I meant to join in the Melbourne Zombie Shuffle, but the bad weather put the kibosh on those plans. Oh well.
Dressing up as something dead is unreasonable amounts of fun. I enjoy making the dark circles under my eyes more prominent as opposed to concealing them. And decent fake blood (hot water, plain flour, instant coffee and red food colouring all mixed together) makes everything better, pervasive coffee smell notwithstanding.
Anyway! Next year. Next year.
Sunday 30 October 2011
Monday 24 October 2011
The Fall of the Axe
There's all kinds of family. There are the ones tied to you by blood, the ones which are hard to lose. And then there's the people you drag into your circle. They're there because they want to be, and in a way that makes them even more precious.
Except they aren't really yours. And sometimes they have to leave.
Disaster has struck. It's money - always the money - and four of my impromptu family will have to leave. The quiet, staunch older cousin. The carefree aunt. The snarky, no-nonsense aunt. The beloved older sister.
I have so many good memories, of all the times they gathered around me, of the support they gave just by being. Those memories only hurt now, because I'm greedy for more of them and they can't happen.
They aren't going to be dead. They'll be out there, coming over for the odd coffee or meeting but it won't be the same. Because they'll find their own family, they'll build it again just like I built mine when I first came here, and call me selfish but that thought hurts even more, the thought that they'll come back all detached and distant and not family anymore.
It's going to be so quiet next year. There won't be replacements for them, because money. There will be gaps and nothing to fill them in, nothing but the ones left huddling together as close as we can.
When the news first fell, I ran around, trying to be comforting to both those who had to go and those who would be left. One thanked me three times for coming to talk to him; he was quietly, sadly happy to speak to me. I moved to pat another on the shoulder. He immediately got up for a hug.
One I had to leave for a while. She was staring and not listening to anything I said and not moving.
I don't know what to do except be my usual, clownish self. It's what I'm good at - distract, make them laugh for a while, so they don't think of what is happening.
The clown wants to cry too.
Except they aren't really yours. And sometimes they have to leave.
Disaster has struck. It's money - always the money - and four of my impromptu family will have to leave. The quiet, staunch older cousin. The carefree aunt. The snarky, no-nonsense aunt. The beloved older sister.
I have so many good memories, of all the times they gathered around me, of the support they gave just by being. Those memories only hurt now, because I'm greedy for more of them and they can't happen.
They aren't going to be dead. They'll be out there, coming over for the odd coffee or meeting but it won't be the same. Because they'll find their own family, they'll build it again just like I built mine when I first came here, and call me selfish but that thought hurts even more, the thought that they'll come back all detached and distant and not family anymore.
It's going to be so quiet next year. There won't be replacements for them, because money. There will be gaps and nothing to fill them in, nothing but the ones left huddling together as close as we can.
When the news first fell, I ran around, trying to be comforting to both those who had to go and those who would be left. One thanked me three times for coming to talk to him; he was quietly, sadly happy to speak to me. I moved to pat another on the shoulder. He immediately got up for a hug.
One I had to leave for a while. She was staring and not listening to anything I said and not moving.
I don't know what to do except be my usual, clownish self. It's what I'm good at - distract, make them laugh for a while, so they don't think of what is happening.
The clown wants to cry too.
Sunday 23 October 2011
Lunch
Cheese, plain omelette, lettuce, tomato and roast chicken on poppyseed brioche with a mug of fruit juice on the side.
I. Can't. Move.
I. Can't. Move.
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Monolith Action Figure Part III
Yessss....
A baby monolith! And it's mine. All mine. Muahahahaha...
(If you would like to adopt one for yourself, they can be obtained from the Moon, Olduvai Gorge, or Europa.)
A baby monolith! And it's mine. All mine. Muahahahaha...
(If you would like to adopt one for yourself, they can be obtained from the Moon, Olduvai Gorge, or Europa.)
Monday 17 October 2011
Element Bending
Laughed. So. Hard.
Personally, I'd take up iron-bending, for the sake of being able to manipulate many common items and indirect power over magnetism. Carbon-bending's not so bad either, except it could get messy with organic materials. Silver, nickel and gold-bending would be useful if you wanted a steady job in the jewellery industry.
