

Favourite sandwhich?

Falafel, lettuce and tomato.
Or chicken, alfa alfa and avocado.

What characteristic do you despise?

The refusal/inability to accept that we're all part of the web of life on this planet.

Favourite flower?

Carnations, strongly scented roses, grape hyacinths

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?

UK! For months and months and months...

What colour is your bathroom?

Dirty egg-shell and brown. It's a rented house.

Favourite brand of clothing?

Ones that fit - Maison de Target, mostly.

Do you pray?

Daily, though I should probly point out I'm not xtian.

What is your favourite board game?

Killer Bunnies!
Oh hang on, that's a card game... um... combat scrabble.

Money or Love?

Love, naturally : ) Though money would be nice too...

What quality do you admire most in a person?

The ability to know themselves and not feel as if they have to hide/change to be accepted.

Where would you retire?

Mountains, with an ocean view. Ferny Creek in Tasmania is nice...

Favourite day of the week?

Mondays, back to school days. Closely followed by Wednesdays, and then Saturdays cos that's the first day of the weekend and I can sleep in.

Where were you born?

Hertfordshire, England, in my family's house on the banks of the river Lee.
Romantic, eh?
Perhaps - but that river stole my favourite red plastic bucket.

Favourite sport to watch on TV?

Usually nothing except when the Olympics are on and then – I don't know why – I can sit for hour and hours completely enthralled.

Coke or Pepsi?

Dr Pepper, or plain soda water with ginger cordial. Yum!

Are you a morning person?

No, but I've been forced by circumstances to become one.

Do you have any pets?

A cat, Tilda; 2 guinea pigs, Boxer and Joxer (they're both female, don't blame me, I didn't name them!)
Do children count?

... and it concluded with 2 pointless questions about who you most/least expected to send it back...

Hee, the second joint Haadri fanfic is almost completed.
And I think I've finished reviewing chapter 10 of 'Dancing' but chapter 11 needs lots of work.
And the dream-based short story I've started is leaving me with that uncomfortable, something's not quite right feeling I get from a Sherri Tepper book. Interesting...

The school had it's 'Open Night' on Tuesday night. Didn't really consider going until the cubs reminded me that the choir was supposed to be performing.
Have I mentioned my cubs are in the choir?
The performance was cute – not particularly tuneful – but cute. : ) And short - only 2 songs, which was helpful seeing as we couldn't stay for very long.

Niki and Soulsis popped in for a visit yesterday afternoon. They brought me sushi! <happy squeak> I have the best friends! (And Soulsis had found me a lovely little cheese knife topped by a ceramic mouse. That makes 4 cheese knives I have now, all of them from Soulsis... I suspect I may be adding 'cheese knives' to the list of things I collect : )

Finally finished my scarf. Can't remember when I started it - November last? - after I'd finished Soulsis' scarf, anyway, and that was ready before Xmas. Like Soulsis' scarf, mine is made from a fluffy type of wool that's awfully popular at the moment. Hers is a shining black, mine is mottled purple-green-cobalt blue. <bg>

Took the cubs to the 'Japan Festival' in Box Hill today...
<whimper> Hundreds of people there but that's not why I'm whimpering. So much tempting stuff to buy! Could've spent about 5 times the amount I'd brought if I'd been allowed to stop and browse properly. Heh, kids sometimes do have their uses.
Did get myself something really cute though, from a second hand stall: a 2" plastic figurine of a gorgeously buxom goth chick with black hair and red eyes, holding a bottle of Coke. If, as I suspect, she's from a vending machine (a 'capsule toy') she's part of a series. On the bottom of her stand is '12 Lulu'... I'd say that's a big hint. Wonder what else is in the series?
While waiting to see the cubs' father take part in a naginata demonstration, we watched some traditional Japanese dances, the ones performed with fans... <shining eyes> I want to do that! So beautiful, and there was so much joy in the last, combined, dance it brought tears to my eyes. (Hee, though one of the dance props made me giggle - 2 fans joined together, bedecked with bells and frondy things... it looked like a muppet scallop... and the first dance we saw was performed to a Japanese version of Tom Jones 'Green green grass of Home'... that was odd.. :)
Not surprisingly the cubs were far more interested in the martial arts demos (blimey, full-on kendo is fast!) and they were dead chuffed to see their father up on stage.
Fortunately I was able to dump them - er, leave them to the care of their father and his girlfriend so I could snatch a few minutes to myself before the taiko drumming.
<happy sigh> Now that was fun! Really enjoyed it, even though the enjoyment was marred a little by tired, fractious cubs who said it was too loud. <rolls eyes> But I guess it was the end of the day and we'd been there for hours...
All in all a fun time - I'll keep an eye out for next year's festival.

My journey to the darkside is almost complete...
There's an anime convention in Melbourne in August [see here - link provided by the ningen. She wants to go too...] and I'm seriously considering going, for one day at least. Of course, this is an anime con, not a yaoi con so I suspect there'll be wall-to-wall geeks in places :)
And - Oooh! - cosplay! I could make a Penelope Ham-ham costume! Yellow sheet and ham-ham ears. <evil smirk> Dead simple...

Most times I trundle along with my life - not content, perhaps, but not discontent - until something, some event, (some particular alignment of the planets? whatever...) makes me realise I'm not doing as well as I thought.
Eh well, those moments pass, life goes on...

Finished watching volume 4 of X, up to episode 15 - I'm really enjoying this series.
Someone asked me what it was about and I flippantly replied, "Oh, the usual - good, evil, the end of the world...".
It's not as simple as that <g>. It's about choices, one of which could be considered 'evil', in a very narrow Western point of view, cos it involves the destruction of the human race. (Some people think this is a bad thing but within the context of the series it actually makes sense to me. :)
I'm thoroughly enjoying the delving into the characters, their lives and motivations, and yes, X is a bit melodramatic in places but hey, it's by CLAMP, what do you expect? <smirk>
Hope I can pick up the next volume soon!

My cubs have joined the school choir... I've just had one of them sing 'You can't stop the music' (Village People - remember them?) at me. I couldn't help it, visions of bike leathers and hard hats were conjured up in my mind...

