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Saturday, June 28th, 2008
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9:02 am
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Yay, school holidays! Finally!
I've actually been off for a week already but as I was doing something every day, and still having to get up early to make sure the cubs got to school on time, I didn't really consider this week of no classes a 'holiday'.
As for the exams? I'm certain I've passed everything but after a post mortem discussion with my class mates about the Cataloguing one it looks like I've lost even more points than I originally thought. Dang.
Cubs' birthday next week. They're looking forward to it. Apparently they've been wanting to 13 for a long time... :)
Some links from Penny.
Tee hee hee
Oh noes!
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| Saturday, June 14th, 2008
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10:25 pm
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Soooo, what's been happening in the days since I last updated?
Just finished the second last week of term. Chock full of revision, it was, freaking us out preparing us for the flippin' seven exams next week. Sheesh. I expect I'll pass everything but I'm not counting on top marks.
Some of my classmates need a little bit of help with a few subjects so I've been tutoring as well. :) Quite aside from the modest amount of cash I earn (I didn't ask for it, they insisted on paying!), it's fun and an excellent way to do my own revision. Wouldn't want to be an actual teacher though, gods no.
Computer woes. My USB hub driver thingy has chucked a spaz and now won't recognise any USB device. [grump] Can't use my only-recently-installed printer (nooooo! I luvs mah printa! Lucky I'd already done all that stuff for school, eh?) but worse, I can't download pics from my phone! Fortunately I managed to find the plug-in charger so I'm at least able to juice up my wee pink beastie, but no pics? [pout] That, if anything, will/should get me off my sizeable arse to fix the problem - which could be as simple as reinstalling the hub's drivers...
Hah! Simple? Have to remember how to find out what hardware my 'puter's carrying so I can go and hunt down the appropriate software on the 'net. [sigh] It's not easy - I've had a look (a half-arsed look, admittedly, but it was at the end of a long day and I was brain!porridge. Couldn't find anything that stated clearly what was what. Am I looking in the right place? Criminy, I don't know!) Eh, well...
( Cut for possible spoilers of films what I've recently seen... )
I've got a nomination for one of my HP AU slash fics! Like Minds for the 2007 Snupin Santa exchange. (Please note, story is M/M, NWS, NC 17, and all that other good stuff.) Knew nothing about it until ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) blpaintchart pointed me in the right direction. [grin]
(I'll see about getting on with the '5 films' list next time I update. Let's see, what were the proposed categories? 5 favourite animated films - 5 favourite obscure films - 5 guilty pleasures - 5 most influential - 5 favourite kids' flicks - 5 'oh gods, that's x hours I'll never get back' - 5 daftest - 5 most insulting - 5 wtf? sequels - 5 musicals - 5 foreign language - (and an extra one from Joules!) 5 oddball/original.
Anyone think of anything else...? :)
... I'm sure I had something else to mention...
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| Sunday, June 1st, 2008
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11:40 pm
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| Saturday, May 10th, 2008
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9:15 am
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One of the reasons I'm studying full-time is our previous government's attitude to single parents claiming financial assistance, that is, you are of no value unless you're a: working, b: looking for work, or c: studying with the intent to increase your chances of finding work.
Bastards.
Part of my 'contractual agreement', the premise upon which I can continue to receive a generous [snort] stipend, is that I have to study at least 30 hours a fortnight. Easily done, I'm clearing 40 most fortnights - and having fun with it - but, when I first signed the agreement I was told I couldn't accrue hours. 30 hours a fortnight was the target. End of discussion. This bothered me somewhat cos what do I do during holidays? Was I expected to go back to looking for work again? Or make up the hours with approved voluntary work?
Anyway, scurried off yesterday to the place of joy and happiness that is the Centrelink office to hand in the first load of documentation that proved I'd been keeping my end of the bargain for the past 3 months. The client officer I spoke to was lovely, camp as a jamboree, and very helpful. Apparently the hours are accrued, so I didn't need to worry about holidays, plus, and this was the kicker, I was only 8 hours off my six monthly target. [headdesk] I could, in theory, only go to classes for another week, then slack off for the rest of the time of the contract. Not that I'm going to, naturally, as I said, I'm having far too much fun...
It's Mother's Day this weekend. :) Unlike primary schools, high schools don't provide their students with the opportunity to shop for gifts. This is not a bad thing - the cubs have given me some very... interesting items
over the years, bought from the MD stalls. :)
This year all I've asked for is Turkish delight, and I think the cubs' father was out yesterday getting it. Mwahahah.
