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...