Forecast: 20-30
Attained: 20-28

Yes!
Boss asked me to put together an excel spreadsheet for the stats from the door counter at the main campus library. Took a few hours but I did it. It's got sums an' divisions an' everything! Hah!
You'll have to forgive my gloating triumph but spreadsheeting is not something that comes naturally: I have think logically about displaying number information, not a strength of mine. :)

~=o>

Triple J's current affair program, Hack, has been down in Tasmania this week. Listening to the program has prompted me to remember how much I like the Apple Isle. I've visited a few times over the years, and the cubs' father and I felt so comfortable there we'd contemplated moving. I'm thinking about it again.
Not that long ago I wouldn't have really considered moving interstate but with Mum's shuffling off this mortal coil I suddenly realised I'd been thinking that way primarily because I didn't want to move too far away from her. That's not a barrier now, and the cubs will be 18 in a couple of years and able to fend for themselves. Plus, I work in a mobile industry, there's jobs popping up all the time all over the place.
So, let's see what happens. I have a little time to get my life organised enough for a move bigger than just to the other end of a suburb.

~=o>

From the 'quote of the day' calendar at work. I'm not sure this is entirely accurate:

Forecast: 14-28
Attained: 13-29

The afternoon tea wasn't quite what I was expecting. I envisioned sitting down with my cubs and partaking exclusively of their noms. What actually happened was the guests were invited to wander around the class as a whole and sample everyone's noms. So much food...
Was good though, tasted some lovely snacks. I have pics of the cubs' efforts, just have to d/l them first.
Didn't need to cook dinner tonight, there was so much stuff brought home.

Later this evening BadgerCub's drama class gave their solo perfomances! Some excellent stuff, especially from BC, and I'm not just being biased as a mum. :)
I've recorded his performance so his father can see it when he comes back from o/s. Of course, being an idiot I'd missed the first couple of minutes cos I forgot to check that the camera was in video mode. Tch. And I need to check it's actually got sound... Technogenius, I am not.

Forecast: 8-26
Attained: 8-25

Dramaz...
The major assessment for the cubs' food tech unit this term has been to plan, design and cook for a themed afternoon tea. BadgerCub chose Steampunk/Victorian; VortexCub chose medieval. It's been... challenging for them pulling it all together in time. If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done....

The tea is tomorrow; I'll be leaving work early so I can attend. :)

Forecast: 8-21
Attained: 8-18

I expected to dream last night* but instead of the Transformers slavefic** inspired dream I was hoping for I got CSI. [shudder] Was horrible.
In this dream universe a couple of skeletons had been found on a new construction site. I knew who they were cos I'd buried them there, several years earlier. Two of my closest friends had died and while I hadn't killed them, I got the impression I was responsible in some way for their deaths. I'd hidden their bodies and said nothing, just... grieving along with the rest of the friends and family as would be expected.
When my friends were found - as I'd known they would be - I knew their identities would quickly be established cos I'd left their purses/IDs on them. It was a relief in some ways because I'd been carrying this secret with me for so long, but I was concerned about what would happen when their deaths were traced to me. I consoled myself with the thought that I hadn't actually killed them, just concealed their deaths. That wasn't so bad, was it...?

On waking I was horrified and appalled: how could I have subjected their famililes to so many years of anguish, not knowing what'd happened to them? One of my friends had three small children who'd grown up not knowing their mother.

The dread and guilt I've dragged around all day is only now beginning to fade. I love my imagination, seriously I do, but sometimes...

* - Well, I dream every night so that probly should've said 'hoped to remember my dream last night'.
** - Don't ask, but thanks again, Joules for the rec!

~=o>

Ok, I need soothing...

... that's better. Nothing like soothing visuals to um, soothe. :)

(That last is 'Optimus Personified' by LALAax. Nothing at all to do with the slavefic, just something Joules found online that made my jaw drop. [Here's LALAax's deviant art gallery by the way. Nothing immediately NSFW] )

Forecast: 11-18
Attained: 11-18

CSI: Las Vegas.

• Nick's accent.
• Catherine's hair.
• Greg's shoulders.
• Grissom.

 Nice.



~=o>

Warm and windy today, perfect drying weather...

... I'm sure I had something more interesting to say. Oh well.

Ah, Solange...  : )

[Edit:] I remember what I was going to say! I tried the frozen avocados and they were disgusting. Fibrous and tasteless. [shudder]

Forecast: 15-23
Attained: 18-24

So full ov noms...
As a special yay-tax-refund treat, Cubs and I went to the Piggy Place for dinner. Got there later than I'd planned so had to wait a little while for a table. I had the char grilled chicken with mushroom sauce. As always, the meat was perfect, the not-meat portion of the meal less so. :)
([blink] There's an auto-start video on the Piggy Place site. Took me by surprise. Cue hasty back-paging to get away from it!)

~=o>

Bit of a weird day. Up early to drive cubs' father to the airport, then had to come home the long, boring way via Bell st. cos the regular way around the CBD was a carpark rather than a freeway. Seriously, there was traffic backed up and stationary at least two kliks! And yes, Bell st. was as congested as it's always been but at least the traffic was moving. Took two hours to get home rather than the thirty minutes if we'd been able to go via the tollway and tunnels.
Was very tired by the time we got home so I went and had a nap. Intended only an hour or so - I'd set my alarm and everything - but ended up sleeping for four hours. Guess I must've needed the rest. And that's why the cubs and I ended up getting there late to the Piggy Place.

~=o>

A while ago I quite intensely watched seasons 1-6 of CSI:Vegas (thanks, Joules, for the rec, btw). Really got in to it, chasing down the dvds as quickly - and cheaply! - as possible. I think I burnt myself out on it cos by the end of S6 I wasn't that motivated to get S7. The dark subject matter didn't help either: there's only so much gruesome death one can witness before it stops being entertaining, I guess.
I still kept an eye out for cheap copies of the subsequent seasons, however, cos I do really like the characters, got somewhat emotionally attached to a few and I want to know what happens to them. :) Yay for sales, I say. I picked up S7 & 8 for less than half price! Will probably take my time watching them this time...