Okapiprincess found this delicious site. The cubs and I have been discussing how to do Garfield. Rice and grated carrot figures largely. :)

I'd be cringing at the marysueness of my Haadri fanfic if I wasn't having such a good time.
Joules, bless her, has assured me it's not reading like a marysue and I guess she's right. True, I've created a character purely so I can play in the Haadri universe but unlike other fanfic I've had the misfortune to read, her presence isn't affecting the main narrative, like say, Aragorn's half-sister would. <shudder>
But the point I'm trying to get to is that I've finished the second fanfic, and Joules and I have completed a combined third. Neat, huh? :)

Been a good week for dreams too. The one I woke up to this morning left me with a profound feeling of peace and loving acceptance (until I realised I'd slept in and if we wanted to get to school on time we'd have to leave in 20 minutes... aaargh!) and the dream from the night before is in the process of being turned into a one-off short story. Ah, I love my imagination - conscious and subconscious.

Not sure what's been happening with the school this term but so far every time we've been asked to outlay extra money we've only been given a couple of days notice. Fine, they've not been large amounts but I budget week-to-week, and having a sudden request for $20 can throw things out siginificantly. Anyway, I whinged quietly about this to one of the other mums and she told me yesterday that her husband – who's on the school committee – had raised my complaint at the latest finance meeting. Heh.

<grumble> Something's not working properly in my 'puter, it's got to the stage now I can't use ICQ and Word concurrently cos the system seizes and I have to reboot. This is really aggravating seeing as I do a good chunk of my writing while chatting to Joules (not to mention it's been impossible to chat to more than one person at a time for months anyway) and I can't retrieve any work I haven't saved if the computer freezes. Ah well, short of getting a completely new system there's not much I can do about it at the moment, and being a resourceful soul (once I've finished having a tantrum, that is) I can usually find a solution to most problems.
Notepad doesn't seem to cause any conflicts and I've discovered it's got a 'word rap' funtion. Excellent - this means everything is contained within the screen and I don't have to use the scroll bar to read along a sentence. :) I hate that.

Our local supermarket had my favourite plastic storage boxes on special again this week. I grabbed a couple and managed to decant the contents of another 4 ratty old cardboard boxes into them. Slowly, slowly working through...
One of the boxes I dealt with contained all my old metal miniatures that I've been meaning to paint for years. It was fun going through the assortment of Ral Partha, Grenadier and AD&D goodies (those names will probably mean more to gaming geeks :), and remembering what I'd intended to do with them. In my next house I'd like to be able to set up a work desk or table where I can, theoretically, work on these and my wooden boat model, and any other of the dozen or more crafty things I've planned in the last decade...

(nicked from onna's blog:)

What French word are you? by Jetster
Name/Handle
Word	déesse (goddss)
Created with the ORIGINAL MemeGen!

(Tch, and now the 'preview' function in Blogger's edit screen isn't working...)

I found a grub in my brussel sprouts tonight, cute little wiggly green thing. Fortunately I found it before I started cooking... : )

<sigh of relief> Had the final test today for the last of my term 1 subjects. I'd be surprised if I failed, it wasn't particularly involved. I'm down to one subject a week now and even then that's only an 8 week module. Half way through it already. Heh, better check the timetable and see what other subjects I can wriggle into.

Almost finished my second Haadri fanfic - Joules seems pleased with it.
Of course, it won't be for general viewing yet, not until First Light is released, it's only we few (we lucky few, we band of beta-readers...) who are able to read anything Haadri related for the moment. Which feels a little unfair but then again, it means there'll be some extra material ready for those who've devoured the first book and are tearing their hair out waiting for the second. : )

Heh, my Melbourne Aquarium membership is due for renewal this month - there's no hesitation, I'll happily renew it. The cubs and I have been to visit the fishies loads of times this past year, something we wouldn't have done if we'd had to pay full price each time.
Mmmm... fishies...

What the hell have Blogger done now
What was wrong with the old software? <grumble>

Mmmm... It's amazing what you can do with a tin of tomatoes. Stewed with fresh, grated ginger and white pepper that's been sautéd in butter, then served with rice. Yum!

Heh, well Mother's Day didn't go quite as planned but it was still enjoyable. It started with the cubs waking me nice and early – not to wish me happy mother's day but to ask if they could get online. <rolls eyes> I said they could, just until I got up, then promptly went back to sleep. When I did finally drag myself out of bed my loving children were thoroughly engrossed in an online game and I had to remind them about the presents they'd been asking me all weekend if I wanted early... (And these were a purple note book, tissues [in a purple pack – my cubs know me too well : ] and a rose-scented drawer sachet thingy. Oh, and volume 4 of 'X' from their father and Mum gave me a lovely, long scarf in blues and pinks, purples and peach. Hee.)
Soulsis (and her chicks) brought my Mum down a little later and we all headed off to Smorgy's for lunch...
Except that Smorgy's was full - no room in the carpark and the line of people waiting to get in stretched back to the road. We didn't fancy tackling that so we went to a local take-away instead. Ended up being waaaay cheaper and much, much less crowded. :)
Hee, then we came back to my place and watched 'Love Actually' again. <happy sniffle>

Joules recommended Gandhi's blog on her blog, and now it's my turn. It's well written, well researched and if you're at all interested in relevant commentary about what's going on across the other side of the globe, take a look.

I shouldn't be democratic when I'm having a clean-up, should I? I shouldn't ask the cubs if they want to keep that grotty bit of paper they've drawn on, or the now mangled school project, I should just nick it when they're not looking and throw it out...

Been a while since I've done a quilt update. : ) Just finished the 14th of the 15 strips, then I can replace the 10 or so stars I don't like so much, and then I can start putting it all together! Exciting, ne?

Well, it's taken 6 months of lay-bys but I've finally acquired all of the Tidja Midja Nidja Turtles action figures. Now all I need is somewhere to put them... : )

Yesterday morning the Historical Society (ie: Penny and I <g>) brainstormed with the other Grade 3 parents about ideas for the display we're thinking of doing for the school's 50th anniversary. Turns out there's lots of people who know lots of other people who went to the school years ago. This is great, it means we'll have a better chance of scoring some memorabilia.

And then Soulsis and I nicked off down to the city (sans children, weee!) to see the Guy Bourdin and Caravaggio exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Bourdin was a fashion photographer during the 70's and 80's and the blurb on the wall said he wanted to do more than simply photograph another dress or another pair of shoes so he attempted to construct narratives within his photographs, sometimes with overlays of violence and pornography...
Right. In the end, though, they're still just photographs of fashion – superficial and disposable, you view them then move on.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy the exhibition. Some of the pieces were amazing, Bourdin produced some exceptionally strong compositions, but it wasn't his fashion photos that prompted an emotional response for me, not even the blatantly sexual, apparently controversial ones. A small, understated part of the exhibition comprised a set of b/w photos which, I assume, weren't 'work' shots as such but were more like artistic studies of textures and patterns formed within rocks, and gravel, trees and sand, and piles of discarded cow bones. Some of these images were beautiful and they're the ones I'm still thinking about...

