Friday, December 30, 2005

End of the Year Reminescing

I did it last year.

Here it is again.

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
Told my ex-husband that the breakdown of our marriage wasn't his fault.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I can't remember what my resolutions were. Yes, we will be making more tomorrow.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Callisto Shampoo and Cheshire had a baby boy, Vincent. I'm very proud of Calli for her mothering skills. She's wonderful at it.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No. But Erin's horse died. This was Sharon's horse initially. This has brought up the subject of Sharon's death a little earlier than expected. I'm not entirely happy with the way it's being handled.

5. What countries did you visit? None. Again.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? An Aurealis Award for my mantlepiece.

7. What dates from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 26th March, our wedding date. 27th March, the day I received my Ditmar Award for Best Professional Achievement. 28th March, the day I heard someone call me "Mrs Battersby" for the first time. I was in hospital with a severe burn and a nurse called for me. I smiled, despite the pain. 26th November, Connor's first birthday.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Marrying Lee was the biggest (and the best) but I have to say that winning the Ditmar is a photo finish second.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not regaining my size 8-10 figure. I spend a lot of time hating myself for this.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? There was a few days worry when my doctor found a lump in my left breast. I didn't tell many people about it, but I was terrified. Fortunately it went away by itself.
Oh, and I burnt my hand while making Connor's bottle. Lee took me to hospital. The burn was severe yet there is no scar at all.

11. What was the best thing you bought? A halter-neck dress that I wore to Grant and Sonia's wedding. It looked fabulous and I felt sexy for the first time in years.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Lee is my hero. Every second week I drop my children off with their father. Then I fall apart. Lee supplies me with hugs, kisses, and a girly dvd. I love him so much for his compassion, his love and his understanding.

Aiden is another one. It wasn't easy to tell his dad that he wanted to move in with me, but he stuck to his guns and insisted. He's moving in with me on a shared care basis in February and it looks to become permanent in second term. I'm so proud of him.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I don't want to talk about it. It makes me too unhappy.

14. Where did most of your money go? Queensland, the wedding, the new house. The children.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The wedding. Winning the Ditmar. Being asked to be a Guest of Honour at next year's Fandomedia. Being nominated for an Aurealis.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005? Chicago by Sufjan Stevens. Tripping by Robbie Williams. The Tide is Turning by Roger Waters.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:i. happier or sadder? ii. thinner or fatter? iii. richer or poorer? Nothing really changed. It fluctuated wildly throughout the year, but ended up pretty much as it started.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Exercise. I hate my body.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Worrying about the state of my body. I realise I have hangups. It's my plan to focus on something else next year. Like my hair.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? Spent it with Lee's family and former family. My mum, brother and 'dad' were nowhere to be seen.

21. Who did you meet for the first time? Chuckie! I love him. He's wonderful, funny, talented. Jen and Kellene. Jen and Chuckie are my beer buddies. Kellene taught me that there's no use by date on grief.

22. Did you fall in love in 2005? Over and over again with the same man. I fall in love with Lee on a daily basis. When he plays with the children, when he pours me a glass of wine, when he holds me while I go to sleep.

23. What was your favourite TV program? EastEnders.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I've only hated one person in my life. I hate her now. I hated her this time last year. It's sad because at one time she was like a mother to me.

25. What was the best book you read? Easy easy easy. "Spotted Lily" by Anna Tambour. This book allowed me to appreciate my body and how it looks for about a week. I finished the book three weeks ago and I've resumed my anti-body stance. Apart from my breasts. I do have great breasts. And they're lump free.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Sufjan Stevens. His song "Chicago" is a Triffbatt favourite. I consider it our family song. Ask Erin her favourite song. It's "Cargo". The answer never changes. She asks to hear it every time we get in the car.

I also rediscovered Robbie Williams. His song Tripping taps into my feelings of parental inadequacy.

27. What was your favorite film of this year? Probably Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 36. There were presents, I remember that. I don't remember where we went.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Having my Triffitt children living with me. Seeing Lee's collection in print.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005? Jeans and t-shirt. I'm rectifying that by shopping for a couple of skirts tomorrow. I feel such a frump at the moment. I want to rediscover a sense of style in 2006.

31. What kept you sane? Erin.

32. What political issue stirred you the most? Politics is boring. There was no election, so no show bags.

33. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005. My family begins and ends with Lee and the children.

34. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I know its gone and there's going to be violence
I've taken as much as I'm willing to take
Why do you say we should suffer in silence?
My heart is broken there's nothing to break

Robbie Williams - Tripping. I relate to this song every time I drop my kids off with their father for another fortnight. My heart violently breaks each and every time.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Merry War, Christmas Is Over

I am well and truly glad it's all over which has me wondering, at what point do people get all excited about Christmas again?
Is it when the turkey and ham has run out (I have about 4 kilos of each left), or when the mess is cleared up, or when the books are read, the toys are assembled/broken or the playstation gamesdvds/cds scratched? Or perhaps it's when your birthday is over and there are no new presents on the immediate horizon? I was born on the 24th June, so dates between birthday and xmas stand fairly evenly apart, a situation I didn't appreciate until this year.

Here's my list of naughty and nice things about christmas.

Naughty.
The mess. Oh my god the mess! I chose to go down the paper and plastic route this year, with a ban on anything that required me to wash after the big day. Yet, the house still looks like a bomb site. Hopefully all it will take is a couple of large bin bags to see it fixed. And maybe the igniting of a hobo bin or two. Somehow I doubt it.

The music. It was a constant fight between Casi and Lee as to what was going to play on the computer. Hip hop/r&b clashed mightily with some Doo Dah Bonzer band over the right to pollute our ears.

The mayhem. 7 lollie-fuelled kids running through the house and backyard, carrying water pistols, skate boards and hairbrushes. 1 loud, brash lollie-fuelled step-father alternately giving chase and being chased.

The food. Didn't enjoy the turkey much at all, although the macadamia and cranberry seasoning was nice. The vegetables were undercooked and nobody could work out why I'd made roast veges anyway.

Nice
The presents. I received the Little Britain dvd, and a canvas, brushes and paints from the kids. It's been years since I painted and Lee and the chilluns decided it was time I got back to it. With recurring head aches, sore throats and lower rib pains, it's obvious I need to find some stress relief and this is just the thing. I'm also thinking about taking up belly dancing, but that's for another blog. My beloved also bought me a toe ring and a beautiful black dress. I'm looking for an excuse to wear it. It's quite gaelic in it's design, yet totally not. I love it. And I got a Nightmare Before Christmas bag which I've put my art supplies in. (I'm a bag lady. I admit it. Carrie Bradshaw has her shoes. Lyn Battersby has her bags) And. And. And. I got a book of pictures by Frida Kahlo, my favourite painter in the world. It also features works by Diego Rivera. That and the dress are my two favourite presents. I can't split between them.