~=o>

Language has always been fluid but I think with the 'net that fluidity is accelerated. F'rinstance, 'spam', it's those stupid, often innappropriate and always unsolicited emails that clog up your inbox, or used to before the advent of spam-filters, right? Spamming was a bad thing, inflicted on nameless others. To have been spammed was aggravating. However, Cubs have been using the phrase 'pic spamming' to describe the act of uploading a bunch (ie: many) pics to their deviant art account. At first I was a bit surprised at the new slant and made a point of explaining the origin of the word to the cubs and why it made me twitch, but then I thought, does it really matter? I'm watching the meanings of words and phrases changing online, due to memes and such, from day to day. Why am I intent on hanging on to this particular word/meaning? Is it a generational thing...?

There is a point to the above, cos I'm doing some pic spamming of my own now. :)
(I was going to say 'photo bombing' but that means something else to my original understanding of it, as well.)

... ROFLMAO!
And after that little spiel there was only one photo I wanted to upload. Odd, I was under the impression I had a backlog! Boy, is my face red... :)

This pic of avocados and an egg isn't here cos of it's amusing similarity to a comic face, no, it's there to demonstrate the itty-bitty size of the frozen avocados I got from the supermarket.
I've been seeing packets of these for a few months now, and generally ignored them cos they're stupidly expensive, but this time they were on special, $2 down from $6+ for four halves. Plus I was cashed up - always dangerous for impulse buys - and thought 'why not?'. They could be handy to have in the freezer, for lunches and snacks, but when I took a sachet out and saw the tiny things I was appalled. Supermarket seriously wanted people to pay $6+ for these? Also, they're from Mexico - which, if I'd bothered reading the packaging before buying they would've gone straight back in to the freezer.

So yes, kudos to the enterprising sort finding a way of using fruit which is probably too small to sell as is, but I won't be buying these again, on special or not.

~=o>

More from Cosmo Jarvis (Gay Pirates).
Interesting young man, quite subversive.
This clip has a thing or two to say...

Forecast: 11-25
Attained: 11-25

Ok, I went back and watched Rassilon chewing the sets again, and here's what he said:

"... only two stand against and will stand, as monument to their shame, as the weeping angels of old..."

Screen grab:

See the two Timelords with their hands over their eyes? Yeah...
Intriguing snippety bit, yes? :)

~=o>

This is a poignant little song...

Forecast: 8-20
Attained: 8-21

The last Tennant!Doctor special, The End of Time. It gets a bit slashy there between the Doctor and the Master. Hee.
(Also - I'm going to have to go back and rewatch this bit cos I didn't quite catch all of it - but Rassilon says something about shaming the two dissenting timelords, who didn't vote the way he wanted and were marked out by having their hands over their eyes, by making them do something like 'the weeping angels of old'. Eeep.)

~=o>

[giggling] Holding one of the earbud thingies directly against the 'catching' bit of my hearing aide funnels the music directly in to my ear. Tickles!
More importantly, it means I can probably use the cover-your-ears headphones with the aide in place. Wow, stereo music!

Forecast: 9-18
Attained: 10-17

While going through some of my mum's stuff recently I rediscovered one of the funniest comic strips I've ever seen. Well, I rediscovered the hysterical cat element of the comic strip.

This is Hallmarks of Felinity, an archive of the early cat-bits from from 9 Chickweed Lane. The archive only goes so far but I'm trying to pin down how to access the rest of it.

... is remarkably frustrating! There doesn't seem to be any centrally organised site. [grumble]

Forecast: 10-16
Attained: 10-16

Owowow. Since yesterday I've been experiencing cramps in my ribs, of all places. Really annoying cos unlike leg cramps, which I can walk out, there's no stretching, no particular position that eases the owie. I just have to keep moving, swear a lot, and wait for it to pass. Fortunately they don't happen all that often. Not sure what set them off this time but I probably sat too still in one position for too long and let myself get cold. Tch.

~=o>

Staff meeting today but with more than half the staff away on leave there was only three of us. I volunteered to take the minutes and then, because the boss was going on leave tomorrow, I akshully managed to get the minutes written up and off to her for checking a couple of hours after the meeting instead of days later, as is usual. Go me. :) I don't like doing the minutes, I always feel I'm floundering and leaving vital stuff out. This time wasn't too bad, however, partly I'm sure because I got on to it straight away rather than procrastinating and avoiding, but also because, with such a small number of participants I wasn't scrambling to note down what everyone said!

~=o>

Pasta for lunch. Can you spot the dinosaurs?

Forecast: 7-16
Attained: 8-15

While idly google imaging tonight I came across pics taken by someone on their journeys to find 'caches'. Curious, I googled 'cache hunting' and discovered this:

Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online.

Kinda looks like fun. Gets you out of the house... :)

~=o>

Awesome! There's a second series of 'Sherlock' under way! I shall look forward to that.

Forecast: 11-17
Attained: 12-16

Heh, cubs enjoyed their all-night laser tag happy fun time. :) They got in about 5, apparently, but I knew nothing about it, being asleep. Got them up around midday anyway so they have a chance of getting some sleep tonight. It's back to school tomorrow for them.

~=o>

Caught the last ep of Dr Who series 6. I quite liked it! I even liked Amy a bit, not something that's happened much over this past 2 series, though I continue to be awfully fond of Rory.
I'd like to watch the 11th Doctor's series over again. Haven't been overly impressed with the writing though the past few eps have been very engaging.

~=o>

Tch, not sure about this working an extra day. I've only got tomorrow off to do stuff, rather than two days, then it's back to work. Eh well, can't complain about the extra cash...

Forecast (yesterday): 13-19
Attained: 13-20

Forecast (today): 12-20
Attained: 13-19

So, I work a 4 day week and I'm shattered. No stamina, clearly. :)
Well, I've got a few more weeks of this. I'm sure I'll manage.

~=o>

Bwhahahahaha!



~=o>

Cubs will be going to a midnight-dawn laser tag session tonight. [g] Not sure that's such a good idea the weekend before going back to school.

