Mac_andcheesey

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:53:51 GMT

Ganked this from shanrina :)

The BBC allegedly believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.

How do your reading habits stack up?

Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicise the ones you started but didn't finish, and underline the ones you want to read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (excerpts only)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (I don’t know why this is here when the Chronicles (no 33) should cover all of them…)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (this is next in my pile to read)
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I’ve read 35 of these (if I’ve counted correctly) and I’ve started a whole lot but haven’t finished… Maybe I should get onto that one day.

Ramblings

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 04:47:25 GMT

My last post was about a job interview I was having at my local police station. I haven't updated because I was kind of bummed and because when I got my stitches out on Monday the doctor said that my wound hadn't really healed at all, and that I would have to have a nurse visit me every day and change the dressings for the next two to three weeks. At no set time, by the way. They just call me the night before and say 'We're coming at 8.30 tomorrow morning' or 'I'll be there between 2.30 and 3 tomorrow afternoon'. *Grr!* Anyway...

The interview was last Thursday, and it went absolutely great. I met with three women; a Senior Sergeant, a lady from the admin team, and a lady from the HR team. They were really lovely. There were so many questions! I'd answered most of them on my application so it went pretty smoothly. They had a couple of last questions for me, and then asked me if I had any questions for them. I wanted to clear up the committment I'd be making (i.e. making sure it was full time and that I wasn't going to have to declare bankruptcy and live on the street), and was crushed to hear them say that it was a fixed-term position, working part time for a year, maximum of 10 hours a week. Now, see, I wouldn't have applied if the application said part time! Needless to say, after having the interview go so well I was really upset and annoyed, but figured I'd get over it. Then when I got home, the Coroner's Office called me and asked if I could go in for an interview on the 19th of Jan. I said yes, because that's where I really wanted to go, and it's full time so it'd be great. Not too far from my current work place so I could go and visit if I wanted to see my friends, but not so close that we'd be bumping into each other on our lunch breaks.

I called the police station earlier today and left a message for the Snr Sgt saying that I was really sorry but due to my current financial situation I wasn't going to be able to make the money work (Did I mention I'd have to take a $15,000 a year pay cut??! I don't think so!). So then I was watching Ellen, then I watched Oprah, then I fell asleep on the couch for a little bit (no offense, Oprah, I didn't sleep much last night), and then I turned on my computer where I had an email from Helen, the HR lady I met with in the interview. Something along the lines of 'I've been trying to reach you but I think I have the wrong number, can you please call me?' I called and spoke to the Snr Sgt instead as Helen was busy, but she basically said that they thought I was great and that the reason they'd taken so long in getting back to me about the position was because they were trying to make the figures work so that I could work full time for the first six months of the contract, and then part time for the remaining six months. !!. They were very impressed with me and think that I'd be 'a great addition to the team', so that inflated my ego a wee bit :) Need a bit of that every now and then. She asked me if that would work, and I said yes, probably not considering the implications that might have for me later in the year. I'm hoping by the end of the first six months that I'll have some tutoring or something I can do to help out a bit. Also hoping I can save enough on transport and other work-related costs so that I'll have a bit of money set aside. I have to go in for fingerprinting tomorrow which is kind of nerve-wracking even though I know I haven't ever done anything wrong, and then it's pretty much set.

But now they're trying to get a reference from my current manager whom I haven't told anything about the job interviews. To be fair to myself, I haven't been to work yet, and I haven't seen her so I haven't really had a chance to talk to her, but I still feel bad. It's springing it on her, and I didn't want to do that. Tried to call earlier, but she's not around.

So now I'm excited and hoping like hell that I haven't got my hopes up again for them to turn around and say 'Sorry, we couldn't work it out with the funds'.

EDIT: My manager called me this afternoon and told me that Helen had called her for a reference, so that's all done. Apparently Julie (my manager) talked me up so much that Helen thought I was over-qualified for the role and that they should get someone else. Jules is the best manager ever. I hope everyone gets to work under someone as cool and as nice as her some time in their life.

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 06:18:50 GMT

I was just saying last night in FM chat that I'd applied for a few jobs before Christmas (the 11th of December to be exact) and that I hadn't heard anything back, and then this morning I got a call from a woman at my local police station who invited me in for an interview on Thursday! I'm glad I haven't started back at work for the year yet, because now I don't have to make up an excuse to take a few hours off :P

I'm so excited! Hopefully my wound heals up nicely and the stitches are nice and clean in coming out on the 12th :\

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:09:30 GMT

According to my LJ homepage, I haven't updated in 8 weeks. That's a bit slack. I haven't even been doing anything exciting that's been keeping me so occupied that I can't spend three minutes updating, saying hi to my peeps and letting people know I'm still alive.