The traditions. Each year the Triffbatts make something to put on the Christmas tree. Last year it was paper baubles which we decorated. This year we made bonbons and decorated those. For Connor, we took a printed off a photo of him at his first birthday, framed it with his accomplishments, wrapped it around half a toilet roll, made it look like a bonbon and tied it to the tree.
I love this tradition. It's like a diary of our family.
Lee and I have started our own tradition this year. We give each other a second hand book and inscribe a message in it. Lee bought me I, Claudius and I bought him Great Tales of Fantasy and Science Fiction featuring JG Ballard, Lucius Shepard, Robert Bloch, Stephen King, Harlan Ellison and Larry Niven, to name just a few.

The faces. I love the joy that appears when people receive the perfect gift. That priceless moment when they realise what it is they hold in their hands. Casi glowed when we gave her a Playboy Lava Lamp and Lee's face lit up when I gave him a record player for his computer. The boys loved their skateboards. Aiden was excited by his Antquarium. Erin was overjoyed with everything we gave her and Connor just adored the paper it all came in. And I can well imagine what I looked like when presented with Frida Kahlo.
I'm in it for the faces. And the prezzies.

Some of the food.
My ham, which I glazed and baked all on my own, was to die for. I loved it. Funnily enough, Casi loved the turkey and didn't think much of the ham.
Amanda's alcoholic ice-cream cake was delicious. She left a big wodge of it here, which is going to make dieting that little bit more difficult.
Lynn (Sharon's mum) brought a delicious apricot chicken and fried rice that disappeared in no time. Next time I do Christmas, I'm going skipping the 'traditional' meats and going with more casserole-type stuff.

The atmosphere. None of my family was here. They all had stuff to do with their own families and each other. But Lee's family came as did Sharon's. It was a happy day. Connor's feet barely touched the ground as he was constantly held by both nannas. It would have been nice to have my brother or my 'dad' or my mum take an interest, but one thing I've realised this year is, family is Lee and the kids. As long as I have them, I'm okay.

When it's all said and done, I did enjoy it. Lee's family are lovely, the food and drink were plentiful and we all gave thoughtful and loving presents.

Yeah, I can't wait for next year.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

What a wake up call

I am sick. I took the opportunity for a bit of a lie in while Battboy got the kid's ready. I was drifting into a nice, soft, Mersyndol-induced snooze when Lee burst into the room and leant over me.
"The nominations are in."

Instant alertness, all signs of sleepiness gone.

"And?"
Please please please please please, let me be in. Let this year end on a high.

"We're both in. 'Memory' in the SF category and 'Pater Familias' in horror."

Matching 'his and hers' grins on our faces.

I'm also pleased to notice that 'Macchiato Lane' is up for nomination. I read this story first for Ticonderoga Online and passed it on to the others with a definite 'yes'. I also requested it for issue five, which I edited. While I hope Lee wins his section, I'd feel a certain amount of satisfaction if he lost to 'Macchiato Lane'.

Naturally, I hope to win the SF section, but I did like the story about Mr Woo in Aurealis, so we'll have to see.

Congratulations to everybody who was nominated, but a special mention goes to our good friend K A Bedford. His second novel "Eclipse" has been nominated. His first novel "Orbital Burn" was came to the notice of the judges last year, which shows that this man is doing serious business for Australian SF.

Have a nice day

I will be resume my recuperative snoozing now

PS Are we trekking all the way to Brizzie for the awards. You betcha!

Monday, November 28, 2005

Not a mate, but don't name your yacht after us either

So we've bought our dream home. Almost. This is what it will take to make it perfect for us.

All the walls painted (it's a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with study)
Most of the floors uncarpeted and then tiled
The two bathrooms redone (Yes, pretty much from scratch)

So, if your dad works for Tilerama or your mum is sales woman for Bathrooms-R-Us or your best mate's girlfriend's butcher's cousin happens to know a brilliant painter, please let us know. We don't expect mate's rates, but we would like a good job done for a reasonable price. And they need to start on (or just after) January 9, 2006.

Our email address is llbatt@dodo.com.au

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Tut-tut

Yesterday was Connor's birthday party and it went swimmingly. Calli provided the cake and did a fabulous job of it. Many people came (I was worried that no-one would turn up) and the presents were fantastic. (And noisy, as we discovered at 5:45 this morning :)

Connor, naturally, had no idea what was going on, and tended to sway between being overwhelmed by all the attention and totally ignoring it.

The day was big, with lots of food, lots to drink and lots of conversation. We had a great time and will remember it forever.

And some memories aren't as glowing as others.

Last night I broke the cardinal rules of drinking.
1.Not on an empty stomach. Two pieces of sushi and a small piece of fairy bread do not a meal make.
2. Don't mix your drinks. I had 4 glasses of white wine, then a Becks beer, finishing off with 1/2 a glass of red wine. It finished me off.
Really, looking at it, it wasn't a lot and it was over a long period of time, but the excitement of the day, along with the need to look after my guests and my children while ignoring myself proved too much.
I was drunk and it was messy. I am very very embarrassed this morning. Lee and the children assure me that they're not angry at me. I just hope I didn't do anything too untoward.
My wonderful husband and my beautiful friends Kellene and Jen looked after me really well. I am grateful.

And for the record. Not a hangover in sight.

Lee will undoubtably blog more later and there will be pictures.



2 Proud Parents and their Birthday Boy

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

On posting

As it is a long post and needed cutting, I've decided to LJ about my weekend rather than blog. Go to 3LM. I've kept it Public so anyone can read it.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

So much to tell you

I've just returned home after a brilliant weekend at Fandomedia. I will be blogging soon about my time, but not tonight - I'm too tired.

Items I will be discussing are:

The triumvirate: An unholy trinity featuring Lee, John Robertson and Chuck MacKenzie

Chuck MacKenzie - My love for a pod person

10 things I love about Ju

11 things I love about Lee

Crossing the line - what happens when you share your personal views with an audience

Entree madness - Living on an unrealistic budget during a con

Beer buddies - More about my mate Chuckie

On paedophiles, nazis and the Twin Towers

Why Hal Spacejock is 'better than Red Dwarf"

Alien sex - A third attempt at explaining my new love for the Chuckmeister (which doesn't affect my passion for my beloved at all)

Chocolate and why it was so important this weekend

Matt Ferrar and his part in Oz SF

Lee and his role in keeping me sane when the going got tough

And of course

Fandomedia 2006 and my part in its downfall

Look forward to tomorrow when I give you 99% of the goss (I've been sworn to secrecy on the other 1%)

While we're sort of on the subject, but a smidgeon off course, I made a decision this weekend. I came home last night all ready to work on Feast, You Women, my new short story that I finished earlier this week. I'd pretty much sorted out in my mind what needed to be done, and sat down to think more about it. On doing so, one thing became clear. Lee's absolutely right. It needs to be a novel. Today it retitled itself (to Mother) and as of tomorrow I will be travelling down that dark, dank, lonely road known as novel writing.

Wish me luck.

Love you, Ju. Well done.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

reminescing

I've just been reading through my old Day of the Triffitt blog. I found it quite interesting in terms of what I've achieved particularly in light of the interview performed by Lee in April.

I love my life.

I love my husband.