Of the 66 paintings in the Caravaggio exhibition only 9 of them were originals - the rest were representative of the artist's followers and contempories - but it was the originals that really stood out. There's an amazing clarity to Caravaggio's work, a brightness that's instantly recognisable. Caravaggio was famed, and scorned in the 16th/17th century, for the realism in his paintings. He's credited with starting a whole new way of thinking about painting; he was evidently one of the first to downplay the background and put the subject right at the forefront of the piece. (Please, anyone with more than a passing interest/knowledge in Art History, feel free to correct any of my inaccuracies. : ) I admit I love this style (chiara obscuro? Light and dark - Rembrandt was another proponent...) it can be very powerful. Interestingly though, it wasn't the subject matter Soulsis and I enjoyed looking at so much as the details. How would that gorgeous court dress have been constructed? See the books in that stack there? Look at how they've been bound. Look at the glass that gambler's drinking out of, it's beautiful! <bg> It's the little things...

The cubs spent the evening with their father so when we got back from the Gallery Soulsis and I took advantage of the hush and had a girly moment watching the Love Actually DVD I gave her for her birthday. <happy sniffle> Love that movie...
Here's the funny thing though. We'd gotten halfway through watching the deleted scenes when Soulsis had to leave. The cubs had gotten home by then so they leapt in and commandeered the telly to watch Cartoon Network. In between bustling about doing mummy-stuff I caught a little of what was on the telly. My initial response was to think that yes, this was crap and it was a good thing it'd been deleted from the final product... And then I remembered that this was Scooby Doo they were watching and it was actually part of the program.
I've never liked Scooby Doo <beg>

(nicked from Onna's blog...)

My life has been rated:
See what your rating is!

Suitable for 12 years or older, but under 18s must be with an adult. This is virtually identical to the 12 certificate, in that we'll have some adult-themed storylines, but no real meat or detail. No scary bits, but some language and maybe a bit of skin.

Examples: Die Another Day, Lord Of The Rings

Heh, well that about sums it up...

Ooookaaay... Chapter 9 of Dancing was giving me problems but I think I've beaten it into submission.
I'm sure it could be better though...
I've started my second Haadri fanfic – much to Joules' delight – and I have to say that fanfiction is hard work! All the things you've got to double-check, especially when you're new to the universe. I mean, you want to get it right, right? <bg> Of course, it helps having the author of said universe on hand to check the details with.

I showed the cubs the picture of Rosa on Joule's blog. Naturally they were charmed and spent the next half hour pretending to be big, cuddly hairy spiders... I wonder about my children sometimes, I really do. (Joules, by the way, thought this was cute... I wonder about her sometimes, too... : )

This little rhyme Joules snagged from Kai's school had me giggling.

I am a little firefly, and fireflies aren't glum.
How can you be unhappy when the sun shines out your bum?

<rolling around laughing>

Just watched a program about people in Tasmania who've built shacks to live in, mostly out of salvaged materials. Some of the shacks are wonderful – lovely organic structures that grow out of the ground and into their (generally) bush surroundings. <sigh> Looks like a blissfully simple life and it certainly doesn't hurt that these places have nearly all been built on the coast. I've been taking notes. There's a guy who has his vegetable garden in the middle of the house under a glass roof (this is in South Western Tasmania, doesn't get very hot there) and another couple's shack has fixed windows - ventilation is provided by small, shuttered slits.
I really really like the idea of building my own home from scratch, and the temptation to just up and go somewhere right now is acute. Eh, it's just been one of those days...

Have you seen the Tiny Tins collectables? They're little soft toys (or diecast cars/trains, plastic animals) that fit into a standard size tin and today I saw a series of Ham-hams! <happy squeak!> So cute...!

Housemate (he has his uses) told me last night that Madman is releasing the first series of Yu Yu Hakusho on DVD sometime this month! Aaaargh!
I'll add it to the list.

Onna's made some t'riffic banners for different areas of the Zone and a gorgeous Wolfwood/Vash pic. Go have a look!

Got the test results today for the subject that made my brain hurt. Did better than I thought I would - 38/40. 'k, that's another subject passed. One more test to go next week then I'm done with the first 4 subjects.

The cubs and I had a tiny bit of a clean-up on the weekend – it's amazing how many socks can fit under the couch...

There's something to be said for the never-ending early mornings of school terms... the cubs were fast asleep by 9.30 tonight. : )
Had a good mummy day – the cubs got both exercise and fresh fruit. <rolls eyes>

I took them swimming this afternoon – been weeks since we've gone. My babies are growing up, though, wasn't that long ago they wouldn't consider going near the 'big' pool unless they were clinging to me but today they happily took themselves off into it and weren't fussed I didn't go with them. Of course, it helps that the water in the shallow end now only comes up to their armpits, not their noses. <g>

One of the cubs decided he'd like to grow his own apples. Not too hard to do, not with the varieties of apples that can be grown in tubs. If we get a chance we'll go have a look at some nurseries later this week to get an idea of price.

And still on the cubs...
They spent most of last evening, and this afternoon, drawing their own comics and giggling hysterically at each other's work. : ) One of the cubs in particular produced some lovely, very expressive little characters, with a good use of anime conventions like sweat drops. Thank you, Teen Titans... <smirk>

Joules has been very busy on the Wordwrights site, re-organising things. My Elga stories are now accessible from the non-password protected area, so if you want to read them and are not a member of The Zone go here.
(And for the record I am dead chuffed Joules thinks enough of this series to make it more accessible. : )

I've also mostly finished the first part of a Dystopia chapter inspired by something Thorne drew. It should be posted soon – and as a bonus there's a Posh Nosh in-joke included! <bg>

<pats self on back> I've managed to stay away from ebay for a whole month!
And to celebrate... I'll be staying away from it for another month. : )

Hn, actually, Thorne, I've been thinking about that scary pic of yours... I think I've got a place for her in Dystopia, if I may borrow the disturbing creature?
Not quite sure what she'll be doing, precisely, but it's bound to be... interesting. <eg>

Happy Birthday, Soulsis!

It's Mother's Day here soon.
The cubs' father asked me if there was anything I wanted...
<smirk> I gave him a list.

... and it warms my heart (yes, that's sarcasm) to see the shops have prominently displayed slippers, nighties and dressing gowns, vacuum cleaners and irons, cos that's what mums really want for all their hard work, isn't it?
Hmph.