Work
-----------------------
So, I've decided (again, but for real this time) that I have to start looking for another job. It isn't about money this time, it's about the fact that I feel like I'm accomplishing nothing with my life. I'm just stuck in a work-home-work-home cycle, and I feel like nothing is *happening*. I'm so boring these days it's ridiculous. Not that I was all that exciting before, but I at least felt like I was working toward something. Nowadays I loathe getting up because I know that nothing is waiting for me at work. I know that I'm going to go and work for 8 or so hours and nothing's going to happen. I want to be doing something worthwhile with my time, not feel like I'm just waiting for something better to come along.
I've applied for a job at the State Coroner's Office, one at my local police station, and another at the Department of Human Services. I'm not sure why, and I'm not sure that any of those will get me closer to where I want to be, but two of them are part time which would give me time to go back to uni, as well as paying me well enough that I won't have to go back on any sort of Government handout. I really want to get started on the next phase of my life - uni, working in my chosen profession, travelling the world.

One of the guys at work was caught up in the terrorist activity in Mumbai the other day. He was staying in one of the hotels that got attacked. He and his wife (both in their 60s) had to lock themselves in their room and hide for 6 hours, until some firemen got them out the window on a ladder. They were hiding in their room while grenades and machine guns were going off in the hall just outside their door. I can't imagine how scary that must have been. I'm so glad they're safe, and I'm even more glad that the terrorists didn't get to carry out their plan. Apparently the plan was to kill 5,000 people. I can't comprehend people sometimes. I just don't get it.

Owies
-----------------------
Because I'm a klutzy idiot, I fell over two weeks ago. Rolled my ankle and then fell to my knees like a tonne of bricks, ironically enough, on a path made of bricks. It hurt like a bitch. Two weeks later, it's still hurting like a bitch! According to my osteopath, my ankles are too flexible, and that the movement I have in them isn't normal. Which would explain all the problems I've been having with them over the past few years. I've had a few osteo appointments, but nothing seems to be feeling any better. I have another appointment tomorrow, so hopefully that eases something up soon, or else I'm going to be doped out of my brain on pain meds.

Meme
-----------------------
Ganked from vg_ford :)

Step One
Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fun to medium to really big. The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

If you wish for real possible things, make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.

Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to this post so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two
Surf around your friends list (or friends of friends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:

If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Once a wish has been granted, it will be crossed off the list.

You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

The Wishlist (in no particular order):
1. Snail mail addresses so I can ~~stalk you~~ send you stuff
2. Notebook/journal/smooth-writing pen
3. Buttons/beads/old 20 cent jewellery from op shops/second hand stores/thrift shops
4. Old history books - medieval, Russian, German, Roman, Soviet... anything
5. A White Pages directory from a country foreign to my own (Australia)
6. Quick and easy dinner recipes
7. A buddy for a night - dinner and/or a movie or something
8. I'd *love love* a penpal. I know that email/IM is so much quicker, but there's nothing cooler than getting a handwritten letter with some little bits and pieces in the mail. It's also a great feeling knowing I'm making someone's day a little bit brighter. Makes me feel spesh :)
9. A story, or a joke, or a poem about anything you like. One you've written, one you've heard, one you love
10. For everyone else to do this so I can help make a wish come true :)

Note the first: Used items are always welcome; I love things with history.
Note the second: If required, email/PM me for my snail mail address.

Letter meme

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:24:55 GMT

Dear catrinp ,

I don't really know how to tell you this, but our romance is over. I think I realised it on the first of May at the mental hospital and I saw you sit on my mustard souffle. I'm sure you're man enough to understand how awful I've felt. I'm returning your memories from the military service, but I'll keep your suicide note as a memory. You should know that I never openly mocked our friendship.

Good luck on your short term-leave from jail,
mac_andcheesey

I tag scarlettarcher , empath_1111 , shanrina , silvarastar and catrinp

Do the "Letter MEME". Tag no less than 5 other people, and leave them a comment, informing them that they have been tagged. Then copy the "How-to" Letter Meme, and finish your Journal entry.

-> How you do the Letter Meme:

Dear (the last person who left a comment on your journal):

I don't really know how to tell you this, but ___1___. I think I realized it ___2___ ___3___ and I saw you ___4___ ___5___. I'm sure you're ___6___ enough to understand ___7___. I'm returning ___8___ to you, but I'll keep ___9___ as a memory. You should also know that I ___10___ ___11___ .

___12___,
-Your name-

1. What's the color of your shirt?
Blue - Our romance is over
Red - Our affair is over
White - I'll join the monastery
Black - I dislike you
Green - Our horoscope doesn't match
Grey - You're a pervert
Yellow - I'm selling myself
Pink - Your nostrils are insulting
Brown - The mafia wants you
No shirt - You're a loser
Other - I'm in love with your sister

2. Which is your birth month?
January - That night
February - Last year
March - When your dwarf bit me
April - When I tripped on sesame seeds
May - First of May
June - When you put cuffs on me
July - When I threw up
August - When I saw the shrunken head
September - When we skinny dipped
October - When I quoted Santa
November - When your dog ran amok
December - When I changed tennis shoes

3. Which food do you prefer?
Tacos - In your apartment
Pizza - In your camping car
Pasta - Outside of Chicago
Hamburgers - Under the bus
Salad - As you ate enchilada
Chicken - In your closet
Kabob - With Paris Hilton
Fish - In women's clothing
Sandwiches - At the Hare Krishna graduation
Lasagna - At the mental hospital
Hot dog - Under a state of trance
None of the above - With George Bush and his wife

