| Something beginning with B |
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| 11:46am 20/04/2015 |
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Continuing the 'read new authors' attempt...
SF/FAN:
Barclay, James. Dawnthief
Other:
Baker, Nicholson. The Anthologist
First person account of a guy procrastinating writing an introduction to a poetry anthology. Lots of purple prose. Oscillated between boring soap opera and English class room. Managed to read to the end and now have an urge to buy Dr Seuss but not inspired to read more from this author.
Young Adult:
Baldacci, David. The Finisher
Fantasy. Very good. Interesting characters and world setting / mythology that unwinds nicely during the book. Definitely interested in finding more in the series, when they're published (this one was published 2014)
Children's:
Bemis, John Claude. The CLockwork Dark: The Wolf Tree
planning to add details once I've read them. |
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| Something beginning with A |
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| 11:41am 20/04/2015 |
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In aid of stretching myself to read different books I've decided to work my way through library shelves, picking one author I haven't read before from SF/Fan and one from the rest of fiction for each letter of the alphabet.
Putting it in LJ as a useful way of keeping a record for myself.
starting with:
SF/FAN:
Armintrout, Jennifer. Blood Ties The Turning
modern vampire. Felt pretty generic, neither characters nor writing style grabbed me enough to read more than about a third of it.
The rest:
Allingham, Margery. More Work for the Undertaker
Mystery/Detective. This was pretty good. Written in the 1940s with enough unfamiliar words that I regretted not having my dictionary within arm's reach. Interesting characters and evocative flavour. Mental note to read more of hers.
Decided to add on 1 book each from Young Adult and Children's section...
Young Adult:
Almond, David. A Song for Ella Grey
Modern retelling of the Orpheus story. Okay but didn't rivet me enough to keep me reading when they swapped to black pages and white font
Children's:
Asphyxia. The Grimstones: Hatched
Cute and quirky. The author is a puppeteer and the book is illustrated with photos of her puppets and amazingly detailed sets. Probably won't go chasing the rest of the series but don't resent the time spent reading this one.
NB, I'm planning to come back and edit in my thoughts about each. |
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Read 1 - Post |
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| 02:29pm 18/10/2011 |
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I am getting my very first ever laptop tomorrow :) (just a bit excited here).
Suddenly realised yesterday that even $500-600 laptops (NZ$) beat my current destop... my current increasingly slow, laggy and annoying desktop.
Which means that I don't need to spend another year or two saving, I have close enough to the money set aside already :).
Tomorrow. Squee :)
Um, I suppose I should put some other news up too, given I haven't posted since Feb? Um, stuff...
I've been going to the gym! And making progress too. Which is exciting in itself. Changing clothing sizes, lifting more and pushbiking is slowly getting easier (8km pushbike beats going there by bus).
I've been getting music lessons this year too, and playing in orchestra. I'm trying to get my viola playing up to a point where I can/will actually play it at the Ball in Febuary.
Oh, we've had all those damn earthquakes too, but that isn't in the exciting achievement category :P Stupid aftershocks. |
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Read 4 - Post |
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| still alive |
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| 10:10pm 24/02/2011 |
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Still alive and the cat is starting to venture out from under the bed more. Might even start flushing toilet soon (I'm holding off on that as last time we were told it was ok by the council people the civil defense was still saying absolutely not, so I'm being cautious, meanwhile still using rubbish bag, kitty litter and digging into garden or feeding worms)
Had a moment a few minutes ago where the cat was mauling my arm (in that friendly bored way cats have) and I was about to shake her off when I suddenly realised it meant she was feeling relaxed enough to want to play pounce, so I waved a toy around for her for a while :)
The aftershocks are still vicious and far too frequent. They are feeling much more vicious than the sets we got after the September one.
My local area got off really lightly (love being on a gravel bank) but huge chunks of the rest of the city has had liquifaction, which means large piles of very fine mud that turns into very find dust when it dries, streets that were covered in water where the surface (invisible under the muddy water but now visible as mud dries and is shovelled) buckled and in some cases huge sink holes... Which means large tracks of land that now has voids and instabilities that are going to have to be assessed and fixed over the next however long it takes.
Um, I'm figuring that everyone is aware of current casualty numbers and estimate, so you won't mind if I avoid blogging about that. Not in danger of forgetting that, and all the news agencies are probably reporting it :P.
