The good, the bad and the fatty
My sister and her husband are coming to Canberra in four days. That’s also the length of time I’ll continue eating super-healthily. (I look forward SO much to not exercising fifteen minutes before breakfast every day, although some of the other healthy habits are keepers.)
CJ was given a promotion this week – the job he’s wanted for about a year. And yes, it means more money. (I’ve just done my tax return – and I earned $17, 323 this financial year, which is pretty good for me. Don’t do mental illness, kids.)
I thought I’d hear about the Publisher A edit-me competition this week, but it turns out (as far as I can tell from reading their email five times) that although they’ve decided on the long list, they’re not telling anyone what it is. So I won’t know if I’m on the long list until late August. But oh well, at least they’ll tell everyone in the end.
I have liquorice all sorts in my lolly drawer (which I bought on the basis that (a) aniseed is good for the digestion – not sure if that has any link to liquorice at all, and (b) they contain preservative 202 and no others, which means I can test if I’m intolerant of that particular preservative). But this morning, somehow, I weighed 76.8, which means if I can lose .3 of a kilo today I’ve actually made my weight goal for this current session – and genuinely reached the healthy weight range. If I’m super super good today, then maybe tomorrow will be the day. Maybe.
Must. . . not. . . eat. . . lollies.
#120: Wedding photos
Ah, weddings. Romantic, right?
Well. . . yes. But they’re also insanely stressful, and end more friendships than divorce (you think I’m joking? I’m not).
Here’s a few photos of the “happiest day of my life” (there are similar ones of the four parents, CJ, and others):
On the up side, sometimes you get amusing photos of your friends that you can pull out unexpectedly to torment them. So that’s a plus.
But most of all, weddings are about family (and stress. Mostly stress – regardless of one’s previous mental state). My sister and I knew we’d probably get married to our respective boys about twelve months before either of us were engaged. We tried for twelve months to space things out, but ultimately we married 33 days apart – which at least showed how genuinely good my Mum and sister are. The only things I truly wanted were CJ (who I got to keep, yay!), some kind of ritual, and to marry in January (long story – we married on January 25).
Since my wedding was before my sister’s, the throwing of the bouquet was (for once) a happy occasion.
My advice to anyone planning to marry: No it isn’t the most important day of your life, nor is it all about you. Never forget that the wedding industry/culture is designed to prey on your emotions (and your mum’s) and trick you into spending more money (chair-wrapping is now, apparently, “traditional”. Think about that. And the diamond engagement ring is a convention invented by diamond sellers. Ugh! I’m proud to say mine is jade AND inherited). Here are your priorities:
1. Don’t screw up your marriage – be good to your fiance as they inevitably panic (regardless of gender). And try not to get into debt, because marriage is hard enough. Your fiance, not your dress/ring/flowers/food/photos, is what you actually want to end up with at the end of the day. The good news is that marriage is worth it!
2. Don’t screw up your relationships with your family or friends – even if they’re being crazy and you want to kill them with a cake fork. It’s a wedding thing, unfortunately, and applies regardless of how selfless and rational they were pre-engagement. Allow at least one illogical demand per person, and find out what the demands are asap (although they’re probably unconsciously held beliefs – they’re the least flexible – so you’ll need to say things like, “Say, outside weddings sure are nice.” before your mum will mention that she believes outside weddings are an offence to God. Because she will think that you already KNOW outside weddings are JUST WRONG). Have at least two back-up dates (mine was my third, and three wasn’t enough), and check them all with the list of people who you feel need to be there.
My advice to friends and family: Duck and cover – or become the bride’s unquestioning minion (I will never stop being grateful to all of mine). And be nice, especially when the bride really needs to be slapped in the face. She’s juggling social expectations, plus scores of family members (at least half of whom she barely knows, and at least 10% of whom will disapprove of everything she does – again, because it’s JUST WRONG). If she says she can’t do what you think should be perfectly simple – believe that it is the literal truth, because sometimes it is. And always remember, she will be herself again LATER.
Personally I’m still going over and over my wedding in my head, trying to find a way of doing it that would have pleased more people – and that’s just within the bridal party (none of whom are unreasonable people). And I still can’t find a way that wouldn’t have had a detrimental effect on my marriage. I did my best; I failed. It happens. Luckily I had a counsellor who realised from a few seconds on the phone with me that I was about to injure myself (for the record, I planned to burn the word “No” onto my skin). I’ve been lost in the third world several times (usually without any knowledge of the local language), I’ve been hungry and alone and trapped with random guys asking me to kiss them (usually when no-one knew what city I was in, and I had no friends within 1000 kilometres), and once or twice I’ve thought I was going to die or be killed – but nothing compares to the stress of weddings. Nothing.