Forecast: 13-20
Attained: 15-20

I really don't understand how daylight savings works. How come, when we put the hour forward, it's darker in the morning and lighter in the evening? Shouldn't that be the other way 'round? I'z confused...

~=o>

Spring, an' stuff!
Outside of work today: suddenly, purple flowers!

I love this Aus native plant. (Not sure what it is: olearia phlogopappa, perhaps? Not quite a brachycome?) We used to have one on the patio of a previous rental place. Fabulous spill of purple for months at a time.

And spotted in the carpark this morning.
These unprepossessing flowers of the port wine magnolia have the loveliest, sweetest scent that releases in the late afternoon. I was definitely looking forward to sticking my nose in there after work! Mmmm...

(Hee, Blogger is telling me I've used 8mg of the 1gb space allocated to me for pics. [snerk] Not trying hard enough, clearly...)

Forecast: 12-22
Attained: 11-22

Made myself a sort of stir-fry tonight for din-dins and tried some 'winter salad' of spinach and kale mixed through it. Nice thought but the spinach reacted to the heat much faster than the kale, already going slimy before it's hardier companion had even warmed through! (Was still nommy though. Forgot how much I like kale...)

And I tried a grapefruit/cola skoosh mix. Yum! The grapefruit lightened the almost cloying sweetness of the cola, while the cola countered the bitterness of the grapefruit just enough. Will definitely be having more of that.

~=o>

Elbow - Grounds for Divorce.

Feckin' fabulous song! I will be always grateful to my niece for introducing me to this band. :)

Forecast: 8-22
Attained: 7-22

I'm going to a work-related conference in a couple of weeks. I feel a bit like a grown-up. :)

~=o>

Dinner: frittata (of sorts). Zucchini, garlic & tomato.

Splort!
I can never transfer things prettily from frying pan to plate. Was tasty, though..

Forecast: 6-20
Attained: 6-19

Well, back to work tomorrow. I did manage to tick off a couple of things on my 'happy holiday fun time wish/to do list' but for the most part my down-time consisted of a lot of very relaxing nothing. :) Of course, I was poorly for a goodly part of it so couldn't have done much of anything anyway, but I don't feel the time has been wasted.

~=o>

This is a wonderful news article about mysterious paper sculptures being discovered around Edinburgh this year.

(Photo by chrisdonia, nicked from their flickr feed.)

Forecast: 8-18
Attained: 9-17

Eee, I'm quite excited about this!
The Wiggles have been around for twenty years now and there's a tribute album coming out next month!
The cubs grew out of the Wiggles about ten years ago but I've still got a soft spot for those Wiggly dudes.

I couldn't find the clip I wanted of my absolute favourite Wiggles song, "I am a dancer" ([snerk] blokes in blunnies doing ballet) but this is my second favourite song. I still know all the moves!



~=o>

One more day of holidays. I shall probly spend it napping... :)

[edit: in reference to yesterday's post about extra sleep. 'Twas not so, alas. An hour forward means an hours less sleep. Tch, have never been able to get the hang of daylight saving...]

Forecast: 10-15
Attained: 9-14

Was a bit chilly today, chilly and rainy. There's still stuff in the washing machine from yesterday, which will have to be washed again before I can hopefully hang it out tomorrow.

~=o>

... Does the hour go forward tonight? Better check...

Yes, it does. Woohoo, an extra hour to sleep!

~=o>

Avalanches: "Since I left you"
Awww... This clip always makes me sooky. :)



~=o>

Dang. Might have to sacrifice a chunk of my tax refund - still assuming I get some - to the gods of dental work. [grump] Would rather have a lap-top...

~=o>

Bwhaahaha!
Lifted from the 'Coming Soon' section at Hoyts.com.au:

33D Invader
Director: Cash Chin
Akiho Yoshizawa and Macy Wu

A beautiful woman from the future by time machine came to 2011, looking for what she needs to perfect genes.From 2046 years of future alien (Kato Taka) know the same beautiful girl from the future WuQing sunny to earth looking for good man away from the earth, and he immediately to stop, and the earth in a relationship, all women are supposed to his claws.

Um, what...?

Forecast: 9-16
Attained: 10-17

The apple tree's coming in to blossom. The bees are loving it, and I saw a small flock (3 individuals, I think) of honeyeaters. They didn't sit still for pics - zippy wee things - but the apple blossoms obligingly didn't move.

The orange tree is coming in to blossom as well. Smells wonderful...

~=o>

There was a little bit of creaming soda flavoured skoosh syrup left - not enough to make up a bottle - so I added it to some cola skoosh. Flavours combined to something not entirely like vanilla coke.
I want to try a grapefruit/cola mix. That could be interesting...

~=o>

I don't think I'll be going to see this.



Not a big fan of Tin Tin to begin with, but there's also that creepy 'uncanny valley' thing going on... [shudder]

Forecast: 12-16
Attained: 12-15

We've had two days of steady to driving rain, high winds and a cracking thunderstorm yesterday afternoon. Just a comment, not a complaint... :)

Well, ok, some sunshine would be nice so I could get some washing done before I go back to work.

~=o>

I've had the box set of American Gothic for a couple of years now and today I finally got 'round to starting to watch it.
Whoa. I haven't seen most of the eps and it's creepier than I remember! Good stuff. :)

Forecast: 16-23
Attained: 20-22

Hee, I introduced the cubs to some old-style Dr Who today with a couple of series of the fifth doctor - Peter Davidson, my favourite of the classic doctors, incidentally.
They really enjoyed it, and then we moved on to watching Series 1 of the new Dr Who. Happy times. :)
(And it's now gone 11pm and we've been watching Dr Who for 9ish hours! One more ep then we'd better go to bed!)

~=o>

Aww, I like this one...

Forecast: 12-25
Attained: 12-21

My boss has suggested that I might like to consider doing a 'Training & Assessment' certificate course, funded by work with study leave thrown in. Tempting, I have to admit, especially if I don't have to pay for it. It would be useful, too: a large portion of library work is training. I'm somewhat flattered that my boss considers me an appropriate candidate.