We've lost a large chunk of our heritage buildings, include many old churches (damn good thing it wasn't Sunday morning or casualty numbers would have been much worse). From the footage and photos there are blocks and blocks of central city that will never look the same again (and that isn't including what will happen when the Grand Chancellor Hotel falls over and takes out a number of blocks of buildings).
It is a real mess out there.
Compare that to how normal it looks if I step out my door it is just surreal to listen to the radio reports or see the photos online, to walk a block from home and see the shattered shop fronts or to bike five minutes away and see bubbly road surface and shoved silt piles. Knowing that 10min bike ride would get me to the edge of the daytime cordon (less than 5min for the edge of the curfew one). Knowing that when the quake hit on Tuesday I was the width of one intersection away from collapsing shop facades and that only 5mins earlier I was in a supermarket.
Surreal.
But I'm ok. My neighbours are ok (although one got thrown across room and was in very worrying state for hours before we could get her checked for spinal injury). My extended social group roll call has been going well, with varying extents of property damage but as far as we can tell so far none missing or badly injured (although one is still very pregnant, starting on being overdue after today). Even my cat is ok, although she is a scaredy cat who jumps at any odd noise, hides under the bed a lot and probably isn't eating as much as she should... probably so that she can reduce having to go outside to eliminate (yes I have a litter tray, no she'd prefer to hold on for two days to go outside before she'll conceed to use it, fastidious critter :P)
Um, I might be rambling now. Just figured I should do you guys an update instead of just making notes on facebook :P |
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Read 10 - Post |
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| Alive but shaken |
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| 05:22pm 22/02/2011 |
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Very shaken up but not actually damaged by the latest big earthquake/aftershock. Had an hour long walk home in very surreal 'zombie apocalyspe movie' sort of silted streets.
Have a suprise visit from Dad who had driven 3 hours to get to the city only to get here an hour after this latest quake to find that the shop he needed to repair his printer was closed, so he didn't get to do his planned driving back home tonight... so he'll be staying in my lounge for a night. |
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Read 17 - Post |
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| NaNo prep / fic from prompt |
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| 01:43pm 08/10/2010 |
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It's a dark little snippet but for me is a useful background piece for my (less than a day old) story plans for NaNo this year.
The prompt was:
It was a dark and stormy night.
( Read more...Collapse )
If anyone else is willing to give me a prompt that would be good :) (random words, sentance, idea etc) |
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Read 3 - Post |
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| um, I aint'd dead? aka an update, honest |
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| 09:51pm 24/09/2010 |
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Ok, ok, so I should really do an update. Even more I should really start reading stuff over here again :P. Got out of the habit of it, bad me.
Ok.
So. I figure that you guys have seen the news and some of you (maybe) remember what country I live in, right?
Well, for those that haven't / don't. Yes, I live in Christchurch, NZ. Yes we had a big earthquake a few weeks back. Yes it was bloody scary (was awake with toothache when it hit). No, neither I, my flat or my cat (um, might not have told you guys about that) got hurt. Yes, like the rest of the district I'm bloody sick of the onging aftershocks.
I even got to polish off my Civil Defense Training, did 30+ hours at the local welfare center over about a week before I ran out of spoons. To put that in perspective, if it had been paid rather than volunteer I'd have been forced to stop at less than half than what I did, or lose my benefit :P. I also ended up taking a friend's autistic spectrum son for 2 nights when things got too much for them. Needless to say I was pretty fried by end of that week.
At least now I'm nearly back to sleeping through the nights. Unlike others in the city :P. For me, if I'm soundly asleep, I don't seem to wake up for much short of a 5 on the ricter scale.
Um... other things that might have changed since last update?
I have a cat. She is cute, and often annoying, and soft and fluffy. And curled up on beanbag beside me 'sleeping' :P.
Um... still living in my little flat, single, unemployed/invalid's benefit, procrastinating things like writing :P. I still do SCA stuff (although sporadically), spend far to much time on the computer and read a lot.
Um, have recently started colouring in the illumination for pre-printed award scrolls (SCA again), but taking a break with these aftershocks until feel confident about my nerves :P
Um, yeah, that'll do for now.
