29 June 2005

Pink!?!

Er, so yesterday I went down to Langford with Sue to pick up Ryan, and we went to WalMart to buy underthings. It is a necessary evil, this buying of underthings. I don't know why, exactly, but I really don't enjoy it. But I managed to pick out two sports bras and one "good bra," a package of undies, and a whole lot of black socks unscathed. Then I found a decent pair of jeans on sale, and a couple of plain tank tops (for exercising in, probably). Then I found this t-shirt. Why it appealed to me so much, I really don't know. It has a picture of Elmo (from Sesame Street, for the culturally-deficient readers out there) and says "Tickle Me" (you know, cuz that "Tickle Me Elmo" doll was so popular a few years back). And it's pink. Very, very pink. Barbie pink, in fact, with baby pink sleeves. I hate pink. Pink is my very, very least favourite colour. And yet, I love this t-shirt. I'm sure that must say something about me. Reveal some deep character flaw, maybe. So, yeah, I now own a pink t-shirt with Elmo on that says "Tickle Me."

Writing: White Foxes

Phew! Chapter 17 is, at long last, done. 2,843 words (not all of it written today, though a fair portion was). I was moping about, not feeling like doing any of the gazillion things I need to do before heading to Halifax, and on a whim I opened the chapter 17 file and started to write. And now chapter 17 is done. Only about 16 or so more to go . . .

24 June 2005

Fey: "Meddlesome Spirits" Page 6

Here.

We're all scambling around getting ready for our big TOY SALE (and yard sale) this weekend. There are gaps on my shelves. It hurts, but I know I'll be happy when it's all gone and I have some cash in my pocket instead. Anybody need some Star Wars toys? Lord of the Rings? Toy Dragons? Harry Potter? Books? Everyone needs books. Anyway, that's how I'll be spending most of my weekend.

21 June 2005

Look! Up in the Sky!

It's the summer solstice today (longest day/shortest night), and the lowest-hanging full moon in eighteen years. Read more here:
SpaceWeather.com.

17 June 2005

Fey: "Meddlesome Spirits" Page 5

There it is.

Some days, I wonder why I bother. I look at what I've drawn, or what I'm trying to draw, and think, "What crap!" Other days, I feel pretty good, and think, "Hey, I kind of like that!" (Though I still wonder if anyone else will actually read it, and if they read it, if they'll see what I thought I was making, and not something else entirely.) Lately, I've been thinking more along the lines of "What crap," but that could just be because it's the middle of June and still cool and rainy (except when I want to go for a long walk--then it seems to be too frickin' hot).

Oh, and I'm not looking for sympathy, or praise, or any of that. I'm just babbling. And making making excuses. Or something.

I Am . . .

The Killers
You are Ava Gardner in THE KILLERS


Which Film Noir Femme Fatale Are You?
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(Via Poppy Z. Brite.)

15 June 2005

Good Dreams and Bad

So, like most people, sometimes I have dreams I like, and sometimes I have dreams I really wish I hadn't had (or didn't remember). I especially like the ones where I'm the MythBusters intern, even though I always end up re-doing old experiments. A couple nights ago, I got to help bust the killer quicksand legend. It was very cool. (Though I admit, the one where Jamie Hyneman and I were trying to escape from bad guys was truly strange. You try walking down the street dressed a la Pirate Mod, arm-in-arm with a walrus-mustachioed man wearing a beret, and try to look inconspicous.) ("Fly casual," as Han Solo would say.)


I really don't like the dreams where I wake up wanting to see an old boyfriend again. Those ones always make me feel very, very glum. Luckily, I don't have them very often.

12 June 2005

Thank You, Popular Science

Thanks PopSci, for showing me more things I want to spend money on.

First, this extremely cool robotics kit. I've been wanting to tinker with robots for ages, and this would make it sooo much easier.

Second, a subscription to Popular Science itself. I was looking for something techy to read, and the store was out of Wired. PopSci turned out to be exactly what I was craving. So I've signed up for the two free issues, and am probably going to end up subscribing. How often does one find a magazine that makes one exclaim things like, "Oh, cool!" or "Holy crap, that's so cool!" every time one turns the page? (Never thought I'd ever want to read anything with "popular" in the title, though.)

