Frodo is dead
Sad but true. I think his death was mainly caused by bullying from Sam and the rest, but it’s likely (since he died at night) that he was cold, too – so although the others all seem fine, I’ll get a heater soon (not today or tomorrow, because we’re getting our car serviced tomorrow and it’s likely to reveal that urgent and expensive work is needed).
Today is my third day of balanced eating, and I hate it. Life is simply frightening, without chocolate to lean on.
Today I had an X-ray and ultrasound of my belly to see if they can show up any reason for me to have been sick so long (about three months now). I don’t remember the last time I had an X-ray, and I’ve never had an ultrasound. The X-ray was pretty dull – just another way of getting a photo taken – but the ultrasound was pretty cool. I could see my insides on the screen. I have lots of floaty bits in various shapes. Hopefully the next time I have an ultrasound one of the floaty bits will be a baby shape.
The results will be sent to my doctor this afternoon. If it’s anything interesting, I’ll blog again. I suspect they’ll show nothing, and I’ll have to have more invasive tests. That’s the worst case scenario. (Other than, I suppose, “You shall die within a week, and so will CJ, and everyone else you’ve been in contact with.” That’d be worse – but I suspect I’d feel sicker if that were the case.)
#126: See a live choir
There’s something about singing. It lifts hearts, it alters moods, and it connects worshippers to the god of their choosing.
My father has recently joined the Canberra Choral Society, a large and professional group that has been running for over half a century.
They performed live and free on Easter Sunday, featuring Karen Fitz-Gibbon (a spectacular new soprano, who isn’t quite finished her degree) and Peter Young (organist), conducted by Dr Peter Pocock and Tobias Cole. The performance was funded and produced by ABC Classic FM, who will be producing a variety of performances at 2:50pm Sundays in the School of Music building at the Australian National University. The down side of such a big event is that I can’t publish the photos or videos I took. (Some of the many people involved are fine with it, and others aren’t.)
Peter Young played a portable organ (about as portable as a grand piano), sliding on and off the seat like a twelve-year old to avoid hitting the dozens of foot pedals. (The seat also had a large crank on the side to ensure that whoever played it didn’t sit with their feet touching the ground.) It was marvellously entertaining to watch – rather like seeing someone play three pianos while also playing “Dance Dance Revolution”. The more gothic the tune, the more his feet skittered around the pedals.
Karen Fitz-Gibbon sang as if her voice came not from her small form, but from the whole auditorium at once. It was heavenly. (Then she blushed and giggled like a fifteen-year old at all the applause.)
The conductors must have done warm-up exercises before coming on, or they’d have done themselves an injury – they were that committed to their work. Dr Peter Pocock was red-faced and trembling with passion, channeling the music of the whole choir. Tobias Cole conducted with his whole body – face, arms, and knees.
Another enjoyable element of Tobias Cole’s performance was that he bears a passing resemblance to the actor Aidan Turner, who I know best as the blood-addicted vampire from “Being Human” (MA rated at least). I think my notion that the conductor was actually a terrifying serial killer added to the performance.
The choir was exactly what I expected: unearthly, vibrant, and generally awesome. It’s a good thing they sing mainly in Italian, though, since the translations tend to be less than noble. Here’s a sample:
This little bird who
sings so sweet
and lasciviously flies now from the fir to the beech
Play along at home: Search online for free performances in your area. If you’re in Canberra, come and see “Guitar Trek” this Sunday at the School of Music at 2:50pm. CJ and I will be there.
Tomorrow’s awesomeness: I take a bath.
#36: Sing
The best part of being able to drive is that when you drive, no-one can hear you sing. I took advantage of that fact on my half-hour drive home from work today. Singing does some kind of chemical thing, and almost always makes me feel better – and it’s a much easier high than a running high, which I appreciate. The engine drowns out most of the sound, which is another plus.
Play along at home: If you drive, sing in the car. At the top of your lungs. If you don’t drive, wait until your housemates leave the house, and let loose!
Tomorrow (if all goes well): See a live choir (with video)
Day Two
I have four hours’ work to do today (my usual maximum is three plus writing, or I risk uncontrollable rage, swearing at children, car accidents and the death of innocents), and it’s raining. Perfect. On the up side, none of the pets have died.
Yesterday I ate:
Breakfast: Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes with milk and a square of plain chocolate.
Morning tea: One piece of lemon slice.
Lunch: Helga’s pumpkin five seeds bread with plum jam, cold ham and havarti cheese.