So it took me a while to sort out the wedding photos – to go back into those memories and decide what pictorial story I wanted to record. But it’s done now. And it’s ever so pretty, and it helped me remember the good bits (like, for example, CJ). Best of all, today the many tasks of the wedding are truly finished. (Plus I found $20 in one of the cards. Score!)
Play along at home: Erm. . . do you have travel/wedding/high school/whatever photos in a drawer/computer that you’ve been meaning to deal with? Why not deal with them today?
And here’s your lovely library for this entry. This is taken by Candida Hofer, and published in the Thames&Hudson book on beautiful libraries.
“When Good Libraries Go Bad” story so far
1
A tentacle circled my neck, squeezing the life out of me with agonizing skill. “Steve!” came Terry’s voice. “Steve! Wake up!”
*
I opened my eyes to Terry, leaning over me. He looked scruffy without his mind-mage robes on. “Your cthulhu nightmares suck.”
“Sorry.”
*
We got up for breakfast. As the mind-mage, Terry got cereal. Phil the muscle-mage got steak. As air-mage, I got zip. And MY robe is puce.
2
“Oi, Steve, stop being nervous,” said Terry.
I said, “Shut up or I’ll CO2 you.”
Phil cracked a smile, exercising at least twenty muscles.
*
We hiked across the desert toward the Forbidden Library. Terry cleared his throat when we were still twenty miles away: “I sense something.”
*
Phil tensed, ready to attack. Terry shook his head: “It’s dead – but still radiating.”
“So. . . ?” I prompted.
Terry said: “It’s a cthulhu.”
3
Five miles away, and I tasted dead cthulhu on the air. Phil was sure he could make the corpse slither away, though, so that was reassuring.
*
At last we reached the three storey iron- and bone-bound doors of the outer library. I sensed breathable air inside. “After you, Phil.”
*
Phil focused, and the great doors cracked open, spraying chunks of blood-stained iron bigger than my house. “And now we wait,” said Terry.
4
We barely slept. I had nightmares, but Terry had his own to distract him. At dawn, we heard the rustling of pages. We waited back to back.
*
A pack of graphic novels emerged and sniffed at my feet. They smelled what I wanted them to smell – a friend. And so they imprinted on me.
*
When I judged my literature army to be big enough, we walked inside. A single giant tentacle lay across the threshold. I removed the stench.
5
More books joined me every hour – everything from gardening to war. I was dizzy with the smell of leather bindings and dust.
*
Phil wanted to move the tentacle, but Terry insisted we climb it. Some mountaineering books made steps for us, and it only took a few hours.
*
“There’s a problem,” Terry whispered.
I said, “What?”
“The cthulhu – it’s either a mother or a daughter. And I can’t tell which is alive.”
6
We ducked into a cobweb-strewn chamber and were attacked by a squad of how-to books. They pounded my head and I wasn’t able to focus.
*
Phil pushed me aside and tore apart the books with his mind. Terry was taken over by empathic rage and he punched me in the gut. I folded.
*
Ten books rushed Phil at once and I reached out with my mind and made him smell of oil just in time. They calmed down, and Terry did too.
7
“It’s Nix,” Terry told us at last.
I said, “The monster mage! No wonder WE were sent. We need to find his spell book – and destroy it.”
*
Phil coughed: “How will we do it?”
“1. Look, and 2. Live,” said Terry.
I said, “You know what a cthulhu’s weakness is? They’re too big.”
*
“How is size a disadvantage?” Phil asked.
I said, “Because hopefully they won’t notice us.”
“Right,” he whispered.
8
Terry shook me awake. “They took Phil!” I stood at once, but all my books were asleep and there were no others to be seen. Terry whimpered.
*
“Is that your fear or his?” I said.
Terry said, “His. Which means he’s still alive.”
“Good.” I sent a shelf of James Bonds to find Phil.
*
I asked, “Do you think it was Nix or the live cthulhu that took Phil?”
“Nix. I can feel him laughing. And he knows I can hear him.”
9
The Bond books returned with an illustrated series on the Moulin Rouge. I altered the air so they fled in disgrace.
*
I said, “We need a library book.”