Thanks, Andi, for recommending Essex Boys; having a morbid fascination with the Brit underworld I really enjoyed it. : )
Sean Bean was great, as always, thoroughly unlikeable but still compelling. There was one plot loop I thought they could've done without, though. It just didn't hang together with the rest of the story, in my opinion, and it felt too... pat. Removing or altering that arc wouldn't have changed the ending and could've made the movie stronger over all.
But that's just my opinion. : )

I stand corrected on the matter of Alan Garner. I've just finished a book of his that I actually enjoyed. 'Elidor'.
It's odd but his language in this one doesn't seem to be quite so stylised, and it was much easier to read and generally more interesting. I wasn't thinking 'come on, get on with it...' while I was reading.
I could see why Joules was affected by it, though for me the ending was far too abrupt to make an emotional connection. This feels like another book he concluded before the story was finished.
Anyway, this one I could recommend. : )

Soulsis' birthday tomorrow!

'k, I got 18/20 for one of last weeks tests – an easy pass. That makes 3 of the 4 term one subjects I know I won't have to repeat : )
Enrolled in another subject yesterday, Materials Receipt, on Tuesday mornings – looks like that will be my only subject this term. I figure at this rate it'll take me at least 3 years to finish the first year's course content. Eh, no problem, not in any hurry...

<growling> Oooh, that Cathy Bradford (from The Bill') gets right up my nose!
The UK is a year or so ahead of us in episodes, I'm very tempted to get onto the Bill site and find out what happens to the psychotic cow. And Polly's just been arrested for murder!

I'm about half-way through reviewing Dancing but can't help casting longing glances at the other prettyshinys jostling for my attention. I'm resisting, for the most part. I know this wanting to go off and frolic in the fields of imagination is just another way of putting off the work that has to be done if I'm going to make a go of becoming a published author.
(Yes, I do plan to get back into it today while the cubs are at school but first I'm just going to zip off and read the latest chapter Joules has sent me from the sequel to 'First Light'... : )

The egg hasn't done anything yet...

[moved to 2^nd June]

The next closest 'special day' is Mother's Day - wonder if it'll hatch then?

Ack! The cubs have gotten bigger! Dang - have to get them some more clothes. Ah well, I was due to hunt down some winter clobber for them anyway...

I've noticed a change in their sibling dynamics recently, as well. The clingy cub is now quite happily ranging away from me, very content to go off and do his own thing - which drives his brother nuts. M can get very upset when S doesn't want to do/have the same thing and he's constantly deferring to S even for simple decisions like what they want for lunch. <sigh> No doubt we'll cope with this the way we've coped with everything else.
(Heh, parent-teacher interviews next week - the cubs have warned me, tactfully, that their teacher might not be completely complimentary about them... <eyebrow> Oh really? Do tell...)

Hee, I've got all of the First Light chapters now - can start reading through at my leisure. : )

You know, I grump about the cubs' father not looking after his children for any lenth of time except by special arrangement, but it's not all bad. I'm the one that generally gets to take them to the fun places.
Anyway, the cubs and I went to the Museum yesterday, to see the Bugs Alive exhibition – again. : ) Still couldn't bring myself to look too closely at the spidery things but was still entranced with the rest of it. (Some of those metallic coloured beetles are just beautiful!)
The cubs' father wasn't using the car so I drove us in to the city. Gods it's so much quicker than public transport – took about a third of the time, and what with parking and petrol, cost about the same as the fares would've. Not a good idea to get used to using the car so much, though, means I'll just miss it all the more if I don't have one when I move.

Mmmmm... found some ginger-flavoured gummy bear lollies. Yummy! (And I don't have to share with the cubs cos though they like the taste of the sweets they don't like the 'mouth-burning'. <evil smirk> Oh dear, such a shame...)

I glanced at an article/review in a newspaper last week about something Duran Duran related. The title of the item (was it a book? CD? DVD? No idea...) was 'Sing Blue Silver' and I had to smirk smugly and inform my coffee companion that that was part of the lyrics for 'The Chauffeur' (circa 1982) from the Rio LP...
Heh, 1980's BritPop Trivia 'R Us...

Cor! Joules has almost finished reviewing 'First Light', all 60+ chapters of it. <g> I'm following recommendations and waiting 'til I've got all the chapters before I reread. This is very exciting!

I'm not usually one for gadgets but I saw something yesterday that had me with my nose pressed up against the display cabinet. It's a portable DVD player, about a third of the size of a lap-top computer – the screen is a little bigger than your average paperback book.
<big eyes> How cool is that?
Yes, yes, if I wanted to watch something in privacy for the same price I could get another TV and DVD player and put them in my room but I love the idea of being able to watch your movies/whatever anywhere – on the train, in the loo, tucked up in bed... <bhg>
I'll put it on my wishlist...

Rain!
Woke up to the sounds of a downpour early yesterday morning and it showered heavily on and off all day. 'bout bloody time! Even though it hasn't been terribly hot we've been desperately dry for weeks. I really hope some of this is falling in the catchments. Water storage for Melbourne is currently around 48%, which is better than the 42% this time last year but it's still well below optimal.

The cubs' schools 'integrated topic' this term is mini-beasts (ie: insects and spiders). I know a couple of the teachers are a bit thingy about spiders – it must be hard having to lecture about something you're phobic over.

It's the ANZAC day weekend which means a day off on Monday... for everyone except Victoria. <grumble> Not sure if this is one of the public holidays our last, unlemented state dictator - er, premier - sliced out of the calendar. Hn. Oh well, we've got a curriculum ('student free' <chortle>) day in a week or so to look forward to anyway.

Almost finished my next AC, that should be posted some time this weekend. Then what? Umm... Eh, I'll think of something.

<giggling> ... this example of man-on-a-stick crass (though funny) commercialism came from OkapiPrincess... (Yes, it is a joke. I think.)
Oh, it might take a while to load.

Awww... : ) [egg moved up to wed 26th april]

I'm glad I did that little bit of review for the test last night. Didn't know a lot of the answers off the top of my head but I had a clue where to look for them in the module notes. I know I answered one question incorrectly but if that's all I've got wrong I'll be happy.
<deep breath> ... and that's the last of my wednesday afternoon classes.