Afternoon tea: A glass of diet coke and two unadorned sour cream and chives corn thins.
Dinner: Lasagna and freshly-made salad.
And I rode the exercise bike for half an hour (in three segments in the morning).
Today I’ll eat:
Breakfast: Vogel’s nut clusters with milk.
Glass of diet coke.
Morning tea: Small quantity of peanuts.
Lunch: Helga’s pumpkin five seeds bread with avocado, plum jam, cold ham and havarti cheese.
Afternoon tea: One piece of lemon slice, and one square of cadbury chocolate.
Dinner: Tuna Mornay.
After dinner: Probably a glass of milk with Frangelico.
And I’ll do fifteen to thirty minutes on the bike, starting now.
Must. . . kill. . .
Hate everyone. Life not worth living. Random crying already started. Dreading tomorrow. Want violence.
No headache, though – I bought some diet coke to ease the lack of caffeine.
Still want to kill folks. Especially if they come within three metres.
Nothing works as a substitute for chocolate. Nothing.
#125: Read an awesome book
I admit I’m cheating – I finished this trilogy on Saturday. Some days are just more awesome than others.
Pamela Freeman’s fantasy adventure trilogy (for adult readers, rated M)
“Blood Ties”
“Deep Water”
“Full Circle”
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I don’t recommend reading just one book of these – you technically can, but the story arc won’t work as well. I do recommend reading all of them, and in order.
I first encountered Pamela Freeman at the Sydney Freecon, where both of us were guest authors (her because she writes excellent books, me because I know the organiser and he let me be a pretend novelleer, using my twitter tales as an excuse). Freeman started her reading by saying, “I’m actually a short story writer” and then read a chapter of “Full Circle” that made a complete short story on its own – a story that will haunt me forever.
Since I very, VERY rarely buy books (I’ve bought literally four books in my life, excluding presents for other people), I “encouraged” my mum to buy me the first book in Freeman’s trilogy for my birthday in February. It was only when I began reading that I realised Freeman’s conference story wasn’t a fluke. There are many similarly gut-grabbing stories scattered throughout, meaning that you not only get one giant story (which would be enough in its own right to recommend the books), but heaps of minor characters get their own stories. These stories are in a class with Margo Lanagan’s tales (and Neil Gaiman at his best), and I actually like them better than either. The stories highlight minor characters, and as a reader it meant I cared when red shirts died – in fact, I was devastated. (I cared for the major characters too, especially Bramble.)
If I have a criticism, it’s that sometimes I couldn’t keep track of everyone – but that’s a problem I have a lot, so it’s unlikely to bother anyone else. (In real life, I struggle to remember the names – or anything else relevant – of people I see every week. This makes small talk difficult, I find.)
One of the interesting things about the fantasy world is there are a few different magic/supernatural systems happening at once. The main one is “the gods”. Religious characters pray, give sacrifices, and obey or disobey commands from the gods (although not everyone can hear what the gods are saying). The fascinating thing for me is the nature of the gods. They care about the world as a whole, but are callous when it comes to individual lives. At the same time, they understand and see individuals in an incredibly special way. And they have feelings – worry, love, rejection, and grief. But being chosen by the gods is a very unfortunate fate.
I’m always fascinated by gods in fantasy fiction, from Aslan to the Ancient One (in Philip Pullman’s trilogy, which is largely a reaction against CS Lewis) to my own Jesus-inspired character, Boy. Freeman’s take on the gods may or may not have been based on her own religious experience, but it gave the books yet another dimension that makes me think and wonder.
“Deep Water” is quite different to books one and three, focusing on events that happened a thousand years ago. It’s still very good and utterly relevant, but not as tense as the other two (because we know roughly how the main plot thread ends). It’s the easiest to read on its own, and I will be getting that for Christmas this year (and borrowing it from the library in the meantime, because the trilogy isn’t whole without it).
When I finished the trilogy, I immediately wanted to start again – the whole thing. I’ve been resisting the urge, since I’m behind on my own writing quota, but I just started reading the first book for the third time in two months. *shrugs guiltily*
Play along at home: Read these books, or something else awesome.
Coming soon: A report on seeing a live choir, some kind of unusual exercise, a bubble bath, and Secret #2.
(The fish appear settled and happy, although it’s hard to tell with fish.)
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may diet
Yesterday I watched the entirety of “Lord of the Rings” (mmmm) and this week is the last week of Term 1 (which means I have very little work next week and the week after). So I think it’s time to man up and stop eating masses of chocolate. Metaphorically, this is exactly the same as leaving my green homeland to do mortal battle with a giant flaming eyeball.