4. What's the color of your socks?
Yellow - Hit on
Red - Insult
Black - Ignore
Blue - Knock out
Purple - Pour syrup on
White - Carve your initials into
Grey - Pull the clothes off
Brown - Put leeches on
Orange - Castrate
Pink - Pull the toupee off
Barefoot - Sit on
Other - Drive out

5. What's the color of your underwear?
Black - My best friend
White - My father
Grey - Bill Clinton
Brown - My fart balloon
Purple - My mustard soufflé
Red - Donald Duck
Blue - My avocado plant
Yellow - My penpal in Ghana
Orange - My Kid Rock-collection
Pink - Manchester United's goalkeeper
None - My John F. Kennedy-statue
Other - The crazy monk

6. What do you prefer to watch on TV?
Scrubs - Man
O.C. - Emotional
One Tree Hill - Open
Heroes - Frostbitten
Lost - High
House - Scarred
Simpsons - Cowardly
The news - Mongolic
Idol - Masochistic
Family Guy - Senile
Top Model - Middle-class
None of the above - Ashamed

7. Your mood right now?
Happy - How awful I've felt
Sad - How boring you are
Bored - That Santa doesn't exist
Angry - That your pimples are at the last stage
Depressed - That we're cousins
Excited - That there is no solution to this.
Nervous - The middle-east
Worried - That your Honda sucks
Apathetic - That I did a sex-change
Ashamed - That I'm allergic to your hamster
Cuddly - That I get turned on by garbage men
Overjoyous - That I'm open
Other - That Extreme Home Makeover sucks

8. What's the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White - Your ring
Yellow - Your love letters
Red - Your Darth Vader-poster
Black - Your tame stone
Blue - The couch cushions
Green - The pictures from LA
Orange - Your false teeth
Brown - Your contact book
Grey - Our matching snoopy-bibs
Purple - Your old lottery coupons
Pink - The cut toenails
Other - Your memories from the military service

9. The first letter of your first name?
A/B - Your photo
C/D - The oil stocks
E/F - Your neighbour Martin
G/H - My virginity
I/J - The results of your blood-sample
K/L - Your left ear
M/N - Your suicide note
O/P - My common sense
Q/R - Your mom
S/T - Your collection of butterflies
U/V - Your criminal record
W/X - David's tricot outfits
Y/Z - Your grades from college

10. The last letter in your last name?
A/B - Always will remember
C/D - Never will forget
E/F - Always wanted to break
G/H - Never openly mocked
I/J - Always have felt dirty before
K/L - Will tell the authorities about
M/N - Told in my confession today about
O/P - Was interviewed by the Times about
Q/R - Told my psychiatrist about
S/T - Get sick when I think of
U/V - Always will try to forget
W/X - Am better off without
Y/Z - Never liked

11. What do you prefer to drink?
Water- Our friendship
Beer - Senility
Soft drink - A new life as a clone
Soda - The incarnation as an eskimo
Milk - The apartment building
Wine - Cocaine abuse
Cider - A passionate interest for mice
Juice - Oprah Winfrey imitations
Mineral water - Embarrassing rash
Hot chocolate - Eggplant-fetishism
Whisky - To ruin the second world war
Other - To hate the Boston Celtics

12. To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Thailand - Warm regards
USA - Best regards
England - Good luck on your short-term leave from jail
Spain - Go and drown yourself
China - Disgusting regards
Germany - With ease
Japan - Go burn
Greece - Your everlasting enemy
Australia - Greetings to your frog Leonard
Egypt - Fuck off now
France - In pain
Other - Greetings to your freaky family

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:49:56 GMT

Sitting on my bed on my nice, crisp, new white and green sheets, in my dressing gown and jammies, writing and eating strawberry yogurt. I'm 21 and own a third of a house, I have a car, I have friends whom I love and (I'm pretty sure, anyway) who love me... Sometimes there's so much bad, so much crap, so much sadness, that you forget about the good.

I haven't forgotten.

I agree too

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:31:13 GMT

Ganked from vg_ford. Thanks! :)

If there are one or more people on your friends list who make your world a better place just because they exist, and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the Internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.

xx

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:20:07 GMT

So proud of myself right now. I had money left in my account before I got paid! That NEVER happens! Hopefully it'll build up and then I'll be *gasp* saving! Then, World, here I come! Be prepared, folks, for a strange Aussie knocking on your door, most likely at 3 in the morning because my internal body clock will be screwy :) It's a good feeling, having extra monies. It's only $250 extra, but it makes a big difference. By the time I've paid bills and whatnot, I'll have my entire salary left.

