Cloud Wars: Story so far
Wed 10 Feb
“Mum! I gotta go make rain now.”
“Why can’t you get a real job?”
“MUM!” I switched off the comm and shot my payload into a full-looking cloud.
*
Since I’d cunningly forgotten to shut my lid, the rain I made fell right in. When the sparks started I cursed myself and pressed ‘eject’.
*
I floated down as neatly as you please, but the Eastern plane had already landed. They wrapped my own chute around my neck and I was gone.
Th 11 Feb
I woke in an Eastern jail – all concrete chic with a side order of migraine. Eastern cloud seeders made bets on me outside the barred door.
*
The good thing about being a nineteen-year old girl is that people think I’m weak. On their odds, I wouldn’t wake up. So I didn’t move. Yet.
Fri 12 Feb
When a doctor came to take my pulse I grabbed both his arms and twisted. He yelped but he quickly learned not to move – a perfect shield.
*
“We’re BFFs now,” I told him, “because today we live or die together.”
“Do I get to choose?”
“You sure do. . . is that a sandwich?”
*
I escaped into a land as dry as my mouth, and searched the dying fields for water without success. If only I hadn’t done my job so well.
Sat 13 Feb
A woman woke me, and I followed her into her home. She gave me water to drink. Then I saw the picture of her dead son – a cloud seeder.
*
She saw me looking, and nodded. “I helped you for his sake. You’re a seeder too.”
“And possibly his killer. Have you poisoned me?”
*
She laughed sadly. “I no longer care for East or West. Only sons or daughters. When you’ve eaten, take his plane. It’s no use to me.”
Sun 14 Feb
Dan stood over me – he liked to belittle his employees. “You lost your plane and consorted with the enemy.”
“I escaped. Isn’t that my duty?”
*
I competed for my job using the dead boy’s ancient plane. Two sleek Western planes dived for me, and I wrenched at the wheel with all I had.
*
The wheel came off in my hand. I swore as the green, green ground of my home rose to meet me. My second crash in five days. Real impressive.
Mon 15 Feb
Dan put me in the visitor’s cabins to shame me. Was I fired or not? If only I had a plane! The other seeders flew off, laughing and revving.
*
I awoke, miserably, at 2:00pm. Someone was outside. I crept out and saw six Easterners unbolting our cloud cannons. Filthy thieves!
*
I ran to our emergency cannon, and grabbed the air siren. Then I blasted the enemy with noise and silver nitrate. They fled; skinny shadows.
Tue 16 Feb
“You wasted our silver shooting at phantoms,” said Dan.
I controlled myself with an effort: “Perhaps I should be transferred.”
“No.”
*
When my room was broken into I heard my attacker above the pattering rain. He lunged for me. I rolled off my bed onto the hard floor.
*
I pounced on his sword and wrenched it from his hand. He kicked at my knee, but I dodged – and bashed him unconscious with his own sword.
Wed 17 Feb
I watched the river water rise, knowing my late-night attacker was in the room next to me, and probably treated just as well. Bosses suck.
*
The other seeders flew back and forth, firing again and again so the clouds wept needlessly. For the first time, I became truly annoyed.
Th 18 Feb
At dawn I dressed and went outside, shocked to find the river was now lapping at my door. Fortunately we kept our planes on higher land.
*
I took the air siren, and blew the first blast at Dan’s open window. “Flood!” I shrieked, “Save the planes!”
“Who – huh – what?”
*
Since I’d saved our entire fleet, I was moved back into the group cabins. Dan said I was on probation. Everyone else said I was a hero.
Fri 19 Feb
Probation Schmobation, I decided, and marched into Dan’s office.
“Hello Ann,” said Mum, sipping her latte, “you’ve been causing trouble.”
*
“Back in the visitors’ quarters?” I asked.
Dan said, “Yep. And on rations.”
“Thanks Mum. Thanks a lot.”
Mum shrugged innocently.
Cloud Wars: Mad Science
Here’s another fun (and somewhat less normal) type of flying machine – the ornithopter. An ornithopter is a machine that flies by flapping its wings. And yes, there is at least one in the world that actually does fly.