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| Sunday, May 4th, 2008
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9:20 am
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| Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
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10:12 am
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Happy Birthday, Soulsis!
Feeling a bit pleased with myself. I got 95/100 for the pernickety Cataloguing test a couple of weeks ago. That's a Distinction, that is. :)
Interestingly, a few nights back I dreamt I was chosen for Student of the Year, which was a much better dream than the other ones I've been having about alienation - in various forms - that leave me exhausted on waking. Gah. And as for last night's subconcious foray into weirdarse...? A battle between (minor and blurred) Good and Evil, with Magical Girl transformations complete with lightshows and daft chanting. [blinkblink] Riiight...
The cubs' father is a nurse. In terms of on-the-job injuries from attacks Nurses are very high on the list and he's taken some pretty hefty wallops over the years. For the first time ever the family of an abusive patient has acknowledged the problem. He - and the other 2 nurses who copped the brunt - were given a box of chocolates and profuse apologies. [grin]
And now, a quiz thingy nicked from undunoops.
Your Power Bird is a Vulture
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You are always changing your life and the lives of those around you.
You aren't afraid to move on from what holds you back.
Energetic and powerful, you have a nearly unlimited capacity for success.
You know how to "go with the flow" and take advantage of what is given to you.
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What? No flamingos? :)
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| Friday, April 25th, 2008
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10:38 am
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Happy Birthday, Miss Raven! (from your slacker Aunt, who forgot.)
Hmmph. There were going to be pics with this post but I hate Photobucket so it'll have to wait...
Right! Wot's been 'appenin', then?
I got 32/33 on the computer test! [happy dance] All of our class passed, including the ones who were convinced they were going to fail. (There was one fail, but the teacher let her resit part of the test there and then, and she got enough extra points to scrape a pass! We like this teacher: we're giving him chocolates next week :)
I got another parcel from Joules! Eeeeee! I know have my very own copy of Prime Contact! Signed an' everything. [bounce] :) I've read the story a couple of times via computer, but it's very different - better! - having the book in your hand. [grin] And it's great to finally see the wonderful illustrations in situ!
There were other goodies in the parcel, too. Sachets - and a jar - of Turkish delight flavoured hot choc; a pair of dopey cow s/p shakers; woodgie wee Japanese bear; bear and penguin chocolates (yum!); a few scraps of really lovely material; orchid soap, and chai tea, which made everything smell great! Thanks, Joules, thrilled to bits with my booty!
It's ANZAC day today (day off, woohoo!). The cubs went with their father to the dawn service at the Shrine of Rememberance. I heard them get up around 4 a.m. Heh, they're a bit tired now, but firmly resisting the idea of a nap...
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| Saturday, April 19th, 2008
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8:29 am
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Well, that was a week that was.
Badger and Rocket came back from their school camp yesterday. They enjoyed it, they said, and they were asleep so fast last night it was startling. [grin] I can imagine there were many early bedtimes in the area last night...
It was very quiet while they were away. Very quiet. I won't say I was drifting around like a lonely ghost but I did miss the little beggars. Eh well, only having to get myself organised in the mornings meant I was getting to school nice and early. Which was just as well as I suffered through had three end-of-subject tests in two days.
( My exaggerated woes. Listen to them. )
Got a parcel from Joules! Two DVDs - Nathan Barley (satirical Brit comedy? Oh yeah!) and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. The latter I'm particularly interested in cos Joules has written some fic for it, and recommended I see the series before reading. [grin]. Will do!
Oooh, and there was also a CD of the radio interview Joules did for the release of Prime Contact! Thanks, GoodTwin! Plus, there was a wee coin, a Malta 1c. It's got a weasel on it! So kewt! And I can't think of any other country that has a weasel on its coinage. :)
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| Saturday, April 12th, 2008
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10:10 pm
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A quick summing up.
Ok. Holidays were good - did well on my last test - cubs are off to camp next week.
( Details... )
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| Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
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10:09 am
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Ah, crime fiction, I loves it, but haven't read anything much of the 'foundation' stuff - y'know Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle. I have however, finally got 'round to reading some Raymond Chandler, him being considered one of the icons on the genre.
It's very cool! Humourously dry, wonderfully descriptive, and written in 1st person, which I'm partial to - as evidenced by the 1 and 4/5 novels I've written in that style.
