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Thursday, August 5th, 2010
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1:09 pm - apologies for the intermittent grammar fail...
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...but one handed typing is a bitch.
Silly Mercedes has a new trick; lunging at people from under the armchair. Unfortunately, she did it to me this morning when I was preoccupied with lateness and not spilling my tea.
two things happened - 1. I did spill my tea, all over a now very frightened kitten (she's okay now, thankfully); and 2. I fell badly and quite hard on my one free hand. Little swelling and tenderness in my thumb and over the radius suggests possible scaphoid fracture, so I'll be in plaster for a fortnight regardless of what my first x-ray says, and possibly for the whole UK trip if the second x-ray shows something.
Worse, it's far from a simple break. Scaphoid damage is orthopaedic surgery/long-term physio territory, not at all what I need right now. Oh, and did I mention that my godsdamned arm hurts?
*grumbles ineffectually*
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| Monday, January 18th, 2010
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7:49 pm - Um, what?
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There's a 100W light socket in my laundry.
To be clear - someone thought my 3' by 5' shoebox laundry needed twice the light output of my open plan lounge room, which has a single, 60W socket. What in the actual hell? I've replaced it with a 60W bulb, because that's what I have and, fo' serious, I don't need that much light to stuff things in the washing machine :/
current mood:  confused
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| Saturday, January 16th, 2010
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3:00 pm - Minnie cat.
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Here she is, my little hellion-cat. Mercifully, you can't tell how skinny she was in these photos, or I wouldn't dare post them on the internet (you could feel every bone in her little spine, let alone her ribcage :/ ) That's all better now, though, thanks to an extra ration of gooshyfood :)
Click the picture to see more mug shots of Minnie!
current mood:  busy
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| Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
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11:57 pm - Ups and downs
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I'm getting a kitten tomorrow. Minnie will get a new name, a warm bed, and a forever home, and I will once again have a furry companion animal (there are a few dogs I'd love to take, but no yard makes that impractical).
I'm also a bad persson and rotten friend for preferring to hurt someone's feelings than see him (or his partner in crime) get physically hurt. I hope they never find out the hard way that they're right, but if they do, you can be damned sure I'll be saying I told you so.
Anyways, back to cleaning and kitten-proofing my house.
current mood: busy
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| Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
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8:23 pm - Whisky tango foxtrot...
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...there is a Meatloaf/Marion Raven version of "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" (yes, the Celine Dion anthem) in my music collection. I have no freaking idea how it got there, or how long I've had it.
Weirdness.
current mood: confused
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| Sunday, November 29th, 2009
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5:46 pm
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This is Google Wave.
I have invites. It's amusing, and confusing, and needs lots of user feedback (it's still buggy as hell, but my friends and I have been having fun with it nonetheless.)
If you want in, leave me your email address in the (screened) comments. GMail if you've got it, since it'll require a Google account anyway, but don't worry if you haven't got one already.
ETA: Merryn, Zelda, Fiona - you're invited! May take a little while to come through, so keep an eye on your inboxes.
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| Saturday, November 28th, 2009
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8:02 pm - Busybusybusy...
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...please, can it be January already?
I have, in a fit of madness, decided to distribute homemade Christmas goodies this year (most of my friends are students, and a good many can't afford to go home to their farflung families for Christmas). I'm also in the middle of drafting and sewing two skirts and silk camiknickers. I've had a phone call from the post office to say there's a problem with the custom declaration on an international parcel (sorry, Peri, that must be yours, hopefully it's fixable).
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| Saturday, October 24th, 2009
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5:54 pm - To the douchebag in the Tarago:
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I'm pretty sure that, "You should have your boyfriend do that for you," isn't the best thing to say to a girl upside down under the steering column of a car no more mechanically complicated than your eminently sabotage-able MPV. Saying it with that sneer, in front of your ten-year old daughter while I'm wielding a screwdriver long enough to make guarantee she's your last (and hanging at crotch level) wasn't really very clever, either. After all, you don't know anything about me.
As it happens, the first thing it occurred to me to do is reply, as sweetly as I could manage, "Thanks, but my girlfriend's really not that mechanically-minded."
In related news, I want a magnetised ratchet screwdriver for Christmas. Pretty please, Santa?
current mood:  insulted
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| Thursday, October 8th, 2009
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7:20 pm - Jessie
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I met a homeless man and his dog this afternoon, at a bus stop on Ainslie Av. They were sharing a sausage roll when I turned up and sat down, feeling slightly awkward while he (rather obviously) sized me up.
"Got any bicuits, miss?"
Que? Not what I'd expected, by half.
I must have looked as bewildered as I felt, since he quickly clarified - his border collie, Jessie, liked biscuits - did I have any? Her favourite, apparently, are Anzacs. Sad to say, I didn't, because she really was a beautiful, friendly dog. Except for a cursory glance as I sat down, she didn't peel her eyes from his face until he urged, "Say hello, Jess!" whereupon I was promptly smothered in doggie kisses. I know people worry about homeless people keeping pets - if they can't feed themselves, how will they feed a pet? She was, it's true, a bit underweight, but she was also shiny, happy and alert, and I can't imagine she'd cope well with being separated from her human. Besides, who's to say she's not all that's keeping him this side of lucid? I've heard of an American charity that provides vet care for the pets of homeless people. I wonder if there's any similar set-up here, but I'm sure the RSPCA would rather just confiscate dogs like Jessie.
