Once again I am awake a little too early from excitement.
Today we are driving up to Lake Taupo for a holiday, we return on Saturday, so no blogging til then. You'll just have to read the archives. Or you could read the other stonesoupers, they're all interesting!
What's the best thing to dream before a long drive? I dreamed that my car was stolen from a parking building. (Apparently my parents own a parking building...) I spent a long time checking each floor to make sure even though I knew in my heart that it had been stolen. Have to resist urge to run down to road and check car is still there in my nightie now that I'm awake.
On top of that I've had a song in my head all night. It's Angels from the new Tori Amos album Tales of a Librarian. I managed to acquire two copies of it over christmas, so I'm going to use one as a lending out copy.
It's a collection of older songs, which makes it very useful for lending since I can say "which songs do you like best? Well, here's the album it's from..." an insidious way of spreading Tori around.
"They're trapping angels
by the potomac
but it's not how you think
you'd be surprised
they liberate
your dreamscape
til you can't remember to recall
where your wings have gone
tell me where they've gone"
See you later!
I may have passed it on. EXcellent,
Er, I mean, for all of you that have been reading this last week and getting the updates, I'm still sick!
I feel heaps better than I did last Sunday, but I'm still blowing my nose every so often. It's kind of become like a cathartic evacuation of the nasal area. My throat is not sore as long as I keep it well lubricated, but it is also productive. My head feels weird, like I need to sleep for about 40 hours, but I was semi-awake from 4am to 7.40 when the alarm went off.
What's that you say? Alarm on a Saturday? Yes, today I saw Return of the King with Lee. We went to the 9.15 session. I cried much more this time, mostly about Faramir. I still love that Legolas though. He rocks.
Today I had the last part of christmas. We went to my brother's place to exchange gifts. I got to see my niece, but not hold her, which is OK with me as I don't want to pass this evil disease to a 6 week old.
Plan for tomorrow: pack for holiday, tidy house for aunt and uncle who are coming to stay. Try to sleep enough.
For tonight, scrapbooking.
So, I woke up at 6am yesterday, but decided that was just too much, so I slept til 7am. I went and opened the presents that friends had given me then I went on the net, I actually came onto stonesoup but my brain was fried so no entry.
I managed to convince Lee to get up and we were out of the house circa 8.20 to drive up the coast to my parent's place.
My sister is staying with them while her boyfriend is away and she has a new kitten. So I had happy christmas of the cute kitten. Tiny grey and mega-playful. I got lots of photos of people as well as the kitten, since Dad's camera had no battery I was official "Family scrapbook photographer". I got some cool presents: A gollum action figure that climbs a wall that he comes with, some scrapbook paper, lots of chocolate, long stripey pink socks. It was a bit of a cheap christmas with my family as my sister is saving for a house and Mum and Dad aren't exactly rich. The presents I bought all went down well, so that's lovely.
Ate turkey. I love turkey. Dessert was merengues, chocolate mousse and strawberries. Yum.
2.30 we headed back into town to Lee's family. By this time of the day the sun was beating down and I got so hot in the car I had to change clothes before we went over. Since I had already got a *sewing machine* from Lee's mum I wasn't expecting to get anything else, but she gave me some cute little things and accessories to the sewing machine.
Lee's sister gave us Lord of the Rings Risk, which I am uncertain about, having never played Risk. The set is very beautiful though, it comes with a one ring and lots of little orcses and elvses.
Then we ate turkey and crayfish. I love turkey and crayfish. Dessert was chocolate cake, raspberries and chocolate sauce. Yum.
Now waiting for Lee to get up so we can go shopping at the boxing day sales. Lee got a heap of whicoulls vouchers he wants to spend. I want to get an exercise ball, and new underwear. I haven't had any new underwear for ages.
Still a bit sick, but I took a box of aloe vera tissues with me wherever I went and made sure I had enough to drink. No problem!
..a lot like Christmas, also feeling heaps better today.