You know, I see good potential for a story here. A universe where everyone can control a few elements to the point where it's a commonplace part of everyday life. Then you'd have a few heroes who could perhaps have mastery over some of the more difficult (or short-lived) elements, and villains with specialist bending abilities... So many possibilities!
Personally, I'd take up iron-bending, for the sake of being able to manipulate many common items and indirect power over magnetism. Carbon-bending's not so bad either, except it could get messy with organic materials. Silver, nickel and gold-bending would be useful if you wanted a steady job in the jewellery industry.
You know, I see good potential for a story here. A universe where everyone can control a few elements to the point where it's a commonplace part of everyday life. Then you'd have a few heroes who could perhaps have mastery over some of the more difficult (or short-lived) elements, and villains with specialist bending abilities... So many possibilities!
Sunday 16 October 2011
Warmth
Winter is an easier time to deal with. If you're cold, you bundle up. If you're still cold, you bundle up more. When it's hot, on the other hand, there's a limit to how much you can take off, and you have to strike a balance between removing stifling clothing and covering your skin from the harsh sun.
That said, there is something to be said about the brightness of the sun, and how it casts blocks of colour intercut with hard shadows, and how clear the sky looks, and the sparkle of leaves as they filter the brilliance of a sunset.
There is something to be said for the touch of radiating heat, intermittently caressed away by the light breeze; of the crispness of the grass and the firmness of the earth; of how different everything smells on a beautiful day.
There's something to be said for feeling hope and peace for no other reason than the sun is shining.
Why does the sun make me feel this way? I don't know. There's nothing logical about this. This burning ball of hot gas certainly has no feelings for me, would kill me if I got too close, would take my sight if I looked it in the eye. Yet when I stand, face tilted to the sky, eyes closed against the brilliance, all feels right with the world. When I throw open the windows, my room feels bigger, brighter, almost thrumming with life, as if the rays are a conduit to the world outside the building.
No, I don't understand it.
But I can love it.
The Second Sure Thing
The two sure things in life are death (ha!) and taxes. I'm dealing with the second.
Why is lodging a tax return so complicated? Doesn't the government want its money?
Why do I have to lodge a tax return for two dollars worth of taxes?!
Why is lodging a tax return so complicated? Doesn't the government want its money?
Why do I have to lodge a tax return for two dollars worth of taxes?!
Thursday 13 October 2011
Bee Invasion!
Holy crap, there's like 50 bees in my bathroom right now. (I'm not exaggerating - if I was, I'd say there were a million of them.) The maintenance people are in there right now, fighting them with a bottle of insect spray. Meanwhile, I'm hiding in my room. Call me a coward if you like but - bees, dammit!
Okay, bees are now gone. As in, dead. Their creepy lifeless carcasses are still littered all over the bathroom. According to maintenance, the earliest we can get them cleared is tomorrow.
I just - urgh! How am I supposed to take a shower? Those - things - are all over the place!
(Fun fact - I almost left my room window open before I left for work. If I had, my room would have been full of bees as well. Does not bear thinking about.)
Okay, bees are now gone. As in, dead. Their creepy lifeless carcasses are still littered all over the bathroom. According to maintenance, the earliest we can get them cleared is tomorrow.
I just - urgh! How am I supposed to take a shower? Those - things - are all over the place!
(Fun fact - I almost left my room window open before I left for work. If I had, my room would have been full of bees as well. Does not bear thinking about.)
Monday 10 October 2011
Monday 3 October 2011
Sunday 2 October 2011
Fewer or Less?
I love this Wonderella comic because of:
a) Tiberius Shark pulling a McGyver
b) Wonderella casually shrugging off her apparently inescapable bonds.
c) It totally is a sippy cup!
d) The fact that the entire comic is about grammar.
Wonderella is a great comic, by the way. You want a good comic with a realistic female heroine? Here's one. (Emphasis on "realistic".)
P.S.: For the last two years I hadn't made a single blog post in September. What the heck?
a) Tiberius Shark pulling a McGyver
b) Wonderella casually shrugging off her apparently inescapable bonds.
c) It totally is a sippy cup!
d) The fact that the entire comic is about grammar.
Wonderella is a great comic, by the way. You want a good comic with a realistic female heroine? Here's one. (Emphasis on "realistic".)
P.S.: For the last two years I hadn't made a single blog post in September. What the heck?
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