Saturday, January 17, 2009

New Additions

Some new additions today:

A rainbow lorrikeet to be friends with our other rainbow lorrikeet who became a widow when the smiley monster decided to put one of our cats in the aviary. Not sure what sex the new one is but hopefully will be a male so we will again have a breeding pair.

A white and grey budgie to be friends with our yellow and green budgie. Thinking of calling this one Zephyr. Their cage is in the queensland room next to the dining room window and they have been getting on very well.

A goldfish called Gingy for the impossible princess to be friends with her other fish Phil.

Five long fin widow tetras and three kuhli loaches to be friends with my other fish.

All in all a very successful expansion.

Sniff

Contented day today. Lunch with the outlaws and providing assistance for their upcoming trip to Tassie. Would LOVE to go with them!

Have just realised there is much to do in the next few days but still finding myself fucking around on the net as usual.

Have been playing the guitar again a bit each day after a bit of a break. I still suck but I guess it's only been a few months. Even had a bit of a blast on the keyboard today. Fun.

Strange dreams from last night but they faded quickly. I'm sure they all made sense at the time.

The Starchild, Kman and I are a bit sniffy at the moment but hopefully we can kick it quickly without passing it on to the impossible princess or the smiley monster and without it setting in too deeply.

Friday, January 16, 2009

The Virtues of Desk Calendars

Took a second step just now. Tentative steps. I think it's right.

My To Do list has moved to my newly acquired petty cash item, specifically my Desk Calendar. Seems to work but I will have to change my bullets from pentagrams to boxes so I can check them off when they're done, me thinks.

Kaz Cooke's Beauty tip (no number): Using a brand of make-up advertised by a supermodel could cause confusion by making you look exactly like the supermodel.

Ahhh, happens to me all the time!

Prophets and Liars

Perplexed.

In fact, perpetually perplexed.

I should write songs or poetry or some such nonsense.

Yes, I should.

At a time when I am embracing the here and now, why, just why, am I still hesitant.

Took a step today. Just a little one but a step never the less. Should never the less be hyphenated?

Typing fast is fun.

The step was fairly random and still quite anonymous.

I honour truth and I dishonour myself by trying to live duel lives.

But for the moment, I think I am getting something and contributing something to both parts and one is so opposed to the other that never the twain shall meet.

I once said that if you forced me to chose between one or the other then I would chose the other because you are the one making me chose.

Every second of my past experiences are a resource for my present opportunities and the keys to my future successes.

Yes.

So in my heart I chose the one that has no interest in making me chose but in practice I tread carefully around the other, perhaps just wanting my cake and eating it, too.

Phhuh, whatever.

Seven Pounds - Movie Review


Well, watching this movie led to the tea lady and I reflecting on all of the movies we have seen together and wondering if any of them have been any good at all. The post will be a bit of a spoiler so if you're intending on watching this movie consider yourself warned.

Seven Pounds is one of those movies where someone very clever has worked on the screenplay so that you are so busy trying to work out WTF is going on that you don't immediately notice that the plot is actually very thin and the central point of the movie is really quite lame.

Will Smith was quite good as Ben Thomas (who we later find out is actually Tim Thomas) but the biggest impression I have of him from this movie is how long and scrawny his neck looks when he's in a suit. In the first scene, he calls 911 to report a suicide - when asked who the victim is, he replies that it's him. WTF the audience utters for the first of many times.

Scene two and Mr Thomas is being intensely cruel to a blind telephone salesman for a meat company. The scene ends with Mr Thomas exceptionally frustrated with a hint of self-loathing culminating in some smashed furniture and a manic repetition of seven names that, up to that point have no apparent meaning. WTF we say again.

And so the movie goes on with Mr Thomas as an IRS agent, which he is clearly not thanks to overuse of the all too obvious statement to the people who interacts with him to call him if someone from the IRS contacts them.

There are also flashbacks to intensify the confusion of the audience, particularly as the flashbacks don't really provide any insight other than that Mr Thomas had a wife whom he loved and who is apparently no longer in his life.