In other news, I'm sick again *grr* I gave myself a fright yesterday by blacking out and nearly fainting on the train (while standing, mind you. Not such a good idea; don't recommend it), and I've felt nauseated and had a throbbing headache ever since. That could be because of this stupid infection I have, or it could be because I was claustrophobic and couldn't breathe because there were about 60 people crammed into the train carriage who should have waited for the next one. Not kidding, it was PACKED and people were still piling in! They must have been thinking 'Oh, it's okay, I can see a bit of space over there! Yeah, if i go through their legs, then walk across those five people, I can sit on that guy's shoulders!' Idiots. Took today off work and told them I probably won't be in tomorrow so they could hire a temp (because they can't get by without me, naww), but if I'm feeling okay I'll go in and the temp can help with some filing and archiving and all that other fun stuff.

Also heard from my doctor today about my operation, and he said that they only dedicate a day and a half to bowel/colon/etc surgeries a week, and because "people with bowel and colon cancer take top priority" (le DER!) I'll have to wait about a year. Or, "if I'm lucky" and there aren't too many cancer surgeries, I might get in before Christmas. Either way, I have a long wait ahead of me. Unless I get private health insurance, which I can't afford. Darn body always getting sick. Oh well. Could be worse.

Random observation for the day: 'Orpheus in the Underworld' changes pretty dramatically near the end...

Contradictions

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:05:54 GMT

I just completely went against what I said in that last post. I said I was going to try and turn off my inner editor, but did I? No. She got the better of me, and I have now rewritten my opening :P It wouldn't be me if I didn't change my mind at least a few times :D

Here's a bit of a snip:

   "She sobbed as she ran; the light, stinging rain feeling like a thousand needles on her cheeks. Her bare feet kicked up mud and debris from the forest floor, and she ducked and dodged as branches whipped past her.
   She could hear her captor closing the gap between them but didn't dare turn around. She had seen him enough these last few weeks. His voice carried over the sounds of the forest, the hatred and loathing floating past her as if it were being carried by the wind.
    'You'll be sorry you ran, you little bitch! Just you wait til I get my hands on you!'
    Whimpering and sobbing she picked up her pace, now flying through the trees.
    Her lungs screamed for air, her breathing fast and ragged. Her legs were burning. She had never felt so scared in all her life. The adrenalin coursing through her body was keeping her going, keeping her alive. She knew that if she stopped to catch her breath for even one moment she would not get up again. She cried out as her foot rammed into a log on the ground, almost tripping her up. She chanced a glance over her shoulder and saw the bobbing light of her captor's torch getting closer and closer."

There are any number of directions I could take with an opening like that. I've thought of about 6 so far, and they just keep flooding in. I guess what I need to do is pick the one that has the most staying power, and the one that I think I can do the most justice. donteatbob and I are discussing it, coming up with some ideas, doing a bit of brainstorming. She's a good help like that :) I do the most thinking and plotting when I'm talking about it. The right direction will pop up soon, I'm sure.

Writing!

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:11:05 GMT

start: 0
end: 482
change: +482

starting line:
She screamed as she ran; her bare, bloodied feet plopping heavily into the mud.

ending line:
Eyes wide, she dropped to her knees, looking in disbelief at the bullet hole in her chest.

darling:
Nothing as yet.

_______________________________

So, I have no idea where this story is going, and no idea who this girl, the guy who was chasing her, or the guy who shot her are. I have no plot, I have no characters (aside from the unnamed aforementioned characters). And you know what? I don't care!

It's a fairly crap beginning, but I don't care about that, either! That's what editing is for! I needed to get back into the habit of writing, just writing, and turning off my inner-editor. Because, even though I love her, she's a major pain in the arse.

So, now that the beginning is out of the way, I have to find a way to tie in what just happened with my so far non-existent plot. Easy! :P

And now for sleep, because I promised myself and early night, and it hasn't happened. Again.

Lost, but not found

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:17:40 GMT

Lost: baby plot bunny

I was lying in bed last night trying to drift off to sleep, when all of a sudden, a great idea popped into my head. I thought it out, gave it some substance, loosely plotted it (it takes me a long time to get to sleep), and then when I was finally starting to feel sleepy, I thought 'This idea is so good I don't need to write it down. I'll remember it in the morning.'

Oh, what a fool I was. It has now completely vanished from my mind. I'm hoping that whatever triggered that idea in the first place will somehow reappear and I can get on with it. If it doesn't, clearly it wasn't meant to be.

*sigh*

So at the moment, I'm kicking myself.

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:12:44 GMT

Dang, I'm so hot! It's 7.12pm, and it's still 40 degrees! Talk about sweltering. And apparently it's only going to drop to 30 tonight! Nasty. Maybe I might sleep on the couch... Damn our house for having no cooling! Tomorrow is supposed to be 40 as well *cry*
Today is the fourth day over 40 we've had this summer, New Years Eve and Day being two of them. Oy. Global warming bites.

In other news... *sigh* there is no other news. Yes folks, it's been that kind of week. Thank goodness it's (almost) Friday.

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:15:32 GMT

*sniff* I smell really good.

Just got home from a Body Shop party - you know, like a Tupperware party but with Body Shop stuff? It was pretty good. And now I smell lovely. Too bad it'll come off when I have a shower later. I bought some stuff, but nothing that smells really strong; mostly subtle smells. Like Brazil-nut body butter (moisturiser).

*sniff* mmm

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:07:32 GMT

Warning: Midnight ramblings and complete randomness ahead.

Work:
Man today was so BORING! All I had to do was filing, and then a work experience kid came in and did it for me! One one hand I was inwardly going ''Yessss!" and punching the air (I hate filing with a passion), but on the other hand, this random kid just came in and took all my work for the day. Great. Then I have to sit around looking busy...

Christmas:
Getting into the Christmas spirit, I bought some fairy lights the other day, coloured ones with clear flowery kinda shapes over the top. They're kinda ugly when they're off, but when they're on they look really pretty. I've wrapped them aroud the head of my bed, so I'm now lying here under an orangy-bluey-greeny light. It looks pretty cool.

Writing:
I've been writing, too, which has been awesome! I take my notebook with me on the train and scribble down as much as I can with the very limited arm-space I get. Also, why is it that you can read or play a game or listen to music on the train and no one bats an eyelid, but when you write or knit or something (like I do) people look at you like you're an alien? Strange. And then the nosy buggers keep trying to peer over your shoulder and take a peek at what you're doing.

Weight:
When I was at the hospital a month and a bit ago they weighed me; totally not something I ever wanted to do again after seeing what the number was. But, this morning I figured I'd weigh myself again, just to see how I was going. I felt like nothing much was changing, but I wasn't really sure. Turns out, and I was very shocked, I've lost 7 kilos. Without doing anything different. Well, I'm eating healthier as often as I can and I'm going for short walks on my lunch breaks, but I didn't think that that would make much of a difference. I can't see any change yet, but seeing that I've lost that 7 and can do it without consciously doing anything, I'm going to start walking every night. Hopefully my little goal to be a bit lighter by Christmas can come true :) And then my bigger goal of being closer to my goal weight by my 21st in May next year.

It made me feel good all day, too. I had a silly smile on my face this morning. Might sound conceited (well, I don't think it does) but I'm very proud of myself. And I think that's a big thing with people losing weight. You have to be proud of the little steps you make. Pat yourself on the back for resisting that temptation at lunchtime. Feel overjoyed that you've lost a kilo. It's a kilo closer to your goal. Be happy that you got on the treadmill or went for a run, because you could have easily said 'no' and slothed around instead. I've started trying to lose weight numerous times, and each time I think that this is 'the time'. This will be the time that I'll just do it and I'll be the person on the outside that I know I am on the inside. Who knows if this time is different, or exactly the same as those other attempts. I'd like to hope it is, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it if it's not. Sure, I'd be disappointed in myself, but I can move on and try again tomorrow.

And on that note, I'm off to bed. G'night, lovelies.

Just another little something...

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 08:44:07 GMT

Almost forgot!

My probationary period is up at work, so I had my three-month review on Thursday. It went really well! It was with my boss, Julie, and one of the Directors, Elizabeth. Elizabeth said that they were 'thrilled' with me, and would be 'delighted if I were to accept their offer to be made a permanent staff member'. Delighted? Ah, yes! Hurrah! She also said that they 'couldn't imagine the place without me' because of all the 'positive changes' I've made and how much more efficient I've made Admin. Did I look like a beetroot? Yes. Did I have a sore face from smiling so much? Yes. Was I positively elated when I heard I was up for a raise? Of course I was. Hooray!

That's all :D

Bond. James Bond.

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:35:43 GMT

I think I have the flu. I'm all congested (mm, nice), my ears keep getting blocked, and my throat is really sore. Ah well. Least I wasn't sick on Saturday!

We had our James Bond themed staff party on Saturday night. I was supposed to go with my cousin, but he was sick so my auntie came with me instead. I finally found a dress to wear (the day before the event, I might add. Cutting it close? Who, me?). It's the best dress. Red, kinda floaty, knee-length. Wore it with black strappy shoes, a black shawl-y/wrap thing, some earrings, a necklace, and my hair was curly. (How girly am I right now?) Also, seeings as I was one of only two people in red, I kinda stood out. How embarrassing. Everyone scrubbed up really nice. I have some photos, but they're on my work computer. Will have to put them up tomorrow.

The food was really good, the band was great, the view was AMAZING (being 89 storeys in the air, how could it be anything else?!), and the company was top notch. There was a game being played at the MCG (Hawks and Kangaroos), and from where we were, Level 89, Eureka Tower, we could see right in to the stadium. It was so weird seeing it from that high... everyone looked like fleas!

Apart from that night, the rest of the last few weeks has been pretty boring/uneventful. I'm still enjoying work, although not so much the fact that because I haven't been there a full three months yet (only 2 weeks off!) I don't get paid sick leave. And I've been sick for a total of four days in the time I've worked there. Oy.