Monday, November 07, 2005

On a roll

I'm very happy with myself at the moment.

Tonight I have written over 1600 words on my latest story leaving it with a total thus far of 4700 words. The story is coming together beautifully and I've just set up the climax. I anticipate having it finished by tomorrow night.

I haven't felt this excited about a story since The Memory of Breathing. I'm very proud of myself for the work I've done on it and the flow it has taken on. It's sad, it's ironic and I've put a lot of myself into it (although I would like to categorically deny being a vampire :))

My main problem: I'm having trouble putting it down. Every night I think of where the story could go next, and every morning I've built on that.

I so don't want to make a novel out of this, so matter what my beloved says :)

Music of the moment: An eclectic mix of New Wave and John Lennon.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Who?

I have no idea who this character is, but I'm sure she's lovely if she's anything like me (there's also a picture but for some reason it won't come up on my blog):

You scored as Marianne Dashwood. Most girls can relate with Marianne on a more personal level than some of Austen's other characters. She represents the emotional longings and struggles that seem to attack and bless us at the same time. Loyal to a fault, passionate for experience and life, and a bit over-emotional, Marianne matures and grows (making her so beloved).

Marianne Dashwood

100%

Jane Bennet

81%

Elizabeth Bennet

56%

Elinor Dashwood

56%

Emma Woodhouse

53%

Charlotte Lucas

22%

Lady Catherine

13%

Which Jane Austen Character are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Big sigh

I love my husband. It's because of him that I even manage to negotiate my way through each day. If it weren't for Battboy I don't think I'd even bother getting up some days.

Feeling quite low right now. We've got friends coming for dinner, yet everything's going wrong. My recipes aren't performing properly, the house isn't getting any cleaner and the children are both clingy and whiney.

Lee is off, dropping the Triffkids at their father's house. I hate it when they leave, especially when I haven't really had the chance to spend any time with them. I raised these children for 12 years. I did a bloody good job of it too, yet I'm treated than little more than a baby-sitter in their life. This weekend I didn't even get that, as my mum looked after all five kids for the weekend.

I know this post is on a bit of a downer. I try to be upbeat and happy most of the time, but sometimes I fail miserably. I just can't bear it when they go. I hate it too when either Lee or myself drop them off by ourselves, because I haven't got his arms around me to make it better.

No, I have to try and find some happiness.

The wedding was lovely. Sonia looked beautiful and Grant was as cute as ever.

The thing about weddings is, they're a reminder of the good things in your life. I kept looking at my wonderful husband and thinking how lucky I am to have him with me. I fell even more in love with him yesterday. I couldn't imagine life without him.

On another positive note, I had a number of people come up and congratulate me on the success of "The Memory of Breathing". I'm incredibly proud of that story. I only hope I can do as well on the next story. I've got three coming out soon. "The Hanging Tree" appears in the next Borderlands, "Hush" in Shadow Box and "Edges" in issue 9 of Shadowed Realms. I'm working on a vampire piece at the moment that has me really excited. It's just finding the time to deal with it. It's a sensitive story that looks at the pain a woman faces through miscarriage. I miscarried a baby 15 years ago and I never really got over it, so I'm directing all my memories into this story.

Okay, another downer, but I have people arriving in an hour and a house that is demanding attention.

Have a nice week.

Friday, October 28, 2005

New review

It's been a while, but I've finally put up a new review on IMHO.

Read my impression of Sophia McDougalls' Romanitas Here

Monday, October 24, 2005

The best laid plans

I had such big plans for today.

Connor was going to be lovely and play at my feet while I:

Wrote a review
Critiqued a manuscript
Did some yoga (he was going to sleep for that)
Wrote 500 words on my latest short story
And blogged about the meaning of friendships

Unfortunately Connor has done nothing but whinge and whine and has not wanted to leave my hip all day. As for sleeping, that's for the weak.

If I can quote my 11 month old son

Waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!! (Which is baby talk for, "Bring me another espresso, Mater.")

I've done nothing today but hold the baby and watch Charmed.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! (Which is mummy talk for "I want my life back!)

I can't get anything done today. Even as I type, the short bald one is standing at my side, crying and reaching for the mouse.

Have a lovely day

PS Friends are cool. There, one thing accomplished. Not as long as I'd wanted to make it, but the best I can do with an extra set of hands upon the key board.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Ever had days...

...when you feel so proud you could just curl up into a ball and squeeze yourself to death with the sheer pleasure of it all?

I have a severe sinus infection at the moment. This means an ongoing sore-throat, headache and ear-ache.

Nurofen and Telfast are my friends.

So, as you can imagine, when my daughter's end of year Dance Extravaganza came up yesterday, I was less than enthused.

100+ semi-competent teens jumping around a large stage to the raucous howlings that makes up todays hip-hop and r&b while 200+ assorted parents, grandparents, siblings, neighbours, butchers, bakers and candlestick makers clapped their happy little hearts out for 3 hours was not my idea of a good night in. I'd just had the kids returned to me after a two week hiatus and just wanted to chill with the family before the rush of the weekend.

However, Cassie is at a rather trying age, and I had to show her that I still love her, despite EVERYTHING, so I bought my ticket, popped her in the car and drove the half hour to Midland. We, naturally, arrived 2 hours early because Cass had to dress, gossip, rehearse, gossip, primp, gossip and preen, with a touch of gossip. Apparently a friend of hers had declared herself to being bi-sexual and this was BIG news! (I had a quiet chat in the car with Cass afterwards telling her that all teenagers have uncertain feelings as to their sexuality at this age and that she needs understanding and support, not gossip)

Sidebar:

Cassie is beautiful, witty and wise. She's also hormonal, moody and monstrous. She's having a crisis of faith after 12 years of being raised in the Jehovah's Witness religion and is playing around with Paganism (Yes, Chaosmanor I would like you to chat to her :))

After three years of being judged for leaving said religion, I've decided to adopt a 'live and let live' attitude. As long as it does no harm, then leave it alone. I did, however, want to find out why Cassie wasn't considering returning to the Witnesses as a possible option. I wasn't pushing it as a preference, just probing where her thought processes lie.

"Do you still believe in God?" I ask her.
"I don't know. I think so, but I want to explore all the possibilities. I've never known anything else."
"Nor do 99% of the population. Everyone is raised with their parents ideals, and then make up their own minds later as they experience life. Or not, if they find they just don't care."
"Well, I want to look around now so I can make an informed decision."
Fair enough.
"I'm just a little surprised because you had developed such a personal relationship with God."
A pause of about five seconds and then:
"I used to have a personal relationship with my imaginary friends, Honour and Telly. Eventually I grew out of it."
Pow
Wallop
Bam
She blinded me with logic.

Proud moment number two!

We shall now return to proud moment number one.

So, I've got two hours of nothing to do, so I head down to a local food hall for sushi and a glass of red wine. Yes, I know, preservatives in red wine exacerbates sinus problems and yes, my head ache went up a notch, but I enjoyed it anyway.

7:30 comes and my former father-in-law and I settle into our seats.