“Err. . .” said Terry.
I said, “A book ABOUT libraries. One about this library could tell us everything.”
*
“Good! Can you make the other books find it?”
“The thing is,” I said, “books find by smell. And that book smells exactly like this library.”
10
I said, “Okay. Library smell minus stone smell should work.” As I altered the air, my horde of books shivered. Then they moved as one.
*
Terry and I followed my books in a spiral toward the library’s heart. I was beginning to relax when Terry screamed. He was on fire!
*
I threw firefighting books at the sudden inferno and they smothered the flames. Terry brushed ash from his clothes: “BBQ manuals. Huh.”
11
Keeping away from any unfamiliar books, we crept onward, following the library book’s trail. The air was heavy with rotting cthulhu.
*
Terry wept in his sleep, and I woke him, hoping to make it stop.
“It’s Phil,” he said, “and believe me, I’d rather channel Phil than C.S.”
*
“Who’s C.S.?” I asked.
Terry said, “The other cthulhu. The live one. It’s the baby, and it’s so hungry. It longs for fresh meat.”
12
Terry stopped dead. I did too. My books clamoured at the door before us. The one stained with human blood and torn pages. “Huh,” said Terry.
*
“I guess we’d better open it,” said Terry.
I said, “Yep.”
“Phil could have done it.”
“Yep.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Good question.”
13.
First I made the books hide. Then Terry. Then I lay down alongside the crack beneath the door, and I used my magic to smell like food.
*
A tentacle smashed through the iron door, sending bloody fragments flying. Then another tentacle, questing blindly along the floor. To me.
*
I rolled, frantically trying to smell of dust and stone. Terry reached down his hand and hauled me up, and we hid as C.S. squelched through.
14
C.S. finally floundered away and Terry and I climbed shakily through the smashed door into the library’s heart.
*
We gaped at soaring shelves and a stained glass roof. I saw the library book suspended over a pit, shimmering behind magical defenses.
15
We prepared all night, and Terry went first. He copied Nix’s mind in his, and the first barrier vanished. I smelled of Nix for the second.
*
Together we physically moved a third invisible boundary, and together stretched our hands out toward the prize. We touched it, and screamed.
*
We were hurtled through darkness, and the book was ripped from our burning hands. The burning filled my arms and chest, and I passed out.
16
I woke up in a cage. Terry lay beside me, still unconscious. Phil sat cross-legged. He said, “Let me guess. You’ve come to rescue me?”
*
Terry woke up. “Oh,” he said.
Phil said, “Yep. It’s a magic box. No magic in or out. And the bars are as strong as they look.”
*
“So. . .” I said, “how’ve you been?”
Three-Ingredient Thursday: Breakfast Fry-Up
Oh heck yeah.
Here in Australia we call this breakfast “a fry-up”. In Britain they have “The Full English Breakfast” but I have it on reliable authority (ie, my British-born mum-in-law) that a full English breakfast must include sausages. The alternative name for this dish is “Bacon and eggs with potato”. It really does say it all.
I like my eggs poached, so I poached the egg and fried the rest (the potato went in about twenty minutes before anything else). This is a BRILLIANT way to start the day – particularly if you’re not dieting. It’s great if you’re going lactose free and only gradually getting used to the concept of soy milk on cereal (that’s soy milk in the glass – baby steps).
Tomorrow: Wedding photos! At last! And an amusing photo of Ben 🙂 Hi Ben. It’s a photo you haven’t seen yet. Sleep well tonight!
And here’s your cthulhu for today (because there’s nothing cuter than a planet-eating monster*):
*Except possibly a chainsaw. Chainsaws are super cute.
#163: Unusual Anniversary
Happy 113th day of Daily Awesomeness! Here are links to every awesome thing I’ve done since I began. I also included a few of my favourite photos. I put a bullet next to the ones I thought were especially awesome.
Play along at home: Pick ONE awesome thing, do it, and tell us about it in the comments.