Blew off Changeling last night as my brain was fluff and my nose wouldn't stop running and then I started to cough some stuff up. It was oogie. So I blew it off and watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit instead. Then I had a bath and a sleep tea (similtaneous baby!) and gently went to bed and read my Buffy critique until my eyes were heavy.
The perfect night of sleep I desired was defeated by my needing to cough glurk up every so often, but it was a good night's sleep anyway, and I felt heaps better this morning. Evidently felt better than I looked because I dropped a heap of overdue books and DVDs off at work and my workmates all said "You're still not feeling well are you?"
Then I drove out to visit my parents. Scrapbooked with my Mum, watched Dr Phil (four in a row! Go Jenni!) had lunch, you know. It was fun, and I started to get excited about Christmas again. (Mostly just been feeling sick lately, as you know.)
Hoom, less than a week til I go away.
Looking forward to seeing friends tomorrow. Better go and do some baking now so I have something to feed 'em.
On the way home I saw no less than three cars stopped on the side of the motorway with their lights still on and no-one inside. I suspect a new, insidious type of body snatcher that allows you just enough time to pull safely off the motorway and yet not enough time to save your car's batteries before it makes you disappear.
I was extra careful.
Yup, over the weekend I moaned and coughed and blew my nose. I went out twice and regretted it both times, not because I didn't have fun or whatever, but because I simply wasn't up to it.
Things I have gotten done: Watched nearly all of Pride and Prejudice on DVD. I have two episodes to go, which I intend on viewing today.
Read most of a book of Literary criticism about Buffy. Some essays are better than others. Really enjoyed the Buffy as feminist icon one, and the one about forms of comedy used.
Got another Christmas Present early lucky me. It's a one metrel long panoramic photo of Courtenay Place on December first: red carpet and fans. Best thing is I can see Margie, Giffy and me on it. More specifically you can see my hat, but it's still me! Yay!
Got through a box of 200 tissues in a night and a day. honk.
Feeling fluffy headed now, and I keep making typos so that's all for now.
Just had a bad nap. One of the ones where you wake up and then walk around like a stunned meerkat, eyes wide open as you remember things that you could be doing and try not to fall back asleep.
I must look very surprised to be awake.
I spent my entire nap thinking I was awake when actually I was dreaming. I'm not sure but I think I was shopping on a cruise ship, so on refelction I was definately asleep.
To top it off, my throat feels worse after the sleep, which was the opposite of the intented outcome of said nap. I thought 'healing happens in sleep'. Obviously not the kind of sleep I just had.
I have made myself a pot of raspberry and somethingoruther tea. Should be good. I hope to wake up soon.
Wow. 100 entries. Like, wow.
Urm, this is my second day home sick with a sore throat with I'm hoping really isn't Regan's throat infection. Weird things have happened today, I had a hot lemon and honey drink that made me feel worse!
It made me feel better last night but seems to have aggravated my throat this morning. I think it must have been, as Lee suggested Evil lemon and honey.
On the bright side I get to watch Dr Phil two days running and I got what may be the coolest christmas present ever. (With the exception of the year I got two stuffed animals, a new Barbie and a whole Barbie and the rockers lounge set, lots of other presents and is agreed by me and my sister to have been Best Christmas Ever.) Ok, so today Lee and his mum gave me a new sewing machine! I am very excited, no more begging Margie to borrow hers, now all my cosplay dreams can come true with the aid of my new machine! Hoooray!
So, I'm just writing this quickly and then I'm going to set up my new machine and sew something!
Rock.
I saw Return of the King yesterday, unlike Iona, I did see it with a virgin audience. I was part of an incredibly axcited audience that cheered and clapped when the movie was just too cool.
I got to see thanks to the Wellington City Council. They had a preview screening at the Embassy at 3.30 yesterday. Thank you Wellington City Council! I did Lord of the Rings related stuff at work, so I got invited. Wonderful.