I may not like Alan Garner's work all that much but I can't say the same for Sherri S. Tepper. I've read a lot of her novels over the years and I still find myself thinking about them. She writes sci-fi, kinda; they're uncomfortable stories about ugly times and places. Everything is 'put right' by the end of the story but there's rarely a happy ending for the main characters. Sacrifice and loss are common themes but the endings can still be hopeful, uplifting. There's nearly always a strong feminsit undertone in the stories, one of the reasons I'll happily pick up a Tepper book when I see them. My favourite is 'The Gate to Women's Country' - not because it's probably the closest thing to a fluffy bunny story she's written, but because she's exploring socio-political themes that are close to my heart. : )

Started the next AC (while I'm on a roll) but Joules and I have made a pact to nag each other about our novels again... starting friday... <g>

My cubs have asked me not to swear anymore. Heh. We'll see how we go, though admittedly my language does get a bit fruity when I'm stressed. : )

I had a test today - one that I'd completely forgotten about. Oops. And naturally I'd not looked at any of my work over the holidays so what had been good, solid knowledge at the end of last term had evaporated. Eh well, I'm not confident I did all that well but if I've cocked up too much I can take it again.
I have, however, done some review for tomorrow's test, though that's for the subject that makes my brain hurt so I'm not getting too blasé... : )

Right, I've got a place in another tuesday morning class for this term, and I'll find out tomorrow if I've got into the wednesday one as well. Assuming all's well, they'll be my only 2 subject for this term which won't hurt at all. I'm enjoying studying but I know I'd be more motivated if I knew right from the beginning what classes I was doing for the whole year. Next year I'll be more organised.

This very, very funny thing came to me from a mailing list but its origin is the Bad Mothers Club. I love this site, it's a whiff of sanity amongst the 'perfect mother - perfect life' nonsense foisted on us by just about everyone...

Top Ten Crafty Ways to Make Your Children Help In the House

1. It's Not About 'Helping Out'
Forget this completely, because 'helping out' implies that housework is Your Job and the family are only picking up their own toenail clippings as a Huge Personal Favour. Also, your idea of helping out - vacuuming, washing up, excavating the Neolithic apple cores from behind the sofa - may not concur with theirs: rinsing a teaspoon every Leap Year.

2. 10 smiley faces = 1 hour of Beyblade
Of course you've done this, haven't you? And maybe you've offered payment - please God they're not yet aware of the minimum wage. Or, if you're really sorted, perhaps you've put smiley faces on a chart where, say, 10 smiley faces = one hour of Beyblade. But for those of us who have normal, shouty, sulky children, try throwing in a bit of BMC small print of your own...

3. Financial Incentives
While paying children to do their chores helps, withholding pocket money for not doing them helps too. And fining them for being completely arsey about it Really Helps. I pay my 9 year-old to do his chores, but I also impose a 'whinge tax' which means more than three minutes of moaning, stamping and huffing and I start taking 10p off his dosh. He once kicked up a mighty stink about emptying the dishwasher and to his rage, ended up being fined 50p. It still gives me a warm bad motherly glow thinking about it. Especially as he still had to empty the dishwasher.

4. There is no such thing as Laundry Levitation
There's an African proverb which says: 'If you can talk, you can sing, and if you can walk, you can dance.' Here at BMC we say: If you can pick up a Beyblade, you can pick up your own dirty pants. And if you can put a Bionicle together or concentrate on your Beyblade without becoming unaccountably exhausted, you can pick up your laundry. And stick it back in the drawer. This means laundry to be replaced in appropriate drawers. It may be stuffed in any old how, but if you grit your teeth and stick with it you might just avoid the ghastly results of the prevalent teenage belief that laundry levitates from floor to laundry basket, to washing machine, and back to drawer. Of course, they get that from their fathers.

5. The Alzheimer Principle
Every time your child 'forgets' to do a chore, you 'forget' to add crisps to their lunchbox. With my son, a few days of carrot sticks soon breaks his spirit - and miraculously restores his memory.

6. The Allergy Card
Some children go through a rather tiresome ecological stage where they suddenly become 'allergic' to cleaning products. Buy them rubber gloves and a surgical mask, and don't forget - this sudden concern for the environment and the profits made by evil conglomerates can be turned to your advantage. They won't be wanting any Nikes, then, will they? Or - well, just about any item of nice or fashionable clothing.

7. Deliberate Incompetence
If they make a pig's ear of the washing up they can do it again, while you accidentally tape over Robot Wars with Mansfield Park.

8. In a minute!
If you keep getting the "In a minute" riposte, write down the time and date of their insubordination. Then when they want a lift to a party or a pair of trainers that glow purple and pick up Kiss FM, respond with: "In a minute". Yes, they'll hate you, but teenagers hate you anyway.

9. The Burning Martyr
Avoid my old Irish Aunty's mistake which was to sigh heavily, purse her mouth tighter than a cat's arse, emanate smoke and then Do What She'd Asked My Uncle To Do Five Hours Ago. ("Sure it's easier to do it meself.") That's why my Uncle ended up pronouncing: "I don't like women with too much education. They start answering back".

10. And Remember...
Don't expect cheerful obedience. Settle for sullen compliance instead. But think on this: every time your offspring picks up their socks or unloads a dishwasher with only a few muffled curses, you're that much closer to a child who won't turn out like my Uncle.

Bizarro dream last night. I was obliquely warned about a piece of evidence - a tissue - that could link me with a murdered man. I found the tissue in the bin where I'd dropped it, then had to dispose of it. My best option, I thought, was flushing it down a toilet (a: it would take the 'evidence' away from the scene, and b: it would break up in the water and disappear - heh, dream-logic...) but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get rid of the bloody thing. Every toilet I visited was either broken or locked, or there was some weird beaurocratic/arcane stumbling block, so I eventually decided to take the risk and just drop the tissue in another bin, in a park, and hope for the best.
Interesting, ne? : ) What is it I want to disassociate myself with but can't?

'Revolution' the AC side-story, is posted in the Desert Dreaming sequence of that section. Thanks for coding, Joules!

1st day back at school and there was much rejoicing...
Heh, Peter Costello the Federal (Liberal) Govt Treasurer was at the school assembly this morning (<scratches head> I think he's the federal representative for the area) doing the politician/photo opportunity thing, presenting some Aus flags to a student and teacher who are going to Japan soon for a conference. I see this man on the news nearly every night, but there was no sense of awe, or anything seeing him in reality. He's just a guy in a suit who can't tell a joke to save himself...

There are barking frogs, Thorne, I've just double-checked. : )
Much rather have a barking frog than a spider...