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/03/24/90-write-a-letter-to-my-future-self/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/03/26/s53-be-a-tourist-in-your-own-city/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/03/27/s98-embrace-another-culture/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/03/29/96-sew-something/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/03/29/108-guerilla-gardening/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/03/30/s64-lego-aka-secret-number-1/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/03/31/120-christian-passover-celebration/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/02/122-someone-elses-tradition-and-twitter/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/03/109-spend-a-whole-day-in-a-bookshop/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/04/109-a-whole-meal-of-one-colour/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/05/124-lord-of-the-rings-marathon/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/06/125-read-an-awesome-book/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/07/36-sing/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/08/126-see-a-live-choir/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/09/s13-take-a-bath-and-twitter/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/10/127-unusual-exercise/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/11/s631-guitar-trek/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/12/110-play-an-elaborate-prank-aka-secret-number-two/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/13/128-cheese-party/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/14/s632-the-national-carillon/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/15/129-fish-and-chips/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/16/s633-the-front-cafe-gallery-and-twitter/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/17/s634-the-imaginarium-of-doctor-parnassus/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/18/s635-duntroon-military-band/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/19/131-take-a-nap/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/21/yum-cha/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/21/56-spread-good-news/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/22/95-aka-secret-number-four/ give away money
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/23/7-look-after-your-car-and-twitter/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/25/s637-cello-and-piano-performance/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/27/144-go-somewhere-ive-never-been-pine-island/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/28/s69-de-clutter/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/29/138-poetry-reading/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/04/30/89-take-st-johns-wort-and-complete-twittertale/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/02/82-buy-boots/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/04/145-de-motivational-posters/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/05/142-reverse-burglary/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/06/132-try-try-again/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/07/123-edit-a-steampunk-novel/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/08/118-collage-of-awesomeness/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/10/148-nerf-duel/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/11/3-go-mad-in-a-lolly-shop/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/13/108-take-someone-on-a-date/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/13/51-guilt-free-candy-binge/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/14/149-alien-creatures-aka-go-fish/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/15/144-three-days-without-junk-food/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/16/s41-wear-a-mask/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/17/s74-the-old-fashioned-way/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/18/s75-build-a-fort/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/19/151-watch-iron-man-2/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/20/guest-post-by-emmy-lennevald/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/21/152-get-in-healthy-weight-range/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/22/150-wear-a-tiara/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/23/s70-light-a-fire/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/24/10-anticipation/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/25/6-steal-a-plant/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/26/dance-in-a-supermarket/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/27/s59-otherwise-known-as/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/28/153-what-my-kids-will-look-like/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/29/147-dream-diary/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/05/31/s56-feed-ducks/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/01/154-savings-and-the-unisus-kitten/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/02/s48-music/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/03/5-go-thrift-shopping/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/04/160-fill-your-house-with-balloons/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/05/161-move-furniture-at-2am/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/07/121-eat-cjs-trifle/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/08/s68-gratitude/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/09/99-rediscover-winter-clothing/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/10/three-ingedient-thursday-1/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/11/48-breakfast-in-bed/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/12/46-writing-binge/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/12/155-three-ingredient-thursday-2/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/13/156-celebrate-a-milestone-with-yum-cha/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/14/s72-play-board-games/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/15/157-diy-green-your-home/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/16/s68-silly-slippers/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/18/154-play-the-chocolate-game/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/19/158-day-of-rest/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/21/159-go-to-a-wedding/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/23/new-years-resolution-in-another-month/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/25/115-visit-godparents/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/26/s83-community-classes/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/27/s90-love-letter/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/28/94-eat-novelty-food/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/06/30/s18-hot-stuff/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/01/meringues-and-cthulhu/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/02/47-fall-asleep-spooning/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/03/s6-dress-up/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/03/s6-dress-up-part-two/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/05/s29-write-to-your-idols/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/06/s27-love-your-fear/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/07/s71-fruit-and-veg/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/08/three-ingredient-thursday-baked-apple/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/09/119-cook-with-home-grown-herbs/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/10/122-hummus-hat-trick/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/11/141-broadway-day/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/12/170-win-a-blog-award/
https://shootingthrough.net/2010/07/13/34-wear-jeans/
And here’s today’s cthulhu pic. I love this one.
#34: Wear jeans
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most of you wear pants. I don’t. No pants for me. Well, almost no pants.
I look better and feel better in skirts, and most of my jeans don’t fit since I gained 18 kilos (what a surprise for jean manufacturers everywhere). But I’ve lost enough now that I can fit into my largest pair.
I didn’t even remember I was wearing that beanie. So much for dignity. This is why I’m not a fashion blogger. Also I’m semi-scowling because CJ said I looked hot, which I found frankly suspicious (while also charming).
And that’s what I look like in jeans. It’s possible you’ll never see the shape of my legs again, so enjoy.