~=o>

Skyping with Joules (edited for clarity):

Lutra: hm, can get the Dr Who specials box set (Ten's last hurrah) on ebay for about half retail.
Flare: that's good!
[nods] think I'll treat myself
yeah, gwan.
[bg] ok, you've convinced me
that was easy!
LOLOL! I'm putty in your hands when I really want something
[smirk]

Mind you, try getting me to do something I really don't want to do...? Whole 'nother story. :)

Forecast: 9-22
Attained: 7-21

Oh, teh dramaz...!
Last friday the cubs had to stay back after school to do some catch-up homework. I didn't know anything about this until their teacher rang to confirm. All fine and dandy. Yesterday, Sunday, cubs inform me they have to take their overdue classwork in to school by midday and please could they have a lift? Again, fine and dandy, but this morning while I was shopping their irate teacher called me around 10 to say she'd been expecting them at 9 and they now had 15 minutes to get to school. [sigh] (This is the term hols, remember.)
Zoomed home, growled at the cubs - who fortunately were awake and mostly dressed - then zoomed them out to the school. They were there for an hour, finishing stuff off, while I napped in the car...
They still need to go in to school again tomorrow morning to hand in the stuff they finished at home today but they're on their own with that cos I'm working.

Forecast: 7-20
Attained: 9-19

Finally got 'round to doing my tax today. Was able to do it online, which was t'riffic for a few reasons one of which was that my income details had already been given to the tax office by my employer/s so I didn't need to input those. The less I have to do myself, the less chance of mistakes. Second, if there's any discrepancies, or a section overlooked, the program prompts you to check. A good thing for my peace of mind, as with the paper version I'm never quite certain I've filled in everything properly.
Oddly though, the initial assessment that occured sometime during the process was telling me I owed money - enough to bite - but the final assessment said I was due a refund. Tch. Well, I've submitted it, let's see what happens.


~=o>

Ah, good, the Tutankhamun Exhibition at the Melbourne Museum is on until early December. I might ear mark some of my supposed tax return so the cubs and I can go and see it.


~=o>

Nothing odd about the juxtapositioning of these products on the supermarket shelf...

Forecast: 7-17
Attained: 9-15

First day of holidays:

• Did some washing
• Picked up parcels from the post office
• Shopped
• Read some books (finished Behemoth,* got half way through First Born **)
• Napped  

Excellent. : )

(* Fabulous AU/Steampunk series from Scott Westerfield. Third book has just been released and all being well I should be able to get it this pay day!
** One of the three official prequel novels for Torchwood: Miracle Day. The thing I keep forgetting about the official TW novels is that they aren't, essentially, fanfic so I'm always vaguely disappointed by the lack of smut. : )


~=o>


Parcels I picked up today contained books! One of which was One hundred books in Haiku (David Bader, 2010). I knew it was going to be amusing, but damn. First one in and I couldn't read any more because laughing hurt too much!

The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer

Pilgrimmes on spryng braecke -
roadde trippe! Whoe farrtted? Yiuw didde.
Noe, naught meae. Yaes, yiuw.

I shall read this one slowly, methinks...  : )

Forecast: 11-17
Attained: 11-16

Yay, me, I made it through to the end of a long(er) work week, despite being ill.

When I got home tonight I changed out of my work clothes, as per usual, and I was just about to bustle out to the kitchen to do something constructive when I couldn't help noticing just how inviting my bed looked. :) Well, no harm in a nap - thought I - there's absolutely nothing I have to do right now...
So I curled up quite happily for a couple of hours. Felt much better when I woke up, though of course, it's now almost 1.30 a.m. and I'm not sleepy yet.

I consider myself on holidays now even though I do have to go in for one day next week. Iz good. :)

~=o>

[enchanted] I've just watched an episode from Lost Gardens (oooh, the series is on dvd! Excellent, that's going on my list of do wants) and I'm squeeing over the wee little bridge over the moat...
(screendumps from iview:)

Eeeee!
Unfortunately, water features - let alone full-blown moats - are not terribly practical in Aus but a bridge over a symbolic representation of water, like flowers, or decorative gravel, could be gorgeous! All I need now is a garden of my own. :)

Forecast: 12-25
Attained: 13-25

Decal spotted on the rear window of a young guy's car:

"If it's too loud
your too old."

>:(
That's the actual spelling. He'd bought the decal ready made or had it designed, either way, did he never notice the mistake? I wonder if he gets pulled up on it?

~=o>

I like the Foo Fighters, not least because they will not tolerate bigotry.
This is something they put together when "... On Aug. 30th, 2011 Westboro Baptist Church called for a picket of the Foo Fighters show in Kansas City..." (lifted from the YouTube intro blurb.)

Go, Fooies! :)





And now something else they did, in the same vein, to just rub it all in... [smirk] You'll see what I mean.
Warning: naked bums!

(Ah, this is the uncensored, age-restricted version so you might not be able to watch it unless you're signed in to the toobs. I'll pop the censored version underneath that, just in case...)






Still giggling... :)

Forecast: 9-21
Attained: 10-20

I am so tired of decent food. I want chips, with salt, and a fatty steak, with salt, and mushrooms and garlic fried in real butter, with salt. It'd probly make me sick but I can dream... :)

~=o>

I've worked an extra day this week - yay, cash! - but now it feels like tomorrow's Friday instead of Thursday.
Only two more days then I'm on hols! Sort of. I'll be doing an extra day again on Tuesday but the rest of the week is mine, all mine! Mwahahah...!

~=o>

Wow, Nirvana's Nevermind was released twenty years ago today. Fantastic album: one of my favourites. I'd heard it on an independant radio station down here and was really impressed. Impressed enough to not only go out and buy the album but pay full price for it. [solemn nod] Yes, I thought it was that good...

Forecast: 11-17
Attained: 11-16

... when was 'Talk like a pirate' day?


~=o>

[snerk]

"You have millions of transactions flowing in the health-care system and this is an opportunity to mess them all up..."

Ooh, yeah, you don't have to be a genius to see the potential for amusing mistakes with this new system... Let alone ask '...Why?'

Forecast: 11-29
Attained: 10-28

28. Hmph. Wasn't sure if I was sweating because it was hot or I was feverish.
Heh, it's raining now though and s'posed to be cooler tomorrow, hoorah.