I don't believe in spoilers so I'll just say what I said to Seraph, Hix and Wayne last night: It's emotional. Also, Legolas is hot.
*sigh*
We has another session of Buffy game last night and again, it was super-cool. Seraph's and my characters got turned into slayers at the end of the session last night, coinciding with the end of Buffy season 7. Cool.
On the downside I had a nightmare this morning about one of the bad guys Hix introduced. A woman based on Sadako from Ring. I dreamed this morning that she was relentlessly persuing me. I was running and running and using these glazed pottery mirrors to travel through space time. She was using them too, so that didn't give me the edge it should have. I don't know if I was travelling between dimensions or just to different rooms in this really big house, but I knew she was always just a couple of steps behind me.
I ended up getting out of the house and hiding in a ditch nearby. Just waiting for her to come after me....I woke myself up about then because it was too scary.
I really love chobits. (Chobits is a Japanese Anime and Manga. Made by CLAMP who also did Angelic Layer and Cradcaptor Sakura.)
I don't imagine it'll ever get on TV, so you'll have to buy it on DVD if you want to see it.
Reasons it'll never get on TV: Nakedness; main character (Hideki) obsessed with sex, buys porn magazines, has sexy dreams about female characters; Hideki first finds Chii naked and pseudo-tied up in the rubbish, she's a computer and he has to find the button to 'turn her on'. Guess where the button is?
It's all very Japanese anyway, but it is immensely appealing. Chii is absolutely adorable. She's not only cute, she is given cute things to wear and is immensely naive. At the beginning all she can say is "chii". Later she learns more words, but she still behaves in a very childlike way.
So she's very attractive, cute and sexy, but she's also immensely innocent and childlike. I guess that's another reason that it won't get on TV around here. She's not a lolita, because they never have sex, and she isn't a temptress. That he has to look after her is a huge theme because she can't do it herself. Case in point: she goes to find a job, gets one in a peep show. Hideki had told her to get a good job and of course the man whose club it was told her it was a good job....
Of course it isn't just boys who like Chobits. On cosplaylab I'd wager that apart from Sailor Moon and the scouts, Chii is the most cosplayed character for girls. This is partly because the Manga of Chobits has Chii in lots of different frilly, lacy cutesy outfits that certain girls (like me) go "ooooohhh" over and want to make them. It makes them feel pretty you see, but it's also a personality thing, taking back your innocence I guess.
I wish New Zealand had more adult animation. I just love the things coming out of Japan. Cowboy Bebop is much more high brow than Chobits of course.
Chobits is a naughty indulgence, and I love it, I want to know what happens.
Svend sent me a link to Hitherby Dragons which is insanely funny, and makes my blog look all boring and straight laced....I've linked to the one I like best out of the few I've read.
Squeeee! My friend Phreq has a stonesoup blog!
In other news. I did all my handwashing this morning. Aren't I good?
I went to two christmas parties on the weekend, and had fun at both. Left both at about 10.30. Because I seem to have that little stamina now.
Still sleeping funny which doesn't really help. I blame the suddenly warm weather. I get too hot with the quilt and the sheet, then I wake up cold and want the duvet and then that's far too hot and I need to pee.
Bloody annoying.
I read a young adult book yesterday called "Faking it" by Pete Johnon which was about a boy trying to get and keep a girlfriend. It was rather lovely and he was very sweet. Now I'm reading a Mary-Kate and Ashley book, but it's not great so it'll be my last as well as my first.
Also Stupid White Men by Michael Moore came in for me today, so I'll be reading that soon.
Music in my head: 1000 oceans by Tori Amos, which is weird because I listened to From the Chiorgirl Hotel and Scarlet's Walk this morning. You'd think I'd have a song from one of those albums.
It's playing quite faintly and now that I think of it it's turned into Hotel from Choirgirl. There you go. My favourite line from that one is right at the end...
King Solomon's Mines
exit 75
I'm still alive, I'm still alive.