Vegetables I ate/will eat today: Carrot, hummus, potato, brocolli and mushrooms
Fruit I ate/will eat today: Cherries (as I write), and semidried figs
I’m on day three of no lactose, to see if I’m intolerant. Not feeling any better, which bodes well for my cheese habit. Mmm. . . cheese.
Throughout July I’ll be posting a picture of either a library or a cthulu (or perhaps, someday, both) as companion to the twittertale ”When Good Libraries Go Bad.” Thames&Hudson published a book of library photos taken by Candida Höfer. You can see the details at http://www.thamesandhudson.com/9780500543146.html. This photo is a reproduction from that collection (pass your mouse over the picture to see which library it is).
Rejection Letter
Today is Tuesday. That means there’s a 50% chance Publisher B is having an acquisitions meeting today, hopefully including two books of mine. Cue angst.
Last Friday I received a rejection for my empath NaNo novel from Publisher H. Somewhat surprisingly, they gave me comments (just for the first thousand words, since they didn’t request more). My comments are in square brackets.
I’m sorry for the delay in my reply. Thank you for your submission Blind Sided. Unfortunately it is not suitable for our publishing list.
[This is the standard reply. Anything other than that is a huge deal.]
I felt thrown into the world you have created without sufficient explanation of the concept of being an empath. For example, the way empaths ‘see’ and are yet blind; their ability to sense feelings even from inanimate objects such as carpets and balconies; and the way some people can ‘cover’ their thoughts or feelings.
[I thought I’d fixed that issue, but CLEARLY I hadn’t. This is a first-draft type problem, so it’ll probably be six months before I send this book out again. Oh well. On the up side, I just had some ideas that are a MUCH better way of fixing it than my previous attempt.]
The extract from your first chapter had a nice tension to it [thanks. I thought so], but having little understanding of how this world worked, I found it hard to connect with the characters and their situation.
The idea of empaths is an interesting one, but ultimately I feel it needs further development and explanation so as not to confuse or overwhelm the reader.
[Fair enough.]
I wish you well if you look to place your manuscript elsewhere.
[And back to the standard template to end.]
So, the next thing I’ll do is a massive edit, bordering on a rewrite. I need to send “The Princess and the Pirate” to Publisher D before they forget me, so fixing that comes first.
And that’s what a writer’s life looks like. Except when it looks like this:
#170: Win a blog award
Yesterday I wandered past http://emmylennevald.blogspot.com/ and was delighted to see my own blog on the receiving end of the Versatile Blogger Awards. This award is one bloggers give each other, which makes it a special kind of award (the kind that doesn’t pay, but that’s neither here nor there).
Rule 1: Thank the person who gave you this award.
Thank you Emmy. Next time I’m hoovering in a bear costume, I’ll think of you.
Rule 2: Share 7 things about yourself.
1. My biological father is (most likely) in jail (again – he uses his computer skills to steal money, and has done so over and over again since before I existed). When I say “my Dad” you can assume I’m talking about the guy who married my mother and raised me since I was two. I don’t remember the first one, since he left when I was six months old. (Last I heard, my grandmother had spotted his name in a newspaper article saying he’d been arrested again.)
2. My phobias include noses (I don’t even like to type or say that word), weddings, sick animals, and people noticing me. This is why I wear a cloak of invisibility at all times.
3. I like the oxford comma (it’s the optional one just before the “and” in # 2).
4. I once wrote a 50,000 word book in three days. (My little fingers were really sore.)
5. I quite frequently have dreams that I’m attracted to women as well as men (*cough* hi mum. how’s things? breathing okay? good)
6. I am 175cm tall (about five foot nine). This is handy for tripping over things, looking out of place almost anywhere, and upping the national number-of-citizens-who-bashed-their-head-on-something daily average. I have converted this weakness into a strength by mocking short people at every opportunity. (And a shout-out to my oompa looma friends, Ben and Fay*! Here’s to you, kids!)
7. I am currently reading the Caiphas Cain books by Sandy Mitchell. They’re sort of really bad (set in a computer-game world, ugh), but sort of really good (excellent voice). I read several books each week, usually YA speculative fiction.
Rule 3: Pass the award along to 7 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic.
