vanessarama

Hello, new people I have friended, or people who have come across me. Feel free to friend me back, or not.


( Here are some things about me which may help you make up your mind whether to do so )

( (very sparse) Masterlist of fic )

I knit a lot. Also, I write more stuff here about real-life than about Merlin.

OK, I missed the first few days, but I was sick and therefore have an excuse! Still sick actually, but not so badly. But i know I need to get back into the habit of writing and this is as good a way as any!

I am still busy, but it's good busy. Working from home, I'm able to work more at my own pace and in line with the way my natural cycles of attention go. This largely involves working from about 7:30am till about 11 am, having a big break in the middle of the day, and then doing a few more hours from about 2:30 till Rohan gets home. It seems to be the way my brain is set up to operate. Oooh, and I have a laptop now! It's slim and light. It makes it much easier for me to work throughout the day as I can move between locations, curl up on the couch, stretch out on the bed, etc. Am still getting used to Windows 8 and setting it all up to operate as I want it to, though.

The Australian federal election is on this Saturday and I am dreading the fact that we'll probably have a change of government. Mind you, IMHO both major parties are representatives of Teh Evil. Quite disgusted with the way the Labor Party has betrayed its roots.

And finally and most wonderfully, it's Spring! Spring has sprung! I had the house all open today and let the warm air in, and it was glorious.

I miss looking forward to new Merlin :(

Fairly horrible stressy day today. But! It ended with unexpected niceness from someone I have been in a massive grump with lately, and I feel better about that person now. Also I have red lipstick which I bought yesterday, which stays on forever and is red! (I very rarely wear lipstick).

Also, this is WONDERFUL, touching and funny and makes you feel good. Please, please watch it:

Adam Hills hosted an (unfortunately not legally binding) Mass Same-Sex TV Wedding. oops, fixed link

With letter from 88-year-old lady who sent her own silver sixpence, and bonus Hamish Blake!

Good grief, how swiftly the time goes. I can't believe it's already February.

Yesterday's 33 degree C weather, with accompanying hot wind which caused an OMGEXPLOSIONANDFIRE at the local train station, became 18 degrees and rainy within an hour or so. Ahh, Melbourne. Tomorrow I will be in the Red Centre (I love saying that) where it will be in the thirties again (although like most desert places it will be cold at night). Also, I'll be away two whole days because there is only one flight a day between Alice and Melbourne. Oh, geographical tyranny.

Knitting: I had a most discouraging moment last night. I'm knitting a jacket in pieces (for those who are Ravelry-enabled, it's this one) and after reading some Rav comments chose to knit the fronts first. Last night I finished the back... and discovered to my horror as I went to block the pieces that one front is an inch shorter to the armholes than the other front. And I can't work out where I went wrong because it looks as if the cables match! Argh! I will work it out when I'm feeling a little less annoyed with myself.

Fandom: Season one Merlin on UK-TV continues apace and it's so interesting to watch these episodes now. The thing I never really picked up on as much before is that, while Arthur is a dick in these episodes, Merlin is totally a dick too. He's arrogant, impulsive and doesn't recognise that actions have consequences; both he and Arthur are in the stage of being self-centred about their effect on the world, without recognising that the world and the people in it are also players who can affect what happens.

Old fandom: Over the weekend we watched the blu-ray of Fellowship of the Ring, and the Costa Bodes doco which I hadn't seen before. I had forgotten how utterly awesome the LOTR movies are. It's years since I last watched them, and there were actually bits I'd forgotten. Also was reminded how much I love Kiwis and that it's far too long since I last visited NZ. It's amazing how much the Isengard scenes resonate with the war manufacturing effort explained in 'The World at War' documentary, which we've been watching as it screens on 7 Two.

Telly: Rohan and I, after watching the aforesaid World at War (narrated by Laurence Olivier; I love the way he says "Sovi-ette") watched a two-part doco on the weekend which was all about the rise of Hitler. Really, really interesting because it gave very clear and understandable historical and cultural context and framing so you could really understand why and how he managed to manipulate a disillusioned, impoverished, disenfranchised nation. Very interesting; nobody should ever, at any time, think “it couldn’t happen here”.