~=o>

Inside my locker at work...

[snigger]

Forecast: 12-21
Attained: 12-19

Bloody hell. The cold I thought I got off lightly from is back. That or it's another strain. No sore throat/runny nose this time, just straight to the chest. [grump] I hate coughing...
On the plus side: one week 'til hols! Hopefully I'll be over it by then and can have some fun rather than sleeping.

~=o>

I'm rewatching TW4 - one good thing about buying from eyetoons - and it's not as bad as I remember. I think I was too impatient to find out what was going to happen and resented having to wait for the next ep.
Rex is still a dick.

~=o>

WTF? Forecast for tomorrow is 29! Screw that shit! >:(

Forecast: 10-25
Attained: 8-25

Egad, 25 degrees? No wonder the washing dried so quickly...

~=o>

Spot the difference!

Before:

After:

I sorted out the pantry! There's room in there now! :)

[edit: oh for... >:( I really couldn't be arsed trying to fiddle with Blogger's screwy pic/text spacing. Will just have to remember to upload from flickr instead of using the 'insert image' function.]

Forecast: 10-22
Attained: 10-21

Wow, a year already.
Miss you, Mum...

Forecast: 7-19
Attained: 6-16

Cat was looking very pleased with herself last night and by the time I'd worked out she was missing her collar it was too dark to go looking for it. I tracked it down this morning, though, underneath the washing line. It'd snapped but her tag was still there so at least I didn't have to get another one of those.
I bought her a new collar tonight: lime green, with diamantes! And a merry, tinkling bell... which is driving her nuts. I give that a week before it disappears. :)

~=o>

VortexCub has been growing his hair for a while now. It's down past his shoulders, lovely and thick, but he'd developed a nasty birdnest at the back - a result of not brushing and just bundling it all back with a hair tie. So I sat him down tonight and brushed out the mess for him. He was good, lots of flinching - anyone who's had to get rid of knots knows it hurts - but he sat still and let me finish. It didn't take that long and I advised him to brush his hair morning and night, and use conditioner. That should help...

Forecast: 11-17
Attained: 12-18

Ahaha! Leaving work tonight the car park boom gate was stuck open, so I didn't have to pay! A little moment of win to end the day. :)

~=o>

[guffawing!]
Brilliant...



"Cyborg...?"
Thank you, Shaun Micallef, thank you...

Forecast: 7-19
Attained: 11-19

Kewl!
Now that's an awesome kittypalace! (click on pic for link)

Forecast: 6-17
Attained: 10-14

Tried a new flavour of skoosh today: grapefruit. Iz verra niace! Limited edition, apparently; I'll pick up another bottle soonish.

~=o>

I've unearthed some of my ballet exam certificates, and comments sheets, from 25+ years back. Wow. You know, I'd forgotten I'd failed my teacher's exam the first time 'round. I was probably devastated about it at the time, but reading the examiner's comments... yes, there were valid reasons for failing. But, I took the exam again the following year and got a credit so I obviously benefited from the extra study. :)

~=o>

The Gruen Transfer is a panel show here about the how's and why's of ad-making. Each week they have a segment called 'The Pitch', where a pair of ad companies compete to 'sell the unsellable', like child-labour, discouraging tourists, eating whales. Some of the results have been disturbing, some hysterical and some that have almost had me convinced that the idea is a good one. Last week's theme was 'banning all religion'.



Interesting. Very interesting...

Forecast: 10-15
Attained: 8-15

Hm, ok, TW4. The last two eps were engaging but I think the whole thing could've been done in 6 or 7 eps. It dragged a bit there in the middle...

~=o>

The rainbow folders of organisedness. :)

These are the third level of archiving, ie: that which is being kept but isn't needed to hand, like bills from previous houses. This lot will probably, eventually, be archived digitally but for now can go in to the shed.
Second level will be that which encompasses old and new but may need to be handy for reference purposes, ie: cubs' school reports, medical stuff. That can stay in the house but can be tucked away somewhere unobtrusive.
First level of archiving is basically the 'working' paperwork from the current financial year. That'll be kept handy, will take up the least space, and most of it will siphoned off to second or third level at the end of the year.
There's still more to sort properly but the bulk of the twenty years of paperwork is under control now. Mwahahah

Forecast: 9-15
Attained: 9-16

What did I do today? Surprisingly, I resisted napping in favour of doing the washing up while listening to a Torchwood audiobook (Department X, not bad...) then settled down to several eps of season 4 Dr Who while sorting out paperwork.
Excellent season with some great writing, and Donna as my favourite companion. The double eps in The Library are fantastic, and wow, I'd forgotten what happened to River Song the first time we meet her...

~=o>

Two yootoobs things. The first a criticism of FaceBook, the second, a reply. Both quite thought provoking.

Forecast: 8-13
Attained: 8-15

Well, we've had some lovely, sunny days, but the weather's snapped back to winter. Not a bad thing, really, considering it's winter.

Hee, in the mornings the radio station I listen to (triple J!) announces the weather forecast for the capital cities around the country after the news. At 7:30 Melbourne was forecast 'possible showers and 16...'. This made me snort as it was pissing down with squally rain at the time, so I texted the station and said as much. After the 8am news the presenter said: "Melbourne, were it's raining hard...16." I giggled.

~=o>

Gratuitous pussy shot...

[snerk]

Forecast: 5-17
Attained: 5-16

Woohoo, fingers crossed I might be picking up a few days extra at work! Temporarily at least. Now, I shall make a list of indulgent things to splurge the extra cash on, like food that isn't just essential : )

~=o>

The boss sent around today copies of the incident reporting policies we're sposed to be getting to grips with. Oh good gods, instasnooze! I couldn't read more than a paragraph at a time before I found myself falling sideways in my chair cos I'd nodded off.

~=o>

Hee...

(Nicked from somewhere on the 'net. Click on the pic for biiig image.)
Going to have to reread the book before seeing the movie, obviously...

Forecast: 7-16
Attained: 7-15

The year moves on, the days lengthen, and I don't have to switch the lights on while getting ready for work in the morning...