Oh, will try and start reading people on here again, but won't generally try to catch up with archives. If I do that I'll never get caught up enough to read :P |
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Read 3 - Post |
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| 04:52pm 19/07/2010 |
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Shock horror I've actually done some writing :). Working on an old (incomplete) novel and got 1800 words done, and more to the point have made progress by doing so. Maybe I'll finally have a novel to submit to Torquere... well sometime, eventually, anyway :P At which point there will be the agonised waiting to hear back. Hmm... ok, seeing the downsides here :P lol.
Anyway, did some writing :). Feel the need to share that with all and sundry :P |
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Read 3 - Post |
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| update |
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| 08:51am 06/11/2009 |
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Swelling is going down, bruises are coming up. Went to physio yesterday and now I know how much of the pain is stiffness and how much is still damaged. (still too much of the second but far too much of the first) So now I have exercises to do, a new tubular compression bandage (which is actually more comfortable than what I was doing with the traditional bandage) and strict instructions that I'm not to use the crutches unless I'm going for a long walk and that I'm to try and walk as normally as possible.
So now I'm having to work through the pain when I stand up from resting where the ankle is yelling at me that it doesn't want to flex up like that... On the upside this is more than balanced out by not having the frustration of trying to do anything while leaning on crutches with ankle yelling at least as loudly about the stiffness.
So in generally feeling far more positive since the physio and feeling like I actually have a little bit of energy left over to cope with other shit (like changes in plans etc). Although I suspect I was a little over-zealous with the exercises yesterday, will try to be more moderate today :P |
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Read 10 - Post |
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| ouchy |
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| 09:59am 03/11/2009 |
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yesterday got far more exciting than it was supposed to.
Went out for walk on hills on a nice picturesque but rather gnarly track and was feeling really really good about the fact that I managed to get to the point that last time took me 25mins in only 15. Was aiming to do half hour then break then walk back and pushed self really hard to do the last 5 mins of it up a really steep part of the track. Before stopping for a water, reading and chocolate break.
( Description of bad things, but no blood or gore :PCollapse ) |
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Read 9 - Post |
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| 10:13am 31/10/2009 |
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I've been a very bad girl and done basically no prep for NaNo which starts tomorrow. Having severe second thoughts about getting around to it this year :P |
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| 08:44am 21/10/2009 |
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I got grumped at for not doing update with important info :P So here is a brief one.
I got a cat! :). She is very cute and fluffy and still mostly kitten. About a year old now. I got her about five months ago (meep) from the SPCA and I seem to alternate between wanting to snuggle her, wanting to laugh at her and wanting to shut her out of the room. I'm figuring this is pretty normal.
She is a short haired tabby with very soft fur and does a really good pathetic. Calling her Tabitha.
In other news I'm slowly working on doing more exercise. Been trying out aerobics classes (the easier ones) and am oscillating between thinking it's a good idea and regretting it (this morning was a regretting) |
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Read 6 - Post |
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| Pipe dreams of visiting US |
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| 05:43pm 28/07/2009 |
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I'm calling it motivational research at the moment...
I'm currently saving to do a big visit to America in 5-10yrs time. The special bank account is starting to actually accumulate money which is making me hope it will actually happen. So I've picked up some brochures as a motivational aide.
The question is, what advice on places to visit and things to see do my US friends have?
Currently I have Kennedy Space Centre, the Smithsonian, Legoland and at least one theme park with roller coasters (not sure about disneyland itself). Oh, and a RenFaire (with Elebarathi)
Anyone else have bright ideas or think they want me to try dropping in on them in nearly a decade's time? :D |
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Read 4 - Post |
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| * happy author dance* |
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| 12:44pm 27/06/2009 |
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I've managed to get a story written, tidied up and submitted for an anothology. About half a week early even.
This is the first story I've managed to write, get finished and actually meet a deadline to be able to submit it in what I'm pretty sure is over two years. Am very stoked and proud.
Next projects are tidying up my first NaNo novel (from way back in '05) to submit as a teen novel and finding a fun story idea for another anthology call. |
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Read 3 - Post |
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| Been ill |
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| 08:59am 04/06/2009 |
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Had a stomach bug for the last three days. Hasn't been pleasant. I think I'm nearly over it. Today I'm trialing eating actual food (starting with breakfast, rather than just a herbal tea) and trying to stay up most of the day rather than spending most of the day lying in bed. Tuesday I was far enough gone that I was asleep by 8:30 at night (and up at something like 2am to vomit *sigh*) but last night couldn't get to sleep until after 11, am taking that as a good sign.