“There is always hope” – Arwen.
“Let it go! What are you waiting for?” – Sam (to Frodo in Mount Doom)
*chomping noise* – Gollum (to Frodo in Mount Doom)
I began doing small amounts of exercise last Friday (on my exercise bike), and although I still don’t think I’m safe for public pools (normally my main source of exercise) I mostly feel fine, and can now handle doing a proper amount of exercise.
All my blood tests came back showing nothing unusual at all, but I have a stomach X-ray and ultrasound this Thursday. I’ve been sick about three months now.
Right now I weigh 83.5 kilos – the most I’ve ever weighed. It’s roughly what I SHOULD weigh if I was nine months pregnant. I am glad to finally be at the point where I can watch the kilos go down, instead of up.
#124: Lord of the Rings marathon
7:30am: Awake and raring to go, an hour and a half before I usually get up (I moved one of my students so I wouldn’t have to interrupt the marathon). Gandalf (fighting fish) is okay, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli (zebra danios) are manic as usual, and Sam and Frodo (neon tetras) seem to be getting on fine – Frodo’s even recovered some more colour.
Er. . . for those who haven’t seen “Lord of the Rings”, there will be some spoilers. You need to go and watch it, if you like fantasy at all. Or heroes. Or men who are either: pretty, wide-eyed, valiant or hairy. Or short, with hairy feet. LOTR caters for all tastes.
House status: Pristine
Health Points: 5 (average)
10:30am: Decided to start with healthy snacks, so the natural degeneration is more rewarding. We have a LOT of food.
11:00am: And it begins. We have the core group of myself, CJ, Hannah and Bob. We’re only one hour later than planned. That’s gonna hurt at the other end. A last-minute bathroom break, and we’re off!
House status: Rearranged
Health Points: 8 (fresh fruit and vegetables)
11:40am: First floor stain. Even quicker than expected.
1:00pm: Change of disk, and addition of “morning tea” (choc chip cookies) to pre-existing snacks. Made chocolate spiders for later, and SMSed a friend to bring more chocolate.
1:30pm: Cave troll scene. Frodo nearly dies (again) and I’m reminded that I had a dream once that the cave troll found a nice lady troll and settled down to enjoy the quiet life.
2:30pm: Just finished “The Fellowship of the Ring”. Any time I’m running low on mojo, any one of the “Lord of the Rings” films will set me straight. It’s so epic, and so heroic. “The Fellowship of the Ring” for me is about masculinity – one of the least valued yet most valuable qualities in the world. I love that the hobbits don’t actually want to fight, but they take the strength they have and give it away. I love the power hidden in Gandalf. I love that Aragorn chooses to be a servant, and that Boromir pledges his life to the quest out of manly respect, and leaves aside his own opinion as much as he’s able. I love that all of them have intense and physical friendships, and that all of the warriors protect the hobbits with their lives.
House status: Tidy
Health: 7 (a bit hungry)
3:30pm: Gandalf just summoned the lord of all horses, and as it galloped across the green field Bob said, “This is what horse shampoo commercials look like.”
4:00pm: Just saw that brilliant scene when King Theoden was released from Saruman’s hold. For me, “The Two Towers” is the redemptive heart of the trilogy. I love it in its own right.
Just began our own “Lord of the Rings” drinking game with M&Ms. We eat whenever:
-Gimli is funny
-Frodo has a near-death experience
-Eowyn attempts to flirt with Aragorn
-a shot emphasises the blue of an actor’s eyes
-slow motion happens
-something or someone is especially creepy
-Gandalf is enigmatic
-there are subtitles
-Legolas gazes into the distance
-there are gratuitous scenic shots of New Zealand
-Gollum says “precious” or coughs
-they pass mysterious ruins
-Sam says “Mr Frodo”
-there’s an allusion to the industrial revolution
-someone has a crowning bad-ass moment
-Pippin does something stupid
-there is a shot of the giant flaming eyeball
-hobbits eat (or smoke weed, or get sloshed)
-someone is decapitated
-Aragorn handles a knife or sword
Health: 5, and dropping fast.
4:30pm: The first half of “The Two Towers” is over already. Faramir says, “This war will make corpses of us all.”
I go and look at the fish, and find myself saying, “Gimli! Leave Frodo alone.” That’s two M&Ms.
5:30pm: Aragorn opens a door better than any door has been opened before. Because he’s Aragorn, that’s why.
6:30pm: Finished “The Two Towers” while cooking dinner. Another friend showed up.
House status: Scattered with rubbish, flour, noodles and chocolate smears.
Health points: 3 (mildly nauseous)
7:00pm: Smeagol murders a worm, then his brother. And we’ve begun “The Return of the King” at last.
7:05: Enthusiasm rapidly fading. Over three hours to go.
7:30pm: As Pippin grabs the palantir, I came and checked my comments here on the blog, and was delighted to see Pamela Freeman herself has stumbled by. That’s roughly as cool as when a whole squad of Ents unexpectedly went and beat up Sauron.
8:00pm: One word: Beacons.
Bob is passing out on the day bed. It’s a good thing too – before we even began, he’d had four hours of sleep in the last forty-eight hours.
No more M&Ms for me. Too much chocolate. . . What has the world come to?
Health points: 2 (I ate a lettuce leaf with dinner).
8:30pm: Denethor stuffs his face and Pippin weeps as Faramir rides to certain death.
Can’t wait until Denethor takes a flying leap.
9:00pm: Final disk!
9:30: FRODO! BEHIND YOU!!!
10:40pm: The ring is gone. Things are blowing up. Yay!
Health status: 1 (bananas aren’t healthy when they’re in fondue)
My hair is greasy, my teeth have fur, I stink, I’m covered in chocolate smears, my hands are sticky and my face has new pimples since this morning – oh, and I seriously need a loo break. Plus my cats need feeding, and they’re looking thoughtfully at Bob.
11:06: The End (the ACTUAL end, when the credits roll) – or we could stay for the credits, and then we’d be here another two hours.
We’re watching the Easter eggs (appropriate, since there are Easter egg wrappers around the place). My foot hurts – but my bladder is A-OK.
“The Return of the King” is about triumph. A hopeless quest turns out successful. As an unpublished author, that’s a theme that resonates.
11:24: Everyone goes home, and I go to sleep.
PS I actually drove two people home – something I don’t usually do, because I get mild hallucinations when I’m sleepy (just for a second, my brain interprets things. . . differently). Today I hallucinated two cave trolls (what is it with me and cave trolls?), two ring wraiths, and a big lean-y guy from the Bree inn.
Bad, naughty hobbit
Sam is mean.
He’s a neon tetra, the tiniest thing in the tank (except for Frodo, the other neon tetra, who has at least learnt to hide now). Today I observed Sam biting Frodo, and was shocked. Shocked. It’s bad enough that Aragorn bit Frodo, but Aragorn’s a zebra danio, and those guys are nuts. But Sam? The faithful companion? Was Gollum right all along?!?!?!?!
Sam also bit Legolas today (Legolas is about ten times his size). He certainly has guts. Or is he possessed by Saruman, driven out of his mind by a giant flaming eye?
Frodo is at least living up to his name – he’s small, wide-eyed, perpetually terrified, and wins the “most likely to die” award hands down.
For those who don’t know/can’t tell, my mind is very much on the “Lord of the Rings” marathon happening at my house tomorrow (part of the http://twittertales.wordpress.com Daily Awesomeness). Eleven hours of static fun!
#123: A whole meal of one colour
This was FUN. Many thanks to http://insert-witty-and-apt-url-here.blogspot.com who gave me the idea by her own list.
Guess what colour I chose?
The meal is pea and ham soup with green chips (slightly overcooked, I confess), with lemon lime mineral water and zucchini and fetta pancakes for dessert. The only artificial colouring is on the potatoes. And also all over my fingers. (Still, as I type.)
I was planning to cook the soup, but I panicked at the last moment and bought a can.
It was surprisingly yummy and fun (especially since my partner had forgotten all about it, but of course remembered when he saw it all), and I recommend this for anyone.
Play along at home: The pancakes are made just like normal ones (milk, flour, an egg), but with a grated zucchini and some chopped fetta added (then a short visit to a blender). Or make your own completely original meal. Don’t tell your housemates, either, if you can help it.
Tomorrow: “Lord of the Rings” marathon. I can’t wait!
Incidentally, if you’re sick of visiting several times each day (not knowing when the Daily Awesomeness will arrive) then scroll down and look for “RSS Posts” on the right hand side of this page. Click on it and follow the instructions, and I believe you’ll get an automatic email every time there’s an update.
Aragorn bit Frodo on the fin, but other than that the fish are doing fine. I’ve decided that Legolas *IS* a man after all. Probably.
Felicity Banks 