I'm tempted to carry some Anzac biscuits around with me in future, so I'll have a treat for Jessie, should I run into them again.
current mood:  thoughtful
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| Friday, September 18th, 2009
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9:35 pm - I should *not* be let out unsupervised.
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This is what happens when I am allowed to wander around in a photon-induced daze: I have impulse-bought a sewing machine, a Singer 2662.
current mood:  headachey
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| Thursday, August 27th, 2009
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7:54 am - Bloody hell...
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Someone has stolen my car. From the look of the broken bumper bits in the car park, and the fact that the battery was beyond flat, I'm guessing they towed it. They towed a broken down, busted up, fifteen year old station wagon that's barely worth a thousand dollars before they broke it some more.
Today is off to a flying start *fumes*
ETA: Well, I was close. So, as it transpires, was my car. They did indeed fail to start it, so they let the hand brake up, put it in neutral, and rolled it down the goddamned hill. The polizei found it in the carpark of a second townhouse complex at the bottom of the hill, rear window smashed in, paint in the dint on the rear bumper that seems to belong to the red car they stole after dumping mine. Apparently there've been about a dozen cars found the same way within a half-kilometre or so this morning.
Ty's coming down with Vicky at lunch time to help me tow The Beast back up the hill. Hopefully they haven't damaged the ignition, but I'll figure that out once it's home.
NOTE TO SELF: Buy a bloody Club lock.
current mood:  pissed off
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| Sunday, July 19th, 2009
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3:24 pm
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I really want this.
Unfortunately, it's my size and all (not just the waist - it's a 26.5 underbust, 33 hip. It's my size) It's an amazing price for a Creations L'Escarpolette corset, and it's super cute*...and I really shouldn't be spending money on such things. I've already found a custom maker who'll be taking orders in September (because I'm all about presents to me.)
So now I can't decide what to do. If I can get it for under £64pph (A$150), I might be able to fudge the finances.
*Although I think I'd prefer the laces to match the dusky pink stitching rather than the hot pink flossing, but that can be fixed.
ETA: I put a bid on it. So far, so good *crosses fingers for the pretty*
current mood:  excited
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| Monday, July 13th, 2009
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4:43 pm - Stupid, weak body.
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I'm back in the warm, after a short and abortive attempt to walk to the shops. By the time I realised I'd forgotten the address I needed for the Post Office (I think I got a block and a half), I also felt like I'd been hit by a train. Probably something to do with not sleeping properly in days, and at all last night. Oh well, I guess I can go on my way to work tomorrow- I'll have to go to work tomorrow whether I'm feeling better or not. Thankfully I appear to have some bus money, so I needn't ride if I still can't maintain equilibrium. It means I'll have to make do with whatever food I can find here, though.
ETA:
The Spooky Men's Chorale are great fun. Four-part male harmony rocks >_> Why yes, I am a dork. Your point?
current mood:  drained
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| Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
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12:45 am
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It's quarter to one in the morning, and it's five degrees Centigrade in here if I'm lucky. Between the asthma, the period cramps, and my still-mangled spine, there's not a single position that's comfortable enough for sleeping, so I'm parked on the couch watching NCIS dvds. I was trying to wash the dishes (if I'm going to be uncomfortable and awake, it may as well be constructive), but I cannot keep the dishwater warm enough to get anywhere. In a little while, I'm going to make pie crust, and rhubarb jelly. Hopefully the warmth of the oven will help with keeping the contents of the sink warm.
current mood:  cold
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| Saturday, January 24th, 2009
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3:44 pm - Damned immune system
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I ate prawns. Not, in and of itself a problem, since king prawns stirfried with chilli jam and cashews is pretty damned tasty, except that I managed to scratch my throat with a bit of prawn shell. Now, it's horribly infected, and because my immune system is recalcitrant, the carry-on effect is that the lupus is flaring. So, I'm on six different drugs and feel like absolute death. I have, as a result of being off work, had the good fortune of being able to go hide in the country for a few days and talk to Thomas' horses, which was rather nice. Even nicer was not having to do anything for a few days.
For those of you Down Under, enjoy the Invasion Day long weekend. Hopefully, I'll get to enjoy mine too.
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| Sunday, December 28th, 2008
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1:22 pm - Nobody laugh...
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...but I have another bicycle. My kid brother's old Shogun Trailbreaker 1 rigid alloy MTB. It needs some TLC, but it's free, and perfect for my intended cargo conversion project.
After a week in Queensland soaking up the view, I'm back to Canberra tomorrow for a frantic tidy-up and re-assessment of my culinary repertoire - anything other than dairy I need to weed out, lovelies? Before Emily and Betsy arrive to visit for a few days. Thankfully with work only part-time, I should get to spend a fair amount of time with you two. I do need to talk to both of you about plans for the 2nd, though, as I badly want to go out to Daniel's place for the last hurrah before he moves to Canberra (I'm sure he wouldn't mind me bringing extra people, but it's a 50+ km ride each way, and I've only one working bike at any rate). Anyway, we can figure that out later.