*sigh*
Just thought I'd mention that to you all :P |
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Read 8 - Post |
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| Meme |
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| 08:56am 04/06/2009 |
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Ah, I forgot that I had this lying around in draft...
from  slavetopassion
Comment to this post and I'll give you 5 topics that remind me of you. Then, post those subjects in your own journal and elaborate on them.
Okay, the rule. Singular. Since a lot of you have done this one already, I'll give you five topics if you ask for them, otherwise not. :)
my topic from Jase:
1. Roleplay groups and how you became interested.
Apart from a brief 'not realising it was that' encounter with a star trek game in late high school (where I mostly remember being fascinated by repeditively creating new characters) I ran into roleplaying at University. Spent a few months in first year hanging out watching the games in the common room and trying to figure out if they were an 'appropriate' thing to join in with. (Still sweet, naive, innocent fundamentalist christian back then).
Eventually joined a couple of games and it was all down hill from there *grin*. At the peak I was in something like 4 weekly games at once. Tapered off again a few years later and in the last 5 years I've hardly played. Although did do a stint of over a year actually running a DnD game a year or so back.
2. Travel
Mmm... would love to do more, at least in the 'see the world' sense, and also in the 'see the clouds from above' sense :).
Have been out of NZ once, a 2 week visit to Australia a couple of years ago to go to a conference thing and visit friends. Have travelled around parts of NZ a few times, been to top of North Island and bottom of South, although not to Steward Island.
3. Writing
Um... Yeah, I write. When I get around to it :P. Mostly erotica, mostly guys, often involving werewolves and/or bondage.
4. Music
Listen to bunch of 80s stuff, and some oddball bands friends have found over the years, oh, and filk :)
In theory I play music too, in practice it doesn't happen much. If it did I'd be more practically competent on the viola :P
5. History
Ok, so I'm only really a fan of history in a vague way. I kind of blame that on the 5th form history class that focussed entirely on NZ history in a painful manner. I hang out with medieval recreationists but face it, I'm one of the least avid research types :P |
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Read 2 - Post |
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| Trimming flist again |
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| 08:26am 11/03/2009 |
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I've gotten to the point where I'm well behind on reading my friends list and I'm not sure how much I'll get around to reading it so I'm going to go through and do a vicious prune. |
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Read 5 - Post |
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| CF stress |
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| 06:52pm 27/01/2009 |
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Ok, so I've been having stress dreams about CF for the last week or so... but it's really going too far now... Suddenly realising that there is going to be the better part of two days where I don't have rostered duties is not suppose to make me panicky :P *sigh*
I got asked if I was available to do some LiW duties for the K&Q. I said yes but mentioned other duties that limited the time I was available to 2 days after about 9am. Just got the roster... I've only been put on for the duration of 2 meals... which should make me feel less busy, right? Nah, the level of rostering there is just making me panic that I don't know what I'm doing. I'm used to looking after Royalty on the scale where there is 1 person looking after them all day. Not 2 people at a time rostered on for a couple of hours. Meep. One assumes that it's a much more intense duty that I've done previously.
Apart from that I'm Chamberlain for stepping down and stepping up B&Bs. I'm thinking at this rate that I'm probably not going to be doing any MiT or Lists stuff (haven't actually volunteered this year), and I'm leaning towards not playing for balls (possibly not for Half Circle... have no idea what I'd do... and that edge of panic does suggest I should tell Cullum that I'm not up to it before he sets the programme). Apart from that I have early morning mong duties... but there's nothing to panic about there, I do them every year and am practically incapable of sleeping through them :P)
I'm thinking that I'm going to be very glad that I have sleeping pills available this year.
I'm also thinking that I'm going to be consuming quite a bit of cider in the evenings, if only to counter the stress and to force myself to stop vibrating long enough to maybe socialise :P
Ok... if I ever entertain the idea of running CF could someone slap me around the head and tell me that I can't take the stress... not if 2 doses of chamberlain is enough to put me in stress dreams every night for half a month before the faire :P
Admittedly many of the dreams have had little to do with what the faire site actually looks like... but they've involved tenting and garb and people I know and knowing that it's CF :P
Anyways... need to go get dinner... um... or something... Been eating faaaaar too much junk food and not-meals this month :P |
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| 12:50pm 13/01/2009 |
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this morning was the brick that broke the camel's back and now every little thing is a big thing that makes me swear and slam stuff. |
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