In other news, I haven't done any writing :( I've put the story I was writing on the backburner and am planning on writing something a bit different. Not sure yet, just want to start and see where it takes me. That's how I write. Or how I roll, depending on who you ask. I start with a tiny germ of an idea, and before you know it, I'm starting my own penicillin factory. I discovered with the last story I started that I don't do well with planning. I'm not one of those people who can sit down and plan a whole novel from beginning to end. I'm lucky if I know how the first chapter is going to end. I never know where the story is going to take me. I start off with a sentence, or a theme, or a character, get into the zone and start writing. I can't sit down and plan out characters and storylines and major events. I do all that as I go along. That makes it a bit difficult at times, but I have more fun that way. People ask me what my story is about, and I answer 'I have no idea'. Because I don't. Not until I write the words

The End.

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 12:27:59 GMT

Hello again! Guess what?

I'm still alive!

Guess what else?

I got all my hair chopped off! Well, most of it. I think I like it. Wanted it a bit longer, but put some scissors in a hairdresser's hands and say 'go for it', what more can you expect?

How is everyone? I feel so happy and energetic and vibrant tonight! I'm not sure why, but it's probably to do with the fact that I have a bouncy hair style. It's rubbing off on my mood. Not that I'm complaining. Not at all.

Pretty bored though. Just called my friend Megan and asked if she wanted to come over, so I'm going to pick her up at 11 and we're gonna watch some movies and veg. Tomorrow she wants me to go with her so she can buy a coat. Should be interesting.

Anywho, here are some photos I took with my brother just before. Hope you like the new hair! :)

xox

You know you're an Aussie when...

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:20:37 GMT

(most of) These are so true it's scary! And rather funny...

YOU KNOW YOU'RE AN AUSSIE WHEN....

1. You're familiar with Neighbours, Home and Away, Playschool, A Country Practice, Norman Gunston, Barry Humphries, Blue Heelers, Ray Martin, Bert Newton, Lisa McCune, Jon Burgess, Number 96, Molly Meldrum, Kerry O'Brien, and of course, Kerry Packer and Rupert Murdoch.

2. You know that Burger King doesn't exist. It's Hungry Jacks.

3. You know that snow is a memorable and freakish occurrence. Sometimes it's even fake.

4. You know the difference between thongs and a G-banger

5. You know that "stubbies" are either short shorts or small beer bottles, a "gimp", "bogan" or "geezer" is a random idiot, someone in trouble is in "strife" and you're liable to burst out laughing whenever you hear of Americans "rooting" for something.

4. You know how to abbreviate every word, all of which usually end in -o: arvo, combo, garbo, kero, lezzo, metho, milko, muso, rego, servo, smoko, speedo, righto etc.

5. You know that some ppl pronounce "Australia" like "Straya" and that's ok.

6. You know that there is a universal place called "woop woop" located in the middle of nowhere... no matter where you actually are.

7. You know that while we call our friends 'mates', we don't use terms like 'shiela' and 'shrimp on the barbie', contrary to popular belief.

8. You know that none of us actually drink Fosters beer because it tastes like shit. But we let the world think we do. Because we can.

9. You know that if a man has sex with another man, he's a homosexual, and (until recently), a criminal in Tasmania

10. You resent people who succeed over others- everyone should do the same thing, so we all get a "fair go"; a kind of 'American-dream' in reverse. This is why we actively like not liking Americans.

11. You've seen Gallipoli, Crocodile Dundee, Young Einstein, Muriel's Wedding, The Castle, Beneath Clouds, Strictly Ballroom, 40,000 Horsemen, and maybe even Wolf Creek.

12. It makes you happy when someone in Hollywood is actually Australian... Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Russle Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrman, Elle MacPherson, Olivia Newton-John, Midnight Oil, ACDC, INXS, Greg Norman, Cathy Freeman, Dawn Fraser, Pat Rafter, Ian Thorpe...

13. One word: Skippy.

14. You know that Sydney 2000 was one of our proudest moments in history. We just fucking rock.

15. You know that you are not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases (remote Aboriginal communities are a different matter)

16. You know our country has never been conquered by a foreign nation (you don't count 1788).

17. We know that the Metric system will always be better than anything inches, feet, pounds and farenheit will ever offer

18. You drive on the left-hand side of the road.

19. If you're a pedestrian and cars are stopped at a red light, you will fearlessly cross the street in front of them. 'Hit and runs' just aren't cricket. Because aussies stick together.

20. You think of Australia as being somewhat out of place within the Asia-Pacific region; surrounded by unstable ex-colonial nations who regard you as racist, imperialist, and unfairly wealthy.

21. You know that New Zealanders are basically our naive country cousins, who have a weird fush-and-chups accent, and for some bizzare reason, think that they invented pavlova. Bastards. They are to be pitied and laughed at. They have no hope of gaining the upper hand in the endless sporting rivalry between our two nations.

22. You know that you can't eat Fantales alone... Otherwise who will you play the 'Who am I...' game with when you're reading the wrapper?

>>>>23. You know that Melbourne should be the capital because Canberra is a hole.<<<

24. You know that Americans think we're all Steve Irwin clones. And crickey, they couldn't be more wrong.

25. You know that Lawyers wear wigs and gowns. And we make it look good.

26. You have some time in your life slept with Aeroguard on in the summer. Maybe even as perfume.

27. You feel obliged to spread salty black stuff that looks like congealed motor oil on bread... and actually grow to like it. You've also squeeze Vegemite through Vita Wheats to make little Vegemite worms.