The first three numbers come and go and I do the dutiful, clap-clap-clap thing.
Then it's the fourth number and my little girl is up there, all jeans and attitude, dancing her way across stage. I can see the hard work and determination and I have that first flutter of pride. That's my baby and she's good.

A few more numbers and my suspicions are confirmed. No-one has got it as together as my Cassie. Yes, their steps might fall with a little more precision and their execution is a little more perfect. They may even have better timing. But there's something missing, some essential something. Oh, well. I guess their mothers are impressed, anyway.

Then she's up there again. This time it's ballet and she's gliding and leaping to "Something Wicked This Way Comes."

She's breathtaking. My little monster of short experience but large opinions is dancing with grace, poise and dignity and my heart breaks. She's so beautiful.

Hence proud moment number one.

Side bar:

A note about my former father-in-law. In my marriage I felt extremely close to Jon's parents. My own weren't much to write home about, but I developed a closeness to my in-laws and missed them greatly when Jon and I separated. Fortunately G and I have maintained a good relationship and chat easily when together.

When I was six months pregnant with Cassie we all went to a bbq for the son of a friend of theirs who was getting engaged. It was a hot January day and I was hot and tired and the baby was kicking the hell out of me. Just when I couldn't take much more Jon's dad pulled me close and let me rest my head against his shoulder. I dozed for a couple of minutes, all I needed to refresh myself and keep going. I've been fond of the man ever since.

Last night, as I watched Cassie kicking her way around the stage in her flowing black skirt I remembered that moment and decided, it was worth it.

Aiden

Here it is.
Proud moment number three.

People have a short patience span when it comes to Aiden. I think he's remarkable. Intelligent, caring, sensitive, funny. When it comes to what makes the human race special, he's the whole package (rather like my beloved). He has strong moral values but sometimes gets sidetracked by the vagaries of life.

Cassie and I arrived home just after midnight. Connor woke up during the night, hungry and in need of attention. He woke up again at 5:45 for much the same reason, plus a bad case of nappy rash for good measure. I got him up and undressed him whilest running a lavender bath.

Aiden, bless his golden heart, comes into the bathroom and says "You're tired mum. I'll look after him while you get some more sleep."

Just repeating it makes my eyes water. What did I do to deserve such a lovely child? He bathed Connor, held him while I dressed him and then fed him Weet-bix and a bottle. Then he played with him so I could go back to bed and have a bit more of a lie-in.

Naturally, I had to blog about my wonderful children instead.

They are just amazing.

And now, Blake has just woken up, come and given me a big hug and kiss good morning.

I'm having a good-child-day!

Have a lovely day yourselves.

Several hours later: In news just to hand we have a new contender for quote of the day:

Cassie when caught swearing in front of her non-swearing mother:

"Oops. Oh my god. Sorry. But, but, well it doesn't mean I don't have a good vocabularlary (sic)"

Unexpected results

I'm Batman

I did one of those silly memey things. I even skewed my answers a little so I wouldn't end up as Batman, after all, it's all so obvious. And yet, here's the answer:

(Just in case I mucked up, it's says I'm the Caped Crusader himself)


Monday, October 17, 2005

Outside our demographic

Warning: I hope I don't offend anyone by the terms contained in this post. I don't seek to upset anyone and if I do I apologise profusely.

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently made 2 new friends. J and I did our training together and as a result I met K, her best friend. I've also had the pleasure of meeting M at a party at K's last weekend.

Last night the four of us decided to get together. K asked J, M and myself if we'd like to have dinner with her and a whole group of other women at Pancho's in Belmont. The group we were meeting went by the title "Pink Lounge". Or possibly "Pink Couch". K did tell me what this meant and warned me that I might not find it interesting. I assured her that, as I'm rather devoted to my husband, I don't tend to go out in order to pull, so sexual preferences were not a problem to me. K and M are happily of that persuasion, J and I aren't. For me it was a chance to get dressed up and go out with women. No pressure. No need to impress.

The night out began when we arrived at the restaurant. We were greeted at the door by a young waiter who basically eyed us up and down and then turned to J and announced:
"You're outside your demographic."
J, understandably, was appalled. Who was this man to decide who was straight and who was gay? It was an affront.

It was a long night full of conversation, mainly about Gay Pride and my children. I enjoyed myself, and got to know M a lot better. I've grown very fond of J and K and look forward to many more such evenings.

Geek Trash and Treasure

Yesterday Battboy and I took boxloads of books to sell at the Geek Trash and Treasure. We sorted the books into piles of 20c, 50c, $1 and $2 lots. I hoped to basically earn enough to pay for our entry fee of $10 and a snack for Lee, Erin and myself. We did better than that. We made nearly $100 (about $80 after snacks, purchases and entry). Yay us.

The surprise sale of the day? The entire Anthony Robbins (Robinson?) motivational series for $2. I was sure we'd be dumping them in the bin on the way out.

And we bought...

Not as much as I expected. A toy dragon for Erin. A plush tigger for Connor. A few old pulp magazines for my beloved and myself. I really wanted the palm pilot M-Squared was selling, but Lee gave me a choice. That, or a new dress for the upcoming wedding.

Another day, another flea market.

My brother and sister-in-law visit flea markets every weekend and always come home with some amazing treasure. Inspired by yesterday's success and not willing to face up to housework, Battboy and I decided to head to the Maddington flea market this morning. We bought: a large wicker basket for Connor's toys for 50c, a Buttercup doll for Erin for 20c and a working camera for...wait for it... free! Apparently, because it's not digital it's not worth anything.

But the best buy cost us a whole $2. It's a game called "Man Bites Dog" and, if I can quote my teenage daughter (and I think I can), it's hell fun. Basically, take five cards, make up a headline using the words therein and earn points. First to 500 wins. Battboy and I are addicted. In fact we're about to play again.

Flea markets are fun. They're a way to stick your nose into other people's lifestyles just long enough to mock them.

Final word on the subject: 70's weddings had a lot to answer for.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

There can be only one reason

My life SUCKS!!!!

I'm sneezing uncontrollably

I've gone through two boxes of tissues since Saturday

I'm continuously rubbing the roof of my mouth with my tongue. I even wake up to find myself at it

I've now got blisters on the roof of my mouth

My forehead, nose, lips, cheeks, neck, ears and hair are itchy.

My fingernails are itchy

I want to die

I want a razor blade.

There can be only one reason.

It's HAYFEVER SEASON!!!!!

AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Ode On A Tissue:

Plaintive tissue, so serene.

Any minute now you'll be...

Sorry, the rest of the Ode On A Tissue has been smudged by the Sneeze On A Tissue.

More creative lines about my affliction

There was a young lady from Huntingdale

That had a nose as big as a whale

When she did sneeze

They all felt the breeze

Was less of a wind than a gale

There was a young lady from Perth

Who ummmm let's see

The only thing that rhymes with Perth is smurf, so we'll just stick with the first limerick. Maybe I should try some Haiku?

A sneeze in the arch

Way of life beckons to my

Indecent calling

I never mentioned it would be good Haiku

From the psychiatrist's couch.

Yes, it's my mother's fault.

