At the vet’s was the usual checking Sooty’s teeth (he has bad teeth, despite all the special dental catfood I buy him), and talk about how they are too fat (and that makes me feel like a terrible parent), but my vet was really good and went through exactly how much of what sort of food they should be having every day. I know. It sounds incredibly obvious, but it was good to do.

So now everyone is flaked out at home – Pips on the couch in the lounge, Soots on the bed, on my sweater that I really need to reclaim. It’s gusting and howling a gale out there, and it’s raining a bit too. In about 20 minutes I need to make my lunch and get dressed for work. It’s ok. I’ve been home the past few days because there just hasn’t been enough for me to test, but it sounds like another component of the project is going to be ready enough for me to start planning the test approach for. Gotta love these agile projects.

Yesterday I discovered this awesome website, Crunchy Betty. Actually I found it on the weekend when I was wanting to make some solid perfume thingies, but only started looking at the rest of the site yesterday. Ye gods, this thing is awesome! I got carried away and made a sugar and coconut oil body scrub, face scrub (with oats, clay and ground chamomile), massage oil (not from the website, now I think of it), and HOMEMADE toothpaste. Random, or what? I also tried making a body lotion emulsion that I saw somewhere else and I now have a big pile of white goo that smells of ylang-ylang. Ah well, you can’t win ‘em all.

I’m now plotting to make some whipped shea butter (to replace the delicious-smelling goo that will wind up in the bin soon), some sports massage oil (b/f is an athlete!), some sprayable perfume and maybe some face masks and other thingies. Yusss. It is awesomely fun.

My fave? Probably the coconut-sugar scrub. You use 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup coconut oil, and I put in about three drops of geranium essential oil. I used it in the shower last night and it was stunningly good. The toothpaste was pretty damn good too, if I do say so myself.

Anyway – about time to go think about sandwiches. Adios.

The latest new thing I’m trying is a new blog called A little bit nice. It’s not a blog, not really. Just postings of little pockets of life, intended to…argh, what did I say on the ‘About’ page?

A Little Bit Nice is here to bring you something nice to look at, listen to, watch, and think about as you go about your day.

It’s twee, but not meant to be insipid. And it’s not meant to be a curated pile of links to other things on the internet. We’ll see how it works out. (Stay tuned…..)

In the meantime, I am feeling a bit like my namesake, discombobulated. Woke up and tried to gather cats up for the vet at 8:30. Black cat ran out into the rain, suspicious (he always seems to know). Had to ring the vet to cancel. Turned out they were booked in for tomorrow morning.

It’s wet outside. Raining steadily. I recorded the rain this morning and put it up on the other blog.

The first paragraphs of Act 2 of my novel are sitting on the typewriter. The page is curling because it has sat wrapped around the platen for so long. I look at it every day. I scribble ideas down, try to map the structure of the next Act. It feels like starting all over again. I know what I want to say, but I don’t know how to start it.

There’s a parcel for me waiting at the post office. I suppose I will drive down and collect it.

Steve & I also had an awesome trip in Sept last year, to Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Morocco and Hong Kong!

Germany - church in Fohr

Copenhagen

Stockholm

Ireland - Inis Mor

Morocco

And then this past weekend was Webstock weekend…it was intense, awesome, and delightful as always.

While we sat on the couch Steve worked on editing some of his POV mountain biking movies, and I started that sweater I think I mentioned last post. After doing a fair bit of fine-gauge knitting (an ysolda shawl, plus a pair of socks), knitting on bigger needles feels both weird and awesome, as the work just goes so fast! I must be half through already.

Oh, and the food: I whipped out my Nigella Express cookbook, which I haven’t actually used that much (though her sour apple martini is one of my staples), and planned out the weekend’s eating:

• Tuna and bean salad for lunch (Sun – Mon)
• Coq au riesling for dinner on Sun
• Croque Monsieur bake (Monday brunch)
• then for dinner last night we had a Brandied bacony roast chicken, with a potato and mushroom gratin, and green salad :))

Needless to say the fridge is crammed with leftovers, so we’re pretty much set for the week as well.

I got lots of writing in – my SocNoc novel is up to 8,800 words, most of which I actually like. We sauna-ed twice, I finished Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (which was lovely), and yesterday we went for a hike in the Wright’s Hill Reserve – up Salvation, and down Deliverence, a couple of mountain biking/walking trails. It was so muddy though we only came across a few bikers, and everyone was happy and chatty.

Now it’s a work day – though I’m working from home, which means I’m still in robe and PJs – and the drizzle isn’t quite as charming as when you’re on holiday. Still, the cats like that I am at home, and I’ve started a new writers.com class, the Novel for Beginners (or something similar), with Dennis Foley, which I’m really looking forward to. It’s not a “how to write” class as much as it is a “how to structure your own approach” class, a “find the bones of your novel” class.  So no critiquing but hopefully a lot of new ideas.

It’s June.

In the southern hemisphere that means (I think) that we are at the start of winter – at least if I count backwards six months to the northern hemisphere equivalent, it should be the same as early December. I know the seasons are all messed-up-to-buggery at the moment, but my memories of December in the Pacific Northwest include icy weather, snow, skiing, christmas carols, sparkly lights and all that other good stuff.

The equivalent in New Zealand is pretty mild really. Few of our trees lose their leaves when it gets cold, so it’s still really green everywhere (with only the odd highlights of gold, smuggled in among the native evergreens). Plus May was apparently the warmest one on record, which meant in some ways our late-autumn was almost better than our summer. Things have been really stable. Big fat gaps between the isobars coming across from Australia. Wellington’s quite lovely when the wind dies down.

Evenings are getting cold though, which in many ways I’m enjoying. My knitting’s surged ahead again (socks, a shawl, with a short-sleeved t-shirt sort of sweater scheduled next, with some nice natural Utiku yarn), and it’s real soup and stew weather. (Mmmmm, soup and stewwwwws.)

Still doing game reviews; I’ve had a TON of them lately, including Fable 3, Sims 3 Generations, Brink, and a few other littlies. I think the mad rush has died down a bit – at least I’m hoping, as I’ve signed up for SoCNoC; effectively a southern hemisphere NaNoWriMo, in June. What’s nice is that it’s a little less restrictive than NaNoWriMo, in that it’s ‘allowed’ to work on multiple things at once, so the focus is more about the challenge of writing every day. So far I’m on track, but hey, it’s only day three. The first and last weeks are always the easiest.

Speaking of which – I’d better go mosey on over to that open Word document and get busy!

:::

Reading: A State of Siege, Janet Frame; St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, and Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

Reviewing: nothing at the moment!

Listening: Bill Evans, Conversations With Myself

Watching: Game of Thrones (woop!)

Yikes, I’ve been away too long – this is reading like a personal diary entry rather than something that other people might see.

I have been away; and to be honest I wasn’t sure if I would return to the blog. As it is I’m painfully aware of the copious amount of work that needs to be done to get even a rough version completed of the online version of my grandpa’s war diary. It’s hard going though, with the scanner. I just need to get my arse in gear.

I have been busy though: two part time jobs, from which I’ve only recently had a significant break of any kind. Getting up early in the morning to try and rekindle my fiction writing joy (at this stage it’s play; and I like it that way). I’ve been writing a lot of game reviews as well – and just realised yesterday that I’ve now written over one hundred reviews for NZGamer.com, the first of which was written on the 6th of April, 2006, and was an Animal Crossing review I quickly scrapped up to show them I could conceivably write a review. Odd to think I’ve been doing it for five years now.

(Edit: I’m knocking this theme on the head. It does irritating things with links and italics as well.)

:::

Reading: North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell

Reviewing: CrimeCraft

Listening: Primus, Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Watching: The Clint Eastwood box set

• Take a news break. Watching endless replays of footage from the disaster can make your stress even greater.  Although you will want to keep informed – especially if you have loved ones in earthquake-affected areas – taking a break from watching the news can lessen your distress.
• Control what you can. There are routines in your life that you can continue such as going to work or school and making meals.  It is helpful to maintain these routines and schedules to give yourself a break from constantly thinking about the earthquake.
• Engage in healthy behaviors. Eat well-balanced meals, engage in regular exercise like going for a long walk, and get plenty of rest. Bolstering your physical well-being is good for your emotional health and can enhance your ability to cope.
• Keep things in perspective. While an earthquake can bring tremendous hardship and loss, remember to focus on the things that are good in your life.  Persevere and trust in your ability to get through the challenging days ahead.
• Find a productive way to help if you can. Many organizations are set up to provide various forms of aid to survivors. Contributing or volunteering is a positive action that can help you to make a difference.
• Strive for a positive outlook. Many people who have experienced tragedy find that they grow in some respect as a result of persevering through the hardship.  Over time, people can discover personal strengths and develop a greater appreciation for life.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708164

and this

http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23eqnz

before I left, for anyone who doesn’t know what’s going on.

Granted, this whole purchase is a rather grand experiment in alternate ways to fit writing into the day. But if anyone’s interested, here are my reasons for taking the iPad route:

* I very specifically wasn’t looking for a laptop / computer replacement. I already have a laptop that, while old, continues to do its thing extremely well.

* I wanted something that would be really portable, easy to use, but also with a reasonable battery life.

* I didn’t want to get an iPhone.

* I was hoping whatever it was would let me both type, but also use a stylus for tablet-style inking. I know the iPad isn’t remotely comparable to pc tablets, but as I said, I didn’t want to go down that route.

* Cost was also a factor… I’d considered the MacBook air but it was just that little bit more expensive. And while things like disk space, multi-tasking and other valid arguments against the ‘Pad are totally relevant, for my purposes (writing, mostly), these weren’t really deal breakers.

Plus they are awesome to use, and loads of fun, heh.

So, I haven’t written in five or so months. Sorry about that. What have I been doing?

After a rather extensive phase spent up to my elbows in dye, fibre, and handspun wool, I got a phone call a from my old company, wondering if I could do a spot of testing for them. I’d already taken on some part time work in the mornings, but I said if that fit in with their project needs, then I’d be happy to work for them. I think that was in August. Things have been really busy since then.

We did get away for a trip to Melbourne, and if this app will let me (WordPress for iPad), I’ll post some pictures. Melbourne was amazing, simply amazing, but I got sick while I was there, and whatever it was really took hold. I was crook for a couple of weeks.

Oh. The other thing that happened was back in July, and I suspect it’s the reason my blogging sort of petered out then. My nana passed away after a long bout with dementia. The whole thing was overwhelming, but in a quieter, softer sort of way compared to my grandpa’s death. His passing was completely traumatic for everyone; it was just so unexpected. But with nana, it was… Awfully sad, but a bit bittersweet as well. Bittersweet’s the wrong word. A peaceful end, anyway.

And so here we are, and it’s December somehow. Did the year off go as I’d planned it? Not exactly. But one thing I enjoyed was the chance to just breathe, to detach from being pinned to the desk at work, to be able to spend some time doing other things, just for the pleasure of doing them. I didn’t write as much as I originally wanted to (though I have been doing loads of game reviews), but having not written, I’m aware of how much pleasure it gives me, and how much a part of my life it is.

I didn’t do NaNoWriMo this year; the trip, and getting sick put an end to any delusions of catching up on my word count. But I think my goal for the Christmas period is going to be to try and write every day, even if it’s just a little bit. I have so much of this story to tell, the floodgates are straining, about to burst open. I just need to give myself the time, and to make sure I have fun doing it.

There’s been a shop update since I last posted:

Cruise merino roving

Pacific Winter merino roving

Golden Honey merino roving

Candyland merino roving

Sea Spray merino roving

Seagull merino roving

…which I think are quite nice. I’ve also been in touch with a couple of awesome fibre artists through etsy, Hobbledehoy, and Maude and Me (also from Wellington!), and they’re keen to do a fibre swap! While I haven’t sold any of the new stuff yet (and I’m crossing my fingers it’ll happen soon), Etsy is still a really cool place to join in with the crafting community, and lots of people are big into trading.

I’ve also made an order for some more merino – from Whorls and Wheels – gah! Wheels and Whorls – because the last lot was so gorgeous. Ideally I’d like to order directly from a farm or something, but I can’t really afford to try out a huge range of different suppliers just to find out if what they produce is right for me. I’m also picking up close to 2 kilos of gotland roving from a farm in the Manawatu this weekend, which I’m really excited about.

On the job front, I just got a call this morning from an ex-colleague asking if I’d be interested in 2-3 weeks’ worth of testing! Rather fortuitous, as my savings is decreasing and I’ve even been applying for a few part-time jobs. The frustrating thing is everyone seems to go “oh, it must be a mistake. Why would someone who’s had a reasonably lucrative full time job (career, even) want to apply for this? Nah, we won’t even get her in for an interview.” I’m so tired of people making assumptions about me, and my interests, based on the jobs I’ve had in the past. I mean, I can’t even get an interview for a book shelving job at the public library! For the record: I WANT a job in an interesting environment. I WANT a part-time job. I WANT to be in a workplace where I’m surrounded by interesting people talking about all sorts of interesting things. And to be frank, I really don’t care that much about how much I’m paid. Am I a freak?