Leaving out those Emmy mentioned, here’s mine (they’re G-rated, as far as I know, unless I say differently):
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ very funny
http://steffmetal.com M-rated (some artsy nudity or adult themes, etc) – I am so not into metal, but Steff writes so well I follow her daily – she’s also the source of many of my awesome activities (as indicated by an “s” in the title).
http://donmilleris.com/ PG for overt Christianity. This is a guy with many issues, who mocks himself while mentioning legitimate ways to make the world better. I’m often startled (pleasantly) by his insights. He’s a NY Times bestselling author.
http://ripping-ozzie-reads.com/ – A blog shared by many excellent Aussie writers, with news and advice for writers. What a writing group!
http://www.galadarling.com/ M-rated (some artsy nudity or adult themes) Gala has the opposite personality to me, in every possible good way.
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/ – A Christian literary agent who is extraordinarily kind and informative to her many wannabe-writer followers.
http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/ – you may have seen her in the Sunday paper. Nothing too heavy, but comfy and pleasant.
Rule 4: Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.
I shall.
Coming soon:
Amusing wedding photos
Wear jeans
Unusual anniversary (it’ll be links to every single awesome thing so far, plus my favourite pictures)
Three-Ingredient Thursday: Breakfast (I think; suggestions welcome)
And, naturally, much more!
Here’s today’s library pic. Wear a napkin, bibliophiles. And keep an eye out for C.S. You never know when he’ll attack. . .
Once again, this is a reproduction of Candida Hofer’s Thames&Hudson book of beautiful libraries (pass your mouse over the picture to see which library it is):
Because it’s practically colonial to have just one world globe.
*Please don’t kill me with a baguette
#141: Broadway Day
Oh what a beautiful moooooorrrrrniiiiiing!
The funny thing about movies is they take a REALLY long time to watch. Especially “Oklahoma”. My friends and I watched the three-hour version (with Hugh Jackman), and it is SO not suitable for children. Wow! I think it gave me nightmares. Drugs, murder, assault, racism, and at least two things I never ever even mention on this blog (both of which happened in song, too).
We also watched “Moulin Rouge” (which I love, and always have – I was devastated the first time I saw it, because I was so hoping Satine’s predicted death was a metaphor). We planned to watch “Sweeney Todd” (speaking of the unsuitable-for-children variety of musicals) and “Singing in the Rain” (which actually *IS* the hearty, happy musical that we innocently expect from “Oklahoma”), but we ran out of time.
Also, I think something happened to our brains. (And no, there wasn’t any alcohol. At all.)
I have hazy recollections of Fay beating up Ben with a baguette, of myself lurking around the kitchen with a hammer, and of Fay doing strange and wonderful things to my hair.
If CJ is killed with a hammer, I’m going to be in soo much trouble.
I find it suspicious that no photos were taken of Fay beating up Ben. If he’s killed by a baguette, I for one will be asking questions.
Since I’m eating healthily these days, we ate hommus and turkish bread, home-made soup, cheddar-sprinkled corn kernels, and more hommus with celery, capsicum and carrot. And lasagna for dinner.
(I have successfully lured my second brilliant author to the blog this year – Sandy Fussell herself commented on S#29: Write to your idols.)
No cthulhus were harmed (this one’s from Flickr – he is facing the White House, with – as you can see – a thoughtful expression):
#122: Hummus Hat Trick
My blender hates me.
It’s sad, when I love my blender so much. But it’s true. It’s skulking in the corner of the kitchen bench right now, glaring at the wall. It won’t even look at me in case I get ideas.
He’s overworked, I know. Hummus was the third thing I made him make this week (after a huge pile of soup and a delicious citrus thing), and it’s only fair that he wants to retire. Or maybe become a toaster (I practically never use the toaster).
It was the hummus that really made him mad. I found a recipe with no tahini (sesame paste), because I didn’t have any tahini. That left olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, a whole lot of chickpeas, and an unspecified quantity of water.
I chucked them all in the blender and pushed the relevent button – callously disregarding specific instructions about liquid content.
Sound the blender makes when blending juice:
whirrrrrrrr
Sound the blender makes when blending soup:
thk thk thk whirrrrr
Sound the blender makes when blending hummus:
thkthkCRACKCRACKCRACK
*silence*
*smoke*
It’s possible I should have added more water.
The hummus was delicious, though. And it stays fresh for a week, so I’m eating some every day.
Gandalf is visibly recovering from Sherlock’s attacks (for those new to the blog: hi! Welcome! They’re fish).
There’s a guest post today at Urban Muse:
http://www.urbanmusewriter.com/2010/07/guest-post-gods-need-social-networking.html
Tomorrow: Broadway Day (including incriminating photos)
And, from bookshelfporn.com:
