#118: Collage of Awesomeness
This is an idea from lovechelsealauren.blogspot.com (thanks Chelsea!)
I’m rubbish at collages (virtual or otherwise) but I quite enjoyed suddenly having a visual representation of some of my best awesome moments from the last little while. So here it is!
The links to the relevant blog entries are:
S#81: Ice Cream Parlour
I have a confession to make: I don’t like ice cream. For me, it’s simply not unhealthy enough. There’s not enough sugar, colouring, flavouring and chocolate to make even high-quality ice cream cut it for me.
But I have solved that pressing concern. Some of you are familiar with Jigsaw, Goodberries or Cold Rock ice cream. It’s very easy to make your own version at home.
1. Buy an ice cream base (I like Cadbury choc chip ice cream).
2. Buy fillings – I bought a few:
3. Chop/mash/bash up your fillings and mix them with the ice cream (possibly adding topping, as I did). Refreeze if required (recommended).
4. Eat.
5. Have a lie down and/or a stomach pump.
I particularly like the combination of caramel (any kind) and rocky road chocolate with ice cream. Too many fillings can overwhelm the dish – but sometimes that’s the effect you’re aiming for.
Play along at home: Eat something delicious. Write in and tell me what it was.
Coming soon: Secret # 6
Edit a friend’s novel
De-Motivational posters (I’ve been working on them today)
Make a collage
Go crazy in a lolly shop (pretty soon, because I’m about to lose some weight)
Try, try again (again)
And a surprise or two
#134: Play with a cat
‘Nuff said.
I spent about half an hour looking at this photo and giggling, and I giggle again every time I look at it. No cats (or fish, or glass items) were harmed in the making of this picture.
Play along at home: Find a pet (or, in a pinch, a small child) and amuse yourself at their (safe and harmless) expense. Remember to choose wisely, kemosabe, or you will die of blood loss at a pair of angry claws.
Coming soon:
#138: Poetry reading (thanks to reader W).
#144: Go somewhere I’ve never been (Pine Island).
#89: Edit a friend’s novel (hello to the friend – you know who you are).
#45: Take St John’s Wort (has calming properties).
#132: Try, try again.
#3: Go crazy in a lolly shop.
#118: Make a collage.
#131: Take a nap
Today my car is broken (despite having a major service under two weeks ago), and needs a new part.
Today I went to the shops (because we were utterly out of bread) for a “few things” and ended up spending $100. (I looked at the receipt to figure out what happened, and realised that most of it was accounted for by kitty litter, toilet paper, and sanitary pads. So we pretty much just need to cease bodily functions. Stupid bodily functions.) I also forgot to buy bread.
I need to edit three novels, write a twitter tale, and wade through a very unappealing book (“Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern” by Anne McCaffery, who can write well but didn’t).
So I lay down on the couch, pulled my patchwork doona over me, and fell asleep. It was divine.
Play along at home: When’s the last time you had an afternoon nap? Find a sunny spot and enjoy doing nothing (whether you sleep or not). Bonus points if you:
1) Have a patchwork quilt, or an especially soft blanket.
2) Have an assignment due tomorrow/yesterday.
3) Are within sight of a cat. Cats are the experts, after all.
Coming soon:
#124: Frolic in a fountain (thanks to http://the-creamy-middles.blogspot.com)
#56: Spread good news
#95: Secret # 4
S#63/6: Live Music at King O’Malley’s Irish Pub
#132: Try, try again (after an epic fail)
S#63/7: Cellist at ABC’s “Sunday Live”
NB: For newbies: The letter “S” before a number indicates it came from here:
S#63/1: Guitar Trek
Steph Metal’s suggestion number 63 (from http://steffmetal.com/101-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up/) is to experience new things – something new every day for a week!
I began today, seeing “Guitar Trek” at the ANU at 2:50pm, as part of the ABC “Sunday Live” program.
As you can guess from their own photo, they were creative with their guitars – by turns rhythmic, soothing, passionate, eerie and even funny. They used a variety of guitars including a steel string and a twelve-string, and at one point they got all percussive, too.
Play along at home: Search radio stations in your area for what’s happening – it’s astonishing how much free entertainment is out there. If you’re from Canberra, come to ANU School of Music Sundays at 2:50 – next week is the Royal Military College Band, and again I’ll be there.
Coming soon (if all goes well):
Monday: Secret # 2 (substituting next Sunday’s “new thing” for that day in order to have a full seven days).
Tuesday: Self defence class at Belconnen Community Centre at 8pm.
Wednesday: Carillon performance from 12:30-1:20 (the Carillon is a giant building that is also a musical instrument. Unbelievably, I’ve never heard it played).
Thursday: “My convict ancestor” talk at the Botanic Gardens theatrette (donation entry), 12:30pm.