Here’s a place offering model workshops:
Pain and Zucchini
Woke three hours early with an intense headache. Hate the world. Panadol worked, though, so I’m down to just fatigue and hunger. Tomorrow I’ll weigh myself, so I’ll be either cheerful or homicidal. (I have been enjoying the lift in my self respect now I’m not eating 1-2 family-size packs of junk a day.)
Zucchini Soup (I’ll move on to other vegies soon):
3 zucchini
2 onions
1 carrot
2 potatoes
15g margarine
3 c water
1 chicken stock cube, dissolved in some of the water.
Melt the margarine, and put all the vegies in a pot with it (chopped, obviously) for 50 minutes, stirring every so often.
Add water and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Puree and stir in sour cream (if you want).
Serve hot or cold sprinkled with chives.
Zucchini and Fetta Pancakes
Zucchini. . . is there a weirder looking word?
These pancakes are inspired by Black Pepper Cafe’s Zucchini and Bocconcini Pancakes (served with natural yoghurt).
The standard pancake batter recipe is: one cup flour, one cup milk, one egg. (I use much more milk – my pancakes are almost see-through – and when I’m poor I use powdered milk and fry them in margarine. Usually I use butter.) I top my pancakes with sugar and lemon juice (a wonderful combination).
To this I added one grated zucchini (my aim was to have a green vegetable for breakfast) and fetta (to hide the taste of the aforementioned green vegetable).
It worked surprisingly well. I added a bit more flour to maintain a similar texture, and found I’d made a much creamier pancake. If it wasn’t for the hint of green colour in the batter, you wouldn’t know they were good for you. (The fact that I fried them in butter, then ate them with lemon juice and sugar, was also a cunning ploy.)
My pain/nausea levels are much as expected, but psychologically I’m holding up well. Today I’m going to buy nature’s lollies – brightly coloured, interestingly shaped, and full of sugar – fruit.
Cloud Wars: Picture time
Here’s what a cloud seeding plane looks like at work (from http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.china-briefing.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/cloud-seeding.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2008/02/01/37000-reservists-30-aircraft-4000-rocket-launchers-and-7000-anti-aircraft-guns.html&usg=__ix6r6iAnTkztU-pPTjfD00wvZJM=&h=282&w=645&sz=41&hl=en&start=10&itbs=1&tbnid=UzW3bu48t8-8qM:&tbnh=60&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcloud%2Bseeding%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG):
The above websites are a study in contrasts – the first is about China, the second is about how cloud seeding is against God, and the third is about cloud seeding at the Snowy in Australia.
Moderation: hah!
Warning: Contains mention of the menstruation cycle. (Terrifying, I know.)
I have two basic goals for this year – to get in the healthy weight range (and stay there for twelve months), and to manage money better. The money thing is going pretty well, and the weight thing isn’t (probably partly because I’m still nauseous and crampy from getting food poisoning in Indonesia six weeks ago). One problem with losing weight is that I can’t lose weight before my period (bloating), during my period (pain increases if I’m hungry, especially when I’m hungry for chocolate – and exercise is sometimes impossible), or after my period (when the slightest stress – such as a lack of chocolate – causes a five-day headache). That leaves me about a week a month. Hmm.
So a few days ago I decided, screw it, I want results. So from yesterday I cut out all chocolate and lollies until the end of this month. My period began yesterday (it begins slowly, so the maximum pain will happen on Wednesday and Thursday).
So far I’ve had mild headaches, two bad cramps (“bad” is defined as “unable to move or speak while the cramp is happening”) and have swallowed vomit lots of times (I also swam a kilometre, and I sometimes have that reaction to chlorine). In the next day or so I expect more cramps, diarrhoea, extreme hunger, and to black out whenever I stand up. And to experience a deep hatred for all humanity, accompanied by violent urges toward myself and others. (This last bit is probably standard for dieters everywhere.)
To combat the pain, hunger and misery, I’m eating better meals and more vegetables (especially green vegetables). I’ll buy some corn thins (for something to snack on), yummy fruit, and diet coke for caffeine and illusory sugar. And I’ll spend as much time away from my partner as possible, because I’ll be very bad company (and then I’ll feel guilty, and then I’m more likely to fail).
So far, the idea of scraping into the healthy weight range by March 1 has enormous appeal. Plus I’m excited about my diet treats. So, one a half days in, all is well.