The common thread in the people that Mr Thomas interacts with is that they are all sick. Now I am the worst plot-picker in the world so if I can pick the plot of a movie then that's saying something and it was around this point that I worked out what was going on. Mr Thomas is going to commit suicide and donate as much of his body as he can to saving others, as long as they are worthy people, which is what he is trying to find out. I was ready to go home at this point but then something exceptionally exciting happened....

As many of you many know, the weather here was in the 40's but a storm set in and there was a power interruption at the movie theatre (yes, the exciting thing was in real life, not in the actual movie). The power interruption apparently caused a big problem in the projection box and the film stopped on one frame and then the light began to warp the film so a big psychedelic blob appeared in the middle of the screen and "ate" the picture from the inside out. The was complete with tendrils of smoke as the film melted away until the screen was just a blank white mass. It took a few minutes for someone in authority (read: an acne-adorned teen armed with a walkie-talkie) came in and the lights were flicked on. The problem was never fully explained but it apparently affected all of the theatres but they were able to fix it and the movie continued. More's the shame.

So, there was a bit of a love story with Mr Thomas and the girl he was going to donate his heart to (who'd have thought it was safe to have hot and raunchy sex with a girl categorised as a status 1 bad heart?) and some doubt as to whether he was going to go through with his plan which we kinda figured he would cause of the 911 call at the start of the movie. And then we saw the flashback to where he crashed his car because he was reading work messages on his mobile thereby killing his wife and the passengers of another car - totalling seven lives (although presumably not classified as culpable driving). And then he killed himself and then his heart was donated to the girl with the heart problem and his eyes were donated to the blind guy he abused over the phone. And then there were some random short scenes about how he actually saved seven people's lives - partial lung donation to his brother, kidney donation, bone marrow transplant (we saw this bit in the movie, done without anaesthetic presumably because he felt he had to suffer for his sins and links to the movie title in the adage of paying seven pounds of flesh for your sins), heart, eyes and whatever else it was that made up the seven redemptive acts.

And that was it. Not a great movie but ok enough.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Fabulous Company

Writing a Business Plan. Keep feeling like I need to have someone else look over it - other than The Starchild as he is simply not document minded - but then remind myself that I'm not working for da man any more so as long as I'm happy with it then it's all good. We don't need finance so I don't need to go heavy on the financial content (whoo hoo on both counts) and I'm really comfortable with it being a working document for ongoing planning.

The car said it was 32 degrees this morning when I dropped the smiley monster off at around 9.15am. How uncivilised. I'm also now wondering why I've spent the last few hours upstairs. I try to avoid putting the air conditioner on - not having a job and therefore trying to watch every penny is a good motivator - but the impossible princess has just come in with her forehead all sweaty and her best pleading eyes and told me how hot she is so it's gotta go on, me thinks.

Going to see Seven Pounds tonight - looking forward to sitting in the air conditioning, oh and to seeing the movie and the fabulous company of the tea lady, of course.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Duh!

I wrote tomorrow's day and date on my To Do list. Duh!

Click


After rambling last night about going to the movies with the tea lady, she has msg'd me this morning saying we should go to the movies. Gotta love friends like that.

School Holiday Stuff

OK, being honest here. I was really not looking forward to having my visitors over this morning and was glad that I had kinda double booked so I could limit the visit. Horrible, aren't I? I didn't even want to share a few hours of my time and my home to create a glimpse of a reality that is this ladies reality 24/7. Four kids, all with varying degrees of Autism, Asperges and recently diagnosed ADHD and potentially epilepsy and pregnant with a fifth with four different fathers. A born-again Christian to be sure!

But having said that, I do really love her company and did enjoy her visit. She is very conscious of trying to make sure all of her offspring are on their best behaviour and help tidy the toys etc before they leave. We've had some very wonderful talks and she has been a good friend to me. She has had a really hard life and is so inspirational and real. I am so glad that we got to catch up today.