I'm going to miss this place. The mountains, a new vista around every bend in the fabulously tortuous country byways. The fresh, green-tinged waft of the breeze, which this high, hilltop house catches no matter whence it originates. The peace of life on the fringes of a country town, birds and insects and wildlife abounding. Suburban life has nothing on this, and this lifestyle is the only argument in favour of car ownership that sways me - with a car, you can live further out, live somewhere like this. Can't really do that with a bike, although there are rural pockets within Canberra that might be commutable, if I were a little more fit and had a better ride. Certainly something to bear in mind.
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| Saturday, December 13th, 2008
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1:12 pm - I managed to stay clothed for the duration of last night.
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Not sure yet if this is good or bad, although! I can now raise my arms above my head, which is exciting.
I'm baking honey spice biscuits to take out to Googong, and rounding up boardgames and watching the loops. Hopefully, tonight won't be a washout.
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| Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
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3:50 pm - Updatery
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If I survive the next few days, I can survive anything.
Tomorrow, is GP no. 2, hopefully for a Centrelink medical certificate and a return-to-work plan, followed by the work Christmas lunch. On Friday, the friends whose moving led to the great boy dilemma will be having a Mexican-themed housewarming, and I have been tasked with chili preparation for the event. There will also be tequila. Make of that what you will.
On Saturday, we're all traipsing out to Dan's place in the country to eat, swim, and lay on a trampoline and stare at the beautiful expanse of night sky that's visible in Googong.
On Monday, I will hopefully be returning to work just in time for the dreaded SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) meeting, then a coworker is coming around with a 1970s Peugeot folding bike she picked up on Freecycle and would like restored. I also have a stupidly large cromo Repco Superlite, that is disappointingly impractical for Alice and I to keep.
Anyway, here is bike. This is the '81 Repco Traveller, in all its denuded hi-ten glory. I do like the little heart-shaped lug.
More photos on Flickr.
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| Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
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4:29 am - Memeage courtesy  ajodasso
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Put your MP3 player on shuffle, and then write down the first line of each of the first twenty songs. Post the 'poem' that results. The first line of the twenty-first song is the title.
I took the liberty of skipping the instrumental stuff, and am immensely grateful that none of my surprisingly large collection of Spanish-language stuff came up. It doesn't make a great deal of sense, but does showcase the randomness of my collection to a certain extent. None of the truly eclectic odds and ends have surfaced on the first attempt, though.
Herewith:
Here on the hill above the settlement, the buildings are talking
Amber cascades all over today
Baby, we can talk all night
You were once my one companion
I said the joker is a wanted man
Save your face, you know you've only got one
Each morning I get up, I die a little
Loose lips on ships
I wouldn't have the TV in the bedroom
Just to look in your eyes again
Everybody needs a little time away, I heard her say
After long enough of being alone
Dust bowl, bible belt
They say everything that rises will be brought down
I was deprived of a young girl's dream
Farewell my friends
Look yonder
Brava, brava, bravissima
While she lays sleeping
Outside another yellow moon has punched a hole in the night-time
I don't want a lot for Christmas.
current mood:  awake
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| Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
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9:35 am - Memeage
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01. My uncle once: let me drive his paddock basher, which I proceeded to crash into the only tree in an acre.
02. Never in my life: have I been as mixed-up and confused by men as I am this week.
03. When I was five: I was sitting in a Grade 3 classroom at reading time, because the Grade 1 wasn't set up to deal with a child who could actually read.
04. High school was: weird and disjointed, but six months off in the middle will do that for you.
05. I will never forget: the bravery of my brother when he protected me from my stepfather.
06. I once saw: what happens when idiots string neck-high wire across bike trails :(
07. There’s this girl I know: who was in my year at school, and has (at last count) four kids.
08. Once, at a bar: I won at pool by leaning on the edge of the table, and made the guys we were playing against take their shirts off.
09. By noon: I am usually awake, but haven't eaten.
10. Last night: was my housemate's birthday, and we had smoked cod and mashed potato - her favourite.
11. If only I had: a functional spine.
12. Next time I go to church: will be for a wedding or funeral.
13. What worries me most: is that I don't know when I will be allowed to return to work, and don't want to deal with Centrelink again.
14. When I turn my head left I see: an unmade futon, and Steve's pajamas.
15. When I turn my head right I see: nothing, because I can't turn my head right. What's out there is my sunny, bright courtyard, though.
16. You know I’m lying when: I can't keep my story straight. I was never very good at lying.
17. What I miss most about the '80s is: that honestly, I missed most of the eighties. (Hey, I'm only 22!)
18. If I were a character in Shakespeare, I’d be: Katherine, in "The Taming of the Shrew". Except when I'm being Bianca.
19. I have a hard time understanding: motorists who actively try to frighten or harass cyclists. What did we do to deserve it, really?
20. If I ever go back to school: I might actually do some work.
current mood:  calm
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