28. You believe that democracy means the freedom to draw caricatures of good ol' Johnny Howard

29. You think footballers dressing up in drag on TV is funny (but your son being gay isn't).

30. You have the ability to compress several words into one - ie 'g'day' and 'd'reckn?'. This allows more space for profanities.

31. You've ever used the words - tops, ripper, sick, mad, rad, sweet - to mean good. And then you place 'bloody' in front of it when you REALLY mean it.

32. You know that the barbeque is a political arena; the person holding the tongs is always the boss and usually a man. And the women make the salad.

33. The private lives of footy and cricket players become more important than local and national news stories.

34. You say 'no worries' quite often, whether you realise it or not.

35. You know what fairy bread tastes like, and you can't imagine your childhood without it.

36. You know the first verse to the national anthem, but still don't know what "girt" means. And you're ok with that.

37. You've drank your tea/coffee/milo through a tim tam.

38. You know that backyard cricket is a nice way to bond with family and the rubbish bin. And the 'one bounce, one hand' rule always applies.

39. You know that we are home to the just about all of the world's deadliest of animals. That's why if anybody messes with us we'll get some funnel webs on their arses.

40. You see people walking bare-foot on the sidewalk and don't scorn.... because you're doing it too.

41. You know what trop-fest is and it makes you happy.

42. Sausage rolls and meat pies. End of story.

43. You firmly believe that in the end, everything will be ok and have offered advice that included the words, "she'll be right, mate".

44. You have a story that somehow involves an excessive consumption of goon... but you can't remember.

45. You own a Bond's chesty. In several different colours.

46. You've ordered a steak the size as your head and only paid $5 at your local RSL

47. You know that Italy should never have been granted that fateful kick in the 2006 Soccer World Cup.

48. You know how to slip, slop, slap like it's nobody's business.

49. You've heard the Prime Minister dismiss anyone who disagrees with him simply as 'un-Australian', and that's enough to make us sit down and shut up.

50. You know that the value of a public holiday is measured in terms of alchohol. God bless the queen and her 4-day birthday

51. You know that saying 'The other day' could mean any time from yesterday to a year ago, and that 'a few ks down the road' could be next door, or Cairns.

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:32:19 GMT

Just a quick post to let all my peeps know that I haven't forgotten them, and that I'm still alive. Just really tired, and really freakin busy.

Love you all, and can't wait to talk to you again. It's been too long!

This Friday night I'll be online (hopefully). I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Have a great week guys, catch up soon

xox

Dot points

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:25:34 GMT

Here are some points about my new job:

Answering the phones, transferring people, paging through the office and just being at reception in general scares the shit out of me. And I have to relieve reception every morning, and three days a week during lunch! *cry*

I have 13 paper cuts.

I have a really good boss, really good workmates, and the Directors of the company are fantastic. Well, Dominic is, I haven't met George yet.

The last two days have flown by.

Everyone is REALLY nice, and they're making me feel really welcome.

People keep coming up to me and using my name, when I only know about 4 people :P It's weird that they know me but I don't know them. But, 90 people is a lot of people to remember. Especially when I handle all of their job accounts and don't know their names/initials for the project files. Oh well, they know it's not my fault :P

MEN ARE SO DIRTY! The kitchen upstairs is always so grotty. There are only about 4 women on the 5th floor, in amongst something like 50 or 60 men. Poor things.

I'm picking things up really quickly (at least I hope I am)

I HATE public transport.

Everyone calls me 'The New Natasha'... I think I might get it printed on a badge...

They do Friday night drinks at a pub around the corner that does $3 spirits, and $1 champagne.

At the end of the month they have a pizza and drinks night... and all new people have to get up and talk about their life so far :\

I think I love this job :) Well, parts of it :P I loathe reception. But it'll grow on me I'm sure. It's really weird, cos I feel like I've worked there for ages. Aside from the fact that there are things I'm still learning. And Julie, my boss, said the same thing to me today. She feels like it's been way more than two days. TWO DAYS?! Is that it? Yeesh.

PS. hehe, I bought some pens today, and they have Lubriglide ink

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:10:28 GMT

My bag is packed, my clothes are sitting neatly folded on my desk, and my stomach is in knots. I know the train timetable by heart, I know how long it's going to take me to change trains at Flinders Street, and I pre-purchased my ticket. I feel like I'm starting school all over again. I'm so nervous! But it's an excited kind of nervous, not a scared one. Okay, maybe I'm a little scared. Of what I'm not sure. There's nothing to be scared of.

I went over to my grandma's house today, and she very kindly fixed the hem of my pants, sewed up the pockets (they stuck out really far), and took in another pair of pants that are too big. She also sewed a top I had that showed a little too much cleavage. She also cooked us dinner. Thank the heavens for grandmas.

I still can't believe that I finally have a job. It's taken me such a long time, and so many weeks of feeling like I wasn't worthy of those people and their companies. But now, just hearing that someone wants me to work for them has given me such a confidence boost. Although I'm sure tomorrow, when I get out of the elevator and step into reception, I'll feel like being sick.