~=o>

By chance I listened to a voice message I'd left for one of my colleagues last week. To me my voice always sounds a bit shrill but apparently it's sort of soft and gentle.

~=o>

I don't like robots but at 0:37(ish) I was convulsing with laughter... (not to mention 1:40 and 1:54 : )

Forecast: 12-17
Attained: 14-17

Well, I finally managed to not put off clothes shopping again today and akshully visited a shop. Still didn't find any work clothes but did pick up a couple of new t-shirts and summer-weight trousers at reasonable prices. Hopefully my work stuff will last another week or so. [touch wood]
Hm, wonder if there's any dressmakers/tailors nearby...?

~=o>

[giggling]



"Meeeeeeeeeeee...!"

Forecast: 9-21
Attained: 9-21

Woohoo, we haz skoosh again! Cubs are happy. :)
That's about it really...

~=o>

Hedgehogs! As made by VortexCub a few days ago...

Mmmm... meaty...

Forecast: 15-20
Attained: 18-20

Yay, my local supermarket supplies refill canisters for the sodastream! Excellent, I shall pick one up tomorrow. We've gone without the - as Joules call it - skoosh for quite a while cos I wasn't able to find a local supplier and I don't have a credit card so I couldn't order online.

~=o>

Father's day, and the cubs and I went to their dad's for dinner. We brought dessert and presents. :)

~=o>

Torchwood season 4.
So. Episode 9 of 10 and it's finally exciting. One ep to go and I can't help feeling that'll it'll be rushed and not terribly satisfactory...

Forecast: 13-22
Attained: 11-22

Yes! Got the shed organised!

(This is the 'before' photo...)



(Photo set on Flickr... Click on pic.)

It took at least 2 hours - I think, I wasn't paying that much attention to the time. Looking at the before/after pics it honestly doesn't look that much different. But I know better.
I got rid of some rubbish and reorganised a bit: the picnic and xmas stuff are now all in the one spot and within reach. Sort of. The xmas stuff is accessible by dismantling part of the chaos corner, but that's better than having to eviscerate the entire shed just to get to those particular boxes! : )
I have 38 tubs of assorted materials/wool/wadding/toy fill, and I'm almost certain there's more material lurking underneath Soulsis' house. I really, really do need to do a proper sort of that lot...

~=o>

After all that hard work I was too tired to do much else than veg on the couch. The dvd of Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift was nicely brainless.
Not especially engaging, though there were some pretty cars and some amazing driving, and the ending was cute. Oh, and slash. Well, I could see it and in light of that there was a line at the end of the movie ("I didn't know he was in to American muscle...") that had me rolling around laughing. : )

Forecast: 6-20
Attained: 9-21

I met the cubs at their dad's place after work tonight. VortexCub cooked, practising a recipe he'll be using in his major Food Tech assignment later this term: hedgehogs.
Mmm, spikey... : )
Not real hedgehogs, of course. They're not native here and so would be stupidly expensive. No, these were made using a medieval recipe of spiced minced meat stuck all over with slivered almonds for the pointy bits. Quite tasty, very easy to make, and quick to cook. Cub was duly praised for his efforts. (I have pics, but they're on the phone, which is in the other room, and I can't move cos I have a cat on my lap...)


~=o>

Inbetween work and dinner I dropped in to the local branch of a craft emporium. I picked up things, interesting things. I have plans...


~=o>

Well, saturday at least is forecast clear. That will probly be a good time to start on the shed.

Meringue duck. Just because.

I really must get back to that bakery some time...

Forecast: 9-17
Attained: 10-16

I had to do a little bit of shopping on the way home from work tonight so I decided to pop in to the new supermarket that had opened nearby. This was a mistake:

• New supermarket - didn't know where anything was so it took longer to find stuff.
• New supermarket - with twice the floorspace of my regular supermarket. It takes time walking up and down the aisles...
• New supermarket - opening day and it was teeming with people looking for bargains.
• Let's not mention the parking.

 So, despite the fact I'd been working at the campus that's nice and close to home, I got home later than I usually do.


~=o>

Oi, cat! I was emptying that box!

Honestly, I turn my back for ten seconds...  : )

Forecast: 9-16
Attained: 11-15

Man, I am craving chocolate. Weird. Must have something to do with being ill...

Back to work today, quite cheerfully. I'm a wee bit wearier than usual but other than that - and a slight, lingering lung burble - I reckon I'm all clear. I think one of the reasons I got off lightly this time was cos there's probly still loads of antibots carousing through my system. Secondary infections didn't get a chance to take hold. : )

~=o>

I'm finally getting my lounge room back! What with one health crisis or another it's been a few weeks since I've been able to do anything about sorting through the stuff that had to come out of storage.
It's good, I can see floor again, and soon there'll be enough floor to put down the really nice rug I bought about the time I had to stop doing stuff.
This weekend I plan to reorganise the shed. It's almost full, but I can finagle things so the fullness is a little more conveniently arranged. (And then, one day soon, I will sort through allll my material and wool stash! Mwahahahaha! ... ok, realistically, I probly won't get rid of that much, but you never know.)

~=o>

This caught my eye in the local paper.
It's supposed to be about tinitus, but that's not the first thing I thought of when I saw it. (Note my skillfully applied 'additions'...)

Forecast: 5-16
Attained: 5-15

Lungs have gone from gloopy to burbly. A definite improvement.

~=o>

Don't know if last night's dream was fever-based or just one of my regular, hi-def ones.
I'd bought a raffle ticket, the first prize being a nursing home of predominantly chinese clients. Yeah... Naturally I won, cos you always win the prizes you don't actually want.
So, there I was, in charge of a nursing home, supervising the refurbishment. The cupboards had been cleaned out and I was sorting through all the mounds of old biscuit tins and glassware. I suggested keeping several of the big tins but the rest could go. There was a young guy helping out: I'd sent him off to the kitchen to do some washing up. A bit later he sidled up a little sheepishly and told me he 'didn't know how to use the dishwasher'. Expecting the worst, I went to have a look, and sure enough, it was disconnected and the kitchen and dining room had flooded. The guy and I set to, using brooms and mops to clean up while I wondered where I could get hold of a wet/dry vac...

Perhaps it was a fever dream: I've noticed they tend to be less 'fantastic', in the original sense of the word, than my regular dreams. :)

~=o>

Subject Selection Information Night at the school tonight. Basically, a run-down for year 10-12 students on what subjects are available and how to apply. Akshully informative. Our school offers 3 different subject streams: the one that leads to university, the one that leads to tech college, and the one that can go either way. Now the cubs need to decide exactly what it is they want to do, check out the course requisites and choose appropriate subjects. They have a week.
We had a big problem with subject choice last year, cos the IT subject both cubs really really wanted to do was cancelled cos there wasn't enough interest. I've told them that if the same thing happens this year, they'll still have to take what they can get but we (plural) will actively pursue appropriate extra-curricular courses. But, they have to be organised about it and get the info to their dad and I in plenty of time so we can follow through. Unfortunately, with the state of finances we have to plan ahead. Leaving applications and things 'til the last minute will likely mean they won't happen.

Interestingly, we were informed that from next year all yr 11 & 12 students will get gov-funded laptops (notebooks)! Fabulous news. We'll need to pay a deposit and a small yearly insurance fee - and the machines have to go back to the school at the end of the time - but it also means we don't have to worry about software compatibility with our home systems. Much less hassle.

~=o>

Hard rubbish drive in our area. I've been very good about not stopping and rummaging, except for one thing:

A somewhat intact cat tree! That's KittenKong come to investigate 30 seconds after I got it out of the car.

And for once we had nothing to contribute cos we got rid of all the crap when we moved house. :)

Forecast: 11-14
Attained: 11-15

Heh, I can tell my temperature's been all over the place today. One minute I desperately want something coldcold to drink, the next something hothot sounded like an excellent idea. :) I'm still tiring easily but I'm definitely on the mend. Sleeping on the couch wasn't particularly comfortable but it worked: lungs were much less gloopy.
Moving on from the dept. of TMI...

~=o>

Farmville has finally pissed me off enough that I'm not likely to play it again. I had been aiming to get to level 100 before letting it drop but halfway through level 99 I'd had enough.
The constant tinkering with the platform and support apps was irritating enough but suddenly there's more 'quests' than ever being thrown at me. (The never-ending 'quests' were why I gave up on Frontierville.) Build this. Grow that. Ask your friends for those. Don't miss out on the collectibles! Hurry only X days to go!
PISS OFF! [grump]
... Feel better now.

~=o>

How kewl is this?!

Cat-Zilla scratching post.

At last, a reason to not throw out all the cardboard boxes hoarded from the move!

Forecast: 8-19
Attained: 8-19

Ah crap, cold's settled on my lungs now, but it's still a mild dose cos I can still taste and smell. Woot.
I'll be sleeping in the lounge room tonight, propped sitting up on the couch. Can't seem to manage it in bed, and I could never do that in the old place cos someone else was usually there... On the couch, not in my bed. Not making much sense? Put it down to the cold.

Cubs cooked dinner, bless 'em, though I made trifle for dessert. Mmmm... trifle...

~=o>

Ok, don't judge me. I got a copy of the 2005 movie remake of Magic Roundabout. Why? Momentary curiosity. And a good cast list. (Don't worry, I didn't pay full price.)
It was all right, mostly harmless with some less-than-subtle drug references and a few really funny moments. My new favourite quote is: "Now then, torture..."

~=o>

I want to laugh, but am afraid there will be consequences... :)

(nicked from Historic LOL)

(... why is the text at the side?)

(good grief, really not that important. Go to bed, woman...!)

Forecast: 7-18
Attained: 9-18

I am awash. Between the hot drinks, nourishing soups and ginger/star anise/clove tea I feel positively waterlogged...
I think the cold's only mild: no aches, little fever and I haven't lost my sense of taste or smell. Iz good.

~=o>

If TW4 wasn't Torchwood I'd probably have stopped making an effort to watch about three episodes back. It's lost the originality of the first couple of series and even the increase in Jack!sex! doesn't disguise the fact this program/plot really isn't that interesting. Pity. Ah well, here's hoping it makes a lot of money so there's the possibility of another series...

~=o>

Bwahhahaha!
Lolcats, of course.

Forecast: 7-17
Attained: 8-15

I haz a cold. I intend to spend the weekend doing shit all, and eating soup...

[Edit: Or should that be drinking soup...?]

Forecast: 11-21
Attained: 12-21

Past couple of days I've been working at one of the satellite campuses. There was a note on the desk letting me know that there'd been a mini-plague of huge blowfiles earlier in the week. There were still a couple buzzing around, though sluggishly cos of all the insect spray. There'd been some speculation about the source of the beasties but nothing discovered. However, I spent today being distracted and frowning at the ceiling cos of the birds tromping around in there. Ok, so I'm thinking there's been a hole or something made in the roof, letting the birds in... and the flies. Another mystery solved? P'raps. I'm just hoping the birds aren't trapped in there - last thing we need is bird corpses rotting in the ceiling. Wot fun...

~=o>

TW4 ep 5.

- I like how Jack takes such delight in needling Rex.
- Ack! Vera!!
- More fabulous tat in the hideout. (Hub 3? :)

Hee. Shell art!

Forecast: 9-20
Attained: 8-20

TW4, eps 3 & 4:

- The thot is plickening.
- Whoa, Jack!
- Oh, Jack... : (
- The 'hovel' they're hiding out in has some fabulous stuff!
For instance, in these not terribly good screen shots:

Wooden unicorn!

Forecast: 8-21
Attained: 9-19

Second ep of TW4.
(No real spoilers.)

- Rex is a dick.
- The bad guys are almost cartoony in their villainy.
- Oh noes! Jack!
- This is the picture of Danes' 12 y.o. victim. Look closely...



I'm certain that's a young Eve Myles...

Forecast: 6-20
Attained: 6-19

Just watched the first ep of the fourth season of Torchwood,
Um. It's unsettling, for a number of reasons not least of which Ianto isn't there. I keep expecting him to appear... :(
Lovely to see Gwen again, (and Anwen's gorgeous!), and good that Andy gets a look in, too. Jack's looking older, but then, that could go along with the story line. Overall I'm not falling in to this as quickly as I did with other seasons. Yes, yes, it's only the first ep, but halfway through first ep of season 1 and I was hooked. Hate to admit it but I think a large part of my reluctance here is the American angle. Eh, I'll reserve judgement until I've seen a bit more.

~=o>

Conversation with a cub today:

Cub: The cat. Why does she do that rolling around on the ground thing?
Me: It's a way of scratching. Feels good.
Cub: Why does she do it right where I'm walking?
Me [grinning]: That's attention seeking...

Forecast: 7-19
Attained: 6-21

Two fine days in a row and washing gets done :)
I sat outside in the sunshine for about 20 minutes today, reading. Was quite pleasant: the sun wasn't too hot and I didn't burn. In a few months I won't be able to do that without hat and sunscreen, even for a short time.

The book I'm currently reading is 'Court of the Air' by Stephen Hunt. It's enjoyable, with a very detailed worldframe, but it's not a lazy read, I find I have to really concentrate or I get lost in the world-specific patois. Literally lost in some instances, and there's no handy map illustration to help me keep track of where everyone's going. That's a little frustrating but it does me good to not just skim a text for a change, I guess.
(Oh, and look at that, it's the start of a series. [sigh] Does no one write single volume, stand alone fantasy any more?)

~=o>

Latest installment from the irregular but brilliant Sequential Art.

Yes, there's lots of previous stuff leading up to this point in the story but it's not necessary to know that to enjoy the shit-eating smirk on Leonard the platypus' face. Click on the pic to get a bigger version.

Forecast: 8-18
Attained: 10-18

[sigh] Went back to the doctor's today to see about my icky sore. It's healing, though I'll need a 3rd lot of antibots to make sure the infection is well and truly nailed. Doctor was very clear however about the likelihood of this happening again, and why.
She's not telling me anything I haven't known, understood and willfully ignored for years. I'm borderline diabetic and my body is losing - has lost already perhaps - the ability to bounce back. So. It's up to me now...

~=o>

On a happier note, found out today that itoons has copies of all the Torchwood audio books and radio plays! Cheap! I'll be filling in the gaps in my collection shortly.

~=o>

[chorfle!]



(found while rifling through pics folders. Can't remember where I nicked it from but it was some time ago.)

Forecast: 9-17
Attained: 12-16

I sometimes wonder what women who have nose piercings as a cultural thing think of me...

~=o>

And to cheer me up cos I'm feeling a bit sooky... a scan of a pretty easter egg wrapper!

Forecast: 7-14
Attained: 8-14

Bit of drama at work today.
I was on my own at one of the smaller campuses, and close to knock-off time there was a code red (fire) for the adjoining nursing home. There was no evacuation order so I didn't think anything of it until I wandered out at hometime, or tried to. Big sign at the entrance saying 'NONE SHALL PASS' (I'm paraphrasing, naturally), and big chap saying he couldn't let me out because of the emergency. I was a bit miffed but prepared to wait for the all clear, cos I'm not a maverick, but other staff members, who'd wandered in to the drama in the meantime, were not prepared to put up with that. There was a bit of disbelief, a bit of ineffectual cajoling, then a bit of harrumphing and a declaration that they'd leave by the other exit, then, thank you very much! So I trotted after them - not a maverick, perhaps, but I did want to go home - and just as well I did cos I wouldn't have been able to find this other exit on my own. :) I think there must be an architectural law somewhere that says a hospital must be built like a warren...

No idea if it turned out to be a false alarm or not cos shortly after escaping with the others I was in my car and wending my way homewards.

Also today at work was a charity stall! I stocked up on home-made preserves. Lemon & ginger marmalade, quince jelly and lemon butter! Nom!

~=o>

This is one of the final pics taken with my second-to-last camera phone. (I think. Or it could've been the one before that. Anyway...)
I swear I didn't set this up; this is just what I spotted amongst the detritus on my bedroom floor. A plastic squid capturing a soy-fish! A life and death struggle! Wildlife photography at it's most dramatic!

Forecast: 12-15
Attained: 14-15

Perusing this month's professional development thingies offered by my professional association today, I spotted something that looked interesting. Interesting enough that, even though it wasn't technically any use in my current job so work wouldn't spring for it, I'd consider paying for it myself. Then I looked closer and found out I'd already done it as part of my Advanced Diploma.
No wonder it looked interesting...

~=o>

This ad was in the paper today.



'No: 1's up close and personal'? Eww...!
At least it wasn't no: 2's... [snerk]

Forecast: 10-18
Attained: 12-19

In my dream last night, amidst the dream-logic details of pseudo medieval village life and something about New Year's Day (I think) was a part where I came out of a castle or cathedral and looked up at the night sky. It was awesome and I fell to my knees in something like worship. There was a word written in the stars, or in the dotted clouds that overlay the stars, a lowercase, double image of 'right'. As I was pondering what that was all about, the thought ran through my mind that the word was phonetically 'write'...
:)

~=o>

Hee. Take a cute/funny kitteh video and mash it up with something creepy...

Forecast: 7-17
Attained: 9-15

I picked up another bookcase today from an opshop. It slotted in very nicely next to the one in the hall. I reckon I could probly squeeze in another couple of 50cm wide ones in the loungeroom. I mean, who needs to close doors anyway...? :)

~=o>

"Brian Blessed's voice now available for TomTom devices."

The only reason I'd consider getting a GPS!

"Sharp right, oh, mind the chicken! [bokbokbok...]"

[snerk]

Forecast: 7-15
Attained: 7-17

Cubs got home at 2am last night but I didn't know this until I wandered in to the lounge room this morning, thinking I was alone in the house, and saw someone sitting at my computer! Almost dropped my cup of tea. Luckily I was dressed... :)

~=o>

And now, some pics of KittenKong being opportunistic.


As I was sorting out a box of wool...




As I was bringing things in from the car...





~=o>

Welcome home, Joules! :)