I weigh about 79 kilos (as of last Wednesday – I weighed more on Thursday and Friday, but I choose to assume that was just bloating), and need to be about 76.5 (the BMI calculators vary, so I’ll be taking the kindest one).
I’ll be whining a lot here, plus posting recipes.
Sandwich of deliciousness (inspired by the Questacon café, who serve it on Turkish bread with avocado and lettuce):
Helgas bread (today I’m having the pumpkin and five seeds variety), with real butter, slices of Brie, semi-dried tomatoes, and cold ham.
Cloud Wars: What is steampunk?
Steampunk is a storytelling genre that features a mix of craftmanship and technology based on Victorian times – but more fun.
Steampunk Earth Day is on 30 October 2010 – it’s a lot like Earth Hour, but with more options (and better outfits). It’s G-rated, and fully international, since you play along (literally) at home. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150654784970718
It often features technology that doesn’t exist or isn’t used today, especially steam powered tech. That technology is often on a huge scale (eg Philip Reeve’s “Mortal Engines” series – definitely not G or PG rated, fyi). It also often features Victorianesque class structure (Richard Harland’s “Worldshaker” is an excellent – and funny – example) because it’s inspired by the industrialisation era of Britain (though steampunk is, clearly, a lot more fun that its historical equivalent). Oh, and there are lots of Mad Scientists (as in the “Girl Genius” online comic series) and GREAT outfits (as in Philip Reeve’s “Larklight” series, my favourite kids’ series ever). Side note: Philip Reeve and the Foglios (makers of “Girl Genius”) both say they’re not steampunk – they’re “Victorian inspired” or “gaslamp fantasy”.
Steampunk movies use a palette of black, grey and coppery tones (as in “Sherlock Holmes”).
The current twittertale, “Cloud Wars”, is steampunk only in the sense that an old technology (one-person planes) are used, and that the science (cloud seeding) is vital to the plot. I promise to get better at steampunk with time (although twitter doesn’t lend itself to rich world-building).
Here’s some pretty pictures (and their websites, which I haven’t read so are not rated here):
www.wordsoup.com/blog/2007/04/
hydralisk.wordpress.com/…/steampunk/
http://www.myfreewallpapers.net/fantasy/pages/steampunk-landscape.shtml
Cloud Wars: Storm Troopers
Today’s post is a little early, because I’m using a friend’s internet. On the theme of mad science, here is a quirky site:
http://wildammo.com/2009/08/09/what-stormtroopers-do-on-their-day-off/
Cloud Wars: Story so far
I normally do this on Fridays (and at the end of each tale), but here it is anyways:
Wed 10 Feb
“Mum! I gotta go make rain now.”
“Why can’t you get a real job?”
“MUM!” I switched off the comm and shot my payload into a full-looking cloud.
*
Since I’d cunningly forgotten to shut my lid, the rain I made fell right in. When the sparks started I cursed myself and pressed ‘eject’.
*
I floated down as neatly as you please, but the Eastern plane had already landed. They wrapped my own chute around my neck and I was gone.
Th 11 Feb
I woke in an Eastern jail – all concrete chic with a side order of migraine. Eastern cloud seeders made bets on me outside the barred door.
*
The good thing about being a nineteen-year old girl is that people think I’m weak. On their odds, I wouldn’t wake up. So I didn’t move. Yet.
Fri 12 Feb
When a doctor came to take my pulse I grabbed both his arms and twisted. He yelped but he quickly learned not to move – a perfect shield.
*
“We’re BFFs now,” I told him, “because today we live or die together.”
“Do I get to choose?”
“You sure do. . . is that a sandwich?”
*
I escaped into a land as dry as my mouth, and searched the dying fields for water without success. If only I hadn’t done my job so well.
Sat 13 Feb
A woman woke me, and I followed her into her home. She gave me water to drink. Then I saw the picture of her dead son – a cloud seeder.
*
She saw me looking, and nodded. “I helped you for his sake. You’re a seeder too.”
“And possibly his killer. Have you poisoned me?”
*
She laughed sadly. “I no longer care for East or West. Only sons or daughters. When you’ve eaten, take his plane. It’s no use to me.”
Felicity Banks 