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:01:15 GMT

I haven't been posting much here in the last few weeks... mostly because nothing is happening, and also because I didn't want to jinx myself with the 3 or so job interviews I've had. And, I may have been right in doing so. I had an interview yesterday at an engineering company (I'm pretty sure I've posted about them before... they're the company that had me scheduled for an interview, but then hired someone else before they even saw me) and I got a call this morning telling me that I got it! :D I start on Monday. So I am now employed. Hurrah! On Monday I start at 9, but every other day from then I start at 8.30 and got through til 5.30.
It isn't the most exciting job, it involves a lot of restocking of printers, formatting and checking documents, organising couriers, relieving reception when the receptionist is on breaks, things like that. But they said they only expect people to stay in the role for one to two years because there's no chance of any advancing in the company. They offer a lot of training and support, so that's good. Give me some good experience for the next thing I move on to.
Also, if I'm there for a year, it means I can go to the States next year as planned :) Hooray! Then I can go away and not have to worry about whether or not they'll keep the job open for me. I can just apply for new ones when I get back. Oh joyous day! I'm so excited. I'm such a nerd :P

So, America next year... I'm still planning on doing the summer camp that I talked about a while ago, and then doing some travelling after that. Hopefully I'll be on the eastern side of the country, cos then I can go and visit dogmawriter:D Lucky her :P Anyone have any ideas as to what we _have_ to see when we're there? (I say 'we' cos I'm going with donteatbob.) *squeal* I'm so excited :D

Ok, I'm going now.. Gotta go get organised for tutoring. Which I'm not going to be able to do anymore :( That's sad, cos I really like it. I could do it on weekends, but what kid in their right mind wants to be doing homework on the weekends? I'm doing Romeo and Juliet at the moment with Emily, so easy peasy. I aced Shakespeare. Mostly because I did so much of it, both at school and at uni.

TTFN, mi amigos

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:13:23 GMT

I'm such a nanna! Here I sit, rugged up in my dressing gown, snuggled under my doona and blankets, drinking tea, and knitting.

My stomach is still incredibly sore and I still feel nauseous/headachey/crap/tired, but hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight and feel a bit better in the morning. I think the root of my problem is stress though. I probably have a bug as well, but stress isn't helping me. I almost constantly have headaches these days... Stupid money. Stupid Centrelink. Stupid me.

*sigh*

Some more random stuff...

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:51:28 GMT

Just called my friend Nat, who, luckily for us, is a vet in training. HA! Suffer in your jocks Merlin. You're getting the snip either tomorrow or Wednesday. Hopefully that stops his peeing. If not, there'd better be some other ways.

Not much has been happening the last few days. My sister is sick, probably with the flu, I think I'm starting to get it, and Brother was complaining this morning that he had a sore stomach. Brilliant. That's one bad thing about families. One person gets sick, all of you get sick.
My auntie called me today and said that she has gestational diabetes. Once she has her baby it'll go away though, so that's good at least. She needs me to take her to the hospital on Thursday and look after kid number 5 while she's having some tests done, and while they show her how to use the blood testing machines and whatnot.
Got invited to a barbeque at a friend's place in a few weeks.. a catch up for the six or so of us who had classes together last year at Uni. Should be good, I haven't seen any of them in ages.
Haven't been sleeping well lately, so have been having little nanna-naps throughout the day. Starting to think that that's not such a good idea anymore. I wake up all disoriented and kinda weirded out that I'm sleeping in the middle of the day :P Tried going to bed early, but I fall asleep and wake up at 3 or so in the morning and can't get back to sleep. *sigh* I just need to get into a proper sleep cycle.
I've also been working on a short story these last few days, while I try and get out of the rut I'm in with the novel. Seems to be getting the creative juices flowing (why did I use that? I hate that saying). I'll share with you all when it's got a bit more to it.

Anyway, feeling a bit off, so might go have a drink and a lie down. Ciao.

Attention cat owners... or vets

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 04:33:18 GMT

Please! I need some assistance, ASAP. My brother's cat Merlin pisses on everything! One day he pees on the couch, the next on a cushon, the next on a blanket... I can't take it any more!! We had to get rid of the couch, the cushion and the blanket, cos no amount of cleaning would get the smell out completely. Our family is already a bit miffed that we have cats and that we keep them inside (we live on a really busy road, and I see at least 3 squashed kitties a fortnight), and when they come over and our house smells faintly of pee, man do they crack it.
We light incense sticks and things to try and mask the smell for a while, our windows are always open, but I'm at my wit's end. I can't handle it anymore. He is seriously giving me the shits.
The other thing is, he does it when we're not around, so we can't catch him in the act and punish him for it. *le sigh* I love him, but at the moment, I really hate him.

Also, people were saying to me the other day that it might be because he hasn't had the big snip yet, but this isn't territorial spraying, this is actual peeing like he does in the litter tray. Bastard.

Please help if you can, or let me know of any way to mask/get out the smell of pee :(