The video clip for Herbie Hancock's 'Rocket' was playing on the telly last night. Ok, I thought, it's been years since I've seen this, surely my robot phobia has improved enough I can watch these animated mannequins without twitching?
Nup. Lasted 10 seconds before the freakiness got to me and I had to walk away.
I have a deep, deep mistrust of robotics (probably because of Dr Who <g>) with reactions ranging from my skin-crawling to wanting to smash them into little pieces. It's not all robots though, the machines on Robot Wars don't bother me, but anything human-sized or bigger... <shudder> Car-manufacturing 'bots are particularly disturbing. They move so smoothly, so precisely they're just not natural. I see them and can't help thinking what would happen if their programming screwed up. ('You'd get a lot of wrecked cars!' quips the cub's technophile father, but he's just blind to the danger... : )

Finished the AC side-story, 'Revolution', it'll be coded and posted soon (thanks, Joules!). Heh, wrote a snippet of a future AC chapter too - a little scene that's been tickling me. : ) And the cubs go back to school tomorrow! <happy dance> Time to get back to work!

If I was Dr Doyle (from the Victorian crime-drama 'Murder Rooms') I'd give up on any idea of marriage... Every woman he's formed an attachment to has died and/or been a murderess. And as for that Dr Bell popping up all over the place to save the day.. What is he, psychic? Sheesh.
<g> I'm still enjoying the series though. (Not one word from you there, lurking in th' thicket!)

<blinks> One of my cubs is giving the other a 'sword massage' (his words). He's hitting his brother - who's lying prone on the kitchen floor - with the flat of a plastic sword...
Oooh-kaaay...
(Ah, and now he's hit him too hard and there's squealing. Tch. : )

Busy day with the cubs, we visited the Polly Woodside Maritime Museum and the Aquarium. The cubs enjoyed the play area in the museum most of all, (lego and wooden boats and signal flags, oh my) but weren't all that impressed with the centrepiece – the restored barque. I loved the ship though, quite happily indulged myself in a few sea-going fantasies while traipsing all over it. : ) It's another place I'd like to go visit on my own. Heh, the last, and first, time I went to see the Polly Woodside was in High School – been trying to get back there ever since. I secretly enjoyed the excursion – all of my mates said it was boring. <g> Ah, I can't help it, this nautical bent, I spent 5 weeks on a ship at an impressionable stage in my life. Heh, wonder if we'd travelled by 'plane when we immigrated to Australia I'd have a thing for aircraft instead?
<happy sigh> ... and it was lovely seeing the fishies again. The baby Murray Crayfish are an inch long now and exploring their tank; the Growling Tree Frog tadpoles are just beginning to sprout legs; the young Port Jackson sharks are as cute as ever and the resident Pirate recognised the cubs from our last visit a couple of weeks ago. : ) Does all this mean we go to the Aquarium too often, do you think?

There was a report on the news tonight about a (non-fatal) car crash. The paramedic interviewed said 'Both vehicles have been significantly destroyed.'
Tch, 'significantly destroyed'? As opposed to just a little bit destroyed? Honestly, I wish people would think about how they use absolutes before they speak. Here's one of my favourites, also caught on the news: 'This is very unique opportunity.' Wow! Double-plus good or what?

[... <happy squeak/giggle - absently wondering how far sound will carry across the pond on a clear day>...]

[... right... fresh petals, furs fluffed, large pre-order put in at the Lemon tree...<settles down to wait>...]

It was easy enough to find the lyrics for 'Gimme Danger' but no mp3 as yet. The song's been playing itself over and over in my brain – I feel another songfic coming on. In fact... <ping!> ... this could easily be the follow up to the last songfic I wrote. Yeah, that'd work!
Oh dear, I'll have to listen to/watch the clip several dozen times while the idea bubbles. <smirk> My cubs are just going to love me, I can hear it now: "Muu-uum!? You're watching that again...?"

Finished the AC side-story (hoorah!) but I need Joules to check it before I can truly say I'm done. The Elga chapter is next in line, I think, then I really should stop procrastinating and finish 'Dancing'. Gods, I love what I do: there's so much stuff circling in holding patterns in my brain I need an airtraffic controller to keep track of it all (but then again, the mid-air collisions can be spectacular and very inspiring... : )

Washing machines are wonderful things, aren't they? Especially when they flood. Tch. Oh well I needed to wash all those towels anyway.

<happy sigh> I had my Velvet Goldmine fix last night. I love that movie, it's so beautifully, sensuously trashy and tragic. And there's nuances too, depths and layers that I'm finding the more I watch. I wonder though, did Kurt Wilde remember Arthur Stuart? Possibly not but I think he recoqnised something in the journalist, which is why he did that significant thing he did. : ) Well, I think it's significant, others might just say: 'Huh?'
Annoyingly though, there's 2 brilliant songs in the movie that aren't on the CD soundtrack. The first is Slade's 'Cuz I love you' – that won't be hard to find, however, any compilation of the band should have it. The second is a cover of Iggy Pop's 'Gimme Danger' – could probly find the original without too much trouble and possibly there's an mp3 of the movie version out there somewhere. (It's by the Venus in Furs with Ewan Macgregor singing.)
And speaking of Eye-candy McDrooly... <smirk> He can't do a convincing American accent but damn he's pretty, especially when he's waving his bits about. Hee!

The cubs and I went to see the new Scooby Doo movie today.
I enjoyed it more than the first, probly cos <gasp> there's character development for Velma. The less-than-subtle moral of this movie is 'You're perfect just as you are', which is... nice, I guess, if laid on with a trowel - everybody gets to ponder it at some point.
Scooby & Shaggy are still annoying but Seth Green's a cutie and an asset to any movie he appears in.
We also saw a preview for the Garfield movie... <head in hand> What next? The Hair Bear Bunch movie? The horror... the horror...
<choked whisper> I've seen them too, in the background of a Cartoon Network station advert... They've not been forgotten...!

2 pages into the AC side-story. Woohoo. : ) Fingers crossed it'll be finished by the time Joules gets back from her break.

Heh, the bright-orange material is washed and ready to cut. I'll make up 10 stars, I think, that'll be enough to spread over the 15 strips, and leave me some of the material to use in something else.

We were inundated by praying mantises last night. Ok, there were only 2 but that's still 2 more than we usually get! I watched one of them hunt. Very interesting, though it walked right over a moth. Tch, big big eyes, tiny tiny brain. : )
(And just for the record, skinks tickle when they run under your bare foot as they try to escape the ravening cat-monster...)

Ack! Just remembered I've got a test when I go back to classes on Tuesday! Hn, better pencil in some alone time to do some review. Wonder if I can get the cubs' father to take them somewhere on the weekend?

Happy Birthday, Goodtwin!



There's a praying mantis come inside - it was watching me from the ceiling as I moved about the kitchen. Silly thing, it'd never be able to eat all of me at once...

Bleurgh... Not a happy Lutra - the temperature reached 32 degrees today. <pout> The summer weather was sposed to have ended by now. (But no, there's no such thing as climate change.) Feels like the temperatures coming down a little now, hopefully it won't get too hot tonight.