I don't understand it, but it's pretty.
(picture removed. I have it In Real Life if you wanna see it.)
There used to be a pic of me hamming it up for the camera as my Buffy game character Joanna here. I tried to simulate a version of the school uniform she ought to wear, but Gothed up as she'd wear it.
She's in deep trouble with the popular girls at school, who are also witches. She stole one of their boyfriends, see, and now they're going to get magick revenge. Bummer.
For the Friday theme....Things I dislike:
I think that should do me. Like Iona said, that was a bit too easy. Now, so you don't think I'm old and grumpy go look at the cutesy photo of me I posted this morning.
What does James Bond really drink? Go here to find out.
Inspired by Iona's entry the other day.
OK, so when I google myself I find myself...roleplaying game sites for Working South of the Border and Slayers East. Apart from that...
Jenni
Director of the Child Bereavement Trust
For further information
on how to obtain a copy of the video please mail
to convey a global message of goodwill through the arts
Jenni recommends the use of a car while staying in this area as the Glenbogle
For a list of nests, you can visit Jenni's page on Everond or our page
Jenni Grade 7th Plum Point Middle School Huntingtown
...
make of that what you will.
Today is a nothing much day. I woke up too early, and all I want is to go back to sleep again.
At lunchtime I made a list of the things that need doing before Christmas, in two weeks. It was longer than I had thought it would be. I hate that.
You'd thought I'd stopped looking on cosplaylab didn't you?
Well, it's true that I hadn't spent an inordinate amount of time there lately. I was just checking on the newest cosplayers and seeing other people's Illusen costumes.
Well, last night I had a nice long session on cosplaylab. They're doing a spotlight on darkfirewolfe, she's a roleplayer and she's done Rainbow Brite. I love her to bits!
The there's luciferette who mostly designs her own costumes and is rather gothy.
I like Jinx because she's done Ukyo from Ranma 1/2 and doesn't look lame like everyone else. I'm interested in doing Ukyo for next year sorta kinda so that's how I found her. JInx's other cotumes are OK, but it's the Ukyo I like best.
"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door."
Today in the paper: "Dinosaurs could fly you to Hollywood"
Brilliant. I wonder if the dinosaurs ask first, or if they just fly you to Hollywood without your consent? You could go to sleep and wake up in Hollywood, with no-one to blame but the dinosaurs.
This makes me so happy.
Giffy left for Thailand yesterday, with her boy in tow. Lee and I got up stupidly early (for a Sunday) to see her off. Well, she certainly left. I got a text message from her later on saying they were in Sydney and had seen the Opera House and Harbour Bridge from the plane, which must have been spectacular.
We also got to see the Lord of the Rings stuff they have on display in the airport. Very nice it was too. Now I really want a home library styled off Elrond's one in Rivendell. Lovely big shelves with curly bits and shiny books and scrolls.
Then we went to the Thorndon Fair. Lee got very sunburnt on his neck, but I was wearing a hat and have long hair anyway, so I didn't. Didn't buy anything apart from candyfloss, fudge and lunch. I think it was better last year.
I did watch some Morris Dancers do a butcher dance though, and that was cool. I like Morris Dancers. They always seem so happy. Much more than clowns do.
Then last night we saw Underworld. My biggest problem with this movie (apart from the fact that Kate Beckinsdale only has one outfit) is that they didn't establish any set of rules for the vampires. The vampires didn't seem to be very powerful, sure they could jump really high, and they didn't mind about being shot, but apart from that they just seemed like rick Goths.
The werewolves were cool, though. Some of the best transformation sequences I've seen. I like werewolves, they're not as creepy as vampires.
It wasn't that good a movie, it was too long, and the story too convoluted and they didn't explain some important things.
I didn't think it was as bad as Seraph made out though, he left a message on my phone, must have been at the same screening as we were, saying I shouldn't waste my money...