Also, just as the History Channel has become the Tony Robinson channel, SBS seems to have morphed into the Neil Oliver channel. Neil! With his Scottish accent and his long locks blowing in the wind, as he looks over his shoulder Hollywood-starlet style while standing on a windy cliff! So much love.

Reading: Have finished 'Making Sense of the Troubles', which attempts to do what it says on the cover. Admittedly I began reading this for fandom-related reasons, after seeing a lot of Colin Morgan-related discussion where people were completely unaware of the lingering effects of the Troubles and of the divisions in NI in general. (It is, for instance, still extraordinary that Colin went to an integrated school, since 95% of students in NI still attend what are essentially either Protestant or Catholic schools.) Also, after seeing the 'Who Do You Think You Are?' where David Tennant meets his NI relatives and is so, so uncomfortable holding the Orange Order sash that belonged to one of his forebears, who was involved in anti-Catholic policymaking.

The really fascinating thing about the book was the 20th century historical context, and comparing its balanced view with what I grew up with on the news. I grew up wanting desperately to travel to the UK, but thinking it was dangerous because of the IRA. IRA violence outside NI was regularly reported here; virtually all violence which took place within NI, including all the loyalist violence, was almost never reported. In fact, I doubt we would have heard anything about the Troubles here at all if not for the fact that the IRA carried out so many attacks in England. Recommended book for those interested, although it does get dry in parts. What I got from it was that the situation is nuanced, complicated, and so bound up in history that those of us without centuries-old traditions and grudges might find it difficult to understand.
And that it doesn’t have a happy ending; but it does have hope. Which I suppose is as much as humans ever get.

This is National Missing Persons Week in Australia. The theme this year is when someone goes missing, more than one person is lost.

When someone goes missing, it affects family, friends and colleagues; current estimates are that 12 people are affected for every missing person. Many of those individuals will be affected by “ambiguous loss” – with no idea what has happened to their loved one, and no resolution, they live constantly doubting themselves, wondering if they did something wrong, if they are giving up too soon, unable to grieve properly but unable to move on with their lives. It is a cruel thing. Even the knowledge that a loved one is dead, whether by choice, accident or malice, is less cruel than not knowing.

If you are ever tempted to get away and make a clean start, someone will be affected; someone doesn’t want you to go; someone loves you and someone will be looking for you. For sanity’s sake and their sake and the sake of all the public money that will be spent looking for you, let the police know you are missing voluntarily.

Even if you’re not and have never been tempted to disappear, it’s a good idea to make sure people know of your whereabouts. You don’t want to end up like the man I call the unhappy camper. Nor do you want to be one of the dozens of unidentified people who have been hit by cars when out jogging or walking, without ID, and whose identities are unknown.

If you’re going somewhere that involves moving through deserted or sparsely populated country, make sure someone knows when you leave and when you believe you’ll arrive. Get lots of sleep. Don’t try to drive yourself beyond your limits – it can lead to hallucinations and lack of control. If you're going to drink, don't go near water. The number of young men (in particular) who've drowned just because they were drunk and walking near water - even in heavily populated areas.

Make sure someone knows your accurate height, your weight, your marks and tattoos. Know those things about your own loved ones.

I think we do a fairly crappy job of handling missing persons in this country - witness the woeful incompleteness of most profiles on the AFP site, the fact that we still have no national database of missing persons and the fact that there is no national database of unidentified remains. We're getting better. But we have a while to go.

- Rohan came home on Thursday night and took Friday off work; we went to Chadstone and bought a Le Chasseur casserole/french oven. It is AWESOME. It cost a lot but I've been lusting after it for ages and it does seem to produce extra tasty food. I cooked a fabulous beef casserole in it on Friday night and there is a chicken one in the oven now (with white wine and garlic and sage, mmm). Any suggestions for favourite casserole-dish-type recipes appreciated!

- Went to the rather lame local Collectables Fair on Saturday. Bought nothing.

- Went round to Ben's Saturday night and revelled in the presence of dear friends.