( Examples of my enjoyment... )
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| Saturday, March 29th, 2008
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12:13 am
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| Tuesday, March 25th, 2008
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10:38 am - My suitcase compliments my flamingo.
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| Friday, March 14th, 2008
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10:24 pm
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There was a music DVD playing while the cubs, their father and I were dining at the Hog's Breath Cafe this evening. The not particularly interesting selection (Toni Basil, Cyndi Lauper, Culture Club, Bananarama, Rick Astley, for god's sake...!) prompted me to snark mildly about it being a collection of 'the least threatening songs of the 80's', with the companion volume of 'slightly edgy songs of the 80's'. :) However, I did almost snigger my coffee up through my nose when 'Angel in the Centrefold' came on...
Last night's episode of Life on Mars (which I've really taken a shine to this second season) had a Camberwick Greenesque beginning that made me giggle.
And lo and behold, the clip's up on YouTube.
Study results!
I got 100% for the other test I had last week, but only 94% for the Cataloguing assignment. Admittedly, I lost 1 point cos I didn't fully understand the question - the rest were lost to silly, careless mistakes. Still, not a bad result. :) (What would Little Miss Overconfident look like, I wonder?)
Egad, it's almost the end of first term!
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| Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
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9:44 pm
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| Saturday, March 8th, 2008
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10:15 am
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[head->desk] When engaged in cataloguing tasks it is very important to a: know what you're doing, and b: know what you're doing.
I've just spent 5 minutes trying to find the authorised subject heading for 'man-eating animals' on the Library of Congress' site. Couldn't find a thing, no matter which angle I came at it from. ('man eating animals'? 'killer animals'? 'dangerous animals'? etc.) Not a sausage. [oo! I wonder what the authorised heading for 'sausage' is? Tch, later, you mental butterfly...] Anyway, so yes, couldn't puzzle it out. Then, giving up in disgust and moving on to the next word on the list to search, I o'erglanced 'man-eating' and discovered it was in fact 'meat-eating animals'. [rolls eyes] Oy bloody vey... (The subject heading for 'meat-eating animals', by the way, is carnivora.)
[grump] One of the cubs has had a hair cut and now I'm getting them confused.
Not that they're identical, or anything.
Cool! Harper Collins has got Neil Gaiman's American Gods up to read online! Only for the next couple of weeks, though. Even so... Flipping through the first few pages reminded me how good it is and that I must read it again.
[And the LOC authorised subject heading for 'sausage' is 'sausages', with a 'see also' note to look under 'animal products'. Well, there you go...]
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| Monday, March 3rd, 2008
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10:04 pm
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Ooh!
I've just had a thought!
Computer projectors = slide shows!
I can subject an entire room of people to my photos without having to muck about with slide film!
Mwahahahaha!
... mind you, slide film does give beautiful results. Rich and deep...
... but then I'd need another SLR...
... but then again I've seen some lovely stuff done with digital SLRs.
Hm...
Need a digital SLR, obviously. I wonder if there's any place that will let me put one on layby for about a year? :)
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| Saturday, March 1st, 2008
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12:00 pm
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So yes, the major assessment assignment for one of my subjects was to investigate my local library and then give a verbal report to the class. I put in a lot of work for the assignment, trawling the website for information and prowling around the place taking photos. I was organised, I really was, in my head and on paper but I was disappointed with the result.
( On to the tale of woe... )
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| Thursday, February 28th, 2008
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10:05 pm
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Time for a couple of book reviews, methinks.
I'd like to say I'm making an effort to expand my literary horizons by actively seeking out and reading the sort of classic stuff that keeps appearing on 'My favourite/Most influential etc' booklists, but no, the 'right' books falling in to my hands is more serendipity than anything else. For example, I spotted Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray in an op shop, and as it was one of those things I've been meaning to read like, forever [valley girl head toss] I picked it up.
( [spoiler warnings, perhaps?] )
Coming up soon: My Class Presentation and How it Could've Been Better...
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| Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
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10:03 pm
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[grizzle] Three days in a row of above 30c temperatures and I'm in a bit of a mood. I know perfectly well that Summer won't be done with us 'til end of March at least but I allowed myself to be lulled by the several days of quite reasonable weather. [grump] Eh well, cool change tonight, apparently...
Eheheheheh. I think my mum's bought me a life-size plastic flamingo for my birthday! It seems the stroke she had a couple of years ago has left her physically incapable of keeping a secret. :)
( Cut for kitsch... )
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| Saturday, February 16th, 2008
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12:30 pm
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