Where were the Vampire rules? They weren't following any set that I know. Wasn't Anne Rice, wasn't White Wolf, certainly wasn't Dracula.
In order to not repeat myself, since I think my favourite things are all listed in the course of my 100 things, I have chosen a smaller list of things that I hope I haven't already mentioned.
Favourite places in Wellington.
Zico's on Courtenay Place is my favourite restaurant when I want fresh fish, pasta or hot chocolate. It's Italian food, absolutely delicious and well priced. Their desserts are all good, I think, but I always get the Creme caramel because I can't resist it. They always serve delish fish.
Civic Square, it has an art gallery, a library, a giant silver ball made of ferns, a grand staircase and a pig. Sculptures seem to live there, albeit temporarily and the Film Festival shows lunchtime movies off it. It has a whale bridge, what's not to like?
Botanic Gardens Partly because they are so beautiful now, and partly because I have so many memories there. From roleplaying a mage in the dark at night and fighting off demons to the time my Care Bear fell in the duck pond. So many pretty places to take photos as well. Also, Frog Fountain!
The Embassy and the Paramount. They have history, they are elegant. They show good movies. Also, they serve Ruch Monroes ice-cream. My best film festival experience was at the Embassy, front centre seat with a banana icecream chocolate dipped. The movie was A Ma Soeur, which I loved, but was disturbed by.
Oriental Bay this is to do with ice cream as well.
Treehouse cafe, I wish it was still there. I loved it there. I'd have a chocolate smoothie, or sometimes an energy drink. One time, for a friend's birthday we went there and then to the place I was housesitting for a sleepover. I had a drink called Crank and was the only one to stay up all night. The others took it in shifts to stay awake and talk to me. I felt fine all the next day, too.
Bucket Fountain. Oh the memories. There used to be a kick-ass brown painted play area, and there was a circuit I always did. I think it was up the huge stairs, down the slide, round the whole thing once, then run around on the wavy pathway. It was so great. Then they took it down and replaced it with a plastic play-area and a huge scary fake tuatara. I kinda like the spingy spongy flooring they put in though.
Shall I stop now?
Yes.
Hmm, stomach is upset, but I'm happy and glowy because I just saw my parents and little baby niece. Little baby niece was asleep, so I only took sleeping photos of her.
I have a black and white film in my camera. I am excited about the possiblity that my photos will all come out perfect and arty like the ones in those "MILK" books (Moments of Intamacy, Love and Kindness...), but I am also terrified that it will look stupid. Or somehow not work.
Hee hee hee three kids are playing neopets on the library's paid internet. Hee hee.
I just took the last class of the year. Sigh. It's been a good year I think, no disaster classes. I think the fact that Cummings Park doesn't have any classes over the age of 10 helps a lot. It's always the year 7/8s that act up.
What a weirdly hot day.
On Saturday Giffy, Chelle, Liz and me were in the Hutt Christmas Parade as faeries. This is the dress that I made last week. It was hard, but mostly because my sewing machine stopped working. Lovely Margie helped me there.
It came out very nice, this is after the parade in the Botanic Gardens. I had little arm thingies too, but I forgot to put them back on after driving into town again.
I made the wings with Lee's help on Thursday night, and the belt and collar I made out of PVC left over from my Hikaru outfit.
Well, I did it. I took the day off work, and Giffy and I did the whole Return of the King thing. We wandered through town, collected our free tickertape. (Gold of course) saw Viggo's photos at City Gallery, photographed the cave troll. Wandered around the length of the red carpet marvelling at the lack of space even at 11 in the morning. Amazing the amount of people that stayed overnight there (over 100 I heard someone say.)
We eventually got a spot just by the webcam. You see the poster stand with the metal wings on top? We were just there. (Behind it for most of the day, but managed to get in front for the parade.) Margie caught up with us and we played Beanie and talked and got pretty darn bored. It was a gorgeous sunny day, but with a breeze so you didn't overheat.