- Made Welshcakes for 'A Taste of Harmony' at work tomorrow. Not that there is much Welsh in me; I just like Welshcakes :)

- To paraphrase eyebrowofdoom: HEXAMAGONS HEXAMAGONS.



See?

For once, Monday morning does not fill me with ennui! I have the day off, because I worked last Friday. I will be spending it knitting and watching documentaries. Much like I spent yesterday, only I baked a carrot cake then as well. The house smelled of fresh grated ginger for ages, a wonderful warm fragrance :)

On Friday I finished what I hope will be my last policy submission for some time and sent it in to Treasury. In the thick of it all I never realised how stressed I was over all the policy stuff I had to do in February. I feel much lighter now.

The news from Christchurch continues to devastate. I am so sad to hear that the news isn't good about Shane Tomlin, the man who was very publicly rescued, was seen entering the hospital, and then disappeared. They haven't said what happened yet. I wonder whether he was confused from the head injury and wandered off somewhere obscure outside or within in the hospital, unnoticed in the confusion. Very, very sad.

In other news, Colin Morgan apparently continues to be lovely. No surprises there :)

75% of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone. 10 dead, 90 missing so far.

For those of you unfamiliar with our geography, the disaster area is twice the size of Texas, or five times the size of the entire UK. And it's not just bush or outback; it includes our third largest city.

Donations (tax deductible for Australian taxpayers) can be made to the Premier's Disaster Relief Fund. Those wishing to support the relief and care of wild and domestic animals during this crisis can donate to the RSPCA Queensland, which has toll-free numbers for US and Canadian residents to call.

The ABC's page on ways to help is here and you can also watch live coverage of the crisis on ABC News 24, which has been un-geolocked for the time being.

The Twitter tag to follow is #qldfloods and the Queensland Police Media Unit are a good place for updates too: http://twitter.com/QPSmedia

Like many Australians I have dear friends and family affected by this. My Queensland peeps, I am thinking of you all.

It is nice and quiet at work, as officially we are still closed for the holiday break. I am supposed to be taking advantage of this time to file and clean things up, but of course I am not. I am getting other stuff done though.

I weighed myself this morning for the first time in probably a year, and it was a huge wake-up call. I am heavier than I thought I was, heavier than I've ever been, and I need to lose at least 25 kilos. I am going to try out a program that sharpest_rose is having some success with, and then if it doesn't work it is ALL HER FAULT, mwahaha. Because it's never mine :D

On the bright side, Rohan is going to build me a new computer! I am very excited as it will be grunty enough for me to play Sims 3 comfortably without the odd stuttering and slowing down it gets sometimes. He is having a lot of fun planning and pricing it.

Also, the knitting is going excellently so far. I have done 11 repeats of a Shetland Triangle so far, and I only cast on on Sunday. It's in the most gorgeous dark green silk/cashmere lace from Skein Yarns (it's actually greener than the pic). The yarn is the softest thing I have EVER felt, and I have a lot of gorgeous yarn so I've felt a LOT of soft things.

I also bought myself some natural moth repellents from Kleins Perfumery to protect my yarn stash. I was very impressed with their customer service - I ordered on Monday, which was a public holiday, and got my stuff Wednesday. It was beautifully packaged within the box, in separate waterproof bundles tied with ribbon and I got lots of free samples as well. In case you're wondering I got some of these and some of these. I like the latter best, simply because the other ones smell of clove and I don't like clove as much as other things. I can smell them just walking past the room where the yarn is stored now, so I assume moths will be kept well at bay.

Today:

- I unravelled a sock that wasn't working and started another pair that is.

- I was horrified by seeing a Scientology ad on National Geographic Channel (UGH UGH NATGEO WTF?)

- The Foxtel man came around to fix our crappy connection and showed us the line which the possums had nearly nibbled right through. All fixed now and we have a new box.

- I began writing another long Merlin story.

- I began writing a short Merlin story.

- I made red and green Christmassy stained glass jelly which Rohan and I have now eaten. I made the surrounding jelly clear instead of white, flavouring it with lemonade.

- I made nommy chicken thigh and snowpea risotto

I think I may finally be beginning to relax for the first time in several months.