P.S. I’ve been thinking about adopting this new theme from WordPress, called Koi. What do you reckon? It’s warmer than my current theme, Neutra.

Pic taken from the Sydney Morning Herald website

UN-believable! New Zealand ties with Italy 1-1.

Here’s what some of the papers (websites) had to say about it:

If the Slovakia result was incredible, this is truly mind-blowing and they still have a genuine chance of progressing to the second round – although Paraguay looked slick in their 2-0 defeat of Slovakia. That would be one of the biggest surprises in World Cup history, much like the US beating England in 1950.

If they did that, the whole team should be knighted. At least coach Ricki Herbert and captain Ryan Nelsen.

The really crazy thing is, New Zealand could have won beaten Italy. Yes, they were under immense pressure for most of the game, but the goal they conceded, a 29th minute Vincenzo Iaquinta penalty, was extremely soft.

Midfielder Daniele Di Rossi, all 85kg of snarling Italian cabanossi, went down like he had been tackled by All Black Ma’a Nonu.

All Whites defender Tommy Smith naively tugged his shirt, but this happens virtually any time a ball is played into the box, and Di Rossi fell like his legs had been taken from under him. He was clearly looking for a penalty and the referee duly obliged.

NZ Herald

-

Adding salt to a raw wound, De Rossi won the man of the match award.

What a joke.

If a team ranked fifth in the world has to resort to deception to subdue a side ranked 78th, then what hope is there for the World Cup?

[...]

Admittedly, the All Whites had snatched the lead through a dubious goal of their own. Shane Smeltz strayed offside just as Winston Reid touched on a cross which then cannoned off Italian skipper Fabio Cannavaro.

But there is a decided difference between an offside goal – a split-second judgment call by a match official – and a deliberate dive which resulted in a soft penalty and a yellow card for the guiltless Smith. De Rossi’s name should have gone into the black book instead, for shameful simulation.
Sydney Morning Herald

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Full time: Italy 1-1 New Zealand It’s the feelgood hit of the summer: New Zealand have held the world champions Italy. Extraordinary stuff. They put in such a resourceful display, and were led sensationally by the brilliant Ryan Nelsen. Italy’s World Cup minnowphobia continues, and they will need to get at least a draw against Slovakia on Thursday to qualify. But today is all about New Zealand, who have infused this World Cup with the sort of innocent, everyman charm that was seemingly lost to top-level football. After two games, they are on behind Italy on alphabetical order. Congratulations to them.
The Guardian

-

New Zealand held firm, undone only by their opponents’ mastery of the game’s darker arts.

Tommy Smith, of Ipswich Town, took on the role of mark, Daniele De Rossi the common purpose crook who had spotted his victim. The Roma midfielder was already in mid-leap when Smith fingered his shirt. It was a penalty, certainly, but perhaps only by the letter of the law, rather than the spirit of it. Vincenzo Iaquinta, coolly, calmly, converted.

Humiliation averted? Not a bit of it. New Zealand refused to buckle, to wilt to received wisdom.

[...]

New Zealand, dripping with defiance, would not be broken. The white shirts began to whirl. It is a gesture with a different meaning in other parts of Europe, of course, the wall of white a sign of displeasure. The irony will not be lost on Lippi and his team.
Telegraph

What a game!!!

For starters, typewriters (especially the beautifully-made older ones that seem to have such desirable keys) are a finite resource, while fashion, as we all know, is fickle and ever-changing. While the key choppers, I will grudgingly admit, have at least an eye for the gorgeousness of typewriter design, the idea that they are “recycling” is laughable.

Anyway, I came across this excellent open letter to key harvesters recently. Read it.

And if you are tempted to join the ranks of key harvesters? Don’t do it. These gorgeous machines have lasted the test of time because they were designed to last, they are crafted from sturdy materials, plus they are beautiful to use. Just because we live in an age where everything is disposable (including your $3,000 plastic laptop), doesn’t mean everything is fodder for us to destroy.