11 June 2005

Niko Buys Music!?

If you've known me very long, or ever been to my house, you may have noticed how . . . outdated my music collection generally is. I don't know why, but I just don't buy new music very often. Possibly it's largely because I don't listen to the radio (I have yet to find a station that doesn't quickly annoy me into turning it off), so I don't get to hear much of what's new. Lately, I've been getting sick of the music I do have. There are a few things I still listen to regularly, but I find myself listening to the same stuff over and over.

So I was at WalMart the other day, and they had the new Nine Inch Nails disc for cheap. I'd read about it on Caitlín R. Kiernan's blog. So I bought it. I'm on the second listen-through and quite liking it. Of course, buying the new release of a familiar artist isn't really the same as buying something totally new. I'm open to suggestions. I've read a few places online that The Decemberists are very good. Anyone got any other recommendations for someone with a rather . . . eclectic (and sometimes strange) taste in music? I especially like stuff that mixes traditional with contemporary--celtic rock, for example (Ashley MacIsaac's Hi, How Are You Today is still one of my faves, along with Capercaillie's Beautiful Wasteland and everything by the Pogues). But I also like more industrial sounds, and, er . . . stuff. Anyway.

Edit: I'm also fond of punk and its offspring (been listening to the Clash a lot lately . . .).

Ow Ow Ow

A while ago I mentioned that my doctor recommended a cortisone shot to collapse the tendonitis-related ganglion in my right wrist. So Thursday I went in to get said shot. Apparently, a shot where I had it is less painful than the usual sort of cortisone shot that goes right into the joint. Dr Fretz said, "This is going to hurt," or something along those lines. My response, when she stuck in the giant needle (to remove the "goo" before injecting to cortisone) was, "Oh, yes, that does hurt rather a lot." I'm pleased to say that I didn't cry or scream or faint or even flinch. I guess I must have a fairly high pain tolerance. Or something. I wondered aloud to Mum afterwards about why the doctor'd made me lie down before giving me the shot. Apparently, a lot of people pass out during that sort of thing.

It didn't hurt that much.

So it may or may not actually work, this gangion-collpasing. I might have to have surgery instead. So far, my wrist still bulges as much as before, though doc did say it could take a few days, and it would probably ache. Actually, it mostly doesn't bother me at all, though handwriting feels a little awkward. Anyway, now I wait and see if it works.

10 June 2005

Fey!

Here's "Meddlesome Spirits" page 4. In the meantime, I work on part 3 of Drawing Borders. Slowly.

03 June 2005

How Would You Fare in Ambergris?

Squid
FATED TO SEE (AND DIE BY) SQUID


While strolling along the banks of the Moth, huge
tentacles emerge from the oily river and pull
you to a watery grave. Only your shoes are
found, floating further downstream.


How Would You Fare in Ambergris?
brought to you by Quizilla

If you don't what the heck this is about, go read City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer. Or else go here. (Via VanderWorld.)

Early Fey

"Meddlesome Spirits" page 3 is now up for your viewing enjoyment. Or something. You may recognize the bookstore proprietor--and the bookstore--if you read my Three Sisters holiday chapbook from last year (that is, the 2003 holiday season, not the one that passed most recently).

02 June 2005

Small Technical Glitches

I've noticed the odd thing about this blog that doesn't quite work. First, I managed to post the same comment twice, but couldn't delete it. As far as I could see, the little trash can icon I should have for deleting just wasn't there. Course, I just now figured out that I can do it from the "Post a Comment" window. Next, I noticed that the stats for my blog are waaay out of date. It's said I have three hundred and something posts for . . . well, months anyway. And all the "recent posts" that show up in my profile are from November last year. There was something else, too, but now I can't remember what it was. Also, there is no space between the end of the post and its comments--probably I can tweak that in my template code. Anyway, I'm wondering if it's because my template is one of the old pre-updated Blogger ones. I like it, though, and I won't switch to a new one unless too many things go wrong.

More Birthday Goodness

I'm just back from birthday tea at Mum's, with a whole pile of prezzies. Here's what marvels I got:

  • a card with beads and sparkly butterflies, with money inside, from Gramma Staniforth. Thanks Gramma!
  • a whole pile of books from Sue and her offspring; they are:

    • Sabriel by Garth Nix. I had the worst beat-up ex-library copy of this ever; now I have a very nice one. I love this book.
    • Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia by Nancy J. Turner. Part of the Royal BC Museum Handbook series. I've wanted this since I used it a couple of years ago for a Creative Non-Fiction assignment.
    • Gladiatrix: The True Story if History's Unknown Woman Warrior by Amy Zoil. This'll go nicely with my Amazon and female pirate books.
    • The Cook's Guide to Asian Ingredients by Sallie Morrus and Deh-Ta Hsiung. At last, I can figure out what all those interesting things are that I keep seeing at the grocery store.
    • Love in the Asylum by Lisa Carey. One of the few times I've ever made my mother read something I'd just read was with Carey's first novel, The Mermaids Singing. This is her most recent one, I think.
    Thanks Sue and Selena and Ryan!
  • an HP Photosmart digital camera, camera dock, and acessory kit (camera bag, mini tripod, cleaning stuff, etc) from Mum and John. Woo hoo!! Thanks Mum and John!

Now I have to figure out how to attach these new wonders of technology to my computer. And, I can do slideshows on tv straight from the camera, using the dock (though I don't think my primative tv has the right pluggy-inny bits) (yes, that was a technical term; haven't you heard it before?). Now I have much reading and picture-taking to do. Expect photos to start turning up on this blog, once I figure things out.

Chicken Legs

Here's the first bit of an as yet unwritten story I found in my notebook while looking for my notes on White Foxes:
After so many centuries in a mobile home, Baba Yaga was tired of broken crockery.

It was inconvenient, she thought, to live in a house perched on chicken legs, however scary the neighbours might find it. Not that neighbours ever lasted long.
I wish I knew how the rest of the story went.

Toonjitsu

Wow: Toonjitsu.com: The Artwork of Dave Daniels.

Happy 33

Yep, well, here I am. 33. And, like every other year, I feel pretty much the same as always. Not that I expected that to change.

So what have I planned for my birthday? This morning, I did some work, and read some blogs. I've got a comic page I want to finish, which won't take long. This afternoon, I'll probably do some writing; White Foxes is waiting impatiently for a new chapter. I have to finish getting my Mac all set up--I haven't tried connecting it to the great online world yet, which I have to do before setting up the scanner, since I need to download drivers. Then, sometime after Sue and Selena get home, there will probably be tea and the opening of presents over at Mum's. I'll finish the evening with Daily Planet and another part of the "Walking With" series. Last night I watched the whole Walking With Dinosaurs series (6 half-hour episodes). Tonight it'll either be the Making Of and the Allosaurus special, or else Walking With Prehistoric Beasts. After that, I'll probably crawl into bed with a book.

As I mentioned somewhere back there, I got a couple of cards already--last week. So here's the beginning of my things-I-got-for-my-33rd-birthday list:

  • a flowery, mushy card from Gramma and Granddad Silvester--I think it's in the rules somewhere that grandparents must give mushy cards (and usually flowery ones to their female grandchildren). Thanks Gramma and Granddad!
  • a funny card and a Bolen Books gift certificate from Dad and Cat--books, books, books! Thanks Dad and Cat!

Proper thank-you emails and letters to follow.

01 June 2005

I Rule

Last week, Selena came home from school all excited about some bones she and her friends found in the bushes at the edge of the schoolyard. She wanted me to drive her back to school so we could collect them. Why me? 'Cause I'm the coolest auntie ever, of course. Plus, I used to be a zooarchaeologist, so I know stuff about bones.

Said bones were in a nice little pile (mostly), and were quite clean, so all we had to do was pick them up and put them in a bucket. (Well, they had dirt and plant bits on them, but no flesh or hair or other icky stuff.) To my delight, Selena et al were absolutely correct in their guess that they were baby deer bones.

When we got them home, I got 'Lena working on cleaning them with antibacterial soap and water (I usually use a little bleach or peroxide in water, but I didn't have either). The next day, she had most of them clean and carefully packed to take back to school to show her class. When Ryan came up on the weekend, she had to show him, of course. He asked her why she'd picked them up. "Because," she told him. "I'm going to start a collection, just like Auntie."

See, I totally rule. Bow down before me, ye lesser Aunties and Uncles.