I've started the AC side-story, and the next chapter for Elga. Couldn't do much though - aside from the normal holiday distraction of cubs underfoot I've had a headache for the past couple of days and it's just not shifting. Finding it hard to focus on anything at the moment. Eh, if it follows pattern it'll be gone by tomorrow morning. Partially self-inflicted, too much cheese and chocolate over the weekend : ) and spending 3 nights on my mum's couch probably didn't help.

On the up side, Niki and Soulsis stopped by for a visit this afternoon, Soulsis, as always, bearing gifts. <g> (Did I mention she gave me the cutest otter un-birthday card on Sunday?) A little, cloisonné fish dangly, a multi-coloured tea-light candle holder (very 70's, hee) and a rare (for Australia) Golden Arches of Doom happy meal toy - one of the Hello Kitty limited release toys, in this case a 2000 Dear Daniel Millenium Wedding plushie! <happy squeak> You know, if I'm not careful, I could end up being a Hello Kitty collector...

<bg> Go check out Sylverthorne's site. In her gallery (miscellaneous section) there's some Dystopia/AC fan-art! Most recently Thorne's drawn Angel (Kitty) as part of the 'Herding Cats' piece, and a portrait of Joules' Maria (Angelfish). Shoo! Go see! : )

Cool! Just found this word in the dictionary (Oxford Conscise 1964):

majuscule: Large (letter), whether capital or uncial.

I guess that would make it the opposite of miniscule, ne?

Good weekend up at mum's, but I'm glad to be home. So are the cubs, they were making 'homesick' noises last night.
Soulsis and her cubs came up to Mum's on Easter Sunday then we all trooped off to the Alexandra timber train Museum thing. Hot, way more people than last time, but the kids all enjoyed themselves. The cubs and I popped down to the town's Easter Show for a short time as well. Nothing terribly interesting for me (ie: the stallholders were nearly all local businesses, wineries, alpaca studs, etc, no second-hand/antique sellers) but I did pick up a kilo of gourmet potatoes to try ('pink eye' [don't laugh!] pale, waxy flesh, ideal for boiling. Mmmmm...) The cubs got a go on a huge bouncy-castle/giant slide, so they were happy.

Heh, after 5 years of mutual antipathy my Mum's siamese cat and I have reached an understanding. He no longer takes a swipe at me as I go past and even went so far this weekend as to walk across me to get to Mum's lap. He still bullies the cubs, though, and they're still scared of him. Eh, we'll work on that.

<sigh> Probly spent too much on the cubs this weekend what with toy swords, and beanie kids (bears dressed up as a meerkat and a policeman) and milkshakes and shark-shaped face washers. : ) I haven't overspent my budget though so it's not really that much of a problem. My special treat was some lovely, bright-orange material from my favourite patchwork shop. I'm going to make up some stars from it and replace some of the less-liked colours in my quilt. <bg>

... it is possible to have too many easter eggs...

For years I'd thought that my primary school in England had let us go home early so we could watch Neil Armstrong's first moon-walk live. I checked with Mum and she only remembers us watching it on the news that night. Hm. That sort of makes sense, I guess, after all, we didn't get to go home early to watch Charlie being invested as Prince of Wales. Heh, not sure how accurate this memory is but I remember sitting with the rest of my (smallish) school in the darkened hall watching the event on a television. <g>
Also, prompted by a program Mum and I watched, I asked her if she'd been one of the children evacuated during the second-world war. She was, sent away from Portsmouth to Leicster for a year. Fascinating - I should ask my Mum questions like that more often.

[<grumblepout> ... I get back and now you're gone... wish the ningens would organise themselves better... ]

Oh dear, to do justice to this little AC sidestory I have planned I'll have to go back and reread the first (and probably the second) chronicle. <hand to forehead> Such a chore... Hee.

Finished reading Alan Garner's 'The Moon of Gomrath, his sequel to 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen'.
... and? Where's the third book?
I don't mean that to sound like I was so enthralled that I must have more, dammit! I mean I was left with the overwhelming impression he hadn't finished the story. (And this was written in 1967 – I don't think there is any more of it.) I'm not a great a fan of Garner anyway but leaving the narrative hanging this way is just annoying. True, the (few and far between) bits of the book that struck a chord (and which, incidentally, were the reason the books were recommended to me) were magical but for the rest? I find Garner's language convoluted yet plodding, his plots simplistic even for the target audience of 10 - 14 year olds. Any book where my attention wanders in the middle of an 'action' scene (a battle, being chased by unspeakable horrors etc) or I'm able to put down in the middle of a sentence without a qualm doesn't have that much going for it as far as I'm concerned. I had a similar reaction to Garner's 'Stone Book Quartet', and 'Elidor' and 'The Owl Service' (which I haven't finished yet) all of which begs the question: why have I read so much of something I don't like?
Meh, beats me. Maybe it's that sunny optimism gland? It can't be as bad as I remember, right? : )

Gods, I'm such a sook...
Watched the George Harrison memorial concert (filmed in 2002) tonight and spent most of it in tears. Fair enough I've loved most of the songs performed that night for years but it always means so much more when something's sung in requiem for a friend. Tch, was even sniffling through the rendition of Monty Python's 'I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay'... How sad is that? <g>
But it was Ringo Starr singing 'Photograph' that really did me in.

"Every time I see your face,
It reminds me of the places we used to go.
But all I got is a photograph,
And I realise you're not coming back any more..."

Waaaaah! <sniffle>

There's something blonde and cute in the opening credits of Astro Boy. I think it's a robot, I think it's male, but I'm not sure. Heh, if I was really that interested I could go hunt up some websites and find out, couldn't I?
And why do all the humans have huge noses? They can't all be comic sidekicks...

Not packed as yet for the weekend though the clothes are all sorted out at least.
This would all be so much easier if I had a car. Eh well, the cubs like the train journey.

<happy squeak!> Just read something that Joules wrote for me, which no one else will get to see until the end of the OT series! Definitely worth waiting for - the fluffy bunny's smiling dreamily. : ) <glomps Joules> Thank you!

(And that little flash of AC inspiration grew somewhat while I was hanging the washing out. Almost got enough now to consider writing it...)

The cubs and I spent 4 hours yesterday at our (holiday crowded) shopping centre. Why? Because I'm secretly a masochist? Perhaps, but my conscious reasoning was cos we didn't have to hurry home. Usually when we go to this centre it's after school and the cubs want to go here and there and I'm always saying no, no, no, we have to get home so dinner's not too late...'
We indulged each other yesterday though, stopped and had a good look at shops we usually skim past. Took the cubs into Made in Japan which is full of delicate crockery... Didn't twitch too much and the cubs were fascinated with the Japanese cupboards, what with the plethora of drawers and sliding doors and little hidey holes. : ) Next week I'm going back there to put a sake set on lay-by - it's shaped like a puffer fish!
One of the shop assistants asked the cubs a question. They didn't actually answer her question - which was 'are you twins?' - but they divulged all sorts of other information that was topmost in their minds. Their names; their ages; the fact that one is 48 seconds older than the other; their current favourite toys and what they do; their favourite colours of their favourite toys... The girl just blinked under the onslaught - it was quite funny. <beg> Heh, welcome to my world.

This morning one of my cubs suggested torture as a punishment for a toy that had been 'bad'. When I squeaked - a fluffy-bunny sound of distress - he justified the statement with that torture was 'fun' when it was used on someone else...
Joules fell about laughing when I told her this. Hmph. Queen of Casual Torture.
I blame the Horrible Histories series, it's full of gruesome facts... Mind you, I'd rather they read that than Captain Underpants. : )

<relieved sigh> My next AC, Naissance pt 1, is finished and posted. It wasn't as much like pulling teeth as the last couple of chapters had been. Had a short, sharp flash of inspiration while I was writing it as well, totally unconnected with the main story arc. Tch. Not sure if or what I'll do with that, see what my subconscious throws up at me. Could be interesting though, I've never really considered writing from the perspective of one of the lizards...

<sigh> ... and that's KittenKong away over the back fence. The council is pruning trees in the street, and my puir wee cat still has no liking for loud machinery noises.

The cubs were watching an American children's show yesterday, quite happily I thought, until one of them piped up and said the show needed subtitles. <giggling>

Half-watched 'Das Boat' on telly last night - the director's cut. An engrossing movie, not hard at all to empathise with the characters. Some nice bottoms too, incidentally, all lined up waiting for the medic to check their owners for body lice. Hee : )
Apparently this movie is the cut down version of a 30 part tv series. Holy crap! It was powerful enough after 3 hours, the ending would've been devastating after 30 hours and really getting to know the crew.

The cubs and I are going up to mum's for the Easter weekend - you'll never guess what we've got planned?
Yep, that's right, an outing to one of the old train rides. <g>
I don't think the cubs will ever entirely lose their fascination with train engines - I'm all prepared to commiserate with their future partners about this. : )
(But then, if you get involved with an adult who's got a train set you should have some idea what you're in for!)

<pout> The Aquarium has dropped the member's discount in the gift shop from 20% - 10%. It's not going to stop me buying there, of course, but there is some loss of good will. <grumble>
Anyway, besides that the cubs and I had fun at the Aquarium today, (mmmm... fishies... : ) then we spent a little time at the Immigration Museum before going home. The gift shop there had rubber cockroaches... Yes, the cubs have got one each. <g> Actually, could be interesting to get a couple of dozen of the things and use them to make a pattern in a box-picture, or something. Hm...

My next AC is half-done, but like Joules I have to admit my heart's not really in it anymore. Will see it through to the end though, it's the least I can do for something I consider to be my on-the-job training. (Heh, you don't need to do a course in creative writing, just find yourself a mentor and enter into an apprenticeship . : )

Hee. OkapiPrincess found this on author Lynn Flewelling's website and thought of me.

Be Like the Otter

For they are lithe of spine and never seek out chiropractors.
They are short of leg and long of waist, and wear it well.
They are happiest with family and love their children.
They eat on their laps without benefit of napkins.
They appreciate sushi.
They only bite when necessary, but their teeth are sharp and their jaws
powerful. Beware.
They make work look like play; perhaps even they don't know the difference.

That's so cute! <squinch> And pretty accurate, too, especially the sushi bit.
Thanks, OP!

OkapiPrincess found this link. : )
As a connoisseur of food porn, Posh Nosh is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I hope there's a cookbook - I rather fancy trying my hand a exasperating some queasied chestnuts...

Right, chapter 5 of Elga is finished (hee, and I actually managed to surprise Joules with it!). One more chapter, I think, then Part 1 is finished - then I can move on to the meaty Part 2. <eg>

The cubs and I almost finished cleaning their room yesterday, but as it stands it's still the cleanest spot in the house! Little bit more time today and it'll be done, then we can go out and have fun. : )

Hn, not sure what's going on, for the past day or so everytime I've logged into Blogger I've been given the old, grey edit screen. Not a huge problem, really, just inconvenient.
And hey! Lookee at my comments box! Joules resized the Pond's banner so it fits there too. <bhg> Nifty!

Well that wasn't a lot of fun but it was productive. The cubs and I got to work cleaning their room this afternoon. Yes, there was grumbling and plaintive moans about being 'too tired to clean up' (though not too tired to play, I noticed) but we managed to sort out half of their room including hoiking a square metre of stuff out from under the bed. It's times like this I'm glad they've got bunk-beds; two single beds would mean twice as much area to hide things in. : )
We should be able to finish the job tomorrow, especially with the cubs spurred on by the incentive of not going out anywhere fun until their room is clean. <evil smirk>

Got to read snippets of the next chapter of Joules' Oriyal Tales as she was writing it this morning...
Waaaah! <sniffle> So sad - Watari definitely needs a hug. <nods decisively>
Heh, I've started the next part of Elga - never thought I'd find myself writing almost-horror, sort of, it's not a genre I like, but this is fun! And best of all I know where it's going. : )

I cooked roast chicken with roast potatoes for dinner tonight. I made it mainly for my own benefit (I love roasts!) but the cubs polished off all their portions as well. This is a definite step up from the 'Yuck, I'm not eating that! I hate [... fill in the blank...]' They ate all their roast lamb the other day as well. Dare I cautiously believe nutritional progress is being made? <bg>

A-hah! The movie title I haven't been able to correctly recall for days wasn't 'The adventures of Dick Silverman', it was 'The Case of the Smiling Stiffs'! Happy now. : )

Astro Boy. I tell you what, Atlas is a bit of a honey when he's in his 'bad boy motorcycle thug' persona. A thick mop of long red hair; earring and tatts, and that sneer...? Phwooarr...

Niki's made me some clothes!
I have the best friends. : )

Watched a documentary tonight, that OkapiPrincess reccommended, about fat-fetishists. Interesting, scary in places, but very interesting.
And now I'm watching music videos peopled by 16 year old, size 8 girls wearing stuff that in the past has been associated with prostitutes... Where's the balance?