Friday: Display of art at the North Lyneham Gallery Cafe.
Saturday: Either “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” at ANU Film Club or a Jane Austen ball.
Sunday: Royal Military College Band live at ANU thanks to Sunday Live.
#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.)
#108: Guerilla Gardening
I woke up sore from yesterday’s sewing. Pretty sure that makes me an ATHLETE OF AWESOMENESS.
This idea came from another awesomeness enthusiast, http://www.yesandyes.org/
Here’s how to guerilla garden, Louise Style.
1. Grab an enthusiastic bunch of friends.
2. Select a public garden that needs love (the half-dead plant in the pot is my oh-so-generous donation).
3. Weed the patch, pausing only to realise that gardening tools exist for a reason. Drive home, scour the house for tools, and come back with a kitty litter scoop and a pair of scissors. Weed more.
4. Admire what you’ve done.
5. Pause and be picturesque.
6. Drive home while brushing ants, centipedes and spiders from your clothes, hair and skin.
7. Strip naked, burn your clothes, and shower until you stop twitching. Bonus points if you remember to close the bathroom window first (the one overlooking an innocent neighbour’s kitchen).
8. Feel strangely good about having made a tiny piece of the world better.
Play along at home: Is there a plant blocking your pavement or driveway? Prune it. Are there weeds in your elderly neighbour’s front yard? Sneak in and steal them away. Do you live in a completely unmaintained rental property? Pick one corner to make your own tiny garden (remembering that it’s illegal to plant new things there – which makes it way more fun). Proclaim your criminal acts right here.
Coming soon:
Secret Number One (it’s from http://steffmetal.com/101-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up/).
#121: Celebrate passover (you can find scripts and recipes online – my family is Christian and uses one that notes all the Messianic symbolism along the way). I believe Thursday is the best day, but I’ll be doing it on Wednesday.
#109: Create and eat a whole meal of one colour.
S#78: Adopt a pet.
#122: Spend a whole day in a mega-size bookshop, including having coffee there (my partner, CJ, is RATHER excited about this one).
S#13: Take a bubble bath.
#110: Secret Number Two. . . you’re gonna love it.
#90: Write a letter to my future self
Yay! It’s time to begin the saga of daily awesomeness. The concept is simple: I do something awesome every day, and blog about it. For a year. My total list is already well over 200, and I’m sure to think of more awesome things along the way (suggestions VERY welcome).
I’ll still write twittertale-related things each Friday (including the weekly story so far – plus the complete story on whatever day that story finishes – including today if you scroll down).
Today I’m writing a letter to my future self – specifically, a letter to the me I’ll be roughly a year from now.
Here’s roughly what I’ll be doing for the first little while (S indicates it’s from Steff Metal’s blog):
#90: Write a letter to my future self (making a note to ensure I read it in one year).
S#53: Be a tourist in my own city.
S#98: Embrace a culture I know nothing about.
#96: Sew something.
#108 Guerilla Gardening (inspired by http://www.yesandyes.org/).
S#64: SECRET NUMBER ONE (it’s secret because my husband will LOVE it – he is currently forbidden to read the Steff Metal list http://steffmetal.com/101-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up/).
S#13: Bubble bath.
#109: Cook a whole meal of one colour.
I’ll keep telling you more as I go along! But yes. . . there will be sushi, suspenders, midnight snacks, horseriding, more secret items, and a hot air balloon ride.
Here’s a visual diary of many hours of colour-coding (for difficulty level and expense) and sorting into which items need to be done soon, late, in Winter, etc.
Play along at home: Pick something off the list, and do it yourself this week. Then, if you dare, share the results.
————————————————————————
25 March 2010
Dear Future Louise,
There’s just one question I have to ask right away: have you been accepted for publication yet? If you’ve gone yet another year without a major acceptance, I don’t know what to say except that truly sucks, and I’m sorry. Go eat chocolate, stat!
It was hot today, but not too hot. I’m starting to like autumn. In the past it’s always been a season of dread as Winter approaches. But now I understand why people like it. It’s honestly pleasant. And pretty.
How’s married life? You’ll have been married over two years now. I have a theory that the first two years are the years that your happy biology chemicals help you through. After that, you’re REALLY married. What do you think?
How are you mentally? Is your anxiety disorder getting better? Do you still get headaches all the time? Are you still afraid to go to work? Do you still panic on special occasions, and are you still afraid of crowds and/or shopping centres?
What advice would you give me if you could write to me? Would you tell me to avoid this new blog system of daily awesomeness, because it’s just too hard – or because it horribly backfires a month from now – or because it’s too expensive? Or would you tell me it was the best decision I ever made?
Good luck. . .
Louise
Felicity Banks 