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rachel at
mechanicalcat
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We lost our goldfish, Tara, today. Poor thing. Unknown cause, possibly an infected injury. We'll be watching our remaining fish, Willow, for signs of Turning Evil. So far she's casting her usual repertoire of food disappearing spells.
Might get a new one and call her Kennedy. But then no one really liked Kennedy did they?
I didn't get much sleep last night. No real reason. Brain too busy. So today has been a delightful mix of carefree abandon and bad puns. (Richard: How would you make a cat-flap? Me: Hold it by the tail and wave it around.) Before the crashing of crashing...things... Meme!
Ten years ago: I was finishing the second year of a Bachelor in Architecture, hating it and knowing that I wasn't coming back for anymore, (it's a five year course). Applying for Media Arts and filmmaking courses for 1996.
Five years ago: I was gearing up for my first overseas trip. Getting all excited about passport applications and buying a proper backpack.
One year ago: I was realising that I could/should/had to Do Something that took me away (metaphorically) from the domestic scene and signing on for NaNoWriMo.
Yesterday: Baked zucchini slice before rushing off to the first Continuum 4 commitee meeting while guests arrived and ate the slice and I rushed back far too late and felt stupid and like a lousy host. Wrote the text for a Project. Watched Sweet Home Alabama while sketching.
Today: Went to Knox Shopping Centre for a change. Pretended it was good for Abbey to window shop because it's raining outside. Ate yummy turkish food for lunch. Blogged nonsense.
Tomorrow: Richard's off to the office. House to ourselves! We'll turn the music up, maybe do some painting and the big weekly supermarket pilgrimage
5 Snacks I enjoy: dark chocolate, "gourmet" potato chips, pickled cucumbers, Vegemite on Wheatsworth crackers, gingerbread men.
5 Bands/Artists Whose Songs I Know Most of the Words To: Midnight Oil, The Sugarcubes, Regurgitator, The Prodigy, everything produced by Play School from 1984 to the present
5 Things I'd do With $1,000,000,000: That's a lot of money. 1. Panic. 2. Calculate a very comfortable life-long living wage for my family. 3. Invest that amount 4. Give the rest away. 5. Build a house.
5 Locations I'd Like to Run Away To: I'm more of a "run from" than "run to" person, but places I'd like to visit include Broome, Japan, Great Britain (again, for longer), India, Vienna.
5 Bad Habits I have: turning the TV on at five in the afternoon to catch a repeat of M*A*S*H; not turning the TV off afterwards and watching the Price is Right; "sleeping in" (lying there pretending the day hasn't started already); long hot showers (shorter than they used to be, but the timer I bought is being under-utilised); putting things off for newer more exciting things (particularly applies to writing projects).
5 Things I Like Doing: reading; writing; watching Buffy episodes with a glass of wine and something to knit; finishing things; playing with Abbey.
5 Things I'll Never Wear (again, in some cases): bubble skirts; SCUBA equipment; football boots; plus-fours; yellow.
5 TV Shows I Like(d): only five? I love TV. I love the episodic nature and the anticipation and (largely) predictable schedule. First five that come to mind: the Degrassi series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, M*A*S*H, new Doctor Who, Star Trek TNG, Black Books, Firefly, The Goodies, Rockstar INXS, Neverwhere, Spicks and Specks, is that five yet?
5 Movies I Like: Serenity, A Patch of Blue, The Third Man, The Court Jester, Heathers.
5 People I'd like to meet: Joss Whedon, Winona Ryder, Dr Andi, Andrew Denton, Neil Gaiman's wife (Mary Gaiman?)
My 5 biggest joys at the moment: singing with Abbey, reading to Abbey, going out (anywhere! after so long at home it's nicer to come back to it than just stay), writing, reading comics and other good books.
My 5 favorite toys: iBook G4, Elna Elnita, my library card, Duplo, Mazda 121.
Just when you're looking at your (or my) DVD collection thinking, okay, I've got the fantasy Hensons, Back to the Future and Indiana Jones, I'm content. Anything else would just be icing.
Yesterday I noticed this on Amazon. Excellent. Added to wishlist.
Today I found this. In PAL. In a local shop while looking for something completely different.
Double chocolate butter cream with sprinkles!
*Alternate header: Everybody Wants Something.
Laura Thompson pleads that she wants to be left childless in peace. I suggest that now she has an article published in a widely read newspaper that she may be in want of more peace than ever.
The argument seems to be that as a childless woman Thompson is therefore free of responsibility to society as a whole. Giving no nods to women who are raising children -- children who will be her future carers, health workers, Manolo Blahnik manufacturers -- she suggests mothers take full financial responsibility for their offspring. Bitching about subsidising childcare, I wonder if she is equally bitter about her taxes funding roads she will never drive along, or local rates used to collect garbage that isn't hers.
Rather than shake my fist in fury at the gall of this woman whose "own career has been stymied on several occasions when a woman with whom [she is] dealing has disappeared on a sudden maternity leave, " I shall shake my head in disbelief.
Laura Thompson's is a sad story and I could be sympathetic. I get bored with endless talk about children too. But she's playing it out as another case of, "My life is more difficult than yours. It's harder. I have more to complain about." Everyone is the tragic figure in their own life's play.
Today, on the tenth anniversary of Jerry Garcia's death, Abbey eschewed dancing with Dorothy the Dinosaur on ABC TV, preferring Terrapin Station on RRR.
The Australian Museum Online has developed this useful set of pages (from a previous exhibit) on Death - The Last Taboo.
Includes pictures of autopsy instruments.
Just a general brain-dump of a post. Bulletpoints aplenty.