There were a group of girls next to us with a twister sheet, playing a variation where they all had to do the same thing at the same time. Everyone going for green dots with left hands, lined up on the board. A woman who had a gaggle of Japanese students brought them over to watch and explained about twister. Two of the Japanese students joined in the game.
People we knew wandered past, said hello, wandered off again to other spots. Got some free stuff, autograph sheets from 91Zm that said "Gollum 4 Smeagol" which makes no sense to me, and "Jasckson for PM" which I quite like and "Bring Back Bilbo" which was much funnier when some guys over the road put up a huge "Bring Back Buck" sign. Let it go already!
We all went and stood by the red carpet about an hour before anyone walked down it, saw the plane flyover which was pretty cool, and wacthed the action on the big screen. When the stars actually started walking past we all freaked out. I can categorically say that I didn't think I'd scream as much as I did. But then, who am I kidding really? I am a mega movie fangirl, and these were real movie stars, from movies I really like!
So, I joined in the yelling of people's names to get them to notice me, to come over and hopefully stand where I could get a photo of them. I definately yelled "Viggo! Viggo! Viggo!" and also "Yay Orlando! *girly screaming*"
It was great fun, and in all likelihood, it'll never happen in Wellington again, so I'm glad I went, and I'm sad I didn't get close enough to touch any of them or get my tshirt signed. I took a tshirt with me to get signed, I didn't wear it.
I took a film of photos yesterday. I hope I've got some good shots!
This morning I dreamed that I was a fat blonde girl on summer camp. The camp was at a hot pools resort so most of the action took place in pools, which was rather nice.
My best friend and I both had boyfriends, but mine was only dating me out of pity and was kind of superior and mean to me. Then I met this guy that really liked me, he was lovely. I tried to break up with the old boyfriend, but it didn't go too well.
I was doing a summer camp activity that was based on spraypainting and hand painting large polystyrene objects. I wished things were easier, since the old boyfriend didn't seem to want to break up. My new boyfriend was wonderful though, and I was very happy with him. The polystyrene object I spent the most time on was a large female crotch with panties, suspenders and stockings on it. I was painting it pig pink.
Then, I was me and I was recounting the dream sort of like "Masterpiece Theatre" (Or Andrew in that episode of Buffy doing Masterpiece theatre...) I was in that dairy along Oriental Parade that sells ice cream cones.
Morgue was there, and acting up (for the cameras?). I mentioned ice cream and he said which ice cream he liked best. (Can't remember but it may have been hokey pokey.) I said I liked Mint Chocolate chip and Morgue said. "Yes! My Uncle is Mint Chocolate Chip! Mint Chocolate chip is my Uncle and we used to eat it all the time. Mint Chocolate chip is the best flavour". Except he said it all with a weird faux-Texan accent.
Then Morgue and I had a staged-for-the-cameras philosophical discussion about whether it was OK to devour your Uncle or not. Morgue was still doing the accent and romping around the dairy, while I sat there in my tatty armchair.
End of Dream
David Lynch? Not quite, but pretty weird all the same. I can pick where some of the elements of the dream come from:
I visited hotpools in Auckland and Lee and I were telling my brother about them last weekend.
Drove down Oriental Bay yesterday looking for a park. (Didn't find one on the sunny Sunday)
Mint Choc chip is the best flavour, I had neopolitan last night and Lee said "The problem with Neopolitan is that some of it's Vanilla." So true. So true.
Lee and I are reading aloud Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman and last night Lee Scoresby, the Texan aeronaut was introduced and Lee (my Lee) did his accent.
I've been reading a biography of Joss Whedon so that's where my pseudo-Buffy reference somes in.
I haven't seen Morgue lately but it was clear he was right for the part, and I did get an email from him this week.
My workmate spraypainted some polystyrene swords this week to decorate the library for Lord of the Rings. They look great except the gold ate into the hilts a bit...
I'm not sure about the whole boyfriend subplot though...