Here are five reasons why.

  1. She was a teenage mother (ie: at 16 barely able to look after herself let alone a baby)
  2. She smoked throughout her pregnancy
  3. She smoked throughout my childhood
  4. She smoked in the car ( I think smoking in the car is child abuse)
  5. As an asthmatic herself, she has crappy genes

Have a great day. I'm off to take an antihistamine and head back to bed.

Except, I have to go shopping for a new dress for Angriest's upcoming nuptials. Hmmmm difficult decision

If I can quote my little girl: "Oooh, Scarewy!"

I recently made a new friend. We met at work and clicked immediately. J and I found we had much in common and have been pretty close ever since. She also claims to be a psychic. She is in fact my second friend to have claims towards psychic ability.

J has a friend K. K and I met one night when J and I went to the pub after work. We also immediately clicked. The three of us have become extremely close. K also asserts her psychic proclivities.

I'm a sceptic, but having spent fourteen years defending my religious beliefs, I don't sit in judgement of other people's spiritual needs.

I'm having drinks recently with J and K at K's house. I'm telling them about the fact that Battboy and I are selling our house and building one in Clarkson/Somerley. I tell them about the house we've chosen and why we've decided to build over buy established. I'm really excited. K looks at me, shakes her head and says "You won't end up building. You'll find the perfect house in your price range and you'll buy instead." Now, my beloved and I have researched the areas north of the river and there's no way we can afford it. C'est impossible. I dismiss her prediction and get on with the drinking portion of the evening.

Another friend of J's joins us (we'll call her J2). We chat til the wee hours before J2 decides it's time to head home. She has a long drive in the morning and wants some sleep. We all hug her goodnight. After she has left K rubs her hands over her eyes and tells J and I "Something bad is going to happen to her within the next few days. She's going to be hurt in an accident of some kind. It's bad."

J and K look worried, I pick up my glass of red.

Another hour or so passes. We play a game, we chat some more. We're girlies and we're bonding. It's all good until K asks "How many children did you say you have?"
"Five."
"I see you with six. Three boys, three girls."
"No, I have three boys and two girls."
"Do you want to have another baby?"
"Oh god, No! Never again. Not after I went through with Connor."
She stares at me for about ten seconds.
"You're going to have another girl. Her name will be Hope. The pregnancy will be wonderful, not a problem, but it will end in a caesarean."
J nods her head, rubs her arms. "I feel it too. It is going to happen."
I raise my eyebrow, pick up my glass of red.

A few days later I'm lunching with my third 'psychic' friend and tell her all about this. I laugh. She doesn't laugh with me. She rubs her arms, shows me the goose-bumps. "She's right. And it won't be too long."

I smirk, shake my head at my gullible friends, raise my glass of white.

Battboy and I went to K's for a housewarming party. She turns to me and says "Poor J2, hey?"
"What about her?"
"She was in an accident on Tuesday. Both arms are broken in several places and are full of pins. She only left hospital today."
"Oh my god! That's awful! Is she okay?"
"She's in a lot of pain, but at least she's alive. It could have been worse."
I stop and stare at her. "You predicted this. You said it would happen."
She nods and says, "I know. I just saw it so clearly."

On Sunday Battboy are skimming through the real-estate section. We're reading an article about housing prices in various suburbs. Quite by accident we find we can buy an established four bedroom house in Clarkson for about the same price we're selling our three bedroom house for.
"Well, that's changed things," Lee says. "I'd rather buy established now than wait 2 years to build."
And like that it's decided. We take a run up to Clarkson, and sure enough it's true. We can find lovely established houses in our price range. We've changed our minds and have decided to buy in order to settle the family that much quicker.
Just like K predicted.

Needless to say, Lee and I have doubled our contraception.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

What I should be doing right now...

What I should be doing right now is cleaning the house. LJ guy Lonewolf and the lovely Dr Iz are coming for dinner AND we're having our house evaluated tomorrow and Tuesday by real estate agents so I really ought to be preparing for these.
On the other hand, I've just received an email from the wonderful crew at Shadowed Realms. They've asked if they can print "The Memory of Breathing" in their upcoming "Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror: The Best of 2005" anthology. I feel so chuffed. When I wrote the last word on that story I knew I had something special but the reaction to the story has been overwhelming.
I love that story and I'm especially fond of the people who have helped it receive such good feedback. Dave Luckett critiqued it for me, Sally Beasley bought it for ASIM 17 and then gave it a really good edit, thus helping it become even stronger, and LJ guy Angriest praised it at every turn. And naturally there's Lee who always believes in everything I do. He's the best.

Friday, September 23, 2005

The simple things in life

I recently heard that Balga High School had a creche on their premises in order to encourage their students to continue with their education after the birth of their babies. Having grown up in Balga I thought this was the most marvellous thing I'd heard. The birth rate of babies to teenagers in the area is extraordinarily high. By encouraging the girls to finish their TEE, they were giving them a better chance to get off the poverty treadmill.

Battboy and I have just had a major declutter. As a result we have a washing basket full of 000 - 00 clothing. We thought about the child care centre our children are currently enrolled in, but discarded it as most of the babies that come in are over 6 weeks old and getting too big for 000 clothes. We thought of donating them to the Good Sammies, but that thought went through a 90 degree process. If we're going to donate them, why not give them to someone actively working to better the lives of babies and their mothers?

I just phoned BHS and offered the clothes to the woman who runs the creche. I'm so glad I did. It was such a little thing to me, but it made her day. They have two teen mums due to deliver any day. Now I'm looking around to see what else we can offer. After an emotionally gruelling week that has had me second guessing every decision made, I feel on top of the world again.

In other news:

My beloved and I are about to have our first time off in 10 months. Erin's grandmother has said she'd like to include Connor in her Erin weekend. They're both going down tonight and Connor comes back Sunday morning while Erin comes back Wednesday morning. This is fine by me. I'm both looking forward to the two sleep-ins but nervous about being without my baby. I've never had one night away from him, let alone two. Any more than that and I'd be a wreck, especially with Connor's asthma.

If it were anyone but Lynn, I'd never agree, but she has taken Connor on as a grandson from the start and I totally trust her.

Oh before I forget...

If you watch Inxs on a Saturday, the following is a spoiler

Lee and I watched the first couple of shows. Then we dropped it. Then we picked it up again as it neared the end. I saw the episode where JD announced to the band that while his friends were auditioning for a part in a band, he was auditioning for a part in INXS's band. I saw the following episode when the 'housemates' (for want of a better word) jumped all over this and got really cranky. I also watched it when the band said "You know, he's right."

From the moment he opened his big Canadian mouth, I hoped JD would win. Not only was he talented, he was brash and I like that.

So, as of last week we were down to the final three.

Mig. So sexy. For many years I've hated the fact that men stare at my breasts rather than look into my eyes whilst talking to me. When it comes to Mig's abs, I find my gaze unwilling to travel anywhere above his sternum. Yum. Does anyone know if he has a good voice?
I knew they wouldn't choose him, though. He's Australian. If they chose him they'd put the US public off.

Marty. Not so sexy but passable. More Iggy Pop that Michael Hutchence. Good voice, and I thought his song was alright. I even started to sing it in my head after he finished, although I can't remember what it's called now apart from it having something to do with trees.

JD. Sexy, excellent stage presence, involved both the audience and the band members in his act. I loved him and by last night's performance I knew he deserved to win. What he did with "What You Need" wiped the floor with Marty's version of "Don't Change a Thing."

So it's over. Yes, on the whole I enjoyed it. I feel a little dirty to admit it, but I loved hearing the old songs again even if they were occasionally murdered.

But what will happen from here? The eighties child in me loves the idea of a JD-led INXS, but the mother of a fourteen year old wonders about viability of such a thing. Let's face it, INXS hit their hey-day many many many years ago. The final years with Michael aren't march to crow about. Can JD bring a new dimension to an old band whilst acknowledging the RnB generation? Will Marty do better on his own than without the band as a convenient back up?

We'll see.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind

How many clues do you need before you realise your current life-style isn't working?

Is it when:
You've been working for 6 1/2 weeks and have already used up 5 sick days to look after your asthmatic baby and his recurrent breathing, ear or throat problems?

Or when:
Your daughter comes home from day care with nits (AGAIN!!) and the staff treat you like a negligent parent even though you know you nuked her hair yesterday morning, and last Friday and the Tuesday before that and...

Or could it be when:
You can stand between the pile of washing waiting to go in the machine and the pile of washing to be folded and they both come up to your knees.

Or:
The last conversation you and your husband had was not about work, kids, books, movies or music. It was about whose turn it is to toss a salad to go with the take away chicken.

Or perhaps it's when:
The dispute ends with "Is salad all that important? Really?"

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Ouch

I work for a health fund. I've learnt a lot about providers during that time. So imagine my dismay tonight when I broke a tooth while eating rock candy.
"Lee, my love, you need to get a second job!"

Just the thought of dental costs makes me feel sick.

And no, we're not with the health fund we work for as yet, so I can't even look for the cheapest mob through my Lotus Notes.

The Little Things

Occasionally, every now and then, you have a win. It may not be a big win, in fact, in terms of beating the odds it's rather small. But, it's a win none the less and it's yours to enjoy.

This morning Battboy and I woke up with a need to get out. For the first time in a long time I didn't have the Triffkids for the weekend and I was feeling the loss. So my beloved and I decided to pack the Battbabies into the car and hit the Canning Vale markets.

As usual the staple fare of these stalls consist of badly looked after 1970's eclectica (I figure the owners must have missed last week's council collection) but we did chance upon a rather wide ranging book stall. Immediately I found a book I'd always wanted, Amistead Maupin's Tales of the City for $10. Not too bad a price, but not great. I also found a copy of Kim Wilkins' The Resurrectionists for $9. I'm a fan but also not a price I was willing to pay to pay for a second hand book. So I girded my loins and offered the stall holder $15 for both.
"Are you kidding?" he stroppily replied. "That would be giving them away." I shrugged, turned and put them back. "Make it $17," came the quick counter offer.
I shook my head, moved on with my little family to the next stall. Battboy and I were in the process of buying a rather amazing Aztec calendar for $10. The guy ran up with both books, shoved them at me and said, "Okay, you can have them for $15."

Obviously the thought of getting $15 for them won over the need to take them home for another week.

I feel ever so pleased with myself.

And a little side note: 1200 words written yesterday on Black Dog Daze.

Monday, September 12, 2005

My baby adds another year

It' s hard to believe, but my Triffitt baby is about to turn 11. Armed with presents, we went to lunch at Willow Pond as requested and sat down to enjoy a lovely afternoon.

The surrounds at Willow Pond, it must be said, are sublime. The weather was perfect and the Triffbatts were able to sit outside and enjoy the warmth of the day while overlooking the pond. The food was another matter. While some of us thought it was alright, nobody gushed about it. I love food. My beloved loves food. The kids love food. On the whole, we were all rather disappointed.

And I won't talk about the crappy service. Longest wait ever. Then Aiden found a hair floating in his coke and we had a fanta delivered that we didn't ask for, nor wanted.

After a while we decided to head of to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Half way there I took a look at Aiden and abruptly changed my mind. He looked awful. Very pale, very nervous. We turned around and headed for home with promises we'd try again on Sunday.

By Saturday night, however, A was looking better and we set out again.

A short pause while I tell you about Blakey-boy's presents.

We bought Baldur's Gate 2. Nothing surprising there. It's alright if you like that sort of thing. The boys love it. We thought it would be a good replacement for the Vice City game we confiscated two weeks ago (the violence really was abhorrent.)

But...

My boys talk incessantly about a cartoon called Happy Tree Friends. It's their favourite thing in the world. I know they've told me about it in the past, but, you know, it's like a cartoon, about furry animals and nature and stuff (I don't do nature), so I tuned them out. Anyhoo, Battboy sees a DVD for sale with bonus episodes. He thinks of the upcoming birthday and grabs it. He doesn't read the blurb. He brings it home, shows me, and stashes it in our pressie drawer. I take it out, wrap it up and put it in Connor's bag. Lee gets a card and fills it out. We're off. Lunch happens.

Blakey opens the presents and makes the appropriate excited noises over Baldur's Gate. He then opens the second one. Talk about rapture. This kid went into paroxysms of glee. Naturally he starts babbling about it. Naturally I tune him out. "Can we go home? Can we watch it now?"
"After Charlie," I answer, reading the back of the wine list.
As we know Aiden got sick. We went home.
The boys settled down on the couch and begin to watch HTF.
"Lyn!" my darling calls from the loungeroom. "You should see this."
Like, why? It's about furry animals. Being cute. As far as I'm concerned the only time a furry animal looks cute is when it has a band-saw hanging out of it's butt (Yes, I hate animals, but I have good reason. I keep Claratyne in business.) My lovely husband is persistant, so I settle down next to him on the couch and prepare to be bored.
Remember my flippant band-saw comment. Somebody took me at my word. An hour later I was still sitting on the couch, curled up against my burly protector, hiding my eyes from the carnage.
OH! MY! GOODNESS!
I'm still traumatised.
And to think we took Vice City of them because of the irrational violence.

Now, where was I before the pause. Oh yes. Charlie.

Thirty years ago I was treated to something really special. I mean, ultra amazing, six year old, never to be repeated special.
I was one of the two children in Western Australia who got to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory first. Before anybody else.
My dad and his best friend Bob worked as Props Technicians at the Regal theatre (at least I think it was the Regal. It seems right, but this is a memory 30 years old). They managed to get their hands on the newly arrived reels, set them up in the empty cinema, bought Bob's daughter Jane and myself some of those newly arrived sweeties called Tic Tacs and left us to watch the movie. All by ourselves. In that huge cinema.
We were first, man.

Now, anybody who knows me, knows that my dad was a monster. He was evil. Bad. Not one of the good guys. But that one action keeps him fondly in my memory. He occasionally did that sort of thing.

On the weekend, we took the kids to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I sat down on the chair. Stared up at the screen and made a decision.

I was not a reviewer. I was not a writer. I was not the wife of a mad film goer who holds opinions on every movie ever made. I was not even an adult.

With that settled, I sat back and allowed myself to be entertained. I was totally captivated. The movie was enchanting and I was hooked. It's on my 'buy this' list.

Sunday - The final day

We had cheesecake for Blake's birthday yesterday. Note to all. Fruit jelly and candles don't mix.

All in all, a wonderful weekend.

And now, on with the week.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

The John Hurt Moment

So I'm lying in bed last night discussing with Battboy the possibility of being, perhaps, rather pregnant. Maybe as much as 17 weeks or so.

He tells me to go out and get a pregnancy test tomorrow morning.

Why?

My period has been pretty much on time and of correct duration etc.
I've had no morning sickness.
My breasts are fine.
We've been somewhat careful.
I can't feel the rise of my uterus and after 4 pregnancies I'm pretty au fait with where my uterus should be.
I haven't been going to the toilet any more than usual.
I don't feel like I could be pregnant.

So why did we think I could, in fact, be 'with child' again?

The fact that my stomach keeps tapping. It's not all the time. It comes and goes in intervals. It's not in any one particular area. I can feel it with my hand. I can see it in the bath. It has different depth of feeling - sometimes it's quite hard and other times it's just a slight ripple (like the one I just had).

To all intents and purposes it feels like I have a baby in there. And it's constantly on the move, just like Connor was. Last night, when Lee was asleep I lay with my tummy against his side and it felt like a baby kicking against the compression. Lee even twitched a couple of times when it occured, so I know he felt it, even though he can't feel it with his hand or see it. This started 5 days ago and has been going the whole time. To the point where we've started referring to our alien baby and I've written a story about it. But then last night we got serious. What if I really am pregnant? What will we do? Especially this late in the game? And what hospital would take us now after our experiences with Armadale, Fremantle and King Eddies have been far from perfect? And what about the really incredibly awfully strict diet I've been on this week (1.7kg lost, but not conducive to a growing foetus).We needed to find out as soon as possible, if not for any other reason that to reintroduce carbs back into my life.
So this morning I get out of bed and head to the chemist. I buy a test. I bring it home.

Negative.

Big sighs of relief. We DO NOT want to have another baby. Connor's pregnancy (and eye problems and asthma and ability to catch every cold going) were traumatic enough. We love him, but we don't want a repeat experience. We are, to say the very least, very pleased. I can continue working in my new job, we don't have to worry about the cot situation and I can continue to exclude a whole food group from my diet. (1.7 kg. 1.7kg. 1.7kg.)

Yes, we're very very very happy.

But for one thing.

What the hell is happening in there?

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

BB turnaround

I was going to vote against Geneva in tonight's main eviction, but I have changed my mind. Angela, who up until last night I thought was alright, has shown extreme bad sportsmanship and a huge mean streak. She will now be gaining one vote each Lee, the kids (one vote together) and myself. She's made my choice a little easier, after all, I actually liked all three nominees and considered Angela to be one of the smart ones, but now my opinion of her has lowered some what and I'm going to nominate her quite happily.

I've been watching BB and reading the website and am so pleased that Constance and Nelson have gone. What a pair of mouth-breathers (thanks Lee for such a great word).

Quote from Nelson: "Where's my goodies? I want goodies. I want prizes."

Haha. No prizes for you...ou.

These people make Glenn look good.

Having said that. I feel for poor Glenn. He's not a bad bloke. I'm not a fan, but I don't really have anything against him. Then he has to choose one person to be unnominated. He chose Michelle (who wouldn't???) thereby incurring the wrath of Angela after her nomination.

Just so you know...

...my life's not totally dependant upon Big Brother. Today I finished a story. I don't want to talk about it or mention the total due to wanting to send it to CSFG anthology The Outcast (a blind submission) but I can say that it's a story revolving around a 'what if' situation I started thinking about ten year's ago. I wrote 1500 words today to give the story a total word count of 5500 words. This total is 500 words above the limit. I've managed to delete nearly 200 words, but there's still aways to go.

There he goes, there he goes, there he goes...

Connor can certainly get some miles up. Tonight we put him on the floor. So far he's managed to roll over to Lee's feet and then all the way over to the cabinet. He's now watching BB.

Have a great week

Monday, May 16, 2005

Come back Toto, all is forgiven

Woke up in a tight grip with Lee this morning. No, not due to any pre-waking grope, but because of the mighty crashing and flashing of a major storm.

According to the weather report, our sleepy little suburb was rocked by a tornedo which saw trees uprooted and fences strewn clear into Maddington. Scary stuff. Lee knows I'm not good with thunder at the best of times, and this morning was certainly not the best of times. I was terrified. I wouldn't let him leave the house without me and insisted he take me when he dropped Erin off at child-care. We saw a lot of damage along the way. The people across the road seemed the worst hit, which was quite ironic considering what happened not long ago.

2 weeks ago they decided that the biggest tree in their front yard had to go. They roped it, cut it and let it fall. Directly onto their fence. It smashed it to pieces. They spent the weekend fixing said fence until, by Monday, it was good as new. They cleaned up their mess and no-one was any the wiser.

Enter this morning's tornado.

Battboy and I waited for the winds to abate then ventured out to drop Erin off at 'school'. There, directly across the way, was a repeat of the previous fortnight's carnage. But, much much worse. Two trees were lying across their lawn, without a skerrick of fence to be seen. Parts of their roof was also gone.

There was a great deal of damage in our neighbourhood, but amazingly, apart from four bits of washing ripped from the line and dumped on the ground, we came out of it unscathed.

After the storm

Lee went into the city for an interview. I insisted on Connor and I accompanying him. Yes, nature scares me. We had a coffee at Gloria Jean's (one of my favourite places on earth) then Lee set off for his interview and I walked to the Alexander library with the baby and my laptop. I managed to write a bit more on a story that I'm thoroughly in to, plus start on Kaaren Warren's anthology. I picked two of her stories at random and began to read. God, it's good. Parts were somewhat clunky (one line of The Fresh Young Widow featured not one but two 'dreaded ly' words) but the stories themselves were gripping and well presented. I'm not going to do a full review, but if you like emotion-driven SF then go for it.

Okay, it's late and it's time for bed. Take care and stay away from ruby slippers.

PS Battboy and I voted for Nelson to go tonight cos we're sure Constance will go in the next round. As much as I like Geneva, she's getting my vote tomorrow night because I like Tim and Angela more. They're the only two intelligent people in the house.

PPS I want Logan to win.

PPPS Ju, I miscounted. I gained some proper information and worked it out. It's only 8 days.

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Quick word count

1503 words written this evening. I'm so in the mood to write at the moment. I'm loving it. The words are coming quickly and the ideas are there for me. Next I'm working on a piece for Shane Jaraiya Cummings' new anthology.

Party at Perky's

Went out to Perky's birthday party with Casi last night. We had a nice time and met some new people (Grace and Graeme) who I clicked really well with. The food was fantastic and plentiful. Lee didn't come and I missed him awfully. Naturally, Mynxii, Calli, Kylie and I spent ages talking about Big Brother.

More on BB

Yesterday, Calli and I went out for coffee at Carousel. We discussed BB. I noticed that every table around us was listening. I mentioned Hot Dogs and my opinion of him and immediately one of the women at the table opposite leaned over to her companion and asked "What do you think of Hot Dogs?"

I'm soooooo influential :)

So down

Lee's been really depressed lately and I've been worried about him. The clouds seem to have cleared today and there's been a return to his old vibrant self. I've been depressed before (spent two years on medication as a result) and so tried to be the loving supportive wife. It hasn't always been easy and yesterday I snapped a little. My friends were there for me and didn't tell me off for not remaining positive for Lee's sake. All I can say is "Thank you" for letting me talk through the problem. You were all brilliant when it all became too much for me to cope with. I feel much better today and so does Lee.

Dr Who

Watched episodes 4 to 7 today and they were fantastic! The Dalek episode was both scary and tender and I loved it. The sexual chemistry between Rose and the Doctor is HOT and you just have to love their interaction.

Soccer tomorrow

We're playing Kinross. We've just found out where that is. Early start tomorrow.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Let the abuse begin

Yes, it's that time of the year again. Big Brother is back on our screens and fourteen/fifteen people have basically announced "Abuse me. Call me names. Tell me how much you hate me."
And hate them I do. Apart from a few notable exceptions I find them to be supercilious, nasty, vain and on the whole quite boring.

Let's begin with Michelle. "Waaaaah. It's my birthday. I'm 25. I want a party. Waaaaaah. I'm gonna chuck a wobbly because I'm not doing anything for my special day." Hello, reality check. YOU'RE ON TELEVISION YOU MINDLESS BINT.

Next, Constance. Had her sized up from the first moment. Can't stand her. Trashy. Likes to go around telling people "I'm loud, I'm crazy." Having a personality is like writing a good story. Show, don't tell.

Nelson and Glenn. Ocker guys who'd be the first through the door at the Inseminator's Ball. LOSERS!!!!!!!! Marriage to these two slobs can be summed up in four words: "Where's my dinner bitch?" You just know Glenn's got a healer named Blue at home.

Tim. One of my exceptions. Intelligent, witty. I like him. His personal motto is "Whatever you do, never reduce your complex belief systems into a simple motto." Better than Redneck Nelson's "Relax". Like Duh.

Gianna. If I can quote Madonna (and I think I can) "Strike a pose, there's nothing to it." Loves the camera and will likely gain many nominations due to it. Another bint.

Logan (David and Greg). Another of my exceptions. Cute, fun, sweet. I love them and hope they don't get busted.

Christie. Who? Her name came up on the site when I did a search just now. Can't even remember what she looks like.

Geneva. Ummm. Hmmmm. I have to make a small confession here. Come closer cos I need to whisper it. I like her. Lee doesn't.

Michael. Not at all interesting. Sees himself as a peacemaker. Let them have their bitch fight, I say.

Dean. Lee hates him. Frankly I don't notice him one way or the other.

Hot Dogs. Mostly harmless. Again, fairly unnoticeable.

Kate. On her side only because Nelson is so dead against her. And why? Because she reminds him of his ex. Come on!!!!!

Angela. The only woman I really like for herself. Intelligent, brash. I think she's cool.

At this stage I don't really cares who wins. Okay, if pushed I'd say either one of Tim, Angela or the Logans (although tonight's Logan kissed Michelle. Eugghh.)

Here's Lee's list.

"They're all crap. Especially Dean. He's the crappest. Kill the lot of them. Put them out of my misery." (There was also some stuff about testicles and things being ripped out of eye sockets, but I think we all get the gist.)


In other news.

"The Memory of Breathing" has received a good review from Locus magazine and Rich Horton has put it on his Recommended Reading List for the month. This has really inspired me to keep going and today I wrote over 1700 words. I'm a happy camper.

If I keep this up I might actually be a professional writer by the time I'm 60.

Monday, May 09, 2005

On being a mum

I love being a mother. I love my children. All five of them enrich my life and help make it all the more interesting.

This morning I was woken by my Triffitt children with prezzies (the Battbaby was in bed with us having a cuddle and Erin was at her grandparents). They each gave me something personal and sweet, plus I had two presents that they had bought as a group. Prezzie time over, we moved on to the soccer where I spent time yelling myself hoarse.

Lunch was at Chatters, one of my favourite restaurants before we took the kids home to their father's.

A lovely day. The children were kind, considerate, sweet and well mannered. They were fabulous. Which was why I burst into tears at lunch and have barely stopped since.

This is my second mother's day. It has also been the worst. I couldn't bare the thought that it would end and they would be returned to Jon. It was just so unfair. I know I'm a great parent. I love my children and they know it. I do everything with their best interests at heart. I've never abused them or made them feel less than secure. So why do they prefer him to me? I just don't get it at all.

Okay, change the subject

We just arrived home from our day out to find an email from the wonderful Dave Luckett (husband of Sally Beasley, author extraordinaire and the other half of the duo that gave me away at the wedding) telling me to check out the Tangent site.

A review. A positive review. An absolutely brilliant and glowing review about my story "The Memory of Breathing".

Thank you to Dave for loving the story enough to recommend it to his wife, thank you to Sally for being such a brilliant editor and for placing it in ASIM 17 and of course, a big thank you to my beloved husband for always believing in me and for encouraging me every step of the way.

Last night

Last night was one of the best experiences of my life. We had Martin Livings (one of my favourite authors) and his partner Dr Izzy and Shane Jaraiya Cummings (another author-pal of ours) and his partner Angela Challis (editor of Shadowed Realms) over for dinner. The evening was fabulous. The food was good, the wine bottled and the company both lively and intelligent. Apologies to poor Dr Iz for the copious shop talk, but it was one of the rare occasions when Lee and I found ourselves mixing with other writers. We had a brilliant time.

One of the highlights for me was meeting Angela properly. There are times in your life when you meet someone and you just click from the get-go. Angela and I connected on about a dozen different levels and never shut up all night.

Everyone left about 12:30 and we were fast asleep about 5 minutes later. Naturally it was one of the few nights where Connor slept through until 4:30, and we were awake for most of it.

Soccer

3-2. In our favour. That's all I'm saying.

Okay, we're out of here. Big Brother starts again tonight, so we're off to begin our evening.

Take care and enjoy your week.

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Can't keep a good girl down

Due to popular demand I've decided to start posting again. I'll do a full post soon, but we have people coming for dinner tonight so I have to get cleaning etc.

I'm feeling rather happy today. I had a better night sleep thanks to my beloved and a sleep in this morning. We've just come home from breakfast at The Crepe Cafe AND I had my favourite coffee from Gloria Jean's. I really want to get a job with them. I love them.

Take care and have a lovely weekend.

PS Thanks to everybody who said "I miss your blog. When are you going to start posting again?" I dedicate this site to you.