Day Two as Madam Director and I didn't actually do anything about the business today. Ended up seeing Madagascar 2 and really enjoyed it. Thinking about organising a church get together at the drive ins on the weekend. Would also like to catch up with the tea lady again and we always enjoy the movies, even if the movie itself is a shocker.

Would like to have a effective day tomorrow. Will write up my To Do list now...

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Up Too Late...

...again!

Have invited a friend over tomorrow (today) but also want to catch a movie with the widdies. Such is life as a social butterfly with no job. Oh, hang on - I do have a job now. Grrrr already *lol*

Thanks to the beautiful soulful one for the very cool Christmas presents. I think that was the most special part of my whole day. It was wonderful to catch up again after a few weeks - seemed like much longer. Missed you heaps but grateful, as always, for our wonderful talks.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Beep, Beep, Beep


A car decided to beep its horn repeatedly earlier today for some reason. It didn't sound like it was moving and could have even been a kids who'd climbed into the drivers seat and was entertaining itself while the parents were elsewhere. It beeped about twenty times, then was silent for a few minutes then beeped about twenty more times and the cycle repeated several times. There was then a break of about ten minutes and then it happened again: twenty or so beeps, then a few minutes then some more beeps etc. On the third round there was a second car horn that added a few random beeps here and there and on the forth round two other cars seemed to join in.

I'm sure this is all says something very pointed about human nature and society as a whole.

A New Star is Born

The Starchild and I are now the proud parents of our very own company. I guess this means that I am technically employed again - well, sort of, and maybe not actually technically, and there's not going to be any pay yet, but hey, it's the most promising lead for employment that I've had for months.

Next step: open a bank account. Now The Starchild and I just need to be in the same place at the same time!

There's something I keep meaning to do but every time I think about going to do it I forget what it is. I find that a bit troubling on several levels.

Name Change

WOW, this is kinda early for me considering.

Had to send an email to Mrs P as The Starchild had an idea (or actually the Virgo Nurse had an idea and mentioned it to The Starchild) about a slight change to the company name. Not sure if it's too late or not...

Have also realised that have organised for friends to come over tomorrow but had also been planning in the back of my mind to take the widdies to the movies. Would be a good excuse to limit the visit time ;-p

Fare Thee Well, Christmas Chocolate

Y'know, I think that part of the reason that I seem to be having blah days is because I am staying up too late. This is probably a difficult thing to realise at this point in chronology as far as making tomorrow (or should I say today?) any less blah but it may give me some hope for the future.

Did I mention that The Starchild and I moved the exercise bike into the family room yesterday? Well, we did and I spent an hour on it while watching telly tonight. I also ate chocolate but it was Christmas chocolate so it really deserved to have been eaten well before now.



Watched Louis Theroux tonight in Louis and the Nazis. Strange shit but several points reminded me of the "absolute right and wrong" debate. Hmmmmm...

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Professional - That's Me!

Slept in until 9.30am, woken by a big bang but still don't know what that was. Had roadworks (yes, on a Sunday) not far away but don't think that was it. Left for Sydney about an hour later. Good trip down. Lunch before visit. Subjected to being sniffed by drug-dog. Very cute black and white collie with one brown eye and one blue eye and I totally understand and support the process but it really hurts to have the kids stand there in the line up and we all just treat it like normal. Pretty good visit though otherwise. Good trip back as well. Bit of a Blah day, not unhappy but not very motivated. Bit of an extension on yesterday I guess. Should have an ACN tomorrow though, which is exciting! Will have to start on my To Do list from a professional perspective!

Willpower and Knowing There's Always a Solution

Successfully resisted muffins twice today and have moved the exercise bike into the family room. Would have preferred to buy an LCD TV for the bedroom and moved the TV from the bedroom to the Queensland room where all of the exercise equipment is but as that doesn't seem like it will be happening in the short term at least, have opted to move the bike at this time. There's always a solution.